Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

It was around this time in 1975 that Gary Dahl dropped by a gift show in San Francisco with the idea for the pet rock. It would make him a millionaire. Plus: on Liechtenstein National Day, we have a few small facts about this small European nation.  The story of Gary Dahl and the pet rock: From the archives (Mercury News) Hard Sell: A History of the Pet Rock (Mental Floss) LITTLE LIECHTENSTEI...

If you’re a Jetsons fan on the internet these days, you’re probably living the dream right now. Because, if you look really closely at the futuristic cartoon show’s backstory, the main character, George Jetson, may have just had his birthday. Plus: for World Elephant Day, a visit to Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum and Candy Emporium in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  Fine, let's think too damn hard ab...

Researchers at MIT have created a high-tech device that’s about one square inch in size and just a few millimeters thick, and can do ultrasounds for as long as 48 hours. Plus: today in South Haven, Michigan, it’s day one of the National Blueberry Festival. This Stamp-Sized Ultrasound Patch Can Image Internal Organs (WIRED) The National Blueberry Festival  Our Patreon backers make our show hig...

On this day in 1943, an interesting headline in the New York Times: “Sicily Vying With Hawaii To Become 49th U.S. State.” Of course, neither Sicily nor Hawaii became the 49th state; Alaska did. But there really was an effort to bring Sicily into the Union. Plus: a guy lost his cellphone in a river... and almost a year later, another guy found it. And it still worked!  Sicily Vying With Hawaii...

It was around this time in 2017 that people in Arlington, Virginia spotted what looked like a grey Ford passenger van with no driver. And then things got even weirder. Plus: today in 1943, the birthday of boxing champion and actor Ken Norton, who was so good in high school track and field his home state had to change the rules.  Car Seat Camouflage: Man Wears Bizarre Costume In Automatic Vehi...

There's a phenomenon in art history where some paintings feature dogs with lit flares in their mouths. They're not committing arson or leading Indiana Jones through a dark cave... but what are they doing? Plus: when YouTuber Mathieu Stern came across old film dating back to the year 1900, he developed it to find pictures of something you see plenty of on the internet today.  Wait, Why Are So...

This week we're replaying some of our most caffeinated episodes. In this episode from September 2019, a look at our annual time to consume and/or complain about products flavored with pumpkin spice. It was in the mid-90s that this blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves started its rise to power, and there's no stopping it now, really. Plus: did you know that hundreds of years ago p...

This week we're replaying some of our most caffeinated episodes. In this episode from November 2019, the Unocup aims to do something about all those plastic tops for disposable coffee cups that end up as waste in the ocean each year. It’s a paper cup that folds up to become its own top! Plus: there’s goat yoga and alpaca yoga, but Zoo Miami may top them all with its new Yoga With The Rhinos progra...

This week we're replaying some of our most caffeinated episodes. In this episode from July 2019, coffee grounds can be recycled in all kinds of ways, including lots of products. And the most meta product of all is from KaffeeForm, which uses coffee grounds to make coffee cups. Plus: if you can’t wait a couple years for the Little Mermaid remake, why not head to Sacramento for the California Mermai...

This week we're replaying some of our most caffeinated episodes. In this episode from June 2020, scientists at the University of California – San Diego try to help robots walk better on uneven terrain – and, amazingly, coffee is part of the solution. Meanwhile, a robot in Australia is learning how to lay bricks, and it’s got a very appropriate name for its job. Scientists Invent Coffee-Filled Feet...

This week we're replaying some of our most caffeinated episodes. In this episode from September 2020, we have the story of Brazilian athletes who, without travel funds from the government, had to earn their way to the Olympics in Los Angeles by selling coffee beans. Plus: in Bedford, Pennsylvania, there's a building shaped like a big metal coffee pot. Brazilian Athletes Perked Up The 1932 Games Wi...

Today in 1993, Rhode Island adopted coffee milk as its official state drink. And in that state, coffee milk is kind of a world unto itself. Plus: today in Whiting, Indiana, Pierogi Fest is getting underway. What is coffee milk and why is Rhode Island obsessed with it? (WGBH) PIEROGI FEST A round of coffee milks for our Patreon backers, please!

Plastic food wrap is useful stuff, but not eco-friendly. Now Rutgers University has a green alternative, and it’s not exactly wrap. You kind of spray it on. Plus: Officials in Hollister, California wanted new, slightly curved street lines painted. What they got was... not that.   Rutgers Scientist Develops Antimicrobial, Plant-Based Food Wrap Designed to Replace Plastic (Rutgers) Incorrectly...

In the collection of the Cincinnati Art Museum, there’s a mirror from 16th Century China that has been keeping a secret for centuries. And, at long last, that secret is out. Plus: the Metropolitan Museum of Art is using augmented reality to show the colorful paint and designs that used to be on some ancient statues.  Cincinnati Art Museum Discovers That a Rare 16th Century Mirror Reveals a Hi...

University of Pennsylvania researchers are developing a teeth cleaning system out of nanoparticles. Plus: Blizzbrush is an antimicrobial sponge the makers say can do the job of a toothbrush in just ten seconds. Shapeshifting microrobots can brush and floss teeth (University of Pennsylvania) 3D printed 'blizzbrush 5.0 toothbrush-sponge' cleans entire mouth in just 10 seconds (designboom) Our Patreo...

Digital currencies are having a rough 2022, but one alternative currency has been doing pretty well for itself lately. That’s the wooden money made in Tenino, Washington. Plus: if you feel like you’ve been to every museum and you’re not sure what to do next, try the German Food Additives Museum. Why Tenino is still printing wooden money (KING 5) There is a museum dedicated to food additives in Ham...

On this day in 2008 things got weird during a recording of The Price Is Right, when a contestant kept hitting the big money in a round of Plinko. Plus: today in Key West, Florida, it’s preliminary round two of the annual Hemingway Look-Alike Contest. THE PRICE IS FIXED (Now I Know) SLOPPY JOE’S 41ST ANNUAL HEMINGWAY® LOOK-ALIKE CONTEST JULY 21-23, 2022   You don't need to hit a dollar on the...

We’re in the heat of summer, and here’s the story of a guy who's helped millions cool down: Omar Knedlik, the inventor of the ICEE. Plus: today in 1924, actor Don Knotts was born in Morgantown, West Virginia. The town pays tribute to its famous resident with a statue downtown. Remembering Omar Knedlik, the Rural Kansas Man Who Invented the ICEE (Kansas Public Radio) Don Knotts Statue (Atlas Obscur...

Today is International Chess Day, so here are a few of the stories about how which pieces were on the board changed over the centuries. Plus: today in 1969, humans landed on the moon. The world was in awe - except for one famous artist.  How did chess pieces get their names? (Big Think) “It Means Nothing To Me”: Picasso Unimpressed by Moon Landing (Hyperalllergic) Every move we make is thanks...

Today in 1911, a big day for the city of Pittsburgh: after an effort that lasted decades, the city won back the H at the end of its name! Plus: on this day in 1982, Hall of Fame shortstop Luke Appling hit an unusual home run.  THE PITTSBURGH “H” (Visit Pittsburgh) Most Unlikely Homerun Ever! 75 Year Old Luke Appling's Home Run in Old Timers Game in D.C. 1982 (via YouTube) However you spell it...

Today in 1914, the birthday of Gino Bartali. The Italian cycling star won the Tour de France in 1938, and won a second time a decade later. But what was even more impressive was what he did in between those two wins. Plus: today in 1995, researchers in Slovenia found what was believed to be the oldest musical instrument ever discovered.  Gino Bartali (Yad Vashem) Hear the world’s oldest instr...

Many people hope humans will eventually walk on Mars. But there's a lot to sort out before that can happen, including this question: how does the way we tell time change when we have humans on more than one planet? Plus: today in Boulder, Colorado, it’s Tube To Work Day. A meander through Martian minutes and the meaning of local time (Interconnected) Tube To Work Day   Our Patreon backers hel...

Summer is usually shorts weather, but there’s some new research on pants that’s worth a look, especially when you know that the pants at the center of this work are from 3,000 years ago. Plus: the South Carolina Peach Festival is getting underway this week in the community of Gaffney. The world’s oldest pants are a 3,000-year-old engineering marvel (Ars Technica) South Carolina Peach Festival Our...

This month in 1918, two photographers took a picture of the Statue of Liberty. Except this wasn’t the giant statue that sits in the harbor in New York, it was a living Statue of Liberty formed with help from 18,000 members of the US military. Plus: today in 1939 Frank Sinatra made his first record, which reminds us of a great story from when Frank was making the original "Ocean's Eleven."  Hu...

Today is Cow Appreciation Day, so here's the story of some very unusual cows in Latvia and a playwright who helped save them from disappearing for good. Plus: a medical mystery caused by too much disco? It happened.  Herd the moos? Latvia's symbolic blue cow back from the brink (Phys.org) Disco Felon (Weird Universe) Our Patreon backers are outta sight!