Hank Green, Ceri Riley, and Daniel Peake tackle quirky questions about pencils, pyromaniacs, and protoplasm on a comedy panel game podcast. They delve into mysterious puzzles, analyze Billy Joel's song, discuss unique pizza orders, and ponder why traffic cones scatter at a New Zealand tunnel. The conversation also touches on unconventional timekeeping, musical solutions, and the largest biological cell people see regularly.
Creativity can lead to unique solutions like using a pencil and rubber band as a guitar capo.
Legal loopholes like adjusting clocks can have practical implications, such as keeping a diner open for almost 24 hours.
The yolk of a chicken egg is likely the largest biological cell most people will encounter regularly.
Animals like Kia birds exhibit strategic behavior, such as using cones to interact with humans for food.
Deep dives
Clocks in Milwaukee Diner
At branches of George Webb's in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, there are two clocks side by side, with one set one minute later than the other. It is a loophole to ensure the diner remains technically open for only 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds each day, dodging a ban on 24-hour establishments.
Musician's Improvised Capo
After fruitless searching, a musician picks up a pencil and a rubber band to create an improvised capo for a guitar. By placing the pencil across the guitar's fingerboard and securing it with the rubber band, the musician can change the pitch of all strings, similar to a traditional capo.
Egg Yolk as Largest Biological Cell
The largest biological cell most people will see on a regular basis is the yolk of a chicken egg. Simplifying the concept, it is considered the largest biological cell that is commonly encountered by individuals.
Kia Birds Moving Cones in New Zealand
Kia birds in New Zealand were seen dragging cones to block the entrance of a road tunnel. Their motive was to stop traffic so that humans would offer them food when cars stopped. The Kia birds strategically used the cones to interact with humans for a snack.
Musician's Makeshift Capo with Pencil and Rubber Band
A musician, unable to find their capo, uses a pencil and rubber band as an improvised capo for a guitar. By placing the pencil across the fingerboard and securing it with the rubber band, the musician can alter the pitch of the guitar strings effectively.
Clock Being One Minute Ahead in Wisconsin Diner
In a diner in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, there are two clocks side by side where one is set one minute later than the other. This setup is a legal loophole to maintain the diner's status as not being a 24-hour establishment, ensuring it technically closes for just a minute each day.
Lateral Podcast Introduction
Tom Scott hosts the Lateral podcast where guests Hank Green, Daniel Peek, and Sari Riley engage in interactive questions and puzzles. The episode features intriguing challenges like identifying the largest biological cell and exploring unique situations such as clocks in a diner and a musician's makeshift capo.
Hank Green, Ceri Riley and Daniel Peake face questions about practical pencils, pyromaniac profiteers and prodigious protoplasm.
LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird questions with wonderful answers, hosted by Tom Scott. For business enquiries, contestant appearances or question submissions, visit https://lateralcast.com.