For real?  Mike Tyson & Roy Jones Jr. will be putting on an exhibition bout on September 12th.  An 8- round exhibition, but of course they're talking lotsa' smack about knocking each other out.  Pay Per View for charity, as I understand it, but still...I won't watch it.

It is, however, just the type of nonsense I need to chat about today.  It's been a strange summer for everyone, with so much change and so much to think about. 

I just haven't been feeling the creative vibes the last several weeks when it comes to my relatively new hobby of podcasting, so today I refunded the donations that we received from our handful of patrons on August 1st.  Just made me feel better to do so.

We're not going anywhere and greatly appreciate those who've donated to-date. There's always plenty to talk about, and those that know me know I'm always willing to listen, especially if there's any way I can help.

Feel free to join the conversation via our Patreon Community or by dropping a 3 minute or less voicemail message at (541) 314-4271

Until next time, keep being great & doing great things my friends!

Independence Day recap with Music Man Mark, as well as our thoughts on other news recently, including all the chatter about facial recognition.

If you missed it, here's a link to our short Independence Day release We're All In This Together featuring a few minutes of JFK's Inaugural Address.   For the complete speech & video please visit the JFK Library

Links discussed about Facial Recognition:

• Facial recognition leads to first wrongful U.S. arrest, activists say (NBC NEWS)
• The two-year fight to stop Amazon from selling face recognition to the police (MIT Technology Review)
• Victoria Police emails reveal Clearview AI's dodgy direct marketing (ZDNet)

Links discussed from Other News:

• Trump defends monuments in fiery Mount Rushmore speech (CBS This Morning)
• Florida residents reject face masks: 'They want to throw God's wonderful breathing system out' (The Telegraph)

What's Your Opinion?
Drop us a 3 minute or less voicemail message with your comments or feedback by calling (541) 314-4271

Thanks for listening.  Make it a great July, my friends!

Thought I'd share a little more insight from JFK on our official Independence Day here is the U.S., this time from his 1961 Inaugural Address.  For the complete speech & video please visit the JFK Library

We're All In This Together
Be a part of the solution, not the problem.  Never try to fight hate & division with more hate & division, it'll never work.

We are the government. Yes, you.  We are the law enforcement.  Again, yes, you.  We are the teachers.  We are the students.  We are, we...not I.  Not me.

And now that I've begun rhyming, time to wrap it up.  Special thanks to Joe Daniels for permission to use the song Bound for the Floor, by Local H as our show's theme song.

I almost forgot, here's a link to Buffalo Springfield's For What It's Worth.  Give it a listen while firing up the grill today.

Happy 4th of July everyone!  Make it a great day!

If a social media platform needs to travel 3.7 miles and is traveling at 78 MPH, how long before someone complains about how they're doing it?  Right.

The Social Media Conundrum: What's Your Opinion?
Drop your thoughts in 3 minutes or less by calling (541) 314-4271

A few of the articles discussed in this episode:

• More than half of Twitter's ‘Reopen America’ calls from bots, study finds (ZDNet)
• DoJ's Section 230 proposal seeks more (and less) moderation online (Engadget)
• Americans don't trust content decisions made by social media giants, study says (CNET)
• White House Propaganda Video Falsely Claims 'Domestic Terrorists' Planted Bricks for Protesters (Gizmodo)
• Facebook starts labeling ‘state-controlled media’ pages (the Verge)
• FCC Republican has “deep reservations” about Trump’s social media crackdown (arstechnica)

Podcast News & Updates
If you haven't heard, we've published all of our episodes to our YouTube Channel, and I've started uploading & organizing other nonsense there.

I also published the first of "Larry's Brainstorms" to our patrons and streamlined a few more workflows for things like that, making it easier for me to keep it fresh going forward, if you will.

Don't Believe the Hate
Please, whatever you do, whatever you believe, whoever you are, please do not believe the hate...and ignore the hype.  We're all in this together.

We are the government.  We are the police.  We are the politicians.  Stop disassociating, and become part of the solution, if you're that passionate.  Get involved, peacefully.

Or not.  Whatever.  I'll be wishing you all the best either way.  Make it a great day my friends!

VR.  AR.  Magic Leap.  Faro.  Leica. Oculus.  Apple.  It's all the rage these days.  I check in with a few friends to see how they're using 3D Laser Scanning & Immersive Video Technologies today, and share some of my thoughts on consumer & professional applications.

Guests in this episode include:

• George Reis, President & Owner of Imaging Forensics 
• Det. Michael Brown, Master's Degree in Criminal Justice/LE Admin w/30yrs LE experience
• Nicole, Crime Scene Technician w/13yrs experience

The complete discussions with these guests will be released to patrons-only later this week/month.

What's Your Opinion?  Drop your comments in 3 minutes or less at (541) 314-4271

A few related links:

• A Landscape Study of 3D Crime Scene Scanning Devices (NIJ & Forensic Technology Center of Excellence report - 2018 update)
• Snapshot: New 3D Crime Scene Mapping Tool Turns Incident Scenes into Virtual 3D Models (U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security)
• What Is LiDAR and Why Would You Want It on Your Phone? (Gizmodo)

Related Consumer Product Reviews
Expect me to be posting a lot about VR, AR & various related video technologies to our Patreon Community.  I plan to share my thoughts on Oculus' devices and platform, as well as my latest gadget the Insta360 Twin Edition 360/4K camera.

More Nonsense w/Music Man Mark (a.k.a. M3)
My partner in nonsense since 1988.  M3 & I chat about:

• "The Last Dance" from ESPN & Michael Jordan's Greatness
• Coronavirus contact-tracing: World split between two types of app (BBC News)
• and of course, Warren Buffett - Warren Buffett has two ideas for ending inequality (Yahoo Finance)

Thanks for listening my friends.  Be Great.  Do Great Things!

Man did I get peeved at Jared Kushner's comments about who the Federal Stockpile is for.  I'm over it.  "Just Jared being Jared", a friend of mine said.  Very true.

Music Man Mark uploaded a couple of riffs recently, which made me smile.  Like this one he called "Dusty Hot West Texas Day".

Had a friend share some art via video, another shared some magic.  I see love everywhere I go lately too, like Spring has really sprung, despite the global pandemic...and it makes me smile. 

Anyway, Mom & I catch up about what we're watching these days too.  SPOILER ALERT - More documentaries.  😎

Unlike Fox News and Infowars, we're going to stick with spreading joy.  Smiles.  Fact-based optimism.  No shortcuts.  Less social media BS.

It's how we roll.

We'll have more "What's Your Opinion?" topics for discussion & guests to comment on them too, as things start to settle.  It's been a really crazy couple of months.  Thanks for understanding.

Keep being great, and doing great things my friends!

Excerpts from JFK's Remarks Before the American Society of Newspaper Editors on April 19, 1963.

JFK discusses his position on Federal Government, and that it is NOT a remote bureaucracy.  That the Federal Government is the people.

The entire speech is only 21 minutes, and is available via the link above.

Taxes.  Economy.  Recession.  Budgets.

It's a very complex machine, but the concept is not that difficult.  We are a hybrid economy, both capitalism & socialism.  

Get over it, and get involved if you've got a better idea.  Clearly, we could all use some.

All the best, my friends.

SPECIAL EDITION.  SPECIAL EPISODE.  WE'RE SPECIAL, DAMN IT!

So much to talk about.  I can't tell you how much I wish there was more time to talk to the ones that I love.  The ones I want to listen to, more than anything. 

Sometimes, I have to talk about or deal with bad things.  Sometimes, really, really bad things.  Recently, a family friend passed, but it was it a blessing.  It was.  RIP Joe Stansfield.

Other stuff in this episode:

• The HurryCane
• Tom Hanks, shares some good news.  (CNN Story)
• Single cannabis joint linked with temporary psychiatric symptons, review finds (CNN Story)
• Playing with Fire(Movie Review)
• NAPA Nostalgia
• Who's Sexy to Me?

And more.

Spend more time with those you love.  

I see greatness all the damn time my friends.

I choose to.  How about you?

"America must win this war.  Therefore I will work.  I will save.  I will sacrifice .  I will endure.  I will fight cheerfully, and do my utmost as if the issue of the whole struggle, depended on me alone." - Martin A. Treptow  (Link to video on YouTube)

You've heard it all before, I know.  

I'm going to listen to it again, with or without you.  Just sayin.

Also in this episode:

• Amber Schroader, CEO of Paraben Corporation, on Work/Life Balance
• Listener E-Mail: A forensic guru's thought's on balance.
• More nonsense with Music Man Mark

Always wishing you & yours all the best, my friends.  Always. 

Sending love.