#2573: The Electrons Go Marching Two by Two

The Best of Car Talk

NPR

Comedy, Automotive, Leisure

4.8 • 16.1K Ratings

🗓️ 13 September 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ray has theories and this one is a doozy! Nancy from Wyoming can’t get her car to start on cold mornings unless she first turns on the heater. Ray’s explanation involves a small stream and a colony of ants playing the part of electrons valiantly attempting to cross the stream. ‘Something bogus-a-brewin’ on this episode of the Best of Car Talk.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This week on Consider This, the shooting death of Charlie Kirk.
0:04.8	He was seen as the future of the conservative movement.
0:07.9	We will look at what he leaves behind.
0:10.3	Plus, the story of 9-11 victims whose families are still waiting 24 years later for justice,
0:15.9	why they say the government is keeping them in the dark.
0:19.6	Listen this week to consider this on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
0:43.1	Hello and welcome to Car Talk from National Public Radio with us,
0:44.5	Click and Clack to Tapit Brothers,
0:49.8	and we're broadcasting this week from the Center for Puzzler Enlightenment here at Car Talk Plaza.
0:51.4	Well, go ahead, enlighten me.
0:53.8	This is a break with tradition.
0:54.7	Enlighten up, will you?
0:59.6	First of all, this is a letter to John Lawler.
1:00.3	Really?
1:01.5	Hey, where did it come from?
1:02.4	Where are all these stamps?
1:03.0	Nippon.
1:05.3	Came from Japan, man, by airmail.
1:07.0	Oh, no wonder.
1:14.5	Dear Mr. Lawler, I'm writing to you in your capacity as spiritual advisor. He is.
1:20.3	She is. With a suggestion for improving the program, the suggestion concerns what are my favorite segments, the puzzler. Recently, the puzzler seems to be foundering, and understandably so.
1:27.7	There are only a limited number of suitable puzzles out there.
	...

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