Cool Weird Awesome With Brady Carlson

On this day in 1839 we first saw the word we use so often to describe our most middling feelings. That’s right, it’s the birthday of OK. Plus: it's also the anniversary of the time an astronaut smuggled a corned beef sandwich aboard a space mission.  How 'OK' took over the world (BBC) A Contraband Corned Beef Sandwich Went to Space 50 Years Ago (Popular Mechanics) Today is also the day backers on Patreon made another episode of Cool Weird Awesome possible! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Time  is an odd thing no matter where you are, but it’s especially weird at  the North and South Poles, since all the world’s time zones sort of  converge there and a day as we know it lasts an entire year. Plus: it  may be time to pay a visit to the World’s Largest Buffalo Monument! This episode was exclusive to our Patreon backers for a year. You can get exclusive episodes too when you join us on Patreon! Time Has No Meaning at the North Pole (Scientific American) World’s Largest Buffalo Monument (Discover Jamestown) Geographic South Pole Marker photo by Eli Duke via Flickr/Creative Commons --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

This sounds bonkers, but apparently a robotic cleaning system called HullSkater can remove bio-gunk off the hulls of ships, helping them reduce their carbon footprints. Plus: Freeman, South Dakota was to have SchmeckFest this weekend. It will be back, so until then keep the spirit of SchmeckFest going.  These underwater robots make cargo ship hulls so smooth that it reduces emissions (Fast Company) Schmeckfest  Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

I grew up reading Choose Your Own Adventure books, some of which had dozens of possible endings. But a new book from a celebrated Sri Lankan children's author had a world record 1,250 endings! Plus: a pilot in Austria does his part for social distancing with a flight path that spells out "STAY HOME." Children's book gets Guinness record with 1,250 alternative endings (UPI) Pilot writes message for world in the sky: 'Stay home' (CNet) Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

The Atlantic just did an interview with some musicians called the Paul O’Sullivan Band. There are four guys in the group: Paul O’Sullivan, Paul O’Sullivan, Paul O’Sullivan and (wait for it) Paul O’Sullivan. Here's the story of how they got together. Plus: some musical animals come together for a song? Sort of?  An Anthem for Everyone Who’s Ever Googled Their Name (The Atlantic) Oh, Internet. Internet Internet Internet: Videos Of Animals Playing Instruments Edited Into 'The Fabulous Animal Orchestra Supergroup' (Geekologie) Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

A team at King’s College London has found evidence that, with help from a prescription treatment, teeth may be able to repair themselves! Plus: parades are off this St. Patrick's Day, but we've still got Irish Potato Candies. (Don't worry, they only look like potatos.)  Further evidence shows clinical viability of natural tooth repair method (King's College London) Irish Potato Candies Are the Best St. Patrick’s Day Treat You’ve Never Heard Of (Chowhound) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Staff at a museum in Turin, Italy called Castello di Rivoli have been working marathon days to digitize their entire collection so that art lovers who can't see the pieces in person can still enjoy them online. Plus: a volunteers at a thrift shop in North Carolina spots something unusual in a stack of paintings - a work by none other than Salvador Dali! A World-Famous Curator Is Working 18-Hour Days to Put One of Italy’s Top Museums Online So Italians Can Visit From Quarantine (ArtNet) Original Salvador Dali artwork discovered at Outer Banks thrift store  (WAVY) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

This weekend voting gets underway for one of the most unusual contests you’ll find anywhere in the world: the Takhini Hot Springs Hair Freezing Contest. Plus: Colorado is honoring a dude who's spending his afterlife surrounded by a great deal of dry ice. Introducing Frozen Dead Guys Days! Takhini Hot Springs Hair Freezing Contest  Frozen Dead Guy Days Backing Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon warms up even the coldest days --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

We’re hearing a lot about how a research project has shown that Earth days used to be about a half-hour shorter than they are now. Why is our planet rotating more slowly now? It's 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://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Researchers at the University of Toronto have an idea: maybe the old cooking oil from fast food chains could have new life as resin for 3D printers. Plus: this weekend in Mansfield, Texas, it’s the one and only Pickle Parade! U of T researchers turn McDonald's deep fryer oil into high-end 3D printing resin (University of Toronto) Mansfield, Texas Pickle Parade For just $1 a month you can make Cool Weird Awesome happen as a backer on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Researchers at the University of Sydney say they can turn the waste from durian and jackfruit into carbon aerogel, which can help store energy in what are called super-capacitors. And no, they don't smell. Plus: Daniele Barresi is a master of making ornate sculpted art from avocadoes.  Scientists turn stinky durian waste into energy storage (Treehugger) Daniele Barresi's Avocado Sculptures  Backing Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon is a powerful thing to do --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Earlier this year NASA got Voyager 2 to restart systems it had shut down through the ultimate in working remotely: sending directions beyond the reach of the sun! The way we send those commands to Voyagers 1 and 2 is pretty basic, but with twists to make up for the extremely long distance. Plus: ISS astronauts have been growing space veggies, and they're pretty good for us.  How are the Voyager spacecraft able to transmit radio messages so far? (How Stuff Works) Voyager 2 Returns to Normal Operations (NASA) NASA's Space Lettuce Is Safe And Nutritious, Paving Way For Crops On The Moon And Mars (Newsweek) Backing Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon is like taking a trip through the cosmos --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Dehydration can be a big problem for patients with dementia or Alzheimers. Jelly Drops are colorful, edible treat pods full of water that may be able to help these individuals stay hydrated. Plus: the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museum is hosting the new exhibit “Ohio: An Unnatural History," complete with life-size cutouts of mythical Ohio creatures. Man Creates Edible Water To Help His Grandmother With Dementia Stay Hydrated (Interesting Engineering) Mythical creatures of Ohio on display at Rutherford B. Hayes museum (WTOL) Keep Cool Weird Awesome around for everyone as a backer on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Today is the birthday of Jerrie Cobb, who could have been the first woman in space but ended up flying to great heights nonetheless. Plus: it was on this day in 2011 that a museum in the Netherlands first put on exhibit a work called “Peanut Butter Floor," which was exactly what it sounds like. Jerrie Cobb, America's first female astronaut candidate, dies at 88 (NBC News) Cobb, Geraldyn “Jerrie” M., Aviation Pioneer (National Aviation Hall of Fame) Peanut Butter Floor (Bookofjoe) Our backers on Patreon give Cool Weird Awesome wings! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Some moths are built to essentially cancel sound - and it's a pretty effective defense mechanism against bats and echolocation. Plus: a heart-shaped work of art made by bees! Deaf moths evolved noise-cancelling scales to evade predators (Phys.org) Bees Create Heart-Shaped Hive When There Aren’t Frames Up to Guide Them (My Modern Met)  Not to bug you, but have you considered backing Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

On this day in 1876, a Mrs. Crouch was outside making soap when “suddenly there descended upon her a gentle shower of meat.” What the heck happened to cause meat to fall from the sky over Bath County, Kentucky? Plus: Lincoln, the goat mayor of Fairhaven, Vermont, runs for reelection against his challenger, Sammy the police dog.  Kentucky Meat Shower? Yes, meat fell from the sky more than 140 years ago (Louisville Courier-Journal) Vermont goat mayor in for a 'dog' fight at her Town Meeting Day re-election (Burlington Free Press) Make great podcasts fall from the sky as a Cool Weird Awesome backer on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Can music help cats relax during their visits to the vet? Apparently so - but would music specifically made for cats be even more helpful than music made for humans? Plus: if you missed Justin Bieber's birthday yesterday, visit a museum in his hometown that features all the stuff from his career that his proud grandparents saved!  This music calms cats the best, study finds (Treehugger) How a small-town Canadian museum became a shrine to Justin Bieber (The Outline) Patreon backers are to Cool Weird Awesome as Beliebers are to Justin Bieber --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

It was on a Leap Day in 1968 that the President of the United States got stuck in an elevator. We'll explain how it happened. Plus: this weekend at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, it's the third annual Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Weekend. LBJ Stuck In An Elevator (Atlas Obscura) Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Weekend at Graceland (Memphis Travel) Take care of business as a Cool Weird Awesome backer on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

A new technology out of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst actually pulls electricity out of the air! But don't worry, it's not like when Sith lords shoot lightning at people. Plus: Steamboat Springs, Colorado sets the world record for the largest single firework explosion.  New Green Technology from UMass Amherst Generates Electricity ‘Out of Thin Air’ (University of Massachusetts) The world's largest single firework just lit up the night sky in Steamboat Springs (ABC 7 Denver) Light up the internet as a Cool Weird Awesome backer on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Disappearing People is a computer program that can make us invisible on our computer’s cameras! Plus: the story of something that cannot be unseen, the world record longest salami.  This Program Will Make You Invisible (to Your Webcam) (Motherboard) Salami larger than the Statue of Liberty has broken a world record in Argentina (Mirror UK) See something amazing happen when you back Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message