Midnight Depot

Last year, Nathan took a quiz to find out how privileged he was. The results were eye-opening. In this episode, we discuss privilege of all sorts, including race, gender, economic status, and family dynamics. This was an oldie we definitely wanted to dig up and share with you. Check out the quiz here, and let us know your results here.  

This month, we're releasing the very first episodes we ever recorded—back when we weren't even sure we would release them to anybody.  First up was a gem of a question that Nathan proposed: Will there be sex on the New Earth? It's a pretty good conversation starter to have on hand when your next Thanksgiving meal gets boring. We covered lots of stuff here, like the original purpose of sex and what happens to our marriages in heaven. You'll also hear the most botched "Christian warning" ever. What do you think? Will there be sex in eternity? Also, how do you like the old recording? Let us know on the Facebook page!

Ryan finally submitted one of his short stories for publication a few months ago, and it was accepted by Typehouse Literary Magazine, based out of Portland, OR. In this episode, he reads about a third of the story, which is called "12 Crocodiles." Be warned: it's pretty weird. After a nice little teaser, the guys discuss. Then Nathan cracks open a book of questions, aptly called The Book of Questions. It's full of discussion questions, some fairly light and others having to do with the future of the ENTIRE WORLD.  Also, not to spoil things, but Justin might just be OK with murder, so watch out…  Read Ryan's story online for free here. Or you can buy a physical copy of the magazine here. And as always, we'd love to hear what you think of the show.

What are you passionate about? Let's take it further: What are you passionate about that others don't understand? Do you feel like you have to defend your enjoyment of that activity or hobby? From video games, to alcohol, to grammar, to social justice, there are all sorts of ways that we can choose to spend our time that aren't OK with other people. This one's all about how we handle that. Do you feel like you have to defend your interests? What are they, and what problem do people usually have with them? Let us know on the Facebook page—no judgement zone, promise.

If you're listening to this, I really hope you were a child growing up in the '90s…   Pretty much, in this episode the guys run through a looooong list of TV shows they watched as they grew up, each revelation sparking another memory, and all those long lost shows from yesteryear throw themselves onto the pile, saying, "Remember me! You used to love me!!"   Ready for a trip down memory lane? You'll hear about Dragon Ball Z, Legends of the HIdden Temple, Gargoyles, Boy Meets World, All That, Doug, and more.   Did we miss any of your favorite '90s shows? What were they? Here's a good list of kids' shows from the '90s, if you're interested.

In 2011, espnW did a six-part series on what it would take for a woman to play in various men's professional sports.   The odds weren't good.   In this episode, Ryan asks the guys to predict the answer to one main question: Out of baseball, football, basketball, hockey, and tennis, which men's professional sports league will a woman play in first?   They also talk about which sports a woman could conceivably excel in, as well as the merits of her trying to do so in the first place.   Hey listeners (and women especially), what are your thoughts on this one? Which men's league will a woman play in first? And how do you feel about them trying? Let us know!   To read the espnW series, check out these links:   Baseball Football Basketball Hockey Golf Tennis

Most of us don't want our kids to do nothing . . . but what kinds of activities should they do? After a disorganized intro (highlighted by a very special rendition of Iggy Azalea's "Black Widow"), we discuss the activities, sports, and hobbies we were involved in as kids. Then we look forward to how we're going to handle putting our kids in activities. Should we make them do activities? What if they want to quit? What are the best activities to put them in, or does it even matter? What were your favorite activities growing up? What will you (or have you) put your kids in? Let us know!

This week we're talking about tipping, commonly mistaken for "dipping." How much is an acceptable amount to tip service industry workers? 15-20%? Should their attentiveness and competence play a role in how much you tip? Is it ever OK to leave no tip at all? Even though some of us have backgrounds as servers, we come at these questions from different angles. (Hint: If Cody is ever your server, DO NOT LEAVE TRASH ON HIS TABLE . . . or anyone else's.) What do you think? How much do you tip servers? What's acceptable? Let us know on this episode's Facebook post.

This episode has both flavors of Midnight Depot in one: hilarious nonsense and a serious discussion about how we should interact with the people around us.   On one side, the guys discuss two events that recently embarrassed Cody—which is saying something—and also the rules of men's bathroom interaction.   On the other, Justin challenges Nathan, Ryan, and really everyone to think differently about the way they see everyday interactions. You know the drill. If you like the episode and have a strong opinion about it, let us know on the Facebook page.

It's Ryan's birthday episode, which means he gets to do one of his favorite things in all the land: assign homework. Before recording, each of the four was randomly assigned one of the others and had to watch that person's favorite science fiction movie. The assignment was threefold: 1) Write a 140-character description of the movie. 2) Look for your assigned person's personality in their movie choice. 3) Try to spot small or interesting details that few others would notice in the film. Movies covered were The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Back to the Future (Part I), Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. What's your favorite sci-fi movie? If you're feeling clever, comment a funny, concise description of it on our Facebook page!

"Death is a cold, blindfolded kiss It is the finger pressed upon our lips It puts an unwanted emphasis On how we should have lived"   Sleeping At Last, "Emphasis"   We all have different relationships with death. Some of us have lost everyone they've ever loved. Others haven't experienced the loss of anyone closer than a distant cousin.   We grieve differently, too. Some of us feel the thick weight of death for months. Others never feel it at all. And then there's suicide, to further complicate our feelings. How do we respond differently to the death of someone who chose it?   In this episode, we discuss our experiences with death and divide the people we know into tiers based on how much losing them would impact us. This is a depressing one to be sure, but it's such an important conversation to have. We'd love to hear any of your thoughts in response on our Facebook page.

Anything goes when we have a fifth week in the month. The main part of this episode is Justin sharing a surprise he brought for the rest of the guys. What is it? Sorry, you'll have to wait and hear for yourself. Then Ryan does a mini Ryan Reads segment, Nathan reads some lyrics he wrote a long time ago, and Justin provides peerless critical insight into the world of movies. Sorry you all can't enjoy the surprise. Wanna vent? We're happy to listen.

As much as it pains Justin, we are talking about eating people in this one. Cannibalism has (almost) universally been considered a taboo in historical cultures, at least those considered civilized. But why exactly are we so repulsed by it? We also make predictions about which taboos may eventually become acceptable. It's a crazy talk—somehow, Nathan and Justin emerged thinking that Cody and Ryan actually want to feast on their fellow man. Have any thoughts on taboos? Or why cannibalism so automatically triggers our disgust? Let us know on our Facebook page.

Justin has been thinking about something since he was in middle school—and it's not sex. In this episode, the guys return to the world of dreams to talk about how people who don't have hearing and/or sight experience dreaming. It's a pretty interesting discussion, but you probably shouldn't expect any scientific breakthroughs. Are you actually knowledgeable about this stuff? Please counteract our ignorance by telling us what we're missing on the Facebook page.  

Is honesty really always the best policy? Inspired by a recent incident with his dad (who will hopefully never hear this episode), Nathan brought the topic of "lying" front and center to the rest of the Midnight Depot crew. They cover several aspects of deceit and truthfulness, including the subjective nature of lies, and whether or not it's ever acceptable. How do you feel about lying? Is it wrong in all situations? We'd love to hear your thoughts on the Facebook page.

Wait, there are people who have never heard of the mannequin challenge?? Cody is constantly baffled at Ryan and Justin's lack of knowledge about huge trends in pop culture and internet culture. So, yeah, this is basically just an episode where he plumbs the depths of their cultural ignorance. Who knows how deep it goes? Do you keep with popular trends, videos, and events in culture? Or do you intentionally steer away? Are you a Cody or a Ryan/Justin or a middle-hybrid-Nathan? Let us know on our page!

Very commonly, parents spank their kids just because that's how their own parents disciplined them. But when we step back and look at what we're doing, it doesn't always make sense. Same goes with detention. We sometimes assume it works because that's what our teachers used. But is that actually true? In this episode, the three dads share their thoughts on disciplining children—and yeah, the lad has to share his too. We'd love to hear your thoughts (especially parents) on whether you spank your kids or will eventually do so. Hit us up.

What if something you've always accepted as fact is totally wrong?   That's the idea behind the Mandela Effect. In this episode, the guys explore some alarming truths about fast food restaurant spellings and how to pronounce famous childhood story characters. Minds may or may not have been blown.   Also, Nathan talks about a bizarre moment in his life when he looked up and realized that other people were just as real as he was.   Did any of the Mandela Effect examples mess with your brain? Have you ever had an experience like Nathan's sonder experience? Let us know on our Facebook page.

What's going to happen in Star Wars Episodes VIII and IX? What did we think about Rogue One? If you could have any side movie made in the Star Wars universe, what would it be about??   Today's episode is all about Star Wars, and yeah, we're gonna get pretty geeky, covering everything from the best bad guys to the worth (or worthlessness) of the prequels, to some of the best conspiracies. What side movie would you want made? Let us know!

Ryan asked the other guys to come up with their top 10 favorite songs.   The result? A Spotify Midnight Depot playlist, and today's game in which Cody, Justin, and Nathan try to guess their own favorite songs based on clues.   Who wins? Listen in to find out!