When was the first hello?

 If you are reading on a mobile device, hold in landscape mode.

It was January 2024 when I got the first 'hello' from the folks at Rocware. Basically, they had a brand that was new to North America but NOT new to the world. 

The New York METRO Distance Learning Association was born in the five boroughs of New York City in 1983. Pre-Internet. The Big Apple. The Center of the Known Universe. You know, the Home of the NBA Champion New York Knicks (first time in half a century). 

The 'ask' was to allow Rocware to be a Sponsor of the Distance Learning Association. And the first step was to 'send me your stuff' so that I can see it for myself. If we (the DLA) are going to sell, market, promote (any) product, service, book, course - anything - we need to know what we are talking about. So, the next thing you know there was a UPS truck in my driveway with 'one of everything' in the Rocware product line. 

Personally, I have been selling, marketing, promoting (and using) telecom and technology since the 70s. In the 80s I was the 3rd person in the USA to sell 'Car Phones' when the NYNEX Mobile system first went LIVE in the NY CGSA (New York Cellular Geographic Service Area. But I always had a rule: I use what a sell and I sell what I use. It never feels right to use Product A and then to SELL Product B. 

Very quickly I saw that Rocware was the best technology that no one ever heard of. (Yet). So, yes we became a RESELLER of Rocware and we became a Tier 1 ELITE partner. The first Rocware Platinum Level Reseller in North America. Rocware became Slide 1 on the NYDLA.org website, and we got busy telling the world to GetRocware.com 

Did I mention that the New York Knicks just won the NBA Championship Title for the first time in 53 years? They won in 1973 - and now again in 2026. 

Last night, the Knicks BRAND won. This morning in my inbox was Seth Godin's blog about The Nature of Launch Day. And about brands. 

Back in January of 2024 the endorsement of the Distance Learning Association was deemed to be very valuable to the leadership of Rocware. When you go to a trade show and you see booth after booth after booth of vendors (competitors) they are all hoping to get your attention. They are all hoping that you give them attention, which becomes engagement, which hopefully becomes adoption and finally, utilization. 

But nothing happens without step one: attention. If I don't earn your attention, I cannot sell you anything. I can't teach you anything, either. 

For the past ten years (or more) the major telecom and technology industry trade shows have been a big part of the DLA community. After all, you cannot do anything 'remote' without technology. 

This month, we are inviting the world to meet NYDLAatInfoComm.com and to specifically meet the folks at the Rocware booth. We have sent a zero spam, 100% opt-in email campaign to the 174K+ K-20 schools across North America, specifically to the facilities managers of the NYDLA.org | NADLA.org schools. If they are going to get cameras for their schools, they need to GetRocware.com 

And so, at InfoComm 2026 we are (once again) doing our best to make Booth C8479 the 'hot' booth of the show. We are giving a $250 gift card to all NYDLA | NADLA members who stop by and say hello to Daniel Meaders of Rocware. We are also giving 1 year of Zoom for FREE with every new Rocware account that we activate. All things Rocware is a member benefit. 

I do hope that you read Seth Godin's blog today (actually, every day). But TODAY really fits the moment. When Seth talks about planting the right seeds in the right place being more important that hustling for noise - that is what today's Sunday Blog is all about. There will be 800+ exhibiting companies. That is 800+ booths competing for attention. I would make a safe bet that 90% of the major video conferencing brands to be staple at InfoComm. Especially the camera companies. 

We (the DLA) sell, marketing and promote the entire line cards of TD SYNNEX, Ingram Micro, D&H, Jenne, and more - all of the major technology distributors. For Rocware, our partnership with D&H allows us to service our 174K+ schools, 16K+ municipalities, 6K+ hospitals for all things Rocware. We are Tier 1 ELITE resellers (partners) for many brands. Like Zoom, or Verizon, or Logitech, or Lenovo. But we always have an opinion. 

It is 'fun' to tell someone to GetRocware.com - it is fun to put YOUR name behind a brand. To tell the world that - yes - we have every make and model of  (that) widget. Yes, we have the entire line cards of TD SYNNEX, Ingram Micro, D&H, Jenne, and more... but we have an opinion. Hey, have you ever heard of.... Rocware??? Oh man, let me tell you all about Rocware. I am putting my name and MY brand on the line, right?  From Seth's blog:

The focused work of a trade show, then, isn’t to maximize turnout. It’s to get the right people to come. Not just people who like to go first, but folks who are eager to give you the benefit of the doubt, and those that are focused on spreading the word. Not because it’s good for you, but because it’s good for them.

People like you.

www.GetRocware.com

My Trusty Wheel Horse: $2 per hour

The last time I was on a rider mower was... yesterday. Before that? 

1969 in Cedar Grove, New Jersey.

Wheel Horse is a highly regarded brand of vintage lawn and garden tractors first developed in 1946 by Elmer Pond in South Bend, Indiana. Famous for their exceptional build quality, rugged cast-iron parts, and versatility, these iconic red machines are popular among collectors and hobbyists today.

The Wheel Horse Legacy

The company started in a two-car garage, building walk-behind tractors. After a naming conflict with another company, it became "Wheel Horse" named for its ability to do steady, dependable "tractive work".

Acquisition: The brand was purchased by The Toro Company in 1986. Toro continued producing tractors bearing the Wheel Horse name until 2007.

Community: The brand boasts a massive following of restorers, with hubs like the RedSquare Wheel Horse Forum providing resources, model lists, and event schedules for enthusiasts.

Popular Models & Features

Wheel Horse became a staple for property owners because of its modular design, allowing a single tractor to act as a mower, snowblower, tiller, or bulldozer.

1960s: Classic short-frame and step-through models like the Lawn Ranger, Suburban, and the 1054 series set the standard for heavy-duty small tractors.

45 Bowden Road | Cedar Grove, New Jersey

I blogged on my Dad a few times over the years. He was an early adopter. Ours was the first house in Cedar Grove, New Jersey to have a burglar alarm, radio controlled garage doors, Color TV and whatnot. 

And we had a Wheel Horse. 

We lived at 45 Bowden Road, Cedar Grove, New Jersey. I just did a Google Maps with Satellite view (above) to see the yard that me and my Wheel Horse maintained. You can also see the Community Church of Cedar Grove right next door. My first paying customer. 

Yes while other kids were doing lemon aid stands, I was mowing lawns. $2 per hour. Me and my Wheel Horse. Well technically it was Dad's Wheel Horse. And his gas. But it was my money. The Entrepreneurship bug found me early. 

I loved riding that Wheel Horse. For me, it was like a Go Kart. And I got PAID to do it. At my highpoint, I had 9 paying customers on Bowden Road, but the Church was the best. I got $5 per mow.

Yesterday was my first time on a rider mower since the 60s. In Connecticut. My wife and I visiting our eldest son and our grandson. I offered to mow the lawn. No Charge. 

"No, Tommy, your money is no good here...."

Me and my Wheel Horse Ride Again!

{Speakers On}

The Leader of Leads

 

Who said the best defense is a good offense? 

The exact origin of the phrase is unknown, but it has been popularized by American heavyweight boxing champion Jack Dempsey. Here are the most notable figures associated with the sentiment:

Jack Dempsey: The boxer made the exact phrasing famous in the sports world, stating it was his primary strategy.

George Washington: He expressed a similar sentiment in 1799, writing that "offensive operations, often times, is the surest... means of defense".

Sun Tzu: Centuries earlier, the Chinese military strategist wrote in The Art of War that "Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack".

Carl von Clausewitz: The famous Prussian military theorist wrote a nearly identical concept: "The best form of defense is attack". 

I have spent my entire career selling. I started selling 'Car Phones' when the NYNEX Mobile System first went live in the NY CGSA (Cellular Geographic Service Area) back in the 80s. There were only 9 Cell Sites at the time, service was spotty (and expensive!) and the phones themselves were a few thousand dollars. Want one? 

Way back then I ran a TV Ad on our local Cable station that cost me $900 for the month. At the time, I think I had $995 in the bank. My first 'lead' was the guy that ran UPS for the Northeast. He lived in Budd Lake, New Jersey and drove to Secaucus, NJ every day. I have blogged on this story in the past. That one initial sale led to thousands of 'car phones' in the UPS trucks (and Executives Cars) in the Northeast. And then, nationwide. Do you think that the guy that ran UPS from Maine to Virginia could give me any referrals? 

After 40+ years in sales and marketing, I can honestly say that generating high quality LEADS is the most important thing in business. Nothing happens until someone sells something. And you cannot sell anything to anyone if they do not ENGAGE with you. And to get them to engage you need to win their ATTENTION. So it goes...

Attention > Engagement > Adoption > Utilization. 

1983 - 2026. Because I run the (now) Global Distance Learning Association (GlobalDLA.org) I get to interview hundreds of people from the top Schools of Business around the world. We have all 8 Ivy League Schools, and 174K+ K-20 schools in the NYDLA | NADLA ecosystem. And we have access to the ALUMNI of these schools. 

I owned the CLOdepot.com domain for many years, which originally stood for Chief Learning Officer. I was going to (planned to) build out a new business (like a riff on Home Depot) to service the Learning Officers of the world. You have CEOs, CFOs, CTOs, CIOs, CMOs and there are now CLOs. 

But I have changed my mind. CLOdepot.com is going to be dedicated to the Chief Leads Officer. 

For the first time in history, Penn State World Campus has more people paying them tuition than Penn State. Purdue University Online has more paying students than Purdue University. Rutgers University has 615K+ living alumni, with 380K+ of them living in New Jersey (like me!). 

2026: all of these 174K+ K-20 schools are now competing with each other. If you attend Stanford Online you are not going to ALSO attend MIT Online. If you go to UCONN online, you will not ALSO attend Quinnipiac Online. So all of these 174K+ schools are competing for you attention. They are all competing for your tuition dollars. 

Right now, today I could use tools like Adobe to send a 100% opt-in, zero spam campaign (email, mail, phone calls, SMS) to the 174K+ online schools serviced by the NYDLA | NADLA. If 10% engaged:

• That is 17,400 MQLs (Marketing Qualified Leads)
• And if 10% of the engage that is 1,740 SQLs (Sales Qualified Leads)
• And if 10% of the the SQLs BUY that is 174+ sales. REVENUE! 

10% of 10% of 10% is being very conservative. I like to under promise and over deliver. And over time, those MQLs and SQLs will ALSO convert, as we continue to nurture the leads via our marketing automation tools. Oh right - we also service THE ALUMNI of our 174K+ DLA schools. 

So the big lesson that I have learned in my 40+ year career in SALES and MARKETING is this: he who has the best leads wins. 

Who needs some help with generating lots of HIGH QUALITY leads? I'm teaching everything I know. TomCapone.com is the 'Selling CEO' and I work for you, our members. 

www.joinNYDLA.org

The New York METRO Distance Learning Association

Something cool happened to me (for me?) last week. Without my knowledge - out of the blue - one of our vendors sent me a DRAFT copy of my new book. A book that that was written for me (about me) by AI.

Basically, the AI bot read every one of (these) Sunday Blogs since 2010. It also read all of my NYDLA.org Tom's Tome posts (since 2025) and all of my social media posts. 

All of them. 

And then in less than an hour, it created a DRAFT of a 'book' written in my voice. If you want to see it, you can click here: NYDLA.org/AI_Book_Draft 

Now as I write THIS Sunday Blog, I don't know what to think (or feel) about this. I am both impressed and also terrified. I did not ask for this to be done, so I certainly did not know about this (or pay for this). The AI bot did not get everything correct. For example, it thinks I have two brothers (I have a sister) and it was a little sloppy with some of the facts. But for the most part, it was pretty accurate. And again, this was completed at no cost in less than an hour, in total. 

The New York METRO Distance Learning Association was born in the 5 boroughs of NYC in 1983. Pre-Internet. As of today, the NYDLA.org | NADLA.org services 174K+ K-20 online schools across North America. It's Kindergarten through 20 as in Grad School, Med School, Law School. We service all 8 Ivy League Schools. And amazing schools like PURDUE University Online with 600K+ alumni. Penn State World Campus with 800K+ alumni. RUTGERS with 615K+ alumni (380K+ alumni live in New Jersey - like me!). Many of these online schools have online courses that you can take from anywhere in the world. Courses on Sales, Marketing, Accounting, even Law School. PURDUE makes a point that the degree that you can earn from PURDUE University Online is the exact same education (degree) that you can earn from their campus in West Lafayette, Indiana. Now, from anywhere in the world. 

And now I am thinking this: if AI can do this for 'a book' can it not also do this for an online course?

Hey AI bot: go read all of the books in the New York Public Library on Cybersecurity and write me a new book on Cybersecurity. You can access the New York Public Library from anywhere in the world. 

Hey AI bot: go TAKE a dozen courses online on Cybersecurity and make me a new course on Cybersecurity. 

If this was done (my book) and I was not even aware that it was happening, could the same not be happening right now for online courses, or for any media that you can find online? And would anyone even know that this was happening? 

Hey AI bot: go read all the books on Cybersecurity and go take all the online courses on Cybersecurity and then create a new Cybersecurity course (with a book) written in the voice of... Morgan Freeman. Let me know when you are finished. I would like it by end of of the day, please. 

Oh, AI bot: check to see if this is legal before you get started. Start by checking with Harvard Law School and Yale Law School. Heck, check with ALL the Law Schools. And first check all the posts online about copyright law and whatnot. 

TomCapone.com wrote this Sunday Blog. No AI Was involved. {ah, but how would you know???} 

Plug In

 

I'm on my first road trip with an EV. And I'm having flashbacks.

I was born in 1960 so I have seen many 'firsts'. I remember getting a Color TV when that was a big deal. I remember having one of the first radio controlled garage doors when living in Cedar Grove, New Jersey. That was magic. My dad loved new stuff, we called them 'gadgets' back then.

In 1960, one in five American households didn’t have a car. 2025: There were 20.5 million EV cars sold, world-wide. 

Think about all the TV antennas on the rooftops across the USA. We had channels 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13 when I was growing up. And then came Cable TV. And then Satellite TV. And then the Internet. 

The only constant in life is change. 

I learned to drive during the 'Gas Crisis' in the 70s. I watched as President Carter spoke to the nation on TV, as he made the National Speed Limit 55 across the USA. I felt so cheated! Just in time for me get my driver's license, we had gas rationing. I also remember when President Carter placed Solar Panels on the White house. 

And I remember when President Reagan promptly took them down. 

When I drove to and from PURDUE from my home in New Jersey in the 70s gas was around $0.85 a gallon. There was talk that gas might cost more than $1 per gallon one day soon. Many said that would never happen. There were many 'muscle cars' on campus, no one really cared about MPG back then. During my days at PURDUE we had Americans being held hostage in Iran. Now in 2026 our cars and trucks are being held hostage. We really don't seem to learn, do we?

I can charge my EV at home, during off peak hours. It takes around 5 to 7 hours to get a full charge from home. From the road, it takes 10 to 20 minutes to top off to 80% of a charge, which can get me 250 to 350 miles. The app in the car (and in my phone) will find a charger for road trips. My son has an EV so when we visit him in Connecticut I charge up in his driveway. 

Solar (and wind) technology has changed a lot since the 70s. I wonder where we would be as a country if we kept the solar panels on the White House. If we made the alternative energy industry cool. If we changed from 'muscle cars' to electric. The 'gas crisis of the 70s should have been a lesson for all of us, right? 

We were warned. Big money wanted to keep the game the same. And climate change was a hoax, right?

I remember making that college drive from New Jersey to Indiana, and looking at all the land. The open spaces. Farmland, and cornfields. Farms, farms, farms as far as the eye can see. Why not Wind Farms and Solar Farms? 

Dozens of countries operate electrified or battery-electric (EV) trains, with widespread adoption across Europe, Asia, and expanding rapidly in Australia and the Americas. The majority utilize traditional electrified overhead wires or third rails, while others are pioneering battery-electric or hydrogen-powered train technologies for cleaner transit.

Leading countries utilizing electrified (EV) and battery-electric trains include:

Switzerland: Operates a 100% electrified national railway network, featuring heavily utilized electric passenger and freight trains.

The Netherlands: The first country to run its entire national railway on 100% wind-powered electricity.

Japan: Operates one of the world's most extensive electrified networks (roughly 75% electrified), famous for its high-speed electric Shinkansen bullet trains.

India: Aiming for full network electrification, with nearly 90% of its rail routes electrified using heavy electric locomotives for both freight and passenger travel.

China: Boasts the world's largest high-speed rail network and one of the largest overall electrified networks in the world.

Spain: Leads Europe in high-speed rail and is pioneering zero-emission electric and hydrogen-powered high-speed trains.

Australia: Expanding commercial battery-electric freight locomotives, using massive onboard battery banks and regenerative braking to haul heavy mining loads without overhead lines.

My grandchildren will never know a world without EV trains, cars, trucks. Probably EV ships and aircraft, too. Fossil fuels will be like having thousands of horses in the city, pulling wagons and buggies. 

That must have really been something, manure as far as the eye can see on city streets. Here's to hoping that we have sunny (and windy) times ahead. Like the rest of the civilized world. 

Democratizing Education

 

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Thomas Edison invented the first phonograph in 1877, creating the first machine capable of both recording and reproducing sound. He announced the invention on August 12, 1877, and produced the first audio recording, "Mary Had a Little Lamb," using tinfoil wrapped around a rotating cylinder at his Menlo Park, NJ laboratory ( around 15 miles from my home ).

Key details about the 1877 invention

• The Process: Edison's initial phonograph used a stylus to indent sound vibrations onto a tinfoil sheet wrapped around a cylinder.
• Initial Purpose: It was designed to record telephone messages and dictation.
• Inspiration: The invention was born out of his work on telegraphy and an improved telephone transmitter.
• Patent: Although the device was demonstrated in 1877, the patent was filed on December 24, 1877, and issued in early 1878.

And so: Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877 to record and reproduce sound, initially intending it as a business machine to record telephone messages and dictation. While working on telegraph transmitters, Edison discovered a way to emboss sound vibrations onto tin foil, creating the first machine capable of playing back recorded audio. 

Did Thomas Edison invent distance learning?

No, Thomas Edison did not invent distance learning.

Distance learning (also called distance education or correspondence education) refers to structured learning where students and instructors are separated by time and/or distance, often using mail, media, or technology for delivery and feedback. Its origins predate Edison by decades or even centuries.

Key Historical Timeline

• 1728: One of the earliest recorded examples was in Boston, where Caleb Phillips advertised shorthand lessons via mailed correspondence in the Boston Gazette.
• 1840s: Sir Isaac Pitman in Britain is widely credited with the first modern correspondence course. He taught shorthand by mailing transcribed texts on postcards and receiving student work back for correction. This was enabled by cheap, uniform postage (the Penny Post). It included two-way feedback and scaled successfully.
• 1858: The University of London began offering distance learning degrees through its External Programme, making higher education accessible worldwide.

Later developments included U.S. correspondence programs in the late 1800s, radio/TV-based education in the 20th century, and eventually online learning.

The New Jersey Edison Connection

Edison (1847–1931) was largely homeschooled by his mother after a brief, unsuccessful time in formal school (his teacher reportedly called him "addled"). He was a voracious self-learner through reading and experimentation, which some stories romanticize as early "learning at home."

He did engage with educational technology later in life. In 1913, he predicted that motion pictures would transform schools within a decade, saying something like "Our school system will be completely changed." He produced educational films, but this was about using media in (or alongside) education, not inventing remote/distance learning itself.

In short, Edison was a brilliant inventor and self-taught individual whose mother facilitated his early education at home, and he later championed visual media for teaching but distance learning as a concept and practice existed long before him. 

The "founding father" of modern correspondence/distance education is typically Pitman.

Key Broadcasting Milestones

• 1895–1897: Guglielmo Marconi conducted the first successful wireless transmissions (Morse code/dot-dash signals), including the first over open water in 1897. These were not audio broadcasts but point-to-point communication.
• December 24, 1906 (Christmas Eve): Reginald Fessenden (a Canadian inventor) made what is widely regarded as the first radio broadcast of audio - human voice and music. From Brant Rock, Massachusetts, he transmitted violin playing (O Holy Night), a Bible passage, and possibly a phonograph record. Ships at sea (as far as Virginia) picked it up. This is often cited as the birth of voice and music broadcasting. { around 120 years ago }

1919–1920: The start of regular/scheduled broadcasting.

• November 6, 1919: Hanso Idzerda's PCGG station in The Hague, Netherlands, began regular entertainment broadcasts.
• August 20, 1920: 8MK (later WWJ) in Detroit broadcast regularly.
• November 2, 1920: KDKA in Pittsburgh (Westinghouse) broadcast the U.S. presidential election results (Harding vs. Cox). This is frequently called the first commercial radio broadcast or the start of the broadcasting era in the U.S.

2026: The Distance Learning Association via Global Satellite High Speed Internet delivers K-20 Education to every location in the word. And Telemedicine. And Ecommerce. And of course, entertainment. 

Ever watch a TED.com talk? How about a Netflix documentary? Or have you ever attended a class (or a meeting) via Zoom? 

Yeah, I love my job. We are all living, learning, working, playing, teaching, training, coaching, mentoring in the GLOBAL Cloud COMMUNITY. 

Yours and mine. 

How could you possibly know this?

THIS Sunday Blog is about the book/movie Project Hail Mary. If you did not yet see the movie or read the book (or listen to the book) you might want to find an exit now.

In Andy Weir's novel Project Hail Mary (and its film adaptation), Ryland Grace is not a trained astronaut at the start. He's a former molecular biologist who became a middle-school science teacher. He gets pulled into the project because of his unique expertise on astrophage (the alien microbe threatening Earth's sun), based on his earlier controversial academic work about life not necessarily needing water.

Eva Stratt, the no-nonsense director of the international effort, recruits him early on. Over time, as the mission develops, Grace becomes deeply involved in planning and preparation for the Hail Mary spacecraft. He helps design experiments, trains the actual selected crew (the primary science specialist and backup) on the astrophage science they'll need, and participates hands-on in many aspects of the project.

Key reasons he knows the "astronaut training" procedures

Stratt plans for every contingency, including the possibility that something could go wrong with the primary crew. Grace effectively serves as a tertiary (third) backup science specialist all along, even though he has no intention of going on the one-way mission himself.

Because of this, he undergoes a lot of the same rigorous preparation and testing that the astronauts do:

• He participates in simulations.
• He tests equipment (including EVA/spacewalk suits and tools—he even acts as a guinea pig for some of those tests).
• He gets familiar with ship systems, procedures, zero-g operations, and other mission-critical skills under the guise of supporting the team or verifying the science setup.

This isn't full pilot or engineer training from day one, but it's enough exposure that, when the primary and backup science officers die in a lab explosion shortly before launch, Grace is the only person alive with both the deep astrophage knowledge and enough practical familiarity with the hardware and protocols to have a chance at succeeding. Stratt forces him aboard anyway (against his explicit refusal), sedates him, and launches the ship.

In the story's present-day timeline (aboard the ship), Grace wakes from a long coma with amnesia. As his memories return through flashbacks, he pieces together his involvement and applies that accumulated knowledge to operate the spacecraft, perform EVAs, troubleshoot systems, and improvise solutions. His scientific mindset and prior hands-on exposure fill in the gaps. He's not magically an expert pilot, but the preparation he received (plus the ship's automation and his own ingenuity) lets him manage.

The book emphasizes this more explicitly than the movie in some spots: Stratt had been subtly ensuring he was 'as prepared as possible' because she always viewed him as a potential fallback. It's a classic Weir-style "competence through preparation and problem-solving" detail that makes Grace's solo survival plausible without turning him into a superhuman astronaut overnight.

So my wife and I enjoyed the movie. And I downloaded the book on Audible. (I highly recommend you do both). But on the drive home last night we talked about how Ryland Grace knew all of the Astronaut stuff - he was never trained! We could not stop thinking about this 'flaw' in the movie. So, this morning I did the Ryland Grace thing myself: I asked Grok and Gemini and a few of my other AI friends to help me to solve the riddle. 

HERE IS THE POINT...

In the book, they do indeed go into much deeper detail as to how and why Ryland Grace was able to perform all of his Astronaut duties. In the movie, right up to the point he is forced aboard under an induced coma he keeps saying "I'm not an Astronaut! I was never trained! I don't know anything about anything!" A book on Audible with 16 hours of conversation would always have more detail than a 2 1/2 hour long movie, right? Ah so. Mystery solved. 

Happy Ending: Ryland Grace figured it out. As they say over and over again: You are smart. You will figure it out. 

Is there any better example of 'Distance Learning' than Project Hail Mary? Hmmm, maybe. 

Once again, welcome home to the crew of Artemis II. 

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