Third Space Podcast

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.