This week we take a look at the astonishing success of giving kids (and adults) what is called an "ambiguous gestural or verbal praise" -- things like a fist bump, a pat on the shoulder, or shouting "Yeah!" to encourage someone along -- over standard character- or behavior-based praise.  High five!

Mark and Toddcast

#196 - Ambiguous Gestural and Verbal Praise

The Voyager space mission, which is now in interstellar space, far beyond our solar system, has a gold record attached to it containing images, words, pictures, greetings, and more, just in case it's discovered by alien life forms.  So what's on it? We fire up our cosmic record player to find out.

#195 - Voyager‘s Golden Record

It's that time again for our favorite segment "War of Wikipedia," where Mark and Todd go head-to-head to attempt to find the strangest, most interesting, most amusing, or all-together crazy Wikipedia articles trying to sway special guest judge Brian "The Unipiper" Kidd to choosing their story as the victor.

War of Wikipedia #5

This week we start taking a closer look around our own celestial neighborhood and diving into the weirdness of Uranus. And no, we're not mature about the name. In the news this week: El Salvador eyes Bitcoin, TikTok takes the lead, Mercedes reads our minds, RayBan/Facebook's new sunglasses, Marshawn Lynch goes Beast Mode in Portland, the I-5 freeway cap through the Rose Quarter, and Ned Flanders Crossing. 

#193 - Uranus is Thicc

What does one do if they're losing the space race? If that person is America, there's only one obvious answer: blow up a nuclear weapon on the moon to show how bad-ass we really are. How far did this plan go? Find out on this week's episode. In the news: Willard Scott dies, Mississippi River flows backwards, you can make $6 billion starting an opioid crisis, China's space plans, what the hell is Grimace, and the return of ABBA! Gimme Gimme Gimme!

#192 - Projct A119: Nuking the Moon

This week we take a short look at just which private companies are currently working on getting themselves into space. We've all heard about Musk, Branson, and Bezos, but who else is there, and what are their plans? In the news this week: LED streetlights decimate moths, the "Tesla Bot," Portland's iconic Mary's Club to move, Google's "time crystals," a new carnivorous plant discovered in the NW, Ron Popeil sets it and forgets it, and the most important of all the news: CREME SAVERS ARE COMING BACK, BABY!

#191 - The Private Space Race

History repeats itself, of course. But is it possible that it's repeating in cycles of 80 years that can be divided up into 20-year chunks? We explore this idea, as well as discuss moon conspiracies, Jeff Bezos in space, the Louvre sues PornHub, Canada opens its borders to the US again, a bran implant allows a paralyzed man to communicate, and the Oregon Zoo extends its hours.

#190 - The 80-Year Cycle of American Life

Presidential historians and US News & World Report have updated their list of Presidential ratings now that we're in a new administration. Spoilers: the guy who has always been at the bottom of the list continues to be dead last. Who is it? And why is it universally agreed that he was the absolute worst president? We'll find out why in this episode.

#189 Worst. President. Ever.

Alan Turning was a visionary in mathematics, cryptography, computer science, code-cracking, philosophy, and more. He set the foundations for modern computing and artificial intelligence, and helped crack the Enigma Code - saving an estimated 2 years of continuing war and up to 14 million people in the process.  He was also openly gay, which led to his arrest and chemical castration by the British authorities. It's a tragic story of a brilliant life cut too short by society's inability to view gay people as human.

#188 - The Incredible Life of Alan Turing

Robert Smalls was born into slavery, and through his wit, patience, bravery, and skill, was able to steal a Confederate war ship and sail himself, his wife, and several other families past Fort Sumter and to freedom during the Civil War. But that wasn't the end - Smalls went on to become one of the most important figures of the fight against the South, gained the ear of Lincoln, and secured voting rights for African-Americans after the war.   We also read a story about anuses.

#187 - The Daring Escape and Incredible Life of Robert Smalls

We're back after our extended break, and this week we take a closer look at how Bernoulli's principles of pressure work to create things like airplane lift and curve ball curves  - unless you're in space.

#186 -You Can't Throw a Curveball in Space

Like any good story, this one begins with Kruschev and Nixon, drenches itself in vodka, and ends with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Grab yourself a soda (or pop?) and take a ride through Russia's relationship with Pepsi, the first American product sold in the soviet block.  

#184 - When Russia Tried To Sell Its Navy to Pepsi

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.

#183 - The Antikytheria Mechanism

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.   

#182 - Mark and Todd - In Person!

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

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Mark and Toddcast

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