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GamesStuff to Change the World
Changing the world one podcast at a time.
In the United States, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) keeps a database of transplant candidates waiting for organs. The statistics are daunting: Demand for organs has outstripped the available supply, meaning that patients must wait for months or years before receiving an organ. According to LifeShare (via our article), each passing day brings [...]
I recently checked out an excellent TED talk from Alex Steffen of Worldchanging.com. In the clip below, Alex addresses the subject of a sustainable future (and what it will take to achieve one). This wide-reaching presentation touches on numerous issues, from the emergence of megacities to patterns of technology adoption and brilliant inventions built to empower [...]
Have you looked at the moon lately? It’s fascinating. And, if a certain Japanese construction firm has its way, it could also become the answer to Earth’s burgeoning energy crisis. Look, I know it might sound like I made this one up, but it’s true: The R&D group at Shimizu, one of Japan’s largest construction firms, [...]
Have you ever used Google to search for your own name? If you haven’t, I suggest you give it a try: The results may surprise you. Google probably knows more about you than you’d assume. And, although Google receives a hefty share of criticism for its policies regarding private information, it’s far from the only [...]
In the great game of evolution, elephants have racked up an impressive list of achievements. For example: They’re the largest living land animal, and scientists are still studying the their prodigious brainpower. This intelligence is readily observable in the wild. Some appear to have an artistic streak (check out the video below). Humans even pay homage [...]
Let’s start with tigers. The World Wildlife Fund (commonly known as the ‘non-wrestling’ WWF) estimates that there may be as few as 3,200 tigers in the wild. Although the WWF has an ambitious plan to double the wild tiger population, things aren’t looking good for the largest member of the cat family. If humanity doesn’t make some drastic changes [...]
Have you ever tried to read Old English? It’s tough. To the untrained eye, even Middle English, the language of The Canterbury Tales, is markedly different from the language we use now. There’s no shortage of linguists and other experts studying the evolution of English from its roots to its present form(s), but many native speakers [...]
In an earlier post, we took a quick look at the amount of food wasted around the world each year. On the heels of this news, there’s been a new food-related issue gaining attention in the media. Brace yourself, because it might sound crazy: What if we grew meat in labs? I know, I know: [...]
KEO isn’t your typical time capsule. For starters, it’s a satellite. Instead of spending the next century or millennium buried in the ground or tucked away in a vault, it will (theoretically) leave Earth and return 50,000 years in the future, bearing messages to our descendants. These aren’t just messages from politicians, celebrities and brilliant, quirky mathematicians [...]
Not everyone relishes a freshly-microwaved plate of leftovers — but, if you had to guess, how much food would you say is lost or wasted across the world, each year? Hundreds of millions of tons, surely. Maybe billions? The actual number is 1.3 billion tons. According to a recent report from the UN’s Food and [...]
Recent Postings by Category
BrainStuff
- Thank You and Best Wishes to Marshall Brain
- Contest – Design a $300 house and win $25,000
- How the Philtrum works – the place under your nose where your face comes together
The Coolest Stuff on the Planet
- Golden Fields of Canola
- The Park That Never Sleeps: Central Park
- Draw a Pretty Picture With Your Bike and Your Phone
Keep Asking
- Why can a 5 foot 8 inch man dunk a basketball on a 10 foot rim while some people of taller stature can’t?
- What happens to our sun once it runs out of fuel?
- How do we know the age of the universe?
Stuff Mom Never Told You
- Who invented the Christmas card?
- How the Kinsey Report Fueled Whiskey Sales
- How to Get Your Wedding Announcement into The New York Times
Stuff to Blow Your Mind
- Blow Your Mind: Nebula in a Box
- Blow Your Mind: Three Minutes Till Impact
- Touching the Void: Psychedelics and Death
Stuff You Should Know
- Stuff You Should Know at SXSW
- The Southern Death Cult, the Maya and Georgia
- Deformed Baby Spider Brains
The Stuff of Genius
CarStuff
- Listener Mail: What’s the world’s largest engine?
- Listener Mail: What makes a “classic car” classic?
- Was Chrysler’s “It’s Halftime in America” Super Bowl commercial a little too political?
How-to Stuff
- How to Enjoy the Fruits of Your Labor
- How to Travel the World in 4 Days
- How to Smell Like Someone at HowStuffWorks
PopStuff
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 68: Astrology: What’s PopStuff’s Sign?
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 67: Collecting: PopStuff’s Cabinet of Curiosities
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 66: Tracy and Holly’s Running Playlists
Stuff They Don't Want You To Know
- Good News from the Oldest Mayan Calendar
- One Year Later: Colony Collapse Disorder
- Who Killed Martin Luther King, Jr.?
Stuff to Change the World
- Who will own the Arctic?
- Obesity: The New Global Crisis
- Bill Gates Makes For A Pretty Decent Cartoon
Stuff You Missed in History Class
- Butch Cassidy: Should we read between the lines?
- Are we rooting for D.B. Cooper?
- Party Time: A Look at Unconventional Politics
