Cool Stuff Daily

Latest Episodes:

Tue. 02/22 - Hot Jupiter Is Raining Gems Feb 22, 2022

Show notes

The mysteries of people with super color vision. Plus, a Hot Jupiter that rains gems. And Hank the Tank, the furry 500 pound dumpster diving home invader taking California by storm.

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Links:

The Rare Gift of Seeing Extra Colors (Wall Street Journal)
'I'm really just high on life and beauty': the woman who can see 100 million colours (The Guardian)
A “hot Jupiter’s” dark side is revealed in detail for first time (MIT News)
A 'hot Jupiter's' dark side is revealed in detail for first time: The planet's night side likely hosts iron clouds, titanium rain, and winds that dwarf Earth's jetstream (Science Daily)
Scientists study a 'hot Jupiter' exoplanet's dark side in detail for the first time (Engadget)
Hank the Tank, a 500-Pound Bear, Ransacks a California Community (NY Times)
A 500-pound bear called Hank The Tank now rules California (A/V Club)
Mystery Deepens as China Denies Owning Space Junk Set to Crash Into Moon (Science Alert)
Corrected identification of object about to hit the moon (Project Pluto)
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Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Mon. 02/21 - Emo Poet & Wrestling Champ Abe Lincoln Feb 21, 2022

Show notes

Hundreds of birds dropped from the sky in northern Mexico. Why it happened and two brothers in India who heal birds who have suffered a similar fate. Plus: wrestler. Poet. Mattress King? The semi-true extracurriculars of Abraham Lincoln. And some recommendations for Brad Neely Appreciation Day.

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Links:

Why did birds fall from sky in Mexico? Probably a predator, experts say (The Guardian)
Jordan Peele posts Nope hashtag with video of creepy bird disaster (A/V Club)
As More Birds Fly Into Buildings, Scientists Study How To Limit Collision Deaths (NPR)
All That Breathes: The Indian brothers who heal birds dropping from the sky (BBC)
All That Breathes Review: Transfixing Doc About Delhi's Bird Rescuers (IndieWire)
Is Abraham Lincoln in the Wrestling Hall of Fame? (Snopes)
Poems of Abraham Lincoln by Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln in the Bardo a book by George Saunders
I'm Abraham Lincoln and I Beg of You, Please Commemorate My Birthday with Mattress Sales (McSweeney’s)
Before Hamilton, there was the Washington music video (Polygon)
George Washington (TheRealBradNeely, YouTube)
The Professor Brothers - History Lesson (JFK) (TheRealBradNeely, YouTube)
Wizard People, Dear Reader (Brad Neely, SoundCloud)
You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington by Alexis Coe
Jack's Presidents' Day Playlist (Spotify)
Presidential podcast (Washington Post)
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Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Fri. 02/18 - Did the Index Destroy How We Read? Will eBooks? Feb 18, 2022

Show notes

How a medieval hatred of indexes mirrors debates today about how search engines are changing our brains. Plus, a round-up of the unceasing Wordle news and spin-offs. A thousand Porsches are on fire in the middle of the Atlantic. And how about a caffeinated doughnut with your space-themed Coca-Cola?

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Links:

How Scholars Once Feared That the Book Index Would Destroy Reading (Literary Hub)
Students Today Can't Prepare Bark to Calculate Their Problems (Quote Investigator)
Wordle Has Ad Trackers Now That the New York Times Owns It (Gizmodo)
The New York Times has changed Wordle's solutions (The Verge)
Extra credit: You can play Wordle in other languages! (Duo Lingo)
Worldle
Primel
Reversle
Quordle
dordle
Wordle Unlimited
Star Wordle
Queerdle
Lordle of the Rings
Taylordle
Subwaydle
1,000 Porsches are burning aboard this abandoned cargo ship (The Verge)
Ship Carrying 1,100 Porsches and Other Luxury Cars Is Burning and Adrift (NY Times)
Just one last job... (Evan Simko-Bednarski, Twitter)
Cargo Ship Full of Porsches, Bentleys and VWs Is On Fire and Adrift in the Atlantic [UPDATED] (The Drive)
Coca-Cola introduces a first-of-its-kind flavor (CNN)
Snack maker Hostess unveils caffeinated doughnuts as market for caffeine-spiked food heats up (Washington Post)
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Thu. 02/17 - The Origins and Physics of Luge Feb 17, 2022

Show notes

The history and the science of luge, bobsledding, and skeleton. Plus, a new study has found that the US’s corn-based ethanol is worse for the climate than regular gasoline. And a bit of a pop culture round-up, including some new releases to look forward to this Record Store Day.

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Links:

How in the World Did Luge Happen? (Atlas Obscura)
The high-speed physics of how bobsled, luge and skeleton send humans hurtling faster than a car on the highway (The Conversation)
Which Winter Olympics Sport Is the Slipperiest? (Slate)
Luge, bobsled, skeleton: What's the difference? Burning Sochi questions answered (Today)
US corn-based ethanol worse for the climate than gasoline, study finds (Reuters)
US corn ethanol tweet (David Roberts, Twitter)
How Corn Ethanol for Biofuel Fed Climate Change (Civil Eats)
‘Stranger Things’ Season 4 Will Be Split Into Two Parts, Release Dates Announced (Collider)
Record Store Day 2022: The 20 Must-Have Releases (Consequence of Sound)
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Wed. 02/16 - EPCOT 2.0? Disney's New Residential Housing Communities Feb 16, 2022

Show notes

A new startup that is working on making steaks and chicken breasts out of thin air. Plus, the first woman has seemingly been cured of HIV. And Disney is developing a new round of residential communities around the US.

Sponsors:

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Links:

This Startup Is Trying to Make Juicy Steaks Out of Thin Air (Wired)
Something in the Air (Protein) These Days (The Spoon)
Can lab-based meat be vegan? (Fortune)
Can You Make Meat From Air? Dr. Lisa Dyson, CEO and Founder of Air Protein, Explains on The Plantbased Business Hour (Vegconomist)
This Startup's Futuristic Idea to Fight Climate Change? Make Meat From Thin Air (Inc.)
A Woman Is Cured of HIV Using a Novel Treatment (NY Times)
First woman reported cured of HIV after stem cell transplant (Reuters)
Scientists have possibly cured HIV in a woman for the first time (NBC News)
Disney is developing planned communities for fans who never want to leave its clutches (The Verge)
Disney Launches New Business to Develop Residential Communities (Walt Disney Company)
Disney To Build New Residential Communities, First Is In Rancho Mirage (Deadline)
Walt Disney (DIS) to Develop Residential Housing Communities Across US (Bloomberg)
Walt Disney's radical vision for a new kind of city (The Conversation)
DeLorean DMC Will Return In 2022 As Luxury Electric Sports Car (Inside EVs)
The DeLorean Is Officially Back, And It's Electric (IGN)
Downton Abbey stars Michelle Dockery and Michael Fox to debut musical album (Washington Post)
DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA - Official Trailer [HD] (Focus Features, YouTube)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

Other recommended watching:

Framing John DeLorean (IFC Films)
Defunctland: Walt Disney's City of the Future, E.P.C.O.T. (Defunctland, YouTube)

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Tue. 02/15 - The Love Story Behind the High Five Wikipedia Page Feb 15, 2022

Show notes

Uncovering the story behind two anonymous people whose photographs serve as instructions on the high five Wikipedia entry. Plus, people apparently find AI-generated faces more trustworthy than real human ones. And the Idaho Potato Commission just dropped their first fragrance.

Sponsors:

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Links:

The adorable love story behind Wikipedia's 'high five' photos (Input)
Depths of Wikipedia (Instagram)
Depths of Wikipedia (Twitter)
Goofing Off (Wikipedia)
4/8/21 episode about the origin of the high five (Kottke Ride Home)
Fake faces created by AI look more trustworthy than real people (NewScientist)
Humans Find AI-Generated Faces More Trustworthy Than the Real Thing (Scientific American)
AI generated faces are MORE trustworthy than real faces say researchers who warn of “deep fakes” (Lancaster University)
AI Creates Photorealistic Portraits of Cartoon Characters (Kottke)
"Frites by Idaho" is a new perfume that smells like french fries (Boing Boing)
Love is in the Air... And it Smells like French Fries (Idaho Potato Commission)
Laserwriter II by Tamara Shopsin
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Mon. 02/14 - Rejected Olympic Sports Feb 14, 2022

Show notes

Speed skiing, synchronized skating, ski ballet, and other rejected sports from the Olympics. Plus, remember that SpaceX rocket stage headed for the moon? Turns out it’s a different piece of rocket junk, not from SpaceX at all. And the tropical disease that may be on the verge of eradication in humans.

Sponsors:

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Links:

Speed skiing: too fast for the Olympics (Financial Times)
12 Sports That Used To Be In The Winter Olympics (BuzzFeed)
When Ski Ballet Pushed at the Porous Boundary Between Art and Sport (NY Times)
The Most Insane Ex-Olympic Sport! SPEED SKIING! ⛷ (Olympics, YouTube)
HOW was this an Olympic sport? Ski ballet! (Olympics, YouTube)
Plot Twist: A Different Rogue Rocket Is Going to Hit the Moon (Gizmodo)
A rocket is still set to slam into the Moon next month — but it may not be from SpaceX after all (The Verge)
Astronomers now say the rocket about to strike the Moon is not a Falcon 9 (Ars Technica)
1/26/22 episode about the SpaceX rocket stage (Kottke Ride Home)
Just 14 cases: Guinea worm disease nears eradication (Nature)
AirAsia flight diverted due to unexpected snake on the plane (NPR)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Fri. 02/11 - Rams vs. Bengals In the Wild Feb 11, 2022

Show notes

MoviePass is back and it wants to track your eyeballs. Plus, who would win in a real-world animal showdown: a ram or a Bengal tiger? NASA has released the first images of a star taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. And the Comanche language version of Wordle that Facebook doesn’t want you to see.

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Links:

MoviePass 2.0 Wants to Track Your Eyeballs to Make Sure You Watch Ads (Vice)
MoviePass is officially coming back (The Verge)
Who Would Win in a Real-World Battle: A Bengal Tiger or a Ram? (Smithsonian Magazine)
Nathan Chen Makes 'Crazy' Joe Burrow Comment And Predicts Super Bowl Winner (HuffPost)
Photons Received: Webb Sees Its First Star – 18 Times (NASA)
James Webb Space Telescope captures its first images of a star (Engadget)
Comanche Wordle vs. Facebook (Dr. Kate Pewenofkit Briner, Twitter)
Words removed from Wordle after move to New York Times (Boing Boing)
Comanche NotWordle (TalkingComanche.org)
Wordle players' streaks are returning after NYT switch (Polygon)
Tech bug keeps Mazda radios locked in to NPR (BBC)
Stuck in KUOW purgatory: Seattle Mazda drivers can't change the radio dial (KUOW)
Gary Bowser is going to prison for selling Nintendo Switch hacks (The Verge)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Thu. 02/10 - Valentine's Meat Juice Feb 10, 2022

Show notes

A possible third planet has been spotted orbiting Proxima Centauri. Plus, a new record has been set by a nuclear fusion lab in the UK. And, just in time for the holiday, a brief history of Valentine’s Meat Juice.

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Links:

A third world may be orbiting around our closest neighboring star (The Verge)
A Third Possible Planet for Proxima Centauri, The Closest Star To The Sun! (SyFy Wire)
Astronomers Spot Third Possible Planet Orbiting Nearest Star (Gizmodo)
New planet detected around Proxima Centauri, closest star our solar system -- ScienceDaily (Science Daily)
JET fusion facility sets a new world energy record (Science Daily)
Fusion experiment smashes record for generating energy, takes us a step closer to a new source of power (Space)
Nuclear fusion heat record a 'huge step' in quest for new energy source (The Guardian)
Major breakthrough on nuclear fusion energy (BBC)
In the 1800s, Valentine’s Meant a Bottle of Meat Juice (Atlas Obscura)
Video Shows Starlink Satellite Disintegrating Over Puerto Rico (Gizmodo)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Wed. 02/09 - 300 y/o Arctic Sponges Found Surviving on Fossilized Worms Feb 09, 2022

Show notes

The mysterious century-old sponges somehow surviving on a dead underwater mountain near the North Pole. Plus, doctors in Canada can now prescribe patients annual passes to National Parks. And SpaceX is set to lose 40 of the 49 Starlink satellites it launched last week due to a geomagnetic storm.

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