The Accutron Show

During Climate Week in New York City, our hosts David and Indrani had the chance to talk to award-winning journalist and best-selling author David Ewing Ducan to discuss the launch of his new book "The Voyage Of The Sorcerer II". Frequent contributor to Vanity Fair, Wired, MIT Technology Review, The New York Times, Atlantic, and others, David is a former commentator for NPR's Morning Edition, and a special correspondent and producer for ABC’s Nightline. In his new book, an epic science and adventure story of famed geneticist Craig Venter’s voyages from 2003-2018 in a 100-foot sailing and research vessel that collected microbes all over the world, David reflects on how we view this tiny, invisible world. Tune in!

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

13:38 The microbiomes of the oceans especially, we are drowning them in carbon right now. There is something called phytoplankton that lives on the surface of the ocean, they are bacteria, algae etc. They produce 60 to 80% of the oxygen that we breathe in the atmosphere. And we are drowning them in carbon and changing that balance. 

20:42 Every discovery is kind of neutral until used. Take the discovery of fire, I am sure at that time there were pro-fire and anti-fire people; you could choose to cook and nourish your body or destroy. This is a key aspect to the evolution of our species. 

28:31 Back in the 50s when they came up with the term 'artificial intelligence', AI - a lot of people saw it as 'augmented intelligence'. I prefer the idea of augmented intelligence. There are a lot of things that machines can do better than we will ever do, but there are also things humans do better than any machine.

Celebrate good times, it's Accutron's birthday! For this special episode, our hosts Indrani and David talk to Robert "Kool" Bell, Co-founder of the legendary disco soul band Kool & The Gang. Together they discuss Robert's Le Kool Champagne project, the special collaboration with Accutron and the First Lady Rosé inspired timepiece available now on Accutronwatch.com. Seven-time Grammy Award Winner, American Music Award Winner, Multi-platinum selling, and the most sampled band of all time, Kool & The Gang has sold over 80 million albums worldwide and influenced the music of generations with 25 Top Ten R&B hits, 9 Top Ten Pop hits, and 31 gold and platinum albums. Tune in for a sparkling chat with this music icon.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

9:54 The thing that kept us going during the darker times was the wish and want to be successful. We made it through the 60s, the 70s and the 80s with great hit songs. Then we asked ourselves "What are we going to do now?" We decided then to tour around the world and go into markets that we usually wouldn't travel to. 

15:00 About 10 years ago, while we were touring in France, our promoter mentioned he was working on a champagne inspired by Barry White and and one for the Bee Gees and asked me if I was interested. I first said no, because I wasn't sure if our fans would buy a bottle of champagne at our concerts. What I wanted to do was to be on the shelves, together with Dom Perignon, Cristal, Veuve Cliquot, etc. 

22:30 The inspiration behind the song "Ladies Night" came from watching people walk in New York. The sound of their steps inspired its famous baseline and I came up with the concept and title by going out to clubs in those times.

Our hosts David Graver and Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri are delighted to chat with the brilliant Julian MacKay, the first American to graduate from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy with a full Russian Diploma having completed both the upper and lower school, and Principal Dancer at The Bayerisches Staatsballett. Graduating in the top of his class, he was hailed as "Apollo" and the next Nureyev by Russian dance critics. In this episode of The Accutron Show, Julian talks about his experience, upbringing and the challenges (as well as successes) to keep ballet interesting. He also discusses engaging with young audiences in today's world that is dominated by technology. Tune in and dance this episode away with us.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

11:00 The approach and perceptions on the classical arts is changing. My goal is to make sure that someone my age is excited about the ballet experience. It has a lot to do with the stories we tell, the way we tell them, the people that are represented on stage and who those people are marketed and shown to. 

22:43 The beauty and challenge of ballet today is how to bring into modern times characters and stories that were written and conceived centuries ago. As a dancer, I have to understand the original character and how that character would behave today. For example Cinderella, if I am to play the prince, I have to ask myself how would a prince treat a woman today? 

29:40 When you take a different approach, rather than the doom and gloom and you put in something beautiful and say "Hey, we are going to create hope and inspire a generation to sort this out," it can lead to something that is unexpected. Because dance and ballet communicate in a way that is even more powerful than words sometimes.

To celebrate the start of a new seaon of The Accutron Show, our host David Graver and new co-host philanthropist and filmmaker Indrani Pal-Choudhuri meet with the founders of RedBar Group, Adam Craniotes and Kathleen McGivney. RedBar Group is the official organization for an international collective of watch collectors with the goals that include fostering the growth of existing collector communities around the globe, helping fellow enthusiasts start new meetups in their local areas, and encouraging collectors to give back to the local communities where gatherings take place. In addition, Adam and Kathleen talk about an exciting watch collaboration with Accutron launching on September 21st. Set your time to Accutron time and enjoy the show!

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

15:27 My passion for collecting watches is connected to storytelling; that is what speaks to me, specifically around brands that are either doing something unique like Accutron or independent brands. I love to hear origin stories, why they got into watches. There is something about that personal connection that is really important to me. (Kathleen) 

28:00 When we started working together with Acctron on this collaboration, I already new about what a groundbreaking timepiece and brand this was, a milestone in the development of the wristwatch, bridging the gap between the mechanical watch and the quarz revolution. I loved the idea of the Spaceview that were supposed to be demo pieces, for people to see the "space" in the dial - to me that was revolutionary. (Adam) 

38:39 Watch communities are a really good way for young people to start collecting watches. A lot of people that are there are passionate about watches and want to share their knowledge about them. If you are a college kid and walk into a watch boutique, that can be quite intimidating; the watch community takes away that "pressure" factor and you can be free to ask any question. (Kathleen)

This third season of The Accutron Show ends with a very special guest, American menswear designer Todd Snyder. Defined by GQ as "the most influential menswear designer of his generation," Todd joins us to discuss his career, the current status of the fashion industry and what "wearing a label" means today. From his experiences with Ralph Lauren, The Gap and J. Crew, to his eclectic collaborations with sportswear brand Champion, music producer Moby, footwear brands Vans and New Balance, Todd talks about his personal and professional evolution in the fashion industry. Dress up and join us for the season finale of The Accutron Show.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

7:40 I grew up in Iowa, I came from farming families and I always liked clothes. I was the black sheep of the family as I liked to spend all my summer money on clothes as I believed they would get girls' attention. 

20:35 Twenty years ago there were a handful of names recognized as labels. Today it's changed, there are many more options, especially with startup brands that are growing quickly. It's very healthy for the business as it keeps the industry fresh with new ideas. 

32:00 I am very hopeful for the future of the fashion industry. It's always renewing itself; whenever you think "Ah, I've seen it" there is something new that comes along. And these new ideas influence everybody, including me.

What is going on with the planet? How much damage are we bringing to the environment? Most importantly, what can we do to save it? For this episode of The Accutron Show, our hosts meet with Henk Rogers, entrepreneur and video game designer. Henk is known for producing Japan's first major turn-based role-playing video game 'The Black Onyx' and securing the rights to distribute the Russian puzzle Tetris on video game consoles, which served as the inspiration for one of Apple's latest movie hits. Today Henk is focused on his Blue Planet Foundation to raise awareness and foster action for clean energy in Hawaii, a mission he realized following a near death experience. Tune in to discover more!

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

6:40 My "aha" moment came when I was in the back of an ambulance on the way to a hospital in Hawaii. I had a heart attack. I had just sold my company, I was looking at the ceiling and I remember thinking, "Are you kidding me? I haven't spent any of the money yet!" 

19:00 It's not the United Nations that will change the situation. Their ambitions are not high enough and for those ambitions nobody's on track. We have to accept that. It's the united people that are going to get this done. We as individuals need to take action in our own lives. 

31:10 My real claim to fame is that I was the first to bring role play games to Japan in 1983. So I started traveling the world looking for more role games to play in Japan and I found Tetris at a consumer electronics show right when the Gameboy was coming out.

Our three hosts have the pleasure to talk to Barbara Palumbo, editor, writer and founder of the platform “Whats On Her Wrist." The Philadelphia native twenty-seven-year veteran of the watch and jewelry industry, Barbara talks about the changing figure of women both as consumers and as watchmakers through history and how she uses humor as a vehicle to expand the appeal for watches to various demographics and audiences. Ms. Palumbo has been nominated twice in her career in the category of Excellence in Editorial Media by the Women's Jewelry Association and has written for worldwide publications such as Vanity Fair On Time, Revolution Magazine, Luxury Daily, Modern Luxury, Watchonista, and others. Sit back and tune into this new episode of The Accutron Show.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

11:45 My project started as a way of making fun of how seriously we take the watch world. Because you have the savants already but you want a greater appeal, you want to turn on a middle aged woman like me, or a 30-year-old woman, or a 25-year-old gay man, or more people of color. So I thought humor was the best way to do it. 

23:26 The watch world, mainly the men of the watch world, the CEO, designer, etc. were thinking 'women like this.' No, women like everything. The way I have friends, colleagues, or boyfriends from all walks of life. And my watch collection reflects that. 

39:38 The new generation of watch buyers are hard to put in a box, they all want something different. It's tough to write anything about what Gen Z likes, because they don't want to be compartmentalized. Some of them are interested in what the celebrity is wearing, others are into microbrands.

On this episode of The Accutron Show, our hosts cook up an interesting conversation with Colombian chef, entrepreneur and speaker, Juanma Barrientos. With more than twelve restaurants, bars and clubs, Juanma is the creator and founder of restaurant chain Elcielo (Medellín, Bogotá, Miami). He was invited by former President Barack Obama to the World Entrepreneurship Summit and started his own foundation to teach the art of cooking to soldiers wounded in combat, ex-guerrillas and indigenous people. Juanma joins us to talk about his business, his dreams and also a very special event taking place in Miami with Italian maestro chef, Massimo Bottura. Bon appetit!

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

4:21 When I was a kid, I loved fire. I lit up fires in the countryside so we could hang with my family and friends and watch the stars. One day I took some potatoes, cut them, put them in a pot and I put the pot on the fire. They were a disaster of course, but I managed to "sell" them to my family - though nobody ate. It is a nice memory since I think of it as the start of my entrepreneurial skills. 

12:00 The core concept behind what I do is bringing traditional Colombian cuisine into fine dining through creativity. We take inspiration from dishes, preparations, traditions, landscapes, stories and ingredients and create a fine dining experience. 

26: 00 My parents never taught us any religion; they taught us yoga, meditation and social work. So when I started my venture with Elcielo, I also set out to help people in need; and especially soldiers that were mutilated by land mines. I help them by teaching them the art of cooking.

On this episode of The Accutron Show, our hosts dive into the ever-evolving discussion about Artificial Intelligence with Marco Rossi, Principal Data Scientist at Microsoft Research. AI is here and already changing the world and how humans operate; many are expressing fears and concerns that computers will replace humans in the most important roles and tasks. According to Rossi, fear is not the way to approach AI, rather, it needs to be used as a tool to allow humans to excel in many fields where they have been limited so far. What is your take on this subject? Join the conversation with Bill, David, and Scott for this episode of The Accutron Show podcast.

Episode Highlights

5:55 I am an optimist, right now AI should not be approached with fear. It needs to be considered a tool that is created by humans and that should help humans to solve big equations. If we give competence to AI, humans may lose that competence but at the same time gain "free" time and intelligence to develop other competencies. 

23:00 Intelligence is the ability to learn, strategize, and solve a problem. So we are not dealing simply with machines, but with an entity that is able to learn and strategize. However, the responsibility of how to use such knowledge lies in the user. 

29:00 To the people that ask me "Is it okay for my child to have AI write their school papers?" I answer, "If for you it's more available that your child spends time developing or working on other skills, rather than spending hours and days writing the paper, then go for it."

Learn more about the Accutron watch here, and follow @AccutronWatch:

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On this episode of The Accutron Show, Bill, David and Scott meet with an eclectic and fascinating personality, Alex Ott. Biochemist, author, molecular biologist, flavor scientist and healer, Alex has traveled the world and has been consulting and inventing for health science and biotech companies in the fields of phytology, biochemistry, and olfactory neuroscience in food & beverage projects, revolutionizing a whole new field in plant science-based product developments. After surviving a harrowing plane crash that killed 101 people, Alex gained a new sense of life and dedicated himself to multiple professions. Tune in to discover the incredible life journey of Alex Ott.

Episode Highlights

9:00 Preparing drinks in bars made me the "shrink" of Manhattan, trying to help clients with their problems without having anything to do with mixology. I simply applied flavor chemistry and olfactory neuroscience to drinks and added vitamins to it the natural way. That caught on to people.

31:00 I was a lucky guy that switched the ticket with another guy to get on an earlier flight. I was living in Thailand working on storyboarding for a movie; I was dating an actress that was working on that movie. We broke up, so I bought a ticket for the following day, and the flight I was on crashed. That experience changed my life again. 

35:36 On May 5th I will be part of the "Once Upon a Kitchen" event in Miami with Chef, Massimo Bottura. In the previous edition, I set up a little rain forest on the rooftop of The New World Symphony in Miami where people were picking herbs that went into special drinks I crafted for them and for their mood. 

Learn more about the Accutron watch here, and follow @AccutronWatch:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook

Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to hear new episodes as soon as they're released.

Follow our hosts on social media:

• Bill McCuddy: Facebook  / Twitter
• David Graver: Instagram  / Twitter
• Alex Ott: Instagram