Commute | The Podcast

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 happened?

Sources:
https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/02/japan-sato-only-name-by-2531-marriage-law
https://www.businessinsider.com/songs-took-short-amount-of-time-to-write-2020-4#dolly-parton-wrote-not-one-but-two-successful-songs-in-one-day-14
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/01/science/what-really-killed-william-henry-harrison.html

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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 doesn’t happen often - a total solar eclipse. Can we look at it, even for a split-second? How will pets react?


Conventional wisdom says we need 7-8 hours of sleep per night. You know what it feels like to get less, but what if you sleep more?  Can we get too much sleep?

Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/31/magazine/spotify-matt-farley.html
https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2024-04-03/2024-eclipse-astronomy-facts
https://www.gq.com/story/too-much-sleep

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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 Candy, a lot of it in the form of chocolate bunnies. How did this creature become so seasonally popular?

Sources:
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/502594/death-guillotine-painless
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/15/business/chocolate-chip-ice-cream.html#:~:text=The%20Scoop%20on%20Ice%20Cream,decline%20aren't%20exactly%20clear
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/how-to-eat-chocolate-easter-bunny-candy

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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 president declare that we should do this?


During Covid, more than 50 million people registered as active bird watchers - the most participants in any sport in America and, now post-Covid, they’re still watching. Dave calls one “birder” to get the scoop.

Sources:
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/why-row-13-missing-airplanes
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/presidential-fitness-test-origins-history
https://time.com/6231886/birdwatching-mental-health/

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*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 or rescue someone from drowning. Then some are like Roger Anderson and go after telemarketers. 

Would you trade your friends in for a free cheeseburger? Well, a few days, Burger King asked that very question. Of course, they got a response.

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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 beyond the court. 


Years ago, a rat fell into wet cement in Chicago leaving an outline of its body in the sidewalk. The neighborhood thought this a quirky local story … then the rest of the world discovered it. 

Sources:
https://www.thrillist.com/amphtml/travel/chicago/chicago-rat-hole-oral-history
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/06/upshot/caitlin-clark-popularity-attendance.html
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/02/business/why-americans-drive-on-the-right-and-the-british-on-the-left?cid=ios_app

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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 blame bad or strange behavior on a full moon? Intelligent people have figured this out.

Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/27/world/europe/willy-wonka-experience-glasgow.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/local/2015/05/17/arkansaw-ar-kansas/27489055/#:~:text=Well%2C%20Susy%2C%20the%20short%20answer,but%20more%20on%20that%20later
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/31608/does-full-moon-really-make-people-act-crazy

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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 stuff, and is it true that it’s secretly made by the name brand company it’s competing against?!


As we’ve discussed on the show before, food expiration dates are suspect, and certainly something that’s 50,000 years old is a no-brainer!  When scientists dug up a perfectly preserved bison, though, they decided to try it.

Sources:
https://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2021/10/28/did_archimedes_death_ray_actually_work_799152.amp.html
https://sporked.com/article/what-is-a-private-label-product/
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/ancient-bison-stew-blue-babe-alaska

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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 go a day without seeing a State Farm Insurance commercial featuring the iconic Jake from State Farm. But Jake is a real person (though that’s not his real name), and being famous isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be.


Soon we’ll recognize something we only experience every four years - Leap Day. Why do we do this again?

Sources:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/really-caused-sriracha-shortage-2-110000803.html
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/jake-state-farm-actor-kevin-miles-patrick-mahomes-friendship-1235820810/amp/
https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/science-leap-year

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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 characters are fun representatives for food brands that consumers can form connections with.  Then there's Chef Boyardee.

Eighty-seven years ago, Amelia Earhart vanished during a flight. Her plane and remains have never been found. Have we finally solved the mystery?


Sources:
https://www.marketplace.org/2023/02/10/how-the-puppy-bowl-became-a-marketing-juggernaut-in-its-own-right/
https://www.npr.org/2011/05/17/136398042/the-man-the-can-recipes-of-the-real-chef-boyardee
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/30/travel/amelia-earhart-missing-plane-pacific-ocean-scn?cid=ios_app

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