How Codes Were Used To Hack The Telegram Business
Summary
Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens explore a 1900s telegraph codebook that used Latin words to abbreviate messages for cost, discussing the history of communication from Morse to modern texting. They also answer listener questions about why we rarely dream about smartphones, the physics behind water swirling down drains, and the specific material properties required to survive a fall from the world's tallest building.
Topics discussed
Introduction and Field Notes format
Teaser: Measuring tissue softness
Introducing the Universal Telegraphic Phrasebook
Ad break and transition to telegram history
How telegrams worked and the cost of words
Decoding Latin phrases for common topics
Dark codes for birth and death notifications
Permutations for twins and operator errors
Foretelling codes and reverse charge calls
Modern abbreviations vs. historical codes
Samuel Morse's personal tragedy and invention
The impact of instant global communication
The first telegram and keepsake value
Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace's vision
Predicting the future of mobile communication
Skewmorphs and the origin of upper/lowercase
Ad break and transition to listener questions
Why we rarely dream about our phones
Dreams about possessions and virtual reality
Recurring dreams of failure and relief
Physics of water swirling in drains
Fluid dynamics of sand and granular materials
CAR T-cell therapy as a car chase
Cancer cell disguise and dual-targeting
Off-the-shelf CAR T-cell therapies
Surviving a fall from the tallest building
Measuring softness and impact force
Hard hats and stopping distance physics
Crash barriers and crumple zones
Skydiving into nets and energy absorption
Terminal velocity and animal size
Throwing ants off buildings experiment
Outro and submission of new questions
Promotion for Bear Hunt audio drama
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