With Solar-Reflective Paint, School Playgrounds Are Getting Cooler (Cool Weird Awesome 850)

Hot days make for stuffy classrooms, and that can make it hard to learn, but going outside to scorching hot asphalt playgrounds isn’t much better. A school near Atlanta is demonstrating one partial solution, and it’s as simple as getting a fresh coat of paint.

By |2022-09-22T18:50:59-04:00September 22, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

Tenino, Washington, The Town That Makes Its Own Money Out Of Wood (Cool Weird Awesome 817)

Digital currencies are having a rough 2022, but one alternative currency has been doing pretty well for itself lately. That’s the wooden money made in Tenino, Washington.

By |2022-07-25T09:22:36-04:00July 25, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

“Smart Work Zones” Can Keep Workers Safe On Roads And Highways (Cool Weird Awesome 781)

When there's road work to be done, crews put up cones, barrels and fences to keep workers safe. Now a "smart work" zone system being tested in Virginia could make those spaces even safer.

By |2022-05-27T08:52:16-04:00May 27, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

In The 60s, There Was A Plan To Make Houses Out Of Heineken Bottles (Cool Weird Awesome 750)

It's National Beer Day, so it's a good time to talk about a plan from the 1960s, when beer magnate Alfred Heineken tried to rework his company's green bottles so they could be upcycled into bricks for low-income houses.

By |2022-04-07T10:35:56-04:00April 7, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

The Way We Walk Around Museums Can Hurt Our Backs (Cool Weird Awesome 640)

A lot of us kind of amble through museums, taking a few steps, looking at art, and then moving again. And one posture specialist says that "museum walk" is actually hurting our backs. Plus: a guy in Ontario proves that the best time to play the flute with both hands is not when you're behind the wheel. 

By |2021-10-22T06:59:56-04:00October 22, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

The CIA Once Created Robot Fish (Cool Weird Awesome 560)

It's National Go Fishing Day, though the fish in today’s story aren’t exactly the ones you’d expect to catch. They’re robotic fish called Charlie and Charlene, and they were developed by the Central Intelligence Agency. Plus: tomorrow is National Surfing Day, and one place you might mark the occasion is the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum in California.

By |2021-06-18T08:38:13-04:00June 18, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

Let’s Say Something About The Museum Of Nothing (Cool Weird Awesome 433)

Some galleries showcase works of art; others show you what it's like when there's nothing on the canvas. Today we pay a virtual visit to a museum where all the works explore the concept of nothingness. Plus: the Chic!ken photo project aims to show that chickens can be the subjects of fine art. 

By |2021-10-19T06:35:47-04:00December 3, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

There’s A Little Art Museum On The Moon (Cool Weird Awesome 426)

Today in 1969 Apollo 12 returned to earth after visiting the moon, and if the stories are true, it brought with it a tiny tile containing line drawings by six Earth artists. Plus: since most of us aren't likely to visit the art installation on the lunar surface, maybe we can visit this museum in the Florida Keys that goes below the surface of the water.

By |2020-11-24T09:45:37-05:00November 24, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

From Food Waste To Compost In 48 Hours (Cool Weird Awesome 408)

Composting can turn some of our food waste back into useful stuff, but it can take a while. A new device out of Germany aims to cut the time it takes to go from food waste to compost to just 48 hours. Plus: on this National Cat Day, we salute the very tiny but impressive Cat Museum in Krakow, Poland.

By |2020-10-29T07:53:55-04:00October 29, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

A Museum Exhibit In Sweden Includes The Weirdest Drinks Of All Time (Cool Weird Awesome 385)

The Disgusting Food Museum in southern Sweden has a new exhibit on the strangest alcoholic drinks of all time, proving that people will drink some truly revolting concoctions in pursuit of a buzz. Plus: remember how Asbestos, Quebec was going to choose one of four replacement names for the town? Those plans are on hold, cause apparently the people of Asbestos aren't big fans of the new names.

By |2020-09-21T07:51:33-04:00September 21, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |
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