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.
926
Wed. 10/07 - Paid to Gate-Crash Funerals
The twenty-four possible super-habitable planets that could be better than Earth. The man you can pay to gatecrash your funeral. The perfect conclusion to the skateboarding cranberry juice trend, and what the heck that trend was. And the winner of Fat...
15 min
927
Tue. 10/06 - Asbestos: The Secret Weapon Agains...
How the pandemic is changing our taste in music. The most ironic thing that could happen to a newly-published book titled Word Perfect. How asbestos might actually be a weapon against the climate crisis. And a Rocky Horror Picture Show-themed monument...
16 min
928
Mon. 10/05 - Vending Machine Operators Are Tren...
Archaeologists have found evidence of neurons in the brain of a Mount Vesuvius victim that basically turned to glass. The latest entrepreneurial trend of the pandemic taking off, in part thanks to influencers? Vending machine ownership. A Wikipedia...
15 min
929
Fri. 10/02 - Witchy Ingredients Aren't What The...
It turns out crows have some skills we once thought were unique to humans. Breaking down what exactly ingredients like “eye of newt” and “tongue of dog” actually are. And Neil Cicierega’s latest mash-up album, Mouth Dreams, is here to bring...
18 min
930
Thu. 10/01 - The Earth Does NOT Have a Black Ho...
Why are people saying there’s a black hole at the center of the Earth? The Irish Supreme Court declares that Subway’s bread is not actually bread. The surprising controllers the US Navy uses for its subway periscopes. And winter is coming. So here...
19 min
931
Wed. 09/30 - Edward Hopper Copied Others in Ear...
A guide to the lunar spectacles in October. Some tips for improving communication when wearing masks. The surprising discovery that some of Edward Hopper’s early works were copied. And the wearable social-distancing tech allowing the London Marathon...
16 min
932
Tue. 09/29 - The Dark Origins of Nike's "Just D...
A Halloween rocket launch. A brief peek into the history of book burnings in honor of Banned Books Week. The surprising and grim origins of Nike’s “Just Do It” slogan. More water has been found on Mars. And the return of Fat Bear Week. Links: ...
15 min
933
Mon. 09/28 - Time Travel, Biomedical Tattoos, &...
An undergrad has proven that paradox-free time travel is indeed possible. If you thought email newsletters were ubiquitous now, let me introduce you to the world of 1930s mimeograph newsletters. The emerging field of biomedical tattoos. And the...
17 min
934
Fri. 09/25 - Making Millions on Face Masks
The face mask economy––how everyone from high fashion designers to mom and pop shops on Etsy met the demand, and where they go from here. The origins of the phrase “jack of all trades.” Arnold Schwarzenegger is trying to fund polling...
16 min
935
Thu. 09/24 - The Secret Mancave Beneath Grand C...
A guide to saying no for people-pleaser’s. A recently discovered secret party room located under Grand Central Terminal and other strange breaking news from the New York City subway. Experts weigh in on why humans evolved to have butts. And the...
17 min
936
Wed. 09/23 - Eat a Five Star Dinner, From Your Car
A new discovery indicates chromium is about a thousand years older than we thought. Why it’s sometimes better not to use your full potential on things. A group of chefs trying to make drive-thru fine dining a thing. And an Enola Holmes PR stunt from...
17 min
937
Tue. 09/22 - Horror Fans Fare Better During the...
A new study has found that fans of horror movies are having an easier time coping with the pandemic. The woman who serves as the Queen of England’s body double. A new species of dinosaur discovered with perfectly preserved fossils in China. And a...
13 min
938
Mon. 09/21 - Get Vacation Stress-Relief Without...
Why do we eat fish sticks? The story behind those viral annual 21st of September videos. How to get the mental health benefits of “vacation anticipation” without going on vacation. And one of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s favorite teachers. ...
15 min
939
(Bonus) A Conversation with Jason Kottke
Jason Kottke started Kottke.org in 1998, making it one of the oldest, still maintained blogs on the web with over 26,000 posts spanning topics from art and technology to design, culture, and general knowledge. This is a peek behind the scenes of...
53 min
940
Fri. 09/18 - How Bras Inspired the N95
The 2020 Ig Nobel Prize winners were announced last night. Some people are trying to make CD players a thing again. How algorithms can detect our mood based on what we write online. And the surprising connection between Frozen and Arrested...
19 min
941
Thu. 09/17 - Practice Friluftsliv This Winter
Some tips for tricking the algorithms and having a more neutral social media feed. Scientists have discovered a possible way to prevent motion sickness. The Norwegian concept of friluftsliv and how it could be just what we need this winter. And the...
16 min
942
Wed. 09/16 - No Seasonal Peeps, Yes Taco Bell Wine
A completely preserved extinct cave bear specimen from the Ice Age has been found in Siberia. Why our dreams have been more intense since the pandemic began. Strange new food and drinks hitting the market, and some beloved ones we won’t be seeing...
15 min
943
Tue. 09/15 - Life on Venus & Responsible Shrek ...
Scientists have detected phosphine on Venus. Is it a sign of life? What it’s like to be in the virtual audience of a televised game. If you have trouble breathing when wearing a mask, here’s an explanation why and some tips to help. And Shrekfest...
16 min
944
Mon. 09/14 - Preventing "Mask Breath" & Worse
Have you become intimately acquainted with your own breath since you began wearing a mask? Here’s how to curb the stench. Some insight into how non-human animals use numbers and quantitative information. The sad truth about plastic recycling. And...
15 min
945
Fri. 09/11 - Why Do Americans Love Rotisserie C...
Why the cheap rotisserie chicken is ubiquitous in American grocery stores. The new, true proportions of the megalodon. Unpacking the enormous size of Houston, Texas and its highway interchanges, as compared to a tiny Italian city center. And the 2020...
16 min
946
Thu. 09/10 - How Where You Live Determines Your...
The big, underlying reason why so many items were tough to find at the start of the pandemic, and why some may still be for a long time to come. The sea anemones who grow extra tentacles when they eat too much. The psychological makeup of...
18 min
947
Wed. 09/09 - Modern-Day Willy Wonka Is Giving A...
The perfectly sealed 2,500 year old coffins recently discovered in Egypt. How lockdown is making us all socially awkward. The gold ticket competition to win a candy factory, and the Willy Wonka-like figure behind it. And a new strategy New Zealand is...
16 min
948
Tue. 09/08 - Long Live the (Cloned) Woolly Mammoth
The first cloned endangered horse has been born. Next stop woolly mammoth de-extinction? The New Zealand man who won the French Scrabble competition without speaking a single word of French. The rising popularity of produce prescription programs. And...
18 min
949
Fri. 09/04 - Meditate With a Squid
New research indicates that Stonehenge may have been able to produce surround sound and was used to amplify rituals. The bizarre tradition of excessively-huge homecoming mums in Texas. A Finnish town is bribing its residents with cake to make them...
17 min
950
Thu. 09/03 - The Schwarzenegger School of Socia...
The Swedish scientists that used VR to Freaky Friday some best friends and study how our bodies affect our sense of self. Some exercises you can do at your desk to improve your posture. The curious case of the rust found on the moon. And some social...
15 min