Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 110

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #546

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: 

When QAnon Came to Canada – The Walrus. “For those of us who think widespread education and strong public health are our best defense against misinformation, think again. Plenty has been written about how algorithms that amplify outrage and optimize for engagement (a euphemism for addition, these days.) But less is known about how these trends are leaking into Canada.” (Alistair for Hugh).
December is for storytelling. Just ask the Federal Reserve – Farrah Bostic . “Farrah Bostic spends her time trying to figure out what people are really thinking. Here’s an ode to the Beige Book, a qualitative study of economic health collected by the US government. This one paints a particularly interesting portrait of economic collapse and recovery in an age of Covid. Tons of consumer trends to dig into here, summarized as only Farrah can.” (Alistair for Mitch).
Ray Dalio sees ‘flood of money’ with soaring asset prices – BNN Bloomberg . “I keep posting links to Ray Dalio‘s stuff, because I’ve been fascinated and terrified by the things he’s been writing/talking about recently. Dalio, founder of the Bridgewater hedge fund, is one of the most successful financial minds of the past 40 years. His historically informed analysis of what’s happening in world right now (a declining power in the US, and a rising power in China) is worrisome, especially because of how similar struggles have played out in the past. In the US we are seeing a combination of inflated financial assets, inflationary printing of money by central banks, rising inequality, increasingly violent internal political divisions colliding with a competing rising power in China. Yay! He recently did an AMA on Reddit, here’s a rundown of his thoughts.” (Hugh for Alistair).
Dancers tumble in and out of love as the ground spins beneath their feet – Aeon . “When are they falling in and when falling out?” (Hugh for Mitch).
How Venture Capitalists Are Deforming Capitalism – The New Yorker . “What happens when there are too many chefs in the kitchen? It’s been a long while that venture capitalists have been splurging on ground floor action with the day’s hottest startups. The promise is of something more than just cash. The idea that they can help a startup scale, find better paths to monetization, access to better employees, and much more. What do founders want? Is this relationship really healthy? Not for the VC and the startup, but for the greater good of the economy? As always, Charles Duhigg has put together a masterful piece on the venture capital world.” (Mitch for Alistair).
Kevin Kelly on Why Technology Has a Will – Palladium . “I have time for everything that Kevin Kelly says, writes and thinks. His perspective on technology and consumer behavior is legendary (do yourself a favor and spend many hours reading his articles and his books). Here’s a just-published interview with Kevin on the state of technology today and his optimism for the future. We can all use a little optimism these days, can’t we?” (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 ;): 

Upping your online meeting/video capabilities at home

Things have changed in the past few months.

It’s no longer about if you’re meeting on Zoom.
Now, it’s all about keeping people’s attention.
Now, it’s all about keeping people engaged when you’re meeting
Now, it’s all about presenting the best “you” possible

We’re all getting tired.

We’re all getting Zoomed out.
One way to make your meetings better, is to make yourself look (and sound) better.

If you’re using the webcam that comes with your laptop, there are some better options.

If you’re already a few steps ahead of this, but still want to amp up how you look online, then this is for you as well.
If you’re not interested in upgrading to a mirrorless DSLR camera (which would be the black belt level), then this might also be of interest to you.
I’ve been a huge fan of Logitech’s Brio HD webcam.
So much so, that I purchased a second one to offer multiple angles when I present/record a virtual keynote/attend a meeting.
Then Elgato (the company that makes the amazing Stream Deck) released an app called, EpocCam Pro (around $10), that will turn your smartphone (in my case, it’s an iPhone 11 Pro) into a webcam.
I have both the iPhone and the Logitech Brio running through the amazing Ecamm Live Pro software on my MacBook Pro.

Here are the results.

Keep in mind, I did not tweak the lighting (much).
This was just a test to compare the best HD webcam with an iPhone.

What do you think?

My takeaways:
It’s become easy to upgrade.
It’s become lazy to not look and sound as good as possible in virtual meetings.
There are many ways to make this work and try new ways to connect with my audience.
What’s most amazing is just how much the broadcasting technology has advanced (both hardware and software) in the past few years.
Check it out right here:

Before you go: 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

Holiday Tech Gift Ideas 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:

Looking for some holiday gift ideas? What do I love about this list? It’s stuffed with ideas that the receiver would (probably) never think of buying for themselves (which is always a way to ensure that it’s a great gift!)

Cameo. The gift of a personalized celebrity greeting.
MasterClass. Learn a skill from one of the masters.
AirPods Pro. An upgrade for your tired ear buds.
HomePod Mini. Small speaker big sound and functionality.
LituFoto N126. Mini light for your home office, and it can double as a phone charger.
USB 10-in-1 adapter. A better way to manage your cables and connections for your computer.
The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2020. A great book filled with short stories that will spark your imagination.

We didn’t get a chance to cover everything, so here are some additional ideas:

Logitech Brio HD webcam.
Shure MV7 USB/XLR microphone.
Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline. A great read!

App of the Week: Satisfying Videos. – calming and… yes, strangely satisfying Twitter feed to follow.

You can also listen in via I Heart Radio.

Mitch Joel · CTRL ALT Delete – CHOM 97.7 FM – December 7th, 2020

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Jeffrey Gitomer On Sales (Now More Than Ever) – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #752 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

First, a mea culpa: I had to record the audio for this episode over Zoom. There was a glitch with my usual software (it kept crashing), so I am hopeful that you will stick with this content, because it’s important… and it matters. Who wrote the book on sales? Jeffrey Gitomer wrote the book on sales. Whether it’s The Sales Bible or The Little Red Book Of Selling, there are few who have transformed the profession of sales like Jeffrey has. Over the years, he’s become a mentor and a friend. While being locked up, we decided to jam on the state of sales and much, much more. Jeffrey isn’t shy. When your title includes the word “king,” you’d better be the global leader at what you do. No throne necessary: With just a briefcase, a MacBook Pro, a prospective customer, and a well-prepared presentation, Jeffrey has earned the crown as the King of Sales. Couple that with 40 years of hand-to-hand, face-to-face, tweet-to-tweet experience, and you have the criteria of what it takes to be called “the king.” His books include: Get Sh*t Done, Jeffrey Gitomer’s Sales Manifesto, 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling, and his massive “Little Book” series that includes topics like happiness, success, trust, networking, leadership, and more. His latest book is Go Live – Turn Virtual Connections Into Paying Customers. There’s just so much more to his universe (courses, training, podcasts, and more). Looking for motivation? Looking to grow your customer base? Look no further. 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 #752.

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 #752 – Jeffrey Gitomer On Sales (Now More Than Ever)

Welcome to episode #752 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #752 – Host: Mitch Joel. First, a mea culpa: I had to record the audio for this episode over Zoom. There was a glitch with my usual software (it kept crashing), so I am hopeful that you will stick with this content, because it’s important… and it matters. Who wrote the book on sales? Jeffrey Gitomer wrote the book on sales. Whether it’s The Sales Bible or The Little Red Book Of Selling, there are few who have transformed the profession of sales like Jeffrey has. Over the years, he’s become a mentor and a friend. While being locked up, we decided to jam on the state of sales and much, much more. Jeffrey isn’t shy. When your title includes the word “king,” you’d better be the global leader at what you do. No throne necessary: With just a briefcase, a MacBook Pro, a prospective customer, and a well-prepared presentation, Jeffrey has earned the crown as the King of Sales. Couple that with 40 years of hand-to-hand, face-to-face, tweet-to-tweet experience, and you have the criteria of what it takes to be called “the king.” His books include: Get Sh*t Done, Jeffrey Gitomer’s Sales Manifesto, 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling, and his massive “Little Book” series that includes topics like happiness, success, trust, networking, leadership, and more. His latest book is Go Live – Turn Virtual Connections Into Paying Customers. There’s just so much more to his universe (courses, training, podcasts, and more). Looking for motivation? Looking to grow your customer base? Look no further. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 55:34.
Hello from beautiful Montreal.
Subscribe over at iTunes.
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 Jeffrey Gitomer.
Go Live – Turn Virtual Connections Into Paying Customers.
The Sales Bible.
The Little Red Book Of Selling.
Get Sh*t Done.
Jeffrey Gitomer’s Sales Manifesto.
21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling.
Sell or Die Podcast.
Follow Jeffrey on YouTube.
Follow Jeffrey on Instagram.
Follow Jeffrey on Twitter.
This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #752 – 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 #545

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: 

Charlie Munger’s “How to Start Coca Cola in 1884” Thought Experiment – Niklas Goke – Medium. “The past is obvious in hindsight. How would you build a billion-dollar global brand from first principles? Investor/sage Charlie Munger has an interesting way of backing into smart business models based on fundamentals such as market size, consumer behavior, and economies of scale. It’s a great thought experiment for anyone chasing business models.” (Alistair for Hugh).
The Collapse of Networks – Raissa D’Souza – Santa Fe Institute – YouTube . “I’ve been reading, and writing, a lot about how we know what we know. With much of the world in an epistemic crisis, this seems like a good use of my time. Along with Robert Sapolsky and Douglas Hoffstader, there’s some not-so-flaky work by the Santa Fe institute that looks at the emergent properties of complex systems. Here’s a good talk by one of their faculty that’s particularly relevant for our connected, online lives.” (Alistair for Mitch).
Spectacular eight-mile frieze of Ice Age beasts found in Amazon rainforest – CNN . “Thousands of cave paintings found in the Amazon from 12,000 years ago.” (Hugh for Alistair).
Satirist to the Galaxy – The American Scholar . “I went through a major Kurt Vonnegut period, after discovering Breakfast of Champions somewhere in my childhood home when I was 15 or so, and read all his novels, mainly in my late teens and early twenties (though I’m not sure I ever read 1997’s Timequake). Vonnegut, who I haven’t read in decades, was funny, excitingly obscene (Breakfast of Champions contains some lewdish hand drawn images, one of which is a big simple asteriks/star captioned: ‘To give an idea of the maturity of my illustrations for this book, here is my picture of an asshole.’ He was also deeply humane, and that’s what has stuck with me. A trove of love letters to his first wife have emerged, shedding light on one of the bigger influences in my early literary life.” (Hugh for Mitch).  
Zoom and Gloom – Aeon . “Here’s one quick way to make all of your meetings (which were bad enough to begin with, but are now all taking place on Zoom): don’t look at yourself. Seriously. One of main mental health issues that we can develop over time (and not realize it) is the impact of constantly staring at ourselves. Click your window and hide yourself. You will thank me for this. But we can do more to make this very poor meeting experience much better. Design is here to help. Here’s how…” (Mitch for Alistair).
The death of small businesses in big cities, explained – Vox . “We’re hearing many people ask all of us to ’shop local’. A plea that was needed long before the pandemic, but may be needed now more than ever? It turns out that it may be too late (it sounds like climate change). This is a fascinating look (that was written two years ago) at the local merchant challenge, and what we will lose if we don’t change a lot more than our buying habits in a quick way. It’s a sad state of affairs, and don’t let the public markets tell you otherwise.” (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 ;): 

Scott Devine On This Month’s Groove – The No Treble Podcast

Scott Devine 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 #72 – Scott Devine.

Who is Scott Devine ?

My viewing habits are fairly basic. I subscribe to many different YouTube channels, then – every night – I sort my subscriptions from newest videos posted to oldest. That’s how I watch TV these days. One of my favorite channels is Scott’s Bass Lessons. I love the way Scott Devine plays the bass, teaches the bass, and his mini-documentaries and interviews. He’s inspiring. It turns out that I am not alone. But that’s just one small part of what makes Scott unique. He’s best known for his online bass school, Scott’s Bass Lessons. SBL (for short) isn’t just the biggest online school for bassists, it’s the biggest online school for any instrument (put aside institutions that teach multiple instruments). Scott prefers to call it the “Netflix for bass players.” And in the last decade, he’s built the company into an operation with nearly 25,000 students. What moved him from gigging to teaching? How does he keep his students so engaged? What’s with that glove that he wears? Where does his passion for the electric bass come from? Scott is a real triple-threat when it comes to the bass (he can play, teach, and market his business). I’ve been a fan since I first started watching his videos, and his journey is a fascinating one that has led to millions of views and millions of fans and followers. 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 #72 – Scott Devine.

Groove – Episode #72: Scott Devine 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 ;). 

RIP Tony Hsieh From Zappos 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:

I met Tony Hsieh (the co-founder and CEO of Zappos) well over a decade ago. His book, Delivering Happiness, is a customer service and corporate culture book that was a big success when it came out in 2010, and continues to be to this day. People still talk about the “Zappos Way” of dealing with customers as humans. Tony was a true visionary. His first company, LinkExchange, was sold to Microsoft in 1998 for close to $270 million. He then invested in Zappos in 1999, and became its CEO for 21 years (he retired from the company in August of this year). In 2009, Amazon acquired Zappos for about $1.2 billion. Hsieh was an active investor and spent a lot of his efforts rejuvenating downtown Las Vegas. His book was published by the same publisher as mine. We were introduced, and Tony was kind enough to blurb CTRL ALT Delete. I would see him every year at the TED conference, and a few more times on the speaking circuit. A good soul… a quiet soul. He passed tragically at the age of 46 after succumbing to injuries he sustained in a house fire. There are no words… such a loss.
Do you know how many employees Amazon company has? While many businesses struggle through this pandemic, Amazon has thrived. Their work force has increased by more than 50% from a year ago. They have added a staggering 427,300 employees between January and October. That’s more than 1.2 million employee. Wow.
Last week we had Black Friday. Today is known as Cyber Monday. So, did the pandemic get people buying more than ever, or has the economy shrunk (as people lose their jobs and are saving “just in case”)? Shopify announced that global Black Friday sales on their sites alone rocked close to $2.5 billion in sales. That’s a 75% growth from last year. Most interesting (to me, at least) is that mobile sales were 67% compared to 33% of sales made on desktops/laptops. The average sale was a little over $90. People are spending. 
App of the Week: BookBub – unbeatable ebook deals.
What are you reading? I’m currently devouring, The Best of Me by David Sedaris. 

You can also listen in via I Heart Radio.

Mitch Joel · CTRL ALT Delete – CHOM 97.7 FM – November 30th, 2020

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.

Dan Pontefract On Becoming A Leader Who Matters – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #751 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

I have been a fan of Dan Pontefract for many years. We first met when he was working at the national Canadian telecommunications and media company, TELUS, as their Chief Envisioner and Chief Learning Officer. Dan has always been more than that. Now, he’s a leadership strategist, keynote speaker, and bestselling author. His books are: Open To Think, The Purpose Effect, Flat Army, and his latest: Lead. Care. Win. Dan’s work is focused on making leaders better, and with that it’s a mission to change the world of work. His latest thinking will help you become a more caring and engaging leader, one that will fully (and completely) understand the critical importance of crafting meaningful, respectful relationships among all your stakeholders. The bottom line is that when you care enough to champion others, the workplace becomes happily infectious and the organization benefits in more ways than one. It’s time to care (now, more than ever). Full potential is possible. 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 #751.

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 #751 – Dan Pontefract On Becoming A Leader Who Matters

Welcome to episode #751 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #751 – Host: Mitch Joel. I have been a fan of Dan Pontefract for many years. We first met when he was working at the national Canadian telecommunications and media company, TELUS, as their Chief Envisioner and Chief Learning Officer. Dan has always been more than that. Now, he’s a leadership strategist, keynote speaker, and bestselling author. His books are: Open To Think, The Purpose Effect, Flat Army, and his latest: Lead. Care. Win. Dan’s work is focused on making leaders better, and with that it’s a mission to change the world of work. His latest thinking will help you become a more caring and engaging leader, one that will fully (and completely) understand the critical importance of crafting meaningful, respectful relationships among all your stakeholders. The bottom line is that when you care enough to champion others, the workplace becomes happily infectious and the organization benefits in more ways than one. It’s time to care (now, more than ever). Full potential is possible. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 59:21.
Hello from beautiful Montreal.
Subscribe over at iTunes.
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 Dan Pontefract.
Lead. Care. Win.
Open To Think.
The Purpose Effect.
Flat Army.
Dan’s online courses.
Follow Dan on Instagram.
Follow Dan on Twitter.
This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #751 – 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.