Cool Stuff Daily

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

Drought and inflation are making it a tough year for Christmas trees. Plus, Japan has had to abandon what would’ve been their first-ever lunar landing, but a private Japanese company launching a lander tomorrow might still fulfill that milestone for the nation. And a round-up of the weirdest movies coming out next year, including the true story of Cocaine Bear. Sponsors: Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL American Musical Supply, Use code COOL at https://ter.li/AmericanMusicalSupply-COOL for $20 off your next purchase of over $100 Links: Drought Is Killing Christmas Trees Across the U.S. (Gizmodo) What to expect when buying a Christmas tree this holiday season (Good Morning America) Severe-to-Extreme Drought Plays 'Grinch' in Christmas Tree Crop for Mass. Farmers (NBC Boston) 2020 episode on Christmas Trees (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Lunar Lander Released by NASA’s Artemis 1 Mission Dies (Futurism) Artemis 1's tiny Japanese probe abandons moon landing try (Space.com) Previous episode on Japan's ispace lander (Cool Stuff Ride Home) SpaceX will launch a Japanese moon lander, UAE rover early Wednesday. Here's how to watch. (Space.com) Artemis: Nasa's Orion capsule breaks distance record (BBC) Artemis I — Flight Day 13: Orion Goes the (Max) Distance (NASA) Artemis I photos and videos (NASA, Flickr) Bambi to become 'a vicious killing machine' in new horror movie Bambi: The Reckoning (Entertainment Weekly) Elizabeth Banks’ ‘Cocaine Bear’ Poster Teases a Wild Time (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

The world’s largest active volcano has begun erupting for the first time in four decades. Plus, “monkeypox” has officially been renamed “mpox.” And insurance company State Farm has just released a jazz album. Sponsors: American Musical Supply, Use code COOL at https://ter.li/AmericanMusicalSupply-COOL for $20 off your next purchase of over $100 Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Links: Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano erupts for first time in 38 years (Washington Post) Mauna Loa: World's largest active volcano erupts in Hawaii (BBC) Hawaii’s Mauna Loa starts to erupt, spewing ash and debris (PBS NewsHour) Hawaii Hazard Impact Map (Hawaii Civil Defense Agency) "Monkeypox" Is Now “Mpox.” Here's Why (them) WHO renames monkeypox as mpox, citing racism concerns (AP) WHO recommends new name for monkeypox disease (WHO) Previous episode on the proposed mpox name change (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Jazz Bath: The Bath Bomb Sessions Patrick Mahomes’ ‘Jazz Bath’ Saxophonist Gets a Real Album for State Farm (Ad Week) 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 Zealand is set to vote on lowering the voting age to 16. Scientists have added four new prefixes to the metric system. And a peek inside the wide world of Monster Energy drink collection and trading communities. Sponsors: Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off your next gift at uncommongoods.com/cool Shopify, Sign up for a free trial at shopify.com/cool Links: Supreme Court rules in favour of lowering voting age to 16 in case by ‘Make it 16′ group (New Zealand Herald) New Zealand lawmakers will vote on whether to lower the national voting age to 16 (NPR) Analysis: Democrats would have gotten crushed this election without young voters (CNN) Turnout among young voters was the second highest for a midterm in past 30 years (NPR) A Powerful Theory of Why the Far Right Is Thriving Across the Globe (NY Times) Cultural Backlash: Trump, Brexit, and Authoritarian Populism by Pippa Norris and Ronald Ingleheart It's Official: Scientists Confirm a New Expanded Scale of Measurement (ScienceAlert) Earth weighs in at six ronnagrams as new prefixes picked for big and small (The Guardian) The Earth now weighs 6 ronnagrams. What does that mean? (Washington Post) Inside the Fanatical, International, Extremely Online World of Monster Energy Trading (Punch) We Tried EVERY Monster Energy Drink Flavor (Good Mythical Morning, YouTube) The Pez Outlaw - Official Trailer (IGN, 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

Could the “tripledemic” be tamped down slightly by the viruses interfering with and preventing each other from spiking in the same place at the same time? Plus, public libraries in the US and Canada have been launching their own streaming platforms featuring local musicians. Sponsors: Shopify, Sign up for a free trial at shopify.com/cool Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off your next gift at uncommongoods.com/cool Links: Competition between respiratory viruses may hold off a ‘tripledemic’ this winter (Science) RSV, covid and flu push hospitals to the brink — and it may get worse (Washington Post) Children's hospitals call on Biden to declare emergency in response to 'unprecedented' RSV surge (CNBC) Libraries Are Launching Their Own Local Music Streaming Platforms (VICE) Libraries — MUSICat Kanopy Libby App: Free ebooks & audiobooks from your library | by OverDrive 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’s the deal with those giant turkey legs they serve at renaissance fairs and Disney World? Plus, Coors Light has just launched a color-changing nail polish that lets you know when your beer is cold enough to drink. And Cambridge Dictionary’s perplexing choice of a word of the year that most Brits have never heard of. Sponsors: Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off your next gift at uncommongoods.com/cool Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Links: Meaty-oric Rise: How Renaissance Fairs and Disney Parks Catapulted the Turkey Leg to Greatness (Mental Floss) Are bones discovered under an Exeter street from the first turkey dinner in England? (ScienceDaily, 2017) Pumpkin: The Curious History of an American Icon by Cindy Ott Christmas: A Candid History by Bruce David Forbes Coors Light's new nail polish changes color if your beer is cold enough to drink (CNN) Coors Light's New Nail Polish Changes Color When Your Glass of Beer Is Cold (Food & Wine) Topo Chico Will Debut Their First-Ever EP Supporting Indie Artists (Magnetic Magazine) The Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year 2022 (Cambridge Dictionary) 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 FDA has given approval for the first time to a lab-grown meat. Plus, another company is genetically modifying plants to work as superpowered air purifiers. And 500 new words like bae and subtweet have been added to the official Scrabble dictionary. Sponsors: Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off your next gift at uncommongoods.com/cool Links: A Lab-Grown-Meat Startup Gets the FDA’s Stamp of Approval (WIRED) Lab-Grown Meat Receives Clearance From F.D.A. (NY Times) FDA approval puts lab-grown meat one step closer to your dinner plate (Vox) New genetically engineered houseplant cleans air as efficiently as 30 plants (BGR) This genetically engineered houseplant does the work of 30 typical plants (Inverse) ‘Yeehaw, bae,’ official Scrabble dictionary adds 500 new words (PBS) Words Added to the Scrabble Dictionary (Merriam-Webster) 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

Can wearing a mask yourself make it harder to recognize the faces of people, even when they’re not wearing a mask? Plus, why Kraft Heinz has upped the goof factor with so many off-the-wall stunts in recent years. And is fruitcake the new go-to holiday season flavor? Sponsors: Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Shopify, Sign up for a free trial at shopify.com/cool Links: Mask-wearing can make it more difficult to recognize masked and unmasked faces of others (York University) Kraft Heinz turns to gimmicks and nostalgia to revive its 'dusty' brands (CNN Business) Brands Are Bringing Fruitcake Back, in Flavor Form (Eater) Figgy Pudding Spam Puts a Seasonal Spin on the Classic Canned Meat (Food & Wine) Figgy pudding Spam tastes like a hot dog fruitcake. Run away. (Washington Post) ​​Artemis I Launch to the Moon (Official NASA Broadcast) (NASA, YouTube) Artemis Blog (NASA) 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

In what feels like the start of a riddle, egg prices are surging, but chicken prices are going down. Plus, it turns out chimps like to share cool stuff as much as some daily podcasters. And Artemis I is supposed to launch late tonight, but if this mysterious “space prophet” continues to be right, the launch might not happen until 2023. Sponsor: Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Links: Why egg prices are surging — but chicken prices are falling: It's an 'act of God' event, says trade strategist (CNBC) Do Chimps Share Cool Stuff Just for Fun? Uganda Forest Study Provides a Hint That They Might (Scientific American) Wild chimpanzees show others objects simply to share attention (University of York) The oracle who predicted SLS’s launch in 2023 has thoughts about Artemis III (Ars Technica) How to Watch the Inaugural Launch of NASA’s SLS Megarocket (Gizmodo) Artemis launch delay is the latest of many NASA scrubs and comes from hard lessons on crew safety (The Conversation) NASA Sets New Coverage for Artemis I Moon Mission Launch (NASA) 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

Polar Night and Midnight Sun. What’s it like living in a place that stays absolutely pitch black for two and half months, and what can we learn from the people who live there? Plus, a new emergency alert system in the US to let you know when an earthquake is nearby. And Mountain Dew’s latest holiday-themed flavor, which oddly enough is a combination of the first two segments today. Sponsor: Rocket Money, Cancel your unnecessary subscriptions at RocketMoney.com/COOL Links: People here live in complete darkness for 2.5 months. Here's how they do it (NPR) Cecilia Blomdahl (@sejsejlija) Official TikTok Cecilia Blomdahl (YouTube) America has an earthquake early-warning system now — on your phone (Washington Post) ShakeAlert Everything We Know About the Mtn Dew Holiday Drink for 2022 (Thrillist) Mtn Dew's New Fruit Quake Flavor Is Supposed to Taste Like Fruitcake (Food & Wine) I Tried 21 Flavors of Mountain Dew For Some Reason. (Everywhereist) Fri. 12/11 - How Our Homes Were Shaped By Epidemics + Hot Dr Pepper (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Weather Forecast Remains 90% Favorable for Artemis I Launch (NASA) 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 tech from shows like The Mandalorian is now being used in live election coverage on TV. Plus, an enormous tunnel has been uncovered beneath an Egyptian temple and some think it could lead to Cleopatra’s tomb. And Netflix is starting to experiment with live streaming. Sponsors: Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off at uncommongoods.com/cool I Am Bio, Subscribe at bio.org/podcast Links: How MSNBC used tech from ‘The Mandalorian’ to bring election night to life (Mashable) Thu. 11/04 - How the World Series Led To the Television Boom (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Tunnel discovered under Egyptian temple may lead to Cleopatra's tomb, archaeologist says (CNN) "Geometric miracle": Archaeologists discover vast tunnel beneath Egyptian temple (CBS News) An Ancient Tunnel Discovered Beneath an Egyptian Temple May Lead to Cleopatra’s Tomb, Archaeologists Say (ArtNet) Secret Tunnel Discovered Under Egyptian Temple To God Of The Underworld (IFL Science) Archaeologists Discover Vast ‘Miracle’ Tunnel Under Egyptian Temple Ruin (VICE) Chris Rock Makes History With First Live Netflix Special (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

Is algae the secret to feeding our growing world? Plus, new evidence for a sixth mass extinction that occurred even earlier than the Big Five. And some prescient thoughts on democracy from fifty years ago, courtesy of the creator of Charlie Brown. Sponsors: I Am Bio, Subscribe at bio.org/podcast Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off at uncommongoods.com/cool Links: Is it time to start eating algae? (National Geographic) Scientists Uncover Evidence of What May Be Earth's First Mass Animal Extinction (ScienceAlert) Geobiologists shine new light on Earth's first known mass extinction event 550 million years ago (ScienceDaily) Charles Schulz shared thoughts on democracy with 10-year-old fan (Upworthy) Charles Schulz's Letter About Democracy, Discovered 50 Years Later (KQED) 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 the ballpoint pen be just as responsible for the death of cursive handwriting as the computer? Plus, lab-grown blood has been injected into two patients in a world-first clinical trial. And, would you attend a Zoom meeting in a movie theater? AMC is betting on it. Sponsors: Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off at uncommongoods.com/cool I Am Bio, Subscribe at bio.org/podcast Links: How the Ballpoint Pen Killed Cursive (The Atlantic) In world-first trial, lab-grown blood was just injected into two people (The Verge) Lab-grown blood given to people in world-first clinical trial (BBC) AMC thinks, somehow, Zoom meetings would feel good in a place like this (A/V Club) AMC Theatres® and Zoom Partner to Bring Zoom Rooms to the Comfort and State-of-the-Art Sight and Sound Technology of AMC Movie Theatres (AMC Theatres) Zoom is coming to Tesla so you can Zoom in your Tesla (Mashable) Cygnus Freighter Reaches ISS With Only One Functioning Solar Array (Gizmodo) NASA's Moon Rocket Will Have to Ride Out the Storm as Potential Hurricane Approaches (Gizmodo) 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

From a 3D bioprinter for human tissues to pumpkin spice cappuccinos, here’s the cargo being delivered on board the S.S. Sally Ride tomorrow to the International Space Station. Plus, this time it’s not just in your head, the New York Times really is making some (small) changes to Wordle. A puzzle expert has some practice tips for winning the daily game. And Netflix has a new interactive trivia game. Sponsors: Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off at uncommongoods.com/cool I Am Bio, Subscribe at bio.org/podcast Links: Astronauts will 3D print part of a human knee in space (Engadget) Overview for Northrop Grumman's 18th Commercial Resupply Mission (NASA) NASA monitoring Subtropical Storm Nicole, Space Launch System rocket and Orion to remain at Launch Pad 39B (NASA) The New York Times is finally making changes to Wordle (Washington Post) Introducing Wordle Game Editor Tracy Bennett (NY Times) How to Win at Wordle (Without Cheating) (Quanta Magazine) You can now play trivia on Netflix (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

On TikTok, Twitter, and more broadly how social media has changed us, how we might finally be approaching a tipping point in how we use it, and the ways in which our devices play just as large a role as the algorithms. Sponsors: I Am Bio, Subscribe at bio.org/podcast Uncommon Goods, Get 15% off at uncommongoods.com/cool Links: The Machine Stops (New Yorker) TikTok’s Greatest Asset Isn’t Its Algorithm—It’s Your Phone (Wired) Elon Musk is more Funko Pop than man (Garbage Day) The Real Difference Between YouTube and TikTok (Vlogbrothers, YouTube) Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History by Kurt Andersen Techmeme Ride Home The Real Sleeping Sickness That Inspired Neil Gaiman's 'The Sandman' (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

Could a musical cue played while you’re asleep help prevent nightmares? Plus, a round-up of science news from this month in history. And the US government might be getting an official Space Bureau. Sponsor: BetterHelp, Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/COOLSTUFF Links: Can a Musical Reminder Banish Bad Dreams? (Smithsonian Magazine) Nightmares Can Be Silenced With a Single Piano Chord, Scientists Discover (ScienceAlert) 50, 100 & 150 Years Ago: November 2022 (Scientific American) FCC Proposes Space Bureau to Regulate Influx of Satellites (Gizmodo) U.S. telecom regulator launching new space bureau (Reuters) The FCC’s new space bureau could rein in Elon Musk (Vox) 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 into two major events that led to the television boom, and a question of what that has meant for the artifice and theatricality of live events. Sponsor: BetterHelp, Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/COOLSTUFF Links: The first televised World Series spurred America's television boom, 75 years ago (The Conversation) Queen Elizabeth II’s First Move: Allowing TV Cameras at Her Coronation (Tedium) Scholarly Analysis of the Kennedy-Nixon Debates (Purdue) Nick Offerman joins weirdly star-studded cast of GameStop "stonks" movie (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

2022 has been the year of cheating. The latest scandal to rock a niche community? BagGate at the American Cornhole League World Championships. Plus, Collins Dictionary has declared “permacrisis” their word of the year. And an exciting update for what you probably all know by now is my most-anticipated movie of the year: Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey. Sponsor: BetterHelp, Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/COOLSTUFF Links: Professional Cornhole Has a Cheating Scandal Called BagGate (Wall Street Journal) The Summer Of Cheating (BuzzFeed News) “Permacrisis” has been named as Collins Dictionary's word of the year for 2022 (Stylist) Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey Sets U.S. Theatrical Release Date (Collider) Thu. 05/26 - Winnie the Pooh: Horror Villain (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

Why does Dracula still resonate with audiences over a century later? The disease narrative is one possible reason, but there’s another less-discussed theory too. Plus, one team of scientists have detected traces of an ancient ocean on Mars. And a turkey-flavored beer for your dog to enjoy this Thanksgiving. Sponsor: BetterHelp, Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/COOLSTUFF Links: 125 Years Old and Still Biting (The Atlantic) Fri. 10/29 - Disease and the Vampire Myth + Hallowmeme History (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Get the classic novel Dracula delivered to your email inbox, as it happens. (Dracula Daily) Ancient Traces of a Giant Ocean Have Just Been Discovered on Mars (Science Alert) Evidence of ancient Mars ocean increases probability of past life (Space.com) Traces of ancient ocean discovered on Mars (Penn State) Anheuser-Busch thinks your dog would like a beer, too (Fast Company) Busch Light Debuts Turkey ‘Beer’ For Dogs So You Can Toast At Holidays Together (DesignTAXI) 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

Dispatches from the Recreational Fear Lab on why being scared might be a healthy thing. And the raucous Halloween parties Queen Victoria used to throw in Scotland. Sponsors: BetterHelp, Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/COOLSTUFF Indeed, Indeed.com/goodnews Links: The Director of the Recreational Fear Lab Explains Why We Love to Be Scared (Slate) The monarch who loved Scots' spooky traditions (Scottish Field) Queen Victoria's highland journals (Internet Archive) Halloween by Robert Burns (Academy of American Poets) Halloween - Robert Burns (MindYerLanguage?, YouTube) Taylor Swift Makes History as First Artist With Entire Top 10 on Billboard Hot 100, Led by 'Anti-Hero' at No. 1 (Billboard) 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

In our first-ever "Best Of" episode, we look back at the history of candy corn. How did this contentious candy come to be, why does it persist when so many people hate it, and does it really contain bug secretions? Plus, a segment from 2020, were witches back in the day really mixing tongues and eyeballs into their brews? Here’s what ingredients like “eye of newt” actually meant. And finally, from last year, a survey of witchy and chilling music—from psychedelic countercultural witch music in the 1960s to more recent tracks that have been scientifically proven to make your spine tingle. Sponsors: American Musical Supply, Use code COOL at https://ter.li/AmericanMusicalSupply-COOL for $20 off your next purchase of over $100 Indeed, Indeed.com/goodnews Links: Wed. 10/13 - Who's To Blame For Candy Corn? (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Why Is Candy Corn the Most Hated Halloween Candy? (Eater) Episode Three - Satan's Earwax (Preserve Halloween Podcast) Where Our Love/Hate Relationship With Candy Corn Comes From (The Atlantic) The Saccharine History of Candy Corn (National Geographic) Why Brach's Turkey Dinner Candy Corn Might Taste Different This Year (Mashed) All About Candy Corn (National Confectioners Association) ​What To Know About Confectioner's Glaze (Taste for Life) Why is there shellac in my chocolate mints? (McGill) How Candy Corn is Made | Unwrapped (Food Network, YouTube) Fri. 10/02 - Witchy Ingredients Aren't What They Seem (Cool Stuff Ride Home) Please Pass Me The Eye Of Newt; What's Really In That Witch's Cauldron (Dave’s Garden) Mon. 10/25 - Music That Gives You Chills, and Why It Does (Cool Stuff Ride Home) 13 Vintage Halloween Songs from the 1910's, 20's, & 30's (History Tea Time with Lindsay Holiday, YouTube) A Look Back at America's Psychedelic Countercultural Witch Music (Atlas Obscura) The Munsters - At Home With The Munsters - Vinyl LP (Rough Trade) Researchers analyzed 700-plus songs known to give people chills. Here’s the playlist (Quartz) Songs To Give You Chills playlist (Quartz, Spotify) 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

Can the books we read permanently change our brains? Or at least impact our values over a lifetime? Two studies that used undergrads as guinea pigs attempt to quantify the effects of powerful books on our brains. Plus, the upcoming election night lunar eclipse and a Halloween asteroid. Sponsors: Indeed, Indeed.com/goodnews American Musical Supply, Use code COOL at https://ter.li/AmericanMusicalSupply-COOL for $20 off your next purchase of over $100 Links: How Do the Books We Read Change Our Brains? (Literary Hub) The Self Delusion: The New Neuroscience of How We Invent--And Reinvent--Our Identities by Gregory Berns Harry Potter and the Millennials by Anthony Gierzynksi with Kathryn Eddy What You Need to Know About the Lunar Eclipse (NASA) ISS transit map with lunar eclipse (Christopher Becke, Twitter) Large asteroid RM4 to pass closely November 1 (EarthSky) 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 and why did food become so gendered? Y’know, men eat red meat and women eat salads. When did those associations begin? Plus, according to new evolutionary findings, animals might have begun to vocalize to each other even before they had ears. Sponsors: American Musical Supply, Use code COOL at https://ter.li/AmericanMusicalSupply-COOL for $20 off your next purchase of over $100 Indeed, Indeed.com/goodnews Links: 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) Animals may have begun to vocalize before anyone had ears to hear them (Science) Secret communication of sea animals discovered (BBC) Vocal communication originated over 400 million years ago (EurekAlert) 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 marigolds are so prevalent in cultural celebrations around the world this time of year. Plus, how insect swarms affect atmospheric electricity. And the parkour athletes turned environmental activists. Sponsors: Indeed, Indeed.com/goodnews American Musical Supply, Use code COOL at https://ter.li/AmericanMusicalSupply-COOL for $20 off your next purchase of over $100 Links: How the marigold became a global icon, from Mexico to India (National Geographic) Marigold: The Mexican flower that has become a part of Indian festivals (The Economic Times, 2017) Historical and Ethnobotanical Aspects of Domestication in Tagetes (Economic Botany, JSTOR) Celebrating Latino Folklore [3 Volumes]: An Encyclopedia of Cultural Traditions by Maria Herrera-Sobek Insects contribute to atmospheric electricity (Phys.org) Insect Swarms Can Electrify The Air as Much as a Thunderstorm (Science Alert) Honeybee swarms generate more electricity per metre than a storm cloud (New Scientist) Parkour athletes switch off Paris lights one by one (Reuters) With Leaps and Bounds, Parkour Athletes Turn Off the Lights in Paris (NY Times) Watch these parkour athletes swing around Paris switching off wasteful lights (Euro News) Team On The Spot Parkour (Instagram) International Space Station swerves to avoid Russian space debris, NASA says (CNN) Space Station Forced to Perform Huge Swerve to Avoid Debris From When Russia Blew Up a Satellite (Futurism) Space Station Maneuvers to Avoid Orbital Debris (NASA) Fri. 10/14 - CIA-Funded Woolly Mammoths (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

Why scents and fragrances have been so strongly associated with witchcraft throughout time and how those associations influence witchcraft, feminism, and misogyny today. Plus, a wild bison has been born in England for the first time in thousands of years. And, if you’re in the mood for a long, lonely drive, I’ve got you covered both virtually and on the asphalt. Sponsors: American Musical Supply, Use code COOL at https://ter.li/AmericanMusicalSupply-COOL for $20 off your next purchase of over $100 Indeed, Indeed.com/goodnews Links: Smells like witch spirit: How the ancient world’s scented sorceresses influence ideas about magic today (The Conversation) Revolutionary Witchcraft: A Guide to Magical Activism by Sarah Lyons Religion and the Decline of Magic: Studies in Popular Beliefs in Sixteenth and Seventeenth-Century England by Keith Thomas First wild European bison born in the UK for thousands of years (Natural History Museum) Baby bison born in Kent countryside (BBC) First wild bison born in UK for centuries at Canterbury woods following shock pregnancy (Kent Online) Slow Roads, a "chill" driving game you can play for free in your browser (Boing Boing) The loneliest roads in America (BigThink) America’s Quietest Routes (GeoTab) 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 Black Death changed the course of human evolution. Plus, the exoplanet with a marshmallow-like atmosphere. And IKEA is testing out autonomous delivery vehicles. Sponsor: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/cool Links: The Black Death Shaped Human Evolution, And We're Still in Its Shadow (ScienceAlert) The Black Death shaped the evolution of immunity genes, setting the course for how we respond to disease today, researchers find (EurekAlert) Black Death etched a mark on our genetics, warping immune responses, study finds (Ars Technica) How the Black Death changed our immune systems (Science) A Fluffy 'Marshmallow' World Has Been Discovered With Incredibly Low Density (ScienceAlert) 'Marshmallow' world orbiting a cool red dwarf star (Phys.org) We’ve Found A ‘Marshmallow’ Planet That Would Float In A Bathtub, Say Scientists (Forbes) Ikea Is Testing Autonomous Delivery in Texas (Gizmodo) Ikea is trialing driverless truck deliveries in Texas (Engadget) IKEA teams with self-driving truck startup Kodiak Robotics to test deliveries in Texas (CNBC) 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 look into the growing movement of human composting as a funeral option. Plus, Anna May Wong quarters start shipping in the US on Monday. And two iconic movies with intriguing reboots on the horizon. Sponsor: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/cool Links: Is Human Composting the Future of Funerals? (Slate) Inside one of the world’s first human composting facilities (The Verge) Return Home Terramation (TikTok) United States Mint to Begin Shipping Fifth American Women Quarters™ Program Coins October 24 (US Mint) Who is Anna May Wong, the first Asian American on U.S. currency? (Washington Post) HOLLYWOOD | Official Trailer (Netflix, YouTube) A celebration of Anna May Wong in 6 films (BFI) ‘Twister’ Sequel in the Works at Universal: What We Know (Vulture) Twisters sequel Forecast For Spring Start Universal, Amblin Finalizing Director For Sequel (Deadline) 'A Christmas Story Christmas' teaser gives us a glimpse of adult Ralphie (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