Episodes

Jon and Kurt pick up the scent from an earlier episode where they discovered John Koenig’s “The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows.” Basically, he made up words to fit common feelings that deserve and need to be named. Never missi...

Ever wanted to know what the difference is between alligators and crocodiles? Dolphins and porpoises? Further and farther? Whiskey and whisky? Plantains and bananas? You get the gist...this episode has Jon and Kurt exploring ...

What does a Pepsi navy have to do with telling time, reading books, or popes dying? Don’t have a proverbial pot to piss in as you think of the answer? Well, we are sure there is a cool new word that sums up your feelings. And...

Jon and Kurt can’t get enough of sharing things that makes the other say, “I didn’t know that!” They once again use the construct of each relating three little known morsels to one another. From the heights of Mt. Everest to ...

The boys are back at it. They are committed to teaching/relating/sharing with each other unique and oddball things previously unknown. In this episode they talk about exploding whales, dropped bombs, the oldest professions in...

Jon and Kurt recently learned of a fascinating human dynamic: there are many instances where large groups of people all swear they know a fact that is indisputable. Yet they are wrong. Their "fact" is completely made up. It i...

Jon and Kurt continue with the format of sharing fascinating, entertaining, fun things the other didn’t know. Yes, there was an Emu war. And Ikea sells a gazillion meatballs. There is a species that regenerates. Oh, and we ge...

Jon and Kurt seek to educate, enlighten, and entertain each other with information previously unknown–be it of the historical, technological, or linguistic bent. What happened in 1752 that no one remembers? From what common s...

Throughout history, dating as far back as humankind can go, there is an indomitable spirit in people that drives innovation and invention…to make our lives easier and more efficient. This manifested in a way that we kept crea...

Jon and Kurt were intrigued by the history, impact, and power of seemingly innocuous everyday items. In this episode they try to make the cast that the utilitarian fork isn’t just about eating, it is representative of the his...

You might think the common brew/brewski/suds/etc. is just a proletariat beverage more suited to frat brothers than aristocracy. But you would be wrong. Beer has been revered for over 10,000 years as both a nutritious drink an...

Jon and Kurt seek to answer that age-old question: why are things shaped as they are? Is it for practical purposes? Design aesthetics? Efficiency in production? All of the above? Ok, enough questions, how about some answers. ...

Proving once again that you can take the men out of boyhood but can’t take the boy out of the men (or something like that), Jon and Kurt crack themselves up by sharing a bunch of words that sound really dirty (like clatterfar...

We all go through life blithely using everyday products without knowing why they are what they are or why they have certain qualities. We just accept them for their utility value, not bothering to ask why. Well, phew, thankfu...

Humanity has long searched beyond the corporeal to find answers to life’s big questions. As part of this, there has always been a place for “gods” in all civilizations. From the omnipotent Zeus to Thor the Thunder God to curr...

Jon went into the fictional phone book to make a list of home addresses where TV/film/literary characters lived. And then he decided to test Kurt’s knowledge of said addresses, giving him three questions to ask to try and ide...

Humans love their monuments…the pyramids, the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, the coliseum, etc. But what do we know of them except what we learn from a hard to hear guide on crowded tour when you just want to get to...

Jon and Kurt find amusement (they are easily amused) in discussing words and phrases that were once popular but have now gone out of style. Of course, this is just a launching point for some meandering musings.

Humans make mistakes. They also change their mind. Or think they can improve something. In all these cases, when written, these same humans are grateful for the invention of the eraser. Yes, the eraser. That wonderful piece o...

Jon and Kurt take a deep dive into the history of the pedestrian, utilitarian, humble yet mighty toothpick. From its practical origins to its stint as a status symbol to its reign as the arbiter of cool to its “usage drift”, ...

Join Jon and Kurt for a rollicking, delicious, jaunt through the history of donuts and their role in pop culture. Find out why they (ok, just one of them) call donuts "the Truman Doctrine of Pastries", what Clark Gable and Wa...

The lads are back with another fun episode of interesting, random, silly facts (like the aforementioned one about Saudi Arabia). How many brains does a leech have? How many words for snow does Scotland have? And how close, vi...

Do you know that the longest word in the English language without a true vowel is “Rhythms”? Well, this got Jon and Kurt thinking about other really fun facts that can be used to dazzle friends and confuse enemies. What anima...

Hitting a classic Smart Drivel theme or genre or topic (ok ok ok, we get it). Jon and Kurt spend this episode giving the back stories to some of the most classic terms from sports or games. These are expressions we use in ev...