Episode-84; Predictions, Take-2
The Outliers Inn
Video Version About the Podcast Welp, to start-off the year, JP pulled a major boner. We got together for this session on January 8th and it was a pretty good session; that is, until JP realized he forgot to hit the "record" button at the end of the session when he went to turn the recording off… DOH! So, you will understand the much deserved razzing at the beginning of the session as everyone takes turns bustin' on JP. Mule starts us off with a prediction that the robotics team that he coaches will crush all the other teams on their way to victory in the...
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Episode-83; Endings and Beginnings
The Outliers Inn
Video Version About the Podcast Welcome to another episode of The Outliers Inn With it being near the end of another year the theme of this episode is endings and beginnings where we will speak with our guests about what might have ended for them this past year and what they look forward to beginning in the next. We have a few new guests at The Outliers Inn; in addition to the regular irregular Stéphane from Belgium and your cohosts JP and Mule, Donna from upstate New York and Peter from the UK have joined us. Unfortunately Don the beer man is on assignment in...
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Episode-82; Oktoberfest
The Outliers Inn
Video Version About the Podcast So welcome back to The Outliers Inn! In spite of the incredible odds that recent history has demonstrated, Mule finally gets the timing right and is able to join as the co-host. It's just as well, because Don, "The Beer Man" is MIA for today's episode. Mule starts by sharing the reports of automobile break-ins throughout California are real. He was on assignment and went into a restaurant in a nice area of town and folks broke into his rental vehicle and stole his computer bag; notebook, phone, papers, all gone. … Note to self; avoid...
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Episode-81; What I did on my summer vacation
The Outliers Inn
Video Version About the Podcast So welcome back to The Outliers Inn! As is getting to be habit, our co-host Mule has somehow managed to weasel his way out of working his shift with some lame excuse about a traffic jam around Washington DC. How a person can live so long there and not expect traffic; well, perhaps we pick that up another time. It is a good thing that my irregular regular, Don “the beer man” Burshnick is willing and able to work both sides of the bar. JP Starts the conversation by sharing and experience from high school about returning from summer...
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Episode-80; (Re)Setting Attitudes, The Peter Principle, Golf, and more.
The Outliers Inn
Video Version About the Podcast Another episode of The Outliers Inn with "The Beer Man" joining JP and Mule as co-co-host. Maybe he will become a regular co-co-host (he's already an irregular regular guest here at The Outliers Inn. After a brief acknowledgement that the Super Bowl was pretty entertaining, but nobody we know really cared who won, we get into more interesting topics. JP shares his recent experiences visiting southern Africa for an assignment with him starting in Johannesburg (Jo'berg) and then going to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. He had been there many...
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Episode-79; Travel, Robots, Focus, and ChatGPT
The Outliers Inn
Video Version https://vimeo.com/795988927 About the Podcast What’s better than two hosts? Why, three, of course! Mule said he couldn’t make it, so JP drafted Don (who is an irregular regular and has stepped-in to the role of co-host in the past). But, wouldn’t you know it, Mule was able to join. So, we have a three-way! The podcast starts as it normally does, with JP talking about air travel experiences and Mule talking about robots. As “process and systems guys”, air travel is always a source for some head-scratching and...
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Episode-78; Holi-DAZE
The Outliers Inn
Video Version https://vimeo.com/theoutliersinn/holi-daze About the Podcast This episode of The Outliers Inn finds the hosts, JP and Mule, a bit dazed and confused from the very start; as in, who’s going to start?! holi-daze JP starts by sharing that the year went by in a flash because of engagements and travel and this has left him a bit Holi-DAZED coming into the end of the year. This includes having to fight the horde on Thanksgiving Sunday and spending his 60th birthday in an airport hotel awaiting a return to Frankfurt (but at least the good folks at Saison at Newark...
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Episode-77; Thanksgiving
The Outliers Inn
Video Version https://vimeo.com/771047950 About the Podcast In this episode, JP is thankful to have a regular guest at The Outliers Inn, Don "Beer Man" Burshnick, able to step up and be the co-host on zero notice because Mule has forgotten (yet again) to be in a state of readiness to fulfill his hostly duties. Thanks Beer Man! Beer Man, coming from a long line of early starters, shares that he is thankful for recently becoming a great grandfather. And JP is thankful his book has been very well recieved and the thoughts contained therein has resonated with his intended...
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Episode-76; Harvest Time
The Outliers Inn
Video Version https://vimeo.com/theoutliersinn/harvest-time About the Podcast Mule welcomes everyone to The Outliers Inn and introduces this episode's theme; harvest time. And he kicks-off the conversation by sharing what he is presently harvesting from his garden; including sunflowers. Mule shares how there is some insect that infests the sunflowers and attacks the seeds so that they are empty. Not to be outdone, JP shares that his sunflowers would be just a day or two from being ready to pick and squirrels would beat him to it; gorging themselves on the...
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Episode-75; Coincidences
The Outliers Inn
Video Version https://vimeo.com/748326212 About the Podcast Mule kicks of the conversation at The Outliers Inn with the season wrap of robots season. Kids being kids, they start off wearing their "Sunday best" and end-up dragging the duds through the grass playing frisbee after the official goings-on are done. JP laments about how packed the flights are. But that there is an upside with his travels as the people along the route (flight attendants, restaurant personnel, and so on) have become familiar with his ways and see to it that all is good; and it is good. JP also...
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About the Podcast
JP and Mule have had a lot of things go not according to plan; especially over the past couple of years. And we suspect that many of our listeners have had similar experiences. As Mike Tyson famously said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” So we are going to hang our hats on this quote and let it be the theme for this episode of The Outliers Inn.
The hosts with the mosts start it off by proclaiming this episode is a plan that’s been punched in the mouth. JP thought it was supposed to be recorded on one day, Mule on another. So it was a scramble to get it recorded and, unfortunately, some of our guests didn’t make it! It seems to be that the root-cause might be the multiple channels of communication with one plan being established (or not) on one channel and another on another. JP shares that we are going to try LinkedIn Live (but that will probably be delayed).
Mule shares that his current project involves bringing a new warehouse online for a fast-growing company. And, if anyone has ever been involved in a build, you know that nothing ever goes according to plan. And with the expected opening being imminent and necessary, and still not ready for occupancy, there are a lot of punches being thrown.
And JP shares a catastrophic Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project with a company that made custom cabinet doors. When originally contracted, the intent was to extract the knowledge that was in the father’s brain and put it in a system so his children could run the business. But within a week of signing the contract, the father died. The implementation turned into a séance and it quickly went coyote ugly from there.
Barry managed to find us in spite of our best efforts to be evasive. However, the story he shares of his experience participating in a conference is one for the ages; it all starts with his vendor booth not arriving. But what might have knocked others out only steeled Barry’s spine and with some very quick thinking and decisive decision making, he turns lemons into lemonade.