Cool Stuff Daily

Latest Episodes:

Tue. 12/22 - The Holy Pooper & the Curse of the Targeted Butt-flap PJs Ad Dec 22, 2020

Show notes

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.

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Why are ads for pajamas with a butt flap taking over the internet? (Business Insider)
Why Is This Woman's Left A-- Cheek Following Me Around the Internet? (Vice)
The Pajamas Suit lets you pretend you’re dressing up for a Zoom meeting (The Verge)
Sea snakes may be lurking in foam covering storm-lashed Australian beaches (The Guardian)
El Caganer – Barcelona, Spain (Atlas Obscura)
A traditional Nativity scene, Catalan-style (BBC)
World's Largest El Caganer, 19-Foot Tall Defecating Giant in Barcelona (Laughing Squid)
The Crowning Jewel of Catalonia’s Nativity Scene (Great Big Story, YouTube)
Tió de Nadal – Barcelona, Spain (Atlas Obscura)
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Mon. 12/21 - How Will Movie Theaters Stay Afloat Post-Pandemic? Dec 21, 2020

Show notes

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 describes as “mulled wine’s metal cousin.”

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How movie theaters will survive beyond the Covid-19 era (Quartz)
Early humans may have survived the harsh winters by hibernating (The Guardian)
The Flaming Cocktail Cauldrons of German Christmas (Atlas Obscura)
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Fri. 12/18 - The Business of X-Mas Trees & How COVID Changed Science Dec 18, 2020

Show notes

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 world.

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COVID-19 Changed Science Forever (The Atlantic)
How Christmas trees are made, explained by a tree farmer (Vox)
We Buy a Lot of Christmas Trees (NPR)
America's Great Recession is still affecting Christmas tree sales (Business Insider)
Tune Into Forests From Around The World 🌳🔈 (tree.fm)
'Christmas Star' will be closest visible conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 800 years (NBC News)
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Thu. 12/17 – Snowflake Toast & The Sound of a Perfect Fluid Dec 17, 2020

Show notes

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 remembered for inventing cornflakes, but in their time they were known for a number of other odd foods; a look at their B-side, including snowflake toast and the world’s first patented meat substitute.

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Links:

Physicists capture the sound of a “perfect” fluid (MIT News)
Public Domain Day 2021 (Duke Law Center for the Study of Public Domain)
Before Avocado Toast, There Was Snowflake Toast (Atlas Obscura)
We're Entering a New Age of Meatless Meat Today. But We've Been Here Before (Smithsonian Magazine)
Corn Flakes | The Brothers of Battle Creek | 1 (American Innovations)
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Wed. 12/16 - What Pfizer Can Learn From Dippin’ Dots Dec 16, 2020

Show notes

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.

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FDA approves genetically engineered pigs (The Verge)
Gene editing has made pigs immune to a deadly epidemic (MIT Technology Review)
Galactic archaeology: astronomers are using stars as fossils to study the Milky Way (Horizon Magazine)
What the Dippin’ Dots ‘cold chain’ can teach us about COVID-19 vaccines (Popular Science)
The world's now scrambling for dry ice. It's just one headache in getting coronavirus vaccines where they need to go (CNN)
A vial, a vaccine and hopes for slowing a pandemic — how a shot comes to be (Washington Post)
Dippin' Dots Cryogenics (Dippin’ Dots)
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Tue. 12/15 – The Origins of the Emoticon Dec 15, 2020

Show notes

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 Christmas Story?

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Links:

Tone Indicators and How to Use Them (NY Times)
"Joke" Conversation Thread in which the :-) Was Invented (Carnegie Mellon)
Here's some historical background on A Christmas Story's leg lamp (A/V Club)
Leg lamp Halloween costume and more (Josh Sundquist, Instagram)
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Mon. 12/14 - How To Remember More of What You Read Dec 14, 2020

Show notes

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 with a whole bunch of spices and bacon; it’s also due to some pretty fascinating cross-breeding.

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How to Remember Everything You Want From Non-Fiction Books (Better Humans)
Let's Crack Zodiac - Episode 5 - The 340 Is Solved! (David Oranchak, YouTube)
Zodiac '340 Cipher' cracked by code experts 51 years after it was sent to the S.F. Chronicle (San Francisco Chronicle)
Zodiac Killer cipher is cracked after eluding sleuths for 51 years (Ars Technica)
From Culinary Dud To Stud: How Dutch Plant Breeders Built Our Brussels Sprouts Boom (NPR)
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Fri. 12/11 - How Our Homes Were Shaped By Epidemics + Hot Dr Pepper Dec 11, 2020

Show notes

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.

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The Curious History of Steam Heat and Pandemics (Bloomberg)
From Closets to Subway Tile: How Previous Epidemics Shaped Design (Architectural Digest)
French army gets ethical go-ahead for bionic soldiers (CNN)
US military closer to making cyborgs a reality (CNN)
TIL: People used to drink hot Dr. Pepper during the holidays (The Takeout)
What is hot Dr Pepper and where does it come from? (Matador Network)
Have You Ever Tried Hot Dr. Pepper? (Serious Eats)
Dr Pepper FAQ (Dr Pepper)
1968 COLD & HOT DR. PEPPER COMMERCIAL - Dick Clark (Saturday’s World, YouTube)
We tried hot Dr Pepper, and it needs to be your next winter drink (The Dallas Morning News)
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Thu. 12/10 - Deepfake Santa & The Great Conjunction Dec 10, 2020

Show notes

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 staying fit without entering a gym. And deepfake Santa is here to spread Christmas cheer.

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Links:

Jupiter and Saturn Head for Closest Visible Alignment in 800 Years (NY Times)
How to watch the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction on Dec. 21 2020 (Bad Astronomy)
What's Up: December 2020 (NASA)
Taco Fuego Pop-Up Is Serving Nixed Taco Bell Dishes Like 'Mexican Pizza,' Fiesta Potatoes, and More (Eater Austin)
Austin pop-up resurrects lost Taco Bell favorites (The Takeout)
How Japanese People Stay Fit for Life, Without Ever Visiting a Gym (Kokumura)
Deepfake Santa Claus Has Logged On (Debugger)
Send a FREE personalized AI Santa video! (Synthesia)
How do I get audio pronunciation right? (Synthesia)
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Wed. 12/9 - Space Booze: It's... For Science Dec 09, 2020

Show notes

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 bright behind the scenes of some of the more unlikely Christmas songs that have been banned in the past. And you can blast into the past with this site that broadcasts classic old radio shows all day and night.

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