HackHunterdon Radio Podcast

Volume 2 Show 3B Virtual Meetup

Due to the current Covid-19 quarantine, our normally scheduled HackHunterdon meetup on March 26th at the Lone Eagle Brewing Company was cancelled.  But thanks to a few of the members of the group, we decided to hold a virtual meetup instead.  Dennis was instrumental in setting up the Zoom conference call and for recording the call.  Brandon from Knack.com was gracious to offer to be the speaker.  He has run Knack as a virtual company from its inception, so he has a wealth of experience with the work from home experience.

Since the meetup lasted almost two hours, I decided to present this as a two-part podcast show.  Part A includes Brandon’s introduction and a round robin query of the group.  Each member was given an opportunity to tell us about their new or old work from home experience.  Part B is the main presentation Brandon gave with questions from the group interjected from time to time.

If you are new to working from home, this will be a valuable look into what issues you may find and how it can be done successfully.  Even if you have been working from home pre-pandemic, you may find some of Brandon’s experiences helpful to add to yours.

This is Part B of Volume 2 Show #3.  If you are listening to this part first, a brief intro – this was a virtual meetup that replaced our canceled in person meetup at Lone Eagle Brewing Co.  This part is where Brandon presents his experience running a totally virtual company from scratch for the past 6 years.  Whether you are now forced to work from home or have been a veteran of working from home, Brandon offers some great insight into this style of work.

So let’s rejoin the meetup in progress…

Volume 2 Show 3A Virtual Meetup

Due to the current Covid-19 quarantine, our normally scheduled HackHunterdon meetup on March 26th at the Lone Eagle Brewing Company was cancelled.  But thanks to a few of the members of the group, we decided to hold a virtual meetup instead.  Dennis was instrumental in setting up the Zoom conference call and for recording the call.  Brandon from Knack.com was gracious to offer to be the speaker.  He has run Knack as a virtual company from its inception, so he has a wealth of experience with the work from home experience.

Since the meetup lasted almost two hours, I decided to present this as a two-part podcast show.  Part A includes Brandon’s introduction and a round robin query of the group.  Each member was given an opportunity to tell us about their new or old work from home experience.  Part B is the main presentation Brandon gave with questions from the group interjected from time to time.

If you are new to working from home, this will be a valuable look into what issues you may find and how it can be done successfully.  Even if you have been working from home pre-pandemic, you may find some of Brandon’s experiences helpful to add to yours.

Please note: Part B of the show will be available April 1, 2020.

Welcome to the new version of the HackHunterdon Radio Show.  I am your host Jim Minadeo and I am the President of Zero Surge- a manufacturer of power quality filters that are used for surge protecting sensitive electronics.  With Zero Surge, you have peace of mind that your electronics are kept safe.

Volume 2 Show 2 Guest is Debbie Peru

Debbie Peru, formed her own company DP Spectroscopy & Training.  She is a Consultant with extensive industrial experience in applied spectroscopy (Near Infrared, Mid infrared, Raman, UV/Vis).  She manages projects involving analysis of big data sets, new methods development,  and is a certified faciliator for classroom & virtual training courses.

As companies reorganize and focus on cost savings and margin improvement, they often find themselves needing project managers with technical skills and field experience in spectroscopy, chemometrics, process analytical technology (PAT), and facilitation experience in the class room training environment. Her  company offers consultation and training assistance for large and small organizations needing technical and training assistance.

You can connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbieperu/

Welcome to the new version of the HackHunterdon Radio Show.  I am your host Jim Minadeo and I am the President of Zero Surge- a manufacturer of power quality filters that are used for surge protecting sensitive electronics.  With Zero Surge, you have peace of mind that your electronics are kept safe.

My guest is here for the third time, Eric Emerson of ESquared IT.  If you want more background on Eric and his company, I suggest listening to Volume 1 Show #5 or you can visit his website at www.e2itconsulting.com

Before we get to Eric, I would like to discuss the changes to the show moving forward.  In the past, we recorded these shows live via the Hunterdon Chamber of Commerce streaming radio service.  There was video as well so people could see everything via Facebook live.  I have archived the audio portion of the shows and posted them to our new podcasting feeds.  Future shows will now be audio only podcasts that will be posted to our feeds.  Please subscribe to the podcast via your favorite service and you will be notified when new shows are available.  Currently, we are on Google Podcasts, BluBrry, Deezer, TuneIn, Spotify, Android, or you can go to the HackHunterdon Radio page on the HackHunterdon website.   We have applied to several other services.  Check back to see if your favorite service was added.  The plan is to start posting 4 shows per month.

In other HackHunterdon news, our last meetup was held on February 27th.  We had the chance to try out two escape room table top games provided by Mike from Space Escapes.  It was fun to solve puzzles as a team and get to the answers.  Space Escapes was moving to a new location as part of the upgrades to the Northlandz complex off of route 202.  So check them out!

We meet the last Thursday of every month @7pm at Lone Eagle.

So let’s get right into the show.  Today Eric and I discuss what it was like to change managed IT providers and perform an entire IT upgrade at the same time.  This meant changing out computers, server, and network gear.  It also meant upgrading software and operating systems.  Let’s take a listen…

Col. Terry Virts (ret) served as a U.S. Air Force test fighter pilot, is a NASA veteran of two spaceflights and a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Harvard Business School.

He recently directed his first film, ​One More Orbit​. His next book, ​The Art of Space Travel​, is due out in the fall of 2020. He is currently involved in several film and television projects, serves on corporate boards, consults to the entertainment industry,

He is a celebrated thought leader, speaker and author whose ​seven months in space included: piloting the Space Shuttle; commanding the International Space Station; three spacewalks; and performing scientific experiments, while working closely with multiple international partners. Virts worked with Russian Space Agency cosmonauts during some of the most stressful

While in space he took more than 300,000 photos – more than on any other space mission. The images are an integral component of the National Geographic IMAX film ​A Beautiful Planet​, which Virts also shot and stars in. His first book for National Geographic, ​View From Above​, combines his best photography with stories about spaceflight alongside his

An in-demand speaker at events across the globe, Virts’​ inspires audiences with stories from space as well as his insights into life on earth. He brings his unique perspective to businesses worldwide on diverse topics such as our environment, global wealth, intercultural leadership, crisis and risk management, innovation, strategy and vision and decision making.

Show #18 features Brendan Elliot and Craig Brace, founding partners of Tech Need. This product advisory and custom software development company works closely with their clients to internalize business goals and craft a sound strategy to achieve success. Utilizing a network of seasoned professionals, US-based employees, and well-vetted partners, TechNeed has developed a strategy to deliver exceptional product and value while controlling project costs.

For the history lesson, we discuss the ramifactions of the Heartbleed vulnerability.

Show #17 features Daniel Tuft and Jennifer Nagengast of ResponseWorks a local Lambertville company with many large corporate customers. From their site ResponseWorks.com:

“When times get tough, we all need a helping hand. From Crisis Management services, to Employee Assistance/EAP, to Higher Education services, ResponseWorks has the experience you need to have a powerful impact. Whether creating a comprehensive Disaster Management plan or helping an individual employee, ResponseWorks is skillful, flexible and compassionate.”

The services that they offer are being more important as we all put more emphasis on mental health and companies look to keep their teams together and informed. We will discuss how they use technology to help employees navigate life issues.

For the history lesson, I run down the history of Employee Assistance Programs which started out as workplace safety programs centered around alcohol over consumption.

HackHunterdon Radio Show #16 features guest Tara Shepherd, the Executive Director of goHunterdon. goHunterdon is dedicated to promoting sustainable transportation in Hunterdon County by working with commuters, employers and communities. They work with anything that makes you move around the county be it by car, bike, walking, bus, or taxi. You can learn more about this non-profit organization at www.gohunterdon.org. The history lesson today was run down of the many firsts that New Jersey has pioneered in the world of transportation.

Show #15 features the Hunterdon County Economic Development Director Marc Saluk! Jim and Marc discuss his approach to improving the local economy. NJ has some unique challenges but also a lot of interesting opportunities for growth. For those of you that have heard Marc speak, know he is all business but I was able to get him to talk about one of his passions – Science Fiction during his last segment. The history lesson is how the Freeholder system of county government has evolved in NJ. Enjoy!

Show 14 features a return of guest Eric Emerson! Today, he turns the interview back on host Jim Minadeo! Eric interviews Jim about his company Zero Surge. Learn about the history of Zero Surge. Both discuss what it is like to own a business.