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Saturday, December 31, 2022

The Greg Walters Show with Mike Stramaglio



Copiers, Family, and Frank.  

What is up with all the industry shows? A candid conversation about the changes we’ve seen in the industry over the past few decades – media, consultants, merges, OEMs, motorcycles, and Frank.  What’s around the corner and over the horizon.  Yes, there will be bourbon.  Yes, there will be Frank and maybe a cigar or two.

Thursday, December 29, 2022

Today's Artificial Intelligence is Like an Abacus



"The ratio of total digital to total biological compute is the key metric to watch – it is rising incredibly fast..." - Musk.

This guy just Tweeted the above but there have been many (including me) saying for years, 'digital AI will always be artificial until computers are biologically grown, carbon-based*, and analog."

Digital is 'on and off' at a faster and faster rate. But nothing in nature acts this way.

The Difference Between Analog and Digital -

What did CIOs Read in 2022?



Inspired by the WSJ article, here.  Paywall.

Patton said it best, "...I read your book!"

Relevance, shared experience, and trust are currencies of the Post-Fear-of-Covid Age so knowing what your prospects view as important enough to spend time-consuming is a step in identifying with prospects and improving your worldly knowledge.

Will Artificial Intelligence Take Your (copier, MPS, IT) Sales Job?


Artificial Intelligence Tells You How to Sell Managed Print Services

I tried it.  I asked the screen, 

"How do I use artificial intelligence to sell managed print services?"

Then I asked it again.  I asked the same question twice and was given two separate responses.

Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Proof Social Media is Rigged

Diana Rigg as Emma Peal, The Avengers


How Twitter Rigged the Covid Debate


The platform suppressed true information from doctors and public-health experts that was at odds with U.S. government policy.

Inspiration from an article about the connection between the US Government and ALL the tech companies written by David Zweig at The Free Press, here.

Summary via ChatGTP:


It is alleged that both the Trump and Biden administrations in the United States pressured Twitter to moderate content related to Covid-19 and the pandemic in a way that aligned with their agendas. The Trump administration was concerned with preventing panic buying and sought help from tech companies, including Twitter, to combat misinformation. 

Tuesday, December 27, 2022

Attracting Employees Back to the Office: Challenges with the Supply Chain and Selling Office Technology


As the world continues to grapple with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies are struggling to attract employees back to the office. This can be a challenging task, as remote work has become more popular than ever before and many people have grown accustomed to the flexibility and convenience it offers.

One of the biggest challenges companies face when trying to bring employees back to the office is the supply chain. The pandemic has disrupted supply chains around the world, making it difficult for companies to obtain the necessary supplies and equipment to create a safe and comfortable working environment. This can be particularly problematic for office technology, such as computers, printers, and other types of equipment that are essential for employees to do their jobs effectively.

To attract employees back to the office, companies must be able to provide a safe and comfortable working environment that meets all of their needs. This includes having the right office technology in place to support their work. However, with the supply chain being disrupted, it can be difficult to obtain the necessary equipment in a timely manner.

Monday, December 26, 2022

The Uncertain Future of Technology: Google & Facebook Will Not Survive.



It is difficult to predict the future of technology with certainty, as it is constantly evolving and new companies and technologies can emerge and disrupt the market. However, it is possible to make educated guesses about the direction in which technology is headed and to consider the potential challenges and opportunities that different companies and technologies may face.

One argument for the idea that Google, Facebook, and Twitter may not be a part of the future of technology is that these companies are reliant on business models that may not be sustainable in the long term. For example, Google and Facebook rely on targeted advertising as their primary source of revenue, which has come under increasing scrutiny due to concerns about privacy and the manipulation of public opinion. Twitter's business model is based on the sale of advertising and the collection of user data, which may also be vulnerable to changing regulations and consumer preferences.

Saturday, December 24, 2022

Merry Christmas - 2022



How Does AI Learn?



Specifically, how does chatGPT learn?


ChatGPT is a variant of the GPT (Generative Pre-training Transformer) language model, which is a type of artificial neural network that is trained to generate human-like text. It is trained using a process called pre-training, where it is fed a large dataset of text and learns to predict the next word in a sequence based on the words that come before it.

During pre-training, the model is not given any specific task to perform. Instead, it is trained to learn the statistical patterns and relationships present in the training data. This allows the model to capture the structure and style of the language it is being trained on, and enables it to generate text that is coherent and grammatically correct.

Friday, December 23, 2022

SNL D in a Box

#ChatGPT and the Albatross



So...this happened. 

I decided to test the #ChatAI thing-a-bob.

I said, "Tell me about the #albatross signifying doom and gloom."

Thursday, December 22, 2022

Trading Places: A Merry Christmas Movie Ignored


Christmas classic!

The Next Wave in Social? The Printed Newsletter.


The inspiration from Scotty Millar, on LinkedIn: 

 Why your MSP needs to start a printed newsletter 

From the article:


"That’s one reason why the printed MSP newsletter works so well – it does not matter if the contact has opted in or out – legally, you can mail them the newsletter, and your not breaking any spam or privacy laws."


WAIT JUST ONE MINUTE!!!??? Are you saying, from the viewpoint of a highly influential MSP Person, that IT service providers should re-connect their HP Series II, print words on actual paper, and then...place said communique in an ENVELOPE, and send it? In the mail? Like it's 1954?

Savage. And supporting my views on 'getting back to the basics in selling with one added caveat - sell better.

Activate Selling As a Cause of Good. 

Newsletters are hot right now. Longevity does not depend on the mode of transit - today it's snail mail, and tomorrow it is projected 3D holograms.

Content is the Plastics of the Aquarian Age of Business.

https://lnkd.in/etcHc2XF

How do I use chatGPT to sell managed print services?

The Adolescence of P-1


ChatGPT is a chatbot that uses the GPT-3 language model to generate responses to user inputs. To use ChatGPT to sell managed print services, you would need to train the chatbot on relevant information about your business and the managed print services you offer. This could include information about the features and benefits of your managed print services, pricing, and any special offers or promotions you may be running.

Merry Christmas in Wisconsin, Actually.



One of the best modern-day Christmas movies, Love Actually, covers just about every angle of the holidays.  

Tops on my list, right up there with Family Man, Elf, A Christmas Story and Die Hard.

Sunday, December 18, 2022

#Elon Musk and The #Twitter Entanglement on #LinkedIn


From a LinkedIn post from Scotty Millar, from IT RockStars for inspiration:

"Tricky question - what do you think of Elon Musk and his opinions at the moment? I went back to Twitter once I heard he purchased it - mainly because I was outraged that so many people had been banned for expressing their views on something.

Not their actual view but the fact that they had been silenced.

Friday, December 16, 2022

Commercial Real Estate 'StarChamber' Calls on #Biden to Fight #WFA


Here they come.  

The powers of the commercial real estate kingdom, a roundtable no less, are enlisting the US Government as return-to-office heavies, asking the Biden administration to consider back-to-office mandates for government workers.

Merry Christmas - 2022



Time passes.

It started in the winter of 1980 remaining a tradition for another four years. Out the window from the 9th-floor dorm room.

Merry Christmas.



Thursday, December 15, 2022

A-B-C "Always Be Cobbling"

"Oh, yeah.  I used to be in sales.  It's a tough racket."

Don't blame the tools, the weather, the time of year, the recession, the war, the President, your manager, your OEM, or your dog.


Ten Voices of the Industry - 2023 Reflections & Prodictions

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Merry Christmas - When did 'they' ban The Little Drummer Boy? Detroit, 1991


NOT MY WORDS -

From Wiki -

The Little Drummer Boy is a stop motion television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions, based on the song of the same name. It was first televised in Canada on December 15, 1968 on the CTV Television Network, followed four days later by its American nationwide release on NBC. A sequel was broadcast in 1976.

Friday, December 9, 2022

The Greg Walters Show With Mike Stramaglio

Fly Me Too The Moon

New to the copier industry?  You want to hear the three things you should be doing to thrive in this world (of selling) and the next(of selling).

Thursday, December 8, 2022

Indiana Jones 5. One. Last. Time.


OGs Rule, GenX, Mils, Z, et al, drool.


"But a few times in my life, I've seen things.  Things I can't explain and I've come to believe it's not so much what you believe, it's how hard you believe it."

Wednesday, December 7, 2022

December 7, 1942 Pearl Harbor




It was a Sunday morning.  Ben Affleck is nowhere to be seen.

As golfers started off, civilians went to church and sailors woke up with hangovers, Mitsibushi-powered planes dropped bombs and staffed American battleships, and soldiers.

So it began.  The sleeping Giant was kicked in the chin, and he was pissed.

The end would come three years later over two cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  

To this day, still the ultimate, "F around and find out".


Remember.

Tuesday, December 6, 2022

Looking for productivity in the Hybrid Office? "You're digging in the wrong place."


A new report, "HOW HYBRID WORKING FROM HOME WORKS OUT", reveals a few interesting points after studying the #Hybrid work environment to an in-the-office model; results, are inconclusive.


    When it comes to the new way of work, I feel 100% #WFH is more productive than the #Hybrid model.

From a purely 'man on the street' perspective -  I have always FELT hybrid would negatively impact overall productivity when compared with 100% #WFA. 

From the report:

Monday, December 5, 2022

Connecting the Dots: How the Copier Industry Pioneered Modern Business Models



You Think I'm Crazy When I Connect the Dots

Humans tell immortal stories about figures in the sky. Illusions are created by drawing imaginary lines from one point of light to another and another and so on.

Connecting the dots illuminates a pattern and tells a story.  For instance, do you understand the following 'lights in the nighttime sky'?

Alnitak - a triple star system located at a distance of several hundred parsecs from the Sun
Alnilam - a massive, blue supergiant star some 2,000 light-years distant
Mintaka - a multiple-star system some 1,200 light-years from the Sun

Three seemingly singular points of light, to us, form the belt of the constellation Orion - visible throughout the world.

We are adept at making connections and telling stories - it is in our nature. 

At first, industries appear unrelated and vaguely disconnected. But just like the constellations, when observed from afar and with a fanciful imaginative eye connected, great stories are revealed.

As more disparate items converge, a common thread(technology) is observed between and defined. 

Friday, December 2, 2022

Am I the only one who thinks China has weaponized #TheFearOfCovid and is attacking the supply chain?



They have a "1,000-year plan..."

The question is this:  "If one country wanted to take down the US, would they be able and willing to do it with guns, missiles, and troops, or is there another way?  Why would there be motivation to do so in the first place?"

Thursday, December 1, 2022

Numbers Up, Volumes Down, and A3 or A4, "Just. Doesn't. Matter."


Do dealers exagerate?  Hell yeah, we all do, every single day about every single thing to every single person we meet.

Over the past 5 months, I've heard more and more positive feedback about sales than I have in the past 36 months.  

The first inkling was tales of customers initiating leases without expecting delivery for 120 days.  When was the last time a customer would willingly wait more than 30 days for their device?

Heard in the back alleys and sidebars of the industry:
 

Contact Me

Greg Walters, Incorporated
greg@grwalters.com
262.370.4193