The Works

After a busy hiatus, we are BACK! It is festival season with our hot sauce company MadeInMaidenNC.com and we finished the 20th Annual NC Hot Sauce Festival and also Murray's Mill Harvest Folk Festival. And, if that's not busy enough, we are remodeling our kitchen due to necessity. Why aren't we having as much fun as those home remodeling shows? Is it because WE are doing the work or be...

We say goodbye to Tim Curry and Dolly Parton. Do you know what Land of Oz, Dolly Parton, and the Cleveland Browns have in common? The owners of Tweetsie Railroad built The Land of Oz and another attraction in Pigeon Forge. The original Pigeon Forge was a Civil War themed park called Rebel Railroad. That, in turn, was sold to Art Model and called Goldrush Junction. That was then sold to the Hersche...

50th Episode!!! What an accomplishment and thank YOU for tuning in! We reminisce about episode 23 with irrational fears and urban legends and add a few more. Why is it still a thing about tainted Halloween candy and how did Kudzu not take over the southern states in America. Kudzu started as a solution for the Great Dust Bowl and then it wasn't so great. What pop culture urban legends do you r...

Since we last talked about cookie gate, we are now talking real cookies at a franchise called Crave. Outstanding! Do you remember Mrs Fields cookies and TollHouse Cookies at the mall? Why have jingles been replaced with nostalgia for older music? Nothing sells GLP-1 like the 1974 song "Magic"! Did you know Barry Manilow started as a jingle writer? And we discuss the show's "Ted...

Not the cookies you eat, but website cookies...and Phoebe Gates! She may do jail time, so give a listen. We discuss the online era and how our systems are vulnerable to hacking. And even without hacking, our systems are vulnerable to solar flares. Did you know about the Carrington Effect? We had a huge solar flare that wiped out the telegraph system in 1859? What would happen if that occurred toda...

Does your area have local colloquial sayings about the weather? What about "red skies at night, sailors delight...red skies at morn, sailors be warned"? A lot of these weather folklore actually have some science behind them to explain. We discuss some of the common ones and how they relate. And, not to be topical and bring current events...we talk about pleading the 5th. Dr Fauci plead t...

We touch base on the latest toys since we purchased the knock-off sticker box. Hated it! Should've gotten the real deal! Did you know that there are HUGE conventions centered around video games? We attended South East Game Exchange in Greenville, SC and wow was it busy, big,...and STINKY! The younger demographic that may be on the fringe socially were in their element! Every game console and e...

New branding: The Works Live! New name, same fun people! What are some of the well known nostalgic toys you remember? How did the US popular toys compare to other countries? Jim predicts what he thinks THE toys will be this year...and sad to admit, one uses the dreaded AI! Plus, we discuss our conspiracy theory that garden hose makers and hose storage systems are in cahoots. Non-kink hoses my rear...

You know how much we love AI <<smirk>>...and using AI for customer service is just our favorite! With real people customer service representatives, you at least had a chance at a favorable outcome. With AI, you just get responses based upon the flowchart of answers that have been programmed. Sure, companies save money with AI customer service because 1) They don't have to pay a per...

We got the food pyramid wrong and had to update the entire calorie conversation to include gut biome. Did we get our documentation of genes and what they can predict correctly? So many folks are making life altering decisions based upon genetic testing results. They believe it is inevitable that they will get certain conditions and ailments. What is it that we know about genome sequencing? Just be...

Soccer is NOT football! With all of the hype of the FIFA World Cup, we just do not get it. Is it truly a sport that America loves and supports? Considering that they say that it had a record viewership, we wanted to check that out. It was only 6 million. Considering The Simpsons, which has been on air over 30 years still pulls 2 million every week, that is not very impressive. Do you watch soccer?...

These projects would definitely fit the definition of "pork" in a legislative bill! Who doesn't love pork? Did you know that $57 million was spent to get to drill in the layer between the Earth's crust and mantle? How about$74 million for a canal bisecting Florida which was never completed? Join us for a pork discussion on this "Uncovering Government Waste" episode of The Works.

Talk about a bunch of baloney! There was a govt paid study on the correlation between hot dog consumption and childhood leukemia in 1994. Why hot dogs and leukemia? And, in 2004 it was debunked and there was no correlation or causation. What other frivolous studies have we done? Cocaine's effect on the sex life of quails. How about the 20 year study of steroid use on hamsters and their aggress...

Seems as though everyone has a podcast! If you're looking for something entertaining and different, tune into our podcast "The Works" on your favorite podcast streaming service!

Follow up to the calorie and nutritional panel episode. We wondered if the nutrition/calorie computations were wrong or incomplete. The Atwater study results defined the number of calories for fat, protein, and carbs and was amended in the 1970's to account for fiber. The new research suggest it is our gut bacteria that determines absorption. But, what if the proteins today are different than...

Pardon the SouthPark reference...not! Remember when we jested that maybe the calorie definition might be off? Well, Arizona State University just came out with an study that suggests we may have gotten it wrong. Seems that our gut bacteria has a lot to do with it! ((queue SouthPark reference about Tom Brady fecal implant)) Calorie absorption and usage is dependent on our gut bacteria! Join us for...

AI...what a load of BULL! Rest in peace! Jim makes a compelling argument of why AI will fizzle out in the next couple of years. The statistic that AI use has increased is interesting...since copilot is now a part of microsoft office license. Just because it was bundled in and EVERY business office uses microsoft office doesn't mean everyone is USING it! Jeesh! And, what does "data driven&...

It is officially Beach Season!!! Where do you go for a summer vacation? Do you like basic beach houses or do you go for the more bougie rental? We just got back from Oak Island NC and love the laid back beach community. What things do you do on vacation? Did you know that Pablo Escobar ran drugs from a tiny beach community in NC? And the movie "The Year I Turned Pretty" was just filming...

Are you tired of entering your phone number for all of these "loyalty" programs? How did those ever even start? The modern day may have seemed to start with flyer miles. But what about the green stamp books? Did you know they reward program started in ancient Egypt? What about the earliest ones here in the States in the 1700's? Seems like today's programs have a lot of pay-to-pla...

As we navigate social media/podcast space, can you game they system by a clever title? Does a trending word help get listens? Did you know that Area 51 just had a round of earthquakes? Did alien technology cause it? We also discuss when people give you advice. What was the best advice you were given? Join us for a myriad of topics in true ADHD fashion on the "Gaming The System" episode o...

With Millenials and GenZ finding alternative work or choosing to work part time, Social Security is DOOMED. The pool of workers entering retirement is larger that the generations working and contributing. Even with Social Security, many folks will still have to find their "second career" after retirement. What drives the need for a next phase of work? Were you laid off? Is your job now o...

Do you remember the "Generic" brand from years ago? It was a simple white label with bold black lettering. Nothing screamed that you were frugal more than that! Now, we have store brands that are supposed to be the same as named brand...but secretly are not. For example, PopTarts....there is no equal!!! Join us for a discussion of "Off Brand" on this episode of The Works.

What are some jobs today that you never imagined would be jobs? Younger generations want to be influencers or content creators. Will a college education be required for "jobs" that are created in the future? Are you considered gainfully employed as a content creator? How are you paid? What happens to social security if the newer generation isn't paying into the system as boomers and...

Are there things you do that you just now realized are a bit quirky or eccentric? Ok...maybe they are just weird or annoying! Do you pee in the shower? Do you stop the microwave at 1 second to avoid the excessive beeping? Do you sniff the milk before pouring, even though the expiration date is still in the future? Do you rearrange the dishwasher after each dish? We have all had that "oh no&qu...

What is your favorite part of vacation travel? What is the worst part? We just got back from a road trip to Ohio to visit family, and, boy, were the roads BAD! However, the food and family were good! Do you embrace local cuisine? Have you ever had Cincinnati chili? Or, when traveling, do you go with the familiar? Are you team beach or mountains or snow or travel abroad? Join us for a fun travel di...