Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 112

The Politics of Social Media 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:

Twitter has been tagging nearly every one of President Trump’s tweets with: “This claim about election fraud is disputed.” Even innocuous posts from people that are political on Facebook get tagged with warnings like: “See the latest updates on the 2020 Election.” This can’t be a bad step forward, but do you think that they work? Do we need Facebook and Twitter to decide which tweets require a warning (usually with a link to more information)? Do users care or want this? Are these big tech companies only doing this to satiate politicians and other media channels as a way to demonstrate that they’re being good corporate citizens? Who should decide all of this? 
Have you ever lost your ear buds (like AirPods) in the metro… because they fell on the tracks? Panasonic (not Apple) solved for that with a… vacuum cleaner? 
App of the Week: Spelling Bee – The New York Times games. How many words can you make with 7 letters?

You can also listen in via I Heart Radio.

Mitch Joel · CTRL ALT Delete – CHOM 97.7 FM – November 9th, 2020

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Seth Godin On Shipping Your Best Work – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #748 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

I’m a reader. I pride myself on reading. Mostly business and non-fiction books. I can work through 1-2 of them per week… that is until Covid 19 hit. I was in a funk with my reading. Just could not get through a book. No matter what I did. No matter how hard I tried. Then, Seth Godin sent me an advance copy of his latest book, The Practice – Shipping Creative Work. I sat down, cracked the spine, and this book grabbed me by the neck and would not let go. I found myself peeling through the pages, taking notes, smiling, thinking, reflecting, and finding my groove back. That’s what Seth Godin does to me. Every. Damn. Time. When people ask me who inspires me? His name is always first. When people ask me what books to read? HIs name is always first. When people ask me what blog to read? His name is first. When people ask me about great online courses? His name is first. Seth is the author of twenty books (most of them are massive bestsellers). Beyond his daily blogging prose, he has a great podcast (The Akimbo Podcast) and has been doing a ton of fascinating courses online that include marketing and podcasting workshops and his signature, altMBA. If you’re looking for smarts, you need not look any 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 #748.

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 #748 – Seth Godin On Shipping Your Best Work

Welcome to episode #748 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #748 – Host: Mitch Joel. I’m a reader. I pride myself on reading. Mostly business and non-fiction books. I can work through 1-2 of them per week… that is until Covid 19 hit. I was in a funk with my reading. Just could not get through a book. No matter what I did. No matter how hard I tried. Then, Seth Godin sent me an advance copy of his latest book, The Practice – Shipping Creative Work. I sat down, cracked the spine, and this book grabbed me by the neck and would not let go. I found myself peeling through the pages, taking notes, smiling, thinking, reflecting, and finding my groove back. That’s what Seth Godin does to me. Every. Damn. Time. When people ask me who inspires me? His name is always first. When people ask me what books to read? HIs name is always first. When people ask me what blog to read? His name is first. When people ask me about great online courses? His name is first. Seth is the author of twenty books (most of them are massive bestsellers). Beyond his daily blogging prose, he has a great podcast (The Akimbo Podcast) and has been doing a ton of fascinating courses online that include marketing and podcasting workshops and his signature, altMBA. If you’re looking for smarts, you need not look any further. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 55:46.
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 Seth Godin.
The Practice – Shipping Creative Work.
Seth’s other books. 
altMBA.
The Marketing Seminar.
Udemy Courses.
The Akimbo Podcast.
Follow Seth on Instagram.
Follow Seth on Facebook.
This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #748 – 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 #541

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: 

Escaping science’s paradox – Works In Progress. “I’ve mentioned the reproducibility crisis in leadership before. Stuart Buck has a great piece on inherent tension in research—the need to push on new frontiers, while also needing to verify past knowledge to be sure it’s reproducible and still valid. If we want science to work, we need to balance these two, but much of academic culture doesn’t do this. Can we get out of the trap?” (Alistair for Hugh).
Creator, Interrupted – Jessica Carson – TEDxPearlStreet – YouTube . “Jessica Carson gave an amazing talk on founder mental health at Scaletech last week. She points out that startup founders are neuroatypical, and the things that make them thrive can also be their undoing. How do we recognize that mania and enthusiasm are two sides of the same coin? How does the unbridled enthusiasm of the hustle turn into the unmoving obsession of delusion? I found it a very useful lens through which to view creatives—and this TEDx talk, which drifts into poetry at times, is pretty passionate.” (Alistair for Mitch).
Joe Rogan Experience #1558 – Tristan Harris – YouTube . “Tristan Harris worked as a design ethicist at Google. He’s highly critical of how social media operates, optimized as it is to promote polarization — by promoting anger, conflict and conspiracy theories.” (Hugh for Alistair).
‘Social Media Reward Bad Behavior’: An Interview with Ellen Pao – The New York Review . “Ellen Pao has been in the high seats in Silicon Valley, first at Google-backing VC firm Kleiner-Perkins, then later CEO at Reddit. She’s seen some bad things, fought against them, and found the tech industry largely uninterested. Her thesis is that social media is built to encourage polarization — by promoting anger and conflict.” (Hugh for Mitch).
David Bowie predicted in 1999 the impact of the Internet in BBC interview – YouTube . “This is what vision looks like. This is what innovation looks like. This is what thinking different looks like. There are a million reasons to love David Bowie. Here’s another one. He wasn’t just an artist or a musician… he was a thinker with the ability to take a concept and see a very different future than those living in the present.” (Mitch for Alistair).
How To Be Alone – Andrea Dorfman – National Film Board of Canada . “Here’s a short film (just under five minutes) that will leave you speechless because of how breathtaking it is. From the visuals to the writing to the direction. Are you feeling this? I am feeling this…” (Mitch for Hugh).

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

How To Be At Home, Andrea Dorfman, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

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 ;): 

Mohini Dey On This Month’s Groove – The No Treble Podcast

Mohini Dey 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 #71 – Mohini Dey.

Who is Mohini Dey ?

It’s hard to not be mesmerized when you watch Mohini Dey play the bass. It’s a lot to take in. From her speed and attack, to her grooves and her funk. From her frenzied finger style to her vibrant slapping. She made sound just like an old school player from Detroit who grew up in the gospels, but she’s a twenty-four year old electric bass player from India. Someone who comes from a very different culture than anything we’ve experienced in North America. Mohini blends the myriad of musical roots from her surrounding areas with funk, rock, metal, and soul into something that often gets featured on Davie504‘s YouTube channel and elicits his signature dry “OMG” reaction. And, in fact, “OMG” may be the best way to describe Mohini Dey. She’s worked with A.R. Rahman, Steve Vai, and many others. Her YouTube videos get millions of views, and there’s just something magical about how she dances between holding down the groove to standing center stage and ripping up her fretboard with jaw-dropping fills, chops and grooves. It’s a sight to behold. Here is her story. 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 #71 – Mohini Dey.

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 ;). 

How To Upgrade Your Webcam Experience 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:

Let’s talk webcams. We’re all on Zoom. The webcam that is on your laptop (even those expensive laptops) sucks. It sucks bad. I’ve been through the ringer on testing many of these cameras, and there are two great suggestions: For about $250 you can get the Logitech Brio Ultra HD webcam. This is an external camera that plugs into USB and mounts on top of your screen. Or – and maybe this is the coolest option – there’s a $10 app for your smartphone called EpocCam Pro (you can test the free version first) that will turn your smartphone into a webcam. It works amazing. I have been blown away by it.
I also created a YouTube video to demonstrate how the two webcams options compare: Logitech Brio webcam vs. Elgato EpocCam Pro – Which would you chose?
We often talk about the negative side of social media, but there’s a ton of true and real stories that can only be told now. Like this one: When the cruise ship business got stuck in the middle of Covid 19, the focus was on the many stranded ships and passengers. What about the people working on these ships? This Vice video (featured on YouTube) are stories that are almost impossible to believe, but they are true. Employees trapped on these empty luxury liners for what seems like forever. It’s incredible to see and impossible to believe.
App of the Week: Rainy Cafe – for those (like me) who miss the sounds of humans and nature… and want to spark their creativity.

You can also listen in via I Heart Radio.

Mitch Joel · CTRL ALT Delete – CHOM 97.7 FM – November 2nd, 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.

Brant Menswar On Discovering The Undiscovered You – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #747 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

Another part of this pandemic that can get me down is not meeting my fellow speakers in person. That’s how I first connected and became friends with Brant Menswar. We both share a love of music, the music industry, and then with a slight (or major) zig zag into the speaking business. While I wrote about rock stars, Brant became a rock star. He cut his teeth playing guitar and singing across the United States. Then, due to some personal life incidents, made some bigger changes. Brant also co-hosts (along with Jim Knight) the podcast, Thoughts That Rock, a weekly leadership show that includes a rock star guest and presents two life-changing pieces of advice in 30 minutes. Now, he is an expert in how to cultivate values-based leadership, he more recently published his second book, Black Sheep – Unleash the Extraordinary, Awe-Inspiring, Undiscovered You. You may think that a black sheep is someone who doesn’t fit in. Not in this case. “A black sheep’s wool cannot be dyed. A black sheep is one hundred percent, authentically original. It cannot be influenced, changed or molded into something it isn’t by outside forces.” It’s a small book that packs a big (and personal) wallop. Find your own black sheep, find your future… and find success. 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 #747.

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 #747 – Brant Menswar On Discovering The Undiscovered You

Welcome to episode #747 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #747 – Host: Mitch Joel. Another part of this pandemic that can get me down is not meeting my fellow speakers in person. That’s how I first connected and became friends with Brant Menswar. We both share a love of music, the music industry, and then with a slight (or major) zig zag into the speaking business. While I wrote about rock stars, Brant became a rock star. He cut his teeth playing guitar and singing across the United States. Then, due to some personal life incidents, made some bigger changes. Brant also co-hosts (along with Jim Knight) the podcast, Thoughts That Rock, a weekly leadership show that includes a rock star guest and presents two life-changing pieces of advice in 30 minutes. Now, he is an expert in how to cultivate values-based leadership, he more recently published his second book, Black Sheep – Unleash the Extraordinary, Awe-Inspiring, Undiscovered You. You may think that a black sheep is someone who doesn’t fit in. Not in this case. “A black sheep’s wool cannot be dyed. A black sheep is one hundred percent, authentically original. It cannot be influenced, changed or molded into something it isn’t by outside forces.” It’s a small book that packs a big (and personal) wallop. Find your own black sheep, find your future… and find success. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 1:04:37.
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 Brant Menswar.
Black Sheep – Unleash the Extraordinary, Awe-Inspiring, Undiscovered You.
Thoughts That Rock.
Follow Brant on Instagram.
Follow Brant on Twitter.
This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #747 – 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 #540

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: 

How the Horrific Tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Led to Workplace Safety Laws. – History. “My friend Jim Stogdill remarked that we’re spending a lot of time talking about fake news and a media-driven political cycle (in the U.S., but elsewhere as well). This isn’t new, of course, and many people refer to Hearst using his papers to foment aggression in the Spanish Civil War. But as Jim pointed out, other things—seldom remembered—triggered great reckonings in the social contract. The Shirtwaist Fire was new to me, and clearly had a huge impact on the role of government regulation in modern life.” (Alistair for Hugh).
The Town That Went Feral – The New Republic . “Libertarianism is an interesting idea, seldom well-tested outside of rogue states. Here’s an amazing tale of what happened when a group of hardcore Libertarians took over a New Hampshire town. Short version: The bears were not co-operative.” (Alistair for Mitch).
‘It’s not just a trade war’: Ray Dalio on why China’s rise means big headaches for US, the world – Yahoo! Finance . “In order to help with my mental health, I’ve decided to stop reading about COVID and the U.S. election, and instead focus on how China and the US are headed for war. Famed investor, Ray Dalio, has been writing and talking about this fun future, and he’s got a lot of historical/cyclical data to back up his worries.”  (Hugh for Alistair).
Many Tech Experts Say Digital Disruption Will Hurt Democracy – Pew Research Center . “When not reading about the cheerful reality of a China-US conflict, I’ve been adding a bit of fun to my info diet by reading about the ways in which AI and accelerating big data collection will undermine democracy!” (Hugh for Mitch).
Ask Ecamm With Ken and Glen – Ecamm Live – YouTube . “I have been hard at work building out my home/office studio. Not just because of Covid. Over my decades of being in the online communication business, I’ve been less about video (I prefer writing and my audio podcasting). Still, it has been time to upgrade. Time to gather the many pieces of hardware and software that I have used over the years, and make it easier (and simpler) to use. One piece of software that has been a huge component of this process is Ecamm Live. I don’t just love the software. I love how the founders engage with their customers. Here’s just one of many examples. The co-founders launched an interview mode feature. and this is how they share the news. If you think this is all about Ecamm Live, you would be wrong. This is the best kind of content marketing and – I promise you – there’s a ton of learning about how to get better with your virtual work communications. You will love it too… and you will learn a lot as well…” (Mitch for Alistair).
On learning to trust yourself – The Creative Independant . “You don’t have to be a fan of Wilco or their frontman, Jeff Tweedy, to appreciate this amazing conversation about the world of creativity, finding a good process and how to get lost in your work. This resonated with me. As I build out my virtual studio chops (see above), I am constantly balancing my passion to learn something new with ‘am I being paid for this?’ Disappearing in your work is a good thing, when it can be so easy to get lost in the news cycle.” (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 ;): 

Borat Streaming Is Very Nice 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:

Did you watch Borat – Subsequent Moviefilm. It may not feel strange, but think about it: we’re now seeing major motion picture releases go straight to streaming… What are your streaming habits like? Netflix? Disney +? Kanopy? What have you streamed that is worthy, or are you all YouTube? 
It’s not just movies. Bands are putting on incredible live and streaming events (because they can’t tour). Case in point: This week we are getting live streaming events from the likes of Puscifer (this features Maynard James Keenan from Tool) and Mr. Bungle (which features Mike Patton of Faith No More). Have you bought tickets for a streaming concert yet?
I spent hours playing around with the Mirriam Webster’s Time Traveler experience. You enter a year, and it will show you the words first recorded on that year. It should not surprise you that words like: x-rated, punk rock, unmacho, shower gel, love handles, and skate park were added on my birth year. What are yours?
App of the Week: I Heart Radio App – for all of your radio listening pleasure.

You can also listen in via I Heart Radio.

Mitch Joel · CTRL ALT Delete – CHOM 97.7 Fm – October 26th, 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.