Turn your house lights on... NOW!

Caroline Roper, Ella Hubber and Tom Lum from 'Let's Learn Everything!' discuss a question about instructional illumination.

GUESTS:

HOST: Tom Scott.
QUESTION PRODUCER: David Bodycombe.

EDITED BY: Julie Hassett at The Podcast Studios, Dublin.
GRAPHICS: Chris Hanel at Support Class. Assistant: Dillon Pentz.
FORMAT: Pad 26 Limited/Labyrinth Games Ltd.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: David Bodycombe and Tom Scott.

[TakeruDavis]

Me, a Czech viewer born a year before dissolution of Czechoslovakia, hearing the words "One evening, arguing about when to turn on a lamp"

I know EXACTLY what this is. I watched a rerun of that.

Also not sure if this was the rerun or different interactive story, but there was one that ran on two different TV channels, and picking the channel picked the option. Both options also converged.

[whocares]

Some random factory turning on or off a machine: "oops, we just cast 30, 000 votes".

[JanGruncl]

14 years later, they did a new run and used paid phone lines for the voting, and I still remember it from my childhood. However, recordings of the original with the light switches still get reruns till this day, unlike the other one. The show was objectively stupid, but I still can't resist to watch a few episodes here and there :-)).

[kevinmartin]

Want extra votes? Use a space heater instead!

[baksatibi]

In Hungary the same method was used to vote on contestants of national talent shows from 1968. Keep in mind most households didn't have a telephone so this was a real-time alternative to sending a postcard.

[Bonsaijodelfisch]

"Can we use the power grid for a thing that will eventually not matter at all"... fun little dunk on crypto bros :P

[ihathtelekinesis]

On the subject of power demand spikes, I think the UK’s largest one was just after West Germany beat England on penalties in Italia 90. After which the nation *really* needed a cuppa.

[VonOzbourne]

Didn't know about this one being on the other side of the pond, but it reminded me of a story about how the water works would always notice a massive drop in system pressure during the intermissions on Hockey Night in Canada.

[retu]

This is the absolut coolest thing I heard all year. Wow.

[szlanty]

The mention of Eurovision got me really excited, as the Soviet Competitor to Eurovision, “Intervision” supposedly used this same voting method at some points in ~1980.

[Aziraphale]

I am yet again asking for full video versions of the podcast. Pleeeease.

[johannesofie]

We have a popular Saturday evening show in Norway called "One against Norway". They are so popular that they have said "You in that particular high rise, in 10 minutes, go outside and wave with a flag" and people have done that (some have watched and run around to their neighbors). The "one" in the studio have to guess how many people or flats with flags. They also have other non-anybody-participant contests during the show and through an app, we at home can guess too, and one of us can win if the person in the studio don't

[trntom]

Finally something I knew (because I've seen a rerun of the show once)

[TomOConnor-BlobOpera]

It's like Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, only in the olden days!

[RFC]

5:23 - Ah, yes, from the great country of Czechoslava. I believe it's right next to Arstotzka. 😜

[mrab]

5:24 Did he say "Czechoslavian"?

[privatesolofoe]

With that title I was expecting lowtiertom as the thumbnail.




Also imagining someone seeing their grandchild play a Telltale game and going on a "back in MY day..." rant

[maxderp]

"Interactive TV Jack! Wave of the future!"

[GhostPuddle]

It's the first time in a while that I knew the answer

[Epinardscaramel]

I was sure that Tom's guess was just a silly idea! 😮🤯