Synopsis
Cool Weird Awesome carves out a few minutes each day for the great stuff. The stuff we all need so we don't think the world has gone completely crazy.
Episodes
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Someday Teeth May Heal Themselves (But We’ll Still Have To Brush)
17/03/2020 Duration: 03minA team at King’s College London has found evidence that, with help from a prescription treatment, teeth may be able to repair themselves! Plus: parades are off this St. Patrick's Day, but we've still got Irish Potato Candies. (Don't worry, they only look like potatos.) Further evidence shows clinical viability of natural tooth repair method (King's College London) Irish Potato Candies Are the Best St. Patrick’s Day Treat You’ve Never Heard Of (Chowhound) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message
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The World Shuts Down, But “Art Doesn’t Stop”
16/03/2020 Duration: 03minStaff at a museum in Turin, Italy called Castello di Rivoli have been working marathon days to digitize their entire collection so that art lovers who can't see the pieces in person can still enjoy them online. Plus: a volunteers at a thrift shop in North Carolina spots something unusual in a stack of paintings - a work by none other than Salvador Dali! A World-Famous Curator Is Working 18-Hour Days to Put One of Italy’s Top Museums Online So Italians Can Visit From Quarantine (ArtNet) Original Salvador Dali artwork discovered at Outer Banks thrift store (WAVY) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message
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There’s A Hair Freezing Contest In The Yukon
13/03/2020 Duration: 03minThis weekend voting gets underway for one of the most unusual contests you’ll find anywhere in the world: the Takhini Hot Springs Hair Freezing Contest. Plus: Colorado is honoring a dude who's spending his afterlife surrounded by a great deal of dry ice. Introducing Frozen Dead Guys Days! Takhini Hot Springs Hair Freezing Contest Frozen Dead Guy Days Backing Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon warms up even the coldest days --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message
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The Earth’s Rotation Is Slowing, Thanks To The Moon
12/03/2020 Duration: 03minWe’re hearing a lot about how a research project has shown that Earth days used to be about a half-hour shorter than they are now. Why is our planet rotating more slowly now? It's mostly because of the moon. Plus: in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the National Shag Dance Championships are getting underway. How Long Until The Moon Slows The Earth To A 25 Hour Day? (Forbes) Days on Earth Used to Be 30 Minutes Shorter, Ancient Shell Suggests (Gizmodo) National Shag Dance Championships There's never a bad time to back Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message
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Turn Used Cooking Oil Into Raw Material For 3D Printers
11/03/2020 Duration: 03minResearchers at the University of Toronto have an idea: maybe the old cooking oil from fast food chains could have new life as resin for 3D printers. Plus: this weekend in Mansfield, Texas, it’s the one and only Pickle Parade! U of T researchers turn McDonald's deep fryer oil into high-end 3D printing resin (University of Toronto) Mansfield, Texas Pickle Parade For just $1 a month you can make Cool Weird Awesome happen as a backer on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message
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Durian Fruit May Help Charge Our Cellphones, And Without That Smell
10/03/2020 Duration: 03minResearchers at the University of Sydney say they can turn the waste from durian and jackfruit into carbon aerogel, which can help store energy in what are called super-capacitors. And no, they don't smell. Plus: Daniele Barresi is a master of making ornate sculpted art from avocadoes. Scientists turn stinky durian waste into energy storage (Treehugger) Daniele Barresi's Avocado Sculptures Backing Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon is a powerful thing to do --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message
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How Do We Talk To Voyager 1 and 2 When They’re So Far Away?
09/03/2020 Duration: 03minEarlier this year NASA got Voyager 2 to restart systems it had shut down through the ultimate in working remotely: sending directions beyond the reach of the sun! The way we send those commands to Voyagers 1 and 2 is pretty basic, but with twists to make up for the extremely long distance. Plus: ISS astronauts have been growing space veggies, and they're pretty good for us. How are the Voyager spacecraft able to transmit radio messages so far? (How Stuff Works) Voyager 2 Returns to Normal Operations (NASA) NASA's Space Lettuce Is Safe And Nutritious, Paving Way For Crops On The Moon And Mars (Newsweek) Backing Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon is like taking a trip through the cosmos --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message
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Get Hydrated By Eating These Water-Filled Treats
06/03/2020 Duration: 03minDehydration can be a big problem for patients with dementia or Alzheimers. Jelly Drops are colorful, edible treat pods full of water that may be able to help these individuals stay hydrated. Plus: the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museum is hosting the new exhibit “Ohio: An Unnatural History," complete with life-size cutouts of mythical Ohio creatures. Man Creates Edible Water To Help His Grandmother With Dementia Stay Hydrated (Interesting Engineering) Mythical creatures of Ohio on display at Rutherford B. Hayes museum (WTOL) Keep Cool Weird Awesome around for everyone as a backer on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message
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The Life And Flights Of Jerrie Cobb
05/03/2020 Duration: 03minToday is the birthday of Jerrie Cobb, who could have been the first woman in space but ended up flying to great heights nonetheless. Plus: it was on this day in 2011 that a museum in the Netherlands first put on exhibit a work called “Peanut Butter Floor," which was exactly what it sounds like. Jerrie Cobb, America's first female astronaut candidate, dies at 88 (NBC News) Cobb, Geraldyn “Jerrie” M., Aviation Pioneer (National Aviation Hall of Fame) Peanut Butter Floor (Bookofjoe) Our backers on Patreon give Cool Weird Awesome wings! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message
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The Moths That Absorb Sound To Hide From Bats
04/03/2020 Duration: 03minSome moths are built to essentially cancel sound - and it's a pretty effective defense mechanism against bats and echolocation. Plus: a heart-shaped work of art made by bees! Deaf moths evolved noise-cancelling scales to evade predators (Phys.org) Bees Create Heart-Shaped Hive When There Aren’t Frames Up to Guide Them (My Modern Met) Not to bug you, but have you considered backing Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message
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When Kentucky Had a "Meat Shower"
03/03/2020 Duration: 03minOn this day in 1876, a Mrs. Crouch was outside making soap when “suddenly there descended upon her a gentle shower of meat.” What the heck happened to cause meat to fall from the sky over Bath County, Kentucky? Plus: Lincoln, the goat mayor of Fairhaven, Vermont, runs for reelection against his challenger, Sammy the police dog. Kentucky Meat Shower? Yes, meat fell from the sky more than 140 years ago (Louisville Courier-Journal) Vermont goat mayor in for a 'dog' fight at her Town Meeting Day re-election (Burlington Free Press) Make great podcasts fall from the sky as a Cool Weird Awesome backer on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message
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There’s Music For Cats And It’s Apparently Very Good For Them
02/03/2020 Duration: 03minCan music help cats relax during their visits to the vet? Apparently so - but would music specifically made for cats be even more helpful than music made for humans? Plus: if you missed Justin Bieber's birthday yesterday, visit a museum in his hometown that features all the stuff from his career that his proud grandparents saved! This music calms cats the best, study finds (Treehugger) How a small-town Canadian museum became a shrine to Justin Bieber (The Outline) Patreon backers are to Cool Weird Awesome as Beliebers are to Justin Bieber --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message
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Lyndon Johnson Had A Not So Great Leap Day
28/02/2020 Duration: 03minIt was on a Leap Day in 1968 that the President of the United States got stuck in an elevator. We'll explain how it happened. Plus: this weekend at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, it's the third annual Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Weekend. LBJ Stuck In An Elevator (Atlas Obscura) Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Weekend at Graceland (Memphis Travel) Take care of business as a Cool Weird Awesome backer on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message
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A Device That Can Make Electricity “Out Of Thin Air”
27/02/2020 Duration: 03minA new technology out of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst actually pulls electricity out of the air! But don't worry, it's not like when Sith lords shoot lightning at people. Plus: Steamboat Springs, Colorado sets the world record for the largest single firework explosion. New Green Technology from UMass Amherst Generates Electricity ‘Out of Thin Air’ (University of Massachusetts) The world's largest single firework just lit up the night sky in Steamboat Springs (ABC 7 Denver) Light up the internet as a Cool Weird Awesome backer on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message
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This Program Can Make You Invisible On A Webcam
26/02/2020 Duration: 03minDisappearing People is a computer program that can make us invisible on our computer’s cameras! Plus: the story of something that cannot be unseen, the world record longest salami. This Program Will Make You Invisible (to Your Webcam) (Motherboard) Salami larger than the Statue of Liberty has broken a world record in Argentina (Mirror UK) See something amazing happen when you back Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message
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We Can Put Old Mattresses To Use In Gardens
25/02/2020 Duration: 03minA project run by researchers at the University of Sheffield, is using foam taken from discarded mattresses to help Syrian refugees start hydroponic gardens in Jordan. Plus: why were there two Miss Sasquatch Queens in Saskatchewan back in 1969? Scientists using old mattresses to grow food for Syrian refugees in Jordan (iNews) Miss Sasquatch Queen (Weird Universe) No title better than the title of Cool Weird Awesome backer on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message
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A Brain Implant That Can Bypass A Damaged Eye And Send Images To The Mind
24/02/2020 Duration: 03minThe technology I like best is the technology that helps people do what they couldn’t do before, like a new brain implant that can put images from a camera in front of blind people. Plus: Rita Ebel is making the German town of Hanau more accessible for wheelchair uses, by using LEGO. A new implant for blind people jacks directly into the brain (MIT Technology Review) One Woman and Thousands of Lego Bricks Are Building a Town Much-Needed Wheelchair Ramps (Gizmodo) Join us as a Cool Weird Awesome backer on Patreon - you'll like what you see --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message
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Do Chocolates Taste Better With The Right Music?
21/02/2020 Duration: 03minWashington State University has a Sensory Science Lab that tests all the ways we encounter what we eat and how that can affect how we think it tastes. Now they’re testing whether different kinds of music can affect how we think about chocolate. Plus: this weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina, there’s a chance to go out on a bar crawl that’s like none other. Exploring links between music and our perceptions of chocolate (Washington State University) Charlotte's 8th Annual Banana Bar Crawl Backing Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon makes everything seem sweeter! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message
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“Ghost Signs” Show What Buildings Used To Be
20/02/2020 Duration: 03minIf you’ve ever driven past a building and seen a faded advertisement on the side of the brick, or spotted a neon sign for a restaurant where a real estate office now sits, those are ghost signs. A new book called The Ghost Signs of NYC tours these signs and advertisements and tells the stories of how they got where they are. Plus: meet the world's largest paint ball, two tons of paint hanging out in Alexandria, Indiana. The Ghost Signs of NYC: Uncover the Secrets to New York’s Past in New Book (Untapped New York) The World's Largest Paint Ball! Today's show is a sign you should back Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message
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When Americans Could Mail Their Children From Place To Place
19/02/2020 Duration: 03minIt was on this day in 1914 a family in Grangeville, Idaho sent a four year old through the mail to her grandmother in Lewiston, 73 miles away. And she wasn’t the only kid to travel this way after the US Postal Service began the parcel post. Plus: the group Electronicos Fantasticos is making some fascinating music with bar code scanners! A Brief History of Children Sent Through the Mail (Smithsonian) We Used to be Able to Send Children in the Mail (KQED) Barcoders Jamming (Electronicos Fantasticos on YouTube) Backing Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon is just as great as getting a birthday check in the mail! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message