Commute | The Podcast

The basket of bread often appears before you even place your order and is never listed on the final bill. How did restaurants get started giving away free food?


The Surgeon General’s recent New York Times op-ed, warning of the potential harm social media can have on young people, provocatively equated internet risks to smoking cigarettes. This isn’t the first time the Surgeon General has had a problem with online content … and their names are Inky, Pinky, Blinky, and Clyde. 


It’s an endless quest to  catch sales of Coca-Cola’s popular Sprite, PepsiCo recently rebranded Sierra Mist as Starry. Of course, that’s not the whole story…

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It's vacation season around here... but we'll be back next week with an all-new episode!
_

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 back with our guide to proper etiquette across borders and cultures.

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Sources:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/wxjxkm/the-usps-has-452-wayward-cremated-bodies
https://www.americansurveycenter.org/research/the-state-of-american-friendship-change-challenges-and-loss/
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/peculiar-etiquette-practices-world-map

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http://www.commutethepodcast.com

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Jaywalking- crossing the road wherever you please instead of at a crosswalk or stoplight - is a crime. But it wasn’t the police department’s idea.


Ah, summer. Vacations and outdoor fun … and mosquitoes. Are they more particular choosing victims than we think?  And what’s up with the itch?


Recently, a vintage toy set an incredible record sale price at a collectibles auction. What are people thinking??

NOTE: Fixed Audio Version

Sources:
https://www.vox.com/2015/1/15/7551873/jaywalking-history

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2023/12/19/old-toys-worth-money/71976097007/
https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/10/business/vintage-collectible-toys-market-sale/index.html

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http://www.commutethepodcast.com

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Who decided that the Earth would be called the Earth?


It’s been a century since a physician's own weight loss journey introduced the concept of counting calories. We still do that, but is it the best approach?


Famed physicist Stephen Hawking once held a dinner party where every guest shared the same peculiarity - they were from the future. Who showed up?

Sources:
https://www.livescience.com/32274-how-did-earth-get-its-name.html
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/doctor-pioneered-counting-calories-century-ago-were-still-dealing-with-consequences-180984282/#:~:text=The%20cover%20of%20Lulu%20Hunt,diet%20best%20seller%20in%20history
https://mashable.com/article/stephen-hawking-time-travel-party

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More than 10 million households own timeshares. You can also buy one online for $1.


The story behind Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe is more than weird - it’s actually pretty dark.


The Old Farmers Almanac has been around  since the late 1700s and is as relevant and popular today as ever. What’s its secret?



Sources:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-is-a-timeshare-cbs-news-explains/
https://www.financialpoise.com/timeshare-ownership-is-not-real-estate-investment/
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/eeny-meeny-miny-moe-origins-history
https://mhebtw.mheducation.com/2021/11/19/a-history-of-the-old-farmers-almanac/

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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? Did they effectively influence voters?

Sources:
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/ranch-dressing-food-history
https://www.forbes.com/sites/timlammers/2024/05/14/baby-reindeer-real-martha-seeks-125-million-for-piers-morgan-interview/?sh=1fc855285141
https://www.campaignnow.com/blog/political-yard-signs-helpful-or-an-eyesore?hs_amp=true

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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 salad refills. But even unlimited things have their limit.

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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-temperature
https://www.statueoflibertytour.com/blog/the-woman-behind-the-statue-of-liberty-who-is-lady-liberty/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/the-contentious-history-of-the-pop-tart-180984270/

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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.html
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20240423-theres-no-need-to-shower-every-day-heres-why
https://www.wsj.com/finance/americans-throwing-away-coins-28ca794c

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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.

Sources:
https://ew.com/article/2015/11/19/john-malkovich-robert-rodriguez-100-years/
https://www.treadmagazine.com/outdoor-adventures/campsite/smokey-bear/
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/charlotte-braun-peanuts-character-disappeared

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