More than three decades ago, tiny blobs of gelatinous goo of unknown origin rained down on the small Grays Harbor community and captured national headlines.

The cause of the strange phenomenon, and even what the blobs were made of -- remains an enigma. It was even the subject of an episode of the TV show Unsolved Mysteries. (Watch the episode here.)

No one knows what they were. But last month they returned. 

Guests:
Alli McCrite
Tom Paulson, former reporter for the Seattle P-I

Related Links:
Oakville blobs return? Resident says she and neighbors saw mysterious blobs falling from the sky once again last week
The Day Blobs Rained Down on Oakville

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

More than three decades ago, tiny blobs of gelatinous goo of unknown origin rained down on the small Grays Harbor community and captured national headlines.
The cause of the strange phenomenon, and even what the blobs were made of -- remains an enigma. It was even the subject of an episode of the TV show Unsolved Mysteries. (Watch the episode <a href="https://youtu.be/BXuoqtaEVk0?t=120">here</a>.)
No one knows what they were. But last month they returned.&nbsp;
Guests:
<ul>
<li>Alli McCrite</li>
<li>Tom Paulson, former reporter for the Seattle P-I</li>
</ul>
Related Links:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.chronline.com/stories/oakville-blobs-return-resident-says-she-and-neighbors-saw-mysterious-blobs-falling-from-the-sky,378885">Oakville blobs return? Resident says she and neighbors saw mysterious blobs falling from the sky once again last week</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.chronline.com/stories/oakville-blobs-return-resident-says-she-and-neighbors-saw-mysterious-blobs-falling-from-the-sky,378885">The Day Blobs Rained Down on Oakville</a></li>
</ul>
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes</a>
Soundside&nbsp;is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Soundside

A mysterious phenomenon known as the “Oakville blobs” appears to have returned to a coastal Washington community, 31 years after the first reports of an unidentified gelatinous substance that fell from the sky.

Can you solve the mystery of the Oakville blobs? 

Should you have to show your ID to watch porn online? 

A proposal introduced in the State Legislature this month would require it. 

If it passes, Washington will join over 20 states that already require age verification.

Critics have said the law makes users vulnerable to data breaches and that content about LGBTQ people can be flagged as sexual, instead of educational, among other issues. 

So far, the bill hasn’t made it out of the House Consumer Protection and Business committee. But meanwhile, the core question remains: What to do about the access kids have to harmful sexual materials on an ever-changing internet? 


Guests

Shauna Sowersby, state politics reporter at The Seattle Times

Nicole McNichols, associate teaching professor at the University of Washington, @nicole_thesexprofessor 

Links

HB 2112 - 2025-26, establishing an age minimum to access certain adult content online

WA age verification bill targets access to online adult content - The Seattle Times

The Age-Gated Internet Is Sweeping the US. Activists Are Fighting Back - Jason Parham, Wired



Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. 

Should you have to show your ID to watch porn online?&nbsp;
A proposal introduced in the State Legislature this month would require it.&nbsp;
If it passes, Washington will join over 20 states that already require age verification.
Critics have said the law makes users vulnerable to data breaches and that content about LGBTQ people can be flagged as sexual, instead of educational, among other issues.&nbsp;
So far, the bill hasn&rsquo;t made it out of the House Consumer Protection and Business committee. But meanwhile, the core question remains: What to do about the access kids have to harmful sexual materials on an ever-changing internet?&nbsp;
 Guests
<a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/author/shauna-sowersby/">Shauna Sowersby</a>, state politics reporter at The Seattle Times
Nicole McNichols, associate teaching professor at the University of Washington, <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@nicole_thesexprofessor?lang=en">@nicole_thesexprofessor</a>&nbsp; Links <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=2112&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false">HB 2112 - 2025-26, establishing an age minimum to access certain adult content online</a> <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/wa-age-verification-bill-targets-access-to-online-adult-content/">WA age verification bill targets access to online adult content</a>&nbsp;- The Seattle Times
<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/age-verification-is-sweeping-the-us-activists-are-fighting-back/">The Age-Gated Internet Is Sweeping the US. Activists Are Fighting Back</a> - Jason Parham, Wired 
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to <a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes</a>
Soundside&nbsp;is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.&nbsp;

States across the country are age-gating sites with explicit sexual content. But critics have raised concerns about privacy.

Should WA restrict access to porn sites based on age? 

In a medical setting, if staffers think a patient is violent or threatening, they may restrain them to a hospital bed. Or inject them with a sedative. 

In some cases, they might also use a spit hood. 

This is a mesh or cloth covering that goes over a patient’s head. It was patented for law enforcement to use during arrests. Critics of these devices consider them dehumanizing…. And in some cases, dangerous. 

In the past decade, at least five people in the United States died in medical care incidents involving spit hoods. And the FDA doesn’t classify them as medical devices, which means they aren’t subjected to safety regulations.

This all comes to us in a new investigation from The Seattle Times. The reporting looks at how spit hoods are used in medical facilities across the country. 

Guests: 
Hannah Furfaro, a mental health reporter at the Seattle Times and the journalist behind “Shrouded in Secrecy.”

Related links: 
Shrouded in Secrecy: An investigation from The Seattle Times | The Seattle Times
When hospitals use spit hoods on patients, no one is watching | The Seattle Times
Where and how spit hoods are used across the U.S. | The Seattle Times
How safe are spit hoods — and do they actually work? | The Seattle Times
How spit hood use could be made safer, according to experts | The Seattle Times

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

In a medical setting, if staffers think a patient is violent or threatening, they may restrain them to a hospital bed. Or inject them with a sedative.&nbsp;
In some cases, they might also use a spit hood.&nbsp;
This is a mesh or cloth covering that goes over a patient&rsquo;s head. It was patented for law enforcement to use during arrests. Critics of these devices consider them dehumanizing&hellip;. And in some cases, dangerous.&nbsp;
In the past decade, at least five people in the United States died in medical care incidents involving spit hoods. And the FDA doesn&rsquo;t classify them as medical devices, which means they aren&rsquo;t subjected to safety regulations.
This all comes to us in a new investigation from The Seattle Times. The reporting looks at how spit hoods are used in medical facilities across the country.&nbsp;
Guests:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Hannah Furfaro, a mental health reporter at the Seattle Times and the journalist behind &ldquo;Shrouded in Secrecy.&rdquo;</li>
</ul>
Related links:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/mental-health/shrouded-in-secrecy-an-investigation-from-the-seattle-times/">Shrouded in Secrecy: An investigation from The Seattle Times | The Seattle Times</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/mental-health/when-hospitals-use-spit-hoods-on-patients-no-one-is-watching/">When hospitals use spit hoods on patients, no one is watching | The Seattle Times</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/mental-health/where-and-how-spit-hoods-are-used-across-the-u-s/">Where and how spit hoods are used across the U.S. | The Seattle Times</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/mental-health/how-safe-are-spit-hoods-and-do-they-actually-work/">How safe are spit hoods &mdash; and do they actually work? | The Seattle Times</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/mental-health/how-spit-hood-use-could-be-made-safer-according-to-experts/">How spit hood use could be made safer, according to experts | The Seattle Times</a></li>
</ul>
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes</a>
Soundside&nbsp;is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Critics of spit hoods consider the devices dehumanizing…. And in some cases, dangerous. A new investigation from The Seattle Times looks at how they're used in medical settings.  

An investigation into the use of spit hoods in medical settings 

You’ve heard a lot over the past few weeks about federal agents and how they’re policing the public in Minneapolis. 

But let’s talk about how people in Washington are currently most likely to interact with Customs and Border Protection: At the border.

At those crossings, there is the potential, for your phone, or other devices, to be searched. 

Last fiscal year, Customs and Border Protection reported a 16 percent increase in searches of digital devices compared with 2024.

Maybe you’re planning to head to Canada for a weekend trip, or maybe to the warm weather of Mexico during our dark and dreary winter,

Should you expect your phone to be searched at the border? And what steps can you take to protect your data?

GUEST:Gabe Castro-Root, New York Times

RELATED LINKS: 
Phone Searches at the Border Are Up: How to Protect Your Privacy
Traveling to the U.S. Under Trump: Visas, Border Control and What to Know
Border Search of Electronic Devices at Ports of Entry

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. 

You&rsquo;ve heard a lot over the past few weeks about federal agents and how they&rsquo;re policing the public in Minneapolis.&nbsp;
But let&rsquo;s talk about how people in Washington are currently most likely to interact with Customs and Border Protection: At the border.
At those crossings, there is the potential, for your phone, or other devices, to be searched.&nbsp;
Last fiscal year, Customs and Border Protection reported a 16 percent increase in searches of digital devices compared with 2024.
Maybe you&rsquo;re planning to head to Canada for a weekend trip, or maybe to the warm weather of Mexico during our dark and dreary winter,
Should you expect your phone to be searched at the border? And what steps can you take to protect your data?
GUEST: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/gabe-castro-root">Gabe Castro-Root</a>, New York Times
RELATED LINKS:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/travel/airport-border-phone-search.html">Phone Searches at the Border Are Up: How to Protect Your Privacy</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/31/travel/us-travel-border-customs-visa-trump.html">Traveling to the U.S. Under Trump: Visas, Border Control and What to Know</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.cbp.gov/travel/cbp-search-authority/border-search-electronic-devices">Border Search of Electronic Devices at Ports of Entry</a></li>
</ul>
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to <a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes</a>
Soundside&nbsp;is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.&nbsp;

Searches of devices at the border have increased, according to CBP's own data. It's still unlikely you'll be searched: but if you are, what should you know about keeping your data private and secure? 

Can you solve the mystery of the Oakville blobs?

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