Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 113

Olga Khazan On Being Weird – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #746 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

Have you ever felt like an outsider? Like you don’t belong? Like the things that you like, don’t seem to be the things that everybody else likes? Growing up as a Russian immigrant in West Texas, Olga Khazan always felt that there was something different about her. This feeling permeated her life, and as she embarked on a science writing career, she realized there were psychological connections between this feeling of being an outsider and both her struggles and successes later in life. She decided to reach out to other people who were unique in their environments to see if they had experienced similar feelings of alienation, and if so, how they overcame them. This brings us to her new book, Weird – The power of being an outsider in an insider world. Olga is a staff writer for The Atlantic, covering health, gender, and science. Prior to that, she was The Atlantic’s Global editor. She has also written for a myriad of other publications. Weird is her first book. 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 #746.

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 #746 – Olga Khazan On Being Weird

Welcome to episode #746 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #746 – Host: Mitch Joel. Have you ever felt like an outsider? Like you don’t belong? Like the things that you like, don’t seem to be the things that everybody else likes? Growing up as a Russian immigrant in West Texas, Olga Khazan always felt that there was something different about her. This feeling permeated her life, and as she embarked on a science writing career, she realized there were psychological connections between this feeling of being an outsider and both her struggles and successes later in life. She decided to reach out to other people who were unique in their environments to see if they had experienced similar feelings of alienation, and if so, how they overcame them. This brings us to her new book, Weird – The power of being an outsider in an insider world. Olga is a staff writer for The Atlantic, covering health, gender, and science. Prior to that, she was The Atlantic’s Global editor. She has also written for a myriad of other publications. Weird is her first book. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 49:39.
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 Olga Khazan/
Weird – The power of being an outsider in an insider world.
The Atlantic.
Follow Olga on Instagram.
Follow Olga on Twitter.
This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #746 – 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 #539

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: 

The ‘begpacker’ phenomenon shows how fake poverty has become a status symbol – Quartz. “This is a pretty complicated and controversial topic, which falls somewhere between immigration law and Instagram Nomadism. The ‘gap year’ has always been incredibly privileged, but this is another wrinkle. I came across this when I learned that Thailand is reciprocating European rules on visitors having to pass a means test—and Europeans then freaking out that they might not be able to visit Thailand if they don’t have €15,000 in their bank.” (Alistair for Hugh).

The Wine Happiness Edition – Why Is This Interesting?  “Can money buy happiness? Well, yes, argues Felix Salmon from this long-lost post, because we enjoy expensive wine more – even when we know it’s confirmation bias. ‘Even if you think that this is all just a case of the Emperor’s New Clothes, and that the whole concept of fine wine is at heart a con, the correlation between price and pleasure still holds up.’ Cheers!” (Alistair for Mitch).
Computer Scientists Break Traveling Salesperson Record – Quanta Magazine . “In which there is some progress on the famous (well, I’ve never heard of it, but I bet Alistair has) and hard to crack computer science problem, on how to optimize a sales person’s journey to multiple cities.” (Hugh for Alistair).  
I’ve spoken to around 1,000 companies over the last 6 months about their plans for remote work going forward Here are a few things I’ve learned. – Chris Herd – Twitter . “Here’s a Twitter thread on companies and remote work. Not sure how validated the data are, but certainly resonates with my experience.” (Hugh for Mitch).
The Home Office Reveal – Life & Muse . “If you’re looking for a new line of work, have you considered helping individuals design, redesign and optimize their home office? I’m not joking. From the physical space, to materials, to furniture, to audio and visual technology, to the software needed, this is real. I’m constantly helping business professionals  make better choices about what a great home office is (and can be). Tobi Lutke from Shopify shared this one, and it’s full of gems and gold. I especially liked their idea to use Philips Hue Play Light Bars. As I started looking into that product, it make me realize how the entire Hue line is a great home automation idea, and one that can also really control (and change) your office lighting (and vibe) on the fly (and cheap). I was busy looking at photography and live event lighting solutions (silly me). Gorgeous stuff in here…” (Mitch for Alistair).
. “If you know anything about me, you know this: I love a good documentary. I love quirky documentaries even more. I’ve been a huge fan of Gary Hustwit from back when I first saw the amazing movie, Helvetica (yes, a documentary about the Helvetica font). From there, he created more inspiring films like, Objectified, Urbanized, Rams (about famed design Dieter Rams) and many more. With that, Gary’s done some corporate videos (that look and feel much more like a documentary than a corporate video). His latest is called, The Map. It’s a 10-minute look at how digital agency, Work & Co., created their ‘live map’ (or redesign) of New York City’s iconic subway map. If you want a master class in what content marketing can (and should) look like, it’s all right here for you. If this doesn’t sweep the advertising and content marketing awards, I don’t know what will…” (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 ;): 

The Case For Space (Office Space, That Is)…

Should we abandon our office space forever? 

There is so much in news about massive companies no longer wanting to go back to the office.
They will be more distributed.
They will be more “scaled back.”
They will have people working from anywhere and everywhere.

In the agency world, your office is your culture.

An agency is only as strong as its culture.
Culture is created when we are together.
Culture is much harder to generate on Zoom.

Don’t believe me?

Ask any new employee that has been onboarded into a company in the last six months.
There is a new battle in the office space.
From open spaces to more closed spaces.
From places to gather to places that enable people not to congregate.

Things have changed.

Things will shift again.
Being at home and working has proved one thing:
There is also a new battle for work/life balance.

There is no more balance.

I believe that offices are as important as they ever were.
The world has forced us to change.
The world hasn’t told us – yet – that this change must be permanent.

Offices are where innovation happens.

Offices are where we socialize to build better work.
Offices are where new ideas get sparked.
Offices are where we learn more about ourselves by watching others.
Office are where culture is born and thrives.

What kind of work space do we want?

This, and other current topics (driven by the questions above) were discussed along with Emily Binder (Beetle Moment Marketing), Janell Townshend (Chair Management and Marketing – Oakland University), 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 marketing? Here is: BeanCast #609 – TV and Politics.

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

Effectiveness of Political TV Ads.
Prime Day Post-Mortem.
The Case for Office Space.
Instagram’s Influencer Post Warning.

Take a listen and jump into the fray…

Mitch Joel · The BeanCast – #609 – TV And Politics

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

This Year, I Walk Alone…

I walk alone.

I try to be a beacon of light.
I try to be a beacon of hope.
I try to be a beacon of positivity.
I try to be a beacon of valuable business information.
I try to be a decoder of the future for business leaders.

Over the years, I also post pictures of my morning walks through the streets of Westmount.
I like it when the sun makes a cameo.
Every year, I do a special walk for a special cause.

It’s called Light The Night.

It started over ten years ago.
When my best friend’s daughter was diagnosed.
Leukemia.
Thankfully, she has been in remission for a long while.
She leads a happy and healthy life.
Many are not so lucky.

Too many kids get AML and don’t make it.
Too many adults get AML and don’t make it.
Today, we’re all worried and focused on Covid 19.
Imagine leukemia.
It’s a cruel blood cancer.

Please support me this year.

There is no grand walk.
There is no grand event.
It’s all on Zoom (like everything else).

I will still walk.

I will always walk.
I will walk alone.
I will commit to 12 km over two days.
This coming Saturday and Sunday.
I hope that you can commit to helping me out with a kind donation.

I am asking you to support me.
I am asking you to support these kids.
I am asking you to support this cause.

Please help.

This year is different.
This year is difficult.
For all of us.
I set a goal of $5000 to raise from family and friends.
If my content has ever struck a chord with you.
If my content has ever made you smile.
If my content has ever made your business thinking sharper.
Please consider this the official “tip jar.”

If you can find it in your heart to please give…

Please do.
Over to you.
Thank you.

Please donate right here: Light The Night 2020.

*My commitment: I will match every donation – dollar for dollar – until I hit my goal.

Google Kills Earworms 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:

The iPhones are here! The iPhones are here! Excited? What? No? What happened? Is the iPhone 12 a step forward, sideways? Is it a big deal? Should you upgrade? Did Apple deliver the next  generation of smartphones?
What’s that song? I can’t get that song out of my head! Who sings it? I don’t even know the lyrics… but I can hum it! Good news, Google to the rescue. They added a “hum to search” feature to its search tool. Hum, whistle, sing… whatever, and their machine learning capabilities will try to identify that earworm that is driving you crazy. 
I’ve always said that Google probably knows more about you than your spouse/partner does. Well, you better be on the right side of the law… or even careful about what you search for. Google is giving data to police based on the words that are searched for. Yes, “keyword warrants” are a thing, and further reinforce what I am always telling people about their data and privacy: anything you say, tweet or search for can – and will be – used against you in a court of law (and/or public opinion).
App of the Week: PDF It All – the most-user friendly way to convert documents, photos, messages, contacts, web pages, and emails into PDF files

You can also listen in via I Heart Radio.

Mitch Joel · CTRL ALT Delete – CHOM 97.7 FM – October 19th, 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.

Danny Iny On Teaching Your Gift – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #745 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

One of the things that I miss most during these Covid times, is my breakfast meetings. Danny Iny is one of the usual suspects that I meet up with. I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: Danny is a kind-hearted, gentle and generous soul. Many others know Danny as the founder of Mirasse. We first met when he was putting his book, Engagement from Scratch! in 2011. Slowly, over time, we became close friends. Now, many thought leaders and businesses are thinking about virtual meetings and learning (more and more). So many of the smartest people are building and launching online courses. That world has changed from shifty marketing practices to Masterclass. Still, to do it well, you need to spend time with Danny (and his business). Danny helps people build better courses online. Not those shoddy ones… Danny and his team are all about true quality. This is Danny’s passion. He is on a mission to support his very special global community of loyal and inspired entrepreneurs. Danny has also written the books, The Audience Revolution, Teach and Grow Rich, Leveraged Learning, and the recently published, Teach Your Gift. Thinking about building an online course? Starting your own business? How can you business create better services and experiences? Take a listen to this. 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 #745.

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 #745 – Danny Iny On Teaching Your Gift

Welcome to episode #745 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #745 – Host: Mitch Joel. One of the things that I miss most during these Covid times, is my breakfast meetings. Danny Iny is one of the usual suspects that I meet up with. I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: Danny is a kind-hearted, gentle and generous soul. Many others know Danny as the founder of Mirasse. We first met when he was putting his book, Engagement from Scratch! in 2011. Slowly, over time, we became close friends. Now, many thought leaders and businesses are thinking about virtual meetings and learning (more and more). So many of the smartest people are building and launching online courses. That world has changed from shifty marketing practices to Masterclass. Still, to do it well, you need to spend time with Danny (and his business). Danny helps people build better courses online. Not those shoddy ones… Danny and his team are all about true quality. This is Danny’s passion. He is on a mission to support his very special global community of loyal and inspired entrepreneurs. Danny has also written the books, The Audience Revolution, Teach and Grow Rich, Leveraged Learning, and the recently published, Teach Your Gift. Thinking about building an online course? Starting your own business? How can you business create better services and experiences? Take a listen to this. Enjoy the conversation… 

Running time: 56:01.
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 Danny Iny.
Mirasse.
Teach Your Gift.
Leveraged Learning.
Teach and Grow Rich.
The Audience Revolution.
Engagement from Scratch!
Follow Danny on Instagram.
Follow Danny on Twitter.
This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #745 – 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 #538

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: 

The world’s dominant ideology is breaking. What will replace it? – The Week. “Thomas Piketty is as close as you can get to rockstar economist. This fascinating essay about his latest book—which, at over a thousand pages, is probably a bit daunting—unpacks some of his core arguments. While we think of ‘noble classes’ as a byegone model of government, it turns out they were vastly different. Armed with facts and original research, Picketty shows that (in the words of Ryan Cooper), ‘Under typical conditions, the rate of return on wealth exceeds the economy’s rate of growth, causing the richest individuals to collect more and more of the national wealth and income.’ Thought-provoking reading for a time where we’re reconsidering the fundamentals on which society runs.” (Alistair for Hugh).
Talking with Cory Doctorow about surveillance capitalism and what to do about it – CJR . “Mathew Ingram is one my favorite media thinkers. Our fellow Canadian had a stint at GigaOm, and asks great questions; he doesn’t suffer fools, and knows his stuff. To see him chatting with Cory Doctorow—a polymath who’s been a canary in the digital coal mine since the dawn of our online lives—brings me great joy. If you can’t tell, I’m in a somewhat revolutionary mood this week, and this discussion is both balm and manifesto.” (Alistair for Mitch).
A Second Chance – The New York Review . “Why you should take acting classes if you need to stand trial in front of a jury, and other surprising things about the way the world works.” (Hugh for Alistair).
Book of Revelation – Lapham’s Quarterly . “As the bizarre information medium of the web begins to reveal itself to us, as facts and reality start to crumble… as shared experiences evaporate…  as QAnon, conspiracies, fake news and fake fake news swirl around… as the cheapness of spreading (false or real) information intersects with the ability to target information which intersects with our information purveyors’ preference to algorithmically cordon us all off into information bubbles, it’s interesting to look back in history – to a time when books and writing were everywhere, but very few could read. That’s what it feels like these days: information is everywhere, but we don’t yet know how to read any of it.” (Hugh for Mitch).
The fastest drummer in the world is a cyborg – Big Think . “Hope. Problem solving. The greater good. A better tomorrow. Remove disabilities. Seems strange to write those words. 2019 seems like forever ago. Still, we need all of those positive things in our lives. I need more it. I search it out. I want to consume this kind of content. We are better together than apart. This proves that… and… it’s very cool.” (Mitch for Alistair).
The Art of Work – Maynard James Keenan – Revolver . “For some, this pandemic changes very little about how they think, live, create and work. I feel like Tool’s frontman, Maynard James Keenan, has it all figured out. This is a mini-documentary about how he lives and creates from a few years back. It doesn’t matter if you’re not a fan of his music (which also includes the bands, A Perfect Circle, Puscifer and more). Maynard lives a fascinating life and this will inspire you. Promise. I watch this mini-series several times every year.” (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 ;): 

Keith Ferrazzi On Leading Without Authority – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #744 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

When I first read, Keith Ferrazzi‘s book, Never Eat Alone, something clicked. In a big way. Since then (putting aside the pandemic, which makes this activity near-impossible), I always book breakfast, lunch (and even coffee) meetings with different kinds of people. It has been one (of many) invaluable life (and work) tools that have simply worked for me. I had the pleasure of meeting Keith, in person, on many occasions over the years, and I consider myself lucky to have that opportunity. Keith Ferrazzi is an author, speaker, entrepreneur and thought leader. As Chairman of Ferrazzi Greenlight and its Research Institute, he works to identify behaviors that block global organizations from reaching their goals, and to transform them by coaching new behaviors. Keith has introduced a new concept that he calls “co-elevation.” Formerly he was the CMO of Deloitte and Starwood Hotels. Along with Never eat Alone, he also wrote Who’s Got Your Back and the recently published, Leading Without Authority. 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 #744.

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.