WEBVTT - STBYM Listener Mail: Laser Blade 0:00:03.000 --> 0:00:06.040 Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio. 0:00:10.240 --> 0:00:12.920 Hey you welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind. Listener mail. 0:00:13.039 --> 0:00:14.280 My name is Robert Lamb. 0:00:14.320 --> 0:00:17.319 And I am Joe McCormick. And on these episodes of 0:00:17.320 --> 0:00:19.959 Stuff to Blow Your Mind, we read back messages from 0:00:20.040 --> 0:00:22.600 the email address. If you would like to get in 0:00:22.680 --> 0:00:24.919 touch and you've never done it before, please give it 0:00:24.960 --> 0:00:28.440 a go. You can reach us at contact at stuff 0:00:28.520 --> 0:00:32.040 to Blow your Mind dot com. All types of messages 0:00:32.080 --> 0:00:34.640 are welcome, especially if you would like to add something 0:00:34.640 --> 0:00:37.120 interesting related to a topic we've talked about on the show. 0:00:37.159 --> 0:00:40.320 But also corrections are always appreciated if we make a 0:00:40.360 --> 0:00:44.280 mistake random trivia. You think we would be into suggestions 0:00:44.280 --> 0:00:47.480 for future show topics or suggestions for movies for Weird 0:00:47.479 --> 0:00:50.600 House Cinema. Any feedback to Stuff to Blow your Mind 0:00:50.600 --> 0:00:54.280 Core or Weird House Cinema, send it our way contact 0:00:54.360 --> 0:00:57.960 at stuff to Blow your Mind dot com. So today's 0:00:57.960 --> 0:01:00.240 mail bag is still heavy with a bunch of older 0:01:00.320 --> 0:01:02.080 messages we didn't have time to get to in our 0:01:02.160 --> 0:01:06.400 last round up our October thirty eighth or whatever whenever 0:01:06.440 --> 0:01:10.000 we did that, And we've got some new stuff, so 0:01:10.200 --> 0:01:12.800 we'll see what we can make it through today, Rob, 0:01:12.840 --> 0:01:14.520 do you mind if I kick things off reading this 0:01:14.600 --> 0:01:17.120 message from Anita on a number of topics. 0:01:17.240 --> 0:01:18.080 Yeah, go for it. 0:01:23.240 --> 0:01:26.840 Anita says, I am truly sorry for this clumpy compendium 0:01:26.880 --> 0:01:29.800 of communication. I've wanted to write in for a while, 0:01:30.240 --> 0:01:32.319 but have been thinking I'd put it off until I 0:01:32.319 --> 0:01:34.160 had something more to say. And then I had a 0:01:34.200 --> 0:01:37.400 lot to say. So here goes. You guys are awesome. 0:01:37.560 --> 0:01:40.319 Listening to you brings back warm memories of grad school 0:01:40.400 --> 0:01:43.480 and listening to educated folks just shoot the breeze. So 0:01:43.560 --> 0:01:46.800 many times while listening to the show, I think to myself, Yeah, 0:01:46.800 --> 0:01:49.600 but what about and then you actually bring it up. 0:01:49.800 --> 0:01:52.360 It's almost like you can hear me. You also give 0:01:52.440 --> 0:01:55.640 so many good conversation starters. Thank you so much. Well, 0:01:55.680 --> 0:01:58.640 thank you, Anita. That means a lot. But right after this, 0:01:58.720 --> 0:02:02.440 she's going to bring out the hot iron about pronunciation. So, 0:02:02.960 --> 0:02:06.760 Anita says, having gone to the University of Colorado, Boulder, 0:02:07.000 --> 0:02:09.960 I can tell you that it is see you Boulder. 0:02:10.240 --> 0:02:12.160 I know, but that's the way we do it. I 0:02:12.160 --> 0:02:15.040 think this is addressing every time we talk about somebody 0:02:15.040 --> 0:02:18.359 affiliated with University of Colorado Boulder, I'm sure I call 0:02:18.400 --> 0:02:22.160 it u CE Boulder, but yeah, U SEE tends to 0:02:23.280 --> 0:02:26.720 relate to the University of California and not University of Colorado. 0:02:26.840 --> 0:02:29.600 So I apologize for the hundreds of times I've probably 0:02:29.600 --> 0:02:29.960 said that. 0:02:29.919 --> 0:02:34.639 Wrong, igniting the you know, the fear sports rivalry between 0:02:34.800 --> 0:02:38.240 whatever these two universities teams are go big horns. 0:02:39.120 --> 0:02:45.560 I have no idea. Also, Anita says, having lived in Nevada, 0:02:45.840 --> 0:02:49.200 it is pronounced Nevada with an a, like an apple. 0:02:49.600 --> 0:02:52.400 Saying it the other way. I probably always say Nevada. 0:02:52.520 --> 0:02:54.600 Saying it the other way is like nails on a 0:02:54.720 --> 0:02:58.960 chalkboard to a Nevada. I know it's originally Spanish, but 0:02:59.120 --> 0:03:01.840 it's American naw Okay. 0:03:02.080 --> 0:03:02.600 Yeah. 0:03:03.160 --> 0:03:06.359 I feel like I mostly noticed this pronunciation when there 0:03:06.520 --> 0:03:10.960 is national news coverage relating to elections where things are 0:03:10.960 --> 0:03:15.600 happening in Nevada, and I can hear newscasters like pause 0:03:15.720 --> 0:03:17.960 before they say the name of the state and then 0:03:18.040 --> 0:03:21.360 say Nevada, as if they're having to remember to pronounce 0:03:21.360 --> 0:03:24.120 it that way. So I don't know, maybe they're like me. 0:03:24.240 --> 0:03:27.280 Maybe they said it the way I said it a 0:03:27.320 --> 0:03:30.960 bunch of times. Anyway, The next thing is Anita says, 0:03:31.000 --> 0:03:33.800 an article just came around from the Dane County Humane 0:03:33.840 --> 0:03:38.920 Society about a squirrel king that was found. I live 0:03:39.040 --> 0:03:42.920 just north of Madison, Wisconsin, in Lodi. I work in Madison, 0:03:42.960 --> 0:03:46.600 which is in Dane County. So yeah, this relates to 0:03:46.720 --> 0:03:50.000 episodes we've done in the past on the rat king phenomenon. 0:03:50.400 --> 0:03:52.760 We've addressed the extent to which this is a real 0:03:52.880 --> 0:03:57.360 thing and not just made up. There's clearly a lot 0:03:57.400 --> 0:04:00.360 of rat king mythology, but there is some bay in 0:04:00.400 --> 0:04:03.280 reality as well. So I went to this article and 0:04:03.320 --> 0:04:05.720 I pulled in some pictures and Rob, I've got at 0:04:05.800 --> 0:04:07.400 least one of the photos for you to look at 0:04:07.440 --> 0:04:11.440 in the outline here where we see several squirrels that 0:04:11.680 --> 0:04:14.920 are you see the distinct squirrel bodies like the you know, 0:04:15.280 --> 0:04:18.920 the the fan blades on a pinwheel. But then yes, 0:04:18.960 --> 0:04:21.560 their tails come together in the middle in just a 0:04:21.720 --> 0:04:27.120 mushy mass of gray brown fur leaves what looks like 0:04:27.160 --> 0:04:30.160 some kind of plant fiber. It's just a mess in 0:04:30.200 --> 0:04:33.600 the middle, and all the tails go in. So Anita 0:04:33.800 --> 0:04:36.160 attaches a link to a news article from the Dane 0:04:36.160 --> 0:04:39.680 County Humane Society by I think their director named Jackie 0:04:39.839 --> 0:04:43.279 Edmonds from October twenty eighth, twenty twenty five. I'll read 0:04:43.320 --> 0:04:45.200 from the opening to give you an idea of the story. 0:04:45.240 --> 0:04:49.080 Here quote. On September seventeenth, twenty twenty five, a group 0:04:49.120 --> 0:04:52.279 of five young Eastern gray squirrels were found with their 0:04:52.320 --> 0:04:55.960 tails all knotted together in a phenomenon known as a 0:04:56.000 --> 0:05:00.640 squirrel king. The finders, who were from Janesville, successful captured 0:05:00.640 --> 0:05:03.400 the entire scurry, which is a real term for the 0:05:03.400 --> 0:05:06.680 group scurry of squirrels, placed them in a bucket, and 0:05:06.760 --> 0:05:11.400 brought them to Dcchs's Wildlife Center for an emergency admission appointment. 0:05:12.279 --> 0:05:16.320 It was theorized that these babies snuggled together for warmth 0:05:16.360 --> 0:05:19.880 and comfort inside of their cavity nest or dray a 0:05:19.960 --> 0:05:23.320 leaf nest, and came into contact with tree sap while 0:05:23.360 --> 0:05:27.320 they were growing. As the sap spread, it thickened and hardened, 0:05:27.480 --> 0:05:30.520 and the squirrels continued to squirm around each other while 0:05:30.560 --> 0:05:33.360 they got bigger. In doing so, the knot in their 0:05:33.400 --> 0:05:37.559 tails worsened over time. So that's the beginning of the story, 0:05:37.600 --> 0:05:39.800 But then it goes on to describe lots of careful 0:05:39.839 --> 0:05:43.640 rehabilitation efforts by workers and volunteers at the center, and 0:05:43.760 --> 0:05:46.320 there are some pictures of that too, of the workers 0:05:46.320 --> 0:05:49.159 carefully trying to take care of the squirrels to get 0:05:49.160 --> 0:05:54.680 the the clumped up part removed, and finally at the 0:05:54.760 --> 0:05:57.320 end they do get all the squirrels separated. And then 0:05:56.920 --> 0:06:02.320 there's an update from November thirteenth, so just recently. The 0:06:02.760 --> 0:06:05.880 article says, great news, the five squirrels that had comprised 0:06:05.880 --> 0:06:09.760 the squirrel king were successfully rehabilitated and released on Tuesday, 0:06:09.800 --> 0:06:14.120 November eleventh, so they're all separate now, and Edmunds says 0:06:14.200 --> 0:06:17.039 quote after speaking with the finder, they were returned to 0:06:17.080 --> 0:06:19.640 their property along with a nest box. The finder has 0:06:19.640 --> 0:06:22.480 agreed to carefully supply food throughout the winter to help 0:06:22.520 --> 0:06:25.080 the squirrels since they did not have time to collect 0:06:25.120 --> 0:06:26.040 winter supplies. 0:06:27.320 --> 0:06:32.200 That's a nice ending to that little story. Two takeaways here, 0:06:32.240 --> 0:06:35.640 I think, one especially for our international listeners. Yes, in 0:06:35.640 --> 0:06:38.640 this country you do get free healthcare if you are 0:06:38.680 --> 0:06:44.240 a bundle of rodents. Humans not so much. And then 0:06:44.440 --> 0:06:48.960 on top of that, the idea that this knot of rodents, 0:06:48.960 --> 0:06:53.320 this knot of squirrels, was successfully untied and the squirrels 0:06:53.320 --> 0:06:57.000 were saved. If the rat king, or in this case, 0:06:57.000 --> 0:07:01.800 the squirrel king, is indeed a dire omen. Successfully solving 0:07:01.839 --> 0:07:05.760 it in this manner would seem to be a way 0:07:04.680 --> 0:07:11.320 to prevent disaster and prevent some sort of looming doom 0:07:12.000 --> 0:07:16.600 from occurring. So I like the metaphysical possibilities of this 0:07:16.720 --> 0:07:17.160 as well. 0:07:17.240 --> 0:07:20.280 It's like knocking on wood or throwing salt over your shoulder. 0:07:20.320 --> 0:07:21.640 You untangle the squirrel king. 0:07:21.720 --> 0:07:24.320 Yeah, it's a lot more complicated. We tend to throw 0:07:24.320 --> 0:07:27.480 the salt over our shoulder because it requires virtually no work, 0:07:27.640 --> 0:07:29.560 and all you have to do is turn around and 0:07:29.600 --> 0:07:33.040 make sure it lands in the sink. Right, Untangling the 0:07:33.080 --> 0:07:36.040 squirrel king clearly took a lot more skill and expertise. 0:07:36.800 --> 0:07:39.520 Anita has a little more in her message, she says, 0:07:39.600 --> 0:07:43.080 And lastly, we have a certain metal filing cabinet here 0:07:43.120 --> 0:07:46.560 at work that sounds like Godzilla. I think of you 0:07:46.640 --> 0:07:49.600 two every time I need to get shipping labels. Sound 0:07:49.640 --> 0:07:52.640 file attached. I guess we can play it here, But 0:07:52.720 --> 0:07:57.200 warning listeners, it is squeally, so take note that it's coming. 0:08:02.280 --> 0:08:06.360 I agree, it's quite kaijusque. There is a kind of squeal, 0:08:06.520 --> 0:08:10.960 a radioactive squeal, echoing up into the stratosphere, so I 0:08:11.000 --> 0:08:12.920 hear exactly what you're saying, and I may have actually 0:08:13.000 --> 0:08:15.880 had that thought about squealing metal on metal sounds before. 0:08:16.040 --> 0:08:18.840 It really does sound kind of like a giant monster. 0:08:18.960 --> 0:08:21.320 Yeah, you just need to drop the Godzilla theme song 0:08:21.400 --> 0:08:22.000 on top of that. 0:08:22.400 --> 0:08:23.640 Dun dun dun, dun dun. 0:08:23.680 --> 0:08:23.840 Duh. 0:08:24.040 --> 0:08:27.400 Yeah, and Anita finally says, glad, I got that out 0:08:27.440 --> 0:08:29.680 of my system. Thanks for giving my brain things to 0:08:29.760 --> 0:08:33.520 chew on. Joe's gentle snickering sounds, along with Rob's mums, 0:08:33.679 --> 0:08:35.880 especially when he doesn't quite agree. 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:39.920 I need. I'd never really until I read this one 0:08:40.080 --> 0:08:42.040 when it came in. I'd never really thought too much 0:08:42.040 --> 0:08:43.880 about what my momms might be giving away. 0:08:44.040 --> 0:08:46.160 But yeah, I don't know either. I guess I say 0:08:46.160 --> 0:08:48.560 some moms too. I have to think on that. 0:08:49.360 --> 0:08:51.840 Yeah, sometimes they just might have no particular opinion. I 0:08:51.880 --> 0:08:53.200 might be very neutral. I don't know. 0:08:53.480 --> 0:08:56.000 I'd say that's the most common time I would say, 0:08:56.160 --> 0:08:58.360 MM is when I don't feel like I have an 0:08:58.360 --> 0:08:58.920 opinion on. 0:08:58.880 --> 0:09:01.600 Something unless it's a downward and then I might Yeah, 0:09:01.640 --> 0:09:03.160 it might be Yeah, I don't know. I have to 0:09:03.200 --> 0:09:04.640 listen back and see if I can figure out this. 0:09:04.720 --> 0:09:07.520 Since I generally know where my mind probably was when 0:09:07.520 --> 0:09:10.760 I uttered a given all right, what do we have 0:09:11.320 --> 0:09:13.480 next in the bag? A number of these the listener 0:09:13.480 --> 0:09:15.719 mails seem to be a little bit sticky. 0:09:15.840 --> 0:09:19.760 That's right. So we're gonna do another episode on the 0:09:19.840 --> 0:09:23.160 licking theme from before our break last week. We're going 0:09:23.200 --> 0:09:26.480 to do another one later this week, and one listener 0:09:26.520 --> 0:09:29.560 mail message on that subject actually inspired a segment for that. 0:09:29.679 --> 0:09:32.800 So we'll talk about some listener mail in the Licking 0:09:32.840 --> 0:09:36.239 Part three episode. But we got quite a few responses, 0:09:36.400 --> 0:09:39.400 especially to the research on how many licks it takes 0:09:39.679 --> 0:09:41.560 to get to the center of a Tutsi pop. This 0:09:41.720 --> 0:09:43.040 really set people off. 0:09:44.760 --> 0:09:46.520 That's right. All right. This first one comes to us 0:09:46.520 --> 0:09:56.560 from Scott subject Tutsi Pop memories, gentlemen, I was transported 0:09:56.600 --> 0:09:58.760 back to the days of my youth during the Licking 0:09:58.800 --> 0:10:02.560 Part one episode the discussion of the Tutsi pop. I 0:10:02.600 --> 0:10:05.680 distinctly remember sitting cross legged on the living room floor, 0:10:05.720 --> 0:10:08.600 staring rapidly at the black and white television set as 0:10:08.640 --> 0:10:11.360 the Tutsi Pop commercial came on, and the feeling of 0:10:11.400 --> 0:10:15.720 amusement mixed with betrayal on behalf of the kid when 0:10:15.760 --> 0:10:19.600 that smart ass owl stole, yes, stole his candy, wise 0:10:19.640 --> 0:10:22.600 old owl, I think not Charlotte's, and I say thief 0:10:22.600 --> 0:10:26.520 swindler in the guise of an authority figure ahem. Sorry 0:10:26.520 --> 0:10:30.160 about that. Perhaps I have some unresolved childhood issues. To continue. 0:10:30.520 --> 0:10:32.880 Your observation that the phrase how many licks to get 0:10:32.920 --> 0:10:35.439 to the center of a tutsi pop may be paradoxical? 0:10:35.559 --> 0:10:38.400 May be a paradoxical riddle to prove provoke enlightenment? Is 0:10:38.440 --> 0:10:41.480 I believe accurate. There is no answer, partially because it 0:10:41.559 --> 0:10:44.800 is a trick question. You see, nobody actually licks a 0:10:44.880 --> 0:10:48.200 tutsi pop. One eats a tutsi pop by sticking the 0:10:48.360 --> 0:10:51.079 entire thing in the mouth, where it is bathed in saliva, 0:10:51.160 --> 0:10:54.640 causing it to dissolve. The act of licking involves sticking 0:10:54.640 --> 0:10:56.839 the tongue out of the mouth to make contact with 0:10:56.880 --> 0:10:59.960 the object. I've never heard of anyone doing that, aside 0:11:00.120 --> 0:11:02.920 from the comically large novelty lollipops the size of a 0:11:03.000 --> 0:11:06.160 child's head you get at circuses and county fairs. 0:11:06.480 --> 0:11:08.640 This is a really good point. I don't think I 0:11:08.720 --> 0:11:11.400 ever licked a lollipop when I was a kid. You 0:11:11.559 --> 0:11:13.839 put I put it in my mouth and just passively 0:11:13.880 --> 0:11:16.360 dissolved it. I feel like licking a lollipop is something 0:11:16.360 --> 0:11:17.440 only oodor does. 0:11:18.360 --> 0:11:21.200 Yeah. I think the only time I might have done it, 0:11:21.280 --> 0:11:25.719 or I've seen other kids doing you're probably consciously re 0:11:25.920 --> 0:11:28.880 enacting something you saw in a cartoon. Yeah, but yes, 0:11:29.040 --> 0:11:31.320 very good point. Yeah, you're generally you're putting it in 0:11:31.360 --> 0:11:33.559 your mouth and it's just swirling it around and so forth, 0:11:34.160 --> 0:11:37.360 in the same way that you don't lick any other 0:11:37.640 --> 0:11:40.400 hard candy that's not on a stick. It just goes 0:11:40.440 --> 0:11:44.240 in the mouth. Yeah. Anyway, they continue. You don't lick 0:11:44.280 --> 0:11:47.080 at Tutsi pop, you suck on it. Indeed, where I 0:11:47.120 --> 0:11:50.840 grew up in southwest Michigan, the common nay only name 0:11:51.200 --> 0:11:55.240 used for Tutsi pops and their generic brethren was sucker. 0:11:55.840 --> 0:11:57.600 Yep, I remember that too. When I was a kid, 0:11:57.640 --> 0:11:59.960 they were suckers more than they were lollipop. 0:12:00.240 --> 0:12:02.959 Yeah, we didn't really say lollies because it's suckers. I 0:12:03.040 --> 0:12:05.440 think I like the term lollies more if I was 0:12:05.480 --> 0:12:08.920 to refer to them, but that's not what we call them. 0:12:09.600 --> 0:12:12.439 Scott continues as far as the actual question of whether 0:12:12.480 --> 0:12:15.040 one should or shouldn't crunch through the candy shell to 0:12:15.040 --> 0:12:16.719 get to the center. I may be an outlier in 0:12:16.760 --> 0:12:19.439 the population of Tutsi pop eaters. As long as I 0:12:19.480 --> 0:12:22.679 can remember, I strove to avoid the crunch. My goal 0:12:22.920 --> 0:12:25.040 was always to suck on the thing until the flavor 0:12:25.040 --> 0:12:28.079 of the chocolate ciner mixed with the Erstot's fruit flavor 0:12:28.120 --> 0:12:31.640 of the shell. Only then did I give myself permission 0:12:31.679 --> 0:12:34.800 to finish it off in a few bites. Ah childhood. 0:12:34.840 --> 0:12:39.400 Thanks for dredging up the memory from the vaults, Scott, Yes, 0:12:40.320 --> 0:12:43.120 some great points here. I may have gone into this, 0:12:43.160 --> 0:12:45.840 but I think I tended to avoid the crunch as well, 0:12:45.920 --> 0:12:49.920 in part because I wasn't as crazy about the Tutsi 0:12:50.480 --> 0:12:56.439 center and would rather the orange exterior last as long 0:12:56.480 --> 0:12:57.200 as possible. 0:12:58.120 --> 0:13:01.079 Yeah, there also seemed I don't know, when I was 0:13:01.120 --> 0:13:06.080 a kid, I don't think I liked trying to crunch 0:13:06.480 --> 0:13:10.360 hard candy, like hard sugar candy. That seemed dangerous. Maybe 0:13:10.360 --> 0:13:13.600 I was a nerdy overly cautious child, but that just 0:13:13.600 --> 0:13:15.440 seemed like that could do something to your teeth. 0:13:17.160 --> 0:13:20.000 Yeah, and I do want to stress though, there are 0:13:20.040 --> 0:13:22.199 plenty of people out here who loved the combination of 0:13:22.200 --> 0:13:24.920 the flavors. I just offhand. I ended up chatting with 0:13:25.640 --> 0:13:30.080 some friends reminiscing about their experiences with Tutsi pops, and 0:13:30.400 --> 0:13:32.000 more than one of them were like, oh, yeah, I 0:13:32.000 --> 0:13:34.400 love the way that the two flavors came together. So 0:13:34.760 --> 0:13:36.560 on one hand, I may be an outlier and that 0:13:36.679 --> 0:13:41.080 I didn't really like the Tutsi Pop Center as much, 0:13:41.480 --> 0:13:44.160 And or I could be misremembering it a bit. You know. 0:13:44.320 --> 0:13:46.080 It could be that I really actually loved it as 0:13:46.120 --> 0:13:47.880 a kid, and I've just kind of paved over that 0:13:47.920 --> 0:13:49.160 particular memory detail. 0:13:49.720 --> 0:13:52.880 Yeah, it's funny how you think you can remember things 0:13:52.920 --> 0:13:55.040 like this, but then sometimes the more you think about them, 0:13:55.080 --> 0:13:56.120 the more you doubt at les. 0:13:56.160 --> 0:13:59.640 Yeah, or you allow your adults views on things to 0:13:59.679 --> 0:14:03.160 then the shape of your childhood memories, thinking like, oh, 0:14:03.200 --> 0:14:08.200 I don't like Tutsi roles now, surely my childhood self 0:14:08.200 --> 0:14:11.560 didn't like them either, But it's entirely possible that I did, 0:14:11.840 --> 0:14:12.199 all right. 0:14:12.240 --> 0:14:14.560 This next message is also about Tutsi pops. This is 0:14:14.559 --> 0:14:22.960 from ian Ian, says dear Robin Joe, you asked for 0:14:23.040 --> 0:14:26.480 personal Tutsi pop stories, I shall oblige as far as 0:14:26.560 --> 0:14:29.200 eating them normally, I didn't lick them, per se, I 0:14:29.200 --> 0:14:31.280 would suck on the whole thing in my mouth like 0:14:31.320 --> 0:14:34.760 a sucker, and only once I tasted chocolate would I 0:14:34.800 --> 0:14:37.400 bite through the very last thin layer of hard candy 0:14:37.440 --> 0:14:41.680 coating to the core. The crunch was very satisfying. I 0:14:41.840 --> 0:14:45.640 also did the licking experiment ones as I'm sure many 0:14:45.640 --> 0:14:49.080 other children did. I sat down with a Tutsi pop 0:14:49.280 --> 0:14:52.080 and a legal pad and made a tally mark every 0:14:52.120 --> 0:14:55.080 time I licked it. I can't remember my technique other 0:14:55.240 --> 0:14:59.000 than that I counted exposing any part of the chocolate 0:14:59.080 --> 0:15:01.640 core as reached out the center. When all was said 0:15:01.680 --> 0:15:04.560 and done, it took me six hundred and sixty six 0:15:04.680 --> 0:15:07.760 licks to reach the center. Really, at the time, I 0:15:07.880 --> 0:15:11.640 was unfamiliar with the satanic connotations of that number, and 0:15:11.680 --> 0:15:14.600 now I wonder what the significance of my result is. 0:15:14.760 --> 0:15:17.800 Perhaps Tootsi Pops are the candy of the devil. Thanks 0:15:17.800 --> 0:15:20.840 for the show, Keep up the good work, ian Ian. 0:15:20.920 --> 0:15:22.760 I'm going to trust you on that that you're not 0:15:22.840 --> 0:15:24.600 just making that up because it's a good story. 0:15:26.200 --> 0:15:28.760 Made up or not, I am going to assume it 0:15:28.800 --> 0:15:31.160 is the correct answer. Now, six hundred and sixty six 0:15:31.240 --> 0:15:35.040 licks seems appropriate and actually not that far off. From 0:15:35.120 --> 0:15:38.480 I mean, we talked about the wide variety of numbers 0:15:38.480 --> 0:15:41.320 that some of these actual studies resulted in, so it 0:15:42.280 --> 0:15:44.520 seems possible that you could get six hundred and sixty 0:15:44.600 --> 0:15:45.720 six totally. 0:15:46.600 --> 0:15:49.600 In fact, I think the next message from Matt addresses 0:15:49.640 --> 0:15:52.120 the question of the wide variety of results. 0:15:53.200 --> 0:15:55.600 Yeah, Matt says, Hey, guys, just wanted to jump in 0:15:55.680 --> 0:15:57.960 with my own experience that might shed some light on 0:15:58.000 --> 0:16:00.120 why that one study found a number of licks uch 0:16:00.200 --> 0:16:02.960 higher than the others. For context, I was a weird 0:16:03.000 --> 0:16:06.000 kid who had entertained himself with tedious projects like counting 0:16:06.000 --> 0:16:08.720 to a thousand. I've also tried to count to one million, 0:16:08.760 --> 0:16:10.760 but when I got to a few hundred, I realized 0:16:10.760 --> 0:16:14.080 how long it was taking to even be one two 0:16:14.160 --> 0:16:16.760 thousandth of the way to the goal, and gave up 0:16:16.760 --> 0:16:19.960 on that one. In any case, I did undertake finding 0:16:20.000 --> 0:16:21.920 the answer to how many licks does it take to 0:16:21.920 --> 0:16:23.640 get to the center of a Tutsi pop? And I 0:16:23.680 --> 0:16:26.800 got a similar number to the three thousand plus sided 0:16:26.840 --> 0:16:29.960 in the one study. I think they, like myself, defined 0:16:30.000 --> 0:16:32.040 to get to the center to me not only to 0:16:32.160 --> 0:16:34.840 drill a hole that reached the center, but to completely 0:16:34.880 --> 0:16:38.080 liberate the Tutsi roll from its hard candy prison. In 0:16:38.120 --> 0:16:39.920 my mind, we were getting to the center in the 0:16:39.960 --> 0:16:42.680 same way you were getting to a buried treasure. That is, 0:16:43.040 --> 0:16:45.960 you haven't gotten it until you have got it all 0:16:46.040 --> 0:16:48.400 the way out of the substance it's buried in. 0:16:48.800 --> 0:16:50.120 Mmmm, that makes sense. 0:16:50.840 --> 0:16:53.760 I also wondered, WHI while doing this, what kind of 0:16:53.840 --> 0:16:56.080 lick should I be doing? A dainty lick with the 0:16:56.120 --> 0:16:58.200 top of your tongue must take more licks than an 0:16:58.240 --> 0:17:02.200 aggressive lick that envelops the entire pop after all. Anyways, 0:17:02.520 --> 0:17:03.760 thought i'd share, man. 0:17:03.920 --> 0:17:09.159 I think this really emphasizes how much exercise is actually involved, 0:17:09.240 --> 0:17:12.840 Like how much work it would be to again lick 0:17:12.960 --> 0:17:16.720 the entire Tutsi pop down instead of just yeah, passively 0:17:16.760 --> 0:17:20.320 dissolving it inside your mouth. Like that's a lot of 0:17:20.359 --> 0:17:24.080 work in the tongue muscle. Yeah, okay. This next message 0:17:24.080 --> 0:17:26.240 is also a response to the licking episodes, but not 0:17:26.440 --> 0:17:30.000 about the Tutsi pop. It's about when we were talking 0:17:30.040 --> 0:17:33.840 about the licking of wounds and also about the idea 0:17:33.840 --> 0:17:37.320 of licking one's own eye. Oh, Robin, I think this 0:17:37.440 --> 0:17:40.040 was in the context of talking about lizards that can 0:17:40.080 --> 0:17:41.120 lick their own eyes. 0:17:40.920 --> 0:17:44.000 To clean, yes, particularly geckos, but. 0:17:43.920 --> 0:17:47.080 We were discussing how you know, some animals might have 0:17:47.119 --> 0:17:51.000 special adaptations for this, but in other cases, licking or 0:17:51.040 --> 0:17:54.359 spitting in the eye obviously can transfer bacteria from one 0:17:54.480 --> 0:17:56.439 place to the other, and the eye can be very 0:17:56.520 --> 0:18:00.360 sensitive to certain kinds of infections, so you know, it's 0:18:00.359 --> 0:18:08.439 something to be avoided if possible. Rachel says, Hi, guys, 0:18:08.520 --> 0:18:10.840 I just listened to the episode about licking, and it 0:18:10.880 --> 0:18:14.000 reminded me of the time one of my rabbits had 0:18:14.000 --> 0:18:17.720 an eye infection and after finishing the course of medications, 0:18:17.760 --> 0:18:21.119 the problem still persisted until I realized it was because 0:18:21.200 --> 0:18:24.960 my other rabbit wouldn't stop licking his eye. As soon 0:18:25.000 --> 0:18:28.919 as I separated them, the infection was resolved. Ugh, I 0:18:29.000 --> 0:18:31.440 feel bad because my rabbit was just trying to help 0:18:31.480 --> 0:18:34.880 the other one, but it was actually making it worse. Anyway, 0:18:35.119 --> 0:18:37.560 love the podcast. I've been a long time listener. 0:18:38.200 --> 0:18:40.080 Great detail, great story. I like it. 0:18:40.359 --> 0:18:42.960 That is interesting. But one thing that I don't think 0:18:42.960 --> 0:18:45.760 I read about rabbits in any of the research I 0:18:45.800 --> 0:18:48.280 was looking at in communal wound looking. I'm not saying 0:18:48.280 --> 0:18:50.480 they don't do it, but I don't know of any 0:18:50.520 --> 0:18:52.720 evidence other than this email that they do. So I 0:18:52.800 --> 0:18:58.119 wonder if rabbits regularly engage in group communal wound looking 0:18:58.200 --> 0:19:01.920 to help each other decontain emanate wound areas, or otherwise 0:19:02.080 --> 0:19:04.720 help each other heal, or if maybe there was just 0:19:04.880 --> 0:19:07.880 you know, this one rabbit had a kind of idiosyncratic 0:19:07.920 --> 0:19:08.920 taste for eyeball. 0:19:09.480 --> 0:19:12.359 I remember it factoring into Watership Down a lot, oh 0:19:12.400 --> 0:19:14.640 when they were treating wounds. Not enough to say that 0:19:14.640 --> 0:19:18.560 that's that it should be the primary source in order 0:19:18.600 --> 0:19:21.240 to answer this question, but that does bring back to 0:19:21.320 --> 0:19:24.120 my mind a number of scenes in which the rabbits 0:19:24.119 --> 0:19:27.280 in that story that that work of fiction are tending 0:19:27.320 --> 0:19:28.280 to each other's wounds. 0:19:28.400 --> 0:19:31.080 Oh okay, well, then I would bet that's probably based 0:19:31.080 --> 0:19:33.680 on something in reality. So yeah, I guess they probably 0:19:33.720 --> 0:19:34.960 do it all right. 0:19:35.480 --> 0:19:39.200 This next one, I don't even precisely remember the call 0:19:39.240 --> 0:19:42.919 out for this, but I still greatly appreciate the answer. 0:19:48.480 --> 0:19:51.480 Skyler sent us a message with the subject line giant 0:19:51.480 --> 0:19:57.040 pilgrim skeleton in neighbor's yard from mid November. And indeed 0:19:57.119 --> 0:19:59.680 it is one of these giant skeletons like we've seen 0:19:59.680 --> 0:20:03.840 pop up in yards in recent years. And this one 0:20:04.960 --> 0:20:09.440 has been decorated to look like a Pilgrim for Thanksgiving, 0:20:09.480 --> 0:20:13.760 for American Thanksgiving apparently, which I think is wonderful. Hey, 0:20:13.800 --> 0:20:16.080 I think these I love that these skeletons are staying 0:20:16.160 --> 0:20:20.200 up year round and are getting different seasonal costumes. And also, 0:20:20.280 --> 0:20:24.040 I mean, if you're gonna go with Pilgrim decorations nowadays, 0:20:24.080 --> 0:20:26.480 I feel like scary Pilgrim is the way to go. 0:20:26.920 --> 0:20:31.240 Scary skeletal, undead Pilgrim a plus in my book. 0:20:31.760 --> 0:20:35.439 Now there's also an update that Skylar sent us after 0:20:35.600 --> 0:20:40.800 the first message that came on November twentieth, so so this, 0:20:41.040 --> 0:20:44.880 I guess was several days later they like completed the look. 0:20:44.960 --> 0:20:48.399 So it started just giant skeleton with a Pilgrim upper 0:20:48.400 --> 0:20:52.359 body costume. They added a skeleton dog, the kind with 0:20:52.480 --> 0:20:55.600 ears and dogs don't have the bones in their ear, 0:20:55.720 --> 0:20:57.680 but you know, so that you know it's a dog. 0:20:57.760 --> 0:20:59.960 So there's skeleton dog right next to it. Okay, it's 0:21:00.040 --> 0:21:04.080 got a puppy. And then also Pilgrim hat. And also, Rob, 0:21:04.119 --> 0:21:07.320 did you notice this little detail eyeballs in the skull. 0:21:07.359 --> 0:21:09.480 I didn't see them in the first picture. Maybe they're 0:21:09.560 --> 0:21:12.119 hiding back there sort of. But doesn't look like it 0:21:12.160 --> 0:21:14.359 to me. It looks like somebody went in there and 0:21:14.600 --> 0:21:17.240 updated the skull with freaky eyeballs. 0:21:17.560 --> 0:21:20.960 Yeah, yeah, I think this is. This also nicely illustrates 0:21:21.000 --> 0:21:24.800 the realization that one steadily gets leaving Halloween and realizing 0:21:24.800 --> 0:21:29.760 that Thanksgiving is about to occur. The Pilgrim costume, the 0:21:29.920 --> 0:21:34.800