REMORANDOM Everything Interesting

A watch encased in resin? A timer that runs for 2,738 years and can never be reset? Brooklyn-based CW&T are responsible for some pretty cool products. In this episode Remo gets to chat with Che-Wei Wang and Taylor Levy, charming co-founders of Brooklyn-based design studio CW&T. Their conversation explores the genesis and appeal of a few of their remarkably thoughtful products, and delivers...

  Dagen H, the 3rd of September 1967 was the day that Sweden switched from driving on the left hand side to the  right. How did that go for them? 📍Murphy Beds aren't limited to madcap  films starring Abbott and Costello, or the Marx brothers. Who invented them and why?📍 Mise en Place is a French culinary practice that can also be applied in home kitchens, and indeed, as it happens, to your w...

In this episode Remo speaks with iconic American industrial designer Tucker Viemeister about: his famous toothpaste collection [RR1:84], odd ball motor cars, industrial design, AI and other interesting things. It’s a fun chat. Tucker is possibly best known for his work on OXO Good Grips kitchen tools at Smart Design, a company he co-founded in 1979. He also founded the Lab at Rockwell Group, and w...

What does a lava lamp have to do with internet security?📍 The yellow smiley face became a symbol of the countercultural movement during the 1970s. Where did it come from?📍 You know that film scene where Marilyn Monroe's dress billows up thanks to the updraft from the subway. As you will soon discover, a lot happened during and after that  shoot.📍And finally, in this episode, we have a look...

The Caganer is a Catalan tradition that involves a clay figurine of a peasant squatting with his pants around his ankles … taking a shit. Confused? We'll try to explain.📍 What's the origin of the Slinky toy? 📍People who draw diagrams of icebergs have got it all wrong, and we'll explain why.📍 And finally, in this episode … we look at yawning. Why we do it and why it's so contagio...

Someone passes you in the supermarket and you notice that their pineapple is upside down. What does that mean?📍 The demand for jigsaw puzzles soared globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. Where did jigsaw puzzles come from originally?📍 WD-40’s versatility has given it fame as a jack of all trades. Who invented it and why?📍 And finally, in this episode, we look at Chinese finger traps. You know,...

The number 150 is also known as Dunbar's Number. What is it and what's its relevance to your list of friends?📍 Comic Sans has been called the most hated font in history. Who hates it? For what reasons?📍 Many modernist architects and artists share a couple of things in common where they went to kindergarten and something called Froebels Gifts. What are they?📍 And finally in this episode,...

📍The Japanese concept of Ikigai is often misunderstood. What does it really mean?📍 A set of colourful wooden rods has helped millions of children with their arithmetic. What were they called and how did they come to be?📍 The colour purple is not just a Hollywood movie. We tell the story of the colour itself.📍 And finally IN this episode of REMORANDOM, Harry Houdini was magic's greatest vis...

  📍Tailors use a term "Rock of Eye". What does it mean and why is it a rare and good thing to have? 📍 Back in the 17th century there was a thing called "dancing mania". What was it, and why on earth was it a thing? 📍 Pastafarians worship the Flying Spaghetti Monster? What's the backstory there? 📍 And finally, in this episode, we look at the Japanese delicacy fugu, a fis...

📍 Voorpret is a Dutch word that literally translates as pre fun. What is it and how can it make you happy? 📍The Rorschach inkblot test has shaped our view of human personality. How has it been used over the years?📍 It has been called the most hyped tech product of the early 21st century, predicted to completely transform our cities. What was that product and why did it fail? 📍  And finally, in...

📍 The American writer Norman Mailer was said to be passionate about, of all things, thumb wrestling. In fact, it was his favourite sport. Who invented it?  📍 Who was Nosey Bob and what was his very unpopular job?   📍 What's so unusual about the men's room urinals at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam?📍 And  finally, in this episode, what amusement park attraction designed in  1948 by German...

📍In a negotiation, why is it always better to start out by making an ambitious offer? 📍 Who was Rosie the Riveter and how did she become such a legendary symbol?📍 Who was Lawn Chair Larry, and what did he do with 42 helium filled weather balloons?📍 And finally, in this episode, we tell the story of Lunch Atop a Skyscraper, one of the most iconic photographs of the 20th century. About REMORANDO...

In the 19th century, there was a bookshop that became the cultural centre of Melbourne. Why was it so extraordinary? 📍 Who writes the fortunes that live inside fortune cookies?📍 Jantelagen is a Swedish behavioural norm that the younger generations are pushing back on. What is Jantelagen?📍 And finally, in this episode, we relive the glory of the 1983 America's Cup and how a top secret new de...

There's a big rock at the north end of Bondi Beach called, naturally enough, Big Rock. Why is it also called Mermaid Rock? Why should you never sing Frank Sinatra's "My Way" as your karaoke song in Thailand and Malaysia?  The second hand on a Swiss railway clock only takes 58 and a half seconds to complete a full revolution. Why is that?  And finally in this episode, what does Pl...

What's the story with the iconic blue IKEA FRAKTA tote?  Surely the world's most functional and hardworking bag.  Turophobia is the fear of cheese. What are some of the more unusual phobias?  What does it mean to be doing a Bradbury?   And finally, in this episode, why did the Polish composer Frederick  Chopin ask for his heart to be removed from his body when he died?   About REMORANDOM R...

The Oyster Bar at Grand Central Station in New York has what is called a whispering wall. What’s that? How did Chinese “Hell Bank Notes” get that name? What "1984" commercial is considered to be the greatest and most creatively disruptive advertisement in history? And finally in this episode,  what iconic French dessert has as much to do with architecture as it has to do with pastry? Abo...

 What does What does the incantation abracadabra have to do with malaria?  Good Night Moon is a highly acclaimed and much loved bedtime story, but why was it banned by the New York Public Library for 25 years? What's cool, what's daggy, and who decides?  And did you know that the foolscap paper size was actually named after a fool's cap?  In this episode Remo and Claudia chat about the...

In this episode Remo and Claudia are joined by a special guest – David Hershkovits the co-founder of New York’s iconic PAPER magazine to chat about "Break the Internet", the chapter from the third (yellow) volume of REMORANDOM that tells the story of the 2014 PAPER magazine cover featuring Kim Kardashian in her oiled nakedness. The cover went viral and “broke” the Internet, or at least t...

In this episode Remo and Claudia chat about: Good Morning Towels [RR1:31] Etch-A-Sketch [RR2:24] Nigerian Prince Scam [RR3:58] BIC® 4-color™ Pen [RR2:08] About REMORANDOM REMORANDOM is a printed biannual book series that celebrates Everything Interesting. Browse and order REMORANDOM books and/or subscribe to the series via the REMORANDOM.com website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Subscribe to this companion “RE...

In this episode Remo and Claudia chat about: Interesting Etymologies [RR2:34] Knocker-Uppers [RR2:40] Typhoid Mary [RR2:77] Casio F-91W Watch [RR2:12] About REMORANDOM REMORANDOM is a printed biannual book series that celebrates Everything Interesting. Browse and order REMORANDOM books and/or subscribe to the series via the REMORANDOM.com website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Subscribe to this companion “REMOR...

In this episode Remo and Claudia chat about the following REMORANDOM topics: Barber Pole [RR2:06] I'm Spartacus [RR2:33] Acme Whistles and the D-Day Clicker [RR2:01] About REMORANDOM REMORANDOM is a printed biannual book series that celebrates Everything Interesting. Browse and order REMORANDOM books +/- subscribe to the series via the REMORANDOM.com website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Subscribe to this comp...

REMORANDOM Everything Interesting, a companion podcast to the printed biannual book series of the same name, is launching in February 2025. In each weekly episode REMO founder Remo Giuffré and co-host Claudia Chan Shaw will chat about a selection of REMORANDOM topics, sometimes with a special guest. Everything interesting. Subscribe to this companion “REMORANDOM” podcast wherever you listen to you...