Get the RSS feed or search “Lateral” on your podcast app
| Previous Episode | Index |
Episode 142: The inverted tree
Published 27th June, 2025
Transcription by Caption+
Tom:
Saw is a famous, long-running horror film series. Why was the sixth installment mocked by French people before it was even released?
The answer to that at the end of the show. My name's Tom Scott, and this is Lateral.
Sam:
Hello and welcome to episode four of Jet Lag does Lateral.
On the last episode, Ben and Adam had just solved a question about odd numbers in Japanese supermarkets. Meanwhile, we were working out how Latvian physicists sent a dinosaur into space, but then Ben used 300 coins to buy a platinum superpower that allowed him to see the answer to the next question. We completed the challenge to shake hands with 10 people who know where Belgium is, but then Adam played the super double reverse bonus card, which meant that he actually won the challenge.
That means Ben and Adam have 45 minutes more in their time bank, but we've locked in one more question than them.
So as we start day four, there's everything to play for.
Tom:
Incred​ible. I have a whole fake intro here that the producer gave me that I just get to throw out now. Welcome back to Lateral, the three from Jet Lag: The Game. Sam Denby, Ben Doyle, Adam Chase, welcome back to the show.
Sam:
Thank you.
Adam:
Whee!
Ben:
Good to be back.
Sam:
It's a soft coup. This is our podcast now.
Tom:
For those who don't know the show, tell us about Jet Lag: The Game.
Sam:
Well in Jet Lag: The Game, as this intro mocks, we have wildly complicated game structures.
Adam:
Not that complicated, actually, really elegant.
Tom:
And the season I was on was very, very quick and brief.
Sam:
Just, sometimes requires a little bit of explanation... about how things work. But we make it as simple as possible. But we play games where the world is our board. So, travel-based competition shows.
Tom:
And by the time this goes out, season 14 should hopefully touch wood, be in the can. The schedule that y'all keep to is ridiculous, because you are working on a season while publishing a season, while filming— How do you keep everything in order? I'm gonna throw that question to Adam.
Adam:
Well,​ I think the funny thing is that like... by the time that a season is... the last episodes of a season are coming out, we're all— we're completely past it. Which I think is weird.
It's like by the time the last episodes of the season are coming out, we've already filmed the next season. And so like I'll be getting, you know, like... tagged and stuff or whatever of people reacting to the finale, and I'm like, oh right, you guys don't know what happened yet. That was months ago. I already filmed a new season.
Like, we go to record on our podcast, the game design episode where we explain the game design for the season. And I was like, how can we record that episode? We haven't finished designing the game yet.
And it was like, no, Adam, it's for the season that we filmed months ago. And I was like, oh, right. People haven't seen that yet.
Sam:
Well, it's, always extra tough, like is about to imminently happen where we're gonna record podcast episodes about the season that we did months ago, after we filmed the next season. So we have to remind ourselves that no, we're going back like five months and two seasons back in our thinking. And that gets tricky.
Tom:
And it is you all designing the games. So I will throw this question to Ben. How much do you have to workshop each game design to make sure it works? 'Cause you get one shot to film these.
Ben:
It is a funny question to be asking us right now, 'cause our current one is a nightmare.
Tom:
Oh, okay.
Ben:
Which.​.. I am sure people, by the time this comes out, will be familiar with. But I'm— I shan't even say. It— A lot of these games undergo hundreds of different iterations before we reach what we actually end up playing.
Tom:
Well, good luck to all three of you on this show today. Thankfully, it's not 7:30 am, but it's still time to go, go, go to question one.
Thank you to an anonymous listener for sending this one in.
Massachusetts' New England merch only names Irish cities. Why is this ironic?
I'll say that again.
Massachusetts' New England merch only names Irish cities. Why is this ironic?
Sam:
What?
Adam:
Massa​chusetts New England merch? Like, is that a store?
Ben:
Like merch for the state of Massachusetts?
Tom:
Only names Irish cities.
Adam:
Sorry​, but you're saying merch, like as in, is there... Is there a store called Massachusetts New England Merch, or are you saying that any merchandise that is... about the state of Massachusetts? I don't understand the noun part of this sentence.
Sam:
This is so— Ireland is not England. So it's not New England. It's not even Old England. It's just dif— what?
Adam:
Was that the answer?
Sam:
No!
Tom:
That was not the answer. And I am gonna let you talk about this one for a little while.
Sam:
This must be some word play thing, I feel like.
Ben:
Massac​husetts New England merch?
Sam:
Okay, first of all, no one says Massachusetts, comma New England. They say like Boston comma Massachusetts.
Adam:
That'​s true too.
Tom:
Oh, I actually have it with a... with an apostrophe here. It's possessive, plural.
Adam:
You'r​e saying Massachusetts, plural? The New England merchandise owned by Massachusetts?
Tom:
Only names Irish cities, yes.
Sam:
Massac​husetts is New England.
Tom:
Yes.
Sam:
So it's a New England within... Massachusetts?
Tom:
You know, earlier, Sam, you said something that was really quite perceptive here.
Sam:
I agree, but I don't know what you're talking about.
Tom:
You said this must be a word play one.
Sam:
Yes. Well, 'cause, like New England— Massachusetts is in New England. New England is not in Massachusetts. So there must—
Tom:
Yes.
Sam:
There must be a
Adam:
This is correct.
Sam:
New England of a different sort within Massachusetts?
Ben:
Is it that it's like new... England merch.
Adam:
It's not their old England merch.
Ben:
It's not their old England.
Adam:
It's Massachusetts's English merch.
Ben:
That is new.
Adam:
But it's new. The same would be true for Maine.
Ben:
Oh.
Adam:
Maine​'s New England merch... only names Irish cities? Only lists Irish cities?
Tom:
Yes, correct, only names.
Sam:
Is it possible, this doesn't seem right, but is there a town called England... that is new? No, this is not on the right track.
Tom:
This is not on the right track. But I thought Adam nearly got it then. And remember I'm asking, why is this ironic?
Adam:
I can't deal with that yet, Tom. I don't understand the question yet.
Tom:
I wouldn't focus too much on the statement, 'cause it's not actually true.
Ben:
It's not even true?
Adam:
We are in kangaroo court right now. This is a joke.
Tom:
At some point, the penny is going to drop, and honestly, I think you're going to curse the anonymous question writer of this.
Ben:
We already are.
Adam:
New..​. England merch... only lists...
Tom:
Only names.
Sam:
Names.
Adam:
Irish​...
Ben:
Only names.
Adam:
Only names.
Ben:
And the distinction between lists and names is important.
Tom:
It is. That's why I keep correcting it.
Adam:
Only names Irish... Okay, here the... I don't know what the hell's going on. Here's one way that that sentence could make sense. Do all of the players on the English national team have last names that are cities in Ireland?
Tom:
I'll be honest with you. The sentence doesn't make sense. If you are trying to make sense of the sentence.
Adam:
Yeah,​ well, Tom! Oh, thanks for letting us know, Tom!
Tom:
Yeah, but you are still trying to decipher it.
Adam:
Okay,​ wait, wait, wait! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I'm remembering something that you freaking said. Which, you said this is also true of Maine.
Tom:
Yes.
Adam:
And the only thing that those two places really have in common is they start with the freaking letter M and A. So is this some sort of dumbass... initialism or acronym or pun or something? Massachusetts, New England merch? Like M-N-E-M-M-A-N-E-M.
Tom:
Keep going.
Adam:
Massa​chusetts... New England Merch... only names. It spells 'mnemonic'.
Tom:
Yes, it does. That sentence—
Adam:
And it's ironic because it's a mnemonic to remember how to spell the word 'mnemonic'.
Tom:
Yes it is. And I apologise for that question, Adam. You look positively angry at that question.
Sam:
I hate this.
Tom:
It is a mnemonic for how to spell the word 'mnemonic'.
Ben:
This doesn't feel allowed on this podcast.
Tom:
It's rare we have a pure word play one.
Adam:
I'm going to burn this podcast to the ground.
Tom:
Adam, I think it's only fair that we get the next question from you. Whenever you're ready.
Adam:
Massa​chusetts' New England merchandise...
SFX:
(group laughing)
Adam:
Okay,​ here we go.
A particular chart has an inverted tree structure. To the left of the root are the letters T, M, O. To the right are the letters E, I, S, and H. What does the chart represent?
Sam:
Ugh. Oh boy.
Tom:
It's another. It's another letters one.
Adam:
And one more time.
A particular chart has an inverted tree structure. To the left of the root are the letters, T, M, and O. To the right side are the letters E, I, S, and H. What does the chart represent?
Ben:
An inverted tree? So it's like...
Tom:
It's V-shaped, basically. You're starting... No wait. Which... Okay. Is a tree structure that you start at the top, and it gets bigger at the bottom... or is it—
Adam:
It doesn't matter actually, whether it's inverted or not. What matters is that there's a chart with a tree structure, and that going out from the root are these letters.
Sam:
So it's like... different branches from it have each of the letters?
Adam:
Diffe​rent branches, yeah. As the branches go out, parts of the branches, All of the nodes connect to different letters. Anytime there's a branch, there's a letter. And then there's letters at the end of the branches as well.
Sam:
So. TMO stands for...
Adam:
I wouldn't worry about what TMO stands for.
Tom:
Sam, in the same way as the last one... was a word play and an unexpected one, is this about... the shapes of the letters somehow?
Adam:
This has nothing to do with the letter shapes, I don't believe.
Tom:
Okay.
Sam:
Is this like a linguistics thing?
Adam:
I mean, I guess it is. It is a linguistics thing in the sense that letters are involved.
Ben:
Is it, I mean, I'm just trying to think of things that take the shape of tree diagrams. And certainly, genetic trees are a thing. Maybe like the letters represent certain people within a family? Or something?
Tom:
Or it could be... a level higher than that. It could be like genus and orders and phylums and things like that. But I don't know why it would be left and right. Those are specific. You don't need a certain side for certain words.
Sam:
What if it's like... Could this be like an anatomy thing? So it's like... I'm thinking like heart, you know, like left and right ventricles and stuff.
Tom:
Yeah, this has to be something asymmetric.
Adam:
Does this have to do with a heart? No, it doesn't.
Tom:
But you didn't rule out anatomy there. is there anything else—
Adam:
It does not have to do with anatomy.
Sam:
Okay, well now he has, okay.
Tom:
Are we on the right track with asymmetry? Are the left and right important here?
Adam:
No.
Tom:
Ah!
Adam:
I'll also say that it's not just these letters.
Tom:
Okay.
Adam:
These​ are just— I listed some of the letters.
Ben:
Some of the letters.
Sam:
There'​s—
Ben:
In this situation.
Sam:
I feel like we have to acknowledge that there's something in the question that would give us a clue towards what this is, probably beyond just what the letters are.
Adam:
Yeah,​ I would say, don't worry about what the specific letters are. I would say... focus on... why would a structure... why would a branch structure... with a bunch of letters at all the nodes and ends, exist? What could that represent?
Ben:
Could the letters be literal? It's like the... It's like representing the construction of a word, where certain letters or what could come next or something like that. Maybe there's something with interpreting the letters literally?
Adam:
All of the nodes, right, have... two branches that go off them. And each one has a— There are two— There's a symbol... on both. So there's— And it's always the same one. It's the same two symbols off of each one. So it's, you've got your letter, and then it branches. And there's a symbol for each branch, and it's always the same two different symbols. And then that happens again. What could this represent?
Ben:
Do the letters... Are the letters elements?
Sam:
This podcast is too hard.
Adam:
I'll also tell you that this, this... this chart is just a way of representing something that you know about. You know what this is. You are familiar with this concept. This is just a visual representation of it.
Sam:
All I know is content.
Ben:
Is it content? Is it about making a YouTube video?
Adam:
This is about making content if— this podcast right now.
Sam:
Oh.
Ben:
That's​ true.
Sam:
But not the thing.
Tom:
So could the symbols be like yes or no? Up or down? It's gotta be two binary opposing things.
Adam:
Not exactly yes or no, or up or down. What are other things that are sort of exist in a binary way?
Tom:
Ones and zeros.
Adam:
Yep, keep going. Ones and zeros. What are some others?
Tom:
Uoh...
Adam:
I really think that this binary idea is a very good spot to be in. So it's like, how can we represent things in a binary way? Yes or no. One or zero. What are other things that do a similar thing like that?
Tom:
Agree and disagree. Cooperate and refuse.
Adam:
Keep going.
Ben:
Positi​ve and negative.
Adam:
Think​ of a visual way that this happens.
Tom:
Plus and minus.
Adam:
Here,​ here's something that I'll tell you. There are 26 letters on this.
Sam:
That's​ the number of the alphabet.
Adam:
That'​s all of them.
Ben:
Sam knows about the alphabet.
Tom:
I'm looking at my keyboard. Nope, it is not like one's on one side of a keyboard, one's on another, and I don't feel like it's gonna be some complicated computer science thing.
Adam:
Whatâ​€” So I've got all these letters here, right? What is a— In what instance would I need to use some sort of binary system
Tom:
Oh my god!
Adam:
to communicate letters?
Tom:
Ohh, yeah. Okay, if I— if... Is it dots and dashes?
Adam:
It is in fact dots and dashes.
Tom:
It's how you learn Morse code. I've seen this damn chart. It is how you learn Morse code.
Adam:
It's a chart of Morse code, of course.
Tom:
Ah!
Sam:
Well.
Ben:
That's​ very good.
Tom:
Becaus​e T, M, and O all start with a dash, I think?
Adam:
That'​s dash, dash, dash.
Tom:
E, I, S, H all start with a dot.
Adam:
It's like a thing, and it's like you do T, but then if you add another dash, then it's an M. But if you do a dot, then it's an N. But then if you put a dash on that, it becomes a K.
Tom:
And if you learn that going across is a dash or down, yeah, it's— that's infuriating. But I've seen that damn chart before.
Adam:
Well,​ Tom, I'm thrilled that this frustrated you.
Ben:
Yes, this... It's been a tough episode so far.
Tom:
Thank you to Chris Tam for this question.
In 2025, Chuckles825 performed a speedrun of the arcade port of Crazy Taxi for the Awesome Games Done Quick charity event. However, he required additional assistance to avoid a predictable problem. What was the problem and solution?
I'll say that again.
In 2025, Chuckles825 performed a speedrun of the arcade port of Crazy Taxi for the Awesome Games Done Quick charity event. However, he required additional assistance to avoid a predictable problem. What was the problem and solution?
Ben:
Adam and Sam, are you familiar with Crazy Taxi?
Sam:
No.
Adam:
No.
Ben:
It's an old arcade game where you are driving a taxi really fast and crashing into a lot of stuff.
Tom:
Sorry,​ you just described it as an old game. And I recognise it is.
Ben:
It is an old game, Tom.
Tom:
But if it's any consolation... that stabbed me through the heart.
Ben:
I'm sorry, Tom, but it is now in— In the history of games, Crazy Taxi is an old one.
Tom:
Yes. It's old enough that I've played it, which is saying something. In arcades, yeah.
Sam:
How—​ Ben. Do you know how long this game normally takes? How long the speedrun could have taken?
Ben:
I don't know how long a speedrun of Crazy Taxi is, but probably not very long. It could, it could, it could be minutes. It's probably minutes. My guess is that it has something to do with... a lot of speedruns require really precise inputs at really specific times, and... making sure that you're pressing all of these buttons all at the same time, at the right time.
Adam:
Mhm.
Ben:
And maybe there was some reason that he couldn't press all of the buttons all at when he needed to? But—
Adam:
Yeah.​ That would make some sense to me.
Tom:
The people who assisted were not playing the game.
Adam:
The people who assisted were not playing the game. Okay, so, sorry. So just to be clear, so that I have the question...
Tom:
Yeah.
Adam:
This guy... was playing Crazy Taxi.
Tom:
Yeah.
Adam:
Doing​ a speedrun of it.
Tom:
Yeah.
Adam:
And it's just that he needed help from another person for part of the speedrun. And we need to figure out what he needed help with.
Tom:
No, I'm gonna reread the question. He required additional assistance to avoid a predictable problem.
Sam:
Tom, can we know how long the speedrun took?
Tom:
You're​ right in saying it was a few minutes. I think it was about 20, 30 at most.
Adam:
Oh, okay. 'Cause my thought was like, oh, did he need someone to help him, like, go to the bathroom? 'Cause the speedrun was so long?
Sam:
Right,​ I mean, that was like my first thought. But it sounds like it's not an endurance feat.
Adam:
Yeah.
Sam:
It's like—
Tom:
He didn't have the problem. The event organisers did. Ben, have you played Crazy Taxi? Do you have any memories of it?
Ben:
I have never played Crazy Taxi. Although I know sort of what it is and its most basic form.
Tom:
For those of us who grew up on it, there are certain parts of it burned into our head that I will not tell you right now. But yes, this was a problem for the event organisers.
Adam:
Is there something deeply offensive in the game Crazy Taxi, that has to be shielded from the other viewers of the speedrun?
Tom:
You know how earlier, Sam, you were talking about content, and questions about content?
Sam:
Yes.
Tom:
Have a think about what problems might be caused there. It's not that it's deeply offensive. I don't think they'd have played that. But... there's something else in there.
Ben:
My guess is that the arcade version of Crazy Taxi featured like brand... logos or something, that maybe couldn't be shown? Or some kind of copyrighted material that couldn't be shown? Is that getting anywhere?
Sam:
Are there... naked people?
Tom:
Ben, you're very close there. There actually were brands in the game as well. They got some sponsorship in there to help pay the bills. But you were talking about something else in there.
Adam:
Copyr​ighted material? Is it about copyright?
Tom:
Yes, it is. That was the problem. How might other people help solve that?
Ben:
Was it— Was there music being played that they couldn't be playing? And so some— someone else had to play music?
Tom:
Yes, um... Yes, you've basically got it.
Ben:
Okay.
Sam:
People​ though.
Adam:
The dialogue? Is it that they needed people to say the lines that are in the game Crazy Taxi?
Tom:
No, you're right with the music. They couldn't play out the music tracks from the game. It would automatically get the stream shut down.
As someone who did grow up on that, the opening notes of "All I Want" by the Offspring are just kind of burned into my head. They are iconic to this game. You could not leave that out.
But they've gotta mute the audio.
Adam:
Wait,​ so they had people sing the song, right? Is that what we're getting at?
Tom:
They had a full live band.
Sam:
Oh, nice.
Ben:
That's​ cool.
Tom:
This is a speedrun of the Dreamcast version of Crazy Taxi. It is known for its soundtrack, which is mostly the Offspring. I think some Bad Religion music in there as well. It would cause 'em legal issues if they played that out. You cannot play Crazy Taxi without that music. And so they brought in a live band.
Sam:
Sounds​ delightful.
Tom:
Which is still in violation of copyright. It's just less likely to get automatically detected and shut down.
Sam, it is over to you for your question.
Sam:
Alrigh​t, this one's a banger.
This question has been sent in by Aaron Solomon.
On the 8th of January 2025, the five players sharing the court for the NBA's Indiana Pacers set an unbelievable record with a total of 6. What record did they set?
So to reiterate.
On January 8th, 2025, the five players sharing the court for the NBA's Indiana Pacers set an unbelievable record with a total of 6. What record did they set?
Basketball fan Adam Chase.
Adam:
The five players for the Pacers. You're saying this just happened?
Sam:
Yes.
Adam:
In 2025?
Sam:
Yes.
Adam:
Set a record. With six.
Ben:
Is that the most points that have ever been scored in basketball?
Sam:
Yes.
Adam:
Okay,​ I mean, I'm just trying to think of, what are things that rarely happen in... basketball? Oh, I... Is it the greatest number of points in a single possession?
Sam:
No.
Tom:
Oh wait, how does that work?
Adam:
Well,​ there have been weird things with like technical fouls and stuff, where like on one possession, you technically end up with a crazy number of points. 'Cause like, you shoot a three, and then you also got fouled. But like it was a technical, so you got two. Anyway, it clear— it wasn't the answer.
Tom:
Did not expect basketball knowledge. Dunno why I didn't expect basketball knowledge, but...
Ben:
'Cause​ he's a freaking nerd.
Adam:
Baske​tball, as a great musician once said, basketball is my favorite sport. I like the way they dribble up and down the court.
Tom:
Okay, does basketball have a system like ice hockey, where they have penalties or something like that?
Adam:
Yes, they do, yeah. I mean, one of my first thoughts was the idea that... you can get ejected from a basketball game if you get too many fouls. I don't— I think in college, it's five. In the pros, it's five or six. I'm not sure. So my first thought was that they had six people foul out of a game. But that wouldn't make any sense in the construction of the question. 'Cause he— Sam said that the five players achieved it. And you can't have five players foul out six times.
Tom:
Well, how many players are on a basketball team?
Adam:
There​ are like, on an NBA roster, I think there's like 11. I don't remember exactly.
Tom:
Oh, 11 minus 6. It could be that six of them got sent off, and five of them are still on the court.
Adam:
Oh, is that what it is? Is it that they were the only five people remaining on the roster?
Sam:
No.
Adam:
No, Sam's saying no.
Tom:
Oh, okay.
Adam:
I'm just trying to think. Other rare things that happen in basketball. I mean... It's not gonna be something boring, like, they had six, like... you know, buzzer beat— you know, like. You can't have six buzzer beat— you know, six half court shots. Like it's gotta be something weirder than that.
Tom:
Yeah.
Ben:
Can I ask that— Was this— Were the— Were these six things something that happened within the technical rules of basketball, or was it like six of some other... kind of circumstantial event?
Sam:
Moreso​ the latter than the former.
Ben:
Okay.
Adam:
Whatâ​€” Is this something that would be on a stats sheet?
Sam:
No.
Adam:
Okay.​ And you said this happened in 2025 with the Indiana Pacers?
Sam:
Yeah, on January 8th.
Ben:
Was it— Were there six streakers? Do people streak in basketball games? Probably not.
Adam:
Well,​ you said that it was the five players for the team who set the record, right?
Sam:
Yes.
Ben:
Maybe they were the streakers.
Adam:
So unless the five players were streaking, then that can't be it.
Tom:
And the record was six?
Adam:
Yes, the record was— Okay.
Tom:
The youngest players to ever take an NBA court shot. They were all six.
Sam:
No, but that is, I'd say, ever so slightly in the right direction. Just the... ever so slightly.
Tom:
It's something about the players.
Adam:
Sorry​, the only member of the Indiana Pacers I know off the top of my head is Tyrese Haliburton. I don't know who the other players are on the team.
Tom:
Oh, I didn't know they were taking sponsorships for the last names.
Sam:
I think you're on the right track. I think... I would... emphasize... You've already sort of concluded this, but... it is only these players who could do this record. The— These are the— This is the only configuration of players that could achieve this record.
Adam:
Is it something with the players' age or names, like...
Sam:
No.
Adam:
This is a— Okay. Nothing with that.
Sam:
What other qualities... are linked to players?
Adam:
Heigh​t. They had, they had... They had... They set some record relating to the height of the players?
Sam:
No.
Adam:
Like,​ no?
Ben:
Were they related in some way?
Sam:
No.
Adam:
Right​, it was the first time that six brothers...
Ben:
That would be cool.
Sam:
It's not about any personal quality.
Adam:
It's about them as a unit?
Sam:
It's not about anything about them personally... but it is about... something that is linked to them.
Tom:
They were all suspended for illegally match fixing because of online betting. I don't
Sam:
No.
Adam:
Here,​ here's maybe a road to start to go down. I don't know if this is anything, but like...
This is so stupid, but I'm thinking about the thing where it's like, well, the average number of... feet that people have is like 0.98 because some people don't have— Is there a thing where like, there were five players, but one of the players has... two heads? And so there were six heads on the court?
Like it's not that, you know what I mean? But like, is it something in that world?
Sam:
It has nothing to do with any personal quality. Nothing about who they are as people. I'll give it—
Tom:
But it also doesn't show up on the score sheet.
Sam:
Yeah. I will give another slight hint, which is that unfortunately, this does involve some math.
Ben:
No!
Tom:
There'​s five players, and the score is six. Or the number, the record they've broken is six.
Sam:
What is, what is a— What is a numerical value that could be related to players that is not related to how they play in the game?
Adam:
Is this their numbers? Is it that their numbers on their jerseys adds up to six, and that's the lowest that it's ever been?
Sam:
How could that work?
Adam:
Well,​ I don't know if you had a zero, a one, a two, a three. A, sometimes there's a double zero. That's right. Whoa. Lowest jersey total basketball
Sam:
player​s have jerseys with numbers on them. Yes. your friend Tyree Halliburton, I. How's the number? Do you know? Yes, that's Adam's spread. No, I,
Adam:
I don't know what number Halliburton is.
Sam:
Hallib​urton is zero. Rin is double zero. Top end is one M, brandand is two. And Bryant Thomas Bryant is number three. So this is the lowest possible sum, under the current rules of basketball, which do not allow for triple zero. so this is the lowest possible jersey total.
Tom:
Thank you to Artie for this next question.
Every evening, Ben calls an elevator that can move in all three dimensions. When the doors open, he removes a large plaque from the floor and replaces it with a similar one. Why is the plaque particularly helpful in Ben's place of work?
I'll say that again.
Every evening, Ben calls an elevator that can move in all three dimensions. When the doors open, he removes a large plaque from the floor and replaces it with a similar one. Why is the plaque particularly helpful in Ben's place of work?
Ben:
This is about me. I mean, so I know the answer.
Sam:
So I do know an instance where this happens, but is clearly not the answer here. Which is that... on certain cruise ships, since people have a tendency of forgetting which day it is, they will put the day in the floor of the elevator. So it'll say like, hey, it's Tuesday. Because like, you know... you're on vacation, you don't know what day it is.
Tom:
Sam...​ you knew this one. Spot on. Absolutely right.
Sam:
Wait, I thought that was not it. Sorry.
Tom:
That is, that is absolutely it.
Why did I say the elevator can move in all three dimensions.
Sam:
Oh. 'cause it's on a ship.
Adam:
Becau​se the ship is moving.
Tom:
Yes, absolutely.
Ben:
Sure.
Sam:
Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to spoil it. I thought that that was— that was not it.
Tom:
No, you nailed it.
So, this is a personal anecdote. Artie, who sent in the question, knows Ben, who used to work on a cruise ship and had this job. Sam, do you wanna talk a little bit more about what goes on here?
Sam:
I don't know if— I don't know a whole lot about this. But I just know that it's like... It's like a thing on certain cruise lines, where people in the middle of their drunken nights, they get very excited to celebrate, and they go to the elevators and watch the people change the day. 'Cause it's kind of like, it's kinda like New Year's Eve, except it happens every single night, and it's in the elevator, I guess.
Tom:
You have even got all my notes on this question. Sam, congratulations. I think that one goes to you.
Sam:
It's kind of unbelievable that I didn't think I was right, because the three dimensions threw me off. Ben, it is your question.
Ben:
Okay. We've got a lovely question here from Ivan Walters. Or maybe E-vahn. I don't know. But the question is:
In many armies, the highest rank is 'marshal' or 'field marshal'. During the Second World War, the US Army adopted 'General of the Army' as its highest rank instead. Why?
In many armies, the highest rank is 'marshal' or 'field marshal'. During the Second World War, the US Army adopted 'General of the Army' as its highest rank Instead. Why?
Sam:
I have a really stupid idea for the answer that I fear is the actual answer.
Adam:
I wonder if it's the same stupid idea that I have.
Tom:
I also have a stupid idea.
Sam:
Okay.
Tom:
So... We've got three stupid ideas.
Ben:
Let's hear your stupid ideas.
Adam:
Do we want— Should we say our stupid ideas at the same time to see if they're the same?
Ben:
Yeah, say 'em all at the same time.
Sam:
That's​ bad podcasting. My stupid idea is that there's too many Americans just named Marshall. So it was confusing.
Adam:
That was mine too.
Tom:
Mine was that it just wasn't really a thing in American culture. And it didn't seem impressive enough for whoever they wanted. So they just invented a new rank to go higher.
Adam:
That was sort of my backup, was that like they wanted— they just— that either they generally, or whoever the person was, wanted their title to sound better.
Tom:
Also, this is irrelevant, but I'm gonna tell it anyway. The naval equivalent in the British Navy is First Sea Lord.
Sam:
Oh, that's way cooler.
Tom:
That is our highest rank
Ben:
That's​ very good.
Tom:
in the British Navy. Which means in theory, that if we ever had a space army, we could have the First Space Lord.
Sam:
Well, that is worth aspiring to.
Ben:
That would be cool.
Tom:
Yeah.
Adam:
Can I throw out final thing, before Ben responds, which is... Did the term 'marshal' have a different meaning in some other country's military?
And so because like it's a Second World War, the US is working with allies, the term was changed, so that there wasn't confusion or conflicting stuff in the overlap?
Tom:
Wait, wasn't there something in the Second World War called the Marshall Plan?
Sam:
That's​ true.
Adam:
Yeah,​ there was a guy named Marshall, right?
Tom:
There was a guy named Marshall.
Adam:
He was the Secretary of State, right? That was Sam's and my first dumb idea. The Secretary of State was named Marshall, so maybe it was confusing.
Tom:
Yeah, the Marshall Plan was the post World War II recovery, right?
Sam:
Yeah.
Adam:
Yeah.
Ben:
I would say that yes, you've basically got it. They had to change the... the name of the highest rank to 'General of the Army' to avoid George C. Marshall being called Marshal Marshall.
Sam:
Hmm, there we go.
Ben:
Becaus​e the Secretary of State thought that being addressed as Marshal Marshall would sound ridiculous.
Tom:
Which brings me to the question I asked at the very start of the show.
Sent in by Joël. Thank you very much.
Saw is a famous, long running horror film series. Why was the sixth installment mocked by French people before it was even released?
Anyone wanna take a punt at that?
Adam:
I'm confident that this is because of a language pun. I'm confident that this is because...
Tom:
Yes.
Sam:
It would translate to Saw-see.
Tom:
Yes, it would.
Ben:
Oh.
Adam:
Which​, what does that mean? Like, sexy?
Sam:
Saucy?​ I don't know of a French word that sounds like that, but...
Tom:
It would be, saucisse.
Sam:
Oh, sausage.
Tom:
Yes.
Sam:
Yeah.
Tom:
Saw 6 translates to saucisse, the French word for sausage.
Thank you very much to our players for running the gauntlet.
I don't know which order to say this in. Ben, tell us about Jet Lag: The Game.
Ben:
Jet Lag: The Game is a wonderful travel competition show, where we run around to different countries and play all sorts of different games.
Tom:
Adam, tell us about season 13.
Adam:
Seaso​n 13 of Jet Lag: The Game features a wonderful guest by the name of Tom Scott. And it is a race to claim the most countries in Europe.
Tom:
And Sam, tell us where people can find it.
Sam:
nebula​.tv/jetlag or youtube.com/jetlag, I think.
Tom:
'jetla​gthegame'.
Sam:
Oh, 'jetlagthegame'. Yeah, I don't know. Search it.
Tom:
That's​ our show for today. Thank you everyone.
If you wanna know more about this show, you can do that at lateralcast.com, where you can also send in your own ideas for questions. We are at @lateralcast basically everywhere. There are regular video highlights at youtube.com/lateralc​ast and full video episodes on Spotify.
Thank you very much to Sam Denby.
Sam:
Good bye!
Tom:
Adam Chase!
Adam:
Good bye!
Tom:
Ben Doyle.
Ben:
Good bye.
Tom:
I've been Tom Scott, and that's been Lateral.
| Previous Episode | Index |