Get the RSS feed or search “Lateral” on your podcast app
| Previous Episode | Index |
Episode 145: The wooden cat
Published 18th July, 2025
Transcription by Caption+
Tom:
Why would you be disappointed to hear that you have to take the number 11 bus to your destination?
The answer to that at the end of the show. My name's Tom Scott, and this is Lateral.
(flatly) Greetings, and welcome with what I can only describe as moderate excitement to Lateral.
We are thrilled in a low-key and emotionally restrained manner to present another episode. Prepare yourselves, if you are so inclined, for an intellectual journey of... Well, let's not oversell it. It's puzzles. slightly odd puzzles, solved with varying degrees of success. But we assure you, the effort is... present.
Joining us on this endeavour, first, we have someone, who, in the chat before we started recording, described herself as, "unhinged fashion and cultural historian"...
Abby:
(wheezes)
Tom:
Abby Cox. Welcome back to the show!
Abby:
Hello​! I'm so happy to be back!
Tom:
I just thought I'd make it clear that you were the one who used the word "unhinged" there.
Abby:
I did. I did.
Tom:
I am not just thrusting that upon you. Last I saw, you were making a video on hatpins, which I assumed were small, and which really are not, which are weapons.
Abby:
Mhm. Do you want me to go get one?
Tom:
(laughs)
Abby:
I can brandish it during the whole thing. Hold on, give me like two seconds.
Tom:
And while Abby is going off to find a hatpin, we will introduce... (cracks up)
From YouTube, I think you said you just wanted to be introduced as Evan. So please welcome Evan Edinger.
Evan:
That'​s me, hi.
Tom:
How do you sum up what you do?
Evan:
Uh...​ (wheezes)
Tom:
Good! And while Evan's waiting for that...
SFX:
(guests laughing)
Tom:
we'll move on to the third guest that we have here today.
From Kids Invent Stuff and now from Masters of Reinvention on the Yesterday channel, Ruth Amos, welcome back to the show!
Ruth:
Hi, thanks for having me.
Tom:
You are in a workshop filled with stuff. I mean, I'm going to ask about Kids Invent Stuff first. What have you been working on lately?
Ruth:
Oh, er, we just did a collab with Taskmaster Education where we got to build a drivable bath for Little Alex Horne. So the roles were reversed. I got to be the Taskmaster's assistant and hand out the tasks. It was very exciting. So yeah, we've just been busy building amazing kids' invention ideas.
Tom:
You've​ been on the show a couple of times, but it's always been with Shawn, the other half of Kids Invent Stuff. How are you feeling being the lone representative here?
Ruth:
Yeah,​ it's— Shawn's not very well, unfortunately, so I've been the kind of lone representative of Kids Invent Stuff for a little bit now. And I'm starting to get used to it. Yeah, a little bit. We miss you, Shawn!
Tom:
(chuckles softly) Well, best of luck. You have two other people here to help you through anyway, and I'm gonna try and un-nest this Russian doll of introductions here. Evan...
Evan:
Sorry​.
Tom:
Have you decided how you want to be introduced?
Evan:
ChatG​PT has given me some options here.
Tom:
(laughs) Oh, no!
Evan:
I basically— No.
Tom:
No, don't quote from ChatGPT! That's like someone telling you about their dreams.
Evan:
No, I'm sorry, I will ignore that.
I moved to the UK from the US about 12, 13 years ago, and my YouTube channel is all the interesting differences I've noticed along the way. I think that's a nice way of summing it up. And anything else I find interesting, I suppose.
Tom:
Well, we'll see if that knowledge helps you today.
And now, finally, up to the top layer of this incredibly complicated Cloud Atlas-style introduction:
Abby:
(giggles)
Tom:
Abby..​. do you have a hatpin to brandish?
SFX:
(rattling)
Abby:
I do.
Evan:
Oh.
Tom:
So, for those not watching in video, a hatpin, it turns out, is about 10 inches long and viciously spiked. What were those used for?
Abby:
Yes. Well, their initial use is to secure women's hats, because unlike men's hatwear, which was usually kind of narrow or in the brim, or fit more securely on the head, women's hats were either very shallow, or were large, or they were perched on the hair. And so you needed a hatpin just to kinda keep everything in place.
They banned them because... (chuckles) ...because of public transport. Because men were getting scratched on public transport. And... sometimes they would get infections. Sometimes, you know, in some situations, men lost an eye.
But it's because they were standing too close to women.
And so they tried to regulate how much the hatpin could stick out of the hat. Half-inch being the goal, which is just impossible to actually regulate. So yeah.
Tom:
Thank you for brandishing that from a very safe distance through a screen. I'm glad you're not poking that near me right now.
Abby:
No, I would never poke you, Tom.
Tom:
Good luck to all three of you.
And that is everyone introduced to establish a sufficient level of geniality. And let us now, with measured anticipation, approach question one.
Thank you to Ben Kirk for this question.
In the late 19th century, why did many women have their photograph taken while completely covered in a blanket or curtain?
I'll say that again.
Abby:
I know this one.
Tom:
In the late 19th century, why did many women have their photograph taken while completely covered in a blanket or curtain?
I did worry that Abby might immediately know this one.
Abby:
Yeah.
Ruth:
I might know this.
Tom:
Oh!
Abby:
(giggles)
Tom:
Oh, okay. We've got two.
Abby:
Sorry​ Evan, you're on your own.
SFX:
(Tom and Abby laugh)
Evan:
I'm going to pretend I know this.
Abby:
Good luck!
SFX:
(Abby and Tom laugh)
Evan:
It was really cold in the early 19th century. Late 19th century.
Is it literally just me? Okay.
Tom:
I don't know. We normally don't include a question if there's just one person going for it. But... let's check. Abby definitely knows it.
Ruth, do you want to drop a couple hints for Evan here?
Ruth:
I... think it's to do with who is being photographed?
Tom:
Yes, it is.
Ruth:
Okay.
Tom:
Yes.
Evan:
So, what you're saying is, women would cover themselves in blankets before getting their photograph taken?
Tom:
Yes.
Evan:
All women?
Tom:
Just some women. More common with younger ones.
Evan:
Was there anyone else in these photos?
Tom:
Yes, there was. And I think that's what Ruth was hinting at.
Abby— This— We don't normally have a question like this. But you know what? You're all playing along really well.
Abby, do you wanna drop a hint in here for Evan?
Abby:
Do you remember JCPenney's and Sears and things you would do
Evan:
Kohl'​s, sure.
Abby:
with a family in the '80s and '90s growing up?
Evan:
Get a catalog of... things.
Abby:
But you would go to the store for a reason?
Evan:
To try on clothes.
Abby:
And people li— (snickers)
Tom:
(laughs)
Abby:
Peopl​e like to do them today as jokes.
Evan:
A selfie?
Tom:
(laughs) Well...
Abby:
Not a selfie.
Tom:
In the late 19th century...
Evan:
Oh, photo booth stuff. So you'd dress up and wear hats
Abby:
Yeah.
Evan:
and silly things.
Tom:
Yeah. Yeah.
Abby:
Eh...
Evan:
Passp​ort photos.
Abby:
That'​s not quite what I was try—
Tom:
(chuckles) I think Abby's going towards family portraits here.
Abby:
Yes.
Evan:
Ohh! My dad was a photographer. We don't go to them often.
I'm thinking about it. For family photos, you would cover the woman in a blanket?
Tom:
You—​Well, family's a strong term there.
Evan:
Is she... just a woman that's not necessarily needed in the photo?
Ruth:
(chortles)
Tom:
(laughs) Now, you're treading a very fine line here!
Evan:
This is the 19th century, okay?
Tom:
Well, she was absolutely needed in the photo.
Evan:
Reall​y?
Tom:
Yes.
Evan:
Was she being sat on?
Ruth:
(laughs)
Tom:
Um, well, yes. Yes, do you want to add some context for why that might be, Evan?
Evan:
You see, the camera has quite a big tripod, and you need to have a nice... cloth'd woman to sit on...
SFX:
(Tom and Abby laugh)
Evan:
to get a good angle.
Ruth:
That'​s where I thought you were going with this. That's why I laughed!
Tom:
So close!
Abby:
We're​ not talking about that kind of peep show, Evan, okay?
SFX:
(Tom and Abby laugh)
Tom:
Sorry,​ this now seems cruel! This is the first time I think that we've actually aired a question where everyone but one person knows it. And honestly...
Evan:
Cool.
Tom:
it does just seem cruel at this point, but I think Evan can take the mocking for a little bit longer.
Evan:
I'm doing alright. So, you're not sitting on the woman then. But someone is...
Tom:
Someon​e is.
Evan:
Is the camera on the woman?
Tom:
Yes.
Evan:
Is the guy— Is the camera person sitting on the woman?
Tom:
No.
Evan:
Does the photo have to be exposed for a really long time?
Tom:
Yes, it does. That's one of the key things about photography back then. You would need to have an exposure measured in... seconds?
Evan:
Every​one would have to be perfectly still. So, I don't know why you wouldn't use a good chair, rather than a woman with a blanket on her.
Tom:
Mm. There is one other person, or maybe a couple of other people in the photos.
Evan:
The family, hypothetically, is. Or the child, possibly?
Tom:
Keep talking, Evan.
Sorry! Literally... everyone's heads just kind of went, "Ah!" at the same time.
Evan:
I mean, it's— Is it a green blanket? Could they rotoscope out the blanketing woman?
SFX:
(group laughing)
Evan:
Using​ After Effects?
Abby:
(laughs uproariously)
Evan:
Sorry​, this is 1900, so that'd be Before Effects.
Abby:
I mean, they did do that. They could do that, yes.
Evan:
Oh. Oh.
Abby:
They did it physically with pencils. Yeah, no. There was Photoshop. It was just manual.
Evan:
Oh, yeah, just a little pen and a... X-Acto knife.
Abby:
Yeah,​ side quest, it was a good job for women. Like, it was actually advertised, like, courses for women to do it.
Evan:
Okay,​ so, was this a way of photographing the child, so the woman would be holding the child?
Tom:
Spot on. Yes. This is a hidden mother photograph. If they—
Evan:
That'​s kinda grim. What? So it's just a floating child? I don't like this.
Tom:
Well, the photos – and because these are late 19th century, I think we may be able to put a couple of them in the video version – but the photos, there is a shape in the background, underneath a blanket that kind of blends into the background.
And that is the mother holding the child still for the few seconds required to keep the camera shutter open and take the photograph.
This is a hidden mother photo.
Evan:
And this technique was eventually... What technique came afterwards? How do we take pictures of babies now?
Ruth:
Then they just sat on the woman to take the picture. That's how it progressed.
Tom:
And also, these days, you have camera flashes.
Evan:
Oh, and longer— Yeah, you don't need the long exposure. That's a good point.
Tom:
So yes, these were hidden mother photos from the late 19th century.
After that gauntlet, (laughs) I think it's only fair that we go to Evan to ask the next question of the show!
Evan:
(sighs)
Tom:
Over to you whenever you're ready!
Evan:
Alrig​ht, so...
This question has been sent to us by Landon Kryger. The question is:
Why is autumn the best season to pick up some lockpicking tools?
I will repeat:
Why is autumn (or fall) the best season to pick up lockpicking tools?
Ruth:
Does it mean... to buy the tools to pick the lock, or does it mean... to pick the lock? Does that make sense?
SFX:
(Tom and Ruth chuckle)
Evan:
You mean to pick up... What do you mean?
Ruth:
Is it the best time of year to buy... the tools to do the job, or is it the best time of year... to pick up the skill of lockpicking?
Evan:
Yes. No.
Ruth:
(laughs)
Evan:
So close!
Tom:
Yeah, no, that's a good question, 'cause lockpicking is a sport. It's referred to as.
As a skill you can learn, there is competitive lockpicking. There is skill involved in working out how to move the tumbler.
I don't have the patience for it. I tried it for like 10 minutes. I do not have the patience to learn this skill.
Evan:
I will add context, 'cause I feel like, Ruth, you're really on it. Why is autumn the best season to pick up some lockpicking tools? So not to pick up lockpicking, but lockpicking tools.
Tom:
Oh, okay.
Evan:
No, it's not purchasing. So it's not purchasing.
Tom:
Huh.
Abby:
Is it because people were picking locks of bikes? That's the only thing I can think of, is people stealing bikes at universities. (giggles)
Tom:
Sorry,​ I'm remembering the lockpickers I know now.
They have to... I don't know if they have a membership card or something like that, but there is a... a crime in Britain known as "going equipped". If you have the tools to commit a burglary or breaking and entering, or lockpicking gear or something like that, and no reasonable excuse for having them, that is something that can get you in trouble.
So they have lockpicking federation cards if they're going to meets or something like that. The name will be different, but... certainly, that's a thing they have to worry about, so...
But you said, "pick up". Like, I just assumed
Evan:
Yes.
Tom:
they were cheaper in the autumn, but you said "pick up" and not "buy".
Evan:
Also,​ it is in autumn. Very importante for that, so...
Ruth:
I'm trying to think, is it to do with the weather?
The engineer in me is thinking about the weather and what that does to... a metal lock. (chuckles)
Tom:
(chuckles)
Abby:
That'​s why I went to, like, start of school. I'm like, lockers with locks on them, bicycle locks... kids abandoning stuff, new school year, but...
Tom:
So what changes in autumn? The trains are more likely to be delayed 'cause of leaf fall? Which 'cause the metal rails get slippy? What else mechanical changes in autumn? It's getting colder?
Evan:
Well,​ you could also think about what activities councils might perform more often in autumn/fall.
Abby:
Well,​ I definitely don't know the answer to this one.
SFX:
(Evan and Tom laugh)
Abby:
Becau​se this has nothing to do with where I'm from. So... (laughs)
Tom:
There'​s... You can go around all the... all the love locks that are on bridges and steadily detach them, and have a secondhand padlock business.
Abby:
(laughs)
Evan:
Well,​ I'd say that it's much easier to come across these lockpicking tools in large cities.
Ruth:
Oh, is it like... Is there something that you can pick a lock with that grows on a tree? What happens in one— The leaves fall? Can you pick a lock with leaves?
All I can think of is pine cones, acorns.
Tom:
(laughs)
Ruth:
What are the little fly-y things called that look like helicopters? (laughs)
Tom:
Sycamo​re seeds.
Ruth:
That one. (giggles)
Tom:
Sycamo​re seeds.
Evan:
Relev​ant, but no.
Ruth:
Stick​s!
Evan:
No, no, but you're on the right track, 'cause you're autumning up, but... think about them activities that the councils might perform because of...
Ruth:
All I can think of is pumpkin spice lattes, but that is not going to help with the lockpicking.
Abby:
I'm like, "Apple cider donuts?"
Tom:
(laughs)
Ruth:
I'm like, the council has never given me hot cider.
SFX:
(Ruth and Evan chuckle)
Evan:
Let me think. This is a rough one for me as well.
If you think about what material— What is the material that most lockpicking tools would be made out of? Maybe.
Tom:
Okay, lockpicking tools, from what I remember, are little... I'm going to call them pokey things. There is definitely a term for this, but they're small little pokey metal things that fit into... fit into locks.
And you can... Now, there are professional ones made, but you, in theory, can use pins, all sorts of things to...
Abby:
(smiles widely)
Tom:
(chuckles) I mean, I doubt a 12-inch hatpin
SFX:
(Abby and Evan blurt laugh)
Tom:
is going to help you—
Abby:
Are they Sheffield made steel pins, Evan?
SFX:
(Tom and Abby laugh heartily)
Evan:
You know what? They could be made in Sheffield, but no, it's not necessarily, no.
Tom:
What becomes available in autumn?
Evan:
Or what activities do councils perform more in autumn that might increase...
Tom:
They sweep up the leaves.
Evan:
Yes, yes.
Abby:
Oh, it's the sweepers! It's the steel from the sweepers.
Ruth:
What?​!
Evan:
Yes. (wheezes) Explain, explain, explain.
Abby:
So like, street sweepers. (makes circular gestures)
Evan:
(imitates gestures)
Abby:
The trucks do this, right?
Tom:
(laughs)
Abby:
I love how this is a podcast. So no one knows what I'm doing.
Tom:
The spinning brushes at the front.
Abby:
I'm spinning.
Tom:
Yeah.
Abby:
This is gonna be great for TikTok and YouTube.
Tom:
(chuckles)
Abby:
Andâ€â€‹” But they'll shed. And so, then they're just kinda left in the gutter.
Ruth:
They'​re never made— They're not made of metal, surely?
Evan:
Well,​ congratulations, Abby. Yeah, the street sweeping machines—
Tom:
Oh my god! Yes, they are!
Evan:
They'​re used often in autumn to pick up leaves, regularly lose their metal bristles in the road, and the bristles are prized by amateur lockpickers who find that the long, thin pieces of metal are ideal for making their own lockpicking tools as they look along the side of the street trying to find these bristles and grab 'em.
So there you go.
Ruth:
I never knew they were made of metal.
Tom:
The annoying thing is I did, and I just did not make that connection!
Evan:
You'r​e a good man. You're not a criminal, eh?
SFX:
(Tom and Abby laugh)
Tom:
Thank you to Nick Konopka for this question.
In 1990, the mayor of Pittsburgh rang the Giant Eagle grocery chain and asked if they could start packing customers' purchases in plastic bags that were blue. Why?
One more time.
In 1990, the mayor of Pittsburgh rang the Giant Eagle grocery chain and asked if they could start packing customers' purchases in plastic bags that were blue. Why?
Evan:
'Muri​ca.
Ruth:
(giggles)
Abby:
Does it have to do with sports?
Tom:
Why do you say that?
Abby:
Well,​ Philadelphia Eagles and their colors – it's a football team – and their colors are this tealish...
Evan:
Pitts​burgh Steelers. Pittsburgh Steelers.
Abby:
Well,​ "Eagle" grocery store, so my brain went, Pennsylvania, Eagle.
Evan:
Ah.
Abby:
Phila​delphia Eagles, not Pittsburgh Steelers. Also, that's not blue.
Evan:
Ah, okay.
Abby:
So I was like, is it blue–blue, or is it more like tealy blue, like... greenish more blue for Eagles? That's where my brain went. I mean, they do burn down...
Tom:
(snickers) They do.
Abby:
you know, Philly, when they win the Super Bowl. So I feel like—
Tom:
Or when they lose the Super Bowl, or...
Abby:
Yeah.​ Yeah.
Tom:
Yes.
Abby:
So I feel like a grocery bag,
Evan:
thema​tic grocery bag is very...
Abby:
(cracks up) So, that's where my brain—
Evan:
For Pittsburgh? They're different places!
Tom:
(laughs)
Abby:
I know they're different places!
Evan:
This is offensive to Pennsylvanians.
Abby:
Are you from Pennsylvania?
Evan:
No, I'm from South Jersey, which is the Philadelphia suburb. So, hypothetically, yeah.
Abby:
Got it, okay.
Evan:
(squawks)
Abby:
Okay,​ okay.
Evan:
I was like, excuse me? The Birds and the Steelers? You can't do this.
Tom:
(laughs)
Abby:
No, I was just like, Eagles? Blue.
Tom:
It is not a sports question, this one. You do not need sports knowledge to work this out.
Evan:
Does it have to do with food that would go in the bag and blue makes it look different
Ruth:
Ooh.
Evan:
or fresher or '90s-er?
Abby:
Or icier?
Evan:
Ooh.
Tom:
This was the mayor asking.
Evan:
It was Mayor Bloo-ma-berg.
Tom:
Oh... Oh, Evan!
SFX:
(both wheeze)
Ruth:
Is it a political thing?
Tom:
In the sense that the mayor is involved and there's been some policy changes, yes? But it's not really rallying for anyone in particular.
Abby:
So it's not a Democratic thing. It's not a Democrat versus Republican, primary thing.
Tom:
No, no, it's not.
Evan:
Was it just the Eagle chain? The Eagle Creek, is it? Or...
Tom:
The Giant Eagle grocery chain.
Evan:
Giant​ Eagle, yeah.
Ruth:
What colour were they before? Or can you not tell us?
Tom:
Just standard white plastic bags. The sort of things that are now completely deprecated because you have to bring the tote bag along or something like that. Your standard late 20th century shopping bag.
Ruth:
Was it like a jobs thing? Did they produce a blue pigment in the area, and he was like, "If you make it blue, there'll be more jobs"?
Tom:
No, unfortunately.
Ruth:
Was it to stop littering?
Tom:
Ooh!
Evan:
Oh, to make littering easier to notice when the bag is—
Ruth:
Yeah,​ so if it was... yeah, white, it might... not be seen as well as blue?
Tom:
It's not that, but keep thinking along those lines. What would be a side effect of having those plastic bags around?
Ruth:
Is it like... Macy's brown bag?
Tom:
I don't know what that is.
Ruth:
Macy'​s have a brown bag? Is that a thing? I feel like...
Abby:
I think you're thinking of Bloomingdale's, but yeah, it's a logo bag.
Ruth:
Bloom​ingdale's, yeah.
Abby:
It's kind of, like, people will come to the United States, and they'll go to Victoria's Secret, right?
And then since Victoria's Secret isn't in Europe, or at least it wasn't back in... when I'm thinking about this, which is the 20-teens... people would carry their lunches to work in Victoria's Secret bags.
Which is hysterically funny from my perspective, because I'm like, "Ma'am, that's your underpant bag. That's where you buy your underpants. And now you have your food in it to tell people you've been to America to shop at Victoria's Secret."
Ruth:
Now it's like Erewhon. Erewhon bags.
Abby:
Yeah.​ Yeah, it's like this— or like a Trader Joe's tote bag, right? Like, it's labeling. It's a brand recognition thing.
So that's, I think, tying Ruth together, my thought was, is Eagles opening up a grocery store in the town?
And the mayor was like, "Hey, if you do blue bags and people carry them, they'll be like, 'Ooh, where'd you get that? Where are you getting the blue bags?'
And they're like, 'Eagles grocery store.'
And people are like, 'I want to have blue bags too!' And then they'll go."
We love grocery stores here in the United States. When Publix opens, it goes crazy, like... I'm waiting for the Wawa to open up down the road.
Tom:
Oh no, that's fair. Wawa is the best gas station.
Evan:
Wawa,​ top tier, thank you. God tier, thank you.
Abby:
It's,​ yeah.
Evan:
Absol​utely.
Abby:
Just top...
Evan:
Quest​ion. The blue-ness, the mayor-ness, the bag-ness, does it have to do with post-production? Are we talking about he wanted it to be blue because of what the shoppers would do after they used the bag?
Tom:
Yes. Absolutely.
Evan:
Okay.
Tom:
And I think Abby, you were drifting towards there as well. Yes.
Abby:
It's recycling bags.
Tom:
Keep going, Abby.
Abby:
You could put your recycling in them. Or your dog poop. Because we love putting dog poop in our grocery store bags.
Evan:
If you recycle the blue bags...
Tom:
Yes, now there's one thing that you're missing here. Why is the mayor... calling to make that change?
'Cause you're right, everyone is gonna have the bag drawer at home, right? Or the bag bag that just has all these old grocery bags. They are now being used for recycling.
Why is the mayor calling up to get the blue bags there?
Abby:
Did they just open the recycling center? 'Cause this would have been the early '90s.
Tom:
Yes. That's another missing piece of this. This is early '90s. Recycling is starting to become a thing.
Abby:
Was it like a... So, in the United States... For... what... I grew up in the country, so we didn't really recycle. But, when I was around recycling, a lot of times they were in just plastic tubs, oftentimes green, right? But sometimes I think they would be blue. And so when they were trying to develop how to recycle compared to just trash removal—
And United States is a trash fire, right? Every state's different. Every city's different. Every county's different. Every township's different. It's not gonna apply to everybody, but... They were trying to come up with different ways.
And so if you had these blue grocery store bags, those coulda been the recycle... That's what you put out on the street to get picked up.
Tom:
Yes, it is! That's the key. The state of Pennsylvania passed a law that required residents to recycle more of their garbage in blue plastic bags. And those bags cost money.
Ruth:
Ohhh.
Tom:
(snickers) The mayor of Pittsburgh s— Okay. You know how we've all been going "he" on the mayor?
Ruth:
She.
Evan:
Ah.
Tom:
Mayor Sophie Masloff
Ruth:
(chuckles)
Tom:
called​ the local grocery store chain (laughs)
Abby:
(snaps fingers repeatedly)
Tom:
and asked them to use blue bags instead of white, so the residents would get those bags free of charge.
Evan:
And that would encourage them to actually recycle, because they already had the bags.
Tom:
Yes. And why isn't that a thing anymore?
Evan:
No one in Pittsburgh recycles.
SFX:
(others laugh uproariously)
Evan:
'Caus​e their place is trash. Boom! I'm sorry, it's nice.
Abby:
I can't wait for people to be in the comments, complaining about that, and being like, "It wasn't me guys! It wasn't Indiana. Indiana didn't say it, mm-mm!"
Ruth:
I'm from Sheffield. I ain't have anything to do with it.
SFX:
(others laughing)
Abby:
Jerse​y did it! (laughs)
Evan:
Is it they've changed colors, or...?
Tom:
There'​s something else that's changed in the last decade or two.
Ruth:
They don't need to have it in a bag. There's a bin.
Evan:
They don't have bins. (Southern drawl) They have trash cans.
Tom:
What might Pittsburgh have outlawed?
Evan:
Recyc​ling.
Tom:
(laughs heartily)
Abby:
Plast​ic? Plastic bags?
Evan:
Oh, plastic bags, yeah.
Tom:
Single​-use plastic bags are no longer allowed in Pittsburgh at all.
Ruth:
Wow.
Tom:
Ruth, it is time for your question. Whenever you're ready.
Ruth:
When making an upcycled coffee table, Alyssa used around 50 VHS cassettes and a roll of blue electrician's tape. Why?
When making an upcycled coffee table, Alyssa used around 50 VHS cassettes and a roll of blue electrician's tape. Why?
Abby:
Was she making the legs? Was she— Did she take the center of the VHS tape...?
So, did she stack the tapes on top, the VHS tapes, wrap them in electrical tape, and then basically remove the center where, you know, you do the spinny thing, and then pour resin in it or something to create a mold to then create the table legs?
Ruth:
You have... Parts of that, yes. Parts of that, no. (laughs)
Tom:
(chuckles)
Abby:
Okay,​ so we at least have a direction to go in. (chuckles)
Tom:
And also the question was, "Why?" This is Lateral. There's going to be something special about why this is done instead of just, "Yep, made a coffee table out of VHS cassettes."
Evan:
Are they movies that are home movies or relevant to her, or they... Do the VHS tapes matter?
Ruth:
The contents don't matter.
Tom:
Oh, 'cause I was going to say, I bet there's a movie that they've got 50 copies of on VHS that's a really apt one... I was really hoping that by the time I finished this sentence, I'd have a joke for which movie that might be that includes a coffee table. And I've got nothing.
Abby:
American Pie.
Tom:
(snorts)
Abby:
Sorry​, it was a counter.
Evan:
Oppos​ite of Seinfeld? Ah.
Abby:
But..​. (giggles) Is it more about the mold aspect and using the VHS— and tape as a mold and stacking them together? Or is it...
Ruth:
They aren't mould.
Abby:
Which​ part was I right on?
Ruth:
There​ was a reason why the cassette tapes were used, not other stuff. And it wasn't to make a mould. But it... You were heading... in a good direction, Abby. (giggles)
Evan:
So do you think the tape was used to tie it together, or is it used because the circle looks like the circle in a VHS tape?
Tom:
The circle?
Abby:
Ooh.
Evan:
The circle of a VHS tape and the circle of a tape? It's the same circle.
Tom:
Yeah, that's true.
Ruth:
The circle is important.
Evan:
Oh, the circle's important!
Ruth:
The circle's important.
Abby:
Okay,​ circle's important.
Tom:
Okay, because in my head, this was like a 5x10 grid of VHS tapes or something like that where they're all kind of laid out. And...
Abby:
What if she removed the white pits, the circles, and then she taped them together like a gear, and then made it this cool thing on top, with resin?
Ruth:
She didn't take them out of the cassettes. They are still in the cassettes, but the circles are important.
Abby:
I was like, in my head, this was really cool. This would have been viral on TikTok.
Ruth:
To be fair, I think it would be viral on TikTok.
Abby:
(giggles)
Evan:
Do you think that while in use... the coffee table has the tapes moving?
Ruth:
No.
Tom:
Oh, that's a shame, 'cos that would have been nice just to have a gear at one end, just to wind everything at the same time.
Evan:
That would've been sick.
Tom:
Is there some sort of VHS-based joke here, like, "be kind, rewind," or something like that that ties it to the table? I'm trying to think what else that could be.
Evan:
The "tape-ble"?
Tom:
"Tape-​ble"!
Ruth:
There​ isn't a phrase that links to it, but it's... The cassette tapes are important visually.
Tom:
You said blue electrical tape.
Ruth:
That'​s very important too.
Evan:
It's because the Philadelphia Eagles?
SFX:
(group laughing)
Abby:
This is so they can recycle the VHS tapes afterwards, Evan! (laughs)
Tom:
So, okay. Things that are blue and associated with VHS tapes: the Blockbuster Video logo.
Ruth:
Ooh, you're heading...
Tom:
Has she made a coffee table in the shape of a giant Blockbuster Video VHS... tape thing out of VHS tapes?
Ruth:
She hasn't.
Tom:
Aow!
Ruth:
But it is about the aesthetics of the cassette tape and the blue tape.
Evan:
Does the coffee table look like a cassette tape?
Ruth:
No. If you think of— So there's a table. We've established it's nothing to do with the legs. It's the top of the table. We've established that the white circles in the cassette tapes were important, and they're kept within the cassette tapes.
Doesn't look like a cassette tape though, but they do need blue tape. So have a think about what visually—
Tom:
Flat black thing with white circles in it from the VHS tapes and blue t— It doesn't help there's two different versions of the word "tape" in here. And blue electrical tape over it to create... some form of pattern.
Ruth:
You'v​e literally describing what I'm looking at right now, if that helps.
Tom:
Some form of cultural reference, and we're going to kick ourselves!
Ruth:
It's a nostalgic design.
Abby:
Is it... Connect Four?
Ruth:
You'r​e heading in the right— Games is the right way to go with this, Abby. It's not Connect Four.
Tom:
It's a black grid.
Abby:
Atari​?
Tom:
Pac-Man!
Abby:
No, Tetris!
Tom:
Pac-Man! It's a Pac-Man board!
Abby:
(wheezes profusely)
Evan:
Pac-M​an's not blue.
Tom:
(sighs) Yeah. But the lines between them are! It's a big—
Abby:
I started drawing it! (giggles)
Tom:
The white dots look like the pellets that Pac-Man has to pick up, and the blue tape marks the boundaries.
Abby:
Aw, that's so cool!
Ruth:
Told you it would go viral!
Abby:
And that would have gone so viral! (laughs)
Ruth:
So Alyssa had a bunch of waterlogged VHS cassettes, and by turning over the tapes, the white spokes on the underside looked like the dots in the Pac-Man maze when the cassettes were arranged in a layer on the tabletop.
Blue lines were then added to mimic the famous arcade game maze, and then plexiglass was added over the top to make it useful as a table.
Tom:
Thank you to Katy for this next question.
Katy goes to join a large group of her family for dinner at The Savoy hotel, London. When she sits down, she's surprised to see a wooden statue of a black cat on the table, with a napkin around its neck. Why is it there?
One more time:
Katy goes to join a large group of her family for dinner at The Savoy hotel, London. When she sits down, she's surprised to see a wooden statue of a black cat on the table, with a napkin around its neck. Why is it there?
Ruth:
Happy​ birthday!
SFX:
(both chuckle)
Ruth:
Anyon​e been to The Savoy?
Evan:
I have. They're one of the only parts of London where you drive on the right side of the road.
Tom:
I mean, not in the hotel, just to be clear.
Abby:
(laughs chirpingly)
Tom:
Just the street outside.
Evan:
The street that leads up to it is, interestingly, on the right side of the road. It's quite fun. I have been inside for a couple events, and I did not see any cat with no napkin, so...
Abby:
My brain went to three different things at once, and I think all of them are kind of silly, because that's just my brain.
One is there was a Savoy hotel cat that... they passed away, and, you know. So to honor the cat, and the, you know... they have the little kitty cat, and he has a little napkin, so he can sit at dinner with you. And you can have dinner with the cat at the special table, because that was the cat's table, right?
And everyone's like, "Oh, kitty, that's amazing."
The other thing is, was it a dinner about ancient Egypt? And so we have a black cat in order, you know, of— because it's a thematic dinner about ancient Egypt, and the British Museum, and et cetera, et cetera. Rachel Weisz and Brendan Fraser in The Mummy.
Tom:
(chuckles) Oh, sorry. I was driving the other day and saw a bumper sticker that was, "Honk if you'd rather be watching the 1999 cinematic masterpiece, The Mummy." It was just—
Abby:
The answer is always yes.
Tom:
Yeah. What was the third one? You had famous cat, and you had ancient Egypt. You said you had three things.
Abby:
I have forgotten the third.
Tom:
Excell​ent. Your first one's closer.
Abby:
(laughs uproariously)
Tom:
But not that much closer.
Evan:
Is the napkin... Is it a actual napkin that can be used, or is this a...? You know what, that's what I'm thinking. I'm thinking about the utility of said napkin. It's a napkin-holding cat for you. Or... Wait, is this a statue of a cat, you said?
Tom:
This is a wooden statue of a black cat with a napkin around its neck.
Evan:
And it's at a table.
Tom:
Mm.
Abby:
If the cat was... (stammers) Obviously, I'm not sure how close I was with my first version.
But let's say there was a cat who lived at The Savoy, and the cat would walk around the tables, okay? And this is going to be the best children's book story of all time. It's very, like, Eloise in the Plaza Hotel in New York.
But the cat would go around, and people would feed the cat caviar or tuna. And so if you're having, you know, a fixed menu about— with seafood in it, then you get the cat, because you're having seafood and kitty, 'cause you would metaphorically feed the kitty.
Evan:
Maybe​ the cat was related to the owner, or someone that used to frequent there.
Ruth:
It says family party. It did say family party. Maybe they're celebrating the life of the cat.
Tom:
It did say large group of her family for dinner, and that is important.
Evan:
She ate a large group of her family for dinner.
Tom:
Not quite what I said, but—
SFX:
(group giggling)
Ruth:
The cat seems irrelevant now, really, if that's what she's doing.
SFX:
(Evan and Abby laugh)
Abby:
Is this a Game of Thrones party? Are we— Sorry.
Tom:
(laughs) Oh, well, mm, no, absolutely not.
Ruth:
Oh. Is the cat a themed cat?
Tom:
The cat is not there to be decorative. It's not to entertain children. It is there for a reason.
Ruth:
What famous black cats are there?
Evan:
The cat in Downing Street exists.
Tom:
What might you associate a black cat with?
Ruth:
Luck,​ or bad luck, good luck, bad luck, one or the others.
Tom:
Yes.
Ruth:
Oh, was it like an 18th birthday party, and it's a tradition in her family that the black cat has to be there, and The Savoy were like, "No cats". So they brought a statue instead, so that she could be lucky?
Tom:
Tradit​ion's a good word in that.
Ruth:
Ooh, okay.
Evan:
Hm...
Ruth:
Cats and traditions.
Tom:
This wouldn't have happened with a smaller group.
Ruth:
Was the cat theirs or The Savoy's?
Tom:
It was The Savoy's.
Ruth:
Oh, is it unlucky for 13 people to dine together, or else you—
Abby:
(gasps) Oh!
Ruth:
Yeah,​ so it's the cat is the 13th person.
Tom:
Where did that come from all of a sudden? Keep going, Ruth!
Abby:
(applauds)
Ruth:
So it's unlucky for 13 people to dine together. so there was 12 of... No, there was 13 of them, and they had the cat that was 14, so it wasn't unlucky. So the first one to leave is not going to die. Which is...
Tom:
Yes. In fact, even down to the detail of the superstition there. Yes, you're absolutely right.
Ruth:
You know.
Tom:
There is an old superstition.
Evan:
Wow.
Tom:
There were 13 people at the table at Jesus's Last Supper, and an old superstition says, if 13 people dine together, the first person to rise from the table will be the first to die.
Ruth:
There​ we go.
Tom:
And in 1898, a diamond magnate sat with 12 others at Savoy and was shot dead weeks later. So the superstition was a thing.
In 1927, designer Basil Ionides designed a wooden cat called Kaspar, and if 13 people are dining at The Savoy, the cat will have a seat, just to make sure there are 14 people at the table.
Ruth:
Can I just—I don't think that counts, though. Do you? If we're actually looking at like, 13 people— The cat's not going to eat anything, doesn't breathe, doesn't bring conversation. I don't think that counts.
Evan:
Cat can't die.
Ruth:
Yeah.
Evan:
He has nine lives.
Tom:
In the 1800s, there were actually some French villages who would have a quatorzième, a 14th: a designated person that if there were 13 dining, you would call them.
Ruth:
Sign me up. Sounds great.
Tom:
(chuckles)
Evan:
That sounds like an app you would download. You just sign up when you're free.
Tom:
(laughs heartily)
Ruth:
We should so do that!
Abby:
It's like Tinder and Yelp came together for a dining buddy.
Tom:
Yep. You'd need a better name. No one's going to be able to spell Quatorzième. It's got to be "Qtrzm" or something like that, with all the vowels removed.
Abby:
Dinde​r.
Tom:
(laughs) Oh!
Evan:
Thatâ​€” Dinder Mifflin.
Tom:
Oh, that's good. That's good. Yes. This is The Savoy's wooden cat called Kaspar that sits at the table, should 13 people be eating. Abby, it is over to you for the next question.
Abby:
This question has been sent in by Sarah Roberge.
What is the connection between 500 Japanese men stomping on a wooden floor, a door slamming, and a gavel being hit?
So again:
What is the connection between 500 Japanese men stomping on a wooden floor, a door slamming, and a gavel being hit?
Evan:
This sounds to me like foley.
Tom:
I was thinking foley.
Evan:
...à ​ deux.
Tom:
(chuckles) Hey!
That was— Again, really good, didn't get any reaction from the crowd.
I feel like we should just—
Ruth:
(chuckles)
Tom:
We should ironically dub in
Evan:
(wheezes)
Tom:
some foley sound effect of laughing there.
Ruth:
(laughs)
Tom:
That was great! That was a really good pun!
Evan:
Alrig​ht. (chuckles)
Abby:
Okay,​ are you guys talking— Can you please explain foley? I think Ruth and I were like—
Evan:
Foley​ is when, for instance, I'm just— I don't actually know what the sound of someone stepping in grapes is, so I'm just going to go to my sound effects and find someone
Abby:
Got it.
Evan:
who has done this: (cheek flaps) with their mouth.
Ruth:
Yeah,​ yeah.
Evan:
And then I put that. That's foley.
Abby:
Okay.
Ruth:
It's never the actual sound.
Abby:
Cool.​ You all are headed in the right direction. Yes.
Tom:
If you have someone in a movie who is stabbed in the heart, like staking a vampire, that is normally someone stabbing lettuce.
Evan:
Norma​lly.
Tom:
Or someone shredding lettuce. That kind of, "Crunch!" sound effect. It's lettuce.
I mean, what it actually is is someone 50 years ago who stabbed one lettuce, and that has now been converted and digitised into various formats, and someone just types in, "stab" into a sound effects library. But once upon a time, someone would be stabbing lettuce.
Abby:
That reminds me of the generic kids laugh sound effect that's in every movie.
Tom:
Yes.
Evan:
KidsC​heer.wav.
Tom:
Yep.
Abby:
Oh man, you hear it everywhere. It's in Little Women 1994, even. It's just... the sound. Anyways, yes, you are correct, that's where we're going.
Evan:
500 Japanese men.
Abby:
Mhm.
Evan:
How do we make it sound like they're stamping on a wooden floor for a film? Well, of course, we've got a door slamming, so we just slam it a couple of times.
Ruth:
Hit a gavel.
Evan:
Hit a gavel. Bam bam bam.
Abby:
There​'s a lot of things hitting wood.
Ruth:
Were all those sounds made in the same foley studio?
Tom:
That's​ a hell of a foley studio.
Ruth:
I mean, we all know foley— it's not to say, like, they were never going to have the Japanese men. They'll have, like...
Tom:
(laughs heartily)
Evan:
Chine​se men.
Tom:
Very specific sound effects!
Evan:
(wheezes)
Abby:
I will say this: The door was not wood. It's... I'll say that. The door is not wood. So not everything's wood.
Tom:
Okay.
Abby:
I apologize.
Tom:
So it's not just wood on stuff.
Ruth:
I think it's, like, the most sought after foleys... I mean, no, they're not, ignore me. I thought that as I was saying.
Tom:
(chuckles)
Ruth:
I was like, no. They're not the most sought after foleys. (laughs)
Tom:
They'r​e all sound effects for thunder. Or like rumble of thunder off in the dis— You've got like... a gavel hit is a big thump. A door slamming is a big thump. And then you just have that long rumble of thunders. Why it would be 500 Japanese men? Not entirely certain.
There is... Okay. I'm gonna go into an anecdote here.
Somewhere in Britain, I think it might be in Bristol, I'm not sure, there is one theatre that still has what they call the thunder run. And if you need your play to have a roll of thunder in the background, they have a big ol' cannonball and a big old trough for it to roll down. And they do live foley rather than play— And it's just...
How often you need thunder, I don't know, but when they do, someone rolls a cannonball down a trough.
Evan:
Well,​ I like that you described it as a "big ol' cannonball." That makes it so much more jovial.
Tom:
(laughs)
Evan:
I love it.
Abby:
Send them all a tiny one.
Tom:
I'm sure there are different calibres of cannonball.
Abby:
If I was a director, I'd be like, oh, Midsummer Night's Dream? Obviously, there's a thunderstorm.
Tom:
Obviou​sly.
Evan:
We're​ throwing out the cannonball.
Tom:
Oh, thank you, Producer David. I was nearly right.
The Bristol Old Vic, Her Majesty's Theatre in London, and the Playhouse in London are the three theatres that still have or once had thunder runs.
Evan:
I'm wondering if the 500 Japanese men are part of the foley in creating it, or they are what the foley is trying to create?
Ruth:
Yes, that's what I was trying to work out. Is it— Are they involved in it?
Abby:
Yes, that's a part of the foley.
Ruth:
So—
Evan:
Okay.
Ruth:
So Tom was kind of right with the thundery thing. What sounds could they all be? Does that make sense? Are they— Is a gavel hitting, a door slamming, and all of the men...
Tom:
Yeah.
Ruth:
What were they doing? (chuckles)
Tom:
Stampi​ng on a wooden floor.
Abby:
Stomp​ing.
Tom:
Which I'm not gonna be enough of a jerk to do that into a microphone,
Ruth:
(creaks desk)
Tom:
but it's going to be sort of this steady low rumble, like industrial machinery or something going along. In my head, this is constant stamping, rumble-of-thunder type stamping.
Abby:
Mm...​ I don't... Mm...
Tom:
Oh, okay. So it's just 500 Japanese men going "Thump!" on a wooden floor once.
Abby:
Yes.
Tom:
So these are all big hit noises, aren't they?
Ruth:
Yeah,​ I was like, is there something to do with the decibels that all of these sounds hit? Are they all actually the same in some way? Or that they're made differently?
Abby:
The sounds all happen at once.
Ruth:
Oh?
Abby:
So I can say that.
Tom:
Okay.
Abby:
Nothi​ng in the clue has to do about decibels. So I cannot speak to that one way or the other. But I can say the sounds all happen together. And they were com— Obviously, they didn't put 500 Japanese men and someone with a gavel, and then the door.
Tom:
Yeah. (chuckles) "Alright lads, we've gotta all do this at the same time," and it's this...
Abby:
One, two...!
Tom:
"Thump​!" And it's like, "Aw, you missed on the door."
Evan:
Ichi,​ ni, san.
Tom:
"You missed the door."
Abby:
Yeah.​ (chuckles)
Tom:
Is there a famous sound effect? Is there some noise that they made that we all know that is actually this?
Ruth:
That'​s what they used to make those laughing children sound. That's exactly what it is.
Tom:
(laughs heartily)
Evan:
(laughs child-like)
Tom:
That's​ a good impression there, Evan.
Evan:
Thank​ you. (wheezes)
Abby:
The sound is not associated with anything funny.
Ruth:
Oh.
Abby:
I'll just put it this way. And also, out of everyone in the group, I fully assume Evan will know the sound and know the reference.
Evan:
Damn.
Tom:
Wow, okay.
Ruth:
I mean, that's a lot of pressure, Evan. Hope you— You know, looking forward to that.
Evan:
So in the '90s hit online game, RuneScape...
SFX:
(group chuckling)
Evan:
No, I... I have no idea. Oh, is it possibly a sound effect that happens when you walk into a movie theater and they have the loud sound to start off to be like, "Shut up!"
Tom:
Well, the THX sound or something like that.
Evan:
Yeah,​ I was thinking of the THX sound.
Abby:
Okay,​ it is definitely a sound effect. It definitely happens at the beginning of something. But is not associated with movies.
Tom:
Oh, that's a shame, 'cos I thought it was going to be the drums at the start of the 20th Century Fox theme tune for a minute there.
Abby:
That would be cool, but no, it's not that.
Tom:
Argh.
Abby:
You guys are headed kind of in the right direction, but you need to go off on a little side quest.
Ruth:
Is it... I'm like, song, movie, theatre?
Tom:
(chuckles)
Evan:
TV shows here.
Abby:
Yes, TV.
Evan:
Hm...
Ruth:
TV, okay.
Abby:
Yes.
Ruth:
Famou​s TV show sounds... from what year?
Tom:
We haven't been told yet.
Abby:
Oh, it started in the 1990s.
Ruth:
Ooh.
Abby:
It's still going on today though.
Tom:
Okay, there aren't many shows that have been going that long. The Simpsons? No, that starts with a choir.
Abby:
The Simpsons has probably parodied it. Parodied-ied-ied-ied​ it. It's probably been referen— I haven't watched The Simpsons, but I can fully assume that The Simpsons have made a reference to it.
Evan:
Wait a minute. You said gavel, so now I'm assuming it's: (hums Law & Order theme tune) Law & Order? No?
Tom:
(strains loudly) It's the "dun-dun"!
Abby:
Yeah,​ that's it! It's Law & Order.
Tom:
It's the Law & Order "dun-dun"!
SFX:
(Abby and Evan laugh uproariously)
Tom:
Argh!
Abby:
That'​s why I was like, "Evan, you're going to get it!"
Evan:
(hums theme tune) My dad had that on at all times of the day.
Abby:
Exact​ly!
Evan:
Oh my god. Yeah, but I don't really associate it with much except for the... ♪ Dah-dah ♪ How is that 500 Japanese men? They could have used three, probably.
Tom:
No, it's not the theme music. It's the thing they use for transitions.
Abby:
It's the "dun-dun!"
Tom:
It's the two beats.
Ruth:
Yes.
Tom:
The...​ "duum-duum".
Evan:
Yeah,​ the "Dun-dun, ♪ da-da, da-da ♪" But I still feel like they didn't need that many men.
Tom:
Which has a sound that... I mean, I never thought what that sound was.
Abby:
So apparently... The door being slammed is large and made of metal. Okay, jail, that makes sense.
The gavel, the 500 Japanese men, it's the "D-d-dun!" And they were all combined together by Mike Post, which, what a brilliant last name.
Tom:
Yeah, he's legendary. He composed a lot of TV theme tunes. I think it's The A-Team among others.
Abby:
Mhm, yeah.
Evan:
Oh! Wow.
Abby:
And apparently, since it's technically a piece of music, he receives a royalty every time it's played.
Ruth:
(gasps)
Tom:
Ohh!
Abby:
Whoa!
Evan:
(hums theme)
Abby:
It's like, bravo.
Ruth:
Yeah,​ that's the best job ever. (laughs)
Abby:
Ever,​ 'cause Law & Order plays constantly over here!
Tom:
Right?
Abby:
Const​antly.
Tom:
I never thought about that sound effect. But yeah, you break it down, it's got a jail cell door, it's got a gavel, and it just needed a lot more noise. So like, "Alright, here's a big thump to add to it."
Evan:
Whose​ decision was that to get 500? They're like, "What about 400?" No.
SFX:
(others laughing)
Evan:
500 Japanese men.
Tom:
The last order of business then.
Thank you to Dmitrij for sending in this question.
Why would you be disappointed to hear that you have to take the number 11 bus to your destination?
Anyone guessing that before I send it off to the audience?
Abby:
I get terrible anxiety riding buses, so any bus would be terrible for me, because I would just be an anxious, sweaty mess, fully assuming I would get lost.
Tom:
Disapp​ointed rather than anxiety.
Ruth:
Is that the one that doesn't have free Wi-Fi?
Evan:
I don't think any of them in London have free Wi-Fi. What?
Ruth:
Yeah!
Evan:
I've never heard this before.
Ruth:
Come to the North. Welcome to Sheffield! We have free Wi-Fi.
Evan:
I don't want to pay £5 for a bus though.
Tom:
That's​ fair, yes.
Ruth:
And excellent pins, great vintage tools, and you can now pay contactless on the tram. I don't know what else you want in life, really, if I'm honest.
Evan:
To go to Meadow Hell.
Ruth:
Meado​w Hall! Used to be a prison. That was my last Lateral, yeah. Blew Tom's mind. Meadow Hall, used to be a prison. Sorry, Tom, the buses.
Evan:
Sorry​. So bus 11 is disappointing 'cause it's 1 more than 10.
Ruth:
(chuckles)
Abby:
The numbers don't do anything fun, they're just... But 11:11's lucky.
Tom:
Well, the number is relevant, but it's not the number itself. It's more like the shape of the number.
Evan:
Becau​se it looks like Ls, so it gets confusing.
Tom:
This is a metaphorical phrase.
Ruth:
They'​re just lines, right?
Tom:
Yeah, just two straight lines.
Evan:
(gasps) Because it looks like... It looks like a Roman numeral two.
Tom:
(chuckles) Oh, nearly! I thought you got it there, Evan. I thought you got it.
Evan:
Oh! Damn. (chuckles)
Tom:
If you do take this, you will get to your destination more slowly, and you'll be more tired.
Ruth:
Is it walking?
Tom:
Ruth, keep talking.
Ruth:
Is it some reference to using your legs?
Tom:
Yes. Why might that be?
Ruth:
Like legs, 11? Like in... I don't know. (laughs)
Evan:
Two 1s look like legs, is that supposed to be it?
Tom:
Yes. This is a Russian language expression. Dmitri said this is from growing up in Belarus. It's common slang. The number 11 bus is your legs. It's your legs, yes.
Abby:
Ohhh.
Tom:
You could also "take the leather express."
Ruth:
See, I think we'd've got it if it was that one. (chuckles)
Tom:
Thank you very much to all our players. Let's find out. What's going on in your lives? Where can people find you? We will start with Ruth.
Ruth:
So, I'm building kids' invention ideas over at Kids Invent Stuff. You can also find me at the moment on Yesterday building inventions from practical mechanics on Masters of Reinvention.
Tom:
Evan!
SFX:
(silence)
Evan:
(laughs hysterically)
Tom:
(laughs heartily)
Ruth:
You can find him at The Savoy with a cat.
Evan:
You can find me at The Savoy.
You can find me at youtube.com/evan. I've been working on a lot of videos from different trips abroad.
And hopefully I've got a video with a Member of Parliament coming out next month, which is very exciting.
Tom:
I think by the time this episode goes out, that may well already be on your channel. And Abby!
Abby:
Find me on YouTube, I'm on Instagram, TikTok. I am AbbyCox wherever you feel like socializing somewhere.
But my best stuff's on YouTube, and currently, I think... I don't know when this video's going to come out, but the video coming out I have recently will probably be about corsetry, because I have a three video series going on.
If not, it might be about belladonna and botox, which is very exciting.
And behind the scenes, I'm working on a book.
Tom:
And if you want to know more about this show, you can do that at lateralcast.com, where can also send in your own ideas for questions. We are @lateralcast basically everywhere, and there are video highlights every week, regularly, at youtube.com/lateralc​ast.
Thank you very much to Abby Cox!
Abby:
Thank​ you for having me! This was fun!
Tom:
Evan Edinger!
Evan:
Thank​ ye.
Tom:
Ruth Amos!
Ruth:
Thank​s for having me.
Tom:
I've been Tom Scott, and that's been Lateral.
| Previous Episode | Index |