Cool Stuff Ride Home
In just 15 minutes, the coolest stuff that happened in the world today. Science, progress, life-hacks, memes, exciting art and hope. The antidote to depressing headlines. Smart stuff in podcast form. Cool news, as a service.
Recent Episodes
Dec. 23, 2024
NASA Probe Set to Touch the Sun and TDIH - “Twas the Night Before Christmas"
On Christmas Eve NASA aims to touch our Sun in hopes to learn more about how it works and the source of its high-energy solar particles. Plus, on This Day in History, we look back one of the most famous holiday poems of all …
Dec. 20, 2024
Yardwork Leads to Found Mastodon Jaw, the Coexistence of Humans, Giant Sloths, and Mastodons. Plus, TDIH - The Failed Coup Attempt by Hitler
One New York homeowner’s yardwork unearths a rare mastodon jaw. Plus, there is new evidence that humans, giant sloths, and mastodons coexisted for over 10,000 years. On This Day in History, we look at the failed coup attempt…
Dec. 19, 2024
The Plan to Re-Freeze the Arctic, Could Geo-Thermal Be Our Long-Term Energy Solution? & TDIH: NASA's Plan for a Moon Base ... in 1988
On today's episode, we've got details on the plan to refreeze the Arctic. Plus, could geo-thermal prove to be the renewable energy source we've all been waiting for? And on 'This Day in History', NASA's 1988 plan for a moon …
Dec. 18, 2024
Vast Reserve of Hydrogen Found, Weird Wednesday - Fish Getting Busy, Googly Eye Sculptures, "Trekkie" Plate Issues, and a Festive Car. Plus, TDIH - Piltdown Skull Hoax
A vast reserve of geologic hydrogen was found. Plus, Weird Wednesday has fish getting busy after an earthquake, sculptures with googly eyes, the "Trekkie" license plate that was causing trouble, and a festive car. Also, on T…
Dec. 17, 2024
Cream-Based Vaccines, the Connection Between Leaded Gas and Mental Health, and TDIH - the Prize for Alien Communication
Getting your vaccine from a needle could be a thing of the past, as a cream-based vaccine is being developed. Also, how your mental health may have been altered by leaded gas, if you were born before 1996. Plus, on This Day …
Dec. 16, 2024
Google Claims its New Quantum Chip Could Prove the Existence of Parallel Universes, New Technology Could Aid the Search for Aviation's Biggest Mystery & on TDIH, the Last Eruption of Mount Fuji
Google claims its new quantum chip could prove the existence of parallel universes, new technological advances could aid the decade-long hunt for aviation’s biggest mystery, and on 'This Day in History', the last eruption of…
Dec. 13, 2024
Extinct Greak Lakes Fish Found Alive, the Evolution of Animals Ability to See Color, and TDIH - The Clip-on Tie Changes the World of Fashion
One extinct Great Lakes fish has been discovered alive again … but in the wrong lake. Staying in the animal kingdom, new research suggests animals’ ability to see color evolved BEFORE bright colors emerged in nature, but why…
Dec. 12, 2024
Caffeine: The Ultimate Performance Booster, But Timing Is Key and How Exercise Can Help with Memory. Plus, TDIH - The First Motel
A new study says that caffeine can boost physical and mental performance, but it added it should be timed wisely to optimize benefits and avoid side effects. Also, new research says that exercise can boost your memory for a …
Dec. 11, 2024
Drones Inspired by Birds, Weird Wednesday - Salmon Hats for Orcas, Another Word of the Year, and Interesting Spanish Scrabble Champion. Plus TDIH - Anesthetic Use in Dentistry
New drones inspired by birds that jump for take-off. It’s Weird Wednesday and Reggie has orcas that are wearing salmon for hats, the Merriam-Webster’s word of the year, and the winner of the Spanish Scrabble Championship who…
Dec. 10, 2024
Improving Your Life with Good Habits, Temporary E-Tattoos That Could Replace EEG Setups, and TDIH - The Theory of Gravity
How training your body to have good habits can change your life for the better and the revolutionary spray-on electronic tattoo that replaces traditional EEG setups, offering a more comfortable and reliable way to monitor br…
Dec. 9, 2024
New Desalination Method Could Provide Water for Billions, Possible Wolf Pollinators, and TDIH - the Kecksburg UFO incident
Researchers have developed a cost-effective solar-powered desalination method using clay minerals to enhance seawater evaporation, potentially providing clean water for billions worldwide and endangered wolves in Ethiopia ma…
Dec. 6, 2024
Notre Dame's New Interior, the Human-Dog Bond Is Older Than Previously Thought, and TDIH - The Book That Helped Change Obscenity Laws
The restoration of an icon - Notre Dame shows off the new interior after the devastating fire five years ago, and the human-dog bond may be older than we thought. Plus, on This Day in History, the court case and book that he…
Dec. 5, 2024
Using Your Fat to Predict Alzheimer's, Oldest Known Bird Lays an Egg, and TDIH - The Creation of ARPANET and the Internet
Your body’s fat could predict Alzheimer's disease up to 20 years ahead of symptoms, plus a 74-year-old bird might be a mom again. And, on This Day in History, we look back at ARPANET and how it led us to the internet we know…
Dec. 4, 2024
Weird Wednesday - 2024 Word of the Year, Fake Gibson Guitars Seized, Underwater Living Record Attempt, and the Defective Candy Bar; plus TDIH - Henry Ford's Peach Ship
It’s Weird Wednesday and Reggie has the Oxford Word of the Year, fake Gibson guitars, a 'living underwater' record attempt, and a defective candy bar. Plus, on 'This Day in History', Henry Ford’s Peace Ship expedition fails …
Join the Email List
Listen On
About the Host
Jackson Bird
Host, Kottke Ride Home
Jackson Bird is a writer and internet creator dedicated to demystifying the transgender experience. A YouTube NextUp Creator and GLAAD Rising Star Digital Innovator, Jackson shares his and others’ stories on his YouTube channel, jackisnotabird, and in his debut book Sorted: Growing Up, Coming Out, and Finding My Place. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Vulture, The Advocate, and more, and his TED Talk "How to talk (and listen) to transgender people" has been viewed over one and a half million times. Jackson lives in New York City, where he hosts the daily podcast Kottke Ride Home. You can follow him online @jackisnotabird.
