August 25, 2024 • 5 mins
Maneuvering through space with echolocation.
On today's episode of Odd News+, we report on a man who uses bat-like skills, plus, an enforceable ruling on clothing and the MMA is all-in on a new trend.
A blind man has improved on the art of echolocation to identify the objects and obstacles around him.
Wearing white after Labor Day now has consequences.
Mixed Martial Arts has joined in on a new trend that emphasizes calm and mindfulness.
>> Hear episodes from all the participants in Dog Days of Podcasting>> Support comedy4cast by becoming a patron on Patreon>> Or you can get Clinton a Dunkin' card or a cup of coffee via Ko-Fi>> Follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, MeWe, Mastodon, and BlueSky>> Give us a call via the Super Secret Phone Line (213) 290-4451>> Drop us an email at podcast @ comedy4cast.com>> Also check out Clinton's other podcast, The Topic is Trek>> Certain sounds effects heard on comedy4cast are courtesy of freeSFX and FreeSound.org
Click here for a transcript of this episode.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
The comedy4cast Network. Let's dog-ear that for now.
This is comedy4cast Episode 817. Just a click away.
It's time once again for the Dog Days of Podcasting. For more information and
(00:22):
to hear all the shows, go to dogdaysofpodcasting.com.
Let's get started with Odd News Plus.
Here are our odd news stories for Sunday, August 25th, 2024.
Here in the U.S., we're rapidly approaching Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer.
(00:44):
And a long-standing fashion rule states that you shouldn't wear white after Labor Day.
But it seems that doctors, dentists, nurses, lab workers, kitchen staff,
and the occasional mad scientist have never paid attention to this rule. Until now.
A group calling itself the Coalition of Lovers of Regulations,
(01:06):
or COLOR for short, has successfully lobbied Congress to pass the Fashion Faux Pas Bill.
Now any professional caught wearing white after Labor Day will be subject to a dye sentence.
That's D-Y-E. They will have 24 hours to dye their white garments or face a
fashion police paintball firing squad.
(01:29):
Our attempts to reach both Mr. Clean and the Pillsbury Doughboy for comments went unanswered.
Now let's get to our actual for real odd news story.
Earlier this month, we did a story about the filming location for stately Wayne
Manor. But today, we're talking about a real-life Batman.
(01:50):
Sort of. Daniel Kish has been blind since he was a baby, but that hasn't stopped
him from living an incredibly active life.
He hikes, goes mountain biking, and enjoys other activities.
While these things aren't necessarily out of the reach for many with blindness,
Kish has improved his mobility by perfecting a form of human echolocation,
(02:12):
using reflected sound waves to build up a mental picture of his surroundings.
It's the same process that bats use when they send out signals and listen for
the sound that bounces back from surfaces.
The skill has led him to be dubbed a real-life Batman, which he probably wouldn't
like if he really was Batman.
I mean, unless he figures if everyone thinks they know he's Batman,
(02:36):
he really can't be Batman, making it the perfect cover for being Batman. Where was I?
Right. Kish began developing his sonar technique at a young age.
Objects like cars, trees, and doorways are identified and mapped in his brain
using information sent back from a series of taps on his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
(03:00):
The echoes from his clicks can tell Kish something about an object's distance,
size, texture, and density.
There's nothing revolutionary about humans using echolocation.
All blind people use sound as they move around in their daily lives.
It could be passive echolocation, where echoes in the environment help a person
navigate, or active echolocation, such as the tongue clicks Kirsch and others use, or the tap of a cane.
(03:27):
However, using sound to navigate does have its limitations.
Things like weather and other ambient noise can interfere with the process.
Still, it can be far more helpful than the instructions from passersby,
such as, go that way, or it's the yellow one over there.
(03:47):
What Kish has done is fine-tune the process to be much more useful,
and he passes his knowledge on by training others in his technique.
It's not always easy. He finds that in many instances, the students he works
with come from schools for the blind where clicking was actively discouraged.
Young people tend to be the most receptive to echolocation, especially when
(04:12):
the training also includes work with a long cane.
It builds confidence and independence.
So, if you encounter someone, possibly with a cane, making taps of their tongue
against the roof of their mouth two or three times a second,
it might just be someone making their way to their destination.
Or the bat cave.
(04:33):
Either way, please don't be annoyed.
And finally, coming up this week on Odd News Plus, MasterChef Zander Vine will
pay a visit to cook a dish from his new cookbook.
You'll never use this book, but the cover pops in Instagram photos.
Then, MMA Fighting embraces demure by placing meditation candles just outside the cyclone fence cage.
(05:02):
That about wraps it up for today's Odd News Plus.
A big thanks to the comedy4cast patrons for helping make this show possible.
Story, voices, and original music by Clinton Alvord. Copyright 2024.
All rights reserved. Talk to you next time. But for now, that's it.
(05:23):
We're done, done, done, done, done. Bye-bye.
Music.
The comedy4cast Network. Let's dog-ear that for now.
This is comedy4cast Episode 817. Just a click away.
It's time once again for the Dog Days of Podcasting. For more information and
(00:22):
to hear all the shows, go to dogdaysofpodcasting.com.
Let's get started with Odd News Plus.
Here are our odd news stories for Sunday, August 25th, 2024.
Here in the U.S., we're rapidly approaching Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer.
(00:44):
And a long-standing fashion rule states that you shouldn't wear white after Labor Day.
But it seems that doctors, dentists, nurses, lab workers, kitchen staff,
and the occasional mad scientist have never paid attention to this rule. Until now.
A group calling itself the Coalition of Lovers of Regulations,
(01:06):
or COLOR for short, has successfully lobbied Congress to pass the Fashion Faux Pas Bill.
Now any professional caught wearing white after Labor Day will be subject to a dye sentence.
That's D-Y-E. They will have 24 hours to dye their white garments or face a
fashion police paintball firing squad.
(01:29):
Our attempts to reach both Mr. Clean and the Pillsbury Doughboy for comments went unanswered.
Now let's get to our actual for real odd news story.
Earlier this month, we did a story about the filming location for stately Wayne
Manor. But today, we're talking about a real-life Batman.
(01:50):
Sort of. Daniel Kish has been blind since he was a baby, but that hasn't stopped
him from living an incredibly active life.
He hikes, goes mountain biking, and enjoys other activities.
While these things aren't necessarily out of the reach for many with blindness,
Kish has improved his mobility by perfecting a form of human echolocation,
(02:12):
using reflected sound waves to build up a mental picture of his surroundings.
It's the same process that bats use when they send out signals and listen for
the sound that bounces back from surfaces.
The skill has led him to be dubbed a real-life Batman, which he probably wouldn't
like if he really was Batman.
I mean, unless he figures if everyone thinks they know he's Batman,
(02:36):
he really can't be Batman, making it the perfect cover for being Batman. Where was I?
Right. Kish began developing his sonar technique at a young age.
Objects like cars, trees, and doorways are identified and mapped in his brain
using information sent back from a series of taps on his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
(03:00):
The echoes from his clicks can tell Kish something about an object's distance,
size, texture, and density.
There's nothing revolutionary about humans using echolocation.
All blind people use sound as they move around in their daily lives.
It could be passive echolocation, where echoes in the environment help a person
navigate, or active echolocation, such as the tongue clicks Kirsch and others use, or the tap of a cane.
(03:27):
However, using sound to navigate does have its limitations.
Things like weather and other ambient noise can interfere with the process.
Still, it can be far more helpful than the instructions from passersby,
such as, go that way, or it's the yellow one over there.
(03:47):
What Kish has done is fine-tune the process to be much more useful,
and he passes his knowledge on by training others in his technique.
It's not always easy. He finds that in many instances, the students he works
with come from schools for the blind where clicking was actively discouraged.
Young people tend to be the most receptive to echolocation, especially when
(04:12):
the training also includes work with a long cane.
It builds confidence and independence.
So, if you encounter someone, possibly with a cane, making taps of their tongue
against the roof of their mouth two or three times a second,
it might just be someone making their way to their destination.
Or the bat cave.
(04:33):
Either way, please don't be annoyed.
And finally, coming up this week on Odd News Plus, MasterChef Zander Vine will
pay a visit to cook a dish from his new cookbook.
You'll never use this book, but the cover pops in Instagram photos.
Then, MMA Fighting embraces demure by placing meditation candles just outside the cyclone fence cage.
(05:02):
That about wraps it up for today's Odd News Plus.
A big thanks to the comedy4cast patrons for helping make this show possible.
Story, voices, and original music by Clinton Alvord. Copyright 2024.
All rights reserved. Talk to you next time. But for now, that's it.
(05:23):
We're done, done, done, done, done. Bye-bye.
Music.
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