Ordinary Observations

This time on Ordinary Observations Jack is joined by a motley gang of mates to discuss Jonathan, the 193 year old Seychelles Giant Tortoise and his recent misfortune of being tied up in a crypto scam. We take a look at just how this happened, as well as a few other stories and fun facts from Jonathan's life. Host: Jack Williamson Guests: Ajay Voppu Krishna, Milos Bizumovic, Nicolas Leal This is a...

This week on Ordinary Observations we take a look at a few novel stories of people who have showed up alive to their own funerals. First off we meet Ms Noella Rakundo and discuss her miraculous story of survival before confronting the very person who tried to have her killed. We get on the lash and go missing with a 22 year old Argentinian dude who stumbled in red-faced to his own funeral service...

Getting into the festive spirit this week on Ordinary Observations we express a little admiration for the creative lengths some clever people are willing to go to in order to steal a little copper. We discuss a recent spate of theft committed right here in Gothenburg, by a gang dressed up as roadworkers. We look back at an illegitimate German demolition crew who once made off with four kilometres...

This week Jack is once again joined by long time friend of the show Manoj to discuss a few fun stories of people trying to cheat on their exams. We start off with an odd excuse for a man to refuse revealing what's in his hand during a Swedish driving theory test. We catch up with a few would-be teachers wearing very expensive flip flops in Rajasthan. And we make a smash and grab attempt at stealin...

This week on Ordinary Observations we stop the clocks and take a timely look at a history of time zones. How did we get here? Short answer: The steam locomotive. Listen in to hear the long answer and how ultimately it all ends in a personal anecdote of Jack missing a football match. We also discuss a few strange time zones from around the globe, and attempt an explanation as to how the Internation...

Leaning right into the leftover show notes from the last K103 Live Day, Jack is back this week to discuss a bunch more common misconceptions from the depths of science, culture, and history. Is the caesarian section really named after Julius Caesar? Does cutting an earthworm in half really make two worms? Will gum be stuck inside your stomach for seven years if you swallow it? Once again, the shor...

This episode is taken from K103 Live Day where Jack is joined by long time friends of the show Erik, Eddie, and Josefine. Doing our part in the battle against an ever-rising tide of misinformation, we take a cold, sarcastic look at some of the most common misconceptions from the realms of science, culture, and history. Do bulls really hate the colour red? Do carrots really help you see in the dark...

This week Jack finally returns from his lengthy summer holidays to discuss a few bizarre bits of recent news we all fear you might have missed. First off a Danish Zoo makes quite a stir with an interesting request, secondly a UK doctor falls from grace in a rather undignified fashion, and finally Vladimir Putin's rather particular bathroom habits. Find out what on earth we are talking about this t...

This week on Ordinary Observations Jack is joined by long time friend of the show, Bosnian affairs correspondent, and K103 Chairperson, Elvira Hodzic! We have a long, winding discussion about the joys of large roadside attractions, built by enterprising folks trying to encourage ordinary passers by to stay a little longer in their small towns. We start off with a low pass over the Big Chicken in M...

This week on Ordinary Observations, Jack is joined by long time friend of the show, holder of a master's degree in economics, and brother - Bryn. We get into the nitty gritty of a few of our favourite sportspeople making questionable decisions off the pitch. From bathroom incident that ruined Todd Carney's NRL career, to the browsing behaviour of New Zealand middle distance running champion Nick W...

This week on Ordinary Observations, Jack once again caves into the urge of talking about animals. We ask ourselves a simple question - Do animals like to get drunk and do drugs? As we will find out during the show, the answer is a resounding 'Yes. They do'. Inspired by Chewwy the meth pipe wielding raccoon, we hit up the balloons (pufferfish) with some dolphins, we hop in circles around the poppy...

This week on Ordinary Observations Jack is joined by long time friend of the show Victor, a Swedish man who has seen a moose before. We spend the hour asking some heavy hitting questions like what do moose eat, where do moose like to live, how does a moose find love, and what should moose be afraid of? We discuss the rising popularity of Den Stora Älgvandringen (The Great Moose Walk) from Swedish...

Join Jack this week on Ordinary Observations for a sprawling discussion on a select few terrible popes. We start off with Pope Stephen XI, a man so incensed at his dead predecessor's actions, he had his corpse exhumed and put on trial, in what would come to be known as the Cadaver Synod. Next we have a long hard look at some of the behaviour of Pope John XII, who was elected Pope as a teenager and...

Mark & Jack once again join in on K103 Live Day, this time to put some Ordinary Observationism on the time-honoured, yet in-vogue hobby of running great distances in terrible conditions. Mark pulls the starting trigger with Marathon Des Sables, the 7 day long, 250+ km epic adventure race through the Sahara Desert in Southern Morocco. Jack registers a hearty DNF in the 1904 Olympic Marathon in...

Join Mark & Jack for an ordinary discussion somewhere near the intersection of animal biology and scientific tomfoolery. This week we are taking a look at some questionable experiments performed on animals. How did we make cats glow green and how does that help us fight AIDS? Why did 1960s biologists care which body part of a female turkey got the male most excited? And how did they test that?...

Join Mark & Jack this week as we pay homage to the greatest website ever created, Wikipedia. Spring is finally here, so why not lace up with us for a casual scroll through a few of our personal favourite entries. Mark gets started with a beautiful tale, found at the not-so-frequently-visited intersection of government policy, caving, and dairy. This is Government Cheese. Next, he lets his anar...

Join Jack and Mark once again for K103's Live Day! This time featuring long time friend of the show and budgeting expert Manoj, as well as Alva from the K103 music editorial team. This installment of Ordinary Observations focuses on all things money saving; tips and tricks to save your pennies in a world of inflationary pressures and cost of living crises. Jack goes through some common childhood g...

Join Jack and Mark on this installation of Ordinary Observations as they explore the culture rich world of performance art and meet some of the artists behind the work. We take a look at the dedication of Taiwanese endurance art performer Tehching Hsieh, with his profound series of One Year Pieces, including Cage Piece and Time Clock Piece. We marvel at the bravery of the grandmother of performanc...

Welcome to the first episode of Ordinary Observations for 2025! Mark and Jack start the year as we mean to go on, with a few interesting stories of incredible human endurance. Mark runs us through the entire length of Africa with Hardest Geezer Russ Cook, who tore up the pavement all the way from South Africa to the tip of Tunisia. Jack gives himself shortsightedness with Beatriz Flamini, the Span...

Ho, Ho, Ho, welcome one and all to the Ordinary Observation Christmas Omnibus 2024, where Mark & Jack clean out the backlog of stories we couldn't squeeze into the radio show. Some highlights include a brave nursing student and an incredibly swollen testicle, Greenlandic seal hunters getting anxious while out paddling, and a debate on how far the term 'micronation' can be stretched to include...

On Ordinary Observations this week Mark & Jack once again join in on K103 live day, this time to discuss a varied history of using animals to predict the future. Germany correspondent Mark recounts the story of Paul the Octopus, who caught the world's attention for a string of accurate predictions during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Jack takes a historical look at the way animals always seem to be...

Join Jack and Mark as we consult witch doctors and shamans as we try to lift some of the sporting world's strangest curses. Jack talks us through the curse of the Bambino after Babe Ruth's exit from the Boston Red Sox, and the subsequent 80 year title drought. Mark retraces the steps of the 1951 County Mayo Gaelic Football team and the priest that cursed them, a hex still yet undone to this day. W...

Join Jack, Mark and special treasure-hunting- enthusiast guest Jule, on this instalment of Ordinary Observations, in which we discuss the folklore, stories, and characters surrounding some of the biggest treasure hoards of history. Jack introduces the Fenn Treasure, hidden by famous art dealer and eccentric millionaire Forrest Fenn, and the ensuing decade-long hunt through the rocky mountains. Jul...

This week on Ordinary Observations Mark & Jack go one smaller and dig into a few noteworthy micronations from around the globe. Mark begins with explaining why he would rather not talk about Freetown Christiania, the 'international community commune' surrounded by what most people call Copenhagen. Jack takes us through one of the most unique micronations; Sealand. With its beginning as a Briti...

Listen in to Ordinary Observations from K103 Live Day Nov 1st, where Mark & Jack dig up some fun facts regarding the smallest countries on the map. In order of ascending geographical size, we start off with the Vatican, the pope's XI, their standard gauge railway, and the young, Swiss bachelors who protect it. We move on to Monaco, home of many a retired F1 driver, dodgy bank account, and relu...