Lateral with Tom Scott 152: Microwaving chocolate
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Sep 5, 2025 
Abby Cox, an archivist known for her insights on fashion and women's history, joins engineer Ruth Amos, famous for her Kids Invent Stuff channel, and YouTuber Evan Edinger, who shares cultural nuances. They hilariously tackle topics like the quirks of food delivery and the science of melting chocolate. Listeners will enjoy their amusing tales of Guinness World Records and the oddities of online shopping. With playful banter about a chocolate ritual and unique graveside traditions, this conversation is both enlightening and entertaining.
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Gas Companies May Deliver Takeaway Vouchers
- Gas companies may deliver food vouchers when they cut off supply during a leak to keep people fed and safe.
- The voucher both compensates and prevents residents from reconnecting gas to cook, reducing risk.
Swapping Set Calls To Outsmart A Noisy Neighbour
- A film crew in Breaking Bad swapped the calls “action” and “cut” to stop a neighbour from sabotaging exterior shots with a wood chipper.
- The trick worked but the Homeowners Association later banned using properties as sets.
Chocolate In The Microwave Measures Light Speed
- Melting a chocolate bar in a microwave reveals hot spots that map to microwave wavelength nodes.
- Measuring distance between melted points and using the oven's frequency lets students calculate the speed of light.