Where's The Future?

Episode Title:A Meshtastic New Career MoveEpisode Summary:Will walks Brandt through the ins and outs of Meshtastic, an off-the-grid mesh networking technology that allows users to send messages and share locations without relying on cellular networks or the internet. The duo explain how the decentralized system works by creating a network of independent nodes that relay messages across the airwaves. Plus, Brandt announces his exciting move from live event production into event tech as the new Director of Industry Relations & Partnerships at EventMobi.Discussions Include:What Meshtastic is and how it uses free 915 MHz radio spectrum for decentralized messagingThe node-based mesh network concept and how it differs from traditional cellular relianceReal-world setup and configuration of your first Meshtastic nodePractical applications for events, natural disasters, and off-grid team communicationBrandt's transition to EventMobi and the future of event technologyQuotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):"Meshtastic essentially is an off the grid way to message and share your location without the use of a cell network, internet, or anything like that." - Will Curran"The people are the network. So you're not relying on T-Mobile. You're not relying on any kind of AT&T or anybody like that." - Brandt Krueger"Hugely excited that you are now in that role and I know you're gonna do wonders- you're gonna kill it completely." - Will Curran

Episode Summary: Will and Brandt reunite to kick off a new season by unpacking their favorite and most practical takeaways from CES, from stair climbing robot vacuums and smart mobility devices to breakthrough display tech and unexpected innovations. Along the way, they reflect on Brandt’s career transition, changing media coverage at CES, and how emerging tools like vibe coding and home lab setups are empowering individuals to build exactly what they need.Discussions Include:Brandt Krueger’s departure from his full time production role at EideCom and what comes nextCES trends around robots, AI, and devices that genuinely improve daily lifeNotable tech highlights including Roborock’s stair climbing vacuum, smart mobility aids, next-generation TV displays, and E-Ink signageVibe coding, Raspberry Pis, and why building small personal tools may be the future of softwareQuotable Quotes (Should you choose to share): “I feel like usually CES gets a lot more mainstream coverage, but it definitely didn’t feel like that this year.” - Brandt Krueger“I want to talk about the things that I think actually really are cool, not just everything that happened.” - Will Curran“The future of coding is make your own stuff, scratch your own itch and make it do exactly what you want.” - Brandt KruegerFr. Robert Ballecer, SJ on TWiT, along with some other great coverage of CES 2026:https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech/episodes/1066?autostart=false

Episode Summary:We kick off with an impressive AI-generated intro from Suno's newly released V5 model, showcasing how far AI music creation has come. The conversation quickly shifts to hands-on hardware reviews, with Will sharing his one-week impressions of the iPhone 17 Pro Max (in orange) and both of us discussing the new AirPods Pro 3. From iOS 26 performance quirks to the practical realities of running beta software on production devices, we cover the full spectrum of Apple's latest releases. The episode wraps with an extended discussion on electric vehicle charging strategies, vehicle-to-grid technology, and why Brandt might finally be warming up to those Rivian headlights.Discussions Include:Suno's V5 model release and whether the $20/month subscription is worth it for better AI music generationReal-world impressions of iPhone 17 Pro Max and iOS 26 after a week of daily useAirPods Pro 3 features, including hearing aid functionality and adaptive transparency modeElectric vehicle charging economics and the future of vehicle-to-grid technologyQuotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):"You handed a caveman a flame- and then took it away from him." - Will Curran"I noticed that iOS 26 just runs better on it. This is what I'm noticing- with my being in the iPhone upgrade program is that I'll do the beta, I run it on my 16 Pro or Pro Max, whatever it is, and I notice slight performance issues." - Will Curran"Every time [a Rivian] drives by me and I'm like, well, it's actually not that bad looking. It's like, it's wearing me down... I can't get past the headlights. Weeelllll, I might be able to get past the headlights." - Brandt Krueger"So the guy basically insinuates 'I'm on the employer's dime. I'm going to be charging my car and then I'll just go back and sell it back to the grid and make a profit,' heheh..." - Will Curran

Episode Summary:Brandt Krueger and Will Curran break down Apple's latest iPhone 17, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and AirPods Pro 3 announcements, finding the keynote more ordinary than expected after two years of blockbuster reveals. The conversation explores whether Apple's product lines are converging toward price point differentiation rather than feature distinction, examines the surprisingly pro-level camera capabilities that could replace traditional rigs, and debates the durability of the impossibly thin iPhone Air. Along the way, they discuss vapor cooling, the "plateau" (not a camera bump), concert etiquette, and why Brandt still refuses to wear white electric toothbrush heads in his ears.Discussions Include:The iPhone 17 Pro's cinema-grade camera features like GenLock and multi-camera sync that are targeting professional videographers and content creators, potentially replacing traditional camera rigs in tight spacesWhether the ultra-thin iPhone Air can survive "BendGate 2.0" and if sacrificing camera capability for sleekness makes sense when you'll just throw a case on it anywayApple's product differentiation strategy shifting from features to price points, with specs becoming more similar across the lineup except for camera count and storage tiersThe AirPods Pro 3's heart rate sensing feature raising questions about redundancy in the Apple ecosystem when most users already have an Apple Watch for fitness trackingQuotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):"It's not a camera bump, ladies and gentlemen. It's a plateau." - Brandt Krueger"I am not going to stick an electric toothbrush head in my ear. Just not. I'm just not." - Brandt Krueger (on AirPods)"I started thinking to myself, I'm looking at my studio and I'm going like, maybe I just put up iPhones. Like- in the end they all wirelessly communicate to my Mac." - Will Curran"They said something that really made me sad and I hope to God it's not right. They said 'This feature is great for concerts where you can record your reaction and the stage' and I go no no no no no." - Will Curran"It felt kind of ordinary, to be perfectly honest." - Brandt Krueger (on the overall keynote)

Episode Summary:This inaugural episode of the WTF (Where’s the Future?) podcast features Brandt Krueger and Will Curran discussing their transition from the Event Tech Podcast, exploring early experiments with AI agentic browsers like Comet and Dia, their frustrations and hopes for AI tools, and the evolving landscape of the open web amid new AI data challenges.They also discuss the approaching potential AI bubble and industry consolidation, as well as the democratization of app and tool creation through no-code platforms. Be sure to joint the WTF community to stay in touch between episodes! https://wtf.communityDiscussions Include: • Early experiences and challenges using AI agentic browsers to automate web tasks • Current concerns around web scraping, data privacy, and the open web’s future • The outlook on the AI bubble, industry hype, and the need for specialization in AI tools • The rise of no-code app development and democratizing technology creation • Highlights from the WTF community on emerging tech like Apple Watch updates and smart home devicesQuotable Quotes (Should you choose to share): • “At first I was like- this is amazing! Then, my God, this is terrible. My God, you are so dumb! Wait, no, what? No. Actually? No. This is pretty cool? Nope, you’re just dumb.” - Brandt Krueger • “We can see what it could be… It’s kind of like glimpsing out a window and seeing all the kids playing outside and you know that you could be that kid playing outside, but Perplexity and Comet Daddy won’t let you go out because you’re grounded.” - Will Curran • “I think the opportunity is if we have leveled off on these Uber GPTs, that’s good because now we can focus on specialty- on unitaskers that do one thing really well.” - Brandt Krueger • “The internet’s becoming more like a city with complex rules and less like free land where you could build whatever you wanted.” - Will Curran • “The AI bubble means tons of money thrown at it, lots of people hired, then a collapse where the lower level people lose their jobs, but the big players get their guaranteed payouts.” - Brandt Krueger

Episode Summary:This time on the Event Tech Podcast, Brandt and Will welcome industry veteran Matthew Byrne to unpack the pains and progress of event content management. Byrne introduces ShowSync, a new solution designed to streamline the collection, synchronization, and distribution of event content- eliminating versioning headaches, USB thumbdrive chaos, and other PPT nightmares. The episode explores the real-world challenges that inspired ShowSync, how it works across multiple production environments, and the future possibilities for integrating with other industry tools.Discussions Include:The origin story of ShowSync and the persistent problems it solves in event productionHow ShowSync manages real-time content syncing, version control, and secure uploads across multiple machines and locationsTechnical insights into hardware integration, cloud syncing, and InfoSec compliance for sensitive client dataThe roadmap for ShowSync, including potential integrations and expansion into new event and retail environmentsQuotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):"Essentially what it does is it seamlessly syncs all of content across production for events- and then on the back end leverages out the content that's created at an event in a much more cost effective and efficient way." - Matthew Byrne"If then on machine one, you delete slide one, every version number 29 in that package on every machine just starts to lose slide one. Like as fast as the 10 gigabit connection can make that happen." - Matthew Byrne"We always say that a live event is a content machine. If we can cut down the expense and time to be able to leverage that value out, I think that that solves a lot of problems." - Matthew Byrne"It's always nice when someone's able to go, 'how about we put it all together into one thing and make it go?' It's wonderful." - Brandt KruegerLearn more about ShowSync at https://byrneproductionservices.com/showsync/

Episode Summary:This episode of the Event Tech Podcast brings listeners up to speed on Will Curran’s latest role at Voxo, a Swedish company shaking up event technology with real-time AI session summaries. Brandt Krueger and Will explore how Voxo’s platform captures, analyzes, and packages event content into instantly branded reports, LinkedIn-ready carousels, and live displays. The conversation covers the technical magic behind speaker identification, the marketing potential of AI-generated assets, and the future of personalized attendee experiences.Discussions Include:Will Curran’s joining Voxo and the company’s mission in event techHow Voxo uses AI to generate instant, branded session summaries and reportsThe technical process of capturing audio, identifying speakers, and producing content assetsThe future of personalized event reports and AI-driven attendee recommendationsQuotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):"I just started up a new gig at Voxo, which is the Swedish company... If you were at Event Tech Live London, you will definitely recognize the "At the base level, essentially, we're summarizing every session... capturing all the audio... and in real time, we're creating these reports and transcriptions and all that fun stuff, and then branding it." - Will Curran"The thing that blew my mind the most about it is... you walk off stage, man, you as speaker walk off stage instantly, you have this PDF report, available to you as an audience." - Will Curran"One of the most powerful things about this AI report that gets generated is... and it also comes in a LinkedIn version... a one-by-one carousel because we all been there ... We get done with a session and we're like lucky if we remember to take a selfie!" - Will Curran"We not have the ability to completely remember everything that happened at an event? ... There's no reason why that can't be offloaded somewhere else." - Brandt Krueger

Episode Summary:This week on the Event Tech Podcast, Brandt Krueger and Will Curran unpack the latest leaps in AI-powered image generation, focusing on new capabilities within ChatGPT and Midjourney. From photorealistic hands and seamless text rendering to transparent backgrounds and continuity across images, the conversation explores how these advancements are transforming event production, branding, and creative workflows. The hosts also touch on the evolving landscape of video generation tools and share a few candid lessons learned from the trenches of AI experimentation, including an apology to Perplexity.Discussions Include:The evolution of AI image generation: photorealism, hands and body parts finally look rightContinuity and consistency: generating series of images with persistent elements and stylesText and logo integration: AI’s newfound ability to handle crisp, accurate signage and brandingTransparent backgrounds and practical applications for event production and designMidjourney’s new draft mode, voice prompting, and the speed gap in creative iterationReflections on the future of video AI and lessons learned from using AI tools in real-world projectsQuotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):"I have some of the worst short-term memory of all time and all I can do is blame the 90s." - Brandt Krueger"This ability to do continuity between images makes me feel like this is going to be great for brands who are like, I need to make the announcement image for my event...and now I need to say that I'm announcing that Seth Rogen is going to be the keynote speaker." - Will Curran"It's a very talented intern. Or I think somebody once described it as like your cousin-in-law's nephew who you've been using to do graphics design and maybe does a little too many drugs." - Brandt Krueger"I continue to be really excited by where these things are going. All that video is- is a thousand pictures. So we're going to get there really soon." - Brandt Krueger

In this "Another Mini-Brandt Rant" episode, Brandt and Will discuss the progress made in event accessibility during the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has feels like it regressed. They highlight the importance of captioning services, which became more accessible and affordable with AI advancements. However, they note that these technologies have fallen out of favor as events returned to in-person formats, leaving behind some of the inclusivity gains made during the pandemic. The conversation emphasizes the broader benefits of accessibility features which can aid not just people with disabilities but frequently improve the event for the majority of attendees as well.Discussions Include:Progress and Regression in Accessibility: The hosts reflect on how COVID accelerated the adoption of accessibility technologies like captioning but lament that these practices have largely been abandoned in the return to in-person events.Technological Advancements: They discuss how AI has improved captioning services, making them more affordable and efficient, though still not as reliable as human transcription.Broader Benefits of Accessibility: The conversation highlights that features like captioning benefit a wide audience, including those with hearing difficulties, language barriers, or simply preferring visual aids.Future-Proofing Events: The hosts suggest investing in technologies that can capture and stream content from events, enhancing accessibility and providing valuable resources for attendees.Quotable Quotes:"I think one of the things that during COVID, we started to see, you know, every platform put in at least some basic level of captioning, whether it was auto-generated or otherwise." - Brandt Krueger"People with difficulty hearing would literally call these services 'craptioning' at the time because they were so bad." - Brandt Krueger"For the first time, a lot of people with accessibility issues felt like they were on even ground with all other attendees, right? Because we were all attending from our living rooms and our bedrooms." - Brandt Krueger"Like a lot of attendees, I might want to turn it on just because of the fact that like, you know, every once in a while there's a word I might miss." - Will Curran

In this somewhat spicy episode of the Event Tech Podcast, hosts Brandt Krueger and Will Curran dive into the contentious issue of in-house AV pricing and exclusivity contracts. They discuss the recent trend of significant price hikes, sometimes up to 300-400%, and the increasing prevalence of strict exclusivity clauses in venue contracts. The hosts offer insights into the behind-the-scenes workings of in-house AV company contracts, and provide advice for event planners on how to navigate these challenges.Discussions Include:The recent surge in in-house AV pricing and its impact on event budgetsThe mechanics of revenue-sharing agreements between venues and in-house AV companiesStrategies for event planners to negotiate better deals and maintain flexibility in vendor choicesThe importance of thoroughly reviewing venue contracts before signingQuotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):"There's no incentive for the venues to fix it. There's no incentive for the in-house AV companies to fix it. And we can't fix it. The only people that can are you, the planners." - Brandt Krueger"Let's be honest, there's a lot of people planning events who are not listening to things like the Event Tech podcast, learning about these tips and tricks. And that's why this is happening." - Will Curran"I will always be happy to look at your ... venue contracts, because that's where you get nailed. People are looking at '25, '26, '27 for their venues and they're signing now." - Brandt Krueger"If you are struggling with 100% increases, 200% increases, 300% increases in your AV bill, it doesn't have to be that way, but only you can stop paying too much for AV." - Brandt KruegerAnd to whoever "the guy" is that hassled Will for using the phrase about before signing being negotiation and afterward being begging, let's talk. If you can prove you're the source, happy to attribute it to you from now on. Pretty confident that lil' nugget's been around for a while, and advanced metasearching doesn't attribute it to any one person. Happy to be wrong, though!

Brandt Krueger and Will Curran check in on the highlights of CES 2025, discussing innovative technologies and their potential impact on the events industry. They explore sustainable tech, AI advancements, and futuristic concepts while emphasizing the importance of looking beyond immediate products to long-term possibilities.Discussions Include:E-ink digital posters and their potential use in event signageNvidia's AI advancements and personal AI computersSustainable technologies like paper-based batteries and salt-simulating spoonsThe future of cameras and privacy in smart homes and devicesQuotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):"Look for the breakthrough concepts, not the breakthrough products." - Brandt Krueger"I love this idea that you can toss it in your garden and this is going to decompose." - Will Curran, on paper-based batteries"Do I think we'll ever reach a point where we're just OK with having cameras everywhere? Maybe someday, but I mean, it's not going to be soon." - Brandt Krueger"I was watching it and ... I was like yeah, there wasn't very much stuff that made me go 'My God! Take my money right now!'" - Will Curran

In this BONUS episode (recorded in February 2023 and recently found in the couch cushions), Brandt Krueger and Will Curran dive deep into the latest developments in AI technology, focusing on the recent announcements from Microsoft's Bing and Google's Bard. They discuss the potential impact of these AI-powered search engines on various industries, including event planning, and explore the implications for content creators and information providers.Discussion Points:• The recent announcements of AI-powered search engines by Microsoft (Bing) and Google (Bard)• Potential applications of AI in the event planning industry, such as venue finding and RFP processing• The importance of staying current with AI technologies and their potential impact on various job rolesQuotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):• "If right now you're like 'Hell no, this is not going to work, this is not going to help me,' I would be really afraid. I'd be pressuring you right now to at least be playing with this stuff to be aware of it." - Will Curran• "The future for your job is not 'Can you do these things?' but 'Can you use these tools now to leverage even further?'" - Will Curran• "I think hopefully what folks are taking away from this is the clear difference in how we are talking about this again versus how we've been talking about the metaverse and stuff like that." - Brandt Krueger• "Every week for the last month solid, something new has popped into my head of like, 'Oh, I know how we could use this' or 'Oh, I know how this is going to impact events.'" - Brandt Krueger