Cool Weird Awesome With Brady Carlson

Today in 1858 the US issued a patent for the mason jar. And yes, the story of the mason jar starts with someone named Mason. Plus: congratulations to this year’s newly-announced winners of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. A Brief History of the Mason Jar (Smithsonian) WINNERS ANNOUNCED! (Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards)  Our Patreon backers preserve this show and keep it growing! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

At the airport in Las Vegas, there's a terminal you can't use to fly in and catch a Golden Knights game or drop by a casino. It's used only by one of the most out-of-sight airlines in the world, a secret airline known as "Janet." Plus: as humans consider missions further out into space, Jihee Kim designs a robot dog named Laika that could help keep astronauts from getting lonely. U.S. Air Force Looking For New ‘Janet’ Operator (Aviation Week) U.S. government airline Janet hides in plain site (News.com.au) life-like, AI robot dog 'laika' offers physical and emotional support for space travelers (designboom)It’s no secret, our Patreon backers keep us flying every day --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

The Tension-Activated Repair Patch could help people with back injuries, and it works a little bit like how we patch flat tires on the road. Plus: The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is typically the start of a unique tradition in Albuquerque, New Mexico: making a snow person out of tumbleweeds! New ‘patch’ uses natural body motion to fix disc herniation (University of Pennsylvania) Tumbleweed Snowman (Atlas Obscura) Our Patreon backers always have our back --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1940 the birthday of Bruce Lee, movie and TV star, martial arts trainer to the stars, poet, philospher and... cha cha champion. Plus: today in 1942, the birthday of Jimi Hendrix, rock icon and board game enthusiast. THE TRUTH ABOUT BRUCE LEE'S DANCING SKILLS (Grunge) Graham Nash recalls playing Risk with Jimi Hendrix on acid (SiriusXM) Dance right over to our Patreon page and back our show --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Domino's Japan once tried to send its pizzas out by reindeer, but they had to backtrack after a week because, well, you can probably figure out why. Plus: Minnesota asks for suggestions on a new state flag and boy oh boy did they get suggestions. Domino's Tried a Reindeer Delivery Program... You Can Guess How That Went (NBC News) Whole lotta loons: 2,000-plus submissions unveiled for new Minnesota state flag, seal (CBS News) Backing our show on Patreon is the gift that keeps on giving --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Happy Thanksgiving! Back in the early days of this American holiday, kids would dress up in costumes and go door to door, asking for treats. It was known as the Ragamuffin Parade. Plus: back in 2010, the website Passive-Aggressive Notes posted a class assignment by 7 year old Lola, who declared "turkeys think of Thanksgiving as a war." Thanksgiving Ragamuffin Parade (New York Public Library) Poultry Slam (Passive-Aggressive Notes) We’re very thankful for our Patreon backers --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

New research finds groups of chimpanzees spy on each other, carrying out recon missions to either avoid other groups or to try to encroach on their territory when it's safe to do so. Plus: a visit to the Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake, Yukon. Chimpanzees use hilltops to conduct reconnaissance on rival groups (University of Cambridge)  Take a trip around the world in the Sign Post Forest (Travel Yukon)   Join our group of backers on Patreon - no spying experience necessary --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today is World Hello Day, so we explain how and when English speakers started using the word "hello" to say hello. Plus: scientists at the University of California-Davis have figured out how sunflowers turn their colorful heads toward the sun as it moves through the day.  World Hello Day: History of a Greeting (Saturday Evening Post) How Sunflowers See the Sun (UC-Davis) Say hello to our community on Patreon and keep this show growing --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

It was this month in 1936 that a guy in Knoxville, Tennessee started promoting his newly-invented giant trash receptacle, named the dumpster. Plus: there's apparently a new effort in northern China to keep nighttime drivers awake and alert with a series of colorful laser patterns shining over the road. Dempster Dumpster (Fire) (Visit Knoxville) Congratulations, everybody: ‘Dumpster fire’ is now a dictionary entry, and here’s why (Washington Post) These Laser Lightshows On Chinese Highway Are Meant To Keep Drivers Awake (Jalopnik) Back our show on Patreon to make sure it never becomes a dumpster fire --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

The tech industry is always on the lookout for the next big thing in batteries. Scientists on the East Coast may have found it in crab shells. Plus: this is typically the weekend in the city of Taketa, Japan for the Chikuraku Festival. Don't Toss Out The Crab Shells (WBOC) 20,000 Bamboo Lanterns Illuminate the Chikuraku Festival (Spoon + Tamago) This show is powered by our Patreon backers, join us today --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1907 Oklahoma became the 46th state in the Union. Oklahoma's panhandle has a complicated history that includes a time when it was known as “No Man’s Land.” Plus: this Saturday in Luther, Oklahoma, it’s the Luther Pecan Festival. The Secret History of the Oklahoma Panhandle (Conde Nast Traveler) Luther Pecan Festival  Join us on Patreon and we’ll bring more new episodes to all 50 states and beyond! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Ten years ago today, one of the sweetest moments in recent history: the day a five year old got to celebrate the end of his cancer treatments by becoming a superhero and saving the day in front of tens of thousands. Plus: a set of antique glass photo negatives from the late 19th century was on its way to the dumpster... but now it's going to college. Watch Make-A-Wish Turn San Francisco Into BatKid's 'Gotham City' (The Atlantic Wire via Archive.org) Visions from state’s past find a new home: Photographer gives antique glass negatives to UMass (The Recorder) You can be a superhero for our show as a backer on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

It's National Pickle Day. Maybe you put these briny cucumbers on sandwiches, or burgers, or just snack on them as they are. Or, if you’re a Texan, you might order a few up when you go to the movies. Plus: around this time in 2014, Italian artist Sven Sachsalber decided to test one of the most classic metaphors in the English language by looking for a needle in a haystack. Why are pickles sold at the movies? Curious Texas investigates (Dallas Morning News) Man Finds Needle In Haystack (Modern Farmer) Backing our show on Patreon gets you loads of extras, and it costs less per month than renting a single movie --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1988, a strange moment in Green Bay, Wisconsin: a Packers game got interrupted by a turkey named Henrietta. Plus: today in Las Vegas, the Indoor Environmental Healthcare and Hospitality Association presents its Housekeeping/Environmental Services Olympics.  'Fowl' play: Woman reveals truth about Lambeau Field turkey prank (WBAY)  IEHA Housekeeping/Environmental Services Olympics Our show would’ve been a turkey if it weren’t for our Patreon backers --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're replaying some of our favorite past episodes about Earth's number one satellite. In this episode from July 2019, the BBC brings in the band known for playing space rock to improvise on-air for its coverage of the Apollo 11 mission. Plus: we'll remember the time Pizza Hut produced a TV ad in which all the dialogue was in Klingon.   My moon-landing jam session (The Guardian) 13 Minutes To The Moon (BBC) Watch this fantastic 1994 Pizza Hut TV commercial that's entirely in Klingon (Boing Boing) And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes, see you on the Cool Weird Awesome Patreon page! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're replaying some of our favorite past episodes about Earth's number one satellite. In this episode from May 2020, we look at a time in 1110 when records indicate that the moon vanished for months, or maybe even a year or longer. Scientists finally think they know what happened. Plus: a Japanese newspaper has a secret message about social distancing - but you have to be social distancing to read it.  ⁠In 1110, The Moon Vanished From The Sky. We Might Finally Know What Caused It⁠ (Science Alert) ⁠A Japanese Newspaper’s Secret Social Distancing Message⁠ (Spoon + Tamago) ⁠Our backers on Patreon shine as bright as stars, or something  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're replaying some of our favorite past episodes about Earth's number one satellite. In this episode from September 2019, we mark the first time a spacecraft tried to land on the moon but crashed instead. Plus: Mount Airy, NC, where Andy Griffith grew up, is hosting the 30th annual Mayberry Days this week.  ⁠India’s Chandrayaan-2 Marks 60 Years of Moon Crashes and Hard Landings⁠ (New York Times) ⁠Mayberry Days⁠ ⁠Keep Cool Weird Awesome climbing as a backer on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're replaying some of our favorite past episodes about Earth's number one satellite. In this episode from March 2020, we look at a research project that shows Earth days used to be about a half-hour shorter than they are now, 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 30 Minutes Shorter, Ancient Shell Suggests (Gizmodo) National Shag Dance Championships There's never a bad time to back Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're replaying some of our favorite past episodes about Earth's number one satellite. In this episode from November 2019, we look at the Apollo 12 mission, the second time humans went to the moon and the first time we launched an artificial earthquake there. Plus: one of the two moonwalkers painted a picture that included their command module pilot on the lunar ground.  Crash Site Of The Apollo 12 Ascent Module Possibly Found After Almost 50 Years (Bad Astronomy)  Conrad, Gordon and Bean: The Fantasy (Art USA)  Help launch the next great podcast episode when you back Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1924, the birthday of Alberto Manzi, who taught millions of Italian adults to read and write through a TV show. Plus: starting today in North Carolina, it’s the Cape Fear Kite Festival. Interdisciplinary Collaboration Shows It’s Never Too Late (Dartmouth) Alberto Manzi, a pioneer of distance education (L'Italo Americano) Cape Fear Kite Festival  Backing our show on Patreon is a smart thing to do --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support