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Episode 103: Polo pitch invaders
Published 27th September, 2024
Ólafur Waage, Evan Edinger and Hannah Witton face questions about humble hills, landmark LPs and supplemented signs.
HOST: Tom Scott. QUESTION PRODUCER: David Bodycombe. EDITED BY: Julie Hassett at The Podcast Studios, Dublin. MUSIC: Karl-Ola Kjellholm ('Private Detective'/'Agrumes', courtesy of epidemicsound.com). ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS: Michael Crowley, Jovi Thorne, Adam Aaronson, Bradley Momberger. FORMAT: Pad 26 Limited/Labyrinth Games Ltd. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: David Bodycombe and Tom Scott.
Transcript
Transcription by Caption+
Tom:
In 1949, what did the residents of Mole Hill, West Virginia change the community's name to?
The answer to that at the end of the show. My name's Tom Scott, and this is Lateral.
Nigel Nittlebottom was a perfectly, perfectly, perfectly normal boy. Completely regular and bog standard in every way. From his mud brown hair to his papery toes.
But then, one mighty, glopping morning, Nigel awoke to find his dad, pet gerbil, and even dull Grandma Ethel had all gone stark raving bonkers. Barking, babbling, and burbling utter nonsense.
Nigel sproinked over to the kitchen drawer and snaffled a small notepad and a purple crayon. He scribbled and scrawled as much as his nine-year-old brain could comprehend.
And if you ever wanted to know where we get our questions from, now you do.
First to tackle our tall tales today, we are joined by creator consultant, and honestly, I do not know how to describe you these days.
Hannah Witton. Welcome back to the show.
Hannah:
Thanks. Yeah, me neither.
Tom:
(laughs)
Hannah:
Me neither. I'm figuring it out, and I'm enjoying the process of figuring it out. (giggles)
Tom:
You are kind of slightly ahead of me in this position, in that I've taken the break. And I don't know how I'm coming back yet.
And how are you feeling, now you've got this new project going, and you're just kinda concentrating on second channel stuff and consultancy?
Hannah:
Oh my god, I feel so much lighter. So much more chill, like a weight has been lifted. And you might be feeling this too, on sabbatical.
Tom:
Oh yeah, yeah. Definitely.
Hannah:
Yeah. Yeah. Oh my god. Best decision ever.
And, I mean, I'm having a good time. And I'm feeling challenged in new ways, it's great.
Tom:
Well, thank you for taking the time away from both that, and from family life, to come play on the podcast. It's great to have you back.
Hannah:
(snickers) My pleasure.
Tom:
Also joining us, we have... someone whose content is difficult to sum up, because you cover so many different things. Evan Edinger, what are you working on at the minute?
Evan:
Wow, you know, I can never tell. Gotta open up the Notion here.
SFX:
(Tom and Hannah chuckle)
Evan:
It depends on what day of the week.
It looks like, according to this, I'm working on some video about public transit in Berlin versus London and what the average Brit is like by looking at the median person.
It's based on a John Green video. If you've seen his—
Tom:
What?
Evan:
John Green made an excellent video a couple months ago about the average American, where he looks at what a median American would be. Which would be a woman named Jessica, because there's more women than men in America.
So I'm going to do that with the average Brit. That's what I'm working on at the moment.
Tom:
How close are you to the average Brit?
Evan:
That's, yes, that's the title.
Tom:
Okay, right. (laughs)
Hannah:
(cackles)
Evan:
(claps)
Tom:
Sorry. Clickbait brain just immediately geared in there.
Evan:
I'll have to change title now.
Tom:
Yep, yep.
Ólafur:
Spoilers, spoilers.
Tom:
Also joining us, the third member of our panel today, we have Nordic YouTuber Ólafur Waage, who also has sent in and had accepted multiple questions on Lateral. Congratulations.
How does it feel to be on the other end of this?
Ólafur:
Oh, it's way more fun. Writing the questions is really tricky.
SFX:
(Tom and Ólafur chuckle)
Tom:
Really?
Ólafur:
Oh yeah, because you gotta phrase them correctly and give the hints and then set up the— basically set them up for success. So it's actually pretty tricky.
Tom:
That's true. I was thinking from the perspective of asking the questions, which is a lot easier. Writing them, I am just in awe of what our question teams can put together. So, yeah, thank you very much.
Ólafur:
I think I've closed that form more often than I've submitted it. Because I'm like, "Ah, this might be a good one, but no, it's not a good one."
Tom:
There is just a list of questions on that form that we have had sent in so many times now. And I just... I apologise to anyone who's been disappointed, gone, "I've got a great question for Lateral," has opened up that form and gone, "Oh yeah, no, they've had that one." A lot of people know about the Polish driver's license.
Evan:
Oh, yeah, they don't have them there, 'cause they don't know how to drive. No, I...
Tom:
Close. (laughs)
Hannah:
(laughs snidely)
Ólafur:
Starting off strong.
Tom:
My script here... (cracks up) My script for the segue into question one just says, "aaa!" Which means that either my producer has left the placeholder in, or he's having a complete mental breakdown. And I know which one my money's on. So, if I can ask the panel to just join me in a scream just to... in sympathy with our question editor.
SFX:
Aaaa!
Tom:
Thank you very much, folks. Let's get on with question one. It's possible to buy Y-shaped pieces of 'articulation paper'. Putting pressure on the paper causes coloured pigment to appear. Who buys it? I'll say that again. It's possible to buy Y-shaped pieces of 'articulation paper'. Putting pressure on the paper causes coloured pigment to appear. Who buys it?
Hannah:
Am I allowed to google what articulation paper is?
SFX:
(Tom and Hannah crack up)
Tom:
No, that is cheating!
Evan:
It's paper that articulates. Come on.
Tom:
But I'll tell you, it's Y-shaped, and if you put pressure on it, coloured pigment appears.
Ólafur:
So it's not enunciation paper?
Evan:
Articulation, funny.
Ólafur:
Thank you.
Evan:
I wonder if it has anything to do with... I'm sorry, I was actually laughing. I just...
Tom:
(laughs)
Ólafur:
I know, I know.
Hannah:
(snicker-hums)
Evan:
Wondering if it has anything to do with the printing, photography type printing business stuff. As pigment's used in that, but I have no idea what a Y-shape means for a piece of paper.
Hannah:
Well the letter Y is what comes to my head, but now that you say that, I'm like, "Oh, wait, is it something different?"
Evan:
Yeah, well...
Tom:
It's just the question word, W-H-Y. It's just 'why'-shaped paper. It's shaped like the concept of a question. It's not, it's shaped like the letter Y. Just to be clear.
Hannah:
Like the letter Y. We're talking lowercase or uppercase? What font?
Tom:
(laughs)
Ólafur:
This is the real questions here, real questions.
Evan:
Two-dimensional or three-dimensional? Like, is the Y... That's what I want to know.
Tom:
It's an uppercase Y.
Hannah:
And you touch it... and it changes colour?
Tom:
It causes coloured pigment to appear.
Hannah:
On the paper or on your hands?
Tom:
On something. That's a really good question, Hannah.
SFX:
Ooh.
Hannah:
On whatever's underneath it?
Evan:
Oh, does it— Oh, no, I was, no. I was thinking of those magnet papers.
Tom:
But I enjoyed the journey that you clearly went on in those few seconds.
Hannah:
Who buys fancy paper? Architects, landscapers, children?
Ólafur:
Because I'm wondering if it's the— if it's more the pigment or if it's more the shape. Because if it's the pigment... something about the pigment... you don't care about the shape. It just happens to be 'Y'.
Tom:
It wouldn't work if it was any other shape.
Hannah:
Ooh!
Evan:
It's because you have two branching different bits. You can see it with the control and the non-control set. I have no idea.
Hannah:
Oh my god, it's like a pregnancy test.
Tom:
Now, no, but getting closer. What was the very first thing you said, Hannah?
Hannah:
Whether the colour pigmentation changes on the... on your hands or on the...
Evan:
Paper?
Hannah:
Is it like a UTI test, and you dip it in the wee? I'm just thinking...
Tom:
(chuckles)
Evan:
Wee.
Hannah:
You dip it in the wee, you check... if you've got all the right stuff in your wee. That's not a Y, that's a rectangle.
Ólafur:
Because you're saying that another letter wouldn't work, which means that U wouldn't work. So it's not about the two prongs.
Tom:
In theory, U would work, but it'd be a lot more difficult to handle.
Ólafur:
So you want that— You want the handle at the end.
Tom:
Yeah, you want the handle on the end.
Evan:
So one gets touched in a certain way.
Hannah:
Yeah, or depending on what's touching it. Like, it changes colour, and one bit of the Y, or a different colour on the other bit of the Y, and then it tells you what your colour seasonal analysis is. Like, you're an autumn!
Evan:
Absolutely.
Tom:
We have already assumed that it leaves pigment behind.
Hannah:
It leaves pigment behind.
Ólafur:
Because then it's not about... Because if it leaves pigment behind, it's not about putting pigment on it. Because you would dip it into two different things that would join on the Y, you hold it at the end. So it's the other way around.
Hannah:
Do you dip it in something? Is it touched by hands or something else?
Tom:
Definitely something else.
Hannah:
Oh.
Tom:
We haven't really talked about articulation here.
Hannah:
Yeah.
Ólafur:
No, we gave up on that one. That was a word...
SFX:
(group laughing)
Ólafur:
A $10 word, that's not for us.
Tom:
There are parts of the body that articulate.
Hannah:
Is it a bone?
Evan:
My fingers articulate, so...
Hannah:
(giggles) My only reference point for the word 'articulation' is the game Articulate, which is about talking.
Tom:
Yeah, it is.
Hannah:
The mouth, the jaw, the face. Spit.
SFX:
(Ólafur and Hannah wheeze)
Ólafur:
I like that he went one direction, and they're like, "Oh, let's take a U-turn the other way."
SFX:
(Tom and Hannah laugh)
Evan:
It's a Y-turn actually.
Ólafur:
Ah, yes.
Hannah:
Yeah, Y-turn.
Tom:
That was—
Hannah:
Oh, wait, wait! (mouth held open) You put it under your tongue.
Tom:
(laughs heartily) Did you need to demonstrate that while saying it? Absolutely not. But I'm really glad you did.
Hannah:
I've been in hospital so many times. I'm like, what tests have been done...?
Evan:
In both nostrils? Wait, you don't articulate your nose.
Tom:
You're all very close.
Hannah:
It changes colour.
Tom:
That Articulate game reference about talking was actually, yeah. Same sort of route.
Hannah:
Oh my god, really? This is how the English language works, baby. It all makes sense! (cackles)
Ólafur:
How— Okay, one question, maybe. How big is this? Is this— In my head it's like this, but it might be pretty long.
Hannah:
When Tom first said the question, I pictured it like the Y was the same size as an A4 piece of paper. And now I'm picturing it the same size as a thermometer.
Ólafur:
Because I'm thinking like a post stamp, postage stamp size.
Tom:
Hannah is very close here.
Hannah:
With the thermometer?
Tom:
You kinda put your hands up to the sides of your face, Hannah, and that is pretty much spot on.
Ólafur:
Oh, is it dentists?
Tom:
Yes, it is.
Ólafur:
Yeah.
Tom:
Spot on, that's the answer. That's who buys it. It's dentists. So, connect the dots. What is it?
Ólafur:
It's the— No, yeah. You use it to, once you've gotten a filling... you do it to bite down on the paper to see if it even all around.
Hannah:
Yeah.
Tom:
Yes.
Hannah:
They check your bite.
Ólafur:
Yeah.
Evan:
Wow!
Tom:
Yep.
Articulation paper is pigment-coated paper. And when you bite down on it, it leaves pigment behind on the teeth, so a dentist can check that your bite is working properly.
Hannah:
Literally did that a few months ago. Didn't know it was called articulation paper.
Tom:
And the name comes from your checking the articulation of the jaw and the bite. Which is the same root as the game Articulate, because Articulate is about speaking clearly, and it's all linguistically connected, so...
Evan:
And when you bite the paper, you dent it.
Hannah:
Mhm.
Ólafur:
Ohh! Can we kick someone off the podcast? Or how does this work?
SFX:
(Evan and Hannah cackle)
Tom:
No, no, because my brain's now going: Wait, are those words connected? Does 'dental' and 'dent' have the same root? Probably!
Hannah:
Same root canal.
Tom:
Oh!
Evan:
Eyyy.
SFX:
(Tom and Hannah giggle)
Tom:
And, yes, thank you. Thank you to producer David. 'Dent' is the root for tooth. So, yes, dent and dental and denture, they all come from the same thing.
Ólafur, it's over to you for the next question.
Evan:
Brace yourself.
Tom:
Did you just say "brace yourself", Evan? Was that a pun?
SFX:
(Evan and Hannah laugh)
Tom:
Was that a dentist pun?
Evan:
Yes, I am sorry. I just kinda slipped that in, hoping it would be unnoticed.
Hannah:
It's a good joke. We all said, "Aaah!" at the beginning of this podcast.
SFX:
(guys laughing)
Ólafur:
So this is for everybody except Evan. No, I'm kidding.
SFX:
(group laughing)
Ólafur:
In 2008, a team from England won the WEPA's polo world championship in Nepal. For the event to run smoothly, assistants had to run onto the pitch from time to time, even though they were not playing or officiating. Why?
So I'll say it again.
In 2008, a team from England won the WEPA's polo world championship in Nepal. For the event to run smoothly, assistants had to run onto the pitch from time to time, even though they were not playing or officiating. Why?
Evan:
I'm wondering if they were providing oxygen.
Tom:
Yeah. A whole scenario just appeared in my head, of high-altitude horse support.
Evan:
That's what I was thinking of.
Tom:
(chuckles)
Hannah:
Ohh.
Tom:
There's just teams rushing on to give the horses oxygen masks, and that's a big oxygen mask. There's a big, big mouth
Ólafur:
Long one.
Tom:
on a horse there, just for high-altitude horse support. Which is also the name of a prog band.
Hannah:
Yeah, I was like, what's the equivalent of the ball boys and girls in tennis, in polo? (giggles)
Evan:
Horse girls.
SFX:
(group giggling)
Evan:
Nay?
Hannah:
Which is the name of another band.
Evan:
So this is 2008 specifically. Does it happen other years, or just this year significant?
Tom:
Probably wasn't in Nepal the other years.
Ólafur:
Yeah, it was in Nepal this year. It doesn't say. It probably runs... It has an acronym-y name. So it's probably a common...
Tom:
Yeah.
Evan:
WEPA.
Ólafur:
WEPA, W-E-P-A.
Tom:
Which I assume is the World Equestrian Polo Association or something like that, but...
Hannah:
So, are we thinking that these... what did you call them, assistants? These assistants... aren't a normal feature of polo, but they are for the 2008...
Tom:
In Nepal.
Hannah:
Nepal polo.
Tom:
I don't know that much about polo. You ride a horse.
Hannah:
Or Nepal.
Tom:
You hold a big... what's basically a long croquet mallet. It's a big mallet. And you whack a ball towards a goal. And that is basically all I know about polo, other than that the royal family like it.
Hannah:
So, is there something to do with the ground— Are there sticks that need to be stuck in the ground? And they kept falling out? (giggles) If you just stick sticks in the ground.
Tom:
I feel like a professional polo match is gonna be a bit better than sort of jumpers for goalposts soccer.
Ólafur:
So here's the thing. It is like a normal polo match. Like we all watch, you know. Classic Sunday polo match.
SFX:
(Tom and Hannah chuckle)
Ólafur:
But there's one key difference.
Hannah:
Which is that it's... in Nepal.
Evan:
In Nepal.
SFX:
(Tom and Hannah laugh)
Ólafur:
And that's the answer! There you go, right.
Evan:
(snickers)
Tom:
Okay. We all got stuck on altitude, because that's the thing we know about Tibet.
Ólafur:
Mhm.
Tom:
But... I don't know what support that would require?
Hannah:
Is it care— Is it to do with care for the horses, or is it to do with... Are they cheerleaders?
SFX:
(Tom and Hannah chuckle)
Tom:
Wait, horse cheerleaders, or human cheerleaders? Because—
Hannah:
Either.
Tom:
I love the idea that, meanwhile, there's a dressage competition going on, and they've just learned to do cheerleading for that.
Evan:
Yeah, so I'm thinking maybe, they have to hot swap out the horses, because the horses are like, "eugh!" They're getting tired. There's not enough oxygen. So they have to swap out the horses with people, right?
Ólafur:
So there's one thing I'm gonna give you. It is a type of polo that is well known in Southeast Asia.
Evan:
Water polo.
Hannah:
Is it water polo?
Ólafur:
No.
Tom:
It's a— Wait. It's a type of polo?
Ólafur:
It's a variety of polo that are well-known in Southeast Asia.
Hannah:
Are they not riding horses? Are they riding a different animal?
Ólafur:
Mm?
Evan:
Elephants.
Ólafur:
Evan.
Evan:
They're riding elephants.
Hannah:
Elephants?
Evan:
And so... You gotta swap out them elephants.
Ólafur:
Well, no.
Tom:
Elephant polo?
Ólafur:
It's elephant polo.
Tom:
Oh, it's not—
Evan:
Elephant polo.
Tom:
You know how I looked at that acronym... I looked at that acronym, and I was like, "Oh, it's going to be the world equestrian polo—" No, it's the World Elephant Polo. There was a clue, and I went straight past it as if it wasn't there.
Ólafur:
I had to keep my cool in my face.
SFX:
(others laughing)
Ólafur:
I'm like, yeah, that's the one. That's the question.
Hannah:
So is it watering the elephants?
Ólafur:
No.
Hannah:
Picking up elephant poo!
Ólafur:
There we go.
Hannah:
(gasps)
Tom:
Oh!
Evan:
Elephant poop.
Ólafur:
There we go.
Tom:
Wait, do elephants produce more than horses? Which kinda makes sense, but also apparently more regularly.
Hannah:
Yeah, so is the poo not a problem in regular polo then?
Ólafur:
Probably not as—
Hannah:
Or is it just, the elephant poo is that big, that it's like, we gotta get it out of here.
Evan:
They gotta take it to someone's trunk.
Ólafur:
Oh, hey.
Hannah:
Imagine that being your job. It's a bit different to the ball boys and ball girls, isn't it?
Tom:
(laughs) It's not quite as glamorous a job, really, as doing that at Wimbledon.
Although, weirdly, they did have to do that for Boris Becker once. That, sorry! (laughs) Unnecessary slander on Boris Becker's contenance there! Don't know why I did that.
Ólafur:
So, elephant polo is played on a three-quarter size pitch with four elephants on each team.
Two people ride each one: a mahout, a driver, steers the elephant, while the player tries to hit the ball with a long mallet.
To ensure that the ball can roll properly, assistants run onto the pitch to collect any dung produced by the elephants during the game.
Tom:
Right, because a polo ball will... It'll go over a small rut in the ground. It'll probably go over horse poop.
Ólafur:
Mhm.
Tom:
But, it'll just get stuck if there's elephant dung on there.
Ólafur:
It's also noted here that the WEPA lays out strict guidelines for the welfare of the elephants. They are supplied with high-protein food, vitamins, supplements, and swimming lessons.
Tom:
Thank you to Adam Aaronson for this next question.
Nonagon Infinity is a 2016 album by the Australian psychedelic rock band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. What unusual feature can the CD album demonstrate that is much harder to appreciate with the LP version?
I'll say that one more time.
Nonagon Infinity is a 2016 album by the Australian psychedelic rock band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. What unusual feature can the CD album demonstrate that is much harder to appreciate with the LP version?
Hannah:
(chuckles) LP is like a record, isn't it? Like the big, big one?
Tom:
Vinyl record, yes.
Evan:
It's a long play.
Hannah:
Is it got anything to do with the fact that you— with a CD, you can play the whole thing through all in one go, but with an LP, you have to flip it?
Evan:
Not necessarily.
Hannah:
Well, it depends how many songs are on it. So how many sides there are? No? I don't have a record player. (laughs)
Evan:
I think that's for records. This isn't a record, is it?
Hannah:
What's an LP then?
Evan:
LP is a long play. It's just a CD, an album. You could have a new album from Billie Eilish that's called an LP.
Tom:
In this case, LP does mean vinyl record.
Evan:
Okay, okay.
Hannah:
Okay, so yeah. We're talking about a CD. A CD-ROM. (snickers) And a vinyl record.
Evan:
And a vinyl record, okay.
Ólafur:
Well, there's one thing that CDs can do that I know that it's kinda hard to do on vinyl. It's the secret songs at the end.
Evan:
Mhm.
Ólafur:
That... 'Cause if the vinyl... the needle is stopping. Oh, the last song is here, but I'm looking at the vinyl. There's more to go, right? Then there's— there are more grooves.
But on the CD, you can trick the whole thing to say, ah, let's stop displaying everything. And then if you keep going, there's a song at the end.
Tom:
We've talked on Lateral before about some of the weird groove tricks that records can use. You can have multiple grooves. You can have hidden grooves, all sorts of things.
It's not quite that, but remember that the question is: the unusual feature can be demonstrated by the CD, but not by the LP.
Hannah:
Oh, well, if you rewind it! And it gives you a secret lizard message. (chitters)
Ólafur:
(laughs)
Tom:
There have been CDs like that as well. You can have what's called a track zero, or you can have track one, and then have a negative timecode on it. Something like that, that CDs can do. That is not as unusual as this.
Hannah:
Oh, okay, right.
Tom:
There's lots of secret tracks out there.
Hannah:
What's the name of the band again, Tom? Come on, give it to us.
Tom:
(laughs)
Evan:
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.
Tom:
Yes, and I have a direct quote here from the lead singer, Stu Mackenzie, who says he admits that the band's name is silly and says, quote, "There's nothing wrong with being silly."
Ólafur:
Mhm.
Hannah:
Aw, bless him.
Evan:
My girlfriend loves that band.
Hannah:
Has it got anything to do with the name of the band? Is that relevant?
Tom:
No.
Hannah:
Okay, cool, cool, cool.
Ólafur:
Well, it's something that the CD can do that the LP can't. And it's not secret songs. They're these tricks. I'm wondering if it's the actual CD, the thing itself can do... Because they have this reflective coating on the other side. So can it— If you look at it on the other side, can you see a little image or something?
Hannah:
Heh, it's a mirror.
Ólafur:
Ah.
SFX:
(group snickering)
Ólafur:
You see a wonderful person if you look around, right?
Evan:
Aww.
Hannah:
I'm trying to remember the last time I had a CD.
Tom:
Well, this would also work on streaming services.
Evan:
Secret songs also work on streaming services.
Ólafur:
Yeah.
Tom:
Oh, do they though?
Evan:
There's quite a few Reliant K albums I listen to that still have the secret songs. It's like, one of them is a seven-minute song, and then after it ends, you forget that you're listening to music, you continue doing things, and then it shouts "Pepperoni" really loudly in your ears about three minutes later.
Tom:
(laughs) But it'll still show on the length count of the track, right? It's not like they can hide it away.
Evan:
Oh, you're right, you're right.
Tom:
You can't rewind Spotify past time zero and have some extra stuff in there.
Evan:
And it only works with the LP vinyl, but— No, it works on the CD, but not the vinyl.
Tom:
Yeah, it works on the CD. It would work on streaming services.
Evan:
Oh yeah.
Tom:
But it doesn't work on vinyl.
Evan:
Yeah, it's digital. Does it have to do with visual?
Tom:
Honestly, you were quite close with talking about where the needle might be or go.
Ólafur:
If it came out on cassette, what would be— in which category would the cassette be?
Tom:
The cassette would not be able to do this.
Hannah:
Because you have to flip a cassette.
Ólafur:
Mhm.
Tom:
You're dancing around there. What were you thinking about cassettes?
Ólafur:
I was thinking about cassettes, 'cause okay, we talked about the vinyl. That's one way of doing it. We talked about the CDs and the streaming. Then the cassette is one of them because the cassette has the same property of, you can't skip, like, "Oh, I want to listen to song two or three right now." So you have to wind forward to do...
Tom:
So, what happens when you've listened to it in full?
Ólafur:
The whole thing is that you have to go back around. You have to flip it over again. Or you have to move the needle all the way to the beginning.
Tom:
Mhm.
Ólafur:
Does the CD just start over... Is the CD twice? Is the album twice on the CD?
Hannah:
Is it just an album back to back?
Ólafur:
Yeah.
Hannah:
(giggles)
Tom:
What do you mean by that, Hannah?
Hannah:
So you listen to the whole thing, and then it just starts again, the whole thing, it's like...
Tom:
Yeah. The album is called Nonagon Infinity. So, it comes to the end of the last song on the LP or the CD, what happens?
Hannah:
Well, the whole album plays again on the CD. But it can't do that on the LP, because you'd have to physically move the needle. But on the CD, it just keeps going.
Evan:
And on Spotif— on streaming services?
Ólafur:
Because on Spotify, you can do the loop thing. You can click the button and do an infinite loop on the album.
Evan:
I see, I see, yes.
Tom:
Yes, on the CD player and on streaming, you can hit loop mode. And in this case, what does Nonagon Infinity do?
Evan:
It loops.
Tom:
Seamlessly and perfectly. One track going into the next in a continuous loop.
Ólafur:
Ah.
Tom:
That is the gimmick.
Ólafur:
It's a TikTok album because the last song loops with the first one.
Tom:
Yep, absolutely right.
Hannah:
So it's not that the album— just they actually have— if the album is 12 songs, we've actually put 24 on. It's the fact that the last song perfectly...
Tom:
Perfectly connects.
Hannah:
Sonically moves into the first song.
Tom:
So you can just leave it running without a break that just loops round and round and round.
Evan, over to you for the next question.
Evan:
So, this question has been sent in by Michael Crowley.
In October 2023, why did political activists add a piece of black tape to road signs on the Flinders Highway?
To repeat:
In October 2023, why did political activists add a piece of black tape to road signs on the Flinders Highway?
Ólafur:
Flanders, that's Netherlands or Belgium?
Tom:
I thought it was Flinders, which in my head feels Australian, and I don't know why.
Hannah:
(thick accent) Flanders?
Tom:
(laughs)Sounds more Australian now.
Evan:
That was great, not offensive at all.
Hannah:
Yeah, I have no idea where that would be.
Evan:
I'd say that the place is relevant, and someone did actually, yeah, guess that.
Tom:
Alright.
Hannah:
Well, the first thought that came to my head is that the black tape... Because if it's black tape, and maybe the road sign is also black, the black tape either eliminates a letter or turns a letter into another letter. So it says something different. That's where my brain has gone.
Tom:
I forgot you said road sign, and I was thinking it was defacing a political campaign with a moustache or something like that. But no, it's a road sign. So they've got to make some adjustment.
Hannah:
Just on one road sign or multiple road signs along the highway?
Evan:
Multiple road signs.
Ólafur:
My guess is it's the same type of road sign, all of them.
Hannah:
Yeah, so it might not be on road signs that say Flinders on it. It might, but it's— That's the road.
Tom:
It might be a speed limit. They're angry that the speed limit has not been decreased, so they're changing a number. But I don't see how you can do that with one bit of tape. Unless you change it from 20 to 120. That's one bit of black tape.
Hannah:
Oh, yeah. (chuckles)
Evan:
That would work.
Hannah:
Just add a one.
Evan:
So, Tom.
SFX:
(Evan and Hannah laugh)
Evan:
Yes, speed limit is definitely on the right path.
Tom:
Oh, okay.
Evan:
Also, we'll give an extra. You also correctly guessed... that Australia is related in this.
Hannah:
Okay.
Evan:
And I will say... Hannah was going in the right... Her questions have been really... going the right path for what this is as well. Your initial guesses.
Hannah:
Like changing the word?
Tom:
Hm.
Hannah:
Hmmm.
Tom:
What if they're changing the numbers? So...
Evan:
I will give a slight hint. They are on the Flinders Highway.
Tom:
Oh, so the number's gonna be 70 or 60 or 80 or something like that.
Ólafur:
It's also, it's a highway. So not only the speed, it's who can do what, where, in what lane. So you'd have like, in this lane, you can do this. In this lane, you can't. There's an overtaking lane.
Tom:
They were Star Trek fans, and they're put— No, that's two pieces of black tape. That joke really worked in my head to change 70 to 1701, which is the registry number of the Enterprise. But that doesn't work in—
That doesn't work for many ways. It just shows me off as a massive nerd. So, never mind.
Hannah:
Yeah, I was just thinking, I don't know if Australia roads are in miles or kilometres.
Tom:
Oh yeah.
Hannah:
But a single— If it was in miles, and you wanted to change it to kilometres, you need three pieces of tape to make a K.
Evan:
I will say Hannah's on the right track a little bit.
Hannah:
Okay.
Evan:
With that questioning.
Ólafur:
Bring it home, Hannah. Bring it home.
Hannah:
"Agh! Really, dude?"
Ólafur:
(laughs)
Evan:
Well, it's an important distinction, what you've just made, for this.
Tom:
Miles versus kilometres.
Ólafur:
Because they are miles?
Hannah:
You would assume they were miles because of the British Empire.
Tom:
They're kilometres. Australia is kilometres.
Ólafur:
Yeah.
Hannah:
Okay, they were like, never mind. (laughs)
Tom:
So that means the speed limit is somewhere around 120, or 130, something like that.
Ólafur:
Oh! Are they just putting a tape over the K? So it says M for the miles? So it's like, something something miles, instead of KM?
Hannah:
Are they adding a line after the M? So it says millilitres. Ha-ha-huh, that's enough.
Evan:
Hahahah! Banter.
Ólafur:
Good ol' banter.
Tom:
Is it numbers? We're definitely playing with numbers here, right?
Evan:
I would say yes, keep going towards numbers.
Hannah:
Is it people who believe that you should... put a line through the stem of a '7'?
Tom:
(laughs)
Hannah:
They're like, come on.
Tom:
Oh that's, yeah, strong political point there.
Hannah:
Really petty.
Ólafur:
Big group on that.
Tom:
Or it's people who insist that a '1' should have a little stem off the top of it, just as a little hat there.
Hannah:
Or is it people who believe that with a '4', you have to connect the top and the bottom?
Tom:
(laughs)
SFX:
(Hannah and Evan chuckle)
Evan:
It was a referendum. Just want to throw that out there. So October 2023, there was a referendum.
Tom:
Oh my god! The speed limit is 110. They are connecting the top of the first one and the bottom of the second one, and it makes "NO"!
Hannah:
(gasps)
Ólafur:
Ohh.
Evan:
Wow, that was great.
Tom:
I have written down— I have written down 100, 120, 130, 140. I've drawn lines on— I did not write down 110, at which point, it becomes really obvious where you put the line!
Evan:
So the referendum was a... held in October 2023. However, the 'No' camp won by 60% to 40%.
Ólafur:
Mm.
Hannah:
Wow.
Tom:
This was the Voice referendum, which was very, very controversial in Australia. The polling changed significantly between the announcement and the result, and... Yeah, that was...
I have some Australian friends. That was a vicious referendum.
Evan:
And the Flinders Highway is very famous in Queensland. I believe it's known as the Highway of Death, because there's been a lot of... mysterious crashes and deaths on the highway that have been unsolved.
So it's... That's where the road signs were changed.
Ólafur:
So my idea of turning a 100 into an infinity symbol wouldn't be great.
SFX:
(Tom and Evan laugh)
Tom:
Thank you to Bradley Momberger for this question.
On a normal week, around 2,000 people would win $150 for matching four numbers on the US 'Mega Millions' lottery. On the 4th of January 2011, there were 40,000 such winners. This couldn't have happened before September 2004. Why?
I'll say that again.
On a normal week, around 2,000 people would win $150 for matching four numbers on the US 'Mega Millions' lottery. On the 4th of January 2011, there were 40,000 such winners. This couldn't have happened before September 2004. Why?
Ólafur:
Because it's four numbers. So, it feels like dates. You'd have a day, month, first part of year, second part of year.
Evan:
And 2004 was when something has happened that changed this in the US.
Ólafur:
So, September 2004. So you'd have like 9/20/04. But that doesn't seem very significant.
Hannah:
What is the significance?
Tom:
(laughs)
Evan:
There was an election, but that— in November 2004, I believe. So, but that's not relevant, I guess, September.
Tom:
I will tell you this much, Hannah. When you look back on this episode, when you suddenly, wistfully went, "What is the significance?" That... That will mean a lot.
Hannah:
Oh no, what?
Tom:
(laughs)
Hannah:
(groans)
Tom:
Have a talk through about... lottery numbers, things like that. I'm gonna leave you to talk for a little while, rather than take questions.
Evan:
Hypothetically, mathematical significance can come into play. Significant figures.
Hannah:
Statistical significance. (snickers)
Evan:
Yes.
Ólafur:
Because normally people put birthdays. It's a classic lottery number.
Tom:
What else might inspire lottery numbers?
Hannah:
Was there an end of the year... Not the end of the year, the end of the world. You know, the people who think that... that the world is going to end. And they thought the world was going to end in... August 2004.
And then the world didn't end. So then they were like, "Oh great, all of these new dates and numbers are available to us!" (giggles) I don't know.
Tom:
No, but yet again, Hannah, there's something you're going to come back to, and—
Hannah:
Oh—!
Evan:
Oh, wow.
Tom:
Significance, is the world going to end? Mmm. You're just kinda—
Hannah:
What happened in 2004?
SFX:
(sirens pass outside)
Tom:
I think it'd be helpful to talk about what other influences there might be on people picking lottery numbers.
Evan:
The internet became a thing. Well, it became more popular.
Hannah:
YouTube started in 2005.
Evan:
So, Newgrounds? Hmm. Why would someone get a lottery ticket? It's usually birthdays or birth years? No.
Hannah:
My god.
Evan:
Anniversaries. I genuinely don't know why anyone would get...
Tom:
I mean, you've kind of identified a thing here, which is that clearly, lots of people were picking the same numbers here. Or similar numbers. I just realised we've not said that out loud. You are right.
Hannah:
Well, yeah, for that many people to win...
Tom:
Yeah. Something, something had happened.
Hannah:
But, but, so... This was only made possible after September 2004, but it never— it didn't happen until the 4th of January 2011.
Tom:
Correct.
Evan:
Hypothetically, a TV show that's— No.
Ólafur:
Oh, no... yeah.
Hannah:
0-1-0-4-11.
Ólafur:
No, I think I know what it is.
Hannah:
Wait, but if you're an American... (sighs) Which would be the answer...
Tom:
I mean, we can let Hannah spin in the wind here for a while, but I think...
Hannah:
(cackles)
Ólafur:
I think I know what this is.
Evan:
Lost?
Ólafur:
Yeah, yeah.
Tom:
I think it was Evan quietly muttering "TV show".
Ólafur:
Yeah.
Tom:
That gave you it.
Ólafur:
It's the Lost numbers, yeah.
Hannah:
Oh, it's the Lost numbers.
Evan:
I literally said Lost— Yes, okay.
Tom:
(laughs) So yeah, when you said, "What is the significance?" and "Will the world end?"...
That was, yeah, those were the numbers in Lost that had those plot threads attached to them. You were absolutely dancing around them.
Hannah:
I only watched the first two episodes of that series.
Tom:
You were probably better off for it.
Hannah:
(giggles)
Tom:
Ólafur, you seem to remember the numbers a little better than the rest of the people here.
Ólafur:
I don't know the numbers themselves, no, but it was... The numbers were used to keep some sort of force field alive for the bad person to stay on the island. So someone has to be there to tap in the numbers and...
Tom:
Yeah.
Ólafur:
Yeah, and those two people...
Tom:
The numbers appeared in September 2004, and they are lottery numbers. They are 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. Fans of the show will know them off by heart. And it turns out that people are really unimaginative when they pick lottery numbers.
Hannah:
Oh, I see. And it just so happens that they were the winning numbers, 4th of January 2011.
Tom:
Just four of them. That was the very first time that that combination of numbers, four of them were picked. So on that day, those people suddenly found out how many other people were playing the same numbers as them, and how little they would win if all six of them got picked.
Evan:
Wow!
Tom:
As it happened, that drawing also had a, at the time, record jackpot. So it was $355 million. So, loads of other people who weren't normally playing also came in and got a ticket as well.
And loads of them just picked the Lost numbers.
Evan:
Well, they found them.
Hannah:
(snickers)
Tom:
Hannah, over to you.
Hannah:
So, this question has been sent in by Jovi Thorne.
Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland contains an unmarked headstone. On it, some of the many visitors leave a tiny portrait of someone who isn't buried there. Why?
Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland, contains an unmarked headstone. On it, some of the many visitors leave a tiny portrait of someone who isn't buried there. Why?
Evan:
I'm wondering if this is very similar to that gravestone that is in Wales where 'Dobby' is buried. And people put socks there.
Hannah:
Oh right, yeah.
Tom:
I was thinking of a different shrine. Not a gravestone, just a shrine. Which for a long time was in Millennium Square in Cardiff to one of the characters from Torchwood, the Doctor Who spin-off, who got unceremoniously killed in an episode, and the fans just... There's just a door with a lot of memorabilia on it.
So I was assuming it was something fictional like that.
Evan:
If it is Baltimore, Maryland, I'm wondering if the significance of that is... I believe that should be roughly nearby the grave of the unmarked soldier, but... maybe it's not close enough. I don't know.
Tom:
I thought you were going for The Wire. I was still on TV shows.
Evan:
Ah.
Hannah:
(snickers) Evan, you're closer. I don't know if the unmarked soldier is the same as this unmarked headstone, but you're closer, in terms of, I guess...
Evan:
Well, yeah, because there's quite a few cemeteries, especially in the DC area. Baltimore is somewhat nearby. In which if your body was never recovered from war... there is no one buried there. It's just that you get to go to...
Tom:
It's Arlington.
Evan:
What's the word? Memorialize people that— Yes, like Arlington Cemetery.
Tom:
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington, Virginia.
Hannah:
So, no, but you're correct in that we're in real life.
Evan:
Okay.
Ólafur:
But they put a little portrait, so I'm guessing this is then the portrait of the people they want to remember. Because then it's like, I'm putting down a portrait or put something down to...
Because it's not marked, I'm guessing... There probably is someone there, but if it's not marked for some reason.
Hannah:
For some reason.
Ólafur:
Ooh.
SFX:
(Tom and Hannah crack up)
Evan:
What is the significance?
Hannah:
(giggles)
Ólafur:
Lost, there we go.
Evan:
Yeah.
SFX:
(Tom and Hannah snicker)
Hannah:
Clue: The portraits are all of the same person.
Ólafur:
If then I'm thinking it is— it's closer to then what I think what Tom is thinking, which was closer to an event or a TV show. Everybody remembers that this is the connection. So it's like, oh, we don't know where author X is buried. So instead of using, we put it there, right?
Tom:
Yeah. There's a few places in the UK where you will find memorials to particular authors, figures from history. Because either we don't know where they're buried, or it's more difficult to get to that gravestone.
So the memorial happens somewhere, usually nearer to London where the tourists go.
Ólafur:
Because then it would be connected, if it is— I'm guessing it's not that... like, oh, it's in their book. In this location, there is a gravestone that is unmarked.
But why would it then be there unmarked unless maybe then... It's not supposed to be a gravestone, and there's nobody there. It's just someone put a gravestone... a blank gravestone there.
Tom:
Here's a weird suggestion. What if it's Bob Ross or someone like that who does art?
SFX:
(Hannah and Evan crack up)
Tom:
And they're all— And somehow, it's become the tradition.
Evan:
Handmade portraits.
Tom:
Yeah, the tradition is, you do a little painting of Bob Ross, who taught you to paint... and you take it, and you leave it as a pilgrimage at his gravesite. Or, at a gravesite.
Evan:
But he's not buried there.
Tom:
No, he's not. But maybe it's— Maybe it's a landscape that inspired him or something like that. It's— There's got to be a connection there somewhere.
Hannah:
I think the word portrait is a bit of a... It throws you off a bit, because I think your brain automatically goes to the art world.
Evan:
I'm thinking a photo.
Hannah:
All of these portraits are... the same person, completely identical.
Tom:
Okay, I hate to metagame this, but this is a question editor's trick. This is the standard crossword question editor thing.
If you are going for small, identical portraits of people, that is a very fancy way of saying postage stamp.
Hannah:
Right.
Ólafur:
Or money.
Tom:
Mm. I don't know how that connects to grave. I don't know whether it's postage stamp or money, but...
Hannah:
I feel like I gave too much away, so I'm gonna let you stew in that.
Ólafur:
Ooh, we're here.
SFX:
(Tom and Hannah laugh)
Ólafur:
We have arrived. Alright.
Evan:
I can't imagine it'd be money, because then other people would come and take said money.
Tom:
Yes, and a postage stamp, you can just adhere to the gravestones.
Ólafur:
Oh, are they, yeah, are they just... filling in the gravestone?
Tom:
(cracks up) Yeah. In my head... they were attaching them all to the top right of the gravestone like it's a letter.
SFX:
(Evan and Ólafur laugh)
Tom:
But it makes much more sense than just creating a collage of various things all over.
Ólafur:
We want to ship it to somewhere, right?
Hannah:
So postage stamps is not correct.
Tom:
Oh, it is, it is... it's gotta be money, then. Tiny portrait of someone, it's gotta be money.
Hannah:
It is money.
Tom:
There is a US military tradition where if you visit the grave of someone you served with, you leave a coin behind. And the denomination of the coin is different, depending on where and how you served with someone.
Hannah:
Well, that would be lots of different graves.
Evan:
Mhm.
Hannah:
This is one grave.
Ólafur:
And is it the same— You said it's the same portrait. So it's always the same coin.
Hannah:
Mhm.
Evan:
So it could be George Washington. It could be Thomas Jefferson, and it— Okay, so, we got George Washington. So, which means he's— It's a quarter.
Hannah:
Keep going, Evan, keep going!
Evan:
Oh, so we got George Washington. We got Thomas Jefferson. We got James Madison on the dime. Sacagawea on the pound coin. J— Oh— John F. Kennedy is a... No, he would have his own grave, but...
Tom:
Wait a minute! What was the name of this place?
Hannah:
Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland.
Tom:
Is this... Alexander Hamilton?
Evan:
So, in terms of bills, you have Lincoln on the $5. I think Jefferson on the $10. Oh, Benjamin Franklin's on the $100. Nobody's—
Tom:
Yeah, and Alexander Hamilton's on the $10.
Hannah:
You've still not said the name of the person or identified the denomination of the money.
Ólafur:
And isn't Lincoln on the penny? Yeah, putting pennies—
Tom:
Yeah.
Evan:
The penny is Lincoln.
Hannah:
Pew-pew-pew!
Ólafur:
It's not where he's buried, is it? Where the...
Hannah:
Ólafur, yes! Keep going!
Ólafur:
Is it where the... oh, the theatre is?
Hannah:
Oh, you're so close.
Ólafur:
Oh?
Tom:
(laughs)
Hannah:
You're so close!
Tom:
Is it just Lincoln's birthplace or Lincoln's memorial place or something like that?
Hannah:
What happened at the theatre?
Tom:
He was shot.
Ólafur:
He was shot, yeah.
Hannah:
Yeah, by...?
Evan:
John Wilkes Booth.
Ólafur:
Yeah. Is it his gravestone?
Hannah:
Yes!
Tom:
It's John Wilkes Booth's grave? They leave... They leave pennies...
Ólafur:
Oh my god.
Tom:
which have Lincoln's face on them on John Wilkes Booth's unmarked grave?
Hannah:
Yes, so that Lincoln can have the last word.
Ólafur:
Oh my god.
Tom:
(laughs)
Evan:
He's worth only a penny.
Hannah:
Yeah, it's John Wilkes Booth's grave.
He was the stage actor who shot President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in 1865, and after he— So then John Wilkes Booth was then killed in a shootout at some point later. And his remains ended up at this cemetery, and the Booth family decided on a small plain gravestone, so with no markings to prevent vandalism.
And yeah, people leave one penny, 1-cent coins. You call them pennies, don't you, in the US?
Evan:
We call 'em pennies.
Hannah:
Yeah. That has Lincoln's face on it, as a way of giving him the last laugh.
And the person who sent in this question has done that.
Evan:
I guess that makes... cents.
Tom:
(scoffs)
Ólafur:
Oh, no.
Hannah:
Oh, Evan.
Ólafur:
Oh, no, no, no, no.
Tom:
The final thing then. At the start of the show, I asked:
In 1949, what did the residents of Mole Hill, West Virginia change the community's name to?
Anyone want to take a guess at that?
Ólafur:
Mole Valley after they dug up the hill.
Hannah:
Shrew Hill.
Tom:
(laughs)
Evan:
Hill Mole.
Tom:
It is just a jokey publicity stunt.
Evan:
Hell.
Hannah:
(giggles)
Tom:
Oh, I've been to Hell, Michigan. This was not...
Evan:
Okay, different place.
Ólafur:
There's also Hell in Norway, and it freezes.
Tom:
Yes.
Hannah:
Is the, 1949, is the year significant?
Tom:
No, but Mole Hill definitely is.
Hannah:
Mole Hill. Shrew Mound.
Evan:
Mole Mountain?
Tom:
I mean, nearly. There is a famous phrase that you have apparently not heard of.
Evan:
Make a mole out of a— Mountain out of a mole hill.
Tom:
(laughs) You wanna say— You wanna try that one more time?
Evan:
Make a mountain out of a mole hill, so...
Ólafur:
There we go.
Tom:
So they called it...?
Evan:
Mountain out of a mole hill?
Hannah:
Mountain.
Evan:
Out of Mole Hill.
Tom:
They just called it Mountain.
Evan:
Oh, wow.
Tom:
They just called it Mountain, West Virginia.
Hannah:
Yeah.
Tom:
Mole Hill became Mountain.
Evan:
Phenomenal.
Tom:
This was a campaign by an advertising executive. So the old sign saying Mole Hill was taken down, and a new one saying Mountain was installed in its place.
Hannah:
Love it.
Tom:
Thank you very much to our players. Where can people find you? What's going on in your world?
We'll start with Ólafur.
Ólafur:
So I am Ólafur W on all the internets. You can yell at me if you want. People seem to like doing that.
Tom:
And what kind of things do you make?
Ólafur:
So I make silly videos about the Nordics and... I'm trying to move on to the more bigger, longer videos now. So, maybe the stuff coming up.
Tom:
And Evan.
Evan:
I am Evan. You can find me at youtube.com/evan, E-V-A-N. I make videos on whatever I fancy at the moment, whether that be housing developers, or language learning apps, or British-American culture.
Tom:
And Hannah.
Hannah:
I'm Hannah Witton. You can find me on YouTube and Instagram... mostly chatting about work, career, parenting, and slow fashion.
And Taylor Swift, why not?
Tom:
And if you want to know more about this show, you can do that at lateralcast.com, where you can also send in your own idea for a question. We are at @lateralcast basically everywhere, and you can get video highlights regularly at youtube.com/lateralcast.
Thank you very much to Hannah Witton.
Hannah:
Woo!
Tom:
Evan Edinger.
Evan:
Aaa!
Hannah:
(snickers)
Tom:
(laughs) I'd forgotten we'd set that up, sorry.
Evan:
(giggles)
Tom:
And Ólafur Waage.
Ólafur:
Yippee!
Tom:
I've been Tom Scott, and that's been Lateral.
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