Cool Stuff Daily

Latest Episodes:

Mon. 03/08 - Replacing The Simpsons Cast with AI Voice "Actors?" Mar 08, 2021

Show notes

Could The Simpsons replace their entire cast with AI replicas? A look at the scientific, artistic, and legal possibilities. Researchers have discovered an interesting trait in green tree frogs that they’re describing as built-in noise-canceling headphones. A few highlights from the 1,200 new words added to the German dictionary last year. And a website that lets you play streaming music on a vinyl interface.

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Could The Simpsons replace its voice actors with AI deepfakes? (Wired)
Digital Image Rights & Right of Publicity (SAG-AFTRA)
Treefrogs have noise-cancelling headphones built into their ears (Popular Science)
Coronaangst ridden? Overzoomed? Covid inspires 1,200 new German words (The Guardian)
Needledrop: A turntable interface for music playback
We Don't Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy by Caseen Gaines
Jack Dorsey is offering to sell the first tweet as an NFT (CNBC)
Boot fills Foot’s boots as Shoe Zone finance boss (The Evening Standard)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Fri. 03/05 - A Physical Warp Drive Is Now Possible, Scientists Say Mar 05, 2021

Show notes

Will warp drive ever be possible? These scientists say they’ve created the first physical model for how it could work. A lookback at the Star Wars immunization PSAs of the 1970s. And a potential new type of COVID-19 test that will double as a form of stress relief. Plus, vaccinated orangutans, SXSW in VR, and the first-ever podcast NFT?

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A potential model for a real physical warp drive (Phys.org)
Scientists Announce a Physical Warp Drive Is Now Possible. Seriously. (Esquire)
Star Wars vaccination PSA: C-3PO and R2-P2 vs. measles and polio (A/V Club)
An Oral History of the Star Wars Immunization Campaign (Mel Magazine)
Vintage Star Wars C-3PO R2-D2 smoking PSA commercial (Hoth Iceplanet, YouTube)
Scream, not swab: Dutch inventor hopes he discovered new COVID test (Reuters)
This Trained Singer Teaches Metal Bands How To Scream (Kottke)
Looks Like You Need Iceland (Inspired By Iceland)
SXSW Will Build a Virtual Downtown Austin for Attendees to Experience in VR (Ad Week)
Announcing SXSW Online XR Including the Full Virtual Cinema Program (SXSW)
Tech Meme Ride Home NFT (Tech Meme Ride Home)
First great apes at US zoo receive COVID-19 vaccine made for animals (National Geographic)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Thu. 03/04 - Will NFTs Change How We Buy Music & Movies? Mar 04, 2021

Show notes

Will NFTs bring about an economic and creative revolution for artists and change the way we buy our media? Kings of Leon are willing to give it a shot. A small village in Iceland is making a big bid for Oscar glory. And another small town that just might be the job capital of the U.S.

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Kings of Leon Will Be the First Band to Release an Album as an NFT (Rolling Stone)
Unfortunately, We're Going to Talk About Blockchain Now (The Content Mines, Spotify)
NFTs Explained: Why They're Nifty and Terrible (FutureNow, YouTube)
“BUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES WITH CRYPTOART WILL BE SOLVED SOON, RIGHT?” (Everest Pipkin)
"The next 10 years will be a total revolution..." (Raoul Pal, Twitter)
"Sounds like a gimmick until..." (Brian Hiatt, Twitter)
Undeterred by “Jaja Ding Dong” snub, the town from Eurovision stumps for its Oscar (A/V Club)
Óskar for Húsavík – My hometown
the job capital of america (BNet)
New York City woman finds hidden empty apartment behind her medicine cabinet (Boing Boing)
Hidden basement TikTok: Ponder its unseen horrors (A/V Club)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Wed. 03/03 - Life Lessons From Cats Mar 03, 2021

Show notes

Cuttlefish have passed a test designed for small human children. Polaroid has made a pen that draws in edible 3D candy. What we can learn from cats about being happier and more content with life. And a website that translates your typing into jazz music.

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Links:

A Cephalopod Has Passed a Cognitive Test Designed For Human Children (Science Alert)
Cuttlefish can pass the marshmallow test (Ars Technica)
Polaroid Made a Pen That Lets You Draw Pieces of Candy (Gizmodo)
Feline philosophy: what humans can learn from cats (Vox)
Jazz Keys (Plan8)
Digitally Reading 17-Century Locked Letters (Kottke)
Meet this year’s winners of the Dance Your PhD contest (Ars Technica)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Tue. 03/02 - Light-Up Tattoos For You and Your Avocado Mar 02, 2021

Show notes

Scientists have created light-up OLED tattoos that could tell you when to put on sunscreen or when your avocados have gone bad. The Twitter account tracking Geneva Convention violations in video games. And good news: scientists have confirmed that all of us suck at ending conversations with each other.

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Links:

Scientists Invent Light-Up OLED Tattoos (Gizmodo)
Light-emitting tattoo engineered for the first time (University College London News)
Sharp needles for the Cold War: Yes, some kids got tattooed with their blood type (Washington Post)
Quantum-dot tattoos hold vaccination record (Rice News)
False claim: Bill Gates wants to microchip people; Anthony Fauci wants people to carry vaccination certificates (Reuters)
The Twitter Account Tracking Geneva Conventions Violations in Video Games (Vice)
Can You Pet the Dog? (@CanYouPetTheDog)
People Literally Don’t Know When to Shut Up—or Keep Talking, Science Confirms (Scientific American)
Dr. Seuss: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Stuff You Should Know)
6 Dr. Seuss Books With Racist Imagery Pulled From Printing (Vulture)
Just how racist is children’s literature? The author of ‘Was the Cat in the Hat Black?’ explains. (Washington Post)
How to 'Read Across America' Without Dr. Seuss (Life Hacker)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Mon. 03/01 - The Future: Fast Vaccines and Slow Social Media? Mar 01, 2021

Show notes

How the RNA-based platform used for some of the COVID-19 vaccines is already changing the game for other diseases. Plus, “I got vaccinated” stickers and selfie stations are starting to pop up. And an app that’s bringing back the disposable camera… without the disposable camera.

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Links:

First vaccine to fully immunize against malaria builds on pandemic-driven RNA tech (Academic Times)
The joy of vax: The people giving the shots are seeing hope, and it’s contagious (Washington Post)
Vaccine centers embrace stickers and selfie stations (The Verge)
Dispo, David Dobrik's Photo-Sharing App, Is Taking Off (NY Times)
Pass/Fail class (Harmit S. Malik, Twitter)
"Coming in late with a C minus" (Johan Miranda, Twitter)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Fri. 02/26 - Is Mr. Potato Head Non-fungible? Feb 26, 2021

Show notes

Delving into the world of crypto art and non-fungible tokens. A history of Mr. Potato Head, or, I’m sorry, just Potato Head? And a few links to help you chill out this weekend.

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Links:

‎Techmeme Ride Home
Kenny Schachter Gets Sucked Into the Surreal NFT Vortex… and Makes a Fortune Overnight in the New Virtual Art Market (ArtNet)
A coat check ticket, a magic spell (Robin Sloan)
Trailer for the Sundance award-winning — Feels Good Man
eeby deeby (Garbage Day)
The spudly history of Mr. Potato Head (The Takeout)
The iconic Mr. Potato Head gets a 21st-century rebrand (Fast Company)
A mister no more: Mr. Potato Head goes gender neutral (AP)
No, Mr. Potato Head isn’t going “gender neutral” (Katelyn Burns)
Mr. Potato Head Brand Update (Hasbro)
Vintage Original Mr and Mrs Potato Head commercial 1960's (VintageTVCommercials, YouTube)
Mr. Potato Head (PBS)
NASA to Honor 'Hidden Figure' Mary W. Jackson During Naming Ceremony (NASA)
Blobmixer
Draw an Iceberg and See How It Will Float (Kottke)
chill room (YouTube)
Self-Medicating Media: Relax in Online Ambiance Rooms (Kottke)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Thu. 02/25 - The Anti-Marie Kondo & Radical Keeping Feb 25, 2021

Show notes

How to make your clothes last longer and practice the art of “radical keeping” according to “the anti-Marie Kondo.” A segment about #Buttergate in Canada that’s not really about Buttergate afterall. And a browser extension that shows you what the internet would look like without Big Tech.

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Links:

The Golden Age of Free Stuff Is Upon Us (NY Times)
Feed your moths and hide your trousers: the expert guide to making clothes last for ever (The Guardian)
Buttergate: Why are Canadians complaining about hard butter? (BBC)
Opinion: The dairy industry’s use of palm oil breaches its moral contract with Canadians (The Globe and Mail)
This browser extension shows what the Internet would look like without Big Tech (The Verge)
Gizmodo Goodbye Big Five (Gizmodo)
Listen to Post Malone cover Hootie & the Blowfish for Pokémon’s 25th anniversary (The Verge)
Long COVID symptoms (Mara Gay, Twitter)
For All Mankind (Apple TV)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Wed. 02/24 - How Childhood Illness Can Shape Future Immune Response Feb 24, 2021

Show notes

How the flu you had as a kid could shape your immune response to future flu viruses. A bunch of videos have been going viral showing snow not melting when held up against a flame, but it’s not a conspiracy. It’s science. And the first song produced using the audio recorded on Mars.

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Links:

The immune effects of childhood viruses are even more complicated than we thought (Popular Science)
How Childhood Infections Could Shape Pandemics (UPMC)
TikTok Users Are Burning Snowballs in Viral Videos to 'Prove' the Snow is Fake (Gizmodo)
Snow that doesn't melt! Is it a government conspiracy?! (Hint: no.) (The Bad Astronomer, YouTube)
No, the snow isn't government-generated. This is what a snowball does when you take a lighter to it. (Politifact)
The episode about the LA musician who helped design the Perseverance microphones (Kottke Ride Home)
Hello, Mars (Foxannemusic, Soundcloud)
'Hello, Mars' music video (VideoFromSpace, YouTube)
Foxanne: It's real (I knew it) (Foxanne, Bandcamp)
Pass n' Puff Football (Indiegogo)
Renegades: Born in the USA (Spotify)
Buy this ranch and Area 51 will be your next-door neighbor (Boing Boing)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Tue. 02/23 - The History (and Erasure) of Black Brewers Feb 23, 2021

Show notes

Beer culture is perceived as overwhelmingly white, but its history and its present is not. A historical look at the erasure of Black brewers. The impact of pandemic boredom on the economy. And a new app that will put David Attenborough in your living room to teach you about the prehistoric world.

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