Lateral with Tom Scott - 107: The DVD of anger

Episode Date: October 25, 2024

Lucy Rogers, Molly Edwards and Trace Dominguez face questions about religious roads, secret services and transport thingamyjigs. 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. HOST: Tom Scott. QUESTION PRODUCER: David Bodycombe. EDITED BY: Julie Hassett at The Podcast Studios, Dublin. MUSIC: Karl-Ola Kjellholm ('Private Detective'/'Agrumes', courtesy of epidemicsound.com). ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS: Peter Scandrett, Nate, Michael. 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

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Visit betterhelp.com to learn more. That's betterHELP.com. Every street in Manchester has a church building in it. Why is this not unusual? The answer to that at the end of the show. My name's Tom Scott, and this is Lateral. You know those quizzes where they ask you about the chemical symbol for oxygen, or the year the light bulb was invented? Well, on this show we're more likely to ask you for the chemical symbol for a light bulb, or when oxygen was invented. Hoping to get their facts right today, first we have engineer and author, and perhaps most known to this particular audience as a judge on robot wars, please welcome Dr Lucy Rogers.

Thank you very much. Welcome to the show, this is your first time playing. I had a look at your website to try and work out how to introduce you, and there are so many things you're working on right now. What's the big project at the minute? Currently I'm writing a book. Science Book for Ad adults, popular science. But I'm making it sort of a travel book, and then just sliding the science in so that people

who won't normally pick up a science book will hopefully read it as well. This is your first time on the show, and we've got two returning players. Are you... how do you feel about the questions that are not as straightforward as usual? Oh, definitely nervous. Definitely. We have two returning players joining you today. First of all, from Science IRL, we have plant biologist and science communicator, Dr Molly Edwards. Welcome! Hi, Tom. Great to be here.

How are you feeling about coming back to the show after a little while away? How was the last time? I'm ready. It's been almost a year, I think. I'm ready. It has. Yes. I'm so excited.'m ready. It's been almost a year, I think. I'm ready. It has, yes. I'm so excited. What have you been working on in that year? I've spent the year visiting really cool plant biology labs and making videos about all the cool plant science

that's going on in the country. So I'm excited to share that. What kind of places have you been to? Because obviously I have not been doing as much travel over the last year as I used to. Whereabouts have you seen? Oh my gosh, I've been to Arizona, to upstate New York, visiting scientists who are engineering plants to be more resilient to climate change.

So like, creating plants that can turn red when they're stressed and give farmers a heads up that they need some help, that kind of thing. Also returning to the show, our third player today from PBS Stargazers, and from his own podcast, That's Absurd. Please elaborate. Trace Dominguez, welcome back to the show. Hello! I'm very excited to be back. today from PBS Stargazers and from his own podcast, That's Absurd, Please Elaborate. Trace Dominguez, welcome back to the show. Hello. I'm very excited to be back.

Well, I had a lovely time on That's Absurd, Please Elaborate. We talked for slightly too long, I think, about what would happen in the Mighty Ducks scene. Yeah, yeah. You very graciously answered a question about hockey, which my co-host plays hockey, so he was very excited about that, and decided that we should just talk about whether or not Goldberg the goalie from The Mighty Ducks would survive.

If hit by a hockey puck so fast that it blasted someone back into the net, what would actually happen? Yeah. I mean, I use the word splash damage a lot. It felt like a good episode. I don't know how it was from your side. Oh, I think it went very well for everybody except this hypothetical goalie. Well, good luck to you and all three of our players.

It's time to sharpen your pencils as well as your wits as we move on to question one. How is soy sauce the opposite of tomato sauce? I'll give you that again. How is soy sauce the opposite of tomato sauce. I'll give you that again. How is soy sauce the opposite of tomato sauce? Botanically. Excellent start. Love it. Strong lead. Botanically, soy sauce comes from a legume

and tomato sauce comes from a solanaceous vegetable. But they're not like, I wouldn't call them opposites botanically. You said solanaceous vegetable and not they're not like... I wouldn't call them opposites, botanically. You said solanaceous vegetable and not fruit there. Oh, it is a fruit. Well, yeah, the whole... Okay, the whole, like... Yes, it is a fruit. Okay. Yeah, but I don't know what solanaceous means.

That sounds like the name for Deadly Nightshade. It is. I think it's like salacious, isn't it? No, a salacious vegetable is something very different. We're not going to go there. Not there? No, I think the zucchini cucumber family. It's one of those amusingly shaped carrots from newsreels. Solanaceous' nightshade family? Yeah, Solanaceous' nightshades.

But yeah, they're both flowering plants, so I wouldn't call them opposites botanically. From an engineering perspective, soy seems to be very liquidy, and tomato ketchup is more thixotropic, so it doesn't dribble until it dribbles. Yeah. There's a force in it involved. Yeah, it changes consistency based on, is it pressure or shear or...? Yeah.

It's a non-Newtonian, right? The ketchup is non-Newtonian. Yeah. Which is cool. Someone's going to have to explain that and it shouldn't be me. So non-Newtonian fluids are, the classic example is Oobleck, right? It's a mixture of cornstarch and water. If you pour it out of a jar, it will pour, but if you slap it, it will become hard. Don't ask me to explain why it does that, because I don't have notes on it.

Don't sump corn flour. Yes. I once did the walking on custard demonstration for a cork. I mean, it's not real custard, it's corn flour and water. The trouble is, it was outdoors, and we had to do it several times over three and four days. And by day two, it was not looking like custard, it just had stuff floating in it. It was not pleasant.

So culinarily, we've gone through like plants, we've gone through engineering, like culinarily, soy is more in the salty kind of area. And tomato can be any number of things, like a tomato sauce. You have to add sugar to it to cut the acidity. It's more acidic, but I don't know. Again, opposites. I mean, if it was sweet and salty, you could argue they're opposites. Is umami an acid?

Is that a taste sensation opposite? I mean, it is one of the sensations, right? So, we've talked botanically. We've talked... I can't remember. What adjective did you use, Lucy? Oh, engineering-ly. I'm an author, you know! And we've talked about culinary. It is, unfortunately, none of those.

It is more of an etymological thing. Ooh. Oh. Soy comes from soya. Tomato comes from tomatoes. No, that's all I've got. One's a bean. Well, you're actually surprisingly close there, Lucy.

We are talking about where the words come from. But what is soy named after? Mr. Soy. Yeah. The inventor of soy sauce, famously. Perhaps the obvious question would be, what is tomato sauce named after? The sauce of tomatoes. Yeah, that's the easy part.

So mashed up soy beans don't make soy sauce, is that what we're saying? I don't know how to make soy sauce. You ferment the soy beans, right? Yeah. Whereas tomatoes, or tomato ketchup is smushed up tomatoes, vinegar, spices, sugar. If tomato sauce is named after tomatoes, what's the opposite of that when I'm talking about soy sauce? Not being named after soy.

Keep thinking along those lines. Not being named after beans, not being... You're not... So soy sauce is named after Mr. Soy, and not after the bean. Tomato sauce is named after tomatoes. Soy beans... Soy sauce is not named after fermented...

Soy sauce is not named after soybeans. Okay. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. This is actually through English through Dutch. Have a think about what might have arrived in the West first. Soy is named after soy sauce. Soy is named after soy sauce. Soy is named after soy sauce. Lucy, you're absolutely right.

What? Right? I had to double and triple check this when this came in. What was it named before that? So I've checked the etymology here. This is in dictionaries. This is also from the Soy Info Center, which is apparently a reliable source for this. No pun intended.

I genuinely didn't intend that. The Chinese for soy sauce. Now, my pronunciation guide here has a load of tone markers on it. I'm gonna get this wrong, but it's xianghu, or something like that. That became soya, or soya in Dutch. That evolved into shoyu, or just soy, in Japanese. So it's this complicated etymological thing where tomato sauce is obviously named after tomato. The soybean, soy, is named after soy sauce because that's the way the etymology worked.

Cool. Wow. Yep. That's fun. Now we know. Cool. Ha ha ha. Each of our guests has brought a question along with them. I don't know the question, I definitely don't know the answer. We will start today with Trace.

All right. This question has been sent by Nate. In 2014, vending machines bearing the slogan, Enhance Your Swim, were stationed at gyms and pools all over Auckland. They sold transparent water bottles for $99.95 New Zealand dollars, about $60 US dollars. And despite the price, they sold out very quickly. Why would that be? In 2014, vending machines bearing the slogan Enhance Your Swim were stationed at gyms and pools all over Auckland. They sold transparent water bottles for $99.95 New Zealand dollars, $60 US dollars.

Despite that price, they sold out quickly. Why? Was there something in the transparent bottles? Mmm, there was something in the transparent bottles. So what on earth would Enhance Your Swim? You said this was gyms and... Yeah, gyms and pools. This isn't something... because I remember filming way back in...

It's not Auckland, it was near Rotorua, and they have just outdoor thermal baths. I was like, maybe it's something for that, but no, it's just... it's literally just swimming pools and gyms. Yeah, swimming pools and gyms. Huh. Is the year relevant? Like, did something happen in 2014 where people would be more... Huh. ...eager to enhance their swim? Ha ha!

Ha ha ha! I think the year is relevant, but more to... more to centre in on what... on what we're talking about specifically, not necessarily because something happened in that year, but to give you a sense of, I don't know, I guess this is sort of a hint, to give you a sense of recency. You know, 2014, it's not that long ago. This isn't some weird herbal thing from the 1920s

that promised to make you swim faster and better. Yeah, it's not filled with laudanum. It's something... LAUGHTER No, that would be a workout. LAUGHTER Also, what are you paying $100 for? Yeah, yeah. $60 US dollars or about $100 New Zealand dollars.

I don't know if that's a lot in New Zealand, but it seems... You know, $60 in 2014? It's not nothing. I know. I remember when I was a teenager, there were bottles of perfume, not that I ever really wanted bottles of perfume, and they were extortionately priced because they had bits of gold inside them. Now, I'm not quite thinking how having a bit of gold in a water bottle might make it worth more, but... There's a few things like that. There's a liqueur that has gold in it, there's gold

schlager. There's a couple other things like that. Absolutely useless, it doesn't taste of anything. It doesn't do anything to your body. Does it pass right through? Yeah, it just passes right through. Just passes right through. If you ever want to do a little experiment with that, you can buy like sheets of ultra-thin gold leaf for like one or two dollars. And just, if you apply them to your tongue the right way, you get a gold-plated tongue until the next time you swallow.

And then, you know, a couple days later, there might be a little bit of glitter left behind. Yeah, you're really making very expensive visits to the... Sounds like you know a lot about this, Tom. Honestly, like, 2014, that was one of the first videos I did for my channel when I was just, like, doing 60-90 seconds things, and I'm going to gold-plank my tongue. Er, I can't talk now. This don't feel like work.

I want to mention, you asked if there's something in the water bottle, and I said yes, just to remind you. The people who were buying these thought that they were getting a good value for their money. So not only was, so they were buying this that was not cheap, and they were like, worth it. Worth it. This is a stupid idea. Was there a live fish in there or something like that? It was like one of those fairground things, that are now banned for good reason,

where you just used to get a goldfish in a bag if you won a prize. You are releasing a goldfish into the swimming pool. I said it was a stupid idea. Well, again, there is something in it. It's not a living thing, but there is something in there. Is it something to be consumed, or is it something, yeah, to release into the environment? It isn't something to be consumed per se, but it is something that, once you open the bottle, you could use.

But no, you don't eat it, or anything like that. It's not alive. It's very highly pressurized water, and if you release it at exactly the right time, it will shoot you down the pool and... Yeah. Like a fire extinguisher. Yeah.

Like a friend's. Yeah. See, I'm thinking because it's a... Auckland? Yeah. The kind of location matters less. It matters less, I was thinking suntan cream, but you wouldn't really put that in a drinking

bottle. That would be, you know, interesting. Yeah, the location is, it doesn't matter quite as much. This could have happened pretty much anywhere in cultures that would value the thing inside the bottle. Not every culture in the world would necessarily value that thing. Especially since it was at a gym or a pool. So try and keep in mind what might be in this bottle.

The secret formula. It was part of an advertising stunt as well. So the company that... It felt like an advertising stunt. Yeah. The company that put them there was like, oh, this is a great idea. Oh, what if it's like swimwear?

What if it's like clothing or something like that? Because it's going to get wet anyway. So if you're going to put it inside a drinking... Why would you put that inside a drinking glass instead of something better? There's nothing better than putting on a wet swimsuit. And then drinking out of the thing it came in. You know one of those things where you're like, oh, I've got it, I've got it, I've not got it, I've not. You're actually on the right track, though.

It doesn't actually have to have water in. It's a drinking bottle, but it hasn't got... It did have water in it. But there's nothing special, like it's not flavour... Goggles! Again, very close. There's nothing special, like it's not flavored. Goggles! Again, very close. There's nothing special about the water or the bottle. And remember, the slogan was, enhance your swim. So they're already going to be swimming. This could be a way to make their swim.

It's a jet propulsion pack. Yeah. Or, no, it's a, I got it, I got it. It's an inflatable rubber duck that you can swim with as you're going down. I mean, it would enhance my swim every day. Yeah, it would. Yeah, it would. If it's a hundred dollar rubber duck though, that's got to be a good rubber duck. I don't know, those floaty pool things they're selling now are like, prices are going up,

man. Yeah, they're expensive. The giant unicorns and stuff, pizzas. Yeah. How might one enhance their swim? Like, you're swimming, what would make, in say, the early 20 teens, your swim somehow less boring? Is this an electronic thing?

Oh, it is an electronic thing. It was an advertising campaign. Do you want to know the company? Sony or something? Yeah, waterproof headphones, waterproof MP3 player, something like that. That's it! It was a waterproof headphone! Yay!

So, to show off their waterproof rating, Sony put headphones and water bottles in vending machines so that you could see that they're already in the water and it boosted sales by 380%. Wow. That's a lot. That is a lot. Well done. Yeah, good job Sony.

Yeah, I hope that PR person got a raise. Somewhere in a PR company, somewhere in Auckland, there's an intern who is really annoyed that that was their idea that got used. Maybe they accidentally dropped their headphones in a glass and then they were like, Ahhhhh! After decades of shaky hands caused by debilitating tremors, Sunnybrook was the only hospital in Canada who could provide Andy with something special. Three neurosurgeons, two scientists, one movement disorders coordinator,

58 answered questions, two focused ultrasound procedures, one specially developed helmet, thousands of high-intensity focused ultrasound waves, zero incisions, and that very same day, two steady hands. From innovation to action, Sunnybrook is special. Learn more at sunnybrook.ca slash special. Thank you to Michael for sending in this next question.

In 2007, Melchior sat down to enjoy a DVD of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Before the film began, he became furious. What made him so angry, and why was it so ironic? I'll say that again. In 2007, Melchior sat down to enjoy a DVD of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Before the film began, he became furious. What made him so angry, and why was it so ironic?

Who's Melchior? That, if I told you, would give you the entire clue to this question. Well, dang it. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a tomato sauce problem. Me and Molly would be like, Are we supposed to know who that is? You'll have to excuse me. This is a Dutch name. That's particularly relevant to the question, so I may be completely mangling that.

Sure. Hmm. But that, okay, but the person, the specific person matters then? This is a real person. Okay. Oh, it's a person. I was going for the dog angle there. Oh!

That was a dog. Really upset because there's the thunder at the beginning of the dog. It's so Cerberus or the three headed dog. Oh no. Dog in my living room. Let's see, it's a Harry Potter DVD. The Philosopher's Stone, as it's known in Britain, we call it the Sorcerer's Stone, but I assume in Dutch they would call it.

I honestly don't know which. Yeah. And it's, he's mad and it's ironic. Yes. So... Interesting. Well, what would show up when you put the DVD in? You know, you put it in.

In the US we get the FBI warning. You do get the FBI warning, Trace. Oh. The kids are like, what's a DVD? What are you putting in? I don't get it. This has been certified for use for age 12 and above or some such. And do not pirate the copy.

Do not pirate the copy. Yeah, you wouldn't steal a car. Ah, Trace, you— Melchior's a pirate. And he was mad because he pirated it. So it was ironic, because he's a pirate. Not quite, but you have actually identified not just what Melchior was looking at, but the specific public information film. It is the You Wouldn't Steal a Car film. That Melchior was angry at.

Yes. So you've got the first part of the question. That's what made him so angry. Why was it ironic that he was angry at that film? Because he'd just stolen it out of a car? He'd literally just stolen the car. No, no, unfortunately not. Did Melchior make that ad that they then stole from him and aired it anyway? That's very close. He didn't make the ad.

He made the car. It was his car? It was his car. He looked at his drone. He looked at his drone and it was gone. You wouldn't steal a car, but we would look outside. So Melchior theate is mad that... Milky or the something.

He's not a pirate. And he didn't make the whole ad. What sort of things go into that ad? What can you remember about it? I remember it goes... I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it goes what? It's wobbling. It's wobbling around a lot. You wouldn't steal a car. Yep, what else is going on? You wouldn't steal...

Let's see, what else wouldn't you steal? I can't remember. I just remember a car. There's one other really important element that goes into making something like that. I mean, somebody wrote the ad. Somebody wrote that phrase. Somebody... Obviously, if they directed it, somebody wrote the ad. Somebody wrote that phrase. Somebody — obviously, if they directed it, they would be involved. Someone edited it?

Someone... Sound, music? Mmm. Ooh. Mmm. Is Melk... is Melkior the musician? Yes. Who made the song that it played?

Yes. And why is it ironic? Because they stole it and didn't license it! Yes. Ah! Oh, I'd be mad too. I'd be so mad. Yeah, Melchior, I'm mad for him.

That explains why Melchior has, like, an old philosopher's name, but as a music—that makes sense. This is Melchior Rietveldt. He's a Dutch musician. He was asked to create a piece of music for a local film festival. And then the next year, he puts in the DVD for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and the anti-piracy ad has used his music without permission. Wow.

I mean... Wow. There were years of arguments and legal threats, and the Royalty Collection Agency ended up paying him a six-figure sum in backpay and compensation. Lucy, over to you for the next question, please. This question has been sent in by Anonymous. I know them. They're really quite prolific, aren't they?

The question is, the Glasgow subway is a simple underground railway in Scotland. While it was being refurbished in the 1970s, what two digit numbers were used for the bus replacement service that ran around the city instead? The Glasgow subway is a simple underground railway in Scotland. While it was being refurbished in the 1970s, what two-digit numbers were used for the bus replacement service that ran round the city instead? It's a 1970s British question,

and I'm on this podcast with two folks from North America. All right, here we go. Shouldn't matter. Vaulty Towers. Are You Being Served? How many other British shows could have this name? — Shouldn't matter. — Vaulty Towers! Are you being served? How many other British shows could this have been named? I watched them on Laserdisc. The question is what two-digit numbers were used for the bus replacement services.

Okay, things I know about the Glasgow subway. It's a simple, circular line. It just doesn't have any branch lines, doesn't have any complicators, it just goes clockwise or anti-clockwise. And it's also orange. The branding has always been orange for it. And I think it's nicknamed the Clockwork Orange. It is. Because it is a circle and it is orange. It is? Because it is a circle and it is orange.

Oh, so could the two digits be related to the clock? The face of the clock? Mmm, like a 12 and 21. So if it's two-digit numbers, I'm going to assume there's two of them. I'm going to assume there's one for clockwise and one for anticlockwise. Exactly, Tom. Yep. Because that's how the subway runs.

Right, so it could be 0, 1... Transit nerd coming in here. Not a great way to run a subway, because if one breaks down, the entire line clogs up behind it. You want some branches on that, but if you've just got one line, you need two numbers. Yeah. So like, 0, 1, and 10, and... Like, it could... It's got two distinct numbers.

It makes me think because we're asking as well that it's some kind of like cutesy back and forth, you know? Like growing up, the highways in my hometown, which I don't think were cutesy, but was fun and confusing, were 96 and 69. And that made for a very, like, you're driving around town and you're like, wow, I gotta get off 96 and get on 69, and I never, to this day, I have no idea which one is which and where I am. Okay, so we've got a grand total of, like, a hundred possibilities here.

If we go from zero to 99, we could just sound them off, but that would be a very boring podcast. I need your reasons. Yeah. For each one. Was there anything special going on in Glasgow in the 1970s, I ask, other than the refurbishment? Like, was there some number that we can tie between...

And clockwork for... No, you were, I think, maybe a little closer earlier, Trace. Oh, okay. Some more cutesy kind of... Cutesy, Demure. Yeah. Are there any numbers that can get reflected horizontally? So you have...

I mean, it can't be like 33 and EE or something like that, but like you can tell which way the bus is going just from the numbers? Are there numbers that sound like clockwise and anti-clockwise? Or are there numbers that sound like round and this way and that way? Yeah. You know, like, hmm. Is it about how you write the number? Because the two is you start at the top and go around clockwise,

and the three you start at the top and go anti-clockwise. So you're heading along the right lines. Two lines. So the, what can be reflected? Zero, one and eight. Okay. That that's symmetrical. Oh, six and nine.

If they're. Yes. Okay. Oh, wait, is it 96 and 69? It's not, but you're close. Like my hometown? It's not. Well, it's 66 and 99 then, to do the same thing, so you're just flipping them?

Yes, Tom. Well done. Yep. Which one's which? Oh, which is which? Oh! No, you were right! Trace, when you were saying which way, you were right the numbers!

Yeah, yeah. Nine Yeah, yeah, yeah. Nine goes, yeah, and six goes that way. Oh, that's great. Exactly, well done! When you write a six, you move your pen anti-clockwise. When you write a nine, you move your pen clockwise. So you can literally look at it and know which way it's going. I love that.

That's the kind of design that makes my little science-y heart go it's just the best. So when the Glasgow subway was refurbished and they put a bus replacement service in instead, they use the anti-clockwise service. they called it the 66th, because when you have a pen you write it in the anti-clockwise way, and the clockwise service was 99. Next one's from me, here we go. On planes and trains you can often see anti-macassas. What are they, and what was macassa? I'll say that again.

On planes and trains you can often see anti-macassas. What are they, and what was macassa? Anti-macassas. Okay, I was worried because I got this question through, and I'd learned this in university because one nerd told me about it. Because it's in my head, I was like, they're all going to know this. No, no one, okay, great. Well, my grandparents had it, so it had them.

Oh, so you know this one, Lucy? I know this one. Alright, then Molly and Trace? This one's over to you. Yeah, jeez. So the first thing I think of is like, in the US you see a lot of semi-trucks, 18-wheelers, lorries, I think, in the UK.

And it's got a bar at the back that drops below the trailer to car level height. It's called a Mansfield bar because someone crashed into the back of the semi truck and her name was Mansfield and she did not survive. And so they put the Mansfield bar. That's my first thought as to something like this, where it's like a safety issue. They put this in so that something happened. So what would happen in both planes and trains? Hijacks? Was it like something to prevent hija—

—was there someone who named a famous hijacker named Mercassar? It is specifically to stop that one guy. So I actually do have a fairly big hint to give at the start, It is specifically to stop that one guy. Yeah. Ugh. So I actually do have a fairly big hint to give at the start, but I think Lucy's little note at the start there that actually her family had them as well is actually a surprisingly big hint. They would have been in your folks' house, I'm guessing? Yep, my grandparents had them in their house.

Yeah, so the first hint here would have been very similar to what Lucy said. Yep, they also would have been in Lucy's grandparents' house. And I think my folks' as well. Hmm. Is it an air quality thing? It's a quality of life thing, let's put it that way. Molly, I like air filter or, you know, something like that. Obviously, the quality of life means, you know... Food, air, water.

Oh, just comfort. Just comfort. Temperature? It might be helpful to think about, like, what sort of things do you find both in planes and trains and in a family home? There aren't many things that cross over there. Bathrooms? Chairs? Chairs.

Chairs. Chairs. You don't have seatbelts at home, unless you got a wild home. Um... You don't, but... What are you implying about my grandparents' face? You don't have seatbelts, but you're right that this is something that gets attached to the seats. Hmm.

They're still in planes and trains in some places. Is it the little foot bar that goes down? That lets you prop your feet up? It's not, but again, you're in the same kind of air. It's something that is added. Like a food tray. It's weird that it's called an-anti, right? Yes. It is trying to stop something. They're trying to stop something. Oh, is it... where you're... people don't like it when people recline their seats.

Maybe it's a way to stop that. Oh, someone did sell those. It's a little 3D printer thing. You can jam into an airplane seat and it breaks the recline of the person in front. There was a big debate about that for a while. But no, this is something that dates back, honestly, about a century. I think it's notable that Lucy said that it was in her grandparents' house. Probably not in current ones. Like a coat hanger.

Or like a hat hanger. Things we don't wear anymore. Not a hat, but this is about fashion. Men's fashion specifically. Like some place to put your cane. Or, you know. A pipe? Oh, ashtrays.

Ooh, that's, honestly, that's a better answer to the clue I was giving. It is unfortunately not the right one. Yeah, because they don't have those. I mean, there are still some men that use this, but not many. I just think of a monocle. Yeah.

We need the menswear guy from Twitter here if he would know what that is and he's like, right away. Yeah, yeah. I'm wearing a flamingo shirt. We know that I'm not going to be the one. Think more about the top of the chair. You're actually pretty close with hat. Like a headrest, or like a...

Is it to like, prevent the brim of your fancy hat from bending? You'd have taken the hat off by now, but it's to prevent something. To mess up your hair and your collar and your... It is to do with hair. Like pomade or something? Like there is a... Oh, is it to protect the back of the chair from all of the gunk on your head? Yes! That totally makes sense and I've seen those on planes.

Like the plastic... Oh my gosh, plastic, yeah. You see them on trains, the little paper. Yes, the anti-macassa is the protective cloth at the top of a seat. Wow. Let your soul glow, you know? Just let your soul glow. Yeah, so like these days it is, oh this is fresh and clean for the passenger, no one's been here. the top of a seat. Wow. Let your soul glow. You know? Just let your soul glow.

Yeah. So, like these days it is, oh, this is fresh and clean for the passenger, no one's been here. Originally it was to protect the seat from getting dirty from the passenger. So what was Makassar? Was it a hair gel? Or a hair product? Yeah.

It was hair oil. It was a hair oil that was popular with European men during the 19th and early 20th century and it came from Makassar. It's now called Ujang Pandang, but Makassar as was in Indonesia. And the name came from there. Hair oil became known as Makassar. And to this day, the little things that sit on the top of seats that are still in trains and planes and may still be in some grandparents' houses,

those are called anti-Makassars. I'm a dapper Dan man myself. grandparents' houses, those are called anti-macassas. I'm a dapper Dan man myself. Ha ha ha! Molly, over to you for the last big question of the show. Ooh, alright. This question has been sent in by Nate. On his day off, Detective Minjun paid 40,000 won to Si Woo.

By chance, they exchanged a friendly wave across the street the following day. Soon after, Si Woo was arrested and fined. Why? By chance, they exchanged a friendly wave across the street the following day. Soon after, Si Woo was arrested and fined. Why? On his day off, Detective Minjun paid 40,001 to Si Woo. By chance, they exchanged a friendly wave across the street the following day. Soon after, Si Woo was arrested and fined. Why?

Wow. I have a pretty good idea of what's going on. Mmm. I'm gonna wait and see a couple of hints if it's in the right direction. Alright. Was he being set up? No, actually. This was all part of their normal stuff. Okay.

Because I was assuming it was some criminal activity of some sort, and that the detective was paying off someone, but— — No. The detective was not paying someone off. He was just enjoying his day off. — What would waving at someone give away? And did you say the detective was arrested, or Siwoo was arrested? Oh no, Siwoo was arrested. The detective.

Yeah, had paid Siwoo for a service. And the next day they waived, and then Siwoo was arrested after that. Was it a legal service? Yes. Oh, okay. That rules out several of my guesses. Yeah, that rules out what I... I had thought maybe you had to pay to go see Steve in a little prison.

And then you waved at him on the street, he wasn't in prison. Surprise! Wait a minute! This is 40,001, so this is Korea, I think, and that's about... I want to say about $100, I think, US, roughly. It's not a huge, huge amount of money. 40,000 sounds like a huge amount,

but I think there's a lot of Korean won to the dollar and pound. And the wave was a normal wave, not a... Not a giant wall of water sent towards... He didn't wave with a weapon or anything, no, it was just a wave. A friendly lightsaber wave. Yeah. Oh, thank you, Producer David. About $30 is what was taken.

So it's not much. Oh, so, yeah. Okay, hold on. Siwu must not have been meant to know who the detective was. The fact that Siwu waved and, like, recognized the person who paid them must have been a clue that something illegal was going on. Or something wrong was going on. It was meant to be anonymous. Like the detective was undercover?

Mmm... you're saying just before that was more on track. Okay, Siwa wasn't meant to know what the detective looked like. And the fact that the detective was recognised was a clue that something was wrong. Yeah, I think... so the wave is what revealed that Siwoo should be arrested. So yeah, Tom, what you were saying was very much on the right track. There was something up with Si Wu recognizing the detective. Yeah, the service was legal, but perhaps Si Wu wasn't allowed to sell said service. Or maybe Si Wu is the like X factor there. And then waving revealed a tattoo or something that said, oh, that's Siwoo. Who did the service?

It wasn't... Trace, you're on the right track with Siwoo not supposed to be providing the service. So was there a clue in the hand? Maybe the detective had only seen the hands of Siwoo. And that, like, oh, that's the person who shouldn't? No, no. You're getting colder. I think, Tom, before when you said, oh, the one that means it's Korea, it being in Korea

is also relevant. Oh, OK. Interesting. So what kind of stuff would one be arrested for in Korea? Just in general. Let me get out my book of Korean law. No waving in public. Oh, well that's it.

Yeah, so this is only going to happen in Korea, this situation. And Siwoo regretted waving. He realised in that moment he had given himself away. Okay, what services might someone visit someone for? Okay, so what legal services might someone... Yes. And for about $30? So it's not like this is someone visiting an accountant or something like that. No, and it was his day off. It was the detective's day off.

Is it a family-friendly service? Yeah. Good. No painting. Hip-hop. Massage. Um... Massage?

Hang on, hang on. Um, did... Did... Okay, this... I need to phrase this in a way that doesn't sound really dodgy. Yeah, yeah. Did the detective think he was getting a massage from a woman? And Siwu is a male name? No, okay.

No. No, so everything seemed fine during the massage. It was the wave the next day that tipped off the detective that Siwoo needed to be arrested. Did Siwoo have an injury or an illness or something wrong with their hand? Okay. Ooh. Like, they shouldn't have been performing massage because they were infectious?

Yeah, you're on the right track with Siwoo having something about him that made it that he shouldn't be practicing massage. Did Siwoo work with something that made them, like, unqualified to give massage? Like, they were... He is unqualified to give a massage. Yeah, a massage, for sure. Oh, okay. Yes. Because he's working with... something. What disqualifies you from massage as a skill?

In Korea, specifically. That washing a hand can't. Is there something about working with animals? Mm-mm. Siwoo is a horse. Who knew how to wave? We never thought to ask if Siwa was human. That horse just waved at me.

Arrested. Arrested the horse. Yes, yeah, because we've been focusing on what impairment to Siwa have that prevents him from massaging, but it's actually what can he do that prevents him from massaging, but it's actually what can he do that prevents him from massaging and what might a wave mean that you can do that would get you caught. Was he selling himself as a blind masseuse?

Oh! Yes! What? Well done. Wow! Yes! Lucy nailed it! Got it.

That's so cool. What? Well done. Wow, Lucy nailed it. Yes, Lucy nailed it, got it. That's fantastic. So Siwoo is a blind masseuse, and Wave just isn't subjective. Well. Yeah, and unfortunately in Korea specifically, the art of massage, only visually impaired people

are allowed to practice massage legally because it's sort of keeping that space open for people who are visually impaired to have... I've read that somewhere and it annoys me that I did not connect Korea and massage until you said that. It's okay, Tom. It's okay. My brain is meant to be full of stuff like this and it clearly is, but the filing system is not quite there. Yeah. They need a better search. Ban the librarian.

So yeah, so in South Korea, only visually impaired people are allowed to practice massages and that law dates all the way back to 1913 when it was introduced as a way to give the visually impaired better job prospects. And there's a risk of 30 million won, which is $25,000, fines or three years of imprisonment. It's thought that tens of thousands of illegal masseurs flout that law. And it's been upheld on multiple occasions in court, most recently in 2021. Wild. Oh, wow. Neat. Yes. So Siwoo was practicing the massage illegally because he was not visually impaired,

and in Korea only visually impaired people are allowed to practice massage, and the wave gave it away. Which brings us to the question that I asked right at the start of the show. Thank you to Peter Scandret for sending this one in. Every street in Manchester has a church building on it. Why is that not unusual? Before I give the answer to the audience, anyone want to take a shot at that? I was gonna guess that church building meant that it isn't necessarily a... it's just something the church built, so either a plinth or something that isn't an entire building necessarily. A brick.

That'd still be unusual. It would be, but less so than a whole building. Did the church just own everything? That's kind of what I thought too, they just had a lot of real estate. Again, that would be unusual. Yeah, true. And we are cheating a little, because this would be very easy if you saw it written down. Yeah.

Repeat the question, Tom. Every street in Manchester has a church building on it. Why is this not unusual? Oh, because it's on the street signs. The church building, like a picture of the church is on the street sign. No, but have a think about the street sign. Is the city logo, does it have a cathedral in it or something? No.

Oh, Tom. Every street. I know, just from the tone of that. Is there a cedar in it or something? Nope. Oh. Tom. Every street. I know. Just from the tone of that. Tom. Oh, boo. Every street.

Yeah. Oh. That's... hey. Hey. I'm just going to repeat thank you to Peter Scandret for sending that question in. Yes, there is an Every Street in Manchester, a street called Every Street, and it has a church building on it, which in itself is not particularly unusual. Thank you very much to all our players.

Let's find out where can people find you, what's going on in your world. We will start with Molly. Thanks so much for having me. This was so fun. Yeah, I'm science IRL on all the places where there are videos, and I make lots of plant stories and science stories in general. Trace. I am Trace Dominguez everywhere that you can find social media,

and you look for my podcast, That's Absurd. Please elaborate, we answer silly questions with science communication, and it'd be fun to have you. And Lucy? Dr Lucy Rogers on most social medias, and in 2026 my book's gonna come out. Hey! So look out for it then. And that is our show for today.

If you want to know more about what we do, or you want to send in your own questions, you can do that at lateralcast.com. You can find us at Lateral Cast basically everywhere, and there are video highlights regularly at youtube.com slash lateralcast. Thank you very much to Dr Lucy Rogers. Thank you very much for having me. Trace Dominguez. Thank you, this was fun. And Dr. Molly Edwards. Thanks, had a blast. I've been Tom Scott and that's been lateral.