Commute | The Podcast

By Commute - The Podcast

What's Commute | The Podcast about?

The average person spends 20-25 minutes per day commuting to and from work - why not learn while getting there? Join Dave & Jay every Monday to learn about three fascinating things that'll make you the most interesting person in the room.

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Commute | The Podcast episodes:

05.13.2024
The Myth of 98.6. | Meet Lady Liberty. | Pop Tart Wars.
You know the healthy average human temperature is 98.6 … but it’s not, and we’ve known that for over three decades. The Statue of Liberty is world famous - but is the iconic sculpture based on a real person?Pop...
05.06.2024
Can we change time? | How often should you shower? | Where change goes.
Who decides what time it actually is? France tried to change it once. It involved decimals.Many of us shower once a day. Do we need to? Does it do more harm than good?Americans throw away $70 million in coins every...
04.22.2024
The movie you will never see. | Smokey Bear. | Death and Peanuts.
Have you been excited to see a movie but also frustrated because it was years away from release? What if it wouldn’t be released until after you were dead, and what if that was the plan?Smokey Bear has been warning...
04.15.2024
One last name to rule them all. | A hit song in under 30 minutes. | The death of William Henry Harrison. Va
One day, everyone in Japan will have the same last name. Art takes time - unless it doesn’t. Some hit songs have come together rather quickly. William Henry Harrison served as President of the United States for a month. What...
04.08.2024
Is there anything not (sung about) on the internet? | Eclipse dos and don’ts (for you and your dog.) | Can we actually get too much sleep?
Some people make money from corporate jobs, while others find a way to be their own boss. Matt Farley does a little of both. Oh, and it’s often by way of songs about bathroom humor.Today we collectively experience something that...
04.01.2024
Was the Guillotine humane? | Chocolate Chip Ice Cream is Melting Away. | Why Chocolate Bunnies at Easter?
When we think of execution methods, the guillotine seems quick and therefore painless. Maybe not…Chocolate Chip Ice Cream was once an in-demand flavor. Are we now on the brink of it going away… forever?Americans just spent $5 billion on Easter...
03.25.2024
Unlucky 13. | The Presidential Physical Fitness Test. | The Most Popular (and Obscure) Sport in America.
Hotels and airlines avoid it. More than 1/3 of Americans say they fear it. What makes #13 so bad?Did you attempt the Presidential Physical Fitness test in your elementary school P.E. class? Did you pass? Did an actual...
03.18.2024
The real history of the Apple logo. | Turning the tables on telemarketers. | Would you delete your friends for a free cheeseburger? (Episode 118 Rebroadcast)
*Episode 118 Rebroadcast*The iconic Apple logo features an apple with a bite missing. How did they decide on that image? It depends on who you ask.Some are heroes in a traditional way and save a puppy from a burning building...
03.11.2024
Why do the British drive on the wrong side of the road? | The Caitlin Clark Effect. | Rat Hole.
England offers incredible tea selections and passionate soccer fans. They also drive on the other side of the road.Iowa Hawkeye basketball standout Caitlin Clark hasn't just broken records and won a lot of games, she's had an impact that goes...
03.04.2024
Willys Chocolate Experience. | Arkansa(w). | Can We Blame the Full Moon?
A recent real-life Charlie and the Chocolate Factory seemed too good to be true. Spoiler alert - it was.Have you ever wondered why we pronounce Arkansas like that? So have we, and we decided to find out why. Can we...
02.26.2024
Archimedes’ Death Ray. | Where do Generic Brands come from? | The 50,000-Year-Old Bison Burger.
History is filled with stories that seem too fantastic to be true … and then there’s Archimedes and his death ray.Private label generic brands are the more affordable option to store brands at your local supermarket. But who makes this...
02.19.2024
The Suspicious Sriracha Shortage Story | Jake from State Farm | It’s Already Leap Year Again
Sometimes, if you’re a Sriracha fan and you want THE Sriracha - the original OG version with the cartoon rooster - you’re out of luck. Is it a supply chain issue as everyone assumes … or something deeper?It’s hard to...
02.12.2024
How the Puppy Bowl Became a Thing. | The Real Chef Boyardee. | Did We Finally Find Amelia Earhart?
We’re fresh off of watching the Super Bowl - but besides the Super Bowl there was the Puppy Bowl! Where did this come from, and why do so many advertisers want in?Betty Crocker, The Jolly Green Giant - these fictional...
02.05.2024
Commute on Commuting. | Movies and War Machines. | The Economics of Taylor Swift.
Americans average nearly 30 minutes in the car to get to work and back, and they hate it. This week, what we can do to improve the experience.Movies spectacles cost millions of dollars. One thing that’s not in the budget?...
01.29.2024
Flipping the Bird. | Is Double Dipping Completely Unacceptable? | The Worst Month for Birthdays.
Why is raising the middle finger offensive? How did the idea evolve?You dip a chip and take a bite. Now, what do you do with the other half?Does it matter what month your birthday occurs? Some turn out to be...
01.22.2024
Hiring a real hitman is really hard. | Where did all the McDonald’s Play Places go? | Is flipping a coin really a 50/50 proposition?
It looks so easy in movies, but what does it take to hire a hitman in the real world?In the 90’s, McDonald’s was the largest playground provider in the nation, but recently McDonalds Play Places have been disappearing. What happened?Heads...
01.15.2024
How the Stanley tumbler became cool. | Killing the unkillable - a cockroach story. | Want a free Tootsie Roll Pop?
For most of its 110-year history, Stanley drinkware has not been particularly cool. Suddenly, the Stanley Tumbler has now become a status symbol across high school and college campuses. How did this happen?In the early 1980s, cockroaches were everywhere,...
01.08.2024
Space Litter. | Mickey Mouse Enters Public Domain (kind of) | Earthworms Come to America.
If you thought litter was terrible on Earth, wait until you hear about what’s happening in outer space. At least down here it doesn’t come at you flying 15,000 MPH!First, there was Winnie the Pooh and, now, Mickey Mouse. As...
12.18.2023
The Holocaust Diary Experiment. | Whamageddon. | Wikipedia Wrapped.
Teaching history is hard. It can be challenging to convey the importance of events that happened long ago. An Instagram account tried a different approach, but did it work?Need a new Christmas tradition?! Too bad - we have one for...
12.11.2023
The wild world of snack chip flavors. | News alert - cell phone reception isn’t great. | The new and (possibly) improved McDonald’s burger.
Walk down the snack aisle at any grocery store and mixed among the BBQ and Salt & Vinegar chips you’ll find unusual and limited edition ones like “Picnic” or “All Dressed Up.” How do such chips, which may taste like...
12.04.2023
Blowing out Birthday Candles. | The not-so-wide World of Dating Apps. | Why do Bad Kids get Coal from Santa?
Of all the strange rituals we rarely question, blowing out birthday candles has got to be up there. What are the origins of this very unsanitary act?The online dating world is challenging but, with so many different dating apps,...
11.27.2023
The Museum of Failure. | Where Lost Luggage Goes. | (Un)limited Breadsticks.
We’ve all failed. Most of us would rather not talk about it, but the Museum of Failure does more than talk about failures. It celebrates them.U.S. airlines lose millions of pieces of luggage annually. Most of them don’t just vanish,...
11.20.2023
Christmas Creep. | The Turkey Pardon.
Do retailers put out Christmas stuff earlier and earlier every year, not giving Thanksgiving fair respect, or is it all in our heads?A presidential pardon forgives a crime and clears the record of the offender. So why does a turkey...
11.13.2023
Now & Then. | No Tip? It could cost you. | Hitler Money.
Although the Beatles put out their last record in 1970, a demo originally recorded a few years later has been cleaned up and released thanks to technological advances - and features John Lennon more than 40 years after his death....
11.06.2023
On the Internet, no one knows you’re a dog. | Rotting Pumpkins. | Porta-Potties, Explained.
More than three decades ago, the New Yorker Magazine printed a cartoon about the internet that is just as accurate today as it was then, setting records for reprints. It’s still setting records.It’s after Halloween. What happens to all the...
10.23.2023
Say, “Cheese!” | Halloween’s Classic Catchphrase. | That Creepy Michael Myers Mask.
How did “cheese” become the universal smile word used by photographers? You’ll never guess what word it replaced!It’s the official slogan of Halloween, but where and when did it begin? And what did cabbage have to do with the whole...
10.16.2023
Coca-Cola Didn’t Change its Price - for 7 decades. | Iceland Tries Not to Keep it in the Family. | Banksy (figuratively) Unmasked. Maybe.
For almost 70 years a glass of Coca-Cola cost a nickel.In Iceland, it’s easy to accidentally marry your cousin. Luckily, there’s an app for that. Legendary anonymous street artist Banksy may have finally been unmasked. Or maybe not. Sources:https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/11/18/456410327/episode-416-why-the-price-of-coke-didnt-change-for-70-yearshttps://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/04/18/new-app-helps-icelanders-avoid-accidental-incest/2093649/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/wh...
10.09.2023
Who adds to the dictionary? | John and Jane Doe. | Will we ever add to Mt. Rushmore?
Every year new words get added to the dictionary. Who decides?If we don’t know someone’s name or they want to stay anonymous, we typically refer to them as John or Jane Doe. How did this happen? What if your...
10.02.2023
The Pizza Meter. | Loser Swag. | An Asteroid is Kind of Close to Us.
Can pizza tip us off to issues of national security? The evidence seems to be clear. After a big sporting event - Super Bowl, World Series, or National Championship Game - it’s amazing how quickly the winning team t-shirt...
09.25.2023
Trick or Treat Age Limit? | The Cemetary Real Estate Market. | Hollywood Rarely Acts Its Age.
It's almost Halloween season. Soon kids, dressed as their favorite characters, go door to door asking for candy. But does the fun have an age limit? How old is too old? Have you planned for your funeral? When...
09.18.2023
Trucker Life. | The Most Popular Birthdays. | Spoiler Alert.
Every day, millions of truck hit the roadways to deliver the goods and services we’ve come to take for granted. This week: what it takes to be a truck driver.Seven of the most common birthdays are all in the same...
09.11.2023
AI Jesus. | Magic Olympics. | Subtitles Are Hip.
Artificial intelligence is everywhere: education, science, healthcare, work; but what about church? How would you like to have a conversation with Jesus?We imagine making an Olympic team and competing against the world's best on a global stage, but have you...
09.04.2023
The Real Mighty Ducks. | No white after Labor Day. | The Floating DVD Logo
We all love a feel-good sports movie. The underdog learning to win, the budding romance, the dad who works too much…. When The Mighty Ducks became a hit in the 90s, Disney loved the movie so much that they...
08.28.2023
Airport Bathrooms. Ew! | A surprising addition to the Billionaires Club. | The Restaurant of Mistaken Orders.
An airport realized that people kept urinating on the floors of the men’s bathroom. It came up with an interesting solution that is now used all over the world.The Beatles are considered the greatest band of all time. Why did...
08.21.2023
The Birthday Effect (or Happy Death Day). | Missing Nuclear Weapons. | Venmo Knows Too Much.
Our birthday is a special day - a good reminder to pause and celebrate another year of life. It’s also the day we’ll most likely die. If you saw the movie Oppenheimer you know how destructively deadly nuclear weapons can...
08.14.2023
The Accidental Success of the Cha Cha Slide. | Where have all the Lindas gone? | Sugar high - real or imagined?
At any wedding you’ve likely heard and danced badly to the Cha Cha Slide, but its success was accidental. This week we discuss how a well-meaning uncle tried to help but inadvertently changed weddings forever.In the 1940s, one out of...
08.07.2023
The Bathroom is the new office. | The Shape of Our Heart. | More Dinosaurs.
From U.S. presidents to athletic coaches, some folks need a little less privacy than others. You know the heart symbol ❤️ looks nothing like the real thing, right? How did it come to represent an actual heart?You’d think we discovered...
07.31.2023
The wealthiest man in the world. Jk. | NFTs Go Bust. | “It’s a-me!” How Super Mario came to be.
Money men. Elon Musk. Warren Buffet. Jeff Bezos. Chris Reynolds? “From nearly $3 million to barely $3.” Almost overnight, Non-Fungible Tokens went from invaluable to worth, well, almost nothing. Since the early 1980’s Mario has been the face of the...
07.24.2023
The short, tragic life of Clippy - the world’s most hated virtual assistant | Remember that crazy 90’s genie movie, Shazaam? No, actually you don’t. | The absurd history of HitClips (Ep. 34 Rebroadcas
In 1996, Microsoft debuted a virtual assistant to help folks navigate Microsoft Office - a cartoon paper clip named Clippy. What started as “Aw, that’s kinda cute,” quickly turned to “Let’s kill him!” How did it go so wrong? In...
07.17.2023
The Postal Service might misplace your mail. What if they misplace your grandpa? | Can adults really make new friends? | International etiquette can get pretty strange.
It’s not uncommon to have something lost in the mail, but typically it’s not something irreplaceable … like human remains.Is it hard to make new friends as an adult, or is it just you?Traveling internationally soon? We have your...
07.10.2023
The real history of the Apple logo. | Turning the tables on telemarketers. | Would you delete your friends for a free cheeseburger?
The iconic Apple logo features an apple with a bite missing. How did they decide on that image? It depends on who you ask.Some are heroes in a traditional way and save a puppy from a burning building or rescue...
07.03.2023
How to Fix Small Talk. | Aging Backwards. | Selling Fireworks.
Most of us hate small talk, but are we to blame? Would people really prefer to discuss their hopes and dreams instead of the weather?Imagine if the government offered you the chance to take a year or two off your...
06.26.2023
The 10th President’s Grandson (is still alive). | The real challenge to climbing Mt. Everest. | Furby is back!
A grandparent can give you a firsthand account of a very different era of history. What if your grandpa was one of the first U.S Presidents?Scaling Mt. Everest is among the most remarkable of human achievements, but why do people...
06.19.2023
Choking or non? The history of the lifesaver mint. | The truth about elevator close door buttons. | The San Diego Chicken.
Were lifesaver mints really created as a safe, non-choking hard candy option for consumers? Dave’s marriage may depend on it.What’s the first thing you do when you get on an elevator? Select your floor? Or are you one of the...
06.12.2023
The power of the secret ingredient. | Cheese run. | Esperanto: the (almost) universal language.
Whether it’s a significant other, friend, or grandma, we’ve all had a meal where the chef added a “secret ingredient” to the recipe and, whatever it was, the meal tasted better - why?Every spring for 600 years, people from around...
06.05.2023
Should we bury all powerlines? | Why you can’t pump your own gas in New Jersey. | There are concerts and then there are private concerts.
If you’ve ever had damage to a powerline leave you without electricity you’ve probably wondered - isn’t there a better way to do this? Burying them works for some places, would it work for everyone?New Jersey is known for beautiful...
05.29.2023
(Ep. 68 Rebroadcast) Benjamin Franklin - serial killer?! | Why don’t dollar coins work? | Prosopagnosia
1) In 1998 a construction worker found something extraordinary under Benjamin Franklin’s London-based home - human remains. What was the founding father up to??2) Dwight D. Eisenhower. Susan B. Anthony. Sacagawea. We keep trying dollar-coins, and they keep failing. Why?...
05.15.2023
The Polybius Game | Volume Wars | The Babushka Lady
For a video game that never actually existed, it sure has caused some controversy. This week we explore the urban legend of the Polybius game. There’s a war going on in the music industry right now – but it’s not...
05.08.2023
The Bermuda Triangle. | Sleepwalking Crimes. | Happy Little Accidents.
The Bermuda Triangle. Need we say more? If you do the crime, you do the time. What about if you didn’t know you did the crime? Can you be held accountable for what you do while you’re asleep?Some of the...
05.01.2023
The world's smallest movie. | The Microsoft Excel World Championship. | Is whistling a foreign language?
A Boy and his Atom isn’t just the world's shortest movie - it’s the world's smallest movie. Microsoft Office is utilized daily by companies of all sizes. Everyone uses Microsoft Word, but most of us can’t get much done with...

What's Commute | The Podcast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Commute | The Podcast episodes:

The Myth of 98.6. | Meet Lady Liberty. | Pop Tart Wars.

Can we change time? | How often should you shower? | Where change goes.

The movie you will never see. | Smokey Bear. | Death and Peanuts.

One last name to rule them all. | A hit song in under 30 minutes. | The death of William Henry Harrison. Va

Is there anything not (sung about) on the internet? | Eclipse dos and don’ts (for you and your dog.) | Can we actually get too much sleep?

Was the Guillotine humane? | Chocolate Chip Ice Cream is Melting Away. | Why Chocolate Bunnies at Easter?

Unlucky 13. | The Presidential Physical Fitness Test. | The Most Popular (and Obscure) Sport in America.

The real history of the Apple logo. | Turning the tables on telemarketers. | Would you delete your friends for a free cheeseburger? (Episode 118 Rebroadcast)

Why do the British drive on the wrong side of the road? | The Caitlin Clark Effect. | Rat Hole.

Willys Chocolate Experience. | Arkansa(w). | Can We Blame the Full Moon?

Archimedes’ Death Ray. | Where do Generic Brands come from? | The 50,000-Year-Old Bison Burger.

The Suspicious Sriracha Shortage Story | Jake from State Farm | It’s Already Leap Year Again

How the Puppy Bowl Became a Thing. | The Real Chef Boyardee. | Did We Finally Find Amelia Earhart?

Commute on Commuting. | Movies and War Machines. | The Economics of Taylor Swift.

Flipping the Bird. | Is Double Dipping Completely Unacceptable? | The Worst Month for Birthdays.

Hiring a real hitman is really hard. | Where did all the McDonald’s Play Places go? | Is flipping a coin really a 50/50 proposition?

How the Stanley tumbler became cool. | Killing the unkillable - a cockroach story. | Want a free Tootsie Roll Pop?

Space Litter. | Mickey Mouse Enters Public Domain (kind of) | Earthworms Come to America.

The Holocaust Diary Experiment. | Whamageddon. | Wikipedia Wrapped.

The wild world of snack chip flavors. | News alert - cell phone reception isn’t great. | The new and (possibly) improved McDonald’s burger.

Blowing out Birthday Candles. | The not-so-wide World of Dating Apps. | Why do Bad Kids get Coal from Santa?

The Museum of Failure. | Where Lost Luggage Goes. | (Un)limited Breadsticks.

Christmas Creep. | The Turkey Pardon.

Now & Then. | No Tip? It could cost you. | Hitler Money.

On the Internet, no one knows you’re a dog. | Rotting Pumpkins. | Porta-Potties, Explained.

Say, “Cheese!” | Halloween’s Classic Catchphrase. | That Creepy Michael Myers Mask.

Coca-Cola Didn’t Change its Price - for 7 decades. | Iceland Tries Not to Keep it in the Family. | Banksy (figuratively) Unmasked. Maybe.

Who adds to the dictionary? | John and Jane Doe. | Will we ever add to Mt. Rushmore?

The Pizza Meter. | Loser Swag. | An Asteroid is Kind of Close to Us.

Trick or Treat Age Limit? | The Cemetary Real Estate Market. | Hollywood Rarely Acts Its Age.

Trucker Life. | The Most Popular Birthdays. | Spoiler Alert.

AI Jesus. | Magic Olympics. | Subtitles Are Hip.

The Real Mighty Ducks. | No white after Labor Day. | The Floating DVD Logo

Airport Bathrooms. Ew! | A surprising addition to the Billionaires Club. | The Restaurant of Mistaken Orders.

The Birthday Effect (or Happy Death Day). | Missing Nuclear Weapons. | Venmo Knows Too Much.

The Accidental Success of the Cha Cha Slide. | Where have all the Lindas gone? | Sugar high - real or imagined?

The Bathroom is the new office. | The Shape of Our Heart. | More Dinosaurs.

The wealthiest man in the world. Jk. | NFTs Go Bust. | “It’s a-me!” How Super Mario came to be.

The short, tragic life of Clippy - the world’s most hated virtual assistant | Remember that crazy 90’s genie movie, Shazaam? No, actually you don’t. | The absurd history of HitClips (Ep. 34 Rebroadcas

The Postal Service might misplace your mail. What if they misplace your grandpa? | Can adults really make new friends? | International etiquette can get pretty strange.

The real history of the Apple logo. | Turning the tables on telemarketers. | Would you delete your friends for a free cheeseburger?

How to Fix Small Talk. | Aging Backwards. | Selling Fireworks.

The 10th President’s Grandson (is still alive). | The real challenge to climbing Mt. Everest. | Furby is back!

Choking or non? The history of the lifesaver mint. | The truth about elevator close door buttons. | The San Diego Chicken.

The power of the secret ingredient. | Cheese run. | Esperanto: the (almost) universal language.

Should we bury all powerlines? | Why you can’t pump your own gas in New Jersey. | There are concerts and then there are private concerts.

(Ep. 68 Rebroadcast) Benjamin Franklin - serial killer?! | Why don’t dollar coins work? | Prosopagnosia

The Polybius Game | Volume Wars | The Babushka Lady

The Bermuda Triangle. | Sleepwalking Crimes. | Happy Little Accidents.

The world's smallest movie. | The Microsoft Excel World Championship. | Is whistling a foreign language?