41: Plenty of Fish pt.2: Alone in a Crowded Room

Maia Warner-Langenbahn
Feb 21, 2024
4 min read

Updated: Apr 16

Do aliens exist? Or are we alone in the universe? In this week’s podcast episode we explore Fermi's Paradox. Maia covers topics like the “great filter theory”, the day a UFO sighting stopped a football game with Ardico Magnini, the “coso artifact”, and the US Congressional Hearing on UFO sightings and the testimony of Retired Maj. David Grusch. An episode that addresses the question, if there are supposed to be plenty fish in our galaxy… where are they?

Grant Thomas and Maia Warner weave together a tapestry of the strange, the silly, and the surprisingly insightful. From quirky campus laws and bizarre dorm-life rules to accidental movie marathons and the curious case of not one, but two flat tires, they explore the odd corners of everyday life that most of us overlook. With their signature blend of humor and curiosity, they uncover the hidden magic in mundane moments—proving that even the weirdest days are packed with unexpected lessons, historical rabbit holes, and plenty of reasons to laugh along the way.

Chapters/Key takeaways to listen for

[00:00:00] Catch-Up
[00:25:14] Car Troubles: Repeated vehicle issues and their unexpected resolutions
[00:36:04] Unexpected Gifts: When receiving thoughtful fan mail
[00:43:27] Alone in a Crowded Room: The discovery and mystery surrounding an unusual geological find
[01:02:05] Alien Theories: Ancient alien visitation and its implications
[01:10:00] Spark Plug Saga: The origin of an out-of-place artifact
[01:17:30] Technological Conundrums: Challenges and mysteries in modern technological advancements
[01:23:45] Cosmic Queries: Fermi Paradox and the search for extraterrestrial life

Photos/Videos Referenced:

Artist rendition of the sighting - Domenica del Corriere "A Wave of flying saucers over Italy" - courtesy of the BBC

The Coso Artifact sliced in two - courtesy of Talk Origins The Coso Artifact X-Ray - courtesy of Talk Origins	La Nazione Newspaper reporting the UFO sighting - courtesy of the BBC
Samples of 'Angel Hair' left by the Italy UFO - courtesy of the Geological Society of London	Spider "ballooning" or "floating" - courtesy of Gardening & More via YouTube
The Witnesses of the UFO sighting in 1954: Ardica Magnini, Ronaldo Lomi, Gigi Boni, and Romolo Tuci - courtesy of the BBC	The Drake Equation
Carrying Capacity Graph (line indicated by K is the asymptote/carry capacity)	Sublinear (carrying capacity), Linear, and Super-Linear (Exponential) Growths
Exponential Growth	Exponential Growth with "Innovation Resets" - courtesy of M A Bettencourt et. al via Growth, Innovation, Scaling, and the Pace of Life in Cities

Quotes:

“Most people in positions of power or authority are in those positions because they want the world to be better.” - Grant Thomas
“I'm not offending dinosaurs by saying they didn't have culture." - Grant Thomas
“If we're being optimistic... then there are 10,000 intelligent civilizations in our galaxy alone, which is insane.” - Maia Warner
"Geologists never like anything cool." - Maia Warner

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