It was only since 1958 that the Jet Age began, and jet lag became a real condition. Also known as desynchronosis, jet lag can lead to all manner of ailments, from sleeplessness to irritability to diabetes and cancer. In this classic episode, learn about how the body's natural clock runs normally and what happens when it gets out of whack when we cross time zones quickly. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 01, 2023•36 min
Dowsing, aka water-witching has been around a long time. And you might be surprised that's still a thing. We get into all the nitty gritty of this pseudo-science today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 30, 2023•45 min
There’s a little-discussed trend you might run into at your favorite theme park – people scattering the ashes of a loved one on rides. Here's hoping you don't literally run into it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 29, 2023•12 min
Back when cars were a brand new thing, before people even knew they'd stick around, two men and a dog drove from San Francisco to New York. This is their story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 28, 2023•49 min
In 1970, roboticist Masahiro Mori wrote an essay that said the closer robots come to lifelike, the more they unsettle humans. His theory became the Uncanny Valley, and science has been evaluating it – and what makes something creepy - in recent years. Learn all about it with Josh and Chuck in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 25, 2023•1 hr 8 min
One of the all-stars of the hobby world is collecting baseball cards. Over time it’s gone from a kids’ hobby to a major investment vehicle, complete with its own bubble that recently burst. But at the heart of it is something both engrossing and endearing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 23, 2023•55 min
You know when you read a word over and over it starts to lose its meaning? There’s a term for that and why it happens is fascinating. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 22, 2023•12 min
Floyd Collins was a natural-born caver who met a terrible fate, becoming stuck underground where no one could get him loose. His unlucky, slowly unfolding plight also turned out to be one of the first national media sensations of the 20th century. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 21, 2023•48 min
Anyone who knows anything about Jean-Claude Van Damme knows he played a French legionnaire in the movies. He was just one of many actors to star in films that romanticized this mercenary force. Check out the details in this classic episode with Josh and Chuck. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 18, 2023•19 min
Chuck and Josh were around during the Golden Age of the arcade. And look how they turned out! Join them on a trip down memory lane. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 16, 2023•59 min
John Cage was a unique artist to say the least. Learn all about this avant-garde composer today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 15, 2023•13 min
Amaro is a delicious traditional liqueur, usually from Italy, that has delighted diners and drinkers for centuries. Tune in to learn all about this wonderful digestif. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 14, 2023•54 min
During World War II, Nazis invaded the United States with saboteurs bent on fomenting chaos. Three times. Learn all about it in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 11, 2023•56 min
You may have heard your parents or – gasp – grandparents prattle on about how amazing the original 1969 Woodstock Festival was. It turns out that, as much as people who lived through the 60s like to talk them up, Woodstock really was that amazing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 09, 2023•57 min
Paprika is more than a smoky Hungarian spice. Actually, that's not true, that's exactly what it is. But it sure is delicious! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 08, 2023•9 min
A noncompete agreement, a pledge not to work for a competitor for a set amount of time, makes sense – when the worker is well compensated and privy to company secrets. But that doesn’t describe the vast majority of workers who’ve signed noncompetes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 07, 2023•50 min
In this classic show recorded live on January 5, 2017 at San Francisco’s Castro Theatre, Josh and Chuck delve into the history and the heyday of the church of consumerism and what it means for local communities and our capitalist society at large when malls die. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 04, 2023•1 hr 6 min
Crossword puzzles have an interesting history and are a lot of fun to do. Dive in today to learn about Chuck's latest obsession. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 02, 2023•54 min
In a bridal shop in Chihuahua, Mexico a mannequin has been standing in the window since the 1930s that’s so lifelike some say it’s actually a corpse. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 01, 2023•11 min
If you’ve ever thought, “What’s the Amazon rainforest ever done for me? Nothin, that’s what,” then you’re dead wrong, friend. It covers 1 percent of the Earth’s surface but houses perhaps 30 percent of its species and it’s invaluable to all life on Earth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 28, 2023•54 min
In a small town in Iowa in 1912 eight people were murdered in the grisliest of ways while they slept. Local reputations were ruined when accusations flew, but could a drifting serial killer working across the Midwest have been behind it? Learn all about it with Josh and Chuck in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 25, 2023•46 min
Naps are great if you can manage to find the space to take them. The trick is to do it for the right amount of time. We get into all in the ins and outs of Chuck's favorite time of day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 23, 2023•44 min
It’s pretty well known that if you wait to make a big decision until after you get some sleep, you’re likelier to make a good one. But why should that be? Why, we’ll explain if only you’d listen. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 22, 2023•14 min
Chuck and Josh turn into the Hardy Boys for one of the great unsolved mysteries of WWII, a work of art worth a king’s ransom that went missing in 1945. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 21, 2023•47 min
In 1987, a very strange broadcast intrusion occurred in the city of Chicago. For just a couple of minutes, the odd TV character Max Headroom appeared onscreen in the middle of an episode of Dr. Who. He spoke in garbled tones, brandished a marital aid, and was spanked on the rear with a fly swatter by a person dressed in Annie Oakley garb. If this sounds weird, it is. It's the Max Headroom Incident. Find out all about it in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...
Feb 18, 2023•48 min
The fire at the Beverly Hills Supper Club was not in Los Angeles, but Kentucky. Which happened to be Las Vegas before Vegas was Vegas. Confused? Listen in and all will be clear. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 16, 2023•53 min
In 1981 a Mobile mother of six was forced into the role of civil rights activist when the Klan murdered her son and she was moved to fight back. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 15, 2023•12 min
Flamingos are much more than just pretty pink birds. They are in fact, quite remarkable! Listen and learn… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 14, 2023•49 min
There are extreme sports and then there is cave diving, the most extreme activity a person can engage in without leaving Earth. Cave divers stay underwater swimming miles into – that’s right – caves, where no human has ever been before. It’s pretty cool. Wade in with Josh and Chuck in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 11, 2023•51 min
Josh and Chuck take a listener’s suggestion – many, many suggestions – and learn that possums are pretty great and very much misunderstood. By the end of this episode you will too! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 09, 2023•50 min