Commute | The Podcast

Ever wonder why keyboards seem random rather than in alphabetical order? Hint: it wasn’t done to help you type quicker. 

For 70 years, Publishers Clearing House knocked on the door of an unsuspecting winner and presented them with a giant cardboard check, granting them monthly payments for the rest of their lives. Things have changed. 

Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/16/business/publishers-clearing-house-bankruptcy-winners-lose-prizes

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-qwerty-keyboard-will-never-die-where-did-the-150-year-old-design-come-from-49863249/

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Is Pig Latin a language? Is there a real pig involved?  Why does Jay dislike it so much?

Most of us cringe when we hear a recording of ourselves. Why do we dislike it so much? Do other people hear us the way we hear ourselves?

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/jul/12/the-real-reason-the-sound-of-your-own-voice-makes-you-cringe

https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/what-is-pig-latin

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The US Government once tried to ban sliced bread. That went as well as you’d expect.

For thirty years, a statue with an unsolvable puzzle has stood on the lawn of CIA headquarters. The answer is about to go up for auction.

Sources:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nobody-has-been-able-to-solve-the-cias-famous-kryptos-sculpture-soon-the-solution-will-be-sold-to-the-highest-bidder-180987200/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-ridiculous-reason-why-the-us-enacted-a-wartime-ban-on-sliced-bread-salesand-why-it-didnt-last-long-180985834/

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Can you use up all the honk that’s in your car’s horn? 

At one time the Olympics gave out medals for… architecture, music, painting, sculpture, and literature. Yes, we’re not kidding. 

Sources:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/when-the-olympics-gave-out-medals-for-art-6878965/

https://www.mentalfloss.com/transportation/cars-trucks/do-cars-run-out-of-honk

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What would you want your last meal to be? Most of us will (hopefully) never be on death row, but how would your answer line up with real requests from death row inmates?

Only about 10% of people are left-handed. That can be good or bad depending on the task. + Why is anyone left-handed at all?

Sources:

https://choicemutual.com/blog/favorite-last-meal-by-state/

https://www.shoutoutuk.org/2024/08/13/its-time-to-address-the-left-handed-elephant-in-the-room/

http://www.commutethepodcast.com

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We'll be back next week with an all-new episode - until then, enjoy a popular one from the archives! 

You’ve probably noticed novelty popcorn buckets tied in with select blockbuster movies. If you miss them in the theater, you can always take out a loan to buy one later.


Screen time and its potentially harmful side effects are a real concern - even at zoos. 


Okay, so he’s not sued EVERYone, but Jonathan Riches has filed more lawsuits than anyone you've ever met.

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Why do some things (kids growing up 🥺) feel like they happen quickly, while others (DMV visit) creep along slowly?

Gone since 2013, President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order to bring back the presidential physical fitness test. Cue collective dread.

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A clever crime ring in Bali has been successfully operating for decades and authorities are unable to stop it. The members of this crime syndicate are… monkeys.

Some people get selected for jury duty so often they could teach a course on it, while others have never been called. What’s the story behind this (supposedly) random system?

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We do it enthusiastically at concerts, politely at ceremonies and awkwardly at meetings.  Why do we clap? How did we start?

The frozen crust-free peanut butter and jelly sandwich is the preferred snack of five-year-olds … and professional football players. 

Sources:

https://foodinstitute.com/focus/the-incredible-uncrustable-how-the-frozen-pbj-won-over-the-nfl/

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240523-why-do-we-clap

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The fastest-growing segment of video gamers isn’t kids, teenagers, or guys in their mom’s basement—and they usually have grandkids. 

During the Cold War, the CIA’s most highly trained spies weren’t that good—and they weren’t human, either. 

Sources:

https://www.history.com/articles/cia-spy-cat-espionage-fail

https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/ng-interactive/2025/jul/14/video-games-older-adults-data

http://www.commutethepodcast.com

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