168: The Robes of Science

Your hosts did their first pre-flight, and it went pretty well. Next up, in direct contravention to the dictates governing the uneasy peace with ATP, there is some *computer talk*. Specifically, Merlin wants to know if John really didn't do any research, and John wants to hear Merlin's reactions to Apple's recent announcements. (Editor's Note: At one point, John accidentally/casually reveals the existence of a *queue*, and, of course, it's all Merlin can do not to stop the program, start over, and spend three hours interrogating John about this previously undisclosed queue. If John thinks he's off the hook for discussing this in the future, he is super wrong.) Then, despite putting it off for as long as they could, your hosts finally return to the concept of _grit_. Merlin confesses to being more frustrated with the fans than the concept, and John has some thoughts about oat bran. Also, Merlin is obviously more frustrated with the actual concept than he's comfortable admitting. Can we reliably reverse-engineer grit from success? And how do we account for the grit it takes many folks just to survive day-to-day? John admits to being skeptical about any skeleton key, and Merlin thinks parents get way too attached to stuff that makes them feel smart. (*Episode recorded Tuesday, October 19, 2021*)