Commute | The Podcast

When the NCAA Football video game returned a few years ago, it sold over 5 million copies - where did all of that money go?  In the late 1960s, the creator of a unique color claimed it could reduce violent, hostile, and aggressive behavior. Was he right?  http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/ Twitter - @PodcastCommute Facebook - facebook.com/...

1️⃣ Did the water you drank this morning previously travel through the body of some other person or creature? Today we take a journey through the water cycle. 2️⃣ How did soccer’s most stressful ending become a thing? Sources: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cr71enxvrd3o https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/has-all-the-water-on-earth-been-peed-before http://www.commutethepodcast.co...

1️⃣ The NBA Finals just wrapped up. It was fun to see all the celebrities sitting courtside, but it’s even more fun to find out how much they paid (or didn’t) to sit there.  2️⃣ Nepal’s time zone is 15 minutes off…. of everyone else in the world.  http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/ Twitter - @PodcastCommute Facebook - facebook.com/commutet...

1️⃣ From what gloves to wear at a funeral to not talking with your mouth full, social etiquette has been around for a long time. Are these rules of behavior really about good manners - or something else? 2️⃣ There’s a place on earth that decided it would rid itself of rats - forever. Did it work? http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/ Twitter...

1️⃣ Chipotle has been in a bit of a controversy over portion sizes. Is Chipotle really giving us less? What could this tell us about brand identity and customer loyalty? 2️⃣ When Spirit Airlines abruptly called it quits, it did more than cause  customers to look for new flights and pilots to look for new jobs - it abandoned a bunch of airplanes. Where did they go? http://www.commutethepodcast.com...

1️⃣ In the late 1980s, a claymation band of dried fruit boosted raisin sales and became a nationwide phenomenon. Suddenly, they were gone.   2️⃣ Aliens? UFOs? We finally know the truth about what went on at Area 51.  Prepare yourselves… Sources: https://www.mashed.com/212383/the-real-reason-the-california-raisins-disappeared/ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/area-51-aliens-ufos-r...

Dave & Jay share an update for the show as Dave heals from a broken jaw. http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/ Twitter - @PodcastCommute Facebook - facebook.com/commutethepodcast

1️⃣ We used to walk to the airline gate without a boarding pass. Now we go through bins-and-belts purgatory. How we got here, and why shoes are guilty until proven innocent. 2️⃣ College hoops plays two halves. The pros play four quarters. It’s not random - it’s tradition, politics, broadcasting, with a bit of “we’ve always done it this way.” Sources: https://www.npr.org/2021/09/10/1035131619/911-t...

1️⃣ Did you know there’s a number that’s illegal to publish in the US? 2️⃣ We visit the research facility in a remote corner of Alaska that some folks blame for every natural disaster.   Sources: https://citationsy.com/blog/illegal-number/ https://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2014/0523/HAARP-project-winding-down-Was-it-all-a-huge-conspiracy http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram -...

1️⃣ We’ve lived on this planet for thousands of years, but one relatively recent picture completely changed how we think about it.  2️⃣ Ever wonder how your state got its name? Some names make sense, some followed a thoughtful process, and some, well, you’ll see. Sources: https://www.businessinsider.com/how-each-us-state-got-its-name-2019-5#:~:text=A%20state's%20name%20can%20give,series%20of%...

Why do toddlers experience an event but lose the memory? This week we explore why our youngest years vanish - and what we can do to make those earliest moments stick. How a tree nearly started WWlll.  http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/ Twitter - @PodcastCommute Facebook - facebook.com/commutethepodcast

1️⃣ Two seemingly unrelated objects - a snack can and a flying disc - tell one of the strangest tales about legacy you’ll ever hear. 2️⃣ Holidays inspired by TV episodes or movies - that worked their way into our real calendars.  http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/ Twitter - @PodcastCommute Facebook - facebook.com/commutethepodcast

1️⃣ You can have a currency, passport, and flag - but forming your own personal nation won’t keep you from paying taxes.  2️⃣ Most wars go on, well, forever. This week we look at a few that barely lasted the workday. Sources: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/shortest-wars-in-human-history.html https://www.britannica.com/topic/micronation http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagra...

1️⃣ When disaster strikes we don’t look away, even when we probably should.  2️⃣ WD-40 has unstuck stuck things for the last 50 years.  What’s its secret? Only a handful of people could tell you. Sources: https://www.wsj.com/business/the-secret-society-of-people-who-know-the-formula-for-wd-40-e9c0ff54 https://case.edu/news/why-are-we-so-drawn-tragedy-psychological-sciences-professor-explains http:...

1️⃣ There are a few pay phones left in the world. Here’s who’s using them.  2️⃣ We’re terrible at telling the future. We keep trying anyway.  Sources: http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/ Twitter - @PodcastCommute Facebook - facebook.com/commutethepodcast

It’s the world’s most famous movie sound effect. You know it when you hear it.  This popular Chinese phone app is one of the simplest - and the darkest.  Sources: https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/wilhelm-scream-explained-75982/ https://www.wired.com/story/china-are-you-dead-yet-app/ http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/ Twitter - @P...

Sometimes humans randomly … explode?? There’s a lot of money spent (and wasted) with our favorite go-to last-minute gift. Sources: https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesfinancecouncil/2024/02/09/gift-cards-a-strategy-for-retailers-and-consumers/ https://www.popsci.com/health/can-humans-spontaneously-combust-the-baffling-cases-explained/ http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram -...

Ever wonder why January 1st is the beginning of a new year? So did we… Not all New Year's traditions are about fireworks and funny hats - some are disgusting, others are deadly. Sources: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/653232/victorian-new-years-traditions https://www.npr.org/2025/12/29/nx-s1-5624238/new-year-calendar-january-history http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instag...

For nearly 70 years, kids have tracked Santa thanks to a misdial and a quick-thinking Air Force colonel who met the moment.  The success of Home Alone, led to Home Alone 2. That led to one of the most intense Christmas toy crazes of all time.  http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/ Twitter - @PodcastCommute Facebook - facebook.com/commutethepo...

We once declared war on a bunch of birds. It went as you’d expect. The pet of our Commander in Chief often say more about that administration than any speech ever could.  Sources: https://www.historyhit.com/the-great-emu-war/ http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/ Twitter - @PodcastCommute Facebook - facebook.com/commutethepodcast

If you suspect your local high school’s mascot looks suspiciously like a professional team or D1 university version, you’re probably right. And they probably shouldn’t be doing that.  Every year, the Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the year is less about the dictionary update and more about where we are as a society. This year is no different.  Sources: https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/words/oxfor...

There are unexpectedly weird (and occasionally gross) sides to the food you enjoy on Thanksgiving. Email, text, phone call, snail mail … spam has been around longer than you think.  Sources: https://bookriot.com/history-of-chain-letters/ https://www.mentalfloss.com/holidays/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-food-facts http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepod...

Black boxes collect flight information on aircraft and are crucial for accident investigations. But how do they survive an accident when the plane doesn’t? Who decided the standard  40-hour work week?  Is it still the best idea? Sources: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/how-did-we-get-a-40-hour-workweek-and-has-it-had-its-day/ar-AA1Qezmu https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/storie...

We recently lost an American Hero when Duane Roberts passed away. He wasn’t a politician, a famous athlete, or a movie star - but he did invent a burrito that mattered.  Tom Brady is famous and rich and he recently cloned a pet.  You don’t have to be famous to do that, but you’d better be rich.  Sources: https://www.today.com/today/amp/rcna242078 https://gizmodo.com/the-inventor-of-the-frozen-burr...

You may hear these days of unfair or too close-to-call elections, but this isn’t a recent development.  It’s not the national anthem, but God Bless the USA sure feels like it could be … until you hear this segment.  Everyone hates changing their clocks twice per year. More than 80% of Americans say we should stop. Why don’t we? http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram...