www.RIF.org

Bernice is my AI Bot - named after my Mom.

Hey Bernice@NYDLA.org: can you read books for free at the New York Public Library (NYPL.org) ?

Bernice: Yes, Tom. You can read books for free at the New York Public Library (NYPL) in several ways, both on-site and digitally.

On-Site Reading

NYPL's branches and research libraries are open to the public, allowing anyone to enter during operating hours and read physical books or materials without needing to check them out. No library card is required for this basic access, though some special collections may have additional requirements for handling rare items. This is standard for public libraries like NYPL.

Borrowing Physical Books

If you want to borrow books to take home, you'll need a free NYPL library card. Eligibility is broad: anyone who lives, works, attends school, or pays property taxes in New York State qualifies. With a valid card, you can check out up to 50 items at a time, including books, DVDs, and more. Loan periods vary (e.g., 2 weeks for new books), and there are no fees for borrowing as long as items are returned on time.

Digital Access

NYPL offers over 3,000,000 e-books and e-audiobooks available for free download through their SimplyE app (available on iOS and Android). These can be read on any device, with automatic returns at the end of the lending period (up to 3 weeks). A library card is required for this, and it's accessible 24/7. To get started, visit nypl.org to apply for a card online or in person at any branch. If you're in New Jersey but work or study in New York, you may still be eligible.  All who joinNYDLA.org are eligible.

OK, Bernice, I have a job for you: Read all the books you can access for free on the topic of Cybersecurity. Only books written within the past 10 years. Rate and rank them based on popularity, reviews, etc. How would you do it?

Bernice says: Measuring the popularity of a book isn't an exact science, as it depends on context (e.g., commercial success, cultural impact, or academic influence). However, several reliable metrics and methods are commonly used by publishers, authors, analysts, and platforms like Amazon or Goodreads. I'll outline the key approaches that I would take, drawing from industry standards.

1. Sales Figures

This is often considered the primary indicator of popularity, as higher sales directly reflect consumer demand. Key ways to assess:

Total copies sold: Publishers track this internally, but public estimates come from services like NPD BookScan, which captures about 85% of U.S. retail sales (excluding ebooks, audiobooks, and some direct sales). For example, a book selling over 10,000 copies in its first year is generally seen as successful for most genres.

Online sales data: Tools like Bookstat provide real-time insights into ebook, audiobook, and print sales by genre, author, or title, helping identify top earners.

Amazon sales rank: A rank under 1,000 indicates strong popularity; under 10,000 is still solid, especially for older titles.

2. Bestseller Lists

Appearance on lists like The New York Times Best Sellers, USA Today, or Publishers Weekly is a strong signal of widespread appeal. These are based on reported sales from various retailers and updated weekly. Global lists (e.g., from The Guardian or international equivalents) can gauge broader reach.

3. Reviews and Ratings

The volume of user feedback correlates highly with sales and readership - themore reviews often mean more exposure and ultimately more purchases.

Amazon reviews: Total reviews have an 88% correlation with lifetime sales; even the rate of new reviews (e.g., 15 per day on average for popular books) predicts success. Average star rating is less predictive (only 30% correlation), so quantity matters more than positivity.

Goodreads metrics: Number of ratings, shelves added, and average score. Books with thousands of ratings (especially highly rated ones) indicate popularity. For estimation, about 1.5% of buyers leave reviews, so multiply review count by ~67 for a rough readership estimate.

4. Library and Catalog Metrics

Library holdings: How many libraries own copies (tracked by sites like WorldCat) or add it to collections over time, as seen on platforms like LibraryThing. This measures sustained interest, especially for non-commercial books.

Checkouts and waits: Public libraries (like NYPL) track borrowing rates; long waitlists signal high demand.

5. Cultural and Secondary Indicators

Citations and academic impact: For scholarly books, tools like Google Scholar count how often it's referenced.

Social media and online buzz: Mentions on platforms like X (Twitter), Reddit, or TikTok (#BookTok). Tools for sentiment analysis or search volume can quantify this.

Adaptations and awards: Books turned into movies/TV (e.g., Harry Potter) or winning prizes like the Pulitzer amplify popularity.

Market research: Analyze trends in genres, reader preferences, and competitor strategies via surveys or tools like Google Trends for search interest.

To rate a specific book, combine these: e.g., cross-reference sales with reviews for a holistic view. For real-time data, services like Bookstat or BookScan are ideal, though they're often paid. If you're asking me about a particular title, provide details for a tailored assessment!

OK! Now Bernice: locate on LinkedIn the authors for the top 100 results. Tell them that I run the Distance Learning Association, and that I would like to interview them about their book (or books) for our CoffeeInTheClouds.com fireside chats. Also find out if they teach an online course that we can promote via TheCloudUniversity.com  Tell them all that they can connect with me directly via TomCapone.com. 

Bernice: On it. Also, it's Sunday Tom. Make sure you get outside and do something fun. Looks like good weather today in BOONTON USA. I'll have all of this done and waiting for you when you get back from the dog park. 

Five times? That's Madness!!!

 

3/1/2026: this will be the 5th time that I blogged on March Madness. 

March Madness is the popular nickname for the NCAA Division I basketball tournaments, primarily referring to the men's competition but increasingly including the women's as well. It's an annual single-elimination tournament featuring the top college basketball teams in the United States, culminating in a national champion.

Key Details:

Format: The men's tournament includes 68 teams (expanded from 64 in 2011), selected based on conference championships and at-large bids from a selection committee. It starts with a "First Four" play-in round, followed by rounds of 64, 32, Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, and the championship game. The women's tournament follows a similar structure with 68 teams.

Timing: Games are played over three weeks in March and early April, hence the name "March Madness." Selection Sunday (when brackets are announced) typically falls in mid-March, with the tournament kicking off shortly after.

Why "Madness": The term captures the excitement, upsets, buzzer-beaters, and bracket-busting surprises that define the event. It's a cultural phenomenon in the U.S., with millions filling out brackets to predict winners, office pools, and massive TV viewership.

History: The men's tournament began in 1939, organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The women's started in 1982. Iconic moments include underdog victories like Villanova's 1985 upset or UMBC's 2018 win over No. 1 seed Virginia.

Broadcast and Impact: It's broadcast on networks like CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV. The event generates billions in revenue for the NCAA and boosts economies in host cities.

BILLIONS. Ah yes, the 'B' word. 

A few years ago (2022) we dabbled with a 'March Madness' marketing campaign, jumping on the bandwagon. THIS Was the link from 2022. Since March has 31 days, we picked 31 vendors | sponsors of the NYDLA and highlighted them for the day. 31 days, 31 coupons. MILLIONS in savings over 31 days for our Global Cloud COMMUNITY. It was massively successful. VERY profitable. 

And then we did not do it again. 

Not in 2023, not in 2024, and not in 2025. And now in 2026: we're doing it again!!! Why now in 2026?

Because I am a student of Seth Godin. And in my humble opinion, Seth is one the greatest (the greatest?) marketing minds in the world. I have read all of his books, and have taken (most) of his classes. And I learned about ethical scarcity in marketing from Seth.  

Scarcity in marketing is a strategy that leverages the psychological principle that limited availability increases a product’s perceived value and desirability. By creating urgency through limited-time offers, low-stock alerts, or exclusive, "sold-out" drops, brands compel consumers to act immediately, boosting sales and enhancing brand image. 

Key Aspects of Scarcity Marketing

Psychological Basis: Scarcity taps into FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), making consumers believe they will miss out on something valuable if they don't act quickly.

Types of Scarcity:

• Time-related: Countdowns, flash sales, or limited-time offers.
• Supply-related: "Only 3 items left" or limited editions.
• Access-based: Exclusive, invitation-only, or members-only access.
• Benefits: Increased conversion rates, higher perceived value, and greater brand loyalty.

Ethical Considerations: Using fake countdown timers or fabricated inventory, known as "false scarcity," can erode trust. Ah, there it is. FALSE SCARCITY. 

Examples in Action

"Limited Edition" items: Encourages collectors and fans to buy before they are gone forever.

Real-time stock levels: Showing low inventory triggers immediate purchases.

Seasonal products: Items like pumpkin spice lattes or holiday items create urgency. 

Effective scarcity marketing highlights the exclusivity and limited nature of a product to move consumers from consideration to purchase. 

Ever see those commercials from the Humane Society? Asking for donations to save all the starving animals? Boy do they ever tug at your heartstrings, right? Sometimes I have to change the channel - their ads are so depressing. But they also use FALSE SCARCITY. "If you call within the next ten minutes..."

I've seen that same commercial dozens of times. How many 'ten minute' windows are there? See, once I see that same commercial over and over - the FALSE SCARCITY of the ten minute window is all I can think about. I start to feel like they are lying to me. Even though the cause is good and just, they are lying to me about the ten minute window of urgency. I would never give THEM money. Maybe the local animal shelter, but not THEM. Now I don't trust them with my money - will my money even be used for the animals? Trust is lost - epic fail. 

In 2022 we told the world that our March Madness | 31 days of SAVINGS was not going to be repeated. That these 31 days of coupons was... scarce. That this was indeed a very special window of opportunity to joinNYDLA.org and save thousands on the products and service they needed and they use to THRIVE in the GLOBAL Cloud COMMUNITY. 

So, we did not do it again in 2023. Or 2024. Or even last year, 2025. Oh, I wanted to - but I did not want to disappoint my mentor, Seth. We kept our word for three years. It was hard but we did it. No March Madness campaign. 

AND NOW IT IS 2026!  So, we're doing it again!!! Three years is enough - we kept our word. My staff has 3 years of great ideas. 3 years of pent up marketing magic to blast out to the world. And you will be seeing it on Page 1 of NYDLA.org later this week. We're not doing the 31 days of March again. I'm thinking something like a spin off Sweet 16 or Final Four. Stay tuned - it is going to be glorious. 

I am still amazed that Seth (still) writes everything himself (no AI) and responds to emails within minutes, personally. Daily blog posts from Seth. Dozens of books. And super human response time to emails. Seth lives permission based, ethical marketing. There is only one Seth Godin. 

NO false scarcity here. 

Meet The Jetsons (again)

In September 1962, the world edged closer to the Cuban Missile Crisis as the USSR began shipping weapons to Cuba, prompting a September 4 warning from President Kennedy. Key events included JFK’s "We choose to go to the Moon" speech, The Beatles recording their first single, and the start of the Mississippi University desegregation crisis. 

Key Events of September 1962:

Cold War/Cuban Crisis: Soviet arms buildup in Cuba intensified, leading to U.S. surveillance and warning. Border tensions escalated between China and India in the Aksai Chin region.

Space & Science: On September 12, President Kennedy delivered his famous speech at Rice University, reaffirming the goal to land a man on the Moon.

Civil Rights: On September 30, James Meredith was escorted to the University of Mississippi to begin desegregation, leading to riots.

Culture & Society: The Beatles recorded their debut single, "Love Me Do," on September 5. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was published on September 27.

Politics: A coup in North Yemen on September 26 initiated a long civil war. The United Nations announced the Earth's population had reached 3 billion.

Labor: Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta established the National Farm Workers Association on September 30.

Celebrations: Anthony and Bernice Capone prepared for a 2nd Birthday Party for their son Tommy (born 10/02/1960).

And....... the original run of The Jetsons aired on ABC from September 1962 to March 1963 and consisted of only 24 episodes. 

So there was 1 year, 11 months and 21 days from my Birthday to the 'birth' of The Jetsons. Got it. Thanks, Google! 

Rosey the Robot | September 23, 1962 | Tired of housework, Jane hires a robot maid named Rosey, unaware that George is bringing his boss Mr. Spacely home to plead poverty and ask for a raise.

So Episode 1 of The Jetsons was 23,163 days ago (from today, 2/22/2026). Over 63 years. Again, thanks Google. 

The Jetsons was cancelled after its first season in 1963 primarily due to low ratings resulting from poor scheduling against popular competition, namely Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. Furthermore, the show was produced in color, but few viewers owned color televisions in 1962, making the visuals less engaging in black and white. 

AND SO......... key reasons for The Jetsons cancellation:

• Brutal Time Slot: The show aired Sunday nights against Walt Disney and Dennis the Menace, which severely limited its audience share.
• Lack of Color TVs: Although it was ABC's first color series, less than 3% of U.S. homes had color sets, making the show's, "vibrant, futuristic design look flat and unengaging to most viewers," according to a Smithsonian Magazine article".

Tom, where are you going with this? Land the plane.....

Born in 1960, I have seen much. Space Race. Color TV. The Beatles. Thanks to (amazing) Saturday Morning Cartoons, I was introduced to The Jetsons ( in color ). And it was April 3, 1968 that 2001: A Space Odyssey was released. 

2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, who co-wrote the screenplay with Arthur C. Clarke. Its plot was inspired by several short stories optioned from Clarke, primarily "The Sentinel" (1951) and "Encounter in the Dawn" (1953). In the movie, HAL 9000 famously tells Dave Bowman, "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that," when asked to open the pod bay doors. HAL refuses this command to protect the mission after discovering that Dave and Frank plan to disconnect him. 

In 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL stands for Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer. Introduced in the 1968 film and novel, the sentient AI controls the Discovery One spacecraft. While often associated with the letters preceding IBM, author Arthur C. Clarke confirmed this was unintentional, and HAL refers strictly to its programmed, heuristic, and algorithmic functions. 

• Meaning: Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer.
• Origin: The name was chosen to describe the computer's operational processes (heuristic learning and algorithmic logic).
• Context: In the story, HAL was developed to control spacecraft systems and manage the crew on the mission to Jupiter.
• Myth: Despite popular belief that HAL is a one-letter shift from IBM, creators Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick stated this was an unintended coincidence, and they were actually embarrassed by the comparison. 

Tom???

THE 60s. JFK's "We choose to go to the Moon" speech. The Space Race. The concept of technology, specifically 'AI' and robots and The Wonderful World of Disney. IN COLOR. In our living room.  

"Slowly, and then all at once" (or "Gradually, then suddenly") describes an exponential process where change happens almost imperceptibly at first, followed by a rapid, dramatic culmination. Popularized by Ernest Hemingway in The Sun Also Rises (1926) regarding bankruptcy, it is widely used to describe love, addiction, systemic collapse, or personal growth. And AI. And then....(coming soon)... sentient AI. 

Let's hope for more Rosey and more R2-D2 and less HAL 9000 and a big NO to The Terminator. It's really up to us, right? Ah yes, the 60s gave us AI. But we (humans) always decide how things work out. 

More Woodstock and less Vietnam, please. 

It's up to us. It's always up to all of us. 2026: the human race, with our friends, the robots. 

Teaching Everything You Know

 

Magic is one of those words that shifts meaning depending on who's asking and who's answering. It's been around for thousands of years, popping up in ancient rituals, stage shows, fantasy novels, card games, and even scientific philosophy. Today's Sunday Blog is all about the Magic of Grandpadom. 

Ah, but to become a Grandpa, you had to be.... just 'Pa'. You had to be a teacher.  

Fatherhood (and then Grandpadom) is all about the Magic of Teaching. (The Kind That Actually Matters). The real power shows up in the messy parts:

When you're dead tired but you still get on the floor and play. When you mess up (and you will) and have to look them in the eye and say, "I'm sorry. I was wrong." That's the spell of humility most men never learn. When you see your own flaws reflected in them and decide, right then, to become better so they don't have to carry what you carried. We are teaching everything we know, always.

As one wise reflection put it: "Fathering is not something perfect men do, but something that perfects the man." That's the deepest magic. It's alchemical. It turns lead into gold over years, not seconds.

The truest magic of fatherhood is that it keeps going. You pour everything into this little person, and one day they pour it into someone else. The love doesn't end, it multiplies. Teaching everything you know. Forever. The circle of life and whatnot. 

Even the illusionists get it. David Blaine, the guy who holds his breath for 17 minutes and does the impossible for a living, said becoming a father was the greatest trick the universe ever played on him. It reshaped his entire life. Elijah Wood made a whole movie about an aging magician reconnecting with his daughter through real-world "magic."

Because at the end of the day, the greatest illusion isn't making something disappear. It's making someone appear and then choosing, every single day, to show up for them. Teaching everything you know. Forever.

That's the magic of fatherhood. And then the magic of grandpadom. Their first teacher. And then the magic of grandpadom is watching the student (your children) becoming the masters. The children becoming the parents - becoming the teachers. We are all teaching everything we know. 

Now that I am writing this in 2026 (at 65 years old) the magical technology of today, the 'AI' that is changing the world will be a part of (all) of our children's and grandkids lives. The Internet is forever. 

AI will become the teacher - if not already the 'TA' (the Teaching Assistant). 

AI will read every post, every note, every document, view every video on any subject, any topic - any person. AI will research 'the life of' and tell it's tale. When my three (for now) grandchildren are old enough to ask their AI assistant, "Tell me about Grandpa" they will learn much. I wonder if my grandchildren will create an AI 'me' one day, and have conversations with virtual me. Oh boy. 

The future of work - the future of education - the future of entertainment - is in the clouds. Thanks to the magic of AI we are all....

Teaching Everything We Know. Forever. 

{ Or Grandma } 

Football is Family

 

Me and my Son Tommy at GIANTS Stadium

My Dad played Professional Football. "Two Ton Tony Capone" was a plugging fullback. He was also friends with Leon Hess, founder of the Hess Corporation, an oil company. Leon also owned the New York Jets. I remember asking my Mom "Who is that man in our kitchen with Mr. Hess? The guy with the big nose?" Oh, that is Joe Namath, he works for Mr. Hess. My Dad went to Super Bowl III in 1969 at the Orange Bowl. At 9 years old, I really did not understand how big a deal this was.

The first time that I wore a suit and tie was for Vince Lombardi’s funeral on September 7, 1970, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. It was a massive, high-profile event attended by 3,000 mourners, with another 1,000 on Fifth Avenue, marking it as the largest at the cathedral since Robert F. Kennedy's in 1968. Following his death from cancer at age 57, he was laid to rest at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Middletown, N.J.

I was living in Boca Raton, Florida when the Miami Dolphins went 17-0. My favorite player was Larry Csonka, fullback. Like my Dad. I wore my '39' CSONKA jersey everywhere. Back to Back Super Bowl winners. Super Bowl MVP in 1973. When he wrote his memoir "Head On" in 2022, I was able to interview Larry for a CoffeeInTheClouds.com fireside chat. 

When I took over running the New York METRO Distance Learning Association our first event was at RUTGERS School of Business in Newark, NJ. We then all went to GIANTS Stadium to attend an event with the NFL Alumni Association. One of our topics of conversation was about how distance learning technologies were used in the NFL, especially during training camp. The NFL and their Alumni network helped me to 'reboot' the NYDLA.org (the association was nearly bankrupt at the time - struggling in the recession) and we never looked back. I would say that if it were not for RUTGERS and for the NFL there would be no NYDLA.org today. 

In 2009 I gave my son Tommy an autographed framed photo of 'The Helmet Catch' which hung on the wall of his bedroom at our home - 39 Oak Road for years. {39...again} 

The Helmet Catch was an American football play involving New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and wide receiver David Tyree in the final two minutes of Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008. It featured Manning narrowly escaping a sack from three New England Patriots defensive players and throwing a forward pass, followed by Tyree making a leaping catch by pressing the ball against his helmet. The play, a 32-yard gain during a drive on which the Giants scored the game-winning touchdown, was instrumental in the Giants' 17–14 upset victory over the Patriots, who were on the verge of becoming the first National Football League (NFL) team to finish a season undefeated and untied since the 1972 Miami Dolphins, and the first since the NFL adopted a 16-game regular season in 1978. NFL Films' Steve Sabol called it "the greatest play the Super Bowl has ever produced". The play was also named by NFL Films as "The Play of the Decade (2000s)". It was also the final catch of Tyree's NFL career.

 

The Helmet Catch is on the wall at NFL HQ in New York City. It's on the wall (just on the other side of my son Tommy's desk). At NFL HQ. Where my son works. For the NFL. Tommy is an Adobe Champion, and my son helps the NFL to manage their 273M+ domestic fans via the Adobe for Business platform. And now: the GLOBAL NFL community.

The NFL has over 410 million fans worldwide, with a significant portion of its growth coming from international markets, particularly Mexico and Brazil. While heavily centered in the U.S., where over half the population are fans, the league's global, direct-to-consumer engagement has seen rapid expansion, with over 180 million fans in nine key international markets. 

Ah yes, the NFL is powered by Adobe. 

Key details regarding the NFL's global fanbase:

Top International Markets: Mexico leads with over 23 million to 39 million fans, followed closely by Brazil with 20 million to 36 million.

Other Key Markets: The United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada are also major international fanbases, with Germany having roughly 6.5 million, the UK around 6 million, and Canada over 7 million.

Growth Drivers: The league reaches over 195 countries, and international interest is driven by initiatives like the NFL's international games and increased engagement on social media, with over half of the league's, content engagement coming from outside the U.S..

Demographics: Latino communities represent the fastest-growing fan demographic, with Spanish-language broadcast viewership rising significantly. 

Gee, I wonder if we should be using Adobe for Business to help us to service the 174K+ K-20 schools (AND all of their ALUMNI) of the NADLA.org and now, the GlobalDLA.org 

"Yes, Dad, you should. You most certainly should be using Adobe for Business for the now GLOBAL DLA Community." 

"Play Like A Champion" {watch to the end}

Adobe for Business

See You See Me at ISE

 

My friend Jason Fried (of 37signals) has praised McMaster-Carr's website (www.mcmaster.com) as one of the best designed sites on the web, highlighting its purpose-built, no-frills, functional design that's fast and efficient for users who need to get in and out quickly. It's an eCommerce site specializing in industrial supplies, tools, and hardware, known for its simple yet highly effective interface.

Jason is correct. Now, what is funny is I could not remember the name of the company or their website this morning. So I asked Grok: Jason Fried mentioned a very elegant Ecommerce website - what was it? In a few seconds, Grok found the post from Jason. It was a post that he made on X (Twitter).

As of this Sunday Blog 85,000+ people are heading to Integrated Systems Europe.

Integrated Systems Europe, often referred to as ISE, is the world-renowned annual tech show for the audiovisual and systems integration industry. The industry turns to ISE for the inspiration and motivation required to drive things forward. At the four-day event each February, attendees reconnect with virtually impossible experiences, with networking opportunities, state-of-the-art technology, and their own career development. Since the first ISE in 2004, the event has grown year-on-year. In 2025, ISE hosted over 1,600 exhibitors (with countless new product launches) and attendees made over 185,700 visits to the show. Thousands of GlobalDLA.org members have (and will) attend ISE.

When I did a search on the ISE website, filter by Alpha, I put in L. Ah, I see our NYDLA.org vendors Logitech, Lenovo, LG, and 89 more NYDLA.org vendors with a name that begins with 'L'. OK, so it looks like 1,751 exhibitors with booths. Anyone (and everyone) in the ProAV, Audio, Lighting, Staging, Broadcast AV, Digital Signage, Smart Spaces, Unified Comm, Collaboration, Edtech... I could go on. 

Now it was only a few weeks ago that we attended NRF'2026 - The Big Show. With 40,000+ attending LIVE and 10X that number attending virtually, NRF is the largest annual event for the RETAIL industry. And the major topic at NRF (and at CES and I assume this year at ISE) was all things AI.

Especially Agentic AI for Commerce.

So this morning it hit me. Why not build out an Agentic AI Commerce site and load EVERYTHING. As in, every exhibitor of ISE. And every exhibitor of NRF and CES. And load the entire line cards of TD SYNNEX, and Ingram Micro, and D&H and Jenne and others.

Well look at that. Right on the bottom of the McMaster-Carr website they have a link for https://www.mcmaster.com/eprocurement/ to automate everything. Gee, I wonder if we can do the same thing with our distribution partnerships TD SYNNEX, and Ingram Micro, and D&H, and Jenne (and...and.....and....) so that our store (TAC-USA.com) could become an Agentic AI Commerce shop.

We have partnerships with Clover and BigCommerce and WooCommerce and Shopify (and...and....and...)

So the 'Shop' that our members find on the top left corner of NYDLA.org would be our Agentic AI Commerce store. With the entire line cards of all of the top telecom | technology vendors and carriers in the world. All hosted with the elegance and simplicity of the McMaster-Carr website. And it would be all powered by AI so that anyone can use the site. Via phone, via email, via text, and of course via visiting the website. All while letting our NYDLA.org members enjoy our $1B+ buying power.

Our 174K+ K-20 schools, our 16K+ municipalities, our 8K+ car dealerships, our 6K+ hospitals. And the ALUMNI of our 174K+ schools. All could have access to TAC-USA.com as a value-added NYDLA.org member benefit. We could run it all with a small team, probably less than a dozen people. And they could live anywhere in the world. They could do all of this from their home.

At the bottom of the ISE website it has an AI powered bot. Put in your company, title and it will tell you WHY you should attend ISE live. I put in NYDLA.org | CEO and here is what I got back in a few seconds:

So there are 4 key highlights, at least 18 exhibitors and 16 agenda items that would be a great fit for me:

As CEO of NYDLA, you are at the forefront of shaping how professionals learn and connect. Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2026 is the ideal setting to explore opportunities in future learning ecosystems, refine your AV/IT integration strategy, and discover new avenues for digital learning business growth to further your mission.  

Well now. MY AI bot is Bernice@NYDLA.org and she works 24x7x365 for our members. And she runs our Agentic Ecommerce store, fielding phone calls and live chats. Bernice will be running our NYDLA.biz (dot biz) Agentic Commerce shop. Our BigCommerce store with tens of thousands of SKUs processing millions of dollars in SAVINGS for our members. Bernice manages the entire line cards of TD SYNNEX, Ingram Micro, D&H, Jenne and many more. And Bernice never sleeps. And she loves working with humans (our staff and our members).

Welcome to the Age of AI - the Age of Agentic Commerce. 

Also this: Bernice was my Mom's name. 

--

www.TheCEOdepot.com is OPEN and it's FREE My Cell: 201-466-8442 [ texting is preferred, thanks ] NEW: Please call 551-360-1474 to meet my AI Bot | Virtual Assistant, Bernice. Work Email: ceo@nydla.org Personal Email: t.a.capone@hey.com [ powered by 37signals.com ]

Hey Bernice, are you going shopping?

 

Hey Bernice, what is Agentic Commerce and can you do it???

{Bernice@NYDLA.org is my AI droid and she works 24x7x365}

Agentic ecommerce (also called agentic commerce) is an emerging form of online shopping where autonomous AI agents act on behalf of users (consumers or businesses) to handle complex, multi-step shopping tasks independently.

Core Idea

Instead of users manually browsing websites, searching, comparing prices, adding to cart, and checking out, an AI agent takes a high-level instruction (e.g., "Find me good running shoes for wide feet under $100 that are highly rated") and:

• Researches options across multiple sites/merchants
• Compares features, prices, reviews, and availability
• Negotiates deals (potentially agent-to-agent)
• Builds carts
• Completes purchases (with user consent)
• Handles fulfillment, tracking, or even returns

These agents go beyond chatbots or recommendation engines — they use reasoning, planning, tool-calling, memory, and decision-making to act proactively and adaptively.

Key Technologies and Standards (2025–2026)

Major companies are driving this:

• Salesforce (Agentforce Commerce) → Autonomous agents for recommendations, promotions, inventory, and customer service.
• OpenAI → Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) → Open standard enabling conversation between user agents and businesses for discovery, checkout, and fulfillment.
• Google → Universal Commerce Protocol / Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) + Gemini-powered shopping agents for cart building and concierge experiences.
• Stripe → Agentic Commerce Suite → Makes products discoverable and checkout simple for AI agents.
• Others → IBM, McKinsey, Mastercard, commercetools, Clover, Shopify, BigCommerce.

Benefits

For consumers:

• Saves significant time
• Finds better/deeper deals
• Highly personalized (remembers preferences, anticipates needs)
• Frictionless experience

For merchants/businesses:

• New discovery channels (agents become key traffic sources)
• Higher conversion rates
• Dynamic pricing
• Automated operations (inventory, promotions, fraud detection)

Current Status

Agentic commerce is still early (mostly 2025–2026 developments). Many implementations are pilots, prototypes, or protocol-based, with full widespread adoption expected to grow rapidly. Projections suggest it could unlock trillions in orchestrated retail revenue by 2030.

Challenges include building trust (transparency, consent, explainability), security/fraud risks, privacy, legal accountability for agent errors, and technical integration with existing e-commerce platforms.

In short, agentic ecommerce represents the shift from "I browse and buy" to "I tell my AI what I need, and it gets it done." It is widely seen as the next major evolution after mobile commerce and traditional AI recommendations.

OK, thousands of members of the NYDLA.org | NADLA.org attended CES and NRF and now are heading off to ISE. Our three biggest trade shows of the year. If you are 'anyone' in the ProAV game you will be attending ISE. If you are 'anyone' in retail, you attended NRF 'Big Show'. And as far as CES goes, well, that is probably all of the above and everyone else.

Now, not because we are so smart but because the 174K+ schools of the NADLA.org have been all about AI for years - we know a thing or two about AI - and how AI is changing EVERYTHING - including commerce.

These are the smart people who have been teaching the smart people about all things AI.

Hey Bernice: research all of the Video Conferencing camera companies that will be attending ISE. Give me a report of the 'top ten' companies with booths at ISE. Rank their cameras by price, customer satisfaction, returns, and other popular buying criteria. Load those brands into our Clover and BigCommerce stores (TAC-USA.com) and generate an email to our 174K+ K-20 schools across North America with our findings. Also give everyone a $50 TAC-USA gift card that they can use for any purchase powered by www.Tremendous.com

Banking. Insurance. Telecom. Technology. Professional Services. B2B. B2C. Hardware. Software. Everything you have purchased in the past year. All now with the 'smarts' of a personal shopper like Bernice.

The NYDLA.org 'store' TAC-USA.com has the entire line cards of TD SYNNEX, IngramMicro, D&H, Jenne, Sandler Partners and many more. TD SYNNEX alone had $58.45 billion in annual sales in 2024. So yeah, our TAC-USA buying power (and yours) is pretty good. And now.... TAC-USA.com is powered by Agentic Commerce.

And when you joinNYDLA.org you are too. Join us and THRIVE in the GLOBAL (AI) Cloud Economy.

-- www.TomCapone.com <<< LinkedIn www.ThomasCapone.com <<< My Sunday Blog www.TommyCapone.com <<< My Bluesky www.TheCEOdepot.com is OPEN and it's FREE My Cell: 201-466-8442 [ texting is preferred, thanks ] NEW: Please call 551-360-1474 to meet my AI Bot | Virtual Assistant, Bernice. Work Email: ceo@nydla.org Personal Email: t.a.capone@hey.com