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Slate Technology

Decoder Ring: The Quest for a Homemade Hovercraft

Slate Technology

Slate

Society & Culture, Technology, History

4.6 • 636 Ratings

🗓️ 3 August 2023

⏱️ 41 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

When Slate’s Evan Chung was a kid, he was obsessed with a mysterious advertisement that ran for decades in the scouting magazine Boys’ Life. Under the enticing headline “You Can Float on Air,” the ad assured Evan—and generations of scouts—that a personal hovercraft could be theirs for just a few bucks.  In this episode, the adult version of Evan journeys halfway across the country to wield power tools, summon his latent scouting skills, and conscript his father into a quest three decades in the making.  Will Evan float on air? Scout’s honor: You’ll just have to listen.  This episode was written by Evan Chung, who produced this episode with Decoder Ring’s Willa Paskin and Katie Shepherd. It was edited by Willa Paskin and Joel Meyer. Derek John is Slate’s executive producer of narrative podcasts. Merritt Jacob is our senior technical director. If you haven’t yet, please subscribe and rate our feed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And even better, tell your friends. If you’re a fan of the show and want to support us, consider signing up for Slate Plus. As a member, you’ll get to listen to Decoder Ring without any ads—and your support is crucial to our work. Go to slate.com/decoderplus to join Slate Plus today.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Forgot your wallet? No problem.

0:03.0

With Samsung Wallet, everything you need is already on your phone.

0:08.0

Store your loyalty cards, earn rewards when you spend, and keep your travels smooth with boarding passes and train tickets ready to go.

0:15.0

You can even tap in on public transport, no unlocking, no digging around.

0:20.0

And yes, your payment cards can live here too.

0:23.1

Safely stored and ready when you need them. Travel light, live smart. Set up Samsung Wallet today.

0:35.6

Back in the 20th century, science fiction promised us all sorts of exciting technology,

0:40.9

like teleportation devices and jet packs and tractor beams.

0:44.9

But there's one device that Slate Senior producer Evan Chung dreamed about more than all the others.

0:50.9

I always wanted a hovercraft.

0:54.0

When I say hovercraft, I don't mean something crazy wanted a hovercraft.

0:54.7

When I say hovercraft, I don't mean something crazy like a flying Jetsons car.

0:59.6

I'm talking about a personal vehicle that glides over the ground while levitating a perfectly

1:05.0

reasonable amount, like enough to avoid potholes but not disrupt the migratory patterns

1:10.5

of waterfowl.

1:11.9

I wanted something like Luke Skywalker's land speeder.

1:15.0

Might be our little R2 unit.

1:16.3

Hit the accelerator.

1:19.3

I know for me, the quintessential hovercraft

1:21.6

was in Back to the Future too,

1:23.6

when Marty McFly zips around on a levitating skateboard.

1:27.1

He's on a hoverboard!

...

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