Gaming Prosthetics Are Making Minecraft More Inclusive (Cool Weird Awesome 950)
Engineering students at Johns Hopkins University have been building adaptive controllers to make the Minecraft universe more accessible.
Before Play-Doh Became A Childhood Icon, It Was Known As Kutol Wallpaper Cleaner (Cool Weird Awesome 936)
Today in 1956, the US issued a patent for Play-Doh. Millions of kids have built bazillions of things with this colorful stuff, but in its first life, Play-Doh had a very different job: cleaning soot off wallpaper.
Jackdaws Decide When To Take Off As A Group (Cool Weird Awesome 914)
Researchers have a pretty good idea what all the chatter between crows is about. They seem to figure out when to launch a mass takeoff by discussing it.
The Dunce Cap Was Once A Hat Worn By Great Scholars (Cool Weird Awesome 853)
School is back in session, and fortunately teachers aren't using dunce caps to shame their students. How did a hat that was once worn by prominent thinkers end up as the hat of choice for teachers trying to brand students as dopes?
Queen Elizabeth II Had A Bunch Of Birthdays (Cool Weird Awesome 846)
The late Queen Elizabeth II once said being a royal meant your life was full of tradition. And there was a lot to tradition to keep track of - like how her birthday was celebrated more than once each year.
Need A Little Pain Relief? Nostalgia Can Help (Cool Weird Awesome 740)
According to a new study, remembering old times can actually be good for your health - in particular, it may help regulate our response to pain.
Anybody Can Be An Olympic Star, At Least In A Video Game (Cool Weird Awesome 585)
The Summer and Winter Games are typically held once every four years, but for decades the rest of us have been getting into the Olympic spirit through video games. Here are a few of the most unusual ones. Plus: the story of a fencing match that definitely could've only happened in the real world.
The Original Olympic Flag Went Missing For Over 70 Years (Cool Weird Awesome 583)
The original Olympic flag flew over the Games for the first time in 1920, in Antwerp, Belgium, but before it could be passed to the next host city, the “Antwerp flag” disappeared - for over seven decades. Plus: scientists have taught a robotic hand to play Super Mario Bros., because why wouldn't you?
Keith Richards Started Writing “Satisfaction” In His Sleep (Cool Weird Awesome 531)
It was this week in 1965 that Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards got up in his sleep, started up a portable tape recorder, and recorded a guitar riff and an opening line that would soon be iconic: "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." Here's more of how the song came together. Plus: if this year has left you stressed out, there's a new game that might help you find some calm. It's Literally Just Mowing is both the title and the premise.
Pigs Can Be Video Gamers (Cool Weird Awesome 481)
It's true, a researcher at Purdue University and her team trained four pigs on how to use a joystick and play a video game. Pigs are pretty smart, after all. Plus: if you're in need of hugs these days but aren't able to get them safely from other humans, the robot named HuggieBot 2.0 might be able to help.