Cool Weird Awesome With Brady Carlson

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

Today in 1865, the birthday of Warren Harding, 29th president of the United States. His presidency was full of scandals thanks to his so-called friends - if only those friends had been as good to Harding as his dogs had been. Plus: this month in November, the Diagram Prize for the oddest book title of the year was dog themed and that's all we can say about it. Good Boy (Futility Closet) Meet Laddie Boy: The First Celebrity Presidential Pet (Lit Hub) Let it flow: A Dog Pissing at the Edge of a Path wins 42nd Diagram Prize (The Bookseller) Make sure this show doesn’t go to the dogs 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 in 1926, a will left behind by a very unusual lawyer in Toronto led to a ten year baby-having contest nicknamed the “Stork Derby.” Plus: there’s a new world record for loudest purr, thanks to Bella the cat in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England. The Toronto 'Stork Derby' Baby Race (Snopes) Babies Got Bank (This American Life) Elder Tabby Cat Sets Guinness Record for Loudest Purr https://laughingsquid.com/cat-sets-record-for-loudest-purr/  Race over to our Patreon page and support 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

Chances are high you might see some carved pumpkins this Halloween, but if you want to trace the holiday back to its roots, you might want to include some root vegetables. Plus: when a college in Ohio bans a student from carving pumpkins in his dorm, he maliciously complies. Before We Carved Pumpkins for Halloween, People Carved Turnips (Mental Floss) Pumpkin dorm ban? Akron student carves apples, pineapple instead (FOX 8 News) Back us on Patreon and we’ve got some treats for you --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

A grade school custodian in New Hampshire has been showing up to the late shift in a creepy clown costume. So, first of all, why, and also, what is it about clowns that many people find so creepy? Plus: a crow in Latvia helps a hedgehog find its way through traffic. Concord School Custodian Investigated For Dressing As A Horror Clown (Concord Patch) Why Do We Find Clowns So Creepy? (Psychology Today) Crow Nudges Hedgehog Standing in Middle of the Road to Bring It to Safety (My Modern Met) Backing our show on Patreon will never give you the creeps --- 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 1811, the birthday of Isaac Singer. He’s best known as the inventor of the modern sewing machine, but had it been up to him, Singer would have been known for stage acting. Plus: tomorrow in Los Angeles, the Carrera de los Muertos, a Day of the Dead-themed 5K race. Isaac Singer (Biography) Carrera de los Muertos Back us on Patreon and together we'll invent some great episodes of the 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

When we say "music can bring us together," we usually mean it bridges divides and builds communities. But a new study finds that, biologically speaking, music really can bring people together. Plus: today in Washington, DC, it’s the induction ceremony for the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Classical music synchronises the audience's heartbeats and sweating (New Scientist)  National Inventors Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony  Let's sync our efforts together and back this 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 we’re looking at a robot that’s moving up in the world, because this robot, known as the Ascento Pro, can climb stairs. Plus: to keep a growing bear population from moving too close to rural communities, Japan is turning to a robot it calls Super Monster Wolf!  Ascento Pro, A Self-Balancing Two-Wheeled Autonomous Robot That Can Easily Climb Stairs (Laughing Squid) Robotic ‘Super Monster Wolves’ are guarding Japanese towns against bears (Popular Science) Robots can't back our show on Patreon, but you can! --- 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 1962, the recording of the landmark James Brown album “Live at the Apollo,” one that came together after the recording team dealt with one pretty big obstacle. Plus: the social media account Midwest Modern is sharing photos of some fascinating and underappreciated designs in this part of the country.  James Brown Live at the Apollo – a classic report from the vaults (The Guardian)  One Guy Is Bringing The Best Of The Midwest's Modern Architecture To The Internet (Digg) Make every day Star Time when you back this 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 1920, the birthday of Ted Fujita, a pioneer in meteorology who was so revered by colleagues he became known as “Mr. Tornado.” Plus: a group of Japanese companies is trying to encourage youngsters to drink their milk by printing manga around milk bottles. Pioneering research by late UChicago scholar Ted Fujita saved thousands of lives (University of Chicago)  seki milk bottles reveal readable manga comic strips every time you take a sip (designboom) It'll be sunshine and blue skies if you 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