The power of poop

I can't make this stuff up. 

Freakonomics -- the books, the blog, the podcast -- is often the source of enlightenment for me but this "Power of Poop" episode hit a new high for me. The topic: fecal transplants, and how they can be used to fight diseases like multiple sclerosis. 

I usually don't give these kinds of medical-miracle stories much credence and this topic is certainly high on the gross factor, but being close to someone with MS can make you set that skepticism aside. And the Freakonomics guys do a nice job of addressing the expected listener reaction with a nice dose of humor.

There's still no rigorous research that proves without a doubt this crazy medical treatment works, but given Dr. Thomas Borod's success in treating a variety of patients and ailments, the effectiveness of fecal transplants are certainly worth more research.

Brody has experienced backlash from fellow doctors for his work, but he takes it in stride, saying skeptics decried the research that led to the pasteurization of milk and treatment of smallpox.

" ... even now my colleagues would avoid talking about this or meeting me at conferences, although this is changing, "Borod told Freakonimics. "I’ve just had an invitation to speak at an international conference about fecal transplantation, that’s state of the art. So I think we might be turning a new leaf, and I think we should, with poo especially."

5 seconds of every No. 1 pop song all in one spot

File this under weird and unneccesary but nonetheless engaging: "Five Seconds of Every #1 Pop Single."

Yep, it's an audio string of five-second snippets of chart-topping pop singles from the 1950s on. A SoundCloud user who goes by the handle mjs538 laboriously pieced together hundreds of audio files totaling more than 70 minutes. That is a ton of work. 

I can't say it makes for long-form listening but it's fun to hear how song styles change and how many one-hit wonders have come and gone over the years. Can you say C.W. McCall? 

You can play Part 1 above and Part 2 below. 

Old music print ads brought back to life

I'm not sure exactly who to credit but someone with a deep understanding of music is republishing old Billboard magazine advertisements in a Tumblr blog called Billboarding Party. And it's a blast.

What I like about Billboarding Party is it's like an old FM station: no format, you'll never know what's around the corner. One post might be for a rock artist, followed by a country act, then an R&B performer and a lounge singer. It's eclectic in a good way.

I singled out just three ads here:

• A simple Percy Sledge spot from 1966 that features a nice cutout image of the singer and touting "another million seller" in "Warm and Tender Love."
• A text-heavy 1975 Atco ad explaining the controversy behind Roxy Music's controversial "Country Life" cover, which was banned in some countries because it featured two women in various states of undress. Atco, tongue in cheek in this ad, explains why it was selling two versions of the album cover in the States: One with the women completely removed and one with the original sleeve wrapped in green shrinkwrap. By the time I discovered Roxy a few years later, the green shrinkwrap was long gone, and I was left with the choice of only the censored cover. Being both a purist and prurient, I remember shelling out extra to buy the import version of the record, with its "classic" sleeve. I still have it.
• A simple 1978 note of condolence from Columbia Records to mark the passing of Chicago guitarist Terry Kath. Kath was an unbelievable guitarist -- tell me the solo on the album version of "25 or 6 to 4" isn't among the greatest ever -- but his wild side proved to be too much and he accidentally shot himself. This ad is simple, and uses "white space" to great effect.

Billboarding Party features many more. Check out the Tom Jones ad for "She's a Lady," Rick Springfield, The Kinks, Johnny Cash, BeeGees and many more.