The Free Bin

Harrison reads " The Tale of Peter Rabbit " by Beatrix Potter .

The gang shares some random facts! Abe Lincoln makes a Mai Tai. A fish waits in a Slovakian bathtub. Jason waits at the bottom of a lake. The sun explodes. A bloody text message arrives in Sweden. A banana glows. Napoleon is routed. A switch on an amplifier ignites controversy. In this episode: Tiessen A. (2018). The fluorescent blue glow of banana fruits is not due to symplasmic plastidial catabo...

Cindy and Harrison flip the script from last week, with Cindy bringing a history lesson for Women's History Month , and Harrison celebrating World Frog Day .   In this episode: "City of Lies" (book, 2017) by Victoria Thompson " Frogatto & Friends " (computer game, 2010-) by Frogatto dev team "Frogger" (video game, 1981) by Konami Froglord (band, 2013-) "Frogman" (film, 2023) dir. by Anthony Cousin...

Cindy and Harrison talk birds and movies! At the behest of her recent online search suggestions, Cindy provides a new batch of Bird Facts concerning our friend, the common crow. Harrison celebrates Women's History Month by discussing the life and work of pioneering filmmaker Alice Guy . Somebody pick up the baby! In this episode: La Fée aux Choux (1896) A Fool and His Money (1912) Les Résultats du...

The gang finds joy! Sophia shares some exciting library updates. A leg returns to its owner . Cindy investigates regional foods in the United States. Harrison gets funked up , Cindy gets down , and Sophia gives a nod to a legendary performance . 

The gang shares some of their favorite birds! Eagles and herons eat well. Pigeons carry urgent news. A giant parrot does its best. In this episode: Bald Eagle Scream (Alaska Raptor Center, YouTube) Lionel the kākāpō booming and chinging (Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand)

The gang introduces a fortuitous confluence of annual religious observances! Library super-volunteer Omar (who also happens to be Sophia's husband) phones in to discuss Ramadan. Sophia shares some Lunar New Year traditions, and goes for a world-record any% speedrun of Catholicism. Harrison discusses the Vatican Observatory, and Cindy explores the Chinese Zodiac.  Blessed Lent! Ramadan Mubarak! Hap...

With Sophia snowed in, the gang assembles via videotelephony to celebrate Black History Month! Harrison tells the tale of legendary lawman  Bass Reeves . Sophia shares the story of groundbreaking librarian Dorothy Porter Wesley , who built Howard University's world-renowned Moorland-Spingarn Research Center into the institution it is today. Cindy discusses the lives and careers of the Nicholas Bro...

Content warning: This episode contains potential spoilers for "Bridgerton" and "The Pitt," as well as discussions of medical distress and child death. The gang shares updates on their recent pop-culture fixations! Cindy's workin' on a mystery (goin' wherever it leads). Harrison forgives the Las Vegas Hilton and celebrates a music legend's milestone of self-discovery. Sophia catches up on Regency r...

Per listener request, the gang talks about the weather! Harrison shares a brief history of almanacs and... something else. Sophia introduces us to the historic lighthouses of Oregon. Cindy shares some movies for a catastrophically rainy day. In this episode: "The Day After Tomorrow" (film, 2004) dir. Roland Emmerich Oregon Lighthouses "See Lantern Return to Historic Yaquina Bay Lighthouse On Orego...

The gang explores the history and variety of dialects in the United States! Cindy brings the research. Harrison abandons the letter G and Sophia adopts it.  Dingbatters descend upon Ocracoke .

Cindy leads the gang in a discussion of official tie-in media and adaptations, with a lengthy sidequest into the world of fanfiction! ET cripples an industry (allegedly). Sauron and Gandalf become romantically entagled in space (unofficially). A grape soda affects digestion (prebiotically).  

Sophia and Harrison discuss lost media and the Mandela Effect . An army of penguins gathers. Sammy Hagar craves behavioral enrichment. Hank Williams creates further Hank Williamses. Flying monkeys receive no compliments, while an earthbound monkey receives no tail. Also, Harrison experiences the Mandela Effect in real time! In this episode: "The Babadook" (film, 2014) dir. by Jennifer Kent "The Be...

The gang discusses their New Year's resolutions, and Cindy celebrates National Science Fiction Day with a deep dive into Timothy Zahn's influential Star Wars novels.  In this episode: "Heir To The Empire" (book, 1991) by Timothy Zahn  "Dark Force Rising" (book, 1992) by Timothy Zahn "Dragonriders of Pern" (book series) by Anne McCaffrey "The Last Command" (book, 1993) by Timothy Zahn "The Martian"...

The gang reflects on some of their favorite holiday films and traditions. Sophia's got a brand new nog. Cindy's got a brand new holiday. Harrison gets earnest about Ernest.   In this episode: "Ernest Saves Christmas" (film, 1988) Jim Varney playing dulcimer on "The Chevy Chase Show" (TV, 1993) Judy Garland singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (From "Meet Me In St. Louis") "Meet Me In S...

In preparation for the holiday break, Harrison decides to just do a quick, easy show-and-tell episode about what the gang's been learning this week. It doesn't quite work out that way, and the result is a sprawling discussion of traditional candy, music genres and subgenres, and the wonders and horrors of reality TV.

The gang discusses some lesser-known winter holidays, as well as unique regional traditions from around the world! World Kindness Day fills our hearts with compassion. Two dudes from Albany, Oregon fill our mouths with pirate jargon. El Caganer drops some humanity. A goat burns in Sweden. A barrel burns in Scotland. A log is beaten in Catalonia. A cat receives an answer during an awkward conversat...

Harrison shares some exciting announcements while the gang preps new episodes!

Sophia leads the gang in a discussion of the Salem witch trials, their historical context, and the ways that communities fall into paranoia, persecution, and cat noises. Sophia shares an overview and chronology of the events, and presents a questionable warrant. Cindy discusses Puritans' role in the colonization of North America, and several historical examples of mass psychogenic illness. Harriso...

Content Warning: This episode includes detailed discussion of death, historical embalming practices, and historical cannibalism.  For Spooky Season 2025, the gang ventures deep into the topic of mummies, and how they relate to Western horror fiction, cultural anxieties, history, heritage, and dubious medical practices. In their travels through time, they encounter Chinchorro grief, Germanic myster...

In preparation for National Magic Week , The Magical Mr. B. stops by to discuss the life and work of Harry Houdini , as well as the history of magic in general. 

The gang discusses [redacted] for Banned Books Week ! This conversation covers the rights provided by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I of the Oregon Constitution, the role of public libraries in upholding these rights, why access matters, filter bubbles, the importance of parent/guardian involvement, the ending of Michael Crichton's "Congo" (spoiler alert!), and...

The gang continues to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by sharing stories of some important figures, from history to the present day. Along the way, they encounter mobile puppets, ubiquitous '90s musical collaborations, unfed bears, baseball emergencies, powerful paintings, space flutes, and much more!

Joel Gaddis of Movie Madness drops by to discuss the wild world of "Demented Kids." This is the name Movie Madness applies to its collection of bizarre and unintentionally unsettling family films. In this episode: "Body Troopers" (1996) "Mac and Me" (1988) "The Peanut Butter Solution" (1985) "The Rare Blue Apes of Cannibal Isle" (1975) "Super Xuxa vs. Satan" (1988) "A Talking Cat!?!" (2013) "Treas...