James Barber

The Source of Inspiration In the latest issue of Mobile Electronics, industry professionals share stories of those who’ve inspired them most throughout their careers. Whether it’s guidance from a mentor or learning from peers, these stories remind us that success often comes from collaboration and support. Take Dalton Trainer, for example, who speaks about how his boss and mother, Kimberly Trainer, played a pivotal role in shaping his skills. For others like Ben Freeman, the influence came from observing the meticulous work of experts like Gary Bell, Matt Schaeffer, and more, pushing him to refine his craft. As Mike Hungerford puts it, inspiration comes from knowledge-sharing platforms like the Retail Leaders and Sales Pro calls, where experts come together to learn and grow. Dive into these stories and more by checking out the August/September 2024 issue of Mobile Electronics by commenting MAGAZINE below! Gain insights, get inspired, and be part of the community that drives innovation in mobile electronics. #KnowledgeFest #MobileElectronics #IndustryLeaders #Inspiration #Craftsmanship #Mentorship #LearningJourney #Innovation

4

I've missed the past couple From the Heart Friday posts... Truth be told, I've been a little down lately- nothing serious, just the natural ebbs and flows of life. So I took a break from posting until I could firmly reconnect with, and speak from, the heart. These posts aren't fake or performative! Thankfully, through years of practicing meditation, I've built a tool chest for times like these. Going through low periods can be quite difficult, especially without ways to lift yourself up! So for today's From the Heart Friday, I want to share one of my go-to practices for raising my spirit when I'm feeling down. --- Story Time... Trying to meditate with two young kids and a needy dog can be a challenge. One morning I woke up early for some quiet time before the kids get up. Naturally, my 4 y/o daughter woke up earlier than usual. Somehow I didn't hear her come in my room, but I suddenly feel someone breathing on my face in the middle of my meditation. I open my eyes and she grabs my cheeks with her hands, nose to nose with me, starts bobbing her head side to side singing "Doo doo doo doo." For a moment, I was annoyed at the interruption. But her cuteness quickly overpowered my negativity and we started laughing hysterically. I get butterflies thinking about that moment. And any parent knows, once you laugh at a behavior, it becomes a routine. It's become a semi-regular game of cat-and-mouse when she catches me with my eyes closed. --- The Practice... When I'm feeling down or disconnected, I visualize my daughter's hands on my cheeks, I "hear" her giggles. I feel the butterflies swirling in my stomach and chest. I try to hold that feeling in my body for as long as I can, with as much intensity as I can muster. Joy becomes a feeling I can generate from the inside out. The love fills my body, and when it drains it carries with it some of the muck that I've allowed to build up. When I spend 5 minutes doing this I can clean out enough of the stress/anxiety/negativity to a point where it's quite manageable. Take a few minutes to come up with your go-to moments that give you butterflies (and share them with me if you feel so inclined!) Happy Friday 💛

17

4 Comments

Went through this process a while back for my house which was built in ‘69. One of the more concerning points was the myriad of mismatched breakers - I suspect not uncommon in older homes. Love my emporia even though it makes the panel a bit chaotic/messy. When it comes to electrification, I really wish there was more thought going into monitoring or even utility meter historical analysis to find whether there is panel capacity for electrification. My experience is most contractors will look at the panel, assume what are fairly dated coincident factors (perhaps in some cases because they have to) and then determine whether you can get a heatpump/back up strip, level 2 charger etc. Service level upgrades are deal killers for contractors and homeowners, and electric panel replacements, albeit generously (or mistakenly) funded by the IRA are oftentimes simply not needed - and it can be shown with data that already exists.

1

I'm speaking at RAPID + TCT this June on behalf of Formlabs with Jonathon McDaniels at Figure Engineering and would love offer you a free Expo Pass, and 20% off Conference Passes, as my guest! For anyone interested in #modernization of #aircraft #maintenance, #repair, #overhaul, via #3dprinting, both for commercial and defense, this is a must-attend event. We will share a completely unique #additivemanufacturing material that will transform an industrial #masking workflow by replacing slow, laborious, tedious, wasteful, and hazardous traditional methods. https://lnkd.in/ewuWWdsu

27

2 Comments

The 5th episode of my podcast with Seth Hillbrand is now available on YouTube and Spotify. We discuss the world of open-source hardware, the role of #KiCad in advancing the field, and how KiCad is paving the way for more efficient, accessible #PCB design and component management. I hope you enjoy it! https://lnkd.in/gGQ4Pj_v

23

Fun collaboration alert! Martha Stewart and SmartThings teamed up to show you how SmartThings can make your home smarter and simplify daily chores. With SmartThings, you can control all your appliances and smart home devices with ease. "It's a SmartThing." #smarthome #SmartThings #DoTheSmartThings

55

5 Comments

It was an honor to be invited on this podcast! Let me know what you think of it! #Innovation Design #Experience Design

78

4 Comments

Assisted sales are vital in the #CE market, especially with Circana's projected declines. Educating #consumers on ultra-large TVs, AI PCs, and tablets enhances understanding and boosts confidence. Personalized interactions increase conversion rates, highlight deals, and build trust, ensuring consumers see value beyond just the price. Mosaic North America is here to help you and your brands! #CESales #CustomerExperience #technology #markets #advertisingandmarketing #branding

26

The start of a new chapter for OvrC and Control4 now part of Resideo https://lnkd.in/eYBrjsjG

84

2 Comments

100 x 1-minute conversations vs 1 x 100-minute conversation. 🤔 I heard this comparison today in the context of parenting and helping my kids make better choices. I was reminded that having many quick conversations repeated over a long period will be way more effective than trying to force new concepts into their brains en masse. Will definitely be thinking about this at work. Too easily we fall into the trap of thinking 1 x 60 minute meeting is the prescription for fixing something that's broken. Realistically, there are certain things that teams and customers simply need to hear over and over in small doses. It takes patience. But it's often a more fruitful path forward.

7

3 Comments

Procrastination often feels easier in the moment, but it can lead to last-minute stress and overlooked details. Tackling the tough tasks first—whether it’s today’s work or a monthly goal—sets us up for success. Let’s commit to addressing challenges early, so we have the time to solve them right. Your future self will thank you for the proactive approach! #MotivationMonday #Procrastination #Productivity #Leadership

5

It’s Monday, and my Monday Morning Message (MMM) is about the impact of the often overlooked, minor support issues and tickets. These are the paper cuts or broken windows of a product that can lead to customer dissatisfaction and churn, or just customer malaise. We all focus on the major coding errors and bugs, but often we ignore the daily insults of minor support inquiries. However, the difference between a delighted customer (NPS 9 or 10), and a satisfied customer (NPS 7 or 8), is often determined by the paper cuts. Sweat the small stuff. Give it a read and let me know what you think. While you are there, check out my earlier MMM posts. https://lnkd.in/ekqZDjDU

4

4 Comments

I'm biased but 8.9 will be a tremendous release for us, and we barely scratched the surface in terms of feature demonstrations at CEDIA 2024. Top Level 8.9 Features include: - New SC150/SC350 controllers and ITP2 8"/12" support - New Themes: Modern User Interface that turned a lot of heads at CEDIA - Nice Voice: A native, natural language voice assistant - Personalization v3: Your experience follows you to most any viewer - Floorplan: Scan property in minutes, display 3D model with control subsystems mapped on and in the structure, for instant status and control - Action Events: Stateful notifications that include ability to take action from the notification without need to launch Viewer app. - Mobile Device Manager: Easy management of the mobile devices connecting to a controller, including guest access - New Drivers: Yubii Home, AppleTV, Roku, Sonos, ELK E27, Solar: Tesla Powerwall and Fronius Inverter, Phillips Hue (update), Heos (update), CoolMaster (update), Clipsal (update), Pentair (update) and Netgear (update). - And many, many UX enhancements to make 8.9 easier to configure and manage, and for end users to interact with. I say this every year–because it's true every year–but this is the largest core release we've ever done. And reaction to 8.9 at CEDIA and in our Beta program has been fantastic. Get ready for this October 2024 release.

61

2 Comments

If you could add an entire month to your year, so you had 13 months while your competition only had 12, how big an advantage could you gain? Here's something crazy I realized a couple of weeks ago... I could set my alarm clock for one hour earlier. For me, this was 5:30am instead of 6:30am. I do this five days a week. That's five extra hours a week. Doesn't sound all that significant. Until you start to do the math. 5 hours a week is 20 hours a month. That means every two months, I've "found" an extra 40-hour workweek. Go a step further. 20 hours a month is 240 hours a year. That's six 40-hour work weeks in a year! So by consistently getting up 1 hour earlier just five days a week, I just increased my "working year" not just by a month, but actually by a month and a half. That's wild. I've been using this time to do the kind of creative work I love most. My passion projects. Sometimes, the alarm goes off and I bounce right out of bed. Other days, it's much harder. That's when I remind myself about the scale of the advantage I'm gaining simply by consistently taking this small action of getting up one hour earlier.

17

2 Comments

Powerful Toucan Floodlight Security Camera helps stop car thief when the owner forgot to close the car door.

9