Cool Weird Awesome With Brady Carlson

A family in rural Kentucky with a rare blood disorder had blue complexions for decades - until a doctor found a way to treat it. Plus: June is Great Outdoors Month, and in Norway, there’s a great spot outdoors that might exhilarate you - or might make you turn green.  The True Story of the Blue People of Kentucky (How Stuff Works) Kjeragbolten (Futility Closet) Join our Patreon backers and make this show colorful --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Summer is here in the Northern Hemisphere, and a lot of people are looking to keep themselves and some of their foods and drinks cool. That's what the storage building known as the yakhchāl did thousands of years ago. Plus: a guy in Munfordville, Kentucky built his own Stonehenge. Yakhchāls, Āb Anbārs, & Wind Catchers — Passive Cooling & Refrigeration Technologies Of Greater Iran (Persia) (Cleantechnica) Kentucky’s Stonehenge is one man’s rocky wonderland (FOX Lexington) Our Patreon backers are the coolest of the cool --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1863, West Virginia became a state - though back in the 18th Century, there were several efforts to meld this land with parts of Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Maryland and create an entirely different entity called Vandalia or Westsylvania. Plus: if visiting Stonehenge for the solstice is too much of a trek, why not head to western Nebraska and see Carhenge?  Westsylvania: The Fourteenth Colony (Battleground) ‘Blood, sweat, and beers’: Nebraska’s Carhenge may be less mysterious than its English counterpart, but it’s just as bizarre (Roadtrippers) If our Patreon backers formed their own state, it would be a pretty amazing state --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about music that sounds a little different. In this episode from April 2020, music scholars at Cambridge University studied musical manuscripts without modern notation and reconstructed what they would have sounded like. Plus: in 1982 Key West,  Florida declared independence from – and war on – the United States. For not very long. First performance in 1,000 years: ‘lost’ songs from the Middle Ages are brought back to life (Cambridge University) That Time the Florida Keys Tried to Secede from the US by Dropping Conch Fritter Bombs (Vice) On this day in 2020 Patreon backers made another great episode of Cool Weird Awesome happen. Join them!  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about music that sounds a little different. In this episode from April 2020, it's the story of the American Beetles - a knockoff band that toured South  America, without quite telling everyone they weren't the genuine article. Plus: Spanish artist Bichopalo is not only making beautiful music, he's making beautiful musical instruments, too. How the fake Beatles conned South America (BBC) Beautiful Musical Machines Perform Otherworldly Tunes (Geeks Are Sexy) Please back us on Patreon, oh yeah, like we back you, oh yeah  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about music that sounds a little different. In this episode from September 2020, we look at an organ in Germany that is, for more than 600 years, trying to play a John Cage score the way he wanted it to be played: "As Slow As Possible." Plus: a YouTuber trains his cat to put out fires, sort  of. John Cage musical work changes chord for first time in seven years (BBC) I Trained My Cat To Put Out Fires (William Osman on YouTube) Joining our community of backers on Patreon is quick and easy and won't take 639 years --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about music that sounds a little different. In this episode from August 2020 we look at the Oomphalapompatronium, a creation of Boston-area musician,  composer and inventor Len Solomon. And it definitely fits the name.  Speaking of words that fit with what they describe, did you know about  the word "aptronym"? Meet the Guy Who Invented the Oomphalapompatronium (Wired) Aptronym (Raven the Science Maven on Twitter) Our favorite names are the names of our backers on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about music that sounds a little different. In this episode from April 2019, we visit Organ Piper Pizza in Greenfield, Wisconsin. As you eat, an organist plays an enormous  Wurlitzer organ, which also controls stage lights, disco balls, a mechanical gymnast and a family of singing ducks. Plus - a story that's, amazingly, not an April Fool's Day prank, in which police in Madrid  respond to a guy on a bus sharpening a big carving knife (!) The Carlson Kids Visit Organ Piper Pizza (YouTube) Remembering the Dining Fad of 'Pizza and Pipes' (CityLab) False alarm: Knife-wielding man on Metro revealed to be expert ham cutter (El Pais) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

It’s Portugal Day, and no doubt there will be celebrations across the country, including the capital city, Lisbon. Though there was a time in the 19th century when the capital of Portugal was not only outside Lisbon, it was outside Portugal. Plus: Today in 1972, the number one song on the Billboard pop chart was “The Candy Man” by Sammy Davis Jr. He recorded it in just two takes, convinced the song would wreck his career.  Due to the Napoleonic Wars, the capital of Portugal was moved from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro for thirteen years. (The Vintage News) The Number Ones: Sammy Davis Jr.’s “The Candy Man” (Stereogum) Wherever our Patreon backers go, we'll go with them --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

This past Monday was National Day in Sweden, but it's Thursday that the real fun gets underway, because that’s when people eat pea soup and pancakes. Together. Plus: graduating seniors at Basha High School in Chandler, Arizona celebrate the end of the school year with the Paper Toss.  PEA SOUP AND PANCAKES – SWEDEN’S THURSDAY FAVOURITE (Routes North) Basha High School end of year paper toss video goes viral (ABC 15) We're celebrating our Patreon backers, who make this show possible --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1867, Frank Lloyd Wright was born. He would go on to design some of the most striking buildings ever built, from houses, to museums, to office buildings to... gas stations. Plus: some of Wright's many other designs were never built, though now they’re being brought to life in virtual reality thanks to 3D rendering.  Lindholm Oil Company Service Station (FrankLloydWright.org) Three unbuilt Frank Lloyd Wright houses are brought to life as digital reconstructions (designboom) Our Patreon backers are works of art --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Firefighting is dangerous work, in part because of the exposure to dangerous chemicals. Researchers are learning more about those exposures thanks to a simple silicone wristband. Iceland’s new tourism program sets the country’s horses to work on giant keyboards, sending out-of-office emails to your bosses and colleagues so you don’t have to. How a $1 wristband could help track firefighters exposure to cancer-causing chemicals (CBS 17) Iceland Has Horses That Will Respond To Work Emails on a Giant Keyboard While You’re on Vacation (My Modern Met) Our Patreon backers make all of our episodes possible with just $1 a month --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1933, Camden, New Jersey became the site of the very first drive-in movie theater. Here's the story of Richard Hollingshead, who brought movies outside so people could drive right up to the picture. Plus: a new watercraft that sure sounds like it’s out of a movie.  June 6, 1933: The Era of Drive-In Movies Begins (Newspapers.com) All Aboard the Party Submarine (UrbanDaddy) We want to throw an underwater party for our Patreon backers! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Fried dough cakes have been around seemingly forever, but for National Doughnut Day, we have the story of an innovation that helped make this treat the icon that it is today: the invention of the doughnut hole. Plus: this weekend in Chittenango, New York, east of Syracuse, it’s Oz-stravaganza, a celebration of the Wizard of Oz in the town where author L. Frank Baum was born.  The Maine Ship Captain Who Invented the Modern Donut (New England Historical Society) Oz-stravaganza We're off to see our backers, our wonderful backers on Patreon  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

The Paper House of Rockport, Massachusetts has a wood frame, but otherwise owner Elis Stenman made the place almost entirely out of old newspapers. And you can still read the stories in the walls today. Plus: this weekend in northern Indiana, it’s the Mentone Egg Festival, celebrating an area that’s been called the “Egg Basket of the Midwest.” The Paper House—made of 100,000 newspapers—has a working fireplace, electricity, and running water (Roadtrippers) Mentone Egg Festival (Visit Indiana) Our Patreon backers always come first --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 2012, the birthday of Amy Jones-Elliott of Glenmore, County Kilkenny, Ireland. But it wasn't the birthday of her twin sister, Katie. The two hold the world record for twins with the largest amount of time between their births: 87 days. Plus: ExitReviews can tell you not just whether a product works well, but how long it'll last and what parts might break on it first.  First day at school for the record-breaking miracle twin sisters born 87 days apart (Irish Mirror) ExitReviews (The Awesomer) We give our Patreon backers a great review every day --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Washington State University has developed a high-tech wearable (I guess you call it a wearable?) to make it easier to take care of a very important test for some babies: a smart pacifier. Plus: the Doomsday Alarm Clock app will scare you out of bed with one of several end of the world scenarios. Smart pacifier developed to monitor infant health in hospitals (Washington State University) The Doomsday Alarm Clock Will Help You Wake Up and Stay Up (UrbanDaddy) Our Patreon backers are smart and high-tech --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

For Memorial Day, we look at what's become an annual tradition at this time of year: an exhausting CrossFit workout in honor of a Medal of Honor winner and Navy SEAL who gave his life while serving in Afghanistan. His full name was Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, but he's also known far and wide today as Murph, the namesake of the "Murph Challenge."  How Murph Became the Most Legendary Fitness Challenge Ever (Men's Health) Medal of Honor Recipient Michael P. Murphy (US Navy) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

When there's road work to be done, crews put up cones, barrels and fences to keep workers safe. Now a "smart work" zone system being tested in Virginia could make those spaces even safer. Plus: if you need a road trip destination, how about a New Mexico museum about a key part of many of those road trips?  Virginia Tech Transportation Institute researchers to deploy smart work zone in Wise, Virginia (Virginia Tech) The Classical Gas Museum Is One Of The Strangest Places You Can Go In New Mexico (Only in New Mexico) We're always riding with our Patreon backers, thanks so much for the support! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

We now have some 750,000 miles of internet cable on ocean and seafloors. A research team found a way to use those cables to measure seismic activity, without installing anything extra. Plus: “London’s Invisible House” got its name because nearly all of its exterior is covered in mirrors. A breakthrough in fiber optics turned an undersea cable into 12 seismographs (Interesting Engineering) Richmond's 'invisible' house is essentially a giant mirror that makes it hard to even notice (MyLondon) Join our Patreon backers in making this show possible! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support