Commute | The Podcast

Were lifesaver mints really created as a safe, non-choking hard candy option for consumers? Dave’s marriage may depend on it. What’s the first thing you do when you get on an elevator? Select your floor? Or are you one of the people who immediately start bashing the “door close” button? This week we uncover - does that button even work? Since the 1970s, San Diego Chicken has been reinventing and i...

Whether it’s a significant other, friend, or grandma, we’ve all had a meal where the chef added a “secret ingredient” to the recipe and, whatever it was, the meal tasted better - why? Every spring for 600 years, people from around the world have gathered in England to race downhill while chasing a wheel of cheese.  Have you ever wondered why we don’t have a universal language? Well, we almost did....

If you’ve ever had damage to a powerline leave you without electricity you’ve probably wondered - isn’t there a better way to do this? Burying them works for some places, would it work for everyone? New Jersey is known for beautiful beaches, amazing casinos and exciting nightlife. Just don’t try to pump your own gas there. A sweet 16 birthday party usually consists of cake, ice cream and time with...

1) In 1998 a construction worker found something extraordinary under Benjamin Franklin’s London-based home - human remains. What was the founding father up to?? 2) Dwight D. Eisenhower. Susan B. Anthony. Sacagawea. We keep trying dollar-coins, and they keep failing. Why?  3) Even if they know you well, people that suffer from prosopagnosia can’t recognize you - in fact, they often can’t even ident...

For a video game that never actually existed, it sure has caused some controversy. This week we explore the urban legend of the Polybius game.   There’s a war going on in the music industry right now – but it’s not over money, and there aren’t even really clearly defined sides. It’s a war over the volume.   She was present at one of the most significant events in history - and may have accidentall...

The Bermuda Triangle. Need we say more?   If you do the crime, you do the time. What about if you didn’t know you did the crime? Can you be held accountable for what you do while you’re asleep? Some of the most extraordinary things in life happen purely by accident. A few world-changing inventions actually came about while trying to do something else. Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/folklo...

A Boy and his Atom isn’t just the world's shortest movie - it’s the world's smallest movie.  Microsoft Office is utilized daily by companies of all sizes. Everyone uses Microsoft Word, but most of us can’t get much done with Microsoft Excel. Those who can? Now they get to prove it on the global stage.  Polling indicates that 67% of us can’t whistle or think we aren’t very good.  What if...

A Japanese hotel offered a room at just $1. Of course, there was a catch. If a TV judge, like Judge Judy, says you’re guilty of a crime - are you guilty? This week the legal authority (or lack thereof) in television courtrooms. Not long ago, pay phones could be found on every street corner and outside every business. People being who they are, phone scams were around back then, too. - Sources: htt...

Each summer, some of society’s richest and most elite members get together at a secretive resort in California. Depending on who you ask a lot goes on there -  everything from conversations about political policy to a fake sacrifice before an owl statue. There are a lot of choices for where we get our local weather reports - but there aren’t many options for how stations get that information.  Eve...

Fifty years ago, a call was placed that changed the world: the first-ever from a cell phone. We look back at where this has led us and yes, we somehow still have land lines.  How did a string of seemingly unconnected murders in the 1980s affect the packaging of almost everything we buy at the pharmacy today? If you’re like the majority of people, you use the same password or a variation for EVERYT...

In the late 1980s, waterbeds were a $2 billion-a-year industry. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who owns one today. “I’ve got shotgun!” is one of those social norms we all know. Why? Ludwig van Beethoven is among the most famous names in music history. So famous, in fact, that almost 200 years after his death even his hair is still making news. - Sources: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/...

In the late 1980s, the Walt Disney Corporation decided to start work on what it hoped would be the next signature ride at Disney World. The ride would be like nothing park guests had ever seen - a horror ride.  Heinz is one of the most reliable giants in the condiment industry. But what about that time it changed the color of ketchup? The movie ends, but people still sit there. Where did post-cred...

1) When Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark on their famous western expedition, it wasn’t just to find more opportunities for commerce. Instead, Jefferson had a bizarrely personal request for the adventurers. 2) Unlike much of the world, public restrooms are free to use in America. But why, and are we better off because of it? 3) There have been 275 million copies of Monopoly sold worldwide sinc...

It’s a hot summer day, and you pull into a McDonald’s drive-thru only to learn that the ice cream machine isn’t working. Again. Why does that happen so often? Every Easter, they return like weeds - Peeps, the marshmallowy, chick-shaped candy, and every year there seem to be even more. Is there any way to stop them?? Companies often go beyond traditional advertising campaigns to pay for their produ...

It’s every sports fan's daydream - to suit up and play for a real professional team. In one major sports league, it really happens. The Democratic and Republican parties are defined by many things - including colorful animal mascots. We’ll tell you why. Online shopping is used by everyone. Resell options like Craig’s List or Facebook Marketplace are used by many of us. Bad experiences and civ...

Emojis are an essential part of how we communicate with each other. But where did they come from? And what do we do if we want to create a new one? More than  30 years ago, Nirvana released an album with a naked baby in a swimming pool on the cover. That baby is now a man, and he isn’t too happy about it.  When an actor dies, is it unethical to create a virtual reality version of them for future m...

Since its release in the 1960s, the Easy Bake Oven has regularly appeared on many “most successful toy of all time” lists, but it occasionally is found on a few less-than-desirable lists as well. Are we headed for a future where we gaze into the night sky and see the moon featuring a car dealership ad? Advances in artificial intelligence dominate the headlines, but this week we aren’t exploring th...

If you’re a millennial or older, there’s a decent chance that you had to learn to square dance in elementary school gym class. The reason why may be darker than you think. Last night was the Super Bowl. Many of us only tune in for the commercials, but did you notice a glaring difference from those we saw a year ago? The Savannah Bananas are making baseball more fun than ever. What is this team doi...

Over 100 years ago, Charles Ponzi launched a scheme so wildly but only temporarily successful that his name would come to represent all similar schemes that followed. And, boy, would they follow.  The economy is currently in flux, leading to price instability on just about everything, except for AriZona Tea. It costs the same .99 cents today that it did 30 years ago. Chuck E. Cheese has continued...

If you’re one of millions who recently failed to get Taylor Swift concert tickets, this one’s for you. Why so few options when it comes to purchasing event tickets? The Doomsday Clock is a symbolic reckoning of the world’s proximity to man-made Armageddon. Sometimes it even goes the other way. Does the state of the clock matter? Depends on who you ask. He was your first social media connection, bu...

Suddenly, eggs are expensive. Maybe inflation. Maybe … something else? Artificial intelligence has become an engine of content creation. But who owns the content it creates? Nike & Michael Jordan built and dominated the high-end shoe industry. It almost fell apart, though, before a young, inexperienced shoe designer got the call. - Don's miss Jay as a guest cohost on the PandaVision Podca...

The D.A.R.E. Program had an admirable goal - to educate elementary age kids about the dangers of drug use, hoping the lessons would carry into adulthood. Did it work? Or did it somehow do the opposite? Pepsi is always looking for the next great promotion - something to build the brand, sell the product and challenge Coke for soft drink supremacy. They usually give away a free hat or beach towel, b...

We lost another Hollywood celebrity recently, but this one was atypical in many ways. For starters, he wasn’t human. We’ve all experienced disappointment in our lives, and we deal with it uniquely. For some tourists visiting a particular European city, can the shock of letdown be enough to cause a medical emergency? We’ve talked about jingles before on the show, but this one is the granddaddy of t...

For over 100 years we have enjoyed a shared experience (for those of us still awake) when we count down the final minute of the year together for the big ball drop in New York City. Let’s be honest, though - isn’t this somewhat weird? While it wasn’t selected as the Word of the Year, Wordle was the most googled word in 2022 and swept the nation with its simplicity of play and addictive nature. But...

We’ve all sung it, though we can’t always name all 12 items in order (Hint: lots of birds). Where did this strange song come from? Every holiday season a big man in red dusts off his finest jacket, combs out his white beard.. and heads to your local mall. It may seem simple, but being a Mall Santa is not for the faint of heart. Did fighting really stop for a night so opposing sides could enjoy Chr...