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Hey, Wowzer fans, Mindy here.
And before we start the show, I gotta let you know that this November, with a special new episode featuring our friends at Circle Round and Terrestrials on Radiolab for Kids,
And don't miss when Elmo from Sesame Street stops by Wow in the World to make us all belly laugh on November 24th.
Oh, but that's not all, Reg.
On December 1st, we are sharing our 250th episode of Wow in the World with all of you.
We think this one is going to be music to your ears.
Literally.
Did I mention it's a musical?
And if you're a member of the World Organization of Wowzers...
Oh boy, do I have a surprise for you.
You can listen to our 250th episode early with me and other members from around the world on Saturday, November 22nd, at 7 pm.
Eastern.
That's right, we are throwing another listening party.
Join us as we dance along to our new songs.
React to the episode with other members in the chat and more.
Grownups.
If you want your wowzer to join this members-only listening party, you can sign up to become a member today at Tinkercastcom.
Slash wow.
Already a member?
Well, you can find the link and password to join the event when you sign in at Tinkercastcom.
Slash wow.
That's it.
It's going to be a November to remember.
But for now, let's get on with the show.
Woo! on the weekend we wow on the weekend because this is what we do on the weekend talking laughing me and reggie singing laughing and then we oh wait no i said laughing twice uh whatever we wow on the weekend we wow on the weekend we wow on the weekend because this is what we do Welcome to WeWow on the Weekend.
I'm your host, Dennis.
And Reggie is my co-host, which I guess also makes him your co-host, I think.
This is the show where we hang out in Mother's Basement on the weekend and chit-chat and play games and listen to episodes of Tinkercast Podcasts and do all kinds of other stuff.
I don't know, Reggie.
All kinds.
Hmm.
Well, what do you want to do first?
No, I don't want to do that.
Let's play what's in the box again.
What do you mean that bit is played out?
Well, I think it's still funky fresh.
Let's do it.
I found a box down here in the basement.
And now I'm going to find out what's in the box.
Okay, you stay here.
I'm going to go into the crawl space.
Reggie, quiet.
I'm not going to get stuck again.
I just got to... stuck under this one beam.
Ow.
Okay, I'm in.
I'm just gonna grab a box here.
Okay, I got one.
Okay, got a box.
Now let's open it and find out what's in it.
Ready?
What's in this box?
Baby Dennis is back, baby.
Baby Dennis, my favorite ventriloquist dummy who looks just like me.
Nuh-uh.
Big Dennis looks just like Baby Dennis.
What were you doing in the box, Baby Dennis?
The giant pigeon put Baby Dennis in here.
Reggie, how could you?
Oh, yeah, I guess I did leave him sitting out.
Thanks for putting him away.
But now we need to start the show over.
Because we have another co-host.
Hello and welcome to Wee Wow on the Weekend.
I'm your host, Dennis.
And I'm Baby Dennis.
Reggie, Baby Dennis is not weird and creepy.
Yeah, I'm adorable.
Hey, Baby Dennis, what do you want to do on the show today?
Baby Dennis wants to review.
Great idea, Baby Dennis.
Reggie, you know what reviewsies are.
Yeah, Reggie.
Reviewsies are the comments people write on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or whatever, and they give us stars and we print them out and read them out loud.
That's right.
Very good, Baby Dennis.
Okay, here we go.
I'm reading reviewsies for me and my users.
We got us some doozies, so let's...
All right, let's get the first reviewsy here.
This one's from username, uh, uh-oh.
I can't read that.
Oh, is it something naughty?
No, it's not naughty.
I just don't know what all these symbols are.
Uh, underscore, six, circumflex, open bracket, close bracket, circumflex again.
I'm not reading all these symbols.
The title says, Questions for Dennis.
The message says, Mr. Dennis.
Ooh, I like being called Mr. Dennis.
Mr. Dennis, I have five questions for you.
Five?
Question one.
Who do you think is Static Man?
And then, um, that's it.
Where are the rest of the questions?
Mr. Dennis, Mr. Dennis.
Yes?
Baby Dennis knows who Static Man is.
Well, that's just a... Static Man is Mr. Dennis.
Okay, that's all right if you don't know Baby Dennis.
We're all that Static Man is probably someone really strong and really capable and really mysterious and really good at gardening.
Next question.
Static Man is me.
No, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope.
Next question.
Okay, this one is from username ttgbbjnk.
The title says chicken and the message says chicken, chicken, chicken emoji.
Well, my response to you is, uh, I don't know.
Baby Dennis, how do we respond?
Pigeon, pigeon, pigeon, pigeon emoji.
Next pigeon.
I mean, next reviewsy.
All right, this last reviewsy.
I know, I know.
My printer ran out of ink.
Sorry.
This last one is from username Ellarose9.
The title says, this is for Dennis and his reviews.
Ah, they're called reviewsies.
Yes.
Thank you, baby Dennis.
Calm down.
And the message says, I would rate it a 15 out of 10.
And then there's a whole bunch of thumbs up emojis.
Oh, how many?
A lot.
Oh.
And gold smiley faces and gold medals and gold trophies and gold ribbons.
Hooray.
Thanks, Ella Rose.
Yes, and thank you, everyone, for all your reviewsies.
Keep them coming.
If you leave a comment on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, I just might read it on WeWow on the weekend.
Five stars or more, please.
Baby Dennis, don't be ridiculous.
Obviously we want five stars or more.
Okay, now should we listen to a Tinkercast podcast?
Because next up is a little segment I like to call Inside Tinkercast Studios.
Inside Tinkercast Studios.
This is the part where we revisit an episode of one of my favorite Tinkercast shows.
And today, we're listening to an episode of Wow in the World from Season 1, Episode 8.
This is Baby Dennis' favorite.
Baby Dennis can push the button.
Hooray!
Hee hee.
Press.
Wee Wow will be right.
Back message is for you.
Hey grown-ups, it's mindy and guy ross here from wow in the world.
Mindy and i have some brand new wow in the world toys out in the world just in time for the holidays, made for the kids who love science and for the ones who don't.
Yet, from our 100 experiments, that wow kit, to the telescope and astronomy kit, Our Wow in the World toys help your wowzer learn about their world through play.
Plus, you can hear exclusive audio content from me and Guy Raz to help your wowzer discover even more wows.
Grown-ups.
Give the gift of wow and wonder this holiday season with our latest Wow in the World toys designed with your curious wowzer in mind.
You can shop our Wow in the World toys at Tinkercast.com slash toys.
That's Tinkercast.com slash toys.
Now back to the show.
Someone told me it's all happening at the zoo.
I do believe it.
I do believe it's true. the entry to get inside your house.
Did you just run right through it?
Don't worry, I'm finally a few scratches.
My beautiful door.
Well, you ready for a day at the zoo?
Am I ever.
I've checked off just about everything on my safety spreadsheet.
Let's see sunscreen.
I got my first aid kit, some bubble wrap, some toilet seat covers.
I got a shovel to dig you out of trouble, Mindy.
What?
Yeah, I'd say we're all set for an accident-free day at the zoo.
Right.
So in that case I brought along some bright reflective clothing for you to wear, You know, just in case there are hunters or something.
Hunters?
Yeah, or if we get separated in a crowd of people and I need to find you more easily.
You should definitely have these bright clothes on.
Well, normally I'm not really one for flashy clothing.
You can still wear your wool pants and tweed blazer.
Just put this stuff on top, okay?
Well, okay, but only for safety reasons, Mindy.
What other reasons could I possibly have?
Uh... Here, put these on first.
Pink leggings?
Okay.
Yep, just squeeze them on right over your wool trousers.
Looking great.
Seems a little weird.
Just remember, we're doing this for safety.
Right.
Now just climb into this hot pink unitard.
Easy does it.
Got it!
Okay, hold it right there.
What is this all about?
Ugh.
Okay, remember how you once said that you would do anything for science?
Yeah, pretty much anything, I guess.
Well, would you go into a dark cave filled with bats?
Sure.
Would you spend a year living with a pack of wild wolves?
Sure, especially if they listen to Prokofiev.
Well, I am asking you now.
If you believe in science... Okay.
I need you to dress up like a pink flamingo.
Okay.
Now I get it.
Okay, but I am absolutely drawing the line at the beak.
Oh, no worries.
I can just paint your nose to look like one.
Okay, if you're sure this is going to help science.
Now come here.
We've got to squeezy winded this pink leotard.
It's just doing its job, Guy Raz.
Now for the final touch.
I just need to glue all of these to you.
So stay really really still okay.
Pink feathers?
Remember, this is for science.
Okay, now hand me that crazy glue and turn around.
I gotta get the back.
Are you sure about this, Mindy?
Do I not look like I know what I'm doing?
Hey, hey, wait.
What are you going to wear?
Oh, I'm just going to wear a sensible, tailored pantsuit.
To the zoo?
Yeah, people already think I'm ridiculous, so this is going to show them my serious side.
I have no idea what's going on anymore.
Okay, let me just glue one last little feather to your forehead, and we are done.
Guy Raz, the look is complete, and you are wonderful.
Flamingo.
Okay, now grab your safety sack.
It is time to go to the zoo.
We got to hurry though because there's something I want to investigate once we get there.
Investigate?
Come on, let's go.
My carrier pigeon is waiting outside and he charges by the minute.
Okay, saddle up and get ready for takeoff because here we go.
Mindy, your carrier pigeon moves fast.
I still can't believe you trained him to carry you everywhere you want to go.
I can't believe we made it to the zoo in one piece.
Mindy, are you sure that all this pink feathered spandex was a good idea?
I feel like everyone's staring at me weird.
Oh, well, if that's what you're worried about, then I know a place where you will fit right in.
Oh, no.
Come on, let's go.
Okay.
Okay, here we are.
Okay.
The flamingo pen?
Really, Mindy?
Now, with your beak held high, I want you to march right on into the middle of that block.
Whoa, whoa.
And I want you to start to flamingo, okay?
Whoa.
Why is everyone taking my picture?
Hey, Guy Raz, look at me.
Look at me.
Ugh.
You are the most beautiful and unique flamingo in the flock.
There is literally no other flamingo like you.
So own it, okay?
Okay.
Now, just follow my directions.
First, squat down like you're going to sit on an invisible chair, like a toilet or something.
Like this?
Now.
With your back straight, use your hips as a hinge and push your butt backward.
This feels weird.
Great.
That means you're doing it right.
Now, stay steady.
Don't lean forward.
Your knees and ankles should be at a 90 degree angle.
Okay.
Yeah, you're doing great.
Now try it with just one leg and close your eyes and try to fall asleep, okay?
Mindy, I'm not sure what the point of all this is.
Easy does it.
Now without losing your balance, switch over to the other leg.
I am not understanding the science here.
Oh, well, for that I have a really good explanation.
Okay, this better be good.
Okay Roz, remember how I told you that I wanted to come to the zoo today to conduct sort of an investigative science experiment.
So there is a scientific reason why I'm standing here in a flock of flamingos dressed in pink feathers.
Of course there is! sort of.
This better be good.
Okay, so yesterday I read this crazy study led by two scientists in Georgia.
Lena Ting, a biomedical engineer at Emory University, and Yanghui Cheng, a neuromachinist at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
So I know that a biomedical engineer is a scientist that helps doctors invent new devices and tools to help them do their jobs better, but I'm not as familiar with with neuromachinists.
It sounds like maybe someone who works with machines and the brain?
Well, yeah, sort of.
So the way I understand it is, a neuromachinist is a scientist who works with prosthetics, meaning like artificial arms and legs for people who have either lost them or were born without them.
Wow.
So how did their study lead me to standing here in the middle of a zoo in a homemade Flamingo suit.
Well, it didn't really.
Technically, I led you here.
But what these scientists noticed was that flamingos can stand for a really, really long time on one leg, so long that they even sleep while standing on one leg.
Yeah, but don't lots of birds stand on one leg?
Yeah, they do, but flamingos make it look effortless.
I mean, they can stand on one leg for hours at a time, whereas most birds have to shift from one leg to the other after a while or just give up altogether and use both legs.
I'll say I am definitely not cut out for flamingo life.
This one leg thing is a workout.
Well, that's the thing.
So when we humans, and even other birds, stand on one leg, it takes a lot of muscle strength to hold us up and help us keep our balance.
But with flamingos?
These scientists discovered that they used almost no force at all.
The baby flamingos just slept there on one leg like nobody's business.
Wow, so how...
How did they discover this?
So the first thing they did was go to the zoo just like us.
Were they dressed as flamingos?
What?
No, that would be ridiculous.
They're respected scientists, Guy Raz.
Oh, right.
So they went to the zoo and with the help of the zookeepers they got eight baby flamingos and they put them on this measuring device called a force plate.
And what's it look like?
Well, a forest plate is like a little flat square that looks sort of like a tiny dance floor.
And it's used to measure things like balance and whatever's standing on it.
And I guess in this case, baby flamingos.
Right.
And so they fed the babies, put them on the force plate, and then they waited for them to get sleepy.
This is starting to sound really cute.
Oh, you have no idea, Guy Raz.
Anywho, once the baby flamingos started to fall asleep, they used the force plate to measure how much force they were using to keep their balance as they slept there on one leg.
What did they discover?
They discovered that they used almost no force at all.
The baby flamingos just slept there on one leg like nobody's business.
So how is this possible?
I mean, when I stood here on one leg and closed my eyes, I almost fell into that pond over there.
That's because when we humans start to lose our balance, our brains freak out and start shouting things like mayday, mayday to our muscles so that they tighten up and start doing their jobs.
But don't flamingos have the same signals running between their brains and their muscles?
Very little, they don't even need it, because their bodies are just designed to balance on one leg like that.
Wow, so how did they find this out?
Okay, so this part is a little gross.
Gross?
These scientists used flamingo cadavers.
Oh.
Dead flamingos.
Who I guess donated their bodies to science?
I mean, I guess you could say that.
The reason they used cadavers is because they don't have any muscles at all.
Because, you know...
Cadavers are.
Thanks, I got it.
They're dead.
So they took the cadavers and they set them up on one leg with nothing else to hold them up.
And guess what happened?
They keeled over and died all over again?
Nope.
They stood there steady, completely upright, never flopped.
Wow.
And so then they decided to press their luck.
In an effort to throw the flamingo cadavers off balance, they tilted the upper part of their bodies forward and backward and no matter what they did, those cadavers just stood there majestically.
And what's even crazier is that, because of that hinge in the flamingo's hips, the scientists were able to move their legs so easily that they were still able to stand upright in a way that required almost no energy or muscle strength.
Amazing!
So in living flamingos, if they have to jump out of the mud and run from a predator or an animal that's trying to eat it, or even just stay steady on a windy day, they can easily switch their legs and stay upright without really having to activate any of their muscles.
That's incredible, Mindy.
I know, right?
You know, earlier you mentioned that Dr. Ting works with prosthetics or artificial arms and legs.
So did her discovery lead to any helpful connections?
Between the two?
Yes.
So Dr Ting studies how people can start to move again after they've been hurt really bad or lose an arm or a leg in an accident.
And sometimes this requires the help of prosthetics.
So the idea here is that if flamingos can go back and forth standing on one leg with almost no energy, then maybe this discovery will lead to improvements in robotics or robot-powered prosthetics for humans.
Or just people like you who really want to be flamingos.
Mindy, I did this for science.
Guy Raz, you did this for the crowd of people taking pictures of you.
Yeah.
Come on, you're a fancy flamingo.
Oh, no.
Now give the people what they want.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Step right up, step right up, and come and get your souvenir photos of the human flamingo boy.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Jake, I'm coming in to save you, little buddy.
Look at my beautiful feathers.
They're ruined.
Ah.
You're a good guy, Roz, but a terrible bird.
Come on, let's get you out of this pink spandex and flamingo.
Yeah.
Adios, flamingos.
Yay!
Yay!
Reggie, baby Dennis heard you on the podcast.
You're so cool and famous.
Hey, Reggie, how long can you stand on one leg?
What?
That's all.
Flamingos can do it for hours.
Baby Dennis, how about you?
How long can you stand on one leg?
Um, how long can Big Dennis hold up his arms?
Oh, right.
You're a ventriloquist, dummy.
Your legs are just little floppy plastic things.
Your legs are little floppy plastic things.
No, they're not.
Watch.
I can stand on one leg.
Okay, here I go.
One, two, three.
Ah!
Ah!
My rumpus.
Stop laughing.
Is Big Dennis okay?
Yes.
And Big Dennis wants to wrap up the show.
Let's do the goodbye song.
Good idea.
That's the end of the show.
Standing on one leg is surprisingly hard.
But I'll do another show tomorrow.
But for now, that's the end of the show.
Bye.
Say goodbye, baby Dennis.
Goodbye, baby Dennis.
Oh, you.
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