HTDE: Forks and Ice Masters

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• The chief ice maker for Olympic hockey, Don Moffat, faces unique challenges creating a perfect rink in a non-purpose-built concert hall in Milan, resulting in ice that sounds hollow to players.  Copied to clipboard!
• A mysterious survey glitch caused the word 'yes' to be incorrectly translated as 'forks' when Google Chrome attempted to translate English survey text from Spanish via Google Translate.  Copied to clipboard!
• The phenomenon of meeting someone with the same unique name, like 'Valerie' or the hosts' parents named 'Sean,' creates an instant, strong, and sometimes awkward connection.  Copied to clipboard!

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Ice Master Interview Setup

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(00:00:16)

• Key Takeaway: Peter introduces the ‘How To Do Everything’ episode featuring Ian and Mike, highlighting its temporary availability in the main feed.
• Summary: Peter introduces the episode of ‘How To Do Everything’ hosted by Ian and Mike. Listeners are reminded that these episodes are only available in the main feed temporarily. Subscribing to the dedicated ‘How To Do Everything’ feed is necessary for continued access.

Olympic Ice Maker Interview

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(00:00:42)

• Key Takeaway: Olympic Ice Master Don Moffat builds rinks in temporary venues, like a concert hall, requiring insulation to protect the underlying concrete floor.
• Summary: Don Moffat is the chief ice maker for Olympic hockey, having worked at five Games. Creating the rink in a non-purpose-built concert hall required installing insulation on the concrete floor to prevent freezing and cracking the structure. The temporary setup causes the ice to sound much louder and hollower than standard NHL rinks, initially unnerving the players.

Ice Master’s Game Day Focus

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(00:03:35)

• Key Takeaway: During games, the Ice Master remains highly engaged, monitoring skate sounds, skate marks, and using an infrared gun to check ice and air temperatures during commercial breaks.
• Summary: Don Moffat is extremely protective of the ice leading up to games, requiring approval for anyone near the surface. While watching a game, he is 100% focused on the ice quality, listening to skate sounds and watching marks. He actively works on the ice during TV timeouts, measuring temperatures to ensure conditions remain optimal.

Ice Quality in Drinks

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(00:05:21)

• Key Takeaway: Ice quality expert Don Moffat judges drink ice based on clarity, noting that cloudy ice indicates poor water quality or incorrect freezing temperatures.
• Summary: Don Moffat absolutely checks the ice in his drinks, looking for crystal clarity. Cloudy ice signals that the water quality is subpar or that the ice was made at the wrong temperature. At home, he ensures good ice cubes by installing quality water filters on his freezer’s water line.

Survey Glitch Investigation

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(00:06:48)

• Key Takeaway: A survey glitch replacing ‘yes’ with ‘forks’ occurred because Google Chrome was incorrectly signaling the survey was in Spanish, causing Google Translate to translate the English word ‘yes’ to ‘forks’ (the Spanish word for ‘yes’ is ‘sí’).
• Summary: Anna Brown from the Pew Research Center investigated an error where yes/no questions displayed ‘forks’ instead of ‘yes.’ This happened because the survey software was telling the Google Chrome browser the survey was in Spanish. Google Translate, when translating the English word ‘yes’ from Spanish to English, outputted ‘forks’ due to crosswires in the software.

Dealing with Same Name Encounters

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(00:14:19)

• Key Takeaway: Meeting someone with the same unique name, like ‘Valerie,’ often results in an instant, strong, and immediate connection, prompting personal questions like birth dates.
• Summary: Listener Valerie described the instant, decade-long friend feeling when meeting another Valerie, which recently happened at a doctor’s office. Ian Chillag noted his own parents, Sean and Sean, have been a couple since they were 15, sharing the same name spelling. The parents shared an anecdote about a college acquaintance confusing which Sean was being discussed for an entire semester.