Podcasts about although i've

Many people I talk with ask me what I think or feel about what is going on in the world right now.  Although I've avoided sharing my research and opinion on the topic, I am feeling strongly a need to share this and be transparent about my thoughts and feelings regarding the Global Pandemic and the lock down we are all experiencing.  In this episode of Pandora's Box, I do a deep dive into my research, the global narcissism epidemic, my feelings about all this and the spiritual story of our evolution. You can find out more about my work at:www.narcissismfree.comI've launched a New Website that is in the process of becoming a Non-Profit entity for the spiritual evolution of mankind.  You can visit us at:NewEarthCenter.Org

Notiflyr is one of the best cheap airfare services in the world, period. Although I've kept tabs on the best cheap airfare websites around the world, until fairly recently I hadn't heard of the company. After digging into more details and looking more closely at the quality of the flight deals they offer, I was hooked, and am now a proud member. Notiflyr sources their own flight deals, they aren't copying other deals from other websites and companies. They are US based, and grew from humble beginnings, basically a couple of smart guys who learned technical skills on how to find the best airfare deals. The quality of the deals and related information is outstanding, and will only get better. This is an interview with Steven Ryals, one of the founders of Notiflyr. We talk about how he entered the world of cheap flights and what the current state of affairs is like.

I am extremely excited about releasing this episode today! When I began to think of people that I wanted to have on the podcast this season to encourage you in your fight for joy, Becky Novecek was at the top of the list. Becky is one of the most beautiful, interesting, and purposeful people I know. I learn so much from her. I’m inspired by her. She helps me see beauty in all kinds of places. And I’m grateful for the ways that she makes me want to love God and others more. Although I've known Becky for a long time, we became intentional last year about spending more time together and deepening our friendship, and it ended up being one of the greatest blessings of 2019 for both of us. Becky is well-known for her amazing photography, but in our community, she is also known and admired for her strong faith, her creativity, her care for other women, her style, and the beautiful ways that she serves and loves people well. And, while she really does invest in our town and love this place, she’s also become quite an influencer on social media, inspiring women of all ages in all parts of the country with the wise perspective and beautiful insights that she shares. On the episode today, Becky talks about transforming her thought life and how keeping a healthy mindset has been crucial in her personal fight for joy. She shares how she has learned to break negative thought patterns and cling to specific truths in God's Word when fear, worry, or negative thinking fill her mind. Along with mindset and perspective, we touch on a number of other interesting topics like simplifying, the mind/body connection, overworking, the blessings of Instagram, and the importance of daily practices. I know you will love hearing her heart today and I hope you are encouraged by our conversation.

Creating this podcast has been one hell of an experience for me. Although I've only begun this journey as a podcaster, I am extremely grateful for every single person that has taken the time to listen to my words. You are why I do this and now I want to share why I chose to express my journey through a podcast. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @abieyrosebeauty --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/AbieyRoseBeauty/support

BE SURE TO SEE THE SHOWNOTES AND LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE HERE. Eve Picker: [00:00:03] Hi there! Thanks so much for joining me today for the latest episode of Impact Real Estate Investing. My guest today is Janine Firpo. Janine is a writer, values-aligned investor and entrepreneur. Janine's background is fascinating. She left a career in the tech world many years ago to pursue a more meaningful work experience. This led her into the world of microfinance and philanthropy. She has consulted and lived all over the world. And now for almost 10 years, she has been on a personal mission to invest all of her assets so they create a positive impact. It's a bold move and she is all in. Be sure to go to EvePicker.com to find out more about Janine on the show notes page for this episode. And be sure to sign up for my newsletter so you can access information about impact real estate investing and get the latest news about the exciting projects on my crowdfunding platform, Small Change.   Eve: [00:01:21] Hello Janine, thanks so much for joining me today.   Janine Firpo: [00:01:24] It's my pleasure, Eve. Thank you so much for asking me and for being interested in what I'm doing.   Eve: [00:01:30] Yeah, well, you've had a really fascinating career, starting with technology companies when they were startups, and are household names now. And you left that path to follow a very different one. But I wanted to ask you how you started your career?   Janine: [00:01:45] I'd be happy to tell you. So, I actually started my career very early in 1981. It's a long time ago for many people. And I sort of fell into the computer industry, first in Louisiana, and then when I really got into it, I moved back to the Silicon Valley where I was originally from and I'm still here. And I worked in high tech for about 15 years, worked at Apple Computer in the 80s, and then also did some startup work. And then in 1995 I left a job and I did a solo backpacking trip through sub-Saharan Africa. And what was really interesting about that is when I left on my trip, I was in something called the CD-ROM and multimedia industry. And when I came back, everyone I knew was in the Internet industry. So the internet literally turned on in the four months that I was away.   Eve: [00:02:37] Wow.   Janine: [00:02:38] And I was perfectly positioned to get on that ride, that dot com ride. But when I was in Africa, I saw poverty like I had never seen it before. And I decided that I wanted to use my life in a way that had meaning. And so I set out on a track to figure out how could I use the skills I had, technology and business knowledge, to bring change to the levels of poverty that I was seeing in Africa. And so that launched me on then what became a twenty-year career in international development and bringing technology into Africa, Southeast Asia and other parts of the world. And while I was on that trajectory, I got involved in something called microfinance, which is making loans to poor women, primarily in developing countries around the world. And in looking at what is the role that tech could play in really scaling microfinance, it was reaching 100 million people in the world when I started, and the need was to reach two and a half billion people. That inquiry, other people were involved in it as well, led to something called 'mobile money,' which is using the cell phone as a bank for the poor.   Eve: [00:03:50] I was at the Bellagio Foundation in Italy, a few years back, with someone who was writing a book about the M-Pesa.   Janine: [00:03:58] Exactly! M-Pesa, which was one of the first incidences of this, it actually started in the Philippines, but M-Pesa was the example that just shot off the charts within the first year. It came out in 2007, and within its first year it had a million people using the service. And in the second year it was many more millions. And it's now serving, over 85 percent of the population of Kenya uses M-Pesa now, and it has become a de facto way to move money. And now people are getting loans over it. It's being used as a financial mechanism for all sorts of things. So, it became an amazing industry. There are now over 250 incidences in more than 90 countries around the world.   Eve: [00:04:44] But it really started because people had cell phones. Right? And they needed to move money.   Janine: [00:04:51] They had cell phones, well, actually the way it really started was  the people behind M-Pesa was Vodacom, and they were trying to apply the cell phone technology to microfinance. And they started in 2004 with a microfinance institution in Kenya. And it just didn't work for a lot of reasons that I won't go into. But what they found that was really interesting when they were trying to help this microfinance industry scale its business was that people were using the phone just to move money back and forth. And they saw a real opportunity. So, they retrenched. They rethought everything. They set up all the infrastructure that they needed. And then in ... February of 2007, they launched M-Pesa as we know it today, which was a money transfer service. Now, super-fascinating the way it all unfolded.   Eve: [00:05:40] Yeah.   Janine: [00:05:41] Yeah. And then so I had this great career for 20 years. I traveled all over the world. I've been to more than 80 countries. I worked all over the world. It was amazing. I loved it, but I was also traveling 50 to 70 percent of the time for 20 years. And the industry became huge. And I was always more interested in startups and new things. And so it just became time, a couple years ago, for me to leave that. And so I retired from that career. And along with being involved in all of that, so, I was sort of a social entrepreneur before that kind of word became a thing. And because I was in the Bay Area I was involved in all of these conversations around what has ultimately become known as impact investing. I was working at Hewlett Packard in the corporate social responsibility world. So, part of just that entire conversation about the new philanthropy and different ways of using our money. And about 10 years ago, even though I am not a high net wealth individual myself, I realized I'd made the choices in my life to live and lead from a life of value, and something where I was making a difference in the world, and I realized my money was working against me. And so I decided I was going to figure out how to invest all of my own money, from my cash to my public stocks to private stuff. If I could do that to real estate, all of it, how do I invest all of that in a way that lines with my values and is supporting the world I want to see.   Eve: [00:07:18] That's a pretty powerful step to take, Janine.   Janine: [00:07:19] Well, it just was really in alignment with who I was. And it was because I was watching, I was going to these conferences and I was seeing these ultra-rich people and financial, you know, foundations and institutional investors doing this. And I thought, well, why can't, why can't the rest of us do this? Why is this yet another thing that's just being left to the very rich? And so I decided to try on my own. And in the 10 years I was working super hard, so I had financial advisors. They didn't get me where I wanted to go. And so when I retired a couple of years ago, I took a lot of my assets back. And I've been working on this myself.   Eve: [00:08:01] Wow.   Janine: [00:08:03] And I have realized that in the 20 years that I was, have been sort of watching this space, it's really evolved. And I now think we've gotten to a point where the goal of investing your money in alignment with your values is becoming mainstream. At this point, one of four dollars that are invested by institutional investors are invested in socially responsible ways. It just hasn't trickled down enough to those of us who aren't wealthy. And it shouldn't be that way, because there are now products across virtually all asset classes that you can invest in a values-aligned way, even if you're a non-accredited investor, which means even if you don't have a million dollars in net worth, you can invest this way. And so I have corralled a bunch of the brilliant women I know who are now helping me develop a book, helping people, primarily women, because we have been really left out of the financial services conversation in a lot of ways, to help them think about how to be smarter about their investing overall and how to do this in a way that aligns with their values, too.   Eve: [00:09:12] That's pretty fabulous. So, just shifting gears a bit, when we talked awhile back, you mentioned that you were interested in investing in impactful real estate, the next step in this process for you. And ...   Janine: [00:09:25] Yes.   Eve: [00:09:25] First of all, I'm wondering why that's an interest now?   Janine: [00:09:28] Because, well, I currently own real estate. So, when I was a kid, I actually learned a lot about money from my mom, and my mom when I was a really young kid, we didn't have very much money. In fact, we were kind of poor. We didn't always know where we were going to get food. We were wearing secondhand clothes. My mom was a coupon shopper. And at some point along the way, she decided that she needed to find a way to make more money. And so she got herself into real estate. She became a real estate professional. And she started learning about buying property, buying and selling property. And so she, we're talking like back in the 60s, I think, she started going to the courthouse steps and buying foreclosed property and sometimes sight unseen. She would buy them and then she would turn my sisters and I into her crew and we would go ... we were, like, this is how I spent my summers, my teen years. Ripping up carpets, refinishing carpets, painting interiors, painting exteriors, cleaning, you know, all of that. We were her crew. And then she would rent these properties out. Sometimes she'd sell them. So, I learned about real estate and I'm in the Bay Area. This is a really hot real estate market. And so I've, you know, I've learned something along the way. And ... I bought my first house when I was 30, and have purchased real estate. So, I have those assets. Now, if I am truly aligning all of my money with my values, then that has to include my real estate. And so I've gotten to the point where I've pretty much figured out a strategy for all of my other asset classes. My cash has all been moved in alignment with my values. I'm working on doing that with my public equity stuff. My fixed income is moving that way. I'm an angel investor. I only invest in socially responsible businesses and I primarily am investing in companies that are started by female CEOs, because women get less than two percent of the private equity capital in this country. So, we need to support more women founders. So, I'm doing that with a lot of my money already. It's time for me now to start shifting my focus to the real estate. So how do I get out of, so I'm starting to think about, how do I get out of single family residences, and what might have more values aligned real estate set of opportunities look like.   Eve: [00:12:02] That's really interesting. I have the reverse problem, so I'm going to probably ask for your help in dealing with my other assets.   Janine: [00:12:11] Happy to do that.   Eve: [00:12:12] So, you've been looking. And what does real estate impact investing look like to you? What does that mean?   Janine: [00:12:19] Well, that's a really good question. And I have to be honest that I'm in the early days of this journey. And so I'm just starting to learn and that's how I found you. Actually, I was out on the Web and I was kind of searching around and thinking, well, who's doing anything out there in real estate? And that's how I found you. So, I know a little bit. So, and I've invested in a little bit. So, my last job was up in Seattle working through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. And when I was up there, I heard about a company, that basically what they were doing was they were buying distressed property in Seattle, and they were single family, and they were gutting a lot of these places and then rebuilding them green. And could actually tell the buyer this is what you're energy saving is as the result of buying this house. So, green is one way of thinking about this. I'm also somewhat familiar with affordable housing. And my current financial advisor actually has me in an affordable housing fund. I forget the name right now. I apologize for that. But they had me in that kind of fund. I've been aware of the whole opportunity zone set of things that are cropping up around the country. Although I've heard varied things about those opportunities. And, you know, those are basically things that I know. I also am invested, a very small amount of money, this particular deal could only take a thousand dollars from each investor. But it's a woman here in Oakland, the city that I live in, who is basically raising down payments through gathering money from many, many investors. And then she's getting loans and she's buying multi-unit properties that already have tenants, low-income tenants, and what she's doing is, she's setting up structures where these tenants, as they're paying rent, are actually in basically a buy-to-own situation. And she's turning these buildings into cooperatives that are owned by the people that live in them. So, I think there's some interesting models out there. I just don't, I only have seen a smattering of them so far.   Eve: [00:14:40] Yeah, actually, I think, I just interviewed Rebecca Foster, who is also in the Bay Area on the Housing Accelerator Fund, which is a different model, they are working on raising money to preserve existing affordable housing in San Francisco. Yeah, I think there's lots of ways to make impact and you're just really scratching the surface. Right?   Janine: [00:14:59] Exactly. And there's a, yeah, there's a man that I met recently through something I'm involved in who's in the real estate business out here. And he's starting to think about building his career around socially responsible real estate. So, he and I have had a couple of conversations. And one of the things that he sort of suggested to me, although I don't know that I have enough assets to do this, but he talked about wouldn't it be cool to like have a building where you could have businesses in it and and tenants in it, residential and office space combined. But really determine that you want a certain kind of business. Like create a space where these are all businesses that are run by women, or these are, you know, so ... or these are all businesses that are in this kind of vertical and they're helping each other and that particular vertical is good for the world. That was kind of an interesting thought.   Eve: [00:16:02] I think a lot of people are thinking about this in many very different ways. Like, I built a portfolio of what I believe are socially responsible projects, but really starting before green was the theme. And I focused on underserved neighborhoods and blighted architecture ...   Janine: [00:16:26] Right.   Eve: [00:16:27] And so what I think is interesting about the real estate impact investing world is there's really 1001 ways to make an impact. You just really need to figure out what matters the most for you.   Janine: [00:16:41] I totally agree. In fact, that's one of the things that I'm talking about in this book I mentioned is I am moving away from the words impact investing and socially responsible investing and all of that, because I think so many people use those words and they mean different things by them. And what I and it's, so it's hard to get a clear definition on it. And what I've found is when push comes to shove and you talk to people who are thinking about impact investing, they're usually talking about private deal flow, private debt and private equity. And I'm really interested in looking across all of your assets. So, what I've come to realize is even though I believe that if enough of us move our money this way, we can change the economy. At the end of the day this is really about our individual choices and who we think we are as people and how we want our money to reflect who we are in the world.   Eve: [00:17:35] Yes.   Janine: [00:17:36] Right?   Eve: [00:17:37] When you take money, you use it, you spend time on it as well. So, for me, it's even more than money. It's how I spend the time around it.   Janine: [00:17:47] Exactly. In fact, I realized the other day, it's, for me ... so much of this conversation about values align or impact investing, it's always the extra thing that people have to talk about. It's, like, here's your financial issues and how you invest in all of that. Oh, and then there's this impact investing thing. And I realized, particularly for women and millennials, who the vast majority of us want to invest our money this way, it's not the extra thing. It's sort of like the icing on the cake. Yeah, you can go out and you can invest your money to maximize return or whatever. But it's really kind of boring, in a way, to do, at least to me, it's like, yeh, so my money is out there and it's doing whatever and I don't even know what it's doing, and all I really care about is the return? No, I want more from my money than that. I've worked hard to get it. I care about everything I do in my life. Why wouldn't I care about what my money is doing? And when I get feedback from the people that I invest in about how my money is being used and what it's doing in the world, that makes me so insanely happy. And it's really fun to be able to talk to people about the cool stuff that my money is doing. I love it. It changes the game.   Eve: [00:19:08] Are you still getting your return?   Janine: [00:19:10] Oh, my God, yes! This is not about giving up return. This has never been about giving up returns. I can meet or beat the return that you that any other investment is giving. So, for example, if you look at public equities markets, so, one of the things that I'm invested in is the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index. This is like one of the things that people talk about all the time. Go into an index fund, Vanguard is really cheap, blah, blah, blah. Right? Great thing to be invested in.   Eve: [00:19:41] Right.   Janine: [00:19:41] But if you actually look at that from the perspective of environmental sustainability, there is a website out there called As You Sow that ranks, if you look up As You Sow 'Invest Your Values,' you will go to a page that you can say, "I care about fossil free stuff" or "I care about gender diversity" or whatever. And you can put your stock tickers into this tool and it will tell you, it'll show you a grade that that particular holding gets across all of these different variables. And it will show you how much of that fund is invested in the things you don't want it to be in it. What are those holdings? And so that stock gets a D on As You Sow. Now, I did some homework on As You Sow and I actually found another Vanguard Fund, an FTSE Social Index Fund, and other funds that not only are getting a better grade like A's and B's, but they also get better returns over a 10 to 15 year time horizon than what I'm in, that's getting a D.   Eve: [00:20:54] Wow.   Janine: [00:20:55] So why am I in that?   Eve: [00:20:57] Yes.   Janine: [00:20:57] I'm going to get out.   Eve: [00:20:59] Well, I have to ask, you spent a lot of time on this, right?   Janine: [00:21:02] Yes.   Eve: [00:21:03] What about those who are just trying to find time in between the cracks to figure out where to put our money?   Janine: [00:21:12] Right. Well, that's why I'm writing a book, because I realized that this shouldn't be this hard, and people shouldn't have to do the level of work that I've had to do to figure this out. So, the book is going to tell you how to do it. It's going to basically, what it's going to do, it's going to have three different sections, and the mid-section goes asset class by asset class and tells you this is what this asset class is, here's how it works, here's how it's generally thought about, and here's all the ways you can invest in this asset class in a values aligned way.   Eve: [00:21:42] Wow. Let's go back to real estate. So, on your journey to find impact impactful real estate ... Now I'm feeling very self-conscious about the word ... What information haven't you been able to find? What's missing out there for someone who wants to figure this out?   Janine: [00:22:00] There is no place that really says these, this is what this space looks like, and here's all the different kinds of deals that are available. And, you know, this is what's going on, these are the cool things that people are doing. I mean, I think that you're trying to do that through your podcast, and I applaud you. And that's it. I mean, I realize in order to figure this out, I'm going to have to go do serious homework and talk to a lot of people and see what other people are doing and then start to piece together what feels like an interesting way for me to move forward. Finding the information is super, super hard.   Eve: [00:22:46] Yup, it's very hard. There's a lot of high level information that I'm aware of that I, that is really for sophisticated investors. I find it difficult to follow myself and, there is sort of an ... exclusiveness around it ... investing that I agree with use a little bit disappointing.   Janine: [00:23:10] So, there are financial advisers out there who are socially focused, but they don't share information about the things that they invest their clients in.   Eve: [00:23:21] Oh.   Janine: [00:23:21] Because that knowledge is sort of their intellectual property. Right? So, there has been an opaqueness around this for a long time. And I feel like it's time to blow that up, too, and just make this stuff completely transparent. There's no reason why this information shouldn't be easily available and easily accessible.   Eve: [00:23:43] Well that's very exciting. So, have you found anything you want to invest in real estate?   Janine: [00:23:48] Not yet, because I haven't gone far enough down the path. But I will say the other thing that has intrigued me is the idea of co-living or shared housing kinds of situations. I've been intrigued by some of the things that you've had on your show and, you know, have added them to my list of possibilities. But I've been so focused on the other asset classes and just trying to get this book, bringing this book to life, that I haven't had the time to do the real homework on real estate.   Eve: [00:24:24] I mean, I think if I was starting out now, I'd be making a list for myself and not expecting to check every box, you know? Certainly if I think about moving other assets, top of my list would be women-owned businesses. You know, it's just things that you, that I care about, that really matter to me that the next person, you're about something else more.   Janine: [00:24:48] That's exactly right. And there is there will be a chapter on this book, in this book about private debt and revenue-based financing and private equity and how women can get involved in that. Angel groups that are women-based angel groups, and some new innovative models that are coming out to bring women in, even at relatively small value points, and online platforms that are available now if you're not accredited investors. So, there's actually tons of ways to start investing in women, in businesses and things like that for anyone.   Eve: [00:25:24] So, I'm in the early, right at the beginning stage of talking to a group about a women's development fund, a fund, not a huge one, a small one that would invest in women-led real estate projects.   Janine: [00:25:36] Oh, interesting.   Eve: [00:25:38] It's going to take a little while to develop, but I'm very excited about that. I think it's a, you know, a very strong purpose, right?   Janine: [00:25:47] Yeah, no, it's great. So, I actually have a question for you. Because I seem to remember and I may have gotten this wrong, but I seem to remember in listening to one of your podcasts at one point that you talked about the fact that people who do impact real estate investing aren't necessarily going to see the same kind of returns as people would in regular real estate deals. So, first of all, did I hear that right? And if I did, could you say more about that and why that's the case? And also, what do you think is a good return?   Eve: [00:26:21] I think that's not necessarily true across all types of real estate; affordable housing is the most difficult.   Janine: [00:26:30] Ah.   Eve: [00:26:30] And that's because the more you return to an investor or a bank, the higher rents are going to be for the tenants.   Janine: [00:26:38] Right. I get it.   Eve: [00:26:39] So, if subsidy goes away as it has been, and we get a bigger and bigger and bigger need for affordable housing, which we have, this gap, ok? And if investors continue to want to be, quite frankly, a little bit greedy and expect 20 percent internal rate of return, I don't know how you build those projects and keep housing affordable if that continues. So ...   Janine: [00:27:09] Yeah.   Eve: [00:27:09] There are many examples of affordable housing projects we've done on Small Change that are offering quite generous returns. But they can do that because they have, they are a mixed-use project, they have new market tax credits, they have a grant from the city, they have, you know, historic tax, they do public-private financing, maxxed to be able to squeeze out the best return they can for investors. Very difficult. And so I think that's not true for all real estate, but definitely for that class of real estate. I think a lot has to happen for it to be kind of a normal market driven ...   Janine: [00:27:55] That actually makes a ton of sense. I totally hear what you're saying. And I think those kinds of things in real estate and other verticals like health and education, perhaps. That not everything is going to deliver market rate returns. I mean, I think one of the fallacies and the problems that have come out of the impact investing movement, if you want to call it that, is the belief, or that's come out of our very, the way we think about capitalism, is that everything has a market ... everything can be done through the market. And that's just totally not true. There's a, there are brilliant things that can happen, like what you're talking about with affordable housing that can deliver a good return to an investor. If there is a subsidy brought in, or if there is a recognition that, you know, this business model is not going to completely wash its face, it's not going to completely be able to return what it needs to return. But there's lots of ways that you can bring in guarantees or you can bring in first tranches of money that are willing to take a greater loss. Or very interesting things you can do with a financial stack.   Eve: [00:29:23] But ultimately is it right for a private investor to get a 15 to 20 percent return on a project that will only move forward if there's tons of subsidy. Kind of wrong.   Janine: [00:29:37] I'm not sure it is because, look at the alternative. The alternative, and this is kind of what happened in the microfinance world. So, in microfinance, it was reaching 100 million people. It definitely was shown to help bring people out of poverty. It was completely driven by grants. And there was, when I got involved in it in 2002, there was this huge battle going on between proponents of, like, the Grameen Bank, of keeping it completely the way it had always been and fully driven by grants, and a new group of players who were saying, yes, but we can actually commercialize these microfinance institutions and turn them into commercially viable institutions. And there was this huge battle between those two. They hated each other, actually. And what ended up happening is the commercial play actually got proven out. It was shown that you can, in fact, commercialize microfinance and you can reach a lot more, and the whole technology piece that I talked about came out of that as well. And now you've got, from the time I got started, so that two and a half, in a basically a 10 year span in that two and a half billion people who were previously unbanked. It's now gone below two billion. So, by bringing capital that was seeking a return into the mix, that whole thing was able to scale in a way that it would never have scaled just on grants. Right?   Eve: [00:31:18] But I think when I'm talking about is, we had an offering on Small Change that was an homeless housing project in L.A., just a small offering. But the developers were determined to open it up to the community. And the funds they get, the rent they get is actually from the government. So, it's going to be affordable housing in perpetuity. It's not going to, you know, increase in value and be sold at a profit. So ...   Janine: [00:31:48] Right.   Eve: [00:31:49] ... was a fixed return, OK, return over years, which was a nine percent return, which I thought was pretty generous. And that offering actually filled up faster than any we've had.   Janine: [00:32:01] Yeah. I'm not surprised.   Eve: [00:32:03] So that question to me was, do you think we could offer a little less and still raise money, because that's hard, to add in a nine percent return to a project like that? And I don't know the answer.   Janine: [00:32:14] Well, you try. I mean, I'm ... I think the thing is, you know, people are going to look at this like anything else. They're going to look at it from a risk returns scenario. So in my own personal portfolio, I have money in bonds that are returning me three or four percent. Right. So that's OK, because I know that those are pretty secure and chances are I'm not going to lose my principal.   Eve: [00:32:42] Right.   Janine: [00:32:42] So getting three or four percent is OK. But if I'm going to put money into a private business where in five years, 50 percent of private businesses will be out of business, then my risk is a lot higher because I don't know that that business is actually going to succeed and I could lose everything. Right? So I'm looking for a better return in a three to four percent. The same thing is going to be true in a real estate deal. I mean, if you're asking me to invest in something and I'm going to get a five percent return on it, then I'm going to need to feel pretty dang confident that I'm going to get that five percent return and I'm going to get my principal back. And that's not always possible in a real estate deal.   Eve: [00:33:27] And you get to feel good because you'll be housing most people, right?   Janine: [00:33:34] Yes. Yes, I get that. And I also get that people need to make enough return on their money to be able to retire and have the things that they want, too. And they're not going to put that at risk. So, I think there's a, but I, you know, I talked to a woman yesterday who's on the other side of this discussion, and I really liked her a ton. She was great. She's very committed. She is very, you know, in integrity with herself. And she really believes that people should be willing to make investments and get no return if they're doing good stuff in the world. And that that is the way the world should go and that we should stop even thinking about return at all. So, she's got a very different perspective on it.   Eve: [00:34:19] I think if you have enough wealth that you can do that with some of your money, that's fantastic. But you're right, most people can't,.   Janine: [00:34:26] No, they can't.   Eve: [00:34:27] They need to live, too.   Janine: [00:34:29] So, yeah, in fact, in doing the research on this book, I found that in the United States, there are 14 million people who are millionaires, about 14, 15 million people. Right? Five percent of this, five, six percent of the country. So, if that's true and if 95 percent of us aren't millionaires, then, you know, asking people to not get a return on their money is a pretty big ask.   Janine: [00:35:03] Yeah. An I don't think, and I don't think that one percent of us who really have wealth are sufficient to solve this problem.   Eve: [00:35:15] Yes.   Janine: [00:35:17] So, we have to find ways that the majority of us can participate in solving this problem. And that means that we need to do this in a way that they can feel comfortable with the return they're getting. And I think subsidizing to help them do that is not necessarily a bad thing. And I actually think that's where the really rich people could come in, is that they could provide some of those subsidies, so they can take lower return to help other people's money come in at a higher level of return.   Eve: [00:35:51] So do you think that these new crowdfunding rules, like my platform, Small Change, where we use regulation crowdfunding to let anyone invest? Do you think that is a path towards a solution?   Janine: [00:36:02] I think it's one of them, and I think it's, Yes, I do. I think it's a really interesting path. And I think that people who are non-accredited, it's been kind of fascinating to me as well how differently wealthy people invest than people who aren't. And it's not right that people who aren't wealthy shouldn't be allowed to invest in vehicles that can provide them with more direct opportunities to have impact with their money and to provide them with greater return. I mean, there is way more risk, for sure. And some people could make bad decisions. You need to do your homework with this. But there are a lot of really smart people out there who are non-accredited who would put in the time and effort to make the right decisions and they should be allowed to.   Eve: [00:36:56] No, you and I agree about that. And I also, I really don't like the idea of classes of investors. So that, you know, I've had discussions with developers who think that accredited investors want more, deserve more, and I ...   Janine: [00:37:14] Yeah.   Eve: [00:37:14] ... can't agree with that. I think money should be given the same opportunity. And unaccredited investors who had absolutely zero opportunity to get, you know, a half a percent return from your bank account if you're lucky.   Janine: [00:37:26] Right.   Eve: [00:37:26] That's just not OK. So ...   Janine: [00:37:29] No, it's not. And you know, the truth is, there's a great book I read a long time ago by a guy named Nocera about sort of the evolution of money. And, you know, actually even before him, if you go back, San Francisco history. So, this is a story I absolutely adore. The Bank of America. Do you know the origin story of the Bank of America? It's sort of incredible.   Eve: [00:37:53] No, I don't.   Janine: [00:37:55] So, quick version. So, it started in before 1906. There was an Italian immigrant in the San Francisco, in San Francisco itself, actually, who decided that, at that time, the only people who could have bank accounts were extraordinarily wealthy people. J.P. Morgan, you know, that kind of ilk of person. And so he decided, you know what, I think the average man and woman should have bank accounts and be able to get loans. And so he started this bank. It was called the Bank of Italy. And nobody used him because nobody trusted banks. And so then came 1906, the famous earthquake of San Francisco. And he rushed to his bank. He took all the cash out of his safe. He put it in a wheelbarrow. He put, you know, fruit and vegetables over this thing that he had all his money in. And he carted it out of San Francisco. And then he met with the other bankers and they were talking about what they were going to do for the city. And the other bankers were saying, well, we've got to wait six months before we can open our banks. It's too dangerous. You know, bad stuff is going to happen. And so this man, his name is A.P. Giannini. He took that cart or whatever he had of money and he brought it to Fisherman's Wharf and he set up a little table using barrels and a log, and he started giving out money.   Eve: [00:39:30] Wow.   Janine: [00:39:30] People came to him and he gave them loans. And all he asked was their signature. He trusted them. And the people were so responsive to that,  they had so much gratitude, that his bank grew and the Bank of Italy became the Bank of America.   Eve: [00:39:50] That's a great story. Yeah.   Janine: [00:39:51] Right? So, and if you look at the history of money and you look at, what you find is that time and time again, there was some innovator like him who said, "You know what? This shouldn't only be for the rich." That's how we got money, mutual funds, and that's how we got invested in, that's how anyone can invest in the stock market. It wasn't always that way either. That was also just something for the rich. So, time and time again, we have seen these things come online for wealthy people. And then some innovator says, you know what? It doesn't have to be this way.   Eve: [00:40:32] Yes.   Janine: [00:40:34] And then the rest of us can participate.   Eve: [00:40:35] Fascinating. So given all of that, what do you think the future of real estate impact investing lies?   Janine: [00:40:43] I'm going to take a step back first and say, where does the future of impact or values aligned investing lie first, and I believe it is going to become ubiquitous. I believe that ultimately this is the way people are going to invest writ large, that their values are going to matter to them as much as their return. And they're going to realize they don't have to give up both. And I think that the real estate piece of this, because it's more complicated for people, is going to be a little longer to come online. But I think there will ultimately be a lot of really interesting opportunities, for all of us, to invest in real estate, too, because it is a great diversifier.   Eve: [00:41:23] Yes.   Janine: [00:41:25] And I'm a huge fan. When I was a young girl, my favorite movie of all time was Gone With the Wind. And, you know, I totally love that she always goes back to the land and she realizes that regardless of what's happening around her, the land is something tangible and real. And it's something that she can hold on to. And I think that's still true today.   Eve: [00:41:49] Well, that was some really fascinating conversation. Thank you so much for joining me, Janine. I'm sure we're going to be talking again soon.   Janine: [00:41:58] My pleasure. Thank you so much. I enjoyed it, too.   Eve: [00:42:03] That was Janine Firpo. Here are some of the things I learned during our fascinating conversation. First, not only can you expect financial return when you make a socially responsible investment, you can meet or even beat the market. Second, only five percent of the U.S. population is a millionaire. That means that 95 percent of the population does not have access to investment opportunities that are largely available for the wealthy. Finally, figuring out what impact means in real estate investing is difficult for someone starting out. It's impossible to find consistent metrics. You can find out more about impact real estate investing, and access the show notes for today's episode at my website, EvePicker.com. While you're there, sign up for my newsletter to find out more about how to make money in real estate while building better cities. Thank you so much for spending your time with me today. And thank you, Janine, for sharing your thoughts with me. We'll talk again soon. But for now, this is Eve Picker signing off to go make some change.

Although I've been to more than 60 countries now, I'm always learning new things about travel and the world! This year was no different. I went back to some of my favorite destinations and discovered new ones. Here are my top tips, hacks, and insights from around the world in 2019. Destinations include: Netherlands, Paris, French Alps, Bulgaria, Iceland, Norway, Italy, Lithuania, California, Austin, and Miami. Show notes: Polar Steps: https://www.polarsteps.com/travelingwithkristin Amsterdam Guide: https://youtu.be/jMwNb7m_sY4 Tomorrowland Winter: https://youtu.be/kSSj7t_qOpY Paris Writing Workshops: https://pariswritingworkshops.com/ Interview with Rolf Potts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_vmNP63AwU Recommended Travel Books: http://bit.ly/TravelProductivityBooks Blue Bank: https://www.blabankinn.is/ Vilnius Cost of Living: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AXFrHXLieg Vilnius Travel Guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooAU51i6T6c Arctic Coworking: https://www.arcticcoworking.com/ Philz Coffee: https://www.philzcoffee.com/ Amtrak California Routes: https://www.amtrak.com/california-train-routes Intercontinental Ambassador Program: https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental/content/us/en/ambassador Digital Nomad News Miami: https://youtu.be/Nm_MMcyw1dA Drone Clips Travel Montage: https://youtu.be/Nit2TAegXPw Travel Insurance: - World Nomads http://bit.ly/TWKTravelIns - SafetyWing http://bit.ly/SafetyWingIns Remote Jobs Guide: http://bit.ly/RemoteJobsGuide or www.travelingwithkristin.com ........................................................................................................ Support the podcast: NEW: Become a Patron and access exclusive content Shop for your travel and remote work accessories in my Amazon Store Connect With Me on Socials:  Follow on Instagram Subscribe to Badass Digital Nomads Podcast Check Out DIGITAL NOMAD TV on YouTube Subscribe to Traveling with Kristin on YouTube  Join the Badass Digital Nomads Facebook Group

Show Notes: Have you ever thought of a financial services career? What is the career path of a financial professional? How do you move through the ranks? When it comes to terms like "analyst", "lead service advisor" or "senior advisor" what do they mean? And even more so, what do those jobs look like? Although I've talked about my fairly non-linear path as a financial professional, there are career paths that are more linear in nature. If you're contemplating a career as a financial professional, check it out to see what you might expect. Years 0-3. This job role/description can take on many names but you are basically an analyst. By definition, you will see a lot of data and you will be challenged to synthesize mainly for YOUR sake. There's not a lot of liability on you from a client standpoint because you're still learning. Owners don't want you with that level of responsibility quite yet. Tasks may include: inputting data into software, running reports, sitting in meetings and having things go over your head. Years 3-5. You might have the title as "associate, lead" advisor but you are basically a service advisor. Having been in the game for some time you may be bumped up in PAY and RESPONSIBILITY for a few reasons. Hopefully, you've deepened your knowledge and invested in yourself to earn a master's degree, designation or both. You've got more experience so you will likely have migrated from synthesizing data for YOUR sake to OTHER stakeholders like firm owners and clients. Tasks may include: running joint or solo in client meetings, managing client relationships within the business, finding new business for the firm, etc. Beyond year 5. You have a lot of flexibility. This is where some advisors with a less certain upside decide to go on their own. If you have a good opportunity you may start down a partnership track which could present you with some interesting opportunities beyond just compensation--like ownership during a succession event. Tasks will likely include a fair amount of business development for (finding and retaining client relationships), you may also wind up portfolio management responsibilities depending on your expertise, or other high-level responsibilities like operations, compliance, marketing, etc. Thanks for listening, reading and watching. Are you a current or aspiring financial professional? Click here to learn more about how I'm helping you jumpstart your career! Want to connect with me? Send me a DM on Linkedin (@dhendersonsr) or Instagram (@dominiquehendersonsr). --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dom-the-maven/message

Rhonda and David address a question from Karolina, a therapist in Poland who was failing with a depressed patient who felt totally convinced he was a “useless” human being. I think you will find their discussion of this case fascinating, as it deals with the cause of practically ALL therapeutic failure, and illustrates the solution al well, using TEAM-CBT methods and concepts. Today’s podcast is intended for therapists and patients alike! For the show notes, we are including the email David received from Karolina, as well as his initial response. Dear Dr. Burns, I've been listening to your podcast for 6 months now and it's been so helpful with my work as a therapist as well as in my personal life. I'm starting to develop a habit of considering every unwanted state with a "what does it say that's awesome about me?" and I'm much happier now :). I'm wondering if you'd consider helping me some more. I have a client who's been struggling with depression for many years. At the moment he's doing ok and his mood is up. Lately the topic of his uselessness came up again and he's willing to work on that. He said he'll consider the possibility that he's not a useless human being and asked me to not to dismiss the possibility that he is - that's how he'll know that I'm not just trying to cheer him up. It's been bugging me ever since. Although I've agreed, I really can't find in me any part that is ready to think that. I strongly believe he's not a useless person. I can't imagine labeling anyone in that way and in his case it feels so personal as I like him very much and I care about him. I'm starting to have dreams about our next session when I fail him by trying to convince him to think as I do. How can I be open about our conclusion when my mind is already fixed? Any thoughts on this would be deeply appreciated. Best wishes from Poland Karolina Hi Karolina, Thanks! The term has no meaning. It is just a vague put down, like what a bully might say. I might ask him what time of day he was feeling useless, and then have him fill out a Daily Mood Log for that moment, step by step. We can only help him at one specific moment. You can use a large number of techniques but must first get an A on Empathy, and then do effective paradoxical agenda setting, starting with the Paradoxical Invitation Step and then asking “what type of help would you be looking for?” then you can do the Magic Button and Positive Reframing. All of the negative thoughts and feelings on the Daily Mood Log will be advantageous and will show something about him that is awesome and positive. You should be able to generate a list of at least 25 overwhelming positives. Then you can use the Magic Dial. When you get to M = Methods, you can put the thought, “I am a useless human being” in the middle of a recovery circle, and then select a minimum of 16 methods to challenge it. You can start with Identify the Distortions. There are likely at least 9 distortions in the thought, including AON, OG, MF, DP, MAG / MIN; ER; LAB; SH; SB. You can try, “let’s define terms,” and ask what’s the definition of a “useless human being”? You’ll find that no matter how you try to define it, The definition will apply to all human beings. The definition will apply to no human beings. The definition does not apply to him. The definition does not make sense. The definition is based on some kind of arbitrary cut-off points. You can do this as a role-play, being a close friend trying to find out if you’re useless, and asking him for guidance on how to find out. You can do the Paradoxical Double Standard Techniques, Downward Arrow, Hidden Emotion, Externalization of Voices, Acceptance Paradox / Self-Defense Paradigm, Examine the Evidence, Semantic Method, and on and on. The problem is NOT that he’s a “useless human being” but rather that he’s obsessing and wasting time on a meaningless construct, and beating up on himself. The whole key to success will be agenda setting. You can take the position that maybe this is not something that he really wants to challenge, since it may be working for him, and also reflects all those 25 wonderful things about him. The whole key to success will be agenda setting. You can take the position that maybe this is not something that he really wants to challenge, since it may be working for him, and also reflects all those 25 wonderful things about him. Remember that just about 99.9% of therapeutic failure results from Agenda Setting errors. Is this something you want to help him with, or something he is desperately asking you for help with? I am almost 100% positive that this is your agenda, not his. In fact, your need to “help” him with this may actually keep him stuck. In fact, here is the proof. You write: “I'm starting to have dreams about our next session when I fail him by trying to convince him to think as I do. How can I be open about our conclusion when my mind is already fixed?” If you don’t understand this, I recommend some supervision from a TEAM therapists or join one of the online classes, or attend my workshop on resistance, coming up in a month or so, check out my website workshop page for details. You can join online. David D. Burns, M.D. Hi Dr. Burns, Thank you so much for your quick and thorough response! I kinda felt that my "helping" is the issue here as I've felt my own frustration rising... Thanks for reminding me that uselessness is just a meaningless concept, I needed that. And I love the idea of role-playing as a friend asking for help with defining his uselessness. I'll pace myself, though, and give us time to walk through all the steps, especially Empathy and Agenda Setting and check how it goes and what my clients wants, not I. I appreciate information on the resources and supervision I can access online, so good to know there are options! You can use my real name, can't wait to hear the podcast :). Karolina Thanks for listening today! By the way, if you are looking for CE credits or training in TEAM-CBT, my upcoming workshop on therapeutic resistance on February 9, 2020 will be a good one. You'll learn how to use the techniques described in today's podcast. See below for details and links! David

My first full time marketing job was being the marketing manager for Go Live Labs a fledgling user experience design firm ( team of 5 including myself) I was the entire marketing department and I made a huge mistake that ruined any chance at getting the business office the ground through marketing. It's a mistake lots of marketing professionals make especially early in their career. Although I've seen a lot of marketing leaders with 10 20 years into their career make this mistake too...and it'll ruin your chance at building brand audience and pipeline.

Many thanks and many apologies to Melanie for commissioning this episode. Because I made a crappy mistake, and it's entirely my fault. This episode was supposed to lead into a live-watch of the finale episode of Season 1, but like a giant dodo I went and watched this episode AND the finale episode, rendering Melanie's commission of a voyeur episode moot. Although I've already seen the finale, in this podcast I only talked about Episode 19 because there was just so much to cover. So the next episode I will cover the finale, and the slot that would have been there because of the live watch will instead be taken up by me watching all of the Gravity Falls shorts on Disney+ on Facebook Live. It's a shame, and I feel like a real dink, but thank you Melanie for being gracious about this and helping me come up with a way to try and make it up to you. (I also sent her some Christmas goodies and I hope that helps soften the blow.) Thanks so much to you all for listening, and I will see you all soon with the finale episode.

" Have you seen them? They are everywhere. There's enough of them in the air to eclipse the light of the sun. If they were all packed together. There are more of them than there are people that count them. There as many as snowflakes in a blizzard. What are those things? Seeds." Family Discussions: Why does God compare his word to a little tiny seeds? How can a heart be a garden? How can your heart be a garden that produces the fruit of God? How can you make your home a garden just like that? Transcription: 00:14          I call today's Bible study, "Little Bitty Seeds." And this is probably the most famous of all of Jesus' parables. Man, what a storyteller he was. And every time he told a story, it had some incredible heavenly meeting. This is the parable of the seeds and it's in Mark chapter four. And we're going to start with verse three. Jesus was speaking, he said this, listen to this. "Behold the sower went out into the field to sow. And as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road and the birds came in and ate it up. Others seeds fell on rocky soil and the ground around it did not have much soil. And immediately it spring up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scarce. And because it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among the thorns and the thorns came up and choked it and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell into the good soil. And as it grew up and as it increased, it yielded a crop and it produced 30, 60, and a hundred fold."   01:21          Have you seen them? They are everywhere. There's enough of them in the air to eclipse the light of the sun. If they were all packed together. There are more of them than there are people that count them. There as many as snowflakes in a blizzard. What are those things? Seeds. Little tiny seeds and man, our nation is blessed with more seeds than any nation that ever lived. Almost every motel and hotel room in America has a book full of seeds. There's a Bible in a drawer. 24 hours a day, seven days a week, thousands upon thousands of TV stations and radio stations across this country and literally around the world. They spread the seeds on invisible radio and television currents.   02:07          Man, the internet is proliferated with seeds. There's churches on almost every street corner in the country, like 453 denominations to be exact. If you can imagine that. But where are the gardens for the seeds to grow in? They don't seem to grow too well in Hollywood these days. Although I've got some friends out there in Hollywood who are very godly people and they give their career away not to appear in certain movies, but generally speaking, what comes out of Hollywood is not very good seeds. You know, there's many, many, many more R rated movies out today than there are G rated movies. There's more PG 13 movies that PG movies by far.   03:00          And then in the schools, man, the courts have kicked out the seeds in the schools. They kicked out prayer. The courts kicked out the 10 commandments. They kicked out and God, they've kicked the Bible out of schools. And then prime time television. Man, Oh man. Seeds don't grow well on prime time television anymore. The only mention of God you'll probably hear on most prime time television is when someone gets mad or someone gets scared and they scream out and God's name in vain. So, where did the seeds grow anymore? Where do you find God's seeds growing? And the answer is phenomenal. They grow in hearts like yours and they grow in homes like the home you're living in today. They grow when you push the world away and you say God, you are my God. You're the God of my home. You are welcome in this house and you're welcome in the house in which we live. You're in charge here, God. Grow here so that others can come and eat out of our garden.   04:01          Here's the questions for today. Why does God compare his word to a little tiny seeds? And second question is this. How can a heart be a garden? How can your heart be a garden that produces the fruit of God? And the third question is this. How can you make your home a garden just like that? And here's the thought for the day. Let's make this home that we live in the most fruitful garden in all creation.

Wow! I think it's safe for me to assume that we all would prefer to avoid making a mistake that ends up lasting for 18.5 years! A new study was just released in regards to "financial regrets" that older Americans have made. Although I've talked about this topic many times before, this new study (yet again) shows the importance of giving serious thought before taking action when it comes to this financial decision. Maybe you've already fallen into this pit, and that's okay, but as a society we need to empower people with knowledge and information so that they don't repeat one of the most regretted money mistakes people make! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/moneywithclay/support

Although I've been learning Japanese for 3 years, I still can't read this Manga. Anyone got that problem? well can't help you there, but you could learn how to say that to your Japanese friend lol! CHECK OUT EP 13! CYA

Although I've never lived anywhere else, America just does not feel like the best country on earth anymore. This is especially true as I research about other countries. However, so many people still want to immigrate here. Why? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/fauperspective/message

It's hard to imagine a cigar world without Montecristo in it. They're such an iconic brand in the world of cigars. And, today, I'm gonna dive into the Montecristo Nicaragua Series toro - a cigar I should love from a company I don't smoke often.Try this cigar:  https://famous-smoke.7eer.net/kPn6LInitial Thoughts:The Montecristo name is almost synonymous with cigars. They've been making cigars for decades, and they're one of the biggest names in the cigar game. Although I've not smoked many Montecristo cigars in my day, when I saw the Montecristo Nicaragua Series on the shelf, I knew I had to try it. The cigar is beautiful and it appears to be very well made. I'm excited to dive in.Brand: MontecristoLine: Nicaragua SeriesSize: 6 x 54Cut: GuillotineLight: TorchPrice: $12.99Learn About This Cigar - https://famous-smoke.7eer.net/kPn6LFinal Thoughts:Unremarkable. That's the word I'd used to describe the Montecristo Nicaragua Series Toro. The burn of the cigar was decent enough, but the mediocre flavors were totally underwhelming. Even after spending an hour on the cigar, I couldn't taste it on my palate after I was done. Not a bad thing in and of itself, but worthy of mentioning because of the blandness of this particular stick.For $12.99, I think there are a thousand other cigars I'd rather smoke. Because I would not smoke this again, this Montecristo Nicaragua Series Toro gets a CigarScore of 2.:::::Find & Rate Where to Smoke Cigars at https://www.cigarscore.comWhere I buy my cigars: https://click.cigarscore.com/famoussmokePremium Cigar Samplers: https://click.cigarscore.com/fs-premiumsamplers:::::Subscribe to my YouTube Channel! - https://click.cigarscore.com/subscribeonyoutube::::: Gear I Used or Mentioned in This Video :::::Main camera: https://www.ellorywells.com/yt-canon80dMain lens: https://www.ellorywells.com/yt-canon18125mmMusic: https://www.cigarscore.com/musicLapel mic: https://www.ellorywells.com/yt-movolv1Sturdy tripod: https://www.ellorywells.com/yt-tripodTravel camera: https://www.ellorywells.com/yt-canong7xiiHandheld tripod: https://www.ellorywells.com/yt-manfrottoShotgun Mic: https://www.ellorywells.com/yt-videomicproCrazy-Cam: https://www.ellorywells.com/yt-hero5Ultra-wide lens: https://www.ellorywells.com/yt-canon1018mmMy close-up, headshot lens: https://www.ellorywells.com/yt-canon50mmGrippy tripod: https://www.ellorywells.com/yt-gorillapod:::::SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cigarscoreTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/cigarscoreInstagram: https://Instagram.com/cigarscore:::::AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER: Hey, so, some of the links in my videos and descriptions are affiliate links. But, I only recommend products/services I use and love myself =) More details here - https://www.cigarscore.com/ads-and-affiliate-disclaimer-disclosure/

Exclusives for gaming has been a thing for a long time. Although I've been hard on walled gardens all week I'm kinda soft on gaming exclusives. In this episode I really try to convince myself gaming exclusives are bad but for me I'm already on an exclusive... Steam. Valve has given Linux gaming so much goodwill I really fight to find a problem with other exclusives. At least we got it better than OSX! Read more Get more hot takes, deeper dives and inside information on tech and how it connects to humans. obscurednarration.com Blog RSS Get behind the scenes Twitter - @domcorriveau Instagram - @domcorriveau Reviews and more tech news on my YouTube Music "Werq", "Basic Implosion" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Subscribe If a daily is just too much for you, I have a single RSS feed that compiles all the daily shows into a single audio file. This comes out each Friday and is a streamlined episode of all the daily shows combined into a single file. This way you don't miss anything but don't feel like you're falling behind! Weekly Podcast RSS Miami Vice Podcast Back in 1984, Miami Vice changed the TV landscape not only for the decade, but for generations of police drama’s since. Miami Vice’s cultural impact on TV was not only with police drama’s, but bringing in the best of popular music with each and every episode. Go With the Heat is a serial podcast going an episode at a time and digging into the cultural phenomenon that is Miami Vice from the perspective of hosts who have never seen an episode prior to starting this podcast. gowiththeheat.com

Although I've been limping around like a pirate, it's still been a full week of interesting. So we talk about a new Street food market, UFC London and Tim Miller new TV show. It's another fun episode of #EFTV is a fun one! We've got :-) This week: - Tsujihara out at Warner Bros. - David Lammy has ruined everything! - Gunn back in the MCU - Adventures at Mercato Metropolitano - UFC Fight Night 147: Till vs. Masvidal REVIEWS & RECOMMENDATIONS - TV: Love, Death & Robots - S1 review AUDIBLE - Drake by Peter McLean Live life like Whoa! :-) ------------------------- ****CANVAS**** If you're by Liverpool Street Station, go visit Canvas 42 Hanbury Street, E1 5JL 020 7018 1020 www.thecanvascafe.org @TheCanvasCafe ------------------------- *(Music) 'Whoa' by Black Rob - 2000

The Italian TableBy Elizabeth Minchilli Intro: Welcome to the Cookery by the Book podcast. With Suzy Chase. She's just a home cook in New York City, sitting at her dining room table, talking to cookbook authors. Elizabeth: Hi, I'm Elizabeth Minchilli and my latest cookbook is The Italian Table.Suzy Chase: The Italian Table is glorious, from the recipes to the photos. The first thing you see when you open the cookbook is the stunning kitchen with rustic blue and white tile, and blue and white plates hung on the wall. Is this your kitchen?Elizabeth: Oh, I wish! That's a kitchen in a beautiful castle outside of Rome. Although I've spent a lot of time in it.Suzy Chase: Oh, that tile is to die for.Elizabeth: Beautiful. And you know, a lot of the kitchen, I didn't get into all the kitchens in the book, but the particularly beautiful ones I tried to include since they're so inspirational.Suzy Chase: I can't figure out what's more beautiful in this cookbook, your writing or your photographs. What do you love more?Elizabeth: Well, you know, for me, since the kinds of books I've always done have been so image-driven, I can't imagine one without the other. And I see the photographs as giving a different dimension to the words. And that's always been my response to cookbooks, you know. I love, obviously, recipes that work, but I love the story behind them. But I also like the visual inspiration, whether it's actually the food or the place settings or the tiles on the kitchen wall.Suzy Chase: Me too. So I found it interesting that each chapter captures a specific meal that you experienced in Italy. Describe how this cookbook is laid out.Elizabeth: Well the way, I was trying to decide how to combine my competing passions for, you know, interior design and setting and history with food. And I realized that it all came together at the table. And once I decided that, I wanted to share as many different kinds of meals as possible to show my readers how Italians really eat. I mean you know, most people imagine certain dishes with Italy, whether it's pasta or pizza or gelato. But people aren't eating those things all day long, and they're not eating them perhaps in the way that people think. So while the settings are beautiful, these are really the way people eat, whether it's at the beach, whether it's on a coffee break, you know, grabbing a slice of pizza in Rome. Whether it's in a summer vacation villa outside of, in Umbria. So I wanted to have a great range and that way to be able to explore both the setting and the food on the table.Suzy Chase: Yeah, I notice that you really drill down beyond the ingredients, beyond the cooking technique. Like you'll get the pasta and the bowl, but what about the bowl, or the tool used to get the pasta from the bowl to the plate or even the linens that cover the table. I love that part.Elizabeth: Yeah, that's my ... I love that part too. And not just because it involves shopping opportunities. What I really love about it is that it really, you know, 'cause when you go to a place you might have a great meal and you might support the local restaurants, in a way, but there's other ways that you can learn more deeply about a region and that's by visiting its artisans. And you know a lot of people will see pretty, you know, ceramics from Italy and stop there, knowing that they're from Italy. But I really like to, you know, drive home why this certain kind of plate shows up if you're on the beach in Positano, why a different kind of bowl shows up if you're in a small town in Puglia, and what those mean. And explore a bit about the people who are actually making those bowls, who are often the people that are eating those dishes anyway.Suzy Chase: Here's the question I'm dying to know the answer to. How did a girl from St. Louis end up in Rome as an expert on Italian cuisine?Elizabeth: Well, that goes back to the fact that when I was 12 years old I was living in St. Louis and my parents took a vacation, and they went to Italy and they did Florence, Venice, Rome. And they came back and instead of getting back to our life they packed up our house, sold the business, and we moved to Rome for two years. And although we only stayed there for two years and then moved back to the States, we always came back in the summer. And so I always felt at home whether it was in Italy or Spain or France, trying to get a way to get back, and that way came back in graduate school. And in the late '80s I decided if I picked a, you know, my dissertation topic correctly, I could get somebody else to sort of fund my permanent vacation, and I did. And I ended up in Florence working on sixteenth century gardens. And then along the way I met my Italian husband and started having Italian babies and Italian dogs and that's when my new career really shifted gears from academia to publishing. And at the beginning I was writing predominantly about art and architecture and design, but almost really really shortly thereafter I also started writing about food. But always in a cultural context. You know, when I was writing for Bon Appetit or Food & Wine or Town & County I would write about restaurants but more, not just as a place to find good food but as a way to dive deeper into the culture.Suzy Chase: Tell me about where you live.Elizabeth: I currently divide my time between Rome and Umbria. Umbria is a region located just north, in between, let's say, Rome and Florence. And my main house is a little apartment in the old section of Rome called Monti. It's a little, I'm now talking to you from my office on the roof of our building. We've been living here, my husband had the apartment when I met him, my kids have been born here, and it's right, I mean, if I walked out, I just now walked down the street and my cash machine, my ATM, is in front of the Colosseum. Which is kind of nice.Suzy Chase: Oh, wow.Elizabeth: And then our house up in Umbria, which is on the cover of the book, actually. We spend the summers there and have a big vegetable garden and we have olive trees so we make our own olive oil and that's where we live.Suzy Chase: How old is your house in Umbria? It looks like it's stone.Elizabeth: It's made out of stone. And the house itself is, I would say parts date back to the sixteenth century.Suzy Chase: Wow. That's gorgeous.Elizabeth: And you know, like all of these houses, they're built onto over the years, and we restored it. My husband's an architect, and his specialty is restoring these houses into inhabitable places. And in fact two of my books talk about restoring houses in Italy.Suzy Chase: Talk a bit about how the Italian food words are the hardest to tackle. Like, cicchetti, in Venice, if I'm pronouncing that correctly. What is it, and where would we eat it?Elizabeth: Well, cicchetti is a word that yeah, exists only in Venice. Took me a really hard time to figure out what it means, because people translate it into tapas, you know? 'Cause we think we know what that means. Or little bites. And they kind of are both those things. But when you say to a Venetia, they know exactly what it means and it has a sort of social context. It means, little things to eat along with a glass of wine so you don't get too drunk 'cause that's not the point. The point is actually meeting your friends and having a drink. And the food is sort of secondary. And you know all this stuff I just said, it's hard to put down in a one word translation. But it's funny you ask that because I mean, food in Italy is so difficult to translate and this past week I just did food tours as well, and Melissa Clark was just here and we were doing-Suzy Chase: Yes. You had your Awful Tour.Elizabeth: We had our Awful Tour. And it wasn't awful at all, it was wonderful. But it did deal with innards. And one of the things that we both learned, you know, we were both in Umbria, in Rome, and in Florence, is you know, the same little part of an animal can have, you know, ten different words depending where you are in Italy. And for me, that's sort of the fascinating thing. There's always something more to learn. You know, you said I'm an expert in Italian food, but I find it hard to believe that anybody's an expert. I think that there's always something to learn.Suzy Chase: Well since you brought up Melissa Clark, tell me about your food tours and your daughter Sophie.Elizabeth: So, when I first started my blog I didn't really know, you know, back in the early days of blogs, I didn't really know what it would lead to and how it would make money. 'Cause blogs don't make money. And so one of the things that it led to was doing food tours. And people started asking me for food tours and I didn't quite know what they were at the time. Nobody was really doing them in Rome. And so I started doing them, and I did market tours around several different neighborhoods in Rome on my own, and was immediately very busy doing these tours. And I was doing it on my own for a few years and then luckily my daughter, Sophie, graduated university. She was going to school in London, came back here, and I convinced her to work with me. And so now we both got sort of more work than we can handle. She's doing, handling the day by day tours here in Rome. I do some of them as well. But my time is mostly focused on our week in Italy tours. And those are deep dives into different regions. We're currently doing tours in Rome, in Florence, and in Puglia. And we do them on our own, they're usually six nights. We do them on our own, sometimes we partner with people. I've partnered with Melissa Clark twice and Evan Kleiman, who's located in LA. She's a cookbook author and host of Good Food.Suzy Chase: The best.Elizabeth: Yeah. And then in July we're doing one with Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat Pray Love.Suzy Chase: Oh cool.Elizabeth: Yeah. We're doing one in Puglia. So it's a fun excuse to collaborate with friends, and also see Rome and Italy in general from a different point of view.Suzy Chase: What influence did Anna Tasca Lanza and her cooking school have on you?Elizabeth: Well I just remember seeing the book really early on, you know, when I first moved to Italy, working on my dissertation. I can remember picking up the Marcella Hazan books, cooking through them, and then there were these books also by Anna Tasca Lanza. And these beautifully illustrated books. And Sicilian food at the time, even in Italy, people weren't really talking about it. And I just found it fascinating. And when I started writing about food and getting sent on press trips, I found myself at the Tasca d’Almerita estate. And seeing these pictures of the food processes that were going on in both of the houses on the estate. And there was one house that sort of focused on the wine and then there was Anna Tasca Lanza at the other villa. And I would see these pictures of like, women pouring tomato sauce on wooden planks in a sun drenched courtyard making tomato paste, and her recipes talked about these really romantic memories of the house cook sort of teaching her how to make things, and with the ingredients from the land. And it always was something that stuck in my head, and over the years I've made it back there as many times as possible and I'm really happy to recreate a menu inspired by my time there.Suzy Chase: You have a gorgeous porchetta in this cookbook. What is the key to a good porchetta?Elizabeth: Well obviously the key to any of these dishes is getting great ingredients. And the other thing is that you have to sort of, a lot of these recipes that people love are often eaten in certain places. For instance, porchetta is most likely eaten at the side of the road, you know, as you're driving through Italy there's a porchetta stand and he's got, you know, this 200 pound pig on the side of the road that he's cutting thick slices off of. I don't think anybody that's buying my book has an oven big enough to fit a pig in it. And so the challenge of my recipe was creating a porchetta that you could cook at home. And in that case it was something that would fit in your oven, have all that crispy skin, have all the nice juicy fat, but not get dried out in the middle. And so I, working with my local butcher in Umbria, I came up with that recipe. So it has all those things. And it's just super easy. Once you get the really right kind of meat, you barely season it. I mean, you season it correctly, tie it up correctly, you put it in the oven and you walk away. So, and I have to say, most of the recipes in the book are sort of, you know, not a lot of work.Suzy Chase: I can't talk about porchetta without bringing up fraschetta. Describe a fraschetta.Elizabeth: A fraschetta.Suzy Chase: Fras-, yes.Elizabeth: Sorry! They're all really hard. Everybody mispronounces my name, too, because the C and the H and all those things are really hard to get in Italy. So, a fraschette.Suzy Chase: Yes.Elizabeth: A fraschetta is a restaurant located in the town of Ariccia. It's south of Rome and it's known for its porchetta. And these fraschette were originally just little shops, like hole in the walls that would sell wine. And people would sit outside and to provide shade the owners would put up a few branches to provide shade, so its leaves still attached. And those are frasce. And so these places became known as fraschette, where you could go get sort of table wine. And bring your own food. Eventually these places started serving their own food, turned into restaurants, but they're still called fraschette today. And one of the places that actually, Sophie and I visit a lot, is la Selvotta in Ariccia. And the pictures in the book come from our experience there, which is one of my favorite ones because it's actually located in a leafy sort of forest.Suzy Chase: It looks heavenly.Elizabeth: It is. And the food is just, you know, it's what you want to sit down at a picnic bench and eat. It's like, mozzarella and salami and olives. And then you always have a few cooked things included. Porchetta, maybe, some sausages. It's fantastic.Suzy Chase: So last night I made some of your recipes out of the menu for a late summer dinner under the pergola. Even though it's the dead of winter here.Elizabeth: I saw that, I saw that! I saw that. You put them on Instagram. They looked perfect. Well, I have to say when people are asking me what's my go-to recipe in the book, it's the bean soup recipe. It's just so good.Suzy Chase: It's two minutes.Elizabeth: I know. It's two minutes. And people really think you put a lot more effort into it than you did.Suzy Chase: Yeah.Elizabeth: I mean, if you start out with dried beans and soak them, it does become, you know. And I do suggest you do that. But I'm not gonna tell anybody if you use canned beans, that's okay.Suzy Chase: Okay, thanks.Elizabeth: But I have to say, it's a great winter recipe, but then I find that in the summer if you serve people soup they really appreciate it. It's like something they don't expect and they're sick of eating cold food.Suzy Chase: Describe the story that went with this menu, how you became a good Italian momma immediately after your daughters were born.Elizabeth: Well one of the things, one of the many things that I realized, is that being an Italian momma has lots of sort of unspoken rules. And one of them is that while you stay in the city with your kids during school year, the minute the school year ends or the weekend comes, you head out to a country house. And I don't know how it is, but everybody seems to have a country house. Whether it's your Nonna, whether it's, you know, your friends, you go out to the countryside. And so I would pack up the kids and go up to the country. And so that's where, you know, even though we live in Rome, I learned to cook a lot and entertain at our house in Todi. And you know I learned to cook, you know, meals according to the seasons as well, which is something that's, I think, really important.Suzy Chase: So moving on to my segment called My Last Meal, what would you have for your last supper?Elizabeth: You know, it has to do with place as well. So I think I would have to say, maybe a plate of carbonara at one of my favorite Trattoria, Perilli in Rome. Just because for me that sums up sort of everything. It sums up the place I would go for Sunday lunches with my family, it has my favorite waiter Valerio, it's a place that's always been there before I got there, it will exist long after I leave. And the plate, you know, the carbonara goes without saying.Suzy Chase: Where can we find you on the web and social media?Elizabeth: On social media, I'm eminchilli at Instagram. And I am Elizabeth Minchilli on Facebook, and eminchilli on Twitter. And my website is elizabethminchilli.com. And I also have an app, Eat Italy, which is guides for eating your way through Rome, Venice, Florence, Puglia, Umbria, and more and more cities every day.Suzy Chase: Thanks Elizabeth, for coming on Cookery by the Book podcast.Elizabeth: It was great to be here. Thanks for having me.Outro: Follow Suzy Chase on Instagram, @cookerybythebook, and subscribe at cookerybythebook.com or in Apple Podcasts. Thanks for listening to Cookery By The Book podcast, the only podcast devoted to cookbooks, since 2015.

Show Summary: (Full Transcript Below) October 11 is White Cane Day in Minnesota and the Blindness community came out strong to support the awareness of the White Cane. Speakers shared the history of White Cane day and others talked about the freedom and independence the white cane brings to them. The Minnesota State Academy for the Blind shared their voices and sang aloud in the Capital’s Rotundra. With the support of the local Lions Clubs, MSAB, NFB of MN and Blind, Inc. the White Cane Day event was a great event with a lot of participation. From joining in on the song to marching in the walk from the St. Paul Capital to the St. Paul Cathedral and bac, participants chatted and talked while blazing through the chilly and windy Autumn day in Minnesota. As Carol Pankow put it, “Rain, sleet or snow, we do it and the weather doesn’t stop us. We just keep moving and grooving with life. You can find out more about MSAB on the web. http://msab.msa.state.mn.us Check out the NFB of MN on the web at www.NFBMn.org http://members.tcq.net/nfbmn/ And be sure to see what opportunities and events are happening at Blind, Inc. on the web at https://www.blindinc.org And check out your local Lions Club and see what they are doing in your community.   Thanks for Listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store   Full Transcript: What Does White Cane Day Mean to You? Voices at the Capital 2018 John Jasinski: So, on behalf of governor Mark Dayton, I have a proclamation.   Alycia Howard: Hi, I am Alycia Howard.   Brian Daniels: My name's Brian Daniels. I'm the representative from the Faribault area.   Holly Nordmeyer: My name is Holly Nordmeyer. I'm from the Minnesota State Academies.   John Jasinski: So, what does White Cane Day mean to me? My name is Senator John Jasinski. I'm from district 24 where the Minnesota Academies have a facility. So, I believe it's important to raise the awareness on White Cane Day and what it is and making sure that the people with disabilities, blind disabilities are safe on their streets in a safe area so they can walk and navigate through our communities.   Trume: My name is Trume and I feel like coming to White Cane Day means a lot because I know that I ... Although I've been blind for a really long time, I can still use my resources to my advantage.   Kristina T.: My name is Kristina Tinason. I am a teacher for the blind and visually impaired and I come today to celebrate equality and just awareness in general. White Cane Safety Day.   Quinn H.: My name is Quinn Hobble. I come to White Cane Day because being blind myself, I have seen just how much the long white cane gives me freedom and being a contract worker for the state of Minnesota teaching cane travel, I get to see how much freedom the long white cane gives each and every one of my students on a daily basis.   Sheila K.: My name is Sheila Koenig. I'm the transition coordinator at State Services for the Blind and I come to White Cane Day because it's a gathering of blind people from all over the state and we're here to show that we have a voice and a presence. I think it's amazing to kick off the program at the state capital, which is a place that really symbolizes people's voices.   Ryan Strunk: Back in 1928 I believe it was, we passed a resolution that said that we were approving a new travel device for getting safely across the street. And that new travel device was a whistle. The idea was you'd come up to the curb and you'd pull out your whistle and you would blow on your whistle until somebody heard you and came out and you would say, can you please help me across the street?   Eva: I'm Eva. White Cane Day is spreading awareness about blindness and the use of the canes and who we are and that we are out there.   Brian Daniels: My name's Brian Daniels. I'm the representative from the Faribault area. I've been in the legislature for four years and I have to tell you, this White Cane event I think is the best of all our functions that we have. It's showing that people are not disabled if they're blind or disabled in different way, and I love that. I love the school they have down in Faribault. They do a good job for all of our kids and I'm just proud to represent this area.   Carol Pankow: I'm Carol Pankow, Director of State Services for the Blind. Well, White Cane Day, I think, and I love it especially today because it's crappy out, the weather's crazy, but it's just representative of what people go through every single day. Whether it's rain, sleet, snow, beautiful weather, there are people who are blind, visually impaired, deaf-blind, all around this country going out, doing their thing. They're working, they're going to school, they're making it happen and they don't just stay in 'cause the weather got bad. You can't. You gotta keep moving and grooving with your life. So, I just think this day is really representative of all things that ... It's like another day, but it symbolizes what blind, visually impaired and deaf-blind people stand for and that they're able to go out and move around with confidence and do their thing and live their life.   Greg Smith: I'm Greg Smith and I'm here with a group of students from South High School and we're coming just to celebrate the freedom that the white canes provide the students and their independent. We think this is a great event.   Nick: My name is Nick. I come to White Cane Day because it's nice to see that there are other people that are visually impaired like me.   Ryan Strunk: Even though we had this idea in mind that it was now National White Cane Safety Day on October 15th, the public still wasn't always cool with it. You'd walk into a shop that sold glassware with your cane and you could be kicked out or you'd walk into a restaurant with your guide dog and you could be kicked out and so we started fighting across all 50 states to make sure that we had the right to participate.   Nadia: Hi, my name is Nadia and I'm a student at BLIND, Inc. What White Cane Day means to me is that this is a day of pride of us using our white cane. Our white cane shows that we can go anywhere and we're not scared to do anything out in the public. It's a symbol for people to know that we're out here doing our thing just like they are. I love using my white cane every day. I have so much pride in using it and I'm so glad that today we get to celebrate a day like this.   Jeff Thompson: Raise your canes.   Nadia: Oh, that'd be cool. I'm open to that.   Speaker 16: Yeah. I think today is really just good about for the public awareness of people ...   Nadia: I know, yeah.   Speaker 16: There's a lot of people in the general public ...   Nadia: They don't understand it.   Speaker 16: But no. They don't know anyone who's blind, so they're not really exposed to it. So, I think today is just really good ... It's a good day to just, yeah. Kind of makeup. This is one person.   Nadia: Right.   Speaker 17: It's like a chance to stand out from the crowd and understand that even though we're visually impaired or blind, we can still do whatever we set our mind to do.   Anya Swenson: My name is Anya Swenson and I come here to raise awareness about safety and about this important issue.   Ryan Strunk: Because that white came is not only a symbol of who we are, but it is at the core of what makes us independent.   Josie Lion: Hi, like John Davis said, my name is Josie Lion. I found about ... My disability about four years ago in Oklahoma and sadly Oklahoma doesn't have a lot of support, so I didn't really get my cane until about two years ago when I moved here. So, when I was in Oklahoma I was afraid and scared 'cause I didn't have anything to help me figure out what to do. So, I was not social. I was not getting good things. I was just ... I just lived in my own little room, kind of like a hermit crab. When I got here to Minnesota, I got my cane. I felt more positive and I felt more social. I finally went to my first party. So, finally did clubs after school. I finally made friends and actually did things with them and I wouldn't be able to if it wasn't for my white cane.   Kristen O.: Hi. I'm Kristen Orien, state specialist for the blind and visually impaired for the Minnesota Department of Education and I come to White Cane Day to celebrate independent travel.   Terry Wilding: Hello, my name is Terry Wilding. I'm not blind, but I am deaf. What I see for White Cane Day means what we can do to spread awareness about what our students need. The State Academy is what the blind community needs. How we can better advocate for more legislation and changes within our communities as well as changing the culture so that way people are aware of us and willing to work with us from this point forward.   Brent: My names Brent. I'm a new student. I've only attended BLIND, Inc. for about a month now.   Jeff Thompson: Oh, good for you.   Brent: I am from Hastings, Minnesota. White Cane Day means to me that it's a chance for everybody out in the big city and everywhere just to understand that there are visually impaired and blind people out there who deserve to be respected for their blindness, treated fairly just as anybody else and when it comes to street crossings and everything, they're just real willing to ...   Jeff Thompson: At least slow down a little bit, right?   Brent: At least slow down or give us the opportunity to cross. Yeah, yeah.   John Jasinski: Blind pedestrians have the right of way. Any person operating a motor vehicle in this state shall bring such motor vehicle to a stop and give the right away at any intersection of any street, avenue, alley, or other public highway to a blind pedestrian who was carrying a cane, predominantly white, metallic in color, or with or without a red tip or using a guide dog.   Jenny P.: My name is Jenny Pelletier. I'm the music therapist at MSAB and we're excited to be here with all these other folks from Minnesota and celebrate today.   Dan Wenzel: Dan Wenzel. I'm the Executive Director of Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions, BLIND, Incorporated. Love to be here. I think that White Cane Day means to me independence, but also a chance for us to get together as blind people and show the capabilities that we have. So, look forward to getting out there and walking with my friends.   Beth: Beth. I come to White Cane Day because I work with two students that are legally blind and it gives me an opportunity to see other students and how capable they can be.   Alycia Howard: Hi, I am Alycia Howard and to me White Cane Day means a celebration of independence and a celebration of how the long white cane has impacted not only the blind community but how sighted people perceive the blind community and just the positive light that White Cane Day sheds on that.   John Davis: Hi, this is John Davis. I'm the Director at the Minnesota State Academy for the Blind and what White Cane Day means to me, it's an opportunity to share and bring forth the importance of white cane awareness and for people to understand that when they're out driving that they need to be aware of individuals that have either a white cane or a guide dog and that they follow the rules of law, which means that they provide the right away for those individuals so that they can travel safely and those in the vehicles can travel safely as well. It also means that ... For our students in our academy, that white cane means that freedom to be able to get out and just participate in life like everybody else.   Isaac: My name is Isaac. I'm currently an intern student at BLIND, Inc. I'm student teaching there, hoping to obtain NOMC, which is the National Orientation and Mobility Certification. I think it's really great thing that they do here and it's good to get everyone out in the community.   Holly Nordmeyer: My name is Holly Nordmeyer. I'm from the Minnesota State Academies and I'm the Orientation Mobility Instructor and I'm also a teacher for the blind and visually impaired. Well, White Cane Day, for me, it's independence. It's recognition for our students. I mean, our students are a minority in the population overall. To me, it's a time for them to get together and meet other people that are cane travelers and travel at whatever level of skill that they have and show off those skills and let all the drivers out there know that there are white canes and to let the public know what the white cane law means. It means a lot to me.   Dan Wenzel: A lot of people talk about safety, but for me it also means opportunity. An opportunity to explore the world. An opportunity to get out there with our canes and our dogs and make a difference.   Betsy S.: I'm Betsy Shallbetter. I'm a teacher at the Academy for the Blind. White Cane Day means a whole lot to me as it has made a difference in my community. Whenever we do the walk in Faribault, Minnesota people start to pay attention.   Dan Wenzel: For me, it means participation. A chance through action to show the abilities of blind people as we go and live the lives we want.   Brittany T.: My name is Brittany Thomforde. I am the Director of Special Ed at the State Academies and this is my first White Cane Day.   Jeff Thompson: Your first?   Brittany T.: My first. I've never participated in a White Cane Day.   Jeff Thompson: Well, welcome.   Brittany T.: I'm really excited to see how this event works and see all the students and adults and teachers and staff and I'm excited to cheer everybody on. I'm the first one down at the end of the steps today, so I'm excited to do that.   Jeff Thompson: Oh, so they get a job for ya?   Brittany T.: I have a job. I chose to volunteer today.   Jeff Thompson: There you go.   John Jasinski: So, on behalf of Governor Mark Dayton. I have a proclamation.   Samantha: Hi, I'm Samantha and I think that the white cane is very important because to so many people it's such a symbol of independence.   John Jasinski: Whereas there are estimated 63,000 Minnesotans who are blind or visually impaired, many of them who've traveled with white canes.   Samantha: I know, for me, I've been blind my whole life. I've never not used a cane. I know a lot of kids sort of reject it and don't wanna be seen with it, but to me, I never felt safe traveling without one.   John Jasinski: And whereas the need for the orientation and mobility services and White Cane Safety awareness will continue to grow and remain vital to the educational, vocational and recreational needs of all Minnesotans who are blind or visually impaired.   Samantha: To me, it's always been a big deal. My mom is blind as well. I was using a cane from the time I could walk. I was walking around conventions and stuff when I was two with the canes.   John Jasinski: And whereas the Minnesota Department of Education and Minnesota Public Schools support educational outcomes for all children.   Samantha: Always been something I have had and I think it's something that it's important that people realize it's sort of a symbol of independence rather than a stigmatized symbol of needing assistance. I think there's an important distinction there.   John Jasinski: Now therefore, I, John Jasinski, on behalf of Governor Mark Dayton, do hereby proclaim Thursday, October 11th, 2018 as White Cane Safety Awareness Day.   Jennifer Pelletier: Our students at the Minnesota State Academy for the Blind have been working on composing a song in the last few weeks. Many of them have had the opportunity to put some thoughts together about what White Cane Day means to them. We talked about what it was like to use a white cane for the first time. We read the white cane law and had a little bit of discussion about that.   Ryan Strunk: So, as you walk today, as you stride out around the Capitol, down the streets, be proud of your white cane. Tap that white cane and let everybody know that we are here, we are not going anywhere and we are proud of who we are. Thank you ladies and gentlemen.   Kristen Oien: All right. Hello everyone. I'm Kristen [Oien, I would like to send out a special thank you to Holly Nordmeyer and Michelle Gip for helping arrange this awesome day. So, let's give them all a round of applause. I'd also like to thank all of our volunteers who will be along the route if you have some ...  

I was born on August 8th, 1976 in Manhassett, NY. These are both very important facts to know in order to get to know me. For one, that makes me a Leo and a Leo I am. I am a true competitor in everything I get my hands on – from striving to add the most value into my patient's lives through the dental experience we give them to never giving up on the tennis court to being the best Dad and Husband I can be. Secondly, I was born with a thick New York "sometimes thuggish sounding" accent that no matter how hard I try I just can't shake. Add my accent to the fact that I do not hesitate to speak my mind (only like a true New Yorker does) and boy, I can get myself in a lot of trouble, especially with my BEAUTIFUL, genius wife Melissa. (If you saw me now, I would be patting myself on the back.) I have held a few nicknames over the years, including Osh in my high school and Air Force days, Dr.O by my patients and staff, and Babo when Melissa is happy with me. Over the past two years, my family has grown from two people to four with our latest addition: my son Julian Jamie Oshidar. We already have our daughter Arianna Layla Oshidar, who absolutely has me whipped. Trust me, if you become a patient here, you will hear all about my babies. I don't have this overly compelling or wonderful story as to why I became a dentist, but I can truly say I am really happy I did. The truth is my dad wanted all three of his sons to become doctors and in turn, he got two dentists and chiropractor. I love what I do, not because I am the best dentist in the world (which I am close to being) but because my practice gives me the opportunity to help people achieve a better quality of life. I not only do this through my hands-on dentistry, but I love to coach, educate, and advise my patients, staff, and others as well – basically, whoever will appreciate what I have to teach. I am best known for my drive to succeed and the unique humor I add to pretty much anything I do. Life would be terribly boring if there was a definitive end to what you could accomplish if you couldn't laugh while doing it. I take pride in knowing how many people we employ in my two practices Roselle Park Dental and Little Smiles of Roselle Park. It is a great feeling and sense of accomplishment that gets reinforced on a daily basis whenever my staff or patients say how much they love being in the practice. Although I've come to realize you cannot please everyone, since my practice is a reflection of me, I take it extremely personally when someone is unsatisfied with the way things are run or with the effort I put into my work. This approach has been extremely instrumental to the happiness all of us in the practice show when we are at work. (Unless, of course, my staff is causing me agita!) I have actually started to consult and teach other dentists about implementing dental implants successfully into their practices. Deep down, I always give people the benefit of the doubt and I always find myself rooting for the underdog. Maybe that is why I'm such an avid Jets fan. Man, will they ever win a Super Bowl again? Yes, I have Patriots' fans as patients. Here is a quick story for what I'm truly like. One night when I was in high school, right before my chorus recital (for the lucky ones who have been blessed by my singing, it's true I was in the chorus), there was a kid sitting by himself getting made fun of by some other kids. I felt compelled to sit next to this kid named Howie and befriend him. I did this because it was the right thing to do and it makes me furious when people pick on other people that are different from them. If you ever get a chance to see me hit or kick the punching bag while training, you will now understand what predominantly fuels my fire.

Welcome to the first podcast I hosted. Today we talk a little about Iris' childhood upbringing. Although I've been with Iris' for about 5 years and worked with her for about 3.5 years, there are still things I don't know about her! Enjoy the very first!

Aira Workshop on Employment, Education, and Aira as a Reasonable Accommodation. Seeing AI Developer Joins the AI Team at Aira! Full Transcript Below Blind Abilities continues its coverage of the NFB 2018 National Convention from Orlando Florida with this presentation of the Aira workshop on the subject of education, students and employment. Aira team members, Michael Hingson and Patrick Lane present a detailed discussion of how the Aira service can be used by students, both in school and transitioning into the workplace, by Explorers seeking employment, and while actually on the job as a reasonable accommodation. Get an in-depth peek at how Aira Agents are trained and how they find their passion for describing tasks and experiences for Aira Explorers. Hear a live demonstration of a real call to an Aira Agent using the new Horizon glasses and get updates on what has been going on with Aira since the convention ended in July. This NFB 2018 blind Abilities podcast is brought to you by Aira. You can check them out and subscribe to the Aira service on the web, at: www.Aira.IO special thanks to Patrick Lane for his awesome original guitar music. Thanks for Listening! You can follow Blind Abilities on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Full Transcript: Pete Lane: Hi folks, this is Pete Lane welcome back to Blind Abilities. As you know Blind Abilities was in Orlando at the NFB 2018 National Convention. Our own Jeff Thompson attended an Aira workshop on the topic of education, students, and employment. In this workshop, we hear about how Aira can fit the needs of students as they attend college and transition into the workforce. We hear about how Aira can be free for those explorers who are looking for jobs, and we hear about how the Aira service can be a reasonable accommodation and can perform so many tasks for workers on the job. Aira staff members Michael Hingson and Patrick Lane present this workshop courtesy of Aira. Before we join Michael and Patrick just a quick announcement. We have a new addition to the Aira team, Anirudh Koul, founder of Seeing AI and former senior data scientist with Microsoft has joined the Aira team as the head of artificial intelligence and research. We welcome him to the Aira staff. Without further adieu let's join Michael Hingson and Patrick Lane from the Aira workshop on education, students, and employment from the NFB 2018 National Convention in Orlando, Fl. Michael Hingson: I'd like to welcome you all to our seminar today. This is the first of three that Aira will be conducting. This particular one is gonna be on education, employment, students, people in the workplace, employers and employees and our intent is to set the stage for what Aira offers and can bring to you in terms of how it can benefit you in any of those categories. So our intent is to really give you a good idea of what Aira is, what it isn't and how you can use it. I am Mike Hingson, I am the director of Aira explorer special projects and we have a live agent on the stage, why don't you introduce yourself.   Patrick Lane: Hey everybody my names Patrick Lane, I am currently an agent analyst here with Aira. I've been an agent with Aira for coming up on two years now. So, I've gotten to see Aira used in all of the specific cases that Mike just mentioned many, many different times in different ways. Michael Hingson: One of my favorite Aira stories is that in Patrick's early days, I happened to call him about 7:00 in the morning California time because I needed to put a laundry cart together that we had gotten in the email. And as the Chinese are learning from Ikea, the instructions were all pictorial there were no text pieces to the instructions at all. So I called, got Patrick and we put it together in a half hour. And that's as good as it gets because that really is what Aira is about. Michael Hingson: Aira if you look at Aira in the general terms of what it is, Aira is an information source. Aira is a way that you can get any visual information that you otherwise would not have access to. When I talk to a lot of people about Aira, they think about the fact that oh well I really have good travel skills so I don't need it or I've always got sighted people with me so I don't have that problem. Let's deal with that in terms of a job. I'm on the job, I'm using JAWS and suddenly the computer quits working. Now, where do I go to get my sighted assistance? I'm in the office, I've got to go interrupt somebody else to get them to come and look at the screen, tell me what the error screen is or of course the infamous blue screen of death. In any case, I have to go find someone. Michael Hingson: Why should I have to do that today? Because there is a way to do that on my own, namely using Aira. I can use Aira to contact an agent, the agent can look at the screen, see an error code and if I can't easily move my cursor to where it needs to go, it's possible that I can even enter into a tandem or two-way session using TeamViewer or some other technology with the agent. That might be a little harder with JAWS not talking but for a lot of different things that I do where there is an inaccessible webpage or something that isn't talking the way it should, I can interact with an agent and get their assistance both in terms of actually having a session, a two-way communication session or at least getting information described. Michael Hingson: If I am an employee and I want to go to lunch, lets say I am in sales and I want to take people somewhere for lunch for sales, I can more quickly use an Aira agent to research possible restaurants if I don't really know all the options or when I get to the restaurant or going to the restaurant using an agents help to do all of that. Aira gives me the opportunity to get anything that I need that I don't otherwise have access to because it's visual. It is that simple, it is that general and I urge people to look at Aira in that way. Michael Hingson: Don't limit yourself to looking at it as a travel device, don't look at it as something that's gonna diminish your skills, don't look at it as something that is anything other than what it is, an information source. And all of us no matter how good our cane skills are, no matter how good our dog skills are, can benefit by having access to Aira because Aira is the way that I can get more information to better tell my dog where I want to go or interact with traveling with my cane. Michael Hingson: Let's talk about students and Aira. As a student, Aira offers an incredible amount of opportunities for you to be able to more independently do things than you otherwise would be able to. The most common thing that we as blind people have to do as students is to read material that otherwise is inaccessible to us. If the average reader is paid, lets say $15 an hour, we an unlimited plan for Aira that's $330 that exists today. Things are gonna change but let's just use what we have today. $330 is equivalent to 22 hours of reading time at $15 an hour. Michael Hingson: I'm submitting that Aira is cheaper than hiring readers. Any office for students with disabilities will save a heck of a lot of money if they independently allow students to use Aira and they pay for the Aira service. Aira will allow me to read when I want to read, where I want to read, and essentially how I want to read. There are incredible examples of different ways that students have used Aira in libraries, have used Aira in the classroom to access the material that a professor is writing on a board or is displaying on a power point presentation. An Aira agent can be describing that to a student who uses Aira plugged into earphones so that they can hear what's going on while the instructor is doing what they do. Never in any way interfering with the class and more important not demanding any change in the methodology that the professor uses to do what they have to do. So, I don't need the professor to do something different for me when I'm using Aira. It frees me up to perhaps better take notes. It opens up an incredible world. Michael Hingson: Of course, I can use Aira to travel around a campus, learn where things are and go off campus and do all the things that I might otherwise do that any other student would do. So, Aira gives you that flexibility that we have never had as students and Aira makes it available in a way that is affordable by any definition to any department of rehabilitation or any office for students with disabilities on a college campus. Both of whom ought to be providing Aira in one way or another because it will make me a better student in theory, if I study and it will also then make me a more employable person. Because as I graduate from school, I'm gonna be going out and I'm gonna be looking for a job. Michael Hingson: While I'm at school, I talked about the fact that we do have departments of rehabilitation starting to look at Aira and some who have signed Aira up and are paying for those services. Some offices for students with disabilities are doing it. But Aira also has another program and this is the second year in a row that it has existed, it's called back to school. Aira will be sponsoring some 500 students for a full year of Aira use. You can apply by going to aira.io/backtoschool, where you can sign up for Aira and once chosen then you'll get Aira with a 400 minute a month plan, I believe is the plan that we're using. Julenna is that right? Are you here?   Julenna: Yes, that's correct. Michael Hingson: By the way, Julenna in the back right is the person who's in charge of back to school so, if you're a student and you want Aira, I would be really nice to Julenna just say it. But Aira with back to school means that you will have without any expense from the college or the department of rehabilitation access to Aira. You can apply for that today. And I urge any students in the room to do that. Michael Hingson: Aira uses smart glasses, glasses that contain a camera that transmits images directly to an agent. Agents are hired by Aira, they are paid by Aira. They're hired because they have demonstrated an aptitude to be able to describe and then after they are hired, they go through a significant training period. And once they are trained they go out and start acting as agents in describing things for people who happen to be blind. Aira does not tell you what to do. Aira will not, for example, tell you cross the street. Aira agents may tell you they don't see cars coming if you ask. Aira agents may tell you that the light has turned green, Aira agents will describe an intersection so that you can cross it with full knowledge of what the intersection looks like but Aira's not gonna tell you to cross the street, that's your job because you have the cane or dog skills that you need in order to make the right decisions and cross the street. Aira will give you the information that you need. Likewise, on the job, Aira will do the same thing.   Patrick Lane: The agents are not here to teach, and we're not here to tell you a situation is safe. We're here to provide you instant, equal access to information. So, we'll provide you all the information that you need to be more comfortable and know more about your surroundings to paint that rich picture of your environment so you are aware of everything that's around you. The agents are able to have a conversation with you, they can tailor the amount of information and deliver it in a way that you prefer. So we make things as easy to understand as possible. We'll deliver information about as Mike was mentioning intersections, we'll tell you the name of the intersection, the size, and shape of the intersection, whether or not there's traffic signals, stop signs, pedestrian signals, crosswalks present. We give you all the information that you need but we're never here to replace your o & m stills, we're never here to replace your cane or your dog and we're never here to tell you that you are safe or unsafe.   Patrick Lane: We just provide you all the information that you need, even if it's simply completing a task that you've completed a million times in the past. We might be able to provide a different sense of independence while doing that task or a different type of enjoyment. Not only can it be used for navigation but we are here to provide all of the information that you need about pretty much any task that you might have in mind. We can help you with online tasks, we can help you planning trips, making online purchases, helping with different types of inaccessible websites. For instance, if you're a student and you do online courses and Blackboard's not cooperating, we read you about the information that you need for your schoolwork for any upcoming assignments, any kind of printouts that are passed out through classes.   Patrick Lane: So, just consider us as basically an OnStar for those are blind or low vision. We're not here just to point a camera at something and tell you what you're describing. We are a full service. Our agents are very highly trained and they're very dedicated and extremely patient. We are amazing problem solvers, we're great at troubleshooting. The agents will find the information that you need at all costs. It's situations like that. I've looked up YouTube videos and gone through the entire process. Basically what an agent can do is up to you. Our explorers are called explorers because they are creative in the way that they use our service. They go out there and they test our service to the limits and show us what we're capable of and let us know where we make changes and at this point from my first day till now, it's completely different. Our company is growing exponentially, our technology is amazingly consistent and our agents are there to work as a team with you to complete any task it is that you want to do. Be creative whatever you think of that's what Aira is here for. Michael Hingson: So you go off, and you graduate and then you go looking for a job. The first thing you should be aware of if you happen to be an Aira explorer is that we have an Aira access network for jobs. A job access network. Whatever you want to call it to stick it in your memory. If you are doing anything relating to getting a job at all, whether it's writing a resume, writing a cover letter, making sure everything is formatted, getting dressed to go to a job interview, ladies putting on makeup, anything at all related to getting a job, that time is automatically free to you. Michael Hingson: So for any Aira explorer doing anything relating to getting a job is free. We are saying at Aira, we want to take that unemployment rate from 70% unemployment rate among blind people down to 7%, which would be cool. And Aira is trying to help to make that happen by making it possible for you as an explorer to have access to the tools at no additional charge to get that job. What does it mean though as far as getting a job and where does Aira fit into that? Michael Hingson: The way Aira fits in is really pretty simple. Aira by any definition of the Americans with Disabilities Act is a reasonable accommodation. It is something that should be usable and used by you on the job. I can take almost any job that you can imagine and find a way Aira can help. Because again remember what Aira is, an information source. It provides you with what information you need. How many here in the room have a job?   Patrick Lane: A few hands back there. [crosstalk ] Michael Hingson: Raising your hands' guys isn't gonna work, I'm not using an Aira agent right now.   Patrick Lane: How many are looking for- Michael Hingson: How many are looking for a job?   Patrick Lane: Handful. Michael Hingson: So, for the fun of you for some of you who are looking for a job, tell me some tasks that you might need to perform on the job?   Speaker 9: Doing my resume. Michael Hingson: Let's say you have a job what are some of the tasks that you might need to perform? We'll come back to the resume and that as well. But you're on the job. What are some tasks that you might need to perform on the job?   Speaker 4: [inaudible] Michael Hingson: Typing and what was the other one?   Speaker 4: Filing. Michael Hingson: Filing. What else?   Speaker 5:[inaudible] Michael Hingson: Okay.   Speaker 6: A handwritten note. Michael Hingson: Handwritten notes.   Speaker 7: Finding information. Michael Hingson: I'm sorry. Speaker 7: Finding information. Michael Hingson: Someone up here said something.   Speaker 8: I was saying looking at presentations. Michael Hingson: Looking at presentations.   Patrick Lane: Powerpoint slides, I've described a handful of those in my day. Michael Hingson: Let me suggest a couple others. Making copies on a copier, anybody try to do that lately? Copiers are touchscreen.   Patrick Lane: Oh yeah. Michael Hingson: The one that I love to pick on at Aira, going and getting something from the coffee machine because it's also touchscreen. However, every single thing that you guys have said are all things that you could use Aira to do. You don't have to ask someone else. So let's talk about the coffee machine. I love hot chocolate so I go up to the machine, I call an Aira agent and I do this at Aira. And it's absolutely a great example, I wouldn't have it any other way. I call the agent and I say, need help getting hot chocolate. Now, I'm sure that we could probably mark the machine in some way but the problem is finding the markings you're gonna touch the touchscreen so it doesn't work very well. But, the Aira agent can look at the screen and tell me, move your finger a half an inch to the left, you're right over the button, push it or whatever and I'll find the start button or actually you have a choice of making it with milk or water and I like it with milk. Michael Hingson: So, we need to find the milk button. Move your finger down to the bottom of the screen, over to your right a half an inch, you're over it, push and it's a little longer than just doing it with buttons but it's accessible because Aira agents can help do it. And I don't need to wait until someone else might be available, I don't need to wait until I'm dying of thirst, I can just have an Aira agent do it and give me the information so I can get exactly what I want. And in fact, learn more about that coffee machine than I ever would've learned any other way. Something that sighted people take for granted, the tens of thousands of different ways you can, permutations that you can get out of that coffee machine. Michael Hingson: But, with an Aira agent, I can learn those same things and I wouldn't know that any other way. Copy machines the same way. Most of what you do on copiers these days are touch screen but I can become as good a copy expert as anyone else if I have access to it. And I do because I can use Aira. Filing, obviously, Aira agents being able to read information so that I can put things in the right folder and even creating the tabs to go in folders or whatever. All of those things are commonplace everyday tasks that you should be able to do as well as anyone else. But, you can't if the equipment isn't accessible unless you use Aira. It's all about access to information. Michael Hingson: Somebody mentioned resumes and I want to talk about that a little bit more. There are countless examples and Patrick help out, people want their resume to look good. The Aira agent can help, so let's take a typical example. You're writing a resume, you've got all the facts and you can put them down, now you want to make it look good. So you can call an Aira agent who can describe and help you or what I would do being lazy and being industrious and trying to get it done as efficiently as possible. I would use one of the programs that I mentioned earlier. Michael Hingson: TeamViewer for example which is a way that you can have an agent connect directly to your computer and you can work with the agent and let the agent do the formatting. Because they see what your screen shows. And so the agent can actually format the resume for you or with you because you're still gonna have to tell them what you want it to look like but the agent will be able to format that resume and by the time you're done, you'll have a resume that you would be proud to provide to any employer for them to look at.   Patrick Lane: With the TeamViewer, it's not only us being able to see your computer screen but we also have remote control of that computer screen. The agents can do a lot of stuff with TeamViewer. Let's just say you've never actually seen a resume, you don't know what the actual format looks like, how it's set up, its never been described. Agents can input all the information that you've given them into a pre-made template for a resume. Can work on all the different fonts and colors and apply that to a specific type of job that you might be searching for. So really make that resume look unique and noticeable so it stands out when it is viewed by the employer. They can make sure that all of the spelling and the grammar and the punctuation are correct because nobody wants to submit a resume with spelling errors or bad grammar, anything like that. So the agents can apply all that information. They can update old resumes and then reformat them to show the changes. Even your LinkedIn account we can go in there and update that with prior jobs statuses and all of that information. Patrick Lane: So, with the TeamViewer being able to have that remote access to your computer screen it means that you don't have to potentially hold a phone there or lean in really close with the glasses, it makes the whole type of experience more enjoyable for a possible tedious task. So, I have personally assisted in setting up all of what I just mentioned. I've helped somebody build their resume from the ground up and they have successfully used that. I've helped update LinkedIn profiles to reflect what's written on a resume. I've helped people apply for jobs and send that resume automatically though CareerBuilder or Monster, whatever it might be. So, we have assisted hopefully a large amount of people in finding that employment that I know that they're looking for. Not only will you hopefully, potentially find that employment but while using the service for that reason, you're not gonna use any of those really valuable Aira minutes. So, when seeking out a job the agents mark the call as such so you're not gonna use any of your Aira minutes while performing that specific task. Michael Hingson: So if it takes you five hours to build a resume or 10 hours to build a resume that's not a problem. If you need help creating other documentation for job search it's not a problem. It's all part of the job access that Aira has made available for any Aira explorer to use. So that's available to you today. Michael Hingson: Aira just announced a partnership with VFO where if you're doing anything using JAWS or any other equipment manufactured by VFO and you run into any access issues, or you run into any problems with using Aira and VFO products, those minutes that you spend where VFO can't do it without you bringing an agent or someone else in to assist are all free. So, I for example, when I had an issue trying to deal with some Slack messages last week, I contacted an Aira agent, we established a communication sessions through TeamViewer, and we accomplished what I needed to do with Slack. But because I couldn't easily do it with JAWS that meant it was in part a JAWS issue, so those minutes happen to be as they ended up, free because it's part of the VFO access program available from Aira. Now the operative part that we've talked about with all this is that you have to be an Aira explorer. Michael Hingson: On the job you've got a lot of ways to do it in theory, and I realize that this is only in theory because different places operate in different ways and so on. But, typically speaking if you want to get a job even if it costs you money upfront to be an Aira explorer to subscribe to the service, to start that process, Aira can better help you in dealing with getting that job not only from the job access process that we talked about earlier but when you go into an employer's office and are going through an interview, and they ask you, how are you gonna do one thing or another? You can say, I'll show you. Now, technically, I suppose, one could say, why are you asking me how to do things when you don't ask sighted people how to do things? Michael Hingson: And I suppose if you wanted to be a stickler under the law say, that's true. But for me, I want the job and if I have the opportunity to educate an employer and help them understand that I'm gonna be more employable because I'm gonna be using Aira then I will educate the employer any day of the week. And more important I would then say, Aira is a service that costs money and as you provide various different kinds of technologies and methodologies and devices for all of your employees to do their job, this is one that I need to do my job. And under the law that is appropriate to do. More important than that, it's encouraged and most people at least have some sort of a clue that's a valuable thing to do. Aira is a reasonable accommodation. Michael Hingson: And, it's not very expensive compared to lots of other things that an employer might provide an employee and it makes you much more efficient. And if I were really gonna make the case I would say, hey employer you know the unemployment rate among employable blind people is anywhere between 65 and 70%. I gotta tell you right now, it is really hard for me to get a job because people don't think I can do the job although I can. People don't look at what I can do, they think well you're blind cause you can't and so as a result, you can't. Although I've just shown you how Aira helps me do the job better. If you hire me I guarantee you I'm sticking it out here because it is so hard to get a job. If you're gonna have faith in me, I'm gonna have faith in you. The fact is we will be more loyal on the job if we're given the opportunity and Aira can help make that case and sell it for you. And I think that's an important aspect of dealing with looking for a job. Michael Hingson: Is it HIPAA certified? Today, it is not. HIPAA does have standards although we are compliant with the California certification and security standards which actually is even worse than HIPAA but it's a very expensive process to get HIPAA certified. There is a lady in Canada who works at a community college and she deals with a lot of the medical cases and other privacy issues that go around student paperwork on the campus. What they did is they included in the paperwork that you signed to go to that college a statement that basically says that, some of your material may be read by a person who happens to be blind and they will be using reader services including remote reading services, Aira, to read your material. By signing this paper you consent for that to be able to be done. Michael Hingson: Now as soon as you make that consent statement and as soon as they sign it then HIPPA is not even relevant anymore for that person. And they're doing that as a blanket thing for every student that goes to the college. So, the issue is that we know that there are a lot of different kinds of processes, HIPAA is a good one and we are working toward that process. But there are also a lot of situations where our agents are extremely well trusted. There is a lawyer that I know in the United States who works for an organization and there is constant need to read and prepare documents for trial. And there is a lot of stuff in going through and dealing with things for trial, that's pretty confidential stuff. Michael Hingson: It's confidential from the law firms standpoint because they don't want the other side to necessarily know things until they're ready to give it to them. But it's also true the documents that are being used in discovery and acquired in discovery can be very confidential. Agents are really trusted because we know what happens in an Aira connection stays in an Aira connection. It doesn't go further. Many of us use Aira to look at our personal financial documents because it makes it available. Michael Hingson: My wife is sighted but if I don't have to use her to look at stuff I won't because she has her own things to do. And as willing as she is to describe things, to give me data and to help me accomplish tasks like that. Two things, no offense to my wife, but Aira describes better because they do it all the time and they're use to it. By the way, she'll acknowledge that because she's heard some of the agents. But two, I don't have to take her away from other things which gets back to what we said about on the job work right. So, the fact is that it makes for a much better situation all the way around. And Aira can be only positive in a job environment, much less in what we've talked about with students and so on. So, there is a, I think that the job didn't actually happen but for other reasons. Michael Hingson: There's a person who almost two years ago went to a career fair in Los Angeles and one of the companies there was See's Candy and they were hiring people to process orders so she turned in her resume and they said we'd love to hire you but problem is not all of our orders are electronic some come in paper. And she well let me show you and pulled out Aira. And that eliminated the problem. They said, gee solved that for us, great. Sure working in a store think of all the various things that you need to do whether it be, finding material on a shelf, reading a cash register that doesn't talk or excuse me point of sale device that doesn't talk. Whether it be doing other kinds of things. Whether it's filing or whatever. Blind vendors can use Aira and can be more efficient because they can stock their own shelves. They can read all the information that's not accessible to them. Again, I get back to what I said, you're only limited by your own imagination with what you can do with Aira. Michael Hingson: Aira doesn't use volunteers and our general response time is extremely quick, the time to get an answer is usually 10 seconds. Are you a user of Be My Eyes? Speaker 10: Yes, I'm an uses of Be My Eyes. Michael Hingson: So, Be My Eyes is a way that you can call someone and get simple tasks done. The problem is you don't know who you're gonna get in terms of their abilities. You don't know how long it's gonna take you and you can't do something like walk through an airport like you can with Aira. All of those things you can do with Aira. Speaker 11: I read somewhere that Aira can be activated via Siri. Michael Hingson: You can. You can say, make an Aira call or call Aira. You can use Siri to do it. Actually, I think you've got to call Ara because Siri don't talk good. Patrick Lane: There's two different voice commands depending on what device you're gonna be using. You can say Ara video call or Ara audio call and depending on which one you use it will call from either your glasses or your phone and connect to an agent very quickly as Mike said, 10 seconds or less depending on whether or not we have the largest conference going on in the country. Michael Hingson: But you do need to say Ara cause that's what Siri knows. Siri's gotta learn some language skills. What you will get is someone who is highly trained. You will get someone who knows how to describe, we've actually hired a number of new agents over the past months so, you're gonna get some newbies. I worked with one agent yesterday, I was blown away when I learned that at the end of the call, I was one of the first calls and this was her first day on the job. She did great. Aira's available for Android or for iPhones. Anybody with a smartphone can use it. That's the answer that we've been using. That changes too. Michael Hingson: Aira has developed its own glasses, it's the next generation of what Aira will become and that system consists of glasses with a high-resolution camera with a very wide field of view compared to the way it use to be. They actually connect directly to what we call an Aira controller or Aira controller phone. It's an Android phone locked only to Aira stuff. It also because of that it powers the glasses and there's a lot more power available. But, by using that system you don't even need your smartphone so you'll use the Aira system without even using the smartphone. Without even using your smartphone so that Aira will make it possible for you to keep your phone free for making your own phone calls while you're working with an agent. Michael Hingson: Or for example, if you're paging or needing to page or call Lyft or Uber you can ask an Aira agent to do that if you're an Aira explorer. And you link your Lyft and Uber accounts to Aira but along the way, there's a very good likelihood that the Lyft driver or Uber driver will call you and say, how am I gonna know you or where exactly are you? In the past, that's been a problem because you're using your smartphone and you have to disconnect from the Aira agent and then get back on. Now you don't because you're using the Aira controller as the way that you're communicating with Aira so your smartphone is still available. That is the horizon system. Michael Hingson: I am now connecting my Aira-   Automated Voice: Unlocked. Michael Hingson: Horizon glasses.   Automated Voice: Glass connected. Initializing Aira. Michael Hingson: Can everyone hear that?   Automated Voice: Hello Mikel Hingson.   Patrick Lane: Mikel Hingson.   Automated Voice: Aira ready for service. Michael Hingson: Yeah, it says Mikel. Could everyone hear that?   Patrick Lane: Yep. Michael Hingson: So I'm using the horizon glasses.   Automated Voice: Battery 73% that's attached connected to Arave four G LT. Hello Mikel Hingson, Aira ready for service. Michael Hingson: I want feedback to support we want Mikel to be pronounced correctly. All right, here listen to this.   Automated Voice: Calling Aira agent. Connecting to agent, connecting to agent. Michael Hingson: See how long it takes.   Automated Voice: Connecting to agent, connecting to agent Peter. Michael Hingson: Bingo.   Peter: Thank you for calling Aira, this is Peter how may I help you? Michael Hingson: Hey Peter, how's every little thing?   Peter: Going well, how are you? Michael Hingson: Doing well. So we are in a room and might you be able to tell us anything about where we are in terms of where this room is or anything like that?   Peter: I do see you're at Rosen Shingle Creek so I'm assuming your at the NFB Conference. Michael Hingson: And you see that's part of what Peter and all agents get is not only what they can see but they get GPS information and other data that can add value to them in terms of your Aira experience. And you are right we are at the NFB Convention, we are at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel and we are in Pensacola, H3 if you wanted to pull that up so you can really see where we are. Can you maybe describe a little bit of the room for us?   Peter: Sure. So you're in a relatively large room with really high ceilings, I want to say they're about 30 feet high at least. The room you're in, so it looks like you're seated on the stage, there are several rows across from you, they're all facing forward and there is a walkway down the center aisle between those rows as well. Michael Hingson: Peter, really serious question. Does anybody look like they're asleep? Those people in the back row, you know what I'm saying, Peter?   Peter: I see people waving. Michael Hingson: I just want to make sure because those people in the back rows they usually hide back there because they think they can fall asleep but with Aira they can't do that. One of my favorite stories is about a father who wanted to make sure his daughter was doing her homework, he called an Aira agent and walked in, and just said, how are things, what are you doing? She said, I'm doing my homework and the agent said, no she's playing computer games on her phone. Anyway, does anyone want to ask, while we've got Peter and Patrick, so Patrick's over here Peter?   Patrick Lane: Hey Peter.   Peter: Hey Patrick.   Patrick Lane: Good to see you again. Michael Hingson: So, any questions for either of these gentlemen?   Patrick Lane: So, the dashboard that Peter's using, what information does he have access to for him too?- Michael Hingson: So Peter why don't you tell us about your dashboard.   Peter: So on my dashboard, I have information like emergency contact info first of all in their profile, and then I do have access to seeing what kind of assisted devices anyone might be using such as a white cane or guide dog. Different preferences they have, if they prefer left and right or clock face for orientation. Just things so we can tailor the experience to each specific explorer since everyone has their own preferences. We also have access to like Michael said earlier the GPS location on the map and I'll be able to utilize public transit, I am, if the explorer connects the Aira app to their Lyft of Uber accounts, we're also able to request those rides for our explorers and then we'll be able to take a look at the driver's info, the name, the car the driver has and spot where they are on the map. And let the explorer know when the driver has arrived and help them spot the car. Michael Hingson: And more important with the NFB ride share test program, for example, if the car comes and it sees that you are blind and have a guide dog, and just decides to drive away, they'll get nailed.   Peter: We'll watch them like a hawk. Michael Hingson: They'll get in trouble. Other questions for Peter? Peter, can you read medication bottles?   Peter: Yes. Before I became an Aira agent I actually don't think I've ever met or interacted with anyone blind or low vision. So, initial training they start with just explaining what it's like for people who are blind or low vision, getting the what orientation mobility is and what kind of information is important to an explorer versus what I think is important information to me as a sighted person because those things are very different. We learn how to give what's necessary and then also when an explorer wants more detail, we learn what kind of detail to give them and then we start exploring the dashboard that we have with all those things I explained to you and then we do some training.   Peter: And the explorers who also [inaudible] who helps us train and we just do exercises like navigating, intersections with different tools. So, Michael has a guide dog and we'll learn how someone navigates with a guide dog and then we'll have another explorer teach us how someone navigates with a white cane and that helps us just get use to all the different things because it's one describing all the visual information that we want to give to the explorer but there's also the technical side of using the dashboard and all the other ways we communicate with other agents and the rest of the Aira team. Michael Hingson: The question was what can Aira do to help people do mobile deposit, bank deposits and so on.   Peter: I actually, coincidentally done that a couple times in the past couple weeks. We can help you align your phones camera over the check and make sure that it's face up, whichever side the app wants you to do and for certain bank apps, some of them aren't as accessible as others so it will help get you aligned to where the button is to take a picture of the check and send it off. Michael Hingson: So you've had an agent that wasn't able to make that happen. When you encounter a situation where an agent isn't successful it would be extremely helpful for you to provide that feedback because well Patrick why don't you deal with that. Patrick Lane: We love when the explorers use the feedback form at the end for both good and bad calls. That's why we have both good and poor marked on there. When you leave us feedback about why a call was poor, we as analysts can go provide that extra training to make that all of our standards are being met by the agents and that your standards are being met by the agents as well. Michael Hingson: So, if your having a problem getting an agent to be able to help you with a mobile deposit then it's important that we hear about that so that we can go back and review it and talk to the agent and find out what the problem is. And see what their difficulty is. So, if you took 60 minutes that's a real problem, and you should get that time credited back. But you have to let Aira know to do that. There are any number of factors, the camera could be one, I mean, it could be that on a particular day the cell service wasn't as good as it ought to be. Michael Hingson: Aira is absolutely pushing the envelope in terms of the technology with video streaming and so on and any number of factors can make it less than stellar and its not Airas fault or anyone's fault it's just the way it is. We'll talk about in a moment the new horizon glasses which will make a lot of that better. But those aren't the kinds of things that we do end up dealing with and so Aira can help make it better by understanding when you encounter problems. Those are some of the best things is to do is to be able to really talk about the problems that you're having so please give the feedback okay. Michael Hingson: I want to thank you all for coming. I would appreciate it if you would tell friends and colleagues. We've got more sessions coming up later this week. We will be at the booth. If you sign up for Aira by the way, you can then participate in refer a friend. If you refer someone to Aira, and they sign up, then they will get a free month, and you will get a free amount of credit equal to whatever plan they sign up for. So, get your friends to sign up. Scott White here at our national center has been very good at that, and I think mostly paid for a year of Aira because he got his friends to sign up. Pete Lane: I thought I'd pop in here and bring you up to date on a couple of recent developments with the Aira service. Aira is now available twenty-four seven. This means that explorers can dial up an agent from their Aira app anytime night or day. This not only allows U.S. users to dial Aira during the wee hours of the morning but it also allows folks in the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand to get an agent at times during the day when the need was very great in the past. Such as in the afternoon, during rush hour or during the prime time evening hours. Pete Lane: Another brand new feature is the Aira messages feature. Messages allows Aira explorers and agents to communicate via text. There's a text box that pops up right on the Aira app and you can type or dictate your message directly to the agent. This is really useful if you're going into a meeting or library or a church for example where you want to be very quiet. You can text your communication to the agent telling them what you want, what tasks you want performed and things like that without having to talk and interrupt what's going on around you. Pete Lane: There are also about a half a dozen pre-set messages for more common situations that you can just tap on and send. Those pre-sets can be edited or completely changed depending on your needs. Another new feature is called Aira live. Aira live allows an explorer to broadcast the audio from their contact with an agent either to a small group of private listeners or to a larger group through a public live event. This allows others who download the app and either create a guest account or who are already Aira explorers to tap into the app, go to the live tab and see what live events are currently in session. Pete Lane: And finally we have a new edition to the Aira team, Anirudh Koul, founder of Seeing AI and former senior data scientist with Microsoft has joined the Aira team as the head of artificial intelligence and research. Big things are in store for Anirudh and we welcome him to the Aira staff. Thanks so much for listening to Blind Abilities. For more podcasts with the blindness perspective you can find us on the web at www.blindabilities.com we're on Facebook and on Twitter or download our free app from the app store or the Google Play store. That's two words, Blind Abilities. Once again this podcast is brought to you by Aira. Special thanks to Patrick Lane for his wonderful guitar music. Thanks so much for listening and have a great day.    

S.U. Week of July 30th - Aug. 6th - Although I've always hated Tom Brady, I now root for him because of his age. Young sports fans root for the "uniform" while we older guys root for individuals. Being pushed ahead a grade in school is never a good thing. It delayed my initiation into gambling because I was still under 18 when my friends were already going to the race track. Movie sequels are never as good as the originals. (Godfather II the only exception). Mission Impossible / Fallout opened this weekend: reasons why you should save your money. 1 in 3 men forget their partner's birthdays. How is this even remotely possible? Where do accents come from and why do those afflicted stubbornly refuse to correct them? Stop tweeting. Nothing good can happen as a result. (Ask President Trump or director James Gunn or baseball players Sean Newcomb or Josh Hader.) We are almost at a point of civil war politically. It's gotten to the point that eveb bars are being boycotted if certain political channels are showcased.

QL:P Special Guest: Avis D. Matthews  The constant themes of my life have been family, music, and words. I am the second of four children and part of two pretty large, close-knit families who are several generations deep in the African-American communities of Prince George’s County, Maryland. My early exposure to, and love of, poetry came partly through songs – the hymns I heard in church; the popular songs played on the radio; as well as the collection of jazz, sacred, R&B, and musical theater recordings my parents had in our home. There were always books at home, including old textbooks, the World Book encyclopedia, some African-American biographies, and -- the one that stands out in my memory -- the Book of American Negro Poetry, which was edited by James Weldon Johnson and first published in 1922. I had learned about some of these poets during Negro History Week in school, so the book had an aura of importance to it. I imagined it contained not only the thought of great black writers but also the history that was important to our people. That book also gave me the notion that poetry was a serious thing. I took a poetry class in high school and probably wrote my first poem in college. After college, I began a career in public libraries, and, surrounded by books, book-loving people, and writers, I was motivated to write more often, although still mostly in my head, but also on napkins, receipts, or wherever there was a scrap of paper. Even today, I write more poetry in my head than anything else. Although I've yet to develop the discipline or courage to write and share my poems more regularly and widely, I'm happy to have published a few poems on my blog -- http://write-sing-laugh.blogspot.com. My poems also have been featured on "The Song Is," a poetry blogzine published by poet and teacher Marianne Szylk. Two of my poems have been contest winners on this blog. 

The topic of whether or not keeping snakes (or other exotics) can help you transition into keeping tarantulas comes up quite a bit. Although I've heard many folks say that the other hobbies in no way prepare you for spiders, I would have to disagree. Also, should you feel guilty with pet store rescues?

I went to church today - which is something I haven't done for a few months now. And before then, my church attendance has been quite sporadic. Although I've gone to church all of my life, I've gotten out of the habit of going. And now that I'm out of the habit, it's tough to get back into it. This episode comes from pure exhaustion. It's way past my bedtime but I wanted to make sure I got today's episode up now because I can't guarantee I'll be getting up early enough to do it before work. (Now there's a habit I should probably get into! Getting up early. I get up with just enough time to get ready and hit the road! But that's a topic for another day...) Anyway, hopefully you get something beneficial out of this one. Thanks so much for listening and until we meet again - after I've gotten some sleep, of course - Simply Make It Count. :) Good night.........

Although I've only known Marissa for about a year, she is a joy to be around. We really get into some great talks about our own personal identity and being ourselves vs. being the version of us that our parents want us to be, and oh so much more. You can follow Marisa on instagram @itsmarisadavila. Enjoy! hope you had a great thanksgiving.

David Ahl and Betsy Ahl, Creative Computing Magazine   Dave Ahl was the founder and editor-in-chief of Creating Computing Magazine, which was the first personal computer magazine.  Four editors served in the first six years: Dave Ahl, Steve Gray, John Craig, and Ted Nelson. Betsy Staples (now Betsy Ahl) then took over for the rest of its run. Creative Computing was published starting in November 1974, was acquired by Ziff Davis in 1983, and ceased publication in December 1985.    In addition to Creative Computing, Dave and Betsy published a variety of other magazines including Sync (dedicated to the Timex Sinclair computers), Microsystems, Small Business Computers, and Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games Magazine. They also released a record album -- First Philadelphia Computer Music Festival (1979), a board game called Computer Rage, and software for a variety of platforms under the Creative Computing Software label. Dave was author of BASIC Computer Games, the first million-selling computer book; plus its sequel, more BASIC Computer Games, and many other early computer books.   After Creative Computing, Dave was publisher and Betsy was editor of Atari Explorer magazine for five years and he started Atarian magazine in 1989. Later, he published Military Vehicles magazine.    This interview took place on April 3 and 4, 2013, when I was doing research for a book about the first personal computer magazines. Although I've decided not to write the book, I am publishing the interviews that I did for them. The other major interview was with Wayne Green: there's a link to that interview in the show notes.    The first part of the interview took place in the bar at the Heathman Hotel in Portland, Oregon. (There's some ambient background noise and music — remember, this recording was meant to be my notes for a book, so a little background noise wasn't an issue.) The second part of the interview was recorded in my dining room, a much quieter atmosphere.   The day before this was recorded, Dave and Betsy attended a grand opening get-together of tech luminaries at the Living Computer Museum in Seattle, Washington. This event is mentioned several times during the interview.    A full transcript of this interview is available at ComputingPioneers.com. Also, there are many links to related articles, interviews, and magazine scans in the show notes at AtariPodcast.com.   Teaser quote: "When I started Creative Computing, I mean there weren't even personal computers at that point. I was convinced, I guess, that they would come about. I had no idea that it would be three months later that the Altair came about."   Outro music: Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag, played on an RCA COSMAC by Joe Welsbecker on the First Philadelphia Computer Music Festival record (1979.)   Transcript of this interview   Scans of Creative Computing at Internet Archive   Full text of 35 issues of Creative Computing at AtariMagazines.com   Best of Creative Computing volume 1, 2, 3   Creative Computing Magazine pages per issue   Scans of Atari Explorer at AtariMania   First Philadelphia Computer Music Festival record   Computer Rage board game   Dave Ahl: Blunders in Personal Computing, talk at VCF East 6.0   My Arthur Leyenberger interview   My Arlan Levitan Interview   My Wayne Green interview   My 2003 written interview with Dave   Dave Tells Ahl: The History of Creative Computing" by John Anderson

Welcome back to Episode 60 of the Truly Myrtle Podcast!This week I'm letting you know about a huge yarn sale that would be amazing to support, catching you up with my capsule wardrobe adventure and drawing a winner for the gorgeous Fibre Company yarn :)BRIAR PATCH YARN SALEThis small yarn company in New Zealand are suffering from the international downturn in the wool market and need some cash to keep them ticking over.They've got a range of very delicious yarn and fibre for felting and spinning and are offering a 50% discount on their full range until the end of May.Head over to www.briarpatch.co.nz - sign up to be a member (it's free!) and automatically receive your discount.CATCHING UP WITH THE CAPSULEI've started making things! Well, I've managed to do some cutting out!Have you tried Nani Iro fabric? I'm terrified of cutting mine out!Although I've only just started, my new book The Curated Closet, looks like it's going to be a really great resource for developing a wardrobe of clothes that you love. I'll report back when I get a bit further along.NEW PATTERNS!I've got a bunch of new patterns coming your way over the next couple of months, starting with a beautiful shawl next week. It's my favourite yet!If you'd like to hear when new patterns are released, make sure you're signed up to receive my mini-mag :)Have a great weekend!Lib xxx 

Thank You For Tuning In! In this episode I want to cover the hot topic of "Flipping Houses From The Beach" Is this really possible? Although I've only done this twice I'm here to share that it is very possible to make money flipping houses while on the beach I'll share 2 stories of how I've accomplished this in my business that the simple steps you must use to make this possible In this episode I will cover: Creating your team Collecting info and offering it in a very easy to follow report Detailed property pictures (good and bad) Video walk through of the property "Feet on the Ground" Preferably commission based Utilizing electronic contracts I'd love to hear your take on this so please email me at michaelalder34@gmail.com Grab your freebie's at takingactiontoday.com  

Every year I spend some time examining and writing about the top 10 business trends I see coming up next and I did the same this year. Although I've already published my top 10 list in Forbes I wanted to give you the top 2016 trends in business. Specifically on this episode I'll delve into the most impactful trends like millennials, commodity products, investing in non-sales people to grow your revenue and scarcity vs. abundance in the marketplace. Listen to this episode and discover: - How to sell to millennials, and why you should. - Is Amazon really killing businesses? - How to compete on value, not price. - You'll be at a disadvantage if you don't train these people: who are they? - And so much more… Episode Overview Of the top trends I see coming in 2016 I chose a few to discuss here that are going to have the most impact on your bottom line.

Pastor G. Craige Lewis, founder of Ex Ministries, gave his response to Franklin's new album " Losing My Religion". Pastor G. Craige gives a solidly Biblical dissection of Kirk's Breakfast Club interview. Although I've dealt with many of the same issues in former shows, G. Craige's presentation was just too good not to share with our listeners. So in this show I share some of my favorite highlights from his sermon so that you can decide for yourself, "Should Kirk, should any of us, be losing our religion?"

Welcome to a special interview-only episode of the Floppy Days Podcast.  For this show, we have an interview conducted by Kevin Savetz, interviewer-extraordinaire from the Antic Podcast.  Kevin conducted this interview 2 years ago.  Since the interviewee and topic are not Atari-related, but are very much vintage computer related, Kevin and I thought perhaps Floppy Days would be a good medium for publishing this interview. Wayne Green, Computer Magazine Publisher Wayne Green was founder of 73 magazine; Byte magazine; Kilobyte, which became Kilobaud, then Kilobaud Microcomputing; 80 Micro magazine for the TRS-80; Hot Coco for the TRS-80 Color Computer; Run for the Commodore 64, inCider magazine for the Apple II; and several other computer magazines.   This interview took place over Skype on January 29, 2013, when I was doing research for a book about the very first personal computer magazines — Byte, Kilobyte, and Creative Computing. Although I've decided not to write the book, I am publishing the interviews that I did for them. Wayne Green died on September 13, 2013, eight months after we did this interview. Teaser quotes: "Sharing is the big deal for me. When I find something fun, interesting, I have to share it." "Steve Jobs ... I heard about the Apple computer so my wife and I stopped by to visit him. ... He took me out to the garage and showed it to me. He says, 'What do you think?' I said 'I think you've got a winner. There's a first computer conference is going to be in Atlantic City in two weeks. Be there.' He says 'Oh, I can't afford to fly.' I said, 'Take a bus. Be there.'" "Amelia Earhart kept her plane at my dad's airport. ... I used to play in that when I was a kid. ... I'm one of the few people who knows exactly what happened to her." Links: Obituary:  http://www.arrl.org/news/ham-radio-publications-pioneer-visionary-iconoclast-wayne-green-w2nsd-sk An article remembering Wayne: http://www.computerworld.com/article/2474900/windows-pcs/goodbye-wayne-green--and-thanks-for-the-memories.html Wayne Green FBI file:  https://archive.org/details/Wanye_Green_FBI_FOIA_Request_Response Kilobaud Microcomputing issues: https://archive.org/details/kilobaudmagazine

Brown's Guides develops and publishes high-quality editorial content about a wide variety of where-to-go, what-to-do topics through multiple channels and platforms, explains publisher Fred Brown. “I have been involved with all aspects of print and online publishing, writing, editing, promotion and sales for over 35 years. It’s what I love to do.” Fred was recruited by the editor of his college newspaper, although he’d never considered journalism. Editing the newspaper “convinced me journalism was my calling. I’ve never been able to escape it. Although I've tried on numerous occasions, I always come back to it.”

This week's podcast is with  my friends Kimberly and Laura who both live on my street and all of our husbands work together. This was just like a normal conversation that we would have over coffee, except there were no kids running around everywhere. Today we chatted about letting our kids walk to neighbors houses, how we do birthday parties, chores for our kids, and how I hate wearing jackets in the winter. Although I've been a parent for longer than these two, these women both are moms that I highly look up to as parents and value their thoughts on motherhood, life and living on mission. Love them, and you will too! Laura is one of my oldest friends and her and her husband, Jimmie who is a worship leader at the Stone, moved here to Austin with us six years ago. They have two two girls, Veda who is three, and Mercy who is one. They live down the street from us and we absolutely love doing life with them. Kimberly also lives down the street from us, and her husband Stew is also on staff at the Stone. They have four kids, Wesley Grant who is 9, Sally who is 8, Kelly who is 7, and Karis who is six. Their son, Kelly, has been home one year from Haiti.

Although I've only made it to one BGG.con so far (the first one, I think), my buddy and frequent BGTG guest Greg Pettit is a regular attendee. For the past several years he's joined me on the podcast after the event to tell us all about it, especially the new Essen games he was able to play. I love hearing about them.Something else that fascinates me is the slippery topic of figuring out which new games are the best ones. Not to get too highfalutin, but this is really the timeless matter of judging art. Why are some artistic works better than others, and do those opinions hold over time? In our little way, I like to explore this topic by prompting Greg for a "star rating" for these games (adding my own where I can)...and then revisiting those ratings a year later. It's only one year, but that's enough for the bloom to be off the rose for some new titles. Even some that we honestly love struggle to make it back to the table. Most interesting of all, a select few appear to be new classics--or at least personal keepers. Gosh, I love this topic, as subjective as it is.Want to follow along, and even add your own star ratings? You can do it on the companion geeklist I've posted for this show. You can also go back to the lists we did in 2012 & 2011 to do the same, or measure our prognostication skills.Greg played so many games this year (and I added some of my own), that the podcast got to be quite long. For that reason I've split it into two halves. I'll post the first half now, and the second half at the end of the week.-Mark

Tony Holiday is one of the best songwriters I know. Although I've never lost an argument with him, I must admit he's got a real way with words. And I have a real personal connection with him. Not only do we get mistaken for each other quite often, he manages to put lyrics together in a way that reaches into my soul and expresses my feelings in a way that I only wish I could. The music he makes is so timeless that, to the untrained ear, it's nearly impossible to tell which songs are covers and which are originals. In my opinion, that is an important mark of a truly great performance. Additionally, he's got a good heart. He dedicated this performance (and his earnings for the evening) to Tyke and Ashley, who's house burned down just before Xmas. This is the Blues! Are ya listening?

In this episode of the Creative Suite Podcast I'll address one of the most frequently asked questions about Photoshop. How to remove an image from the Background. Although I've done this in the past users want to know how it works when the background is not all the same color. In this episode I'll show you how.

Dan Sodergren of Great Marketing Works, added, "Learning through mobile phones is massively important as there are now five billion phones in the world. The most exciting element of e-learning is engaging people to use these tools by marketing them in a fun and positive way, so people actually use them." The panel also identified that educators must embrace all aspects of mobile learning, from the use of applications to capturing an image or video at the point of inspiration. Michael added, "We're very much involved in delivering learning through the mobile and are now making apps for the likes of iPods and iPhones. We have created I Am Learning, a games-based, revision assessment system, and are really excited about being able to take that from the desktop to the device. "The most important element, which is a huge difficulty for educators and people developing in these areas, is bringing this all together. Although I've accessed it on my iPhone I still need to have centralised resources so I can access it on my desktop. It is creating the amalgamation of everything I've done through a range of technological devices in one place."