Podcasts about pcs

Zum 15-jährigen Jubiläum von Stay Forever haben sich Gunnar und Chris ein besonderes Spiel ausgesucht. Also: jeder eines. Denn wie schon vor fünf Jahren beschenken wir uns gegenseitig mit einer Stay-Forever-Folge. Und so hat jeder von uns jeweils ein Spiel gewählt, an das er warme Erinnerungen hat, aber das eigentlich zu unbedeutend für eine SF-Hauptfolge wäre. Dies ist die Folge, die sich Chris gewünscht hat: Alley Cat ist ein frühes Jump&Run für die Atari 400/800-Geräte, das über einen Deal mit IBM für den PCJr. portiert wurde und dann auf den PCs der 80er im Wesentlichen per Raubkopie Verbreitung fand. Der Titel ist ein Solowerk von Bill Willams, dessen tragische Lebensgeschichte auch Thema in der Folge ist.

Most people dread PCS season for how much it drains the bank account — Jared flips it into a $7,500 payday. Back on the show, the host of the Military Miler podcast breaks down the exact moves he used moving his family from Italy to Japan: circuitous travel memos, leave in conjunction with official travel, stacking credit card credits, and pocketing thousands in COLA and utilities along the way. But this one goes deeper than travel hacking — it's a candid conversation about budgeting overseas, why your savings rate should bend to your values, and the trap of chasing financial independence so hard you forget to live. Practical tactics up front, real talk about "enjoying the ride" on the back half. Questions Asked: What's the strategy you're using to plus up your bank account before your next OCONUS assignment? Why did your chief recommend NOT going TDY en route, and how does transient BAH factor in? How does circuitous travel work, and how much does the Air Force reimburse per person? How do programs like LICWO (Leave in Conjunction with Official Travel) and circuitous travel actually save families money? What credit card moves are you stacking to get reimbursed for flights, fees, and pet travel? Living OCONUS, have you found any apps, tips, or systems that help track expenses and stick to a budget? Why did you switch from YNAB to Monarch Money, and what won you over? How do you handle irregular overseas bills, currency exchange, and fuel cards when budgeting? Which credit cards make sense overseas (foreign transaction fees, Visa/Mastercard acceptance)? How do you decide between living on base vs. off base — and paying above your BAH? What do you give up by chasing an extremely high savings rate, and is there a better balance? Where can people find you and what are you working on? Main Topics Covered: Turning a PCS into a profit: banking ~$2,500/month in saved COLA and utilities for a ~$7,500 net gain Circuitous travel and LICWO explained — and getting a $4,500-per-person reimbursement memo "The squeaky wheel gets the grease" — advocating for better travel options instead of accepting the worst flights Keeping family in a higher-BAH location, SCRA lease breaks, and shipping goods early to save Reducing the PCS burden on your spouse as part of the service member's job Credit card strategy: airline fee credits (Amex Platinum, Ritz-Carlton), Sapphire Reserve travel credits, and getting cat/pet fees reimbursed Budgeting overseas: YNAB vs. Monarch Money, auto-categorization, and creating spending rules Handling irregular utility bills, delayed charges, currency swings, and fuel cards abroad Building a bigger emergency fund and "don't spend your utility money" advice for new OCONUS airmen Foreign transaction fees — why annual-fee cards (waived for active duty) and Visa/Mastercard win overseas Weekly money meetings and aligning spending with your values (h/t Rebel Finance School, Ramit Sethi) Using points and miles to fly family in, book cheap intra-Asia trips, and buy "free" wants (Sonos speakers) A real-world redemption: 27,000 Alaska points + $150 vs. $1,600 cash for family flights Seasons of military life — the adventure vs. community continuum, and choosing per assignment The FIRE trap: why "sacrifice everything now" is shortsighted, and enjoying the ride to financial independence Bonus: Japanese microvans and minivans (Honda N-Box, Toyota Alphard, Delica) and the weak yen Links & Resources Mentioned: Military Miler podcast (YouTube and all podcast platforms) militarytravelrewards.com Monarch Money https://www.monarch.com/ (referral link for ~50% off first year) https://www.monarch.com/referral?code=iqj4r4ixad  Military Money Manual mentorship — militarymoneymanual.com/mentor Referenced first appearance: Military Money Manual episode 217 Spencer and Jamie offer one-on-one Military Money Mentor sessions. Get your personal military money and personal finance questions answered in a confidential coaching call. militarymoneymanual.com/mentor Over 24,000 military servicemembers and military spouses have graduated from the 100% free, Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course available at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3 In the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course, you can learn how to apply for the most premium credit cards and get special military protections, such as waived annual fees, on elite cards. Learn how active duty military, military spouses, and Guard and Reserves on 30+ day active orders can get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3 If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual.

SSDs und Arbeitsspeicher sind weiter teuer, und wie die c't-Experten Christian Hirsch und Florian Müssig analysieren, wird das vorläufig so bleiben – und zwar nicht nur ein paar Wochen lang, sondern eher auf einige Jahre hinaus. Aber derart lange vorhandene PCs und Notebooks weiter zu nutzen und die Speicherkrise einfach auszusitzen, ist nicht für jeden praktikabel. Lässt sich ein Neukauf nicht weiter hinauszögern, sollten auch Gebrauchtgeräte in die Überlegungen einbezogen werden. In diesem Video-Podcast stellen wir Hardware-Empfehlungen zusammen und diskutieren Alternativen wie externe SSDs oder Aufrüsten. Auch warnen wir vor einigen Fallstricken, denn inzwischen ist auch der Gebrauchtmarkt ganz schön abgegrast. Die empfehlenswerten Gebrauchtgeräte sind Firmenrückläufer. Was nach drei Jahren abgeschrieben ist oder aus dem Leasing fällt, geht an Refurbisher, die sich um Details wie das Aufspielen gültiger Windows-Lizenzen kümmern. Aber weil auch die Firmen unter den gestiegenen Neupreisen leiden, nutzen viele die Geräte fünf Jahre und länger. Entsprechend ältere Geräte dominieren nun den Gebrauchtmarkt. In vieler Hinsicht ist das kein Risiko, weil wichtige Techniken wie schnelle Prozessoren, vollwertige USB-C-Ports und auch die Windows-11-Tauglichkeit seit vielen Jahren üblich sind. Aber Vorsicht ist dennoch geboten, da einige Händler nun auch die verstaubtesten Ladenhüter auf den Markt bringen. Und einige Details wie gute Mikrofone und Webcams kamen teils erst deutlich nach Corona in Mode und in die Firmengeräte. Christian und Florian geben weitere Tipps und erklären, warum auch die Gebrauchtpreise mit den Speicherpreisen steigen. Im Windows-Bereich sollte man Intel- oder AMD-Geräte kaufen. ARM/Qualcomm holt zwar auf, aber die guten Prozessoren sind im Gebrauchtmarkt noch nicht zu finden. Genau anders herum bei macOS: Für Intel geht die Unterstützung absehbar zurück, also sollte man gebrauchte Apple-Hardware nur mit M-Prozessoren kaufen – der M1 ist für vieles weiterhin schnell genug. Dem Aufrüsten – sowohl der eigenen Geräte als auch etwaigen nur zu schwachbrüstig gefundenen Gebrauchten – sind enge Grenzen gesetzt: Bei vielen Notebooks ist der Speicher fest aufgelötet, der Prozessor inzwischen immer. An die SSD-Module kommt man zwar bei manchen Modellen, aber fast alle Firmen-Notebooks vertragen nur ganz bestimmte Module. Die c't-Redakteure erklären, warum man dann nicht einmal herausfinden kann, welche Module das sind. Spannend in dieser Hinsicht sind die modularen und aufrüstfreudigen Notebooks vom Hersteller Framework. Diese durchaus erfolgreiche Firmenstrategie führt allerdings dazu, dass Framework im Gebrauchtmarkt kaum eine Rolle spielt. Die Zusammenhänge erläutert Florian. Besser sieht's bei Desktop-Rechnern aus. Passende RAM-Riegel und SSDs lassen sich einfacher finden, und mit etwas Vorplanung verträgt das Mainboard sogar noch ein paar neuere Prozessorgenerationen. Trotzdem empfehlen Christian und Florian, gebrauchte Notebooks und PCs komplett zu kaufen, vor allem aufgrund der Händlergewährleistung. Das ist auch der Hauptgrund, weswegen die c't-Redakteure vom Privatkauf abraten – oder man sollte sich zumindest der Risiken bewusst sein, auch in Bezug auf Verschmutzungen oder Windows-Lizenz. Zudem haben die Consumer-Baureihen inzwischen manchen technischen Fortschritt erst später bekommen als die Business-Baureihen. Ach, und wer Gaming-Grafik erwartet, der Podcast geht ausführlich drauf ein, aber die Kurzform ist: das gibt der Gebrauchtmarkt nicht her.

The PCs shift the balance of power during a roadside ambush. Watch the video here: ⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/85L22GAPBAE Get BONUS CONTENT every week at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://jointhenaish.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, including the Mission Debrief, our exclusive We Shouldn't Be Alive companion where we discuss and break down the latest episode, plus ad-free episodes, exclusive podcasts, and more. Come see us LIVE in a city near you at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.glasscannonnetwork.com/tour Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode Description That magazine you grab on your way into the commissary? It's been there for nearly 70 years — and there's a four-generation family story behind it. In this episode, Spencer sits down with Joe Mugnai, whose grandfather launched Family Magazine in 1958 to help military families stretch every dollar. Today it distributes 400,000 copies a month across commissaries worldwide. But Joe isn't just carrying the torch — he's building the next chapter: The Garrison Ledger, a free suite of always-accurate military benefit tools designed to cut through confusing government archives and give service members straight answers they can actually trust. Questions Asked Where did Family Magazine start in 1958, and how are you connected to it? Why turn a coupon flyer into a full editorial magazine? When your dad (Joe III) joined, was it his first job or was he reluctant to take over the family business? How did you come to join the company in 2011? How many copies of Family Magazine are distributed each month today? What can readers do if they can't find the magazine at their commissary? What is Family Media doing to pivot toward the digital age and reach military families online? What's an example of a question someone might bring to The Garrison Ledger, and how does it work behind the scenes? How is your approach different from using ChatGPT or Gemini for benefit questions? How does someone enter the $500 Family Media quarterly giveaway? Main Topics Covered The origin of Family Magazine in 1958 and the four generations of Joe Mugnai behind it Why the founder added editorial content (PCS, travel, pets, beauty) instead of a plain coupon book The magazine's scale today: 400,000 copies monthly, ~30,000 overseas, reaching commissaries worldwide The enduring value of the commissary benefit — especially overseas in places like Japan and Germany How coupons (BOGOs, manufacturer deals from Eggland's, Unilever/Dove) stack on top of commissary savings The challenge of constantly changing military numbers: BAH, base pay, TSP limits, Roth IRA limits, the JTR Why AI chatbots give confidently wrong answers — outdated training data and hallucination The Garrison Ledger: free military tools built to pull only from current, official government sources The TSP modeler and how a "single source of truth" prevents hallucinated answers Real-world accuracy in action, like temporary location-specific BAH adjustments The $500 Family Media quarterly giveaway — five $100 winners, and how to enter via the newsletter Links Mentioned familymedia.com garrisonledger.com Spencer and Jamie offer one-on-one Military Money Mentor sessions. Get your personal military money and personal finance questions answered in a confidential coaching call. militarymoneymanual.com/mentor Over 24,000 military servicemembers and military spouses have graduated from the 100% free, Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course available at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3 In the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course, you can learn how to apply for the most premium credit cards and get special military protections, such as waived annual fees, on elite cards. Learn how active duty military, military spouses, and Guard and Reserves on 30+ day active orders can get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3 If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual.

Apple's latest financial results drive a discussion about record iPhone, Mac, Services, subscription, and R&D numbers, along with the market's negative reaction and stock volatility. The MacVoices Live! panel also examines leadership changes under new CEO John Ternus, including the return of a retired engineering executive, before debating Apple's planned clipboard sharing between iPhones and Windows PCs, its implications for users, and whether it introduces meaningful security concerns.  Panel members include: Marty Jencius, David Ginsburg, Jim Rea, Chuck Joiner, Eric Bolden, Web Bixby, and Brian Flanigan-Arthurs. This edition of MacVoices is supported by MacVoices Magazine, our free magazine on Flipboard. Updated daily with the best articles on the web to help you do more with your Apple gear and adjacent tech, access MacVoices Magazine content on Flipboard, on the web, or in your favorite RSS reader. Show Notes: Chapters: 00:00 Introduction, Riverside updates, and panel introductions 04:20 Marty celebrates his 42nd wedding anniversary 07:30 Apple's quarterly earnings and Wall Street's reaction 15:10 Record iPhone, Mac, Services, subscriptions, and R&D spending 20:15 John Ternus' influence on the MacBook Neo 24:30 Apple brings a retired hardware executive back to the company 31:40 Organizational changes under Apple's new leadership 34:45 UK App Store steering rules and regulatory concerns 37:15 Apple brings clipboard sharing between iPhone and Windows PCs 43:15 Security, usability, and the future of cross-platform clipboard support Links: iPhone, Mac and Services revenue set new June quarter records https://appleworld.today/2026/07/iphone-mac-and-services-revenue-set-new-june-quarter-records/   Apple spent a record $11.73 billion in R&D during Q3 2026 – 9to5Mac https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/30/apple-spent-a-record-11-73-billion-in-rd-during-q3-2026/   Apple just hit 1.5 billion paid subscriptions from its user base – 9to5Mac https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/30/apple-just-hit-1-5-billion-paid-subscriptions-from-its-user-base/   Ternus's MacBook Neo pushes Mac sales to unexpected Q3 heights https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/07/30/ternuss-macbook-neo-pushes-mac-sales-to-unexpected-q3-heights?utm_source=rss   Team Ternus drags retired vice president of hardware engineering back into Apple https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/08/03/team-ternus-drags-retired-vice-president-of-hardware-engineering-back-into-apple?utm_source=rss   Apple Says UK App Store Steering Rules Would Be 'Highly Intrusive' https://www.macrumors.com/2026/07/29/app-store-uk-rules-highly-intrusive/   Apple is finally making copy-paste work between iPhones and PCs https://www.macworld.com/article/3205820/apple-is-finally-making-copy-paste-work-between-iphones-and-pcs.html Guests: Get detailed bios and contact information about for the panel on the MacVoices Live! Panel page on our web site: https://macvoices.com/macvoiceslive/macvoices-live-panel/ Support:      Become a MacVoices Patron on Patreon      http://patreon.com/macvoices      Enjoy this episode? Make a one-time donation with PayPal Connect:      Web:      http://macvoices.com      Twitter:      http://www.twitter.com/chuckjoiner      http://www.twitter.com/macvoices      Mastodon:      https://mastodon.cloud/@chuckjoiner      Facebook:      http://www.facebook.com/chuck.joiner      MacVoices Page on Facebook:      http://www.facebook.com/macvoices/      MacVoices Group on Facebook:      http://www.facebook.com/groups/macvoice      LinkedIn:      https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckjoiner/      Instagram:      https://www.instagram.com/chuckjoiner/ Subscribe:      Audio in iTunes      Video in iTunes      Subscribe manually via iTunes or any podcatcher:      Audio: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesrss      Video: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesvideorss Apple's latest financial results drive a lively discussion about record iPhone, Mac, Services, subscription, and R&D numbers, along with the market's negative reaction and stock decline. The panel also examines leadership changes under new CEO John Ternus, including the return of a retired engineering executive, before debating Apple's planned clipboard sharing between iPhones and Windows PCs, its implications for users, and whether it introduces meaningful security concerns. SEO Keywords Apple, iPhone, Mac, earnings, subscriptions, R&D, JohnTernus, Windows, clipboard, security, AppStore, stock, engineering, Europe, revenue Possible Episode Titles 1. Apple's Strong Quarter Meets a Wall Street Reality Check 2. Record Revenue, New Leadership, and Apple's Windows Surprise 3. Why Apple's Stock Fell Despite Record Financial Results 4. John Ternus Reshapes Apple as Windows Integration Expands 5. Apple Earnings, Executive Changes, and the Windows Clipboard Debate Chapter Markers 00:00 Introduction, Riverside updates, and panel introductions 04:20 Marty celebrates his 42nd wedding anniversary 07:30 Apple's quarterly earnings and Wall Street's reaction 15:10 Record iPhone, Mac, Services, subscriptions, and R&D spending 20:15 John Ternus' influence on the MacBook Neo 24:30 Apple brings a retired hardware executive back to the company 31:40 Organizational changes under Apple's new leadership 34:45 UK App Store steering rules and regulatory concerns 37:15 Apple brings clipboard sharing between iPhone and Windows PCs 43:15 Security, usability, and the future of cross-platform clipboard support

Coming up this week, Microsoft patches 400 vulnerabilities, including an actively exploited zero-day. Microsoft accidentally pushes a new OneDrive app to Windows 11 PCs, DEF CON attendees are accused of causing Wi-Fi chaos on a Delta flight, and OpenAI rolls out a powerful new AI model specifically for cybersecurity. Plus, we've got some notable Windows 365 updates and plenty more. All that and more on this week's episode of the 5 Bytes Podcast. Reference Links: https://www.rorymon.com/blog/400-microsoft-flaws-rogue-wi-fi-at-30000-feet-gpt-5-6-cyber/

Congress Presses Big AI on Safety as Data Center Wars Hit Courts and CIO Costs Rise Jim Love's Hashtag Trending for Wednesday, August 12, 2026 looks at mounting pressure on the AI industry from Washington, corporate technology budgets, data center opposition and changing economics in consulting. House Democrats are demanding answers from OpenAI and Anthropic about AI agents that escaped test environments and reached outside systems. Senator Bernie Sanders is going further, urging OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta to pause development of their most advanced models. At the same time, bipartisan proposals are emerging around AI security audits and an AI Kill Switch Act. CIOs are facing another problem: rising costs. Microsoft has reportedly increased Windows 11 OEM licence fees by 7 to 10 percent. Many organizations are still moving PCs off Windows 10, while memory prices, Microsoft 365 costs, AI model and token spending, and cybersecurity requirements are all increasing. The fight over AI data centers is also moving into courtrooms. Lawsuits are challenging approval processes, environmental impacts and plans for off-grid natural-gas power generation. And finally, Jim looks at a question he has been raising for some time: is AI starting to undermine the traditional consulting business model? Accenture's bookings are slowing just as AI gives clients increasingly powerful tools for research, analysis and presentations. 00:00 Headlines and Intro 00:24 Congress Targets AI Safety 02:13 CIO Budget Squeeze 04:14 Data Center Lawsuits Rise 06:38 AI Disrupts Consulting 09:00 Closing Thoughts and Outro

Depois de pressão de Janja, agência nacional suspende lives no Discord. Steam sofre vazamento de dados após ciberataque a empresa terceirizada. Zoom: falha permitia controle de celulares e PCs em videochamada. Câmeras com IA: como funcionam as tecnologias que detectam infrações nas rodovias? Ex-chefe do MI6 alerta CEOs sobre riscos já conhecidos pelos líderes atuais. Nvidia trabalha em Nemotron 4, modelo de IA aberto com 1 trilhão de parâmetros. OpenAI lança GPT-5.6-Cyber para hackers éticos.

-OpenAI says the companies will use the cyber models available through Daybreak to protect their customers. -Meta said that it's making the "weights" that AI systems use to choose responses available to everyone on Hugging Face along with developer documentation. The download is available for free, and users can run the model on their own PCs. -Bill Simpson-Young, co-founder of the Gradient Institute said, “we've built this complex world over the internet, which is all run by software, but software that has holes. Now you introduce highly capable AI agents that can operate at scale and speed ... and that whole model just breaks." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mid-August to mid-September marks the time every year when hospitals need to recertify for 340B. Failure to recertify in time could cost a hospital its ability to participate in 340B. 340B Health Associate Director of Policy and Compliance Rebecca Swartz joins us to walk listeners through the process.Why recertification is “exceptionally important”Swartz says annual recertification is not just important, it's also one of the central tenets of 340B compliance. All hospital types except critical access hospitals need to make sure they're meeting the minimum disproportionate share percentage threshold. Hospitals also need to affirm that they are nonprofit facilities and that all their registered parent and child sites continue to have reimbursable outpatient costs and charges on their Medicare cost reports.The cost of losing eligibility is highFailure to recertify 340B eligibility in a timely manner can lock hospitals out of their access to 340B pricing for a year or more. That could deprive a hospital of crucial resources to provide the care and support its patients need.Tips for a smooth recertificationSwartz says a key to making the process go smoothly is to start early and make sure hospital officials have the necessary worksheets and other documentation before the recertification process begins. Authorized officials (AOs) and primary contacts (PCs) should be on the lookout for returned tasks from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) and other messages to ensure their recertification process is complete. Taking screenshots of each step of the process also can help identify and fix discrepancies that might arise.ResourcesHospital Recertification Begins Aug. 10, Prepare Now!340B Health Registration and Recertification Resource Page340B Health Webinars

It's time for one last level up before landing this thing! Everyone grows immeasurably in power, by which I mean incrementally and in a way defined by exact numbers. Basically the same thing. Also, potions are distributed the PCs, as well as the general populace. Because SOCIALISM. Grickx breaks the game. Steamboat judges air strike strategies. Jyessi's sword is more powerful than magic. Wealdroa makes their mech slippery. Nacho Cheese Vons brings out a part of himself thought long-forgotten. Cool Ranch likes to move it move it. Check us out online! We're at https://www.primaryattribute.com

We are in the midst of the Practicing our Faith Sermon Series. This series highlights voices from within our community, sharing how each of us embodies spiritual practices in everyday life. Spiritual Practices are concrete activities to engage in to open ourselves to the transforming presence of God.  Our Embodiment Sundays offer guided ways to step into the practice together.Hospitality is the practice of making room for others and welcoming them as they are. More than entertaining guests, it is participating in God's welcome by extending care, presence, and belonging to neighbors, strangers, friends, and even those who challenge us. Rachel Kongshaug, PT, MPT, PCS is a pediatric physical therapist and healthcare leader with more than 20 years of experience serving children and families. She currently serves as Director of Clinical Services for Eastern Iowa at ChildServe, where she oversees rehabilitation therapies, behavioral health, and clinical programs.Rachel is passionate about helping people flourish through compassionate care, both professionally and personally. She and her husband live in Cedar Rapids with their five children and are active members of Wellington Heights Community Church, where she volunteers in children's ministry. In her free time, Rachel enjoys reading, knitting, and coaching volleyball.

Water Systems getting hacked because Superintendents are leaving the systems WIDE OPEN!!! AARP Podcast on Scammers using someone else's likeness to perform Romance Scams, New laptop Scam but I have a WNC connected to my network, Two new PCs connected but not waking up the PCs we think he has an old Router, My PC is dead after a BIOS update, Security issue with Cars that have Bluetooth, Keep getting pop-ups on my phones to clean it u

Larry and Bill get some answers to the questions they asked about the current release frequency, episode length, and topics that meet user needs. Episode Time Stamps 00:00 Going Linux #480 · Listener Feedback 01:21 Update on Linux with hearing aids 02:34 Feedback on the future direction of the Going Linux podcast 03:05 Daniel: Is Orca pre-installed on CachyOS 06:12 Lee: Response to our request 08:11 Adopting Linux Mint to extend Windows hardware 11:02 Ham radio and Linux 12:08 Today's computer users don't want to tinker - agree and disagree 18:43 Computers should just work - that's why I switched 20:00 Our current release schedule - answer questions within two weeks 22:58 Best time for an episode to land - no opinion 23:23 Best episode length - 30 to 60 min 24:17 Topics that interest you - Understanding Linux, Linux news 25:03 Show format - Comment and tutorials, Q and A but don't let the answers drag 25:45 One change you would make - User topics and Q and A in the same episode 28:33 Ken 'The Small Box Admin' 29:33 Release schedule - twice a month but back to a regular cadence 30:21 Best time for a new episode to land - no preference, just a regular cadence 31:18 Episode length - 20, 30, max 60 min 31:36 Preferred topics - home labs, media servers, raspberry pie and single board computers, mini PCs, virtual machines, containers, BSD, monitoring and trouble shooting, shell scripts, automating tasks, fun Linux projects, learning resources, Linux in education, certs, getting a Linux job. 37:42 The change with the most value - community involvement 38:41 Josh: My Linux journey 39:28 Release schedule - Twice a month 39:46 Topics - Users, groups and permissions 40:39 Did you start using Zorin base version or pro version? 41:18 David: Your focus has drifted, become boring for a non-techie, non-gamer, experienced Linux user

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on August 7th, 2026, Matt Gurney is joined by guest host Scott Stinson, filling in for Jen Gerson. They begin with the latest twists in Canada-U.S. relations, asking just how much Prime Minister Mark Carney can concede to the Americans before the political costs become too high at home. Both hosts suspect the answer is probably more than many Canadians would expect. They also discuss how fortunate Carney is to be making these decisions while facing relatively weak opposition, with Pierre Poilievre enduring another difficult week. Matt explains why the Conservative leader continues to struggle to gain traction.This episode is brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That's why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers.To larn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.The conversation then shifts to Ontario politics, where many of the same themes are playing out. It should be a quiet summer at Queen's Park, but instead the Ford government finds itself taking hits from all directions, including from an opposition party that doesn't currently have a permanent leader. Matt and Scott discuss why the Ontario NDP appears so adrift. New Democratic governments are commonplace elsewhere in Canada, so why does the party remain unable to break through in Ontario, even with Doug Ford leading the PCs and the Liberals still searching for direction? Matt has a theory.This episode is also brought to you by Fractional Execs Canada. Need help with a serious business problem? As Canadian businesses grow they often require expert help to solve key business challenges. Fractional Execs Canada have assembled a team of experienced strategists, implementors, sales and marketing operators that can help transform your business into a growth engine. They match you with the right person, or team to move your business forward at a pace your business can manage.Talk to Fractional Execs Canada and discover a better, more collaborative way to take your business and your ‘busyness' in a better direction. Canadian expertise to support the growth of Canadian businesses. Build your business with those that know how.Find them Fractional-Execs.ca.Finally, Scott brings listeners up to speed on the growing controversy surrounding Gianni Infantino and FIFA. The discussion broadens into a look at why major sports organizations seem almost inevitably to attract corruption—and why it's so fascinating to watch the rare moments when those organizations actually decide to push back.This episode is also brought to you by BioCanRx, a Canadian not-for-profit working to help Canadian researchers and companies develop new drugs, especially immunotherapies for cancer.A key challenge for Canada will be familiar to anyone trying to grow a business here: we have some of the brightest people in the world, we just can't keep enough of them. Canada is home to researchers making breakthrough discoveries every day. But bringing a new therapy from the lab to patients takes more than great science. It also requires specialists who know how to manufacture complex products, navigate regulatory approval, and help new treatments be integrated into the health-care system. Too often, that expertise leaves Canada before the work is done.BioCanRx has supported hands-on training for more than 900 trainees over the past decade, but without a strong domestic industry, retention becomes a challenge. So how do we keep these highly-skilled people? Next time we'll talk about how changing what we incentivize can maximize the impact of research money Canada already spends to sustain more drug development here in Canada. For now, go to BioCanRx.com to learn more.All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.CHAPTERS00:00 Intro01:37 Can Carney keep conceding? (Yup!)26:39 Fall of Ford48:34 FIFA WTF#TheLinePodcast#MarkCarney#CanadianPolitics#CanadaUSRelations#PierrePoilievre#DougFord#OntarioPolitics#FIFA#GianniInfantino#CurrentAffairs

Most agency owners probably haven’t thought much about shadow AI (the name for when employees use their personal ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini accounts to do work). In fact, owners may be doing it as well. In this episode, Chip and Gini walk through what the risks are and how to respond without overreacting. The instinct to crack down is understandable but wrong. Employees are going to use their own tools regardless, often because personal accounts are better trained or more accessible than whatever the company has set up. The goal should be education, not elimination. Most employees don’t know that personal accounts default to feeding data into training sets, or that a single toggle can turn that off. That one fix alone is worth a conversation with your team. Vibe coding and a plain-language AI policy get discussed, in addition to educating your team. Gini’s team runs weekly micro-learning sessions to help people use AI as a thinking partner, not just a drafting tool. Both Chip and Gini advise that owners and employees who aren’t using AI meaningfully within the next year or two are putting their careers and businesses at risk. Key takeaways Chip Griffin: “You’re probably not going to stamp it out. So at a minimum, you need to educate employees, because a lot of employees don’t realize the risks in what they’re doing.” Gini Dietrich: “I also think that shadow AI is one thing, but there are plenty of people who are not using it at all. And I was actually kind of shocked to find that in my own organization.” Chip Griffin: “We need to avoid the knee-jerk reaction when you hear an episode like this, shadow AI, oh my God, I need to shut this down. You cannot have that reaction.” Gini Dietrich: “The real value is that AI helps you operate at a completely different level.” Resources The Birthday Dirge View Transcript The following is a computer-generated transcript. Please listen to the audio to confirm accuracy. Chip Griffin: Hello and welcome to another episode of the Agency Leadership Podcast. I’m Chip Griffin. Gini Dietrich: And I’m Gini Dietrich. Chip Griffin: And Gini, I, think it’s appropriate that it suddenly got dark, in, in- Yeah. … in your office as we were trying to begin this recording- Mm-hmm … because we’re gonna be talking about being in the shadows. Gini Dietrich: Yes, we are. In the dark. But before we do that, happy birthday. Chip Griffin: Oh, thank you. Thank you. You’re welcome. I appreciate that. I thought maybe we’d escape that since- Nope … ’cause we were on hiatus during my actual- Nope … birthday month, so. Gini Dietrich: Nope. Ah, come on. Yeah. It was just a few days ago. Happy belated I guess. All right. Thank you. Especially by the time people hear this, but. Chip Griffin: Yeah. Well, nobody will really know, so. Gini Dietrich: I know. Chip Griffin: I, I, appreciate it, and I mostly appreciate that you’re not singing, so, Gini Dietrich: I can. Do you want me to? Chip Griffin: I do not. I- Okay, well- ‘Cause, ’cause isn’t, don’t you have to license “Happy Birthday,” I think? I think that’s- Gini Dietrich: Well, I have a different song. It’s a song that- Oh … the kids learned in third grade that we sing instead of “Happy Birthday.” Chip Griffin: Is, is this the dirge? Gini Dietrich: No. Chip Griffin: Oh. See, I like the birthday dirge. Gini Dietrich: I don’t know the birthday dirge. Chip Griffin: Oh, it, it, it’s, uh, it goes something like, you know, uh, another year closer to the grave or something. I mean, it’s very more… But, the- I wouldn’t- Our kids learned it, learned it at a kid’s party, you know, 20-some years ago. Oh, that’s so good. I’ll have to look it up and share it with you. It, or- I’ll look it, yeah. I’ll delete it … or maybe, maybe Jen can do that because, and maybe sh- b- maybe she can include a link to it, in, in the show notes, ’cause it is somewhat entertaining, but I, I don’t remember the lyrics, nor do I want to try to, to invent them or sing them even if I knew them. Gini Dietrich: All right, fine. Chip Griffin: But, no, the, the- Gini Dietrich: Maybe for my birthday. You have s- you have several months to, to learn it. You could sing it to me for my birthday. Chip Griffin: Well, more than several, but yes. Anywho, so moving on from that. We, are going to talk about the shadows, the deep, dark shadows of the PR world. No, we’re gonna be talking about, shadow AI, which is, in a lot of organizations, you have employees who are using their own ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, whatever accounts to do work. They are not using corporate accounts. A lot of them do not understand the implications of it. The employees do not understand the implications. The employers do not understand the implications. And I’ve seen it, either bite people or potentially bite people of late, so I thought I would raise it as something that, that owners ought to be thinking about in the current environment. Gini Dietrich: I will tell you, not to get anyone in trouble, but almost every one of our clients, and they’re big clients, people do that. Could be, and they’re doing it from their personal devices. It could be because it’s blocked at work. It could be because what they have at work isn’t sufficient. It could be because CoWork is significantly better than, Copilot. It, like, there are lots of reasons, but people will full on pull out their phone or their iPad and do it on their personal device at work all the time. Chip Griffin: It is incredibly common, and, from my perspective and what I advise owners is that you’re probably not going to stamp it out. So at a minimum, you need to educate employees- Yep … because a lot of employees don’t realize the risks in what they’re doing, and they haven’t set up any kind of a, a process to make sure that they’re, you know, doing it as intelligently as possible at least, if they’re- Right … gonna use their own accounts. And, look, I, mean, I, don’t necessarily think that, that it’s awful for them to be doing this. I wouldn’t try to eliminate it. But you do need to educate them because a, a lot of times when I talk with rank and file employees of agencies, they don’t realize that, for example, that their personal accounts, by default, all of the data leaks out for training purposes. And it’s in many cases, depending on which tool you’re using, as simple as a toggle to make- Yep … sure that that information- Yep … does not go straight into the training sets- Yep … of these providers. And that’s the default setting on your corporate accounts if you’ve got them as an agency, but it is not the default on most personal accounts. And so just that one change can make a big difference. But I have yet to talk to any individual employee using their individual account who knows that that’s even something they can or should do. Gini Dietrich: Yeah. I agree with you. I think that having just a really easy AI policy is the right way to go because I don’t– I think you’re right. I don’t think you’re gonna stamp it out. I mean, heck, I use my personal one for lots of stuff too. Mostly because I trained it before we had the corporate account, and I don’t wanna go back and retrain what I’ve already worked, what I’ve already created. So, but we just created a one-page, like, bullet points AI policy that says exactly what you said, like toggle it off. If you’re gonna be vibe coding, here’s what you need to be thinking about. You know, all of the things. I think it’s probably 12 bullet points. It’s not a huge lift, but it just helps them understand. And one of the things that we did is we spent some time building the cowork Instance for the organization, and it has, you know, our OKRs and our plan and our vision and, you know, all of the stuff, our brand kit, all of the stuff. So it’s easier for, my team now, it wasn’t six months ago, but now it’s easier for my team to use the company one because it has all of that stuff in there and it’s already been trained. Chip Griffin: Yep. Yeah, I mean, it’s, you know, so I think there’s, this is a multi-stepped process. You know, part of it is the policy, part of it is education. Gini Dietrich: Yep. Chip Griffin: Part of it is you should have a standard corporate tool that you are using. It doesn’t mean that it’s the only one, but, it should be– If you do that, it will allow you to do a lot of the information sharing, skill sharing, things like that, that ensure the consistency across the organization and make sure that everybody doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel constantly. But I think the you brought up two things that I think are worth exploring more. One probably is a separate episode in addition to this, but the other, I think, makes sense within this context. The one to sort of put a pin in and come back to is your fear of moving from your personal one to the corporate one because of the lost, you know, memory and context and all of that kind of thing. And, I think that there is, I, I, think there’s a lack of knowledge in the agency community generally about how best to capture all of the, the knowledge and things that you’re developing alongside these AI tools and making it as portable as possible. So, you know, one of the things I’ve been focused on in recent months is really making sure that, that my second brain, if you will, in AI is portable across multiple tools. And so I’ve now built it so, for example, I have one brain that I share across both my Claude and ChatGPT accounts- Gini Dietrich: Yep. I do the same thing. Yep. Chip Griffin:… so that you have consistency, and, I think it’s worth sort of exploring that, maybe not in technical detail, but, you know, how you can share it amongst your own accounts, how you can share it more effectively with your colleagues and coworkers and that kind of thing. So I think that’s worth revisiting in more depth because I think there, particularly as we become more AI forward as agencies generally, that’s something that becomes increasingly valuable and increasingly important. But the, piece that, that I think really fits into this shadows discussion is the vibe coding, and we see a lot of agency employees doing vibe coding, which is fantastic. I am, I’m a huge advocate of it. I think that if you want to get ahead in professional services generally, in the agency world specifically, you need to learn how to do at least basic vibe coding. That said, I think people do not understand all of the risks and complexities associated with vibe coding. Gini Dietrich: Right. Chip Griffin: And, so, there are a lot of basics that, that agencies need to be thinking about here, and again, it comes into that education and training piece in working with employees, because most of them don’t understand if you mess something up and you are not doing version control or keeping backups, you can be, you know, really up a creek without a paddle. Yep … and yes, you can reconstruct it in some fashion oftentimes by going back in the conversation, but it’s not simple. And because most people who are doing vibe coding today do not have any previous programming experience, they don’t understand these concepts like version control and being able to roll back easily and, all of the things that geeks like me who’ve been coding since, you know, the early ’80s get and understand. And, and, that Git reference, by the way, was for those of you who do actually know your coding stuff- … because it’s a great repository tool that most of you who are doing vibe coding should be looking into because it- Yeah … is really helpful- Gini Dietrich: Yep … Chip Griffin: in terms of making sure that when you have an oopsie, you can solve it and fix it easily. But a lot of people if, if they’re doing this on their own devices, they may not even have just regular backups of this stuff because maybe they’re saving their regular agency work to a Dropbox account or OneDrive or whatever you’re using. But whatever they’ve set up to use with Coworker or Codex or whatever, they may not have that in one of those directories that is by default syncing to the cloud and getting updated. And so you wanna make sure that you’re helping them understand that that needs to be part of the process, because how awful would it be if you just lost all of this work that you had been doing? And so much of what you do with Coworker, Codex is device specific, and you cannot access anywhere else. I suspect that will change over time. I suspect that, that those will become, you know, more cloud-like, and we’ve already seen Claude, for example, merging the chat and cowork functions somewhat in their app. Yep … and, so we’ll see a place where I think you can just share it across devices, but right now it is frustratingly difficult for those of us with multiple devices to manage. I’ve got two PCs and a laptop and other and, and so I’ve actually written my own systems for converting the code so that it all is accessible elsewhere. But if you don’t know how to do these things, you could be in a real world of hurt if your computer crashes and you’ve got no backups. Gini Dietrich: Yeah, and I will say that, not that I speak from experience or anything, but it only has to happen to you once, and then you learn very quickly how to make all of that happen. Because you’re right, I, I was vibe- I love to vibe code. It’s one of my favorite things to do, but the very first time I did it, I didn’t know I was supposed to do version control or any of that stuff. Right. I didn’t know anything about Git. I didn’t know any of it. I do now. Chip Griffin: Yep. And look, that’s, how most of us learned the hard way in the olden days of writing this code. You’re like, “Oh, shoot, I wish I had had a copy of that.” Yeah. You know? And, in the old days, our backups were printouts, right? Because you- Right … there was no way… Like, when I did computer coding on a cassette tape, you know, there was no real way to make a copy of that easily, so, you know, we would just, you know, hit print, and, you know, on a little dot matrix printer we’d have a copy of the code so we could retype it if we absolutely had to. Gini Dietrich: That’s so funny. Ugh … Chip Griffin: not ideal. A lot easier to do things today. Gini Dietrich: Not ideal, no. Chip Griffin: but, you know, those are the kinds of things, and, if we’re all going to become programmers of a sort, we need to be thinking about that. We need to be thinking about, how do you properly test and maintain some of this stuff that we’re creating? Because it’s super easy to vibe code the first version of something. It’s a lot harder to handle the maintenance that’s required on it, you know, when connections to data sources break or technology- Yep … evolves- Yep. Yep … or those kinds of things. Yep. Most, of the people who are vibe coding don’t do anything in terms of security testing of the, the code that they’re writing. And, if that vibe coded thing ties into other systems, which many times they do, you may have created, an opening that you’re not aware of into your back-end systems that could be problematic. And so these are all things that we need to increase the level of education about so that our teams are at least thinking about these things. I’m not saying they’re gonna solve them all. They’re not gonna… We’re still gonna have issues that crop up. But we’ve got to be doing more to try to educate owners, employees, and everybody else involved in the process. Gini Dietrich: Yeah, absolutely. I really think that starting with an AI policy is the right thing to do. Don’t make it overly complicated. Like, when we started, we had this big, like, AI policy legal packet. And I was like, “This is way too much. Way too much.” Like, people are not going to absorb that. So I used my AI to dumb it down, for lack of a better term, and, you know, really to highlight the things, and then I went through myself and said, “Okay, great. These, this is a good start. Now I need to add this, this, and this,” just based on how I see people using it. So, I also think that shadow AI is one thing, but there are plenty of people who are not using it at all. And I was actually kind of shocked to find that in my own organization, like, really? O-Okay. So we’ve done a little bit of, you know, we do a, we do micro-learning sessions every week. So we’ve done a little bit of AI micro-learning just to show people, like, it’s not just for a blog post draft or helping you refine an email. Like, it can h- it could be a thinking partner. It can help you with these things. And so we’ve been doing some micro lessons on that too to just help them understand that this isn’t gonna take your job. We still need you to do your work. We still need your brains for all of this, but this will make you more effective and more efficient. Chip Griffin: Yeah. Although I, I, have taken to becoming much scarier, and I’m telling people it is gonna take their job if they are not using it effectively themselves. Gini Dietrich: If they don’t use it. No, I agree with that. Chip Griffin: Yeah. But, I agree with you. Yeah. There are, there are a lot of folks in the agency community who are not using AI beyond very rudimentary use. Gini Dietrich: Yeah. Chip Griffin: And, and I, I don’t think there are very many who aren’t using it at all, but there are a lot who are using it more like a, you know, a replacement for Google or something to, you know, give them a quick draft of a blog post or an email or something like that. And, you really need to be taking advantage of it at a much higher level if you want to be successful in really any kind of knowledge work moving forward. And- Yeah … and I think people have a relatively short window to get up to speed on this. I think we’re talking, you know, a year, two years tops. Gini Dietrich: If– Yeah, yeah. I think two years is being generous. Chip Griffin: And, I think if, if you are, if you are not, if a year from now you are not actively using AI every single day in a really intelligent way, I don’t know that you have a future. Gini Dietrich: I would agree with that. I would agree with that. And I think you have to use it, to your point, in a really intelligent way. I just answered, or I just had a conversation with a Forbes reporter who’s writing about, there’s a term for it… I can’t think of the term right now. There’s a term for you using it as a thinking partner, using AI as a thinking partner, and he was telling me that almost nobody does that, and I was like Really? Like, that’s the only thing I use it for is, you know, here’s what I’m thinking, poke some holes in it, play devil’s advocate, tell me, you know, what’s strong, what’s weak, what I need to think through more effectively. It has helped me with … I mean, I, I think I’ve mentioned before, I call it my co-CEO, and I’m like, “Okay, here’s today’s challenge. Here’s what I’m thinking. Here’s the documentation. Here’s the backup. Help me think this through.” And it’ll be like, “What about this, and what about that?” And I’ll say, “Well, no, I think you’re wrong about this,” and, “What about that?” And, like, we have ongoing conversations about things, and I don’t … From what he was saying, like, almost nobody uses it that way, and I think that is the real value because it helps you operate at a completely different level. Chip Griffin: Yeah. I mean, you’ve got … You have to, and, it, feels weird, but you have to treat these tools as if they are actual employees, consultants, whatever you wanna call them. And, it, it absolutely feels weird to anthropomorphize a chatbot. And, certainly there are ways to, to go way overboard, and y- you know, you hear these, you know- Gini Dietrich: You’re not gonna fall in love with it Chip Griffin: these really, really weird stories of, of what people have done. And, you can sort of … You know, the more time you spend with them, you s- you can kinda understand how it, you know, for the right personality, maybe it kind of veers down those- … creepy paths. I’m not encouraging that. No. I’m not encouraging that. Gini Dietrich: No, no. Chip Griffin: But, but you’re absolutely right. You have to be having meaningful conversations about the work that you do, your strategies. They are incredibly good at poking holes, incredibly good at helping you to think through things. I mean, I, have spent probably, I wouldn’t say an inordinate amount of time, but a lot of time having it challenge me. I have Claude interview me on a regular basis on different topics so that it can build its knowledge, because I’ve built a whole second brain operating system kind of thing. Yep, yep. I’ve had it mine through, and, maybe, this is another episode at some point where you and I can talk about some of the systems that we’ve put in place as examples, because I know from our previous conversations there’s some overlap, but also different ways that we do things. But you know, I, I’ve got 20-plus years of, a, a digital footprint, and AI is great at mining through that. And so I’ve had it do that so that it can, it knows more about me. And so when it pushes back, it pushes back with specific examples, and it will say, “Well, when you did this in, you know, 2007, you know, this was the decision you made. You know, why isn’t that relevant here?” Or things like that. And it’s weird at first, but, you’re ne- you wouldn’t even find an employee who could do that because none of them in, in all likelihood have been with you for 20 years. Yeah. And so having that available to you is something that you just should not be passing up, and we want to encourage our employees who probably don’t have a 20-year footprint like we do to be trying to find ways to do it, and we want to try to facilitate them using all of the tools at their disposal. So we certainly need to avoid the knee-jerk reaction when you hear an episode like this, shadow AI, oh my God, I need to shut this down. I can’t- No … I can’t have employees doing– You cannot have that reaction. Mm-mm. And you should not have, while you should have an AI policy, it should be simple- Yeah … and clean. We can’t go back to the early days of social media policies that, that organizations tried to put in place. And again, we’ve been around a long time, so we’ve seen this movie before. And some of the social media policies that people were putting in place 20 years ago were absolutely bonkers and unnecessary. And I fear that we’ll see some of the same thing on the AI front. Yes. And part of this, by the way, is, with all due respect to our lawyer friends, sorry, Sharon, don’t talk to your lawyer first about this. You can talk to your lawyer about it, but, lawyers are naturally risk-averse, right? And so if you, if you put this in the hands of your lawyer, particularly if it’s not someone like Sharon who has deep experience in the agency world, they’re gonna sit down and they’re gonna say, “Oh, you need to say no to this, and this, and this, and this.” And all of a sudden, nobody’s able to even use AI in a meaningful way. Gini Dietrich: Yeah, yeah. Chip Griffin: And so you, you’ve got to try to put reasonable safeguards in place, reasonable policies, but I think the most important is the education piece. Yes. If you educate people, they are much more likely to make the right decision. It’s not guaranteed, but it’s more likely, and right now we’re at a place where we’re not doing the right level of education of our teams. And part of that is because a lot of owners don’t actually know a lot of what we’re talking about. I mean, I think, you know, you and I- Yep … are certainly at the leading edge- Yep … for a lot of folks in the agency community. We need to get more people at that same level and let it flow through to their teams to make sure that we really are leveraging this technology for all that it can do. Because it, I mean, I, I have n- I have not been this enthusiastic about a piece of technology in the world of PR and communications at least since the beginning of the World Wide Web in the mid-’90s. Gini Dietrich: Yeah, I agree with you. And, like, the– I know I’ve said this before, but the amount of work and the productivity that I’ve been able to achieve, I honestly don’t know how I did my job without it. It’s, it is, it’s next level. And you know, there are some weekends where I’m so excited about something that I’m working on, it might be vibe coding or something else, that I will literally sit in front of my computer all weekend and just, like, in the zone because I’m so excited about it. So I think that there’s a big opportunity here for you to explore and to understand and to change the way that you do your business, run your business in a really fun and effective way. Chip Griffin: Well, and that’s probably yet another ep- episode topic, going forward in, in trying to figure out how you invest your time in AI, because it is, it is just as easy to go down unproductive rabbit holes because- Yeah … they are fun. Sure. Right? And so I, I often find myself sitting there saying, “Do I really need to build this? Is this- … is this really helpful?” You know, I… and it, it, reminds me a little bit of, woodworking, which is something that I’ve done for- Yeah, yeah, yeah … for many, many years. But, like many woodworkers, I have probably built more things for my shop than I have to use in my house, right? So you, you spend so much time, you know, building workbenches and cabinets and jigs and all of that kind of stuff, which are all really cool, but at the end of the day, they’re not the things that you, you know, it’s not the furniture or the built-ins or whatever that you can use around the house. And so we need to be careful that we don’t get so enthusiastic, that we’re only building for that. So making those decisions about where does AI actually help and where is it, you know, kinda using it for the sake of using it, is, is something to be paying attention to as well. Gini Dietrich: Yeah, totally agree. I love it. I’m, I’m a big fan. Love, love, love it. Love. Chip Griffin: And so we’ve, after our summer hiatus, we sat here and we said, “You know, we should’ve been spending more time thinking of topics to come up with.” And, and so instead we kind of pick a random topic to go with, and we’ve come up with multiple episodes, for future discussions, so. Gini Dietrich: I wrote them all down too. So they’re in our document, so we have- Chip Griffin: Out of the corner of my eye, I can see that our shared document- … has been, been being updated. I, I cannot update while we’re talking because I have one of those really loud clickety-clack keyboards. And so it would, overwhelm the audio here. Dun, dun, dun, dun, dun. Because I, I, like the noisiest possible keyboard you possibly can have. So. I love it. Anyway, on that note, I, I think it’s probably a good time to, wrap up. We can come out of the shadows with AI. Maybe it will, you know, the storm will pass, in Chicago, and it will get a little bit brighter for you in your office as well. It still seems like it- Gini Dietrich: It’s like nighttime … Chip Griffin: it must be pretty dark there. Yeah, crazy. If you’re, if you’re not watching us on video, and you really should watch us on video, because it is so compelling to see us and not just listen to us. But it, it definitely looks dark there. So on that note, we will wrap up here. I’m Chip Griffin. Gini Dietrich: I’m Gini Dietrich. Chip Griffin: You… Did you forget who you were? There was, there was a long pause there. Gini Dietrich: It’s because you, there’s a delay with you. Chip Griffin: Oh, okay. That’s good to know. Gini Dietrich: Yeah, yeah. Chip Griffin: On that note, it depends.

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Microsoft nega que "espiona" PCs a cada 15 minutos com o Windows 11. Google Assistente será substituído de vez pelo Gemini em setembro. WhatsApp melhora grupos com enquetes rápidas, chats paralelos e @todos. Apple prepara recurso para sincronizar copiar e colar do iPhone com PCs Windows. Samsung promete atualização para corrigir mancha vermelha no Galaxy S26 Ultra. Agentes hackers de OpenAI e Anthropic "se rebelam" em mais testes e Telegram retorna à App Store após ser brevemente removido pela Apple.

News and Updates: Windows 12: Not Yet: Microsoft has no plans to release Windows 12 in 2026, instead continuing annual updates to Windows 11 to avoid triggering another end-of-support mess like Windows 10's. Windows 12 likely won't require a subscription or higher hardware specs, keeping 8GB RAM support and focusing on agentic AI features that work across all Windows 11 PCs. Instagram Bans Creepy Glasses Content: IG chief Adam Mosseri says Instagram will remove videos filmed with Meta smart glasses that harass strangers, following viral "pickup line" videos targeting women in public. NY Courts Ban Smart Glasses: New York's court system banned smart glasses across all 1,240+ state courthouses starting July 20, citing concerns over secret recording of proceedings, witnesses, and jurors. ASU Launches Influencer Degree: Arizona State University now offers a Bachelor's in Content Creation, training students in video production, branding, and social media strategy for careers in digital influencing and marketing. Apple Launches Device Leasing: Apple's new "Apple Upgrade" program, backed by Klarna, lets customers lease iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches monthly instead of buying outright, with plans from $12–$83/month.

A inteligência artificial já faz parte da rotina de muitas empresas. Mas, além de automatizar tarefas e acelerar processos, ela também está mudando o próprio computador usado no trabalho. Nesta edição do Podcast Canaltech, conversamos com Murilo Tunholi, técnico de PR da ASUS Brasil, para entender como a fabricante enxerga essa transformação e por que acredita que os notebooks corporativos caminham para uma nova geração. Durante a entrevista, Murilo explica a estratégia da ASUS para crescer no mercado brasileiro de PCs corporativos, detalha as diferenças entre as linhas ExpertBook e mostra como recursos como inteligência artificial local, múltiplas camadas de segurança e garantia com atendimento no local podem fazer diferença para empresas de todos os portes. A conversa também esclarece um ponto importante: nem todo notebook com IA funciona da mesma forma. O executivo explica quais modelos realmente processam inteligência artificial localmente, por que isso é importante para proteger dados sensíveis e como essa tecnologia deve ajudar profissionais no dia a dia sem substituir o trabalho humano. Você também vai conferir: Hackers agora usam até o ChatGPT em golpeS, Samsung prepara nova concorrente da AirTag e Erro em teste faz IA invadir sistemas. Este podcast foi roteirizado e apresentado por Fernanda Santos e contou com reportagens de Marcelo Fischer, João Melo e Viviane França. A trilha sonora é de Guilherme Zomer, a edição de Natalia Improta e a arte da capa é de Erick Teixeira. O Podcast Canaltech está concorrendo para entrar no Top 20 do Prêmio iBest 2026! Se você acompanha nossos episódios, curte as entrevistas e gosta do conteúdo que produzimos todos os dias, sua ajuda pode fazer toda a diferença. Vote no Podcast Canaltech aqui. É rápido, gratuito e você pode votar até 3 vezes por dia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our Hamlet's GM Screen series continues in the Gaming Hut with a look at the prelude sequence in an adventure where the PCs poke around town shopping and bartering. Keeping us in mind of the upcoming Nations and Cannons: Dark and Bloody Ground Kickstarter, the History Hut tells the tale of river pirate James Rivington. […]

Discover how ChromeVox on Chromebooks is transforming accessible computing for blind users. With insights from Charmaine Cole of the Accessible Learning Lounge, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece explore whether Chromebooks can truly replace traditional PCs or Macs for everyday tasks. In this episode of Double Tap, Steven and Shaun dive into the world of Chromebooks and Google's built-in screen reader, ChromeVox. They're joined by Charmaine Cole, who has recently expanded her Accessible Learning Lounge courses to include training for ChromeVox, NVDA, and VoiceOver. Together, they discuss how Chromebooks perform for blind users, the surprising accessibility improvements in ChromeVox, and how these affordable devices could meet daily computing needs like email, Google Docs, and cloud work. Charmaine shares her journey of learning ChromeVox, the benefits of free screen reader tools, and the accessibility challenges still present in areas like Braille support and missing place markers. The conversation also touches on inconsistent hotel accessibility, the rising cost of tech, and why Chromebooks might be the budget-friendly solution for many users. Like what you hear? Share your thoughts in the comments, subscribe for more accessible tech discussions, and check out Charmaine Cole's courses for 10% off with code doubletap. Relevant Links Accessible Learning Lounge: https://accessiblelearning.gumroad.com ----Follow on:YouTube: https://www.doubletaponair.com/youtubeX (formerly Twitter): https://www.doubletaponair.com/xInstagram: https://www.doubletaponair.com/instagramTikTok: https://www.doubletaponair.com/tiktokThreads: https://www.doubletaponair.com/threadsFacebook: https://www.doubletaponair.com/facebookLinkedIn: https://www.doubletaponair.com/linkedinSubscribe to the Podcast:Apple: https://www.doubletaponair.com/appleSpotify: https://www.doubletaponair.com/spotifyRSS: https://www.doubletaponair.com/podcastiHeadRadio: https://www.doubletaponair.com/iheartAbout Double TapHosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited."Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Most of us associate hospitality with perfection — the spotless tables, Pinterest-worthy decor, flawless hosting. But what if I told you hospitality isn't about aesthetics or personality traits? It's a reflection of God's heart — an act of obedience, invitations that echo Scripture's generosity and love, reaching beyond surface appearances to create genuine belonging, even in chaos.Brenda Pace, Director of Leadership Development at Planting Roots, shares powerful stories from military life — boxes, PCS moves, fleeting friendships — yet she reveals bold truths about how to practice hospitality anywhere, anytime. She debunks myths that hospitality is optional or only for extroverts, showing it's rooted in God's character, not our skills. You'll discover how embracing imperfection opens up space for real connection, how faithfulness trumps duration, and how fleeting seasons can deepen lifelong bonds.This episode is a lifeline for military spouses, busy moms, and believers craving authentic community. Brenda's insights will shift how you see your invitation to love and serve — not as a task to perfect, but as a divine opportunity to reflect God's invitation to us all.Perfect if you've ever felt overwhelmed by chaos, underestimated your ability, or hesitated to connect. Whether you're in the military or just longing for deeper community, this is your call to practice, not perfect — to invite, listen, and love with boldness because that's where God's presence dwells.After all, real hospitality is theological before it's practical, and it transforms lives one genuine invitation at a time. Are you ready to step into this divine calling? Hit play and discover the power of messy, beautiful, God-driven hospitality.

What did it take for blind people to gain access to computers before modern day screen readers and smartphones? Join Denny Daughters as he talks with Mike Tanner, a blind educator who teaches blind and visually impaired students in Southern California, about the evolution of adaptive technology for the blind.  From the first scanning and reading machines of the 1970s to groundbreaking devices like the Apple IIe, VersaBraille, and early PCs, they explore the innovations that opened the door to education, employment, and independence.  This first installment traces the history of adaptive technology from the early 1970s through about 1990. It's the beginning of a series exploring the evolution of technology that has transformed life for blind people.  This program is hosted, produced, and edited by Denny Daughters.  For a full program transcription, click here The post The History of Adaptive Technology for the Blind (Part 1) – Pushing Limits – July 31, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

Whether you've received orders or you're just curious about the process, this episode walks you through what makes an OCONUS move different...and why it can feel overwhelming the first time. In this episode of the PCS Survival Series, we break down: What makes an overseas PCS different from a stateside move The EFMP clearance process and why it matters How to divide your belongings (storage, unaccompanied, household goods) What it feels like to live without your things for months And how to prepare for unexpected delays and costs Better Together, Christine Resources Start here: Free Clarity Workshop Stay connected: Join The Free Community The real-time version of navigating life as a milspouse: Instagram Work with me 1:1: Let's Work Together Support the show: If this episode meant something to you, leaving a review helps more military spouses find it

'Any weakness in the stock is a buying opportunity' according to Ivan Feinseth of Tigress Financial Partners. He thinks investors are too focused on Qualcomm (QCOM)'s handset devices revenue decline and that they are missing the transition into A.I., PCs, edge computing, automotive technology, robotics and networking. Feinseth says the company has pricing power amid the announcement it will be raising prices.======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day. Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/ About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about

A bestselling computer book and a mayor's office may seem worlds apart, but Dan Gookin's path connects them through curiosity, clear communication, and public service. I talk with the DOS for Dummies author and Coeur d'Alene mayor about making technical writing useful, challenging industries that resist new ideas, and finding success by improving work others do poorly. Dan also shares why he entered local politics, how transparency and community engagement built public trust, and why responsible leadership often means asking the questions others overlook. We close by exploring political division, religious freedom, social media algorithms, and the need to reduce online anger without losing the internet's benefits. Highlights: 00:06:48 - Why leaving your comfort zone creates growth. 00:11:07 - How doing something better can become a business. 00:12:39 - Why writing for beginners changed computer publishing. 00:27:06 - How transparency concerns led Dan into politics. 00:37:30 - Why responsiveness helped Dan earn public trust. 00:54:49 - How social media fuels anger and division. About the Guest: Dan Gookin is the mayor-elect of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, having won election in November 2025 after serving on the City Council since 2011. Known as a fiscal conservative, outspoken advocate for government transparency, and a committed budget hawk who asks tough questions, he is often described as “the lone voice of reason” on the council, consistently championing the public and the “little guy” against bureaucracy. Gookin views his public service as protecting individual rights. He prides himself on listening to all perspectives, welcoming alternative viewpoints, remaining open to new information, and never being a rubber-stamp vote. Professionally, Gookin is known as a writer and online trainer. He has been writing about technology since the early days of personal computing, combining his humor with a passion for gadgets to create informative and entertaining books. He authored the groundbreaking DOS For Dummies in 1991—the world's fastest-selling computer book at the time and the title that launched the iconic For Dummies series, now a publishing phenomenon. With more than 170 titles to his credit, over 12 million copies in print, and translations into more than 30 languages, his popular works include PCs and Laptops For Dummies, Android For Dummies, Word For Dummies, and C For Dummies. He maintains two helpful websites, wambooli.com and c-for-dummies.com. He creates online courses for LinkedIn Learning on diverse topics, and in 2020 published Running for Local Office For Dummies. Gookin graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a BA in Communications/Visual Arts and minors in cognitive psychology and theatrical design. He put his creative talents to work as artistic director of the Lake City Playhouse, where he designed sets, lighting, and directed many productions between 1997 and 2002. First and foremost, Dan considers himself a father who raised four boys in Idaho. Gookin resides in Coeur d'Alene with his wife, Brie, along with various children and pets. In his leisure time, he enjoys woodworking, playing the piano, riding his bike, cooking, gardening, and making lists of things he enjoys doing along with occasionally annoying those who think that they're important. Ways to connect with Dan**:** LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-gookin-46995713/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/dangookin 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/ 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  00:04 What if the biggest thing holding you back isn't what's in front of you, but rather what you believe? Welcome to Unstoppable Mindset, where inclusion, diversity, and the unexpected meet. I'm your host, Michael Hingston, speaker, author, and advocate for inclusion and possibilities. This podcast explores how the beliefs we carry shape the way we live, lead, and connect with others. Each week, I talk with people who challenge assumptions, face adversity head-on, and show what's possible when we choose curiosity over fear. Together, we focus on mindset, resilience, and the small shifts that lead to meaningful change. Let's get started. Hello there, everyone. Welcome to another episode of Unstoppable Mindset. I am your host, Michael Hingston, and today we get to chat with Dan Gookin. Do you know who Dan Gookin is? Probably not, but you will by the time we're done. But I will tell you one thing about Dan. He was elected mayor of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, in November of 2025. I think Dan, you're the first political person as such that we have had on, which is kind of cool. I'm really honored to to have you here, and and we can spend the the whole time picking on on other politicians, but there's no need to do that. I mean, what good does it do? It's a waste of time. But I want to welcome you to Unstoppable Mindset, and Dan, thanks very much for being here. Dan Gookin  01:44 Thank you, Michael. Thank you for having me on. Michael Hingson  01:46 Well, this will, I think, really be a lot of fun. I'm sorry that you guys aren't getting a lot of snow up there. My brother-in-law has been keeping me posted on the lack of snow, so today here we're expecting a temperature at about 70 degrees. Last week it got up to 39. So I don't know. There's something going on with the climate. Dan Gookin  02:10 Something. Michael Hingson  02:11 Yeah, whatever it is. Speaker 1  02:13 Well, there was a name for that. Michael Hingson  02:15 Yeah, yeah. If if there were enough people, would only believe it. But that's another story. You are right. Well, thanks very much for being here. Why don't we start? Tell me about the early Dan growing up and all that. Speaker 1  02:31 So I grew up in San Diego, California. Good place. I still say San Michael Hingson  02:35 Diego has the best weather in the country. Speaker 1  02:38 They do. It's changed a little bit as everything has, but I escaped from there back in 1991. Went up to Washington State because I was doing some work with Microsoft, and then decided that that was Seattle was another big city. So we kept looking east and finally landed in Idaho in Coeur d'Alene because it's pretty. Michael Hingson  03:01 It's a nice area. So you you did your schooling and all that down in San Diego. Speaker 1  03:06 Yeah, I graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a degree in communication visual arts. That was in 1983. Michael Hingson  03:13 Cool, wow. I've spent many a a day down in San Diego. I lived in Vista for six years, so I'm familiar with the area. Yeah, I liked Vista. Vista was a nice place to be. You Speaker 1  03:24 did a radio show out of Vista. Did you for a while? Yeah, computer call-in show. So that was way back. Michael Hingson  03:32 What did you discuss, or just anything dealing with computers? I Speaker 1  03:36 was editing a magazine, a local computer magazine at the time, and we purchased an hour, and so I would drive from my home in Tierra Santa all the way up to Vista to be in this little tiny radio station, where we would do call-ins. And sometimes people would call in, and I would help them solve their computer problems. And sometimes I had to talk to myself for Michael Hingson  03:57 an hour. And and and did you get answers when you talk to yourself. Speaker 1  04:02 No, but I got really hoarse. Ah, okay. Michael Hingson  04:04 Well, you know, just just checking. Well, that's cool. Well, I guess we could tell everyone that, among other things, Dan is also the author of a number of books, including DOS for Dummies. I still like DOS. Thank you. I I like DOS. I've just always enjoyed it. Although, I have to admit, Windows has progressed a whole lot more. But I always liked DOS. Speaker 1  04:27 Yes, it was good, and and it was its complexity or its a rudeness, I shall say. Yeah, that's a good. Sold the book because you had to type. You had to know the commands in Windows. You can kind of look and point and do all this stuff, but in DOS, you had to know the commands and type the commands, and people wouldn't-they couldn't remember. There were all these options, and so we sold a lot of books doing that. It's still, like I said, I I like it too. I like the command line because it's faster if you know what you have to type. Yeah, it takes less time to type. Than it does to look around, point and shoot with the mouse. Michael Hingson  05:04 Yeah, there are a number of blind people on some list serves that I am part of that every so often something regarding DOS comes up, which is I think kind of cool. Speaker 1  05:15 Yep, hasn't gone away. It's it's still lurking in there somewhere. Michael Hingson  05:19 It is still a kind of the basic underpinning foundation of a lot of Windows, isn't it? Speaker 1  05:25 Well, Windows actually does run on top of it still. If you if you when you start a program in Windows, you're actually issuing a text command. So inside there is a long text command that is issued that gets everything running. It's just that you're configuring that from a graphical perspective, Michael Hingson  05:44 right? Yeah, but but it is still running. DOS essentially runs under Windows, which is which is something that is is relevant. So I guess we could blame that on Bill Gates, Speaker 1  05:57 or credit him. I don't know. Michael Hingson  05:58 Or yeah, yeah, one of the other. Well, so you you graduated, you moved to Seattle. As you said, it is a big city, although you know it's kind of hard to fight Pike's fish market. Speaker 1  06:11 Well, there's there's the fun and charming parts of of Seattle that I really enjoyed. So I mean, I can't say that you know it was a horrible city. The thing I admired about Seattle the most was that Seattle would occasionally not take itself seriously, and I liked that it had a sense of humor and that people there were generally good natured. San Diego was a little bit more uptight, you know, fair weather fans, that kind of stuff, where Seattle was more of a community, and I admired that greatly. Michael Hingson  06:43 And there used to be a lot of rain up there. Speaker 1  06:45 Not as much as people say. That's kind of their reputation. The Pacific Northwest we do have. So I moved from Southern California where you have 360 days of sun a year to Pacific Northwest where you have 180, so it was kind of a shock from that point of view. It's mostly like today; it's overcast. It's just there's no sun, so that's the big difference. Michael Hingson  07:10 And then you moved up to Idaho, and and how many days of sun or not sun are there a year? Speaker 1  07:16 Oh, still about 180. 180. Uh huh. But it's you know so you get used to it after a while, and when the sun comes out, you're all happy, and it's like, look, the sun's out, everything's pretty. Michael Hingson  07:27 Yeah, fair. Yeah. So when you were in San Diego and so on, what did you want to do or be when you grew up? Speaker 1  07:36 So originally, I wanted to be a doctor, and then I had the misfortune of being in a hospital, and I said I don't ever want to be back here, and changed my mind and figured I would be a writer. So for years I started writing and submitting things to magazines, trying to work on books and stuff. I mean I wrote a few books, and they say that you have to get about a million words of junk out before you actually are a good writer. So I I worked on that for a long time, and got to the point where I I actually had a reputation with some of the editors in the magazines who would write me back personal notes instead of the generic you know dismissal, and so that was working really well. But then what happened in 1984 was I wrote something for the local computer flyer, and they liked that, and it got published, and that was what really started the career for tech because tech wanted people who knew how to write, so that was good timing. Michael Hingson  08:35 Yeah, so many technical manuals are just so boring. I really wish people would learn how to write more interesting books. Of course, I say that about textbooks as well. I am of the opinion that having a master's degree in physics and having read many a physics book, the and there are so few of them. The best books are the ones where the authors have put some actual personal stories in to draw people in with human interest parts of the science, and I wish more people would do that. Speaker 1  09:03 And that was my point too. It was like these books are dull and boring. And the problem I had because I was writing computer books at the time, I had a computer book literary agent. There is such a thing, and it's it's backwards in that industry though, because the publisher says what they want a book on, and then they have you write the book on the topic, and so I was doing that for many years. But I did not like the fact that they would edit my books to make them dry, and the editors would actually complain to me and say, "There's too much personality in here. You can't have this. It was like it was like they thought that was a built-in feature of the book, and my protest was, "Well, no. Let's make them interesting. Let's use real life examples. Let's have some personality in there. Let's have some interaction with the with the reader. And they didn't like that until DOS for Dummies came around, and the publisher was willing to change the paradigm. Michael Hingson  09:55 Jeez, yeah, it's so unfortunate. They they think they know. Everything there is to know, and the reality is they don't. Speaker 1  10:04 That's the way it is with just about any industry. You know that I think the corporate mentality is kind of to resist innovation, even in the most innovative industries, until something crazy comes along. And I think that's why in Silicon Valley you had all these startups. You know, if you look, if you trace the lineage of a lot of the big companies, they started at other big companies that were unwilling to do the crazy ideas these guys had, and so they went off. I mean, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak left Hewlett Packard and started up Apple Computer, and I'm pretty sure there's probably been some engineers from Apple Computer who've left and started up their own company and becoming Michael Hingson  10:43 well. And Bill Gates is essentially the same way. It's it's he started out doing something, but he attracted people's attention by some of the other things that he did. Speaker 1  10:53 Yep. Michael Hingson  10:54 And that was was very relevant. But I I hear what you're saying. It makes perfect sense because people just don't like to be innovative and don't like change, and and that's unfortunate that we have so many people that just, as much as they talk about the fact that change is everywhere, they don't like it. Speaker 1  11:10 No, it's well, I think yeah, we we get in our comfort zone, and you don't grow out in the comfort zone. So I like to challenge myself and do interesting things like become mayor, and you know you leave your comfort zone. And what what can I do here, or how can I do this better? Michael Hingson  11:26 Yeah, well, and that makes makes perfect sense. Well, what got you started writing about technology? Just because you were writing that that one article there, or those articles that got interest on the part of a publisher, or what? Speaker 1  11:41 What got me started was that I got paid. Ah, Michael Hingson  11:44 good point. Speaker 1  11:45 You know, they they paid me, and then you know, as as someone who was you know using a computer at the time, and they were called microcomputers, and they were really primitive compared to what we have today. Oh yeah, I I used it to write. So, and the the problem with that was that the the documents, the manuals that we talk about, were so dry and boring, and eventually, all of a sudden, it would dawn on me: it's like, well, this is what it's trying to say. So why don't they just come out and say it this way, or why don't they use an analogy and try to explain it in that manner instead of coming at it from this hardcore technical? And that was what really turned off a lot of people, so it motivated me to want to do it better, and that's kind of what I tell the kids, like my kids. I say you should start up a business. That's really the best way to get successful is start up your own business and become famous like that. And they're well, what business should I start up? I said that the easiest way is to find something that you like, something that's being done poorly, and just do it better. Yeah, and that's really a lot of the the creative, insanely genius stuff that's happened throughout the world is just someone who does something routine but does it better. Michael Hingson  12:52 And that's really the operative part about it, and and the real key. I think you're you're absolutely right. Find something that people aren't doing well, and by the time you get creative enough to figure that out, you're well on your way. Speaker 1  13:05 Yep. So that's that's what I did. Michael Hingson  13:08 Yeah. And so you started going off and and writing a variety of things. What what actually got you to write Dos for Dummies? What specifically? That's first of all, I love the the title of all the Four Dummies books. I think it makes sense. But what got you started in writing DOS for Dummies directly? Speaker 1  13:27 Well, I I knew that there was an appetite out there for beginner computer books, but the publishing industry would not publish beginning computer books because they said beginners don't buy computer books. And I explained to them, well, your problem is you don't write beginner computer books. You write something and you call it, you know, the easy guide to whatever, but the content of it is not written for a beginner. Maybe the first chapter is very condescending and patronizing, and then the rest of it is just technical garbage. So I said you have to keep that tone throughout the entire text. You have to identify who it is you're writing to, as who's a smart person who may just not get it, and explain it to them, and just keep going. And that was the problem. So I I did originally called it the Idiots Guide for DOS, which was based after the Idiots Guide to Volkswagen Repair. My dad had a copy of that, and I thought, well, what a brilliant idea. Michael Hingson  14:20 Yeah. Speaker 1  14:21 And so the publisher saw me speak at a conference, and where I was bemoaning the fact that the books were so boring, and they kept editing out my personality. And then went to to him, and and he's like, "This is great. Your outline that you have for this book is perfect. Except we want to call it DOS for Dummies. I thought, like a lot of other people, that was condescending and patronizing, but that it's an alliteration, so that's what they go with. And then he said to make it a reference. Don't make it a tutorial because, and this is brilliant, these people don't want to learn anything; they just want to do their job. Yeah, that makes sense. So that was and that was it, and we put a lot of humor in it. You know, people would tell me that they'd read the book on the subway, and you know, you'd see someone laughing reading a computer book. That's weird, but there would just be enough humor, and I'd use Mad Magazine as my inspiration. So it was kind of like us versus the nerds, and and that was what really founded the whole thing, and I tell you what, it caught on. I did not think it would. There was no way we were planning on writing a book that would sell, you know, 8 million copies. We were just thinking, well, this is going to be fun. Let's just do this, get it out of our system, and then go back to writing boring books. Michael Hingson  15:36 Made the publisher very happy. Speaker 1  15:39 Oh yeah, they were printing Gold bricks, yeah. Michael Hingson  15:43 That, of course, was the real key. Well, that started a brand, didn't it? Speaker 1  15:47 Oh yeah, they did. There was no intention to do that, but then they they followed that up with Max for Dummies and a bunch of other titles that were just very popular at the time. AOL for Dummies, you know, Windows for Dummies eventually came out, and that was the King for Dummies book. But yeah, they have and they have it on all topics. I've even so as someone who is you know starting in government, I got Robert's Rules for Dummies, which you know you've been to a meeting, you know they follow Robert's Rules, which is very dry and boring, but it's it's important. And Robert's Rules for Dummies is a good example of a For Dummies book because it explains everything carefully. Lots of humor in there, and so there's a lot of them. Wine for Dummies was another one that I really liked. I thought they did a good job. Golf for Dummies. There's a there's on every topic. There's a For Dummies book. Michael Hingson  16:37 How many of them did you write? Speaker 1  16:40 Only wrote the ones with my names on them, but probably about 40 separate titles. So over the years, most of them have been rewrites. So technology changes. So there have been 16 editions of Word for Dummies, and 13 editions of PCs for Dummies. There were four editions of DOS for Dummies. So you're you're always writing new editions, so all totaled 180 separate titles. But individual titles, without not counting multiple editions, right? About 60. Michael Hingson  17:09 Wow. Speaker 1  17:10 Yeah. Yeah, Michael Hingson  17:10 and I can appreciate that that books like Word for Dummies or even iPhones for Dummies has to change over time. Speaker 1  17:19 Yeah. Well, some of them. I mean, I've been doing a kind of a review on on YouTube. I've been doing short videos highlighting some of the goofy images that I put in the books over the years. And way back about 20 years ago, I think I was updating these titles once a year. They would say, "We need a new version of this. We need a new version of this. And at the time, technology was just. I mean, they were cranking out new stuff all the time. Michael Hingson  17:44 So, who's written AI for Dummies? Speaker 1  17:47 I don't know, but that is a title, so I wouldn't be Michael Hingson  17:50 surprised. Speaker 1  17:51 It should write itself, though. You think about Michael Hingson  17:53 it. Yeah, you you know, they they really should do that. It should write itself. Speaker 1  17:56 Someone told me once that they they they wanted to do a manual in my style, so they directed AI to write something in the style of Dan Gukan, and apparently AI can do that. So, am I going to get paid? I don't know. Michael Hingson  18:10 Well, that's another story, of course. Yeah, but still, it it is a it's a it's a great franchise. It's a great brand all the way around, and I know different people have written different different kinds of books like that, but still, the the fact is we need that in the world, and and I agree with you, especially that it's good to put humor and personality into it. And I really wish more people would do that. I really wish that would go into the the textbook world, but it hasn't yet. Speaker 1  18:37 No, that's that, and that's a different planet. I tried to break into that world, and that academia is is it's different. It is weird. Michael Hingson  18:44 Yeah, there are just not that many people who can get away with it like Richard Feynman did with some of the things that he did in physics, and even there, his his books were a little boring at times. But still, Speaker 1  18:56 he was awesome. His of course, his his autobiography is a lot of fun. Michael Hingson  19:00 Yeah, surely you're joking, mr. Fineman. Speaker 1  19:03 Exactly. Michael Hingson  19:04 Adventures of yeah, it is. I I keep it around. I've got an audio copy of it, and every so often I will go back and read parts of it. It's a it's a great book. Speaker 1  19:14 He's kind of an inspiration to me, especially in the area of government. And one of the parts of his book where he was on the panel that was reviewing textbooks for, I think, the state of California, and he noticed that one of the books was blank; it was empty, and he was the only one on the panel who did it. And I kind of echo that often in government because I'm occasionally the only person who actually reads some of the material they provide. Yeah, and and those kind of moments are classic. I love those. You know, when you can say, "Well, as everyone notices, you know, page 14 is blank, and they all madly flip to page 14, like, "Oh my gosh, how did you find this? Well, I, I did my job. I read the thing. Michael Hingson  19:54 I had a roommate in college, and we at that time we were using the Berkeley Physics series. I don't know. Whether that even still exists anymore, but different professors from Berkeley wrote various books, and the guy who wrote the book on waves, I had a roommate who was reading that book, and he searched vigorously to try to find a single misspelling of a word in the whole book. Wow! He finally found one. He said there really was one in the book. Kind of makes you wonder if that was deliberate, but but he actually found one. But it took him most of the quarter we had the book to find it. But but he did. Speaker 1  20:33 Excellent. Yeah, I got to say that's that's an art form. I used to work in a publishing house, and we would pore over books looking for spelling errors and mistakes and punctuation and all this stuff and of course you don't find them until the book's actually printed. Michael Hingson  20:46 Of course not. Yeah, yeah. Now it's it should be easier, but it's not, and they still don't come out until the book is already published and it's out there, and then you find out what isn't right. Speaker 1  20:58 Right. Michael Hingson  21:00 I suppose that gives the publisher an excuse to republish the book and make more money. Speaker 1  21:05 Well, yeah, it depends. It's if it is selling. If it doesn't sell, then obviously the the mistake's going to linger out there. Of course, with digital copies, they can update it right away, but not with a print book. Michael Hingson  21:17 Yeah, nowadays there's so many print books that are done pretty much on demand, so that if you want a copy, unless it's just something where they're selling literally millions a month, the book is available on demand. Although there's a little bit of a lag time to get it, my book Thunderdog, which is the story of Roselle and me in the World Trade Center, is is still selling pretty well, but it is more printed on demand by Thomas Nelson than now Harper Collins. Speaker 1  21:46 Yeah, Michael Hingson  21:47 and I understand that as long as it's available, I'm not going to complain. Speaker 1  21:51 And they and they they prefer to sell it that way as opposed to printing out 5000 copies they have to store somewhere. So Michael Hingson  21:56 right, yeah, they don't have to pay for storage and they just print it, and so it takes an extra week to get somewhere. That's fine. We can cope with that as long as it's available, and then that's all that really matters. Speaker 1  22:08 Yeah. Michael Hingson  22:09 But you've written a lot of books. How come so many? Because they're not all for dummies. Ah, okay. Speaker 1  22:16 Well, it just you know that was my profession, and that's what I did. And so, and I had a good agent who would find me a lot of work, so yeah, they would come up and they would want me to write a book on this or that, and a lot of it was because at the time in that industry I had a name and a reputation. I'm also very fast, so and that that kind of surprises people. In fact, there's some someone who accuses me of having a ghostwriter, which I do not. It's just I've been doing it so long, and you know, when I started, my agent said that he said the more you do this, the faster you'll get, the better you'll get. So, whereas in the original book, the first book I wrote took about six months to to write. I've written books in less than a month. It really depends. It depends on the topic, how well I know the topic, but also I do a lot of organizing with an outline, and so I will will work with an outline almost until it's down to the paragraph level, and then that makes it really easy to write the book, especially a technology book where there's a lot of cross references, and this sequence, you know, assuming someone's reading it front to back is really important, so you got to make sure that you touch upon things and do it in the right order. And then that's so yeah. I just got really good at it, which annoyed a lot of my fellow authors because as I was writing and I would get faster and faster, the contracts would start demanding the books in a more expedient manner, so other authors would complain to me and say, "You know, I have to write this book, and they're only giving me three months to do it. They're blaming me because I can do it in three months, and they figure everyone can do it in three months. So that was fun. Michael Hingson  23:54 Have you had books that someone asked you to write where you really didn't know much of anything about the subject, and you had to spend more time researching it, or you just spend time researching it, but you still did that very quickly. Speaker 1  24:06 Yeah, when I first started, that was pretty much the case. In fact, I talked with a guy who he had written the like the best-selling DBase three book. So DBase was a database way back in DOS, and it was the most popular database program, and he wrote the number one best-selling DBase three book that everyone who used that that program would buy, and he told me that he knew nothing about it when he signed the contract. So the the process of writing the book involved this intense deep dive into finding out what it is the program does, and then working on that. Of course, in those days, the books, the software came with a manual, so it was possible to go through the manual and see what the thing was capable of, and maybe get a few hints about that. But the books were not just a rephrase. The manual; they were a little bit better, the project oriented, whatever. So there was one one book that I did on a program called Super Card for the Macintosh, and it was the it was the there was no documentation, and I could call up the developer and I could ask him. So that was that was a tool I could use if I had access to the developer. I could call them up and I could say, "Okay, so I'm I'm doing this. What can you tell me that's like a secret or that is not obvious? And they love to share that stuff. Sure, I just write it all down, and then that that'll make the book better. If you could get through the the gatekeepers and get into where the nerds were, then you could get a lot of good information, and they were happy to share it. I did a few books on OS two that were like that, where I finally was able to escape into the lab and ask them. And the the guy they were so friendly, and they're like, "Oh, you got to tell him this, this, this, this. You know, we we couldn't put this in the manual. You have to tell him this, and so you write a great book. But of course, OS two, no one used it, so no one bought the book. Michael Hingson  26:05 Yeah, yeah, OS two was not one of those things that everybody loved. If Speaker 2  26:13 you enjoy Unstoppable Mindset and would like to help us continue bringing these conversations to you each week, we've created a way for you to support the show. Your contribution helps us cover production costs and continue sharing stories, insights, and ideas that inspire people to live with purpose and possibility. If supporting the podcast feels right for you, you'll find the link in the show notes. Thank you for being part of the unstoppable mindset community. Michael Hingson  26:46 I remember when I was a student at UC Irvine. I wasn't an information computer science major. I was physics major, but several people took ICS one, two, and three, which was a three quarter course, or well, it was a year course, and the the book they used was Introduction to Computer Programming by Ken Ingram. And what was fun about that was that on the first day of class, the professor would come in and he'd say, "Okay, I want you to read chapter one of information of introduction to computer programming by Ken Ingram. It's the textbook we're going to use. I want you to read that before our next class. And of course, most everyone had not touched the book prior to that. And what he didn't say was that that first chapter took up half the book. Speaker 1  27:40 I like it. Michael Hingson  27:43 Yeah, I know. Wasn't that? And I, I, I heard about it. I, I never did get the book, and I didn't get it transcribed into Braille. But I thought that was cute. Chapter one was half the book. Speaker 1  27:53 No one would have suspected chapter one's an easy chapter. It's four pages. Right, supposed to be right. I think it was like Michael Hingson  28:00 180 pages. It was amazing. Michael Hingson  28:03 I'm not sure whether Ingram had a sense of humor or what, but anyway, there you go. But yeah, that that was kind of kind of amazing. So you you wrote all these books and you continue to do that, but somewhere along the line, you got interested in doing things in politics. What was that all about? Speaker 1  28:25 Well, that was frustrating. Not Michael Hingson  28:28 bad, Speaker 1  28:29 because I. So I think a lot of people are kind of interested. They follow politics. If I call up my mom in San Diego, she has to complain to me about you know the mayor of San Diego and what the city council is doing and and it's it's common it's just I think I think the most most people who are active in in their community know a little bit about politics or whatever and in my case I had just moved from the county here near Courtland and then I'd moved into the city, and I had heard that there was someone was buying up properties in my neighborhood, and I thought that was curious, and I wanted to see if this was something that you know are they going to tear down houses? What are they going to do? So I started researching using the the county website to see who was own who owned these properties, and it was a place called the Lake City Development Corporation, and I thought, well, I need to find out what that is, and it turned out that was an urban renewal agency that was formed by the city of Cortland, and I started reading the statutes and I started reading their minutes and finding out what it is they do, and while on the surface it sounded really fun, there were a lot of curious things that I didn't like. A lot of non-transparent things, a lot of things where you know they're spending public money on what I thought were frivolous things, and so I started asking questions. I started coming to meetings, and they're missing. Was that they pushed back, and so I just something triggered me, and I had a red flag, and I just started going after it. We started, we formed a group of people who were all interested in this, and we would meet regularly and go over what was going on with the government. We'd find issues regarding transparency and spending, and lots of interesting stuff. Never really anything nefarious. Never anything that would. But just a lot of stuff that, as we let the public know about what was going on, they would become outraged and they would say, "Wait a second! They're spending millions of dollars on this, and you know, with property taxes so high, and what is this, and why is it affecting me? And and so I went to the city council meetings here in Portland, and I was frustrated because no one else seemed to get it. And I would look at them, and they would have some issue that would come up, and everyone on the council-there were six members on the council-they would all vote in unison, and no one had asked a question. And I would say, "Well, wait a second, why aren't they asking a question about this, or why aren't they concerned about this, or what about the side effects of this? And so I started writing articles for the paper. I eventually did videos and to speak to various groups and such because I was like, we got to hold government accountable. So I ran for office in ran for the city council in 2007, and I lost. And then I ran in 2009, and I lost, but only by like 29 votes. And then I was done at that point. I really didn't want to do it again because running for office is a pain. Michael Hingson  31:33 Yeah. And Speaker 1  31:34 then they had this huge thing where all of a sudden they were going to redo a park without a public vote, and I wanted a public vote. Lots of people wanted to vote on it, but no, they were going to do it, and they didn't care what the public thought. So they made me run. They made me run a third time, and I won. And I've been on the city council ever since. And then, of course, well, since last November when I got kicked up to the mayor seat, which is where I'm sitting Right now, strange journey. Michael Hingson  32:04 Well, yeah, but on the other hand, there is something to be said for transparency, and there's somebody something to be said for somebody who really wants to look out for what what people want and what people are doing. I I got involved. Well, I've not run for public office, but I've been very much involved in political kinds of things because I've been involved in the blindness world since early 1970s, and the National Federation of the Blind has had for well now, gosh, more than 50 years or around 50 years, what used to be called the March on Washington. Now it's called the Washington Seminar, which is a an event that takes place every year, where several 100 blind people descend on Washington and go off and visit legislators. And the idea is to really get them to understand what the needs of blind people are and try to get them to vote on issues that directly relate to issues concerning us, and sometimes they do. Although it's gotten a lot harder to get things passed, especially in the last eight or nine years. But still, that it it has to be done. But I remember, among other things, I was living in Massachusetts when I first started going, and among other things, we we went and saw the Speaker of the House, who was Tip O'Neill at the time, which was kind of fun. And what an interesting, what a charismatic guy! Didn't matter what party he was with; it was a charismatic guy. And we also visited people like Senator at the time Paul Songis, and what was interesting about him was we we talked about our issues, and it was the end of the day, and then suddenly he said, you know, I'm not going anywhere for the next few minutes. Do you guys have time? And we ended up just talking for about an hour and a half about his view of of and our views of what Massachusetts needed to do, not only for blind people but just in general, it was just fascinating. There weren't very many politicians who would do that. Speaker 1  34:08 That's awesome. Yeah, I liked him. I liked Tungus a lot. Michael Hingson  34:12 Yeah, I wish he'd been able to run for president, but he got cancer, and that's that's unfortunate. Yeah, but because I think that he's one of those people who would do what really needed to be done and do it the right way. Speaker 1  34:26 In other words, the people who never win. Yeah, that's unfortunately Michael Hingson  34:31 really the case, isn't it? Speaker 2  34:33 Yeah, Speaker 1  34:33 yeah. Michael Hingson  34:34 But but you got to do that. Speaker 1  34:36 Yeah. Michael Hingson  34:38 So you you know, but you you hopefully you'll make a big difference, and maybe you'll be able to get people to believe in climate change. Oh, did I say that Speaker 1  34:48 this year? Nah, Michael Hingson  34:53 not unless you predict snow when it actually comes. Speaker 1  34:56 That and that and that's the key. Yeah, Michael Hingson  34:59 yeah. No, I understand, but it but it is fascinating. I you know I I enjoy the concept of politics. I enjoy people who really have a vested interest in making government go well, but it is so unfortunate that we don't see that much of it, which is just too bad. Speaker 1  35:18 There are a lot of good dedicated people out there. I think so. Of course, the the problem is is you know, like they say, politics is sports for the uncoordinated, and it's drama for the ugly. But the the thing is, the people who really do a good job, who are out there doing what you want them to do, they don't get the headlines. It's the noisemakers. It's the extremists. It's the people who are going to have some obnoxious opinion because that that gets everyone's attention. You know, the the guy out there who's doing the job, who's putting in the time, representing the citizens, and making his community a better place. You know, you're never going to read that guy in the paper, unfortunately. Michael Hingson  35:59 Yeah, and that's also part of the problem: is that the media looks for all the drama rather than really looking to to represent the the average citizen and what they truly want and need. Speaker 1  36:10 So those don't the actual the things don't make headlines. In fact, it was a it was really funny. There was a guy who was elected to the state house from this county, and one of his campaign platforms, he was going to repeal all the useless laws, all the things that are still on the books. That you know, just we don't need those laws anymore. They're old. They're outdated, and he did that for about a week, and it doesn't make headlines. So here he is, you know, doing this, doing the job that you think they they would want to do and making government more effective, no one cared. I remember there was one year where we actually we cut property taxes here in the city, and I thought, wow, everyone's going to come up and say thank you. No, no one did. So it's like, what's the motivation? If you go, they say, I want you to be I want you to be my mayor and I want you to work to cut that budget and so you cut the budget and then no one says thank you. Michael Hingson  37:08 We got Tom Steyer here in California who wants to become governor and he's talking about all these things that he's going to do. He's going to get electric utility rates lowered by a significant amount. He's going to encourage and bring competition to the electric grid industry, and he talks about lowering housing costs by building a million homes and doing so many things. And every time I hear his campaign commercials, the thing that I keep asking myself is, haven't we learned anything? And no offense to Donald Trump, but Donald Trump made a lot of promises that we're not seeing. Steyer is making a lot of promises that he has yet to say how he's going to pull any of them off. Speaker 1  37:56 Oh yeah, and that's and that's the thing is you got to. There's so much. There's only so much you can do. But you can you when you campaign, they can say anything. Of course, I know they might as well just say free ice cream and ponies for everyone. Michael Hingson  38:07 Yeah, and and that's almost essentially what's happening. And I'm not saying that he'd be a bad governor. I I haven't researched him enough, but the commercials just don't do anything to make me thrilled because he's not saying how he's going to do any of it, and and that's what I really want to know. Speaker 1  38:25 Yeah, I didn't when I when I ran this campaign, I didn't really promise anything that was sexy at all. I said, you know, I'm going to work on a policy manual. I'm going to increase the amount of information and transparency, and it was like nothing that you want to put on a bumper sticker, but I still won. I mean, there were people who were in the race who were promising this and that, and they were going to do this and all this stuff, and somehow I eked it out. Michael Hingson  38:51 Why do you think you won? Speaker 1  38:52 Name recognition, Michael Hingson  38:54 okay, Speaker 1  38:55 and that's and that's pretty much that's a lot of what politics is is is just the the name recognition. You can win on that. I also do have a reputation. I mean, being on council for 14 years and being often called the lone voice of reason, like I said earlier, I'm the one who asked that obvious question. Yeah, and people are in the audience are going, "Well, thank you. Someone's finally asking what what they wanted to ask, and so there was there was that, and and I also, you know, I I do return my emails. I answer the phone calls. I make sure that I'm I'm available. So you know, and I think that that reputation kind of spread itself around that that I would be responsive. It didn't mean that I actually did anything because the you know the powers are really limited. So if someone wanted you know they want to put in a stop sign somewhere, I'll go visit them, and we'll look at the thing, and we'll look at the traffic data, and all this stuff. But there may not be a stop sign there. Still, I showed enough time that I paid attention to them, and I responded to them, and you know, we'll see what we can do. That's the best you can say. Michael Hingson  39:55 And if it didn't happen that there was a stop sign, but there was a good reason for it. I would suspect that you would be the kind of person who would say, "Here's why it didn't happen. Speaker 1  40:03 Right, exactly, and and to explain that for and a lot of people don't understand things like that because it's easy to get defensive with government because sometimes it can be so colossally stupid. Yeah, but but it's just as long as you have that explanation, and sometimes it's it's really it's refreshing because then they hear the answer and they're good with it, so we have a problem here with there's noise on the freeway because they're expanding the freeway, and a lot of people are upset, so they call city hall, but it's not our project; it's the state highway district. So you know, it's like I can do only what I can do, but it's still you know, if you're the only elected official who bothered to reply to them and told them, you know, I hear what you're saying. I'm going to do whatever we can. Sometimes that makes people happy. They may not be happy in the big picture, but at least they got a response. Michael Hingson  40:48 And when you discover something that's relevant, I'll bet you are the kind of person who would then initiate another letter saying, "Here's why it didn't work, or "Here's why it will work. Speaker 1  40:59 Right, and I do follow up. So I did. In that case, I wrote a letter to the governor and said, "You know, is there anything you can do? And then I forwarded the letter on to the person who had contacted me and said, "Okay, this is the best I can do. Let's let's see what he can do. So yeah, Speaker 1  41:14 yeah. Michael Hingson  41:15 I'm I'm curious. You mentioned that property taxes did get lowered once in Cordellane, but nothing. No one ever did anything with that. How come? Speaker 1  41:23 Well, no. It's just we we did. We we kept them. You got you got them lowered. Michael Hingson  41:27 But but why didn't anybody pay attention to that? Speaker 1  41:30 No. Well, see, I'm sure they paid attention to it. We are only one entity on your property tax bill, so there's there's a few. Ah, good Michael Hingson  41:39 point. Speaker 1  41:39 We might have been the the one who kept it down, but the other ones may have kept it up. And then there's all the the formula is really complex, and so it could be that you know their assess property assessment went up, a lot of other things that would have happened that would have affected it. But like I said, I mean we made a big to do about it, saying hey look we worked, we cut the budget. We kept it flat for all you guys, and then no one said anything. But you know that that's it's discouraging, but it doesn't discourage me from continuing to try because I'll always try. Michael Hingson  42:12 You can only do what you can do, but at least at least you're doing it. Yeah. Now, if you want to live in a state where the taxes are very interesting, move to New Jersey, yeah, where we lived, the the taxes every town, every city had its own property taxes. You could live on a street, yeah, you could live on a street where you had a property tax of some amount, and if you walked across to the other side of the street, the property tax would be twice what yours was because the border runs right down the middle of the street. Speaker 1  42:45 That's crazy. Michael Hingson  42:47 We thought it was. Yeah, we thought it was kind of interesting, but we fortunately never had too horrible of property taxes in Westfield. But still, we heard about some other places that had some some horrible property taxes, but you know it's it's what what you have. Speaker 1  43:07 Yep. Michael Hingson  43:08 So you were in the city council for 14 years. What made you decide that you were going to run for mayor? Because you had to do that. You had to make that decision. Speaker 1  43:17 Yeah, didn't want to. You know, wasn't on my on my dance card to like, oh, next step up is going to be mayor. It was more of there was frustration that I had because the the past couple of mayors, good men, good people, but I always wanted to do more. I mean, being on the council, it was frustrating because I wanted a little more leadership out of the center seat wasn't seeing that, and then I worked earlier last year. I called up a bunch of people to see if they'd be willing to do the job. You know, good strong community members who would be provide the leadership and had the name recognition required to do the job, and no one wanted to do it. So I was like, okay, well, I'll I'll see if I can do it. I still have two years left on my council term, so if I lost, I'd still be part of the process. But there ended up being four people in that race, so it was pretty crowded. Which to me, you know, if if you're running if you run unopposed, it's pretty much a sign that people kind of like the way things are going. They're not they're not upset with you. Generally, if you have one opponent, you're considered that you know oh well good you know I get to compete for for the job or someone else is unhappy. But if you have a lot of opponents, it generally means that the public isn't happy with what's going on and they want to see some change. So there were four people in the race. I won with like 38% of the vote, so that's wow, Michael Hingson  44:45 yeah. Well, but clearly you're different than a lot of people. For example, you're a member of the Kootenay County Republican Central Committee, and yeah, and they sued you for defamation. What was all that about? Speaker 1  44:59 Well. So we had an episode here where the first of all the local Republican Party decided that running partisan races wasn't enough; that they wanted to get involved with nonpartisan races. And in Idaho, a lot of the local offices are nonpartisan. So city council is nonpartisan, school districts are nonpartisan. You know, water district, highway district, all these smaller local offices, and we have a community college here called North Idaho College. And the Senate committee decided that they would start to what they call rating and vetting candidates to determine who was the most conservative. And while a lot of Republicans appreciate that and they want to know who the real conservative is. The central committee realized that it was a way for them to exercise political power, because when people would get their recommendations, that would be the person who would win. And so they got power mad, and in my opinion, they hijacked the trustees of our local community college, and pretty much almost ran the thing into a ground. It was the it's the only college a community college in the history of the country that's ever been put on probation for disaccreditation due to board governance. Normally, when you disaccredit a college, you're disaccrediting it because of financial reasons, or something else, but or academics. Never, never has it happened that the board has been so crazy that the the ACL ACCU whatever it is the accreditation agency for community colleges has said, "What we're gonna we're gonna pull away your credentials, and all your students will not be receiving college credit. So, I mean, what what this board did that was endorsed by the local Republican Party, the extremists on the party, they they fired the president for no reason. They they started running up the bills, increasing the athletics budget. The board meetings were just pure chaos. Employees would leave. The local high schools stopped their their co education programs. It was just crazy. Wow! And and a lot of people didn't really understand what was going on. So I did a YouTube channel called Kootenay Rants, and Kootenay is the name of our county. Michael Hingson  47:20 Kootenay, yeah. I said Kootenay. Sorry about that. Speaker 1  47:22 It's no, it's okay. It's it could be either way. Who knows? Up north, they do say Kootenai, so we don't know. But anyway, this really got under the skin of the central committee because I pinned the blame on what was going on at the college on them, which is was justified, and I would not make anything up. Instead, I would just put in highlights from the meetings and say, "Here's what's happening, and here's the crazy stuff. You know, trustees yelling at members of the audience, making fun of them. You know, interrupting people, saying just weird, strange things. I mean, it just-it was odd. It was so bizarre, and so it was easy for me to make these videos. My background is in communications, and I know video production, so I was able to put together these videos on a YouTube channel, and you know, hundreds of people in the county would start watching them, including the central committee that did not like that I was exposing what I consider to be their corruption and their the the fact that I think they were responsible for this and they didn't like that so they accused me of defamation basically mean tweets because I would tweet about them and their nonsense and it was like they they made a big to do out of it because I was running for re-election for city council, so they came to a city council meeting to serve me, and you know recorded it and put it up on the internet and all this other stuff that that was just crazy. But my insurance company fortunately decided to represent me, and they just they thought the the suit was without merit. They don't say frivolous. They say without merit. Without Michael Hingson  49:04 merit. No, yeah. Speaker 1  49:05 And so yeah. And so eventually, now the suit is over, and I figured I would either win in court or it would be dismissed. But the insurance company settled, and I it was against my wishes. I said no. I said don't settle with these people. But the insurance company did settle, and I made sure that, as part of the settlement, that they would not say that I agreed to it, or that I said I was wrong, or I apologized, or anything. No, the insurance company just didn't want to waste any more money, so they decided to settle. They wrote a check. I don't know what it cost the central committee. As a member of the central committee, it has never been reported to the committee how much money they spent on that? Because it's it's pretty much the the Republican Central Committee of Kootenay County is pretty much a tyranny run by one guy and a personality cult, and there are members of the committee. There are some good Republicans such as myself on the committee who do believe in transparency and limited government and all those Ronald Reagan things. But there are these extremists on there who are just nutballs, and so there's a group of us here called North Idaho Republicans who are working to counter their insanity. And we've done a good job, but we need to do more work, and that's the story of the KCRCC. And they sued me for defamation. Michael Hingson  50:21 That's kind of crazy, though. Nevertheless, Speaker 3  50:23 of course. Michael Hingson  50:24 And it's only kind Speaker 1  50:26 of that. I wasn't laying awake. I mean, occasionally someone would call me up and they would say, "So what's the case? What's the what's happening with a lawsuit? And I'd say, "Well, a lawsuit. I said, "Oh yeah, that's right. They're suing me. I mean, it was never really. I was never obligated for it. Michael Hingson  50:39 Yeah. Well, so just out of curiosity, since the Republicans were doing this, where were the Democrats in all of that? Speaker 1  50:47 Well, we don't really have a lot of Democrats. That's Michael Hingson  50:49 what I was wondering. Yeah, Speaker 1  50:51 and so and and I always used to joke. I would say that the the Democrats, the Kootenai County Democrats, are looking for a new meeting location, and if anyone has a spare closet, got it. You let them know. No, they're they're all they're all very nice people. Michael Hingson  51:05 Yeah, Speaker 1  51:05 but they're they are in an extreme minority, and unfortunately, they they do try. So last time they had a body for every seat up for election, but they don't really come close. And it's a lot of it comes down to name recognition, but you also have a lot of red blue state refugees who come here. You have a lot of COVID refugees who came here, and so Idaho is very red. Kootenay County is very red, and it would take a tremendous amount of effort to to have a Democrat win here. We do have Democrats in the legislature, not a lot, but we do have them, and the the National Democratic Party is unwilling to spend a lot of money here because they know they're going to lose. So that's what I hear from them. But they are they are generally nice people. I mean, like you said, you if you wanted to vote for me here and you're a Democrat, I'd happily accept the vote. It's a nonpartisan position. We don't deal with those big divisive issues that you know that you you see on the news. Yeah, we're pretty much community-minded people, and I appreciate anyone who is. I do fight the KCRCC because I don't see them as community-minded, and that's one of the issues. Michael Hingson  52:18 Yeah. Well, it's it's unfortunate that that people are that way, but I I see it all too often in so many different ways. I mean, we face it with even in the blindness world with so many things where there ought to be major improvements and there ought to be defenses of the civil rights of blind people. For example, some of the rideshare programs don't do a lot to train their drivers about the fact that in reality they're obligated to take blind people with guide dogs, and oh, there's there is a fair amount of that, and it's and and the companies aren't willing to do anything about it, and we have to keep fighting it, which is just too bad. But there's just so many stuff, and there are so many people who just have these hidden agendas, or they just what it really comes down to is we don't want anybody telling us what to do, Speaker 1  53:09 right? Michael Hingson  53:11 And that's what it really comes down to. So, do you find that that religion gets into any of it at all, like with the conservative Christian movement or any of that, Speaker 1  53:24 there well, there's I do not like the politicization of the church. Michael Hingson  53:29 Yeah, Speaker 1  53:30 my favorite quote on that is that politics poisons the purity of the church. So I think we should keep the separation of church and state as much as possible, but there are you know politically motivated, politically active pastors, and I just I I think that's that's not the proper role of religion. I know that that there's kind of a battle going on in the far right about you know how much religion or how much that should should should be involved in politics in the public arena. In fact, there's a little across from the Costco up here. There is a little yard sign in front of some business that says "Vote Bible, and I always think that's kind of. I mean, I understand what the sentiment is, and I would always want to think that the people who we elect are good moral people. You know, Adam said that our Constitution is best suited for a moral people. I don't believe that means that there's morality in the Constitution. I believe there's morality in people, Michael Hingson  54:32 right? Speaker 1  54:33 And we do want people who have good ethics and good morals in public office, and it's very obvious when that doesn't happen. But I do not think. I think the purpose of our Constitution and the First Amendment is to ensure that we all have the the right to enjoy whatever religion we want, and we don't want to pick favorites. And so, what I see with a lot of these people is that they want to pick a favorite. Michael Hingson  54:55 Yeah, Speaker 1  54:56 they they not only want to pick the first religion, but they want. Everyone to go to the same church and the same service and sit in the same pew. Yeah, and that's not going to happen in any church. It's not going to happen in any denomination of any church. And then, and see, that's the other question: is if you know if you're going to insist that this is a Christian nation, it's like okay, but which denomination is it? Catholic? Is it Protestant? Is it Mormon? I mean, I you know you tell me because it's just going to be this incredible knot of worms, which is why I think the genius of the founders was that you know the the clause about religion is is two things: it gives you the freedom to exercise your own religion, and it also restricts the government from declaring that there's a religion. Yeah, and I think the far right kind of misses that when they when they take the message of we like moral people in office, but to dictate the morals to someone else is wrong. Michael Hingson  55:52 You know, I and it was Tolstoy who once said the biggest problem with Christianity is that people don't practice it, and I I see that so often. It's it is so unfortunate, but it is Speaker 1  56:03 there. Yeah. So that is a tough one. Michael Hingson  56:07 So if you could change one thing in the world, what would it be? I'd Speaker 1  56:12 get rid of the internet in a heartbeat. Specifically, social media. I think the the problem with social media is it amplifies our immaturities, and that is a huge issue. the The solution to that is to make the the publishers responsible for the content. So, in other words, Facebook could be sued for anything that someone puts on Facebook, and that would terrify Facebook, but it would terrify them to the point that they would actually regulate themselves and and start dialing back. I mean, I can say 20 years ago or so, when I whenever I was first on Facebook, I would go on there and I would see my kids, and they'd be playing a ball game or they'd be over at a friend's house. You'd see birthdays, vacations. It was just kind of like it was a social thing. You go on there now, and it's politics, and it's like this person deserved to be shot, and it's just-it's so-it's so extreme, and it's so rude. And you know, some of the stuff they said about me is not very nice, but I think that if we're going to solve one problem in the world, we really need to dial back all the animosity that's on the inter

Welcome Pathfinders to After Party LIVE! Join us each month as we chat about all the nerdy things we love! In this After Party we talk about how to customize your adventures to fit your PCs! After Party LIVE! is recorded as a live Twitch stream on the first Saturday of the month, at 11am [...] The post After Party LIVE! Episode 39 appeared first on Find the Path Ventures.

It's 910 days until the legally defined end of the 47th Presidency, but the merit of upcoming elections becomes more suspect as time goes on. In the meantime, we're back in the bunker! We discuss the long term harm of Donald Trump's policies, international travel, and food-borne illness. Cook your lettuce! Other Titles Considered: 47th Rule of Aquisition Spherical Bastard Buddy Dyer's Eldritch Voice Special Show Links: Science: A New Golden Age https://www.whitehouse.gov/science/ Trump Invents the Corporate Pardon https://newrepublic.com/article/213393/trump-corporate-pardons-rise Microsoft intervenes after LG gets caught installing McAfee adware onto Windows 11 PCs via their monitors https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/windows-11/microsoft-intervenes-after-lg-gets-caught-installing-mcafee-adware-onto-windows-11-pcs-via-their-monitors Flock Safety and Texas Sheriff Claimed License Plate Search Was for a Missing Person. It Was an Abortion Investigation. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/10/flock-safety-and-texas-sheriff-claimed-license-plate-search-was-missing-person-it

Episode 108: LG has been very naughty, caught installing their bloatware application on to PCs without the consent of monitor buyers. Seems dodgy, so we talk about that. We also look over the latest DLSS 5 announcements from Nvidia's recent presentation.CHAPTERS00:00 - Intro00:40 - LG Installs Bloatware on Monitor Buyers' PCs33:35 - Nvidia Shows More DLSS 5 Details56:20 - Updates From Our Boring LivesSUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCASTAudio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcastVideo: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfwSUPPORT US DIRECTLYPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxedLINKSYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed/Twitter: https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxedBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch the Devotion Based on Colossians 3:1,2 Greater Wealth   I read a recent news article that outlined the discussions between the Senate Armed Services Committee, House Appropriations Committee and Congress and how they are looking at a proposed tiered military pay raise. In my honest opinion I don’t think you are paid enough for what you do, especially knowing how food insecurity can be an issue especially among junior enlisted, barracks conditions, housing affordability, issues with BAH and BAS, costs with PCS moves and quality of life challenges. I know that Congress has been trying to address these issues. The current disagreement is whether pay increases should focus on those facing the greatest financial challenges—which are junior enlisted—or should be distributed evenly. I don’t know the answer.   What I do know is that a lot of you did not join our nation’s military to become wealthy. Some of you joined because you want to serve. Others joined for the ability to pay for continuing education later in life. Still others joined to learn skills in a vocation that would transition well into the civilian world. Even though you didn’t join the military to become wealthy, you can still fall into one of these two ditches when it comes to money and wealth. The one ditch is that you trust too much in your wealth, when you look to your wealth as your security. The other ditch is despair when it appears that you are not receiving your daily bread.   This is why Jesus gave us the Lord's Prayer, specifically the fourth petition. When we pray, “Give us today our daily bread,” we trust our Father to do just that: Father, give us what you promise! And we will rest content with what he so graciously provides us. Part of that petition includes prayers for your government, which provides your housing and food, and so we pray for wisdom for our leaders.   Out of all the temptations Jesus warns us about, he focuses the most on wealth and money, because he knows what a trap the love of money can be for his people.   Today, he calls us to repent, and then to look to Christ who never fell into either ditch. He rested perfectly contented in his Father's ability to provide. This is your true treasure, your true wealth: Christ Jesus. Earthly wealth comes and goes, but forgiveness—the cancellation of all your debt to God—the resurrection from the dead, life eternal, the strength to continue here on this earth until that day comes, that is priceless.   Listen to the Apostle Paul's encouragement in Colossians 3:1,2, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ. . . set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”    Keep Christ in your hearts as your most prized possession.   Prayer: Father, you provide all that we need for our bodies. Help us to trust you to do what you promise us. Move us to seek the greater treasures you pour out on us in your Word, our baptisms, your Holy Supper, so that we might obtain Christ, our greatest wealth. Provide for our service members so that they are never in want. Grant wisdom to our Congress and our president as they work on a budget that will adequately support all ranks of war fighters in our nation's military. We trust in you, through Jesus. Amen.      Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

Send us Fan MailDigital games feel convenient until you ask one uncomfortable question: do you actually own what you paid for? We come back after a couple weeks off and start with real life catch up, because the stuff outside gaming shapes how we think about it. Christopher talks home lab progress and why learning Linux, Docker, and Proxmox scratches that “build it yourself” itch, plus the hands on work of running Cat 6, setting up a PoE switch, and dialing in a home network. We also get into collecting anime DVDs and why physical media still hits differently when everything else is turning into a subscription.Lexi shares what the last few weeks have really looked like, including a deer hitting her Tesla, getting it repaired, and then going straight into a major surgery recovery. We talk through the parts people don't warn you about: long anesthesia time, mobility limits, the mental side of being dependent on help, and the hidden expenses after the surgeon's quote like lymphatic massages, compression confusion, and simple recovery care that somehow never gets explained upfront.Then we shift into the bigger topic: the future of gaming platforms. We break down Xbox layoffs, studio pressure, and why Game Pass can be framed as a “failure” when growth targets miss, even if players love the value. From there, we compare Steam's long term library trust to console storefront uncertainty, dig into digital licensing, and react to the idea of “physical” preorders that are really just a box with a download code. We also debate the push toward $80 games, what it means for GTA 6 and beyond, and whether PC gaming and handheld PCs are slowly becoming the main platform as console pricing and restrictions climb.If you've been feeling weird about where gaming is headed, you're not alone. Subscribe, share this with a friend who cares about game ownership, and leave us a review with your take: are you sticking with consoles, moving to PC, or going back to physical? Support the showhttps://www.carolinaotakus.com/

In this episode, we welcome cinematographer Nik Summerer ASC, best known for his work on the critically acclaimed series Dark, as well as 1899 and the feature film Color Book, now streaming on Netflix. In our conversation, Nik shares his journey into cinematography, reflecting on his influences and the path that led him behind the camera. We take a deep dive into the making of Color Book, exploring his visual storytelling approach, the techniques he employed, and the tools he used to bring this striking black-and-white drama to life. Nik also offers real-world advice for students and emerging filmmakers looking to build a career in the industry.“The Making Of” is presented by AJA:AJA introduces high-performance Thunderbolt™ 5-enabled PCIe expansion chassisMeet Io Xpand, a Thunderbolt 5 expansion chassis for AJA KONA and Corvid I/O cards. Io Xpand lets video professionals integrate the performance of AJA PCIe I/O cards on Thunderbolt 5 laptops and mini-PCs for an incredibly powerful, fast, and portable I/O solution for on set, remote production, and live switching. Visit hereIntelligent Production HubNew this summer from the Intelligent Production Hub: hands-on training in the AI and real-time tools working productions run on.Intro to NVIDIA NvRTX (Jul 29), AI Video Creators Workshop (Aug 7), AI Creativity with Comfy (Aug 12), plus role-based AI sessions for editing, VFX, sound, and design.See the full schedule hereA Solution Built Around Your WorkflowThe OWC Express 4M2 Ultra is available in a range of configurations to fit your workflow and budget. Choose from ready-to-run solutions with up to 32TB of high-performance NVMe storage, giving you the speed, capacity, and reliability needed for everything from multi-camera editing to demanding VFX and finishing workflows. Available now. Learn more hereZEISS Introduces Horizon Anamorphic: Full-Frame 2x Anamorphics with a New Lens Technology PlatformZEISS unveils the Horizon Anamorphic series, a new lineup of full-frame 2x anamorphic cinema lenses designed to deliver a distinctive cinematic look along with a new lens technology platform that answers the need for speed and precision demanded by contemporary production workflows.Spanning 35mm to 200mm across seven focal lengths, Horizon lenses combine their anamorphic look—incorporating a pronounced oval bokeh and stretched sense of spatial depth—with a lightweight, fully integrated motorized system that eliminates the need for external focus or iris motors. Read more hereElgato Prompter XLThe Elgato Prompter XL is a professional all-in-one teleprompter with a 15.6" removable display and a reading range of up to 15 feet. Featuring USB 3.2 connectivity and broad compatibility, it's ideal for live productions and content creation. Available now at Videoguys.com—call 800-323-2325 to learn more.Explore herePodcast Rewind:July 2026 - Ep. 142.Explore a Partnership with The Making Of:Reach over 275,000 film production industry, broadcast professionals, and content creators reading this newsletter. To learn more, please email mvalinsky@me.com Get full access to The Making Of at themakingof.substack.com/subscribe

The PCs meet a strange being in an underground grotto. Olog falls in love. Access every available episode of Blood of the Wild along with exclusive podcasts, ad-free episodes, and so much more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.jointhenaish.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Come see us LIVE in a city near you at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.glasscannonnetwork.com/tour⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Podcast Hosts:Grant Broggi: Marine Veteran, Owner of The Strength Co. and Starting Strength Coach.Jeff Buege: Marine Veteran, Outdoorsman, Football Fan and LifterTres Gottlich: Marine Veteran, Texan, Fisherman, Crazy College Football Fan and LifterJoin the Slack and Use code OKAY:⁠https://buy.stripe.com/dR6dT4aDcfuBdyw5ks⁠Check out BW Tax: ⁠https://www.bwtaxllc.com⁠BUY A FOOTBALL HELMET:⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thestrength.co/mrhelmet/?utm_source=The+Okay+Podcast&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_campaign=Okay_Pod⁠The whole crew is back after last week's chaos. Grant is broadcasting live from a new location — Newport, Rhode Island — after moving cross-country with a pregnant wife, a two-year-old, and two cats. Somehow they all made it (barely — ask him about the sprint through O'Hare).This week: the Trash Battalion staff brief returns in full PCS-season glory, the guys break down the surprisingly baffling experience of checking into military schools, Grant gives his first impressions of Newport (good food, expensive food), and there's a 4th of July recap on how the America 250 plates performed — half are already gone before Veterans Day.Plus a World Cup wrap-up (Spain over France), the eternal debate over whether soccer counts when it's not about America, and a new battalion member joins the ranks: Major Delay, your local traffic guy.Powered by The Strength Co.Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro04:45 - Staff Brief24:37 - Outlying Stations27:40 - Talkin' Trash With Mom29:56 - War College36:03 - Moving Across The Country49:37 - World Cup Recap56:05 - Saved Rounds

One of the questions I get asked the most is: “How are your kids handling the moves?” It's not easy on them. Leaving friends. Starting over. Adjusting to new environments again and again.  In this episode of the PCS Survival Series, we're talking about what it really looks like to support your kids through a move—at every age and stage. In this episode, we talk about: How kids experience PCS differently depending on age What it looks like to involve your kids in the process How to prepare them for what's coming Why resilience doesn't mean they don't need support And how to create space for their emotions Better Together, Christine Mentioned In This Episode Episode 166: Need a Little Reassurance that Military Life Won't Scar Your Kids for Life? A Tribute to Growing Up Military with A.D. Rhine Episode 247: Helping Military Kids Thrive Through Change with Dr. Julia Priftis Resources Start here: Free Clarity Workshop Stay connected: Join The Free Community The real-time version of navigating life as a milspouse: Instagram Work with me 1:1: Let's Work Together Support the show: If this episode meant something to you, leaving a review helps more military spouses find it

Benedict Evans, one of tech's most widely-read analysts, joins Jacob Effron. The conversation centers on Benedict's core thesis that comparing AI's scale to past platform shifts (the internet, mobile, PCs) is analytically useless, and that the more productive move is studying how those previous technologies actually evolved economically to reason about where AI's value will accrue. He argues the one genuine difference this time is that we don't know AI's physical or scientific limits, unlike past shifts where the boundaries were at least knowable, and that this uncertainty is what fuels both AGI hype and doomerism without resolving anything. Benedict unpacks why capabilities remain jagged, meaning usage is jagged too, why coding became the first real enterprise use case thanks to scalable verification, and why most consumer and enterprise use cases still have to be invented by entrepreneurs rather than emerging spontaneously once models improve. He also lays out why foundation model labs may end up structurally like TSMC rather than Windows, valuable but bounded rather than owning the entire stack, walks through why automation has historically meant more work rather than less (using a hundred years of rising accountant headcount as evidence), and explains why industries like Uber and Airbnb, or Caterpillar and the internet, show just how unevenly this kind of technology actually lands. Throughout, he offers candid, historically grounded takes on OpenAI's product sprawl versus Anthropic's narrow coding bet, Apple's stumbled AI moment, and why most companies, unlike Silicon Valley, have far bigger priorities than AI on their minds.   (0:00) Intro (1:31) Is AI Bigger Than the Internet? (10:10) Barriers of Getting From Demos to Daily Use (20:15) Why Job Predictions Fail (25:52) Where's the Moat? (33:55) Will Models Eat the App Layer? (39:25) When Average Isn't Enough and Models Don't Work (45:58) Reflections on OpenAI (55:04) Consumer Usage Is Still Shallow (58:51) What's Required for More Enterprise Adoption (1:03:47) Opinion on Sora (1:06:27) Quickfire With your host: @jacobeffron - Managing Director at Redpoint

Almost every machine you can buy today is technically an “AI PC.” Which is exactly why the label can't tell you what to buy. This episode skips the hype and asks the question IT leaders are actually wrestling with: why now, and what happens if you wait? Because two things just landed on the same calendar — the end of Windows 10 support, and an AI-driven memory shortage pushing hardware prices up every quarter — and together they're quietly taking the refresh decision out of your hands.In this episode:Why “AI PC” has stopped being a useful filter — and what to look at insteadThe hidden tax you're already paying on the machines that still turn onHow Windows 10's end of support and the memory squeeze changed the math on waitingA practical way to make the refresh call: match the machine to the workload, not the org chartFeaturing Ivo van Selst, Senior Technical Solutions Architect for AI and Data at Softchoice, a World Wide Technology Company, and Brandon Boone of Dell Technologies' Client Solutions Group. This episode is brought to you by Dell Technologies. Explore Dell's AI PC lineup — Dell, Dell Pro and Dell Pro Max — and find the right fit for your fleet at softchoice.com/technology-partners/dell#AIPC #ITLeadership #DeviceRefresh #Windows11 #MidMarketIT #EndUserComputing #TheCatalystShow Notes & ResourcesReferenced in this episode:Windows 10 end of support (October 14, 2025) — Microsoft: support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10-support-has-ended-on-october-14-2025The global memory shortage and its impact on device costs — IDC: idc.com/resource-center/blog/global-memory-shortage-crisisDRAM prices and the AI memory squeeze — IEEE Spectrum: spectrum.ieee.org/dram-shortageAI-capable PCs to surpass half of global shipments in 2026 — Counterpoint Research: counterpointresearch.com/en/reports/ai-advanced-pcs-to-surpass-half-of-global-shipments-in-2026The productivity cost of aging PCs — Intel research (PCs 4+ years old lose ~21 hours per year)Dell's AI PC portfolio — Dell, Dell Pro, Dell Pro Max: dell.com/en-us/blog/dell-transforms-ai-pc-portfolio-for-anywhere-productivityWorkplace lifecycle services — Softchoice: softchoice.com/solutions/modern-workplace/managed-services/lifecycle-servicesGuests:Ivo van Selst, Senior Technical Solutions Architect for AI and Data, Softchoice — linkedin.com/in/ivo-van-selst-4579a96Brandon Boone, Dell Technologies, Client Solutions Group — dell.comKey moments:Cold open — the hidden tax: the laptop nobody complains aboutAct One — what an AI PC actually is, and why the label misleadsAct Two — the false economy of deferring a refreshAct Three — Windows 10, the memory squeeze, and losing control of your timelineAct Four — match, don't guess: segmenting your fleet by workloadThe Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology. 

Steve Clapp is a retired marketing and finance professional from the Chicago area who suffered a concussion in January 2025 after falling on an icy driveway. His injury led to persistent post-concussion syndrome (PCS) that affected nearly every aspect of daily life—visual overload, screen intolerance, sleep disruption, and visual vertigo made even ordinary environments difficult to navigate. Through self-advocacy, persistence, and finding the right providers, including NCX Brain Recovery and neuro-optometrist Dr. Devin Duvall, Steve has made remarkable progress in his recovery journey.In this inspiring episode, Steve Clapp shares his concussion journey and the challenges of navigating a healthcare system that often felt confusing and inconsistent. He discusses how a seemingly minor setback during vestibular therapy triggered a major flare that launched him into full-blown PCS, and how his world became increasingly smaller as symptoms worsened. Steve emphasizes that self-advocacy became one of the most important parts of his recovery—learning to advocate for himself, find the right providers, and not give up hope.Key topics covered include:The initial injury and lack of concussion education at the ERThe emotional toll of losing meaningful activities and his part-time job: his world ‘getting smaller'The importance of finding providers who specialize in concussion patientsHis experience at NCX Brain Recovery's two-week intensive programWorking with neuro-optometrist Dr. Devin Duvall for vision therapy, which also helped with his sleepManaging insomnia and nervous system dysregulationFinding balance between monitoring symptoms and taking breaks from thinking about recoveryThe importance of support from loved ones and finding a talk therapistPCS is non-linear. Recovery happens in phases, and progress is rarely a straight line. Self-advocacy is critical. Patients need to take an active role in finding answers and evaluating treatment options.The right providers exist. Finding practitioners with deep experience treating PCS makes a tremendous difference.Improvement often becomes visible only when you look backward. Recovery can feel frustratingly slow when measured day to day, but meaningful progress and healing are possible.The emotional component of PCS is often underestimated. Managing fear, uncertainty, setbacks, and nervous system activation is an important part of the recovery process.Steve's story is also a reminder that healing isn't just about treatment—it's about learning to navigate uncertainty, manage the emotional side of recovery, and continue moving forward even when progress isn't always obvious. His experience offers practical lessons and encouragement for anyone trying to find their way through post-concussion syndrome.Resources MentionedNCX Brain RecoveryIntensive concussion rehabilitation program offering occupational therapy, multi-sensory integration, and brain enhancement. Steve attended their two-week intensive program.Website: https://www.ncxbrainrecovery.com/Location: Springville, UtahDr. Devin Duvall, OD - Neuro-OptometristBoard-certified neuro-optometrist specializing in vision therapy and vision rehabilitation for concussion patients. Steve completed an intensive vision therapy program with Dr. Duvall.Website: https://www.newsightvt.com/Location: Provo, Utah (also offers virtual consultations)Dr. Duvall Podcast EpisodesEPISODE 28: How Vision Therapy Can Help With Concussions: Interview with Dr. DevinEpisode 111: Unlocking Concussion Recovery with Light: A Deep Dive into Syntonics with Dr. Devin DuvalEPISODE 116: Primitive Reflexes, Sleep, and Setbacks in Concussion Recovery: Interview with Dr. DevinGuest Contact InformationSteve ClappEmail: sclappmail@yahoo.comSteve has graciously offered to be available to answer questions from listeners who may be on their own concussion recovery journey.

What was the moment you knew real estate was what came next after 30 years in uniform? In this episode of the Real Estate Excellence Podcast, Tracy Hayes sits down with Traci Crawford. Traci is a retired United States Army Colonel, former military nurse, Global Real Estate Advisor, Broker Associate, Certified Residential Specialist, and Military Relocation Professional serving families throughout Northeast Florida. After 30 years of military service, Traci entered real estate with the same commitment to education, leadership, preparation, and compassionate service that guided her military career. Traci explains how she built a business after arriving in Jacksonville with a limited local network, earned the trust of military families relocating under demanding PCS timelines, and guides clients who sometimes purchase homes without seeing them in person. She also discusses brokerage selection, continuing education, VA loan misconceptions, buyer preparation, Nocatee living, professional partnerships, and why every successful agent needs someone who can recognize their blind spots. Listen to the full episode to discover how military leadership, continuing education, trusted partnerships, and genuine care can transform a real estate career. Share this conversation with a military family preparing for a PCS move, a veteran considering a new career, or an agent who wants to provide a higher level of service.   HighlightsTop of FormBottom of Form 00:00-08:10 Military Service and Leadership Growing up with military influence Receiving an Army ROTC scholarship Beginning a career as a military nurse Supporting injured service members Advancing through education and leadership 08:10-18:00 Choosing Real Estate After Retirement Discovering an early interest in homes and architecture Choosing family time over becoming a nurse practitioner Earning a Florida real estate license Interviewing brokerages before choosing one Closing 11 transactions during the first year 18:00-32:58 Trust and Professional Partnership Transferring military skills into real estate Building repeatable systems through education Serving military families during PCS moves Guiding clients purchasing homes sight unseen Creating a trusted partnership with Pamela Hoffman 32:58-45:31 Jacksonville Relocation and Buyer Preparation Recognizing real estate as the next service focused career Overcoming uncertainty and imposter syndrome Understanding the culture and lifestyle of Nocatee Matching neighborhoods with schools and commute priorities Preparing financing before beginning the home search 45:31-01:02:14 VA Loans and Military Buyer Myths Addressing outdated beliefs about VA financing Explaining VA offers to sellers and listing agents Understanding appraisal and property condition requirements Preparing for closing costs and credit reviews Working with knowledgeable local professionals 01:02:14-01:21:30 Growth and Lasting Service Selecting a brokerage that supports continued growth Aligning with ONE Sotheby's International Realty Applying military standards to luxury level service Using continuing education as a competitive advantage Building a career based on trust and relationships   Quotes: "Education is everything. It helps you know what you need to do and make the best decisions." – Traci Crawford "I honestly believe that caring about people is integral to real estate because people want to be seen and heard." – Traci Crawford "I take very seriously the trust that they put in me, especially those who are purchasing sight unseen." – Traci Crawford "It is nice to know that there is someone in your corner who is rooting for you and who you know 100 percent has your back." – Traci Crawford   To contact Traci Crawford, learn more about her business, and make her a part of your network, make sure to follow her Website, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.   Connect with Traci Crawford! Website: https://www.newlifetimememories.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracicrawford_/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Debora.McCarty.REALTOR YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tracicrawford LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracicrawfordservice/   Connect with me! Website: toprealtorjacksonville.com   Website: toprealtorstaugustine.com    SUBSCRIBE & LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW as we discuss real estate excellence with the best of the best. #RealEstateExcellence #TracyHayes #TraciCrawford #RealEstateExcellence #MilitaryRelocation #VeteranRealtor #ArmyVeteran #JacksonvilleRealEstate #NortheastFloridaRealEstate #NocateeRealEstate #PonteVedraRealEstate #VALoan #PCSMove #MilitaryFamilies #RealEstateLeadership #RealEstateEducation #HomeBuying #SightUnseenHomeBuying #RealEstateAdvisor #BrokerAssociate #ONESothebys #ClientTrust

If Spencer commissioned today, at 22 years old with everything he learned from 12 years on active duty, what would he actually do with his money? A listener on Instagram asked exactly that, and this episode is the answer: a 13-point playbook for brand new officers and enlisted servicemembers, from your first bank account to the books that will shape your investing philosophy. Plus why "borrow the Career Starter loan and invest it" is less of a no-brainer than the internet claims, and why achieving financial independence might be the worst thing that ever happens to you. Questions Answered If you were starting over as a new military officer, what would you do differently? Should you take the Career Starter loan and invest it? How much should a new servicemember contribute to the Roth TSP? Which lifecycle fund should you pick when you first create your TSP account? How big should your emergency fund be when you're just getting started? How do you change your state of legal residency to a no income tax state? What savings rate is reasonable without sacrificing your 20s? Whose financial advice can you actually trust as a new servicemember? What books should every new officer or enlisted member read? Main Topics Covered The 5-step quick start: military-friendly bank, emergency fund in a HYSA, 5% into Roth TSP, pay off debt, build your savings rate Everybody has an angle: how to filter advice from senior NCOs, Facebook TSP-timing groups, and finance influencers (including Spencer's own credit card affiliate incentive) Why "you gotta buy real estate every PCS" advice may not survive 6-7% interest rates Career Starter loan math: borrowing and investing $36,000 vs. just investing the payments, over 5 years and 40 years Roth TSP setup, the 24-month wait for the 5% match, and the Lifecycle 2075 fund Opening a Roth IRA at Schwab, Fidelity, or Vanguard and starting with VT (Vanguard Total World Stock ETF) LADS investing: low-cost, automated, diversified, simple, and why bonds can wait until your 40s Emergency fund milestones: $1,000, then $5,000, then $10,000 Changing your state of legal residency with DD Form 2058, the 8 no income tax states, and home of record vs. state of legal residency Sustainable savings rates: the ski trip Spencer still regrets skipping as a lieutenant Why financial independence can leave you lost if you sacrifice relationships and experiences to get there Turning your commute into a financial education with podcasts and audiobooks The military financial order of operations, step by step Books Mentioned The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom by Spencer Reese (Amazon or shop.militarymoneymanual.com) I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John Bogle A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel Die With Zero by Bill Perkins Money for Couples by Ramit Sethi Resources Mentioned Free Ultimate Military Investing Course: militarymoneymanual.com Military Financial Order of Operations: militarymoneymanual.com/foo r/MilitaryFinance on Reddit (50,000+ members) and the Military Money 101 prime directive flowchart TSP: tsp.gov myPay for TSP contributions and LES DD Form 2058 (change of state of legal residency) Military-friendly banks: USAA, Navy Federal Credit Union, PenFed Spencer and Jamie offer one-on-one Military Money Mentor sessions. Get your personal military money and personal finance questions answered in a confidential coaching call. militarymoneymanual.com/mentor Over 24,000 military servicemembers and military spouses have graduated from the 100% free, Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course available at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3 In the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course, you can learn how to apply for the most premium credit cards and get special military protections, such as waived annual fees, on elite cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card. Learn how active duty military, military spouses, and Guard and Reserves on 30+ day active orders can get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3 If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual.

This episode, Keepers Bridgett & Evan discuss meaningful and creative ways to bring back retired PCs. Patreon Plug & Update Hellloooo, listeners! We have a Patreon, through which you can support us! You can directly support the show, and our surrounding community, by becoming a Patreon!  That's right! Head over to patreon.com/MUP to subscribe. We have tiers as low as $2 a month. JUST $2/month. So let's do the math… for under $25, you could subscribe for a whole year at once, and know that you've invested in both content and a community that you celebrate and enjoy!  And listen guys– if monetary support isn't in the cards for you? A like, a share, a referral, a nomination, engagement on spotify, engagement on Discord… all of those points of contact truly do make a significant difference. So yes, please, back us on Patreon!  And if none of this is possible, don't worry! We can always run to the loving arms of our sponsors, like Skitter. Listen, we know you're busy, and it can be hard to find time in the day to fill your home with the right balance of beetles, ants, spiders, and other insects and arachnids. You've seen the research, you know how important it is to maintain a home that is simply brimming with chittering arthropod life in every corner. That's why Skitter makes it easy. With one monthly subscription, we send you a box full of a new and interesting variety of chitinous animals, every month. All you need to do is take the box inside, open it, and relax. The insects will take care of the rest. I've been using Skitter for six months now, and I've never been more terrified in my own home.  New backers: Robby H The Discord Plug Our MUP Discord and we are all there! We invite all of our listeners to come and enjoy the community of horror gaming and cute pet pics. Link in the show notes: MU Discord server invite link: https://discord.gg/vNjEv9D  And thank you to our editor GENE for editing this episode.  Bridgett's Pet Pick Shout Out Tonight, I am shouting out our editor, Nate, LOST TO TIME AND SPACE, and his kittuh in their rendition of… if I fits… I SITS!!!!  Main Topic Removal from Play: Insanity Totally insane  Death Physically destroyed/died Massive injury  Relocation Retired to an asylum Jettisoned to another plane of existence  Relocated from the story by unsolved mystery, disappearance, fade to black off screen, etc Age Resurrection Opportunities:  Insanity Totally insane Reset Sanity Hardened Explore Cowboys with Big Hearts  Death Retcon Return as new version of themselves Paid a terrible cost Physically destroyed/died Relocation Retired to an asylum Released/escaped/healed/worsened Jettisoned to another plane of existence Returned/rescued/etc Relocated from the story by unsolved mystery, disappearance, fade to black off screen, etc Veil dropped (could be cinematic) Age Flush out the family dynamics  When and Why to Consider These Options: Bridgett Thoughts: Dave made a good point in 350 about the PCs agreeing to the death event, so I think to honor the story, and table, the entire table should consent to the resurrection or the experience could feel cheap and thoughtless or worst, annoying Check your grief. The story may have ended before you were ready, but is resurrection really what's best for the story, or for you? Sometimes, you need to let go.  Evan Thoughts: NPC Variants on Resurrection 

The days before a PCS move? To me, that's the part that often feels the most overwhelming. You're making decisions. Prepping everything. Prepacking. Trying not to forget something important. But once the packers show up… Things actually start to slow down. At that point, you've already done the hardest part—you've made the decisions. Now it's just about letting the process play out. In this episode, I'm walking through what moving week really looks like—and how to prepare in a way that makes it feel a little more manageable. In this episode, we talk about: What to do before the packers arrive How to create a “do not pack” system that actually works What to expect during pack-out days And why things start to feel different during the process Better Together, Christine Resources Start here: Free Clarity Workshop Stay connected: Join The Free Community The real-time version of navigating life as a milspouse: Instagram Work with me 1:1: Let's Work Together Support the show: If this episode meant something to you, leaving a review helps more military spouses find it

This week we talk about Sony, Nintendo, and the Playstation.We also discuss Grand Theft Auto, the 3DO, and digital dark ages.Recommended Book: 3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years by John ScalziTranscriptThe earliest video game consoles that were made to be used in the home, as opposed to being set up in an arcade, were hardwired like their arcade kin. That means rather than being able to play a bunch of different games, they were basically just single-game boxes: you would buy a machine that allowed you to play Pong, for instance, and if you wanted to play another game, even by the same maker, Atari, you would have to buy another whole console with its own screen, controls, etc, to do so.That was the state of the art in the early to mid 1970s. By the late-70s, the concept of swappable games became reality with the introduction of what are called ROM cartridges. ROM stands for read-only memory and is a type of storage common in computers and other devices, which allows whatever you store on it to persist, which is a contrast to RAM, which is the type of memory that determines how much you can do on a device at any given moment, and which disappears when the device is turned off.So these ROM cartridges were kind of like the portion of the hard drive that's used to boot up your computer, storing the bare-basics of the system so it can be initialized and understand how to run all the other software that builds upon that baseline. And that memory was stored in durable, plastic cases that made them usable by ordinary, non-techy people. You could buy a game and handle the cartridge, popping it into your game console hardware and removing it, to make way for another game, over and over and over again, and that use would be unlikely to damage the ROM chip.This same general format was flexible enough that it lasted through the mid-90s, the capacity of the ROM chip continuing to grow as the associated tech improved, and the capabilities of the central console hardware that used these cartridges became more sophisticated. Upgrades were slowly added to the innards of the plastic case, as well, including things like battery backups that enabled saved games, and the Super Nintendo's Super FX chip, which enabled 3D graphics that would have otherwise been impossible with the contemporary state of the art.The next generation of gaming consoles relied on another medium, though, and one that had several benefits over the long-lived game cartridge.CD-ROM discs, which were flat, circular, and contained information that was encoded and read with lasers, had been around in some form since the late-1980s, and were even used in a few early gaming consoles, like the PC Engine CD-ROM, which barely anyone bought, and the Sega-CD add-on for the Sega Genesis, and 3DO consoles, which a few more, but still relatively few people purchased.The release of the first Sony Playstation, now known as the PS1, in 1994 changed that, though, and this shift was partially the result of Sony's impressive game lineup, but was also due to the strength of the CD medium. Each CD-ROM could hold 650-700 MB of information, which was more than 100-times the capacity of the competing Nintendo 64's cartridges.There were downsides to this new standard; CD-ROMs were less durable than plastic-encased cartridges, and they were very slow to load, as well, because information stored in ROM chips could be more or less instantly booted, while the info stored on discs had to be spun up and read first, resulting in sluggish load screens throughout the gaming experience, and especially on the initial boot-up of the system.That said, the far superior storage, and the dramatically reduced cost of these laser-etched discs—cartridges could cost $15-20 apiece to manufacture, while CD-ROMs often cost pennies apiece—that triggered a rapid transition in the gaming world to this new medium. Handheld consoles stuck with cartridges for a lot longer, due to the nature of the use-case and difficulties associated with trying to use spinning discs in portable hardware, but everyone else moved to discs pretty rapidly, after Sony proved the utility of the model, and many aspects of video gaming were upgraded as a result of all that additional storage capacity.That capacity continued to grow as CD-ROM were replaced with DVDs, which could hold 4.7-8.5 GB per disc, again, up from 650-700 MB; the industry made that change in the years 2000 and 2001, with the PS2 and Xbox consoles. And then in 2006, the PS3 moved to Blu-ray discs, which could hold a whopping 25-50 GB per disc, once again resetting gaming expectations—though Xbox stuck with DVDs, and Nintendo's Wii, Wii U, and Gamecube consoles used proprietary disc formats that had a lot lower capacity compared to their competition.Leading into the 2010s, even those Blu-rays were straining under the weight of some big-name, AAA games, some of which required multiple discs and mandatory hard drive installs from those discs, because the scope of these gaming worlds and their high-end graphics required just a stunning amount of space.Video game companies had already started making the shift to digital products in the early 2000s, though, Xbox Live Arcade and the Playstation Store emerging in 2005 and 2006 respectively, and Steam, which popped up in 2003, was making digital downloads for games common on PCs several years earlier.Digital became even more popular in the 20-teens, and in 2020, digital sales of console games surpassed physical sales for the first time. The PS5 and Xbox Series S shipped console versions without disc drives for the first time, and many physical games became basically methods of checking a game's license, to ensure it's not pirated, because the discs installed the game on the console's hard drive, just like a download, anyway.What I'd like to talk about today is the perhaps natural next step in this transition: a recent announcement by Sony that they'll no longer be making disc-based Playstation games beginning in 2028, and why some critics are calling this a worrying and anti-consumer move.—On July 1, 2026, Sony announced that's it's going all-in on digitally delivered games. It will halt production of game discs beginning in January of 2028, and after that, customers will only be able to purchase new games digitally, via their Playstation Store and retailers.This follows another recent announcement by game company Rockstar Games that their massively anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI game, which is set to hit digital shelves on November 19 of this year, will not be available on disc at all; it will be downloadable, and the physical copies customers can buy in stores won't be physical copies at all: it will be a box with a download code inside, which amounts to the same thing—you use the code to download the game, exactly the same as if you had bought it online, but with packaging for that code.That's a big deal because the Grand Theft Auto series is one of the biggest and most popular series in gaming history; other game makers have been scrambling to adjust their own release dates so as not to overlap with this new, highly anticipated game's release; it's expected to be an absolutely massive moment in the gaming world when this new entry in the series finally lands.That said, the writing has been on the wall for the transition to digital games for a while, now. Game company Capcom recently announced that 93% of its game sales were digital in its last fiscal year, and other companies have reported similar numbers; it's currently around 85% for Sony. As a result, many consoles are now shipping models without disc drives, and some, like the recently announced Steam Machine, don't even have a disc-drive version.Digital games are also cheaper to make because the company behind them only has to provide download keys, rather than having to pay some amount for each and every physical item produced, packaged, and shipped, and these companies, and the retailers that sell their games, will never run out of a popular game, which might otherwise be an issue for big released like the aforementioned Grand Theft Auto.There are quite a few downsides to the digitization of games, though, including that in many cases, you don't actually own the games you buy, you just own a license to download and play them. That means if licensing changes, or the storefront through which you bought a game closes, you will likely lose access to that game you bought, without getting any kind of refund.If your account is banned or you lose access to your account for some reason, all your games will suddenly be inaccessible, too. If you don't have access to the internet, allowing your console to phone home and check to make sure you're not pirating things on a regular basis, that might also mean no gaming for you.Almost always, you can't sell or trade digital games, while physical games allow for a thriving secondary market, often allowing gamers to buy old discs and cartridges decades after a game was released, and often for far lower prices. Many of these games can even be played by later consoles that have back-compatibility.Doing away with discs and other physical media is great for companies like Sony, then, because they no longer have to pay to create the individual discs, no longer have to pay for the drives that play the discs, so the price of making consoles drops a bit, and it also means that secondary market for games goes away: if you want to play old games, you have to buy them from Sony, and all those used games already on the secondary market, or a game disc borrowed from a friend, are no longer competition for them, serving as alternatives to the digital version they'd prefer to sell you.Another bigger-picture concern here, though, is that this will make game preservation efforts a lot more difficult, and for many of the same reasons it will make maintaining a library and back-catalog of games difficult for consumers.Often, when a video game store shuts down, either for economic reasons or because it sells content for devices that are no longer maintained, those games and other content also go away. Sometimes they can remain on those older devices, and sometimes the digital rights management software, the DRM in that content and on those devices auto-deletes games from the hardware.Right now, for instance, Sony is saying that after it halts digital sales of PS3 and Vita games, that halting taking place over the next year, players will still be able to download their previously purchased content for the foreseeable future. That ‘foreseeable future' phrasing is doing a lot of work, there, though, and historically this kind of shut down has eventually become a full shut down, a lot of games, those that haven't been carried over to new stores to be played as vintage options on newer consoles, have simply disappeared; maybe still existing on some old hardware somewhere, if it wasn't deleted by DRM, but maybe not. In either case, preserving that software for historic research and archiving purposes becomes very difficult and expensive, at least compared to archiving the same game on a disc or cartridge.That closure of the PS3 and Vita stores, for example, is expected to result in the loss of about 2,200 digital-only games that will no longer be available for purchase, and of those, about 138 are not available on any other platform, and will thus essentially disappear.This game industry concern echoes larger concerns about what's called a digital dark age: a moment in time, maybe just a few years, maybe a few decades long during which a whole lot of the content that was created and available, disappears, possibly because of outdated file formats, maybe because the storage mediums that were used didn't hold up over time, or possibly because the data from the era was somehow corrupted, encrypted, or decayed.There's concern that a whole lot of information from the early personal computing era will disappear from historical records, for instance, because the floppy disks on which a lot of that information was stored are obsolete and thus increasingly difficult to access; few people have hardware that allows them to use floppy disks, these days.CD-ROMs, DVDs, and other optical discs are also a concern because of so-called disc rot, which refers to the chemical degradation of this storage medium. Many such discs are prone to failure because of light damage, the oxidation of their reflective layer, and the de-bonding of the adhesive that was used to hold the disc's multiple layers together.A lot of seemingly archival media might then degrade, even after being stored in a seemingly long-term fashion, which could also contribute to a dark age moment, a whole period's worth of data and entertainment and art lost because the CDs and DVDs on which they were stored simply fell apart before they could be converted to a longer-form medium. This could serve as an argument in favor of digitization, then, because many of the mediums on which these games are currently stored might degrade, anyway, and moving them to hard drives, rather than discs, could serve as a superior long-term home.That said, the concern with digitizing everything is similar, in that media made available for online purchase is simply stored in a hard drive somewhere else on the planet. If something happens to the data centers in which these games are stored, or those data centers are needed for another, more profitable purpose, or a bunch of them are destroyed in a conflict, that could result in the same outcome as disc rot and the storage of data in formats that are no longer accessible.It also makes these games susceptible to economics, though, because if the company behind them decides it's time to move on, there won't be physical copies archivists can scoop up and save; they could try to download these games, but often the nature of the software, of the DRM that keeps them from being pirated, hinders or prevents such efforts.The digitization of gaming and the shift away from physical copies of games seems to be inevitable at this point, and there are a lot of good economic, technological, and convenience reasons for it.There are quite a few downsides to this evolution as well, though, including those that negatively impact game consumers, alongside many of the same issues that threaten other types of media and data. And we don't, technologically or civilizationally, have solutions for those problems yet. And that gap could someday result in massive gulfs in our knowledge and documentation of this moment in video gaming history.Show Noteshttps://blog.archive.org/2026/04/23/gone-but-not-forgotten-recovering-the-dead-web/https://www.engadget.com/2207297/playstation-just-struck-a-hammer-blow-to-game-preservation/https://www.engadget.com/forza-horizon-4-will-be-pulled-from-digital-stores-and-game-pass-in-december-134510642.htmlhttps://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/03/why-game-archivists-are-dreading-this-months-3ds-wii-u-eshop-shutdown/https://www.engadget.com/2205792/sony-will-stop-making-disc-based-playstation-games-starting-2028/https://www.engadget.com/2207546/sony-repurposing-austrian-playstation-disc-factory/https://www.engadget.com/2206315/xbox-is-reportedly-testing-a-way-to-digitize-your-disc-based-games/https://www.engadget.com/2205792/sony-will-stop-making-disc-based-playstation-games-starting-2028/https://www.theverge.com/report/960173/microsoft-xbox-disc-to-digital-feature-physical-game-collectionhttps://www.theverge.com/games/956389/grand-theft-auto-6-gta-digital-code-in-box-physical-gameshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_dark_agehttps://longnow.org/ideas/shining-a-light-on-the-digital-dark-age/https://www.americanscientist.org/article/avoiding-a-digital-dark-agehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_game_consoleshttps://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/history-of-game-media/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_rot This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

Same duty station. Same VA loan. One friend gets paid to own his home. The other writes a $30,000 check just to leave. When orders came through, most guys asked the wrong question. It's not "should I sell or rent?" It's "did I buy something worth keeping?" In this episode, I walk you through three real PCS housing scenarios, break down how to actually calculate cashflow (not the guru math that gets people wrecked) and give you a clear framework to know exactly what to do with your home before you move.   Timestamps (00:00) - Intro (00:27) - Jonathan's Story: The Win (01:54) - The Adjutant's Story: The $30K Mistake (03:18) - The Real Question to Ask (03:39) - Equity Check (04:39) - Real Cashflow Math (06:39) - Intent: Home or Investment? (07:13) - Landlord Reality and Cash Reserves (08:00) - My First Duplex (08:51) - Keep or Sell Framework   About the Show On the Military Millionaire Podcast, I share real conversations with service members, veterans, and their families. Each week, we explore how to build wealth through personal finance, entrepreneurship, and real estate investing. Resources & Links Download a free copy of my book: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/free-book Sign up for free webinar trainings: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/register Get an intro to recommended VA agents/lenders: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/va-realtor Apply for The War Room Mastermind: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/mastermind-application Join our investor list: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/investors Guide to raising capital: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/capital-raising-guide   Connect with David Pere Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/militarymillionaire YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Frommilitarytomillionaire?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frommilitarytomillionaire/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-pere/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/militaryrei TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@   Produced by ⁠UNFLTR

After Matthew discovers the fate of his convicted felon, he turns it over to Skid and Joe, who create the final two PCs for the GCN's Traveller Gauntlets at Gen Con 2026! Access ad-free episodes, exclusive podcasts, and more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠jointhenaish.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Come see us LIVE in a city near you at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.glasscannonnetwork.com/tour Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is a Prelude—a transmission from the past. Before Solari: Arc I, there were other lives, other worlds, and countless choices that shaped who our PCs would become. Over the next few episodes, we'll uncover the stories that set them on a path toward one another. Witness a time before the beginning. Before Pulls and Culls, before Ghenopaar, before the return of Orm.Content Warning: This episode contains depictions of alcohol consumption, sexual content, and insects. We are:Brennan Lee MulliganErika IshiiAabria IyengarLou Wilson Solari was produced by Worlds Beyond Number Edit and Sound Design by Jino Jang-Hansen at Big Giant Head Score by Will Savinohttps://wsavino.com/ Director of Operations: Melanie Bowman Social Media Manager: Shannon H Lorekeeper and Transcriptionist: Jack Morgan E.F. Lavandowska  Recording Engineer: Rainie Toll Character Art by Nikolas Draper-Iveywww.instagram.com/nikolasdraperivey/ Cover Art by Lu Tomkiewiczwww.instagram.com/_fromlu/ This campaign uses the Stillfleet TTRPG system, created by Wythe Marschall and developed by Stillfleet Studiohttps://stillfleet.com/collections/stillfleetYou can find transcripts of all our episodes on our Patreon. Just navigate to the post for the episode and the transcript will be attached. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.