Podcasts about Radio shack

Barton McGuire doesn't believe a guitar pedal should politely prevent you from making a bad sound. Where's the adventure in that? In this episode, Blake sits down with the founder of Cosmodio Instruments to talk about accidental self-oscillation, homemade noise contraptions, imposter syndrome, and the long road from stuffing circuits into RadioShack boxes to running a growing pedal company. Barton explains why Cosmodio builds “adventurous pedals for adventurous people,” how the Gravity Well helped put the company on the map, and why a pedal should offer more than a carefully fenced pasture of acceptable guitar tones. Sometimes you need a beautiful chorus. Sometimes you need the machine to cough sparks and open a portal. They also dig into the realities of launching a small business, learning from criticism without being emotionally flattened by it, assembling the right team, and accepting that anything worth making will eventually irritate somebody on the internet. Plus: the Cosmodio Splinter Twin, glitchy pitch shifters, no-input feedback, Ryan Burke's approach to trolls, New Zealand pizza, and the enduring importance of twisting the knob you probably shouldn't twist. Check out Barton's work HERE https://cosmod.io/ Support The Show And Connect! The Text Chat is back! Hit me up at (503) 751-8577 You can also help out with your gear buying habits by purchasing stuff from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/reverb⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/sweetwater⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or grabbing your guitar/bass strings from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/stringjoy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Worst It'll Ever Be: AI Apps in 20 Minutes, SpaceX's $1.8T IPO & Saylor's Head Fake — Bad Crypto Podcast #810 It's a bear market, so the bad boys of crypto are doing what builders do: SHIPPING. Bitcoin sits at $61,873, the altcoins are in the crapper, and Joel has officially divorced his bags. Travis explains why the 4-year cycle is alive and well — mapping this pullback exactly to previous cycles, with a projected bottom around mid-October. Then it goes full mad-scientist. Travis builds a viral-worthy "Culture Shock" site of World Cup visitors reviewing America in 20 minutes flat with Claude's new Fable model, then ships Viddl — a desktop app that downloads video from YouTube, X, TikTok, Instagram or LinkedIn with FFmpeg baked in. Joel premieres his AI-generated origin story film (1978, a food court paycheck, and a TRS-80 in a Radio Shack window) and announces his Acumen daily puzzle games are headed to the App Store. Plus: SpaceX IPOs as $SPCX at a $1.8 TRILLION valuation with ~$250B in demand, OpenAI and Anthropic file to go public, Michael Saylor's 32-BTC head fake, a trader who built his own exchange from a 42-page prompt, and the AI video tool stack the guys actually use (Kling, PAI, Higgsfield, Seedance & more). "The technology that we're using now to build stuff is the worst that it's going to be." — Joel ⏱ CHAPTERS0:00 Cold open & liftoff1:04 Episode 810 kicks off — semi-retired no more3:48 Bitcoin's 4-year cycle is mapping exactly4:45 Saylor's head fake: sells 32 BTC, buys 1,500 more6:40 Market check: BTC $61,873 & Joel divorces his altcoins7:49 The AI trading edge: OKX & the 42-page prompt exchange10:24 SpaceX IPO ($SPCX): $250B demand, $1.8T valuation11:27 Trillion-dollar AI: Anthropic & OpenAI file to go public15:48 Culture Shock: World Cup visitors review America19:09 Viddl: download any video, built in a morning23:06 Joel's AI origin story: 1978 & a TRS-8026:30 The AI video stack: Kling, PAI, Higgsfield, Seedance28:08 Acumen: 9 daily puzzle games headed to the App Store31:56 Travis's Pixar-style get-well video for his brother35:03 "The worst it's ever going to be" — why the opportunity is NOW37:18 The fine print

We've got a one week break coming up before Star Trek Summer begins again in earnest, but before that happens we've got one more documentary to serve our Watchcasting listeners in Trekkies! Join us for some nerd archeology as we dig through this doc that's chock full of superfans of all flavors and stripes, and marvel with us at how quaint it all seems compared with our extremely fandom-oriented present.CHAPTERS:(00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 181: Trekkies (1997)(00:00:14) - Intro.(00:05:40) - Why we're doing Trekkies (because Star Trek Summer is on the horizon).(00:08:10) - The fandom, and how this movie treats its nerds.(00:16:41) - On Denise Crosby, and how this movie got made.(00:20:32) - The cast reactions to all this stuff. (00:31:30) - Break!(00:31:54) - We're back, and we're beginning this journey with the Spiner-Femme.(00:37:18) - Gabriel, the star of the movie, if we're being honest.(00:52:32) - Barbara, the Whitewater juror.(00:58:29) - Actual Star Trek (and affiliated) people. (01:07:06) - The Slash Fiction crowd.(01:12:03) - The Greensteins.(01:17:18) - Starbase Dental.(01:20:29) - Filking.(01:22:54) - The wildly different radio shows.(01:30:43) - An encounter at Radio Shack.(01:34:53) - A few scattered bits.(01:40:17) - Final thoughts.(01:53:08) - Housekeeping for our upcoming Star Trek season 3 watch.(01:55:59) - Outro.

For years, RadioShack promised it had everything you needed to stay connected. But in these three terrifying stories, the signals coming through the wires are not from anyone who should still be alive. Are you still drinking that stale, store-bought coffee? Check out ⁠⁠NoSleepCoffee.com⁠⁠ to get 20% off fresh, same-day roasted coffee delivered straight to your door. Just use promo code NOSLEEP20 at checkout for 20% off your first order! Huge thanks to our sponsors: BetterHelp: Sign up now and get 10% off at ⁠betterhelp.com/dns⁠. Shopify: Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at shopify.com/dns. Author:  Jake Bible Check out Jake's latest collection of stories, They All Bleed: Ten NoSleep Stories, Volume Two https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G96H432Y * * * CONTENT DISCLAIMER: This episode contains explicit content not limited to intense themes, strong language, and depictions of violence intended for adults. Parental guidance is strongly advised for children under the age of 18. Listener discretion is advised.  #drnosleep #scarystories #horrorstories #doctornosleep #creepypasta #horror Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to another gloriously weird episode of The Daily Grateful with Michael Crose — where midweek reflections collide with cats, cardboard boxes, Earl Pitts memories, broken Roku boxes, and the eternal mystery of why Radio Shack had to disappear.In this laugh-out-loud episode, Michael takes a hilarious stroll through the middle of the week and reminds us that gratitude doesn't have to be serious to be meaningful. One minute he's channeling old-school radio legend Earl Pitts, the next he's celebrating dinner with his favorite ex-wife at Cheddar's in Largo, Florida. Somewhere in between? A battle with mischievous cats, Walmart bookshelf hunting, unfinished to-do lists, and an unexpected rant about those weird medical test boxes that show up in the mail.But underneath the comedy and chaos is a surprisingly powerful reminder: stopping in the middle of the week to appreciate progress, people, and even small victories can completely reset your mindset.If you've ever laughed at your own stress, forgotten why you walked into Walmart, or found joy in the little things, this episode is absolutely for you.Smile more. Be grateful. Protect your cardboard boxes.And maybe buy the Roku tomorrow.#TheDailyGrateful #MichaelCrose #GratitudePodcast #MidweekMotivation #PositiveMindset #FunnyPodcast #DailyGratitude #PodcastLife #MentalWellness #SelfImprovement #ComedyPodcast #FloridaPodcaster #MotivationalPodcast #PersonalGrowth #MindsetReset #FeelGoodPodcast #LifeReflections #RadioHumor #CatStories #PodcastRecommendations

Kai Wu of Sparkline Capital joins Excess Returns to break down his latest research on AI disruption, software stocks, value traps, and intangible moats. We discuss why software valuations have collapsed, why traditional value investing can fail during technological disruption, and how investors can separate potential AI winners from companies whose business models may be permanently impaired.AI Disruption: Moats and Value Trapshttps://www.sparklinecapital.com/post/ai-disruptionKai Wu on Xhttps://x.com/ckaiwuSparkline Capitalhttps://www.sparklinecapital.com/Topics Covered:Why software stocks are trading at a historically unusual discount to the marketHow AI disruption can create both real opportunities and dangerous value trapsWhy Blockbuster, Borders, RadioShack and newspapers offer lessons for today's software selloffHow patent data and natural language processing can measure technological disruptionWhy disruption has helped explain the poor performance of traditional value investingWhy value investing may still work in sectors insulated from technological changeHow intangible assets like brand, human capital, intellectual property and network effects can protect companiesWhy Walmart and The New York Times survived disruption while other incumbents did notHow David Teece's complementary assets framework applies to AI, software and moatsWhy AI adoption and intangible value together may help identify software survivorsWhy high dispersion in disruption-scare stocks creates a potential opportunity for stock pickersTimestamps:00:00 Software stocks now trade at a historic discount04:26 What makes a cheap stock a value trap08:25 Measuring disruption using patents, filings and natural language processing13:23 Is AI the biggest disruptive wave in history?14:55 Why disruption keeps stacking on retailers17:10 How technological change disrupted traditional value investing21:20 Why value investors need to know when not to apply old metrics25:06 Why more of the market is exposed to innovation than ever before27:07 What Walmart and The New York Times teach about surviving disruption32:40 The four intangible moats that can protect companies35:02 Why intangible value works better in disrupted industries38:50 Apple, Amazon, Macy's and the difference between disruptors and value traps42:58 Applying intangible value to beaten-down software stocks47:05 Why AI adoption alone is not enough48:23 How AI could improve margins for surviving software companies50:09 Which industries are adopting AI fastest52:14 The software sweet spot: AI adoption plus intangible moats53:53 Why disruption-scare stocks have extreme return dispersion57:40 What happens when intangible value is applied to high-disruption stocks01:01:42 Why “code is not the moat” for many software companies

What does it mean to believe someone when their pain, illness, or disability is not visible? In this episode of Together 4 Good, Pastor Nate talks with Wayne Connell, founder of the Invisible Disabilities Association, about chronic illness, compassion, suffering, isolation, and the kind of community people need when life becomes hard in ways others cannot see.This conversation is about more than disability awareness. It is about learning how to listen, believe, support, and show up for one another with the love of Christ.What You'll Learn:What invisible disabilities are and why they are often misunderstoodWhy phrases like “but you look good” can unintentionally dismiss someone's painHow churches and faith communities can better support people with chronic illnessWhy compassion means suffering with people, not fixing themHow presence, listening, and belief can become meaningful careChapters: 00:00 Welcome and introduction to Wayne Connell 00:50 Wayne's background in technology, broadcasting, and RadioShack 02:30 How Wayne met his wife, Sherri 05:00 Sherri's diagnosis with MS and Lyme disease 09:45 The phrase “invisible disabilities” is born 12:00 Launching the Invisible Disabilities Advocate website 15:00 The book But You Look Good 17:00 Encourage, educate, and connect 20:00 Disability, chronic illness, and language 22:00 Faith, value, and being made in the image of God 24:00 Churches, suffering, and accessibility 28:30 Romans 5 and why we cannot skip suffering 34:00 Sitting with people in the ashes 36:00 Compassion means suffering with 39:00 Isolation, presence, and showing up 41:00 Why “How are you doing?” matters more than “How are you feeling?” 45:00 Listening, believing, and supporting people 47:00 Invisible disability as a mission field 49:00 Wayne's calling and the work aheadLike, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who needs a more compassionate way to talk about disability, chronic illness, faith, and community.Connect with Bethany:

Todd, Eric, and special guest Abby dive headfirst into one of the strangest television disasters ever broadcast - The Star Wars Holiday Special.What was supposed to be a fun holiday event somehow became 90 uninterrupted minutes of confusion, Wookiee yelling, awkward musical numbers, and Harrison Ford looking like he actively wanted to leave.In this episode:The infamous 20-minute Wookiee conversation that tests everyone's patience almost immediately.Why the Holiday Special feels less like Star Wars and more like someone filmed a fever dream in a RadioShack.A breakdown of bizarre variety-show performances, awkward comedy sketches, and aggressively seventies television decisions.The introduction of “Life Day,” which somehow feels both deeply important and completely meaningless.Wookiee home life, strange hologram entertainment systems, and what may or may not be space pornography.The first-ever appearance of Boba Fett hidden inside a cartoon that somehow becomes the best part of the special.Why Mark Hamill looks like he wandered in from an entirely different production.A heated debate over whether this is the worst thing ever made… or simply the most confusing.From Bea Arthur singing in a cantina to endless growling conversations that absolutely should have had subtitles, this episode explores every uncomfortable, hilarious, and baffling moment of the Holiday Special.If you've never seen The Star Wars Holiday Special, this episode may save you 90 painful minutes. If you have seen it, this is basically group therapy.

In this episode of the Liquid Weekly Podcast, hosts Karl Meisterheim and Taylor Page are joined by Sandesh Kulai, founder of STOQ by Artos Software.Sandesh shares his journey from building early Shopify apps to working at Shopify, then returning to app development full-time with Artos Software. The conversation dives into the real complexity behind preorders, back-in-stock alerts, selling plans, deferred payments, storefront integrations, and supporting apps across a wide range of Shopify themes.Sandesh also gives a behind-the-scenes look at Engine Room, Artos Software's internal AI-powered operations dashboard, and shares practical advice for app developers on treating the business itself like a product.STAY CONNECTEDSubscribe to Liquid Weekly for more expert insights:https://liquidweekly.com/EPISODE HIGHLIGHTSSandesh's Shopify Origin StoryBuilt for Shopify RecognitionFrom Back-in-Stock to PreordersSelling Plans Beyond SubscriptionsWhy Preorders Are More Than a Button ChangeStorefront and Theme Support24/7 Human SupportEngine Room and AI OperationsBuilding the Business Like a ProductFIND SANDESH ONLINE & RESOURCESLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandeshkini/Twitter/X: https://x.com/heysandy801STOQ: https://www.stoqapp.com/STOQ on the Shopify App Store: https://apps.shopify.com/back-in-stock-restock-alertsTIMESTAMPS00:00 - Cold Open: Fighting Operational Slowdowns with Engine Room00:52 - Introduction & Sandesh's Birthday03:02 - Built for Shopify Recognition at Editions.dev07:50 - Rails, React, and the STOQ Tech Stack08:52 - Sandesh's Origin Story: Apps, Shopify, and Product Management12:10 - From Restock Rocket to STOQ13:36 - Why Preorders Are More Complicated Than a Button Change15:16 - Selling Plans, Purchase Options, and Deferred Payments18:38 - Deposits, Partial Payments, and Charging Customers Later20:45 - Using Preorders and Waitlists for Better Inventory Decisions21:36 - Conversion Analytics for Preorder Campaigns24:32 - Listening to Merchant Feedback and Expanding Product Direction28:12 - Supporting Storefronts, Themes, App Embeds, and Selectors30:50 - Building 24/7 Human Support33:01 - Scaling Support from Founders to a Team39:58 - Engine Room: Artos Software's Internal AI Dashboard41:12 - Tracking Merchant Sentiment, Reviews, Web Vitals, and Escalations44:15 - Using AI to Keep the Team Focused on What Matters46:02 - Co-Founder Dynamics and Long-Term Partnership52:47 - Advice for App Developers: Treat the Business Like a Product54:13 - Shopify Dev Changelog Highlights01:01:49 - Picks of the WeekDEV CHANGELOGMore admin intents now support Settings: https://shopify.dev/changelog/more-admin-intents-now-support-settings[action required] Ship and pickup in one order now available in feature preview: https://shopify.dev/changelog/ship-and-pickup-in-one-order-feature-preview[action required] App deployment in CI/CD is now available for all apps: https://shopify.dev/changelog/app-deployment-in-cicd-is-now-available-for-all-appsPublish and unpublish product variants independently from product: https://shopify.dev/changelog/publish-and-unpublish-product-variants-independently-from-product[action required] Bots and agents should identify themselves via Web Bot Auth: https://shopify.dev/changelog/bots-and-agents-should-identify-themselves-via-web-bot-authTarget discounts to specific markets: https://shopify.dev/changelog/target-discounts-to-specific-marketsShopify App Pricing: charge for usage, recurring subscriptions, or both: https://shopify.dev/changelog/shopify-app-pricing-charge-for-usage-recurring-subscriptions-or-bothPICKS OF THE WEEKKarl: A retro Radio Shack 1680 chess computer from 1996.Sandesh: Setting up a Mac Mini to experiment with Hermes and personal AI agent workflows.Taylor: The SDA Toronto guide built with Trudy MacNabb for people heading to Shopify.dev, including events, restaurants, work spots, and local recommendations.

In this episode, we examine the RadioShack Retro Turntable (Model 4001797), a $129.99 belt-drive player that aims to balance vintage aesthetics with modern connectivity. The unit plays all three standard speeds—33 1/3, 45, and 78 RPM—and accommodates records up to 12 inches, making it compatible with most collections including older shellac formats. It features dual built-in speakers for immediate playback, though serious listeners will likely take advantage of the RCA outputs to connect to external audio systems. The turntable's standout feature is its bidirectional Bluetooth capability, allowing users to either stream audio to the turntable or send vinyl playback wirelessly to Bluetooth speakers. Additional connectivity includes a 3.5mm AUX input and headphone jack. Housed in an MDF case with a PVC vinyl finish and transparent dust cover, the turntable occupies a 15.75" x 14.17" footprint. At this price point, it positions itself as an accessible entry point for vinyl newcomers or a convenient secondary setup, offering out-of-the-box functionality without requiring immediate additional investment in external speakers. Follow AndroidGuys(X) Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/androidguysInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/androidguysTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@androidguysofficialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AndroidGuyscomOfficialWebsite: http://www.androidguys.comFollow Scott WebsterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottwebsterFollow Luke GaulInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukegaul

Why don't they look? Why don't they look?Host segments: designated crime guy; brought to you by Big Radar (TM); "It's my day for the button, mother!," train stories; explain Steve Bucemi!; shorts and the TikTok economy; Radio Shack roasts.

Hugh Klitzke on the Conversational Read – and Why Most Coaches Are Actually Just DirectingThis month we're joined by Hugh Klitzke – New York-based voiceover coach, director, and the person behind conversational VO. We met Hugh at One Voice UK last year (we won a pub quiz together, which felt like a good omen) and we've been wanting to get him on the podcast ever since.Hugh spent nearly 15 years directing over 125,000 voiceover auditions at Buchwald talent agency in New York. He now specialises in one thing: the conversational read. Not a genre. Not a style. A way of performing that the industry has been asking for for years – and that a surprising number of experienced voices still struggle to deliver.In this episode, we get into why that is.We talk about what "conversational" actually means technically – and it turns out it's far more specific than "just sound natural." Hugh draws on prosody, tessitura, vowel length, consonant weight, and the emotional centre of copy to explain what's actually going wrong when a read sounds like an announcement rather than a conversation. It's the kind of episode where you'll want to take notes.We also talk about:Why the British relationship to broadcast media creates a genuinely different challenge around the conversational readThe difference between directing and coaching – and why Hugh thinks most coaches are doing the former without realising itWhy cold reading is overrated, and the one question that can shift everythingHow a chance meeting with a speech pathologist changed the way Hugh teachesHugh's Open Studio – a free, live, fortnightly Zoom session where you can watch him coach in real time, no paywall in sightAI voices, mouth clicks, and why perfection is starting to feel like a problemHugh also shares the story of how he ended up at Buchwald – scoring a film for no money, selling phones at Radio Shack, and a favour that changed everything.If you've ever felt like your read is almost there but not quite landing, this one's for you.Find Hugh at http://conversationalvo.com/ and look for Open Studio in the menu to join a free live session.

Most people think you need engineers, funding, and a technical background to build a tech company — Dr. Alex Mehr spent two years at NASA calculating how not to blow up spacecraft, then left to build a dating app, and $258 million later he's proving all of that is no longer true. In this episode of The Root of All Success, Jason Duncan sits down with Dr. Alex Mehr, former NASA research scientist, co-founder of Zoosk, and CEO of Famous.ai. After growing Zoosk to over 40 million users and selling it for $258 million, Alex pivoted to rescuing iconic American retail brands like Pier One, Radio Shack, and Dress Barn before landing on what he calls the most important problem he has ever tried to solve: eliminating the last barrier between non-technical founders and their best ideas. But before any of that, Alex crossed what he calls his own Rubicon, walking away from a stable academic career, cashing out his 401k, paying all the penalties, and betting everything on an app studio at a time when people thought "apps" meant appetizers. Alex breaks down how Zoosk started as a polling widget on MySpace, why selling the company felt like entering an abyss instead of a finish line, and how Famous.ai now lets anyone build a fully functioning app, backend, and payment system just by describing it in plain English. This conversation dives into: •Leaving NASA to build apps before the iPhone App Store even existed •Starting a company called Pollection and pivoting through failure until something clicked •Launching the Zoosk dating widget in December 2007 and becoming the #1 dating app by 2012 •Why selling for $258 million felt like the opposite of joy •Acquiring Pier One, Radio Shack, and Dress Barn and what distressed retail taught him about brand trust •Why a brand is really just one word: trust •The 2024 AI reasoning threshold that made Famous.ai possible •How Famous.ai builds full apps, logins, databases, and payment systems from a plain English prompt •The 50-customer rule: why that number is where you stop and honestly evaluate •Why moving fast means testing ideas in quick succession without betting the farm on any one of them •Why chasing money as your primary goal actually lowers your odds of winning •What fulfillment looks like when financial success leaves you empty •David's slingshot: giving the little guy asymmetric advantage through technology If you are a non-technical founder sitting on an idea, an entrepreneur tired of paying for engineers, or someone wondering whether this AI moment is real and whether it applies to you, this episode gives you the clearest and most honest picture yet of what is actually possible right now.

Get your tickets to our L.A. live show here! In 2019, influencer Tai Lopez made a pitch to his social media followers: by buying up distressed retail brands like Radio Shack and Pier 1 out of bankruptcy, they could all get rich. But as WSJ's Suzanne Kapner reports, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Lopez of running a “Ponzi-like scheme” through his company, Retail Ecommerce Ventures. Ryan Knutson hosts. Further Listening/Viewing: - Influencer Arielle Charnas's Fashion Fail - How a Miami Couple Used Empty Mansions to Pocket Millions Sign up for WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is the optimal age for a Sheldon? It's Young Sheldon week on a brand new TVPL! We're taking a look at the single-cam spinoff of the multi-cam juggernaut that is The Big Bang Theory. Join us in 80's small town Texas as we discuss a surprisingly rockin soundtrack, high schoolers running Oklahoma drills and RADIO SHACK. It's the coming of age comedy we didn't know we needed. Be sure to subscribe for new episodes every Thursday!With:Geoff KerbisMax SingerThanks To Riverside For Sponsoring The Pod! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click this link to learn more!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Crystal is taking you all the way back. Before the foundation, before the name, before the RadioShack microscope origin story that never made sense anyway. Back to May 2001 — a home ISP page, a plea from a man named Wei-Nong Fu in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, asking the internet for help with his wife's mystery illness. Sounds desperate. Sounds innocent. Except Fu is an electromagnetic field simulation engineer at ANSOFT Corporation, the company whose software models how EM fields behave inside complex structures. Including, theoretically, biological ones. Nowadays, he just happens to be an expert in implantable biosensors, back in China working as a professor. But in 2001, he recommends a specific microscope — the Bradford BVPM — to diagnose what he says is an unknown pathogen. That microscope was built by Robert W. Bradford, a man with no science degree who was later convicted of conspiracy, mail fraud, and whose unregulated drugs literally killed a patient. Bradford manufactured a Lyme epidemic to sell his product. His microscope is the diagnostic foundation of the earliest documented cases. And Fu's Shanghai case studies? Linked on the Morgellons Research Foundation website within weeks of its registration. The Shanghai Cases weren't discovered by the stay at home mom who ran the MRF. They were baked into the infrastructure at launch.We trace the geographic cluster — Canonsburg, Pennsylvania (population: about 9,000, also home to ANSYS, the company that acquired ANSOFT for $832 million), Bethel Park right next door, the MRF registered in the same tiny corridor. We look at Mary Lato's actual records versus the origin story. No licensure. No employment history. Research-grade fluorescence micrographs on the website that were absolutely not produced by a toy radioshack microscope. A domain registrant whose initials match a young man living in her household. A national letter-writing campaign that reached Obama, McCain, Clinton, and Feinstein — coordinated by a woman with no verifiable professional background. Three founding couples, none seemingly sharing a last name, in a condition where the statistical reality is that men leave at seven times the normal rate when women get seriously ill. Three for three devoted husbands isn't a love story. It's a casting pattern.We also talk about what this means for you — right now, today. Crystal Clear makes the case that this has never behaved like a disease and the path forward isn't medical, it's political. The CDC found silica, polyethylene glycol, and cellulose together in samples and called them contaminants without further study. Contaminants or components — that question remains open. Havana Syndrome got the same playbook the morgies got: deny, diagnose delusions, dismiss. If they wouldn't protect their own CIA officers, they're not coming for us voluntarily. But pressure works. It always has. Ask Upton Sinclair. Ask the rats no longer ground up in your hamburger.Speaking of pressure — Oklahoma State University received the MRF's assets when it dissolved, including possibly a patient registry of approximately 12,000 self-reports. Crystal Clear filed an open records request 31 days ago. OSU has not responded. The portal won't even publish the request. If you'd like to know what happened to your data — data you submitted, about your body, your experience — you might consider asking. Politely. Persistently. Because twenty years and two posters is not an answer.New episodes drop regularly. Share the show. Tell someone. We're not done pushing. Leave Crystal a message or VM atMoremorgellons.com | FOIA count: 49 and climbing

What if the way that Blockbuster and RadioShack ran their businesses into the ground is the same way that the Church is being run? Watch on YouTube: The Church's Bad Business?

RJM's Ron Menelli: The MIDI Wizard Behind the Pros' Pedalboards Description Ron Menelli from RJM Music joins Blake Wyland to tell the long, nerdy, wildly practical story behind one of the most essential “behind the curtain” brands in modern guitar rigs. Ron walks through his early days building circuits from Radio Shack notebooks, studying electrical engineering and computer science, and eventually bailing on the corporate telecom world to build something of his own. That leap leads to RJM's first big breakthrough: the AmpGizmo, a solution that brought MIDI control to the era of giant channel-switching amps with giant multi-button footswitches. From there, Ron explains how RJM evolved from amp control into full rig command centers, including the RG16 and the Mastermind ecosystem, and why products like the PBC-6X became the best-selling “brain” for players who want one button to handle loops, pedal order, and MIDI commands in a single move. You also get a real talk segment on the business side: what it's like building gear for a small, pro-focused niche (where your customers are the artists everyone else watches), why Ron intentionally keeps RJM small, and what he'd tell anyone trying to start a pedal or guitar company today. Plus: a deep dive into MIDI 2.0, why it's taking forever, and why the promise of “plug and play” control could finally make MIDI less terrifying for normal humans. Then we wrap with the essentials: favorite Boss pedals (OD-1 love), a Rush-inspired tap-dance origin story… and Chicago thin-crust pizza supremacy. Check out all the stuff at rjmmusic.com Support The Show And Connect! The Text Chat is back! Hit me up at (503) 751-8577 You can also help out with your gear buying habits by purchasing stuff from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/reverb⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/sweetwater⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or grabbing your guitar/bass strings from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/stringjoy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you're looking to scale your business, reinvent your career, or just hear a story that's as heartfelt as it is instructive, you won't want to miss this candid conversation.Hosts Glenn Harper and Julie Smith sit down with the dynamic Marc L. Daniels—also known as the Billion Dollar Coach. From his entrepreneurial beginnings in New Jersey to orchestrating multi-million dollar exits and even running an alpaca farm on Martha's Vineyard, Marc L. Daniels shares a wild ride packed with sharp business insights and personal transformation.This episode goes into Marc L. Daniels's unexpected pivots: rescuing a Radio Shack dealership from the brink, revolutionizing startups, and leading companies through explosive growth—all while staying grounded with stories of family, resilience, and a healthy dose of humor.Along the way, he opens up about the life-changing events that shaped his fearless approach, the strategies behind his success, and why having a plan is non-negotiable for any entrepreneur.This episode is brought to you by PureTax, LLC. Tax preparation services without the pressure. When all you need is to get your tax return done, take the stress out of tax season by working with a firm that has simplified the process and the pricing. Find out more about how we started.Moments07:34 "Winning Scholarship and Career Path"11:24 "West Milford's Economic Decline"19:17 "Visionary Paper Route Deal"26:54 "First Business Pivot Success"28:48 "Whiteboard Dashboard for Metrics"36:52 "Board Management Tech Amid Crisis"43:48 "Weaknesses and Unpredictable Threats"46:11 "Finding Profitable Industry Trends"52:53 AI: Business Tool, Not Trend55:53 "Meetings Matter for Project Success"01:00:59 Accountants: Helping is Core ValueRunning a business doesn't have to run your life.Without a business partner who holds you accountable, it's easy to be so busy ‘doing' business that you don't have the right strategy to grow your business.Stop letting your business run you. At Harper & Co CPA Plus, we know that you want to be empowered to build the lifestyle you envision. In order to do that you need a clear path to follow for successOur clients enjoy a proactive partnership with us. Schedule a consultation with us today.Download our free guide - Entrepreneurial Success Formula: How to Avoid Managing Your Business From Your Bank Account.Here are three key takeaways:Embrace the Pivot: Marc's story is proof that changing directions—whether it's switching industries or business models—can be your biggest opportunity. He spotted industry trends early and wasn't afraid to pivot, from computers to consulting to farming, and then back to business again.Strategic Planning Wins: Marc emphasized that “hope is not a strategy and hustle is not a plan.” He encourages every entrepreneur to have a written business plan, regularly meet with their team, and use tools (like AI) to leverage trends. Execution is everything.Know Your Endgame: Marc challenges entrepreneurs to plan their exit early. Whether it's selling, passing on, or scaling down, having clarity on your business's future is critical for long-term success.Glenn Harper, CPA, is the Owner and Managing Partner of Harper & Company CPAs Plus, a top 10 Managing Partner in the country (Accounting Today's 2022 MP Elite). His firm won the 2021 Luca Award for Firm of the Year. An entrepreneur and speaker, Glenn transformed his firm into an advisory-focused practice, doubling revenue and profit in two years. He teaches entrepreneurs to build financial and operational excellence, speaks nationwide to CPA firm owners about running their businesses like entrepreneurs, and consults with firms across the country. Glenn enjoys golfing, fishing, hiking, cooking, and spending time with his family.Julie Smith, MBA, is a serial entrepreneur in the public accounting space. She is the Founder of EmpowerCPA™, Founder of PureTax, LLC, COO for Harper & Company CPAs Plus, and Co-host of the Empowering Entrepreneurs podcast. Named CPA.com's 2021 Innovative Practitioner of Year, Julie led Harper & Company's transition to an advisory-focused firm, doubling revenue and profit in two years. She now empowers other CPA firm owners nationwide through consulting and speaking, teaching them how to run their businesses like entrepreneurs. Julie lives in Columbus, OH with her family and enjoys travel, coaching basketball, sporting events, and the occasional shopping spree.Copyright 2026 Glenn Harperhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/

Electronics Stores: PC Richard, The Wiz, Circuit City, Best Buy, Crazy Eddie and . . . Tower Records (which did not belong on the list). Tom Kelly and comedian Steve Burger discuss electronic stores past and present. What went right? What went wrong? And how did we miss Radio Shack? - Plus: Tom Kelly will be swimming in a shark tank at the Long Island aquarium to promote People's ARC a non profit that helps children and adults with special needs. - Tickets For The Shark Tank Showdown https://www.peoplesarc.org/event/shark-tank-showdown-2/ 

We debate clutter, the "Fast Food Hall of Fame", Curtis Granderson, RadioShack, The Sammy Sosa bat corking incident, and more.

This week on Radio Labyrinth, we welcome author Scott A. Young to discuss Fabricants, the explosive second installment in The Manifold Series — and the audiobook is narrated by our own Tim Andrews.After awakening from stasis on a galaxy-crossing colony mission, commanders Trapp and Bretta discover something terrifying: hundreds of Fabricants — the colony's synthetic workforce — have been neatly disassembled into lifeless piles. The survivors? Violent. Unstable. Rogue.Tim also shares what it's like narrating high-stakes sci-fi — finding the voice of commanders, synthetic beings, and galaxy-spanning tension inside a recording booth.Then we expand the conversation into the larger audiobook boom — sparked by recent buzz around Stephen King's upcoming Talisman trilogy finale — and why more readers are choosing to listen instead of read.If you're into The Expanse, Blake Crouch-style paranoia, or smart sci-fi that asks whether humanity is destined to be destroyed by its own creations — this episode is for you.

In this episode of Gangland Wire, Gary Jenkins sits down with author Craig McGuire to discuss his gripping book, Empire City Under Siege, a deep dive into three decades of FBI manhunts, mob wars, and organized-crime investigations in New York City. Craig explains how the project grew out of his collaboration with retired FBI agent Anthony John Nelson, whose career spanned the most violent and chaotic years of New York's Mafia history. From Nelson's early days as a radio dispatcher in 1969 to his transition into undercover and frontline investigative work, the book captures the gritty reality of law enforcement during the 1970s and 1980s. We explore how Nelson's career mirrored the evolution of organized crime and law-enforcement tactics, including the rise of undercover stings, inter-agency cooperation, and the increasing role of technology. Craig highlights the close working relationship between Nelson and NYPD detective Kenny McCabe, whose deep knowledge of Mafia families and quiet professionalism led to major breakthroughs against organized crime. He tells how these two investigators wathced and uncovered the Gambino Family Roy DeMeo crew under Paul Castellano and Nino Gaggi. Throughout the conversation, Craig shares vivid, often humorous slice-of-life stories from the book—tense undercover moments, dangerous confrontations, and the emotional toll of living a double life. These anecdotes reveal not only the danger of the job but also the camaraderie and resilience that sustained agents and detectives working in the shadows. The episode closes with a reminder that Empire City Under Siege is as much about honoring unsung law-enforcement professionals as it is about mob history. Craig encourages listeners to support true-crime storytelling that preserves these firsthand accounts before they're lost to time. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” Subscribe to the website for weekly notifications about updates and other Mob information. To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent ‘Brothers against Brothers’ or ‘Gangland Wire,’ the documentaries click here.  To purchase one of my books, click here. 0:02 Welcome Back to Gangland Wire 2:14 The Journey to Anthony John Nelson 4:46 The Life and Work of Law Enforcement 15:00 Inside Anthony Nelson’s Early Career 26:49 The Dynamic Duo: Nelson and McCabe 30:16 Tales from the Underworld 35:55 The Tragedy of Everett Hatcher 39:12 The High-Stakes World of Undercover Work 40:56 Closing Thoughts and Inspirations transcript [0:00] Hey, all you wiretappers. Good to be back here in studio of Gangland Wire. I say the same thing every time. I hope it doesn’t bore you too much, but I am back here in the Gangland Wire studio. And I have today an author who interviewed and wrote a book with an FBI agent named Anthony John Nelson, who was one of the premier FBI agents in New York City that was working the mob. And even more interesting about him to me was he formed a partnership with a local copper named Kenny McCabe, who you may know the name. I had read the name before several times as I started researching this and looking at the book, but he was a mob buster supreme and Agent Nelson really formed a dynamic duo. But first, let’s start talking to Craig, your book, Empire City Under Seize, Three Decades of New York FBI Field Office Manhunts, Murders and Mafia Wars. How did you get involved with Anthony John Nelson? [0:55] Hi, Gary. Thanks for having me on your show. Big fan. Appreciate the opportunity. Very interesting and winding path that led me to Anthony’s doorstep. I also previously wrote another book, Carmine and the 13th Avenue Boys, which was about an enforcer in the Colombo family during the Third Colombo War. And I was introduced to Carmine Imbriali through Thomas Dades. Tommy Dades, he’s a famous retired NYPD detective. So after the success of that book, Tommy introduced me to another member of law enforcement. I started to work on a project that sort of fell apart. And one of the sort of consultants, friends that I met with during that was Anthony Nelson. And then one day as that, due to my own fumbling, as that project was falling apart, I had a delightful breakfast with Anthony and his wonderful wife, Sydney, Cindy, one Sunday morning. And Anthony’s pulling out all these clips of all these investigations and all these Jerry Capiche gangland clips. And it was just fascinating. And so I started to realize that there’s something here because I’m also a true crime fan and I remember many of these cases. [2:08] So it took a while to get Anthony to agree to write a book. He’s not one for the spotlight. He’s really your sort of quintessential G-man, modern G-man. It’s also somewhat of a throwback. But he eventually was interested in doing a book if we didn’t just shine the spotlight on him. Gary, you should know the original, the working title of the book was In the Company of Courage. And that’s really the theme that Anthony wanted to bring forth. You’ll notice throughout the book, there are some vignettes and some biographical information about many of the members of law enforcement that I interviewed, but then we also covered and who are no longer with us. It was my privilege to write this book sharing Anthony’s amazing history, 30 years at the FBI and then several years at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office as an investigator. And just like one of the themes is just to really shed some light on the valuable work that members of law enforcement, including you, sir. Thank you for your service. And we think too often these days, members of law enforcement are maligned and there’s a negative light cast on them. It’s the most difficult job in the world. And we just want to make sure that we’re shining some light on that valuable work that the thousands of members of men and women in law enforcement do every day protecting us. [3:24] I appreciate that. I’ll tell you what, all the way from the rookie on the street making those domestic violence calls and party armed calls and armed robbery alarms calls that are, there’s nothing there the first five times you go. And then all of a sudden there’s a guy running out with a gun all the way up to the homicide detectives. And even the people that handle the budget, they all paid their dues out on the streets and organized crime investigators, of course, and narcotics. I really appreciate that. It’s a thankless job for the most part. Once in a while, you get a little thanks, but not much. As we used to say, it was fun. I can’t believe they pay us to do this. [4:01] Gary, it’s like you’re repeating some of the lines of Frank Pergola to Al King, just like that. And that’s key, that thankless piece. I remember interviewing Frank Pergola, just famous New York City detective, worked on Son of Sam. He also worked on solving 79 homicides related to the Gambinos and the DeMeo family. And he echoed those same sentiments. While you’re investigating a case, it’s the victims’ families and the victims, their nerves are so fraught. It’s such a stressful situation. And the members of law enforcement bear the brunt of a lot of that frustration. [4:41] And too often, there’s no thank you at the end. And it’s not that they want to thank you. It’s just that they want the sort of closure, not even the recognition, just some sort of realization that they did a great job. And it’s unfortunate that they don’t, that doesn’t happen as often as it should. I appreciate it. Let’s talk about Anthony Nelson. He sounds like a very interesting character. Talk a little bit about what you learned from him about his early career. And I want to tell you something, that recalcitrance, I believe that’s the word, $25 word if I’ve ever heard one. His refusal to really make himself a hero or the center of attention. That’s pretty common among cops and FBI agents. I’ve noticed we’ve got, I’ve got a good friend here in Kansas City, wrote a book about the mafia in Kansas City called Mopsers in Our Mist, but he refused to put himself into the book. He had a publishing company that wanted him to do it and was going to pay him to do it, but it had to have him as a hero. He said, we have to have a hero in this book. He says, I won’t do it. So that Mr. Nelson, Agent Nelson, that’s not that uncommon. So tell us a little more about some of his early cases. [5:49] Anthony Nelson, interestingly enough, his career trajectory and really his life tracks with the latter half of the last century. And a lot of the technological evolution, the rise of organized crime post-prohibition, these themes of urbanization, radicalization that came out from the starting in the middle of the century. But really heating up as a young Anthony Nelson joins the FBI in 1969, really mostly in administrative roles, radio dispatcher first, eventually he’s an electronics technician. So I’m sure, Gary, you can reflect on, and some of this will resonate with you, just how archaic some of the technology was. Oh my God, yeah. Yeah. Back then, we have some fantastic anecdotes and stories in the book, but just also like, for example, when you’re responding to a hostage crisis and you don’t have a cell phone, you don’t have minimal communications and talking about, you better make sure you have a pocket full of dimes and knocking on a neighbor’s door because time is of the essence and to establish contact. So just some of this great, really interesting material there. Eventually, Anthony was sworn in as an agent in 1976, and he entered the FBI Academy at Quantico, graduated in 77. [7:13] And interestingly enough, Anthony reflects like some of his fellow graduates, perhaps were not as keen on going to New York, one of the larger field offices, perhaps wanting to cut their teeth at a smaller office, but he obviously wanted to go home. So he was, and he jumped right into the fray, really assigned to hijacking. And he was an undercover operative in Red Hook during the 1970s, like the really gritty. And from the stories and from the various folks I interviewed, this really was gritty New York back then with the economy failing, crime on the rise. [7:48] Gary, you look, I heard an interesting stat last week where you had, there was almost a record setting that New York City had not reported a homicide for a record 12 consecutive days. And that had not happened in decades. So when Anthony joined the FBI, they were recording five homicides in New York City. And also during the 70s, you also had this, when you talk about radicalization, with 3,000 bombings nationwide, corruption was rampant. You had credit card fraud was just kicking off. You had widespread bread or auto theft and hijacking. Again, at the street level, Anthony was the front for a Gambino-affiliated warehouse where he had first right of refusal, where some of the hijackers would bring in the loads. And he was doing this on an undercover basis. So he jumped right in. They set him up in a warehouse and he was buying like a sting, what we called a sting operation. He was buying stolen property. They thought he was a fence. [8:50] Yeah, they started doing that in the 70s. They hadn’t really done, nobody had done that before in the 70s. ATF kind of started sting operates throughout the United States. We had one here, but they started doing that. And that was a new thing that these guys hadn’t seen before. So interesting. He was that big, blurly guy up front said, hey, yeah, bring that stuff on. Exactly. If you look on the cover, there are three images on the cover, and one of them is following one of the busts afterwards where they tracked down the hijacked goods. I believe it was in New Jersey. So you could get the sense of the volume. Now, think about it like this. So he’s in Red Hook in the mid-70s. This was actually where he was born. So when Anthony was born in 49, and if you think about Red Hook in the early 50s, this was just a decade removed from Al Capone as a leg-breaking bouncer along the saloons on the waterfront. And this was on the waterfront, Red Hook eventually moved to Park Slope. [9:49] And this was where Crazy Joe Gallo was prompted, started a mob war. And this was when any anthony is coming of age back then and most of his friends is gravitating so to these gangster types in the neighborhood these wise guys but this was a time pre-9-1-1 emergency response system so the only way to report or get help was to call the switchboard call the hospital directly call the fire department directly so you had the rise of the b cop where it wasn’t just the police they were integral part of the community and there’s this really provocative story Anthony tells the first time he saw a death up close and personal, an acquaintance of his had an overdose. And the beat cops really did a sincere effort to try to save him. And this really resonated with the young Anthony and he gravitated towards law enforcement. And then a little bit, a while later as a teenager, they’re having these promotional videos, these promotional sort of documentary style shows on television. And Anthony sees it, and he’s enamored by it, especially when they say this is the hardest job in America. So he’s challenged, and he’s a go-getter. So he writes a letter to J. Edgar Hoover, and Hoover writes him back. [11:03] So it’s a signed letter, and now Anthony laughs about it. He says it was probably a form letter with a rubber stamp, but it really had an amazing impact. And this is at the time when, you know, in the 50s, you really had J. Edgar really embrace the media. And he actually consulted on the other famous, the FBI television show, several movies, the rise of the G-Man archetype. So Anthony was fully on board. [11:28] Interesting. Of course, J. Edgar Hoover wanted to make sure the FBI looked good. Yes, exactly. Which he did. And they were good. They had a really high standards to get in. They had to be a lawyer or accountant or some extra educated kind of a deal. And so they always think, though, that they took these guys who had never been even a street policeman of any kind and they throw them right into the DPN many times. But that’s the way it was. They did have that higher level of recruit because of that. So, Anthony, was he a lawyer or accountant when he came in? Did he get in after they relaxed that? Oh, that’s spot on. I’m glad you brought that up. So now here’s a challenge. So Anthony needs that equalizer, correct? So if you’re a CPA, obviously a former member of the military, if you’re a successful detective or a local police force, one of these type of extra credentials. [12:20] Anthony’s specialty was technology. Now, when you think of technology… Not the ubiquitous nature of technology nowadays, where you have this massive processing power in your phone, and you don’t really have to be a technologist to be able to use the power of it. This is back in the 1960s. But he always had an affinity for technology. And he was able to, when he, one of the other requirements was as he had to hit the minimum age requirement, he had to work for a certain amount of time, he was able to get a job at the FBI. So he was an electronics technician before he became an agent. [12:59] And he had all of the, and back then this was, it was groundbreaking, the level of technology. And he has some funny story, odd, like man on the street stories about, I’m sure you remember Radio Shack when there was a Radio Shack on every other corner, ham radio enthusiasts. And it was cat and mouse. It was, they had the members of organized crime had the police scanners. And they were able to, if they had the right scanner, they had the right frequency. They were able to pick on the bugs planted really close to them. And he tells some really funny stories about one time there was a member of organized crime. They’re staking out, I believe it was the cotillion on 18th Avenue. And then I believe he’s sitting outside with Kenny McCabe. And then one of this member of organized crime, he’s waving a scanner inside and he’s taunting them saying, look, I know what you’re doing. And so it was that granularity of cat and mouse. [13:55] Rudimentary kind of stuff. Yeah. We had a guy that was wearing what we called a kelk kit. It was a wire and he was in this joint and they had the scanner and so but they had to scan her next door at this club And all of a sudden, a bunch of guys came running and there’s somebody in here wearing a wire. And my friend’s guy, the guy I worked with, Bobby, he’s going, oh, shit. And so he just fades into the background. And everybody except one guy had a suit on. Nobody had a suit on except this one guy. So they focused on this one guy that had a suit on and went after him and started trying to pat him down and everything. Bobby just slipped out the front door. So amazing. I mean, you know, Anthony has a bunch of those slice of life stories. I also interviewed a translator from the FBI to get a sort of a different perspective. [14:42] It’s different. Like the agents a little bit more, they’re tougher. They’re a tougher breed. They go through the training. Some of the administrative professionals, like the translators. So this one translator, it’s a pretty harrowing experience because remember the such the insular nature of the neighborhoods and how everyone is always [14:59] looking for someone out of place. So she actually got a real estate license and poses a realtor be able to rent apartments and then she spoke multiple dialects and then just to have to listen in and to decipher not only the code but also the dialects and put it together when you have agents on the line because remember you have an undercover agent if they get discovered more often than not the members of organized crime are going to think they’re members of another crew so you’re dead either they’re an informant if they think they’re an informant you’re dead if they think you’re an agent yeah just turn away from you say okay we don’t deal with this guy anymore if you think you’re informant or somebody another crew or something trying to worm their way in then yeah you’re dead exactly so interviewing maria for this you get that sense from someone who’s not in like not an agent to get true how truly harrowing and dangerous this type of activity was and how emboldened organized crime was until really the late 90s. And back then, it truly was death defying. [16:02] Oh, yeah, it was. They had so many things wired in the court system and in politically in the late 70s and early 80s and all these big cities. No big city was immune from that kind of thing. So they had all kinds of sources. They even had some clerks in the FBI and they definitely had all the court. The courthouses were just wired. And I don’t mean wired, but they had people in places and all those things. So it was death to find that you got into these working undercover. Ever. Hey, you want to laugh? I don’t want to give away all the stories, but there was a great story. I remember Anthony saying, they set up a surveillance post in an apartment and they brought in all the equipment while they were, then they got the court orders and the surveillance post actually got ripped off twice. So while they try, like after hours, someone’s going, yeah, ripping off all the FBI equipment. So you have this extra level of, so that gives you like, It really was Wild West then. Really? [17:00] So now he gets into organized crime pretty quick, into that squad and working organized crime pretty quick. I imagine they put him in undercover like that because of his accent, his ability to fit in the neighborhood. I would think he would have a little bit of trouble maybe running into somebody that remembered him from the old days. Did he have any problem with that? I spot on, Gary. I tell you, this was he. So he’s operating in Red Hook and actually throughout the next several years, he’s periodically flying down to Florida as a front for New York orchestrated drug deals. So he’s going down to Florida to negotiate multi-kilo drug deals on behalf of organized crime. But at the same time, he’s an agent. He eventually rose to be supervisory special agent. He’s managing multiple squads. So there did come an inflection point where it became too dangerous for him to continue to operate as an undercover while conducting other types of investigations. [18:02] Interestingly enough they opened up a resident agency office the ras are in the major field offices in the fbi they have these they’re called ras i’m sure you’re familiar these like mini offices with the office and they’ll focus on certain areas of crime more geographically based so they opened up the brooklyn queens ra and that really focuses heavily on organized crime but also hijacking because you had the, especially with the airport over there and a lot of the concentrations of, especially in South Brooklyn, going into Queens. So he worked there. Also the airport. Also the mass, you have this massive network of VA facilities. You have the forts. So you need these other RA offices. So you have a base of operations to be able to investigate. But Anthony has such a wide extent of case history, everything from airline attacks to art theft heists to kidnappings, manhunts, fugitives. There was Calvin Klein, the famous designer, when his daughter was kidnapped by the babysitter, it did do it. Anthony was investigating that. So it’s just, and while he has this heavy concentration in organized crime. I mentioned that. What’s this deal with? He investigated a robbery, a bank robbery that was a little bit like the dog day afternoon robbery, a standoff. What was that? [19:30] This was actually, it was the dog day afternoon robbery. They based a dog day afternoon on this. Exactly. What you had, and this was before Anthony was when he was still in his administrative role. So he had a communications position. So he was responsible for gathering all the intel and the communications and sharing it with the case, the special agents on site. So what you had was like, he’s with the play by play of this really provocative hostage. It was a bank robbery that quickly turned into a hostage crisis. And then, so throughout this whole, and the way it eventually resolved was the perpetrators insisted on a particular agent. I apologize. It slips my mind, but he’s a real famous agent. So he has to drive them to JFK airport where they’re supposed to have a flight ready to fly them out of the country. And what happens is they secrete a gun into the car and he winds up shooting the bank robbers to death. And there were so many different layers to this bank robbery. It eventually became the movie. And a funny story aside, the movie, while they’re filming the movie, Anthony’s at his friend’s house in downtown Brooklyn. It may have been Park Slope. And they’re calling for extras. His friends run in and say, hey, they’re filming a movie about this bank robbery that happened on Avenue U. You want to be an extra? And he said, nah, no thanks. The real thing was enough for me. [20:55] I’ll tell you what, it wasn’t for a New York City organized crime and New York City crime. Al Pacino wouldn’t have had a career. That’s the truth. [21:05] Now, let’s start. Let’s go back into organized crime. Now, we’ve talked about this detective, Kenny McCabe, who was really well known, was famous. And during the time they worked together and they were working with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office. Is that correct? Were both of them working for it? Was he at the FBI and Kenny was with the Brooklyn DA’s office? [21:26] When you think about thematically, in the company of courage, Kenny McCabe was really close. This was a career-long, lifelong, from when they met, relationship, professional relationship that became a deep friendship between two pretty similar members of law enforcement. [21:46] Kenny McCabe had a long career in the NYPD as organized crime investigator before he joined the Southern District Attorney’s Office as an investigator. So the way they first crossed paths was while Anthony was working a hijacking investigation. So he gets a tip from one of his CIs that there’s some hijacked stolen goods are in a vehicle parked in a certain location. So he goes to stake it out. Like they don’t want to seize the goods. They want to find out, they want to uncover who the hijackers are and investigate the conspiracy. So then while he’s there, he sees a sort of a familiar face staking it out as well. Then he goes to the, he goes to the NYA, a detective Nev Nevins later. And he asks about this guy. And so this detective introduces him to Kenny McCabe and right away strike up with his interesting chemistry. And they’re like, you know what? Let’s jointly investigate this. So they wind up foiling the hijacking. But what starts is like this amazing friendship. And I’ll tell you, the interesting thing about Kenny McCabe is almost universally, he’s held in the highest regard as perhaps law enforcement’s greatest weapon in dismantling organized crime in the latter half of the 20th century. For example, I interviewed George Terra, famous undercover detective who eventually went to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office. [23:12] And he had a great way. I hope I don’t mangle. Kenny knew all the wise guys and they all knew Kenny. And when I say he knew all the wise guys, he knew their shoe sizes. He knew who they partnered with on bank jobs years ago. So he knew who their siblings were, who their cousins were, who they were married to, who their girlfriends were, what clubs they frequented. For example, during the fatical hearings, where they would do sentencing, often the defense attorneys would want the prosecutors to reveal who their CIs are for due process, for a sense of fairness. And they refused to do that, obviously, for safety reasons, and they want to compromise ongoing investigations. So in dozens, perhaps so many of these cases, they were bringing Kenny McCabe. He was known as the unofficial photographer of organized crime. [24:07] For example, I think it was 2003, he was the first one who revealed a new edict that new initiates into Cosa Nostra had to have both a mother and a father who were Italian. Oh, yeah. I remember that. Yeah. He was also, he revealed that when the Bonanno family renamed itself as Messino, he was the one who revealed that. And then when Messino went to prison for murder, his successor, Vinnie Bassiano, Vinnie gorgeous. When he was on trial, that trial was postponed because so many of law enforcement leaders had to attend Kenny McCabe’s funeral, unfortunately, when he passed. So this is such a fascinating thing. Now, why you don’t hear more about Kenny McCabe, and I interviewed his son, Kenny McCabe Jr. Duke, is like Kenny McCabe like really issued the media spotlight. He would not, he wasn’t interested in grabbing the microphone. So you have almost no media on Kenny McCabe. If you do a Google search for him, I believe the only thing I ever found was a picture in his uniform as an early career police officer. [25:19] So it’s really hard to even do a documentary style treatment without having any media because B-roll is just going to get you so far. So really what Duke has been doing over the last two decades or more is really consolidating all of these as much material as he can. And I think eventually when he does put out a book, this thing’s going to explode. It’s going to be like true Hollywood treatment. But now going back to the mid-70s, so these two guys hook up. You have the FBI agent and you have the police detective. [25:49] Craig, what you always hear is that the FBI is suspicious and doesn’t trust local authorities. And local policemen hate the FBI because they always grab all the glory and take everything, run with it. And they’re left out. And I didn’t have that experience myself. They’ve got the case. They’ve got the laws. We don’t locally, county and statewide, you don’t have the proper laws to investigate organized crime. Yes, sir. But the feds do. So that’s how it works. This really blows that myth up that the local police and the FBI never worked together and hated each other. [26:25] I’m so glad you brought that up because this was very important to Anthony. He has so many lifelong friends in the NYPD, and I’ve interviewed several of them. And just this sincerity comes across, the camaraderie. In any walk of life, in any profession, you’re always going to have rivalries and conflict, whether healthy conflict or negative conflict. [26:46] Even more, you’re going to find that in law enforcement because the stakes are so high. But it’s a disservice to… And what we want to do is sort of dispel the myth that there was no cooperation. Why there were very well-publicized conflicts between agencies prosecuting certain cases. This was the time where technology was really enabling collaboration. Remember, and you had a time, if you had to investigate a serial crime, you had to go from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and you had to interview investigators. You had to comb through written records to piece this together. So it really was not conducive for collaboration. [27:22] So what you saw was the rise of, and then you had these investigative tools and these legal tools like RICO, while they were still trying to figure out and to build. So now you had the litigious tools where you could build conspiracies and prosecute them. So this sort of helped ferment this sort of collaborative interagency, which eventually led to these joint task force that were very successful. What I really love is this microcosm of Anthony Nelson and Kenny McCain. Now, Anthony Nelson was issued a Plymouth Grand Fury with the full police interceptor kit. If you’re familiar with that make and model, no automobile ever created screams cop-mobile like the Grand Fury. And so what you had was after hours, Anthony and Kenny would join up and they would go prowling the underworld with the Grand Fury on purpose. They wanted to be as conspicuous as possible. to the point where they would park in bus stops across the street from these social clubs. And when I say social clubs, they were… [28:29] Everywhere. There were dozens of them all over Brooklyn and Queens. And these are cafe, social clubs, bars, restaurants with heavy OC presence, blatantly conducting their business. So you have these two, Anthony’s always driving. Kenny’s always riding shotgun with his camera. I assume it was some sort of 35 millimeter hanging out the side, taking down names, license plates. Just a great story. You had Paul Castellano in front of Veterans and Friends on 86th Street when he had Dominic Montiglio start that social club so he could have more of a presence in Brooklyn on the street so that he actually crosses the street and he goes to Kenny and Anthony. And he’s saying, guys, you don’t have to sit out here. You could come down to Ponte Vecchio in Bay Ridge. I have a table there anytime you want to talk to me. So it’s that level of bravado. But pretty soon it changed. Once more of this intel started to build these real meaningful cases, Castellana put an edict, don’t talk to these two, don’t be photographed. What came out of that was an amazing partnership where they gathered so much intelligence and Anthony is very. [29:46] Quick to have me point out, give more credit to the investigators, to the agents, to the detectives. They gathered a lot of the intelligence to help with these investigations, but you had so many frontline folks that are doing a lot of the legwork, that are doing the investigations, making the arrests, that are crawling under the hoods. So it’s pretty inspiring. But then you also had some really good, and I don’t want to share all the stories [30:12] in the book. There’s a great story of Kenny and Anthony. They go into Rosal’s restaurant because they see this. [30:21] There may have been a warrant out on this member of law enforcement. So they had cause. So they go in and there’s actually some sort of family event going on. And they’re playing the theme song of The Godfather. As they go in and then they have to go into the back room to get this member of organized crime who’s hiding. So it’s these kind of really slice of life kind of stories that just jump out, jump out of the book. Really? I see, as I mentioned, they had some kind of a run-in with Roy DeMeo at the Gemini. You remember that story? Can you tell that one? Yeah, there’s, so Kenny and Anthony, throughout the hijacking investigations. [30:59] Were, they were among the first to really learn of this mysterious Roy. And his rise. And then also Nino. Remember Nino Gadgi was the Gambino Capo who took over Castellano’s crew, Brooklyn crew, when he was elevated. And then Roy DeMeo was really this larger than life maniac serial killer who formed the Gemini crew, which was a gang of murderers really on the Gemini Lounge in Flatlands, which is really close to Anthony’s house. And Kenny’s not too far. Didn’t they have a big stolen car operation also? Did they get into that at all? Yes. Stolen cars, chop shops. Remember, this is when you had the introduction of the tag job, where it was relatively easy to take the vehicle identification numbers off a junked auto and then just replace them with the stolen auto, and then you’re automatically making that legitimate. And then, so they’re doing this wholesale operation where they’re actually got to the point where they’re shipping hundreds, if not thousands of these tag jobs overseas. So it was at scale, a massive operation. Roy DeMay was a major earner. He was such an unbalanced, very savvy business for the underworld, business professional, but he was also a homicidal maniac. [32:22] Some say they could be upwards of a hundred to 200 crimes. Frank Pergola alone investigated and So 79 of these crimes associated with this crew. And it got to the point where, and he had a heavy sideline in drugs, which was punishable by death in the Gambino family, especially under Castellano. So then what you had was all these investigations and all this intelligence that, and then with this collaboration between the FBI and NYPD. Oh, wow. It is quite a crew. I’m just looking back over here at some of the other things in there in that crew in that. You had one instance where there was a sentencing hearing and of a drug dealer, I believe, a member of organized crime. And Kenny McCabe is offering testimony to make sure that the proper sentencing is given because a lot of times these guys are deceptive. [33:16] And he mentions DeMeo’s name. So DeMeo in a panic. So then maybe a couple of nights later, they’re parked in front of veterans and friends. And DeMeo comes racing across 86th Street. Now, 86th Street is like a four-lane thoroughfare. It’s almost like, oh, I grew up in the air a few blocks away. So he’s running through traffic. And then he’s weaving in and out. And he’s screaming at Kenny McCabe, what are you trying to kill me? Putting my name into a drug case? They’re going to kill me. And so it’s that kind of intimate exchanges that they have with, with these key members of organized crime of the era. [33:52] Wow. That’s, that’s crazy. I see that they worked to murder that DEA agent, Everett Hatcher, that was a low level mob associate that got involved in that. And then supposedly the mob put out the word, but you gotta, we gotta give this guy up. But you remember that story? Now, this is another instance where I remember this case. And I remember afterwards when they killed Gus Faraci. So what you had was, again, and this is very upsetting because you had DEA agent Everett Hatchard, who is a friend of Anthony’s. To the point where just prior to his assassination, they were attending a social event together with their children. And he would also, they would run into each other from time to time. They developed a really beyond like camaraderie, like real friendship. So then, so Hatcher has, there’s an undercover sting. So there’s Gus Faraci, who’s, I believe he was associated with the Lucchese’s, with Chile. [34:55] So he gets set up on the West Shore. And so he’s told to go to the West Shore Expressway. Now, if you’ve ever been on that end of Staten Island, that whips out heading towards the outer bridge. This really is the end of the earth. This is where you have those large industrial like water and oil tankers and there’s not really good lighting and all this. It’s just like a real gritty. So he loses his surveillance tail and they eventually, he’s gunned down while in his vehicle. So then Anthony gets the call to respond on site to investigate the murder. He doesn’t know exactly who it is until he opens up the door and he sees it’s his friend. And this is the first assassination of a DEA agent. It was just such a provocative case. And the aftermath of that was, again, like Gus Faraci, who was, he was a murderer. He was a drug dealer, but he did not know. He set him up. He thought he was a member of organized crime. [35:53] He was just another drug dealer. He did not realize he was a DEA agent. And then all hell broke loose. And you had just the all five families until they eventually produced Gus Faraci, set him up, and then he was gunned down in Brooklyn. [36:06] Case closed, huh? Exactly. Yeah. And as we were saying before, I don’t remember it was before I started recording or after that. When you’re working undercover, that’s the worst thing is they think that you’re an informant or a member of another crew and you’re liable to get killed. At one say, I had a sergeant one time. He said, if you get under suspicion when you’re like hanging out in some of these bars and stuff, just show them you’re the cops. Just get your badge out right away because everything just, all right, they just walk away then. It’s a immensely dangerous thing to maintain your cover. Yes, sir. Anthony was always good at that because tall gentleman has the right sort of Italian-American complexion. He’s passable at Italian. So with some of these folks, especially from Italy that come over, he could carry a conversation. He’s not fluent. [36:56] And he just walks in and talks in. It’s a different… George Terror was a fantastic undercover detective. And you talk to some of these undercovers, it’s like you have to be… There’s sort of this misperception that the organized crime members are like these thugs and flunkies. These are very intelligent, super suspicious, addled individuals that are able to pick up on signals really easy because they live on the edge. So you really can’t fake it, the slightest thing. And again, they’ll think that their first inclination is not that you’re a member of law enforcement. Their first inclination is that you’re a member of a rival crew that’s looking to kill me looks at looking to rip me off so i’m going to kill you first it’s just it’s just a wild and imagine that’s your day job oh man i know they could just and i’ve picked this up on people there’s just a look when you’re lying there’s just a look that just before you catch it quick but there’s a look of panic that then you get it back these guys can pick up that kind of stuff just so quickly any kind of a different body language they’re so good with that. [38:02] And he’s also, he has to be able to say just enough to establish his connection and credibility without saying too much that’s going to trip him up. And that’s like being able to walk that line. He tells, again, I hate giving away all these stories because I want readers to buy the book, but he has this fantastic story when he’s on an undercover buy and he’s, I don’t know if it’s Florida, if it’s Miami or it’s Fort Lauderdale and he has to go into a whole, like the drugs are in one location and he’s in that with the drug deals in one location and he’s in this location and, but he knows the money’s not going to come. [38:42] So he has to walk into this hotel room with all these cartel drug guys who are off balance, knowing that he’s got to figure out, how do I get out of this room without getting killed? And once I walk out, will the timing be right that I could drop to the floor right when the responding FBI agents, again, these are FBI agents from a different [39:08] field office that he perhaps doesn’t have intimate working. knowledge of. I got to trust that these guys got my back and they’re not distracted. So I can’t even imagine having to live with that stress. No, I can’t either. All right. I’ll tell you what, the book, guys, is Empire City Under Siege, the three decades of New York FBI field office man hunts, murders, and mafia wars by Craig McGuire with former retired FBI agent Anthony John Nelson. I pulled as many stories as I could out of the book from him. You’re going to have to get the book to get to the rest of. And believe me, I’m looking at my notes here and the stuff they sent me. And there are a ton of great stories in there, guys. You want to get this book. [39:50] I also want to say there’s something special going on at Wild Blue Press. My publisher specializes in true crime. And it’s just, they’re so nurturing and supportive of writers. Just fantastic facilities and promotions. And they just help us get it right. That’s the most important thing, Anthony, accuracy. So if there’s anything wrong in the book, that’s totally on me. It’s really hard to put one of these together, especially decades removed. But then I’m just thankful for the support of nature of Wild Blue and Anthony and all the remarkable members of law enforcement like yourself, sir. Thank you for your service. And Anthony, and I’m just so inspired. I just have to say, they’re like a different breed. And you folks don’t realize how exciting. Because there are so many stories like Anthony would come up with and he would say, do you think readers would be interested in this story? And I fall out of my chair like, oh my God, this could be a whole chapter. So it was as a true crime fan myself of this material, it’s just, it was a wild ride and I enjoyed it. [40:56] Great. Thanks a lot for coming on the show, Craig. Thanks, Gary. You’re the best.

With a PetaPixel Membership, not only can you support original PetaPixel reporting and in-depth reviews, but you can also remove ads from the website and gain access to some seriously great perks, too. Members get $15 off the Moment Store, 5% off certified pre-owned gear from KEH, 25% off the PetaPixel Merch Store, and now can download full-resolution RAW files and JPEGs from the latest cameras and lenses. It costs just $3 per month or $30 per year. Join today: https://petapixel.com/members/This week on The PetaPixel Podcast, Chris Niccolls, Jordan Drake, and Jaron Schneider are joined by Sarah Teng to talk about the Instax Mini Evo Cinema. And, in a weird bizzaro world twist, it's Chris who has to convince Sarah that it's great. She's not sold, but Chris absolutely loves this weirdo video/printer/instant camera hybrid. Also, the Ricoh GR IV Monochrome finally has a price and release date, but it's a lot more expensive than the base model. Apple launched a new suite of creative apps called the Creator Studio, Adorama was literally giving X half cameras away, and you can get a GoPro-branded laptop for some reason. Check out PetaPixel Merch: store.petapixel.com/ We use Riverside to record The PetaPixel Podcast in our online recording studio.We hope you enjoy the podcast and we look forward to hearing what you think. If you like what you hear, please support us by subscribing, liking, commenting, and reviewing! Every week, the trio go over comments on YouTube and here on PetaPixel, but if you'd like to send a message for them to hear, you can do so through SpeakPipe.In This Episode:00:00 - Intro, and Sarah Teng is back!12:11 - The Ricoh GR Monochrome costs $700 more than the base model16:32 - Fujifilm is releasing an all-white X half in China17:52 - Meanwhile, Adorama is literally giving X halfs away20:33 - Pentax isn't sure how to make the DSLR popular again26:43 - You can get a GoPro laptop, if you're into that30:56 - Nikon's 24-105mm f/4-7.1 is a new kit zoom for the Z5 II32:57 - The OM-D E-M10 Mark IV isn't being discontinued36:20 - Apple Creator Studio is the long-awaited competitor to Adobe Creative Cloud44:15 - Is the Mini Evo Cinema the best Instax camera ever?1:03:54 - What have you been up to?1:10:10 - Tech support1:16:28 - Feel good story of the week: Don't ever change, Radio Shack

In this episode, we join Martin Butler M1MRB, Chris Howard (M0TCH), Frank Howell (K4FMH) and Leslie Butterfields (G0CIB) to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin Butler (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief, and the episode's feature is New Radio Shack Additions. We would like to thank our monthly and annual subscription donors for keeping the podcast advert free. To donate, please visit - http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate Easing The Way For Blind Hams To Use Digital Modes AMSAT Youth Initiative Takes a Closer Look at Climate Change New Zealand Hams Use "ZM" Prefix for Centenary Year Starlink is Lowering Thousands of Satellites' Orbits to Reduce the Risk of Collisions Broadcast Marks Historic Radio Site's 100th year FCC Reminds Experimental HF Stations to Identify Themselves 2026 is ARRL's Year of the Club -- A Celebration of Amateur Radio Clubs HamSCI Speaker Series Explores WSPR Spectral Width  First Desecheo Island Activation Since 2009

Víctor Suárez (CEO de Fuse Telecom) cuenta cómo pasó de vender en RadioShack a construir un ISP local, explica cómo funciona el internet (NAP, cables submarinos, fibra, microondas), la diferencia entre dedicado vs. residencial y por qué a veces “no son los megas, es el servicio”. Hablamos de liderazgo, relaciones, PYMES en PR, pandemia, María y el futuro con IA.Capítulos abajo.Si te sirvió, suscríbete y comenta tu mayor dolor con tu proveedor

In this episode of The Hog Pod, we sit down with John George, the iconic voice of Razorback athletics for more than 45 years. From calling women's basketball games on a RadioShack stereo to becoming the PA announcer for Arkansas football, men's basketball, and the SEC Tournament, John shares the unforgettable journey that shaped his legendary career. He reflects on the "adrenaline on steroids" moment he first tried out for the men's job, the pivotal day Nolan Richardson told him to "jazz it up" to match 40 Minutes of Hell, and the biggest game-day moments that still give him goosebumps — from miracle finishes to the electricity of 70,000 fans waiting for kickoff. With humor, humility, and decades of memories, John offers a rare behind-the-mic look at the passion, pressure, and pride that come with being the voice of the Razorbacks. ---- The full video version of this episode is available exclusively on HogsPlus.com Follow us on social media! Twitter Facebook Instagram This episode of The Hog Pod is brought to you by Arvest Bank, Dollar Shave Club & South by Northwest Hospitality 

Every sales professional has a horror story that still makes them break out in a cold sweat years later. The deal that imploded spectacularly. The customer interaction that went sideways in ways you couldn't predict. The moment you sat in your car afterward in complete silence, questioning every decision that led you to this career. These moments feel intensely personal and isolating. But the truth is, every rep who's lasted in this profession has been there. On an episode of The Sales Gravy Podcast, Ashley Blount and I collected nightmare sales stories from our years in the automotive and telecommunications industries, plus stories from the sales community. We found 16 tales that prove no one faces this alone. Here are some of the most terrifying. Smelly Dave: The Angel of Death This sales horror story comes from the automotive industry, posted on Reddit by someone who still sounds traumatized. Dave started at the dealership after Sears closed. We found out he'd been the “Angel of Death” at several franchises—Sears, Future Shop, RadioShack. Every place he touched eventually shut down. Dave was in his early 40s, wore the same shirt with the same coffee stain on it every single day, and smelled terribly. Customers would flee after test drives, refusing to come back into the building with him. On one occasion, a customer was dry heaving. Management tried to delicately bring up the hygiene issue, but Dave wouldn't listen. One day, the manager was told to drop off a sold vehicle to a customer, and Dave drove the chase car. As they returned together, the smell in that enclosed space was so unbearable that the manager walked into the boss's office afterward and apologized for whatever he had done to deserve that punishment. The boss laughed, called Dave in, and fired him on the spot. The Bluetooth Incident That Still Haunts Ashley Ashley had been selling cars for a few months when a sweet older couple came into the dealership. The husband was retiring, probably late 60s, and they were one of those rare couples who were actually pleasant to work with. He picked out a lime green Ford Fiesta for his retirement car. They completed the test drive, finished all the paperwork, and Ashley sent the vehicle back to get ready for delivery. When delivering a new vehicle, you always get in with the customer to help them connect their phone to Bluetooth and walk them through all the features. Since it was a couple, the husband was in the driver's seat, his wife was in the front passenger seat, and Ashley was sitting in the middle of the back seat. They got his phone connected to the Bluetooth, matched the code, and turned up the volume on the car. He went to open his phone. The most explicit, obscene audio you can imagine came blasting out of the speakers. Dead silence in that vehicle for what felt like forever. Ashley wished them well, exited the car, and walked back inside, mortified. When asked how it went, she told them the story and muttered, “I don't really want to follow up. I'm not sure that's appropriate.” The Telecom Contractors Who Started a Gunfight I had door-knocked a large hair salon and built a relationship with the salon owner, who also owned the building. He helped me get in the door with all four of his tenants. Because he was switching, they all switched. I closed three to four months of quota on this one deal because of what he did for me.  Installation day arrives. At 6 a.m., my phone rings. I try to sound as awake as possible with my gravelly morning voice, and the owner immediately screams, "Jeb, what the f**k?" He explains that our contractors came out the night before, got in a huge argument, waved guns at each other—he swears one of them shot at the other. Then they came back in the morning and dug a trench that cut every single internet line to the building. Every single one. No internet on the salon's busiest day, and all the other stores were out, too. I arrived at 6:45 a.m. to a foxhole-sized trench and abandoned equipment everywhere. My heart sank. I escalated straight to the senior VP—two levels below the CEO. It wasn't elegant, but the problem got fixed. I still use that hair salon to this day/ The $1.4 Million HIPAA Violation One sales rep had a pediatrics practice ready to purchase his product for $1.4 million. They had already negotiated terms. The last step was to follow up with references, and then they were going for the signature. Someone on the sales operations team had the brilliant idea to put them in an early adopter program without a test server. They crashed the client's entire live system, and one of the consequences was sending bills to the wrong addresses, which violated HIPAA law. This cost the pediatrics practice not just money but also reputation with its patients.  The deal was completely killed, and the practice announced that it was leaving for a competing system. The rep also lost $600,000 in annual recurring revenue. The sales rep did everything right and watched it all disappear because of a decision someone else made. The VP Who Sabotaged Everything Ashley worked on a high-volume account for multiple years. Hitting the mark on everything. The CEO and entire organization loved the work. Then renewal time came, and one of the VPs started making everything difficult. Meetings became confusing. Clear agreements would somehow transform into something else. Ashley would leave meetings questioning whether she was interpreting things correctly. Her team felt it, too. Was this actually happening, or were they all going crazy? Eventually, this VP went out with someone from Ashley's company and admitted the whole thing. She was intentionally making everything difficult because she wanted to work with a friend at another firm. Nothing against the work. Nothing against Ashley. Just personal preference dressed up as professional obstacles. Ashley still won the account. The VP found another job. But the psychological warfare of working on an account where someone is actively sabotaging you—not because of performance but because of hidden agendas—takes a serious toll. The First Door Knock That Went Horribly Wrong Sales horror stories aren't always about lost deals; sometimes they're about getting chased out of a building. Ashley was doing her first day of field sales training with a senior rep. They found new construction, talked to someone on-site, and were directed to the owner's main office. The gatekeeper walked them straight back to the owner's office. He seemed pleasant enough at first. They introduced themselves and mentioned the new building. The minute they started talking about their services, he flipped like a switch. He started screaming at them to get out, demanding to know why they were soliciting, how they made it all the way back to his office, and who let them in. He chased them out of the building in front of all his employees, yelling the entire time. His office was in the literal back of a shotgun-style building, so it was a long walk of shame past everyone. They got in the car and sat in silence. Finally, the senior rep looked at Ashley and said, "They're not all like that. I promise." A brutal first lesson in field sales. When Sales Goes Wrong: What The Best Reps Do These sales horror stories all share something important: Sales will always put you in situations you can't predict or control. You can do everything right—prospect well, qualify hard, deliver value—and still watch a deal unravel for reasons that make no sense. What matters is how you respond. The best reps don't disappear or point fingers. They show up fast, escalate when needed, and take ownership even when the problem isn't their fault. They fight for their customers and for the relationship. If a story like this brings up your own nightmare deal, take it as a good sign. It means you care about your work and take your commitments seriously. That's what defines a true professional. The pain doesn't last. The customer who had the Bluetooth issue still bought the car. The salon owner stayed as a client. Ashley won that renewal. What once felt like failure becomes proof that you stayed in the fight, and that's what the best reps do. You're Not Alone  The worst part of a nightmare scenario is feeling isolated. But every rep has a story that still makes them cringe. What matters is what you do next. Process it, learn from it, and bounce back stronger. Knowing every other sales professional has their own version of disaster can be the fuel that keeps you going. Listen to the full episode of The Sales Gravy Podcast for all 16 sales horror stories and a reminder: Your worst day in sales doesn't define your career. How you respond does. If you've lived through your own sales nightmare, don't let it haunt your next call. Start winning more on cold calls with our free guide, 25 Ways to Ask for the Appointment on Cold Calls, and turn your next “no” into a comeback story.

Every sales professional has a horror story that still makes them break out in a cold sweat years later. The deal that imploded spectacularly. The customer interaction that went sideways in ways you couldn't predict. The moment you sat in your car afterward in complete silence, questioning every decision that led you to this career. These moments feel intensely personal and isolating. But the truth is, every rep who's lasted in this profession has been there. On an episode of The Sales Gravy Podcast, Ashley Blount and I collected nightmare sales stories from our years in the automotive and telecommunications industries, plus stories from the sales community. We found 16 tales that prove no one faces this alone. Here are some of the most terrifying. Smelly Dave: The Angel of Death This sales horror story comes from the automotive industry, posted on Reddit by someone who still sounds traumatized. Dave started at the dealership after Sears closed. We found out he'd been the “Angel of Death” at several franchises—Sears, Future Shop, RadioShack. Every place he touched eventually shut down. Dave was in his early 40s, wore the same shirt with the same coffee stain on it every single day, and smelled terribly. Customers would flee after test drives, refusing to come back into the building with him. On one occasion, a customer was dry heaving. Management tried to delicately bring up the hygiene issue, but Dave wouldn't listen. One day, the manager was told to drop off a sold vehicle to a customer, and Dave drove the chase car. As they returned together, the smell in that enclosed space was so unbearable that the manager walked into the boss's office afterward and apologized for whatever he had done to deserve that punishment. The boss laughed, called Dave in, and fired him on the spot. The Bluetooth Incident That Still Haunts Ashley Ashley had been selling cars for a few months when a sweet older couple came into the dealership. The husband was retiring, probably late 60s, and they were one of those rare couples who were actually pleasant to work with. He picked out a lime green Ford Fiesta for his retirement car. They completed the test drive, finished all the paperwork, and Ashley sent the vehicle back to get ready for delivery. When delivering a new vehicle, you always get in with the customer to help them connect their phone to Bluetooth and walk them through all the features. Since it was a couple, the husband was in the driver's seat, his wife was in the front passenger seat, and Ashley was sitting in the middle of the back seat. They got his phone connected to the Bluetooth, matched the code, and turned up the volume on the car. He went to open his phone. The most explicit, obscene audio you can imagine came blasting out of the speakers. Dead silence in that vehicle for what felt like forever. Ashley wished them well, exited the car, and walked back inside, mortified. When asked how it went, she told them the story and muttered, “I don't really want to follow up. I'm not sure that's appropriate.” The Telecom Contractors Who Started a Gunfight I had door-knocked a large hair salon and built a relationship with the salon owner, who also owned the building. He helped me get in the door with all four of his tenants. Because he was switching, they all switched. I closed three to four months of quota on this one deal because of what he did for me.  Installation day arrives. At 6 a.m., my phone rings. I try to sound as awake as possible with my gravelly morning voice, and the owner immediately screams, "Jeb, what the f**k?" He explains that our contractors came out the night before, got in a huge argument, waved guns at each other—he swears one of them shot at the other. Then they came back in the morning and dug a trench that cut every single internet line to the building. Every single one. No internet on the salon's busiest day, and all the other stores were out, too. I arrived at 6:45 a.m.

Episode 208 of the What Are We Doing podcast is pure chaos in the best way. I kicked things off, reminding everyone that yes, it's October. I said it about 47 times because apparently, I can't believe calendars exist. Then I dove right into the big releases of the week: Soulja Boy dropping his third album of 2025, Swag 7, and Taylor Swift's new album The Life of a Showgirl. I gave both their flowers, but let's be real, Taylor hijacked the whole cultural moment. From her track Wood (we all know who that's about) to the Jonas Brothers and Jackson 5 “inspirations,” Swifties are eating while Soulja Boy's somewhere trying to sell us crank dat NFTs.Then we hit the halftime show drama. Everyone thought Taylor was locked for the Super Bowl. She teased it, the NFL hinted at it, and we all gaslit ourselves into believing she was confirmed. Turns out, it's Bad Bunny. And I'm here for it. The boomers are going to lose their minds when they realize the biggest artist in the world only sings in Spanish. This is the Super Bowl, not a Lynyrd Skynyrd reunion. Sit down, dad.After that, I took aim at Tai Lopez. Remember the guy in his garage with the Lamborghini and the books? Yeah, he's being dragged by the SEC for running a $112 million Ponzi scheme. Turns out “Here in my garage” was code for “Here in my court hearing.” If you invested in RadioShack crypto, that's on you, babes.We also talked about my son's new obsession with AI-generated YouTube slop. He's six years old, and instead of watching Paw Patrol, he's glued to a video about a capybara setting off a fire alarm and then saving the company. Parents, stop gatekeeping iPads. Give your kids the tech. They're already building Google Doc chatrooms in school. You can't fight it.Then we checked in on Lil Wayne, who may or may not be releasing another rock album if this unreleased track is any indication. Spoiler: it's bad. Maybe it's time Weezy hangs up the guitar. Or maybe Los from 280 Plus can convince me otherwise.And finally, the cherry on top: I got the best YouTube comment of the year. Shout out to Joshua Bradshaw for telling me to nap in traffic. Your hate fuels this machine, my friend.This episode is stacked with Swifties, Soulja Boy, scammers, Super Bowl conspiracies, Bad Bunny truth bombs, AI capybaras, and Lil Wayne midlife crises. You already know what to do. Hit like, hit subscribe, leave a comment, then go get your kid an iPad before they fall behind on learning what sigma means.

Crypto pulling back October - one of the toughest months Day traders - some good news Intel's new growth model PLUS we are now on Spotify and Amazon Music/Podcasts! Click HERE for Show Notes and Links DHUnplugged is now streaming live - with listener chat. Click on link on the right sidebar. Love the Show? Then how about a Donation? Follow John C. Dvorak on Twitter Follow Andrew Horowitz on Twitter Warm-Up - Crypto pulling back - REMINDER - NEW CTP  for Lithium Americas (LAC) stock! - October - one of the toughest months - Day traders - some good news Markets - New Tariffs announced - Drugs, trucks, kitchen cabinets - Intel's new growth model - Quantum stocks rallying - Powell setting the stage RYDER CUP - What a finish! Friday Jobs Report Labor Dept - may - or may not release jobs report Friday - Fearing that a government shutdown will be problematic - Convenient US to take stake in Lithium Americas - Up 29% - Where are we coming up with all of this $ Red October? -9 of the 20 largest single-day drops in the Dow Jones occurred in October. - 1907 Bank Panic - 1929 Crash (Black Tuesday) - 1987 Crash (Black Monday, -22.6% in one day) - 2008 Financial Crisis (S&P 500 fell ~17% in October alone) - Since 1950, the S&P 500 has averaged a gain of ~0.91% in October -Over the past 20 years, October has been relatively favorable, with average gains between 0.8% and 1.5% for the S&P 500, Dow, and Nasdaq. -October is 35% more volatile than the average month. Saudi Arabia for the Win! - Electronic Arts rallied on Friday following a report by the Wall Street Journal that the video game company is nearing a roughly $50 billion deal to go private. - The deal would likely be the largest leverage buyout of all time, according to the Journal. - Investors including Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and Silver Lake could announce the deal as soon as next week, the report said - Also in n the TikTok Deal - what is up with that? - Oh - Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners is another participating investor, according to a source familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. On the Other hand - Shares of CarMax fell to an all-time low on Thursday, as investors disposed of positions after disappointing second-quarter earnings results. - This followed surprisingly disappointing financial and operating results, with retail used unit sales declining 5.4 percent, and comparable same-store sales decreasing 6.3 percent. - Net income declined by 28.16 percent to $95.4 million from $132.8 million in the same period last year, while net sales and operating revenues dropped by 6 percent to $6.59 billion from $7.013 billion year-on-year. - Carvana next or reason why KMX doing poorly? Ponzi Accusations - The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is accusing the men who bought bankrupt chains RadioShack, Modell's Sporting Goods, and Pier 1 Imports of running a Ponzi scheme that duped investors out of tens of millions of dollars. - A complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on Tuesday, alleges the co-founders of Miami-based Retail Ecommerce Ventures, Alex Mehr and Tai Lopez, together with the company's Chief Operating Officer Maya Burkenroad, raised approximately $112 million combined from hundreds of U.S. investors by selling investments in eight companies they created and controlled under Retail Ecommerce Ventures. - Between April 2020 through Nov. 2022, they raised money by selling two types of investments. They sold unsecured notes that promised returns of up to 25% a year, and ownership shares that offered monthly payouts as high as 2%, according to the complaint.| - To pay interest, dividends and maturing note payments, Mehr and Lopez resorted to using a combination of loans from outside lenders, merchant cash advances, money raised from new and existing investors,

Skippy and Doogles wade into the deep end of financial nonsense — and it's murkier than ever. From First Brands and their spark plug shell game to RadioShack's straight-up Ponzi scheme, they dissect why scams are the market's current business model. Then it's on to a comment about Oracle's $300B AI pre-order, Jane Street's billion-dollar options arbitrage in India, and why private equity firms are drooling over your retirement account.Join the Skippy and Doogles fan club. You can also get more details about the show at skippydoogles.com, show notes on our Substack, and send comments or questions to skippydoogles@gmail.com.

Strap in for Episode 183, where Joe and Reese stumble through technical gremlins like they're broadcasting from a haunted Radio Shack. The duo dives deep into the glamorous world of cat litter, with Joe scooping enough clumps to rival a kitty crime syndicate and Reese ready to launch his deck-defiling felines into orbit. They toss in wild tangents about swanky podcast swag bags stuffed with iPhones and rollerblades, plus a bizarre nod to hot dog-whiskey concoctions that nobody asked for. It's a gloriously unhinged mess, and we hope you hate it.Patreon: www.patreon.com/pickleandbootshop Merch: www.bonfire.com/store/the-pickle-and-boot-shop--shop/ Email: thepickleandbootshop@gmail.com Instagram: joeandreesepabs Diabolical Discussion by Daniel Rock: facebook.com/groups/diabolicaldiscussion Good Eats: beefaro

This week's full broadcast of Computer Talk Radio includes - 00:00 - Tech news for non-nerds - Amazon, FTC, SEC, Radio Shack, Meta, TikTok, BYD, Disney+ - 11:00 - Handling price hikes - Benjamin addresses how he got his mobile carrier to lower fees - 22:00 - Apples latest problems - Keith brings up and discusses Apples new scratchgate issues - 31:00 - Marty Winston's Wisdom - Mark Brownstein guests on the Audio Technica EDU mic pkg - 39:00 - Scam Series - fake cell towers - Benjamin tells of scammers using backpack fake cell towers - 44:00 - Keske on Computer Talk Radio - Steve asks Benjamin the origin stories of Computer Talk Radio - 56:00 - Expo swag items and giveaways - Dr Doreen Galli and Benjamin discuss expo swag and freebies - 1:07:00 - Listener Q&A - eavesdrop phones - Sophia asks how to stop phone from listening and giving ads - 1:16:00 - IT Professional Series - 347 - Benjamin reflects on the latest H1B visas hikes to $100k - 1:24:00 - Listener Q&A - bluetooth tech - Allie asks how Bluetooth works without wifi or cell service

Grumpy Old Geeks is back with another round of righteous griping and eyebrow-raising headlines in Episode 715: Our Wizard Lies. We kick things off in FOLLOW UP, where TikTok is still the geopolitical hot potato that both the U.S. and China promise to sort out “someday, maybe,” while Wired's global editorial director explains how tech's growing political clout is playing out under Trump. From there, it's a cavalcade of absurdities: DOGE as federal workforce demolition derby, and crypto bros trying to turn Charlie Kirk's death into meme-stock retirement plans. Late-stage capitalism is nothing if not creative.Then in IN THE NEWS, Amazon gets spanked with a $2.5 billion fine for Prime trickery, Microsoft yanks cloud services from an Israeli military unit, and Palantir goes full lifestyle brand—yes, you too can cosplay as a drone strike enthusiast with a $99 pair of gym shorts. Silicon Valley philosophers warn AI regulation would literally summon the Antichrist, while banks whisper the bubble might pop before the devil even arrives. Meanwhile, YouTube toys with letting COVID and election denialists back into the algorithm, “SIM farms” threaten New York's cell networks, and unlucky tourists are finding themselves trafficked into cyber-scam slavery across Southeast Asia. Progress!MEDIA CANDY tries to lighten the mood—sort of—serving up everything from Elio, Tron: Ares, and Disney price hikes to AI musicians cashing million-dollar checks. Lionsgate, on the other hand, learns you can't feed four John Wicks into an algorithm and get an anime out the other side. Over in THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE, we get furries on the DC Metro, Disney plotting your every park step via Ray-Ban spy glasses, a Ponzi scheme in RadioShack cosplay, and even a Jim Henson Company anniversary auction. We close out with shout-outs and sighs, because sometimes the world doesn't deserve a mic drop—just a slow shake of the head.Sponsors:Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month.SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!!1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1passwordShow notes at https://gog.show/715FOLLOW UPUS and China agree to agree on a TikTok dealWIRED global editorial director on tech's growing political power under TrumpThe Story of DOGE, as Told by Federal WorkersCrypto Bros Are Trying to Monetize Charlie Kirk's DeathIN THE NEWSAmazon to pay $2.5 billion for allegedly duping millions to sign up for PrimeMicrosoft cuts off cloud services to Israeli military unit after report of storing Palestinians' phone callsPalantir Wants to Be a Lifestyle BrandSilicon Valley's latest argument against regulating AI: that would literally be the AntichristAI Experts Urgently Call on Governments to Think About Maybe Doing Something‘Workslop': AI-Generated Work Content Is Slowing Everything DownDeutsche Bank Issues Grim Warning for AI IndustryYouTube may reinstate channels banned for spreading covid and election misinformation‘SIM Farms' Are a Spam Plague. A Giant One in New York Threatened US Infrastructure, Feds SayThey traveled to Thailand. They wound up cyber scam slaves in Myanmar.MEDIA CANDYElioSupermanHuman: OriginsHuman: JourneysAlien: EarthThe Traitors IrelandDisney is raising the price of Disney+, Hulu subscriptions next monthWicked: For Good | Final TrailerLilith Faire: Building a MysteryTron: AresAI Artist Signs Million-Dollar Record DealLionsgate Is Finding Out It's Really Hard to Make Movies With AIJimmy Kimmel May Be Back. Trump's Attacks on the First Amendment Aren't Over By Merrill MarkoeJimmy Kimmel is Back!THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVEDave BittnerThe CyberWireHacking HumansCaveatControl LoopOnly Malware in the BuildingDisney Explores Using Ray-Ban Meta Glasses To Guide Guests Around Its ParksThe Happiest Story on Earth: 70 Years of DisneylandThe Mandalorian and Grogu | Official Trailer | In Theaters May 22, 2026The Jim Henson Company 70th Anniversary AuctionFeds Say Company That Bought RadioShack Was Running $112 Million Ponzi SchemeFurries ride the DC MetroSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Why are the owners of Pier 1 Imports and Radio Shack getting sued? Also, how fast could you run on all fours? Sparkle joins to share her favorite tailgate recipe, Hudson and Aly make their weekend football picks, and much more in this episode of The RadioU Podcast!

Quiet time surcharge. RadioShack and Pier 1 imports are accused of a $112 million dollar Ponzi scheme. What happened to Duji's cat? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rover finally went to the dermatologist. "Excuse me?!" Charlie Kirk conspiracy theories. Two sisters have set up a GoFundMe for their legal fees after they vandalized a Charlie Kirk memorial. Charlie Kirk's favorite Starbucks drink. Does Rover know what time it is? Only one can at a time. The Devil's disease. Rumors that William Shatner was hospitalized. Who is crazier Hilaria Baldwin or Ben Affleck's daughter? The rapture did not happen like predicted. Rover is keeping an open mind about God. Charlie Sheen documentary. Jim Florentine believes straight men don't get AIDS. Quiet time surcharge. RadioShack and Pier 1 imports are accused of a $112 million dollar Ponzi scheme. What happened to Duji's cat? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Quiet time surcharge. RadioShack and Pier 1 imports are accused of a $112 million dollar Ponzi scheme. What happened to Duji's cat? 

Rover finally went to the dermatologist. "Excuse me?!" Charlie Kirk conspiracy theories. Two sisters have set up a GoFundMe for their legal fees after they vandalized a Charlie Kirk memorial. Charlie Kirk's favorite Starbucks drink. Does Rover know what time it is? Only one can at a time. The Devil's disease. Rumors that William Shatner was hospitalized. Who is crazier Hilaria Baldwin or Ben Affleck's daughter? The rapture did not happen like predicted. Rover is keeping an open mind about God. Charlie Sheen documentary. Jim Florentine believes straight men don't get AIDS. Quiet time surcharge. RadioShack and Pier 1 imports are accused of a $112 million dollar Ponzi scheme. What happened to Duji's cat?

Ever wondered how early childhood experiences can shape a career in cutting-edge technology? Join us for an inspiring conversation with Tessa Lau, a trailblazer in the realms of computer science, robotics, and entrepreneurship. From her first lines of code on a RadioShack color computer to her pioneering work at Dusty Robotics, Tessa's story is a testament to the transformative power of passion and innovation. Discover how her time at IBM Research and Willow Garage set her on a path to make a tangible impact through robotics, including a life-changing project to assist individuals with disabilities. Tessa's journey is a captivating blend of personal anecdotes, professional milestones, and a relentless drive to push the boundaries of what's possible.In this episode, we also explore the formidable challenges and exhilarating triumphs Tessa encountered while bringing groundbreaking technology to the construction industry. Learn about the intricacies of Savioke's robot elevator programming and the strategic alliances Dusty Robotics has forged to navigate the complex landscape of technological adoption in construction. Dive into the future of nanorobotics in healthcare, where tiny robots could revolutionize medical treatments and extend human life. Finally, Tessa shares her visionary insights into automating the BIM coordination process and the potential personal benefits of emerging technologies over the next 25 years. This episode offers a fascinating glimpse into the future of robotics and its transformative potential across multiple sectors. Contact the Future Construct Podcast Produced by BIM Designs, Inc! BIM Designs, Inc.: minority-owned, US-based, union-signatory preconstruction technology firm, offering turnkey BIM modeling, laser scanning, coordination management, and other VDC solutions to the AEC industry. Schedule a free consultation: sales@bimdesigns.net. Subscribe to our weekly blog and our Future Construct Podcast Suggest a podcast guest

I like these games but you've probably never heard of them. 0:00 - Stellar Blade (adventures at Walmart and very early impressions) 26:17 - I-Ninja 29:26 - Shadow of the Empire 36:55 - Ace Attorney Investigations 38:56 - Body Harvest 43:26 - Hybrid Heaven 48:03 - Aggressive Inline 52:21 - P.N.03 55:45 - Starfox Adventures 59:05 - Dragon Quest Swords 1:02:44 - The Last Story 1:11:21 - Metroid Other M 1:12:24 - Rabbids Go Home 1:13:54 - ZombiU 1:20:07 - Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise/Yakuza Dead Souls/Yakuza 3 If you missed Saturday's live broadcast of Molehill Mountain, you can watch the video replay on YouTube.  Alternatively, you can catch audio versions of the show on iTunes. Molehill Mountain streams live at 7p PST every Saturday night! Credits: Molehill Mountain is hosted by Andrew Eisen.  Music in the show includes "To the Top" by Silent Partner.  It is in the public domain and free to use.  Molehill Mountain logo by Scott Hepting. Chat Transcript: 7:00 PMaddictedtochaos​​Hello 7:05 PMWarren Lewis​​Hi! Test pass. 7:14 PMSheekago​​Hey Andrew 7:14 PMSheekago​​Hmm, is it just me, or is there no audio? 7:14 PMaddictedtochaos​​Mic cut out 7:14 PMaddictedtochaos​​Cutting in and out 7:15 PMSheekago​​Mic keeps cutting in and out 7:15 PMWarren Lewis​​My Wal-Mart is the same way. I usually check out at electronics instead of the front checkouts. 7:15 PMSheekago​​I think the mic is stable now. Which game is this you're talking about? 7:16 PMSheekago​​Aaand it cut out 7:18 PMWarren Lewis​​Mine uses a physical lock still. 7:21 PMLee Showron​​Hey 7:23 PMaddictedtochaos​​Working at the moment 7:25 PMSheekago​​It's working now 7:26 PMSheekago​​Too bad you can't go to Radio Shack and get some new ones 7:27 PMaddictedtochaos​​I miss Circuit City. 7:28 PMSheekago​​That's why they made the Foot soldiers robots. So it wouldn't be so violent for kids. 7:29 PMSheekago​​Yes, I hated that they removed their actual weapons for the second movie. 7:30 PMSheekago​​It came pretty close to them just hitting them with cream pies. 7:31 PMJared Knisely​​the doom like 7:32 PMJared Knisely​​might be thinking of dark forces 7:49 PMaddictedtochaos​​Tony Hawk was Activision 7:50 PMaddictedtochaos​​Activision over saturated the market with all of their franchises, releasing 5 Guitar Hero games in one year killed that series. 7:52 PMaddictedtochaos​​I believe the developer was Neversoft. 8:04 PMaddictedtochaos​​Operation Rainfall 8:06 PMaddictedtochaos​​If I recall correctly, XSEED published “The Last Story” in North America, and it was (at the time at least) their best selling game. 8:16 PMaddictedtochaos​​I used to watch E3 and take notes of my thoughts of the announcements, and I distinctly remember writing about the Wii U, “it will live or die by the GamePad” 8:17 PMaddictedtochaos​​I believe Zombi U was ported to PS4 and Xbox One. 8:27 PMJared Knisely​​talking about 3? 8:28 PMJared Knisely​​i hated 6 8:29 PMJared Knisely​​narrative is what i didnt like 8:30 PMJared Knisely​​baseball was fun

In this episode, we investigate the mysterious disappearance of Israel Ray Smith, a 28-year-old father from Wytheville, Virginia, who vanished on March 10, 2008. Last seen leaving his Radio Shack shift, his Ford Explorer was found unlocked outside his apartment, keys and laundry inside. Police discovered his door ajar, TV on, and game controller out—unusual for the tidy Israel. His phone and bank account remain untouched, and a possible gas station sighting the next night is unconfirmed. The Wytheville Police call it their most puzzling case. Join us to unravel what happened to Israel. Wytheville Police Department 276-223-3300Theories on the case https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/n537dt/missing_in_virginia_what_happened_to_israel_ray/CRYPTIC HOTLINE: (615) 447-8258itscrypticoutthere@gmail.com

Hawaiian shirts, RadioShack, and plastic teeth - we gather around the dinner table to discuss all this and more as we cover 2013's "Curse of Chucky"!

This week on Ten Cent Takes, we're re-releasing one of our favorite deep dives: the Superman comics that doubled as ads for RadioShack's TRS-80 computers! The Man of Steel meets early tech marketing in a delightfully weird crossover of capes and circuits. ----more---- For the transcript of this episode, head over to https://www.tencenttakes.com/transcripts.   Email: tencenttakes@gmail.com Instagram: @Tencenttakes Facebook: /Tencenttakes Mastodon: retro.pizza/@tencenttakes Blusky: https://bsky.app/profile/tencenttakes.bsky.social  Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

Chris Perkins joins to talk Dolphins. The guys discuss if Darren Waller will pan out for the Dolphins. Will Zach Sieler hold out for a new contract? Hollywood reminisces about places that have shut down (Blockbuster, Circuit City, RadioShack, etc.)

Garrett Reed is the CEO of Layne's Chicken Fingers. Garrett got his start in the real estate business right out of college as a site selector for Radio Shack in he 90s. By the early 2000s he had moved on to Starbucks where he served as Real Estate Director for the east and west coasts. In 2005 he started his own real estate business and in the mid-2010s he began the search to own a restaurant brand and/or franchise. He bought Layne's Chicken Fingers in 2017 and became CEO and Partner. Layne's began in 1994. There are 25 locations as of this recording (April of 2025) with plans to open a new location every month for the rest of the year.  Join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network TODAY! Restaurant Unstoppable - EVOLVE! - Eric of Restaurant Unstoppable is now taking consultation and coaching calls! Book a consultation today! Schedule your call to become UNSTOPPABLE! Check out the website for more details: https://www.restaurantunstoppable.com/evolve Today's sponsors: Franchise Law Solutions - Thinking about franchising your restaurant? Success doesn't have to mean 100 units overnight. With the right plan, you can build a profitable, local or regional franchise brand. The team at Internicola Law Firm — franchise lawyers and franchise development experts — will show you how.  Visit www.franchiselawsolutions.com. US Foods: US Foods is hosting the event of the year, Food Fanatics 2025. August 19-20, 2025, at the Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV. Network with over 5,000 Industry peers. Attend Zouk nightclub reception, expert breakout sessions, Keynote speeches, musical performances, and dramatic demonstrations, and sample the latest on-trend dishes. The Clock Is Ticking! Be Ready to Register on April 16 for Food Fanatics® 2025. To learn more, visit www.usfoods.com/foodfanatics2025 Restaurant Systems Pro - Join the 60-day Restaurant Systems Pro FREE TRAINING. This is something that has never been done before. This 60-day event is at no cost to you, but it is not for everyone. Fred Langley, CEO of Restaurant Systems Pro, will lead a group of restaurateurs through the Restaurant Systems Pro software and set up the systems for your restaurant. During the 60 days, Fred will walk you through the Restaurant Systems Pro Process and help you crush the following goals: Recipe Costing Cards; Guidance in your books for accounting; Cash controls; Sales Forecasting(With Accuracy); Checklists; Budgeting for the entire year; Scheduling for profit; More butts in seats and more… Click Here to learn more.  Let's make 2025 the year your restaurant thrives. Guest contact info:  Website: https://www.layneschickenfingers.com Thanks for listening! Rate the podcast, subscribe, and share!  We are on Youtube: @RestaurantUnstoppable

An ERP business killer’s use-case … fun times not to miss Arick Helmlinger, IT Manager of Business Systems and Data at RIX Industries, shares his path from software developer to IT leadership and managing a challenging ERP implementation during COVID-19. From his early days at Radio Shack to becoming the first in-house developer at RIX...

This week, we blast off with a tale as old as grift: Fyre Fest 2 has been postponed—again—proving that you really can fail upward if you squint hard enough and wear enough white linen. Over at Automattic, employees discovered secret watermarks in their internal comms, because what workplace isn't better with a sprinkle of corporate surveillance cosplay? Meanwhile, Katy Perry took a joyride to the upper atmosphere with Gayle King and Bezos' better half, giving us the 2025 edition of the cringiest “Imagine”-style celebrity moment yet. Spoiler: no one needed this.In Elon World™, things are somehow even weirder. Seth Rogen dropped some truth bombs about Silicon Valley's MAGA leanings, only to have them surgically removed from the Breakthrough Prize stream. Musk, for his part, is managing his growing empire of baby mamas like a Bond villain with a baby registry. Add in a cringe-filled offer to a YouTuber to become Space Karen's next broodmare, and we've officially entered peak simulation. Meanwhile, whistleblowers are spilling DOGE secrets, OpenAI is building a social network (because we clearly don't have enough doomscrolling options), and 4chan has finally been hacked into oblivion. Pour one out—for the internet's dumpster fire.Also in the news: Google lost a big ad tech monopoly case (cue tiny violins), China is no longer buying the “autonomous” car hype after a fatal crash, and Trump's FCC chair is threatening Comcast for not being enough like Fox News (as if that's the journalistic gold standard). The Pentagon's nerd squad resigned after butting heads with DOGE, Reality Labs burned $45 billion like it was going out of style, and AI customer service bots are now inventing policies out of thin air. Oh, and if your AI thinks your Python package has a delivery issue—you're not crazy, it probably hallucinated it. Welcome to the future.Sponsors:Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month.SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!!1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1passwordShow notes at https://gog.show/693FOLLOW UPFyre Fest 2 Postponed: “New Date Will Be Announced”Following Layoffs, Automattic Employees Discover Leak-Catching WatermarksIN THE NEWSUnfortunately for Katy Perry, That “Space Flight” Turned Out Exactly How We All Knew It WouldWe Finally Have 2025's “Imagine” VideoLet them eat spaceSeth Rogen's Criticism of Silicon Valley's Support for Trump Was Cut From the “Full” Stream of Breakthrough PrizeThe Tactics Elon Musk Uses to Manage His ‘Legion' of Babies—and Their MothersGlamorous influencer Tiffany Fong breaks silence on Elon Musk's 'offer to impregnate her' with shocking statementA whistleblower's disclosure details how DOGE may have taken sensitive labor dataElectronics exempted from reciprocal tariffs will soon be subject to new semiconductor tariffs insteadGoogle loses ad tech monopoly caseChina cracks down on 'autonomous' car claims after fatal accidentTrump's FCC chair threatens Comcast, demands changes to NBC news coverageOpenAI is building a social network4chan Likely Gone Forever After Hackers Take ControlCompany apologizes after AI support agent invents policy that causes user uproarPentagon tech unit resigns after clash with Musk's DOGEWhat Does a Corrupt Election Look Like?Tesla puts finishing touches on Hollywood charge-n-dinerInside the $45 billion cash burn at Reality LabsWe Have a Package for You! A Comprehensive Analysis of Package Hallucinations by Code Generating LLMsThe business of the AI labs by Max BolingbrokeMEDIA CANDYKilling an Arab on PandoraApple's ‘Mythic Quest' is ending with an updated Season 4 finaleSide QuestNight of the ZoopocalypseBlack MirrorDaredevilThe Last of UsG2028 Years Later Rises From the Grave With a New Trailer'Real Time' host Bill Maher says President Trump was "gracious" and "not fake" during his White House visit.Bringing Down a DictatorBlueprint for Revolution: How to Use Rice Pudding, Lego Men, and Other Nonviolent Techniques to Galvanize Communities, Overthrow Dictators, or Simply Change the World by Srdja PopovicAPPS & DOODADSApple is reportedly working on two new versions of the Vision ProIlya Bezdelev

The show broadcasts live from "Injured On The Go, Just Call Mo's Studio."   - Dan compares infidelity to cereal choices in a parody song.   - Dan and Tom kick off the Friday free show of "A Mediocre Time."   - Dan and Ross discuss pinball addiction and its tie to Orlando's talk scene.   - Pinball machines noted as guest favorites and "smile makers."   - Discussion of PinballDudes.net's rental and rotation model.   - Pinball machines compared to classic cars as dad hobbies.   - Andrea suggests spontaneous late-night pinball playing.   - Humorous references to Burger King bathrooms and Digital Underground.   - Trivia about Digital Underground's "Sex Packets" and Tupac's role in "Nothing But Trouble."   - Dan recounts nearly being hit by someone in a medical gown.   - Ross describes following an erratic driver on I-4 like a "ghost ship."   - Debate on self-driving car safety versus human drivers.   - Joke about changes to Florida traffic school point laws.   - Speculation on 200 new Florida laws, including a misspelled one about "alligator rides."   - House Bill 49 allows 16- and 17-year-olds to work full-time.   - Debate on self-defense laws involving bears, with Dan joking about impressing his dog.   - House Bill 321 bans releasing lighter-than-air balloons.   - New massage parlor regulations combat trafficking.   - House Bill 461 exempts recent mothers from jury duty.   - Dan jokes about avoiding jury duty by discarding summonses.   - House Bill 583 permits larger wine containers, with nods to past growler restrictions.   - Dan reminisces about his mom's large Chianti jugs.   - Joke about selling "Tom and Dan DeSantis wine pumpkins."   - Debate on whether police need training for new laws.   - Tuttle drops a surprising revelation in a recent guest appearance.   - Jamie Foxx's Netflix special "What It Happened Was" critiqued for its awkward format.   - Listener feedback on Jamie Foxx's special, highlighting its religious themes.   - Comparison of Jamie Foxx's special to polished stand-up like Anthony Jeselnik's.   - Discussion on Jeselnik's precision and his critique of oversaturated podcasting.   - Fictional idea of a comedian losing humor due to a medical condition.   - Speculation about Jamie Foxx's storytelling approach as a business move.   - Ross recounts a fireworks warehouse confrontation involving his son.   - Anecdote about warehouse neighbors like a cookie company and Nutty Bavarian.   - Ross shares a near-miss incident with a reckless driver.   - Importance of staying calm during near-miss accidents.   - Joke about renaming Dog Track Road to "Dog the Bounty Hunter Track."   - Light criticism of school mascots tied to dog gambling.   - Dan jokes about upgrading Tom's truck, comparing it to others.   - Nostalgia about meeting friendly motorcycle company folks.   - Extravagant spending stories about Hulk Hogan, Shaquille O'Neal, and Jay-Z.   - Belichick moves to college football to groom his son Steven as head coach.   - Debate on inherited leadership roles in sports and their scrutiny.   - Comparison of Belichick's move to LeBron James playing with his son.   - Dan reflects on generational career advantages for kids.   - Commentary on Belichick's coaching style and media insights.   - Tommy enjoys YouTuber Queso's comedic chat interactions.   - Tom considers hiring Queso for a personalized video gift for Tommy.   - Debate on YouTuber influences on kids and toxic gaming environments.   - Ross mentions Space Marine 2 as a new game.   - Tom jokes about buying dirt bikes and reminisces about Peewee 50s.   - Challenges in sparking kids' interest in hobbies like drums.   - Reflection on Archie Manning's parenting and football success.   - Humorous holiday card exchange jokes.   - Announcement of voicemails and next BDM show.   - Longevity of independent shows compared to "Guiding Light" and "Larry King Live."   - Mr. Beast's Amazon show "Beast Games" and multi-revenue strategy.   - Listener asks about Tom and Dan's past disagreements.   - Nostalgia for 80s and 90s tropes like smashing beer bottles.   - Listener request for Dan's Russian soldier Halloween story.   - Dan recounts catching an ex cheating while in a Russian costume.   - Listener shares a "double bird" traffic incident.   - Tom jokes about using his phone at stoplights and pre-honk frustrations.   - Story of a pre-honk causing an accident.   - Debate on traffic laws and aggressive honking.   - "Anger blue balls" humorously discussed.   - Nostalgia for retail spaces like Radio Shack turning into smoke shops.   - Cultural nostalgia for strobe lights at parties and roller rinks.   - Strobe light seizure warnings in games and anime.   - Ross plugs upcoming comedy shows and a therapy-infused segment idea.   - Dan jokes about Tommy working at Pyro Spot.   - Discussion about transformation photos and Tommy's growth.   - Closing remarks promoting Monday's BDM show. ### **Social Media:**   [Website](https://tomanddan.com/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/tomanddanlive) | [Facebook](https://facebook.com/amediocretime) | [Instagram](https://instagram.com/tomanddanlive) **Where to Find the Show:**   [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-mediocre-time/id334142682) | [Google Podcasts](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL2FtZWRpb2NyZXRpbWUvcG9kY2FzdC54bWw) | [TuneIn](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Comedy/A-Mediocre-Time-p364156/) **The Tom & Dan Radio Show on Real Radio 104.1:**   [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-corporate-time/id975258990) | [Google Podcasts](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL2Fjb3Jwb3JhdGV0aW1lL3BvZGNhc3QueG1s) | [TuneIn](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Comedy/A-Corporate-Time-p1038501/) **Exclusive Content:** [Join BDM](https://tomanddan.com/registration)   **Merch:** [Shop Tom & Dan](https://tomanddan.myshopify.com/)