Cool Stuff Daily

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Tue. 05/17 - Telepathic Pizza Delivery & Algae Batteries May 17, 2022

Show notes

Scientists created a microcomputer powered by photosynthetic algae. Plus, a smart pacifier that could monitor the health of premature babies in the NICU. And Domino’s has teamed up with the Hawkins National Laboratory for a new app that lets you order pizza with your mind.

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Links:

Scientists create algae computer powered by photosynthesis (The Verge)
Scientists Create Microcomputer Powered by Algae (IGN)
Computer powered by colony of blue-green algae has run for six months (New Scientist)
The Algae Project (Young Henrys)
Smart pacifier developed to monitor infant health in the hospital (ScienceDaily)
Domino’s Mind Ordering (Domino’s, YouTube)
Domino’s does Stranger Things with 80s packaging and a new mind ordering pizza app (It’s Nice That)
Mind Ordering app (Domino’s)
The First Thing That Ever Sold Online Was Pizza (The History of the Web)
PizzaNet: How a Website Changed Pizza and the World (Slice)
How Domino's Turnaround Gained Nearly $12b in Enterprise Value (Aaron Allen)
Wed. 10/20 - None Pizza With Left Beef: A Slice of History (Cool Stuff Ride Home)
The federal government is offering another round of free COVID tests (NPR)
Marvel Pop Culture Week (Consequence)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Mon. 05/16 - Plants Grown In Moon Dust May 16, 2022

Show notes

Plants have successfully been grown in moon dust for the first time. Plus, McDonald’s is officially closing all of their restaurants in Russia––why that’s a big deal. A new site that will tell you how much your current home, or one you’re looking to buy, is at risk of wildfires. And underwear that can protect you from STIs.

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Links:

Plants will grow in lunar regolith, but they don't like it (Ars Technica)
Researchers Grew Tiny Plants in Moon Dirt Collected Decades Ago (Wired)
Moon soil used to grow plants for first time in breakthrough test (BBC)
McDonald's to Exit From Russia After Three Decades (Wall Street Journal)
The Beautiful, Dumb Dream of McDonald's Peace Theory (Foreign Policy)
Is your house at risk of a wildfire? This online tool could tell you (NPR)
Risk Factor
These Vanilla-Scented Panties Protect Against STIs During Oral Sex, FDA Says (Vice)
FDA Authorizes Underwear to Protect Against STIs During Oral Sex (NY Times)
These FDA approved underwear protect against STIs (Mic)
Black Mirror Will Return for Another Season (Gizmodo)
‘For All Mankind’ Season 3 Trailer: The Red Nation Takes Us to the Red Planet (Collider)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Fri. 05/13 - The Multiverse: A Balm, A Mirror, or a Corporate Ploy? May 13, 2022

Show notes

A deep dive into the multiverse––what it actually is, why it’s become such a popular trope, what its popularity says about where we’re at as a society right now, how it mirrors our relationship to the internet, and why, despite some cynical reasons for its usage in film, the multiverse might actually be exactly what we need right now.

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Thu. 05/12 - 1st Image of Milky Way Black Hole & 1st Taco Bell TikTok Musical, Equally Important Events May 12, 2022

Show notes

Everything you need to know about the just-released first-ever image of the black hole at the center of our galaxy. Plus, is there sight after death? No. But kind of. And, in the most predictable news of the day, Dolly Parton is starring in a Doja Cat-inspired Taco Bell TikTok musical about Mexican Pizza.

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Links:

We got it! Astronomers reveal first image of the black hole at the heart of our galaxy (National Science Foundation)
The Milky Way's Black Hole Comes to Light (NY Times)
Feast your eyes on the first image of the black hole at the center of our Milky Way (Ars Technica)
This is the first image of the black hole at the center of our galaxy (MIT Technology Review)
Scientists Have Revived a Glimmer of Activity in Human Eyes After Death (ScienceAlert)
Light after death: scientists revive human eyes (Scripps Research)
Life after death for the human eye: Vision scientists revive light-sensing cells in organ donor eyes (ScienceDaily)
Dolly Parton to star in a musical on TikTok about Taco Bell's Mexican pizza (NBC News)
Taco Bell is bringing back a fan-favorite menu item (CNN)
Doja Cat's Mexican Pizza beat (Doja Cat, TikTok)
Mexican Pizza: The Musical by Doja Cat. (Victor Kunda, TikTok)
G-strings in the mist: 'You wouldn't expect Jane Goodall to be fronting a campaign for underwear' (The Guardian)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Wed. 05/11 - Love, Sleep, & Dinosaurs: The Three Most Important Things In Life May 11, 2022

Show notes

How data can help us find happiness in romantic relationships, or at least tell us why we’re dating all wrong. Plus, it turns out sleep-deprivation can affect how we see other people. And a new website for finding and reporting dinosaur sightings in your area, and around the world.

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Links:

People Are Dating All Wrong, According to Data Science (Wired)
Being Sleep-Deprived Actually Changes The Way We See Other People (ScienceAlert)
Acute sleep loss may alter the way we see others (Uppsala Universitet)
Sleep: here's how much you really need for optimal cognition and wellbeing – new research (The Conversation)
'Jurassic World: Dominion' Gives Fans a Way to Track Dinos (The Mary Sue)
Dinotracker
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Tue. 05/10 - How Hollywood Changed In The Summer of 19, 19, 1982 May 10, 2022

Show notes

How the summer of 1982 changed movies forever––for better or worse. Plus, a study justifying why teenagers suck at listening to their parents. And, how to watch this weekend’s total eclipse of the moon.

Sponsors:

The Jordan Harbinger Show, jordanharbinger.com/start
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Links:

How the summer of 1982 changed movies forever (A/V Club)
New Study Reveals The Reason Teens Seem to Tune Out Their Mom's Voice (ScienceAlert)
The teen brain tunes in less to Mom's voice, more to unfamiliar voices, study finds (Stanford)
See the fiery Blood Moon rise in a total lunar eclipse in May's must-see skywatching event (Space.com)
Watch the total lunar eclipse of May 2022: Super Blood Moon webcasts (Space.com)
Blood Moon total lunar eclipse 2022: Everything you need to know (Space.com)
May 15–16, 2022 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon) (Time and Date)
'Good Night Oppy': Documentary About the Opportunity Mars Rover to Release in November (Collider)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Mon. 05/09 - The Real-Life Inspiration Behind 'The Blob' May 09, 2022

Show notes

How the 50’s sci-fi horror film The Blob was actually a ripped-from-the-headlines story. Plus, potential cancer treatments involving magnets and dirt. And would you undergo a fecal transplant to reverse signs of aging? It could be an option in the future.

Sponsors:

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Links:

The (Sort of) True Story Behind 'The Blob' (Mental Floss)
The Blob from THE BLOB Was Based on a Real-life... Blob (Nerdist)
The Weird, True Life Incident That Inspired “The Blob” (Rue Morgue)
The Blob Was Based On A True Story (Gizmodo)
Magnets made by soil bacteria offer hope for breast and prostate cancer (The Guardian)
Oncolytic Virus Therapy (Cancer Research Institute)
Fecal transplants reverse hallmarks of aging (ScienceDaily)
Ncuti Gatwa is the new star of Doctor Who (A/V Club)
Steven Knight to create 2 Tone drama in Birmingham (BBC)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Fri. 05/06 - Dickens and the Rise of Creepy Clowns May 06, 2022

Show notes

How much can we blame Charles Dickens for the persisting archetype of creepy clowns? Who and what other cultural factors over the centuries contributed to so many people being whigged out by clowns? Plus, we now know the (general) location of where Forrest Fenn’s treasure chest was found. And a round-up of media recommendations for your weekend, based on stories I’ve covered previously on the show.

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Links:

Here We Are Again!—How Joseph Grimaldi Invented the Creepy Clown (JSTOR Daily)
Hospital clown images 'too scary' (BBC News)
The psychology behind why clowns creep us out (The Conversation)
The History and Psychology of Clowns Being Scary (Smithsonian Magazine)
Revealed: Forrest Fenn’s Treasure Was Hidden in This National Park (Outside Online)
Fenn Treasure coverage #1 (Cool Stuff Ride Home)
Fenn Treasure coverage #2 (Cool Stuff Ride Home)
The Found Footage Festival
Chop and Steele documentary
#dracula daily on Tumblr
Belle and Sebastian: A Bit of Previous Album Review (Pitchfork)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Thu. 05/05 - Is Original Pop Culture Going Extinct? May 05, 2022

Show notes

A deep dive into the question of whether pop culture has become completely dominated by franchises and the same superstars; and, if so, how new that phenomenon actually is and, if it’s really a bad thing in the end.

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Links:

Pop Culture Has Become an Oligopoly (Experimental History)
Cultural Dopes (LA Review of Books)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Wed. 05/04 - Margaret Thatcher's Empire Strikes Back May 04, 2022

Show notes

Did Margaret Thatcher play a role in the origins of Star Wars Day? Plus, why human hibernation for long-distance space travel might not actually be worth it. And a redone Bob Dylan recording on an all-new analog medium, coming this Friday.

Sponsors:

Novo, Sign up for a free business checking account and get access to over $5,000 in perks and discounts at novo.co/kottke
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Links:

May the 4th Be With You: A Cultural History (Star Wars)
A Brief History of Star Wars Day (MovieWeb)
May the Fourth: What is Star Wars Day and when did it start? (USA Today)
May the Fourth kicks off with a new Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer (A/V Club)
"Meet Me in Mustafar" (Blue Milk Run, Bandcamp)
On May the 4th, let's remember the time NPR had a 'Star Wars' radio drama (NPR)
Star Wars: A New Hope Radio Drama - Nigel's Edit (Nigel Langes, YouTube)
May the Fourth, Rex Manning Day, and 10 More Made-Up Movie and TV Holidays (LifeHacker)
May The Force Be With You / May the 4th Be With You (Know Your Meme)
Here's Why Hibernation in Space May Not Be Possible For Humans After All (ScienceAlert)
Hibernate for a trip to Mars, the bear way (European Space Agency)
Team Behind First Black Hole Image Set to Announce 'Groundbreaking' Milky Way Discovery (Gizmodo)
Bob Dylan to Release New Version of “Subterranean Homesick Blues” (Consequence of Sound)
"Suburban Homesick Blues" (Mount Righteous, YouTube)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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