Here we are in Atlanta at the end of August, the Friday before Labor Day. In the United States, most of us have the day off on Monday. The joke around my house is that I always get stuck with a honey-do list, and thus Labor Day becomes a day of labor, not rest. Ah well, the joys of married life. I highly recommend it for those of you languishing in your single lives. What does all of this have to do with this week’s podcasts? Not a thing.

This week on the Stuff You Should Know podcast program, we covered something that’s very “SYSK” and then something that we’ve never hit on before. Tuesday’s show on cremation had many of the hallmarks that put us where we are — gross things, dead bodies, and irreverent humor. As it turns out, cremation is a pretty interesting topic. Personally, I had no idea that a jet engine like flame is shot at the torso of the body. I kind of always pictured as more of a slow bake, which doesn’t make much sense when you think about it. We covered the process and also some of the underhanded jerks that take your money and do awful things with the bodies of the loved ones entrusted to them. One man, in our home state, stockpiled bodies for months because his incinerator broke down. He’s serving time in prison now for that bit of bad business and let’s hope he stays there for a little while.

Yesterday we covered our very first sports topic in SYSK history — how college football rankings are determined. The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) is the system we have for now, and it’s way more complex than I ever thought, and I’m a pretty knowledgeable college football fan. The BCS is a flawed system for sure, but it’s better than the old days when a team of sportswriters voted on the national champion. We both lobbied for a playoff system, like most fans want, but we also found out that the majority of coaches like things just how they are. We also got a chance to talk a little smack about the University of Florida, which is always fun. Go Dawgs!

Have  a great weekend, folks. Let’s hear about your experiences with cremation and college football in the comments below. As ever, be safe this weekend.