Tough Times Podcast

In the second and final part of our guns series, Dave is made fun of (again) for his tiny fish. Dave also laments about Facebook and shares his solution to his perceived problem with it. We then talk about a new subscription bike service in Portland and Rob tells us how good the new show Stranger Things is.As we ease into our main topic, Nate shares some news he read about a change in Apple's gun emoji and then we dive into the massive topic of gun control. What (if anything) should be legislated? Who (if anyone) should be prevented from buying a gun? We talk about the pros & cons of technological advancements related to firearms and we finish with Dave blasting a few actors who he thinks have a hypocritical stance on guns.

In the first of a two-part discussion on guns, we start the episode with Nate getting called out for his recent purchase of protein powder. But then Dave also gets called out for a text that was supposed to go to his wife but accidentally got sent to Nate & Rob. This leads us into a discussion about the Pokemon Go craze before Nate shares his controversial views on drug criminalization.The rest of the episode is all about our personal views and feelings toward firearms, starting with a quiz from Dave and ending with Rob drilling Nate about his dislike of guns. You may hear some young children in the background of this episode... Nate's babies were having a rough night.

Pokemon Go is a thing. We talk about it for awhile before Rob dives into a couple stories of recent encounters; one with a homeless woman and another with his neighbor.We start our main topic by outlining the difference between virtual reality and augmented reality. This leads to a brief mention of the Microsoft HoloLens as well as the most prevalent VR headsets that are either on the market or hitting the market soon. We speculate a bit about gamer demographics and who will be the early adopters of VR. We discuss the technology as it's being developed for amusement park rides and then we talk about film & video games, including how lines between the two become blurred with experiential VR media. Nate talks about the possibilities for VR in documentaries and all media that is designed to make you feel something or provide a call to action. We end with a segment on porn and how the sex industry is being changed with virtual reality technology. Some opinions on morality are expressed.

This is the first of a two-part series on virtual reality. We stumble upon the topic of tipping at the beginning of the show, which leads Dave to a rant about how he thinks tipping shouldn’t exist. Some Bernie Sanders impressions come out (as they often do) and then we take a few minutes to share embarrassing stories about our dads.After a quick break, we dive straight into the topic of virtual reality by discussing the basics of the technology and which headsets are coming to market in the near future. We talk about the possibilities of experiencing historical events in VR and make the case that this technology has the potential to be as impactful as the invention of the printing press. We unpack the implications it has for the medical field; learning how to do surgeries hands-on in a virtual environment. Nate imagines how we’ll eventually have 3d cameras in our homes, revolutionizing long-distance communication (e.g. Facetime, Skype). We spend a bit of time talking about sex ed, referencing some examples where they’re already applying VR. Dave mentions the recent Elon Musk quote, questioning whether or not we’re all just living in a computer simulation. Rob then share about a man who spent 48 straight hours in a virtual reality headset. We end by discussing the very dangerous possibility that the deeper we’re immersed in a virtual reality, the further we’ll become detached from physical reality.

This is a short mid-week bonus episode! How far does a beer need to travel to be considered "imported"? Could Rob secretly be a rapper? Does Dave have a wristwatch obsession? How should one count a baby's age? We talk about all of this plus old magician shows, new movie sort-of sequels & our first iTunes review!SHOW NOTES"Breaking The Magician's Code" on NetflixInstagram account that calls out fake watches Dave's leather bookmark

Dave bought a pick-up truck! Nate reminisces on his first experience smoking a cigar which leads to Rob also sharing a story about an early experience with tobacco.We open up the main topic discussing some statistics Rob found about marriage and divorce. Nate points out that all three of the show's co-hosts got married in the age group most statistically likely to get divorced. We discuss how gender roles have evolved in the past century and the topic of living together before marriage. Then we talk about sex for a bit. How often is ideal? How little is too little? The episode is wrapped up with a few questions Rob gathered from the wives! Questions about kids, joint bank accounts, manscaping, regrets about experience (or lack there-of) with other women, cuddling and knowing when you've found the one. This episode is filled with lots of laughs and some real stuff about marriage.

This episode starts with Rob & Nate making Dave very uncomfortable talking about teeth. Nate then shares a story from his week and how it made him realize his dislike of crowded spaces. Rob fleshes out some thoughts on childish insults and how they're often the harshest of disses. The guys then play the show's first-ever voicemail message! This leads to them sharing about fears & phobias for a few minutes before diving into the main topic:Etiquette. Rob starts with some trivia about a few celebrities' lack of etiquette while we crack open a few cans of La Croix. Then we explore the etiquette around food (table manners, etc.) before leading into a Forbes article that addresses 21st century etiquette. Nate expresses a lack of empathy towards people who attempt to engage with you while on a phone call, and we also point out some etiquette do's and don't's during job interviews. Nate then opens a can of worms by questioning the modern-day application of chivalry, which we spend the rest of episode fleshing out. This, of course, again gives Dave all the fuel he needs to rage against people who take offense to simple acts of chivalry.SHOW NOTESForbes Article

Rob kicks off this episode with a funny situation he just witnessed consisting of a kid on a "hoverboard". Nate gets a little too transparent with last names and cross streets, earning him the nickname "Loose Lips Nate" which Dave insists on calling him for the rest of the episode. Rob shares his love of people-watching as it applied to his weekend and Dave grieves over fish tank trama.For the social media segment, we remember the good ol' days of MySpace (where is MySpace Tom today?) and Dave shares a traumatic experience from his first day ever using Snapchat. Then we talk about Instagram with Rob tearing into people who think they're professional photographers and Nate complaining about the #liveauthentic trend. Rob brings up a newer app called Beme that tries to address the issue of authenticity on social media and Dave is given a hard time for the way he utilizes Twitter. It all ends with a quick descent into rants about social justice warriors and "professional offense-takers" with whom Dave has no patience for.SHOW NOTESVintage Reese's Commercial "Socality Barbie" (click photo for full profile) Australian model quits social media (arguably one of the stories that triggered the #liveauthentic trend. Full story. Beme app, created by Casey Neistat. Casey's YouTube channel. "MySpace Dave" Dave's Leg, exploited from his first day on Snapchat "Instagram Husband" satire video

This episode starts with Nate telling the guys about a recent experience caring for his sick toddler. Rob then shares a story about an IKEA purchase that became a huge ordeal.After that, it's all about jobs. Current jobs, entrepreneurial endeavors, funny stories from the workplace, worst bosses, "fulfilling" work, etc. Then it all ends with Rob raging about a lawsuit.SHOW NOTESMole vs. VoleDave's "Argentine Ant" mole vole

We begin this episode by following up with Rob on his homework, as well as getting a recap on the bachelor party he attended. Nate then proceeds to call out Dave on his "California driving" before they both share about their first experience at a restaurant that came highly recommended by Rob. We spend far too long talking about this restaurant and its strange (oppressive?) policies. Nate shows the guys something he received for making his first-ever political campaign contribution. Dave then asks for opinions on a team-building activity he's considering for his co-workers.We finally PLUNGE into our main topic of bathrooms, covering a broad range of thoughts & stories that include: shy bladders, middle-school potty competitions, public restroom pet peeves, bidets & other toilet "hacks" & much more! We close the episode out with a new segment called "Minute of Rage", where Dave spends 60 seconds raging against something that's been bothering him.SHOW NOTESNew Blink-182 single "Birdie" sticker K-Town House Rules Bernie Sanders bird video

In our debut episode Dave laments about a recent visit to the big city (far outside of his suburban comfort zone) and Rob shares some concerns about an upcoming bachelor party he's been invited to. We take a minute to honor Kobe Bryant's legacy before diving into the very broad topic of music.We call out a few music celebrities for being ridiculous, share stories from our first concerts & discuss our opinions on the current state of pop music. Nate introduces an artist that could possibly be his gateway drug into an appreciation of country music and we finish off with what we're all currently listening to. Rob gets assigned a bit of homework to close the show out.SHOW NOTESJay Z's calves "Awesome" by Kanye West

Nate, Dave & Rob give a brief introduction to the newest podcast on the internet: Tough Times Podcast. We share a little bit about why we're launching a podcast and we give you all the best ways to interact with us, including the possibility of hearing your own voice on a future episode.Day 1 of recording, Nate trying to Snapchat all our "fans".