Cool Stuff Daily

A brief history of takeout and delivery. Plus, a What We Do In The Shadows actor’s previous career as an award-winning yo-yo-er. And the abomination that is RanchNog. Sponsors: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/kottke Tentree, Use code KOTTKE to get 15% off at tentree.com Links: How Apps Commandeered the Age-Old Idea of Takeout (Wired) Hidden Valley Ranch Releases RanchNog Kit (Food...

Will we soon have a new Planet Nine? The first human trial for an Alzheimer’s nasal vaccine is about to be under way. And Papa John’s has changed their name. Technically. And AMC Theaters has said, “movies, who? Never heard of her. We’re a popcorn company now.” Sponsors: Tentree, Use code KOTTKE to get 15% off at tentree.com Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/kottke Links: Planet 9: O...

The progenitors to on-demand streaming music, including the multiphone in the 1950s American west and the Théâtrophone in 1880s Paris. Plus, new findings about Jupiter’s Great Red Spot from NASA’s Juno spacecraft. And the woman whose own immune system seems to have effectively cured her of HIV. Sponsors: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/kottke Tentree, Use code KOTTKE to get 15% off...

The US finally has a national recycling strategy as of yesterday. Plus, what is the ultimate song to listen to at any time of the day or night? Scientists figured it out. The gendered history of car and road design. And the giant Reese’s cup “pie” that sold out in mere minutes. Sponsors: Tentree, Use code KOTTKE to get 15% off at tentree.com Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/kottke L...

Zillow is out of the iBuying game. What does that mean for its competitors and for the future of real estate? Plus, a look into the Human Library. And astronauts aboard the International Space Station were forced to take shelter in their return ships this morning due to on-coming space junk. Sponsors: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/kottke Tentree, Use code KOTTKE to get 15% off at...

White-tailed deer in America have been found to be transmitting SARS-CoV-2 among each other in higher than expected rates. Plus, next week will be the century’s longest partial lunar eclipse. A new, huge species of dinosaur was discovered on the Isle of Wight. And it’s not just shipping delays to be concerned with this holiday season, now we have a shortage of Santas. Sponsors: inkl, Get a 25% dis...

The curious story of how sushi became popular in America. Plus, what would happen to dogs if all their humans disappeared? And in their latest stunt, Heinz says they’ve grown ketchup in Martian conditions. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews inkl, Get a 25% discount at inkl.com/ride Links: The Untold Story of Sushi in America (NY Times) Who could dogs become without huma...

A deep dive down the drain pipe to discuss why America has so few public restrooms. Plus, how Pinterest ruined Google Search, and a few options for fixing it. Sponsors: inkl, Get a 25% discount at inkl.com/ride Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews Links: Why Public Bathrooms Disappeared From US Cities (Bloomberg) Which Cities Have The Most and Fewest Public Toilets? (QS Supplies) H...

Another even more promising antiviral pill for COVID-19 has been announced, this time from Pfizer. Plus, why adults aren’t as good at learning new things as kids are, but is it such a bad thing? And the messy legacy of both Emily Dickinson and her favorite cake recipe. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews inkl, Get a 25% discount at inkl.com/ride Links: Pfizer says COVID-...

How would a universal coronavirus vaccine work and how close are we to having one? Plus, how cosplaying as a superhero can actually make you a better person, at least temporarily. And one of the most notorious serial killers in horror is getting his own killer breakfast cereal. Sponsor: Tentree, Use code KOTTKE for 15% off your first order at www.tentree.com Links: The Race Is On to Develop a Vacc...

New international space laws may soon be on the horizon. Plus, the brewing battles between artists using AI to reconstruct lost artworks and the estates of the original artists. And some steel igloos in Iceland that protect one of the most promising examples of carbon capture yet. Sponsor: Tentree, Use code KOTTKE for 15% off your first order at www.tentree.com Links: The United Nations Could Fina...

An abridged history of the McRib sandwich. Astronauts have leveled up their taco game by growing chile peppers in space. And Tropicana just introduced their own line of toothpaste. Sponsor: Tentree, Use code KOTTKE for 15% off your first order at www.tentree.com Links: What You Didn't Know About The McDonald's McRib (Mashed) History of McDonald's McRib: Military Experiments, the Flintstones & More...

Some tips for “rewilding your attention.” Plus, how to help NASA train future rovers to better navigate Mars. And what’s going on with those NFT billboards in Times Square… and also, the McRib is now an NFT? Sponsor: Tentree, Use code KOTTKE for 15% off your first order at www.tentree.com Links: 9 Ways to 'Rewild Your Attention' (Forge) Rewilding your attention. To find truly interesting ideas, st...

A meditation on streaming entertainment, algorithms, and David Foster Wallace’s prescient writing on the illusion of choice. Plus, a possible functional cure for HIV has just been approved to enter human trials. And, the Wampanoag woman who grew heirloom corn on its original land for the first time in over three centuries. Sponsor: Tentree, Use code KOTTKE for 15% off your first order at www.tentr...

Digging up the origins of some of the most popular Halloween memes––from “Spooky Scary Skeletons” to the dancing pumpkin man, and also touching on the Disney Channel’s 1980s answer to MTV. Plus, how times of disease have historically led to an uptick in vampire fear and folklore. And, on a more optimistic note, hopefully meaning we’ll have one less thing to fear in the future, phase one vaccine tr...

Could we one day create sperm and egg cells from any human cell, even across the sexes? Plus, how BJ Novak from The Office’s face ended up on products all around the world without him knowing. And the latest drops from two of the internet’s leading mischief-making companies, including Andy Warhol forgeries and a vegan cannibal steakhouse. Sponsor: NetSuite, netsuite.com/kottke Links: How Silicon V...

It turns out that melting permafrost could unleash Cold War-era radioactive waste and millions of years old antibiotic resistant bacteria. Cool cool cool. Plus, a look back at when picnicking in cemeteries was a common past time––and not just for goths. And the annual drop of totally weird and probably disgusting candy cane flavors from Archie McPhee. Sponsor: NetSuite, netsuite.com/kottke Links:...

Could a new generation of AI simulations help solve the mounting supply chain disruptions? Plus, the history and future of haunted houses. And Jeff Bezos is basically trying to start a WeWork in space. Sponsor: NetSuite, netsuite.com/kottke Links: How AI could solve supply chain shortages and save Christmas (MIT Technology Review) Cardboard shortages deal another blow to strained supply chains (Ar...

The countercultural witchcraft music of the 1960s, and a study exploring what it is about certain songs that give us a spine-tingling chill. Plus, elephants in Mozambique have evolved to be born without tusks. And the guy who discovered a budget hack for spending just $150 on meals all year: eat every meal at Six Flags. Sponsor: NetSuite, netsuite.com/kottke Links: 13 Vintage Halloween Songs from...

Thanks to a collab between trees and the sun, we can now pinpoint an exact year that the Vikings were in North America. Plus, are sirens actually effective tools for emergency vehicles? And why are apples associated with Halloween? Like what is up with apple bobbing? Sponsor: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/kottke Links: Vikings visited North America in 1021 AD, long before Columbu...

Open captions are coming to the big screen as AMC Theaters takes a big step towards accessibility, and a look at captions’ growing popularity among the hearing. Plus, how some of the most popular memes are completely inaccessible. And the group of museums who have started an OnlyFans account. Sponsor: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/kottke Links: AMC Is Expanding Its Open Film Capt...

A brief history of one of the most famous pizzas on the internet. Surgeons have successfully transplanted a kidney from a genetically-altered pig to a human. And how to watch the Orionid Meteor Shower this week, if the big ol’ full moon doesn’t get in your way. Sponsor: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/kottke Links: "On this day in history: "None pizza with left beef" was first..."...

A look at the micronation of Westarctica, whose Grand Duke Travis started a nonprofit arm of the micronation to raise awareness about the consequences of the climate emergency in Western Antarctica. Plus, AstroAccess successfully completed their first zero-g flight with their disability ambassadors, taking an important step towards space accessibility and inclusivity. And, in our latest shortage r...

How the push to search for signs of life on exoplanets fueled the development of the technology we use in our latest generation of smartphones. Plus, what your punctuation habits can say about you as a writer––and a new website based on a 2016 art project that allows you to visually analyze those findings. And walruses from space! Sponsor: Shopify, Get a 14-day free trial at shopify.com/kottke Lin...

A proposal for approaching this next phase of the pandemic less like an epidemiologist and more like an engineer. Plus, new findings from the Mars Perseverance rover that has NASA breathing a sigh of relief. And product placement in novels, added without the author’s knowledge. It’s a real thing that I hope remains in the past. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/goodnews Raycon,...