Cool Weird Awesome With Brady Carlson

Pastries come and go, but in Brooklyn, people still talk about the blackout cake from Ebinger's, a cake so beloved that when the bakery closed, people bought up cakes, kept them in their freezers and ate them only on special occasions. Plus: it's the birthday of Erno Rubik, so maybe someday visit the Rubik's Cube-themed hotel room in Houston, Texas.  Ebinger’s Blackout Cake is Gone But Not Forgotten (Edible Brooklyn) There’s A Rubik’s Cube Hotel In Texas And It’s The Definition Of Nostalgia (Only In Your State) It would be so sweet to have you as a Cool Weird Awesome backer on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Our entire show is based on the idea that we might say something interesting enough that it might get you to perk up your ears, figuratively speaking. Or, as a team at Saarland University has found, maybe not so figuratively speaking. Plus: a sculpture garden in Dublin, Ohio pays tribute to ears of a different kind.  Our animal inheritance: Humans perk up their ears, too, when they hear interesting sounds (Science Daily) Field of Giant Corn Cobs (Roadside America) Keep backing Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon and we'll keep giving you great shows to hear --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Every year in the US there are some 600,000 knee replacement surgeries. But a team at Duke University might help some people avoid those surgeries with a hydrogel that can stand in for cartilage. Plus: engineers at NIKE develop a ball that can really soar.  From The Lab, The First Cartilage-Mimicking Gel That's Strong Enough For Knees (Duke University) NIKE's new flight ball promises a 'revolution in football aerodynamics'  (designboom) Help Cool Weird Awesome keep moving forward as a backer on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Today we download video games online all the time. Back in the 1980s, gamers without the Internet (such as it was) had to buy or borrow their games. But a few could download programs off the radio. Plus: there's a comet headed Earth's way, and it might make for some great viewing this month, or 6,000 years from now. Either one.  You Could Download Video Games From the Radio in the 1980s (Interesting Engineering) Comet NEOWISE could give skywatchers a dazzling show this month. Here's what to know. (Space.com) Cool Weird Awesome backers on Patreon have exclusive downloads that only they can get! Not even the radio has them! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Today is believed to be the birthday of Leroy "Satchel" Paige, perhaps the most legendary pitcher baseball ever saw. Paige was a star for decades, and once pitched three scoreless innings in the major leagues at age 59. Plus: we'll visit the man who earned the world's first degree in ninja studies.  Fifty years ago, Satchel Paige pitched his last big-league game in KC ... at age 59 (Kansas City Star) Meet the Japanese man who holds the world's only master's degree in ninja studies (CNN) Joining Cool Weird Awesome's backers on Patreon is almost as fast as a Trouble Ball - almost. Nothing's as fast as a Trouble Ball.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

In the 1980s Deaf children in Nicaragua were sent to a new school that was supposed to help them learn finger spelling. Instead, they built up their own language, now known as Nicaraguan Sign Language. Plus: divers in Mexico find a cave that looked like it hadn't been visited before, only to find a link to civilization thousands of years ago.  The Amazing Story of Deaf Children in 1980s Nicaragua Inventing a Brand New Language (Twisted Sifter)  Canadian scuba diver in Mexico accidentally discovers vast, prehistoric industrial complex (National Post) Discover the joys of being of a Cool Weird Awesome backer on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Vivid Maps released a map of the U.S. by demonym, which is the term for a word that describes people from a certain place. Some are straightforward, but there are also plenty of surprises. Plus: you've heard of Four Corners, but did you know there's also a Tri-State Marker where you could stand in the states of Idaho, Wyoming and Utah all at once? Demonyms of the U.S. and Canada (Vivid Maps) My Fellow Americanians (New York Times) You Can Stand In Three Different States At Once Near The Town Of Montpelier, Idaho (Only In Your State) Declare your independence by joining us as a backer on Patreon!  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Netflix is about to release a show based on The Baby-Sitters Club I used to re-shelve all the time at the public library where I worked. Here's the story of how the series came to life. Plus: if you could use a little beauty in your world right now, check out the photos of Trung Huy Pham, documenting Vietnam's annual water lily harvest.  Over 30 years ago, The Baby-Sitters Club made space for girls from all backgrounds (AV Club) ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’ Trailer: An Iconic Piece of ’90s Nostalgia Heads to Netflix (Indiewire) Vivid Photographs by Trung Huy Pham Capture Annual Water Lily Harvest in Vietnam (Colossal) Kristy's second great idea was to become a Cool Weird Awesome backer on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Today is Canada Day, marking the 1867 confederation of three provinces then known as Canada, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. But Canada was only one name out of many that were suggested for the new country. Plus: this week got weird at several Canadian Tire stores, thanks to a computer glitch that made every item show up in the scanner as a Mr. Potato Head.  What Canada was ALMOST named (CBC Kids) Canadian Tire in Lindsay temporarily closed after every item scanned comes up as “Mr Potato Head” (Kawartha411) Join us as a backer on Patreon for just $1 a month! Or, if you like, just C$1 a month!  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

A team at UCLA has built technology into a glove that can recognize the hand movements from American Sign Language and translate those movements into spoken English in real time through a smartphone app. This may even get me to put down the Nintendo Power Glove (for a while). Plus: scientists in Australia say they can modify cotton to make its own color, without not-so-eco-friendly chemical dyes.  Wearable-tech glove translates sign language into speech in real time (UCLA) CSIRO scientists discover how to grow coloured cotton, removing need for harmful chemical dyes (ABC.net.au) Add some color to your life as a Cool Weird Awesome backer on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Back in 1978 the San Diego Chicken was winning huge numbers of fans - which is why Atlanta owner Ted Turner tried to coax the man inside the chicken suit, Ted Giannoulas, to move east. Plus: the Chicken is now in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but why is there also a San Diego Chicken head in the Gerald Ford Presidential Library in Grand Rapids, Michigan?  Profiles in Plumage: The San Diego Chicken (Society for American Baseball Research) A look back at the 'Grand Hatching' of the San Diego Chicken (ESPN) Found at the Presidential Libraries Dr. Seuss, Air Force One, and the San Diego Chicken (Prologue Magazine)  This show needs backers on Patreon like a sports team needs a chicken mascot. Join today! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

On this day in 1973, a couple in Murphysboro, Illinois reported seeing a tall, hairy, extremely smelly creature that over time became known as The Big Muddy Monster. But what the heck was it? Plus: today is the anniversary of Elvis Presley's final concert. And yes, there's a historic marker on the site.  Chasing Monsters: Big Muddy Monster still has Murphysboro residents wondering (The Southern Illinoisian) Big Muddy Monster Case File (Murphysboro.com) The King’s Final Bow: Elvis’s Last Concert in Indianapolis (Indiana History Blog) Don't stand at the end of Lonely Street, join us as a Cool Weird Awesome backer on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

It was on this day in 1894 that Annie Cohen Kopchovsky, aka Annie Londonderry, set off on a bike trip that, over the next fifteen months, would make her the first woman to ride a bike around the world. Plus: meet a contraption that can hit a home run about twice as far as the ones in the big leagues.  A Woman to Know: Annie Londonderry Cohen (A Woman To Know) First woman to cycle the globe begins journey  (Jewish Women's Archive) World's Longest Home Run (The "Mad Batter" Machine) (Smarter Every Day via YouTube) Ride along with Cool Weird Awesome as a backer on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Today at the 2010 Wimbledon tennis tournament was the first day of the longest professional tennis match ever played. John Isner and Nicolas Mahut played for more than 11 hours over three days! Plus: since Wimbledon 2020 has been canceled, what are they doing with all those strawberries they usually sell?  Wimbledon 2010: John Isner beats Nicolas Mahut in epic (BBC) When Isner beat Mahut 70-68 in the fifth: Wimbledon's 11-hour epic defies belief, a decade on (Yahoo! Sports) Wimbledon strawberries preserved: Huge 750kg crop will be turned into jam after this year's tennis tournament is cancelled due to coronavirus (Daily Mail)  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Bees are running into a lot of challenges lately, and while there are efforts to help the bees get their buzz back, scientists are testing out systems that might give us other ways to pollinate. One, at the Washington State University, involves cameras and robot hands - while another, in Japan, involves soap bubbles.  Robotic crop pollination awarded $1 million grant (Washington State University) Blowing bubbles: Soapy spheres pop pollen on fruit trees (BBC) Want to help something grow? Back Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

This is about the time we were all supposed to be gearing up for the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. Since that's on hold, let's instead talk about the Inter-Allied Games, which began in Paris on this day in 1919. Plus: if you'd like some fierce sporting competition from this century, try out the American Hedgehog Bowling Association (and don't worry, the hedgehogs aren't bowled down the lanes).  WWI Soldiers Held their Own Olympics After the War (History.com) Two Little Hedgehogs Try to Knock Down as Many Pins as They Can in an Adorable Bowling Tournament (Laughing Squid) Backing Cool Weird Awesome will give you the thrill of victory, and never the agony of defeat --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

One of the many special places you can mark Juneteenth is at the George Washington Carver Museum in Austin, Texas, with an art installation that has five statues and six pedestals. Plus: the summer solstice is this weekend, and while crowds won't be on hand the usual way at Stonehenge, they can take in the whole event virtually. Juneteenth Memorial Monuments Find a Home (AustinTexas.gov) You Can Watch the Summer Solstice Live From Stonehenge This Year (Thrillist) Celebrate every day with us as a backer on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

It's the birthday of Roger Ebert, a great film critic, TV host and author, and a pioneer in developing realistic-sounding electronic voices. Today we have the story of how he worked to create a voice called "Roger Jr." Plus: how about teaching the electronic voices to read some of Ebert’s hilariously devastating negative movie reviews? Remaking my voice (TED Talks) Roger Ebert's New Voice (CBS Sunday Morning)  Ebert's Most Hated (RogerEbert.com) Speak up as a Cool Weird Awesome backer on Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Video games are now as artistically and technically challenging as any other art form. But now they've really leveled up: the FDA has just approved a video game-based treatment for ADHD. Plus: a school librarian in western Virginia just found a clever way to get books to her students while schools and libraries are closed.  Children with ADHD can now be prescribed a video game, FDA says (CNN) Google-backed drones will drop library books so kids in Virginia can do their summer reading (Washington Post) Patreon backers can say "All your Cool Weird Awesome are belong to us"  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message

Sometimes you go into space to land on the moon, and other times it’s for maintenance purposes. NASA is planning a mission to replace the toilet on the International Space Station. Plus: this is Waste and Recycling Workers Week, are you paying tribute to those who collect all the stuff we toss out?  The International Space Station is getting a new toilet this year (Space.com) The Week of June 17th is Waste and Recycling Workers Week  Cool Weird Awesome's backers on Patreon are very clean  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message