Every Monday morning at 7:10 am, I am a guest contributor on CHOM 97.7 FM radio out of Montreal (home base). It’s not a long segment – about 10 minutes every week – about everything that is happening in the world of technology and digital media. The good folks at CHOM 97.7 FM are posting these segments weekly on i Heart Radio, if you’re interested in hearing more of me blathering away about what’s going on in the digital world. I’m really excited about this opportunity, because this is the radio station that I grew up listening to, and it really is a fun treat to be invited to the Mornings Rock with Terry DiMonte morning show. The segment is called, CTRL ALT Delete with Mitch Joel.

This week we discussed: 

• We discussed Facebook‘s big developer conference (F8) the other week. Last week, Google held their own (called I/O 2018). One video that is making the rounds was their Google Assistant making a live phone call to book a hair appointment. Yes, the computer called a salon, spoke to the receptionist and managed to book a reservation. Now, comes the opportunity and challenges. Including, should a voice-automated digital assistant have to tell the person they’re calling that it’s not a human. And, of course, how much worse will telemarketing get! Watch it all right here.
• Speaking of Google Assistant, Volvo (and some other cars) will soon come with Google built into it. Volvo announced that they are working with Google to embed Google’s voice agent Google Assistant, Google Play Store, Google Maps and other Google services into its coming Sensus infotainment system, based on Google’s Android operating system. This will create a dramatic shift in how we drive and, more importantly, what we listen to. 
• A long ways back… long before cryptocurrency were all the rage, I had written an article about why Facebook should build and govern their own currency (read it here… it’s from 2011). Now, because of blockchain and the rise of cryptocurrencies, maybe this is an idea whose time has come? Online publisher, Cheddar, broke the news that Facebook is, indeed, working on their cryptocurrency. Imagine the possibilities. Facebucks, anyone? 
• App of the Week: Peanut – meet as mamas, connect as women.