:focus state - a show about tech and creativity.

This episode, Ryan and Mark talk all about Apples WWDC 2019 keynote, run down why WatchOS still doesn't feel all the way there. Ryan's excitement for the new privacy features like 'only once' location sharing, Sign in with Apple, and Unknown calls to voicemail while Mark is excited for Homekit and iPad. We talk the new bigger, cheese grat-ier Mac Pro, theories on the insane $999 Pro Display Stand and more!

In this episode, we talk our experience eating Impossible burgers. Mark's commitment to eliminating meat and the future of bio-created and plant based meat.

Privacy in Tech, GDPR, and consumer data rights

The Challenge is finally over and was a success! We break down the biggest takeaways, some stats and numbers, and talk what it means to focus in on a big challenge.

Ryan just may pick up the Pixel 3a. We talk the state of Googles products, where Apple's upcoming services is juxtaposed to Microsoft's Enterprise play and how the future of tech software doesn't always look like it's feature rich, but the experience becomes better and better.

We're getting past the 2/3 point of the 50 Books in 30 Challenges and discuss the big takeaways and the inspiration that's been coming from taking this challenge.

In this episode, we say RIP to Google Inbox and talk about the many apps and services that tech companies kill off.

In this episode of :focus state, we talk Electric Vehicles, the if all cars should be required to be electric off the line in the next few years, are fully autonomous Uber fleets up and coming and more. 

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In this Episode we are breaking down the Apple event, going through Apple's new gaming membership and the rest of their news, video and TV products. 

This episode I'm at 21 books in 13 days, but work life gets busy. We talk the challenges and what the second half of this challenge looks like. We also talk the platforms I'm reading on, mostly the Kindle app on iPad and talking Mark's new e-ink reader tablet.

The first 25 books being read:

Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People by Vanessa Van Edwards

Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek

How to Be Interesting (in 10 Simple steps) by Jessica Hagy

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely

Smarter Faster Better: The transformative power of real productivity

-- 5

Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Amy Wallace and Edwin Catmull

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

"It Always Seems Impossible Until It's Done.": Motivation for Dreamers & Doers by Kathryn Petras and Ross Petras

#AskGaryVee: One Entrepreneur's Take on Leadership, Social Media, and Self-Awareness by Gary Vaynerchuk

Rework by David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried

-- 10

Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Will It Fly?: How to Test Your Next Business Idea So You Don't Waste Your Time and Money by Pat Flynn

The Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason

The Irresistible Introvert: Harness the Power of Quiet Charisma in a Loud World by Michaela Chung

Unshakeable: Your Financial Freedom Playbook by Peter Mallouk and Tony Robbins

-- 15

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Nell Scovell and Sheryl Sandberg

how to win friends and influence people in the digital age

13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do

Extreme Productivity: Boost Your Results, Reduce Your Hours by Robert Pozen

What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles

-- 20

Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy 

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig

Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown

When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel H. Pink

-- 25

Mark is prepping to go fully solar at his house. We talk the rational, how many panels, the costs and challenges in doing so and what the practicality of going mostly solar is for his future.

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We deep dive into the books Ryan's read over the first part of his Challenge.

The first five books are:

Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People by Vanessa Van Edwards
Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
How to Be Interesting: (In 10 Simple Steps) by Jessica Hagy
Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely
Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity by Charles Duhigg

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This is the start of a 30 day challenge that Ryan is attempting: to read 50 self-help and productivity books in 30 days. In this Bonus episode (really the part of the last challenge that ran way long) we discuss why this is important, what Ryan's goal through all of this really is and how :focus state can play an important part during the challenge and after.

Ryan watches Star Trek: TNG (and a new Episode of Discovery) as Mark watches Twin Peaks. Our thoughts on how those shows hold up and what has changed in the last 20 to 30 years.

Twin Peaks Episodes: "Pilot", "Traces to Nowhere", "Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer"

Star Trek Episodes: The Next Generation -- s2e9 "The Measure of a Man", s5e17 "The Outcast", s6e15 "Tapestry", Discovery : s2e2 "New Eden".

What viable alternatives are there to Creative Cloud.

Is the Subscription model something more people will draw away from? Apps like Sketch replaced a lot of Web mocks done on Adobe Illustrator, but not much else has come since.

Our next Challenge is for each of us to visit and watch parts of the other's favorite classic shows, Star Trek TNG and Twin Peaks

“The failing” New York Times

What are these newspapers that end up in my front lawn?

Online newspapers? ($2/week but charge $8?)

What newspapers did we choose?

Where do you find a newspaper?

Have you ever bought one before?

In this episode of :focus state, we try our hand at meditating and discuss what enlightened nirvana we found along the way. We go back through some of the apps we used in the past and how they hold up.

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Watch: Fyre Festival Docs - Fyre: The Greatest Party that Never Happened on Netflix and Fyre Fraud on Hulu

We discuss some of the unique ways we use Trello, how Ryan's yearly goals are tracked using Trello and other alternatives to to-do lists and calendars.

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In our first challenge episode, we start by taking FiveThirtyEight's new "data backed" Personality Quiz "that doesn't suck": https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/personality-quiz/

Our Next Challenge is to watch the new Fyre Festival docs on Netflix and Hulu

In our very first episode, we talk about our thoughts on tech podcasts and what we want to see out of a new show. We talk Mark's experience with his Tesla, our phones and what the format of the show will look like.