898 - Folding Bot

A Mediocre Time with Tom & Dan - Episode Notes Episode: "898 - Folding Bot" Hosts: Tom Vann, Dan Dennis | Guest: Ross McCoy (comedian) Sponsors / Ad Reads Don Mealy Chevrolet (Clermont) - Opening read. Both hosts' family vehicles (Silverado, Traverse) came from there, and they praised the service department. Ask for JC Harrelson, general sales manager and Corvette guy, for the listener hookup. Inventory at dmchevy.com, or use the form under the Chevy logo at tomanddan.com. A sponsor for over 10 years. Injured On The Go, Just Call Moe - Studio name credit at the top of the show ("Live from the Injured On The Go, Just Call Moe Studio"). Attorney Moe Dewitt, justcallmoe.com. Captain B's Ace of the Beach Fishing Tournament - Second annual, billed as Florida's largest surf fishing tournament. $60 entry, by text to Captain B at 321-424-4119 or at CaptainBSurfFishingCharters.com. Pompano and Whiting divisions, over $10,000 in cash prizes, and a one-ounce gold bar for first place Pompano. 100% of proceeds go to breast cancer research. Fish anywhere on the beach in the morning, then weigh in at noon at Maverick's Hangar Bar and Grill in Satellite Beach. The Pinball Dudes (thepinballdudes.net) - Home or business pinball rental for $350/month, with Andrew delivering, setting up and swapping machines every quarter. The new Fallout machine got a plug. Pitched as a gift (a year membership) and for business lobbies and bars. Andrew is a certified Stern dealer (buy, sell, trade). Text or call 321-591-1062. He'll have machines at Beerfest. Segment Rundown Cold open: show a day early - The Friday free show is recorded Thursday because Dan is headed to Fest. Tom bought the tickets as a gift, and the hosts bicker over whether "company money" counts as a gift. New tomanddan.com launch - The rebuilt, stripped-down site is live. Dan recalls building the first version around 2009-2010 in Apple's discontinued iWeb and compares it to today's "vibe coding." He credits Jeff Blasey for the original logo and the Danger Brains for the long-running second site. The old setup was costing about $600/month in Amazon Web Services fees, plus emergency costs when it crashed during Tom's hip recovery. Dan asks listeners to test the new site and report problems. Tom says take the weekend off. Sanford and Son surprise - Dan watched an episode he'd never seen, where Fred grieves his late wife Elizabeth. It was a serious turn that showed Redd Foxx's dramatic range. He also gives a nod to the classic TV channel he falls asleep to. Norm Macdonald documentary - Discussion of the Judd Apatow-produced Norm doc, which is mostly a compilation of familiar clips. Favorite bits: Norm's podcast with Super Dave Osborne and Adam Eget, and the Larry King interview. Dan briefly suspected the narration was AI before realizing it came from Norm's audiobook. The group debates Norm keeping his cancer private (Tom says he'd do the same, which becomes a running "lumpy taint" gag). Tom's dad used to skip doctor appointments for soul food. Unfunny executives - The NBC executive who fired Norm from SNL leads to a rant about one higher-up's subjective taste outweighing popularity, with a nod to the hosts' own radio past. Ross compares it to a vegetarian running McDonald's. McDonald's two cheeseburger meal - Dan praises the meal as an all-time comfort food while his health-kick daughter Maisie disapproves. Talk of Maisie packing her own salads versus Tom's ice-cream-loving boys, and a proposed "dad swap." Kids trading at school - Ross's kid traded Pop-Tarts for Pub Subs. Dan traded G.I. Joes as a kid, and Maisie's Nee Doh trade got reversed after a parent called. The hosts agree that kids trading and parents undoing it is timeless. Tangent on Pokemon cards used as hygiene bribes for Tom's boys. Dad's top drawer - Inventory of everyone's junk drawers: gag gifts, belt buckles, knives, yo-yos (one from Jim Phillips), guitar picks, dead vape batteries and old medical card IDs. Also whether the kids know what's in there, and beer versus Mountain Dew. Folding Bot (title segment) - Tom saw a Chinese robot demo doing karate moves on junk cars and argues the real life-changer would be a household robot that does laundry, chores, yard work and pool care. Ross and Dan push back on price and current ability, citing the Tesla robot and a viral video of a shaky-handed robot slicing cucumbers. Dan argues washing is solved and folding is the real problem (Andrea's "folding parties"). Ideas pitched: a washer-dryer-folder combo, and a dishwasher rack that rises straight into the cabinets. The bit escalates into crude robot jokes before the break. Music: Soul Glo - Dan plays "February Theory" by Philly punk band Soul Glo, a Buzz Stecker favorite, ahead of their full-length album. Moe Comedy Jam total - Ross relays a text from Buzz Stecker: Moe and comedians Ross, Larry Fulford, Amy LaCour, Will Blaylock and Sean Finnerty raised about $8,000 for the Yellow Brick Road Fund. Amelia Earhart, officially done - Breaking news: the latest expedition's "Taraia object" turned out to be wood coated in coral sand, with no aluminum. The hosts list the earlier misses: the 2017 History Channel photo, Robert Ballard's 2019 Nikumaroro search, and the 2024 sonar "plane" that was a rock. They mock the funding, the crew getting chased off the island nightly by giant coconut crabs, and declare the topic retired. Side talk on D.B. Cooper and whether any real mysteries are left. Detroit-style pizza - Dan's formerly pizza-hating daughter now begs for it. History: Buddy's Rendezvous in Detroit baked pizza in steel auto-factory parts trays, which gives the fried crust and crispy cheese edge (frico), with sauce striped on top. Local picks are Soto Square and Buttercrust. Black Magic Pizza's walk-up window may be getting a brick-and-mortar spot. The hosts riff on the restaurant business and "using every scrap" of podcast. Email: doing things solo - Charles asks why the hosts go to shows without their wives. Dan says Andrea goes solo too (Matt Nathanson). Tom never goes alone, though his wife did take him to Buena Vista Social Club. Chat room responses from Robert, Ryan, Jen and KeyedUpBDM. Dan admits he usually finds someone he knows (John Moreland show, Tony Rage at Fest) and has some Fest anxiety. Ross won't fly solo to a sports gambling convention. Andrea chimes in from the chat. Gambling problem? - Tom recounts recent trips built around casinos and jokes he may have a problem. Ross does his bit about buying 1-800-GAMBLER and having it play "The Gambler." Discussion of what help lines actually do, the Gamblers Anonymous bet joke, and the untouched casino pamphlets. Voicemail: donating underwear - Roger, down from 350 to 238 pounds, asks if he can donate his old underwear. The hosts look it up: Goodwill and most thrift stores reject used underwear and only take new, packaged items. Support the Girls was mentioned. Side gripe about devices auto-reconnecting. Waffle House shirt - Ross's OutKast x Waffle House collab shirt gets compliments, plus complaints about boxy cuts. Email: Publix warehouse perks - Steven, a former Publix warehouse worker, describes free buffet meals, steak days for safety milestones and Super Bowl spreads. The hosts contrast that with the negativity on the Publix Reddit. Tom says he's more suited to warehouse work, and Ross offers him hours at his warehouse. Voicemail: McMurtry Speirling - BDM Jeff follows up on last week's Tesla Roadster talk with the fan-downforce McMurtry Speirling. Tangents on Air Hogs, gas-powered RC cars and miniature working Harley engines. Tom's family dismissed last week's Tesla clip as AI until Crystal checked with AI and still doubted it. The hosts call ignoring an agreed tiebreaker a marriage foul. Being right at home - Dan has had a week of apologizing after Andrea fixed the bedroom HomePods setup he botched. Ross wins a hotel-room AirPods dispute with his wife by pinging them through Find My. Dan recalls the rare thrill of being right. Music: Fake Names - Dan plays "Punk Ruins." Music: Dad Hat / Goth Girl Scout - After "Goth Boy Scout" by Dad Hat, Dan mentions the viral goth Girl Scout photo, which he predicts will be a Halloween costume. Discussion of Scouts' decline, cookie and popcorn sales at storefronts, Ross's "better popcorn inside" line, and Tom always buying. Tom as Home Depot manager - Tom says he could run a Home Depot, which the others ridicule. Listener Kara, whose partner managed at both Home Depot and Lowe's, says he couldn't. Tom dismisses her. Chapman Survey of American Fears - Ross runs down the 2026 top 10: corrupt government officials at #1 (over 60%), U.S. in another world war #2, AI harming the political process #3 (a first for AI), loved ones becoming seriously ill #4, loved ones dying #5, economic collapse #6, AI hurting the economy #7, government tracking of personal data #8, biological warfare #9, terrorist attack #10. The hosts debate whether a world war is possible in a fractured media era and current conflicts. Kissimmee mayor arrest - The hosts joke that steering contracts to friends is the whole point of politics. Trump wants a Trump Ocean - Ross reads Newsweek quotes where Trump says he asked Google's Sundar Pichai to rename an ocean and was turned down. Whatever happened to the intern - Story of a Full Sail intern sent by Kevin Boyd who left his wife waiting in the car for about five hours. Plenty of jokes along the way. Explosion of the Week: Halifax - Ross covers the December 1917 Halifax Explosion. After an anti-submarine net strands both ships overnight, the SS Imo collides with the munitions-laden SS Mont-Blanc in the narrows. Details: the fire and detonation, a blast felt about 129 miles away, the harbor floor briefly exposed, a tsunami up to about 59 feet, over 1,600 killed initially, 9,000 injured, and 12,000+ buildings damaged. Dispatcher Vince Coleman stayed at his post to wire a warning that stopped an incoming train, and a blizzard hit the next day. This leads into WWI horrors via Dan Carlin's Hardcore History, family war stories of uncertain truth, and Crystal secretly using AI for ancestry. Cake tonight, Fest tomorrow - Dan is seeing Cake at Cocoa Riverfront Park with no opener. The hosts recall their hits, early albums (Motorcade of Generosity, Fashion Nugget) and peers like Bloodhound Gang, Crash Test Dummies and Presidents of the USA. Tom's theory is that parks have an annual budget for one big act, and the group guesses Cake's fee. Dan heads to Fest in Gainesville for Lagwagon, Pulley, Drag the River and comedy including Larry Fulford, and to see Tony Rage filling in on guitar for Make War. Sign-off. Key Dates / Plugs Mentioned Tonight (Thu, Oct 22) - Dan sees Cake at Cocoa Riverfront Park. Fri, Oct 23 and Sat, Oct 24, plus Oct 30 - The final nights of the St. Cloud Trail of Terror. This weekend, starting Friday - Fest in Gainesville (Lagwagon, Pulley, Drag the River, Make War with Tony Rage on guitar, Larry Fulford comedy). Dan will have limited availability for website issues. Monday - Next BDM show. Fri, Nov 6 - Pre-tournament meeting at Maverick's Hangar Bar and Grill, Satellite Beach. Sat, Nov 7 - Ace of the Beach Fishing Tournament, with weigh-in at noon at Maverick's. Entry at CaptainBSurfFishingCharters.com or by text to 321-424-4119. Upcoming - Bad at Business Beerfest, where The Pinball Dudes will have machines. Ongoing - New tomanddan.com is live, and listeners are asked to report bugs. Ongoing - Email show@tomanddan.com, call or leave a voicemail at 1-844-TOMNDAN, and find the songs on the Tom and Dan Music Spotify playlist. Ongoing - Don Mealy Chevrolet (dmchevy.com), Just Call Moe (justcallmoe.com) and The Pinball Dudes (thepinballdudes.net, 321-591-1062). Notable Guests/Callers Ross McCoy - In-studio comedian and guest. Covers the news and the Explosion of the Week. Charles - Chat room regular. Emailed about the hosts doing things without their wives. Robert, Ryan, Jen, KeyedUpBDM - Chat room members weighing in on going solo. Andrea - Dan's partner, commenting from the chat. Roger - Voicemail about donating old underwear after his weight loss. Steven - Email about Publix warehouse employee perks. BDM Jeff - Voicemail recommending the McMurtry Speirling. Kara - Listener message saying Tom couldn't manage a Home Depot. Buzz Stecker - Relayed text with the Moe Comedy Jam fundraising total.