Discover the limitless possibilities of the imagination as we enter into the world of 'What If' scenarios in science and storytelling with physicist and author Neil Comins on the Audio Signals Podcast.
Guest: Neil Comins, Professor of physics and astronomy at University of Maine [@UMaine]
On Linkedin | https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-comins-3462235/
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Host: Marco Ciappelli, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine [@ITSPmagazine] and Host of Redefining Society Podcast & Audio Signals Podcast
On ITSPmagazine | https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/marco-ciappelli
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Episode Introduction
Welcome to another episode of the Audio Signals Podcast, where we merge the realms of science and storytelling to explore how well scripted narratives help our understanding of our universe. I'm your host, Marco Ciappelli, and today we're embarking on an intellectual journey with astrophysicist and author Neil Comins, an experts in telling 'What If' scenarios that challenge our perceptions and ignite our curiosity.
In this episode, we focus on "The Power of ‘What If’ ” and we discuss the profound impact of hypothetical questions on science, education, learning, and our intrinsic human nature. As an astrophysicist and storyteller, Neil Comins brings a unique perspective to the table, blending rigorous scientific inquiry with the boundless creativity of speculative scenarios. His approach not only educates but also entertains, drawing us into the tantalizing possibilities of the cosmos.
Comins, with a rich background that includes a PhD in general relativity and numerous contributions to the field of astrophysics, shares his journey from the bustling streets of New York to the academic haven of the University of Maine. His anecdotes about transitioning from a curious child to a renowned scientist, and eventually to an author, highlight the importance of asking 'What if?' at every stage of life and career.
This episode is not just about astrophysics; it's a celebration of the human imagination. Comins' stories, from his intriguing book "What if the Moon Didn't Exist?" to his experiences as an EMT, exemplify the diverse paths our 'What if' questions can take us. His works in astronomy and his role in creating immersive experiences for the World Expo in Japan demonstrate the power of storytelling in making complex scientific concepts accessible and engaging. Did I mention he was also turned in Cartoon Character in Japan for many years?
As we discuss the intersection of hacking, creativity, and science, Comins reveals how asking 'What if' is at the core of human progress. It's the question that fuels innovation, artistic expression, and scientific discovery. This episode is a testament to the fact that storytelling in science is not just about conveying facts; it's about inspiring wonder, sparking curiosity, and opening minds to the vast possibilities of the universe.
Join us on this captivating episode of the Audio Signals Podcast as we explore the endless 'What ifs' of the universe with Neil Comins. Prepare to be inspired, challenged, and enthralled by the stories and ideas that have the power to reshape our understanding of the world and beyond.
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Resources
"What if" hypothetical implementations in Minecraft: https://whimcproject.web.illinois.edu/
Popular Misconceptions About Astronomy: https://www.astronomy.org/astronomy/misconceptions.html
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Please note that this transcript was created using AI technology and may contain inaccuracies or deviations from the original audio file. The transcript is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for the original recording, as errors may exist. At this time, we provide it “as it is,” and we hope it can be helpful for our audience.
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[00:00:00] Marco Ciappelli: Hello, everybody. This is Marco Ciappelli. Welcome to another episode of audio signals podcast. Um, I don't know. I already done like two today, so I feel like I'm playing a tape right now. So let me see what I should say. Yes, audio signals is exactly what it sounds like. And we're trying to capture signals, although you know, we're not going analog nowadays is all digital, but I reposition this.
fictitious antenna to capture news stories. And for those of you that have been following me for a while, um, I made a little twist and I focus on stories and storytelling and storytellers because stories come from people, stories are made to educate and are, as I usually say, we are made of stories, even when we don't mean to say stories.
We actually do, even the way we act, the way we move, the way we dress, we are, we're our own story. Now there are certain situations where you may think a little bit more of a story in the standard way to think about a story. Usually it's a book, it's a movie, it's a, it's a radio show, a drama, as they used to do.
And now we do podcasts, dramatized podcasts. So now that's the new, uh, The new radio show drama that used to be back in the days. But when you talk about books, you really think about stories. And today we're going to talk with a friend of mine, part of the mentor project that wrote quite a few books.
He's a physicist and astronomer. His name is Neil Cummins and for those watching as I usually say you have already seen him he's right there and for those listening I'm not lying to you. He's right here. So we're gonna hear his voice Neil. Welcome to the show
[00:01:55] Neil Comins: Thank you. I'm delighted to be here Marco.
[00:01:58] Marco Ciappelli: Good. We've been trying to do this for a while And uh, i'm so happy because we we see each other quite a bit um once a week usually with the with our meetings and uh I've always been curious To ask you a few questions, so I hope you don't mind. That's what I'm here for. There you go. There you go. Well, I'm going to start with the easiest one, which is who is Neil.
I know you've done a lot of things, but give us a little background about yourself.
[00:02:28] Neil Comins: Okay, sure. I am an astrophysicist, technically speaking. Uh, I got my undergraduate degree at Cornell, my PhD. at what was then called University College, Cardiff, Wales. And my PhD was in the area of general relativity.
And, um, I was very fortunate to have a very good advisor and we, uh, published a number of papers. And one of those papers was actually cited in a Nobel prize lecture. Back in 1983, and, um, so I, since then, have been at the University of Maine, and, uh, the backstory for that is that I grew up in New York, in, in the city and in West Chester County, and back in those days, it was a very rough area, especially when I take the subway into Brooklyn.
You know, it wasn't a question of, are you going to get robbed or mugged? It was when I, I didn't want to bring, and I was, and I didn't want to bring my kids up in that environment. Don't get me wrong. I know it's changed, of course, but, uh, back in the, in the late seventies, I, uh, opted to come to the university of Maine and, uh, I have been teaching here ever since, uh, one cute story is that, uh, after I got my PhD and people started calling me doctor I felt very insecure.
I felt insecure because I had no medical experience or background whatsoever. So to overcome that insecurity, I became an EMT and I worked for 10 years as an EMT here in Orono, Maine, very satisfying experience. And that actually led when I was flying back from Japan one year, back in the 2000s. A woman died on the airplane and they said, well, if there's a doctor on the plane, would you please come to the back of the aircraft?
I know the good Samaritan law. So I went back there and she was dead. And to make a long story short, uh, she walked off the plane, gave me a hug in front of my wife, but that was fine. Gave me a hug. And, uh, that was payment in full. So, becoming an EMT was a very satisfying experience for me. Uh, I have moved on to, uh, doing, um, computer simulations.
And specifically, I'm interested in galaxies like our Milky Way and how they evolve. And, uh, things like colliding. It turns out the Andromeda Galaxy, which you can see with the naked eye if your eyes are good, is going to collide with the Milky Way billions of years from now. Anyways, it's a very interesting thing.
And then I started writing books. And, uh, the backstory for that... And please stop me at any time.
[00:05:38] Marco Ciappelli: Oh, go, go. You're making it easy for me. So
[00:05:42] Neil Comins: the backstory for that was that when my son, my son, James was, yeah, maybe two years old, he was asking questions like, what that, what that, you want to know the names of things.
And then he graduated by the age of four to asking why. And if you have had young kids, why, why, why, why. And I did my best to answer. Age five, he graduated from there to asking what if questions, uh, like, uh, What, you know, what if the sun came up in the other direction, things like that. And I did my best to answer those.
Anyways, uh, one day I was sitting in my office here, you can see the background and, um, my colleague, Dave Batusky walked in and he said, and I quote, you know, we scientists think about the world too much the same, which isn't very good English, but nevermind. So I said, okay, let's think about it differently.
And my son's what if questions. And I grabbed the first what if question I could think of, which was, What if the moon didn't exist? And he and I discussed it for a few minutes, and I was hooked. I started writing, you know, papers, uh, that were published in, uh, Astronomy Magazine, asking and exploring many what if questions.
And that led to my first book called what if the moon didn't exist, which has actually 10 what if scenarios in it.
[00:07:16] Marco Ciappelli: I'm actually going to stop you right there because the what if I feel like is the Is the core of ours being human, right? So talking about storytelling, like I love how your son didn't started with the what if when he was younger, he had to, you say, graduate to that, right?
Like it's kind of like your brain need to start maturing in a certain way. And then, and then I feel like that what if question applies to everything. That's why. Give you an example. I, when I talk about cyber security, I talk about hacking a lot. And hacking is perceived as a bad thing. And I said, no, hacking is a really good thing.
It's cyber crime that is bad, but hacking is exactly that. What if I take this system and I make it work in a way that it wasn't intentional? And he does, or what if I can do this? What if I can do that? And then you just go for that. And I think the same applies when you do creative stuff. Hmm. What if I presented this way?
So it's literally the question at the core of a lot of things that we do as human. We, if we didn't ask that question, we wouldn't progress.
[00:08:34] Neil Comins: I couldn't have said it better myself. Well done. That was great. Uh, so I, I wrote my first book and then, uh, I was using a textbook in teaching introductory astronomy and the author of it died suddenly.
And I offered to take it over, you know, to, to write it. And so my second book was actually an astronomy textbook called Discovering the Universe. And, um, to say the least, it did very well. I'll leave it at that. All right. And, and then I wrote a second, what if book and many more editions of the textbooks.
And then I started asking questions about. Misconceptions people have about the natural world. That became my next theme was to identify misconceptions, identify why we have them, how to overcome them, and I wrote a book about that called Heavenly Errors. And I incorporate misconceptions when I teach and I incorporate them in my Textbooks now.
And, um, I also wrote two books about traveling in space. If you want to go as a tourist, what to expect. And so, those are the kinds of things I've been doing. And we're now 21 books into the story.
[00:10:06] Marco Ciappelli: Now, here we go into the story. So the story and the meaning of storytelling. So you create this scenario. And that alone is...
Even if you do it, you talk about a science. Many people think about science as, you know, math, mathematics, and formulas. But actually, when you understand things, and correct me if I'm wrong, but Einstein itself, he was a very creative person, a very creative mind. Like, he could visualize. Right. His theory, right?
I'm actually reading his biography now. That's why it comes in my mind. So the importance of telling the right story to appeal, and this could be to teaching, this could be to bringing new, new generation in STEM. I mean, it's not just by the The math that you do this. So how did you develop your style? Is it anything to do with your teaching and then you applied it in your book?
What's, what's your way to tell the story?
[00:11:09] Neil Comins: Yeah, that was, that is a terrific question. And the answer I think is very important. It's interesting because, you know, I give talks all around the country and, and so on, and people come up to me and say, well, how do you, how do you do that? I mean, cause I'm, I'm talking about science things, just using words.
And they get it, and I see the smiles on their faces. Anyways, the answer to your question is, whenever I am talking, like lecturing to my students, or writing my books, half of my brain is sitting there, watching or listening to me, with the perspective of the audience. So, when I'm writing, I'm also reading.
And to me, it's very, very important to make sure that with the mindset I expect that my normal audience would have, they understand, appreciate, and enjoy what they're reading from me. So that that's the, the, the number one takeaway is to, to, when I do any of these kinds of things, uh, I'm there in two different.
World, so to speak, uh, and, and that's how I try to, you know, make my work accessible to people.
[00:12:36] Marco Ciappelli: And I think that's really important because many times when people know a lot about something, they expect everybody else knows about something and that's how we disconnect with the audience. So knowing who your audience is, it definitely is important.
Do you test with your students too? Like you come up with the idea and say, Hmm, this could be a good story. Let's see how they react before you put it on paper.
[00:13:01] Neil Comins: An interesting question. The short answer is no. Uh, I, uh, when I'm looking for another thing to write about or another, what if, uh, I, I tend to wander about in, in whatever realm that's in, uh, by myself and ask myself, what if questions until once, you know, sort of resonates.
And once I've got something that, you know, has an aha moment to it, then I'm off and running.
[00:13:33] Marco Ciappelli: Right. I love it. So, what if the moon didn't exist? You want to tell us a few things about that? And also, what if you didn't have a character made in Japan based on you? What if?
[00:13:51] Neil Comins: Okay, maybe I should explain
[00:13:53] Marco Ciappelli: that first.
Yes, because I don't know. So, you know, I'm cheating. I already know the story.
[00:13:59] Neil Comins: Fair enough. Um, okay. So, um, oh, in 2003, I got a cold call from a major, uh, movie production studio in Japan, uh, called the Robot Inc, and they said that there is going to be in 2005, a, a world expo, uh, you know, back in, in the, uh, early days, in the olden days, they had world fairs, world's fairs, And I went to the 1964 World's Fair in New York, 1967 World's Fair up in Canada, and so on.
And at these fairs, every individual, uh, every company and country has an individual pavilion based on a theme of their choice. And... For example, back in 64, uh, Ford's pavilion theme was Mustang because the Mustang just came out. So we sat in cars in their pavilion and rode around in Mustangs to get us interested.
Anyways. So the cold call that I got was there's going to be a World Expo in 2005. In Aichi, Japan, and Mitsubishi Company Corporation, uh, is interested in considering your what if book as the theme of their pavilion. So instead of Mustangs, they had, you know, and so, um, I talked with, with the fellow and we batted some ideas back and forth and I put together a proposal.
And, uh, they bought it, um, and it was interesting because this was back in 2005, before, uh, uh, VR, virtual reality came into existence, and, and so the, the show, based on what if the moon didn't exist. Was, uh, uh, essentially a total immersion. In other words, there were screens on all sides of the viewers and, and, and there were projections of activities on all sides so that they felt as if they were immersed in the environment.
So, which was a very neat thing to do. And very briefly, the story was to explore this, the consequence of this. Cause the moon, I might add is very, very important in Japanese culture. That was what got me this, that far. And so, uh, they decided to have a presentation by me as a cartoon character. And I will give credit where credit is due.
My wife chose what I was to look like. They sent, sent us about a half a dozen sketches of what the character was going to look like. And she chose the one that I am today. Anyway, so, so, uh, we went to the opening of that and it was, it was just, it was a wonderful experience. It was a one year thing. The, the world expos are one year long.
And, uh, when it closed a resort in Southern Japan, House Tembosh. House in the forest in Dutch, uh, uh, came to me and said, uh, we would like to, through Robot Inc to give credit, we would like to, uh, buy the rights to your show. And I said, yeah, I forced me and they, they forced me, uh, they made me an offer. I couldn't refuse.
And so, uh, I helped them put together, you know, a slightly revised version. But anyways, uh, that show played every day, almost every day for 17 years at the resort house Tembash and just closed down for, uh, last year. So for the last 17, 18 years, if you include, uh, Mitsubishi, uh, I've been a cartoon character in Japan.
[00:18:11] Marco Ciappelli: And how does it feel?
[00:18:14] Neil Comins: It's very satisfying. I assure you. And so now onto the, what if the moon didn't exist? The, uh, the premise is that the moon never existed. That's, that's what I'm constructing here. And it turns out in real life. In fact, when I, you know, give this presentation, I talk about the consequences of the moon as it has been.
In other words, not as it wouldn't be, but as it has been. And then you take away all of these things and you see how profoundly different the earth would be. For example, when the moon first formed, we don't know exactly, but in round numbers, it was about 10 times closer than it is today. And as a result, the tides it created on the young earth.
Where are you ready for this? 1, 000 times higher than they are now.
[00:19:13] Marco Ciappelli: Wow. So 10 times closer, but 1, 000 bigger because of the
[00:19:21] Neil Comins: the force of gravity. Yeah, 10 times 10 times 10. Wow, and Therefore like, you know in in in Maine here where the tides can be say 20 feet high They would be 20, 000 feet high if Maine had existed back then Uh, which would ruin your whole day if you were here in Maine.
Anyways, the point is that that had a huge consequence for life on earth, specifically those huge tides running in and out. And I, Oh, I'm sorry. I should also say that the earth was spinning faster. Again, we don't know how fast, but maybe as fast as four times faster than it is today. Six hour day ish. Um, and with the tides running in and out every, you know, six hours, the amount of the, the surface of the young continents that was scraped by those tides and that debris put into the ocean really sped up the ability of life to form in the oceans because the building blocks were deposited as a result of those tides.
So that has been, that was one of the major factors. Another factor is, um, the earth was spinning so fast that the high tide there, and there are two high tides on earth, one on the side of the moon, one on the other side, the high tide on the side of the earth, closer to the moon was actually ahead. The earth was spinning so fast that if, if this was the moon and this was the earth with a high tide, the high tide Is ahead of the moon and this water here, this water here, it has gravity.
And the gravity of the water is pulling the moon, is pulling the moon, like a ball on a string. If you have a ball on a string, you start spinning around, the ball will spiral outward. That's exactly what the moon is doing. The moon is spiraling away from the earth. As a result of the tides, it, the moon, creates on the earth.
And, in fact, I mean, one of the, you know, the things that I'm often asked, well, well, is it ever going to leave? The Moon. And the answer is no. Because at the same time that the Moon is spiraling away, the Earth is slowing down. Why? Because the Earth is giving the Moon energy to spiral away. It's like you would give the ball on the string energy by spinning around.
And that energy has to come from somewhere. And the energy that the Moon gets from the gravity of the high tides, comes from the earth's rotation because the high tides are trying to get back onto the moon and then as that high tide water moves westward and it bumps into these nasty continents and as the water bumps into the continent it slows the earth down so the earth Going from, let's say six hours back then to 24 hours now, it continues to slow.
Eventually, eventually the punchline is the moon is going to be much farther away, but the earth will be spinning at the same rate that the moon is orbiting. And from then on the high tide here and the moon will be lined up and therefore there won't be any more pull from the high tide on the moon. So that's going to happen.
It's going to be billions and billions of years from now. So don't worry about it. The sun is going to blow up before then anyway, so don't worry about it. No big deal.
[00:23:07] Marco Ciappelli: So, so the point is. If the moon didn't exist, all these things that you described and all men and when not happen. So so in simple world may even be that we didn't have life good and making a guess.
[00:23:25] Neil Comins: Yeah, exactly. I mean, life would almost certainly have evolved. But the main the main source of the minerals in the ocean that life evolved from would come from river runoff. And from the sources of, you know, heat and energy coming out of the bottom of the ocean in some places. But if you add up all of that, those minerals compared to the minerals that the high tides made, it would have taken millions of years longer, at least, for life to have evolved, number one.
And another thing is that the rotation of the earth would be, you know, close to what it was back then. And the reason I say close is because the sun today creates one third of our tides, and therefore there would have been a little slowing. But, you know, the day would be, let's say, eight hours long. Not 24, if the moon had never existed.
And as a result of that, you can then look at the wind patterns from the heating and cooling of the rapidly spinning Earth, and you would get completely different weather patterns than we have today. And from most of what I've been able to figure out, they would be much nastier weather than we have now.
[00:24:45] Marco Ciappelli: See, this is the typical example of how you made it. Very easy to understand, given I like space, I read and I'm passionate about it, but I'm far away from that. I'm a, I'm a doctor in political science, so don't call me for help on a plane. But, uh, you know, I'm passionate about a lot of different things.
But of course, then I hear you and I'm like, I mean, you just made it so. Easy to understand, I think for everyone, but also as you're doing this, and I'm going to reconnect to the storytelling. I've asked myself a lot of questions and I had a lot of scenario that could inspire very easily a ton of sci fi movies.
And I'm connecting to the fact that you've been consulting, if I'm not wrong, with many TV and radio, radio science show. So we know that. Some, uh, book and stories and movie are based on completely fictitional, um, world. I Mean, uh, Tolkien created an entire Middle Earth. And you can't go and tell him that, well, that cannot exist, because it's like, no, yeah, it can, because I want it to exist.
But other times you... You try to play with the real science. You try to play with real history. Maybe you have an alternative history, uh, fiction and so forth. So what is your, uh, relationship with very creative mind that maybe want to create and go away too far from reality? I mean, are you a fan of complete fantasy or your science background always brings you back to that's too much, you know, calm down.
[00:26:37] Neil Comins: Absolutely. No, that's a really great question. Uh, the short answer is that when it gets too far away, I put on the brakes. Uh, in other words, I try to make it so, you know, the science fiction, if you will, that I have been asked about, I try to make it as realistic as possible. And, uh, sometimes that, you know, takes people in different directions, but, uh, when it gets to be complete fantasy, and don't get me wrong, that's a nice genre, uh, it's, it's not where I am interested in being.
So I, I try to, to sort of stay close enough, close enough to science so that when people hear or see things, they would say, Hmm, I wonder. Rather than, oh, no, that's not it. That's not the real thing.
[00:27:40] Marco Ciappelli: So if I want to go to space, and I have, on one hand, I'm at the bookstore, and I have the Traveler's Guide to Space, which you wrote, and I have the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, from Adams, which one should I...
[00:27:58] Neil Comins: Well, I would say the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and the only problem with that, I honestly don't recall that I named it. I think my agent named it. Unfortunately, uh, the hitchhiker's guide, uh, the hitchhiker's guide to space. When people see it, they think, oh, it's going to be like the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, or the universe, or whatever.
It's not. And it's not.
[00:28:23] Marco Ciappelli: And it's not. Well, that's why I made the joke. Yeah. One is a little bit off in a lot of ways. I think it's super funny, especially when he's Brad. Oh, yeah. Totally. But, uh, but, yeah. Most certainly very detached from, from reality, from science. Totally agree.
[00:28:43] Neil Comins: Yeah, but still enjoyable.
[00:28:45] Marco Ciappelli: Oh, absolutely.
Yeah. So what is your next, uh, adventure in terms of writing? Do you, do you have any other plan? And, and also, have you ever thought about... Writing something that is, um, yeah, I mean, I guess you already answered to that, but a little bit more of a fictional story.
[00:29:07] Neil Comins: Funny you should ask that question.
It's not that you were prompt. I mean, you know, coming up with that by yourself. I'm working on two projects right now. One of them is a memoir, and there's a deep background in that, um, but I am exploring, you know, my early years and, and why I had them and what I did and, and what I got out of it, and I've been encouraged to do that by a number of people.
And the other is science fiction. I'm writing a science fiction novel taking place up. Round numbers 100 years from now with a minimum amount of fiction built in, but some, uh, specifically, uh, to enable, you know, the, the players in the story to be able to travel, uh, faster than, uh, well, faster than the speed of light.
Um, but, uh, I do it in such a way that it's Not implausible that this could exist. It just, it would take, um, it would take science a while to, to make changes in the state of, of, uh, our technology. And if they can make those changes, then conceivably, you know, this could happen. So it's, it's on the, again, on the boundary between science and science fiction.
My two projects right now,
[00:30:41] Marco Ciappelli: and I didn't know. I swear I did. I wasn't prompted on this. So glad I asked the question. I would like to end this with something about maybe your habits in in or your taste in in reading and maybe watching movies. So as a scientist, as a writer of Things that are very connected to, to reality to a certain point.
Now going on that adventure as well, that journey, what's your favorite genre? I mean, as this, as a professor, as astrophysics, do you just, people imagine that you just read about that, but I'm sure that you may. Enjoy something else. Maybe, I don't know, you watch Disney. What do you do on your free time?
What's your favorite story?
[00:31:31] Neil Comins: If I had free time, I would
[00:31:35] Marco Ciappelli: Question again, and yeah,
[00:31:37] Neil Comins: right. What if I had free time? Yeah, though. Yeah The realm that I like reading in most with when it's not, you know hard science is the history of science scientists the history of Einstein Uh, the history of Niels Bohr, um, the history of, of Isaac Newton and so on and so forth.
Uh, it's, it's just interesting to see, you know, where they came from and how they got to where they ended up. Uh, I find that very interesting because quite honestly, in some cases, you know, it could potentially, uh, help move me forward. Uh, so, so that, that is one of my My major, uh, areas or genres other than, as I say, other than the hard science.
Um, I also read, uh, books, uh, or materials, uh, by, uh, uh, people like Neil deGrasse Tyson. Oh yeah. We met 1994 on a bus in San Diego. This gentleman comes up to me and he says, Excuse me, are you Neil Cummins? I said, Yes. He said, Hello, I'm Neil deGrasse Tyson. Nice to meet you. And we've been friends ever since.
So,
[00:33:00] Marco Ciappelli: uh, He's definitely one of those, uh, that inspire me. I love his shows. When I scroll through Instagram, often, you know, Instagram knows me better than myself. Once, ,you start watching a few things, he knows you play the bass and that you like Neil deGrasse Tyson quotes on astronomy. So, he's another one of those person and that another guy professional like you that, um, that just breaks it down, right?
It's, it does, it makes it interesting. He's a good, he's an excellent storyteller. And so, and so are you. And, uh, there is another guy, um, I don't remember his first name, he's, uh, uh, Cox is his last name. He's from the UK. Um, he's also in astrophysics and he, he had a show and same thing, like kind of the same style, a little bit more rock and roll, uh, looking type of guy.
I think actually used to sing in a band or something, but anyway, again, it, it doesn't have to be. Boring. And that's the difference, right? When you, when you look at that. And one last note on, on the biography, I, I didn't grow up reading biography, but I got really interested in that. And, um, especially Isaac's own biography on Einstein, which is the one I'm actually reading now.
The one on Steve job, one on Leonardo da Vinci, which is excellent. And it just makes you contextualize things when To do what they could with what they had. Mm hmm. They didn't have a computer. They didn't have all the data, the now generative AI and all that, but their head was so ahead of the time that probably a lot of people thought they were a little nuts, to be honest.
[00:35:00] Neil Comins: Um, one, one, yeah, fair enough. One last A cute thing. I was approached concerning in the realm of what if the moon didn't exist. I was approached by a fellow at the University of Illinois, Chad Lane, who asked if I would work with him to get an NSF grant to incorporate my what if scenarios. Into, you're ready for this, Minecraft.
Hmm, I can see that. We have been doing that for several years now. And also creating versions of Minecraft with exoplanet properties. And that's been doing very well. It's well received, shall we say.
[00:35:43] Marco Ciappelli: I love it. See, I'm telling you, what if is the question. What if I had this entire conversation without Neil next to me?
It would have been damn boring, but it wasn't. So, Neil, I want to thank you so much for taking the time. Again, I know you're super busy and I'm excited for all your upcoming project. And, uh, Door is open. Anytime you have a new story. I, I enjoy listening. I'm quite sure the audience did the same. So I will put all the links to, uh, your books and, uh, way to get in touch with you on the notes on the podcast or YouTube if you're watching us there and, um, subscribe.
To audio signal podcast. So you can get more story like this. There's a bunch coming up and, uh, Neil, again, anytime come back, good luck with your new venture. And, uh, um, I think I have to read that if the moon did it exist. So I'm going to go, I'm going to go get it. Uh, I'm sure I will take care, everybody.
Thank you, Neil. Bye bye.