We lost another Hollywood celebrity recently, but this one was atypical in many ways. For starters, he wasn’t human. We’ve all experienced disappointment in our lives, and we deal with it uniquely. For some tourists visiting a particular European city, can the shock of letdown be enough to cause a medical emergency? We’ve talked about jingles before on the show, but this one is the granddaddy of them all - how the Chili’s baby back ribs tune went from forgettable blip to cultural legend. *** Sou...
Jan 09, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 95
For over 100 years we have enjoyed a shared experience (for those of us still awake) when we count down the final minute of the year together for the big ball drop in New York City. Let’s be honest, though - isn’t this somewhat weird? While it wasn’t selected as the Word of the Year, Wordle was the most googled word in 2022 and swept the nation with its simplicity of play and addictive nature. But this is more than the story of an entertainingly frustrating little word game - it’s a love story. ...
Jan 02, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 94
We’ve all sung it, though we can’t always name all 12 items in order (Hint: lots of birds). Where did this strange song come from? Every holiday season a big man in red dusts off his finest jacket, combs out his white beard.. and heads to your local mall. It may seem simple, but being a Mall Santa is not for the faint of heart. Did fighting really stop for a night so opposing sides could enjoy Christmas… together? The amazing story of the WWI Christmas Truce. - Sources/Go Deeper: https://www.vox...
Dec 19, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 93
Often companies must defend their good names in the face of public criticism. Crockpot is one such company, only it took a different approach than most. Every end of the year, social media gets bombarded with images of Spotify user’s wrapped reports - a list songs and artists most listened to by a user during the past year. But is this actually one of Spotify’s best advertising tools? In 1969, the Rolling Stones decided to headline their own music festival, sort of a west coast Woodstock. The pr...
Dec 12, 2022•25 min•Season 1Ep. 92
How much would you pay for celebrity-endorsed designer shoes at the latest hip shoe store? When the luxury store Palessi opened in L.A., the answer was anywhere from $400 to over $1,000. There was only one problem. Palessi wasn’t a luxury shoe store - it was an experiment. When a couple of business-school classmates created their IT services website, rentahitman.com, they thought the name was quite clever. They never dreamt that people would take them seriously. Gatorade. Powerade. Body Armor. S...
Dec 05, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 91
Ep. 45. Replay: By most accounts, ten-year-old Ryan Kaji is just like any other normal kid - he likes cartoons, playing with toys, and making silly videos. Where Ryan starts to differ from your kid, though, is that he made $30 million last year. Internet black markets are wild and unregulated places (don’t look it up - it’s not for the faint of the heart), but you can always find help there for people in need. What if you needed to score some breast milk? Anything’s possible, at the right price....
Nov 28, 2022•22 min
A special (and a little shorter) holiday week edition of the show: With the holidays comes a lot of decisions. One of the biggest: should you take off your shoes when you enter someone else’s home? The Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions play football every year on Thanksgiving Day. Why those two? *** Episode Sources/Go Deeper: https://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/shoes-inside-house https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/31525/why-do-detroit-lions-and-dallas-cowboys-always-play-thanksgi...
Nov 21, 2022•12 min•Season 1Ep. 90
We just passed another election season so you know what that means - “I Voted” stickers are back! But do they really encourage higher voter turnout? And wait until you hear about the voting sticker of the year for 2022. For 1 billion people around the globe it happens twice a year - we set our clocks ahead or behind an hour because of Daylight Savings Time. Why? Will it always be this way? Wouldn’t it be great if you could gamble and never lose? Houston furniture mogul Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngv...
Nov 14, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 89
Ever had the feeling that you were being watched? Well, depending on where you live, chances are you actually might be. There are a lot of factors that play into a particular property’s value - updates, neighborhood, school district..and whether or not the house is haunted. We’ve all heard it - fake it till you make it. But is it true? We’ll explore if there’s any power in turning that frown upside down. *** Episode Sources/Go Deeper: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-the-worlds-most-surve...
Nov 07, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 88
There are few things that more accurately convey current culture than Halloween costume choices, but can they really predict a presidential election? It’s the official logo for Halloween - the jack o’ lantern. So, why did we start carving faces into vegetables? (From the archives) Halloween is today and, if you’re like most of us, you wait med until the last minute to get your costume, visiting a temporary Halloween store called “Spirit of Halloween.” Where do these suddenly appearing stores com...
Oct 31, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 87
Rebroadcast of Ep. 56 Have a weird talent? Always had dreams of securing eternal glory with a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records? Figuring out your talent is the easy part. Author Stephen King is renown for creepy classics like The Shining & IT. But what about the time he found himself in a real-life suspense story? G, PG, PG-13, R, and even NC-17. We know the movie rating system, but who decides? *** Episode Sources/Go Deeper: https://betterhumans.pub/the-complete-guide-to-getting-y...
Oct 24, 2022•23 min
It’s been called “Satan’s Earwax.” Every year at Halloween it reappears like some great plague - CANDY CORN. Where did it come from, and is it really so divisive? They were the most popular attraction in Las Vegas until the magic and the act ended in a way that, sadly, wasn’t a surprise. We discuss the undoing of Siegfried and Roy. If you played video games in the 1990s, chances are you did it - blew into your video game cartridge to somehow make it work again. Did that really accomplish anythin...
Oct 17, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 86
In the 1960s and 1970s, it was an accepted form of cross-country travel until, suddenly, it wasn’t. Have you, would you … hitchhike? It’s back!! Every Fall, we can count on a few things - the leaves changing colors, the air getting colder, and the return of the pumpkin spice latte. Why is it so popular? And you can get a pumpkin scented WHAT?! The recent hurricane in Florida brought death, destruction, and another opportunity to revive the famous internet hoax where people photoshop a shark into...
Oct 10, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 85
Magnus Carlson is the Michael Jordan of the Chess world. When he recently lost to unknown Hans Niemann and then accused Niemann of cheating, was it sour grapes or does he have a point? Of all foods in the frozen food aisle of your local grocery store, none are as unusual as the fish stick. None are as interesting, either. The marathon is the crown jewel of running accomplishments. 26.2 miles is tough, but also sounds somewhat random. Who decided on the length? http://www.commutethepodcast.com Fo...
Oct 03, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 84
What slight do baseball legends Ken Griffey Jr., Babe Ruth, and Ted Williams have in common? Why does the Baseball Hall of Fame voting process frustrate us all? Yes, these things are related. In the 1980s, one-hit wonder band Tommy Tutone rose to prominence with their catchy single 867-5309/Jenny, but what about the people who actually owned that phone number? We check in on a few of them. For years legos have been a go-to gift idea for kids of all ages. Recent years have seen changes in the leg...
Sep 26, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 83
Companies will try almost anything to get you to notice them - with some things more outlandish than others. So, did Taco Bell really try to purchase the Liberty Bell? Ted Slauson is like any average person. He gets up, heads to a job, spends time with his family, and has hobbies - it just so happens one of those hobbies is memorizing every prize and price on the long-running game show The Price is Right. Reality shows can teach us a lot about ourselves. When Scottish TV decided to base a realit...
Sep 19, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 82
Thanks to pop culture we’re all familiar with the Tunnel of Love ride. A couple floats into atunnel (riding in a swan-shaped boat), emerging more in love on the other side. But raise your hand if you’ve ever actually seen one. Seeing no hands, we’ll continue... It’s rare today to find a piece of land that someone doesn’t claim ownership of. Who knew that extended to… the moon? Podcasts entertain us by covering various topics - everything from personal finance to true crime. One true crime podcas...
Sep 12, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 81
1) What can rats and cobras teach us about unintended consequences? More than you may think. 2) For over 40 years, he’s been producing parody songs such as “Amish Paradise” and “Eat it.” How has Weird Al Yankovich not only survived but thrived for decades in the brutal world of comedy? 3) You’ve probably seen it before, the famous slogan - “keep calm and carry on,” has been molded to fit just about every industry (we see you librarians and your “keep calm and read a book” shirts). Where did this...
Sep 05, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 80
It’s a question that wasn’t meant to be answered, but you know how scientists can be. So, how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop? You’ve probably heard about the infamous 1938 War of the Worlds radio broadcast where Orson Welles sent the nation into a panic by staging a pretend alien invasion. While the alien attack never happened, the national panic was real - or was it? The rolling suitcase has often been labeled as one of the most significant failures in innova...
Aug 29, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 79
1) Although most of us only play rock, paper, scissors to settle a petty dispute or see who has to take out the trash, there is (of course) an entire subculture that takes the game VERY seriously. 2) In the 1990s, CD clubs offered deals that seemed too good to be true - like promising eight new albums for a penny. Of course, nothing is ever easy. 3) Ever since the rise of COVID-19, health experts have wondered how to stay ahead of future pandemics. Well, what if a video game could simulate what ...
Aug 22, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 78
1) The restaurant Cracker Barrel has always been known for made-from-scratch biscuits and the little table peg game, but it's quickly becoming known for something else - internet controversy. 2) Seventy-five ingredients (seriously). Multiple retirement ceremonies. Passionate fans. Is there anything the McDonalds McRib doesn’t have going for it?? 3) We’ve heard it our entire lives - wait 30-60 minutes after eating before you swim. But is it true? A commute investigation leads to an apology from J...
Aug 15, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 77
1) An unsolved death. Mannequins. “The most kissed girl in the world.” CPR. This segment has it all. 2) When goods and services are bartered or traded without using money it’s called a shadow economy, and there’s one community that will give you just about anything for ice cream. 3) Ever wondered why when you think of breakfast you think of bacon and eggs? It’s because Edward Bernays told you to. http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/ Twitte...
Aug 08, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 76
1) You go to a restaurant. Here comes the bill and now you're faced with a final question: how much are you going to tip? Where did the concept of tipping come from? Why are we still doing it? 2) We all do online shopping - but we all started doing it WAY more during the pandemic. Why do we love it so much? Can you really be addicted to it? 3) The cake comes out, and everyone starts singing - "Happy birthday to you, happy birth..." wait... should we be getting permission from someone to sing Hap...
Aug 01, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 75
1) Genghis Khan was an awful man - it’s impossible to argue otherwise. But it would also be hard to argue that he’s not your great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather. 2) Coming soon to a theater near you - a horror movie about…Winnie The Pooh?! How?! 3) The film “Minions: The Rise of Gru” is a box office darling. But what’s this - teenagers are wearing suits to go see it? http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/ Twitter - @PodcastCommut...
Jul 25, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 74
1) Texas once had a litter problem, one the state government was spending $20 million per year to address. This week we explore how the Texan battle cry, Don’t Mess with Texas, helped turn things around. 2) Crypto Currency has lately taken a dive. While celebrities like Matt Damon were trying to convince you to “be brave” and invest, other industries were going down with the ship. 3) RadioShack was THE go-to electronic store for decades - until the business model failed to adapt to competition f...
Jul 18, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 73
It’s estimated that over 150 million Americas consume coffee daily - roughly 50% of the entire U.S. population! The history of coffee, though, is not as straightforward - bans, political unrest, and religious villainization abound! When the hit Netflix show Stranger Things masterfully utilized the 1985 song “Running up that Hill” from rocker Kate Bush in a season four episode, it did more than perfectly set the mood - it also sent Kate running up the hill to the bank. So what happens when old so...
Jul 11, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 72
It’s a special Independence Day edition of Commute! This week we revisit some of our favorite 4th of July-related segments from past episodes: The countless fireworks tents you see will soon retreat into hibernation until next year. Where do they come from? Where do they go? We call an expert to get the inside (and gross) details on working at a seasonal fireworks tent. For nearly 50 years, the movie “JAWS” has made beachgoers think twice about getting in the ocean. Set around the July 4th holid...
Jul 04, 2022•18 min
It may feel good in the moment but pettiness rarely, if ever, ends well. This week, some examples. You’re familiar with Popeye, the sailor who found superhuman strength from eating spinach? Those green leaves earned a reputation as a superfood from the tie-in. Was it warranted? Chick-fil-A has built its business on a commitment to customer service. How important is customer service to the bottom line? And why do Chick-fil-A employees always say “my pleasure”? http://www.commutethepodcast.com Fol...
Jun 27, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 71
1) When Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark on their famous western expedition, it wasn’t just to find more opportunities for commerce. Instead, Jefferson had a bizarrely personal request for the adventurers. 2) Unlike much of the world, public restrooms are free to use in America. But why, and are we better off because of it? 3) There have been 275 million copies of Monopoly sold worldwide since its creation in 1935, so many people have had to make tough choices on what game piece they’ll use...
Jun 20, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 70
1) The dot com bubble from 1995 to 2000 was fueled by speculation of how profitable mainstream internet use could be. Some, like Amazon, rode the waves to riches. For others, like Pets.com, things got quickly out of hand. 2) LOL. We text it without even thinking about it. So, where did LOL come from? 3) Comic books are filled with fascinating stories of unique characters. Batman. Superman. Wonder Woman. Gorillas. Wait, huh? http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram.c...
Jun 13, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 69
