Cool Weird Awesome With Brady Carlson

This week we’re replaying some of our finest episodes about some of the finest works ever created. In this episode from September 2020, why even researchers run into challenges in verifying whether a Rembrandt is really his work or just a simulation. Plus: an interactive online map of continental drift can show you where a town or city used to be hundreds of millions of years ago.  ⁠The Rembrandt Research Project: Past, Present, Future ⁠ ⁠A Supposedly Fake Rembrandt Might Just Be Real⁠ (Vanity Fair) ⁠Map Lets You See How Your Hometown has Moved Across 750 Million Years of Continental Drift⁠ (Good News Network) --- 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 finest episodes about some of the finest works ever created. In this episode from December 2022, the story of 19th Century English miniaturist Sarah Biffin, a renowned artist who was born without full arms or legs and whose life and work are the subject of an exhibition now running in London. Plus: British Columbia-based artist Elspeth McLean turns round stones from the ocean into colorful and extremely ornate mini mandalas. ⁠Who Was Sarah Biffin?⁠ (Philip Mould and Company) ⁠Sarah Biffin: the celebrated nineteenth-century artist born without arms or legs⁠ (Art UK) ⁠Found Ocean Stones Are Transformed Into Vibrant Mandalas You Can Hold in Your Hand⁠ (My Modern Met) ⁠Our Patreon backers help us make great art 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

This week we’re replaying some of our finest episodes about some of the finest works ever created. In this episode from October 2021, a look at the research into how pigeons take in and process visual information, like art. Apparently it's pretty complex. Plus: in Detroit, a local news reporter does a story about a local skateboard park, and flawlessly rides a skateboard in the middle of his report!  ⁠The Pigeon as Art Critic⁠ (Scientific American) ⁠Van Gogh, Chagall and pigeons: picture discrimination in pigeons and humans⁠ (NIH) ⁠Pigeons' Discrimination of Paintings By Monet and Picasso⁠ (Researchgate) ⁠News anchor ends local skatepark dispatch by shredding into the sunset⁠ (AV Club) ⁠Pigeons also recognize our Patreon backers as the best --- 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 1931, the birthday of William Shatner, Captain Kirk from the original “Star Trek” series. Of course, if a different show he was supposed to star in had gone ahead, Shatner might not have ended up as Captain Kirk at all. Plus: tomorrow in Chicago, it’s St. Ryan’s Day, where anyone and everyone named Ryan is invited to come by and celebrate being a Ryan.  The failure of one toga-clad TV pilot completely altered the landscape of Sixties pop culture (MeTV) Ryan Meetup  Without our Patreon backers, this show would’ve ended up just like that failed TV pilot --- 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 we’re looking at the song that a lot of us sing over a birthday cake: “Happy Birthday To You.” And does this song ever have a wild history.Happy Birthday to You (Quartz)This episode was exclusive to our Patreon backers until March 21, 2025. Want to hear bonus episodes when they're released? Back this show on Patreon for just $1 a month!

It's our show's fifth birthday! It's also the birthday in 1962 of the first Taco Bell restaurant, which had a "chili burger" on its original menu. Plus: for National Fragrance Week, a visit to San Francisco's Aftel Archive of Curious Scents.  Was the 'Bell Beefer' Burger Among Taco Bell's First Offerings? (Snopes) This San Francisco Bay Area museum stinks (Boing Boing) Our Patreon get an exclusive bonus episode today - it’s like a 2 for 1 deal at a fast food place! --- 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 1967, a Japanese athlete Shizo Kanakuri, finished a Olympic marathon that he’d started in 1912. Better late than never! Plus: a college student asks a professor a question and gets a reply long after graduation. Better late than never for Japan's first, "slowest" Olympian (Japan Times) Hannah Jung For all the people that think they are bad at responding to emails (Hannah Jung on Twitter via Bored Panda) Don’t wait to back our show on Patreon - tomorrow you’ll get an exclusive supporters-only bonus episode --- 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 1963, the opening of a bridge in Longview, Washington. that wasn't for cars, or bikes, or even pedestrians. It was a bridge for squirrels. Plus: Milan's Palazzo Morando is hosting an exhibit of photos featuring the colorful street fashions of people in the Congo and other African countries.  Nutty Narrows Bridge opens in Longview on March 19, 1963. (HistoryLink) African Street Style and Global Subcultures Celebrated in Retrospective Photography Exhibition (My Modern Met) Keep building this show up 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

Today in 1941, the birthday of Wilson Pickett, a legend of soul and R&B music, and one who had an engineer save one of his future hit songs from a very hungry tape machine. Plus: today in 1970, the birthday of musician and actor Queen Latifah, who is known for a very specific requirement in her movie contracts. "Mustang Sally" at 45 (Interview) – Sir Mack Rice and Spooner Oldham Tell The Story (Rock Cellar)  Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson & 9 Other Actors With Bizarre Contract Clauses (ScreenRant) Ride on 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

It’s Sleep Awareness Week, and today we’re talking about the part of sleep people usually like the least: the part where the alarm clock wakes us up. Or, in the time before alarm clocks, the part where the local "knocker-up" pounded on the doors to get people out of bed. Plus: the story of how rock singer Bret Michaels asked to adopt a huskie named Bret Michaels. A 2,000-Year History of Alarm Clocks (Atlas Obscura) Musician Bret Michaels to adopt dog who saved kitten's life (3 News Now) Now is the time to support our show 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

For Alfred Einstein's birthday, the story of how he and fellow prominent physicist Leo Szilard co-designed a unique kind of refrigerator in the 1920s. Plus: the letter Einstein wrote in 1936 for a time capsule that would be opened in a thousand years. Einstein’s Little-Known Passion Project? A Refrigerator (WIRED) Missive (Futility Closet) It would be an Einstein-level genius move to back our show 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

Danionella cerebrum is a completely transparent fish that's only 10-12 millimeters long. And researchers have just figured out how it can produce sounds that reach 140 dB or higher. Plus: a resident of Salem, Ohio has one of the largest ever collections of PEZ dispensers, around 4,000 in all.  A 12 mm fish produces 140-decibel sound to communicate in turbid waters (Phys.org) Salem PEZ collector shows off massive collection (WKBN)Help us make some noise 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

Today in 1832, the birthday of Charles Boycott, whose name has been used for over a century anytime people decide to deliberately take their business away from a group or a company. Plus: this month in Worcester, Massachusetts, you can cover the fees for lost or missing books and DVDs by sending the library a cat picture. Charles Boycott: The Man Who Became a Verb (Amusing Planet) Act meow: Cat pics will pay your fines at Worcester's libraries (WBUR) There are lots of reasons you could back our show on Patreon, and no good reasons to boycott it --- 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 month in 2003, New York City launched its 311 service, a service that has helped residents with a wide range of non-emergency issues… and a few absolute head-scratchers. Plus: a video on Reddit appears to show someone operating a supermarket checkout in Osaka, Japan while in a full-size, realistic looking cat costume. State of NYC311 20th Anniversary Report (NYC.gov) Part-time cat at Namba-Marui, Osaka - Japan (Interesting as F___ on Reddit) After you’re done asking 311 about stuff, why not reach out to us 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

There's a phenomenon in hospitals called "alarm fatigue" - there's so much loud beeping from machines that it can actually cause problems for patient care. An anesthesiologist and a music cognition researcher have teamed up to find alternatives to the jarring beeps. Plus: starting Sunday in south central Alaska, it’s the 2024 Arctic Winter Games.  Making Alarms More Musical Can Save Lives (Scientific American) 2024 ARCTIC WINTER GAMES  No need for alarm, but we do count on our backers on Patreon to make this show possible --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

For National Cereal Day, the stories of people who have taken cereal makers to court over some pretty eye-opening claims. Plus: did you known Cap'n Crunch once had a nemesis? THE PEOPLE V. CAP’N CRUNCH: INSIDE THE CRUNCH BERRY LAWSUITS (MEL) Cap'n Crunch vs. The Sogmaster (1987) (YouTube) It would be delicious if you backed our show 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

Could the secret weapon against electronic waste may be cheese? Research finds a process involving the byproduct of cheesemaking known as whey protein could help recover gold and other precious metals from old computer motherboards. Plus: starting tomorrow in Nashville, Indiana, it's the Indiana Button Society Show & Competition.  Turning waste into gold (ETH Zurich) Indiana State Button Society Annual Button Show  Our Patreon backers are as good as gold, join them 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 1854, the birthday of a very important person in the history of how we keep track of time: Ruth Belville, who has been called the “Greenwich Time Lady.” Plus: this weekend in Las Vegas, the National Grocers Association is holding the Best Bagger National Championship. History: The lady who sold time (New Scientist) 2024 Best Bagger National Championship Right now is a good time to support our show 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 1982, the premiere of the short-lived but critically acclaimed cop spoof Police Squad, a show TV executives said was essentially too funny to stay on the air. Plus: a video from 1939 features four brothers from Chicago showing off some very unusual bicycles they'd created.  ‘The Naked Gun’ Spun Off From an Even Wackier TV Show (Collider) 4 Chicago Brothers Showed Off Their Strangest Bike Creations In 1939 (Chicagoist) Keep our show going for a few more episodes 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 Pig Day, so it's a perfect time to tell one of the most famous stories of pig-based resistance in history: the story of Denmark’s Protestschwein, or protest pigs. Plus: starting today in Houston, Minnesota, it's the International Festival of Owls. The Ultimate Mudslinger: The Story Behind Denmark’s Protest Pigs (Mental Floss) International Festival of Owls Want more animal shows like this one? Join us 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