The David Andrew Wiebe Show

There is a wealth of knowledge available in books you won’t find anywhere else. That’s why I continue to read 52 books per year.

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I look at the best books I read in 2016.

Download the PDF Transcription

Podcast Highlights:

00:15 – I read 52 books in 2016

00:26 – There are only a few that are truly impacting

00:39 – The six impacting books

00:43 – The Compound Effect

01:51 – Content Inc.

03:04 – The 4-Hour Workweek

04:07 – Show Your Work

05:15 – Believe in Yourself

05:59 – Hustle

07:15 – What books will you be reading?

Transcription:

As with 2015, I ended up reading 52 books in 2016 – some short, some long, some about music, others about business, some valuable, others not so much.

And as with last time, there are only a few that I would consider impacting.

But a couple of the following books have made it onto my essential business bookshelf, so I’m glad I found and read those sooner rather than later.

Here are the six impacting books I read in 2016.

1. The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

I first heard about The Compound Effect because of John Lee Dumas. I had already read The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson, and I’ve even talked about that book here on the blog before, but John pointed out on several of his podcast episodes that this was essentially the spiritual cousin of The Slight Edge.

True, The Compound Effect does start off almost the same way. But the subsequent chapters on choices, habits, momentum, influences, and acceleration are based off what SUCCESS magazine Founding Editor Hardy himself found to be the most valuable principles for attaining success in life. This is where the meat of the book lies.

I felt this was the first personal development book I’d read in a while that had substance and value to impart. I’d gone through a bit of a dry spell prior to reading this book, but this got me inspired again, and was a good way to begin the year.

Whether you’re new to personal development, or you’re taking steps to grow yourself every single day, I think you’ll find value in The Compound Effect.

Purchase this book on Amazon (affiliate link)

2. Content Inc.: How Entrepreneurs Use Content to Build Massive Audiences and Create Radically Successful Businesses by Joe Pulizzi

Read the title of the book again. Does it make you think of someone you know?

Well, hopefully you thought of me when you read it, because the Content Inc. model is what I’ve been building The Music Entrepreneur into. If you read Content Inc. and don’t get excited, then content marketing probably isn’t for you. The introduction alone, written by Brian Clark, Founder and CEO of Rainmaker Digital, got me fired up.

And if you think it’s just a book about enterprises growing their businesses using content, you’re wrong (although if you’re a true musicpreneur, you should be reading and learning about business and not just music). Pulizzi talks about several YouTube content creators that are building massive audiences and radically successful businesses.

On the path to creating the business of my dreams, I will admit to being somewhat discouraged at times. But it’s books like these that let me know I’m moving in the right direction, even though I may need to work out some of the kinks in my strategy along the way.

This is an essential read for entrepreneurs looking to build a content-based business.

Purchase this book on Amazon (affiliate link)

3. The 4-Hour Workweek, Expanded and Updated: Expanded and Updated, With Over 100 New Pages of Cutting-Edge Content by Timothy Ferriss

I’d heard about Timothy Ferriss and his book when everyone else did. But for some reason I didn’t get around to reading The 4-Hour Workweek until 2016.

Ushered on by other entrepreneurs, and my good friend James Moore, I couldn’t ignore it any longer. I bought the expanded and updated version (which is 411 pages by the way) and quickly devoured it.

I found it to be an incredibly inspiring read, and it’s hard to put down once you get going. Lifestyle design is still very relevant in today’s world, and though setting up a business and putting it on autopilot isn’t exactly a walk in the park, there’s something here for everyone – from people who would love to work from home just one day per week, to people who want to travel the world and be in a different country every month.

This volume was quickly elevated to my must-read business book list, which also includes Book Yourself Solid and Content Inc.

Purchase this book on Amazon (affiliate link)

4. Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered by Austin Kleon

My friend Chris Naish recommended this book to me, and I found it to have merit. As my sister pointed out (I bought her a copy) later, “it’s like all of your philosophy rolled into one cohesive whole.”

So, for me, Show Your Work! is an echo chamber of sorts. But I will openly admit that Kleon puts it all into terms that are more digestible and actionable for the reader. He makes it easy for you to follow processes that will help you get your creative work out in the world. He doesn’t ramble on and on, either – you can easily get through this book in a few sittings.

Authors of today should all take note. We need to be doing a better job of communicating our ideas in simpler and more memorable ways. For instance, if you want to drive home the importance of consistency in your articles or books, you need to find new and different ways of saying it, because everybody is talking about the importance of consistency.

Kleon’s written the book that I should have. If you’re just getting started in your creative work, and you don’t know where to start, read this right away.

Purchase this book on Amazon (affiliate link)

5. Believe in Yourself by Joseph Murphy

You may have heard of the concept of spaced repetition, the idea that a book changes with repeated readings.

It isn’t really the book that’s changed, it’s you. As you grow and develop as an individual, when you come back to a book you’ve read before, you take away new things from it.

While I haven’t found this to be the case with every book I’ve read, it certainly holds true for Joseph Murphy’s Believe in Yourself.

This little volume contains some amazingly deep thoughts on spirituality and success in life.

My first read-through of the book wasn’t as thrilling, but my second this year? Amazing.

This book should be on your shelf, and it’s one I will likely keep coming back to.

Purchase this book on Amazon (affiliate link)

6. Hustle: The Power to Change Your Life with Money, Meaning, and Momentum by Neil Patel, Patrick Vlaskovits, and Jonas Koffler

People are a bit confused about the concept of hustle, because of how it’s glorified in our culture. Entrepreneurship is trendier than ever, and long hours at the office is worn like a badge of honor.

If that’s your definition of hustle, then read this book. It tells us that it isn’t about the long hours and sacrifice – certainly not just about those things – it’s about discovering our gifts and choosing to pursue them.

Passion means to “suffer for.” Can you truly suffer for something you don’t care about, aren’t good at, and don’t want to do? No.

But will you be productive and effective at something you love? Will you stay the course when things get tough if you enjoy what you do? Yes.

Aside from that, Hustle is a bit of an echo chamber for me, because I already know about the way our society is set up and how it can work against us. But if you don’t know, you need to delve into this book right away and learn about the life you’re being shackled to.

Also, Hustle is a brilliantly written book. It seems Patel, Vlaskovits, and Koffler have gone out of their way to avoid clichéd expressions, examples, and case studies.

Purchase this book on Amazon (affiliate link)

Conclusion, Books I Read in 2016

Do you know what books you will be reading in 2017? I’ve started tracking my reading list over at my personal blog, and will be updating it as I complete books and figure out what I’ll be tackling next.

Please let me know if you have any books you’d like to recommend. I look forward to reading your comments.

Upgrade to Members Only Audios for more exciting, exclusive training.

There is a wealth of knowledge available in books you won’t find anywhere else. That’s why I continue to read 52 books per year. In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I look at the best books I read in 2016. Podcast Highlights: 00:15 – I read 52 books in 2016 00:26 – […]

2016 is over. Whenever another year comes to an end, I like to take some time to process it.

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I review the year, what I accomplished, and where I fell short.

Download the PDF Transcription

Podcast Highlights:

00:14 – I’m going to be looking back at 2016

00:21 – I want you to reflect on this last year

00:43 – Take what I’ve learned to make your life better

01:01 – I will be sharing about many of the projects I’m involved in

01:17 – Blog post and article tallies

01:48 – New blog posts on The Music Entrepreneur

02:02 – New articles on Music Industry How To

02:24 – New guest posts on JTV Digital

02:37 – Podcast episode tallies

03:05 –  New podcast episodes on TME

03:25 – Guest interview on Music2020

03:41 – New TME products

04:36 – Speaking engagements

04:50 – Creative Conversations – From Idea to Impact

05:21 – WordCamp Calgary

05:52 – Community involvement

06:22 – The Question

06:57 – Listening Room YYC

07:29 – The books I read in 2016

08:29 – Side projects

08:42 – Using Your Power

09:15 – Outsource Blog Content

09:41 – Compuxor

10:09 – Goals

11:08 – Goals accomplished

13:15 – Goals not accomplished

15:13 – Goals abandoned

16:15 – Goals for 2017

16:42 – Final thoughts

Transcription:

In this post, I’m going to be looking back at 2016. And yes, it will likely be a longer post.

But know that this isn’t just for me. This is for you. I want you to think about what went well in 2016, and what didn’t. I want you to take the time to process the year. I want you to formulate and write down new goals for 2017. Seriously. And if there’s anything I can do to usher that process along, let me know.

Most of all, I want you to take what I’ve learned, and use it to improve your career and life. You can fast-track your progress substantially if you study my accomplishments and mistakes. And I hope that you’ll share yours as well, so we can all learn from them.

You can fast-track your progress significantly if you study the wins and losses of others.Share on X

Just so you know, I will be sharing about many of the projects I’m involved in, not just what I’ve done here at The Music Entrepreneur.

If you find value in this post, don’t forget to share it on your favorite social media site.

Here’s 2016 in review.

Blog Posts & Articles Published

I’ve experimented with various publishing schedules. Somewhere along the line, the schedule for TME became Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and that’s what I’ve been working to maintain ever since.

But I did quite a bit of publishing elsewhere too, and I’ll also share about that.

Note: The following numbers may not be exact, because the year isn’t over as I write this, but you get the idea.

The Music Entrepreneur

In 2016, I published over 70 posts on TME, not including weekly digests. There were a lot of great guest posters that helped fill the gaps along the way. Thanks guys!

Music Industry How To

In 2016, 96 of my articles were published on Music Industry How To, where I’m a staff writer. Thanks Shaun!

If you’d like to gain access to full length guides at MIHT, you’ll want to go to: davidandrewwiebe.com/miht.

JTV Digital

I did a bit of guest posting over at music distribution company JTV Digital in 2016, and had 12 articles published over there.

Podcast Episodes Published

2016 saw the return of the podcast at TME. I may not have even thought to bring it back if not for some of the business resources I’ve been exploring. It’s much easier and faster for me to communicate by writing, but TME has gone full-on multimedia with audio and video in this last year.

Here is what I’ve accomplished with podcasting in 2016.

The Music Entrepreneur

It looks like I will be ending the year with 24 podcast episodes for The New Music Industry Podcast. Special thanks to my guests, Bob, James, Ross, Dave, and Helen.

If you aren’t a subscriber yet, get onboard, because I have many interesting features on the way.

Music2020

The good folks at Music2020 had me on their show recently to discuss blockchain technology. Always happy to share my thoughts on emerging technology and what its impact on the future of music might be.

Products

There were a few breakthroughs with TME products this year. One in particular is the launch of physical copies of The New Music Industry: Adapting, Growing, and Thriving in The Information Age. It wasn’t necessarily easy to design and format the book, but I’m glad I found CreateSpace.

Writing the My Top 10 Tips for Creatives eBook was also a significant accomplishment, especially since I was on a tight deadline for a speaking engagement, and wanted to make sure it was done in time for it.

Also, work officially began on my upcoming book, Flashes of Elation: Navigating the World as a Sensitive, Creative Soul.

So, even though I would have loved to get more products out into the world in 2016, I must acknowledge that the three projects just mentioned weren’t small undertakings by any means.

Speaking

2016 feels like the first year I’ve really dug into speaking, though I have had the chance to share at different events prior to that.

This year, I was presented with a couple of great opportunities.

Creative Conversations – From Idea to Impact

This event is the reason why I ended up writing the eBook My Top 10 Tips for Creatives. I wanted to have a relevant offer to share with the people I was speaking to (instead of just my music industry book).

I was invited to share at Creative Conversations twice, and both times I talked about the same 10 tips I wrote about in the eBook. Overall, the response was good. Thanks to Lisa for having me out to share!

WordCamp

I’d only heard a little bit about WordCamp until Mr. John Smiley invited me to speak. Since 2016 was declared the “year of music” by Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi, they wanted to carry that theme over into this year’s WordCamp.

I don’t think that’s how things worked out, but fortunately they kept me on their speaker roster and I got to share about content marketing.

It was a thrill sharing my ideas for those in attendance, and I hope I get to do it again!

Community Involvement

I’ve been a casual Audio Visual theatre tech at Mount Royal University for several years. Up until June I still worked there regularly, but things have been changing quite a bit with the department, and they haven’t needed me as much.

I’d made the decision last year that I wanted to focus more on writing and less on teaching and tech work beginning in September, so it kind of worked out.

But in a way, that has been replaced by my involvement in a couple of communities.

The Question

The Question is a disruptive, non-religious community that provides an organic gathering place for those who wonder about our complex selves, world, and universe.

Though I am not responsible for creating all the content there, I am the one posting it. I’m also responsible for the website, social media, videography, as well as setup and teardown at each monthly event.

In addition, I’ve had the opportunity to present at The Question on a couple of occasions, most recently in November.

Listening Room YYC

Deanne Matley shared her vision about The Listening Room Series here on TME in April.

Having wrapped up a season, she was evaluating what her next move would be.

Long story short, I ended up joining the collective along with Frederick Tamagi. We rebranded and launched two listening room concepts – The Circle and The Classics – in September.

The Listening Room YYC will be going dark in January, but we’re looking forward to another season in February.

Books Read

I’ve been keeping track of the books I’ve been reading in 2016 on DavidAndrewWiebe.com.

As I write this, I’ve finished reading 48 books, and I’m still driving towards 52 for the end of the year.

Looking back, I ended up engaging in a lot of longer books. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, because I took a lot away from books like Joe Pulizzi’s Content Inc. and Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Workweek, but I could have planned a little better to stay on schedule.

My initial reading list consisted of other titles, but I ended up moving them to the Books I Want to Read page on my personal blog. There’s also the reality that I didn’t own every book on the list, and buying all of them would have been more expensive. Not that I’m fearful of investing in my self-education or anything.

I’m still going to be doing a lot of reading in 2017, but I’m thinking about whether to refocus my reading on music industry news and content instead of books.

Side Projects

I used to have a lot of projects on the side. But these days I don’t take any on unless I can collaborate with others on them. Here are the main side projects I’ve been working on this year.

Using Your Power

Maveen Kaura and I launched Using Your Power in October. Him and I have been talking about the ways in which we could collaborate on a project for a while, and I think we finally found a fit with this business.

We’ve published 12 podcast episodes to date, covering a wide range of topics like personal development, buying a house, community, entitlement, building a network, and so on.

Our podcast is for people who aren’t satisfied with shallow answers and want to go deeper into life’s big questions.

Outsource Blog Content

Outsource Blog Content was initially launched in 2014. It’s gone through some changes in the last two years, but I will just sum up by saying that it’s back to being more than just a blog – it’s a business again.

The site still requires some work before we can start taking clients. Still, quite a bit of content went up this year, and I also gave the site a needed facelift.

Compuxor

Compuxor is a fun project I also started about two years ago, and I’m now collaborating with Karlo Keet from Catstar Imag

2016 is over. Whenever another year comes to an end, I like to take some time to process it. In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I review the year, what I accomplished, and where I fell short. Download the PDF transcription Podcast Highlights: 00:14 I’m going to be looking back at 2016 […]

2017 is almost here.

So, what are you doing to prepare for the year ahead? Have you reflected on 2016? Have you set new goals?

It can be hard to know what to do this time of year. A lot of people slow things down and kick it back for a while. Is that the best thing you could be doing, or is there a way to make better use of your time?

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I share some thoughts on end-of-year productivity.

Download the PDF Transcription

Podcast Highlights:

00:14 – I wanted to talk about seven things to do during the holiday season

00:37 – What’s the most productive use of your time?

01:02 – Rest

01:27 – Prepare for 2017

01:40 – Reflect

02:01 – We learn more from successes compared to failures

02:37 – Archive

03:21 – Drive towards your goals

03:55 – Plan

04:34 – Set new goals

05:04 – Don’t set too many goals

05:32 – Purge

05:58 – Time is a finite resource

06:16 – Thanks for listening

Transcription:

Hey there. In this video, I wanted to talk about seven things to do this time of year. And by “this time of year”, I mean the holiday season of course.

There’s a lot of people running around, buying presents, drinking eggnog, eating lots of goodies, getting together with friends, and maybe even doing nothing. Just lounging around, watching TV, playing video games. Not that there’s anything wrong with all of those things.

But you might be asking yourself, “Is that the most productive use of my time? Should I be following suit and doing what everyone else is doing? Or, are there some other things that would be good for me to focus on?”

What is the most productive thing I could be doing during the holiday season?Share on X

And if you’re asking those questions, well, you’re in the right place.

So, let’s get to point number one. All my notes are over here, so you might see me looking over there from time to time.

My first point is rest.

This may not apply to everybody. And you may even find this surprising coming out of my mouth. But if you are tired out, and burnt out, and you’ve been pushing hard for your goals all throughout the year, and you just don’t feel like you have anything left to give, that’s really not a great way to start the New Year, is it? You’re just going to drag that into 2017.

So, if that describes you, if you’re really exhausted, I would take some time to rest, get proper sleep, maybe a little exercise and laughter, and then you’ll be ready for another year and new opportunities.

My second point – I think this is good for everybody to do – is reflect.

Think about what went right, what went wrong, what were some of the lessons that you learned in 2016? Most people don’t do enough reflecting, and that’s why they don’t change or grow in anyway. So, this is something that you should definitely be doing.

Recent studies show we actually learn more from our successes than our failures. That’s the opposite from what we’re taught. So often we read quotes that say, you learn the most from your failures. But there might be some new research showing that isn’t the case. And we have a tendency to write off our successes as just mere coincidence, but there’s a lot of things that you probably did right to get to where you are, to accomplish what you did, so take some time to reflect on both. But also don’t forget to observe what you did learn from your successes.

Recent studies show we actually learn more from our successes than our failures.Share on X

The next thing is to archive.

So, that means you might have a lot of loose files just on your desk, and they need to be filed away into the appropriate folders. Maybe bill payments and things like that.

And the same could probably be said for your computer or your desktop. There’s just a lot of files that need to be slotted away, moved out of your consciousness so you can free up some mind space and actually have the energy and resources to focus on the things that you want to accomplish moving forward. Clutter can get in the way of that. So, this might be a good time – especially if you’re one to get distracted by those kinds of things – to start eliminating them.

The next thing is to drive.

So, if you feel like you squandered this year, and you’ve got a lot of energy left, and you feel like you’ve got more to give, this might be a good time to get some things done. And there’s still some time left before we make it to 2017, and the “holiday season” doesn’t really end until the second week of January. So, why not take this opportunity, take this chance, to accomplish some things that are still lingering on your to-do list or goal list?

The next thing is to plan.

And again, this is something that would be good for all of us to do. Look ahead into 2017. What do you want to accomplish? What do you want to be able to do? When do you want to take some time off?

Maybe if you have a tendency of just laying things back and doing nothing during the summer, instead of just randomly taking some time off over the course of the summer, why not just book two or three weeks in advance so everybody knows that you’re not available, and you know you’re not going to be doing anything during that time. And that way, it makes things more predictable for everyone. And so, that would be a good thing to think about.

The next thing is to set new goals.

You probably have some lingering goals or leftover goals from 2016, and you should review that list. Check off any goals that you did accomplish. Get rid of ones that are no longer relevant and don’t really matter to you anymore. And if there are some that you want to carry over into 2017, because they’re really important to you, then put them on your new list. But either way, make a new list.

And don’t set too many goals. Have only one, two, or maybe three per quarter. So up to three goals per quarter for every three months of the year. And that’ll bring you to about 10 or something like that. Maybe between seven and 10 goals, and that’s manageable.

Don’t set too many goals. Have just one, two, or maybe three per quarter.Share on X

And try to live your life more in 90 day capsules as opposed to 365 days. And get things done, and drive towards getting things done in that time-frame.

Finally, take some time to purge.

This is a lot like what I was mentioning earlier. Things can pile up. You might have a lot of clutter. And these things can distract you from achieving the things that you really want to be able to do in 2017.

So, get rid of things that seem irrelevant, don’t really matter anymore. And take some time to carefully evaluate because we only have so much time. Time is a finite resource, and it’s the most important resource that you have, and you shouldn’t be dedicating any more time to projects that don’t matter to you. So, begin to prioritize and just get rid of any that don’t seem priority at this moment in time.

So, I hope this list helps you, and enjoy the holiday season.

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2017 is almost here. So, what are you doing to prepare for the year ahead? Have you reflected on 2016? Have you set new goals? It can be hard to know what to do this time of year. A lot of people slow things down and kick it back for a while. Is that the […]

Christmas greetings!

2016 has been an excellent year for me and for The Music Entrepreneur, and I look forward to another amazing year in 2017.

Thank you so much for sticking with me, and I look forward to connecting with you.

Download the PDF Transcription

Podcast Highlights:

00:14 – Holiday greetings

00:34 – I’d like to thank some people that have been supporting me

00:54 – The Fizzle team

01:30 – James from SuperFastBusiness

01:54 – Podcast guests

02:10 – Music2020.org

02:16 – Mike from Treemansion

02:19 – Maveen from Discover Your Life Today

02:35 – Musicians and friends

02:55 – Music marketing peers

03:12 – Band members

03:14 – Guest posters

03:42 – You

Transcription:

Hi there. It’s just about Christmas as I record this, so from everyone here at The Music Entrepreneur, I wanted to extend holiday greetings to you.

And most of that just me, there are some behind-the-scenes people and some contractors that make it all possible, but from all of us, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

In this video, I wanted to thank some of the people that have been supporting me and helping me out this year, and possibly even from years past.

I know that it’s possible I’m going to end up missing somebody or multiple somebodies, but still thought it would be worthwhile to acknowledge all those who have been helping and supporting me.

The first is the Fizzle team. You can find their website at Fizzle.co. They have an online community for entrepreneurs, and various courses teaching you how to build your independent online business. And it’s a really great resource and a really great site, and I was a client until recently. I was one of the community members. The reason I’m no longer with them is because I found some other resources that I think will help me take things to the next level. But I still want to say my thank yous and I’m still going to be an avid Fizzle podcast listener because their podcast is awesome and it always makes me laugh.

The next is James from SuperFastBusiness. James, I’ve only ever chatted with you once, but I’ve been looking at your resources and your website and your podcast, and I’ve been getting a lot of out of it. Own The Racecourse is amazing – I think it’s helping me take things to the next level with my business, so thank you. I’m not a client of yours yet, but I may be in the future.

I’d like to thank some of the podcast guests. Bob from The Buzz Factor, James from Independent Music Promotions, Ross from Electric Kiwi, Dave, and Helen. Thank you so much for being a part of the show and adding your insights to it.

I’d like to thank the good folks at Music2020.org. Scott and George, you guys are awesome. Mike from Treemansion. Maveen from Discover Your Life Today. He’s always helping me brainstorm new ideas and new strategies about how to grow and build my business, and we also launched a podcast called Using Your Power this year, which is awesome. So, thanks so much Maveen.

Darryn from Martini Tango for inviting me out to perform again as a solo musician – something I don’t always do as much as I would like to, but it was good getting out there again. Adrenalize and Long Jon Lev – it’s been really great performing with you guys this year and I look forward to an even better 2017.

Rupert from Cheeky Promo. Thanks so much for sharing all the content that we create here at The Music Entrepreneur, I really appreciate it. Corey from Musicgoat – you’ve been awesome all along, it’s been great connecting with you, and I hope we can connect again in the New Year.

Anna and Taylor. And all of our wonderful guest posters. A lot of you have contributed really great content to The Music Entrepreneur site throughout the year, so thank you so much for adding your thoughts, your insights, your ideas into what’s happening with the music industry and how musicians can further their career. I’m sure a lot of people have gotten value out of that. So, it would take much too long to mention all of you, but thank you for adding the content you have to the site.

And finally, of course, I’d like to thank you. Thank you so much for being a part of the community, for checking out all the content that we create, some good, some maybe not so good, but I hope it’s added value to you, and I look forward to another great year.

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Christmas greetings! 2016 has been an excellent year for me and for The Music Entrepreneur, and I look forward to another amazing year in 2017. Thank you so much for sticking with me, and I look forward to connecting with you. Podcast Highlights: 00:14 Holiday greetings 00:34 I’d like to thank some people that have […]

Very soon, 100% of our digital lives will be stored and monitored inside the cloud.

Anyone that has an iPhone is probably using or very tentatively using the fingerprint ID feature on the phone. Fingerprint ID technology is perhaps the most familiar biometric utility that we encounter. Apple has promised that your fingerprint information is encrypted, and will never be uploaded to their Cloud.

But aren’t you already inside their house when you activate the phone? And even the most benevolent and courteous landlords still have the only master key to the whole house, don’t they?

You may also know that biometric identification is currently being applied to a much wider list of body parts and activities. Facial recognition – Facebook has a facial recognition algorithm, and there’s lots of facial recognition in law enforcement. Retinal and iris scans. DNA verification. Voice recognition. Walking characteristics and gate analysis. Keyboard typing rhythm and mouse clicks.

All these biometric measures, including fingerprint ID, are currently in use, and are being actively catalogued in databases everywhere – from the FBI to Facebook.

There is a developing tech science called multimodal biometrics that seeks to correlate individual biometric characteristics like fingerprint, iris scans, and voice recognition into a much more complete virtual profile of a subject. This virtual profiling, using our biometric data, will become more possible as this information is steadily gathered, uploaded, and stored in The Cloud.

Utilization of this data will depend on how users like the FBI and Facebook choose to apply it, but it’s The Cloud that makes it possible.

Thank you for listening!

What questions will you be taking with you after listening to this episode?

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We love our personal technology. We love it in all its forms – desktop, handheld, mountable, wearable, drivable, virtual, and imaginable.

General technology is difficult to love. Just like a great cheeseburger is much easier to love than the greedy industrial food complex that made it possible. If general technology means the underlying technological foundations, the complex supporting infrastructure, the precisely engineered functionality, and the unbelievably intertwining operations that make our personal technology work, then it’s not surprising when we talk about general technology, the word “love” doesn’t immediately spring to mind. Like it’s often said, we generally don’t want to know how the sausage or burger is made.

We only love that our personal tech works, not how it works. Or even more importantly, not why it works. But “why?” is the question that takes us further down the path.

So, we can admit that we really don’t love everything about technology. But sit us down in front of a cheeseburger, the latest iPhone, the newest 4K Ultra HD TV, Oculus Rift virtual reality, Google Glass, or an autonomous vehicle, and we fall in love.

It may even be a condition worse than love, because our relationship with our personal tech resembles something closer to cult-like or dangerously addictive behavior.

In this episode of The Question podcast, you will hear highlights from Frederick Tamagi’s presentation on technology, The Cloud, and our future, as well as the music of Jonathan Ferguson.

Thank you for listening!

What questions will you be taking with you after listening to this episode?

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