Who remembers Y2K?
The Y2K bug was a computer flaw, or bug, that may have caused problems when dealing with dates beyond December 31, 1999.
Who remembers Y2K?
The Y2K bug was a computer flaw, or bug, that may have caused problems when dealing with dates beyond December 31, 1999.
In the field of recorded music, a hidden track (sometimes called a ghost track, secret track or unlisted track) is a song or a piece of audio that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, LP record, or other recorded medium, in such a way as to avoid detection by the casual listener. In some cases, the piece of music may simply have been left off the track listing, while in other cases, more elaborate methods are used. In rare cases, a 'hidden track' is actually the result of an error that occurred during the mastering stage production of the recorded media. However, since the rise of digital and streaming services such as iTunes and Spotify in the late 2000s and early 2010s, the inclusion of hidden tracks has declined on studio albums.
24 hours ago, I had no idea what a "Hidden Track" was. Walking down Main Street Boonton (there is only ONE BOONTON in the USA) I popped into a new shop, Hidden Track Records.
From the street, the new shop caught my eye. Their sign caught my eye. I am always 'tuned in' and ready to explore a new business, to check out a new entrepreneurial venture. OK, so Boonton has a new record shop. Really? Why? I asked myself, are vinyl records still a thing?My brain jumped to doing math. How many people are buying records these days? Turns out, according to Google in 2021, vinyl records enjoyed a 68% increase in total sales volume and a 55% increase in total sales revenue over 2020 in the US, reaching $1 billion in sales for the first time since 1985.
In a surprising turn of events, Vinyl Record sales experienced a 17th consecutive year of growth, defying industry expectations. This year has reassured experts that the vinyl market did not hit a natural plateau after surging during the pandemic, which caused a 108% increase. It is growing, growing, GROWING!
So, I met owner Shane Murphy. In a brief conversation I got the backstory on the new business. Shane has a very eclectic background, from construction to music to podcasting. It was less than a ten minute conversation, with me asking questions and Shane filling in the gaps. While I was standing there, I thought to myself that this conversation was like one of my video podcast interviews, but LIVE.
Real. Two people talking. Live and in real-time. Shane gave me his business card (old school) and we shook hands (more old school). We talked about possibly doing a LIVE video podcast interview from Hidden Tracks, which to me felt very meta. [Something is meta if it is self-referential: if it follows the scheme 'a thing about a thing'.]
It was hours later that I thought about the name of the shop, Hidden Tracks. I did not ask Shane about the name while I was in the shop, and so I was compelled to Google it when I got back home because I thought it must mean something, right? Yep, it sure does.To the untrained eye, the new record shop on Main Street Boonton USA is a place to buy vinyl records. A Record Shop that sells Records. The same way a Flower Shop sells flowers and the same way an Ice Cream Shop sells ice cream.
Ah, but Hidden Tracks is about our hidden tracks. The hidden tracks of people. How music is a universal language. How people are brought together by music, by art, by creativity. And how people used to do more things together, live. People used to meet live, gather together to discuss, to have conversations, to share. If the new shop was simply called Boonton Record Shop I would probably have not stopped and I probably would have not walked in. I don't have a vinyl record player. Heck, I don't even have a CD player any longer. I can't remember the last time I listened to music that was not streaming on Amazon or Audible or YouTube.
Something tells me that I will be on Amazon later today, shopping for a vinyl record player, something with HD audio. Sometimes the Hidden Tracks of our lives are actually hiding in plain sight.
Hey Shane & Michele Murphy - welcome to BOONTON USA! We needed this shop - we needed YOU.
Git-R-Done!!!
I understand that it's the catchphrase of Larry the Cable Guy and people applaud when he says it, but what does it mean? At this point, is it a meaningless punchline indicator? Did it ever mean anything? Is it rooted in something about getting a job done or something?Let's come back to this......
Getting Things Done (GTD) is a personal productivity system developed by David Allen and published in a book of the same name. GTD is described as a time management system. Allen states "there is an inverse relationship between things on your mind and those things getting done".
I have been a huge fan of the GTD workflow system since 2001. Recently, I saw that there is a NEW book: Team - Getting Things Done with Others by David Allen and Edward Lamont.
Publisher's Summary: When Getting Things Done was published in 2001, it was a game changer. By revealing the principles of healthy high performance at an individual level, it transformed the experience of work and leisure for millions. Twenty years later, it has become clear that the best way to build on that success is at the team level, and one of the most frequently asked questions by dedicated GTD users is how to get an entire team onboard.
By building on the effectiveness of what GTD does for individuals, Team will offer a better way of working in an organization, while simultaneously nourishing a culture that allows individuals’ skills to flourish. Using case studies from some of the world’s largest and most successful companies, Team shows how leaders have employed the principles of team productivity to improve communication, enable effective execution, and reduce stress on team members. These principles are increasingly important in the post-pandemic workplace, where the very nature of how people work together has changed so dramatically.
Team is the most significant addition to the GTD canon since the original, and in offering a roadmap for building a culture of healthy high performance, will be welcomed by readers working in any sized group or organization.
I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord
And I've been waiting for this moment, for all my life, oh lord
Can you feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord, oh lord
Cool song, right?
“In the Air Tonight” A great song by Phil Collins, going way back to 1981. His first single. There are several misguided stories about the meaning behind the song... One is that Collins witnessed a man drowning and did nothing to save him. Another is that a man was attacked as his wife drowned, thus him unable to help. Both are urban myths as Phil Collins himself is on record discussing the true meaning behind the song, or as best he could explain….
In a 2016 interview Collins says: "If something is in the air, you feel that it is happening or about to happen/noticeable all around. I wrote the lyrics spontaneously. I'm not quite sure what the song is about."
I attended the AireSpring & BCE Global – USA Executive Briefing & Luncheon in NYC this past week.
The last time I had a one on one conversation with Daniel Lonstein was in 2001. I was running MaritimeTechnologyPartners.com and we needed BlackBerry to service the Maritime niche. And at the time, AireSpring was a major player in that space. And so, we became their Master Agent. I assume that is where the name "Aire" comes from. Aire could be the obsolete spelling of Air. If you Google "Aire" you go down a long rabbit hole........... Anyway, back to the movie....
Over the years, I dabbled in many and diverse areas of business, but almost always I remained deeply connected to the telecom/technology space. I was attending an SD-WAN webinar hosted by AireSpring. I said to myself "Oh wow, AireSpring, the old Blackberry folks." At THAT time, I was running the Distance Learning Association, and you cannot do Distance Learning (or Distance ANYTHING) without technology.
So, I might need a new comedy writer, but I said "So, Daniel, can you still get me a good deal on BlackBerry?"
2024: via www.AireSpringGlobal.com we are now servicing the needs of the (now global) Distance Learning Association for all things voice, data, wireless, telecom and technology. The NYDLA.org became the NADLA.org during the pandemic, growing from the 55M+ living in the "New York Megalopolis" to servicing the 579M+ living in North America, to now - via USDLA.org SADLA.org AsiaDLA.org AfricaDLA.org and EuropeDLA.org we are servicing the entire world.
The reason why we are servicing (the world) via AireSpring in 2024? Trust.
Even when our monthly commission fell well below $100 per month (from a past sale) they never missed a payment. For 23 years. The revenue share (commission) was so low, I was not even aware that we were still getting monthly payments. The entire reason why I attended that AireSpring SD-WAN webinar last year, is because I was still (still) getting the emails from AireSpring, as their Master Agent. We were still active in their system - they never cancel anyone, and they always paid everyone - no matter how small the amount. I guess there was some small customer that we sold AireSpring service years ago, and they are STILL using AireSpring. And we were still getting paid our revenue share from that sale. Every. Month.
2024: when you visit the (now global) Distance Learning Association website, the first thing you see is the AireSpring logo. We are now offering the entire portfolio of AireSpring to the (now global) members of the DLA, to empower them.
Yes indeed. From his 2016 interview Phil Collins says: "If something is in the air, you feel that it is happening or about to happen/noticeable all around."
From the 5 boroughs of New York City in 1983 to servicing the entire WORLD in 2024, we are democratizing education via disruptive technology. OUR DLA MISSION:
We are all Living, Learning, Working, Playing, Teaching, Training, Coaching, Mentoring in the Global Cloud Economy. The future of work – the future of education – the future of entertainment – is in the clouds. Join us.
Oh, and of course..... www.GetAireSpring.com All things AireSpring is a (now global) trusted DLA member benefit - and it's in the Aire tonight.
A personal challenge is a task or a situation that tests a person's skills and abilities in an unpleasant situation. Examples of personal challenges are personal issues, workplace relationships, and time management.
I woke up this morning in Madison, Connecticut (my oldest son's house) at exactly 5:40 AM.
540. That was my Dad's number.
He played that number '540' every day. For those of you who don't know, 'back in the day' playing the numbers here in North New Jersey was gambling. Not legal. Oh well, that's really not the point. The point is, that every day, like EVERY DAY my Dad would bet on 540.
And it was not just $1 but like, a significant amount of money. Every day. I am thinking it was probably like $500 a week, on 540. I would have to ask my older sister if she knows how much, but was not a small amount of money. [ She thinks is was $40 a day, and $100 on payday ]. Back in the day, we were not rich - but Dad made really good money. Let's just say that we never wanted for anything, ever.
I remember one day, maybe 1969 or so, the phone in the kitchen rang. I heard Mom answer and then give the phone to Dad. He screamed out "It hit!" 540 - his number - was the number for the day.
Because Dad was betting (way more) than $1 every (EVERY) day..... his jackpot for that day was.....let's just say it was big. Big Big.
And, I remember my Mom telling Dad, "OK, Tony..... you just won back all of your money. And then some. Now please stop. No more gambling.
And he did. That was it. That was the last time that he bet on 540.
And then, around a week later.............. the kitchen phone rang again.
This time, Dad answered the phone himself. And I was in the kitchen, alone with Dad. And I saw his face. 540 hit again. His number, 540 was the winning number.
I could hear the voice on the other side, I could hear the screams and the laughing. "You lucky son of a *, you hit again, you won again!"
When Dad hung up, he realized that I overheard, and that I knew that his number, 540 was once again the winning number. And that is when he told me....
"Tommy, we did not win any money. I promised your Mother that we were done playing the numbers. So, I stopped. We did not win anything today. Now, you need to promise me that you will not say anything, not to anyone. Especially to your Mother."
Dad knew that Mom would feel terrible. That she was the one that made him quit 'playing the numbers'. And that because he did not want to her to feel bad, she could never know that 540 came out again - without him.
When I woke up this morning in Madison, Connecticut - for a second I did not know where I was. Ah, we're at Tommy's house. And I looked at my Fitbit watch, and it was exactly 5:40. 540 on Father's Day in my son's spare bedroom at his home.
Wow, 5:40. That's Dad's number. I found myself instantly saying "Good Morning, Dad. Happy Father's Day."
Dad was a good man. He had his vices, as we all do. He never did anything small, even when playing the numbers. Now that I am older I think about how much money he put down on 540 every (every) day..... and what that money would have done in the S&P 500. Imagine investing (I'm guessing $20 to $50) every day in the market in the 60s. And letting it compound. I think that 'playing the numbers' to him back in the 60s was his version of investing for the future - investing for his family.
Today, in 2024, you can gamble online. You can be in a virtual casino in your smartphone. I am not sure if 'playing the numbers' is still a big thing but I think it is. Since when you win that way - you don't need to report it. It's a big secret. When you win in a casino, the IRS is your partner. When you win playing 'the numbers' no one knows anything about anything.
So, on this Father's Day 2024 I am thinking about Dad, and his playing the numbers - and his quitting playing the numbers. And how we had that little secret how he won - a second time.
And how now, at 63 years old, I can remember how strong Dad was to never say a word about 540 coming out a 2nd time in a week..... because he did not want Mom to feel bad.
Oh, one more thing. I bought clams for the family yesterday. [ We were arguing about buying between 5 and 4 dozen clams. ] We're having an amazing Father's Day weekend......here in Connecticut. My first Father's Day as a Grandpa. I just happened to look at the receipt from the Seafood store for the clams: $54.00
The New York Megalopolis, also known as the Northeast megalopolis or BosWash corridor, is a heavily urbanized region of the northeastern United States. It stretches from the northern suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts, to the southern suburbs of Washington, D.C. This region is notable for its high population density, economic significance, and cultural influence.
Key Characteristics of the New York Megalopolis:
Geographic Scope: The megalopolis encompasses major cities including Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., along with their surrounding metropolitan areas.
Population: It is one of the most densely populated regions in the United States, home to over 55 million people, accounting for a significant portion of the U.S. population.
Economic Importance: The region is a major economic powerhouse, featuring some of the world’s leading financial markets, corporate headquarters, research institutions, and cultural centers. New York City, in particular, is a global financial hub.
Transportation Network: The megalopolis is well-connected by an extensive transportation network, including major highways like Interstate 95, a dense rail network (notably Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor), and several major airports (e.g., JFK, LaGuardia, Newark, Logan, and Dulles).
Cultural and Educational Institutions: The region hosts numerous prestigious universities (e.g., Harvard, MIT, Columbia, Princeton) and cultural landmarks (e.g., the Smithsonian museums, Broadway, the Metropolitan Museum of Art).
The concept of a 'megalopolis' was popularized by geographer Jean Gottmann in the 1960s, who identified this interconnected urban region as a distinct geographic and socio-economic entity. The New York Megalopolis continues to be a vital area in terms of both national and international importance.
When I took over running the NYDLA.org (New York Distance Learning Association) it was in the heart of the New York Megalopolis. And, it was bankrupt. As a Non-Profit, it lived on donations from corporations. And during the last recession, donations dried up. No money, sorry.
My old company, MyTeachingPartners.com would attend the DLA events, because we sold audio conferencing, web conferencing, cameras, etc. - we (me) sold all the stuff that made Distance Learning possible. So, as a good salesman should I would attend all of the DLA meetings and events (target rich environment). When NYDLA went bankrupt, I was the only one to raise my hand to take over running the dying community. What did I have to lose...right?
AND THEN along came RUTGERS, who sponsored us (i.e. they gave us money) and same RUTGERS - The State University of New Jersey who brought with them their 500K+ Living Alumni. So, almost over night I went from saying "I can't pay the website hosting invoice!" to "I think we're going to be OK!" I was in the right place at the right time, eh?
Other than Zoom, I don't think that any entity could have grown bigger and faster during a pandemic than THE DISTANCE LEARNING ASSOCIATION.
Ah, but during COVID many were saying that New York was - dead. Many in the media were saying that New York City was never coming back. It was during this 'pandemic panic' time that NYDLA.org became NADLA.org servicing all of NORTH AMERICA. I was running away from the dying New York Brand...... ah, or was I?
The North American Distance Learning Association HQ was going to remain in NYC. The Big Apple. The Center of the Known Universe, right? There would be no New York Megalopolis if there is no Metropolis.
Today, the Distance Learning Association (DLA) is GLOBAL. And we are www.PoweredByZoom.us - our #1 sponsor. Yes, we love many others - we love all of the other telecom and technology providers. We work deeply with GoTo and Microsoft and Webex and the rest. And Logitech and Lenovo and HP/Poly and....and...and...
But just as how Zoom became a verb during COVID, the 'DLA' also became a brand.
And the NEW YORK BRAND is powerful. The New York brand is GLOBAL.
"Hey guys, I see people reading the New York Times in LA. But I never see anyone reading the LA Times in New York." It's NEW YORK! The Big Apple! Wall Street, Times Square, Broadway! NEW YORK NEW YORK - the city so nice they named it twice!
The 55M+ living, learning, working, playing, teaching, training, coaching, mentoring in the New York Megalopolis.
Zoom just opened an AMAZING Experience Center in London. I'll post some pics of the launch event on the NYDLA.org/Zoom page later this week.
THIS MONTH we have over 100K+ DLA members attending NYDLA SPONSORED EVENTS - LIVE - around the world. InfoComm in Las Vegas. COLLISION in Toronto. Propelify in Hoboken, New Jersey (across the river from NYC). And there is ALWAYS something interesting going on at Javits Center in New York City - like every single day.
Want some inside baseball? My strategy for years has been to sponsor all events at the sponsorship level necessary to access the entire attendee list of the LIVE events, and then follow up, FOLLOW up, FOLLOW UP via tools like Dotdigital. This is one of the reasons why the (now global) DLA shall be at 10M+ members by 2025. To make money from 'events' it's not about ROI or ROAS, it's all about ROR: Return on RELATIONSHIPS.
I admit, there is nothing better than a live event. The energy, the people, the food. So, 100K+ will attend NADLA.org events LIVE this month alone (June). Ah but 10X that number will attend all or part of these events virtually, because all Distance Learning Association sponsored events..... are hybrid events.... they are all....