Episodes
Ep.154: Auction Lunacy
March 20, 2023
When Jon and Kurt were sharing befuddlement (something they often do) about the fact that a banana duct taped to a wall sold for $120,000 at auction a year ago, they decided to explore it more. In so doing, they found some b…
Ep.153: Creepy Nursery Rhymes
March 13, 2023
Ah, the wonder of comforting childhood rhymes–such sweet innocent word play to amuse, soothe, and educate young children. At least that is what we all thought until Jon and Kurt did some digging, some intensive research, som…
Ep.152: Famous Last Words
March 6, 2023
People have used their final words, before passing onto the next adventure in the sky, to truly make a statement. Funny, emotional, insulting, self-deprecating, you name it. With the chance for one final opportunity to commu…
Ep.151: Surprising Facts about the Presidents
Feb. 27, 2023
Jon and Kurt decide to get patriotic, historic, and caloric–ok, not caloric, but it did fit the rhyme scheme–as they share unique, surprising stories about our 46 U.S. Presidents. From the scientifically interesting (which i…
Ep.150: Back to the Future
Feb. 20, 2023
Kurt and Jon celebrate their milestone 150th episode by trying to spit out the the word sesquicentennial with mixed results. With that out of the way, the boys take a look back at...and then build on...some of their favorite…
Ep.149: The New Rules
Feb. 13, 2023
We have emerged out of a precedent-setting pandemic where all bets were off as to how we behaved, presented ourselves, and interacted with others. Add to this dynamic that there is now a new generation in the workspace, the…
Ep.148: The Quaker Oats Pinhole Camera
Feb. 6, 2023
Our homes are veritable Swiss army knives of contraptions, inventions, and solutions. Everyday household items found in drawers, cabinets, and refrigerators can be used for solving many common issues. Jon and Kurt get in on …
Ep.147: Trivia Bowl
Jan. 30, 2023
Jon and Kurt each found some random questions they wanted to ask each other to try and establish a trivia knowledge hierarchy in the Smart Drivel organization. Of course, this being Smart Drivel, the answers are never straig…
Ep.146: Phobia Madness
Jan. 23, 2023
Ever get that sneaking suspicion that there is something out there to be afraid of? In other words, do you have a phobia about phobias? Well, there is a name for that: Phobophobia is a fear of being afraid. If there is a pho…
Ep.145: Game Changing Business Inventions
Jan. 16, 2023
Jon and Kurt take a look through history at great business inventions. They apply their own filters as to what makes a great invention and bring in personal experiences in the business world to list, debate, admire, and laug…
Ep.144: “We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat”
Jan. 9, 2023
Every great movie has an iconic line that, when uttered, immediately generates a response from those in your conversation pod. “It’s all ball bearings these days.” “Play it, Sam.” “We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.” Jon and…
Ep.143: The Quintessence (redux)
Jan. 2, 2023
In every category, there always seems to be one product, one event, one person, one object that defines the list, that comes out on the very top and is the first listed. This element is the example of the topic of discussion…
Ep.142: Homophones (redux)
Dec. 26, 2022
Jon and Kurt invite you to peek in on their conversation about Homophones which will hopefully pique your interest and make you think they have reached the peak of podcasting. You guessed it, you are the guest of the episode…
Ep. 141: You Just Can’t Pass It Up
Dec. 19, 2022
We have all been there…you are on the couch flipping channels and you come across a movie that stops you in your tracks. No matter how many times you have seen it, you HAVE to watch it again. The same is true for songs on th…
Ep.140: Go Banana Slugs
Dec. 12, 2022
Ever get confused when you are watching an Auburn football game and they are referred to as the Tigers but then their fans all cheer for the War Eagles? Or want the backstory on the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs? Then you go do…
Ep.139: Dining Dinosaurs
Dec. 5, 2022
The 1970s saw the advent of bell bottoms, the rise of Donny Osmond, and the proliferation of new chain restaurants across the country. The affordability of these new “casual dining” experiences coupled with some of their the…
Ep.138: Accidental Products (redux)
Nov. 28, 2022
Most folks know by now that Viagra was not originally intended to solve a sexual issue, but they’d be amazed how Lysol was first marketed. In this episode, Jon and Kurt investigate products that became accidental commercial …
Ep.137: A Baker’s Dozen
Nov. 21, 2022
The boys were in a conversation the other day when they both started using common phrases in a nerdy “one-upsmanship” kind of way. It started innocently enough with Jon mentioning something about being “called on the carpet…
Ep.136: No Way That is True
Nov. 14, 2022
Did you know that the words written on Twitter every single day would fill a book of ten million pages? Did you know that “buttload” is an actual measurement? Jon and Kurt have fun in this episode doling out seemingly ridicu…
Ep.135: Stupid Questions
Nov. 7, 2022
In an episode that quickly diverted from the chosen topic--really stupid questions people ask-- and never returned to it (luckily, this is a weekly podcast so there is always another opportunity), Kurt discusses how he can …
Ep.134: Contronyms
Oct. 31, 2022
What is a contronym you ask? The definition is “a word with two opposite meanings.” Huh? You mean to tell me that you can use a word, feeling good about it, and then all of a sudden that same exact word can be taken as the c…
Ep.133: It’s Just Not True
Oct. 24, 2022
It happens all the time–at least to Kurt it does–there you are, sitting at a dinner regaling everyone with curious and interesting facts. Like where f.u.c.# comes from. Or the length of Twinkies half-life. Or the toilet was …
Ep.132: You Are Hungover. Now What? (redux)
Oct. 17, 2022
We’ve all been there: you are having a really good time at the party and imbibe just a wee bit too much. Enough too much that the following morning you feel like crap. So you try all sorts of things to mitigate the pain. To …
Ep. 131: The Mirror is Wrong
Oct. 10, 2022
Episode 131: The Mirror is Wrong Jon and Kurt delve back into words in this episode. Seems they are super nerds about words. Here they look at word couples that look the same, yet have different meanings. Like insensible and…