Would you ride in a self-driving car? What would our lives be like if ride sharing and vehicle sharing were more pervasive? This week Rob and Christen have a conversation exploring how self-driving cars might impact how we think about our vehicles and the roles they play in our lives. To explore these ideas further we recommend watching Malcom Gladwell’s documentary, “Autonomy”.

Things that Blew Our Minds

Rob imagines a day when the Earth and the Moon are both tidally locked. He also learns that our Moon raises the surface of the Earth 12 inches as it passes above.

Christen takes a peek at the technical mastery of the glass lenses made by Antoni Van Leeuwenhoek through the sorcery of neutron tomography. She continues to mis-remember Vermeer’s name, incorrectly calling him VanDermeer. Regardless, at the same time in the Netherlands, Vermeer was painting amazing likenesses of individuals. Experts hypothesize that is because of the quality of the glass lenses a handful of individuals were beginning to product the time. Was he influenced by Leeuwenhoek?