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.
626
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
627
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
628
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
629
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
630
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
631
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
632
Tue. 03/15 - Solar Storms & Subvariants, But It...
Subvariants, spikes, and sewers. A few indicators remind us that we’re not quite out of the woods yet when it comes to COVID. Plus, a new method that shows how any person can be trained to harness the creativity inside of themselves. And what it...
15 min
633
Mon. 03/14 - Why COVID Causes Loss of Smell and...
How many digits of pi is the right amount to use? Plus, what actually causes people to lose their sense of smell when they get COVID? And how can you work to recover yours if you lost it? And, Saturday Night Live’s Pete Davidson is going to space....
17 min
634
Fri. 03/11 - Abe Lincoln: Telegraph Influencer
Abraham Lincoln was a telegraph power-user, and the one thousand telegrams he sent during his presidency might have helped the US win the Civil War. Plus, an app that can diagnose rare diseases just by scanning a child’s face. And, ten thousand...
16 min
635
Thu. 03/10 - We Need To Talk About The Spiders
The giant yellow spiders set to invade the eastern seaboard of North America are… not as scary as the internet is making them seem. Plus, the Smithsonian is returning a number of artworks to Nigeria. And President Biden is considering a digital...
18 min
636
Wed. 03/09 - Why Has "Z" Become a Pro-War Symbol?
One of the most famous shipwrecks has finally been discovered at the bottom of a sea in Antarctica. Plus, why the letter “Z” has become a Russian pro-war symbol. And, post-punk Alvin and the Chipmunks. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at ...
14 min
637
Tue. 03/08 - Diamonds Are the Air's Best Friend
Giving all new meaning to “taking a leaf out of their book,” medieval literature scholars have adopted ecological models to quantify lost works of fiction. Plus, what if you could create diamonds out of thin air? And, had a rough day? Let some...
15 min
638
Mon. 03/07 - Why Have Some Of Us Never Gotten C...
After two years, why have some of us never gotten COVID? Plus, the surprisingly artistic and wonderful Squirrel Census. And a volcanic rock in Japan rumored to contain a thousand-year-old demonic spirit has just been found split in two. Nbd. Sponsors:...
18 min
639
Fri. 03/04 - How Hybrid Work Could Change Citie...
Is it possible for ocean cleanup programs to do more harm than good? And how might offices, cities, and the nature of work itself change if––as looks increasingly likely––many office jobs never return to fully on-site work. Plus, the latest...
15 min
640
Thu. 03/03 - Designing Gotham: Batman's Univers...
A look at how the design of Gotham City has changed throughout each incarnation of Batman, reflecting the soul and vengeance of the caped crusader. Plus, the technicolor array of blood throughout the animal kingdom. And, your chance to take your name...
17 min
641
Wed. 03/02 - Death to Plastic
175 nations have agreed to craft a legally binding treaty to reel in the world’s out-of-control plastic problem. Plus, remember that rocket booster no one is taking responsibility for? It’s still hitting the moon on Friday. Here’s what it might...
16 min
642
Tue. 03/01 - Dino Drama: Should Tyrannosaurus B...
Is the tyrannosaurus rex going to be broken up into three species? Plus, we’ve talked a lot about meat alternatives, but now it’s time for: dairy milk alternatives. No, not oat or almond. Actual dairy milk but without the use of animals. And,...
15 min
643
Mon. 02/28 - Pres. Zelensky's Uncanny Comedy Ca...
That thing you’re looking at right now, it’s already fifteen seconds in the past. Plus, new findings from Apple and Harvard’s giant period-tracking study. And, before emerging as a wartime president, Volodymyr Zelensky had a prolific career as a...
19 min
644
Fri. 02/25 - The Meme Accounts Behind Misinform...
The meme accounts behind some of the spread of misinformation already this week, as well as some guidance for seeking out and sharing accurate information. Plus, seals that are being recruited by scientists to spy on whales. And the latest vaccine...
19 min
645
Thu. 02/24 - The Little-Known Women Who Saved M...
The too-little-known story of the creation of the whooping cough vaccine. Plus, the remarkable initiatives in Taiwan that are helping keep the country clean with a little help from Beethoven. A new Netflix docuseries that uses AI to recreate Andy...
18 min
646
Wed. 02/23 - I'm Feeling Lucky
Why does Google still have the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button? And what do the ways Google Search has changed mean for us as a society? Plus, a proposed global library of underwater audio with a perfect name, and what fish are usually “talking”...
20 min
647
Tue. 02/22 - Hot Jupiter Is Raining Gems
The mysteries of people with super color vision. Plus, a Hot Jupiter that rains gems. And Hank the Tank, the furry 500 pound dumpster diving home invader taking California by storm. Sponsors: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at Indeed, Get a free...
16 min
648
Mon. 02/21 - Emo Poet & Wrestling Champ Abe Lin...
Hundreds of birds dropped from the sky in northern Mexico. Why it happened and two brothers in India who heal birds who have suffered a similar fate. Plus: wrestler. Poet. Mattress King? The semi-true extracurriculars of Abraham Lincoln. And some...
19 min
649
Fri. 02/18 - Did the Index Destroy How We Read?...
How a medieval hatred of indexes mirrors debates today about how search engines are changing our brains. Plus, a round-up of the unceasing Wordle news and spin-offs. A thousand Porsches are on fire in the middle of the Atlantic. And how about a...
23 min
650
Thu. 02/17 - The Origins and Physics of Luge
The history and the science of luge, bobsledding, and skeleton. Plus, a new study has found that the US’s corn-based ethanol is worse for the climate than regular gasoline. And a bit of a pop culture round-up, including some new releases to look...
20 min