Lateral with Tom Scott 162: Brown noise
26 snips
Nov 14, 2025 
Join Taha Khan, Sabrina Cruz, and Melissa Fernandes from Answer in Progress as they dive into delightful curiosities. Discover how broccoli served as a practical bouquet at the Olympics and why thermal cameras sparked redesigns of card terminals. Learn about using film canisters for bird weighing and hear the heartwarming tale of a dugong who found cheer in celebrity waxworks during lockdown. Their whimsical explorations unleash laughter and intriguing insights that will leave you pondering the oddities of life!
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Names Often Come From People
- Brown noise, Taco Bell, and Main Street share a naming pattern tied to people's surnames rather than literal descriptions.
- Many everyday names (e.g., Brown, Bell, Main) trace back to individuals who lent their surnames to terms and places.
Broccoli Used As Medal-Day Placeholders
- Three teenagers carried whole heads of broccoli on trays while rehearsing to present small bouquets at an Olympic medal ceremony.
- Alison witnessed volunteers using broccoli as cheap, durable placeholders during a backstage tour.
Great Square = Quick Light-Pollution Check
- Stargazers use the Great Square (near Pegasus) as a quick light-pollution gauge by counting visible stars.
- Seeing twelve or more stars inside the square signals excellent conditions to fetch a telescope.
