Cool Stuff Daily

Cool Stuff Ride Home returns with new hosts, Reggie Risseeuw and Marques Pfaff. The latest Picasso painting to be sold brings in the second highest price for one of his pieces, Google will start deleting inactive accounts, The Toy Hall of Fame inductees have been announced, a show of goodwill in New York, Jared Leto scales the Empire State Building, and a look at this day in history. contact the show - [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all love a good ending, but has the culture around spoiler warnings gone too far? Plus, a roundup of interesting links and stories from my drafts. And the story of the Cool Stuff Ride Home. Sponsors: Indeed, Indeed.com/goodnews ZocDoc, zocdoc.com/coolstuff Links: Spoiler Alert History: No Alarms and No Surprises, Please (Tedium) guys who think everything is a spoiler (Man Carrying Things, YouTube) The Antisemitism of ‘Harry Potter’ Returns in ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ (The Mary Sue) Dream Interpreter AI Viral Vault: The Kinetic Poetry of Gary Brolsma's “Numa Numa Dance” (Consequence) CNN Exclusive: Inside the secretive process to select the first astronauts for NASA's next moon mission (CNN) Sync Your Calendar With the Solar System (NY Times) The Rude, Cruel, and Insulting 'Vinegar Valentines' of the Victorian Era (Atlas Obscura) The Atlas Obscura Podcast The Twisted Life of Clippy (Seattle Met) Voice Changer Online Shopping in the 1950s (Messy Nessy) The Astounding Physics of N95 Masks (Minute Physics, YouTube) My newsletter, First Draft Theater (Substack) My Twitter My YouTube Channel My Instagram My TikTok The Neo-Futurists, the experimental theater company I'm in The NY Neo-Futurists’ podcast, Hit Play Hit Play Live in NYC on 2/13 C.A.M.P. this summer in the Catskills Everything’s Bigger Book me to speak at your event! My book See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An extra long episode, featuring the history of the M&M’s spokescandies and why we care about them so much. Plus, codebreakers have just decrypted over 50 lost letters from Mary, Queen of Scots. And another Valentine’s Day campaign to help you enact revenge on your ex––this time with a surprise scorpion. Sponsors: ZocDoc, zocdoc.com/coolstuff Indeed, Indeed.com/goodnews Links: The History Of M&M's Isn't As Sweet As You Think It Is (All That’s Interesting) Gen Z's Favorite Brands 2022 (Morning Consult) The Former Creatives Behind M&M's Mascots Believe the Characters Are Adding Fun to Cancel Culture (Ad Week) 1954 commercial debut of spokescandies (YouTube) Another 1950s M&M commercial (YouTube) The History of the M&M Characters – Nostalgia Critic (Channel Awesome, YouTube) The Woke Agenda Finally Came For Our Sexy M&M's (BuzzFeed News) Pre-Super Bowl is the new April Fools (Jackson Bird, Twitter) Next Phase Of M&M's® Super Bowl Lvii Campaign Unveiled (PR News Wire) Was the Recent M&M’s Announcement Just a Stunt Leading Up to the Super Bowl? (NY Times) Clam commercial (M&Ms, YouTube) Codebreakers crack secrets of Mary Queen of Scots’ lost letters (EurkeAlert) The Lost Letters of an Imprisoned Queen Have Been Decrypted After 400 Years (Vice) A Tip for the Hangman by Allison Epstein Topo Chico Hard Seltzer Will Send Your Ex a Scorpion for Valentine's Day Send Your Ex an Edible Scorpion green m&m (@greenmfanfic) (Instagram) My newsletter, First Draft Theater (Substack) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How the invention of photography changed the world in unintended ways. Plus, an American man whose prostate cancer caused him to speak with an Irish accent. And stick around to the end for a very important announcement about the podcast. Sponsors: Indeed, Indeed.com/goodnews ZocDoc, zocdoc.com/coolstuff Links: 5 Unintended Consequences of Photography (Saturday Evening Post) A Man’s Prostate Cancer Gave Him An 'Uncontrollable' Irish Accent (Gizmodo) Rare Cancer Causes US Man to Suddenly Develop an Irish Sounding Accent (Science Alert) What Is Foreign Accent Syndrome? (WebMD) Foreign accent syndrome as a heralding manifestation of transformation to small cell neuroendocrine prostate cancer (BMJ Case Reports) My newsletter, First Draft Theater (Substack) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How the State of the Union address has changed in its 233 years. Plus, the “extinct” versions of SARS CoV-2 that are still circulating among animals. And, donate to the San Antonio Zoo and they’ll name a cockroach after your ex. Sponsors: ZocDoc, zocdoc.com/coolstuff Indeed, Indeed.com/goodnews Links: The State of the Union address's history, explained (Vox) A Brief History of the State of the Union Address (Mental Floss) Memorable moments from recent State of the Union addresses (ABC News) Unanimous Verdict: Networks Chose Clinton (NY Times, 1997) 'Extinct' Coronaviruses Still Thrive in North America, Just Not in Humans (ScienceAlert) Cry Me A Cockroach (San Antonio Zoo) Philadelphia Eagles player is bringing his pregnant wife’s OBGYN to the Super Bowl, just in case (Upworthy) Ben Stiller in talks to star in Three Identical Strangers (A/V Club) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SpaceX’s Starship rocket might be attempting its first-ever orbital launch next month. Plus, a look back at another space billionaire’s brief appearance in the soda wars with Virgin Cola. And a quick update on the AI Seinfeld cartoon. Sponsors: Indeed, Indeed.com/goodnews ZocDoc, zocdoc.com/coolstuff Links: Get ready: SpaceX Starship's first launch is for real (Mashable) SpaceX will attempt Starship orbital test in March, says Elon Musk (Engadget) SpaceX eyeing March for 1st Starship orbital flight, Elon Musk says (Space.com) Bigger, faster, farther: A batch of new rockets is set to blast into space this year (NBC News) Virgin Cola: Richard Branson's Greatest Failure (Tedium) Watch Pepsi, Where's My Jet? (Netflix) Endless Seinfeld episode grinds to a halt after AI comic violates Twitch guidelines (Ars Technica) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scientists have uncovered a new form of ice. Plus, James Cameron hired a forensics team and some stunt performers to answer once and for all whether there was enough room for Jack on that door. And the podcaster who invented a new kind of pasta is back with two rare pasta types. Sponsors: ZocDoc, zocdoc.com/coolstuff Indeed, Indeed.com/goodnews Links: Shaking Ordinary Ice (Very Hard) Transformed It Into Something Never Seen Before (NY Times) Scientists made a new kind of ice that might exist on distant moons (Nature) James Cameron Tests Infamous 'Titanic' Door Theories in a New 25th Anniversary Special (Collider) James Cameron aims to finally put that 'Titanic' door debate to rest, 25 years later (NPR) The Inventor of Cult-Fave 'Cascatelli' Pasta Has Dropped 2 New Pasta Shapes (Vice) Everything You Need To Know About Cascatelli, The New Pasta Shape From The Sporkful’s Dan Pashman (The Sporkful) Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania In-World Scott Lang Autobiography Is Actually Available to Buy (Comicbook) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The AI-generated Seinfeld parody cartoon that never goes off the air. Plus, Netflix did not read the room when they announced the AI image generation in their latest anime short. And a smartwatch that stops working if you don’t keep the living organism inside of it alive. It’s a high-stakes Tamagotchi, and it has an intriguing purpose. Links: Watchmeforever (Twitch) ‘Nothing, Forever’ Is An Endless ‘Seinfeld’ Episode Generated by AI (Vice) Trans Seinfeld (voxybunch, Twitter) More trans Seinfeld (gayjerryseinfeld, Tumblr) AI ‘Seinfeld’ Parody Experiment Foretells Streaming’s Hellish Future (The Mary Sue) Netflix Made an Anime Using AI Due to a 'Labor Shortage,' and Fans Are Pissed (Vice) Netflix is getting blasted for using AI art in an anime instead of hiring artists (Mashable) Netflix stirs fears by using AI-assisted background art in short anime film (Ars Technica) High-Stakes Tamagotchi: Living Smartwatch Literally Dies if You Don't Feed It (Gizmodo) Smartwatch Powered By Slime Mold Is Like Having A Tamagotchi On Your Wrist (IFL Science) Bizarre Smartwatch Contains Living Organism (Futurism) Integrating Living Organisms in Devices to Implement Care-based Interactions (Human Computer Integration Lab) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The dodo bird is back, baby! Or at least lots of investors are betting on its return. But why is de-extincting animals the hot new thing and what does it mean for the future of conservation? Plus, Abraham Lincoln: Bartender. Another look at his motley early career and earliest speeches that still resonate today. Links: Why Bother Bringing Back the Dodo? (Wired) A de-extinction company is trying to resurrect the dodo (MIT Technology Review) Mon. 09/13 - De-Extinct Woolly Mammoths & Potty-Trained Cows (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Tue. 08/16 - De-Extincting Tasmanian Tigers (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Bartender-In-Chief: Abraham Lincoln Owned A Tavern (The Chicagoist) Abraham Lincoln Personal Data and Trivia (Abraham Lincoln Research Site) Lincoln's New Salem 1830-1837 (National Parks Service) Lincoln's New Salem by Benjamin P. Thomas Postmasters Abraham Lincoln and Harry Truman (USPS) Mon. 02/21 - Emo Poet & Wrestling Champ Abe Lincoln (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Where did lorem ipsum come from? The answer turns out to be just as murky as the nonsense placeholder text itself. Plus, a new game that challenges you to guess when photos were taken. And the best family sitcom of the turn of the twenty-first century is getting a revival. Links: The hero(ine) who invented Lorem Ipsum may never be known. (Slate) Lorem ipsum translated: it remains Greek to me (The Guardian, 2014) Lorem ipsum : nouvel état de la question (L’Intelligence du Monde, 2012) What does the filler text “lorem ipsum” mean? (Straight Dope, 2001) The History of Lorem Ipsum (Priceonomics, 2015) DeLorean Ipsum Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? by James Shapiro Chronophoto ‘King Of The Hill’ Revival Ordered By Hulu; Original Cast Returning (Deadline) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How scientists are deciding how we will tell time on the moon and beyond. Plus, a new Frog and Toad series from Apple TV+ has gay Twitter crossing their fingers. Links: What time is it on the Moon? (Nature) How living on Mars time taught me to slow down (NPR) NASA's Perseverance rover team will have to live on 'Mars time' after landing on the Red Planet (Space.com) Watchmaker With Time to Lose (NASA JPL, 2004) LunaNet: Empowering Artemis with Comm and Nav Interoperability (NASA) Where the Minutes Are Longer: The Weird Science of Telling Time on Mars (The Atlantic, 2012) NASA GISS: Mars24 Sunclock (NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies) 'Frog and Toad' TV Show Set at Apple TV+, Full Spring Kids Slate (Variety) Everyone’s Favorite Queer Couple, Frog and Toad, Are Coming to TV (them) Frog & Toad Are Friends (entire video) (John Clark Matthews, YouTube) “Frog and Toad”: An Amphibious Celebration of Same-Sex Love (The New Yorker) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some wildly optimistic projects being funded by NASA––including more sustainable commercial aircrafts and self-growing bricks on Mars. Plus, a new Shakespearean theater company whose performances all take place inside one of the world’s most popular video games. Links: It’s Not Sci-Fi—NASA Is Funding These Mind-Blowing Projects (Wired) NASA Selects Experimental Space Technology Concepts for Initial Study (NASA) NASA Issues Award for Greener, More Fuel-Efficient Airliner of Future (NASA) New aircraft design from NASA and Boeing could benefit passengers in the 2030s (CNN) Booth by Karen Joy Fowler All the (open) world’s a stage: how the video game Fallout became a backdrop for live Shakespeare shows (The Guardian) Channing Tatum Is Back for ‘Magic Mike’s Last Dance’ (Vanity Fair) Roxane Gay Dishes On Her Secret Project With Channing Tatum (The Advocate) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is the huge increase in the price of eggs being caused by price-gouging and not avian flu? Plus, why we need to be paying attention to avian flu even beyond its relation to egg prices. And people are selling bottles of water from the recently-closed Splash Mountain on eBay. Links: November 2022 episode on egg and chicken prices (Cool Stuff Ride Home) High egg prices should be investigated, U.S. farm group says (Reuters) Egg price spike prompts demands for price-gouging probe (CBS News) Letter to the FTC Chair (Farm Action) WTF Is Going on With Absurd Egg Prices? Corporate Greed, Group Tells FTC (Vice) $18 a dozen: how did America’s eggs get absurdly expensive? (The Guardian) Britain’s broken egg industry shows the price of food inflation (Reuters) Ioan Humphrey's perspective from farmers (ThatWelshFarmer, Twitter) Bird flu outbreak in mink sparks concern about spread in people (Nature) Deaths of thousands of wild birds from avian flu is ‘new Silent Spring’ (The Guardian) I Lived Like a 1940's WARTIME HOUSEWIFE for 48 HOURS! (Sage Lilleyman, YouTube) Disney Fans Are Selling Splash Mountain Water After Ride Closes (Kotaku) Disney’s Splash Mountain Closed. Now Superfans Are Selling the Water. (NY Times) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Wikipedia editors are bringing more nuance into their decisions and what ripple effects that can have on a website that increasingly defines our shared reality. Plus, how do you refer to historical figures who may have been trans? And a veritable laundry list of attempted Wikipedia hoaxes––including the recent discovery of what is most likely Representative George Santos’ Wikipedia user bio from over a decade ago, and its many, many creative lies. Links: The Culture Wars Look Different on Wikipedia (The Atlantic) My video on talking about potentially trans people from history (Jackson Bird, YouTube) The debate over George Jetson's birthday (Cool Stuff Ride Home) The Mr. Pringles hoax (Cool Stuff Ride Home) The fabricated Scots Wikipedia pages (Cool Stuff Ride Home) George Santos appears to admit drag queen past in Wiki post (Politico) The High Five Wikipedia page love story (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Depths of Wiki on Twitter Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Doomsday Clock has ticked down even closer to midnight, but how useful of a mechanism is it? Plus, some good news on climate change. And a new Wordle spin-off for the Zillow-obsessed. Links: We are now 90 seconds to our doom (The Verge) Current Time - 2023 (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists) Is It Time to Call Time on the Doomsday Clock? (Wired) Climate Clock The Climate Clock Now Ticks With a Tinge of Optimism (NY Times) A few pieces of good news on climate change (and a reality check) (MIT Technology Review) The Wordle of real estate is here. Can you guess a home's asking price? (Business Insider) Housle Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Earth’s inner core has paused its spinning and reversed its course . Sounds alarming, but everything is fine. Plus, what medieval Christian monks, the OG hustle bros apparently, can teach us about distraction and routine. Links: Earth’s Inner Core Paused, Then Reversed Its Spin. This Is Fine. (NY Times) Earth's Inner Core May Right Now Be in The Process of Changing Direction (Science Alert) Earth’s Core Has Stopped and May Be Reversing Direction, Study Says (Vice) Easily Distracted? You Need to Think Like a Medieval Monk (Wired) What Monks Can Teach Us About Paying Attention (The New Yorker) The Wandering Mind by Jamie Kreiner It’s Not You, It’s Me and My Science-Based, Life-Optimizing Podcasts (McSweeney’s) Tweet discussion on infrastructure for life without smartphones disappearing (Ilana Masad, Twitter) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How did whales get so big anyways? Plus, a new study claims coffee pods are more environmentally-friendly than regular filter coffee. Is it true? Sponsor: ZocDoc, zocdoc.com/coolstuff Links: The genes that made whales gigantic (Phys.org) Unlocking the Genes That Made Whales Into Giants (NY Times) For whales, study shows gigantism is in the genes (Reuters) Whales or dinosaurs: What are the biggest, heaviest, longest animals ever? (Slate, 2014) Wed. 06/22 - Pinocchio, Fascism, & Guillermo del Toro (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Coffee pod carbon footprint better for planet than filtered brew (BBC) Single-use coffee pods have surprising environmental benefits over other brewing methods (Washington Post) Here's how your cup of coffee contributes to climate change (The Conversation) Turns out coffee pods are actually pretty good for the environment (WIRED, 2019) If I Care About the Environment but Am Also Lazy, Should I Get a Nespresso or Keurig? (Wirecutter) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A deep dive on marginalia. What is it, why should you do it, and how does it reveal the more joyful side of history’s most famous sadboy, Edgar Allan Poe? All that and more in this extended love letter to writing in books. Sponsor: ZocDoc, zocdoc.com/coolstuff Links: Edgar Allan Poe on the Joy of Marginalia and What Handwriting Reveals about Character (The Marginalian) Marginalia by Edgar Allan Poe How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren Meaning in the Margins: On the Literary Value of Annotation (Literary Hub) Historical Figures who’d be outrageous online? (r/AskHistory) Drool over the personal bookplates of 18 famous writers. (Literary Hub) How Leaning into Marginalia Helped Me Accept the Loss of Control That Comes with Publication (Literary Hub) Please Report Your Bug Here by Josh Riedel Ryan Holiday's 3-Step System for Reading Like a Pro (Ryan Holiday, YouTube) Edgar Allan Poe Watches Too Much Tiktok (McSweeney’s) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earth-like exoplanet discoveries galore, including some that could be habitable. Plus, a look back at the clandestine history of the CIA’s pigeon surveillance missions. Sponsors: ZocDoc, zocdoc.com/coolstuff Links: NASA Just Discovered a Rare Earth-Sized Planet in a Habitable Zone (ScienceAlert) NASA has discovered an Earth-sized planet orbiting in the habitable zone of its star (CBS News) NASA’s TESS Discovers Planetary System’s Second Earth-Size World (NASA) Another Earth-size exoplanet discovered in habitable zone of nearby star (The Verge) When the CIA Spied on American Citizens—Using Pigeons (Atlas Obscura) CIA unveils Cold War spy-pigeon missions (BBC) Thu. 12/09 - Birds Aren't Real (And Neither Is This Gen Z Conspiracy Theory) (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Pigeon Camera (CIA) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It looks like the ozone layer is on track to be restored in just a couple of decades. Plus, an opportunity to get paid for donating your stool samples. (Yes, really) And an examination of the nineteenth and twentieth century phenomenon of Tom Thumb Weddings, AKA elaborate fake weddings for small children. Sponsors: ZocDoc, zocdoc.com/coolstuff Links: Ozone layer may be restored in decades, UN report says (BBC) The ozone layer is on track to recover in the coming decades, the United Nations says (NPR) Earth’s ozone layer is on the mend (The Verge) UN says ozone layer slowly healing, hole to mend by 2066 (Phys.org) National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) (CDC) Looking To Make Some Extra Cash? You Could Earn Up to $1500 per Month for Donating Your Poop (Mental Floss) GoodNature™ Program (Seres Therapeutics) The Way We Were (Reddit) At Tom Thumb Weddings, Children Get Faux-Married to Each Other (Atlas Obscura) A General, a Queen, and the President (Boundary Stones) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some projects that will help you suss out the truth in movies that claim to be “based on a true story.” Plus, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s most controversial speech. Sponsor: ZocDoc, zocdoc.com/coolstuff Links: Thread about Selma and historical accuracy (Franklin Leonard, Twitter) Reel history (The Guardian) Is Selma historically accurate? (The Guardian) Based on a *True* True Story? (Information Is Beautiful) Based on a True True Story? (Information Is Beautiful, Google Sheets) Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence text Beyond Vietnam: A Time To Break Silence audio (Internet Archive) Mon. 1/18/21 - When the FBI Spied on Martin Luther King Jr. (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Mon. 01/17/22 - What's In a Name? From Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to MLK (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New findings from the JWST may push the origins of the universe’s earliest galaxies back millions of years. Plus, a huge rare earth deposit has been found in Sweden. And an Instagram-based library run out of the home of a famous Mexico City artist––with a bonus defense of owning books you haven’t read. Links: The James Webb Space Telescope Is Finding Too Many Early Galaxies (Sky and Telescope) The 1st galaxies may have formed much earlier than we thought, James Webb Space Telescope reveals (Space.com) Astronomers May Have Just Spotted the Universe’s First Galaxies (Wired) Huge rare earth metals discovery in Arctic Sweden (BBC) China note! EU-member Sweden locates rare earth deposits (AP) Sweden finds rare earth deposits that could benefit Western consumers (Washington Post) Europe's biggest deposit of rare earth metals discovered in Sweden (Interesting Engineering) How I Survived the Closure of My Library (Book Riot) The Japanese call this practice tsundoku, and it may provide lasting benefits (Big Think) This Mexico City Artist Created an Instagram-Based Library (Literary Hub) Tlacuilo Biblioteca (Instagram) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What exactly is an “atmospheric river,” why is it causing so much havoc in California right now, and what do these current storms mean for the future? Plus, NASA and Roscosmos have reached an agreement on how to bring three ISS crew members back to Earth following a coolant leak on a Soyuz spacecraft. Just don’t call it a rescue mission. Links: Why California Is Being Deluged by Atmospheric Rivers (Scientific American) Storm-ravaged California scrambles as fresh atmospheric river rolls in (The Guardian) California’s onslaught of storms is far from over. Will it ever end? (Washington Post) A ‘Pineapple Express’ Is Bringing Rain and Snow to California (NY Times) The Coming Megafloods (Scientific American, 2013) Extreme drought nearly eliminated in California in wake of atmospheric rivers (ABC News) Will the atmospheric rivers drenching California beat back devastating drought? (CBS News) Rivers in the Sky: What You Need to Know About Atmospheric River Storms (KQED) The science behind atmospheric river storms, explained (San Francisco Chronicle) Op-Ed: We Shouldn't Rely on Atmospheric River Miracles (Bay Nature) Russia to send replacement craft to retrieve crew from space station (Washington Post) Russia Confirms Rescue of Stranded Cosmonauts With a Replacement Mission (ScienceAlert) Russia to launch new Soyuz capsule to replace leaky spacecraft on space station (Space.com) Last Tuesday's episode mentioning the Soyuz coolant leak (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Were the first stone tools in the Americas made, not by ancient humans, but by monkeys? Plus, could color-changing cars be in our future? And will other nations follow New Zealand’s lead on banning cigarettes to future generations? Links: Monkeys – Not Humans – Made Ancient Sets of Stone Tools in Brazil, Study Finds (ScienceAlert) Scientists prove that tools attributed to ancient humans were made by ancestors of capuchin monkeys (CONICET) Ancient Stone Tools Once Thought to be Made by Humans Were Actually Crafted by Monkeys, Say Archaeologists (Artnet News) These monkeys are 3000 years into their own 'Stone Age'. (National Geographic, 2019) Monkeys Make Stone "Tools" That Bear a Striking Resemblance to Early Human Artifacts (Scientific American, 2017) Check out BMW’s color-changing concept car in action (The Verge) BMW's E Ink Car Wrap Just Took The Leap Into Color (Slash Gear) End of the cigarette? Labour unveil plan to wipe out smoking by 2030 by banning sale of tobacco (LBC) Cigarette sales could be banned under Labour (Wales Online) Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg | 8th January 2023 (Political TV, YouTube) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A historic satellite launch in the United Kingdom ended in disappointment last night. Plus, how “y’all” left the south and its surprising possible origins in… seventeenth century England? Links: UK space industry mulls setback after satellite launch fails (AP) UK space launch: Historic Cornwall rocket launch ends in failure (BBC) Britain's satellite hopes undimmed by mission failure (Reuters) The first orbital launch attempt from the UK ends in failure (Ars Technica) Virgin Orbit rocket suffers anomaly during 1st launch from UK (Space.com) Even before Monday’s launch failure, Virgin Orbit’s finances were dismal (Ars Technica) China's First Mission to Mars Seems to Be Struggling (Gizmodo) 'Y'all,' that most Southern of Southernisms, is going mainstream – and it's about time (The Conversation) Y’all: It’s Older Than We Knew (History News Network) Y’all: the Most Inclusive of All Pronouns (The New York Times) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A cave art discovery that could put the development of writing back thousands of years. Plus, one US state taking concrete steps against misinformation. And Benoit Blanc isn’t just playing Among Us, now he’s in it. Links: Amateur archaeologist helps crack Ice Age cave art code (BBC News) An Upper Palaeolithic Proto-writing System and Phenological Calendar (Cambridge Archaeological Journal) A Total Amateur May Have Just Rewritten Human History With Bombshell Discovery (Vice) The Tower of Babel, Episode One (Literature and History) New Jersey becomes first state to mandate K-12 students learn information literacy (Politico) Governor Murphy Signs Bipartisan Legislation Establishing First in the Nation K-12 Information Literacy Education (State of New Jersey) Announcing: Among Us x Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Cosmetic (Innersloth) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How old is fast food? And to what extent was food actually healthier in the past, before our days of factory farming and artificial preservatives? A deep dive into the pros and cons of convenience food then and now. Links: A Plea for Culinary Modernism by Rachel Laudan, 2001 Thread and replies on the article (Jason Crawford, Twitter) 11/21/23 episode including a brief background on the baguette (Cool Stuff Ride Home) 01/29/21 episode on the Pompeii snack bar (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Maintenance Phase "You Just Need to Lose Weight": And 19 Other Myths about Fat People by Aubrey Gordon McDonald's Opens a Tiny Restaurant — and It's Only for Bees (OpenCulture, 2019) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A vaccine for bees. Plus, the Japanese government will pay families to leave Tokyo. And a device that doesn’t let you type “LOL” unless you actually laughed out loud. Links: US government approves use of world’s first vaccine for honeybees (The Guardian) World-First Vaccine For Honeybees Gets Approved In The US (IFL Science) United States Honey Bee Colony Losses 2021-2022: Preliminary Results From The Bee Informed Partnership (Bee Informed) Helping Agriculture's Helpful Honey Bees (FDA) Why Are Bees Dying? It's Not What You Might Think : Short Wave (NPR, 2020) Japanese government offers families 1m yen a child to leave Tokyo (The Guardian) Families Offered Several Million Yen to Move Out of Tokyo (Bloomberg) Japanese families reportedly set to receive 1 million yen per child for moving out of Tokyo (CNBC) Cities That Pay You to Move There: A Guide to 11 Programs (Zillow) Burning The Candle At Both Ends: Sandwich Generation Caregiving In The U.S. (National Alliance for Caregiving and Caring Across Generations) This Device Will Not Let You LOL Unless You Mean It (Vice) Spotify has a new time capsule feature that you'll only get to open next year (Mashable) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Could a poop vault become joining the Svalbard Global Seed Vault's new neighbor? Some scientists think could be a pretty crappy move. Plus, the US congressman who’s slated to be sworn in on a Superman comic. And the History of the World, Part Two. Links: The “disappearing” human microbiome — and the fraught push to preserve it (Inverse) A Mass Extinction Is Taking Place in the Human Gut (WIRED) The Invisible Extinction EXPLAINER: How the House of Representatives elects a speaker (AP) Kevin McCarthy’s failed House speakership bid, explained (Vox) Congressman-elect to be sworn in on the Constitution — and a Superman comic (Washington Post) First 'History of the World Part II' Images Tease Long Awaited Mel Brooks Sequel (Collider) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are we at the beginning of a new space race? NASA Administrator Bill Nelson thinks so. Plus, why father of genetics Gregor Mendel’s skeleton was dug up last year. And a chance to read history’s most famous diarist’s words in real time over the next decade. Links: ‘We better watch out’: NASA boss sounds alarm on Chinese moon ambitions (Politico) China sets out clear and independent long-term vision for space (Space News) ‘We’re in a space race’: Nasa sounds alarm at Chinese designs on moon (The Guardian) NASA mulls SpaceX backup plan for crew of Russia's leaky Soyuz ship (Reuters) Russia wants to send cosmonauts to China space station (Space.com) Why scientists dug up the father of genetics, Gregor Mendel, and analyzed his DNA (NPR) The Body Of Gregor Mendel, Father Of Genetics, Was Dug Up For DNA Analysis (IFL Science) Video of Gregor Mendel's skeleton (BrnoNewsCTV, Twitter) The Diary of Samuel Pepys The Diary of Samuel Pepys tweets (samuelpepys, Twitter) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our final lookback on some of the best segments from the past few years. From 2021, how beer-making used to be considered women’s work, and also may have popularized some of the popular symbols, like broomsticks and pointed hats, that we associate with witches today. Plus, why the CIA covertly funded the British cartoon adaptation of Animal Farm in the 1950s. And, as 2022 comes to a close, a look back at one man’s predictions for this year, written from his perspective in 1922. Links: Fri. 03/12/21 - Brewsters & Alewives (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Women used to dominate the beer industry – until the witch accusations started pouring in (The Conversation) The Ale-Soaked Medieval Origins of the Witch's Hat (Vice) Hops: The beer ingredient (most) drinkers love (Washington Post) The history of the witch's hat: origins of its pointy design. (Slate) How Much Did the History of Beer Have to Do With ... Witches? (The Mary Sue) Tue. 04/26/22 - When the CIA Funded an Animal Farm Cartoon (Cool Stuff Ride Home) The cartoon that came in from the cold (The Guardian, 2003) How the CIA Played Dirty Tricks With Culture (NY Times, 2000) All Propaganda is Dangerous, but Some are More Dangerous than Others: George Orwell and the Use of Literature as Propaganda (JSTOR) Keeping It All in the (Nuclear) Family: Big Brother, Auntie BBC, Uncle Sam and George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four (Frames Cinema Journal) Thu. 01/06/22 - 1922's Predictions for 2022 (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Image 87 of The New York herald (New York, N.Y.), May 7, 1922 (Library of Congress) "One Hundred Years From Now" poem by Mary A. Ford (Library of Congress, LOC Serendipity) What the World Will Be Like in a Hundred Years (1922) (Hacker News) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today from the Cool Stuff Ride Home archives, how Polynesian voyagers navigated the oceans without compasses or maps, and how a new generation is bringing back those traditional skills. Plus, Waffle House’s earnest and hilarious record label. And, looking at “The Dress” seven years on––did that viral moment lay the groundwork for the climate of misinformation today? Links: Mon. 07/11/22 - Sailing Without a Map, or Compass, or Anything (Cool Stuff Ride Home) This woman navigated a 3,000-mile Pacific voyage without maps or technology (National Geographic) Polynesia's master voyagers who navigate by nature (BBC) Fri. 07/08/22 - The Breakfast Episode (Cool Stuff Ride Home) A B-Side With Your Bacon? Waffle House Has Its Own Music Label (NPR) Waffle House Has Its Own Record Label (Great Big Story, YouTube) Waffle House has its own record label and the songs are in the restaurant jukeboxes (Boing Boing) Waffle House Records (Spotify) Waffle House Music - scroll down for music videos Wed. 06/29/22 - Did "The Dress" Foreshadow Fake News? (Cool Stuff Ride Home) How 'The Dress' Sparked a Neuroscience Breakthrough (Wired) How Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion, and Persuasion by David McRaney The Nineties: A Book by Chuck Klosterman Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We kick off the final week of the year with a look back at some of the show’s best segments. So for today, from the archives, we’ve got how and why food itself became gendered––y’know, men eat red meat, women eat salads. Women watch their weight and men eat huge portions of the most ridiculous Mountain Dew-laced Dorito monstrosities they can come up with. Plus, what would happen if we just… killed all the mosquitos on the planet? And, from 2021, the little-known reason that all the Brontës died so tragically young. Links: Wed. 10/26/22 - Men Eat Red Meat, Women Eat Salads –– But Why? (Cool Stuff Ride Home) How steak became manly and salads became feminine (The Conversation) Yogurt Is for Women, Fried Chicken Is for Men (The Atlantic) The Gender Binary Is a Tool of White Supremacy (An Injustice Mag) Candy: A Century of Panic and Pleasure by Samira Kawash Sweetness and Femininity: Fashioning Gendered Appetite in the Victorian Age (CUNY Academic Works) Social Darwinism, Scientific Racism, and the Metaphysics of Race (The Journal of Negro Education) Mon. 08/08/22 - Do We REALLY Need Mosquitoes? (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Ecology: A world without mosquitoes (Nature, 2010) The 24 deadliest animals on Earth, ranked (CNET, 2019) Mosquitoes might be humanity’s greatest foe. Should we get rid of them? (Vox, 2019) Q&A: What Would Happen If Mosquitoes Disappeared? (NY Times, 2015) Should we kill every mosquito on Earth? (Live Science) Kill All the Mosquitoes?! (Smithsonian Mag, 2016) State of Florida Approves Oxitec Mosquito Technology for Continuation of Pilot Project in the Keys (Keys Mosquito Project) Tue. 05/18/21 - The Brontë Family (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Apparently the Brontës all died so early because they spent their lives drinking graveyard water. (Literary Hub) Sanitary report on Haworth, home to the Brontës (British Library) The Brontës are alive and unwell in Haworth (The Guardian) Was Patrick Brontë the Dr. Fauci of his Time? (Illumination) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We dive into the origins and enduring popularity of that most classic of Christmas Carols, “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells.” Plus, Stephen Spielberg has officially apologized to sharks for Jaws. And a note on our holiday programming. Sponsor: Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Links: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells: The History of a Children's Classic (CBR) I Asked 64,182 People About “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells”. Here's What I Found Out. (Tom Scott, YouTube) The Secret True History Of 'Jingle Bells, Batman Smells' (Cracked) Considering History: The Forgotten Meanings Behind Classic Holiday Songs (Saturday Evening Post) I Love You, You Hate Me | Official Trailer (Peacock, YouTube) Steven Spielberg Would Like To Apologize For Making Everyone Hate Sharks (BuzzFeed News) Steven Spielberg would like to profusely apologize to sharks for Jaws (A/V Club) BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What are solstices and seasons like on other planets? Plus, why everyone in South Korea is about to become a year or two younger. And Lionel Messi’s celebratory Instagram photos have become the most-liked social media post of all-time. Sponsors: Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Links: Give Thanks for the Winter Solstice. You Might Not Be Here Without It. (NY Times) Winter solstice 2022 brings the longest night of the year to Northern Hemisphere (Space.com) Mon. 11/14 - Polar Night, Midnight Sun, & Fruit Quakes (Cool Stuff Ride Home) South Korea enacts law that will make the entire population younger in 2023 (El País) South Koreans are getting a year younger, parliament rules (NPR) South Korea: Age system to be standardised from 2023 (BBC) Lionel Messi Beats the Instagram Egg (Gizmodo) Lionel Messi's Instagram post is the most liked thing on social media – ever (Mashable) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Could wind be the dark horse in the hunt for power sources for human habitats on Mars? Plus, the first-ever recording of a dust devil on Mars, and a goodbye to a beloved Martian explorer. And Google unveils the most-searched word of the year. I’ll give you a hint: it’s a six-letter word about five-letter words that sold to the New York Times for a “low seven figures.” Sponsors: Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Links: NASA says wind could power human missions on Mars (Washington Post) Wind Power on Mars Can Power Human Habitats, Scientists Discover (VICE) This overlooked resource could be the key to powering a Mars colony (Inverse) Assessment of wind energy resource potential for future human missions to Mars (Nature Astronomy) Listen to The Sound of a Dust Devil Churning Across Mars (ScienceAlert) Why not install wipers on Mars landers? (Swapna Krishna, Twitter) Wordle is the most-searched term on Google in 2022 (CNN) This year’s roundup of the top Google searches includes super local trends (The Verge) Year in Search 2022: See the top trending searches of the year (Google) Local Year in Search 2022 (Google) Josh Wardle Is on the 2022 TIME 100 List (TIME) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everything you never wondered about those wooden castle-like playgrounds of Gen X and Millennials’ youths. Plus, how a nano-thin layer of gold could finally be the cure to the dreaded glasses fog of our COVID masking era. Sponsors: Shopify, Sign up for a free trial at shopify.com/cool Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Links: If you remember this playground, your childhood was awesome (Hopes and Fears) The dangerous playgrounds of 1900s through vintage photographs (Rare Historical Photos) Playground Architect Insists On Principle Of 'User Design' (The Buffalo News) Playground Divides Adults in Westport (The New York Times) An Invisible Layer of Gold Could Be the Secret to Glasses That Never Fog Up (Gizmodo) A nano-thin layer of gold could prevent fogged-up glasses (Engadget) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An AI chatbot that can negotiate with customer service chatbots to lower your bills, cancel your subscriptions, and more. Plus, the reason why chocolate sometimes gets that white sort of chalky sheen on it. And, a segment from the archives about the science behind some reindeers’ color-changing eyes, real red-nosed reindeer, and the origins of that famous song. Sponsors: Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Shopify, Sign up for a free trial at shopify.com/cool Links: DoNotPay is launching an AI chatbot that can negotiate your bills (The Verge) This Oddly Polite Chatbot Will Fight With Comcast Support So You Don't Have To (Gizmodo) Why Does It Mean When Chocolate Turns White? (HowStuffWorks) Why does chocolate turn white (and is it safe to eat)? (Live Science) The Reason Chocolate Gets Chalky White, and Whether It’s Safe to Eat (Mental Floss) Why Are Reindeer Eyes Golden In Summer But Blue In Winter? (National Geographic) The Scientific Reason Why Reindeer Have Red Noses (Smithsonian Magazine) Christmas: A Candid History by Bruce David Forbes Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The interplay between science fiction and real-world scientific innovations––from space travel to fusion energy. Plus, a replay of a classic Cool Stuff Ride Home segment on Krampus with an update on some risqué depictions of the Yuletide rogue that have been making the rounds online this year. Sponsors: Shopify, Sign up for a free trial at shopify.com/cool Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Links: How Science Fiction Movies Prepared Us for the Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough (NY Times) Moonrise podcast: Lillian Cunningham’s historical account of America’s journey to the moon (Washington Post) Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction by Alec Nevala-Lee Feminine Krampus greeting cards (WitchesVsPatriarchy, Reddit) Krushing on Krampus (The Paris Review) Christmas: A Candid History by Bruce David Forbes The Battle for Christmas: A Social and Cultural History of Our Most Cherished Holiday by Stephen Nissenbaum The Origin of Krampus, Europe's Evil Twist on Santa (Smithsonian Magazine) What is Krampus? How the Christmas 'Devil' Became Cool (National Geographic) Who is Krampus? Explaining Santa Claus's Scary Christmas Counterpart (National Geographic) Krampus: the demonic Santa Claus you haven't heard about (Vox) Weird Krampus drive-thru parade puts terrifying twist on Christmas and it's Saturday night (NOLA) Necromanor Haunted House hosting pictures with Krampus for Christmas (Shreveport Times) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why some street lights across the US and Canada have been turning purple, and what it says about the larger effects of the supply chain on our cityscapes. Plus, the emus that were banned from a bar in Queensland have returned with a surprise. And New Zealand’s parliament just passed a lifetime ban on smoking for the youngest members of Gen Z and beyond. Sponsors: Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Shopify, Sign up for a free trial at shopify.com/cool Links: Why Faulty Streetlights Are Turning Cities Purple — and Why It's Worrisome (Business Insider) Why thousands of city street lights are turning purple (CBC) The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light by Paul Bogart A Pair Of Banned Emus Have Just Returned To An Australian Pub — With Babies (All That’s Interesting) Get Sarah Koenig (With Jackson Bird) (No Bad Ideas) New Zealand passes legislation banning cigarettes for future generations (BBC) Last year's announcement from NZ about the tobacco ban (Cool Stuff Ride Home) 65 – Official Trailer (Sony Pictures Entertainment, YouTube) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The origins and significance of the song “Silent Night.” Plus, an update on the US’s fusion energy breakthrough. And Los Angeles County’s first-ever unicorn license has been issued. Sponsors: Shopify, Sign up for a free trial at shopify.com/cool Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Links: The humble origins of 'Silent Night' (The Conversation) History of the Song (Silent Night Association) Christmas carols (BBC) Skulls, salt and snow: 200 years of 'Silent Night' (CNN) Christmas: A Candid History by Bruce David Forbes Baguettes get UNESCO World Heritage status (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Mon. 07/27 - The Year Without a Summer (Cool Stuff Ride Home) "Stille Nacht! Heil'ge Nacht" according to the autograph from Joseph Mohr (Silent Night Association) Andrew W.K. - Silent Night (Ryan West, YouTube) 'A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector' Marks Its 50th Anniversary (Phil Spector News) DOE National Laboratory Makes History by Achieving Fusion Ignition (Department of Energy) What to Know About the DOE's Big Nuclear Fusion Announcement (Gizmodo) A girl asked to keep a unicorn in her yard. Animal control said yes (Washington Post) Yes, Madeline, You Can Have a Unicorn, L.A. County Tells Girl (NY Times) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A big fusion energy announcement is coming in the morning, but just how “big” will it really be? Plus, a collection of disappearing and extinct sounds. And how the climate emergency is coming for one trendy fruit. Sponsors: Indeed, Indeed.com/goodnews Shopify, Sign up for a free trial at shopify.com/cool Links: Fusion energy breakthrough by US scientists boosts clean power hopes (Financial Times) Fusion energy, the 'holy grail' of clean power, a step closer to reality (Washington Post) U.S. to announce scientific breakthrough on fusion energy -sources (Reuters) Major Nuclear Fusion Energy Breakthrough to Be Announced by Scientists (NY Times) A ‘scientific breakthrough’ in nuclear fusion? How to watch the announcement tomorrow (The Verge) Thread on nuclear fusion from Javier Blas (Javier Blas, Twitter) Explore a library of disappearing and extinct sounds at Obsolete Sounds (Boing Boing) Obsolete Sounds (Cities and Memory) Rising Temperatures Are Threatening America's Latest Fruit Craze (Gizmodo) Mon. 09/12 - Not Your Papa’s Pawpaw (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A browser button proposed by Tim Berners-Lee in 1997 that could’ve changed the web as we know it… or could it? Plus, eight artists from the around the world are officially going on a trip around the moon thanks to a controversial Japanese billionaire. And Hot Pockets just launched a line of cargo shorts with actual hot pockets. Sponsors: Up First from NPR, Listen wherever you get your podcasts Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off your next gift at uncommongoods.com/cool Links: Tim Berners-Lee’s “Oh, Yeah?” button could have changed the internet. (Slate) Realising the Full Potential of the Web (W3) Click "Oh yeah?" (MIT Technology Review) Tim Berners-Lee shares his vision of a collaborative web (Venture Beat) Japanese billionaire unveils the 8 artists he'll fly to the moon on SpaceX's Starship dearMoon flight (Space.com) Here’s What Will Happen Once NASA’s Orion Splashes Down on Sunday (Gizmodo) HOT POCKETS® Made Shorts with a LITERAL Hot Pocket for Those Who Wear Shorts All Winter (PR Newswire) Sign up to buy Hot Pockets shorts Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we go the first Christmas in over half a century without a network TV airing of A Charlie Brown Christmas, an extended reflection on its staying power, unexpected success, and how CBS originally wished they could get out of having to air it at all because they thought it was so bad. Sponsors: Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off your next gift at uncommongoods.com/cool Up First from NPR, Listen wherever you get your podcasts Links: Charlie Brown Christmas Special: An Inside Job (The Atlantic) Peanuts "Economy Twins" (Ford TV Spot 1960) (Internet Archive) Ford Falcon - Peanuts (1961) (YouTube) The most famous music from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" was originally written for a different project (PBS, 2020) “A Charlie Brown Christmas”—Vince Guaraldi (1965) (Library of Congress) The Christmas classic that almost wasn't (USA Today, 2005) A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition by Charles M. Schulz, Lee Mendelson, and Bill Melendez Backstory – A Charlie Brown Christmas (Christmas Past) Aluminum Christmas Trees (Christmas Past) How to watch 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' for free in 2022 (Apple Insider) The Muppets Reminisce About Filming 'The Muppet Christmas Carol' (Entertainment Weekly, YouTube) Brett Goldstein performs The Muppet Christmas Carol in Six Minutes (Live) (Brett Goldstein, YouTube) The Muppet Christmas Carol Extended Cut Finally Gets A Disney+ Release (Screenrant) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How less-confusing food labeling––and perhaps more food-based curriculum in schools––can mitigate the huge problem of food waste. Plus, a new web-based simulator that will show you exactly how screwed you are if an asteroid hits your hometown. Sponsors: Up First from NPR, Listen wherever you get your podcasts Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off your next gift at uncommongoods.com/cool Links: Expiration Dates Are Meaningless (The Atlantic) Thanksgiving Dinner Will Result in 305 Million Pounds of Food Waste in the U.S. (reFED) Expiration dates lead to lots of food waste, though these dates vary widely by state (NPR) Use Proper Cooking Temperatures to Ensure Safe Food (MN Dept. of Health) Waste Free Kitchen Handbook by Dana Gunders Asteroid Launcher This Interactive Map Will Show You How Screwed You Are If We're Hit by an Asteroid (VICE) Fun Website Lets You Simulate an Asteroid Impact in Your Hometown (Futurism) Destroy the World With This Asteroid Launcher Simulation (Kottke.org) Wes Anderson's Asteroid City Sets Theatrical Release Date (Collider) "The Avengers (1980) directed by Wes Anderson" (Russo Brothers, Instagram) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Candles will play stunt double for actors in a new staging of Shakespeare’s most violent play. Plus, we take a detour down the path of Shakespearean conspiracies. And, in other news, the moon just got its own infrastructure package. Sponsors: Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off your next gift at uncommongoods.com/cool Up First from NPR, Listen wherever you get your podcasts Links: Candles take the brunt in gore-free production of Titus Andronicus (The Guardian) Shakespeare by Bill Bryson The Year of Lear: Shakespeare in 1606 by James Shapiro Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? by James Shapiro NASA Awards $57M Contract to Build Roads on the Moon (Nextgov) NASA, ICON Advance Lunar Construction Technology for Moon Missions (NASA) ICON To Develop Lunar Surface Construction System With $57.2 Million NASA Award (ICON) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2023 is going to be a big year for the public domain, and especially for one estate who will finally be losing control of a character they’ve tried their very best to wring every last dollar from for over a century. Plus, Oxford English Dictionary officially declared “goblin mode” as their word of the year. And Saturday Night Live finally did something I’ve been wanting them to do for twenty years. Sponsors: Up First from NPR, Listen wherever you get your podcasts Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off your next gift at uncommongoods.com/cool Links: Public Domain Day 2023 is Coming: Here's What to Know (Copyright Lately) Public Domain Day 2023 Remix Contest: The Internet Archive is Looking For Creative Short Films Made By You! (Internet Archive Blogs) The Best Things in Life Are Free: Two Ways to Celebrate Public Domain Day in 2023 (Internet Archive Blogs) Ownership of the Sherlock Holmes Stories (Sherlockian) Sherlock Holmes Copyright: An overview (Red Points) Wed. 08/26 - Netflix's Enola Holmes Hit With Lawsuit From Doyle Estate (Cool Stuff Ride Home) 'Goblin mode' is Oxford's Word of the Year (Mashable) Oxford Word of the Year 2022 (Oxford Languages) Word of the Year 2022 | Gaslighting (Merriam-Webster) Kenan & Kelly (SNL, YouTube) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AriZona Iced Tea is joining the hard beverage movement. Pepsi is joining… Big Milk? And scientists have got some new, practical tips for training your body to wake up earlier and actually alert. Sponsors: Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off your next gift at uncommongoods.com/cool American Musical Supply, Use code COOL at https://ter.li/AmericanMusicalSupply-COOL for $20 off your next purchase of over $100 Links: AriZona Celebrates the Launch of Boozy Teas With a Totally Tubular '90s Pop-Up (AdWeek) Hard iced tea teaser (AriZona Iced Tea, Twitter) Old AriZona Iced Tea history episode (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Pepsi® Invites Fans to Join the Naughty List This Holiday Season With "Pilk" And Cookies - A New "Dirty Soda" Holiday Tradition (PR Newswire) Pilk and cookies tweet (Lindsay Lohan, Twitter) #pilk videos (TikTok) Put a Little Milk in Your Pepsi, Says Pepsi (The Takeout) I Drank Pepsi Milk And I Hate You All (BuzzFeed News) Hot Dr. Pepper episode (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Can you become a morning person? Sleep scientists say it is possible with these key tips (Inverse) Scientists discover secret to waking up alert and refreshed (Berkeley News) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Was Mars once hit with an asteroid on the scale of Earth’s own dino-killer? Plus, what if there was a device that listened to your farts and let you know when you should go see a doctor? And the USDA program that’s recognizing indigenous food ways. Sponsors: Shopify, Sign up for a free trial at shopify.com/cool American Musical Supply, Use code COOL at https://ter.li/AmericanMusicalSupply-COOL for $20 off your next purchase of over $100 Links: Mars Had an Ancient Asteroid Impact Like the One That Killed the Dinosaurs, Scientists Discover (VICE) Ancient megatsunami on Mars traced to the crater where it began (New Scientist) Giant Asteroid Unleashed a Devastating Martian Megatsunami, Evidence Suggests (Science Alert) Dino-Killer Scale Asteroid Impact Might Have Caused Martian Megatsunami (IFL Science) Farts say more about your health than you think — now, scientists are listening (Inverse) National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) – a new public health tool to understand COVID-19 spread in a community (CDC) USDA Program Recognizes Indigenous Food Ways (The Daily Yonder) Indigenous Food Sovereignty Initiative (USDA) The Case of the Missing Scorsese Film (Kottke.org) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A dive into the design behind Spotify Wrapped, and some of the new features this years––including the Myers-Briggsification of your personal listening data. Plus, the baguette was just granted UNESCO world heritage status! Sponsors: Shopify, Sign up for a free trial at shopify.com/cool American Musical Supply, Use code COOL at https://ter.li/AmericanMusicalSupply-COOL for $20 off your next purchase of over $100 Links: How Spotify’s Wrapped campaign for 2022 came together (It’s Nice That) Get to Know Your Music Listening Personality from 2022 Wrapped (Spotify) There’s Just Too Much Spotify Wrapped (Vulture) Spotify Wrapped 2022 is here, and it's giving everyone a 'music personality' (The Verge) French baguettes get UNESCO World Heritage status (Le Monde) Crunch time: The baguette gets UN world heritage status (AP) Browse the Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage (UNESCO) Yes, a Bear Does Cocaine in the Awesome New Trailer for Cocaine Bear (Consequence) Jackson Bird on Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices