{"id":233,"title":"Why People Think the World is Flat","description":"The video explores the modern Flat Earth movement, starting with an explanation of its core beliefs, such as a disc-shaped Earth surrounded by an ice wall. The creator, Johnny Harris, expresses his desire to understand the phenomenon's growing popularity and travels to Mexico to conduct a common flat-earth experiment: using a spirit level on an airplane. After demonstrating the experiment's flaws, he delves into the history of the movement, explaining that it's a relatively recent reaction against complex science, dating back to the 1800s. The video concludes by arguing that the belief is less about the Earth's shape and more about a deep-seated distrust of institutions and a preference for personal, sensory-based evidence over the established scientific consensus.","slug":"why-people-think-the-world-is-flat","creator":"johnnyharris","duration":1122.800907,"tags":["flat earth","conspiracy theory","science","debunking","Johnny Harris","scientific method","pseudoscience","history of science","critical thinking","misinformation","sociology"],"transcription":"If you were able to look through the perspective of a person who thinks the world is flat, you would see this. The North Pole is right here in the center. The continents splayed out over this plane. And here on the edges, you would run into a 150-foot wall of ice guarded by NASA employees with guns. And how far that ice goes outwards. And when people try to go down there, they get turned away at gunpoint and put in prison. The heavens are a dome that arcs over the flat Earth. The sun, the moon, the stars, they're all just little balls of light in the sky that move around just above the Earth's surface. There are loads of people who actually believe this. YouTube channels and Facebook pages, you'll see hundreds of thousands of followers. Google searches for the term flat Earth proof over time look like this. It's become incredibly popular. And recently a poll showed that only 84% of Americans agree with the statement, I have always believed the world is round. 84%. And if you're 18 to 24, that's more like 66%, which is like dangerously close to half. What is going on here? Now the North Pole is the center of a deep ocean, whereas the South Pole is the center of a high plateau, which averages 7 or 8,000 feet in altitude. This is frustrating and what's even more frustrating is every time I try to look into this and understand it, all I see is coverage of like flat Earther conventions and like interviews with these people. We absolutely know for a fact, this ain't it. These interviews are interesting, but I want to understand like how someone with a thinking brain can actually get behind this. What is this actual belief? Where does it come from and how do potentially millions of people believe that the Earth is flat? The water is completely flat for as far as we can see and as far as we've measured. And the horizon is completely flat. I'm in Mexico now. I've been sitting on the beach reading everything there is to read about the history of people who believe the Earth is flat. And there's one thing that I just had to try for myself. This is a simple experiment that anybody can conduct to uh determine definitely that the Earth is flat. Grab a spirit level and take it on a plane with you. Found this hardware store. Bought myself a level. One of the stranger things I've ever done. And I'm bringing it with me on the airplane. I'm going to do some of this empirical science myself. If you are to fly on a non rotating Earth, please explain what kind of experience will a pilot really have? The logic goes that if the Earth is round and I'm flying thousands of miles, which I'm about to do, then the airplane will have to be tipped a little bit the whole time in order to make it around the curvature of the Earth. The plane should be constantly dipping its nose forward in order to compensate for the curvature. Show me some planes doing this. I would be able to see the tilt of the airplane if I put my newly purchased level on the tray table in front of me. I'm going to take my spirit level onto the plane. If my tool shows me that the plane is totally level, that's proof that the Earth is flat. Let's go see what happens. Can somebody explain to me duty free? Why perfume? Why is there so much perfume in duty free? Four hours on an airplane and I'm back. My little level experiment worked wonderfully. The bubble stayed nice and center. Turns out the plane was not dipping its nose in order to make it around the Earth. This is explained by the basics of gravity and physics. This video is not a debunk of flat Earth theory. That that doesn't need to happen. That shouldn't need to happen. What this is is my fascination with the fact that there is lots of people, let's put it this way, a non-zero number of humans who think the world is flat and they work really hard to prove it. I want to understand what sorts of tools are being used to prove the world is flat. So, here we go. I wonder if I can get some really dramatic like conspiracy theory lighting going on here. I'm seeing all the evidence. What if the earth actually is flat? The plane wasn't dipping. The level was flat. Okay, I'm kidding. Let's get into this. I've been in the weeds learning about the flat Earth experience, what people believe and why and where it all came from. And here's what I've learned. Number one, flat Earthers have become a thing just in the past couple hundred years. So, by like 205 BC, you've got these really smart Greek people making experiments that are like observing a globe-shaped Earth. Over the next several centuries, eventually this would just become the widespread thing among anyone who was doing experimentation on the world. And eventually, nobody believed the Earth was flat. Even in like the medieval times, like it was a consensus that the Earth was a globe. So, in short, flat Earthers weren't a thing during this time. Even though literally in elementary school, I was taught that Christopher Columbus and like his voyage was somehow to prove that the Earth was round or maybe it was flat and that there was like some debate around that. That's actually a total legend and I have no idea why I was taught that in elementary school. How did that happen? I actually am genuinely curious. Like, how did that happen? The fact is Christopher Columbus, the Catholic Church, the Spanish patrons, no one thought the Earth was flat. But then they became a thing. Any sort of flat Earther movement didn't actually come around ironically until science was really starting to heat up. During the mid-1800s, a huge amount of scientific breakthrough was happening. The scientific method was taking off and huge breakthroughs in biology, physics, anatomy, and mathematics were taking place. But at the time, there were also people who were becoming uncomfortable with how advanced scientific methods were getting. These guys were like, hold on a second. You have all these fancy new tools to inquire the world and to understand reality, but these tools are getting like too sophisticated and too abstract and theoretical. They're becoming too disconnected from like what I can see and understand and touch and feel. They wanted to bring science back to what it had been for a really long time, which is that like a person goes out, uses simple tools like a telescope to look at the world and to make conclusions about how the world works. So, it's the summer of 1838 in England up in the county of Cambridgeshire, which literally sounds like a place in The Lord of the Rings. So, it's the summer of 1838 and the atom had just been discovered and the Doppler effect is like being fleshed out. And then you've got this guy. His name is Samuel Rowbotham, but he goes by the pseudonym Parallax, which is actually a pretty dope name. Like if I were a DJ, I would totally go with like Parallax. Anyway, Parallax decides even though all this science is happening, he thinks it's time to reopen up the debate about whether or not the Earth is a globe, which was like literally settled thousands of years earlier. But he's like, no, let's do it. He finds this canal system that is incredibly straight. This canal goes on for almost 10 kilometers, like 6 miles of just a straight line. This guy says, if the Earth is a globe and people say it's 25,000 miles in circumference, then if I look at a straight line, after the first mile, the curvature of the Earth would mean that the canal would now be 8 inches lower. After 2 miles, it would be 32 inches lower. After 3 miles, 72 inches lower, meaning like 6 feet, almost 2 meters, and so on. He thinks eventually the dip from the curvature of the Earth would be so great that you could easily observe it. So, he gets in the water, he puts a telescope right above the surface of the water, and then he puts a boat on the canal with a 1 meter tall post on it. So, what he wants to see is if the Earth is curved, if it's a globe, then this post will start to disappear over the horizon. So, he does it. The boat goes away, it goes the entire 6 miles of the canal, and it stays in sight the entire time. It doesn't dip over the horizon. And he's stoked. He's like, man, I just proved that the Earth is flat. And I did it with a telescope and a boat. Like, screw you, science. Like, I'm making breakthroughs right here in Cambridgeshire. And then he writes this book where he flushes out this experiment and several others that he does. But wait, this experiment's like kind of legit, right? Like it adds up. Like his numbers were all correct about the circumference and the dip of the curvature. Like why didn't it dip? Like why was the boat still in sight? There's nothing wrong with this experiment. Parallax, that great name. Maybe he was onto something. No, no, this is stupid. This is like a third grade science experiment in your backyard. This experiment doesn't take into account how the natural world actually works and how light behaves and refracts based on the different air densities. This is like stuff that people already figured out and like Parallax is sitting there getting wet in a canal trying to observe this on his own. No, this is not proving anything. But Parallax didn't want to hear any of this. He didn't want to talk about atmospheric refraction and air density and how light behaves in different media. Too complicated, too abstract. You can't touch and feel that stuff. Instead, Parallax sees science and observing reality as a much simpler task. In his book, he says, 'Nature speaks to us in a peculiar language, in the language of phenomena. She answers at all times the questions which are put to her, and such questions are experiments.' Like, just go out and put a question to Mother Nature and she'll answer it. As scientific methods become more sophisticated, they become harder for you and me to understand. Parallax and his canal experiments are a reaction to all of this. They are a call for a simplification of scientific methods and a return of the senses as the primary force for understanding the world. He called his method of reductionist pseudoscience the Zetetic method. He says that honesty of thought is to look at truth in the face, not in the side face, but in the full front. Like just like look at it, go out and observe it for yourself. He was among several scientists and mathematicians at the time who were on this train of let's use really simplified, reductionist math and science to prove that the Earth is flat. This argument of the flat Earth flickered for a little bit in the 1800s, gained a little bit of traction, but then eventually it died out until just a few years ago. I refuse to be another vegetable. Pseudoscience garbage will to me be unacceptable. Anyone with eyes to see don't have to be susceptible. Dispose of your globe in the nearest waste receptacle. There is no curvature to this earth. There is no motion to this earth. If you just accept the globe model with no understanding of the flat and no clear evidence for the ball earth, do you see the problem there? Flat earthers are back, and their methods are very similar to what Parallax was doing in the 1800s. And this is data. This is repeatable, observable, measurable. If you take the time to learn, you will change your mind. There's there's no doubt. The only reason people think they live on a spinning ball is willful ignorance. They're still zooming into horizons, but now they have hordes of visual stuff to play around with. They now have airplanes. They now have satellite imagery to play around with. They now have the moon landing to dissect. And now they're taking levels onto airplanes like I did. Your plane can't go upside down. Here's the thing, globe hugger. Like the flat earthers in the 1800s, the flat earthers today want to use their own intuition and senses to understand reality. And in the process, they reject and ignore the huge body of science that we all live with today. So, people that have physics degrees, astronomy degrees, they got their degree by regurgitating what their teacher or the books told them. Instead of trigonometry and telescopes and canals, the flat earthers today use videos and photos circulating on the internet. The azimuthal equidistant projection map that the USGS actually uses is the flat Earth map. Wait, did he just say azimuthal equidistant projection? That's like my favorite projection. Is that the flat Earth map? Don't with me and projections. I take them very seriously. In true internet fashion, this new current movement of flat earthers has become just a bunch of bumper sticker type assertions and images that are really easy to share. Just like Parallax's experiment, these methodologies completely ignore the way the natural world is observed to work by like thousands of years of scientific consensus. But if you go to the FAQ page of the Flat Earth Society, you'll see what they're after here. They believe that evidence is, quote, relying on your own senses to discern the true nature of the world around us. That's the best evidence. And in that vein, that's what these people are doing. I mean, so in the physics world today, do they not understand that convex lenses or fisheye lenses or GoPro add a distorted view? So, what have I learned from all of this? From my understanding, the flat earther movement, whether from the 1800s or today on the internet, is actually not totally about the shape of the Earth. This movement has a much broader message built into it. There's a reason why 1984 is like in the canon of the flat earther movement. 1984 has nothing to do with the shape of the Earth. What it does have to do with is being skeptical of big institutions that are probably watching you, that are probably controlling your life, that are probably feeding you bad information to retain power. We're not crazy, we're just sick of the lies. Here's the thing. Most of the knowledge we have about the natural world and the universe, we've never seen. We've never seen exoplanets or the deep space telescopes that tell us so much about our universe. Instead, we read about this stuff. We benefit from its findings. We pay our taxes to fund more of it. Science is like a tall tower, and each individual researcher and institution adds a little brick to that tower. Each brick resting on the one below it. No one person sees or understands all of the bricks. Instead, we have a system of debate, review, scrutiny that only allows the most accurate information to be added to the tower. And honestly, I don't think humans are well suited to adapt to this very impersonal way of understanding the world. We have evolved over millions of years with our senses as our main driver of survival. And now we live in a society that is run by big systems and impersonal institutions that we will never touch and feel, much less understand. And that's why we have people who believe the world is flat despite conclusive evidence to the contrary. This belief is a proxy for a much larger paradigm that mistrusts anything that you can't touch and feel. And so yeah, I'm really sad that only 84% of people can say with certainty that they've always believed the world is a globe. And that's 64% for younger people. Only 64% of people. Like that that just blows my mind and it's incredibly sad. But despite this belief, this movement, these conventions, this total lunacy, science will continue to do its thing. It will continue to go out, observe the world with these amazing tools that we have, come back, debate it, and add to this tower of knowledge that helps us see the world as it really is. I want to thank Skillshare for sponsoring this video. Skillshare is this amazing giant repository of online tutorials where you can learn everything you can imagine from photography to design to illustration to character animation to filmmaking to entrepreneurship, all the things. And you get unlimited access to the entire library if you subscribe. You get two months free to Skillshare if you click the link in my description. You should check out this course on the fundamentals of photo editing. Photo editing is truly a craft. And with a little bit of training, you can dramatically change how your photos look and feel, both from just simple mobile photography all the way to advanced professional photography. Having these fundamentals in your toolkit will help you make better images. So, click the link in the description to sign up for two months for free. Like you literally don't pay any money for two months. You can test it out and see if you like it. After that, I think it's like less than 10 bucks a month if you subscribe to the yearly, which 10 bucks, like 10 bucks to have access to this giant repository of tutorials is like a no-brainer to me. So, I love Skillshare, I love internet learning. Go check it out. Thank you for watching this video, and I'll be back soon with some more stuff. See ya.","timeline":[{"t":0,"speech":"If you were able to look through the perspective of a person who thinks the world is flat, you would see this.","visual":{"action":"A view of the spherical Earth from space is shown with a vintage film effect, then transitions to an antique-style flat Earth map.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["blue","tan","white","green","brown"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The entire frame is in focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"mysterious","objects":[{"color":"blue and brown","name":"Earth","position":"center","state":"rotating"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"black space","lighting":"natural, simulating sunlight on Earth","location":"outer space"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":8,"speech":"The North Pole is right here in the center. The continents splayed out over this plane.","visual":{"action":"The camera zooms into the center of the antique flat Earth map, highlighting the North Pole.","colors":{"dominant":"sepia","palette":["tan","brown","pale green","pale blue","black"]},"composition":{"angle":"overhead","focus":"The map details are in sharp focus.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"informational","objects":[{"color":"sepia-toned","name":"antique map","position":"full frame","state":"static"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"The map fills the screen.","lighting":"even, soft light","location":"archival context"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"MAP OF THE SQUARE AND STATIONARY EARTH","location":"top center","style":"antique serif font"}]}},{"t":17,"speech":"And here on the edges, you would run into a 150-foot wall of ice guarded by NASA employees with guns.","visual":{"action":"A montage of images is shown: a sailboat near a massive ice wall, then a screenshot of a website article titled 'Antarctica Proves The Flat Earth Deception' featuring a red icebreaker ship next to an ice wall.","colors":{"dominant":"blue","palette":["white","dark blue","cyan","red","gray"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The images are the main focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"conspiratorial","objects":[{"color":"white","name":"sailboat","position":"left","state":"sailing"},{"color":"white","name":"ice wall","position":"background","state":"static"},{"color":"red","name":"icebreaker ship","position":"center","state":"docked against ice"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"ocean and ice","lighting":"cool, natural daylight","location":"Antarctica (implied)"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"Antarctica Proves The Flat Earth Deception","location":"bottom of screenshot","style":"bold sans-serif"}]}},{"t":28,"speech":"The heavens are a dome that arcs over the flat Earth.","visual":{"action":"A digitally rendered image shows a flat, disc-shaped Earth with mountains and waterfalls pouring off the edge, under a large celestial dome.","colors":{"dominant":"blue","palette":["sky blue","white","dark green","brown","deep blue"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The entire fantastical landscape is in focus.","framing":"wide shot"},"mood":"fantastical","objects":[{"color":"green and brown","name":"flat earth disc","position":"center","state":"static"},{"color":"white","name":"waterfalls","position":"bottom edge","state":"flowing"},{"color":"blue","name":"celestial dome","position":"top","state":"static"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"starry space","lighting":"bright, ethereal","location":"conceptual space"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":35,"speech":"they're all just little balls of light in the sky that move around just above the Earth's surface.","visual":{"action":"A montage of different flat earth model animations. One shows the sun and moon orbiting over the disc; another shows a glass-like dome with stars, sun, and moon inside.","colors":{"dominant":"blue","palette":["dark blue","cyan","yellow","green","purple"]},"composition":{"angle":"high angle","focus":"The animated models are the focus.","framing":"wide shot"},"mood":"educational","objects":[{"color":"yellow","name":"animated sun","position":"orbiting","state":"moving"},{"color":"white","name":"animated moon","position":"orbiting","state":"moving"},{"color":"blue/green","name":"flat earth model","position":"center","state":"static"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"black or dark blue space","lighting":"internal to the animation","location":"conceptual space"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":43,"speech":"There are loads of people who actually believe this.","visual":{"action":"The narrator, a man in a red puffer jacket, looks directly into the camera with a serious expression.","colors":{"dominant":"gray","palette":["red","gray","white","brown","black"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The man's face is in sharp focus.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"incredulous","objects":[{"color":"white","name":"map","position":"background","state":"hanging on wall"},{"color":"black","name":"computer monitor","position":"background left","state":"off"}],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"red North Face puffer jacket over a black shirt"},"face":"serious, slightly furrowed brow, has a beard","hair":"brown, styled up","hands":"not visible","pose":"standing, facing camera","position":"center frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"A cluttered home office with a large world map on the wall.","lighting":"soft, natural light from a window to the right.","location":"home office"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":51,"speech":"Google searches for the term flat Earth proof over time look like this.","visual":{"action":"A screen recording shows a Google search for 'flat earth' and then a Google Trends graph illustrating a sharp increase in searches for 'flat earth proof' starting around 2015.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","blue","gray","black","red"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The graph and search bar are in focus.","framing":"extreme close-up"},"mood":"analytical","objects":[{"color":"white","name":"web browser interface","position":"full frame","state":"displaying data"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"white webpage","lighting":"digital screen glow","location":"computer screen"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"flat earth","location":"Google search bar","style":"sans-serif"},{"content":"Interest over time","location":"top left of graph","style":"sans-serif"}]}},{"t":59,"speech":"And recently a poll showed that only 84% of Americans agree with the statement, I have always believed the world is round.","visual":{"action":"A YouGov poll result is shown on screen. The narrator highlights the 84% figure with a red circle and arrow.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","red","black","blue","gray"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The poll data is in focus.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"surprising","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"white webpage","lighting":"digital screen glow","location":"computer screen"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"1. Do you believe that the world is round or flat?","location":"top","style":"bold sans-serif"},{"content":"I have always believed the world is round","location":"middle","style":"sans-serif"},{"content":"84%","location":"middle right","style":"bold sans-serif"}]}},{"t":107,"speech":"And if you're 18 to 24, that's more like 66%, which is like dangerously close to half.","visual":{"action":"The YouGov poll is shown again, this time broken down by age. The narrator highlights the '18-24' column and the '66%' figure with red boxes.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","red","black","blue","gray"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The specific data points are in focus.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"alarming","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"white webpage","lighting":"digital screen glow","location":"computer screen"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"18-24","location":"top of column","style":"bold sans-serif"},{"content":"66","location":"data cell","style":"bold sans-serif"}]}},{"t":115,"speech":"What is going on here?","visual":{"action":"The narrator looks at the camera with a bewildered and concerned expression, shaking his head slightly.","colors":{"dominant":"gray","palette":["red","gray","white","brown","black"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"His face is in sharp focus.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"bewildered","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"red North Face puffer jacket"},"face":"confused, concerned, eyes wide","hair":"brown, styled up","hands":"not visible","pose":"standing, facing camera","position":"center frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"His home office with a world map.","lighting":"soft, natural light","location":"home office"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":120,"speech":"Now the North Pole is the center of a deep ocean, whereas the South Pole is the center of a high plateau, which averages 7 or 8,000 feet in altitude.","visual":{"action":"Black and white archival footage of a military officer pointing to a map and explaining the geography of the poles. This is intercut with old footage of ships in icy waters.","colors":{"dominant":"gray","palette":["black","white","light gray","dark gray","off-white"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The footage has a soft, vintage focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"historical","objects":[{"color":"black and white","name":"map","position":"left","state":"on wall"}],"people":[{"age_range":"40s-50s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"military uniform with medals"},"face":"serious, speaking","hair":"short, dark","hands":"pointing at the map","pose":"standing, gesturing","position":"right of center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"A simple room with a curtain.","lighting":"studio lighting of the era","location":"archival film set"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":131,"speech":"and what's even more frustrating is every time I try to look into this and understand it, all I see is coverage of like flat Earther conventions and like interviews with these people.","visual":{"action":"The narrator is back in his home office, speaking with a frustrated tone and gesturing with his hands.","colors":{"dominant":"red","palette":["red","gray","white","brown","black"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The narrator is in focus.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"frustrated","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"red North Face puffer jacket"},"face":"frustrated, speaking earnestly","hair":"brown, styled up","hands":"gesturing for emphasis","pose":"standing, facing camera","position":"center frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"Home office with a map on the wall.","lighting":"soft, natural light","location":"home office"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":142,"speech":"This ain't it. These interviews are interesting, but I want to understand like how someone with a thinking brain can actually get behind this.","visual":{"action":"The narrator continues speaking in his office, expressing his desire for deeper understanding beyond surface-level interviews.","colors":{"dominant":"red","palette":["red","gray","white","black","beige"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The narrator's face is in focus.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"inquisitive","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"red North Face puffer jacket"},"face":"questioning, serious","hair":"brown, styled up","hands":"gesturing slightly","pose":"standing","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"Home office with a large map.","lighting":"daylight from a window","location":"home office"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":157,"speech":"The water is completely flat for as far as we can see and as far as we've measured. And the horizon is completely flat.","visual":{"action":"A montage of serene travel scenes: a person standing on a beach at sunset, the narrator driving a car, a view of the ocean from a balcony, a woman reading by the sea.","colors":{"dominant":"blue","palette":["sky blue","turquoise","sand","pink","white"]},"composition":{"angle":"varied","focus":"The scenes are in focus.","framing":"wide and medium shots"},"mood":"contemplative","objects":[{"color":"turquoise","name":"ocean","position":"center","state":"calm"}],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"headphones","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"green t-shirt"},"face":"neutral, focused on driving","hair":"brown","hands":"on steering wheel","pose":"sitting, driving","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"beach, car interior, tropical scenery","lighting":"natural, golden hour","location":"tropical beach location"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":204,"speech":"I'm in Mexico now. I've been sitting on the beach reading everything there is to read about the history of people who believe the Earth is flat.","visual":{"action":"The narrator films himself selfie-style, walking outside an airport in a sunny, tropical location. He is wearing a large straw hat.","colors":{"dominant":"green","palette":["tan","green","white","blue","gray"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level, selfie","focus":"His face is in focus.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"exploratory","objects":[{"color":"green","name":"palm trees","position":"background","state":"static"}],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"large straw hat, backpack","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"green t-shirt"},"face":"speaking to camera, squinting in the sun","hair":"brown","hands":"holding the camera","pose":"walking","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"modern airport terminal","background":"airport exterior with palm trees and other travelers","lighting":"bright, harsh sunlight","location":"Mexico airport"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":221,"speech":"This is a simple experiment that anybody can conduct to uh determine definitely that the Earth is flat. Grab a spirit level and take it on a plane with you.","visual":{"action":"A split screen shows a man in a red shirt explaining the experiment via video call, while the narrator is shown going to a hardware store in Mexico.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["red","white","black","beige","gray"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"Both scenes are in focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"instructional","objects":[{"color":"black","name":"scooter","position":"left","state":"parked"}],"people":[{"age_range":"30s-40s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"red t-shirt"},"face":"serious, speaking directly to camera","hair":"short, dark, balding","hands":"not visible","pose":"sitting","position":"center of his frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"simple building","background":"beige wall and a door / exterior of a hardware store","lighting":"indoor fluorescent / bright daylight","location":"office / Mexico street"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"MATERIALES PARA CONSTRUCCION Y FERRETERIA","location":"on the store wall","style":"black block letters"}]}},{"t":230,"speech":"Found this hardware store. Bought myself a level.","visual":{"action":"First-person view of the narrator buying an orange spirit level at a hardware store counter.","colors":{"dominant":"red","palette":["red","orange","white","yellow","silver"]},"composition":{"angle":"first-person point-of-view","focus":"The level and the transaction are in focus.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"purposeful","objects":[{"color":"orange and silver","name":"spirit level","position":"center","state":"being purchased"},{"color":"red","name":"countertop","position":"full frame","state":"static"},{"color":"white","name":"computer monitor","position":"right","state":"on"}],"people":[{"age_range":"unknown","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"blue shirt"},"face":"partially visible","hair":"dark","hands":"using a computer mouse","pose":"sitting behind counter","position":"background"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"Cluttered hardware store interior with shelves of tools.","lighting":"bright, indoor lighting","location":"hardware store"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":236,"speech":"And I'm bringing it with me on the airplane. I'm going to do some of this empirical science myself.","visual":{"action":"The narrator, wearing his straw hat, speaks to the camera selfie-style while walking towards the airport terminal.","colors":{"dominant":"green","palette":["tan","green","white","gray","blue"]},"composition":{"angle":"low angle, selfie","focus":"His face is the primary focus.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"determined","objects":[{"color":"green","name":"palm trees","position":"background","state":"swaying"}],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"straw hat, backpack","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"green t-shirt"},"face":"determined, speaking","hair":"brown","hands":"holding camera","pose":"walking","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"modern airport terminal","background":"outdoor restaurant and terminal building","lighting":"bright sunlight","location":"airport exterior"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":252,"speech":"The logic goes that if the Earth is round and I'm flying thousands of miles, which I'm about to do, then the airplane will have to be tipped a little bit the whole time in order to make it around the curvature of the Earth.","visual":{"action":"The narrator explains the logic of the experiment while making a tipping motion with his hand. An animation of a toy plane flying around a small globe illustrates the concept.","colors":{"dominant":"green","palette":["tan","green","blue","white","brown"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level, selfie","focus":"The narrator's face and hand gesture are in focus.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"explanatory","objects":[{"color":"blue and yellow","name":"toy globe","position":"center","state":"static"},{"color":"blue","name":"toy airplane","position":"orbiting globe","state":"moving"}],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"straw hat","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"green t-shirt"},"face":"explaining, looking at camera","hair":"brown","hands":"making a tipping gesture","pose":"walking","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"airport exterior / dark forest for animation","lighting":"bright sunlight / dim animation lighting","location":"airport exterior / conceptual space"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":305,"speech":"The plane should be constantly dipping its nose forward in order to compensate for the curvature.","visual":{"action":"A chart titled 'Automated Calculator For The Curvature Of The Earth' is displayed, showing calculations for the Earth's curve over distance.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","black","gray","light gray","dark gray"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The chart is in sharp focus.","framing":"full shot"},"mood":"technical","objects":[{"color":"white","name":"chart","position":"full frame","state":"static"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"white","lighting":"even","location":"digital graphic"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"Automated Calculator For The Curvature Of The Earth","location":"top center","style":"bold sans-serif"}]}},{"t":313,"speech":"I would be able to see the tilt of the airplane if I put my newly purchased level on the tray table in front of me.","visual":{"action":"The narrator, still outside the airport, explains his plan, gesturing with his hand to indicate the level on a flat surface.","colors":{"dominant":"green","palette":["tan","green","white","gray","blue"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level, selfie","focus":"His face is in focus.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"confident","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"straw hat","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"green t-shirt"},"face":"explaining, confident","hair":"brown","hands":"gesturing to show a flat surface","pose":"walking","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"airport terminal","background":"airport exterior","lighting":"bright sunlight","location":"airport"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":326,"speech":"Let's go see what happens.","visual":{"action":"A quick montage shows the narrator walking through the airport: on an escalator, going through security, and walking through the duty-free shop.","colors":{"dominant":"gray","palette":["gray","silver","white","black","tan"]},"composition":{"angle":"varied, including point-of-view","focus":"The scenes are in focus.","framing":"varied"},"mood":"transitional","objects":[{"color":"silver","name":"escalator","position":"center","state":"moving"},{"color":"blue","name":"security sign","position":"top center","state":"lit"}],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"straw hat, backpack","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"green t-shirt"},"face":"looking around","hair":"brown","hands":"walking","pose":"walking","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"modern airport interior","background":"airport terminal, shops, security checkpoint","lighting":"bright, fluorescent","location":"airport"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"Security control","location":"overhead sign","style":"sans-serif"}]}},{"t":339,"speech":"","visual":{"action":"The airplane is shown taking off from the runway, as seen from a passenger window.","colors":{"dominant":"blue","palette":["sky blue","white","green","gray","dark gray"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level, from window","focus":"The landscape outside is in focus.","framing":"window frame"},"mood":"anticipatory","objects":[{"color":"white","name":"airplane wing","position":"right edge","state":"moving"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"runway, green fields, cloudy sky","lighting":"daylight","location":"airplane"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":349,"speech":"","visual":{"action":"A close-up shot of the orange spirit level placed on the airplane tray table. The bubble is perfectly centered.","colors":{"dominant":"orange","palette":["orange","yellow-green","silver","black","gray"]},"composition":{"angle":"overhead, slightly angled","focus":"The bubble in the level is in sharp focus.","framing":"extreme close-up"},"mood":"experimental","objects":[{"color":"orange","name":"spirit level","position":"center","state":"resting on table"},{"color":"yellow-green","name":"level bubble","position":"center of vial","state":"centered"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"dark gray airplane tray table","lighting":"dim, ambient cabin light","location":"airplane cabin"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":357,"speech":"Four hours on an airplane and I'm back.","visual":{"action":"The narrator is walking through an airport arrival hall, looking tired but speaking to the camera selfie-style.","colors":{"dominant":"gray","palette":["gray","white","red","black","beige"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level, selfie","focus":"His face is in focus.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"weary","objects":[{"color":"black","name":"headphones","position":"around neck","state":"static"}],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"headphones around neck, backpack","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"red long-sleeve shirt"},"face":"tired, speaking","hair":"brown","hands":"holding camera","pose":"walking","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"airport terminal","background":"airport arrival hall with glass walls and pillars","lighting":"bright, fluorescent","location":"airport"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":404,"speech":"The bubble stayed nice and center. Turns out the plane was not dipping its nose in order to make it around the Earth.","visual":{"action":"The narrator continues walking through the airport, explaining the result of his experiment with a slightly sarcastic tone.","colors":{"dominant":"gray","palette":["white","gray","red","black","silver"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level, selfie","focus":"His face is in focus.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"sarcastic","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"headphones around neck","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"red long-sleeve shirt"},"face":"speaking, slight smirk","hair":"brown","hands":"holding camera","pose":"walking","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"airport terminal hallway","lighting":"fluorescent","location":"airport"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":410,"speech":"This is explained by the basics of gravity and physics.","visual":{"action":"The narrator is now in a different part of the airport, continuing his explanation. He looks more serious.","colors":{"dominant":"beige","palette":["beige","gray","red","black","yellow"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level, selfie","focus":"His face is in focus.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"educational","objects":[{"color":"yellow and black","name":"airport sign","position":"background","state":"static"}],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"headphones around neck","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"red long-sleeve shirt"},"face":"serious, explaining","hair":"brown","hands":"holding camera","pose":"walking","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"concrete walls","background":"airport terminal with directional signs","lighting":"fluorescent","location":"airport"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"International Arrivals","location":"background sign","style":"sans-serif"}]}},{"t":422,"speech":"What this is is my fascination with the fact that there is lots of people, let's put it this way, a non-zero number of humans who think the world is flat and they work really hard to prove it.","visual":{"action":"The narrator continues his monologue while walking through the airport, emphasizing his fascination with the psychology of the flat earth movement.","colors":{"dominant":"gray","palette":["gray","red","white","black","beige"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level, selfie","focus":"His face is in focus.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"intrigued","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"headphones around neck","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"red long-sleeve shirt"},"face":"intrigued, speaking thoughtfully","hair":"brown","hands":"holding camera","pose":"walking","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"concrete walls","background":"airport hallway","lighting":"fluorescent","location":"airport"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":442,"speech":"","visual":{"action":"A time-lapse shows the narrator setting up a studio space with a black backdrop, acoustic foam panels, and a large studio light.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","red","gray","white","brown"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The entire setup process is in focus.","framing":"wide shot"},"mood":"industrious","objects":[{"color":"black","name":"studio light","position":"center","state":"being set up"},{"color":"gray","name":"acoustic foam panels","position":"sides","state":"being arranged"}],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"light blue jeans","footwear":"brown boots","top":"red puffer jacket"},"face":"focused on work","hair":"brown","hands":"moving equipment","pose":"moving around, setting up","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"A room being converted into a studio, with a black wall.","lighting":"room lighting, then bright studio light turns on","location":"studio space"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":455,"speech":"I'm seeing all the evidence. What if the earth actually is flat?","visual":{"action":"The narrator sits in the newly set-up studio against a black background. He acts out a moment of conspiratorial realization, looking around nervously.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","red","skin tone","white","brown"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"He is in sharp focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"dramatic","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"red puffer jacket"},"face":"wide-eyed, feigning shock and paranoia","hair":"brown","hands":"clasping his head in mock horror","pose":"sitting, acting","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"pure black","lighting":"dramatic key light from the side","location":"studio"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":507,"speech":"Okay, I'm kidding. Let's get into this. I've been in the weeds learning about the flat Earth experience, what people believe and why and where it all came from.","visual":{"action":"The narrator breaks character, smiles, and addresses the camera directly, explaining the purpose of the rest of the video.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","red","skin tone","white","brown"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"He is in focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"engaging","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"red puffer jacket"},"face":"smiling, then becoming serious and explanatory","hair":"brown","hands":"resting in his lap","pose":"sitting, facing camera","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"pure black","lighting":"dramatic key light","location":"studio"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":518,"speech":"Number one, flat Earthers have become a thing just in the past couple hundred years.","visual":{"action":"A title card appears on a black screen with a vintage film effect.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","white","gray"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The text is in focus.","framing":"full shot"},"mood":"informational","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"black","lighting":"N/A","location":"digital graphic"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"UNDERSTANDING FLAT EARTHERS","location":"top","style":"serif font"},{"content":"1. FLAT EARTHERS ARE A NEW THING","location":"center","style":"bold serif font"}]}},{"t":527,"speech":"So, by like 205 BC, you've got these really smart Greek people making experiments that are like observing a globe-shaped Earth.","visual":{"action":"A montage of historical illustrations and maps related to ancient Greek astronomy and geography.","colors":{"dominant":"sepia","palette":["sepia","off-white","black","dark brown","gray"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The illustrations are in focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"historical","objects":[{"color":"various","name":"historical maps and diagrams","position":"full frame","state":"static"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"parchment texture","lighting":"even","location":"archival context"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":548,"speech":"Even in like the medieval times, like it was a consensus that the Earth was a globe.","visual":{"action":"The narrator continues his explanation from the studio, emphasizing the historical consensus on a spherical Earth.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","red","skin tone","white","brown"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"He is in focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"assertive","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"red puffer jacket"},"face":"speaking with conviction","hair":"brown","hands":"gesturing","pose":"sitting","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"black","lighting":"dramatic key light","location":"studio"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":608,"speech":"That's actually a total legend and I have no idea why I was taught that in elementary school.","visual":{"action":"A graphic from the History Channel appears, stating that Columbus did not set out to prove the Earth was round.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","black","yellow","red"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The text is in focus.","framing":"full shot"},"mood":"corrective","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"white","lighting":"N/A","location":"digital graphic"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"Christopher Columbus Never Set Out to Prove the Earth was Round","location":"center","style":"bold sans-serif"},{"content":"Humans have known the earth is round for thousands of years.","location":"bottom","style":"sans-serif"}]}},{"t":632,"speech":"","visual":{"action":"A title card appears on a black screen with a vintage film effect.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","white","gray"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The text is in focus.","framing":"full shot"},"mood":"informational","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"black","lighting":"N/A","location":"digital graphic"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"UNDERSTANDING FLAT EARTHERS","location":"top","style":"serif font"},{"content":"#2 FLAT EARTHERS CROP UP IN THE 1800S","location":"center","style":"bold serif font"}]}},{"t":643,"speech":"and huge breakthroughs in biology, physics, anatomy, and mathematics were taking place.","visual":{"action":"A rapid montage of 19th-century scientific diagrams and illustrations, covering topics like anatomy, physics, and architecture.","colors":{"dominant":"off-white","palette":["off-white","black","sepia","gray","brown"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The diagrams are in focus.","framing":"close-up, panning across images"},"mood":"intellectual","objects":[{"color":"black and white","name":"scientific illustrations","position":"full frame","state":"flashing on screen"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"parchment texture","lighting":"even","location":"archival context"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":656,"speech":"These guys were like, hold on a second. You have all these fancy new tools to inquire the world and to understand reality,","visual":{"action":"A montage of black and white photos of stern-looking 19th-century men with beards. This is followed by more scientific illustrations.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","white","sepia","gray","dark gray"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The portraits and diagrams are in focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"skeptical","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"40s-60s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"19th-century formal wear"},"face":"serious, stern","hair":"varied, with beards","hands":"not visible","pose":"formal portrait pose","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"studio backdrops / parchment paper","lighting":"studio lighting / even lighting","location":"archival context"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":713,"speech":"They wanted to bring science back to what it had been for a really long time, which is that like a person goes out, uses simple tools like a telescope to look at the world and to make conclusions about how the world works.","visual":{"action":"The narrator speaks in the studio, then the video cuts to historical illustrations of early scientists using simple tools like telescopes.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","red","off-white","sepia","gray"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"Both the narrator and the illustrations are in focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"nostalgic for simplicity","objects":[{"color":"yellow","name":"highlighted telescope","position":"center","state":"in illustration"}],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"red puffer jacket"},"face":"explaining","hair":"brown","hands":"gesturing","pose":"sitting","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"black studio / parchment","lighting":"dramatic key light / even","location":"studio / archival context"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":742,"speech":"","visual":{"action":"A title card appears on a black screen with a vintage film effect.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","white","gray"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The text is in focus.","framing":"full shot"},"mood":"informational","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"black","lighting":"N/A","location":"digital graphic"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"UNDERSTANDING FLAT EARTHERS","location":"top","style":"serif font"},{"content":"#3 THEY DID \"EXPERIMENTS\"","location":"center","style":"bold serif font"}]}},{"t":750,"speech":"up in the county of Cambridgeshire, which literally sounds like a place in The Lord of the Rings.","visual":{"action":"A Google Earth view zooms into Cambridgeshire, England. The narrator makes a joke, followed by a quick clip from The Lord of the Rings.","colors":{"dominant":"green","palette":["green","blue","brown","gray","white"]},"composition":{"angle":"overhead","focus":"The map is in focus.","framing":"wide shot, zooming in"},"mood":"humorous","objects":[{"color":"gold","name":"The One Ring","position":"center","state":"in hand"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"satellite imagery","lighting":"natural","location":"England"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"Google Earth","location":"bottom right","style":"logo"}]}},{"t":806,"speech":"And then you've got this guy. His name is Samuel Rowbotham, but he goes by the pseudonym Parallax, which is actually a pretty dope name.","visual":{"action":"A black and white portrait of Samuel Rowbotham is shown, with his pseudonym 'PARALLAX' written below it.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","white","gray","sepia"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The portrait is in focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"biographical","objects":[{"color":"black and white","name":"portrait","position":"center","state":"static"}],"people":[{"age_range":"50s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"dark 19th-century coat"},"face":"serious, looking slightly off-camera","hair":"white and dark, receding","hands":"not visible","pose":"portrait pose","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"plain background","lighting":"studio lighting","location":"archival photo"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"\"PARALLAX\"","location":"bottom center","style":"serif font"}]}},{"t":831,"speech":"He finds this canal system that is incredibly straight. This canal goes on for almost 10 kilometers, like 6 miles of just a straight line.","visual":{"action":"A Google Earth view shows the long, straight Bedford Level canal in Cambridgeshire, England.","colors":{"dominant":"green","palette":["dark green","light green","brown","gray","dark blue"]},"composition":{"angle":"overhead, high angle","focus":"The canal is in focus.","framing":"extreme wide shot, tilting up"},"mood":"geographic","objects":[{"color":"dark blue","name":"canal","position":"center, receding into distance","state":"static"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"patchwork of green and brown fields","lighting":"natural daylight","location":"Cambridgeshire, England"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"Google Earth","location":"bottom right","style":"logo"}]}},{"t":850,"speech":"after the first mile, the curvature of the Earth would mean that the canal would now be 8 inches lower.","visual":{"action":"A simple black and white line animation demonstrates the concept of Earth's curvature. A straight line representing sight is shown above a curved line representing the Earth's surface.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","black"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The diagram is in focus.","framing":"full shot"},"mood":"scientific","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"white","lighting":"N/A","location":"digital graphic"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"1.","location":"above curve","style":"sans-serif"},{"content":"8 IN.","location":"next to curve drop","style":"sans-serif"}]}},{"t":914,"speech":"So, he gets in the water, he puts a telescope right above the surface of the water, and then he puts a boat on the canal with a 1 meter tall post on it.","visual":{"action":"A series of simple animations illustrates the setup of the Bedford Level experiment: a telescope on a tripod at the water's edge, and a boat with a post on it.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","black","blue"]},"composition":{"angle":"side view","focus":"The animation is in focus.","framing":"wide shot"},"mood":"explanatory","objects":[{"color":"black","name":"animated telescope","position":"right","state":"static"},{"color":"black","name":"animated boat","position":"left","state":"static"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"white","lighting":"N/A","location":"digital graphic"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"1 METER","location":"next to boat post","style":"sans-serif"}]}},{"t":936,"speech":"and it stays in sight the entire time. It doesn't dip over the horizon.","visual":{"action":"An animation shows the expected result on a curved Earth (boat dipping) versus the observed result on a flat line (boat stays visible).","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","black","blue"]},"composition":{"angle":"side view","focus":"The animation is in focus.","framing":"wide shot"},"mood":"revelatory","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"white","lighting":"N/A","location":"digital graphic"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"(6 MILES)","location":"center","style":"sans-serif"}]}},{"t":943,"speech":"And he's stoked. He's like, man, I just proved that the Earth is flat. 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This is like a third grade science experiment in your backyard.","visual":{"action":"The narrator, back in the studio, dismisses the experiment with a frustrated and exasperated expression, shaking his head.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","red","skin tone","white"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"He is in focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"exasperated","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"red puffer jacket"},"face":"annoyed, dismissive","hair":"brown","hands":"gesturing dismissively","pose":"sitting","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"black","lighting":"dramatic key light","location":"studio"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":1030,"speech":"This experiment doesn't take into account how the natural world actually works and how light behaves and refracts based on the different air densities.","visual":{"action":"A scientific diagram illustrates atmospheric refraction, showing how light from the sun bends as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere, making celestial objects appear higher than they are.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","green","blue","black","red"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The diagram is in focus.","framing":"full shot"},"mood":"scientific","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"white","lighting":"N/A","location":"digital graphic"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"Viewer","location":"top left","style":"sans-serif"},{"content":"Earth","location":"center","style":"sans-serif"},{"content":"Apparent direction of sun","location":"top right","style":"sans-serif"}]}},{"t":1043,"speech":"But Parallax didn't want to hear any of this. He didn't want to talk about atmospheric refraction and air density and how light behaves in different media. Too complicated, too abstract.","visual":{"action":"The narrator explains Parallax's mindset, emphasizing his rejection of complex scientific concepts.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","red","skin tone","white"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"He is in focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"analytical","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"red puffer jacket"},"face":"serious, explaining","hair":"brown","hands":"gesturing","pose":"sitting","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"black","lighting":"dramatic key light","location":"studio"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":1102,"speech":"Nature speaks to us in a peculiar language, in the language of phenomena. She answers at all times the questions which are put to her, and such questions are experiments.","visual":{"action":"A quote from Parallax's book is shown on screen, highlighted in yellow.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","black","yellow"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The text is in focus.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"philosophical","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"white page","lighting":"N/A","location":"digital graphic of a book page"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"Nature speaks to us in a peculiar language; in the language of phenomena. She answers at all times the questions which are put to her; and such questions are experiments.","location":"center","style":"serif font, highlighted in yellow"}]}},{"t":1137,"speech":"He says that honesty of thought is to look at truth in the face, not in the side face, but in the full front.","visual":{"action":"Another quote from Parallax's book is highlighted, emphasizing his philosophy of direct, sensory observation.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","black","gray"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The text is in focus.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"philosophical","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"white page","lighting":"N/A","location":"digital graphic of a book page"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"Honesty of thought is to look truth in the face, not in the side face, but in the full front","location":"center","style":"serif font"}]}},{"t":1152,"speech":"let's use really simplified, reductionist math and science to prove that the Earth is flat.","visual":{"action":"The narrator summarizes the mindset of early flat-earthers, gesturing to simplify the concept.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","red","skin tone","white"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"He is in focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"summarizing","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"red puffer jacket"},"face":"explaining","hair":"brown","hands":"gesturing","pose":"sitting","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"black","lighting":"dramatic key light","location":"studio"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":1207,"speech":"until just a few years ago. I refuse to be another vegetable. Pseudoscience garbage will to me be unacceptable.","visual":{"action":"A clip from an 'All Gas No Brakes' video shows a man at a flat earth convention rapping into a microphone.","colors":{"dominant":"beige","palette":["beige","black","gray","white","purple"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The man rapping is in focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"energetic","objects":[{"color":"black","name":"microphone","position":"center right","state":"being held"}],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"necklace, green wristband","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"black polo shirt"},"face":"rapping passionately","hair":"long, dark","hands":"gesturing while holding mic","pose":"standing","position":"right"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"convention hall with tables and chairs","lighting":"fluorescent","location":"flat earth convention"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"ALL GAS NO BRAKES","location":"top left","style":"white sans-serif"}]}},{"t":1230,"speech":"","visual":{"action":"A title card appears on a black screen with a glitchy, digital distortion effect.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","white","red","green","blue"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The text is in focus.","framing":"full shot"},"mood":"modern","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"black","lighting":"N/A","location":"digital graphic"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"UNDERSTANDING FLAT EARTHERS","location":"top","style":"serif font"},{"content":"#5 WHAT'S THIS REALLY ABOUT?","location":"center","style":"bold serif font"}]}},{"t":1258,"speech":"There's a reason why 1984 is like in the canon of the flat earther movement. 1984 has nothing to do with the shape of the Earth.","visual":{"action":"The cover of George Orwell's novel '1984' is shown, featuring a large eye graphic.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","cyan","white","red"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The book cover is in focus.","framing":"full shot"},"mood":"analytical","objects":[{"color":"various","name":"book cover","position":"center","state":"static"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"red","lighting":"N/A","location":"digital graphic"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"GEORGE ORWELL","location":"top","style":"serif"},{"content":"1984","location":"center","style":"stylized font"}]}},{"t":1317,"speech":"Science is like a tall tower, and each individual researcher and institution adds a little brick to that tower. Each brick resting on the one below it.","visual":{"action":"A simple animation shows a tower being built brick by brick. One brick is highlighted, then shown resting on the bricks below it.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","black","gray","green","red"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The animation is in focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"metaphorical","objects":[{"color":"black outline","name":"animated bricks","position":"building a tower","state":"being added"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"white with a vintage film effect","lighting":"N/A","location":"digital graphic"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":1330,"speech":"Most of the knowledge we have about the natural world and the universe, we've never seen.","visual":{"action":"The narrator speaks directly to the camera from the studio with a serious expression.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","red","skin tone","white"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"He is in focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"thought-provoking","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"red puffer jacket"},"face":"serious, contemplative","hair":"brown","hands":"clasped","pose":"sitting","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"black","lighting":"dramatic key light","location":"studio"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":1351,"speech":"Instead, we read about this stuff. We benefit from its findings. We pay our taxes to fund more of it.","visual":{"action":"A montage of screenshots from scientific websites and articles about NASA research, exoplanets, and climate models.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","black","blue","red","orange"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The text and images on the webpages are in focus.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"informational","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"webpages","lighting":"digital screen glow","location":"computer screen"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"How Earth Climate Models Can Help Scientists Search for Life on Other Planets","location":"article headline","style":"bold sans-serif"},{"content":"How Important is NASA Research? The World Depends on It—And So Do You","location":"article headline","style":"bold sans-serif"}]}},{"t":1418,"speech":"This belief is a proxy for a much larger paradigm that mistrusts anything that you can't touch and feel.","visual":{"action":"The narrator concludes his point about the psychology behind the flat earth belief, looking earnestly at the camera.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","red","skin tone","white"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"He is in focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"conclusive","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"red puffer jacket"},"face":"earnest, serious","hair":"brown","hands":"gesturing","pose":"sitting","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"black","lighting":"dramatic key light","location":"studio"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":1446,"speech":"that's what these people are doing. I mean, so in the physics world today, do they not understand that convex lenses or fisheye lenses or GoPro add a distorted view?","visual":{"action":"A clip shows a weather balloon ascending, with the camera showing a curved horizon. A person narrates over it, questioning the validity of the image due to lens distortion.","colors":{"dominant":"gray","palette":["gray","white","green","brown","red"]},"composition":{"angle":"high angle, from balloon","focus":"The landscape below is in focus.","framing":"wide shot"},"mood":"skeptical","objects":[{"color":"red","name":"rope","position":"right edge","state":"static"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"patchwork of green fields under a cloudy sky","lighting":"overcast daylight","location":"high altitude"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":1528,"speech":"We're not crazy, we're just sick of the lies.","visual":{"action":"A man in a red shirt and backpack is walking through a parking garage, speaking to the camera.","colors":{"dominant":"gray","palette":["gray","red","black","white","yellow"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The man is in focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"defiant","objects":[{"color":"red","name":"car","position":"background","state":"parked"}],"people":[{"age_range":"30s-40s","clothing":{"accessories":"backpack","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"red t-shirt"},"face":"serious, defiant","hair":"dark, balding","hands":"gesturing","pose":"walking","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"concrete parking garage","background":"parked cars and concrete pillars","lighting":"dim, fluorescent","location":"parking garage"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":1551,"speech":"And that's 64% for younger people. Only 64% of people. Like that that just blows my mind and it's incredibly sad.","visual":{"action":"The narrator, in his studio, expresses his disappointment at the poll numbers, looking genuinely concerned.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","red","skin tone","white"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"His face is in focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"disappointed","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"red puffer jacket"},"face":"concerned, sad","hair":"brown","hands":"gesturing","pose":"sitting","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"black","lighting":"dramatic key light","location":"studio"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":1606,"speech":"But despite this belief, this movement, these conventions, this total lunacy, science will continue to do its thing.","visual":{"action":"The narrator gives a concluding thought about the persistence of science despite misinformation.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","red","skin tone","white"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"He is in focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"resolute","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"red puffer jacket"},"face":"resolute, speaking with finality","hair":"brown","hands":"gesturing","pose":"sitting","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"black","lighting":"dramatic key light","location":"studio"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":1620,"speech":"It will continue to go out, observe the world with these amazing tools that we have, come back, debate it, and add to this tower of knowledge that helps us see the world as it really is.","visual":{"action":"A final, hopeful statement from the narrator, accompanied by inspiring images of scientific tools and discovery.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","red","skin tone","white"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"He is in focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"hopeful","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"red puffer jacket"},"face":"hopeful, looking at camera","hair":"brown","hands":"gesturing openly","pose":"sitting","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"black","lighting":"dramatic key light","location":"studio"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":1643,"speech":"I want to thank Skillshare for sponsoring this video.","visual":{"action":"The narrator transitions to the sponsorship segment, sitting in his studio space with the lights now fully on.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","red","gray","white","brown"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The narrator is in focus.","framing":"wide shot"},"mood":"promotional","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"light blue jeans","footwear":"brown boots","top":"red puffer jacket"},"face":"friendly, smiling","hair":"brown","hands":"resting on his lap","pose":"sitting, relaxed","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"The studio space with black backdrop and acoustic panels visible.","lighting":"bright, even studio lighting","location":"studio"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":1670,"speech":"You should check out this course on the fundamentals of photo editing.","visual":{"action":"A screen recording of the Skillshare website is shown, highlighting a course on photo editing.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","black","gray","red","blue"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The course page is in focus.","framing":"full shot"},"mood":"educational","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"Skillshare website interface","lighting":"digital screen glow","location":"computer screen"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"Fundamentals of Photo Editing","location":"course title","style":"bold sans-serif"}]}},{"t":1710,"speech":"So, click the link in the description to sign up for two months for free. Like you literally don't pay any money for two months. You can test it out and see if you like it.","visual":{"action":"The narrator is back in his studio, enthusiastically promoting the Skillshare offer.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","red","gray","white","brown"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"He is in focus.","framing":"wide shot"},"mood":"persuasive","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"light blue jeans","footwear":"brown boots","top":"red puffer jacket"},"face":"enthusiastic, smiling","hair":"brown","hands":"gesturing broadly","pose":"sitting","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"studio space","lighting":"bright studio lighting","location":"studio"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"THE FIRST 500 PEOPLE TO USE THIS LINK WILL GET 2 FREE MONTHS OF SKILLSHARE PREMIUM MEMBERSHIP","location":"bottom third overlay","style":"white bold sans-serif on black bar"}]}},{"t":1730,"speech":"Thank you for watching this video, and I'll be back soon with some more stuff. See ya.","visual":{"action":"The narrator waves goodbye to the camera, gets up, and walks off-screen.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","red","gray","white","brown"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"He is in focus.","framing":"wide shot"},"mood":"friendly","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"light blue jeans","footwear":"brown boots","top":"red puffer jacket"},"face":"smiling","hair":"brown","hands":"waving","pose":"sitting, then stands and walks away","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"studio space","lighting":"bright studio lighting","location":"studio"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":1770,"speech":"","visual":{"action":"A montage of various flat-earth related memes and images are shown, with glitchy transitions.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","white","blue","red","green"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The images are in focus.","framing":"full shot"},"mood":"chaotic","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"black","lighting":"N/A","location":"digital montage"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"REALITY IS FAKE","location":"on a t-shirt","style":"handwritten"},{"content":"IF EARTH'S CURVATURE EXISTED, FLAT EARTHERS WOULDN'T","location":"meme text","style":"impact font"}]}},{"t":1820,"speech":"So, people that have physics degrees, astronomy degrees, they got their degree by regurgitating what their teacher or the books told them.","visual":{"action":"A clip from a YouTube interview shows a man in a blue shirt explaining why he doesn't trust experts with degrees.","colors":{"dominant":"gray","palette":["gray","blue","black","white","brown"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The man speaking is in focus.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"dismissive","objects":[{"color":"brown","name":"conference table","position":"foreground","state":"static"}],"people":[{"age_range":"30s","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"blue polo shirt"},"face":"serious, speaking","hair":"dark, styled","hands":"gesturing","pose":"sitting at a table","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"plain gray office wall","lighting":"soft, indoor lighting","location":"office/conference room"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"Flat Earth - Former NASA Cyndi Holland Interview with Flat Worth","location":"bottom of YouTube interface","style":"sans-serif"}]}}],"created_at":"2026-04-11 17:37:55","processed_at":"2026-04-11 17:44:07","view_count":3,"thumbnail":"/data/videos/f9657cd0-8b8c-4f3a-b3d3-f8fc5d97862c/thumbnail.jpg","video":"/data/videos/f9657cd0-8b8c-4f3a-b3d3-f8fc5d97862c/web.mp4","urls":{"page":"/v/why-people-think-the-world-is-flat","api":"/api/v1/videos/why-people-think-the-world-is-flat","timeline_file":"/data/videos/f9657cd0-8b8c-4f3a-b3d3-f8fc5d97862c/timeline.json"}}