Podcasts about aiso

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese throws more money at green dreams, US President Trump blames Ukraine for ongoing conflict, AISO reveals state sponsored murder plots. Plus, a new era of corporate culture on the rise.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let us know your thoughts. Send us a Text Message. Follow me to see #HeadsTalk Podcast Audiograms every Monday on LinkedInEpisode Title:

Summary   Ema Roloff, Co-Founder and Principal Consultant of Roloff Consulting, discusses the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation in the annuity and broader insurance industry. She emphasizes the importance of addressing legacy systems and the education gap in digital literacy. Ema provides insights on how to start building digital literacy and recommends finding reliable sources for learning. She also discusses the fear associated with AI and the need to overcome it by focusing on the benefits and practical applications. Ema highlights the power of video content and authenticity in marketing and suggests becoming the favorite teacher to build trust with customers. The conversation concludes with a discussion on reaching the right audience with video content.   Takeaways   Legacy systems and the education gap are key challenges in digital transformation in the insurance industry. Building digital literacy is crucial for individuals and organizations to leverage emerging technologies effectively. Overcoming fear and focusing on the benefits of AI can help drive adoption and build trust. Video content and authenticity are powerful tools for marketing and building connections with customers.   Chapters   00:00 Introduction 01:18 Ema Roloff's Background and Expertise 03:01 Legacy Systems and Digital Transformation 05:32 Education Gap and Digital Literacy 06:21 Starting Point for Digital Literacy 09:15 Finding Valuable Insights and Lessons 10:09 Trial and Error in Finding Good Sources 18:13 Overcoming Fear and Building Trust in AI 20:59 The Next Wave of Adoption and Perception Change 23:29 Importance of Educating People in the Company 25:31 Understanding the Problems and Bottlenecks 27:52 Completing the Puzzle in Digital Transformation 30:43 The Power of Video and Authenticity 36:15 Reaching the Right Audience with Video Content 39:37 Becoming the Favorite Teacher and Building Trust 40:59 Closing Remarks     Paul (00:06.752) Hi, this is Paul Tyler and welcome to another episode of the That Annuity Show. And in fact, it's the first That Annuity Show recorded in 2024. Ramsey, good to see you.   Ramsey Smith (00:19.441) Good to be back. It's been a minute. Yeah.   Paul (00:21.668) Been a minute. Yeah, Tisa, welcome.   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (00:25.85) Thanks. Good morning, everyone. Happy New Year.   Paul (00:28.968) Yeah, well, we're off to a very interesting start this year, and we've got a great guest, Ema Roloff. I got to know Ema, I don't know, I think Ema, probably maybe a year and a half ago, I think, two years ago. Yeah, and you were working at that point for a software company, really doing, I think, and you correct me if I'm wrong, it felt like you were really kind of a leading spokesperson for the company.   Ema Roloff (00:42.018) Sounds about right.   Paul (00:54.608) Definitely did a tremendous job creating a presence on LinkedIn, various social media channels. And then you basically are now you've got your own company and you're helping bigger companies think about technology, change transformation, and also helping people figure out how to market in a rapidly changing world. How did I do for an introduction?   Ema Roloff (01:18.658) Pretty good. I'm actually impressed. Most people do one or the other and you got both. So I have a content brand that is focused on, I would call leading change and transformation as a whole. Um, and the name of that is leading change, surprise, surprise. Um, so I do interviews and live episodes on LinkedIn from that series and do speaking engagements all attached to transformation.   And then on the business side, my husband and I started a consulting company because we were both salespeople that were selling in a very different way than our peers. And we thought more people should recognize the benefit that comes from updating and modernizing their sales process and taking advantage of things like social media and other digital outlets to really change the paradigm of sales and sell the way that people actually want to.   Paul (02:13.42) Excellent. All right. Well, now we have, you know, a very diverse audience within a very focused market of people who care a lot about annuities. I would say two groups who should listen to the show today very, very carefully are people inside Carriers who are responsible for driving technology changes or technology. E-Apps, you know, illustration systems. I think we've got another group of people who listen to our show who are   actively building businesses, talking to clients, delivering solutions, trying to think about how are they finding next client. I think both of those will should both of the if you're in any of those categories listen carefully. And I don't know Ramsey, which one do you think we should start with first?   Ramsey Smith (03:01.409) I think, why don't we start with people that are on the inside? Because at the end of the day, one of the things that we see is, even though sometimes there's been some innovation on the front end in the distribution process, it's sooner or later it ends up, sooner or later somewhere in the chain, there's some sort of legacy system that ultimately ends up sort of coming into play and that can kind of slow things down. So I'd love to, why don't we start there and talk about that.   Paul (03:27.276) Yeah, and maybe, you know, generative AI has got to be, Ema, the biggest wave coming over both groups. And, you know, agree or disagree here for 2024.   Ema Roloff (03:35.126) Mm-hmm.   Ema Roloff (03:39.718) say that it's definitely one of the top conversations that's happening across our industry and beyond. And it's going to hit every single person within the insurance landscape, whether they're on the vendor side, at the distribution level or on the carrier side, but it'll look a little different for each kind of persona, so to speak.   Um, and, and some of it will go off of what Ramsey just talked about where when we're looking at, especially some of the larger companies in the carrier side, there might be a steeper. Incline to adoption strictly because of some of the foundational items that we didn't address during what I would say is kind of like the first wave of transformation and things like these legacy systems that are still looming or maybe that like.   intermediate step that carriers took to go from their homegrown legacy system to something that's a bit more modern, but it took them 10 years to go through that process. So they feel like they just did it, but their system is now 10 or 15 years old again, and they're back in that legacy spot and it's time to kind of start evaluating what that next transition looks like. Those foundational items, especially when we start looking at how those platforms manage data,   how clean the data within those systems are, that all impacts drastically how useful generative AI and these emerging technologies can be when we bring them into the organization. And then I would say kind of across the board, there's the dynamic that you and I talked about, Paul, when I had you on Leading Change recently, is the education gap and technical, or what I call digital literacy.   that might be lacking at all of the different stages of our insurance ecosystem life cycle, so to speak. And that is on the broker side, on the carrier side, on the vendor side. And so we could certainly talk more about that. But I think that that's going to be a big challenge for a lot of people is kind of overcoming that chasm over the next year or so.   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (05:56.13) Ema, do you have any tips or advice for the person listening to this inside a carrier or not? Just kind of where to start. For someone who doesn't have as much digital literacy, savviness, all of the topics, all of the terms, all feel new, all feel big. Where to start? Break it down. Where should one start?   Ema Roloff (06:17.826) Mm-hmm.   Ema Roloff (06:21.762) So this is where maybe this conversation isn't gonna be quite as polarized as we were talking about. And maybe this is where you guys start to see how all of these ideas are a passion of mine. I would say the first place to start is find some really good people on YouTube or LinkedIn or TikTok, Instagram to follow that are spending time educating people on how to use these technologies. And also just kind of like the basic foundational understanding of technology.   So, Paul, you mentioned when I was selling core technology, one of the things that I did was I recognized that a lot of my buyers didn't know what the hell I was talking about when I used certain terms or acronyms. And that also came from me stepping into the technology and insurance landscape without any background in that. So I started as a teacher. And when I stepped into business, the amount of acronyms that came flying at me in every single industry was like,   dizzying. And then I got into technology and realized how many of our terms we shift and we change and we're constantly like doing this that make these things that make it really difficult for our consumers to actually get a solid grasp of what we're talking about. And so I started a series on TikTok and LinkedIn that was explainer videos, just breaking down like, okay, what is AI? Let's do a one-on-one lesson. Now let's go.   Ramsey Smith (07:45.853) Thanks for watching!   Ema Roloff (07:49.806) Now we've done that one-on-one lesson. Let's talk about the differences between AI and machine learning, or what are all of the different subset technologies that bubble up to the umbrella term of AI. And let's break it down and plain English in less than three minutes so that people can get this bite-size information that makes their next meeting slightly more meaningful to them because they've got that foundational knowledge. And I'm certainly not the only one that's creating that kind of content. And.   Whether it was, you know, now I'm video heavy and that's where I do a lot of my learning because I like creating that kind of content and I like consuming it. But when I first started digging deep into this stuff, podcasts, reading articles on any blog that I could get my hands on, we could even go down the path of starting to use generative AI to teach us these things and sit down and ask chat GPT, here's my role, this is what I do. Can you help?   give me a list of 15 technology terms or ideas that I should know the definition of and give me those definitions. There's lots of different ways to gain access to this information, but the first step is kind of taking the initiative to start building it if your company isn't helping you build that digital literacy somehow through like a specific training program.   Ramsey Smith (09:15.633) So are you finding that it's easy to find sort of good sources? So one of the interesting challenges in learning online is actually everything that you need to know is there. And in some sense, there's probably not a whole lot of new ideas because somebody said it somewhere. But finding the people that actually are really like yourself, but finding people that actually   Ema Roloff (09:41.262) Thank you.   Ramsey Smith (09:42.981) Finding people that can actually teach you effectively and efficiently can sometimes be a challenge. So I'm just curious how, you know, other than your own work, but as you do, you know, outwardly, like how do you filter, how do you filter through, you know, all the various carnival barkers to get to, to get to what you think are people that are providing valuable insights and lessons?   Ema Roloff (10:00.822) Hehehehe   Ema Roloff (10:09.422) I would say some of it is trial and error. I can't tell you how many times I've like found a new podcast and tried listening to one episode of it and been like, oh, this is not it for me. And some of it is just like what your learning style is, how you like to consume content. My husband is like a tried and true book reader and like his office is lined with all of his books that he reads.   And for me, reading business books is like torture. So I have to listen to everything on audio book. Like I'm a big reader, but like it better be a fantasy book or something else other than, than business. So like, I know that doesn't work for me. So part of it is like tapping into how do you learn best and then trial and error across like some of the top podcasts that are out there in the space of technology.   Ramsey Smith (10:42.55) Mm-hmm.   Ema Roloff (10:59.114) I mean, I could certainly make some suggestions. When I first started, I kind of started at the very beginning of like, OK, I'm going to go listen to Harvard and MIT's business podcasts and just see what they're talking about and what ideas and who their guests are. And then I'm going to follow some of those guests that said really insightful things on LinkedIn or YouTube. And then you probably, I mean, naturally what happens is you're going to find your favorite teachers.   We'll get to this idea a little bit later, but that's kind of the philosophy behind updating your sales process is becoming your clients or your prospects favorite teachers. But you start to find the people that communicate the way that makes sense to you, and then you can double down on their content and really lean into like learning in that mechanism that works best for you.   Paul (11:52.46) Yeah, it's interesting. I think education is incredibly important. I mean, Ties and I are running an AI committee here at the company, Ties. So we have our next meeting tomorrow, right, with our group. And Ema, you're spot on. The education's critical. I mean, it's just critical. Ramsey, you're right. It's hard. Now, you think about the last wave of technology. Hey, could I actually, oh my gosh, fill out a form online?   and submit business to a carrier. It took us a long time, Ema, a long time. And I wouldn't say, you know, people say, oh, the insurance industry is so slow. It's not really, I, Tisa, I want you to weigh in on this one is I don't think it's slow. I just think that, you know, really highly regulated business with lots of systems to connect, it just takes a lot of time to sort of get this machine rolling. And Tisa, I'm thinking this company, the predecessor company of NASA, I think was   client number one or two for insurance technologies, now Hexure and Salesforce. Okay, I think we were maybe averaging, you know, when I joined, I think we had what, maybe 10 or 20% of our annuities coming through on Eapp maybe that was 2016, now we're at 85%. This is, am I 10 years later? So Tisa, what was it that...   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (12:55.19) in Salesforce. Yeah.   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (13:10.266) Yeah.   Paul (13:18.844) If you look back there and say, okay, education was required, what are the differences between that technology versus AI sweeping in your opinion? And why does it feel harder?   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (13:33.563) I mean, you know, kind of speculate a little bit, just, but I think what may make it feel harder is that prior to now, technology was more around like, efficiency and process. And AI can play a role in that, but it almost, it feels more like first people have to get over the hurdle of like,   and maybe they felt like this before, but it's gonna replace people, or it has this, for whatever reason, the comments that I've heard is that, unlike other technology, nobody ever called Eapp a person or a mind or a mythical creature. It didn't feel like a thing. And for whatever reason, I guess the intelligence part of it is part of it. It feels like it's something more of a tangible.   Ema Roloff (14:10.807) Hehehehe   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (14:23.17) than any other technology. So you're sort of overcoming that, maybe it's fear, or fear of the unknown first, whereas before it was more so resistance to like, I don't want to change the way I work, which AI is really a tool, right? It's changing the way you work. It's changing the way you arrive at a decision. It's changing the way you gather information. But for whatever reason, it's not being viewed that way as previous technology has been.   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (14:52.642) E application that just felt like a shift in behavior. But AI feels like maybe a shift in how we like fundamentally function as a society and people are more, I'll say resistant, until they learn about it and understand it. So to me that's the biggest difference, which it actually shouldn't be viewed that way. It should be viewed just as other previous technology has been, that it can drive efficiency and drive scale and things like that. But for whatever reason, it's not being viewed that way.   at this moment.   Ema Roloff (15:24.366) I think that you just tapped into something that's really interesting that I had never really thought of in this context. But it is the way that we've presented AI to the world feels different than the way that we've presented other tools. But the part that really gets me is in our personal lives, I don't know a single person that isn't interacting with AI, but they just don't maybe realize it. And going back to that idea of how we position it and how we put it in front of people,   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (15:46.349) already. Yeah.   Ema Roloff (15:54.27) Nobody thinks of Netflix as AI, but they have massive amounts of AI operating in the background to be able to deliver you exactly the show that you want to watch, but we're not intimidated by that. That's nice. So it is a little bit of like probably how we've positioned it in the past, but I think that fear associated with AI, you know, when we talk about like polarizing content and stuff like that, Paul, like.   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (16:07.61) Mm-hmm.   Ema Roloff (16:21.302) When I've created content about not having fear of AI and rather looking at it as a tool that's gonna help us reach new heights, the comments that I get sometimes are like calling me like a propaganda mouthpiece. There's people that have like come after my appearance because I dared say that they don't need to fear AI. You know, like it's something that gets a visceral reaction out of people because there is a lot of fear associated with it because there's these headlines.   that come out about how many jobs it's gonna remove, how many people it's gonna replace. But if we looked at like what the internet did over time and tried to do a tally of how many jobs the internet removed, we'd probably be talking about the same statistics because nobody's talking about the other side of how many jobs were created and how much productivity was unlocked by these tools becoming available. And so it's probably a lot of how we talk about it and the narrative that's put in front of people that causes that fear.   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (17:07.686) Mm-hmm.   Ramsey Smith (17:19.161) Yeah, I think part of the challenge is a lot of the sort of doomsday narrative is happening through channels that are sort of certainly outside of the control of this podcast, this industry. And, you know, they do tend to sort of border on that border. They're, they're, they're couched in sort of existential terms, whether it's Elon Musk, or it's Sam Altman and OpenAI and everything. So it's   Ema Roloff (17:30.542) Hehehe   Ramsey Smith (17:46.645) That's going to be a hard thing to overcome, but I think that maybe the opportunity is where do we find ways to help people use AI in their day-to-day life, in their business, so something they can make money on, where they feel some sense of control and it's helping them do their job in some better way, because that's ultimately where the trust is going to come from.   You know, in your work, whether your current work or your past work, where do you feel like you've had a breakthrough where you actually showed somebody something and it really delivered for them and they turned the corner? I mean, are we there yet? Are we still fighting for that first win? Or have you seen some of those? By the way, and it would make sense that we, we're still fighting, I'm still fighting for that first win. So, but I'm curious like what your experience has been so far.   Ema Roloff (18:40.382) Yeah. So in a past life, um, I sold process automation platforms and tools. And I would say, I mean, I've been out of that position for over like a year and a half, two years and, um, so three, four, five years ago, we were selling AI solutions, but we weren't calling them AI. Um, so things like optical character recognition.   that has intelligence built into it to be able to recognize what information is being extracted off of a document and where to place that data. There is intelligence built into those tools, but we call it intelligent document processing or optical character recognition, because these are tools that have been around for a long time and had these layers of artificial intelligence built into them, into these existing platforms that we've worked with.   Same thing with something like the idea of process mining, where we're taking huge, huge amounts of data and looking for the most effective process route that we can take. Those tools, depending on the approach that you're taking to that process mining, might have computer vision associated with them. They might be using other elements of AI to recognize those patterns and be able to create an output that we then use.   to enable other software platforms. So there have been these wins, but they haven't probably been packaged with the label of AI the same way that we are now, everything is slapped with AI because that's the biggest fanciest nicest marketing term that any company can use. And that being said, where I think we're gonna see kind of that next wave of true adoption, and probably some of that like,   perception changing is going to be core platforms, bringing AI in and showing people what AI is capable of within these software platforms that they're already leveraging today. Because that's going to be, again, a smaller, it's going to be a more incremental step for them to get used to. And now we're packaging it with that AI term associated with it. So it's going to help like the...   Ema Roloff (20:59.662) It's going to do a nice little PR campaign for AISO whole. Um, and then we'll start to see people more comfortable with the idea of something like a company rolling out their own large language model tool that they can leverage or, you know, maybe some of those things are being pulled into core systems. I think that's going to be where some of the perception starts to change because people are going to realize this isn't replacing me. It's taking away the four steps that I really hated doing in the first place.   Ramsey Smith (21:01.795) Mm-hmm.   Ema Roloff (21:29.342) And then there's going to be more of like, well, what else could we do with this? Where else could we go? And it's going to have kind of that, like, if you give a mouse a cookie effect, they're going to ask for a glass of milk and they're going to want to know where else they can go with it.   Paul (21:41.388) Yeah. Well, I want to pivot over to sales in a second, but just to sort of give you one last question, you know, Ema, that we all, I think, Tisa, I want your opinion, Ramsey, which is the people, what's the people equation here to make an AI implementation successful? You know, my experience, Ema, and it's just where, you know, what you've said just totally resonates with me. Tisa, you'll, I know you'll dodge your head. Oh.   hey, we're gonna bring a new email system in. Oh, we're gonna bring a new CRM system. The only time those work, in my experience, has been when you have somebody, you're reassigned to do this, or you got somebody matched up against the software platform. If you just buy the thing, sign the contract, as hard as that is, to go through the procurement, you'll just sit there, right? Okay, so here are some things, Ema, that have been thrown out. I've literally heard these tees in the last, like, what, three months here.   Oh, we need to hire a prompt engineer. Oh, we need to go hire a coder. Well, we already have a coder. We already have people to answer questions. Oh, we need a... What do we need? What do you need as a company here, if you're gonna say, yeah, I wanna like pull AI into my business. Is there a good list of who to shop for?   Ema Roloff (22:59.522) So I would say in terms of, I don't necessarily, I mean, taking a half step back, going back to this idea of digital literacy that I mentioned a moment ago, it's probably not that you need to go out and hire people with drastically different skill sets than you already have. You probably need to spend time educating the people that are already within your business that have the institutional knowledge of how your business works.   and know where you have opportunity to improve to get a better understanding of how all of these technologies can come in and make a difference. And when you start that education process, I've seen some companies do this where they started with their executive team and had their LMS had almost, they didn't call it digital literacy, but they had this track of education focused on what is AI? How is it?   helping our industry, what are the types of things it can do for you? They had this education path set up for their executives and then started rolling it out at the, across the entire company as a way to recognize where and how they should be bringing in these emerging technologies into the company. Because going back to this idea of like people then process, then technology, if your people don't understand how to leverage the tools.   they're never going to come to you with ideas of where there is opportunity. But if you teach them, they're going to come to you with where there are opportunities. You can look at the process that they've brought forward as an opportunity, address what you'd like that process to look like in the future with that knowledge of how technology can support that new process.   And then you can go shop for technology and you'll have a really strong understanding of exactly what you need to bring into the company to enable those people and that newly envisioned process to be effective. But if you don't take that step of that education at the front end, then your people don't know where to bring forward those opportunities. So then what ends up happening is somebody comes in with a shiny object and says, this is going to make your life really easy and your   Ema Roloff (25:15.554) caught in this wheel where you're bringing in technology based off of the use cases that vendors have identified for you, as opposed to having your people in your process identify your need and bringing in the right tools.   Ramsey Smith (25:31.453) So that strikes me as just such an important point, in part because people that come in selling, they bring some, it is a shiny object, it surely has some great functionality, and people are very quickly attracted to this idea that my life is gonna be easier. But you're absolutely right, unless you actually figure out upfront, what are the bottlenecks, you may end up having an unsatisfying outcome. So that's why, as...   You know, Paul, as you asked that question, you know, I was just thinking there's really a lot of stakeholders, but you have to sort of deal with the people that sort of deal with the problem day to day, understand what their pain points are. Because if you solve their pain points, one, you actually build trust and confidence in using technology, but two, you're probably also focusing on the right issue. And people in leadership matter as well, because at the end of the day, people in leadership have to focus on what are the aggregate outcomes of all these systems we have. And so   whether it's keeping shareholders happy or policyholders in general, et cetera, that needs to be done there. But I think you really, really have to make sure that you understand the problems at a basic level. So Ema, to your point, yes, I think you need to, you need to focus on the people that are actually doing all the inputs. Because guess what? If you bring in the wrong system, those folks will still have to do the same things in the most difficult way and they'll be upset, yeah.   Ema Roloff (26:56.938) And they're going to be, and they'll be skeptical the next time that you bring in technology or they'll think that you don't care what their employee experience is like, and there's one piece, you know, Ramsey, before we started recording, we were talking a little bit about this idea of like, how does a company end up with 200 different technology systems? And how have we, and like, that kind of goes hand in hand with this idea of like,   Ramsey Smith (27:00.645) Yeah.   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (27:02.362) Right.   Ema Roloff (27:24.366) How have we been at digital transformation for 10, 15 years with still having, depending on the statistics you look at, 70% to 80% failure rates? It's because we bring in these pieces without taking a step back to look at the entire puzzle and figure out exactly where those pieces need to go to complete the picture and actually improve the process, because you can improve this little tiny piece of the puzzle.   but then you're just pushing the bottleneck back to a different point or creating another problem somewhere along the line for yourself. So then you don't even get the return that you were hoping for on these tools that you're bringing into the company.   Paul (28:06.329) Yeah. Tisa, what do you think?   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (28:08.366) I mean, what I'm hearing is something that we probably, take a step back and pause and think, like some basics, right? We listen to the front line, talk to the folks on the front line that are doing the work, that are interacting with, whether it's the clients or the producers or whatever the use case is. And so really in this next wave, it's sort of like not losing sight of that, so that you're solving real business problems, you're understanding where the problems are, straight from the mouths of those dealing   As far as bringing in new technology, I think that...   when I think about senior leadership, obviously they have to make the decisions of where you're gonna direct and where you're gonna invest funds to bring in technology. But I think the thing that connects it all is understanding that if you bring in the right technology at the right time to solve the right problem, it really truly is a differentiator in the marketplace. So the value across the enterprise is for the person on the front line to be more efficient and do their job better, feel like they're at a place that listens to them, gives them the tools they need to be successful. But ultimately,   out in the marketplace, it can make you the winner, whether that's the company with the best customer service experience or the company that can get business process the fastest. And that's the win-win for everyone. But getting there is connecting all the dots. But I do think the company that figures it out, it's a big thing to figure out and probably with some time constraint. Either want to be the first or the best.   can make a difference long term as far as winning out in the marketplace and being the place that folks decide or choose where they want to buy from, where they want to place their business, who they want to work with. So I think there's branding, you know, there's just, there's a lot to win with it, figuring it out quote unquote, right, but there's obviously a lot to lose if you take the wrong steps along the way. And, and   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (30:07.898) you know, having the trade-off be sort of the employee piece of it, the employee satisfaction piece is a big thing to consider in how you approach it.   Paul (30:18.412) Yeah, this is a tough one. I think it's, yes, it needs top-down support. Probably even like, I'm seeing a lot of companies actually being pushed into Gen. AI by the board of directors, not even the CEO. It's interesting. And at the same time, you need that top-down support to do introduce something like this, Ema. Wow, the people on the front lines are the ones who are going to give you the use cases. It feels like this will end up being more of a process re-engineering.   Ema Roloff (30:43.874) Mm-hmm.   Paul (30:47.964) exercise at the end of the day than it will be pure technology because a lot of this AI stuff is free. It's open source. Now there's a lot of work stitched together, right? Put it in these systems. But let's talk about marketing. I'll say we, Tisa and I demoed some stuff to one of our distributors. Yes, we called it AI, but Tisa, I don't think we really promoted it as such and it was AI driven marketing.   Ema Roloff (30:57.512) Mm-hmm.   Paul (31:17.601) and technology created by AI. I mean, how would you describe the response there?   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (31:23.874) I think was overwhelmingly positive. I think it's a combination of two things, probably, to your point, Ema, like what we called it, the way it was presented, the perception of it, right? But also, we happened to be talking to a distributor that is also investing in technology, kind of understands the role. So it was a positive conversation. And immediately, additional use cases were identified in the one or two that we showed.   But I think back to what I said a few minutes ago, it's kind of solving the same problem with a different piece of technology. So would you rather get like.   template which is like literally would you rather get a word document with a template with fill it You know fill in here insert here, or would you rather have that sort of be more interactive? Conversational pick a few prompts spit out the thing you need. Oh wait go back two seconds later I'd rather have this tone spit out the next you know version of a marketing asset that you're looking for so I think we've always had from a marketing perspective we've always had like toolkits and templates and   and a PDF with a fillable fill in my name. But if it can present differently, have more interactivity, and give you more choice more quickly to solve the same need, I think people would lean towards that second use case or that second description. And that's what we got in the room when we talked through what we're looking to build. Of course, they would rather use that. So I think we're heading in the right direction.   Paul (33:02.886) Okay, so imagine you're talking to these distributors now. I'm in sales, I'm in marketing. I mean, what should I be doing differently in 2024?   Ema Roloff (33:14.466) See, I'm going to take this in a different direction than generative AI, and it's going to be because of generative AI. And I'm going to say every single company should have some sort of video strategy associated with how they are marketing. And at the very minimum, if not a video strategy, a very, very strong education-based content strategy.   Um, so not everybody likes being on video, but the reason that I'm so bullish about it is because. Now that we've hit this point where a lot of people have figured out how to use AI to create collateral or do marketing. There is going to be for lack of a better term, a thirst for authenticity. And video provides individuals and organizations if it's done right.   the opportunity to truly connect and provide that like authenticity and human trust that comes through like relationships in a different way than other content. So if you're writing a blog post as a human without the assistance of AI, or even with the assistance of AI,   It has the opportunity to get lost in the sea of all of the different blog posts on that same topic that are being generated using AI. Um, if you create an image or like, you know, I still hope, and I believe in my heart, but like humans will also still create art and whatever else, but like, if you go and you get this really cool image, it's still competing with images that have been generated by AI.   At least at this point, the AI generated videos with like the dobovers of your mouth still lack that like natural authenticity that comes from somebody actually showing up in that avenue. And so I'm pretty bullish that we're going to see even more video content and even more of that like thirst for true authentic content, because of the push of how much AI is going to be coming at us over the next couple of months.   Ramsey Smith (35:09.905) Hmm.   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (35:30.51) Yeah, well, and AI makes it easier to produce those videos, right? Like the editing side, the production side is making it easier, even finding the right on-screen talent that people can connect and identify with. It's making it quicker and easier to make those videos. So I agree with you.   Paul (35:30.888) Yeah, I...   Ramsey Smith (35:45.285) So probably the only thing that I wonder about in that space is you can create things that are substantively very good. In other words, essentially they give the information that meets sort of in a particular educational need. But obviously the way one wins in that space is through reach and people actually watching your stuff. So the question is how much of it   Paul (35:45.646) Yep.   Ramsey Smith (36:15.057) I mean, do you have to be the Mr. Beast of this space, right? So how do you come up with the right strategy, assuming you get the content right? What is the best way? I know we're sort of coming up on the end of time here, so maybe this will be a prompt for a follow-up conversation, but what are the ways you do, in your view, how do you help people get that message?   Ema Roloff (36:24.596) Mm-hmm.   Ramsey Smith (36:41.905) to the right people, the decision makers that can actually drive your business.   Ema Roloff (36:46.314) So I think there's two ways to look at this. There is, are you trying to be an influencer or are you trying to sell? And those are two different things in my mind. Yes, influencers can sell, but just because somebody has a big following doesn't mean that they're speaking to the right people and converting the right people.   being a seller that uses these tools, you're speaking to a very specific audience. So you may not have the biggest reach in the entire world. You may not have the impressions of a Mr. Beast or anybody else, but because you've tapped into your specific focus and you're solving a specific problem, you're going to find more revenue from that. Then you would the giant brand that is speaking to no one in particular.   And, you know, I was actually just having this conversation with my husband yesterday, because like, as we got to the year end, everyone's posting their like impressions on LinkedIn. And, you know, I have some friends that I'm so excited to see them get these like just absolutely monstrous, you know, 8 million impressions and all of the rest of it, and they've had follower counts that have increased much faster than mine, but I speak to a very specific audience.   And I've got a really engaged audience that wants to interact with the content that I'm creating. And so we've seen, you know, with the launch of our business, we are practicing what we preach and we have not sent a single cold email or made a single cold call. And now we have more business than we know what to do with because we spent the time tapping into exactly who we were speaking to the problem we were trying to solve and helping educate people in that space to build trust.   And so like, again, I might not have, they might have 10,000 followers more than me, and they might still be tapping into the right audience and generating revenue. I don't know that off the top of my head, but that 8 million impressions doesn't automatically transition to conversions. So I think if we, going back to this kind of teaser comment that I made before, if you as a seller or a marketer can stop and think to yourself, if I were a teacher,   Ema Roloff (39:01.598) what subject would I be teaching? And get really, really clear on exactly what subject you're teaching. And then think about who exactly would be in my classroom. And you start creating content for that specific classroom and those specific people, you'll find that there will be leads that come back to you because you've helped tap in to becoming that favorite teacher and that resource that people come back to, to learn from and trust to solve their problem when it's time to buy.   Paul (39:30.848) Love it. Love it. Hey listen, we're right at the end of time. We could go on. Ema, we have to have you back here. And maybe you can bring Kenny G with us too. That was... I loved your cameo you pulled in.   Ema Roloff (39:37.927) Name a time.   Yeah. Okay. No, it's on my list. So when I grew up, my dad always played Kenny G's Christmas album as like the announcement that we were allowed to come out and come to the Christmas tree. So I have, I'm one of six. So like my six siblings and I like that, or like the six of us, that song is like Christmas to us. And I realized this year that Kenny G does cameos where he'll play Christmas music.   Ramsey Smith (39:44.125) Is that an inside joke?   Ramsey Smith (39:54.834) Yeah.   Ramsey Smith (40:09.481) Ah, okay.   Ema Roloff (40:10.026) So I went on a probably three week campaign to get my husband to agree to let me buy a cameo from Kenny G as our Christmas card this year.   Ramsey Smith (40:18.393) Wow, okay. Nice.   Paul (40:19.82) Yeah, but that's, the reason I bring that up is there's lots and lots and lots of average content out there. And I think, you know, bad misuse of Gen.AI will be average. You don't get average responses. But I'm going to take somebody like you to say, let me sort of take these new technologies, put it in a way where, you know, it's not average. It is authentic. And it speaks exactly to the people I care about. You know, I don't care about.   100,000 people in North Korea. Well, actually, they could be South Korea. I guess North Korea would be shut off. But I want this audience in my room that I'm talking to, right? So, I think this is something to stay the same forever. Forever. Ema, how do people find out? How do people connect with you, learn more about you, and what you might, and ways you might be able to help solve some of their problems?   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (40:53.81) I'm sorry.   Ema Roloff (40:59.084) Mm-hmm.   Ema Roloff (41:14.794) Yeah. So, um, our company's name is Rolloff Consulting. So Rolloff is a great way to get into contact and learn a little bit more about again, kind of our approach to digital sales, um, or find me on LinkedIn. The one tricky part is my Ema is spelled with one M so it's E-M-A Roll Off. Um, and I'm on active, very active on LinkedIn. So you'll find me there very easily.   Paul (41:37.868) Yeah, excellent. All right, Tisa, Ramsey, thank you very much.   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (41:42.502) Thank you.   Ramsey Smith (41:43.493) Great to see you guys. Happy New Year.   Paul (41:45.508) Happy New Year to everybody and join us again next week for another great episode of That Annuity Show.

Ospiti dell'associazione Parco della Torre, in una bellissima giornata al parco, parliamo del quartiere di Roma Tor Marancia, della sua storia, ascoltando il bellissimo podcast di AISO "I ricordi si faranno strada" e intervistiamo Giulia Zitelli Conti - Aiso Associazione italiana Storia Orale e Giuliano Marotta, dell'Associazione Parco della Torre.

In dieser Solo-Folge gibts a kostenloses Mentoring vom Oid O und a bissl Selbstbeweihräucherung. Aiso ois wia immer.  Außerdem lernts ihr in diesem Podcast, dass ma am Oid a brudale Freid mit Whiskey macha konn und ob es sinnvoll is zu heiraten. Gerngeschehen.

In this week's episode, Riccardo switches chairs and guest host, Jim Barnard, asks all the questions. Riccardo shares insights from his Oxford Saïd Business School dissertation on the use of collaborative contracting into major programmes, specifically PPP structures. Riccardo and Jim delve into the complications and complexities of risk management, adversarial situations, stakeholders and shareholders and private financing.   “When you have collaborative contracting, you almost waive your legal rights or your rights to pursue legal remedies. And so, all of the parties are around the table. There are many advantages of collaborative contracting, but the simplest one is, instead of hiring lawyers to sort out disputes, you're redeploying those resources to actually solving project problems.” Key Takeaways:  The price of winning contracts in the PPP market and how the public sector entity comes into playWhy collaborative contracting provides better odds for finishing on time and on budget, but equity has to take more riskPPP and politics, how do we navigate it?  If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. The conversation doesn't stop here—connect and converse with our community: Riccardo Cosentino on LinkedInJim Bernard on LinkedIn Transcript:Riccardo Cosentino 00:05You're listening to navigate the major problems, the podcast that aims to elevate the conversationshappening in the infrastructure industry and inspire you to have a more efficient approach within it. I'myour host, Riccardo Cosentino brings over 20 years of major product management experience. Mostrecently, I graduated from Oxford University Said business school, which shook my belief when itcomes to navigating major problems. Now, it's time to shake yours. Join me in each episode, as I pressthe industry experts about the complexity of major program management, emerging digital trends andthe critical leadership required to approach these multibillion-dollar projects. Let's see what theconversation takes us. Hello, and welcome to a new episode of navigating major programs. Todaywe're going to be doing things a little bit differently. My friend, and one point guest of the show asagreed kindly to be hosting this podcast. And we'll do a role reversal where I'm going to be doing thepresenting and Jim Barnard is going to co-host the show. And today we're going to talk about a topicthat is very close to my heart, which is the use of collaborative contracting into major programs,especially into PPP structures. I've done a full dissertation at Oxford as part of my master, majorprogram management, and I decided that it'd be good to walk you through my findings and myconclusion. Anyway, let me introduce the host for today. Jim Bernard. How you doing? Jim?Jim 02:00I'm great. Riccardo, thanks for having me. Big fan of the podcast, obviously had the chance to be on apreviously so very much appreciate the opportunity to be host this time.Riccardo Cosentino 02:11So today, as I said, I'll be a be doing the talking. And you'll be doing the asking. Maybe I can start? I'lljump right into it unless you have a specific question for me. And maybe I can give a bit of a bit of anoverview of my research thesis and some of my findings and some of my conclusions.Jim 02:34 2Transcribed by https://otter.aiYes, summary will be great, a perfect place to start. But some of our folks listening may not becompletely familiar with even the concept of collaboration. And I know having read your dissertationthat you get into some fairly technical and detailed topics relative to finance and how structures are setup and that type of thing. So for those of us either less familiar or kind of new to the topic, if you don'tmind, let's start as basic as possible.Riccardo Cosentino 03:03Okay, well, let's start with, let's start with what prompted me to research this specific topic, the probablya good place to start here. I you know, I'm a professional the work in public private partnership over thelast 20 years. So again, a lot of knowledge about the topic, I have structured and finance manytransactions that use non recourse financing. And a couple of years ago, my company decided to exitthe what we call the lump sum turnkey business, which is the type of contracting where a private sectorentity commits to deliver a project on time and on budget and every any cost overruns. And at any cost,and any time overruns are absorbed by the entity that has committed to deliver the project. So mycompany has been losing a lot of money with the stock form a contract. So in 2018, we decided toexited. However, this type of contract is the cornerstone of non recourse financing, recourse financingis financing that doesn't, doesn't lean on the asset of the parent company, but the only leans on theasset of the other special purpose vehicle that is delivering the project,Jim 04:26basically. Project.Riccardo Cosentino 04:29Yes. Right. So it's basically the future revenues, that that's the only recourse available to lenders debtand equity lenders is access to, to project revenues rather than corporate revenue associated with theentity that is delivered project.Jim 04:49Right.Riccardo Cosentino 04:50And because my company exited this business lumpsum turnkey, indirectly we also exited theconstruction portion of public private partnerships were where entities or companies, contractors arehired to deliver the project under the structure. However, we still wanted to stay involved in contracting.So what we started researching is different types of contracts and collaborative contracting, came upalliances IPD all forms of contract that they include a large component of collaboration. In this type ofcontracts, the risk is not transferred to the product to the contracting entity is the risk of on timecompletion and on budget completion stays within the project sponsor. There is a Pain Gain sharingmechanism, where the contracting entity, the contractor that is delivering the project puts their fee risk,but they're not taking on the cost of around burden that is typical of lump sum turnkey. So once westarted researching this, the question that I was asked many, many times, being the expert in publicprivate partnership is can we convince clients and lenders to use collaborative contracting within thenon recourse PPP structure? And intuitively, I didn't think it was possible, I did some preliminary 3Transcribed by https://otter.airesearch as part of my job. But I couldn't really find conclusive answers of why collaborativelycontracting could or could not be used within a PPP structure,Jim 06:45where I take a step back down, how did you do your preliminary research was at a qualitative research,quantitative research and kind of benefits of both detriments of both How did you choose what methoddid you use and how did you choose it.Riccardo Cosentino 06:58So during what while I was still working, so before I use an academic method, I, I just looked at thecommercial parameters, I just look at the commercial framework and in the legal framework, and I justtried to see if the economic principle of the commercial principle would support these type ofcommercial and legal structure, right. And based on my understanding of the commercial principle, nonrecourse financing, where risk has to be transferred, and where lenders that especially debt lenders,needs to be kept whole in the PPP structure, the only entity that can keep the lenders or is thecontractor delivering the work? I mean, no, it's not the only way. But it's the most economical way. Andthe cheapest way of implementing a project finance structure is to have the contractor guaranteeing thedelivery of the project by putting up the balance sheet and by taking on the cost of Iran in a lump sumturnkey model,Jim 08:07but the fee, the fees at that point are fixed, right. So you're really talking all downside, fixed upside inthat structure. I mean, it sounds not just unpalatable, but somewhat dangerous for the contractor to getinto that arrangement.Riccardo Cosentino 08:23It is and they think he has worked in the past to a certain degree where Contractor have been able tomanage that risk the took on. But I think over the last 15 years, the market got so competitive, thatcontractors have been racing to the bottom sometimes fixing the cost of the project to a level too low toactual deliver and then end up absorbing all of the losses at the back end or the contraction period. Imean, that's definitely what happened to our company we overcommitted in order to win the contract,and then we ended up with a lot of the losses. However, there are instances where the model works.It's just you know, I think you the model can work if you have a healthy competitive process, if you havean unhealthy race to the bottom is probably dangerous, dangerous territoryJim 09:23that can open up even getting into different ways of gaming. Bidding processes itself is a massive topic,I'm sure that gets into behavioral economics and how people bid and upsides and downsides andpsychology and all this other stuff. So we probably want to table that for a future episode because wecould spend hours just on that aspect of it. I'm sure. So, but I guess the conclusion is at some point inthe market, the bids got so tight in the market, the fees got compressed, so low that the people who arewinning the bids were just really behind the eight ball at the beginning. I mean, it was it was almost Iwant to say it was, you know, failure was baked into the to the process. But it sounds like you're in areally tight spot straight out of the gate. 4Transcribed by https://otter.aiRiccardo Cosentino 10:13That's correct. And it's not unlikely It's not unlike the, you know, bid low claim high model that westudied in, at Oxford, right, I think there was a case about how the it's, we live in an industry wherethere's a lot of, you know, contractors make their money through the claims. And then and I think that'swhere the PPP market got to where, you know, companies bid low in order to secure the contract, andthen then trying to deal with the consequences afterwards,Jim 10:46by claim process, you're talking going to court litigation,Riccardo Cosentino 10:50eventually. Yeah, that's where he ends up. I mean, you can try and settle. I mean, there are settlementalong the way that you can do there are but you know, ultimately, yeah, you go to court, and, you know,20 to 30 cents on the dollars if you're lucky when you play.Jim 11:05So that whole system sounded like from the day that they decided to race to the bottom of the wholesystem seems like it's building upon a weak foundation to start. And it's crumbling from there. I mean, ifyou're going to court to deal with inevitable complexity of a major program seems like somethingstarted wrong. I mean, it's not in it's not within the project itself, which obviously has its own complexityfrom a cost standpoint, engineering standpoint, and construction execution stakeholders, and then wehave this whole network of influencers within any major program. But this is like on top of that, this is awhole kind of external integration challenge. That, before you even get to the complexity of the project,you're kind of off off center to begin with that fair.Riccardo Cosentino 11:58That's, that's very fair. And, and but that's probably not something caused by the PPP structure or thenon recourse financing structure is more caused by, you know, public sector entity, especially beingsubjected to optimism bias and strategic misrepresentation in order to get these projects off the ground.And I think we PPP that problem is accentuated by the fact that there's a bit of heuristics, which is theprivate sector can do it better. So we don't have to develop the project to you know, 50% 60% design,in order to get to get bids in, we're gonna put out a 5% design, the private sector will take a developergive us a fixed price. And, and we'll go from there, which breeds a situation where you have contractorcommitting to a fixed price contract with only 15 20% design done. Because that's the nature of PPPwhere, you know, the government or the public sector doesn't want to develop the project, becausethey don't want to stifle the innovation that the private sector could bring. But on the other hand, theydon't really give a lot of opportunity to the private sector, to develop the design, to you know, 60 70%,which is what you need to have certainty, and then an ability to commit to a fixed price.Jim 13:28So are sort of back to that master, the opposite of the master builder heuristic. We're not planning longand or planning slow and building quickly, we're planning quickly and just accumulating delays and costoverruns. 5Transcribed by https://otter.aiRiccardo Cosentino 13:41Absolutely, absolutely. And then, you know, and you know, we seen this, because these projects are solong. And by the time that all the problems actually materialize, it's probably six, seven years down theline. So nobody worries about that at the beginning, and you will worry about that at the end. And youalways people somehow scratch their heads is that how do we get here, but pretty simple how we gothere.Jim 14:07So not to not to necessarily prompt a sales pitch for collaborative contracting. But how do you see orhow what did your research determine the benefits of collaborative contracting? We're, and then howlikely is it that it's going to become part of part of the industry?Riccardo Cosentino 14:31So my research was wasn't so much about collaborative contracting. So I took I took the benefit ofcollaborative contracting as a given and I said, you know, if collaborative contracting is such a goodway of delivering projects, How come is not used in PPP structures? What are the limiting factors thatdon't allow the implementation of collaborative contracting into PPP P. So my starting premises wascollaborative contracting is good. It is the way forward, and how do we how do we roll it out in differentparts of the industry?Jim 15:12Can we explore that just for a second? What is it about collaborative contract? And what benefits? Doyou believe that delivers to the industry?Riccardo Cosentino 15:21Well look, to me, just the fundamental principle that when you have collaborative contracting, youalmost you're almost waive your legal rights or your rights to pursue legal remedies. And so all of theparties are around the table. So the, you know, there are many advantages of collaborative contractcontracting, but the simplest one is, instead of hiring lawyer to sorting out disputes, you redeployingthose resources to actually solving project problems. So if you think of the litigation costs in thesemajor, major programs, if you just take those costs, and you were to use that financial resource toactually solve actual problems on the project, I mean, it doesn't take a lot of research to know thatanecdotally, that that's a good thing. Developed with all due respect to our attorney friends out there,your role may not best to be solving problems after the fact. Right? I mean, that's kind of the idea.Yeah, I mean, look, I mean, a claim against the client doesn't get concrete poured faster. Right. Okay.Fair point. You know, a few extra engineers and a few extra project resources could get that concretepoured faster, or figure out a way to pour the concrete faster.Jim 16:56Yeah, have the magic communications better to when you're not having to run it through attorneys andlegal filings?Riccardo Cosentino 17:02 6Transcribed by https://otter.aiYeah, I mean, I use I use that example. Because it's, you know, we just talked about claims we justtalked about, you know, ended up in court. So that's, that's the thing that comes to mind. But, you know,in general, I think we can all agree that a non antagonistic environment is more conducive to betterworking relation and better outputs. It's just anecdotally, we intuitively we can all see thatJim 17:34Sure.Riccardo Cosentino 17:35That we all want to work in a collaborative space, because, you know, when you bring the intellect ormultiple people together, and you foster that, you definitely want to get a better outcome.Jim 17:47Right, more rewarding toRiccardo Cosentino 17:48Yes. So that's, that's why I've took that I took it as a dogma, I said, collaborative contracting, is the rightway forward,Jim 17:58okay.Riccardo Cosentino 17:59So, okay, so why can we use that in PPP structures. And so, this is where it gets a little bit technical.Where, you know, PPP are really know nothing more than non recourse financing or project financing.That was it was a financing mechanism that was developed in the 70s. for oil exploration in the NorthSea, there weren't enough oil and gas company, there wasn't a big enough oil and gas company toabsorb the risk of oil exploration in the North Sea. So, they came together and came up with thestructure, which basically insulate the parent companies for the loss from the losses of the project. Andso, you know, if you take all exploration, and you lend him money into oil exploration Norh sea lenderscan only go after the asset to the oil platform or the future revenues associated with the asset. And thatbasically insulate the parent company for wo po things go really wrong,Jim 19:11but is there is there a completion guarantee built into this? I mean, the contractor can't just walk awaywithout recourse, can they?Riccardo Cosentino 19:18So, sorry, what I was describing is the is the is the structure or the client level? Yes.Jim 19:25Got it.Riccardo Cosentino 19:26 7Transcribed by https://otter.aiSo at the at the contractor level, yeah, absolutely the contractor. So that's what I was saying that inthese non recourse structures, the completion guarantee comes from the contractor. So ultimately, theback so although the project itself is non recourse, the contractor does put up guarantees becauseultimately the guarantees are in favor of the project sponsor and the project lenders right debt thatlenders, right? So the equity lenders is typically the developers, obviously they take equity risk, so Theyhave high amounts of risk or high amount of returns. So the first one, they get wiped out if the projectdoesn't do well. However, the debt lender has less, you know, these are big institution, they don't likerisk, they want to be insulated. So if the project was in to reach substantial completion, the contractorwould keep the lenders whole up to a point. And there's this is, this is why collaborative contracting isnot quite easy to implement in the structure, because the debt lenders always looking to recover themoney, right? And if the risk hasn't been transferred to a contractor, where the lender is going torecover the money for right,Jim 20:47where does it go, because it doesn't leave the project, just because nobody raised their hand to take it,it's not going away.Riccardo Cosentino 20:55So it's a Series is brought by non recourse financing PPP, these a zero sum games, where either thecontractor loses money, or the client loses money. And so that that creates the adversarial situation,especially if you haven't bid the job properly, you're going to be losing money, you're going aftersomebody because nobody likes to lose money, you're going to go after the client, and then theadversarial scenario sets in.Jim 21:24So the most important relationship, the most important relationship between the client and thecontractor for the project success is immediately set up on a weak foundation, like, yes. Okay. Thatexplains anything.Riccardo Cosentino 21:40And it will be, you know, is not impossibly, you could implement a collaborative contract between theclient and the contractor. However, the lenders need to get repaid, and the lender is only going to getrepaid when you reach substantial completion, you start extracting oil, you start selling the oil, and thatgenerates the revenues that are then used to repay the debt lenders, right? Yeah, so we couldimplement collaborative contract between the contractor and the project developer. However, in case ofcost overruns, the developer would pick up those costs. And because obviously, the lenders are still,you know, they still have debt service that you have to repay. And so somebody's got to pick up theircosts. And if he's not, there is not the contractor for a lump sum turnkey, then is the developer. Andhowever, that is not then becomes a more expensive structure, got a sense that you now have to putthe equity in. So now, it's very, very technical.Jim 22:55So maybe complex is that is that a good way to put it? 8Transcribed by https://otter.aiRiccardo Cosentino 22:59Is the well yes, complex, as actually complicated. It's very mechanical, there's no complex, it's theJim 23:07Swiss watch. It's not the flock of birds,Riccardo Cosentino 23:11which is basically, you know, when you inject equity, you know, when lenders lend you manage for aproject, that lenders lend you money for a project, they want to know that they're going to get paid back,right? And so they are going to look at the cost overruns. And they're going to look at who's going toabsorb the cost overruns. And so if the contractor is not going to pick up the cost overruns, becauseyou now have a relational contract in place, then the sponsor will, however, the sponsor has norecourse, there is no recourse to anybody above, right, typically, the contractor provides a parentcompany guarantee, and as the recourse to the parent company, but a developer because there's norecourse is not providing that they're there for they have to actually inject all of the equity upfront, rightto cover potential cost overruns. So you now have cash injected into the project, even though you mightnot need it, which makes it very, very expensive.Jim 24:08But you also have the benefit of big contingency.Riccardo Cosentino 24:11Absolutely. Absolutely. So, again, it's not is not impossible, this is just gets to the conclusion of mydissertation, which is it's possible to have relational contracting, it's going to be more expensive.However, the flip side, if we believe that collaborative Contracting is the way forward, you're going to bemore likely to finish on time and on budget, through collaboration that adversarial relations.Jim 24:38It's a funny, it's a funny perspective, to me having been involved in some complex projects, and itseems a little bit short sighted that somebody would really object to a 200 basis points or 2% increasein their cost of capital. Over massive cost overruns in the back end, huge attorney He's fees, delays,which we know costs money, I mean, time is actually money in a major program. So it's always justshocked me how everybody wants to bid to be as low as possible. Everybody wants to make sure thatthat interest rate is just as thin as they can possibly get it without giving any consideration to the factthat you're not saving anything. Because when you set up the program, that way, you're justguaranteed you're going to be over budget far more than you would ever save, and then add thelitigation on top of it that delays everything else. I mean, it just seems short sighted to me,Riccardo Cosentino 25:35unfortunately. So I'm, I specialize in public sector infrastructure. So I deal mostly with municipal, stateand federal government projects. And unfortunately, in the public sector, you have to demonstratevalue for money. And, you know, I think PPP is, it's particularly, the value for money analysis makesthings even worse, because what you end up now with is, private sector financing is more expensive inthe public sector financing a public, they know, the United States government can borrow at a cheaper 9Transcribed by https://otter.airate than any other corporation. So if you have a federal project, you're now adding, you know, 100 150bips to the cost to the cost of that because you have the private sector taken. So you now have a valuefor money analysis that already starts with you being in a hole. Because you now they Yeah, are goingto do it for a PPP are going to use private finance, but it's more expensive. So how do I balance thevalue for money? How do I justify that this is good value for money. And, you know, that's where youare starting play with risk transfer, you start quantify, the more risk you transfer, the more able you'regoing to be to show value for money, the lower the cost, the better because then again, you're going tobe able to show value for money. And as I said, The problem is that you're starting in a hole, right,because you already have to demonstrate why are using private finance. And then, and thencompound, the problem is, the way you justify private finance is by transferring risk, that are going totransfer more risks to the private sector are going to pay them more, you know, are going to pay theirhigher cost of capital. But that will bring me benefit because I have transferred to them the risk ofcompletion.Jim 27:37So you've got a, you've got a problematic paradigm may not be the it's a bit overused word, but you'vegot a problematic equation at the front end, which is creating some pretty significant adverseconsequences at the backend. Before you even get in to start talking about planning fallacy andstrategic misrepresentation. I mean, it, it sounds like the entrenched thought process behind howprojects should be evaluated, needs some work. And a fundamental understanding of the flaws in valuefor money might help. Because we know the results. I mean, there's plenty of data out there that showsI mean, independent of structure, how badly these projects perform. It's astronomical. But but it seemslike there's still some pretty heavy resistance to changing a perspective or methodology on the frontend to try to make up for some of that stuff. Is that fair?Riccardo Cosentino 28:35Yeah. I mean, you're also dealing with politicians right at this point. So it makes things even morecomplex. I think it's important that we talk about the I have other theory evidence, I guess it's furtherarea research, maybe for my PhD. But in my mind, PPP is our Chem, there is a role for PPP. So whenyou have low complexity projects, where you can actually define what you want, and you have very fewstakeholders. It's not it's not a bad model. So in Canada, various jurisdictions have had a lot of successwith hospital building, procuring them and building them using the PPP structure and as being as beingpositive as being a positive experience for all stakeholders. And this bill because it's a box, right, youbuilding a building, and it's any, you know, you can define what you want, and contractors are fairlyexperienced. And you know, it's a it's a Vertical Box. I think we're a falls apart where the PPP falls apartis when you have linear project and you start having more complexity in terms of many morestakeholders Many more moving parts in terms of you know, if you're building a railway, you now needto choose the technology, you go for different jurisdictions. And so the PPP, so having the privatesector lenders into a PPP structure creates more complexity, because he adds an additionalstakeholder and shareholder into the project. And it makes things a bit more complex, especially whenyou when you hit in problems.Jim 30:30 10Transcribed by https://otter.aiSo there's a every program has got a certain complexity threshold, that it cannot pass, it sounds like soif it's going to be, or if it's simple, from an engineering design perspective, single site, you know, squarepiece of property, whatever it can tolerate, and maybe even benefit from a certain addition ofcomplexity on top of, you know, in this case, the private sector provides access to resources thatmaybe the public sector doesn't have or can't appropriate. So the project can kind of hit that threshold.Whereas a complex project, just in the engineering and design side, may already be at that threshold orpast it. So adding another layer of financing complexity sounds disastrous,Riccardo Cosentino 31:18that's certainly the anecdotal evidence I have that especially so the way we differentiate is linear versusvertical. Right? When you have a linear project, yeah, the complexity is too high. And the benefit is,because you remember, the argument of bringing private sector lenders is that you have additionaloversight, you have an additional layer of oversight, you're going to use, the private sector lender isgoing to keep all the other stakeholder honest. So we're going to keep, let's say, the hospital ownerhonest, in terms of change order, they're not going to be able to halfway through the process, that issuechange order change in their mind, or what the scope of the project is, right? There's, you know, withthe with the design, build, finance, maintain and operate, you're actually maintaining the hospital for 30years. So you have now forced the Minister of Health to ring fence, the money required to maintain theproject for 30 years, because you're sending up a contract upfront, right. And if you if you know, publicsector, you know that the first thing the public sector cuts is operating budgets, right, so the PPP bringsbenefits. So the additional layer of complexity brought in by the private sector lenders iscounterbalanced by all these other benefits that a private sector lender brings in on a linear projectwhere the complexity is much higher, the benefits are outweighed by the negative of adding additionalcomplexity to something that cannot absorb it like you describe it very well.Jim 32:50So what conclusions did you draw from the research? I mean, PPP, the resistance to PPP,collaborative contracting, and PPP sounds fairly high. Yet the benefits seem fairly easy to argue. Andcertainly, anecdotally, we've got enough evidence where things don't work that you'd like to think afresh approach might be warmly received. But what are the impediments? What are the realistic optionsas they are today, relative to how successfullyRiccardo Cosentino 33:19I you know, can be my conclusion was pretty straightforward. It's actually it's the money issue, right? Imean, it's you, you could have collaborative contracting, it means equity has to take more risk. Andtherefore the project is going to be a little more expensive to finance because equity is taking more risk.However, if truly collaborative Contracting is the way forward and can actually deliver better on timeand on budget outcomes, then the additional cost of the private finance, to have collaboratedcontracting is, is insignificant. I haven't quantified it. But you know, you know, several basis points,compared to hundreds of millions of cost overruns. Yeah, I think if we were to do a back of theenvelope, we'll probably come to the conclusion that it's the cost benefit analysis, justify the additionalcost of financing,Jim 34:20 11Transcribed by https://otter.aiwhat's there, there's some and I'm going to get it wrong, but there's some colloquialism about steppingover dollars to pick up pennies kind ofRiccardo Cosentino 34:30Pound Foolish Pennywise PoundJim 34:32Foolish Yeah, the British the British version of the same sentiment. I keep having to remind myself thatwe went to went to graduate school in the UK, butRiccardo Cosentino 34:42yeah, so that's, you know, it'd be interesting it'd be a be interesting. The problem is PPP is a politicalbeast. I mean, the reason PPP was created, it's a political tool.Jim 34:55I mean, it to your point, it serves a purpose. It is a tool that has An application. But they the othercolloquial, I mean God, there's so many colloquialisms we could use. But if all you've got as a hammer,everything starts to look like a nail. I could go on, I'll spare the listeners, too many mixed metaphors andbad analogies. But the it sounds like your research is, or the conclusion is, it's got its place, it can bevery effective. But don't over rely on and the industry really should be open to a candid and evidencesupported discussion about alternatives.Riccardo Cosentino 35:32And it's admitting that to private finance, add an additional layer of complexity. And then the private Jimis that most practitioners don't understand complexity don't understand my major program is complexsystems. So it's not understood that you can't keep adding complexity and, and not not having negativeoutcome. Right, the more complexity you add, the more likely you have to have negative outcome, andadding a private sector lender is adding. So if you if you understand that, then you can manage andmitigate it. But if you don't even understand that private sector lending is additional complexity, thenthen you findJim 36:17that that may be the message or the beginning of the next research project or the next mission,understanding the level of complexity and how major programs are, in fact, complex adaptive systems,maybe we can take that step to your point, everything else will start to improve as well.Riccardo Cosentino 36:35So maybe we should start published, shared that complexity tool that we used complexity assessmenttool,Jim 36:46I'm sure Harvey Mahler would be thrilled if you would post a link to his research on complexity. Well,this has been fascinating. Riccardo, I certainly appreciate it. I've learned a lot. I really enjoyed readingyour research. I do think that there are opportunity. I mean, we've got enough evidence that the PPP is 12Transcribed by https://otter.aidon't work that well outside of some pretty specific application. So I think the work that you've done willcertainly push that conversation forward. And I, you know, I appreciate the opportunity to talk with youabout it.Riccardo Cosentino 37:21Thank you very much, Jim. And thanks for hosting the episode today. And hopefully, I'll have you backover guest in the foreseeable future.Jim 37:28That'd be great. I'd certainly appreciate the chance. Thank you.Riccardo Cosentino 37:32Thank you. That's it. For this episode, we'll navigate the major problems. I hope you found today'sconversation as informative and thought provoking as I did. If you enjoyed this conversation, pleaseconsider subscribing and leaving a review. I would also like to personally invite you to continue theconversation by joining me on my personal LinkedIn at Riccardo Cosentino. Listening to the nextepisode, where we will continue to explore the latest trends and challenges in major programmanagement. Our next in depth conversation promises to continue to dive into topics such asleadership, risk management, and the impact of emerging technology in infrastructure. It's aconversation you're not going to want to miss. Thanks for listening to navigate major problems. And Ilook forward to keeping the conversation going Music: "A New Tomorrow" by Chordial Music. Licensed through PremiumBeat.DISCLAIMER: The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the hosts and guests on this podcast do not necessarily represent or reflect the official policy, opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of Disenyo.co LLC and its employees.

In this episode, content creation strategist, Kristen Poborsky shares how to create content with AI in five simple steps. I've been using AI to help me generate content and I'll share my personal experiences so that you too will know how to create content with AI that helps you grow your business.I'm a big fan of using AI-generated content as part of my content creation process, and there are some things to keep in mind so that your voice doesn't get lost when creating content with AISo let's get started and learn how to create content with AI in five easy steps!LINKS MENTIONED:Want to learn how to create content with AI...grab the Profitable Content Creator Guide to AI right here: https://www.kristenpoborskytraining.com/AI-content-guideAnyword AI Content Generator - get a 20% discount when you use my affiliate link here:  https://anyword.com/data-driven-basic/?fpr=kristen28

Aiso Acharaj Dekhio Kabir, ਐਸੋ ਅਚਰਜੁ ਦੇਖਿਓ ਕਬੀਰ (Sri Guru Granth Sahib Page 326 Sabad 811)

Aiso Khel Rachyo Mere Data Ringtone : Ashram Bhajan Ringtone

Aiso Khel Rachyo Mere Data Ringtone : Ashram Bhajan Ringtone

Aiso Khel Rachyo Mere Data Ringtone : Ashram Bhajan Ringtone

Aiso Khel Rachyo Mere Data Ringtone : Ashram Bhajan Ringtone

Aiso Khel Rachyo Mere Data Ringtone : Ashram Bhajan Ringtone

Aiso Khel Rachyo Mere Data : Ashram Bhajan

Aiso Khel Rachyo Mere Data : Ashram Bhajan

Aiso Khel Rachyo Mere Data : Ashram Bhajan

Aiso Khel Rachyo Mere Data : Ashram Bhajan

Aiso Khel Rachyo Mere Data : Ashram Bhajan

Aiso Khel Rachyo Mere Data : Ashram Bhajan

Aiso Khel Rachyo Mere Data : Ashram Bhajan

Aiso Khel Rachyo Mere Data : Ashram Bhajan

Aiso Khel Rachyo Mere Data : Ashram Bhajan

Aiso Das Milai Sukh Hoi, ਐਸੋ ਦਾਸੁ ਮਿਲੈ ਸੁਖੁ ਹੋਈ (Sri Guru Granth Sahib Page 224 Sabad 598)

In today's episode of The HearingTracker Podcast, host Steve Taddei speaks with Rick Radia, the Product and Partnership Manager at AudioTelligence. Based in Cambridge (England), AudioTelligence aims to solve the "Cocktail Party Problem" using its Aiso™ for Hearing, which combines Blind Source Separation (BSS) and low-latency noise suppression. Tune in to hear audio samples of Aiso™ for Hearing, and to find out how the technology might help you hear better in noisy environments. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hearingtracker/message

Aiso Parchau Paio, ਐਸੋ ਪਰਚਉ ਪਾਇਓ (Sri Guru Granth Sahib Page 205 Sabad 532)

My amateur attempt at this delicately romantic song from the classic Hindi film 'Sahib, Bibi aur Ghulam' (1962). It's music composed by Hemant Kumar, is inspired by Raag Brindavani Sarang, which suits the mood of lively, innocently playful, feminine anticipation for the beloved, that the charming colloquial Hindi lyrics of this song, steeped in Shringaar Ras, express.

Genau, da Oid O hod endlich a neie Hirschlederne. Zeit is worn. Sunst is eigentlich absolut gar nix passiert. Aiso lassds es einfach und heads eich auf Youtube a boor Regengeräusche o!

Im MIXEDCAST #266 befassen wir uns mit dem Stand Künstlicher Intelligenz in Deutschland. Dafür haben wir uns Jörg Bienert vom deutschen KI-Bundesverband als Gast eingeladen. Podcast: KI in Deutschland – was können wir schon und wo können wir besser werden? Gerade eben steht es aus aktuellem Anlass mal wieder in sämtlichen Medien: Deutschland muss bei der Digitalisierung endlich voranmachen. So ziemlich alle Politiker:innen schreiben sich den digitalen Fortschritt groß auf die Fahne und in die Koalitionsverträge. Doch während wir noch darüber debattieren, ob und wie schnell wir flächendeckend schnelles Internet liefern können, starten insbesondere die USA und China die nächste Phase der Digitalisierung: Künstliche Intelligenz. Die mächtige Automatisierungstechnologie soll die Welt verändern und zeigt ihr Potenzial bereits in vielen Anwendungsszenarien, etwa bei der Generierung von Medien und Texten, in der Robotik, im autonomen Straßenverkehr oder bei der industriellen Datenanalyse. Langfristig sollen sich KI-Systeme aus der derzeit engen Spezialisten-Nische befreien und in generelle KI-Systeme wachsen, die dann in vielen Bereichen flexibel einsetzbar wären. Was diese Systeme in Gesellschaft und Wirtschaft alles bewegen werden? Wahrscheinlich mehr, als wir uns heute vorstellen können. KI-Podcast mit Jörg Bienert, Vorstandsvorsitzender des KI-Bundesverbands Gemeinsam mit Jörg Bienert, Mitgründer und Vorstand des deutschen KI-Bundesverbands, sprechen wir über den Stand Künstlicher Intelligenz in Deutschland: Was können wir schon bei KI – und wo können wir noch besser werden? Was sind Deutschlands KI-Chancen im internationalen Wettbewerb? Ist die im Vergleich zu den USA und China restriktive Datenschutzpolitik der EU ein Nachteil? Was ist der Reiz riesiger KI-Modelle und warum benötigt die EU mit Gaia-X ein eigenes? Sind gigantische Datenkonzerne wie Google und Facebook bei KI überhaupt noch einholbar? Diese und viele weitere Fragen besprechen wir mit Jörg, der neben seiner Rolle beim KI-Bundesverband Gründer und Geschäftsführer der aiso-lab GmbH in Köln ist. Nach seinem Studium der technischen Informatik und mehreren Stationen in der IT-Branche gründete Jörg ParStream, ein Big-Data Startup mit Sitz im Silicon Valley, das 2015 von Cisco übernommen wurde. Aiso-lab bringt Künstliche Intelligenz in den deutschen Mittelstand und bietet Schulungen, Workshops und Projektumsetzung auf Basis von Deep Learning-Technologien an. Den MIXED.de-Podcast gibt es bei Soundcloud, Spotify, iTunes, in der Google Podcast-App oder als RSS-Feed. Mehr Infos und alle Folgen: mixed.de/podcast Bitte unterstütze unsere Arbeit mit einem Werbefrei-Abo für die Seite: mixed.de/abo Oder einem Einkauf über unseren Amazon-Link (ohne Aufpreis für Dich): amzn.to/2Ytw5CN mit einem deaktivierten Werbeblocker oder einer positiven Bewertung bei iTunes, Spotify und Co.

Als je aan piraterij denkt, dan zullen je gedachten snel naar de kusten van Somalië afdwalen. Wat niet veel mensen weten, is dat Europese schippers vroeger al veel dichterbij voor Afrikaanse piraten bang waren. Slimme en extreem agressieve mannen uit het huidige Marokko, Algerije, Tunesië én Libië maakten namelijk in 17e en 18e eeuw de Middellandse zee onveilig en namen Europeanen bij bosjes gevangen. Ze waren voor de Europese zeevaarders een enorme doorn in het oog en hebben een grote impact gehad op de geschiedenis en ontwikkeling van Noord-Afrika en de relatie met Europa. Deze aflevering zitten we met Erik de Lange, Assistant Professor aan de Universiteit Utrecht Hosts: Jos Hummelen & Aiso van Leeuwe Mede mogelijk gemaak door Netherlands-African Business Council (NABC) Muziek door Alisdair Pickering --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/africast/message

Today we speak to Alia in an exhausted evening between her many media appearances, sitting between her bed and her desk in London on the edge of summer.  CW: limited mention in episode of suicide and domestic violence * how Alia went from psychotherapist to activist appearing on our screens almost daily, fighting for the survival of the NHS during Covid for the campaign 'Keep Our NHS Public' and creating the first 'People's Covid Enquiry' * what the NHS, the National Health Service is in the UK - why it is so unusual and why its existence is in danger. * how the Covid crisis has played out in the UK, lack of PPE, corruption in government procurement, unclear lockdown rules and the pressure that is falling on our healthworkers as a result. * how mental health services are seeing the results of Covid mismanagement firsthand.  * feeling hopeless about what you can do? Alia has ideas.  This episode was recorded on 4 March 2021. ***** Episode links: Alia our interviewee @QualiaInterAlia   NHS Staff Voices Twitter @NHSStaffVoices FB @nhsstaffvoices Or email them at NHSStaffVoices.KONP at gmail.com Website: https://keepournhspublic.com/local-groups/nhs-staff-voices/ Keep Our NHS Public website: keepournhspublic.com Twitter @keepnhspublic People's Covid Inquiry https://www.peoplescovidinquiry.com   **********   If you have enjoyed this episode and would like to see the story unfold *subscribe to Coexisting wherever you listen to your pods, so each new episode comes up automatically!  * share with a friend *leave a rating/review on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/co-existing/id1517874874 *connect on: FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/coexistingpodcast INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/coexistingpodcast/  LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coexisting TWITTER: @coexistingpod It all helps people to find us! •••• SPONSOR LINKS: OTTER.AI SO useful for podcasters and for creatives alike who need a quick way to get thoughts down on paper if you would like to try out my awesome transcription tool, use this link to try out a month of PREMIUM features. https://otter.ai/referrals/SQ99ZMYK After the first month you can revert to basic (free) or premium which gives you 6000 minutes transcription time.  OPENRENT THE best way to rent your property out as a private landlord in the UK, an UBER easy to use site, they think of everything - and you save a packet in agent fees (I saved multiple hundreds v a high street firm) - use this sponsor link for a free trial! https://openrent.co.uk/invite/c/coexisting

Today's episode has been inspired by our amazing Facebook Community. A request came in asking us to talk about when at first glance your house looks tidy and organised but when you start opening up the cupboards you're hit by a tidal wave of stuff. Get ready for loads of tips, tricks and advice about why this happens and how to do something about it. So what's behind your cupboard doors? AIso - our 4 Year Podversary!!! Thank you to all of our amazing listeners who have tuned in (and continued to do so!) over the last 4 years - we couldn't have done it without you!! Come over to our Facebook Community and share with us when you started listening.In this episode we:● Tell you how we think cupboards get chaotic and disorganised;● Share how to start organising your cupboards and how to stop them becoming cluttered again;● Highlight cupboards are like opaque boxes - out of sight out of mind!;● Remind you how to declutter;● Encourage you to use clear containers and to label everything;● Debut Amy's new YES button;Special thanks to byhisgrace92 for your review!!Join our community Become a Patron – your monthly donation makes a huge difference to me being able to produce this podcast. Donations can be as little as $1 a month!Follow me on InstagramFollow me on FacebookJoin my Facebook groupLeave a review on Apple PodcastThank you to my sound engineer, Jarred from Four4ty Studio. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's episode has been inspired by our amazing Facebook Community. A request came in asking us to talk about when at first glance your house looks tidy and organised but when you start opening up the cupboards you're hit by a tidal wave of stuff. Get ready for loads of tips, tricks and advice about why this happens and how to do something about it. So what's behind your cupboard doors? AIso - our 4 Year Podversary!!! Thank you to all of our amazing listeners who have tuned in (and continued to do so!) over the last 4 years - we couldn't have done it without you!! Come over to our Facebook Community and share with us when you started listening.In this episode we:● Tell you how we think cupboards get chaotic and disorganised;● Share how to start organising your cupboards and how to stop them becoming cluttered again;● Highlight cupboards are like opaque boxes - out of sight out of mind!;● Remind you how to declutter;● Encourage you to use clear containers and to label everything;● Debut Amy's new YES button;And so so so so much more...We hope from this conversation we all learn something and put a smile on your face!Things mentioned in this episode and other helpful links:Like with Like EpisodeGifts EpisodeJust One More EpisodeLaundry EpisodeFunctional Spaces EpisodeRehome EpisodeSpecial thanks to byhisgrace92 for your review!!Join our community ● Are you looking for decluttering services near you in Sydney or Melbourne, we would love to help you?● Our website The Art of Decluttering● Become a Patron with Patreon – your monthly support makes a huge difference to us being able to producethis podcast. Support can be as little as $1 a month!● Follow us on Instagram● Follow us on Facebook● Join our Facebook group● Leave a review on Apple PodcastThank you to our sound engineer, Jarred from Four4ty Studio Productions. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It is a year from the date that the World Health Organisation declared Covid a global pandemic and exactly 365 days since today's guest, Mario, set foot on a plane - an anniversary of deep significance for this international aid worker, sitting in the corner of his home where he has carved out an office, overlooking a sea of skyscrapers in Dubai * Dubai, known internationally for its jaw dropping architecture and multicultural buzz, Mario paints a vivid picture about what happened in this city that really never slept before this year.  * the challenges faced by international aid workers globally - both in assisting the vulnerable men, women and children they work with worldwide, but also the personal toll -  during the expected but unexpected of the worst of the Covid pandemic. * what the legacy of this year might be in people's hearts and minds and a question we may ask - who will be held accountable. * reflecting on the myth of the 'developed world' and what it meant to deliver aid to help people where they never thought it would be needed - in Italy and America * and what we all need right now - the rallying cry to action within all our power. This episode was recorded on March 3 2021 ***** If you have enjoyed this episode and would like to see the story unfold *subscribe to Coexisting wherever you listen to your pods, so each new episode comes up automatically!  * share with a friend *leave a rating/review on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/co-existing/id1517874874 *connect on: FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/coexistingpodcast INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/coexistingpodcast/  LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coexisting TWITTER: @coexistingpod It all helps people to find us! •••• SPONSOR LINKS: OTTER.AI SO useful for podcasters and for creatives alike who need a quick way to get thoughts down on paper if you would like to try out my awesome transcription tool, use this link to try out a month of PREMIUM features. https://otter.ai/referrals/SQ99ZMYK After the first month you can revert to basic (free) or premium which gives you 6000 minutes transcription time.  OPENRENT THE best way to rent your property out as a private landlord in the UK, an UBER easy to use site, they think of everything - and you save a packet in agent fees (I saved multiple hundreds v a high street firm) - use this sponsor link for a free trial! https://openrent.co.uk/invite/c/coexisting

Its Earth Day today and in honour of this we pop back to China in Month 5 to speak to Grant, global sustainability and environmental advisor - at his desk, between night and day, China and Europe - with a deep hold on the historical legacy of this year.  * the changes he has seen take place overnight in the sustainability world as a result of Covid and why this can't be wasted - its the test run the world needs.  * the deeply personal reflection on the loss of his father at this time. And what it really means to celebrate a life and empathy in the virtual space. * reflecting on what 'lockdown' and 'spike' meant in China, words its quite hard to fathom when you think of the size of cities involved * his genius and simple idea to deal with zoom/meeting burnout (seriously me right now) * and something we are all reflecting on now:-being on the right side of history This episode was recorded on July 16, 2020 ***** If you have enjoyed this episode and would like to see the story unfold *subscribe to Coexisting wherever you listen to your pods, so each new episode comes up automatically!  * share with a friend *leave a rating/review on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/co-existing/id1517874874 *connect on: FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/coexistingpodcast INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/coexistingpodcast/  LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coexisting TWITTER: @coexistingpod It all helps people to find us! •••• SPONSOR LINKS: OTTER.AI SO useful for podcasters and for creatives alike who need a quick way to get thoughts down on paper if you would like to try out my awesome transcription tool, use this link to try out a month of PREMIUM features. https://otter.ai/referrals/SQ99ZMYK After the first month you can revert to basic (free) or premium which gives you 6000 minutes transcription time.  OPENRENT THE best way to rent your property out as a private landlord in the UK, an UBER easy to use site, they think of everything - and you save a packet in agent fees (I saved multiple hundreds v a high street firm) - use this sponsor link for a free trial! https://openrent.co.uk/invite/c/coexisting

Gezondheidszorg en het gebrek hieraan is al decennialang een van de grootste problemen op het Afrikaanse continent. Afrika huist ongeveer 14% van de wereldbevolking, maar slechts 3% van de gezondheidswerkers in de wereld. Hoe verbetert de zorg in álle Afrikaanse landen en ook in de periferie. En wat kunnen Nederlanders daaraan bijdragen? In de 4e aflevering van de Africast gaan we hierover in gesprek met Guido Geerts, CEO van Delft Imaging en Remco van Egmond, tropenarts die in onder meer Congo-Brazzaville gewerkt. Hosts: Jos Hummelen & Aiso van Leeuwe Mede mogelijk gemaak door SIB Utrecht & NGIZ Muziek door Alisdair Pickering --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/africast/message

Day 121 and we speak to Father Max in front of his makeshift altar that he has set up at home in his study in Newmarket, England I was so affected by this episode, this quiet man and the obvious care he had for his community and his town and the very difficult circumstances people were dealing with. Its full of both hope and hardship and shows a very human side to religious work. * Technological wizardry and old school prayer - how to combine the two and make it work?    * The Free School Meals programme in the UK stopping and what that meant for so many vulnerable young families and what was done to help. * The support we all need, even the clergy (!) at this time as we navigate an uncertain world. * what does this all mean for Christmas...something many have their eye on right now. ***** If you have enjoyed this episode and would like to see the story unfold *subscribe to Coexisting wherever you listen to your pods, so each new episode comes up automatically!  * share with a friend *leave a rating/review on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/co-existing/id1517874874 *connect on: FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/coexistingpodcast INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/coexistingpodcast/  LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coexisting TWITTER: @coexistingpod It all helps people to find us! •••• SPONSOR LINKS: OTTER.AI SO useful for podcasters and for creatives alike who need a quick way to get thoughts down on paper if you would like to try out my awesome transcription tool, use this link to try out a month of PREMIUM features. https://otter.ai/referrals/SQ99ZMYK After the first month you can revert to basic (free) or premium which gives you 6000 minutes transcription time.  OPENRENT THE best way to rent your property out as a private landlord in the UK, an UBER easy to use site, they think of everything - and you save a packet in agent fees (I saved multiple hundreds v a high street firm) - use this sponsor link for a free trial! https://openrent.co.uk/invite/c/coexisting

En este episodio, Janeth Bougard y Naira Bonilla, miembros de la PID, hablan con Julio Andrés Rozo director de AISO. Conversan sobre la iniciativa Amazonía Emprendedora y aquellos proyectos en pro de la conservación y el medio ambiente.

Karina Kaufmann a mum to 4 girls.  She states never having a  "proper career" but has done lots of little things along the way.As a kid I Karina was always very active and running about doing something.  She was the only girl at school to ride a bike to school (She went to an all girls school at the top of a hill!).  She loved all the usual school sports, but preferred the non-team sports like fencing.  But her ultimate passion was ski racing.Before her girls were born my passion was Chemistry.  She taught for a year and then went back to Uni to do a PhD.  Then she had the kids and in-between "mummy duties" She worked as a Doula.  In 2016 she decided to combine my love of training and her "spare time" to work as a PT.Karina did her first triathlon (Blenheim place) in 2011 and she was HOOKED!   She had always wanted to try one ever since   a friend had told her how they had done one.  Karina had 2 daughters then and sadly had 2 miscarriages and need to do something for herself and aIso to have a distraction through that difficult  time.  She became absorbed in the experienced which made her feel great; She did 5 races that year....the last of which she realised she had fallen pregnant with twins!Karina didn't manage to race again until 2014, but once she got going again nothing could stop her.... she admits that her friend had created a "triathlon monster"   not really that fast, but she was obsessed!In 2017 Karinas  training partner suggested she try for the GB AG team, so she entered Eton Dorney......and finally managed to get a roll down place 4 weeks before ITU Rotterdam - she states it was sheer luck!  However hooked she was before Rotterdam, once she had worn my first GB trisuit (she came 17th, and was thrilled) she became even more driven.....Karina wanted to qualify for everything.....and so started her mission!2018 she raced ITU Fyn sprint du and came 10th.2019 was her first international podium at ETU Targu Mures (silver) in F35-39 sprint du. Karina also raced at ITU Lausanne olympic distance tri (but the race didn't really go to plan so missed top 20 place by a VERY long way).2020 - was SO SO SO lucky to race in ETU Punta umbria as we all were  (in new AG F40-44) - took sliver in standard Du, missed the title by 11s!Karina loves helping to run AG news on Instagram with David Pearson and  thinks the whole AG scene is very special. You can follow Karina on Instagram @karina.kaufmann_adventures and Age_Group_NewsYou can listen to this AMP episode and all the others on most podcast platforms and now we a have our own YouTube channel : AMP GBFind us Instagram amp_1967Twitter  agegroupmultisportpodcastFacebook AMPGBYouTube GBWebsite is : agegroupmultisportpodcast.buzzsprout.comemail: agegroupmultisportpodcast@gmail.com

Day 163 and we speak to creator and podcaster Lenni in her uber-insulated bathroom she podcasts from in Downtown LA in the US.   Today we meet the first of our podcasters in the POD2POD series.    I met Lenni at the very beginning of my journey into podding here in LA and I cannot be more thankful for her wise words at this time.   The 2020 Black Lives Matter protests initially sparked by the murder of George Floyd quickly spread across the nation from June 2020 and worldwide - in what was an unprecedented scale of civil protest and what is now being called the largest protest movement in US history.   Lenni and I spoke back in August as the protests began to die down and we shared a desire to keep this action in people's hearts and minds.   She shares intimate observations and feelings of the protests from her vantage point in Downtown LA and spoke incredibly openly about what this time has sparked in her and what this says about the broader picture of growing up as a young black woman in America.    Inevitably conversation turned to the election and the political upheaval in the US which led me to think today, November 3 - the last day of the vote - would be the right time to hear Lenni's powerful words.    ••••   GUEST LINKS:   You can find Lenni, her thought provoking podcast and more about her work here below - follow on her instas for the launch of her new shows launching in 2021.   Tub in the Bedroom Podcast: https://anchor.fm/tubinthebedroom https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tub-in-the-bedroom https://open.spotify.com/show/tubinthebedroom https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-tub-in-the-bedroom Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tubinthebedroom/ https://www.instagram.com/lenniagaston/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/tubinthebedroom Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tubinthebedroom/   *** If you have enjoyed this episode and would like to see the story unfold *subscribe to Coexisting at your preferred podcast host here: https://pod.link/1517874874 * share with a friend *leave a rating/review on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/co-existing/id1517874874 *connect on: FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/coexistingpodcast INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/coexistingpodcast/  LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coexisting TWITTER: @coexistingpod It all helps people to find us! ••• SPONSOR LINKS: OTTER.AI SO useful for podcasters and for creatives alike who need a quick way to get thoughts down on paper if you would like to try out my awesome transcription tool, use this link to try out a month of PREMIUM features. https://otter.ai/referrals/SQ99ZMYK After the first month you can revert to basic (free) or premium which gives you 6000 minutes transcription time.  OPENRENT THE best way to rent your property out as a private landlord in the UK, an UBER easy to use site, they think of everything - and you save a packet in agent fees (I saved multiple hundreds v a high street firm) - use this sponsor link for a free trial! https://openrent.co.uk/invite/c/coexisting Thank you for supporting the products that keep Coexisting existing!

Day 110 and we speak to David under the eaves in his apartment in Paris, France.  France, as has many parts of Europe, just this week gone back into strict lockdown as Winter approaches and at this sad time we revisit the heavy lockdown that Paris experienced bordering one of the worst affected countries, Italy, at the beginning of the pandemic. * we talk about the changes to French society, owning Paris streets and skipping those kisses!  * Living alone during the Pandemic: David talks beautifully about choosing to move in with his best friend and making the lockdown an adventure together - and the delicious food resulted!  * as an American who is long time France resident he speaks very movingly about wrestling with trying to explain to his French friends how differently this is playing out in the US..and how it has become a political issue not one of public health. Something so pertinent on the eve of the election!  ***** If you have enjoyed this episode and would like to see the story unfold *subscribe to Coexisting at your preferred podcast host here: https://pod.link/1517874874 * share with a friend *leave a rating/review on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/co-existing/id1517874874 *connect on: FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/coexistingpodcast INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/coexistingpodcast/  LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coexisting TWITTER: @coexistingpod It all helps people to find us! •••• SPONSOR LINKS: OTTER.AI SO useful for podcasters and for creatives alike who need a quick way to get thoughts down on paper if you would like to try out my awesome transcription tool, use this link to try out a month of PREMIUM features. https://otter.ai/referrals/SQ99ZMYK After the first month you can revert to basic (free) or premium which gives you 6000 minutes transcription time.  OPENRENT THE best way to rent your property out as a private landlord in the UK, an UBER easy to use site, they think of everything - and you save a packet in agent fees (I saved multiple hundreds v a high street firm) - use this sponsor link for a free trial! https://openrent.co.uk/invite/c/coexisting

A super choppy little mini episode from the road as we headed out on a little journey.  * what's been going on in your host's world on the West Coast of the US * Intro to Pod2Pod a mini series with my podcasting friends in honour of International Podcast Day on Sept 30 *subscribe to Coexisting at your preferred podcast host here: https://pod.link/1517874874 * share with a friend *leave a rating/review on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/co-existing/id1517874874 *connect on: FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/coexistingpodcast INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/coexistingpodcast/  LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coexisting TWITTER: @coexistingpod It all helps people to find us! •••• SPONSOR LINKS: OTTER.AI SO useful for podcasters and for creatives alike who need a quick way to get thoughts down on paper if you would like to try out my awesome transcription tool, use this link to try out a month of PREMIUM features. https://otter.ai/referrals/SQ99ZMYK After the first month you can revert to basic (free) or premium which gives you 6000 minutes transcription time.  OPENRENT THE best way to rent your property out as a private landlord in the UK, an UBER easy to use site, they think of everything - and you save a packet in agent fees (I saved multiple hundreds v a high street firm) - use this sponsor link for a free trial! https://openrent.co.uk/invite/c/coexisting

Day 125 and we speak to actor Isra in her childhood bedroom in Gothenburg Sweden.   Isra left her home in New York at the height of the pandemic in March and return to what felt like a parallel universe - the country where she grew up - Sweden.   We spoke at a time that unemployment benefits were coming to an end in the US so it was occupying many, especially the creative industries.   Sweden's light touch approach to the  pandemic has caused debate globally as it was SO unusual - was it the right approach to save the economy? Did it work and could it really work outside of Sweden?   We talk about the palpable change to the living organism that is New York City during Covid and what the future might hold for this adored city.   The incredibly tough work landscape for artists and what it is now morphing into - including some interesting tidbits on the future of casting.  The unparalleled magic of live theatre and how artists are stretching to find opportunity in this bleak time.   The wisdom of mamas (always no matter where you go, they are there!) and how to tame overachiever tendencies in a world that has stopped.   ••••   GUEST LINKS:   You can find Isra and more of her work here:   Website: www.israelsalihie.com IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8666766/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/isra.elsalihie/     If you have enjoyed this episode and would like to see the story unfold *subscribe to Coexisting at your preferred podcast host here: https://pod.link/1517874874 * share with a friend *leave a rating/review on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/co-existing/id1517874874 *connect on: FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/coexistingpodcast INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/coexistingpodcast/  LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coexisting TWITTER: @coexistingpod It all helps people to find us! ••• SPONSOR LINKS: OTTER.AI SO useful for podcasters and for creatives alike who need a quick way to get thoughts down on paper if you would like to try out my awesome transcription tool, use this link to try out a month of PREMIUM features. https://otter.ai/referrals/SQ99ZMYK After the first month you can revert to basic (free) or premium which gives you 6000 minutes transcription time.  OPENRENT THE best way to rent your property out as a private landlord in the UK, an UBER easy to use site, they think of everything - and you save a packet in agent fees (I saved multiple hundreds v a high street firm) - use this sponsor link for a free trial! https://openrent.co.uk/invite/c/coexisting Thank you for supporting the products that keep Coexisting existing! 

Artificial Intelligence is going to shape the future of a tremendous amount of our technology going forward. However, what actually quantifies "AI"? So many products and services now claim to include AI, that it might as well be as easy as slapping a sticker on the box. On this episode we'll dig into some facts, give some examples, answer some trivia and try to get to the bottom of the question; Is it AI, or BS?

Surveillance Capitalism is turning us all into robots. Don’t fear the machines: they are us.Show Links:•https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jan/20/shoshana-zuboff-age-of-surveillance-capitalism-google-facebook•https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2594754•https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/debatten/the-digital-debate/shoshana-zuboff-secrets-of-surveillance-capitalism-14103616.html•https://www.wired.com/story/facebook-10-year-meme-challenge/•https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/13/dont-believe-the-hype-media-are-selling-us-an-ai-fantasy Episode ExcerptOn last week’s MSP, Matt Armitage thrilled us with a tale of swashbuckling misadventure and mis-spoken grammar. This week we’re heading further beyond the edge of sanity to ask: whose robot are you? Should we assume that this is another one of those shows talking about our entire existence being a computer simulation and that the creator of our Universe is actually a pre-teen working on a school computer project?•That’s a very specific example.•Have you spent a lot of time thinking about this?What’s the point of it all is if we’re only ones and zeroes?•I’d probably point you in the direction of Rod Rees’s Demi-Monde series of books.•Simulations aren’t what we’re talking about today btw, but if it was, then your life still has as much meaning as it did before you realised it was all a simulation.•It’s not like pain or joy is any less real. Or the taste of food.•It’s unlikely to be a Matrix type situation: oI don’t think anyone is holding our bodies prisoner while our minds are plunged into some fiction. •This is our existence – simulation or not – and it’s really as simple as that.So, why are we robots?•This is building on from something we were talking about in last week’s Geeks Squawk.•Radio listeners will know that these shows, MSP and Geeks Squawk, are kind of a pair.•but I have had some of our podcast listeners tell me that they know about one show but not the other.•Both shows are me and Jeff. •I get to wander off into fantasy realms and thought experiments on MSP whereas on Geeks we’re a bit more grounded in the events of the week, looking at big or quirky stories from the world of tech and culture.That’s the cross-promotion done. How does this follow from last week’s Geeks.•We were talking about the 10 year challenge and how that information can be used to train machine intelligence to identify, track and even age humans more effectively.•We also mentioned some other areas where we are inadvertently helping to train AISo you’re being literal? You’re actually saying that we’re robots?•Not in a mechanical sense. But in the sense that we are often used as objects that are the possession of someone or something.•Which, of course, begs the question: whose robots are we? •Who thinks they own us?

En este episodio, Janeth Bougard y Naira Bonilla, miembros de la PID, hablan con Julio Andrés Rozo director de AISO. Conversan sobre la iniciativa Amazonía Emprendedora y aquellos proyectos en pro de la conservación y el medio ambiente.

Mi ritrovo spesso su Twitter per scovare informazioni, notizie sull’olio di oliva, e quando voglio andare ancora più a fondo utilizzo #ExtraVergine come chiave di ricerca; da lì il passo è stato breve, facilissimo imbattersi sui cinguettii di @_COMOLIO che racconta l’extravergine e il gusto. Leggendo mi sono incuriosito e mi sono chiesto: “Cosa fa un sommelier dell’olio? come si diventa sommelier?”; mi è venuta voglia di conoscerli personalmente gli ho scritto e subito abbiamo fissato una chiacchierata telefonica. “…Tuuuuh…Tuuuuh” rispondono Marta e Marco in vivavoce. Mi presento e brevemente descrivo cosa fa OILTOGETHER.it e dopo averli informati che sono i primi potenziali sommelier ufficiali della nostra community, li lascio raccontare il loro mondo. Alla prima domanda “Cosa vuol dire COMOLIO?” rispondono: “Quando ci siamo appassionati seriamente all’ olio ne parlavamo in continuazione, così tanto che tutto era sempre Come l’olio e da qui quasi per scherzo è nato il nome.” Iniziano con i corsi di avvicinamento all’olio organizzati dal Gambero Rosso, dove apprendono l’abc dell’Olio, le prime tecniche di degustazione; per imparare ad assaggiare bene però diventanosommelier AISO, seguendo un percorso formativo di 8 mesi. Tagliato il primo traguardo e guidati dalla loro passione, si addentrano sempre di più nel mondo dell’extravergine, sedute di assaggio settimanali, diffondono e creano consapevolezza, con le loro mini guide che condividono Twitter. Incontrano chi fa veramente l’olio, lo assaggiano direttamente sul posto,  assorbono e trasmettono la passione e il lavoro faticoso cercando di far capire il vero valore racchiuso dentro una bottiglia di olio.   “Come si fa a capire se un olio è buono? Il prezzo?” Sull’olio il prezzo ancora comanda, il consumatore medio è guidato dal prezzo e tende a scegliere la convenienza. E’ importante invece capire i diversi fattori che impattano sul prezzo dell’ olio: il tipo di raccolta, l’intero processo produttivo, il tipo di oliva , ma anche il packaging, il design della bottiglia. Un ottimo pugliese, dice Marco, potrebbe avere un prezzo inferiore rispetto ad un extravergine umbro non per la qualità ma perché è più “comodo” produrlo: le caratteristiche dei terreni che sono pianeggianti piuttosto che scoscesi, o per la dimensione delle piante. La regola fondamentale secondo i nostri amici è: “Non date per scontato che un olio sia migliore di un altro ma ASSAGGIALO!”   “Come fate a raccontare il Gusto?” Approccio lento, il gusto si scopre a poco a poco, si impara a riconoscere, non esistono manuali, non si trova letteratura sugli abbinamenti dell’olio con i vari cibi. Il gusto si racconta trovando l’abbinamento ideale, è la parte più creativa o meglio la parte godereccia, come sottolinea Marta che si diverte a studiare e sperimentare ricette come il gelato (dolce) al gazpacho abbinato all’olio d’oliva. Tutti siamo dotati di u

This week's 90 minute program will feature guest Tom Neilson, and then continue with Part Two of Student Loan Debt - a new class of debt slaves. California Lynn, a CPA with an MBA who has written extensively about healthcare costs and student loan debt servicing will take calls if time allows.  She may be contacted at:  TheGreenCPA@aol.com. We will aIso  hear from Brian Powers, NJ's driving force behind $15Now with a local and national update on $15Now and its push for living wages. Tom Neilson, musician and activist, will discuss his music including this program's opening theme, Its a Crime (to tell the truth), That was the Week 2013, and Four Years of College.  Tom has tweaked, massaged, and added to Four Years of College's original lyrics written by Ben Grosscup and Ferd Wulcan. Tom plays at festivals, union halls, colleges, national conferences, cafes, house concerts, & at political and social gatherings. He particularly enjoys the personal connections provided by house concerts and has performed for countless benefits and causes. His music has been used in nine documentaries, as he tells the stories of people's struggles against greed & violence, interjecting a good deal of levity along the way. If you ask him, he'll tell you he's just a farm boy with a guitar who loves a good ball game and human rights. =================        

Aiso Khel Rachyo Mere Data : Ashram Bhajan

Aiso Khel Rachyo Mere Data : Ashram Bhajan

My piece is about a neon unicorn. I think that is a good name because it is a happy piece with mostly consonances. Neon unicorns are aIso happy and if they were a song they would have mostly consonances. I began my composition with a simple memorable melody. I added different sections after my main idea that were different from it. After, I repeated my main idea. I used mostly consonant notes and I had a mix of polyphony,monophony,and homophony. My main idea is played by the violin because I tried a few instruments and it sounded best with violin. I learned about textures and consonance and dissonance.