Episodes

June 26, 2020

Fri. 06/26 - When Going to a Polling Site is Against Your Religion

The church created to circumvent a loophole in Tennessee's elections. VR is getting smell-o-vision, but smelling things is not actually the point. How to prevent your glasses from fogging up while wearing a mask. And a website that aims to combine the best of old fashioned TV channel surfing and the weird wonders of the web. Sponsors: OurCrowd, info.ourcrowd.com/goodnews Beachbody on Demand, Text "GOODNEWS" to 303030 for a free trial membership Links: A New Church in Tennessee Exists Purely t...
June 25, 2020

Thu. 06/25 - NASA Wants YOU To Design a Moon Toilet

Tips for collaborating with coworkers and other ways to maximize working from home. NASA wants your help designing a toilet for their next trip to the moon. How unwanted pests in some store-bought broccoli turned into a wholesome Twitter saga. And a new way to keep up to date with your favorite directors. Sponsors: Beachbody on Demand, Text "GOODNEWS" to 303030 for a free trial membership OurCrowd, info.ourcrowd.com/goodnews Links: How to Work From Home Successfully (NY Times) NASA wants t...
June 24, 2020

Wed. 06/24 - Mental Health Tips for Reopening Post-Lockdown

A smart sponge that may be the key to cleaning up oil spills. How to mentally prepare as your town reopens. DIY instructions for making your own beehive bed. And the blossoming audience members that attended Monday night’s performance at the Barcelona opera house. Sponsors: OurCrowd, info.ourcrowd.com/goodnews Beachbody on Demand, Text "GOODNEWS" to 303030 for a free trial membership Links: Game-Changing New Smart Sponge Soaks Up Oil Spills, Saving Water And Wildlife (Forbes) How to Mentall...
June 23, 2020

Tue. 06/23 - Get Ready To Go To Flavortown, Ohio

A pet robot that’s helping cure COVID-19 loneliness. If you thought the fireworks going off every night in your town was bad, let me tell you about a city in France that has set them off every single day for 150 years. Jurassic Park was #1 in the US box offices this past weekend. Like, the original Jurassic Park. From 1993. And are you ready to go to Flavortown, Ohio? Sponsors: Beachbody on Demand, Text "GOODNEWS" to 303030 for a free trial membership OurCrowd, info.ourcrowd.com/goodnews Links...
June 22, 2020

Mon. 06/22 - Send Your Cardboard Avatar To a Football Game

Another Neolithic structure discovered just down the street from Stonehenge. Why some people are more resilient than others. The cardboard cutouts stadiums are using in lieu of real, flesh-based human fans. And a contract job that will pay you $10,000 to record your bowel movements. Sponsors: OurCrowd, info.ourcrowd.com/goodnews Beachbody on Demand, Text "GOODNEWS" to 303030 for a free trial membership Links: Stonehenge: Neolithic monument found near sacred site (BBC) What Makes Some People...
June 19, 2020

Fri. 06/19 - Space Cake: The Future of Astronaut Food

Father’s Day-–its origins and how it’s celebrated around the world. How the astronauts onboard the International Space Station are giving a whole new meaning to “space cake.” A fake Nirvana song made with artificial intelligence. A library that is completely for the birds. And some more of the coolest videos I’ve seen this week for you to queue up this weekend. Sponsor: FitBod, Get one month free at Fitbod.me/goodnews Links: Father's Day Facts (Mental Floss) How 9 Countries Celebrate Father'...
June 18, 2020

Thu. 06/18 - The Segway Inventor Plans to Mass Produce Human Organs

Ahead of Juneteenth, a bit of background on its origins and the fight to make it a federal holiday. The inventor of the Segway has a plan to mass produce human organs. The productivity lifehack that lets you complain as much as you want. And the rickroll to end all rickrolls that happened just yesterday. Sponsor: FitBod, Get one month free at Fitbod.me/goodnews Links: Inside the Push to Make Juneteenth a National Holiday (TIME) Here are the companies observing Juneteenth this year (CNBC) NY...
June 17, 2020

Wed. 06/17 - How Poop Can Prevent COVID-19 Outbreaks

The Statue of Liberty arrived in the US on this day in 1885––a look at its original intended meaning. How our poop could help flatten the curve. The Boccaccio Project that’s capturing the music of quarantine. And a video camera returned to its owners after being stolen over twenty years ago. Sponsor: FitBod, Get one month free at Fitbod.me/goodnews Links: The Statue of Liberty was created to celebrate freed slaves, not immigrants, its new museum recounts (Washington Post) New Statue of Liber...
June 16, 2020

Tue. 06/16 - The 411 on Dexamethasone: A New COVID-19 Treatment?

A new promising treatment for COVID-19. Good news for LGBTQ+ Americans. Why people are more honest when they’re typing on their smartphones versus on their computers. The one man who created the stuffed crust pizza, the McGriddle, the Quizno’s Steakhouse Beef Dip, the Dollar Menu, and more. And a Taiwanese airport trying to make a tourist attraction out of all the worst parts of traveling. Sponsor: FitBod, Get one month free at Fitbod.me/goodnews Links: Scientists hail dexamethasone as 'major...
June 15, 2020

Mon. 06/15 - New Pandemic Solution: Just Print Your Own Money

The Kentucky tattoo shop fighting back against extremism. A small town in Washington that has straight up decided to start printing their own money. The science behind why heroes tend to downplay their heroic acts. And the dads who keep making and racing pinewood derby cars long after their kids graduate from Cub Scouts. Sponsors: BetterHelp, Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/REPORT FitBod, Get one month free at Fitbod.me/goodnews Links: A Kentucky tattoo shop is offering to cove...
June 12, 2020

Fri. 06/12 - CGI Crowds & Virtual Barbers: Our New Normal

With fans not allowed in stadiums, some sports leagues are using computer-generated crowds to fill the stands. If your hair has grown to a completely unmanageable length, this new site can help. Scientists have discovered massive unidentified structures deep beneath the earth’s surface. How to work out like a medieval night. And some video recommendations for your weekend queue. Links: Spanish soccer returns with computer-generated crowds, and it actually works (The Verge) Artificial crowd noi...
June 11, 2020

Thu. 06/11 - How To Safely Hug Someone Again

Weird comfort foods born out of historic times of discomfort. How to hug during a pandemic. Electric vehicle batteries may get a second life. Drones are now delivering library books to kids in Virginia. And the best custom birthday videos on the internet. Links: 6 Comfort Foods Born of Historic Times of Discomfort (Atlas Obscura) How to Hug During a Pandemic (NY Times) Used EV Batteries Could Power Tomorrow's Solar Farms (IEEE) Google sister company Wing will fly library books to students by...
June 10, 2020

Wed. 06/10 - The Woman Who Made Stuffed Olives During Brain Surgery

The WHO’s new official advice on mask-wearing do’s and don’t’s. The 103 year-old retired Belgian doctor hoping to make a difference in the coronavirus effort. Archaeologists have uncovered an entire ancient Roman city without digging a single thing. Could going for walks replace your coffee habit? A Japanese zoo pivots to fashion. And an Italian woman who didn’t let a little thing like brain surgery get in the way of her cooking. Links: Here’s what WHO says your mask should have to prevent COVI...
June 9, 2020

Tue. 06/09 - When Epidemiologists Expect to Resume Everyday Activities

A look at when epidemiologists will personally be resuming various daily activities. The real people behind one of Apple’s most famous sound effects. How dropping f-bombs might actually be a useful strategy. And the first American woman to walk in space makes history again. Links: When 511 Epidemiologists Expect to Fly, Hug and Do 18 Other Everyday Activities Again (NY Times) I was one of the kids who voiced the famous recording of the “kidscheering.aif” sound effect, which was later popularis...
June 8, 2020

Mon. 06/08 - The Hottest New Musician in the Bay Area: The Golden Gate Bridge?

New Zealand has officially reduced their number of coronavirus cases to zero. Apple apparently patented technology for socially-distanced group selfies. How to order first-class stamps with your face on them. What paleontologists predict animals will look like in the future. The weird music coming from the Golden Gate Bridge. And a Belgian man plagued by mysterious prank pizza deliveries. Links: New Zealand Has a 95% Chance of Eliminating Coronavirus (The National Interest) With No Current Cas...
June 5, 2020

Fri. 06/05 - It's National Donut Day! ...But Why?

A further look at the emerging controversy surrounding the data analytics company behind that big hydroxychloroquine study. Another study shows that humans apparently really do want to be kind to each other. Some perfectly specific words from other languages that have no direct English translation. It’s National Donut Day! Which it turns out, wasn’t invented by Dunkin––a look at its longer and more noble history. And some recommended videos to watch this weekend. Sponsor: FitBod, Get one month ...
June 4, 2020

Thu. 06/04 - Isaac Newton's Little Known Plague Cure

Confirmed case numbers continue to rise around the world as places that were previously spared are now the sites of major outbreaks. How do libraries disinfect books? Isaac Newton’s little known cure for the plague. New synthetic red blood cells that can act as a mechanism for therapeutic drug delivery. And Big Bird’s upcoming CNN Town Hall. Sponsor: FitBod, Get one month free at Fitbod.me/goodnews Links: Approximate Percentage of the Population That Has COVID-19 Antibodies (Scott Gottlieb, T...
June 4, 2020

Wed. 06/03 - How the Pandemic Has Changed the Way We Sleep

The data analytics company throwing several major COVID-19 studies into question. How the pandemic has changed the way we sleep. Why shoe companies used to use x-rays to sell shoes. And South Korea’s gift to the Navajo Nation. Sponsor: FitBod, Get one month free at Fitbod.me/goodnews Links: Japan to give people US$190 a day to boost domestic travel (South China Morning Post) Coronavirus: Ibuprofen tested as a treatment (BBC) A mysterious company’s coronavirus papers in top medical journals ...
June 2, 2020

Tue. 06/02 - The Introvert's and Extrovert's Guides to Lockdown

A six month check in on the coronavirus. tl;dr it’s going to last a long time, wear a mask. Recreating what Johann Sebastian Bach’s music sounded like to him. The introvert and extrovert’s guide to thriving during lockdown. And even more evidence that dogs are indeed very good boys. Sponsors: FitBod, Get one month free at Fitbod.me/goodnews Beachbody on Demand, Text "GOODNEWS" to 303030 Links: Six Months of Coronavirus: Here’s Some of What We’ve Learned (New York Times) What Did Bach Sound L...
June 1, 2020

Mon. 06/01 - Could Humans Go Into Hibernation?

Is COVID-19 actually a vascular disease, not a respiratory one? And is the virus itself getting weaker? Plus, kicking off Pride Month with a look at how much same-sex weddings have boosted the US economy. Could human hibernation become a thing? A new exoplanet that could sustain life. And a 19th century clergyman’s advice for dealing with low spirits and isolation. Sponsors: OurCrowd, info.ourcrowd.com/goodnews FitBod, Get one month free at Fitbod.me/goodnews Links: Coronavirus May Be a Bloo...
May 29, 2020

Fri. 05/29 - Did COVID-19 Outbreaks Actually Start Later Than We Thought?

Today we’re looking at the different ways the virus spreads and what measures can be taken to prevent spread in different contexts. A new study shows coronavirus epidemics may have started later than originally thought. Plus, the grad student who solved a problem that had stumped experts for half a century. Why Sweden celebrates Taco Friday. And a round-up of Star Wars-related media to check out this weekend. Sponsors: Beachbody on Demand, Text "GOODNEWS" to 303030 OurCrowd, info.ourcrowd.com/...
May 28, 2020

Thu. 05/28 - Can Biomarkers Tell Us How COVID-19 Affects People Differently?

Is the coronavirus more dependent on super spreaders than we thought? Research indicates possible biological markers to determine how severely an individual will react to COVID-19. And how the decline of local journalism is taking a toll on America’s small towns. Plus, will we be able to trust our memories of this time? Cannibalistic dinosaurs. And why oranges are sold in red mesh bags. Sponsors: OurCrowd, info.ourcrowd.com/goodnews Beachbody on Demand, Text "GOODNEWS" to 303030 Links: Here’s...
May 27, 2020

Wed. 05/27 - Are Planes the Safest Way to Travel Right Now?

A third of Americans now show signs of clinical anxiety and depression. A round-up of where and how the virus spreads, including how safe you may be on planes and going into the office. Plus, the details behind the futuristic SpaceX flight suits. The woman on TikTok trying to trade a bobby pin for a house. And a soothing soundscape of narwhals. Sponsors: Beachbody on Demand, Text "GOODNEWS" to 303030 OurCrowd, info.ourcrowd.com/goodnews Links: More People Are Taking Drugs for Anxiety and Ins...
May 26, 2020

Tue. 05/26 - What We Know & Don't Know About COVID-19

Young people are getting sick with COVID-19 in very high numbers in Brazil. A rundown on what we know and don’t know at this point. And an argument against immunity passports. Plus, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon launches tomorrow. A new space tax proposal. The world’s oldest living cat celebrates his birthday. How to get free pizza if you’re a graduating senior. And Catholic priests’ new weapon to fight coronavirus. Sponsors: OurCrowd, info.ourcrowd.com/goodnews Beachbody on Demand, Text "GOODNEWS" to 3...