Cool Stuff Daily

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Tue. 09/13 - Too Many or Too Few Humans? Sep 13, 2022

Show notes

We’re approaching overpopulation. Or we’re in danger of population decline. It depends who you ask. As we prepare to pass eight billion humans on Earth, a look at the history of population anxiety and thoughts about where we go from here. Plus, a visually-appealing compostable alternative to Keurig Cups and Nespresso pods. And a vital Muppet-related update.

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How many people can Earth handle? (BBC)
Before the Flood – the Enuma Elish and the Atrahasis (Literature and History)
Why U.S. Population Growth Is in the Danger Zone (The Atlantic)
If I Care About the Environment but Am Also Lazy, Should I Get a Nespresso or Keurig? (NY Times)
K-Cup creator John Sylvan regrets inventing Keurig coffee pod system (CBC, 2015)
Swiss retailer rolls out 'coffee balls' to replace capsules (AP)
'Tis (Almost) the Season to Watch the Restored 'Muppet Christmas Carol' On Disney+ (Collider)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Mon. 09/12 - Not Your Papa’s Pawpaw Sep 12, 2022

Show notes

Is the most American of all fruits finally going to get its time to shine? And, no, NASA did not officially ask the public to name the probe to Uranus, but they could one day and, if and when they do, the internet will be ready.

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Pawpaws are America’s hidden edible treasure. Here’s how to pick them. (National Geographic)
Move Over, Açai—It’s the Pawpaw’s Time (New Yorker)
Pawpaw: Small Tree, Big Impact (US National Park Service)
What Is a Pawpaw, and Why Is It So Magical? (Food and Wine)
The secret fruit that makes this time of year in Washington so sweet (Washington Post)
The revival of a forgotten American fruit - BBC Travel (BBC)
The all-American fruit you've probably never heard of (Vox, YouTube)
Hillbilly Banana? How to open a PAWPAW & Taste Test -- Fruity Fruits (Emmymade, YouTube)
Paw Paw Festivals Across the US (HEPPY)
Ohio Pawpaw Festival
The Internet Was Asked to Name A Probe For Uranus. Here's How That Went Down (Science Alert)
Who Thought Asking The Internet To Name NASA’s Uranus Mission Was A Good Idea? (IFL Science)
Uranus by 2049: Here's why scientists want NASA to send a flagship mission to the strange planet (Space.com)
NASA Has Plans to Probe Uranus (Slate)
The actual report for UOP that was photoshopped in the tweet (NASA)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Fri. 09/09 - Garbled Nonsense: When Filter Bubbles Collide Sep 09, 2022

Show notes

Merriam-Webster has added 370 words to the dictionary, but it’s not enough to keep up with the changing pace of language on the internet, especially as we increasingly communicate with imagery and in-jokes that transcend single word definitions. Plus, why more and more fast food chains are ditching dining areas, and what that means for our options for communal gathering.

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Links:

We Added 370 New Words to the Dictionary for September 2022 (Merriam-Webster)
Cringe: Merriam-Webster Added a Bunch of Internet Slang to the Dictionary (Gizmodo)
The real meaning behind the crab emoji is darker than you think (Mashable)
Tumblr had a real big day yesterday (Garbage Day)
Fast-food chains like Taco Bell, Dunkin’, and Panera are ditching dining areas for drive-thrus and mobile ordering. (Slate)
Taco Bell Defy tests the future of fast food with 'tacos from the sky' (Washington Post)
Tue. 06/14 - The Once and Future Mall (Cool Stuff Ride Home)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Thu. 09/08 - All Hail Big Hail Sep 08, 2022

Show notes

Hail is getting bigger and becoming more common to more areas, but we still know relatively little about it. Plus, a possibly complete dinosaur skeleton with intact fossilized skin has been discovered in Alberta. And a brief historical perspective on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, as well as some of the names King Charles III could have chosen to go by instead.

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Links:

The Hunt for Big Hail (NY Times)
Understanding evolving hail risk (Verisk)
Rare Fossilized Dinosaur Skin And Tail Suggests Epic Fossil Hidden Inside Rock (IFL Science)
Discovery of dinosaur fossil with skin in southern Alberta excites paleontologists (CBC)
Fossil discovery could be rare complete dinosaur skeleton (University of Reading)
30% of US History (Matt Glassman, Twitter)
Queen Elizabeth II's reign, in perspective (John Green, Twitter)
The queen’s death brings a moment of reckoning for Britain. (NY Times)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Wed. 09/07 - The Haunting of Loab: AI's First Cryptid Sep 07, 2022

Show notes

Meet, Loab––a woman haunting every AI generated image she is summoned to with some of the goriest scenes you’ll find this side of Halloween. What does Loab tell us about AI generated art and our relationship to truth and reality online––especially when it comes to horrible stories that are so unbelievable, you might just have to believe them.

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Links:

Meet Loab, The AI Art-Generated Demon Currently Haunting The Internet (Forbes)
Meet Loab: The Terrifying Face The Internet Has Dubbed the First AI Art Cryptid (IGN)
Original Loab thread (supercomposite, Twitter)
On Loab, Creepypasta, and Truth (Joe Ondrak, Twitter)
How Disinformation Is a New Kind of Horror Fiction (Logically)
What’s Really Behind Those AI Art Images? (Galaxy Brain)
The Cryptid Factor
Party City Launches Scavenger Hunt in Haunted Cities Across America (All Hallows Geek)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Tue. 09/06 - The Science Tooth Fairy & the Vampire Skeleton Sep 06, 2022

Show notes

How analyzing baby teeth might be able to facilitate early intervention for childhood adversity. Plus, archaeologists have found the skeleton of a seventeenth century woman accused of being a vampire. And yet another Artemis update, including why the latest scrubbed launch attempt can kind of be blamed on the Space Shuttle.

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Links:

The secret lives of baby teeth (Vox)
'Vampire' in Poland Found Buried With a Sickle to Prevent The Rise of The Dead (Science Alert)
Archaeologists unearth remains of 17th-century female “vampire” in Poland (Ars Technica)
Woman, Church & State by Matilda Joslyn Gage (Gutenberg)
NASA to Stand Down on Artemis I Launch Attempts in Early September, Reviewing Options (NASA)
NASA Scrubs Second Artemis I Launch Attempt (NY Times)
Years after shuttle, NASA rediscovers the perils of liquid hydrogen (Ars Technica)
NASA's Mega-Rocket Launch Delayed at Least a Month After Engine Leaks (Science Alert)
NASA's Artemis moon mission won't launch anytime soon (Mashable)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Fri. 09/02 - Crappy Musicians Profiting From Kids’ Alexa Commands Sep 02, 2022

Show notes

The musicians getting paid anytime a preschooler makes a poop joke at an Alexa device. Plus, why Labor Day is a cursed weekend for movie releases. And the Artemis I launch is officially maybe happening on Saturday.

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Kids Yell “Poop” At Alexa, And These Musicians Profit (BuzzFeed News)
Why Do Movies Avoid Releasing on Labor Day? The History of the Cursed Holiday Weekend Explained (Collider)
Why movie studios should start thinking differently about Labor Day (The Week)
National Cinema Day
Kate Bush to Reissue “Running Up That Hill” As CD Single (Consequence)
Artemis 1 moon mission is 'go' for Saturday launch, NASA says (Space.com)
NASA Sets Coverage for Artemis I Moon Mission Next Launch Attempt (NASA)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Thu. 09/01 - Littlefoot's Ancestor Is Oldest Ever Dino Found In Africa Sep 01, 2022

Show notes

One of the biggest ever and one of the smallest ever sauropods, both discovered recently and both helping us learn more about where and why dinosaurs traveled millions of years ago. Plus, the latest on the soon-to-be-available omicron booster shots. Dolly Parton’s new Doggy Parton line, a Taco Bell-hosted metaverse wedding, and an update on the Taco Bell Mexican Pizza Tik Tok Musical.

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Links:

Adorable Little Sauropod Is Oldest Confirmed Dinosaur Ever Found in Africa (ScienceAlert)
New Dinosaur Species Is Oldest Ever Found in Africa (Scientific American)
Dinosaur remains in Portuguese garden could be Europe’s largest ever find (The Guardian)
Largest dinosaur skeleton in Europe may have been found in Portugal (Phys.org)
FDA authorizes Pfizer's and Moderna's updated Covid booster shots (NBC News)
What to Know About the New Covid Booster Shots (NY Times)
Vaccines.gov
“ALMOST as Good as a Mexican Pizza”: Dolly Parton on Working with Doja Cat on Mexican Pizza: The Musical: Exclusive (Consequence)
Taco Bell® Metaverse Wedding (Taco Bell)
Thu. 05/12 - 1st Image of Milky Way Black Hole & 1st Taco Bell TikTok Musical, Equally Important Events (Cool Stuff Ride Home)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Wed. 08/31 - The World Bog Snorkeling Championships Aug 31, 2022

Show notes

The official trailer for the slasher horror version of Winnie the Pooh dropped and, I think I actually want to watch the whole movie now? Plus, the latest update on when Artemis I will actually be launching and what happened at the scrubbed launch on Monday. And the World Bog Snorkeling Championships.

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Links:

Winnie the Pooh Goes on a Murderous Rampage in the Trailer for Childhood-Ruining ‘Blood and Honey’ (Rolling Stone)
Winnie The Pooh: Blood And Honey’s New Trailer Is…good? (Nerdist)
Thu. 05/26 - Winnie the Pooh: Horror Villain (Cool Stuff Ride Home)
NUN OF THAT official trailer Camp Motion Pictures (AlternativeCinema, YouTube)
NASA Targets Sept. 3 for Next Artemis I Moon Mission Launch Attempt (NASA)
Media Briefing: Artemis I Launch Status (NASA Video, YouTube)
NASA now aims to launch Artemis 1 moon mission on Sept. 3 after glitch (Space.com)
NASA Plans to Retry Its Moon Rocket Launch on Saturday (NY Times)
Jargon-less explanation of new launch date & what went wrong Monday (Swapna Krishna, Twitter)
Video of Bog Championships (NowThis, Twitter)
World Bog Snorkelling Championships return to Powys this weekend (Powys County Times)
World Bog Snorkelling Championships 2022: The best pictures as crowds take to the water in incredible costumes (Wales Online)
The Wee Welsh Town of Weird Sports (Great Big Story, YouTube)
Thu. 08/11 - Bog Butter Blogs & Predator's Food Vlog (Cool Stuff Ride Home)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Tue. 08/30 - Big Kale's Big Lie Aug 30, 2022

Show notes

The surprising history of how kale became so popular so quickly back in 2014, and how both Pizza Hut and Chick-fil-A were partially responsible––but not because they actually included kale on their menus. It’s a tale of lawsuits, publicity campaigns, bloated markets, and one very big kalespiracy.

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