Halloween 2019!
The snow didn't cancel Halloween, it just spread it out over the course of a week.
Harry Houdini, If You’re Out There, Let Us Know (Cool Weird Awesome 161)
This isn’t just Halloween. It’s also the anniversary of the passing of the legendary illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini, who they say wanted to make the greatest escape of all time... from mortality. Hence why Bess Houdini held seances every Halloween, trying to pick up whatever signals her late husband might be sending out from the hereafter.
Quit Hating On Candy Corn, At Least Until You Hear Its Story (Cool Weird Awesome 160)
It’s National Candy Corn Day, and while no candy gets more hassle around this time of year than candy corn, it also has its fans. I mean, someone's eating those 9 billion pieces produced each year. Plus: a haunted house in Utah with an unforgettably creepy name.
In This Minnesota Town, It’s Always Halloween (Cool Weird Awesome 159)
There's still time to get ready for Halloween in most places, but in Anoka, Minnesota, it’s kind of always Halloween. The community north of the Twin Cities bills itself as the Halloween Capital of the World. Plus: Pennsylvania invites you on a Halloween-themed trip it calls the Trail of the Living Dead.
When You’re Tracking Migrating Eagles, Always Get Extra Roaming Data (Cool Weird Awesome 158)
A project is tracking steppe eagles through text messages. But the eagles have been crossing into other countries and their trackers are using roaming data!
The Microwave Oven Was Sort Of An Accident (Cool Weird Awesome 157)
Today is the anniversary of the day the first consumer microwave oven went on sale, back in 1955. But the microwave has roots that go back well before that, and it's at least in part a byproduct of radar technology from World War II. Plus: Los Alamos, New Mexico is trying to break a world record for simultaneous pumpkin carving.
The Little Robot That Cleans Up After Your Dog (Cool Weird Awesome 156)
A startup called Beetl is developing an autonomous device that’s ready to clean up after our dogs on demand, thanks to a large scooper on its underside. If they’re willing to do this job, maybe robots aren’t trying to conquer us after all.
How Old Is The Word “Word”? (Cool Weird Awesome 155)
Languages change over time; Merriam-Webster said it added over 500 new words to the dictionary last month. But you can also see those new additions over time through the Time Traveler feature on Merriam-Webster's website. Plus: a piece on Mental Floss explains how some of the most beloved Halloween candies got their names.
“This is my iPad.”
Four year old putting Legos to good use.
Brady Talks 1992 On Civics 101
The great podcast Civics 101 is talking presidents and elections, and I got to talk with host Hannah McCarthy about the 1992 race.