Cool Stuff Daily

Latest Episodes:

Thu. 08/12 - The Nickelodeon Design Aesthetic Aug 12, 2021

Show notes

How does a kid’s network establish their brand identity? Apparently, riff on a high brow architectural style and add heaping amounts of radioactive green slime. On the 30th anniversary of the first Nicktoons, a look back at Nickelodeon’s iconic aesthetic. Plus, a new––huge––study that upends a lot of what we thought knew about metabolism. And a fake website about fake movies.

Links:

How Nickelodeon Created Its Slime-Drenched ’90s Style (The Ringer)
The Best Nickelodeon Character Bracket: The Elite Eight (The Ringer)
Nickelodeon's Generational Divide (The Ringer)
What We Think We Know About Metabolism May Be Wrong (NY Times)
Metabolism in adulthood does not slow as commonly believed, study finds (NBC News)
Nestflix
Nestflix is a Netflix for fake movies and shows from real movies and shows (The Verge)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Wed. 08/11 - Robin, Batman's Sidekick, Has Come Out of the Closet Aug 11, 2021

Show notes

Robin has officially come out of the closet. No statement yet from Batman, but I do have the other details, and a brief history of LGBTQ+ superheroes. Plus, SpaceX is planning to put billboards in space. And plastic pollution is confusing the hermit crabs in Yorkshire.

Links:

Robin, Batman's Sidekick, Comes Out, Which Only Makes Sense (NPR)
Robin comes out as gay in new Batman comic, adding to DC's LGTBQ characters (Polygon)
The Evolution of Extraño, DC's First Openly Gay Super Hero (DC Universe Infinite)
Why Tim Drake's Coming Out as Bisexual Matters (Nerdist)
Sav Rodgers: The rom-com that saved my life (TED)
No One Wants Your Space Billboards, Elon Musk (The Mary Sue)
SpaceX and Canadian Startup Launching Space-Advertising Satellite (Business Insider)
SpaceX acquiring satellite data start-up Swarm Technologies (CNBC)
Plastic pollution in North Yorkshire is arousing hermit crabs, University of Hull scientists say (Washington Post)
Plastic waste: Study finds crabs confused by chemical additive (BBC)
Embrace the 90s again with Kid Pix's web app (It’s Nice That)
Kid Pix web app
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Tue. 08/10 - A New Carnivorous Flower CAPTCHAs Its Prey Aug 10, 2021

Show notes

Why are CAPTCHA’s so frustrating and, in a way, so grim and disconcerting? Plus, botanists have identified the first carnivorous plant in twenty years, but don’t go calling it Audrey III just yet. And, a new development in the McFlurry Cold War.

Links:

Why CAPTCHA Pictures Are So Unbearably Depressing (Clive Thompson)
How to Solve Captchas—and Why They've Gotten So Hard (Wired)
1st Carnivorous Plant Identified In 20 Years Grows Near Vancouver (NPR)
This Flower Hides a Secret: It’s Actually a Carnivore (New York Times)
A Carnivorous Plant Has Been Hiding in Plain Sight in North America Triantha occidentalis is picky (Gizmodo)
McFlurry Machine Maker At the Center of Right-to-Repair Fight (Gizmodo)
Why the McFlurry Machine Company Just Got Hit With a Restraining Order (Motherboard)
Did the Company That Makes McFlurry Machines Get Hit with a Restraining Order? (Snopes)
Fri. 04/23 - A McShake Up: The Battle Over McDonald's Ice Cream Machines (Kottke Ride Home)
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Mon. 08/09 - That “Code Red” Climate Report, Explained Aug 09, 2021

Show notes

Some context and takeaways from the big UN climate report released this morning. NASA has opened applications for their Mars simulation mission. And why are some people in Japan sending bags of rice with their baby’s face on them to relatives?

Links:

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Fri. 08/06 - A Gardener's High? Can Playing In Dirt Make You Happier? Aug 06, 2021

Show notes

What are forest schools? And the science behind why gardening can make you feel happy and peaceful. Plus, the Perseid meteor shower is happening in just a few days. And the co-creator of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has been immortalized as a Barbie doll.

Sponsor:

Upstart, upstart.com/kottke

Links:

We Should All Be Playing in the Dirt More… According to Science! (Literary Hub)
Can Climbing Trees Replace Preparing for Tests? (NY Times)
The Ground Beneath Us: From the Oldest Cities to the Last Wilderness, What Dirt Tells Us about Who We Are by Paul Bogart
Perseid meteor shower peaks this month! New moon bodes well for skywatchers. (Space.com)
Perseid meteor shower 2021 peaks soon: How to watch the sparkling show (CNET)
New Barbie Dolls Include A Vaccine Developer And Other Female Scientists (NPR)
Vaccinologist Barbie: Prof Sarah Gilbert honoured with a doll (The Guardian)
Equestrian Sumo scare? Riders say horses might be spooked by statue (AP)
Jessica Springsteen makes Olympic show jumping debut (NBC Olympics)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Thu. 08/05 - Vaccine APP-rehension Aug 05, 2021

Show notes

As the tides trend toward requiring vaccinations for entry in more places, what is the landscape of apps and methods to verify vaccination status? Plus, meatball-scented candles from IKEA and two very different commercial space flight updates.

Sponsor:

Upstart, upstart.com/kottke

Links:

More than 450 airlines can now use IBM's Digital Health Pass (Quartz)
Unvaccinated People Need to Bear the Burden (The Atlantic)
Privacy and efficacy concerns remain for New York's vaccine passport apps (NBC News)
IKEA Made a Swedish Meatball Scented Candle (Food and Wine)
ARROW WEIRD Make Your Home Smell Like Swedish Meatballs With IKEA's New HUVUDROLL Candle (Mental Floss)
Ikea's First Smart Air Purifier Comes Camouflaged as a Side Table (Gizmodo)
NASA, Boeing Continue Starliner Data Analysis (NASA)
SpaceX is hiring a 'Spaceport Mixologist' to make cocktails (The Verge)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Wed. 08/04 - Why Is Snow on the Alps Turning Red? Aug 04, 2021

Show notes

The six countries most likely to survive all-out societal collapse from climate change. Why is snow on the Alps turning red? And a website that will transport you back to sleepy nights in front of the TV in the early 2000s.

Sponsor:

Upstart, upstart.com/kottke

Links:

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Tue. 08/03 - What Edgar Allan Poe's Forgotten Science Writing Can Tell Us About Misinformation Aug 03, 2021

Show notes

Edgar Allan Poe wasn’t just the sad author of spooky tales we all know and love, but also a passionate science journalist, and the writings he left behind can tell us a lot about our current relationship to misinformation and science communication. Plus, Starbucks officially sells more cold drinks than hot ones now, by a lot. What’s responsible for the trend and how do baristas feel about it? And the newly re-dubbed Cleveland Guardians can’t catch a break when it comes to their team name.

Sponsor:

Upstart, upstart.com/kottke

Links:

Edgar Allan Poe science writing: His forgotten journalism has a lesson about COVID. (Slate)
Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History by Kurt Andersen
Starbucks Becoming 'Frappuccino Factory' Amid Cold Drinks Boom (Business Insider)
Here's why Starbucks sells so many frozen drinks (The Takeout)
Starbucks pushing high-end coffee, might raise prices (The Takeout)
Starbucks, Facing Higher Costs, Pushes Upscale Coffee (Wall Street Journal)
Cleveland baseball team now in fight with roller derby team over the name Guardians (Deadspin)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Mon. 08/02 - Why Skateboarding Is An Olympic Sport, But Cricket Isn't Aug 02, 2021

Show notes

What makes an Olympic sport an Olympic sport? And what does it take to get cut from the lineup? Namely, why is baseball getting cut once again in 2024, but breakdancing will make its Olympic debut? A breakdown of how it works. Plus, Boeing is trying again for a successful launch of their CST-100 Starliner tomorrow afternoon. What went wrong last time and what’s at stake? And, the mysterious jetpack man has returned to the Los Angeles airspace.

Sponsor:

Upstart, upstart.com/kottke

Links:

From skateboarding to surfing, 6 new Olympics sports will appear at the Tokyo Games (Vox)
Tokyo Olympics embrace fun of mixed events (Sports Illustrated)
Mixed-Gender Relays Make Their Olympic Debut (NY Times)
Boeing’s second Starliner mission to the ISS is a make-or-break moment (MIT Technology Review)
NASA, Boeing launch Starliner to the ISS: How to watch test flight live (CNET)
All eyes on weather as Boeing looks to Starliner launch on Tuesday (Space)
NASA Updates Coverage, Viewing Options for Starliner Launch (NASA)
What happened on the International Space Station when Russian module's thrusters misfired? (Washington Post)
‘Possible jetpack man in sight,’ LAX air traffic control reports (LA Times)
"Jetpack Man" returns to menace the skies of LA once more (A/V Club)
Mysterious 'Jetpack Guy' Could Actually Be a Drone (Gizmodo)
Kottke.Org
Jackson Bird on Twitter

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Fri. 07/30 - Millions of Views & Not a Dollar To Show For It Jul 30, 2021

Show notes

I read a BuzzFeed article about virality and go on a rant about the creator economy. PornHub has a new campaign to help bolster museum tourism. And we may have found a fingerprint from Michelangelo… on a statue’s butt.

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