Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 98

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #571

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: 

Invisible Roommates – Everyday Experiments. “If you’re a parent, you may have been subjected to the smarmy first-world-problems cartoon drama of talking animals that is The Secret Life of Pets. What about the everyday objects that surround us? Part of an IKEA-funded experimental series, Nicole He‘s Invisible Roommates project is ‘an augmented reality (AR) application that would make visible how the devices in your home interact with one another.'” (Alistair for Hugh). Twitter Has Turned Us All Into Trolls – Ed Zitron’s Where’s Your Ed At – Substack . “Ed Zitron‘s not wrong. Should the court of public opinion be able to deny someone employment, forever, because of something they did? What’s the statute of limitations on public notoriety? The simple mechanics of Schadenfreude at scale are frightening, and this is a good discussion of where we should strike a balance.” (Alistair for Mitch). Voodoo Macbeth – Wikipedia . “In 1936, a 20-year old Orson Welles mounted a production of Macbeth in Harlem, the entire cast African-American actors, set in a fictional Carribean island. The production was dubbed Voodoo Macbeth. The rehearsals were picketed by the Harlem Communists, worried that ‘Welles had cast black actors in order to create a comic or burlesque version of Shakespeare.” Instead, it was, by all accounts, a truly excellent production, with opening night drawing three thousand more people than could be seated in the theatre, a sold-out run, and near-universal praise in the press. Said Welles in 1982: ‘By all odds my great success in my life was that play. Because the opening night there were five blocks in which all traffic was stopped. You couldn’t get near the theater in Harlem. Everybody who was anybody in the black or white world was there. And when the play ended there were so many curtain calls that finally they left the curtain open, and the audience came up on the stage to congratulate the actors. And that was, that was magical.’” (Hugh for Alistair). Men At Lunch Iconic Photograph Documentary – Docuspace RP – YouTube . “Ever seen that picture of eleven construction workers in New York, circa 1932, sitting on a beam at the top of an unfinished skyscraper, with Central Park and Manhattan spread our 800 feet below them, just eating their lunch? Here’s a documentary about that pic.” (Hugh for Mitch).   How a rise in remote employment may impact post-pandemic work life – PBS NewsHour . “What will a ‘real’ return to work look like. I see many organizations shifting to a fully-vaccinated and fully-operational work environment (like it was before the pandemic). I also see many stories of 3-4 days in the office, and the rest done remotely. I also see many stories about businesses going fully remote. I’ve heard stories about people who can’t wait to get back to the office. I’ve heard stories of people who never want to go back to the office again. It’s a mixed bag. This leads me to believe that it will be a very lumpy road back. I watched this news segment, and one thought kept popping up in my mind: Nope. It’s not going to be this or that… I don’t think anybody really knows. I believe we will also experience a gap between what leadership wants and what the team wants (tension will ensue). It will be interesting.” (Mitch for Alistair). The Age of Reopening Anxiety – The New Yorker . “I’ve been very respectful of the rules during the pandemic. Whatever it takes to get back to something that feels ’normal’ (which, admittedly, seems to be a moving target these day). The view in Canada is (clearly) very different than the view in the United States (in terms of what’s opening and who’s doing what). Things are still fairly tight up here, even as it begins to open up. The light at the end of the tunnel is definitely getting brighter and approaching quicker with each passing day. I’ve had numerous conversations with some very smart and high-performing executives who are grappling with real anxiety. The thought of ‘going back’ will not be an easy path. Read above for the impact on business. Read this for the impact on individuals.” (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 ;): 

Jackie Clark On This Month’s Groove – The No Treble Podcast

Jackie Clark 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 #78 – Jackie Clark.

Who is Jackie Clark ?

For the past 30-plus years, Jackie Clark has been all about the bass. Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee he’s become an in-demand live and studio player for artists like Dionne Warwick, Shalamar, Peabo Bryson, Deborah Cox, The Jacksons, Angie Stone and countless others. Beyond the bass, he’s also an arranger, producer and keyboard player. You can see his bass-driven musicality drive through on his solo albums, Away (In A Manger), P. Mason (2008), My Inspiration, Come To Me, Heaven’s Gift, Soul Ride, and his latest, Nexus. Jackie is an amazing storyteller and here’s the tease for this podcast: He got his first bass at the age of thirteen… and it was a 1974 Fender Jazz Bass. The journey begins back then, but the inspiration from players like James Jamerson, Jaco Pastorious, Geddy Lee, Leland Sklar, and others have painted his amazing career to this very day. 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 #78 – Jackie Clark.

Groove – Episode #78: Jackie Clark by Jackie Clark

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 Best Trick For Improving Your FaceTime And Zoom Calls – Tech Tuesday In Two Minutes

We’ve all spent too much time on Zoom and FaceTime this past year.

Body language is a tough thing in the virtual world and on video conference calls.
We can’t read people as well online.
Especially when we’re (hardly) even seeing their faces.
Even a darkened light or a bad connection can ruin a great message.
Even more confusing is how most people don’t make eye contact.
This happens, because we’re looking at the other person’s face on the screen (and not at the tiny camera).
This is common and a tough habit to break.
Staring into a camera is not easy.

Staring into a camera is not natural.

Apple has solved for that.
FaceTime’s latest feature (available on iOS 14) is Eye Contact.
It should already be enabled on your phone (if not, go to your Settings > FaceTime and look for the Eye Contact setting).
It works.
It’s magic.

Are there any other options to fix this problem of not making eye contact (like if you’re on a laptop)?

Yes! Check out PlexiCam.
It’s a great solution for laptops or monitors that use an external webcam.
A simple (and physical) solution to a hard problem.

Better eye contact will make your video conference calls way less painful. Promise.

The full story is here: How to fake eye contact on a FaceTime call (yes, you can do that) (Mashable).

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

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).

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

Mitch Joel · Tech Tuesday – Jack 103 FM – June 1st, 2021

Subscribe to get it free in your inbox right here.

Suneel Gupta On Being Backable – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #777 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

He is a teacher of innovation at Harvard University, is the founder of RISE, and the author of the new book, Backable – exploring how to get people to believe in your ideas. The book is rooted in Suneel Gupta’s journey from first-time entrepreneur to being named, “The New Face of Innovation” by the New York Stock Exchange. Suneel’s ideas have been backed by firms like Greylock and Google Ventures, and he served as an Entrepreneur in Residence inside Kleiner Perkins. He has personally backed startups including Impossible Foods, Airbnb, 23&Me, Calm, and SpaceX. In 2018, Suneel ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Michigan’s 11th Congressional District. An expert at accelerating growth and innovation, in less than two years, Suneel helped grow Groupon from a tiny startup into a multi-billion-dollar company. Prior to serving as Groupon’s first vice president of product, he built products for Mozilla as their director of product development. Suneel is also a lawyer and filmmaker. He started his career in the Clinton White House where he served as a speechwriter. A few years later, he was asked to co-author the national platform for the Democratic Party. Suneel has always moved quickly. In less than six years total, he earned a BS from the University of Michigan, an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, and a JD from Northwestern University School of Law. He also is the co-founder at Gross National Happiness Center of America in partnership with the Kingdom of Bhutan. What does it take to become bankable? 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 #777.

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 #777 – Suneel Gupta On Being Backable

Welcome to episode #777 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #777 – Host: Mitch Joel. He is a teacher of innovation at Harvard University, is the founder of RISE, and the author of the new book, Backable – exploring how to get people to believe in your ideas. The book is rooted in Suneel Gupta’s journey from first-time entrepreneur to being named, “The New Face of Innovation” by the New York Stock Exchange. Suneel’s ideas have been backed by firms like Greylock and Google Ventures, and he served as an Entrepreneur in Residence inside Kleiner Perkins. He has personally backed startups including Impossible Foods, Airbnb, 23&Me, Calm, and SpaceX. In 2018, Suneel ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Michigan’s 11th Congressional District. An expert at accelerating growth and innovation, in less than two years, Suneel helped grow Groupon from a tiny startup into a multi-billion-dollar company. Prior to serving as Groupon’s first vice president of product, he built products for Mozilla as their director of product development. Suneel is also a lawyer and filmmaker. He started his career in the Clinton White House where he served as a speechwriter. A few years later, he was asked to co-author the national platform for the Democratic Party. Suneel has always moved quickly. In less than six years total, he earned a BS from the University of Michigan, an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, and a JD from Northwestern University School of Law. He also is the co-founder at Gross National Happiness Center of America in partnership with the Kingdom of Bhutan. What does it take to become bankable? Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 49:29.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 Suneel Gupta.Backable – exploring how to get people to believe in your ideas.Follow Suneel on LinkedIn.Follow Suneel on Twitter.Follow Suneel on Instagram.This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #777 – 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 #570

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: 

Beware the Copyleft Trolls – OneZero . “The idea of copyleft was to put things in the public domain, while still providing attribution and giving people a way to control their work. And of course, someone’s figured out how to take advantage of this: Use an outdated license, wait until people use your ‘ ree’ art, and then retroactively revoke the license and sue. This is why we can’t have nice things.” (Alistair for Hugh). The Nonmachinables – Logic . “The US postal service has a huge job, mandated by constitution. It’s the biggest Federal employer, and the third largest consumer of IT in the world. But what to do about unintelligible letters when the post absolutely, positively, has to get there? Here’s a fascinating look behind the scenes at how the postal service handles things that simply can’t be automated.” (Alistair for Mitch). A new oil-cryptocurrency alliance takes shape in North America – Financial Post . “Here is a plot to a William Gibson novel that I don’t think has been written yet: a band of hardscrabble bitcoin miners follow around oil rigs in rural America, with pickups towing trailers full of servers and a generator built to run on flared methane gas that’s a side-product of oil drilling, in a ‘ in’ for the environment? And a further hint that bitcoin is way weirder than you already thought it was.” (Hugh for Alistair).  If Apple is the only organisation capable of defending our privacy, it really is time to worry – The Guardian . “Apple has carved out an interesting market position as the consumer tech company that is (we hope?) not interested in knowing everything about your private life in order to sell to/manipulate you better. How long this lasts? I don’t know, but when you compare Apple’s business model (sell you hardware and software services that you like) to Facebook and Google (give you free stuff, and sell access to you based on all of your private activity), I sure feel more comfortable with Apple. Apple is using its business model as a (welcomed) cudgel against the companies that want to know everything about you, with its latest iOS update that lets you opt out of Facebook and others from tracking everything that you do on your phone. Seems like just about every iPhone user is happy about that, and Facebook isn’t. But, it’s a bit weird that there isn’t more regulation about all of this privacy stuff. Oh, well, Apple will save us forever?” (Hugh for Mitch).  The World Economy Is Suddenly Running Low on Everything – Bloomberg BusinessWeek . “If we could go back in time (pre-pandemic), and you would have told me that certain business would do well in the pandemic (selling swimming pools?) and certain businesses would not (selling beer?), I’m not sure that I would have believed you. If this pandemic proved anything to me, it would be this: consumer behavior is much more complicated than what seems to be ‘obvious.’ How does that scale? This article demonstrates that the bigger picture could be much scarier than any of us could have imagined. Especially, when there is this sentiment (in certain parts of the world) that things are getting back to normal, and that it’s all going to come raging back. That could all be stifled if this article is accurate.” (Mitch for Alistair). How to stop overthinking – Psyche . “Should I? Shouldn’t I? How much of our lives is a well thought out strategy? How much of our lives do we spend overthinking things? I can overthink with the best of ‘em. We all have to learn when grappling with our thoughts is positive, and when it can become corrosive. Is there a way to break free from overthinking everything? Let me think about it (I kid). Apparently, so…” (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 ;): 

Jonas Altman On Reinventing The Way You Work – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #776 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

His latest book, Shapers – Reinvent The Way You Work And Change The Future, really intrigued me. Jonas Altman is an experienced design strategist and entrepreneur. He is the Managing Partner at Social Fabric, a marketing consultancy, that helps organizations launch new ventures and adopt better ways of communicating. With over twenty years of working in the creative sector, Jonas also launched one of the first accelerator programs in London (dedicated exclusively to the lifestyle industries and has enabled many early stage businesses to secure investment and grow). He is also an advisor to startups, speaker and writer. He’s also the co-author of, The Little Booklet on Business Design. So, how do we design the future of our work? 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 #776.

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 #776 – Jonas Altman On Reinventing The Way You Work

Welcome to episode #776 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #776 – Host: Mitch Joel. His latest book, Shapers – Reinvent The Way You Work And Change The Future, really intrigued me. Jonas Altman is an experienced design strategist and entrepreneur. He is the Managing Partner at Social Fabric, a marketing consultancy, that helps organizations launch new ventures and adopt better ways of communicating. With over twenty years of working in the creative sector, Jonas also launched one of the first accelerator programs in London (dedicated exclusively to the lifestyle industries and has enabled many early stage businesses to secure investment and grow). He is also an advisor to startups, speaker and writer. He’s also the co-author of, The Little Booklet on Business Design. So, how do we design the future of our work? Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 53:27.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 Jonas Altman.Shapers – Reinvent The Way You Work And Change The Future.Social Fabric.The Little Booklet on Business Design.Follow Jonas on Instagram.Follow Jonas on LinkedIn.This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #776 – 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 #569

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: 

What is economic growth? And why is it so important? – Our World In Data . “Democracy, said Winston Churchill, is the worst form of government other than all the others we’ve tried. And capitalism, at least according to modern history, is the worst way to innovate other than all the others that we’ve tried. There’s been a lot of discussion about whether late-stage capitalism is sustainable, or leads to rampant injustice; and those concerns are definitely real. A relentless pursuit of economic growth at all costs is destroying the planet, concentrating wealth in the hands of the few, and corrupting the aforementioned big-D Democracy. But it bears remembering that we chase economic growth for a reason.” (Alistair for Hugh). Voice Typing – Google Chrome Extension . ” I don’t usually share tools here, but this one’s useful! A Chrome plugin that frankly should be in every computer already. Click, then speak to type.” (Alistair for Mitch). When Is the Revolution in Architecture Coming? – Current Affairs . “Architecture prizes go to big oppressive blocks. Why?” (Hugh for Alistair). An afternoon inside a bookstore was as glorious as ever. Here’s what I bought. – The Washington Post . “Remember browsing in bookstores?” (Hugh for Mitch).  ClubHub . “Months later, and I’m still ‘Clubhouse curious.’ Exploring, joining rooms, starting rooms, private rooms, meeting people, trying out subject matters that I haven’t explored before, etc… With that, I was looking for a way to see what’s actually happening on the social audio platform, beyond the algorithm that is being pushed at me. Enter ClubHub. I really like the interface (especially on laptop/desktop). It lets you know how many rooms are running in English, and then ranks the shows from the most attendees downwards. Within each room, you can see data like how many people are speaking, how long the room has been running, and much more. I also like how you can click on individual users and get a vibe from their bio, the clubs they’re connected to and much more. I have no clue if Clubhouse is watching this third-party app or not, but I find it a great way to snoop around. I think you will like it too.” (Mitch for Alistair). The Anxiety of Influencers – Harper’s Magazine . “There are content houses. This isn’t a digital thing. I mean physical mansions/homes where TikTok influencers collaborate, live, etc… All of them are trying to beat the algorithm and get to the top. What is the top? Influence? Fame? Money? Something that can last longer than a TikTok video? This piece will take you on a fascinating journey that explores ‘influencers.’ If the article does nothing but force you to re-evaluate what you consider a influencer to be, then the time is well spent. Sure, it’s the age old question: Does the amount of people who follow an individual make that person an influencer, or is an influencer really someone who can persuade others to do that which they wish?” (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 ;): 

Would You Pay For Twitter? – Tech Tuesday In Two Minutes

Don’t panic, Twitter isn’t changing to a paid model (just yet).

Twitter is (potentially) interested in creating a premium product called, Twitter Blue.
Imaging being able to…
Undo tweets.
Save and organize your favorite tweets.
Have folders in your bookmarks.
Custom colors.
Publish longer videos.
And more…

How much would pay for premium Twitter features like that?

While all of this is still a rumor, it’s sounding like there will be a monthly fee of $2.99 (USD) for this.
Subscription services are the present (and future) business models for many social media platforms.
Imagine a Twitter feed without ads?
That’s currently not happening, but a subscription model could be used for that as well.

The full story is here: Twitter mulling paid service called Twitter Blue, finds researcher (The Guardian).

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

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).

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 Pay For Twitter? – Tech Tuesday – Jack 103 FM – May 18th, 2021

Subscribe to get it free in your inbox right here.