June 24, 2025 • 17 mins
Hello, Puzzlers! Puzzling with us today: creator of PhD comics and host of "ScienceStuff", Jorge Cham!
Join host A.J. Jacobs and his guests as they puzzle–and laugh–their way through new spins on old favorites, like anagrams and palindromes, as well as quirky originals such as “Ask AI” and audio rebuses.
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"The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs" is distributed by iHeartPodcasts and is a co-production with Neuhaus Ideas.
Our executive producers are Neely Lohmann and Adam Neuhaus of Neuhaus Ideas, and Lindsay Hoffman of iHeart Podcasts.
The show is produced by Jody Avirgan and Brittani Brown of Roulette Productions.
Our Chief Puzzle Officer is Greg Pliska. Our associate producer is Andrea Schoenberg.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello puzzlers. Let's start with a quick puzzle. What do
these people have in common? John Calvin, James Garfield, Linus Pauling,
and Ziggy Stardust. That is John Calvin, the religious reformer,
James Garfield, President of the United States, Linus Pauling, Nobel
Prize winner, and Ziggie Stardust David Bowie's alter ego. Ponder
(00:22):
that over the break and we'll be back with some
more puzzling puzzles. Hello puzzlers, Welcome back to the Puzzler Podcast,
the Crayon Sharpener in your sixty four pack of puzzle Crayolas.
I am your host, AJ Jacobs, and I'm here with
(00:44):
senior puzzler Andrea Schoenberg. Andre. Before the break, we asked,
what do these people have in common? John Calvin, James Garfield,
Linus Pauling, and Ziggy Stardust. Do you have any thoughts
or a thought? We just want one thought.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
No, you've kind of you've stumped me with this fault.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
This is so exciting because is a very good puzzler.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
By the way, Ziggy Stardust is the stage name for David.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
But I doubt that.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
I don't think that John Calvin is his stage name.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
I don't know that's true that. I don't know of
any rockers with the John Calvin alter ego. But let
me just throw out a little maybe the emphasis will
hilp James Garfield.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Like Garfield cat.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
That's it. That's it liness exactly. So where you see
where you.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
See these are cartoon characters or comic characters.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Yeah, Karlic Strift characters cartoon Uh and Calvin from Calvin
and Hobbes, John Calvin Garfield, who is ziggy Stardust well
zick a. Maybe it's because you're the two young. But
I don't know what a newspaper is.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
I do not know what a comic strip.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Zeke. I looked it up. It's still being produced. I
think the guy who created have died, but somehow magically
it's still being produced. Yeah. He was an incredibly popular
comic of like just this slubby guy with a like
a bulbous nose. And I don't even I don't think
I ever read it, but I know it's like in
the family circus genre. I feel like family friendly good one.
(02:34):
But you know Linus from Peanuts and Uh and Garfield. Yeah,
I feel like so there you go.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
The ones that made the jump to television shows, those
have stayed in the public consciousness.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
There you go, all right, Well, you can find them
on the internet if you search. All of this is
in honor of our guest today, who draws the very
funny comic strip PhD, which is short for piled Higher
and Deeper and has been described as the Dilbert for
(03:08):
graduate students. He is also the host of the podcast
Science Stuff, produced by iHeart Welcome or Hey.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Cham Hello, glad to be here.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
We are delighted. Had you heard of I figure you're
old enough to have heard of all of those comics?
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Oh yeah, for sure. I mean, I'm so tuned into
comics that as soon as you said the first name,
you know you're a Calvin that instantly put Kellen and
Hobbs on my brain.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
That is so funny, because yeah, your like, that's your
outlook is very comics.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
I grew up comics a lot of comics.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Yet, and what were your favorite? I feel yours? Yours
is very funny. It's got a little Dilbert vibe, It's
got there's some Dunesberry I feel in there. Of course,
it's original. Who were some of your big inspiration.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Probably The biggest one is, like you said, Doonesberry. You know,
I was in the histories that I was in grad
school and feeling really stressed out and I needed some
kind of outlet. And then I picked up this book
about Dunsbery and I was like, Oh, this guy is amazing.
He's had standing penalty in society. I'll maybe I'll do
the comic strip also, And so that's that's how I
got started.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Yes, and yours are all about the I feel. I
learned what it's like to be a grad student, and
I have to say, maybe this is terrible. I'm kind
of glad I didn't go to grade I don't know
which is terrible because I want people to go to
grad school. We need intellectuals. But it was like, oh,
my goodness, that's a lot of stress. There's a lot
(04:41):
going on. But of course there's lots of benefits too.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Well.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Anyway, well, we love your your comic strip, and we
also love your podcast, which is about science and the
people who study science. So today's puzzle is uh is
also about science, the science of meteorology of weather. It's
called weather or not. And the answers in this puzzle
(05:08):
are words and phrases that sound like they're related to
weather because they include where it's like cold or hot
or rain or snow, but they are not actually weather events,
so that I'm talking about phrases like icy glare or
brain freeze, sort of metaphorical weather events. So going, I
(05:28):
have a bunch of phrases weather like phrases, and I'm
gonna clue them as if I were a meteorologist, a
weather person on the local eleven o'clock, and then you
tell me what you think it might be. So here's
an example. If the clue were meteorologists are predicting a
scorching opinion to appear online with a possible flood of
(05:52):
angry reactions to follow. The answer to that might be
if you know it, then say it. But I'll say
it is.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
A scorching opinion.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Well that's the clue. But what I'm the phrase I'm
looking for is hot take. That's a hot take?
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Oh got it?
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Got all the answers are gonna be.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
The clouds just parted. Well, clouds, clouds and skies.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
May come in handy, keep those in mind, all right,
got Okay? This forecast calls for an eighty percent chance
of the bride jilting the groom at the altar. Dude,
I have a little more if you need it.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Okay, yeah, please due to.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
An extreme drop in nerve and confidence.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Oh yeah, cold feet.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
That's it, cold feet, that's it. Nicely done.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
All right?
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Now, I know you were a science major, but you
do you are in the arts as well, so maybe
this will this will translate. This prediction is about a
major poet. Watch is in effect with bucolic descriptions of
the road not taken watch for that people at home,
(07:10):
a major poet watch. Oh boy, do you remember who?
Have you heard that road not taken home?
Speaker 2 (07:19):
I have heard that poem.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
It's by a guy who's he's kind of like the feet,
he's a little cold.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Oh, I think I got it. Well. First, I should
say I grew up in Panama. Ah. My first language
is Spanish, So if I get this wrong, apologies to
all English majors out there. But is it a Robert Frost?
Speaker 1 (07:45):
That's it Robert Frost exactly. So that's it. When did
you move to America?
Speaker 2 (07:51):
I came for college. Oh wow, I was about seventeen eighteen,
and I came to Georgia Tech.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Oh very good. Now, do you when you are writing,
do you write in English and or do you write
in Spanish and then translate it to English.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Yeah, most of my writing now is in English, so
I do have to write in English, but I kind
of draw my waist. I think I picture things first
as a cartoonist, and I picture, I make doodles first,
and then I start writing words.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Interesting. What is your most popular of the PhD comic strips?
Are you able to quantify.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
It a little bit? Let's see what so popular ones are.
There's one that charts kind of the level of anxiety
of an academic through time, and it goes up and down,
up and down, up and down. Down's pretty popular.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
And that's the level of anxiety when you're in grad school.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Like, yeah, when you're in grad school, the.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Time to get your oral exams, which I imagine will be
at the high point.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Yeah. Yeah. It's like you start up with a lot
of idealism and you're very excited, but then you after
the first year, when you realize kind of how unprepared
you are, it drops. But then you get inspired by
your professor. But then you you know, you have to
realize everyone in your field has already done when you
were exposed to that draws and then goes up and down,
(09:15):
up and down. I'll say you that's one of the
most popular ones.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Right, all right, I have a forecast from the twenty tens,
so keep that in mind. This is sort of a
vintage forecast. This forecast calls for romance and movie watching,
though probably more romance than movie watching.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Oh. I'm trying to think did they have to send
twenty ten and did it work? Huh?
Speaker 1 (09:45):
I would say the twenty tens, twenty.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Twenty tens, okay, And I.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Should have looked this up to make sure that was
the era, but I feel that that's when this phrase.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Was at its got it, got it? Is it Netflix
and Chill?
Speaker 1 (09:58):
Netflix and Chill? That's right, The cast is for Netflix
and Shill.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Well done, which is do you know that? Do you
remember they started with DVDs? Right? Oh?
Speaker 1 (10:09):
I am old enough to know that. Yeah, I've yeah.
I would put them in that little envelope and actually
send them with in a mailbox. It was great.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Yeah. Yeah. Some people are thinking your younger audience is
probably thinking, what's a DVD?
Speaker 1 (10:24):
Exactly?
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Refer to our patent show where we talked about ancient technology.
How about this prepare for gusts of about seven miles
per hour in the southern regions of the body, accompanied
by a sulfur smell in denials.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Ooh ooh, I sense the theme here in these questions. Aja.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
In the last episode, you know that I'm a high
brow guy. That's right, you nailed.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
It well, tapping my eleven year old again self. Is
it a fart? Yes?
Speaker 1 (11:03):
But what is a more weather like saying way to
express the gusts?
Speaker 2 (11:10):
Wind?
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Wines exactly? The wind, breaking wind? That's it breaking wind.
And I did look it up. Seven miles per hour
is the average speed.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Apparently if you were in space, it would propel you.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Oh is that right? That's interesting.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Anytime you expel anything with mass, you're going to move
the opposite way.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Wow, so that is one way to get around interesting.
I mean, you did do a space episode on science stuff,
which I have not listened to yet.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
But oh yeah, that's a good win and you'll like
it because we talk about what how did astronauts go
to the bathroom in space? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (11:48):
And what is the answer.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Oh, the answer is through a vacuum. You have a
vacuum system. Oh and that's how they keep things nice
and tidy. And also that's how they keep the smells interesting. Okay,
all right, I'm gonna have to listen to get more details.
But it sounds a little a little scary. But they
seem not like a like a floor vacuum.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
No, no, I got that.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
It's like a gentle vacuum.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
But yes, the gentle I think that is the key part.
All right, A couple more Prepare for a spinning leather
object falling from the sky with just a five to
chance of being caught.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
So, oh, oh, leather, I'm guessing it's a ball, yeah,
exactly in a sport? And what baseball or football?
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Football? I'm going to give you football because okay, all right,
and it's falling with a very slight chance of being caught.
Do you know, I know that you're more perhaps football,
Panamanian football, not this association football or whatever ours is called.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Yeah. Yeah, Well I'm a cartoonist and a roboticist. Sports.
It's not usually associated with either of those things. Well,
this one is a tough one for me. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
It's kind of a religious phrase because it's it would
be a miracle catch it.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Thank you? That helps? Yeah, it's hail Mary.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
That's it, Hail Mary. Well done. Sure we'll do this one.
I don't know. I was thinking should I go high
ground sophisticated, or should I continue down the gutter?
Speaker 2 (13:36):
That's just like, let's go, let's go. Yeah, there is
the most common denomination.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
There you go. Uh, there's a seventy percent chance that
there will be a flurry of ten dollars bills at
the strip club tonight. What might that phrase be?
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Oh, okay, now you're gonna get me into trouble.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
You know this.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
It's something related to rain reading bills. Yeah, that dollars,
that's it.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Yeah, Now you're not in trouble because you don't know
the actual phrase.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
That's why I didn't know.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Perfectly saved. It's make it rain. I believe, make it rain.
That's right, the official. Well done. You did it with
your dignity.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Intact and in my marriage.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Now is your wife in the science or cartooning of
business of both?
Speaker 2 (14:34):
Actually, like she's she's an engineer and she's a software developer,
but she works for DreamWorks Animation.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
No way, that's fantastic. I read that the hair on
animals is particularly challenging, like getting that ruffling josh U.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Yeah. Actually, if you see any DreamWorks moving in the
last probably twenty years, she worked on the hairs. Yeah
wow for a while she was then as the lady
really because she was an expert on how to render
all those trillions of hair as you see in those characters.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
That is amazing. Well, thank her for her contributions, and
thank you for your contributions. Everyone should check out where
can they find PhD Comics and your podcast.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Yeah, my comics are just online PhD Comics dot com.
And the podcast sign Stuff, which is just one word,
sign Stuff, is available anywhere you listen to podcasts, so
especially the iHeartRadio app or Apple podcasts or Spotify fantastic.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
All right, I have one more extra credit for the
folks at home. Prepare for high confusion descending onto the
battlefield with conflicting reports and clouded judgment. What is that
weather phenomenon? Come back tomorrow for the answer and thank
(15:59):
you again, Porge, Thank you listeners. And in the meantime,
if you have a few minutes, check out the Puzzler
Instagram feed at Hello Puzzlers. We have original puzzles, lots
more puzzles, even more puzzles than here, and we will
meet here tomorrow for more puzzling puzzles that will puzzle
you puzzlingly.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Hello puzzlers, it's your Chief puzzle Officer, Greg Pliska here
with the extra credit answer from our previous episode. Orgey
Cham joined us for a game of Name that Patent,
in which AJ gave you a description of a patented
item and you had to identify what that item was.
Your extra credit is this. It comprises a rectangular blanket body.
(16:49):
We're in a neck hole allowing the penetration of the
head is formed at a position slightly higher than the
midpoint of the two sleeve holes. That, of course, is
a very cozy snow huggy patented in twenty ten. So
I hope you call cozy and you're snuggy and you're
listening to the puzzler, and we'll catch you here next time.
Hello puzzlers. Let's start with a quick puzzle. What do
these people have in common? John Calvin, James Garfield, Linus Pauling,
and Ziggy Stardust. That is John Calvin, the religious reformer,
James Garfield, President of the United States, Linus Pauling, Nobel
Prize winner, and Ziggie Stardust David Bowie's alter ego. Ponder
(00:22):
that over the break and we'll be back with some
more puzzling puzzles. Hello puzzlers, Welcome back to the Puzzler Podcast,
the Crayon Sharpener in your sixty four pack of puzzle Crayolas.
I am your host, AJ Jacobs, and I'm here with
(00:44):
senior puzzler Andrea Schoenberg. Andre. Before the break, we asked,
what do these people have in common? John Calvin, James Garfield,
Linus Pauling, and Ziggy Stardust. Do you have any thoughts
or a thought? We just want one thought.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
No, you've kind of you've stumped me with this fault.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
This is so exciting because is a very good puzzler.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
By the way, Ziggy Stardust is the stage name for David.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
But I doubt that.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
I don't think that John Calvin is his stage name.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
I don't know that's true that. I don't know of
any rockers with the John Calvin alter ego. But let
me just throw out a little maybe the emphasis will
hilp James Garfield.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Like Garfield cat.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
That's it. That's it liness exactly. So where you see
where you.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
See these are cartoon characters or comic characters.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Yeah, Karlic Strift characters cartoon Uh and Calvin from Calvin
and Hobbes, John Calvin Garfield, who is ziggy Stardust well
zick a. Maybe it's because you're the two young. But
I don't know what a newspaper is.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
I do not know what a comic strip.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Zeke. I looked it up. It's still being produced. I
think the guy who created have died, but somehow magically
it's still being produced. Yeah. He was an incredibly popular
comic of like just this slubby guy with a like
a bulbous nose. And I don't even I don't think
I ever read it, but I know it's like in
the family circus genre. I feel like family friendly good one.
(02:34):
But you know Linus from Peanuts and Uh and Garfield. Yeah,
I feel like so there you go.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
The ones that made the jump to television shows, those
have stayed in the public consciousness.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
There you go, all right, Well, you can find them
on the internet if you search. All of this is
in honor of our guest today, who draws the very
funny comic strip PhD, which is short for piled Higher
and Deeper and has been described as the Dilbert for
(03:08):
graduate students. He is also the host of the podcast
Science Stuff, produced by iHeart Welcome or Hey.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Cham Hello, glad to be here.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
We are delighted. Had you heard of I figure you're
old enough to have heard of all of those comics?
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Oh yeah, for sure. I mean, I'm so tuned into
comics that as soon as you said the first name,
you know you're a Calvin that instantly put Kellen and
Hobbs on my brain.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
That is so funny, because yeah, your like, that's your
outlook is very comics.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
I grew up comics a lot of comics.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Yet, and what were your favorite? I feel yours? Yours
is very funny. It's got a little Dilbert vibe, It's
got there's some Dunesberry I feel in there. Of course,
it's original. Who were some of your big inspiration.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Probably The biggest one is, like you said, Doonesberry. You know,
I was in the histories that I was in grad
school and feeling really stressed out and I needed some
kind of outlet. And then I picked up this book
about Dunsbery and I was like, Oh, this guy is amazing.
He's had standing penalty in society. I'll maybe I'll do
the comic strip also, And so that's that's how I
got started.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Yes, and yours are all about the I feel. I
learned what it's like to be a grad student, and
I have to say, maybe this is terrible. I'm kind
of glad I didn't go to grade I don't know
which is terrible because I want people to go to
grad school. We need intellectuals. But it was like, oh,
my goodness, that's a lot of stress. There's a lot
(04:41):
going on. But of course there's lots of benefits too.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Well.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Anyway, well, we love your your comic strip, and we
also love your podcast, which is about science and the
people who study science. So today's puzzle is uh is
also about science, the science of meteorology of weather. It's
called weather or not. And the answers in this puzzle
(05:08):
are words and phrases that sound like they're related to
weather because they include where it's like cold or hot
or rain or snow, but they are not actually weather events,
so that I'm talking about phrases like icy glare or
brain freeze, sort of metaphorical weather events. So going, I
(05:28):
have a bunch of phrases weather like phrases, and I'm
gonna clue them as if I were a meteorologist, a
weather person on the local eleven o'clock, and then you
tell me what you think it might be. So here's
an example. If the clue were meteorologists are predicting a
scorching opinion to appear online with a possible flood of
(05:52):
angry reactions to follow. The answer to that might be
if you know it, then say it. But I'll say
it is.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
A scorching opinion.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Well that's the clue. But what I'm the phrase I'm
looking for is hot take. That's a hot take?
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Oh got it?
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Got all the answers are gonna be.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
The clouds just parted. Well, clouds, clouds and skies.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
May come in handy, keep those in mind, all right,
got Okay? This forecast calls for an eighty percent chance
of the bride jilting the groom at the altar. Dude,
I have a little more if you need it.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Okay, yeah, please due to.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
An extreme drop in nerve and confidence.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Oh yeah, cold feet.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
That's it, cold feet, that's it. Nicely done.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
All right?
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Now, I know you were a science major, but you
do you are in the arts as well, so maybe
this will this will translate. This prediction is about a
major poet. Watch is in effect with bucolic descriptions of
the road not taken watch for that people at home,
(07:10):
a major poet watch. Oh boy, do you remember who?
Have you heard that road not taken home?
Speaker 2 (07:19):
I have heard that poem.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
It's by a guy who's he's kind of like the feet,
he's a little cold.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Oh, I think I got it. Well. First, I should
say I grew up in Panama. Ah. My first language
is Spanish, So if I get this wrong, apologies to
all English majors out there. But is it a Robert Frost?
Speaker 1 (07:45):
That's it Robert Frost exactly. So that's it. When did
you move to America?
Speaker 2 (07:51):
I came for college. Oh wow, I was about seventeen eighteen,
and I came to Georgia Tech.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Oh very good. Now, do you when you are writing,
do you write in English and or do you write
in Spanish and then translate it to English.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Yeah, most of my writing now is in English, so
I do have to write in English, but I kind
of draw my waist. I think I picture things first
as a cartoonist, and I picture, I make doodles first,
and then I start writing words.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Interesting. What is your most popular of the PhD comic strips?
Are you able to quantify.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
It a little bit? Let's see what so popular ones are.
There's one that charts kind of the level of anxiety
of an academic through time, and it goes up and down,
up and down, up and down. Down's pretty popular.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
And that's the level of anxiety when you're in grad school.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Like, yeah, when you're in grad school, the.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Time to get your oral exams, which I imagine will be
at the high point.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Yeah. Yeah. It's like you start up with a lot
of idealism and you're very excited, but then you after
the first year, when you realize kind of how unprepared
you are, it drops. But then you get inspired by
your professor. But then you you know, you have to
realize everyone in your field has already done when you
were exposed to that draws and then goes up and down,
(09:15):
up and down. I'll say you that's one of the
most popular ones.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Right, all right, I have a forecast from the twenty tens,
so keep that in mind. This is sort of a
vintage forecast. This forecast calls for romance and movie watching,
though probably more romance than movie watching.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Oh. I'm trying to think did they have to send
twenty ten and did it work? Huh?
Speaker 1 (09:45):
I would say the twenty tens, twenty.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Twenty tens, okay, And I.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Should have looked this up to make sure that was
the era, but I feel that that's when this phrase.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Was at its got it, got it? Is it Netflix
and Chill?
Speaker 1 (09:58):
Netflix and Chill? That's right, The cast is for Netflix
and Shill.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Well done, which is do you know that? Do you
remember they started with DVDs? Right? Oh?
Speaker 1 (10:09):
I am old enough to know that. Yeah, I've yeah.
I would put them in that little envelope and actually
send them with in a mailbox. It was great.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Yeah. Yeah. Some people are thinking your younger audience is
probably thinking, what's a DVD?
Speaker 1 (10:24):
Exactly?
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Refer to our patent show where we talked about ancient technology.
How about this prepare for gusts of about seven miles
per hour in the southern regions of the body, accompanied
by a sulfur smell in denials.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Ooh ooh, I sense the theme here in these questions. Aja.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
In the last episode, you know that I'm a high
brow guy. That's right, you nailed.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
It well, tapping my eleven year old again self. Is
it a fart? Yes?
Speaker 1 (11:03):
But what is a more weather like saying way to
express the gusts?
Speaker 2 (11:10):
Wind?
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Wines exactly? The wind, breaking wind? That's it breaking wind.
And I did look it up. Seven miles per hour
is the average speed.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Apparently if you were in space, it would propel you.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Oh is that right? That's interesting.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Anytime you expel anything with mass, you're going to move
the opposite way.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Wow, so that is one way to get around interesting.
I mean, you did do a space episode on science stuff,
which I have not listened to yet.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
But oh yeah, that's a good win and you'll like
it because we talk about what how did astronauts go
to the bathroom in space? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (11:48):
And what is the answer.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Oh, the answer is through a vacuum. You have a
vacuum system. Oh and that's how they keep things nice
and tidy. And also that's how they keep the smells interesting. Okay,
all right, I'm gonna have to listen to get more details.
But it sounds a little a little scary. But they
seem not like a like a floor vacuum.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
No, no, I got that.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
It's like a gentle vacuum.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
But yes, the gentle I think that is the key part.
All right, A couple more Prepare for a spinning leather
object falling from the sky with just a five to
chance of being caught.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
So, oh, oh, leather, I'm guessing it's a ball, yeah,
exactly in a sport? And what baseball or football?
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Football? I'm going to give you football because okay, all right,
and it's falling with a very slight chance of being caught.
Do you know, I know that you're more perhaps football,
Panamanian football, not this association football or whatever ours is called.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Yeah. Yeah, Well I'm a cartoonist and a roboticist. Sports.
It's not usually associated with either of those things. Well,
this one is a tough one for me. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
It's kind of a religious phrase because it's it would
be a miracle catch it.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Thank you? That helps? Yeah, it's hail Mary.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
That's it, Hail Mary. Well done. Sure we'll do this one.
I don't know. I was thinking should I go high
ground sophisticated, or should I continue down the gutter?
Speaker 2 (13:36):
That's just like, let's go, let's go. Yeah, there is
the most common denomination.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
There you go. Uh, there's a seventy percent chance that
there will be a flurry of ten dollars bills at
the strip club tonight. What might that phrase be?
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Oh, okay, now you're gonna get me into trouble.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
You know this.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
It's something related to rain reading bills. Yeah, that dollars,
that's it.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Yeah, Now you're not in trouble because you don't know
the actual phrase.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
That's why I didn't know.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Perfectly saved. It's make it rain. I believe, make it rain.
That's right, the official. Well done. You did it with
your dignity.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Intact and in my marriage.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Now is your wife in the science or cartooning of
business of both?
Speaker 2 (14:34):
Actually, like she's she's an engineer and she's a software developer,
but she works for DreamWorks Animation.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
No way, that's fantastic. I read that the hair on
animals is particularly challenging, like getting that ruffling josh U.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Yeah. Actually, if you see any DreamWorks moving in the
last probably twenty years, she worked on the hairs. Yeah
wow for a while she was then as the lady
really because she was an expert on how to render
all those trillions of hair as you see in those characters.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
That is amazing. Well, thank her for her contributions, and
thank you for your contributions. Everyone should check out where
can they find PhD Comics and your podcast.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Yeah, my comics are just online PhD Comics dot com.
And the podcast sign Stuff, which is just one word,
sign Stuff, is available anywhere you listen to podcasts, so
especially the iHeartRadio app or Apple podcasts or Spotify fantastic.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
All right, I have one more extra credit for the
folks at home. Prepare for high confusion descending onto the
battlefield with conflicting reports and clouded judgment. What is that
weather phenomenon? Come back tomorrow for the answer and thank
(15:59):
you again, Porge, Thank you listeners. And in the meantime,
if you have a few minutes, check out the Puzzler
Instagram feed at Hello Puzzlers. We have original puzzles, lots
more puzzles, even more puzzles than here, and we will
meet here tomorrow for more puzzling puzzles that will puzzle
you puzzlingly.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Hello puzzlers, it's your Chief puzzle Officer, Greg Pliska here
with the extra credit answer from our previous episode. Orgey
Cham joined us for a game of Name that Patent,
in which AJ gave you a description of a patented
item and you had to identify what that item was.
Your extra credit is this. It comprises a rectangular blanket body.
(16:49):
We're in a neck hole allowing the penetration of the
head is formed at a position slightly higher than the
midpoint of the two sleeve holes. That, of course, is
a very cozy snow huggy patented in twenty ten. So
I hope you call cozy and you're snuggy and you're
listening to the puzzler, and we'll catch you here next time.
Hosts And Creators
Greg Pliska
A.J. Jacobs
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