Cool Stuff Daily

Latest Episodes:

Tue. 12/8 - Can We Pre-Design Vaccines For Future Pandemics? Dec 08, 2020

Show notes

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 got vaccinated for COVID-19 today. Yep, you heard that right. And in other weird news, Mount Everest is taller than we thought. Plus, a website to help you stop judging books by their covers.

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Links:

We Had the COVID-19 Vaccine the Whole Time (NY Mag)
Covid-19 vaccine: First person receives Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in UK (BBC)
William Shakespeare Gets the Covid Vaccine (NY Times)
Shakespeare jokes (Preeti Chhibber, Twitter)
Mount Everest gets new official height in measurement by Nepal and China (Washington Post)
Recommend Me a Book
The Best Books of 2020 (Kottke)
A happy news bloopers season to you and yours (A/V Club)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Mon. 12/7 - What It's Like Finding Buried Treasure in 2020 Dec 07, 2020

Show notes

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 bumblebees. And the latest sport to be added to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games lineup.

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Fri. 12/4 - When You Find Out You're a Meme Dec 04, 2020

Show notes

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.

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Links:

Triton's latest submarine puts six people in a bubble, 3,300 feet under (New Atlas)
Guy who became a meme thread (Adrian Smith, Twitter)
I Accidentally Became A Meme (BuzzFeed, YouTube)
Geometry of Pringles: The Crunchy Hyperbolic Paraboloid (Interesting Engineering)
The delightful—and timely—story of how 'A Spoonful of Sugar' ended up in 'Mary Poppins' (Upworthy)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Thu. 12/3 - Proximity Chats: A Solution to Bad Zoom Parties? Dec 03, 2020

Show notes

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 1900. And J.R.R. Tolkien’s house is up for sale.

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Links:

A Mission to Make Virtual Parties Actually Fun (Wired)
Radiooooo
Radiooooo: The Hit Tune Time Machine (The New Yorker)
JRR Tolkien House Comes on the Market (NY Times)
Save Tolkien's Home — Project Northmoor
Letters from Father Christmas, Centenary Edition by J.R.R. Tolkien
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Wed. 12/2 – Competitive Tetris Champions & Christmas Carols For Dogs Dec 02, 2020

Show notes

The Classic Tetris World Championship final is this Sunday, streaming live online, and if you were also surprised there is a Classic Tetris World Championship, then have I got a documentary recommendation for you. Archaeologists have discovered tens of thousands of Ice Age paintings on a remote cliff in the Amazonian rainforest. And a Christmas song that has been designed especially for dogs.

Sponsors:

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Links:

Best of Five: The Classic Tetris Champions (Kickstarter)
Ecstasy of Order (earlier documentary from 2013) (Kottke)
Why Are Humans Suddenly Getting Better at Tetris? (Kottke)
CORRECTION: The finals are on Sunday the 6th, not Saturday. Learn more here: Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC)
'Sistine Chapel of the ancients' rock art discovered in remote Amazon forest (The Guardian)
Christmas music for dogs is now a thing; 'Raise the Woof' is 'first-ever' holiday single aimed at canines (CNN)
USPS Operation Santa® (USPS)
Dear Santa (IFC Films)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Tue. 12/01 - China's Chang'e 5 Lands on the Moon Dec 01, 2020

Show notes

Scientists have used AI to make a massive breakthrough in protein folding that could cause huge ripples in drug treatments and understanding the human body. China has landed a robotic spacecraft on the moon and is bringing back souvenirs. Leave some milk and cookies in the Zoom chat because Santa Claus is officially going virtual. And another quick update on The Monolith.

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Links:

London A.I. Lab Claims Breakthrough That Could Accelerate Drug Discovery (NY Times)
DeepMind AI cracks 50-year-old problem of protein folding (The Guardian)
DeepMind 101 megathread (Dr. Adam Rutherford, Twitter)
China’s Chang’e 5 mission lands on the Moon (The Verge)
China's Chang'e 5 lands on the moon to collect the 1st fresh lunar samples in decades (Space)
Yes, Virtual Santa Claus Meet and Greets Are Happening on Zoom (Gizmodo)
The Santa Claus Man: The Rise and Fall of a Jazz Age Con Man and the Invention of Christmas in New York (Alex Palmer)
Ripley’s Offering $10,000 Reward For The Missing Utah Monolith (Ripley's)
Another Mysterious Monolith Suddenly Appears — This Time In Romania (NPR)
Monolith at Four Seasons Total Landscaping (It’s Full Of Stars, Twitter)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Mon. 11/30 - The Utah Monolith Has VANISHED Nov 30, 2020

Show notes

An update on the mysterious monolith in Utah. The plant-based seafood companies vying to become the fishy equivalent of Beyond Meat. And some tips for socializing outside during the cold winter months.

Sponsors:

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Links:

Utah's Mystery Monolith Appeared Around 2016 Near Site of Old Movie and TV Locations (Gizmodo)
Here is our official statement on the rumors surrounding the #Monolith (Utah Bureau of Land Management, Facebook)
Mysterious silver monolith disappears from Utah desert (Associated Press)
Mystery metal monolith vanishes from Utah desert (The Guardian)
The New Wave of Fishless Fish Is Here (Outside Online)
The Art of Socializing Outside During Covid Winter (Bloomberg)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Wed. 11/25 - Did Devo & Green Day Predict 2020? Nov 25, 2020

Show notes

The Thanksgiving Day prank at NASA that ensured Thanksgiving Day pranks never happened again. How artificial intelligence could finally end the spread of tuberculosis. The new EP from a new wave band that is definitely not just Green Day in masks. And Dr. Fauci’s ruling on whether it’s safe for Santa Claus to visit this year.

Links:

How a Thanksgiving Day gag ruffled feathers in Mission Control (Ars Technica)
These Algorithms Could End the Scourge of Tuberculosis (NY Times)
The Network, Which Isn't a Green Day Side Project, Returns With New Music (Rolling Stone)
Did Green Day Secretly Release A New Album Tuesday? Only The Snoo Knows (MTV)
Fauci claims without evidence that Santa Claus possesses "innate immunity" to coronavirus (Boing Boing)
Restore the Howl (Instagram)
Duncan Parks' wolf sculpture (Instagram)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Tue. 11/24 - An Unexplained Monolith in the Utah Desert Nov 24, 2020

Show notes

The saga of the infamous pig couch on Craigslist. A strange metal monolith has appeared without explanation in a deserted red rock cove in Utah. What does Yellowstone National Park have to do with the COVID-19 test kits? And a new device that will let you listen to things privately, without others being able to hear them, and with no headphones required.

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Links:

Craigslist Pig Couch: Where Is It? (NY Times)
Utah helicopter crew discovers mysterious metal monolith deep in the desert (CNN)
DPS Aero Bureau Encounters Monolith in Red Rock Country (Utah DPS)
How Yellowstone Extremophile Bacteria Helped With Covid-19 Testing (JSTOR Daily)
New device puts music in your head — no headphones required (AP)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Mon. 11/23 - Oxford's Vaccine & "Word" of the Year Nov 23, 2020

Show notes

Mars may still be volcanically active, which could mean positive things for the potential of life on the planet. More good vaccine news, this time from Oxford and AstraZeneca. And speaking of Oxford, the dictionary took a weird turn for their Word of the Year.

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