Which Is Bouba, and Which Is Kiki? @TomScottGo

Tom Scott Sooner or later, I was going to get around to this: it's one of the most famous experiments in linguistics. •
Written with Molly Ruhl and Gretchen McCulloch. Gretchen's podcast has an episode all about this: lingthusiasm.com/post/175127434871/lingthusiasm-episode-21-what-words-sound-spiky

Gretchen's book BECAUSE INTERNET, all about the evolution of internet language, is available:
🇺🇸 US: amzn.to/30tLpjT
🇨🇦 CA: amzn.to/2JsTYWH
🇬🇧 UK: amzn.to/31K8eRD

(Those are affiliate links that give a commission to me or Gretchen, depending on country!)

Graphics by William Marler: wmad.co.uk
Audio mix by Graham Haerther: haerther.net

REFERENCES:
Köhler, W. (1929). Gestalt Psychology. New York: Liveright.
Ramachandran, V. S., Hubbard, E. M. (2001) Synaesthesia—A window into perception, thought and language. Journal of Consciousness Studies 8: 3–34.
Berlin, B. (1994). Evidence for pervasive synesthetic sound symbolism in ethnozoological nomenclature. In L. Hinton, J. Nichols & J. Ohala (Eds.), Sound symbolism (pp. 76 – 93). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Davis, R. (1961). The fitness of names to drawings. a cross-cultural study in Tanganyika. Br. J. Psychol. 52, 259–268. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8295.1961.tb00788.x,
Ramachandran, V. S., and Hubbard, E. M. (2001). Synaesthesia—a window into perception, thought and language. J. Conscious. Stud. 8, 3–34.,
Koriat, A., & Levy, I. (1979). Figural symbolism in Chinese ideographs. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 8 (4), 353 – 365.
Maurer, D., Pathman, T., Mondloch, C.J. (2006). The shape of boubas: sound-shape correspondences in toddlers and adults. Developmental science, Vol.9 (3), p.316-322,
Nielsen, A., and Rendall, D. (2011). The sound of round: evaluating the sound-symbolic role of consonants in the classic Takete-Maluma phenomenon. Can. J. Exp. Psychol. 65, 115–124. doi: 10.1037/a0022268,
Bremner, A. J., Caparos, S., Davidoff, J., de Fockert, J., Linnell, K. J., and Spence, C. (2013). “Bouba” and “Kiki” in Namibia? A remote culture make similar shape-sound matches, but different shape-taste matches to Westerners. Cognition 126, 165–172. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2012.09.007
De Saussure, F. (2011, republished from 1916). Course in general linguistics. Columbia University Press.
Styles, S.J., & Gawne, L. (2017). When Does Maluma/Takete Fail? Two Key Failures and a Meta-Analysis Suggest That Phonology and Phonotactics Matter. I-Perception, 8(4), 2041669517724807.

🟥 MORE FROM TOM: tomscott.com
(you can find contact details and social links there too)

📰 WEEKLY NEWSLETTER with good stuff from the rest of the internet: tomscott.com/newsletter
❓ LATERAL, free weekly podcast: lateralcast.com youtube.com/lateralcast
➕ TOM SCOTT PLUS: youtube.com/tomscottplus
👥 THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: youtube.com/techdif

updated 4 years ago

Which Is Bouba, and Which Is Kiki?

Tom Scott 2020-08-24 | Sooner or later, I was going to get around to this: it's one of the most famous experiments in linguistics. •
Written with Molly Ruhl and Gretchen McCulloch. Gretchen's podcast has an episode all about this: lingthusiasm.com/post/175127434871/lingthusiasm-episode-21-what-words-sound-spiky

Gretchen's book BECAUSE INTERNET, all about the evolution of internet language, is available:
🇺🇸 US: amzn.to/30tLpjT
🇨🇦 CA: amzn.to/2JsTYWH
🇬🇧 UK: amzn.to/31K8eRD

(Those are affiliate links that give a commission to me or Gretchen, depending on country!)

Graphics by William Marler: wmad.co.uk
Audio mix by Graham Haerther: haerther.net

REFERENCES:
Köhler, W. (1929). Gestalt Psychology. New York: Liveright.
Ramachandran, V. S., Hubbard, E. M. (2001) Synaesthesia—A window into perception, thought and language. Journal of Consciousness Studies 8: 3–34.
Berlin, B. (1994). Evidence for pervasive synesthetic sound symbolism in ethnozoological nomenclature. In L. Hinton, J. Nichols & J. Ohala (Eds.), Sound symbolism (pp. 76 – 93). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Davis, R. (1961). The fitness of names to drawings. a cross-cultural study in Tanganyika. Br. J. Psychol. 52, 259–268. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8295.1961.tb00788.x,
Ramachandran, V. S., and Hubbard, E. M. (2001). Synaesthesia—a window into perception, thought and language. J. Conscious. Stud. 8, 3–34.,
Koriat, A., & Levy, I. (1979). Figural symbolism in Chinese ideographs. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 8 (4), 353 – 365.
Maurer, D., Pathman, T., Mondloch, C.J. (2006). The shape of boubas: sound-shape correspondences in toddlers and adults. Developmental science, Vol.9 (3), p.316-322,
Nielsen, A., and Rendall, D. (2011). The sound of round: evaluating the sound-symbolic role of consonants in the classic Takete-Maluma phenomenon. Can. J. Exp. Psychol. 65, 115–124. doi: 10.1037/a0022268,
Bremner, A. J., Caparos, S., Davidoff, J., de Fockert, J., Linnell, K. J., and Spence, C. (2013). “Bouba” and “Kiki” in Namibia? A remote culture make similar shape-sound matches, but different shape-taste matches to Westerners. Cognition 126, 165–172. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2012.09.007
De Saussure, F. (2011, republished from 1916). Course in general linguistics. Columbia University Press.
Styles, S.J., & Gawne, L. (2017). When Does Maluma/Takete Fail? Two Key Failures and a Meta-Analysis Suggest That Phonology and Phonotactics Matter. I-Perception, 8(4), 2041669517724807.

🟥 MORE FROM TOM: tomscott.com
(you can find contact details and social links there too)

📰 WEEKLY NEWSLETTER with good stuff from the rest of the internet: tomscott.com/newsletter
❓ LATERAL, free weekly podcast: lateralcast.com youtube.com/lateralcast
➕ TOM SCOTT PLUS: youtube.com/tomscottplus
👥 THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: youtube.com/techdif

How languages steal words from each other

Tom Scott 2023-09-18 | This is the only pirate reference you're getting from me. • Written with Molly Ruhl and Gretchen McCulloch. Gretchen's podcast has an episode all about this: lingthusiasm.com/post/684727483493384192/episode-68-tea-and-skyscrapers-when-words-get • More Language Files: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL96C35uN7xGLDEnHuhD7CTZES3KXFnwm0

Gretchen's book BECAUSE INTERNET, all about the evolution of internet language, is available:
🇺🇸 US: amzn.to/30tLpjT
🇨🇦 CA: amzn.to/2JsTYWH
🇬🇧 UK: amzn.to/31K8eRD

(Those are affiliate links that give a commission to me or Gretchen, depending on country!)

Graphics by William Marler: wmad.co.uk
Audio mix by Graham Haerther and Manuel Simon at Standard Studios: haerther.net

REFERENCES:
[etymologies from OED and M-W]
Sanchez, T. (2005). Constraints on structural borrowing in a multilingual contact situation. Doctoral dissertation, University of Pennsylvania. ScholarlyCommons.
https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=ircs_reports
John Hewson. 1993. A computer-generated dictionary of proto-Algonquian. Gatineau – Quebec : National Museums of Canada. protoalgonquian.atlas-ling.ca

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

This library has every book ever published.

Tom Scott 2023-09-11 | The British Library is one of the six legal deposit libraries for the UK — and the only one that doesn't pick and choose, or have to ask for copies. That's a lot of books to store, and the internet's only making it worse. ■ The BL: bl.uk ■ UK Web Archive: webarchive.org.uk

This video has a correction: it turns out the formal interview requirement for a reader pass has been dropped. However, you'll still need to get a pass, and you're not allowed to take books out of the reading rooms! You can see all corrections on the channel here: tomscott.com/corrections

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

Why are adverts so loud?

Tom Scott 2023-09-04 | This was so much more complex than I thought. ■ AD: 👨‍💻 NordVPN's best deal is here: nordvpn.com/tomscott - with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Graphics by William Marler wmad.co.uk
Written with Sean M Elliott twitter.com/SeanMElliott

Audio mix and script proofread by Graham Haerther and Manuel Simon at Standard Studios (who had to deal with the audio-nightmare that was the echoey green screen room I filmed in)

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

This man built his office inside an elevator

Tom Scott 2023-08-28 | The Baťa Skyscraper, in Zlín, Czechia, is a landmark of architecture. And the office of Jan Antonín Baťa... is an elevator. [Correction: Jan Antonín Baťa's birth year is 1898; the graphic is a typo.]

Thanks to the museum staff for fact-checking and translation!
Camera and local production: Otto Beck, HayotFilms hayotfilms.com

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

No-one built these for 5,000 years… until now.

Tom Scott 2023-08-21 | Long barrows are Neolithic constructions that might have been churches, or graveyards, or landmarks. And some are being built again: for the first time in recorded history. ■ Soulton Long Barrow: soultonhall.co.uk/page/322/soulton-long-barrow.htm ■ Sacred Stones: sacredstones.co.uk/our-locations/soulton-long-barrow

Camera: Ryan Priestnall ryanpriestnall.com
Editor: Julian Domanski

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

This town throws pennies at people. They hurt.

Tom Scott 2023-08-14 | The Honiton Hot Pennies ceremony is the result of 800 years of tradition: from when rich people would entertain themselves by throwing scalding-hot pennies onto the poor people below. These days, it's a bit less dangerous... but only a bit.

DoP: Dave Mackie davemackie.co.uk
Camera; Jared Zwarts
Editor: Julian Domanski

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

This town banned cars (except tiny electric ones)

Tom Scott 2023-08-07 | Zermatt, in Switzerland, bans all private cars and all gasoline cars. But if you run a business, you might be able to buy one of the special, tiny ones that are built right there. ■ Zermatt: https://zermatt.ch ■ Stimbo: https://stimbo.ch/

Camera: Martin Bäbler
Editor: Julian Domanski
Local production by Viven https://viven.ch
Thanks to Kevin Tedore for the suggestion

Milk float clip licensed from Reuters via Pond5.

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

Storing dead people at -196°C

Tom Scott 2023-07-31 | In Switzerland, there's a new cryonics company: and they invited me to have a look around. I had questions: legal, practical, and ethical, and I want to be clear: this is not an endorsement. I just wasn't going to turn down that invitation. ■ Tomorrow Bio: https://www.tomorrow.bio/

Camera: Martin Bäbler

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

A bear found my GoPro and took a selfie

Tom Scott 2023-07-24 | An unexpected update! Thanks to @KarenPuzzles for handling the GoPro ■ The Center: grizzlydiscoveryctr.org ■ Certified bear-resistant products: igbconline.org/programs/bear-resistant-products ■ The raw footage, public domain: archive.org/details/grizzly-bear-selfie or youtube.com/watch?v=Oarf76MCrss — note that the rest of this video and my voiceover is not public domain!

Previously: If this survives for an hour, it passes the Bear Test. youtube.com/watch?v=Xn_O2li_jpk

Europe camera: Martin Bäbler
Yellowstone camera: Erik Resel at Backcountry Media backcountrymedia.com

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

Grizzly bear GoPro selfie: raw unedited footage

Tom Scott 2023-07-24 | This footage is public domain, and the raw files are available at archive.org/details/grizzly-bear-selfie ■ An explanation, which is not public domain: youtube.com/watch?v=xq4ZkfojSis ■ Two videos taken by grizzly bears at the Grizzy & Wolf Discovery Center, West Yellowstone, Montana. The bears found a previously-lost GoPro Hero 11 in a protective case, in their pond, which had enough battery left to take a couple of brief shots, including a selfie.

As these video files were created entirely by bears, by accident, I believe them to be in the public domain. If that's not the case, then as the owner of the camera and potential copyright holder, I'm happy to license these files under CC0 and dedicate them to the public domain as far as legally possible.

However, if I don't upload them to YouTube first, then someone else will — and YouTube's copyright systems often get confused by public domain footage, so for my own safety, this is the digital equivalent of sending them to myself in a sealed, postmarked envelope.

YouTube's system the license for this listed as "Creative Commons - Attribution", because "Public Domain" is not an option. You are not required to attribute this footage, but if you do use these files, it'd be nice to make a donation to the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center. They've got bears to feed. grizzlydiscoveryctr.org

00:00 GX010742.MP4
01:28 GX010743.MP4

If this survives for an hour, it passes the Bear Test.

Tom Scott 2023-07-17 | At the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Montana, you can get a product certified as bear-resistant... by actual bears. ■ The Center: grizzlydiscoveryctr.org ■ Certified bear-resistant products: igbconline.org/programs/bear-resistant-products

Camera by Erik Resel at Backcountry Media backcountrymedia.com
Edited by Julian Domanski

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

I thought this rotating house was impossible.

Tom Scott 2023-07-10 | Near San Diego, California, there's a rotating house: and somehow, all the utilities, the electricity, gas and water, work even on the rotating part. How's that possible? ■ Al's site: rotatinghome.com ■ The real estate listing: http://navrealestate.co/4903-mount-helix-dr

This is not an advert; I received no payment other than access and had full editorial control.

Camera: Juan Gracia, Bream Velasquez
Local production: @TwoBitDaVinci
Graphics: Stijn Orlans

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

How can you legally fly a plane designed in 1910?

Tom Scott 2023-07-03 | Near Dayton, Ohio there's a lookalike of the Wright Brothers' Model B: a 1910 aircraft with no cockpit. It's a modern plane with a very old design, and I went for a ride. ■ The Museum: wright-b-flyer.org

Edited by Julian Domanski

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

Six months from now, this channel stops.

Tom Scott 2023-07-01 | 💡 VIDEO SUGGESTIONS: tomscott.com/lastcall | ❓ LATERAL the podcast: lateralcast.com or highlights at youtube.com/lateralcast | 📰 NEWSLETTER: tomscott.com/newsletter | 💥 THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: youtube.com/techdif | ➕ TOM SCOTT PLUS the second channel: youtube.com/tomscottplus

The first jungle gym was meant to hack kids brains

Tom Scott 2023-06-26 | Well before the first climbing frame was patented as "jungle gym", mathematician Charles Hinton thought they might be able to teach kids four-dimensional thinking. ■ Thanks to the Winnetka Historical Society! More from them: winnetkahistory.org/gazette/j-is-for-jungle-gym

Original patents referenced:
patents.google.com/patent/US1471465A
patents.google.com/patent/US1488244A
patents.google.com/patent/US1488245A
patents.google.com/patent/US1488246A

Also referenced is "Winnetka: The history and significance of an educational experiment", by Washburne and Marland.

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

The cable car that you pedal by hand

Tom Scott 2023-06-19 | Through the mountains of Slovenia, there are manual cable cars: some historic, some more modern. There aren't many left. I was able to try one, and to talk to the person who still maintains it.

Just to be clear, there are a few of these in other places in the world, too. There's at least a couple in North America, one in Germany, and one in Turkey! (Or at least, I think they still exist.) But the video of the Cicka got me to beautiful Slovenia, and the story that I found there was worth the trip.

Local producer: Jure Kreft at Fixmedia https://fixmedia.si
Camera: Darko Sintič
Audio mix: Manni Simon and Graham Haerther

"Cicka - ročna žičnica čez Savo by Jure Senegačnik" is available at youtu.be/w3i5BN2VpWs and is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode (that license does not extend to the rest of this video)

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

I had to throw out my script about this submarine simulator

Tom Scott 2023-06-12 | In an old mill in a remote corner of Italy, sits the Bathysphere Project at Explorandia: a submarine simulator that explores an actual, small pond. It might be the best homemade project I've ever seen. ■ More: https://www.explorandia.it/page/bathysphere

Edited by Julian Domanski

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

No-one knows how explosions work (yet)

Tom Scott 2023-06-05 | The first few moments of an explosion can't be simulated yet. But there's a team at the University of Sheffield working on it. ■ A paper about their work, including data from a similar test: mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/2/964 ■ More from them: sheffield.ac.uk/civil

Previously: why Hollywood explosions don't look like real explosions: youtube.com/watch?v=nqJiWbD08Yw

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

This is an excuse to show you a really good tunnel

Tom Scott 2023-05-29 | The Catesby Tunnel, in the UK, is an old Victorian railway tunnel that has a new use: a secretive car testing facility, like a wind tunnel but in reverse. So rather than just show it to the world, I thought I'd answer a question: if you stick a camera on the outside of your car, how much does the drag cost you? ■ The tunnel: catesbytunnel.com

Camera: Jamie MacLeod jamiemacleod.co.uk
Editor: Michelle Martin twitter.com/mrsmmartin

This is not an advert, Catesby Projects and the tunnel team had no editorial control and I wasn't paid. (In fact, I paid quite a bit for the fire safety team!)

Thank you to the many people who suggested this over the years, but in particular to David who was able to put me in touch with them directly!

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

Shake tables are way more complex than I thought

Tom Scott 2023-05-22 | At the University of California San Diego, there's the Shake Table: an earthquake simulator with the heaviest payload capacity in the world. ■ More about the table: https://nheri.ucsd.edu/ and the building: http://nheritallwood.mines.edu/

With thanks to everyone at UCSD, including Shiling Pei and Ioana Patringenaru
Camera: Mark Liu and David Baillot
Editor: Michelle Martin twitter.com/mrsmmartin

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

The people who get paid to get sick

Tom Scott 2023-05-15 | I went inside the former hotel where, for science (and money), people are volunteering to get colds, flu, and RSV. ■ Challenge trials looking for volunteers: flucamp.com and 1daysooner.org/recruiting-challenge-studies

This isn't an advert! the subject was suggested by the team at 1DaySooner, but that's it: no money changed hands and no editorial control was given away.

Two bonus facts I couldn't fit in the main video:
😷 There are some challenge trials which require stronger quarantine protocols or negative-pressure rooms, but they're much more rare (and much more difficult to film)
🧻 The tissues that volunteers sneeze into have to be put into a separate bag, so they can be weighed

Camera by Jamie MacLeod
Edited by Julian Domanski

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

The worlds cleanest railway

Tom Scott 2023-05-08 | At CEA-Leti, in Grenoble, there's a "funicular" that not many people get to ride: because it's between two clean rooms, and getting to it requires quite a lot of preparation. ■ CEA-Leti: leti-cea.com/cea-tech/leti/english/Pages/Welcome.aspx

For most of my research on this, I'm indebted to this French-language article from by Julien Meyrat: https://www.vepres.fr/vepres-presse-salles-propres-funiculaire/

Camera: Simon Gillouin
Editor: Michelle Martin twitter.com/mrsmmartin
Local production by Block8 block8production.com

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

How they saved the holes in Swiss cheese

Tom Scott 2023-05-01 | Agroscope is a Swiss government-backed agricultural research lab. It's got a lot of other resarch projects too, but it also keeps a backup of the Swiss cheese bacterial cultures... just in käse. ■ Agroscope: https://www.agroscope.admin.ch/agroscope/en/home.html

Camera: Tobias Buchmann
Editor: Michelle Martin twitter.com/mrsmmartin
Local production by Viven https://viven.ch
Thanks to Rafael Ferrara and Remo Schmidt for the suggestion!

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

The military base where you drive over the runway

Tom Scott 2023-04-24 | Meiringen Air Base, in Switzerland, has an unusual feature: two public roads that go straight over the runway. How do they keep it safe? And, as a side note, just how loud is it when you're standing next to a fighter jet?

(Bonus things that didn't fit into the video: the aircraft aren't stored in hangars, but in caverns tunneled into the hillside! And if you want to get really close to the jets, there's a second, much narrower crossing over a taxiway to the caverns. They're not taking off at high speed there, though.)

Camera: Tobias Buchmann
Editor: Julian Domanski
Local production by Viven https://viven.ch

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

Its the Matrix, but for locusts.

Tom Scott 2023-04-17 | At the Department of Collective Behaviour, part of the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, researchers are putting locusts into simulated worlds, both virtual and physical, in the hope that they can figure out how devastating swarms form and move. ■ About the Centre: https://www.exc.uni-konstanz.de/collective-behaviour/ https://www.ab.mpg.de/couzin

Edited by Michelle Martin twitter.com/mrsmmartin
Thanks to David Walter for the suggestion

This is the most uncomfortable I've ever felt while filming, for a few reasons. First, of course, because of the locust swarm itself. Second, because animal research — even on creatures as simple and pestilent as locusts — always raises ethical questions. Now, the researchers are careful with the locusts, and I don't think many people could have a problem with this. Indeed, most of the world currently has zero ethical restrictions on insect experimentation — but it's still worth interrogating whether this is okay. And finally: because if we can do this so easily to less intelligent creatures... what's to stop something more intelligent coming along and doing the same to us?

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

This tiny hovercraft went viral.

Tom Scott 2023-04-10 | Hideyasu Ito runs the Micro Hovercraft Laboratory, and I got to meet him and ride his incredible four-bubble hovercraft. ■ The Laboratory: @hideito9042 http://mhlabo.web.fc2.com or twitter.com/microhovercraft

Local producer: Yasuharu Matsuno at Mind Architect
Camera and edit: Julian Domanski

(This video has an English dub available on supported devices. Change the language option to use it!)

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

I rode the worlds fastest train.

Tom Scott 2023-04-03 | I thought maglev trains were a dead-end technology: but it looks like I was wrong. At JR Central's Yamanashi Maglev Test Track, I rode Japan's new maglev. ■ The maglev: scmaglev.jr-central-global.com ■ The exhibition centre: linear-museum.pref.yamanashi.jp/english/index.html

Local producer: Yasuharu Matsuno at Mind Architect
Camera and edit: Julian Domanski

(This video has an English dub and limited audio description available. These are experimental and use AI-generated voices, so may not be perfect, and I can't promise they'll stay long-term. On supported devices, change the language option to use them!)

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

I climbed inside a giant robotic parking garage

Tom Scott 2023-03-27 | I was going to film a video about a robot bicycle park. And then GIKEN, the company who built it, said: you know we do this for cars as well, right? ■ More details: giken.com/en/products/automated-parking-facilities

Local producer: Yasuharu Matsuno at Mind Architect
Camera: Julian Domanski
Editor: Michelle Martin twitter.com/mrsmmartin

I'm a bit worried that this comes across as an advert. It's not — I reached out to the team at GIKEN, they had no editorial control, and no money changed hands. (Although they did, of course, go through all the paperwork required to let me climb into their giant robot parking garage.) They also asked me to include this: “Eco Cycle and Eco Park are brand names of GIKEN LTD. in Japan”, which seemed a reasonable enough request.

This video has an English dub available by changing the language option on supported devices.

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

This bus transforms into a train

Tom Scott 2023-03-20 | The DMV, or Dual Mode Vehicle, on the Asa Coast Railway in Shikoku, Japan, is a hybrid bus and train. And I rode it. ■ The railway: asatetu.com/en (English) or asatetu.com (Japanese)

An accessible English dub of this video is available. Plus, as there was (unusually) room for it in this video, there's also a version with audio description. You can turn those on in your device's player settings. Both are experimental and use an AI-generated voice, so they're a long way from perfect; I can't guarantee they'll be available for future videos, or even for this one long-term! But hopefully it's a step in the right direction.

Local producer: Yasuharu Matsuno at Mind Architect
Camera: Julian Domanski

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

Things are changing at the worlds oldest hotel

Tom Scott 2023-03-13 | Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan is not just the world's oldest hotel, but the world's oldest still-operating business. Or at least, that's one way of looking at it. But things are changing here, just like they always have. ■ The hotel: keiunkan.co.jp

Local producer: Yasuharu Matsuno at Mind Architect
Camera: Julian Domanski

An accessible English dub is available for anyone unable to read subtitles; you can turn it on in your device's player settings. It's experimental and using an AI-generated voice, so it's a long way from perfect, and I can't guarantee it'll be available for future videos, or even for this one long-term! But hopefully it's a step in the right direction.

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

The city with a hundred private cable cars

Tom Scott 2023-03-06 | Wellington, in New Zealand, has more than a hundred private cable cars. I found out why. ■ Access Automation: accessauto.co.nz ■ Rose's book: teherengawakapress.co.nz/all-who-live-on-islands

Editor: Michelle Martin twitter.com/mrsmmartin
Producer: Virginia Wickham at Kevin & Co kevinandco.co.nz

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

This is “impossible”, but New Zealand is trying anyway.

Tom Scott 2023-02-27 | The common wisdom is that, once an invasive species is truly established, it can't be eradicated — but I talked to the team from Predator Free Wellington, who think they can do just that. ■ Predator Free Wellington: pfw.org.nz

Predator Free 2050: pf2050.co.nz

Editor: Michelle Martin twitter.com/mrsmmartin
Camera: Conor Cameron cyansea.nz
Producer: Virginia Wickham at Kevin & Co kevinandco.co.nz

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

This café sends food through pneumatic tubes

Tom Scott 2023-02-20 | C1 Espresso, in Christchurch, New Zealand, has a set of pneumatic tubes. But that's not enough on its own to keep a business running. ■ C1 Espresso: http://www.c1espresso.co.nz

Producer: Virginia Wickham at Kevin & Co kevinandco.co.nz

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

I tried using AI. It scared me.

Tom Scott 2023-02-13 | I just wanted to fix my email. ■ AD: 👨‍💻 NordVPN's best deal is here: nordvpn.com/tomscott - with a 30-day money-back guarantee. ■ Code and full conversation: tomscott.com/fix-gmail-labels-threads

Script assistant: Laura Conlon
No AI assistance was used, except where noted.

ALTERNATE TITLES:
Crypto and the metaverse aren't the future. AI is.
I just wanted to fix my email.
I tried ChatGPT and had a minor existential crisis
Everything is about to change
ChatGPT is Napster, 24 years later.
ChatGPT is 2023's Napster.

CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
0:07 I just wanted to fix my email
2:39 Gmail's label system sucks
5:35 Wait, I can fix this with code
7:36 It can't be that good, right?
11:31 Everything is going to change

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

(Yes, that was a "Weird Al" Yankovic reference.)

Google gave the Shweeb $1,000,000.

Tom Scott 2023-02-06 | At Velocity Valley in Rotorua, New Zealand, there's the Shweeb: a pedal-powered monorail. It's a fun ride: but in 2010, Google gave it a million dollars as a potential "future of transit". ▪ Thanks to Velocity Valley: velocityvalley.co.nz

SOURCES:
web.archive.org/web/20091109051951/http://shweeb.com/index.php?m=faq
web.archive.org/web/20081012033535/http://www.project10tothe100.com/faq.html
web.archive.org/web/20120506113239/http://www.google.com/onceuponatime/project10tothe100
bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-03-27/whatever-happened-to-the-shweeb
nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/business/13m-backing-for-shweeb/ERNGSPNILIFWR7YC4TU2A6DEYY
businessinsider.com/google-human-monorail-shweeb-2010-9

Camera: Rakaea Te Rangi-Trotman
Producer: Virginia Wickham at Kevin & Co kevinandco.co.nz

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

Why Australia bottles up its air

Tom Scott 2023-01-30 | Every few months, when the wind's blowing in the right direction, a bottle of air is taken from Kennaook / Cape Grim, at the northern tip of Tasmania, and saved for science. Here's how and why. ▪ More about the Cape Grim Air Archive: https://research.csiro.au/acc/capabilities/cape-grim-air-archive/

There was no way to put this in the main video, but I have to point to some of the bleak history of Kennaook / Cape Grim, and the massacre that happened there: https://www.ourtasmania.com.au/northwest/history-cape-grim-mass.html

CSIRO and I acknowledge the Pennemuker people, traditional owners of Kennaook / Cape Grim, and their continuing connection to their culture; and pay our respects to their Elders past and present.

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

I took a ride on a moving radio telescope

Tom Scott 2023-01-23 | The Parkes Radio Telescope, Murriyang, part of CSIRO, is one of the most famous telescopes in the world: and it's got a unique way of getting equipment up and down from the central section. ▪ More about the Telescope: https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/atnf/parkes-radio-telescope

Edited by Michelle Martin twitter.com/mrsmmartin

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

These chickens save lives.

Tom Scott 2023-01-16 | "Sentinel chickens" are an early-warning system against some nasty mosquito-borne diseases. I visited a flock in New South Wales, Australia. ▪ More about NSW Health's surveillance: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/mosquito-borne/Pages/surveillance.aspx

MVE was actually found in the area I filmed, just a couple of days later, although in that case it was direct mosquito detection, not via chickens. https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/news/Pages/20230111_00.aspx

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

This rollercoaster doesnt stop automatically

Tom Scott 2023-01-09 | The Great Scenic Railway, at Luna Park in Melbourne, Australia, is the second oldest rollercoaster in the world: and it's one of only a few which still uses a manual brake. Here's how it works. ◾ Luna Park: https://lunapark.com.au/ @lunaparkmelbourne

Thanks to @JulianOShea on camera: visit his channel for lots of stories about Unknown Melbourne, including this great video about the bridge that trucks keep crashing into: youtube.com/watch?v=HR7NivKqfzo

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

The architecture graveyard is alive and well

Tom Scott 2023-01-02 | Poly Canyon, at Cal Poly, is an experimental architecture laboratory. And it's open to the public: http://www.caed.calpoly.edu/content/facilities/poly-canyon

Thanks to Jacob DeBoard for the suggestion

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

Doing robotic surgery on a copy of myself

Tom Scott 2022-12-26 | Thanks to Lazarus 3D: lazarus3d.com ▪ Lazarus had no editorial control over this video, and I paid for my own MRI, but of course they helped set everything up and provided the print!

Edited by Michelle Martin twitter.com/mrsmmartin
Thanks to Graeme Wiltrout for the suggestion

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

I was wrong (and so was everyone)

Tom Scott 2022-12-19 | Did 18th century firefighters really let buildings burn? Sources below. ■ AD: 👨‍💻 NordVPN's best deal is here: nordvpn.com/tomscott - with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Here's the full, thoroughly referenced report: tomscott.com/corrections/firemarks

Thanks to historical consultant Paul J Sillitoe: http://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-sillitoe-avi-consultants

Thanks to Afonso Noronha for the email sparking this whole discussion! All the corrections on this channel can be found here: tomscott.com/corrections

The original video, now deprecated and unlisted: youtube.com/watch?v=sehyLDPeB6M

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

The US government is giving out free wasps

Tom Scott 2022-12-12 | The brown marmorated stink bug is an invasive pest. To help deal with its numbers, the Oregon Department of Agriculture is releasing its natural enemy: the tiny samurai wasp. There's a lot of work that goes into it. ▪ Thanks to all the team at the ODA, and to Chris Hedstrom for the macro footage.

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

Firing radioactive stuff at high speed under city streets

Tom Scott 2022-12-05 | TRIUMF's Rabbit Line, on the University of British Columbia campus, sends slightly radioactive material under the streets of Vancouver at 100km/h (60mph). Here's how and why. ◾ More: triumf.ca/headlines/current-events/rabbit-line-gets-replacement

Edited by Michelle Martin twitter.com/mrsmmartin

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

Cheap, renewable, clean energy. Theres just one problem.

Tom Scott 2022-11-28 | The Bay of Fundy has cheap, clean power: if you can harness it. ■ AD: 👨‍💻 NordVPN's best deal is here: nordvpn.com/tomscott - with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

Why build a diving board twice the Olympic height?

Tom Scott 2022-11-21 | The Montreal Olympic Sports Centre has a 20m (65ft) diving board. That's twice the Olympic height. Why would anyone need that? ◾ The Centre: parcolympique.qc.ca/centresportif/en ◾ Thanks to @Lysanne_Richard

Edited by Michelle Martin twitter.com/mrsmmartin

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

This river can be switched on and off

Tom Scott 2022-11-14 | Surely water simulation can be done with computers now? Well, not quite. At the University of Sherbrooke, there's an artificial research river, and I asked them to start it up. ▪ The University's civil engineering department: usherbrooke.ca/gcivil

Edited by Michelle Martin twitter.com/mrsmmartin
With thanks to Sherbrooke team members Basem (who also flew the drone!) and André (who also wrote the French subtitles!)

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

This electric ferry uses a very long extension cord

Tom Scott 2022-11-07 | The Udbyhøj Cable Ferry across Randers Fjord in Denmark is electric-powered: but rather than batteries, it's plugged into mains electricity. Here's how it works. ▪ More about the ferry: https://www.randersfjord-faerger.dk/

Production manager: Sissel Vindskov Bødker at GotFat, https://gotfat.dk
Camera: Peter Sørensen
Runner: Victor Gade
Editor: Michelle Martin twitter.com/mrsmmartin
Audio mixer: Dan Pugsley at Cassini Sound cassinisound.com

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

Is Polands tap water really protected by clams?

Tom Scott 2022-10-31 | There's a lot of articles written about how tap water in Warsaw is constantly tested by a small team of clams. It felt like a hoax to me: so I went to find out. ▪ Thanks to MPWiK Warsaw: https://www.mpwik.com.pl/

Producer: Marcin Krasnowolski polishfixer.com
Camera: Michał Opala
Editor: Michelle Martin twitter.com/mrsmmartin

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

The government approves of this shark now.

Tom Scott 2022-10-24 | The Headington Shark, in Oxford, UK, is a local icon: but it was protest art, put up without permission. Now, the local government wants to protect it. ▪ The Shark House: headingtonshark.com

Edited by Michelle Martin twitter.com/mrsmmartin

I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at twitter.com/tomscott
on Facebook at facebook.com/tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo