What strange household rule did you grow up believing everyone followed?

In Episode 28, Billy and Joe revisit the unwritten rules, questionable foods, and outright myths that shaped their childhoods. From mandatory shower-curtain closure and ketchup on rice to sweet grits, Miracle Whip sandwiches, childhood side hustles, and the supposed illegality of driving with the dome light on, it turns out we were all raised a little differently.

The conversation eventually goes deeper as Billy and Joe discuss allowance, earning their own money, parenting like their parents, and the important difference between genuine respect and control.

What weird rule, food, or childhood belief did your family have? Tell us in the comments!

Visit us at https://opentabspc.com or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Welcome to Episode 28
3:18 Weird household rules we thought were normal
9:27 Foods our families prepared differently
15:36 Store brands versus name brands
19:26 Condiment loyalty and the Miracle Whip controversy
25:19 Artichokes and regional food rules
28:21 Does sugar belong in grits?
31:54 Beans or no beans in chili?
33:08 The right and wrong ways to eat pizza
38:34 Scrambled eggs and boiled peanuts
41:01 Allowances, jobs, and earning your own money
46:33 Billy’s childhood business empire
54:25 Freedom, consequences, and parenting
59:20 Connection versus obedience
1:02:41 The difference between respect and control
1:14:28 Rapid-fire childhood myths
1:21:22 Is driving with the dome light actually illegal?
1:24:17 Can you swim immediately after eating?
1:25:14 Closing thoughts

#OpenTabsPodcast #ChildhoodMemories #Podcast

Why do tiny bottles of hotel shampoo become priceless the moment they’re free?

In Episode 27, Billy and Joe unpack the strange world of business travel: the hacks that actually help, the habits that make no sense, and the horror stories that somehow become funny years later.

Joe shares the exciting news about his new role with Mitsubishi Motors, followed by stories from Billy and Joe’s road trip to Franklin, Tennessee. Along the way, they compare an e-bike with an electric scooter, reveal their favorite hotel and airport tricks, revisit Billy’s unforgettable business trip to Manila, and remember some of the sketchiest motels they’ve ever survived.

They also make an emotional pilgrimage to In-N-Out Burger, explore why certain restaurants become tied to our memories, and finish with a Road Warrior Rapid Fire covering airport opinions, hotel breakfasts, airplane etiquette, travel snacks, and the behaviors that should probably be illegal.

What is your best travel hack or worst travel horror story? And be honest: Do you take the tiny shampoo bottles?

CHAPTERS

0:00 Road Warrior Rewards welcomes you
0:56 Welcome to Episode 27
1:32 The tiny hotel shampoo mystery
3:37 Joe reveals his new role at Mitsubishi
8:45 E-bike versus electric scooter
11:36 Did Billy and Joe nearly die?
15:46 The Business Traveler Survival Guide
20:10 Receipts, cancellations, and airplane tricks
25:39 Travel adapters, airline apps, and steam ironing
30:28 Billy’s Manila travel horror stories
38:15 Joe’s sketchiest motel experiences
46:20 The pilgrimage to In-N-Out Burger
54:36 Restaurants, nostalgia, and food memories
58:54 Road Warrior Rapid Fire
1:03:53 Travel behaviors that should be illegal
1:07:45 Tiny shampoo and final thoughts

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#TravelHacks #BusinessTravel #OpenTabsPodcast

What does a boy need to hear as he begins becoming a man? Billy shares the story of a coming-of-age weekend with his two nephews and the message at the center of it: You do not have to earn our love, and no failure can make us love you less.

Recording from a hotel in Franklin, Tennessee, after a road trip from Atlanta, Billy and Joe explore what healthy manhood actually looks like. They discuss rites of passage, fathers and mentors, responsibility, resilience, bullying, emotional honesty, protecting vulnerable people, and the words boys need to hear from the men in their lives.

Billy also shares how being bullied shaped his commitment to protecting people who feel excluded. Joe reflects on raising three sons, learning to recognize when his words have caused hurt, and making sure his children know that disappointment never changes his love for them.

This is not a conversation about appearing tough or becoming an “alpha male.” It is about integrity, self-control, courage, compassion, responsibility, and continuing to grow throughout your life.

What do you believe marks the transition from childhood into adulthood? What is something every boy deserves to hear from the adults in his life?

CHAPTERS

00:00 Recording from the road in Franklin
02:10 Billy’s coming-of-age weekend in Texas
05:29 The symbolic gift presented to the boys
06:51 Did we receive guidance growing up?
08:25 The approval boys spend their lives chasing
10:33 Love that does not have to be earned
13:38 What actually makes someone a man?
18:48 Strength, protection, and responsibility
24:30 Would you lay down your phone for your child?
27:00 How bullying created a protector
36:09 What we misunderstood about manhood
44:50 Why male mentors need to be vulnerable
48:47 Teaching boys resilience
50:57 Coming-of-age traditions around the world
55:00 What Joe wants his sons to hear
58:24 Fathers need to say the words
1:02:12 When a father realizes his words caused hurt
1:06:16 What we would tell our younger selves
1:10:00 Rapid-fire questions about growing up
1:13:08 What society gets wrong about masculinity
1:16:34 Manhood is a lifelong journey
1:18:06 Men teaching and learning from one another
1:21:36 Closing thoughts

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Website: https://opentabspc.com

The Open Tabs Podcast
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#ComingOfAge #HealthyMasculinity #Fatherhood #RaisingBoys #OpenTabsPodcast

At 44, Billy somehow pulled off the impossible: he joined an already-established adult friend group.

In Episode 25, Billy tells Joe how one invitation led to a 5K, an EDM festival, kayaking, pickleball, admission to the group chat, and something that is surprisingly difficult to find as an adult: a genuine sense of belonging.

They talk about the strange initiation process of entering an established group, why making friends becomes harder after 40, and Billy’s trick for getting himself out of the apartment when staying home feels much easier. Joe also shares how marriage, parenting, and raising four children have changed his social world.

Then the episode takes a more emotional turn when Billy asks whether he and Joe would still become friends if they met for the first time today. After nearly 25 years of friendship, is compatibility what keeps people together, or do longtime friends actually help create the people we become?

Finally, the guys open a nostalgic tab about the old internet. They revisit eBaum’s World, MySpace Top 8 politics, homemade websites, abandoned blogs, Billy’s inexplicable Teletubbies page, and the days when learning HTML was simply part of making your profile look cooler than everyone else’s.

Was the old internet genuinely better, or do we just miss who we were when it still felt new?

Tell us in the comments:

• Have you successfully made close friends after 40?
• Would you still become friends with your oldest friend if you met today?
• Which old website would you bring back?

🌐 https://opentabspc.com

Subscribe for more conversations with two friends, zero structure, and entirely too many open tabs.

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome to Episode 25
01:11 Billy accidentally joins a friend group
05:48 Friendsgiving and an invitation from the past
08:31 Friends from completely different worlds
12:42 The group-chat initiation ceremony
15:32 Does having a social life become exhausting?
17:03 Billy’s trick for making himself show up
22:08 Unicycles, scooters, pickleball, and trying new things
27:34 Does Joe envy the single life?
29:43 How marriage and parenting changed Joe’s social world
36:07 Adult children, empty nests, and failure to launch
41:33 Would Billy and Joe become friends today?
45:23 Which old website should come back?
47:15 MySpace, custom profiles, and Top 8 politics
50:26 Billy’s terrible homemade website
53:53 The abandoned blogs we left behind
56:27 AI, short videos, and shrinking attention spans
58:03 One unfinished tab and the outro

#OpenTabsPodcast #AdultFriendships #InternetNostalgia

Technology was supposed to make life faster, easier, and more convenient. So why does parking require an app, ordering lunch require an account, and watching television cost as much as cable again?

In Episode 24 of the Open Tabs Podcast, Billy and Joe discuss restaurant loyalty apps, QR-code menus, streaming subscriptions, digital tickets, smart-home devices, smartphones, AI, and all the modern conveniences they complain about but could never surrender.

They also settle some important debates in “Old Way or New Way?” and confess which supposedly toxic modern habits they secretly enjoy.

What was supposed to make your life easier but somehow made it worse? Tell us in the comments.

Visit the Open Tabs Podcast: https://opentabspc.com

#OpenTabsPodcast #Technology #ModernLife

CHAPTERS

00:00 QR Code Menu or Printed Menu?

00:34 Technology Was Supposed to Make Life Easier

03:08 What Technology Has Actually Improved

07:00 When Technology Creates More Problems

08:07 Did Streaming Just Become Cable Again?

13:35 Technology That Creates More Work

13:59 Restaurant Apps and Loyalty Programs

17:52 Ticketmaster and Digital Tickets

20:07 Why Does Everything Need an App?

22:17 Paying More to Avoid Advertisements

25:54 Old Way or New Way?

30:37 Smart Homes and Smartphones

31:56 Joe Brings Back the Home Intercom

35:07 Billy’s Walkie-Talkie Obsession

38:00 How Technology Is Affecting Children

43:08 Smartphones as Social Pacifiers

51:08 Modern Conveniences We Couldn’t Lose

54:00 Letting AI Make Your Phone Calls

57:00 Toxic Modern Habits We Secretly Love

59:24 My Phone Is for My Convenience

1:00:39 When Is Using AI Going Too Far?

1:04:12 Delete One Modern Technology

1:10:31 What Made Your Life Harder?

REFERENCES

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=67005

Joe shares the big news: after a layoff, he landed a new role he’s genuinely excited about. Then Joe and Billy break down the hiring-process green, yellow, and red flags that can tell you plenty about a company before day one.

Also on this episode: a very fake weight-loss sponsor, a possible Tomorrowland expansion to Las Vegas in 2027, and whether Atlanta—and MARTA—passed the World Cup hosting test.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to Episode 23
01:40 Camping, 5Ks, kayaking & staying active
06:18 Joe’s big job news
18:12 Hiring green, yellow & red flags
23:58 Fake sponsor: Fridge Recruiter
25:00 Tomorrowland may be coming to Las Vegas
33:43 Could we survive a three-day music festival?
39:51 Did Atlanta pass the World Cup test?
41:31 MARTA’s huge ridership numbers
43:34 Did the World Cup change our minds about soccer?
48:21 Atlanta and MARTA’s report cards
51:32 Our most memorable World Cup moments
1:00:16 Would we go to an Atlanta soccer match?
1:00:53 Dragon Con, Atlanta, and closing thoughts

What hiring red flags have you seen? And would you travel to Las Vegas for Tomorrowland? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

#OpenTabsPodcast #Podcast #JobSearch #CareerAdvice #Hiring #Tomorrowland #TomorrowlandVegas #EDM #MusicFestival #LasVegas #Atlanta #WorldCup #MARTA #Soccer #AtlantaUnited #DragonCon #Georgia

RESEARCH SOURCES

Tomorrowland Las Vegas reporting:
https://www.beatportal.com/articles/1517126-tomorrowland-teases-2027-las-vegas-event

World Cup final recap:
https://apnews.com/article/4a3a8c93c0b21c1db866f7bd857f1c32

MARTA World Cup report:
https://itsmarta.com/marta-safely-moves-millions.aspx

Would you rather speak to 1,000 people from a stage—or make small talk with 20 strangers at a barbecue?

Billy and Joe both chose the stage.

In Episode 22, two self-described introverts explore what introversion actually means, why it isn’t the same as shyness or social anxiety, and where “ambiverts” fit into the equation. They compare social batteries, recovery time, work conferences, unexpected grocery-store encounters, solo travel, remote work and the strange comfort that comes from having an assigned role at a social event.

Billy shares how volunteering completely transformed an intimidating singles gathering, while Joe reveals why filming wedding B-roll provides the perfect excuse to briefly disappear. They also discuss practicing social skills, finding the balance between solitude and isolation, and why enjoying people doesn’t mean wanting unlimited access to them.

Plus: an introvert rapid-fire round covering texts versus calls, concerts versus house parties, solo vacations, Irish goodbyes and strangers at the door.

Where do you fall: introvert, extrovert or ambivert? And which would you choose—1,000 people from a stage or small talk with 20 strangers?

🌐 Learn more about the show: https://opentabspc.com

Subscribe, leave a comment and join Billy and Joe for two friends, zero structure and way too many open tabs.

Chapters:

00:00 1,000 People or 20 Strangers?

01:20 Two Introverts Walk Into a Podcast

03:33 What Introversion Actually Means

05:38 Introversion vs. Shyness and Social Anxiety

07:34 Do We Become More Introverted With Age?

12:50 Introvert, Extrovert, or Ambivert?

13:08 The Wedding Test

16:09 Billy’s Singles-Group Story

19:45 Volunteering at Dragon Con?

20:12 The Work Conference Dilemma

23:30 Can Social Skills Be Practiced?

30:05 Avoiding People at the Grocery Store

35:52 Five Seconds of Fear or a Lifetime of Regret

38:08 Paying the Social Battery Bill

40:38 How Work Drains Introverts

43:02 Remote Work, Isolation, and Finding Balance

46:59 Introvert Rapid Fire

51:39 What We Love About Being Introverts

53:48 We Like People in Manageable Doses

#Introvert #SocialBattery #OpenTabsPodcast

Joe shares the personal story of recently being laid off and what he's learned about faith, careers, leadership, and preparing for the unexpected.

Then we shift gears and do something completely ridiculous...

We challenge AI to write a brand-new hip-hop theme song for the Open Tabs Podcast—and honestly... it's way better than either of us expected.

Along the way we talk Fourth of July traditions, Atlanta's Peachtree Road Race, AI creativity, reality TV, foldable phones, pineapple on pizza, and bring back one of our favorite fake sponsors.

If your brain has 37 tabs open at all times... you're in the right place.

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New episodes every week.

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00:00 Welcome & Fourth of July Weekend

04:20 Atlanta's Peachtree Road Race & Night Nation Run

09:30 Joe Opens Up About Being Laid Off

31:05 Faith, Careers & Preparing for the Unexpected

39:20 Can AI Really Make Good Music?

42:15 Creating an AI Theme Song Live

48:10 Open Tab or Closed Tab?

57:00 Listening to Our New AI Theme Song

1:00:50 Fake Sponsor: LinkedIn Premium

1:02:20 Final Thoughts & Wrap-Up