Cool Stuff Daily

Latest Episodes:

Tue. 06/01 - Bacteria Saves Michelangelo Works From Medici Ooze Jun 01, 2021

Show notes

Five hundred years later the Medicis continue to ruin Michelangelo’s artworks, but fortunately some bacteria are on the scene to restore his works to their former glory. The new naming scheme for COVID-19 variants. And the story of Allandale, Texas––once the only village in the entire world to be fully air conditioned.

Links:

Send in the Bugs. The Michelangelos Need Cleaning. (NY Times)
Bacteria get a fresh gig as art restorers in Italy (The Verge)
Is it all Greek to you? Coronavirus variants get new names (Reuters)
How to use the air conditioning without ruining the environment (Quartz)
Living in an Air Conditioned Village (Austin Public Library)
The Air Conditioned Village (Amusing Planet)
The air conditioning trap: how cold air is heating the world (The Guardian)
It's high time we electrocute some hot dogs and see what happens (The Takeout)
Will It Waffle? (Jackson Bird, YouTube)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Fri. 05/28 - Rural Oregon Tries to Become Greater Idaho May 28, 2021

Show notes

Seven counties in the US state of Oregon have now voted to leave their state behind and merge with neighboring Idaho. Could this actually work? A new English dictionary of Ancient Greek fully and explicitly makes up for the modesty of its previous Victorian translators. And the best way to cook a hot dog.

Links:

Oregon's Rural Counties Search for Representation With Idaho (Business Insider)
Don Kahle: Greater Idaho: thinking it through Don Kahle (The Register-Guard)
Their Own Private Idaho: Five Oregon Counties Back a Plan to Secede (NY Times)
Oregone? 7 Oregon Counties Vote To Back Seceding, So Citizens Can Vote GOP In Idaho (NPR)
English dictionary of ancient Greek ‘spares no blushes’ with fresh look at crudity (The Guardian)
New Ancient Greek Dictionary Includes Words for S---, F---, C---------- (Jezebel)
The Absolute Best Way to Cook a Hot Dog, According to So Many Tests (Food52)
Pints With A View: London Eye Is Launching A Pub In A Pod (The Handbook)
Cicada Plushie (Tyler Thrasher, DFTBA)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Thu. 05/27 - Naked Mole Rats: The Key to Slowing Human Aging? May 27, 2021

Show notes

Potentially good news for longterm COVID-19 immunity. Pizza farms, not just a figment of my imagination, apparently they’re a real and wonderful thing. And the story of a naked mole rat named Joe who just won’t die, and what he could mean for human longevity.

Links:

Immunity to the Coronavirus May Persist for Years, Scientists Find (NY Times)
Vaccinated COVID-19 survivors may be immune for life, according to new research (Mic)
Pizza farm (Wikipedia)
Pizza-shaped farm draws tourists with organic slice (USA Today)
The Pizza Farm (via Web Archive)
'Pizza farm' also a place to learn about organic methods (The State Journal-Register)
Where to Eat Pizza on a Farm in Minnesota and Wisconsin (Eater)
Where the Produce Includes Pepperoni: The Pizza Farm (NY Times)
The Long, Strange Life of the World’s Oldest Naked Mole Rat (Wired)
"Our definition of 'summer' will change" (Alissa Walker, Twitter)
L.A. County Fair is moving from scorching September to cooler May (LA Times)
Exclusive: Phil and Lil's mom Betty will be gay in new Rugrats series (A/V Club)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Wed. 05/26 - You Signed Up For a Vaccine Waitlist. Now What Happens To Your Data? May 26, 2021

Show notes

Dr. B was the most well-known nationwide vaccine finder in the US. But did anyone actually end up getting their vaccine through the service? Plus, the artist raising awareness about the gender gap on the moon, Disneyland’s $100 sandwich and the newest Willy Wonka on the block.

Links:

Vaccine waitlist Dr. B collected data from millions. But how many did it help? (MIT Technology Review)
We Know What You Did During Lockdown video (Kottke, Financial Times)
An Artist Sketches the Giant Gender Gap on the Moon (NY Times)
$100 Ant-Man-inspired sandwich coming to Disneyland (A/V Club)
Disneyland Adds Family-Sized $100 Sandwich to Marvel-Themed Menu (Food & Wine)
Timothée Chalamet is your new Willy Wonka (A/V Club)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Tue. 05/25 - Do Ovens Dream of Frozen Pizza? May 25, 2021

Show notes

The flavorful history of frozen pizza. We check in on how the pandemic continues to affect our dreams. And meet the dude actually taking advantage of Krispy Kreme’s free donut a day offer for vaccinated people.

Links:

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Mon. 05/24 - Big Wind Energy & Tech-Savvy Lessons from the Amish May 24, 2021

Show notes

The latest floating wind farm technology and the part of the US that could make the biggest difference when it comes to offshore wind energy. What we can learn from the Amish about how we use technology.

Links:

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Fri. 05/21 - The Cicadas Are Turning Into Dismembered, Zombie Sex Fiends May 21, 2021

Show notes

The Brood X cicadas have reemerged and are losing their butts due to a zombie-inducing fungus. Bald eagles are reemerging from the brink of extinction, causing a new trend in puppy fashion: incredibly punk spiky vests. And one of the best fictional bands, Mouse Rat, has reemerged from the Pit to produce an actual real album coming later this summer.

Sponsors:

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Links:

A Fungus Is Pushing Cicada Sex Into Hyperdrive And Leaving Them Dismembered (NPR)
Cicadas tripping thread (Tara Golshan, Twitter)
A fungus could turn some cicadas into sex-crazed ‘salt shakers of death’ (Washington Post)
Brood X Cicadas Are Here! We Got Up Close So You Don't Have To (Wired)
What Are Cicadas, and Why Are They So Strange? | Science (Smithsonian Magazine)
Brood X Cicadas Have an Existential Problem (The Atlantic)
Brood X Bird Feast Protocol
Cicada Safari
Bald Eagles Are Back. And They Want to Eat Your Pets. (Wall Street Journal)
Parks And Recreation Band Mouse Rat Announce Debut Album (Stereogum)
Chris Pratt's 'Parks and Recreation' band Mouse Rat are releasing a real album (Entertainment Weekly)
Cool teen to have her cool Hannibal fan art displayed in U.S. Capitol building (A/V Club)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Thu. 05/20 - How The Sun Could Spoil NASA's Trip Back to the Moon May 20, 2021

Show notes

Why the sun is about to get quite temperamental and how that could spell danger for NASA’s upcoming lunar mission. In other sun news, the case for turning airports into giant solar farms. And a website that will help make your Twitter timeline a bit more pleasant––if you’re okay with taking a rather extreme route.

Sponsor:

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Links:

How space weather could wreck NASA’s return to the moon (MIT Technology Review)
The sun is getting stormier, and it'll peak just in time for a total solar eclipse (National Geographic)
Why Not Turn Airports Into Giant Solar Farms? (Wired)
MegaBlock | Nuke tweets in one click
UFO answers coming soon? US government to report on mysterious sightings (Space.com)
Obama on UFO videos: 'We don't know exactly what they are' (NBC News)
Someone Took A Closer Look At The Pyramid-Shaped UFO Video That Was Confirmed By The Pentagon And Explained Why It's Just An Optical Effect (Digg)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Wed. 05/19 - Is Carbon Neutral Gasoline Coming? May 19, 2021

Show notes

A promising method for producing carbon-neutral gasoline from, basically, thin air. The strange story of the very first ransomware attack. And the surprisingly long history of bizarre ice cream flavors.

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Links:

How to Make Carbon-Neutral Gasoline Out of Thin Air (NY Magazine)
The bizarre story of the inventor of ransomware (CNN)
Ransomware attacks can take down pipelines but you could be at risk too (CNN)
Who Invented Weird Hipster Ice Cream Flavors? (JSTOR Daily)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Tue. 05/18 - Why Mammals Don't Have Neon or Iridescent Skin Like Other Animals May 18, 2021

Show notes

What’s next now that China has officially landed their first rover on Mars? How come us mammals don’t have bright, fluorescent plumage like birds or cool neon stripes like bugs? A panel of scientists weighs in. And the little-known detail that makes the real-life story of the Brontë sisters even more goth and tragic than it already was.

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