Cool Stuff Daily
Cool Stuff Daily covers the most interesting and coolest stories in the world of 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.
626
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
627
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
628
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
629
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
630
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
631
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
632
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
633
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
634
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
635
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
636
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
637
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
638
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
639
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
640
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
641
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
642
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
643
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
644
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
645
Wed. 03/23 - Lettuce Medicine, Ranch Diamonds, ...
How genetically-modified lettuce grown in space could protect astronauts’ bones on long voyages. Plus, meet Doug, the false potato stripped of Guinness World Record glory in the eleventh hour. And, a two-carat diamond made out of ranch dressing, the...
16 min
646
Tue. 03/22 - Competitive Water Drinkers On YouT...
Turns out humans have been cooking and enjoying carbs for much longer than we initially thought, and the experiments some archaeologists have been conducting to lend credence to their hypotheses are very cool. Plus, welcome to the weird and wonderful...
17 min
647
Mon. 03/21 - Squid Tech to Prevent Human Sunburns
How to appear effortlessly charming to new people you meet. Plus, using squid technology to protect humans from the sun. And a new generation of search apps that search everything you touch on your devices. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at ...
15 min
648
Fri. 03/18 - What Do We Lose By Keeping The Lig...
Should we be making a greater effort to reduce light pollution? Plus, scientists are trying to use murder hornets’ own sexual behavior to eradicate them. And an app that will help you safely find and eat roadkill. Sponsors: DeVry University, Learn...
15 min
649
Thu. 03/17 - Why Are Movies So Long These Days?
Why have movies gotten so long recently? Plus, the startups working to develop lab-created chocolate. And a nightmarish creature from Texas to rival all the hype around those giant Joro spiders. Sponsors: Lendtable, Use code KOTTKE at to get an...
15 min
650
Wed. 03/16 - Permanent Daylight Saving Time?
How Prohibition was far more global and far more progressive than it’s often portrayed. And, is the United States about to stay in Daylight Saving Time forever? Sponsors: DeVry University, Learn more at Lendtable, Use code KOTTKE at to get an...
17 min