Matt went to Leeds because friend Seb Lee-Delisle had a laser installation there. Leeds train station recently opened their platform 0, so Matt had to visit that as well.
Bec had a book launch of her first Horror Heights book. Many play things were present, but Matt did not attend. However, Matt has a list of geometrically interesting children's playgrounds.
What is the largest single hole relative to the size of the pumpkin one can carve out of a pumpkin without the pumpkin collapsing? How should one cut said hole?
You can cut a hole in the pumpkin that is bigger than the pumpkin, which does not involve deforming the pumpkin. This is related to the Prince Rupert's cube, where you cut a hole through a cube that you can fit the cube through. Matt verified this fact in a practical experiment with two same-sized pumpkins, one of which he cut a hole into. The other pumpkin then fits through the hole. He used the smallest pointiest knife, and he never cut towards himself because it would slip very easily.
Bec decides to wait for a ding from Eric, even though she personaly considers the problem dinged. Bec wonders at which point it ceases to be a hole in a pumpkin, like the point where a bowl turns into a plate.
How do I stop the ghosts in my place from rattling all the doors during the night when I'm trying to sleep and I have to get up at 4am for the early shift at work? I've pleaded with them, had a stern talking to them, but they won't listen.
Bec suggests the ghosts might not be the problem, and instead Greg should fix the rattling doors. She quizzes Matt on the names of door parts, then explains them in detail.
One of the common causes for door rattling is that the strike plate is too big, which causes the latch to move around and rattle. You can also use weather stripping on the door jamb, which not only stops rattling but also minimizes sound leakage. You could wedge the door, or use plastic strip courtains instead of doors.
A door fun fact from Bec: January is named after Janus, who is the god of doors.
In case the ghosts are the problem and not the doors, Bec looked up what to do about noisy flat mates. Don't confront them directly but talk calmly. Be ready to accept compromises. Maybe escalate along official channels if this didn't help. To get rid of the ghosts, try burning sage (to a CD-ROM, ghosts hate pirates). Sound reiki might also work, both for spiritual people and for geology nerds.
"Finding common ground: Rocks" — Matt
The people have spoken. In a Twitter poll, 539 people have voted, and 59% (319 people) wanted Bec to go back in the cupboard. Bec suspects that some voters were not listeners. Incidentally, this episode was recorded with Bec in the cupboard again. Matt suggests another poll that asks whether people took the previous poll seriously.
After last episode's Patreon ad brought in more Patreon supporters, Matt has developed a spreadsheet that randomly selects three patrons for Bec and Matt to thank at the end of each episode. They go on to thank the first batch.