Third Space Podcast

Wisdom of the Ages, a segment about analyzing common cultural wisdom, makes its return in this pain-themed episode. Bennett has Daniel analyze common sayings that have something to do with pain, and in the process, they ask many thought-provoking questions. What are the differences between physical and mental pain? What is the value of loyalty, and when is it okay to break confidentiality? Is it possible to "pause time" and never allow pain to heal? All of this from common, trite sayings. But that's the point of the segment: to reexamine wisdom that might be taken for granted.

How do people who wear glasses manage it? That is what Bennett asks after getting his first pair in over 25 years. Warping, shrinking, and chromatic aberration... why not just get contacts?! Bennett and Daniel discuss, and then a long dormant segments returns, just in the nick of time: Bennett Fixes Sports. Bennett, a known fan, and some might say expert, analyzes the pros and cons of football and then suggests a number of improvements to make this fading sport truly stand the test of time.

Turnabout is fair play, and in this episode, Bennett avenges himself on Daniel for past gotchas. Daniel has in the past sprung a segment called "Father Bennett" on Bennett, where he puts Bennett in the hypothetical role of a father and asks uncomfortable parenting questions. Bennett turns the tables and asks Daniel, now and actual father of two year old Cosmo, how he would handle situations such as potentially embarrassing high school choices, aesthetic decisions, and technological methods of disobedience.

In this aging-themed podcast, Bennett and Daniel muse on the adventure of getting older, beginning with a vaguely age-themed Adventures in Etymology. Next, they discuss retirement; what is the purpose of retirement? What are its benefits and drawbacks, and what would happen if we retired in the middle of our lives instead of at the end?

Bennett gives an 18 year out-of-date review of No Country for Old men, criticizing its postmodern qualities, and then Bennett and Daniel discuss surveillance. With the ever-present increase in technological sophistication and affordability, cameras are ubiquitous: doorbells, bodycams, traffic cameras, and more. Is this a good thing? Why do we value privacy? Is security worth it? What about cameras in the workplace, like in the classroom or in a technical field? The pros and cons are weighed, and Daniel and Bennett give their views (audio only, of course).

Daniel and Bennett discuss the Independence Day fireworks hangover, Costco evangelism, and penny pinching before diving headlong into a long-awaited Superpowers and Drawbacks. This time, they consider the benefits of salvaged food weighed carefully against hirsute bedspreads.

Bennett introduces a new segment called Wisdom of the Ages, in which he takes three common aphorisms that everyone knows and has Daniel assess the wisdom contained in them. How should we treat so-called enemies? How is it that people with seemingly incompatible characteristics end up together? Should one gravitate toward or reject stereotypes? All of these are examined, and Daniel also talks a little about the new house he's buying.

Bennett discusses the difficulty of digging holes, and then perhaps digs a metaphorical hole with this episode's spicy (or zesty?) Mind Your Morals, which focuses on homosexuality. What if a substance were invented that could eliminate the same-sex attraction and restore opposite-sex attraction? Bennett quizzes Daniel on multiple scenarios of this hypothetical drug's use to see what the moral implications of such an invention might be.

Avocados, pumpkins, and pee durations... oh my! In this episode, Bennett tests Daniel's world record intuition, seeing if he can guess which thing is biggest in a variety of categories. It's a wholesome game, until it isn't. After the game, Bennett and Daniel discuss the inclusion of arachnophobia modes in video games and discuss how it affects accessibility, artistic vision, and the cultural norms of creativity and consumption.

Slightly above average bats, phantom pitches, and a nightmarish, neverending ball game. Such is the content of the extended sports metaphor that Bennett presents to Daniel in this episode. The tale is a metaphor for dating in the current age, centering on the cultural and technological factors that make it such a dystopian hellscape. Is it uplifting? No. But it is entertaining, philosophical, humorous, and hopefully provides guidance on what is wrong and what we could change to make it better.

After a couple months' gap, Bennett and Daniel return from eventful holidays in this pregnant 2025. It's not pregnant with a child, but with possibilities, of course. In semi-journalistic fashion, they recount Bennett's first meeting with Cosmo, Daniel's current thoughts on fatherhood, Bennett's move into a new house, his newfound Renaissance man capabilities, and lay the groundwork for a discussion on the effects of screens on kids and how to handle their exposure.

Bennett and Daniel discuss technology! Bennett relives joyful childhood memories with Roller Coaster Tycoon, and Daniel discusses the infiltration of attention-fragmenting technology into schools. He explains how and why phones in schools are so harmful to success, how he addressed this issue in his school, and then he and Bennett talk more generally about the psychological and practical reasons why attention fragmentation is so bewildering.

With the 2024 US Presidential election looming, the media lying, the campaigns exaggerating, and everyone bringing their biases to the table, Bennett presents Daniel with clarity through the one medium that speaks directly to the human soul: poetry. He accrues poems about the candidates, issues, and events relevant to this election, brilliant specimens of art and language, and Daniel analyzes them (and tries to pick which are secretly written by Bennett). They try to keep it fair and balanced to protect your delicate political sensibilities, but also have a good laugh at politics and poetry.

Bennett and Daniel return after a long hiatus with lots of complaints stored up. At least they're interesting complaints! Bennett discusses the trailer for the upcoming movie, Wicked, and with Daniel analyzes its message and relation to modern movie trends (spoiler: they suck). Then Bennett and Daniel compare the experience of using the internet in the 90s and 00s to using the internet today. How has the internet gotten worse, why, and how can we fix it? How have SEO, AI, ads, and bias corrupted this useful tool? Finally, they discuss an AI tool that can analyze podcasts... and generate a podcast from it. They feed this very episode to the AI and include it at the end. 

With the arrival of summer and intense heat, Bennett brings a relevant Mind Your Morals to the podcast pertaining to hot dogs. Not the food; no, the act of leaving dogs in hot cars unattended. When, if ever, is it acceptable, and under what circumstances? Bennett and Daniel attempt to balance animal welfare and property damage, discuss legal and scientific data, and consult internet comment sections for some answers.

The theme of this episode is adventure! That's right, beginning with an adventure... in etymology! Exciting! After that, Bennett shares his experience playing the game Outer Wilds, a game with a neat gameplay gimmick that deals with space exploration. This naturally leads into a discussion of space exploration in the real world; is it worth it? Do the benefits we've gained from space exploration justify the time, energy, money, and lives we've spent in the pursuit of knowledge?

Bennett and Daniel discuss one of the most annoying aspects of travel: airport security. This valiant system costs trillions of man-hours, billions of dollars, and even confiscates Bennett's toothpaste, which undoubtedly really pisses off the terrorists. Or, perhaps, it's just a gargantuan waster of time and money for little or no benefit. The negatives, positives, and possible technological alternatives are examined in this episode.

Daniel makes his transition from dude to dad, as they say, with the birth of his new baby boy, Cosmo, which is the reason for the long gap between episodes (that we will try to remedy going forward). Bennett peppers Daniel with questions about fatherhood, parenting, infants, the medical industry, and more.

Bennett discovers a game that somewhat embodies an old video game idea he had: exploring flooded ruins. Daniel and Bennett discuss this setting, underwater video game controls, human-computer interfaces in general, and then a piece of current tech in the news: Neuralink. How does it work, and how might it be used in the future, either for good (helping the disabled, de facto telekinesis, and music composition) or ill (brain hacking, puppeteering, or ad-beaming)?

Superpowers and Drawbacks returns after some hiatus, and Daniel and Bennett discuss a level 2 set of choices in this episode, debating the merits of various free foods and the economic viability of throwing trash in impressive ways.

Bennett grills Daniel with a very personal but not very tempting Mind Your Morals that deals with the "content creation" site OnlyFans. Would he be okay with his wife posting on the site if it meant a huge boost in income? What about under certain milder circumstances? We also discuss moral topics about purity, harm, self-exploitation, and technology.

Daniel and Bennett discuss rites of passage. In an increasingly digital age, do we even have traditional rites of passage anymore? In a culture that values marriage and families less and less, are we losing our collective ability to establish our identities or encourage identity-building in our children? How analogous are learning to drive a car and learning to use the internet? What possible remedies could we institute in order to get on the "rite" path?

Bennett briefly flexes his professional handegg knowledge in discussing the upcoming Level 3 Super Bowl, then leads Daniel on a somewhat Valentine's Day-themed adventure... an Adventure in Etymology, of course! And lastly, Daniel discusses the Pain Gate Theory, which postulates that pain can be mitigated with what is essentially physiological distraction. Is it real? How does it interact with psychological distraction or mitigation of pain?

Daniel and Bennett do some holiday cleaning in this episode. That is to say, they propose revisions to the US calendar of federal holidays, giving the axe to a surprising number of existing holidays and supplanting them with arguably better ones. See if you agree with the changes!

After a nice, lengthy holiday break, Bennett and Daniel return to report on how their 2024 is going thus far. Daniel's is boring, but Bennett's has started off pretty crappy, with incapable men, illogical women, and a whole lotta snow. After that, Bennett tries his darndest to convert Daniel to veganism using the strongest arguments he can, to a surprising degree of success.

Why do authors insist on having their characters whisper in unrealistic fashion? Are food delivery services trashy, lazy, and low-class or a luxury for people after a hard day? Are tips rewards for good service or blackmail? Is Chili's really a cool ghost kitchen or some garbage restaurant? Bennett and Daniel weigh the pros and cons of services like Uber Eats, discuss their experiences, and predict where they go in the future.

Bennett springs a surprise game on a suddenly very uncomfortable Daniel called: Is It Racist? Before the podcast, Bennett gathered three somewhat random things from Daniel, and the premise of the game is to have Daniel determine whether these things, by modern definitions, are racist. Bennett provides substantiating and totally irrefutable journalistic examples as to why these things are, in fact, racist. In addition to the obvious joke game, the topic of racism is also addressed at least semi-seriously.

Daniel reflects on his recent experience as assistant director of an absurdist play, and he discusses with Bennett whether and why absurdism is entertaining. Then, Bennett reads a very, extremely scientific and valid Forbes article touting the necessity of hugs and consequently discovers he should be dead multiple times over.

After some minor (or major) dispute over whether the universe is fundamentally musical, Bennett springs a Mind Your Morals on Daniel, resurrecting a popular gimmick: The Elimination Button. This is a magical button that can eliminate certain things from reality, and Daniel must consider the moral implications of its pressing. Unlike the last episode, Daniel is put in the position of preventing presses, and by the end of the episode, has saved some surprising things, like marijuana, bees, and pedophiles. Oh my!

All Hallows Month has begun, so Bennett and Daniel discuss when it's appropriate to start decorating for Halloween and whether or not adults who LOVE Halloween have issues. Daniel then introduces a segment called Concision Incision, which he bills as "questions that cut deep in time that's cut short." Essentially, it consists of a series of deep and/or personal questions delivered and answered with some rapidity.

Daniel is a teacher, so he should be hip to the modern pop scene, right? Well, in this episode, Bennett tests his pop music acumen with Pop or Slop! Just like in past episodes about rap or country, Bennett serves up a set of song lyrics, where some are penned by him, and some are real songs. Daniel is then tasked with discerning the difference. Truly, the state of pop is dire, so it's more of a challenge than you might expect, and also it's hilarious.

Daniel reveals his impending fatherhood, which fuels discussion on babies and naming and parenting philosophies. Bennett laments getting laughed at for hiking with an umbrella. And Daniel and Bennett discuss the genre of zombie entertainment.

Are spiders or ladders more dangerous? Doctors or car crashes? Bennett interrogates Daniel to see if he can guess which of a variety of categories kills more people each year. Then, they discuss creativity and its relationship to freedom. Does more freedom generate more creativity, or, paradoxically, does the imposition of limitation? Bennett and Daniel play with the idea, tossing out some examples and possible reasons.

Superpowers and Drawbacks returns after a bit of a hiatus, bringing discussion of candy bar births and crow supervillains. Then, Daniel and Bennett discuss the culture and practice of hunting. Is it moral to hunt? Which animals are okay to hunt, for what reasons, and should children be allowed to do it?

In this episode, Daniel and Bennett discuss the phenomenon of gossip. Is gossip inherently negative? Is there a way that gossip can be a good thing? What sorts of people are more prone to gossip, and what are Daniel and Bennett's experiences with it?

Alternate title: Come Hail or High Water. In this episode, Bennett recounts a very intense hiking experience that he classifies as perhaps the most physically demanding thing he's ever done. Daniel asks questions along the way, making for what is hopefully an entertaining story.

Should we stop shooting fireworks on Independence Day to protect little Floofy's sensitive doggie mental state? What about the supposed veteran with PTSD who gets triggered by the explosions? Or is it reasonable to celebrate a cultural event with fireworks? Daniel and Bennett discuss. Daniel also brings back Father Bennett, this time presenting Bennett with three hypothetical fatherhood scenarios ranging from premonitions of doom to vegetarianism.

Daniel brings multiple fascinating language-related topics to this episode, including an idea borrowed from Malcolm Gladwell about how memory and language are intertwined. This leads Bennett and Daniel to examine other instances of language affecting memory, how culture ties in with language and behavior, and how aliens and AI might play into it all. This was a fun one that certainly contained some third space.

Daniel celebrates his last day of work (for the school year) apparently by recording a podcast. In it, he and Bennett complain about adult obligations like car registration and insurance, but then they transition to a discussion of fear. What does it mean to feel fear? Is it different from anxiety or panic? Do Bennett or Daniel have any phobias? This and more is discussed, so don't be afraid to listen.

Acknowledgement. In this episode, Daniel and Bennett discuss greetings and how odd they can be. Daniel satiates his curiosity about light bulbs and learns why we can't just have TV technology inside them (or can we?!). And finally, they discuss houses; what kind of house would be best? What room is the most important? How valuable is land? Are tiny homes a sinister social engineering scheme?

Well, Zelda came out, so of course Daniel and Bennett discuss it a little. But considering the length of the game, it will likely be a recurring mini-topic. Afterwards, Bennett forces a Daniel Does Science, this time asking: is it alive?! Daniel does a surprisingly good job assessing the living qualities of things like milk, blood, and mildew. This leads into a little bit of discussion on the educational system as well.

Daniel introduces a new segment called Overrated Or Underrated Or Just Rated (OOUOJR) that really allows Bennett to flex his judgment muscles. Shopping malls, empathy, electric cars, and jerking before bed, among other things, all are judged. See if you concur.

Mind Your Morals returns, this time with a topic that is a little closer to the real world than those of previous episodes: the practice known as assisted suicide, or more recently, Medical Aid in Dying (MAID). Bennett presents Daniel with situations ranging from the sympathetic to the slightly outlandish, and Daniel tries to weigh the weight weights of morality and whether people should be assisted in achieving their own deaths. 

What do you think about birds? A simple question, but one that occupies Daniel and Bennett for half of the podcast. They then consider what a world might be like if cheap, nutritionally complete pills were readily available. Would restaurants disappear? Would fat people cease to be? Would it be overall a good thing or a bad thing?

The recent Super Mario Bros. movie serves as the backbone of this podcast. Bennett gives his movie review, but the discussion spawns tangents about mind-over-matter, identification with characters in media, video game design, and sequelitis. And somehow we forgot to even say "So long, gay Bowser!"

The snow melts away, leaving plentiful piles of pet poop, which Bennett complains about. Daniel muses on the sentience of AI and whether humans are the only beings with souls. And Bennett brings up Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, an interesting disorder that Daniel and Bennett speculate on in relation to some current societal issues.

Daniel returns from his honeymoon to discuss teenage risk assessment, Willene in the Ingles parking lot, and Io, the moon of Jupiter, with a little help from Bennett. The conversation then broadens to vacation and travel in general; why do people travel? What's up with the people who make travel part of their identity? Should we live in a van?

Daniel conceptualizes a brand new segment for this episode: Father Bennett. Bennett is not actually a father, whether biologically or Catholically, but nevertheless Daniel presents him with a particular parenting scenario and has him explain how he would behave. This scenario involves Bennett's hypothetical teenage daughter wanting to wear somewhat revealing clothing, and Bennett handles the situation with tact and grace (in Bennett's opinion).

Mind your Morals returns after a few episodes, this time examining the risque topic of strip clubs. Are they moral, either for the strippers, the patrons, or the owners? If not, on what grounds? What about weird futuristic scenarios with VR strip clubs and robo-boobs? Bennett and Daniel examine it all.

Daniel has a cough, which turned out to be Covid. If it wasn't called that, it wouldn't have mattered at all, but by that name, it meant wearing the Scarlet Letter of a mask. We talk about that a little, and then Daniel turns the tables on Bennett by asking him to defend poetry. And he actually does it, sort of. Enjoy the discussion and the return of the phenomenal jingle.