MyTechDojo.com

 

https://seths.blog/ was my muse for my own blog (this one). The fact that he never misses a day - that he makes a post every single day was a bridge too far for me. I settled for never missing a Sunday. So my Sunday Blog was born - never missing a Sunday! 

Unless I don't feel like it. Probably should call it the Almost Every Sunday Blog. 

Then came Tom's Tome found on NYDLA.org - my microblog for random musings that I don't want to wait until Sunday to talk about. So, I have my Almost Every Sunday Blog and my This Can't Wait Until Sunday Blog. I gave it it's own name: TheCEOdepot.com 

But I do remember having the conversation with myself back in 2010 when I first started blogging. I'm going to post every single day - just like Seth! Yeah! And then, I said to myself 'Really? Every damn day? Why are you setting yourself up for failure? How about just one day of the week? Make it a Sunday Morning thing.' 

When I read Seth's 11/06/2026 blog about Reviewing the Game Tapes it sent me down a rabbit hole. You can be a coach who (tries to) force his players to watch game film. Or, you can be a coach who is lucky enough to have players who WANT to watch game film. Champions don't need to be forced to learn, to study, to advance. I'll bet you anything that every Super Bowl Winning Quarterback of the past thirty years has a home theater setup just for watching game films. They don't need to be forced to learn.

Mike Tyson is one of the most famous and accomplished boxers in history. He was the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, the youngest heavyweight champion ever (at age 20), and is widely regarded as one of the most dominant and intimidating fighters of his era. His career included 50 professional wins (44 by knockout) and a reputation for ferocious punching power and aggressive, high-pressure style.

Mike Tyson has long been a serious student of boxing - its techniques, history, psychology, and the fighters who came before him - not just a natural talent who fought. Under trainer Cus D’Amato (who became his legal guardian), Tyson spent years watching old fight films almost every night. He studied 16mm footage of past champions not only for technique but for how they carried themselves, their presence, bravado, and mentality in the ring. D’Amato had an extensive library of films, and Tyson absorbed them obsessively. He focused heavily on aggressive, mean, relentless fighters. Jack Dempsey stood out as a particular model for ferocity (Tyson has described wanting to fight like a “Roman gladiator”). He also studied Henry Armstrong, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, and others, along with their lives, records, and styles. He has said he went deep into boxing history, even back toward the bare-knuckle era. Tyson has repeatedly described this as deliberate work. In a recent interview he put it plainly: “In order to be the best, you have to study the best. So that’s what I always did. I studied the history of boxing.” He has also spoken about studying specific opponents on tape intensely - sometimes right up until the fight. This studying shaped both his peek-a-boo style and his intimidating persona. Even now in 2026, Tyson is a dedicated student (and teacher) of the sport.

Conor Neill is another. He 'video blogs' on LEADERSHIP on Every Tuesday. I did not do an audit, so I don't know if he never missed a Tuesday, but he does have 427 vidoes loaded as of this post. So that would be well over 8 years of "Every Tuesday' leadership lessons. I have interviewed him many times. 

I have gone back and read every post that Seth Godin ever wrote. I have gone back and watched every video that Conor Neill put up on YouTube. One big lesson from Conor: you cannot want it more for them, than they want it for themselves. This stuck with me. 

You cannot force someone to watch game film. You cannot teach, train, coach, mentor anyone who does not truly want to learn. Deeply learn. You cannot force success upon anyone. You cannot 'buy' a Black Belt. And you cannot force anyone to study in a Dojo (The Place of the Way). 

I tell my coaching students that I will match their energy. I will hold Office Hours for them, and I'm always ready for a Zoom meeting. But I cannot do the hard work FOR them. I cannot want them to be successful more than they want it for themselves. 

And always remember: every Black Belt was once a White Belt. 

But not every White Belt will become a Black Belt. 

The Japanese word sensei (先生) literally translates to "one who comes before" or "person born before another" (combining the kanji for sen, meaning "before" or "ahead," and sei, meaning "life" or "to live").

It's 2026 and I (still) run MyTechDojo.com and I'm (still) teaching everything I know. I have read every Seth Godin blog post, and all of his books. Same goes for Conor Neill. Same goes for everyone who ever had CoffeeInTheClouds.com with me - since 1983. 

link.me/ThomasCapone

The AfricaDLA.org

 

The current population of Africa is approximately 1.58 billion to 1.59 billion people as of 2026. This accounts for about 19% of the total world population.

Key Demographic Facts

• Global Rank: 2nd most populous continent after Asia.

• Median Age: 19.5 years, making it the youngest continent in the world.

• Urban Population: About 45.6% of the population lives in urban areas.

• Population Growth: Growing at roughly 2.27% per year.

• Projections: Expected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050 and nearly 4 billion by 2100.

Most Populous African Countries (2026 Estimates)

• Nigeria: ~237 million to 242 million residents

• Ethiopia: ~112 million to 135 million residents

• Egypt: ~110 million to 120 million residents

• Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo): ~110 million to 115 million residents

• Tanzania: ~69 million residents

The New York (METRO) Distance Learning Association (NYDLA.org) was born in the 5 Boroughs of New York City in 1983. Pre-Internet. It grew to service the 58M+ people living in the New York Megalopolis (Maine to Virginia). It expanded to all of North America during COVID, with the NADLA.org brand. And now in 2026 we are indeed Global. The GlobalDLA.org

But we need to talk about Africa. The AfricaDLA.org

Africa is expanding faster than the world average and features many of the highest national growth rates globally, with rising absolute economic size and trade. This qualifies as growing economic power and relevance, especially relative to its past and compared with advanced economies’ slower rates. 

25% of all new DLA members live in Africa. Same goes for new contractors working from their homes via STRATUSstaff.com. Global connectivity technologies like Starlink, Viasat and numerous solar energy providers have changed the game. 

Excuse me: do you live in Nigeria or New York? And how would I know? After all, we are now living, learning, working, playing, teaching, training, coaching, mentoring to (and from) the GLOBAL Cloud Community. Penn State World Campus has 800,000+ living alumni - many living in Africa. Many students have never traveled more than a few kilometers from their village. And they are college graduates with amazing careers. From their homes. In Africa. 

Humans with AI Mastery. People in Africa are getting hired for their attitude, not their latitude and longitude. Entrepreneurs, Project Managers, Product Managers (and more) are being born into bedrooms around the world. 

But especially in Africa. 

The GlobalDLA.org HQ - New York City

www.PoweredByZoom.com

What's 'in store' for you

 

Born in 1960 I remember hearing people say "I will NEVER put my credit card online!" and other such commentary. Heck, I remember people saying that they would never use (or trust) an ATM machine. 

I watched the original launch of Shopify back in 2004. I was a witness to see founders Tobias Lutke, Daniel Weinand and Scott Lake begin a platform while trying to build an online store for their own snowboarding business, Snowdevil. 

Running the Distance Learning Association gave me a great seat to watch the entire Ecommerce industry take hold. The buying and selling of goods and services over the Internet. All things 'Remote' via benefits like 24/7 accessibility and global reach for business. All while allowing customers and clients to do business with anyone from anywhere. We all know the history of Amazon.com becoming 'The Everything Store' from the early days of just selling books. 

Along the way, the NYDLA.org became a Shopify partner, a BigCommerce partner, an Adobe partner - and a (insert name here) partner. 

Long before 'E-commerce' there were direct mail catalogues with 800 numbers. Massive contact centers / call centers with real humans taking phone calls. 1-800-Flowers was founded in 1976 when Jim McCann purchased his first retail flower shop in Manhattan. The company later grew and rebranded to 1-800-Flowers in the 1980s after acquiring the iconic toll-free number. www.1800flowers.com seems to be doing just fine. I wonder if anyone ever calls the 800 any more vs. just going to their website. 

And now in 2026: the 'Shop' on the top left corner of the NYDLA.org is our BigCommerce store. We could have used Shopify or Adobe or whatnot - maybe one day we will switch it up. But today our 'Shop' is the Technology ASSURANCE Cooperative. We have the entire line cards of all the major telecom and technology providers. The shop began as the virtual campus bookstore for the thousands of schools serviced by the DLA. I vividly remember spending (A LOT of) money at the Follett Bookstore on PURDUE campus in the early 80s. Pre-Internet. Also, it was CASH and CHECKS only. There were no credit cards for college students back in those days. Thank goodness. 

My prediction for the future is that AI Supported Ecommerce shall become the future of business. Humans with AI Mastery working from anywhere in the world will replace any need for call centers | contact centers. And that the future of work - the future of education - the future of entertainment - shall be firmly found in the clouds. 

You know, the Stratosphere. 

Full Disclosure: I own 51% of STRATUSstaff.com 

Hey Grok Bot, go make me money

He: Where should I go to school to learn all about AI?

She: Why not attend TheCloudUniversity.com and go to all of them? 

This Sunday Blog is my first Sunday Blog since 2010 with true AI assist. Penn State World Campus has 800K alumni. Purdue University Online has 600K+ alumni. RUTGERS has 615K+ alumni with 380K+ alumni living in New Jersey (like me). And I'll be using my new trusty Grok Bot to reach (checks notes...) ALL OF THEM. 

The New York METRO Distance Learning Association was 'born' in 1983 in the 5 boroughs of New York City. Pre-Internet. NYDLA 'grew' to service the 58M+ people living in the New York MEGALOPOLIS (Maine to Virginia). During COVID the NADLA.org serviced all of North America, helping everyone to become PoweredByZoom.com. And around two years ago, the GLOBAL DLA (GlobalDLA.org) went well... went Global. 

But 'home' was always the Big Apple. New York City. To be specific, 11 Times Square, NYC. 

I am reflecting on the major tipping points of the past 40+ years. I was there when NYNEX went live with the first Cellular Phone Service in the New York CGSA (Cellular Geographic Service Area). I sold 'Car Phones' when there were only 9 Cell Towers in the entire country. Service was spotty, and very expensive. Phones had to be installed into your car. Bag phones and handhelds came later. Today in 2026 high speed Internet services like Starlink and Viasat connect residential, business, government and military customers to and from anywhere in the world. For less than $100 per month.

I was in the room when AOL first went live. Same for Priceline. I worked for Bell Atlantic as an agent selling something called Electronic Mail. I was one of the first 100,000 users of LinkedIn. Damn, I'm old. 

But today (this Sunday) something very different is happening. The NYDLA | NADLA | USDLA | GLOBALDLA communities now reach people living in every time zone of the world. I've had a working Gmail (tacapone@gmail.com) since 2004. And then a personal Gmail (tomcapone@gmail.com) soon after. Since the storage was unlimited I have amassed an archive of every email that was sent and received to/from those two email addresses from day one. And so does Google. Ahem. 

But here come the AI Bots! I've had a personal AI Bot assistant (Bernice) for a few years now. She gets smarter and smarter with every phone call she answers. Every Zoom meeting that I attend is now powered by AI. Every website we build, every shopping cart serviced for thousands of customers and clients has AI at its core. 

But this month (this morning) the 'Grok Bot' from from xAI is making a lot people sit up and notice. 

Grok Bot is an autonomous AI agent teammate from xAI that runs on its own persistent cloud computer to complete multi-step tasks across apps, web browsers, and terminals.

What Grok Bot Does

• Real Work Execution: Unlike traditional chatbots that output text or code drafts, Grok Bot logs into your apps, websites, and tools (like Zendesk, Gmail, or CRM platforms) to finish tasks from start to finish.

• Multi-Bot Teams: You can run multiple specialized Bots in parallel—such as a chief of staff bot that delegates to sub-bots for inbox management, bug fixes, or research—and place them in group chats to coordinate without you in the middle.

• Persistent Environment: Each Bot retains memory, file systems, browser sessions, and learned workflows over time rather than resetting on every prompt.

• Recent Capabilities: Grok Bot can execute automated shopping tasks by accepting credit card screenshots and navigating e-commerce sites.

Availability & Access

• Platforms: Available on macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android.

• Plans: Included with eligible paid Cursor plans (such as Cursor Pro, Teams, and SuperGrok tiers), with separate usage pools so tasks do not draw from standard chat quotas. 

So, at 8:59 AM EST on Sunday, October 18th my 'Bernice' AI Bot has become powered by Grok Bot. And Bernice is (also) powered by all of the other AI platforms. All of them. We're connected to all the brilliant minds of the folks who went to the most amazing schools in the world - to learn all about AI. To learn about... everything.

The schools, and the alumni networks of the schools. All connected in the clouds. We are all living, learning, working, playing, teaching, training, coaching, mentoring in the GLOBAL Cloud COMMUNITY. Yours and mine. 

One World. Fully Connected. 

• Hey Bernice, scan every email that I sent and received on Gmail since 2004 and invite these contacts to all joinNYDLA.org  - and invite everyone to connect with me on TomCapone.com 
• Hey Bernice, reach out to the facilities managers of the 174K+ schools serviced by the DLA and invite them to access the Technology ASSURANCE Cooperative (TAC-USA.com) for all of their telecom and technology needs. Oh, be sure to tell them that we also sell Insurance via all of the major carriers. 
• Hey Bernice, contact via email, social media, and phone (when possible) the alumni networks of the 174K+ schools serviced by the DLA. Offer them all a free $50 TAC Gift Card to check out the Technology ASSURANCE Cooperative. We have the entire line cards of TD SYNNEX, D&H, Ingram Micro, Jenne, Midwich, TeleDynamics, ACS, Telarus, Sandler Partners and many more. All via our $1B+ buying power.

Bernice, let me know when you are done with all of the above. I'm going back to bed. After all, it's Sunday. 

http://link.me/ThomasCapone

Explain it to me like this is my first day

 

What if I just yelled out: I just won Powerball!  

Well, if you have no idea what Powerball is, if you have to 'Google' it, my excitement might not become yours. If you DO know what Powerball is, we just became very (very) good friends, right?

Powerball is a major multi-state lottery game in the United States known for offering massive jackpots that can grow into the hundreds of millions or billions of dollars. 

Cost: A standard ticket costs $2 per play. 

Number Selection: Choose five numbers from 1 to 69 (white balls) and one Powerball number from 1 to 26 (red ball). You can pick your own numbers or use "Quick Pick" for a random selection. 

Drawings: Drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 PM Eastern Time. 

Winning: There are nine ways to win a prize, ranging from matching just the red Powerball to matching all six numbers to win the jackpot. 

Jackpot Payout: Winners can choose a 30-year annuity (graduated payments over 29 years) or a single cash lump sum. 

OK, let's try this one:  When you www.joinNYDLA.org you access the Technology ASSURANCE Cooperative (TAC-USA.com) for FREE!

Once more: if you have no idea what a Co-Op is, if you have to 'Google' it, you might not feel the excitement. 

A co-op (short for cooperative) is a business, organization, or living arrangement that is owned, controlled, and operated for the benefit of the people who use its services rather than outside investors.

The International Cooperative Alliance defines it as an autonomous association of people united voluntarily to meet their shared economic, social, and cultural needs through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise.

Key Features of a Co-op

• Democratic Control: Members usually operate on a "one member, one vote" system, meaning everyone has an equal say in policies and in electing the board of directors.

• Member Ownership: The people who buy the goods, use the services, work for the company, or live in the building are the actual owners.

• Shared Profits: Instead of maximizing profits for external stockholders, any financial surplus is typically reinvested into the co-op or returned/shared among members based on their usage.

So here is what we did! 

TAC-USA.com is a www.BigCommerce.com store that has the entire line cards of TD SYNNEX, D&H, Jenne, Ingram Micro, TeleDynamics, Midwich, Sandler Partners and many more. TAC is also a Master Agent and Tier 1 ELITE reseller for many suppliers. We offer the knowledge, the technology and the talent of all of our vendors and sponsors as a value-added member benefit to the 174K+ schools (and their alumni networks) serviced by the NYDLA | USDLA | NADLA. Since 1983.

Penn State World Campus has 800K+ alumni. Purdue University Online has 600K+ alumni. RUTGERS has 615K+ alumni with 380K+ alumni living in New Jersey - like me! 

AND SO... as Distance Learning became DIGITAL learning, and today (in 2026) it all just DIGITAL LIVING, it all needs technology. You cannot live, learn, work, play, teach, train, coach, mentor in the world today without technology. 

When one of the 174K+ schools of the NYDLA | USDLA | NADLA buy computers, or cybersecurity, or cameras, or connectivity (or anything) they can access the Technology ASSURANCE Cooperative. Our $1B+ buying power becomes theirs. For their school - and for the alumni networks of their schools. 

When a large school like RUTGERS buys 1,000+ laptops, that is a $1M+ sale. Every member of the TAC Co-Op benefits from THAT single transaction. It's like shopping at Costco where you are also a major shareholder of Costco. If Costco paid out dividends. In fact: Costco frequently rewards shareholders with massive, intermittent special cash dividends (such as a $15-per-share payout in early 2024) when cash reserves build up. 

All members of the Distance Learning Association can shop at the Technology ASSURANCE Cooperative for FREE. Non-members pay $25 per month (or $250 per year) to access the benefits of the TAC Co-Op. 

The DLA: we are democratizing education globally via disruptive technology. So how would I explain it to someone who never heard of us? Like to my neighbor? 

The Technology ASSURANCE Cooperative is YOUR company (or campus) store. It is as if Amazon and Costco and Best Buy and Netflix and Audible and YouTube and Gartner and McKinsey all merged. Knowledge + Technology + Talent. For 174K+ schools, and their alumni. 

We're teaching everything we know. We're paying it forward. All via technology. All via our $1B+ buying power. Yours and mine. Ah yes, membership does indeed have its privileges. 

www.link.me/ThomasCapone <<<<<

Overture, curtain, lights...

 

If you recognize these lyrics, you are my people. Born in 1960 this was my Saturday Morning. The Bugs Bunny Show (TV Series 1960 - 1975) was part of my formation. 

NYDLA.org/EVENTS

I write this Sunday Blog at around 6:00 AM. Less than an hour ago I was asleep. DEEPLY asleep. And I was dreaming about the event that we are having at The Times Center in NYC on Tuesday, 10/6. NYDLA.org/EVENTS 

The folks from Logitech asked for our help to invite NYDLA.org members to attend LIVE. The Times Center is an amazing facility to host meetings, events, and product launches. 

We placed the event on page one of NYDLA. We also made notice on all of our social media platforms. The main room holds around 300 people, and the lobby probably another 300. So it will be very easy to have standing room only. But as we always say on NYDLA.org/EVENTS "Sign up even if you cannot attend LIVE. We'll make sure you get all the cool swag from our amazing vendors and sponsors." 

Like I said around an hour ago, I was dreaming. A very vivid 'lifelike' dream. And in my vivid dream Hanneke Faber, Henry Levak, Aspen Lee-Moulden, Karthik Rajagopal, Leo Boulton, Lewis Papaleo, Dalvis Perez and Adam Hayman were marching across the stage. And they were all singing in perfect harmony:

Overture, curtain lights....

NYDLA.org/EVENTS

Well, this is how WE do it....

 

I'm sure that if you are reading this, you have heard of Shopify. We have activated over 500 Shopify stores for NYDLA.org members over the years. The cool thing about Shopify is that you can do it yourself. With almost no (zero) technical experience, you will be up and running and making money - fast.

But many times, the clients (members) of the NYDLA still wanted it all done for them. They had money and a dream - but they needed help. Many times, the NYDLA member had a full-time job and their Ecommerce store was going to be a side hustle. So, they needed to focus 40 hours a week on their current obligations. 

STRATUSstaff.com was born to be the easy and affordable path to allow a parallel path. "You keep doing your day job, we'll build this out for you - and run it for you - and GROW it for you. When the time is right to leave your day job and do this full-time, you'll know it. And, you might NEVER leave your day job. Maybe your 'store' will just be a cool thing that you own. It's nice to have options. As we always love to say, 'Profitability = FREEDOM.' 

Other Ecommerce platforms? Well there are many. There is a very good chance that we sell and service any platform that you might bring up in conversation. YEARS ago, we were a NetSuite partner. At the time, it was an expensive platform. And if you had a budget of let's say $50,000 you better have ANOTHER $50,000 laying around for onboarding and training. I remember having clients who took out a HELOC to get NetSuite, and telling them that will not be enough. Those conversations were crushing. I found myself questioning the reason for the relationship. I would be working with folks who were launching their entrepreneurial journey, and I was their wet blanket. I had to coach them, mentor them and remind them that whatever they thought it was going to cost - and however long they thought it was going to take - they should double it. And maybe even triple it. I felt like the crusher of dreams. 

When we discovered BigCommerce the business world changed for us. And, it changed everything for our members. Dramatically. My staff became BigCommerce Certified. And over time, we became the BigCommercePros.com - a division of STRATUSstaff.com (our digital agency). 

The technology caught up with the demand. Price dropped. The complexity of running an Ecommerce store went down - WAY down. If you were in the School of Business of any College or University in North America over the past 10 years, you were introduced to Ecommerce. 

And now here we are heading into Q4 2026. The heart of the 2026 Holiday Season. We are now offering telecom and technology solutions, products and services to all the members of the NYDLA and the NADLA and the USDLA and now..... the GLOBALDLA. Millions of folks living all around the world can 'shop' in our BigCommerce store: TAC-USA.com - it's a Co-Op! 

But we are ALSO building and running BigCommerce stores for products, services, books, courses - everything that the Entrepreneurship Majors in the Schools of Business can come up with. Think this way: everyone that has ever been on Shark Tank over the years will have an Ecommerce store. Every Campus has an Online and a Brick and Mortar Bookstore. Shopify kicked down the door to the new world of BUSINESS. And all the competitors followed. 

Here is the lesson as we exit Q3 2026 and race into Q4 2026: the world of B2B (Business to Business) or B2C (Business to Consumer) marketing will never EVER be the same. The AI Genie is out of the bottle, and it is never going back. A small team of people (a POD) who have reached AI Mastery can now do the work of a million dollar digital agency. You no longer need a call center or a contact center. You no longer need a full-time CMO or Marketing Department. A business owner (a store, restaurant, contractor, art gallery, medical practice, B2B, B2C, anything...) can now service the entire world with a handful of employees (humans) who all have reached AI Mastery. 

My next Sunday Blog will find (all of us) smack in the middle of the Q4 2026 holiday marketing (media) blitz. All of my neighbors already have their Halloween decorations on their front lawns, and it is not even October. How about you? What are YOUR plans for the holidays? Who needs someone to run their stores when they are traveling or on vacation? {or busy with their 'day job'} 

Who needs some help?  <<<<<<

www.joinNYDLA.org