PG’s Playhouse: Puzzles, games, trivia, & general nerdery

Is diplomatic immunity really a legal loophole for avoiding parking tickets? Does the land upon which the embassy sits belong to the embassy or the host country? We’re joined by the author of Because Internet, and co-host of Lingthusiasm, Gretchen McCulloch, for a deep dive into diplomatic immunity. David takes us from the ancient and extremely hazardous job of being a wartime messenger to the modern rules governing diplomats, embassies, and diplomatic bags.



Along the way, Gretchen talks nerdy to us about language in the modern era, explaining how the internet has transformed memes, and what it means for communication today. She also gets into how spellcheck influenced modern British spelling. Today's game is Cover Story, where the players must suss out the "spy" hidden in a group of words by figuring out which word doesn't belong.

 

Full Show Notes

 

Production Credits
Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira

Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law

Produced by Theresa Piazza & Sheena Vira

Supported by Lisa Spira

Edited by Peih-Gee Law

Music by Matt Farthing

Logo by Theresa Wagner

Whatever you do, don’t listen to this episode. And definitely don’t read these show notes. Because if you do, you might discover that we’re talking about the Streisand effect: the phenomenon where trying to hide something only makes everyone more interested in it.



Our guest is puzzle and game designer Mark Larson, who has contributed to some of my favorite games, including the RECON convention game. (Seriously, his games are great). Mark also tells us about one of his wildest escape room projects: building a 15-minute escape room inside an actual ambulance for a medical convention. What could possibly go wrong?

David then dives into the Streisand effect. This was an attempt to suppress a photograph of Barbra Streisand’s Malibu home, which actually resulted in hundreds of thousands of people suddenly going looking for it. Before the lawsuit, only six views. After the lawsuit, over 420,000. Sometimes the best way to make something famous is to loudly announce that everyone should avert their eyes.



Today’s games include The Puzzle Effect, where players must find the missing word connecting two compound phrases, and an onerous round of Barbra Streisand trivia. Mark turns the tables on me with his game, Where’s the Break? In his game, two clues are crammed into a single sentence, and we had to figure out where one clue ended and the other began.

 

Full Show Notes

 

 

Production Credits
Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira

Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law

Produced by Theresa Piazza & Sheena Vira

Supported by Lisa Spira

Edited by Peih-Gee Law

Music by Matt Farthing

Logo by Theresa Wagner

" It spawned the term 'bathroom reading'"

There was something magical about cracking open a gigantic Sears Catalog and imagining a life filled with hundreds of pages of things you never knew you needed. It was Amazon before Amazon. In today's episode, David takes us shopping, vintage style. We talk about the origins of the Sears Catalog, and how it played an important role during the Jim Crow era. We also learned about its eventual home in the outhouse, and where the term "bathroom reading" originated.



Writer, actress, and comedian Aparna Nancherla joins us today to talk about puzzle streak addictions, imposter syndrome, and comedy. She's the author of Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself, and Impostor Syndrome. Check out her comedy special on Dropout called Hopeful Potato, or catch her voicing Dr. Nisha in Pixar's latest movie, Hoppers.



Our game today is called Initial Here Please, where every answer is a two-word phrase starting with S and C.

 

Full Show Notes

 

Production Credits
Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira

Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law

Produced by Theresa Piazza

Supported by Lisa Spira

Edited by Peih-Gee Law

Music by Matt Farthing

Logo by Theresa Wagner

Diamonds are formed under a million years of crushing pressure, and for many couples, they're also the ultimate symbol of commitment. Coincidence? Maybe not. That's why we welcomed back couples therapist Zach Brittle, host of the Marriage Therapy Radio podcast. He talks to us about the secret to healthy relationships an – spoiler alert – it's not just vibes or diamond rings.

So how did diamonds become synonymous with engagement rings? What are they good for, really? David dives into the history and science of diamonds, including the most successful marketing campaign of all time, industrial uses, and more. I also share perspective as a working jeweler. Check out some of my work on my Instagram @loradorjewelry.



Today's game is called Uncut Gems. Players must polish and cut a word by removing the first and last letter to reveal the "diamond" word inside.



Check out Zach Brittle’s Website for more info on his podcast and his work. I recommend starting with David and Lisa’s episode, Ep 409 – No One Wins Alone: Lessons in Partnership from Escape Room Experts David and Lisa Spira.

 

Full Show Note

 

 

Production Credits
Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira

Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law

Produced by Theresa Piazza

Supported by Lisa Spira

Edited by Peih-Gee Law

Music by Matt Farthing

Logo by Theresa Wagner

For centuries, language was one of the great barriers to travelling, to sharing cultures and to humans understanding one another. Even though online tools have now made translations and language barriers more accessible, sometimes even our own language can feel foreign. This is where linguists enter the picture. They explore the role of language and how people use it to communicate.



Guest Gretchen McCulloch is a linguist and she co-hosts Lingthusiasm, a podcast discussing all the hidden linguistic patterns you didn't realize you were already doing. Gretchen literally wrote the book on how the internet is changing the english language - Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language. I especially enjoyed hearing about why "um's & uh's" drive us crazy in a podcast, but we don't seem to notice them in live conversations.

Today's topic is passports! David talks about the function of passports, what all the different colors mean, and historical usage. Our game today is called A Passion for Ports, where each answer will contain the letters "pass" or "port."

 

Full Show Notes

 

Production Credits
Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira

Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law

Produced by Theresa Piazza

Supported by Lisa Spira

Edited by Peih-Gee Law

Music by Matt Farthing

Logo by Theresa Wagner