Cool Stuff Daily

Latest Episodes:

Tue. 04/05 - So You Wanna Be A Fossil Apr 05, 2022

Show notes

How to have the best odds of becoming a fossil after you die. Plus, the creators of the viral Marcel the Shell videos secretly made a feature-length film that’s coming out this summer. And a few other recommendations you can stream right now.

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Links:

How to turn yourself into a fossil (BBC Future)
How can I become a fossil? (BBC Future)
Here's Why You Can't Keep Your Loved One's Skull (Mental Floss)
MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON (the first one) (Dean Fleischer-Camp, YouTube)
Marcel The Shell With Shoes On | Official Trailer (A24, Youtube)
'Marcel the Shell': Why Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer-Camp Declined Studio Offers and Made a Secret Movie Instead (Yahoo News)
'Marcel the Shell' Review: Surprise Mockumentary About Viral Shell (IndieWire)
Thu. 03/17 - Why Are Movies So Long These Days? (Cool Stuff Ride Home)
Netflix actually made a Short-A-- Movies category after Saturday Night Live sketch (Entertainment Weekly)
Short-A– Movies (Netflix)
Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off | Official Trailer (HBO Max, YouTube)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Mon. 04/04 - The Artwork Made By Six Million People and Counting Apr 04, 2022

Show notes

Six million people and counting are creating a piece of artwork together right now in a reminder that sometimes we can have nice things on the internet. Plus, birds are laying their eggs almost a whole month earlier than they used to. And some sounds from Ukraine’s musical resistance to Russia.

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Links:

Internet communities are battling over pixels (Washington Post)
Reddit's r/Place art experiment has already devolved into beautiful chaos (Input)
2017 final canvas (r/Place)
Cool time lapse of the first day of r/place (ethorodison, Twitter)
place
If Blink 182 Wrote 'Never Gonna Give You Up' (Alex Melton, YouTube)
Birds are laying their eggs a month earlier than normal (Washington Post)
Birds nesting, laying eggs earlier, Field Museum study by John Bates finds, reflecting climate change (Chicago Sun-Times)
Stopping Climate Change Is Doable, but Time Is Short, UN Panel Warns (NY Times)
Zelensky makes surprise Grammys appearance to urge support for Ukraine (Washington Post)
Ukraine Has Written a Folk Song About Its Drone (Vice)
Coca-Cola Byte: Coke's New Drink Is 'Pixel' Flavored. What to Know (CNET)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Fri. 04/01 - Star Wars Kid: A New Hope Apr 01, 2022

Show notes

The human genome has finally been completely sequenced––twenty-two years after the initial “essentially” complete version was published. Plus, in another early 2000s follow-up, the “Star Wars Kid” breaks his silence two decades later.

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DeVry University, Learn more at DeVry.edu/Future
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Links:

Completing the Human Genome Sequence (Again) (Scientific American)
Scientists publish the first complete human genome (Reuters)
First complete gap-free human genome sequence published (The Guardian)
In the Shadow of the Star Wars Kid (Waxy)
Star Wars Kid (Know Your Meme)
'Star Wars kid' emerges as an Internet hero (Los Angeles Times, 2003)
‘Mystery of Marilyn Monroe’ Trailer: Was She Murdered? No Conspiracy Left Unturned in Netflix Doc (Indie Wire)
All the Details on Andrew Dominik's NC-17 Marilyn Monroe Biopic 'Blonde,' Starring Ana de Armas (Indie Wire)
Mind the Gap (Twenty Thousand Hertz)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Thu. 03/31 - We Don't Talk About Pluto Mar 31, 2022

Show notes

New findings indicate that Pluto’s ice volcanoes are even weirder than we previously thought. Plus, a killer parasite is wiping out an entire species of ant in Texas… but actually it’s kind of a net positive. And US citizens will soon be able to select an X gender marker on their passport.

Sponsors:

The Jordan Harbinger Show, jordanharbinger.com/start
DeVry University, Learn more at DeVry.edu/Engineering

Links:

There's Something Truly Unique About Pluto's Landscape, New Study Says (Science Alert)
Pluto's Huge Ice Volcanoes Are Stranger Than We Realized (Gizmodo)
Ice Volcanoes Reshape Pluto and Hint at a Hidden Ocean (NY Times)
A Killer Parasite Is Wiping Out Hordes of Ants—in a Good Way (Wired)
Biden to mark Transgender Day of Visibility with new actions (AP)
Finally, Some Good News On Trans Rights (Charlotte’s Web Thoughts)
US will now offer gender-neutral X option on passports (The Verge)
Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality by Sarah McBride
The Anti-Trans Hate Machine: A Plot Against Equality (TransLash Media)
Trans Week of Visibility & Action
Watch Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin launch its first New Shepard space crew of 2022 (CNBC)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Wed. 03/30 - Prayers on the Blockchain & the Oldest Ever Star Mar 30, 2022

Show notes

Could alpaca antibodies one day provide treatment for COVID-19? Plus, the Hubble telescope has spotted the oldest star ever seen by humans, by a long shot. The European Union is cracking down on fast fashion. And the scammers trying to turn prayers in NFTs.

Sponsors:

DeVry University, Learn more at DeVry.edu/Future
The Jordan Harbinger Show, jordanharbinger.com/start

Links:

Potent alpaca nanobodies neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants (Nano Magazine)
Old episode with llama segment at the end (Coronavirus Morning Report, YouTube)
Record Broken: Hubble Spots Farthest Star Ever Seen (NASA)
Farthest star ever seen almost 13 billion light-years away (Bad Astronomy)
Hubble Space Telescope spots most distant single star ever seen (Space.com)
100,000 Stars
European Union reveals fast fashion crackdown (BBC)
EU proposes new rules to discourage disposable fast fashion (AP)
Religious Website Promising to Commemorate Prayers on the Blockchain Is Gone, Thank God (The Mary Sue)
Now You Too Can Commemorate Your Prayer on the Blockchain as an NFT (Relevant)
HBO Max is going back to Derry with an It prequel series (A/V Club)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Tue. 03/29 - Koons' Moons Mar 29, 2022

Show notes

Artist Jeff Koons’ next sculpture installation? On the moon. Plus, it’s not just you. Seasonal allergies really are worse this year, and the climate emergency is to blame. And, the Northern Lights might be visible Wednesday night in parts of the northern US and Canada, with bonus rockets being blasted into them by NASA.

Sponsors:

The Jordan Harbinger Show, jordanharbinger.com/start
DeVry University, Learn more at DeVry.edu/Engineering

Links:

Artist Jeff Koons aims to send sculptures to the Moon on commercial lunar lander (The Verge)
As Part of His NFT Debut, Jeff Koons Will Launch Sculptures Into Space and Place Them Permanently on the Moon (ArtNet)
There Is a Sculpture on the Moon Commemorating Fallen Astronauts (Smithsonian Magazine)
Various Artists, Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg, David Novros, Forrest Myers, Robert Rauschenberg, John Chamberlain. The Moon Museum. 1969 (Museum of Modern Art)
Climate change is making pollen season even worse across the country (Washington Post)
Naked-Eye Northern Lights May Be Visible From The U.S. This Week As Solar Flares Head Our Way (Forbes)
3-day-forecast (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
NASA set to launch 2 rockets into the northern lights (Space.com)
The Northern Lights Over Atlanta, Michigan (Great Lakes Myth Society, Bandcamp)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Mon. 03/28 - The Hoax Behind Pringles' Mascot's Name Mar 28, 2022

Show notes

The Scottish dolphin who lives among and seems to “talk” with porpoises. Plus, how a Wikipedia hoax became official branding for Pringles. And sheep are pivoting to solar.

Sponsors:

DeVry University, Learn more at DeVry.edu/Future
The Jordan Harbinger Show, jordanharbinger.com/start

Links:

For the first time, wild dolphin observed 'talking' with harbor porpoises (National Geographic)
The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse
The secret Wikipedia prank behind the Pringles mascot's first name (Mashable)
The Pringle Man's Name Is an Epic Wikipedia Hoax (Review Geek)
How 600 Sheep Will HelpHow 600 Sheep Will Help Maintain a Solar Array Maintain a Solar Array (Vice)
Solar grazing: How sheep mow the lawn at community solar farms in Upstate NY (New York Upstate)
Walmart Stops Selling Cigarettes in Some Stores (Wall Street Journal)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Fri. 03/25 - Digital Rest Stop Ahead Mar 25, 2022

Show notes

Digital resting points are an increasingly popular way to recharge and slow down in the midst of endless scrolling. Plus, are we facing a “sensory extinction?” And, meet the giant eerie glowing orb that might be installed in London.

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Links:

Doomscrolling got you down? Take a break at a digital rest stop. (Washington Post)
Animal sounds are a marvel of evolution. We can't afford to drown them out. (Vox)
Mount Rainier National Park Washington State, Nature Sounds (4K Relaxation Videos, YouTube)
Fri. 03/18 - What Do We Lose By Keeping The Lights On? (Kottke Ride Home)
City of London approves terrifying, gargantuan spherical music venue (Consequence of Sound)
Everything You Need to Know About MSG Sphere in Las Vegas (Vital Vegas)
London's Madison Square Garden Sphere gets planning approval (The Guardian)
Pepsi/IHOP sweepstakes (Pepsi, Twitter)
NASA to announce Hubble Space Telescope discovery next week (Space.com)
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Thu. 03/24 - You're Not Actually Laughing, lol Mar 24, 2022

Show notes

The origin and fascinating evolution of “lol.” Plus, it turns out the speed of sound on Mars is different and weirder than anticipated. And some of the researchers behind the discovery of Captain Shackleton’s lost ship are developing a sort of Google Maps for arctic waters.

Sponsors:

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Links:

Why We Use “lol” So Much (Vice)
The Speed of Sound on Mars Is Strangely Different, Scientists Reveal (Science Alert)
Episode about Perseverance's microphones (Kottke Ride Home)
Scientists that found Shackleton's lost ship are developing a 'Google Maps for the Antarctic' (BBC Science Focus)
Episode about the discovery of Ernest Shackleeton's ship (Kottke Ride Home)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Wed. 03/23 - Lettuce Medicine, Ranch Diamonds, & eWaste Coins Mar 23, 2022

Show notes

How genetically-modified lettuce grown in space could protect astronauts’ bones on long voyages. Plus, meet Doug, the false potato stripped of Guinness World Record glory in the eleventh hour. And, a two-carat diamond made out of ranch dressing, the Royal Mint in the UK is going to start recovering gold from the nation’s electronic waste, and an important announcement at the end of the show.

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