It looks so easy in movies, but what does it take to hire a hitman in the real world?In the 90’s, McDonald’s was the largest playground provider in the nation, but recently McDonalds Play Places have been disappearing. What happened?Heads or tails? Does it matter which you choose? A group of researchers decided to find out. Sources:https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/14/nyregion/hit-men-are-easy-to-find-in-the-movies-real-life-is-another-story.htmlhttps://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/mcdonalds-playland-playplace-historyhttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-destroy-illusion-that-coin-toss-flips-are-50-50/http://www.commutethepodcast.comFollow Commute:Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/Twitter - @PodcastCommuteFacebook - facebook.com/commutethepodcast

For most of its 110-year history, Stanley drinkware has not been particularly cool.  Suddenly, the Stanley Tumbler has now become a status symbol across high school and college campuses. How did this happen?In the early 1980s, cockroaches were everywhere, from homes across America to the halls of the White House. This seemingly indestructible insect was impossible to stop. Then one man had an idea.Legend has it that specific artwork on a Tootsie Roll Pop can be redeemed for a freebie. But legends are complicated. Sources:https://www.retaildive.com/news/stanley-quencher-tumblers-viral-success/699416/https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/archive/2023/11/cockroach-bait-invention-combat/676167/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZwMg1Z5NhWtvHwcVQswRZjUhttps://www.mashed.com/989880/could-you-really-score-free-candy-if-you-found-this-special-tootsie-pop-wrapper/http://www.commutethepodcast.comFollow Commute:Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/Twitter - @PodcastCommuteFacebook - facebook.com/commutethepodcast

If you thought litter was terrible on Earth, wait until you hear about what’s happening in outer space. At least down here it doesn’t come at you flying 15,000 MPH!First, there was Winnie the Pooh and, now, Mickey Mouse. As beloved modern characters enter public domain we could see them in versions and situations their creators never intended. But with Mickey there’s a catch...When Columbus and crew discovered America in 1492 they brought a stowaway with them. It now lives in your front yard. Sources:https://time.com/6551496/mickey-mouse-public-domain-steamboat-willie/http://www.commutethepodcast.comFollow Commute:Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/Twitter - @PodcastCommuteFacebook - facebook.com/commutethepodcast

Teaching history is hard. It can be challenging to convey the importance of events that happened long ago. An Instagram account tried a different approach, but did it work?Need a new Christmas tradition?! Too bad - we have one for you, anyway. To close out 2023, we look back at the year’s top 25 Wikipedia searches and wonder if it means anything for the year ahead. Sources:https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/08/instagram-holocaust-diary-evastories-sparks-debate-in-israelhttps://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/11/arts/music/whamageddon-last-christmas-game.htmlhttps://apnews.com/article/wikipedia-top-searches-2023-chatgpt-a0e742df4e00c30c063d0c2505c126e5http://www.commutethepodcast.comFollow Commute:Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/Twitter - @PodcastCommuteFacebook - facebook.com/commutethepodcast

Walk down the snack aisle at any grocery store and mixed among the BBQ and Salt & Vinegar chips you’ll find unusual and limited edition ones like “Picnic” or “All Dressed Up.” How do such chips, which may taste like entirely different foods, get made? If you’ve thought your cell phone reception has worsened in recent years, this segment is for you.McDonald’s is always a pretty consistent fast food choice. That’s about to change. Sources:https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/dec/02/the-weird-secretive-world-of-crisp-flavourshttps://time.com/6340727/cell-phone-reception-is-getting-worse/https://nypost.com/2023/11/30/lifestyle/mcdonalds-is-giving-its-burgers-a-makeover-changes-explained/http://www.commutethepodcast.comFollow Commute:Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/Twitter - @PodcastCommuteFacebook - facebook.com/commutethepodcast

Of all the strange rituals we rarely question, blowing out birthday candles has got to be up there.  What are the origins of this very unsanitary act?The online dating world is challenging but, with so many different dating apps, if one doesn’t work we can try another. They are surely all unique … aren’t they …?Why does being on the naughty list mean coal for Christmas?Sources:https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candleshttps://www.theverge.com/23560419/match-group-dating-apps-giant-tinder-hinge-okcupid-land-of-the-giantshttps://www.mentalfloss.com/article/31910/why-does-santa-claus-give-coal-bad-kidshttp://www.commutethepodcast.comFollow Commute:Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/Twitter - @PodcastCommuteFacebook - facebook.com/commutethepodcast

We’ve all failed. Most of us would rather not talk about it, but the Museum of Failure does more than talk about failures. It celebrates them.U.S. airlines lose millions of pieces of luggage annually. Most of them don’t just vanish, they end up in the same place. (It’s not the landfill.)It’s been a calling card of the dining experience at Olive Garden for decades - unlimited breadstick and salad refills. But even unlimited things have their limit.Sources:https://www.npr.org/2023/11/24/1214841411/luggage-lost-airlines-resale-unclaimed-baggage-alabamahttp://www.commutethepodcast.comFollow Commute:Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/Twitter - @PodcastCommuteFacebook - facebook.com/commutethepodcast

Do retailers put out Christmas stuff earlier and earlier every year, not giving Thanksgiving fair respect, or is it all in our heads?A presidential pardon forgives a crime and clears the record of the offender. So why does a turkey (yes, an actual turkey) receive this treatment every Thanksgiving? Sources:https://www.newsweek.com/countdown-christmas-creep-earlier-every-year-1631978https://www.npr.org/2019/11/26/782716688/i-beg-your-pardon-the-strange-history-presidents-sparing-turkeyshttp://www.commutethepodcast.comFollow Commute:Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/Twitter - @PodcastCommuteFacebook - facebook.com/commutethepodcast

Although the Beatles put out their last record in 1970, a demo originally recorded a few years later has been cleaned up and released thanks to technological advances - and features John Lennon more than 40 years after his death. To tip or not to tip, that is the question. And these days it’s asked more than ever. Not tipping is still an option, tho, right? Not if DoorDash has anything to say about it. Mein Kampf, the autobiographical, anti-Semitic hate manifesto written by Adolf Hitler, is one of the most controversial books of all time - which means that it’s also sold a lot of copies. Who’s getting that cash?Sources:https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7015861https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/02/business/doordash-tip-warning.htmlhttp://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2015/11/nobody-wants-royalties-hitlers-book/http://www.commutethepodcast.comFollow Commute:Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/Twitter - @PodcastCommuteFacebook - facebook.com/commutethepodcast

More than three decades ago, the New Yorker Magazine printed a cartoon about the internet that is just as accurate today as it was then, setting records for reprints. It’s still setting records.It’s after Halloween. What happens to all the pumpkins?Porta potties - everyone uses them; no one wants to. We’ll tell you more than you ever expected to know, including how often, if ever, they’re cleaned.Sources:https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-most-reprinted-new-yorker-cartoon-breaks-record-at-auction-for-a-single-panel-comic-180983135/#:~:text=In%201993%2C%20the%20New%20Yorker,cartoon%20in%20the%20magazine's%20historyhttps://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/11/where-pumpkins-go-after-halloween/601699/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/642730/how-are-porta-potties-cleanedhttp://www.commutethepodcast.comFollow Commute:Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/Twitter - @PodcastCommuteFacebook - facebook.com/commutethepodcast