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Hey, Wowzer fans, Mindy here.
And before we start the show, I got to 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 7pm 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!
We'll be right back.
Do you remember that show, The Jetsons?
It was that cartoon from the past that took place in the future and basically predicted most of what we have today.
Right, you remember?
Meet George Jetson.
His boy, Elroy.
I don't know the rest of it.
And Mindy.
For kids who haven't heard of it, The Jetsons was a cartoon that a lot of your parents probably watched.
It was about a family living in the future.
They had a robot maid.
Oh, Rosie.
And the coolest thing they had, Mindy?
A dog treadmill.
Uh... No, that is not... The flying car?
Yup.
And Mindy.
Back when the Jetsons was on TV, a lot of people thought that by the year 2017 we'd all be flying to work and to school in our flying cars.
But alas... We're still stuck here in traffic on the ground because... I don't even...
Oh, why?
Because it would be pretty dangerous, right?
I mean, could you imagine flying cars flying all around, all over the place?
I mean, that would not be safe, right?
No, it would definitely not be safe.
It would be awesome!
I mean, just imagine it, Guy Raz.
No speed limits, no red lights, no stop signs.
People could just fly around like maniacs.
The unbridled maniacs.
Oh, yep.
And so the dream of flying cars was really just that, a dream.
But if it's a dream, it could still happen, right?
Mindy, you said the magic word, the D word, a dream.
And a dream is like an engine inside your body, except it powers ideas.
And guess what, Mindy?
You're about to make my wildest dreams come true?
Surprise!
Okay, you're gonna need a lot of supplies for this, but good news, I've been keeping a list.
Well, All right, we're gonna need 45 turkey basters, 200 AAA batteries, a pig that can lay eggs and Maybe um, That's not what you.
Well Mindy, the dream of flying cars is about to become a reality, and it will start this summer.
What?
You're telling me Flying cars are coming?
Well... Everybody stop!
Run for your lives!
I'm kind of freaking out, Guy Raz.
You should be okay, Mindy.
I mean, they are coming.
And this summer in the city of Dubai, which is a small little city on the Arabian Peninsula.
Oh yeah, Dubai is known for having the largest, tallest and biggest of a lot of things.
So what's next?
Dubai will be the first place to have flying taxis.
What?
Seriously?
Just like in the Jetsons, people will be able to fly from their house to their friend's house, or to a restaurant or to school.
Well, eventually, yes.
But this summer, when the flying taxis are ready for customers, they will only go to a few places.
And that's because...
They will be programmed to fly to just those spots where they can land safely.
So how will this work?
Well, Mindy, you've heard of drones, right?
Oh, yeah.
I have a drone, Guy Raz.
It's like a little remote control powered robot.
And I use it to drop glitter and mayonnaise on my neighbors when they forget to invite me to their barbecues.
Here, watch this.
So the first thing I do is I take one balloon and I dump a bunch of glitter inside of it until the whole thing is full of glitter.
Great.
Okay, now hand me that other balloon over there.
All right, now I take this other balloon and I shove a bunch of mayonnaise inside of it.
Then I'm going to attach both of these balloons to the bottom of my drone.
And then get my remote control over here.
All right, power this thing up.
And there it goes.
Going up, up, up.
Oh, look, my neighbors are having a barbecue and they forgot to invite me.
Let's see if we can get this mayonnaise to drop on their hamburger buns, am I right?
All right, here we go.
Ready?
Bombs away!
Mayonnaise in my eye!
Glitter in the mayonnaise!
Who keeps doing this?
Ah, listen to them squealing with glee.
Just a little neighborhood joke we have.
That's only fun as long as I'm the only one with the drone and they can't get me back.
That's right.
Drones are now much, much, much more common and much easier to make.
And these flying taxis are basically bigger versions of the small drones that you can buy in a toy store or a hobby shop.
So what do these flying taxi drones look like?
The flying taxi looks a little like a flying egg, except it has eight propellers to keep it steady and stable.
And it doesn't have a pilot.
It has just one seat inside.
So it can only take one passenger at a time.
Wait a minute.
So if there's no pilot, then how does the drone know where to go?
Well, by using very sophisticated technology inside the drone taxi.
There's a computer that is connected to satellites floating up in space.
Hmm.
And these satellites are able to send signals to the drone taxis to tell them exactly where to fly.
It's a little bit like using a navigation app.
Like you know Mindy, when you use Google Maps or Waze on your phone, you know those apps that give you directions.
Oh, yeah.
I use them all the time to help me get lost.
Well, they're supposed to tell you how to get to where you need to go.
No.
But the principle is the same, except that, instead of telling a human to turn left or to turn right,
The app tells a computer what to do, and that is also why these drones don't crash into anything, because they are programmed that way.
But Mindy, in case you are wondering, each and every drone taxi will be monitored by a human sitting at a computer on the ground.
Just in case something goes wrong, then the human can quickly reprogram the drone and send it to a safe place.
Wow, that's so cool.
So how much would a ride cost on one of these flying drone taxis?
Well, the company that is offering this service isn't saying how much a ride will cost.
But what we do know is that these little drones will probably be able to drop you off high up in the sky.
So, for example...
Do you know where the tallest building in the world is located, Mindy?
Same place known for having the biggest, longest, largest, tallest of things?
I'd say Dubai.
Yeah, exactly.
It's also in Dubai.
It's called the Burj Khalifa.
And it stands 2,722 feet.
That's about a half a mile, Mindy.
And guess what?
Chicken butt.
What?
That little drone taxi... will be able to fly as high as 11,000 feet.
So say, you have a meeting on the top floor of the Burj Khalifa building, you might be able to get dropped off right at the top instead of at the bottom and then having to take the elevator up.
Oh man, that sounds so awesome and I can't wait to ride one, but why does Dubai get it first?
They get all the cool stuff.
Well, Mindy, it's because Dubai wants to become the most modern city in the world.
So, for example, the city already has a metro train system that works without a conductor or a driver.
But if this experiment does work in Dubai Mindy, I have no doubt that we will all be traveling in little air taxis in a few years from now.
But the future is tomorrow.
We've got no time to wait.
So, Guy Raz, hop inside this balloon.
I've already greased it up with some mayonnaise.
I'm going to attach you to my drone and fly you overhead.
Ready?
Wow in the World will be right back.
Grunups, this message is for you.
Hey, grownups, it's Mindy and Guy Raz 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.
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.
Grownups give the gift of wow and wonder this holiday season with our latest wow in the world toys, designed with your curiosity curious wowser, in mind, you can shop our wow in the world toys at tinkercastcom slash toys.
That's tinkercastcom slash toys.
That's it back to the show.
My name's Natalia.
I'm from Pennsylvania and I'm five years old.
My wow in the world is that I saw a hawk carrying a blue jay in its mouth and all the other blue jays were chasing after the hawk.
Bye!
Hello, my name is Linnea and I'm six and a half years old.
I went to Costa Rica and I saw an anteater, I saw some monkeys, and I saw a crab.
And I also got to try a coconut.
Thanks for all your great shows, Mindy and Guy Raz.
Bye-bye.
Hi, my name is Cameron from Chicago.
I'm seven years old.
My ball in the world is jellyfish.
Some jellyfish have hundreds of tentacles, and some only have a few.
And jellyfish don't have brains.
Hi, I'm Olive, and I'm ten years old, and I live in crazy car ride in Providence.
And my wow in the world is that when I went to New Hampshire for a vacation, we went on a train ride and I saw many beautiful things.
Well, that's my wow.
Hello, my name is Hilda and I'm four and a half and three quarters.
I'm from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
And my wow was one.
There was a claw machine and I got a beard and I didn't even see what I was doing.
Hi, my name is Piper.
I'm four years old and I'm from Reno.
My round world is that there's a rock in my backyard and when I lift it up there's lots of bugs under it.
Slugs and worms and roly poly.
Hi, I'm Eli.
Hi, Guy Raz.
And hi, Mindy.
My wow in the world is chemistry, and when I grow up I'm going to be a scientist and mix up all kinds of potions and stuff.
Hi, Guy Ross.
Hi, Mindy.
I'm Kaya, and I'm all for it.
And my wow in the world is medicine, and when I grow up I'm going to be a doctor and make people feel all better.
Thanks, Guy Raz.
Thanks, Mindy.
Bye-bye.
End of messages.
Hey, guys.
Thank you so much for checking out this Thursday edition of Wow in the World.
Grown-ups.
To keep the conversation going, we've posted some fun questions on our website, wowintheworldcom.
And we love hearing from you.
Grown-ups, you can find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at wowintheworld.
And our email address is hello.
Today's show was written by me and Guy Raz and produced by Jed Anderson.
Say hello, Jed.
Our theme song is written and performed by The Pop-Ups.
You can find more of their awesome music at thepopups.com.
Finally, we've loved hearing what's been wowing you.
Thanks so much for sending in your voicemails.
We listen to each and every one of them.
For a chance to be featured on an upcoming episode.
Have your grown-ups help you share something that's recently wowed you by dialing 1-888-7-WOW-WOW.
Thanks again for subscribing and telling your friends about our show.
We will be back on Monday with a new full-length episode.
In the meantime, go forth and find your own wow in the world.
And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at wondery.com slash survey.
