104.3 The Hippo

01/15/2026

THE HIPPO'S QUESTION OF THE DAY:

What’s a “small” social rule you refuse to follow, even if everyone expects it? (AskReddit)

Some responses:

Being a available 24/7. I don’t answer my phone if I am already talking with someone else.

I say no whenever I’m asked if I would like to donate to a cause when at the register buying something.

Having an excuse as to why you’re saying no. Once I realized “no” is a full sentence things have been easier.

Staying for an entire social event. I leave the moment I no longer want to be there.

Giving money at work to buy a manager (or higher level boss) a gift for Xmas, birthday, or whatever.

Bringing someone with me to go to the movies. What's the big deal? I don't have to talk or share my overpriced popcorn.

I don't know if it’s necessarily a small rule, but I don't keep it 100% professional at work. I still talk like a human being. I'm always polite towards people, but I don't talk like a robot who's afraid of saying anything out of line.

Pretending to like people just because we are related.

Forcing small talk when silence would be perfectly fine.

When I’m leaving a party, I refuse to make rounds and say goodbye to everybody. I say goodbye to the host, and I'm out of there.

It's comfortable to rest my elbows on the table. I'm gonna keep doing it.

“Respect your elders” goes out the window when they’re rude to me.

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01/14/2026

John Michael's "Did You Know" for Wednesday 1/14/25:

Did You Know that There are a lot of "hacks" on how to pick the best fruit?! Look for the ones that weigh the most, the ones that smell the best, or the ones that have a certain color or markings. But this is new.





Videos are circulating online, where a woman claims she's heard the key to picking the sweetest navel orange is to look at its B***Y HOLE.





This is the "hole" on the orange that's opposite the place where it was connected to the tree branch. The so-called "blossom end," if you will.





One woman says, "You don't want, like, a big, wide [b***y] cavity . . . you want a little tight [b***y hole]. [Or] one that is closed. That is a sweet orange."





She credited it to another woman named Paige who's a self-proclaimed orange-picking expert. Paige ranked THREE steps to picking the perfect orange:





1. Checking out the b***y hole. It should be small, tight, or closed . . . and not, quote, "pr*****ed" or "cavernous."



2. Weight. Heavier oranges are better.



3. Color. The darkest, orange-iest oranges are the best. But again, this is only the THIRD consideration. They can be yellowish or greenish if they have a tight b***y hole.





The woman insists she has had two oranges, every day, for YEARS, so she DOES know what she's talking about.





(Daily Dot)

"I just want to say thank you, girl."

01/14/2026

Heinz Has a New French Fry Box with a Pull-Out Slot for the Ketchup





Have you ever wondered why French fry boxes don't come with special storage for ketchup? Well, if this catches on, they might . . .





Heinz is introducing the Heinz Dipper . . . a fry box designed with a built-in ketchup pocket for easy dipping on the go.





The design features a classic fry box shape . . . with an attached side compartment that can be pulled out. So instead of juggling packets or squeezing sauce directly onto fries, you can dip into the built-in cup.





The Heinz Dipper debuted at select restaurants yesterday, including sports stadiums across 11 countries worldwide. For now, it's mostly a silly publicity stunt, and they'll only be available "while supplies last."





And you won't find them at McDonald's. In North America, they're at a few random burger joints . . . with the biggest place being Toronto's Scotiabank Arena, home of the Maple Leafs. (So, they're not at fast food places.)





(Food & Wine)

Heinz has announced the launch of its new Heinz Dipper, a re-designed fry box that features an attached compartment for ketchup. The Heinz Dipper allows consumers to easily eat ketchup with fries in the car, at stadiums, or at events. Fans can try the new offering at select restaurants while supplie...

01/14/2026

THE HIPPO'S CLASSIC CUTS: Uncle John's Band

Grateful Dead: "Uncle John's Band"

Hook: A work of pure imagination, says drummer Mickey Hart.

Album: Workingman's Dead

Year: 1970

Writers: Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter

Stats: An edited version peaked at number-69 on the Billboard Hot 100, but the album cut became a standard on progressive rock radio.

Background: The debate still goes on as to whether Robert Hunter's lyrics to "Uncle John's Band" were inspired by a particular band -- possibly even The Grateful Dead, with John substituted for Jerry. Although he doesn't like talking about what goes into their songs, Dead drummer Mickey Hart tells us he prefers to look at it another way.

Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart says “Uncle John’s Band” was not inspired by any actual band.
”It was an imaginary band. It could be any band. It was just a metaphor. It was what anybody’s band could be like. It’s the imagination. Talking about them is not nearly as good as imagining what it’s all about. I’d be taking away a very important part of music, which is the imagination.”

Tie-in: On this day in 1973 -- January 14th -- Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh was arrested for drug possession in Marin County, California. And on the same day in 1967, the first "Human Be-In" was held in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, with music by The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Dizzy Gillespie.

"In its 1970 review of Workingman's Dead, Rolling Stone famously said of Uncle John's Band, 'Near the end of the song there is an a ca****la section done by ...

01/14/2026

TODAY IS:

Dress up Your Pet Day: Do you dress up your pet? When? Only for Halloween? When it’s cold out? Always? Why?

If you do dress up your pet, you’re not alone. A report found that the global pet clothing market was valued at $5.67 billion in 2023 and is predicted to reach 9.87 billion by 2033.

Millennials, especially, are buying clothes for their pets. A survey found that 60% of Millennials said they are likely to buy sweaters, coats, hoodies, dresses and other fashion for their pets.

National Organize Your Home Day: New year, organized home?

National Take the Stairs Day: A good way to sneak in some exercise.

Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day: A good day for a hot pastrami

According to voters on ranker.com, these are the Top 10 best sandwiches:

Grilled cheese
Italian sub
Cheesesteak
BLT
Reuben
BBQ pulled pork
Club sandwich
French dip
Roast beef
Meatball
What’s your favorite sandwich? Is it one you make at home … or one you order from a specific deli or restaurant?

National Dress Up Your Pet Day on January 14th provides a special day to celebrate with your pet and show off their fashion style. Pets do become part of one...

01/14/2026

THE HIPPO'S QUESTION OF THE DAY;

Do you remember your first paycheck? How much was it — and what did you do with it?

01/13/2026

John Michael's "Did You Know" for Tuesday 1/13/2026

Did You Know that Samsung polled 2,000 people and asked for features they hope their phone will have by the year 2036?! How realistic do you think these are?





1. "Last an entire week on a single charge." Or even greedier, someone else said charging "without needing electricity." Like, it charges through movement.





2. "Real-time language translation." So you could talk to someone on the phone even if you don't speak the same language.





3. 3-D holograms. Phones that project holograms, so you can have 3-D meetings or, quote, "manipulate objects in 3-D."





4. Listen in and "instantly give [you] helpful suggestions." So, real time advice without asking. (We're pretty close to that already, right? We just need to sacrifice our last shred of privacy.)





5. "Take control of my finances and monthly bill paying." You'd never have to sit down and pay your bills again. (Auto-pay isn't good enough?)





6. "Anticipating my thoughts and auto-inserting them without me having to type." You could literally text your friends without lifting a finger. (Wow, 2036 is going to be LAZY.)





(Talker)





(The poll also found half of Americans use A.I. on their phone daily and don't even know it. Things like weather apps and auto-brightness use A.I. now, and we don't think about it.)





(The top things we lean on A.I. for are saving time, making tasks easier, providing "instant solutions," and learning new things.)

A survey of 2,000 adults explored how AI is used every day, finding that many were unaware of its presence in their everyday lives — like weather alerts (42%), call screening (35%), autocorrect (34%), voice assistants (26%) and auto brightness (25%).

01/13/2026

Garlic Makes You Smell Sexier





Did you know that certain foods might make you smell better, even though it makes your breath terrible?





Take garlic, for example. It obviously makes your breath smell worse, but it can also make your sweat smell better.





Basically, what you eat affects your body odor in two ways. Through your gut and through your skin. As food is digested, gases escape out of your mouth. And the rest works through your bloodstream and comes out in sweat, where bacteria turn them into smells.





In one study, women were asked to sniff a bunch of men's worn armpit pads, and they rated those who ate a lot of garlic as more attractive.





The researchers couldn't believe it. One said, "We replicated this study three times because we were really surprised." ( hope these women were well-compensated.)





They also found that eating a lot of fruits and vegetables helps you smell sweeter and more floral. And meat-heavy and carb-heavy diets smelled less sexy than the others.





Apparently, your grocery list might matter more than you think.





(BBC)

Garlic, alcohol, meat and even fasting can affect our body odour – and alter how appealing our scent is to others.

01/13/2026

THE HIPPO'S CLASSIC CUTS: Stand

R.E.M.: "Stand"

Hook: Peter Buck says his guitar on it is "almost tongue-in-cheek, but not a parody."

Album: Green

Year: 1988

Writers: R.E.M. (Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe)

Stats: Topped both Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks and Alternative charts, and peaked at number-six on the Hot 100.

Background: Former R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck says the band's 1988 album, Green, marked a huge departure from the style they created earlier in the decade -- and the end of his reign as "the jangle king." He says "Stand" is an example of his doing things he'd never done before.

R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck on why “Stand” was such a departure for him.

“‘Stand’ is almost tongue-in-cheek. I mean, it’s not a parody, but I think in 1988 if you’re kind of a sensible person, if you write big, heavy guitar songs and have the big heavy solos it’s a little absurd. And I thought as long as I have to have my first real kind of like rock guitar solo, I might as well use the wah-wah pedal, which is one of the most overused and most despicable effects possible.”

Tie-in: On this day in 1995 -- January 13th -- R.E.M. played their first totally electric show in over five years, in Perth, Australia.

R.E.M. (REM)Stand (1989)The Arsenio Hall Show-remhq.com-wikipedia.org/wiki/R.E.M.-( No copyright infringement intended, copyright belongs to the respective o...

01/13/2026

TODAY IS:

National Rubber Ducky Day: A good day for a bath?

Make Your Dream Come True Day: We all have dreams that we put on the back burner. Today’s the day to take the first step to making it happen.

National Shop for Travel Day: A good day to plan a trip.

National French Bulldog Day: A day to celebrate those lovable Frenchies.

According to a 1973 Sesame Street calendar, Rubber Duckie's Birthday is January 13th so around the country it's National Rubber Ducky Day! A friend of Ernie ...

01/13/2026

THE HIPPO'S QUESTION OF THE DAY:

What’s something you thought “everyone” did … until you found out they don’t? (AskReddit)

Some responses:

Have nightmares regularly.

Ruminate. I had no idea that a human could just be chilling with zero thoughts running through their mind. I envy those people.

Had a good childhood. When I was young, I thought everyone had a great childhood like I did.

Sneezing in reaction to the sun or sudden bright light. My mom does this as well, so I thought it was typical.

Experience goosebumps from listening to music.

Wash their hands after going to the restroom, before preparing foods, or getting intimate.

As a woman, I thought all women thought other women were hot. Nope, turns out I was just gay.

Brush their tongue.

Mentally rehearse arguments or comebacks.

Have dreams that are so vivid that they alternate between feeling like "real life" or film-level quality, that you can recount back in the morning in highly specific detail, and that you can wake up from and "choose to resume" the dream or select a specific part of the dream you want to revisit and pick up from there.

When I’m reading a book I vividly imagine a “movie scene” type of thing about what I’m reading. I was in a book club with friends, and I learned that I was only one doing that. I was so surprised! They didn’t even know what I was talking about when I asked what a certain character looked like in their mind.

Periodically clean out their trash cans with disinfectant.

Shower every day.

Cough when cleaning out their ears.

Wash and reuse plasticware

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01/12/2026

John Michael's "Did You Know" for Monday 1/12/25:

Did You Know that there are 10 Things We Want to Stop Caring About in 2026?!





If you're trying to stress less in 2026, here's your cheat sheet: Someone asked people to name things they've "quietly stopped caring about." Here are a few popular ones people mentioned.





1. Responding to texts as soon as possible. One person said they intentionally wait now, because they "don't want to establish an expectation."





2. Keeping up with people you grew up with, or grew apart from. It's okay to cut and run if it just seems like work now, or you don't have much in common.





3. Sports. Keep watching. Just don't be so invested on whether they win or lose. (That one's landing hard if you're a Jaguars fan today.)





4. Trendy clothes. Quote, "As long as my clothes are CLEAN, I don't [care]."





5. Other people's opinions of you. That one sort of happens naturally as you age. Random opinions matter less, especially stuff people say online.





6. Making good time on the road. Speeding doesn't make much sense, especially on short trips. What are you saving, two minutes?





7. Getting peer-pressured into going out. Screw FOMO. Stay in and watch Netflix.





8. The holidays. Someone claimed they're dialing way back on Christmas this year because they're sick of the consumerism. We'll see how they feel 11 months from now. It's a hard thing to quit, especially if you've got kids.





9. Buying a house. It's gotten so hard, a lot of people would rather stop stressing and just be happy where they are.





10. Things you can't control. There's no use stressing over stuff you can't do anything about. But it's a tough one. Everyone does it.





(Reddit)

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