Ken C. Pohlmann

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Cassettes Are Not Making A Comeback
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Aug 21, 2018  |  3 comments
You might have seen the clickbait headlines: “CASSETTES JOIN VINYL IN DRAMATIC COMEBACK.” Don’t believe the hype. It just ain’t happening.
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"Unstoppable" Force, Meet Immovable Object
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Aug 14, 2018  |  1 comments
Look at you! All sleek and cool, speeding down the road! A beautiful sunny day! Nothing can hold you back now! You are unstoppable!

Then you hit the wall. A brick wall. No, better yet, a massive Machu Picchu-style wall. An immovable wall. Then you remember — you forgot to put "unstoppable" in quotes.

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Best Buy is Back, Baby
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jul 17, 2018  |  6 comments
Amazon will rule the world. Bricks-and-mortar is ancient history. Shop on your phone, click the button, and the drone will drop off your new TV within the hour. Right? Well, maybe. But apparently Best Buy didn't get that memo. The company has come roaring back.

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Discrete-Channel Surround Music: The Dog That Won't Hunt
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jul 03, 2018  |  22 comments
There are things we know to be true. Sometimes we don't want to admit they are true. Sometimes we just don't get around to admitting them and instead carry them around as unspoken truths. But when I read the Grace Notes blog yesterday, a truth dawned on me, and now I'm ready to admit it.

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We Are Miserable, Slothful Creatures. Can Technology Save Us From Ourselves?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jun 19, 2018  |  8 comments
With all due respect to sloths (arboreal mammals that hang upside down from trees) we (humans) are total sloths (ie. reluctant to work or make an effort; lazy). To prove my point, your Honor, I submit Exhibit A, those red Netflix mail-in envelopes.

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How to Stop Alexa from Ratting You Out to the FBI
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jun 05, 2018  |  6 comments
You probably saw the news story last week. Unbeknownst to them, a couple's Alexa Echo recorded their conversation, then emailed it to someone in their contact list. Creepy. Here's how you can determine what Alexa has recorded in your house, and edit the archive and delete files.

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The Yanny and Laurel Mind Games
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  May 22, 2018  |  4 comments
It was an internet sensation, that's for sure. And a real head-scratcher, too. People listened to the same audio clip, and heard two completely different words. Much like the black/blue-white/gold dress craze that visually swept the internet three years ago, yanny/laurel did the same thing, but aurally.

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Why Are Music Album Sales Tanking?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  May 15, 2018  |  5 comments
"I live my life a quarter mile at a time."

Who uttered that famous declaration? Was it: a) Confucius, b) Friedrich Nietzsche, c) Vin Diesel, d) Dominic Toretto? Of course, that is a trick question because both “c” and “d” are correct. The movie was The Fast and the Furious , a cinematic masterpiece about street racing and skid marks.

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Alexa, What is a Beemer?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  May 08, 2018  |  7 comments
My 1961 BMW R50/2 motorcycle is a Beemer. On the other hand, the 4-wheeled vehicle you drive with a blue-and-white roundel on the hood is a Bimmer. Now that she's in bed with BMW, Alexa needs to brush up on her nomenclature.

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Smart Speakers and ‘The Art of War’
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Apr 25, 2018  |  0 comments
Sun Tzu was a Chinese general and military theorist living in the 6th century B.C. He was the author of The Art of War, a treatise on military strategy and tactics. In addition to its profound military importance, his work has influenced many other competitive enterprises. I imagine that business executives are studying Sun Tzu right now, as they plan for one of the greatest corporate wars of all time.
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