207: The gift of wire
Summary
Tom Scott hosts Lateral with guests Lizzie Skipak, Mark Cooper Jones, and Jay Foreman, who tackle a series of quirky trivia questions. The episode explores topics ranging from the science behind Crufts dog agility and PETA’s "Running of the Balls" to Admiral Grace Hopper’s famous nanosecond wire demonstration. The guests also decode the legal history of airspace trespass and the structural engineering behind the Taj Mahal’s tilted minarets, all while navigating the show’s complex, improvised quiz rules.
Topics discussed
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Introduction to Lateral and guest Lizzie Skipak
Welcome back to Mark and Jay from Mapmen
Recap of previous Geoguesser challenge
Guessing the video: People on green carpet
Reveal: Dog Agility training
Question: The Running of the Balls in Spain
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Question: Grace Hopper's nanosecond wire
Question: Airspace and the Paris Convention
Question: Leaning minarets of the Taj Mahal
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Question: Look-alike pills in pharmacies
Credits and player promotions
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