- [Narrator] If you want
to make real progress,
you have to challenge yourself to rethink
what you consider impossible.
The expression "like talking to a wall"
means that the person you're talking to
can't or won't listen
because walls can't listen.
Or can they?
It's exactly this kind of accepted wisdom
that we love debunking.
If you have ingenuity and determination,
then really nothing's impossible.
We're going to be
conducting our experiment
at the Berlin Wall Memorial.
It's the only section where both sides
of the wall are still standing
with no man's land in between.
To get the wall to
listen, we're going to use
something called an accelerometer.
We normally use these accelerometers
to pick up microscopic vibrations
inside machines like
turbines and jet engines.
They help us diagnose potential problems
before they arise so that we can prevent
power outages and flight delays.
We're going to attach an accelerometer
to one side of the wall.
If we're right, it should
be sensitive enough
to detect the tiny vibrations produced
by a person talking on the other side.
We'll be filtering the signal,
and then playing it through speakers
to a group of kids on the far side.
So, in a way, the kids will be listening
to what the wall is hearing.
We won't have someone
just talking to a wall,
he'll be reading a whole storybook.
Let's see if it works.
- The Cat's Tale.
The Cat's Tale.
In a land far away but also quite near,
there were two groups of cats.
Oh didn't you hear?
Did I say they were the same?
No, Not quite.
There was one difference
although very slight.
For now let me tell you
just how it will end.
(wall muffles the speaker)
And lived forever in peace
just as they ought to.
(everyone claps)
