898 - Folding Bot

A Mediocre Time with Tom & Dan - Episode Notes Episode: "898 - Folding Bot" Hosts: Tom Vann, Dan Dennis | Guest: Ross McCoy (comedian) Sponsors / Ad Reads Don Mealy Chevrolet (Clermont) - Opening read. Both hosts' family vehicles (Silverado, Traverse) came from there, and they praised the service department. Ask for JC Harrelson, general sales manager and Corvette guy, for the listener hookup. Inventory at dmchevy.com, or use the form under the Chevy logo at tomanddan.com. A sponsor for over 10 years. Injured On The Go, Just Call Moe - Studio name credit at the top of the show ("Live from the Injured On The Go, Just Call Moe Studio"). Attorney Moe Dewitt, justcallmoe.com. Captain B's Ace of the Beach Fishing Tournament - Second annual, billed as Florida's largest surf fishing tournament. $60 entry, by text to Captain B at 321-424-4119 or at CaptainBSurfFishingCharters.com. Pompano and Whiting divisions, over $10,000 in cash prizes, and a one-ounce gold bar for first place Pompano. 100% of proceeds go to breast cancer research. Fish anywhere on the beach in the morning, then weigh in at noon at Maverick's Hangar Bar and Grill in Satellite Beach. The Pinball Dudes (thepinballdudes.net) - Home or business pinball rental for $350/month, with Andrew delivering, setting up and swapping machines every quarter. The new Fallout machine got a plug. Pitched as a gift (a year membership) and for business lobbies and bars. Andrew is a certified Stern dealer (buy, sell, trade). Text or call 321-591-1062. He'll have machines at Beerfest. Segment Rundown Cold open: show a day early - The Friday free show is recorded Thursday because Dan is headed to Fest. Tom bought the tickets as a gift, and the hosts bicker over whether "company money" counts as a gift. New tomanddan.com launch - The rebuilt, stripped-down site is live. Dan recalls building the first version around 2009-2010 in Apple's discontinued iWeb and compares it to today's "vibe coding." He credits Jeff Blasey for the original logo and the Danger Brains for the long-running second site. The old setup was costing about $600/month in Amazon Web Services fees, plus emergency costs when it crashed during Tom's hip recovery. Dan asks listeners to test the new site and report problems. Tom says take the weekend off. Sanford and Son surprise - Dan watched an episode he'd never seen, where Fred grieves his late wife Elizabeth. It was a serious turn that showed Redd Foxx's dramatic range. He also gives a nod to the classic TV channel he falls asleep to. Norm Macdonald documentary - Discussion of the Judd Apatow-produced Norm doc, which is mostly a compilation of familiar clips. Favorite bits: Norm's podcast with Super Dave Osborne and Adam Eget, and the Larry King interview. Dan briefly suspected the narration was AI before realizing it came from Norm's audiobook. The group debates Norm keeping his cancer private (Tom says he'd do the same, which becomes a running "lumpy taint" gag). Tom's dad used to skip doctor appointments for soul food. Unfunny executives - The NBC executive who fired Norm from SNL leads to a rant about one higher-up's subjective taste outweighing popularity, with a nod to the hosts' own radio past. Ross compares it to a vegetarian running McDonald's. McDonald's two cheeseburger meal - Dan praises the meal as an all-time comfort food while his health-kick daughter Maisie disapproves. Talk of Maisie packing her own salads versus Tom's ice-cream-loving boys, and a proposed "dad swap." Kids trading at school - Ross's kid traded Pop-Tarts for Pub Subs. Dan traded G.I. Joes as a kid, and Maisie's Nee Doh trade got reversed after a parent called. The hosts agree that kids trading and parents undoing it is timeless. Tangent on Pokemon cards used as hygiene bribes for Tom's boys. Dad's top drawer - Inventory of everyone's junk drawers: gag gifts, belt buckles, knives, yo-yos (one from Jim Phillips), guitar picks, dead vape batteries and old medical card IDs. Also whether the kids know what's in there, and beer versus Mountain Dew. Folding Bot (title segment) - Tom saw a Chinese robot demo doing karate moves on junk cars and argues the real life-changer would be a household robot that does laundry, chores, yard work and pool care. Ross and Dan push back on price and current ability, citing the Tesla robot and a viral video of a shaky-handed robot slicing cucumbers. Dan argues washing is solved and folding is the real problem (Andrea's "folding parties"). Ideas pitched: a washer-dryer-folder combo, and a dishwasher rack that rises