Ben-Nadav Hafri

Next week, we attempt to crack the code of the English muffin.

Next week, we attempt to crack the code of the English muffin.

Yeah, can we make this exact English muffin? Revisionist History is produced by me, Ben Matt of Haffrey, with Lucy Sullivan and Nina Byrne-Lawrence. This episode was edited by Julia Barton. Special thanks to Jake Flanagan, Jordan Mannequin, Greta Cohn, and Sarah Nix. Fact-checking on this episode by Kate Furby. Original scoring by Luis Guerra. Mixing and mastering by Echo Mountain.

Yeah, can we make this exact English muffin? Revisionist History is produced by me, Ben Matt of Haffrey, with Lucy Sullivan and Nina Byrne-Lawrence. This episode was edited by Julia Barton. Special thanks to Jake Flanagan, Jordan Mannequin, Greta Cohn, and Sarah Nix. Fact-checking on this episode by Kate Furby. Original scoring by Luis Guerra. Mixing and mastering by Echo Mountain.

Our executive producer is Jacob Smith. I'm Ben Matt of Haffrey.

Our executive producer is Jacob Smith. I'm Ben Matt of Haffrey.

Walk me through. Oh, no.

Walk me through. Oh, no.

Walk me through what we're looking at here. I'm talking with my wife, Julia Conrad, who happens to share an apartment with me on quite a noisy street in Brooklyn.

Walk me through what we're looking at here. I'm talking with my wife, Julia Conrad, who happens to share an apartment with me on quite a noisy street in Brooklyn.

Julia and I live opposite this grocery store that's all local, small batch, whatnot. So instead of getting just one delivery a day, they get, like, 15. Sometimes from trucks bearing, I assume, one sprig of artisanal basil. Next door, there's a noisy playground, and crucially, a fire station. A really active fire station.

Julia and I live opposite this grocery store that's all local, small batch, whatnot. So instead of getting just one delivery a day, they get, like, 15. Sometimes from trucks bearing, I assume, one sprig of artisanal basil. Next door, there's a noisy playground, and crucially, a fire station. A really active fire station.

What happens is the grocery store trucks block traffic, which means the fire trucks can't get out. And so, sirens. All the time. This, for me, as a writer, podcaster, and light sleeper, is a problem. So I decided to do some research. I made a spreadsheet. We counted from 9 a.m. till 10 at night, and we heard a siren 24 times. 24 times! And this is reliable data. Julia is a data scientist.

What happens is the grocery store trucks block traffic, which means the fire trucks can't get out. And so, sirens. All the time. This, for me, as a writer, podcaster, and light sleeper, is a problem. So I decided to do some research. I made a spreadsheet. We counted from 9 a.m. till 10 at night, and we heard a siren 24 times. 24 times! And this is reliable data. Julia is a data scientist.

She works for the New York City government, and she has held my spreadsheet to the highest of standards.

She works for the New York City government, and she has held my spreadsheet to the highest of standards.

I don't need this. I can get enough of this in my job. I don't need it from you. I will confess that the spreadsheet consisting of mauve, baby blue, puke green, a cheery yellow, and several pleasingly varied shades of red isn't even complete because it does not count the times we heard the siren in the middle of the night when there is no one on the road.

I don't need this. I can get enough of this in my job. I don't need it from you. I will confess that the spreadsheet consisting of mauve, baby blue, puke green, a cheery yellow, and several pleasingly varied shades of red isn't even complete because it does not count the times we heard the siren in the middle of the night when there is no one on the road.

Maybe you didn't realize this, but emergency vehicles will sometimes run their lights and sirens even if there's seemingly no one around. Sirens can run anywhere from 110 decibels to over 130. That is ear-damagingly loud.

Maybe you didn't realize this, but emergency vehicles will sometimes run their lights and sirens even if there's seemingly no one around. Sirens can run anywhere from 110 decibels to over 130. That is ear-damagingly loud.