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BlueStar Nation is the podcast that tackles the hot topics, trends, and emerging technologies impacting the specialty IT reseller channel, software companies, MSPs, and hardware manufacturers. Hosted by John Martin & Dean Reverman. Tell us what YOU want to hear about: nation@bluestarinc.com
Episodes
Thursday Oct 20, 2022
Thursday Oct 20, 2022
We’re debunking some myths in this week’s episode…specifically, that commercial kitchens are no place for thermal printers. Star Micronics’ John Maieli, who has plenty of back-of-house experience, explains the importance of printers in the kitchen and why thermal is the best option. What’s the “state of the industry”? What’s the real difference between impact & thermal printing and why is the latter ideal for this use case? How should VARs respond to common misconceptions and pushback on these devices? It’s the episode where Dean busts out his “best” Super Mario impression.
#VARValue - How do you and Star advise VARs to approach existing and new customers about opting for thermal print in their operations?
Star Blog - Why Thermal Printers Have A Place In Today’s Modern Kitchens
TEConnecting with us:
John Maieli - 3D printing food
Dean - A future "AmAsia" supercontinent?
John Martin - Grammarly
Talk to us!
Twitter - @TEConnectPod
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
Submit your podcast ideas - https://www.bluestarinc.com/us-en/landing-pages/podcast-topics.html
Sponsored by:
Thursday Oct 13, 2022
Thursday Oct 13, 2022
In-store traffic is still vital to retail businesses, but simply getting them through the doors is not enough in a hyper-competitive market. That's where digital signage enabled with machine vision can change the game. Jay Hutton, Founder & CEO of VSBLTY, is on the pod this week to explain the growth potential of what they call “the store as a medium,” using dynamic, eye-catching displays to “entice, engage, and interact” with shoppers, ultimately driving more revenue and unplanned purchases. What data backs up this use case? What does it look like in-store? What do retailers get out of it? It’s the episode that’s dropping its vowels and going full Spielberg blockbuster.
#VARValue - How do VARs get in on this? What should they be looking for?
TEConnecting with us:
Jay - The ethics of AI and "nano-nukes"
Dean - Ally Robotics
John - Invisibility cloak?
Talk to us!
Twitter - @TEConnectPod
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
Submit your ideas for the pod - https://www.bluestarinc.com/us-en/landing-pages/podcast-topics.html
Sponsored by:
Intel - Check out TEConnect Live from VARTECH 2022
Zebra TC53/58 Touch Computers
Thursday Oct 06, 2022
Thursday Oct 06, 2022
“Identify a practical need and create a solution.” That’s a good mantra for any solution provider, but also the simple impetus behind the creation of self-service options in a variety of industries. Elo’s Luke Wilwerding is back on the pod to explore the early days of self-service through today. What slowed (and accelerated) adoption? What’s changed about form factors? How should VARs address concerns and misconceptions like installation issues, smaller purchases, and higher losses?
#VARValue - How does Elo help VARs bring self-service to SMB?
CNN Article - "Nobody likes self-checkout. Here's why it's everywhere."
TEConnecting with us:
Luke - James Webb telescope images
Dean (and Luke) - NASA DART mission
John - Why AI will never rule the world
Talk to us!
Twitter - @TEConnectPod
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
Submit your topics for the show! https://www.bluestarinc.com/us-en/landing-pages/podcast-topics.html
Sponsored by:
Elo I-Series 4
Elo Edge Connect
Thursday Sep 29, 2022
Thursday Sep 29, 2022
VARTECH 2022 is in the rearview, but what we learned there and what it means for our channel has just begun. Whether you attended and need a refresher or didn’t and want to know what happened, we’ve got you covered, from Opening Session to the CodeZone floor! What were the themes of the show? Who was the keynote speaker that brought tears to attendees' eyes? What is VAR 2.0 (and 3.0)? It’s the episode that condenses two exhausting days into an hour that’s much easier on your feet.
#VARValue - For VARs that didn’t attend, what did we learn that anyone can use?
VARTECH Event Highlights Video
US Breakout feat. CoCard's Dan Brattland
TEConnect Live feat. over 40 ISVs
TEConnecting with us:
Dean - Modular nuclear plants
John - Chicago simulates eVTOL (sky taxis) flights & infrastructure
Talk to us!
Twitter - @TEConnectPod
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
Submit your ideas for the pod, surveys, marketing questions, etc...: https://www.bluestarinc.com/us-en/landing-pages/podcast-topics.html
Sponsored by:
Thursday Sep 22, 2022
Thursday Sep 22, 2022
After a long few days at VARTECH 2022, Dean & John happily turn over their marketing session for VARs to the incomparable James Korte, who helps us respond to survey responses from attendees about their current marketing situations and, most importantly, what you need help with to improve your marketing. How does an SMB market on a budget? What kind of content should you be creating? How can manufacturers help you fund your campaigns? What kind of marketing provides the best ROI and what should that ROI even look like? What are some best practices for LinkedIn?
TEConnecting with us:
Dean - LEGO Dunder Mifflin set
James - Midjourney AI
John - Playing video games w/his son
Talk to us!
Twitter - @TEConnectPod
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
Submit your ideas for the pod, surveys, marketing questions, etc...: https://www.bluestarinc.com/us-en/landing-pages/podcast-topics.html
Sponsored by:
Zebra Tablet Portfolio
Thursday Sep 15, 2022
Thursday Sep 15, 2022
While we're off recording a new episode live at VARTECH 2022, we thought it was a great time to revisit last year's episode on properly utilizing LinkedIn for business. Next week, we'll be back with a new episode offering free and low-cost tips for marketing & content creation based on questions and concerns YOU gave us!
***
(ORIGINALLY RELEASED 10/21/21) It's the second of our live episodes recorded at VARTECH 2021 in Orlando Florida! For this one, James Korte, unofficial third host, joins us to discuss how VARs and TSCs should be utilizing LinkedIn for their business. What should you emphasize for personal and company pages? How important is it to post and share content? What does the LinkedIn algorithm seem to "reward"? Is it useful to market on the platform? Finally, what about other social media platforms? It's the episode that wants you to acknowledge your age!
#VARValue - What is something our audience or anyone listening could do right now to improve their social reach?
TEConnecting with us:
James - Rivian EV trucks & SUVs
Dean - mRNA cancer therapy
John - Building his own lightsaber
Talk to us!
Twitter - @TEConnectPod
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
Thursday Sep 08, 2022
Thursday Sep 08, 2022
Many healthcare providers (and patients) finally embraced telehealth and virtual visits in recent years, but that’s just one aspect of what has become known as a “continuum of care.” VeeOne Health’s Kevin Leal joins us to explain this concept and how virtual care technology is really allowing everyone to access healthcare at home or in local facilities, including specialists not normally found in rural communities. How does virtual care help close gaps in healthcare? What are the benefits of remote patient monitoring (RPM) and building a community of care that includes family or other caregivers? How can resellers start a conversation that leads to this broader solution? It’s the episode that reminds you to take your medicine and schedule your annual checkup.
#VARValue - What does this mean for VARs? Where should they start looking for opportunities and how does VeeOne help?
TEConnecting with us:
Kevin - Biostickers for continuous patient monitoring & autonomous robots in healthcare settings
Dean - China seeding clouds and a restaurant run entirely by robots
John - Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation" is crashing hard drives
Talk to us!
Twitter - @TEConnectPod
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
Submit your ideas for the pod! - https://www.bluestarinc.com/us-en/landing-pages/podcast-topics.html
Sponsored by:
Zebra Tablet Portfolio
Thursday Sep 01, 2022
Thursday Sep 01, 2022
“Smart cities” has been a popular concept for most of the 21st century and yet, very few cities can make the claim that they’ve achieved the status. Few experts will even agree on what it means and many smart city projects have hit dead ends due to costs, privacy issues, and challenges related to scope. Thankfully, Advantech’s Charlie Wu returned to the show and help us break down where cities can start to get "smart," first by explaining the difference between machine vision & learning. How will future cities manage traffic and autonomous vehicles? How about resource management like sewage, water, and parking? Finally, we dig into the public safety angle and the privacy issues that come with it.
#VARValue - For VARs that aren’t certain where they fit in the smart city discussion, who should they be talking to and what should they be keeping an eye on?
Scrapped Toronto Smart City Article
TEConnecting with us:
Dean - How much radiation does your smartphone emit?
Charlie - Not watching as much TV
John - The odds of dying by space junk
Talk to us!
Twitter - @TEConnectPod
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
Submit your topic ideas and get a FREE t-shirt! https://www.bluestarinc.com/us-en/landing-pages/podcast-topics.html
Sponsored by:
Thursday Aug 25, 2022
Thursday Aug 25, 2022
In the summer of 2021, a survey of retail apparel executives’ biggest challenges found that 48% said out of stocks and 42% said unclear inventory. Supply chain woes obviously contributed to that, but another issue is the continued reliance on barcodes for inventory counts, especially at the bulk level. This week, SML Group’s CTO & SVP of RFID Solutions, Dean Frew, is on the pod to explain the necessity for retailers to start tracking inventory down to individual items using RFID. What is BOPIS 2.0? How does RFID tagging improve customer experience? How are retailers rethinking distribution and manufacturing?
#VARValue - Is item-level RFID right for all types of retail? Where does it make the most sense?
SML's State of Retail Reports:
TEConnecting with us:
Dean F - Battery-powered snowblower
Dean R - Russia departing the ISS
John - Fossil fuel emissions are messing up carbon dating
Talk to us!
Twitter - @TEConnectPod
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
Submit your ideas for the pod - https://www.bluestarinc.com/us-en/landing-pages/podcast-topics.html
Sponsored by:
Zebra RFID Portfolio
Thursday Aug 18, 2022
Thursday Aug 18, 2022
Once again, we’re giving you some insights into the thoughts, pain points, and needs of YOUR customers. This time, it’s a survey we did with warehouse managers, looking to uncover their biggest technology challenges. Some of the answers were what you would expect, some were surprising, and we’re going to break it all down for you.
Questions asked:
- Which of the following is the biggest problem area in your warehouse?
- What is the #1 tech-related issue in your warehouse?
- If money wasn’t an issue, what new tech would you most like to implement or upgrade?
Opportunities for VARs and ISVs include training, recurring revenue, data capture, and networking.
#VARValue - What would you as a VAR do with this info?
TEConnecting with us:
Dean - China's "surveillance" garden
John - TEC beef with modern refrigerators
Talk to us!
Twitter - @TEConnectPod
Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com
Send us your survey suggestions: https://www.bluestarinc.com/us-en/landing-pages/podcast-topics.html
Sponsored by:
Elo Edge Connect