Cool Stuff Daily

Scientists have tapped deeper into the depths of our dreams by achieving two-way communication with lucid dreamers. Why were there so many serial killers between 1970 and 2000? And what stopped them? And space is getting more diverse in more ways than one. Sponsors: Audible, audible.com/kottke or text kottke to 500-500 The Jordan Harbinger Show, jordanharbinger.com/subscribe Links: Scientists Find...

A history of how the US government started deciding what color our food is allowed to be. Could lab-grown wood disrupt the lumber industry? And, The Muppet Show has been released from the Disney Vault. Sponsors: OurCrowd, ourcrowd.com/kottke Skillshare, Get a free trial of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/kottke Links: How the Government Came to Decide the Color of Your Food (Smithsonian) Why...

The Los Angeles musician who helped design the microphones on the Perseverance rover that will hopefully give us our first-ever audio recordings of Mars. Can a 19th century etiquette book make Twitter bearable? And what some of the top websites looked like on this day in 2011. Sponsors: Skillshare, Get a free trial of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/kottke  OurCrowd, ourcrowd.com/kottke Links...

A historical defense of arranging book collections by color. Scientists have sequenced the oldest DNA ever found and made some mammoth discoveries in the process. And NASA’s Perseverance rover is set to touch down on Mars tomorrow––some background on one experiment it will be running that could set the stage for human travel to the red planet. Sponsors: OurCrowd, ourcrowd.com/kottke Skillshare, Ge...

The new fruit taking over Instagram. Why the winter storm sweeping the US is causing an energy crisis, especially in Texas. And a new-ish game that lets you take a virtual vacation with your friends. Sponsors: Skillshare, Get a free trial of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/kottke  OurCrowd, ourcrowd.com/kottke Links: Instagram Fruit (Grow) The rise, fall, and rise of the status pineapple (BBC...

Scientists in Antarctica accidentally discovered animal life beneath an ice shelf half a mile deep. An app that lets you tune into live radio stations all over the world. A new study that challenges the long held theory about the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs. And a snarky Valentine’s tradition at the El Paso Zoo. Sponsors: OurCrowd, ourcrowd.com/kottke Skillshare, Get a free trial of Premium...

The story of how two brothers gamed the YouTube system thirteen years ago and have since used that method to raise nearly 14 million dollars for charity. An interactive site that simulates the audio experience of being at your favorite bar. Coca-Cola is trying out paper bottles. And the guy who built a functioning guitar out of his dead uncle’s skeleton. For real. Sponsors: Fitbod, Get 25% off a m...

How the UK variant of Sars-CoV-2 may have evolved inside just one human. Some dating apps are adding video components, but it’s just another case of modern tech “inventing” something that has already existed for decades. Let’s talk about the original recipe. And a German teenager has created a new Myspace. Not like a social media platform similar to Myspace. Literally he recreated a functional clo...

Do all of these UV light “virus-killing” appliances really work? The mystery of the purple flower photo that has accounted for nearly 20% of all Wikimedia Commons traffic since last summer. And, it’s been ten years since “Friday” by Rebecca Black debuted to collective cringe on YouTube. To celebrate, Rebecca Black is back with a remix. Sponsors: Fitbod, Get 25% off a membership when you sign up no...

The scientific benefits of going for regular walks, and some tips for incorporating more walks into your life. The town in Florida whose water was almost poisoned when a nefarious individual hacked into their water supply. The researchers hoping to recycle face masks as roads. And a pandemic-themed spec script roundup. Sponsors: Lightstream, Get a special interest rate discount at lightstream.com/...

How the Royal Shakespeare Company is using live motion capture to animate a virtual show in real time. A case study of a California town who has this whole pandemic response thing down. A 3D printed house has hit the market on Long Island. And there’s actually still more to say about Four Seasons Total Landscaping? Plus some related recommendations. Sponsors: Fitbod, Get 25% off a membership when...

How learning to juggle is the perfect example of what happens to your brain when you learn a new skill. A new literary version of Street Fighter II. Why Burger King France is handing out free potatoes. And, following on yesterday’s story about the fetus album, a three-year-old has written a completely delightful new album with her dad. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/GOODNEWS...

We were bracing for a flu and COVID double whammy of a winter, but it never came. What happened? An intriguing new community initiative taking off in Europe to help prevent the mounting problem of electronic waste. And have you heard of fetuscore? Ok, it’s not a thing yet. But it may be soon because there’s a new album coming out that was recorded by a baby before she was born. Sponsors: OurCrowd,...

What causes ice ages? The science behind your frying pan. You know, the one that’s supposed to be non-stick but isn’t. Scientists explain why. Other scientists have engineered spinach to send emails. Sort of. And did you hear about the Hollyboob prank? If not, or if you supremely don’t care, it may say more about our current relationship to viral stunts than the stunt in question. Sponsors: Indeed...

How a 1970s seat belt crash test and the animated movie Frozen helped potentially solve the 62-year-old Dyatlov Pass mystery. A fascinating correction to something I said yesterday about Langston Hughes. And remembering Captain Sir Tom Moore. Sponsors: OurCrowd, ourcrowd.com/kottke Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/GOODNEWS Links: Has science solved one of history’s greatest adventure my...

Sharing some thoughts from Langston Hughes on this first day of Black History Month, and questioning what makes someone a hero in our history books. Plus, the discovery of a new blue pigment. And all the Mars news for February. Sponsors: Indeed, Get a free $75 credit at Indeed.com/GOODNEWS OurCrowd, ourcrowd.com/kottke Links: We Are the American Heartbreak: Langston Hughes on Race in a Rare Record...

What did everyday Romans in Pompeii eat? An archaeologist has tried to reconstruct their meals. Merriam-Webster has added 520 new words to the dictionary. How do they decide which words get added? And a sci-fi dictionary to explore this weekend. Plus, Spotify wants to try to guess your music taste based on the tone of your voice. Sponsors: Audible, audible.com/kottke or text kottke to 500-500 to s...

The mathematics of knitting. How France is trying to legally protect smells. A cautionary tale that will inspire you to go check on your office building if you’ve been working from home and no one’s done that for a few months. And a horrifying new product from Kraft Mac and Cheese. Sponsors: The Jordan Harbinger Show, jordanharbinger.com/subscribe  Audible, audible.com/kottke or text kottke to 500...

A brief dip into the GameStop Wall Street mayhem. A new water-is-wet kind of study proving that money indeed can buy you happiness. And the story of some students who just found out their new professor this semester has been dead for two years. Sponsors: Audible, audible.com/kottke or text kottke to 500-500 to start your 30-day free trial The Jordan Harbinger Show, jordanharbinger.com/subscribe Li...

New DNA analysis upends some long held assumptions about the evolutionary background of dire wolves. How Adobe Flash broke an entire railway system. Astronomers have discovered a sextuply-eclipsing sextuple star system. Say that six times fast… And the definitive Werner Herzog interview on… skateboarding. Sponsors: The Jordan Harbinger Show, jordanharbinger.com/subscribe  Audible, audible.com/kott...

The word “robot” was coined one hundred years ago today in a play about robots taking over the world. Good thing that hasn’t happened yet! ...right? The story behind the moon rock in President Biden’s newly redesigned Oval Office. And the first-known tyrannosaur embryo fossils have been found, shedding new light on the T-Rex’s cousins. Sponsors: Audible, audible.com/kottke or text kottke to 500-50...

NASA trained an AI to detect craters on Mars. A possible discovery of giant prehistoric carnivorous worms. A new Swedish practice to adopt. And a mobile site that will match you with your film critic soulmate. Sponsors: NordVPN, Get 68% off a two-year plan plus an additional free month––at nordvpn.com/kottke or use coupon KOTTKE Links: NASA Is Training an AI to Detect Fresh Craters on Mars (Wired)...

Recharge Rooms are helping frontline healthcare workers cope with the continued toll the pandemic is taking on their well-being. How bats are helping scientists create better biologging instruments and the discoveries being made with the technology. The nonprofit working on a coast-to-coast, entirely off-road bike trail across the US. And the inevitable generator that transports Senator Bernie San...

New findings into the cannibalism and sheer size of baby megalodons. Teaching AIs to become our teachers. And The Great Gatsby has only been in the public domain for twenty days and things are already getting weird. Sponsor: NordVPN, Get 68% off a two-year plan plus an additional free month––at nordvpn.com/kottke or use coupon KOTTKE Links: Baby Megalodons Were 6-Foot-Long Womb Cannibals, Study Su...

A synthetic cornea implant has successfully helped a legally blind man regain his sight. Team USA and Team Canada women’s hockey players can’t stop falling in love and living happily ever after together. And a deep dive into the briny waters of the sea shanty trend––how it started, some standout covers, why the trend has taken off, and if we should even care. Sponsors: NordVPN, Get 68% off a two-y...