Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

Baseball's opening weekend has been postponed, so for now let's enjoy the tale of how pitcher Keith Comstock managed to turn his baseball card into one where he appears to be hit in a very sensitive place. Plus: salon owner Heidi Oley had to close her shop for the time being, so she’s practicing her skills on her boyfriend and posting daily hairdos on Instagram.  'You're the guy with the ball...

It's the birthday of Augusta Van Buren, who joined her sister Adeline for a cross-country motorcycle trip in 1916 to win support for the suffragist movement. And what a trip it was. Plus: if you're one of the many people stocking up on bathroom tissue these days, note that the largest roll ever made is in Missouri - but it's not for sale.  Adeline and Augusta Van Buren (AMA Motorcycle Hall of...

NASA has fixed a problem with its Mars lander, essentially by telling the lander to use a robotic arm to help itself - or, depending on the headlines you read, to whack itself. Plus: a Wisconsin man finds a clever way to share a beer with his neighbor in the era of social distancing.  NASA fixes Mars lander by hitting it with a shovel (CNN) NASA's Mars InSight Lander to Push on Top of the 'Mo...

A team Purdue University developed a device that uses sound waves that can help determine if and when a disease has started to invade our body cells. That SOUNDS like a good idea (see what we did there?) Plus: a sports commentator in the UK is keeping his skills in shape during the sports hiatus by doing play-by-play on non-sports activities.  Device could 'hear' disease through structures ho...

On this day in 1839 we first saw the word we use so often to describe our most middling feelings. That’s right, it’s the birthday of OK. Plus: it's also the anniversary of the time an astronaut smuggled a corned beef sandwich aboard a space mission.  How 'OK' took over the world (BBC) A Contraband Corned Beef Sandwich Went to Space 50 Years Ago (Popular Mechanics) Today is also the day backer...

Time  is an odd thing no matter where you are, but it’s especially weird at  the North and South Poles, since all the world’s time zones sort of  converge there and a day as we know it lasts an entire year. Plus: it  may be time to pay a visit to the World’s Largest Buffalo Monument! This episode was exclusive to our Patreon backers for a year. You can get exclusive episodes to...

This sounds bonkers, but apparently a robotic cleaning system called HullSkater can remove bio-gunk off the hulls of ships, helping them reduce their carbon footprints. Plus: Freeman, South Dakota was to have SchmeckFest this weekend. It will be back, so until then keep the spirit of SchmeckFest going.  These underwater robots make cargo ship hulls so smooth that it reduces emissions (Fast Co...

I grew up reading Choose Your Own Adventure books, some of which had dozens of possible endings. But a new book from a celebrated Sri Lankan children's author had a world record 1,250 endings! Plus: a pilot in Austria does his part for social distancing with a flight path that spells out "STAY HOME." Children's book gets Guinness record with 1,250 alternative endings (UPI) Pilot writes message for...

The Atlantic just did an interview with some musicians called the Paul O’Sullivan Band. There are four guys in the group: Paul O’Sullivan, Paul O’Sullivan, Paul O’Sullivan and (wait for it) Paul O’Sullivan. Here's the story of how they got together. Plus: some musical animals come together for a song? Sort of?  An Anthem for Everyone Who’s Ever Googled Their Name (The Atlantic) Oh, Internet....

A team at King’s College London has found evidence that, with help from a prescription treatment, teeth may be able to repair themselves! Plus: parades are off this St. Patrick's Day, but we've still got Irish Potato Candies. (Don't worry, they only look like potatos.)  Further evidence shows clinical viability of natural tooth repair method (King's College London) Irish Potato Candies Are th...

Staff at a museum in Turin, Italy called Castello di Rivoli have been working marathon days to digitize their entire collection so that art lovers who can't see the pieces in person can still enjoy them online. Plus: a volunteers at a thrift shop in North Carolina spots something unusual in a stack of paintings - a work by none other than Salvador Dali! A World-Famous Curator Is Working 18-Hour Da...

This weekend voting gets underway for one of the most unusual contests you’ll find anywhere in the world: the Takhini Hot Springs Hair Freezing Contest. Plus: Colorado is honoring a dude who's spending his afterlife surrounded by a great deal of dry ice. Introducing Frozen Dead Guys Days! Takhini Hot Springs Hair Freezing Contest   Frozen Dead Guy Days Backing Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon wa...

We’re hearing a lot about how a research project has shown that Earth days used to be about a half-hour shorter than they are now. Why is our planet rotating more slowly now? It's mostly because of the moon. Plus: in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the National Shag Dance Championships are getting underway. How Long Until The Moon Slows The Earth To A 25 Hour Day? (Forbes) Days on Earth Used to Be 3...

Researchers at the University of Toronto have an idea: maybe the old cooking oil from fast food chains could have new life as resin for 3D printers. Plus: this weekend in Mansfield, Texas, it’s the one and only Pickle Parade! U of T researchers turn McDonald's deep fryer oil into high-end 3D printing resin (University of Toronto) Mansfield, Texas Pickle Parade For just $1 a month you can make Cool...

Researchers at the University of Sydney say they can turn the waste from durian and jackfruit into carbon aerogel, which can help store energy in what are called super-capacitors. And no, they don't smell. Plus: Daniele Barresi is a master of making ornate sculpted art from avocadoes.  Scientists turn stinky durian waste into energy storage (Treehugger) Daniele Barresi's Avocado Sculptures&nb...

Earlier this year NASA got Voyager 2 to restart systems it had shut down through the ultimate in working remotely: sending directions beyond the reach of the sun! The way we send those commands to Voyagers 1 and 2 is pretty basic, but with twists to make up for the extremely long distance. Plus: ISS astronauts have been growing space veggies, and they're pretty good for us.  How are the Voyag...

Dehydration can be a big problem for patients with dementia or Alzheimers. Jelly Drops are colorful, edible treat pods full of water that may be able to help these individuals stay hydrated. Plus: the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museum is hosting the new exhibit “Ohio: An Unnatural History," complete with life-size cutouts of mythical Ohio creatures. Man Creates Edible Water To He...

Today is the birthday of Jerrie Cobb, who could have been the first woman in space but ended up flying to great heights nonetheless. Plus: it was on this day in 2011 that a museum in the Netherlands first put on exhibit a work called “Peanut Butter Floor," which was exactly what it sounds like. Jerrie Cobb, America's first female astronaut candidate, dies at 88 (NBC News) Cobb, Geraldyn “Jerrie” M...

Some moths are built to essentially cancel sound - and it's a pretty effective defense mechanism against bats and echolocation. Plus: a heart-shaped work of art made by bees! Deaf moths evolved noise-cancelling scales to evade predators (Phys.org) Bees Create Heart-Shaped Hive When There Aren’t Frames Up to Guide Them (My Modern Met)  Not to bug you, but have you considered backing Cool Weird...

On this day in 1876, a Mrs. Crouch was outside making soap when “suddenly there descended upon her a gentle shower of meat.” What the heck happened to cause meat to fall from the sky over Bath County, Kentucky? Plus: Lincoln, the goat mayor of Fairhaven, Vermont, runs for reelection against his challenger, Sammy the police dog.  Kentucky Meat Shower? Yes, meat fell from the sky more than 140...

Can music help cats relax during their visits to the vet? Apparently so - but would music specifically made for cats be even more helpful than music made for humans? Plus: if you missed Justin Bieber's birthday yesterday, visit a museum in his hometown that features all the stuff from his career that his proud grandparents saved!  This music calms cats the best, study finds (Treehugger) How a...

It was on a Leap Day in 1968 that the President of the United States got stuck in an elevator. We'll explain how it happened. Plus: this weekend at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, it's the third annual Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Weekend. LBJ Stuck In An Elevator (Atlas Obscura) Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Weekend at Graceland (Memphis Travel) Take care of business as a Cool Weird Awesome bac...

A new technology out of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst actually pulls electricity out of the air! But don't worry, it's not like when Sith lords shoot lightning at people. Plus: Steamboat Springs, Colorado sets the world record for the largest single firework explosion.  New Green Technology from UMass Amherst Generates Electricity ‘Out of Thin Air’ (University of Massachusetts) The...

Disappearing People is a computer program that can make us invisible on our computer’s cameras! Plus: the story of something that cannot be unseen, the world record longest salami.  This Program Will Make You Invisible (to Your Webcam) (Motherboard) Salami larger than the Statue of Liberty has broken a world record in Argentina (Mirror UK) See something amazing happen when you back Cool Weird...

A project run by researchers at the University of Sheffield, is using foam taken from discarded mattresses to help Syrian refugees start hydroponic gardens in Jordan. Plus: why were there two Miss Sasquatch Queens in Saskatchewan back in 1969?  Scientists using old mattresses to grow food for Syrian refugees in Jordan (iNews) Miss Sasquatch Queen (Weird Universe) No title better than the titl...