FlexiLingo
Everyday tech started with the military
- Technology
Pick up your phone and thank a veteran. GPS, the internet, the microwave, and the EpiPen all trace back to the military. Hear the surprising stories behind the tech you use every day. Plus, we talk to Gary about how his American Legion post could map a 6,000-grave cemetery so families can find their loved ones. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Opens the player: the full transcript, every word clickable, with translation and flashcards.
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B1 · Intermediate
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- 89% of the words are B1 or easier.
- 160 words a minute: a natural pace.
- 34 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.
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Real sentences from the start of this episode. Every word is marked with its level.
. . . .
GPS, the Defense Department built it for the military. It opened it up to everyone after a Korean airliner drifted off course and was shot down in 1983.
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Is this episode right for you?
B1 · Intermediate
Fine if you can follow simple news
- 89% of the words are B1 or easier.
- 160 words a minute: a natural pace.
- 34 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.
Transcript
The opening of the episode. The whole transcript is in the player.
harder words (B2+)
Pick up your phone. Now think of Vetrin. The tech you can't live without didn't start in Silicon Valley. It started in uniform. GPS, the Defense Department built it for the military. It opened it up to everyone after a Korean airliner drifted off course and was shot down in 1983. Today, it's the reason you never have to ask for directions. Sorry, guys. You're a secret safe. The internet, a Pentagon project,
the very first message sent in 1969, crashed after two letters, L-O, still the most relatable internet moment ever. Your microwave, an engineer working on military radar
noticed the candy bar in his pocket had melted. Even the EpiPen started as a military auto injector built to fight nerve agents. We say thank you for your service
That was the opening. The rest of the episode (8 min) is in the player: every word clickable, with translation, saved words and flashcards.
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