Cool Stuff Daily

Micromorts, the unit of measurement that predicts your risk of death. How effective are they and how could we make it more effective, especially with regards to the pandemic? Plus, why Washington state is building highway overpasses for cougars. And two rappers who have been added to the Super Bowl halftime show lineup and will be making history with their performances. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a fre...

The Olympic Games have officially begun––how to reconcile excitement for the sports and the spectacle with the reality of the situation. Plus, controversy is brewing over the remains of Captain Cook’s ship the HMS Endeavour. And choose your fighter: 3D-printed vegan meatballs or Build-A-Bear’s sultry “After Dark” line of stuffed animals for adults. Sponsors: Jenni Kayne, Use code KRH at jennikayne...

When did we start counting? Are numbers just a modern human concept? Plus, we have more details about the impending end of the International Space Station as focus turns ever-more to the moon and Mars. And a new search engine that only gives you one result and it’s always a book that was published before 1927. Sponsors: Munk Pack, Use code KRH at Munkpack.com for 20% off your first purchase Jenni...

How does your brain know when you’ve had enough to drink each time you take a sip of water? Plus, a Groundhog Day tragedy, how North America came to celebrate this wacky holiday, and what it’s future might look like in lieu of the climate emergency. And finally, the Pope’s personal playlist. Sponsors: Jenni Kayne, Use code KRH at jennikayne.com for 15% off your first order Munk Pack, Use code KRH...

The New York City subway cars taking on a second job on the ocean floor. Plus, a successful drone created using Leonardo da Vinci’s aerial screw design. And crows in Sweden are being trained to pick up litter. Sponsors: Munk Pack, Use code KRH at Munkpack.com for 20% off your first purchase Jenni Kayne, Use code KRH at jennikayne.com for 15% off your first order Links: Sinking 1,000 NYC subway car...

The lost history of moon trees. Not quite as exciting as it sounds, but still really cool. Plus, the lineup of new emojis that just dropped on iOS 15.4––as well as a new study showing how emoji use can be an early detector of remote work burnout. And Moderna’s HIV vaccine has entered human trials. Sponsors: Jenni Kayne, Use code KRH at jennikayne.com for 15% off your first order Munk Pack, Use cod...

Catalonia is set to pardon a thousand people who were condemned for witchcraft four hundred years ago. Plus, a mysterious object discovered in our galaxy has astronomers a bit stumped. And why don’t avatars in the metaverse have legs? Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/kottke Links: Catalonia to pardon up to 1,000 people a...

What’s up with the drastically different predictions for this weekend’s Nor’easter, and how is snowfall measured anyways? Plus, the sus-prisingly long history of the term “sus.” And, sometimes pre-ordering a book does not mean you’ll get it right on the publication date. Like when the shipping container it was being transported in sinks to the bottom of the ocean, for example. Sponsors: Shopify, G...

Is there liquid water under Mars ice cap or isn’t there? Recent studies have claimed both. And what about an underground ocean on Saturn’s death star moon? Here’s all of your space water updates. Plus, the origins of the melodramatic “dun dun duuuun” sound. And, and old SpaceX rocket stage is on track to slam into the moon this March. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews...

A look into the world of extreme ironing. Plus, how China has been making strides in controlling the weather by shooting rockets at clouds. And, a much more low-key opportunity to help NASA collect data about real, non-modified clouds. Sponsors: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/kottke Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews Links: Meet an athlete heating up the world of...

The James Webb Space Telescope has officially reached its destination. What can we expect next? And why do Americans eat so much more peanut butter than anyone else? A bit of history on this National Peanut Butter Day. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/kottke Links: NASA’s revolutionary James Webb Space Telescope reaches...

How a new technique for 3D printing metal could revolutionize manufacturing. Plus, the great potential of the false banana. And archeology’s “sexual revolution.” Sponsors: Jenni Kayne, Use code KRH at jennikayne.com for 15% off your first order Munk Pack, Use code KRH at Munkpack.com for 20% off your first purchase Links: 3D printing's next act: big metal objects (Axios) Seurat Technologies raises...

Some reassurance from the experts that being bad at Wordle is not a sign you’re less smart than everyone else. Plus, the International Space Station is getting a film studio and sports arena. No word yet if Space Jam 3 will be shooting there. And how officials around the world have continued to successfully use sewage to predict COVID outbreaks. Sponsors: Munk Pack, Use code KRH at Munkpack.com fo...

From french fries to snow plows, the global shortages continue. But are we starting to see the beginning of a whole new world for workers and the supply chain? Plus, you know what kind of soup you can never be short of? The kind that doesn’t exist. And, what’s going on with the 5G rollout at US airports? Sponsors: Jenni Kayne, Use code KRH at jennikayne.com for 15% off your first order Munk Pack,...

Choosing to remain in the dark; on the power of “deliberate ignorance.” Plus, AI that can make academic articles more comprehensible, and one site in particular that took off last week. And a new browser-based history game that I at least can’t stop playing. Sponsors: Munk Pack, Use code KRH at Munkpack.com for 20% off your first purchase Jenni Kayne, Use code KRH at jennikayne.com for 15% off you...

The thought leaders who inspired Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plus, his childhood name change, what to make of his legacy, and more. Also today, what caused the massive volcanic eruption in Tonga over the weekend? And gather up your silver bullets, it’s a Full Wolf Moon tonight. Sponsors: Jenni Kayne, Use code KRH at jennikayne.com for 15% off your first order Munk Pack, Use code KRH at Munkpack.com...

What is slow internet and is it a thing we should still be striving towards? What about slow email? Plus, in some very pressing news, the US Food & Drug Administration has officially deregulated French dressing. And Welsh scientists have determined that masks make people look more attractive. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 sponsored job credit at Indeed.com/goodnews Lendtable, Use code KOTTKE at...

The growing market for non-alcoholic beers, and a new “undistilled non-whiskey” that’s arrived just in time for Dry January. Plus, the search for a new king of a tiny island. And, the debate over “ghost flights” is heating up in Europe. Sponsors: Lendtable, Use code KOTTKE at Lendtable.com to get an extra $50 added to your Lendtable balance Indeed, Get a free $75 sponsored job credit at Indeed.com...

The real physics of Wile E. Coyote’s 10 billion volt electromagnet. Plus, cannabis can prevent SARS CoV-2 from spreading. Technically. And does listening to this podcast at double speed decrease your comprehension? Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 sponsored job credit at Indeed.com/goodnews Lendtable, Use code KOTTKE at Lendtable.com to get an extra $50 added to your Lendtable balance Links: The P...

A human has received a genetically-altered pig’s heart in a transplant for the first time ever. Plus, China’s lunar lander found water on the moon. And a look into the origins and phenomenon of Wordle. Sponsors: Lendtable, Use code KOTTKE at Lendtable.com to get an extra $50 added to your Lendtable balance Indeed, Get a free $75 sponsored job credit at Indeed.com/goodnews Links: In a First, Man Re...

Scientists are working on a plan to shoot tardigrades into interstellar space on lasers. Plus, the James Webb Space Telescope is so-far going better than anyone had dared to imagine. And alpaca’s favorite new year snack: Christmas trees. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 sponsored job credit at Indeed.com/goodnews Lendtable, Use code KOTTKE at Lendtable.com to get an extra $50 added to your Lendtab...

How Boaty McBoatface is helping diagnose the severity of the situation at the Doomsday Glacier in Antarctica. Plus, it looks like solar shingles are finally actually a thing. And something to try this weekend––the Dutch practice of uitwaaien. Sponsors: ExpressVPN, ExpressVPN.com/kottke for an extra 3 months FREE on a one-year package Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/kottke Links: Ho...

A look at predictions for today from a 1922 article in The New York Herald. Plus, move over self-driving cars, introducing fish-operated vehicles. And car commercials in France will soon require advertisers to tell people not to drive. Sponsors: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/kottke ExpressVPN, ExpressVPN.com/kottke for an extra 3 months FREE on a one-year package Links: Image 87...

Gravity as a possible solution to one major drawback of wind and solar power, and reasons to be cautiously optimistic about our prospects for the climate overall. Plus, the link between physical strength and mental health. And the CDC’s zombie preparedness guide. Sponsors: ExpressVPN, ExpressVPN.com/kottke for an extra 3 months FREE on a one-year package Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify...

The history and future of predicting the future. Plus, a new “open-source” COVID vaccine that could help way more people around the world get vaccinated. And, after taking down a statue of Robert E. Lee in Virginia, local experts found two time capsules inside its base. Sponsors: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/kottke ExpressVPN, ExpressVPN.com/kottke for an extra 3 months FREE on...