16 04, 2021

There’s A New Way To Recycle The Materials We Need For High-Tech Batteries (Cool Weird Awesome 521)

By |2021-04-16T12:05:13-04:00April 16, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

As automakers move toward all-electric vehicles, we're going to need a lot more batteries, only there are difficulties in getting some of the key elements. A startup called Nth cycle may have a way to help. Plus: meet a young reader who really knows how to multitask.

12 11, 2020

Fuel Cells Are Strong To The Finish, When They’re Powered By Spinach (Cool Weird Awesome 418)

By |2021-06-28T11:51:44-04:00November 12, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Fuel cells need a catalyst for an important reaction, and a team at American University has found that spinach may be the best raw material for a catalyst we've found yet. Plus: ever wanted to smell like old books? A new scent can help make it happen!

2 11, 2020

Never Skip The Dedication Page Of A Book, They Can Get Wild (Cool Weird Awesome 410)

By |2020-11-02T08:56:37-05:00November 2, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

If you're taking part in National Novel Writing Month, then here's a tip: don't forget the dedication page. They can be full of surprises, as we discovered in quite a few books. Plus: meet the prehistoric pelagornithid, probably the largest flying bird ever, with a 20 foot wingspan and teeth.

15 10, 2020

Ruth Faison Shaw Is The Founding Mother Of Fingerpaint (Cool Weird Awesome 403)

By |2021-06-27T14:21:34-04:00October 15, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

Today is the birthday of Ruth Faison Shaw, an art teacher who spotted a kid smearing iodine on the school walls and saw a way kids could express themselves. Plus: art is alive and well in cats, or at least in a photographer taking portraits of cats going wild for - and sometimes on - catnip.

2 07, 2020

How The Baby Sitters Club Became The Book Series All The 80s Kids Were Reading (Cool Weird Awesome 333)

By |2021-10-04T09:16:47-04:00July 2, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Netflix is about to release a show based on The Baby-Sitters Club I used to re-shelve all the time at the public library where I worked. Here's the story of how the series came to life. Plus: if you could use a little beauty in your world right now, check out the photos of Trung Huy Pham, documenting Vietnam's annual water lily harvest.

14 01, 2020

A Big-Time Librarian Kept “Goodnight Moon” Off The Shelves For 25 Years (Cool Weird Awesome 215)

By |2020-01-14T06:49:03-05:00January 14, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

The New York Public Library released a list of its top 10 all-time most borrowed books. One book you won’t find on the list is “Goodnight Moon.” Despite being one of the most iconic children’s books of its time, the New York Public Library didn’t have a copy for decades, because an influential librarian didn’t like it. Plus: the amazing origins of Silent Record Week!

Go to Top