Commute | The Podcast

We’re all on the big round earth at the same time, but our clocks say different times. How we got time zones. 

A thumbs-up good is always good…isn’t it?  Why has emoji use become difficult to decipher?

Sources:

https://www.vox.com/2014/8/5/5970767/case-against-time-zones

https://theconversation.com/thumbs-up-good-or-passive-aggressive-how-emojis-became-the-most-confusing-kind-of-online-language-259151

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How true are movies that claim to be true? And does it even matter?

The color red is most often associated with danger - how did that happen?

Sources:

http://www.commutethepodcast.com

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Vanilla sounds bland but the flavor is anything but basic. This week we’ll tell you where it comes from. (Hint: you’ll never think about beavers the same way again.)

Independence Day fireworks fun can hide a grim reality: it may end up at the ER … or even the morgue. 

Sources:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/does-vanilla-flavoring-actually-come-from-beaver-butts-180983288/

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/how-dangerous-are-fireworks-injuries-by-the-numbers

http://www.commutethepodcast.com

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Did basketball begin when Dr. James Naismith nailed up two peach baskets or with a teenage YMCA director lobbing cabbages?

The “IKEA effect” says sweat equity adds worth. There’s science behind the lopsided bookshelf that you still consider priceless.

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2024/06/12/a-psychologist-explains-the-ikea-effect-how-labor-leads-to-love/

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/nyregion/basketball-herkimer-ny.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

http://www.commutethepodcast.com

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Why do toddlers experience an event but lose the memory? This week we explore why our youngest years vanish - and what we can do to make those earliest moments stick.

How a tree nearly started WWlll. 

Sources:

https://www.thehindu.com/children/operation-paul-bunyan-when-a-tree-sparked-a-military-standoff/article68763759.ece/amp/

https://www.popsci.com/health/why-we-forget-our-childhoods/#:~:text=This%20suggests%20the%20issue%20is,that%20prepares%20humans%20for%20adulthood

http://www.commutethepodcast.com

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How did a 19th-century joke become the world’s most spoken word?

This week we scan the baby name blacklist and learn why some will never make it onto a birth certificate.

Sources:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/06/03/us-banned-baby-names/84011765007/

https://www.history.com/articles/the-birth-of-ok-175-years-ago

http://www.commutethepodcast.com

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Was the famous tongue-twister really about a Victorian-era fossil hunter?

Ever notice great whites are missing from aquariums? This week, we explore why the ocean’s superstar can’t survive life behind glass.

Sources:

https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2017/07/she-sells-seashells-and-mary-anning-metafolklore-with-a-twist/

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/504168/why-dont-you-see-great-white-sharks-aquariums

http://www.commutethepodcast.com

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It’s our 200th episode! We start with a note of gratitude and a show announcement. 

If you grew up in an American public school, you likely really loved or really hated your school lunches. Here’s the surprising tale of how schools came to provide lunch for students. 

Some 1990s era video games for Super Nintendo were notoriously challenging. One of the most difficult was the Lion King - but it was done on purpose and for a unusually specific reason.

Sources:

https://www.cbr.com/lion-king-brutally-difficult-platformer/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/american-schools-have-been-feeding-children-for-more-than-100-years-heres-how-the-school-lunch-has-changed-180986583/

http://www.commutethepodcast.com

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Karaoke is one of America’s favorite activities. Why are so many people willing to sing (so badly) in public?

At the recent running of the Kentucky Derby, the horses had more in common than you’d think.

Humans talk slightly differently based on geographic regions. Can the same be said for animals?

Sources:

https://www.si.com/fannation/rodeo/news/secretariat-lives-on-through-hooves-every-horse-kentucky-derby

https://www.statsignificant.com/p/what-are-the-greatest-karaoke-songs

https://www.mentalfloss.com/do-animals-have-regional-accents

http://www.commutethepodcast.com

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You can choose the wake-up sound for your phone's alarm. It took a lot of effort to create all those options. 

It makes sense on a gallon of milk, but does bottled water really expire?

Many of us say “please” and “thank you” to the artificial intelligence systems we interact with. Maybe we should stop.

Sources:

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/22098/why-does-bottled-water-have-expiration-date

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/technology/chatgpt-alexa-please-thank-you.html

https://www.20k.org/episodes/the-sound-of-apple-2

http://www.commutethepodcast.com

Follow Commute:
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