Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

Some health experts suggest that when the world gets back to normal we should do away with the handshake. It is an effective way to spread germs, but it's also had some pretty useful functions in its long history. Plus: since it's the anniversary of the first episode of "Game of Thrones," we visit a guy in California who installed a 15-foot-tall dragon in his front yard.  Why do we touch stra...

Falls on hard pavement can be very, very dangerous for some of us. That's why a research group called SAFERUP is trying to make safer, bouncier pavement. Plus: the Rakuten Monkeys baseball team in Taiwan is planning to have robot mannequins in the stands to cheer them on until fans can return to the ballpark.  Ground-Up Tire Pavement Could Be Safer for Pedestrians and Athletes (Popular Mechan...

Artist Itsuo Kobayashi has been keeping an illustrated food diary since 1980, drawing and describing each meal, the ingredients, the price and how it made him feel. Plus: for National Banana Day, we go to - where else - the International Banana Museum in California. For Over 30 Years Itsuo Kobayashi Has Been Keeping an Illustrated Food Diary (Spoon & Tamago) Opening a Banana Museum next to a t...

Today's the day in 1828 that Noah Webster went to the copyright office to register his work “An American Dictionary of the English Language.” This work, no pun intended, defined American English as people actually spoke it, but it also included some words that haven't exactly stayed with us. Plus: there are perhaps no words for the mulletty goodness that resulted when a woman in New Zealand tried...

A company called Carbios says it’s been using what it calls a “mutant enzyme” to break plastic down into the components to make new plastic in mere hours. But will this mutant eventually try to rule humanity for its own good? Plus: an education student in Kentucky creates see-through plastic masks to help deaf and hard of hearing people during the current difficulties.  This "Mutant Enzyme" C...

We're replaying some of our favorite robot-themed episodes of the show this week. In this episode from October 2019, we hear about an autonomous device that’s  ready to clean up after our dogs on demand, thanks to a large scooper on  its underside. If they’re willing to do this job, maybe robots aren’t  trying to conquer us after all. Plus: “dogfishing” is a problem for  online...

We're replaying some of our favorite robot-themed episodes of the show this week. In this episode from July 2019, we learn about a quadcopter drone that uses spring-loaded arms and a process called “rapid aerial morphing” to fold itself up as it flies. So we’re a  step closer to real-life Transformers. Plus: the story of the all-robot band Compressorhead, whose members twist and turn the...

We're replaying some of our favorite robot-themed episodes of the show this week. In this episode from July 2019, we check in on a little white robot swimming through rice fields in Japan, imitating a duck! It’s actually helping to grow the rice by aerating the  water and stopping weeds from growing. Plus: if you prefer non-robotic  ducks, then you’ve got some options with the World’s La...

We're replaying some of our favorite robot-themed episodes of the show this week. In this episode from June 2019, researchers teach robots to row themselves gently down the stream  and to connect to each other autonomously. They could help clean  the water or even turn themselves into temporary footbridges. Plus: a band in Mexico knew just what to do when the mall they were playing in st...

We're replaying some of our favorite robot-themed episodes of the show this week. In this episode from April 2019, a New Zealand company tests a robot that’s supposed to move through an apple orchard, spot ripe fruit, yank it from the tree and bring it back to the farmer.  They’re either helping us do a hard job or taking  the first step toward an agricultural Skynet. Your Apples May Soo...

Firefighters in Chongqing, China, may soon put out fires with help from a team of six large drones that can get in the air and quickly extinguish blazes. Plus: a guy in Tacoma, Washington is spreading positivity by yelling things at people for money.  China's firefighting drones: Unmanned aircraft can extinguish a blazing 10-storey building within minutes (Daily Mail) Driver on the Street: Ta...

They’re holding auditions for the next voice of Big Tex, the 55 foot tall cowboy that’s the embodiment of the Texas State Fair. He's joined forces with the X-Men and survived catching on fire, not he just needs someone to help him talk about his long career. Plus: today is National Burrito Day and we've spotted one that even Big Tex would probably have trouble finishing.  Big Tex needs a new...

Researchers have been studying LEGO longevity! Don't put them in the ocean, because they could last hundreds or even thousands of years - instead, maybe build something really cool to share with future generations. Plus: there's a new world record in the category of most walnuts cracked by an elbow in under a minute. Yes, that's a category.  Study: LEGO Bricks Can Survive in Ocean For 1,300 Y...

The Eiffel Tower was only supposed to stand in Paris for 20 years... but experiments in "wireless telegraphy" helped convince the powers that be to keep the tower in place. Plus: this gallery of the weirdest-looking cars to ever roll off the assembly line is maybe not the aesthetic equal of the Eiffel Tower, but it sure is fun.  15 Monumental Facts About the Eiffel Tower (Mental Floss) Damn Y...

There’s a website that shows seven sites on which European castles once stood - only partial structures now, but the site has filled the towers and other structures back in. Plus: the blare of a neighborhood car alarm gives Brooklyn musician Andrea Long Chu some inspiration.  This Is What 7 Castles Across Europe Looked Like Before Falling Into Ruins (Bored Panda) This Woman Transforms An Anno...

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...