We tried the pulled pork samples at the 2025 Christmas Parade in Lake Placid Florida from Porkchop’s Barbecue.
One word describes it: AWESOME!
Can’t wait until they open. I produced a short video with a word from the owner.
“Rough Surf, Dangerous Rip Currents:” Hurricane Erin Boosts to Cat 5
Hurricane Erin strengthens into a Category 5, as it moves north in the Atlantic and experts warn of potential dangerous (and possibly) epic waves.
Swell-chasers and wary coastal property owners continue to monitor the trajectory, and strength of Hurricane Erin, as it continues toward the east coast.
The storm is currently looming over the Caribbean, with a trajectory moving northward, with a path that curves away from the eastern seaboard, away from landfall, yet still sending stormy conditions (and potentially sizable swell) to the east coast.
AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva, called the conditions “near perfect,” when it comes to the storm strengthening on its path.
“Erin is forecast to slowly curve to the north as it continues to strengthen over the weekend. At this time, the storm is forecast to remain hundreds of miles off the East Coast,” DaSilva said. When it comes to the waves, he continued:
“Beaches along the entire East Coast, from Florida to New England and Atlantic Canada, will likely experience rough surf and dangerous rip currents as Erin tracks north and eventually northeast.”
Here’s the latest from the reliable forecaster Bryan Norcross:
Norcross is known for his matter-of-fact content and delivery without all the hype from others that is intended to scare folks and get clicks.
Check on the current surf conditions with our Florida East Coast Beach Webcams here on BrownieBytes.net
Today, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson issued the following statement proclaiming July 2025 as “Made in the USA” Month:
“In honor of our nation’s independence, the Federal Trade Commission has designated July as ‘Made in the USA’ month. As Chairman of the FTC, I am responsible for enforcing laws that prohibit companies from making false or unsubstantiated claims that a product is ‘Made in the USA.’ It is important to protect Americans from deceptive advertising, and also important because it provides consumers with confidence that when they buy something that says ‘Made in the USA’ they are actually supporting American workers, American manufacturers, and American communities.”
So when your driverless car cuts someone off, will the road rage be directed at you… the passenger?
| Today’s top story, from reporter Anabelle Nicoud, IBM Think Newsletter If you’ve ridden in a Waymo recently and found your driverless taxi to be more assertive and, dare we say, more human on the road, you’re not imagining things. The Alphabet-owned company, which has been navigating passengers in San Francisco, Austin, Phoenix and LA, is now exhibiting very human-like traits, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. No drunk driving or road rage, of course, but under the right circumstances, that white Jaguar might indulge in a honk or two. As it turns out, a more commanding Waymo yielded safer rides, the Chronicle reported. “Being an assertive driver means that you’re more predictable, that you blend into the environment, that you do things that you expect other humans on the road to do,” David Margines, Waymo’s Director of Product Management, said in an interview with the paper. “It’s a very interesting kind of paradox here: we need less perfection to really fit social norms,” said Kaoutar El Maghraoui, a Principal Research Scientist at IBM, in this week’s Mixture of Experts. According to the company’s data, Waymo is safer than human drivers. And yet, part of being so might just be by mimicking our bad, albeit predictable, habits, favoring social compatibility over algorithmic perfection. Uncanny valley, you say? Technically, Waymos could be enjoying more free-form decision-making, thinks Gabe Goodhart, Chief Architect of AI Open Innovation at IBM. He likened older, rule-based vehicles to the chatbots of yore—pre-generative AI systems beholden to clunky decision trees. But as autonomous vehicles adopt more human-like behavior—and choice—drivers may feel more comfortable because the cars better adhere to their expectations. “If we start applying this more flexible way of adapting [the car’s] behavior to the environment … it may make the vehicle fit in a whole lot better,” he said on the podcast. As more driverless cars hit the streets of American cities—from Zoox to Tesla’s newly launched robotaxis—it will be fascinating to watch how they adapt to robot driving. Could it pave the way to more collaboration between tech giants? “A lot of open-source consortiums have started because of similar problems,” noted Ann Funai, CIO and VP of Business Platform Transformation at IBM. “There’s this area where you need common understanding, common knowledge, common engagement. Maybe that means agreeing to use the same open-source component for training, so we’re not all crashing into each other.” Listen to the full episode on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. |
Alright, America, buckle up! It’s launch day for Made in the USA Today, the podcast and website that’s gonna light a fire under this country’s manufacturing comeback.
I’m here for R. Michael Brown, your host, reporter, and your guide through the wild, patriotic ride that is the “Made in the USA” movement. We’re not here to sugarcoat anything—we’re diving into the good, the bad, and the downright infuriating.
So, let’s get to it!
Picture this: it’s 2025, and America’s waking up. The “Made in the USA” label is back, and it’s hotter than a summer barbecue.
People are fed up with cheap foreign junk, and they’re demanding American-made goods that scream quality, pride, AND JOBS. But, hold the phone—this isn’t some feel-good story. It’s a gritty, complicated fight, and we’re gonna break it down like nobody else.
First up, reshoring. That’s the buzzword, and it’s real. The eggheads at the National Institute of Standards and Technology—dropped a truth bomb in February 2025: the COVID-19 disaster showed us our supply chains were a house of cards.
Remember those empty shelves? Yeah, never again.
So, companies are bringing manufacturing back to the good ol’ U.S.A., and with a new administration turning up the heat, small and medium-sized businesses are going all-in. They’re using cool tech like 3D printing and smart manufacturing to keep up.
Sounds awesome, right? Well, not so fast. This stuff costs a fortune to set up, and you’ve gotta retrain workers to run the new toys. It’s like trying to rebuild a muscle car from scratch—doable, but it’s gonna take time.
Now, let’s talk about you, the American folks. You’re the ones driving this bus.
I’ve been lurking on X, and the vibe is clear: you’re pumped for American-made products that last longer than a TikTok trend. You’re waving the flag, and it’s beautiful.
Take the Dobyns Family’s “America First” T-shirt—100% U.S.-grown cotton, priced at $17.76 cents – because, that’s the most patriotic price ever – 1776. It’s like wrapping yourself in the Declaration of Independence.
But here’s the kicker: the Federal Trade Commission says “Made in USA” means all – or virtually all – of a product’s gotta be American like Dobyns. Sounds simple, but it’s a hot mess.
CarEdge says 117 car models are assembled here in 2025, but they’re still grabbing parts from Canada and Mexico. Are we making cars or playing Legos from around the world?
On the corporate side, it’s a tale of two Americas….
Have a blessed Memorial Day and remember all those that have fallen. Video is from Arlington National Cemetery.
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