Curiosityness

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109 A History of Howard Johnson's | Anthony Sammarco Jun 01, 2021

Show notes

If you remember the orange-roofed, twenty-eight flavored Howard Johnson's empire that stretched along roadways from coast to coast, you're gonna love this nostalgic and historical episode!

If the name Howard Johnson's is only vaguely familiar to you (like it was to me), you're also gonna love this episode!

In this episode, I'm joined by Boston historian and author of the book, A History of Howard Johnson's, Anthony M. Sammarco.

Tune in to learn…

-Who Howard Johnson was,

-Why he is called the "Father of the Franchise Industry",

-What made Howard Johnson's restaurants so unique and successful,

-How Howard's son spearheaded the extinction of this once thriving restaurant chain,

-& so much more!

Grab a copy of Anthony's book, A History of Howard Johnson's: How a Massachusetts Soda Fountain Became an American Icon...

On Indiebound at https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781540206459,

On Amazon at https://amzn.to/2SClWGg (affiliate link)

Find Anthony on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AnthonyMSammarco/,

& check out his Lost Boston Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/666137636777594/

Check out my visit to an old Howard Johnson's still with the original A-frame roof and "Simple Simon & The Pie Man" Logo Weathervane: https://youtu.be/GmKeJ1FzxNg

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Find Travis, the host of Curiosityness, on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travderose/

Or send him an email to travis@curiosityness.com

108 A History of the World in 6 Glasses | Tom Standage May 18, 2021

Show notes

Beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and Coca-Cola!

In this episode I'm joined by Tom Standage for a dive into the history of the world through the lens of what (and why) people were drinking at the time.

You may never look at your favorite drink the same way again!

Tune in to learn…

-What the first drink was (besides water),

-How beer was accidentally invented,

-Why the Ancient Greeks and Romans watered down their wine,

-How the London Stock Exchange started as a tea shop,

-About the Soviet military leader who drank Coke disguised as vodka,

-& so much more!

Grab a copy of Tom's book, A History of the World in 6 Glasses...

On Indiebound at https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780802715524

On Amazon at https://amzn.to/3yc4I2O (affiliate link)

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For more episodes visit https://www.curiosityness.com/

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Find Travis, the host of Curiosityness, on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travderose/

Or send him an email to travis@curiosityness.com

107 This Fruit is Bananas! | Dan Koeppel Apr 20, 2021

Show notes

B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

Have you ever wondered why there's only one variety of banana but a dozen or more varieties of apples at your grocery store?

How about why bananas, grown across oceans, are half the price of locally grown apples?

To get these answers, and to learn more about the most fascinating fruit in the supermarket, I'm joined by Dan Koeppel in this episode. Dan is the author of the book, Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World.

Tune in to learn…

-How a seedless fruit continues to reproduce,

-Why your grandpa's banana was different than your banana,

-How & where you can try different varieties of bananas,

-If the apple consumed by Eve in the Garden of Eden was actually a banana,

-If bananas will still exist as we know them in the future,

-& so much more!

Grab a copy of Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World...

On Indiebound at https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780452290082

On Amazon at https://amzn.to/32kidPx (affiliate link)

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At https://www.rageinsidethemachine.com

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Find Travis, the host of Curiosityness, on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travderose/

Or send him an email to travis@curiosityness.com

106 Are Algorithms Turning us all into Bigots? | Dr Robert Elliott Smith Mar 30, 2021

Show notes

I love learning about new tech and how it can enhance our lives! But perhaps we are beginning to place too much confidence and reliance on things like AI and algorithms.

In this episode I'm joined by Dr Robert Elliott Smith, author of the book, Rage Inside the Machine: The Prejudice of Algorithms, and How to Stop the Internet Making Bigots of Us All.

Tune in to learn…

-About the role algorithms play in the divisiveness of social media;

-How algorithms may be more entrenched in your life than you realize;

-If algorithms are prejudiced;

-Why we are seeing increasing incidences of machine bigotry, greed, segregation and mass coercion;

-If we can replicate human intelligence with artificial intelligence;

-& so much more!

Grab a copy of Rage Inside the Machine...

On Indiebound at https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781472963888

On Amazon at https://amzn.to/2Pv0eml (affiliate link)

Find Dr Robert Elliott Smith on Twitter: @DrRESmith

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For more episodes visit https://www.curiosityness.com/

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Or send him an email to travis@curiosityness.com

105 Behind the Scenes of "The Magnificent Seven" | Brian Hannan Mar 16, 2021

Show notes

I've started to develop quite a love for Western films lately and The Magnificent Seven is definitely among the top. But aside from being a great film, there is an incredible story behind The Magnificent Seven which could have been a movie in itself!

In this episode I'm joined by Brian Hannan, author of The Making of The Magnificent Seven, to talk about this unbelievable story behind the movie.

Tune in to learn…

-About the 3 hour, 1954 Japanese film that The Magnificent Seven is based on,

-About the Mexican government interference that literally rewrote the script,

-Why it was a flop on release and later a box office hit,

-About the scene-stealing antics among the 7 actors,

-& so much more!

Grab a copy of The Making of The Magnificent Seven: Behind the Scenes of the Pivotal Western...

On Indiebound at https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780786496952

On Amazon at https://amzn.to/30CJMTc (affiliate link)

Check out Brian's website, https://themagnificent60s.com, for more info on films of the 1960s.

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For more episodes visit https://www.curiosityness.com/

Connect with Curiosityness...

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Get your FREE Curiosityness sticker at https://www.curiosityness.com/freesticker/

Find Travis, the host of Curiosityness, on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travderose/

Or send him an email to travis@curiosityness.com

104 How to Wake Up Your Dreams with Lucid Dreaming | Stef from HowToLucid.com Feb 09, 2021

Show notes

Lucid dreaming is the ability to CONTROL your dreams.

A lucid dream feels like a normal dream but you're aware of the fact that it's a dream WHILE you're actually in the dream, meaning you can guide it and control what you do, and what you experience. You can fly across alien planets, overcome nightmares and live the impossible. Anyone can learn how to lucid dream by following proven techniques, it's perfectly safe, easy and fun to learn!

Tune in to this episode with Stef from How To Lucid to learn…

-What lucid dreaming is,

-The benefits of lucid dreaming,

-How to start lucid dreaming yourself,

-How to check if you're in a dream or reality,

-& so much more!

Learn How to get started Lucid Dreaming at https://howtolucid.com/gift

Find Stef on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYTEnIQJ2tpYyK0AKBUal-A

Visit https://howtolucid.com/

Check out Stef's Lucid Dreaming Podcast: https://howtolucid.com/podcast

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For more episodes visit https://www.curiosityness.com/

Connect with Curiosityness...

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curiositynesspodcast/

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Find Travis, the host of Curiosityness, on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travderose/

Or send him an email to travis@curiosityness.com

103 The Scrappy Origin Story of the Personal Computer | Sean Haas Jan 26, 2021

Show notes

Personal computers are everywhere! When was the last time you even saw a desk without a computer on it?

But how did the personal computer rise up to become so ubiquitous and intertwined with our daily lives?

In this episode I'm joined by Sean Haas, host of the Advent of Computing podcast, for a wild ride through the rise of the personal computer!

Tune in to learn…

-Why computers are just 1's and 0's,

-How Xerox was instrumental in developing the personal computer,

-About the origins of the mouse,

-If Apple stole the idea for the Macintosh,

-Why computers used to be so massive,

-Why the microprocessor was such a breakthrough,

-& so much more!

Check out Sean's podcast, Advent of Computing, wherever you listen to podcasts including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

Visit https://adventofcomputing.com

Find Sean and Advent of Computing on Twitter: @adventofcomp

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For more episodes visit https://www.curiosityness.com/

Connect with Curiosityness...

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curiositynesspodcast/

Get your FREE Curiosityness sticker at https://www.curiosityness.com/freesticker/

Find Travis, the host of Curiosityness, on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travderose/

Or send him an email to travis@curiosityness.com

102 Adventures in Astronomy | Emily Levesque Jan 12, 2021

Show notes

Astronomy sounds like an awesome career choice — spend your nights sitting under the stars with a massive telescope finding new astronomical objects in the sky. But that's only the half of it, there's so much more...

In this episode I'm joined by Emily Levesque, astronomer and author of the book, The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of Astronomy's Vanishing Explorers.

Emily shares how astronomers in this scrappy and evolving field are going beyond the machines to infuse creativity and passion into the stars and space and inspires us all to peer skyward in pursuit of the universe's secrets.

Tune in to learn…

-What an astronomers sees when they look though a telescope,

-What it's like to work at observatories in extremely remote areas,

-How easy it is to ruin a night of observing,

-What astronomers do most of the time (it's not looking through telescopes),

-About the guy who shot a telescope,

-About the telescope mounted in the back of a modified 747 plane,

-& so much more!

Grab your copy of The Last Stargazers from...

IndieBound at https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781492681076

Amazon at https://amzn.to/3pZDp7a (affiliate link)

Visit https://thelaststargazers.com/ for more info

Find Emily on Twitter: @emsque

And visit her website: https://www.emlevesque.com

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For more episodes visit https://www.curiosityness.com/

Connect with Curiosityness...

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curiositynesspodcast/

Get your FREE Curiosityness sticker at https://www.curiosityness.com/freesticker/

Find Travis, the host of Curiosityness, on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travderose/

Or send him an email to travis@curiosityness.com

101 Becoming Santa: Inside the Harvard of Santa Schools | Tom and Holly Valent Dec 15, 2020

Show notes

Have you ever wondered what it takes to become Santa Claus or Mrs. Claus? Me too — That's why, in this episode, I'm joined by Tom and Holly Valent.

Tom and Holly are the deans of the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School. Founded in 1937, it is the oldest continuously run santa school in the world and is widely considered the Harvard of Santa schools.

Tune in to learn…

-If you have to have a real beard to be Santa,

-The history of the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School,

-What makes a perfect Santa suit,

-How to vocalize the ideal "Ho Ho Ho,"

-The Santa school curriculum,

-& so much more!

Visit https://www.santaclausschool.com for more info on the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School.

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