Podcasts about AutoCAD

Dan Whitcombe, Manager of Product Management for AutoCAD Desktop Products at Autodesk, is here to discuss the current landscape and future trajectory of AutoCAD. We tackle the misconception that AutoCAD is becoming obsolete in the wake of more industry-specific tools like Revit and Civil 3D, and explain how AutoCAD will continue adapting to serve both traditional and modern workflows in engineering and design. 

Bret Taylor's legendary career includes being CTO of Meta, co-CEO of Salesforce, chairman of the board at OpenAI (yes, during that drama), co-creating both Google Maps and the Like button, and founding three companies. Today he's the founder and CEO of Sierra, an AI agent company transforming customer service. He's one of the few people I've met who's been wildly successful at every level—from engineer to C-suite executive to founder—and across almost every discipline, including PM, engineer, CTO, COO, CPO, CEO, and board member.In this conversation, you'll learn:1. The brutal product review that nearly ended his Google career—and how that failure led to creating Google Maps2. The question Sheryl Sandberg taught him to ask every morning (“What's the most impactful thing I can do today?”) that transformed how he approached every role3. The three AI market segments that matter4. Why AI agents will replace SaaS products5. His framework for knowing whose advice to actually listen to—and how that came in handy during the OpenAI board drama6. The counterintuitive go-to-market strategy most AI startups get wrong7. Sierra's outcome-based pricing model that's transforming how enterprise software is sold (and why every SaaS company should adopt it)8. What he's teaching his kids about AI that every parent should know—Brought to you by:CodeRabbit—Cut code review time and bugs in half. Instantly: https://coderabbit.link/lennyBasecamp—The famously straightforward project management system from 37signals: https://www.basecamp.com/lennyVanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security: https://vanta.com/lenny—Where to find Bret Taylor:• X: https://x.com/btaylor• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettaylor/—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Bret Taylor(04:10) Bret's early career and first major mistake(08:24) The birth of Google Maps(11:57) Lessons from FriendFeed and the importance of honest feedback(31:30) The future of coding and AI's role(45:26) Preparing the next generation for an AI-driven world(48:46) AI in education(52:05) Business strategies in the AI market(01:04:38) Outcome-based pricing in AI(01:09:15) Productivity gains and AI(01:17:35) Go-to-market strategies for AI products(01:21:49) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• Marissa Mayer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marissamayer/• “Lazy Sunday”—SNL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRhTeaa_B98• Quip: https://quip.com/• Sierra: https://sierra.ai/• FriendFeed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FriendFeed• Sheryl Sandberg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheryl-sandberg-5126652/• Jim Norris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/halfspin/• Paul Buchheit on X: https://x.com/paultoo• Sanjeev Singh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjeev-singh-20a1b72/• Barack Obama: https://www.obamalibrary.gov/obamas/president-barack-obama• Oprah Winfrey: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Winfrey• Ashton Kutcher: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashton_Kutcher• PayPal Mafia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PayPal_Mafia• Sam Altman on X: https://x.com/sama• Warren Buffett on X: https://x.com/warrenbuffett• Unix: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix• Fortran: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortran• C: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_(programming_language)• Python: https://www.python.org/• Perl: https://www.perl.org/• Rust: https://www.rust-lang.org/• Eleven Labs: https://elevenlabs.io/• The exact AI playbook (using MCPs, custom GPTs, Granola) that saved ElevenLabs $100k+ and helps them ship daily | Luke Harries (Head of Growth): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-ai-marketing-stack• Confluent: https://www.confluent.io/• Databricks: https://www.databricks.com/• Snowflake: https://www.snowflake.com• Harvey: https://www.harvey.ai/• Behind the founder: Marc Benioff: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/behind-the-founder-marc-benioff• Larry Summers's website: https://larrysummers.com/• AutoCAD: https://www.autodesk.com/products/autocad/overview• Revit: https://www.autodesk.com/products/revit/• The art and science of pricing | Madhavan Ramanujam (Monetizing Innovation, Simon-Kucher): https://www.amazon.com/Monetizing-Innovation-Companies-Design-Product/dp/1119240867• Pricing your AI product: Lessons from 400+ companies and 50 unicorns | Madhavan Ramanujam: https://lenny.substack.com/p/pricing-and-scaling-your-ai-product-madhavan-ramanujam• Cursor: https://cursor.com/• CodeX: https://openai.com/codex/• Claude Code: https://www.anthropic.com/claude-code• The rise of Cursor: The $300M ARR AI tool that engineers can't stop using | Michael Truell (co-founder and CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-rise-of-cursor-michael-truell• DirecTV: https://www.directv.com/• SiriusXM: https://www.siriusxm.com/• Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com/• Akai: https://www.akaipro.com/• Chubbies Shorts: https://www.chubbiesshorts.com/• Weight Watchers: https://www.weightwatchers.com/• CLEAR: https://www.clearme.com/• Stripe: https://stripe.com/• Building product at Stripe: craft, metrics, and customer obsession | Jeff Weinstein (Product lead): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-product-at-stripe-jeff-weinstein• Twilio: https://www.twilio.com/• ServiceNow: https://www.servicenow.com/• Adobe: https://www.adobe.com/• Jobs to be done: https://jobs-to-be-done.com/jobs-to-be-done-a-framework-for-customer-needs-c883cbf61c90• The ultimate guide to JTBD | Bob Moesta (co-creator of the framework): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-ultimate-guide-to-jtbd-bob-moesta• Inception: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/• Alan Kay's quote: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/alan_kay_100831• Jobs at Sierra: https://sierra.ai/careers—Recommended books:• Monetizing Innovation: How Smart Companies Design the Product Around the Price: https://www.amazon.com/Monetizing-Innovation-Companies-Design-Product/dp/1119240867• Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice: https://www.amazon.com/Competing-Against-Luck-Innovation-Customer/dp/0062435612• Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage: https://www.amazon.com/Endurance-Shackletons-Incredible-Alfred-Lansing/dp/0465062881—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

In January, 2022 today's guest, Mike Paciello, made his first appearance on Unstoppable Mindset in Episode 19. It is not often that most of us have the opportunity and honor to meet a real trendsetter and pioneer much less for a second time. However, today, we get to spend more time with Mike, and we get to talk about not only the concepts around web accessibility, but we also discuss the whole concept of inclusion and how much progress we have made much less how much more work needs to be done.   Mike Paciello has been a fixture in the assistive technology world for some thirty years. I have known of him for most of that time, but our paths never crossed until September of 2021 when we worked together to help create some meetings and sessions around the topic of website accessibility in Washington D.C.   As you will hear, Mike began his career as a technical writer for Digital Equipment Corporation, an early leader in the computer manufacturing industry. I won't tell you Mike's story here. What I will say is that although Mike is fully sighted and thus does not use much of the technology blind and low vision persons use, he really gets it. He fully understands what Inclusion is all about and he has worked and continues to work to promote inclusion and access for all throughout the world. As Mike and I discuss, making technology more inclusive will not only help persons with disabilities be more involved in society, but people will discover that much of the technology we use can make everyone's life better. We talk about a lot of the technologies being used today to make websites more inclusive including the use of AI and how AI can and does enhance inclusion efforts.   It is no accident that this episode is being released now. This episode is being released on July 25 to coincide with the 35th anniversary of the signing of the Americans With Disabilities Act which was signed on July 26, 1990. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADA!   After you experience our podcast with Mike, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to email me at michaelhi@accessibe.com to tell me of your observations. Thanks.     About the Guest:   Mike Paciello is the Chief Accessibility Officer at AudioEye, Inc., a digital accessibility company. Prior to joining AudioEye, Mike founded WebABLE/WebABLE.TV, which delivers news about the disability and accessibility technology market. Mike authored the first book on web accessibility and usability, “Web Accessibility for People with Disabilities” and, in 1997, Mr. Paciello received recognition from President Bill Clinton for his work in the creation of World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). He has served as an advisor to the US Access Board and other federal agencies since 1992.   Mike has served as an international leader, technologist, and authority in emerging technology, accessibility, usability, and electronic publishing. Mike is the former Founder of The Paciello Group (TPG), a world-renowned software accessibility consultancy acquired in 2017 by Vispero. Ways to connect with Mike:   mpaciello@webable.com Michael.paciello@audioeye.com Mikepaciello@gmail.com     About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset where inclusion diversity and the unexpected meet. Normally, our guests deal with the unexpected, which is anything that doesn't have to do with inclusion or diversity. Today, however, we get to sort of deal with both. We have a guest who actually was a guest on our podcast before he was in show 19 that goes all the way back to January of 2022, his name is Mike Paciello. He's been very involved in the whole internet and accessibility movement and so on for more than 30 years, and I think we're going to have a lot of fun chatting about what's going on in the world of accessibility and the Internet and and, you know, and but we won't probably get into whether God is a man or a woman, but that's okay, God is actually both, so we don't have to worry about that. But anyway, Mike, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Mike Paciello ** 02:21 Yeah, Hey, Mike, thanks a lot. I can't believe has it really been already since today, six years since the last time I came on this? No, three, 320, 22 Oh, 2022, I for whatever I 2019 Okay, three years sounds a little bit more realistic, but still, it's been a long time. Thank you for having me. It's, it's, it's great to be here. And obviously, as you know, a lot of things have changed in my life since then. But, yeah, very   Michael Hingson ** 02:46 cool. Well, you were in show number 19. And I'm not sure what number this is going to be, but it's going to be above 360 so it's been a while. Amazing, amazing, unstoppable, unstoppable. That's it. We got to keep it going. And Mike and I have been involved in a few things together, in, in later, in, I guess it was in 20 when we do the M enabling Summit, that was 2021 wasn't it? Yeah, I think it was, I think it was the year before we did the podcast, yeah, podcast, 2021 right? So we were in DC, and we both worked because there was a group that wanted to completely condemn the kinds of technologies that accessibe and other companies use. Some people call it overlays. I'm not sure that that's totally accurate today, but we we worked to get them to not do what they originally intended to do, but rather to explore it in a little bit more detail, which I think was a lot more reasonable to do. So we've, we've had some fun over the years, and we see each other every so often, and here we are again today. So yeah, I'm glad you're here. Well, tell us a little about well, and I guess what we'll do is do some stuff that we did in 2022 tell us about kind of the early Mike, growing up and all that and what eventually got you into dealing with all this business of web accessibility and such. Yeah, thank you.   Mike Paciello ** 04:08 You know, I've tried to short this, shorten this story 100 times. Oh, don't worry. See if I get let's see if I can keep it succinct and and for the folks out there who understand verbosity and it's in its finest way for screen reader users, I'll try not to be verbose. I already am being   Michael Hingson ** 04:28 intermediate levels fine.   Mike Paciello ** 04:30 I came into this entire field as a technical writer trying to solve a problem that I kind of stumbled into doing some volunteer work for the debt the company that I then then worked for, a Digital Equipment Corporation, a software company, DEC software hardware company, back then, right back in the early 80s. And as a technical writer, I started learning at that time what was called Gen code. Eventually that morphed in. To what Goldfarb, Charles Goldfarb at IBM, called SGML, or standard, Generalized Markup Language, and that really became the predecessor, really gave birth to what we see on the web today, to HTML and the web markup languages. That's what they were, except back then, they were markup languages for print publications. So we're myself and a lot of colleagues and friends, people probably here, I'm sure, at bare minimum, recognized named George Kercher. George and I really paired together, worked together, ended up creating an international steer with a group of other colleagues and friends called the icad 22 which is 22 stands for the amount of elements in that markup language. And it became the adopted standard accessibility standard for the American Association of Publishers, and they published that became official. Eventually it morphed into what we today call, you know, accessible web development. It was the first instance by that was integrated into the HTML specification, I think officially, was HTML 3.1 3.2 somewhere in there when it was formally adopted and then announced in 1997 and at the World Wide Web Conference. That's really where my activity in the web began. So I was working at DEC, but I was doing a lot of volunteer work at MIT, which is where the W 3c was located at that particular time. And Tim Bursley, who a lot of people i Sir, I'm sure, know, the inventor of the web, led the effort at that time, and a few other folks that I work with, and.da Jim Miller, a few other folks. And we were, well, I wasn't specifically approached. Tim was approached by Vice President Gore and eventually President Clinton at that time to see if we could come up with some sort of technical standard for accessibility. And Tim asked if I'd like to work on it myself. Danielle, Jim, a few others, we did, and we came up that first initial specification and launched it as part of the Web Accessibility Initiative, which we created in 1997 from there, my career just took off. I went off did a couple of small companies that I launched, you know, my namesake company, the Paciello Group, or TPG, now called TPG IGI, yeah, yeah, which was acquired by vector capital, or this bureau back in 2017 so it's hard to believe that's already almost 10 years ago. No, yeah. And I've been walking in, working in the software, web accessibility field, usability field, writing fields, you know, for some pretty close to 45 years. It's 2025 40 years, I mean, and I started around 1984 I think it was 8384 when all this first   Michael Hingson ** 07:59 started. Wow, so clearly, you've been doing it for a while and understand a lot of the history of it. So how overall has the whole concept of web accessibility changed over the years, not only from a from a coding standpoint, but how do you think it's really changed when it comes to being addressed by the public and companies and so on.   Mike Paciello ** 08:26 That's a great question. I'd certainly like to be more proactive and more positive about it, but, but let me be fair, if you compare today and where web accessibility resides, you know, in the in the business value proposition, so to speak, and list the priorities of companies and corporations. You know, fortune 1000 fortune 5000 call whatever you whatever you want. Accessibility. Is there people? You could say section five way you could say the Web Accessibility Initiative, WCAG, compliance, and by and large, particularly technology driven, digital economy driven businesses, they know what it is. They don't know how to do it. Very rarely do they know how to do it. And even the ones that know how to do it don't really do it very well. So it kind of comes down to the 8020, rule, right? You're a business. Whatever kind of business you are, you're probably in more online presence than ever before, and so a lot of your digital properties will come under you know the laws that mandate usability and accessibility for people with disabilities today that having been said and more and more people know about it than ever before, certainly from the time that I started back in the you know, again, in the early, mid 80s, to where we are today. It's night and day. But in terms of prioritization, I don't know. I think what happens quite often is business value proposition. Decisions get in the way. Priorities get in the way of what a business in, what its core business are, what they're trying to accomplish, who they're trying to sell, sell to. They still view the disability market, never mind the blind and low vision, you know, market alone as a niche market. So they don't make the kind of investors that I, I believe that they could, you know, there's certainly, there are great companies like like Microsoft and and Google, Amazon, Apple, you know, a lot of these companies, you know, have done some Yeoman work at that level, but it's nowhere near where it should be. It just absolutely isn't. And so from that standpoint, in where I envision things, when I started this career was when I was in my 20 somethings, and now I'm over now I'm over 60. Well over 60. Yeah, I expected a lot more in, you know, in an internet age, much, much more.   Michael Hingson ** 11:00 Yeah, yeah. Well, it's it's really strange that so much has happened and yet so much hasn't happened. And I agree with you, there's been a lot of visibility for the concept of accessibility and inclusion and making the the internet a better place, but it is so unfortunate that most people don't know how to how to do anything with it. Schools aren't really teaching it. And more important than even teaching the coding, from from my perspective, looking at it more philosophically, what we don't tend to see are people really recognizing the value of disabilities, and the value that the market that people with disabilities bring to the to the world is significant. I mean, the Center for Disease Control talks about the fact that they're like up to 25% of all Americans have some sort of disability. Now I take a different approach. Actually. I don't know whether you've read my article on it, but I believe everyone on the in the in the world has a disability, and the reality is, most people are light dependent, but that's as much a disability as blindness. Except that since 1878 when Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. We have focused nothing short of trying to do everything we can to improve light on demand for the last 147 years. And so the disability is mostly covered up, but it's still there.   Mike Paciello ** 12:37 You know, yeah, and I did read that article, and I couldn't agree with you more. In fact, I personally think, and I actually have my own blog coming out, and probably later this month might be early, early July, where I talk about the fact that accessibility okay and technology really has been all along. And I love the fact that you call, you know, you identified the, you know, the late 1800s there, when Edison did the the light bulb, Alexander Graham Bell came up with, you know, the telephone. All of those adventures were coming about. But accessibility to people with disabilities, regardless of what their disability is, has always been a catalyst for innovation. That was actually supposed to be the last one I was going to make tonight. Now it's my first point because, because I think it is exactly as you said, Mike, I think that people are not aware. And when I say people, I mean the entire human population, I don't think that we are aware of the history of how, how, because of, I'm not sure if this is the best word, but accommodating users, accommodating people with disabilities, in whatever way, the science that goes behind that design architectural to the point of development and release, oftentimes, things that were done behalf of people with disabilities, or for People with disabilities, resulted in a fundamental, how's this for? For an interesting term, a fundamental alteration right to any other you know, common, and I apologize for the tech, tech, tech language, user interface, right, right? Anything that we interact with has been enhanced because of accessibility, because of people saying, hey, if we made this grip a little bit larger or stickier, we'll call it so I can hold on to it or softer for a person that's got fine motor dexterity disabilities, right? Or if we made a, you know, a web browser, which, of course, we have such that a blind individual, a low vision individual, can adjust the size of this, of the images and the fonts and things like that on a web page, they could do that unknown. Well, these things now. As we well know, help individuals without disabilities. Well, I'm not much, right, and I, again, I'm not speaking as a person beyond your characterization that, hey, look, we are all imperfect. We all have disabilities. And that is, that is absolutely true. But beyond that, I wear glasses. That's it. I do have a little hearing loss too. But you know, I'm finding myself more and more, for example, increasing the size of text. In fact, my note, yes, I increase them to, I don't know they're like, 18 point, just so that it's easier to see. But that is a common thing for every human being, just like you said.   Michael Hingson ** 15:36 Well, the reality is that so many tools that we use today come about. And came about because of people with disabilities. Peggy Chung Curtis Chung's wife, known as the blind history lady, and one of the stories that she told on her first visit to unstoppable mindset, which, by the way, is episode number five. I remember that Peggy tells the story of the invention of the typewriter, which was invented for a blind countist, because she wanted to be able to communicate with her lover without her husband knowing about it, and she didn't want to dictate things and so on. She wanted to be able to create a document and seal it, and that way it could be delivered to the lever directly. And the typewriter was the result of   Mike Paciello ** 16:20 that? I didn't know that. I will definitely go back. I just wrote it down. I wrote down a note that was episode number five, yeah, before with Curtis a couple of times, but obviously a good friend of ours, yeah, but I yeah, that's, that's, that's awesome.   Michael Hingson ** 16:37 Well, and look at, I'll tell you one of the things that really surprises me. So Apple was going to get sued because they weren't making any of their products accessible. And before the lawsuit was filed, they came along and they said, we'll fix it. And they did make and it all started to a degree with iTunes U but also was the iPhone and the iPod and so on. But they they, they did the work. Mostly. They embedded a screen reader called Voiceover in all of their operating systems. They did make iTunes you available. What really surprises me, though is that I don't tend to see perhaps some things that they could do to make voiceover more attractive to drivers so they don't have to look at the screen when a phone call comes in or whatever. And that they could be doing some things with VoiceOver to make it more usable for sighted people in a lot of instances. And I just don't, I don't see any emphasis on that, which is really surprising to me.   Mike Paciello ** 17:38 Yeah, I totally agree. I mean, there are a lot of use cases there that you go for. I think Mark Rico would certainly agree with you in terms of autonomous driving for the blind, right? Sure that too. But yeah, I definitely agree and, and I know the guy that the architect voiceover and develop voiceover for Apple and, boy, why can I think of his last name? I know his first name. First name is Mike. Is with Be My Eyes now and in doing things at that level. But I will just say one thing, not to correct you, but Apple had been in the accessibility business long before voice over Alan Brightman and Gary mulcher were instrumental towards convincing, you know, jobs of the importance of accessibility to people with disabilities,   Michael Hingson ** 18:31 right? But they weren't doing anything to make products accessible for blind people who needed screen readers until that lawsuit came along. Was   Mike Paciello ** 18:40 before screen readers? Yeah, that was before,   Michael Hingson ** 18:43 but they did it. Yeah. The only thing I wish Apple would do in that regard, that they haven't done yet, is Apple has mandates and requirements if you're going to put an app in the App Store. And I don't know whether it's quite still true, but it used to be that if your app had a desktop or it looked like a Windows desktop, they wouldn't accept it in the app store. And one of the things that surprises me is that they don't require that app developers make sure that their products are usable with with VoiceOver. And the reality is that's a it doesn't need to be a really significantly moving target. For example, let's say you have an app that is dealing with displaying star charts or maps. I can't see the map. I understand that, but at least voiceover ought to give me the ability to control what goes on the screen, so that I can have somebody describe it, and I don't have to spend 15 or 20 minutes describing my thought process, but rather, I can just move things around on the screen to get to where we need to go. And I wish Apple would do a little bit more in that regard.   Mike Paciello ** 19:52 Yeah, I think that's a great a great thought and a great challenge, if, between me and you. Yeah, I think it goes back to what I said before, even though we both see how accessibility or accommodating users with disabilities has led to some of the most incredible innovations. I mean, the Department of Defense, for years, would integrate people with disabilities in their user testing, they could better help, you know, military soldiers, things like that, assimilate situations where there was no hearing, there was they were immobile, they couldn't see all, you know, all of these things that were natural. You know, user environments or personas for people with disabilities. So they led to these kind of, you know, incredible innovations, I would tell you, Mike, I think you know this, it's because the business value proposition dictates otherwise.   Michael Hingson ** 20:55 Yeah, and, well, I guess I would change that slightly and say that people think that the business proposition does but it may very well be that they would find that there's a lot more value in doing it if they would really open up their minds to looking at it differently. It's   Mike Paciello ** 21:10 kind of, it's kind of like, it's tough. It's kind of like, if I could use this illustration, so to speak, for those who may not be religiously inclined, but you know, it's, it's like prophecy. Most people, you don't know whether or not prophecy is valid until years beyond, you know, years after. And then you could look back at time and say, See, it was all along. These things, you know, resulted in a, me, a major paradigm shift in the way that we do or don't do things. And I think that's exactly what you're saying. You know, if, if people would really look at the potential of what technologies like, you know, a voice over or, as you know, a good friend of mine said, Look, we it should be screen readers. It should be voice IO interfaces, right? That every human can use and interact with regardless. That's what we're really talking about. There's   Michael Hingson ** 22:10 a big discussion going on some of the lists now about the meta, Ray Ban, glasses, and some of the things that it doesn't do or that they don't do well, that they should like. It's really difficult to get the meta glasses to read completely a full page. I think there are ways that people have now found to get it to do that, but there are things like that that it that that don't happen. And again, I think it gets back to what you're saying is the attitude is, well, most people aren't going to need that. Well, the reality is, how do you know and how do you know what they'll need until you offer options. So one of my favorite stories is when I worked for Kurzweil a long time ago, some people called one day and they wanted to come and see a new talking computer terminal that that Ray and I and others developed, and they came up, and it turns out, they were with one of those initial organizations out of Langley, Virginia, the CIA. And what they wanted to do was to use the map the the terminal connected to their computers to allow them to move pointers on a map and not have to watch the map or the all of the map while they were doing it, but rather, the computer would verbalize where the pointer was, and then they could they could move it around and pin a spot without having to actually look at the screen, because the way their machine was designed, it was difficult to do that. You know, the reality is that most of the technologies that we need and that we use and can use could be used by so much, so many more people, if people would just really look at it and think about it, but, but you're right, they don't.   Mike Paciello ** 24:04 You know, it's, of course, raise a raise another good friend of mine. We both having in common. I work with him. I been down his office a few, more than few times, although his Boston office, anyway, I think he's, I'm not sure he's in Newton. He's in Newton. Yeah. Is he still in Newton? Okay. But anyway, it reminded me of something that happened in a similar vein, and that was several years ago. I was at a fast forward forward conference, future forward conference, and a company, EMC, who absorbed by Dell, I think, right, yes, where they all are. So there I was surprised that when that happened. But hey, yeah, yeah, I was surprised that compact bought depth, so that's okay, yeah, right. That HP bought count, right? That whole thing happened. But um, their chief science, chief scientist, I think he was a their CSO chief scientist, Doc. Came up and made this presentation. And basically the presentation was using voice recognition. They had been hired by the NSA. So it was a NSA right to use voice recognition in a way where they would recognize voices and then record those voices into it, out the output the transcript of that right text, text files, and feed them back to, you know, the NSA agents, right? So here's the funny part of that story goes up i i waited he gave his presentation. This is amazing technology, and what could it was like, 99% accurate in terms of not just recognizing American, English speaking people, but a number of different other languages, in dialects. And the guy who gave the presentation, I actually knew, because he had been a dec for many years. So in the Q and A Part I raised by hand. I got up there. He didn't recognize it a few years had gone by. And I said, you know, this is amazing technology. We could really use this in the field that I work in. And he said, Well, how's that? And I said, you know, voice recognition and outputting text would allow us to do now this is probably 2008 2009 somewhere in that area, would allow us to do real time, automated transcription for the Deaf, Captioning. And he looks at me and he he says, Do I know you? This is through a live audience. I said. I said, Yeah, Mark is it was. Mark said, So Mike gas yellow. He said, you're the only guy in town that I know that could turn a advanced, emerging technology into something for people with disabilities. I can't believe it. So that was, that was, but there was kind of the opposite. It was a technology they were focused on making this, you know, this technology available for, you know, government, obviously covert reasons that if they were using it and applying it in a good way for people with disabilities, man, we'd have been much faster, much further along or even today, right? I mean, it's being done, still not as good, not as good as that, as I saw. But that just goes to show you what, what commercial and government funding can do when it's applied properly?   Michael Hingson ** 27:41 Well, Dragon, naturally speaking, has certainly come a long way since the original Dragon Dictate. But there's still errors, there's still things, but it does get better, but I hear exactly what you're saying, and the reality is that we don't tend to think in broad enough strokes for a lot of the things that we do, which is so unfortunate,   Mike Paciello ** 28:03 yeah? I mean, I've had an old saying that I've walked around for a long time. I should have, I should make a baseball cap, whether something or T shirt. And it simply was, think accessibility, yeah, period. If, if, if we, organizations, people, designers, developers, architects, usability, people, QA, people. If everybody in the, you know, in the development life cycle was thinking about accessibility, or accessibility was integrated, when we say accessibility, we're talking about again, for users with disabilities, if that became part of, if not the functional catalyst, for technology. Man, we'd have been a lot further along in the quote, unquote value chains than we are today.   Michael Hingson ** 28:46 One of the big things at least, that Apple did do was they built voiceover into their operating system, so anybody who buys any Apple device today automatically has redundancy here, but access to accessibility, right? Which, which is really the way it ought to be. No offense to vispero and jaws, because they're they're able to fill the gap. But still, if Microsoft had truly devoted the time that they should have to narrate her at the beginning. We might see a different kind of an architecture today.   Mike Paciello ** 29:26 You know, I so I want to, by the way, the person that invented that wrote that code is Mike shabanik. That's his name I was thinking about. So Mike, if you're listening to this guy, just hi from two others. And if he's not, he should be, yeah, yeah, exactly right from two other mics. But so let me ask you this question, because I legitimately can't remember this, and have had a number of discussions with Mike about this. So VoiceOver is native to the US, right?   Michael Hingson ** 29:56 But no, well, no to to the to the to the. Products, but not just the US. No,   Mike Paciello ** 30:02 no, I said, OS, yes, it's native to OS, yeah, right. It's native that way, right? But doesn't it still use an off screen model for producing or, you know, translate the transformation of, you know, on screen to voice.   Michael Hingson ** 30:27 I'm not sure that's totally true. Go a little bit deeper into that for me.   Mike Paciello ** 30:34 Well, I mean, so NVDA and jaws use this off screen model, right, which is functionally, they grab, will they grab some content, or whatever it is, push it to this, you know, little black box, do all those translations, you know, do all the transformation, and then push it back so it's renderable to a screen reader. Okay, so that's this off screen model that is transparent to the users, although now you know you can get into it and and tweak it and work with it right, right? I recall when Mike was working on the original design of of nary, excuse me, a voiceover, and he had called me, and I said, Are you going to continue with the notion of an off screen model? And he said, Yeah, we are. And I said, Well, when you can build something that's more like what TV Raman has built into Emacs, and it works integral to the actual OS, purely native. Call me because then I'm interested in, but now that was, you know, 1520, years ago, right? I mean, how long has voiceover been around,   Michael Hingson ** 31:51 since 2007   Mike Paciello ** 31:54 right? So, yeah, 20 years ago, right? Just shy of 20 years, 18 years. So I don't know. I honestly don't know. I'm   Michael Hingson ** 32:02 not totally sure, but I believe that it is, but I can, you know, we'll have to, we'll have to look into that.   Mike Paciello ** 32:08 If anyone in the audience is out there looking at you, get to us before we find out. Let us we'll find out at the NFB   Michael Hingson ** 32:12 convention, because they're going to be a number of Apple people there. We can certainly ask, there   Mike Paciello ** 32:17 you go. That's right, for sure. James Craig is bound to be there. I can ask him and talk to him about that for sure. Yep, so anyway,   Michael Hingson ** 32:23 but I think, I think it's a very it's a valid point. And you know, the the issue is that, again, if done right and app developers are doing things right there, there needs to, there ought to be a way that every app has some level of accessibility that makes it more available. And the reality is, people, other than blind people use some of these technologies as well. So we're talking about voice input. You know, quadriplegics, for example, who can't operate a keyboard will use or a mouse can use, like a puff and zip stick to and and Dragon to interact with a computer and are successful at doing it. The reality is, there's a whole lot more opportunities out there than people think. Don't   Mike Paciello ** 33:11 I agree with that. I'm shaking my head up and down Mike and I'm telling you, there is, I mean, voice recognition alone. I can remember having a conversation with Tony vitality, one of the CO inventors of the deck talk. And that goes all the way back into the, you know, into the early 90s, about voice recognition and linguistics and what you know, and I know Kurzweil did a lot of working with Terry right on voice utterances and things like that. Yeah, yeah. There's, there's a wide open window of opportunity there for study and research that could easily be improved. And as you said, and this is the point, it doesn't just improve the lives of the blind or low vision. It improves the lives of a number of different types of Persona, disability persona types, but it would certainly create a pathway, a very wide path, for individuals, users without disabilities, in a number of different life scenarios.   Michael Hingson ** 34:10 Yeah, and it's amazing how little sometimes that's done. I had the pleasure a few years ago of driving a Tesla down Interstate 15 out here in California. Glad I wasn't there. You bigot, you know, the co pilot system worked. Yeah, you know, I just kept my hands on the wheel so I didn't very much, right? Not have any accidents. Back off now it worked out really well, but, but here's what's really interesting in that same vehicle, and it's something that that I find all too often is is the case if I were a passenger sitting in the front seat, there's so much that I as a passenger don't have access to that other passenger. Do radios now are mostly touchscreen right, which means and they don't build in the features that would make the touchscreen system, which they could do, accessible. The Tesla vehicle is incredibly inaccessible. And there's for a guy who's so innovative, there's no reason for that to be that way. And again, I submit that if they truly make the product so a blind person could use it. Think of how much more a sighted person who doesn't have to take their eyes off the road could use the same technologies.   Mike Paciello ** 35:35 You know, Mike, again, you and I are on the same page. I mean, imagine these guys are supposed to be creative and imaginative and forward thinking, right? Could you? Can you imagine a better tagline than something along the lines of Tesla, so user friendly that a blind person can drive it? Yeah? I mean this is, have you heard or seen, you know, metaphorically speaking, or that's okay, a an advertisement or PR done by any, any company, because they're all, all the way across the board, that hasn't featured what it can do to enhance lives of people with disabilities. Where it wasn't a hit. I mean, literally, it was, yeah, you see these commercials played over and over to Apple, Microsoft, Emma, I see McDonald's, Walmart. I mean, I could just name, name the one after another. Really, really outstanding. Salesforce has done it. Just incredible. They would do it, yeah. I mean, there is there any more human centric message than saying, Look what we've built and designed we're releasing to the masses and everyone, anyone, regardless of ability, can use it. Yeah, that, to me, is that's, I agree that's a good route, right for marketing and PR, good,   Michael Hingson ** 37:03 yeah. And yet they don't, you know, I see commercials like about one of the one of the eye injections, or whatever Bobby is, Mo or whatever it is. And at the beginning, the woman says, I think I'm losing sight of the world around me. You know that's all about, right? It's eyesight and nothing else. And I appreciate, I'm all for people keeping their eyesight and doing what's necessary. But unfortunately, all too often, we do that at the detriment of of other people, which is so unfortunate.   Mike Paciello ** 37:39 Yeah, you know again, not to, not to get off the subject, but one of my favorite books is rethinking competitive advantage, by Ram Sharon. I don't know if you know know him, but the guy is one of my heroes in terms of just vision and Business and Technology. And in this, this book, he wrote this a couple of years ago. He said this one this is his first rule of competition in the digital age. The number one rule was simply this, a personalized consumer experience, key to exponential growth. That's exactly you and I are talking about personally. I want to see interfaces adapt to users, rather than what we have today, which is users having to adapt to the interface.   Michael Hingson ** 38:32 Yeah, and it would make so much sense to do so. I hope somebody out there is listening and will maybe take some of this to heart, because if they do it right, they can have a huge market in no time at all, just because they show they care. You know, Nielsen Company did a survey back in 2016 where they looked at a variety of companies and consumers and so on. And if I recall the numbers right, they decided that people with disabilities are 35% more likely to continue to work with and shop, for example, at companies that really do what they can to make their websites and access to their products accessible, as opposed to not. And that's that's telling. It's so very telling. But we don't see people talking about that nearly like we should   Mike Paciello ** 39:20 you talk about a business value proposition. There is bullet proof that where you are leaving money on the table, yep, and a lot of it, yeah, exactly. We're not talking about 1000s or hundreds of 1000s. We're talking about billions and trillions, in some instances, not an exaggeration by any stretch of the imagination, very, very simple math. I had this conversation a couple years ago with the CEO of Pearson. At that time, he's retired, but, you know, I told him, if you spent $1 for every person that it was in the world with. Disability, you're, you're, you're talking about 1/4 of the population, right? It's simple math, simple math,   Michael Hingson ** 40:08 but people still won't do it. I mean, we taught you to mention section 508, before with the whole issue of web access, how much of the government has really made their websites accessible, even though it's the law?   Mike Paciello ** 40:19 Yeah, three years, three or four years ago, they did a study, and they found out that the good that every federal agency, most of the federal agencies, were not even keeping up thinking with reporting of the status, of where they were, and yet that was written right into the five way law. They were mandated to do it, and they still did do   Michael Hingson ** 40:37 it. We haven't, you know, the whole Americans with Disabilities Act. Finally, the Department of Justice said that the internet is a place of business, but still, it's not written in the law. And of course, we only see about 3% of all websites that tend to have any level of access. And there's no reason for that. It's not that magical. And again, I go back to what do we do to get schools and those who teach people how to code to understand the value of putting in accessibility right from the outset?   Mike Paciello ** 41:10 Yeah, no, I totally agree with you. I think this is what Kate sanka is trying to do with with Teach access. In fact, you know, again, my company, TPG was one of the founding companies have teach access back again, 10 years ago, when it first started. But that's where it starts. I mean, they're, they're pretty much focused on post secondary, university education, but I could tell you on a personal level, I was speaking at my kids grade school, elementary school, because they were already using laptops and computers back then it starts. Then you've got to build a mindset. You've got to build it we you've heard about the accessibility, maturity models coming out of the W, 3c, and in I, double AP. What that speaks to fundamentally, is building a culture within your corporate organization that is think accessibility as a think accessibility mindset, that it is woven into the fiber of every business line, in every technology, software development life cycle, all of the contributors at that level, from A to Z. But if you don't build it into the culture, it's not going to happen. So I would love to see a lot more being done at that level. But yeah, it's, it's, it's a, it's a hero. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 42:34 we're, we're left out of the conversation so much. Yeah, yeah, totally. So you, you sold TPG, and you then formed, or you had web able and then able Docs.   Mike Paciello ** 42:48 So what web able came out was a carve out, one of two carve outs that I had from when I sold TPG. The other was open access technologies, which which eventually was sold to another accessibility company primarily focused on making documentation accessible to meet the WCAG and other standards requirements and web able I carved out. It's been a kind of a hobby of mine now, for since I sold TPG, I'm still working on the back end, ironically, from the get go, so we're talking, you know, again, eight years ago, I had built machine learning and AI into it. From then back then, I did so that what it does is it very simply, goes out and collects 1000s and 1000s of articles as it relates to technology, people with disabilities, and then cleans them up and post them to web able.com I've got a lot more playing for it, but that's in a nutshell. That's what it does. And I don't we do some we do some QA review to make sure that the cleanup in terms of accessibility and the articles are are properly formatted and are accessible. We use the web aim API, but yeah, works like magic. Works like clockwork, and that's got aI uses IBM Watson AI built into it. Yeah, enable docs was abledocs was, how should I say this in a nice way, abledocs was a slight excursion off of my main route. It can work out. I wish it had. It had a lot of potential, much like open access technologies, but they both suffered from owners who really, really not including myself, who just didn't have good vision and in lack humility,   Michael Hingson ** 44:43 yeah. How's that? There you go. Well, so not to go political or anything, but AI in general is interesting, and I know that there have been a lot of debates over the last few years about artificial. Intelligence and helping to make websites accessible. There are several companies like AudioEye, user way, accessibe and so on that to one degree or another, use AI. What? What? So in general, what do you think about AI and how it's going to help deal with or not, the whole issue of disabilities and web access,   Mike Paciello ** 45:22 yeah, and we're going to set aside Neil Jacobs thoughts on how he sees it in the future, right? Although I have to tell you, he gave me some things to think about, so we'll just set that to to the side. So I think what AI offers today is something that I thought right away when it started to see the, you know, the accessibes, the user ways, the audio, eyes, and all the other companies kind of delving into it, I always saw potential to how's this remediate a fundamental problem or challenge, let's not call it a problem, a challenge that we were otherwise seeing in the professional services side of that equation around web accessibility, right? So you get experts who use validation tools and other tools, who know about code. Could go in and they know and they use usability, they use user testing, and they go in and they can tell you what you need to do to make your digital properties right, usable and accessible. People with disabilities, all well and good. That's great. And believe me, I had some of the best people, if not the best people in the world, work for me at one time. However, there are a couple of things it could not do in it's never going to do. Number one, first and foremost, from my perspective, it can't scale. It cannot scale. You can do some things at, you know, in a large way. For example, if, if a company is using some sort of, you know, CMS content management system in which their entire sites, you know, all their sites, all their digital properties, you know, are woven into templates, and those templates are remediated. So that cuts down a little bit on the work. But if you go into companies now, it's not like they're limited to two or three templates. Now they've got, you know, department upon department upon department, everybody's got a different template. So even those are becoming very vos, very verbose and very plentiful. So accessibility as a manual effort doesn't really scale well. And if it does, even if it could, it's not fast enough, right? So that's what AI does, AI, coupled with automation, speeds up that process and delivers a much wider enterprise level solution. Now again, AI automation is not, is not a whole, is not a holistic science. You know, it's not a silver bullet. David Marathi likes to use the term, what is he? He likes the gold standard. Well, from his perspective, and by the way, David Marathi is CEO of audio. Eye is a combination of automation AI in expert analysis, along with the use of the integration of user testing and by user testing, it's not just personas, but it's also compatibility with the assistive technologies that people with disabilities use. Now, when you do that, you've got something that you could pattern after a standard software development life cycle, environment in which you integrate all of these things. So if you got a tool, you integrate it there. If you've got, you know, a digital accessibility platform which does all this automation, AI, right, which, again, this is the this is a forester foresters take on the the the daps, as they calls it. And not really crazy about that, but that's what they are. Digital Accessibility platforms. It allows us to scale and scale at costs that are much lower, at speeds that are much faster, and it's just a matter of like any QA, you've got to check your work, and you've got it, you can't count on that automation being absolute. We know for a fact that right now, at best, we're going to be able to get 35 to 40% accuracy, some claim, larger different areas. I'm still not convinced of that, but the fact of the matter is, it's like anything else. Technology gets better as it goes, and we'll see improvements over time periods.   Michael Hingson ** 49:49 So here's here's my thought, yeah, let's say you use AI in one of the products that's out there. And I. You go to a website and you include it, and it reasonably well makes the website 50% more usable and accessible than it was before. I'm just, I just threw out that number. I know it's random. Go ahead, Yep, yeah, but let's say it does that. The reality is that means that it's 50% that the web developers, the web coders, don't have to do because something else is dealing with it. But unfortunately, their mentality is not to want to deal with that because they also fear it. But, you know, I remember back in the mid 1980s I started a company because I went off and tried to find a job and couldn't find one. So I started a company with a couple of other people, where we sold early PC based CAD systems to architects, right? And we had AutoCAD versus CAD. Another one called point line, which was a three dimensional system using a y cap solid modeling board that took up two slots in your PC. So it didn't work with all PCs because we didn't have enough slots. But anyway, right, right, right. But anyway, when I brought architects in and we talked about what it did and we showed them, many of them said, I'll never use that. And I said, why? Well, it does work, and that's not the question. But the issue is, we charge by the time, and so we take months to sometimes create designs and projects, right? And so we can't lose that revenue. I said, you're looking at it all wrong. Think about it this way, somebody gives you a job, you come back and you put it in the CAD system. You go through all the iterations it takes, let's just say, two weeks. Then you call your customer in. You use point line, and you can do a three dimensional walk through and fly through. You can even let them look out the window and see what there is and all that they want to make changes. They tell you the changes. You go off and you make the changes. And two weeks later, now it's a month, you give them their finished product, all the designs, all the plots and all that, all done, and you charge them exactly the same price you were going to charge them before. Now you're not charging for your time, you're charging for your expertise, right? And I think that same model still holds true that the technology, I think most people will agree that it is not perfect, but there are a lot of things that it can do. Because the reality is, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, are all things that can be defined with computer code, whether it necessarily does it all well with AI or not, is another story. But if it does it to a decent fraction, it makes all the difference in terms of what you're able to do and how quickly you can do   Mike Paciello ** 52:52 it. Yeah, I can argue with that at all. I think any time that we can make our jobs a little bit easier so that we can focus where we should be focused. In this case, as you said, the expertise side of it, right to fix those complicated scenarios or situations that require a hands on surgical like Right? Expertise, you can do that now. You've got more hours more time because it's been saved. The only thing I would say, Mike, about what, what you just said, is that there with that, with that mindset, okay, comes responsibility. Oh, yeah, in this is where I think in everybody that knows anything about this environment, you and I have an intimate understanding of this. The whole overlay discussion is the biggest problem with what happened was less about the technology and more about what claims are being made. Yeah, the technology could do which you could not do in, in some cases, could never do, or would never, would never do, well, right? So if you create, and I would submit this is true in as a fundamental principle, if you create a technology of any kind, you must, in truth, inform your clients of of what it can and cannot do so they understand the absolute value to them, because the last thing you want, because, again, we live in a, unfortunately, a very litigious world. Right soon as there's   Michael Hingson ** 54:49 a mistake couldn't happen,   Mike Paciello ** 54:51 they'll go right after you. So now you know, and again, I don't I'm not necessarily just blaming the ambulance chasers of the world. World. I was talking to an NFP lawyer today. He referred to them in a different name, and I can't remember well, I never heard the expression before, but that's what he meant, right? Yeah, it's the salesman and the product managers and the marketing people themselves, who are were not themselves, to your point, properly trained, properly educated, right? It can't be done, what clearly could not be said, what should or should not be said, right? And then you got lawyers writing things all over the place. So, yeah, yeah. So, so I look people knew when I made the decision to come to audio eye that it was a make or break scenario for me, or at least that's what they thought in my mindset. It always, has always been, that I see incredible possibilities as you do or technology, it just has to be handled responsibly.   Michael Hingson ** 55:56 Do you think that the companies are getting better and smarter about what they portray about their products than they than they were three and four and five years ago.   Mike Paciello ** 56:08 Okay, look, I sat in and chaired a meeting with the NFB on this whole thing. And without a doubt, they're getting smarter. But it took not just a stick, you know, but, but these large lawsuits to get them to change their thinking, to see, you know, where they where they were wrong, and, yeah, things are much better. There's still some issues out there. I both know it that's going to happen, that happens in every industry,   Michael Hingson ** 56:42 but there are improvements. It is getting better, and people are getting smarter, and that's where an organization like the NFB really does need to become more involved than in a sense, they are. They took some pretty drastic steps with some of the companies, and I think that they cut off their nose, despite their face as well, and that didn't help. So I think there are things that need to be done all the way around, but I do see that progress is being made too. I totally   Mike Paciello ** 57:11 agree, and in fact, I'm working with them right now. We're going to start working on the California Accessibility Act again. I'm really looking forward to working with the NFB, the DRC and Imperato over there and his team in the disability rights consortium, consortium with disability rights. What DRC coalition, coalition in in California. I can't wait to do that. We tried last year. We got stopped short. It got tabled, but I feel very good about where we're going this year. So that's, that's my that's, that is my focus right now. And I'm glad I'm going to be able to work with the NFB to be able to do that. Yeah, well, I, I really do hope that it passes. We've seen other states. We've seen some states pass some good legislation, and hopefully we will continue to see some of that go on. Yeah, Colorado has done a great job. Colorado sent a great job. I think they've done it. I really like what's being done with the EAA, even though it's in Europe, and some of the things that are going there, Susanna, Lauren and I had some great discussions. I think she is has been a leader of a Yeoman effort at that level. So we'll see. Let's, let's, I mean, there's still time out here. I guess I really would like to retire,   Michael Hingson ** 58:28 but I know the feeling well, but I can't afford to yet, so I'll just keep speaking and all that well, Mike, this has been wonderful. I really appreciate you taking an hour and coming on, and at least neither of us is putting up with any kind of snow right now, but later in the year we'll see more of that.   Mike Paciello ** 58:45 Yeah, well, maybe you will. We don't get snow down. I have. We've gotten maybe 25 flakes in North Carolina since I've been here.   Michael Hingson ** 58:53 Yeah, you don't get a lot of snow. We don't hear we don't really get it here, around us, up in the mountains, the ski resorts get it, but I'm out in a valley, so we don't, yeah,   Mike Paciello ** 59:02 yeah, no. I love it. I love this is golfing weather.   Michael Hingson ** 59:05 There you go. If people want to reach out to you, how do they do that?   Mike Paciello ** 59:11 There's a couple of ways. Certainly get in touch with me at AudioEye. It's michael.paciello@audioeye.com   Michael Hingson ** 59:17 B, A, C, I, E, L, L, O,   Mike Paciello ** 59:18 that's correct. Thank you for that. You could send me personal email at Mike paciello@gmail.com and or you can send me email at web able. It's m passielo at web able.com, any one of those ways. And please feel free you get on all the social networks. So feel free to link, connect to me. Anyway, I try to respond. I don't think there's anyone I I've not responded to one form or another.   Michael Hingson ** 59:46 Yeah, I'm I'm the same way. If I get an email, I want to respond to it. Yeah, well, thanks again for being here, and I want to thank all of you for listening. We really appreciate it. Love to hear your thoughts about this episode. Please feel free to email. Me, you can get me the email address I generally use is Michael h i at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, i, b, e.com, or you can go to our podcast page, which is Michael hingson.com/podcast, and there's a contact form there. But love to hear from you. Love to hear your thoughts, and most of all, please give us a five star rating wherever you're listening. We value your ratings and your reviews a whole lot, so we really appreciate you doing that. And if any of you, and Mike, including you, can think of other people that you think ought to be guests on the podcast, we are always looking for more people, so fill us up, help us find more folks. And we would appreciate that a great deal. So again, Mike, thanks very much. This has been a lot of fun, and we'll have to do it again.   Mike Paciello ** 1:00:44 Thanks for the invitation. Mike, I really appreciate it. Don't forget to add 10 Nakata to your list,   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:49 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

Risorse Gratuite:CORSO GRATIS REVIT- BIM: https://tinyurl.com/2pafj768CORSO GRATIS AUTOCAD: https://tinyurl.com/ybf32zb6CORSO GRATIS RENDERING: https://tinyurl.com/fxfmpmfjACCATASTA QUIZ - SCOPRI CHE ACCATASTATORE SEI: https://tinyurl.com/mrwtj2jnBIM QUIZ - SCOPRI CHE BIM SEI: https://tinyurl.com/49smpbwjPILLOLE DI CANTIERE: https://tinyurl.com/2yjvxreuPILLOLE DI COMPUTO METRICO: https://tinyurl.com/mu7hxcudPILLOLE DI DOCFA: https://tinyurl.com/5649zs8uPILLOLE DI PRATICHE EDILIZIE: https://tinyurl.com/5n8hx2mnLe 8 REGOLE D'ORO PER FARE UN BUON RENDER: https://tinyurl.com/4r2afnpvPRENOTA UNA CONSULENZA TELEFONICA GRATUITA: https://tinyurl.com/mr2tjhpr==========================================================Per seguire ADARA Architettura:YOUTUBE: Iscriviti e attiva la campanella https://tinyurl.com/2h3kz7aaWEBSITE: https://tinyurl.com/2bffswthBLOG: https://tinyurl.com/37jhws78PAGINA FB: https://tinyurl.com/43c2y6jkGRUPPO SEGRETO FB "Progettazione Competitiva": https://tinyurl.com/5x2vv8au==========================================================Podcast:SPOTIFY: https://tinyurl.com/3eejwdj4APPLE PODCAST: https://tinyurl.com/tju78jmyANCHOR: https://tinyurl.com/yd9pru8s==========================================================#AdaraArchitetturaCentroAutodesk #Università 

Tech Talk with Steve Thomson and Doug Swinhart returns after a weeks long Twins induced hiatus! Topics include: Forced AI integration in your email inbox Listener calls on Autocad and recovering a lost WiFi password Proton password manager Where to go to get a laptop/desktop worked on What Doug recommends for antivirus software

00:00 From Technician to Entrepreneur02:20 Dakota's Background & Apprenticeship Path04:34 Motivation to Start a Business06:30 Identifying a Niche in the Fire Industry08:39 Learning Design and Troubleshooting09:35 Teaching Himself FireCAD + Early Wins14:33 Balancing Install, Design & Multiple Projects18:02 Favorite Systems & What Works Best21:05 The Problem with Proprietary Equipment22:26 Customer-First, No-Contract Philosophy28:28 Work-Life Balance & Being a Present Dad30:44 Technology and Business Efficiency32:35 Dakota's Passion for Golfing33:11 NFPA Involvement & Final Words

Olá sejam bem vindo ao nosso quadro de entrevistas do Podcast da Mineração.Neste programa, entrevistamos Leopoldo Tôrres, gerente de desenvolvimento técnico da SSAB. Especialista de mercado experiente com histórico comprovado de trabalho na indústria de engenharia mecânica ou industrial. Hábil em AutoCAD, Melhoria de Produtividade, Estratégia de Marketing e Engenharia Industrial altamente focada em Tecnologia de Soldagem. Forte profissional de vendas com Especialista em Tecnologia/Técnico em Engenharia de Soldagem pela Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais. Conversamos sobre o que é o Aço Hardox e como ele se diferencia de outros tipos de aço no mercado, Existem exemplos de equipamentos ou estruturas específicos na mineração que se beneficiam diretamente do uso e muito maisCriação de Arte: Raul Cadena / Phablo KauãPatrocinadores Oficiais do Podcast da Mineração:ÍGNEA Geologia & Meio Ambiente - https://www.igneabr.com.br/ - @igneabrRevo Geoscience - https://revogeoscience.com/Mentoria - Roberta Azevedo - https://robertacavalcante.com.br/inscreva-se/ - @robertac.azevedo Apoio:SSABÉ com orgulho que anunciamos o lançamento da loja oficial do Podcast da Mineração! https://reserva.ink/podcastdamineracaoConfiram essa e outras entrevistas no canal e Lembrem-se: "Mineração pode não ser o futuro mas não existe futuro sem a mineração"#mineração #tecnologia #technology #podcastdamineração #podcast #inovação #engenheirodeminas #engenhariademinas #futuro #inovação #innovations #innovations #aço #rardox #ligadeaço #produtividade #ssab

It's a special Mother's Day edition of AwesomeCast! Host Michael Sorg is joined by his mom, Cathy—better known as Mom Sorg—for a heartfelt, humorous, and insightful conversation spanning decades of tech, theme parks, drafting, accessibility, and family stories. From tales of riding the Turtle at Kennywood to helping design parts of Epcot's Spaceship Earth, Mom Sorg shares her pioneering journey as a female drafter and AutoCAD specialist in the 1970s and ‘80s. The duo also explore how Cathy's work inspired Sorg's lifelong tech passion and reflect on accessibility in theme parks and the evolution of educational inclusion. Plus, the Chachi Says Video Game Minute brings hot headlines, from GTA 6's record-breaking trailer to surprising job interview trends involving gaming.

It's a special Mother's Day edition of AwesomeCast! Host Michael Sorg is joined by his mom, Cathy—better known as Mom Sorg—for a heartfelt, humorous, and insightful conversation spanning decades of tech, theme parks, drafting, accessibility, and family stories. From tales of riding the Turtle at Kennywood to helping design parts of Epcot's Spaceship Earth, Mom Sorg shares her pioneering journey as a female drafter and AutoCAD specialist in the 1970s and ‘80s. The duo also explore how Cathy's work inspired Sorg's lifelong tech passion and reflect on accessibility in theme parks and the evolution of educational inclusion. Plus, the Chachi Says Video Game Minute brings hot headlines, from GTA 6's record-breaking trailer to surprising job interview trends involving gaming.

Bentornati su Snap!È ora di parlare dell'imbarazzo architettonico in Apple ma anche di che lavoro si fa davvero, ricordando il punto a cui siamo arrivati con i contenuti del format che non ti aspetti di due architetti che vanno in giro in bici e si raccontano cose (aka Escape).Dopo aver visto Windows 11 su iPad Air, passiamo alle novità presentate da Autodesk per Autocad 2026 e Revit 2026.Buon ascolto!—>

Host Drew Slocum sits down with August and Tony Conte of FireCAD to discuss the recent acquisition by Inspect Point and what it means for the future of the industry. Hear directly from August about his incredible 60-year journey in fire alarm and how FireCAD was born out of a need for better, faster design tools. Tony dives into how FireCAD is revolutionizing fire alarm system design, saving companies valuable time and money by eliminating manual errors and inefficiencies. Discover their vision for connecting design and inspection workflows, creating a seamless experience from start to finish. If you're in fire protection, you won't want to miss this conversation about innovation, collaboration, and the future of the industry!

Facebookhttps://www.realdecorshop.com/tiktokInstagramhttps://www.theartstandard.coBuilt Different: Empowering Gift Journal for Young Boys Paperback – by Ashley ChanteBioAshley Chante' is more than a musician—she's an experience. With a soul-stirring voicereminiscent of legendary divas yet uniquely her own, Ashley weaves melodies that speakdeeply to the human spirit. From an early age, her powerful voice and poignant songwritinghave been the hallmarks of her artistry, captivating audiences and forging genuine emotionalconnections.Ashley is embarking on an exciting new chapter as she collaborates with Harvey Marie Records.Fans eagerly await the unveiling of her freshman project, with releases strategically planned forthis summer and an enchanting follow-up slated for the Christmas season. While details remainunder wraps as part of an immersive branding strategy, one thing is sure: listeners cananticipate music that resonates profoundly, echoing Ashley's thoughtful reflections and vibrantcreativity.Ashley has been an entrepreneur since 2019, running her own manufacturing online business incustom home decor. As another creative outlet, she uses AutoCAD to design one-of-a-kindpieces that bring cultural richness and personal expression into everyday spaces. HerAfrocentric designs have caught the attention of tastemakers who value handcrafted work withsoul and intention.She is also releasing printed guided journals for young children—tools designed to support themthrough growing pains while nurturing emotional well-being. Inspired by the dynamics of herown blended family, Ashley created these journals to help young boys and girls explore theirfeelings and build a healthy sense of self. With more book publications on the way, shecontinues to expand her impact through both word and design.Beyond her projects, Ashley always looks deeper than the surface in every situation and facet oflife. She is stimulated by meaningful, deep connections and spiritual encounters, and she livesby strong values of self-worth. Her life philosophy centers on emotional health, clearboundaries, and mental well-being, which she shares authentically with her growing audience.Stay connected with Ashley Chante' to journey through music, mindfulness, and the meaningfuldialogues that inspire her art.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/creator-to-creators-with-meosha-bean--4460322/support.

Send us a textIn this episode of The Business of Beautiful Spaces, I sit down with Ronniesha Armstead, founder and CEO of Vetted By Design, to tackle one of the most common questions in the design industry: How do you know when it's time to hire help? If you're feeling overwhelmed with admin work, spending more time managing orders than designing, or simply questioning if you need support—this episode is for you. We discuss how outsourcing tasks like accounting, renderings, AutoCAD drawings, and procurement can free up your time and boost profitability. Ronniesha shares how Vetted By Design simplifies the hiring process by connecting interior designers with pre-vetted professionals, making it easier than ever to get the help you need. Tune in to learn how a virtual design assistant could be the first step in scaling your business!Website: https://vetted-bydesign.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vettedbydesign/Be sure to follow along on Instagram @thebusinessofbeautifulspaces + @thorntondesign to stay up to date on what we're talking about next week. If you love our podcast, please, please, please leave us a review. If you have any questions or topic ideas OR you wish to be a guest email us thebusinessofbeautifulspaces@gmail.com or find us on instagram @thebusinessofbeautifulspacesLaura Thornton is the principle designer of Thornton Design Inc, located in Kleinburg, ON. Since founding the company in 1999, Laura has been committed to creating a new kind of interior design experience for her clients. Thornton Design is an experienced team of creative talents, focused on curating beautiful residential and commercial spaces in the Toronto, Ontario area and beyond. Now sharing all the years of experience with other interior designers to create a world of collaboration and less competition. The Business of Beautiful Spaces I @thebusinessofbeautifulspacesThornton Design I @thorntondesign

Demand for AV integration services is becoming more complex and widespread, making it increasingly difficult for integrators to scale operations without sacrificing profitability. According to AVIXA's 2024 Industry Outlook and Trends Analysis, the Pro AV market is projected to reach $422 billion by 2029, intensifying the need for flexible, scalable support. Amid these pressures, service innovations like LinkLab are helping AV integrators stay competitive while navigating labor shortages, regional growth, and evolving client expectations.So, how can integrators, especially small to mid-sized ones, expand regionally, improve operational efficiency, and take on new work without overextending their internal teams?In this episode of Pro AV Today, host Ben Thomas, sits down with Cory Allen, VP of Services at Exertis Almo, to explore how the launch of LinkLab is reshaping the way integrators approach service delivery, project scaling, and workforce development across the AV industry.Key Points from the Conversation:Strategic Rebrand with Purpose: LinkLab isn't just a new name for Exertis Almo's professional services; it reflects a clearer mission to support AV integrators with targeted, scalable solutions.Regional and National Reach: The service enables integrators to pursue business in new markets even nationwide, without the need to hire local staff or turn away opportunities due to resource constraints.Empowering New Talent: LinkLab supports industry growth by offering CTS-certified AutoCAD training, helping to upskill both newcomers and experienced technicians within the AV community.Cory Allen is a seasoned AV industry leader with over 15 years of experience in sales, services, and operations, currently serving as Vice President of Services at Exertis Almo. He has advanced through roles ranging from Territory Manager to Director and now VP, consistently driving strategic growth, operational excellence, and team development across the Pro AV sector. Allen was recognized as a Commercial Integrator 40 Under 40 honoree in 2022, underscoring his impact and leadership in the industry.

As I pondered the topic for this week's kitchen table episode, the same thing kept coming to mind. An important question I'd like to ask you: What's the bravest thing you've ever done? When I first thought about that question several things immediately came to mind. Quitting my job as an architectural draftsman and buying a flower shop with my sister-in-law with neither of us having had any background in floral arranging. Buying a computer and learning AutoCAD so I could freelance drawing house plans while working from home--after we lost money in the floral business and had to sell it. And going to a writer's conference all alone and barely knowing a soul there. These decisions all took considerable courage, and they had a huge impact on my life. But as I dug deeper, I realized the better answer to that question. Not only because it changed the trajectory of my life, but it also changed me, my marriage and my family. Watch The Bravest Thing I've Ever Done with Carol Roper on YouTube Go to CarolRoper.org/podcast for show notes Prayer to accept Christ: “Lord, I know I am a sinner. I ask for your forgiveness today. I believe you sent your perfect, sinless son, Jesus, to die on the cross and be raised again to save me from my sins. I know that no one comes to you except through faith in your Son, Jesus Christ. I invite you into my heart and life to forgive me of my sins and save my soul. I turn over my life to you as both my Lord and my Savior. I want to have a relationship with you and find abundant life in Christ. In Jesus name. Amen” Listen to The Importance of Friendships--Still Going Strong After 30 Years with Julie Bagwell and Frieda Younts Link to sign up for my email list and receive my baked spaghetti recipe    

In this episode, I cover the latest in AI news, the removal of a recent Windows 11 upgrade block for AutoCAD customers, an incredible polymorphic extension exploit in Chrome plus more! Reference Links: https://www.rorymon.com/blog/onedrive-to-prompt-users-patch-tuesday-news-remote-desktop-app-being-retired-soon/

We have 2 special guests joining us today – Ramesh Sridharan, Director of AEC Building & Infrastructure at Autodesk, and Michael Davidson, Product Manager for BIM/CAD Integrations at ESRI. We'll be discussing the blending of design and GIS data and processes, and how Autodesk and ESRI are leading that charge. We'll specifically focus on the tools you can use to integrate GIS data while actively working on DWG design files in tools like Civil 3D and AutoCAD.

Kristina Young is a 31-year-old Interior Designer and the proud owner of RG Home Designs, based in South Florida. A graduate of the Interior Design Institute, Kristina opened her design company in 2020, and in 2021, after becoming a single mother, she transformed her passion into a thriving business. Kristina has always been drawn to design, starting at the age of six when she used AutoCAD to create houses for fun on her dad's computer. From constantly redecorating her room with new themes, her love for design has been lifelong. Now, as a mother, Kristina is dedicated to creating healthy, sustainable homes for families, focusing on using safe materials that ensure the well-being of children. Her mission is to design homes that families can cherish for generations, combining functionality, beauty, and safety in every space. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are talking about all things Lafayette, what's going on, and what we want to see in Lafayette in the future. https://www.baileymelancon.com — Find this and past episodes at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-tea-podcast/support — The Tea Podcast is proudly sponsored by Chase Group Construction, and The Music Academy of Acadiana The Tea Podcast Studio is sponsored in-part by Mire.Group CPAs: https://facebook.com/miregroupcpa?mibextid=LQQJ4d

How do aging infrastructure and access to clean water relate? The two are more intertwined than you might think. Join Todd and guest Kenneth Driscol as they discuss the need for investment in public infrastructure, how access to water may look by the year 2050, and how sustainable AI solutions may come into play. Kenneth L. Driscol is a Sr. Civil Application Engineer at Applied Software, GRAITEC Group. He has a demonstrated history of working in the computer software industry. He is skilled in AutoCAD, Revit, Autodesk Software, Drainage, and Modeling. He is a strong engineering professional with a Civil Engineering/ Construction Technology focused in Transportation and Highway Engineering from The University of Akron. TODD TAKES Addressing Aging Infrastructure Proactively: Aging infrastructure isn't something we can afford to ignore or push aside. It's not an "out of sight, out of mind" problem—it's a challenge we need to face head-on. By taking a proactive approach, we can ensure our systems stay safe, efficient, and built to last. Getting the Most Out of Your Data: When it comes to data, start by asking yourself: what do I want to learn? Once you're clear on your goals, you can map out the right questions and create a framework for managing your data. With good governance and a little help from AI, those insights become game-changers. Feelings Aren't Facts: “Feelings aren't facts.” That one really hits home, doesn't it? It's so human to believe our emotions are the ultimate truth, but staying grounded in reality is what leads to smart decisions and better outcomes.   Thanks for listening! Please be sure to leave a rating and/or review and follow up our social accounts. Bridging the Gap Website Bridging the Gap LinkedIn Bridging the Gap Instagram Bridging the Gap YouTube Todd's LinkedIn   Thank you to our sponsors! Applied Software Applied Software LinkedIn   Other Relevant Links: Kenneth's LinkedIn Applied Software, GRAITEC Group

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech's most innovative B2B founders. In today's episode, we're speaking with Marc Minor, CEO & Co-Founder of Higharc, a home building cloud platform that's raised over $80 Million in funding. Here are the most interesting points from our conversation: Building a CAD System for Home Builders: Higharc's platform is designed to revolutionize homebuilding by enabling builders to design homes in 3D, estimate materials, and generate blueprints—all from one system, reducing inefficiencies and modernizing a traditionally outdated industry. Origin Story Rooted in Personal Frustration: Marc's personal struggles while building his own home exposed the inefficiencies in the industry, leading him to apply his background in 3D printing and digital manufacturing to homebuilding, creating a platform that brings data-driven insights into the construction process. A Unique Co-Founding Team: Marc didn't know his co-founders before launching Higharc. Instead, he recruited top experts from fields like CAD systems, architecture, and video gaming, building a strong and diverse team to tackle the complex challenges of homebuilding software. Creating the Home Building Cloud Category: Higharc aims to roll up various point solutions used in homebuilding into a comprehensive platform, replacing outdated systems like AutoCAD and transforming the fragmented industry with a vertical SaaS approach. Go-to-Market Strategy Centered on Customer Trust: Higharc's GTM strategy focuses on building deep trust with customers through successful implementations and long-term support. This creates organic demand rather than relying on top-down sales or marketing blitzes. ABM and Personalization in Marketing: Higharc's marketing team uses an aggressive account-based marketing approach, personalizing landing pages and software demonstrations for individual prospects, providing them with a hands-on experience of how Higharc can solve their specific business problems.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

BIM Heroes Podcast Episode 12: State of Photo Progress Documentation In this episode, host Cody Whitelock explores advancements in photo progress documentation using 360-degree photos, drones, and BIM technologies. He is joined by Charlie Solan, Chief Operating Officer at Evercam, and Osama Bonner, Head of the 3D Department, who share their expertise in integrating these tools into the construction workflow. Current State and Challenges of Photo Documentation The conversation starts with an overview of the current landscape of 360 photo and drone usage. Charlie and Osama emphasize how the ease of capturing data has improved significantly with smaller, more accessible devices, lowering the barrier to entry for non-specialists. However, they note challenges like hardware durability and the need for light availability during image capture. The speakers compare static photos, 360-degree videos, and Lidar-enhanced scans. 360 cameras are praised for providing comprehensive visual data with a single walkthrough. Drones offer a bird's-eye view, capturing site-wide imagery efficiently from multiple angles. Lidar systems add depth information, making 3D modeling and photogrammetry possible, but at a higher cost. Impact on Site Inspections and Collaboration Charlie and Osama highlight how photo documentation tools reduce the need for frequent on-site inspections. Engineers and inspectors can now review images remotely, enhancing collaboration and cutting down on travel time and costs. This also enables specialists to focus on key issues without physically being present at the construction site. Building Workflows Around Digital Tools The episode underscores how construction workflows are evolving to integrate these technologies. Just as AutoCAD and BIM changed the industry, photo progress documentation is becoming a core part of modern construction management. Osama explains how these tools serve as a central hub for inspections, site monitoring, and data sharing, reducing the reliance on multiple site visits and enhancing efficiency. Future Potential of 360 Photo and Drone Technology Charlie discusses the future potential of these technologies, noting that as hardware continues to shrink and become more user-friendly, even smartphones could serve as key documentation tools. The speakers also reinforce stress the importance of capturing more data than is immediately needed, as the ability to revisit detailed site records will enhance project management over time. Listen to the BIM Heroes Podcast on: Spotify: http://evr.cm/spotify Apple: http://evr.cm/apple YouTube: http://evr.cm/youtube

Stephen Wolfram answers questions from his viewers about the history of science and technology as part of an unscripted livestream series, also available on YouTube here: https://wolfr.am/youtube-sw-qa Questions include: Why is history important? - History is very good at preventing humanity from making the same mistakes. - How would you explain the history of pi? - Do we know why Brahmagupta came up with the rules for arithmetic and algebra with zero and negative quantities? His book does appear to be a discontinuous jump in understanding. - Do you know if there was any physical reason that the Greek "elements" were associated with particular geometric shapes? - The Pi Day thing is great; I think I might get a shirt. - To what extent did your own path/work intersect the heydays of Bell Labs and notable people therefrom? - Did you ever use an Amiga computer? - With mobile devices we are basically going back to terminals. - ​​I used to have a Silicon Graphics Indigo 2 sitting on my desk for AutoCAD and 3D modeling. Those were great machines and fun times! - Speaking of McCarthy and those days, do you think that sticking to s-expressions as opposed to m-expressions and Wolfram Language-style ones impeded Lisp's adoption historically?

Ashish Arora, Head of Engineering & Machine Learning, Product Analytics at Autodesk, shares how personalized AI-powered experiences and real-time data can drive product adoption, featuring insights into Autodesk's transformation journey, leveraging machine learning, and delivering actionable recommendations to millions of users.Topics Include:Real-time data description and examplesLeveraging AWS for real time and generative AI servicesAutodesk's journey leveraging AWS to transform architecture and deliver personalized insightsOverview of Autodesk and product portfolioUtilizing data gathered for customersPersonalized data-driven insights for customers on Autocad and other productsDescriptive insights: providing usage data for customersPrescriptive insights: Making recommendations to customers based on their workflowsPredictive insights: Using ML to recommend products and featuresAutodesk processes 100+ billion events across all products, delivered 350+ million insights to customers, served to 3.5 million customersExample walkthrough – RachaelArchitecture of Autodesk data and insight processLeveraging LLMs – Sagemaker and BedrockBringing it altogetherSession wrap upParticipants:Ashish Arora – Head of Engineering & ML, Product Analytics - AutodeskBrian Slater – Principal Solutions Architect – Amazon Web Services

IntroductionOur guest today is Noah Pritchett. Noah is a field engineer who shares a homeschool background with Tyler. He ended up getting his GED and meeting a chick at Chick Fil A. They also both had to be corralled by a dad into their work in construction. Then it just clicked. His first job in field-engineering world was as a helper. Then the engineer he was helping was called away to another job. The rest is construction history. All of his training took place on the job.The Hyundai plantPart of the reason Eddie invited Noah to the show was because Noah had a hand in the gargantuan Hyundai plant near Savannah, Georgia. Noah shares that this particular project was just go-go-go. He was laying out something new every 15 minutes, working with contact points that were up to 4,000 feet apart. He recognized that he needed some help, and he gave his helper a tossed-in-the-deep-end experience similar to his own.  Now everything seems small to him–except the son he had to leave at home when he left for the long stretches of work. Tyler points out that not many people understand about this travel component and how it affects workers and their families. Eddie points out that the pay is what draws people in. Noah agrees. The pay and the per diems enable people to really rake it in.Great Wolf LodgeEddie isn't necessarily excited about everything he might see at indoor water parks, but the structures impress him. Noah shares that it was on his first Great Wolf project that he realized he was truly the responsible party for the layout of this thing.It was on this job that Noah realized it's not always best to use the robots. Layout out lazy-river curves sometimes requires an old-school tape. It was truly tedious–no laziness involved. Tyler asks about the reference points for this kind of project. Tyler tees Noah up to dish on the frustrations that come with lackluster drawings. He said there are still times he feels dumb asking the questions, but when there's a wall hanging out in the middle of nowhere, you have to ask. Eddie recalls the first time he witnessed his dad notice that an engineer had screwed up, despite the fact that Eddie thought engineers were too smart to do that sort of thing. On every job, Tyler sWhat we missTyler asks Noah about the most common mess-ups, and Noah goes for the elevator. He said he checks those out right away and immediately sends the drawings back if they're off. He recounts the communication challenges and the emphasis of pictures over words. Eddie talks about the virtual certainty that there'll be complications and confusion on multi-rise buildings. Throw in some operable partitions way up there? There's going to be confusion. The worst drawings Noah gets? Multi-family dwellings. Eddie shares his thoughts on why that's the case. They often have surprisingly elaborate systems. AutoCAD and finding helpTyler asks Noah to share about his experience with AutoCAD. Noah explains that when the workflow puts design work in the hands of people earlier in the process, he sees greater quality. Eddie asks and Noah answers about integration of layout points in his models. Noah shares how integration of these elements have provided him with the opportunity to do some experimenting.Noah shares about a job near Savannah where he was hoping to be impressive but ran quickly into screwy drawings. He thought the complications that resulted from this would lead to him getting targeted by some other members of the crew. Luckily the situation took a turn that directed blame away from him. Many communication problems, Noah points out, can be avoided by being sure that you introduce yourself to as many people as possible. Simply meeting you gives them a level of confidence that you wouldn't do stupid stuff.Eddie asks Noah to share about the challenges of finding good help. It's really hard, he says. He thinks the industry just needs to find people and train them. Megaphone Message Noah directs his megaphone message to young guys: Don't stop learning. Be curious and inquisitive.Find Noah on LinkedIn Check out the partners that make our show possible.Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

It's that time again - Welcome back to yet another episode of the WGI Unleashed Podcast! Join us for episode 85 as we sit down with Chris Stermer, WGI's Senior Utility Coordinator Manager in Tampa, Florida - From his early days in Pompano Beach, FL, to his long-standing dedication to service, Chris's journey has been nothing short of inspiring. Exploring a Life of Service and Leadership Although he was born in Norfolk, VA, Chris' early childhood was spent in Pompano Beach, FL, growing up in a time before the bustling I-95 corridor in South Florida was even constructed. His passion for service was ignited early in life, leading him to join the Navy at just 17 years old in the year 1979. Chris spent an impressive 27 years in active service, most of which took place on the flight deck of aircraft carriers as a jet engine mechanic. His Navy career took him around the globe, with Cairo, Egypt standing out as his favorite destination. During his time in service, Chris also seized the opportunity to further his education through a scholarship program - standing as a testament to his lifelong commitment to learning. A Transition to Civilian Life After retiring from the Navy, Chris quickly transitioned to civilian life as a defense contractor, where he specialized in “In-Flight Refueling," and ultimately became a subject matter expert as he earned the trust of his superiors and all those around him. It was in this role that he honed his skills in AutoCAD, a tool that would become invaluable in his subsequent career. His technical prowess and dedication to his craft led him to a position with a gas company in Port St. Lucie, where he learned to draw utilities, a skill that set the stage for his future role in utility coordination here at WGI. A History of Recognition and Humility Throughout his tenured career, Chris's expertise and dedication have certainly not gone unnoticed. In 2020, he was honored with the John J. Farkas Award for Outstanding Utility Coordination, a prestigious accolade bestowed upon him by his peers, and standing as a true highlight of his career - And despite his many successes, Chris has made it a point to remain humble, attributing his knowledge to the “school of hard knocks.” Beyond the Office Chris and his wife, now empty nesters, share their home with Gizmo, a Yorkie/Chihuahua mix who Chris calls "A Bundle of Energy." - And beyond the office, Chris finds his life deeply rooted in spirituality, service, and motorcycles, otherwise known as the three pillars that guide him. For over 20 years, he has been actively involved in a prison ministry program, participating in an organization that brings motorcyclists to prisons to hold church services and deliver testimony to inmates. This work is a profound part of who Chris is, and he credits it as one of the most fulfilling aspects of his life. And when he's not busy sharing his expertise in utility coordination or involved in ministry, you can find Chris playing taps on his bugle, a testament to his time in the service, or cruising around town! But that's not all - In this episode, Chris also shares some intriguing anecdotes from his life, such as: Did he really circumnavigate the globe in 1986? Has he really been to all 50 states? And did he once joyride in a helicopter dressed as Santa? So, don't wait a moment longer - Grab those headphones and crank up the volume because it's time to get unleashed. Plus, don't forget to tune in next time as we unravel more captivating tales and insights on the WGI Unleashed Podcast. Until then, stay inspired and keep unleashing your potential! Visit your favorite podcast app now and subscribe to WGI Unleashed to receive alerts every time a new episode drops. You can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Google Podcasts, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.  

  Richard Harpham has more than 20 years of experience launching products into international markets for both start-up ventures and enterprise organizations. Currently he is a co-founder of Skema, Inc.    Richard has experienced most of the highs and lows of bringing disruptive technology to developers, designers and contractors. He was an early hire at the start-up, Revit Technology Corp, and then after Revit was acquired by Autodesk, spent nine years helping to bring it and a ‘new' concept of BIM to the U.S. market.    At the same time, he also led global marketing for AutoCAD and all Autodesk AEC products. More recently, at Katerra, he led software strategy to support transformational changes in how buildings are designed, engineered, and delivered.   Show Highlights   Skema founded to address challenges in design for constructability. Focus on modular, repeatable elements in building design. Tips to design with constructability in mind early in the process. Emphasis customer implementation and value experience over sales and marketing AI in Architecture and Construction applications are mostly narrow and specific. Skema uses machine learning and AI for design assistance and understanding visual aspects of previous designs. AI needed as a design assistant, not a replacement for human architects. Importance of asking the right questions about AI technology.   “Let's have the machine look after the things that aren't the inspirational and differentiated part of design, so that you can put more time into thinking about the quality and things that you bring as a designer that truly make the difference to the owner, the client, the occupier, and probably help you win more work and make more money in the process when you deliver the designs.” -Richard Harpham     Show Resource and Information Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES   GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community!   If you truly enjoyed the show, don't forget to leave a positive rating and review on .  We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the !   Copyright © 2024 GBES

New York is about more than highways and traffic. The city is filled with resilience, community, sustainability, and more elements that support a healthy built environment. How will architecture impact the future of New York's communities Welcome to the third season of Architecture 5 10 20! I'm your host, Guy Geier, Managing Partner of FXCollaborative Architects in New York. My guests for this podcast are pioneers and visionaries shaping the future of the built environment across various disciplines. Join me in exploring their remarkable journeys, discovering how they reach their current heights, and envisioning what lies ahead in the next 5, 10, and 20 years. Join me today as I have a conversation with my friend Tom Scarangello, Thornton Tomasetti's managing principal and senior advisor and an industry thought leader in innovation and technology. With over four decades at the forefront of innovation in structural engineering, Tom brings a wealth of experience and a visionary perspective on the industry's evolution. We dive deep into Tom's journey with Thornton Tomasetti, from its humble beginnings to becoming a global leader in proactive innovation, with Tom reflecting on pivotal moments such as the firm's response to the 2008 economic downturn and the strategic merger with Wide Langer in 2015. This discussion provides a behind-the-scenes look at how Thornton Tomasetti leveraged intellectual property and embraced technology to redefine industry standards! Tom also shares his thoughts on the shift from reactive to proactive innovation, the impact of building information modeling, and the exciting developments in AI. We explore how AI is accelerating design processes and reshaping the future of structural engineering, and Tom highlights the importance of maintaining a balance between technological advancements and foundational engineering principles, ensuring that innovation enhances rather than overshadows core expertise. This episode is truly a fascinating exploration of how technology is transforming the built environment and what lies ahead for the industry. Listen to hear Tom's insights on navigating these changes and the role of curiosity and open-source data in driving progress! Time stamps: [01:40] - After 40 years, Tom has seen his firm evolve from small to global leaders in innovation. [04:54] - Tom drove diversity and innovation, investing in untapped IP and creating initiatives. [06:39] - Tom's industry lagged in innovation, relying on outdated methods, despite advances like AutoCAD. [09:01] - Transitioning to smart models and BIM has accelerated Tom's industry's innovation and digitization. [11:07] - Hear how Tom improved project delivery by experimenting with XSteel and embracing new technology. [13:45] - Tom explains how entering data directly into Tekla improved efficiency and control over some aspects of connections. [15:39] - Tom's company developed Construe to enable effective use of data across different modeling platforms. [16:58] - Experience helps engineers make quick, informed decisions, enhancing value and creativity in design! [19:06] - Tom argues that AI can enhance efficiency in design, focusing on creative solutions rather than physics problems. [21:36] - Human oversight is still crucial; AI can't replace responsibility for ensuring safety and compliance! [24:38] - Tom points out how early versions of ChatGPT impressed him, with its capabilities having rapidly advanced in less than two years. [26:37] - Tom discusses the book Co Intelligence by Ethan Malik. [29:40] - It's important to embrace new tools; resisting change could ultimately limit career longevity and impact. [31:04] - AI tools generate multiple design solutions quickly, allowing focus on choosing the best one. [33:03] - Learn how urban redevelopment reconnects communities and should be advocated despite lingering challenges. [35:42] - Urban redevelopment projects reconnect communities, and Tom expresses eagerness to volunteer for such initiatives in the Bronx. [38:43] - Architects, engineers, and contractors are collaborating more effectively, driven by technology to address challenges. [41:42] - Tom feels that having conversations like this podcast helps improve the industry and shows that others share the goal of solving problems collaboratively. [42:15] - Tom's enthusiasm for technology and AI in the AEC industry highlights the need for curiosity and creativity to address challenges. Links / Resources:Guy Geier Instagram | Twitter Thornton Tomasetti LinkedIn Ethan Mollick - Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI

Phil Darwen, the mastermind behind the Instagram sensation "A Designer's Mind" with 1.4 million followers, delves into his unique journey as a building designer. Specializing in home design and renovation, Phil brings an exceptional flair for interior styling that has made him a significant figure in the design world.Phil's career blossomed under the mentorship of renowned designer Paul Clout, where he transitioned from hand-drawn sketches to AutoCAD, showcasing his adaptability and commitment. His design philosophy centers on the critical importance of light, ventilation, and storage, addressing modern challenges of smaller plot sizes. Ensuring proper breathability, light penetration, and ample storage in homes enhances comfort and well-being.Highlighting environmental influences, Phil discusses designing homes that breathe naturally, minimizing the need for air conditioning, especially in subtropical climates. Emphasizing human-centered architecture, he stresses the emotional impact of engaging with spaces at ground level, advocating for designs that elevate societal vibrancy.Phil's Instagram journey, from a personal profile to a design-focused platform, reflects his dedication to sharing innovative ideas and fostering a community seeking inspiration. By integrating unexpected and historically rich images, Phil reminds us to view design from different perspectives, enriching the engagement and thoughtfulness of his content. His personal legacy project encapsulates his professional growth, underscoring functionality, materiality, and emotional connection in architecture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today's episode of Architectette we welcome a dynamic duo! Aya Shlachter and Jing Lauengco are two outstanding women who connected over their mutual tenacity for entrepreneurship, design, and storytelling. Both women are business owners, entrepreneurs, and podcasters.  Aya Shlachter is the CEO and founder of MGS Global Group, a company that accelerates growth for architecture and design firms worldwide by providing architectural support and staffing services internationally. Her team provides Revit, ArchiCAD, AutoCAD, and 3D Visualization services to architects and interior designers. Aya is a keynote speaker and the host of the Architect My Business Podcast – a business growth podcast for architects. Jing Lauengco is an award-winning Brand and Business Strategist and Producer and Host of NEXT THING WITH JING, a podcast exploring next chapters in the new now. Jing teaches modern entrepreneurs how to connect, convert, and engage using signature storytelling and brand building to drive growth. We talk about:  - How Aya and Jing came to be friends and collaborators through their local entrepreneur community and how it has impacted their personal and professional lives. - We talk about the challenges, uncertainties, and pivots of being serial founders and how each woman has built their own architecture and design industry businesses and have grown through each success, failure, or experiment. - The power of storytelling: how understanding your story and being able to convey it to others can enrich your ability to connect, market, and grow. - We also talk about their experiences as podcast hosts: favorite topics, guests, rebranding, and community building. Links: Aya on LinkedIn MGS Global Group Architect My Life Podcast Aya on Instagram Jing on LinkedIn Consulting- Jing Inc Other Brown Girl Next Thing with Jing Podcast Jing on Instagram Architectette Podcast Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.architectette.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with the pod on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Instagram (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@architectette⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠), and TikTok (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@architectette⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) Exclusive Content on our Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.architectette.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AlexGrohl⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/architectette/support

This is the first episode of BIMrras in English. We've dusted off our rusty skills in the language of Shakespeare to bring Jeremy Tammik to the episode, known worldwide as The Building Coder, to talk about Revit, open source, APIs, etc. and, of course, about building with code! Welcome to the first episode of BIMrras in English. And no, we didn't decide to torture English speakers with our wonderful regional accent. We simply decided to switch to Shakespeare's language because in this episode we have Jeremy Tammik. Also known as The building coder, Jeremy is Consulting Analyst at Autodesk, has been a cornerstone of the company since 1988. His journey began as a technology evangelist, spreading the gospel of AutoCAD development across continents. After a stint away working on HVAC applications, Jeremy returned to Autodesk in 2005, and ever since, he's been deeply embedded in the Autodesk Developer Network, specializing in the Revit API. Therefore, this episode is about coding and construction. A field, that of programming, which Autodesk opened up by making the Revit API accessible, and which has highlighted the capabilities and potential of programming in BIM methodology. And there is no one better than Jeremy Tammik to talk about it. Welcome to episode 157 of BIMrras!

In this episode, we're joined by Arjan Timmerman, a distinguished IT architect and analyst whose career has flourished over 25 years across the European tech landscape.Arjan recounts his early days, from his first summer job dealing with tulip bulbs to his “real” job involving AutoCAD drawings, which led him to pioneer a computer backup system for storing these designs. This marked the beginning of his technological journey, navigating through the eras of floppy disks and evolving storage capacities.We delve into the transformation of TECHunplugged from an event-centric venture to a content powerhouse and now a respected analyst firm, priding itself on delivering nuanced, EU-centric analysis in a multilingual format.Tune in to this engaging episode with Arjan Timmerman, as we navigate the intersections of IT innovation, team synergy, and the personal growth that shapes a fulfilling career.-Everybody has a voice and should have a voice, you know something that another doesn't know - if you tell both stories you can find the better path… Being honest about your skills and what you can do helps, and gets easier.-Links:LinkedInBlog--Thanks for being an imposter - a part of the Imposter Syndrome Network (ISN)! We'd love it if you connected with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-imposter-syndrome-network-podcast Make it a great day.

In this episode, Mike Honious, President and CEO at GEODIS Americas, joins Host Brian Glick, CEO of Chain.io, to discuss: The state of the international supply chain Opportunities to grow during a supply chain recession How technology has changed the way supply chain teams work Approaching supply chain problems from an engineering mindset Leadership, culture, and communication in a global organization Creating a workplace culture that fosters collaboration and flexibilityAs President and CEO of GEODIS' Americas region, Mike oversees the management and growth of its multiple business units across North and South America, including contract logistics, transportation management, freight forwarding, engineering and technology, IT, ProVenture, and Material Handling Resources. Mike has served several roles over his nearly 20-year tenure at GEODIS and was most recently named President and CEO of the Americas in 2020. Today, Mike leads the region's more than 17,000 teammates across eight countries to continue offering a better way to deliver for its customers.Connect with MikeConnect with BrianFollow Chain.io on LinkedIn

So here we are ... Episode 150, and I am a little surprised that I made it this far into this Life of an Architect experiment, but due to the support and interest we have received over the last 6 years, we find ourselves as what I believe to be a fairly significant milestone. When it came time to pick today's subject matter, there was really on one topic that was up for consideration … Welcome to EP 150: Drawing Stuff! [Note: If you are reading this via email, click here to access the on-site audio player] googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1562005974350-0'); }); Today we are going to be talking about "drawing stuff", and if you are wondering what that really means, you are in the right place because that's what Andrew and I are going to try and figure out. There are all sorts of examples and references in today's post so this is a good post to earmark for future reference (if you're into that sort of thing). Life of an Architect and Drawing Stuff jump to 01:00 When I say “drawing stuff” to you, what comes to mind? Do you think there is some relevance to the fact that the question is framed because I said “drawing” and not “drafting”? I will confess that there is a difference for some, but not for me. I make drawings. I can draft them, I can sketch them, I can get on a computer and use software like Revit (well, I can't use Revit), AutoCAD, or whatever your drafting software of choice might be. Drawing stuff can mean anything and in any software - I am just referring to visual communication and how we think and talk through ideas. I'd like to say that I don't think there is a wrong way to draw stuff - but we all know that's not true. Sketching, drafting, 3dmodeling, rendering, I've talked about all of it at one time or another but there are some particular moments that stand out for me ... Notable Blog Posts for "Drawing Stuff"  08:47 https://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/do-architects-draw-too-much/ It wasn't that long ago that I could produce construction drawings for a 6-figure residential project in little more than a dozen sheets of drawings. The last one I worked on was quite a bit more as the architectural set having around 45 sheets to it. That is a 400% increase within the last 20-years. Once I add in the structural drawings, grading and drainage drawings, as well as the dedicated HVAC drawings, we will approach 60+ sheets in this set. What is going on? What is the reason for all the increased drawings? Is it the complexity of the projects? Maybe it's because architects anticipate a contentious relationship with contractors? Maybe it's the overly-specific design intentions that architects are wanting in our projects and we know that we can't expect the contractor to read our minds?!? This entire post was a bit of a rant because things are starting to feel as if some residential contractors are punishing those of us that produce drawings that tell them how we want things done - that this makes us appear difficult and fussy when the exact opposite is the goal. https://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/design-process-redlines/ I might not always be a nice person and I like to complain as much as the next person but if there is one trait someone who visits this site with any regularity knows, I do like to be helpful. During the design process, this typically manifests itself as “redlines”.  For those of you that may not be familiar, redlines are typically created when architects make editorial notes on a set of drawings to convey changes that are needed to be made. This process typically occurs during the construction drawings phase, but I find that they are more helpful for how I like to work during the design development phase of the projects. Let's take a look at some redlines I recently made (just click the picture about to be taken to a magical redline wonderland ...). https://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/sketching-is-hard/

So here we are ... Episode 150, and I am a little surprised that I made it this far into this Life of an Architect experiment, but due to the support and interest we have received over the last 6 years, we find ourselves as what I believe to be a fairly significant milestone. When it came time to pick today's subject matter, there was really on one topic that was up for consideration … Welcome to EP 150: Drawing Stuff! [Note: If you are reading this via email, click here to access the on-site audio player] [hoops name="top1"] Today we are going to be talking about "drawing stuff", and if you are wondering what that really means, you are in the right place because that's what Andrew and I are going to try and figure out. There are all sorts of examples and references in today's post so this is a good post to earmark for future reference (if you're into that sort of thing). Life of an Architect and Drawing Stuff jump to 01:00 When I say “drawing stuff” to you, what comes to mind? Do you think there is some relevance to the fact that the question is framed because I said “drawing” and not “drafting”? I will confess that there is a difference for some, but not for me. I make drawings. I can draft them, I can sketch them, I can get on a computer and use software like Revit (well, I can't use Revit), AutoCAD, or whatever your drafting software of choice might be. Drawing stuff can mean anything and in any software - I am just referring to visual communication and how we think and talk through ideas. I'd like to say that I don't think there is a wrong way to draw stuff - but we all know that's not true. Sketching, drafting, 3dmodeling, rendering, I've talked about all of it at one time or another but there are some particular moments that stand out for me ... Notable Blog Posts for "Drawing Stuff"  08:47 http://lifeofanarchitect.com/do-architects-draw-too-much/ It wasn't that long ago that I could produce construction drawings for a 6-figure residential project in little more than a dozen sheets of drawings. The last one I worked on was quite a bit more as the architectural set having around 45 sheets to it. That is a 400% increase within the last 20-years. Once I add in the structural drawings, grading and drainage drawings, as well as the dedicated HVAC drawings, we will approach 60+ sheets in this set. What is going on? What is the reason for all the increased drawings? Is it the complexity of the projects? Maybe it's because architects anticipate a contentious relationship with contractors? Maybe it's the overly-specific design intentions that architects are wanting in our projects and we know that we can't expect the contractor to read our minds?!? This entire post was a bit of a rant because things are starting to feel as if some residential contractors are punishing those of us that produce drawings that tell them how we want things done - that this makes us appear difficult and fussy when the exact opposite is the goal. http://lifeofanarchitect.com/design-process-redlines/ I might not always be a nice person and I like to complain as much as the next person but if there is one trait someone who visits this site with any regularity knows, I do like to be helpful. During the design process, this typically manifests itself as “redlines”.  For those of you that may not be familiar, redlines are typically created when architects make editorial notes on a set of drawings to convey changes that are needed to be made. This process typically occurs during the construction drawings phase, but I find that they are more helpful for how I like to work during the design development phase of the projects. Let's take a look at some redlines I recently made (just click the picture about to be taken to a magical redline wonderland ...). http://lifeofanarchitect.com/sketching-is-hard/ I suppose the point of this "Sketching is Hard" post is that sketching is hard for most people – it's hard for me – and it's okay if you ...

What's the best process of leveraging your software to its fullest potential? How do stakeholder communication and project transformations fit in? In this episode, delve into Adrian Mangan's Advance Steel-centric YouTube channel, the impacts he's observed since its launch, and his ultimate goal in sharing knowledge about both Advance Steel and its counterpart, GRAITEC PowerPack.  Adrian Mangan began his career in Ireland in carpentry field with experience in AutoCAD from college. He has worked as an Ironworker in New York City for the past fourteen years, ten of which he has also been a Foreman. He is now looking to learn and pursue a career in Steel Detailing, 3D Modeling, and BIM. Thanks for listening! Please be sure to leave a rating and/or review and follow up our social accounts. Bridging the Gap Website Bridging the Gap LinkedIn Bridging the Gap Instagram Bridging the Gap YouTube Todd's LinkedIn   Thank you to our sponsors! Applied Software Applied Software LinkedIn   Other Relevant Links: Adrian's LinkedIn Adrian Mangan on YouTube

Can you leverage misspelled keywords to boost your Etsy sales? It turns out, yes you can!In this episode, we chat with Mesha, an Etsy seller who has increased her shop's visibility by utilizing commonly misspelled keywords. Mesha shares her unique strategy that has propelled her sales. Her story begins with creating hand-drawn art for her twin daughters, who wanted school supplies that reflected their identities. This personal project evolved as Mesha integrated her professional AutoCAD skills and AI technology to develop and market digital products.Mesha also explores the importance of identifying a niche that not only resonates on a personal level but also fulfills a market need. She highlights how tools like Everbee are instrumental in optimizing her Etsy listings and understanding market trends, further enhancing her business's success.------------Where to find MeshaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/Cocoa_TwinsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CocoaTwinsOnYTFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/CocoaTwinsEtsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CocoaTwinsWebsite: http://www.cocoatwins.com------------EVERBEE WEBSITE: https://everbee.io/ EVERBEE BLOG: https://everbee.io/etsy-seller-blog/ EVERBEE YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/@helloeverbee EVERBEE TIKTOK: tiktok.com/@everbee.io?lang=enEVERBEE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/everbee.io/ JOIN OUR COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/416630082921388 

Hablamos de SAP con Édgar Jiménez, a quien conocí hace más de 10 años, cuando coincidimos en una consultora, aunque nunca llegamos a trabajar juntos. Nos cuenta como ha sido su trayectoria, para pasar de trabajar con Autocad a tener una consultora especializada en SAP, pero no en todo SAP, esencialmente en “todo lo que tiene que ver con las facturas y gestión documental”. Hablamos de la que se nos viene encima con la puesta en marcha de la factura electrónica, ya que parece que las cosas no terminan de estar claras y el plazo va a ser algo ajustado.

Ever wondered why you should sign your work?  Well, in this, our 150th episode, we have chat about it. But before that, a quick catchup with Charlie Kaufman of Click Group at The Photography Show - head to https://www.clickliveexpo.co.uk/ to see details of one of the most exciting events in years! There is also news of the PMI Smoke Genie / Smoke Ninja competition - a fantastic opportunity to get creative and win some hefty prizes.  I'll share the link for this as soon as I have it. If you're interested in any of our workshops or masterclasses, you can find them at https://www.paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk/photography-workshops-and-training/    Enjoy (and sign your work!)   Cheers P. If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, for more articles and videos about this beautiful industry. You can also read a full transcript of this episode. PLEASE also subscribe and leave us a review - we'd love to hear what you think! If there are any topics, you would like to hear, have questions we could answer or would like to come and be interviewed on the podcast, please contact me at paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk.    Transcript [00:00:00] OK there are one or two fruity words in this episode. If you're offended by swearing then I do apologise! [00:00:05] So I'm here at the photography show up in the NEC in Birmingham, have just bumped in to one of the big characters in the industry. So tell me a little bit about who you are. So, Charlie Kaufman, Honorary Fellow of the Societies, uh, been in the business for 35 years, professional, and I've run the Click Group for 30 years. [00:00:27] Started in 1994. And you've got several other letters after your name. I thought it was KFA, but you said it was No, it wasn't KFA. FKA, as my mum always says, fucking know all, uh, excuse my language, but no, a fellow of the societies, I was the youngest, uh, BIPP licensorship and MPA, uh, licentiate when I was just 17 years old, so two years into the industry, I'm also the CEO of Click Backdrops and Click Live, a new expo launching at Stoney Park, Coventry, this June. Tell me why you've come to the photography show. So it's all about brand awareness. Clip Backdrops, uh, exhibits at all of the major trade shows in the, in the world. [00:01:04] We do about 100, 000 miles with my partner in crime, Gary Hill. He's got more letters after his name than the alphabet, and Gary and I love doing the trade shows because it gets our British made, award winning product in the hands of creative photographers, so they can see the difference of why they're investing in a quality product. [00:01:23] Why do you love this photography industry of ours so much? I love it because it's changing. I love being in an industry where we make money from giving people creative memories for people, creating art. I love the fact that being the owner of a company, I'm in control and I can pivot in a heartbeat in which direction I want to take my company. [00:01:44] And that's one of the problems that a lot of British photographers don't do is pivot enough and change quickly enough. But being a small company, we're very quick at changing. We can actually have an idea to marketplace sometimes within a week. [00:01:57] And if there's one thing you could change about the photography industry that we know so well, what would it be? [00:02:03] Well, I'm going to hone in on the British photography industry, and what we need to change is we need to get British photographers getting more educated. Uh, as Big Dog Damien once said, the better, the easiest way to make more money as a photographer is to be a better photographer. I completely agree with that. Visiting ten U. S. expos a year, these expos sometimes start at 7am and these photographers are in classes and learning till midnight every single day. And that's one of the reasons that my team and I have launched Click Live, a brand new, uh, educational expo launching Stony Park, Coventry this June, where we've brought in the biggest educators from around the world. I mean, we've got Lindsay Adler, we've got Chris Knight, but we've also got other educators that have never even taught before in Europe, like Kimberly Smith, one of the world's best digital artists. So we want to give British photographers and European photographers, the opportunity to learn, hone in their craft and get better. Because the better you are, the more money you should make out of photography. It's as simple as that. [00:03:04] Brilliant. And I have to say, it's an honour and a privilege to be a very small part of that operation. I'm very... [00:03:09] ...an important part of that. Not a small part, an important Don't sell yourself short, Paul. You're an important part as we launch Clickmasters, a digital and print competition. And the nice thing about our print competition? Our educators at the show are not allowed to enter. So they're there to mentor and help and, and train, but they can't enter this year's competition. [00:03:33] Excellent. Well, I'll tell you what, I'm beyond excited about it. [00:03:36] Thanks for talking to me, Charlie. See you I'm Paul. And this is the mastering portrait photography podcast. [00:03:43] Can you believe it? 150. Episodes honestly. I never really thought about it when I set this thing going about six years ago and here we are. 150 episodes later. I thought, I think I thought it would just be somewhere where I could get things off my chest -a sort of passive therapist, I suppose, and let's face it, we all need one of those mine, well, mine, just happens to be a microphone. [00:04:29] Since then I've muttered about, oh, so many things, have interviewed all sorts of people and received well, many and varied emails. I've also been told I do have a face for radio, and that even happened again, today. [00:04:46] But I'll take those little wins when people tell me they find the podcast either interesting or at the very least, something that passes time on a journey. Anyway, that interview was with the wonderful Charlie Koufman, who not only is the owner of Click Backdrops, which are brilliant and British. I will put the link in the show notes, but it's also the inspiration behind the upcoming Click Live convention, Which you will all be hearing about. In the coming months and I cannot wait to see you there. [00:05:16] So here we are, it's April. And how are you? Did you have a good weekend? I hope you did. Sarah and I went down to Plymouth in Devon, Southern England. As well more almost as far south as you can get. In the UK with Harriet, our daughter and had a wonderful weekend with my in-laws. [00:05:36] We drank a little beer. We ate a little chocolate, actually, we ate a lot of chocolates. We bought some Devon fudge and we painted some pottery. Yep. You heard that right. We went pottery painting. It was Sarah's idea. She wanted to do something that was a little different, maybe a little creative pass a couple of hours. [00:05:55] The weather wasn't predictable. It wasn't bad. It wasn't good. It was just well crazy. And so we headed inside to do a little pottery painting. And apart from a very slight mismatch in how things were explained to us,- it turns out, I guess I've got a face that looks like a primary school child, as the explanations were to put it mildly a little basic, but I guess in the end, the heart and soul were very much where they should be. [00:06:26] And we had a blast. [00:06:29] Well, at least we did, as long as we dab-dab-dabbed, and we didn't wipe-wipe-wipe because if we were caught wipe-wipe-wiping There would be ter-ouble. We would be shown the error of our ways and instructed to get back to that dab-dab-dabbing. Anyway, it turns out I'm pretty good at dab-dab-dabbidy-dab-dabbing. [00:06:48] And I spent nearly two hours, literally dubbing black glaze onto a pot, on which I could then paint a wintery woods, kinda scene. [00:06:58] Harriet and Sarah. Well, they're a little more subtle with their craft with gentle blues and teals, little tiny flowers and spots of detail. Subtle understated, gloriously sophisticated. While mine was anything but that, but Hey, I need a new pen pot. As I have knocked my tin mug off the desk, yet again, today. And I really do need something that is seriously heavy, preferably black and well, it'd be nice if it was something that was a little unique. I'll get no points for subtlety, but I'll get plenty for the drama. [00:07:32] And since it's been a long, long bank holiday weekend, there isn't too much to report on the diary of a working pro front, at least not in terms of shoots because we took the weekend away, took the time off. And so we haven't been shooting that much. [00:07:48] We have had a couple of portrait sessions Hearing Dogs, just Hearing Dogs, brilliant, fun as always. And a one-to-one workshop here at our studio. And I love. Workshops. And I love this one in particular. A guy called Dave came down. And we spent the day creating, I think, well, I think. I think some magic, two of my clients now for models, we always use our clients. We don't usually use professional models because at the end of the day training photographers with models sets the sets an expectation that it's always going to be that easy. [00:08:24] And of course it's never that easy. So Charlene and Katie came in as our models for the day. And while they may not be professional models , they are both just splendidly, photogenic, and more importantly, incredible people to spend time, laughing with working with and playing with light around. [00:08:42] And I love, I do genuinely love these one to ones. Because they are entirely bespoke, they're entirely creative. We have the time to sit and answer any questions. We can explore ideas and let, well, let the client just guide us, which is exactly what we did. And the images that we finished up with well, everything I ever set out to do. Had such a blast. Dave was brilliant and I hope he went away with the same amount of energy that I've come away with. Just that idea that tomorrow, well tomorrow, we're going to create some magic. And as low, we haven't shot that much in the studio this week, well, next week is a whole different story. And there is going to be well busy, but while we haven't shot much this week, there is still a ton going on. [00:09:32] Today in particular had my kitlist through from Elinchrom, which is really exciting. I'm still sort of working out what we really need, but it looks like we have it almost nailed down. The big decision is around the Elinchrom Threes. Now I've sorted out the Fives, we're going to get four of those and they will be almost permanently in studio I think. But the Threes are really quite exciting though. There, there are about 250 Watt seconds, so about half that just a little over half that of the fives. But I think they'll be massively useful when I'm out on location. They are big enough to do some serious work and small enough that I can pop them in a bag and have them with me. [00:10:15] So. [00:10:15] I'll let you know, as soon as that kicks in, I'm sure there will be videos, a little bits and pieces going on and I can't wait to do it. [00:10:21] Another email that came in this morning. And it's one. I reacted to really quickly. Practical Magic and Innovations emailed in. Now you'll probably know them is P M I. And they're the guys who make the incredible Smoke Ninja and Smoke Genie smoke machines. The fog machines they've been in touch. And wanted us to help them get the word out about a competition they're running and I'll put the links to the competition in the show notes again. But basically it's an international competition, a photographic competition, but it must feature the use of either the Smoke Ninja. Oh, the Smoke Genie. [00:10:59] Now I'm already a fan, of course of the Smoke Ninja is the one that I bought as part of the Kickstarter agreement, so I'm already a big fan and I've spoken about this on the podcast before. I love the thing, I think it's genius. It should be called the Smoke Genius, but it's great. And I know one or two of you have already bought one of these based on my recommendation. It's great fun to play with. [00:11:21] It's not that expensive. The fog that it gives out is hugely controllable and incredibly photogenic. So given there's a few of you with these things, of course, I have agreed, to put the word out about the competition. Once again, show notes will be the place to go, but I'm going to even, I'm going to enter it this time. [00:11:38] You have to create some images and also show some behind the scenes. I'm guessing it's a great opportunity, for them to get both the finished pictures and pictures of their Smoke Genie or Smoked Ninja in use price is pretty big. There's about $10,000 of them and some big names involved. So why not head to them? [00:11:57] I'll put the link up why not head to them and have a look? [00:12:00] Not only that, but I got an email this morning. From data color, who've shipped some kit for me to review. That'll come up in some future episodes, our to use the Datacolor photo Checkr, which is brilliant. [00:12:12] It's part of our workflow anyway, but they're going to send me the updated version as well as the cube, which looks like to me, I haven't used this thing yet. I'll let you know once I actually use it properly, but it looks to me like it allows for backlight to be measured to white balance of backlight to be measured as well. Which looks like good, fun. Because we use a lot of mixed lighting. But not only that they are going to send me the video checker as well. Which allows us to color calibrate as part of our video workflow. [00:12:39] Now I'm not big in video yet, but we are having to learn how to do it, and one of the things that constantly frustrates me is I can't seem to get the colors, as I want them a lot of homework to do. I need to understand video color spaces air slog, and the like, but I'll have the video color checker from Datacolor in the toolkit, and that hopefully will be a small part of the puzzle. I've not only understanding but controlling it. The color. These, I think these products will appear properly in a future podcast once I've had a chance to play with them and understand, I understand quite what I'm talking about. Cause I'm not a video guy. I need to go and ask some video guys about the best way of using it. A quick update on ACDSee, just again, a reminder. I am not paid by any of these people ACDSee sent me a license to have a play with and I've kept my word. [00:13:32] I've used it. I still use it. I love it. I absolutely love it. I guess I'm not paid, but they have given me a license for. I think the license for the Apple. For the Mac, that is about 60, 70, quid. The speed of ACDSee is absolutely blistering and I love working with it. Haven't quite worked out how to get the very best out of it. [00:13:50] As it turns out 300,000 images with the facial recognition turned on, maybe pushing the upper limits of our network and my machine. But I still love having it there alongside everything else I do in Lightroom. It's so quick. It's so handy. I love the way it just works or interacts in with the file system, which means I can always have, I've always got access to files, to drag and drop, throw them up onto Facebook, throw them up onto Instagram, put them into designs. [00:14:18] It's just really useful. It's the kind of software you feel almost. Should be built into the operating system, but isn't, it's just so natural to use. Absolutely love it again. As I get my head around that I'll give you more, more updates. [00:14:31] Right. So where are we? Let's have a think about my thought for today. Now this one. Is about signing your work or singeing your work. As it was the first three times I wrote it down, signing, not singeing. [00:14:47] Don't singe your work. That is no good to anybody signing your work. I heard someone say a while ago this couple of years ago. That signing your work is pretentious. [00:15:00] And all I can say is what utter, utter, bullshit. [00:15:06] Sorry. I'm sorry. I know, I know. I shouldn't be emphatic in such a way. Everyone's got their own way of doing things and each to their own. But just occasionally something pops up that is purely, and simply, bullshit. This is one of them. [00:15:24] Sign your work. [00:15:26] If I could write a song called cite your work. It sounded a bit like Sunscreen. Maybe I should figure that out. Sign your work. [00:15:34] My dad taught me many years ago. That you should sign everything. Now my Dad was a wise guy is so many ways an idiot. It's so many others, but a wonderful human being. And this was one where I think he was absolutely right. He said, sign it. And when I said, why well he said, firstly, well, why not? But he also said you do it because you never quite know who might see it, in the future. Isn't that the truth. [00:16:03] So I was working at British Steel, in my early twenties as a work placement, my dad was working there. As well, he ran all of the competing and I got a work placement in their design office. And as part of that, they asked me to create some huge 3d visuals of the galvanizing plants that shot and steelworks British steel. [00:16:24] And there's this, they have these coatings lines where they take a coil of steel and they'd run it through the line and coat it with either a plastic coat or some paint coat, but the line I was really interested in coated it. With zinc. It was the hot dip galvanizing line. And this line was around about three quarters of a mile long. [00:16:43] It was huge. [00:16:45] And they wanted me to create some 3d drawings of it. Now this is going back before we would simply have done all of it in 3d CAD and rendered it. They wanted 3d drawings. But they were then going to go off to an airbrusher to go into British Steel's brochures. So my job was to create the line work, the art, the sort of the technical drawing work. [00:17:08] But the best way of doing that was is it happened to create a 3d model of it. But back then, we're talking about really early versions of AutoCAD and the output of AutoCAD. Wasn't very controllable and it certainly didn't create appealing visuals. What it did do though, is give me these huge, A0 printouts that I could then place a piece of tracing paper over the top and much the same way as a comic artist inks in over the pencil. From the original illustrator I then inked it. And that created these really beautiful. [00:17:40] I thought they were beautiful anyway - these really beautiful. Inked drawings of these vast lines that could be annotated and airbrushed by a graphic design team. And I signed them. And I signed him just in case somebody else saw them. Somebody did, and I got more work from it. I've got a lot of plaudits for my work as well, all because they saw my signature and asked who Paul was. [00:18:07] Now it doesn't work for everybody, I guess. But here at the studio we sign every frame and every album that goes out, it's got our brand on it. That signature. Is our brand just like Apple or Jaguar or Pepsi, Tiffany, Nikon or even the guys I worked with a little bit more regularly, like Elinchrom, or even PMI who've emailed today. It's their logo and that represents their brand. [00:18:38] Now, if you're putting work out there without your logo or your signature on it, not only are you missing an important opportunity, an important opportunity that might just lead to more work might just lead to a brand recognition, like we've built . But I also think you're quietly saying you're not really proud of what you do. The signature we put on our work says I am proud of it. Really proud of it. Every time. Every time we create something here. We ask ourselves the question. Are we happy to put the Paul Wilkinson photography signature -my signature. On it. And if the answer to that is not clear. [00:19:21] Cut. Yes, of course. Then that piece of work never goes near a client. Ever. The brand custodian side of our business is all about that signature and being proud. To put it on our work, being proud to say, yep, I've seen that. But at work. I think that warrants a signature and I'm very happy for other people to see it too. [00:19:42] Now is that pretentious? Well, I suppose you could argue it is, but I don't think it is. I think what it's saying is I'm really proud of what we've done. I'm really proud of the effort we've put into it. And I don't think that's pretentious. Pretentions come from almost the opposite from trying to be something you're not, that's not what your signature is, your signature or your logo represent you and they represent your values and they represent your brand. They're everything you stand by and you stand for. Now, if you think your logo screams pretentions, then, well, maybe you need to adjust quite what you believe in and what your brand stands for, but from where I'm sat. I think you should sign every single bit of your work. [00:20:32] Anyway, I'll get down off my soap box. Sorry about that just sometimes, you know, just sometimes there are things I think we have to just get off our chest. And when it comes to your signature sign, your work, people sign your work. [00:20:45] Don't listen to what anybody else says. Get that signature on there. You never know who might be watching. Anyway. 150 episodes. One or two of you have listened to all of them. One or two of you have listened to all of them in the past 60 days. I did have an email from someone this week. And it said they've been working their way through them at a rate of a little over two episodes a day. And they are 50 something days in and heading towards catching up. [00:21:15] I think that's absolutely, hilarious. Flattering and lovely, but well, slightly hilarious. Thank you for listening. Thank you for listening to the end of this particular episode. I hope as always there's something of use or if nothing else. It's got you to work in your car and you can now switch the radio off and go face the day knowing there are other people out there feeling and thinking the same things as you. Uh, if you'd like to hear more of these episodes, please do subscribe wherever it is that you get your podcasts. [00:21:49] Please hit that subscribe button. And then every time I hit publish, you get to hear it, which I think is a marvelous thing. Please do also. If you would like to leave us a review. And a five-star rating somewhere, wherever it is. You consume your podcasts, please. Do we love it when you do? And of course it helps get the word out there. [00:22:07] It helps get the podcast out there. It helps make some of this stuff possible. Also if you have any questions, please do email paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk, that's paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk If you're interested in our workshops or indeed one of our, one to one masterclasses, then please do head over to Paul Wilkinson Photography and look for the coaching section of the website. [00:22:33] Alternatively, just stick paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk workshops into your Google-y Browsery thing and you will find us. [00:22:41] And if you fancy more content, that's all about the joy, the brands, the business, the creativity, of portrait photography, then why not head over to masteringportraitphotography.com, which is not only a vast resource of portrait photography stuff, but is also the spiritual home of this 'ere podcast. [00:23:01] But whatever else. whatever else. Until next time. Be kind to yourself. and stick yer signature on things. Take care. [00:23:14]

Marcus O'Brien is joined by long-time colleagues Stephen Hooper, Vice President of Design and Manufacturing, and Derrek Cooper, Vice President of Data and Process Management, to talk about their vision for the Fusion industry cloud.In this episode you'll learn about how the Autodesk Design and Make Platform is leading the way for the convergence of technologies that support design and simulation processes with production and manufacturing processes. By creating an information architecture that unlocks the value of granular design data, Autodesk is enabling partners like CloudNC, Makersite, and Cadence to develop tools that continue to revolutionize the product design and manufacturing industries.And this wouldn't be an AutoCAD Podcast episode without diving behind the scenes at Autodesk. Hear about the many ways the AutoCAD and Fusion teams collaborate to enhance your workflows with innovative automations that leverage Autodesk AI and help you focus on creating impactful designs.

When new competition pops up, you gotta be ready to pivot in a fresh and sparkly direction. You're adapting fast, staying relevant and realigning your content strategy to outshine competitors. Especially if you plan to stick around for nearly 80 years like Mattel, you're bound to see new brands enter the market. And sure, Bratz and L.O.L. Surprise! Dolls are cute and trendy. But they didn't just release a record-breaking movie with an all-star cast that won the first ever Golden Globe for cinematic and box office achievement. But for Mattel, the Barbie movie was a big pivot. So in this episode, we're helping you prepare to pivot and take on the competition with marketing lessons from Mattel and Barbie, the movie. And we're doing it all with the help of special guest Kylee Swenson, Director of Content Development and Owned Media at Autodesk. Together, we discuss being ready to pivot, the importance of inclusivity, and expanding your addressable market. So reminisce about your childhood weird Barbie as we get into this episode of Remarkable.About our guest, Kylee SwensonKylee Swenson is Director of Content Development & Owned Media at Autodesk. She leads a global team of writers, editors, designers, illustrators and video producers creating content in multiple languages for the Webby Award–winning publication, Design & Make with Autodesk (https://www.autodesk.com/design-make) for the global design-and-make technology company, Autodesk (Autodesk.com).Her editorial vision is fueled by the awe-inspiring things people create with innovation and technology, from building resilient infrastructure that mitigates the impacts of climate change to designing 3D-printed skull implants that save lives.Prior to joining Autodesk in 2012, she was a music journalist and magazine editor at publications where she interviewed artists such as Björk, Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders), Robert Smith (The Cure), and Del the Funky Homosapien (Hieroglyphics). She's also the author of The Recording Secrets Behind 50 Great Albums; was once nominated for a Grammy as a collaborator with the group, Nortec Collective; and is a former Governor for the San Francisco chapter of the Recording Academy.About AutodeskAutodesk is a global leader in software for architects, builders, engineers, designers, manufacturers, 3D artists, and production teams. From greener buildings to smarter products to more mesmerizing blockbusters, Autodesk software helps their customers to design and make a better world for all. Over 100 million people use Autodesk software like AutoCAD, Revit, Maya, 3ds Max, Fusion 360, SketchBook, and more to unlock their creativity and solve important design, business and environmental challenges. Their software runs on both personal computers and mobile devices and taps the infinite computing power of the cloud to help teams around the world collaborate, design, simulate and fabricate their ideas in 3D. They are headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area and have more than 10,000 employees worldwide.About BarbieBarbie is a live action movie based on the Mattel toy. It was released this year, and stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken. It's about Barbie — who lives in an idealized, plastic world — having an existential crisis, which manifests as her feet going flat, getting cellulite and bad breath. And so she goes to see weird Barbie, played by Kate McKinnon, who tells her she has to find the girl who plays with her in the real world so that she can be cured. Director Greta Gerwig said with the movie, she “wanted to give people –- and girls — but people the sense of you're okay and you have value, just as you are. It is not something you earn or you need to achieve. Symbols like Barbie are an important way to reflect back the enough-ness of just being a girl, being a woman, being a person. And that's what I wanted to explore in this movie, because Barbie's for so long has been a symbol of the thing you could never be.”It's become the highest grossing movie of the year with over $1.4 billion globally, making Greta Gerwig the most successful solo female director ever. There's speculation that stock for Mattel may rise by up to 25% because of the movie. What B2B Companies Can Learn From Barbie:Be ready to pivot. Kylee says, “Companies can't wait to be disrupted by other companies. And CEOs like Ynon Kreiz need to be able to see around corners, so to speak.” So when Bratz and L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. dolls became popular, Mattel decided to capitalize on their intellectual property to make the live action Barbie movie.Be inclusive. Barbie, the movie, has Barbies of all skin tones, shapes, sizes, abilities, professions, etc. And of course we can't forget weird Barbie. Kylee says inclusivity is an important value at Autodesk as a global company. She says, “We have something called the culture code and every year people are evaluated not just on what they do, but how they do it. And they're evaluated on inclusivity as a value. So, part of this code is looking at ways to check our biases. To learn to work with people from all walks of life. I have somebody on my team who's in Tokyo, somebody in Munich, somebody in Detroit. We've got people all over the world, so that culture code is very important to the company.” That inclusivity in the makeup of your company will be reflected in your content, and resonate with more people.Expand your addressable market. Kylee says, “The Barbie movie doesn't just appeal to young girls and mothers. I was really surprised that grandfathers, dads, boys, non binary people [like it]. It's really meant to be universal for everyone.” Because the movie is about existence, it appeals to everyone. So create content that speaks to the human instead of to the customer.Quotes*“We can't outgrow this notion that we are the AutoCAD company if we can't become more of a known brand that people can equate with a broad set of capabilities across architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, and media entertainment. We're a B2B company. We're probably not going to become a household name like Barbie, but we definitely have a lot of room to grow, and that's something that we always have to be mindful of.” - Kylee Swenson*“What do we feel the audiences want to read about? We have to think about customers and prospects and what they care about. We also have to think about what Autodesk is. You know, what are our business goals? Connecting those things together is really, really important. But at the same time, you can't sacrifice quality, you can't sacrifice the journalistic integrity that we've been betting on for so many years.” - Kylee SwensonTime Stamps[0:55] Meet Kylee Swenson, Director of Content Development & Owned Media at Autodesk[3:22] Learn more about Design and Make with Autodesk, formerly known as Redshift[5:29] Why are we talking about Barbie?[7:32] What's Barbie, the movie, about?[10:58] Why is Barbie remarkable?[11:34] What are the marketing lessons in Barbie, the movie?[18:21] How does Kylee think about and address the different customer personas at Autodesk?[21:48] How does Kylee prove the ROI of content?[33:37] What is Kylee working on now that she's excited about?[36:43] What advice would she give someone entering her position for the first time?LinksWatch BarbieConnect with Kylee on LinkedInLearn more about AutodeskCheck out Design and Make with AutodeskAbout Remarkable!Remarkable! is created by the team at Caspian Studios, the premier B2B Podcast-as-a-Service company. Caspian creates both non-fiction and fiction series for B2B companies. If you want a fiction series check out our new offering - The Business Thriller - Hollywood style storytelling for B2B. Learn more at CaspianStudios.com. In today's episode, you heard from Ian Faison (CEO of Caspian Studios) and Meredith Gooderham (Senior Producer). Remarkable was produced this week by Jess Avellino, mixed by Scott Goodrich, and our theme song is “Solomon” by FALAK. Create something remarkable. Rise above the noise.

Bonus Episode: Autodesk AIHow is AI reshaping the way architects design, collaborate, and innovate?On this bonus episode of Practice Disrupted, we sit down with Amy Bunszel, the Executive Vice President of Architecture, Engineering and Construction Design Solutions at Autodesk, and Ryan McNulty, Principal of MBH Architects, to dive into the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as it relates to architectural practice — including The Phoenix, one of Ryan's recent projects recently showcased at AU 2023.First, Amy describes the positive impact of AI and how the technology can help the built world — and its customers — improve the sustainability of projects. She explains the role Autodesk AI plays in delivering more innovative projects to clients in a way that will transform both the industry and individual practice. AI can help with three things: automation, augmentation, and vast data analysis. The sustainability challenges in the world are also accelerating the need for change. The built environment is responsible for 42% of annual global CO2 emissions. Now is the time to leverage all the great technology we can to drive towards some of these important goals. - Amy BunszelFrom there, Ryan illustrates why and how AI can be useful for architecture from a project standpoint. He shares how AI helps to diminish architectural administrative tasks and focus on architectural decisions — one example being The Phoenix, a West Oakland affordable housing project created in collaboration with Autodesk. We also learn Ryan and Amy's future plans for integrating AI into different projects and tools in support of the changing profession. To wrap up the episode, Ryan and Amy provide tips for architecture students integrating AI into their practice and share their individual aspirations for how AI can positively impact and shape their environments. Tune in next week for an episode about employee wellness and organizational culture in design firms.Guests:Amy Bunszel, EVP AEC Design at Autodesk manages product strategy and execution for Autodesk's 3D design portfolio including the Autodesk Architecture, Engineering and Construction Collection, AutoCAD family, Autodesk Revit, and more.  With more than 20 years' of experience innovating software products across the architecture, engineering, and construction, manufacturing and media and entertainment industries, Amy inspires innovative strategy while driving large-scale agile software development around the globe. Amy combines her roots as a start-up co-founder with deep product management knowledge and large-scale product execution expertise to build high performing teams focused on delivering value to their customers.  Ryan McNulty, Principal MBH Architects has an innate ability to unify project stakeholders to create successful projects with meaning and respect to local context. Ryan is known for his keen thirty-thousand-foot view of projects while closely managing every detail. This holistic design approach informs the decision-making process and allows effective communication at every stage, making him an asset to MBH's broad array of project types — from workspace and labs, to multi-family and hospitality projects. Ryan brings deep experience with complex structures, managing client goals, community hearings, and stakeholder coordination. He is currently principal-in-charge of a a large commercial project in Los Angeles, as well as a confidential residential development in New York City.

A Change in Plans: The Journey from Building a Practice to Serving PractitionersAya Shlachter is the CEO and owner of MGS Global Group, a female-minority-owned business that supports architecture and design firms. Her team provides Revit, ArchiCAD, AutoCAD, and 3D visualization services to architects and interior designers.Aya holds a Master's degree in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University and a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Additionally, her interest in the hospitality industry led her to further her education through Harvard University's Hospitality Design and Planning professional development program.Aya is an international speaker and hosts the "Architect My Life" podcast, where she spotlights women business owners in the creative fields.In addition to her professional pursuits, Aya is a wife and mother of two. She also enjoys travelling, cooking, and spending time outdoors.This week at EntreArchitect Podcast, A Change in Plans: The Journey from Building a Practice to Serving Practitioners with Aya Shlachter. Connect with Aya at MGS Global Group, check out their Youtube, or follow her on LinkedIn.Please visit Our Platform SponsorsGo to https://betterhelp.com/architect for 10% off your first month of therapy with BetterHelp and get matched with a therapist who will listen and help. Thank you to our sponsor BetterHelp for supporting our community of small firm entrepreneur architects.ARCAT.com is much more than a product catalog, with CAD, BIM, and specifications created in collaboration with manufacturers. ARCAT.com also offers LEED data, continuing education resources, newsletters, and the Detailed podcast. Visit https://ARCAT.com to learn more.Visit our Platform Sponsors today and thank them for supporting YOU... The EntreArchitect Community of small firm architects.

The interior design industry is moving towards photorealistic imagery that puts age-old processes like AutoCAD and SketchUp to shame. This week, I discuss with Fernando Duque why hiring a business like Duke Renders is a game-changer for your interior design business. To try out Duke Render's services use this link and save 25% on your first design. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/angela-belt5/support

You may have met this week's podcast guest Stacie Suedkamp, the owner, artist, and cookie engineer behind the South Dakota luxury cookie company, Fig Tales. But how well do you know her? Tune in to Funeral Potatoes & Wool Mittens S2 E5 to learn:1. What's the one word Stacie doesn't allow people to use?2. How is Stacie using high-tech engineering tools like a 3D printer and AutoCAD?3. Why does Stacie use emulsion instead of extract?4. What's the one question Stacie asks each of her clients? You'll hear all about the interesting jobs she's had like selling mini doughnut machines and a Catholic youth minister, and what she sold to help pay for college, to her time owning the Bean & Vine coffee shop in Flandreau to finally starting her dream cookie business. She teaches and entertains during her cookie classes, engineers and bakes cookies for special occasions like birthday parties, weddings, hockey tournaments and funerals, fills corporate orders, and she's even made cookies for the Sanford International PGA Tour.  And it wouldn't be Stacie without a sprinkling of her family and faith. Stacie shares expert sugar cookie making tips and a chocolate fudge bundt cake recipe from her seventh-grade science teacher, Mrs. Chandler. Get the recipe for Mrs. Chandler's Chocolate Fudge cake, links and photos from this episode on Randomsweets.com. #ourSweetMidwestLife Instagram: @potatoesandmittens Instagram: @randomsweets Facebook: Random Sweets Email: staci@randomsweets.com Connect with Stacie: Website: Figtales.com Instagram: @figtales TickTok: @figtales Facebook: Fig Tales Email: figtales@gmail.com Stacie's Newsletter for Cookie Tips Stacie's segments on KELOLAND Living  Meet the Creative Stacie Suedkamp, 605 Magazine article from 2022 #foodpodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/potatoesandmittens/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/potatoesandmittens/support

Crying: Are people getting too emotional over nostalgic/new IPs? Where is the line? A new movie trailer? A sad pet video? A dad seeing colors for the first time!? Moon Part 2: We revisit the India rover moon landing and delve back into the theories around space travel and leaving low Earth orbit. Strike Force Five: The Late Night hosts have entered the podcastsphere! Let's check in on their new podcast that has been launched to support their staffs during the strike. LET'S JUST TALK!, BOOGIE NIGHTS!, DON CHEADLE!, STORMY!, MONSOON SEASON!, HHN OPENING NIGHT!, THE LAST OF US!, STRANGER THINGS!, CRYING!, EMOTIONAL!, DETAIL!, NEIL DRUCKMANN!, NOSTALGIA!, FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDYS!, NINJA TURTLES!, MICROPLASTICS!, EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE!, TIKTOK DOG!, SPIKEY MICHAEL!, THEDODO!, GRUMPY DAD!, CHARITY!, ORPHANS!, SCRUBS!, BRENDAN FRASER!, DR COX!, WHO'S READY FOR FALL!?, ORLANDO!, PATREON!, IRELAND!, TAX HAVEN!, INDIA'S MOON LANDING!, ROVER!, LOW EARTH ORBIT!, SHUTTLE!, VIDEO!, REACTION!, N64!, UNMANNED!, SLOT REGIONS!, PARTICLES!, 3D ANIMATION!, AUTOCAD!, MOON COPE!, INDIA'S FLAG!, SLUT ERA!, SPACE ISN'T REAL!, OLDBOY!, HALLWAY FIGHT!, SEND MOON!, SEND BOB!, PERVERTS!, HORNY!, CULTURE!, REPRESSED!, FORCE FIELD!, FOLEY GUY!, SOUND EFFECTS!, POLICE ACADEMY!, CADDYSHACK!, GOPHER!, BILL MURRAY!, MURDER SUICIDE!, INCANTATION!, DAILY SHOW!, STRIKE FORCE FIVE!, LATE NIGHT HOSTS!, PODCAST!, STEPHEN COLBERT!, JIMMY KIMMEL!, JIMMY FALLON!, JOHN OLIVER!, SETH MEYERS!, QUALITY!, ZOOM RECORDING!, BORING!, AMBER RUFFIN!, CARSON DALY!, ANIMANIACS!, AVENGERS!, LITERARY REFERENCE!, STONE FACED!, LEAVE!, PODESTA!, SOMEBODY THAT I USED TO KNOW!, CONCERNED!, STOPPING THE SHOW!, MEMORY HOLED!, 2 BEERS DEEP!, 9 BEERS DEEP!, SPIN A YARN!  You can find the videos from this episode at our Discord RIGHT HERE!

In this episode, Andy shares a live recorded Demo of the IRRISketch design software and the potential that it may have to disrupt the industry. Learn more here: IRRISketch === Andy: When I see something new, I like to check it out. I like to learn about it. And I, I'm a strong believer that every irrigation system proposal should have a drawing. I just, that's what I believe. And using a lot of the design software, it's not that particularly great. Now there's some software like LandFX that is really actually fantastic, but it offers sort of a level that is a lot more, I would say, than the average irrigation or the average landscape contractor needs. It's really, in my opinion, designed more for that architect engineer because it can provide you with some really, really It's just above and beyond what the average design build contractor needs. So I had a web meeting, sort of training overview, actually not training demonstration, let's call it a demo of the Erisketch software and I'm playing, I'm going to play that for you today. We, we probably spoke for about an hour and a half and this episode's only. Maybe 35 minutes. So I did my best to cut it down, not to bore you since you can't see the screen. So you can't really see the demo, but I wanted you to hear the conversation and some of the things that we were talking about and what's really fascinating or what, what. What makes me inspired and excited about this company is where we started when we started the conversation was about iris sketch irrigation design, but when we ended this conversation, it was actually more about building a stack of software that could help you. If you're the contractor, from beginning to end, and what I mean by that is, it can help you from the design of the system, to the materialist, to the pricing, to the proposal, to the ordering of supplies. And this is something that I have been, I have been waiting for. I feel like we play in separate buckets right now, we play in the buckets of irrigation design software, we play in the [00:02:00] buckets of um, Business management software like ServiceTitan, then we play in the buckets of, of distribution. And there really isn't anything as of today that can tie things end to end. And Errorsketch does not do that today, but I, I just have this hunch that what they're building and what you'll hear in this episode is the first attempt to try to tie a lot of this together. And it really does start with you. You're the one out there meeting with the client, residential or commercial. You're the one out there designing the system, determining what the materials are going to be. And then you're the one that has to place the order, install the material, and then deliver that customer with the final project. And so what, what you'll hear today is Iris sketch sort of combining all of these things together in a potentially very disruptive way, which is why I played that clip in the beginning, because I think our industry needs more disruption. If you look at the consumer goods industry, like Instacart. Instacart is filing for their IPO right now at the time of this recording, and it's disrupting the, the grocery business. There is a good chance that era, uh, not era sketch. Instacart is driving down the price of the goods and they're going to roll an advertising platform on top and offer upsells, offer brand manufacturers, a direct channel to the consumer through their software layered. Uh, layered on top of the grocery store. And I think that that could happen right here in our industry. So a couple of pointers, a couple of quick, um, want to see this a little bit so that you do listen. And if it, if it by any means starts to bore you, just hit that 30 second skip ahead because there is a lot of good, interesting meat in here. And this was not recorded as a podcast. So I should preface that this was recorded. I just recorded my demo. And then I asked for their permission to use some of it on today's episode. So I [00:04:00] want to have these guys back to have a real sort of more legitimate actual podcast discussion because this was just sort of a behind the scenes look at the demonstration. So a couple, a couple things you're going to learn today. You're going to learn how Erisketch, their main goal is quick and easy. They want to provide design software that is quick, easy. Of course it has to be accurate. But what I noticed the most, it was actually a beautiful presentation and a lot of irrigation design software that's out there. The goal of the software isn't to be beautiful. And the goal of the software is not, not necessarily to be quick or easy. It's mostly to be accurate. But I'm a strong believer that you got to sell the project. You can kind of figure out some of the details later. So I really liked the idea of having to be quick, easy, and a beautiful presentation so that you can use it to sell. Then they have an integration with Mosher. So I went ahead just this morning, ordered myself a Mosher. On the stick, because I want to start playing with this. I want to use Mosier to do a full site, take off, load it into the era sketch software and learn how to design with it. And then you're going to learn how you can. Potentially use it to build your bill of materials. So you can load in your own pricing libraries, your own parts lists, and you can make changes on the fly. So let's say you design it one way, the customer wants some changes. When you change it live in Erisketch, it is going to automatically update that bill of material and potentially that proposal. In real time, you don't have to do all those, those three steps separately. You can add five heads. You can move material right on the drawing with the customer if you would like to, and it will update the rest of it for you. So I just think that there's, man, there's just so much good [00:06:00] opportunity with this, with this software. I can't wait to try it out. I haven't used it myself. So please don't necessarily consider this to be any kind of an endorsement. I'm just excited about. The possibility. I'm excited about what these guys, how these guys think, how they are thinking longterm and what it could bring to what it could bring to the industry as far as efficiency value innovation. And when those three things come in, there's going to be some people that their cheese gets moved. And if that's you, that's okay. You got it. Everybody's cheese is often always moving and you got to be looking in new places for new opportunities. So I guess, I guess that's all I have for this intro. Let's, uh, let's just jump right in and roll the episode with my conversation with the founders of Eerie Sketch and Eerie Cellar. Theo: Uh, as you mentioned that I introduce, invite also my colleague, my partner, Philip, he's the, uh, inventor of Erie sketch, the design software. And I think, uh, the right conversation should only. With both  Andy: of us sure together. Yeah. Thank  Philiph: you. Yeah. Okay, how to proceed? I want  Theo: I want Philip maybe to explain what's the idea? For Iris sketch for our program. So he's the inventor. I only came up with him two years after the first launch of every sketch and Yes,  Philiph: Philip. Let's go. Yeah, so let's start with the proper pronunciation. It's Erie sketch. I am I think that it's not properly, uh, trans, uh, transposed to English. Yes,  Andy: it's. Oh, no, it's good. Yeah. You're a sketch. I get it. Absolutely.  Philiph: Okay. So it's about irrigation and sketch. It means that, uh, you make a sketch of irrigation design without any effort and, uh, you can start, [00:08:00] uh, as fast as you can with, uh, Making a proposal to the customer that started when I started doing irrigation. Actually, I'm from the ground. Uh, I was mounting the systems and I understood that there is a big problem with the projects and making them is takes a lot of time from my life and from my personal life. And, uh, I Couldn't find any, uh, good, uh, software for this. So I, uh, searched the rain card, tested it, but it was too complicated for me. And, uh, I thought that, uh, with my knowledge of basics of web development and, um, so on, I can, uh, make for me, for myself, the proper. tool that will be fast and easy and, you know, in the cloud. So that was my, uh, um, I wanted it very much, so it will be available through all devices and, uh, everything will be stored there. So, uh, that's why I started with this. It was three or four years ago already. Uh, and the idea is to make it fast so, uh, I can show you, I can show my screen and what it can do. So, yeah. That would be  Andy: great. Yeah. Everything. Wow. So what were you doing? You said you were doing irrigation before you started this. Um, I  Philiph: was working from 2012 at irrigation and, uh, it's like six or five or six years. I, I was in the field, um, and in the winter we had no occupation, so I tested out my skills and the development. So, yeah, no, I  Andy: think it's really important because I shouldn't say, I don't know the number, but I would say most contractors don't deliver the homeowner a, or the client, commercial or residential, a drawing. You know, some places they have to because it's mandatory. Other places they may add another fee or maybe it was done by a designer, but just for like the average home. You know, they might sketch [00:10:00] something on a piece of paper perhaps and leave it with the client, but there's nothing that's a true kind of record drawing. And, um, you know, a brand new system doesn't really matter. But then as time goes on and somebody wants to make some modifications or something's not working, that's when having a drawing. Really helps  Philiph: the maintenance and support for the project. Yeah, it's crucial to have something where our pipes laid at least. So, uh, that was also my idea because I'm, uh, was making, yeah, 50% on my knee with the paper and, uh, I said, I tried to deliver the customer, uh, belief that I can do it, uh, in a good way. So, and, uh, I thought that. So this will be really professional if I can do it fast and with some present, uh, presentation that is good looking, uh, like an output from the ear sketch now. So, uh, then you start, uh, the basic drawing when you create new projects. So you can, uh, measure the field or you can use the new tool, the Mosher, uh, that is used, um, Oh,  Andy: in U. S. I know. Yeah. Yeah. I've seen that. You can actually tell me, tell me how that works.  Philiph: Uh, that works very simple. You have your Mosher measurements, and when you start drawing a new polygon, you can import, I don't know where I have, uh, some Mosher. Yeah.  Andy: Okay. So you use your Mosher, and you get your exported file, and then you can import it into here? Yeah, definitely. Ah,  Philiph: exactly. So, uh, for example, this is a measurement from the Mosher. Uh, ported to the Iriscage, uh, drawing with a one to one scale. So, uh, when you measure, uh, measure this, you can export as CSV file and there is all data and you just need to start drawing a polygon and  Andy: say, yeah. So now you just gave me a reason to go buy the Mosier. I'm going to buy the Mosier. I'm going to test this out and make it work because I think that combining those together. That is, what a great  Philiph: [00:12:00] idea. Yes, that's really, uh, making, improving the speed, uh, of the delivery. Oh, maybe it's  Theo: always, uh, possibility, possible to, to add some underlayers. So we can add  Philiph: photos of  Andy: drawings. Okay, cool. I was going to ask you that. Could I screen capture something out of Google Earth, maybe? And then just put it in here and then take the Mosier and put it on there.  Philiph: Yeah, actually, I don't know some, uh, I don't have some, uh, images here on the computer, but, uh, you can, uh, input anything that is in raster or in PDF file. So it will be, uh, in the Erie sketch. Also you can, uh, for example, export from, uh, AutoCAD or more, uh, sustainable software, more,  Andy: more big. And I love the trees because typically an irrigation drawing is very flat. It is, you know, an engineered file. There's no pizzazz, there's no like sexiness to it. It doesn't sell, but this is giving you the ability to, you know, add some sales appeal to the drawing. Yes.  Philiph: Yes. That was made especially for Iris Cage by the, uh, the artist. So he will, he's drawing, uh, actually the nature and I asked him to make some stuff like this so you can then make some, for example, the flowers. I'm not so big  Andy: designer. Hey, it's all good. Even just dropping a couple specimen trees around the property could make it, could enhance the drawing, you know? Yeah,  Philiph: definitely. Yeah. So it can be curved as you want. So you can, um. Use it as a simple sketch tool for a landscape also to deliver the concept of the garden, for example, uh, it's why not when you switch to irrigation tab, everything is more, uh, a pack. Yeah. And, uh, uh, so you can now, uh, focus on your irrigation. You set up your, uh, water source, you set up your. Uh, manifolds or [00:14:00] you don't start with the manifolds, of course, you now, uh, need to understand which nozzle you need to draw. Yeah. There is a wide range of the nozzles. If  Andy: you could, maybe we just, um, remove those layers, you know, start with that polygon and then let's just, you know, let me just give you, could I just give you some parameters? Like here's how many gallons a minute we have, uh, here's what our pressure is. And then we can kind of go from there. Uh,  Philiph: no, actually, there is the, uh, the other, uh, way of thinking for us. So you'd first you need to cover this area at any, uh, you know, with your, uh, with your, uh, sprinklers. So you need to cover to deliver the precipitation. And, uh, by knowing the precipitation, uh, by knowing the amount of flow, uh, then you make zoning, uh, uh, based on your, um, pump, you know, your pump, or for example, the wood designer, uh, knows every time what is the water source, uh, so he can calculate it in, uh, in mind how much of the water flow he. He will have for one, uh, zone, yes, for one, uh, great zone. So when he starts to make in the, uh, drawing the nozzles, we, uh, we focus mostly on the covering area with the nozzles. It's very handy tool here that automatically fits, uh, your, uh,  Andy: Now, the nozzle though is subject to the pressure. So how are you getting a coverage if you don't necessarily know your pressure? Philiph: Uh, the, uh, currently when you start drawing the standard pressure is applied. So it's, uh, for example, for MP rotator, it's 45 PCI. Yeah. So, uh, and then of course, uh, when you realize that, um, we have. Flow, for example, uh, 87, uh, gallons per hour, and it's not enough for [00:16:00] us. Uh, our pump won't, uh,  Andy: Can we switch that? Cause in the U S we don't think in gallons per hour, it's gallons per minute, gallons  Philiph: per minute. Okay. Just a second. Because we also don't think even in gallons, that's just my attempt  Andy: here. Like an emitter is gallons per hour on micro, but otherwise it's yeah. Gallons per  Philiph: minute. So, yeah, we have the, for example, 1. 5 gallons per minute. Let's  Andy: go ahead and put the other ones in there. You know, let's fill that in.  Philiph: Let's do it. So you select the type of nozzle, not actually the, you can select the proper nozzle that you know, but I have also auto drawing system that you can choose. Uh, in, uh, in a whole range of that class of nozzles. So for example, MP Rotator provides you with MP3 5000, uh, so it's very easy to draw the nozzles with this tool. You can, you  Andy: need to try it on your own. And it's, um, how is it determining the distance? And the spacing, or you?  Philiph: First, you start with placing the nozzle, then you set the needed radius that you can see on the drawing. And when you click, Then, uh, by the, uh, based on the angle you said, and based on availability of nozzles, you can see that, uh, the proper nozzle is chosen. Okay. So that's how it works. Okay. Okay. Now you can see the whole, uh, consumption and it's five gallon per minute. So it's a tool that is meant for designers. For advanced designers, not for like customers who want to design their garden irrigation or something. So they should know how it will behave on which pressure it will work with this, with this consumption. And, uh, When you start to make zoning for, uh, for example, [00:18:00] if our pump can do, uh, needed pressure only for two gallons per minute, we need, we know that we need at least three zones here. Uh, yeah, two zones. Yeah,  Andy: let's just say we want to do two zones for this instance. For example,  Philiph: yeah, we, we're making two zones and we see how to properly cut, uh, uh, the, into two pieces of this. So for example, we have. Almost five, uh, gallon per minute. Uh, no, I didn't select 5. 15. And when you start to take off one side, you can see it's decreasing up to three. And if we remove also this, it will have a 2. 5. So this will be definitely one zone, this line and the center. So, and then you just, uh, can draw the pipe. And then if we know the, uh, the source of water will be here, the next pipe would of course go. Something from here. Maybe in this direction and to offload that one side, maybe it will go like this. So, uh, when you have your, uh, piping, you set up the manifold, the better place, I think near the source or somewhere near, so now you're attached to the manifold. You can do it in many ways, but I think the schematic way is better because you don't care. You understand where you will dig also.  Andy: Yeah. And it sounds like the idea for this is a quick sketch. That's a great presentation. That also shows the crew, which sprinklers are going together on the same zone, where approximately the pipes are going, but it's not meant to give you. Like all the exact materials and the exact pipe and the friction loss from this point to that point and all of that. It's a, it's a quick sketch, which is actually really helpful because most of the like engineered software out there, although it can be easy to use, there's a lot [00:20:00] more involved, so it doesn't become quick and easy. You may get potentially better engineering results. But it's not quick and easy for this purpose.  Philiph: Definitely. Yes. It, uh, will automate something, but not everything that, uh, that we want, but we are moving into this direction. Maybe the one day we have more, uh, You know, past and more precise, uh, system, but, uh, currently it works like this  Andy: and you should But this is actually okay. I mean, really you could take this and generate a pretty accurate, um, not full materialist, but bid based on some other input. So somebody wanted to take this and then generate a price quote. You know, this would be enough, I think, to get that started.  Theo: Yes, we are able, we are able to create a complete, uh, material list out of these, and we are now in a, uh, an area for private people, for private lawn, for private yards. Philiph: Residential, yeah,  Theo: residential area. And the friction losses during the pipe, it's not so necessary in the smaller cases of gardens. If you are going on golf courses, friction losses are definitely important, but on small private yards, it's not so not so important.  Andy: And it just depends because it can be if somebody uses the wrong size pipe, right? If they use three quarter inch pipe everywhere and they don't realize what the friction loss is. And because a lot of homes in the U S don't all. could have low pressure to start. So somebody has low pressure to start and they don't want to purchase a pump, then they need to carefully consider pipe size because they're trying to, you know, conserve pressure, I guess. Philiph: I will show you this a little bit later, but what I want to show you now is the, how we calculate the pipe diameter. So, uh, here is now Get some information about the diameter the direction of the flow and velocity of the of your flow so for [00:22:00] example It calculated that we need These diameters of pipe and this will be the speed inside and this will be the flow. Andy: Okay. So it says four inch, then we need to go to two inch, three inch, two inch, an inch and a half. Yeah. If you want. Yes. Or, or you could just stay at two inch cause a bigger pipe is fine. You don't have to go down, but sometimes, sometimes contractors don't downsize cause then they need a whole bunch of other fittings. So they'll just use whatever the largest pipe is all the way to the end, even though it costs more money, it's just easier.  Philiph: Now we have, uh, the basic system set up here. So let's continue with, uh, the basic, uh, controller with the wiring. You of course, making the wiring, uh, here in the Erisk Edge. So it, Yeah,  Andy: wiring is not something that's typically included on an irrigation drawing. Yeah.  Philiph: Um, on a drawing, you can, uh, save everything you need because this is like design, uh, step. And when, uh, then you finish with this. For example, we've made a basic design, then we switch to layouts. Layouts will hold as many, uh,  Andy: Oh, layout is like your, your, uh, planned, uh, page.  Philiph: Yes, like, uh, viewports of your, uh, draw. So you can... Uh, choose what you want to show on viewport, uh, Will that put a scale  Andy: in there? Um, yes.  Philiph: Okay. Yeah. The scale, of course, we can set, uh, for example, uh, one inch or it's one foot or, uh, Yeah, like one inch in 10, five. Let it be five for our scale. It will be good. Okay. And then you choose your, uh, sizes of everything of texts. And, uh, you say,  Andy: Gosh, I'm really thinking that, um, if you could, first of all, this is fantastic for the purpose of quick and easy presentation, you know, a drawing, it's good enough for the guys to know what they're going to [00:24:00] do and for the client to know what they're going to get. Uh, if there was a way to layer this on top of Google Earth or bring it in where you could just type in the address of the client. Do this remotely. You don't even need to visit the site. You could have a couple conditions and you could probably sell the system without visiting the site. At, at the end  Theo: you could, yes. Um, depends on the quality of the mapping service, of course, uh, Google, Google maps. It's in Germany. It's not so nice. So we have, it depends on  Andy: the tree cover and stuff. And again, this is like, you could say, Hey, here's what it could. Here's what it looks like it's going to be. Here's a couple unknowns, you know, Hey, we don't know if you have an extra flower bed. So you could ask a few questions to help clarify at least get it in the ballpark. And you could probably double the amount of quotes that a contractor could put out there if they don't have to travel to each site to wow the customer, get them to buy in. And then you have a. kickoff meeting with the client, go over it, see how close it is, then find out if there's anything that might be missing and how that might change the scope, if at all.  Theo: Definitely. You can work in this way. Yeah. For a first quote, you can do it in exactly this way. At the end, we also implement a service that the homeowner can prepare the planning for yourself. So you have the, we have the ErieSketch design studio. That's a smaller version of the ErieSketch professional tool that homeowners can upload their own satellite photo or their own sketch or their own drawing. And Uh, send it to you to, uh, asking for, for, for, or for, for  Philiph: irrigation. Yeah. You create the design, uh, link that anyone can access even without having some, uh, Eurosketch account. And, uh, this link. We'll open the Erisk edge, uh, with another tabs. It [00:26:00] will only be the drawer where you place your loan, your irrigated zone, not irrigated zone, whereas your controller will be located sensor, location of water source. And then you. Uh, make a quick survey with a project name, with your bucket test, for example, or with your climate conditions, or you cannot. And you can  Andy: even say like, upload a picture of your water source. I want to see the pipe where it comes in, in your basement. You need to upload that picture, right? I want so that it's like you're being there and people with their phone can just snap a picture.  Philiph: That's fair. Yeah. Well, but it's in development  Andy: now. Yeah. Well, I'm just saying I can make my own form, you know, that I could get the project information from clients. That's great.  Philiph: Yes. That's, uh, you, you inspiring us to speed up the development of this feature. Yeah.  Andy: So yeah. Now, uh, would this be, so it's interesting too, is because it's web based, it means there's a lot you can do with it or cloud with, is this something that, um, like, could I embed this? I guess I could just do like, um, A window, like a frame, iframe. Could I embed this in my website? So customers coming to sprinkler supply store could design their own system and not even necessarily, well, maybe they would know it's Errorsketch, but just beyond all on my domain.  Philiph: No, we, we are not restricting from this. So you can embed these in, uh, iframe of course on your website. So that's not a problem. You just provide this link and it's, uh, embeddable. You don't need to do anything but just type a code that's iframe and it will open.  Andy: So anyone could come to Sprinkler Supply Store and design their own system. Why  Philiph: not? That's great. And, uh, you create as many links as you want and, uh, for example, track there, uh, from the other, uh, places of your website or from other platforms, uh, that you need. So, for example, you place it on Instagram, this link, or in your, on your website within, within an iframe and, uh, you [00:28:00] can, uh, Uh, you, then you get the requests that's on up to you, up to the contractor who's using this design. Yeah.  Andy: So you've got rotors and sprays and different nozzles. How does this software handle drip irrigation?  Philiph: Uh, drip irrigation is all, uh, also handed, handled, and, uh, you can choose between the 16 and 17 millimeter drip. Uh, you have, uh, every, uh, drip line we had on the market, but not maybe everything, but from main, uh, uh. Andy: And sometimes it really, you know, it doesn't even need the brand because if somebody knows they're going to use a 0. 6 by 18 inch spacing. You know, it doesn't matter what the brand is because it's 0. 6 by 18. The math is the same regardless of the brand.  Philiph: So, uh, we, we also have the feature with, uh, to cover some drip area dripped. Uh, for example, you check the, your preferred, uh, drip line here, and then you draw up something, some area, some perimeter. And before you finish, you can, uh, set the step of the, of your, uh, future, future. Lines. And the angle? And then when you finish, uh, your drip line will be, uh, created and you can see the water flow. So it's 3. 5 GPM, the length, total length of the pipes. Uh, and then you connect it to the water source with the same type, but with a special drip start, uh, drip start, uh, node. It's it can contain anything you want, like the tap, the,  Andy: yeah, I just think, uh, for And for contractors that are. Involved in the sales process, this is a fantastic tool. I mean, talk about a differentiator. No, no one's using it yet. Clients, they may not expect this, but they want a higher level of [00:30:00] technology to be used in the sales process. They don't want a back of the napkin sketch on a carbon copy quote form. You know, this is, this is amazing. And you could produce this in, you know, less than one hour. Philiph: Yes, we are. We produce in this online. So, uh, also you can. Create some sprinkler, uh, coloring and To show the zones where the zones are belonging, the drip line, everything, some information about this, so length and flow, precipitation, what is on the zone, so, uh, the covered area and so on. So you, you have your, even you can calculate the timing of the controller. Uh, because you have all the information needed,  Andy: uh, Oh, I see like a runtime to produce one inch of  Philiph: water. Yeah. Based on the water demand, based on the infiltration rate of the soil, you can set it up in the special windows.  Andy: So you also have a scheduling engine then it sounds like,  Philiph: yes, that's a calculated. Yeah. By, uh, so it gives out your time per run and daily consumption for the, for all your cycles  Andy: and runs. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. This is really what, um, This is really what our industry needs because we're still doing it more or less the way it's been done for the last 20 or 30 years, basically.  Philiph: Same, same in Europe and  Theo: the same in Europe. So most of the, uh, contractors don't plan by itself. They leave planning for big companies, which also provide parts and  Andy: they go to their distributor. And then they say, I need this. And then, and then not only does the contractor have to make multiple visits to the site, right? One visit to make the measurements, the second visit to produce, you know, to sell the proposal, if you will, then they have to go to their distributor and the distributor draws it with no guaranteeing that the contractor is even going to get the sale. So all this work is being done for no. no purpose. Um, and I've always been under the belief that a contractor should do their [00:32:00] own work, not use a supplier for anything other than purchasing parts because it's their drawing. They should be responsible for it. And this really does put the power into the hands of the contractor  Theo: and quality of drawing. It's much better if contractor is on the same location. Because when you, uh, discussing with your disproducer is also over email, over phone. So he's sitting maybe a hundred kilometers or a hundred miles away from you and he never sees the garden at itself. And it's always a better design if somebody was really there. Philiph: I don't  Andy: know. This is so great. My mind is, my mind has so many other things here because I'm looking at you take this list down. So let's say we're done. Boom. Now my question would be, how could I feed my pricing in here to generate a quote? Because I could give you a feed, you know, with all the exact pricing or, or different libraries. And then the user could say, no, no, no, show me, is there another option that would automatically change these parts to, to be 10% less?  Philiph: That's what we deliver. Of course, the, we were thinking on this and we are, uh, created the, another piece of software that is named Iris Seller. And, uh. IrisCache is drawing, and IrisSeller is for selling. So, uh, when you have your setup in IrisCache, you can, uh, easily, uh, create it into your outlay with only your, uh, real life, uh, goods and, uh, stock. So that's, uh, I will show you how it work. I, I see that you are interested in this, so that's why I will, uh, take time. Yeah,  Andy: no, and I'm, uh, and it's interesting because I think people are afraid This so they're not, no one's doing it, but this is what needs to be done. And it basically becomes a marketplace, right? Where a, if a contractor uses your tool, number one, they can get a price for a Rainbird or Hunter or whatever dynamically they want right at [00:34:00] that moment. And then they could say. So, show me the price from site one, show me the price from Ewing, show me the price from Horizon, show me the price from sprinklersupplystore. com. Let me get a real live marketplace, you know, pricing on this material. Yeah.  Philiph: To compare and choose the best options.  Andy: Yeah. And again, if it's just showing up in your doorstep and it's delivered, the supplier becomes less relevant because you're doing the work. You're doing the value, you know, and they're just buying it and it ships in a box. Philiph: Of course. You are free to  Theo: choose what you want, where you  Andy: get it from. Yeah, and then the, and then the client, you know, if they say, Hey, is there any way, you know, we could, or how could we take like 10% off this price? You know, I had a budget of 4, 500, but this came in at 5, 000. Then the contractor can say, you know what, let me go through and see if there's any parts we could swap out that wouldn't affect the integrity of the system. And then rerun the quote, like in real time, not have to go back to the supplier, make five phone calls, right?  Philiph: Welcome to E Risk Etch. Yeah, that's cool that we are trying to do the same that you're saying. And, uh, yeah, I'm really proud now of it.  Andy: Because yeah, because somebody's got to poke the bear. There's too many big bears in this industry controlling the entire supply chain. From a couple of big distributors and a couple of big manufacturers. And it's time that somebody, you know, shook up the snow globe  Philiph: should come into the deal. Yeah. So, uh, for a manifold, uh, you can set up the valves there.  Andy: Yeah, and I mean really, sorry to interrupt you, really if you had, um, one way of, um, providing labor is to do a like per sprinkler, let's say it's 15 minutes per sprinkler and it, you know, how long is it per foot of one inch pipe, inch and a half, two inch pipe. If you could get your labor factors, which is, which are known. You can get your labor factors per [00:36:00] piece. Then you just put it on that quote and you can calculate out the installed price that like, and I have some of this data, you know, and then you got the installed price.  Theo: We have,  Philiph: we have. Well, why do, uh, why he knows how Eriskitch works? Yeah. Did you  Andy: tell him? Interesting. No, I've just been, it's what, what happens when you. I mean, basically 20 years ago, my buddy and I had an Excel sheet that did all this and every part had a price. And at the end you get your costs and then you can figure out what kind of margin you want to cover your overhead, but it's just. Database info. Super.  Philiph: That's what we really created. And this irrigation equipment configuration is just the beginning. Uh, here you set the, uh, most, uh, crucial parts of your system. It's like nozzles, uh, the drip pipe connections and valve manifolds, automation. Uh, you also have here the main pipe, a lateral pipe with, uh, they are fittings, uh, elbows, tees, crosses, whatever you need, uh, that, uh, end caps, if they are, they are here. Also the wiring, wiring calculation is, uh, another thing that, uh, you need to understand how you calculate, uh, your wiring because someone used cables, uh, multi cord cables. Someone used wires. And,  Andy: uh, the reason we used to do, but it was like half the number of zones times the length of the main line or something like that. It was  Philiph: just like, uh, yeah, multiplicative outlay, but here you, whether you can calculate it, uh, on your own or you can, uh, give every sketch opportunity to do this. So, uh, if you get used to it, you will be, uh, more, uh, more free to make any kind of assumptions. So. Yeah. Thank you. Uh, this step is finished. So here you have two options, whether you want to give a list to someone to calculate you the stock, uh, and [00:38:00] to give the, um, proposal for the materials list and, uh, to pay for, or you can go a way that we call iris seller. And when you have your stock or when you have, um, Your distributor that you are bound to and he has his stock in the Erie sketch system You can easily turn this everything out in the in your outlay. That is very configured with your own elements and Okay, let's switch to it and I will  Andy: show you how yeah. Yeah. I mean again, I think if even just If it didn't, you don't even have to put the price of the labor, just having labor hours in here would be helpful so that a contractor that's using it could look and say, okay, I see here that's 30 labor hours, you know, so if I bring a four man crew, I can do that in one day. Right? Or, or they can just break it down by, by labor hours and then if they know what they pay their laborers and they know what kind of margin they need on the labor, they can calculate their own, you know, labor price, but the labor time would be really valuable.  Philiph: I think, um, that labor, uh, times can be calculated based on amount of work, yes. Amount of sprinklers. Yeah.  Andy: And then you could have to say, okay, are we pulling this pipe? Are we trenching? Is this sand? Is this clay? There are things that affect. that, but, but it's nothing that you can't, you know, uh, build around. So,  Philiph: uh, here we, uh, uh, went this way. We provide this, um, feature is adding the price list and you can create your personal price list, or you can share your prices, price list, and, uh, become a like kind of distributor in terms of Erisk Edge, for example, we have on the. Hold on,  Andy: let me stop you. So I could take a price list, put it on Eurosketch and make it public? Yes. Oh,  Philiph: badass. That's what I'm talking about. Okay. So you can create your own price and share it. Yes. And ideally,  Andy: I could tie [00:40:00] you in on API and it could generate the order on my website. Why not? And then you can make a commission, you know, like Instacart 10% commission. Philiph: Things are increasing. Yeah. This speed. And yeah, we will think on this, everything step by step. I would just want you to show that, um, what we've developed by the moment and, um, how it, how it give you the ability to, um, output your data and how it's connected with the  Andy: project. That's why I'm just happy that you're thinking bigger. You know, you, you've, obviously as an entrepreneur, sometimes you just keep thinking, right? You're like, Oh, and if we did this, then we could do that. And if we did that, then we could do this other thing. And it just keeps going. And that's important because the schedule by itself that has some value, but if you can tie it all the way through the supply chain and the market and the end user and get them all together, now you've really. Got something.  Philiph: So, yes, I agree with you totally. So that's, that's our idea. And so, uh, it's, uh, I showed you how fast and how easy the changes are made to the outlay. So you just change something in the project and when you set up everything, you have a freedom to make fast recalculation of this stuff. And when you have everything, everything prepared for this, like pricelist from your beloved distributor, who are you working with and your calculations of labors, you are very fast with this outlay. So it takes how money, how much time till it takes for you to make this kind of cycle. The standard small one  Theo: 30 minutes. Yeah.  Andy: Once it's all, once you do the work and you enter it all in it, it's all gonna be done at the time you do the drawing ? Yes. Yeah,  Philiph: that's fair. But you will take time to attach proper prices, uh, select them from your list, and that's all. I think it's like five minutes for the outlay. Yeah. [00:42:00] So, yeah. That's what we showed in short story.  Andy: Very cool. Well, uh, this is great. I think I want to, I want to experiment with it, run, you know, do some, do some real live drawing with it and then, uh, see how to embed it on, on the website. So if we have any customers at sprinkler supply store that want to design their own system, then we can direct them there. Maybe I could like, um, make a little video that shows them how to use it and, um, see how we can use it to support our customers. Yeah. I  Philiph: think the first thing is what we need to make all internals work, internal work, preparing the price list from your stock, uh, creating them in Erisk Edge. Uh, and then when you have a request, we have to be very fast by, uh, processing it with your price list and your labor's work, but, uh, we, of course we don't show to the customer, everything that is internal and we can show just, uh, Amount of, uh, the price for the, uh, equipment and one price for the labors, for example, how much it will be cost. But you know that this price is very precise because you took time to calculate, to prepare all these prices and you can rely on it. That's the case when you risk it. Yeah.  Andy: Yeah. Fantastic. Cool. All right. Well, I will, uh, you know, right now we just got some other things happening, but I want, I'm very excited by this. And like I said, I, I mostly excited because you guys thought you thought further than just the design and, and I don't know why, uh, other existing companies aren't, aren't Doing this because it's something that, um, I, I, in a weird way predicted like many years ago that why doesn't the irrigation design software, they know all the parts and pieces, they're just missing the pricing and then they're just missing the labor and they could take more of a bite out of the service that they're the value that they're adding and [00:44:00] therefore charge additional fees. Okay. Do you want to include pricing that has another plan? Do you want to include labor that has another plan? ?  Philiph: Yes. That's what we are working, uh, with because, uh, we are in one person, the developer, and uh, the user. Uh, that's,  Andy: uh, the main thing. That's amazing. You guys have built all this. It's a lot. I, I know how much work this is and it you, this is a lot of work. Philiph: Yes. And we are making this, uh, very live and. We are continuing with this work, improving the Erie sketch almost every day. We are adding some equipment and we have also the future plans for the second version and so many, uh, so many things. And I'm  Andy: going to buy the Mosier. Um, and I also have, uh, I can't remember the name of it. It's the, it's the wheel that you can put your iPhone on and you can, so it's got a GPS file. Oh, that was my question. What file are you looking for to import? What type of a file?  Philiph: Uh, for Mosher, it's CSV file. It's a standard export of the Mosher, uh, layered export. It's, uh, previously it named CSV plus plus. So it's  Andy: not a GPX or a GPS file.  Philiph: No, uh, actually it's just a set of coordinates, it's like X, Y, Z coordinates, columns, and the points of that, uh, as a rows, you just, uh, input, uh, uh, you can see that, uh, you can generate. From any type of software, uh,  Andy: yeah, I'm going to, um, get a Mosier and to do a real life demo, like, uh, measure out a house, put it in here and, and use the software. I think that'd be fantastic. Um, it also would be some good content. If I can figure out how to turn that into a YouTube video, you know, how to design, you know, an irrigation system in less than 30 minutes.  Philiph: Yes, that's the point. We also have this, uh, like promo or maybe you saw this on the website. [00:46:00] It's, uh, do you see this? Do you hear the sound or not? No, it's okay though. Oh, then I will share you in the chat and you can see it when you have time. So it's like a small explanation of what we have here. I don't know. I don't see the chat actually.  Andy: That's okay. I can look, I can look at it on your website.  Philiph: Yeah. Okay. Okay. It's on the main page. So, uh, that's what, what I was talking about is, uh, I don't remember what I was talking about. I don't know,  Theo: but I have some other question, maybe directly to Andy for us. It's interesting. I think so. As you know, as you recognize the set, uh, Philip come from Russia. At the moment, he's located in Germany. He's, uh, come, uh, one year ago to Germany. Now we are both at the same place in Germany and, uh, we develop Irisketch and, uh, wanted to start, of course, uh, to spread Irisketch over the whole world. So we are now at the moment strong in Russia, of course, and we are strong in Germany. With distribution of our software. And of course, US market is the main goal of us to reach, um, all, uh, contractors from your market. But what we are missing is a partner at the US market at the moment. And especially somebody which really knows how the market works in the US.  Philiph: So, um,  Theo: we think we know, but it's better if you can explain what to say. U. S. irrigation market on who is contractor, what did contractor actually do? You just told us that mostly nobody tried to design their own. Uh, when we look on websites of contractors, we only see something like renovation and retrofit systems, but  Philiph: nobody offers  Andy: new systems. Oh, [00:48:00] no, no, no, no. New is, um. Yeah. So let's see. Uh, I'd be happy to tell you everything I know about the U S market. Um, we would need, we need a little bit more time, but, um, there are generally two types of contractors install and service some do. And then each of those do a little crossover. So some contractors do only new install. and a little bit of service, and that's commercial. And some contractors do a lot of residential service and some install. And it's different on the West, the Western United States versus, let me take you off spotlight here, versus the Eastern United States. So the Western United States, most irrigation systems are drawn by a professional engineer. Or a  Theo: garden architect.  Andy: Uh huh. Uh, commercial, anyway. Commercial. Okay, yeah. And, uh, on the eastern United States, it's mostly contractor design build. And so contractors go to the distributor, the distributor draws it, uh, and maybe 20% of the time it's an engineer. So there's a difference between the East Coast and the West Coast. And then you have your distributors where there's like four or five really, really big distributors. And then there's a handful of smaller, you know, family owned businesses and the family owned businesses are now selling to larger businesses and the market is consolidating. Um, because it's maturing and, uh, from the contractor's perspective, there really aren't any national franchises. There's one growing called Conserva and they're probably, they're really like the only franchise. And this could be a good tool for a franchise, you know, because it would differentiate the franchise. So that is the thought that I have is, hey, that's a great opportunity because you sell it to a [00:50:00] franchise and then the franchise owner requires all of the franchisees to use the software and then they have access to it. Then they see all the like it's all It's all tied in. Um, and after that you  Philiph: have a small franchise. Yeah. Yeah.  Andy: You have small contractors all over the United States. Um, and that's part of the, the problem and the opportunity with irrigation. You don't need any education. You don't need any formal licenses other than whatever is required in your town or your state. Yet at the same time, that just means any old guy can throw some stuff in his truck and now he's an irrigation contractor and he comes in at a lower price. And a lot of the times, these contractors don't know how to compete against somebody who has a low price because they're not any, any, any value themselves. And so I try to really educate contractors to don't worry about price. Make sure you're the most professional. You show up on time. You, Like do everything right. And then you should be able to have a higher price system, right? It's obvious if it's one guy in a truck, his price should be less. So you don't have to compete against that. Um, and then you've got some landscapers that do irrigation. Right. So you have some landscape companies that also do irrigation and some landscape companies have landscape architects that could use this software and include it in their drawing. And in the U. S. we only have one company called Land FX. Land FX. Yes. They own the market now outside of people just using AutoCAD and  Philiph: some templates and what about Pro Contractor, uh, isn't used it in the terms of irrigation, uh, Pro Contractor Or you mean Land FX is a, uh, uh, uh,  Andy: complete. That's the largest irrigation software provider of, of, uh, irrigation drawing Land FX. Philiph: Land FX and Kamatsu Studio Pro Contractor is, uh,  Andy: [00:52:00] And their software is used by the largest engineers in the world. Great company. Very nice guys. I know Jeremiah, the owner pretty well. Um, but it's not something that you can just, uh, design in 30 minutes. It's not quick and easy.  Philiph: It's complicated and very precise. Andy: And it, yeah, it's very precise. And it sounds expensive. And it is expensive. Yep. Yes. But if you are working with engineers and architects and drawing big CAD drawings, that is the software to use. Yeah, so it's just land fx. com. Yeah,  Philiph: I've been there. I also Investigated about all the software  Andy: and they don't do anything that you're doing. There's no seller They really just stick in their wheelhouse because I think business is pretty good for them And they don't have the need necessarily to upset the applecart like to chase something new but in my opinion what you're building is really the direction that they They should be going. Um, you know, and then you have, you have some contenders like, uh, that are coming in from the business software, the business management software side of things like service Titan and aspire where contractors are using their software to run their business schedule, service calls, um, prepare quotes, you know, do invoicing and this stuff doesn't. Like land effects doesn't integrate but it could like yours is built for that because it's all it's all tied together So there's no reason that once the customer signs that Agreement that that design should flow right in to the business management software. They have all the parts and pieces and material Um,  Philiph: yeah. Really that's what we are thinking about is integration of the, uh, of the whole process of, uh, irrigation contractor, uh, starting from the [00:54:00] design and, uh, up to the main tenants. And, uh, also we are thinking on the how, uh, we can, uh, the, for the whole lifetime of the project, Uh, be helpful, be handy for the contractor because sometime you need to go to the site and check what's happening and you should know where it's all located. So it's like the working documentation on the project and the risk edge.  Andy: Yeah, yeah. And then my business, um, sprinkler supply store is, um, also I have a, uh, partnership with site one landscape supply. So they're an investor in Sprinkler Supply Store and I, let me see how to describe this. I think of Sprinkler Supply Store as a digital layer on top of wholesale distribution, really on top of site one. So they're sending me, um. Data every 15 minutes from 10 of their stores all over the United States. So when somebody places an order, if they're in Texas, I will have that fulfilled from the location in Texas. If they're in Florida, I'll have that filled from Florida. And then what we can do is also split orders in group order. So if not one single location has all the parts, we'll split it up to get it to the customer fast. But I could, I could drop ship out of like 50 of their locations. And so there's this real opportunity for like, for me to vend you the product data. And if somebody wants it, we can get it to them quickly because we built the stack, you know, the integration stack where site one directly. They're not set up for this yet. And  Philiph: interested, uh, how do you, uh, proceed the prices because you are providing the prices for a special, your customers and, uh, who should know these prices? Because if you put some price in the E Risk Edge, it becomes, uh, public. The  Andy: whole world. I'm, I'm kind of a believer in pricing transparency, right? We're kind of moving past the [00:56:00] days of this guy's price and this guy's price and this guy's price. I mean, maybe you could say like, Hey, here's a 10% discount or something, but I think that it really just needs to be. And right now the prices are somebody out there on the Internet is already selling that part for less. Of course. Somebody wants to take the time and search. They'll find it for less.  Philiph: Don't fancy it. But the question is how he delivers it, which services he provide and so on.  Andy: Yeah, and the bigger distributors, they still believe in pricing tiers. They don't want. That pricing transparency, because what it really means is everything has to drop a bit. Um, but that also means their overhead might have to drop a bit, but that's where the efficiency of what you're providing comes into play. Because if that contractor no longer knocks on their door for a design every week, then they don't need to provide that. So they should lower their price because they're not doing as much work. Philiph: Yeah,  Andy: so that's kind of why I think some of this could be done, not grassroots, but going to the biggest players, they're not going to be interested because it's too, it's a bit too disruptive for them yet. They don't even know how to like sell their own parts on the internet. Yeah. That's why we But because I ship through SiteOne, SiteOne just wants business, right? They, they know that orders land in their system automatically. There's no effort on them. So I get, I have really, really good pricing. So we have a doorway basically into, you know, I would love to figure out how I could sell 50 million of parts and, you know, just flows through the system, right? It's like, that's why you could take a transaction fee. Added on there service value added transaction fee or commission from me and I could do the same It's like we can be really competitive if if the system works and the user comes in and then it just flows through with little Input [00:58:00] then everything can be, you know streamlined  Philiph: Mm hmm without any intentions  Andy: Super  Philiph: anyway. Yeah, I just will Impressed how progressive your vision and uh, yeah, I think we met the wrong, the right guy we need.  Andy: Well, there's, you know, I'm only doing this cause no one else is cause there's not very many other people like you, there's really only, uh, you know, a handful of people I come across once in a while that, um, have any type of a vision other than like what's Just right in front of them. That's cool.  Philiph: Yeah. But we are at the start, we  Theo: all was with the same problem that we need a proper way to make design for irrigation. So, uh, we also do many time, many years irrigation. And, uh, from the start, I thought that we have to do design by ourself, not by this polluters. And, uh, in this case, I met Philip three years ago and start with. together with him to develop a resketch. And here we are. So our main goal is to bring irrigation design to contractors, not to the big players. Uh, we also had some discussions with the big players in Europe, also with big manufacturers like Hunter and Rainbird. And all what they're asking for was, okay, make a ErieSketch version of our products. So they want an ErieSketch version only with Hunter products. They want  Andy: exclusive, only put Rainbird on your stuff. I know. Exactly. That's part of the problem is that those guys want to control everything end to end. And they're not wrong, they used to be able to do that, but that's not what the future looks like. The future might not even look like making any money on their parts. It's like, it's a, the value is, is always, you know, moving and if guys want to use Rainbird, they should pick [01:00:00] Rainbird because not because they have to, not because it's the only one in this software. But  Philiph: because it's working the best way and the proper way. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. The best way.  Theo: And we don't agree with them and we kick them out. Uh, we had many offers or we had offers of these big players and we, no, we don't want this. We want to bring irrigation design. To people to constructors,  Andy: especially if you're building a marketplace, which I think at the end of the day, you're kind of building, you know, that marketplace and the marketplace needs lots of suppliers, you know, and you need, of course, it's  Philiph: not every time that's that's centralized sources. Yeah, yeah,  Andy: yeah, um, on the supply. Yeah. And we're working on some, uh, since you guys are in Europe, there's, there's, you guys might know about the Laura technology,  Philiph: Laura. We have a solar solution from France. It uses Laura, uh, communication from in the field.  Andy: Yeah. So we're building, I've got a couple other partners on a startup that, um, basically building a Laura, uh, analytics, uh, platform so that contractors can add wireless sensors out into the landscape or the building and then control the irrigation system, you know, with, with that. And we've got some wireless valve equipment, but I think  Philiph: that. Valves. Do you have output relays for, to connect this  Andy: valves? Yeah. So wireless adapters, it can go right in the valve and you can go a mile or more. So I, we kind of see the future is actually, the future of irrigation is here. It's just not built and distributed yet, but there's no need for wires and there's no need for a controller. Yeah.  Philiph: Future will be no,  Theo: no need for water. Philiph: Yeah. The water. Yeah.  Andy: Can you tell me about your pricing fees? How do you guys charge for the system? Uh,  Philiph: for the [01:02:00] EuroSketch, it's a subscription type. Uh, we charge for the period of subscription. Uh, in Europe, it's 450, uh, in net, uh, Euros. So, and  Andy: that Euro is kind of one to one now for the U. S., almost, right? Almost.  Philiph: Yeah, it's almost the same, yeah. Four, 450 for the year? For 50s for the year and a bit more if you purchase by the monthly subscription.  Andy: Okay, and is that per company per user? How does  Philiph: that work? Uh, it now working for a user, so if this is a company and it has Uh, two or more, three seats, they can use it, uh, in, uh, but they will have the same workshop where, uh, the place where the projects are stored. So if they, uh, open one project simultaneously make changes, there will be an, uh, conflict in the saving. So, uh, I'm not, uh, restricting by the number of seats. Currently, but, uh, in future versions, I plan to do the licensing per seat, but now it's not needed because we need to grow now and to catch the market, uh, with our,  Andy: Yeah. You need people coming in. Right. And it's like, you know, I could even see there being like, um, yeah, it's 4. 50 a year, but maybe your first five sketches are free. So it's like you have a trial, but it never ends. You just can make five. Like if it takes you a month, or a year, or whatever the number is, two, one, ten, you know. Philiph: Our system is, works like this. We have a trial period of two weeks. It's almost full featured trial period. So you can every time renew your account or, uh, remove and create new one. So the guys are, uh, someone using this feature because they are creating and for 12, uh, two weeks, they have almost full functionality. But, uh, then they see that it was very handy tool and they are just buying it most of the time. So, uh, we have a very good conversion out of our old [01:04:00] registration. It's like, uh, 10 to 15% of. Purchases. So, uh, it's, it's normal conversion rate. So we have in Russia, we have now it's like 6, 000 accounts of contractors. So it's very big amount in Europe. It's, we are starting now to grow. It's almost thousand. We caught, I think I need to see the statistics. Yeah. I'm just  Andy: thinking too. It's like if, um, It's one thing if a contractor uses it and likes it. It's another thing if it helps them sell a project. So it's like, all right, how can we. And I'm thinking of what would it be like if I was trying to sell this? You're like, here it is. Go use this. And once you sell your first system, you'll be like, Oh shit, I got to pay for that. And add 10% to your price when you use this software and see what happens. So  Philiph: our, our,  Theo: um, way to market ErieSketch is that we are searching for represent each country in the world, or maybe each language area in the world. So at the moment in Europe, we have the, the German speaking. Uh, area, what I cover, we have some guys from Croatia, we have some guys for the Netherland, we have some guys from Lithuania and these guys helping us to develop EruSketch in case of languages, especially. So do translation, do, uh, tutorial videos and do the support after. Um, and for this work, they get a discount on the annual subscription for customers. So they sell it one time to the customer, so to the contractor, and they get discount on the, uh, subscription price and they get it each year, year by year by year.  Philiph: Yeah. So that's how we market. You're risking our, uh,  Andy: country. Yeah. How difficult is it to control the features that people have? Buy like, you know what they've paid for like is there is there [01:06:00] some super light version you could give to somebody that's great And it's just always free to just keep people coming in um  Philiph: We have the free version fully free version and it's perpetual. So you have you will have every time you're um, features like drawing, like drawing landscape, like drawing irrigation on top of it and even layouts. You will have one list of layout, but you don't have access to the outlay to the iris seller. That's the case of the easy version of free version, but every time you can. It's for a short period of time, switch on the paid version for a month, make everything needed with your project that you created on a free version. And then, uh, stop with the subscription. For example, when the season comes to the, some countries, they have a season for like three or four months. Yeah. That's what  Andy: it's like here too. And that's why I like the annual plan because the first question someone's going to say is, do I still have to pay in the winter? But when it's yearly, it's like, this is what it is.  Philiph: It's yearly. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. It's cheaper than if you purchase it by month or by, uh, so contractor will think, okay, well, maybe I will have some projects in the winter to work on and to create some designs or requests or,  Andy: uh, you know, do some marketing, you know, and kick out some designs and some proposals all winter  Philiph: long. Maybe you can provide to your customer and customer and say in the winter, your project will be cheaper and less.  Andy: And there's nothing wrong with it. I'm good. I'm thinking out loud with, um, The contractor doesn't have to give this away for free, right? To me, the drawing's worth a minimum 100. So either they charge, either using it to maintain the highest price in the market or, you know, they're being competitive, but then right away they say, would you like a drawing like this upon completion? And they're, Oh, I absolutely want that. Okay, cool. It's just a hundred bucks for that drawing that they make their money, you know, easily. [01:08:00]  Philiph: Yes. And it depends on what kind of information they share with in this project, because they can, uh, for example, uh, hide every pipe and just show the sprinklers or hide, uh, I don't know, uh, the, how the wiring manifolds and say, this is the free. project, just see, uh, and decide if you want more, uh, detailed project, pay for it. And that's how it works in Russia because, uh, we have a bunch of contractors that provide free, uh, designs and that's, uh, the very big sheet in this case, because they are first, they dumped the price to the almost the lowest price for the project. And now they are providing them for free. And, um, that's the big case when the big players now. Also have to lower the prices for the design. So it's like a chain reaction. I don't know how it's, how it's named. So now we are thinking in Russia about association and they are created some, uh, two associations of irrigators that are now. We'll take it into control or something. I don't know. I heard that in the U. S. there's an irrigation association that is licensing everyone.  Andy: Well, they don't have any licensing, right? I mean, they have certifications, but it doesn't mean anything to anyone. Uh  Philiph: huh. So it's not really a licensing, so you  Andy: can work without it. doesn't, they might care, they might not. It's just a way, it's important, don't get me wrong, and it's the education and the training, but It's not required by any state. Uh, I shouldn't say that there might be a couple jurisdictions where they use that, but, but not, not really. And that's part of the problem is it's more like just saying, well, I'm smarter than you because I'm certified in this and you're not. And that guy's like, well, my business is twice as big as yours and I don't have that certification. So  Philiph: yeah, I thought it's more strict there [01:10:00] than, than we  Andy: have, but no, it's more strict on a backflow. Some places where the plumbing union is, uh, strong, you know, the irrigation contractors can't put in backflows. Or the contractor has to have a certified plumber at their compan

For Ellen Finkelstein, making it is about giving back. When you give, you receive. Through email marketing and blogging, she established authority and built trust… ultimately selling her courses to a loyal following that she cultivated over the years.

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