Everything Everywhere Daily — "Questions and Answers: Volume 39" (Feb 1, 2026)
Host: Gary Arndt
Episode Overview
In this engaging Q&A special, host Gary Arndt answers listener-submitted questions covering a wide range of topics along the lines of travel experiences, space travel, cold weather, podcasting, art, and even the future of social gathering spaces (“third places”). Drawing from his extensive travels, Gary brings personal anecdotes, historical context, and thoughtful analysis in his trademark conversational and curious tone. This episode is particularly rich with behind-the-scenes insights about the show’s production and Gary’s own experiences, making it a must-listen for longtime fans and newcomers alike.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Favorite Cuisine from Global Travels
[03:55]
- Gary’s Top Picks:
- Japanese food: “Almost everything in Japan is good, including random foods you find at food stands or even convenience stores.”
- Spanish cuisine: “It's almost erroneous to say that Spain has a single cuisine as it has many regional cuisines, but Spaniards take food very seriously.”
- Argentinian asado: “I just love Argentina’s asado, which is basically their version of barbecue.”
- Personality and Tone: Gary’s enthusiastic appreciation for diverse culinary experiences underscores his passion for travel and culture.
2. Would Gary Go to Space?
[05:15]
- Space Travel Affordability: If a 24-hour trip to low Earth orbit cost as much as a first class transatlantic flight, and with comparable safety: “Yeah, I think I would do it. Why not? I think weightlessness would be a pretty interesting thing to experience and you get to have a pair of astronaut wings when you're done.”
- Reality Check: Gary is skeptical spaceflight will ever reach airline parity due to fundamental energy and re-entry challenges: “Getting into orbit will always require more energy than a long haul flight.”
3. Caught in a Natural Disaster While Traveling?
[06:58]
- No Major Disasters Experienced: Never directly caught in a major disaster while traveling. Closest was in Maui during the 2011 Fukushima tsunami scare, but "nothing major ended up happening."
- Home vs. Travel: “I've only experienced minor earthquakes enough to feel the earth move, but not enough to do damage... been close to a tornado, but that wasn't while I was traveling.”
4. Coldest Temperature Experienced (Was it Antarctica?)
[08:22]
- Mythbusting Antarctic Cold: Most tourists don't go to the coldest parts of Antarctica, and “the temperatures in Antarctica really aren't that bad.”
- Actual Coldest Experience:
- “The coldest temperature I've personally experienced was in Whitehorse, Yukon in the middle of the winter when the temperatures dipped down to about minus 50 Fahrenheit or minus 45 Celsius. In 1996, it also dipped down to around minus 40 Fahrenheit. When things get that cold, you really shouldn't even go outside as the air can actually damage your lungs.”
5. What Would You Invent for Ancient Rome (Year 1) if Teleported Back?
[11:05]
- Answer – Germ Theory: “The simplest thing you could do is bring back the germ theory of disease. This doesn't require building or inventing anything. If you can transmit the idea that germs exist, then you can dramatically improve life expectancies.”
- Practical Impact: Just sharing modern sanitation knowledge (hand washing, boiling water, sterilizing instruments, etc.) would have revolutionized public health.
6. Will the Podcast Ever End? Is There a Plan for a Successor?
[12:18]
- No Plans to End: “I have over 1000 show ideas which will keep me busy for years at a minimum, and I'll probably come up with hundreds or thousands more ideas in the meantime.”
- No Succession Plan Yet: “While the show has done well, I don't think I'm at a point where I need to start worrying about that.”
7. "Third Places" in Decline – Predictions?
[13:32]
- Movie Theaters & Changing Habits: Acknowledges decline due to better, cheaper home entertainment options. “TV sets are getting bigger, cheaper and better, and it's actually quite shocking how good and cheap they are getting.”
- Wider Trends: “There’s been an across the board decrease in almost everything and this is due to a combination of economics, demographics and technology.”
- Other Examples: Decline in business alcohol consumption, restaurant spending, organization participation, and malls.
8. Producing the Podcast: Staff and Sustainability
[15:24]
- Shift to Co-Authors: “Honestly, it has made the podcast much more sustainable. Doing the research, the writing and the recording of a podcast every single day for five years, even taking the occasional day off, wasn’t easy. Getting help has allowed me to get a show out the door every day and work on other projects as well.”
- Life Changes: Gary references moving into a new place and going through decades-old storage — helped by having support with the podcast.
9. Origin of the Podcast Name
[17:01]
- Early History: The “Everything Everywhere” name predates the podcast (originating in 2006 as his travel blog).
- Reason for Name: “It was an incredibly broad and generic name, so when I pivoted to launch the podcast, I was able to keep the same name because it was generic enough to work for both a travel blog and a podcast.”
- Funny Listener Question: Gives his blessing for a parody podcast, “Nothing Nowhere Never.”
10. Feelings About Wikipedia & Editing It
[19:06]
- Mixed Views: “Wikipedia is actually not bad for technical subjects. It is horrible for controversial subjects.”
- Brian's User Experience: “When I found these discrepancies, it is almost never worth editing Wikipedia. … There is a relatively small team of editors and regular writers at Wikipedia who basically control what gets published.”
- Does Not Edit Wikipedia: Finds it’s not worth the effort to make changes.
11. Art That Has Deeply Resonated
[20:04]
- Sculpture: “My favorite sculpture is the Pieta by Michelangelo, which is in St. Peter's Basilica.”
- Modern Artists: Big fan of Frederick Hart, especially his acrylic sculptures and work in Washington, D.C. “He was considered to be a member of the arrier garde movement, which was the opposite of the avant garde movement.”
12. Would Co-Authors Ever Host the Podcast?
[22:02]
- Unlikely, Logistical Challenges: “They have never expressed any interest in hosting the show and that probably wouldn't happen. The main issue concerns recording and editing.”
- Efficiency for Daily Production: “For a daily podcast, the ability to efficiently produce the show is vital. If someone else is recording, it would slow down the process.”
- Possible Guest Host: Open to a one-off guest if the circumstances are right, but “it isn't something that I would do on a regular basis.”
13. Astrophotography and Night Sky Photos
[24:06]
- Not Astrophotography in the Strict Sense: “As anyone who does astrophotography would define it, I have not done any astrophotography. This has to do with the specialized nature of the equipment.”
- Night Sky Photography: Gary has photographed the Milky Way, northern lights, and eclipses, and captured the moon over the Rockies with a 600 mm lens: “While these are images of the sky, I don't consider it astrophotography. You can't take an image of a planet or a galaxy with normal camera equipment.”
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On Travel and Food:
“Almost everything in Japan is good, including random foods you find at food stands or even convenience stores.” — Gary Arndt [04:10] - On the Germ Theory for Rome:
“You can dramatically improve life expectancies. Get people to wash their hands, to sterilize medical instruments…this knowledge would have made an enormous difference.” — Gary Arndt [11:10] - On Podcast Sustainability:
“Doing the research, the writing and the recording of a podcast every single day for five years, even taking the occasional day off, wasn’t easy. Getting help has allowed me to get a show out the door every day…” — Gary Arndt [15:29] - On Wikipedia:
“Wikipedia is actually not bad for technical subjects. It is horrible for controversial subjects.” — Gary Arndt [19:09] - On Declining Third Places:
“There’s been an across the board decrease in almost everything and this is due to a combination of economics, demographics and technology.” — Gary Arndt [14:02]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Favorite Cuisine: [03:55]
- Space Travel Hypothetical: [05:15]
- Natural Disasters: [06:58]
- Coldest Temperature / Antarctica: [08:22]
- Rome & Germ Theory: [11:05]
- Podcast Future/Succession: [12:18]
- Third Places Disappearing: [13:32]
- Writing Process & Co-Authors: [15:24]
- How the Name Was Chosen: [17:01]
- Wikipedia Opinions: [19:06]
- Art That Stuck with Gary: [20:04]
- Guest Hosts: [22:02]
- Astrophotography: [24:06]
Conclusion
Gary’s Q&A format provides insightful, practical, and personal perspectives on topics from the deep philosophical to the amusingly everyday. Listeners are treated to thoughtful answers, subtle humor, and the host’s characteristic humility and curiosity. This episode captures what makes Everything Everywhere Daily compelling: the balance between big ideas and human stories, all delivered in an accessible, engaging style.