Mark and Toddcast

We all know the nursery rhyme about Lizzie Borden and the untimely demise of her parents. But how much of it is true? And what actually happened in that Massachusetts house in 1892 that we...

The post #94 – Lizzie Borden Took an Ax… appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.

Tiny bones, flexing membranes, percussive protection, and some fluid for good measure — our ability to hear and instantly translate sound into meaning is both amazingly advanced, yet mechanically fairly simple. Take a listen to...

The post #93 – Can You Hear Me Now? appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.

Emojis are everywhere from plush toys to lip balm to the movie theaters, but where did they come from? Does someone own them? Can I design my own? Find out the answers in this surprising...

The post #92 – [Eggplant Emoji] appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.

This week we look at what exactly is happening when you see a mirage or other atmospheric phenomenon (phenom-mnah), and how light bends around and through the air like crashing waves to create optical illusions...

The post #91 – Mirages, Light Bending, and Other Phenom-mnah appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.

Much like salt, sugar has played an integral role in the spreading of humans around the world. Domesticated by New Guinea, powdered by India, perfected by Muslims, spread by Crusades, and the reason half of...

The post #90 – Gimme Some Sugar, Baby appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.

Todd is out of town, so Brian “The Unipiper” Kidd fills in to chat with Mark about the world of file sharing and torrenting. Also discussed: a steel mill that only needs 14 employees, an...

The post #89 – Don’t Download This Episode appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.

It’s not an understatement to say that trains built this country, and to this day are the backbone of our transportation industry. In this episode we take a closer look at a few of the...

The post #88 – Trainspotting appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.

Have you ever wondered how they pack such intricate explosions into those compact projectiles when you’re watching fireworks? Find out the history and mechanics of fireworks on this week’s show! Plus, the Unipiper tells us...

The post #87 – Baby You’re a Firework appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.

William Shakespeare changed the world with his writing, but for centuries people have argued he never even existed at all. From Mark Twain to Walt Whitman to even members of the US Supreme Court (who...

The post #86 – Was Shakespeare a Conspiracy? appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.

IBM’s “Watson” is more than just an AI or supercomputer – it’s a staggering step into a future of machines that can both learn (it can learn up to a million books per minute) and...

The post #85 – My Dear Watson appeared first on Mark and Toddcast.