Under the Influence

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In this conversation, Royce sits down with J.L. Hancock a Navy veteran, cryptologist, and author to explore how technology and artificial intelligence have reshaped military operations over the past two decades. Hancock, who completed more than a hundred combat missions and later led innovation efforts for the Navy’s special operations community, reflects on witnessing the rapid evolution of tech in warfare, from intelligence tools to unmanned systems. The discussion opens with Royce expressing his fascination with AI’s current momentum and curiosity about how such a massive institution adapts to constant technological change.

J.L. Hancock was born in Albuquerque, NM. He has worked as a martial arts instructor, lifeguard, foreign missionary, and river guide. In 2002, he enlisted in the Navy and spent twenty years as a cryptologist.

During his time in the military, Jim toiled away in the dark corners of the government intelligence communities, learned two Asian languages, and eventually conducted over one hundred combat operations with special operations forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Philippines. During the last six years of his career, he worked as the senior enlisted advisor over future concepts and innovation for the Navy special operations community where he became a well-known subject matter expert in unmanned systems, telecommunications, and artificial intelligence.

His Voodoo series of novels have won the Military Writer’s Society of America Gold Medal for Mystery/Crime/Thriller and the NYC Big Book Award for technothriller. He’s also been a finalist in the Clive Cussler Adventure Writing Competition.

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My interview with DC Glenn, the DC The Brain Supreme

Follow @dcglennatl @tagteamwhoomp

In this conversation, DC Glenn, one half of the iconic hip hop duo Tag Team, shares his journey from the early days of hip hop to the success of their hit song 'Whoomp There It Is.' He discusses the hustle behind selling music and the innovative ways they engage audiences during performances. Glenn also reflects on the evolution of DJing, the complexities of the music business, and the legal battles that shaped his career. Throughout the conversation, he emphasizes the importance of nostalgia and the lessons learned from his experiences in the industry. The discussion delves into the role of AI in creativity, the intersection of technology and music, and innovative marketing strategies. Glenn also highlights the necessity of financial literacy and adapting to change in a rapidly evolving world.

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This morning’s AM Coffee pulled no punches. The show opened with Royce shifting gears from casual Twitch banter into podcast mode and immediately went after TikTok.

After a 24 hour marathon stream across Twitch and TikTok, Royce broke down just how broken TikTok’s creator payouts have become. What once offered 40%+ of revenue has now sunk to the low 30s, and the platform hit him with a 20% penalty for “reused content” despite the diamonds being earned legitimately. A payout that should have been $410 went from $340 to $168. For Royce, this wasn’t just about one paycheck it was proof that TikTok’s U.S. future is dead on arrival: lower payouts, weaker creative culture, and fewer opportunities for independent creators.

From there, the morning’s rant turned toward Bob Iger. Not because of the current culture war headlines, but because Royce sees Iger as fundamentally weak. In fact, he argued, Michael Eisner’s legacy looks stronger by the day. The Jimmy Kimmel controversy became another example of selective free speech defense with Royce pointing out that late night TV is already a fading institution, more dependent on political narratives than comedy.

But the bigger picture was media consolidation. With Oracle circling TikTok and eyeing deals around Paramount and Warner Bros., Royce warned that one company could soon hold Murdoch level power over news, entertainment, and social media algorithms. That kind of control, he argued, threatens culture, politics, and the future of kids growing up on these platforms.

The conversation closed with a sharper call: accountability. TikTok, Discord, X, and Rumble have all been used to broadcast violence or enable exploitation, yet they remain shielded. Without real content moderation and legislation, the cycle continues. The grip of greedy tech companies and broken media giants has a firm hold on our future.

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Thank you Bob B., Daniel D Woodard, Cristina H-Bluesky, Steven Rosenzweig, Elizabeth Goodden, and many others for tuning into my live video with Joe Walsh! Join me for my next live video in the app.

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Deric A. Gilliard retired in 2022, after 25 years as a federal communications lead working for political appointees in the Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations.

Prior to his work as public affairs advisor to the HHS regional directors for the eight southeastern states, Gilliard served as the national communications director for Dr. King’s organization, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

https://www.dericgilliard.com/

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If you are an aspiring writer or interested in storytelling, you will want to check out Jen's upcoming course.

ACTIVATING THE PURPOSE IN STORY, CHARACTER, & PLOT (Part l)

For more information on this transformative writing seminar go here.

Jen brings a calming energy to her work and you will find that in our conversation as well. She had an early impact on my creative endeavors and I was thrilled to reconnect with her here on Substack. Enjoy!

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When you are done catching my conversation above with George, go catch his show appropriately titled, “World Ablaze.”

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Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit roycedorazio.substack.com/subscribe