Commute | The Podcast

It’s hard to go on a busy highway without seeing a billboard for an accident lawyer. Is it legal to advertise such a service? Well, it hasn’t always been.  Gift cards are big business. We are good at buying them but not always so good at using them.  Chicken tenders are one of the most popular foods in America. One city wants all the credit.  Sources: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lawyer-commercial...

In honor of the calendar turning to October, this week we re-air one of our most popular episodes from the archives. We'll be back next week with an all-new episode! 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 wh...

Does the President have a little red button that can fire nuclear weapons and end the world? Why do dogs love riding with the windows down? Should we let them? More people are scared of clowns than entertained by them. Science will tell us why. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Codes?wprov=sfti1# https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/why-dogs-stick-their-heads-out-car-windows#:~:text=Stickin...

Famous people get paid millions of dollars to convince you to spend money. Does it work? Do you shower in the morning or at night? Science has something to say about that.  More people are choosing to be dog parents instead of human parents. What does this mean for the future of humanity (and for dogs)? Sources: https://qz.com/do-celebrity-endorsements-political-or-otherwise-work-1851646337/slides...

Presidents are maxed to two terms of four years. Why is that? Have you ever been on a radio call-in contest. It seems so random who gets on the air. But is it? The carton tells you the juice was squeezed from farm-fresh Florida oranges. Reality, of course, is a little more complicated.  Sources: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/633015/why-presidents-serve-four-year-terms https://www.wired.com/s...

Referred to as winged rats, pigeons aren’t often at the top of many favorite bird lists. They should be.  When would you guess the last Civil War pension check went out?  You’re probably wrong.  What we wear has an impact on how people perceive us. How big an impact? Sources: https://magazine.columbia.edu/article/review-pigeons https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2020/06/04/she-was-last-america...

This week we revisit one of our favorites (including a Labor Day segment!) from last year, but we'll be back next week with an all-new ep! - 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 o...

The claymation TV special Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer is a beloved Christmas classic, but it’s one of the few times Rudolph appears in a film. There’s a reason. Most of us try to avoid eating bugs. Several high-end restaurants now serve them on purpose. You know we love to talk Beanie Babies. This week we discuss a specific beanie bear designed for more than just being a collectible. Sources: h...

Some masterminds have gone to incredible lengths to steal amazing targets, from chicken wings to beanie babies.   Should we separate lights and darks when washing clothes? Fantasy Football is staggeringly popular. Its rise didn’t happen overnight, and its growth might not be from a source you’d expect. Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/12/chicago-woman-stolen-chicken-wi...

You may have noticed an athlete during the recent Olympic Games who didn’t represent a country. They still won a medal.  We all look for ways to cope with stress.  Some exercise. Some eat sweets. Others go in unusual directions.  Why are more people pushing back against the latest smartphones? Sources: https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/what-know-about-refugee-olympic-team https://www.nytimes.com/20...

That cash in your wallet, purse, or sock drawer – many other people have owned it, too. What’s the actual lifespan of a dollar bill? The COVID-19 pandemic changed our world in many ways. One change that’s remained is the way we work. Many employees now spend their professional lives completely online, but are virtual employees actually working eight hours per day? Many iterations have come and gon...

You’ve probably noticed novelty popcorn buckets tied-in with select blockbuster movies. If you miss them in the theater, you can always take a loan to buy one online after the fact.   Screen time and the potentially harmful side effects are a real concern, even at zoos.  Okay, so he’s not sued EVERYone, but Jonathan Riches has filed more lawsuits than anyone. Sources: https://www.thewrap.com/popco...

Hidden in plain sight in Disney Theme Parks is an exclusive (and expensive!) secret members-only club.  Could you get in? When Dave Thomas started Wendy’s in the 1960s, he named it after one of his daughters. He regretted that decision years later. This week we remember a sequined tank-top-wearing fitness guru who revolutionized the exercise industry.  You know who we’re talking about… Sources: ht...

What do Olympic athletes get for winning? It can depend on where they’re from and how well they do, but it often doesn’t end with just the money.  Frisbee Golf has risen in popularity for decades. Here’s why.  If you have Q-Tips and you have ears you’re likely doing something you shouldn’t.  Sources: https://apple.news/AeqppUX0BSbmtBBOL_6Co7w https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/18/well/move/disc-golf....

 Fifty years ago, a simple yet complicated puzzle game was created. This week, we look back at the fun - and frustration - of the Rubik’s Cube. Grocery store shopping seems straightforward, but it’s not. Every square inch is constructed to manipulate you to stay longer and spend more.  For all the world-famous Olympic athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics, like Simone Biles, there will also be ordin...

The basket of bread often appears before you even place your order and is never listed on the final bill. How did restaurants get started giving away free food? The Surgeon General’s recent New York Times op-ed, warning of the potential harm social media can have on young people, provocatively equated internet risks to smoking cigarettes. This isn’t the first time the Surgeon General has had a pro...

It's vacation season around here... but we'll be back next week with an all-new episode! _ 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...

Jaywalking- crossing the road wherever you please instead of at a crosswalk or stoplight - is a crime. But it wasn’t the police department’s idea. Ah, summer. Vacations and outdoor fun … and mosquitoes. Are they more particular choosing victims than we think?  And what’s up with the itch? Recently, a vintage toy set an incredible record sale price at a collectibles auction. What are people thinkin...

Who decided that the Earth would be called the Earth? It’s been a century since a physician's own weight loss journey introduced the concept of counting calories. We still do that, but is it the best approach? Famed physicist Stephen Hawking once held a dinner party where every guest shared the same peculiarity - they were from the future. Who showed up? Sources: https://www.livescience.com/3...

More than 10 million households own timeshares. You can also buy one online for $1. The story behind Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe is more than weird - it’s actually pretty dark. The Old Farmers Almanac has been around  since the late 1700s and is as relevant and popular today as ever. What’s its secret? Sources: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-is-a-timeshare-cbs-news-explains/ https://www.financialpoi...

Ketchup is considered the king of condiments but Ranch, uniquely both a dressing and a dip, wears the crown when it comes to sales.  Who came up with this great idea? The hit Netflix show Baby Reindeer is based on a true story of a stalker terrorizing a struggling standup comedian. The real stalker has seen it. She isn’t happy. May midterm elections are over. Until November, the political signs do...

We'll have a new episode next week, but this week, we revisit one of our most popular episodes from 2023: 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.)...

You know the healthy average human temperature is 98.6 … but it’s not, and we’ve known that for over three decades.  The Statue of Liberty is world famous - but is the  iconic sculpture based on a real person? Pop Tarts changed breakfast 60-years ago. It was the prize in a high-stakes race between rival cereal-makers to get to the toaster pastry finish line first.   Sources: https://www.mentalflos...

Who decides what time it actually is? France tried to change it once. It involved decimals. Many of us shower once a day. Do we need to? Does it do more harm than good? Americans throw away $70 million in coins every year. One company decided to go dumpster diving. Sources: https://www.engadget.com/that-time-france-tried-to-make-decimal-time-a-thing-143600302.html https://www.bbc.com/culture/artic...

Have you been excited to see a movie but also frustrated because it was years away from release? What if it wouldn’t be released until after you were dead, and what if that was the plan? Smokey Bear has been warning people about the dangers of forest fires for decades. But where did he come from? Is he up something more than simply preventing fires? Peanuts, the beloved comic strip with Charlie Br...