Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 55

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #678

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: 

Pablos on how Movies will be Made – November 23rd, 2010 – Deep Future – YouTube . “Another smart mind I’ve met recently is Pablos Holman, who helped Jeff Bezos launch Blue Origin and built the Intellectual Ventures Lab for former Microsoft Chief Scientist (and chef extraordinaire) Nathan Myhrvold. In this video — recorded thirteen years ago — he lays out what he sees as the future of filmmaking. If you’ve been watching the remarkable strides Generative AI has made in recent months, you’ll see that many of his predictons are coming true. And given that accuracy, the others just might too.” (Alistair for Hugh and video below). David Brin’s questionnaire regarding politics, ideology and human destiny . “Over the last couple of years I’ve had the great pleasure of getting to know David Brin a bit. In addition to being a brilliant science fiction writer and scientist, he’s also an irrepressible critic of weak-minded thinking, and a lover of clever phrases and obscurely eclectic references. He devised this questionnaire, ‘to illuminate why you feel as you do about modern issues… and why other smart humans weirdly disagree.’ An evening well spent with friends.” (Alistair for Mitch). Daniel Lanois and Pharrell Williams at Home in the Studio – ARTST TLK Ep. 7 – Reserve Channel – YouTube . “I love Daniel Lanois‘s music, his albums Acadie, For the Beauty of Wynonna, and especially Shine are among my favourites. And while Daniel Lanois makes wonderful music, he is best known as one of the most important record producers of the late eighties and early nineties, having produced mega-hits and Grammy award winning albums, for among others, Peter Gabriel (So), Bob Dylan (Oh Mercy and Time Out of Mind), and most famously, U2‘s albums, The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby. Along the way he’s also produced Neil Young, Willie Nelson, The Neville Brothers, Emmylou Harris, Hothouse Flowers, Robbie Robertson, Martha and the Muffins and more. Here is a really incredible conversation about the artistry and craft of making music, wth Pharrell Williams filling the interviewer chair with aplomb, and includes an insight into the specific dimensions of the ‘secret hallway’ to U2 guitarist The Edge‘s sound.” (Hugh for Alistair and video below). Nancy Wilson demonstrates the intro to ‘Crazy On You’ – YouTube . “Remember Heart’s hit song, ‘Crazy on You’? Well, even if you don’t, you should – especially for it’s amazing opening. Here’s guitarist Nancy Wilson demoing how she makes it happen.” (Hugh for Mitch and video below). Deserted office when you’re new to office life? Probably not ideal. – The Harvard Gazette . “I believe that one of the more unique aspects of my new business, ThinkersOne, is that in a world where companies are trying to solve for in-person, remote and hybrid working scenarios that each scenario seems to provide different answers to ‘what works’, while ThinkersOne works for all scenarios (this is interesting to me). It’s just a simple thought that I have in world where everyone is trying to figure out what works for work… and the answers are all over the place. This article shines another light on where and how we work. Even a more flexible work schedule has unintended consequences on your team members. What works great for you, because you’re no longer commuting or the work that you do doesn’t require your physical presence in an office, may have really negative consequences on everyone else… from young employees to women… ‘According to The Power of Proximity to Coworkers, a paper co-written by the Harvard economist Amanda Pallais, beneficial teamwork and important collaborations take a hit when employees work from home. Moreover, younger employees, particularly women, may be hurt most by remote work… Their paper notes that going remote made [software] engineers under 30 five times more likely to quit than when working in the same building as their co-workers pre-pandemic, and female engineers four times more likely to quit.’ There’s a lot in this to digest.” (Mitch for Alistair). A Podcast About the Airport Best Sellers We Can’t Escape – The Atlantic . “This won’t surprise you, but often the most popular books (the ones that sell the most) have little to do with their actual content (or the truth behind it) and much more to do with the marketing engine that is put in place to make it look like these books are everywhere. This is always the case when it comes to airport bookstores. Why? Because anybody who works in the publishing industry knows that retail placement (airport bookstores) is very much a ‘pay to play’ world. So, if you’re traveling from city to city and see the same book – front and center – in every airport bookstore, this might lead you to believe that, ‘gee, this book is everywhere… I should probably read it.’ And it never ends, because seeing that book for years and years (whether you bought it or read it) only reinforces its ‘popularity’. But, are these books any good? Are they even sound in judgement and reason? This article looks at a few episodes of the podcast, If Books Could Kill, hosted by Michael Hobbes and Peter Shamshiri. Their podcast explores best-selling books whose ‘airy truisms and occasionally questionable logic’ have shaped American culture over the past several decades. The hosts meticulously dissect these books, the authors, and the cultural ascent of their ideas, providing deep insights into the myths that these books fueled and the reasons why people were drawn to them​. So very good…” (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 Do You Like Them Apples?

How much of the “apple” can Apple own?

According to Mashable, Apple is trying to trademark depictions of actual apples.

Is that even… possible?

Because even as Apple pursues this, there is already confusion in the fruit farming industry, and it’s a growing concern for any kind of business or organization that uses imagery or wording even close to Apple’s.
Apparently, Apple has been trying to trademark the “apple” in Switzerland since 2017 and has made similar applications in other countries.
Strangely, in 2022, the IPI partially granted Apple’s request, as generic imagery of common items are often considered to be in the public domain.
More on all of that right here: Wired – Apple Is Taking On Apples in a Truly Weird Trademark Battle.
It does seem like Apple is trying to own the rights to an actual apple, rather than just their distinctive bitten apple logo.
Many are arguing that the apple (and its image) should be free for everyone to use.

So, what’s going on here?

Does Apple need to protect its brand?
Is this a kind of competitive advantage play?
Is it, simply, a legal preemptive measure to avoid future challenges from other companies that have an Apple-esque brand?
We’re in interesting waters (or apple picking fields) here with a story that could turn into a public relations nightmare from communications and public perception to large corporations overreaching.
It can also be a story where Apple is simply a victim in a litigious world, and they’re just trying to protect themselves.

What’s an apple worth these days?

This is what Elias Makos and I discussed on CJAD 800 AM. Listen in right here.

Mitch Joel · How Do You Like Them Apples? – The Elias Makos Show – CJAD 800 AM

Before you go… ThinkersOne is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

Kelly Richmond Pope On Whistleblowing, Fraud and Wild Rides – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #884 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to

Meet Dr. Kelly Richmond Pope, our guide through the shadowy labyrinth of financial fraud and the newest rockstar in the world of accounting (and yes, those words can go together). Kelly isn’t your typical number cruncher – she’s a bona fide detective of financial misdeeds, a virtuoso in the symphony of numbers, and a professor of Forensic Accounting at DePaul University. Gaining recognition from the AICPA and the CPA Practice Advisor, she’s been listed among the top 25 most powerful women in accounting, and her expertise? Sniffing out the faintest whiff of financial fraud, dissecting corporate culture, and assessing compliance systems designed to tackle internal control challenges. With her knack for storytelling, she turned her research on executive misconduct into a fascinating documentary, All The Queen’s Horses, a deep dive into the largest municipal fraud in U.S. history. But it doesn’t stop at films. Her TED Talk, How Whistle-blowers Shape History, has hit over 1.6 million views, helping organizations and individuals appreciate the power of internal whistleblowing. The story gets juicier, with her new book, Fool Me Once, she pulls back the curtain on the trillion-dollar fraud industry. Filled with tales of fraudsters, their victims, and the whistleblowers who dare to expose them. Her aim? To make fraud more relatable, and by doing so, protect us and our companies from falling into the fraudster’s trap. This is a new way to think about what it really means to “do the right thing.” Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via Apple Podcast or whatever platform you may choose):  #884 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement  and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

SPOS #884 – Kelly Richmond Pope On Whistleblowing, Fraud and Wild Rides

Welcome to episode #884 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #884. Meet Dr. Kelly Richmond Pope, our guide through the shadowy labyrinth of financial fraud and the newest rockstar in the world of accounting (and yes, those words can go together). Kelly isn’t your typical number cruncher – she’s a bona fide detective of financial misdeeds, a virtuoso in the symphony of numbers, and a professor of Forensic Accounting at DePaul University. Gaining recognition from the AICPA and the CPA Practice Advisor, she’s been listed among the top 25 most powerful women in accounting, and her expertise? Sniffing out the faintest whiff of financial fraud, dissecting corporate culture, and assessing compliance systems designed to tackle internal control challenges. With her knack for storytelling, she turned her research on executive misconduct into a fascinating documentary, All The Queen’s Horses, a deep dive into the largest municipal fraud in U.S. history. But it doesn’t stop at films. Her TED Talk, How Whistle-blowers Shape History, has hit over 1.6 million views, helping organizations and individuals appreciate the power of internal whistleblowing. The story gets juicier, with her new book, Fool Me Once, she pulls back the curtain on the trillion-dollar fraud industry. Filled with tales of fraudsters, their victims, and the whistleblowers who dare to expose them. Her aim? To make fraud more relatable, and by doing so, protect us and our companies from falling into the fraudster’s trap. This is a new way to think about what it really means to “do the right thing.” Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 51:37.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.Check out ThinkersOne.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on Twitter.Here is my conversation with Dr. Kelly Richmond Pope.Fool Me Once.All The Queen’s Horses.How Whistle-blowers Shape History.Follow Kelly on Instagram.Follow Kelly on LinkedIn.Follow Kelly on Twitter.This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #884.

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement  and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #677

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: 

An Anti-Porn App Put Him in Jail and His Family Under Surveillance – Wired . “File this under a gigantic bag of ‘YIKES!’. As part of a pre-trial release condition, a man’s entire family had to install surveillance software initially designed to keep churchgoers from accessing adult material online. In a society where law enforcement can access our physical and digital movements, we urgently need updates to privacy and freedom laws.” (Alistair for Hugh). I Recreated Apple’s $3500 “Magical” VR UI on a Quest Pro – ThrillSeeker – YouTube . “Apple‘s Vision Pro headset is definitely groundbreaking. But how much of that is innovation and tech, and how much is just better design changes? In this video, VR expert Thrillseeker uses the Meta Quest Pro‘s eye-tracking feature to make a controller-less recreation of Apple’s immersive computing home screen. His conclusion: Maybe we got VR wrong, and it’s daft that Meta isn’t going to include eye-tracking inside the headset in future devices.” (Alistair for Mitch and video is below). Collateral Damage in the Battle Over Truth – Open Data Science . “I’m a longtime fan of Jutta Treviranus, one of the original architects and voices for accessibility on the Web. She has been for decades a vocal activist, researcher, and architect of consideration for those outside the norm in how we structure technology (and society at large). Jutta was the first person I heard articulating the idea that ‘designing for the margins’ makes for more resilient outcomes. Here she voices some truth about truth: that ‘truth’ is almost always only truth for the statistical norm, and that what is true for the majoritarian middle is often inaccurate or plain wrong for those on the margins. These long-standing worries have ratcheted up a notch (or maybe a full quantum) as we increasingly hand over control of decisions to AI.” (Hugh for Alistair). The Binge Purge – Vulture . “An absolutely devastating analysis of the looming financial catastrophe in the world of ‘television’ production. It turns out that ‘growing subscribers’ by producing many, many expensive new shows in a market with more streaming platforms than I could name is a bad long-term business model. Turns out that, eventually, profitability is more important than growth. And ‘eventually’ is now. There’s a reckoning happening in TV production. Peak TV is likely over.” (Hugh for Mitch).   Get Phones Out of Schools Now – The Atlantic . “This is such a messy and massive problem. Let me start with this: I really do think that smartphones, social media and almost all of the messaging apps should be regulated. I’m thinking as big as making them illegal to anyone under 18… or, maybe, younger so long as the individual can pass a media/tech literacy program/testing. Do I sound crazy? I probably do in a world where parents are often worse at using this technology/more addicted than our children. In a world where the benefits have to outweigh the costs, we (society) are simply not getting much upside here. Apps and programs are designed like a casino (to drive addiction and time spent), bullying and harassment at scale, access to content that – in any other format – would be regulated with, at least, a ratings system, and the list just keeps going. I was recently at a high school during lunch, and could not believe that the kids were not playing sports, talking to one another, or anything… it was pure dystopian. A massive hall – too quiet, considering the hundreds of teens present – and everyone is just hunched over their own devices. What have we become? Why are we letting this happen to us… to our kids…” (Mitch for Alistair). ‘The creative process is fabulously unpredictable. A great idea cannot be predicted’ – McKinsey & Company . “There are certain thinkers that I can listen to all day. Apple’s former design head, Jony Ive, is one of them. This is a great conversation about how the creative process can (and should) improve at a company. With that, I found it hard not compare Ivy’s thinking in relation to the mass growth of generative AI tools that are sparking the debate of what it even means to be creative. It wasn’t that long ago (maybe a few months) when the world believed that computers could not ’truly’ be creative. Now, we are blown away by many of outputs we’re getting from tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney. I am also constantly reminded of what Douglas Rushkoff wrote in his article, AI Panic = Ai Hype: ‘So far, all we’ve got are programs that string together a bunch of words into the most likely sensical combinations, based on all the strings of words they’ve been fed previously. They are not thinking, or even using basic logic. They’re a user-friendly web interface. Except they’re even more inaccurate than Google. It’s not using any sort of math or logic to answer a question; it’s just pulling up the most probable string of words. It’s not even as smart as Wikipedia on a bad day.’ So, if all of this generative AI is based on history, according to Ive these tools could never create a great idea. On the other hand, if most great ideas are littered with nostalgia or something uniquely familiar, then…” (Mitch for Hugh).

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

Some Great Tech Gifts For Father’s Day

Looking for some great tech gifts that are not obvious for Father’s Day?

I’ve got you.

Here are some goodies:

Better headphones for sleep and travel – Musicozy Sleep Headphones. Great Bluetooth headband that doubles as an eye mask (about $25).Bring that shopping massage chair home (sort of) – Neck and Shoulder Back Massager with Heat Function. This, surprisingly, does the trick to relax the shoulders and neck. The heat is a bonus feature. Also, make sure to search around for the one that’s best for you – Amazon/Walmart third-party marketplace is littered with a ton of these from random manufacturers (about $80).Be the best presenter in every meeting. Logitech R800 Laser Presentation Remote. As someone who presents in meetings and conferences, I’ve tried every kind of remote presenter imaginable. Trust me, standing (or sitting) by your computer and clicking the space button to advance your slides is no way to live. This has been my go to remote presenter since it first launched many years back. One of the best features is the built-in timer that gives you a silent vibrate when your time is coming close to ending (about $100). Get inspired, read more and get an e-book reader. Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition. I don’t go anywhere without my Kindle. While I prefer the original Kindle, this Paperwhite Signature edition has a lot more features and functionality (around $170).  Sound better in every Zoom meeting and when presenting. Shure MV7 microphone. I can’t say enough good things about this microphone. I use it for everyday online meetings, virtual keynote presentations and for recording podcasts. Make sure to grab this model, because it’s both USB (plugs directly into your computer) and XLR (for fancier studios/recording interfaces). It also has built-in audio effects to make you sound like a professional broadcaster (around $250).If you’re going to sound better with the Shure MV7 microphone, you might as well look better online too. InstaLink 360 webcam. Welcome to the future with this AI-powered 4K webcam. You not only get some great looking quality video (along with the ability to have better lighting, etc.), but the AI tracking will follow you everywhere, so you can stand and move around, and this camera will follow you. It’s like having a camera operator with you at every step of the meeting. A big step forward in laptop backpacks. Tumi – Alpha – Compact Laptop Brief Pack. I never liked the look of a briefcase. I always preferred a backpack (especially with the kind of business travel that I do). Over the past two decades, I have tried countless bags in a effort to find one that checks all of the boxes: light, rugged, enough storage, professional looking, durable, one that stands up when on the floor, and fits properly under the seat on a plane. Admittedly, I avoided the Tumi brand, until I came across this one. I can’t imagine buying another laptop carrying case ever again. It’s a luxury, but it stands the test of time and road miles (around $850).

I’d love to keep this list going, so feel free to add your top picks in the comments below.

What is Tech Tuesday?

Every Tuesday – for just a few minutes – I join Heather Backman (my old buddy from her days on CHOM FM and Jack 103) on the air at 95.9 Star FM to give a quick blast about the current state of technology, media and Internet culture.
We call it Tech Tuesday (and we do it in just a few minutes).

Once the segment goes live on 95.9 Star FM, I will post it here for you to listen in, learn, share and engage.

Mitch Joel · Some Great Tech Gifts For Father's Day – Tech Tuesday – Star 95.9 FM

Seth Godin On Strumming The Song Of Significance – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #883 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to

I could not tell you how many times Seth Godin has been a guest on this show. I don’t say this to brag. I state this, because he has (truly) influenced everything from my thinking about work and the future, to how I’ve built worked on my own professional development and career (more on that here: Dear Seth Godin). As soon as I caught wind that he was publishing a new book, The Song Of Significance, I locked in a time for us to not only discuss this incredible book/manifesto about what it means to be human, to be a part of a team, and to make work that really matters, but to also drill down into how the world is changing (artificial intelligence, politics, work from home, being an entrepreneur and more). For those who don’t know, Seth is an oracle. He has been sparking minds and inspiring people to level up for over three decades. His daily blog, a beacon of wisdom and insight, has been my constant in the ever-changing digital landscape for more than ten years (when he first started publishing). Seth is an artist with words. He’s the author of 20 bestselling books, translated into nearly 40 languages. Also worth noting is his Carbon Almanac project. And Seth’s journey isn’t a straight path. It’s filled with intriguing detours and exciting projects. In 2015, Seth brought to life the altMBA, a transformative 30-day workshop that’s changed countless lives. It’s part of Akimbo, an independently owned B corp, crafting innovative ways to learn. Seth’s online courses, including The Marketing Seminar and several on Udemy, have been taken by over 60,000 people. He’s a member of the Guerrilla Marketing Hall of Fame, the Direct Marketing Hall of Fame, and most recently, the Marketing Hall of Fame. Seth’s free ebooks on the placebo effect and education are worth a read, and his five TED Talks are a must-watch. So, with that… let’s get into his new book and the changing world of work, building a business worth working for and the future. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via Apple Podcast or whatever platform you may choose):  #883 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement  and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

SPOS #883 – Seth Godin On Strumming The Song Of Significance

Welcome to episode #883 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #883. I could not tell you how many times Seth Godin has been a guest on this show. I don’t say this to brag. I state this, because he has (truly) influenced everything from my thinking about work and the future, to how I’ve built worked on my own professional development and career (more on that here: Dear Seth Godin). As soon as I caught wind that he was publishing a new book, The Song Of Significance, I locked in a time for us to not only discuss this incredible book/manifesto about what it means to be human, to be a part of a team, and to make work that really matters, but to also drill down into how the world is changing (artificial intelligence, politics, work from home, being an entrepreneur and more). For those who don’t know, Seth is an oracle. He has been sparking minds and inspiring people to level up for over three decades. His daily blog, a beacon of wisdom and insight, has been my constant in the ever-changing digital landscape for more than ten years (when he first started publishing). Seth is an artist with words. He’s the author of 20 bestselling books, translated into nearly 40 languages. Also worth noting is his Carbon Almanac project. And Seth’s journey isn’t a straight path. It’s filled with intriguing detours and exciting projects. In 2015, Seth brought to life the altMBA, a transformative 30-day workshop that’s changed countless lives. It’s part of Akimbo, an independently owned B corp, crafting innovative ways to learn. Seth’s online courses, including The Marketing Seminar and several on Udemy, have been taken by over 60,000 people. He’s a member of the Guerrilla Marketing Hall of Fame, the Direct Marketing Hall of Fame, and most recently, the Marketing Hall of Fame. Seth’s free ebooks on the placebo effect and education are worth a read, and his five TED Talks are a must-watch. So, with that… let’s get into his new book and the changing world of work, building a business worth working for and the future. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 58:22.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.Check out ThinkersOne.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on Twitter.Here is my conversation with Seth Godin.The Song Of Significance.Carbon Almanac.Seth’s daily blog.Akimbo.Seth’s TED Talks.Follow Seth on Instagram.Follow Seth on Facebook.Follow Seth on LinkedIn.This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #883.

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement  and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #676

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: 

Thread on “stealth camping” – @shagbark_hick – Twitter. “A fascinating megathread on living without a home, hiding in plain sight, and the tradecraft of being a nomad in a surveilled, structured society by @shagbark_hick. He lived for seven years on the road, traveling for five. He slept outside over 2,000 times and was caught on fewer than ten of those nights. Here’s how he did it.” (Alistair for Hugh). Kurt Vonnegut – The Euphio Question – BBC Radio 4 Extra . “This Kurt Vonnegut short story was a bit frightening when he wrote it; today, it’s downright prescient. I won’t spoil it for you, but it’s a good horror story for those of us who think too much about tech and society. I couldn’t find a legitimate printed copy online, but the BBC published it as a radio play!” (Alistair for Mitch). Jumpin’ Jive – Cab Calloway and the Nicholas Brothers – LaughLand – YouTube . “Who wants to see some tap dancing to Cab Calloway‘s big band?” (Hugh for Alistair and video below). US air force denies running simulation in which AI drone ‘killed’ operator – The Guardian . “US Air Force colonel gave a presentation describing a simulation in which an AI decided to kill its operator, since the AI got points for killing targets, and the operator told the AI not to kill a certain target. They then programmed the AI not to kill its operator (good innovation!), so instead the AI destroyed the communication towers so the operator wouldn’t interfere with it getting maximum target points. The US air force says the colonel’s remarks were taken out of context.” (Hugh for Mitch). Why AI Will Save the World – Marc Andreessen – Andreessen Horowitz . “I should just call my weekly links ‘Opposing Opinions On AI’ and be done with it. Am I a glutton for punishment? Am I going through some low-level depression about the future? I’m not sure. What I am sure of is this: How can this many brilliant people (who actually know the power of artificial intelligence) be this divided on how the world should proceed in the development and deployment of this increasingly scary technology? In this corner, we have Marc Andreessen – one of the world’s most highly-regarded tech investors (who is also a computer engineer and co-creator of the first widely-used web browser, and so much more) making the argument that AI will save the world. Here’s a taste: ‘My view is that the idea that AI will decide to literally kill humanity is a profound category error. AI is not a living being that has been primed by billions of years of evolution to participate in the battle for the survival of the fittest, as animals are, and as we are. It is math – code – computers, built by people, owned by people, used by people, controlled by people. The idea that it will at some point develop a mind of its own and decide that it has motivations that lead it to try to kill us is a superstitious handwave.’ He might be right, but then again…” (Mitch for Alistair). Ex-Google Officer Finally Speaks Out On The Dangers Of AI! – Mo Gawdat – The Diary Of A CEO . “… Marc Andreessen could be wrong, if you ask Mo Gawdat. Gawdat is the former chief business officer for Google X and the author of several books. He is both an engineer and MBA grad, and someone who knows and understands more about artificial than most. He argues (rather passionately and intelligently) that AI is the greatest existential threat to humaninty, at this moment in time… more than the climate crisis. So, all of this begs the question: Who is right and how are we (the commoners) supposed to make heads or tails of this… and, perhaps more importantly, how can we expect governments to step in and regulate when the experts can’t agree? Oh, and when I say ‘can’t agree’, it’s hard not to see the chasm between ’this is nothing to worry about’ to ‘it’s going to kill us all!’. Oy vey…” (Mitch for Hugh and video below).

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

A Snapshot Of The Future – Photoshop, AI And What’s Next

What happens when anyone can create text, audio, images and video?

This seems to be the big question that everyone has when it comes to generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, Dall-E, Midjourney and now, Photoshop.

Manipulated photography is nothing new.

We’ve been bearing the brunt of mental health issues because of how perfect photos can seem in a world where everybody wants to look their best.
That’s nothing new under the sun, so why all of this excitement/fear as Adobe and Photoshop start integrating generative AI tools into their ever-expanding toolbox?
It seems like the big deal is how quickly/easily anyone can now add more context to any photo, or – more importantly – manipulate a photo and make it bend to anyone’s creative will.

Anyone can make the beautiful more beautiful.

The real more fantasy.
The fantasy more real.
You get the idea.

The question then becomes: Is it too easy… and too much?

With a simple text prompt, anyone can now re-create and manipulate (or even create) an image.
Powerful.
Perhaps what we’re seeing is not a manipulation of what was, but a true glimpse into where generative AI is going?

With that, may questions follow:

Should everyone have access to these tools?Should manipulated photos be clearly indicated?Should this type of technology be regulated?Should the creators whose work is being used to build these newer images be compensated?Will this create a much greater problem around “fake news,” misinformation and general abuse?Should Generative AI be using personal images without consent – what about privacy?Will there be a loss of human jobs in the field of photography, journalism, graphic design and beyond?

How “real” do you want your photography to be?

This is what Elias Makos and I discussed on CJAD 800 AM. Listen in right here.

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Mitch Joel · A Snapshot Of The Future – Photoshop, AI And What’s Next