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99% Invisible

99% Undesigned

99% Invisible

SiriusXM Podcasts and Roman Mars

Design, Arts

4.828.1K Ratings

🗓️ 25 November 2010

⏱️ 5 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Almost everything in modern life is designed to waste energy. The whole system evolved on a false premise that petroleum is cheap and plentiful and will be that way forever. The awesome Lisa Margonelli, author of Oil on The Brain … Continue reading →

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

We get support from UC Davis, a globally ranked university working to solve the world's most pressing problems in food, energy, health, education, and the environment.

0:10.0

UC Davis researchers collaborate and innovate in California and around the globe to find

0:14.2

transformational solutions.

0:16.1

It's all part of the university's mission to promote quality of life for all living things.

0:20.1

Find out more at 21st century.

0:21.9

UC Davis. edu. edu. edu. find out more at 21st century dot ucdd ucdd u.

0:28.6

This is 99% invisible I'm Roman Mars

0:31.9

you may not want to waste energy or burn fossil fuels but the deck is stacked against you.

0:37.0

Everything is designed to just use more and more fuel.

0:40.0

And as you'll see, Lisa Markinelli argues that designed might not be the right word, but let's just say designed for now.

0:45.6

My name is Lisa Marginelli, and I wrote a book called Oil on the Brain Petroleum's Long Strange trip to your tank.

0:51.4

First, a metaphor.

0:53.0

We are on a tugboat boat.

0:54.0

A couple months ago I was at a tugboat race and we were looking at an old tugboat from

0:58.8

when they used to be powered by coal and it was beautiful.

1:01.4

It was shaped like a canoe on the bottom.

1:03.2

And the house on top was rounded and aerodynamic.

1:06.3

Just like it is in the Popeye cartoons. It was gorgeous. It was all very streamlined to slip

1:10.8

through the water and through the air on top.

1:13.0

But there's also a newer diesel tugboat.

1:15.0

And the hull is relatively squareish.

1:18.0

I mean, it's shaped to go through the water,

...

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