Podcasts about shockoe

VPM News Host Lyndon German and BizSense Reporter Mike Platania discuss the top business stories across the Richmond region. This week's stories include an in-depth look at renewed interest in Richmond Coliseum proposals and a Shockoe restaurant closes after a 50-year run.

In one of the most impactful interviews to date on the subject, host Randy Wilson sits down with Devon Henry and Marland Buckner, the visionary leaders behind the Shockoe Institute—an $11 million cultural and historical venue now under construction near Main Street Station in Richmond, VA. Devon Henry, renowned for leading the removal of over 24 Confederate monuments across the South, and Marland Buckner, a veteran of the U.S. Senate, Microsoft, and national policy circles, share a timely and deeply personal conversation about reclaiming space, reshaping public memory, and building a new future rooted in truth. Together, they unpack: The symbolism of Shockoe Bottom as a former epicenter of the U.S. domestic slave trade How immersive storytelling will help future generations engage with hard history The challenges and responsibilities of leading a project that sits at the intersection of culture, history, equity, and legacy Their personal motivations, community vision, and hopes for how the Shockoe Institute will serve as both a gateway to Richmond's past and a beacon for collective healing This episode isn't just a look at a building project—it's a front-row seat to history in the making.

Plus: Virginia's former state health commissioner is now warning that the U.S. Health and Human Services Department's recent decision to cut federal funding for COVID-related grants makes Virginians more susceptible to future pandemics — and “horrific consequences.”    In the podcast: Virginia is the top state to survive an alien invasion; Sens. Kaine and Warner's candidates for the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia 

Back to the Map! Team Embrace ventures back to the pod's 1st Mapz series community, Shockoe Bottom. Ana Edwards joins the pod and guides Carl and Moral through Shockoe's history past, present, and it's hopeful future. Some New FOODIE spots are revealed. Irie Ting Jamaican Grill (@irietingja) ande LuLu's (@lulusrva). ShoutOut goes to The Well Collective (@thewellcollective_) Find out more about what's happening in Shockoe Bottom: - The Shockoe Project - www.theshockoeproject.com - Sacred Ground Project - www.sacredgroundproject.net - Virginia Defender - www.virginiadefender.org Become apart of the Conversation! www.embracerva.com

Send us a text! We love hearing from listeners. If you'd like a response, please include your email. Situated on a hill overlooking the James River and the city of Richmond, Virginia is the iconic Shockoe Hill Cemetery founded in 1820. Over its rolling hills, along its winding paths and beneath the arches of its historic trees, you will find a mix of ornate mausoleums, obelisks, and headstones, reflecting various architectural styles and funerary art. On this latest episode of The Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery podcast, Jennie and Dianne are joined by one of Shockoe Hill's long-time guardians, Jeffry Burden, a recently-retired attorney in Richmond, Virginia, and a longtime student of American history, particularly the Civil War and Reconstruction eras. Since 2006, he has been a member of the “Friends of Shockoe Hill Cemetery”, a volunteer citizens group that helps the City of Richmond maintain, improve and interpret the cemetery. Jeffry shares some of the fascinating stories of those who made Shockoe Hill their final resting place and tells of the efforts that go into preserving and maintaining this treasured burial ground. From the graves of Civil War soldiers to the monuments of Richmond's elite, Jeffry's insights bring the history of Shockoe Hill Cemetery to life. To learn more about Shockoe Hill Cemetery or get involved as a volunteer, visit them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1E9D9a9L2B/Need an Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast tee, hoodie or mug? Find all our taphophile-fun much here:https://oecemetery.etsy.com

Topics include:FINAL EPISODEJamie Foxx specialAi Users on fb MBU: Jimmy Carter, Richard Perry, Sam MooreSLAPS: SZA ft. Kendrick Lamar, Cymande ft Jazzie B, Japanese breakfast, Rod wave Aloe blaccBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-hustle-season-podcast--2776072/support.

FOIAing the FOIAs is a great “Well now this is happening!” thing to do.

Gross because I bet it works.

Some dogs work to close decades-old cold cases. Others are tasked with finding long-lost burial grounds, shining a light on America's racist foundation while uncovering the truth that some today wish would stay buried. **********Cat Warren author of "What the Dog Knows" (thank you!)Thanks to Kimberly Chen for sharing the public reports of what HRDs found at Shockoe African Burial Ground II. Peabody Essex Museum TalkNational GeographicDiscover MagazineNY TimesThe Guardian Canine Forensics Foundation Indigenous  Science ICFK9WTHR.com BaumeisterMartin ArcheologyAPTN News McGill Historical RichmondSaving Places PODCASTRVABody SnatchingRichmond Cemeteries Ryan SmithPalm Beach Florida Weekly Scripps News LA TimesUS NewsTCIF.orgSapiens.org CB Support the showIntro/Outtro music: Tiptoe Out The Back - Dan LiebowiczInterstitial Music: MK2Additional music: Freesound.com, Pixabay.org Instagram: @EggAndNugget (chicken stan account) or @MelissaMcCueMcGrathWebsite: BewilderBeastsPod.comSupport the Show and get stuff! Patreon.com/BewilderbeastsPodYour host, Melissa McCue-McGrath is an author, dog trainer, and behavior consultant in Southern Maine. She'll talk about dogs all day if you let her. You've been warned :)

Really thankful for the City combating the epic erosion in Pine Camp.

In this episode, I am Kickin' It with Augmented Reality expert and VP of Sales and Business Development at Shockoe.com Dan Cui to enlighten us about the new wave of technology. We talk about all of the cool benefits and the dreaded threats of AR, VR, and AI. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/koolkard/support

There are back ups on Shockoe this morning. Kristen reminds us to pack our patience. Her Kansas Jayhawks took down the Blue Devils Tuesday night.

This is the finale episode of a 3-part mini series dedicated to all things Virginia Wine in partnership with The Veraison Project and Oenoverse initiatives. This episode features Chauncey Jenkins, a hospitality professional who passionately believes that diplomatic hospitality, immersive environments, and personal experience are at the core of connecting deeply across boundaries. He is a graduate of the Cornell School of Hospitality, and Chauncey has co-created and led luxury gathering spots, contemporary social clubs, and innovative restaurant concepts. He describes his work as always striving to provide an expansive suite of senses to create immersive environments for executive leadership summits and negotiation spaces. We talk about how he uses his unique skills to teach about building connection across divides, breaking through creative limitations to generate alternative solutions, and communicating empathetically to resonate with stakeholders for in-person, hybrid, and virtual audiences. You can learn more about his upcoming album release as well as his work with The Veraison Project by following his adventures @mrchancefischer on social media. Recorded October 5, 2022 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/acorkintheroad/support

5G is the latest generation to hit the mobile sector. So, what's next? That was the question on Haptic Feedback's Bobby Brill's mind when he spoke to Shockoe's Chad Neipling, Director of Engineering and Technology, and Alex Otanez, CEO. Today's world of mobility isn't simply a phone; it's multiple devices. In Neipling's words, “It's about bringing the technology to you, the individual, wherever you are; anytime, anywhere.” Otanez recognizes mobility's tendrils extending beyond devices at this point. “It's about a connected life,” Otanez said. As for which industry plays the most significant role in mobility's growth, Otanez believes mobility is industry agnostic. “As consumers of technology, as consumers of data, it spans across all industries. For us, it's about one core tenant: It's about taking data and creating a user experience through an interface or through a notification that is beneficial to a user.” Mobility is branching into areas that have yet to realize their full potential. From VR to the metaverse, the connection experience changes how people interact with devices and each other. Neipling said mobile devices could even provide augmented reality from different shopping and retail experiences. “You're creating this entity through technology in a virtual space.".The metaverse is an augmented, experience-driven place where companies are still searching for the right formula to participate in a way that makes sense for their brand. Otanez said the clients Shockoe wants to work with are the ones who are pushing boundaries. “They want to understand how they can create a better brand or a better experience for their consumers in the metaverse. And those are the customers that we're constantly working with.” To accomplish this mission, from either a brand-building or trend-building perspective, Otanez said Shockoe uses best-in-class practices. These practices are critical to maintaining usability expectations.

COVID-19 reshaped the landscape for every industry and every area of business. And while logistics and supply-chain issues may grab all the headlines, marketing changed a lot during the pandemic. Shockoe's Dan Cui, VP of Sales & Business Development, and Dexter Williams, Digital Marketing Strategist, came together to share their insights on the shifts COVID-19 made to the marketing game. Cui and Williams agreed many changes in marketing were happening before the pandemic, but things accelerated at a rapid clip over the past two years. “There are a lot of things, as marketers and as salespeople, we have to think about and reevaluate and better position ourselves for a post-COVID world,” Williams said. Cui believes that marketing is emerging as the center of revenue growth for most businesses today. And with that center, focus marketing needs to ensure its segmentation strategy amongst all business areas is solid. And within those segments, the technology exists to drill down and market to individual customer needs and traits. If a marketing department isn't doing that, they are behind the curve. “It's key now more than ever that companies not only know their segments, know their customers, but that they're listening to them,” Williams said. “They're listening not only to their demands and their needs, but they're also meeting them in a timely manner and circumstances, and situations, and that's part of that segmentation process.” Cui and Williams recognized customers and prospects today have access to a lot of information. Customers do their homework on the companies they want to partner and do business with, so companies need to do their homework too. Every channel that a customer or prospect can learn about a company needs to have the relevant insights and information available to guide the customer to a decision.

What may be the country's largest burial ground for enslaved and free African-Americans is one step closer to federal recognition. As Mallory Noe-Payne reports, the site in Richmond recently earned a spot on the Virginia Landmarks Register.

The metaverse has grabbed the attention of people worldwide. The term frequently appears from television shows to movies and everywhere in between, bringing awareness of emerging technologies to the masses. Haptic Feedback host Dan Cui, VP Sales and Business Development at Shockoe, spoke with Ori Inbar, Co-Founder & CEO of AugmentedReality.org, to discuss how the metaverse is emerging in the "real world." Cui opened the conversation by speaking to the confusion that surrounds the term. With so many technologies attached to the metaverse, such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), Non-fungible tokens (NFTs), 5G, and bitcoin the term itself can get a bit overwhelming. The list seems to expand daily, so what is the metaverse exactly? World-renowned expert Inbar with decades of experience in the industry chuckled at the question noting that he had heard it a thousand times in the past year with just as many different answers. "It's definitely a confusing term. Trying to define it right now is kind of a futile exercise, but here's what I'm going to say. I think it's probably safe to say that in simple terms, the metaverse is the next stage of the internet –when it becomes spatial when it becomes immersive." Essentially, it's when people are no longer looking at 2-dimensional screens. This is not an entirely new concept; in fact, it's been around a lot longer than many realize. Think Pokémon GO, many know of this game even if they haven't actually played it themselves. This interactive game that bridges the "real world" with an internet world is one example of the birth of the metaverse. An interesting note is that the metaverse will mean different things to different people and different industries. In finance, there is cryptocurrency, for example and for gamers, there are virtual reality gaming systems entering homes at an ever-increasing pace. What does this mean for small business to large businesses looking to get into this space? For startups, this is a big opportunity to take a stand in this new wave. For the big tech companies and larger enterprises, they are looking for the next opportunity to invest in as current growth plans are plateauing. Inbar cautions to still be careful and to understand first what you are going into. If companies are going into this space, they should think of ways how their brand can extend into the metaverse rather than trying completely, whole new ideas.

In the final episode of a three-part series on analyzing and building actionable tips for developing mobile applications, platforms and digital or mobile experiences, Host Daniel J. Litwin welcomed back a panel of experts from Shockoe. This episode connected the dots between many of the ideas presented in the first two episodes, as well as how impact is measured.The panel once again included Chandler Tyler and Mason Brown, both product strategists, as well Toz Grewal, a product analyst. The team argued that centering a measurable impact from start to finish can elevate the entire process.“We outline early on the goals that the product should have,” said Tyler. “A lot of times these overlap with business goals for the product… but we want to find those early on, and we want to figure out how we are actually going to measure against those goals.”Impact measurement is a term that penetrates every step of Shockoe's strategy. For instance, Grewal gave the example of how a well-designed product can reduce call volume at the call center.What do we want the outcome to be, not the output,” Brown further clarified, speaking to how it's important to determine what a company desires as its end goal.Looking to the future, the panel also discussed what challenges might be coming on the horizon. The team mentioned data regulation and privacy as the most important issues, and the goal is to find a way to capture data while keeping the customer's trust. To wrap up the final episode, Grewal stated, “We don't care who you are or where you're from or what you did, as long as you use our products meaningfully.”

On this episode we chat with Mason Brown, Director of Strategy at Shockoe, on what strategy even means, the importance of it, how it shifts and changes, and how to design for it.

Alex Otanez is the CEO of Shockoe, a leading mobile technology consultancy that has spent the last 10 years designing and developing mobile solutions for Fortune 500 brands as well as the public sector. Shockoe specializes in building multi-platform experiences focussed on integrating mobile apps, augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, voice-driven, and AI-powered experiences into real-world scenarios. As a seasoned technology executive with 15+ years of experience in mobility, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and edge solutions, Alex thrives off of creating seamless, multiplatform experiences that make lives measurably better. He is driven by his team and is passionate about creating a people-first environment that prioritizes employee engagement, wellness, and growth.

In part two of a series on analyzing and building actionable tips for developing mobile applications, platforms and digital or mobile experiences, Host Daniel J. Litwin welcomed back Shockoe industry experts Chandler Tyler and Mason Brown, both product strategists, and Toz Grewal, a product analyst. The group dove deep into the company's strategies and how other companies can adapt and apply them as well. The panel stressed the importance of working with clients for solutions. “We get to work very closely with people both at Shockoe and with our clients to really gain different perspectives on what product development means for different roles,” said Tyler. Brown added, “I think one of the biggest upsides of us and the entire shop is that our software process is pretty transparent when you're working with us.” “People want to feel heard,” commented Grewal. “The client feedback and the client response is a persistent aspect of what informs everything that we do… I think is kind of a foundational of how we approach that problem.” They also spoke to the importance of having a cross-functional team, where the process is not handed off from department to department but is a collaborative situation. For instance, Brown and Tyler described how the product strategy team works with clients to pinpoint important aspects of a project in the development stage, sometimes even working with clients on site for a hands-on approach. Grewal agreed, further pushing the importance of teamwork. “Nothing happens in a vacuum. Strategy doesn't happen in a vacuum; design does not happen in a vacuum, and development does not happen in a vacuum,” Grewal added. “So, similarly, those three efforts function in their best possible form when they're done in tandem with the client and in tandem with each other.” Litwin will be back with the panel for the third and final installment of the product strategy process on the “Haptic Feedback” podcast.

In the first part of a three-part series on analyzing and building actionable tips for developing mobile applications, platforms and digital or mobile experiences, Host Daniel J. Litwin talked to a panel of experts from Shockoe, who imparted their experience with product strategy. The panel included Chandler Tyler and Mason Brown, both product strategists, as well Toz Grewal, a product analyst, all with Schockoe. The trio discussed how product strategy fits into today's context, and each provided nuggets of wisdom. For Shockoe and others in the digital application industry, the pandemic helped to accelerate the embracing of digital platforms in disbursing resources toward common goals. The panel all commented on how they defined product strategy and its importance for today's society. “The quality was always important, but the pandemic has put into perspective the importance for certain types of digital solutions,” added Tyler. While for Brown, he commented how product strategy is enabling companies to manager warehouses in different states. Grewal extended their thoughts, and said, “We exist to validate, confirm, check and test every assumption that an organization makes to decide the future of its product.” With the development of algorithms, Brown pointed out that companies are learning how to anticipate thinking and cited using the internet and its data to properly strategize within companies. In general, Grewal warned against being “failure aversive,” and explained, “Embracing the notion of failure pays out long term. You might shoot ten times, but only make it seven.” In other words, failure is an integral part of success. Litwin will be back with the panel with the second installment of the product strategy process on the “Haptic Feedback” podcast.

Host Dan Cui, VP of sales and business development, discussed the future of technology brought about by the pandemic with CEO Alex Otanez. Referring to COVID-19 as “the great change,” Otanez commented on how technology advanced much faster because of the pandemic. He explained, “Over the last 12 months, we have essentially progressed what would be equivalent of two to three years.”Relying on and expecting more of technology has led to two trends:1. Creating interactive experiences2. Connecting devicesOtanez predicts the industry will start seeing an emphasis on number two to help consumers have a more convenient, connective experience between devices which is called multi platform. Cui added, “And this connection I think really has to do with customer satisfaction, customer engagement and customer loyalty. And I think that's one of things we've been hearing when talking to enterprise customers… the customers are driving the need back to us.”Companies are looking to fill the connectivity gap, but the question is how to make the customer journey seamless. Tech companies are looking for a solution, and Shockoe believes inter-departmental collaboration, consulting/development specialists, and augmented reality will transform the industry. This is where Shockoe comes in. As a multi platform mobile app expert for 10 years, Shockoe focuses on improving customer and employee satisfaction through technology innovation, specifically augmented reality recently. Otanez humbly bragged of their custom approach, “Not sharing too much of our secret sauce, but I think our approach to strategy is very unique in that it's usable by clients and executable by developers.” The differentiating question they ask clients is: “How do you want your customer and team to feel?”

Tejendra Patel, the Principal Application Engineer at Westrock, joined Shockoe's Kevon Adonis, Senior Developer, and Andrew Rumbley, Senior Mobile and Web App Developer, to shed light on when app developers should consider cross-platform vs. web when building an app.“With a cross-platform application, you're writing code that's going to match up to native elements,” Rumbley said. “With a web application, you're not using native components. You're limited to the web components we've used since the 90s, and some features of the mobile platform like access to camera and microphone, and other native functionality is more difficult to work with.” One downside is when new versions of platforms, some of those new features may require code updates for various non-native apps to work with those cross-platforms.“When you start thinking about, ‘hey, I have tens of millions of users, I have these fancy animations, performance,' everything is of importance,” Patel said. “Maybe at that point, you're better off going the native route rather than trying to use Ionic or React Native to build something cross-platform.”Adonis pointed to some of web applications limitations, especially in hardware interaction. “Over the years, where web has always struggled is it's difficult to interact with the mic, or the camera, or any hardware on the device. And for good reasons. All security reasons. I've never disagreed with any reason in terms of locking access to that hardware.”With PWAs, web applications have more functionality in the desktop world than ever before, including desktop app icons, which create user familiarity and adoption of an app.

Businesses are turning digital assistants and chatbots to scale communications. But chatbots and digital assistants don't necessarily replicate a human experience or provide a good experience in all cases. However, new voice and video interfaces are bridging the gap.On this latest episode of Haptic Feedback, Jamie Young, Director of Product Design with Shockoe, spoke with Nathan Stratton, Founder and CTO of Vocinity, a company committed to providing conversational voice and video interfaces for businesses. Together they tackle how innovation and advancement in voice-video interfaces is driving fascinating use cases for businesses looking to automate interactions through voice.

Data is accessible in so many ways, and now there are technologies that can drive an even higher ROI for companies willing to make an investment. Discussing these emerging trends, including AR, VR, and the metaverse, Haptic Feedback host Courtney Echerd spoke with Dan Cotting, Director of Emerging Technologies, and Dan Cui, VP Sales and Business Development, Shockoe.Cotting first defined the new term metaverse, “It's about taking data and putting it where we need it when we need it. It's a data layer over the physical world, like using your GPS and having it point you in the right direction.”Consumers will reap benefits, and so can businesses. “Think about training someone to use machinery. You're doubling up on resources when you could use a headset that recognizes the equipment and tells the person to push this button then the next,” Cotting shared. Cui added that the ROI is proven. “Studies show 71% of consumers prefer shopping with retailers that use AR, and those that use it have a 40% improvement in conversions.”What AR offers is pre-visualization, which can support construction, architecture, and other tangible fields to imagine something before breaking ground or spending money. Cui noted that COVID taught the world it can operate virtually and that the metaverse is the next step. “The goal is to surround yourself with content when you need it and being able to do so in a hands-free way with glasses. It's the next cellphone.”Cotting shared another example of workers that are in dangerous situations that require both hands. “You don't want them to be using a phone. Glasses offer them a way to see what they need and have both hands free.”

Good morning, RVA! It's 66 °F, and highs today should stick around in the upper 80s. Honestly, looks like a pretty pleasant day ahead of us! NBC12's Andrew Freiden says a cold front will come through tomorrow, setting us up for some excellent Thursday weather. Get excited!Water coolerThe Richmond Times-Dispatch's Kenya Hunter has the update from last night's RPS School Board meeting during which they…actually, I'm still kind of confused on what they decided to do. It sounds like the Board (well, the same five-member voting bloc of boardmembers) has now required Superintendent Kamras to issue an RFP for the design of a school to replace George Wythe High School by the end of August, despite RPS not having the staff hired to do so until October. If you're a resident of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th Districts, your school board rep is part of the voting bloc that refuses to compromise, continues to delay action, and sets unrealistic goals for the school district and its staff. It's embarrassing and doesn't give me a whole lot of hope for the next three years of this Board's tenure. If you'd like to drop your rep an email, you can find all of their contact information here. Honestly though, they're so dug in at this point I'm not sure what you'd say to change any minds. Maybe it's worth copying your councilmember and taking a screenshot of your email to post publicly on social media? I dunno, like I said, I've got a real dark feeling of hopelessness.City Council's Land Use, Housing and Transportation committee meets today with a packed and interesting agenda. Up first, they'll, once again, consider the Richmond 300 amendment resolution (RES. 2021-R026). I wish this resolution would take its jumbled list of inappropriate and conflicting changes to our award-winning master plan and just go away. Second, Councilmember Jones has introduced RES. 2021-R043, which asks the CAO to prepare “an affordable housing plan for each Council District that distributes as equally as possible affordable housing options across the Council District.” I think this is an interesting resolution! From the background section of the paper: “As detailed in the Affordable Housing Plan and Biennial Real Estate Strategy approved by Council, there are 76 [city-owned] parcels dedicated to affordable housing. However, a majority of the parcels are concentrated in the 6th District.” 31 parcels, in fact, are in the 6th—16 more than in any other district. This is probably the result of a million things: Land and housing values, zoning, the incredibly successfully efforts to prevent dense and new housing by folks in the more affluent parts of our city, racism. It is, of course, harder and more expensive to create affordable housing in the 1st District than it is in the 6th District exactly because of all of those things. However, I like how the summary section of this paper frames it: Each district bears a responsibility to address the affordable housing crisis. That'll mean different strategies in the 1st than in the 7th, but it's our responsibility to figure out those strategies. Finally, if you still don't believe there's an affordable housing crisis, tune in to today's meeting to catch a presentation from Javon Burton, Director of Implementation for the Partnership of Housing Affordability. Across our entire region—in Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield, and Hanover—rent increases have outpaced income increases, and 32% of households are cost-burdened. Think about that next time you hear councilmembers and public commenters wringing their hands about building 10-story buildings on literal Broad Street.The City kicked off the public engagement process for their Draft Shockoe Small Area Plan yesterday. You can download the 213-page document here, but don't be deterred by page count alone! The Department of Planning and Development Review has gotten pretty good at making readable PDFs over the last couple of years, this one included. You'll see a lot of Richmond 300 vibes once you start scrolling through the document. I haven't read through the whole thing yet, but it'd be huge to add that amount of public green space to what's basically a broiling asphalt desert (p. 30). Also, apropos of the previous paragraph, check out page 27 for the extreme lack of affordable housing within this plan's study area (and within a 10-minute walk from the two nearby Pulse stations). In-person public comment opportunities start at the end of the month, and you can always leave comments using Konveio or fill out this general comment form until August 27th.Never in one million years would I have guessed that local hotel magnate Neil Amin would end up appointed as the chair of the State's Cannabis Control Authority Board of Directors. But here we are! You can read through the full list of the Governor's appointments in this release over on his website. The Governor also appointed members to the Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Board and the Cannabis Public Health Advisory Board.This morning's longreadNikole Hannah-Jones Issues Statement on Decision to Decline Tenure Offer at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and to Accept Knight Chair Appointment at Howard UniversityThe whole Nikole Hannah-Jones tenure situation went down while I was on vacation, so maybe it's old news. That said, her statement is still worth reading.How could I believe I'd be able to exert academic freedom with the school's largest donor so willing to disparage me publicly and attempt to pull the strings behind the scenes? Why would I want to teach at a university whose top leadership chose to remain silent, to refuse transparency, to fail to publicly advocate that I be treated like every other Knight Chair before me? Or for a university overseen by a board that would so callously put politics over what is best for the university that we all love? These times demand courage, and those who have held the most power in this situation have exhibited the least of it.If you'd like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol' Patreon.Picture of the Day

Good morning, RVA! It’s 52 °F, and, look!, another great day of weather sits ahead of us. Expect highs in the upper 70s and lots of good vibes. Rain moves in and sets up shop for most of the day tomorrow, though.Water coolerThe Richmond Police Department is reporting that Daniel A. Stark, a man in his 30s, was murdered this past Tuesday. Officers arrived to the 1800 block of Fernbrook Drive and found Stark “unresponsive and suffering from trauma.”As of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 805↗️ new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealthand 9↘️ new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 58↗️ new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 20, Henrico: 31, and Richmond: 7). Since this pandemic began, 382 people have died in the Richmond region. Here’s an updated stacked graph of new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. While we have had a couple of 1,000+ days of reported new positive cases recently, you can see how this week’s reporting issue continues to skew the seven-day average upward (currently at 1,131). You don’t see a similar, corresponding uptick in hospitalizations. I wonder if the upward trend we’re seeing in the number of new local cases is related to the statewide reporting issue or not? The level of community transmission, updated weekly and tracked on the Pandemic Metrics Dashboard, did revert back up to “substantial community transmission” after a couple weeks at the lower “moderate community transmission” level. That was a lot of words and links to say “stay vigilant, wash your hands, wear your mask, and keep your distance.”This piece by Eric Kolenich at the Richmond Times-Dispatch about the varying procedures (and subsequent COVID-19 case counts) at our colleges and universities has some interesting tidbits. I’m surprised-but-not-surprised by the fact that the State has not mandated some standard way for colleges—especially public colleges—to track, test, and report the coronavirus on their campuses. It makes it extremely hard to understand why the virus has spread in some places and not others—which, if you’ll remember that good longread from a couple days ago, is maybe just this virus’s scene. Also, for what it’s worth, I don’t believe student behavior varies from campus to campus. Young people will young people wherever they may roam, and I don’t believe that the personal behavior of Rams vs. Dukes will tell us much about how to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.Chris Suarez, also at the RTD, has an update on City Council’s plans for last year’s budget surplus. The vast majority of that money will head into a rain-day fund, and that sounds great to me. Council did quash the Mayor’s plan to spend $500,000 of that extra cash on some health initiatives, which is a lot of money but only 2.6% of the total estimated surplus. This Council has, in the past, often spent large amounts of time deliberating tiny amounts of money. Sometimes, I think that comes from a place of good oversight—Councilman Addison said he’d be concerned about using this one-time money to fund on-going initiatives. Sometimes, though, it feels like City Council wants to flex against the mayor. And sometimes it just feels like Council loses the big picture and gets caught up in the details.I wrote about GRTC’s Route #77 community meeting yesterday, and I wanted to make sure to link y’all to the full and final public comment PDF. Out of 96 total comments received before the meeting, 76 were in favor of the new-and-improved #77 and 20 were opposed. Many of those in favor even live in the Fan itself! That’s great work, and I felt real emotions reading through some of these pro-bus comments. It’s just incredibly comforting to know that lots of folks out there are willing to put in the work to make our city a better place.What to quote from in this RTD column by Don O’Keefe?? There’s just so much! How about “automobile use is a public health crisis.” Or “To counter [spawl], we need to concentrate new development in already-settled areas. This means increasing density, and every neighborhood should play a part in providing new sites for housing and other functions.” But this right here is the best bit: “If we continue to limit housing supply, fight nonresidential uses and impose parking requirements, we will perpetuate the same sins that guided Richmond’s ill-advised, anti-urban and racist planning decisions in the mid-20th century. We must not continue to prioritize the aesthetic preferences of middle- and upper-class whites over the needs of working people who increasingly are priced out of urban neighborhoods. Living in a walkable urban neighborhood should not be a privilege for the few; it should be a viable option for families of any income level.”Speaking of, Mike Platania at Richmond BizSense says developers will try to rezone the surface-level parking lot on the northwest corner of Broad & 17th to TOD-1. This zoning category would allow for density, housing, retail—all kinds of things that are 100% better than a gravel parking lot in the dang center of our city. With a lot of planning work going on in and around Shockoe, I wonder how new private development will fit into those efforts. I would want whatever replaces this gross parking lot to thoughtfully co-exist with the plans for a museum and public space interpreting enslavement in America.Oh, snap! From Attorney General Mark Herring’s twitter account yesterday morning, “Judge says he will GRANT our request to extend voter registration deadline until 11:59pm on Thursday, October 15. Register to vote now!!” If your extremely last-minute plans to register to vote were dashed by a fiber optic cable mishap, you now have until 11:59 PM tonight to register. DO IT.Today, from 9:30–11:30 AM, at Epiphany Lutheran Church (1400 Horsepen Road), the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts will host another COVID-19 community testing event. This one is drive-thru only, but!, I now know that they will accept walk/roll-ups if your car is in the shop or is a bus or a bicycle.Logistical note! I am out of town tomorrow, so you should not expect a email from me—or at least you shouldn’t expect a morning email newsletter from me. If you send me an email directly for some reason, I’ll probably respond!This morning’s patron longreadWhy Women Are Biking in Record Numbers in N.Y.C.Submitted by Patron Lisa. This is so exciting to see, and just highlights the need in Richmond to keep striping bike/walk/roll lanes as fast as possible. The pace really has picked up, but lets keep at it.In many cities, but perhaps most notably in New York, much of that growth has been driven by a surge in the number of women who took to bicycling after lockdown orders eliminated the main barrier research has shown keeps women from cycling: streets that often feel perilous for cyclists. In New York, there were an estimated 80 percent more cycling trips in July compared with the same month last year, with biking by women rising by 147 percent and increasing by 68 percent among men, according to data from Strava Metro, a mobility tracking application used by 68 million people globally.If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 47 °F, and I am wearing a hoodie at this very moment. Today, you can expect highs in the mid 60s and sunshine. I will probably have to take this hoodie off later this morning, but it feels pretty cozy right now!Water coolerRichmond Police are reporting that last Wednesday night Marquis B. Bushnell, a man in his 30s, was fatally shot on the 1900 bock of Redd Street. The RPD are asking anyone with information about this shooting to call Crime Stoppers (804.780.1000).As of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 856↘️ new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealthand 25↗️ new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 106↘️ new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 34, Henrico: 45 and Richmond: 27). Since this pandemic began, 356 people have died in the Richmond region.In personal coronanews, I finally put some time into moving my coronacounts spreadsheet over to Google Sheets, and you can check it out here. The chartsandgraphs aren’t exactly how I want them, but it’s a start. With any luck, next time my numbers start to look strange, folks can go poke around the data themselves and let me know what I’ve screwed up.In local coronanews, St. Christopher’s and St. Catherine’s schools closed this past Friday after two students tested positive following a party involving more than 60 students “absent of social distancing or mask-wearing.” As of this weekend it was still up in the air whether or not students would return to in-person instruction this week.In regional coronanews, JMU has decided to try reopening to in-person instruction again. On October 5th, students will return to campus, but the University will tweak its plans to include a mandatory surveillance testing program, more isolation and quarantine spaces, and smaller class sizes. Also of note, this bit about how JMU reports positive cases: “Many schools are only reporting cases that are identified in their own university health center. We have been as transparent as possible in reporting both self-reported cases as well as cases identified at the UHC. We are in the minority in doing that, which is important to remember when comparing case counts across schools’ dashboards.” Since I know, like me, you’re immediately thinking that this might be one of the reason’s VCU’s case count is so low, lemme stop you right there by quoting from their dashboard: “Students and employees who test positive for COVID-19 or experience symptoms related to COVID-19 must report it to Student Health Services or Employee Health.”And, finally, in national coronanews, the WaPo points out a fairly serious change to the CDC’s guidance on how the coronavirus spreads: They’ve now added aerosols into the mix. Unlike droplets which shoot out of your face when you cough or sneeze and then fall to the ground, aerosols are produced when you sing, talk, or…breath(?!)…and can “remain suspended in the air and be breathed in by others, and travel distances beyond 6 feet.” We’ll see if or how this updated guidance changes how we should behave, but keeping indoor environments well ventilated moving into the fall and winter seems like a challenge.Alright, the saga of the poorly-accessible Registrar’s office continues with this very sternly worded public letter from Mayor Stoney to the General Registrar. First, it’s good to see a transportation issue getting so much attention—and serious attention at that—from the Mayor’s office. But, honestly, I feel insane when I read this letter? To quote a bit, “From your last briefing to my administration and Richmond City Council, we were under the impression that all pains would be taken to ensure the accessibility of this new, spacious location by public transit.” There is almost nothing that the Registrar can do to make this poorly-chosen location easy and convenient to access by public transportation. It’s far from anything, not on the way to anywhere, and at the end of a cul-de-sac next to a highway. This, to paraphrase Jarrett Walker, is a self-inflicted geometry problem. All of the most painful of pains can be taken, but it’s just a hard spot to get to. Sounds like what we’re going to end up with is dedicated shuttle service from City Hall to the new location. This is…a solution…but still adds friction and time to most everyone’s trip to the Registrar and, while maybe quicker than trying to catch the #91, will still discourage folks from voting. Additionally, this bit is maddening: “I also strongly suggest you reach out to GRTC to explore increasing frequency of service near your main office.” OK, sure. The #91 is a Henrico-based route and would cost $2,300,000 (annually) to up its frequency from once an hour to twice an hour (PDF, p. 4–95). It might seem like Strong Leadership to make this casual suggestion, but the Registrar has exactly zero authority to force Henrico to drop an additional $2.3 million on public transit. To suggest that they might is bananas.The Rev. Ben Campbell has a piece in Style about the history of enslaved Africans in Richmond and the South and the potential of a National Slavery Museum centered in Shockoe. Campbell points out the deep impact slavery had on Richmond and the incomprehensible (but predictable?) lack of focus on it throughout much of our post-Civil War history: “The [Shockoe] slave market accounted for half the economy of the city of Richmond – perhaps as much as $200 million a year in current value – for the 20 years leading up to the Civil War. Yet it is hardly mentioned in Virginia or Richmond history even today.”The RTD dropped their 4th District candidate questionnaires over the weekend. You can read (unopposed) Councilmember Larson’s answers here, and 4th District School Board candidate answers here. I’ve also added links to all of the other questionnaires to each candidate’s card on the Big List of Richmond’s 2020 Candidates Trello board. If you know of other public questionnaires, send them my why and I’ll get them added in the right spot!It was only a matter of time before some local Coffee Queen or King, looking to extend their empire, snatched up the old Lamplighter on Morris. Jack Jacobs at Richmond BizSense says that Blanchard’s Coffee has picked up the spot and will announce an opening date soon. I’ll miss getting Wrong Lamplightered, but am excited to show up at the wrong Blanchard’s for a meeting (whenever meetings return to my life).Hey, look at this charming thing! Richmond’s wants to find an official poet laureate. I know there’s a lot going on at the moment, but, in my opinion, it’s all the more reason to get someone out there expressing our feelings for us. Applications are due November 5th, tell your poet friends!This morning’s longreadJustice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Champion Of Gender Equality, Dies At 87NPR’s Nina Totenberg has the obituary of RBG that you probably have already read and need to if you have not.But Ruth Bader Ginsburg was nonetheless a historic figure. She changed the way the world is for American women. For more than a decade, until her first judicial appointment in 1980, she led the fight in the courts for gender equality. When she began her legal crusade, women were treated, by law, differently from men. Hundreds of state and federal laws restricted what women could do, barring them from jobs, rights and even from jury service. By the time she donned judicial robes, however, Ginsburg had worked a revolution.If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.

We are on Patreon!All of our episodes are sponsored by all the fantastic people we are pleased to call our listeners. You’ve all been a great audience and we want to give you more: more content, more types of shows, and more in-depth talks with more of your favorite artists and designers. Even $1.00 a ...

In this segment of By Any Means Necessary are joined by Ana Edwards, chair of the Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project, to talk about the newly-announced memorial to those enslaved and sold in the city's former slave-trading district of Shockoe Bottom, how the ongoing uprising against racist police terror factors into the decisions by city lawmakers, and how politicians like Mayor Levar Stoney are already angling to take credit for the project that city residents have demanded for years.

We wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know that we are going to be LIVE! and in MOVING IMAGES! We will be doing our first live podcast via Zoom on April 10th. Check out the details in this short update and do two quick things to get in on the action: ...

The post Design Thinking: In the Classroom and Beyond appeared first on SHOCKOE.

In this weeks episode the crew does a brief review of our game against Orlando City B, preview of our game against North Texas, and our first Q&A! Time Splits OCB Review - 0:34 North Texas Preview- 4:40 AD: for Atomic Lotus -14:38 Question 1: Is the biggest issue with Richmond a lack of a consistent striker? If not, what is? - 15:10 Question 2: Given their current age, if you could secure 3 players (besides Gallardo) for the next 5 years, but they had a guaranteed spot in the 18, regardless of how those years went - who are you investing in? - 19:51 Question 3: What's being done to reach out to the Black and Brown communities beyond downtown and Shockoe and the West End? - 26:57 Prideraiser - 46:03 Question 4: Seems like our first touches are lacking especially on the sidelines, thoughts? - 47:05 Question 5: with USL going to 3 leagues (championship, League 1 and League 2) do you see anymore changes coming or do you see it staying the same - 51:19 Sponsors for today's episode Golden Goal Press Ruff Neck Scarves Atomic Lotus Also Shout to Greggo from FTC UTD for deopping a question go check them out at FTC UTD on Twitter, Facebook, Instgram, and their podcast!

The post Podcast: Consulting, Leadership, and Beyond appeared first on SHOCKOE.

Audio is from the November 16, 2018 information session regarding the Navy Hill Development proposal hosted by NH District. Audio files are in order from the meeting and are named based on content. I can't stress enough how big of a shout out needs to go to Whitney Whiting for this labor of love. Audio Credit: Whitney Whiting

The post Podcast: Let’s Hear From Top Women in Leadership appeared first on SHOCKOE.

The post Having a Vision that Impacts the World appeared first on SHOCKOE.

The post Civic Innovation and Technology: Bettering the City appeared first on SHOCKOE.

The post The Fast-Changing world of Finance Tech appeared first on SHOCKOE.

The post Mobile by Design: All things App Development & Design appeared first on SHOCKOE.

Where does empathy end and encouraging action begin? Welcome to Law Zero: a podcast about the implications (intended or otherwise) of emerging technology. This week we’re tackling one of the topics we’ve been most interested in since this podcast’s inception: VR and empathy. This show will cover everything from the creative power that you feel in VR, a few Hitchhiker's Guide references, getting lost in Minecraft VR, the difference between “true” VR and 360 video, and how real the grad school struggle is. We can also now be found on iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1351138957 Our sources this week include: - Shockoe: "360° Video vs. True VR: Defining Immersive Media" - https://shockoe.com/blog/video-vs-true-virtual-reality/ - PC Mag: "Keep Your Headset On: SteelSeries Made a VR Doorbell" - https://www.pcmag.com/news/358449/keep-your-headset-on-steelseries-made-a-vr-doorbell - The New York Times: NYVR - http://www.nytimes.com/marketing/nytvr/ - Eventbrite: "AR Panel Discussion - VR/AR Association, Richmond Chapter Event" - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ar-panel-discussion-vrar-association-richmond-chapter-event-tickets-43090376476 - This number is considering a more premium VR experience with a top-tier Alienware desktop tower, Vive Pro, and accessories. There are lower-cost options, but it won’t be as premium of an experience. https://www.vrheads.com/best-alienware-pcs-vr - VR for Good Conference - http://good.vrvoice.co/ - Engadget: "Anne Frank's story to be told in VR" - https://www.engadget.com/2016/05/04/anne-frank-vr-experience/ - The Washington Post: "Being empathetic is good, but it can hurt your health" - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/being-empathetic-is-good-but-it-can-hurt-your-health/2017/09/22/b25b83ca-6cd0-11e7-96ab-5f38140b38cc_story.html - YouTube: "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy-The Point of View Gun" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsgbcYnmR6Y For further reading: - Medium: "The ABCs of fake empathy" - https://medium.com/the-polymath-project/the-abcs-of-fake-empathy-fdbe4555acc5?epik=03GybE_IW35x- - PR News Wire: "Payscout announces world's first donation made in virtual reality" - https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/payscout-announces-worlds-first-donation-made-in-virtual-reality-300579456.html - AdWeek: "How virtual reality is inspiring donors to dig deep for charitable causes" http://www.adweek.com/digital/how-virtual-reality-inspiring-donors-dig-deep-charitable-causes-171641/

Join us for ClobberCast 8! Wow, 8 already! Mad things are happening here at ClobberCalm! Another informative cast is in store with special guest Anthony, joining us from Shockoe Atelier in Richmond, VA. Covering brand heritage, design, values and general chit chat! This is another cast we're super happy to bring to you! thanks for tuning in guys and girls! Peace and love! Ben and Glen

On December 7, 2017, Alyson Lindsey Taylor-White delivered a Banner Lecture entitled “Shockoe Hill Cemetery: A Richmond Landmark's History.” In 1822, Richmond’s Common Council faced a grave dilemma, literally. The nation, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the capital city of Richmond were in the grips of a severe economic depression, one of the young nation’s first. It was not a good time for the city to invest in capital improvements, much less acquire real estate. And yet they felt they had no choice but to do just that. In particular, the city faced a desperate shortage of available private and church properties to inter the dead safely and in a sanitary method. The decision was made to create Richmond’s first necropolis that would be designed for the living as much as for the dead. Created on the cusp of the rural cemetery movement that would soon sweep the nation, Shockoe Hill Cemetery was laid out by city surveyor Richard Young in 1824 to have a pleasing, picturesque, park-like setting. Famous occupants include Chief Justice John Marshall, Union Spy Elizabeth Van Lew, Richmond’s first mayor Dr. William Foushee, as well as most of the people who Edgar Allan Poe loved (and some he did not) as he grew up in Richmond. Today, the nearly 200 year-old cemetery is one of the city’s loveliest landmarks, and yet it remains one of the least often visited. Alyson Lindsey Taylor-White was the editor of the Virginia Review magazine for twenty-five years and is currently an adjunct instructor at the University of Richmond. She has written for the Dictionary of Virginia Biography and is a regular contributor to the blog The Shockoe Examiner, where she writes about her favorite subject, the richly textured history of Richmond. She also leads educational tours of local historic sites in Richmond and in nearby Petersburg.

The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

Jeffry Burden, who is on the Board of Directors for the Friends of Shockoe Hill Cemetery and is its president tell History Replays Today, The Richmond History Podcast about the first municipal cemetery not affiliated with a church in Richmond.  The … Continue reading →

Richmond Public Library launches a new book club concept that's about more than hashing out the meaning behind the latest John Grisham. The Emergent Black Male Reader initiative is about closing achievement gaps, but it's also about changing lives and communities. Also, Mayor Dwight C. Jones' Shockoe Bottom baseball proposal has competition. A citizen proposal seeks to revitalize Shockoe sans baseball. John Gerner, Melinda Skinner and David Herring pitch the proposal.

Richmond Public Library launches a new book club concept that's about more than hashing out the meaning behind the latest John Grisham. The Emergent Black Male Reader initiative is about closing achievement gaps, but it's also about changing lives and communities. Also, Mayor Dwight C. Jones' Shockoe Bottom baseball proposal has competition. A citizen proposal seeks to revitalize Shockoe sans baseball. John Gerner, Melinda Skinner and David Herring pitch the proposal.

This episode, we visit with Josh Epperson at the Shockoe office of Prophet (which is not the best place for audio, sorry about that).  We had a great conversation, and it ran so long we are going to split it into two parts.  In this first part, we talk about Josh's work at Prophet and his involvement with FeastRVA. His Prophet work includes a lot of creative work, including bringing out the creativity of clients.  FeastRVA is a great concept that you should check out.  You can sign up for the mailing list on the about page on feastrva.com, or follow them on Twitter @feastrva and Facebook. Look for part 2 to come out shortly, we don't plan on waiting two weeks to release that part of this episode.

On Saturday, February 28, 2009, the community was invited to attend a conference about Richmond's African American history, "Hidden Things Brought to Light: Finding Lumpkin's Jail and Locating the Burial Ground for Negroes." In this session ,Jeffrey Ruggles, curator for prints and photographs at the VHS, spoke on Shockoe Valley topgraphy and the slave trade.