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

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

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

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

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

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

It's the summer of 1980. You're a bored teenager in New Jersey with a few bucks, questionable judgment, and an afternoon to kill. At Action Park, you can spend the day hurling yourself down water slides, shooting battle tanks, and losing some skin on the alpine slide. The possibility of imminent death makes it extra exciting.

There's a reason this was affectionally known as "Class Action Park" or "Traction Park." The attractions were built by amateurs, largely run by teenagers, and the legal liability was merely a suggestion. This park ran from the late 70s into the mid-90s, the golden age of latchkey kids and danger as entertainment. David recounts his own memories of visiting Action Park as a kid. He tells us about the crazy Cannonball Loop, where guests lost teeth, and the ridiculously fun Battle Tanks.

Tommy Wallach & Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp of Hatch Escapes join us to chat all about the wild history of Action Park. They also talk about their escape rooms and maximizing for joy in their games.

Today's game is Common Grounds, where the players must find the connection between a set of four words. To hear more about Hatch Escapes, check out their interview on REPOD S7E12.

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

Meep meep! Special Delivery! Warning: This episode may contain falling anvils, plunger guns, painted tunnels, and a stick or two of dyno-MITE, all courtesy of The Acme Corporation.

As anyone who has watched Saturday morning cartoons knows, Acme Corporation is synonymous with Looney Tunes. They're the delivery company famous for supplying Wile E. Coyote with everything from rocket skates to dehydrated boulders and giant rubber bands. Long before Looney Tunes, however, Acme was a commonplace business name, thanks to the yellow pages phone directory.

Joining us to explore the Acme Corporation is Mark Larson. Mark Larson is a game designer, puzzle creator, and all around professional maker of fun, and if you have ever played a game at RECON, our escape room convention, there is a good chance it was one of his. For this episode, he even brought a game of his own! And if you want to check out BLOT, the audio escape room Mark designed for RECON, listen to our live playthrough on REPOD (S10E11.)

My game is called "Special Delivery," where two clues each lead to the same word, but the second word has one extra letter tucked inside. Collect all the extra letters and you will find out what's inside the box.

Full Show Notes

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

In 1919, eight members of the Chicago White Sox took bribes worth somewhere between $70,000 and $100,000 to lose the World Series on purpose. Split eight ways and adjusted for inflation, that bribe comes out to less money than you'd think. David walks us through the infamous Black Sox Scandal, including mob ties and the cheapskate team owner who docked the players' pay for laundry. It's honestly no surprise players were throwing games.

Joining us are Chris Demarais and Blaine Gibson, co-hosts of the improv comedy podcast Good Morning From Hell and the D&D actual play podcast Tales from the Stinky Dragon. We talk about what it's like running an actual play podcast with guests from Critical Role, their animated videos, and the full length puppet show adaptation of Stinky Dragon. Chris and Blaine are absolutely hilarious and so fun on the pod.

Today's game is called The Hall of Shame, where famous sports teams have been forced to rebrand after a scandal, and every new name has to rhyme with the old one. If you want to check out Chris and Blaine’s podcasts, start with the one featuring David Spira playing Jigsaw as an escape room game master.

Full Show Notes

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

In the early 1900s, a crew of sponge divers off the coast of Greece stumbled onto a 2,000-year-old shipwreck and the world's first known analog computer. Talk about buried treasure... this ancient technological marvel sat abandoned and undisturbed in a warehouse for years before someone noticed the strange assortment of gears and discs.

It wasn't until as recently as 2010 that modern imaging allowed us to discover the purpose of this mechanism. It mapped the solar system, tracking things like eclipses and movement of the planets. It could even indicate the four-year cycle of the ancient Olympic Games.

For a special Father's Day episode, we're digging into the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient Greek device so far ahead of its time that nobody believed the ancient world could have built it. Joining us is a very special guest: Marc Spira, financial services professional, lifelong diver, and most importantly, David's dad.

Today's game is Buried Treasure, where two clues lead to the same word, except one of them is hiding an extra letter. Fish it out, bank it, and find out what's buried once all the letters surface.

Full Show Notes

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

Today's episode dives into the surprisingly juicy political scandal known as the Petticoat Affair. Also known as the Eaton Affair, it revolved around a young, pretty girl, her handsome second husband, and very proper, but gossipy wives. The Petticoat Affair managed to destabilized an entire presidency.

Marriage Therapy Radio and relationship therapist Zach Brittle joins us to talk about this incident that ended up dismantling Andrew Jackson's Presidential Cabinet. Zach also shares what he took away from his recent interview with David and Lisa on Marriage Therapy Radio. He also reveals the wildest story he's ever heard from a real couple on his podcast. Spoiler: it involves an affair. Two affairs, actually. This story had me clutching my proverbial pearls!

Today's game is Off the Cuff, where the players must figure out the Gen Z slang involving items of clothing. No cap.

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 Notes

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

Tommy Wallach, David Spira, and the novel, Gadsby can come to the party, but Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp and Peih-Gee Law aren't invited. What's the rule of the party? It's no E's, please!

Tommy and Terry are the co-founders of Hatch Escapes in Los Angeles, California. They are creators of the iconic Lab Rat escape room and their incredible new game The Ladder. They also happen to be theater people and musical writers. They've got some big thoughts on writing and what qualifies as story, so we though they'd love hearing about today's topic.

Today's segment is about the 1939 novel Gadsby, by Ernest Vincent Wright, which was written entirely without the use of the letter E. David takes us on a tour of the lipogram, which is deliberately constrained writing that avoids specific letters.

The game is called Easy E, where players must take a word and add an E to make a new word.

Full Show Notes

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