Lateral with Tom Scott - 69: A very speedy spider

Episode Date: February 2, 2024

Evan & Katelyn Heling and Emily Calandrelli face questions about satellite sizes, shirt selections and salt sales. 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://www.lateralcast.com. HOST: Tom Scott. QUESTION PRODUCER: David Bodycombe. RECORDED AT: The Podcast Studios, Dublin. EDITED BY: Julie Hassett. MUSIC: Karl-Ola Kjellholm ('Private Detective'/'Agrumes', courtesy of epidemicsound.com). ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS: Alec Gray, Jacob, Noah Gillman, Ben Hobson, Eltjo van der Lelie. FORMAT: Pad 26 Limited/Labyrinth Games Ltd. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: David Bodycombe and Tom Scott. © Pad 26 Limited (https://www.pad26.com) / Labyrinth Games Ltd. 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Peloton. Spring is a great time to start a new workout routine. With the weather warming up, it feels easier to get into the rhythm of things. Whether you have 20 minutes or an hour for a Pilates class or an outdoor guided walk, Peloton has everything you need to help you get going. Get a head start on summer with Peloton at onepeloton.ca. Of the 7,000 satellites that orbit the Earth, which one is the largest? The answer to that at the end of the show.

My name's Tom Scott, and this is Lateral. Welcome aboard, passengers of flight LA063. Our flight time today is going to be about 40 minutes. We're just about to taxi onto the runway of lateral thinking, so please make sure your seatbelts are fastened and your logic is safely stowed. Here for the free juice and bag of nuts, we have Evan and Caitlin from your own YouTube channel, from Making All Sorts of Ridiculous Things. Welcome back to the show. How are you doing?

Good. I'm excited about my juice and my free nuts. They may have got slightly held up in transit. In about five weeks, just a small Amazon package is going to arrive just disappointingly late. Perfect. This is your second time on. How was the first show for you? I loved it. I mean, honestly, I was a little scared at the beginning. Like I felt like I was in school, but I'm like, I love puzzles. I love thinking outside of the box. So I am excited and ready to do it again. Heck yes. Well, thank you very much for

coming back. I'm going to ask what I always ask returning players, because this is going to appear a few weeks down the line, maybe a few months down the line from when we record. So what can people see on your channel as they listen to this that hasn't gone out yet as we record? What are you working on? Ooh, well, they can watch our attempt to preserve a fully carved pumpkin in a giant cube of resin. As I speak, we have not succeeded on our final attempt yet so i'm being very hopeful in what they're gonna see yeah we are we are doing scientific experiments pushing the limits of resin technology yeah you can put it that way it's a series we do every year and we're in the middle of our biggest challenge yet in that series so Have you ever had one where it just hasn't worked?

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Okay. Oh, yeah. Yeah. That was year one. This is year four. We're making progress.

Also joining us on today's show, known as the Space Girl, known as the host of Emily's Wonder Lab, and also author of the Adelaide series, Emily Calandrelli. Thank you for joining us again. Thank you for having me back again. How did you feel about your first show a while back? Very fun. Super fun. I get a lot of test anxiety, and so I was nervous in the beginning. But the fact that it's not like a competition makes this much more fun.

I like that we play off each other. Despite what some players consistently think it is. Yes. No, no. Teamwork. It's teamwork. Please, God, let it be teamwork. I'm going to ask the same question. What are you working on right now? What is going to be out and in the world by the time that this episode goes out? Yeah. Well, for my YouTube channel, I flew in an F-18 with the Blue Angels. And so I have a video that will cover that flight coming out soon. How were the G-forces? Because I've passed out at 3.6 before and I feel like they pushed you harder than that.

I did. I did also pass out. So you are in good company. I passed, we went up to 7.5 Gs and it was very intense and uncomfortable. But I flew with the Thunderbirds a couple of years ago and we made it to 9G and I didn't pass out then. So my body has withered away. Wait, you've flown with both the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels? I have, yeah. And I threw up on both and my body is not meant for it. I don't know why they keep inviting me on these flights. Well, speaking of intense and uncomfortable, let's get on with the show. My job on this show is to be a magician conjuring up strange situations out of thin air. It's all done with mirrors, which probably explains why my script is back to front.

And we start with this. Question one, sent in by Noah Gilman. Ben and Jen are playing the same trumpet part in a big band. Ben is following the band leader's signals accurately. However, Jen ignores the signals and does her own thing. Why is everyone fine with this? Ben and Jen are playing the same trumpet part in a big band. Ben is following the band leader's signals accurately.

However, Jen ignores the signals and does her own thing. Why is everyone fine with this? Now, I know in bands, there's like different tiers that you can be at per section. So there's like the... like the seat one the seat two yeah and like sometimes chair second chair oh yeah yeah one of those and i think that sometimes do people get solos they can have solos and bands and could they just be doing a little solo part but then would they be playing the same part because it said they're playing the same they

are playing the same part oh so it would be technically supposed to be doing the same thing so i wonder like so it says jen is doing her own thing but i wonder if that means she's going like completely free form or is she she just not following the instruction of the band leader but she could be doing something correctly doing something correctly she's just not following the instruction of the band leader, but she could be doing something correctly. She's just not following the instruction. Like is she playing a little higher, a little lower? Oh, is she blind? Is she blind?

And she is just playing by feel. She's not technically following the direction, but she's still doing it correctly. I love that answer. Like, were this a world where I could rule in technically valid alternate answers, that would be a technically valid alternate answer. But in this case, Ben and Jen are cited. There is nothing notable about them themselves other than they're playing in this band. Is it jazz where you don't have to be perfect and it has to doesn't have to follow

exactly what the conductor is doing? Not for this. It is a big band. Is it? I kind of started to say this earlier, but then you jumped on the blind thing and I liked that better, but I'm not going to use the right terms here. But is it that Jen is playing her trumpet like like an octave above or below, like higher notes or lower notes, but the same part still, like to harmonize? Oh, that's not something the band leader would signal. And they are, again, playing the same part.

Same part. Is the second person just, are they supposed to like follow the lead of the person playing in some way, like watching their fingers and like they're not following the conductor, but they're following that person for some reason? Yes, but I'll need to know the reason for that to wrap that question up. So, yeah, she's not.

Is it due their heights? Oh, I love that, but no. You're right that Jen is following the folks around her. But is it because she can't see the band leader? No, we already went down that way. Well, there could be other non-height reasons. They put her off stage. She's in the back.

I might have slightly misled you. It's not that they're playing in a big band It's not that they're playing in a big band. It's that they're playing in a big band. In a big band. Wait, there's a second conductor. Oh, it's so big. You need two conductors. I love your confidence.

It's on a big band. It's a big band. Yeah. I don't get that. It's not a big band. It's a big band. Yeah. I don't get that. It's not a big band. It's a big band. It's like, because I think, is big band a genre in some ways? Yeah.

But big band also means like a large band with a large number of people. Yeah. Big band is a genre. I think we're talking like Glenn Miller, that sort of thing, where there's just a lot of people on stage. This is a big band. So I think we're on the generally right track. Can the person who's not following the main conductor see the conductor? Yep.

Okay. And they're playing the same part. Does it have to do with like, they're complementing the audio in some way, so they sort of need to listen and watch the person and what they're doing to adjust themselves? Oh, do you want to rephrase that slightly? Do they need to adjust their volume and or pitch and or notes based on the person playing in front of them or beside them again it's not volume it's not notes that's not what the band leader is signaling are they playing on a slight delay from the other band member? Yes.

Why? Because it sounds cool? A slight delay. I mean, well, I know there are some songs I can't think of any words. Like one person starts singing.

Usually I think of it with voices and then another person starts. Is it like row, row, row your boat? Yeah. Yeah. And then row, row, row your boat. Row, row, row. Oh, I'm sorry. For then row, row, row your boat. Row, row, row. Oh, I'm sorry.

For a minute, I thought we were going to try and do that over a call across the continent. And I just panicked at the lag that would get involved there. Oh, wait. Does it have to do with the space that they're playing in? When I say big band, I mean like marching band on a sports field. That kind of size. So it has to do with this sound delay reaching point A to point B

because the band is so big. Yes. This is a well-rehearsed technique. So why is only one of them following the band leader? Because that one is closer to the band leader and the other one is so far away that the speed of sound, they need to account for it.

The one that's farther away is following the band leader. Yes. Right? Players at the back look at the signals. Players at the front follow the beat because it takes almost an entire beat. If you're playing a fast song and you're in a sports field, it might take half a beat for the sound to travel through.

So to make it work for the audience, Ben and Jen are in different parts of this giant marching band. The one that's far away looks for the signals. The one that's close feels the beat. Wow. That's so interesting. That seems so difficult. That's really cool.

I'm embarrassed that that took us that long to prepare. Now that I hear... I mean, I did say big band. You know, that's... You did. Evan, it's over to you for the first guest question. Whenever you're ready. Over the last 20 years, the missing sector orb web spider has thrived in the UK, even though its habitat sometimes moves at 34 yards a second. Specifically, where is that? I'll say the question again. Over the last 20 years, the missing sector orb web spider has thrived in the UK, even though its habitat sometimes moves at 34 yards a second.

Specifically, where is that habitat? So the habitat is on something moving. Is it on a vehicle? Who measures speed in yards per second? Hey, I'm just reading the question as it was delivered. Potentially... Oh yeah, 34 yards per second. I wasn't even thinking about the actual

speed just that it's moving yeah but and we have if these are the same we have orb weavers all around us like in our trees and our bushes like they're so pervasive in the area that we live in and i don't know um where else they would be on that would move at that random speed, 34 yards per second. 35 yards, right? It was 34, 35. It could move faster, but it really shouldn't. And can you say the speed one more time? 34 yards per second.

34. Okay. I heard 35. 34. 34 yards per second. If you want, I could translate it to miles an hour just to get you know no give us give us a little while that's okay okay okay okay i'll sit and wait and watch you guys squirm yeah part of it is my struggle to figure out how fast 34 yards per second it's it's been deliberately

obfuscated by that's like 100 feet per second. So it's about 30 meters per second, because that translates... I don't know what that is in miles per hour, but I have a feeling it's something that travels at a very specific speed. And if he gives a speed, we'll get it immediately. Okay. It is a big hint. It seems fast. So their habitat is on something moving quickly.

It's the spider that sits inside your wing mirror as you drive down the motorway. Oh, yeah. I mean, they literally are everywhere. Yeah. Wait. Tom got it in one go. What? That's 100% everywhere. Yeah. Wait, Tom got it in one go. What? That's 100% it.

No. The wing mirror cavity on modern cars, they choose it because it helps them trap food. You just randomly threw that out as an example. I was just making a cheap joke at the expense of the spiders that always get stuck in wing mirrors. It was just making a cheap joke at the expense of the spiders that always get stuck in wing mirrors. There's a reason, though, that they actually like going there because that really brings a lot of bugs and food to them.

And let me guess, 34 yards per second is 70 miles per hour, which is a speed limit on British motorways. Yeah, 70 miles per hour. which is a speed limit on British motorways. Yeah, 70 miles per hour. Oh my gosh! Yeah, and I think specifically, since the mid-2000s, most new cars sold in the UK have wing mirrors that have a rear cavity to them. That reduces the drag noise and arguably is more aesthetic, but it's also a great place for spiders to hide. This spider is one of the few species that have used this dark, safe cavity as a place to lay eggs and hide from predators.

It's not just random spiders. Like, I genuinely was just going, well, any sort of spider just sets up in there and then gets blown out. They don't get, they just literally set up a habitat in the wing mirror. Yeah, and they lay eggs there. Oh, thanks for that.

That's great to know. I'm sure a lot of people are going to have a new fear unlocked as they adjust their side mirrors. I can't believe you threw it out as a joke. If I thought it was the answer, I wouldn't have thrown it out that early. I know. I was thinking like

34 yards per second. Like, does it have to do with a football field or what else uses yards? Right, that's just the question, right, of being a jerk. Thank you to Ben Hobson for this question. The logo of Morton Salt, a leading American brand, features a young girl with an umbrella sheltering from the rain. The accompanying motto reads, When it rains, it pours.

Why did the company choose such a dreary image? I'll say that one more time. The logo of Morton Salt, a leading American brand, features a young girl with an umbrella sheltering from the rain. The accompanying motto reads, When it rains, it pours. Why did the company choose such a dreary image? This is not product placement. Just to say right now, I'm open to product placement and sponsored questions.

This is not one of them. Morton Salt, please enjoy the free advertising. I mean, my first instinct goes to like salting roads when it snows, but the imagery is rain, not snow. Yeah. Or where do we get salt for general consumption? In the ocean. That's what I'm wondering, if it's something to do with water and evaporating water. Not necessarily from the ocean.

There are plenty of salt mines in the world. I've been down a couple of them. It's very, very dry and it tastes of salt in the world um i've been down a couple of them um it's it's very very dry and it tastes of salt in the air and i know that's an obvious thing to say but it still surprised me down there you know you're down there for an hour and you let your lips go oh that's that's salt weird tasty could you like have the meal down there and you wouldn't need any salt you're just breathing and in and ingesting the salt and everything is perfectly salted you should open a restaurant down in a salt mine a restaurant and a salt mine i feel like that

exists somewhere probably in romania there's there's a few salt mines in central and eastern europe that are no longer producing salt that have got like theme parks opened in them or like not like full theme parks like little attractions and rides and hotels and things like that okay that's fun sorry tom salt mine facts there i'm wondering if like back way back when i'm assuming this is a very old brand did people need salt or get salt on rainy days or something having to do with like when you received or purchased salts way back when this brand was first started and that imagery was created i wonder is the phrase when it rains it pours is that a red herring or does that have something to do with the imagery and the answer that is very relevant very relevant okay when it rains it pours and the

image because you can say pour like you're because the those typical salts the morton salt the larger ones you open them and you pour out the salt so it just has to do with it's like wordplay. When it rains, of course, this allows you to pour the salt. Oh, were they the first brand to put a pour spout on their salt? They weren't, but you're circling the right answer here. That little thing you just worked out there, Emily, is like the last hint on my list of hints. It's the giveaway one. So yes, it is very much to do with that wordplay. I mean, I can see how they went from, okay, you can pour your salt from our container.

What's the saying that has to do with pouring when it rains, it pours. Therefore, we'll put a girl in a raincoat as our logo. Like I can kind of work it backwards, but I still don't, I feel like that's not telling the full story that we're looking for. Yeah. There's one other thing to work out from that. I mean, is it like pores as opposed to sprinkling,

which is what you would typically do with salt. You like shake it and it's like a sprinkle. I mean, you could do either with the salt, but when it rains, it sprinkles is not quite as good. Yeah. Maybe it's like when it's a rainy day, you cook. And when you cook, you need salt. And so when it's a rainy day, it pours.

Nope. Sorry. When it rains, all the slugs come out and you kill slugs with salt. And so you pour it on them. You pour it on the slugs. When it rains, you pour, they die. Yeah. New slogan.

Okay, that's not it. This wasn't the advertising. This wasn't the advertising they were hoping for. Evan, you said, were they the first brand too? And you then went on to put a spout on there. That bit's not right. The rest of it, they were the first brand to do something. Okay.

Okay. To just give you a bunch of salt at once? Or a table salt. Table salt. Table salt. And there's something... Like pourable salt. Yeah. And there's something that used to be a problem with that, that they salt. Yeah. Table salt. Table salt. And there's something... Like pourable salt. Yeah.

And there's something that used to be a problem with that, that they solved. Oh, the moisture. Like, is it the, it would collect too much moisture and harden? Yep. So what did they do that justified that slogan? I mean, I know at restaurants, at restaurants, you put rice in it to make it not. Yeah. Is it an airtight container like their container is unique in that it doesn't allow moisture? I'm going to give you it. It's not the container, but it is an anti-caking agent in the salt.

It's magnesium carbonate. They were the first brand to add an anti-caking agent that meant that even if it was humid, even if it was raining outside, you could still pour the salt. Oh, yeah. Over the training outside. So, yes, it wasn't the container. It was an agent in it. But I'm not going to ask you for chemistry knowledge to know exactly how you would stop salt from caking up in the rain. So yes, Morton salt was the first where when it rained, you could still pour it. So when it rains, it pours.

That's clever, but it's too clever. Clever to the point where no one appreciates it. They're assuming too much of their audience. Emily, over to you for the next question, whenever you're ready. This question has been sent in by Alec Gray. So Sam Raimi's Evil Dead franchise was turned into a musical in 2003. For a while, the theater's best seats were sold at a discount, but later attracted a premium price. Why were the souvenir t-shirts

only produced in one color? Have two of us both got there? I think we might have to go to the spare question here. Have two of us both got this? I think so. Me and Evan lit up here. Caitlin, Caitlin's just looking

a little bit nonplussed. I was like, I want to hear the question one more time, and you guys already got it. Emily, give us that question one more time. Sam Raimi's Evil Dead franchise was turned into a musical in 2003. For a while, the theater's best seats were sold at a discount, but later attracted a premium price. Why were the souvenir t-shirts only produced in one color?

I think I know as well. I think we might all have got this we we might all be wrong though what color do we all think the t-shirts were because i'm red red white but we all think it's the same reason right well i were thinking the same reason i was thinking red and evan says white well because i think that okay i think that they're white because there's blood spray as part of the production and you want white to show the evidence of the blood you were thinking red to hide the evidence of the blood yeah same wait tom you were thinking red also i was thinking red to hide the blood because presumably the evil dead musical has a splash zone but i actually

think that evan might be onto something because the people that want to be in the splash zone want evidence of the splash like we go to a haunted house every year where you get blood all over you. We always wear white t-shirts. It's a great haunted house. Yeah. But you wear white t-shirts because afterwards you want the photo covered in blood. So I actually think the people that want those seeds would want a white shirt. I think you're right. I'm sorry. Emilyily i realize that you are itching to tell us yes or no on this but i want to drill down more on a haunted house that sprays you with blood yes oh yeah it's like you're in there for like an hour and a half it's

like you go through a whole storyline it's a near escape room you sign up for a time slot it's you and your team you solve mysteries you reach into slimy holes you have to like crawl through tunnels and stuff they trap you they like move you around and and tunnels and everything it's elaborate wow where is this in austin texas yeah of course it's in austin texas but all the money raised goes to breast cancer research. So good cause. Yeah, it's wholesome. Nice. Okay, so if this is...

Emily, hold up. We've got a whole theory worked up here. And if it's right or if it's wrong, but that doesn't explain the ticket pricing. So did they sell the Splash Zone at a discount because they thought people wouldn't want it i think that's what they originally thought that people wouldn't want to get dirty and blood covered at the show but then they realized that the target audience for an evil dead show actually was buying those seats not because they were discounted but because they

wanted to be in the splash zone they wanted wanted to get covered in blood, and they realized that they could actually sell them at a premium for this specific audience. And I think the reason why that happened is because of social media. Getting covered in blood, and maybe having a fun backdrop, creates a great social media moment. And only the people who got splashed get that photo covered in blood at the show. And the social media created this hype and this demand. And that's what allowed them to sell the ticket prices higher. Emily? You guys explained everything. There was nothing more to add on my end. Yes, there was a splatter zone. And those were originally discounted because they thought that nobody wanted to get sprayed with blood. And then they found out that, oops, yeah, actually, they would prefer to get sprayed with blood. And so they kept all of the t-shirts white so that you get that social media moment of blood splattered all over you.

So there's one loose end here. What color were the t-shirts? White. They were white. So that you could have that social media moment of the obvious splattering of the blood on you we're too much the target audience for this one yeah i'm like i'd go to that i was so confused reading the question that i was like oh man we're gonna have to work out a lot of things and you guys were like oh i got i know exactly i am in the splatter zone i have the white t-shirt. We used to, the haunted house we refer to, they used to have two levels. There was like the normal level and then you could sign up to be red level where you would, it was even more intense and we would sign up for the red level.

So like we literally are the splash zone people in this scenario. Yeah. Yeah. Good luck, folks. The next question comes from Eljo Vandaleli. Good luck, folks. The next question comes from Eljo Vandaleli. In September 2021, the maximum speed limit on signs in a small Dutch city was increased by 10%. After a weekend, the signs were changed back. Why? One more time. In September 2021, the maximum speed limit on signs in a small Dutch city was increased by 10%. After a weekend, the signs were switched back.

Why? So is there some sort of holiday or event that would benefit from the speed limit being changed in September of 2021? The speed limit was changed for a weekend, basically. Yeah, so there could be two reasons why it was changed back. Oktoberfest? Yeah, one could be there's a specific event, they changed it knowing they would change it back afterwards.

Or it could be they changed it and then after a weekend, they were like, no, this isn't working. We have to change it back. It could be either of those. I think that's around the start of Oktoberfest, in case that is relevant. That would be Germany, not the Netherlands. Not quite the right country for Oktoberfest.

And on King's Day, they would just paint everything orange instead. So that joke specifically decided to land for just the Dutch listeners. Sorry to everyone else. So would there be something in the Netherlands in September of 2021 that would be some sort of like weekend holiday or tourist thing that would cause them to increase the speed limit by 10%. I also could take this into a slightly darker place. They increased it, something bad happened, and they're like, nope, let's bring it back down.

This is very much a celebration. And in the way that the last question was apparently laser targeted at everyone answering it, I have the sneaking suspicion that this one could not be more of a mistargeted question. So hinting quite heavily that yes, this was a planned celebration for a specific event. Was it specifically for people going through perhaps like a rally race or a driving event or something of that sort? Yes. Interesting. Not necessarily for the people in the event, but in celebration of it.

Yes. Oh, so people celebrate by driving? Yeah. Maybe there's a number that it hits that the number is relevant and like the 10 is just sort of yes oh yep like there's like a like a special number associated with this event slash celebration like maybe it's like the you know 70th. And so they moved it from, you know, math is hard. Some number to 70 because it's the 70th anniversary.

Like, does it have to do with an anniversary? It's not an anniversary. And it's definitely not 70. We're in a small Dutch city here. Yeah. Okay. But it'd be in kilometers. Yeah.

Oh, yeah. But somehow the number is relevant to the celebration. And it's not an anniversary. Is this changed every year or was it only September 2021? It was only September 2021. So has it changed to 21 kilometers per hour? That wouldn't be a 10% increase. That would be 5% if you go from 20 to 21.

Oh, I don't think we knew the original number. Did we know the original number? What do you think the speed limit is in a small Dutch city centre? 20. 20 kilometers? Okay, it's guessed the speed limit at this point. The speed limit was 30. Okay, okay.

And that clue has just given it away to a certain section of the audience. People who know about this are absolutely screaming it at their speakers right now.

So it has changed to 33? It has changed to 33. Okay. So why is 33 relevant? Why is 33 relevant? In the Netherlands there's something happening.

Bear in mind you said driving event as well. Driving event. Is it like a race? Yep. Yeah. It's something happening. Bear in mind, you said driving event as well. Driving event. Is it like a race? Yep. Yeah. It's a race.

Okay. So there's a well-known event in the Netherlands. It's a slow race. No, no, no. So the race, that isn't happening in the city. The city up, the increase in speed limit isn't for the people doing the race. Oh, it's for people who are there in celebration. Yeah, so it's like a little novelty thing.

It's like a novelty. Is there a race car that their number is 33? Yes, there is. Or something? Yes. Don't know where that came from, Emily, but you're absolutely right. I'm going to be in an F1 in a couple of weeks, so I've got race cars on the mind. Well,

funny you mentioned that. Is there an F1 car with 33 on it that is driven by someone from the Netherlands? Yep. Max Verstappen. I wasn't expecting anyone to get the name, but you've pieced enough of it together. His number was 33. He is Dutch,

and it was the Dutch Formula One Grand Prix. Nice. I can't believe we got that one, y'all. Well done, team. So in honour of his home Grand Prix, the town where it was being held changed their speed limit signs to his number 33. Very cool. That's cute. I love that. That's wholesome. Love it. Our last guest question then, it's over to Caitlin. So this question has been sent in by Jacob. In the year 897, Pope Stephen VI ordered his predecessor, Pope Formosus, to be put on trial. In a courtroom face-off with Stephen as the judge and prosecutor, Formosus was charged with offenses against the church. Why else was the trial controversial?

And I will point out that Evan is very deliberately averting his gaze here. In the year 897, Pope Stephen VI ordered his predecessor, Pope Formosus, to be put on trial. In a courtroom face-off with Stephen the Pope as the judge and prosecutor, Formosus was charged with offenses against the church. Why else was the trial controversial? This is a bit of trivia that I know, so I'm sitting out, and this one is on Evan and Emily. Oh, boy.

Wow. I did not think obscure Pope trivia would come in here, but apparently it does. Was it not father and son? Not father and son. I'm not sure, but I feel like having a son is kind of

disqualifying for popes oh yeah there is that well maybe that was the drama how would drama would that cause there is something controversial it's not that they're father and son so i'm guessing the main thing we're trying to move past that's the obvious controversial thing is that the predecessor is being tried by the current yeah the current pope and he the current pope is the arbiter of everything and in control of everything that seems a little bit fishy obviously it is fishy but there's a another element that makes this controversial. Now, is the new, is it Pope? Yeah.

Did the new Pope? Well, that's another six years in poetry, never mind. Did the new Pope do what the last Pope did also and is he like a hypocrite um what do you mean do what the last pope did also like his predecessor on trial also so i'm guessing the old pope did something bad but did the new pope do that bad thing also it's not really relevant to the matter that's controversial is the old pope dead and he's trying him after his death the old pope is dead formosus was the the dead pope that was put on trial now if you can dig a little bit further into this because it's it goes further oh there's more to it he brought the dead body in on keep going i mean keep going true is that right keep going you said courtroom face off right yeah so the new pope brought the old pope to the courtroom to literally stand trial?

Should I just go ahead and say it? I mean, y'all are... I think you have to just go ahead and say it. Okay. So, yes, the new pope had the old pope dug up. They dressed him in all his gear. They put him in a throne and they had a trial where they would ask him questions. He didn't answer, of course, because he is dead.

And then, you know, they found him guilty of all these things and they cut off three of his fingers, like the three fingers he used for blessing people. And then they threw him in a river what so a lot of controversy yes so there's a lot there's some point at which a historical event goes from being a horrible atrocity to a question we can have on a light-hearted panel show and it feels like we've only just crossed the line on this one. Yes. You know, one thing, you know, I could almost see it being like, like when I was reading about this, it almost feels like you can make a dark comedy movie about it.

You know, it's been so long. It's a death of Stalin kind of situation there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Or it's a little bit like Weekend at Bernie's. I would pay to be in the splatter zone. Oh my God. Oh Bernie's. I would pay to be in the splatter zone. Oh my God.

Oh yeah, you don't want to be in the splatter zone. No, you don't. Oh no. Yeah, so the reason it was controversial is because Pope Formosus was dead. That makes sense. One last order of business then. At the start of the show,

I asked of over 7,000 satellites that orbit the Earth, which one is the largest? And as I was prepping to say this, Emily went to get a prop. So I'm just going to hand over to Evan and Caitlin here first, just to see if they can take a shot at this. I think this is a trick question caitlin go first i think i might have the the second answer i mean is it the moon yes it's the

moon i'm going to assume yes and emily holds up a weird floating contact juggling ball of the moon which is wonderful uh thank you very much to all our players. Thank you for coming. Congratulations on getting through the show. We will start today. Emily, where can people find you? What do you do? What are you making?

Yeah, so people can find me all online at various social media platforms at TheSpaceGal. And I'm at TheSpaceGal.com. Evan, Caitlin, where can people find you? What are you working on? You can find us mostly on YouTube.com. Evan, Caitlin, where can people find you? What are you working on? You can find us mostly on YouTube. Just search Evan and Caitlin, but we're on all the platforms. And you can find all of our DIY videos

or gaming videos and every other random thing we're doing. Search Evan and Caitlin on YouTube. And if you want to know more about this show, you can do that at lateralcast.com. We are at Lateral Cast in the increasingly hostile wasteland of social media. And there are video highlights at youtube.com slash lateralcast.com. We are at Lateral Cast in the increasingly hostile wasteland of social media and there are

video highlights at youtube.com slash lateralcast several times a week. With that, thank you very much to Evan and Caitlin. Thanks for having us.

To Emily Calandrelli. Woohoo! Thanks for having me. I've been Tom Scott and that's been Lateral.