Cool Weird Awesome – Brady Carlson

Here’s A Tiny Particle That Spins Faster Than Anything That’s Ever Spun (Cool Weird Awesome 225)

28 01, 2020

Here’s A Tiny Particle That Spins Faster Than Anything That’s Ever Spun (Cool Weird Awesome 225)

By Brady Carlson|2020-01-28T09:00:19-05:00January 28th, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: nanoparticles, rivers, science|

Researchers at Purdue University have managed to spin a very tiny object at the ungodly rate of 300 billion revolutions per minute - and it's powered only by light. Plus: Google Maps allows users to rate and review rivers, lakes and anywhere else that people want to go. So what's the best-reviewed river Earth has to offer?

When Cows Get Excited, They Tell Each Other About It (Cool Weird Awesome 224)

27 01, 2020

When Cows Get Excited, They Tell Each Other About It (Cool Weird Awesome 224)

By Brady Carlson|2020-01-27T08:03:47-05:00January 27th, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: biology, cows, tortoises, voices|

A PhD student at the University of Sydney, Alexandra Green, studied a herd of cows for more than five months to study what she called cattle vocal individuality. Cows, it turns out, have a lot to say to each other! Plus: the story of Manuela, a tortoise in Brazil who probably should've spoken up at some point.

Scientists Can Make Diamonds Out Of Peanut Butter (Cool Weird Awesome 223)

24 01, 2020

Scientists Can Make Diamonds Out Of Peanut Butter (Cool Weird Awesome 223)

By Brady Carlson|2020-01-19T14:34:13-05:00January 24th, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: diamonds, festivals, ice sculptures, McCall ID, peanut butter, science|

On National Peanut Butter Day, a reminder that peanut butter is so versatile it can be turned into diamonds. It actually takes more time to explain why you can turn peanut butter into diamonds than to explain how. Plus: this weekend in McCall, Idaho, the Idaho State Snow Sculpting Championships are taking place.

The Story Of How Frisbees Flew Into Millions Of People’s Hands – And Hearts (Cool Weird Awesome 222)

23 01, 2020

The Story Of How Frisbees Flew Into Millions Of People’s Hands – And Hearts (Cool Weird Awesome 222)

By Brady Carlson|2020-01-23T06:24:49-05:00January 23rd, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: frisbees, pies, Rockland ME, toys|

Today's the birthday of one of the great toys of our time: the Frisbee. Though if the man who put that toy into millions of hands had his way, it would’ve been called the Pluto Platter. Plus: on this National Pie Day, head to Rockland, Maine for the 16th Annual Pies on Parade Gala.

Boston’s Mayor Once Wanted To Clear Snow With Flamethrowers (Cool Weird Awesome 221)

22 01, 2020

Boston’s Mayor Once Wanted To Clear Snow With Flamethrowers (Cool Weird Awesome 221)

By Brady Carlson|2020-01-23T06:14:09-05:00January 22nd, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: birds, Boston, Chico CA, festivals, flamethrowers, winter|

On this day in 1948 of the mayor of Boston, James Curley, wrote to the president of MIT, asking that the school's top engineers find a way to get rid of the huge amounts of snow, maybe with flamethrowers. Seriously. Plus: in Chico, California, a much more calm event is getting underway, the the Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway.

Meet Toksook Bay, Alaska, Where The 2020 Census Begins (Cool Weird Awesome 220)

21 01, 2020

Meet Toksook Bay, Alaska, Where The 2020 Census Begins (Cool Weird Awesome 220)

By Brady Carlson|2020-01-21T08:00:56-05:00January 21st, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: Alaska, Census, snails, Toksook Bay AK|

April 1st is officially Census Day in 2020, but today is the first day of counting, and the first town to be counted is Toksook Bay, Alaska, near the Bering Sea. Plus: meet Aleia Murawski and Samuel Copeland, who build little environments for snails and then film and photograph the results.

Martin Luther King Jr. Was A Trekkie (Cool Weird Awesome 219)

20 01, 2020

Martin Luther King Jr. Was A Trekkie (Cool Weird Awesome 219)

By Brady Carlson|2020-01-21T08:00:11-05:00January 20th, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: Martin Luther King Jr., Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek, Television, television history|

The most prominent civil rights leader in US history was a Trekkie, and a big reason why was the character of Lieutenant Uhura, played by NIchelle Nichols. Here's the story of how Dr. King convinced Nichols to stay on the show when she had plans to leave.

Ben Franklin vs Counterfeiters (Cool Weird Awesome 218)

17 01, 2020

Ben Franklin vs Counterfeiters (Cool Weird Awesome 218)

By Brady Carlson|2020-01-17T08:52:19-05:00January 17th, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: Benjamin Franklin, festivals, guitars, money, New Orleans|

Benjamin Franklin was a lot of things, but he always saw himself as a printer - and some of what he printed was currency for American colonies. Turns out he had some pretty creative ways to try to keep counterfeiters from copying his bills. Plus: New Orleans is hosting the Samantha Fish Cigar Box Guitar Festival this weekend.

Meet The Zamboni Who Invented The Zamboni (Cool Weird Awesome 217)

16 01, 2020

Meet The Zamboni Who Invented The Zamboni (Cool Weird Awesome 217)

By Brady Carlson|2020-01-16T09:03:21-05:00January 16th, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: Lake Superior, zamboni|

And now the episode I’ve wanted to make since I started the show: we’re celebrating the Zamboni! And we're meeting its inventor, Frank Zamboni, who was born on this day in 1901. Plus: a company calculates out just how long it would take a Zamboni to resurface the greatest of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior.

Old-Time Sports Radio Used To Give The Audience Diagrams (Cool Weird Awesome 216)

15 01, 2020

Old-Time Sports Radio Used To Give The Audience Diagrams (Cool Weird Awesome 216)

By Brady Carlson|2020-01-15T07:59:20-05:00January 15th, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: hats, museums, Portland OR, radio, Sports|

On this day in 1927, the BBC tried something new for their broadcast of a rugby match between England and Wales: they partnered with Radio Times magazine to publish a diagram of a rugby pitch to help the audience follow the action. Plus: on National Hat Day, where better to be than the one and only National Hat Museum?