{"id":107634,"date":"2022-04-26T10:01:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-26T14:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/?p=107634"},"modified":"2024-12-03T14:40:11","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T19:40:11","slug":"repod-s3e11-the-puzzler-best-selling-author-a-j-jacobs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/2022\/04\/26\/repod-s3e11-the-puzzler-best-selling-author-a-j-jacobs\/","title":{"rendered":"REPOD S3E11 &#8211; The Puzzler: Best-Selling Author A.J. Jacobs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Update 12\/26\/23: If you enjoyed this episode, we hope you\u2019ll check out our interview with <a href=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/2023\/12\/26\/repod-s6e13-inside-the-puzzler-podcast-with-a-j-jacobs-and-greg-pliska\/\">A.J. Jacobs and his Chief Puzzle Officer Greg Pliska<\/a> about their new podcast, The Puzzler, on <a href=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/reality-escape-pod\/\">The Reality Escape Pod<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In season 3, episode 11, we chat with <em>New York Times<\/em> bestselling author of <em>The Year of Living Biblically<\/em>, A.J. Jacobs, about his newest book <em><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/37MV921\">The Puzzler<\/a><\/em>. A.J. is a self-described \u201chuman guinea-pig,\u201d immersing himself deeply, even masochistically, into a given topic and chronicling his experiments, whether it\u2019s living by the Bible literally for a year, or thanking everyone involved in the creation of his morning cup of coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n<p><iframe title=\"S3E11 - The Puzzler: Best-Selling Author A.J. Jacobs\" allowtransparency=\"true\" height=\"150\" width=\"100%\" style=\"border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);\" scrolling=\"no\" data-name=\"pb-iframe-player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.podbean.com\/player-v2\/?i=6f56j-120da26-pb&amp;from=pb6admin&amp;share=1&amp;download=1&amp;rtl=0&amp;fonts=Tahoma&amp;skin=1b1b1b&amp;font-color=auto&amp;logo_link=episode_page&amp;btn-skin=60a0c8\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OuafPAkljdk?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>An avid crossword solver, A.J. dives down the rabbit hole of puzzles in his latest book, <em>The Puzzler<\/em>. He goes on a journey to attempt the world\u2019s hardest puzzles, exploring all the varieties including crosswords, puzzle hunts, mazes, jigsaws, and chess problems. Along the way, he tackles fiendish Japanese puzzle boxes, drags his family to Spain to compete in a jigsaw competition, and even plays an escape room with David and Lisa Spira from Room Escape Artist. <em>The Puzzler<\/em> is also chock full of puzzles, including a hidden, super-challenging but solvable puzzle that will earn the first reader to crack it a $10,000 prize.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/aj-jacobs-landscape.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"585\" data-attachment-id=\"107643\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/aj-jacobs-landscape\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/aj-jacobs-landscape.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1100,628\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"aj jacobs landscape\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/aj-jacobs-landscape-1024x585.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/aj-jacobs-landscape-1024x585.jpg\" alt=\"man smiling with short brown hair, in a button down blue shirt, next to an image of a book cover for The Puzzler\" class=\"wp-image-107643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/aj-jacobs-landscape-1024x585.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/aj-jacobs-landscape-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/aj-jacobs-landscape-768x438.jpg 768w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/aj-jacobs-landscape-685x391.jpg 685w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/aj-jacobs-landscape.jpg 1100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A.J. is a delightful guest with an insatiable curiosity about the world. He talks about his adventures through the puzzle universe and shares some amusing insights that he\u2019s learned along the way. A.J. was funny, knowledgeable, and charming. We know you\u2019ll want to read his book after listening to this podcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"support-room-escape-artist-s-mission\">Take A Short Survey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"support-room-escape-artist-s-mission\">As we plan for Season 4, please help us learn what&#8217;s working and what&#8217;s not by sharing your feedback anonymously through this survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.surveymonkey.com\/r\/repod-season3\" style=\"background-color:#009dd2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Take Survey<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"thank-you-to-our-sponsors\">Thank You to Our Sponsors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season, Morty App and Virtual Escape Games. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"mortyapp.com\/repod\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"758\" data-attachment-id=\"103024\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/asset-264x\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Asset-26@4x.png\" data-orig-size=\"1174,869\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Asset 26@4x\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Asset-26@4x-1024x758.png\" src=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Asset-26@4x-1024x758.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-103024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Asset-26@4x-1024x758.png 1024w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Asset-26@4x-300x222.png 300w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Asset-26@4x-768x568.png 768w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Asset-26@4x-685x507.png 685w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Asset-26@4x.png 1174w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\" id=\"morty-app\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mortyapp.com\/repod\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Morty<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Morty is a free app for discovering, planning, tracking, and reviewing your escape rooms and other immersive social outings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Special Badge for REPOD listeners:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can learn more at <a href=\"http:\/\/MortyApp.com\/REPOD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MortyApp.com\/REPOD<\/a> to sign up and get a special badge for our listeners (works for existing users also). <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/virtualescapegames.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"440\" data-attachment-id=\"104001\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/virtual-escape-games-logo\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/virtual-escape-games-logo.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1200,516\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"virtual-escape-games-logo\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/virtual-escape-games-logo-1024x440.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/virtual-escape-games-logo-1024x440.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-104001\" srcset=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/virtual-escape-games-logo-1024x440.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/virtual-escape-games-logo-300x129.jpg 300w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/virtual-escape-games-logo-768x330.jpg 768w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/virtual-escape-games-logo-685x295.jpg 685w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/virtual-escape-games-logo.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\" id=\"morty-app\"><a href=\"https:\/\/virtualescapegames.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Virtual Escape Games<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Virtual Escape Games specializes in virtual team-building adventures for teams anywhere around the globe, 24\/7. And now introducing brand-new non-hosted games for 1-6 players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Discount Code for REPOD listeners:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>REA20 for 20% off a non-hosted game for 1-6 players<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>TB20 for 20% off a team-building adventure for any size team!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"topics-discussed-in-this-episode\">Topics Discussed in this Episode<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A.J. talks about how being the answer to a <em>New York Times<\/em> crossword puzzle inspired him to delve into the rabbit hole of puzzles, escape rooms, and crosswords. [1:25]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A.J. talks about being a fan of escape rooms and how he tapped David and Lisa as a resource for his book. [4:06]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>David talks about his hidden talent of identifying which key or combination goes to which lock. [4:56]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>David tells a couple of stories about his other hidden talent, picking locks. [5:45]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A.J. talks about how the process of researching puzzles for his book changed his perception of different puzzle genres. [7:22]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A.J. talks about how he wasn\u2019t a fan of jigsaw puzzles until researching this book, and David and Peih-Gee chime in as fans of jigsaws. [8:02]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A.J. talks about seeking out the hardest version of different puzzle types for the book and what he learned about difficulty levels. [10:48]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A.J. talks about the Sleeping Beauty Problem as one of the hardest puzzles he enjoyed. [12:36]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A.J. talks about other near-impossible puzzles such as the Kryptos sculpture at the CIA. [14:30]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A.J. talks about the perfect difficulty level for him when it comes to puzzles like Sudoku. [18:56]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Peih-Gee talks about her obsession with Sudoku after a friend in college showed her an interesting strategy. [20:41]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A.J. talks about thinking outside the box when it comes to lateral thinking-type puzzles. [21:28]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A.J. talks about the difference between mazes and labyrinths. [23:36]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A.J. talks about why escape rooms didn\u2019t get their own chapter in his book, and what it would have been about if he had been able to include it. [29:32]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A.J. talks about his puzzling philosophy: \u201cThe idea of trying to turn down the volume on motivated reasoning and anger while turning up the volume on curiosity and the search for solutions.\u201d [32:46]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A.J. talks about the puzzles in his book, created by Greg Pliska, and the $10,000 cash prize for solving the bigger puzzle. [36:16]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A.J. talks about his current favorite puzzles, including crosswords, the <em>New York Times <\/em>Spelling Bee, and Wordle. [41:31]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>David and A.J. talk about favored puzzles in different countries. [42:26]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Most of A.J.\u2019s books involve him immersing himself in a life experiment, such as living biblically for a year, and he talks about some life lessons he has learned. [44:17]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/reality-escape-pod_round-web.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" data-attachment-id=\"91709\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/reality-escape-pod_round-web\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/reality-escape-pod_round-web.png\" data-orig-size=\"600,600\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"reality-escape-pod_round-web\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/reality-escape-pod_round-web.png\" src=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/reality-escape-pod_round-web.png\" alt=\"Reality Escape Pod mission patch logo depicts a spaceship puncturing through the walls of reality.\" class=\"wp-image-91709\" srcset=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/reality-escape-pod_round-web.png 600w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/reality-escape-pod_round-web-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/reality-escape-pod_round-web-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/reality-escape-pod_round-web-100x100.png?crop=1 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"resources-mentioned-in-this-episode\">Resources Mentioned in this Episode<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/12\/25\/crosswords\/daily-puzzle-2017-12-26.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Article about the time A.J. Jacobs made an appearance in a Tuesday NYT crossword puzzle.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stavepuzzles.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Stave Jigsaw Puzzles<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sleeping_Beauty_problem\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sleeping Beauty Problem<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kryptos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kryptos CIA Sculpture<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/minimindgames.com\/en\/sudoku-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Example of Sudoku dot notation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-47671776\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Masquerade<\/em> by Kit Williams, a treasure hunt story book<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3rRA0ul\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Buy <em>Masquerade<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A.J. Jacobs&#8217;s website: <a href=\"https:\/\/ajjacobs.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ajjacobs.com<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Puzzler website: <a href=\"https:\/\/thepuzzlerbook.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">thepuzzlerbook.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/37MV921\" style=\"background-color:#ea4074\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Buy <em>The Puzzler<\/em><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"about-guest-name\">About A.J. Jacobs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AJ-Jacobs-Headshot.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" data-attachment-id=\"107655\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/aj-jacobs-headshot\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AJ-Jacobs-Headshot.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1024,684\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"AJ-Jacobs-Headshot\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AJ-Jacobs-Headshot.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AJ-Jacobs-Headshot.jpg\" alt=\"man smiling with short brown hair, in a button down blue shirt\" class=\"wp-image-107655\" srcset=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AJ-Jacobs-Headshot.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AJ-Jacobs-Headshot-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AJ-Jacobs-Headshot-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AJ-Jacobs-Headshot-685x458.jpg 685w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AJ-Jacobs-Headshot-342x228.jpg 342w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A.J. Jacobs is the author of four <em>New York Times<\/em> bestsellers, including \u201cThe Know-It-All,\u201d \u201cDrop Dead Healthy\u201d and \u201cThe Year of Living Biblically.\u201d He has given four TED talks that have total views of more than 7 million. He is a frequent contributor to NPR\u2019s Weekend Edition, and writes for the <em>New York Times<\/em> and <em>Esquire<\/em> magazine, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/9780593136713.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"298\" height=\"450\" data-attachment-id=\"107641\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/9780593136713\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/9780593136713.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"298,450\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"9780593136713\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/9780593136713.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/9780593136713.jpg\" alt=\"Book cover image titled The puzzler, with an image of a three sided cube with jigsaw pieces, crossword puzzle and rubik's cube.\" class=\"wp-image-107641\" srcset=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/9780593136713.jpg 298w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/9780593136713-199x300.jpg 199w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 298px) 100vw, 298px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>His latest TED talk on gratitude:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-ted wp-block-embed-ted wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"A.J. Jacobs: My journey to thank all the people responsible for my morning coffee\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.ted.com\/talks\/a_j_jacobs_my_journey_to_thank_all_the_people_responsible_for_my_morning_coffee\" sandbox=\"allow-popups allow-scripts allow-same-origin\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Facebook: <a href=\"http:\/\/facebook.com\/ajjacobs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">facebook.com\/ajjacobs<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Twitter: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ajjacobs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">@ajjacobs<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"other-recommended-podcasts\">Other recommended podcasts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:30% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"367\" height=\"350\" data-attachment-id=\"95003\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/etp\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/etp.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"367,350\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;PEIH GEE Law&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1623680527&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"etp\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/etp.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/etp.jpg\" alt=\"escape this podcast logo, microphone with a puzzle\" class=\"wp-image-95003 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/etp.jpg 367w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/etp-300x286.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 367px) 100vw, 367px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\" id=\"escape-this-podcast\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumethismedia.com\/escape-this-podcast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Escape This Podcast<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Escape This Podcast<\/em> is a show that\u2019s a mix between tabletop roleplaying and escape room puzzles.<br><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:30% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"909\" height=\"741\" data-attachment-id=\"96859\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/nopro-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/nopro-2.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"909,741\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;PEIH GEE Law&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1628708472&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"nopro 2\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/nopro-2.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/nopro-2.jpg\" alt=\"stylized logo of the letters &quot;N&quot; and &quot;P&quot;, logo for the no proscenium website.\" class=\"wp-image-96859 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/nopro-2.jpg 909w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/nopro-2-300x245.jpg 300w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/nopro-2-768x626.jpg 768w, https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/nopro-2-685x558.jpg 685w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 909px) 100vw, 909px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\" id=\"no-proscenium-podcast\"><a href=\"https:\/\/noproscenium.com\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>No Proscenium Podcast<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your guide to the ever-evolving world of immersive art &amp; entertainment<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"support-repod\">Support REPOD<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/patreon.com\/roomescapeartist\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Subscribe to Patreon for bonus content<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Support&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.etsy.com\/shop\/PerplexorsPuzzles\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Perplexor\u2019s Puzzles<\/a>&nbsp;and REPOD by using our affiliate code \u201cREPOD\u201d for 10% off purchases.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Please rate and review our podcast!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks for listening!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Support Room Escape Artist&#8217;s Mission<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are lots of ways to support Room Escape Artist, like buying from <a aria-label=\"Amazon (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/shop\/roomescapeart\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Amazon<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/cread.php?awinmid=6220&amp;awinaffid=651019&amp;ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etsy.com%2F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Etsy<\/a> after clicking into the links included in this post or backing us on <a aria-label=\"Patreon (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/roomescapeartist\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Patreon<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The money that we make from these helps us to grow the site and continue to add more value to the community that we love so much. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":107643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2364,586398298],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-107634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book","category-reality-escape-pod"],"acf":[],"is_reblog":null,"post_id":null,"blog_id":null,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"586398298","yoast-structured-data-blocks-images-cache":null,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":null,"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":null,"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"60","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"REPOD interview with New York Times bestselling author A.J. Jacobs, about his newest book The Puzzler.","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"7","_yoast_wpseo_wordproof_timestamp":"","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>REPOD S3E11 - The Puzzler: Best-Selling Author A.J. Jacobs - Room Escape Artist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"REPOD interview with New York Times bestselling author A.J. Jacobs, about his newest book The Puzzler.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/roomescapeartist.com\/2022\/04\/26\/repod-s3e11-the-puzzler-best-selling-author-a-j-jacobs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"REPOD S3E11 - The Puzzler: Best-Selling Author A.J. 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