I wish you and your entire family a VERY HAPPY 4th of July, 2026 – celebrating America’s birthday and recognizing 250 Years of Independence.
HAPPY 4th of July, 2026; And Happy Birthday America, Celebrating 250 Years of Independence!!
Posts
AI is a Little Too Artificial & Unintelligent; Ford Rehires Engineers Fired for AI
For a few months now, we’ve been seeing a moderation in enthusiasm on Wall Street for Artificial Intelligence (AI) investment. On several occasions, a major tech company would announce a new multi-billion-dollar investment to acquire chips or other AI technology…or to build huge data centers to train LLMs…only to see their stock value crash. In a nutshell, investors are coming to believe that there is no way AI can hit a level of success great enough to repay the now trillions of dollars of collective investment by big Tech to create it.
Then, this week, Ford Motor Company announced it would rehire more than 300 engineers who had been let go to turn their jobs over to AI. Ford admits its AI ambitions failed and has rehired these “graybeard” veteran engineers with decades of experience to improve product quality.
Learn how AI attitudes appear to be changing…
[Read more…] about AI is a Little Too Artificial & Unintelligent; Ford Rehires Engineers Fired for AICrestron Officially Launches the Powerful & Intuitive Configure Pro for Home OS
Crestron Electronics, a global leader in smart home and home automation, announced this week that Configure Pro, originally announced a few months ago, is now available. This is great news for Crestron integrators, as the all-new system configuration platform is a substantial upgrade over the previous Crestron Home Setup application and offers greater approachability, easier and faster operation for more efficient and consistent installations, and so much more.
See more on the all-new Configure Pro…
[Read more…] about Crestron Officially Launches the Powerful & Intuitive Configure Pro for Home OSNew Home Sales Drop in May for the Second Consecutive Month
The latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the US. Department of Housing and Urban Development shows that sales of new single-family homes in May dropped for the second straight month. Many analysts believe this is a sign of a more enduring economic slowdown.
Learn more about May’s new single-family home sales…
[Read more…] about New Home Sales Drop in May for the Second Consecutive MonthAudio Advice Acquires Miami-Based Sound Components
Audio Advice, a prominent smart home retailer and custom integrator based in Raleigh, North Carolina, announced today that it has acquired Sound Components, another well-known AV integrator based in Miami, Florida. This move joins two well-respected and popular integration industry players into one large multi-market integration business.
More on Audio Advice acquiring of Sound Components…
[Read more…] about Audio Advice Acquires Miami-Based Sound ComponentsADI Reassures Control4 Dealers That When It Exits Resideo, Nothing Will Change
This week, ADI Global Distribution, currently part of Resideo Technologies but soon to be split off as an independent company, has sent an email message to Control4 dealers reassuring them that nothing is going to change when the company goes independent from Resideo. The email to dealers, which has been viewed by Strata-gee, reassured dealers that ADI’s commitment to Contro4 is stronger than ever.
But, is it?
See more on ADI’s message to Control4 dealers…
[Read more…] about ADI Reassures Control4 Dealers That When It Exits Resideo, Nothing Will ChangeThe Art of the Pivot
A Guest Post by Randy Blanchard
In an industry often defined by rapid-fire technological shifts, I have spent the last thirty years mastering a different kind of evolution: the strategic bridge between high-end custom integration and national scale. From the high-fidelity showroom floors of Detroit’s legendary Pecar Electronics to the corporate boardroom of a billion-dollar distributor, my constantly evolving career serves as a masterclass in how to pivot to navigate the complexity of the AV custom integration market.
The purpose of this story is to share some of the milestones and career pivots that combined to help shape my “Be a Trusted Partner” philosophy—and how this principle helped to turn a security giant into an AV powerhouse.
See how a security industry giant became an AV powerhouse…
[Read more…] about The Art of the PivotKaleidescape Launches Strato K, an All-New Flagship Player for Native 8K and 4K Cinematic™ Resolutions
Strato K is the First 8K Movie Player Certified by the 8K Association
Kaleidescape, a leading provider of high-resolution movie players and high fidelity movie content for the custom integration channel, announced today the launch of the all-new Strato K flagship movie player. The Strato K supports 8K movies as well as a new, higher fidelity format they call 4K Cinematic™.
Learn all about Kaleidescape’s new Strato K player offering 8K content
[Read more…] about Kaleidescape Launches Strato K, an All-New Flagship Player for Native 8K and 4K Cinematic™ ResolutionsWith Resideo Spin-Off of ADI Imminent, Sources Say ADI is Cutting Staff
Multiple sources are reporting that last week, Resideo Technologies’ company ADI unexpectedly executed layoffs of what they believe to be large numbers of employees, potentially in the hundreds. Many, if not most, of these layoffs are said to be centered on ADI’s Control4 unit legacy employees.
See what reports are saying on this alleged round of layoffs from ADI Global Distribution…
[Read more…] about With Resideo Spin-Off of ADI Imminent, Sources Say ADI is Cutting StaffCEO Confidence in U.S. Economy Plunges in Q2 Survey
In a surprising new survey of 141 of the Fortune Global 500 Chief Executive Officers, the leaders of some of the largest companies in the world, we learn that they are losing confidence in the U.S. economy. The survey, conducted by The Conference Board, a nonpartisan think tank, and The Business Council, an association of CEOs, showed a significant decline in CEO confidence in the second quarter of 2026 as compared to the first quarter.
How CEOs feel about the economy is important. When CEOs lose confidence, they tend to pull back on hiring and investment, further weighing down the economy, according to AXIOS reporter Emily Peck.
