Mark and Toddcast

In 1902, the biggest meteorite ever found in North America was found.....in West Linn?  Through thievery and lawsuits, the meteorite made its way through various owners and now resides in the Natural History Museum in New York. Find out the forgotten story of the Willamette Meteorite on this week's show. I couldn't think of any meteorite puns. Sorry. I'll regroup and come back with a great one next week.

Sure, 2020 will go down as a hot mess of a year. But was it really so bad in the grand scheme of things? This week we'll check out the year 536 A.D., which has a scientific consensus of being the worst year to ever be alive on the planet. All that, and a ton of news catch-up. Enjoy!

Ada Lovelace (or Ada Byron King, Countess of Lovelace, if we're being particular), is often called "The world's first computer programmer," which is quite the claim to fame considering she lived in the mid-1800s and that, well, she was a "she." This episode we look into the mind and life of a pioneer and visionary whose work laid the ground for how computers work today.

This week we take a look at the life and work of MC Escher, an artist more embraced by mathematicians than he was by the art world. His work endures, and his singular style infused a realism to absurd perspectives, impossible objects, physics-defying landscapes, warped geometry, and infinite tessellations. I had more written about our oversized discussion and news segment, but it all got deleted and now I don't care. Enjoy!

This week we take a look at inventions that occurred either way earlier, or way later than we all might expect. From crossword puzzles to plywood, we find out the who's and whens of some of history's biggest innovations. In the news: Roseburg's historic ammonium nitrate explosion, the new Burnside Bridge, desalinization using solar energy, and Slurpee assaults. High-five!

Why has gold been valued since the beginning mankind? Does it have any use outside of being pretty and tiny, or is it really just that humans really, really like things that are pretty and shiny? Find out how gold became the standard, and why humans have valued it since the beginning of humans - as well as how our technology has utilized this literal space-age material. It's gold, Jerry!

Instead of spoiling what our episode is about this week, I want you to be just as surprised and delighted as I was. It's what the world needs now.  But in the news this week, we've got a small Washington town who's made its own COVID currency, something about llamas, three legendary Rick Emerson Show news anchors get the axe, squirrels with bubonic plague, and more. Wave your hands in the air like you don't care!

We've been off for a few weeks, so what better time to catch up on all the news that's been piling up. Join us as we discuss Portland's reallocation of police funds, NASA's design for "Pulse," how to dodge sonic weapons, Oregon legalizes mushrooms for medicinal use, Exploding Whale Memorial Park, Segway rides into the sunset, Vancouver's Old Apple Tree dies, the worst drivers in America, and a topless woman and her norks save the day. Enjoy!

Almost a quarter of all wild west cowboys were African-American, and they were an indispensable part of building the American West. So linked to the work, the term "cow boy" was created because Blacks at the time were referred to as "boy." This week we take a look at Black American Cowboys in general, and Bass Reeves specifically. Reeves was the most accomplished, respected, and well-known cowboy-turned-US Marshall, capturing 3,000 criminals through disguise, detective work, and marksmanship. He was so revered that many give him credit for inspiring The Lone Ranger. Yes, that Lone Ranger.  We also talk some news stuff, as always. Giddyup, and happy trails!

Garbage management has been, and always will be something the human race needs to address. How did (or didn't) they do it in the past? This week we take a dumpster dive into the history of municipal waste management. There's some other stuff too, including the bizarre flavoring of Necco Wafers, clams that control the water supply of a city, and more. Get ready for some meandering conversation that literally turns to trash.