Cool Stuff Ride Home
Covering the most interesting and coolest stories that you may have missed around the world in about 15 minutes a day. Cool Stuff Ride Home looks at science, progress, life-hacks, memes, exciting art, and hope. This is the antidote to depressing headlines. Smart stuff in podcast form. Cool news, as a service.
Hosted by Reggie Risseeuw and Marques Pfaff.
601
Wed. 04/27 - Our Backstabbed Two-Faced Moon
The moon has a bit of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde situation going on that astronomers have never been able to definitively explain, but a new study suggests it could be the result of a massive impact four billion years ago. Plus, yoga for your eyes? What...
14 min
602
Tue. 04/26 - When the CIA Funded an Animal Farm...
How the CIA funded that 1954 animated adaptation of Animal Farm as part of their anti-communist propaganda campaign. Plus, the woman who found out she’d been missing a chunk of her brain for most of her life without realizing. And why more and more...
16 min
603
Mon. 04/25 - Monopoly’s Scandalous Anti-Monopol...
The secret, anti-monopolist history of the Monopoly board game. Plus, why we’re all having trouble remembering things right now, and how we can strengthen our memories going forward. Sponsors: I Am Bio, Subscribe at Munk Pack, Use code KRH at for...
14 min
604
Fri. 04/22 - Some Like It Hot... But Why?
Why did some cultures develop tastes for particularly spicy foods and others didn’t? Plus, the Museum of Endangered Sounds. And an upcoming documentary from Alex Winter about radicalization on social media. Sponsors: Outer, Get $300 off and free...
17 min
605
Thu. 04/22 - The Sport of Extreme Sitting
Introducing the sport of extreme sitting. Plus, a new study that suggests fungi might be communicating with each other via electrical impulses. And, Sir David Attenborough has been named Champion of the Earth. Sponsors: Shopify, Get a 14-day free...
15 min
606
Wed. 04/20 - The AI Microwave Out for Revenge
The story of a self-described mad scientist who gave a microwave the soul of his childhood imaginary friend using AI, and then it tried to kill him. Plus, texting etiquette from Emily Post’s great-great-grandchildren. Sponsors: Outer, Get $300 off...
17 min
607
Tue. 04/19 - Holoportation & the Real Scream Queen
A doctor was beamed up to the ISS in the first-ever holoportation to space. Plus, a new chopsticks invention that makes your food taste salty without adding any salt. And inside the world of a professional scream artist. Sponsors: Shopify, Get a...
15 min
608
Mon. 04/18 - The Old Villains Are the New Heroe...
Why indie booksellers went from hating Barnes & Noble to defending it, and what that means for the future of publishing. Plus, a look at inflation through the lens of the Big Mac Index. Sponsors: Outer, Get $300 off and free shipping at Shopify,...
16 min
609
Fri. 04/15 - We Need a Time Variance Authority
In a more serious take on yesterday’s musings, how is the pandemic and modern technology changing how we communicate about and understand time? Plus, speaking of time, why do Passover and Easter sometimes occur so far apart from one another? Let’s...
16 min
610
Thu. 04/14 - Redefining Units of Time for the T...
Should we be measuring time differently now that we spend more time with digital technology than nature? Paul Ford has some suggestions. Plus, how the heck is AriZona Iced Tea still just 99 cents and not playing any nefarious shrinkflation games like...
16 min
611
Wed. 04/13 - That's A Big Ol' Comet
A very big comet. How sewage monitoring could transform public health beyond just its applications for COVID-19. Plus, libraries are relinquishing local library card requirements for eBooks in a bid to fight back against book bans. And a new National...
16 min
612
Tue. 04/12 - Social Media as the Fall of the To...
How social media has created a Tower of Babel-like fragmentation of society. Plus, the infrastructure secrets behind a new-to-the-US reality show starring some very busy toddlers. And the brewing beef between Spirit Halloween and the King of...
18 min
613
Mon. 04/11 - You Have Livetweeted Dysentery
The Maryland man livetweeting his bout of dysentery––don’t worry, he’s okay. Plus, scientists have managed to de-age human skin cells by thirty years. And an implausible NASA artifact was taken back to space this weekend by one of the Axiom...
16 min
614
Fri. 04/08 - Short Kings & Barbie Girls
We turn back the clocks to 1997 for a history of the song “Barbie Girl” and a look at its influence on music. Plus, the Neolithic origins of Short King Spring. And mark your calendars for the Great North American Solar Eclipse. Sponsors: Indeed,...
20 min
615
Thu. 04/07 - Scaly Dino Fossil From the Day the...
An impressively well-preserved dinosaur leg fossil has been found that could be the first-ever fossil evidence of the asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs. But is it all it’s cracked up to be? Plus, Amtrak is stirring up some beef with their...
16 min
616
Wed. 04/06 - The Darwin Book Thief
Some libraries cancel late fees, others get Interpol involved for missing manuscripts. Either way, missing books can become fascinating treasures when they’re finally returned. Plus, Hubble has spotted a rare planet in the earliest phase of...
16 min
617
Tue. 04/05 - So You Wanna Be A Fossil
How to have the best odds of becoming a fossil after you die. Plus, the creators of the viral Marcel the Shell videos secretly made a feature-length film that’s coming out this summer. And a few other recommendations you can stream right now....
16 min
618
Mon. 04/04 - The Artwork Made By Six Million Pe...
Six million people and counting are creating a piece of artwork together right now in a reminder that sometimes we can have nice things on the internet. Plus, birds are laying their eggs almost a whole month earlier than they used to. And some sounds...
18 min
619
Fri. 04/01 - Star Wars Kid: A New Hope
The human genome has finally been completely sequenced––twenty-two years after the initial “essentially” complete version was published. Plus, in another early 2000s follow-up, the “Star Wars Kid” breaks his silence two decades later....
17 min
620
Thu. 03/31 - We Don't Talk About Pluto
New findings indicate that Pluto’s ice volcanoes are even weirder than we previously thought. Plus, a killer parasite is wiping out an entire species of ant in Texas… but actually it’s kind of a net positive. And US citizens will soon be able to...
18 min
621
Wed. 03/30 - Prayers on the Blockchain & the Ol...
Could alpaca antibodies one day provide treatment for COVID-19? Plus, the Hubble telescope has spotted the oldest star ever seen by humans, by a long shot. The European Union is cracking down on fast fashion. And the scammers trying to turn prayers in...
16 min
622
Tue. 03/29 - Koons' Moons
Artist Jeff Koons’ next sculpture installation? On the moon. Plus, it’s not just you. Seasonal allergies really are worse this year, and the climate emergency is to blame. And, the Northern Lights might be visible Wednesday night in parts of the...
15 min
623
Mon. 03/28 - The Hoax Behind Pringles' Mascot's...
The Scottish dolphin who lives among and seems to “talk” with porpoises. Plus, how a Wikipedia hoax became official branding for Pringles. And sheep are pivoting to solar. Sponsors: DeVry University, Learn more at DeVry.edu/Future The Jordan...
16 min
624
Fri. 03/25 - Digital Rest Stop Ahead
Digital resting points are an increasingly popular way to recharge and slow down in the midst of endless scrolling. Plus, are we facing a “sensory extinction?” And, meet the giant eerie glowing orb that might be installed in London. Sponsors: ...
17 min
625
Thu. 03/24 - You're Not Actually Laughing, lol
The origin and fascinating evolution of “lol.” Plus, it turns out the speed of sound on Mars is different and weirder than anticipated. And some of the researchers behind the discovery of Captain Shackleton’s lost ship are developing a sort of...
17 min