Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

This month in 2003, New York City launched its 311 service, a service that has helped residents with a wide range of non-emergency issues… and a few absolute head-scratchers. Plus: a video on Reddit appears to show someone operating a supermarket checkout in Osaka, Japan while in a full-size, realistic looking cat costume. State of NYC311 20th Anniversary Report (NYC.gov) Part-time cat at Namba-Ma...

There's a phenomenon in hospitals called "alarm fatigue" - there's so much loud beeping from machines that it can actually cause problems for patient care. An anesthesiologist and a music cognition researcher have teamed up to find alternatives to the jarring beeps. Plus: starting Sunday in south central Alaska, it’s the 2024 Arctic Winter Games.  Making Alarms More Musical Can S...

For National Cereal Day, the stories of people who have taken cereal makers to court over some pretty eye-opening claims. Plus: did you known Cap'n Crunch once had a nemesis? THE PEOPLE V. CAP’N CRUNCH: INSIDE THE CRUNCH BERRY LAWSUITS (MEL) Cap'n Crunch vs. The Sogmaster (1987) (YouTube) It would be delicious if you backed our show on Patreon

Could the secret weapon against electronic waste may be cheese? Research finds a process involving the byproduct of cheesemaking known as whey protein could help recover gold and other precious metals from old computer motherboards. Plus: starting tomorrow in Nashville, Indiana, it's the Indiana Button Society Show & Competition.  Turning waste into gold (ETH Zurich) Indiana State Button S...

Today in 1854, the birthday of a very important person in the history of how we keep track of time: Ruth Belville, who has been called the “Greenwich Time Lady.” Plus: this weekend in Las Vegas, the National Grocers Association is holding the Best Bagger National Championship. History: The lady who sold time (New Scientist) 2024 Best Bagger National Championship Right now is a good time to support...

Today in 1982, the premiere of the short-lived but critically acclaimed cop spoof Police Squad, a show TV executives said was essentially too funny to stay on the air. Plus: a video from 1939 features four brothers from Chicago showing off some very unusual bicycles they'd created.  ‘The Naked Gun’ Spun Off From an Even Wackier TV Show (Collider) 4 Chicago Brothers Showed Off Their Strangest B...

It's National Pig Day, so it's a perfect time to tell one of the most famous stories of pig-based resistance in history: the story of Denmark’s Protestschwein , or protest pigs. Plus: starting today in Houston, Minnesota, it's the International Festival of Owls. The Ultimate Mudslinger: The Story Behind Denmark’s Protest Pigs (Mental Floss) International Festival of Owls Want more anim...

There's a newspaper in France that’s only published every four years: the leap day paper known as La Bougie du sapeur. Plus: apparently February 29 is a popular day to get married, so clerks are preparing for some extra weddings. The Newspaper That is Published Only on 29th February (Amusing Planet) San Diego County accepting walk-ins for couples wanting to get married on Leap Day (FOX 5 San D...

Scientists and technicians are trying to figure out the logistics of off-Earth human bases. If that happens, there's some research that suggests the communities could end up developing their own accents. Plus: a Ukrainian artist develops the Graffiti Color Mixer. Will future colonists on the moon and Mars develop new accents? (Live Science) A Clever Color Mixer That Puts Different Hues Into a...

Today was the birthday in 1878 of a guy who changed breakfast forever: Charles Strite, the inventor of the pop-up toaster. Here's how the idea popped up. Plus: how a Scottish woman was accidentally named one of the top tourist attractions in Glasgow (!?!) The Demise of Burnt Toast: The Invention of the Pop-up Toaster (Hennepin History) Glasgow woman ‘is 87th best attraction in city’ (The Scots...

Today in 1940, the birthday of the world’s number one flag expert: Whitney Smith, who not only studied flags his entire life, he invented the word for studying flags. Plus: a company in Japan is making fabric out of apples!  When the World Runs Something New Up the Flagpole, Scholar Whitney Smith Is First to Salute (People) Whitney Smith, Whose Passion for Flags Became a Career, Dies at 76 (New Yo...

This week we're re-delivering some of our favorite episodes about letters, packages and deliveries. In this episode from July 2021, the US Postal Service launches ZIP codes to quickly sort huge amounts of mail and get it to where it needed to go, with help from a mascot named Mr. Zip and a jingle sung by Broadway legend Ethel Merman. Plus: a runner in Ontario runs a moose-shaped route through...

This week we're re-delivering some of our favorite episodes about letters, packages and deliveries. In this episode from March 2021, Henry Brown escapes slavery from a Virginia plantation in a very unusual way: he arranged it so he could hide in a small wooden box that was sent to Pennsylvania. Plus: a paramedic rescues a doctor from a fiery car crash, 30 years after that same doctor had helpe...

This week we're re-delivering some of our favorite episodes about letters, packages and deliveries. In this episode from July 2019, the story of Owney, the dog who loved the mail so much that he helped deliver it all over the world. Plus: Freeman, South Dakota holds its annual Chislic Festival, a two day celebration of cubed meat on a stick. (Sorry, dogs aren't allowed.)  ⁠The National Pos...

This week we're re-delivering some of our favorite episodes about letters, packages and deliveries. In this episode from March 2021, the story of Mary Fields, the first Black woman to receive a Post Office contract to deliver the mail, and in the Wild West, no less. Plus: the story of a sibling who found a practical use for her identical twin.  ⁠The Life and Legend of Mary Fields⁠ (Montana Wom...

This week we're re-delivering some of our favorite episodes about letters, packages and deliveries. In this episode from February 2020, a family in Grangeville, Idaho sends a four year old through the mail to her grandmother in Lewiston, 73 miles away. And she wasn’t the only kid to travel this way after the US Postal Service began the parcel post. Plus: the group Electronicos Fantasticos make...

Today in 1847, the state of Missouri put a significant obstacle in front of a civil rights activist's efforts to educate Black students in St. Louis. But he found a way around it. Plus: starting tomorrow in Wisconsin, the Waupun IceFest gets underway. How a floating school bypassed racist laws in pre-Civil War St. Louis  (FOX 2)  Waupun IceFest   Help our show cover all the best stories from l...

For Black History Month, the story of the Blackwell Family Tree, a genealogy project that traces on Black family's history back through thousands of people and hundreds of years. Plus: starting this Saturday in Fairbanks, Alaska, it’s the World Ice Art Championships. A family reaches back to reclaim its history  (QCity Metro)  Blackwell-Ashe Family Tree to Take Root in Richmond (Richmond Magaz...

The whole idea of Valentine's Day is to show a little love, right? Not always. In the old days, some people sent out nasty-grams known as "vinegar valentines" to their least favorite people. Plus: today in 2014, a news report on a guy in China who tried something unusual to keep couples from enjoying a romantic movie together. When Valentines Were Really, Really Mean (Slate) Happy Va...

Today in 1988 the Winter Olympics began in Calgary, Alberta. There were plenty of eyes that year on the demonstration sport known as ski ballet. Plus: an archeologist has found evidence in Kenya of an ancient form of a classic board game dug into the ground. Cool Down and Reminisce over the Wonders of Ski Ballet (Messy Nessy Chic) Ancient 'Arcade' of Games Played for Thousands of Years Dis...

It's Abe Lincoln's birthday, and if you want to see a small bit of the man himself, you could try heading to Syracuse, New York, where there’s a bit of Abe Lincoln’s hair in a very unusual decoration known as the Hairy Eagle. Plus: a website took all the clips of WKRP's Dr. Johnny Fever as a DJ, and turned them into a single three hour radio show. Hair (Amusing Planet) Guest DJ: Dr. Jo...

Today in 1865, the birthday of Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley, who gave the world a close-up view of the beauty and variety in snowflakes. Plus: a moment in 1959 that could have used a little more attention to detail. How a Vermont farmer proved no snowflakes are alike (CNN) Miscellany, Feb. 9, 1959 (TIME) Shine a light on our show as a backer on Patreon

For all the talk these days about the potential of generative AI, the systems still have a long way to go. For example, some recent research finds that some human users think ChatGPT comes off as less realistic than a famous chatbot from the 60s known as ELIZA. Plus: with the Super Bowl just days away, a look at how Gaulladet University helped give football the huddle. Before ChatGPT, There Was EL...

Today in 1943, the US announced it would start rationing shoes to save rubber and leather for the troops in World War II. People on the home front found ways to make shoes out of alternative materials. Plus: today in 1915, the New York Philharmonic included a special note in its program asking members of the audience to stop knitting during the performances. Rationing of Non-Food Items on the Worl...

We're in the shortest month of the year, but how did that happen? The answer starts with the Romans, who had reasons. Plus: a choir in Canada wanted to sing "Never Gonna Give You Up" with Rick Astley, and of course he didn't give them up. Why does February have 28 days? (BBC Sky At Night) Rick Astley performs 'Never Gonna Give You Up' with 200 people in a Toronto basement...