How do two friends say goodbye to each other? If you're Stephen Dubner and James Altucher, you do so by recording a podcast. Question of the Day has produced 177 episodes and a live special over the span of just one year, and now our hosts are putting the show on hiatus in order to launch and grow their other endeavors. On today's final episode, for now, hear James and Stephen talk about goodbyes, backgammon matches, what they've learned, and what they'll miss once this episode comes to a close.This episode is sponsored by Squarespace.

Question of the Day

177. How Do You Say Goodbye?

Why didn't Stephen invite James to his children's bar and bat mitzvahs? Did it have something to do with how James acted at Stephen's 50th birthday party? Today, James and Stephen contemplate what it's like making new friends as middle-aged introverts compared to during adolescence, and discuss how it's easier to broadcast your social signals as mature adults.

176. Friendships at Age 50

Is it more important to set an actual price when you're negotiating a deal, or to control the terms on which a price is to be set? When James was selling his first company, he ended up with millions less than he anticipated because the other party tipped the scales in their favor. Now, James uses this same technique in his own favor when he's sitting at the negotiating table. Learn more about this technique and how Stephen crowdsourced the asking price of his house on today's Question of the Day.This episode is sponsored by Warby Parker.

175. Who Sets the First Number in a Negotiation?

Two questions in one day? Today, James and Stephen take on questions from two listeners who want to know if a more active and socially engaged electorate would create a better political system. Would the populace actually be better informed by watching cable news on a regular basis and reading their tabloid or broadsheet of choice, or would they just be further cementing the ideological divide that media outlets are polarized to? Our hosts also discuss the potential for compulsory mail-in and internet voting and see if maybe the Swiss are on to something that America's missing.This episode is sponsored by Squarespace.

174. Would Politics Work Better If Everyone Was Informed and Voted?

What's the greatest factor that lead to Donald Trump securing the Republican presidential nomination? If you're Stephen Dubner, you'll say that electoral politics is a form of entertainment and Donald Trump has put in lots of deliberate practice as an entertainer, while 'traditional' politicians only appear in the spotlight every two-to-six years. However, will Trump's entertaining expertise and the billions of dollars of free airtime he's receiving be enough to secure the White House?This episode is sponsored by Wealthfront Veritone.

173. Does Anyone Actually Like Donald Trump?

You have to get uptown to your office for a meeting. You can hail an Uber and be there in 8 minutes, or you can walk and arrive in 24 minutes. Which option is the "lazy" one? This disagreement is the crux of today's conversation about what constitutes laziness and to what degree it is actually a productive creative trait. Would you pay to sit in the car and arrive quickly, or do the exercise but arrive later than the person you're meeting?This episode is sponsored by Magoosh.

172. What Is the Right Amount of Lazy to Be?

If NASA were to give the opportunity to leave everything behind and settle on Mars, with no return ticket, would you take them up on the offer? Some might jump at the offer, but many people haven't even explored outside of their own country, nonetheless planet. Today, James and Stephen discuss the prospects of leaving the Earth, literally, as well as what other options might present themselves for people who aren't trying to escape the bulk of humanity.

171. One Way Ticket To Mars

Are Stephen and James recommending "The Purge"? No, but today they and QOD social media followers are chiming in on what single law they think should be eliminated. James channels his inner-Ron Paul and makes a stance that the FDA should be abolished or drastically weakened, but can he convince Stephen that it's a legitimately good idea?

170. What One Law Would You Get Rid Of?

What can James take away from having a comedian in the booth with him for four days? Today, on Marina Franklin's final guest co-hosting episode, James and Stephen give Marina a lightning round of questions about comedy and the comedy business. Some of the topics touched upon include: Getting your set ready for late night talk shows, Jerry Seinfeld's mom jeans, and Marina's one piece of advice for up-and-coming comedians.This episode is sponsored by Magoosh.

169. What Can Marina Franklin Teach Us About Comedy?

How do you when your podcast co-host sponsors the same English soccer team as you? What about when your comedian friend gets her own TV show and major movie deals? The intersection of competition and cooperation are just the beginning of today's engaging conversation between our hosts and guest Marina Franklin.

168. How Do You Handle Your Friends' Successes?

How many selfies do you take with your friends before settling on one that's "social media worthy"? Our guest co-host Marina Franklin thinks whatever the number is, it's a lot higher than what it used to be, and it's because our global level of self-consciousness is rising rapidly. Listen on as Marina, James, and Stephen discuss the difference in perception between looking in a mirror and at your smartphone screen, and why Stephen's happy to have the "Freakonomics apple" as his online avatar.This episode is sponsored by Mott & Bow.

167. Do Selfies Cause Weight Awareness?

You're in the middle of a stand-up comedy set - maybe your second or third that night - when your act is suddenly derailed by an audience member who is completely uninterested in the performance. That's what happened to our guest co-host of the next four episodes, Marina Franklin, before she came in to record with James and Stephen. Today we discuss why one person's negative opinion can dwell in the mind of a performer, even when they're vastly outnumbered by the opposite opinion.This episode is sponsored by The Tim Ferriss Show.

166. How Do You Overcome a Bad Crowd?

Have you ever wondered what James and Stephen do every morning that has elevated them to the style icons they are today? No? Nevertheless, today we discuss brush-free hairstyles vs. needing to be groomed like a puppy, going to the gym for aesthetic purposes vs. keeping up physically with teenage children, and the importance of contentment vs. happiness.This episode is sponsored by Squarespace.

165. Altucher Fashion and Exercise

Do you get excited about the Olympic Games? Even if you don't, you're likely to end up watching a few events on TV throughout the two and a half weeks that it dominates most media outlets. Today, Stephen and James discuss their relationship to "the games" in addition to reliving what a scandalous year 1994 was.This episode is sponsored by Mott & Bow.

164. What Is The Most Entertaining Olympic Event?

Are you pouring your productive potential down the drain when you spend your free time playing games? Today, James argues that deep knowledge of a game's rules and strategy could be beneficial in a way similar to learning a new language. However, Stephen's research has shown that the return-on-investment of actual language learning is incredibly low. Still, our hosts' personal and professional relationship with each other has been cultivated over years of backgammon playing. Who will triumph in today's verbal tug-of-war?This episode is sponsored by Magoosh.

163. Are Games a Waste of Time?

Question of the Day is the show for listeners who are short on time and long on curiosity. It is a fast-paced conversation between author and entrepreneur James Altucher and Freakonomics co-author Stephen Dubner: two smart, unconventional thinkers who have been talking together for years, often over a long-running backgammon match. Now they are letting you in on the game, too. You will quickly become addicted to their wonderful, wry observations as they ponder each Question of the Day. The answers await you every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

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