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PODCAST

Cool Stuff Daily

Cool Stuff Daily

Cool Stuff Daily covers the most interesting and coolest stories in the world of science, progress, life-hacks, memes, exciting art, and hope. This is the antidote to depressing headlines. Smart stuff in podcast form. Cool news, as a service. Hosted by Reggie Risseeuw and Marques Pfaff.

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All Episodes

16:30

Fri. 12/17 - The Mystery of the Secret Library Hidden...

Cool Stuff Daily ·

2021/12/17

How a librarian discovered a secret library within her library. Plus, some tips for unplugging more deeply when you’re on vacation. And the group of actual birds knocking Adele and Ed Sheeran off the top of the Australian music charts. Sponsors: GiveWell, Have your donation matched up to $250 by entering Kottke Ride Home at check out at GiveWell.org Tentree, Use code KOTTKE to get 15% off at tentree.com Links: Inside a hollow library book, a secret library (Capital Daily) @inusedbooks (Instagram)

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14:23

Thu. 12/16 - DOOM BLOOM: Spotted Lanternfly-Tainted...

Cool Stuff Daily ·

2021/12/16

It turns out those pesky spotted lanternflies have changed the local honey in Pennsylvania, and it’s… kind of good? Plus, the FDA has approved eye drops that fix age-related vision problems. And one company is trying to prevent new staff turnover by letting them see what the job is really like using VR headsets. Sponsors: Tentree, Use code KOTTKE to get 15% off at tentree.com GiveWell, Have your donation matched up to $250 by entering Kottke Ride Home at check out at GiveWell.org Links: When Life

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17:09

Wed. 12/15 - Are Floating Neighborhoods the Future?

Cool Stuff Daily ·

2021/12/15

A NASA spacecraft has just touched the sun for the first time in human history. Plus, are floating neighborhoods the future for coastal towns? And a look back at the origin of online reviews, and a question about their future. Sponsors: GiveWell, Have your donation matched up to $250 by entering Kottke Ride Home at check out at GiveWell.org Tentree, Use code KOTTKE to get 15% off at tentree.com Links: NASA craft 'touches' sun for 1st time, dives into atmosphere (AP) NASA Enters the Solar

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16:44

Tue. 12/14 - Sad Keanu & A Sleeping Bag to Save...

Cool Stuff Daily ·

2021/12/14

When did we first start sending holiday cards and will the tradition ever end? Plus, the health risks for humans in space and a high-tech sleeping bag that could prevent astronauts’ vision from deteriorating. And, Keanu Reeves explains what was going on in the infamous Sad Keanu photo. Sponsors: Tentree, Use code KOTTKE to get 15% off at tentree.com GiveWell, Have your donation matched up to $250 by entering Kottke Ride Home at check out at GiveWell.org Links: A Brief History of the Holiday Card

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15:07

Mon. 12/13 - Science-Backed Nap Hacks From Salvador Dalí

Cool Stuff Daily ·

2021/12/13

Need a creative boost? Try this napping hack from Thomas Edison and Salvador Dalí––research from this month says it actually works. The woman who successfully traded a bobby pin for a house. And Swedish towns are trying to reclaim their names from IKEA products. Sponsors: GiveWell, Have your donation matched up to $250 by entering Kottke Ride Home at check out at GiveWell.org Tentree, Use code KOTTKE to get 15% off at tentree.com Links: Sleep technique used by Salvador Dalí really works (Science

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16:17

Fri. 12/10 - The Science (& Ethics) of Netflix’s...

Cool Stuff Daily ·

2021/12/10

Insights from the real-life NASA scientist behind Netflix’s new killer-comet movie, Don’t Look Up. Plus, reindeers are the only mammals whose eyes change color with the seasons. And their noses kind of do too––the science behind that, and the history of the most famous red-nosed reindeer of all. Sponsors: GiveWell, Have your donation matched up to $250 by entering Kottke Ride Home at check out at GiveWell.org Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews Links: Meet the real NASA scientist

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16:13

Thu. 12/09 - Birds Aren't Real (And Neither Is This...

Cool Stuff Daily ·

2021/12/09

Finally we get some truth from bird truthers. Everything you need to know about the Birds Aren’t Real movement. Plus, New Zealand is banning tobacco completely for the upcoming generations. And Instagram is bringing back the chronological feed! Kind of. Sponsor: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews GiveWell, Have your donation matched up to $250 by entering Kottke Ride Home at check out at GiveWell.org Links: Birds Aren’t Real, or Are They? Inside a Gen Z Conspiracy Theory. (NY

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15:21

Wed. 12/08 - Cleaning Hacks From Victorians

Cool Stuff Daily ·

2021/12/08

Cleaning advice from nineteenth century housekeepers. An upcoming feminist retelling of 1984. How to watch the Geminid meteor shower next week. And MST3K is officially coming back next year. Sponsors: GiveWell, Have your donation matched up to $250 by entering Kottke Ride Home at check out at GiveWell.org Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews Links: Milk for Floors, Bread for Walls: 19th-Century Cleaning Tips for the Modern Era (NY Times) Spring Cleaning the Old-Fashioned Way

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13:45

Tue. 12/07 - Scientists Want SpaceX's Starship To Go...

Cool Stuff Daily ·

2021/12/07

How SpaceX’s giant Starship rocket could herald a new generation of space exploration. Plus, all sound recordings from the mid-1800s to 1923 are going to be released to the US Public Domain on January 1st. And Heinz and Terry’s have partnered to create a chocolate orange mayonnaise. Yeah. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews GiveWell, Have your donation matched up to $250 by entering Kottke Ride Home at check out at GiveWell.org Links: Planetary scientists are starting

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17:36

Mon. 12/06 - Why Is It So Hard To Hear Movie Dialogue...

Cool Stuff Daily ·

2021/12/06

Do you feel like the dialogue in movies has gotten harder to understand? It’s not just you. Sound professionals dish on all the reasons why it’s gotten worse in recent years. Plus, a giant steel structure coming soon to Tasmania has already started recording us to provide evidence of our shame to future civilizations. And honeybees that survived for weeks under volcanic ash after the eruption in the Canary Islands. Sponsors: GiveWell, Have your donation matched up to $250 by entering Kottke Ride

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19:12

Fri. 12/04 - Krampus, the Unabomber, & Tickle Me Elmo

Cool Stuff Daily ·

2021/12/03

Why the FBI thought the inventor of Tickle Me Elmo might have been the Unabomber. A new potential method for freeze-drying vaccines. And it’s Krampusnacht this weekend. Here’s everything you need to know about the sinister anti-Santa. Sponsors: Lendtable, Use code KOTTKE at Lendtable.com to get an extra $50 added to your Lendtable balance Tentree, Use code KOTTKE to get 15% off at tentree.com Links: Tickle Me Kaczynski: How the Inventor of the Ultimate Elmo Toy Became a Unabomber Suspect (MEL)

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15:01

Thu. 12/02 - How a College Student Invented Oregon...

Cool Stuff Daily ·

2021/12/02

How a twenty-one-year-old student-teacher and his roommates created Oregon Trail fifty years ago, and never made a cent from their creation. Plus, a letter Catherine the Great wrote in favor of vaccinations just sold for $1.3 million. And, for one night only, you can stay in the original Home Alone house. Sponsors: Tentree, Use code KOTTKE to get 15% off at tentree.com Lendtable, Use code KOTTKE at Lendtable.com to get an extra $50 added to your Lendtable balance Links: ‘Oregon Trail’ at 50: How

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16:56

Wed. 12/01 - Duolingo's Bizarre Sentences

Cool Stuff Daily ·

2021/12/01

Why does Duolingo use such weird and sometimes deeply relatable phrases to teach its users new languages? Plus, the real science behind the much-hyped “first living robots that can now reproduce.” And the origins of the twelve days of Christmas. Like, the actual days. Not the song about turtle doves. Sponsors: Lendtable, Use code KOTTKE at Lendtable.com to get an extra $50 added to your Lendtable balance Tentree, Use code KOTTKE to get 15% off at tentree.com Links: Why are Duolingo sentences so

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16:39

Tue. 11/30 - How Mark Twain Invented the Bra Clasp

Cool Stuff Daily ·

2021/11/30

How Mark Twain invented the bra clasp. Kinda. Plus, beavers doing the work of million dollar machines to restore land and prevent wildfires––in a fraction of the time and for a fraction of the cost. And a new twist has emerged in the McDonald’s milkshake machine lawsuit saga. Sponsors: Tentree, Use code KOTTKE to get 15% off at tentree.com Lendtable, Use code KOTTKE at Lendtable.com to get an extra $50 added to your Lendtable balance Links: Mark Twain disliked suspenders so much that he invented

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14:57

Mon. 11/29 - Canada's Emergency Maple Syrup Reserves

Cool Stuff Daily ·

2021/11/29

Are influencers’ aesthetic choices for their kids threatening their brain development? Probably not, but the science behind it is kind of interesting. Plus, pub-goers in England got stranded for three days with an Oasis tribute band. And there’s a maple syrup shortage, but don’t worry, Canada was ready for it with their emergency maple syrup reserves. Sponsors: Lendtable, Use code KOTTKE at Lendtable.com to get an extra $50 added to your Lendtable balance Tentree, Use code KOTTKE to get 15% off at

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16:51

Wed. 11/24 - Made-Up Words For Very Real Feelings

Cool Stuff Daily ·

2021/11/24

How does the CIA go about recruiting young people who are increasingly skeptical of government institutions and also not exactly covert about their lives on social media? Plus, a dictionary of fake words for very real feelings. And are we cautiously eyeing an end in sight for the supply chain issues? Kind of. Links: The CIA Is Trying to Recruit Gen Z—and Doesn't Care If They're All Over Social Media (Washingtonian) The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows (Tumblr) The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

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16:21

Tue. 11/23 - Why Do We Say "Sh*t Hit the Fan"?

Cool Stuff Daily ·

2021/11/23

Why we rely on idioms for communication and how some of the more nonsensical ones entered our lexicon. Plus, a company working on a sort of 10,000 g slingshot to launch satellites into space with zero emissions just pulled off their first successful test launch. And some reflections on reconnecting with the Earth in this era of the climate emergency, without appropriating indigenous cultures. Links: The Linguistic Case for Sh*t Hitting the Fan (JSTOR Daily) History of Swear Words (Netflix)

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17:33

Mon. 11/22 - Oxygen From Moon Rocks Could Sustain...

Cool Stuff Daily ·

2021/11/22

Could lunar explorers of the future be sucking air out of moon rocks? Could all of us? Plus, a device made from household objects could expand the world’s access to vaccines. And the psychological case for decorating for the holidays as early as you want. Links: The Moon's top layer alone has enough oxygen to sustain 8 billion people for 100,000 years (The Conversation) This Cheap Device Could Expand the World’s Access to Vaccines (Scientific American) India's Limit on Syringe Exports Hobbles

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16:41

Fri. 11/19 - The Fake 2000s Yo-Yo Career of 'What We...

Cool Stuff Daily ·

2021/11/19

A brief history of takeout and delivery. Plus, a What We Do In The Shadows actor’s previous career as an award-winning yo-yo-er. And the abomination that is RanchNog. Sponsors: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/kottke Tentree, Use code KOTTKE to get 15% off at tentree.com Links: How Apps Commandeered the Age-Old Idea of Takeout (Wired) Hidden Valley Ranch Releases RanchNog Kit (Food and Wine) Mark Proksch of 'What We Do in the Shadows' Pranked Midwest TV Stations as Yo-Yo Expert in

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15:29

Thu. 11/18 - AMC Will Soon Deliver Popcorn to Your Home

Cool Stuff Daily ·

2021/11/18

Will we soon have a new Planet Nine? The first human trial for an Alzheimer’s nasal vaccine is about to be under way. And Papa John’s has changed their name. Technically. And AMC Theaters has said, “movies, who? Never heard of her. We’re a popcorn company now.” Sponsors: Tentree, Use code KOTTKE to get 15% off at tentree.com Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/kottke Links: Planet 9: Old data could uncover the Solar System's newest world, 38 years late (Inverse) A 1980s Space

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1,126 results

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