Commute | The Podcast

If you suspect your local high school’s mascot looks suspiciously like a professional team or D1 university version, you’re probably right. And they probably shouldn’t be doing that. 

Every year, the Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the year is less about the dictionary update and more about where we are as a society. This year is no different. 

Sources:

https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/words/oxford-word-of-year-explained

https://frontofficesports.com/high-schools-walk-legal-tightrope-using-trademarked-pro-logos/

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There are unexpectedly weird (and occasionally gross) sides to the food you enjoy on Thanksgiving.

Email, text, phone call, snail mail … spam has been around longer than you think. 

Sources:

https://bookriot.com/history-of-chain-letters/

https://www.mentalfloss.com/holidays/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-food-facts

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Black boxes collect flight information on aircraft and are crucial for accident investigations. But how do they survive an accident when the plane doesn’t?

Who decided the standard  40-hour work week?  Is it still the best idea?

Sources:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/how-did-we-get-a-40-hour-workweek-and-has-it-had-its-day/ar-AA1Qezmu

https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/stories/2024-05-what-is-a-black-box-and-how-does-it-work

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We recently lost an American Hero when Duane Roberts passed away. He wasn’t a politician, a famous athlete, or a movie star - but he did invent a burrito that mattered. 

Tom Brady is famous and rich and he recently cloned a pet.  You don’t have to be famous to do that, but you’d better be rich. 

Sources:

https://www.today.com/today/amp/rcna242078

https://gizmodo.com/the-inventor-of-the-frozen-burrito-has-died-2000680863

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You may hear these days of unfair or too close-to-call elections, but this isn’t a recent development. 


It’s not the national anthem, but God Bless the USA sure feels like it could be … until you hear this segment. 


Everyone hates changing their clocks twice per year. More than 80% of Americans say we should stop. Why don’t we?

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Do you get up when the alarm goes off or hit snooze and get nine more minutes? How did that setting end up always at nine?

You’ve just run 26 miles. Marathons expect an additional .2 miles. How did that happen?

Sources:

https://www.history.com/articles/why-is-a-marathon-26-2-miles

https://www.rd.com/article/why-is-snooze-9-minutes/

Sources:

https://www.history.com/articles/why-is-a-marathon-26-2-miles

https://www.rd.com/article/why-is-snooze-9-minutes/

http://www.commutethepodcast.com

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Louie Louie is a song frequently heard at bars, athletic events, and open mics. Then the FBI decided to take a closer look at the lyrics.

If you’re wearing jeans, look at your right pocket and you’ll see a tiny, seemingly useless additional pocket. Any ideas?

Sources:

https://www.npr.org/2023/10/31/1209181745/louie-louie-the-story-behind-the-song-everyone-knows-but-no-one-understands

https://www.businessinsider.com/small-pocket-pants-jeans-watch-2018-03

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It seems simple—two pieces of bread with something in the middle—but its namesake is anything but.

Some world records seem to stand forever, while others can fall multiple times yearly. We look at the reasons why not all records are created equal. 

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20251003-the-maths-behind-world-records

https://www.history.com/articles/sandwich-inventor-john-montagu-earl-of-sandwich

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We don’t think twice about using a fork today, but our ancestors didn’t love it - and they were pretty sure God wouldn’t approve, either. 

Since the 1950s, artificial laugh tracks have helped ensure that jokes land on sitcoms from I Love Lucy to Friends to The Big Bang Theory. Let’s meet the man responsible.

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Referred to as winged rats, pigeons aren’t often at the top of many favorite bird lists. They should be. 


When would you guess the last Civil War pension check went out?  You’re probably wrong. 


What we wear has an impact on how people perceive us. How big an impact?

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