The Free Bin

The Free Bin

By Toledo Public LibrarySociety & CultureEducation
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The Free Bin episodes

  • Girls, You Know Nothin'

    Cindy and Harrison observe Memorial Day. Harrison introduces some new whale science. Vowels merge. Formants emerge from phonic lips. Pinchy abides.

    In this episode:

    Beguš, et al. (2026). The phonology of sperm whale coda vowels. Proc Biol Sci, 293(2069). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2025.2994

    Dominica Sperm Whale Project

    Fleet of Flowers

    Sperm whale sounds (from Voices in the Sea)

    53 min
  • Everybody Has Stuff in Their Inbox

    Content Warning: This episode discusses sexual assault, violence, death, and war.

    This week, Cindy and Harrison discuss the rather harrowing books they've recently finished. Yes, you read that correctly: Harrison actually finished a book!

    In this episode:

    "Big Old Boats" (YouTube channel)

    "Brick Immortar" (YouTube channel)

    "The Gales of November" (book, 2025) by John U. Bacon

    "The Quiet Librarian" (book, 2025) by Allen Eskens

    50 min
  • "May is Building Her House"

    Harrison reads Richard Le Gallienne's poem "May is Building Her House," from the "The Lonely Dancer and Other Poems" (1913).

    5 min
  • Caffeine Makes Me Tired

    Cindy and Harrison are joined by youth correspondent Anara to discuss the local weather and her favorite books!

    In this episode:

    "Key Lime Pie Murder" (book) by Joanne Fluke

    "Lemon Meringue Pie Murder" by Joanne Fluke

    "The School For Whatnots" (book) by Margaret Peterson Haddix

    27 min
  • Heck Yeah There's Gonna Be Another Banger

    In light of the recent release of "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie," Sophia and Harrison celebrate and discuss the Super Mario franchise. Speculation, nostalgia, and digressions abound! Jumpman learns to jump and changes his name. Universes collide. A bandicoot gathers fruit. Cranky Kong loses his wife. Gorbachev makes a pizza.

    43 min
  • Symplasmic Plastidial Catabolism

    The gang shares some random facts! Abe Lincoln makes a Mai Tai. A fish waits in a Slovakian bathtub. Jason waits at the bottom of a lake. The sun explodes. A bloody text message arrives in Sweden. A banana glows. Napoleon is routed. A switch on an amplifier ignites controversy.

    In this episode:

    Tiessen A. (2018). The fluorescent blue glow of banana fruits is not due to symplasmic plastidial catabolism but arises from insoluble phenols estherified to the cell wall. Plant science : an international journal of experimental plant biology, 275, 75–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2018.07.006

    "The Great Standby Switch Myth" (from Sweetwater Sound)

    45 min
  • Gonna Have to Fill Me In On The Frog

    Cindy and Harrison flip the script from last week, with Cindy bringing a history lesson for Women's History Month, and Harrison celebrating World Frog Day.

    In this episode:

    "City of Lies" (book, 2017) by Victoria Thompson

    "Frogatto & Friends" (computer game, 2010-) by Frogatto dev team

    "Frogger" (video game, 1981) by Konami

    Froglord (band, 2013-)

    "Frogman" (film, 2023) dir. by Anthony Cousins

    "Frogs" (film, 1970) dir. by George McCowan

    "Jurassic Park" (book, 1990) by Micheal Crichton

    19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (U.S. National Archives)

    "We the Women (book, 2026) by Norah O'Donnell

    1 hr 2 min
  • They've All Told Each Other That You're Horrible

    Cindy and Harrison talk birds and movies! At the behest of her recent online search suggestions, Cindy provides a new batch of Bird Facts concerning our friend, the common crow. Harrison celebrates Women's History Month by discussing the life and work of pioneering filmmaker Alice Guy. Somebody pick up the baby!

    In this episode:

    La Fée aux Choux (1896)

    A Fool and His Money (1912)

    Les Résultats du féminisme (1906)

    La vie du Christ (1906)

    48 min

About The Free Bin

From the publisher's feed

Join the staff of the Toledo Public Library as they dive deep into history, culture, and the arts! That's Toledo, Oregon, USA, by the way--not the bigger one in Ohio or the original one in Spain. But a public library serves everyone, so if you are someone, The Free Bin has something for you. Whether it's cult movies, cultural history, classic stories, games, or (of course) books, you never know what you'll find in here, so reach on in!