Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

Millions of people have back pain that just plain makes things harder to do. A team at Vanderbilt University has developed an exosuit that may ease all that back strain. Plus: how do you let an economist know he's won the Nobel Prize when you don't have his phone number? Have his fellow winner knock on his door in the middle of the night, of course.  Vanderbilt wearable exosuit that lessens b...

Today in 1947 was the first performance of the Weeki Wachee Mermaids, professional mermaids in Florida who put on choreographed shows for hundreds of thousands of visitors a year, completely underwater. Plus: the Oklahoma Banjo Fest is now underway, completely virtual and still completely banjo-ey.  More mermaids than men (Mashable) Oklahoma Banjo Fest (Travel OK) Want more Cool Weird Awesome...

To mark our 400th episode, we have stories of some of the people who have set world records for screaming! Two of them are educators, though I don't think they practice on their students. Plus: scientists have figured out how to 3D print treats out of milk.  Loudest scream (individual) (Guinness World Records) Belfast teacher still in class of her own for shouting (BBC) Got 3D milk? These ado...

Food banks are seeing growing demand, and feeding hungry people takes money. Amazingly, a study out of Ohio State University finds these nonprofits might be able to boost their donations by paying closer attention to typefaces. Plus: this weekend is the deadline to cast your vote in this year's Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. Donors more likely to give to COVID causes when font matches message...

Shoes only last for so long, but they're made from materials that last seemingly forever. Designer Shahar Asor has an alternate idea: shoes for kids with an expiration date. Plus: a pizza place in Brooklyn is letting customers order "comforting words" along with their food.  Shahar Asor knits children's shoes with an expiration date using biodegradable thread (designboom) Vinnie’s Pizzeria in...

It's hard to believe we're saying goodbye to guitar great Eddie Van Halen. His band won millions of fans on record and offstage, and won a reputation for offstage excess. But one of their most infamous stories - that they banned brown M&Ms from backstage - wasn't quite what it seemed. Plus: a Gloria Estefan hit gets a heavy metal treatment on YouTube.  Did Van Halen’s Concert Contract Req...

We’ve known for some time that at least a few exoplanets could support liquid water, making them potentially habitable. But a paper from Washington State University suggests some of those planets may be super -habitable - as in, they may be more appropriate for life than Earth is! Plus: a new map fills Mars with water, so we can see what the Red Planet would look like if it wasn't red.  Some...

If you've read the negative reviews about last week's debate, know that there are other stories of candidate face-offs gone wrong in the history books - like the one in Arkansas that left the audience all wet. Plus: for National Fire Prevention Week, we pay a visit to Busted Plug, a four story tall sculpture of a fire hydrant.  Everyone is Entitled to My Opinion by David Brinkley The World’s...

When World War II put many pro athletes into military service, pro sports leagues had to get creative. That's how on this day in 1943, two pro football teams that normally competed against each other joined forces. Plus: for World Smile Day, we check in on the story of the guy who first designed the smiley face.  Steagles legacy: Eagles, Steelers merged in 1943 to form a team of misfits that...

Back in the days when auto workers spray painted new vehicles, excess paint would harden and accumulate into a substance that looked like colorful gemstones. Jewelers have been making works of art out of "fordite" ever since. Plus: ever wanted to make a bread bowl that looks like your own face? Now you can!  Your Earrings Remind Me of Grandma’s Gran Torino (New York Times) How To Make A Bread...

Today's the 60th anniversary of the first broadcast of that landmark cartoon show from the town of Bedrock, which aired in the 1960s, stayed on in reruns for decades, and continues to sell cereal and vitamins to this day. Plus: a man in England gets so lonely he starts putting ads in the paper so someone will email or call him - and fortunately he gets some good responses.  15 Solid Facts Abo...

On National Coffee Day, we bring you the story of Brazilian athletes who, without travel funds from the government, had to earn their way to the Olympics in Los Angeles by selling coffee beans. Plus: in Bedford, Pennsylvania, there's a building shaped like a big metal coffee pot. Brazilian Athletes Perked Up The 1932 Games With Their Coffee Caper (Sports Illustrated) Coffee Pot-Shaped Building (Ro...

A small device created in China could turn anyone of out for a walk (and probably their dogs, too) into small scale power plants, just from the breeze they cause by walking! It's all thanks to what's called triboelectricity. Plus: a Swedish company wants to create OceanBird, a full-size cargo ship that runs on wind power.  This tiny device can scavenge wind energy from the breeze you make whe...

Shaving dates back tens of thousands of years, and it's gone in and out of fashion more times than we can count. And for a time in 1945, there was an idea to replace razors with a series of hair treatments involving X-rays (!) Plus: Hannah Grace is a makeup artist in the UK who has won lots of fans by turning herself into optical illusions.  The History of Shaving and Beards (Old Farmer's Alm...

This week in 1960, Richard Nixon campaigned at a cookout in Sullivan, Illinois, eating some of a Buffalo barbecue sandwich before giving his speech. A young Boy Scout, Steve Jenne, took the rest of Nixon's sandwich home and has kept it in the freezer for the last 60 years! Plus: if you're missing cubicles and conference tables these days, there's a new soundscape, Calm Office, that might help.&nbs...

UCLA scientists have made little thermoelectric coolers that are only 100 nanometers wide, so small the eye can't see them on its own. They're not quite refrigerators yet, but if you have little sodas or bags of grapes, maybe reach out anyway. Plus: on the International Day of Sign Languages, we celebrate the amazing world of sign language interpreters at heavy metal concerts. UCLA scientists crea...

Nobody likes being stuck at a stoplight, but before there were systems in place to make drivers take turns, the roads were not good. Here are a few of the inventions that helped us (mostly) stop crashing into each other. Plus: why did Syracuse, New York set up an upside-down stoplight, with green on top?  A Brief History of the Stoplight (Smithsonian) There’s No Other Traffic Light In America...

The Disgusting Food Museum in southern Sweden has a new exhibit on the strangest alcoholic drinks of all time, proving that people will drink some truly revolting concoctions in pursuit of a buzz. Plus: remember how Asbestos, Quebec was going to choose one of four replacement names for the town? Those plans are on hold, cause apparently the people of Asbestos aren't big fans of the new names.&nbsp...

The community of Asbestos, Quebec has decided to rename itself. Now it's up to the residents to decide whether the town should be named Trois-Lacs, Apalone, Phénix or - wait for it - Jeffrey. Plus: on this National Cheeseburger Day, did you know there's an 1,800 pound burger on the menu at a place in Detroit?  Asbestos in Quebec Shortlists Four New Names to Get Fresh Start (Bloomberg) World's...

A sensor developed at MIT uses a set of microneedles to push through packaging and determine whether the food inside is safe to eat, which could prevent food waste and help head off outbreaks of salmonella. Plus: did you know China is apparently home to several thousand glass footbridges, where you can walk across and see what's underneath?  Velcro-like food sensor detects spoilage and contam...

44 years ago today, Shavarsh Karapetyan, a finswimming champion in Armenia did something extraordinary, saving at least 20 passengers who were trapped in a trolleybus that had gone into a lake. Has anybody done a biopic about this guy yet? Plus: meet Mieko Nagaoka, who in April 2015 became the first 100-year old swimmer to finish the 1,500 meter freestyle.  The Plunge (Grantland) 100-year-old...

The Cold Tube cools people off, similar to air conditioning, but using half the energy. Which sounds pretty cool. Plus: an experimental musician makes a delicious and funky new keyboard out of watermelon and kiwi.  Innovative personal cooling system uses half the energy of traditional AC (Anthropocene) This is the Funkiest Sounding Watermelon You Will Ever Hear (The Sifter) Our backers on Pat...

A lock of Abraham Lincoln's hair just sold for $81,000 at auction, a reminder that a) people will pay lots of money for lots of things, and b) hair was a pretty important keepsake in the 19th century - people back then even made it into art. Plus: a couple in England decides to upgrade their garden, which the husband decides means installing a 12-foot statue of a T. rex.  The Curious Victoria...

A study out of Ohio State University found that people who take acetaminophen, one of the most common over-the-counter painkillers, are apparently more willing to take risks. Plus: the story of a guy who ended up taking quite a risk by setting up a tent - he just didn’t know it at the time. A pain reliever that alters perceptions of risk (Ohio State University) How this Nova Scotia man ended up ac...

John Cage once wrote a score with the instructions that it be played "As Slow As Possible." So that's what an organ is doing in Germany, for more than 600 years. Plus: a YouTuber trains his cat to put out fires, sort of.  John Cage musical work changes chord for first time in seven years (BBC) I Trained My Cat To Put Out Fires (William Osman on YouTube) Joining our community of backers on Pat...