What a Weird Week Fri Oct 4th: Spiders, Love, Happiness!

What a Weird Week gets you caught up on the weird news of the week.  https://www. 
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Hi friends, I'm Scott and this is What a Weird Week, a show about the weird stuff in the news. See below for a transcript of the podcast episode. To subscribe to the podcast or for social media and more links, you can get everything at www.shownotes.page. These are the shownotes for Season 5, Ep 40 first published on Friday Oct 4th 2024. Here are this week's stories...
 
Egg-Drop Smashes World Record, Egg is not smashed though

Man Drinks Pouch of Juice, World Reacts! #MikeJackRecord #CapriSun
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2024/10/02/canada-Guinness-World-Records-Capri-Sun/4611727885489/
Italian lady breaks World Record for tongue circumference (cir-tongue-ference)

 
David "Record-Breaker" Rush may not know how to stop breaking world records. #LawnmowerChin
breaks world record by walking over 1,100 feet with a running lawn mower on his chin
 

Changing how we use defibrillators makes them more lifesaving - study
https://studyfinds.org/new-way-of-using-defibrillators/

Swallowing is key to eating disorders... but wait, there's more! #HappinessResearch
https://studyfinds.org/swallowing-makes-people-happy/

 
Get started on one of these hilarious Halloween costumes! #Shrimp-on-the-Barbie
https://studyfinds.org/best-funny-halloween-costumes/

Mindfulness meditation is more effective than placebo in reducing pain, study finds
https://studyfinds.org/meditation-placebo-effect-pain/

NASA is developing a new time zone specifically for the Moon #CoordinatedLunarTime
 
Wait, can AI REALLY pass a law exam? #nope
https://studyfinds.org/can-ai-pass-a-college-law-exam/

 
I Don't Like Mondays Sundays - Survey
https://studyfinds.org/spend-sundays-terrified/

 
Man discovers $6.6 million Picasso painting hidden in his home for decades
https://nypost.com/2024/10/01/lifestyle/painting-hated-by-owners-wife-turns-out-to-be-6m-picasso/




Transcript!
00:00
Wait, this is where the intro goes? What a weird week. Hi everybody, it's Weird. This is like crazy new here. Really? Weird. Ted. Well, I got a great show for you today. It was so wonderful. Weird stuff. Hi friends, I'm Scott and this is What a Weird Week. If you're new to this show, what we do is we look back at the past week and the weird stuff that happened and we do a top 10 of weird news. You can get the transcript or the show notes

00:30
All the stories in more detail, all our podcast stuff, all of it is at shownotes.page, shownotes.page. Here we go, season five episode, can't remember, first published Friday, October 4th, 2024. 10. Number 10 is about the kids, the Pennsylvania high school kids who just broke a world record for dropping an egg 80 some feet. It plummeted to the ground and did not break.

00:57
and it is official now they have a Guinness World Record. They actually set the record in August, but you got to go through all of the scrutinizing there, the Guinness World Records folks, and now the high school kids and a teacher have a Guinness World Record. The old record was only 50 some feet, so they shattered. Ironically, by not shattering the egg, they shattered the world record. It is one of those deals where they climb up, you know, a staircase very high or up on a roof.

01:24
and they have all designed different ways to protect the egg and let's drop these eggs and see what happens. Sometimes it's total egg catastrophe, but in this case world record. Well done! Just a couple of notes on this. It is a great world record to set, a great thing they do at the school in promotion of STEM education and science, furthering science and having some fun with eggs. But it's called the T- it's named after the school, the T-E Egg Drop. Why not call it the Over Easy Award? Or...

01:54
something, you know, and then you bring in the egg marketing board and all of a sudden you're not paying for eggs anymore. You're getting free eggs and perhaps a stipend for the school. Maybe a breakfast restaurant wants to come on board and for anyone whose project fails, anyone does not get a passing grade in this and the egg smashes. Free scrambled eggs. Just a couple of ideas. Nine. Let's keep going with the world records. Number nine is the new record Mike-

02:23
Jack has said, he made headlines, Mike Jack is a Canadian speed eater who has a number of world records, set a new record for drinking a Capri Sun, you know those delicious juice thing, those pouches full of delicious nectar, the Capri Sun juice. So there's a world record right now for drinking that really quickly with the standard plastic straw. It's around eight seconds to drain a Capri Sun pouch. Is that what you call them, pouches? Beverage pouch? I don't, did we just?

02:53
steal that or is that a real do people say that anyway Mike Jack perhaps in a nod to environmentalism perhaps in a nod to creating new challenges and overcoming them Mike Jack drank a Capri Sun with a paper straw instead of the standard plastic straw it took a lot longer but the record is 21 seconds and something 21.71 we'll link to the video if you click the show notes

03:22
Also, you could just imagine somebody wearing a red headband looking intently down at a pouch of juice and then drinking it. Three, two, one, go.

03:37
Bye.

03:46
And then a sigh of relief or also probably just a normal breath after all that drinking. You've got to breathe. Congratulations Mike Jack on the new record. Alright, hang on. Number eight is another. Should we keep going with the world records? A lot of world records made news this week. This next one, this tongue world record, it will make you consider your own tongue. You will contemplate your tongue after our number eight story. It's next.

04:23
This is What a Weird Week. We do weird news. All the weird news of the week in a top 10. 8. Our number 8 story as we continue with World Records is the Italian lady named Ambra, 37 year old woman who was recently recognized by the Guinness World Records as having the largest tongue circumference. 5.44 inches. So if you can form your tongue into a ball, ball your tongue right now and imagine a squash ball. I don't know how popular is squash these days. When I was a younger fellow...

04:52
I played squash and if you ball your tongue and it's the size of a squash ball, well that's a world record. Couple of things here. First of all, it is not an easy record to obtain. I don't know if you do tongue exercises or if it's just natural, you know, a natural gift, but Amber had to have her tongue measured by a doctor three times just to be sure. The Guinness book of world records, they don't mess around. The other thing is why have I been saying the circumference?

05:22
It should be Sertongue France. When measuring tongues, where do I send off this suggestion? The scientific community? Don't you feel like it should be called the Sertongue France? Seven. Let's do one more world record here. Number seven. This is, I don't know, guys. I feel like one of us has got to step in and talk to David Rush. Record breaker Rush is the fellow who now has the most concurrent world records. That was the goal.

05:51
I'm going to set enough world records that I set a world record for having a lot of world records. That's David Rush. Always likes to shine a light on education. You know, using the platform, uh, shines a light on STEM education, but I feel like one of us has got to make a phone call here or write a letter or is it possible? Let me just postulate this. David Rush doesn't know how to stop breaking records now. Maybe we need to show him.

06:19
It's okay to relax once in a while, David Rush, because he keeps going. He's got the world record for the most world records, and he just made news for, oh my gosh, and this one's so dangerous. He walked over a thousand feet, 1,100 and some feet, with a running lawnmower balanced on his chin. He shattered the old world record using an electric mower. I guess you know they're a bit lighter. Also, less chance of gasoline dripping out all over your...

06:49
chin, you'd have gas space, you guys. So bonkers, we do link to the video if you click the show notes or go to shownotes.page. I had a running lawnmower on my chin, but why you ask? I ask why not? Actually, there's a very good reason why not, which you're about to find out. But the record for the furthest distance walked balancing a running lawnmower on the chin was 71.5 meters set in 2017. Therefore I had to give it a try. Too dangerous, David, too dangerous. Be careful, man.

07:16
Hang on, number six is next. It involves spiders, full disclosure, spiders, in our number six story, and love. Spiders and love, love and spiders.

07:29
Bye!

07:46
Summarying the weird news of the week, this is what a weird week. 6. Let's be careful here with number 6. It might be triggering to you if you don't like spiders. It involves spiders and love. Love and spiders. Maybe you don't like love. Maybe you don't like the combo platter of spiders and love. This story may not be for you. The Tarantula Fest of La Junta, Colorado made headlines this week as they had their big Tarantula Fest. It is currently Tarantula mating season.

08:14
in La Junta, Colorado, and people do come from all over to spot spiders as the gentlemen spiders are out looking for love. There are a lot of spiders to be seen, a lot of tarantulas in La Junta, Colorado, and so people armed with flashlights do spider watching. Also, La Junta features a parade and a hairy legs contest. So if you or someone you know has ever been called spider legs in a taunting way, maybe you could win this contest.

08:43
That sounds nice. This is something I had no idea existed. You know, as an East Coast Canadian, we do not have tarantulas for sure. I had no idea that tarantulas during their mating season were such an attraction. And shout out to the organizers of Tarantula Fest La Junta, Colorado. Also, I guess best of luck to the spiders looking for that special someone. Side note, why don't they get a dating app to sponsor this festival? I feel like that's a match made in heaven.

09:13
As the spiders are looking for love, perhaps you are too. Five. Number five is that scientific study about the defibrillator devices. First, let me say, if you are in the unfortunate situation where you have to use a defibrillator, follow the instructions on the defibrillator. They've looked into them though, and they think there's a way to make them even more effective. Defibrillators are those things, you know, that you've seen them at the community center, the rec center, the arena.

09:39
Public places if someone's had a heart attack you can hook them up to the defibrillator and those machines have saved lives And if you ever have the opportunity to donate to the heart and stroke foundation or to a charity that is about getting Defibrillators in more places. I mean those things save lives. Anyway, sorry back on track. They've looked into how we

09:59
could use them better. And one of the things that they've discovered is that it's more than twice as likely to have a good outcome of what they call the return of spontaneous circulation, R-O-S-C. If you put one of the pads from the defibrillator on the front of the chest and one of the pads on the back of the chest. But again, they haven't changed current guidelines with the defibrillator. So heaven forbid you're in a situation where you need to use one.

10:23
Follow the instructions on the defibrillator until guidelines, you know, they have to look into this. This is a study from Oregon Health and Science University. And if you want to do a deep dive on the results and stuff, click the show notes or go to show notes that page. I love that we have this device is a kind of miracle device that has saved people's lives. And yet they're thinking, hey, could it be better? How can we let's look into this? And it seems as though they're on the track to making it even more life saving.

10:50
I feel like the lawyers would want me to say one more time, I'm not a scientist and I'm sure they have to look into this more. But it seems like good news research. We've got another scientific study next. It's something simple that can make us happy that they're discovering. We can all do this. Happiness. Next.

11:11
Bye!

11:20
10 weird news items from the past week. This is what a weird week. Four. Number four is that study where the researchers are looking into overeating. And they know when we eat something delicious, that serotonin gets released into our brains. And so maybe you have one piece of pizza and your brain is like, I want more serotonin. And you go for another piece of pizza and perhaps you eat an entire pizza. Show of hands. I'm putting up my hand right now, you guys. I...

11:49
I've done that. So anyway, the researchers are looking into this and they're like, what is happening? And they think now they're onto a new angle with the overeating and the serotonin release. They believe it is in the swallowing process that some message gets sent to the brain and sweet serotonin. So the swallowing makes us happy and also can lead to overeating. So there's a couple of things where, you know, it's the early stages right now, but this could be a new

12:18
realm for helping people who, you know, struggle with overeating. But also, swallowing makes us happy. There has got to be something there. They've got to branch off now and say, all right, well, most, most all of us can swallow. So how can we turn this into some sort of making the world happier situation? Right now, it's early stages. This was all, I think this was all fruit fly research. So hopefully this will become something to help humans. You know, let's get the fruit flies

12:48
but also humans. Three. Number three, another AI story. Every week we have an AI story because every minute of every hour there is a headline somewhere about AI. It's taking over. The robots will be our overlords or it's the greatest thing ever or it's caused the stock market to go through the roof. AI, you guys. We had this story once before about how AI...

13:10
Pass the bar exam. Everybody heard that AI is so smart. It passed the bar exam. We're going to have robot lawyers. You guys robot lawyers, robot lawyers. We even did a thing about how, what a great show that would be. I would watch that show combination of robo cop and law and order robot lawyers. It's still a standby that that would be a hit television program. But anyway, there's another study out a newer study involving AI and university level assessments.

13:39
This particular case was an undergraduate criminal law final exam. AI did pretty good on the essay questions, but when you got into complex questions where you had to really analyze, like do a legal analysis of a scenario, AI was not as good as a person. This study seems to indicate that AI should be a tool. It would seem that you do not want to hire AI as your lawyer to represent you in court. Maybe go with a human being.

14:09
Up next, interesting story. It's not that uplifting. I gotta tell you, our number two story involves why Sunday is awful for so many of us. And it gets into the exact time that the awfulness kicks in on Sundays. That's next.

14:33
Bringing you updates from the world of weird news, this is what a weird week. Number two is that study about the Sunday Scaries. Now this is from the United States of America, so depending where you're hearing this, it might be different for you, but a recent survey about how you feel on Sundays, the results are that the average American gets the Sunday Scaries 36 times a year.

14:59
So you get anxious, you get dread, you think about work or school starting and it's not a nice thing for you. And usually they even crunched when this kicks in. Usually it's around 3.54 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. So if you make it till after supper before this feeling of dread or like, I gotta go to work, I gotta go to school tomorrow. If you make it till after supper before that kicks in, you're actually doing better than a lot of people.

15:28
So then the article gets into, you know, why it is we get the, you know, we're all stressed out. We're all burned out. We haven't gotten enough rest. All of the things you would know, like sometimes you need a weekend to recover from your weekend. There's so much to cram into your weekend, right? This study was conducted by like a research, a real research organization did this study, but it was for Pacific foods, because one of the things

15:56
they say that can make the Sunday scaries a little better or your stressful week a little better is delicious food. I'm not really sure what they were going for, but I guess it was something like, hey, your life is hectic, Sundays should be about delicious food from Pacific foods. That's not their slogan or whatever, but I could be completely wrong about that.

16:18
If you want to read the whole thing, we put a link in the show notes or click show notes dot page on honorable mention mention. We're on the way to the number one weird story of the week. Before that, some honorable mentions and we'll link to all of these in the show notes. Our friends at study finds which, you know, they dig deep into the scientific studies and the important stuff that matters. They have a list of the top five hilarious Halloween costumes to make you the life of the party. I mean, it's Halloween month.

16:47
Is one they mentioned one of my kids went as Bob Ross one year her friend went as the painting it is pretty good It is quite hilarious. So I think this list checks out You can view the whole thing if you click show notes dot page also mindfulness meditation There's a new study that says if you practice Meditation it's proven now to be effective in relieving or reducing pain. It beats the placebo effect Look into that study if you want if you're a meditative type

17:17
Kablami. Now you're justified. Also, we link to a story about NASA's lunar time. We talked about this before. They want moon time. The moon needs its own time. Isn't it true that when they figured out time zones and stuff before, it was because trains were running and they had to know what time the train would be? I think it was because trains were arriving. So this to me would indicate that the space trains will be pulling into the lunar station any day.

17:46
Don't quote me on that. All right, hang on. Number one is next. And it is one of these great stories about you find something that everyone thought was junk. And it makes you a millionaire. That's next.

18:11
catching you up on 10 of the weirdest news things that happened this week. This is what a weird week. One number one is about a fellow named Luigi in the 1960s. Luigi in Italy found a painting that he liked. He worked as a junk dealer and so he was cleaning out a cellar in Italy and there was a painting in there and he was like, not, not bad. I'm gonna, you know what? I'm going to keep this. I think I like this.

18:37
His wife did not like it. Luigi, Mrs. Luigi did not like it, but it went up in the living room for a, you know, a number of years, a cheap frame. And here is this painting up on the wall, Luigi and Mrs. Luigi's wall. If you would like to see what the painting looks like, you can click show notes that page. It certainly is not everyone's cup of tea. It looks like a lady who maybe the painting got sliced into and then put back together. I don't know. Is that maybe.

19:06
I don't know art. Anyway, Luigi's son, decades later, sees the signature on this painting and he's like, I think this is a Picasso. I'm getting this thing checked out. And it was, it was a Picasso worth more than six million dollars. You guys, after I love stories like this, after I hear a story like this, I go to my Salvation Army or, you know, a junk store or a yard sale, whatever. For the next little while, I'm going to buy every ugly painting.

19:36
they have at these yard sales and junk stores because I'm daring to dream you guys. How great would that be to find something that was everyone thought was junk? And then now you're a millionaire because you're a genius. Hey, that's the dream. OK, well, stop there. I appreciate your listening. You can get all the show notes and the links to the stories we talked about in the pictures and that. If you click show notes dot page show notes dot page.

20:05
Also, if you go to our podcast page, you can get links to our social media and there's a button there for Funhaus Radio. We are part of the weekend broadcasting on Funhaus Radio. Thank you to the crew over there. You can Google them if you want or ask your smart speaker to play Funhaus Radio. We'll catch you next weekend with 10 more weird things on What a Weird Week.





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