Podcasts about Holiday Inn

There's something genuinely uplifting about sitting down with someone who's spent over forty years in hospitality and still lights up when they talk about food. That's Darryl Hand. He's been in kitchens since the days of Hilton Melbourne's grand dining rooms in the '80s, cooked for queens and rock stars, and seen hotel dining evolve from silver service to share plates and open kitchens. But what's most striking is that he still exudes pure, uncomplicated joy when he talks about cooking. He's the Executive Chef overseeing not one but two new hotels in the heart of Melbourne: Hotel Indigo and Holiday Inn on Little Collins and yet he is still the guy who gets excited about discovering a different kind of prawn in Sicily and wishing we could get them here.

The path to progressing as a leader isn't always linear. SUMMARY Col. (Ret.) Mike Ott shows how a childhood dream can evolve into a lifetime of impact—from commanding in uniform to leading innovation in healthcare and national defense. Hear more on Long Blue Leadership. Listen now!   SHARE THIS PODCAST LINKEDIN  |  FACEBOOK   MIKE'S LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS A leader worth his or her salt should be comfortable not being the smartest person in the room. Striving for a lack of hubris is essential in leadership. Setting a clear vision is a fundamental leadership skill. Moving people without authority is crucial for effective leadership. Resource management is key to achieving organizational goals. Acknowledging what you don't know is a strength in leadership. Effective leaders focus on guiding their teams rather than asserting dominance. Leadership is about influencing and inspiring others. A successful mission requires collaboration and shared vision. True leadership is about empowering others to succeed.   CHAPTERS 00:00: Early Inspiration 06:32: Academy Years 13:17: Military Career Transition 21:33: Financial Services Journey 31:29: MOBE and Healthcare Innovation 40:12: Defense Innovation Unit 48:42: Philanthropy and Community Impact 58:11: Personal Growth and Leadership Lessons   ABOUT MIKE OTT BIO Mike Ott is the Chief Executive Officer of MOBĒ, a U.S.-based company focused on whole-person health and care-management solutions. He became CEO in April 2022, taking the helm to lead the company through growth and operational excellence following a distinguished career in both the military and corporate sectors.  A graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Mike served as a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserves before shifting into financial services and healthcare leadership roles including private wealth management at U.S. Bank and executive positions with UnitedHealth Group/Optum. His leadership ethos emphasizes alignment, acceleration, and human potential, building cultures where teams can thrive and leveraging data-driven models to improve health outcomes.   CONNECT WITH MIKE LinkedIn MOBE CONNECT WITH THE LONG BLUE LEADERSHIP PODCAST NETWORK TEAM Send your feedback or nominate a guest: socialmedia@usafa.org Ted Robertson | Producer:  Ted.Robertson@USAFA.org    Ryan Hall | Director:  Ryan.Hall@USAFA.org  Bryan Grossman | Copy Editor:  Bryan.Grossman@USAFA.org Wyatt Hornsby | Executive Producer:  Wyatt.Hornsby@USAFA.org      ALL PAST LBL EPISODES  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS     OUR SPEAKERS Guest, Col. (Ret.) Mike Ott '85  |  Host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99   FULL TRANSCRIPT Naviere Walkewicz 0:00 A quick programming note before we begin this episode of Long Blue Leadership: This episode will be audio-only, so sit back and enjoy the listen. Welcome to Long Blue Leadership, the podcast where we share insights on leadership through the lives and experiences of Air Force Academy graduates. I'm Naviere Walkewicz, Class of '99. Today, on Long Blue Leadership, we welcome Col. (Ret.) Mike Ott, Class of 1985, a leader whose vision was sparked at just 9 years old during a family road trip past the Air Force Academy. That childhood dream carried him through a 24-year Air Force career, culminating in retirement as a colonel and into a life of leadership across business, innovation and philanthropy. Mike is the CEO of MOBE, a groundbreaking company that uses data analytics and a revolutionary pay-for-results model to improve health outcomes while reducing costs. He also serves as a senior adviser to the Defense Innovation Unit, supporting the secretary of defense in accelerating commercial innovation for national security. A member of the Forbes Councils, Mike shares his expertise with leaders around the world. A former Falcon Foundation trustee and longtime supporter of the Academy, Mike has given generously his time, talents and resources to strengthen the Long Blue Line. His story is one of innovation and service in uniform, in the marketplace and in his community. Mike, welcome to Long Blue Leadership. We're so glad to have you here.   Mike Ott 1:29 Naviere, thanks a ton. I'm glad to be here. Naviere Walkewicz 1:31 Yes, yes. Well, we're really excited. I mean, you're here for your 40th reunion.   Mike Ott 1:35 Yeah, it's crazy.   Naviere Walkewicz1:37 You came right in, and we're so pleased that you would join us here first for this podcast.   Mike Ott 1:39 Right on. Thanks for the time.   Naviere Walkewicz 1:41 Absolutely. Well, let's jump right in, because not many people can say at 9 years old they know what they want to do when they grew up, but you did. Mike Ott 1:48 Yeah. I guess some people can say it; might not be true, but for me, it's true, good or bad. And goodness gracious, right? Here for my 40th reunion, do the math team, and as a 9-year-old, that was 1972, And a lot was going on in the world in 1972 whether it was political unrest, Vietnam and all of that, and the Academy was in the thick of it. And so we had gone — It was our first significant family vacation. My father was a Chicago policeman. We drove in the 1968 Buick LaSabre, almost straight through. Stopped, stayed at a Holiday Inn, destination Colorado, simply, just because nobody had ever seen the mountains before. That was why. And we my parents, mom, mom and dad took myself. I have two younger sisters, Pikes Peak, Academy, Garden of the Gods, Royal Gorge. And I remember noon meal formation, and the bell going off. Guys at the time — we hadn't had women as cadets at that point in time — running out in their flight suits as I recall lining up ready to go. And for me, it was the energy, right, the sense of, “Wow, this is something important.” I didn't know exactly how important it was, but I knew it was important, and I could envision even at that age, there was they were doing good, Naviere Walkewicz 3:21 Wow. Nine years old, your family went on vacation, and it just struck you as this is important and something that I want to do. So what did that conversation look like after that experience that you had as a 9-year-old and kind of manifest this in yourself? How did that go with your parents? Mike Ott 3:36 Well, I didn't say too much about it, as I was in grammar school, but as high school hit, you know, I let my folks know what my plans were, and I had mom and dad — my mother's still alive, my father passed about a year ago. Very, very good, hard-working, ethical people, but hadn't gone to college, and we had been told, “Look, you know, you need to get an education.” They couldn't. I wish they had. They were both very, very, very bright, and so I knew college was a plan. I also knew there wasn't a lot of money to pay for it. So I'm certain that that helped bake in a few things. But as I got into high school, I set my sights. I went to public high school in Chicago, and I remember freshman year walking into my counselor's office, and said, “I want to go to the Air Force Academy,” and he kind of laughed.   Naviere Walkewicz 3:21 Really?   Mike Ott 3:22 Well, we had 700 kids in my class, and maybe 40% went on to college, right? And the bulk of them went to community college or a state school. I can count on one hand the number of folks that went to an academy or an Ivy League school or something of that. So it was it was around exposure. It had nothing to do with intelligence. It was exposure and just what these communities were accustomed to. A lot of folks went into the trades and pieces like that. So my counselor's reaction wasn't one of shock or surprise insofar as that's impossible. It was, “We haven't had a lot of people make that commitment this early on, and I'm glad to help.”   Naviere Walkewicz 5:18 Oh, I love that.   Mike Ott 5:19 Which is wonderful, and what I had known at the time, Mr. Needham...   Naviere Walkewicz 5:23 You Remember his name?   Mike Ott 5:24 Yeah, he was in the Navy Reserves. He was an officer, so he got the joke. He got the joke and helped me work through what classes to take, how to push myself. I didn't need too much guidance there. I determined, “Well, I've got to distinguish myself.” And I like to lean in. I like a headwind, and I don't mind a little bit of an uphill battle, because once you get up there, you feel great. I owe an awful lot to him. And, not the superintendent, but the principal of our school was a gentleman named Sam Ozaki, and Sam was Japanese American interned during World War II as a young man, got to of service age and volunteered and became a lieutenant in the Army and served in World War II in Europe, right, not in Asia. So he saw something in me. He too became an advocate. He too became someone that sought to endorse, support or otherwise guide me. Once I made that claim that I was going to go to the Academy. Naviere Walkewicz 6:30 Wow. So you mentioned something that really stuck with me. You said, you know, you didn't mind kind of putting yourself out there and doing the hard things, because you knew when you got to the top it was going to feel really great. Was that something you saw from your father? Was that something, there are key leaders in your life that emulated that? Or is that just something that you always had in yourself? Mike Ott 6:51 I would say there's certainly an environmental element to it — how I was raised, what I was exposed to, and then juxtaposition as to what I observed with other family members or other parts of the community where things didn't work out very well, right? And, you know, I put two and two together. y father demonstrated, throughout his entire career what it means to have a great work ethic. As did mom and, you know, big, tough Chicago cop for 37 years. But the other thing that I learned was kindness, and you wouldn't expect to learn that from the big, tough Chicago cop, but I think it was environment, observing what didn't occur very often and how hard work, if I apply myself, can create outcomes that are going to be more fulfilling for me. Naviere Walkewicz 7:48 Wow, you talked about kindness. How did you see kindness show up in your journey as a cadet at the Air Force Academy? Or did you? Mike Ott 7:58 Yeah, gosh, so I remember, started in June of 1981, OK, and still connected with many of the guys and women that with whom I went to basic training and all that. The first moment of kindness that I experienced that it was a mutual expression, but one where I recognized, “Wow, every one of us is new here. None of us has a real clue.” We might have some idea because we had somebody had a sibling or a mother that was in the military or father that went to the academy at the time, but none of us really knew, right? We were knuckleheads, right? Eighteen years old. Maybe there were a couple of prior-enlisted folks. I don't recall much of that, but I having gone to a public high school in Chicago, where we had a variety of different ethnicities. I learned how to just understand people for who they are, meet them for who they are, and respect every individual. That's how I was raised, and that's how I exhibited myself, I sought to conduct myself in high school. So I get to the Academy, and you're assigned, you know, the first couple three nights, the first few weeks before you go to Jacks Valley, you're assigned. It was all a alphabetical, and my roommate was an African American fellow named Kevin Nixon. All right, my God, Kevin Nixon, and this guy, he was built. I mean, he was rock solid, right? And he had that 1000-yard stare, right? Very intimidating. And I'm this, like, 6-foot-tall, 148-pound runner, like, holy dork, right? And I'm assigned — we're roommates, and he just had a very stoicism, or a stoic nature about him. And I remember, it was our second night at the Academy, maybe first night, I don't quite recall, and we're in bed, and it's an hour after lights out, and I hear him crying, and like, well, what do you do? Like, we're in this together. It was that moment, like we're both alone, but we're not right. He needs to know that he's not alone. So I walked around and went over his bed, and I said, “Hey, man, I miss my mom and dad too. Let's talk. And we both cried, right? And I'll tell you what, he and I were pals forever. It was really quite beautiful. And what didn't happen is he accepted my outreach, right? And he came from a very difficult environment, one where I'm certain there was far more racial strife than I had experienced in Chicago. He came from Norfolk, Virginia, and he came from — his father worked in the shipyards and really, really tough, tough, tough background. He deserved to be the Academy. He was a great guy, very bright, and so we became friends, and I tried to be kind. He accepted that kindness and reciprocated in ways where he created a pretty beautiful friendship. Naviere Walkewicz 7:48 Oh, my goodness. Thank you for sharing that story. And you got me in the feels a little bit, because I remember those nights, even you know me having family members that went through the Academy. There's just something about when you're in it yourself, and in that moment, it's raw.   Mike Ott 11:13 Raw is a good word. Naviere Walkewicz 11:15 Oh, thank you for that. So you're at the Academy and you end up doing 24 years. I don't mean to, like, mash all that into one sentence, but let's talk… Mike Ott 11:22 I didn't do very much. It was the same year repeated 24 times over. Like, not a very good learner, right? Not a very good learner. Naviere Walkewicz 11:30 Yeah, I was gonna ask, you know, in that journey, because, had you planned to do a career in the Air Force? Mike Ott 11:36 Well, I didn't know, right? I went in, eyes wide open, and my cumulative time in the Air Force is over 24 but it was only it was just shy of seven active duty, and then 22, 23, in the Reserves, right? I hadn't thought about the Reserves, but I had concluded, probably at the, oh, maybe three-year mark that I wanted to do other things. It had nothing to do with disdain, a sense of frustration or any indignation, having gone to the Academy, which I'm very, very proud of, and it meant an awful lot to who I am. But it was, “Wait, this is, this is my shot, and I'm going to go try other things.” I love ambiguity, I'm very curious. Have a growth mindset and have a perhaps paradoxical mix of being self-assured, but perhaps early on, a bit too, a bit too, what's the word I was thinking of? I wrote this down — a bit too measured, OK, in other words, risk taking. And there were a few instances where I realized, “Hey, man, dude, take some risk. What's the downside? And if it isn't you, who else?” So it was that mindset that helped me muscle through and determine that, coupled with the fact that the Air Force paid for me to go to graduate school, they had programs in Boston, and so I got an MBA, and I did that at night. I had a great commander who let me take classes during the day when I wasn't traveling. It was wonderful. It was there that I was exposed to elements of business and in financial services, which ultimately drew me into financial services when I separated from active duty. Naviere Walkewicz 13:17 Well, I love that, because first you talked about a commander that saw, “How can I help you be your best version of yourself?” And I think the other piece of financial service, because I had to dabble in that as well — the second word is service. And so you've never stopped serving in all the things that you've done. So you took that leap, that risk. Is that something that you felt developed while you're at the Academy, or it's just part of your ethos. Mike Ott 13:41 It developed. It matured. I learned how to apply it more meaningfully at the Academy after a couple, three moments, where I realized that I can talk a little bit about mentoring and then I can come back to that, but mentoring — I don't know, I don't recall having heard that term as a mechanism for helping someone develop. I'm sure we used it when I was a cadet at the Academy and out of the Academy, and having been gone through different programs and banking and different graduate programs, the term comes up an awful lot. You realize, wow, there's something there helping the next generation, but also the reciprocity of learning from that generation yourself. I didn't really understand the whole mentoring concept coming out of Chicago and getting here, and just thought things were very hierarchical, very, very command structure, and it was hit the standards or else. And that that's not a bad mindset, right? But it took me a little while to figure out that there's a goodness factor that comes with the values that we have at the Academy, and it's imbued in each one of you know, service excellence, all of those pieces. But for the most part, fellow cadets and airmen and women want to help others. I mean, it's in service. It's in our DNA. Man that blew right past me. I had no idea, and I remember at one point I was entering sophomore year, and I was asked to be a glider instructor. I'd done the soaring and jumping program over the summer, and like, “Hey, you know you're not too bad at glider. You want to be an instructor?” At the time, that was pretty big deal, yeah, glider instructors. Like, “Yeah, no, I'm not going to do that, you know? I've got to study. Like, look at my GPA.” That didn't really matter. “And I'm going to go up to Boulder and go chase women.” Like, I was going to meet women, right? So, like, but I didn't understand that, that that mechanism, that mentoring mechanism, isn't always bestowed upon a moment or a coupling of individuals. There are just good people out there that see goodness in others that want to help them through that. I had no clue, but that was a turning point for me.   Naviere Walkewicz 15:56 Because you said no.   Mike Ott 15:58 I said no, right? And it was like what, you know, a couple months later, I remember talking with somebody like, “Yep, swing and a miss,” right? But after that, it changed how I was going to apply this self-assuredness, not bravado, but willingness to try new things, but with a willingness to be less measured. Why not? Trust the system. Trust the environment that you're in, the environment that we're in, you were in, I was in, that we're representing right now, it is a trusted environment. I didn't know that. And there were a lot of environments when I was being raised, they weren't trusted environments. And so you have a sort of mental callous mindset in many ways, and that that vigilance, that sense of sentinel is a good protection piece, but it prevents, it prevents... It doesn't allow for the membrane to be permeated, right? And so that trust piece is a big deal. I broke through after that, and I figured it out, and it helped me, and it helped me connect a sense of self-assuredness to perhaps being less measured, more willing to take ambiguity. You can be self-assured but not have complete belief in yourself, OK? And it helped me believe in myself more. I still wish I'd have been glider instructor. What a knucklehead. My roommate wound up becoming one. Like, “You, son of a rat, you.”   Naviere Walkewicz 17:29 So tell me, when did the next opportunity come up where you said yes, and what did that look like in your journey? Mike Ott 17:36 I was a lieutenant. I was a lieutenant, and I was looking for a new role. I was stationed at Hanscom Field, and I was working at one program office, and I bumped — I was the athletic officer for the base with some other folks, and one of the colonels was running a different program, and he had gotten to know me and understand how I operated, what I did, and he said, “Hey, Ott, I want you to come over to my program.” And I didn't know what the program was, but I trusted him, and I did it blindly. I remember his name, Col. Holy Cross. And really good guy. And yeah, I got the tap on the shoulder. Didn't blink. Didn't blink. So that was just finishing up second lieutenant. Naviere Walkewicz 18:26 What a lesson. I mean, something that stuck with you as a cadet, and not that it manifested in regret, but you realized that you missed that opportunity to grow and experience and so when it came around again, what a different… So would you say that as you progress, then you know, because at this point you're a lieutenant, you know, you took on this new role, what did you learn about yourself? And then how did that translate to the decision to move from active duty to the Reserve and into… Mike Ott 18:56 You'll note what I didn't do when I left active duty was stay in the defense, acquisition, defense engineering space. I made a hard left turn…   Naviere Walkewicz 19:13 Intentionally.   Mike Ott 19:14 Intentionally. And went into financial services. And that is a hard left turn away from whether it's military DOD, military industrial complex, working for one of the primes, or something like that. And my mindset was, “If I'm not the guy in the military making the decision, setting strategy and policy…” Like I was an O-3. Like, what kind of policy am I setting? Right? But my point was, if I'm not going to, if I may, if I decided to not stay in the military, I wasn't going to do anything that was related to the military, right, like, “Let's go to green pastures. Set myself apart. Find ways to compete…” Not against other people. I don't think I need to beat the hell out of somebody. I just need to make myself better every day. And that's the competition that I just love, and I love it  it's greenfield unknown. And why not apply my skills in an area where they haven't been applied and I can learn? So as an active-duty person — to come back and answer your question — I had worked some great bosses, great bosses, and they would have career counseling discussions with me, and I was asked twice to go to SOS in-residence. I turned it down, you know, as I knew. And then the third time my boss came to me. He's like, “OK, what are you doing? Idiot. Like, what are you doing?” That was at Year 5. And I just said, “Hey, sir, I think I'm going to do something different.” Naviere Walkewicz 20:47 Didn't want to take the slot from somebody else.   Mike Ott 20:49 That's right. Right. And so then it was five months, six months later, where I put in my papers. I had to do a little more time because of the grad school thing, which is great. And his commander, this was a two-star that I knew as well, interviewed me and like, one final, like, “What are you doing?” He's like, “You could have gone so far in the Air Force.” And I looked at the general — he was a super-good dude. I said, “What makes you think I'm not going to do well outside of the Air Force?” And he smiled. He's like, “Go get it.” So we stayed in touch. Great guy. So it had nothing to do with lack of fulfillment or lack of satisfaction. It had more to do with newness, curiosity, a challenge in a different vein. Naviere Walkewicz 21:30 So let's walk into that vein. You entered into this green pasture. What was that experience like? Because you've just been in something so structured. And I mean, would you say it was just structured in a different way? Mike Ott 21:48 No, not structured. The industry… So, I separated, tried an engineering job for about eight months. Hated it. I was, I was development engineer at Ford Motor Company, great firm. Love the organization, bored stiff, right? Just not what I wanted to do, and that's where I just quit. Moved back to Chicago, where I'm from, and started networking and found a role with an investment bank, ABN AMRO, which is a large Dutch investment bank that had begun to establish itself in the United States. So their headquarters in Chicago and I talked fast enough where somebody took a bet on me and was brought into the investment banking arm where I was on the capital markets team and institutional equities. So think of capital markets, and think of taking companies public and distributing those shares to large institutions, pensions funds, mutual funds, family offices.   Naviere Walkewicz 22:48 So a lot of learning and excitement for you.   Mike Ott 22:51 Super fun. And so the industry is very structured. How capital is established, capital flows, very regulated. We've got the SEC, we've got the FDIC, a lot of complex regulations and compliance matters. That's very, very, very structured. But there was a free-wheelingness in the marketplace. And if you've seen Wolf of Wall Street and things like that, some of that stuff happened. Crazy! And I realized that with my attitude, sense of placing trust in people before I really knew them, figuring that, “OK, what's the downside? I get nipped in the fan once, once or twice. But if I can thrust trust on somebody and create a relationship where they're surprised that I've trusted them, it's probably going to build something reciprocal. So learn how to do that.” And as a young fellow on the desk, wound up being given more responsibility because I was able to apply some of the basic tenets of leadership that you learned and I learned at the Academy. And face it, many of the men and women that work on Wall Street or financial services simply haven't gone to the Academy. It's just, it's the nature of numbers — and don't have that experience. They have other experiences. They have great leadership experiences, but they don't have this. And you and I may take it for granted because we were just four years of just living through it. It oozed in every moment, every breath, every interaction, every dialog, it was there.But we didn't know it was being poured in, sprinkled across as being showered. We were being showered in it. But I learned how to apply that in the relationships that I built, knowing that the relationships that I built and the reputation that I built would be lasting and impactful and would be appropriate investments for the future endeavors, because there's always a future, right? So it wasn't… again, lot of compliance, lot of regulations, but just the personalities. You know, I did it for the challenge, right? I did it because I was curious. I did it because I wanted to see if I could succeed at it. There were other folks that did it simply because it was for the money. And many, some of them made it. They might have sold their soul to get there. Some didn't make it. Maybe it wasn't the right pursuit for them in the first place. And if I go back to mentoring, which we talked about a little bit, and I help young men and women, cadets or maybe even recent grads, my guidance to them is, don't chase the money, chase the environment, right? And chase the environment that allows you to find your flow and contribute to that environment. The money will come. But I saw it — I've seen it with grads. I've seen it with many of the folks that didn't make it in these roles in financial services, because I thought, “Hey, this is where the money is.” It might be. But you have to go back to the basis of all this. How are you complected? What are your values? Do they align with the environment that you're in? And can you flow in a way where your strengths are going to allow success to happen and not sell your soul? Naviere Walkewicz 26:26 Yeah, you said two things that really stood out to me in that —the first one was, you know, trusting, just starting from a place of trust and respect, because the opportunity to build a relationship faster, and also there's that potential for future something. And then the second thing is the environment and making sure it aligns with your values. Is that how you got to MOBE? Mike Ott 26:50 Yeah, I would say how I got to MOBE, that certainly was a factor. Good question.   Naviere Walkewicz 26:57 The environment, I feel, is very much aligned Mike Ott 27:00 Very much so and then… But there's an element of reputation and relationship that allowed me to get there. So now I'm lucky to be a part of this firm. We're 250 people. We will do $50 million of revenue. We're growing nicely. I've been in health care for four years. Now, we are we're more than just healthcare. I mean, it's deep data. We can get into some of that later, but I had this financial services background. I was drawn to MOBE, but I had established a set of relationships with people at different investment banks, with other families that had successfully built businesses and just had relationships. And I was asked to come on to the board because MOBE, at the time, great capabilities, but struggled with leadership during COVID. Lot of companies did. It's not an indictment as to the prior CEO, but he and the team struggled to get through COVID. So initially I was approached to come on to the board, and that was through the founders of the firm who had known me for 20 years and knew my reputation, because I'd done different things at the investment bank, I'd run businesses at US Bank, which is a large commercial bank within the country, and they needed someone that… They cared very little about health care experience, which is good for me, and it was more around a sense of leadership. They knew my values. They trusted me. So initially I was asked to come onto the board, and that evolved into, “No, let's just do a whole reset and bring you on as the CEO.” Well, let's go back to like, what makes me tick. I love ambiguity. I love a challenge. And this has been a bit of a turnaround in that great capabilities, but lost its way in COVID, because leadership lost its way. So there's a lot of resetting that needed to occur. Corpus of the firm, great technology, great capabilities, but business model adaptation, go to market mechanisms and, frankly, environment. Environment. But I was drawn to the environment because of the people that had founded the organization. The firm was incubated within a large pharmaceutical firm. This firm called Upsher-Smith, was a Minnesota firm, the largest private and generic pharmaceutical company in the country, and sold for an awful lot of money, had been built by this family, sold in 2017 and the assets that are MOBE, mostly data, claims, analysis capabilities stayed separate, and so they incubated that, had a little bit of a data sandbox, and then it matriculated to, “Hey, we've got a real business here.” But that family has a reputation, and the individuals that founded it, and then ultimately found MOBE have a reputation. So I was very comfortable with the ambiguity of maybe not knowing health care as much as the next guy or gal, but the environment I was going into was one where I knew this family and these investors lived to high ethical standards, and there's many stories as to how I know that, but I knew that, and that gave me a ton of comfort. And then it was, “We trust you make it happen. So I got lucky. Naviere Walkewicz 30:33 Well, you're, I think, just the way that you're wired and the fact that you come from a place of trust, obviously, you know, OK, I don't have the, you know, like the medical background, but there are a lot of experts here that I'm going to trust to bring that expertise to me. And I'm going to help create an environment that they can really thrive in. Mike Ott 30:47 I'm certain many of our fellow alum have been in this experience, had these experiences where a leader worth his or her salt should be comfortable not being the smartest gal or guy in the room. In fact, you should strive for that to be the case and have a sense of lack of hubris and proudly acknowledge what you don't know. But what I do know is how to set vision. What I do know is how to move people without authority. What I do know is how to resource. And that's what you do if you want to move a mission, whether it's in the military, small firm like us that's getting bigger, or, you know, a big organization. You can't know it all. Naviere Walkewicz 31:30 So something you just mentioned that I think a lot of our listeners would really like, would love a little bit to peel us back a little bit. You said, “I know how to set a vision. I know how to…” I think it was move…   Mike Ott 31:45 Move people without authority and prioritize.   Naviere Walkewicz 31:47 But can we talk a little bit about that? Because I think that is really a challenge that some of our you know younger leaders, or those early in their leadership roles struggle with. Maybe, can you talk a little bit about that? Mike Ott 32:01 For sure, I had some — again, I tried to do my best to apply all the moments I had at the Academy and the long list of just like, “What were you thinking?” But the kindness piece comes through and… Think as a civilian outside looking in. They look at the military. It's very, very, very structured, OK, but the best leaders the men and women for whom you and I have served underneath or supported, never once barked an order, OK? They expressed intent, right? And you and I and all the other men and women in uniform, if we were paying attention, right, sought to execute the mission and satisfaction of that intent and make our bosses' bosses' jobs easier. That's really simple. And many outsiders looking in, we get back to just leadership that are civilians. They think, “Oh my gosh, these men and women that are in the military, they just can't assimilate. They can't make it in the civilian world.” And they think, because we come from this very, very hierarchical organization, yes, it is very hierarchical — that's a command structure that's necessary for mission execution — but the human part, right? I think military men and women leaders are among the best leaders, because guess what? We're motivating men and women — maybe they get a pat on the back. You didn't get a ribbon, right? Nobody's getting a year-end bonus, nobody's getting a spot bonus, nobody's getting equity in the Air Force, and it's gonna go public, right? It's just not that. So the best men and women that I for whom I've worked with have been those that have been able to get me to buy in and move and step up, and want to demonstrate my skills in coordination with others, cross functionally in the organization to get stuff done. And I think if there's anything we can remind emerging graduates, you know, out of the Academy, is: Don't rely on rank ever. Don't rely on rank. I had a moment: I was a dorky second lieutenant engineer, and we were launching a new system. It was a joint system for Marines, Navy and Air Force, and I had to go from Boston to Langley quite often because it was a TAC-related system, Tactical Air Force-related system. And the I was the program manager, multi-million dollar program for an interesting radio concept. And we were putting it into F-15s, so in some ground-based situations. And there was this E-8, crusty E-8, smoked, Vietnam, all these things, and he was a comms dude, and one of the systems was glitching. It just wasn't working, right? And we were getting ready to take this thing over somewhere overseas. And he pulls alongside me, and it's rather insubordinate, but it was a test, right? He's looking at me, Academy guy, you know, second lieutenant. He was a master sergeant, and he's like, “Well, son, what are we going to do now?” In other words, like, “We're in a pickle. What are we going to do now?” But calling me son. Yeah, it's not appropriate, right? If I'd have been hierarchical and I'd relied on rank, I probably would have been justified to let him have it. Like, that's playing short ball, right? I just thought for a second, and I just put my arm around him. I said, “Gee, Dad, I was hoping you're gonna help me.” And mother rat, we figured it out, and after that, he was eating out of my hand. So it was a test, right? Don't be afraid to be tested but don't take the bait. Naviere Walkewicz 35:46 So many good just lessons in each of these examples. Can you share a time at MOBE when you've seen someone that has been on your team that has demonstrated that because of the environment you've created? Mike Ott 35:57 For sure. So I've been running the firm now for about three and a half years. Again, have adapted and enhanced our capabilities, changed the business model a bit, yet functioning in our approach to the marketplace remains the same. We help people get better, and we get paid based on the less spend they have in the system. Part of some of our principles at MOBE are pretty simple, like, eat, sleep, move, smile, all right. And then be thoughtful with your medication. We think that medicine is an aid, not a cure. Your body's self-healing and your mind controls your body.   Naviere Walkewicz 36:32 Eat, sleep, move, smile. Love that.   Mike Ott 36:35 So what's happening with MOBE, and what I've seen is the same is true with how I've altered our leadership team. I've got some amazing leaders — very, very, very accomplished. But there are some new leaders because others just didn't fit in. There wasn't the sense of communal trust that I expected. There was too much, know-it-all'ing going on, right? And I just won't have that. So the easiest way to diffuse that isn't about changing head count, but it's around exhibiting vulnerability in front of all these folks and saying, “Look, I don't know that, but my lead pharmacist here, my lead clinician here, helped me get through those things.” But I do have one leader right, who is our head of vice president of HR, a woman who grew up on a farm in southern Minnesota, who has come to myself and our president and shared that she feels liberated at MOBE because, though this firm is larger than one that she served as a director of HR, previously, she's never had to look — check her six, look right, look left and seek alignment to ensure she's harmonizing with people. Naviere Walkewicz 37:49 Can you imagine being in an environment like that? Mike Ott 38:51 It's terrible, it's toxic, and it's wrong. Leaders, within the organization, I think you're judged more by what you don't do and the actions that you don't take. You can establish trust, and you will fortify that trust when you share with the team as best you can, so long as it's nothing inappropriate, where you made a mistake, where we went wrong. What did we learn from that? Where are we going to pivot? How we're going to apply that learning to make it better, as opposed to finding blame, pointing the finger or not even acknowledging? That happens all the time, and that toxicity erodes. And regretfully, my VP of HR in prior roles experienced that, and I don't have time. Good teams shouldn't have time to rehearse the basic values of the firm. We don't have time the speed of business is like this [snaps]. So if I can build the team of men and women that trust one another, can stay in their lanes, but also recognize that they're responsible for helping run the business, and look over at the other lanes and help their fellow leaders make adjustments without the indictful comment or without sort of belittling or shaming. That's what good teams, do. You, and I did that in the Air Force, but it is not as common as you would think. Naviere Walkewicz 39:11 20 we've been talking about MOBE, and you know, the environment you're creating there, and just the way that you're working through innovation. Let's talk a little bit how you're involved with DIU, the Defense Innovation Unit. Mike Ott 39:21 Again, it's reputation in relationships. And it was probably 2010, I get a call from a fellow grad, '87 grad who was living in the Beltway, still in uniform. He was an O-5 I was an O-5. Just doing the Academy liaison work, helping good young men and women that wanted to go to the Academy get in. And that was super satisfying, thought that would be the end of my Reserve career and super fun. And this is right when the first Obama administration came in, and one of his edicts and his admin edicts was, we've got to find ways to embrace industry more, right? We can't rely on the primes, just the primes. So those were just some seeds, and along with a couple other grads, created what is now called Joint Reserve Directorate, which was spawned DIUX, which was DIU Experimental, is spawned from. So I was the owner for JRD, and DIUX as a reserve officer. And that's how we all made colonel is we were working for the chief technology officer of the Defense Department, the Hon. Zach Lemnios, wonderful fellow. Civilian, didn't have much military experience, but boy, the guy knew tech — semiconductors and areas like that. But this was the beginning of the United States recognizing that our R&D output, OK, in the aggregate, as a fund, as a percentage of GDP, whether it's coming out of the commercial marketplace or the military DoD complex, needs to be harnessed against the big fight that we have with China. We can see, you know, we've known about that for 30 years. So this is back 14 years ago. And the idea was, let's bring in men and women — there was a woman in our group too that started this area — and was like, “How do we create essential boundary span, boundary spanners, or dual-literacy people that are experiences in capital markets, finance, how capital is accumulated, innovation occurs, but then also how that applies into supporting the warfighter. So we were given a sandbox. We were given a blank slate.   Naviere Walkewicz 41:37 It's your happy place.   Mike Ott 41:38 Oh, super awesome. And began to build out relationships at Silicon Valley with commercial entities, and developed some concepts that are now being deployed with DIU and many other people came in and brought them all to life. But I was lucky enough after I retired from the Reserves as a colonel to be asked to come back as an adviser, because of that background and that experience, the genesis of the organization. So today I'm an unpaid SGE — special government employee — to help DIU look across a variety of different domains. And so I'm sure many of our listeners know it's key areas that we've got to harness the commercial marketplace. We know that if you go back into the '70s, ‘60s and ‘70s, and creation of the internet, GPS, precision munitions and all of that, the R&D dollars spent in the aggregate for the country, 95% came out of DOD is completely flip flopped today. Completely flipped. We happen to live in an open, free society. We hope to have capital markets and access a lot of that technology isn't burdened like it might be in China. And so that's the good and bad of this open society that we have. We've got to find ways. So we, the team does a lot of great work, and I just help them think about capital markets, money flows, threat finance. How you use financial markets to interdict, listen, see signals, but then also different technologies across cyberspace, autonomy, AI. Goodness gracious, I'm sure there's a few others. There's just so much. So I'm just an interloper that helps them think about that, and it's super fun that they think that I can be helpful. Naviere Walkewicz 43:29 Well, I think I was curious on how, because you love the ambiguity, and that's just something that fills your bucket — so while you're leading MOBE and you're creating something very stable, it sounds like DIU and being that kind of special employee, government employee, helps you to fill that need for your ambiguous side.   Mike Ott 43:48 You're right. You're right.   Naviere Walkewicz 43:49 Yeah, I thought that's really fascinating. Well, I think it's wonderful that you get to create that and you just said, the speed of business is this [snaps]. How do you find time in your life to balance what you also put your values around — your health — when you have such an important job and taking care of so many people? Mike Ott 44:06 I think we're all pretty disciplined at the Academy, right? I remain that way, and I'm very, very — I'm spring loaded to ‘no,' right? “Hey, do you want to go do this?” Yeah, I want to try do, I want to do a lot of things, but I'm spring loaded. So like, “Hey, you want to go out and stay, stay up late and have a drink?” “No,” right? “Do you want to do those things?” So I'm very, very regimented in that I get eight hours of sleep, right? And even somebody, even as a cadet, one of the nicknames my buddies gave me was Rip Van Ott, right? Because I'm like, “This is it.” I was a civil engineer. One of my roommates was an astro guy, and I think he pulled an all-nighter once a week.   Naviere Walkewicz 45:46 Oh, my goodness, yeah.   Mike Ott 45:50 Like, “Dude, what are you doing?” And it wasn't like he was straight As. I was clearly not straight As, but I'm like, “What are you doing? That's not helpful. Do the work ahead of time.” I think I maybe pulled three or four all-nighters my entire four years. Now, it's reflected in my GPA. I get that, but I finished the engineering degree. But sleep matters, right? And some things are just nonnegotiable, and that is, you know, exercise, sleep and be kind to yourself, right? Don't compare. If you're going to compare, compare yourself to yesterday, but don't look at somebody who is an F-15 pilot, and you're not. Like, I'm not. My roommate, my best man at my wedding, F-15 pilot, Test Pilot School, all these things, amazing, amazing, awesome, and super, really, really, happy and proud for him, but that's his mojo; that's his flow, right? If you're gonna do any comparison, compare yourself to the man or woman you were yesterday and “Am I better?”. Naviere Walkewicz 44:48 The power of “no” and having those nonnegotiables is really important. Mike Ott 45:53 Yeah, no, I'm not doing that. Naviere Walkewicz 45:56 I think sometimes we're wired for a “we can take on… we can take it on, we can take it on, we can take it on. We got this.” Mike Ott 46:03 For sure. Oh, my goodness. And I have that discussion with people on my team from time to time as well, and it's most often as it relates to an individual on the team that's struggling in his or her role, or whether it's by you know, if it's by omission and they're in the wrong role, that's one thing. If it's by commission, well, be a leader and execute and get that person out of there, right? That's wrong, but from time to time, it's by omission, and somebody is just not well placed. And I've seen managers, I can repatriate this person. I can get him or her there, and you have to stop for a second and tell that leader, “Yeah, I know you can. I'm certain that the only thing you were responsible for was to help that person fulfill the roles of the job that they're assigned. You could do it.” But guess what? You've got 90% of your team that needs care, nurturing and feeding. They're delivering in their function, neglect, there destroys careers, and it's going to destroy the business. So don't, don't get caught up in that. Yeah. Pack it on. Pack it on. Pack it on. You're right. When someone's in the crosshairs, I want to be in the crosshairs with you, Naviere, and Ted, and all the people that you and I affiliate with, but on the day-to-day, sustained basis, right to live, you know, to execute and be fulfilled, both in the mission, the work and stay fit, to fight and do it again. You can't. You can't. And a lot of a little bit of no goes a long way. Naviere Walkewicz 47:40 That is really good to hear. I think that's something that a lot of leaders really don't share. And I think that's really wonderful that you did. I'd like to take a little time and pivot into another area that you're heavily involved, philanthropy side. You know, you've been with the Falcon Foundation. Where did you find that intent inside of you? I mean, you always said the Academy's been part of you, but you found your way back in that space in other ways. Let's talk about that. Mike Ott 48:05 Sure. Thank you. I don't know. I felt that service is a part of me, right? And it is for all of us, whether you stay in the military or not. Part of my financial services jobs have been in wealth management. I was lucky enough to run that business for US Bank in one of my capacities, and here I am now in health care, health care of service. That aligns with wanting things to be better across any other angle. And the philanthropic, philanthropic side of things — I probably couldn't say that word when I was a cadet, but then, you know, I got out and we did different volunteer efforts. We were at Hanscom Field raising money for different organizations, and stayed with it, and always found ways to have fun with it. But recognized I couldn't… It was inefficient if I was going to be philanthropic around something that I didn't have a personal interest in. And as a senior executive at US Bank, we were all… It was tacit to the role you had roles in local foundations or community efforts. And I remember sitting down with my boss, the CFO of the bank, and then the CEO, and they'd asked me to go on to a board, and it had to do with a museum that I had no interest in, right? And I had a good enough relationship with these, with these guys, to say, “Look, I'm a good dude. I'm going to be helpful in supporting the bank. And if this is a have to, all right, I'll do it, but you got the wrong guy. Like, you want me to represent the bank passionately, you know, philanthropically, let me do this. And they're like, “OK, great.” So we pivoted, and I did other things. And the philanthropic piece of things is it's doing good. It's of service for people, entities, organizations, communities or moments that can use it. And I it's just very, very satisfying to me. So my wife and I are pretty involved that way, whether it's locally, with different organizations, lot of military support. The Academy, we're very fond of. It just kind of became a staple. Naviere Walkewicz 50:35 Did you find yourself also gravitating toward making better your community where you grew up? Mike Ott 50:41 Yeah, yeah, yeah. One of my dear friends that grew up in the same neighborhood, he wound up going to the Naval Academy, and so we're we've been friends for 50 years. Seventh grade.   Naviere Walkewicz 50:53 Same counselor? Mike Ott50:54 Yeah, no. Different counselor, different high school. His parents had a little bit of money, and they, he wound up going to a Catholic school nearby. But great guy, and so he and I, he runs a business that serves the VA in Chicago, and I'm on the board, and we do an awful lot of work. And one of the schools we support is a school on the south side, largely African American students and helping them with different STEM projects. It's not going to hit above the fold of a newspaper, but I could give a rat, doesn't matter to me, seeing a difference, seeing these young men and women. One of them, one of these boys, it's eye watering, but he just found out that he was picked for, he's applying to the Naval Academy, and he just found out that he got a nomination.   Naviere Walkewicz 51:44 Oh my goodness, I just got chills.   Mike Ott 51:46 And so, yeah, yeah, right, right. But it's wonderful. And his parents had no idea anything like that even existed. So that's one that it's not terribly formal, but boy, it looks great when you see the smile on that kid and the impact on that individual, but then the impact it leaves on the community, because it's clear opportunity for people to aspire because they know this young man or this young woman, “I can do that too.” Naviere Walkewicz 52:22 Wow. So he got his nomination, and so he would start technically making class of 2030?   Mike Ott 52:27 That's right. Naviere Walkewicz 52:28 Oh, how exciting. OK Well, that's a wonderful…   Mike Ott 52:27 I hope, I hope, yeah, he's a great kid. Naviere Walkewicz 52:33 Oh, that is wonderful. So you talk about, you know that spirit of giving — how have you seen, I guess, in your journey, because it hasn't been linear. We talked about how you know progression is not linear. How have you grown throughout these different experiences? Because you kind of go into a very ambiguous area, and you bring yourself, and you grow in it and you make it better. But how have you grown? What does that look like for you? Mike Ott 53:02 After having done it several times, right, i.e. entering the fray of an ambiguous environment business situation, I developed a better system and understanding of what do I really need to do out of the gates? And I've grown that way and learn to not be too decisive too soon. Decisiveness is a great gift. It's really, really it's important. It lacks. It lacks because there are too many people, less so in the military, that want to be known for having made… don't want to be known for having made a bad decision, so they don't take that risk. Right, right, right. And so that creates just sort of the static friction, and you've just got to have faith and so, but I've learned how to balance just exactly when to be decisive. And the other thing that I know about me is I am drawn to ambiguity. I am drawn… Very, very curious. Love to learn, try new things, have a range of interests and not very good at any one thing, but that range helps me in critical thinking. So I've learned to, depending on the situation, right, listen, listen, and then go. It isn't a formula. It's a flow, but it's not a formula. And instinct matters when to be decisive. Nature of the people with whom you're working, nature of the mission, evolution, phase of the organization or the unit that you're in. Now is the time, right? So balancing fostering decisiveness is something that that's worth a separate discussion. Naviere Walkewicz 54:59 Right. Wow. So all of these things that you've experienced and the growth that you've had personally — do you think about is this? Is this important to you at all, the idea of, what is your legacy, or is that not? Mike Ott 55:13 We talked a little bit about this beforehand, and I thought I've got to come up with something pithy, right? And I really, I really don't.   Naviere Walkewicz 55:18 Yeah, you don't.   Mike Ott 55:19 I don't think of myself as that. I'm very proud of who I am and what I've done in the reputation that I have built. I don't need my name up in lights. I know the life that I'm living and the life that I hope to live for a lot longer. My legacy is just my family, my children, the mark that I've left in the organizations that I have been a part of.   Naviere Walkewicz 55:58 And the communities that you've touched, like that gentleman going and getting his nomination. I'm sure.   Mike Ott 56:04 Yeah, I don't… having been a senior leader, and even at MOBE, I'm interviewed by different newspapers and all that. Like I do it because I'm in this role, and it's important for MOBE, but I'm not that full of myself, where I got to be up in lights. So I just want to be known as a man that was trustworthy, fun, tried to meet people where they are really had flaws, and sought to overcome them with the few strengths that he had, and moved everything forward. Naviere Walkewicz 56:33 Those are the kind of leaders that people will run through fire for. That's amazing. I think that's a wonderful I mean that in itself, it's like a living legacy you do every day. How can I be better than I was yesterday? And that in itself, is a bit of your living and that's really cool. Well, one of the things we like to ask is, “What is something you're doing every day to be better as a leader?” And you've covered a lot, so I mean, you could probably go back to one of those things, but is there something that you could share with our listeners that you do personally every day, to be better? Mike Ott 57:05 Exercise and read every day, every day, and except Fridays. Fridays I take… that's like, I'll stretch or just kind of go for a walk. But every day I make it a moment, you know, 45 minutes to an hour, something and better for my head, good for my body, right? That's the process in the hierarchy of way I think about it. And then read. Gen. Mattis. And I supported Gen. Mattis as a lieutenant colonel before I wanted to and stuff at the Pentagon. And he I supported him as an innovation guy for JFCOM, where he was the commander. And even back then, he was always talking about reading is leading none of us as military leaders… And I can't hold the candle to the guy, but I learned an awful lot, and I love his mindset, and that none of us can live a life long enough to take In all the leadership lessons necessary to help us drive impact. So you better be reading about it all the time. And so I read probably an hour every night, every day.   Naviere Walkewicz 58:14 What are you reading right now?   Mike Ott 58:15 Oh, man, I left it on the plane! I was so bummed. Naviere Walkewicz 58:17 Oh, that's the worst. You're going to have to get another copy. Mike Ott 58:22 Before I came here, I ordered it from Barnes & Noble so to me at my house when I get home. Love history and reading a book by this wonderful British author named Anne Reid. And it's, I forget the title exactly, but it's how the allies at the end of World War I sought to influence Russia and overcome the Bolsheviks. They were called the interventionalists, and it was an alliance of 15 different countries, including the U.S., Britain, France, U.K., Japan, Australia, India, trying to thwart, you know, the Bolshevik Revolution — trying to thwart its being cemented. Fascinating, fascinating. So that's what I was reading until I left it on the plane today. Naviere Walkewicz 59:07 How do you choose what to read? Mike Ott 59:10 Listen, write, love history. Love to read Air Force stuff too. Just talk to friends, right? You know, they've learned how to read like me. So we get to talk and have fun with that. Naviere Walkewicz 59:22 That's great. Yeah, that's wonderful. Well, the last question I'd like to ask you, before I want to make sure you have an opportunity to cover anything we didn't, is what is something you would share with others that they can do to become better leaders? Maybe they start doing it now, so in the future, they're even stronger as a leader. Mike Ott 59:42 Two things I would say, and try to have these exist in the same breath in the same moment, is have the courage to make it try and make it better every day, all right, and be kind to yourself, be forgiving. Naviere Walkewicz 59:59 That's really powerful. Can you share an example? And I know I that's we could just leave it there, but being courageous and then being kind to yourself, they're almost on two opposite sides. Have you had, can you share an example where I guess you've done that right? You had to be you were courageous and making something better, and maybe it didn't go that way, so you have to be kind to yourself. Mike Ott 1:00:23 Yeah, happy to and I think any cadet will hear this story and go like, “Huh, wow, that's interesting.” And it also plays with the arc of progress isn't linear. I graduated in '85 went to flight school, got halfway through flight school, and there was a RIF, reduction in force. And our class, our flight class, I was flying jets, I was soloing. I was academically — super easy, flying average, right? You know, I like to joke that I've got the fine motor skills of a ham sandwich, right? You know, but, but I didn't finish flight school. And you think about this, here it is. I started in 1981 there were still vestiges of Vietnam. Everyone's going to be a fighter pilot. Kill, kill, kill. Blood makes the grass grow. All of that was there. And I remember when this happened, it was very frustrating for me. It was mostly the major root of frustration wasn't that I wasn't finishing flight school. It was the nature by which the determination that I wasn't finishing was made. And it was, it was a financial decision. We had too many guys and gals, and they were just finding, you know, average folks and then kicking them out. So our class graduated a lower percent than, I think, in that era, it was late '85, '86, maybe '87, but you can look at outflows, and it was interesting, they were making budget cuts. So there was a shaming part there, having gone to the Academy.   Naviere Walkewicz 1:02:02 And knowing since 9 years old. Mike Ott 1:20:04 Right, right, right, and I knew I wanted to go the Academy. I'd like to fly, let's check it out and see if it's for me. I would much rather have been not for me, had I made the decision I don't want to do this or that I was just unsafe and didn't want to do it. The way it turned out is, and this is where I learned a little bit about politics as well. In my class, again, I was very average. Like, nobody's ever going to say, like, yeah, I was going to go fly the Space Shuttle. Like, no way, right? Very, very average, but doing just fine. And a lot of guys and gals wanted to go be navigators, and that's great. I looked in the regs, and I learned this as a cadet, and it's helped me in business, too. If there's a rule, there's a waiver. Like, let me understand the regs, and I asked to go to a board. Instead of just submitting a letter to appeal, I asked to go to a board. And so I went to a board of an O-5 five, couple of threes O-4 four, and ultimately shared the essence of why I shouldn't be terminated in the program. And son of a gun, they agreed, and I still have the letter. The letter says, “Recommend Lt. Ott for reinstatement.” Nobody in my class has that letter, nobody makes the appeal. And I'm like, I'm going downstream. I'm going downstream. And that's the Chicago in me, and that's the piece about… but also move forward, but forgive yourself, and I'll get to that. And so I, I was thrilled, My goodness, and the argument I had is, like, look, you're just not keeping me current. You put me in the sim, and then you're waiting too long to put me in the jet. The regs don't allow for that. And like, you're right. So I'm assigned to go back to the jet. My pals are thrilled. I'm going to stay in the same class. I don't have to wash back. And then I get a call from the DO's office — director of operations — and it was from some civilian person so the DO overrode the board's decision. Heartbreaking. Heartbreaking.   Naviere Walkewicz 1:04:12 You were so high, you did all of your work. And then… Mike Ott 1:04:15 Yeah, and then heartbreaking and frustrating, and I guess the word is indignant: anger aroused through frustration. In that I figured it out. I knew exactly what's happening. I made the appeal and I won. And it wasn't I was expecting to be assigned to fly a fighter. It was like, “Just let me, let me express the merits of my capabilities. It's how the system is designed.” The son of a gun, I jumped in my car and I ran to base and I waited and reported in. He didn't really know who I was. That's because he didn't make a decision. It was just it was that decision, and that's how life comes at you. That's just how it is. It isn't linear. So how do you take that and then say, “Well, I'm going to be kind to myself and make something out of it.” And he went through, you know, a dissertation as to why, and I asked him if I could share my views, and it's pretty candid, and I just said, If my dad were something other than the Chicago policeman, and maybe if he was a senator or general officer, I wouldn't be sitting here. That lit him up, right? That lit him up. But I had to state my views. So I knew I was out of the program. Very, very frustrating. Could have had the mayor of Chicago call. Didn't do that, right? Like, OK, I understand where this is it. That was very frustrating and somewhat shaming. But where the forgiveness comes in and be kind to yourself, is that I ran into ground. I ran into ground and drove an outcome where I still… It's a moment of integrity. I drove an outcome like, there you go. But then what do you do? Forgive yourself, right? Because you didn't do anything wrong, OK? And you pivot. And I turned that into a moment where I started cold calling instructors at the Academy. Because, hey, now I owe the Air Force five years, Air Force is looking for, you know, things that I don't want to do. And thank goodness I had an engineering degree, and I cold called a guy at a base in Hanscom. And this is another tap on the shoulder.   Naviere Walkewicz 1:06:24 That's how you got to Hanscom. Gotcha.   Mike Ott 1:06:27 There was a friend who was Class of '83, a woman who was in my squadron, who was there. Great egg. And she's like, “Hey, I was at the O Club.” Called her. I said, “Hey, help me out. I got this engineering degree. I want to go to one of these bases. Called Lt. Col. Davis, right? I met him at the O Club. I called a guy, and he's like, “Yeah, let's do this.”   Naviere Walkewicz 1:06:44 Wow, I love that..   Mike Ott 1:06:46 It was fantastic So it's a long winded way, but progress isn't linear. And progressing through that and not being a victim, right, recognizing the conditions and the environment that I could control and those that I can't. Anything that I could control, I took advantage of and I sought to influence as best possible. Ran into ground and I feel great about it, and it turns out to be a testament of one of my best successes. Naviere Walkewicz 1:07:17 Wow. Thank you for sharing

The I Love CVille Show headlines: Election Day Today In CVille, AlbCo, Central VA Upside/Downside: RT29 Holiday Inn Converting To 191 Apts Fake Threat Terrifies UVA Into 2 Hour Lockdown Youngkin Praises UVA-DOJ Agreement As Fair Deal 303 Alderman Rd Now Pending (Brownstones Location) Vision BBQ Struggling With Doubled Cost Of Beef Ryan Odom Gets 1st Win, Chance Mallory Shines Wake Forest (5-3) at UVA (-6.5), 7 PM, SAT, ESPN If You Need CVille Office Space, Contact Jerry Miller The I Love CVille Show airs live Monday – Friday from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm on The I Love CVille Network. Watch and listen to The I Love CVille Show on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, iTunes, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Spotify, Fountain, Amazon Music, Audible, Rumble and iLoveCVille.com.

Floppy Days 156 - Interview with Paul Schindler, Computer Chronicles Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FloppyDays Sponsors: 8-Bit Classics Arcade Shopper and https://thekeep.net FutureVision Research Tuc's Workbench Hello, and welcome to episode 156 of the Floppy Days Podcast for October, 2025. I'm Randy Kindig, your host for this "retro"spective covering vintage computers of the late 70's through the 80's and the people who were on the forefront of that incredible revolution. This month, I'm bringing you another interview episode with a tech media personality that was involved with the Computer Chronicles TV show (among many other things): Mr. Paul Schindler. Paul has a big personality and has a lot of great stories about Computer Chronicles and about the tech industry in general in those days. I really enjoyed talking with Paul and he made me laugh a lot! As you know, if you're a regular listener, I was able to interview Stewart Cheifet some ago about Computer Chronicles. Computer Chronicles was a great way to get information about computers in those early days and I've always wanted to do some follow-up. Thanks to S.M. Oliva, who is mentioned in the resulting interview, and who runs a blog called "Computer Chronicles Revisited", I was able to get in contact with Paul. Next up for Floppy Days will be a series of podcasts on the KayPro line of computers, for which I was able to line up an interview with a key figure from that company and was also able to find someone who knows a lot about the computer line to help me discuss the technical topics. Stay tuned for that series. As usual, I will begin this podcast going through new acquisitions and what I've been up to, upcoming vintage computer shows and more. Video version of the episode at YouTube: New Acquisitions/What I've Been Up To Tandy Assembly - https://www.tandyassembly.com TRS-80 LED sign - https://techdungeon.xyz TS2068 mailing list - https://ts2068.groups.io/g/main/topics Compute!'s Gazette - https://www.computesgazette.com Atari Tricky Tutorial #7 Disk Utilities by Jerry White - https://www.atarimania.com/documents/Tricky-Tutorial-7-Disk-Utilities.pdf TenoxVGA for Atari TT - https://www.legacypixels.com Call-A.P.P.L.E. - https://www.callapple.org/ News Compute's Gazette article from the October, 2025 issue about Floppy Days written by Brian Cox of FutureVision Research - https://shop.computesgazette.com/product/computes-gazette-issue-4-digital-edition-october-2025/ Upcoming Shows Ami West - November 1-2, Sacramento, CA - https://www.amiwest.net Atari Party 2025 - Nov. 22, 2025 (noon to 4) - Quakertown, PA Train Station - http://atariparty.org/ World of Commodore 2025 - December 6-7 - Admiral Inn, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada - https://www.tpug.ca/world-of-commodore/world-of-commodore-2025/ Vintage Computer Festival Montreal - Jan. 24-25, 2026 - Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC - https://vcfed.org/vcf-montreal/ Tandy Retro Show 2026 - Jan. 24-25 - virtual - tandyretroshow.com Vintage Electronics Expo - Jan. 31, 2026 - Oakland Expo Center, Waterford, MI - https://www.thevee.org/ Vintage Computer Festival SoCal - February 14-15, 2026 - Hotel Fera Events Center, Orange, CA - vcfsocal.com Indy Classic Computer and Video Game Expo - March 20-22 - Wyndham Indianapolis Airport Hotel, Indianapolis, IN - https://indyclassic.org/ VCF East - April 17-19 2026 - InfoAge Science and History Museums, Wall, NJ - https://vcfed.org/events/vintage-computer-festival-east/ Midwest Gaming Classic - April 24-26 - Baird Center, Milwaukee, WI - https://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/ The Annual "Last" Chicago CoCoFEST! - April 24-25, 2026 - Holiday Inn & Suites Chicago-Carol Stream (Wheaton), Carol Stream, Illinois - https://www.glensideccc.com/cocofest/ Schedule Published on Floppy Days Website - https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSeLsg4hf5KZKtpxwUQgacCIsqeIdQeZniq3yE881wOCCYskpLVs5OO1PZLqRRF2t5fUUiaKByqQrgA/pub Interview Paul's general Website - https://www.schindler.org Paul Website about the Computer Chronicles - http://compchron.com/ S.M. Oliva's Computer Chronicles Revisited Paul's long-running blog Paul's podcast, PS A Podcast on Things Paul recounts some tales from his Chronicles days Paul's YouTube channel Computer Chronicles at archive.org Computer Chronicles episodes on YouTube

Send us a textWe sit down inside the hidden speakeasy at the Trail Hotel in Bardstown to taste the house bourbon and rye, tour the amenities, and map out Kentucky Bourbon Festival's President's Club experiences. Heritage, hospitality, and smart design turn a former Holiday Inn into a bourbon lover's basecamp.• location across from Preservation and minutes from Heaven Hill• boutique flip with private patios and enclosed courtyards• oxygen bar, cryotherapy, sauna and IV therapy for recovery• Trail Hotel Bourbon by Green River, 103 proof, 6 years, wheated• flavor notes of honey, dried fruit, light tobacco and grape seed• Trail Hotel Rye 95/5 at 103 proof with pear and apricot• speakeasy access by invite with vintage spirits library• President's Club tastings and releases during KBF• local bars and bottle shops offering try-before-you-buy• Bardstown history from Jesse James to Lincoln's rootswww.scotchybourbonboys.com for all things Scotchy Bourbon Boys. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X, also on Apple, iHeart, and Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts or watch, make sure that you like and subscribe and leave us the feedback. Remember good bourbon equals good times with good friends. Make sure you drink responsibly. Don't drink and drive. Live your life uncut and unfiltered.Slip behind a painting into Bardstown's hidden speakeasy and meet the team behind the Trail Hotel, a boutique stay built for bourbon lovers. We sit with the beverage director Mal Ramos to trace how a dusty Holiday Inn became a destination: the lobby flipped into a vibrant dining hall, a kitchen relocated to power service across every public space, and safety-first courtyards that feel private, quiet, and secure. Just outside the door, Preservation Distillery sits across the street, with Heaven Hill, Maker's Mark, and Jim Beam all within easy reach—giving you a launchpad for the entire Kentucky Bourbon Trail.We pour the hotel's own labels and dig into the details. First up: Trail Hotel Bourbon, a six-year Green River wheated small batch at 103 proof, showing honey, dried fruit, light tobacco, and that satisfying grape-seed grip. Then we explore the house rye, a 95/5 Bardstown Bourbon Company distillate at the same proof, leaning into pear, passion fruit, and a gentle Kentucky hug. From there, the conversation turns to cocktails—why a honey old fashioned with black walnut bitters sings with the bourbon, how a gold rush bridges classic and modern, and what a curated vintage backbar can teach your palate about time and terroir.Festival week amplifies everything. The Kentucky Bourbon Festival's President's Club experience brings private tastings, unreleased barrels, small-batch drops, and brand activations poolside. The Trail Hotel opens its speakeasy for VIPs and invites curious listeners to earn an entry by asking for the beverage director or bourbon steward at dinner. Beyond the glass, we wander Bardstown's deeper story—Jesse James lore, Civil War echoes, Lincoln's birthplace a short drive away—and show how heritage fuels today's hospitality.If you love bourbon, travel, and the art of a well-made cocktail, this is your roadmap to Bardstown's most immersive stay. Hit follow, share with a friend planning a trail trip, and leave a quick review to tell us which pour you'd try first.If You Have Gohsts voice over Whiskey Thief Add for SOFLSupport the showhttps://www.scotchybourbonboys.com The Scotchy bourbon Boys are #3 in Feedspots Top 60 whiskey podcasts in the world https://podcast.feedspot.com/whiskey_podcasts/

Before he became the “Night Stalker,” Richard Ramirez was already showing signs of the evil that would define his name.While working at a Holiday Inn, he used a master key to sneak into guests' rooms and was caught attempting to assault a woman before her husband intervened. That early crime was ignored, but it revealed what was coming.In 1984, Ramirez began his first known murder, killing 79-year-old Jennie Vincow in her own home. Over the next year, he unleashed a reign of terror across Los Angeles and San Francisco, breaking into homes at night, attacking strangers, and leaving communities frozen in fear.By 1985, his recklessness left behind evidence that helped police close in. When his face hit the news, it was the public that finally caught him. Convicted of 13 murders and dozens of other crimes, Richard Ramirez became one of America's most feared serial killers.Follow True Crime Recaps all Halloween week for dark and haunting stories that still keep investigators up at night.

There’s a term in psychology that also applies to marketing. It’s called “The Halo Effect.” It refers to how we can make sometimes incorrect assumptions based on a collection of pieces of information. For a business case study let’s take a look at a lighting company that was founded in the UK in 2015, called Tala. Tala designs and sells lighting fixtures that are elegant, environmentally friendly, focused on sustainability - they’re able to be repaired, and if they have to be discarded they’re recyclable – and they’ve been featured in Architectural Digest. The company has an international reach, is widely admired, and is financially successful. The Halo Effect would have us believe their lighting fixtures must be exclusive and expensive, and the company must have its eye firmly on profit. Well, the truth is somewhat different. Tala is what’s called a B-Corp – it’s a registration given to companies that focus on using business as a force for good, striving for inclusive, equitable, and sustainable economic practices. And Tala’s lighting fixtures are inexpensive – you can find them online at Wayfair. And, to complete the expect-the-unexpected list of circumstances at Tala, the Chairman of the Board of this innovative and progressive company is New Orleanian, Anthony Robins. We can make incorrect Halo Effect type generalizations about other businesses too. For example, when we hear “Wedding Reception Venue” we typically picture a high-school-gym kind of vibe, with a stage for a band or DJ. When we hear “Hotel,” we expect it to be something between a Holiday Inn and the Ritz Carlton – the only difference being the amenities and the cost. A local company called Workshop WDXL (pronounced in speech, "W.D 40") is challenging all of these assumptions. The W.D. part of the name is the initials of the team’s principals, Jessica Walker and David Demsey, and XL is forty is in Roman numerals. Some of the Halo-Effect-busting, non-traditional, New Orleans businesses Workshop WD 40 have created are, the wedding venue, Felicity Church, and the hotels and villas, The Syd and The Mitzie. All of these projects have won prestigious architecture and design awards. When we talk about the environmental impact of human activities, we’re generally talking about burning fossil fuel, the use of plastics, pollution from factories and farms, and even the use of AC systems and aerosols. The one thing that does not seem to show up on these lists is lighting. And yet, every single home on Earth that has electricity has multiple light fixtures and lightbulbs. And we know that inefficient bulbs burn more fossil fuels, light pollution reshapes ecosystems, and discarded light fixtures add to the world’s growing mountain of e-waste. One of the core values of Tala is to address these issues - and to package the solutions as elegant, attractive, and affordable light fixtures. Most architects dream about designing cool, quirky, inventive buildings. Most commercial property developers are focused on budgets – bringing projects in on time and as cheaply as possible. Most real estate developers are looking for bells and whistles that will pitch a property as high up the price range as a market will bear. These three goals are often at odds with each other but Workshop WDXL, is juggling all 3 of these balls. Out to Lunch was recorded live over lunch at Columns in Uptown New Orleans. You can find photos from this show by Blake Langlinais at itsneworleans.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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In this episode of The Distribution, host Brandon Sedloff sits down with Carlos Rodriguez Jr., president and COO of Driftwood Capital, to discuss the evolution of one of the most vertically integrated hospitality investment platforms in the U.S. Carlos shares his family's multigenerational journey from Costa Rica's first Holiday Inn to today's expansive network of hotels and funds, highlighting Driftwood's strategic shift from private capital syndication to institutional-scale investing. He explains how data, technology, and an operationally driven mindset have become key differentiators in hospitality investing, and how Driftwood's GP fund model and lending platform have positioned the company for long-term growth in an evolving market. They discuss: The origin and structure of Driftwood's GP fund and its role in scaling the business How operational data informs investment decisions across acquisitions, lending, and development The role of AI and Project Domino in transforming Driftwood's efficiency and decision-making Carlos's approach to leading organizational change and building team-wide adoption of new technology Why private credit presents a unique opportunity in today's hospitality landscape Links: Driftwood Capital - https://driftwoodcapital.com/ Carlos on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlos-rodriguez-jr-210a4521/ Brandon on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsedloff/ Juniper Square - https://www.junipersquare.com/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:01) - Carlos' career and background (00:05:56) - Scaling Driftwood Capital (00:14:09) - Operational philosophy and strategies (00:19:31) - Leveraging technology and AI in hospitality (00:24:18) - Capital side challenges and data connectivity (00:26:14) - Importance of data organization (00:28:15) - Technology journey and team formation (00:30:26) - AI integration and employee adaptation (00:35:24) - AI's impact on the hospitality industry (00:38:59) - Investment opportunities in hospitality (00:43:26) - Private credit in hospitality (00:45:38) - Conclusion and contact information

Holiday Inn might have the most genius way to wake you up! Join Intern John, Sos, and Rose as we break down the hotel chain's new alarm clock to wake guests up and more!Make sure to also keep up to date with ALL of our podcasts we do below that have new episodes every week: The Thought Shower Let's Get Weird Crisis on Infinite Podcasts

10-02-25 - BR - THU - Holiday Inn Testing New Scent Alarm Clocks - 22yo Man Enrolls In Minn HS As A 17yo But Brady Got Story Wrong - Annual Drive Thru Efficiency StudySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

10-02-25 - BR - THU - Holiday Inn Testing New Scent Alarm Clocks - 22yo Man Enrolls In Minn HS As A 17yo But Brady Got Story Wrong - Annual Drive Thru Efficiency StudySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We discuss the latest Keith Urban & Nicole Kidman divorce drama and about Morgan Wallen's newly released arrest video. Plus, Holiday Inn has a new type of alarm clock Dallas wants that features a scent. Then, things get heated when people talk about who owes them money. We also discuss baby myths, if witching sticks actually work and MORE! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss the latest Keith Urban & Nicole Kidman divorce drama and about Morgan Wallen's newly released arrest video. Plus, Holiday Inn has a new type of alarm clock Dallas wants that features a scent. Then, things get heated when people talk about who owes them money. We also discuss baby myths, if witching sticks actually work and MORE! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Railroad Hour 48-12-20 (012) Holiday Inn

What do a high school jock turned Danny Zuko, a lung-collapse survivor in the middle of the 2008 crash, and a bourbon-country hotelier have in common? Will Hardy. In this episode, Zach sits down with Will — a creative entrepreneur, real estate maverick, and placemaker behind The Trail Hotel in Bardstown, Kentucky — to unpack a life defined by bold pivots, relentless grit, and audacious vision. From sneaking into a high school audition that would change his trajectory, to flipping 800+ homes, to nearly losing it all during the housing collapse, Will's story is a masterclass in resilience and reinvention. You'll hear how desperation sharpened his creativity, how a hustler's spirit turned $100 into a flipping empire, and how faith, grit, and a little bourbon fueled his latest masterpiece: a $30M boutique hotel on the Bourbon Trail that's redefining Kentucky hospitality. But this isn't just a story about bricks, bourbon, and business. It's about a man who refused to be boxed in — who chased acting gigs in LA, launched a film production company, produced a feature on Milton Hershey, and still found the courage to start over (multiple times) with his wife and kids by his side. If you've ever wondered what it takes to chase audacious dreams, survive catastrophic setbacks, and build something truly lasting — this conversation will light a fire under you.Expect stories of mimosa-fueled negotiations, clown costumes that saved real estate deals, and the kind of visionary thinking that transforms abandoned Holiday Inns into Napa Valley–level destinations for bourbon lovers.   Explore The Trail Hotel: https://www.thetrailhotel.com Follow The Trail Hotel: https://www.instagram.com/thetrailhotel   Behind the Stays is brought to you by Journey — a first-of-its-kind loyalty program that brings together an alliance of the world's top independently owned and operated stays and allows travelers to earn points and perks on boutique hotels, vacation rentals, treehouses, ski chalets, glamping experiences and so much more. Your host is Zach Busekrus, Head of the Journey Alliance. If you are a hospitality entrepreneur who has a stay, or a collection of stays with soul, we'd love for you to apply to join our Alliance at journey.com/alliance.

Ever stared at a toothpaste tube and wondered if it could take you higher? In episode 18 of Rabbit Hole, Billy Merritt and the BIT Comedy players tumble from dental conspiracies and Norwegian stop-motion cartoons to hoarding hotel soaps, prank-calling Captain Crunch, and even a pirate gang in juvie. Along the way, fluoride turns into Flo Rida, the Soggies declare war, and toothpaste becomes the most questionable substance at the Cannabis Cup. It's improv chaos at its finest: absurd connections, quick character swaps, and the kind of storytelling detours only this ensemble could conjure. From corporate “green peas” to Plato's cave, with a bit of toothpaste smoke in the air, this Rabbit Hole has it all.

Episode 302: Ruth Bowdish of On Demand Occupational Medicine and Dave Constantino joined us to chat about the 2025 NE Ohio Safety Expo! This event will take place on Thursday, September 25, 2025, 9am-4pm, at the Holiday Inn in Boardman, OH. Now available on your favorite podcast app! For more info on the 2025 NE Ohio Safety Epo, visit the website at: https://ondemandoccupationalmedicine.com/neo-ohio-safety-expo/ For more information about the PCSC, visit their website at:  https://portagecountysafetycouncil.com/

It's official: the closing for the purchase of the former Holiday Inn in downtown Bridgeport happened this week. The former hotel is set to be converted to housing, some of which will be affordable for Bridgeport residents. Connecticut Housing Partners was a key role in making this happen. Renee Dobos, President of CHP, explains the deal with help from the Connecticut Department of Housing. For more information: https://cthousingpartners.org/v Image Credit: Getty Images

Thema heute:   Rock & Rolls-Royce Phantom - Marlene Dietrich, Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Keith Moon und viele andere liebten ihn.  Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé  - Photo: Auto-Medienportal.Net/Rolls-Royce  2025 feiert der Rolls-Royce Phantom sein hundertjähriges Bestehen. Und unter allen Modellen der britischen Luxusmarke ist das Flaggschiff untrennbar mit einigen der größten und außergewöhnlichen Namen der Musik- und Popkultur verbunden. Auto-Medienportal, die Online-Nachrichtenagentur mit umfassendem Überblick über die Automobilszene, erinnert daran. Marlene Dietrich und ihr Gastgeschenk von den Paramount Studios ein 1930er Rolls-Royce Phantom 1 - Photo: Autoren-Union Mobilität/ PictureLux/The Hollywood Archive Schon die frühen Medien-Ikonen wussten den Phantom für sich zu beanspruchen. Marlene Dietrich war bereits ein Star, als sie 1930 in Hollywood zu Dreharbeiten des Films „Marokko“ ankam. Im Paramount-Studio wurde sie mit Blumen beschenkt – und einem grünen Phantom I. Das Auto schaffte es prompt auf Leinwand und Werbetafeln. Ein Reporter der Los Angeles Times schrieb damals: „Man könnte meinen, Paramount habe einen Rolls-Royce engagiert, um der deutschen Diva die Ehre zu erweisen.“ Elvis Presleys Rolls-Royce Phantom V von 1963. Photo: Rolls-Royce via Autoren-Union Mobilität Auch Elvis Presley trug sich ins Geschichtsbuch des Phantom ein. 1963 bestellte der „King“ einen Phantom V in Mitternachtsblau. Das Interieur? Ein Mikrophon, ein Notizblock in der Armlehne, Spiegel und Kleiderbürste – angeblich damit er jederzeit bereit war für einen Auftritt. Doch auch die Hühner seiner Mutter fanden Gefallen am spiegelglatten Lack und pickten so hartnäckig darauf herum, dass er die Karosserie in hellblau neu lackieren musste.   John Lennons Rolls-Royce Phantom V. Photo: Rolls-Royce via Autoren-Union Mobilität John Lennon wiederum trieb die Verbindung von Popkultur und Phantom auf die Spitze. Zunächst hatte er sich ein schwarzes Exemplar mit Kühlschrank, Cocktailbar und Fernseher gegönnt – fast schon britisch zurückhaltend. 1967, kurz vor Erscheinen des „Sgt. Pepper's“-Albums, ließ er den Wagen in psychedelischen Farben bemalen, mit Ornamenten, astrologischen Symbolen und blumigen Fantasien – ein rollendes Symbol des „Summer of Love“. Jahre später erzielte der Wagen auf einer Auktion den Rekordpreis von 2,3 Millionen Dollar – und wurde damit selbst zur wertvollsten Rock'n'Roll-Ikone auf Rädern.   Rolls-Royce versenkt anlässlich des Jubiläums eine ausgediente Phantom-Karosserie im Tinside Lido in Plymouth.  Photo: Rolls-Royce via Autoren-Union Mobilität Und dann ist da noch die Legende, die nie ganz verschwindet: Keith Moon, der exzessive Schlagzeuger von The Who, soll an seinem 21. Geburtstag einen Rolls-Royce in den Pool des Holiday Inn in Flint, Michigan, gesteuert haben. Ob es wirklich ein Phantom war, ob überhaupt ein Wagen im Wasser landete, bleibt unklar. Moon selbst sagte Jahre später in einem Interview: „Es war gar kein Rolls. Ich habe nur die Handbremse von einem Lincoln gelöst.“ Zum Jubiläum inszenierte Rolls-Royce das Bild noch einmal: Ein ausgedienter Prototyp wurde ins Wasser des Tinside Lido bei Plymouth abgelassen – dort, wo auch die Beatles einst für ihre „Magical Mystery Tour“ posierten.  (aum)   Fotos: Siehe Bildunterschrift   Diesen Beitrag können Sie nachhören oder downloaden unter:

Want more MTM Vegas? Check out our Patreon for access to our exclusive weekly aftershow! patreon.com/mtmvegas Want to work with us? Reach out! inquiries at mtmvegas dot com Episode Description This week the day we have all been waiting for arrived. Quad zero roulette has made its way to the Las Vegas Strip. While a lot of people don't pay attention to the odds, this isn't good. Find out how it is being implemented, the "bonus" aspect and why you should avoid this new game with the equivalent of four zeros. In other news the newest Vegas casino Cadence Crossing is progressing fast. We show you what it looks like right now. We also discuss: the $49 AYCE brunch "deal" at STK, the Holiday Inns of Vegas, Fitzgerald's circa 1993, having a rough Vegas night and where you can buy the amazing statues of Mirage. Episode Guide 0:00 What the hell happened at 4am? 0:50 Rough first day working on the Strip 2:23 Swimming in the Venetian canals 4:02 $49 AYCE brunch at STK - Is this a deal? 5:48 The best states to live in - Nevada is ranked where? 7:16 Bazaar Meat's interesting auction 8:42 How to buy Mirage's art work including the famous statues 10:55 Cadence Crossing construction update - Newest Vegas casino 12:10 The Holiday Inns of Las Vegas 13:16 A look at Fitzgeralds circa 2003 14:07 Rio closes financing for renovations 15:44 0000 roulette arrives on the Strip 17:10 How 0000 odds compare to previous versions of roulette Each week tens of thousands of people tune into our MtM Vegas news shows at http://www.YouTube.com/milestomemories. We do two news shows weekly on YouTube with this being the audio version. Never miss out on the latest happenings in and around Las Vegas! Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at podcast@milestomemories.com.  You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or by searching "MtM Vegas" or "Miles to Memories" in your favorite podcast app. Don't forget to check out our travel/miles/points podcast as well!

AMERICA'S MAYOR, LONG ISLAND'S NUKE ESCAPE, &   JOURNALISTIC NITTY-GRITTY FROM UKRAINE     Our esteemed Laureate MIMI GERMAN opens proceedings with another of her great poems.   We follow with the high-road low-down from America's Mayor, HEIDI LAMPERT, of Waldport, Oregon's raging no-MAGA battlefield.   We are reminded that while in Alaska, DONALD TRUMP was told by VLADIMIR PUTIN to get rid of mailed-in ballots—& thus democracy---which Trump immediately began to demand.   Lifetime activist DIANE CAMERON celebrates a 10:1 victory over Maryland's Highway From Hell in a monumental triumph from the hard-core grassroots.   From Long Island the legendary KARL GROSSMAN tells us how safe energy activists defeated up to ten insane atomic reactors, a victory for the ages.   Co-convenor MYLA RESON reminds us that NY politician Andrew Cuomo has direct investments in Nano-Nuclear's latest multi-million-dollar doomed-to-fail scam operation.   From engineer STEVE CARUSO we get a warning that the Russians control at least 25% of the world's uranium resources, right up Trump's radioactive alley.   From the great VINNIE DE STEFANO we get the latest down-under news from the freed (but not pardoned) and still very active Julian Assange.   Co-convenor TATANKA BRICCA reports that the freed (but not pardoned) Leonard Peltier is also thriving at home, this time in the Dakotas.   One of the great veterans of the Golden Days of broadcast journalism, DAVID SALTMAN, spellbinds us with tales of top-level Trump-Putin style lunacy at its best.   Our erstwhile DONALD SMITH corrects the assertion that all 4000+ transactions attributed to Epstein-Trump, saying they were in fact with a broader customer base.   We ask the question of the age:  is Ukraine the new Sudetenland?  Time will soon tell.   We also note that the Texas Democrats have caved to Trump's demand for Trump-style gerrymandering.   We are reminded by MYLA RESON that we all need to join the GREEP You-Tube and grassrootsep.org websites.   From southern Ohio we're invited to contemplate a major no nukes gathering at the Holiday Inn in Portsmouth.  See you there!.   As you prepare for that,  we will see you ALL at next week's zoom!  no nukes!!!  sluggo

On this episode of our sports podcast, we break down the controversial viral video from the US Track and Field Championships involving long jumper Tara Davis-Woodall and social media personality Coach T. We provide the full context behind their confrontation, including Coach T's history with Tara and her husband, Paralympian Hunter Woodall, and explain why she was right to defend her space. We also discuss the post race drama between sprinters Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek, (Kung Fu Kenny) analyzing "the look" and the shove that has the track and field world talking ahead of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.In the world of team sports, we get excited for the NFL preseason as fans of the Philadelphia Eagles and share why football is the perfect sport to follow. Plus, find out why the Philadelphia Flyers NHL team is training with UFC fighters to improve their on ice fighting skills. We also cover the wild story of a fan getting tackled while trying to crash the Tour de France finish line and chat about the new Travis Barker 5k race series.We have a hot take on fajitas and the scam of pick-your-own fruit, then dive into a chaotic parenting story about a missing Croc that required a full photo investigation to solve. We also share an anecdote about meeting new neighbors, the pressure of adopting a dog, and Bucky's interesting bathroom habits. We wrap up by discussing ESPN's new "ESPN8: The Ocho" lineup (did they steal our idea?) and share a heartwarming story from Holiday Inn about how they create adventures for lost stuffed animals.

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Today's episode was such a blast. I'm talking with none other than the amazing Alan Tudyk! Alan is currently starring as Harry Vanderspeigle in the new season of Resident Alien. He also plays K-2SO in Andor, Hoban ‘Wash' Washburne in Firefly, Wat in A Knight's Tale and so so many iconic voice roles, including Valentino in Wish and the Duke of Weselton in Frozen. We have so much fun in this conversation and I loved learning more about Alan's journey from doing stand-up in a Holiday Inn, to Juilliard dropout, to working with some of the biggest names in Sci-Fi. Plus, we get to bond over our experience in the Star Wars universe and what it's like to be be part of a franchise that fans desperately want to revive (Battlestar for me, Firefly for him). Be sure to stick around after the conversation for the Hindsight, where I get together with my producer Jeph to talk over the episode, talk about upcoming convention appearances and answer fan questions from the Mail Sack! Send me an email thesackhoffshow@gmail.com Produced by Rabbit Grin Productions Mail Sack Song by Nicolas @producer_sniffles Join us on Patreon! http://patreon.com/thesackhoffshow ----------------------------------------------------- Support our Sponsors: New EveryPlate customers can enjoy a special offer of only $1.99 a meal. Go to everyplate.com/podcast and use code katee199 to get started! Applied as discount on first box, limited time only.

住近美術館，把握最後機會 《惟美術》3房熱銷倒數 輕奢品味，全新完工，即刻入住 近鄰輕軌C22站，設籍明星學區 預約來電 07-553-3838 https://sofm.pse.is/7ty68f -- 挺你所想！與你一起生活的銀行 中國信託行動銀行APP 全新推出「交易中安全提示」防詐騙功能 開啟後，轉帳的同時也在通話，會自動跳出貼心提醒，力挺你的金融安全 防護再進化，交易好安心！ 馬上下載「中國信託行動銀行APP」 https://sofm.pse.is/7urz4j －－－－以上訊息由 SoundOn 動態廣告贊助商提供－－－－ 飛碟聯播網《飛碟早餐 唐湘龍時間》2025.07.03 週四教育單元 專訪：超強記憶學習法大師｜戴維思 Davis、雙胞胎Amethy和Magenta 主題：《一萬步的希望：從不孕、早產到單親，一位父親與雙胞胎勇闖世界的英雄之旅》畢方文化 好書收藏：https://reurl.cc/Rknea6 面對命運重擊，用一萬步，走出希望。 雙胞胎早產、妻子病逝，人生脆弱的時刻——這是一位父親與一對奇蹟寶寶，用愛與行動共同完成的生命長征，也是一部在困境中實踐陪伴教養的真實紀錄。 作者Davis多年來致力於快速記憶學習法的推廣，與妻子Isabelle歷經多年努力，實現為人父母的夢想。然而，孩子在26週又5天時早產，出生即面臨重重醫療評估與不確定的未來。更遺憾的是，在孩子仍年幼之際，Isabelle便因病離世。 為了記錄這段攜手走過的旅程，Davis整理出Isabelle的筆記、社群貼文與回憶，用文字延續她的愛與精神。這是一本獻給每一位面對人生難題仍選擇勇敢前行的人；也獻給願意陪伴孩子一步步成長，始終相信希望不會缺席的你。 作者簡介 戴維思（Davis） 雙胞胎Amethy和Magenta的爸爸。畢業於美國柏克萊大學，曾在著名人力資源公司Hay Association擔任人力管理策略分析師，並曾在華爾街金融投資、外匯投資公司任職、在Holiday Inn集團及希爾頓國際飯店集國擔任管理和人資訓練顧問。 在1994年引進有效學習的系統和訓練至臺灣發揚光大，成為相關領域的始祖。1999年，戴維思在新加坡首次接受電視節目「早安您好」的採訪後一炮而紅，引起熱烈迴器；此後，他受邀參加華人地區眾多廣播、電視節目及廣告，包括臺灣電視「李敖祕密書房」、「我猜我猜我猜猜猜」、上海電視臺「大話愛情」、舊金山「教育大家談」等節目，還曾擔任中廣新聞網及環球電視「給我記住」之主持人。 曾為《中國時報》、《工商時報》、《人間福報》、《台灣日報》、《美國賭城天天報》、《溫哥華環球華報》、《紐約星島日報》週刊的專欄作家，曾出版《這樣學習最有效》、《戴維思超效閱讀法》、《一天英語開口說》、《戴維思超強記憶訓練》、《賺錢英語開口說》、《我聰明，因為我做記憶訓練》、《晴天雨天都賺錢》等作品。 聯絡戴維思老師：usadvs@gmail.com #家庭 #親子 #教育 #親子關係 #學習 #心理 #勵志 #早產 #癌症 #單親 #一萬步的希望 #畢方文化 ▶ 《飛碟早餐》FB粉絲團 https://www.facebook.com/ufobreakfast/ ▶ 飛碟聯播網FB粉絲團 https://www.facebook.com/ufonetwork921/ ▶ 網路線上收聽 http://www.uforadio.com.tw ▶ 飛碟APP，讓你收聽零距離 IOS：https://reurl.cc/3jYQMV Android：https://reurl.cc/5GpNbR ▶ 飛碟Podcast Apple Podcasts : https://apple.co/3jFpP6x Spotify : https://spoti.fi/2CPzneD KKBOX：https://reurl.cc/MZR0K4 -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Do you ever reminisce about the good old days? We took a trip down memory lane to a time when political decisions were based on strong moral values, and when faith allowed men of consequence to weather tumultuous times. Our source material for this nostalgia sesh is GEORGE W. BUSH: FAITH IN THE WHITE HOUSE, a “documentary” (heavy emphasis on the scare quotes) produced by GRIZZLY ADAMS creator Charles E. Sellier Jr. and hosted by conservative radio host Janet Parshall. The thesis of the documentary is that the 43rd American president's strong personal Christian faith is what gave him strength during the September 11th terrorist attacks, the toughest circumstances ever beset upon an American president since George Washington. On the DVD jacket for the documentary, it bills itself as alternative programming to Michael Moore's FAHRENHEIT 9/11, a cultural product also from 2004 that argues active malice among politicians and the media class leading to hundreds of thousands of deaths in the Iraq War. Wanting to be more fair and balanced than Michael Moore, GEORGE W. BUSH: FAITH IN THE WHITE HOUSE takes the funny tone of pretending to present sides of praise and criticism of George W. Bush, but then immediately settling on the most maudlin stories of Bush giving great hugs and being caring to his staffers during hard times in their lives. The obvious point of view here is to launder Bush's difficult and destructive political decisions through the lens of him being a real sweetie. The stories of Bush's day-to-day demeanor may be true, but how does that explain his desire to enter the Iraq War? Did God guide Bush to the “lesser of two evils” that protected American lives and liberated the Islamic world? I guess we'll never know for sure, because God hasn't allowed us to live in the reality where we saw the other side. It could have been even worse! GEORGE W. BUSH: FAITH IN THE WHITE HOUSE assures us that is probably the case; after all, Bush's is constantly seen praying in the Oval Office, always wears a suit, and donated money to the evangelical “crusades” of roving minister Arthur Blessitt, whom he met at a Holiday Inn. A guy like that is probably gonna do the right thing, so don't worry about it! View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http://boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http://patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http://twitch.tv/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/boysbiblestudy

At a Holiday Inn off the Garden State Parkway (or as Aaron mistakenly called it, “the Jersey Parkway” — what can we say, he's from Ohio), a late‑night room service shift becomes an unexpected lesson in grit, perseverance, and chasing a dream. From an awkward encounter with a strange guest to a $300 VIP assignment that felt like a wink from the universe, this is the story of how a moment with Olivia Newton‑John reaffirmed one aspiring actor's path. Sometimes, amid the cheeseburgers and long elevators, all you need is a sign. 7MS Season 6 Starts September 2025! *If you like 7MS, you'll love 7MS Presents: Live and Unscripted — a live, audio‑first show inspired by classic late‑night radio. It features raw reflections, spontaneous storytelling, unexpected conversations with guests, and a live chat with you, the listener.

"EDITH HEAD: OLD HOLLYWOOD'S QUEEN OF FASHION" (093) EPISODE 93 -  6/23/25 With eight Academy Awards to her name — more than any other woman in history — EDITH HEAD wasn't just a costume designer; she was a storyteller in fabric, silhouette, and sparkle. From BETTE DAVIS to GRACE KELLY to AUDREY HEPBURN, she dressed the biggest stars of the silver screen, leaving an indelible mark on both fashion and film. In this episode, we explore how a shy schoolteacher became the most powerful woman in Hollywood wardrobes, her collaborations with iconic directors like Alfred Hitchcock, and how her designs helped shape characters, define eras, and influence fashion far beyond the studio lot. So, slip into something fabulous, and let's step behind the curtain into the life and legacy of the great Edith Head. SHOW NOTES:  Sources: Dressing Up The Stars: The Story of Movie Costume Designer Edith Head (12022), by Jeanne Walker Harvey;  Edith Head: The 50 Year Career of Hollywood's Greatest Costume Designer (2010), by Jay Jorgensen; Edith Head: The Life and Times of Hollywood's Celebrated Costume Designer (2003), by David Chierichetti; Edith Head's Hollywood (1983), by Edith Head; The Dress Doctor (1959), by Edith Head; “How To Dress For the Oscars,” February 11, 2015, ⁠www.oscars.com⁠; Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned:  Wings (1927); The Saturday Night Kid (1929); Love Me Tonight (1932); She Done Him Wrong (1933); Little Miss Marker (1934); Rhythm on the Range (1936); College Holiday (1936); The Jungle Princess (1936); Internes Can't Take Money (1937); The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938); Thanks for the Memories (1938); Mad about Music (1938); Dangerous To Know (1938);  Beau Geste (1939); Remember the Night (1939); The Cat and the Canary (1939);  The Lady Eve (1941); Sullivan's Travels (1941); The Glass Key (1942); I Married a Witch (1942); Star Spangled Rhythm (1942); Hold That Blonde (1945); The Blue Dahlia (1946); Holiday Inn (1942); The Uninvited (1944); Double Indemnity (1944); Incendiary Blonde (1945); To Each His Own (1946); The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946); A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949); The Great Gatsby (1949);  Notorious (1946); The Emperor's Waltz (1948); The Heiress (1949); All About Eve (1950); Sunset Boulevard (1950); Samson & Delilah (1949); A Place in the Sun (1951); Roman Holiday (1953); Sabrina (1954);  Funny Face (1957); Rear Window (1954); To Catch a Thief (1955); The Trouble With Harry (1955); The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956); Vertigo (1958); Ace In the Hole (1951); The Greatest Show on Earth (1952); Shane (1953); White Christmas (1954);  The Rose Tattoo (1955); The Rainmaker (1956); The Ten Commandments (1957); Loving You (1958); The Pink Panther (1963); A Shot In the Dark (1964); The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1963); Love With the Proper Stranger (1963); Sex and the Single Girl (1964); Inside Daisy Clover (1965); The Great Race (1965);  Penelope (1966); This Property is Condemned (1966); G.I. Blues (1960);  Blue Hawaii (1961);  Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962);  Fun In Acapulco (1963);  Roustabout (1964); Paradise Hawaiian Style (1966); What a Way to Go! (1964); Sweet Charity (1969); Summer and Smoke (1961);  Hud (1963); The Birds (1963); Harlow (1965); Barefoot in the Park (1967); Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid (1969); Topaz (1969); Airport (1970); Airport ‘75 (1974); Airport ‘77 (1977); Myra Breckenridge (1970); Lady Sings The Blues (1972); The Sting (1974); The Great Waldo Pepper (1975);,  The Man Who Would Be King (1976);  Family Plot (1976); Gable and Lombard (1976); W.C. Fields and Me (1976); Rooster Cogburn (1975); Sextette (1978); Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982); --------------------------------- ⁠http://www.airwavemedia.com⁠ Please contact ⁠sales@advertisecast.com⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It takes determination to dive into hospitality and come out with a boutique hotel that is successful, and that is what Chris Lenz, Founder and CEO of La Compania Hotels and Resorts. Chris shares his journey from opening 37 restaurants to creating extraordinary hotels in Panama. They explore his passion for hospitality, his uncompromising vision, and the meticulous planning that goes into building unique hospitality experiences. Learn about Chris's journey from restaurateur to hotelier, his innovative trifecta perfecta concept, and his ambitious plans for redefining luxury travel in Panama.Takeaways: Always strive to create unique and memorable experiences that differentiate your property or service from others. Focus on curating personalized touches and special features in your establishment that guests will remember and talk about.Maintain an uncompromising vision and execute it with passion. The team must understand and align with this vision to consistently deliver the intended guest experience.Consider partnerships with larger brands for access to their distribution networks, loyalty programs, and market reach. Ensure the partnership aligns with your property's unique and boutique characteristics to maintain brand integrity.Enhance the guest journey by minimizing travel hassles. For example, offering private transportation or concierge services that streamline and personalize the guest's travel experience.Even with growth, maintain high standards for service, safety, and uniqueness. This is critical for retaining your brand's value and ensuring guest satisfaction.Quote of the Show:“I'm gonna build the best historic landmark hotel in Central America. I'm gonna change the tourism of this country.” - Chris LenzLinks:Website: hlcpanama.com https://www.hyatt.com/unbound-collection/en-US/ptyub-unbound-hotel-la-compania Shout Outs:2:02 - Mikey Dobin https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikey-dobin-04308468/ 2:02 - Diana Dobin https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-dobin-319108b5/ 4:25 - Journey https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_(band) 4:26 - Arnel Pineda https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnel_Pineda 9:36 - Setting the Table by Danny Meyer https://www.amazon.com/Setting-Table-Transforming-Hospitality-Business/dp/0060742763 10:10 - Union Square Cafe https://www.unionsquarecafe.com/ 10:15 - Gramercy Tavern https://www.gramercytavern.com/ 11:52 - McDonald's https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us.html 13:14 - Rafael Nadal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_Nadal 25:27 - Holiday Inn https://www.ihg.com/hotels/us/en/reservation 26:25 - UNESCO https://www.unesco.org/en 37:27 - Marriott https://www.marriott.com/default.mi 37:53 - Hyatt https://www.hyatt.com/ 43:41 - booking.com48:08 - Omni Hotels https://www.omnihotels.com/ 1:06:42 - Amtrak https://www.amtrak.com/home.html?msockid=13e7d50d81a968200de9c1bb80596956 

Ashlyn Newlove, Founder of SmartSipAshlyn Newlove, Founder of SmartSip. We had an absolute blast talking with Ashlyn Newlove, the competitive and charismatic founder behind SmartSip - a calorie-friendly, fiber-rich powdered coconut oil creamer that's taking the health and wellness world by storm. Ashlyn proves that with the right product, solid margins, authentic social media presence, and enough competitive fire to power a small city, you can turn a road trip idea into a thriving CPG business. Even if it means staying at Holiday Inns while building your empire.Find SmartSip at smartsipcreamco.com - and yes, Kenny's sending Ashlyn some matcha for her next video. Thank you to Field Agent Canada for sponsoring the podcast: https://www.fieldagentcanada.com/Thank you to LeBeauExcel for sponsoring this episode: https://lebeauexcel.com/

 The Funeral CourtshipAbandoned Childhood wishes, finally fulfilled.Based on a post by secret sexy writer. Listen to the Podcast at Connected.I had known Alex Newberry my entire life. He was the boy down the street during my childhood, the boy behind me throughout school, and the boy who I always wished would see me as more than just "one of the boys." Especially since I was a girl.But I'd never pressed for anything more. I didn't want to ruin our friendship. His family was my second family. Even his nana considered me as her granddaughter.We'd stayed in touch even after I left town to pursue a new career. Throughout the year, we would exchange Emails and sometimes the occasional text. Only at my birthday and on Christmas did I receive snail mail from him. They were always hilarious and always perfect.The day I received the small envelope in early Fall threw me for a loop. It was written in Alex's neat print and had a pre-printed return label with his address, so I knew it was from him. I just didn't know why. I was even more stunned when I slid my finger under the flap and pulled out the single sheet of paper folded in half.I had been standing by the sofa in the living room when I opened the envelope. My eyes scanned the brief note inside, and my knees gave out. I collapsed to the sofa, tears rimming my eyes.Alex's grandmother, Nana Newberry, had passed away.Visions played in my head like an old home movie. Mostly, they were of the summers swimming in the pond behind her house and the day-trips she'd invite me to go on with Alex. Both of my own grandmothers had passed away when I was still too young to remember them much. My loss was almost as deep as Alex's was.Almost.Once I'd caught my breath, I reached for my cell phone and pulled up his number. I tried to swallow my tears as I heard the line ring. I wasn't surprised to receive his voicemail. He was probably busy making arrangements and handling family."Hey, Alex. It's Jaynie. I got your letter. I'm so sorry. I'm booking a flight out tonight, and I'll be there as soon as I can. If there's anything you need, let me know. See you soon."I was already halfway to my bedroom when I clicked off the phone and shoved it into my pocket. My brain was on autopilot as I dragged my suitcase from the closet and gathered the necessary toiletries from the bathroom cabinets and drawers. I was folding socks and panties when I realized I should call the airport.Less than an hour later, I was in the backseat of a cab and leaving a message on my boss's phone telling him I would be out of town for a couple of days due to a family emergency. I arranged for a rental car and for nightly accommodations nearest to my hometown. I knew there was no place in town to stay, the population being barely just under five hundred. If anything had changed over the years, that definitely wasn't one of them.It wasn't until I was seated on the plane, the city's lights fading into dots below me that I let myself think about Nana again. I missed her hugs the most. Her squishy arms always surrounded me with such love. I felt protected. Wanted. My parents were always busy working. Nana was so much more than just an adoptive grandparent.My mind wandered, and I remembered Alex's hugs. I smiled, laughing softly at the memory of him hugging me tight with a toothy grin while Nana took our picture. Then he pushed me into the pond; with my clothes on. We were only six. But I was old enough to know that I liked Alex more than I liked other boys.I was the only girl in the neighborhood, so I either had to adapt to being a tomboy or be left out. I chose the former, much to my mother's dismay. I allowed her to enroll me in dance classes when she insisted I act more like a girl, but I secretly enjoyed playing with the boys more. I didn't mind being the Indian the cowboys always captured and tied up. Or the robber they arrested with the plastic set of handcuffs. Or even Princess Leia, when they wanted to re-enact Star Wars, especially when Alex got to be Han Solo and rescue me.I must have drifted off because the next thing I heard was the announcement to fasten our seatbelts and put seats and tray-tables in the upright position for landing. The plane was only half-full, so I was soon strolling through the nearly empty terminal and heading downstairs to collect my baggage and rental car. I grabbed a cup of coffee from the only open vendor and asked the information desk for directions to the hotel where I'd made reservations. There was nothing more I could do for Alex tonight.But once I'd reached my destination, the last thing on my mind was sleep. My accommodations were comfortable, but not even a hot shower seemed to help. I crawled beneath the covers and turned on the TV, hoping I'd just fall asleep from boredom and get some rest before the hour drive to my hometown in the morning.A ringing phone and the incessant chatter of a woman and man pulled me out of the strangest dream. I'd been fully dressed and standing by Nana's pond, but I was thirty-four years old, not six. Alex walked towards me, his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, and he flashed his toothy grin at me. I reached for his hand, and I swear I stepped forward, but the next thing I knew, I was falling backwards into the pond. I struggled to swim, the weight of my clothes pulling me underwater. Someone grabbed my hand, and then I woke up.An automated wake-up call answered my sleepy greeting, and I clumsily set the receiver back on the handset and rolled over, groaning. That's when I realized the morning news was playing on the TV. My body felt like it had been through a 5K run; or maybe it had struggled to stay above water. In either case, I dragged myself to the bathroom for another shower.I decided on a simple navy pantsuit and crimson camisole blouse. It was cool but dark enough for the funeral, yet I didn't feel completely dreary in it. Plus it emphasized my curves and long legs. Today, I felt like I wanted to be a girl in front of Alex. Not that it would matter.After securing another cup of coffee, I took a deep breath and pointed the rental car towards my hometown. I remembered where the only funeral home was, and I had plenty of time before the services started. Yet, I was suddenly nervous. I hadn't actually seen Alex in several years, despite our constant contact. I hated the fact that it took something like this to bring us together again. I promised myself that I would visit more often.The parking lot was overflowing when I finally pulled up to the funeral home. I ended up parking half a block away on a side street and walking back to the large Victorian-style house that had been converted into the place where we said goodbye to our loved ones. Trees adorned with vibrantly colored leaves decorated the front yard. It looked like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting, set right in the heart of my hometown.I joined the throng of people who had come to pay their respects, and managed to find a seat in the back of the largest room that was always used for services. The belief in the community was that our two churches were for worship and weddings. Funerals were held at Thompkins & Sons, no matter if you were Catholic or Baptist.I didn't recognize a single person near me, but I was sure that Nana had known most of the town and then some, and I'd been a teenager when I'd left for college. I settled myself in and made sure I had my tissues accessible.The service itself was lovely, and there were lots of tears from everyone. Alex even got up and made a speech at one point. While I knew I was there because of Nana, I couldn't help staring at her grown grandson. His stature had reached at least six feet. He towered over me by at least five inches.I don't remember a word he said, but I could describe him with my eyes closed. His short brown hair, his tailored black suit and tie, the dimple in his right cheek when he smiled. He had green eyes, and I could imagine them sparkling while he talked about his grandmother, the corner of his eyes crinkling with his laughter.People were standing up around me and talking, and I blinked, realizing that the service was over. I wiped at my eyes and stood, not sure what to do now. I slipped out of the row and away from the crowd. It was then that I noticed no one was by the open casket. I quietly made my way to the front of the room and stopped before Nana's permanent expression of peace.Tears tugged at the back of my throat, and I had to stop myself from reaching out to grasp her folded hands. The purple dress she was wearing went well with her silvery hair, and she looked as if she were asleep. I silently thanked her for all the good times we'd had together, for accepting me as one of her grandchildren, for making me feel wanted.I don't know how long I stood there, but I had the feeling that someone was watching me. I needed to move on. I kissed my fingertips and gently pressed them to her rubbery cheek. When I turned to leave, blazing green eyes met mine, and I gasped."Jaynie, you came."And then Alex's arms pulled me against his hard body.I wrapped him in my arms and held him tight, resting my cheek on his shoulder. I couldn't believe how good he felt. Something deep inside of me stirred, and I had to force it back down. He was my best friend. It would never be anything more than that."Of course I came. I left you a message. I took the red-eye last night.""I'm sorry, I haven't checked my phone. I hoped you'd come, but I wasn't counting on it. "I pulled away to look at his face. Our eyes met again, and I groaned inwardly. "I wouldn't have missed this for anything. She was like my own grandmother. Thank you for letting me know.""What about work?""They'll survive without me for a couple of days." I laughed and before I could wipe away my tears, his thumb brushed my cheek. I sucked back my breath and hid my surprise with a smile. "What can I do to help now that I'm here?"Alex stared at me for a moment, a lopsided grin on his face. He blinked, and then his toothy grin came out full force, dimple included. "There's a dinner at Nana's house after we go to the cemetery. Do you have a car?""I have a rental. I'm staying in Rosewood at the Holiday Inn.""Let me tell Mom and Dad I'll meet them. Do you mind driving?""No, lead the way." I smiled and even felt a little giddy when he grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd that was slowly filtering out the front doors. I barely had a chance to say hello to his parents before he was heading in the direction where I said I'd parked my car. And then we were pulling out to line up behind the black sedan his parents were riding in and the hearse idling before them.It suddenly occurred me to that everyone else was going to be following me. I must have looked nervous because Alex grasped my hand on the gearshift between us and squeezed it."I'm glad you're here."I swallowed heavily and turned to smile at him. He was watching me, something unreadable in those green eyes. I opened my mouth to ask him what he was thinking, but nothing came out. And then he let go of my hand and motioned that we should move.I was in a daze as I drove to the cemetery, sat through the rest of the ceremony, and climbed back into my car and drove us to Nana's house. It wasn't until we were sitting in her driveway that I felt the tears return. I hadn't been here in so many years I couldn't count them. I had been a horrible granddaughter, adopted or not."I know. I miss her, too." Alex squeezed my hand again and then got out.I swiped the back of my hand across my eyes and climbed out, automatically locking the car."No one's going to steal it," Alex laughed. It was a deep, comforting sound.I shrugged. "It's just a habit."He laughed again and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, guiding me up the drive. People were mingling on the wrap-around front porch, and the smell of fried chicken wafted out the screen on the front door.It felt and smelled like home.I had eaten my share of food and then some. At some point, Alex and I became separated amongst all the guests. I took the opportunity to sneak upstairs to use the larger bathroom. On my way back, I passed the room Nana used to sit in and work on projects. I remember her teaching me how to sew as I sat on a little cushioned stool.I smiled, knowing I could sew a button back onto a blouse or a pair of pants, but that was all now. The sound from downstairs grew fainter as I moved closer to the window on the far side of the room. The pond in the backyard glittered back under the noon sun. Weeping Willows outlined the oasis of my youth, and for a moment, I longed for those days.I longed to have Nana hug me one more time. The last time she had, I was leaving for college. She told me to be a good girl and make my parents proud. I couldn't remember the last time I'd hugged my parents. Or seen them face-to-face. We talked about once a month, but they were always traveling now that they were retired. I bit back a laugh at the irony.I wandered back downstairs, smiling and nodding at people who recognized me, although I couldn't say who they were. That was the problem with small towns, and with moving away. All of the elderly people remembered when you were born and whom your parents were, but you rarely remembered anything about them, much less their names.The crowd was smaller now, and I heard several women in the dining room and kitchen cleaning up the dishes. I hugged my arms to my chest and slowly walked down the long hallway to the back of the house. Framed photos hung on both sides of the wall, and I suddenly wished I'd had a grandmother growing up who'd had pictures of me on display. As much as Nana had tried to make me feel accepted in her home, I really wasn't a part of her family.I pushed pending tears away and stepped out the back door and down the steps to the yard. The sun was warm, and the pond beckoned me to it. I found myself standing on the small wooden dock Alex's dad had built. One of the boards was broken, and the weather had done a good job fading the stain, but otherwise it was still sturdy.A warm breeze blew up off the water, rustling through the switches on the Willow. I stretched out my arms to feel it, and took a big sigh. I hadn't felt so relaxed in a long time. While I didn't mind my job, I didn't love it. While I loved traveling, I didn't like having to do it for work.What I wouldn't give to be able to come home at the end of the day and sit out on a porch like the one at Nana's and watch the sun go down instead of watching it from the sixth-floor balcony of my high-rise in the city. To hear the sound of crickets in the evening instead of the rush of traffic.A board creaked behind me, and I spun around. Someone grabbed my hand as I stepped back, and I was suddenly back in my dream. I gasped and struggled to regain my balance. Instead of falling backwards into the water, I was jerked forward and into Alex's strong embrace."Whoa! You okay, Jaynie?"I caught my breath and swallowed, blinking away the remnants of my dream. "Yeah. Thanks. I must have slipped.""Everyone's gone home." He dropped his arms but didn't move away."I'm sorry, I didn't realize. I'll be on my way." I started to walk past him, but he grabbed my wrist."Stay." He released my hand and cleared his throat. "Please stay."I lifted my eyes to his and held his gaze. I wanted to reach out to touch him, to caress his cheek, to run my fingers through his hair. But I refrained and kept my hands at my sides. "Okay."His smile lit up his whole face, but there was a shadow in his eyes. He stared at me a moment longer and then said, "Let's go back to my place so we can talk."I blinked, realizing what he'd said, and then I brushed away any ulterior motives. Of course, we'd go back to his place. We couldn't stay at Nana's. He'd be most comfortable in his home. And I wanted to see it. I really did.We said goodbye to his parents inside, and then I followed his car across town to his small house. I parked behind him in a gravel driveway overgrown with weeds and stared at the weather-beaten boards of the house, the crooked front steps, the boards over one of the windows."It's just a rental," Alex laughed. He climbed out and ran his hand back through his hair as he headed back to my car. "I've actually been living with Nana, taking care of her. When she had to go to the hospital, I got this place. We weren't sure what to do with her house.""I'm sorry, I didn't—""It's okay, Jaynie. This place was a steal. Besides, Nana left me her house in her will, so once we clean the place out, I'll be moving back there.""What? That's wonderful! Congrats, Alex. I know you love it there." I couldn't stop myself from hugging him. Or feeling the slightest bit jealous. When our eyes met again, I stepped back and shut the driver's side door. I cleared my throat and my thoughts. "So, let's see what we've got.""Be careful of the first step." He held out his hand and helped me up to the front porch. He wrestled with the lock on the door and then it swung open into a clean living room. The carpet was definitely dated, and the walls needed a good coat of paint, but his modern leather and oak furniture minimized the noticeable eyesores. "Want something to drink?""Sure, whatever you're having." I glanced around, setting my purse on an end table. Typical masculine knickknacks decorated the few shelves on the walls: various sports paraphernalia, photos of Alex and his buddies, a couple of dusty mugs from a tavern in Florida.My eyes stopped on a photo of two young kids. A boy and a girl. The glass was cleaner than the rest of the photos, and the metal frame was brushed nickel rather than the standard black plastic frames on the others."That's us at Nana's pond." Alex handed me a glass of cola and picked up the frame. He took a sip of his own soda and put the frame back after a moment, snorting softly. "I shoved you into the water after she snapped the picture."I gulped. I had forgotten that part. That when Nana had lifted her camera, she'd told Alex to put his arm around me and smile. He hadn't wanted to hug me. Maybe I'd pretended all along that he liked hanging out with me.But he'd kept the picture. He'd kept it clean and prominently displayed.I took a sip of my drink and moved to sit on the sofa. The leather squeaked as I sank into the corner with a soft sigh. It was comfortable. So much so that I toed off my heels and curled my legs up underneath me. The heat of the afternoon sun streaming in the bare window behind me warmed the material, and I laid my head back for a moment and breathed deep."It's quiet here." I kept my eyes closed and smiled sadly. "I miss this."The sofa squeaked again, and the weight on the cushion next to me shifted."Me, too."For the longest time, neither of us talked. The only sound was the clinking of ice in our glasses and the occasional car driving by outside. I didn't want to move. I wished I could just curl

The 16:9 PODCAST IS SPONSORED BY SCREENFEED – DIGITAL SIGNAGE CONTENT This podcast is a bit different, as I am on the other side of the interview table - answering questions instead of asking them. That's because this is the last Sixteen:Nine podcast with me as the host. I've been doing Sixteen:Nine for almost 20 years, and the podcast version for the last nine. I'm retiring. I'm 67 and it is time to slow the hell down. I'm not leaving the industry, entirely. Just dialing back to a few side hustle gigs and other work, working more when the weather gets cold in my part of the world and I'm looking for distractions and extra money that will get Joy and I away from that cold weather for a bit. Think of this as my exit interview, done with my friends in Munich at invidis, who have been longtime content partners and will now edit and manage Sixteen:Nine. This makes me happy, as I didn't want to just stop what I think is a valued part of this business. Subscribe from wherever you pick up new podcasts. TRANSCRIPT Balthasar Mayer: Welcome to the Sixteen:Nine podcast. This is Balthasar Mayer.  Antonia Hamberger: This is Antonia Hamberger.  Balthasar Mayer: We have a very special guest today. He is the bullshit filter of the digital signage industry. He's the head, heart, and driving force behind Sixteen:Nine, one of the rare people who manages to produce a trade publication that makes you laugh and gives you something to learn at the same time. He also keeps the digital signage industry with his beloved industry mixes at trade shows, and he's never afraid to cut through marketing fluff and speak his mind and now he's retiring, and we are very happy to have him here on the podcast. Welcome, Dave Haynes. Thank you.  Dave Haynes: Yes, I was joking. This is the exit interview. It's like leaving a company.  Antonia Hamberger: It is the exit interview, and we were thinking about just turning things around. Your blog is called Sixteen:Nine, and we're now doing the Nine:Sixteen edition. You'll get nine questions where we just let you ramble on a bit about your career, and then you'll get sixteen questions where you'll give us rapid-fire answers. Dave Haynes: Alright, I'm drinking Vice beer because I'm in Munich so this could get salty by the end of it.  Balthasar Mayer: That is our goal to make it salty, and interesting at the same time.  Antonia Hamberger: Dave, you've been doing this blog for 20 years. You've been in the industry for even longer than that. So I guess I'm wondering what made you go into digital signage? How did this happen in the first place?  Dave Haynes: I was in the newspaper industry. I was a daily newspaper reporter. I started in 1979 at the Winnipeg Free Press, and my first job out of school, working for a newspaper, was covering the rock music scene. So my first three years in the newspaper, I was interviewing rock bands like Billy Joel, Ozzy Osbourne, you name it, back in the early 80s, late 70s, just about anybody who was big at that time. I did an interview with them, which was quite interesting. At times, you would get lovely people and sometimes you'd get absolute a-holes, and everything in between.  Antonia Hamberger: Probably also a lot of drunk people, drunk rock stars?  Dave Haynes: Ozzy definitely was impaired, and Billy Joel, he stopped in Winnipeg on the first stop on his North American tour back in 1981 or something and he was just off a plane from New York, he and his band, and they had a press event at a Holiday Inn in Winnipeg, and he was very tipsy. He'd been having cocktails all the way from New York. So that was pretty interesting. I've had a number of those kinds of interviews.  So anyways, then I continued in newspapers for several years, became an editor, and got bored with being an editor in a market where not a lot of bad things happened, and as a journalist, you're not praying for bad things to happen, but they're much more interesting to write about than calm, stable situation. When the newspaper started talking about doing new media, getting into digital, I stuck my hand up and said, I'll do it. So I took the newspaper online in 1995, one of the first North American papers to go online, and did that for four years and reported directly to the publisher and nobody on the executive team, including the publisher, bought into my concerns that this was going to be a problem for newspapers. They just tended to think this was a passing fancy. It wasn't really gonna happen. So, I just got frustrated and left and weirdly went to work for a company called Elevator News Network that was putting digital screens, LCD panels in elevators, office tower elevators in 1999. Very complicated, very expensive. I started out as the GM for Western Canada, but pretty quickly became Vice President of Operations for the whole show. So I was putting screens in 70-story office towers in the elevator shops, in the shafts, and running all the cabling in the elevator shafts, and very expensive, very complicated, and very frustrating because you're dealing with unionized labor. With elevator companies, where they wanted to charge you $250 to stand there and watch you, that sort of thing. So I did that. There was a shotgun merger with another company in the US that was doing that, and I walked off the plank with the rest of the Canadian management team and found myself looking around, going, okay, now what do I do? And I ended up starting my own digital out-of-home media company, putting screens in. Public walkways in the underground walkways at downtown Toronto which was a great idea, but probably ten years too early because I would go to advertising agencies and say, I'm doing this, and they would look at me like… What? Digital out-of-home was just not a thing back then. So I was the dreaded pioneer lying in a field with arrows in my back, having done that. So I didn't make a lot of money out of that, and my wife, bless her, said it would be great if we had an income. So I started working for what is now known as ComQi. At the time, it was called Digital View, and then it became EnQi, and then it became ComQi, and I was a business development person. So I was doing sales and looking around going, how did a guy who used to interview Rock bands become a sales guy for a software company?  But I did that and went over to Broadsign because they offered me more money and then the Great Recession hit in 2008-2009, and that was that was it for salespeople. That company, Broadsign, ran into deep problems at that point. They totally rose back up like a phoenix, and they are a powerhouse now, but at the time, they were in trouble. So that was 2009, and I decided, okay, do I wanna work for somebody else or do what am I gonna do? And I just decided to go out on my own and start just doing writing and some consulting, things like that. But early on, when I was still with Digital View, I decided to just look at the industry and the level of “thought leadership” that was available at the time. It wasn't very good. A lot of it was just nonsensical or badly written, and I thought, okay, I understand this space at this point. I've been doing it for seven years. I know how to write. So I just, for the hell of it, I just started Sixteen:Nine, and never thought that this would be something that would define my career, my later-stage career for many years, and be like a full-time job, and generate real money. So it just happened.  Antonia Hamberger: But we're all glad it took that turn for you, Dave, because I don't think anybody would take you for a good salesperson. I think you're much better off as an editor and publisher. Because you would just say the truth and would probably offend a lot of people. Dave Haynes: That was one of my problems when I was doing business development. If we lost a deal, if I could understand why the target company went in a different direction, I would be fine with it, and I think to be a really good business development person or “salesperson”, you've gotta just want to be a killer. You just wanna win every deal, and it doesn't matter whether you're the right solution, you just wanna win the deal and my mind doesn't work that way. I probably wasn't best suited to it.  Balthasar Mayer: So just to understand, you founded Sixteen:Nine in 2006, and then you went full-time on it in 2009?  Dave Haynes: I wouldn't say by 2009, I was full-time, but I liked doing it every day. But it wasn't necessarily my main thing. It was just something that I'd been doing, and I kept on doing it because I felt, so I had, at that point, I had a following, and it felt something of an obligation to do it. In the first few years, I would have a Google ad on there, and every quarter, I would get like $37 or something from Google ads. But then I started getting questions saying, “Hey, can we advertise on this?” And so I would just get inbound, and that just built up and built up to become inbound. It took a while, but it was all inbound as opposed to me shaking trees. It took a while, and it was like making real money, and it was something that would be a proper income for me. At which point, I was able to back off doing much in the way of consulting or writing for hire and just mostly do Sixteen:Nine.  Antonia Hamberger: For somebody who's been in the industry only a few years, I'm wondering what the industry was like when you first came into it, and what you hoped to contribute? Dave Haynes: It was very embryonic. A few people understood it. When people would ask what I did, and I would tell them digital signage, they would just have to give me a sort of tilted head and say… Huh?   Antonia Hamberger: I still have to explain it on a weekly basis to people outside the industry. So I can't imagine what it was like 15 years ago. Dave Haynes: There are so many more reference cases now, whereas before you would have to say, you might be in a store, and you might see this. Now it's like everywhere. So I just have the digital menus in any quick service restaurant that's digital signage, and posters that you see on the sidewalks that's digital out-of-home/digital signage, and they go, okay, I get it. In those days, it was very expensive. Few people understood it. There were far fewer vendors. A lot of the companies that were providing software in particular were companies that had, in a lot of cases adapted that software from other purposes like broadcast and turned that into something that would also work on as sometimes described a narrow cast, just like narrowly defined network as opposed to something sent out everywhere. It was in those days not well known, not well understood, and I just felt that the writing that was available back in 2006 was a lot of buzzword bingo stuff, crossing the chasm, paradigm shift, all these nonsense phrases out of business books, and I just thought, if somebody's just gotta write something that says, here's this thing, here's why they're doing it, here's what's good about it, here's what I think is problematic and how it could be done better. So, it was a little bit of my, I don't wanna say bully pulpit, but it was a way to express my advice without being mean or anything else..  Antonia Hamberger: Were there any trends you predicted really early on that then became true or didn't?  Dave Haynes: Oh, I saw everything. I would say more than anything else, you could see that whereas in the early stages, it was something that was nice to do, I clearly saw that this was going to be something that was needed to do for a company. It was going to be mission-critical. It was just going to be fundamental to how retailers and other businesses designed a space in the same way that they're thinking about their furnishings, thinking about their lighting, their HVAC system and everything else, they're gonna start thinking about, okay, where does the digital fit?  And in the early days, it was to build a space and then look for empty space on a wall and go, okay, we'll put the screens there, even though in a lot of cases it wasn't the appropriate place to put it. I'd say the other thing was pretty obvious, and I started writing about this in 2011 but I could see LED was gonna come and come hard and start to supplant flat panel displays just because of all the benefits and the flexibility that I have. I invested a lot of time in in the last few years, went to Taiwan and China and everything else to visit factories and really fully understand what it is as opposed to just writing about it and taking what the manufacturers are saying because manufacturers as is their way, their marketing people tend to fledge the facts and play pretty fast and loose with what something is versus what it really is.  Antonia Hamberger: In a lot of cases, they don't even know what it really is.  Dave Haynes: This is true. It's the thing about the digital science industry. A lot of the companies still are run by technical people, engineers, electrical engineers, software developers, and everything else. They're not good marketers. Then they hire people to do their marketing for them, and those people with some notable exceptions, don't understand a damn thing about the space. So they just parrot what their executives say, which is far too technical and people don't understand it, and I always try to bang on people that if you're going to market your product, for God's sake, provide some relevance and context and to use my Canadian term, give me an explanation as to why I should give a crap about this and why should I care?  Antonia Hamberger: I guess that's a thing that a lot of companies in the digital signage space struggle with. Finding those people who want to understand their product on a technical level. But we don't just wanna bash in the digital signage industry because there's a lot of great things in the industry, and. So what's your favorite thing about the industry?  Dave Haynes: If we're talking in technical terms, I am impressed and encouraged and excited by how LED in particular is opening up all kinds of new possibilities to start to think in terms of displays being a building material, being a finish, being the curtain wall glass, being something that's a full exterior of a building. That gets way beyond just this idea of a screen on a wall, which is how this industry was defined for a whole bunch of years.  Thinking about the industry, it's a relatively small industry. Even though we tend to think that it's giant and it's booming and everything else, in pure terms, it's very small compared to most technology industries. But that means you get to know a lot of people all over the world, and there's no shortage of knuckleheads, but I would say by and large, it's full of really great people, and because it's a small industry and it gets together two or three times a year at different events, I've got to know people all over the world and develop friendships with people all over the world that I never do at all in doing other work, which is fantastic. I'm friends with the Invidis folks, and here I am in Munich having a beer.  Antonia Hamberger: Yeah, and we're always glad to have you. But you've also done a lot of trips over the years, right? You went to Taiwan. You visited some display manufacturers last year. Dave Haynes: Yeah, I spent a week in Taiwan in October.  Antonia Hamberger: So what was the best work trip you had during all that time?  Dave Haynes: The best trip I had. I did an extended consulting gig on digital signage for a mobile carrier, a telecoms company in South Africa, and I went down there three times. I never would've gone to South Africa. It's very expensive. It's a long flight and everything else, but I was there for, I think, six or eight weeks, I forget now, and so I spent a lot of time in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and that was absolutely fantastic, and it was just something I never would've done otherwise. I would say the most interesting stuff has been going to Asia just because that's where it all emanates, and I think the second time I went to Hong Kong was when LEDs were really starting to come out. It was kind of a big moment for me in that I don't like to go to tourist places, although all of Hong Kong is really a tourist place, but I like to go off the beaten track, where you don't see all the people with their cameras and everything else and I was just walking in this district and saw over a nightclub entrance, a very large billboard, a LED billboard, that in North America would be a press release. There'd be all kinds of buzz about it, because look at the signs of that.  Antonia Hamberger: In Germany, let me tell you that will be the breaking news, the news of the year.  Balthasar Mayer: Talk of the digital signage town. Dave Haynes: But there, it was just there, and it really told me that, okay, this is where this is gonna go where it just becomes commonplace. Because it was already there, and when you go to Asia, it's way over the top from what I've seen from a distance in China. I've been to China, but I haven't been in several years now, pre-COVID covid where you see entire skylines that've got LED lighting. Whether it's mesh lighting or they've got larger lighting that's illuminating the whole building, but entire skylines that are synchronized. I don't really want that in whatever city I live in with all the light pollution. It looks amazing, but it's not appealing in another way, but China, Taiwan. Hong Kong and Seoul, all those areas really are instructive as to the possibilities, as well as Dubai. But Dubai's just insane.  I don't think that's a marker or an instruction of anything. It's just a crazy place.  Antonia Hamberger: No, it just also has tons of money in that place.  Dave Haynes: The building tires skyscrapers on a change order.  Antonia Hamberger: Dave, was there ever a particular moment when you realized that your blog really has influence, because I know almost everybody in the North American proAV and digital signage industry knows you and reads you. But that has taken a while. So was there a moment when you?  Dave Haynes: Oh, it was immediate. Antonia Hamberger: Yeah? Oh.  Dave Haynes: No. There were a couple of moments. Early on, I said I'd gone from one company, with Broadsign, and I went up to Montreal to do the interview. They'd approached me, and I was walking the hallways, and one guy came around the corner and said, “Oh, Dave Haynes, I read your stuff” and I went, oh, really?  Antonia Hamberger: This is something we still have to achieve still.  Balthasar Mayer: Yes, this is a big goal for us. Did you ever sign an autograph? Dave Haynes: I have signed autographs which is absolutely bizarre. I was asked, can you sign your business card because there's somebody back in the office that'll just be thrilled and I go, really? I don't want to see what's gone wrong in your life, but the big thing that has always stuck with me is the number of times that companies have told me that part of their onboarding process now for new employees is, there's the parking lot, here's your parking assignment, here's this, that's your desk, here's your wifi password, and so on, here are the instructions for healthcare and this and that, but here's what you need to do on a daily basis, you need to subscribe to this thing, and you need to be reading it every day to stay current in this industry. I've had dozens of people tell me that I'm just kind of part of their workplace operations that they've told people as part of learning this business, you need to be reading this every day, and yeah, that's always been really heartening and nice to hear.  Antonia Hamberger: So apart from reading Sixteen:Nine every day, which is an obvious thing to do as part of your daily routine, what advice would you give to someone just entering the industry?  Dave Haynes: Learn it. The flip side of what I was just saying is I'm always astonished at how many people I run into who've been in this industry for ten years or more, and they had no idea about Sixteen:Nine or something else that they're not learning about their industry, and I'm flabbergasted by that. How can you work in an industry without investing any time to learn emerging technologies and trends and everything else?  I would say just invest the time. Make sure you invest the time to read about it and look at things with curiosity, but also with a degree of skepticism because as you guys well know, there's a lot of trade press and a lot of PR that's just cheerleading. It's just shaking the pompoms about, “This is amazing” and “This is world's first” and all that. I've spent 18 years calling bullshit on things that it's not the world's first, and if it is, who cares? It can be the world's first, but it has no business application. It's just eye candy.  So spend the time looking at stuff. Try to get your head past the wow factor and the eye candy side of things because we collectively go to trade shows and we will see people at certain stands, I won't name them, but they're slack jaws staring at this technology there going, oh my God, that's amazing…  Antonia Hamberger: Did I hear the word hologram just now?  Dave Haynes: I didn't say it but…  Antonia Hamberger: I saw you thinking it! Dave Haynes: Yes. It is just thinking about what the business application is, what you're gonna do with it, and get past whether you think it's amazing looking because as I've said for years and years, eye candy and wow factor have very short shelf lives. They're exciting the first time you see it, second time it's eh, third time you just walk right on by it. And that's a lot of money to spend on something that people aren't really paying attention to.  Some of the best digital signage out there. I started using the term boring signage a few years ago. Some of the best digital signage is crushingly boring, but incredibly relevant to the people who are looking at it. Like, how busy is this washroom? Do I turn left or right? Is this lineup faster if I go this way or that way? It's just data, but it's immediately relevant to the people who want to know this. They don't need to see a hologram of somebody dancing or whatever, or pretending they're a security control agent. They just need something saying, “This line over here” because we're using AI to measure or computer vision to measure the density of lineups that this one's gonna take five minutes. The one you're right in front of right now is gonna take you 12 minutes, so they're gonna go to the left, down to the other one, and that's gonna load, balance the venue, which is awesome. It just makes operations better, but for the people who are all about the eye candy, it's not not very exciting. But it works. It beautifully serves its purpose.  Antonia Hamberger: So learn about the industry. Take your time, learning everything you can. Learn about new emerging technologies and don't get wowed too easily by flashy stuff.  Dave Haynes: View everything with a degree of skepticism and a business mindset of, okay, even if this is super cool, would anybody use it, or does this scale? Some of this stuff is amazing. But given the cost of it, there's never gonna be a whole bunch of them. Antonia Hamberger: Balthasar, do you want to throw some rapid fire corners?  Balthasar Mayer: Dave, you ran Sixteen:Nine for almost 20 years. You gave great insights for the industry, and you're giving it over to us at Invidis. I really hope that we can keep up the spirit of Sixteen:Nine. We will try our best. Dave Haynes: You've got big, smelly shoes to fill.  Balthasar Mayer: The smelly part we can do. So we have sixteen rapid-fire questions for you.  Dave Haynes: Sounds like a game show.  Balthasar Mayer: Yeah, it's  in celebration. It's a celebration for you. I have sixteen questions. You try to answer them as rapidly as possible. Since this is your exit interview and your celebration, you are allowed to put one sentence into it. We are not that strict with the rules. We're a little flexible today. Today, on our very first podcast. You need another sip of beer, or are you ready?  Dave Haynes: I'm good.  Balthasar Mayer: Then let's begin. What is your first big thing you do in retirement?  Dave Haynes: Ooh, boring yard work.  Balthasar Mayer: After the show, wine or beer?  Dave Haynes: After what show?  Balthasar Mayer: ISE?  Dave Haynes: That's Spain, so wine. Balthasar Mayer: Infocomm?  Dave Haynes: That'd be beer because it's hot.  Balthasar Mayer: What do you like more: conferences or trade shows?  Dave Haynes: Conferences.  Balthasar Mayer: In conferences, on stage or in the audience?  Dave Haynes: I like both.  Balthasar Mayer: Blog or the newspaper?  Dave Haynes: I'm a newspaper guy. Unfortunately, I love the tactile side of newspapers, but they're hard to find. So if I'm in New York, I'll pick up The Times.  Balthasar Mayer: Hardware or software?  Dave Haynes: Hardware.  Balthasar Mayer: Hologram or MicroLED?  Dave Haynes: MicroLED.  Balthasar Mayer: What was the coolest story you covered in Sixteen:Nine?  Dave Haynes: Oh boy, that's hard to give a snappy answer to.  Balthasar Mayer: You can give the top three because it's the exit interview.  Dave Haynes: I would say going to China, going to Taiwan, and, I always remember the LED billboard that is at 8 Times Square. It was back ten years ago or something in front of the Marriott Marquee in Times Square, they lit up what at that time was the biggest LED board, certainly in the United States, and probably among the biggest in the world and I saw the room where they had all the servers and everything else, and then I was there when they turned the thing on, and that was pretty cool.  Balthasar Mayer: True MicroLED or OLED?  Dave Haynes: They are so different. True MicroLEDs are still in their infancy. OLED is getting a lot better than it used to be. But I still don't see it as a digital signage project product by and large. Balthasar Mayer: I messed up the numbers, but what was the silliest story you covered.  Dave Haynes: Top three allowed. Oh. Most of those, I just don't run.  Balthasar Mayer: We'll change the question. What was the absolute silliest press release you got? Dave Haynes: It's a tie between those Guinness World Records and those with the Frost and Sullivan Awards, which you buy. You don't win an award, you buy a Frost and Sullivan Award.  Balthasar Mayer: But I have to say I love the Guinness World Records stories, but yeah, you're right.  The coolest person in digital signage you interviewed? Dave Haynes: The coolest? Can I say the best interview? That's easier. Chris Riegel, CEO of StrataCash, founder of StrataCash. Sole owner, as far as I know. Insanely smart guy. Very dry sense of humor, but so knowledgeable and so blunt. It inevitably or very reliably was a great interview.  If he talks, people should listen. Balthasar Mayer: We heard about your past. So, what was the best interview you ever had aside from digital signage?  Dave Haynes: Oh, boy, I had a whole bunch of really great interviews when I was doing the entertainment industry. I think one of the ones that always sticks in my mind is Bryan Adams in his very early days, when he was still playing in local nightclubs and not in arenas or anything else. I had a chat with him at our offices. He came up there and he was playing at a local spot, and said, are you coming tonight? I said, yeah, I'll come. Is your wife coming? Yeah, she's gonna come with me, and I said, come and see me, and went up to see him after the first set, he said, did your wife come? I said, yeah and he said, let's go.  So he sat down with Joy and I and friends of ours and shot the shit in between the sets. Super nice guy. I met some rock people who were idiots, but he was among the truly nice people, and that's always encouraging that fame doesn't get to them.  Balthasar Mayer: The most useless digital signage tech you've ever seen?  Dave Haynes: I know I rag on holograms. I do think they have a role. I just think they're overstated in terms of their applicability. Also, robots, screens on roving robots. Those are almost universally pointless.  Balthasar Mayer: A technology you didn't think would make it, but became successful. Dave Haynes: These are hard questions.  Balthasar Mayer: Was there ever a thing you were wrong about or you misjudged?  Dave Haynes: Oh, never!  You know what? The rotating LED rotors, when I first saw them, I thought they were interesting, but those will disappear in a couple of years. To Hypervisions' credit. Hypervision is the company that markets them more than anybody. They've done a great job of marketing their product and getting people excited about it and I have seen instances of it where I think it's really applicable, but I've seen lots of other cases where I just don't get it. I was wrong there that I thought that would just disappear, but they've done a good job.  Balthasar Mayer: You're at fifteen questions now, so here's question #16: Imagine you run a successful trade block for almost 20 years. You were very successful, and are a guiding star in the industry. If you retire, what is better: simple goodbye or emotional farewell??  Dave Haynes: A simple goodbye.  By the time this gets up and listenable, I already have my goodbye post written, and it's me riding off into the sunset on my lawnmower.  Antonia Hamberger: We couldn't top that. That picture of you riding off into the sunset on your lawnmower. We wanna preserve that memory of you.  Dave Haynes: Just imagine a cowboy on an electric lawnmower.  Balthasar Mayer: Nevertheless, thanks, Dave, for all the things you've done from all of Invidis. We'd really try to hold up your flag, and I think it's your time to have the last words.  Dave Haynes: Thank you. I've known Florian and stuff and you guys for quite some time now. Got to not just be industry colleagues and people doing the same work, but friends as well, and when I decided to wind things down, I'm 67 now and at some point you gotta do it or you're gonna be sitting at a computer when you're 85 and trying to remember your name. I think I'm leaving it in good hands. I've got a lot of respect for what you guys do with the yearbook, with your day-to-day stuff, and everything else. It would've been challenging to just have some person come into the industry and try to have a little baptism by fire understanding it, so to have it taken over by people who already know the industry, know the people in it, know the goods and bads, and understand some of the bullshit, that makes it a lot easier to kinda back out of it, and as I've said to you and I said to others, it's not like you'll never see me again, I'm gonna stay in the industry. I just decided I didn't want to do this every day first thing in the morning. I would be better off health-wise to get up, have my coffee, and then do some stretching and go for a walk, and things like that, instead of banging away on a keyboard.  I'll be around, I'll still go to ISE and do other things. I'll probably still do some writing on Sixteen:Nine, but just as a guest editor as opposed to the daily editor. So it's been great, and I think this is gonna work out really well, and I'm excited for it.  Antonia Hamberger: We're excited too. Thank you, Dave.

During the month of May, many states host an annual event on the governor's conference on "Aging." At these conferences, older Americans may learn new ways for healthy living and lifelong learning. Some time ago, my friend Mary shared an article entitled, "Nostalgia," which I feel may be interesting to our readers as they review the changes of the century. "Over the last 50 to 60 years, we have been witnesses to many changes in our lives...Here are just a few of them: We were born before cordless phones, fax machines and ice makers. Who ever heard of organ transplants or root canals? Horsepower was something to do with a horse. Callers rang the doorbell instead of blowing their horn. The fallout problem was something kept under your hat, and when folks sat down to dinner, they counted their blessings instead of calories. Guided missiles were rolling pins and frying pans. A babysitter was called a mother. A child had more brothers and sisters than fathers, and a car didn't wear out before it was paid for. A housewife canned food instead of taking it out of cans. Being a parent required more patience than money. Baths were taken once a week, and religion every day, and the only red menace was long winter underwear. $5 worth of groceries filled two bags, and when we were in school, the hard stuff meant algebra. We did without disposable diapers, velcro and scotch tape. Instead of the internet and the information superhighway, we had the party line. In our day, television was truly a luxury, and a black and white luxury at that. Tape meant to reel to reel, not cassettes or videos... and CDs were certificates of deposits, not compact discs, and owning a "hi-fi" was all the rage, and who could forget driving a Packard or a Nash? The only millionaires in baseball were the owners. Bunnies were small rabbits and rabbits were not Volkswagens. Cars in our time met running boards, cranks, Model A Roadsters and rumble seats. A mouse was a furry little creature, not part of a computer, and the only babes politicians kissed were those in their mother's arms. We were before Hawaii and Alaska became states, Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer, Snoopy, DDT, interstate highways, Holiday Inns, air conditioned cars and decaffeinated anything. We came from a time when we left our front door open. College kids swallowed goldfish, not alcohol, and in our day, songs had a tune and the words made sense. "Hippie" meant big in the hips. A trip meant travel. Bread came from bakeries, not the min. We were before microwave popcorn, child proof medicine bottles, and cars with cruise control. Streaking was what happened when you washed windows. Holidays were for getting together, not for getting away. And remember when a chick was a chicken, not the girl down the street? Tennis shoes were only worn in PE class. Bathing suits would cover your knees. And when you said, "I don't have anything to do," your parents said, "Find something to do!" In our day, we would swing and sway with Sammy K, waltz with Wayne King, dance to Guy Lombardo, and polka with Leo Greco. We have survived all of these changes and many more. What an exciting time to have lived." Warm Thought: Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80, anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young. Henry Ford. May you have many warm thoughts! Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea, written by Dr. Luetta G. Werner. Published in the Marion Record May 21st, 1998. Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past.Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table.I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don't forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I'd greatly appreciate it.Till next time,Trina

Welcome to Episode 173 of the ByoPodcast Ingxoxo99-------------------------------------------------------------Host: Mgcini Cohost: Jane / Maforty / Ralph Video & Lighting : RalphContent Producer: Mgcini Sound: Ralph Post production: MgciniVenue : Cotton Lounge ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Join our membership to support the channel :https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrJFvubYBiqw7cPQ63wgbOw/join

Send us a textThis week on The Perfect Album Side: Singles, we're asking the big questions—like, does every band's signature song actually slap? Or did they just get lucky once in a Holiday Inn lounge? Side B? We head to a galaxy far, far away to debate the Mount Rushmore of Star Wars villains. Spoiler: some of them have more teeth than dialogue. Crank it up, nerds and music heads—this episode has lightsabers AND cowbells!One idea. Six songs. Infinite possibilities...

Adam Pally joins Seth and Josh on the pod! He talks all about growing up in NYC and then moving to Chicago, having lounge-singer-parents, his memories of his dad being in medical school when he was younger, his love for swimming pools at The Holiday Inn, marrying his high school sweetheart, and so much more! Plus, he chats about his new comedy-meets-wellness podcast, “Staying Alive!” Support our sponsors: Ancient Nutrition Right now, Ancient Nutrition is offering 25% off your first order when you go to AncientNutrition.com/trips Helix Go to helixsleep.com/TRIPS for 20% Off Sitewide Nissan Family Trips is brought to you by the All-New 2025 Nissan Armada. Take your adventures to new heights. Learn more at NissanUSA.com Visit Baltimore Start your culinary adventure at Baltimore.org slash dining. Baltimore is just a quick drive or train ride from New York, Philly, and D.C. Plan your visit today at Baltimore.org

In this episode, we're diving deep into IHG One Rewards—a hotel program that often flies under the radar but has serious potential. From practical Holiday Inns to luxury Kimptons and InterContinentals, we're sharing our experiences using IHG points and free-night awards, how we earn them, and why buying IHG points (yes, buying!) can actually be a smart move. What Even Is IHG? Before diving into points and miles, most of us didn't even know IHG was the brand behind properties like Holiday Inn, Candlewood Suites, Kimpton, Hotel Indigo, and InterContinental. Jess shares how she earned free IHG stays back in the day by mailing in 90 index cards, and Pam tells how she thought Crowne Plazas were the height of luxury before she knew the full IHG lineup. IHG Credit Cards: What to Know Alex breaks down the three different IHG credit card options and how their benefits stack up so you can decide which one might work best for you.  She also outlines two of the unique benefits that make two of these cards a great deal: getting a fourth night free on award stays and earning free-night certificates you can top up. Buying IHG Points Can Actually Make Sense Pam shares why she regularly buys IHG points—especially during 100% bonus sales—for heavily discounted stays at high-end IHG properties. She calls it a “no-brainer,” and Jess agrees—IHG is one of the only programs where buying points often makes sense. Where We've Used IHG Points and Awards From a Kimpton in Barcelona, to airport Holiday Inns, to a Crowne Plaza in Bruges, we share how we've stretched our points and free-night certificates. Jess highlights how easy it is to top off a 40k free-night certificate online, and Alex reminds everyone about the best ways to book longer stays for couples. We also discuss: IHG status levels Using certificates online (a breeze!) The IHG brands we love most Our dream stays: Six Senses, Kimpton in Sydney, and Hotel Indigo Galápagos Links: All About IHG Credit Cards: All About IHG Credit Cards - Travel Mom Squad - https://travelmomsquad.com/ihg-revamps-credit-cards Purchasing IHG Points: Does It Make Sense? Purchasing IHG Points: Does It Make Sense? - Travel Mom Squad - https://travelmomsquad.com/purchasing-ihg-points-does-it-make-sense/ Links For All Things Travel Mom Squad: stan.store/travelmomsquad Episode Minute By Minute: 00:30 – Our intro to IHG 03:00 – What cards we've had and what we recommend 06:45 – The best perks and status levels with IHG cards 09:30 – Why we buy IHG points (and how it saves $$$) 13:30 – Free-night certificates and how to use them wisely 18:00 – Where we've stayed using IHG points and awards 21:00 – The brands we love: Kimpton, Indigo, InterContinental 26:00 – Favorite past stays + the IHG hotels we want to try next If you've been sleeping on IHG, take another look. Whether you're after practical one-night stays or a luxury resort getaway, there's more value here than you think.

This week, Justin catches up with Izzy back home, and Tour Manager Sam after a 3-night run. Alfie Joey tells us how it's all about Action Figures, we hear from the front row in Kettering, and we go back in time to a Holiday Inn with Henning Wehn and Jim White.   Get in touch here: X – @3045podcast Facebook - @3045podcast Instagram - @3045podcast Email – podcast@justinmoorhouse.com   THIS WEEK'S GIGS:   See Justin on Saturday here: https://thewardrobetheatre.com/shows/justin-moorhouse-the-greatest-performance-of-my-life/   EPISODE LINKS:   Grandpa Greene's Luxury Ice Cream: https://www.grandpagreenes.co.uk/   Kafeine Coffee: https://www.instagram.com/kafeine_coffee   OTHER STUFF:   Watch my YouTube Special: https://www.youtube.com/@justinmoorhousecomedian   The Greatest Performance of My Life: https://www.justinmoorhouse.com/   Join the Mailing List: https://justinmoorhouse.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=4c600f8287b9c2e121f43c3a1&id=bbd0010665   Music by Liam Frost. Produced by Rachel Fitzgerald and Justin Moorhouse

On this episode of Stage Door Podcast, we're joined by the cast and director of St. Francis De Sales' production of Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn for a lively, in-depth conversation about this joyful musical packed with heart, humor, and show-stopping numbers.Together, we explore the story of Jim, a performer-turned-farmer whose quiet Connecticut life takes a turn when he meets Linda, a talented schoolteacher with a flair for the stage. As the two transform a humble farmhouse into a dazzling holiday inn, tensions rise, dreams collide, and romance hangs in the balance—especially when Hollywood comes calling.Listen in as the team shares what makes this production special, their favorite Irving Berlin numbers (from “Cheek to Cheek” to “White Christmas”), and why this timeless tale of love, music, and second chances is the perfect celebration for any season.Whether you're planning to see the show or just love musical theater, this episode will have you “Steppin' Out With [Your] Baby” in no time!

Still Talking, to the cast of Holiday Inn. Sometimes there's a lot more stuff to talk about after the "stop recording" button has been pushed. Here is just a little snip-itSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/214M4OKBbWcDivndnc2MTuApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stage-door-a-theatre-podcast-hosted-by-two-regular-guys/id1573865415

True grit, busted limbs, longhorns worth six figures—and one horse who checked into the Holiday Inn. Only at Kickback Ranch.In this unforgettable episode of Beyond the Chutes, host Doug Simcox heads to Jerry and Mindy's Kickback Ranch in Raymer, Alabama, for one of the most heartfelt and hilarious rodeo reunions in the South. Listen in as rodeo legends, livestock pros, and cowboy storytellers share raw, real-life tales from decades in the arena.From Jimmy Jones recounting bareback wrecks and his rise to Longhorn Breeder Hall of Famer, to Janet Watley reflecting on a life rich in rodeo royalty and family tradition, this episode overflows with authenticity and charm.Also featured: 13-year-old up-and-comer Cutter Christy, unforgettable tales from Randy Murphy and George Denmark, and a roundup of the Legends of Rodeo awards presentation. This gathering of cowboys and cowgirls isn't just about the past—it's a celebration of the spirit that keeps rodeo alive today.Kickback Ranch and Resort: https://kickbackranch.net/Wandering Gypsy RV Life: https://open.spotify.com/show/746s6L4oLDcSdQPR3AcU1F?si=e729c69f873f4b2cRodeo Roots Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6NP4RyUN0m5KWXpAq2HmGp?si=1bde1f2037d048ffKing Brothers Rodeo Reunion: https://www.facebook.com/KingBrosRodeoWestern Festival de St Tite: https://www.festivalwestern.com/Mountain Cove Rodeo Reunion: https://www.facebook.com/groups/729424520834071Here are some resources for Beyond the Chutes:Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093822821241Official Website:https://beyondthechutes.show/Spotify: https://shorturl.at/bvK35Apple Podcasts: https://shorturl.at/jnGV4Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/24n3hmk4YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/bdcju8nzRSS: https://rss.com/podcasts/beyondthechutes/ParaSight SystemsCoupon: BTC023 for 50% off Mail In Test Kitshttps://www.parasightsystem.com/The IRA Projecthttps://www.facebook.com/groups/681292165259783

In this episode of Welcome to Cloudlandia, we reflect on how places, people, and experiences shape our perspectives. The conversation begins with casual observations, from warm weather making transitions easier to memorable encounters like “Spam Man,” a mysterious figure spotted at the Hazleton Hotel. We also explore the impact of changing landscapes, both physical and cultural. From real estate in Toronto to how cities evolve, we discuss how development can shape or diminish the character of a place. This leads to a broader conversation about timeless architecture, like Toronto's Harris Filtration Plant, and how thoughtful design contributes to a city's identity. Technology's role in daily life also comes up, especially how smartphones dominate attention. A simple observation of people walking through Yorkville reveals how deeply connected we are to our screens, often at the expense of real-world engagement. We contrast this with the idea that some things, like human connection and cooperation, remain unchanged even as technology advances. The discussion closes with thoughts on long-term impact—what lasts and fades over time. Whether it's historic buildings, enduring habits, or fundamental human behaviors, the conversation emphasizes that while trends come and go, specific principles and ways of thinking remain relevant across generations. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS In Phoenix, during a rooftop party, we witnessed a surprise appearance of a SpaceX rocket, which sparked our discussion on extraordinary events blending with everyday life. We explored the curious case of "Spam man," a local legend in Hazleton, whose mysterious persona intrigued us as much as any UFO sighting. We shared our fascination with the dynamic real estate landscape in Hazleton, discussing new constructions and their impact on scenic views. Our conversation touched on unique weather patterns at the beaches near the lake, emphasizing the influence of water temperatures on seasonal climate variations. We delved into the topic of warmer winters, reflecting on how both humans and nature adapt to milder temperatures, particularly during February 2024. Our discussion included insights from Morgan Housel's book, which inspired our reflections on nature's resilience and adaptation over millions of years. We highlighted local activities like windsurfing and kite skiing, noting the favorable wind conditions at the beaches, a rarity in Canada's cold-weather climate. Links: WelcomeToCloudlandia.com StrategicCoach.com DeanJackson.com ListingAgentLifestyle.com TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Dean: Mr Sullivan. Dan: Mr Jackson. I hope you behaved when you were out of my sight. Dean: I did. I'll have to tell you something. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the arrangement of this warm weather. For me, it's made the transition much more palatable warm weather. Dan: for me it's made the transition much more palatable. Dean: I mean our backstage team is really getting good at this sort of thing, and you know when we were in. Dan: we were in Phoenix a couple of weeks ago and we had a rooftop party and right in the middle of the party we arranged for Elon Musk to send one of his rockets out. Dean: I saw that a satellite launch yeah. Dan: Yeah, can you imagine that guy and how busy he is? But just you know, just to handle our request he just ended up with, yeah, must be some money involved with that. Dean: Well, that's what happens, Dan. We have a positive attitude on the new budget. Dan: Yeah, and you think in terms of unique ability, collaboration, you know, breakthroughs free zone you know, all that stuff, it's all. Dean: it's the future. Dan: Yeah. So good Well he sent the rocket up and they're rescuing the astronauts today. Dean: Oh, is that right? How long has it been now since they've been? Dan: It's been a long time seven, eight months, I think, Uh-huh, yeah and Boeing couldn't get them down. Boeing sent them up, but they couldn't get them down. You know, which is only half the job, really. Dean: That was in the Seinfeld episode about taking the reservation and holding the reservation. Yeah. They can take the reservation. They just can't hold the reservation yeah. Dan: It's like back really the integral part. Back during the moonshot, they thought that the Russians were going to be first to the moon. Kennedy made his famous speech. You know we're going to put a man on and they thought the Russians, right off the bat, would beat him, because Kennedy said we'll bring him back safely and the Russians didn't include that in their prediction. That's funny. Dean: We had that. We're all abuzz with excitement over here at the Hazleton. There's a funny thing that happened. It started last summer that Chad Jenkins Krista Smith-Klein is that her name yeah, yeah. So we were sitting in the lobby one night at the Hazleton here and this guy came down from the residences into the lobby. It was talking to the concierge but he had this Einstein-like hair and blue spam t-shirts that's, you know, like the can spam thing on it and pink, pink shorts and he was, you know, talking to the concierge. And then he went. Then he went back upstairs and this left such an impression on us that we have been, you know, lovingly referring to him as Spam man since the summer, and we've been every time here on alert, on watch, because we have to meet and get to know Spam man, because there's got to be a story behind a guy like that in a place like this. And so this morning I had coffee with Chad and then Chad was going to get a massage and as he walked into the spa he saw Spamman and he met him and he took a picture, a selfie, with him and texted it. But I haven't that. His massage was at 10 o'clock, so all I have is the picture and the fact that he met Spamman, but I haven't that. His massage was at 10 o'clock, so all I have is the picture and the fact that he met Spam man, but I don't have the story yet. But it's just fascinating to me that this. I want to hear the story and know this guy now. I often wonder how funny that would appear to him. That made such an impression on us last summer that every time we've been at the Hazleton we've been sitting in the lobby on Spam man. Watch, so funny. I'll tell you the story tomorrow. I'll get to the bottom of it. Dan: It's almost like UFO watchers. They think they saw it once and they keep going back to the same place you know hoping that'll happen again, yeah. Dean: Is there a? Dan: spot. Is there a spot at the Hazleton? Dean: There is yeah. Dan: Oh, I didn't know that. Dean: So there's some eclectic people that live here, like seeing just the regulars or whatever that I see coming in and out of the of the residence because it shares. Dan: There's a lot, you know, yeah that's a that's pretty expensive real estate. Actually, the hazelton, yeah for sure, especially if you get the rooftop one, although they've destroyed I I think you were telling me they've destroyed the value of the rooftop because now they're building 40-story buildings to block off the view. Dean: I mean that's crazy. Right Right next door. Yeah, yeah, but there you go. How are things in the beaches as well? Dan: Yeah. You know it's interesting because we're so close to the lake it's cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, you know. Dean: Oh, okay. Dan: You know, because controlled by water temperatures. Dean: Water temperatures. Dan: Yes, exactly, I mean even you know, even if it's cold, you know the water temperature is maybe 65, 66. Dean: Fahrenheit, you know it's not frigid. Dan: It's not frigid. Dean: They have wintertime plungers down here people who go in you know during the winter yeah, but this is that you and babs aren't members of the polar bear club that would not be us um but anyway, uh, they do a lot of uh windsurfing. Dan: There's at the far end of our beach going uh towards the city. They have really great wind conditions there. You see the kite skiers. They have kites and they go in the air. It's quite a known spot here. I mean, canada doesn't have too much of this because we're such a cold-weather country. There isn't the water, it's pretty cold even during the summertime yeah exactly yeah, but the lake doesn't freeze, that's oh, it does, it does yeah, yeah we've had, we've had winters, where it goes out, you know, goes out a quarter mile it'll be. Dean: I didn't realize that Wow. Dan: Yeah, yeah, yeah, but not this winter. It never froze over this winter, but we have, you know, within the last two or three winters, we've had ice on the. We've had ice, you know, for part of the winter. Dean: It's funny to me, dan, to see this. Like you know, it's going gonna be 59 degrees today, so, yeah, it's funny to me to see people you know out wearing shorts and like, but it must be like a, you know, a heat wave. Compared to what? You had in the first half of march here, right, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah yeah, so that's good. Dan: Yeah, last February not this past month, but February of 2024, we had 10 days in February where it was over 70. Dean: And. Dan: I often wonder if the trees get pulled, the plants get pulled. Dean: It triggers them to like hey, oh my. Dan: God. But apparently temperature is just one of the factors that govern their behavior. The other one is the angle of the light. Dean: And that doesn't change the angle of the sunlight. Dan: Yeah, so they. You know I mean things work themselves out over millions of years. So you know there's, you know they probably have all sorts of indicators and you have 10 boxes to check and if only one of them is checked, that doesn't, it doesn't fool them. You know they have a lot of things that I sent you and I don't know if we ever discussed it or you picked it up after I recommended it was Morgan Housel, famous ever. Dean: Did you like that? Did you like that? Dan: book. I did, I loved. It was Morgan Housel famous ever. Did you like that? Did you like that book? Dean: I did, I loved it. I mean it was really like, and I think ever you know, very, very interesting to me because of what I've been doing, you know the last little while, as I described, reading back over you know 29 years of journals, picking random things and seeing so much of what, so much of what, the themes that go that time feels the last. You know 30 years has gone by so fast that I, when I'm reading in that journal, I can remember exactly like where I was and I can remember the time because I would date and place them each journal entry. So I know where I was when I'm writing them. But I thought that was a really, I thought it was a really interesting book. What stood out for you from? Dan: Yeah, I think the biggest thing is that really great things take a long time to create. Dean: Yeah. Dan: Because they have to be tested against all sorts of changing conditions and if they get stronger, it's like you know they're going to last for a long time. Dean: And. Dan: I'm struck by it because the book, the little book that I'm writing for the quarter, is called the Bill of Rights Economy and the Bill of Rights really started with the United States. It was December 15th 1791. So that's when, I think, washington was just inaugurated at that time as the first president. But, how durable they are, and you can read the newspaper every day of things going on in Washington and you can just check off the first 10 amendments. This is a Fifth Amendment issue. This is a second amendment you know and everything like that, and it's just how much they created such a durable framework for a country. They were about 3 million people at that time and now there are 300 and whatever probably upwards of 350 million. And basically, the country runs essentially according to those first 10 amendments and then the articles which say how the machinery of government actually operates. And it's by far the longest continuous governing system in the world. That's really interesting. But that's why you know I really like things that you know, that you know that have stood the test of time. I like having my life based on things that have stood the test of time. And then I've got, you know, I've got some really good habits which I've developed over the last 50 years of coaching. Got, you know, I've got some really good habits which I've developed over the last 50 years of coaching and you know they work. You know I don't fool around with things that work. Yeah Well, I want to bring in something. I really am more and more struck how there's a word that's used in the high technology field because I was just at Abundance 360. And it's the word disruption and it's seen as a good thing, and I don't see disruption as good. I don't really see it as a good thing. I see it as something that might happen as a result of a new thing, but I don't think the disruption is a good thing. Dean: Yeah, it feels like it's not. It seems like the opposite of collaboration. Yeah, it really is. It feels like the negative. You know the I forget who said it, but you know the two ways they have the biggest building. Dan: I really mean Chucky movie. Dean: Yeah, there was somebody said the two ways to have the biggest building in town, the tallest building is to build the tallest building or to tear down all the other buildings that are taller than yours, and that's what disruption feels like to see in the real estate industry is always one that is, you know, set up as the big fat cat ready for disruption. And people have tried and tried to disrupt the real estate industry and, you know, I came away from the first, the first abundance 360, realizing that, you know, perhaps the thing that same makes real estate possible is that you can't digitize the last hundred feet of a real estate transaction. You know, and I think that there are certain industries, certain things that we are, that there's a human element to things. Dan: That is very yeah, yeah, I mean, it's really interesting just to switch on to that subject. On the real, estate. If you take Silicon Valley, Hollywood and Wall Street, who are the richest people in the area Silicon? Dean: Valley. Dan: Hollywood and Wall Street. Who are the richest people in the area? Dean: Silicon Valley Hollywood and Wall Street. Dan: Who are the real money makers? Dean: Yeah, Wall Street. Dan: No, the real estate developers. Dean: Oh, I see, oh, the real estate developers. Oh yeah, yeah, that's true, right, that's true. Dan: I don't care what you've invented or what your activity is. I'll tell you the people who really make the money are the people who are into real estate. Dean: Yeah, you can't digitize it, that's for sure. Dan: Well, I think the answer is in the word. It's real. Dean: What was that site, dan, that you were talking about? That was is it real? Or is it Bach or whatever? Or is it Guy or whatever? What was? Or is it AI or Bach? Dan: Well, no, I was. Yeah, I was watching. It was a little, you know, it was on YouTube and it was Bach versus AI. Dean: So what they've? Dan: done. You know you can identify the. You know the building components that Bach uses to you know to write his music and then you know you can take it apart and you know you can say do a little bit of this, do a little bit of this, do a little bit of this. And then what they have? They play two pieces. They play an actual piece by Bach and then they play another piece which is Bach-like you know, and there were six of them. And there was a of them and there was a host on the show and he's a musician, and whether he was responding realistically or whether he was sort of faking it, he would say boy, I can't really tell that one, but I guessed on all six of them and I guessed I guessed right. Dean: I know there was just something about the real Bach and I think I think it was emotional more than you know that could be the mirror neurons that you know you can sense the transfer of emotion through that music, you know. Dan: Yeah, and I listen to Bach a lot I still get surprised by something he's got these amazing chord changes you know, and what he does. And my sense is, as we enter more and more into the AI world, our you know, our perceptions and our sensitivities are going to heighten to say is that the real deal or not? Dean: you know yeah sensitivities are going to heighten to say is that the real deal or not? You know, and yeah, that's what you know, jerry Spence, I think I mentioned. Dan: Jerry Spence about that that Jerry Spence said. Dean: our psychic tentacles are in the background measuring everything for authenticity, and they can detect the thin clank of the counterfeit. Yeah, and I think that's no matter what. You can always tell exactly. I mean, you can tell the things that are digitized. It's getting more and more realistic, though, in terms of the voice things for AI. I'm seeing more and more of those voice caller showing up in my news feed, and we were talking about Chris Johnson. Chris Johnson, yeah, yeah, chris Johnson. Dan: This is really good because he's really fine-tuned it to. First of all, it's a constantly changing voice. That's the one thing I noticed. The second version, first version, not so much, but I've heard two versions of the caller. And what I noticed is, almost every time she talks, there's a little bit of difference to the tone. There's a little bit, you know, and she's in a conversation. Dean: Is it mirroring kind of thing, Like is it adapting to the voice on the other end? Dan: Yeah, I think there's. I certainly think there's some of that. And that is part of what we check out as being legitimate or not, because you know that it wouldn't be the same, because there's meaning. You know meaning different meaning, different voice, if you're talking to an actual individual who's not you know, who's not real monotonic. But yeah, the big thing about this is that I think we get smarter. I was talking, we were on a trip to Israel and we were talking in this one kibbutz up near the Sea of Galilee and these people had been in and then they were forced out. In 2005, I think it was, the Israeli government decided to give the Gaza territory back to the Palestinians. But it was announced about six months before it happened and things changed right away. The danger kicked up. There was violence and you know, kicked up. And I was talking to them. You know how can you send your kids out? You know, just out on their own. And they said, oh, first thing that they learned. You know he said three, four or five years old. They can spot danger in people. You know, if they see someone, they can spot danger with it. And I said boy oh boy, you know, it just shows you the, under certain conditions, people's awareness and their alertness kicks up enormously. They can take things into account that you went here in Toronto, for example. You know, you know, you know that's wild. Dean: Yeah, this whole, I mean, I think in Toronto. Dan: The only thing you'd really notice is who's offering the biggest pizza at the lowest price. Dean: Oh, that's so funny. There's some qualitative element around that too. It's so funny. You think about the things that are. I definitely see this Cloudlandia-enhan. You know that's really what the main thing is, but you think about how much of what's going on. We're definitely living in Cloudlandia. I sat last night, dan, I was in the lobby and I was writing in my journal, and I just went outside for a little bit and I sat on one of the benches in the in front of the park. Oh yeah, in front of the hotel and it was a beautiful night. Dan: Like I mean temperature was? Dean: yeah, it was beautiful. So I'm sitting out there, you know, on a Saturday night in Yorkville and I'm looking at March. I'm just yeah, I'm just watching, and I left my phone. I'm making a real concerted effort to detach from my oxygen tank as much as I can. Right, and my call, that's what I've been calling my iPhone right, because we are definitely connected to it. And I just sat there without my phone and I was watching people, like head up, looking and observing, and I got to. I just thought to myself I'm going to count, I'm going to, I'm going to observe the next 50 people that walk by and I'm going to see how many of them are glued to their phone and how many have no visible phone in sight, and so do you. Dan: What was it? Nine out of 10? Dean: Yeah, it wasn't even that. Yeah, that's exactly what it was. It was 46, but it wasn't even 10. Yeah, it was real. That's exactly what it was. It was 46. Dan: It wasn't even 10%, it was 19. It wasn't even no, it was 19 out of 20. Dean: Yeah, I mean, isn't that something, dan? Like it was and I'm talking like some of them were just like, literally, you know, immersed in their phone, but their body was walking, yeah, and the others, but their body was walking. But it's interesting too. Dan: If you had encountered me. I think my phone is at home and I know it's not charged up. Dean: Yeah, it's really something, dan, that was an eye-opener to me. It's really something, dan, that was an eye-opener to me, and the interesting thing was that the four that weren't on the phone were couples, so there were two people, but of the individuals, it was 100% of. The individuals walking were attached to their phones. Dan: Yeah. Dean: And I think that's where we're at right now. Dan: No, yeah, I don't know, it's just that. Dean: No, I'm saying that's observation. Dan: It's like Well, that's where we are, in Yorkville, in front of Okay, right, right, right yeah. No, it's just that I find Yorkville is a peculiarly Are you saying it's an outlier? It's not so much of an outlier but it's probably the least connected group of people in Toronto would be in Yorkville because they'd be out for the. They don't live there. You know most don't live there, they're and they're somewhere. There's probably the highest level of strangers you know, on any given night in toronto would probably be in yorkville I think it's sort of outliers sort of situation. I mean, I mean, if you came to the beaches on a yeah last night, the vast majority of people would be chatting with each other and talking with each other. They would be on their phones. I think think it's just a. It's probably the most what I would call cosmopolitan part of Toronto, in other words it's the part of Toronto that has the least to do with Toronto. Dean: Okay. Dan: It's trying to be New York, yorkville is trying to be. Dean: New York. Dan: Yeah, it's the Toronto Life magazine version of Toronto. Dean: Yeah, you idealize the avatar of Toronto, right yeah? Dan: In Toronto Life. They always say Toronto is a world-class city and I said no. I said, london's a world-class city. Dean: New. Dan: York is a world-class city. Tokyo is a world-class city. You know how, you know they're a world class city. Dean: They don't have to call themselves a world class city. Dan: They don't call themselves a world class city. They just are If you say you're a world class city. It's proof that you're not a world class city. Dean: That's funny. Yeah, I'll tell you what I think. I've told you what really brought that home for me was at the Four Seasons in London at Trinity Square, and Qatar TV and all these Arab the Emirates TV, all these things, just to see how many other cultures there are in the world. I mean, london is definitely a global crossroads, for sure. Dan: Yeah yeah. And that's what makes something the center, and that is made up of a thousand different little non-reproducible vectors. You know just, you know, just, you know. It's just that's why I like London so much. I just like London. It's just a great wandering city. You just come out of the hotel, walk out in any direction. Guarantee you, in seven minutes you're lost you have the foggiest idea where you are and you're seeing something new that you'd never seen before. And it's 25, the year 1625. Dean: I remember you and I walking through London 10 years ago, wandering through for a long time and coming to one of these great bookstores. You know, yeah, but you're right, like the winding in some of the back streets, and that was a great time. Yeah, you can't really wander and wander and wander. Dan: Yeah, it was a city designed by cows on the way home, right, exactly. Yeah, you can't really wander and wander and wander. Dean: Yeah, it was a city designed by cows on the way home, Right exactly. Dan: Yeah, it's really interesting. You know, that brings up a subject why virtual reality hasn't taken off, and I've been thinking about that because the buzz, you know how long ago was it? You would say seven years ago, seven, eight years ago everything's going to be virtual reality. Would that be about right? Oh, yeah, yeah. Dean: That was when virtual reality was in the lead. Remember then the goggles, the Oculus, yeah, yeah, that was what, yeah, pre-covid, so probably seven years ago 17, 17. And it's kind of disappeared, hasn't it compared to you know? Dan: why it doesn't have enough variety in it. And this relates back to the beginning of our conversation today. How do you know whether it's fake or not and we were talking on the subject of London that on any block, what's on that block was created by 10,000 different people over 500 years and there's just a minute kind of uniqueness about so much of what goes on there when you have the virtual reality. Let's say they create a London scene, but it'll be maybe a team of five people who put it together. And it's got a sameness to it. It's got, you know, oh definitely. Dean: That's where you see in the architecture like I don't. You know, one of the things I always look forward to is on the journey from here to strategic coach. So tomorrow, when we ride down University through Queen's Park and the old University of Toronto and all those old buildings there that are just so beautiful Stone buildings the architecture is stunning. Nobody's building anything like that now. No, like none of the buildings that you see have any soul or are going to be remembered well and they're not designed. Dan: They're not really designed to last more than 50 years. I have a architect. Well, you know richard hamlin he says that those, the newest skyscrapers you see in Toronto, isn't designed to last more than 50 years. You know, and, and you know, it's all utilitarian, everything is utilitarian, but there's no emphasis on beauty, you know. There's no emphasis on attractiveness. There's a few but not many. Attractiveness there's a few but not many. And, as a matter of fact, my favorite building in Toronto is about six blocks further down the lake from us, right here. It's called the Harris Filtration Plant. Dean: Oh yeah, we've walked by there, right at the end of the building. Dan: Built in 19, I think they finished in 1936. Dean: Yeah. Dan: And it's just an amazing building. I mean it's on three levels, they have three different buildings and it goes up a hill and it's where the water. You know, at that time it was all the water in Toronto that came out of the lake and they have 17 different process. You know the steps. And you go in there and there's no humans in there, it's all machinery. You can just hear the buzz and that's the water being filtered. It's about a quarter of the city now comes through that building. But it's just an absolutely gorgeous building and they spared no cost on it. And the man who built it, harris, he was the city manager. They had a position back there. It was city manager and it was basically the bureaucrat who got things done, and he also built the bridge across the Down Valley on Bloor. Dean: Yeah, beautiful bridge Right. Dan: He built that bridge and he was uneducated. He had no education, had no training, but he was just a go-getter. He was also in charge of the water system and the transportation system. And you know he put in the first streetcars and everything like that, probably the greatest bureaucrat toronto ever had, you know in the history of toronto this is the finest what year is that building from? yeah, the filtration plant was started in 29 and it was finished in 36 and wow they yeah, they had to rip out a whole section. It was actually partially woods, partially, I think, you know they had everything there, but they decided that would be the best place to bring it in there. Dean: You know it's got a lot more than 100 years. Dan: Yeah, but it's the finest building it's it's rated as one of the top 10 government buildings in north america yeah, it's beautiful. Dean: And that bridge I mean that bridge in the Don Valley is beautiful too. Dan: Yeah, it was really interesting. He put the bridge in and the bridge was put in probably in the 30s too. I mean that was vital because the valley really kept one part of Toronto apart from the other part of Toronto. It was hard to get from one part of Toronto apart from the other part of Toronto. You know, it's hard to get from one part of Toronto to the next. And so they put that bridge in, and that was about in the 30s and then in the no, I think it was in the 20s, they put that in 1920, so 100 years. And in the 1950s they decided to put in their first subway system. So they had Yonge Street and so Yonge Street north, and then they had Buller and Danforth. So they budgeted that they were going to really have to retrofit the bridge. And when they got it and they took all the dimensions, he had already anticipated that they were going to put a subway in. So it was all correct. And so anyway, he saw he had 30 or 40 years that they were going to put up. They would have to put a subway in. So it was all correct and yeah and so anyway he saw I had 30 or 40 years that they were going to put up. They would have to put, they're going to put the subway and it had to go through the bridge and so so they didn't have to retrofit it at all. Yeah, pretty cool. Dean: What do you think we're doing now? That's going to be remembered in 100 years or it's going to be impacted in 100 years? Dan: Well, we're not going backwards with technology, so any technology we have today we'll have 100 years from now. So you know, I mean I think the you know. Well, you just asked a question that explains why I'm not in the stock market. Dean: Exactly. Warren Buffett can't predict what's going to happen. We can't even tell what's going to change in the next five years. Dan: I don't know what's going to happen next year. I don't know what's going to happen next year. Dean: Isn't it interesting? I think a lot of the things that we're at could see, see the path to improvement or expansion, like when the railroad came in. You know it's interesting that you could see that that was we. You know, part of it was, you know, filling the territory, connecting the territory with all the, with all this stuff, and you could see that happening. But even now, you know, this is why warren buffett, you know, again with the, probably one of the largest owners of railroad things in the states, him, yeah, and because that's not changed in 200, yeah, or whatever, 150 years anyway, yeah, yeah, yeah, most of the country probably, you know, 150 years at least. Yeah, and so all of that, all those things, and even in the first half of the 1900s, you know all the big change stuff, yeah, yeah. Dan: Yeah. Dean: So it's funny because it's like I can't even see what categories are the biggest. Dan: Well, I think they'll be more intangibles than tangibles. For example, I think all my tools work 100 years from now. Yeah, I think all my thinking tools work 100 years from now. Dean: Well, because our brains will still be the same in 100 years. Yeah, all that interaction, right, the human behavior stuff. Dan: yeah, yeah yeah I don't think human behavior, um I think it's really durable you know, and that it's very interesting, um, and there was a phrase being used at Abundance that was used about four or five times during the two days that we were becoming godlike, and I said, no, I don't think so. Dean: I guess are they saying in that we can do things because of technology, we can do things. Dan: And I said nah, it's just the next. It's just the next new thing. You know that we've created, but human nature is, you know, there's a scientist, Joe Henrich, and a really bright guy. He's written a book you might be interested in. It's called the Secret of Our Success. And he was just exploring why humans, of all the species on the planet, became the dominant species. And you wouldn't have predicted it. Because we're not very fast, we're not very strong, we don't climb particularly well, we don't swim particularly well, we can't fly and everything like that. So you know, compared with a lot of the other species. But he said that somewhere along the line he buys into the normal thing that we came from ape-like species before we were human. But he says at one point there was a crossover and that one ape was looking at another ape. And he says he does things differently than I. I do. If I can work out a deal with him, he can do this while I'm doing that and we're twice as well. Dean: I was calling that. Dan: I've been calling that the cooperation game but that's really and that's playing that and we're the only species that can continually invent new ways to do that, and I mean every most. You know higher level. And mammals anyway can cooperate. You know they cooperate with each other. They know a friend from anatomy and they know how to get together. But they don't know too much more at the end of their life than they knew at the beginning of their life. You know in other words. They pretty well had it down by the time they were one year old and they didn't invent new ways of cooperating really. But humans do this on a daily basis. Humans will invent new ways of cooperating from morning till night. And he says that's the reason we just have this infinite ability to cooperate in new ways. And he says that's the reason we just have this infinite ability to cooperate in new ways. And he says that's why we're the top species. The other thing is we're the only species that take care of other species. We're the only species that study and document other species. We're the only species that actually create new species. You know put this together with that and we get something. Yeah, yeah and so, so, so, anyway, and so that's where you begin the. You know if you're talking about sameness. What do we know 100 years from now? Dean: What we know over the 100 years is that humans will have found almost countless new ways to cooperate with each other yeah, I think that that's, and but the access to right, the access to, that's why I think these, the access to capabilities, as a, you know, commodity I'm not saying commodity in a, you know, I'm not trying to like lower the status of ability, but to emphasize the tradability of it. You know that it's something that is a known quantity you know yeah. Dan: But my sense is that the relative comparison, that one person, let's say you take 10 people. Let's take 100 people that the percentage of them that could cooperate with each other at high levels, I believe isn't any different in 2024 than it was in 1924. If you take 100 people. Some have very high levels to cooperate with each other and they do, and the vast majority of them very limited amount to cooperate with each other, but are you talking about. Dean: That comes down, then, to the ability to be versus capability. That they have the capability. Dan: Yeah, they have the capability, but they don't individually have the ability. Dean: Right. Dan: Yeah, and I don't think the percentage changes. Dean: Yeah, that's why this whole, that's why we're I think you know, the environment that we're creating in FreeZone is an ecosystem of people who are, who get this. Dan: Yeah, well, I don't think they, yeah, I don't think they became collaborative because they were in free zone. I think they were collaborative, looking for a better place to do it. Dean: Yes, yeah, it's almost like it's almost so, just with the technologies. Now, the one thing that has improved so much is the ability to seamlessly integrate with other people, with other collaborators. Dan: Yeah, now you're talking about the piano, you're not talking about the musicians, that's exactly right, but I think there really was something to that right. It's a good distinction. Dean: It's a really good distinction that you've created. Yeah, I should say yesterday at lunch you and I were talking about that I don't know that we've talked about it on the podcast here the difference, the distinction that we've discovered between capability and ability. And so I was looking at, in that, the capability column of the VCR formula, vision, capability, reach that in the capability column I was realizing the distinction between the base of something and the example that I gave was if you have a piano or a certain piece of equipment or a computer or a camera or whatever it is. We have a piano, you have the capability to be a concert pianist, but without the ability to do it. You know that. You're that that's the difference, and I think that everybody has access to the capabilities and who, not how, brings us in to contact with the who's right, who are masters at the capabilities? Dan: Yeah, you're talking about in. You know the sort of society that we live in. Yes, Because you know there's you know there's, you know easily, probably 15% of the world that doesn't have access to electricity. Dean: Yes exactly. Dan: I mean, they don't have the capability, you know, they just don't have yeah, yeah and yeah, it's a very, very unequal world, but I think there's a real breakthrough thinking that you're doing here. The fact that there's capability says nothing about an individual's ability. Dean: Right, that's exactly it. Yeah, and I think this is a very important idea, but I'm not going to write a book on it. Oh, my goodness, this is example, a right, I had the capability, with the idea of the capability and ability. Yeah, yeah, I didn't have the ability. Yeah, I've heard, do you know, the comedian Ron White? Dan: Yeah, I have the capability to write a book and I have the ability to write a book, but I'm not going to do either. Dean: So he talked about getting arrested outside of a bar and he said I had the right to remain silent, but I didn't have the ability that's pretty funny, right. But yeah, this is really like it's exciting. It's exciting times right now. I mean it really is exciting times to even projecting for the next, the next 30 years. I think I see that the through line, you know, is that you know that a brunch at the four seasons is going to be an appealing thing 30 years from now, as it is now and was 30 years ago, or three line stuff, or yeah, or some such hotel in toronto yes exactly right. Dan: Right, it may not be. Yeah, I think the four seasons, I think is pretty durable. And the reason is they don't own any of their property. Dean: You know and I think that's. Dan: They have 130 hotels now. I'm quite friendly with the general manager of the Nashville Four Seasons because we're there every quarter Four Seasons because we're there every quarter and you know it's difficult being one of their managers. I think because you have two bosses, you have the Four. Seasons organization but you also have the investor, who owns the property, and so they don't own any of their own property. That's all owned by investors. Dean: Right. Dan: Yeah. Dean: So go ahead. When was the previous? I know it's not the original, but when was the one on Yorkville here Yorkville and Avenue? When was that built? Was that in the 70s or the 60s? Dan: Well, it was a Hyatt. It was a Hyatt Hotel. Dean: Oh, it was, they took it over. Dan: Yeah, and it was a big jump for them and that was, you know, I think it was in the 60s, probably I don't know when they started exactly I'll have to look that up, but they were at a certain point they hit financial difficulties because there's been ups and downs in the economy and they overreach sometimes, and the big heavy load was the fact that they own the real estate. So they sold all the real estate and that bailed them out. Real estate and that bailed them out. And then from that point forward, they were just a system that you competed for. If you were deciding to build a luxury hotel, you had to compete to see if the Four Seasons would be interested in coming in and managing it. Okay, so they. It's a unique process. Basically, it's a unique process that they have. Dean: Yeah. Dan: It's got a huge brand value worldwide. You're a somebody as a city. If the Four Seasons come to your city, I think you're right. Ottawa used to have one. It doesn't have one now. Vancouver used to have one. It doesn't have one now. I think, calgary had one. Calgary doesn't Because now Vancouver used to have one, doesn't have one now I think Calgary had one. Calgary doesn't Because it was a Canadian hotel to start with. Dean: Yeah. Dan: And Belleville had one at one time. Dean: Oh, really yeah. Dan: I'm one of the few people who have stayed at the Belleville Four Seasons. Dean: Hotel the Belleville Four Seasons. Dan: Yeah, of all the people you know, dean dean, I may be the only person you know who stayed at the belleville four seasons now, what they did is they had a partnership with bell canada. Bell canada created the training center in belleville oh and uh, and they did a deal four seasons would go into it with them. So they took over a motel and they turned it into Four Seasons, so they used it as their training center. Okay, so you know, it was trainees serving trainees, as it turned out. Dean: I forget who I was talking to, but we were kind of saying it would be a really interesting experience to take over the top two floors of the hotel beside the Chicago Strategic Coach, there the Holiday Inn or whatever that is. Take over the top two floors and turn those into a because you've got enough traffic. That could be a neat experience, yeah. Dan: It wouldn't be us. Dean: Oh well, I need somebody. You know that could be a an interesting. I think if that was an option there would be. Dan: Probably work better for us to have a floor of one of the hotels. Dean: That's what I meant. Yeah, a floor of the the top two floors of the hotel there to get. Yeah, there's two of them. That's what I meant. Yeah, a floor of the top two floors of the hotel there to get. Dan: Yeah, there's two of them. There's two of them. Dean: Oh, yeah, yeah. Dan: There's the Sheraton, and what's Sinesta? Sinesta, right the. Dean: Sinesta is the one I'm thinking of. Dan: That's the closest one right, the one Scott Harry carries in the Right, right right. There you carries in them, right, yeah, well, it's an interesting, but it is what it is and we're, yeah, but we have almost one whole floor now and I mean those are that's a big building. It's got really a lot of square footage in the building. That's what. Is it cb re? Is it cb? You do know the nationwide. Dean: Oh yeah. Dan: Coldwood Banker. Oh yeah, yeah, coldwood Banker, that's who our landlord is. And they're good they're actually good, but they've gone through about three owners since we've been there. We've been there, 25 years, 26. This is our 26th year. Yeah, and generally speaking they've been good landlords that we've had. Yeah, it's well kept up. They have instant response when you have a maintenance problem and everything. I think they're really good. Dean: Yeah, well, I'm going to have to come and see it. Maybe when the fall happens, maybe between the good months, the fall or something, I might come and take a look. Dan: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Dean: Well, I'm excited and take a look yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Well. Dan: I've been there. Yeah, we have our workshop. We have our workshop tomorrow here and then we go to Chicago and we have another one on Thursday and then the second Chicago workshop for the quarter is in the first week of April. Oh, wow, yeah, yeah, and this is working out. We'll probably be a year away, maybe a year and a half away, from having a fourth date during the quarter. Oh, wow. Dean: Yeah. Dan: Do we? Dean: have any new people for FreeZone Small? Dan: Don't know Okay. Dean: No one is back. Dan: Yeah, yeah, I don't really know, I don't really know, I think we added 30 last year or so it's. The numbers are going up. Yes, that's great. Yeah, I think we're about 120 total right now. That's awesome. That's awesome. Yeah, yeah, it's fun, though. It's nice people. Dean: Yeah, it's nice to see it all. It's nice to see it all growing. Very cool, all right well, enjoy yourself. Yes, you too and I will see you. Tonight at five. That's right, all right, I'll be there. Dan: Thanks Dan. Dean: Okay.

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IntroductionLIVE from a bottomless pit of CEO pay, it's a Business Pants Friday Show here at March 21st Studios, featuring AnalystHole Matt Moscardi. On today's weekly wrap up: Nelson Peltz hates woke ice cream, Self-hating Cybertrucks, and anti-ESG manbabies Our show today is being sponsored by Free Float Analytics, the only platform measuring board power, connections, and performance for FREE.Story of the Week (DR):‘Incompetent:' Jamie Dimon unloads on proxy advisor ISSJamie Dimon said Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) should be “gone and dead and done with”, as he also launched an attack on those who pay for their services.In an interview with Semafor at Blackrock's retirement summit, Mr Dimon said: “Anyone who gives them money – shame on you.”Unilever hit ‘new levels of oppressiveness,' Ben & Jerry's claims as its CEO was sacked over social activismIce cream maker Ben & Jerry's has accused its parent company of firing its CEO David Stever over his support of the brand's progressive politics.On Tuesday, the Vermont-based brand filed an amended complaint in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleging that Unilever “has repeatedly threatened Ben & Jerry's personnel, including CEO David Stever, should they fail to comply with Unilever's efforts to silence the Social Mission.”Ben & Jerry's said Unilever informed its board on March 3 that it was removing and replacing Ben & Jerry's CEO David Stever. Ben & Jerry's said that violated its merger agreement with Unilever, which states that any decisions regarding a CEO's removal must come after a consultation with an advisory committee from Ben & Jerry's board.“empowered to protect and defend Ben & Jerry's brand equity and integrity”White man David Stever, 4 women of color (one who is the chair), and two black men. In Vermont? Are they trolling us?!?! I guess it can be done. Unilever board member Nelson Peltz is still trying to find a white actor for Black PantherUnilever has not publicly disclosed a reason for Stever's firingThe ice cream company has a unique corporate structure that was meant to protect its activist mission, even after its 2000 sale to Unilever:Independent Board of Directors: Unlike most Unilever-owned brands, Ben & Jerry's has an independent board specifically tasked with preserving the company's social mission.Merger Agreement Protections: The 2000 acquisition agreement required consultation with the board for key leadership decisions, including hiring or firing the CEO.Social Mission Oversight: The board exists to prevent the dilution of the company's activist identity—something that appears to be under increasing pressure.Ben & Jerry's Founders Say They Stand Behind Ousted CEOBoeing Sued for Wrongful Death by Family of WhistleblowerBoeing pushed John Barnett, who was a quality manager at Boeing for nearly three decades, to his death by harassing and intimidating him after he raised safety concerns about the company's plant building the 787 Dreamliner in Charleston, South Carolina, a wrongful death lawsuit filed in federal court in the state alleges. His family claim in their suit that Boeing responded by carrying out a “campaign of harassment, abuse and intimidation intended to discourage, discredit and humiliate him until he would either give up or be discredited”.In the evening of March 8th last year, Barnett left the law offices of Boeing's outside counsel in Charleston after testifying for two days in the OSHA case. Barnett was giving his account of how Boeing violated its own policies and procedures, and FAA rules, during his seven years as a quality inspector at the North Charleston plant that assembles the 787 Dreamliner. He'd delayed a trip back to his home in Louisiana to finish his deposition the next day, a Saturday. Videos cited in the police report show Barnett leaving the hotel around 8:30 PM, and getting in his Clemson orange, Dodge truck. When Barnett failed to show by the 10 AM starting time for his final round of testimony, Turkewitz called the Holiday Inn to conduct a “welfare check.”Note: “America come together or die!!! Pray that the motherfk…ers who destroyed my life pay!!! I pray that Boeing pays!!! Bury me face down so that Boeing and their lying ass leaders can kiss my ass. I can't do this any longer!!! F-k Boeing!!!'Business has been neglected': Longtime Tesla investor demands Elon Musk resign as CEO MMElon Musk Says He Has No Idea What He Did to Make Everybody So Mad at Him"It's really come as quite a shock to me that there is this level of, really, hatred and violence from the left.""My companies make great products that people love and I've never physically hurt anyone.”“So why the hate and violence against me?”"I always thought that the left, you know, Democrats, were supposed to be the party of empathy, the party of caring, and yet they're burning down cars, they're firebombing dealerships, they're firing bullets into dealerships, they're smashing up Teslas," Musk said. "Tesla is a peaceful company. We've never done anything harmful.""I've never done anything harmful."“Because I am a deadly threat to the woke mind parasite and the humans it controls."Tesla just recalled basically all the Cybertrucks ever sold in AmericaTesla workers in Germany say they don't have time to use the bathroomTesla workers at a German factory say working conditions don't allow them enough time for drinking or bathroom breaks.Over 3,000 workers at a Tesla gigafactory near Berlin have signed a petition asking for more breaks and an end to intimidation from management, according to a statement from German metalworker's union IG Metall.A Huge Amount of Money Is Missing From TeslaEven the company's financials are now sprouting some glaring questions. As the Financial Times reports, a whopping $1.4 billion appears to have vanished in thin air. The enormous hole arises when examining the carmaker's capital expenditures and how those compare to the reported rise of the value of its assets.According to Tesla's cashflow statements, the firm spent $6.3 billion on "purchases of property and equipment excluding finance leases, net of sales" in the second half of 2024. However, its balance sheet claims the gross value of property, plant, and equipment rose by only $4.9 billion — leaving an eyebrow-raising $1.4 billion discrepancy.Musk Set to Receive Top-Secret Briefing on U.S. War Plans for ChinaMusk Tells Tesla Workers: Don't Sell Your SharesTesla board members, executive sell off over $100 million of stock in recent weeksTogether, four top officers at the company have offloaded over $100 million in shares since early February.Last week, longtime Musk ally James Murdoch became the latest to do so, exercising a stock option and selling shares worth approximately $13 million, according to an SEC filing.Elon Musk's brother, Kimbal Musk, who also sits on the board, unloaded 75,000 shares worth approximately $27 million last month, according to a filing.The chairman of the board, Robyn Denholm, has offloaded more than $75 million dollars worth of shares in two transactions in the past five weeks, federal filings show.Goodliest of the Week (MM/DR):DR: Chobani CEO: Why we're now giving all workers at least 12 weeks of parental leaveDR: JD Vance rips globalization, calling cheap labor a 'drug'MM: Tesla Cybertruck deliveries are on hold as trims are flying off the 'bulletproof' truck DRThey recalled ALL of them - imagine if Mary Barra put out a car at GM that, 1 year after releasing, they had to recall ALL of them? What would you do investors? Assholiest of the Week (MM):WahWah, our CEO: Tesla warns White House over tariffs in unsigned letter: ‘It's a polite way to say that the bipolar tariff regime is screwing over Tesla'Wah, China: OpenAI slams DeepSeek, warning the US government that China is catching up fastWah, customers: Tesla owners are trading in their EVs at record levels, Edmunds says, Tesla springs last-minute public all hands on staffers, confusion ensues, Tesla Cybertrucks are getting roasted on TikTok—one prank at a timeWah, investors: Baillie Gifford slashes Tesla stake as investor calls on Musk to step down, $1.4bn is a lot to fall through the cracks, even for Tesla, A Huge Amount of Money Is Missing From TeslaWah, privacy: Dad demands OpenAI delete ChatGPT's false claim that he murdered his kidsWah, I'm back in middle school: Elon Musk says he's shocked at the level of Tesla hate and vandalism happening: 'I've never done anything harmful'Stefan Padfield DR"It is not surprising that our proposal received low support, given the concerns we have about bias and conflicts of interest infecting the votes and recommendations of the Big 5 asset managers and proxy advisors, as well as the company's management," Padfield said."The issues raised by our proposals remain relevant to Disney's bottom line, and we arguably saw an indication of this in the fact that neither ESG nor DEI were mentioned once, directly or indirectly, in Iger's opening remarks -- suggesting the company is slowly distancing itself from the leftist radicalism embodied in those agendas," Padfield said.Fact check: ESG and DEI were not mentioned in Iger's remarks in 2024. They were not mentioned in 2023. Congrats on paying attention to whatever's in front of your face.Shareholders rejected your proposal because it was asinine and no one caresYour group, NCPPR, gets an AVERAGE of 1% everywhere… but did you notice that NLPC, your sister group in anti white person crime, got a solid 11% in favor at Apple for it's very real proposal on the dangers of AI? And Bowyer, got a 10% in favor at Apple for a report on child sex abuse software and got 1% here at Disney?Maybe the problem is you write overtly racist, stupid fucking shareholder proposals and you shout shut your fat mouth?Have we reached the CEO pay tipping point?Surge in incentive pay lifts HanesBrands' 2024 CEO compensation to $12.9 millionBig companies backtrack on climate goals in bosses' payStarbucks Must End Its Greed'—Bernie Sanders Calls Out Starbucks CEO For Getting $96 Million For 4 Months Of WorkKlarna's CEO got an 862% pay rise ahead of its IPOWe hate TREES now? TREES?Is planting trees 'DEI'? Trump administration cuts nationwide tree-planting effortHeadliniest of the WeekDR: Top workplace psychologist Adam Grant says offering employees better pay packages is the smartest move for the ‘long term'DR: Mom of child dead from measles: “Don't do the shots,” my other 4 kids were fineDR: Prince Harry's friends are blaming Meghan Markle for making him ‘too woke'MM: Donald Trump's favorite musical explained as he demands 'non-woke' theaterLike 89% of Broadway is gay, no?MM: Wait, whaaaa? British Gas: Centrica CEO's pay slashed in half at FTSE 100 giantWho Won the Week?DR: Sonya Mishra, author of new study: How does society perceive power-seeking women differently from status-seeking women?The study found that desiring status is seen as more congruent with feminine stereotypes compared to desiring power, and that women who desire status are less likely to incur backlash compared to women who desire power.MM: This video: Tesla Fans Furious at Video of Tesla Crashing Into Wall Painted Like RoadMark Rober tested autopilots for Lexus and Tesla… and Tesla ran over a dummy kid over and overAs Electrek points out, Autopilot has a well-documented tendency to disengage right before a crash. Regulators have previously found that the advanced driver assistance software shuts off a fraction of a second before making impact.It's a highly questionable approach that has raised concerns over Tesla trying to evade guilt by automatically turning off any possibly incriminating driver assistance features before a crash.PredictionsDR: Bowyer Research and Robbie Starbuck blame female CEOs in the S&P 500 for reducing the overall percentage of male CEOs in the S&P 500MM: Bowyer Research and Robbie Starbuck blame all the women running the big 5 - Larry Fink, Ron O'Hanley, Salim Ramji, Gary Retelny, and Bob Mann - for the failure of their shareholder proposals and demand a report from each requesting an analysis of the risk of having so many woke women running the big 5

For The Wolf and Action Jackson, The Who in 1989 were coming back one last time to perform - something they hadn't done since the early 80s and had sworn off. The classic 60s artists were back in a big way and The Who were touring the US doing 40 songs a night from their brilliant catalog, from their solo albums and with a focus on their rock opera Tommy to start the show. That tour eluded our fearless hosts but not Farmer John, host of the Vinyl Relics podcast - a new member of Pantheon. John and his buddies were the same age as Action and The Wolf when they ventured to Toronto in June of 1989 with tickets to see what would surely be the most mindblowing thing in their young lives. But they were teenagers who lived 2 hours away in London - where would they stay? With a working idea of walking the streets of Toronto all night, one of the moms secured a hotel room at the Holiday Inn via Jennifer. However, once Jennifer learned their were 6 unsupervised teenagers and not 2, she took their room keys and started a day of hijynx that can only happen to teenagers. John weaves a story of anticipation for the show, fear in being hunted down by Jennifer, uncertainty of how to get to the show, and the triumph of overcoming the odds to find himself in the 4th row after buying nosebleeds. It's the kind of fun tales we aim to preserve on First Concert Memories, the monthly sidecast from your friends at The Ugly American Werewolf in London Rock Podcast. Coming of age in the era of classic rock and hanging with your best friends along the way is where the most vivid memories are made - we're just dusting them off! Check out our new website: Ugly American Werewolf in London Website Visit our sponsor RareVinyl.com and use the code UGLY to save 10%! Twitter Threads Instagram YouTube LInkTree www.pantheonpodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're diving into all the highlights, and lowlights, from a quick, fun-filled trip where we spent time with friends and had a questionable stay at the Holiday Inn at Disney Springs, which for some may be a convenient and affordable resort right in the heart of all the action.From there, we'll take you on a culinary journey, with stops at Chef Art Smith's Homecomin' where we FINALLY try Art's Famous Fried Chicken, and Wailulu Bar & Grill, where we explored more of their unique and delicious menu of creative dishes. We'll break down what we loved (and hated) about each dining experience.Join us as we reflect on this memorable trip and share some great insights to help you plan your next visit!MEI-Travel – Expertise. Ease. Value.No matter where you want to go, our trusted partner MEI-Travel, will handle the planning so you can focus on the memories. They offer free vacation planning services and have nearly 20 years of experience creating memorable vacations. Visit MEI-Travel for a fee-free, no-obligation quote today!Follow Us on Social MediaFacebook GroupFacebook: @MainStMagicTwitter: @MainStMagicTikTok: @MSMPodcastInstagram: @MainStMagicVisit Us Onlinewww.MainStMagic.comwww.MainStreetShirts.comGet Dining Alerts!Find last-minute and hard-to-find Disney dining reservations with MouseDining.com! Get text and email alerts when popular theme park dining reservations open up. Get last-minute seating! Get the next table! Set your alerts now! Get the next reservation!Visit our Partnerswww.MSMFriends.comThanks to TFresh Productions for our theme song

Diddy Sexual Assault Lawsuit Dismissed Over Statute of Limitations Sean "Diddy" Combs has successfully defended himself against a sexual assault lawsuit filed by Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, a Michigan inmate, as a federal judge dismissed the case due to the statute of limitations. According to court documents obtained by In Touch, the claims were deemed untimely, and the judge dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, permanently barring Derrick from refiling. Derrick accused Diddy of assaulting him at a Holiday Inn in Detroit in 1997. He alleged that the music mogul invited him to a party, spiked his drink, and assaulted him while he was unconscious. However, the court ruled that Derrick's legal window to file such claims had long expired. The ruling stated, “[Derrick] filed this lawsuit in 2024, which is long after the applicable statute of limitations expired.” Diddy, 55, denied all allegations, and his legal team highlighted inconsistencies in Derrick's story. “[Derrick] alleges that this purported assault occurred in two different counties on the same day,” Diddy's attorney pointed out, referencing previous filings. The legal team also described Derrick as a "serial filer" of frivolous lawsuits, accusing him of attempting to extort the entertainment mogul. “This is not [Derrick's] first attempt at a shakedown — and unless this Court intervenes, it will not be his last,” Diddy's lawyers argued. They noted Derrick's history of meritless lawsuits, which they claimed caused significant legal expenses for Diddy. Despite dismissing the case, the judge denied Diddy's request for monetary sanctions and an order prohibiting Derrick from filing further lawsuits. However, the court issued a stern warning to Derrick, cautioning him against filing “duplicative, frivolous, or harassing” cases in the future. The judge added that failure to comply could result in severe restrictions. In an unexpected twist before the dismissal, Derrick attempted to involve Jennifer Lopez, Diddy's former partner, as a witness, claiming she held information relevant to the case. Jennifer, 55, was not called to testify, as the court found no merit in Derrick's claims. Diddy's legal team described the accusations as baseless, pointing out Derrick's criminal history, including convictions for sexual assault and kidnapping. “This man is a convicted felon and sexual predator who has been sentenced on 14 counts of sexual assault and kidnapping over the last 26 years,” Diddy's attorney stated. They emphasized that Diddy had no prior knowledge of Derrick, let alone any interactions with him. With the lawsuit dismissed, Diddy avoids further legal entanglement in this case, though his legal team remains vigilant against any potential future filings by Derrick. The decision underscores the challenges of pursuing decades-old claims and highlights the impact of inconsistent allegations on a plaintiff's credibility. #Diddy #SeanCombs #LawsuitDismissed #JenniferLopez #StatuteOfLimitations #EntertainmentNews #LegalDrama  Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com The latest on The Downfall of Diddy, The Trial of Karen Read, The Murder Of Maddie Soto, Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK's Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, The Menendez Brothers: Quest For Justice, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, The Murder Of Sandra Birchmore, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com 

A Holiday Inn bathroom becomes a makeshift chimp sanctuary. A headless ape corpse rides shotgun down the highway. PETA and Alan Cumming join forces against a middle-aged nurse with a penchant for primates. This isn't a fever dream – it's the bonkers true story of Tonia Haddix and one woman's simian obsession gone wild.Grace Helbig and Mamrie Hart from This Might Get Weird join Misha to peel back the layers of this bananas flop.Be the first to know about Wondery's newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletterListen to The Big Flop on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/the-big-flop/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sean "Diddy" Combs has successfully defended himself against a sexual assault lawsuit filed by Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, a Michigan inmate, as a federal judge dismissed the case due to the statute of limitations. According to court documents obtained by In Touch, the claims were deemed untimely, and the judge dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, permanently barring Derrick from refiling. Derrick accused Diddy of assaulting him at a Holiday Inn in Detroit in 1997. He alleged that the music mogul invited him to a party, spiked his drink, and assaulted him while he was unconscious. However, the court ruled that Derrick's legal window to file such claims had long expired. The ruling stated, “[Derrick] filed this lawsuit in 2024, which is long after the applicable statute of limitations expired.” Diddy, 55, denied all allegations, and his legal team highlighted inconsistencies in Derrick's story. “[Derrick] alleges that this purported assault occurred in two different counties on the same day,” Diddy's attorney pointed out, referencing previous filings. The legal team also described Derrick as a "serial filer" of frivolous lawsuits, accusing him of attempting to extort the entertainment mogul. “This is not [Derrick's] first attempt at a shakedown — and unless this Court intervenes, it will not be his last,” Diddy's lawyers argued. They noted Derrick's history of meritless lawsuits, which they claimed caused significant legal expenses for Diddy. Despite dismissing the case, the judge denied Diddy's request for monetary sanctions and an order prohibiting Derrick from filing further lawsuits. However, the court issued a stern warning to Derrick, cautioning him against filing “duplicative, frivolous, or harassing” cases in the future. The judge added that failure to comply could result in severe restrictions. In an unexpected twist before the dismissal, Derrick attempted to involve Jennifer Lopez, Diddy's former partner, as a witness, claiming she held information relevant to the case. Jennifer, 55, was not called to testify, as the court found no merit in Derrick's claims. Diddy's legal team described the accusations as baseless, pointing out Derrick's criminal history, including convictions for sexual assault and kidnapping. “This man is a convicted felon and sexual predator who has been sentenced on 14 counts of sexual assault and kidnapping over the last 26 years,” Diddy's attorney stated. They emphasized that Diddy had no prior knowledge of Derrick, let alone any interactions with him. With the lawsuit dismissed, Diddy avoids further legal entanglement in this case, though his legal team remains vigilant against any potential future filings by Derrick. The decision underscores the challenges of pursuing decades-old claims and highlights the impact of inconsistent allegations on a plaintiff's credibility. #Diddy #SeanCombs #LawsuitDismissed #JenniferLopez #StatuteOfLimitations #EntertainmentNews #LegalDrama  Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com The latest on The Downfall of Diddy, The Trial of Karen Read, The Murder Of Maddie Soto, Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK's Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, The Menendez Brothers: Quest For Justice, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, The Murder Of Sandra Birchmore, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com 

This week, in Brighton, New York, a woman is brutally murdered with an ax, in her very comfortable suburban home, making everyone wonder if a crazed killer was on the loose. Detectives seem to have no clue who could have done this, until a old neighbor, with a violent past confesses. But police still don't think he's the guy, and focus on the late woman's husband. Who did it? The neighborhood murderer, or the mild mannered economist husband??Along the way, we find out that the Holiday Inn is very erotic in Rochester, that police shouldn't watch "A Current Affair" for help with their police work, and that sometimes, justice is a real head scratcher!!New episodes every Thursday!Donate at: patreon.com/crimeinsports or go to paypal.com and use our email: crimeinsports@gmail.comGo to shutupandgivememurder.com for all things Small Town Murder & Crime In Sports!Follow us on...twitter.com/@murdersmallfacebook.com/smalltownpodinstagram.com/smalltownmurderAlso, check out James & Jimmie's other show, Crime In Sports! On Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Wondery, Wondery+, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.