Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 104

What’s The Deal With NFTs? And More On CHOM 97.7 FM

Every Monday morning at 7:10 am, I am on air at CHOM 97.7 FM radio out of Montreal (home base). It’s not a long segment – about 10 minutes every week – to decode the future. We discuss everything that is happening in the world of technology, digital media and culture. The good folks at CHOM 97.7 FM are posting these segments weekly on i Heart Radio, if you’re interested in hearing more about what’s happening in the transformation of our digital world. I’m really excited about these weekly hits, because this is the radio station that I grew up listening to, and it really is a fun treat to be invited to the Mornings Rock with Terry DiMonte morning show. The segment is called, CTRL ALT Delete with Mitch Joel.

This week we discussed:

Every story that we discuss this week gives a deeper peak into the world of NFT (Non-fungible Token). In lay terms, this is an NFT: A digital asset (it could be a song, a tweet, a piece of digital art, a video clip, etc…) that is unique, coded, and provable as being either singular (or one of a limited edition run). The concept is brilliant: move digital items from abundance (everyone has a copy of something) to scarcity. With that, these are some of the stories that might make you think that the world has gone and lost its collective mind over NFTs in the past week (or so)…Grimes sold $6 million worth of digital art as NFTs (The Verge).Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey mints the first ever published tweet on Ethereum service Cent (The Block Crypto) – Current bid for this tweet is $2.5 million.Kings of Leon Will Be the First Band to Release an Album as an NFT (Rolling Stone).Our Lay Peace too: Our Lady Peace to release single as NFT through S!ng app (Yahoo Finance).Burned Banksy NFT Sets Art And Crypto Worlds Alight (Forbes).Why NBA Top Shot is having a moment (CBC).App of the Week: Rally.io – Where I just launched my own “Creator Coin.” It’s called $WRITE, and I started it to build a new/different economy for writers. 

You can also listen in via I Heart Radio. 

Mitch Joel · CTRL ALT Delete – CHOM 97.7 FM – March 8th, 2021

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Kat Cole On The State Of Leadership – Live From Clubhouse – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #765 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

Welcome to the our second-ever live podcast recoding from Clubhouse (the new social audio app that is all the rage these days). This conversation was recorded on Tuesday, February 23rd, 2021. Our conversation this week is with someone I met many moons back on the speaking circuit, Kat Cole. Kat is a true force of nature. Many know her from her appearance on Undercover Boss, while most in the corporate world know the story of how she went from being a Hooters hostess out high school to becoming one of the executive vice presidents at Hooters of America. This lead her on a spectacular ascent to the role of President at Focus Brands (the holding company of Jamba, Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon, Carvel, Shlotzsky’s, and many more), where she recently left. Kat is a seasoned executive and leader with deep expertise building global brands, businesses, and high performing teams. Now, she is focused on a few areas, including being a board member for both corporate and non-profit organizations, an investor and advisor, and someone who is also passionate about creating compelling content to help businesses grow and do better for the world. Kat has her Substack newsletter, Checking In With Kat Cole, and holds regular events and office hours in Clubhouse (where she commands an impressive following of over one million fans). Most recently she has launched, Audio Collective, along with forty other founding members/creators, as an agency to helps brands get more engaged in the Clubhouse community. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation #765.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

SPOS #765 – Kat Cole On The State Of Leadership – Live From Clubhouse

Welcome to episode #765 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #765 – Host: Mitch Joel. Welcome to the our second-ever live podcast recoding from Clubhouse (the new social audio app that is all the rage these days). This conversation was recorded on Tuesday, February 23rd, 2021. Our conversation this week is with someone I met many moons back on the speaking circuit, Kat Cole. Kat is a true force of nature. Many know her from her appearance on Undercover Boss, while most in the corporate world know the story of how she went from being a Hooters hostess out high school to becoming one of the executive vice presidents at Hooters of America. This lead her on a spectacular ascent to the role of President at Focus Brands (the holding company of Jamba, Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon, Carvel, Shlotzsky’s, and many more), where she recently left. Kat is a seasoned executive and leader with deep expertise building global brands, businesses, and high performing teams. Now, she is focused on a few areas, including being a board member for both corporate and non-profit organizations, an investor and advisor, and someone who is also passionate about creating compelling content to help businesses grow and do better for the world. Kat has her Substack newsletter, Checking In With Kat Cole, and holds regular events and office hours in Clubhouse (where she commands an impressive following of over one million fans). Most recently she has launched, Audio Collective, along with forty other founding members/creators, as an agency to helps brands get more engaged in the Clubhouse community. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 1:06:01.Hello from beautiful Montreal.Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on Twitter.Here is my conversation with Kat Cole.Checking In With Kat Cole.Audio Collective.Follow Kat on LinkedIn.Follow Kat on Instagram.Follow Kat on Twitter.This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #765 – Host: Mitch Joel.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #558

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, Interesting Bits, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, FWD50, and Scaletechconf; author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (Rebus Foundation, PressBooks, LibriVox) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person “must see.”

Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another: 

Nine months in the long limbo of long covid – Ed Rooksby. “I didn’t know Ed Rooksby, but plenty of people I trust did. He wrote great articles for The Guardian, some of which I’ve browsed since I learned of his death on February 16th. By all accounts, he was a thoughtful, clever, middle-aged man. He was just 45.” (Alistair for Hugh).
Paul R. Williams Redesigned the Beverly Hills Hotel. But Because He Was Black, He Couldn’t Stay There – LX . “Paul Williams designed more than 3000 of LA’s iconic buildings. Can you imagine designing one of the most famous buildings in America, featured in magazines and film, and never being able to stay in it?” (Alistair for Mitch). Hex Factor: Inside the Group Offering $250,000 for Proof of Superpowers – One Zero – Medium . “How to find out if your neighbor can really bend spoons with her mind.” (Hugh for Alistair). Inside the ‘Wikipedia of Maps,’ Tensions Grow Over Corporate Influence – CityLab – Bloomberg . “OpenStreetMap is one of those amazing web projects — a volunteer-driven, non-profit version of Google Maps that’s been around since 2004. Big companies like Apple and Facebook use OSM, and contribute to it, but the weight of their contributions is starting to worry the community behind OSM.” (Hugh for Mitch).  Kings of Leon Will Be the First Band to Release an Album as an NFT – Rolling Stone . “It was just a matter of time. The being ‘first’ component of any new technology is always a great way to get attention. With that, congrats to the rock band, Kings of Leon, for releasing their new album as an NFT. If you don’t know what NFT (Non-fungible Token) is, I’ll refer you to this document: The Non-Fungible Token Bible: Everything you need to know about NFTs. This makes sense for artists of every stripe. It’s a way to create something that is unique, digital but scarce. And that’s where we’re at. A technology that can create scarcity in a digital world of abundance. Now, will consumers get behind this, or is this all too new and foreign for the average rock fan?” (Mitch for Alistair). The Era of Audio Creators Has Arrived – The New York Times . “I’m still on the Clubhouse train (for now). With that, I think I’m seeing what I can only describe as an “Attention Ponzi Scheme” (which is another article for another day). As with any new platform (in this case, social audio), it should come as no surprise that people with mass followings (are they Influencers? Experts? Who knows?) will pool together and attempt to figure out a way to monetize the attention (it’s a tale as old as advertising itself). This is that. Brands want in on the Clubhouse attention. Other people want to get into the inner circle. It’s a general social media feeding frenzy. The question remains: Is Clubhouse the future of… something? Time will tell, but there’s a world of attention and people that are jockeying for position, which makes it all that much more interesting. This is especially fascinating if you consider that it’s still invite-only and available for iOS (no Android users).” (Mitch for Hugh).

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.

Are you interested in what’s next? How to decode the future? I publish between 2-3 times per week and then the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast comes out every Sunday. Feel free to subscribe (and tell your friends ;): 

YouTuber Charles Berthoud On This Month’s Groove – The No Treble Podcast

Charles Berthoud is this month’s conversation on Groove – The No Treble Podcast.

You can listen the new episode right here: Groove – The No Treble Podcast – Episode #75 – Charles Berthoud.

Who is Charles Berthoud ?

By now, everyone is used to finding some of the most refreshing and newest musical talent on social media. YouTube has been an amazing place to discover the best and brightest bass players that the world has ever seen. For some, it’s a clip from a booth at NAMM, for others, it could be a stranger capturing a monstrous bass riff in a church band. Then, there is the whole world of creators. People who spend their time creating videos specifically for YouTube. They can be quirky, odd, and often hilarious. This is the domain of Charles Berthoud. If you think that the electric bass is a niche, here are some of Charles’ YouTube stats: 589k subscribers and close to 46 million views of his incredible playing and charismatic personality. If you’re not subscribed to his channel, you do not know what you’re missing. Already recognized as one of the masters of the two-handed tapping technique, Charles plays the bass like a piano, accompanying himself with multiple parts. A classically trained pianist and multi-instrumentalist, Charles uses contemporary guitar techniques to play astonishingly fast – almost flamenco-like passages – and has mastered his instrument through years and countless hours of practice. Charles is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston and was mentored by New England bass impresario, Jim Stinnett (who recently passed away). That’s where Charles was introduced to the two-handed tapping technique that would come to define much of his own style. Before graduating from Berklee with the highest honors, Charles co-authored an instructional book, Two-Handed Tapping, with Stinnett. Charles has three solo albums under his belt (The New Age of Solo Bass, Don’t Look Back, and the soon-to-be released, Infinity). His songs are beautiful, moving, and chart a new territory in bass playing. Enjoy the conversation…

What is Groove – The No Treble Podcast?

This is an ambitious effort. This will be a fascinating conversation. Our goal at Groove is to build the largest oral history of bass players. Why Groove? Most of the content about the bass revolves around gear, playing techniques, and more technical chatter. For us, bassists are creative artists with stories to tell. They are a force to be reckon with. These are the stories and conversation that we will capture. To create this oral history of why these artists chose the bass, what their creative lives are like, and where inspiration can be found.

Listen in:  Groove – The No Treble Podcast – Episode #75 – Charles Berthoud.

Groove – Episode #75: Charles Berthoud by No Treble

Are you interested in what’s next? How to decode the future? I publish between 2-3 times per week and then the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast comes out every Sunday. Feel free to subscribe (and tell your friends ;). 

NFT? WTF Is That? – Tech Tuesday In Two Minutes

Warning: New Tech Trend!

NFT (or Non-fungible Token) are the sudden rage.

True story: Years back, my digital marketing agency (Twist Image/Mirum) worked for a major professional sports franchise. We did some great work over the years for them, and the brainstorming was always fun and challenging. One idea that we pitched never made it to the light of day. We wanted to introduce ‘digital trading cards’ that could be given away, bought, exchanged, and might include some that were more ‘limited edition’ etc…

It was a grand idea, but the technology (and the will of the client) wasn’t there.

Fast forward to today, and everyone is talking about NFTs.

NFT WTF?

NFTs are digital items with blockchain-managed ownership. Or, in more lay terms: A unique item that is purely digital. Think pieces of art, music, and yes, even a new generation of trading cards (check out the NBA’s Top Shot or what musician Grimes did with her original digital art). This doesn’t feel like a trend… it feels like the future.

This is what Heather Backman and I discussed this morning over on Jack 103 FM for a couple of minutes.

What is Tech Tuesday?

If you ever find yourself wondering… What, exactly, is the point of TikTok? How can I make myself look better on a Zoom? Reddit? What’s that about? How do I help my kids be safer online? Who’s the latest creator and streamer that I should be checking out?

You are not alone.

Every Tuesday – for just a few minutes – I join Heather Backman (my old buddy from her days on CHOM FM) on the air at Jack 103 (Rogers Sports & Media) to give a quick blast about the current state of technology, media and Internet culture. We’re calling the segment Tech Tuesday (and we do it in just a few minutes).

Mitch Joel · NFT? WTF Is That? – Tech Tuesday – Jack 103 – March 2nd, 2021

Subscribe to get it free in your inbox right here.

Once the segment goes live on Jack 103, I will post it here for you to listen in, learn, share and engage….

Ethan Kross On The Power (And Problem) Of Self-Talk – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #764 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

Ethan Kross is one of the world’s leading experts on controlling the conscious mind. A professor in the University of Michigan’s Psychology Department and its Ross School of Business, he studies how the conversations people have with themselves impact their health, performance, decisions and relationships. He moved to the University of Michigan in 2008, where he founded the Emotion & Self Control Laboratory. Ethan’s new book is Chatter – The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It. The book explores the silent conversations we have with ourselves. Interweaving groundbreaking behavioral and brain research from his lab with real-world case studies — from a pitcher who forgets how to pitch, to a Harvard undergrad negotiating her double life as a spy — Kross explains how these conversations shape our lives, work, and relationships. He warns that giving in to negative and disorienting self-talk — what he calls “chatter” — can tank our health, sink our moods, strain our social connections, and cause us to fold under pressure. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation #764.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

SPOS #764 – Ethan Kross On The Power (And Problem) Of Self-Talk

Welcome to episode #764 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #764 – Host: Mitch Joel. Ethan Kross is one of the world’s leading experts on controlling the conscious mind. A professor in the University of Michigan’s Psychology Department and its Ross School of Business, he studies how the conversations people have with themselves impact their health, performance, decisions and relationships. He moved to the University of Michigan in 2008, where he founded the Emotion & Self Control Laboratory. Ethan’s new book is Chatter – The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It. The book explores the silent conversations we have with ourselves. Interweaving groundbreaking behavioral and brain research from his lab with real-world case studies — from a pitcher who forgets how to pitch, to a Harvard undergrad negotiating her double life as a spy — Kross explains how these conversations shape our lives, work, and relationships. He warns that giving in to negative and disorienting self-talk — what he calls “chatter” — can tank our health, sink our moods, strain our social connections, and cause us to fold under pressure. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 53:13.Hello from beautiful Montreal.Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on Twitter.Here is my conversation with Ethan Kross.Chatter – The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It.Follow Ethan on LinkedIn.Follow Ethan on Instagram.Follow Ethan on Twitter.This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #764 – Host: Mitch Joel.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #557

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, Interesting Bits, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, FWD50, and Scaletechconf; author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (Rebus Foundation, PressBooks, LibriVox) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person “must see.”

Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another: 

Philip George – Wish You Were Mine – 3 Beat – YouTube. “Taking a week off from the serious stuff, so it’s time for some entertainment. First up: There’s no doubt that TikTok has changed dance forever. Also, there’s a pretty strong social message in it. And forget the anachronisms of a walkman and a smartphone on the bus. But enough analysis: This is an amazing video. I can’t stop watching the dancing, but the whole thing is just perfect. Also, what a great hook.” (Alistair for Hugh). Netflix Forced A Bot To Make A Romantic Comedy – Netflix By Bots – YouTube . “I don’t know what to call this weird post-post-modern absurd art. It’s like the uncanny valley suddenly became a place for comedy. This isn’t really made by bots. But it definitely checks all tropes. If I were an anthropologist from the future, this feels like Ph.D material.” (Alistair for Mitch). Jim Keller: The Future of Computing, AI, Life, and Consciousness – Lex Fridman Podcast #162​ – YouTube . “I’ve been enjoying Lex Fridman‘s podcast lately, here’s an interview with Jim Keller, microprocessor engineer, and chip designer at Apple among others. They talk about design, life, the balance between chaos and order in high-performing teams, and AI among other things.” (Hugh for Alistair).  B.C. farmer grabs lynx by scruff of neck, scolds it for killing chickens – CBC . “Wild vid of a BC farmer who, apparently, grabbed a wild lynx by the scruff of its neck and explained – in no uncertain terms – that the lynx shouldn’t kill his chickens.” (Hugh for Mitch). The Non-Fungible Token Bible: Everything you need to know about NFTs – OpenSea . “Warning: New Tech Trend! Years back, my digital marketing agency worked for a major professional sports franchise. It was some great work, and the brainstorming was always fun. One idea that we pitched, never made it to the light of day. We wanted to introduce ‘digital trading cards’ that could be given away, bought, exchanged and might include some that were more ‘limited edition’ etc… It was a grand idea, but the technology (and the will of the client) wasn’t there. Fast forward to today, and everyone is talking about NFT (Non-fungile Tokens). WTF? NFTs are digital items with blockchain-managed ownership. Or, in more lay terms: A unique item that is purely digital. Think pieces of art, music, and yes, even a new generation of trading cards (check out Top Shot). This doesn’t feel like a trend… it feels like the future. So, here’s everything that you need to know about the world of NFT.” (Mitch for Alistair). Virtually Together – The Rise of Digital Book Festivals – Book Riot . “There is no doubt that the global pandemic has changed a lot of our consumer behavior. So, don’t let the headline of this article fool you, or surprise you. Still, gathering to talk about books is something that seems like the perfect fit for online platforms as well. Whether it’s a book club or something more. This article digs deep into the merits of this transformation, and it will make you wonder if the digitization of (certain) events might even be better in a virtual space? Might they be more accessible? Have a longer shelf life? Encourage more attendance? What about engagement? Let’s hope that some of the forced innovation that occurred winds up creating newer and more interesting ways for us all to connect and, of course, read more.” (Mitch for Hugh).

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.

Are you interested in what’s next? How to decode the future? I publish between 2-3 times per week and then the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast comes out every Sunday. Feel free to subscribe (and tell your friends ;): 

Will Clubhouse Replace Podcasting?

No. Clubhouse will not replace podcasting. Hard stop.

Clubhouse is new.
Clubhouse is exciting (for some).
Clubhouse is inaccessible for most (for now).
If you really want to understand what Clubhouse is all about, and the sudden rise in social audio, look no further than my conversation with Jeremiah Owyang: Jeremiah Owyang On The Future Of Social Audio – Live From Clubhouse (Episode #763 of Six Pixels of Separation).

Clubhouse is interesting.

I like the idea of being able to start my own live talk radio program with an audience.
I like the idea of having random (and social) group conversations with people.
I like the fact that I don’t have to shave, get dressed, properly set-up my webcam or fix the lighting.
I like having a platform that allows me to practice new thinking and my live chops at the same time.
I like the idea that it’s new (new is often exciting).

With that… 

Listen is easy.
Talk is hard.
Moderating a room is a skill.
Engaging in great conversations is hard.
Only seeing someone’s followers can make Clubhouse feel a lot like high school (where are the cool kids at?).
Clubhouse is a full contact sport.
If you’re not moderating a room or speaking in a room, it is near-impossible to build an audience/following (unless you’re already famous).
To make Clubhouse work, you need to spend a lot of time being active in it.
Much harder than a tweet.
Much harder than hashtagging a photo on Instagram.

Clubhouse won’t kill podcasting.

Let’s use the analogy of music:
Recording an album doesn’t replace going to a concert.
Going to a concert doesn’t replace listening to a new album or a song produced in a studio.

Live audio is a thrill.

Clubhouse is interesting.
But it won’t kill podcasting. 

There’s much more to it…

This, and other current topics (driven by the questions above) were discussed along with Sam Moonie (Managing Partner/Marketing Practice Lead, Ci2), Tim Nudd (Editor-in-Chief, Muse by Clio) and host Bob Knorpp (always a good human) on the very excellent BeanCast Podcast (which I’ve been fortunate to be a guest on in the past). I don’t know what it is about BeanCast, Bob Knorpp and these other panelists, but there is always “something in the water” when we record these conversations that brings out a lot of stimulating ideas and insights (and some friendly disagreements too!).

Are you ready for this deep dive into the world of media and marketing? Here is: BeanCast #625 – Dynamic Stuff.

For about an hour, we discussed and debated the following topics:

Facebook and Google dealing with the Australians.Digital over-optimism.The out of home and social media connection.Will Clubhouse replace podcasting?

Take a listen and jump into the fray…

Mitch Joel · The BeanCast Marketing Podcast #625 – Dynamic Stuff

Are you interested in what’s next? How to decode the future? I publish between 2-3 times per week and then the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast comes out every Sunday. Feel free to subscribe (and tell your friends