April 3, 2025 • 12 mins
On the Thursday April 3 edition of The Armstrong & Getty One More Thing Podcast...
- Joe brings us a pair of notes from the world of science fiction...
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Fascinating. It's one more thing. I'm one more thing. Two
notes from the world of science fiction, Jack, I know
you love that genre of entertainment slash literature. I am
not a science fiction person. I don't know why. I
just don't know. I don't know why either. It's it's great.
(00:22):
There's some that's just it's some of the wisest best things.
You see. You change the setting, Katie, What did did?
Did your dog break wind? Why do you have that
look on your face? It feels the same way I
do about science fiction. I work with philistines. No, all right,
you know what, I'm not going to try to explain
(00:45):
Beethoven to a couple of bassett hounds. No offense. That's funny.
Now you either like it or you don't. But it
is somebody more. I'll bet Tim Sandefer could could wax
incredibly eloquent on why science fiction is so good because
it changes enough frames of reference that you can isolate
various aspects of human behavior in a way that highlights
(01:07):
them in a way that's difficult with other fiction. Anyway,
fascinating exactly. I have no blanket idea. This is note
from science fiction number one. Why this popped into my head.
I'm wandering off to the bathroom the radio ranch. It
must have been. I was thinking about something that was
(01:29):
really interesting, and I heard Spock's voice in my head saying, fascinating, fascinating,
and you know what occurred to me? Tell me about
mister Spock, Michael, I'm putting you on the spot here.
What is the most distinctive thing about the character mister Spock?
It was his ears? No, no, you know what.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
That's not a bad assw That's a perfect answer if
you're gonna look at him, but not physically.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
How about his personality? What was most notable class anyone?
That's right? Well, I'm interested to Michael, you don't have answer.
Have you never seen Star Trek here and there? But
not really? He was emotionless, right, exactly? Have you seen
Star Trek Katie?
Speaker 3 (02:13):
When I was a kid, the original Trek, my dad
watched a bit of it and I was forced.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Oh I was. I was a big fan. And then
I got to college and a bunch of buddies of
mine and I would get baked every Sunday night after
our like homework was done and stuff like this study
and we would get baked and watch Star Trek Guy
one episode or multiple No, just one, just one, over
(02:39):
and over again. There was one of the TV stations
that aired Star Trek at nine o'clock Sunday nights.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
What a different era in that you would now you know,
be able to binge the whole series in one weekend.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Right exactly. But oh, we had ground rules about there's
no saving seats. If you got up to hit the john,
you're you're the next guy is going to jump into
that good seat and you come back and you'd you know,
shuffling feet, lose your seat. There's etiquette. It was very formalized. Anyway,
it occurred to me Spock saying, fascinating, that's an emotional reaction.
(03:15):
His catchphrase contradicted his very essence. If you are a
robot like and feel no emotion, you're not gonna be
fascinated by a problem or an issue.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
It's just more information, but it has no emotional effect.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
On right, exactly. His very catchphrase contradicted his character. I
hope Tom Sandifer hears this. I would love to hear
his comments someday.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Or the episode where he thought Jim was dead and
he was so excited to see Jim that he has
a big smut, Jim, you're alive, briefly breaking character and
having emotions.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Of course, he was half human, jack, Oh, that's right,
he was half human. Tim Sandfer has written a piece
on the evolving point of view and plots of Star
Trek and how it parallels American foreign policy that is
knockout good.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Oh really, Oh yeah, that's interesting. It's not about how
William Shatton or some seasons would be fat and some
seasons would be fit.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
No, al loough, that is worthy of studying itself. All right,
birds science fiction note number two, And there are a
couple of people who email this. We're talking about gene splicing,
editing designer baby, yeah, and how it's a real thing.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
This New York Times columnist writing about how she and
her husband with IVF were given the choice of whether
they wanted a boy or a girl, and they decided
they didn't like the power to choose that, but then
found out that there are a whole bunch of other
things you can choose. And a poll came out that
forty percent of Americans said they would make choices in
embryos they if it would make it more likely that
(04:57):
their kid could get into a good school whatever. I
hate that phrase. I don't even know what that means.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Oh yeah, I kind of hate that attitude.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Yeah, so like make taller, better looking, smarter. You can
choose that.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Or just quote unquote happy, happier. Yeah, you guys ever
see that show Black Mirror? On that No, I've got
a note to watch that and I haven't yet. What's
the premise?
Speaker 3 (05:19):
The premise it's basically way in the future, and it's
very like technology based. So at one point you have
people walking around and they have like a social status
above their heads that you can see, you know, and
if you do something that's socially unacceptable, your status goes down.
It's just like a bunch of really terrible technology scenarios.
(05:40):
This sounds like something out of Black Mirror.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
But did you enjoy that show? I love that, which
is science fiction? You hypocrite. I don't do the whole
space Aliens thing. I don't know. That's where you draw
a lot, That's where I draw a line. Yeah, okay,
I will watch it because it sounds really interesting. Yeah,
it really is. So anyway, we were talking about this
and I just did that. Mike Judge, who was behind
the we thought it was a comedy. Turns out it
(06:04):
was a documentary idiocracy, one of our mutual favorite movies
of all time. It's it's dumb, but it's smart anyway.
He needs to make an idiocracy for genetically engineered humans
who are all, you know, good looking, tall, blue eyed, whatever,
kind of a Stepford wives baby.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
And pleasant or happy. Because we mentioned the show, every writer, musician,
artist was unhappy. Has there ever been a happy great
guitar player. I don't know if there has been.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Right, whether alienated or lonely or a misfit who is
looking for some purpose to their life. Yeah, yeah, it's well,
discontent in general drives achievement anyway. So a couple of people,
including Christy, wrote notes that said, hey, you're talking about
(06:56):
the movie Gatica, which came out and I think somebody
said nineteen ninety seven, it's not a comedy, but it's
a beautiful film about the not too distant future where
people choose traits and those who are born naturally are
considered second class citizens. Oh wow. I'm a genetic counselor
and former genetic research scientist, and it is literally referenced
in ethical discussions all the time. It's normal to have
(07:19):
someone ask the question, isn't that a little too gatica? Wow?
What would cause U naturally born to be second class citizens? Well,
because they're inferior, they're not all all and beautiful and perfect,
and well, yeah, just naturally you would because you wouldn't
be as good looking or as smart. And by the way,
(07:39):
Christine Rancho Cordova, I will I'll drop her note, but
she says, uh, I won't bore you with all the details,
blah blah blah. No, go ahead, Borius, with as many
details as you want. To find this all fascinating. And
she makes the point that, yeah, we talk about the
ethics all the time, but I do think it's just
a matter of time, especially because other countries have been
(08:01):
dabbling in it anyway. Uh, And I thought, Gatica, that
sounds really familiar. Getka, why does that sound so familiar?
And I think, I think that's the movie. I got
to retell a story that's been told more than once
(08:22):
on the show through the last well nineteen ninety seven,
twenty five years whatever. I took my kids to see Elf,
a good movie in the theater movie and they had
a couple of previews a young Zoey Deschanel. Oh so
(08:44):
cute anyway, Katie rolls her eyes. I'm a straight Maybe
you were there for an older Ed Asner, So any oh,
she was so lovable in that movie. She's darling anyway.
So a couple of previews and then another preview we
thought of a very dark and serious nature, very dark
(09:08):
and serious scene unfolds and it is as I recall, oh,
what's her name, a beautiful African American actress. Yeah, who's
sitting in a chair talking to some sort of counselor
or detective or something like that, and get the bleepers ready,
(09:29):
and what's the ages on your kids? Again? This is
a theater full of parents and children ages five through thirteen.
Oh yeah, you're seeing elf. So that in the theater,
and the scene unfolded as follows, blah blah blah. The
detective or counselor or whatever the person was says to
the halle Berry character, so are you telling me you
(09:54):
talked to Satan? And the halle Berry character, I think
it was halle Bery says, talk to Satan, I fucked him,
and the whole theater goes, WHOA, what is happening here?
And there's a huge uproar, including me, why you're doing
(10:18):
everybody shouting at the projection booth and they and everything stops,
and the lights go on, and about two or three
minutes of there's a great deal of buzz in the theater.
You can imagine the parents and the kids going, oh
my god, what does that mean? What does it mean
to fuck Satan? Oh jeez, oh my gosh, es elf
(10:39):
come out crying. They come on and say, we'd like
to apologize the projection booth ran the wrong film. We'll
have elth cued up for you in just a moment.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
If you'd like to sign some paperwork on the way
out saying you will not hold us responsible for any
future trauma, we will give you a free small popcorn.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
And I think that movie was gatica. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
I'm wondering if you guys actually enjoyed treating your customers
like a piece of yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Huh oh.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
I can only imagine the parents in there, Oh.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
My god, it is something, you know, since we got
an F bomb in the show. Already out to the
store because this happened two days ago. I got the
little local market by my house, little grocery store that
the good enough grocery store in case unless you need
a whole bunch of stuff every but it goes.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
To nice grocery store.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
It just came under new ownership, and the guy's working
really hard to uh, to please everybody and saying hello
to everybody and introduce himself and everything like that. That's
really nice and everything like that. I'm in the other
there the other day and I'm going through and I said,
it looks like it's a knocking the rain day, and
he said, yeah, it's pretty fucking nice outside, all right.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
I love that. I thought, what, No, it's of society.
He's just a nice, cheerful guy. He's like sixty two
or something like that.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Well, owns the store, kind of a fat guy, and
just very super pleasant, like helping the old ladies to
their car.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
It's pretty fucking nice.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Like Sam told me, he said, you gotta start talking
to him that way. It's like, where's the fucking milk?
Speaker 1 (12:18):
No, no, no, oh, that's awesome. Well, I guess that's it.
I was really hoping you were gonna say, I guess
that's fucking me too. Great minds. I thought of it.
Fascinating. It's one more thing. I'm one more thing. Two
notes from the world of science fiction, Jack, I know
you love that genre of entertainment slash literature. I am
not a science fiction person. I don't know why. I
just don't know. I don't know why either. It's it's great.
(00:22):
There's some that's just it's some of the wisest best things.
You see. You change the setting, Katie, What did did?
Did your dog break wind? Why do you have that
look on your face? It feels the same way I
do about science fiction. I work with philistines. No, all right,
you know what, I'm not going to try to explain
(00:45):
Beethoven to a couple of bassett hounds. No offense. That's funny.
Now you either like it or you don't. But it
is somebody more. I'll bet Tim Sandefer could could wax
incredibly eloquent on why science fiction is so good because
it changes enough frames of reference that you can isolate
various aspects of human behavior in a way that highlights
(01:07):
them in a way that's difficult with other fiction. Anyway,
fascinating exactly. I have no blanket idea. This is note
from science fiction number one. Why this popped into my head.
I'm wandering off to the bathroom the radio ranch. It
must have been. I was thinking about something that was
(01:29):
really interesting, and I heard Spock's voice in my head saying, fascinating, fascinating,
and you know what occurred to me? Tell me about
mister Spock, Michael, I'm putting you on the spot here.
What is the most distinctive thing about the character mister Spock?
It was his ears? No, no, you know what.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
That's not a bad assw That's a perfect answer if
you're gonna look at him, but not physically.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
How about his personality? What was most notable class anyone?
That's right? Well, I'm interested to Michael, you don't have answer.
Have you never seen Star Trek here and there? But
not really? He was emotionless, right, exactly? Have you seen
Star Trek Katie?
Speaker 3 (02:13):
When I was a kid, the original Trek, my dad
watched a bit of it and I was forced.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Oh I was. I was a big fan. And then
I got to college and a bunch of buddies of
mine and I would get baked every Sunday night after
our like homework was done and stuff like this study
and we would get baked and watch Star Trek Guy
one episode or multiple No, just one, just one, over
(02:39):
and over again. There was one of the TV stations
that aired Star Trek at nine o'clock Sunday nights.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
What a different era in that you would now you know,
be able to binge the whole series in one weekend.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Right exactly. But oh, we had ground rules about there's
no saving seats. If you got up to hit the john,
you're you're the next guy is going to jump into
that good seat and you come back and you'd you know,
shuffling feet, lose your seat. There's etiquette. It was very formalized. Anyway,
it occurred to me Spock saying, fascinating, that's an emotional reaction.
(03:15):
His catchphrase contradicted his very essence. If you are a
robot like and feel no emotion, you're not gonna be
fascinated by a problem or an issue.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
It's just more information, but it has no emotional effect.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
On right, exactly. His very catchphrase contradicted his character. I
hope Tom Sandifer hears this. I would love to hear
his comments someday.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Or the episode where he thought Jim was dead and
he was so excited to see Jim that he has
a big smut, Jim, you're alive, briefly breaking character and
having emotions.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Of course, he was half human, jack, Oh, that's right,
he was half human. Tim Sandfer has written a piece
on the evolving point of view and plots of Star
Trek and how it parallels American foreign policy that is
knockout good.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Oh really, Oh yeah, that's interesting. It's not about how
William Shatton or some seasons would be fat and some
seasons would be fit.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
No, al loough, that is worthy of studying itself. All right,
birds science fiction note number two, And there are a
couple of people who email this. We're talking about gene splicing,
editing designer baby, yeah, and how it's a real thing.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
This New York Times columnist writing about how she and
her husband with IVF were given the choice of whether
they wanted a boy or a girl, and they decided
they didn't like the power to choose that, but then
found out that there are a whole bunch of other
things you can choose. And a poll came out that
forty percent of Americans said they would make choices in
embryos they if it would make it more likely that
(04:57):
their kid could get into a good school whatever. I
hate that phrase. I don't even know what that means.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Oh yeah, I kind of hate that attitude.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Yeah, so like make taller, better looking, smarter. You can
choose that.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Or just quote unquote happy, happier. Yeah, you guys ever
see that show Black Mirror? On that No, I've got
a note to watch that and I haven't yet. What's
the premise?
Speaker 3 (05:19):
The premise it's basically way in the future, and it's
very like technology based. So at one point you have
people walking around and they have like a social status
above their heads that you can see, you know, and
if you do something that's socially unacceptable, your status goes down.
It's just like a bunch of really terrible technology scenarios.
(05:40):
This sounds like something out of Black Mirror.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
But did you enjoy that show? I love that, which
is science fiction? You hypocrite. I don't do the whole
space Aliens thing. I don't know. That's where you draw
a lot, That's where I draw a line. Yeah, okay,
I will watch it because it sounds really interesting. Yeah,
it really is. So anyway, we were talking about this
and I just did that. Mike Judge, who was behind
the we thought it was a comedy. Turns out it
(06:04):
was a documentary idiocracy, one of our mutual favorite movies
of all time. It's it's dumb, but it's smart anyway.
He needs to make an idiocracy for genetically engineered humans
who are all, you know, good looking, tall, blue eyed, whatever,
kind of a Stepford wives baby.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
And pleasant or happy. Because we mentioned the show, every writer, musician,
artist was unhappy. Has there ever been a happy great
guitar player. I don't know if there has been.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Right, whether alienated or lonely or a misfit who is
looking for some purpose to their life. Yeah, yeah, it's well,
discontent in general drives achievement anyway. So a couple of people,
including Christy, wrote notes that said, hey, you're talking about
(06:56):
the movie Gatica, which came out and I think somebody
said nineteen ninety seven, it's not a comedy, but it's
a beautiful film about the not too distant future where
people choose traits and those who are born naturally are
considered second class citizens. Oh wow. I'm a genetic counselor
and former genetic research scientist, and it is literally referenced
in ethical discussions all the time. It's normal to have
(07:19):
someone ask the question, isn't that a little too gatica? Wow?
What would cause U naturally born to be second class citizens? Well,
because they're inferior, they're not all all and beautiful and perfect,
and well, yeah, just naturally you would because you wouldn't
be as good looking or as smart. And by the way,
(07:39):
Christine Rancho Cordova, I will I'll drop her note, but
she says, uh, I won't bore you with all the details,
blah blah blah. No, go ahead, Borius, with as many
details as you want. To find this all fascinating. And
she makes the point that, yeah, we talk about the
ethics all the time, but I do think it's just
a matter of time, especially because other countries have been
(08:01):
dabbling in it anyway. Uh, And I thought, Gatica, that
sounds really familiar. Getka, why does that sound so familiar?
And I think, I think that's the movie. I got
to retell a story that's been told more than once
(08:22):
on the show through the last well nineteen ninety seven,
twenty five years whatever. I took my kids to see Elf,
a good movie in the theater movie and they had
a couple of previews a young Zoey Deschanel. Oh so
(08:44):
cute anyway, Katie rolls her eyes. I'm a straight Maybe
you were there for an older Ed Asner, So any oh,
she was so lovable in that movie. She's darling anyway.
So a couple of previews and then another preview we
thought of a very dark and serious nature, very dark
(09:08):
and serious scene unfolds and it is as I recall, oh,
what's her name, a beautiful African American actress. Yeah, who's
sitting in a chair talking to some sort of counselor
or detective or something like that, and get the bleepers ready,
(09:29):
and what's the ages on your kids? Again? This is
a theater full of parents and children ages five through thirteen.
Oh yeah, you're seeing elf. So that in the theater,
and the scene unfolded as follows, blah blah blah. The
detective or counselor or whatever the person was says to
the halle Berry character, so are you telling me you
(09:54):
talked to Satan? And the halle Berry character, I think
it was halle Bery says, talk to Satan, I fucked him,
and the whole theater goes, WHOA, what is happening here?
And there's a huge uproar, including me, why you're doing
(10:18):
everybody shouting at the projection booth and they and everything stops,
and the lights go on, and about two or three
minutes of there's a great deal of buzz in the theater.
You can imagine the parents and the kids going, oh
my god, what does that mean? What does it mean
to fuck Satan? Oh jeez, oh my gosh, es elf
(10:39):
come out crying. They come on and say, we'd like
to apologize the projection booth ran the wrong film. We'll
have elth cued up for you in just a moment.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
If you'd like to sign some paperwork on the way
out saying you will not hold us responsible for any
future trauma, we will give you a free small popcorn.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
And I think that movie was gatica. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
I'm wondering if you guys actually enjoyed treating your customers
like a piece of yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Huh oh.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
I can only imagine the parents in there, Oh.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
My god, it is something, you know, since we got
an F bomb in the show. Already out to the
store because this happened two days ago. I got the
little local market by my house, little grocery store that
the good enough grocery store in case unless you need
a whole bunch of stuff every but it goes.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
To nice grocery store.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
It just came under new ownership, and the guy's working
really hard to uh, to please everybody and saying hello
to everybody and introduce himself and everything like that. That's
really nice and everything like that. I'm in the other
there the other day and I'm going through and I said,
it looks like it's a knocking the rain day, and
he said, yeah, it's pretty fucking nice outside, all right.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
I love that. I thought, what, No, it's of society.
He's just a nice, cheerful guy. He's like sixty two
or something like that.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Well, owns the store, kind of a fat guy, and
just very super pleasant, like helping the old ladies to
their car.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
It's pretty fucking nice.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Like Sam told me, he said, you gotta start talking
to him that way. It's like, where's the fucking milk?
Speaker 1 (12:18):
No, no, no, oh, that's awesome. Well, I guess that's it.
I was really hoping you were gonna say, I guess
that's fucking me too. Great minds. I thought of it.
Hosts And Creators
Joe Getty
Jack Armstrong
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!