Surprising Parallels in Human Ingenuity, Folly, and Environmental Impact

No Such Thing As A Fish · January 04, 2026 · Listen to Original Episode →

Original Title: Little Fish: If You Believe What the Government Tells You

TL;DR

The Ingenuity helicopter's powered flight on Mars in 2021 and Earth's first powered flight in 1903 occurred within the lifetime of Kani Tanaker, the second oldest verified person, highlighting a unique intersection of human technological milestones.
The 1981 New Zealand spy scandal, involving a lost briefcase with pies and a porn magazine, was exposed by the spy's son to his journalist mother, demonstrating how seemingly trivial items can compromise national security.
The American Machine and Foundry (AMF) company, known for bowling equipment, also built the first nuclear reactors for Iran, Pakistan, and Israel, showcasing extreme corporate diversification and its geopolitical implications.
The T-1000 character from Terminator 2 was reused as the CGI human eaten by the T-Rex in Jurassic Park, demonstrating early CGI cost-saving measures by repurposing digital assets across films.
Mount Everest's excessive human waste problem, amounting to 7,200 kg in one season, poses a significant environmental challenge, leading to mandatory waste disposal protocols for climbers.
The Inuit practice of treating snow blindness by walking a louse on a human hair across the eyeball, while now obsolete, illustrates historical, albeit unusual, medical treatments derived from available resources.
FIFA's membership exceeding that of the UN signifies the global reach and influence of sports organizations compared to international political bodies.

Deep Dive

The podcast "No Such Thing As A Fish" presents a collection of user-submitted trivia, highlighting surprising historical events, scientific curiosities, and unusual cultural practices. These facts, while individually intriguing, collectively illustrate the vastness of human knowledge and the often-unforeseen connections between disparate fields, from early aviation and space exploration to espionage and extreme sports. The segments underscore how seemingly niche or obscure information can reveal broader patterns about human ingenuity, folly, and our evolving relationship with technology and the natural world.

The core arguments revolve around the unexpected parallels and consequences found in historical and scientific records. For instance, the fact that the second oldest verified person lived through both the first powered flight on Earth and the first powered flight on Mars emphasizes the rapid, exponential pace of technological advancement within a single human lifespan. This juxtaposition suggests a fundamental human tendency to achieve monumental feats, often without full comprehension of their broader implications, as the individual in question likely remained unaware of the historical significance of these events. Similarly, the story of the New Zealand spy losing his briefcase containing pies and a porn magazine, only for it to be discovered by a journalist's son, illustrates how even the most guarded secrets can be compromised by mundane circumstances, revealing the fragility of security and the ripple effects of simple human error. This highlights a second-order implication: the more complex and sensitive the operation, the more potential points of failure exist, often in the most unexpected places.

Further examples demonstrate how innovation can have unintended, and sometimes absurd, consequences. The fact that American Machine and Foundry (AMF) built nuclear reactors for Iran, Pakistan, and Israel, while also manufacturing bowling equipment, showcases a surprising breadth of industrial capability that blurs the lines between national security and leisure. This implies that entities with diverse manufacturing expertise can pivot to vastly different sectors, raising questions about oversight and the potential for dual-use technologies. The story of AMF's automated pinsetters replacing "pin boys" in bowling alleys is a clear example of technological displacement, where a single invention can eliminate thousands of jobs, fundamentally altering the labor landscape of an industry. The discussion on Mount Everest's human waste problem, leading to "poop slides" and the requirement for climbers to carry their waste down, reveals the environmental strain caused by extreme tourism and the logistical challenges of managing human impact in fragile ecosystems. This points to a systemic issue where popular activities can create significant, often overlooked, environmental burdens that necessitate complex and sometimes unappealing solutions.

The episode also touches upon the subjective nature of perception and the limitations of understanding other beings. The discussion of the star-nosed mole's highly sensitive "star" and its ability to forage underwater by blowing and re-inhaling bubbles illustrates the concept of "Umwelten" -- the idea that each animal experiences the world through a unique sensory apparatus. This implies that our understanding of animal behavior is inherently limited by our own human-centric perception, and that many animal abilities remain profoundly alien to us. The reuse of the T-1000 CGI model from "Terminator 2" for the lawyer's death scene in "Jurassic Park" highlights the practicalities and cost-saving measures in early CGI, suggesting a creative, albeit somewhat meta, approach to visual effects that connects seemingly unrelated cinematic universes. The episode concludes by assigning these eclectic facts to "custodians," reinforcing the idea of shared knowledge and the ongoing, collaborative nature of discovering and disseminating information. The underlying implication is that even the most bizarre facts can find a fitting "home" within a community of curious minds.

Action Items

Audit 10 facts for factual accuracy: Verify sources and claims for 5 facts from the "your facts" segment and 5 facts from the "old facts" segment.
Create a system for fact verification: Define 3 criteria for assessing fact reliability, such as source credibility, corroboration, and logical consistency.
Track 3-5 recurring themes: Identify commonalities in fact categories (e.g., historical events, animal behavior, human ingenuity) to inform future content.
Measure fact impact: For 5 facts, assess their potential for audience engagement by considering novelty, surprise, and relatability.

Key Quotes

"she was born in january 1903 the first powered flight happened in december 1903 if you believe the government lies about it that's a joke they did it i mean she would not have really been that aware of it alex does actually probably didn't care about that yeah no no she probably didn't care about the mars thing she was over 100 years old at the time you know isn't that isn't that the sad thing really about whole of human existence really that two of these incredibly important things happened in this one person's life and she did not give a shit about either of them"

This quote highlights the extraordinary coincidence of a single individual living through two monumental events: the first powered flight on Earth and the first powered flight on Mars. The speaker, Dan, points out the irony that despite these historic occurrences happening within her lifetime, the individual likely had no awareness or interest in them, underscoring a perspective on human experience and historical significance.

"the greatest spy scandal in new zealand history occurred in 1981 when a member of the secret intelligence service lost his work briefcase somewhere in wellington it was eventually discovered by a 10 year old boy and it contained three pies and a porn magazine"

This quote, presented by Dan, details a bizarre and significant event in New Zealand's history involving a lost spy briefcase. The speaker emphasizes the unusual contents of the briefcase--three pies and a porn magazine--and the unexpected discovery by a 10-year-old boy, setting up the humorous and revealing nature of the scandal.

"the 2019 amount of human feces was 7 200 kilograms in a single season and that is the same weight as vladimir putin's armored limousine"

Andy shares this fact, illustrating the significant environmental problem of human waste on Mount Everest. The speaker uses a striking comparison to Vladimir Putin's armored limousine to convey the sheer volume of feces generated, highlighting the scale of the issue in a memorable and impactful way.

"imagine my surprise to learn that amf built the first nuclear reactors in iran pakistan and israel come on the same company same company this is insane there was this firm called american machine and foundry they they haven't existed since the 90s now but basically they made everything they made bowling equipment they made pretzel bending machines they made the silos for american nukes and they made nuclear reactors for these countries around the world"

Dan presents this surprising fact about the American Machine and Foundry (AMF) company, which was involved in diverse manufacturing. The speaker expresses astonishment that the same company known for bowling equipment also built nuclear reactors for multiple countries, emphasizing the wide-ranging and unexpected nature of AMF's industrial activities.

"the cgi human that you see being eaten by the t rex in jurassic park is in fact t 1000 the terminator from terminator 2"

James shares this fascinating piece of movie trivia, revealing a surprising connection between two iconic films. The speaker explains that a CGI character in Jurassic Park was a recycled asset from Terminator 2, highlighting the practicalities and creative reuse of early CGI technology in filmmaking.

"the inuit of the north american arctic used to treat snow blindness by tying a louse to a human hair and walking it across the affected eyeball"

Andy introduces this peculiar historical medical practice from the Inuit people of the North American Arctic. The speaker describes the unusual method of treating snow blindness by using a louse on a human hair, noting the source's credibility and the intriguing, if not entirely understandable, nature of the treatment.

"zoologist um and they say they're constantly learning about animals' umwelten which is their sensory world umwelten yeah very good so he says here's my favorite one from this week star nosed moles can forage underwater they can purposefully blow air bubbles and then re inhale them to detect scent from potential prey not to mention that their star is 13 times more sensitive than a human clitoris which i think i learned from your show"

Dan shares this fact about the star-nosed mole, highlighting its unique sensory capabilities. The speaker explains how these moles forage underwater using air bubbles to detect scent and notes the extreme sensitivity of their star-shaped nose, drawing a comparison to human anatomy to emphasize its remarkable nature.

Resources

External Resources

Books

"No Such Thing as the Mole Street Journal" - Mentioned as the source for a fact about star-nosed moles.

Articles & Papers

"The Listener" and "Penthouse" - Mentioned as items found in a lost spy briefcase.

People

Kani Tanaker - Mentioned as the second oldest verified person, living through the first powered flight on Earth and Mars.
Wright Brothers - Mentioned in relation to Buzz Aldrin's father knowing one of them.
Buzz Aldrin - Mentioned as potentially being the first person to land on the moon, rather than Neil Armstrong.
Fran O'Sullivan - Mentioned as a leading award-winning journalist in New Zealand whose son found a lost spy briefcase.
Brian Blessed - Mentioned for his advice about camping on Mount Everest.
Vladimir Putin - Mentioned in comparison to the weight of human feces on Mount Everest.
Michael West - Mentioned as the sender of a fact about AMF bowling.
James Harkin - Mentioned as a host of the podcast and a former producer of "Museum of Curiosity."
Charles Hargrove - Mentioned as the sender of a fact about Inuit snow blindness treatment.
Jodocus Mordant - Mentioned as the sender of a fact about star-nosed moles and their sensory world.
Edward Elgar - Mentioned as the composer of the first known football chant.
Schoenberg - Mentioned as the composer of a football chant.
Rimsky-Korsakov - Mentioned as a potential composer of a football chant.
Prokofiev - Mentioned as a potential composer of a football chant.
John Cage - Mentioned as the composer of a football chant.
Eric Cantona - Mentioned in relation to football chants and a fact about being raised in a cave.
Camille Saint-Saëns - Mentioned as the composer of a chant about Eric Cantona.
Tiffany Gregory - Mentioned as a recipient of a fact about the first World Cup final ball.
Juan Perón - Mentioned in relation to the first World Cup final ball.
Rita Hoffmann - Mentioned as a new custodian of a fact about FIFA and the UN, and recipient of the "No Such Thing as the Fish Peace Prize."
John Lloyd - Mentioned as the creator of QI and the first appearance of Rita Hoffmann on the podcast.
Richard Turner - Mentioned as a guest on the podcast and co-creator of "Museum of Curiosity."
Neil Armstrong - Mentioned in relation to wearing ladies' underwear when landing on the moon.
Ben Newman - Mentioned as the custodian of a fact about Muhammad Ali's comedy album.
Muhammad Ali - Mentioned for releasing a stand-up comedy album.
Nikki Kelly - Mentioned as the custodian of a fact about the War of the Oaken Bucket.
Sean Wondersey - Mentioned as the custodian of a fact about chimpanzees' fashion statements.

Organizations & Institutions

Rocket Money - Mentioned as a financial app for managing finances.
Pluralsight - Mentioned as a platform for building the tech workforce.
Patreon - Mentioned as a platform for supporting the podcast and accessing exclusive content.
No Such Thing As A Fish - The name of the podcast.
Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) - Mentioned in relation to a spy scandal in New Zealand.
Avataq Cultural Institute - Mentioned as the source for a fact about Inuit snow blindness treatment.
FIFA - Mentioned as having more members than the UN.
UN (United Nations) - Mentioned in relation to FIFA's membership.
QI - Mentioned as a show created by John Lloyd.
Museum of Curiosity - Mentioned as a show produced by Richard Turner and worked on by James Harkin.
Playtex - Mentioned as the manufacturer of undergarments for space suits.
HMV - Mentioned as a store where a fact about Muhammad Ali's comedy album was found.
Bologna and Modena - Mentioned as the cities involved in the War of the Oaken Bucket.

Websites & Online Resources

rocketmoney.com/cancel - Mentioned as the website to get started with Rocket Money.
pluralsight.com - Mentioned as the website to visit for Pluralsight.
patreon.com/nosuchthingasafish - Mentioned as the website to join the podcast's Patreon.

Other Resources

Ingenuity helicopter - Mentioned as having a powered flight on Mars.
Mount Everest poop slide - Mentioned as a problem caused by human waste from mountaineering tourism.
AMF Bowling - Mentioned as a chain of tenpin bowling centers in Australia that also built nuclear reactors.
American Machine and Foundry (AMF) - Mentioned as the company that made bowling equipment, pretzel bending machines, nuclear silos, and nuclear reactors.
CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery) - Mentioned in relation to the T-Rex attack scene in Jurassic Park.
T-1000 - Mentioned as the CGI human from Terminator 2 reused in Jurassic Park.
Terminator 2 - Mentioned as the movie from which the CGI human in Jurassic Park was reused.
Snow blindness - Mentioned as a condition treated by the Inuit using lice and hair.
Umwelten - Mentioned as the sensory world of animals.
Star-nosed mole - Mentioned for its foraging abilities underwater and its sensitive star.
Football chant - Mentioned as being composed by Edward Elgar and others.
Eric Cantona chant - Mentioned as being composed by Camille Saint-Saëns.
World Cup final (1930) - Mentioned for the dispute over the size of the ball used.
War of the Oaken Bucket - Mentioned as a war declared in Italy in 1325 over a stolen bucket.
Bolognese sauces - Mentioned in relation to the War of the Oaken Bucket.
Ladies' underwear - Mentioned as being worn by Neil Armstrong when he landed on the moon.
I am the greatest - The title of Muhammad Ali's stand-up comedy album.
Chimpanzee fashion - Mentioned as a behavior observed in chimpanzees in Zambia.