Digital Dads

Memory lane can be fun to visit. Especially when you bump into someone as cool as Matt Simpson (a.k.a. GX Knight). He spent some time working with Brent during his restaurant management days and their paths cross again in this episode. And he doesn’t hesitate to dish the dirt on working with Brent as a boss.

Matt is the author of a super cool novella series Metal Deep with a universe that includes cyborg vampires and super hero zombies. Ok. Maybe I made that last part up. But a guy can dream right?

Truth be told the series of five books he has written have it all. They are chock full of of action with just the right amount of emotion to keep you connected to the characters. A job well done.

And he’s accomplished all of this as a single dad with a full time restaurant job. Did I mention he’s written five books? He shares his experiences of both as well as throwing down the Halo gauntlet with his son at Brent and Cody. It’s a whole lot of fun and super inspiring.

Check out his website or find his books on Amazon today!

One Cool Thing

* Matt Simpson – Make a Wish Village

I can still remember the birth of video games. First it was Pong. Sure that may not be much more than the folded-paper football game we played in school, but when it came out it was hot new technology. And from there we quickly moved on to various other platforms with Nintendo taking front stage for a time.

The last few years have watched games undergo quite an evolution. Emerging tech like Virtual and Augmented Reality are ready to take it to yet another level. And the annual E3 conference features the best of what’s happening in the world of games each year.

In this episode we discuss Brent’s grand re-entry into the world of big boy games. No longer bound to only Nintendo (though he still loves a good game of Mario Kart), he jumped in with both feet and got an XBox One on Father’s Day.

And we also talk about some of the cool new games on the horizon including Brent’s motivation for getting a system in the first place. Star Wars Battlefront. Game on people. Game on.

One Cool Thing

* Brent – KeySmart

* Andrew – Bose Soundlink

Man Crush – When a straight man has a “crush” on another man, not sexual but kind of idolizing him. ex. Many straight men end up having man crushes on Johnny Depp (I don’t blame them).

Brent literally searched for many minutes until he found a definition he was comfortable with. He even (gasp) clicked onto the second search page results on Google. This is serious business.

But the truth is that a tech titan like Elon Musk is worthy of the admiration. He is literally attempting to change the very way we live our lives and making quite a good run at it with a number of endeavors.

* SpaceX

* Tesla Motors

* Home Battery

* Space Internet

* Hyperloop

If he has it his way everything from colonizing Mars to launching ourselves between cities in a supersonic tube will become a reality. And I know at least two guys here who aren’t betting against him.

One Cool Thing

* Brent – Robotic 3D Printed Bridge

* Andrew – True Detective

In this week’s episode we get the chance to talk with author Leah Bell about her brand new book, The Angry Grad. Together we explore a system that once was the ticket a great job and stable future but has now become the subject of great controversy.

* Are we paying more for college than we can hope to get back?

* Is it still worth taking on so much debt to get a degree?

* Are we living in a school loan debt bubble?

* What can we do about all this?

Leah was a wonderful guest and we may even have her back on the show in the future. Sometimes it might be nice to get a mom’s perspective. And she seemed to hold her own with us just fine.

One Cool Thing

* Brent – Disney Playmation

* Andrew – The Tim Ferris Experiment

Learning. In an age of rapid technology we have no choice but to try and keep up. Gaining new knowledge and skills have become a necessity if we are to thrive in this brave new world. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be painful.

One of the greatest ways to learn new things is with an old favorite, the book. In today’s age that can mean many things from a digital copy to an audio “book.” But the fact remains. Those who make a habit of regular learning will experience greater success in nearly every facet of their life.

Since we believe so strongly in adult education and the power of human potential, we’ve put together a short list of books we feel will move you. Actually, we think they could very well change your life. And we realize that is no small statement. But we’ve seen it in our own lives and feel obligated to share it with you. Enjoy.

* The Power of Habit

* The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

* Outliers

* The War of Art

One Cool Thing

* Brent – Android Nanodegree

* Andrew – The Name of the Wind

Education is broken. Not the actual schools mind you, those are just fine. As are the many teachers out there who strive to give their students the best foundation they can.

What we’re talking about here is an outdated system that technology has left behind. No longer does our nation need to turn out new factory workers in spades. The Information Age is in full force and our children must be taught to thrive is this rapidly changing world.

One Cool Thing

* Brent – Comic for nerds (XKCD)

* Andrew – Mad Max: Fury Road

* What we do in the Shadows (cheating since its ONE cool thing)

Babies. There comes a time in every dad’s life when he realizes that new little roommate is not going away. Every morning it’s the same thing. Over and over again.

Go look in the crib and yep, just as suspected that runt hasn’t gone anywhere. And adjusting to this new reality can be extremely challenging. Especially for those dads experiencing it for the first time.

There are doctor visits, diaper changes, sleepless nights, diaper changes, breast pumping (real thing), diaper changes, car seats, diaper changes and the list goes on. Did I mention diaper changes?

Well lucky for those guys we’ve been there, done that. And in this episode we reveal the things new dads should do and the things they should definitely not do. Ever. Not ever, ever, ever.

The show’s a little long this time but we felt it important to cover the topic thoroughly. Our goal is to sufficiently prepare these guys for what lies ahead. Plus we may have spent a little time goofing off too. As usual.

One Cool Thing

* Brent – Woot shirts

* Andrew – PocketCasts

Being a nerd used to be a bad thing. It meant you weren’t part of the cool crowd and were more comfortable around computers than you were people. How times have changed.

One thing about technology, nerds have taken over. From mega-blockbuster movies and video games to the latest and greatest gadget on the market, there is no denying this simple fact. And the world is better for it.

One Cool Thing

* Brent

* Kung Fury

* The Muppets back on TV

* Andrew

* Ex Machina

Not everyone can be born superhuman. But some of us can. And for those of us born with red hair (MC1R gene) we know this to be the truth. With powers ranging from super speed to an amazing ability to make pancakes super fast, red heads around the world are a real life version of X-Men come to life. For real.

Until now this has been a very tightly held secret. Merely mentioning the existence of this power is enough to get someone thrown right out of the secret society. So you may be wondering why on earth we’d be willing to reveal the truth. It all comes down to human nature.

You see, we are going on record telling you the secret details of the superhuman red head gene. We share a number of reds in the public light and demonstrate beyond any reasonable doubt why they do, in fact, have super powers. But you won’t believe us. Nobody will.

And that’s precisely why we can share it. You’ll listen to the show, have a good laugh, and promptly carry on about your day. Never for a single moment will you even consider we might be telling you the truth.

So go ahead and have a laugh and get back to your espresso. But if I were you I’d treat a red head extra special from now on just in case. You never know.

One Cool Thing

* Brent

* Avengers: Age of Ultron

* Andrew

* How-Old.net

* Star Wars audiobook

* Hawkeye on SNL

Television. When we were kids watching your favorite TV show was an event. Sometimes the whole family gathered around to watch a show. Other times, we would watch whatever our parents wanted to watch and not complain about it. Times have changed.

A far cry from the days of getting up to change the channel, the medium of television has changed forever with the digital native generation. We watched our programming on a single box in the living room that everyone shared. Kids today have their own devices and headphones enabling them to have a completely private experience.

And the shows they watch are different too. In our day shows like MacGyver and Quantum Leap ruled the evening. Now practically any show you like is available whenever you want to watch it. And increasing more video consumption isn’t even full produced TV shows anymore.

This does not mean TV shows are in decline. Quite the opposite. Some of the best shows in television history are on right now. And the quality of the writing, acting, and producing suggest that isn’t a trend likely to change anytime soon. But one thing is certain. Times are definitely changing. And technology waits for no one.

One Cool Thing

* Star Wars: Episode VII Trailer #2

* Star Wars Battlefront