451 — The Great Reset

Hi, it's Mike the third here. I usually write these little blurbs but I wanted to break the format today to share a personal story. When I was a kid, there was a thing called the Sydney Water Crisis. Basically, some people got sick because the water was dodgy. We were only allowed to drink water that had been boiled. I was a human child and fast access to water was important to me (still is) so naturally, I was like fuck that and drank the water anyway. I got really sick and Mum asked if it was because I drank the water. I lied and said no but she knew I had. Anyway, at some point after the crisis was over, I remember hearing a story about how they'd fixed it. I don't know if this is true or not — and a quick search online didn't reveal anything — but this idea has stuck with me for 20+ years and it's very funny if it's true. My memory is this: the way they fixed the Sydney Water Crisis was by loosening the standards for what they considered acceptable or 'safe' for drinking. This remarkable idea instantly solved the problem.

If you're a sharp observer of this podcast you might have noticed a change in how we number these episodes, including a jump from episode '436' to '450'. There is a complex and boring reason why past episode title numbers might not have matched the numbers automatically listed in your app. Just know — we fixed it, and the solution was inspired by Sydney Water.

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