Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here.

Today I wanted to share a quick but important update with you. I’m taking a short break from the show so I can fix some structural and process issues behind the scenes and make sure Simple Joe is smoother, more focused, and more valuable for you going forward. This isn’t about stepping away from what I love. Spending this time with you every day truly is the highlight of my day, and that’s exactly why I want to get this right. I’ll be back very soon, so please don’t unfollow or unsubscribe. If you’ve ever reached out to me before, there’s a good chance I’ll be in touch to ask for your thoughts and input on the show, and if you haven’t, I’d love to hear from you now. Having listeners from all over the country and the world still blows my mind, and every message means more to me than you probably realize. For now, hang tight, stay subscribed, and know that I’m not going anywhere. I’m just making things better so the time we share together each day is even more meaningful

Email me at joe@thesimplejoe.com or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you.

You can get Simple Joe T-Shirts and other cool stuff at thesimplejoe.com/store

Check out what I'm reading at thesimplejoe.com/reading

If you share the show on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, please use #simplejoeismyfriend; you might get a free t-shirt!

Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here. Email me at joe@thesimplejoe.com or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you.

Show Notes

In today’s episode of Simple Joe for Tuesday, January 6th, 2026, I kick things off with a mind-bending fact about chess and just how unimaginably large the number of possible games really is. We check in on the weather for Charlotte, North Carolina, and Cincinnati, Ohio, celebrate birthdays including Joan of Arc, Rowan Atkinson, Eddie Redmayne, Kate McKinnon, Nancy Lopez, Howie Long, and Eric Trump, and take a quick look back at history with New Mexico becoming the 47th state and the debut of Schoolhouse Rock! on ABC. I also highlight today’s celebrations, National Cuddle Up Day, National Shortbread Day, and Bean Day, before diving into my favorite part of Tuesdays, Random Questions. These questions take us into everything from courtesy on the road to sleep, introversion, reality itself, and what advice we might want from our future selves. As always, I wrap things up with a reminder to make memories, stay connected to the people you love, and remember that memories are better than stuff.

Today’s Random Questions

- If you had to add one ridiculous but harmless rule that everyone in the world had to follow, what would it be?

- Would you rather be able to instantly fall asleep anytime you want, or never need sleep at all?

- What do you think people misunderstand most about you, even people who know you fairly well?

- What is something you are absolutely convinced about, even though you know you could be wrong?

- If you could ask your future self one honest question and be guaranteed a truthful answer, what would you ask?

You can get Simple Joe T-Shirts and other cool stuff at thesimplejoe.com/store

Check out what I'm reading at thesimplejoe.com/reading

If you share the show on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, please use #simplejoeismyfriend; you might get a free t-shirt!

Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here.

On today’s episode of Simple Joe for Monday, January 5, 2026, I kick things off with a truly unsettling but fascinating look at Victorian-era post-mortem photography and how long exposure times made the stillness of the dead appear sharper than the living, which leads to a broader reflection on memory, time, and how differently we capture moments today. I share the weather for Brussels, Belgium and Cincinnati, Ohio, reflect briefly on winter, family time, and disappearing snow, and celebrate birthdays for Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Bradley Cooper, Clancy Brown, Chuck Noll, January Jones, Bob Eubanks, Irene Cara, Walt Frazier, Pamela Sue Martin, and Marilyn Manson. We take a quick trip back in history to January 5 with James Watt’s improved steam engine patent and Henry Ford’s groundbreaking five-dollar-a-day wage announcement, then recognize National Bird Day, National Screenwriters Day, National Whipped Cream Day, and National Keto Day, including a personal note on why keto works so well for me. As it’s Monday, I also share today’s Interesting Headlines and ask you to let me know which one you’d like me to dig into on Thursday.

Today’s Interesting Headlines:

• A forgotten shipwreck reveals a perfectly preserved 19th-century time capsule
• Teen inventor creates a low-cost device that turns air into drinking water
• New brain scan can reveal thoughts without spoken words
• A man has visited every country in the world without ever boarding a plane
• Retired mailman finally opens a collection of letters people asked him to keep

Email me at joe@thesimplejoe.com or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you.

You can get Simple Joe T-Shirts and other cool stuff at thesimplejoe.com/store

Check out what I'm reading at thesimplejoe.com/reading

If you share the show on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, please use #simplejoeismyfriend; you might get a free t-shirt!