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b'This week kicks off with some talk about a recent Holiday Party and a rumination from Merlin on why people like podcasts. Quick follow-up on kids and passwords yields to a resigned shrug about the seemingly impossible epistemology of children\\u2019s anecdotes. John worries about Merlin\\u2019s office and offers some new notes on his pronunciation. \\n\\nThis leads to an unintentional mini-topic on ***kids\\u2019 toys***. John\\u2019s wife has found a new way to buy toys, and Merlin makes the case for the raw power of Lady Train. Quick ideas for charitable giving are shared, and the phenomenon of the Very Special Episode is discussed.\\n\\nMerlin wonders if people have always been so tribal, and John has a theory. John, perhaps unsurprisingly, does not trust machines to do his blocking for him.\\n\\nAfter firing off the spoiler horn at `1:27:12`, your hosts enter the Spoiler Slot to talk about a remarkable documentary called ***The Barkley Marathons***. \\n\\n(_Recorded on Tuesday, December 19, 2017._)'