RandO Facts for Taft O. Derby
A collection of audio episodes where Dr. Mel Brown (Mom) tells Taft weird, true stories about things that don't make it into textbooks. Each episode picks a theme—strange jobs, wars over stupid reasons, animals that broke science—and unpacks 4-5 stories that sound fake but aren't.
Started because of that two-hour car ride back from Logan where we went from discriminant AI to Michelin stars to the Korean War with no map between them. This is that conversation, extended. Some episodes will drop daily. Some weekly. Some whenever there's a good theme worth chasing.
No fluff. No listicles. Just: here's what happened, here's why it matters, here's what it says about how people work.
The audio is AI-narrated after the intro. The intro is Mom. The rest is built so you can listen at 1.5x if you want, or save them for later, or ignore them entirely. They'll be here when you want them.
Named after you. Made for you. Kept going because... why not! I love you, Rooney!
RandO Facts for Taft O. Derby
Spencer Cox's Paradox: Why Utah's Most Unpopular Governor Isn't
Taft, you asked why Spencer Cox is so unpopular. Turns out he's not. He just has a unique talent for making everyone mad at different times. From vetoing trans sports bans to endorsing Trump after criticizing him for years, Cox has mastered the art of being simultaneously too liberal for conservatives and too conservative for liberals.
This episode unpacks Utah's political paradox: a governor with decent approval ratings that nobody seems to actually like.
Content Notice
This episode discusses transgender rights legislation and political polarization. Treatment is analytical and policy-focused.
Let's see what the world's been hiding.