Zoë Schiffer: Oh my god, this is not where I thought that was going.

Leah Feiger: No, really, really awful. And honestly, the drone footage of this basically turned me into the Joker last year. I just remember watching from above these belugas just kind of bouncing off walls. It was so upsetting, totally abandoned amusement park vibes. I thought it was AI. Anyway, really, really awful story. But it ends OK, or parts of it are beginning to end OK. This past week, a team from Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, shout out Chicago, pulled off truly a logistical marvel, putting four belugas into custom stretchers, loading them into individual saltwater tanks, trucking them to the airport, flying them across an international border on a chartered 777. The whole thing took 72 hours.

Archival audio: A round of applause after a round-the-clock relocation effort. Shedd Aquarium staff have successfully moved four beluga whales from a facility in Niagara Falls, Ontario, to their new home.

Zoë Schiffer: Is their new home better?

Leah Feiger: I mean, their new home is not going to kill them? And also gives them food. But again, there’s obviously still so much criticism of captivity for these large animals. I mean, everyone saw Blackfish. Everyone’s aware of Tilikum, the really famous orca.

Brian Barrett: Leah, you’re going to hit, I know, Free Willy, and that’s where my orca knowledge ends.

Leah Feiger: This poor orca, who is this feature of this massive documentary about basically going crazy because these creatures are so, so smart and trapped in tanks and forced to perform tricks. So, very, very happy. The article is honestly very cool and interesting, and you were able to transport these creatures. But obviously, the slightly little sour note is these guys should be in the ocean. They should be hanging out. But that’s still my WIRED.

Brian Barrett: Go read Kate’s story and also look at the photos in it because they’re amazing.

Zoë Schiffer: 100 percent. Brian.

Brian Barrett: All right, here’s my TIRED. Wait for it. Beep, beep, beep. That’s my impression of a microwave beep letting you know that something’s done. It’s annoying. It’s loud. It’s repetitive. It’s tired.

Zoë Schiffer: I feel like I just got a glimpse of what you’re like as a dad.

Brian Barrett: Oh, just barely scratching the surface, Zoë. My WIRED is a couple of sound designers who have a startup called Starling, or a company called Starling, have made it their quest to design a better microwave beep. One that sounds pleasant, one that’s not annoying, one that works with technology that’s not too expensive. And it’s really fascinating. Jeremy White, senior writer at WIRED, spent some time talking to these folks, has a really interesting dive into why microwaves and other kinds of tech, just like we sort of settle for annoyances when we don’t necessarily have to. I think there’s so many things that are just like, it’s a little thing, but it could be better, but no one’s bothered to make it better because it maybe costs 50 bucks to make it better. These guys are trying. And I think it’s interesting. I think it’s fun when people expect more from their technology. So, a fun story from Jeremy.