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TEConnect is the podcast that tackles the news, trends, and technologies impacting the specialty IT reseller channel, software companies, and hardware manufacturers. Hosted by John Martin & Dean Reverman. Tell us what YOU want to hear about: teconnect@bluestarinc.com
Episodes
7 days ago
7 days ago
What topics are John & Dean riffing on this week?
- Why some people don't have children
- A hybrid work A/B test
- FAA approves air taxis
- Younger generations are not answering the phone
- US state name meanings
- Worst workplace jargon
- The best TV episodes of all time
TEConnecting with us:
Dean - Why do plants wiggle
John - Watch "Homicide: Life on the Street" on Peacock
Keep in Touch!
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-star
Submit your topic ideas - https://www.bluestarinc.com/en-us/about-the-company/bluestar-teconnect-podcast
Subscribe to the BlueStar Nation Newsletter - https://nation.bluestarinc.com/#subscribe
Sponsored by:
Thursday Nov 07, 2024
Thursday Nov 07, 2024
We're breaking down the data from another one of our #BlueStarNation end-user surveys, this time speaking to 125 retail leaders about point-of-sale. What are the top considerations when buying? What is the preferred OS? What are the biggest challenges? What is on their wishlist for their next solution?
Register for Elo's Payments & POS Panel Discussion
#VARValue - What should a retail VAR do with this info?
TEConnecting with us:
Dean - Meta AI data center "scuppered" by bees
John - How many unused gift cards do Americans have?
Keep in Touch!
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-star
Submit your topic ideas - https://www.bluestarinc.com/en-us/about-the-company/bluestar-teconnect-podcast
Subscribe to the BlueStar Nation Newsletter - https://nation.bluestarinc.com/#subscribe
Sponsored by:
Thursday Oct 31, 2024
Thursday Oct 31, 2024
In honor of a Halloween release, we're talking about the spooky season with special guests Sam Hughes and...the Ghostface killer from Scream? (It's Sarah Schlueter!) What are some movies/TV shows that have scared us? Favorite Halloween costumes? What technology scares us? Best candy? It's the episode so packed that Dean could only say, "Oh."
TEConnecting with us:
Sarah - The story behind Spirit Halloween
Sam - Digital literacy in an age of misinformation
Dean - Stem-cell therapy for diabetes
John - Evil on Paramount Plus
Keep in Touch!
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-star
Submit your topic ideas - https://www.bluestarinc.com/en-us/about-the-company/bluestar-teconnect-podcast
Subscribe to the BlueStar Nation Newsletter - https://nation.bluestarinc.com/#subscribe
Sponsored by:
Thursday Oct 24, 2024
Thursday Oct 24, 2024
"The robots are here," says Juan Higueros, Co-Founder & COO of Bear Robotics. He joins us this week to discuss the robot market, where opportunities are taking off, and how VARs can play a huge role. What are service robots doing in the hospitality industry? What use case surprised Juan? What does a typical deployment look like? How does Juan address skepticism?
#VARValue - How is Bear partnering with VARs to find opportunities and bring robots to market?
TEConnecting with us:
Juan - Tesla's Optimus robot
Dean - Amazon & Google investing in nuclear
John - Why Congress is trying to keep AM radios in cars
Keep in Touch!
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-star
Submit your topic ideas - https://www.bluestarinc.com/en-us/about-the-company/bluestar-teconnect-podcast
Subscribe to the BlueStar Nation Newsletter - https://nation.bluestarinc.com/#subscribe
Sponsored by:
Thursday Oct 17, 2024
Thursday Oct 17, 2024
Shipping labels aren't going anywhere, but why are they so dull? Epson's Tessa Kohl returns to emphasize the opportunity to do more with a process all shippers utilize. How can labels level up with color, additional images and messages, and personalized content? How does such labeling benefit the shipper, and how is Epson helping your customers make the most of wasted box space? It's the episode that references far too many old cartoons.
#VARValue - Tell us about Label Boost, Epson’s software for creating these dynamic, versatile labels.
TEConnecting with us:
Tessa - Microsoft Recall & AI skepticism
Dean - Plastic-eating fungus
John - Mysterious sounds from the Mariana Trench
Keep in Touch!
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-star
Submit your topic ideas - https://www.bluestarinc.com/en-us/about-the-company/bluestar-teconnect-podcast
Subscribe to the BlueStar Nation Newsletter - https://nation.bluestarinc.com/#subscribe
Sponsored by:
Epson Label Boost Software
Thursday Oct 10, 2024
Thursday Oct 10, 2024
It's been nearly two years since LLMs like ChatGPT exploded into the public consciousness, but how are businesses leveraging the technology to improve and grow? Honeywell PSS CIO Michael Groskopf shares some powerful but practical examples with us. What are two things he thinks all VARs could use gen AI for? How does it improve data analysis? What are his predictions for the future? It's a multi-modal episode that helps you focus on the fun part of your job description!
#VARValue - How is Honeywell tackling the AI explosion?
TEConnecting with us:
Michael - Bug-A-Salt
Dean - Aerosolized flu vaccinations
John - AI music scheme busted
Keep in Touch!
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-star
Submit your topic ideas - https://www.bluestarinc.com/en-us/about-the-company/bluestar-teconnect-podcast
Subscribe to the BlueStar Nation Newsletter - https://nation.bluestarinc.com/#subscribe
Sponsored by:
Honeywell PM45 Industrial Printer
Thursday Oct 03, 2024
Thursday Oct 03, 2024
We're reflecting on #VARTECH2024 one last time! Was it our biggest show ever? What was the theme, and how did William Shatner, Florida Man memes, and TED Conversations fit in? What were the hot technologies on the exhibit floor, in education sessions, and during the ISV and Solution presentations? Did BlueStar engineer a rocket launch just for their attendees? It's the episode that wonders why we do this to ourselves every year!
#VARValue - For VARs that didn’t attend, what did you learn that anyone can use?
Follow BlueStar on YouTube to see VARTECH videos and much more!
https://www.youtube.com/@BlueStarinc
TEConnecting with us:
Dean - Pocket-sized nuclear battery
John - The continued down-spiral of X/Twitter
Keep in Touch!
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-star
Submit your topic ideas - https://www.bluestarinc.com/en-us/about-the-company/bluestar-teconnect-podcast
Subscribe to the BlueStar Nation Newsletter - https://nation.bluestarinc.com/#subscribe
Sponsored by:
Elo IDS 04/54 Series
Thursday Sep 26, 2024
Thursday Sep 26, 2024
Once again, we took our show on the road to VARTECH in Orlando, Florida, to discuss websites and social media and how they can impact your business. James Korte gives us a breakdown of what "good" websites should contain and what they should do. What are some common pitfalls and mistakes? Is there a right way to do social media? Finally, we wrap up by gently critiquing some sites submitted by our audience.
#VARValue - Check out the sites we reviewed!
Check out the YouTube video to follow along with our website reviews: https://youtu.be/xDtuNQXAvTA
TEConnecting with us:
James - Runway AI video
Dean - Bark Air
John - Are restaurant kiosks leading to smaller orders?
Keep in Touch!
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-star
Submit your topic ideas - https://www.bluestarinc.com/en-us/about-the-company/bluestar-teconnect-podcast
Subscribe to the BlueStar Nation Newsletter - https://nation.bluestarinc.com/#subscribe
Sponsored by:
Thursday Sep 19, 2024
Thursday Sep 19, 2024
**We're off this week, recovering from #VARTECH2024, but as a prelude to the episode we recorded there on website design and social media, here's a flashback to one of our most popular episodes with Barcoding's Krystal Cotriss! See you next week with a new ep!**
Originally released July 21, 2022
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Having smart content, a strong message, and an understanding of your audience is a great place to start marketing, but without great design, it’s just so many words. We turned to an expert, Krystal Cotriss, Lead Designer & Content Strategist with Barcoding, Inc., who stresses the importance of design to attracting customers, making a good impression, and driving engagement. She’ll help us explore free or low-cost tools anyone with little to no experience could use, from photos to fonts and beyond. We’re also talking website design (one of John’s pet peeves) and some design aesthetics and clichés that Krystal is “over.” Check out her post and bookmark all of the handy links!
#VARValue – Let’s say someone is looking to hire a designer or employ some freelancers. What should they be looking for, asking about, or expecting?
Krystal's blog with a plethora of free resources: https://krystalcarpintieri.medium.com/free-design-resources-for-designers-marketers-more-e6b8bb3dbf0e
Kel Lauren's Best Free Design Resources: https://youtu.be/myYwUoXfxt4
TEConnecting with us:
Krystal - Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus
Dean - Cancer Genome Scanner & Companies Making the Most Money Per Second
John - Alexa speaking as the voice of a deceased loved one
Keep in Touch!
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-star
Submit your topic ideas - https://www.bluestarinc.com/en-us/about-the-company/bluestar-teconnect-podcast
Subscribe to the BlueStar Nation Newsletter - https://nation.bluestarinc.com/#subscribe
Thursday Sep 12, 2024
Thursday Sep 12, 2024
As POS evolves, so does the need for receipt printers to keep up with modern hardware, software, unique use cases, new types of commerce, and myriad connectivity options. That presents many potential problems, which Star Micronics' Kate Orara & Bill Shuff are here to tackle! What's happening with interfaces? How do tablets change printing needs? What happens to device management across multiple locations? What about peripherals? It's the episode that's getting hangry.
#VARValue - How does Star's mC-Print3 series solve these problems?
TEConnecting with us:
Bill - Sustainability, bioplastics & seaweed
Kate - Gen Z leading the use of sick days
Dean - $16K humanoid robot
John - Farmers need reliable connectivity, too
Keep in Touch!
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-star
Submit your topic ideas - https://www.bluestarinc.com/en-us/about-the-company/bluestar-teconnect-podcast
Subscribe to the BlueStar Nation Newsletter - https://nation.bluestarinc.com/#subscribe
Sponsored by:
Star Micronics mC-Print3 Thermal Receipt Printer
Elo I-Series 3