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
Tue. 1/12 - 16th Century Disease Prevention & B...
The sixteenth-century manual on containing the spread of disease that is eerily reminiscent of current COVID guidelines. Bitcoin millionaires who can’t access their digital wallets due to forgotten passwords. And the guy whose massive beer...
13 min
927
Mon. 1/11 - Tim Berners-Lee's Quest to Restore ...
It’s time for two writers to pay up on a 25-year-old bet about whether tech would destroy civilization. Tim Berners-Lee’s new quest to transform the web into the one he envisioned when he created it. How the most recent COVID-19 Stimulus Bill...
14 min
928
Fri. 1/8 - What Folklore Can Teach Us About Con...
What folklorists can teach us about the structure and resilience of conspiracy theories. The genome of the platypus has been sequenced, and it’s just as weird as you’d expect. And a Swedish film festival that’s sending one person to an abandoned...
14 min
929
Thu. 1/7 - Dude, IceBots on Mars!
A prototype for self-repairing planetary exploration robots made of ice. The surprising history of the word “dude.” And a new Danish children’s cartoon about the misadventures of a man with a huge dong. Yep. Sponsors: NordVPN, Get 68% off plus...
15 min
930
Wed. 1/6 - The 60s Spy Satellite Helping Today'...
Space missions to keep your eye on in 2021. How satellites built to spy on the Soviets have helped unravel environmental mysteries. Why the dark ages aren’t considered so dark anymore. And a completely perplexing auction from David Hasselhoff and...
15 min
931
Tue. 1/5 - A Nanny Cam to Keep You On-Task?
People who are choosing to be surveilled by strangers and productivity nannies in order to stay on task while remote working. A 3D-printed hydrogel inspired by cephalopods that changes shape when exposed to light. And UK officials have arguably messed...
14 min
932
Mon. 1/4 - Time Confetti & the Quantum Internet
What “time confetti” is and how to stop spreading it everywhere. A new development in the teleportation of information that means good things for the possibility of quantum internet. And how TikTokers raised a million dollars for The Actors Fund...
16 min
933
Wed. 12/30 - The Cognitive Case for Talking To ...
Why talking out loud to yourself is actually an important cognitive skill, or so I’m telling myself. A new population of blue whales with a distinct song was recently discovered in the Indian Ocean. And a new AI that will hilariously and viciously...
18 min
934
Tue. 12/29 - How Humans Began to Read and Write
How is it that humans figured out how to read? New cosmological findings that may finally solve the Hubble tension. And, more monoliths continue to pop up, a look at two of the more interesting ones from this past week. Sponsors: Skillshare, get a...
13 min
935
Mon. 12/28 - What If 2020 Was Just One Big MMORPG?
How your brain takes out the trash while you sleep. The English man who crossed the Alps on a space hopper. And a subreddit where over half a million people pretend our world is just one big MMORPG. Sponsors: BitTrust IRA, Waive your signup fee ...
14 min
936
Wed. 12/23 - Leave Out Porridge for Belligerent...
How Star Wars toys have changed over the years and why it may not be a good thing for kids. What if there were tons of alien civilizations elsewhere in the Milky Way but they’re all long since dead? And the Danish tradition of leaving porridge out...
15 min
937
Tue. 12/22 - The Holy Pooper & the Curse of the...
Down the rabbit hole of targeted marketing through the lens of some strange, butt-flap onesie pajamas for adults. Don’t trust the sea foam in Australia. And some Catalonian Christmas traditions that are pretty crappy. Sponsors: BitTrust IRA, Waive...
16 min
938
Mon. 12/21 - How Will Movie Theaters Stay Afloa...
What will movie theaters look like in a post-pandemic world? And what do companies need to do to weather the storm? New research that suggests our early human ancestors could have hibernated. And the pyrotechnic German punch that Atlas Obscura...
15 min
939
Fri. 12/18 - The Business of X-Mas Trees & How ...
Some ways that COVID could change science forever––both good and bad. The business of Christmas trees and why we’re still seeing the effects of the Great Recession in tree prices today. And a site that plays ambient noise from the forests of the...
16 min
940
Thu. 12/17 – Snowflake Toast & The Sound of a P...
Physicists have measured sound diffusion in a perfect fluid for the first time ever and created a surprisingly popular SoundCloud track. A bunch of new works are entering the public domain in just a few weeks. And the Kellogg brothers are best...
14 min
941
Wed. 12/16 - What Pfizer Can Learn From Dippin’...
Genetically-engineered pigs have gotten the all clear. Digging into the field of galactic archaeology. And how Dippin’ Dots can help us better understand the leading COVID-19 vaccines, and may play a role of their own. Sponsors: HelloFresh, Use...
15 min
942
Tue. 12/15 – The Origins of the Emoticon
What are tone indicators? Where do they come from, how are they used, and a look at both the pre-internet history of tone indicators as well as the origin of the emoticon. And, a question for the ages, what was the deal with the leg lamp in A...
15 min
943
Mon. 12/14 - How To Remember More of What You Read
Some practical tips to help you remember more of what you read. After 51 years, one of the Zodiac Killer’s ciphers has been solved. And Brussels sprouts kind of became cool in the last few years, and it’s not just because bars started serving them...
15 min
944
Fri. 12/11 - How Our Homes Were Shaped By Epide...
The household features that were shaped by previous epidemics. An ethics committee has approved the French military to start making bionic soldiers. And hot Dr Pepper. Sponsors: NordVPN, Get 68% off plus FOUR additional free months at or use coupon...
17 min
945
Thu. 12/10 - Deepfake Santa & The Great Conjunc...
The Great Conjunction is upon us. Learn when and how to see Saturn and Jupiter closer than they’ve visibly been in 800 years. The Austin, Texas pop-up bringing canceled Taco Bell menu items back to life. Advice from a Japanese wellness expert on...
15 min
946
Wed. 12/9 - Space Booze: It's... For Science
Why did a French company send a whole case of wine into space last year? And, if NASA technically bans alcohol, how come so many astronauts drink it and why are so many companies designing microgravity alcoholic beverage options? All is not merry and...
15 min
947
Tue. 12/8 - Can We Pre-Design Vaccines For Futu...
The COVID vaccines headed for distribution were developed on the fastest timeline in the history of vaccines. But could we do it even quicker next time? Or even make the vaccine before an outbreak? Speaking of vaccines, William Shakespeare officially...
14 min
948
Mon. 12/7 - What It's Like Finding Buried Treas...
The finder of Forrest Fenn’s treasure chest has been revealed. Also, what does one do with actual buried treasure in the twenty-first century? A special delivery for the astronauts on board the International Space Station. How you can help save...
12 min
949
Fri. 12/4 - When You Find Out You're a Meme
The latest in deep sea luxury tourism. The story of a guy who just found out this week that he’s been a meme for years. The fascinating geometry of Pringles. And an actually kinda sweet story about the polio vaccine. Sponsors: CastleGrade, Enter...
15 min
950
Thu. 12/3 - Proximity Chats: A Solution to Bad ...
A few reasons why Zoom parties suck so much, some science-backed proposals to make them better, and a few platforms that are trying to do it. A website that will play that radio for you from anywhere in the world and any time going all the way back to...
15 min