Commute | The Podcast

It’s a question that wasn’t meant to be answered, but you know how scientists can be. So, how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?

You’ve probably heard about the infamous 1938 War of the Worlds radio broadcast where Orson Welles sent the nation into a panic by staging a pretend alien invasion. While the alien attack never happened, the national panic was real - or was it?

The rolling suitcase has often been labeled as one of the most significant failures in innovation. After all, we sent a man to the moon before we figured out how to put wheels on a suitcase. But is there more to the story?

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Episode Sources/Go Deeper:
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/61622/scientists-calculate-number-licks-get-center-tootsie-pop
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/04/war-worlds-panic-never-really-happened/
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/jun/24/mystery-of-wheelie-suitcase-how-gender-stereotypes-held-back-history-of-invention

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1) Although most of us only play rock, paper, scissors to settle a petty dispute or see who has to take out the trash, there is (of course) an entire subculture that takes the game VERY seriously.

2) In the 1990s, CD clubs offered deals that seemed too good to be true - like promising eight new albums for a penny.  Of course, nothing is ever easy.

3) Ever since the rise of COVID-19, health experts have wondered how to stay ahead of future pandemics. Well, what if a video game could simulate what a virus outbreak might be like? Years ago, the game World of Warcraft accidentally did just that.

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Episode Sources/Go Deeper:
https://www.inverse.com/mind-body/rock-paper-scissors-not-sports
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/12/how-rock-paper-scissors-went-viral/418455/
https://www.spin.com/2021/06/cd-clubs-columbia-house-bmg/
https://www.avclub.com/four-columbia-house-insiders-explain-the-shady-math-beh-1798280580
https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2020/04/09/world-warcraft-experienced-pandemic-2005-that-experience-may-help-coronavirus-researchers/

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1) The restaurant Cracker Barrel has always been known for made-from-scratch biscuits and the little table peg game, but it's quickly becoming known for something else - internet controversy.

2) Seventy-five ingredients (seriously). Multiple retirement ceremonies. Passionate fans. Is there anything the McDonalds McRib doesn’t have going for it?? 

3) We’ve heard it our entire lives - wait 30-60 minutes after eating before you swim. But is it true? A commute investigation leads to an apology from Jay.

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Episode Sources/Go Deeper:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/08/09/social-media-cracker-barrel-controversy-ignore
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/food/wp/2017/03/24/why-did-cracker-barrel-fire-brads-wife-the-internet-demands-answers/
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2020/11/why-is-the-mcrib-only-offered-occasionally-and-why-so-randomly/
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/can-you-swim-after-eating

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1) An unsolved death. Mannequins. “The most kissed girl in the world.” CPR. This segment has it all. 

2) When goods and services are bartered or traded without using money it’s called a shadow economy, and there’s one community that will give you just about anything for ice cream. 

3) Ever wondered why when you think of breakfast you think of bacon and eggs?  It’s because Edward Bernays told you to.

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Episode Sources/Go Deeper:
https://www.livescience.com/cpr-doll-resusci-annie-face.html

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?i=1000571145171

https://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2022/06/how-two-guys-are-the-reason-we-eat-what-we-eat-for-breakfast/

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1) You go to a restaurant. Here comes the bill and now you're faced with a final question: how much are you going to tip? Where did the concept of tipping come from? Why are we still doing it?

2) We all do online shopping - but we all started doing it WAY more during the pandemic. Why do we love it so much? Can you really be addicted to it?

3) The cake comes out, and everyone starts singing - "Happy birthday to you, happy birth..." wait... should we be getting permission from someone to sing Happy Birthday? The ownership history of the world's most famous song.

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1) Genghis Khan was an awful man - it’s impossible to argue otherwise. But it would also be hard to argue that he’s not your great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather.

2) Coming soon to a theater near you - a horror movie about…Winnie The Pooh?! How?!

3) The film “Minions: The Rise of Gru” is a box office darling. But what’s this - teenagers are wearing suits to go see it?

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Episode Sources/Go Deeper:
https://allthatsinteresting.com/genghis-khan-children
https://www.copyrightlaws.com/what-is-the-public-domain/
https://variety.com/2022/film/news/winnie-the-pooh-blood-and-honey-director-1235278405/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2022/07/06/minions-nabbed-the-meme-crowd-that-morbius-missed/

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1) Texas once had a litter problem, one the state government was spending $20 million per year to address. This week we explore how the Texan battle cry, Don’t Mess with Texas, helped turn things around.

2) Crypto Currency has lately taken a dive. While celebrities like Matt Damon were trying to convince you to “be brave” and invest, other industries were going down with the ship.

3) RadioShack was THE go-to electronic store for decades - until the business model failed to adapt to competition  from online retailers. After filing for bankruptcy twice the company was thought to be dead. Then the vulgar tweets started.

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Episode Sources/Go Deeper:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/trashy-beginnings-dont-mess-texas-180962490/
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/431074
https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/30/business/radioshack-twitter-account-crypto/index.html

http://www.commutethepodcast.com

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It’s estimated that over 150 million Americas consume coffee daily - roughly 50% of the entire U.S. population! The history of coffee, though, is not as straightforward - bans, political unrest, and religious villainization abound!

When the hit Netflix show Stranger Things masterfully utilized the 1985 song “Running up that Hill” from rocker Kate Bush in a season four episode, it did more than perfectly set the mood - it also sent Kate running up the hill to the bank. So what happens when old songs get a new lease on life?

Being an astronaut is about as unique a profession as there is. So what does it take to land the gig? And why do some astronauts have a more difficult time coming home than they did taking off?

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Episode Sources/Go Deeper:
https://www.mashed.com/650885/why-coffee-has-been-banned-throughout-history/
https://www.theringer.com/music/2022/6/7/23157824/kate-bush-running-up-that-hill-stranger-things-billboard-charts
https://www.npr.org/2022/07/02/1109075568/kate-bush-running-up-that-hill-stranger-things
https://now.northropgrumman.com/effects-of-space-travel-on-the-human-body-before-during-and-after/

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It’s a special Independence Day edition of Commute! This week we revisit some of our favorite 4th of July-related segments from past episodes:

The countless fireworks tents you see will soon retreat into hibernation until next year. Where do they come from?  Where do they go? We call an expert to get the inside  (and gross) details on working at a seasonal fireworks tent.

For nearly 50 years, the movie “JAWS” has made beachgoers think twice about getting in the ocean. Set around the July 4th holiday, we look back at the film that “shouldn’t have worked” and the star that, unexpectedly, only showed up for half of the filming. 

Michael Jordan. Tiger Woods. Tom Brady… and Joey Chestnut. GOATs, all.

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It may feel good in the moment but pettiness rarely, if ever, ends well. This week, some examples.

You’re familiar with Popeye, the sailor who found superhuman strength from eating spinach?  Those green leaves earned a reputation as a superfood from the tie-in. Was it warranted?

Chick-fil-A has built its business on a commitment to customer service. How important is customer service to the bottom line? And why do Chick-fil-A employees always say “my pleasure”?

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***

Episode Sources/Go Deeper:
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/why-chick-fil-a-employees-say-my-pleasure
https://blog.hubspot.com/service/importance-customer-service
https://historydaily.org/math-mistake-boosts-spinach-consumption-popeyes-ate-spinach-because-of-a-misplaced-decimal-point
https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/lifestyle/features/article/3105451/5-famous-feuds-are-so-petty-you-cant-help-read-more
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/mcdonalds-coffee-cup-litter-feud

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