Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 87

John Myung From Dream Theater On This Month’s Groove – The No Treble Podcast

John Myung 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 #84 – John Myung.

Who is John Myung ?

One of the bass players that I really wanted to speak with when we first decided to launch Groove – The No Treble Podcast over seven years ago was Dream Theater‘s John Myung. When I first heard the advance cassette of Images & Words back in 1992, I was blown away by his ability to hold the complex groove of this progressive metal group along with his ability to turn riffs and melodies into a lead sound, while matching the musical prowess of his astonishing bandmates. Those who are Dream Theater fans (like me) know this: It’s hard to know who to watch when you see Dream Theater live. Each member is a beast in their own right. John, primarily, speaks through his playing. Interviews with him are few and far between, and he is known as being quiet, introspective, reflective… and person of a few words. John uses many different techniques to play (three finger attacks to slapping and popping and beyond) and has proven himself on over fifteen studio albums with close to fifteen million albums sold that sit next to three Grammy nominations and countless accolades for his bass playing excellence. Most recently, the band issued a new album, A View From The Top of the World, with a pending tour for the new year. 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 #84 – John Myung.

Groove – Episode #84: John Myung 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). 

Black Friday, Cyber Monday And The Future of Retail

Your digital media catch-up is right here.

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

What is Tech Tuesday?

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

You are not alone.

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

Canada’s Shopify records Black Friday sales up 21% – Reuters and Online spending on Black Friday decreased for the very first time – The Verge.

Yesterday was Cyber Monday… after a strong-ish Black Friday. Was it worth it? Canada’s Shopify recorded worldwide sales of close to $3 billion on Black Friday for all of their merchants. This was an increase of over 20% in comparison to last year. With that, we’re also hearing that spending (overall) was down during this very special retail day. So, are you shopping more of less? Are these numbers a shift in consumer behavior from going to physical stores to being more “digitally-first,” because of our newly discovered habits (thanks, Covid 19)? What does the future of shopping look like?

“Adobe suggests that the downward trend might’ve been caused by an uptick in early spending, as some stores started sales and promotions as early as October. And when shoppers did make online purchases during Black Friday, Adobe found that 44.4 percent of those sales were made from a smartphone, a 10.6 percent increase from last year.”

How do you think retail is handling these shifting models?

App of the Week: Hand Mirror –  A one-click camera check, right from the menu bar.

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

Mitch Joel · Black Friday, Cyber Monday And The Future of Retail – Jack 103 FM – November 30th, 2021

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Pamela Slim On New Customers And New Markets – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #803 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

When the book, Escape from Cubicle Nation, came out in 2009, it changed a lot (for many people). The author, Pamela Slim, established herself as a recognized authority in what business could be. She is also a community builder, consultant and former corporate director of training and development at Barclays Global Investors. Over the years, it has been amazing to become friends with her. Pam is also the author of Body of Work and her recently published book, The Widest Net – Unlock Untapped Markets and Discover New Customers Right In Front of You. Pam also partnered with my other friend/author Susan Cain to build and launch the Quiet Revolution and the Quiet Leadership Institute. In 2016, Pam launched the K’é Main Street Learning Lab in Mesa, Arizona, a grassroots, community-based think tank for small business economic acceleration. 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): Six Pixels of Separation #803.

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 #803 – Pamela Slim On New Customers And New Markets

Welcome to episode #803 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #803 – Host: Mitch Joel. When the book, Escape from Cubicle Nation, came out in 2009, it changed a lot (for many people). The author, Pamela Slim, established herself as a recognized authority in what business could be. She is also a community builder, consultant and former corporate director of training and development at Barclays Global Investors. Over the years, it has been amazing to become friends with her. Pam is also the author of Body of Work and her recently published book, The Widest Net – Unlock Untapped Markets and Discover New Customers Right In Front of You. Pam also partnered with my other friend/author Susan Cain to build and launch the Quiet Revolution and the Quiet Leadership Institute. In 2016, Pam launched the K’é Main Street Learning Lab in Mesa, Arizona, a grassroots, community-based think tank for small business economic acceleration. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 58:08.Hello from beautiful Montreal.Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on Twitter.Here is my conversation with Pamela Slim.The Widest Net – Unlock Untapped Markets and Discover New Customers Right In Front of You.Escape from Cubicle Nation.Body of Work.K’é Main Street Learning Lab.Follow Pamela on LinkedIn.Follow Pamela on Twitter.This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #803 – 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 #596

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: 

Why Dune’s Visual Effects Feel So Different – Thomas Flight – YouTube. “I absolutely loved the visuals in the new Dune. And I’m not alone. They did a lot of things right—in particular, they fought against the fakery of green screens in clever ways. This video really opened my eyes to why so many movies, particularly action flicks, have a sense of surreal ‘comic book’ uncanny valley. From using sand-colored screens instead of green screens to capturing helicopter wash before superimposing ornithopters, this is a fascinating look. If you haven’t seen the movie yet: Spoiler alerts ahead.” (Alistair for Hugh). Facebook Patent Shows How You May Be Exploited in the Metaverse – Tech Policy Press . “I’ve been trying to step back from the hyperbole about the Metaverse/Web3/Cryptoanything and understand it from first principles, partly in preparation for some upcoming on-stage talks (Yay! Real world events!) and partly because a lot of smart people are also excited about it. My summary so far, in a single sentence, is that it’s about creating permanent objects in an impermanent world, then attaching them to things—whether that’s art (NFTs), money (Bitcoin), certifications (a token), or digital clothing (loot.) Today, if we want to do that, we enforce it with laws (copyright, etc.) or limit it to a single platform that’s controlled by someone (a skin in Fortnite). But in this new world, we enforce things with math, rather than laws. The problem, of course, is that there are still plenty of folks trying to make money who may not have the users’ best interests at heart. Case in point: Tomorrow’s targeted ads are tailored objects, according to this patent.” (Alistair for Mitch).  Introducing the idea of ‘hyperobjects’ – High Country News . “Some things — like, say, global warming — are so big, complex and span such long timeframes that it is very hard for humans to know how to think about them. Timothy Morton calls these things (another example would be the expanse of the universe) ‘hyperobjects’. I’m not sure if it helps to put a name to these kinds of things (another example would be the global Covid pan/endemic), but there’s something comforting about having a word to a thing that’s just so big and worrisome it makes me want to have a nap.” (Hugh for Alistair). Can genetics help eliminate inequality? – The Washington Post . “Genetics is one of those really difficult subjects — it’s impact on people, groups of people, outcomes and inequalities. It’s a minefield. Imagine for instance suggesting a certain genetic group, for instance, is better or worse at math? Kathryn Paige Harden comes at this question from a progressive position, but fully engaged in the science and data itself (she had a great conversation a while ago with Sam Harris, a lefty-righty internet personality worried about wokeness and the silencing of debate, that’s well worth a listen as well).” (Hugh for Mitch).   Elgato Facecam Webcam Review (Bonus Brio Comparison) – Live Streaming Pros – YouTube . “If you have not made the switch from webcam to DSLR/Mirrorless camera (which I have not), then this is for you. The gold standard in webcams is the Logitech Brio 4K. I’ve tested more webcams than I care to remember and, even with the software limitations of the Brio, it was always head and shoulders above the competition. Elgato has been an amazing company from a streaming/video/online presentation perspective. Originally started as a company for gamers and streamers to buy expensive hardware that was for commercial broadcasting, Elgato produced switchers (Stream Deck), lighting (Key Light, etc…), video capture cards and more – making this kind of tech affordable without sacrificing on quality. Their most recent addition is a webcam. It’s called Facecam. I picked one up this week and, well, I think it sent my Brio into retirement. The picture quality is great, I love the size of it (it feels like you’re looking into a camera rather than a dot) and the software allows you to really play with the overall picture quality. TLDR: If you’re looking to upgrade, go with the Facecam.” (Mitch for Alistair). Clubhouse Is More Exclusive Than Ever: No One’s On It – Gawker . “The argument against Clubhouse never made much sense to me. Many pundits criticized it as having its moment strictly because of the pandemic. It’s said as if no one was binge-watching Netflix or the growth of podcasting wasn’t happening before our world went sideways. It never sat well with me as a reason. People have always yearned for connection and, if the pandemic, did anything for digital media it was both an amplification (more awareness of it) and distribution (from our very youngest to our most elderly were now ‘digital first’) of tech. So, where has the shine and bounce of Clubhouse gone? It’s hard for me to explain. I still frequent a small amount of regular rooms, but not much else. If I had to sum it up in a sentence: The content is not compelling and connections haven’t moved the needle in my world of networking. With that, I fully understand that your mileage may vary, and others feel the complete opposite (which is great.. the world doesn’t need everything to be for everyone). Still, is it scaling and can Clubhouse claw its way back to either ‘darling’ status or into something meaningful for the world of new media?” (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 Metaverse Is The Future… Is The Future Bright?

As we think about the metaverse and virtual worlds, we might want to think more about who we want to be…

There is nothing new about our pending virtual worlds.
We saw it with Second Life.
We see it with Roblox.
We see it with Minecraft.
If you have Oculus, you are already seeing it.
We’ve seen this movie before.

If nothing changes in our social media behavior, we will fracture our society (even) more.

If that doesn’t scare you, it should.
We will become more insular.
We will become more divided.
We will become more like others who are like us.

We will lose our ability to understand others… and their differing perspectives.

My experiences traveling this past few weeks for business have been eye-opening.
Zoom doesn’t solve for life.
Zoom doesn’t make us see the world (and one another) in a different light.
The information transfer in a business meeting is only a small fraction of what a business meeting should be about.
Being together – in our protein forms – is critical too.

We need to experience others… and other places.

Pico Iyer said it best…
“We don’t travel to move. We travel to be moved.”

On the other hand, the metaverse will…

Build new businesses.
Bring people together in new and interesting ways.
Enable us to be more connected to more diverse voices and people.

Which brings us to the big questions:

Why would the metaverse be any different (or better) than what we’re seeing with social media?
Who will govern the metaverse?
Who will set the rules and (hopefully) make this a better digital experience?
What will we do to make sure of this (because, if we do not… we have learned nothing)?

There’s much more to it…

This, and other current topics (driven by the questions above) were discussed along with Christopher Barger (Owens Corning), Scott Monty (Scott Monty Strategies) and host Bob Knorpp (always a good human) on the very excellent BeanCast Podcast (which I’ve been fortunate to be a guest on in the past). I don’t know what it is about BeanCast, Bob Knorpp and these other panelists, but there is always “something in the water” when we record these conversations that brings out a lot of stimulating ideas and insights (and some friendly disagreements too!).

Are you ready for this deep dive into the world of media and marketing? Here is: BeanCast #655 – Sound Effects Gone Wild.

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

Apple Allows Repairs.Will Singles Day Go Global?Virtual Reality Tribalism.iMessage’s Big Changes.

Take a listen and jump into the fray…

Mitch Joel · The BeanCast Podcast – Sound Effects Gone Wild – Episode #655

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).

Would You Fix Your Own iPhone?

Your digital media catch-up is right here.

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

What is Tech Tuesday?

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

You are not alone.

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

Apple Will Tell You How to Fix iPhones, Sell Parts to the General Public – Motherboard Tech By Vice.

Would you fix your own iPhone? In a big move, Apple is now going to let your average human (that’s me!) buy parts and tools so that I can do my own DIY repairs on my Apple devices.

“According to Apple, the initial focus will be on screens, batteries, and cameras but will expand next year. Customers will have access to repair manuals and can then order Apple parts and tools online. After they’ve completed their own repair they can return the broken parts to an Apple store for store credit. Apple said it will offer more than 200 individual parts and tools to help repair iPhone 12s and 13s.”

So… would you do it or have the professionals handle it?

 

App of the Week: City Walks – take a walk around a city (day or night… with sound or without)… it’s not exactly traveling, but it sure does give you a cool vibe of different cities.

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

Mitch Joel · Would You Fix Your Own iPhone? – Jack 103 FM – November 23rd, 2021

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.

Adam Tooze On How Covid Shook The World’s Economy – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #802 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

Are you sick about all the Covid talk? Don’t let that stop you from listening to what Adam Tooze has to say about it. Adam is the author of the recently published book, Shutdown – How Covid Shook The World’s Economy. Adam’s perspective is a little different than most. Adam holds the Shelby Cullom Davis chair of History at Columbia University and serves as Director of the European Institute. In 2019, Foreign Policy Magazine named him one of the top Global Thinkers of the decade. Prior to Shutdown, Adam published, Crashed – How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed The World in 2018. His perspective on recent history and the economy is second to none. Adam was born in London. He grew up between England and Heidelberg Germany. Having received his BA in Economics from King’s College Cambridge in the summer of 1989, he had the good fortune to witness the end of the Cold War in Berlin, where he began his postgraduate studies. He went on to take his PhD from the London School of Economics. From 1996 to 2009 Adam taught at the University of Cambridge, where he was Reader in Modern History and Gurnee Hart fellow in History at Jesus College. After Cambridge, Adam was appointed to the Barton M. Biggs Professorship at Yale University, where he succeeded Paul Kennedy as the Director of International Security Studies. Adam joined Columbia’s history department in the summer of 2015. Along with Crashed and Shutdown, he has written a slew of other books that have been translated into eleven languages. 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): Six Pixels of Separation #802.

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 #802 – Adam Tooze On How Covid Shook The World’s Economy

Welcome to episode #802 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #802 – Host: Mitch Joel. Are you sick about all the Covid talk? Don’t let that stop you from listening to what Adam Tooze has to say about it. Adam is the author of the recently published book, Shutdown – How Covid Shook The World’s Economy. Adam’s perspective is a little different than most. Adam holds the Shelby Cullom Davis chair of History at Columbia University and serves as Director of the European Institute. In 2019, Foreign Policy Magazine named him one of the top Global Thinkers of the decade. Prior to Shutdown, Adam published, Crashed – How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed The World in 2018. His perspective on recent history and the economy is second to none. Adam was born in London. He grew up between England and Heidelberg Germany. Having received his BA in Economics from King’s College Cambridge in the summer of 1989, he had the good fortune to witness the end of the Cold War in Berlin, where he began his postgraduate studies. He went on to take his PhD from the London School of Economics. From 1996 to 2009 Adam taught at the University of Cambridge, where he was Reader in Modern History and Gurnee Hart fellow in History at Jesus College. After Cambridge, Adam was appointed to the Barton M. Biggs Professorship at Yale University, where he succeeded Paul Kennedy as the Director of International Security Studies. Adam joined Columbia’s history department in the summer of 2015. Along with Crashed and Shutdown, he has written a slew of other books that have been translated into eleven languages. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 56:51.Hello from beautiful Montreal.Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on Twitter.Here is my conversation with Adam Tooze.Shutdown – How Covid Shook The World’s Economy.Crashed – How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed The World.Chartbook – Substack.Follow Adam on Facebook.Follow Adam on Twitter. This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #802 – 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 #595

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: 

Colophon (publishing) – Wikipedia. “Working on some book design things, and I went down a rathole about the history of the Colophon (“a brief statement containing information about the publication of a book.”). I know that you know this stuff, but I find it fascinating that Colophons and their near twin, record sleeves, have left us. I love the artifacts and metadata around a creation; the marginalia and trivia that went into the stuff. So I’m sharing this, not because you don’t know it, but because I wanted to lament, for a moment, the loss of physical metadata.” (Alistair for Hugh). Artists must confront the climate crisis – we must write as if these are the last days – The Guardian . “Not with a bang, but with a whisper. Social media acts as a pressure valve for our outrage, and it’s easy to tweet our dismay at COP 26 while we drive our SUV through a Starbucks drive-in. Art and culture shape political discourse, and move the Overton Window. Ben Okri says we need to act like it’s the end of days, simply to force society to confront the hard truths about what’s happening to our planet.” (Alistair for Mitch).   Books Do Furnish a Civilization – Commentary . “A couple of articles today on libraries, those great, beloved and neglected institutions.” (Hugh for Alistair). Before Oxford’s Library Was the Finest Institutional Library in Europe, It Was… Kind of a Dump – Literary Hub . “On the transformation of Oxford’s library from ramshackle book storage place to a temple of learning.” (Hugh for Mitch).  What are the effects of isolation on creativity? – It’s Nice That . “The pandemic will have many long-lasting impacts on who we are – as a people – that we have yet to uncover or understand. This may be the most impactful… but who knows? Is isolation good or bad for creativity? What are the results of this creativity? Let’s dive deep into the notion that isolation and remote experiences may be the source of some of the greatest creativity…” (Mitch for Alistair). The Sting Interview – Rick Beato – YouTube . “Sting is a very polarizing artist. Some love him. Some hate him. Some only love his music with The Police. Some only love his solo work. I’ve always been a cautious fan… but a fan nonetheless. With that, I am a huge fan of Rick Beato and his incredible YouTube channel that goes very deep into music of all genres, and it’s comfortable getting very detailed and theoretical. This just released interview is a great example of people who love music and love talking about music. I was transfixed by this conversation. It was so good, that it left me thinking, ‘maybe I should write some music?’ Easier said than done…” (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).