I had the chance to chat with Big John Howell and Rick Telander about their podcast The Chicago Smokehouse. Being two relative noobs to the podcasting world, they have plenty of questions of how to make it big. I hope you enjoy the conversation, and will check out their show.

Looking to invest more in their friendships, some are opening shared bank accounts

This seems like the worst idea in the long, sad history of bad ideas. I could see a couple scenarios where it wouldn’t be completely crazy, like maybe you’re planning a big trip together and it makes sense for everybody to pool their money (which is actually a scenario mentioned in the article) But overall, that’s a pretty strange concept to me

Is it better to shower in the morning or at night?

The most disturbing thing about this story is the fact that apparently 34% of Americans don’t shower every day

More Stories Below, but first some new content in the News Sidequest Podcast Universe…

Auditory Anthology

SCI-FI SHORT STORIES - NARRATED BY DARREN MARLAR & PRODUCED BY KEITH CONRAD

In a kingdom ruled by a semi-barbaric king, a young man’s fate rests on a barbaric game of chance—unless the princess who loves him can use her secret knowledge to save him from either a hungry tiger or an arranged marriage.

The Lady, Or The Tiger? By Frank R. Stockton Keith Conrad / Darren Marlar Episode

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Inside Operation Greylord: The Undercover Mission That Shook Cook County

WHAT DOES IT MEAN? WITH JOHN DEMPSEY

John Dempsey sits down with Terry Hake, the man who became the federal government's key undercover operative in Operation Greylord, one of the most significant judicial corruption investigations in American history.

Inside Operation Greylord: The Undercover Mission That Shook Cook County John Dempsey Episode

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Dave Norman on Chops, Sound, and the Art of Making Music

AS I WAS SAYING WITH BIG JOHN HOWELL

John Howell sits down with longtime friend and powerhouse trumpet player Dave C. Norman to talk range, tone, studio politics, teaching, and why “higher, faster, louder” isn’t the destination.

Dave Norman on Chops, Sound, and the Art of Making Music Big John Howell Episode

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Also Worth A Look…

• 1 in 3 Americans Have No Emergency Savings: Survey - That’s less than ideal

• FAA: Passengers evacuating with carry-on items, putting lives at risk - Listen, one of two things is going to happen: A) The problem with the airplane is resolved in relatively short order and you’ll get your carry-on later or B) The airplane is going to burst into flame, at which point you shouldn’t be worried about what happens to your carry-on

• Train named Ctrl Alt Deleaf to help clear billions of leaves from UK rail - Well played

• DeepSeek Model 'Nearly 100% Successful' at Avoiding Controversial Topics - An AI model made in communist China avoids talking about certain topics… gosh, no, shocking, really?

• World’s First AI-Designed Viruses a Step Towards AI-Generated Life - I see that ending well

• Pope Leo refuses to authorize an AI Pope and declares the technology 'an empty, cold shell that will do great damage to what humanity is about' - This is good. This means whoever was working on a Robo Pope can re-focus on getting Robot Umpires up and running in Major League Baseball

• Cows Painted Like Zebras and Pizza-Eating Lizards: The Ig Nobel Prizes Are Back - I feel like any lizard can be a pizza-eating lizard if they are hungry enough

• Pennsylvania bus driver accused of blasting heat, saying “I am going to cook you all,” and vowing to bring paddle as punishment - Chris Farley was unavailable for comment on that, but he did have comments about Veronica Vaughn

• Virginia preschool teacher fired after she’s caught tying up toddler to chair: report - Yeah, don’t do that

• N.C. man wins $130,000 lottery prize in time for 40th birthday - HBD