Roman Mars

[theme music] Hello, puzzlers.

What if we start with a quick introductory puzzle? This intro challenge is in honor of our guest today, the great Roman Mars, host of the show 99% Invisible.

In honor of Roman's last name, Mars, my challenge is for you to come up with other notable people with planetary names, people whose first or last names are a planet or contain a planet.

I tried it, and I could think of three singers and one tennis player.

Maybe you can think of more.

I am your host, A.J. Jacobs.

I'm here, of course, with Chief Puzzle Officer Greg Pliska.

And Greg, before the break, we had an intro challenge in honor of our guest today, the great Roman Mars of radio and podcast fame.

What are we gonna be talking about today?

Well, Roman, uh, let's talk about the American burying beetle.

Are you familiar with it?

[laughs] No.

[upbeat music] This is What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law, an ongoing series of indeterminate length and sporadic release, where we look at creepy bugs, tacky ballrooms, and what it means to be hurt by a law, and use them to examine our Constitution like we never have before.

Our music is from Doomtree Records.

Our professor and neighbor is Elizabeth Joh, and I'm your fellow student and host, Roman Mars.

Well, since you mentioned the ballroom, is it legal for him to do this at all?

This is 99% Invisible.

I'm Roman Mars.

I live in Northern California, and when it comes to camping in the backcountry up here, bears are always something you plan for.

The best way to avoid bears is to not attract them in the first place, and that means putting your food and any fragrant items into a bear canister.

Kurt Kohlstedt is the digital director.

Delaney Hall is our senior editor.

The rest of the team includes Chris Berube, Jason De Leon, Emmett Fitzgerald, Christopher Johnson, Vivian Le, Kelly Prime, Joe Rosenberg, Talon and Rain Straddly, and me, Roman Mars.

The 99% Invisible logo was created by Stefan Lawrence.

This is Ninety-Nine Percent Invisible.

I'm Roman Mars.

And I'm here with reporter Daniel Ackerman.

Hey, Dan.

Hi, Roman.

So you reached out to us because you wanted to tell us about a very specific tool that you say completely revolutionized American consumer culture and created the blueprint for the modern retail economy.

Which is, like, big words, if true.

Right.

What are we gonna be talking about today?

Roman, let's talk about lobsters.

Okay.

[laughs]

Let's do it.

[upbeat music] This is What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law, an ongoing series of indeterminate length and sporadic release, where we look at lobsters, bank robberies, and what we really understand about our cell phones, and use them to examine our Constitution like we never have before.

Our music is from Doom Tree Records, our professor and neighbor is Elizabeth Joh, and I'm your fellow student and host, Roman Mars.

[upbeat music]