Hi, this is Molly with something important to ask you. Like, very important. Like, so important. Imagine everything I'm saying is in all caps with giant font and underlined in glitter. The brains on universe is public media. And public media is threatened like never before. To keep doing what we do, we need your help. We need you. That part's double underlined in glitter.
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A show where we take two things, smash them together, and ask you to decide which one is best. Today's debate requires a little concentration, and as seen across the nation, put your heads together for forts versus... We've got forever ago hopes Joy Dolo ready to rumble for Team Fortress. BEAUTIFUL Please hold your paws. And Comedian Comrade Trip is here to defend team puzzles. I can't sing. They're good. I was overwhelmed by patriotism. Not my beautiful singing voice.
Sure, that too. And here to judge it all is Petra from St. Paul, Minnesota. Petra loves to write. plays the saxophone, and has a dog named Luna. Hi, Petra. Hi, Molly. So you play the saxophone. Can I ask what your favorite type of music to play is? So we're playing Greatest Showman right now, and I play the Barry saxophone. So that's the really tall one with the twirly thing. And sometimes I play alto. Sometimes I play Barry. I play tenor. And I love playing the...
That's my favorite part to play. And Barry Sachs is like, it's huge. Yeah, it's almost as tall as me, so. That's so cool. Okay, you have a dog, but I'm told she isn't the only pet you get to play with since your dad's a vet. Yeah, so my dad is a vet. His clinic is, like, right across the street from our house, so I walk over there and get to hang out with all the fun pets, and I do clean rooms.
Because I find that part also fun. But, yeah, I also get to sometimes cuddle the pets if they just had surgery or something like that. If you're interested in cleaning pet rooms, I also have a dog. It's not my favorite part of having him. So, Petra, you've listened to Smash Your Best. Do you have any advice for our debaters today? Use a lot of funny jokes. I love funny jokes. And write down notes so that you can rebut against them a lot. Excellent advice.
Will Petra side with Joy or Comrade? Only time will tell. But first... Smash Boom Best is a non-profit public radio program. That's right. Which means we rely on support from our listeners to keep the show going. There are lots of ways you can support the show. You can donate by becoming a Smarty Pass subscriber or buy our merch. Like a Smash Boom vest hoodie, pencil pouch, or keychain. Head to smashboom.org to show your support. Now on to the rules.
every debate consists of four rounds the declaration of greatness the micro round the sneak attack and the final six after each round our judge petra will award points to the team that impresses her the most but she'll keep her decisions top secret until the end of And vote for whichever team you think won. Okay. Joy. Comrade. And Pat Shaw, are you ready? Yes. I was fort for this.
I was trying to say born and born. It doesn't work. Yes, I'm ready. I'm ready for everybody. That was impressive. What? Then it's time for the Declaration of Greatness. In this round, our debaters will present a well-crafted, immersive argument in favor of their side. Then they'll each have 30 seconds to rebut their opponent's statements. Move up to coin. Enjoy. You're up first. Tell us why we're fortunate to have forts. Oh, hey, friends.
I was just heading inside my fort under the kitchen table. Ow. Watch your heads. I call it Joy's Purpose. Paradoxical palace. because it's way bigger on the inside than on the outside. It's like an endless hallway and a set of Russian nesting dolls had a baby. There's a pickleball court, trampoline, movie theater, herb garden, plus seven bathrooms. And over here is the frozen yogurt machine, 17 flavors and infinite gummy worms. Ah, mas...
everything I could possibly need. It's the best place in the entire world. People have been building forts for thousands of years, and not just under their kitchen tables. There are tons of extremely cool real-life forts all around the world. Like the Orsini Fortress in Italy. That has a museum, a moat, a drawbridge, and a friendly fox. or the Murangar fort in India which stands on a cliff
hundreds of feet above the city, and is decorated with incredible paintings. And if you can't visit India or Italy, don't despair. You can still make the fort of your dreams with the greatest tool of all. Your imagination! A fort is the perfect place to party with your own brain. You can build one pretty much anywhere you want. Outside with tree branches. with couch cushions on a sandy beach? possibility.
Hi, I'm Dan Fortley IV, Fort Lauderdale's best fort realtor, and I'm here to find you your forever fort. This one's a steal. It's behind the couch. It comes with the Dust Bunny Gladiator Arena. bottomless chicken nugget buffet And a rock climbing wall. Listen, puzzles are okay. Like, if you can't make a fort and there's nothing else to do... Who wouldn't want to make a picture out of tiny shapes over the course of several long excruciating hours?
Only six hundred and thirty Pieces to go Just need to... A puzzle just doesn't do anything for my imagination. The picture is already there. If puzzles are good for anything, they're a way to turn off your brain and just cruise along finding shape. That is, unless several of those puzzle pieces go missing because your cat knocked them off the table and then your dog ate them. not only is designing and building a fort a top-notch way to use your noggin you can use a fort in tons of different ways
Feeling sleepy and cozy? Boom. Blanket fort. Ready for a rumpus with your pals? Shiloblazzle! Pillow fort wrestling ring combo. Wanna sit in the dappled forest shape? contemplate the delicate yet chaotic balance of the universe? Doink! Treefort! Salt first and all. The point is, forts let you decide. Kids don't always get a whole lot of say in their lives. Parents
Teachers and other grown-ups make the rules and decisions. But putting up a fort or designing one on paper is something that kids can do on their own. Attention please! I call this meeting of the Fort Fluffington Fuzzies to order. Since I have to apparently wait until I'm a teenager to learn how to drive a car, I declare Fort Fluffington to also be a magical video.
With forts, you're in the driver's seat. Plus, they can give you some time away from other people, and everybody needs that sometimes. I mean, even Superman had his Fortress of Solitude where you could take a break from superhero stuff and his journalism day job.
Forts, come on! They can be a cool way to learn some history or help you rev up your imagination. They can be a home away from home, but very close to home. A place where you can carve out the space you need. Plus, you can fill your fort with whatever you want. Speaking of which, what do you say we get some fort fro-yo with unlimited mix-ins? Last one, there's a wet puzzle piece that my cat barfed up on the floor.
Yes to the Froyo. Thank you so much for the invitation. That made me hungry. Petra, what stood out to you about Joy's Declaration of Greatness? I love Everything that was in the fort how there was so many things and I kind of want to live in the fort now You made me want to live there. There's room. It's in my imagination. There's 17 million rooms. You can pick one. And seven toilets.
And seven toilets. We can put more in, though. Oh, okay. Yeah, it's anything we want, Petra. It's anything. Okay, comrade, it's time for your rebuttal. Tell us why a fort is a dire destination. You've got 30 seconds, and your time starts now! That was an incredible declaration, but Not that incredible. Forks, yeah, they have lots of cool things, but eventually...
All those cool things will have to go back to where they belong in your stuff. If you have a blanket fort, eventually you have to wash those blankets and put them back on your bed feeling sleepy. Yeah, after making a fort and then having to unmake it and put things back to where they belong and the fort is gone forever. Yeah, I would feel sleepy too. Imagination, seven imaginary bathrooms. I have to use real bathrooms.
Yeah, you know, it's true that, you know, sometimes you got to take the blankets down and wash them, but the memories last forever. I have a terrible memory. The imaginary memories. You'd think with puzzles that you'd have a good memory. I do. Well, then. Makes me wonder about you, sir. I should do more puzzles is what you're saying. Yeah, I'm saying you should use your imagination more.
Your imagination will open up so many things to you. I'll imagine that your declaration of greatness was better. I'm going to imagine that you're going to win this. Oh, thank you. It's not working. It's not working. Comrade, it's your turn. Tell us why puzzles are simply the best. It's raining outside and also in your heart. You have nothing going on nothing to do except stare at the ceiling and you're just awake expecting to go at the end of the day when you woke up, having achieved nothing.
Lo, there is an activity to fill your day. Something to connect and create. A jigsaw puzzle. Suddenly you feel reinvigorated or maybe just invigorated for the very first time. with a reason to get out of bed and be a person. Sometimes the only problems we can solve come in a box marked 3 and up. Puzzles are the perfect pastime for people from all places. one of the first people to break something solely with of putting it back together with John Spilsbury.
From the name, he sounds like someone who often drops croissants, but he was actually a British mapmaker. In the 1760s, he made some of the first jigsaw puzzles by pasting maps on wooden boards then cutting them up into pieces. Mr. Spillsbury, what have you done to these ma- It's for the children! Now they'll know the world, piece by piece. Could we not have simply given them the maps as they were? Pish Posh, where's the fun in that?
And what fun they were. The love for puzzles has only grown since then, and puzzles themselves have grown to include many different types. Jigsaw, Rubik's, Sudoku, Wheel of Fortune, Minesweeper, Candy Crush, Tetris, Legos, Escape Room There's no shortage of puzzles. A puzzle is anything fun that makes you think and thinking is kind of a big deal. Studies show that doing puzzles reinforces connections between cells in your brain called neurons.
In other words, solving puzzles connects the puzzle pieces in your head. Being able to solve puzzles is the barometer of braining. They are the tests of your understanding of logic, knowledge and ingenuity in a structured way. Gabby, you can't play Tetris all day. How else will I increase my dexterity and the connectivity of my neurons, Dad? Think of my neurons.
Fine. Five more minutes. Oh yeah! After this, I'll do the crossword to further my cognitive ability. My neurons will be unstoppable! The popularity of puzzles is not at all puzzling. Some of the first toys we play with when we're young are puzzles, fitting square-shaped blocks into square-shaped holes, nesting cups that fit inside each other, stacking donut-shaped rings by size. And since the day I was born I've been solving the puzzles of life.
how to move my legs to walk, my mouth to speak, my butt to poop. Everything we will ever do is a puzzle. Even a fork can be a puzzle, but not a very good one. Writing this declaration of greatness was a puzzle for me. Organizing all of these arguments and sketches to make a cohesive essay was a puzzle. Plus, you can multitask while puzzling. Divide your attention. You can listen to this podcast while you solve puzzles. That's the circle of puzzles, and it moves us all.
Can you make a fort whilst listening to the sound of my voice? Please don't. You can do anything while doing a puzzle, even another puzzle. But multitasking is also a puzzle in itself. Take on too many things at once and they'll be calling you Mr. Spillsbury. Puzzles can fill your day or your week or your entire life depending on how many pieces there are. Sometimes a puzzle can be frustrating. You get stuck or you can't find the right piece.
But it's a good kind of frustration, because eventually you figure it out. And that makes the next puzzle you face, no matter what kind, a little easier and a little less frustrating. Puzzles aren't just something to do, they're everything we've ever done. Everything that has helped us and will continue to help us. Challenging, exact, and most importantly, fun. They're fun.
Okay. Puzzles are everything, and that declaration of greatness was everything. Petra, what stood out to you about Comrade's argument? Um, well, taking a bunch of things on at once. I do that a lot. I have... Way too many sports that I can't keep track of. Just can't. And also, I love the addition of the 3+, because that happens a lot. And also, I like the misery at the beginning when it was like, you have nothing to do, and then there's the puzzles that come and show up. I really like that.
Excellent work. Okay, Joy, it is time for your rebuttal. Tell us why puzzles are pointless. You've got 30 seconds, and your time starts now. Puzzles are a thing, but I encourage you all to think outside of the puzzle box.
Hold for laughter. Pasting maps. I mean, talk about messy. You're talking about cleaning up blankets. If you're pasting maps and cutting them up, do you know how much paste that is? Have you ever stuck your hand? Have you had Elmler's glue on your hand and does that peely thing? What a mess.
Also, studies have shown that using your imagination comes from your hippocampus, which is really great for helping you solve other problems. So you're not only using your imagination, it's going to help you with your memory, it's going to help you problem solve, it's going to help you imagine different scenarios. And with puzzles, you get one picture.
Yeah, I mean, paste, I mean, it's for the children, though, Joy. It's for the children, for the good of mankind. Paste? Paste. Pasting to make puzzles. That seems a little confusing to me. Puzzles last forever. Until your cat eats them. Yeah. And then your cat. And they're regurgitated. Yeah, then they still fit. They still kind of fit. Okay. Petra. it's time to award some points so please
Give one point to the declaration of greatness you liked best and one point to the rebuttal that won you over. You get to decide what makes a winning argument. Did one team's jokes make you giggle? Was another team's logic impeccable? award your points, but don't tell us who they're going to. have you made your decision yes
Wonderful. Comrade and Joy, how are you two feeling so far? You know, I think we trained for this. I think we're ready. You know, I've recently learned how to run a mile. I haven't done it yet, but I'm thinking I'm going to do it. I've also trained. I did some crossword puzzles. I tried to make my own crossword puzzle. I tried to... I didn't do very well. I used a lot of three-letter words. We were here. I have a very worthy opponent and a worthy judge and a worthy cause. We all have...
There's the second song There's gonna be one more Okay a quick break and look for your set up your couch could Home to Rachel. Howdy campers, Todd Douglas here in the great outdoors. my campsite companion, Taylor Lincoln. Oh, that's right. We hiked up to this beautiful scenic vista to use our eagle eyes to spot a logical fallacy in the wild. A logical fallacy is a weak argument that can easily make your case tip over and go...
Timber! Yep, and today we're on the hunt for the appeal to nature fallacy. That's when you argue something is right just because it's more natural. It's a bad argument because not all natural things are good. And what does natural even mean? It's hard to pin down. Shh, Todd! I think I see the fallacy now. It's over yonder at the campsite downhill. Let's listen in. A weekend in the wilderness.
to end the summer. I know. And look at our child, little Jamie, playing on the rocks and in the trees just like nature intended. Yep. And next week, Jamie starts the first week of school. What a big deal. Yeah, so about that. I decided Jamie's not going. Um, excuse me? We both think education is super important, so why not go to school?
Because I realized Jamie should be learning out here in the woods. Collecting pine cones, learning to forage and build shelter. Everything little Jamie needs to know is being taught out here in the wild. Jamie also needs to learn reading and writing and math at school, or at least with some kind of teacher. Nature is the teacher and the forest is the classroom.
Do you see wild animals going to school? No. They learn by doing out here in the woods and we're animals so we should do what's natural. Come on let's live in the woods and hunt our meals. You had pizza delivered to our tent last night. Jamie needs to heal the call of the wild. Ow ow ow ow! ¡Gracias! There it is, the fearsome logical fallacy called Appeal to Nature. See it in all its frightening glory.
Spending time in nature is great, but it's also important to make arguments backed up with evidence, like saying going to school helps kids learn skills they might need later in life. Like how to use logic when debating. Exactly. Now, let's get our campfire going. And... Mmm, did I hear there's a pizza place that delivers out here? Because I could really go for a slice of pineapple pepperoni. Oh, me too. See you next time.
Brains on Universe is a family of podcasts for kids and their adults. Since you're a fan of Smash Boom Best, you'll love the other shows in our universe. Come on, let's explore! It's Alien Exercise Hour! Hiya! Hoo! Ha! While I stretch my snoodles and bounce on my trampolini, I'll listen to a new... I'm going to try Forever Ago, the best history podcast ever. To understand why anyone would think a TV show could change the world, we need to go way back. To America in the 1960s.
Rock and roll was pretty new. Ford released the iconic Mustang Muscle. Come back, you pod! Must listen to Forever A Goal now! Listen to Forever A Goal wherever you get your podcasts. You're listening to Smash Boom Best. I'm your host, Molly Bloom. And I'm your judge, Petra. And we love getting debate suggestions from our listeners. Take a listen to this forceful debate idea from Charles. Hi, Smash Boom Best. My name is Charles, and I'm...
global citizen now living in Madagascar. My debate idea is Kylo Ren versus Darth Vader. Nothing beats a debate from a faraway galaxy. We'll check back in at the end of this episode to see which side Charles thinks should win. And now it's back to our debate. Forts versus puzzles. That's right. And it's time for round two. The... Micro round. For the micro-round challenge, each team has prepared a creative response to a prompt they received in advance.
For Joy and Comrade, the prompt was rant and rave. For this challenge, we want you to rant for one minute about your opponent and rave about your side for another. Joy went first last time, so comrade, you're up. Give us your rave review for puzzles and searing rant for forts. I recently stayed at a pillow fort designed by my nephew. He stands at 3 feet 2 inches, but not even he could stand within this structure. Even calling it a structure is a stretch because when I try to stretch,
The whole thing nearly collapsed. It made me envy my former self before I was ever trapped within this fort. Fort is one letter away from fart, which is also something that immediately ruined the fort. Forts are very easy to ruin immediately. No windows, non-existent air flow. amenities, one star, four forks. Technically half a star, but I'm rounding The only saving grace of my stay was a puzzle that occupied my time while the walls around me It was a welcome distraction from every thought it
The puzzle was of an igloo, which I would have gladly preferred over this fort. I have suffered, but the puzzle almost made me forget about lower back and the smell of the fart in my nose in Each time I connected one piece to another, I felt a calm wash over me. Creating a single image of a snowy structure was somehow able my cold heart. Puzzles. Four stars. Put both reviews together and you get all five. That's another puzzle. request a refund for the I casually request a huck.
Did you fart in the fart? I fart in every room I want. Have you heard about this room? probably I think we all have have we not I haven't farted in this room yet. That is yet to be determined, yeah. It is yet to be determined. Joy? Yes? It's your turn. Time to sell us on the finer points of forts and rant about pesky puzzles. Hello! I'm Joy's very real, somewhat ornery cat, Princess Caroline. Meow! And this is my favorite place in the world. Everything I need real or imaginary is here.
My collection of body hair circa 1994. The string I found under the desk. And another string I found in the bathroom. Joy's cell phone and a photo of my boyfriend, Kat Stevens. The tabby from the alley down the street. Meow. Oh, good! Here comes Joy with a bowl of ¡Vira! I'll have to figure out how to unlock it, then hit a button, then chase a plastic bird before I get my treat. Don't tell me that's a real bird, I know it's fake! Meow! Those puzzle feeders are... bad as those word puzzles.
strewn about the place. Why must everything be so indirect? Search all the numbers in the right rows Look for their hidden words There is a reason why the Riddler bad guy in Batman. What do you expect when your life revolves around puzzles? Puzzles have literally never made anyone happy. Period. The end. Meow. Oh, that's my cat timer. I better head back to Fort for a mix-a-lot. I hope I'm not late for my mid-morning post-breakfast nap. Meow. Meow.
Meow. petra what did you like about joy and comrades micro rounds i really liked the cat it was also really mad about puzzles because Cats can't talk, and so I don't know how you knew that, but, you know, maybe you can read cats' minds. My cat. Only your cat. Nobody else's cat, just my cat. Oh, okay. And then... For the puzzles Mike around, I liked how you sent out.
Forts were not good because of all the things that can happen to them and how they're not good because even people that are three foot can't even fit in them. All right, well, Petra, it is time to award a point. The criteria are totally subjective and totally up to you. Please award your point. Have you made your decision? Yes Fantastic! Then it's time for our third round, the super stealthy...
Sneak attack. This is our improvised round where debaters have to respond to a challenge on the spot. Today's sneak attack is called end it on a high note. on the fly, come up with a bedtime story designed to put a kid to sleep. As you go along, you need to tell it in a voice that gets higher pitch. and more falsetto until it's super high. And I'm going to time you only have 30 seconds. Does this make sense?
Yes. Okay, great. Yeah, start very low. All right, Joy, you are up. Your time begins now. Once upon a time, there was a girl. was so worried about everything in life. She was worried about school. and her friends and her parents. But then she found a pillow. And the pillow found another pillow. And the pillow found another pillow. And those pillows formed a fort. And she found safety inside of her fort. And she tied.
All I wrote down was once upon a time in four. Perfect. Perfect. That's all you need. Okay, comrade, it's your turn. Let's hear your bedtime story about puzzles. Your 30 seconds begins now. Once upon a time in the land of Puzzletopia, there was a small puzzle piece. Every person in Puzzletopia was a puzzle piece.
And their life goal was to find the pieces that they fit together. But there was one puzzle piece that had no other puzzle pieces that fit into it. So it was alone and it was me. I was that puzzle piece. But then the puzzle piece, the lone puzzle piece, looked in a mirror. He connected to himself. He was fine alone. And that's okay. Be independent. Be yourself. That's the whole story. Sometimes a puzzle is just one piece, and that's the whole puzzle. The end. And time.
I tried to put a moral, but it was... Yeah, I know, it's tough. It's tough finding a moral at the end. All right, Patra. This is tough. But it's time to award a point for the sneak attack. Think about which sign impressed you the most. Did someone make you sleepy? Did someone impress you with their vocal range? Did someone sneak a nice little message in there? The criteria are totally subjective and totally up to you. Have you made your decision? Perfect, then it's time for our final wrap.
The final six. In this round, each team will have just six words to sum up the glory of their side. Comrade, let's hear your six words on the power of puzzles. Put pieces in and peace out. Oh, very nice. Okay, Joy, it's your turn. Give us six words on why you're fond of forts. Fort beautiful. Fork. Spacious skies. Fort. Okay. Petra, it is time to award a final point for the final six. Have you made your decision? I have made my decision.
Okay, tally up those points. Are you ready to crown one team the Smash Boom Best? Yes. Drumroll, please. And the winner is... Forts! Oh, oh, no. Oh, no. Are you okay? No, I understand. It all came down to the final six. I just... I really liked how it connected to the song you sang at the beginning. Close, as close can be. Everybody had equal points, and then it all came down to the final six. A well-fought battle. Comrade, I really enjoyed your facts about puzzles.
You know, it is actually puzzles and forts are good for cognitive development. They're good for problem solving and analytical, logistical stuff. So you did a good job. And I like your vest. Thank you. It's a really good vest. You should probably go watch the video at BrainZone's YouTube channel so you can see the best. Joey, I thought your singing was excellent. Beautiful singing.
You're so imaginative, and you're able to weave that into the structure of not only the physical structure of puzzles, but the structure of your arguments. That was beautiful. I like your shirt, dress, flowers, orchids. What kind of? While we're here. Target. Target. Ah, beautiful. Yeah. Well done. And that's it for today's debate battle. Petra Crown forts the Smash Boom best, but what about you? Head to smashboom.org and vote to tell us who you think won.
Smash Boom Vest is brought to you by Brains On and APM Studios. It's produced by me, Molly Bloom, Anna Weichel, and Aron. We had engineering help from Michael Osborne and Evan Clark with sound design by Aron Our editors are Shayla Farzan and Sandin Totten. With fact-checking by Rebecca Rand. And we had production help from the rest of the Brains on Universe team. Rosie DuPont. Rachel Braith. Anna Goldfield. Nico Gonzalez-Wissler. Ruby Guthrie. Lauren Humpert. Joshua Wright. Rebecca Rand.
Mark Sanchez. And Charlotte Traver. Our executive producer is Beth Perlman. And the APM Studios executives in charge are Chandra Kavati and Joanne Griffith. Our announcer is Marley Feuerwerker Otto. And we want to give a special thanks to Lou. Austin Cross, and Taylor Kaufman. Joy, is there anyone you'd like to give a shout out? Um, I'd like to give us um everyone at fort snelling it's a really fun place if you live in minnesota to go visit it's a local historical fort um and i like history so
And how about you, comrade? Any special shout-outs? out. I'll name We don't do forts anymore. No more forts for us. And Petra, do you want to give any special thanks or shoutouts? I'd like to give a shoutout to my brother for going to the live show of Forever. and my mom for being super chatty and talking to somebody that does and so i got to do the podcast we're so glad you're here
Before we go, let's check in and see who Charles thinks should win the Kylo Ren versus Darth Vader debate. I think Kylo Ren should win because he has a... A nicer lightsaber, a cooler one. And even though Darth Vader has a better connection with the Force,
I think he should win because he's a little bit more powerful. If you're between the ages of 13 and 18 and you'd like to be a judge, or if you're any age and you have an idea for a knockdown dragout debate, head to smashboom.org slash contact and drop us a line. And while you're at it, join SmartyPass for bonus episodes and ad-free versions of all four shows in the Brains On universe. We'll be back with a new Smash Boom Best Debate battle next week. Gandel! is perfect.