Dubsmith

Every episode, as an article

Each explainer written out with its sources, for reading instead of watching.

Latest Can a Rocket Launch Throw Off Your Phone's GPS? Artemis II tore a hole over 4,000 km long in the ionosphere, the charged layer GPS signals cross. Here is how that can put your phone's blue dot metres off. 6 min readVideo 8:08
  1. Episode 12Technology Why Does the Eco Wash Programme Take 3 Hours? Eco washes run for hours because heating water uses most of the electricity and time doesn't. The energy label rewards it, up to 4 hours in the EU. 7 min read
  2. Episode 11Economics Why Do Petrol Prices Change So Many Times a Day? German petrol stations changed prices 22 times a day. A noon rule cut that to 6 or 7, and margins rose. Here is why stations keep watching each other. 7 min read
  3. Episode 10Technology How Did Hackers Heat Up Supermarket Freezers? Hackers heated French supermarket freezers to 50 °C without touching them. The trick: a defrost heater every freezer has, and controllers left online. 6 min read
  4. Episode 09History Why Does Europe Still Change Its Clocks? The European Parliament voted in 2019 to stop changing the clocks, but EU governments never agreed which hour each country keeps, so a 2001 law still rules. 7 min read
  5. Episode 08Energy Why Does Norway's Hydropower Count as Coal on Paper? Norway sells the certificates that prove its hydropower is green, so on paper the power Norwegians buy gets Europe's leftovers: 29% coal, 26% gas, 19% nuclear. 7 min read
  6. Episode 07Science Why Do Ski Resorts Store Snow Under Sawdust? Resorts make snow in deep winter, when it's cheap, and bury it under 30 to 40 cm of wet sawdust. About three-quarters of it survives the summer. Here's why. 7 min read
  8. Episode 06Culture Chrysanthemum Meaning: Graves in France, Emperor in Japan In Japan the chrysanthemum is the emperor's crest; in France it's the flower of the dead. One emperor's choice and the length of the night explain the split. 7 min read
  9. Episode 05Nature How Did One Snake Wipe Out Guam's Forest Birds? The brown tree snake reached Guam around 1950, hid in plain sight and ate 10 of its 12 forest bird species. Here's how, and why the fix came by parachute. 7 min read
  10. Episode 04Food Why Does Turkey Publish a List of Fake Food Brands? Turkey names the company, brand and batch of every food a lab proves fake. The lists began in 2012; since October 2024 they sit on a live list anyone can check. 6 min read
  11. Episode 03Nature How Do the Swiss Know When a Glacier Will Fall? 250,000 tonnes of ice hangs above Randa, sliding up to 20 cm daily. Nobody can name the day it falls, but the Swiss watch it speed up and a radar shuts the road. 6 min read
  12. Episode 02Nature Why Did a Japanese Town Pay ¥100 for Each Beetle? Kawajima paid ¥100 per dead beetle and ran out of money in 45 days. The invasive beetle kills cherry trees from inside, and summer is the only time to catch it. 6 min read
  13. Episode 01Transport Why Has Slovakia Spent 54 Years Building One Motorway? Slovakia began the D1 in 1972 and it still doesn't join Bratislava and Košice. The route runs through mountains, and the last 13.5 km cost €141 million per km. 6 min read