Welp, to start-off the year, JP pulled a major boner. We got together for this session on January 8th and it was a pretty good session; that is, until JP realized he forgot to hit the "record" button at the end of the session when he went to turn the recording off… DOH!

So, you will understand the much deserved razzing at the beginning of the session as everyone takes turns bustin' on JP.

Mule starts us off with a prediction that the robotics team that he coaches will crush all the other teams on their way to victory in the Chesapeake District. But his other prediction (albeit, a prediction that affects very few people) is the number of companies that are going to be scratching their heads over the changes in how research and development investments and expenses are treated.

Peter joins us and shares that he has had a poor go of it fishing for carp, they aren't biting. JP asks if he eats the carp, and Peter shares his recipe. You clean the carp and wrap it around an ash stick and bake it in the oven for an hour. Then you throw the fish away and eat the stick.

A real trooper, Don joins us all the way from China where he is commissioning a machine for a customer and visiting other vendors while there. His big prediction is it will be the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens in the Superbowl, and that it will end in a tie; a claim he refused to abandon even though the Superbowl could never end in a tie.

So that means we have guests who are from scattered places across the globe. There is Stephane in France (where it was 1800h), Peter from the United Kingdom (where it was 1700h), Donna and JP in New York, Mule in Virginia (all from 1200h), and Don in China (where it was 0100h, the next day) on this session.

Stephane predicts that every session at The Outliers Inn will start with everyone reminding JP to hit the "record" button. He also muses what will happen when AI meets quantum computing; and this sets the subject thread for the rest of the session; predictions regarding AI and sharing hopes and dreams as well as the good, the bad, and the ugly.

JP shares that he predicts copywriters will be challenged to remain gainfully employed. He is already using ChatGPT to create or refine webpages and other marketing collateral. But is not satisfied the capabilities can replace a writer who has established a writing style (he calls it a writer's "voice"). And, of course, he is always wary of "deep fakes" in an age where people already don't trust what they are seeing in the news.

The discussion gets as varied as it is deep; deep what, is the question. Give a listen.

Oh, and assuming everything in play proceeds on its present trajectory and nothing new or major is introduced, JP boldly predicts Donald Trump will be re-elected President.

Give a listen!

Welcome to another episode of The Outliers Inn

With it being near the end of another year the theme of this episode is endings and beginnings where we will speak with our guests about what might have ended for them this past year and what they look forward to beginning in the next.

We have a few new guests at The Outliers Inn; in addition to the regular irregular Stéphane from Belgium and your cohosts JP and Mule, Donna from upstate New York and Peter from the UK have joined us. Unfortunately Don the beer man is on assignment in Milwaukee and will not be able to join us today.

The episode starts with a technical challenge with Mule dropping from the session. But as they say in theater the show must go on. So, JP begins the episode without him only to have mule rejoin a few minutes into the program.

JP shares some wisdom which he gained while seated at Bryant park in New York City having a legal beverage and listening to the music. While sitting there minding his own business a bird dropped a turd on his table. The wisdom is to refrain from looking up.

Donna shares a rather bold decision in leaving the comfort and security of a regular paycheck as a senior executive and starting her own ventures; with all the emotions that went into making that decision. And Mule shares his making a similar decision some years prior. Unlike JP who started his business when he had nothing to lose, both Donna and Mule started their businesses when they were well into adulthood and when the decision carried considerable risk.

Stéphane shared that he has moved into a senior leadership position with his company and is learning how to navigate the changes that come along with it. And JP and Stéphane shared with the guests their recent meet up in Strasbourg at the Christmas market and what a pleasure it was; and the hunt for the Strasbourg Glühwein mug.

Peter, being the only retiree on the show, is having a random wonder for what the German phrase for “Charcuterie Board” might be (it’s “Schneidebrett”. When pressed why, he shares that he is having a plate of German meats and was just wondering. He also shares how he has taken up fishing as a hobby and that he's getting more involved in the Boy Scouts. It keeps him busy and out of trouble.

All in, an enjoyable and fun conversation.

Give a listen!

So welcome back to The Outliers Inn!

In spite of the incredible odds that recent history has demonstrated, Mule finally gets the timing right and is able to join as the co-host. It's just as well, because Don, "The Beer Man" is MIA for today's episode.

Mule starts by sharing the reports of automobile break-ins throughout California are real. He was on assignment and went into a restaurant in a nice area of town and folks broke into his rental vehicle and stole his computer bag; notebook, phone, papers, all gone.
… Note to self; avoid California.

JP shares a rather peculiar habit with his dog, a female mini-poodle. She has a favorite stuffed animal and which she likes to lay into in a very friendly sort of way. And she will lay into that stuffed animal until she has "friendly sort of way'd" all of the stuffing out of it. She has gone through four of the things so far, and JP keeps a safety stock at home just in case.

Mule shares that he has been car-shopping recently for his two grown daughters, but that he has also purchased an old 1989 Ford Taurus SHO; JP is not impressed. But Mule goes on to proclaim all of the virtues of the vehicle, including its high-output motor (even if packaged in a rather boring vehicle body) and how much he loves it. To each his own, eh?

One of the maintenance crew at The Outliers Inn recently totalled his Camry (there were no injuries other than pride). It's not so much that there was a lot of obvious damage, but the Camry was darn near 20+ years old and the repairs were more than the value of the vehicle.

But what was strange is that a new Camry was $28k while an used Camry that was four years old and had 60k+ miles on it was $21k. It begged the question (even if against conventional wisdom); why would a person buy a used car when a new was just a bit more?

Stephane also shares that he had some recent vehicle problems. And, unfortunately, the problems did not occur locally to his home, adding to the complexity of it getting repaired.

And he also shares that he will be visiting the States during the Christmas Season; stopping at sever cities on the East Coast; including Philadelphia. I hope he doesn't leave his belongings in the car and that he takes out the insurance.

Enjoy!

Give a listen!