Week 14 - July 8

Emus, Hybrid Work, Fog Machines, The shoulder of Orion and ITIL/Lifecycle Management...

Walt's Spin

This week Stephen King is Stranger Things, the cost of space flight is dropping, and the Hybrid office is now real because it is a victim of satire. Don't be agnostic, be neutral, when supporting devices; "it's the only way to be sure."

There is more...

Keep your office/disco clean and healthy with a groovy fog machine but never go to war with Emus. Never.

The lowest person on the org chart gets to walk around campus counting IT Assets - by hand. Not the coolest thing in IT. I found something that will help.

Tigerpaw talks, the cost of spaceflight is a victim of gravity, and is Service Now recession-proof?

Cybersecurity is hot, Hybrid eats culture, Apple's 'Lockdown Mode', Elon reduces as rivals pick up his pieces, and 25% of people will spend 1 hour daily in the metaverse by 2026, according to Gartner.

Thank the stars for Sci-Fi goodness; 8 books for the summer.

The summer is in full swing, 170 days away from Christmas. Dark days ahead, stay strong.

Enjoy the weekend.

Read the rest, here.

Bullies Pick On Who They Perceive as Defensless -

Hello Echo Chamber. 

There are those who criticize without offering a better way. They couch hollow intelligence in sage advice. 

There have always been flim-flam men - grifters. But the best con-men are smooth, disarming, and possess a degree of congeniality. 

Artful persuasion sometimes includes satire. 

First Person Shooter Games have Paved the Way for Meta...

The E*Gaming movement is fascinating to me - I started 'late', in 1999, playing Doom, then Quake, and beyond.

In 2001, I was online with other players from around the world - my age group, BTW - it became the 'poker game' of the late 20th century.  I dedicated many hours and became good enough to be highly ranked in my 'clan' (Quake PowerWeapons mode).  But back then, EGaming as a sport was a pipedream.  

Who would watch others play 'video games'?  Although our server would only allow 25 players on at a time, a good number of 'Spectators' could join just to watch.  And they did.

It was weird, knowing somebody was watching your screen/view as you played - like having a group on your shoulders as you shot your way through the digital landscape(Meta b4 Meta).

In the 2010's I started to play DoD just for fun - it was more difficult and takes a long time to get better.

But then I quit. I slipped back into a WW2 FPS, Day of Defeat after a ten-year hiatus - the same people are playing.

Week 12 - July 1

Tigerpaw, Xerox, Meta & Psychedelics

Walt's Spin

This week, Tigerpaw moves forward, robots are causing stress at the 'Sarah Conner' level, and Zuke tells it like it is, predicting rough waters ahead. Mark my words, Meta, Alphabet, Tesla, Netflix, Disney, Hulu, and dozens of other high-tech darlings will transform beyond relevancy to be replaced by up-and-coming Young Turks.

Studies continue to reveal back to office mandates are harmful and serve only the plantation bosses of the 21st century.

Currently, six out of ten US workers are remote, yet our cousins to the north, Canada, report a mere one out of ten working from home - how very obedient of them.

Trying to understand the brain can be a trippy escapade and big-headed scientists are using data and Psychedelics to help understand what goes on between our ears. 

Take a trip and find out.

More DOTC Office Technology Partnership Ecosystem Influencers discovered. This time in the realm of Sales Acquisition. Firms inside and out of the office technology niche contribute to helping sales move with the times and remain rooted in proven, foundational relationship concepts. Turbulence demands smarter, more worldly, selling professionals comfortable with meeting face to face AND nurturing through every channel.

A saddened industry mourns the loss of a Xerox power player - Ichan may leverage to reignite options and opportunities.

Far from an HP Fanboy, but...Have you seen their Managed Print Services Push?

"HP Sucks"

One might say, "I haven't seen office technology advancements like these since Panasonic."

Far from an HP Fanboy, but - there is more data-based content about Managed Print Services, and the Hybrid environment in one marketing piece than the rest of the OEMs, combined.

Yeah, I know HP thinks EVERYBODY  is their customer and yes working with them can be tiresome.

But not only is HP a player, but they are also still the biggest guy on the block.  Who in their right mind would square off against Blue in the A4 market?

Regardless.  MPS Deniers take note.

Maverrik – LinkedIn marketing, campaigns

I first met the folks from Maverrick on LinkedIN and sat in on many live streams.  

They know how to maneuver and leverage the platform that we all know - LinkedIn.  They didn't simply bolt a LI value proposition to their legacy sales training; they magnified existing training, focusing on remote, social, and face-to-face selling.

Everything from show prep to background colors. These people from across the pond, have it going.

Check them out.

Tell them I sent you.

ISN-Partners Launches Augmented Reality (AR) Sessions

London, UK, July 2022 – ISN-Partners has expanded its innovative workflow and digitization support platform, 2CLIXZ, which automates the Customer-Dealer communication by adding Augmented Reality.

With 2CLIXZ, new workers and seasoned technicians can remotely assess a situation and guide to resolution using a suite of augmented reality tools via mobile devices.  Technicians and experts can be in two places at once.

“Our software solution address some of the biggest needs for customers – quickly and efficiently opening service tickets, and easily take care of simple hardware challenges,” says Jan De Kesel, “studies show 33% of field service calls require expert advice from remote resources and talking over the phone is ineffective. Our platform is designed to resolve this situation.”

2CLIXZ augmented reality redefines the interactions between machinery, equipment, and humans while reducing travel required for legacy service & repair operations. Technicians are empowered to provide remote support with video calls to do a preliminary check of the issue and maybe solve it.

2CLIXZ is available in the US for resale through various distribution channels and we are actively seeking dealers.

Office technology, output device, and workflow solutions resellers will reduce hiring and travel expense and shorten the training timeframe.  Establish a digital business model with improved service and reduced environmental impact.

Week 11 - Amazon Robots, Coffee & Gaming

Walt's Spin

Slow week as the country roasts in the weather, inflation soars, gasoline prices pushing six bucks a gallon and it is still difficult to find good help.

Amazon is hiring new robots. We've covered this in the past - unionization and lack of labor are pressuring all labor-based businesses to consider alternatives to humans. Unions are experiencing a temporary bump bringing robotic workforces into the spotlight and on the shop floor.

Many workers who once decorated their space at HQ, have experienced the wonders of working from the spare room or remodeled basement. But they have also discovered a world outside the living room - coffee houses.

Greg Walters, Inc./DOTC & All Associates Reignite Relationship

 The DOTC Office Technology Partnership Ecosystem Expands R&D Division

Plotting the Data-Based Course Into a World Without...

Our crack team of researchers, data scientists, investigators, and web-surfers have been enhanced - dare I say, 'augmented'.  

We've rekindled an alliance with a company known by the biggest players in the industry.  Their computational analyses comprise more than 1,000 variable elements and scientific approach has been referenced in thousands of client engagements. 

I've worked with All Associates Group on many projects from Mayo to Mission Health - indeed, back in the IKON days, their analytical engine was available to every salesperson in the company.  The cream of the crop professionals engaged the tool often, with resounding results.

Disco Music is Music

It looked like a nifty little "today in music history" article but turned out to be a racially charged, re-write of history. 

Forty years ago today, a packed Comiskey Park hosted a White Sox doubleheader with the Detroit Tigers. Between games, "Disco Demolition Night" 

And it was all about Disco music vs. Rock n Roll. 

The 'movement' was nothing more than a marketing plan to attract more listeners and attendees - not, as this writer claims, 

"...the seminal events in music history, reflecting the homophobic and racist backlash to a music genre with roots in gay and racial minority communities..." - 

What a crock. 

Walt's Weekly Words, Week 10, June 17

Walt's Spin

It is almost deja vu, all over again as the conference and corporate meetings season kicks in across the fruited plain. It's great to get together face to face, I just hope everything doesn't go back to what it was: An Echo Chamber of back-slapping, hand-gladding, and gibberish.

Reports lead me to believe that indeed we are being guided to 'the way things used to be' but as always, the conversation between and after sessions is more enlightening. Other than becoming a 'super-spreader', the get-togethers ring nostalgic.

Speaking of nostalgia, a Xerox retiree regales us with legends of early color copiers - a reverse engineered, 3M knock-off. Back then, as you can imagine, color copiers were a thing of the future.

Elon is at it again, mouthing off against work from home. To be fair, his environment is perfect for all employees to be under one roof. Tesla fights for survival every single day, and when in the foxhole, one doe not want to look right and see a smiling face on a screen.

Not to be outdone, Microsoft reflects on a just-published study in Nature Human Behavior analyzing communications data of 61,000 Microsoft employees.

"Based on previous research, we believe that the shift to less 'rich' communication media may have made it more difficult for workers to convey and process complex information."

You can guess where this is going, can't you?

Tigerpaw Talks July 13, 3PM EST

Learn about the Leading Influencer of Infrastructure, in the DOTC Office Technology Partnership Ecosystem.

Leaving Old Waters: Charting a new and profitable course 

If you think you’re stuck with a business management platform and provider that makes you miserable, you won’t want to miss this event. 

Join Tigerpaw CEO James Foxall and VP of Customer Success Trevor Moses on Wednesday, July 13 at 3pm ET to learn:

• How office equipment dealers win with Tigerpaw’s investment in some of the top talent and partnerships in the industry 
• Exciting new ways to automate your business that aren’t even an option with your current platforms 
• How using one ERP to manage all your lines of business powers growth, even in a challenging economy 

Register here: 

https://tigerpaw.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4VYFAnxUTaOYMIBmJRYS0A

What Big Data Says About Psychedelics

Interesting article.  Mind-altering substances, medical treatments, and big data.

Scientists are aiming artificial intelligence at the puzzle that is our brains.

Summary:

• Research using natural-language processing tools in machine learning is helping us understand conscious awareness and how drugs alter it.
• Mental health conditions may be the price we humans pay for the huge evolutionary advantage of having a default mode network.
• Psychedelics may work by lifting the filters of sensory input essential to DMN processes.

The default mode network - 

Walt's Weekly Word, Week 9, June 10

PLayboy, Tigerpaw, More Vinyl than Downloads, Buying Less Crap, & Shrinkage

Walt's Spin

This week there's, even more, #WorkFromAnywhere content, the first DOTPE Leadership Influencer, #Tigerpaw, is revealed, we're all buying less crap, and TikTok is full of back-to-office mockery.

"Walmart, Amazon, Home Depot, Best Buy and most every other retailer are having their own mismatch of supply and demand..."

Speaking of selling, we all hate cold calls. Don't lie, you do. The worst thing about cold calls isn't the dialing, it's WASTEFUL dialing. There is a better way, it 'costs' more, shrinks lists from 10,000 to 500, and increases pick-up rates to as high as 90%+. 

Nobody is saying 'Cold calling is Dead...' there are just better ways.

"So unless you have some physical item, what's in it for the customer to meet in person on an initial meeting?"

From LinkedIn, 2022

Dynamic Rick Lambert asked:

"TOUGH QUESTION FOR B2B SALESPEOPLE!

Do you have an answer?