Brain Junk

Brain Junk

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Brain Junk episodes

  • 102: If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

    I’ve heard so many of these from my Dad around the kitchen table, we should call these “dad-isms” instead of aphorisms. Those pithy phrases that are so true, they’re almost a cliche. Trace and Amy explore a few of their favorites.





    Show Notes:





    The largest list of eponymous laws Trace has ever seen! Thank you Wikipedia





    r/aphorisms (be wary: it’s reddit–there are words that are not pg-13)





    Please don’t use this on Brain Junk! Wadsworth Constant: the first 30% of any video can be skipped be cause it contains no interesting or worthwhile information (this is from a redditor named Wadsworth on 2011 There was even a website called Wadsworth It which would clip that first 30% for you.



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com
    14 min
  • 102: If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

    I’ve heard so many of these from my Dad around the kitchen table, we should call these “dad-isms” instead of aphorisms. Those pithy phrases that are so true, they’re almost a cliche. Trace and Amy explore a few of their favorites.

    Show Notes:

    The largest list of eponymous laws Trace has ever seen! Thank you Wikipedia

    r/aphorisms (be wary: it’s reddit–there are words that are not pg-13)

    Please don’t use this on Brain Junk! Wadsworth Constant: the first 30% of any video can be skipped be cause it contains no interesting or worthwhile information (this is from a redditor named Wadsworth on 2011 There was even a website called Wadsworth It which would clip that first 30% for you.

    14 min
  • 101: Jimmy Legs

    The term Jimmy Legs describes both a syndrome and the restless leg bumping up and down that some of us do when nervous or full of energy. Let’s find out where the name comes from!





    SHOW NOTES:






    Seinfeld The Jimmy Leg


    “She’s throwing off my whole sleep,” Kramer, Seinfeld


    CDNC Jimmy Leg


    https://www.stripes.com/news/new-names-same-navy-1.90423




    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com
    4 min
  • 101: Jimmy Legs

    The term Jimmy Legs describes both a syndrome and the restless leg bumping up and down that some of us do when nervous or full of energy. Let’s find out where the name comes from!

    SHOW NOTES:

    Seinfeld The Jimmy Leg

    “She’s throwing off my whole sleep,” Kramer, Seinfeld

    CDNC Jimmy Leg

    https://www.stripes.com/news/new-names-same-navy-1.90423

    4 min
  • FACTPALOOZA! Its Our 100th Episode!!!!!

    Welcome to our gigantic, fact filled 100th episode!!!! Thank you, Brain Junkies, we couldn’t have done it without you! We’ve gathered together ther weirdest & wackiest bunch of 100 facts from pop culture, history, animals and science to pack your brain.





    Show Notes:





    Ikea’s Game of Thrones Cape





    Acrobatic Pizza Toss https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftQZl9e8PbI





    Squirrel Tracker!





    Find those landmines. Rats hard at work saving lives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbiljkkJ4NI





    Cats landing on their feet. Slow motion fall. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtWbpyjJqrU





    The tale of Hotfoot Teddy and how he became Smokey Bear. (Not Smokey the Bear you philistines).











    First Cat memes. Thank you, Henry Whittier Frees









    PINK DOLPHINSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!






    More Pink!
    Lake Hillier
    by Viaggio Routard (Flickr)
    Creative commons




    Kentucky Moonbow Skip to :55 min to get right to the moonbow.





    Coke floats. Sometimes. https://youtu.be/SxX58LyX0xg


    Here’s aaaallllll my 50 facts and their sources. Same order as episode for your convenience. AB


    Pop Culture



    1. Play-Doh was originally used to wipe soot off of wallpaper. The company was founded in 1912 ut with the advent of oil and the decrease in coal use the demand dwindled. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/accidental-invention-play-doh-180973527/

    2. Tolkein aligned events in his books with the western calendar. The blog Today in Middle Earth (among others) will tell you what happened on a given day in Middle Earth. 10/24 10 am, for instance, is when Frodo awoke in Rivendell. https://www.theonering.net/torwp/today-in-middle-earth-history-calendar/

    3. In 1923 Pierre Labric cycled down the stairs of the Eiffel Tower, winning a bet. He was arrested after his victory. https://cyclehistory.wordpress.com/2016/01/23/cycling-shorts-descending-the-eiffel-tower/

    4. Vin Diesel is the voice of Groot AND The Iron Giant! IMDB.com

    5. British commercial TV station ATV picked up The M...


    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com
    54 min
  • FACTPALOOZA! Its Our 100th Episode!!!!!

    Welcome to our gigantic, fact filled 100th episode!!!! Thank you, Brain Junkies, we couldn't have done it without you! We've gathered together ther weirdest & wackiest bunch of 100 facts from pop culture, history, animals and science to pack your brain.

    Show Notes:

    Ikea's Game of Thrones Cape

    Acrobatic Pizza Toss https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftQZl9e8PbI

    Squirrel Tracker!

    Find those landmines. Rats hard at work saving lives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbiljkkJ4NI

    Cats landing on their feet. Slow motion fall. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtWbpyjJqrU

    The tale of Hotfoot Teddy and how he became Smokey Bear. (Not Smokey the Bear you philistines).

    First Cat memes. Thank you, Henry Whittier Frees

    PINK DOLPHINSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!

    More Pink!
    Lake Hillier
    by Viaggio Routard (Flickr)
    Creative commons

    Kentucky Moonbow Skip to :55 min to get right to the moonbow.

    Coke floats. Sometimes. https://youtu.be/SxX58LyX0xg

    Here's aaaallllll my 50 facts and their sources. Same order as episode for your convenience. AB

    Pop Culture

    1. Play-Doh was originally used to wipe soot off of wallpaper. The company was founded in 1912 ut with the advent of oil and the decrease in coal use the demand dwindled. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/accidental-invention-play-doh-180973527/
    2. Tolkein aligned events in his books with the western calendar. The blog Today in Middle Earth (among others) will tell you what happened on a given day in Middle Earth. 10/24 10 am, for instance, is when Frodo awoke in Rivendell. https://www.theonering.net/torwp/today-in-middle-earth-history-calendar/
    3. In 1923 Pierre Labric cycled down the stairs of the Eiffel Tower, winning a bet. He was arrested after his victory. https://cyclehistory.wordpress.com/2016/01/23/cycling-shorts-descending-the-eiffel-tower/
    4. Vin Diesel is the voice of Groot AND The Iron Giant! IMDB.com
    5. British commercial TV station ATV picked up The Muppets after it’s first two pilots were rejected in the US. The show was then sold to the US in syndication. https://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/25-facts-and-tidbits-about-the-muppets-that-might-blow-your
    6. The iCarly high school set is the Saved By The Bell set with a new paint job! https://www.j-14.com/posts/tv-shows-filmed-on-the-same-set-113577/
    7. Ranch Dressing originated at the Hidden Valley Dude Ranch in Santa Barbara, CA. https://popculturemadness.com/PCM/1950/1950-fun-facts-trivia-history/
    8. Pumba from the Lion King is the first character in a Disney film to fart. https://screenrant.com/lion-king-timon-pumbaa-little-known-facts/
    9. In Beauty and the Beast, fairytale beauty had two sisters who were jealous of her and the beast, so they try to make the beast angry at her so he’ll eat her. https://www.cracked.com/pictofacts-619-30-facts-to-make-you-most-interesting-human-part-2/
    10. On April Fools day in 1976 the BBC convinced many listeners that a special alignment of the planets would temporarily decrease gravity on earth. Phone lines were flooded with calls from people who said the felt the effect. https://pop-culture.us/Annual/1976.html
    11. In 1999 Furbys were officially banned by the NSA at Norfolk since administrators were seriously concerned that the furbies would end up chirping classified info. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/55136/did-pentagon-really-ban-furbys
    12. Jughead’s hat is called a clubhouse beanie, or a whoopie cap, palookaville or rat cap. CBCbooks.ca.
    13.   

      14.  

      Animals

      1. Deer’s eyes change color from gold to blue as the season progresses into winter. The blue allows more light in during the dark season. The gold reflects back most of the bright summer light, but the blue, which could be a result of constant dilation, allows more light in. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/british-scientists-discover-reindeer-eyes-change-colour-from-gold-to-blue-over-course-of-the-seasons-8916008.html
      2. Salamanders can extend their tongues more than half their body length in 7 milliseconds. http://www.nbcnews.com/id/17484183/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/worlds-most-explosive-tongue/
      3. Grasshoppers have ears in their bellies, not their heads. The ear drum/tympanium is covered by their wings. http://www.nbcnews.com/id/17484183/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/worlds-most-explosive-tongue/
      4. Cat’s don’t always land on their feet, but their fantastic balance allows them to tell up from down and twist their backbones mid air to land in a safer position-not on their backs. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/578211/cat-facts
      5. The Four-eyed Fish has two eyeballs, but each eyeball has two pupils and a retina that is split into top and bottom sections. They can cruise the surface looking for bugs and scan below to stay safe. https://insider.si.edu/2012/01/five-funky-and-5-fun-fish-facts/
      6. Cardinals like to cover themselves in ants-dead or alive-smearing them all over their feathers. Scientists aren’t completely sure why, but it could be because the formic acid from the ants gets rid of lice and other parasites. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/78996/15-amazing-facts-about-15-birds
      7. Worm-eating Bassian thrushes have been known to dislodge their prey from piles of leaves by directing their farts at them. The excretion of gas shifts the leaf-litter on the ground and apparently provokes worms to move around, revealing their location. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/78996/15-amazing-facts-about-15-birds
      8. The box jellyfish has developed the ability to jet around-not just drift. They can travel up to 4 knots per hour, which on land would be about 4.6 mph. And they have eyes grouped in clusters of six on the four sides of their bell. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/group/box-jellyfish/
      9. In 2009, Smithsonian’s Kristofer Helgen discovered a rat weighing 3.5 lbs and measuring 32 inches nose to tail living in the crater of a volcano in Papua New Guinea. That’s about two bowling pins. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/rodents-of-unusual-size-do-exist-1-180949027/
      10. In 2015 an Austrlian peacock spider was discovered near Brisbane. Scientifically named maratus jactatus, sparklemuffin earned its colloquial name from University of California researcher Madeline Girard, who discovered the species. These colorful spiders measure just five millimeters in length and display a signature mating dance, where male spiders raise a leg to signal females. https://www.travelchannel.com/interests/outdoors-and-adventure/photos/15-of-the-strangest-animals-in-the-world-and-where-to-see-them
      11. Gorillas can catch colds from humans. So be a conscientious zoo visitor and avoid the gorillas if you are sick. https://www.livescience.com/13455-gorilla-virus-human-infection-disease-sickness.html
      12. The Mutillidae are a family of more than 3,000 species of wasps (despite the names) whose wingless females resemble large, hairy ants. Found in Chile, they are known for their extremely painful stings, hence the common name cow killer or cow ant. Black and white specimens are sometimes known as panda ants due to their hair coloration resembling that of the Chinese giant panda. (Image credits: Chris Lukhaup) https://www.boredpanda.com/unusual-animals/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic
      13. You probably don’t need much explanation as to why the residents of Papua New Guinea call this fish a “ball cutter.” The local fishermen were really worried about the safety of their testicles when they had to get in the water! (Image credits: imgur | evolvingcomplexityii) You probably don’t need much explanation as to why the residents of Papua New Guinea call this fish a “ball cutter.” The local fishermen were really worried about the safety of their testicles when they had to get in the water! (Image credits: imgur | evolvingcomplexityii) https://www.pri.org/stories/2011-12-28/ball-cutter-fish-bites-mens-testicles-caught-papua-new-guinea

        14.  

        Science

          1. In an average lifetime a person walks the equivalent of five times around the world-110,000 miles. https://www.zmescience.com/other/feature-post/10-quick-scientific-facts-will-blow-mind/
          2. The ocean is 8 Empire State Buildings deep on average-12,080.7 ft. The deepest part is more like 25 Empire State Buildings deep-36,2000. https://www.livescience.com/28170-25-fun-facts.html
          3. The average cumulus cloud can weigh up to a million pounds-about as heavy as th world’s largest passenger jet. https://www.rd.com/culture/science-facts-never-learned/4/
          4. Oxygen in it’s solid and liquid forms is pale blue. https://www.rd.com/culture/science-facts-never-learned/4/
          5. Hawaii moves 7.5 centimeters closer to Alaska each year due to shifting tectonic plates. https://www.howitworksdaily.com/5-earth-facts-that-will-blow-your-mind-video/
          6. Thundersnow is a thing. It’s also called a winter thunder storm. The snow dampens the sound of the thunderstorm from many miles down to just 2-3 miles. 
          7. The risk of heart attack for Germans doubles when their national football team plays in a World Cup match. When the opposite team scores a goal, German football fans start dropping von by von. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0707427 https://letsgetsciencey.com/weird-science-facts/
          8. You are ten times more likely to be bitten by a New Yorker than a shark-if you’re in New York. https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/odds/compare-risk/nyc-biting-injuries/
          9. The total tension on all strings of a piano measures around 20 tons, and must be supported by a strong metal frame. https://www.yamaha.com/en/musical_instrument_guide/piano/manufacturing/manufacturing003.html
          10. Point Nemo is located over 1,000 miles (1,600km) equidistantly from the coasts of three far-flung islands. Point Nemo is so far from land, the nearest humans are often astronauts. The International Space Station orbits the Earth at a maximum of 258 miles (416km). Meanwhile the nearest inhabited landmass to Point Nemo is over 1,670 miles (2,700km) away. http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20161004-the-place-furthest-from-land-is-known-as-point-nemo
          11. To actually notice the shadow of a fire, the light beam that is going past the fire (e.g. sunlight) must be about as bright or brighter than the light created by the fire itself. Otherwise, the light created by the fire, which spreads out in all directions, will overpower and fill in any dim region created in the other beam of light. For example, pointing a weak flashlight at a roaring campfire will not enable you to see the shadow of the fire. Also, the smaller and cooler a flame is, and the less soot it has, the less it absorbs and redirects light, and therefore the dimmer its shadow will be. https://wtamu.edu/~cbaird/sq/2015/12/01/can-a-fire-have-a-shadow/

            12.  

            • Researchers at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Barcelona have found a way to build structures with biological concrete, which allows biological organisms to grow on it, lowering CO2 in the air. They discovered how to cleverly build megastructures with a biological concrete that lowers CO2, regulates heat and is totally eye catching. Its surface grows mosses, lichens, fungi and other biological organisms.https://theplaidzebra.com/moss-growing-concrete-absorbs-co2-insulates-and-is-also-a-vertical-garden/

              •  

              1.   Hot and cold water sound different when being poured. It's actually noticeable to the human ear if you pay attention. Water changes viscosity (aka its thickness or stickiness) depending on temperature. Long story short, the colder the water, the higher the pitch, whereas pouring something hot like, oh, say..coffee...is going to have a lower, more comforting pitch. https://www.thenakedscientists.com/

                2.  

                History

                1. As of October 2019 there was still a law on the books in Oklahoma stating that if beer is more than 4% alcohol it must be sold at room temperature. Seattletimes.com
                2. Shepherds in Christmas Nativity scenes from hundreds of years ago sometimes have goiters, which are caused by iodine deficiency. Goiters were often seen in poor people because they didn’t have a varied diet to supply iodine.  NPR.com
                3. Ice cream cones were invented during 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, when large demand forced ice cream vendor to find help from nearby waffle vendor. Together they made history. http://www.icecreamhistory.net/ice-cream-facts/interesting-facts-about-ice-cream/
                4. In the late 1960s, the U.S. Army’s 113th Military Intelligence Unit spied on reporters and politicians using fake pizza deliveries.https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/69737/46-mouthwatering-facts-about-pizza
                5. Mary did indeed have a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow, and yes it did follow her to school one day. Mary was Mary Sawyer, an 11-year-old Bostonian whose lamb followed her to school one day in 1817. https://www.historyextra.com/period/stuart/history-facts-weird-wonderful-surprising-medieval-georgian-20th-century/
                6. In 1985, when Professor of Oceanography Robert Ballard announced he was planning a mission to find the RMS Titanic, it was actually a cover story for a classified mission to search for lost nuclear submarines. His team finished their mission before they were due back, so they spent the extra time at sea looking for the Titanic and actually went on to actually find it! https://www.factinate.com/things/42-exceptionally-exciting-historical-facts/
                7. Genghis Khan exempted the poor, teachers, artists, and lawyers from taxes, encouraged literacy, and established freedom of religion across his empire. He also forbade the selling of women and the hunting of animals during their breeding season. https://www.factinate.com/things/42-exceptionally-exciting-historical-facts/
                8. Mining lobbyist George M. Willing presented the name "Idaho" to congress for a new territory around Pike's Peak, claiming it was a Native American Shoshone phrase: "E Dah Hoe (How)," supposedly meaning "Gem of the Mountains." By the time the deception was discovered, the name "Idaho" was already in common use. https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/idaho/state-name-origin/origin-idaho
                9. Although known today as a weapon used in martial arts, its original form was developed in China as an agricultural tool made out of two connected sticks shaped like a wheat, rice or soy flail  - in the mid 10th century. https://www.bookmartialarts.com/news/nunchaku-history
                10. Computer Weekly reported that these “ingenious computer systems” were no more powerful than a pocket calculator and that the ACG was “more basic than the electronics in modern toasters that have computer controlled stop/start/defrost buttons." https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/585759/apollo-11-moon-landing-facts
                11. Charles Goodyear in 1855 created the first vulcanized rubber soccer ball. Panels similar to that of today's basketball were glued together at the seams. Before that, the soccer ball game was at the mercy of the size and shape of the pig's bladder. https://soccer.epicsports.com/soccer-ball-history.html
                12. the needle of flame, the natural gas torch producing the flame was between 40 and 50 feet tall, and it’s said to have burned enough fuel to heat 125 homes. The purpose of this was to show how we’d all be using natural gas, as well as to act as a giant "clock" for the Fair, turning on every quarter hour. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/66548/15-things-you-might-not-know-about-space-needle
                13. The first baseball hats were made of straw. They were first worn by the New York Knickerbockers on April 24, 1849. But within a few years the team began to wear a cap made of fine merino wool. It featured a crown, with an attached visor or "bill". That soon became the prototype for one of the most popular styles of that time and still today. https://baseball.epicsports.com/baseball-hats.html
                  14. 54 min
                14. 99: Drunk on Pizza

                  What happens when you cross a intestinal invading fungus or bacteria with carbohydrates? You get very very drunk. Trace explores the weird world of Auto-brewery syndrome.



                  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com
                  5 min
                15. 99: Drunk on Pizza

                  What happens when you cross a intestinal invading fungus or bacteria with carbohydrates? You get very very drunk. Trace explores the weird world of Auto-brewery syndrome.

                  5 min
                16. 98: Tenterhooks

                  If you’re thinking, wait, I thought it was tenderhooks, you’re not alone. Amy explains this early 18th century idiom that describes having a sense of anxious anticipation.



                  Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons


                  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenterhook


                   


                  Tenterhooks or tenter hooks are hooked nails in a device called a tenter. 


                   


                  Tenters were wooden frames which were used as far back as the 14th century in the process of making woolen cloth.


                   


                  https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/on-tenterhooks-origin-meaning-phrase


                  A tenterhook is defined as “a sharp hooked nail used especially for fastening cloth on a tenter.



                  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com
                  4 min
                17. 98: Tenterhooks

                  If you’re thinking, wait, I thought it was tenderhooks, you’re not alone. Amy explains this early 18th century idiom that describes having a sense of anxious anticipation.

                  Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons

                  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenterhook

                   

                  Tenterhooks or tenter hooks are hooked nails in a device called a tenter. 

                   

                  Tenters were wooden frames which were used as far back as the 14th century in the process of making woolen cloth.

                   

                  https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/on-tenterhooks-origin-meaning-phrase

                  A tenterhook is defined as “a sharp hooked nail used especially for fastening cloth on a tenter.

                  4 min

                About Brain Junk

                From the publisher's feed

                Brain Junk is an off-the-wall, totally unbelievable but true podcast where Amy Barton and Trace Kerr shake up science & history in the hunt for answers to questions you never knew you wanted to know. We bring you the inside scoop on things like: Can goldfish drive? How do whales not drown while eating? Who had the first prosthetic eye?