“Casablanca” Almost Had A Sequel – Twice (Cool Weird Awesome 665)
After the landmark movie "Casablanca" became an unexpected hit, Hollywood tried a couple times to make a sequel.
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Wanda And Jamal, The Best Accidental Thanksgiving Friends Ever (Cool Weird Awesome 664)
For some people it can be hard to think of anything to be thankful for in this screwy year. But maybe this can help: the story of Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton, who accidentally ended up together on Thanksgiving and became good friends. Plus: a rainy Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade leads to a very weird situation for one of the iconic giant balloons.
Scott Joplin, The King Of Ragtime, Also Wrote Operas (Cool Weird Awesome 663)
Today in 1868, at least on paper, Scott Joplin was born, though his actual birth date is probably a different day. He's best known for his groundbreaking ragtime works like "Maple Leaf Rag" and "The Entertainer," but Joplin also wrote two operas. Plus: today in 2013, musician Dave Mustaine of Megadeth composed an unforgettable tweet about a "cool building" in Wisconsin.
High Tech Clothes Could Start Your Car Or Pay For Your Groceries (Cool Weird Awesome 662)
Our wireless, hands-free, automatic, smart device era may be about to get even smarter, thanks to high-tech smart fabric that can send out signals to devices or turn itself into a health monitor. Plus: a trash barrel from the US goes on holiday, traveling all the way across the ocean to end up in Ireland.
Here’s A Bacterium That Can “Eat” Metal (Cool Weird Awesome 661)
With a little help from a Chilean scientist, Leptospirillum ferriphilum can dissolve old iron nails in just a few days, a process that previously took months. That could help deal with the water pollution that comes from metal left over from old mines. Plus: a few Taylor Swift fans have been playing their 45 rpm LP versions of "Red (Taylor's Version)" at 33 rpm, and it sounds... different.
Dancers At This Glasgow Club Are Going To Heat The Place With Their Moves (Cool Weird Awesome 660)
Dance clubs can get hot when things are in full swing. So why not turn that extra heat into green energy? A nightclub in Glasgow is teaming up with a geothermal power company to use the energy dancers put out to heat and cool the place. Plus: when Apollo 12 reached the moon, astronaut Pete Conrad said some stirring words... that helped him win a bet.
A Robot Seacraft Is Exploring The Ocean For A Few Years (Cool Weird Awesome 659)
It's called the Intrepid Benthic Rover II, and its five year (or more) mission is to explore the deep ocean, most of the time by itself. Plus: in a new book artist Marina Luz paints the covers of books where people are trying to describe a book when they can’t remember the title.
The Star Wars Holiday Special Brought Extra Weirdness To The Galaxy (Cool Weird Awesome 658)
Today in 1978, George Lucas's least favorite part of the Star Wars universe, "The Star Wars Holiday Special," aired on TV. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's the only one that has a Jefferson Starship video, a Bea Arthur-owned cantina and opening dialogue that's entirely in Wookiee. Plus: today in 1968, NBC cuts away from the final minutes of a nail-biter football game because it was time to show the movie "Heidi."
The Outer Limits Of The U.S. Are Really Out There (Cool Weird Awesome 657)
It's Geography Awareness Week, so we wanted to find the furthest points in each direction that are part of the United States, along with the geographical center. Plus: the story of a boundary with Morocco that just sort of popped up one day.