Third Space Podcast

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.