Podcasts about iso

"First day, worst day, every day — that's what we're built for." — Patrick Quirk, President & GM, Opengear At Cisco Live 2025 in San Diego, Patrick Quirk, President and General Manager of Opengear, joined Technology Reseller News publisher Doug Green to unveil a major innovation in network resilience: Opengear's new Foundational Support platform. Designed to meet the growing demands of increasingly complex, high-density network environments, the SLA-backed solution debuts as part of Opengear's commitment to full-lifecycle customer support. “It's not just about selling equipment,” said Quirk. “It's about walking with the customer through every stage of the network's lifecycle — from deployment to daily operations to disaster recovery.” A long-standing Cisco partner, Opengear has evolved from traditional console servers to a critical infrastructure provider, helping companies maintain uptime in an era where milliseconds matter — especially amid today's AI-driven network traffic spikes. “Outages aren't just inconvenient,” Quirk noted. “They're expensive. We're seeing potential losses of $21,000 per minute during downtime.” Opengear's edge? Out-of-band management. Unlike in-band VLAN control planes, which can be compromised during incidents or overloaded by data traffic, out-of-band infrastructure operates on a completely separate path. This architecture allows for immediate network visibility and control during even the worst disruptions, such as fiber cuts or cyberattacks. Supporting both operational and compliance objectives, Opengear enables organizations to maintain certifications like ISO, SOC 2, and NIST. “We're the wrapper around your network,” said Quirk, emphasizing the company's ability to enforce security and governance alongside performance. The conversation also spotlighted Opengear's recent AI-focused global research, which found a “lens gap” between network engineers and the C-suite. While both groups recognize AI's potential, engineers view it as a productivity tool, whereas executives prioritize compliance and customer value. “There's alignment,” Quirk said. “It just needs more conversation.” At Cisco Live, Opengear is exhibiting at booth 4324 and hosting sessions on topics like agentic AI and network strategy. More details are available at opengear.com.

EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT: Once again Michigan won the Charity Bowl, so we'll be getting together with the Fullcastians on JUNE 28, 6PM at the Ann Arbor District Library, then going to Venue for drinks at 8:30. Signup is here so we can plan a good numbers count, or just remember pizzawestern.com. Things Discussed: House: We're in prime recruiting season but schools are starting to tell kids the distribution money isn't coming to recruit against Michigan. What's the holdup? In a vacuum liars will come up with B.S. to sell. We're sure Ohio State is pushing for some kind of system where they can go back to exploiting a black market and controlling the enforcement mechanism so that Michigan won't/can't participate in it. Best guess at what's holding it up: they're trying to make a clearinghouse that won't the agreement immediately sued out of existence, which is tricky because any regulation of what people can make without Congressional dispensation tends to lose in court. Playoff expansion: Why, who, will it? Petitti is a dumb TV suit and put out a dumb TV suit idea so he can make this end-of-year playoff to get into the Playoff. No this is not the Showcase (which is a +1 format to finish the season with the best games that weren't played and determine a conference champion by strength of season). Sankey is predictably honestly dishonest in that he'll keep saying and doing whatever gets more for his schools, and that means he's going to run absolute circles around Petitti the spineless moron. Why are things this way? Powers in control are approaching it from how much more TV inventory can they generate, don't think about where the value is coming out of except they're very protective of their own money. Schools imagining themselves #16 and dealing with opt-outs. Who really pays: fans. Fans who buy another expensive last-minute ticket, and travel. For years nobody in power has put any thought into what really makes college football valuable, so they're willing to cannibalize the Every Game Matters. Already happened with 12 teams, where Ohio State finished the season with a worse strength of record than Oregon and shouldn't have had a path to redemption. With 16 teams you're going to get a 3- or 4-loss champion who gets hot or beneficial matchups in a year with a team that went 14-1. Also guarantee Sankey will know how to get an 8-4 Ole Miss team that played three Sun Belts and an FCS with one ranked win in the SEC ranked above a 10-2 Iowa that beat nobody because they were in the "Not playing Michigan-Ohio State-USC-Oregon" tier when Petitti was making his schedules for inventory. Our dream: If Congress were to demand your conference can't have more than 12 members or you can't pay anybody. In the break: McKenna Yaxeltalk: Watching his film last year there was a lot more Buzz Williams ball where they would Iso then rebound. Hopefully he gets better looks with better creators on the court with him. Don't forget defense: Yaxel's length makes him switchable, and you have some major rim protection that won't have to get tired. Need to develop 36%+ shooting so opponents don't just collapse, because Yax isn't an off-the-dribble shooter at all. Can Gayle? Can Cason? Freshmen? Nimari is who he is. Kobe Assist team: have guys like Gayle, Cason drawing multiple defenders and there will be a lot of opportunities to "pass" the ball to the basket. Turnovers again? There are some Danny Wolf howlers from Cadeau but hoping they can coach him to better options.

David Neale is the Founder and CEO of GBPO Solutions. He is based in the UK. David has experience as a buyer of BPO services and as a representative of BPOs. With this insight he decided that one of the missing ingredients in the BPO sales process is transparency - how does anyone know that what a BPO says about their services is really true? David founded GBPO Solutions to provide accreditation to BPOs, so if they do make claims about their capabilities then they can point to the accreditation to show that their claims can be verified. David talked to Mark Hillary about why he started GBPO Solutions and why he explored this idea of transparency rather than measuring processes and delivery capabilities... David also publishes the popular David's Diaries podcast - focused on the biography of his guests. You can find both Mark and Peter in the back catalogue - both interviewed in 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-neale-08b80011b/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/gbpo-solutions/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/davids-diaries/id1766136430   Mark and Peter on David's Diaries https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mark-hillary/id1766136430?i=1000668074006 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-ryan/id1766136430?i=1000668073926   Podcast Summary In this episode, David Neale introduces his new venture, GBPO Solutions, and discusses a novel approach to BPO accreditation. Unlike traditional certifications focused on operational standards (like ISO or HIPAA), David's accreditation model emphasizes truthfulness, transparency, and independent validation of how BPOs present themselves to the market. David Neale's accreditation model for BPOs aims to inject much-needed transparency and accountability into a market still relying on legacy procurement methods. By focusing on honesty over hype, GBPO Solutions wants to reshape the buyer-supplier dynamic in outsourcing for the better.

In recent years there has been a growing need for transparency within sustainable action taken by businesses. This is due to the rampant increase in greenwashing, which only serves to diminish the focus on genuine efforts, in addition to creating a culture of mistrust within stakeholders and consumers. To combat this, certain organisations have taken on the task of encouraging and supporting the accurate public disclosure of environmental data. Such is the case with today's focus, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). In this episode Mel Blackmore discusses what the Carbon Disclosure Project is, what is required to earn an A rating, provides some tips on how to get that A rating and explains the pros and cons with getting involved with the project.    You'll learn ·      What is the Carbon Disclosure Project? ·      What are the requirements to achieve an A rating? ·      Top tips for earning an A rating in the CDP ·      What are the advantages of earning a CDP rating? ·      What are the disadvantages of getting involved with the CDP?   Resources ·      Carbon Disclosure Project ·      Carbonology ·      Contribute to Mel's carbon verification commitment research by taking her Survey   In this episode, we talk about: [02:05] Episode Summary – Mel discusses the Carbon Disclosure project, including what's involved with taking part, how to achieve an A rating and the pros and cons of the project.    [03:00] Why is there a need for the CDP? An increased number of investors and financial institutions, in addition to clients are demanding more than just financial reports. They want to know what a company's environmental footprint is, and at this point, it's time to move on beyond simply making pledges. Ultimately, key stakeholders are looking for a commitment to sustainability and for accessible information to help them understand how an organisation is managing its climate risks and opportunities. This is where CDP comes in. A key component of getting the coveted A rating within CDP involves independent verification of greenhouse gas emissions. [04:45] What is the Carbon Disclosure Project? CDP is a global non-profit that runs the world's leading environmental disclosure system. For over two decades, it has revolutionized how companies, cities, states, and regions report their environmental impacts. They ask thousands of organizations to disclose data on climate change, water security, and deforestation. This data is then used by investors, purchasers, and policymakers to make informed decisions. The CDP questionnaire covers a wide range of topics, from governance and strategy to risk management, targets, and of course, greenhouse gas emissions. Companies receive a score from D- to A based on the completeness of their reporting, their level of awareness of environmental issues, their management of those issues, and ultimately, their leadership in addressing them. [05:40] We want to hear from you: Mel is currently running some research around CDP and the key drivers behind carbon emission verification, and would appreciate your feedback if you have a few minutes to spare. The results are completely anonymous, and it should only take 5 – 10 minutes. You can take the survey here. Thank you in advance to any contributors! [09:10] What is required to achieve an A Rating? – There are a number of key requirements, including:- 1.    Comprehensive Disclosure and Data Quality: This is foundational. You need to provide accurate and complete data across all relevant sections of the CDP questionnaire. This includes detailed information on your Scope 1, Scope 2, and increasingly, your Scope 3 GHG emissions. 2.    Strong Governance and Strategy: CDP looks for clear evidence that environmental issues are integrated into your company's core business strategy and that there's robust board and management oversight of climate-related matters. This means having a defined climate strategy, understanding your climate-related risks and opportunities, and demonstrating how you're incorporating these into your financial planning. 3.    Verified Data: To truly hit that "A" list, your Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions, and a significant portion of your Scope 3, must be independently verified. This isn't just a suggestion; it's an essential criterion for the leadership level. Independent verification provides crucial assurance to stakeholders that your reported emissions data is accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. It also minimises the risk of “Greenwashing”. 4.    Science-Based Targets and a Robust Climate Transition Plan: CDP is increasingly emphasizing the need for companies to set ambitious, science-based targets for emissions reductions, aligned with a 1.5°C global warming scenario. In addition, having a publicly available, credible climate transition plan that outlines how you will achieve these targets, including specific actions, metrics, and progress tracking mechanisms, is now a must for "A" list companies. 5.    Value Chain Engagement: For many companies, the most significant emissions lie within their supply chain. To achieve an "A" rating, you'll need to demonstrate robust engagement with your suppliers to measure and reduce their emissions, and address environmental impacts across your entire value chain. 6.    Continuous Improvement and Transparency: The "A" rating isn't a one-off achievement. It reflects a commitment to continuous improvement in your environmental performance and a willingness to be transparent about your journey, including challenges and successes. [15:05] Top tips for achieving a CDP A Rating:- Tip 1: Plan Ahead and Start Early. CDP reporting is an annual cycle, and it's complex. Don't wait until the last minute! Start gathering your data, assessing your internal processes, and identifying any gaps well in advance. This includes planning for your verification process. Tip 2: Invest in Robust Data Management Systems. Accurate and comprehensive data collection is paramount. Consider leveraging sustainability software that can help you track, calculate, and manage your GHG emissions data efficiently. This reduces manual errors and streamlines the reporting process. Tip 3: Understand the Verification Process. This is where an accredited verification body, like Carbonology, becomes invaluable. Verification Bodies work to an internationally recognized standard, typically ISO 14064-3, to ensure the accuracy and reliability of your GHG emissions data. The process involves: ·      Defining the scope: What emissions are being verified? ·      Data review: Examining your underlying data, methodologies, and calculations. ·      Site visits (where applicable): Physically verifying operational data. ·      Report generation: Providing an assurance statement on the accuracy of your emissions. Tip 4: Engage with a CDP-Accredited Verification Body. CDP specifically requires third-party verification from an independent external organization that is accredited and competent. Look for bodies with proven experience and accreditation to international standards like ISO 14064. They can guide you through the process, identify areas for improvement, and ensure your data meets the stringent requirements for leadership points. Tip 5: Conduct a Gap Analysis. Before you even begin your disclosure, perform a thorough gap assessment against the latest CDP questionnaire and essential criteria. This will highlight areas where your current disclosures fall short and allow you to address them proactively. Tip 6: Focus on Quality over Quantity. While comprehensive disclosure is important, ensure the quality and accuracy of your data. It's better to provide high-quality, verified data for a focused set of emissions than to report broadly with unverified or unreliable numbers. Tip 7: Train Your Team. Ensure your internal team understands the CDP requirements and best practices for sustainability reporting and data collection. Building internal capacity is essential for maintaining high-quality disclosures year after year. [20:35] The pros of voluntary disclosures: Enhanced Reputation and Brand Value: Disclosing and performing well on platforms like CDP showcases your commitment to environmental responsibility. This can significantly boost your reputation among customers, employees, and the wider public, attracting conscious consumers and talent. Risk Management and Resilience: The disclosure process forces companies to identify and assess their environmental risks – from climate change impacts to resource scarcity. This proactive approach allows for better risk mitigation strategies, building greater business resilience. Cost Savings and Operational Efficiency: The process of measuring and managing environmental impacts often reveals opportunities for greater efficiency, such as reduced energy consumption, waste reduction, and optimized resource use, leading to tangible cost savings. Competitive Advantage: Being a leader in environmental transparency can differentiate your company in the marketplace, especially as sustainability becomes a key consideration for clients and supply chain partners. Competitive Advantage: Being a leader in environmental transparency can differentiate your company in the marketplace, especially as sustainability becomes a key consideration for clients and supply chain partners. Preparation for Future Regulation: Voluntary disclosure puts you ahead of the curve. As environmental regulations become increasingly stringent globally, companies with established reporting mechanisms will be better prepared to meet mandatory requirements. Innovation and Strategic Planning: The disclosure process encourages long-term strategic planning around environmental impact, driving innovation in products, services, and processes. Benchmarking and Peer Learning: CDP provides a framework for measuring and tracking your performance over time and allows you to benchmark yourself against industry peers, identifying areas for improvement and learning from best practices. [14:15] The cons of voluntary disclosures?: Resource Intensive: Comprehensive ESG reporting, especially to the level required for an "A" rating, can be costly and time-consuming, particularly for smaller companies with limited resources. It requires dedicated personnel, data collection, and often external consulting or verification services. Risk of Greenwashing: If disclosure isn't backed by genuine action and verified data, there's a significant risk of "greenwashing" – providing a misleading impression of your sustainability efforts. This can lead to reputational damage, loss of trust, and even legal scrutiny if claims are found to be unsubstantiated. This is precisely why independent verification is so crucial. Lack of Accountability (without verification): Without external verification or assurance, the reliability and accuracy of self-reported data can be questioned, diminishing the value and trustworthiness of the disclosure. This is a major concern for investors who demand the same robustness for non-financial data as they do for financial data. Potential for Negative Public Scrutiny: Once you disclose, your data is public. This means your environmental performance, or lack thereof, can be scrutinized by activists, media, and the public. Companies must be prepared to address any critical feedback. If you'd like any assistance with carbon verification, get in touch with Carbonology, they'd be happy to help! 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El Hotel Fay Victoria y el Campo de Golf de Añoreta, ambos ubicados en el municipio malagueño de Rincón de la Victoria y pertenecientes a Grupo Guajes, acaban de recibir la certificación ISO 14001 que reconoce el compromiso firme y decidido de empresas y entidades en materia medioambiental. Las distinciones le han sido otorgadas por la consultora Bureau Veritas, líder mundial en servicios de inspección, certificación y ensayos, y tras un riguroso proceso de auditoría externa. De esta forma, Rincón de la Victoria da un paso más en su consolidación como Destino Turístico Inteligente, una distinción que el municipio ostenta desde el año 2020 y que acaba de renovar durante dos años más, tras un proceso de mejora continua. “Estamos muy satisfechos con la obtención de estas certificaciones sobre todo y fundamentalmente porque nos reafirman en que vamos por el camino correcto y nos animan a seguir avanzando en la consolidación del desarrollo de un turismo sostenible. Desde Grupo Guajes nos alineamos de esta forma con el compromiso del Patronato de Turismo Costal del Sol en este ámbito apostando por el compromiso medioambiental a corto, largo y medio plazo. Estamos convencidos de que la sostenibilidad es garantía de futuro, que no solo favorece la protección de nuestro planeta y recursos básicos sino que además nos permite optimizar operaciones, reducir costos así como ofrecer una respuesta adecuada a las exigencias de nuestros clientes, cada vez más sensibilizados con el cuidado del medio ambiente”, ha manifestado Ángel Acha Fanjul, Consejero Delegado de Grupo Guajes. Maloles Sánchez-Migallón, Directora Comercial de Añoreta Golf y Fay Hotels Group, encargada de recibir las distinciones y coordinar todo el proceso de la auditoría realizada, ha precisado que para el Hotel Fay Victoria el alcance de la certificación abarca el servicio de alojamiento, mientras que para el Campo de Golf de Añoreta incluye la gestión y el mantenimiento de sus 18 hoyos, par 72 y 6.016 metros de longitud, así como las actividades asociadas. “Entre las medidas aplicadas en el campo de golf y que nos han hecho merecedores de esta certificación podemos destacar la monitorización en tiempo real del consumo eléctrico por telemetría, lo que nos permite detectar puntos críticos y ajustar riegos según las condiciones del momento. Asimismo, estamos procediendo a la sustitución progresiva de maquinaria de combustión así como de las baterías de litio de los buggys y eliminando la utilización de plásticos de un solo uso, apostando por las botellas reutilizables, tanto en los espacios de restauración con en el resto de servicios que ofrecemos. Por otra parte, la clasificación y el pesaje de los residuos nos permitirá reducir en un 20 por ciento los desechos”, ha precisado Maloles Sánchez-Migallón, quien también se ha referido al uso de compostaje in situ y al programa de concienciación medioambiental para empleados y jugadores como buenas prácticas desarrolladas. Por lo que respecta al Hotel Fay Victoria, de entre las iniciativas desarrolladas, pueden destacarse la instalación de sistemas inteligentes de monitarización energética para medir consumos; la sustitución del cien por cien de las luminarias por iluminación LED; el control domótico de la climatización de las habitaciones; la gestión eficiente del consumo de agua mediante la instalación de aireadores, grifería temporizada y sistemas eficientes de cargas de baños o la reducción de los residuos mediante sistemas de separación de materiales, la aplicación del sistema cero de papel o la eliminación de los amenities o detalles de cortesía de un solo uso. Grupo Guajes Grupo Guajes es una empresa familiar con 60 años de historia, diversificada en sectores como construcción, promoción inmobiliaria, hotelería, golf y gastronomía. Con marcas reconocidas como Fay Hotels Group, Bendita Katalina, Mendalerenda y Zorrocallao, el Grupo Guajes apuesta por la calidad, la innovación y la tradición en cada uno de sus proyectos, consolidando su presencia en la Costa del Sol y ofreciendo experiencias integrales a sus clientes.

El Hotel Fay Victoria y el Campo de Golf de Añoreta, ambos ubicados en el municipio malagueño de Rincón de la Victoria y pertenecientes a Grupo Guajes, acaban de recibir la certificación ISO 14001 que reconoce el compromiso firme y decidido de empresas y entidades en materia medioambiental. Las distinciones le han sido otorgadas por la consultora Bureau Veritas, líder mundial en servicios de inspección, certificación y ensayos, y tras un riguroso proceso de auditoría externa. De esta forma, Rincón de la Victoria da un paso más en su consolidación como Destino Turístico Inteligente, una distinción que el municipio ostenta desde el año 2020 y que acaba de renovar durante dos años más, tras un proceso de mejora continua. “Estamos muy satisfechos con la obtención de estas certificaciones sobre todo y fundamentalmente porque nos reafirman en que vamos por el camino correcto y nos animan a seguir avanzando en la consolidación del desarrollo de un turismo sostenible. Desde Grupo Guajes nos alineamos de esta forma con el compromiso del Patronato de Turismo Costal del Sol en este ámbito apostando por el compromiso medioambiental a corto, largo y medio plazo. Estamos convencidos de que la sostenibilidad es garantía de futuro, que no solo favorece la protección de nuestro planeta y recursos básicos sino que además nos permite optimizar operaciones, reducir costos así como ofrecer una respuesta adecuada a las exigencias de nuestros clientes, cada vez más sensibilizados con el cuidado del medio ambiente”, ha manifestado Ángel Acha Fanjul, Consejero Delegado de Grupo Guajes. Maloles Sánchez-Migallón, Directora Comercial de Añoreta Golf y Fay Hotels Group, encargada de recibir las distinciones y coordinar todo el proceso de la auditoría realizada, ha precisado que para el Hotel Fay Victoria el alcance de la certificación abarca el servicio de alojamiento, mientras que para el Campo de Golf de Añoreta incluye la gestión y el mantenimiento de sus 18 hoyos, par 72 y 6.016 metros de longitud, así como las actividades asociadas. “Entre las medidas aplicadas en el campo de golf y que nos han hecho merecedores de esta certificación podemos destacar la monitorización en tiempo real del consumo eléctrico por telemetría, lo que nos permite detectar puntos críticos y ajustar riegos según las condiciones del momento. Asimismo, estamos procediendo a la sustitución progresiva de maquinaria de combustión así como de las baterías de litio de los buggys y eliminando la utilización de plásticos de un solo uso, apostando por las botellas reutilizables, tanto en los espacios de restauración con en el resto de servicios que ofrecemos. Por otra parte, la clasificación y el pesaje de los residuos nos permitirá reducir en un 20 por ciento los desechos”, ha precisado Maloles Sánchez-Migallón, quien también se ha referido al uso de compostaje in situ y al programa de concienciación medioambiental para empleados y jugadores como buenas prácticas desarrolladas. Por lo que respecta al Hotel Fay Victoria, de entre las iniciativas desarrolladas, pueden destacarse la instalación de sistemas inteligentes de monitarización energética para medir consumos; la sustitución del cien por cien de las luminarias por iluminación LED; el control domótico de la climatización de las habitaciones; la gestión eficiente del consumo de agua mediante la instalación de aireadores, grifería temporizada y sistemas eficientes de cargas de baños o la reducción de los residuos mediante sistemas de separación de materiales, la aplicación del sistema cero de papel o la eliminación de los amenities o detalles de cortesía de un solo uso. Grupo Guajes Grupo Guajes es una empresa familiar con 60 años de historia, diversificada en sectores como construcción, promoción inmobiliaria, hotelería, golf y gastronomía. Con marcas reconocidas como Fay Hotels Group, Bendita Katalina, Mendalerenda y Zorrocallao, el Grupo Guajes apuesta por la calidad, la innovación y la tradición en cada uno de sus proyectos, consolidando su presencia en la Costa del Sol y ofreciendo experiencias integrales a sus clientes.

In this episode of the Quality Hub podcast, host Xavier Francis speaks with Kevin Franklin, Chief Product Officer at LRQA, and Scott Dawson, President of Core Business Solutions, to delve into the timely and crucial topic of AI risk management and governance. AI is here and not going away, and understanding the increasing importance of ISO 42001, a new standard designed to provide businesses—whether large or small is paramount. 42001 has a structured approach to responsibly integrating and governing AI technologies. Kevin and Scott share insights on how ISO 42001 helps organizations anticipate and navigate evolving risks, build trust, enhance accountability, and prepare for regulatory changes, offering a roadmap for businesses of all sizes to effectively manage AI-driven challenges.   Helpful Resources: More About ISO 42001: https://www.thecoresolution.com/iso-42001-certification Why ISO 42001 Certification Matters: https://www.thecoresolution.com/why-grammarlys-iso-42001-certification-matters How is ISO 9001 Implemented?:  https://www.thecoresolution.com/how-is-iso-9001-implemented For All Things ISO 9001:2015: https://www.thecoresolution.com/iso-9001-2015 Contact us at 866.354.0300 or email us at info@thecoresolution.com A Plethora of Articles: https://www.thecoresolution.com/free-learning-resources ISO 9001 Consulting: https://www.thecoresolution.com/iso-consulting

In this episode, our guest is Riccardo Palgiarrella, a dynamic force in the world of electric mobility and distributed energy. With a background in motorsports and nearly two decades of experience in vehicle electrification, Riccardo offers deep insights into the future of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology. He discusses Australia's unique position as a market ripe for V2G adoption, while also shedding light on the regulatory, technical, and social hurdles that must be addressed. Riccardo also explores the role of standards like ISO 15118, the challenges in consumer adoption, and the evolving role of EVs as part of the energy grid. With clarity and candour, he helps demystify the real-world potential and limitations of V2G—and what it will take to turn this potential into value for all consumers. Connect with Sohail Hasnie: Facebook @sohailhasnie X (Twitter) @shasnie LinkedIn @shasnie ADB Blog Sohail Hasnie YouTube @energypreneurs Instagram @energypreneurs Tiktok @energypreneurs Spotify Video @energypreneurs

In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent sits down with Jennifer Appleton, the dynamic Director behind ISO Quality Services, a Worcester-based business that's been helping companies achieve ISO certifications for over two decades. Jennifer shares the story of how this family business has scaled from a local consultancy to a global service provider, supporting clients in over 28 countries. What You'll Learn in This Episode:

"Preachers up, husbands down"

Charlotte Bradley CQP MCQI started her career as a Document Controller in a Civil Engineering company. This was the first time she had heard of Quality and ISO.Charlotte then moved on to a new workplace, BT, where she learnt about other ISO Standards such as ISO 22301, ISO 27001, and ISO 20000*. Charlotte now manages the ISO Internal Audit team, the relationship with the External Auditing Body and ISO 9001* Quality team and a team who performs Quality Audits against major contracts, at BT. Charlotte is still passionate about ISO 9001 and the benefits it brings to a company.

Join us in this episode as LJ opens up to talk about being Non-Binary. In addition we talk about having a few slips after long term sobriety, calling a suicide help line and finishing up work on Step Two.   Since suicide was mentioned in this episode, if you are in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 https://988lifeline.org   Links mentioned in this episode: Recommiting to Recovery: https://saa-recovery.org/literature/recommitting-to-recovery/ Submit a story to the new edition of the Green Book: https://saa-recovery.org/submit-recovery-stories/ Telemeetings website: https://saatalk.info/us/meetings   YouTube Links to music in this episode (used for educational purposes): Billy Lockett - Say I'm Sober: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrAsAl6hE74   Be sure to reach us via email: feedback@sexaddictsrecoverypod.com If you are comfortable and interested in being a guest or panelist, please feel free to contact me. jason@sexaddictsrecoverypod.com SARPodcast YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn0dcZg-Ou7giI4YkXGXsBWDHJgtymw9q   To find meetings in the San Francisco Bay Area, be sure to visit: https://www.bayareasaa.org/meetings To find meetings in the your local area or online, be sure to visit the main SAA website: https://saa-recovery.org/meetings/   The content of this podcast has not been approved by and may not reflect the opinions or policies of the ISO of SAA, Inc.  

It's time to get REAL!

Discover why the Sony FX2 is a game-changer for hybrid shooters!

The largest grid operator in the U.S., PJM, has more than 3,000 active projects in its interconnection queue, more than four other ISOs combined. And it used to be easy to build in Texas, but ERCOT is facing the same challenges as other regions. Spearmint Energy's Andrew Waranch and Gina Wolf examine the nuances of building ISO supply in this episode of Power Plays. 

In this episode of Quality Hub: Chatting with ISO Experts, host Xavier Francis and returning guest Bruce Newman, consultant at Core Business Solutions, explore the benefits and challenges of integrating ISO 9001 with other ISO standards (like ISO 14001 and ISO 45001). They discuss how an Integrated Management System (IMS) simplifies operations, reduces costs and much more. Bruce also shares real-world examples, key metrics, and best practices for successfully aligning quality, safety, and other processes. Whether you're new to integration or looking to optimize your existing system, this episode provides valuable insights to improve compliance and collaboration across your organization.   Helpful Resources: How is ISO 9001 Implemented?:  https://www.thecoresolution.com/how-is-iso-9001-implemented For All Things ISO 9001:2015: https://www.thecoresolution.com/iso-9001-2015 Contact us at 866.354.0300 or email us at info@thecoresolution.com A Plethora of Articles: https://www.thecoresolution.com/free-learning-resources ISO 9001 Consulting: https://www.thecoresolution.com/iso-consulting

In the last episode in May, which is NATIONAL OSTEOPOROSIS AWARENESS & PREVENTION MONTH, I'm joined by Claire Gill, CEO of the Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation (BHOF), to bring you an exclusive look at the latest research and expert insights from the Interdisciplinary Symposium on Osteoporosis (ISO)—the premier bone health conference in the country.  I've served as a longtime trustee of BHOF and currently act as Special Advisor, helping expand our Be Bone Strong™ Marathon Teams and Walking Clubs around the country. Even though I couldn't attend this year's ISO in Washington, D.C., Claire was there front and center, and she's here to share what every woman over 50 must know to stay strong, mobile, and independent.  From new technologies to the power of strength training—and the glaring gaps in diagnosis and treatment—we cover the biggest issues and the most hopeful breakthroughs in bone health today.  What You'll Learn:  Why exercise is medicine when it comes to bone health  The powerful role of strength training at every age  How to be proactive—not reactive—about your bones  What the osteoporosis treatment gap means for you  Why diagnosis often comes too late, and how to catch it early  The vital role of primary care doctors in managing bone health  How family history can predict fracture risk  The urgent need for more menopause and bone health research  What's next in emerging technologies for better diagnosis  Why starting healthy habits now can prevent fractures later  Key Resources:  Learn more about the Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation: www.bonehealthandosteoporosis.org  Join or start a Be Bone Strong™ Walking Club: email BeBoneStrongWalkingClub@gmail.com  Previous episode with Rebekah Rotstein on Buff Bones: Listen here  Let's Stay Connected:  Love this episode? Have a question or a topic you'd like to hear more about? Email me at agebetterpodcast@gmail.com or leave a comment on Instagram @BarbaraHannahGrufferman.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

¿Qué es un ataque de reconstrucción? ¿Aumentan sus riesgos por el uso de datos personales en el entrenamiento de modelos de IA? ¿Qué marco de gestión de riesgos resulta más apropiado para su gestión? Ángela Manceñido tiene diez años de experiencia en la prestación de servicios de consultoría orientados a la privacidad y protección de datos. Durante este tiempo, ha ayudado, trabajando para KPMG, a numerosas compañías de distintos sectores adaptándose y ofreciendo soluciones efectivas y óptimas en un entorno en constante evolución. En el presente, Ángela también se ha especializado en el impacto de la IA desde una perspectiva regulatoria y de riesgo tecnológico. Actualmente guía a varios clientes en este campo, permitiendo a estos afrontar los desafíos y oportunidades que presentan las nuevas tecnologías garantizando el cumplimiento normativo y la mitigación de riesgos. Nuestra invitada participa además en varias asociaciones y grupos de referencia. Referencias: Ángela Manceñido en LinkedIn Marco de gestión de riesgos de NIST (inglés) Caso Holmen: un ciudadano noruego es acusado falsamente por ChatGPT de matar a sus dos hijos (BBC, inglés) NIST: Adversarial Machine Learning: A Taxonomy and Terminology of Attacks and Mitigations (2024) Matriz RACI de roles y responsabilidades (Monday)

Episode Title: "Sea Foam and Diesel Fuel Additives – Myth or Maintenance Must-Have?"Episode Description:In this episode, we dive into one of the most talked-about products in the diesel maintenance world: Sea Foam Motor Treatment. Is it a miracle cure for dirty injectors and sluggish engines—or just another fuel additive that sounds good on the label?As diesel engines evolve, so do the standards and science behind what keeps them running cleanly, efficiently, and powerfully. With stricter emissions requirements and the widespread use of ultra-low sulphur diesel (ULSD) since 2006, the natural lubricity and detergency once provided by higher-sulphur fuels are no longer present. This has left many owners and operators looking for aftermarket solutions.Sea Foam is often recommended for cleaning fuel systems, stabilizing fuel during storage, and lubricating upper engine components. But how much of that is supported by evidence? In this episode, we explore:

Dime qué piensas del episodio.Bertha González Nieves IG: @berthagonzalezn es cofundadora y CEO de Tequila Casa Dragones, una marca que creó desde cero y que transformó la manera en que se entiende y disfruta el tequila a nivel internacional. Desde su audaz apuesta por lanzar un producto inexistente hasta su meticuloso enfoque en la creación de experiencias excepcionales, Bertha ha convertido Casa Dragones en un icono global del lujo. Hoy hablaremos de su viaje personal que comenzó con un revelador viaje a Japón, su visión estratégica aprendida en Cuervo, la poderosa influencia de mentores como Bob Pittman y las decisiones críticas que la llevaron desde casi rendirse en sus primeros años hasta conquistar mercados exigentes y construir una comunidad internacional que va desde Oprah hasta la Fórmula 1. Por favor ayúdame y sigue Cracks Podcast en YouTube aquí."El lujo no se grita. Se construye desde el detalle."- Bertha González Comparte esta frase en TwitterEste episodio es presentado por LegaLario la empresa de tecnología legal que ayuda a reducir costos y tiempos de gestión hasta un 80% y por Hospital Angeles Health System que cuenta con  el programa de cirugía robótica más robusto en el sector privado en México.  Qué puedes aprender hoyCómo construir lujoEl poder del storytellingEmpezar sin saberlo todo*Este episodio es presentado por LegaLario, la Legaltech líder en México.Con LegaLario, puedes transformar la manera en que manejas los acuerdos legales de tu empresa. Desde la creación y gestión de contratos electrónicos hasta la recolección de firmas digitales y la validación de identidades, LegaLario cumple rigurosamente con la legislación mexicana y las normativas internacionales.LegaLario ha ayudado a empresas de todos los tamaños y sectores a reducir costos y tiempos de gestión hasta un 80%. Y lo más importante, garantiza la validez legal de cada proceso y la seguridad de tu información, respaldada por certificaciones ISO 27001.Para ti que escuchas Cracks, LegaLario ofrece un 20% de descuento visitando www.legalario.com/cracks.*Este episodio es presentado por Hospital Angeles Health SystemLos avances en cirugía robótica permiten intervenciones con menos sangrado, menos dolor, cicatrices más pequeñas y una recuperación más rápida.Hospital Angeles Health System tiene el programa de cirugía robótica más robusto en el sector privado en México. Cuenta con 13 robots DaVinci, el más avanzado del mundo y con el mayor número de médicos certificados en cirugía robótica ya que tiene el único centro de capacitación de cirugía robótica en el país.Este es el futuro de la cirugía. Si quieres conocer más sobre el programa de cirugía robótica de Hospital Angeles Health System y ver el directorio de doctores visita cracks.la/angeles Ve el episodio en Youtube

What does Ontario's new 12-year Save on Energy framework mean for homeowners, businesses, and the future of energy in Canada? Learn how the program supports smarter grid planning and energy use, lowers emissions, improves affordability, and helps Ontarians make the switch to cleaner technologies. Tam Wagner from the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) joins thinkenergy to explain why conservation is a critical tool in Canada's transition to clean energy. Listen to episode 158 today.   Related links   ●     Tam Wagner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tam-wagner-p-eng-268828b1/ ●     Save on Energy framework and programs: https://saveonenergy.ca/  ●     Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) : https://www.ieso.ca/ ●     Trevor Freeman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-freeman-p-eng-cem-leed-ap-8b612114/ ●     Hydro Ottawa: https://hydroottawa.com/en    To subscribe using Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinkenergy/id1465129405   To subscribe using Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7wFz7rdR8Gq3f2WOafjxpl   To subscribe on Libsyn: http://thinkenergy.libsyn.com/ --- Subscribe so you don't miss a video: https://www.youtube.com/user/hydroottawalimited   Follow along on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hydroottawa Stay in the know on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HydroOttawa Keep up with the posts on X: https://twitter.com/thinkenergypod   Transcript: Trevor Freeman  00:00  Welcome to thinkenergy, a podcast that dives into the fast, changing world of energy through conversations with industry leaders, innovators and people on the front lines of the energy transition. Join me, Trevor Freeman, as I explore the traditional, unconventional and up and coming facets of the energy industry. If you have any thoughts, feedback or ideas for topics we should cover, please reach out to us at thinkenergy@hydroottawa.com. Hi everyone. Welcome back. Energy is finite. Now don't worry. You didn't stumble into a podcast about theoretical physics. And while yes, that concept, that statement, could launch us into a discussion about the ever-expanding universe, about how we're all made up of the remnants of exploding stars, or how ultimately, all of our collective species' history, including the history of the planet, is but the tiniest fraction of a fraction of a blink of an eye in the grand scale of the cosmos. That's not what we're talking about today. But if you want to talk about that, give me a shout. I'd love to. know today we're talking about much more zoomed in practical look at what that statement means. So, the amount of electricity available to us as consumers who need that electricity to charge our devices, to operate our homes and our businesses, and increasingly, to heat our spaces and to power our vehicles, is limited. In the past, that electricity has been limited by the inputs by the fossil fuels that we need to burn in order to generate that electricity. But increasingly, as we transition to more and more renewable sources who you know, seemingly are infinite, you know, there's a whole lot of sunlight out there. Our limits are more economical and practical. We are expanding the grid. We're adding capacity, adding more generation, transmission, distribution, but those things also come with a cost, so we can't just do it in perpetuity, and we can't do it at the speed maybe necessary for some of the new uses that we're looking for. In light of all that, it does make sense for us to ensure that we are being as efficient as possible with the energy that we do need to use. Enter conservation or demand side management, the intentional effort to reduce wasted energy and to maximize efficiency, while also managing when we use energy so as to spread out the load, to minimize large peaks of demand, which are harder to manage than a more even demand profile. In Ontario, our system operator, the Independent Electricity System Operator, or IESO. Sometimes I'll refer to that as ISO has managed provincial conservation programs for the last two decades. Conservation is and has been a foundational element in grid planning and in our supply mix. That has been the case for a number of years now, and will continue to be the case. Recently, in January of this year, January 2025 the ISO unveiled its ambitious new save on energy framework, a comprehensive 12-year plan designed to empower both residential and commercial customers in Ontario to take control of their energy consumption. This initiative arrives at a really critical juncture, recognizing the pivotal role of energy efficiency and maintaining a reliable and affordable electricity system, something we talk about all the time on the show, amidst a projected surge in demand driven by economic growth and the energy transition towards electrification, something else we talk about all the time on the show. I hope by now you're seeing that all these things come together, and the topics that we talk about are usually related to each other. Backed by significant provincial investment and a strong commitment to collaborate across the sector. And this includes ongoing collaboration with Enbridge and a new role for the local distribution companies like Hydro Ottawa, this new framework really introduces a suite of new and expanded programs aimed at creating this culture of conservation and facilitating the adoption of cleaner energy technologies. It's really meant to complement the energy transition and make sure we do it in a way that is as efficient and affordable as possible. The ISOs new save on energy framework in Ontario holds significant implications for Canada's broader energy future, aligning with a number of key national trends and objectives. So just because this is an Ontario framework, there's a lot of good information here that applies across Canada's energy sector, and indeed, even beyond Canada's borders. Things like supporting our climate goals and emission reduction targets by encouraging a shift away from fossil fuels for heating and transportation, by making it easier to switch to electric options for those two things, things like recognizing energy efficiency as one of the lowest cost resources to address system needs, and in fact, we'll talk about that in our conversation with our guests here in a few moments. Addressing the need for electricity demand. As Canada pursues electrification across various sectors, so in Ontario, our system operator is forecasting a 75% increase in our demand by 2050 you're seeing similar projected increases across the country and indeed around the world, as economies and energy sectors that have been very reliant on fossil fuels look to switch to more electric options, while at the same time managing those other growth items that we've talked about in the past. Ai data centers being one of the big ones. This framework also looks to promote grid modernization and integration of more renewable energy sources across the grids, so in essence, a greater interprovincial electricity system. And finally, looking to foster economic opportunities by stimulating the clean tech sector driving more demand for those energy efficient technologies and services. So, to help us better understand this new program and the role of conservation in Ontario's grid management, I decided to go right to the source, and I'm joined today by Tam Wagner. Tam is the director of demand side management at the ieso and provides thought leadership for the design and delivery of energy efficiency and demand side management programs. Tam has been with the ISO since 2005 in a number of different roles, and so she is well placed to help us dive into all the details about this new conservation framework. And I'm really excited to talk to her today. As I mentioned a couple times in our chat, I come from a conservation background. That's kind of how I got my start in the utility and so it's great to see how it's evolved over the years. And I'm really excited to dive into this with Tam. Tam Wagner, welcome to the show.   Tam Wagner  06:54 Thanks for having me, Trevor.   Trevor Freeman  06:55 okay, so let's dive right in with a little bit of the basics here. Why is energy efficiency a priority for the province? Why are we even talking about energy efficiency?   Tam Wagner  07:05 So, to get into that, I'm going to take a step back first and talk about what electricity demand is doing in the province of Ontario. So, what we're seeing is it's growing according to the ISO latest demand forecast, the provincial electricity demand is anticipated to grow 75% by 2050 and that just further reinforces the need for us to really invest in everything in order to meet those growing electricity demands, including energy efficiency and demand side resources. At the ISO, we've been delivering energy efficiency and demand side management programs for businesses and residences in Ontario for nearly 20 years, and we've done this through different frameworks and business models. And more specifically, since 2011 we've been delivering our programs through our save on energy grant. With that is, is what we've seen is energy efficiency at three cents per kilowatt hour. It's one of our lowest cost resources to meet what Ontario's energy needs, what we've been able to achieve, and it's really building on this success is, since 2006 Ontario has saved 18.5 terawatt hours of electricity as a result of our programs. So, to put that into context, that's the equivalent of powering 2 million homes for one year. And so, with that is when we think about energy efficiency, it's really a key tool in our toolbox to meet some of the reliability needs, yes, in the past, but also those growing needs going forward.   Trevor Freeman  08:27 And what about the so we talk a lot in the show, obviously, about the energy transition in context of climate change and trying to reduce our emissions. How does energy conservation fit into that? What are some of the environmental benefits of focusing on energy efficiency?   Tam Wagner  08:44 When we think about when Ontarians use electricity the most, and usually it's in the summer period with air conditioning load on, in order to meet those electricity peaks, what we run is is a variety of generators within the province, so nuclear, hydroelectric, but also included in that is our natural gas generators. And oftentimes those natural gas generators are on for those peak periods, like I mentioned, in those summer peak periods. So, by leading into energy efficiency and actually reducing what our summer peaks are, we're relying less on those gas generators, and hopefully being able to run them less as well, because we are flattening what that load is, if we're running those gas generators less, we're able to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that come from those resources.   Trevor Freeman  09:28 Yeah, and just for our listeners, kind of drawing on my background of previously working in energy conservation, all the things that really drive toward wanting to reduce electricity consumption, sort of the highest cost times the highest emission times. They all kind of coincide. So, when you're focusing on that energy efficiency, focusing on reducing your consumption or your demand, it has that added benefit of reducing your cost and reducing your emissions, and all of the above. So really, a lot of things coming together to make. Energy Efficiency makes sense for the customer as well as the utilities and the system operator, of course. Okay, so Tam, you said a couple of things in that answer that I want to dive into a little bit more detail. So the first one is that energy efficiency has been around for a long time. You know, you said, 20 years we've been doing energy conservation in one form or another in the province of Ontario. So, what's different about this latest framework that's just been launched? How has that evolved? What's different moving forward?   Tam Wagner  10:29 Now, you're going to get me really excited to talk about this. If we reflect back on on the past, what we've had is is really time bound frameworks. Our frameworks have been anywhere from two years to five years with this new framework that we were starting in is it's a 12-year framework, so over a decade long. The other piece is the funding commitment, and so it's a 12-year framework with a $10.9 billion commitment. So, it's billion with a B. So, we're talking both from a scope and a scale perspective, significant additional investments and time commitment with the new framework. One of the recommendations that the ISO made in our midterm review report, and so this was published in 2022 and the at the midpoint of our previous framework was our recommendation was to move away from these time bound frameworks and better leverage demand side, manage, management and energy efficiency as a resource to respond to evolving system market and customer needs. So, as you noted, Trevor, there is, is the one of the things I also say too, is, is the superpower of energy efficiency is, is it really operates at that intersection point between the electricity grid needs, but also what customer needs are, being able to respond to customer needs will allow us to provide electricity savings to address those energy system needs, and with this new framework, it does exactly that. So not only is the framework a 12-year commitment, a feature of the framework is that it's enduring. So, what do I mean by it being enduring is that within that 12 year period, there's a commitment that at the six year mark, we'll do a midterm review? We'll reflect on what's working, some of the successes of the program, of the framework, but then also, what are the opportunities to enhance it? How a system needs evolved over that time? How have customer needs evolved over that time? And provide recommendations? Going forward with those recommendations, there's an opportunity for the government to then also recommit to the framework and enhance it or extend it out another six years, so that we have another 12-year framework. So, the key element of this is that the framework actually never hits its end point. It just continues to re up itself or extend itself with the with the support and commitment from government. The other piece that I'd highlight too are from a customer perspective is, is, with this framework, there's a there's something for everyone in it. When we look at the electricity system and past frameworks, it really carved out specific customer classes that our programs could serve. With this it captures businesses, whether it be small business, commercial, institutional or industrial or industrial organizations, but it also has call outs for the residential sector as well as customers that have historically been underserved or vulnerable customer segments, including income qualifier First Nations communities. So really a broad scope in not only timing and funding commitment, but also the customers that we can serve with this framework   Trevor Freeman  13:21 That's fantastic, again, lots of good stuff in there. I really like the idea of creating a more enduring model that has more predictability a longer time frame. And the benefits of that are fantastic. It gives our customers predictability. They know these programs are going to be around, and they can plan their projects ahead of time. Instead of scrambling to Hey, we got to get this done in the next 12 months or two years, or whatever the case may be, it lets you know service providers, or those folks that are out there supporting energy efficiency measures build this into their business plans and really spend the time to educate customers. And then, speaking from the utility perspective, this is also great to have that predictability. We can talk to our customers about it. We can say, look, this is the reality here. This is the program that'll be in place for a long time. So I think that's fantastic that we've got that sort of enduring model. Now.   Tam Wagner  14:19 Trevor, I feel like he's been a fly on the ISO walls that we as we've been talking about, the new framework, because those are exactly all the things that we've highlighted. The other piece I would add, too, is, from a workforce perspective, is being able to build capacity in all of our respective organizations, to be able to support the the increased need and demand for for energy efficiencies, whether it be from a contractor or skilled trade perspective. So giving us the time to invest in people as well?   Trevor Freeman  14:51 Yeah, yeah, that's another great point. And our listeners, you know, who knows what their background is, but everybody probably has some experience in you. A plan is great on paper and a program is great on paper, and when you actually implement it, there's a lot of lessons to be learned and iterations and tweaks, and having the runway to learn those lessons and make those tweaks and adjust as you know time goes on and the context change, I think, is another really great benefit of this program, and having that long timeframe to have that flexibility and have the room to maneuver, which is fantastic. So I agree. Okay, so the next thing that you mentioned a little bit ago, that I want to dive into is just the sheer magnitude of additional demand that is coming, and that's not going to be anything new to listeners. We talk about that a lot of you know all the different drivers that are pushing up demand from electrification as a result of the climate crisis, growing demand in AI data centers, et cetera, et cetera. You mentioned the projection of a 75% increase by 2050, so let's talk about the role that energy efficiency in particular will play in helping address that growth and the growing demand that's coming and making sure that we can meet that demand in an affordable way. What's the role of energy efficiency in that?   Tam Wagner  16:19 I think what I'd say is, is the challenge that that puts out to energy efficiency is our forecast. Our latest forecast indicates that 75% growth by 2050 I say the challenge that's put out to energy efficiency is, how do we make it less than 75% so with energy efficiency, what it helps to do is, is it helps to mitigate the pace of that growth by using electricity more efficiently. It's a tool in the ISOs reliability toolbox, and so it's a resource that we will directly incorporate into our planning assumptions and indicate, and basically from the from the get go, say, if we can get this savings and electricity from energy efficiency, those are megawatts that we don't have to go out and procure traditional resources or or defers the timing in which we may need to procure those additional resources, so whether that those resources be supply side generators or transmission or distribution line infrastructure, so really, being able to avoid or defer some of those infrastructure costs. The other piece too about energy efficiency, and back to that point around that intersection point between system need and customer need is our programs. By participating in our programs, you're directly getting dollars right into your pockets. So through our incentives and our rebates, those are dollars that we will provide straight to the customers and participating in our program. So that's the upfront benefit from an affordability perspective, but then from a longer term perspective is it helps customers be able to better manage their energy and usage, and being able to better manage your energy and use you can also better manage what your energy bills are. So, Trevor, you had mentioned around, okay, what are some of those peaking times, and what are the higher costs often attributed to those peaking times is through demand side management and energy efficiency. You can not only shave that peak by using less electricity. The other piece that we're really leaning into, and I keep referring to, demand side management, is, how can you control how you how you use that electricity? One of the things that we've done recently for residential consumers is through our P perks program and through something as simple as a smart thermostat, is being able to actually provide electricity systems to the system savings to the grid through small adjustments on the smart thermostat that you have at home can make really big impact from a grid. Need perspective, but then also impact what your usage is, and shifting some of your use at home into those lower priced hours, when we think of it, the time of use rates.   Trevor Freeman  18:46 Yeah, really, when it comes down to it, every kilowatt hour saved, or, you know, kilowatt avoided, is something that doesn't have to pass through a transmission line or a distribution line. It doesn't have to go through a transformer, and we don't need to generate that somewhere. And so there's obviously savings there. You mentioned a little bit earlier in a previous answer, that stat around, you know, three cents per kilowatt hour. How does that stack up? Or how does that compare to other generation or transmission assets, like when it comes to cost and reliability? Compare energy efficiency to more traditional assets.   Tam Wagner  19:24 The simple answer is, it's lower. So when one of the principles we take when we when we pursue our energy efficiency programs is we talk about it being cost effective. And what that really means is that when we compare it to other traditional infrastructure, so long as the cost of providing those energy efficiency programs, so cost from an administration perspective and delivering the programs, but also including the incentives, the rebates that we provide to customers, so long as that all in cost is less than the cost of traditional infrastructure, whether it be generation or transmission, we'll pursue it. So that's really. Where I'd say just simply, is the energy efficiency programs that we deliver are all cost effective, and so they're all a lower cost than the traditional resources that we employ.   Trevor Freeman  20:11 That working. I can speak from experience, working at the utility, and like I said previously, being in conservation, I have gotten the question in the past, why is the utility or the utility sector, spending money to get us to not use electricity? Isn't that counterproductive? And you just gave the answer right there. It's so much cheaper to do that than to try and build new generation, build new assets. It's the cheapest way to achieve that capacity, to get that capacity that we need on the grid, which, again, we talk about here all the time. So great answer. Let's get into the numbers a little bit. So you mentioned sort of previous savings that we've achieved here in the province of Ontario. And I think you said, if I'm not mistaken, since 2005 we have saved essentially the equivalent of, you know, taking 2 million homes off the grid. I hope that's the right stat. Then the targets that we've got here for this program are pretty ambitious, and so for our listeners, by the end of 2027 so that's really only two and a bit years from now, two and a half, the target for the program is to achieve 900 megawatts of demand reduction and 4.6 terawatts of energy savings. Now, for those of you who are not kind of nerdy engineers like myself, like Tam, sorry, Tam, to throw you in that bucket, that's about the same as taking a half a million homes off the grid. So we've done 2 million homes already, and the last 20 years. In the next two and a half years, we're trying to hit a quarter of that tell me a little bit about the ambition of this program.   Tam Wagner  21:53 Definitely ambitious, if I think that's really great context, and even if I take the context even more recently, when our last framework was a four-year framework. So, from 2021, to 2025, our targets there were 725, megawatts of peak demand savings and 3.8 terawatt hours of energy savings, which were aggressive then. So, we're continuing to be more aggressive on our savings. And what I'd say with that is, that what we're seeing is, is we're seeing a very engaged customer base. Ontarians are very engaged and want to do their part, and especially if their part actually doesn't require a lot of work on, on the Ontarians behalf. And so, what we're really wanting to do is, is tap into that and say, if you, if you want to do your part here, we'll give you a space for you to do your part, whether it be at home, as a as a homeowner, or in your businesses and looking at it from a larger scale perspective, really, what we want to lean into is that all hands-on deck approach. So, recognizing that this is the lowest cost resource to meet our growing needs is, let's start there first. Let's optimize. Let's get everything we can out of energy efficiency and that lowest cost resource before we go up the stack to say, Okay, if it's not an acknew, we've got to spend on something that's a little bit more expensive. But let's first try to exhaust that lowest cost resource first. And one of the things that we also recognize in doing that is, I feel like I talked a lot about the ISO, but definitely the recognition that the ISO is, is that we can't do it all ourselves, is that these growing needs are going to impact everyone, both from a end user or consumer perspective, but also businesses and organizations and utilities that you touched on before Trevor. So as we are faced with the same challenge when it comes to growing electricity needs, how do we work together to address that? And very much a I'm very much a supporter of the saying we're so much greater than the sum of our parts, and being able to work together to achieve those growing needs will be a key part in meeting those very aggressive targets.   Trevor Freeman  24:05 Yeah, so perfect segue into the next thing I want to talk about, which is the role of the different players in the sector. And so just as a refresher for everybody, the Independent Electricity System Operator is the system operator in Ontario who kind of oversees the electricity grid for the province of Ontario. We have a transmission entity who kind of gets the high voltage electricity around the province to the place it needs to be. And then there are distribution entities, and that's who hydro is, who I work for. So Tam, let's talk about the role of that local distribution company, that kind of last line before the customer when it comes to implementing this new framework.   Tam Wagner  24:50 So, I, what I would say is, is that we very explicitly call out collaboration in this framework. So, we talk about, yes, well, the local distribution companies. So specifically, we also talk about our natural gas distributors as well as the federal government in our potential collaboration efforts. So, we'll focus in on the local distribution company side of it. We recognize that as the province wide needs are growing, from a bottom up perspective, the distribution needs are growing in each of the distribution territories as well, and so especially when some of those needs are coincident with each other, there's opportunities for us to really as opposed to us each doing our own thing in order to address our own relative challenges. Is why not work together to come up with a solution that'll address both of our challenges at the same time, and a big goal of that, yes, meeting those system needs, but having that customer focus in mind and saying, looking at it to say, how can we best enhance the customer experience? And if we've got a really strong customer journey and something that really speaks to customers, more customers will participate in our programs, and we'll address our system needs. I don't want to say it as a as a byproduct or as a result, but it starts first with the customer. For the ISO, we recognize, you noted, we're a system operator. We're operating at that 10,000-foot level when it comes to electricity grid, we've had great success in recognizing the value of energy efficiency and demand side management and addressing our bulk system. Addressing our bulk system needs in working with local distribution companies, we want to also be able to support and be able to really move the conversation around how energy efficiency and demand side management can also help address those distribution system needs as well. And what that is we also recognize the strength that LDCs bring to the table when it comes to your customers and the relationship that you have with customers. So what we've been working in, and we've already been working collaboratively with local distribution companies across the province, we're really taking a an approach in two main areas when it comes to that collaboration. So first off, leading into that customer the customer relationship that local distribution companies have working with the utilities to further support the province wide programs that are delivered under the save on energy brand and enhancing the customer journey, customer experience to those really focusing on marketing and business development activities to increase the participation in our province wide programs. So that's the first area of focus that we have with our collaboration. The second area, and leading into the piece around the distribution system needs those utilities may be faced with, is, how do we work together to support some local programming, where from an as a system operator working at that 10,000-foot level, those look that local programming will also yield benefits to the bulk system. And recognizing that there may be gaps and some of the programs that we deliver today, or there may be needs very unique to a geographical area, is how do we work with the utilities to hone in on those provide those opportunities to implement different programs that complement our province wide programs potentially foster further innovation in that regards, and help address those distribution system needs while still providing benefits to the bulk system or the grid level as well. So really focusing in on those two areas. So first of all, enhancing the province wide programs, but then also zooming down a bit and looking to say, how do we work together to be able to provide funding for local programs to help address distribution system needs that the grid level will also benefit with?   Trevor Freeman  28:37 Yeah, that's great to hear. And you answered my next question already, so that's fantastic, which was around the level of knowledge and understanding that the local utilities bring to the mix of specifically what's happening with our customers on the ground in specific areas, and being able to, like you said, build or design unique aspects of the incentive program that are really targeted at a specific need in an area. So for example, if we have a part of our distribution system that's particularly constrained, we may want to target programming in that area to achieve faster results, bigger results, whatever the case may be, or if there's a particular load type or load profile that we want to tackle in an area we can sort of work with, with the ISO, to design a program that's really going to target that need and benefit the distribution and the bulk system at the same time. So great to see that that's part of the mix.   Tam Wagner  29:39 Absolutely, I think the two other things, if I can add to that, is really focusing in on what the customer needs are. And to your point, Trevor around if there are different load types or different customer uses, and then a local distribution company's territory is this, how do we how do we tap into the. And learn about it, that it might be ahead of where the broader Ontario customer base is at, and so that can really foster that innovation, and then maybe spur on potential province wide programs in the future. The other thing I'd notice is that Ontario right now, we're summer peaking, and as I mentioned, our significant electricity load comes from air conditioning. And I think the stat is about a third of our load in the summer is actually attributed to air conditioning load when we do our planning outlooks. So, our annual planning outlook is 20 years out. Is what we're starting to see, is in the early 2030s Ontario becomes dual peaking. What that means is that we still have that summer peak, but we're starting to see the winter peak increase as well, recognizing that we've got over I think over 55 local distribution companies in the province. Some of those local distribution companies are actually winter peaking today. So are there ways for us to to look at what programs, what winter focused energy efficiency programs may be available. I don't want to say pilot those, but potentially launch some of those in those winter peaking utility areas, and again, for the ISO learnings associated with that, so that when the province more broadly becomes dual peaking is have some experience, have some data to inform what might work at the province flight level, to help us better plan and prepare for that future.   Trevor Freeman  31:26 And so, for our listeners, I think we've talked about this before, but as we electrify, especially space heating, we're going to start seeing that higher load in the winter. And you know, there's a way to do it more efficiently than not. So, making sure that we're looking at technology like heat pump and smart thermostats instead of baseboard heating and, you know, sort of more analog controls for that. So programs designed to address that would make a lot of sense, as you say, Tim and in those areas where we're already seeing a significant increase in the winter. So great to hear. Okay, so this seems like a good time to kind of dive into some of the specifics about the programs. We've been sort of talking high level. Let's, let's get into the details. So for residential customers, for folks out there that you know, own their home or rent a home and have a relationship with a landlord, what are some of the programs that are available to those customers to really address energy efficiency in their homes?   Tam Wagner  32:26 So, we've got two specific programs for broad residential consumers in Ontario, I mentioned our peak perks program, and with that, it's a demand response program that's targeted at that summer peak. So it's actually been a very wildly successful program. It's been in market. We're just approaching two years. It launched June of 2023 and what that program does is, if you have central air conditioning or a heat pump in your home that cools your home in the summer, and you have a smart thermostat, is what is by enrolling in the program, you get on immediate enrollment and acceptance into the program, you get a $75 prepaid MasterCard to participate. And participation in the program involves on those peak summer days. And usually, we see those peak days between the months of June and September, will make small, a small two degree adjustment in the temperature in your home and for no longer than a three hour period. And with that is, is that that does provide relief and flattens that peak in from a province wide level to help address what our system peaks are. So I'd mentioned that program has been really successful, so over just shy of two years, we've got over 230,000 poems enrolled in the program. And what we expect with that is just over 160 megawatts of peak demand reduction as a result. When we call on the program and it's quickly become the largest virtual power plant in Canada and one of the largest in North America. So, if you're a residential consumer, with central air conditioning or heat pump that close your home and a smart thermostat, definitely something to look into. One of the things I would really highlight about that program, because you might say, Okay, two degrees. How does how does that feel? Am I going to be uncomfortable, especially if it's a peak summer, what hot and humid day? We've been really mindful of the customers through the design of that program, so the customer is always in control when it comes to our peak perks program. If you're if you work from home, or are home during a day when we're calling a peak perks event and you're finding your home is getting a little bit warmer than you would like, you can always go to your thermostat and readjust the temperature setting back to your normal setting to for to maximize on, on your comfort at the same time is, is when we know we're calling event. What we'll do is this will pre cool your home in advance of the event. So I mentioned it's a three hour event where we where we increase the temperature in your home by two degrees. Is what we'll do is, is as long as there we're not. In a state of emergency in the provinces is will adjust the temperature in your home so it's actually cooler half an hour before the events will cool your home two degrees. And then when we actually call the peak perks event, raise it. I guess the difference would be four degrees. But again, trying to maintain that coolness in your home to maximize on customer comfort and and and help with that. The other program that we have for residential consumers, and was just launched earlier this year, it's our home renovation savings program. So with that, we deliver it in collaboration with Enbridge gas, and it offers rebates for energy efficient upgrades that you may be looking to do in your home. And some of the equipment that we include in that are heat pumps as well as smart thermostats and solar PV, rooftop solar PV as that, as well as battery, battery energy storage systems. And then also, we know that when it comes to your home, being able to retain or heat or cooling weatherization as well, so attic insulation or doors and windows as well. So rebates available for all of those if you're a homeowner in Ontario, great.   Trevor Freeman  36:07 You mentioned earlier that there are sort of income qualified programs or programs for folks living in social housing and First Nations. Can you shed a little bit of light on those specific aspects?   Tam Wagner  36:18 Yes, absolutely. So we've got, again, this the this programs in collaboration with Enbridge gas as well. So we've got the ISOs, the save on energy's energy affordability program, which is offered alongside with Enbridge gasses, winter proofing program, home winter proofing program, and that offers, again, the energy efficient upgrades to customers that are income qualified. So there are income qualifications, whether you're low or moderate income household in Ontario, and it provides you with energy efficient upgrades at no cost to you. So I would highly recommend going to the save on energy.ca website to see what those income qualifications are. It's all dependent on the number of people that live in the home, what the income thresholds are, and again, the all of these upgrades would be available to you at no cost to you at all. From a First Nations programming perspective, we've got two programs offered to First Nations community. We've got the First Nations community building retrofit program as well as the remote First Nations programs, and both of them help both businesses and residences of on reserve First Nations communities make energy efficiency upgrades, again, at no cost to the community or the community members.   Trevor Freeman  37:30 Great, so, really, anybody living in a residential home, there's something out there for you. So rebates to address energy efficient equipment or support from the Ieso to or your local distribution company. Okay, so let's shift over to commercial, industrial, institutional, kind of agriculture, all the other types of customers out there. What are the programs that are being offered, and how do they differ if they do differ from previous programs?   Tam Wagner  38:01 Maybe I'll start with the last part of their question. First, what I'd say specifically with the these businesses is we're even with a new framework. We're not with the old and in with the new. So everything that's been offered in the past is basically available to customers today when it comes to those business programs, and what we're really committed to is, how do we continue to improve the offerings that we have as new technologies or available or organizations are looking to improve some of the processes that might to help result in more efficient energy and usage. So we offer a range of business programs that provide different opportunities. And really our focus is, how do we meet the businesses where they're at based on the type of business that they are, but also where they are along their energy efficiency journey. So a couple of programs that I'll highlight is, is we've got our retrofit program, and that's really been our flagship program, and under the save on energy brand, and what that does, it provides an a la carte list of prescribed technologies with Dean savings that businesses can pick from. So if you're looking at making what upgrades to your heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and stuff, you can go to our retrofit program, and what it provides you is a list of equipment that it provide indicates what the energy savings that the ISO can expect from it, but and then also provides you with what the incentives levels are for that. So really, that's, I'd say that's kind of the simple, simplest path. From a customer journey perspective, we also recognize that there's a different range of customers when we think about our business customers, and it's not a one size fits all. We also have a small business program that recognizes the unique nature of small businesses in Ontario, and that program offers energy efficient upgrades at no cost to those businesses, and it also provides additional support to install the equipment as well. And we know that it's not all about technologies as well. I've mentioned around sometimes with processes that you. May have within your organization, they can also yield energy savings. So our strategic energy management program is designed to help organizations improve their energy performance by implementing an integrated system of organizational practices, policies and processes to achieve some of these persistent energy savings so really, what I'd say to the businesses is reflecting on what, what the nature of your organization is, how your energy and usage is, is that there's a variety of different programs that hopefully can cater to your needs and check out the save on energy.ca website to find out more.   Trevor Freeman  40:34 Yeah, I think in my kind of review of it, there's, there's support for equipment and sort of technical solutions to address energy efficiency, and you put it very, very well, you know the process, the people side of things, if you need support, if you need guidance, expertise, there's also methods of support to help you access that, whether in your organization or through other means, so lots of different avenues to address energy efficiency in all types of buildings. So those are all existing buildings, which we know are certainly a major part of energy consumption today and emissions today. But we're also building new buildings constantly and constantly adding to our building stock. So what programs are out there to address new building construction and making sure that we're constructing energy efficient buildings that go beyond existing codes and standards?   Tam Wagner  41:33 So, what I'm saying, I'll say there is, we're working on it. So as part of our 2025 to 2027 plan, we have identified the need for a new construction program. We heard this through stakeholder feedback as well. When we did our midterm review back in 2022 we we heard from stakeholders that that's a gap in our programming, and so we're looking, we were looking to address that. That gap has, that has been identified. So right now my team is we're doing some market research, and in order to help inform what the design of a new construction program may look like, our commitment is, is, is, as we've got some of those that early thinking is, we will go out and stakeholder it and invite feedback and into how best to design that program. We know the we know the things we know. We know there are things that others have expertise in, and that that expertise would really be helpful to the ISO as we, as we design the program. So I'd say, stay tuned for that and continue to look at on our stakeholder engagement website for upcoming engagements, where we will seek some feedback and insights into that design of that program.   Trevor Freeman  42:36 Perfect, one last item is beneficial electrification. So we know that the government has kind of directed the ISO to look at how to support beneficial electrification. So maybe kind of two questions here, what is beneficial electrification, if you could kind of help define that for our listeners, and what, how are you looking to support beneficial electrification for customers.   Tam Wagner  43:01 Sure, so how we look at beneficial electrification is, is really around changing your the fuel source of your end use. And that's I could probably plain language that a little bit more and maybe, well, it's easiest to use an example and an example charter that you've actually highlighted is, is for a lot of Ontarians, is, is the way you heat your home isn't actually typically with electricity, and that with fuel switching or switching the source that you heat your home with is that you can yield and really electrifying that is as you can yield greenhouse gas emissions reductions as a result of that of electrification, when We think about it from a beneficial electrification perspective, is electrification perspective, is, is with as we, as we talked about the demand in Ontario increasing is, how can we leverage the way that customers may be electrifying their end uses to ensure that we're doing it in the most efficient manner that will not only yield benefits to the Customers, from a GHG emissions perspective and from an overall energy bills perspective, but also provide benefits to the electricity grid as well. And trying to, instead of hitting that 75% is, how do we actually electrify and and electrify at a rate that's actually less than that 75% would be the goal that we're looking at here with regards to how we're actually applying that is just earlier this month. So in earlier in May, we launched our first offering through the home renovation savings program for a beneficial electrification. And what that entails is for those customers in Ontario that are currently heated through oil, propane or wood heated customers, is we do have a heat pump offering to to support electrifying those end uses that will enable the those customers to be to reduce the GHG emissions in their home, and with that is also save money on their energy bills as well recognizing. A different cost in the electricity side, versus the oil or propane fuels costs.   Trevor Freeman  45:06 Yeah, I think it's, I mean, I'm someone who, obviously, folks that are listening know, I'm pretty passionate about climate change. And if, if your only lens is GHGs or greenhouse gas reduction, you know, you may jump at electrifying in any possible way, but that could be taking out your furnace and putting in electric resistance baseboard heating, which is not a very efficient way to heat your home, or not as efficient as you could be doing with, for example, a heat pump which is much more efficient, you get a lot more energy out than you put in. And I've preached a lot about heat pumps on this program before, but that's the concept behind beneficial electrification. Is doing that fuel switching, but doing it in a way that one doesn't overly stress the grid. Two, doesn't overly stress your own energy bills, because we don't want to push people into unaffordable energy. So making sure that there's support to do the right move in the right way. Tam, just to wrap up here, you've said it a couple of times, but I'll give you a chance to say one more time, where do folks go to find out more information about these programs, what they can access? How to get that support? Where should they go and look?   Tam Wagner  46:18 So our website is the best place to get that information. So it's saveonenergy.ca. Whether you're a residential, consumer or business, all the information is there. And we also have energy savings tips on our website. So again, that's Saveonenergy.ca.   Trevor Freeman  46:34 Perfect. And I'm going to selfishly add a little plug in there of you can also reach out to your local distribution company, especially if you're here in hydro Auto's territory, we would be happy to help you access these programs and point you in the right direction and make sure that you're getting the support that you need through these programs. Tam, thanks so much for walking through this new framework. It's super exciting. I mean, it's a little bit close to my heart. Again, I've been working in conservation for a while before I moved into my current role, I spent a lot of time in conservation, so it's great to hear about the evolution of the program and where it's going. I'm really excited that it's such an important piece of the planning mix that it's getting the sort of recognition and focus that it's due and really exciting to see how it goes in the next couple of years. So to wrap up, we always end our interviews with a series of questions. So as long as you're ready, Tim, I'm going to jump right in with the first question being, what is a movie or a show that you have watched or are currently watching that you think everybody should take a look at?   Tam Wagner  47:40 This takes away from the seriousness of the conversation that we've been having.   Trevor Freeman  47:44 That's the goal we're trying to focus here.   Tam Wagner  47:47 So for those who don't know me, is I've got, I do have two kids in a series that we're watching right now. Is the rookie. Have you watched that before? Trevor? I   Trevor Freeman  47:56 I haven't, no, but it's on the list. We've got a long list   Tam Wagner  47:58 That sounds like our household as as as well. And it's a fun time. It's, it's a series that we can we watch as a family. And it's, I feel like sometimes we, you know, we try to solve the crime before the show does. But it also has a really good story, kind of, the initial story around an individual who is, I'd say, later in his career, but had a moment where he explored a career shift. And for me, that message there is around like you're never too old to try something new and be successful in it. So I think that's a really good message for me myself, but also a good message for my kids.   Trevor Freeman  48:38 Yeah, very cool. I like that one. I'll have to bump that up on the list. We'll watch it sooner rather than later. If somebody offered you a free round trip flight anywhere in the world, carbon offset accounted for, of course, where would you go?   Tam Wagner  48:50 So I would go to Vietnam. So I am Vietnamese by background, born there, but I've lived in Canada for, oh, over 40 years, been back there a couple of times, and I've always loved it. It's a So, yes, back to kind of from a cultural roots perspective, there's just so much history there. It's a completely different climate from what we have here in Canada. The people are incredibly friendly, and the food is fantastic.   Trevor Freeman  49:21 I have a tiny, tiny sliver of experience, and can say that Vietnam I visited once, and was definitely on the top of my all time favorite trips for a number of different reasons. All the ones you just mentioned are certainly up there for sure. Who is someone that you admire.   Tam Wagner  49:37 And again, I'm going to cheat on this one a little bit, so because it will be fun, but my parents with them. So I'd mentioned were first generation immigrants, when I think about the things that they've done and to come to Canada, we came to Canada as refugees, so to leave a place that they were very comfortable in. Knew the culture. Knew the language to come to a country where completely different environment, completely different culture, had no family here, and their reason for doing it was so that myself and my brothers could have greater opportunities as a parent. I'd like to think that if I was faced with that, I would make the same decision. But until you're actually in those shoes, you never know whether you whether you would or not, so I am definitely very grateful for the decisions that they've made, because it's landed me where I am today, and are very appreciative of that. So very much admire them.   Trevor Freeman  50:32 Yeah, that's a fantastic story. Thanks for sharing that. Tim. Finally, what is something about the energy sector or its future that you're particularly excited about.   Tam Wagner  50:43 We're at a really unique spot right now in that we are very much building for the future, and not just our future or kids future. When we think about the electricity infrastructure, it's things, it's something that's going to be in place for the next 40 plus years. So being able to face that challenge to build something for the generations to come is very exciting for me. It's not just the what of it, but how we do it. As I touched on before around, we're greater than the sum of our parts. Is being able to do that in a way that we can collaborate with each other, really lean on each other's strengths, learn from each other, and then I think that foundational culture is the way that we'll be really successful and ensuring that we can have that reliable, affordable and sustainable electricity future. So excited about the challenge, but also even more excited about how we're going to face that challenge and work together to to to be successful.   Trevor Freeman  51:40 Yes, I love that, and I think that's a great place to wrap this up. I love that. And I say this often to folks like, I can't think of a better spot to be when I think about climate and energy and the energy transition than kind of in the electricity sector, thinking about how all roads, or at least most roads, to the things that we want to envision run through the electricity grid and all the different nuances of that. And you could go down endless paths of, how do we make sure that this is going to work, and how do we make sure it's going to be affordable and that people are going to have the power they need? So super glad to hear that you're excited about that and passionate about that, super glad that you're putting your efforts towards that. Thanks. For coming on and talking to us today and sort of sharing your expertise and wisdom around this pretty exciting new program that hopefully is going to be a major piece of our energy future here in Ontario, at least moving forward.   Tam Wagner  52:38 Thanks for having me. Really appreciated you taking the time and spending it with me as well Trevor.   Trevor Freeman  52:42 Fantastic Tam Wagner, thanks very much for coming on, and we'll chat again soon. Thanks for tuning in to another episode of The thinkenergy podcast. Don't forget to subscribe. Wherever you listen to podcasts, and it would be great if you could leave us a review. It really helps to spread the word. As always, we would love to hear from you, whether it's feedback, comments or an idea for a show or a guest, you can always reach us at thinkenergy@hydroottawa.com

On this episode of SPOT Radio, Charlie Webb, CPPL, discusses the Sterile Summer Patient Safety Road Trip 2025—an outreach initiative designed to raise awareness about sterile packaging practices and awareness. Joined by his wife, Lisa Webb, General Manager of Van der Stähl Scientific, the duo will actively support the Sterile Aware initiative, engaging medical device manufacturers by distributing awareness bracelets and posters while demonstrating advanced medical device packaging machinery.Beyond their mission to promote patient safety, Charlie and Lisa are also weaving moments of vacation and exploration into their journey, striking a balance between industry advocacy and personal adventure.Tune in to hear more about this unique road trip blending education, engagement, and a bit of summer fun!About Charlie Webb CPPL: Charlie Webb CPPL is the founder and President of Van der Stahl Scientific; a medical device packaging and testing machine provider and packaging testing and calibration laboratories.He is also a certified internal auditor and is the Quality Manager for Van der Stähl Scientific's demanding ISO/IEC 17025 Laboratory accreditation. Under Charlie's quality management system his lab received the MSI Continuous Improvement Award. Charlie is a member of the IOPP Medical Device Packaging Technical Committee, he is a former co-PM in the Kiip group and voting ASTM F02 technical committee and has multiple granted and pending patents on medical device packaging machinery and pouch testers.His current patent-pending technologies include a medical device tray sealer that will integrate pouch testing within the packaging machine to provide 100% real-time seal testing. Also, in development is his patented HTIP system (human tissue isolation pouch) this disposable system is designed to help avoid packaging machine contamination.About Lisa Webb: As the General manager of Van der Stähl Scientific she has grown the company sales by double in her 15-year tenure. Her technical acumen is impressive as there is not a packaging machine in Van der Stähl Scientific's offering that she does not know every nut and bolt and its placement.Beyond understand the medical device packaging and testing machines operation and build she also understands the ISO 11607 processes for which they are held under. Lisa also oversees many of the functions in Van der Stähl Scientific's ISO/IEC 17025 medical device pouch test and calibration laboratory. She is Kaizen trained and certified and continues to improve Van der Stähl Scientific's operation from product development to market reach.Team Email: info@vanderstahl.comRoadtrip webpage:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/missy-travis-b8588b45/Roadtrip Video: https://youtu.be/s58_ih8G7IM?si=Vglm3Nm60M5-3EmW Storyteller Hilt: https://www.storytelleroverland.com/pages/hilt 

"Touch some a**"

What does it really take to grow from an individual agent into a full-blown ISO? This week, James Shepherd sits down with industry veteran Gus Torres to hear his journey—from working the streets to running his own ISO. Gus shares practical insights, mindset tips, and how his partnership with Netevia helped scale his operation. Then, stick around for the Today in Payments segment, where James and Patti Murphy break down the latest updates on the Credit Card Competition Act, BNPL regulations in the UK, and more industry headlines.

“Verification is no longer a nice-to-have—it's a must-have,” says Gegham Azatyan, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer at Dexatel, in a conversation with Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News. In this episode, Azatyan introduces Dexatel Verify, a new CPaaS solution designed to intelligently authenticate users across multiple channels in real time. Founded in 2015, Dexatel helps global brands build secure and reliable customer communication through SMS, voice, email, and chat apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Viber. Now, with the launch of Dexatel Verify, the company is addressing the rising challenges of online fraud, fake accounts, and high messaging costs—particularly in markets where SMS pricing is prohibitive or unreliable. Gegham Azatyan Unlike traditional one-time password (OTP) solutions, Dexatel Verify uses smart fallback logic, a system that dynamically selects the best communication channel for each user and region. If a text message fails, the system might try a voice call or switch to WhatsApp or RCS—all automatically and in real time. This innovation isn't just about efficiency—it's also about cost savings. “Customers using fallback logic can save up to 30%,” Azatyan notes, especially those in high-volume industries like fintech, e-commerce, healthcare, and education. The solution is also fully compliant with GDPR and ISO 27001, making it suitable for businesses operating in regulated sectors. As Dexatel expands into the U.S. and Canadian markets, Azatyan sees Verify as a critical enabler for companies onboarding new users securely and affordably—turning customer verification into a seamless, cost-effective, and fraud-resistant process. Learn more at https://dexatel.com

Ekco, a leading security-first managed service provider, has announced the acquisition of Predatech, a Manchester-based cyber security consultancy specialising in penetration testing and assurance services. The move expands Ekco's cyber security capabilities in the UK and establishes a new office for the firm in the North-West, reinforcing its position as a trusted cyber security partner for businesses. Founded in 2020 by Jason Johnson and Michael Fotis, Predatech has built a strong reputation for its expertise in CREST-accredited penetration testing, delivering Cyber Essentials & Cyber Essentials Plus assessments, and supporting clients to achieve ISO 27001 certification. The company has demonstrated impressive year-on-year growth, with over 90% of its 250+ clients returning for repeat engagements. The acquisition aligns with Ekco's long-term strategy to enhance its security services by integrating advanced cyber security assessment and testing capabilities. By strengthening Ekco's penetration testing service - a process that simulates real-world cyberattacks to identify vulnerabilities before malicious actors can exploit them - Ekco will offer a more comprehensive security suite, ensuring robust protection for its customers. As part of the integration, Predatech will operate as a dedicated security unit within Ekco's MSSP division, ensuring continuity for its existing clients while unlocking new opportunities for cross-service collaboration. The move will also provide Predatech's team with access to Ekco's broader security suite, advanced technologies, and expanded customer base. Jason Johnson, Co-Founder & Lead Cyber Security Consultant at Predatech, said: "Joining forces with Ekco represents an exciting new chapter for Predatech. Our team has worked hard to build a reputation for delivering high-quality cyber security services, and with Ekco's support, we can scale our capabilities even further. We're excited to bring our expertise in penetration testing and compliance to Ekco's growing security portfolio." Lee Driver, VP of Managed Security Services at Ekco, said: "Predatech's expertise in penetration testing and compliance services is a perfect addition to Ekco's MSSP offering. This acquisition not only strengthens our security capabilities but also gives us presence in Manchester and the North-West, an important hub for innovation and cyber security talent. We look forward to working with the Predatech team to deliver best-in-class security solutions to our clients." David Ball who led the deal from Oaklins S&W commented: "It's been a pleasure working with Jason, Mike and the wider Predatech team over the last number of months. We're delighted to have advised them throughout this process and have secured a fantastic result for both the shareholders and the company. Ekco are perfectly placed to support the team as the business enters its next phase of growth and we look forward to seeing how the journey continues." The acquisition demonstrates Ekco's commitment to investing in cyber security expertise and providing its clients with industry-leading security solutions. With Predatech's addition, Ekco strengthens its position as a go-to security partner for businesses navigating an increasingly complex threat landscape. See more stories here.

Today's podcast features Tony Holler. Tony Holler is a veteran high school track and field coach, renowned for his "Feed the Cats" sprint training philosophy. With over 40 years of coaching experience in both track and football, Holler has become a leading voice in athlete-centered speed development. He is the head track coach at Plainfield North High School in Illinois, where his teams have consistently produced elite sprinters and state champions. He is also the co-founder of the Track Football Consortium, a popular coaching event that bridges the gap between sprint and team sport development. In a day where the methods are many, Tony Holler has created a training system where he keeps the simple things simple, but off-sets that simplicity with a variety filled “X-Factor” training day that runs like a power-oriented basketball practice in many ways. On today's podcast, Tony speaks on his formative experiences as an athlete, young coach, and teacher that have led him to his current positions in coaching. Tony speaks extensively on his X-Factor workouts, inspiration from his dad's basketball practices, and the keys to the variability in both plyometrics and wicket variations that define the training day. He also speaks on X-Factor paving the way for a simpler, competitive speed workout on the following day. Tony also touches on how the “feed the cats” methods have influenced the successful distance program at Plainfield North, along with many other nuggets of wisdom. Today's episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength. Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/) Timestamps 8:37- Competitive Coaching Styles in Track and Field 16:59- Fostering Passionate Learning Environments for Success 22:06- Sports Engagement and Flow for Long-term Passion 32:04- Color-Coded X Factor Athletic Training Program 43:54- X Factor Workouts for Recovery and Performance 50:29- Transitioning from Survival to Performance Mindset 59:49- Optimizing Sprint Performance Through Varied Techniques 1:02:08-Enhancing Speed with Varied Wickets in Training 1:08:16- Focused Timed Sprints for Effective Performance 1:12:30- Optimizing Coaching Practices for Large Groups 1:15:01- Intentional Training for Optimal Athletic Performance 1:22:07- Optimizing Cross Country Runs for Peak Performance Quotes: (4:45) “Baseball is not a hard sport, but they made baseball hard for us” - Tony Holler (5:50) “I grew up with this weird mix of Neil Young and General Patton” - Tony Holler (13:00) “There is no defense in track… it's not a zero-sum game, which I love” - Tony Holler (20:30) “I think like and love come before excellence” - Tony Holler (32:10) “In basketball, my father would start practice with stations, and stations were things like we jump back and forth over a balance beam, and then we go forward, back and forth. And then the next station was jump rope, and the next station was lateral slides back and forth, touching the lane lines. And we do that kind of thing in X Factor because what I have found is that basketball players seem to be the healthiest, most durable track athletes.” - Tony Holler (35:30) “Our favorites are the extreme ISO lunge that we do not do for five minutes. We do it for more like a minute. You know, maybe we're not cooking the steak long enough. But this is very important. Always err on the side of less.” - Tony Holler (00:44:15) “I color code our speed workouts and our X factor workouts as yellow, which to me means caution. And that caution is don't let today ruin tomorrow. Almost always the day after an X factor workout is a sprint workout for us” - Tony Holler (47:40) “Speed is repetitive. X factor is very much flex” - Tony Holler

The skyrocketing success of "Friendship," starring Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd, is tied to its distinct visual style. Cinematographer Andy Rydzewski https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2198503 shares the recipe behind the film's look, breaking down key choices in framing, lighting, and camera techniques.Matt and Oren dive into the details, nerding out over f-stops, open gate, ISO, sensor breaks, and the creative decision by Andy and director Andrew DeYoung to move away from the 28mm lens.Find Andy on Instagram @filmandy---Matt's Endorsement: Upgrade to pro on Letterboxd https://letterboxd.com/pro/Oren's Endorsement: 1. Use a rice cooker. 2. For Mother's Day or that special day in that special someone's life, instead of buying a gift, give them the gift of a day without having to do anything. Do the laundry, take care of the kids, and finish all the chores in their life while they can kick back and enjoy.Andy's Endorsement: 1. Use a lap desk (kind of like a pillow with a hard top) to support your laptop while you work. 2. The Blackmagic Camera app  Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are you protecting your data the right way? Trust is everything—but how do organizations build and maintain it? One way is through ISO 27001, the globally recognized Information Security Management System (ISMS) standard that ensures data security and risk management.  In this insightful episode of the FIT4PRIVACY Podcast, Tania Postil joins Punit Bhatia to discuss the critical role of ISO 27001 in shaping digital trust and securing sensitive data. Whether you're a privacy professional, IT leader, business owner, or someone concerned about cybersecurity, this episode provides valuable insights into why ISO 27001 is essential for securing data and building trust.  KEY CONVERSION POINT 00:02:14 What is digital trust? 00:11:09 Role of auditor plays in making the perception of Digital Trust real? 00:13:55 What is Information Security Standard and how does it help? 00:18:07 ISO 27000 Training 00:21:50 Who would benefit from ISO 27000?  ABOUT GUEST Tania Postil is a GRC and IT risk consultant, automation enthusiast and innovation evangelist. Since 2021 Tania has joined ISACA Belgium Board and is currently a Communication Director and Programme Chair.  Leading information security assignments, Tania combines no-nonsense approach with human attitude.  Recognized for analytical skills combined with efficient communication as well as proven track record in rendering processes more efficient.  Eager to bring value to your team by performing / assisting to audit and consultancy assignments.  ABOUT HOST Punit Bhatia is one of the leading privacy experts who works independently and has worked with professionals in over 30 countries. Punit works with business and privacy leaders to create an organization culture with high privacy awareness and compliance as a business priority. Selectively, Punit is open to mentor and coach professionals.  Punit is the author of books “Be Ready for GDPR'' which was rated as the best GDPR Book, “AI & Privacy – How to Find Balance”, “Intro To GDPR”, and “Be an Effective DPO”. Punit is a global speaker who has spoken at over 30 global events. Punit is the creator and host of the FIT4PRIVACY Podcast. This podcast has been featured amongst top GDPR and privacy podcasts.  As a person, Punit is an avid thinker and believes in thinking, believing, and acting in line with one's value to have joy in life. He has developed the philosophy named ‘ABC for joy of life' which passionately shares. Punit is based out of Belgium, the heart of Europe.  RESOURCES Websites www.fit4privacy.com, www.punitbhatia.com, https://www.linkedin.com/in/taniapostil/  Podcast https://www.fit4privacy.com/podcast Blog https://www.fit4privacy.com/blog YouTube http://youtube.com/fit4privacy 

The Senate advanced a crypto regulation bill on Monday night after Democratic opposition tanked an initial attempt to advance the measure earlier this month. Meanwhile, Ripple and Coinbase are reportedly competing to acquire Circle, with supposed offers exceeding $10 billion.~This episode is sponsored by Uphold~Uphold Get $20 in Bitcoin - Signup & Verify and trade at least $100 of any crypto within your first 30 days ➜ https://bit.ly/pbnuphold00:00 intro00:15 Sponsor: Uphold00:49 Elizabeth Warren Defeated01:29 Genius Act Second Vote02:25 Stablecoin Marketcap 10X'ing03:37 Elizabeth Warren Fear Mongering04:51 Elon & Zuckerberg Stablecoins05:48 Big Tech restraints in Bill06:54 State Stablecoins07:17 Vote Results: Elizabeth Loses Big07:45 Who Voted No?08:30 Super PAC worked09:03 No FDIC & Interest Yields... Yet09:44 Ripple vs Coinbase Bidding War10:44 Lummis Won't Meet Ripple11:15 Lummis has Bitcoin bags11:40 Lummis Bitcoin Maxi Family12:40 Lummis controlled by Bitcoin Maxis14:00 Biased Senators are a problem14:25 Steak & Shake Bitcoin Payments Fail15:24 Lightning Network Payments Suck16:08 DeLorean Dunks on Saylor16:26 Ethereum & XRP Win16:49 ISO 20022 Incoming!18:12 XRP POS System Coming Soon19:06 outro#Crypto #XRP #Bitcoin~Stablecoin Bill Passing!✅XRP MASSIVE WIN!

In this episode of Machine Shop Mastery, I sit down with Kyra Tillman, third-generation owner of BTM Industries. When Kyra returned to the family shop, she inherited more than just machines—she inherited decades of “this is how we've always done it.”  What she's done since is nothing short of a transformation. With grit, grace, and a serious knack for finding and using resources, Kyra has turned a quiet, closed-door machine shop into a vibrant, collaborative, culture-driven powerhouse—one where growth and fun coexist, Nerf guns included. We dig deep into how she transitioned the shop from old-school processes and undocumented tribal knowledge into a modern, ISO-certified job shop with an eye toward continued growth. Kyra shares candidly about the challenges of taking over from her father, navigating culture change, building an apprenticeship program, and leveraging MEP grants and peer groups to grow her business and team. This conversation is a roadmap for any shop owner who's been putting off change, underestimating the power of collaboration, or unsure where to start when it comes to scaling smarter—not just bigger.  Kyra's journey proves that transformation doesn't require perfection—it requires community, commitment, and a willingness to be both humble and hungry. Whether you're a next-gen leader or seasoned veteran, this episode is full of the kind of real talk and actionable advice that'll get you thinking differently.  You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... (0:00) Goofballs with grit: The culture inside BTM Industries (0:31) Stay tuned for registration information about Top Shops 2025 (1:31) Introducing Kyra Tillman: Queen of resources and collaboration (3:46) Shop snapshot: BTM's low-volume, high-variety machining work (5:30) The origin story: From grandfather's founding to Kyra's return (9:12) Doubling revenue with the same headcount (11:28) Email campaigns and grant-funded lead gen (15:21) Collaborating with MEPs and why you should too (18:00) The power of industry groups like NTMA and peer networks (28:23) Culture change: From isolation to cross-training and teamwork (30:18) Grow your top and bottom-line with CLA (32:55) The family buyout and post-transition challenges (36:30) ERP systems, ISO certification, and lessons from poor fits (40:00) Hiring for character, training for skill (43:36) Tracking metrics and fostering team transparency (45:41) Getting comfortable with growth and being the face of the business (47:05) Culture wins: T-shirt design contests, Nerf wars, and tacos (49:48) Strategic decisions: Standardizing machines and tools (52:23) Advice for successors and new shop owners: Find your support system (53:52) Kyra's opinion on the trajectory of manufacturing (56:14) Why you need to listen to the Lights Out podcast Resources & People Mentioned Stay tuned for registration information about Top Shops 2025 NTMA 10,000 Small Businesses Vistage Grow your top and bottom-line with CLA Manufacturing Pathways Consortium Connect with Kyra Tillman Connect on LinkedIn BTM Industries Connect With Machine Shop Mastery The website LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Subscribe to Machine Shop Mastery on Apple, Spotify Audio Production and Show Notes by - PODCAST FAST TRACK

In this episode of The Quality Hub, host Xavier Francis chats with Suzanne Strausser, VP of Consulting and Development at Core Business Solutions, about the value of ISO 9001 certification for startups. They explore how early adoption can help new businesses build structure, reduce costly mistakes, attract investors, and qualify for contracts—all while avoiding common misconceptions like excessive paperwork or limited relevance. Suz explains how ISO 9001 provides a scalable, practical framework that supports growth and quality from day one, making it a smart strategic move for startups ready to do things right from the start.                                   Helpful Resources: How is ISO 9001 Implemented?:  https://www.thecoresolution.com/how-is-iso-9001-implemented For All Things ISO 9001:2015: https://www.thecoresolution.com/iso-9001-2015 Contact us at 866.354.0300 or email us at info@thecoresolution.com A Plethora of Articles: https://www.thecoresolution.com/free-learning-resources ISO 9001 Consulting: https://www.thecoresolution.com/iso-consulting

Cassie takes the stand against Diddy, and the drama is REAL!

#564 In this episode of the podcast, I dive deep into the idea that while capturing the right moment in photography matters most, it's not everything. I share my own experiences as a photographer, especially those early days when I felt overwhelmed by all the camera settings—aperture, shutter speed, ISO—and how easy it is to get distracted by what influencers say you need in terms of new gear. I open up about how sharing my photos online sometimes left me second-guessing myself when the feedback was harsh or not constructive, and how important it is for our mental health to not tie our self-worth to internet commentary.KEY TOPICS COVEREDThe Role of Moment in Great Photography - I talk about why the “moment” is king, but also share a story of photographing race cars with my son to show that technical choices—like shutter speed—are what give your images the power to convey emotion and story.Overcoming Overwhelm and Gear Envy - I reflect on my struggles with self-doubt, gear lust, and how feeling unskilled led me to blame my camera for missed shots. I encourage you to focus on learning and being patient with yourself instead of obsessing over equipment or social media critique.Shooting in Manual and Preparing for the Moment - I break down my personal workflow, from choosing settings to working with couples, so you can enter your sessions confident in exposure and ready to pay attention to the fleeting moments that matter.IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS & CONCEPTSManual Mode: The camera setting where the photographer controls ISO, aperture, and shutter speed, rather than letting the camera choose. This gives more creative control and removes uncertainty about exposure.Exposure: The overall brightness or darkness of a photograph, determined by settings such as shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Proper exposure is essential for capturing high-quality moments.DISCUSSION & REFLECTION QUESTIONSHow has mastering camera settings changed the way you feel during a shoot?Have social media comments ever affected your confidence? How can you protect your creative process?What can you do before a session to minimize stress and maximize your ability to catch authentic moments?Sign up for your free CloudSpot Account today at www.DeliverPhotos.comConnect with Raymond! Join the free Beginner Photography Podcast Community at https://beginnerphotopod.com/group Get your Photo Questions Answered on the show - https://beginnerphotopod.com/qa Grab your free camera setting cheatsheet - https://perfectcamerasettings.com/ Thanks for listening & keep shooting!

Our guest this time, Dario Valenza, is all that and more. Dario hales from Australia where he grew up and went to high school. He then attended two years of college but then left academia to work on working on designing yachts for, among events, the America's Cup races. Eventually he did return to college to finish his degree. He does tell us that he has a passion for design thinking and designing. As you will discover he has designed yachts, aircraft including innovative drones and even automobiles.   We talk about how his over-arching passion for design thinking also helps him design functioning and successful teams. Dario is a team leader by any standard.   He founded and owns a successful design and implementation company, Carbonix. Much of the work in which he is involved today is around having designed and now manufacturing long-range drones that can stay aloft and travel up to 800 Kilometers before needing refuelling. His products can and are being used for major surveying jobs and other projects that take advantage of the economic enhancements his products bring to the table.   Dario and I discuss leadership and how his design-oriented mindset has helped him be a strong and effective leader. I will leave it to him to describe how he works and how he helps bring out the best in people with whom he works.       About the Guest:   I have a passion for design and design thinking. This is the common thread that has led me to build yachts, planes, and cars - as well as create the teams and company structures to turn visions into reality.   I believe that beautiful design, as well as enabling and inspiring, is inherently valuable. Testing a new design it in the real world, particularly in competition, is a way to interrogate nature and understand the world.   I spent the first decade of my career working on racing yachts as a boatbuilder, designer, construction manager, and campaign manager. My treasured achievements include being part of several America's Cup teams and pioneering full hydrofoiling for World Championship winning boats.   I applied the lessons learned to other fields. This trajectory diversified into aerospace applications including drones.   I work to create products that bring joy by being desirable, aesthetically pleasing, and ergonomically correct, while always adding value through effective and efficient performance. I'm always keen to share my experiences and tackle new challenges with like-minded teams.   Ways to connect Dario:   Main point of contact is LI: https://au.linkedin.com/in/dario-valenza-a7380a23 Carbonix URL: www.carbonix.com.au Personal website: www.dariovalenza.com   About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:20 Hi everyone. This is your host, Michael hingson, and you are listening to another episode of unstoppable mindset. And today our guest is Dario, if I'm pronouncing that right, Valenza, how do i pronounce it? Oh, good. Oh, good. I can sometimes speak the King's English really well. Dario is a person who has a great passion for design, and he's going to tell us about that. He has been involved in designing many things, from yachts to aircraft to other kinds of things, as well as teams in companies, which I think is very fascinating, that make products and bring things about. So we're going to get to all of that. Daro is in Australia, so it's early in the morning. There for you right now. But welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're here. Yeah, my pleasure. Glad to be here. So what time is it over there right now? About 11am Yeah, and it's little after three here. So, yep, you're 20 hours ahead   Dario Valenza ** 02:27 of us. No, here, it's Saturday, I assume. There it's Friday. It is to the confusion.   Michael Hingson ** 02:33 So, so, as it's always fun to do, can you tell us about the future over the next 20 hours?   02:40 So, so far so good. Yeah, there you are. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 02:43 thank you for being here and for being a part of unstoppable mindset. Let's start, if you would, by maybe you telling us a little bit about kind of the early Dario, growing up and some of those kinds of things, so that people listening and watching can get to know you a little bit better.   Dario Valenza ** 03:01 Yeah, absolutely. I think the interest in how things worked was there as long as anyone can remember being exposed early on to different mechanical things and from household appliances to looking at trains and busses and cars outside. I think that all piqued my curiosity. But I remember the first time I came across the concept of a sailboat. Something clicked, or something about the way an aerofoil works, the way it can generate motion out of wind, the balance of forces, the structures, the things that all need to work for a sailboat to work. That sort of got me hooked, and then I spent every waking moment I could reading about it, doing research, making models that I'd sail across the pool, getting involved at the local sailing club, and just being hands on. And I think that's really where the passion started. So certainly, there's a general wanting to see how things work, and there's a specific aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, structures, just, I find it endlessly fascinating. And you're always learning, and   Michael Hingson ** 04:10 should always be learning. I think that's one, of course, the real keys is always learning, which some people think they don't do, but and some people try very much not to do, but that's not the way to really progress in the world. So I'm glad that you do that. You've always lived in Australia.   Dario Valenza ** 04:27 No, actually, born in Italy, moved here probably 10 years old, went to high school and uni here.   Michael Hingson ** 04:37 Yeah, you do seem to have a little bit more of an Australian accent than an Italian one?   Dario Valenza ** 04:41 Yeah, I think I was young enough when I moved that I learned the language pretty quickly. I did spend few years in New Zealand and a few years in Europe, so I think my accent is probably a little bit of a hybrid, but mostly Australian. I'd say, do you speak Italian? Yes. Funny, you get rusty at it, though, like when I go back, it probably takes me a few days to get used to speaking it, yeah, but it is in there   Michael Hingson ** 05:08 which, which makes some sense. Well, so you went to high school, and did you go on to college?   Dario Valenza ** 05:15 Did the first couple of years of an engineering degree, dropped out to go and do the America's Cup. Eventually went back and finished it. But really haven't spent more time working than started. Putting it that way, the things I was interested in, particularly the the advent of carbon fiber in in racing yachts, hadn't found its way into any curriculum yet. It was it was happening on the frontier in that environment. And so my judgment was you could learn more by doing it and by going to uni. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 05:49 yeah, on the one hand, with school, to a large degree, it's theory, and putting it into practice is something that always brings you closer to it, which which makes sense. Well, so you, when you went to your first America's Cup, what did you were you just an observer? Were you involved in designing a yacht, or what?   Dario Valenza ** 06:10 I was a boat builder. I was hands on, on the manufacturing, and that was the way in that was the the opportunity I had to actually be part of a team and prove myself over the course of the campaign, I obviously showed an interest in design, and I became more de facto part of the design team. But I really always like to sit at that interface between the designing and the building, so that there's a practical element to yes, there's a theory, yes, there's a design, there's a bunch of analysis you can do having that practical mindset of, is it easy to build? Is it practical? Is it possible to then tune it and modify it and improve it? And that actually led me to a lot of the logistical challenges of, how do you plan a build? How do you allocate time towards the things that make the biggest difference towards performance. So the journey was really from hands on boat builder to sort of logistics, to design   Michael Hingson ** 07:08 well, and design is clearly been your passion overall. So that makes some sense. When did you do your first America's cut?   Dario Valenza ** 07:17 So I was involved in the 2000 event in Auckland, which was the first time the Kiwis defended after winning in 95 right? Then I did 2003 also in Auckland, 2007 in Valencia. And then there was a bit of a hiatus after Valencia, because of the deed of gift match. And I was involved in a couple of teams as that transition happened. And eventually 2012 I peeled off to start my own business.   Michael Hingson ** 07:44 So let's see the New Zealand won in 2000 right?   Dario Valenza ** 07:48 They defended successfully in 2000 so they they won in 95 in San Diego against Dennis Connor, and it took them five years to basically set up a defense. So from 95 to 2000 and then they won, and they rolled straight into 2003 they lost in 2003   Michael Hingson ** 08:05 that was to Italy. Was it to the Swiss or to the Swiss? Right? Okay,   Dario Valenza ** 08:11 even though the core of the sailing team was the former New Zealand team, the basically flag of allegiance, but yeah, the lingua team. Now, Were you successful challenger, which is amazing. Were you   Michael Hingson ** 08:25 living in New Zealand in 2003   Dario Valenza ** 08:29 Yes, yeah. So when you become involved in a team, basically the whole operation camps out at a at a base in the lead up to the event. At the time, the yacht still had to be constructed in country. So in 2003 for example, I was with a Swedish team. I actually spent a little bit of time in Sweden during the construction of the yacht, and then traveled with a yacht to New Zealand, and stayed there for the duration. I asked,   Michael Hingson ** 08:58 because I went to New Zealand in May of 2003 the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind, or of the blind, asked me to come and do some speaking. It was, of course, after September 11, and I was pretty visible, so I went down and actually helped them raise something like close to $300,000 by giving a bunch of speeches around New Zealand, but I remember listening to the radio and hearing all the irate people because New Zealand lost. The government didn't put enough money into it, and we shouldn't have lost it was pretty fascinating to to to hear all of that.   Dario Valenza ** 09:38 There was a campaign called the loyal campaign, just basically trying to reprimand the Kiwi sailors that affected at the end of the day. It's a professional sport. There were nationality rules, but it was really residency, so as long as they signed on with the Swiss team within a certain time. Period, it was like two years or something, and basically set up a residence in Switzerland, and they were eligible to compete. And I think there's been a history of that since the New Zealand government having Lisa supported in New Zealand, because it's certainly an investment in the national industry and tourism, everything that comes with it. And I think they did walk that back, particularly for the last event. And the latest result of that is the Kiwis defended in Spain last time around, which is again, unusual.   Michael Hingson ** 10:35 Well, it was, it was fascinating to watch the races, and we watched them was before I went to New Zealand. But that's why my wife and I watched, because we knew I was going there, and it was, it was all being defended in New Zealand. And of course, they were using sails, and the yachts were just going at normal sailboat type speeds. But I know then later, so much redesign took place, and the boats started traveling significantly faster, right?   Dario Valenza ** 11:08 Yeah, absolutely, there's been a change in that respect, just on the atmosphere in Auckland again, with my perspective, having, as I said, obsessed over sailing, worked my way up, got involved in campaigns, helped to put sponsors together with skippers, to get funding to build boats, and arriving in Auckland with the prospect of trialing with a team, you walk out of the airport and there's the actual boat that won the copy, 95 was sitting in The car park. There are posters. You can really see, like they called it the city of sales. And as I arrived the round the world race was stopping by in Auckland, so there was a sort of festive atmosphere around that. And you could really see people were getting behind it and getting involved. And it felt, you know, they had parades at the beginning of the event. So it was really special to be there at a time when there was maybe 12 teams. It was a big event. And to your point, they were symmetrical ballasted monohulls. So they were fairly conservative, you know, long, narrow, heavy boats. And the competition was really to eke out a one or 2% gain to have better maneuverability for match racing. And it was really down to that kind of refinement. And what happened after 2007 I mentioned a sort of hiatus, basically, two teams took each other to court, and they went back to what they call a deed of gift matches, which is the default terms that they have to abide by if they can't agree to a mutually agreeable protocol. And that deed of gift match ended up being in multi holes. So there was a catamaran and trimaran, and they were big and fast. And I think then, when the Americans won out of that, they they sort of got seduced by, let's make this about the fastest sailors and the faster boat in the fastest boats. So they went to multi holes. The next evolution was hydrofoiling Multi holes. And then once the boats are out of the water, the drag drops dramatically, and now they can go really fast. They ended up narrowly the Kiwis ended up narrowly losing in San Francisco. The Americans then defended Bermuda. The Kiwis eventually won in Bermuda. And then they in in sort of consultation with the challenge of record. That was Italians. They wanted to go back to monohulls, but they wanted them to be fast monohulls, and so they came up with this concept of a hydrofoiling monohull. So the boats now are certainly the fastest they've ever been, and the nature of the racing has changed, where it's more of a drag race than a sort of tactical match race. But it's still fascinating, because it's all about that last bit of technology, and it's all about resource management. You have so much time, you have so much budget, how do you get to the highest performance within that time that you can access, that the Sailors can get the best out of? So it's all a balance of many variables, and it's certainly tactical and strategic and very fascinating, but   Michael Hingson ** 14:18 hasn't a lot of the the tactics, in a sense, gone out of it, because it's now so much, as you put it, a drag race or a speed race, that a lot of the strategies of outmaneuvering your opponents isn't the same as it used to be.   Dario Valenza ** 14:37 Yeah. So if you imagine, the way you think about it is, it's a multi dimensional space. You've got all sorts of values that you can dial in, and the weighting of the values changes depending on the boat and the racing format and the weather so on a traditional monohull maneuvers are relatively cheap because the boat carries momentum. So when you tack you go. Through the eye of the wind, you lose drive for, you know, a second, three seconds, but your speed doesn't drop that much because a boat's heavy and it just powers along. And so if you have a three degree shift in the direction of the wind, it's worth tacking on that, because you'll then get the advantage of having a better angle. Similarly, if you're interacting with another boat, tacking to get out of their dirty air, or tacking to sit on top of them, is worthwhile, and so you get that the incentive is, I can spend some energy on a maneuver, because I'm going to get a gain when you have boats that are extremely fast, and we're talking three, four times faster than the wind, if the wind direction changes by three degrees, it's almost immaterial. And so it's not worth tacking on it. If you go through the dirty air of another boat, you get through it really quickly. And on the other hand, when you maneuver, you're effectively, you go from flying on the hydro force to gliding. You only have, like, a few boat lengths that you can do that for before the hull touches the water, and then you virtually stop. And so basically, the aim is you minimize maneuvers. You roll with the wind shifts. You roll with your opponent. And hence they've had to put boundaries around the course to force the boats back together, because otherwise I'd go out to a corner, do one tack and then go to the top mark. And so it's a different racing. It's still there are tactics involved, but the trade offs are different, that the cost versus reward of different tactical choices is very different.   Michael Hingson ** 16:31 But the race obviously goes with the newer designs, goes a lot faster, and it isn't hours and many hours of racing as it used to be, is that right?   Dario Valenza ** 16:42 It's also shorter course, so the format is kind of optimized for television, really, for, yeah, broadcast. So you have many short races, and it's it does mean that if you have a big disparity, like if one boat makes a mistake and falls a long way behind, it's over pretty quickly, because it did happen in the past where you get a boat that was outmatched or did something wrong and just spend three hours following the leader with no chance of catching up. So there's certainly a merit to having short, sharp races, but I think it's probably more physical and less cerebral, like, if you look at, yeah, the way the old boats worked, you had 17 people on there providing all the mechanical power, maneuvering, putting spinnakers up and down, dip ball driving, moving their weight around the boat. He had a tactician. They would have conversations about what's happening and react, you know, in a matter of seconds, not in a matter of milliseconds. Now you have eight people on the boat, four of them are just pedaling bikes, basically to put pressure into an accumulator to run the hydraulics. You have a helmsman on each side, and you have a trimmer on each side, and they don't cross the boat, because the boats are so fast that it's actually dangerous to get out of the cockpit. So it's very much more, I guess, closer to sort of Formula One in terms of it, you've got you've got speeds, you've got the reaction times are shorter. Everything happens more quickly, and there's certainly less interaction between the boats. Do you have   Michael Hingson ** 18:19 a preference of whether you like more the old way or the newer way of doing the races and the way the boats are designed.   Dario Valenza ** 18:28 If pressed, I would say I'd prefer the old way. But that's probably the bias, because I was involved more back then. Yeah. I think it's equally fascinating. And that sort of brings me to Yeah. So even you know, we'll get into how it applies to business and things like that, and it's the same problem, just with different variables. So my view with the cup was, whatever the rules are, you've got to try and win within them. And so they will change, the boat will change, the venue will change, the weather will change, budget limitations, all these things play into this multi variant problem, and your job is to balance all those variables to get the best   Michael Hingson ** 19:10 outcome right in the rules. Exactly.   Dario Valenza ** 19:12 Yeah. I mean, the teams do have a say. So I was, for example, in the committee that designed the rule for the catamarans that went to San Francisco, having said that what we thought we were encouraging by the rules, and what actually happened was nothing to do with each other, because once you set the rules, then the fascinating thing is how people interpret them, and they'll interpret them in ways that you can't possibly imagine, hence unintended consequences. But yeah, you have a say, but ultimately they are what they are, and the point of competing is to do well within those rules. Having said that, if they get to the point where you're just not interested anymore, then don't compete. But it is what it is. Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 19:54 So how long did you do yacht design and so on, dealing. With the cup,   Dario Valenza ** 20:02 probably 15 years altogether, was 12 or so in the actual America's Cup, and a few years before that, working up to it, doing various different projects, and that's sort of in a professional capacity, getting paid before that as a passion. It's pretty much my whole settling my teens, maybe a few years before that as well.   Michael Hingson ** 20:21 So what did you do after that?   20:25 I started my own business.   Michael Hingson ** 20:26 There you go. Well, tell us about the business and what you what you started with.   Dario Valenza ** 20:36 Yeah. So it the the aim was what we call long range aerial data capture. So fancy way of saying drones with a long range that can carry out surveys effectively. So whether it's taking photographs, video, LIDAR scans or combinations thereof, the sort of underlying motivation was the importance of data. So having come out of the America's Cup and seeing the way you develop is you interrogate what's happening with the boat and the boat and the crew and the conditions, and the more channels of information you have, the more informed decisions you can make about improving now, applying that to real world problems, to things like linear infrastructure, to mining to land management. It seemed like to me there's a gap where if you could have better aerial data, you could make better decisions. And I happened to have a tool in the design and manufacturing processes that came out of the America's Cup that would allow me to create a lightweight airframe that would have that efficiency and be able to give that range. And this was at a time when, you know, people were already starting to think of drones as a solution, though there was a lot of hype around them, but it was really all around the electronics, around multi rotors, around things that you could effectively buy and put up in the air and do a short mission wave and then land. The idea of a long range drone, other than in the military, was pretty much unexplored, and I think largely because to make it work commercially financially, you needed the range you need to be able to cover in the order of hundreds of kilometers in one flight, so that you're not having a ground crew, effectively driving the line relocating from point to point as the surveys carried out. So initially it was fairly conservative in the sense that the main focus was to set up that manufacturing capability. So basically, copy or transfer those process out of the America's Cup into a commercial setting. So making molds, curing carbon, the way you document or the way you go about it, that design process, and I was open to doing custom work to subsidize it, basically. So doing stuff again, for for sailboats, for racing, cars, for architecture, just with that composite manufacturing capability as a way to prove it and refine it. And whatever money was coming out of that was going into developing a drone airframe. And then I was fortunate enough to have a collaboration with a former colleague of mine in the cup who set up a business in Spain doing computational fluid dynamics, and he alerted me to a contract over there for a military surveillance research drone. We, by then, had an airframe that more or less we could demonstrate, and we could show that it was lighter and was more efficient, and then fly further and it had a more stable flying path and all of that. So we won that contract, we supplied that, and then out of that came the commercial offering, and it basically grew from there.   Michael Hingson ** 23:50 But when did you start dealing with the drone design, the airframe and so on,   23:57 probably to 2015   Michael Hingson ** 24:00 Okay, yeah, I think I had started hearing about drones by then, and in fact, I know I had by that time, but yeah, they they were still fairly new. So how far would your drone travel?   Dario Valenza ** 24:16 So we have two versions, the old electric one will do a couple of 100 kilometers, the petro hybrid one will do up to 800 and so we're really squarely in the territory of crude helicopter, smaller, small fixed wing planes like Cessnas, and we're really going into that same way of operating. So we're not so much selling the drone to a utility to do their scans. We are providing the data that comes out of the scan, and we're using the drone as our tool to get that data. And by effectively mirroring the model of the traditional sort of legacy aviation, we can offer, obviously, a lower cost, but also better data. Because we fly lower and slower, so we can get a higher resolution and more accuracy, and there's a obviously carbon footprint reduction, because we're burning about 2% of the fuel, and it's quieter and it's safer and all of that stuff. So it's really doing that close in aerial survey work over large distances the way it's currently being done, but with a better tool,   Michael Hingson ** 25:21 the electric drone, you said, only goes a couple 100 kilometers, is that basically because of battery issues,   Dario Valenza ** 25:27 absolutely, especially power density. So not so much energy density, but power density really how much energy you can store in the battery in terms of mass, and obviously the fact that you're not burning it off, so you're carrying the empty battery around with you. Right?   Michael Hingson ** 25:45 Any interest in, or has there been any exploration of making solar powered drones?   Dario Valenza ** 25:52 We've certainly looked into it, and we've developed relationships with suppliers that are developing specialized, conformal, curvy solar panels that form part of the structure of the wing. There are a couple of considerations. Most prominent is the trade off that you're making. Like if you take add solar panels to a wing, even if they're integrated in the structure, and you minimize the structural weight, they will have a mass. So call it an extra kilo. Yeah. Right now, if I were to take that extra kilo and put it in battery or in fuel, I would be better off, so I'd have more energy by doing that than by having the solar panel   Michael Hingson ** 26:36 dealing on efficiency yet, yeah,   Dario Valenza ** 26:37 yeah. So obviously, on a hot day, when you're flying with the sun directly above, you probably would be better. But over the course of the day, different locations, banking, etc, it's just not there yet. Net, net, particularly considering that there'll be a degradation and there'll be a maintenance that's required as the panels deteriorate and the various connections breakdown, etc. So it's not something you'd rule out. Then the secondary consideration is, when you look at our aircraft, it's fairly skinny, long, skinny wings. When you look at the area from above, there's not a lot of projected area, particularly the wings being thin and very high aspect ratio, you wouldn't really be able to fit that much area right when it comes to and then you've got to remember also that if you're generating while you're flying, your electronics have to be very different, because you have to have some way to manage that power, balance it off against the battery itself. The battery is multi cells, 12 S system, so you then have to balance that charging. So there's some complexity involved. There's a weight penalty, potentially a drag penalty. There is a Net Advantage in a very narrow range of conditions. And overall, we're just not there yet in terms of the advantage. And even if it could extend the range by a few minutes, because we have an aircraft that can fly for eight hours, doesn't really matter, yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 28:04 So dealing with an electric drone again, have you ever looked into things like fuel cells as opposed to batteries? Or does it not make we have,   Dario Valenza ** 28:14 and there's a company in France that we've been collaborating with, it's developing a hydrogen fuel cell, yeah?   Michael Hingson ** 28:21 So I was wondering, yeah. And   Dario Valenza ** 28:23 again, this is about, sort of, maybe sounds a bit conservative, but you know, during these lessons from the Americas capitals, talking about being seduced by the latest shiny thing can come at the detriment of achieving what you need to achieve today. So we're very conscious in the business in carbonics, of having this roadmap where there's a lot of nice to haves, there's a lot of capability that we want going forward, and that's everything from the remote one to many operations, detect and avoid fail safes, additional comms, all stuff that will enable us to do what we're doing today, plus x, y, z, but we need to be able to do what we can do what we have to do today. And most of the missions that we're doing, they're over a power line in the middle of nowhere. They're in relatively non congested airspace. The coordination is relatively simple. We have the ability to go beyond visual line of sight. We have the range, so it's really let's use what we have today and put all the other stuff in time and space. As the business grows, the mission grows, the customers get more comfortable, and that's a way to then maintain the advantage. But it's very easy to get sucked into doing cool R and D at the expense of delivering today.   Michael Hingson ** 29:42 Yeah, it's R and D is great, but you still gotta pay the bills. Yeah, so you have worked across several industries. What's kind of the common thread for you, working across and designing in several industries? Yeah. So   Dario Valenza ** 30:00 I think it's a high level problem solving is having an outcome that's very clearly defined and a rule set and a set of constraints. And the challenge is, how do you balance all those elements to deliver the best value? So whether it's, how do you design a boat within a rule to go as fast as possible? How do you develop a drone to fly as long as possible, given a certain time and budget availability? You're always looking at variables that will each have their own pros and cons, and how do you combine them so things like, you know, team size versus burn rate versus how aggressively you go to market, how do you select your missions? How do you decide whether to say yes or no to a customer based on the overall strategy? I see that as you have all these variables that you can tweak, you're trying to get an outcome. How do you balance and weigh them all to get that outcome?   Michael Hingson ** 30:58 Yeah, well, you've I'm sorry, go ahead.   Dario Valenza ** 31:01 I was gonna say, I mean, I have also, like, an interesting motorsport and when you look at a formula, one strategy, same thing, right? Did you carry a fuel load? Do you change tires? Do you optimize your arrow for this? It's a similar type of problem you're saying, I this is my aim. I've got all these variables. How do I set them all in a way that it gives me the best outcome? Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 31:23 and in your design and and as you construct and look at what you're doing, you decide exactly what the parameters are, and you know when you're going to change the tires, or, you know when it's time to put in more fuel or whatever. And then, see, you've got to really know the product very well,   Dario Valenza ** 31:42 absolutely. And again, in the case of salvo racing, it's almost exemplary, because the rules are spelled out, and you have, it's a very artificial set of constraints, and you have a race day, you'll have your budget, and obviously you can work to increase that, but the time is what it is. And then in the rules, you actually get to trade off length versus width, versus mass versus sail area. Do I make my boat more powerful so it goes faster in strong winds, or do I make it skinnier so it goes better in light winds? You look at the history of the weather in the venue, and the teams that win are the ones that get all those mostly, right? So it's not necessarily the latest, fastest, more, most extreme solution, it's the one that best balances all these variables. Yeah, you transfer that into business, and it's a similar thing. You've got, you've got funding, you've got burn rate, you've got people, you've got customers, probably more variables, and it's a little bit more fuzzy in some cases. So you need to work harder to nail these things down. And it's a longer term. It's an open ended prospect. It's not I've just got to race on Sunday, then I can have a break for six months. It's you do it today and tomorrow and tomorrow. So it's going to be sustainable. But I the way you think about it in the abstract, it's the same,   Michael Hingson ** 33:00 and you also have to keep evolving as technology grows, as as the industry grows, as demands change, or maybe better than saying as demands change, as you foresee demands changing, you have to be able to keep up with it. And there's a lot to all that. There's a lot of challenge that that someone like you has to really keep up with. It's   Dario Valenza ** 33:23 a balance between leading and listening. So there's a classic Henry Ford line that if I'd asked the customer what he wanted, he would have told me a faster horse. We've fallen into the trap sometimes of talking to a customer, and they're very set about, you know, we want to use this camera to take these this resolution, at this distance, because that's what we use on a helicopter, because that's what used on a multi rotor. And you have to unpack that and say, Hang on, what data do you actually like? Because we have a different payload. We fly in a different way. So let us tell you how we can give you that solution if you tell us what we want, and I think that applies across various sort of aspects of the business. But to your point about the continuous evolution, one of the most fascinating things out of this experience of almost 10 years of sort of pioneering the drone industry is just how much the ecosystem has evolved. So when we started out, the naive assumption was we're good at making airframes. We can make really good, lightweight, efficient aircraft. We don't necessarily want to be an electronics manufacturer. It's a whole other challenge. Let's buy what we can off the shelf, put it in the aircraft for the command and control and go fly. And we very quickly realized that for the standard that we wanted in terms of being able to satisfy a regulator, that the reliability is at a certain point, having fail safes, having programmability. There was nothing out there when we had to go and design. Avionics, because you could either buy hobby stuff that was inconsistent and of dubious quality, or you had to spend millions of dollars on something out of the military, and then it didn't work commercially. And so we went and looked at cars, and we said, okay, can seems like control area network seems like a good protocol. Let's adopt that. Although some of the peripherals that we buy, like the servos, they don't speak, can so then we have to make a peripheral node that can translate from can to Rs, 232, or whatever. And we went through that process. But over the years, these suppliers that came out of hobby, came out of consumer electronics, came out of the military, very quickly saw the opportunity, and we were one of the companies driving it that hang on. I can make an autopilot module that is ISO certified and has a certain quality assurance that comes with it, and I can make it in a form factor under the price where a commercial drone company can use it. And so it really accelerated the last maybe three, four years. There's a lot of stuff available that's been developed for commercial drones that now gives us a lot more options in terms of what we buy rather than what we make.   Michael Hingson ** 36:13 Well, now I have to ask, since you brought it up, does anybody use Rs 232, anymore? I had to ask. I mean, you know,   Dario Valenza ** 36:21 less and less, yeah, at one point, like we use it for GPS parks, because we didn't have anything that ran on can right slowly we're replacing. So the latest version of the aircraft now is all cap, but it took a while to get there. That's   Michael Hingson ** 36:37 gonna say that's a very long Rs 232, cable you have if you're going to communicate with the aircraft, that'd be I still have here some Rs 232 cables that I remember using them back in the 1980s and into the 1990s but yeah, Rs 232   Dario Valenza ** 36:57 horrendous ones was, there was a, I think it was a light LIDAR altimeter. Someone will correct me, it ran on I squared C, oh, which is the most inappropriate possible thing. And it is what it is. So all we, all we could do is shorten the wire length as much as possible and live with it until we found something better, and   Michael Hingson ** 37:18 then we also had parallel cables. Yes, of course, one connected printers,   Dario Valenza ** 37:26 and we have ethernet on the aircraft for the comms. Well, yeah, there's a lot of translating that we need to do. And again, I'm not an electronic engineer, but I understand enough of it to know what's good and what's not. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 37:38 yeah. The days have gone by with all of the RS, 232, and parallel ports and all that. Now it's all USB and Ethernet and cams and other things like that which making kind of fun. Well, what other industries have you been involved in besides the drone and the boat or yacht world?   Dario Valenza ** 37:56 So I've done a little bit in cinemable Things which was kind of pituitous. The last of the Star Wars prequels was filmed in Sydney, and I happened to be here for a few months between America's Cup campaigns. And there's a few boat builders that were asked to go and do fiberglass work on the set, and they recommended me to do some of the structural design work for some of the sets. I don't think I was credited, but it was fun. Again, not something I planned to do long term. It just happened to come up, and I did it for about three months. As I said, a little bit in motor sport, more as a hobby, but as an interest. But we've made in the early days of carbonics, we made spoilers and wings and bits and pieces for cars when we were getting going, but mainly the sailing of the drones, really, because I've been in the drones now for 10 years. So right?   Michael Hingson ** 38:51 What? Why did you switch? Or maybe, why is it the wrong answer? But what made you switch from doing yachts to drones, and how did the drone story come about?   Dario Valenza ** 39:05 Yeah, so I mentioned the angle of the importance of data, looking for a real world problem where data was going to make a difference, and having the right so that not a solution in search of a problem, but the right solution for this problem, saying, if we can design an airframe that can do this, there's an obvious advantage and an obvious saving that that would make a difference to the world that has a big market. Now that's the theory, then to take the plunge. It was a bit of a combination of things. It was being beholden to the unpredictable movements of the cup, where your career depends on who wins and where it goes, and as a young single man, that's fantastic once you're trying to get married and have a family, becomes a little bit more of a problem. So again, starting your own business doesn't exactly give you stability. Cheap but more stable, I guess. And really that combination of an opportunity, being able to say I can actually see if I can make this work, and see what happens, wanting to be located in one place, I guess, looking for variety as well, and knowing that, you know, I still could have contact with the Americas Cup World, because I said I was doing custom work, and we had people from the cup working in carbonics. But it's really that point where you say, Do I want to keep following the circus around the world, or do you want to try and do my own thing and see how that goes? And I can always go back. And the aim is, you know, once you're committed, then you sort of tend to try and make it work no matter what, and it becomes the new aim, and that's what you put your energy into.   Michael Hingson ** 40:52 I had a guest on unstoppable mindset named Dre Baldwin, and Dre was a professional basketball player for nine years. He went to high school, was on the bench the whole time, went to college, played in college pretty well, but wasn't really noticed until he went to a camp where people could try out and be scouted by professionals who wouldn't come and see you because you weren't famous enough to be seen just by them coming to look for you. But he got a video, and he got some good suggestions, and anyway, he eventually made that into a nine year career. And I asked him, when we talked, why did you end the career? Why did you leave and start a business? And the business he started was up your game LLC, and it's all about helping people up their game in business and so on. And of course, he does it all in the sports environment. But I asked him why he left, and one of the things that he said was it, what people don't know is it's not just the games themselves and the basketball that you play. It's all the other stuff. It's all the fact that if you're going to really do it and be reasonably well, you need to go to the gym a lot, not just when they tell you to practice, but you got to take the initiative and do it on your own. You have to do other things. And he said, I just got to the point where I didn't want to do that, all that invisible part of it anymore. And so he left and started his own business, and has been very successful, but it was an interesting answer. And in a sense, I hear, you know what you're saying. It's really where you're going to go, and what is, what's really going to interest you, which is what has to be part of whatever you do?   Dario Valenza ** 42:34 Yeah, that all makes sense. I think, in my experience, I've never not had an obsession, so to speak. So yeah, with the sailing absolutely like, if you want to be in the America's Cup, it can't be a day job. You have to be committed. You have to be able to concentrate, innovate again, if you're I wasn't an athlete on the boat, so it wasn't necessarily about going to the gym, but certainly doing research, doing testing, working on the boat overnight before I went out the next day. It is a competition, so that the longer, the harder you work, assuming you still keep your performance up, the better you're going to do. So it was an obsession. I accepted that I never it never occurred to me that I don't want to keep doing it right. It was really the logistics. It was thinking, because of the cup had gone to court, we'd had the deed of gift match. Everything had been on hold for a while. It got going again, and the rules changed and there were fewer teams. I'd actually spent a bit of time fundraising for the team that had come out of Valencia to keep it going until the eventual San Francisco cup. So that was interesting as well, saying that, you know, is it getting the reception that I hoped it would, in terms of people investing in it and seeing the value, and kind of looking at it and saying, Okay, now I've got to move to San Francisco the next one, who knows where it's going to be, the format and all those things, you just sort of trade it off and say, Well, if I can make a go of something where I can do it in my hometown, it can be just as interesting, because the technical challenges is just as fascinating. And it's really about, can I create this little environment that I control, where I can do the same fun stuff that I was doing in the cup in terms of tech development, but also make it a business and make a difference to the world and make it commercially viable. And that was really the challenge. And saying that, that was the motivation, to say, if I can take the thing that interests me from the cup and apply it to a commercial technological challenge, then I'll have the best of the best of both worlds.   Michael Hingson ** 44:44 What? What made you really go into doing drones after the yacht stuff?   Dario Valenza ** 44:52 So yeah, certainly that aerial data capture piece, but also the it's very announced. I guess. So most of the work that I was doing in the cup was around aeroelastic optimization, lightweight structures, which really dynamics, yeah. And so, you know, a yacht is a plane with one wing in the water and one wing in the air. It's all fluids. The maths is the same, the physics is the same, the materials are the same. If you do it well in the cup, you win. If you do it well in drones, you win also. But you win by going further and being more efficient and economical at doing these missions. And so it's sort of like having this superpower where you can say, I can make this tool really good that's going to give me an advantage. Let's go and see if that actually makes a difference in the market.   Michael Hingson ** 45:44 Well, I mean, as we know, the only difference really, between water and air is that the molecules are further apart in air than they are in water. So why? It really isn't that much different? He said, being a physicist and picking on chemists, but you know, I do understand what you're saying. So when did you actually start carbonics? Was that when you went into the Drone   Dario Valenza ** 46:05 World? So the business itself early 2012 and as I said, those are a few years there where we're doing custom work. And as it happened, I ended up supplying to New Zealand because we built an A class catamaran, which is effectively a little America's Cup boat for the punters, kind of thing that did well in some regattas. It caught the attention of the team New Zealand guys. They decided to use them as a training platform. We did a world championship where they were skipping the boats the carbonics built did really well in that sort of top five spots got a bunch of commercial orders off the back of that, which then brought some money into subsidize the drones, etc, etc. So by the time we were properly so the first time we flew our airframe would have been, you know, 2015   Michael Hingson ** 46:55 but nobody has created an America's Cup for drones yet. So there's a project for you.   Dario Valenza ** 47:01 They're all sort of drone racing, so I'm not surprised. Yeah, and I think again, it's really interesting. So when you look at motorsport and yacht racing in the 70s, the 80s, the 90s, the 2000s it really was a test bet, because you had to build something, go compete with it, learn from it, repeat. And you'd get, you know, the case of motorsport, traction control, ABS, all that stuff. In the case of sailing, that the use of, you know, modern fiber materials for ropes and structures, that was really sort of the cauldron where the development happened. And I think that was sort of the result of an analog world, so to speak, where you had to build things to know. I think now, with better compute and a more sophisticated role that simulations can play, it's still there is value in competition, but I think it's done in a different way. You're doing it. The key is to iterate virtually as much as possible before you build something, rather than building as many things as possible and doing the development that way.   Michael Hingson ** 48:13 Well, here's an interesting Oh, go ahead, yeah.   Dario Valenza ** 48:16 So I think that affects, certainly, how sport is seen in terms of there's probably more emphasis on the actual athletic competition, on the technology, because there are just other areas now where that development is happening, and SpaceX drones, there are more commercial places where control systems, electronic structures are really being pushed well before it was mainly in sport.   Michael Hingson ** 48:45 Well, here's a business question for you. How do you identify value that is something that you uniquely can do, that other people can't, and that here's the big part, people will pay for it,   Dario Valenza ** 49:01 cost per kilometer of scan is really my answer in the case of carbonics, saying you want to get a digital twin of a power transmission line over 800 kilometers. You can do that with a helicopter, and it's going to cost 1000s of dollars, and you're going to burn tons of fuel, and you can only get so close, etc. So you can only do it in visual conditions, and that's sort of the current best practice. That's how it's done. You can do it with satellites, but you can't really get in close enough yet in terms of resolution and independent on orbits and weather. You can do it by having someone drive or walk along the line, and that's stupendously inefficient. You can do it with multi rotor drones, and then, yeah, you might be able to do five kilometers at a time, but then you got to land and relocate and launch again, and you end up with this big sort of disparity of data sets that go stitch together by the time you add that all up. It's actually more expensive than a helicopter. Or you could do it with a drone like. Fly for 800 kilometers, which is making it Yes, and making a drone that can fly for 800 kilometers is not trivial, and that's where the unique value sits. And it's not just the airframe that the airframe holds it all up, but you have to have the redundancies to command and control, the engineering certifications, the comms, the stability, the payload triggering and geo tagging. So all of that stuff has to work. And the value of carbonics is, yes, the carbon fiber in the airframe, but also the the team ethos, which, again, comes out of that competition world, to really grab the low hanging fruit, make it all work, get it out there and be flexible, like we've had missions with stuff hasn't gone to plan, and we've fixed it, and we've still delivered the data. So the value is really being able to do something that no one else can do.   Michael Hingson ** 50:54 So I assume that you're still having fun as a founder and the owner of a company,   51:02 sometimes,   Michael Hingson ** 51:05 more often than not, one would hope,   Dario Valenza ** 51:07 Oh, absolutely, yeah. I mean, obviously there's a huge amount of pride in seeing now we're 22 people, some of certainly leaders in the field, some of the best in the world, the fact that they have chosen to back the vision, to spend years of their professional life making it happen, according to the thing that I started, I mean that that's flattering and humbling. There's always a challenge. It's always interesting. Again, having investors and all that you're not it's not all on my shoulders. People that are also invested, literally, who have the same interests and we support each other. But at the same time, it's not exactly certain. In terms of you're always working through prices and looking at what's going to happen in a day a year, six months, but you sort of get used to it and say, Well, I've done this willingly. I know there's a risk, but it's fun and it's worth it, and we'll get there. And so you do it   Michael Hingson ** 52:10 well, you're the you're the visionary, and that that brings excitement to it all. And as long as you can have fun and you can reward yourself by what you're doing. It doesn't get any better than that.   Dario Valenza ** 52:26 So they tell me, yeah, how do you absolutely, how do you   Michael Hingson ** 52:31 create a good, cohesive team?   Dario Valenza ** 52:36 Values, I think, are the base of them would be very clear about what we are and what we aren't. It's really interesting because I've never really spent any time in a corporate environment, nor do I want to. So keeping that informal fun element, where it's fairly egalitarian, it's fairly focused, we're not too worried about saying things how they are and offending people. We know we're all in it together. It's very much that focus and common goal, I think, creates the bond and then communication like being absolutely clear about what are we trying to do? What are the priorities? What are the constraints? And constantly updating each other when, when one department is having an issue and it's going to hold something up, we support each other and we adjust accordingly, and we move resources around. But yeah, I think the short answer is culture you have to have when someone walks in, there's a certain quality to the atmosphere that tells you what this team is about, right? And everyone is on their page, and it's not for everyone. Again, we don't demand that people put in their heart and soul into 24/7 but if you don't, you probably don't want   Michael Hingson ** 53:56 to be there. Yeah, makes sense. So what kind of advice would you give to someone who's starting out in a career or considering what they want to do with their lives?   Dario Valenza ** 54:08 Where do I start? Certainly take, take the risks while you're young and independent, you don't have a lot to lose. Give it a go and be humble. So getting my experience going into the cup like my approach was, I'll clean the floors, I'll be the Gopher, I'll work for free, until you guys see some value, like I'm it's not about what am I going to get out of this? It's how do I get involved, and how do I prove myself? And so being open and learning, being willing to put in the hours. And I think at one point there was a comment during the trial that he doesn't know what he's doing, but he's really keen, and his attitude is good. And I think that's that's how you want to be, because you can learn the thing you. That you need to have the attitude to be involved and have have a go.   Michael Hingson ** 55:05 Have fun. Yeah, you have to decide to have fun.   Dario Valenza ** 55:14 Yeah, absolutely. You have to be interested in what you're doing, because if you're doing it for the money, yes, it's nice when you get the paycheck, but you don't have that passion to really be motivated and put in the time. So right by this is that the Venn diagram right, find something you're interested in, that someone is willing to pay you for, and that you're good at, not easy, but having that openness and the humble and saying, Well, I'm don't try and get to the top straightaway, like get in, prove yourself. Learn, improve, gain skills, and probably, in my case, the value of cross pollination. So rather than sort of going into one discipline and just learning how it's done and only seeing that, look at the analogous stuff out there and see how you can apply it. Yeah. So again, from from boats to drones, from cars to boats, from really racing to business, abstract the problem into what are we trying to solve? What are the variables? How's it been done elsewhere, and really knowing when to think by analogy and when to think from first principles,   Michael Hingson ** 56:23 that makes sense. And with that, I'm going to thank you. We've been doing this for an hour. My gosh, is life fun or what? But I really appreciate it. Well, there you go. I appreciate you being here, and this has been a lot of fun. I hope that all of you out there watching and listening have liked our podcast episode. Please let us know. I'd appreciate it if you'd email me. Michael h i at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, I B, e.com, or go to our podcast page, which is w, w, w, dot Michael hingson, that's m, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, s, O, n.com/podcast, and I would ask you how, how can people reach out to you? If they'd like to reach out to you and maybe learn more about what you do, maybe join the team?   Dario Valenza ** 57:09 Yeah, probably the easiest way would be LinkedIn, just Dario Valencia. Otherwise, my email is just Dario D, A, R, I, o@carbonics.com.au.au,   Michael Hingson ** 57:21 being Australian, and Valenc spelled V, A,   Dario Valenza ** 57:25 l e n z, A, but the email is just dario@carbonics.com.au You don't need to know how to spell my last name, right? Yeah, sorry for the LinkedIn. It'll be Dario Valencia, V A, l e n z A, or look at the carbonics profile on LinkedIn, and I'll be one of the people who works. There you   Michael Hingson ** 57:43 go. Well again, this has been fun, and we appreciate you, and hope that people will reach out and want to learn more. If you know of anybody who might make a good guest, or if any of you watching or listening out there might know of anyone who would be a good guest for unstoppable mindset, I sure would appreciate it if you'd let us know, we really value your help with that. We're always looking for more people to be on the podcast, so please don't hesitate. And also, wherever you're listening or watching, we sure would appreciate it if you give us a five star rating. We really appreciate your views, especially when they're positive, but we like all the comments, so however you're listening and so on, please give us a five star rating and let us know how we can even do better next time. But Dario, again, I want to thank you. Really appreciate you being here with us today. This has been a lot of fun, and I'm glad I learned a lot today. So thank you very much.   58:37 My pleasure. You   **Michael Hingson ** 58:43 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

Trident Room Podcast lead host U.S. Navy Cmdr. Alanna Youngblood interviews Cmdr. Matthew Morris and Lt. Cortni Thrasher about their unique experiences while working to complete their theses. Cmdr. Morris first discusses how he, along with his thesis partners, designed experimentation to test previous theories of how to transmit the most important information to units in a denied environment. Lt. Thrasher then speaks about her thesis, which is in direct coordination with U.S. Pacific Fleet objectives and a topic from the Nimitz Research Group, studying how the incorporation of amphibious aircraft can benefit military operations in the Pacific. Cmdr. Matthew Morris graduated from Dickinson College in 2008 with a BA in German and commissioned through OCS as a SWO in 2009, transferring to Information Professional in 2014. He earned an MS in Network Operations at NPS and is an IW WTI in Command and Control/Cyber Operations. His tours include COMM-O onboard USS LASSEN, OPS and NAV for PCC Hotel, ISO and Staff NAV for COMDESRON 9, Flag COMM-O for CSG-9. He is currently serving as the CSO onboard USS GEORGE WASHINGTON. Lt. Cortni Thrasher is an Aerospace Maintenance Duty Officer in the U.S. Navy. She was previously enlisted as an aviation electronics technician after graduation in 2012 with a BS. She worked on Prowlers and Growlers with a deployment on USS STENNIS before transitioning to the AMDO community in 2019 and commissioning through OCS. She then served as a part of VFA 94 in Lamoore, CA as their maintenance material control officer. While there she deployed on the USS NIMITZ for a COVID deployment in 2020 and is now a graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School.

Join us in this workshop from the 2025 Bay Area Retreat. We had conversation on how music enriches our program of recovery and had a chance to participate in a live music jam!   Media referenced in this episode: This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin PBS Documentary: We Want The Funk! A History of Funk and Black Liberation of the 1970s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrgV35cBHVs Sinners Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7joulECTx_U   YouTube Links to music in this episode (used for educational purposes): Music Jam songs: first song (?), Blue Bossa, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, The Ocean, Wild Horses, Girl From Ipanema The J.B.'s - Doing It To Death (Funky Good Time): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu6s9t0iFSg The J.B.'s - The Grunt pt.1 & 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmwcYRZUPYE Public Enemy - Rebel Without A Pause: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fN5RX15Zhw Public Enemy - Night Of The Living Baseheads: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-J4llCWp7Q Black Eyed Peas - Labor Day (It's A Holiday): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vSvr2q5B0k Funk Factory - Rien Ne Va Plus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aW6yTSvrdo Beasite Boys - Car Thief: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaUZpqSylkg Miles Caton - I Lied To You: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGJlfjRUb1s Ludwig Göransson - Magic What We Do (Surreal Montage): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgUXt1bq6Fk   Be sure to reach us via email: feedback@sexaddictsrecoverypod.com If you are comfortable and interested in being a guest or panelist, please feel free to contact me. jason@sexaddictsrecoverypod.com SARPodcast YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn0dcZg-Ou7giI4YkXGXsBWDHJgtymw9q   To find meetings in the San Francisco Bay Area, be sure to visit: https://www.bayareasaa.org/meetings To find meetings in the your local area or online, be sure to visit the main SAA website: https://saa-recovery.org/meetings/   The content of this podcast has not been approved by and may not reflect the opinions or policies of the ISO of SAA, Inc.    

Link to episode page This week's Cyber Security Headlines – Week in Review is hosted by Rich Stroffolino with guest Nick Espinosa, host, The Deep Dive Radio Show. Here's where you can find him: Daily Podcast on SoundCloud | YouTube | Forbes | Twitter/X | Facebook | BlueSky | Mastodon Thanks to our show sponsor, Vanta Do you know the status of your compliance controls right now? Like…right now? We know that real-time visibility is critical for security, but when it comes to our GRC programs…we rely on point-in-time checks. But more than 9,000 companies have continuous visibility into their controls with Vanta. Vanta brings automation to evidence collection across over 35 frameworks, like SOC 2 and ISO 27001. They also centralize key workflows like policies, access reviews, and reporting, and helps you get security questionnaires done 5 times faster with AI. Now that's…a new way to GRC. Get started at Vanta.com/headlines. All links and the video of this episode can be found on CISO Series.com      

Coinbase says hackers bribed staff to steal customer data and are demanding $20 million ransom Windows 11 and Red Hat Linux hacked on first day of Pwn2Own The Internet's biggest-ever black market just shut down amid a Telegram purge  Huge thanks to our sponsor, Vanta Do you know the status of your compliance controls right now? Like...right now? We know that real-time visibility is critical for security, but when it comes to our GRC programs…we rely on point-in-time checks. But more than 9,000 companies have continuous visibility into their controls with Vanta. Vanta brings automation to evidence collection across over 35 frameworks, like SOC 2 and ISO 27001. They also centralize key workflows like policies, access reviews, and reporting, and helps you get security questionnaires done 5 times faster with AI. Now that's…a new way to GRC. Get started at Vanta.com/headlines.

FoIP: The Overlooked MSP Opportunity, Many businesses still rely on fax to send and receive legally binding orders, insurance documents, and compliance paperwork "If our fax or email system fails, that's a catastrophe—we lose connection to our customers and orders stop coming in." — Martin Hager, Founder & CEO, Retarus Spring 2025 has been dominated by AI, cybersecurity, branded calling, and POTS replacement. But in this special Technology Reseller News podcast, we return to a foundational—and often forgotten—technology that continues to power mission-critical communications: fax. Martin Hager, CEO of Retarus, joined Doug Green to discuss how the Munich-based cloud communications company was recently named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape for Worldwide Digital Fax Solutions—the only European provider to earn that distinction. “Fax” may still conjure images of curling thermal paper and screeching machines, but Hager wants the channel to see it for what it is today: FoIP—Fax over IP—highly secure, server-to-server communication trusted by the world's largest enterprises. With over 700 million fax pages sent annually through Retarus' privately run global data centers, the company plays a critical role in industries ranging from finance to healthcare to manufacturing. Hidden Costs, Missed Messages Why should MSPs and service providers care about fax in 2024? As Hager explained, a 1% improvement in fax reliability can save large enterprises hundreds of thousands of dollars in administrative costs, regulatory penalties, and customer churn. One client lost $860,000 from a single failed fax tied to a regulatory deadline. Many businesses still rely on fax to send and receive legally binding orders, insurance documents, and compliance paperwork. With analog lines disappearing and traditional fax servers aging out, there's a massive opportunity to consolidate and modernize fax infrastructure using FoIP. A Channel-Ready Market More than 80% of Retarus' business flows through the channel, and Hager says it's an easy upsell for MSPs and agents already providing voice or UCaaS services. Whether it's a dentist office, a healthcare network, or a manufacturer, fax remains a critical link in business operations. Retarus' solutions offer full delivery traceability, SOC 2 and ISO 27001 compliance, and direct integrations with enterprise apps and multifunction devices. With a simple conversation—"How do you send orders?"—partners can uncover opportunities that deliver both operational improvements and recurring revenue. To learn more, visit: www.retarus.com #FoIP #FaxOverIP #ChannelOpportunity #DigitalFax #Compliance #MSP #FaxSecurity #Retarus #IDCLeader #EnterpriseCommunication

Understanding information security standards is the first step toward building a resilient and trustworthy organization. Cyber-attacks, data leaks, and rule-breaking are becoming more common. Businesses and people need to keep their information safe—but how can they do that? One way is by following security standards like ISO 27001. 

Reflecting on show with Dodgers Announcer Tim Neverett  https://bit.ly/3YNsZLJFirings of Pirates, Derek Shelton & Rockies, Bud Black  Evan Longoria trade away from the Rays left several fans upset, others saw an opportunity for Evan Fans had to realize that with the Rays we should not expect anything permanentEvan returns with a 1-day contract with the TB Rays and then retiresLongoria is a selfless player who has no peer and could bring positive energy & leadership to the teamRafael Devers controversy on moving him around and poor communication in the Red Sox organizationTanner Hauck 40+ pitch inning – now on the ILMat's assessment of Pitchers in DodgersRafael Devers was a deal compared with Vladimer Guererro Jr, 314 million to 500 millionRob Manfred visits the Oval Office and pardons Pete Rose #14Rose could now potentially be on the path to a Hall of Fame plaqueCooperstown should consider plaques for achievement. Telling the story of great players personal shortcomings as well as their great achievementShoeless Joe Jackson fantastic player & the journey with the Black SoxPete Rose one of the Top 20 players to ever play in MLBMyriad of great players experiences . . . if you don't tell their stories, they're just gonna die and your sport is worse off for it”Pete Rose has a better chance of getting into the Hall of Fame than Barry Bonds HOF voting needs to be revamped – Mat's 5 point solution 1Rob Manfred made more folks eligible the dead are no longer a threat to the game - https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-ineligibility-status-after-death-decisionChandler Simpson – igniting the energy with a passion and performance that galvanized the Rays – shades of Randy ArozarenaTSN – Turning point is now as Rays are fighting through seriesShane McClanahan, Josh Lowe, Joe Boyle ,Casron Williams, Tre Morgan, Jake Mangum looks like they will be returning Who will stay who will be traded or sent downChristopher Morel – what will bring out the best of him – Ranks 8th on barrell percentage.  Morel is in the top 25 in bat speed. Morel should be a 200 ISO and above easy. He's sitting at 1 41 right now. Electrified version of Taylor Walls – more intense and less zenRays players have to fight for their positions everyday with all of the talent in the organization.What will happen with the Rays at MLB Trade DeadlinePete Fairbanks is having some difficultiesReturn of Shane McClanahan – bring him back slowly with 2 inning stints – reliever?Where is the Rays new home, The Trop,  Orlando Dreamers – Morgan & Morgan                                                       Hopeful to see a hanging  #3 Evan Longoria banner in the outfield when he retires- The Rays will then take ownership of George Steinbrenner FieldCan the appeal of St. Pete Beach be a new Spring Training home for the YankeesBaseball synchronicity May 14 – Pete Rose Day in Cincinnati - #14 Jersey giveaway while  playing the team of Shoeless Joe JacksonGreat American Ballpark - Cincinnati steamboat smoke stacks on field with 14 bats design reflect Pete Rose in the park.Find Mat @matgermain.bsky.social & Mark @baseballbizondeck.bsky.social. You may also find Baseball Biz on Deck, at iHeart Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and at baseball biz on deck dot comSpecial Thanks to XTaKe-R-U-X for the music Rocking Forward,

Steel producer disrupted by cyberattack European Vulnerability Database (EUVD) is online CISA pauses advisory overhaul  Huge thanks to our sponsor, Vanta Do you know the status of your compliance controls right now? Like...right now? We know that real-time visibility is critical for security, but when it comes to our GRC programs…we rely on point-in-time checks. But more than 9,000 companies have continuous visibility into their controls with Vanta. Vanta brings automation to evidence collection across over 35 frameworks, like SOC 2 and ISO 27001. They also centralize key workflows like policies, access reviews, and reporting, and helps you get security questionnaires done 5 times faster with AI. Now that's…a new way to GRC. Get started at Vanta.com/headlines.

Natural gas producers have long struggled to differentiate their product in a market that treats gas as a commodity. When it comes to carbon intensity (CI), the industry is reliant on emission factors and self-reported data, and lacks a credible, data-driven approach to proving their gas carries a lower CI.  With new regulations like the Inflation Reduction Act's Waste Emission Charge and Europe's carbon border tax, the opportunity to produce verifiable low-emission gas has grown dramatically. Enter “empirical gas”—natural gas measured in real time with actual data instead of estimates. In this episode, I catch up with my buddy Mark Smith, CEO of Clean Connect, about how his company integrates AI, camera-based monitoring, and process simulation software to create real-time, third-party verifiable emissions data. This transformation not only reduces tax burdens but unlocks access to premium markets willing to pay for low-carbon gas. The implications are massive for producers, traders, and tech firms alike.

Ern and Iso are back with some real talk, tackling hot topics like Mother's Day, "deadbeat mamas," and the unsung heroes—fathers stepping up!

Ern and Iso are back, and this episode is packed with real talk, hilarious insights, and thought-provoking takes on "Sinners Revisited."