Commute | The Podcast

If you thought litter was terrible on Earth, wait until you hear about what’s happening in outer space. At least down here it doesn’t come at you flying 15,000 MPH! First, there was Winnie the Pooh and, now, Mickey Mouse. As beloved modern characters enter public domain we could see them in versions and situations their creators never intended. But with Mickey there’s a catch... When Columbus and...

Teaching history is hard. It can be challenging to convey the importance of events that happened long ago. An Instagram account tried a different approach, but did it work? Need a new Christmas tradition?! Too bad - we have one for you, anyway. To close out 2023, we look back at the year’s top 25 Wikipedia searches and wonder if it means anything for the year ahead. Sources: https://amp.theguardia...

Walk down the snack aisle at any grocery store and mixed among the BBQ and Salt & Vinegar chips you’ll find unusual and limited edition ones like “Picnic” or “All Dressed Up.” How do such chips, which may taste like entirely different foods, get made? If you’ve thought your cell phone reception has worsened in recent years, this segment is for you. McDonald’s is always a pretty consistent fast...

Of all the strange rituals we rarely question, blowing out birthday candles has got to be up there.  What are the origins of this very unsanitary act? The online dating world is challenging but, with so many different dating apps, if one doesn’t work we can try another. They are surely all unique … aren’t they …? Why does being on the naughty list mean coal for Christmas? Sources: https://www.wond...

We’ve all failed. Most of us would rather not talk about it, but the Museum of Failure does more than talk about failures. It celebrates them. U.S. airlines lose millions of pieces of luggage annually. Most of them don’t just vanish, they end up in the same place. (It’s not the landfill.) It’s been a calling card of the dining experience at Olive Garden for decades - unlimited breadstick and salad...

Do retailers put out Christmas stuff earlier and earlier every year, not giving Thanksgiving fair respect, or is it all in our heads? A presidential pardon forgives a crime and clears the record of the offender. So why does a turkey (yes, an actual turkey) receive this treatment every Thanksgiving? Sources: https://www.newsweek.com/countdown-christmas-creep-earlier-every-year-1631978 https://www.n...

Although the Beatles put out their last record in 1970, a demo originally recorded a few years later has been cleaned up and released thanks to technological advances - and features John Lennon more than 40 years after his death.  To tip or not to tip, that is the question. And these days it’s asked more than ever. Not tipping is still an option, tho, right? Not if DoorDash has anything to say abo...

More than three decades ago, the New Yorker Magazine printed a cartoon about the internet that is just as accurate today as it was then, setting records for reprints. It’s still setting records. It’s after Halloween. What happens to all the pumpkins? Porta potties - everyone uses them; no one wants to. We’ll tell you more than you ever expected to know, including how often, if ever, they’re cleane...

How did “cheese” become the universal smile word used by photographers? You’ll never guess what word it replaced! It’s the official slogan of Halloween, but where and when did it begin? And what did cabbage have to do with the whole thing? The most terrifying mask of all time has one of the most bizarre backstories.  Sources: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/04/the-origin-of-say-cheese...

For almost 70 years a glass of Coca-Cola cost a nickel. In Iceland, it’s easy to accidentally marry your cousin. Luckily, there’s an app for that. Legendary anonymous street artist Banksy may have finally been unmasked. Or maybe not. Sources: https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/11/18/456410327/episode-416-why-the-price-of-coke-didnt-change-for-70-years https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/...

Every year new words get added to the dictionary. Who decides? If we don’t know someone’s name or they want to stay anonymous, we typically refer to them as John or Jane Doe. How did this happen?  What if your actual name is John Doe? Will we ever add another face to Mt. Rushmore? It comes up in conversation.  http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepod...

Can pizza tip us off to issues of national security? The evidence seems to be clear.  After a big sporting event - Super Bowl, World Series, or National Championship Game - it’s amazing how quickly the winning team t-shirt is available. How is this possible, and what happens to the losing team's shirts? Asteroid Beenu is currently on a collision course with Earth. Have we got a plan for this?...

It's almost Halloween season.  Soon kids, dressed as their favorite characters, go door to door asking for candy. But does the fun have an age limit?  How old is too old?  Have you planned for your funeral? When you do, you’d better prepare for a dent in the bank account. Cemetery real estate doesn't come cheap.  Have you ever thought the teenagers on TV shows look older than any teenage...

Every day, millions of truck hit the roadways to deliver the goods and services we’ve come to take for granted. This week: what it takes to be a truck driver. Seven of the most common birthdays are all in the same month. But just wait until you hear about the most UNcommon! Theaters in the 1940s and 1950s looped a movie continuously throughout the day. Moviegoers arrived to see their film of choic...

Artificial intelligence is everywhere: education, science, healthcare, work; but what about church? How would you like to have a conversation with Jesus? We imagine making an Olympic team and competing against the world's best on a global stage, but have you heard of the Magic Olympics? Subtitles are a TV viewing feature to assist people who are hard of hearing, so why are folks who can hear...

We all love a feel-good sports movie. The underdog learning to win, the budding romance, the dad who works too much….  When The Mighty Ducks became a hit in the 90s, Disney loved the movie so much that they made a real team. If you’re listening to this on release day, it’s Labor Day and you’ll have to put away your white clothes until next Spring. Why? When you pause a DVD you see a floating logo...

An airport realized that people kept urinating on the floors of the men’s bathroom. It came up with an interesting solution that is now used all over the world. The Beatles are considered the greatest band of all time. Why did it take them so long to have a song reach a billion streams on Spotify? And what’s a billion streams worth, anyway? What if you went to a restaurant and you knew up front th...

Our birthday is a special day - a good reminder to pause and celebrate another year of life. It’s also the day we’ll most likely die.  If you saw the movie Oppenheimer you know how destructively deadly nuclear weapons can be. Obviously it’s not a big deal that we’re missing a few of them, right? Virtual wallet apps like Venmo are incredibly convenient. They’re also incredibly generous in giving aw...

At any wedding you’ve likely heard and danced badly to the Cha Cha Slide, but its success was accidental. This week we discuss how a well-meaning uncle tried to help but inadvertently changed weddings forever. In the 1940s, one out of every 18 newborn girls was given the name Linda - a success rate no name has attained since. Today? Its popularity ranks in the 800s. Enter the Linda Club.  Think yo...

From U.S. presidents to athletic coaches, some folks need a little less privacy than others. You know the heart symbol ❤️ looks nothing like the real thing, right? How did it come to represent an actual heart? You’d think we discovered all of the dinosaurs by now, wouldn’t you? Not so. How many remain undiscovered? Sources: https://www.insidehook.com/article/news-opinion/the-weird-disgusting-art-o...

Money men. Elon Musk. Warren Buffet. Jeff Bezos. Chris Reynolds?  “From nearly $3 million to barely $3.” Almost overnight, Non-Fungible Tokens went from invaluable to worth, well, almost nothing.  Since the early 1980’s Mario has been the face of the video game industry   This week, where that face and name came from. - Sources: https://www.the-sun.com/money/6369937/quadrillionaire-accidentally-de...

It’s not uncommon to have something lost in the mail, but typically it’s not something irreplaceable … like human remains. Is it hard to make new friends as an adult, or is it just you? Traveling internationally soon?  We have your back with our guide to proper etiquette across borders and cultures. - Sources: https://www.vice.com/en/article/wxjxkm/the-usps-has-452-wayward-cremated-bodies https://...

The iconic Apple logo features an apple with a bite missing. How did they decide on that image? It depends on who you ask. Some are heroes in a traditional way and save a puppy from a burning building or rescue someone from drowning. Then some are like Roger Anderson and go after telemarketers.  Would you trade your friends in for a free cheeseburger? Well, a few days, Burger King asked that very...

Most of us hate small talk, but are we to blame? Would people really prefer to discuss their hopes and dreams instead of the weather? Imagine if the government offered you the chance to take a year or two off your official age. It just happened in one country.  This week represents the Fourth of July holiday season - and as soon as it passes, the countless fireworks tents you see each day will ret...

A grandparent can give you a firsthand account of a very different era of history. What if your grandpa was one of the first U.S Presidents? Scaling Mt. Everest is among the most remarkable of human achievements, but why do people get within eyesight of the summit then decide to turn around? One of the best-selling and most annoying toys of all time is back. How did this come to be??  Sources: htt...