Expanse Science

Added: 2026-05-11

[00:00:00]All right, somebody confirm our existence.

[00:00:19]All right, I am still drinking my cranberry juice that is bigger than my head.

[00:00:32]Okay, I am seeing people on YouTube.

[00:00:35]So, well, he writes, "Thank you everyone for being here on such a special day, special time." Uh, I have a sudden trip I need to make out to California. Uh, Fraser had a planned trip of glory and awesomeness during which he's going to eat uh small triangular rice foods on my behalf.

[00:00:56]um to Japan. Um and um okay, they have mirror Pamela.

[00:01:04]This is my right hand.

[00:01:07]You do not have mirror Pamela.

[00:01:12]How would you know if you have mirror Pamela?

[00:01:18]>> Whoa. Do you have a little beard?

[00:01:21]>> I hope not.

[00:01:30]So, existential squee ask how long it takes to braid my hair. Um, my hair it it yeah, I have a lot of it. Um, it it takes me well under a minute to braid my hair the way it's currently braided. If I do a French braid, it's like three minutes. Um, but that was my left hand on Twitch. Okay.

[00:01:58]H.

[00:02:03]>> So, so this is my right hand as if it were a mirror. So, yes, you are seeing things reversed so that I see me like it's a mirror. That's what's going on.

[00:02:20]>> Okay. Glory and honor. Um, that's that's Klingon, I believe.

[00:02:31]>> I need to switch to the other.

[00:02:33]>> I need to switch the stream.

[00:02:36]>> I realized I need to figure out how to switch to the other thing to record. So, I want to close this one.

[00:02:44]>> What the >> What's wrong?

[00:02:46]>> Oh, it just won't give you the link to the last. Hold on. Hold on. I can find it. I'll find it. There it is.

[00:02:51]>> Okay.

[00:02:57]Okay.

[00:02:58]>> All right. I'm pressing record on the audio. I am pressing record on the video. We are recording all the places.

[00:03:08]>> Astronomy Cast episode 795, the science of the expanse. Welcome to Astronomycast, our weekly facts based journey through the cosmos, where we help you understand not only what we know, but how we know what we know. I'm Fraser Kane. I'm the publisher of Universe Today. With me as always is Dr. Pamela Gay, a senior scientist for the Planetary Science Institute and the director of Cosmoquist. Hey Pamela, how you doing?

[00:03:29]>> I am experiencing sunlight streaming radically into my studio in a way I don't get to see on Mondays cuz I have usually fled at this point of the day.

[00:03:39]>> Right. Yeah. We're usually done recording, but here we are later on in the afternoon and you're getting uh that that afternoon sunlight coming through.

[00:03:46]>> It's true. Feels good.

[00:03:47]>> True.

[00:03:47]>> Yeah.

[00:03:50]This is the final episode of our series on sci-fi universes. And this week we will tackle the expanse. Now we've got fusion drives, proto matter, and G forces. Listen up, Belta Loa. We'll talk about it in a second, but it's time for a break. And we're back. All right. Now, last week I said that Stargate was objectively the best sci-fi series ever done. I was wrong.

[00:04:13]I was wrong. I take it back. The Expanse is objectively without question the best sci-fi television series ever made.

[00:04:25]>> Okay. And where does Babylon 5 go?

[00:04:28]>> Oh, we're not going to do the science of Babylon 5.

[00:04:30]>> We are not. We absolutely are not. But >> no. And and I did you and I did hear so we all is a fabulous phrase by the way.

[00:04:40]That one just needs incorporated into life more often.

[00:04:44]Um, >> yeah. No, I I won't do I won't do a science of Star Galactica because then I'll just go off >> in rage, but I'm going to rewatch it. I re once we finish Stargate the last season.

[00:04:55]>> I just won't watch the last season.

[00:04:56]Yeah, it only It's too bad that they never were able to finish Battlestar Galactica. It would have been much better if they'd had a final season to that show, but they never did. Anyway, we're not talking about Battle Star.

[00:05:07]We're talking about The Expanse. Um, so Expanse is so good. It really is. Now, reading the books. Also, just those of you who are like, nah, >> get through the first third of the first book. And it's also the first third of the first TV season. It starts slow because this is a space opera, people, and there are a lot of characters to introduce. There are a lot of concepts to introduce. And oh my goodness, the journey you you will be taken on.

[00:05:40]>> Yes. You just have to, you know, on a roller coaster, the part where you're going up and it's going chunk chunk chunk chunk chunk chunk chunk and you're just like, why why did I wait in line five hours to go chunk chunk chunk chunk chunk?

[00:05:52]>> Yeah, it's it's going to be worth it.

[00:05:54]It's going to be worth it.

[00:05:56]>> Yes.

[00:05:57]>> And this is not a 30 second ride.

[00:05:59]>> Yeah. And the TV show like what is it?

[00:06:01]Six seasons. Uh it is just it is phenomenal.

[00:06:04]>> Yeah.

[00:06:05]>> Such a good show. And what's nice is in the previous episodes we've talked about the science of things but but a lot of it's just handwaving nonsense. In this we've only got a couple of handwavy things and the rest is just real science taken to the extremes and that part makes it just beautiful. So um so we >> I guess let's start with as as we have been let's start with transportation >> um and let's start with let's start with the terrible so the terribly named Epstein drive.

[00:06:41]>> Yeah >> what an unfortunate name. Oh if they only made known.

[00:06:47]>> But the Rosenante.

[00:06:50]>> Yeah.

[00:06:52]>> Yeah. Yeah.

[00:06:52]>> So, let's talk about Epstein drives.

[00:06:54]What is it?

[00:06:56]>> I don't remember.

[00:06:57]>> Okay. It's a direct fusion drive.

[00:06:58]>> Thank you.

[00:06:59]>> Yeah. Yeah. So, this is this is a real kind of system and you know, we talk about this idea of like having fusion energy fusion plants and you've got IDER the, you know, the giant tokamac that's being built in in Europe right now. there's uh there are the laser ignition facilities that are happening in the US, but there is another style of fusion that if if you're willing to sort of walk the fine line between a thermonuclear weapon because like we know how to do nuclear fusion, >> we do.

[00:07:36]>> It's a it's a fusion bomb.

[00:07:38]>> It just tends to be a a bit faster than we >> Yeah. You just don't get the energy out.

[00:07:43]Yeah. You just don't get the energy out in a nice controlled way. So direct fusion is this sort of halfway point where you are sort of detonating small amounts of fusion and you're using that as a um as a propulsion system. And in fact this is real. So uh NASA has been funding through some of its NYAK grants uh direct fusion drives and people are proposing you could make it out to the outer solar system in uh a couple of years as opposed to decades. and and NASA has a a new uh res on debt. I'm just gonna use that word a lot apparently during this part of the season.

[00:08:22]>> Um uh that is to get a uh working fusion generator and we'll see if >> fision though. Fision, >> you're right.

[00:08:34]>> They're planning on building a fision.

[00:08:35]Yeah.

[00:08:36]>> Yeah. Totally different than fusion. I need to have a bulletin board that is fision on one side, fusion on the other, and just >> right >> cuz I'm I'm going to swap them. Dyslexia is particularly cruel, >> right? Um the cool thing about the drives in the expanse is that they give you gravity that they fire so hard.

[00:09:01]>> Yes. that you could accelerate your spacecraft so that you were then experiencing one g inside.

[00:09:08]>> Yeah. And then and then they flip. So they they go for half the journey at 1g of acceleration and then they've reached the halfway point and then they flip around and then they go at 1g of deceleration. And so you experience gravity on both in both legs of the journey.

[00:09:26]And it also leads to interesting spacecraft designs because they're symmetric.

[00:09:34]>> Uh, >> not all of them, but many of them.

[00:09:37]>> Symmetric? What do you mean >> symmetric? They they they when you flip them, they look the the the way the spacecraft looks, you look at the silhouette.

[00:09:49]>> Um, it's it's they have >> Oh, I see. S Oh, they're symmetrical.

[00:09:54]Okay, I got it. I got I understand what you're saying. Yeah. Sorry.

[00:09:56]>> Yeah.

[00:09:57]>> Yeah.

[00:09:58]>> Yeah. Like the it's it's sort of interesting that the like the spacecraft the way they're designed, they're kind of like living in a skyscraper.

[00:10:06]>> Yeah.

[00:10:07]>> Right. And so then the space >> you need it so that that when you rotate it, not all hell breaks loose cuz if I weight matters.

[00:10:16]>> Yeah. Yeah. Or mass. Um, I don't know if they talk about what the fuel is, but I think it's it's uh metallic hydrogen, which is a real thing.

[00:10:29]>> That would make sense. Yeah.

[00:10:30]>> Yeah. And so in the interior of Jupiter is thought to be hydrogen that is pressed together under thousands of gigapascals of of force and it gets turned into this lattice where you're essentially compressing the hydrogen atoms as close as they'll possibly go and they turn into this metallic form that actually generates Jupiter's magnetic field. And this has supposedly been been generated in the lab, although some people are are skeptical that it's actually happened.

[00:11:04]But and so one possibility is if you can take regular hydrogen, squeeze it into this metallic form, it might remain in that form. It may not require the ongoing pressure to keep it in that form. And so now you've got this this form of fuel that you then are feeding into a fusion reactor and you just got enormous amounts of of energy storage that can then be used in a way that provides you with a huge amount of thrust. and >> the concert. Go ahead.

[00:11:34]>> And if you go to Epcot at Disney World and you ride the uh ride that theoretically takes you to Mars that actually just rotates you super super fast and you watch the show that they have at the beginning, which stars the the one badass woman from Firefly. I'm so bad with proper nouns. Um, they talk about the rocket you're about to take to go to Mars is powered by by solid hydrogen. So, metallic hydrogen.

[00:12:07]>> Um, and if you yell at the TV that that's not a thing that they can do, the everyone around you will stare at you. And if you proceed to yell out the number of space toilets, Annie Wilson, I'm looking at you, they will look at you even worse.

[00:12:25]>> Right. Yeah. Um, so and and then what one of the really cool implications for for this these high fusion drives is then the combat works in this very Newtonian way um where you know they're calculating the the motion of these spacecraft.

[00:12:47]They're moving. They can make various slight adjustments and so you're having to lead the target. You're have to try and predict the target if you're going to be shooting. We'll talk more about weapons in a bit, but but that if you are inside the ship, you are then experiencing these high G maneuvers. The the 1G is is purely for comfort. These things can go much faster. They can do 5gs. They can put you into horrendous uh G forces while in combat.

[00:13:13]>> Yeah. They have they have a fluid that they pump into their veins, right?

[00:13:18]>> Yeah. So, so there's two different things that go on. They have the hygiene couches which conform and support your body so that like you don't have every bone in your body break. But then the other issue that you run into is hygiene situations.

[00:13:33]Um and someone just pointed out in the YouTube chat that the high G's on the Mars ride at Epcot made them very not happy with the world. Wow.

[00:13:43]>> Um there's certain medications that don't mix well with high G's. Statins is one of them.

[00:13:49]So if you think about it, if there are drugs that make it harder for you to tolerate high G's, there's also going to be medications that make it easier for you, yeah, >> to keep your blood even more hyper oxygenated because it's going to be harder for the blood to get to your brain, that prevent strokes from occurring. all the things that are in extreme r risk during hygiene events.

[00:14:14]Um, these drugs are meant to assist with, although they still end up losing their pilot end seasons into the series due to a hygiene maneuver that >> they don't make it back from.

[00:14:28]>> Yeah. And I've mentioned many times that like one of my favorite sequences in a sci-fi television show is where they're in a ship, this sort of really nimble little ship, but there's a bunch of tools out, left out, and they're making these hygiene maneuvers shifting back and forth. And now the tools are flying around inside the spacecraft like bullets because everything else is strapped down. Like what you're supposed to do is strap everything down inside your ship, but in this they they leave some stuff out. I forget that like they were they were working on something when suddenly got attacked and they didn't have time and now it's very dangerous.

[00:15:09]Yeah, it's all weapons inside their ship which is just terrifying. So So they don't have faster than light drives, but they do have Stargates, the ring gates.

[00:15:20]>> They they have eventually. Um, so, so one spoilers just just to warn you all.

[00:15:28]It's been out long enough. I feel okay spoilering everything.

[00:15:32]>> Uh, so one of the core premises is >> they encounter a alien life form in the form of this weird like fungal kind of stuff that uh can infest humans and change their actions.

[00:15:53]And while trying to under while trying to understand what's happening, what's going on, uh there's a bit of seeing visions because of course there is um they end up finding in the outer solar system um a a ring that once set up when they pass into it, it affects how they're moving. And when they try and pass back out of it once they get things working again um they can use it to jump to other solar systems.

[00:16:31]>> Yeah.

[00:16:33]>> It one of the things that gets encountered during that particular season and it's even better in the books is this idea that without gravity wounds don't work right.

[00:16:49]And that that's a really weird sentence to be stating, but >> yeah. Yeah. That you your blood won't claw in zero gravity or or >> Well, it's not so much that it doesn't clot as it doesn't flow in a reasonable way. So, we're used to this idea that when you cry in zero gravity, the tears just bubble up on top of your eyeballs.

[00:17:09]>> We got introduced to the idea of blobs of blood flying around in one of the Star Trek movies. Um but in expanse the idea that our body is designed to have blood drain away from wounds >> um in zero gravity it just pulls where it is and keeps expanding where it is and you have to suck the blood out.

[00:17:37]>> Yuck >> and seal it up, >> right? Um or spin up gravity. So, one of the ideas is you need gravity in order to heal. And that's a powerful idea.

[00:17:49]>> Yeah. Really cool. Um, all right. We're going to talk about this some more, but it's time for another break. And we're back. Uh, okay. So, we've talked about the the transportation. Uh, let's let's talk about um sort of the well, I guess we'll talk briefly about weapons, which we tend to sort of reach at this point.

[00:18:08]>> Asteroids.

[00:18:10]>> Yes. Well, right. So, so you've got the the drones, the missiles on the various ships, which are like little mini fision little mini fusion drives that are they're tracking their target. You got point defense kinetic weapons that are able to try to blow those things out of the out of the sky when they're when the missiles are coming at you. But, as you said, uh at one point, someone uses asteroids as a uh as a weapon of mass destruction.

[00:18:38]>> Yeah. So this this is really kind of a remarkably rich set of ideas where they have prisons especially for the violent that are deep deep underground and they get harmed in the process of asteroid striking and of course they still figure out how to escape. Um, but it just makes for a really amazing set of concepts. But since you know where the earth is going to be, I feel safe in saying uh and days from now and years from now. If you start asteroids, which can be really dark, >> on an intercept path with the planet Earth, once they're set flying, >> they're just going to hit.

[00:19:37]>> Yeah.

[00:19:37]>> Yeah. It's the ultimate terrorist weapon. Well, it's it is, but but there are these essentially stealth weapons that that they have a version of mutually assured destruction like we have with nuclear weapons on on Earth.

[00:19:51]>> They have these these mass accelerators that are stealth that are stealthd pointing at each other's planets.

[00:19:59]>> Yeah. And so if you detect the asteroids having been sent to your planet, you can fire your accelerators at at your opponent and make sure that that all life is wiped out on their planet as as well. And so they've just taken the standard idea of of nuclear weapons on ballistic trajectories and then just scaled that up so that now you've got mutually assured destruction at a solar system level. And the idea is is terrifying and and used for great mayhem in the in the books.

[00:20:35]>> And this is in the true sense of a space opera something with so many different plots going on because you have the aliens. You have Mars wanting independence. You have the Earth system trying to just keep everyone in line.

[00:20:50]Behave children. Um you have the belters. You have the people in the outer solar system and you have this idea of who does and doesn't get resources, who does and doesn't get jobs. And it gets into the economics, it gets into the science.

[00:21:10]>> And one of the things it does really well is it gets into how does the human body change if it's able to reproduce in space. And there's an idea encountered where people want to travel to places with gravity to give birth. And that if you spent too much of your life in space, you can take all the drugs in the world to try and survive. You can exercise all you want and you're still going to get deathly sick if if you're try and be somewhere with gravity.

[00:21:46]You're still going to struggle if you're a Martian going to the planet Earth.

[00:21:51]>> Yeah.

[00:21:51]>> Um Yeah. There's the one of the main characters is a Martian marine >> who has trained in heavier gravity for years of her life and still has a rough time going to Earth.

[00:22:04]>> Yeah, >> she's super tough in every other situation, but on Earth, she's she's definitely feeling the the increased gravity. And then the belters, the people who live in the asteroid belts who've been living in onetenth gravity, they're a to almost a totally different species of human beings at this point.

[00:22:22]And they also do something that I really love, which is because the belters spend so much of their life in space suits, spend so much of their life where you can't see hand gestures and facial expressions the same way, they have large gesture sign language that gets incorporated into how they speak.

[00:22:46]Um, and then there's other things that come into it that we've seen other places like Battlestar Galactica, which we're not going to discuss. Uh, there there's an episode where Naomi has to jump from one spacecraft to another >> and she pre-breathes to hyper oxygenate her blood. She exhales so that she doesn't explode. That's always a problem.

[00:23:08]>> Um, she has the bursting of the blood vessels, the massive bruising.

[00:23:14]All of this is legit and it it's just kudos to them.

[00:23:21]>> Yeah. I mean, people always wonder what would happen if you went outside without your spacuit. Watch the expanse.

[00:23:26]>> Yeah. Naomi goes through some stuff.

[00:23:30]>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Totally. Uh, all right. It's time for another break.

[00:23:35]And we're back. All right. So let's talk about the the part that is like the most science fiction which is the protomolelecule and the weird biology of this.

[00:23:45]>> So proto molecule they they don't really talk about is is this a virus? Is this a a what what is it? Is it a parasite? How does it communicate? So they they are oblivious to all these details which is part of what allows them to do awesome sauce with it.

[00:24:03]>> Yeah. The idea is once you're exposed to this, it starts taking over your body, repurposing it. It changes your genetic structure. Not your genet, it changes your physical structure. Um, you get really gross. Really, really gross. Kind of turn into a lump, begin to merge with everything around you. It's really gross.

[00:24:25]>> Uh, I'm just going to repeat that a few more times.

[00:24:28]>> Yeah, really gross.

[00:24:31]But the protomolecule also allows communications between different life forms. And it's this idea that we had from the last episode with Stargate of the parasites can make you do stuff.

[00:24:45]>> And so the protomolelecules are trying to essentially take over humanity. They end up on Ganymede.

[00:24:53]One thing that you see across the expanse universe is this idea that they have spun things up enough that the inside walls uh are are like you're walking on the bottom of the surface of Ganymede.

[00:25:08]There have actually been uh some fast rotating asteroids recently announced uh from the Ver Rubin Observatory. These things do exist. They are actually rotating without falling apart fast enough to have uh nearly lunar gravity which is wild to think about. Um so they get that idea of how to get artificial gravity correct but like they lose Ganymede to the protomolelecule because it takes over the life forms on board it.

[00:25:42]>> And um they also uh end up having to give a couple of the characters extreme radiation poisoning. They talk about the consequences of that throughout the series. It's it's a show where what you see in season one crops up years later.

[00:25:59]>> Yeah. Yeah. That essentially the the proto molecule, you know, we don't want to spoil it too deeply, especially because the the they haven't finished the the books yet.

[00:26:08]>> Yeah.

[00:26:09]>> But it is >> No, no, they haven't finished Sorry.

[00:26:11]They haven't finished turning the books into shows yet.

[00:26:15]>> Okay. So, there's going to be years before they can do the last book, then.

[00:26:18]>> Yeah. There's apparently gonna be like a movie t to wrap it up or something like that. I don't know if they're going to do more seasons. It's bananas to me that they didn't just keep going. How could they not just keep going?

[00:26:27]>> Gap in time between those books of like 20 years. The human beings needed to age.

[00:26:34]>> So they or or they need I guess so. Or they need new uh new actors. But but um but yeah, like but the gist being that it's this I mean there's a lot of of flavors and ideas that we've talked about quite a lot on this show about about panspermia, directed penseria, right? Like what if you what if you wanted to clear out a solar system, >> get it prepared for you to move in and and take over. Um the I've classically, you know, always said that the best thing to do is send the inhabitants a bad idea.

[00:27:07]>> Yeah. Right? You just you send a message like contact that says build an enormous machine and and people can't help themselves. They'll build the enormous machine and then the machine destroys your civilization and then you didn't you didn't have to send a weapon. You have to send anything. So So the proto molecule is kind of like this idea that you're just you are you are clearing the ground. You are you are resetting a a site so that you can now build what you need in that in that solar system. and that there's this this other sort of precursor race similar to the ancient similar to the the precursors in in star like like this theme >> finding relics on on the solar systems they're able to get to and the relics are weird and scary and >> yeah and point to some precursor civilization that had plans for the galaxy.

[00:27:56]>> Yeah.

[00:27:57]>> Yeah.

[00:27:58]>> Yeah. And is not your friend. like I like you know you're like you're always hoping like come on there's got to be a good reason like pro balls can't be all bad right no it's all bad um so uh but yeah so I think it's a it's a really interesting concept which is you know when you sort of deal with the more philosophical ideas of this of this show what happens when you are a incredibly powerful race you are transcending dimensions you are spreading out across everywhere you can reach.

[00:28:34]How do you make this job as easy as possible for yourself? Both to get around, both to not have to have rivals to deal with. It's a it's a great it's a great concept. to it and like just the levels that this goes as you climb up because finding the ring gates gives humanity access to the the the galaxy, but also then puts you closer and closer into contact with the other things that are out there.

[00:29:01]>> Well, and it also just gets into all of the issues of humans being humans and doing stupid things and what what do you do for love? What do you do for social justice? What do you do for power? and how the rich are able to live completely different lifestyles than the poor. So, it has the science dimensions, it has the human dimensions, it has characters that have so many layers to them that you think they're just like a big dumb thug and then you realize this is someone who's just trying to figure out how to human when they had no example as a child.

[00:29:38]>> Yeah.

[00:29:39]>> Um Yeah. So, >> yeah. And you know, um, man, I mean, it just it just goes on. There's a the Mormons, I think, build a interstellar spacecraft cuz they're planning on going to another star system >> gets stolen from >> which gets gets stolen from them. Um, yeah, there's there's just so many bits and pieces large and small in this in this show and and I I loved every part of it and and >> read the books, too. People read the book.

[00:30:08]>> Yeah. So, so I will admit I have not read the books yet. They're so good. I read the book first, >> right? I had >> and and like I was like, I can't watch this TV show cuz I love these books too much.

[00:30:20]>> And then I didn't I didn't have I didn't have a regret. So, >> yeah.

[00:30:25]>> Well, the first few episodes of the first season, but other than that, um yeah, it's >> Yeah.

[00:30:32]>> Get through those first few episodes and then >> it was gripping from moment one, but Okay, fine. Yeah. Yeah. Um, cool. Well, I I hope people enjoyed this this four-part series and, you know, we could >> Yeah, me too. I mean, come on. We get to talk about science fiction here. Uh, so let us know if you want us to continue.

[00:30:52]Uh, you know, there are a bunch of other shared universes. We could talk about dungeon crawler Carl because there's a ton of science in that. Both, you know, you've both got an interstellar civilization. Uh, we could talk about Battlestar Galactica. the a lot of stuff in Battle Star Galactica.

[00:31:08]>> So, currently we we are going to take the Monday of Memorial Day weekend off.

[00:31:13]>> Um I currently have slated for June Oceans and Organics on Mars, Big Rockets, Moon Race.

[00:31:20]>> Yeah.

[00:31:20]>> Um and then a recommended summer reading. We can turn all of those into TV shows. Just let us know.

[00:31:27]>> Yeah. Yeah. Let us know if that's what you want or is it like or some portion of the audience is going to be like, h I don't want to hear this. Um so, let us know. Um, yeah. I mean, we could talk about definitely talk about >> crawler. Carl has a new book coming out.

[00:31:41]>> I know.

[00:31:42]>> Two days, three days.

[00:31:44]>> Yeah. Yeah. I'm gonna be I'm gonna be probably listening to it while I'm in Japan.

[00:31:47]>> Kickstarters.

[00:31:48]>> Yeah. Yeah.

[00:31:49]>> I've spent so much money on Kickstarter.

[00:31:51]>> All right. Thanks, Pablo.

[00:31:53]>> Thank you. And thank you to everyone out there. Rich insert stuff here.

[00:31:58]>> Thanks, everyone. And uh we will see you when we're back. I think we're off one day, one week, right? Yeah, we're off one week for Memorial Day.

[00:32:06]>> Okay, we'll see you then.

[00:32:08]>> Okay, bye-bye everyone.

[00:32:11]All right. And then >> and then they saved and now I've got to zip off and do a different recording.

[00:32:16]I'm trying to get everything >> ahead while I'm gone. So, >> I need to go finish packing. I think I have one more load of laundry.

[00:32:25]>> Oh, laundry.

[00:32:26]>> I I'm Whoa. So, Whoa. What's happening?

[00:32:31]Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Ah, I hit play.

[00:32:34]That was bad.

[00:32:35]>> So, um, my my studio computer is is a Mac Mini.

[00:32:41]>> Mhm.

[00:32:42]>> And Wow, this smells like new car. I got a case so I can take my Mac Mini with me.

[00:32:50]>> Wow.

[00:32:50]>> Hold on. Let me look. I can't see. Hold on. Let me see what it looks like.

[00:32:54]>> That's adorable. It looks like a like a Steam Deck case.

[00:32:58]>> Yeah, except it's perfectly sized for the Mac Mini. And um so >> and so you just like plug it into a TV while you're on the road in your hotel.

[00:33:08]>> Exactly. Exactly.

[00:33:11]>> Yeah. So I'm taking my Mac Mini with me.

[00:33:14]>> Yeah.

[00:33:15]>> Um Yes.

[00:33:17]>> That's really clever. Yeah. Yeah. I'm going to take I'm going to take my my MacBook on the road. Um but that's pretty clever to take your your Mac, but then you have to you have to have a keyboard and a mouse. So, I already take both of those with me because I have such bad carpal tunnel.

[00:33:34]>> So, I was already carrying a fold up gold touch ergonomic keyboard. I was already carrying a touchpad with me.

[00:33:43]>> Um, >> you might as well take your machine, >> right? And it's it fits perfectly either in my backpack, in a messenger bag. It has to be chunky, but like >> how much does it weigh? Does it weigh less than than a than a laptop? Yeah, >> that's pretty cool.

[00:33:59]>> Yeah, >> that's a great idea.

[00:34:00]>> And uh yeah, it's my packing cubes, including this, into my suitcase that I'm taking as a carry-on. It's a perfect jigsaw. It was deeply pleasing. Um and like I have a couple of games I'm taking with me cuz there's going to be a group of us. So >> Oh, sounds great. Awesome. All right.

[00:34:19]Well, uh thank you everybody for hanging out with us on this Sunday, this random uh Astronomy Cast recording. Yes. Uh, and we'll see you all in like about 3 weeks or so when we're back doing more live episodes.

[00:34:32]>> Enjoy oniri for me.

[00:34:34]>> I will.

[00:34:35]>> Okay.

[00:34:35]>> All right. Thanks everyone.

[00:34:37]>> Bye-bye. And of course, I'm doing this awkwardly cuz I lost my mouse.

[00:34:42]>> You want me to press the button?

[00:34:43]>> Uh, yeah.

[00:34:45]>> Okay. I end the stream.