Short Stuff: Victorian Flower Language
Josh and Chuck discuss floriography, the elaborate language of flowers that was especially popular during the Victorian and Regency eras. They trace its roots to the Ottoman Empire, explain how specific flowers, colors, arrangements, and even how bouquets were held or accepted communicated complex coded messages. The hosts illustrate how this system was used in literature and courtship, highlighting both its nuance and its potential for confusion.
How to unlock your flirting superpowers | Francesca Hogi
Host Elise Hu introduces a TED talk by love coach Francesca Hoagie, who reframes flirting from a manipulative game into a practice of making others feel seen, special, and acknowledged. Drawing on her experience as a matchmaker and dating coach, Hoagie shares how presence, enthusiasm, and three simple flirting styles-attentiveness, compliments, and playfulness-can deepen connection, support dating, and rekindle chemistry in existing relationships. She also addresses common fears about flirting and offers practical guidance on how to flirt in a respectful, responsible way.
The art of reading minds | Oz Pearlman
Host Elise Hu introduces mentalist Oz Perlman, who explains that he does not read minds but reads people by carefully observing behavior and patterns. Through live demonstrations with audience members, he shows how mentalism relies on psychology, attention, and structured guessing, and then teaches a practical technique-"listen, repeat, reply"-to help people remember names and build better connections. He closes by discussing risk, confidence, and belief, culminating in empowering an audience member to apparently read another person's mind on stage.