Condensed Soup

If you've had a bad breakup, Valentine's Day just got a whole lot brighter. Bad breakup? Name a cockroach after your ex & more for Valentine's Day (Julia Gomez, USA Today, Feb 7, 2026) Museum of Broken Relationships (accessed Feb 7, 2026) Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me *This episode was recorded in a hotel room. 

A pair of paintings by Jan Van Eyck have been analyzed by artificial intelligence and may not be painted by the Flemish master at all.  AI analysis casts doubt on Van Eyck paintings in Italian and US museums (Dalya Alberge, The Guardian, Feb 7, 2026) Jan van Eyck (Wikipedia, accessed Feb 7, 2026) The Arnolfini Portrait (The National Gallery, accessed Feb 7, 2026) A Closer Look: Jan Van Eyck's The...

It's time for the Winter Olympics! The lighting ceremony has a lot more ceremony than you think... The 4 Most Unusual Torch Lightings in Olympic History (Jenny Cohen, Feb 3, 2026) 5 of the most memorable cauldron lightings in opening ceremony Olympic history (Keith Dunlap, KSAT (dot) com, Jul 18, 2024) Throwback Thursday: Spain's Antonio Rebollo (International Paralympic Committee, Jun 23, 2016) O...

Beethoven is famous worldwide for his passionate music, but he also discovered a precursor to today's bone conduction technology.  How a deaf Beethoven discovered bone conduction by attaching a rod to his piano and clenching it in his teeth (Tibi Puiu, ZME Science, May 26, 2021) What caused Beethoven's deafness? (Dr. Howard Markel, PBS, Dec 17, 2019) Air conduction vs. bone conduction —   discover...

Ring doorbells can now help people find their lost dogs. Is this a good thing? (For the record, I do want dogs to find their way home.) Now anyone can tap Ring doorbells to search for lost dogs (Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, Feb 2, 2026) How Search Party For Ring Cameras Introduces A Ground-Breaking Neighborhood Feature (David Phelan, Forbes, Dec 5, 2025) Amazon Ring Video Doorbell (Mozilla Foundat...

Artemis II is set to launch soon, perhaps as soon as February 8th. It will be the farthest humans have ever gone. Going the Farthest (Denise Chow, Jay Blackman and Al Roker, NBC News, Jan 31, 2026) NASA launch dates for Artemis II (Iain Todd, Sky at Night Magazine, Feb 2, 2026) Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me *This episode was recorded in a cruise ship cabin.

Frozen juice concentrate used to be a staple at the American table -- but it's about to leave the market.  So long, frozen juice from concentrate. The once-popular canned drink leaves shelves this year (Jenna Benchetrit, CBC News, Jan 30, 2026) Without Frozen Juice Concentrate, Will Newfoundland Christmas Slush Survive? (Chantal Braganza, Chatelaine, Jan 30, 2026) Minute Maid Is Discontinuing This...

It's Groundhog Day again! And we could all use a sign that sun is around the corner... Punxsutawney Phil prepares to issue his Groundhog Day weather verdict from Gobbler's Knob (Mark Scolforo, AP, Jan 31, 2026) Fun Facts About Groundhogs (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, accessed Jan 31, 2026) The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club (official website, accessed Jan 31, 2026) Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast c...

Kids say the darndest things. Martha Stewart's 14-year-old granddaughter convinced her to speak out and get political. It's a good thing.  Martha Stewart gets political after urging from 14-year-old granddaughter (Anna Kaufman, USA Today, Jan 27, 2026) Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me *This episode was recorded in a cruise ship cabin.

Blind and low-vision sports fans can experience live sports events more fully with some new technology on the market. And now it's coming to the Super Bowl! Some blind fans to experience Super Bowl with tactile device that tracks ball (Larry Lage, ABC / AP, Jan 29, 2026) Sports teams adopt tactile tech for blind and low-vision fans (Russell Leung, CNBC, Apr 13, 2025) 'Amazing for blind people': ap...

An Indian couple won $200,000 from the University of Colorado over "food racism." Heating up food in the work microwave can result in some messy (and expensive) office politics.  Australia swelters in a record heat wave as temperatures near 50 C   (Charlotte Graham-Mclay, AP, Jan 27, 2026) The Indian couple who won a $200,000 settlement over 'food racism' at US university (Cherylann Mollan, BBC Ne...

More cold weather is on the way -- but you can still stay warm in your home, even if you lose power. Millions remain under warnings as extreme cold has icy grip on much of the U.S. (Patrick Smith, Mirna Alsharif and Kathryn Prociv, NBC News, Jan 27, 2026) 6 Ways to Heat Your Home When the Power Is Out — HVAC Pros Reveal the Life-Saving Methods to Stave Off Cold if Disaster Strikes (China Dickson,...

Mattel's Fashionista Barbie line aims to highlight diversity and inclusion. A new Barbie with autism has entered the market!  Mattel adds an autistic Barbie to doll line devoted to showcasing diversity and inclusion (NBC / AP, Jan 12, 2026) Barbie Fashionistas Dolls (Mattel, accessed Jan 26, 2026) Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me *This episode was recorded in a cruise ship...

A big ice storm is sweeping the East of the U.S. Please check on your communities! The Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors played a somber game in Minneapolis. Should the show always go on?  T-wolves and Warriors return to play in 'bizarre, sad' game with grieving Minneapolis on their minds (Dave Campbell, AP, Jan 25, 2026) Winter storm live updates: Multiple deaths reported, over 800,000 witho...

Alex Honnold has climbed the Taipei 101 skyscraper using no equipment besides climbing shoes and chalk. It's an amazing feat! American rock climber Alex Honnold reaches top of Taipei 101 skyscraper without ropes (Katie Tam, AP, Jan 24, 2026) Did Alex Honnold make it up Taipei 101? (Krys Shahin, WTHR 13, Jan 24, 2026) Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me *This episode was record...

Minnesota is leading the way. Make sure you're seeing it. The history and meaning behind Minnesota's general strike and economic blackout (Clay Masters, Gretchen Brown, and Matthew Alvarez, MPR / NPR All Things Considered, Jan 23, 2026) Thousands brave bitter cold to demand ICE leave Minneapolis (Tim Evans and Daniel Trotta, Reuters, Jan 23, 2026) General strike (Wikipedia, accessed Jan 23, 2026)...

Vicks VapoRub is a household staple. Are you using it correctly? Winter storm: How Orlando airport is preparing for flight delays, cancellations, stranded passengers (Camille Sarabia and Brooks Garner, Fox 35 Orlando, Jan 22, 2026) How (and when) to use VapoRub this cold and flu season (Daryl Austin, USA Today, Jan 18, 2026) Vicks VapoRub: An effective nasal decongestant? (Mayo Clinic, accessed Ja...

A director and designers are at odds with the Met Opera after their vision is changed after opening. A scandal! In opera! In operatic dispute, Met Opera director and designers order names stripped from 'Carmen' (Ronald Blum, AP, Jan 21, 2026) Carmen in a nutshell (Opera North, Sep 9, 2021) "Carmen": The Scandalous Birth of a Classic (Pacific Symphony, accessed Jan 21, 2026) Instagram: @condensedso...

In the 1930s, emus took on the Australian military -- and won. When it seems your outgunned and outnumbered, there's still always hope! Emu War (Brittanica, accessed Jan 20, 2026) Emu (Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, accessed Jan 20, 2026) Forecasters warn of a 'potentially catastrophic' storm from Texas to the Carolinas (Jeff Martin and Haya Panjwani, AP, Jan 20, 2026...

Lunar hotels are in the not-so-distant future, if you're rich enough!  You can now pay $1M to reserve a hotel stay on the moon Virginia Glaze, Desert, Jan 16, 2026) Gear for Moonwalkers (GRU Space, accessed Jan 19, 2026) You can now reserve a hotel room on the Moon for $250,000 (Eric Berger, Ars Technica, Jan 12, 2026) Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me *This episode was reco...

Avalanches happen more often than you think -- make sure you're aware (in case you're off snowmobiling this weekend)! 8 skiers killed in avalanches in Austria (AP, Jan 18, 2026) Avalanche (Britannica, accessed Jan 18, 2026) Avalanche kills snowmobiler in Wyoming, 4th such fatality in U.S this month (Stephen Smith, CBS News, Jan 13, 2026) Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me *Th...

Korean theaters are helping to bring stories to global and hard-of-hearing audiences. Can we hope for American theaters to follow?  AI subtitle glasses bring Korean musicals closer to global audiences (Pyo Kyung-min, The Korea Times, Jan 14, 2026) Hearview (accessed Jan 18. 2026) Captify (accessed Jan 18, 2026) Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me *This episode was recorded in...

A new app in China provides proof of life network connection for young singles. Would you use it?  An app's blunt life check adds another layer to the loneliness crisis in China (Ted Anthony and Fu Ting, AP, Jan 15, 2026) Name change for viral app Are You Dead, designed for young people living alone (Iris Zhao, Australian Broadcasting Company, Jan 14, 2026) Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condens...

Did you catch the new postmarking rules at the post office? Spread the word.  How this new mail rule could affect your ballot, your tax return and more (Tim McPhillips, PBS News, Jan 5, 2026) Postmarking myths and facts (United States Post Office, accessed Jan 15, 2026) Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me *This episode was recorded in a cruise ship cabin.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s thoughts on nonviolence are specific and a challenge. It's good food for thought.  Nonviolence (Stanford University, accessed Jan 14, 2026) https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/nonviolence Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me *This episode was recorded in a cruise ship cabin.