Wed, 30 June 2021
It's our last episode of this season, and it has been such a wonderful homecoming, so let's celebrate with trivia all about houses, abodes, domiciles, nests, pads, and dens! Famous fictional addresses, animal nest vocab test, and it's all water under the house in this homey English expressions quiz. Take a twisty cruise with Karen, traveling all the way from Bermuda and right into your home. And meet the master squisher of the household, Victor Mills. Also: James Taylor, Decathlon challenge, we announce our inaugural Good Job, Brain! Charity Fund grant recipients. |
Wed, 23 June 2021
Let’s melt our brains and dazzle our eyeholes with a trivia-filled celebration all about TV! Can you figure out what movies these hilarious newspaper TV summaries by Rick Polito are describing? Dana tests us on the most watched moments in world history, and Karen tries to find the weakest link in her rapid fire game show quiz. Colin takes us on a wild, wild ride about NBA television rights that starts with Will Ferrell, makes a pitstop at KFC, and then ends with the greatest deal in sports history. Find yourself trapped in a TV show? Take this quiz to escape! (Just kidding, usually it takes learning a heavy life lesson to escape.) Also: Escape This Podcast, Music Listener Challenge! |
Wed, 23 June 2021
It’s a very special bonus episode all about game shows with our first ever panel of experts! Join Karen and former game show contestants Elliot, Amy, and GJB pal Tyler in a roundtable about what’s it like being on a game show, how to prepare for one, and some behind the scenes secrets. Elliot schools us on how to best prepare, work, and earn your win. What’s it like filming during COVID? What was Amy’s winning strategy on Supermarket Sweep? Find out how much Karen has to pay in taxes for her The Chase winnings, while Tyler shares his hot book-stacking tips for Skype audition call backs. |
Wed, 16 June 2021
How well do you remember the last few years or is it one giant year blob? We discover some current events trivia that... might not be so current after all. Need a special memory manipulation service? Take Chris' memory-altering movie test! And why do smells conjure up memories? Bust out your childhood sticker collection because we find out the origin of scratch and sniff stickers. Finally, let's soar all over the world in Karen's memorial monument quiz. ALSO: ultimate sports memorabilia, GJB 2012 Debut Challenge |
Mon, 7 June 2021
The sun's shining, the bees are buzzing, and the flowers are blooming just so they can pass on genetic material and then die. But cheer up because we got factoids and quizzes about the green stuff around us! Colin ponders about hummingbirds and what animal can actually poop out an avocado pit, and Dana gets our green juice flowing with a garden quiz. It's okay if you hate eating vegetables because you can still play TOSS THAT SALAD with Karen. And Chris quizzes us on some famous fictional plants. And we find out if it true that figs have dead wasps in them? Also: last meal, world's largest painting |
Mon, 31 May 2021
Grab something to drink because this trivia snack mix is making me thirsty! A bit of math & science from Karen with her time unit quiz (but just remember to play Fortnite with her in a fortnight)! A bit of Disney from Chris who tests our live action Disney film knowledge spanning over 50 years. A bit of etymology from "The Long and Short of It" aka Colin's clipped word quiz. And a bit of gawker pop culture from Dana who finds out which one of us is a reality show expert. Also: a baked good, Do you know your Triple Firsties? |
Mon, 24 May 2021
Reboots, reinventions, resets, and rebirths! Travel around the world in Karen's former place names quiz. Jenny from the Block? No, it's Lucy from the Sewer! Chris introduces us to the actress who was once was Lucille LeSueur until she got rebranded. Colin's getting the band together for his album reunion quiz, and Dana tries our tech knowledge with a reboot vocab test. ALSO: Mr. Splashy Pants, and Chris' Cameo quiz prize reveal! |
Mon, 17 May 2021
It sure has been an eventful year, so here is our episode filled with facts and quizzes surrounding lockdown life. Love a good inventions quiz? Then we invite you to play a round of "War, Plague, or Depression!" Chris misses karaoke and shares its surprising simultaneous origin story. Karen dives into shopping trends of the past year and has a quiz about top selling items. Colin takes us on a virtual trip to Florence to visit the quarantine-friendly but mysterious "wine windows." And subject yourself to a very tough Cameo audio challenge! |
Mon, 10 May 2021
Feed your starters, and check your ebay notifications because we're decoupaging our way through trivia and facts about hobbies! Since there are very few official terms for specific collection hobbies, Karen's got a quiz about made-up hobby names with the help of our Twitter fans. Chris gives us a glimpse of some *wild* stuff that has shaken and changed the world of video game collecting, so it's time to go back up the attic again and and check to see if your old Nintendo game can fetch massive money! Boot up that Cricut to slice through Dana's arts & crafts quiz. And Colin introduces us to the most amazingly irrational hobby as we record on Pi Day. |
Mon, 3 May 2021
We're making stops around the world in this episode dedicated to geography and foreign countries! Perk your ears up for Karen's special foreign language pop music round, and learn the mnemonic for remembering the seven STANs. Listen to the incredible (and incredibly real) tale of an international vacation gone awry when a German tourist mistook Bangor, Maine for San Francisco, California. Dana's bringing back Belgium or Not Belgium, and didn't you hear? Tiny is all the rage now: tiny food, tiny houses, tiny dogs, and of course, a quiz about the tiniest countries in the world! |
Mon, 26 April 2021
Shake your pensive pompoms and march with the brainy band because it's a trivia GJB homecoming rally! Feast on "Before & After" club sandwiches with Karen, take the famous scams challenge with Dana, and get our butts kicked in Chris' "Things My 6 Year Old Knows" Quiz. Teamwork makes the dream work as we work together to figure out when certain words entered in Colin's dictionary game. |
Mon, 26 April 2021
Let's light up our lobes, lovely listeners because WE'VE MISSED YOU! It's 2021, and we're back together (virtually) for a new season of GJB. In this mini episode, we catch up on the hiatus and of course, dip our toes back into the big trivia pool with a music quiz. So bask in the chlorinated smell of a brand spanking new season of Good Job, Brain! |
Tue, 10 July 2018
Gather up your wagon and get ready to move out west into the world of kooky and spectacular trivia and quizzes. Don't die of dysentery because as it turns out, there are a whole lot more ways to die along the real Oregon Trail as Chris found out. Dana's got a westward quiz, and Karen celebrates the weird and offbeat inventions conjured up in her San Francisco quiz. Colin, the word nerd, blows our mind with a moooooving story about cattle, and we end with a triply translated "Western" movie quiz. |
Thu, 28 June 2018
We're busting out! Escape movie quiz, but really, how well do you know your Stephen King movies! Chris spills secrets of escaping handcuffs and straightjackets from the Houdini Handbook. Planning on a lavish escape to Orlando? Well, then buckle up your seat belt as you pass through BUGGZ, BUNIE, TWETY and BURRD; learn all about the system of invisible waypoints your plane has to travel through and their insanely punny weird names. How does fat leave the body after weight loss? And Let's celebrate the tenacious spirit and the creeptastic intelligence of the squiggly octopus, by regaling the tales of famous octopus escapes. And every tried an Escape Room - we give you our best tips. |
Fri, 15 June 2018
Get your scrap paper ready and those number two pencils sharpened because this week, we are filling up the Scantron sheets with bizarre facts and wacky trivia about tests and exams! Speaking of pencils, why are they yellow, and why do we always have to always use No.2? Why can't we use pens on Scantron sheets? Chris answers these pencil questions as our ~lead~ expert. See how well you know your common test abbreviations and acronyms in Karen's quiz. And boy, buckle up for the most insane job application test ever just for a chance to work under GJB's favorite a-hole, Mister Thomas Alva Edison. Also: What happens when seagulls eat pepperoni |
Mon, 4 June 2018
Get your best burp cloth ready for a real spewing of facts and trivia all about kids. Of course, Karen's got her baby edition of Nightmare Animals, and Dana has prepared her first ever themed Music Round! Colin found out about the phenomenal history of nursing human babies with GOATS. Ever wonder how TV and movie "newborn" actors get casted, and what actually goes on during a baby delivery scene? And Chris gives us the ultimate Kid's Movies quiz with a surprising twist. |
Thu, 24 May 2018
The long and undulating road to 200 is HERE. We've made it -- and it's an ALL QUIZ! We're starting the celebration off with Colin's mystery themed music round, and jump into another mentally sweaty round of "Lifetime Movie? Or Not Lifetime Movie?" It's a milestone for us, so why not celebrate the famous achievements of others in Karen's award speeches quiz? And see if you're a Broadway Baby in Chris' musicals title challenge. You want animals? We got your celebrity-named species right here! And we end with a Disney property quiz, and Chris' ultimate Weird Al gauntlet. |
Thu, 17 May 2018
Woah woah woah, finally a new episode from our hiatus?! YES - and what better way to come back than with a brand new episode turgid with brain-filling trivia that's all about you, the FANS! Facts about fandom and tidbits inspired by our own GJB fans: music fan quiz, Chris puts on the "Belgian whistles" on his giant compiled list of eggcorns, grab a zinFANdel and take Dana's proFANity-free FANcy word quiz, and learn about the most intriguing one-person towns. Get your cheese hat ready for Colin's sports fandom quiz, and things get real with a GJB fan favorite topic: the octopus. |
Thu, 22 June 2017
Time to wring out them brain cells and learn trivia and facts about things that are dry! Get out your map and compass in order to navigate Colin's desert quiz. Ever wonder what goes on in the back of a dry cleaning store and how dry cleaning actually works? Why ask why when you have Chris explaining the very strange and awesome story behind the dry beer craze of the 90's. It's Dana's turn of sharing an amazing animal story of a special creature that can survive dry conditions, and pretty much all other extreme conditions as well. And of course, we got a themed music round for all our pop culture buffs. |
Thu, 1 June 2017
Time for some wheeling and dealing, and let us haggle and dazzle you with trivia and facts about making those deals! Why don't you *~come on down~* and take Karen's quizzes about our favorite game shows? Let our yard sale expert negotiator Chris teach you the trick and psychology of haggling. Dana's got a grab bag quiz about mongering, and Colin shares the ultimate story about some epic maneuvers in one of the greatest (and drama-filled) contract deals in sport history. If you're a Storage Wars or Antiques Road Show junkie, then it's time to find out the greatest (and actually REAL) garage sale scores of all time. |
Tue, 11 April 2017
Come one, come all! We're celebrating heroes that comes in all shapes and sizes: from the underdogs of the fast food world to life-changing inventors. We got a grab bag hero quiz, and Chris has an epic music round of heroic songs. Colin found a town that features not one but two heroes in the food industry. And what sandwich is made of french fries? Karen is pleased to finally share her hero sandwich quiz. |
Fri, 24 March 2017
Soak and soothe your brain in our hot tub of quizzes and trivia! (And on a related note, find out why we may never go into a hut tub or public pool ever.) Revel in nostalgia as we try to answer (and draw) Dana's newspaper comics challenge. Say yes to rocking that denim-on-denim look in Colin's national phrase quiz. Chris belly flops into failed rock albums, and Karen's got an easy music round but with a very difficult theme. |
Wed, 8 March 2017
We're taking a joyride on the road to 200 episodes, and here to share facts and quizzes about taking breaks and getting away for some fun! Treat yourself to Colin's advertising slogan quiz about getting away from it all. Chris has an extra hard (but fun!) music quiz. Our resident game designer Dana breaks it down for us and explains how to define and design "fun" and Karen's got an air travel challenge for all the avid and savvy fliers out there.
ALSO: Nematodes and Zealandia |
Sun, 19 February 2017
Set sail on the H.M.S. Trivia! We're back with the sea's rich bounty of quizzes and facts: we got ghost sharks, sea movies, Dead Sea, and sea riddles. And move aside pumpkin spice, make way for sea salt caramel craze! From candles to protein bars, we trace the flavor's origin from ignition to popularity BOOM. Colin quizzes us about Sea Monkeys, Seabiscuit, and more "sea-words." And Chris explains how and just why the English breakfast ties into our marine-related topic. Also: We missed everyone!, Serena Williams title update |
Tue, 29 November 2016
We're getting the band back together with trivia about cooperation and teams! We find out the scary secret (and science) behind tug of war, and it's not just rope burns you need to worry about. When it's half time and your team is low on the scoreboard, then you know it's time for a good ol' motivational coach speech backed by some inspirational music; see if you can identify these iconic sport movies by their classic locker room speech. Meatwagon? Lollipop man? Can you guess what semi-obscure team sport by their wacky position names? And Chris prepared us for a sports team anagram quiz, and now, we're rooting for the Lubes and the Clots. ALSO: Handsome Dan, Red Rover sucks |
Thu, 17 November 2016
Come all nymphs and sprites, let us sing the autumnal hymns to honor the great harvest. Trivia and quizzes about the fall season: the many names of the season and find out the real murderous secret behind falling leaves. Take Dana's quiz and find out about weird Oktoberfest facts. Would you want to try McDonald's Japanese special seasonal offerings? And c'mon, let's get down to business: WHY THE PUMPKIN SPICE? ALSO: Enordnilap quiz |
Tue, 18 October 2016
We're baaccckkkkk! And on the road to 200! "Labrador" and "mikado"? Find out other truly bizarre but 100% real and official color names in Karen's quiz, and oil up those adorable gears for Chris' Cute Robot Challenge. Most trivia nuts can name the number one tallest building or number one nation with the most Olympic medals but who's sitting at number two? Dana's got a round of music for us and we close it out with another true crime lateral thinking puzzle. |
Sun, 14 August 2016
It's the GJB gold rush and we're running to find odd facts and stories about gold. From golden raisins to Golden Girls, Dana's got a gilded grab-bag quiz. Ever had a pet goldfish? Well, they are much more complex, and "colorful" animals than we give them credit for, and learn some glimmering facts about the common goldfish. Find out what the Civil War Gold Hoax is and why Lincoln got super pissed. Also: The first US Pizza ATM! |
Sun, 7 August 2016
Celebrate your pals and buds with this trivia-centric episode about BFFs. You might recognize TV BFFs, but can you identify the show just by their character names? Harder than it sounds in Dana's TV BFFs quiz. And let's tour the animal kingdom for some unusual and surprising(ly dark) animal pairings. What's it like being friends with LeBron James, and take Chris' odd quiz inspired by famous BFF Brits, Sirs Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart. From garage to glory, see if you can name the famous bands formed by childhood friends. ALSO: more beaver facts, why exactly should you not swim after eating |
Sat, 16 July 2016
Quizzes and trivia about banned and prohibited things in the US and around the world! Want to name your newborn baby "@"? We share a smattering of banned baby names we found from around the world. Learn about how video game companies change their games to avoid some odd international ban rules. Dana's got a quiz on US presidents and their personal quirks have dotted the history of the White House with bunch of weird bans. See if you know what foods are not allowed in the US, and E.L.V.I.S. is back speaking some lyrics from songs that all used to be on BBC's restricted list. You might be able to name the musical artist but can you name why these songs weren't allowed on the air waves? |
Sat, 9 July 2016
We crack open the trivia-filled world of EGGS! Which end of the egg comes out of a chicken first? Chris fluffs it up with the science and how-to behind perfect scrambled eggs. (And we have a micro interview with a very special guest who has very strong opinions on this particular dish.) And of course, how can we do an episode on eggs without sharing another weird animal reproduction story? This time: the mating horror of the anglerfish. Dana has prepped an egg salad of a quiz for us while Colin serves up a protein-filled egg word quiz. And what exactly are Faberge Eggs, and what makes them so insanely expensive? ALSO: US hiking facts, Tanked |
Tue, 28 June 2016
Time to combine that black matter and white matter and turn it into grey matter with our all quiz episode! How do we get people more into classic literature? Well, with a teen movie starring Hilary & Haley Duff, of course! Chris did some mad research and found an alarming amount of modern films that based on classic books and made it into a quiz. Pub quizzes love asking about abbreviations and acronyms so boot up that screaming modem because Colin prepared the M.O.T.A.A.Q: Mostly Outdated Technology Abbreviations and Acronyms Quiz. Inspired by previous quizzes, Karen presented the RAZZCARS challenge! Featuring actors who have won both Oscars (best film achievement) and Razzies (worst film achievement.) And time to play "Brad Pitt? Or Lasers?" with a fan-submitted quiz.
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Sat, 18 June 2016
Secrete saliva with some succulent segments and stories about seasonings and spices! Find out what the most popular Japanese dish is (and it's not what you think it is)! Sail around the world with us as we dive into the spice trade and how it resulted in some of the dishes we now eat. Take our spicy music quiz and Karen finds out what the cinnamon challenge is. ALSO: horse racing primer, baby camel names |
Tue, 7 June 2016
Winning is nice, but getting a prize for it is even better. So get ready to head to the podium to receive some award-winning trivia! Celebrate the entertainment highs in our almost-EGOT quiz, and on the other end of the spectrum, cringe at the entertainment lows in our Razzie award challenge. Find out how scientists cleverly smuggled and hid gold Nobel prizes right under Nazi noses during WWII, and get ready to pin some county fair blue ribbons on to some comically large and record-breaking produce. And Chris dissects more carnival game scams and the story behind a prized Rastafarian banana.
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Sun, 22 May 2016
Strap on those jodhpur pants, dust off those epaulets, and it's time to suit up for this week's episode on uniforms and costumes! Find out exactly why Mario sports his classic overalls getup and has his signature mustache. Take Dana's non-uniform uniform quiz, and peak into the high-tech world of tracking Disney's gigantic costume empire. Goofy military uniform inventions, camouflage, and blunders & bloops in sport uniforms. |
Mon, 9 May 2016
We want your brains......to be smarter and stronger! This week we found weird trivia stories about our weirdest and most mysterious thinkin' organ. Ever been impressed by someone with a photographic memory? Dana finds out what exactly is photographic memory and now we all want to be memory athletes for the Olympics of memorization. Karen revisits Temple of Doom and tries to pinpoint the real origin of the monkey brains dish and why is it in popular culture so much. And believe it or not, Colin dons his Ripley mustache and shares a brainy story of a remarkable man named Phineas Gage. ALSO: More audio palindromes, Chris' Boston trivia |
Wed, 13 April 2016
Oh ho ho! A real grab bag of quizzes this week: from the germiest places in your house to foreign currency. Find the interloper word in Chris' misused vocabulary quiz, and find out if you're like an animal. And let's play "30 Seconds to Glory!" Also, we went to the zoo and so of course, we're reporting back some real weird animal facts. |
Thu, 31 March 2016
Let's dart past sharks with frikkin' laser beams attached to their heads and break into the underground trivia lair that's all about espionage and spycraft! Listen to us flunk the pub trivia James Bond primer, AND the James Bond music quiz. Find out what kind of (tasty?) spy work Julia Child did for the US government, and test your espionage movie and show IQ. Infiltrate and retrieve the precious cargo in Chris' hidden word quiz, and we live in a mad, mad world of Spy vs. Spy - so are you on team White Spy or Black Spy? And of course. SPY. CATS. SPY-CATS. |
Mon, 21 March 2016
Fists up, brains up! This week, we're heading into the ring filled with facts and trivia about fighting: learn about the (nice) Japanese tradition of spider fighting, and find out why MMA fighters should not blow their noses. Colin finds out what exactly did occur and spur, sir, during that fateful duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Everyone was kung-fu fighting in Karen's Asian martial arts quiz, and just how well do you know your professional wrestler movie cameos? ALSO: beaver teeth, eyeball transplant |
Mon, 7 March 2016
Ex squeeze me? Baking powder? We take a trip around the world and get lost in translation this week! Pardon Colin's French because he borrowed a bunch of words in his quiz, and darling Dana dives into the astonishing history of the Navajo code talkers, and why & how it baffled so many enemies during the World Wars. Foreign dubbing in Hollywood, and the patterns of translated movie titles in Japan. Chris has a bonus quiz about fake movies that are in real movies! It's a movie-ception! ALSO: Oreo facts |
Sat, 20 February 2016
Get out your tickets out because we're all aboard on the brain train to Quiz Town! Celebrate the leap year with Dana's quizzy ode to February 29th. And Chris noticed a very common trend with the Grammy's and he even hands out an award in his posthumous Grammy's quiz. We rip the orchestral bandaid off and drill down on classical music that most often shows up in pub quiz, and let's play our first ever round of NBA or GAME OF THRONES. Also: octopus safety warning, gifts from listeners |
Sat, 13 February 2016
Goofs and gaffs, d'ohs and duhs, we tried getting all the banana peels cleared away for this trivia episode about mistakes. Ah, the joys of live TV and all that could go wrong... Take Colin's quiz about major TV slip-ups, and one oddball find from a classic TV show. From space missions to the stock market, Chris curates the greatest hits of tiny typos that had colossal consequences throughout history. Karen's riding along with Road Pig, visiting a few cartography mistakes. And Dana just felt mean and made us a quiz where our punishment for getting the answers wrong was eating unusual foods in... unusual shapes. ALSO: The Oscars thank-you ticker |
Wed, 3 February 2016
STICK AROUND for facts and trivia about things that are gooey, sticky, and syrupy. Chris found a bunch of sticky words but they're so sticky that some other letters got rolled in-- see if you can solve his adhesive anagrams. Sticky quiz about desserts and glues, and the bizarre but devastating wave of molasses that destroyed the city of Boston. Learn about some REALLY weird animals that use their stickiness to their advantage. ALSO: listener challenge answers revealed, Super Bowl pub quiz cheat sheet |
Sat, 23 January 2016
It's our catch-up episode, and we got lots weird facts to share and special listeners to thank. Karen's back from her 5 million races over the fast few weeks and has so many stories to tell (involving dolphin poop and oddly-shaped cucumbers), and had so many real-life listener encounters! Colin's got some interesting news about scientists discovering the first and only (?) odorless vertebrate animal. A listener mailbag featuring a real xenograft encounter, and take our music quiz listener challenge! Email gjb.podcast@gmail.com with your answer! |
Mon, 4 January 2016
We present to you our best segments, quizzes, food facts, and more in our 2015 round-up episodes highlighting the brainiest and weirdest trivia from last year. And it ain't a cheesy awards show without a parody opening song, awkward presentation speeches, uplifting orchestral music, and punny jokes! |
Thu, 24 December 2015
Two episodes in one week? It's a Christmas miracle, folks! Yes, a special quiz-filled show about the holidays for the holidays for you and your friends & family to play together. Sometimes all you need is a turkey, handsome mister soul, and a misheard lyrics quiz to make the holidays bright. And are your fingers crossed for the hottest toy of the year? Take Dana's toy quiz about the it-toy of the 90's. E.L.V.I.S. is back with some non-traditional holiday tunes. And grab your pen and paper and start sweatin' because Karen is putting 30 seconds on the clock. |
Tue, 22 December 2015
Cohorts, come coo at and cuddle with crumbs of cuteness. Facts and trivia about things that are cute: baby animal names quiz, the power of Sanrio, and Japan's most valuable kawaii characters and mascots. Learn about Hello Kitty phobia and take Chris' animal fear quiz. "You're so cute, I just wanna eat you up!" Yes folks, "cute aggression" is a real phenomenon, and you're not the only one who loses their cool over puppy photos as Colin dives into the science behind what makes things cute. Also: Salt water taffy origin revealed! |
Tue, 15 December 2015
Prepare for trouble! Make it double! We're all about facts and quizzes about pairs and duos this week. Twins playing tennis, oooo minty fresh! Learn some pretty weird facts about Doublemint gum and what exactly is Wrigley doubling up on? Movie buffs rejoice in Colin's film pairs quiz, and who is Philip and why are people putting pants on him? Karen's all about Texas Hold'em and funny card pair nicknames. Dana quizzes us on musical duos, and we explore the uncommon world of raccoonnookkeeping. |
Mon, 30 November 2015
Time to let our hair down, uncover and admit to some of our guilty pleasures and the facts and trivia behind them: the lurid crime-filled world of Law & Order: SVU, reality shows, and how real is courtroom TV? Chris confesses his love for his girlfriend, Judge Judy, and shares the story of how she became TV's highest paid star, and how exactly do courtroom shows work. Get your hands nice and jazzy as Karen delivers a handy Broadway show tunes quiz that will show up in pub trivia one day. And we love Disneyland facts, and we love pee facts, so why not both? Some of the outrageously funny things that the Disneyland custodial crew has ever seen. |
Tue, 10 November 2015
What has 10 arms, 4 mics, and insanely nerdy about things like crosswords, riddles, anagrams, and quizzes? Why, it's this episode of GJB that's all about puzzles- featuring our good friend and crossword king Tyler Hinman! Tyler blows our minds with CRYPTIC crosswords. Learn facts about solving a Rubik's Cube, answer old-timey riddles, and unscramble animal anagrams. How do you move Mount Fuji? Learn why you might get asked to solve puzzles during a job interview, and the "hare-y" puzzle hunt that captivated the world. ALSO: Listener Neville wrote us a crossword for your nerdy pleasure |
Wed, 28 October 2015
Quintessentially quirky and quenching queue of quandaries and quizzes! Chris presents his case that 1992 was a golden year of cinema in his Academy Awards quiz. "A man is found dead in a room next to a puddle of water...what happened!?" - play some lateral situational puzzles based on true stories with Karen. Dana found some super weird words, and Colin has a special round of "I Liked Their Earlier Stuff Better." What a hipster, that guy. ALSO: UK's most upbeat song, Bugs Bunny's accessories |
Sat, 17 October 2015
What is folk and what counts as folklore? We get folked up by imbibing a lot of trivia nuggets about stories, rituals, and music passed down from generation to generation! How come every nursery rhyme seems to have a hidden murderous and/or political origin? Colin goes on a Fool's Errand and opens our eyes to hazing and camp pranks that keep getting passed down. Get folkin' excited for animal proverb origins, and a *challenging* Greek mythology quiz. |
Fri, 9 October 2015
We held our first ever live event and it was awesome! And of course, we made sure that our non-attendee friends and listeners can get in on the action, so we're releasing half of our live show as this week's episode. Get down with some of your GJB favorites: YA BURNT! beloved movie edition, E.L.V.I.S., and even William Fakespeare paid us a real visit. Also: some Q&A from the audience, LEGAL happy birthday sing-a-long! Apparently Chris is already looking at options and venue, and planning for a New York East Coast show already. |
Thu, 1 October 2015
Humans say the weirdest things, and we take a roller coaster dive into finding out the origins of slang words and how some of them evolved into everyday use: the first "people's dictionary," The New York Times' unintentionally hilarious slang clarifications, and Karen theorizes how "BAE" came to be, and notices how many sayings came from making typos. Don't hit a fourbagger into the five-hole when taking Colin's colorful sport slang quiz, and the weird and morbid story behind "drinking the Kool-Aid." |
Fri, 18 September 2015
This week, we celebrate one of our favorite states of matter: LIQUID! (Well, there are only three to choose from. ANYWAYS.) Sip up some fictional beverages in Dana's quiz. Get buzzed with some liquid energy with Karen's weird Starbucks facts. Partake in a guaranteed "no pee" science quiz, and take the Coke or Pepsi challenge! And we might have found the most a-hole animal of THE FOREVER-- and its manipulative role with humans in the quest of finding liquid gold: honey.
ALSO: Congrats Walkie Talkie building!, Um...Actually |
Mon, 31 August 2015
A real grab bag in this week's ALL QUIZ - from fake James Brown to key lime pie; from New Jersey to consoles. Take the heteronym challenge and find the pair of identical words with totally different meaning and sounds. If there's a New Jersey...then where's the original Jersey? Is there an original Zealand? Karen's got regional American food on her mind and it's Chris' turn for a Music Quiz....of Mr. White-And-Nerdy himself, Weird Al Yankovic and a parody challenge. ALSO: weird story behind the invention of safety pins |
Wed, 26 August 2015
Holy comic book trivia, Batman! We battle against crime, and some of Marvel's silliest criminals ever in a REAL or FAKE comic book villain quiz. Learn what sets Japanese manga apart from American comics in terms of business and reading habits, and the very very real inspiration behind to very very fake Batman character. And if you like Brad Pitt or Laser quiz, then you'll love "BATMAN? OR TASER?" Colin shares some very outdated and ridiculous Comic Code Authority guidelines from 60 years ago. ALSO: GJB LIVE!, Game of Thrones Um, Actually... |
Mon, 10 August 2015
Grab your mighty sword and charge into the battle for tivia about the most EPIC STUFF!!! We go from high-brow with a quiz on *actual* epic poems laced with hints and clues to low-brow with epic eating contests- learn some of the tactics, lingo, and rules about jamming the most hotdogs into your mouth hole. Make sure you have a pen and some paper to take on Karen's epic character challenge (experimenting with a new quiz format) and Colin doesn't give us intermission in his segment about epic movies clocking in over 3 hours. AND. YES. MUSIC. ROUND. EPIC. GUITAR. SOLOS. How many can you name? |
Tue, 28 July 2015
Let's spend a day prettying ourselves up! Ah, how about a nice relaxing snail facial to give your visage a nice fresh look? Or maybe you want to indulge in a bird poo treatment? Let's play a spa-themed game of "Place, Person, or Thing?" and discover the quasi-standard unit of beauty. (Yes! There *is* a unit that describes beauty!) We debunk home beauty remedies, and look! There she goes that girl is so peculiar; with a dreamy far-off look, and her nose stuck in a book. THAT BELLE! Chris finds out if Beauty and the Beast is indeed a tale as old as time. |
Thu, 16 July 2015
Hold your breath. Make a wish. Count to three. Come with me, and you'll be... in a world of PURE IMAGINATION.... and of filling your face with fantasy food! We've talked about the history behind Willy Wonka, but what about the failed and successful modern attempts of bringing Roald Dahl's whimsical candy onto store shelves? Karen took a stroll on Fleet Street and found a weird trend with pies... and Dana got dark too with a horror food quiz. Find out what real foods you're eating now are actually impostors, and why is the Mock Turtle crying in Alice in Wonderland. What the heck *IS* a mock turtle? Of course, a pretty intense Harry Potter food quiz (along with a "Fake? Or British?" sub-segment). And yes, one (just one) Star Wars food trivia question. |
Sun, 5 July 2015
What kind of quirky quaint quizzical quandaries do we have in store for you this week? Colin just got back for Sweden and we finally get to tell our Scandinavian and Nordic countries apart, and of course, return of torture candy. Chris masterfully hid birds in his word game quiz, and how many gallons are in a peck? How many hot dogs are in the new Pizza Hut hot dog pizza crust? These important life questions are answered in Dana's HOW MANY challenge that will stump most. Rich Playboy magnate Hugh Hefner, or sliced bread...which came first? We're back with another eye-opening round of BRAD PITT? OR LASERS? filled with even more random pairings. ALSO: Monsters, death ray, listener puzzle answer ALSO ALSO: There's a hidden bird in this episode description :) |
Mon, 22 June 2015
What did the fast tomato say to the slow tomato? "KETCHUP!" Yes, Karen catches up with a few Um...Actually's, listener questions, and announcements. Potential meetup? Play games with all of us and with the community online? And future episode previews? Yup, you got it. And of course, stay for Karen's music quiz location puzzle! |
Sun, 14 June 2015
By Grabthar's hammer, you shall be avenged with trivia overload about science-fiction. What was the true cultural origin of sci-fi? Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers - the copycat race to space story dominance. NGet fuzzy and cuddly with Dana's sci-fi pet quiz (and some heated discussion about Jabba the Hutt). Are you having a bad day? Could it be because of Mercury is in retrograde? BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?! Chris delivers a brutal deep-cut quiz on Battlestar Galactica cast's other acting gigs, and sci-fi movies you probably didn't know were based on books. ALSO: Iceland facts, dementor wasps |
Fri, 5 June 2015
Ah, finally, and *enlightening* episode! Let it shine, let it shine, let it...... destroy? Chris tells us about the infamous Las Vegas "death ray" and how a simple CFL lightbulb destroyed his videogame dreams. Bask in facts about glow-in-the-dark toys, fireflies...and "fire-pigs." And yes, the human race have finally invented a mind-boggling material that cannot be any more black. NONE MORE BLACK! And music round is back with some light rock. |
Fri, 15 May 2015
Kneel and bow before trivia about those who are leaders of the pack! Take Chris' quiz on business leaders who name their famous companies after their own swagga self. Why we call sport team leaders "coaches" and the traditions among different sports. Leaders with animal names, and the intriguing origin of Rastafarians and their holy leader. Why would anyone be in the lead of a race and then disappear?! The weird world of rabbit runners who get paid to run fast, and drop out of a race. |
Wed, 29 April 2015
Watch out because we're burping up facts and trivia about booze and beers! After 150 episodes, we're revisiting our topic from episode one! Find out why the next time you drink wine, you should really make a toast to Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde creator, Robert Louis Stevenson. Learn about the strange types of mead, or honey wine, and Colin's got his beer/thinking cap on with a quiz about brewskies. Alcoholic plants, and yes, alcoholic animals. Specifically, a real bear who enjoyed beer way too much. ALSO: the "fastest" train, PRESENTS!, featured listener websites |
Sat, 18 April 2015
What's the best way to celebrate our 150th full length episode? With quizzes about Taylor Swift, word games, music maships and more. DUH. Chris' got a few sassy out-of-context movie summaries for us to identify. Do you listen to the show in the car? - Then you'll probably ace Colin's car make quiz. Karen's sandwiching words again, but this time it's all about musicians, and Dana's really obsessed with Taylor Swift's dating life. ALSO: "word flip," random Christmas Trivia, and see if you can catch our first censor bleep |
Sat, 11 April 2015
Gotta catch'em all! We celebrate trivia and facts about collecting and collectors: our resident Star Wars droid afficionado Colin quizzes us on eBay abbreviations, and our resident video game hoarder Chris regales us with the mysterious tale of Atari's real-life treasure of gold and jewels. What does a "vexillologist" collect? What about a "vapoludologist"? Karen witnesses how Disney pin trading gets seeded, and Dana's got a quiz on celebrities and the weird and specific stuff they collect. And are Grandma's Hummel figurines really worth something? |
Sun, 5 April 2015
It's time for spring cleaning so get ready to sweep up factoids about garbage: Oscar the Grouch, the 5-Second Rule, and the surprisingly recent invention of the Trash feature in computers. Learn the tale of the Mobro 4000 - how the legendary floating island of New York City trash sailed up and down the coast of the Atlantic. You talking smack? Take the trash talk quiz! ...And find out exactly how should you poop in the woods.
Also: movie body count trivia |
Fri, 27 March 2015
Doctor, these patients need 100CC of trivia STAT! We're prescribing some extra-strength weird facts this episode so make sure to relax and breathe normally. Get the blood flowing with a general medical quiz, and then take a spoonful of odd lingo and code words doctors use behind your back. CLEAR! Find out what's fact and what's fiction behind common medical procedures shown in TV and movies. And how a dead half of a frog inspired one of the greatest literary classic of all time. ALSO: Marvel challenge quiz, walls that repel urine |
Tue, 17 March 2015
Sweaty palms, racing heartbeat, and a whole lotta akwardness! It's our episode about dating: dating alarms in Iceland, the 3 key questions to ask to find your mate, and we cringe at some of our own dating horror stories. Karen's got a quiz about very specific online dating sites, and can *you* name these famous date scenes in movies? ALSO: Rollover puzzle solution |
Sat, 7 March 2015
Thus, the Earl of Trivia requested a quiz between two slices of bread, and that is how trivia came to be! Instead of one quiz sandwich, we're going triple-decker style with oodles of quizzes to jam into your earholes and straight up into your squishy brain. Play "People, Place, or Thing?" while Chris makes us throw the gauntlet down in a first-ever GJB head-to-head challenge between SPORTS and DISNEY. Karen's bringing back an international covers music round. ALSO: Listener roll-over puzzle, "Cereal Serial"
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Wed, 25 February 2015
Gotta go fast! From a speedy blue hedgehog to a prospector named after a bread, we plunge into the wacky and ridiculous world of mascots. Can you name the sports team by their cheesy mascots? Take Dana's quiz on beloved product spokesperson/spokesanimal/spokesthing, and Chris' VERY HARD videogame mascot challenge. Find out how frozen orange juice made a huge (and controversial) splash with a Disney character, and how Montreal broke ground in mascot history. |
Wed, 18 February 2015
Kneel before the iron throne of trivia and nutty facts about royalty, rulers, and regality: royalty quiz, the very mindblowing and scandalous world of "pretenders to the throne," why purple is the color of royalty, and the fascinating job of the royal taster. And of course, our own robot King, E.L.V.I.S. is back with another soulless lyrics quiz! ALSO: milking dogs |
Fri, 6 February 2015
Except.... it is a comeback. YES! WE ARE BACK. Karen has her voice back and what better way to celebrate her health than to have an episode all themed around stories, facts, and quizzes about famous comebacks. In order to rise, you must fall first, and Karen's got a quiz all about famous (and cringe-worthy) rejection letters. Movie comebacks, music comebacks, and all your favorite old diseases are coming back too. And of course, the man who rode the retirement-comeback rollercoaster, Mr. 23 himself, Michael Jordan.
ALSO: Listener mail! |
Fri, 6 February 2015
It's out MEGA-long year-end episode! Double the length, double the memories as we try to cram in some of your favorite and notable segments. With the help of our listeners, we've picked some of our best quizzes, stories, facts, and music rounds from 2014. Thanks to all for another fantastic year, and let 2015 be a brainy year. |
Thu, 25 December 2014
Are you yearning for yuletide yapping? Then join us at the trivia table and keep your brain fresh with a jolt of holiday quizzing! Colin gets super experimental this episode and debuts a new game segment "30 SECONDS TO GLORY"!, a whole Christmas music round, famous people anagram challenge, and test your holiday IQ. ALSO: "12 Days of GJB Christmas" as performed by our own Chris Kohler |
Mon, 22 December 2014
ARE YOU READY FOR HOLIDAY EATAPALOOZA?!?!??!! Let us whet your appetite with scrumptious facts and trivia about holiday foods and eating traditions. Why does fruitcake have the most pathetic loser rep? Chris drenches us with the colorful and pungent origins of the fruitcake, who knew this poop-looking brick had such a wonderful stamp in history? Take the Goose/Ham/Turkey challenge to find out who's the real MEAT HEAD. We all become envious of Japan after learning about their Christmas tradition, and it's finger-lickin' good. And of course, the international phenomenon of the cursed HANGOVER - find out what actually is happening to your body after a night of drinking and other boozy facts. |
Fri, 12 December 2014
Shazam! Presto! Prepare to be amazed by origin stories, facts, and trivia about MAGIC. Chris tries to dazzle us (and YOU, the listener) with aural magic tricks. Find out why his mind-reading tricks work. Take our quiz about the magical products all around us. Open Sesame! Abracadabra! Hocus pocus! Find out how and why these magic phrases came to be. We all have heard about Harry Houdini and his great magical escape feats but did you know he was an avid mythbuster and skeptic? Oh yeah, and his on-and-off friendship with Arthur Conan Doyle. Dramaaaa. Also: poop dust |
Fri, 5 December 2014
Scooch closer niblings, avuncles, and brother-uterines because it's time for a family reunion! We tip our hats to trivia and juicy facts all about families as we inch closer to the holidays. Eldmother? Belsire? Take Dana's specific family member vocab challenge! Learn what it was really like for family households back in the history times (hint: VERY AWKWARD), TV family sitcoms, animal family names, and a very familial Music Round. ALSO: Listener Brad Pitt or Lasers, special thanks to our families |
Thu, 27 November 2014
La la la laaaaaaaaaa~ We explore the world of voice and speech. Learn about the history of "the robot voice" and the crazy machines that made synthesized speech possible, we turn into Munchkins and find out why helium makes your voice squeaky, famous speeches every pub trivia team needs to know, and how to speak Australian! ALSO: Congrats Rob! |
Fri, 21 November 2014
Watch out for those whizzing quizzes - it's time for our hodge podge of random quizzes to keep your brain in tip-top pub trivia shape: lightning round of women who RROOOCCKKKK (not lady geologists), and time to play a round of "Hey, Where'd You Get That Cheese?", Chris got his Thanksgiving menu all mixed up, How to Know Your Dragons, and movie director credit challenge!
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Sat, 15 November 2014
DO THE SAFETY DANCE! Facts and trivia about keeping you safe. Remember those (super annoying) automatic safety belts that were build into a track along the car door? What happened to them and how did they came about? Having a hard time opening medicine bottles? Well, Chris has quite the story for you on child-proof packaging and how scientists test their safety. Learn about the mesmerizing and magical history of bulletproof vests and why it works. Karen's just "plane crazy" about all the seemingly fun (but important!) stuff in airplane safety videos. |
Fri, 7 November 2014
Darn you whippersnappers, get off our lawn! This week we celebrate the old, out-dated, and obsolete things in the past. Meet the mysterious saltpeter man from the days of yore whose job totally....stinks. Old name quiz, and what happened a year ago? What about 50 years ago? Journey through time with Dana's year span quiz. Beep, beep, beep- the riveting rise and fall of beepers and pagers. And revel in modern music in old prose with the return of William Fakespeare. |
Fri, 31 October 2014
Sugar up *your* skulls with our Halloween trivia-riffic episode filled with brain candy: vampires vaahhhnt to suck your blaaahhhhhd, but why do they hate garlic? Who's Ben Cooper and why should you thank him for your crappy childhood costume? Take our Halloween TV episode title quiz, and a horror movie challenge, and learn about how Halloween came to be. (Please share your crappy childhood costumes in the comments on our site.) ALSO: 1960's Jeopardy! |
Thu, 23 October 2014
The library is open for an epic mega-nerd sesh as we jam out to trivia and quizzes about books. Earn your book club gold stars with the return of Dana's "Ya Burnt" segment - can you name the classic children's book by their haterade one-star review? Chris plays appraisor again talking cold, hard, cash - the most expensive books on the planet. Sneaky authors and their literary anagrams, book facts, and the incredulous ways people stored books in the olden days. ALSO: @WordsAreSoWeird, NY's official state snack |
Thu, 16 October 2014
Put on your hightops, sip on some Hi-C, and snack on some Hydrox because we're going high speedin' down that super highway of information. In this hodgepodge quiz episode, Chris gets stately with some very strange official state whats-its, and find out what state is the only one to have an "official state flavor." FUN? ZZ? Karen gives the gang some financial know-how with a punny stock symbol quiz. People have been trying to tell the future using the weirdest things - take Dana's divination quiz and find out. And Colin gets a blast from the past and challenges us in a round of "Have You Ever Noticed?" |
Thu, 9 October 2014
Chris is back and and has a new spawn! What better way to celebrate his new fatherhood than having an episode dedicated to dad-dom. Take the Dad Jokes challenge and see how many eye-rollingly cheesy dad jokes have you had the (dis)pleasure of hearing in your lifetime? Paternal puzzles and probs, and weird dads of the animal kingdom. And a Music Round of lyrical odes to fathers and sons. ALSO: Cotton candy grapes, Um Actually, @WordsAreSoWeird |
Wed, 1 October 2014
Vegetables are filled with nutrients but they're also chock-full of weird, weird, weird trivia. Find out why the odd history behind why we associate carrots with the color orange, and what vegetable looks like a severed human head. Quiz about two funny-sounding veggies: the artichoke and the rutabaga, and the common misconceptions and origin stories behind the jack-o-lantern. ALSO: CHRIS KOHLER BABY WATCH 2014, weird new words that just got added to the Scrabble dictionary
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Fri, 26 September 2014
Ah, the outdoors! Fresh air, lucious greenery, and..... a million things that will try to kill you. So pack up your think and let's head up the summit of outdoors trivia: what to do when killer bees attack? Or when a shark is circling around you? Find out the real way to deal with animal encounters. (Spoiler: yes, movies and TV have been lying to us.) Folk mnemonics, the origin of the Swiss Army Knife, and the very dramatic and weird life of a deer tick. And let's feast on the science behind freeze-dried foods, and we do a live taste test of some of the weirdest camp foods out there. |
Thu, 18 September 2014
We want you to share your brilliant ideas and creations with the GJB universe! We're calling for listener audio submissions, and inviting you to make a GJB bumper ad. We might just use yours on the show. Be silly! Be theatrical! Be positive! Be brainy! The sky's the limit. And for a behind-the-scenes look, check out our never-aired bumper skit we made for fun. It's weird. You can email us your GJB bumper ad masterpiece to gjb.podcast@gmail.com. And we're back next week with a full episode brimming with our usual trivia and maybe poo facts.
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Wed, 10 September 2014
MOVERS & SHAKERS, this one's for you! Ever wondered about the things you bring with you when you're on the go? We share quizzes, trivia, and history about some iconic portable necessities: how the Nintendo Game Boy ruled the world and the genius behind it, we sure love our beverages and Colin's got a quiz about drinks on the go. And of course, FOOD - trivia about Chinese takeout, and the brilliant model of the fast food drive-through window. After you digest that food on the go, maybe stop by a portapottie? Because Dana has a whole quiz on THAT. Of course. |
Wed, 3 September 2014
I think we figured out our ninja turtle equals. Colin, our no-nonsense Leonardo decided to embarrass us with a quiz about British sayings. Nappy? Agony Aunt? Listen to our attempt to mind the American-British gap. And let's play another round of "BRAD PITT? OR LASERS?!" Dana, our brainy Donatello takes us into the world of cheesily-titled Lifetime movies, and a quiz about famous Freds. Chris, our cool but rude Raphael, throws abbreviation puzzles at us, and challenge us to an alliterative "Movie Moniker" game. And Karen, the party-hearty Michelangelo has some questions about honest slogans about famous brands. |
Wed, 27 August 2014
It is finally time to talk about.... the butt. Yes. Butt trivia and butt facts and butt quizzes. We dive into the history of butt words, and some origins may surprise you! And Chris finds the most beautiful booty in classical art that has been mesmerizing people for centuries. Our very serious problem with a specific butt hole, and of course, J Lo. Did she insure her behind? What does that mean to insure a butt? ALSO: The Lion's Share jackpot finally hit! |
Wed, 20 August 2014
Get yourself some popcorn and fake butter topping and get ready for an episode all about the silver screen! Like easter eggs? Then you'll love learning about the most famous and popular sound effect that appears in almost every major film. Dana's got a film crew quiz, and Chris brings back a movie quote challenge (this time, it's not a trick!). Ever heard of TRANSMORPHERS? Or ATLANTIC RIM? Karen dives into the weird world of "mockbusters." And in the early days of Hollywood, how did they move from silent movies to talkies? And take Colin's "I Know That Guy!" actor challenge.
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Wed, 13 August 2014
1, 2, 3, 4, I don't know what I've been told! 5, 6, 7, 8, Good Job, Brain is on a roll! Why, with quizzes and weird facts about military life, of course. Discover the fully packed history of canned foods and how we have Napoleon to thank. From cereal mascot to comic book hero, let's see how many fictional military characters do you know in Dana's lightning round quiz. We dive into famous everyday items that were developed for the military, and how pigeons used to reign the battle-strewn skies. And attention GIs, pack your MREs on that VTOL while navigating through Colin's military acronym challenge. |
Wed, 6 August 2014
Let's face it, we all heart the internet, so this week, we are jamming pub-quiz-worthy webby facts into the tubes to your brain. Learn about the history behind the @ symbol and how it became synonymous with email, and find out where salad.com and coffee.com take you, along with other generic URLs that cleverly redirects you to some of the top brands and companies. Take the country domain quiz, and just how email savvy are you? ALSO: 1960's Jeopardy! |
Thu, 31 July 2014
Alright you Quiztina Aguileras and Equizabeth Taylors, it's time for another all quiz episode! Chris has word puzzles on his mind inspired by The Maze of Games - see if you can find the hidden arcade games hidden in the story. Dana tests us on knowledge about our own bodies in an anatomy challenge. Colin follows the rule of threes in his missing trio quiz while Karen tests the gang about the language origins of famous brand names. And strap on your seat belts because we debut a new music segment, "SLOW DOWN, LADY!" ALSO: Mott & Bow, Hawaiian coconut bras |
Thu, 24 July 2014
Please put your seat back in the full upright position, and your tray table up as we're about to take off into this travel-themed episode! Discover the strange origin of passenger air travel and exactly what you had to do to "fly" from New York City to Los Angeles. Dana's got space tourism on top of mind and Chris mapped out some funky destinations but it's all jumbled up in his anagram segment. Are you a world traveller? Then you'll probably ace the airport code quiz, and our lonely island challenge.
ALSO: Aussies rule!
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Tue, 15 July 2014
Hope your ear aren't lactose intolerant because this week it's all about the wacky fact-filled world of dairy. Find out how music helps cow produce more milk - and just what kind of music gets them into the mood? Weird trivia about breast milk and why "nipple" is a funny word. Dana falls into a wiki cheese hole, while Colin gulps down the history of the milk container. And no, mice actually don't usually go for cheese. ALSO: Solution to our Music Puzzle Challenge |