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 the 1990s, a movie about a goofy genie captivated the hearts of American moviegoers. No, it wasn’t Disney’s Aladdin or the Shaquille O’Neil feature, “Kazaam.” This movie was called Shazaam - and it doesn’t exist. We explore the bizarre reason that so many people are convinced that it does.  
Would you spend $4.99 on :30 of a hit song? Chances are that in 1999 you would have (and probably did). We’re exploring the history of HitClips - is it the strangest way we’ve ever consumed music? http://www.commutethepodcast.com

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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

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Ketchup is considered the king of condiments but Ranch, uniquely both a dressing and a dip, wears the crown when it comes to sales.  Who came up with this great idea?The hit Netflix show Baby Reindeer is based on a true story of a stalker terrorizing a struggling standup comedian. The real stalker has seen it. She isn’t happy.May midterm elections are over. Until November, the political signs dominating our yards have gone back into hibernation. What happens to them when they disappear? ...

Ranch: A Love Story. | Don’t Rile a Real-Life Stalker! | Is there Power of Persuasion in Political Signs?

We'll have a new episode next week, but this week, we revisit one of our most popular episodes from 2023: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, they end up in the same place. (It’s not the landfill.)It’s been a calling card of the dining experience at Olive Garden for decades - unlimited breadstick and...

(Ep. 136 Rebroadcast) The Museum of Failure. | Where Lost Luggage Goes. | (Un)limited Breadsticks.

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 Tarts changed breakfast 60-years ago. It was the prize in a high-stakes race between rival cereal-makers to get to the toaster pastry finish line first.  Sources:https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/544046/why-myth-average-human-body-temperaturehttps://www.statueoflibert...

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

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 year. One company decided to go dumpster diving.Sources:https://www.engadget.com/that-time-france-tried-to-make-decimal-time-a-thing-143600302.htmlhttps://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20240423-theres-no-need-to-shower-every-day-heres-whyhttps://www.wsj.com/finance/americans-throwing...

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

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 people about the dangers of forest fires for decades. But where did he come from? Is he up something more than simply preventing fires?Peanuts, the beloved comic strip with Charlie Brown and Snoopy, is as family friendly as it comes. Except for the time it killed off a character. S...

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

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