Summary
Overview
The Answer in Progress team (Taha Khan, Melissa Fernandez, and Sabrina Cruz) tackle an exceptionally challenging episode of Lateral, working through clever wordplay and obscure connections involving brown noise, bird restraint techniques, thermal cameras, and celebrity wax figures entertaining a lonely dugong during COVID lockdown.
Brown Noise, Taco Bell, and Naming Origins
The first question explores the surprising connection between brown noise, Taco Bell, Main Street in San Francisco, and German chocolate cake. After initially struggling with the question's lateral nature, the team eventually discovers that all these items are named after people's surnames rather than their apparent characteristics, leading to the revelation that brown noise comes from Robert Brown, Taco Bell from Glen Bell, Main Street from Charles Main, and German chocolate cake from Samuel German.
- Brown noise is named after Brownian motion, discovered by Robert Brown
- Taco Bell is named after founder Glen Bell, not the bell in their logo
- Main Street in San Francisco was named after businessman Charles Main
- German chocolate cake is named after American chocolate maker Samuel German
- The Outerbridge Crossing in New York is named after Eugenius Outerbridge
" What about for synesthetics? "
" Shut up. This is false advertising. "
Broccoli as Olympic Medal Stand-Ins
A puzzling question about teenagers carrying broccoli on trays reveals an ingenious behind-the-scenes Olympic rehearsal technique. The question writer, who served as a badminton line judge at the 2012 London Olympics, witnessed volunteers practicing the medal ceremony by using heads of broccoli as stand-ins for the bouquets that would be given to athletes, demonstrating the creative and cost-effective preparations that go into major sporting events.
- Three volunteers were practicing carrying items to Olympic medal winners
- The broccoli represented bouquets that would be given to athletes, not the medals themselves
- This took place during rehearsals for the 2012 London Olympics
- Using broccoli was cheaper and lasted longer than using actual flowers for practice
" I don't like that. I'm the only one to get the reference that's mocking Gen Z's haircuts. "
" It's a hell of a lot cheaper to just buy some broccoli and it'll last longer "
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