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Mimas, Saturn's cryptic-looking moon, is awfully deceptive.

The small moon is dominated by an 80-mile-wide crater, giving it the appearance of the grim Star Wars Death Star — a space station equipped with a planet-destroying weapon. But otherwise, Mimas appears as a frozen chunk of ice.

Other moons, like Saturn's Enceladus and Jupiter's Europa, have cracked surfaces or telltale plumes shooting from the ground, which are compelling evidence for sub-surface oceans. Mimas doesn't outwardly offer hints of an ocean.

"When you look at Enceladus and Europa, there's clearly an engine in these moons that is running," Alyssa Rhoden, a planetary scientist who researches ocean worlds, told Mashable. "When you look at Mimas it's the opposite — it can't possibly be an ocean world."

Or so Rhoden thought. Looks are deceiving.

In new research published in the planetary science journal Icarus, Rhoden and her coauthor describe how they unexpectedly found evidence for an ocean beneath Mimas' icy shell. The moon may not be a frozen chunk of ice, after all.

The giant crater on Saturn's moon Mimas. It's called the Herschel Crater. Credit: NASA / JPL / Space Science Institute Plumes of water ice on Saturn's moon Enceladus, captured by the Cassini spacecraft. Credit: NASA / JPL / Space Science Institute

Mimas does have an attribute that could allow it to harbor an ocean. Its orbit around Saturn is highly eccentric, meaning it gets tugged and stretched as it swings close to the powerful gravitational force of the planet and then orbits farther away. (Each orbit takes just 22 hours and 36 minutes!) This process, called "tidal heating," creates vast amounts of heat in ocean worlds like Europa.

With this reality in mind, Rhoden, a principal scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, a science organization, followed up on earlier observation of a tiny wobble in Mimas' orbit around Saturn. An icy sea sloshing inside Mimas could potentially trigger this wobble. Might tidal heating have possibly enough ice inside Mimas to create a sea? If so, there couldn't be too much heat (that would melt through the icy shell) nor too little heat (then the ocean would freeze).

The researchers calculated that if there was indeed an ocean inside Mimas large enough to trigger its wobble, the water would exist beneath an icy shell some 14 to 20 miles thick. So they ran computer simulations of how the heating (from tidal heating) would impact the ice on Mimas. Unexpectedly, it showed an ocean under 14 to 20 miles of solid ice.

"We came up with exactly the right number," Rhoden said.

This isn't, Rhoden emphasizes, nearly certain proof that Mimas harbors an ocean. But there's now compelling evidence that an ocean could exist there, with the information available.

"There's a lot of different ways life might be able to emerge."

Oceans, as we know on Earth, are immensely diverse places, brimming with life. "Water is at the top of the list of ingredients that make life possible," writes NASA. And on ocean worlds like Europa, tidal heating may ultimately allow life to thrive, though there's still zero evidence of life outside Earth. "Tidal heating could be powering a system that cycles water and nutrients between the moon's rocky interior, ice shell, and ocean, creating a watery environment rich with chemistry conducive to life," NASA added.

Sometimes, the search for life gets narrowed down to "habitable zones" in solar systems, which are the relatively narrow regions where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface. Earth, for example, exists in our solar system's habitable zone.

SEE ALSO: Many of the Webb telescope’s greatest discoveries won't come from any amazing pictures

Europa and Enceladus, located in the frosty regions of our solar system, are well outside the habitable zone. But these worlds harbor oceans. And potentially, life may have emerged there.

"Habitability is not one swath of a solar system," said Rhoden. "There's a lot of different ways life might be able to emerge."

It seems Apple had a change of heart. Either that, or the $3 trillion company realized the optics of making life even just a little more difficult for teachers and students aren't so hot.

Apple has reversed course on its plan to force educators and learners to prove their status in order to receive educational discounts, according to MacRumors. The company had, for a brief moment earlier in the week, required proof through the student discount website UNiDAYS.

"Save on a new Mac or iPad with Apple education pricing," reads Apple's educator and student store website. "Available to current and newly accepted college students and their parents, as well as faculty, staff, and homeschool teachers of all grade levels."

When Apple abruptly added the verification requirement in January, Redditors speculated as to the reason.

"Sadly I saw this coming and to be honest I do hold people on Macrumors and Reddit to blame for constantly promoting people publicly to abuse the Apple Education Online Store when they are not even students or teachers or in the education field simply because Apple wasn't requiring education verification," read one typical comment. "Too many people blabbing it on the internet led to Apple closing up the hole."

SEE ALSO: How to protect your online privacy with Apple's iCloud Private Relay

We reached out to Apple and asked what inspired the quick change of heart, and if this is just a temporary pause with some sort of verification requirement to be reinstated at a later time. We received no immediate response.

Hopefully the requirement is gone for good, however, as teachers and students have better things to do than prove their status to a tech giant.

Professional comedian and amateur ceramicist Seth Rogen is back on Hot Ones.

Sitting down with host Sean Evans, Rogen made his third appearance on the hot wing-centric interview show Thursday to kick off the web series' Season 17. The agonizingly spicy episode covers everything from Rogen's upcoming projects (Pam & Tommy, The Boys Presents: Diabolical) to his staunch stance on thick versus thin burger patties.

Along the Scoville scale, Seth makes charming observations about the spiciness of the wings he's eating ("I felt that one in my ears!") and asks bolds questions about digestion ("How will this make my ass feel?")

The true "extra dab" moment, however, doesn't come until Rogen's longtime creative partner Evan Goldberg joins in for the last wing and prompts Rogen to share a truly shameful story from their shared Canadian youth.

"There was a time in 10th grade when you did one of the least brave things I've ever seen someone do," Golderg begins, before Rogen picks up the story.

"[We were at] this huge, outdoor paintball facility," he explains, already laughing. "And these guys showed up that were like professional paintball guys. We're like 15-years-old. Right away, they just fucking unload a torrent of automatic [fire]. And I run off into the woods as literally all of my friends got annihilated."

"I got shot 25 times in the back," Goldberg chimes in.

"Everyone was really pissed at me," Rogen recalls. "I had to earn back their trust." Makes sense!

On Mars, dust storm season has commenced.

NASA's distant satellite, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, recently captured a sizable regional dust storm on the Red Planet, encompassing the area where the space agency's Perseverance rover is investigating the Martian surface. This area, a former river delta called Jezero Crater, is shown by the white circle in the image below.

The hazy storm also obscured Syrtis Major, a dark volcanic area hundreds of miles long.

Dusty conditions put a hitch in NASA's plans to once again fly its expectation-exceeding Ingenuity helicopter (part of the Perseverance mission). The air became too dense, and insufficient sunlight would have reached the little experimental chopper's solar panels for a safe flight. (Flight 19 is now scheduled for no earlier than Jan. 23.)

"The presence of this storm came quite early – even before the dusty season traditionally starts!" NASA wrote. "In fact, we have never seen a storm of this strength so early in the Mars year before."

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured a regional dust storm on Mars on Jan. 9, 2022. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS

Elsewhere on Mars, thousands of miles away, another dust storm forced NASA's solar-powered InSight lander to power down into "safe mode" on Jan. 7. "In safe mode, a spacecraft suspends all but its essential functions," explained NASA. When dust storms completely drain a Martian robot's batteries, engineers might not be able to restart the machine. A mighty dust storm ended the legendary Opportunity rover's mission in 2018.

Fortunately, InSight, which is recording earthquakes on Mars among other geologic investigations, exited safe mode as the skies began to clear.

SEE ALSO: How a mighty volcanic eruption sent enormous pressure waves all around Earth

Martian dust storms can be huge, but they're also normal. "Every year there are some moderately big dust storms that pop up on Mars and they cover continent-sized areas and last for weeks at a time," explained Michael Smith, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

Sometimes, these regional dust storms graduate to planet-encompassing monsters. Those great storms occur around every five-and-a-half years. It's an intense extraterrestrial event, and NASA's Mars satellite will watch the stormy scene from space.

There's a giant camera orbiting Mars.

It's attached to NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and can spot things as small as a kitchen table (including robotic rovers). It's aptly called the High Resolution Imaging Experiment, or HIRISE. And it recently captured a brilliant view of a Martian crater.

The image, taken in late 2021 but released on Jan. 20, shows a crater (likely created by an ancient impact) filled with vivid dunes. Mars may often be some 140 million miles from Earth, or at times much farther, but Earth-like geologic processes continually transpire there.

A dune-filled crater on Mars. Credit: NASA / JPL / University of Arizona

The crater, while an impressive feature in the Martian desert, also serves an important purpose for planetary scientists. It accurately marks the location of zero longitude on Mars, the line separating Mars' western and eastern hemispheres.

SEE ALSO: Many of the Webb telescope’s greatest discoveries won't come from any amazing pictures

On Earth, that point is marked by the Royal Observatory Greenwich in the UK. But on Mars, a place brimming with evidence of past asteroid impacts, a crater must do.

A formidable underwater volcano created the twin islands of Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha‘apai. Then, on Jan. 15, that volcano destroyed them.

Located in the South Pacific, the eruption was one of the most powerful ever captured on satellite. The size and fury of the resulting plume made a jaw-dropping scene on Earth's surface and amazed scientists. Unfortunately, the eruption has had disastrous and deadly local consequences: A tsunami nearly 50 feet high pummeled some of Tonga's populated islands.

The historic eruption was also energetic enough to create powerful shock or pressure waves that rippled through the atmosphere and all over the globe. It's not too different than a rock tossed in water.

"Think of the ripples that you see when you throw a rock into a calm pond," explained Ryan Torn, chair and professor at the University at Albany Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences. "Immediately, you see circular ripples, which are waves emanating from where the rock enters the pond."

When the Tonga volcano erupted, these waves (also technically called "acoustic gravity waves") traveled through the air at around the speed of sound, 343 meters per second, or some 760 mph. The blast's wave of energy knocked against air molecules, and they bump into each other. The animation below shows the global event well.

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The atmosphere acted like a fluid because the atmosphere is actually a fluid. It's not as dense as a liquid, but gas particles react to temperature, pressure, and things flowing through in similar ways, explained Phil Blom, an expert in acoustics and geophysics research at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

And out in the open atmosphere, there's not much friction to stop these waves. "It will circle the globe multiple times," said Blom. An atmospheric scientist at the University of Miami, Brian McNoldy, recorded six waves (as of Jan. 19) passing over the region. The waves traveling through the atmosphere are picked up by weather stations that record changes in the atmosphere's pressure, but are imperceptible to us. Eventually, the waves dissipate in the air.

"It will circle the globe multiple times."

Only a profoundly energetic blast creates such world-traveling waves. Though the scientific investigation has just started, volcanologists suspect that seawater interacting with the volcano's magma (molten rock) beneath the surface ultimately provided this eruption with the pressure for such a massive explosion. Water converted into steam creates intense pressure. "That's what gave this [eruption] outsized energy, we think," explained Josef Dufek, a volcanologist at the University of Oregon.

Eventually, like opening a shaken-up soda can, there's a great pressure release, which is the eruption. Blown-apart pieces of magma, known as volcanic ash, are thrust high into the air. This ash plume reached over 22 miles (35 kilometers), noted Dufek, and may have even topped some 30 miles (50 kilometers).

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The resulting pressure waves even stoked meteotsunamis in Europe. Whereas tsunamis are long waves of displaced water (often by earthquakes), meteotsunamis are driven by momentous changes in air pressure, like from a storm, or a blast from a volcano. The changes in air pressure are transmitted to the water and can drive a surge of water. Sea levels went up by some eight inches (20 centimeters) in parts of Spain.

SEE ALSO: A world warmed by 2 degrees is way hotter than it sounds

Indeed, a geologic event in the remote South Pacific impacted the entire globe. Soon after the eruption, weather stations in Europe began detecting the pressure waves.

"These facts are reminders that we all share the same atmosphere, all around the 🌎🌍🌏globe," the World Meteorological Organization tweeted.

It's no secret that politics can make people miserable.

At its worst, national politics in the U.S. amounts to watching highly-paid elected officials fight over slivers of power while they get little done for the people they represent. Toss in the breathless media coverage over who's "winning," the insults traded between politicians and partisans on social media, and the alarming right-wing drift toward authoritarianism, and the whole project of American democracy feels rather hopeless sometimes.

A study published recently in PLoS One indeed found that politics was a chronic stressor for millions of Americans during the Trump administration. Thanks to politics, people said they slept less, experienced more stress, anxiety, and depression, and even had more frequent thoughts of suicide. The finding echoes other survey results from the same era in which participants reported that politics negatively affected their mental health. Additionally, some participants in the PLoS One study said politics led them to post things online they later regretted, created problems in their relationships, and led to compulsively thinking or talking about politics.

The study also suggests that not everyone who feels the toll suffers equally. Those who experienced the worst effects were consistently younger, identified with the Democratic party, actively engaged in politics, disdained political opponents, and had lower levels of political knowledge. Those variables independently predicted who reported poorer mental health, meaning some respondents may have expressed one or two traits while others expressed all of them. This pattern emerged in three separate surveys from just after Trump's inauguration to weeks after his defeat in the 2020 election.

The startling finding raises a question that urgently needs answers: What happens when, in particular, young people and those actively engaged in politics feel that American democracy harms their well-being or mental health? And why do these traits, in addition to disdain, lower political knowledge, and identifying with the Democratic party, predict who reports worse mental health?

The author, Kevin B. Smith, a political scientist at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, can only speculate for now.

SEE ALSO: Safe spaces for teens aren’t controversial, they’re critical. Here’s why.

Smith does acknowledge that people's emotional and psychological distress makes sense in a political environment that's divisive and polarized, with an element of "despair." But he's troubled by the conundrum that presents.

"For democracy to function, or at least function well, you want informed and engaged citizens," says Smith. "But if doing that leads you to be stressed and fatigued and costs you friendships and leads you into compulsive behaviors you later regret, that doesn't seem like a particularly healthy thing to do."

When faced with something we know makes us sick, say like a novel virus, a typical approach is to minimize exposure to that risk. But if young people specifically feel they must withdraw from politics to preserve their well-being, we stand to lose the clarity and conviction many of them bring to solving our most pressing problems, like gun violence and climate change.

At the same time, they're bearing the brunt of the failure to meaningfully tackle these crises. They will inherit a country and planet that, in many ways, the adults in the proverbial room have neglected. The so-called fragility of Generation Z and Millennials is often a punchline, but their frequent insistence on both justice and comfort is unsurprising.

"I think young Americans are looking around them and they're looking for reassurance, and they're looking for signs that things will be OK."

"I think young Americans are looking around them and they're looking for reassurance, and they're looking for signs that things will be OK," says Alan Zhang, student chair of the Harvard Public Opinion Project. "And then they turn on the TV and they see the chaos going on in D.C., they see the chaos going on at the Capitol, they see the constant political division, constant polarization going on. They see this, and it's no wonder that it's had a negative impact on their mental health."

Zhang, who is 19, notes that his generation grew up in the shadow of Sept. 11, with constant worry about school shootings. He says young adults are tired of facing crises that leaders refuse to solve. That sentiment is showing up in polling. Despite their high voter participation in the last presidential election, young Americans seem to be losing confidence in the state of American democracy, according to the most recent Harvard Youth Poll of 18-to-29-year-olds. Only 7 percent of respondents viewed the U.S. as a healthy democracy and 13 percent agreed that it's a "failed democracy." We should be worried that such dismay may make authoritarianism more appealing to young people who feel that American democracy costs them much more than it's worth. The Harvard Youth Poll also found that a quarter of politically engaged youth reported that politics had a negative affect on their mental health.

Despite these alarming signals, there are signs of hope. The spring 2021 Harvard Youth Poll found that young people were more likely to be politically engaged than a decade ago. Now the challenge is to deliver on the promise of their involvement so they don't abandon American democracy. Smith's findings suggested that knowledge of how the political system works protects against negative mental health effects. While the study didn't answer why, it's possible such knowledge leads to less disappointment or better prepares people for legislative setbacks. Yet Zhang believes something else matters a great deal, too.

"One of the most important parts of making politics into a more positive force in young people's lives is to make them feel empowered in politics," he says.

That means holding roles as voters and elected officials. It also means lawmakers listening to young people and integrating their feedback in decision-making so they can see that their actions have tangible political consequences.

"I think it really falls to our generation and those in power to make sure that young people have the opportunities for political engagement [and] political empowerment in order to make their own mark on politics," says Zhang.

Can you believe it? Another week has passed us by and we're onto the weekend. What a world. You simply love to see that.

Five days. What a concept.

SEE ALSO: This 'exhausted' kid shoveling snow is the anti-work hero we need

Anyway, we have once again collected the best and funniest tweets of the week. You should read them and laugh and enjoy the weekend. Sounds like fun, right? OK, here they are, the 13 best tweets of the week.

1. Is it? Is this what you wanted, sicko? Tweet may have been deleted 2. The Simpsons, as always, did it first Tweet may have been deleted 3. This is a joke for like three people, but I am still thinking about the phrase, "feeling like the white Mike Alstott" Tweet may have been deleted 4. He really has dated everyone, huh? Tweet may have been deleted 5. Feeling like this baby all the time these days Tweet may have been deleted 6. Yeah, at least they're joining the non-academic workforce! It's brave. Tweet may have been deleted 7. This tweet is uncool to me, personally Tweet may have been deleted 8. The ideal sinks to be honest Tweet may have been deleted 9. I remember seeing hydrolysed vegetable protein at a basement show before they made it Tweet may have been deleted 10. I simply will never be able to forget the phrase "tchaikovskussy" Tweet may have been deleted 11. This killed me and I will not elaborate further Tweet may have been deleted 12. Powerful stuff Tweet may have been deleted 13. And finally, an obligatory dril tweet Tweet may have been deleted

The Office is working overtime to keep fans entertained.

The series finale of the NBC workplace comedy aired in 2013, but nearly a decade later fans are still rewatching the show on streaming platforms, reading firsthand filming accounts in oral histories by Brian Baumgartner and Andy Greene, and learning new behind-the-scenes tidbits from podcasts hosted by cast members.

One of the most insightful Office podcasts, which former co-stars and IRL BFFs Jenna Fischer (Pam Beesly) and Angela Kinsey (Angela Martin) launched in October 2019, is called Office Ladies. In it, the two Office experts rewatch the show episode by episode, share their memories of filming, and reveal intriguing Easter eggs and background details that even the biggest superfans may have missed.

Mashable has been diligently covering the Office Ladies podcast since its first episode, so we've learned hundreds of new Office facts over the years. We took a look back at our Office Ladies archive and pulled some of the most interesting tidbits to create a Megalist (like Dwight's Megadesk but list form, with links to more details) of 50 revelations from the podcast that every Office fan can appreciate. Enjoy!

1. Angela Kinsey invented Sprinkles the cat

"I was just sort of bored and I made up a backstory that my character had found this cat in the parking lot," Kinsey told Fischer in the first Office Ladies episode. She claimed she drew a cat on a piece of paper, passed it to Fischer in the background of a scene, and said, "You're invited to Sprinkles' birthday party."

Fischer stuck the note to Pam's computer monitor and brought up the party later in the scene when making chit-chat with Jim. "Greg [Daniels, showrunner] honed in on that. He loved it, and then for four seasons we discussed Sprinkles until his untimely death in the freezer," Fischer said.

2. Where's Meredith? Definitely not Meredith. Credit: Mashable Composite: The Office / NBC / Peacock

Next time you watch Season 1 of The Office, pay special attention to the Dunder Mifflin employees in the background of the pilot. You'll notice that Meredith Palmer is played by Henriette Mantel, not Kate Flannery, in that first episode.

3. The "Diversity Day" episode in Season 1 is based on a real-life cringeworthy experience

"A lot of people want to know where did the idea for this episode come from," Fischer said, before revealing that the episode is based off of a real-life experience of the show's writer's assistant, Tom.

When writers were throwing out ideas for episodes, Tom told a story about one of his college classes. Fischer said they had to do "this exercise where they put notecards on their heads that said different ethnicities, and then they had to go around and regard one another as that ethnicity using stereotypes." Yikes.

4. Scenes from "Diversity Day" were used in NBC's own sexual harassment trainings

Fischer and Kinsey said that every year NBC would require the cast and crew of The Office to attend a sexual harassment seminar in the warehouse. By Season 4 or 5 of the show, the video package used for that training contained clips from The Office that illustrated how not to behave in the workplace

5. The "Diversity Day" episode gave us Toby Flenderson Lieberstein has LEFT the writer's room. Credit: Nbc-Tv / Kobal / Shutterstock

The Office Ladies also said that Kevin Reilly, who was head of NBC in 2005 when "Diversity Day" aired, saw the episode and loved the dynamic between Toby and Michael. That's why Toby became a series regular. NOOOOO, GOD NO!

6. A Simpsons Easter egg

The Office is full of hidden details and Easter eggs, one of which is a Homer Simpson doll near Phyllis' desk. Showrunner Greg Daniels used to write for The Simpsons, so it's a nod to his old job.

7. Rainn Wilson made the cast break with an improvised line in "Health Care"

The "Health Care" episode in Season 1 shows Dunder Mifflin employees outraged over a horrible plan that Dwight selected for the office. In response to the upset, Dwight asks his colleagues to anonymously submit any medical conditions they'd like covered in their plan. In true Jim and Pam fashion, they turned the opportunity into a prank and submitted fake illnesses with unhinged names, like "hot dog fingers," which Dwight read aloud to the office.

Turns out "hot dog fingers" was improvised by Wilson, and it made the entire room burst into laughter on the spot. "I remember saying hot dog fingers," Wilson told Fischer and Kinsey on an episode of Office Ladies. "They left it in the edit — you guys breaking, you guys cracking over these diseases, and it's truly hysterical."

While Wilson improvised "hot dog fingers" on set, he said the submission actually came from his friend Kevin, who was visiting the set that day. "[Kevin] was the one who actually threw out hot dog fingers. That's his claim to fame," Wilson said.

8. Dwight wasn't in that warehouse box the whole scene

Remember that scene in "The Alliance" when Dwight hides inside a box in the warehouse for far too long? Rainn Wilson wasn't in that box for most of the scene. Phil Shea, prop master on The Office for all nine seasons, was the impromptu stuntman scooching and tumbling around in there. Shea said he wore elbow and knee pads and brought along a walkie-talkie for direction. Then, after all the tough scenes were shot, Wilson hopped in a box and busted out as if he'd been trapped in it all along.

9. The "Office Olympics" episode was inspired by a real-life office Olympics competition A prestigious medal ceremony. Credit: Screenshot / NBC / Peacock

Just like "Diversity Day," this Season 2 episode was inspired by a writer's firsthand experience at an old job. The Office showrunner Greg Daniels was also one of the creators of King of the Hill, and while working on the animated sitcom his assistant, Tim Croston, set up their very own Office Olympics.

"Tim was the mastermind, the self-appointed commissioner... the Jim," Kinsey said, revealing that the King of the Hill staffers had an entire opening ceremony, a torch, and even wore special shirts to easily distinguish the different team members at the event.

"They marched through the hallways, they had like a banner that each team carried. They had like a full opening ceremony, and you know the doves that you see at the end for our closing ceremonies? They had that. They had doves that went across," she told Fischer.

"They also had a Twinkie eating contest and Paul Lieberstein (Toby Flenderson) came in second, because Paul was working on King of the Hill at the time as well," Kinsey said.

10. Bob Odenkirk almost played Michael Scott

Steve Carell is the perfect Michael Scott, but did you know the role almost went to another lovable funny guy? THE Bob Odenkirk. The Better Call Saul star was a top choice for the role, which ultimately went to Carell after the project he was working on (a show called Come to Papa) was canceled. Fischer recalled how Odenkirk prepped for his Michael Scott audition, and though we didn't get to see Odenkirk run the Scranton branch, we did see him star alongside Fischer in Season 9, Episode 16 of The Office, "Moving On."

11. One of John Krasinski's perfect cold opens was accidental

The "Performance Review" cold open featured an iconic Jim Halpert moment that wasn't written or improvised. It was completely accidental. The episode opens with a shot of Jim and Dwight at their desks. Dwight is distracting Jim by bouncing up and down on his new "fitness orb," which he claims has "completely" changed his life and revolutionized his ab workouts.

As Dwight goes on about core strength and the benefits of using an exercise ball, which include "more enjoyable sex," Jim grows increasingly annoyed, and after learning the orb only costs $25 he decides to stab it with a pair of scissors.

"They did 13 takes and it worked just right and everyone was ready to move on," Fischer said, but prop master Phil Shea decided to remind everyone he still had one more ball left. Director Paul Feig replied, "Oh what the heck, let's just do one more," and that's when the magic happened.

"In all the 13 takes, Rainn slowly sunk to the ground," Kinsey said, but on the last take, John accidentally hit the seam of the ball with the scissors and the entire thing popped.

"You can see the shock on Rainn's face, and he fell to the floor," Fischer said. "We were all completely shocked, like, 'oh my god.' And you can totally see John break — his shoulders — and very quickly, [because] he's such a pro, he turns his back and just leaves."

12. Jim's teapot note to Pam was a real tear-jerker

It's one of the great unsolved mysteries of The Office: What the heck did Jim write in his teapot note to Pam? In the Season 2 "Christmas Party" episode, Pam received a teapot from her Secret Santa, Jim. Before she noticed the card that went with said gift, however, Jim stealthily tucked it in his back pocket and fans didn't see it again until he handed it to Pam to read in the final season. 

So what was in the note? Fischer says she'll never tell, but she at least gave us a hint.

"I'm going to say something that I've never said before, I also feel like I'm maybe going to cry, sort of," Fischer told Kinsey on the podcast. "I'm the only one who knows [what was written in the note] and John knows."

"In that episode in Season 9, I believe Greg [Daniels] suggested to John that he write a personal message from himself to me just saying what our time together on The Office meant to him, because we were wrapping up filming," she said. "We were wrapping up the series and we were all so emotional at that time, you know? And so that was his goodbye."

"So I'm on camera and I open up this note that John's written to me, and I just start crying. I just start bawling. The first take was probably not usable," she said. "It was the sweetest note and you know on camera Pam says, 'I'll never say what it said but just know it was perfect?' Well I'll never say exactly what John wrote, but I will say just know it was perfect."

Fischer went on to compare the genuine emotion in the card-opening scene to another memorable moment from the Season 7 episode, "Goodbye, Michael."

13. The Office writers created a hilarious tech website for a fake MP3 player in the show Pam's Prism DuroSport. Credit: SCREENSHOT: The Office / NBC / Peacock

Remember the Prism DuroSport? That vaguely iPod-looking piece of tech that Pam and Dwight were fiddling with in the Season 2 episode, "The Injury?" 

Readers: If you have no idea what a Prism DuroSport is, that's because the MP3 player isn't real. Though durosport.com, a website all about the fake tech product, may have you thinking otherwise.

Turns out the writers of The Office — including Mindy Kaling, B.J. Novak, Paul Lieberstein, Greg Daniels, and Michael Schur — got so invested in Pam's fake MP3 player that they not only created an entire tech website dedicated to the Prism DuroSport, they also reportedly made a fake review site called Medialoper and reviewed the gadget.

Now that's dedication. 

For those wondering, yes, the fake website for the fake tech device is still up. Take a look around and marvel at their commitment to the bit.

14. Andy Buckley didn't quit his day job when he got cast as David Wallace

If you've ever looked at David Wallace and thought to yourself, "Damn, this guy really seems like he's in finance," that's because Andy Buckley was in finance.

During his 37 episodes on The Office, Buckley worked as a stockbroker at Merrill Lynch. Buckley landed the gig on the show after running into the show's casting director, Alison Jones, at a farmer's market. She called him in for an audition four months later, and he got the role. But after filming "Valentine's Day" he wasn't called back to shoot an episode for a year, so he didn't quit his day job at Merrill. The best of both finance worlds.

15. Rainn Wilson got too into a cold open and accidentally injured Angela 

In Season 2, Episode 17, "Dwight's Speech," Rainn Wilson went a little too hard while playing football in the cold open and accidentally pushed Angela Kinsey and Leslie David Baker (Stanley Hudson) to the ground.

"I will never forget this cold open. Do you want to know why?" Kinsey asked Fischer. "Alright, so Jim steals the ball, he tosses it to Phyllis, Phyllis tosses it to Creed, and Dwight runs over in only the way that Rainn Wilson would do."

"Rainn goes full out, guys. If the script says 'tackle' [or] 'shove' Dwight is like all in. So he tackles Ryan to the ground, he shoves the heck out of Creed, and then he runs towards Leslie David Baker, who is standing by accounting," she explained. "What you cannot see is there is a petite blonde person standing behind him."

"Let me tell you something, Leslie was not ready for that shove. Rainn came at him full throttle and shoved him. Leslie went flying. He lost his balance completely. He went almost butt-over-head, but there was someone directly behind him: A tiny blonde person," Kinsey continued. "As Leslie lost his balance he started steamrolling back and I was under that."

Ouch, but also, a total Dwight move.

16. Steve Carell is a great ice skater

Fischer and Kinsey shared that part of the Season 2, Episode 19, "Michael's Birthday," was filmed at Pickwick Ice in Burbank, California. In the episode we see Michael show off some serious skills on the ice, and that's because Steve Carell was genuinely a great skater.

"Steve Carell is a very, very good ice skater. He played hockey growing up, he played pickup hockey every week as an adult," Fischer said. 

"The writers had on one of their cards up on the wall [in the writer's room] this fact about Steve being a good ice skater, and they had been looking forever for a way to incorporate it," she continued. "You guys might remember that later when we film Threat Level Midnight the movie takes place in an ice skating rink? That was just like another opportunity to feature Steve's ice skating ability."

17. "Michael's Birthday" featured a professional stunt skater Fake Oscar, tearing up the ice. Credit: MASHABLE COMPOSITE: The Office / NBC / Peacock

Carell wasn't the only pro on the ice that day. "You'll see later in the episode that Oscar is like a very good ice skater," Kinsey said. "He does kind of like a pirouette and spins around — well that's because there was a stunt guy that looked like him that was a really great figure skater."

Fischer shared that the stunt skater's name was Burt Jude Lancon. He was "a famous pairs skater who won the silver medal in the 1982 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, and then later placed sixth at the 1984 Winter Olympic Games."

Per Fischer, there's a great shot of Lancon in the back of Michael's talking head at around 17:42.

18. The talking heads tell all

Speaking of talking heads, ever wonder why in early seasons of the show Jim seems to be the only team member whose talking heads are filmed in front of a window with an outdoor view? Well that was done intentionally.

Fischer emailed show-runner Greg Daniels and asked if the talking head placement was deliberate or accidental, and he said it was something that one of the show's cinematographer's, Randall Einhorn, suggested when filming the pilot.

"He said Randall's intention here was that it didn't necessarily only have to be Jim, but the idea was that any character that had a future outside of Dunder Mifflin or held some sort of internal optimism would sit in front of a window leading out into the world, but characters who didn't want to leave Dunder Mifflin — or who maybe were in more of a position of being trapped — would do their talking heads facing into the office," Fischer explained.

The exception, of course, was Michael, who sometimes filmed talking heads from his desk —  which has a window behind it. But otherwise, the bullpen background seems to stay consistent in early seasons, and other fans have even picked up on it later in the series.

19. There's more to the walls, too Plaque, plaque on the wall... Credit: MASHABLE COMPOSITE: The Office / NBC / Peacock

The talking head placement isn't the only aspect of the show with hidden significance. The plaques, certificates, and signs hanging on the office walls in the office also tell their own stories.

At around 4:32 in Season 2, Episode 21, "Conflict Resolution," you'll see a plaque hanging on a pillar right next to Michael's head. "It is a certificate of participation for Marc Christie," Fischer said. "This is one of my favorite things about our set."

Kinsey proceeded to explain that the plaque is so funny because Christie was the best boy grip and the key grip for seasons one through three of the show.

"Our art department created the Dunder Mifflin logo, and they created all the little plaques and signs and certificates that hang around the office," Fischer said. "In the effort to give just like a fun personal touch they would include the names of real crew members."

See if you spot any interesting names on your next rewatch.

20. John Krasinski is in possession of Pam's teapot

Remember that teapot we talked about earlier? Yeah, well, it's not tucked away in some NBC prop warehouse or in a glass display case in Fischer's house. John Krasinski has it! He snagged the freaking teapot.

Krasinski explained that prop master Phil Shea sent him a box three or four years after the show wrapped that included Jim's bag, his nameplate, and the iconic teapot.

That's some piping hot tea. Fischer should plot a heist.

21. The Call of Duty storyline was personal

The Stamford branch loved playing Call of Duty in Season 3 because the game was so popular on set.

"[Producer] Kent [Zbornak] told me that after we wrapped Season 1 of the show the post-production guys moved to some offices in Venice to edit the episodes," Fischer explained. She said that while they were in the new offices, Zbornak installed Call of Duty on everyone's computers "so they could blow off steam during edit sessions."

"When we moved to our new stages for Season 2, [Zbornak] did it again, but this time he also installed it on all of the writer's computers, and that's when the editors and writers started playing one another," Fischer continued. "They did exactly what Stamford did. They would turn off the lights and have this elaborate match going on."

The writers wanted to fit the game into a storyline for a while, and Jim's move to Stamford finally gave them a perfect opportunity.

22. Pam and Jim weren't always endgame

When Jim was in Stamford with Karen, fans saw the formerly engaged Pam and Roy hang out quite a bit. That's because there was a real possibility that Pam and Roy would get back together. Not only that, but there was also a chance that Jim and Pam were never going to end up together on the show. gasp

"There was talk in the writer's room that maybe Roy could win Pam back," Fischer recalled. "I also remember it was said that maybe in the series of The Office — maybe Jim and Pam would not end up together in the end, but would instead lead one another to their actual true loves."

Luckily for JAM stans, that wasn't the case.

23. Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski could actually hear each other when filming their famous phone call scene Jim talking to Pam (in the same time zone as her) Credit: SCREENSHOT: The Office / NBC / Peacock

In Season 3, Episode 5, "Initiation," Jim (in Stamford) and Pam (in Scranton) finally reconnected during a memorable phone call.

Fischer explained that the scene took hours to film, and she also noted that while real phone conversations were a rarity during filming, she and John Krasinski were really talking to each other during this scene.

"Randall Einhorn [director of the episode] requested that we be able to hear one another. But not just that, he wanted to shoot both sides of the conversation at the same time," Fischer said. The task, which Einhorn now realizes was "a very bold, complicated request," proved to be quite the challenge, because the Stamford set was in one building, the Scranton set was in another, and between them was a huge parking lot.

The NBC Universal IT squad actually had to come out to hook up the phone lines, set up "Video Village" (the tent with all the monitors) in the parking lot, and make sure that cables could run from each of the two sets to the tent. They also had to record audio on three different lines. There was a boom operator for both Jim and Pam, but the conversation on the phone line was recorded as well.

"It made all the difference for John and I to hear one another and to be able to really talk," Fischer said.

24. A dumb joke that Michael made in "A Benihana Christmas" cost $60,000

Licensing the rights to music can be seriously expensive, but sometimes, when the song completely makes a scene, it's worth it. Take The Office's "Benihana Christmas'' episode in Season 3, for example. 

Episode writer Jen Celotta recalled that a dumb joke she wrote, in which Michael Scott sings parodied lyrics to Eddie Money's "Two Tickets To Paradise," wound up costing the show a whopping $60,000. 

"I wrote a joke where Michael says, 'I got two tickets to paradise.' And he says, 'Pack your bags we're leavin' day after tomorrow,'" Celotta said. "At the sound mix I found out from Kent [Zbornak, The Office producer] that was a $60,000 joke."

"I was like, 'It's a fine joke, but none of my jokes I've ever written have been $60,000 jokes,'" she continued. "But I remember not so long after that we had some of our music budget pulled away from us, and I can't help but think. I mean, I was sitting at the mix and had no idea that because we sang that song the song had to be cleared, and that joke was $60,000."

25. John Mayer let The Office use his song (under one condition)

In the same Season 3 episode, fans may recall that Andy and Michael sang karaoke to John Mayer's "Your Body Is A Wonderland." How could anyone forget? Prior to filming, B.J. Novak, who knew Mayer, reached out to the singer to ask him if they could use his song in the episode, and let's just say things didn't go as planned.

"[John Mayer] was like, 'I don't think so,'" Fischer said. "And he actually wrote about this on his blog," she continued before reading the following excerpt from Mayer's 2016 blog post:

"One of my favorite shows on television, The Office, wanted to use my song, "Your Body Is A Wonderland" in a scene for their Christmas episode. Now, I'm not making apologies for my work, but it's safe to say I don't get asked to use 'Wonderland' for strongman competitions and documentaries about aircraft carriers. I usually get asked so that people can goof on it, so I initially turned down the request. But, after thinking about it I decided to go for it — but with one stipulation."

The stipulation? He wanted his own personalized Dundie award. So B.J. Novak presented John Mayer with a Dundie for "Tallest Music Dude" and the singer agreed to let the show use his song.

26. They shot a scene in "The Convention" episode on a real Amtrak train Train Boyz. Credit: SCREENSHOT: The Office / NBC / Peacock

If you assumed that train scene in "The Convention" was shot with a green screen, you're wrong. Fischer reached out to producer and production manager Kent Zbornak for the inside train scoop, and he delivered.

"They let us shoot on the train for free but we had to agree that we would not disrupt their schedule in any way," Fischer explained. "So on Day 2 of filming, while the set dressers and the production designers were setting up the hotel room at the convention, Steve, Rainn, and a very small crew loaded into vans and drove to the Simi Valley train station."

According to Fischer, the cast and crew had the entire caboose car to themselves. They boarded at 10:30 a.m., got their first shot at 11:03 a.m., and when the train reached the Burbank airport station at 11:27 a.m. they simply got off and drove back to the main set.

27. Dwight delivered his big speech to a bunch of dummies. Literally.

In Season 2, Episode 17, Dwight delivers an impassioned acceptance speech after winning the award for Dunder Mifflin's salesman of the year. (Dwight's address may or may not have inspired Kimberly Guilfoyle's 2020 RNC speech, but that's beside the point.)

On the Office Ladies podcast, Fischer and Kinsey explained that select cast and crew members spent a day filming scenes for the episode at the Universal Studios Sheraton Hotel. There, they hired 400 extras and used 100 dummies to fill the auditorium where Dwight spoke. They also had five "dummy wranglers" carry the fake torsos with arms and legs (that were dressed up in suits) around the room and place them accordingly. The dummies were primarily located on the sides and in the back of the room, but Zbornak says if you pause on the audience shots you can pick them out of the crowd.

28. Flipping the script during Dwight's speech

At one point during Dwight's big speech the audience scenes are actually flipped. You can tell because the name tags on the audience members switch from the left side of their chests to the right, and the names also look like they're written backwards. What a scene.

29. Steve Carell had an injury in the Season 2 episode, "Drug Testing" 

In a talking head from Season 2, Episode 20, you can briefly see that Carell's left ring finger is wrapped in a bandage. The story behind the wound is that he jammed his finger playing pick-up hockey, and it swelled so much that he wasn't able to get his wedding ring off for filming. Since Michael wasn't married, they had to opt for a quick visual fix.

30. A Stamford version of Jim and Pam exist Stamford Jim and Pam. Credit: MASHABLE COMPOSITE: The Office / NBC / Peacock

When Jim transferred to Stamford you may have thought the writers and crew members moved on from him and Pam, but a scene in the Season 3 "Initiation" episode proves that the couple was always on their minds.

In the scene where Jim wheels his chair over to the copier, there's something special going on in the background. Look carefully and you'll see an interaction between Stamford's very own Jim and Pam. :')

"I also talked to Randall about this, and he said this was totally on purpose," Fischer said. "He planted a guy standing at reception in the same way that Jim would always stand at reception and talk to Pam. He even has his sleeves rolled up the way Jim used to roll up his sleeves... And Randall said that was on purpose, to keep that Pam/Jim thing sort of in our orbit."

31. There's a hidden message on the whiteboard

To this day, I firmly believe that Steve Carell not winning an Emmy for his role as Michael Scott is one of the biggest award snubs in history. The cast of The Office felt the same, and they made it clear in the background of Season 3's "Branch Closing" episode.

At around 6:21, if you freeze and zoom in on the white board that's hanging by the accounting department, you'll see that Tuesday the 5th reads: "CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL FOR OUR FIRST OF MANY EMMYS. STEVE WAS ROBBED!"

The episode was filmed two weeks after the 2006 Emmy awards, which makes the white board message especially iconic. You should keep an eye on the board in future episodes, too, because Fischer and Kinsey said the writing was frequently changed.

32. A single word in Season 3 made Steve Carell repeatedly break character

In the Season 3 episode "Phyllis' Wedding," Michael famously checks on Phyllis in her dressing room before the ceremony and asks her if she broke wind. He later says the line, "That is…pungent," but Carell could barely get "pungent" out.

"That scene was unbelievable. We had the best time. I don't know how many times we had to stop to start over because there was one word in particular that we just could not get through," Phyllis Smith (who played Phyllis Lapin-Vance) said on the podcast. "And that was 'pungent.'"

"Every time Steve said the word 'pungent' he would break out into this high-pitched cackle. And then I would start laughing," she continued. "And then all of a sudden we heard the Video Village and the sound people outside the door, because we were in a small dressing room area with just the camera guy and a sound boom... So we could hear them cackling and laughing on the outside."

The line was so hard to get through without giggles that the sound crew had to relocate to the bottom of the stairs and set up. In the end, it was all worth it.

33. Several different bats were used when filming the "Business School" episode Meredith :( Credit: Mashable Composite: The Office / NBC / Peacock

Remember when a bat terrorized the office and ended up giving Meredith rabies after Dwight trapped it in a bag over her head? Of course you do. You don't just forget something like that.

As you can imagine, the bat scenes were tough to shoot, and the crew needed several different bats — one real, one mechanical, and one CGI bat — to make the episode look good. Whenever you see a bat flying around the office, that bat was made using CGI. The bat used in the scene where Dwight puts a bag over Meredith's head was mechanical. And a real bat was used in three scenes.

"The scene where Dwight stands on Pam's reception desk to look inside the ceiling. A few shots of the bat on the ceiling in the conference room. And for that shot of the bat on the ceiling in the kitchen," all featured a real bat, according to producer Kent Zbornak.

34. Rainn Wilson named the live bat Gary

Was Gary a reference to Michael Gary Scott? We may never know, but Kinsey says the cast and crew called the live bat Gary all week. Aww.

35. Kate Flannery did that terrifying bat stunt herself

While the bat inside the bag that Dwight trapped over Meredith's head was mechanical and definitely not real, Kate Flannery decided not to use a stunt double and braved the scene herself.

"I did all of it. The motorized thing on the head. It was like, sort of like this fluttery thing, something like a headband with a motor," Flannery explained. "And yes, I could breathe with a bag over my head. We figured it out. It was fine. So I was acting my ass off. And it was one of the most fun scenes I got to do with Rainn, since he is an amazing actor and he goes for it, man."

36. Michael's watermelon stunt in the "Safety Training" episode was almost CGI Look at that damage, baby! Credit: SCREENSHOT: The Office / NBC / Peacock

Remember in Season 3 when Michael makes his way to the roof with the intention of jumping off onto a trampoline? Then Dwight suggests they test the stunt by tossing a watermelon off the roof first? The final scene shows a real watermelon smash, but the team almost had to rely on CGI to get the shot.

According to the podcast, they purchased 12 watermelons for the trampoline test scene. The first 10 or 11 takes didn't go well, so showrunner Greg Daniels thought they'd have to use a CGI watermelon in the end. But one finally bounced off the trampoline and onto a Chrysler 300 in the parking lot. Beautiful.

37. The watermelon stunt wound up costing the show some unexpected cash

The watermelon that hit the Chrysler 300 reportedly dented the roof and broke the electric moon roof. The production team had to pay $6,500 to fix the damages. 

38-42. Cast members fully broke when filming these 5 scenes in the "Women's Appreciation" episode

• When Michael found out Phyllis was flashed, he cracked a few jokes, put his finger through the fly of his pants, and pretended it was a penis. He then had an exchange with Toby that was so funny John Krasinski could barely keep it together. 

• Later in the episode, Dwight describes the anti-flashing task force he's forming and Rainn Wilson couldn't get through the lines without breaking. They had to do 15 or 16 takes before they got the shot.

• Remember the scene where Michael Scott tries to spell out "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" like Aretha Franklin and simply butchers it? That wasn't scripted, and it sent the actors into a laughing fit.

• The episode also features a scene where Meredith eats potato chips while driving, and that sent Fischer into giggle fits.

• And then, of course, there's the scene between Angela and Michael in Victoria's Secret. Carell showed Kinsey no mercy, and (successfully) set out to make her break. "He was one hundred percent messing with me and I'd been given a very strict note from Tucker Gates [director] and Lee [Eisenberg, writer] and Gene [Stupnitsky, writer] that they really did not want Angela to entertain him at all," Kinsey said. "So I had to sit there, very stoic as Steve as Michael just got to throw these lines at me. And there's a few in the bloopers because it was really hard to keep it together. And Steve was just having a great time."

Look at Angela's poker face. Credit: SCREENSHOT: The Office / NBC / Peacock 43. The hot dog eating contest was a nightmare to shoot

In the Season 3 "Beach Games" episode Michael presents 800 hot dogs and challenges the office to partake in a horrible hot dog eating contest. Andy wins after eating 13 dogs, but the cast did not have a good time filming.

The scenes reportedly took so long to shoot that the guys started gagging, and though there were spit buckets on the beach, they apparently weren't easy to access. Blech.

44. The sumo wrestling scenes in "Beach Games" led to two real injuries

Ed Helms (Andy) and Leslie David Baker (Stanley) sustained real injuries while filming those scenes with the inflatable sumo wrestling suits.

"What happened was that during all this sumo wrestling, Leslie got sand in his eyes and they tried to flush it out, but they couldn't," Fischer explained. The sand was so painful that Baker had to leave set and seek medical attention, and it turns out he scratched his cornea. 

Then, when Andy and Dwight went to fight each other in the sumo suits, Helms lost a fingernail. 

"[Wilson] walks over and then they just start going at each other. And Ed is like kind of flailing his arms at him. Somehow in this tussle, Ed broke his fingernail. But he said he broke it really bad, like it ripped," Kinsey said. Ouch!

45. Andy floating on, and on, and on

Fans may recall that the "Beach Games" episode featured two noteworthy stunts. The first was when fingernail-missing hot dog king, Helms, fell into the water and floated away from shore in his sumo suit.

The scenes — one of Helms floating in the daytime and one shot at night — were a challenge to film, but the actor decided not to use a stunt double, so he floated on the water for more than 45 minutes.

46. Jenna's genuinely painful coal walk

The second stunt was Pam's hot coal walk. While the coals weren't actually hot when Fischer walked across them, she explained that her feet were in real pain from walking over the rocky surface so many times.

"I'll say that people have mentioned that I look like my feet really hurt after I walk across the hot coals and they've wondered if I really walked on hot coals," Fischer said. "No, my feet were sore and bruised from having to run across lava rocks over and over again."

47. The Season 3 finale has an alternate ending

The Season 3 finale, "The Job," ends with Jim's big interview. He went to meet David Wallace at Dunder Mifflin's corporate office in New York, but after finding a yogurt lid gold medal and an encouraging note that Pam slipped into his bag, he becomes visibly flustered and recalls an intimate moment he shared with Pam in the "Beach Games" episode. We then see him drive back to Scranton where he interrupts Pam's talking head to ask if she wants to grab dinner after work. Pam says yes, and Jim replies, "Then it's a date."

It's a perfect episode ending, but things almost went down differently.

"There were actually two versions in the script for the ending of this episode. There was this version with Jim interrupting my talking head, and then there was a second version which we shot," Fischer explained. "And in the script it says, 'Shoot both versions.'"

The scene didn't even make the deleted scenes reel, but Fischer described it for podcast listeners.

"In the second version, you hear voiceover of Jim throwing his interview with David. But it's even more. It's like, he's really cracking jokes. He's not taking it seriously at all, to the point that David actually says, 'Do you even want this job?'" she said. 

SEE ALSO: 'The Office' fansite that the cast actually obsessed over

"Meanwhile, while all that's happening, you see Pam leaving for the day. She doesn't do a talking head. She's just leaving for the day," Fischer continued. "She gets in the elevator, she goes down the elevator, and then when the elevator doors open, Jim is standing there and she says, 'You're back.' And he says, 'Yeah, do you want to go to dinner?' And Pam says, 'Yeah, I do.'"

"She walks out of the elevator and Jim pushes the camera back into the elevator. And as the doors are closing, they walk off together and he puts his arm around her and they smile at each other," Fischer said.

48. The real reason Jim and Pam didn't run in the "Fun Run" race

Jim and Pam recently started dating before the Season 4 "Fun Run" episode, so they were still secretly reveling in the beginning stage of their romantic relationship. (Even though they'd been flirting for literal years.) It's easy for fans to assume that they leisurely walked for the duration of Michael Scott's (Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am) Fun Run Race for the Cure because they wanted to be alone and cherish their time together. But the real reason they didn't take the race more seriously is because Fischer injured her back IRL and wasn't allowed to run.

49. The reappearing nurse's outfit

The "Fun Run" episode features the return of Elizabeth the stripper, played by Jackie Debatin. She's seen in a nurse's outfit and presents Michael with a giant check that's made out for $340.00 to SCIENCE. Fischer shared that the nurse's outfit was custom-made to feature a red circle with a white cross in the middle, because the Red Cross doesn't like their symbol (with the colors inverted) used for fictional purposes.

If the outfit looks familiar, that's because it reappears in the show's Season 7 Halloween episode.

"I wore that outfit, the exact same one, and it was a little too big for me, so I had to wear a little lace tank top underneath it and... they gave me the chicken cutlets to make everything a little bigger," Kinsey said. This wasn't the first time an item of clothing was reused on the show either. Remember Pam's Dundie's shirt? 

50. A hilarious "Fun Run" scene between Michael and Meredith was improvised "Wanna share?" Credit: SCREENSHOT: The Office / NBC / Peacock

The delightful episode ends with a simple yet deeply hilarious scene in which Michael and Meredith share a lollipop in the hospital. Would you believe that gross move was all improv? 

 "We asked Kate [Flannery] about it and she said they did not rinse [the lollipop] off," Fischer said. "She also said Steve improvised that in the moment and she just went with it," Kinsey added.

Extremely gross, yet so perfectly The Office.

If you've enjoyed this mega collection of Dunder Mifflin facts, check out all of Mashable's Office and Office Ladies podcast coverage. You can stream episodes of The Office on Peacock and follow along with the podcast every week on Earwolf, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher.

The first three minutes of Servant's third season on Apple TV+ unfold without a word.

It's just us watching Leanne Grayson (Nell Tiger Free) go through what seems like her typical morning routine. Her morning prayer, her daily journaling, a hot shower. But an air of menace hangs over every frame. Part of it is the baggage we carry into Season 3 from the 10 hours of TV leading to this point. But it's also evident in the present.

Leanne's quiet moments spent kneeling at her bedside in prayer include the prop of a dagger that was originally meant to be the instrument of her mutilation and eventual blood sacrifice in Season 2. The journal is just a series of empty pages with days of the week scrawled at the top. Whatever's going on in Leanne's head, she can't get a firm enough grip to put it down on paper. And the ritualistic scars etched across her back — a permanent reminder of Leanne's cult upbringing — leap into full view as the steamy water washes over her.

For two seasons and 20 episodes, we've watched with morbid fascination as Leanne has become a fixture in the Philadelphia townhouse belonging to Dorothy and Sean Turner (Lauren Ambrose and Toby Kebbell, respectively). We first met the couple, a tenacious newswoman and a highfalutin celebrity chef, in a moment of extreme grief as they tried to come to terms with the death of their newborn child.

Leanne arrived on the scene as a young but deeply committed nanny. Even as Dorothy cradled and cooed over a disturbingly lifelike therapy doll as if it were her actual son Jericho, meek and quiet Leanne treated her boss with kindness and compassion, embracing the "it's a real baby" delusion. She was completely unfazed when that doll was seemingly replaced with a living, breathing baby. Dorothy's grief allowed her to accept this completely impossible turn of events, and Leanne stuck by her.

The wordlessness of those three indulgent minutes purposefully keeps us fully present in every frame.

In Season 3, the nanny is more of a known quantity. We know about the cult that raised her, and how it's likely that the living baby called Jericho came from the cult, perhaps birthed by Leanne herself. And we remember well how Dorothy cruelly imprisoned and tortured her nanny in the second season, only to save her from a grisly fate in a last-minute twist at the end. But Servant is frugal with its reveals.

The team led by creator Tony Basgallop and executive producer M. Night Shyamalan leans on artful cinematography and formal production design more than blunt exposition. In the breathless and strangely tense sequence that kicks off Season 3, the lens hugs Leanne tight. We see what she sees in her most private moments; the shots are framed to suggest intimacy rather than intrusion. We're not voyeurs, Servant is saying; we're guests.

The first five of the 10 episodes making up Season 3 have been offered to critics. In all of these, Servant favors a creeping march in step with Leanne’s opening routine. This is a show that has always taken its time, and the wordlessness of those three indulgent minutes purposefully keeps us fully present in every frame. This pace might feel plodding to some, but it's been the show's raison d'etre from moment one. Servant's established formula is still humming along in Season 3.

I'm staying away from specifics because this is a mystery, and spoilers undermine the impact. But needless to say, each episode carries a single-word title that reads like an innocently ominous warning. Just about every scene unfolds inside or just outside the Turners' home. While the boundaries expand a bit further into new settings — just as they did in Season 2 — the location constraint is a conscious decision by the creators intended to keep viewers guessing about everything happening on the outside, even as they puzzle over the mystery within. Throughout, the camera is a near-tangible presence, with its consciously artful framing of every scene often saying more about what's going on than the characters themselves.

Credit: Apple TV+

When Dorothy's brother Julian (Rupert Grint) meets with his old private detective pal Matthew Roscoe (Phillip James Brannon) to set up a new information-gathering assignment focused on Leanne — Julian has never fully trusted her — we watch the two men from above, as if we're dangling on an overhanging tree branch. Where Leanne's tightly shot opening scene communicates a sense of intimacy, this one feels shifty and secretive. Now, viewers are the opposite of invited guests; instead, we're eavesdroppers.

In this scene, Julian and Matthew face in opposite directions. The staging reflects how the two men do not see eye to eye. Matthew is still traumatized after the cult used him as a pawn in Season 2. His uncertainty about helping Julian is made clear well before he spells it out in dialogue.

Strong performances from the main cast carry through into Season 3, which is no less engrossing at its midpoint than the two batches of episodes that came before. Servant's pace and form-over-function approach has built a deeply absorbing mystery since its start. Nonetheless, it's an acquired taste.

SEE ALSO: 'Invasion' on Apple TV+ is a slow burn best watched at once

I've come to think that the key to appreciating Servant is baked right into its luxurious food porn. Sean's career lives at home. His work as a chef who embraces the conceptual cooking of molecular gastronomy opens the door to long and lingering looks at the parallel processes of creation and destruction that are central to cooking. The camera constantly brings us close to dishes and ingredients at every stage of prep, giving us the time to take it all in and appreciate the process as much as the result.

Any fan of fine food will tell you this: A meal is meant to be savored. Servant's obsession with Sean's creations is a reminder that the show, too, is a heavily conceptual work that is best enjoyed in small bites. Count it as a blessing that Servant has remained a weekly series rather than an all-at-once binge opportunity. The pace of the show is too slow for that kind of heavy indulgence. This is the TV equivalent of fine dining. Like a long and indulgent high-end meal, Servant is built to dazzle us slowly. The act of consumption is central to the experience. The show invites us to consciously live in its every moment and think about the various ways it's communicating character and story.

Season 3 bites right back into that dynamic without a word. Leanne's silent procession through her morning routine speaks volumes. The status quo carries on for the Turners even now, as more evident signs of menace creep in from all sides. The table is set once again. Halfway through the season, it's clear that Servant has quite a feast in store.

Servant Season 3's first episode premieres on Apple TV+ on Jan. 21. New episodes will be released every Friday.

TL;DR: As of Jan. 22, this Portable Telescoping Stool is on sale for $34.99, down 22% from its retail price of $45.

Whether you're camping, hiking, fishing, or even just watching your kid's soccer game, you'd almost always choose a chair over the ground, right? But lugging around one of those heavy backpack chairs all day just so you can use it for one hour is hardly ideal. The cost of comfort, amirite?

With the Telescoping Stool, on the other hand, you'll always have a seat ready ready for you, and — wait for it — it won't weigh you down. Because this portable stool weighs just 2.76 pounds, you won't even realize you're carrying it. It's made out of ergonomic, lightweight plastic, so it can fold up completely flat to the size of a disk, and you can attach it to the outside of your bag or backpack. The stool itself comes with a carrying handle attached directly to it, and even a built-in shoulder strap. So, you don't need to be carrying a bag at all to take this stool with you on the go.

The flexible design allows you to adjust it to 11 different height angles, so the whole family can use it comfortably — even children. And just because this plastic is lightweight and slim doesn't mean it can't hold nearly anything you place on it. It can support up to 300 pounds of weight, so you never have to worry about it bending or breaking. It even comes with a manufacturer's lifetime warranty.  

See all the ways you can use this stool in the video below:

Normally the Telescoping Stool from Steel Vision Tools retails for $45, but for a limited time, you can shave 22% off and take it home for just $34.99.

Prices subject to change.

Credit: Steel Vision Tools Portable Telescoping Stool $34.99 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal

TL;DR: As of Jan. 22, the 2022 All-In-One Digital Marketing Certification Super Bundle — worth $2,400 — is on sale for $39.99. That's savings of 98%.

Not to be a buzzkill, but that marketing course you took in college a few (or more) years back is pretty much obsolete in today’s landscape. Thanks to social media, digital marketing is changing by the minute. And none of us have the money to sign up for college courses with every little change. Fortunately, that's why online courses exist — and this 2022 All-in-One Digital Marketing Course Bundle can get you up to date with a dozen.

This digital marketing collection includes 12 courses on social media platforms like TikTok, Reddit, Snapchat, and Instagram, the email marketing platform MailChimp, general topics like copywriting and SEO, and more current topics like NFTs. Considering NFTs weren't in the mainstream until 2021, there's very minimal chance your college course covered them.

Your instructors include network marketing pro, Sorin Constantin, digital transformation expert and founder of OMG-Mastermind, Kareem Moss, communications and marketing pro and co-founder of The Good Growth Academy, Giorgio Burlini, and more. Each is rated 4 out of 5 stars and up and teaches through hands-on activities. You’ll build a copywriting portfolio, set up a TikTok account and create your first TikTok, set up your first Facebook Ad, and develop your own Sponsored Lens on Snapchat.

If you just need to catch up on the latest SEO and copywriting tools, there are courses dedicated to each of those. If you want to dive deeper into interactive marketing platforms, like YouTube videos or even podcasting, there are courses for those as well.

Whether you’re trying to reach more customers online, expand your brand message, or simply get up to date on the latest digital marketing techniques, check out the 2022 All-In-One Digital Marketing Certification Super Bundle. For a limited time, it’s on sale for just $39.99 — that’s just $3.33 per course.

Prices subject to change.

Credit: OMG Mastermind The 2022 All-In-One Digital Marketing Certification Super Bundle $39.99 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal

TL;DR: As of Jan. 22, the Samsung MXT70 MX-T70 Sound Tower is on sale for $396.98 instead of $799, aka 50% off.

Looking to throw a rager reminiscent of your high school party days — i.e., the New Year's Eve party from Euphoria? You’re going to need to crank up the tunes. And what better way to do so than with the Samsung MXT70 Sound Tower?

Don’t worry, you don’t need to pay the typical $799. You can save 50% and get it on sale for just $396.98 for a limited time.

An actual tower of sound, the MXT70 features uniquely designed bi-directional speakers and 1500 watts of high-power audio. It will definitely keep the party pumping with explosive wall-to-wall sound. And thanks to the built-in 10-inch subwoofer, you won’t just hear the music, you’ll truly feel it. Want even more bass? Just press the bass boost button and take things to the next level.

The ultimate party companion, this sound tower also features fun LED party lights with different effects and modes — like party ambient and dance — to match your music. With the Sound Tower audio app, you can even DJ the sound and lighting effects from afar. It allows for multiple Bluetooth connections at once, too, so you can take turns with the playlist. If you have two microphones laying around, you can even take things a step further and set the tower to karaoke mode. Every party is better with karaoke.

What’s great about the Samsung Sound Tower devices is if you want a more immersive experience, you can buy more than one and connect them all together. But a single one can shake the walls in an average-sized home. So, you might want to start out small.

Regularly $799, you can grab this three-foot tower of sound and pump up the jams at your next party for just $396.98 for a limited time. 

Prices subject to change.

Credit: Samsung Samsung MXT70 MX-T70 Sound Tower $396.98 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal

TL;DR: The NYTSTND Trio Tray Wireless Charging Station is on sale for $172.99 as of Jan. 22.

There’s nothing wrong with the way you’re charging your devices, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t better options. The cluttered cables hardly make for a sleek, aesthetically pleasing desk space. This NytStnd Trio Tray, on the other hand, was built for those with expensive taste.

The NytStnd Trio Tray is a three-in-one wireless charging station that enhances your desktop aesthetic while juicing up three of your gadgets simultaneously. It’s usually $184, but you can grab it on sale in a variety of styles for $172.99 for a limited time.

With a five-coil surface, this charging tray provides super speedy 10W fast-charging for two compatible devices, 7.5W charging for iPhones, or 5W standard Qi protocols. There’s also a built-in front-facing Apple Watch charger that makes it easy to read while it juices up, as well as an additional USB-A port. So, technically, you can charge four different gadgets with this single charging station.

Super convenient, with a designated spot for each device and no messy cables, the NytStnd Trio Tray also charges through phone cases up to 5mm thick. So, you don’t need to pop your case off every time your device needs a battery boost.

As an added bonus, there’s a tray area that perfectly fits your wallet, keys, and any other extra everyday carry items you might have in your pockets. That means all of your essentials will be in view throughout the workday and easy to find when the day is up.

The NytStnd Trio itself is made with premium Amish-sourced wood and high-quality leather, so it’s definitely built to last. Plus, it comes with all the protections of any good charger: overheating, overpressure, overcurrent, and foreign object detection.

Get it at the discounted $172.99 price for a limited time in your choice of a white top with an oak base, white top with a black base, or black top with a black base.

Prices subject to change.

Credit: NytStnd NYTSTND Trio Tray Wireless Charging Station $172.99 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal

TL;DR: As of Jan. 22, the Complete 2022 Music Producer Bundle is on sale for just $39.99. It's worth $3,342, so that's savings of over 98%.

If your love of music goes way beyond listening to your favorite tracks on repeat, why not learn the ins and outs of the biz so you can create your own tracks? Whether you want to learn how to make beats, or are just curious about the music production industry in general, there's no better resource to turn to than Noiselab.

Noiselab is a collective of Ableton producers and electronic musicians who want to share their love of music with others. All instructors on Noiselab are Ableton Certified Trainers or producers with top-notch credentials. In this 2022 Complete Music Producers Bundle from Noiselab, you'll get instant access to over 80 hours of content that will take your music production knowledge and skills to the next level.

This bundle automatically grants you lifetime access to every music production course Noiselab has published in the last five years. You don't have to sign up for anything or pay a monthly fee. Just take advantage of the 98% discount going on right now, and that's the only price you'll ever have to pay.

The courses in this bundle include electronic music production levels one through three, a DJing course with Ableton Live, and synthesis and sidechain courses. Even better, you'll get behind-the-scenes access to studio sessions with industry vets like Patrick Collier and Stint. Once you feel like you've learned enough from the pros and want to try your own samplings, you can take advantage of the royalty-free sample/MIDI packs, so you can start making music right away. You can choose from pop, house, and future bass samples.

Normally, access to this music production bundle retails for $3,342. But for a limited time, you can take 98% off of the regular price and start learning how to produce your own beats for just $39.99.

Prices subject to change.

Credit: Noiselab The Complete 2022 Music Producer Bundle $39.99 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal

Dilbert readers - Please visit Dilbert.com to read this feature. Due to changes with our feeds, we are now making this RSS feed a link to Dilbert.com.

TL;DR: The Cloud Computing Architect Certification Bundle is on sale for £21.96, saving you 98% on list price.

If you’re interested in learning the essentials of cloud computing — and if you've got about £20 and 21 hours to spare — you can get started today.

With the help of this cloud computing training led by Idan Gabrieli, you’ll become a savant in solving latency issues and improving overall tech processes for companies. The training covers everything from cloud computing basics to microservices to machine learning and is designed especially for beginners in the field. Gabrieli (B.Sc. and MBA) is an entrepreneur, cloud and AI expert, and presales manager with a vast technical background.

Throughout the nine courses in this collection, you’ll explore the evolution of cloud technology, discover the five characteristics of cloud computing, discuss different cloud service models, and learn about cloud deployment models. From there, you can either dive into a three-part series on cloud computing with Microsoft Azure or a three-part series on machine learning. There’s also a beginner’s guide to microservices architecture and a deep dive course on the IaaS model of cloud computing. If none of this makes any sense to you yet, it’s totally fine. Gabrieli does a great job of taking you through the content step by step, starting with the absolute basics and working your way up.

While this cloud computing training is valued at £1,318, you can sign up for a limited time for just £21.96.

Credit: Idan Gabrieli Cloud Computing Architect Certification Bundle £21.96 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal

TL;DR: A lifetime subscription to TextSniper for Mac is on sale for £2.92, saving you 42% off list price.

TextSniper is a Mac app that lets you extract text from sources like images, YouTube videos, PDFs, screenshots, or presentations.

Thanks to advanced OCR (optical character recognition) technology, TextSniper can scan and recognise the text within any digital image, video, or document. It will then copy it, allowing you to paste the text directly into an editable format, like a note, text, or even Google Doc. It can also turn recognised text into speech, in case there’s a word or phrase you need to be pronounced, and scan barcodes and QR codes and turn them into text..

Once you download it, TextSniper lives in the menu bar on your Mac. When you do need it, just click your command and you’re ready to go.

TextSniper for Mac usually costs £4.39, but you can download it for life — updates included — for only £2.92 for a limited time.

Credit: TextSniper TextSniper for Mac (Lifetime Subscription) £2.92 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal

Living with pets is pretty great. Whether you have a cat or a dog, your life is probably better with them in it. But there’s one big downside: pet hair — on everything, all the time. It’s in your car, on your clothes, on your sofa, and collecting as little dust bunnies on your wood floor. There’s probably even a pet hair circle on your bed, a lasting reminder of their favourite sleeping spot.

Of course, you love them anyway, but that doesn’t mean you need to give up and accept a house full of pet hair. You have options, like buying a good handheld vacuum.

Why are handheld vacuums best for pet hair?

Traditional and robot vacuum cleaners are great, but let’s be honest, they don’t let you really get down into small corners or the small, dark crevices of your sofa. This is where handheld vacuums shine.

Handheld vacuums are ideal for pet hair because they’re generally small and lightweight, allowing you to walk around the house and attack any hairy spots you find without having to drag a heavy vacuum around with you. A small handheld vacuum can work great on your stairs, in your bedroom, or even in your car.

Some pet vacuums are also modern and stylishly designed so that you won’t even mind leaving them out around your home so that you can grab them whenever you need them. This is especially true if you get a handheld vacuum with a docking station. Handheld vacuums are also quieter than traditional vacuums, which means they’re less likely to scare your pets, and you’re more likely to use them.

Best of all is that many handheld vacuums are cordless and cost way less money than traditional cordless vacuums. This makes them even more convenient for your home and car. It also means you can use them on your clothes, too, because let’s be real, a handheld vacuum is way better than a lint roller at getting pet hair off your coat when you hang it up by the door.

What makes a vacuum cleaner good for pet hair?

If you’re shopping for a handheld vacuum that’s built to tackle pet hair, there are a few features you’ll want to consider:

Ergonomic design — You hold a handheld vacuum in your hands, which means you want to buy one that you can hold easily. Look for one that has an ergonomic handle so that you can hold and control it easily as you vacuum up your home.

Weight — The whole point of a handheld vacuum is portability, so when you’re shopping for a handheld vacuum, you want to make sure it’s lightweight and fits comfortably in your hand. Of course, everyone has a slightly different definition of what “lightweight” means, but in general, you want to make sure your arm doesn’t tire out faster than the battery.

Battery life — Unless you choose to go with a corded handheld vacuum, you’re going to want to pay close attention to battery life. Because most handheld vacuums are designed to be small, many of them can’t hold a charge for too long. But if your handheld vacuum loses battery quickly, you’ll find yourself constantly needing to recharge it, which can get frustrating very quickly. Some vacuums will even come with removable batteries, allowing you to swap out the battery if it starts to die, which allows your vacuum to last longer as a whole.

Suction power — It goes without saying, but a vacuum with weak suction is pretty useless, especially if you’re trying to clean up pet hair. So when you’re looking for a handheld vacuum, make sure you look for one with strong suction power.

Attachments — A good handheld vacuum won’t have just one tip. Instead, it will come with a variety of specialised tools to help you clean specific fabrics, crevices, or material types with ease. Look for handheld vacs with motorised brushes to pull pet hair up off fabric surfaces, crevice tools for your sofa cushions or crevices in your car seats, or pet hair brushes.

Warranties — Vacuums break, no matter how good they are. That’s why it’s always a great idea to get one with a warranty so that you can protect your investment and get it fixed if something goes wrong.

Storage — Some of the smaller handheld vacuums come with convenient charging docks so that you can easily store and keep them charged all in one place. The best docking stations will also have spots to stash all your vacuum attachments and accessories.

You'll also want to think about things like price and design, but keeping these things in mind is a good place to start.

What is the best handheld vacuum for pet hair?

There are lots of vacuums on the market right now, so it can be tough to find “the one.” That’s why we’ve done the research for you and rounded up the very best vacuums you can buy today.

These are the best handheld vacuum cleaners for pet hair in 2022.

SAVE 86%: ZenMate VPN offers streaming servers for bypassing the geo-restrictions of leading sites like Netflix. A three-year subscription to ZenMate VPN is on sale for £1.33 per month, and includes an extra three months for free.

ZenMate VPN is proof that you don't always need to splash out on the most expensive service to get the best set of features. It is absolutely loaded with advanced security features, with access to servers in 79 countries from around the world, apps for all leading operating systems, P2P support, and no limits on connections, speed, or bandwidth.

A three-year subscription to ZenMate VPN is on sale for £1.33 per month, and includes an extra three months of coverage for free. Subscribers also get a generous 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can get your money back if things don't work out. We don't think you'll need to use this, but it's reassuring to know you can recover your cash if you're not totally satisfied.

ZenMate VPN is also one of the best services for unlocking streaming sites like Netflix. It's probably not as good as the likes of ExpressVPN, but it's a lot cheaper. If you're looking to watch more content from around the world, without spending £5 a month on a service, ZenMate VPN should be something to seriously consider.

Access more shows and movies on top streaming sites with ZenMate VPN.

Credit: ZenMate VPN ZenMate VPN (3-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) £1.33 per month at ZenMate VPN Get Deal