Cool Stuff Daily

Latest Episodes:

Fri. 09/24 - Ancient Teens Shake Up History of Human Migration Sep 24, 2021

Show notes

Ancient footprints discovered in New Mexico are shaking up what we thought we knew about when humans first arrived in the Americas. Plus, how much plastic do we unknowingly ingest each year? The answer is probably more than you’re comfortable with, but it also turns out that babies take in way more of it than adults. And a new, very unauthorized website that will bring you Chick-fil-A on a Sunday.

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Links:

Ancient Footprints Suggest Humans Arrived In Americas During Ice Age (NY Times)
Fossil footprints prove humans populated the Americas thousands of years earlier than we thought (The Conversation)
Fossil footprints challenge theory of when people first arrived in Americas (National Geographic)
Erosive forces tweet (Michael Roston, Twitter)
Baby Poop Is Loaded With Microplastics (Wired)
Infants have more microplastics in their feces than adults (Science Daily)
You can now risk eternal damnation by buying Sunday Chick-fil-A (A/V Club)
Chick-fil-A’s Owner Is Bankrolling Hate Groups Targeting Trans Kids (them.)
MSCHF Sunday Service
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Thu. 09/23 - Birds Are Real (and Got Louder During Lockdown) Sep 23, 2021

Show notes

The dark side of the history of epidemiology. Plus, a study that proves, yes actually, birds were louder and more numerous during lockdown. And two women in their hundreds who have lived incredible lives and refuse to quit doing what they love.

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Links:

How Transatlantic Slave Trade Shaped Epidemiology Today (TIME)
Birds Thrived During Covid-19 Lockdowns, New Study Shows (Wall Street Journal)
Fri. 05/15 - Have Birds Gotten Louder During Lockdown? (Kottke Ride Home)
107-Year-Old French Pianist Colette Maze Has A New Album (NPR)
‘America’s Oldest Park Ranger’ Is Only Her Latest Chapter (NY Times)
A few details NYT left out (Jennifer Schuessler, Twitter)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Wed. 09/22 - The Wonders of Fall, and the Cosmos Sep 22, 2021

Show notes

Sharing some reflections, some poetry, and a bit of a historical context on what it is that makes fall strike such a strong chord with so many of us, in honor of this first day of fall. And a look at NASA’s upcoming Lucy mission to Jupiter’s asteroids that somehow includes facts about the Beatles, Mexican track and field athlete Norma Enriqueta Basilio Sotelo, and The Iliad.

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Links:

Between Restlessness and Rapture: Autumn and the Sensual Urgency of Aliveness (Brain Pickings)
A Sunset of the City (Gwendolyn Brooks, Poetry Foundation)
Sonnet 73: That time of year thou mayst in me… (William Shakespeare, Poetry Foundation)
To Autumn by John Keats (John Keats, Poetry Foundation)
John Keats: “To Autumn” by Caitlin Kimball (Poetry Foundation)
Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night by Nicholas Rogers
The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man's Love Affair with Nature a book by J. Drew Lanham by J. Drew Lanham
NASA's Lucy mission will visit at least 8 asteroids on a loop-de-loop trajectory (Bad Astronomy, Syfy)
Queta - The Story Behind the Name - Lucy Mission (NASA)
Where Is Lucy?
Netflix buys Wonka author Dahl's catalog (AP)
Roald Dahl's Family Apologizes For His Anti-Semitic Comments (NPR)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Tue. 09/21 - Making 26,000 People Out of 20: Ted Lasso's Trick Sep 21, 2021

Show notes

How Ted Lasso filled a whole stadium for a crowd scene during the pandemic, and how advances, especially in AI, are beginning to change filmmaking. Plus, a Colorado man has won a yearlong treasure hunt for golden tickets, making him the new owner of a candy factory. That last part wasn’t a joke. It was literally a golden ticket competition for a candy factory. And finally, an ambient noise website for the most chaotic among you.

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Links:

How Fake Crowds Are Made For Movies And TV (Insider, YouTube)
AI might help edit the next generation of blockbusters (The Verge)
Andrew Maas won The Gold Ticket competition after clues led him to Kokomo, Ind. (Washington Post)
Colorado man wins candy factory after finding golden ticket in Highland Park (Kokomo Tribune)
Wed. 09/09 - Modern-Day Willy Wonka Is Giving Away His Candy Factory (Kottke Ride Home)
Ambient Chaos
Last year's segment on Demi Adejuyigbe's 9/21 series (Kottke Ride Home)
9/21 videos (Demi Adejuyigbe, YouTube)
Sept21st.com
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Mon. 09/20 - Poison Ivy Vaccines & A Mosh Pit History Sep 20, 2021

Show notes

The history and science of mosh pits. Exciting developments in the treatment of poison ivy reactions, including a possible vaccine. And how to catch tonight’s Harvest Moon, and why we call it that.

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Links:

Moshing: The History, Anatomy & Art Of The Dance Form (Consequence of Sound)
The Science Behind Mosh Pits (Professor Politics, YouTube)
Moshpits.js (Jesse Silverberg et al)
Mosh Pits Teach Us About the Physics of Collective Behavior (The Atlantic)
A Vaccine against Poison Ivy Misery Is in the Works as Scientists Also Explore New Treatment Paths (Scientific American)
The full Harvest Moon of 2021 rises tonight: Here's what to look for (Space.com)
Harvest Moon 2021: All you need to know (EarthSky)
Celebrate The End Of Summer With Monday's Harvest Moon (NPR)
What Is the Harvest Moon? | Harvest Moon Facts and Folklore (Old Farmer’s Almanac)
The world's tallest nation is getting shorter (CNN)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Fri. 09/17 - Night-Lunch and the Origin of Food Trucks Sep 17, 2021

Show notes

The history and future of food trucks, and a look at the old tradition of “night lunch.” The visually-striking lanternfly that eastern US states are begging people to kill. And why you may not be getting that book you ordered anytime soon.

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Links:

Before Food Trucks, Americans Ate 'Night Lunch' From Beautiful Wagons (Atlas Obscura)
The Rise of the Taco Truck (JSTOR Daily)
Taco Bell's Subscription Service: We've Gone Too Far (The Atlantic)
Die, Beautiful Spotted Lanternfly, Die (NY Times)
The Book Biz Tries to Avoid Supply Chain Disruptions (Publisher’s Weekly)
Supply Chain Challenges: Put Your Book Orders In Now For The Holidays (Book Riot)
Booksellers warn over Christmas supplies amid UK lorry driver shortage (The Guardian)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Thu. 09/16 - Jane Austen's Advice for Social Media Users Sep 16, 2021

Show notes

How the social lives of the characters from Jane Austen’s novels are analogous to our digital ones today, and what we can learn from them about being over-stimulated. Plus, a study illustrating how we could build bases on Mars out of astronaut blood. And a couple of updates from the world of LEGO.

Sponsors:

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Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews

Links:

Is Jane Austen the Antidote to Social Media Overload? (JSTOR Daily)
Scientists Want to Build Mars Bases Out of Human Blood (Vice)
Concrete on Mars Could Literally Be Made Out of Astronaut Blood, Sweat, And Tears (Science Alert)
LEGO releasing fabulous Queer Eye loft set (Digital Spy)
European Championships 2022 to Feature LEGO Wheelchair Ramps (Mental Floss)
22,000 LEGO bricks for Munich 2022 (European Championships)
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis' Wedding Marks 1st Same-Sex Marriage Of Sitting Governor (NPR)
Nonbinary 'Hacks' Star Carl Clemons-Hopkins on Being an Emmys First (The Advocate)
Nonbinary Performers Say Gendered Award Categories Ignore Their Identity (NPR)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Wed. 09/15 - Civilian? Amateur? Private? Whatever, They're Going to Space! Sep 15, 2021

Show notes

SpaceX’s Inspiration4 all-civilian crew is blasting off tonight in Cape Canaveral. Here’s everything you need to know about the historic launch. Plus, the Māori Party in New Zealand has introduced a petition to rename the country its Māori language name, Aotearoa. And a newly identified species of insect has been named after RuPaul.

Sponsors:

Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews
Upstart, upstart.com/kottke

Links:

SpaceX's Latest Mission Will Launch Four People Into Orbit (NY Times)
SpaceX Mission: How to Watch the Inspiration4 Launch (NY Times)
Inspiration4: Why SpaceX’s first all-private mission is a big deal (MIT Technology Review)
Private astronauts are not 'space tourists' (op-ed) (Space.com)
SpaceX’s All-Civilian Inspiration4 Crew Readies for Launch (Wired)
The era of orbital private spaceflight truly begins with today’s launch (Ars Technica)
Inspiration4's call signs: The crew of SpaceX's all-civilian mission have special nicknames (Space.com)
Inspiration4 Launch: Where to Watch Netflix Livestream (Indie Wire)
Māori Party campaigns to change New Zealand's name to Aotearoa (CNN)
Bilingual road signs in Aotearoa New Zealand would tell us where we are as a nation (The Conversation)
‘A neat trick’: critics aim to shift Aotearoa debate, but historical fidelity no longer matters (The Guardian)
‘Rainbow colours and legs for days’: Australian fly species named after drag star RuPaul (The Guardian)
Endangered fly with 'legs for days' named after drag queen RuPaul (ABC Australia)
RuPaul fly among species named by CSIRO (CSIRO)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Tue. 09/14 - Steve Wozniak's New Space Company Sep 14, 2021

Show notes

How gas stations actually make money, and their prospects for the future. Steve Wozniak says Don’t Mess With Space. And, a timeless question for the ages: how many s’mores could you make from the giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters?

Sponsors:

Upstart, upstart.com/kottke
Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews

Links:

Why most gas stations don't make money from selling gas (The Hustle)
Apple Cofounder Steve Wozniak Starting Space Company Privateer (Business Insider)
Steve Wozniak Announces Privateer, a New Space Company (Gizmodo)
Steve Wozniak's latest moonshot is a private space company (Engadget)
How Many S'Mores Can You Make from the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man? (Mel Magazine)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Mon. 09/13 - De-Extinct Woolly Mammoths & Potty-Trained Cows Sep 13, 2021

Show notes

Could woolly mammoths help slow the effects of the climate emergency? It’s not just a theoretical question. One entrepreneur is betting on it, and working to bring woolly mammoths back from extinction to prove it. Lorde has re-released part of her latest album with Māori language translations. And a new effort to potty train cows, for the environment.

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