General

Episode 16 – Millennials

“Millennials,” “Generation Y,” “Digital Natives,” “Generation Avocado Toast” – These are many terms that describe a group of people who were born between 1981 to 1996. Today, they are the largest generation on this planet, and, by 2025, they will make up 75% of the global workforce. While not a technology buzzword in itself, Millennials are coming to shape both business and technology as we know. We welcome Michelle Schurter from Millennial Strategist, Suni Lobo from Navis, Sarah Phillips from the entitled millennial, and Jörg Herbers from INFORM to guide us through this generational minefield as we unpack and understand the stereotypes and dig deep to understand this generation and their impact on technology and business.

Show Notes

Entitled Millennials and the myths

Describe Millennials (00:38)

Entitled Millennials (01:20)

Introduction to Suni Lobo (04:20)

Myth – Millennials “challenge the status quo” (04:28)

Myth – Millennials “are entitled” (05:15)

Myth – Millennials “are lazy” (06:30)

Mindset shifts are required (06:55)

understanding multi-generational thinking

Definition of a Millennial (08:32)

Life expectancy’s impact on workplaces (09:28)

Technology has a huge impact on relevance (09:58)

“Entitled” is about how we were raised (10:25)

Emergence of “work-life balance” and “work-life integration” (11:35)

Your generational frame impacts how you view behavior (13:05)

Introduction to Michelle Schurter (13:48)

When-then statements matter (14:50)

Millennials and shift work

Introduction to Jörg Herbers (16:35)

Blue-collar workers and shift work (17:25)

Digital media has shaped Millennials approach to work (17:51)

Are Millennials working in shift work jobs? (18:46)

Building flexibility into shift work (20:18)

Rigid shift schedules are only one answer (21:08)

Solving the shift work “Tetris challenge” (21:32)

Millennial’s expectations and wants

They want to feel “on” (23:14)

Paying your dues is “so last decade” (23:50)

“Leveling up” is important (24:20)

Mentoring works both ways (24:50)

Wrap Up

Millennials – lazy, arrogant, and entitled or worth investing in? (26:49)

Millennials – what’s the return on investment? (27:04)

Closing Credits (27:38)

 

Further Readings and Background Research

Definition of Millennial (Urban Dictionary)

Defining generations (Pew Research Center)

Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, and Gen Z Explained (KASASA)

Ok Boomer, Ok Millennial, we need to talk (CNN)

Dos and Don’ts for Millennials and Zs Managing Boomers (Forbes)

 

Guest Speaker Details

Sarah Phillips from the entitled millennial

Suni Lobo from Navis

Michelle Schurter from Millennial Strategist

Jörg Herbers from INFORM

Episode 15: Hyperlocal Logistics

In our second buzzITtalk brief, we’re tackling an emerging buzzword in the logistics space, “Hyperlocal Logistics.” At face value, hyperlocal logistics isn’t a novel idea, but rather a rebadging of the maker movement – but digging deeper, one quickly realizes that the gig economy is driving a solution for local delivery that is effectively challenging the established 3PL and logistics operator’s status quo as delivery kings. We’re joined by Joe Oliaro, Managing Director, Global Corporate Services, eCommerce/3PL Advisory at Newmark Knight Frank as he lends his expertise in e-Commerce and logistics to help us quickly understand this new buzzword.

Show Notes

Introductions

Introduction to Joe Oliaro (00:36)

Buzzword introduction – Hyperlocal Logistics (01:18)

Impacting factors

Hyperlocal e-commerce (02:27)

The role of the gig economy (03:33)

The startup angle

Are 3PLs positioned for hyperlocal logistics (06:10)

Size matters in this equation (07:12)

Wrap Up

BUZZWORD – buzzword or action item? (08:56)

Closing Credits (09:58)

 

Further Readings and Background Research

3 Things you Should Know about Hyperlocal Logistics (SupplyChain24/7)

Why is Hyperlocal Logistics Tricky (Shadowfax)

How hyperlocal logistics startups are the new attraction for investors (Economic Times)

 

Guest Speaker Details

Joe Oliaro from Newmark Knight Frank.

Episode 14: 5G

In this episode, we’re tackling the giant elephant in nearly every company’s boardroom – 5G. What is it,  and why is it different from 4G (LTE) and current Wi-Fi services? What’s its current state of development, and when can we expect it to become more mainstream? How do you start working with it, and more? To guide us through the topic, we sat down with Deutsche Telekom’s Anjte Williams, SVP 5G Campus Networks, and Ericsson’s Christian Hoymann, Technical Coordinator of the 3GPP Standardization, to get a better understanding of 5G.

 

Show Notes

Why 5G?

Introduction to Antje Williams (00:26)

Definition of 5G (00:51)

Why is 5G better than 4G or LTE? (03:00)

What is the state of development of 5G now? (07:05)

Standards are Important

Introduction to Chris Hoymann (09:35)

Developing the 5G standard (10:55)

It’s the details that make the difference (13:56)

Understanding why spectrum is important (14:59)

Using 5G

Getting started with 5G (16:52)

How to implement a 5G project (20:09)

Who’s driving 5G forward? (21:04)

Use-case examples (23:52)

Wrap Up

5G – buzzword or action item? (25:43)

Closing Credits (27:10)

 

Further Readings and Background Research

Fifth Generation Wireless (5G) (Technopedia)

5 things about 5G more important than the speed (techradar)

Why 5G Isn’t Just Faster 4G (Forbes)

 

Guest Speaker Details

Antje Williams from Deutsche Telekom.

Chris Hoymann from Ericsson.

Episode 13: 2038: A Smart Port Story

We rarely know what the future is going to look like, what impact the tech buzzwords of today will have. But there are those among us who try and predict that future, to envisage what today’s technology will grow into in 10, 20 years’ time. This episode takes a break from reviewing the buzzwords of today, so to speak, and travels forward to the year 2038 with co-authors Dr. Eva Savelsberg and Matthew Wittemeier from INFORM’s Logistics Division to explore the world they’ve created in their sci-fi novella 2038: A Smart Port Story.

Show Notes

Buzzword introduction (00:32)

Spoiler Alert: David’s back! (00:50)

Introductions

Introduction to the Authors (01:31)

Why write a fictional novella about technology? (02:33)

What does it take to write a novella? (27:31)

Emerging Technologies

5G (05:09)

VR and AR (05:28)

AI and ML (06:15)

Societal Impacts

The anti-tech movement (08:49)

Impact of automation (09:52)

2038: A Smart Port Story

The storyline (10:51)

Unforeseen outcomes (13:30)

Is there a plan to continue the story? (27:11)

Where can you find the novella (hint, look further down the page) (30:56)

AI and the Future

European Legal-force for AI Responsibility (ELAIR) (15:01)

AI as a black-box (17:15)

General AI and Super AI (18:58)

AI in Terminal Operations (23:52)

A Good Read

Bigger than ports? (20:30)

Multiple layers (20:42)

Challenging the science (21:41)

Diversity (22:00)

 

Read the Story

2038: A Smart Port Story Part I and II (INFORM)

 

Guest Speaker Details

Matthew Wittemeier from INFORM’s Logistics Division

Dr. Eva Savelsberg from INFORM’s Logistics Division

 

 

Episode 12: Experience Design

Have you ever considered what makes great software great? If you haven’t, this episode is for you as we dive into the buzzword “experience design” – the bread and butter of great software, or so we thought… If you have, be careful not to mix up “customer experience design” (CX), “user experience design” (UX), and “experience design” (XD)  as they are all quite different when you get down to the nuts and bolts of what they actually are. Our guests, Troels Støvring, founding CEO of Twill, a Maersk innovation and Ruth Dannhauer from INFORM’s Workforce Management product team. Join us as we take a deep dive into what experience design (XD for short) is and why it is important.

Show Notes

Buzzword introduction (00:24)

Troels Støvring

Introduction to Troels Støvring (02:03)

What is experience design to you? (04:59)

The Twill Backstory

A story of opportunity, courage, and humbleness (7:03)

No developers aloud (09:38)

Ruth Dannhauer

Introduction to Ruth Dannhauer (11:02)

What is experience design to you? (11:37)

No developers, really? (12:48)

Customer Relevance

Designing around trends (14:51)

Working within the customer’s requirements (16:30)

The cost of flexibility (17:48)

Development Methodologies

Agile is crucial (19:41)

Hoodies, ninjas and new ideas (20:41)

Wrap Up

Humans and technology (23:05)

The suit analogy (24:20)

Experience design, buzzword or action item? (26:07)

Closing credits (26:47)

 

Further Readings and Background Research

Experience Design: When Innovation isn’t Enough (Wired)

Designing for Experience (Marvel)

UX vs. XD (The XD Agency)

UX v. CX vs. XD? Analyzing 17 Years of User Experience Job Titles (LinkedIn)

 

Guest Speaker Details

Troels Støvring, founding CEO of Twill, a Maersk innovation

Ruth Dannhauer from INFORM’s Workforce Management Division

 

Episode 08: Workforce Management, Work-Life Balance & Deductive Intelligence

We had Dr. Jörg Herbers, senior VP of the workforce management division at INFORM Software as our guest in episode 8. The interview starts with some details about what workforce management entails and covered some of the trends and challenges within the space. Jörg presented the topic of deductive intelligence and talked about how it can help address the numerous challenges associated with workforce management. Jörg talks about some of the benefits for companies associated with deductive intelligence and how it differs from classical programming techniques. As always, we ended the interview with a look into what the future may hold for workforce management. So without further ado, here is my interview with Dr. Jörg Herbers:

Show Notes

Introduction Jörg Herbers (3:05)

Buzzer Beater Round (3:37)

Workforce Management defined (5:52)

What are the major trends and challenges in the workforce management space? (7:50)

What is Deductive Intelligence? (10:05)

Where does Deductive Intelligence have its roots? (10:52)

Why did you decide to coin the term? (12:16)

What makes Deductive Intelligence so interesting for the workforce management space? (13:22)

How is Deductive Intelligence different than classical programming techniques?  (14:46)

Practical Examples for the use of Deductive Intelligence (18:12)

What does the future hold for Deductive Intelligence? (21:22)

How do you see the workforce management space developing in the coming years? (24:30)

What are the top 3 benefits of Deductive Intelligence for planners in workforce management? (26:10)

 

Visit Jörg Herbers on LinkedIn.

Episode 07: Ridesharing

We had Russel Olinger, CEO of Whipster, as our guest in this episode. Whipster is a service that allows ride sharers to compare fares, arrival times and availability of ride share options, all in one app. The interview starts with some details about what ridesharing is and how the industry is developing. We talked about how ridesharing is much bigger than the two companies that come to mind, Uber and Lyft, when the topic is being discussed.  After that, we got into some more details about the role Whipster is playing in the ridesharing industry. Russel also provided some great insights into what it takes to launch a successful app. As always, we ended the interview with a look into what the future may hold for the ridesharing industry.

All in all, Russel provides some great insights into the ridesharing industry and I would like to thank Alexandra Wilkinson, a member of my LinkedIn network, for connecting me with Russel and suggesting the topic of ridesharing for the show.

Show Notes

Elevator Pitch: what is Whipster (3:04)

Buzzer Beater Round (3:50)

The importance of the human connection in ridesharing (5:43)

Russel’s background/official introduction (7:00)

What is ridesharing and how is it different than carpooling and car sharing? (9:18)

State of the ridesharing industry (10:44)

Would you get rid of your own car? (12:42)

Who is benefitting most from the ridesharing tech? (14:45)

What role is Whipster playing in the ridesharing space? (16:30)

Impact on public transportation (19:08)

Competitors for Whipster (21:00)

Biggest hurdle so far getting an app established in the ridesharing space (22:52)

Tips for the successful launch of an app (25:50)

How will the rideshare market develop in the coming years? (28:22)


Visit Russel Olinger on LinkedIn

Download the Whipster App.

Episode 06: Virtual Reality – More Than Just Gaming

I recently had a chat with Annie Harper to discuss the topic of virtual reality. Annie is the CEO of Equal Reality, a company focused on creating social educational experiences using virtual reality. In the interview, Annie defined virtual reality and talked about how it differs from augmented reality. We looked at some practical business applications and discussed how virtual reality is a great fit for educational and training purposes. We also took a quick detour to discuss some of Annie’s experiences as an entrepreneur. We ended the interview with a look into what the future may hold for the virtual reality industry. So without further ado, here is my interview with Annie Harper:

Show Notes

Buzzer Beater Round (3:20)

Annie introduces herself and her work (6:06)

What is virtual reality (VR)? (7:44)

Difference between VR and augmented reality (9:56)

Current state of the VR industry (12:54)

What are some of the coolest use cases providing business value? (13:37)

What is Equal Reality doing in the VR space? (17:47)

What makes VR so good for the topic of empathy and learning? (20:42)

VR and data collection (23:14)

Annie’s experience thus far as n entrepreneur (24:14)

The future of the VR industry (27:02)


If you have any questions regarding this episode, be sure to write us an email at buzzittalk@gmail.com or connect with Annie Harper on LinkedIn!

Episode 03: Blockchain Technology and Cryptocurrencies

In episode 03, I had the opportunity to speak with Jeff George from RGL Forensics and Joshua McDougall from Duff and Phelps on the topics of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies.

In this episode, aside from covering the general definitions for blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, we looked at some practical examples for the use of cryptocurrencies as well as some issues surrounding these emerging assets. Josh and Jeff also shared their insights on how people using cryptocurrencies can stay safe and they provide some tips on how to avoid Ponzi schemes. So without further ado, here is my interview with Jeff George and Joshua McDougall:

 

Show Notes:

Introductions: Jeff George and Joshua McDougall (3:27)

General Terminology: cryptocurrencies and blockchain (5:26)

Seizing or acquiring blockchain based assets (12:33)

Validating a transaction (15:22)

Can anyone have a cryptocurrency wallet? (19:03)

What are the risks associated with possessing these assets? (19:34)

Options for using recently obtained cryptocurrencies (21:17)

What is the safest way to set up a cryptocurrency account? (23:24)

How are assets being traced on blockchains? (26:08)

Can anyone create a coin? (28:39)

Are there examples of fraudulent initial coin offerings? (32:21)

Does a cryptocurrency need to have blockchain technology? (35:33)

What are some other potential applications for #blockchain tech? (39:10)

Would Jeff and Josh sell their cars for bitcoins? (42:10)

Where will cryptocurrency and blockchain tech be in 5 years? (44:14)


You can Connect with Jeff George and Joshua McDougall on LinkedIn.

Episode 01: Fighting Tech Savvy Fraudsters with Tech

In this episode, I sat down with Michael Skiba, better known in the fraud fighting community as “Dr. Fraud”. Michael is an international expert on economic crime. He holds an MBA and a PhD with a research focus on fraud and economic crime and is considered one of the leading researchers in this area. He has been a college professor for more than ten years and currently holds the role of Program Chair of Criminal Justice at Colorado State University Global Campus.

Our conversation covered the importance of leveraging today’s technology to fight the tech-savvy cyber criminals. We also cover some of the trends that can help keep financial institutions safe in 2018 and some of the steps businesses can take to curb the costs associated with cybercrime.

Show Notes

Dr. Fraud background / research focus (2:30)

Psychology of Fraud (4:19) Link to book on Amazon >> Psychology of Fraud

Most at-risk industries targeted by economic criminals (7:00)

Trends financial institutions could keep an eye on to help keep them safe in 2018 (8:33)

What can banks do to better protect themselves from fraud (11:42)

Identifying outliers in banking activity – digital fingerprints (14:30)

What role is machine learning playing in the fraud fighting space (15:47)

What sets the cyber criminal apart from other criminals? (19:05)

First steps businesses can take to curb costs associated with cybercrime (21:48)

If you have any questions for Dr. Fraud, feel free to leave a comment or reach out per email at buzzittalk@gmail.com


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