Mark and Toddcast

Found in a shipwreck and dating back to A.D. 100, the Antikytheria Mechanism proved to be one of the most fascinating devices ever: it accurately predicted the positions of the earth, moon, sun, and planets -- more than 500 years before we even realized the sun was the center of the universe.

To celebrate one year of remote recording, we actually recorded a show with both of us in the same room! Join us as we review some of the topics and news stories that have been piling up over the past couple of weeks.

A supercut of Mark's opening "Dad Joke" from the past year of episodes.

Few substances have changed the world more than stainless steel, yet its magical properties often go uncelebrated. This week we change that, as we look in to the history (and future) of stainless steel.

Hello, world! This week we take a look at a handful of hidden-in-plain-sight "phenomenons" that appear in films, music, and even computer programs. That's all I feel like writing.

This week we take a look at one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World - the Colossus of Rhodes. How much do we actually know about it? How was it built and how long was it there? Find out on this week's episode.

This week we take a look at some things we all thought we had figured out...that we still don't have figured out. Namely, how does a bike self-correct to keep itself upright when moving? And how does the Coriolis Effect make water drain in the opposite direction in the Southern Hemisphere? Or do either of those things really happen at all? Find out this week.

Triangulating a location on a perfectly round globe is relatively easy, but how do you do it on a globe that's squished in the middle -- an "oblate spheroid"? This week we take a look at Gladys Mae West, a pioneering African-American mathematician whose work in the mid-20th century is still used for global positioning systems today.

Mark is out this week, which means Todd is joined by a very special guest: Nate Heath of the NotNerd podcast! This episode we do a news roundup of the stories that have been piling up over the past couple of weeks. Be sure to check out the NotNerd podcast wherever podcasts can be found!

Company towns are nothing new. But company towns trying to replicated the Michigan suburbs in the Amazon rainforest are not. And when you hear about the calamities of Henry Ford's rubber plantation city experiment deep in the bowels of Brazil's Amazon jungle, you'll know why. Have you driven a Ford into the middle of nowhere lately?