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625: Surviving the Unthinkable: Adam Burg's Personal Account of California's Eaton Fire

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In this episode of Command Control Power, hosts welcome Adam Burg of CALSO Technologies to share his harrowing experience with the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California. Adam recounts the events leading up to the evacuation of his family, the destruction of their home, and their subsequent journey to recovery. He highlights the overwhelming support from the community, the importance of preparedness, and offers advice for ensuring business continuity in the face of natural disasters. The episode provides a detailed and emotional account of resilience and the power of community.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-burg-family-after-the-eaton-fire-in-altadena

 

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:23 Adam's Tragic Experience in LA

01:22 Evacuation and Immediate Aftermath

03:10 Community Support and Personal Reflections

04:14 The Fire's Impact on Daily Life

05:07 Realization of the Fire's Severity

06:32 Evacuation Orders and Family Preparations

08:25 The Night of the Evacuation

10:27 Returning to the Devastation

18:58 Cleanup and Recovery Efforts

30:20 Architectural Heritage and Rebuilding

31:45 Life at the Hotel: Initial Experiences

32:56 Community and Support Among Families

34:26 Interactions with Firefighters

35:36 Challenges of Hotel Living

36:43 Emotional Impact on the Family

38:01 Reflections on Community and Support

39:28 Environmental Refugees and Climate Change

41:34 Insurance and Preparedness

47:10 Rebuilding and Client Support

55:00 Lessons Learned and Final Thoughts

Meet the community trying to save Altadena’s history after the L.A. fires

624: Tech Takes: The Struggles with AI and Accounting Software

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Cirrus Partners

In this episode of Command Control Power, the hosts discuss their long-standing production schedule and reliance on listener support through Patreon. They share humorous anecdotes and frustrations about everyday tech issues, such as fixing client problems and dealing with insufficient AI-generated messages. The conversation delves into the ever-increasing costs of essential services like QuickBooks and the challenges of using AI tools like ChatGPT for tasks ranging from contract creation to tech support. They also touch on broader issues involving monopolistic behaviors of tech giants and the impact of poor customer service on consumers.

00:00 Introduction and Support Request

00:28 Prom Date Analogy

00:54 Safari Issue and Client Gratitude

01:53 AI Summaries and Notifications

05:04 Apple Intelligence Rant

05:12 Google Assist Anecdote

06:47 Voice Dictation Errors

10:38 AI Contract Creation

12:43 Challenges with AI Refinement

21:20 AI in Daily Tasks

24:14 The Importance of Note Taking

24:53 AI in Coding and App Development

25:51 Gardening with AI Assistance

29:09 QuickBooks Pricing and Features

36:43 Challenges with Tech Support and Monopolies

46:54 AI's Potential and Limitations

48:22 Conclusion and Support

620: From Rooftops in Spain to QuickBooks User Pains

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Cirrus Partners

In this episode of Command Control Power, the hosts discuss recent events including a vacation and the ACEs conference. They dive into a detailed troubleshooting story involving QuickBooks server issues and explore the challenges associated with setting up Windows PCs and QuickBooks for clients. Additional topics include managing one password admin access for clients and a debate over using cases for Macs. The episode also highlights the 10th anniversary of the Mac Admins community and offers useful insights for managed service providers.

00:00 Introduction and Greetings

00:08 Vacation Recap: London and Spain

01:11 The Sunday Roast Experience

01:52 Yorkshire Pudding and British Cuisine

03:50 Party in Spain: Music, Conversations, and More

08:50 Back to Work: QuickBooks Troubles

28:46 QuickBooks Desktop vs. Online: The Cost Debate

29:11 Client's PC Purchase and Windows Upgrade Issues

30:12 Navigating Windows Setup and Software Challenges

31:00 Billing and Discounted Rates Discussion

33:00 Two-Factor Authentication Troubleshooting

35:11 One Password Support and Admin Access

47:10 Mac Admins Community and Personal Anecdotes

49:50 Client Device Trade-In and Repair Issues

51:58 Case or No Case: Protecting Your Devices

Thank you to our Patreon Sponsors!

619: Mac Misfires, Backblaze Blues, and the Cost of Bad Support

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In this episode, the hosts of Command Control Power discuss their personal lives and tech experiences, including outdoor activities and everyday tech issues. They delve into a peculiar issue one encountered with a MacBook Pro during an update, which turned out to be related to Dell Display Manager. The conversation also covers Backblaze backup anomalies, Apple's migration assistant quirks, and problematic customer service interactions with vendors like Microsoft and RingCentral. To wrap up, the team reflects on the importance of considering user behavior in quality assurance for tech products and services.

00:00 Introduction and Catching Up

00:54 Unexpected MacBook Pro Issue

03:33 Dell Display Manager Mystery

05:27 Annoying Software Bugs

08:48 Client Troubleshooting Story

17:55 Apple Watch Repair Misunderstanding

23:48 Backblaze Exclusions and Concerns

25:13 MacBook Air Story and Backup Issues

26:32 Backblaze Deduplication and Support

28:15 Trust Issues with Backblaze

30:48 Considering Alternative Backup Solutions

33:53 Client Concerns and Backup Costs

41:48 RingCentral and Phone Services

49:39 Quality Assurance in Tech

52:18 Concluding Thoughts and Listener Invitation