Kurt's Thoughts

So… uh… register to vote at http://vote.gov. It’s easy. I did it. Took less than 2 min. Do it before Aziz completely loses his sh-t.

If you’re interested in learning about millennials, who they are and what their interests are, I have a presentation by the Interchange Group that goes over millennial:

• Expectations
• Influences
• Values
• Thoughts on their Workplace
• Recruiting

Here’s the deck:

• The 21st Century Workforce: Recruiting & Integrated Millennials for Long-term Success (21pgs)
  https://1drv.ms/b/s!Ao0Dfn8MQdoAoN1cMIEjHRBr6JyjOg

This is awesome.  Molli Oliver, I don’t know you but I love you.  I hope to run into you some day at United LAX Terminal 7 and give you a big hug.

HOW CAN I HELP?
That was the question I asked myself: Where’s the tip jar?  Where’s the Indigogo campaign, or whatever the heck it is they do for stuff like this?  So I started searching and it didn’t take long. 

If you want to contribute to Molli Oliver’s efforts so she doesn’t have to pay for the flights out of her own pocket, here’s where you can donate assistance:

• YOUCARING: Reuniting Battle Buddies
  https://www.youcaring.com/molli-oliver-thomas-hansen-590904#.V2xnJI-QQZQ.facebook

Here are other stories & references to Molli Oliver & her campaign to reunite dogs & their soldiers:

• Soldier Nervously Waits For The Dog He Served With To Arrive Off The Plane
  http://www.reshareworthy.com/soldier-reunites-with-military-dog/
• Flight attendant’s passion: Reuniting soldiers and dogs
  http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/07/05/flight-attendant-passion-reuniting-soldiers-and-dogs.html
• Meet Molli Oliver: Reuniting Military Dogs & Former Handlers
  http://www.morningnewsusa.com/meet-molli-oliver-reuniting-military-dogs-former-handlers-2387973.html
• Army buddies, soldier and dog, reunite at airport
  http://sfglobe.com/2016/06/30/army-buddies-soldier-and-dog-reunite-at-airport/

Earlier this week, a guy named Stephen Byrne posted a video called “The Animated Adventures of Firefly Teaser”, which appears to simply be a sample of a proposed cartoon based on the Firefly universe.

Here’s the trailer:

If you are, or know anyone that calls themselves a “Browncoat”, you know Firefly fans take themselves very fucking seriously.  Having attended the first showing of the movie, “Serenity” in LA, I can tell you that fans indeed love their “Firefly”.

If you’re interested in getting into the “Firefly” series, you should know that there were only 14 episodes ever produced, and only 11 of those were actually broadcast.  But the series had such a diehard following that they were able to create a movie called “Serenity” that helped tie off a few of the major threads that were left hanging from the series.  The investment for either of these is marginal, as for about $18, you can get everything.

• Firefly: The Complete Series (4 disc compilation) – $9.96
  https://www.amazon.com/Firefly-Complete-Nathan-Fillion/dp/B0000AQS0F/
• Serenity (The Movie) – $7.78
  https://www.amazon.com/Serenity-Blu-ray-Nathan-Fillion/dp/B001KOFH2G/

Now, if you like what you see, you can listen to Amazon’s exclusive interview with director Joss Whedon about “Serenity’s” Collector’s Edition.

For folks that “just don’t want to let go””, Joss Whedon essentially finished the series & the stories through graphic novels.  Here are the graphic novels that are purchasable here:

• Serenity: Those Left Behind
  https://www.amazon.com/Serenity-Those-Left-Behind-2nd/dp/1595829148/
• Serenity Volume 2: Better Days and Other Stories
  https://www.amazon.com/Serenity-Better-Days-Other-Stories/dp/1595827390/
• Serenity Volume 3: The Shepherd’s Tale
  https://www.amazon.com/Serenity-3-Shepherds-Tale-Various/dp/1595825614/
• Serenity: Leaves on the Wind
  https://www.amazon.com/Serenity-Leaves-Wind-Joss-Whedon/dp/1616554894/

And for the fan that REALLY wants to roll around in the Firefly universe one last time, there’s the “Browncoast Bible”, aka the documentation of the Firefly universe.  550 pages of insanely detailed material about the show, it’s filming, and the cast.

• Firefly: A Celebration (Anniversary Edition)
  https://www.amazon.com/Firefly-Celebration-Anniversary-Joss-Whedon/dp/1781161682/

[for personal reference since I didn’t get to watch any of it, compared to the Republican National Convention which I had recorded]

• Watch the Full 2016 Democratic National Convention – Day 1
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7-GbkAZclc
• Watch the Full 2016 Democratic National Convention – Day 2
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzFWdAs5VTc
• Watch the Full 2016 Democratic National Convention – Day 3
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTf1wjDHlf8
• Watch the Full 2016 Democratic National Convention – Day 4
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omOJvwlcvRc

————

DAY 4:
• Watch President Barack Obama’s full speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aip0BAWrdLw
• Watch VP nominee Tim Kaine’s full speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ndSlRc0GI0
• Watch VP Joe Biden’s full speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK8NuU2N_Rc
• Watch Bill Clinton’s full speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RchVnIn_-Y
• Watch first lady Michelle Obama’s full speech at the 2016 Democratic National
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZNWYqDU948
• Watch Michael Bloomberg’s full speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n3vuf-rbd8
• Watch Hillary Clinton’s full speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnXiy4D_I8g

————-

• Watch Sen. Bernie Sanders’ full speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rtXaPV5SYM
• Watch comedian Sarah Silverman’s full speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMg3DoXwwag
• Watch Katy Perry perform ‘Rise and ‘Roar’ at the 2016 Democratic National Convention
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df0xj-d-IGI
• Watch Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s full speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0EsVKS4ADw
• Watch Sen. Cory Booker’s full speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0EsVKS4ADw
• Father of deceased Muslim soldier to Trump: ‘You’ve sacrificed nothing’
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPg1aPFCk64
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Trump’s Muslim registry is the very tyranny Jefferson abhorred
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGH49Jn4BmI
• Watch Ret. Admiral John Hutson’s full speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9l9uBkoYZg
Actress Sigourney Weaver introduces James Cmeron film on the perils of climate change at DNC 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xftw8Z3dGuQ
Gov. Jerry Brown: ‘Climate change is the existential threat of our time’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXrcABzH8u0
Mother of Orlando mass shooting victim calls for common sense gun control
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS_K1h9HblI
Watch former Philadelphia police commissioner Charles Ramsey’s full speech at DNC 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOFBRQOZ-TM
Daughter of Sandy Hook victim: ‘Too many politicians cower behind the gun lobbies’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9NLfGm42b8
Watch Gov. Martin O’Malley’s full speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5iWpaz6c_8

I upgraded my Verizon Wireless Lumia 929/Icon Windows Phone to Windows 10 Mobile.  I’m not going to lie: It didn’t go that well, but a good part of this was my fault.

tl;dr:
If you’re going to setup a new Windows 10 Mobile device, be sure you have FEWER than 10 devices associated with the Microsoft Account you plan on using with the device.

If you don’t, you may be in for a lot of hard work.

BACKSTORY:
One of the main reasons I wanted Windows 10 Mobile was for it’s ability to accept speech-to-text into any area that you might otherwise type via thumb keyboard. With the release of the Bank of America app on Windows 10 Mobile & the sudden availability of Windows 10 Mobile on the VZW Lumia Icon, it was  pretty much a no brainer for me to do the upgrade.

So I did.

STEP 1: DOWNLOAD UPGRADE ADVISOR
Download the Upgrade Advisor from the Windows Store on your phone which provides the signal to the phone that it’s okay to update it. Review the following for instructions on how to do this:

• DOWNLOAD: Upgrade Advisor
  https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/apps/upgrade-advisor/9nblggh0f5g4

STEP 2: VERIFY THE DEVICE QUALIFIES FOR WINDOWS 10 UPDATE
Run the Upgrade Advisor.  It should say that the device qualified if it’s a VZW Lumia Icon.  It will then enable your device to successfully “check for updates” and download the new Windows 10 Mobile OS.

• INSTRUCTIONS: Using Upgrade Advisor
  https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/13778/windows-10-mobile-upgrade-advisor-app

STEP 3: CHECK FOR UPDATES
Leave the Upgrade Advisor and go to “Phone Update”.  This is located in the Settings panel.  Review the following for instructions on how to do this:

• INSTRUCTIONS: Check for updates
  http://www.windowscentral.com/how-to-update-your-windows-phone

You should begin upgrading to Windows 10 Mobile right here by pressing the Update button.

STEP 4: VERIFY YOUR MICROSOFT ACCOUNT HAS LESS THAN 10 DEVICES ASSOCIATED WITH IT
This is where I failed:  You associate a Microsoft account with any Windows 10 device – including Windows 10 Mobile – in order to enable it to download & install any of the applications you’ve bought from the Windows Store.  Without doing this, NONE of your Windows Store apps can run.

1. Go to https://account.microsoft.com & log in with your Microsoft Account. (aka the hotmail.com, live.com, outlook.com, msn.com, or whatever account you use to purchase items from the Windows App Store with.)
2. Go to https://account.microsoft.com/devices/store which will list all the devices you have with Apps & Games installed on them from you account.  This list needs to be 9 or fewer devices, because the maximum number is 10 and we need 1 spot reserved for the upgraded Icon.
3. If needed remove a device.  Keep in mind that the device you remove will no longer be able to us any of the apps installed on it from your Microsoft account.

STEP 5: ALLOW THE PHONE TO CONNECT TO WIFI DURING THE UPGRADE.
When upgrading, the phone will need to connect to WiFi.  The reason for this is that it will add your phone to your Microsoft Account’s list of 10 or fewer managed apps & games devices (as mentioned in step 4) and begin the process of enabling your previous Windows Phone 8.1 applications to run on your newly upgraded Windows 10 Mobile Icon as a managed apps & games device.

HUH? SO THE APPS DON’T AUTOMATICALLY RUN?
Yes, but again, the upgrade process should fix all that.  What this means is, most of your previous apps & games from Windows Phone 8.1 should come over and run on Windows 10 Mobile just fine – possibly even better if it’s updated to a new version of the app for Windows 10.  For example, if there is a Windows 10 Mobile release of the same application you previously used under Windows Phone 8.1, it will update the app in-place and give you the newer release.  If there isn’t, it will make sure that the WP8.1 app or game is rewired to work on W10M.

WARNING:

If the upgrade is unable to add your device to your account, most of your applications will not work after the upgrade Windows 10 Mobile, and you will need to uninstall & reinstall each non-functioning application manually.

ONLY 10 DEVICES PER MICROSOFT ACCOUNT
If you’ve got the maximum number of devices (10) added to your account for apps & games, the upgrade process for Windows 10 Mobile will attempt (and fail) to add your device to your account for every application it attempts to retrofit or upgrade on your device.

Note that some applications will still work, regardless of whether your device is added to your account because some apps aren’t constrained to the 10 copy limit – however most are.

EPILOGUE: MY STORY,
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE FEWER THAN 10 DEVICES REGISTERED TO YOUR MICROSOFT ACCOUNT
The quick version of my story is that I had used up all 10 devices that could be associated with my Microsoft account.  As a result, 95% of my applications on my Nokia Icon failed to work after the upgrade.

The solution was to:

1. Unregister 1 of the 10 devices associated with my account (in my case, an old Dell Venue tablet)
2. Test & uninstall every app that doesn’t work on the phone, then reinstall it through the App Store on the phone.  The first app that I reinstalled, automatically associated this new “Windows 10 Mobile” device to my Microsoft account and the rest of the applications I reinstalled installed correctly.

Note: This process took me all day as I had more than 100+ apps.

Entitled, “Inclusion, not Exclusion”, the Spring 2016 Asian American Voter Survey was released last month and provides some very interesting insight into the Asian voting demographic.

Here’s some of the conclusions that it came to as written in the Executive Summary:

Asian Americans have, for nearly two decades, been the most rapidly growing racial group in the United States. More recently, they have also been growing significantly in their political presence, as measured by the growth of registered voters (an average increase of 600,000 per presidential election cycle), Congressional candidates (from 10 candidates in 2010, to 30 in 2012 and 40 in 2016), or the number of organizations involved in voter registration (from 154 participating in National Voter Registration Day in 2012 to 317 organizations in 2014).

Along with the growing presence of Asian American voters is a growing interest in the opinions and priorities of this electorate. This report presents the results of interviews conducted by telephone from April 11 to May 17, 2016, of 1,212 registered voters who identify as Asian American, producing an overall margin of sampling error of +/- 3%. Sampling was targeted towards the six largest national origin groups that together account for more than 75% of the Asian American adult citizen population. Interviews were conducted in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, and Vietnamese, and included landlines and mobile phones.

The data on Asian American public opinion reveal that:

• Asian Americans are shifting in party identification towards the Democratic Party, and exclusionary rhetoric is a likely cause
  • There has been a 12-point increase in the proportion of Asian Americans who identify as Democrats from 2012 to 2016 (pp. 27-28)
  • Bolstering evidence from 2014, our survey indicates that Asian American registered voters, including Independents, will punish candidates with anti- immigrant and anti-Muslim views (pp. 17-18)

• Hillary Clinton has the most net favorability, while Trump is viewed very unfavorably
  • A large proportion still have no opinion Of Bernie Sanders (p. 9)
  • Many Republican candidates were viewed unfavorably this year, highlighting the challenges for a party trying to attract immigrant voter support amid exclusionary rhetoric by many presidential candidates (p. 10)
• Ethnic media is an important source of political information, especially for Chinese American and Vietnamese American voters (pp. 31-34).
• Young Asian Americans (ages 18 to 34) are a key demographic to watch
  • Jobs and economic inequality rank higher among their concerns (p. 20)
  • They are much more likely to get political news from Internet sources (p. 31)
  • They display the strongest reaction against exclusionary rhetoric (pp. 17-18)
  • Candidates and parties risk losing out on the support of this up-and coming generation that will shape the politics of the U.S. in the 21 st Century
• Asian Americans tend to favor the Democratic Party on many key issues
  • The Democratic advantage is strongest on the environment, racial profiling, education, social security, and immigration reform (p. 21)
  • The Republican Party is evenly matched on only one issue: terrorism (p. 21)
• Overall, voter enthusiasm is significantly higher than in 2014 (p. 11)
  • This bodes well for Asian American voter interest in the 2016 election year
  • But, voter mobilization and outreach by parties, candidates, and community organizations is key (p. 29).
  • Increased investments in voter outreach since 2012 seem only to have been sufficient to keep pace with this rapidly growing population, with no net increase in the rates of voter contact (p. 29).
  • Our 2012 post-election survey indicates that Asian Americans were less likely than other racial groups to be contacted, further indicating the need for further investments in partisan and nonpartisan voter outreach (p. 29).

Grab the entire 71 page .PDF report here:

• DOWNLOAD: Inclusion, not Exclusion: Spring 2016 Asian American Voter Survey
  http://www.apiavote.org/sites/apiavote/files/Inclusion-2016-AAVS-final.pdf

This for me is a very important short film, but it’s a tough watch.

Do me a favor and watch this video.  Then go hug your pet & renew your promise to them that they’re a member of your family.

I was recently reminded of two favorite videos of mine:  Audio Conferences in Real Life & Video Conferences in Real Life.

If you’re in the business world, prepare to LYAO.

So you finished reading “Disrupted” and loved it, eh?  If you haven’t this is the latest audiobook that I’ve been fawning over:
http://www.audible.com/pd/Bios-Memoirs/Disrupted-Audiobook/B01DDV7SXY

Keep the fun going by reading the background on the book!

• FORTUNE: My Year in Startup Hell:
  Hear the one about the unemployed middle-aged guy who tripped and fell into the new economy?
  [There’s a great video that accompanies this excerpt from Fortune]
  http://fortune.com/disrupted-excerpt-hubspot-startup-dan-lyons/
• FORTUNE: FBI Documents Detail HubSpot’s Alleged Attacks on ‘Fake Steve Jobs’ Writer
  http://fortune.com/2016/03/26/fbi-hubspot-fake-steve-jobs/
• NEWSWEEK: This Old Guy Joined a Tech Startup. You Won’t Believe What Happened Next
  http://www.newsweek.com/new-book-dan-lyons-disrupted-silicon-valley-hubspot-444594
• MARKETWATCH: HubSpot book scandal costs two executives their jobs
  http://www.marketwatch.com/story/book-scandal-leads-to-hubspot-firing-executive-2015-07-29
• BETA BOSTON: HubSpot CEO and CTO discuss firing of company’s ‘third founder’ over attempts to obtain book manuscript
  http://www.betaboston.com/news/2015/07/30/hubspot-ceo-and-cto-discuss-firing-of-companys-third-founder-over-ethical-lapse/
• HUBSPOT: Dan Lyons’ Blog Posts
  http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/author/dan-lyons
• BLOG: Dan Lyons
  http://www.realdanlyons.com/about/
• VIDEO: Dan Lyons presenting at HubSpot’s own “conference”
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ2uRayqUzQ
  
  Big Ideas – Dan Lyons “Tell Me A Story: When Media and Marketing Become One”

   

Annnnd then there’s this gem-of-a-retort from a 25-year-old, fresh out of college, millennial that used to contract for HubSpot:

• FORTUNE: Working For This Startup Wasn’t Hell — You’re Just Old
  http://fortune.com/2016/03/30/hubspot-startup-dan-lyons/

I’ll admit I found this article to be hilarious because I read it in what in my mind is a “millennial’s voice”.  Here’s author Lauren Holliday’s LinkedIn profile which may be the longest profile in the history of LinkedIn. And yes, you guessed it:  She graduated in from Univ of Central Florida in 2012.

Did you know Disney released a game last month called “TRON RUN/r”?  Available on Steam, it’s a game that seems to take after those continuous running games.  Description as follows:

Return to the world of TRON with TRON RUN/r, a new lightning fast, action-adventure runner with a twist! Hone your DISC and CYCLE skills, then challenge the grueling STREAM program that throws endless combinations of modes and levels at you until you crash – how long can you survive?

Differing pricing exists depending on the package you want.  Of course there’s a ton of DLC and a “season pass”.  Starts at $19.99.

• TRON RUN/r
  http://store.steampowered.com/app/392000/

What would happen if 20 bands played Linkin Park’s “In the End” all within 4:15? Cover by Anthony Vincent of Ten Second Songs.

(This is more than a year old.  Can’t believe I missed this.  So awesome.)

As an Independent, I feel this 1964 ad/video eerily nails the current GOP situation.

1964 Republicans were terrified of their candidate for President, too

The guy that has created & provided Windows Weekly with a home since its inception is the very reason its becoming an eye-rolling, amateur-hour shitshow.

Leo Laporte, the founder & Chief TWiT of the TWiT podcast network, is also the host of the Windows Weekly podcast… and outside of maybe wanting to put his face/voice into what I believe is the network’s 2nd most popular show, you really have to wonder why.

ZERO PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE OR INTEREST WITH MICROSOFT
It’s become abundantly obvious that Leo Laporte has no day-to-day in-depth experience with current Microsoft technologies, despite having a radio show in which he provides consumers with technical advice – usually on Microsoft technologies.  It’s almost as if he’s been sustaining his diminishing knowledge of Windows, Xbox, and any matters near Redmond through the 2 hour education he gets from Paul Thurrott & Mary Jo Foley… and probably his own IT guy.

But the problem is he’s not even bothering to feign interest these days:  Phoning it in, he regularly appears to mentally tune out & shows total indifference to the majority of the Microsoft discussion during the podcast unless it’s related to his Xbox One, a laptop he bought online the other day, or something that might give him the opportunity to blame/indict Microsoft for something he believes validates the sentiment that Microsoft is just some crap company.

Listen for his trademarked phrases: “Very interesting…” “We shall see…” “Good, good, good…” “Uhhhh… okay.” etc. etc.  Loosely translated, this means, “I wasn’t paying attention because I’m not even the least bit interested.  Moving on.”

Okay, so the guy wastes airtime on the podcast, right?  But as long as he doesn’t get in Paul or Mary Jo’s way and let’s them, y’know, TALK… it’s all good, right?

LEO’S PASSIONS: APPLE & GOOGLE
Nope.  It turns out that in the past several months, a mindbendingly disrespectful pattern has emerged, where Leo has focused the podcast on discussing non-Microsoft topics he’s interested in AND JUST STAYS ON THEM for long segments of podcast time:  iOS & iOS applications.  Android & Android applications.  Macintosh & Mac applications.  Linux & Linux distros.  Google announcements.  Google acquisitions.  Apple announcements.  Apple products.

One of the things that has made Windows Weekly interesting has been the “Pardon The Interruption” type discussion where Paul & Mary Jo iterate through a list of topics and weigh in with their opinions at a reasonable clip.  But that all goes to holy hell when Leo decides he wants to participate in some non-Microsoft related matter.  Take the last podcast: The moment the topic of non-Microsoft phones came up, he practically dominated the conversation and you couldn’t get Leo to quiet down.

It’s gotten to the point where as much as 2/3rds of the podcast’s time is taken up by Leo’s rants about anything other than Microsoft-related discussion & Paul/Mary Jo’s forced responses to this stuff or, if we’re lucky, God willing, Paul/Mary Jo’s actual corrections of Leo’s misperceptions.

DIRECTOR OF THE RANT/TANGENT
The next time you hear the Windows Weekly podcast “go sideways”, off on some barreling tangent about Samsung’s latest Android phone or an Apple Macintosh update/event/release, listen to who’s very loudly doing the direction of the discussion. 

I’m sure Paul & Mary Jo have realized this pattern to a great extent but what do you do when someone who is in many respects YOUR EMPLOYER wants to go off on some unnecessary rant about Microsoft or dig deeper about a topic that has nothing to do with why people presumably listen to the podcast.  I’ve noticed Paul just “give up” trying to respond to Leo’s ranting at certain points, for what I assume, is an attempt to just “move on”.

Every time, you’ll find it’s Leo.

BTW: STOP BLAMING PAUL
Some may want to blame Paul Thurrott.  Paul’s not perfect and he sure as heck can’t seem to let go of some really silly points, for example:

• Office 365 Home is a 1-year subscription & the whole world is going that way.  It’s not in anyway “dishonest” as Paul likes to call it.  If you don’t like it, you don’t have to buy Office 365 & can still buy Office 2016 as a productivity suite. but frankly you’re an idiot if you do given the benefit of Office 365 Home.
• HoloLens’ visible frame is perfectly useful for the designs that it’s being applied to in either a professional or a gaming capacity.  No one I’ve worked with has considered it “unacceptable” or “dishonest” as the very jaded Paul likes to call it.
• Kinect works & millions enjoy using it.  It doesn’t lack responsiveness nor is it a “failure”.  Just because Paul Thurrott likes to call it useless because he can’t personally find any scenario for it outside of its omnidirectional microphone, doesn’t mean that it hasn’t been an amazing peripheral for gaming – children’s gaming in particular.  (Ask any parent that’s loaded up Kinect Party for their kids)It’s certainly not the success that Microsoft would like it to be but it’s technology far from useless.

THAT BEING SAID…
Paul’s really not the reason the podcast goes off the tracks down into non-Microsoft ditch.  He might say something annoyingly narcissistic, focusing on his personal interests, instead of a broader perspective, but it’s rarely something that wastes a whopping 20 minutes of the podcast on a non-Microsoft topic.

Listen to Paul during these moments:  He’s usually the poor schmuck on his heels along with Mary Jo, trying to rail in Leo who is going down some non-Windows/Microsoft rathole that only Leo’s got an interest in.  During these moments, you can almost hear Windows Weekly nation simultaneously screaming in one voice, “OMG, someone take Leo down!  Paul!  Mary Jo!  DO SOMETHING!  Tranquilize him!  I’ve already hit the damned fast forward button on my podcast player, like, 12 times already.  Force him into a commercial or something, for crissakes.”

SOLUTION: BRING IN PADRE
It’s simple.  Get Father Robert Ballecer of “This Week in Enterprise Tech” to host the podcast. 

He’s professional, he’s hosted the podcast before, and he’s got SERIOUS technical chops.  He’s likeable & he doesn’t have an uncontrollable, insanely annoying unconscious bias against Microsoft or Windows.  That’s the end of these ratholes & sideshows… and it keeps the podcast on the TWiT network just like Leo wants it.

Help us, Father Ballecer.  You’re our only hope.

——————

UPDATE (3/19/16):  PADRE’S TIME ISN’T FREE
I think I should clarify something that I realized I didn’t mention: I’m not blind to the requirements of what I’m asking for.  I’m fully aware that introducing Father Robert Ballecer into the podcast as the host would result in additional financial overhead for Leo & the TWiT Network.  People’s services – like those of the talented & knowledgeable Padre – don’t come free.

But while I’m sure the TWiT Network’s margins are thin… probably very thin… I would hope that the attractiveness to a growing audience of adding an expert host to the WW cast while freeing up Leo to develop or grow other podcasts on the network that he IS passionate about, would make the expenditure worthwhile – or at least worthy of a pilot, because Leo’s passion is clearly not with Microsoft which is the core of Windows Weekly.

Can’t someone at least run the numbers on something like this?  Project what the change would do to the revenue brought in from the show?

I AM NOT A LEO HATER
Believe it or not: I ask for this financial impact question because I suspect Leo MIGHT ACTUALLY DO IT and run the numbers.  Let’s be clear:  Despite my distaste for Leo’s offtopic ratholes during Windows Weekly, I’m not a “Leo Hater” like some of the folks I’ve read on the Internet.

To the contrary, I truly have great respect for his pioneering business development of a well-established podcast network.  While I may have reservations about other matters he’s associated with, his establishment of what appears to be (I don’t know his financials so I can’t be sure) a successful and profitable podcast network earns and deserves one’s respect.  After all, who else can say they’ve done that from the ground up?

Bluntly, I just wish he’d move on from Windows Weekly.

Being a relatively new Dad, this put a lump in my throat.  I passed on my chess set & my children’s books.

If you’re a Time Warner Cable subscriber for Internet access, and you’ve historically been on their top tier consumer bandwidth service, “Ultimate 300”, you’ve been paying  $109.99/mo.  (Assuming you’ve subscribed longer than the $64.99 12 month promotional pricing they tout on their web site.) 

NEW MODEM REQUIRED
It turns out that you also have to buy a new cable modem to support all the new bandwidth and all the bonded channels required for 300Mbps/20Mbps. (ARRIS / Motorola SB6183, for example) 

I had the ARRIS / Motorola SB6141 and it indeed only supports ~100Mbps d/l speeds.  (See the snap shot of SpeedTest to the right of what was taken using the SB6141 on a 300Mbps plan)

SHUTTLING DOWN TO A LOWER PLAN
Alternatively, it also turns out that if you shuttle down to the old 100Mbps/10Mbps, which may be all you need (aka “Ultimate 100”) you can save $40/mo on your bill and pay just $69/mo for an annual savings of $480/yr. (See the snapshot of my bill from the previous month and the coming month)

HOW DO YOU DO THIS?
You can’t do it online.  Call (855) 243-8892 and navigate around to “Reduce Service”. Yeah, they really bury it in there in the same way that they hide what their retail charges are per service outside of the promotion. 

REGARDING RETAIL PRICING
All their retail pricing is available in the link below – you have to pull down a PDF price sheet/rate card to get the price you’ll pay after their initial 12mo promotional pricing.  In West Los Angeles, their pricing is in the snapshot to the right and is “Extreme + Ultimate XXX” if you want 100Mbps or more which ranges from $69-$109.
http://www.timewarnercable.com/en/support/account-and-billing/topics/retail-rates.html

Social networks & media publicity are cute but money talks & the place to go to when it comes to politics & money are the bookies.

There are bookies around the world that take bets on who’s going to win the US Presidential Election.  (Not in the US, mind you, where it’s illegal.)  Oddsmakers don’t mess around when it comes to accuracy on any topic, so if you want to know who people REALLY think is going to win – when the chips are down – the bookies are where you go.

SO WHAT DO THE ODDSMAKERS & THE BETTING LINES SAY?

Net net:

• Betting lines have Trump leading GOP at 5-4 w/ Rubio behind him at 2-1.  After that there’s no contest with both Jeb Bush & Ted Cruz coming in at a distant 6-1.
• Sorry “feelthebern” progressives but Hilary’s blowing out Bernie at around 9-8 vs anyone else – including Sanders at 4-1.
• Bloomberg’s betting line just came out at a distant 33-1.

Here’s the betting lines at BetDSI that are updated daily.  I’m not a betting guy when it comes to even sportsbook stuff but this is fascinating stuff:

• 2016 Politics Betting Odds at BetDSI Sportsbook
  http://www.betdsi.com/live-lines/politics

Okay, it’s not that new since they’re into their 27th episode however it’s only been out for a few months and “Reasonable Doubt” is one of the first new podcasts that i’ve found fundamentally interesting enough to listen to every episode.

Combine the legal mind of Mark Geragos, who you may recall as being on OJ Simpson’s dream team, with the sarcastic wit of Adam Carolla and you get non stop interesting conversation. add to that, that the reputations of these two bring in some interesting topics and guests.

For example, they talk about the Netflix sensation, Making a Murderer, and invite one of the defending attorneys of steven avery to the podcast.

They also address the Volkswagen situations and the potential for a class action lawsuit and what that means to the long term viability of the company.

And this week Mark goes over a pro bono case he’s doing “Straight out of Compton” – literally, as he has to phone in to do his side of the podcast since he’s in trial in Compton.

If you like interesting stories and understanding the legal angle on them, you really need to check out “Reasonable Doubt” with Mark Geragos and Adam Carolla.

http://reasonabledoubtpodcast.com/

I’m still laughing right now.  I really started doubling over when we hit Antonio Banderas.