Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: On this month's episode of the Local Clique, we welcome Amy Harmon with Modern Revival in Watertown as well as Sasha Patterson, customer experience representative with dtc. Justin is here with lots of information and fun things and we'll also talk about some things going on in August. So stay tuned. Learn more about fun local events and interesting people throughout the heart of Middle Tennessee.
[00:00:21] Speaker B: With a dash of everyday tech talk
[00:00:24] Speaker A: thrown in for good measure.
[00:00:25] Speaker B: The Local Click starts now.
[00:00:29] Speaker A: Welcome to the Local Clique. The Local Clique is the technology based podcast brought to you by DTC Communications each and every month where we talk all things technology and local people.
And with me as always, Mr. Justin Malden, my co host in this great fun adventure we like to call the Local Click podcast. How are you doing today, Justin?
[00:00:50] Speaker B: I am doing swell. I cannot complain.
[00:00:54] Speaker A: I like to hear that.
[00:00:55] Speaker B: It wouldn't do any good.
[00:00:56] Speaker A: No, nobody wants to hear the complaining anyway, so I think you're right on target there. So you ready for August? Cuz it's here.
[00:01:02] Speaker B: Listen, I have thoroughly enjoyed July. We got to celebrate 250 years.
[00:01:08] Speaker A: Pretty awesome.
[00:01:09] Speaker B: So it was a good month in July. There's a lot of things that happen in, in July.
You and I spend a lot of time together over July 4th weekend every year.
[00:01:21] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:01:21] Speaker B: We. We get to spend a lot of time together and the Smithville Fiddlers Jamboree. Then, then it's. Then it's busy. I. I took a week off from dtc but I wasn't any less busy while from dtc. So it's a good time. It's been hot, it's been warm heading into August. But you know something that's on the horizon maybe that we'll see.
[00:01:41] Speaker A: What's that?
[00:01:42] Speaker B: They may made daylight savings time permanent.
[00:01:44] Speaker A: There's a lot of talk about that right now. That's true.
[00:01:47] Speaker B: It's. I mean it's. It's passed. It's passed one house of the legislature federally in Congress. So it may pass, it may pass the other.
[00:01:56] Speaker A: It could happen.
[00:01:57] Speaker C: That's.
[00:01:57] Speaker B: That's going to be interesting. I don't like, I don't like falling back and springing forward. I'm not a fan of it.
[00:02:04] Speaker A: Yeah, well this, this could be right up your alley then. Closer now probably than it. Than it has been in quite some time. So we'll see how it all plays out.
[00:02:11] Speaker B: But one thing that it will throw off.
[00:02:14] Speaker A: What's that?
[00:02:14] Speaker B: Do you know when I change my batteries and my smoke detectors?
[00:02:17] Speaker A: Yeah, I do.
[00:02:19] Speaker B: When the time changes. Yeah, it's always the reminder for when the time changes. Even though mine are hardwired and probably don't need to be changed every time the time changes. But that's when I do it. Just because that's the good. That's a good reminder. Well, I'm gonna have to have another reminder.
[00:02:32] Speaker A: They'll have. We'll have to have some kind of reminder campaign about that.
[00:02:34] Speaker B: We need to. We need to come out with a new campaign for when to do it.
[00:02:38] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:02:39] Speaker B: To help people remember. You work on that.
[00:02:41] Speaker A: I'll get right on that. That'd be my very next thing. As soon as this shows your creative
[00:02:46] Speaker B: genius to come up with the perfect genius marketing campaign for changing out batteries in smoke tank.
[00:02:53] Speaker A: Well, you set the bar so high. Now I have to.
[00:02:57] Speaker B: You can do it.
[00:02:57] Speaker A: I'll see what I can do.
[00:02:58] Speaker B: You can do it. I look forward to next month there being a segment with your marketing campaign.
[00:03:04] Speaker A: Okay. Look for it on the app Store. It'll be there. Yeah. Speaking of App Store, that's kind of one of the things I wanted to ask you about today. I was kind of thinking earlier about everything we do. It seems like there's an app for it, right. Whether you're an Apple user or Google user. And I got to thinking, well, what is. What are the most popular apps on these app stores? And I wanted to ask you your opinion to see if you could guess
[00:03:28] Speaker C: a few of them.
[00:03:29] Speaker D: Chrome.
[00:03:30] Speaker A: Chrome. Well, for the Google Play Store, it is the number one downloaded app. You are right. Congratulations.
[00:03:36] Speaker B: Bam.
[00:03:37] Speaker A: What's next in Chrome?
On the Google Play Store, it's another Google item.
[00:03:44] Speaker B: Google Music?
[00:03:45] Speaker A: Nope.
[00:03:45] Speaker B: Podcast messages.
[00:03:48] Speaker A: Google Message.
[00:03:48] Speaker B: Why do they have to have a separate message?
[00:03:50] Speaker A: I don't know.
[00:03:51] Speaker B: Android already have a message.
[00:03:52] Speaker A: I don't know.
[00:03:53] Speaker B: But I'm not, I'm not an Android guy. So I, I don't know this.
[00:03:57] Speaker A: But third is just Google.
That is an app, the search app. So you know what 4th and 5th might be?
They're not Google.
[00:04:06] Speaker B: TikTok.
[00:04:08] Speaker A: No.
[00:04:08] Speaker B: Facebook.
[00:04:09] Speaker A: Facebook. Facebook is four and no. You were close. But what's another thing that owned by Google Instant.
[00:04:17] Speaker B: Gemini.
[00:04:19] Speaker A: Think about where people spend a lot of time watching things.
[00:04:23] Speaker B: YouTube.
[00:04:23] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:04:24] Speaker B: Gotta be YouTube.
[00:04:25] Speaker A: That's exactly right. Yeah, that was number five. Now when it comes to the Apple App Store, it's a little different. These are because some of these items already included in the iOS system.
[00:04:34] Speaker B: So I was gonna say. So this includes built in apps, so.
[00:04:37] Speaker A: Well, you don't. These are apps that you don't. You don't have to download the message app on an iPhone because it's already there. So these will all be non Apple apps. But what do you think the top five on YouTube?
It's number four.
[00:04:51] Speaker B: It is in Instagram.
[00:04:53] Speaker A: Number five.
[00:04:53] Speaker B: Facebook?
[00:04:55] Speaker A: Nope.
[00:04:56] Speaker B: Tick tock.
[00:04:57] Speaker A: Number two.
[00:04:58] Speaker D: Yep.
[00:04:58] Speaker A: Way up there. You got two more. What's number one? And what's number three?
[00:05:03] Speaker B: Google Maps.
[00:05:04] Speaker A: Nope.
Something AI related is number one.
[00:05:08] Speaker E: Chad.
[00:05:09] Speaker B: GPT.
[00:05:09] Speaker A: Yeah.
And number three? You will never guess.
[00:05:14] Speaker B: Don't say never. Now let's.
[00:05:16] Speaker A: I don't think you'll guess. I'll just put it that way.
[00:05:18] Speaker B: Is it a game?
[00:05:19] Speaker A: No.
[00:05:20] Speaker B: Is it a productivity app?
[00:05:22] Speaker A: It is a financial app.
[00:05:23] Speaker B: Credit Karma?
[00:05:25] Speaker E: Nope.
[00:05:26] Speaker B: Acorns?
[00:05:27] Speaker A: Nope. Who's one of the the largest credit card suppliers in America?
[00:05:31] Speaker B: Probably Capital One.
[00:05:34] Speaker A: That's it.
Capital One Mobile. Believe it or not, that's the number three most downloaded app or popular app, I should say, for the Apple App Store. Would you have thought that that's very interesting? I would not have.
[00:05:45] Speaker B: No. Fun fact, though.
[00:05:46] Speaker A: What's up?
[00:05:47] Speaker B: Capital One was the very first credit card I ever had.
[00:05:49] Speaker A: Really?
[00:05:50] Speaker B: When I turned 18 years old, it was a secured credit card.
I believe I had a. I thought I was great. My $250 credit limit.
[00:05:59] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. Yeah.
[00:06:01] Speaker B: I put a tank of gas on it a month and paid off just to build credit.
[00:06:05] Speaker A: I think I got my first credit card in college at one of those little tables where they're giving out free T shirts.
[00:06:12] Speaker B: Not allowed to do that anymore.
[00:06:13] Speaker A: Yeah, I don't think so.
[00:06:14] Speaker B: My wife got her first credit card, I think for pizza.
[00:06:17] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:06:18] Speaker B: I think she signed up for a credit card on her college.
[00:06:22] Speaker A: It was bribery in a way, was it not? Yeah.
[00:06:24] Speaker B: You are not allowed to do that anymore.
That is a prohibited action.
[00:06:28] Speaker A: Right.
[00:06:28] Speaker B: Considered a predatory practice.
[00:06:30] Speaker A: It's probably a good thing they don't do that anymore. It was.
[00:06:32] Speaker B: Speaking of apps, did I tell you that I helped make an app?
[00:06:36] Speaker A: No, you did not.
[00:06:37] Speaker B: Tell you this.
[00:06:37] Speaker A: I don't think I've ever heard this story.
[00:06:39] Speaker B: So we designed an app when I took that week off from dtc.
[00:06:43] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:06:44] Speaker B: It was to go to church camp.
[00:06:45] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:06:45] Speaker B: And we had done a web page last year to check campers in and out, keep track of them. We made our own app this year. It's called Camp Tracker. It's in the App Store. You can go look for it right now.
It is published in the App Store.
[00:06:59] Speaker A: That's pretty neat. And you've never done that before?
[00:07:01] Speaker B: No, I have never done that. Now, I was not the it took other brains, other than these brains to make this happen.
And I had a good friend named Blake who helped make that happen. But we, we made it and it's published on the App Store. It's free.
[00:07:16] Speaker A: That's impressive.
[00:07:17] Speaker B: But we did it because that way it made it easier to distribute it to people if we needed people to log in and join.
It was simple.
[00:07:25] Speaker A: Well, I'm going to check this list in a year and see if you show up.
[00:07:28] Speaker B: I was going to say, I think maybe within a year we can probably be within the top million apps on the App Store.
[00:07:36] Speaker A: I think it's reasonable.
[00:07:37] Speaker B: I think we have the ability to do that.
[00:07:39] Speaker A: Yeah.
Well, it's going to be a fun show, as it always is each and every month here on the local Click. Coming up in a little bit, we speak to one of our fellow DTC employees. Employees.
She's a customer favorite as far as helping people when they come in the store and need to sign up for service or they have problems or things like that. We hear a lot of good things about her. And that's Ms. Sasha Patterson. She's a customer experience representative at DTC. But first, we're going to go down the boutique road, if you will, a little shop in Watertown called Modern Revival. And she does a great job running that shop. And that's Ms. Amy Harmon. She's coming up next.
We're very lucky to have Ms. Amy Harmon, the owner of Modern Revival in Watertown. Hello, Amy. How are you doing today?
[00:08:24] Speaker F: I'm doing great. How are you?
[00:08:25] Speaker A: I'm doing awesome. It's so great to have you on the, on the program. We love all of our Watertown guests that we have on the show.
[00:08:31] Speaker F: Thank you. Thank you. It's good to be here.
[00:08:32] Speaker A: That that place is just growing by leaps and bounds. Am I right in what I'm observing just by driving around, it is.
[00:08:40] Speaker F: It's growing, it's thriving. We've got a lot of new restaurants, a lot of new shops. It's really. It's got that small town, local feel.
[00:08:48] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:08:49] Speaker F: It's charming little place.
[00:08:51] Speaker A: I think that's what sets it apart in a lot of ways. It's. It's growing, but yet it still feels like home.
[00:08:55] Speaker F: Exactly.
[00:08:56] Speaker A: Talking about Watertown, what led you to Watertown and what made you realize that that was the right place for Modern Revival?
[00:09:04] Speaker F: My husband and I been married 18 years, and 12 of those, we've lived in Wilson County. Okay, we love it.
But Watertown felt like home. We felt drawn to the town. It felt Similar to East Tennessee, where we're both from.
[00:09:19] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:09:19] Speaker F: The small town, the school systems, you know, everything there was about it. So six years ago, we moved to Watertown, and then two years ago, we brought in Modern Revival. The store. It brings a place where you can come and shop local for. For local products. It has plants and gifts and vintage and things like that. But it's also a place where you can just find community. We do events there. Yeah, it's just a special little corner shop.
[00:09:48] Speaker A: Would you call your shop a boutique? Is that what you call it?
[00:09:51] Speaker F: Kind of, sort of, yeah.
[00:09:53] Speaker A: I know you do more than just that, but what is your philosophy on what you decide to carry and bring into your shop? Because that really sets the. The tone for the flare of the name of the shop, Right? Modern Revival.
[00:10:06] Speaker F: It does. That's a good question. And it's. It's tricky because you want to keep what's on trend, what, you know, the other businesses or folks are looking for, but you also want to make it unique and different and something special that maybe you don't find everywhere else. So my heart is vintage and antiques always has been. So we bring a lot of that into the store.
But we also have lots of local makers that bring unique items, everything from soaps to jewelry, laundry soaps, candles, things like that. And then we bring in plants. So it's a lot of organic things, too. It's a great place to pick up a gift for either your friend or yourself.
[00:10:47] Speaker A: Hey, we always have to buy gifts for ourselves. Sometimes that's the way I shop. Sometimes we know what we want and other people may not, right?
[00:10:55] Speaker F: That's all right. That's all right.
[00:10:56] Speaker A: What would you say are maybe a couple of your most popular items, items that you sell there that people always ask about?
[00:11:02] Speaker F: So we have a couple different things, and a lot of it's local.
We have a company that we work with just out of Rutherford county, just across the line, the Sunday Seed. And they make. We specifically purchase their lotions and hand soaps or goat milk soap.
And the story with them is really special because they give opportunities for women who have been trafficked or in abusive relationships to help them get back on their feet.
So it's really a mission behind it, too.
[00:11:36] Speaker A: Good purpose. That's kind of what sets you apart also from a lot of big box stores, if you will, I think, because it's not always about what you're. The items you're carrying it. But there's sometimes there's a passion or a meaning behind these things, right?
[00:11:48] Speaker F: Yeah, that's a. That's actually a good question too, because that's a lot of our products and a lot of the makers stories behind of it. We have a lot of tallow products now that are really doing well.
And that started because this homeschool mom of five kids noticed that her son's skin was. Had a lot of eczema, a lot of things going on, and she couldn't find on the market what would help his skin. So she created these tallow products and they have been awesome.
[00:12:18] Speaker A: That kind of a buzz about it a little bit. Yeah.
[00:12:20] Speaker F: Organic, clean products stuff that when you buy it, you know, it's good for yourself, but also in the back end of it, you're helping a family that just lives down the road.
[00:12:30] Speaker A: Yeah. Watertown is such an amazing place with a lot of history.
Do you try to keep that nostalgic feel with the way you decorate your shop and the way you just kind of the vibe, I guess you would say, of your place?
[00:12:44] Speaker F: Like I said, vintage antiques has been my heart since I was a kid.
[00:12:47] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:12:48] Speaker F: So bringing that into the store reminds people of the history of it having something. When you walk in the store, our. Our floor is black and white tile, and each little tile was hand laid 100 years ago. And what's really cool is that no matter what we have on the floor, people comment about the floor itself and either they either remember it when it was a pharmacy 50 or 60 years ago, or they just. It brings them back instantly to that soda fountain, pharmacy, you know, vibe that used to be. So, yeah, definitely, we try to keep that going in the store because that, again, like I said, it's where my heart is.
[00:13:27] Speaker A: Locals that were around during those earlier times that they can probably tell you some of the things about your building you may not even.
[00:13:33] Speaker F: And they do.
[00:13:34] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:13:34] Speaker F: Yeah. I had a guy come in one time out of the blue. He came in immediately. He said, do you want me to mop your floor? And I was like, oh my gosh, is it dirty? You know, But I said, no, I think I'm okay. He goes, because I used to mop it when I was a boy. And he was about 12 years old when he used to mop that floor. And he was upwards of 80 now.
[00:13:52] Speaker A: Oh, my goodness.
[00:13:53] Speaker F: Yeah. And he remembers mopping that floor when it was a pharmacy, which I think is a really cool story.
[00:13:57] Speaker A: Well, I love that. So Watertown seems like they always have a lot of new visitors coming through, whether it be the train excursions or just people wanting to come Shop. What do you hear from them? The newcomers that stop by?
[00:14:09] Speaker F: We have a little map in the store where. Where you can pin where you're from and.
[00:14:14] Speaker A: Oh, I love that.
[00:14:15] Speaker F: Yeah, it's really neat. And I wish I'd have started it when we first opened, but I started it maybe about six or eight months ago. And we've had people from Alaska, Australia, all over Europe, Iran, Ukraine, I mean, all over come into our store in our little water town. And I'm always asking them, what? Why? Like, what are you doing? How'd you find this place? And a lot of them say that they are just traveling through, taking back roads. They're on a road trip, which, again, my family and I love our road trip. So we do that quite often.
[00:14:50] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:14:51] Speaker F: But a lot of them are like, you know, we wanted to visit Nashville because it's such a cool town, but we didn't want to stay in Nashville. So there are several Airbnbs in Watertown that I didn't even realize about that they like to stay in. And that's how they find our town. And they love, again, that small town charm and the feel and the vibe of the town. And, you know, and of course, the train is also a big draw that brings in lots of people when we do our excursion trains, which are really interesting.
[00:15:20] Speaker A: Yeah. Do you find it difficult to stay on top of trends that are coming through to pick the right items, or do you find that when you're planning these things, do you have to start a certain number of months ahead of time to hit a certain, you know, time frame for these items to show up so that you have them at the right time when the demand is there?
[00:15:38] Speaker F: People that have been in this business a lot longer than me can spend speak more into that. So I'm learning we're just two years old, so I'm learning you do have to start way in advance to be ready for the season. Because right now we're transitioning into fall. I already have fall and Christmas in my backstock ready to hit the floor when people are ready for that. So, yes, it is. It is almost a mind shift that you have to do. As soon as the Fourth of July hits, you are ready to hit that fall button. And as soon as Labor Day hits, you're ready to hit that Easter button. Almost. You know, and I'm still learning it, too.
[00:16:11] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:16:11] Speaker F: As far as trends and things go, I'm. I'm really big on keeping things authentic to what I like to and not.
Not just what I am likes. But would I wear it. Would I use it would. Does this make sense for my home? As a general rule, it has to
[00:16:30] Speaker A: pass that test basically first. Almost a little bit.
[00:16:33] Speaker F: Right, right. Right. I don't want to buy something just because it's trendy right now. If I don't love it, if I don't love it, I don't want it in the store.
[00:16:42] Speaker A: And I think people appreciate that.
[00:16:44] Speaker F: I hope so.
[00:16:45] Speaker A: That's what gives your place the vibe that it has. I think that's why people come back. Right.
[00:16:49] Speaker F: I hope so.
[00:16:50] Speaker A: Is that touch of, of your, your opinion and your taste in some of the items that you offer.
[00:16:55] Speaker F: And I hope they see the passion and the work and the thought that went behind picking each and every item that's in that store.
[00:17:02] Speaker A: Right.
[00:17:03] Speaker F: Because there has been a lot with each and every item.
[00:17:05] Speaker A: I can tell. What do you think about the importance of Internet and social media and marketing and getting the word out and what, what are your thoughts on that and how important is that? As a small business owner, that is
[00:17:18] Speaker F: vital for a small business owner. And DTC did not pay me to say this, but I will say we've been there two years.
We've had an issue a handful of times and they have been Johnny on the spot. So kind answered the phone. I talked to a person each and I, and I don't just tell you this, I tell everybody this when they're asking about Internet service. I talk to a person each and every time. It's not a recording.
They are quick to serve and quick to listen.
And I appreciate that so much.
[00:17:51] Speaker A: Well, we're so happy to hear that.
[00:17:52] Speaker F: Yeah. And it's, it's honest truth. I mean, in this day and age, 20, 26, Internet marketing, social media, all of that stuff puts you on the map. And there are so many avenues to go down with each of them. I mean, it's hard to figure out what works best, but you've got to have that good connection, people wise and Internet wise.
[00:18:15] Speaker A: Yeah, that's right. It's like it takes the boundaries away. Right.
Because it's never just a geographic question anymore. Where are you located? Well, I don't really care where you're located. If you're within driving distance or even a vacation distance like you were talking about earlier, I want to stop by and check it out. Are you seeing that as well?
[00:18:32] Speaker F: Definitely. And honestly, not even driving and coming in the store. We have an online store. I've shipped things to England.
[00:18:39] Speaker A: Oh, wow.
[00:18:40] Speaker F: Yeah, it's. We have a following in Europe and like I said people come from Australia. So it's. I've shipped things all over the U.S. it is. And what a gift that is when I see that come in.
And they have searched out our store. They found us on Google.
[00:18:57] Speaker A: How did you find us?
[00:18:58] Speaker F: Ask them too. Like how did you find us? One lady Googled imaged.
We have these super cute cloth letters in our store. They're like little pillows. She googled imaged one that she had and then she found us that way. So I shipped her one to Maryland last week.
[00:19:12] Speaker A: It really kind of levels the playing field a little bit.
[00:19:14] Speaker F: Definitely.
[00:19:16] Speaker A: You have an awesome shop, awesome business. We gotta go check it out. And I know others need to go check it out too. So for those that want to learn more, more about Modern Revival, what's the best way to do that? Tell them where you're located, your hours, and just how to keep in touch.
[00:19:28] Speaker F: We are located on the Square in Watertown. 31 2. Public Square. We're directly across from Wilson Bacon Trust.
You can find us online Instagram and Facebook. Modern Revival TN. And then we have a website, ModernRevivalTN.com.
[00:19:42] Speaker A: well, keep doing what you're doing. Sounds like it's working.
[00:19:44] Speaker F: Thank you so much.
[00:19:45] Speaker A: I think two years is just the beginning.
[00:19:47] Speaker F: Me too. Thank you so much.
[00:19:49] Speaker A: Thanks Amy. Everybody stay tuned. We've got more of the program coming up in just a moment.
[00:19:55] Speaker F: Ooh, I'll get it. Grandpa, Grandpa, wanna play my new game with me?
[00:20:00] Speaker E: Well, sure, I'd love to play your new game.
[00:20:04] Speaker B: Let's go.
[00:20:05] Speaker C: Gotcha.
[00:20:07] Speaker B: What do I help? Give me a.
I'm gonna take.
[00:20:17] Speaker F: Sharing memories while staying connected.
DTC Internet makes it all possible.
[00:20:26] Speaker D: My name is Kyle Owen. My wife and I own and operate Kyle Owen Farms here in Carthage, Tennessee. I guess for our area we're a large scale operation and sort of forced to be that way. You know, large amounts of acres and small profits per acre.
Having the high speed Internet down here from DTC has just been amazing. There's a lot more aspects to the farming side that uses the Internet than people realize. Whether we're in combines, tractors, sprayers, wherever we may be, we're constantly transferring data.
All of our equipment now is equipped with satellite guided gps. It's much easier on operators. You're nowhere near as fatigued as you would be if you were actually driving the machine by hand. We can monitor our equipment, our grain system, everything wirelessly. So the high speed Internet has just been a blessing to us. We love DTC simply because of the speed and reliability of their Internet service, the dedication they have to the rural community, and the dedication that they have to their customers.
[00:21:27] Speaker A: Welcome back to the local clique. It's time for Justin to take the microphone as he does each and every month for his segment called the tech translator.
[00:21:36] Speaker B: All right, Nick, so something. A term that we are all familiar with and we all know the definition of is fishing.
[00:21:44] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:21:44] Speaker B: We all know what fishing is. Okay? We're gonna go out to Center Hill Lake. We're gonna take us some lines, we're gonna cat, we're gonna put our lures on, and we're gonna. We're gonna cast our rods, and we're gonna go fishing.
[00:21:54] Speaker A: Is. Is that the fishing we're talking about?
[00:21:56] Speaker B: Oh, this is the tech segment. I forgot. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
It is a different type of fish.
[00:22:01] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:22:02] Speaker B: And it is spelled slightly different.
[00:22:04] Speaker A: So you're going to translate that.
[00:22:06] Speaker B: I'm going to need you to put this on the screen.
If you look on your screen right now, you will see the type of fishing that we're referring to. And if you're listening, it is spelled P H I S H I N G. Gotcha. Fishing.
[00:22:18] Speaker A: Fishing.
[00:22:19] Speaker B: The phonetic ph that makes the F sound. Fishing.
[00:22:21] Speaker A: Okay?
[00:22:22] Speaker B: And so fishing is something that more people are getting a better grasp at. And again, whether you know it or not, you probably had a fishing attempt that has taken place. I just.
Just last week got an email from someone, someone that I had received emails from before.
[00:22:41] Speaker A: Right.
[00:22:42] Speaker B: But it was an unusual email, and it. It didn't make sense to me. So I did what anybody should do and reported it as phishing and deleted it.
But what a phishing email is, it is when somebody pretends to be someone that you know, a company maybe, that you do business with, someone reliable, they may send you a text message, they may send you an email.
They could even call you and do what is called spoofing, where the number pops up like it is somebody you know, and they pretend to be someone else. And the entire intent of what they're trying to do is to deceive you to gain some sort of information or maybe even access to something. So in the email that I received, it came in as a fake invoice, and again, it was from a known email because this individual happened to have a compromised email. So it could come from a legitimate email.
[00:23:43] Speaker A: Someone you know, that's their actual email account.
[00:23:45] Speaker B: So sometimes there's some. There's some very telltale signs of it is it may come from a fake email pretending to be Somebody you know. But if you look at the email address, you may notice some funky characters or. Oh, that's not really spelled exactly right.
You know, we would used to. Probably back in the day, we would say these are con artists, right?
[00:24:08] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:24:09] Speaker B: This is, this is a con man who's trying to deceive me, pretend to be somebody that they're not. Well, in 2026, it's the same thing. It's just using technology to accomplish it. They use different tactics. A lot of times it's urgency. This is something urgent where we listen. Hey, you need to, you need to call us right now. You need to click this link right now. Are you the one that tried to access this page? If it wasn't you click this link right now and reset your credentials and make sure you enter your credentials in on that page that pops up.
[00:24:40] Speaker A: Need to do it right away.
[00:24:41] Speaker B: Do it right now. Right. Oh, this is the bank. Did you make this purchase? Oh, click this link and make sure that you know and log in and tell us if it was. If it was you or not or sometimes. And this has happened recently in my county where there are individuals pretending to be the local sheriff's department calling, stating, you have a warrant out for your arrest. You need to pay this fine right now or we're going to come arrest you.
[00:25:04] Speaker A: Right.
[00:25:04] Speaker B: We're going to take you to jail right now if you don't do this. Right. It's an urgency thing.
[00:25:09] Speaker A: Right.
[00:25:09] Speaker B: You'll have individuals who will call, pretending maybe to be a medical provider, and they have used your social media to know, well, you have a child, you have a son, you have a family member. And because it's been posted everywhere, I know that they're traveling somewhere right now. I know that they're on a trip. So I know who, who the person is and I know where they're at. I'll use those two pieces of information and I'm going to call and say, hey, your child that was traveling to Denver, Colorado, has been in an accident and that they need some medical treatment. And right now we need you to send money for this treatment right this instant. Or it could also be that they've been arrested and they need, you know, they need money, they need bail money or something. It can be all kinds of things.
What you need to look out for, though, first and foremost, there's red flags. Is it overly urgent? Right? Is it. Listen, you need to act right now. Don't think they play on emotion, they play on urgency. Oh, my, my. My family members hurt. Oh, my Family members in jail. Oh, somebody's trying to use my credit card or debit card information. I've got to fix this. I've got to stop this. What they're trying to do is they're trying to get your username, they're trying to get your password, they're trying to get your bank account information.
They may be trying to get your Social Security number and other personal identifying information, or they may be trying to just get money from you.
[00:26:32] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:26:33] Speaker B: You know, at the end of the day, that's what they're trying to do. So be careful. If it says your account's going to be closed, you may be arrested, a warrant may be issued for you, anything like that.
If it is something that asks you to click a link or to call a phone number, be very, very, very weary of it.
Very, very weary, because it could redirect you to a website that looks like the real thing, but it's not, or to call somebody a number that's pretending. Always double check.
If you think, oh, this may be legitimate, do your own lookup and double check that phone number before you call it. Call a known, valid number for that. Now, most institutions and businesses and financial institutions will say, we will not ask for this information, so don't ever give it out. We're not going to send you a message that says, confirm your Social Security number for us.
[00:27:30] Speaker C: Right.
[00:27:30] Speaker B: So be. So be very careful.
And here's the thing. If something just feels off, there's some grammar error, spelling errors, the. The name of the business is, you know, looks slightly off, the emails off. Just be careful.
[00:27:44] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:27:45] Speaker B: I mean, at the end of the day, you know, take your time and don't respond too, too quickly to it. You know, again, look up the real company information, make sure to authenticate it. And I'll tell you this, if you receive an unexpected message is probably the best tip I can give you. If you receive an unexpected message that you're not anticipating about something that seems very, very, very important, just pause, just pause, double check and think through it. Fishing is what it sounds like. These attackers cast their lines and cast their lures not just to you, not just to me, but to a lot of people at one time. And they hope that they will get a bite from someone.
Don't be that person who takes on that bait and gets caught and reeled in.
[00:28:37] Speaker A: That's right.
And for this segment of the local clique, we're very lucky to have Ms. Sasha Patterson. She is a customer experience representative here at dtc. I appreciate you being on the program.
[00:28:49] Speaker E: Thank you for having me.
[00:28:50] Speaker A: It's going to be a lot of fun. I always like doing these because we really get to learn a lot about the people that we work with that you may not necessarily know. It doesn't come up in day to day conversation a lot of times, you know. Yes, everybody has a life outside of work, believe it or not. I know it's hard to believe that sometimes when you're so busy like we get sometimes, but it's always fun to kind of learn that other side of people. So we appreciate you being with us and doing this.
But to kick things off for today, tell us more about yourself and your family and your ties to middle Tennessee.
[00:29:23] Speaker E: Okay. Well, I've lived in Tennessee my whole life.
I've been with DTC for about 5 years.
Married, have 2 children. Love to read, I love to hike. Currently going to college full time, working full time. So my life is pretty hectic.
[00:29:39] Speaker A: Sound busy?
[00:29:40] Speaker E: It's very busy, yes. It's great, but busy.
[00:29:43] Speaker A: You can rest later. Right now you've got things to do, right?
[00:29:46] Speaker E: Yeah, just sleep later. I don't need it now.
[00:29:47] Speaker A: There you go.
[00:29:48] Speaker E: That's my motto.
[00:29:50] Speaker A: Well, as far as your work with dtc, you're a customer experience representative. That's a long way of saying you help people, right?
So, so kind of describe some of the things that you typically do on a, on a day to day basis.
[00:30:05] Speaker E: For dtc, it's just helping people, taking orders, scheduling, making the transition from with technology easier, helping the customer understand taking payments and just being a friend. I think I have customers that come in on a daily basis and you know, they call me if they need anything and it's just building that trust.
[00:30:28] Speaker A: Do you think that's what makes us different from maybe some of the larger national providers that do the same kind of business that we do?
[00:30:36] Speaker E: Yes, I do.
I like to think of DTC like our customers are not a number.
You are a person. And so it's my job to make you feel heard. It's my job to be there. It's my job to guide you. So it's not just taking your payment, it's not just getting a sale. It is guiding you through those waters and letting you know that I'm here. I will explain, I will make it as easy as possible.
So I do think it's different.
People can come in, they can talk to us, we're here, we're local. Um, so that's how I talk to people when they're coming in from different companies and it's just call me. We'll help you.
We will guide you. So you're not a number. You are a face. You are a person to us.
[00:31:21] Speaker A: Do you ever get to talk to people that have dealt with some of those other companies, then they switched us, and they're just amazed at how different
[00:31:26] Speaker E: it is all the time.
[00:31:28] Speaker A: Because I've heard that myself.
[00:31:29] Speaker E: Yes, yes. And I think that empathy is a big thing that we teach ourselves in DTC and customer service is empathy, letting go of our biases. So people come in and, you know, we're taught to not, you know, just think that you need this and go on about it because it's better for us. It's listening, asking them questions.
So what do you use the Internet for? What do you need it for? What can you afford? Okay, well, here's this and this. I think this would be your best option instead of just being like, okay, this is what you need because it's better for the company. It's what do you need that's better for you?
[00:32:03] Speaker A: I love that. I think that's what makes you so good at what you do. And I've seen you work with customers, and that's the reason I say that. Yes, you ask the right questions, but you're a great listener. And I think that's so important in what you're doing.
[00:32:15] Speaker E: It is. It's very important. People want to be heard. You know, they. They just want to be heard and they want to be seen. And that is what my job is, is to make them feel heard and seen.
That's what I try to teach people when I'm training them. It's just to listen.
People call in and they're angry, right? They're not necessarily angry at you. They're just having a bad day, you know, so you don't take that personal. You talk, you let it through. And like, okay, I'm so sorry that you've lost your job.
I hate that for you. I'm here for you. Let's see if we can lessen that burden, you know, and so once you take what they're saying and you let them know that you're hearing it, then they normally, they calm down. They just want to be heard, you know, and that's not because of anything that you've done. It's just the outside world, and they're taking that out on you. So I think as being a customer experience representative, you just have to understand and not take things personally and just actively listen.
[00:33:09] Speaker A: We deal with technology every day. Everything that we Basically try to help people with. We sell and service and that sort of thing. Is technology based in some way, shape or form? How difficult is that sometimes to bridge that gap or that divide between those that may not be as technical, but yet they know they want to do business with us. Is that hard to do?
[00:33:30] Speaker E: It is because, I mean, we still have customers that are landline only. They've only ever had a phone line. They've never had Internet. So especially never having Internet. And coming into 20, 26 with no Internet, that is a big learning curve.
I had a couple last week that they've had service with us the whole time they've been here 20 something years and they've never had Internet. And they added it last week. So walking in through, explaining the process, making it easy, listing out instructions, I printed them off and I was like, here, this is how you do it. This is what it means. Call me when you get home and I'll walk you through it. And just making them feel comfortable because they just didn't think they could do it. And I'm like, no, you can do it. It's just, you have to learn. And I'm here to help you with that. And here's the steps of how we're going to do it together.
[00:34:20] Speaker A: It's almost like. So they have a new friend who has their best interest at heart.
And that's really kind of what you are. You become.
And you do become friends with some of these.
[00:34:29] Speaker E: Oh, yes.
[00:34:30] Speaker A: Because you see them and you talk to them all the time.
[00:34:31] Speaker E: All the time, Yes. I had one, you know, like, I try to memorize their names so they don't have to give it to me in the drive through. And so I had one. And he's been there for three years. Every month he comes at the same time and I'm like, you don't have to. It's, you know, this much money. And he's like, how do you know? And I'm like, you're just, you know, I know you, you come through every. If you didn't come through, I would think something was wrong.
And he made me a cake, you know, so it's just building that, you know, that feeling with people that I see you and I appreciate you as a customer. And I just want them to, to
[00:35:03] Speaker A: know that they kind of know that way also that you're not going to give up on this. You're going to help them through it. Yes, I like that.
[00:35:08] Speaker E: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, you, you be here with me and if I don't know the answer. I'll figure it out for you. It's just technology and it's a curve that you have to learn.
[00:35:15] Speaker A: That's a good way of putting it.
[00:35:16] Speaker E: Yeah.
[00:35:16] Speaker A: Yep. You just gotta stick with it and be patient.
[00:35:18] Speaker E: Yes. And just. And it's ever changing, you know, it's never. It. It doesn't stay the same. So products work different, you know, on certain networks in 2.4 and 5.0. And I like to explain that to them.
You know, mesh units are a good thing. But we go. We just try to go into detail about all that.
[00:35:36] Speaker A: You talked about the way things change. How have you seen things change in your five years here? I know that doesn't seem like a, you know, a huge long period of time, like decades per se. But honestly, the way technology is, even in five years, I bet you've seen things. Some changes.
[00:35:51] Speaker E: Yeah. I came in in the middle of the fiber build. So in 2021 is when I came in, most of our network was still copper. You know, Smithville was fiber.
Well, parts of Smithville, I think Cookville highway was fiber. But we had very few fiber areas. Most was copper. So that switch over that time was very hectic. You know, building all of that out and just kind of getting people on board with the benefits of fiber.
People need fiber, they need that speed, they need that capability.
Especially if we're going to stay in competition with the bigger cities and things like that. So that's how I like to explain that to people is like we are growing as a company and it's not that we are going backwards. We are moving forwards. And with any forwards movement, there are going to be growing pains.
[00:36:42] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:36:43] Speaker E: And so we just all have to work through that together. I think fiber has been a good thing for dtc. But that's been the big change since I've been here.
[00:36:50] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:36:50] Speaker E: Is the fiber.
[00:36:51] Speaker A: You truly did start right in the middle of all of that. That's a lot of change.
[00:36:56] Speaker E: I did. Yeah. With, you know. Yes. All of that technology was just different. And then, you know, people are hesitant to change.
[00:37:04] Speaker A: I know one thing I would never go back.
[00:37:07] Speaker E: No.
[00:37:07] Speaker A: To. To DSL or those slower speeds after having fiber like I have. It's just, it. It really changed everything. It did.
[00:37:16] Speaker E: Yeah. I mean I lived in Gasway.
[00:37:19] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:37:19] Speaker E: And had 10 meg for a long time.
And then I had 25, you know, before I moved to Smithville and we had fiber capabilities.
And I think it's just helping people understand that you may not notice a difference because you may not use the Internet for that. But for the majority of the people who needed faster Internet, I mean it was a have to at this point.
[00:37:42] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:37:44] Speaker E: And technology is only going to change and things only is only going to get more technology based. So it may not affect you now, but in the future it would have and you would have suffered that, you know, consequence. So, and there are people still in areas that don't have Internet cape, you know, capabilities yet. So I like to explain that to people, is that we are, we are constantly growing and moving that out because we are blessed to have fiber.
And so that's just a way that I like to explain that to people. We're blessed to have it.
[00:38:15] Speaker A: Now if someone has been putting it off or maybe they're just thinking about changing the package their own. Are you able to kind of ask those detective questions, how do you use the devices in your home to try to help them pick the right package? Because that can be overwhelming sometimes trying to decide what do I need? I don't understand it well enough to decide those things. Are you able to help people with that?
[00:38:36] Speaker E: We are trained to ask those questions.
So really we start out by asking what do you use the Internet for? What, what's your day to day use? Do you work from home? Do you game? Do you have a lot of devices connected? Do you have cameras? Because that's going to determine the speed that you need.
So asking that is the big start of anywhere we go with, with Internet service. What do you need it for? And that's where the active listening comes into play.
[00:39:02] Speaker A: Right.
[00:39:03] Speaker E: Instead of us just assuming that we know what's best for the customer, we ask those questions.
And I think that's what sets us apart from other providers. You're just not sitting here and you read a list and you pick what you think is best. It's us guiding you through that process.
And most people still don't understand speed. So I think our job is to explain what 300 in a gig is. It's not how much you use, it's the speed. You know, explaining the benefits of hardwiring, people complain a lot about their TVs buffering.
I like to tell a customer, if
[00:39:37] Speaker A: you're going to stream hardwire anytime you can, right?
[00:39:41] Speaker E: Any, if it is at all possible, hardwire your tv.
And I explain the benefits. I'm like, it's just, it's going to make your, it's going to make it so much better. Because you know, hardwired gets that Internet first, Wi fi comes second. They don't understand that they've never heard of that. So it's again, giving them those little incentives to like, do all of that. That makes us different as a company.
[00:40:05] Speaker A: The newest thing that DTC is really participating in is Trilite Mobile. Kind of describe what Trilite Mobile is and why our customers would benefit from checking it out.
[00:40:16] Speaker E: Sure. Well, besides, it's with us, you know,
[00:40:19] Speaker A: great customer service, right?
[00:40:20] Speaker E: Great customer service. Yes, it is. No. So it is our new cell phone service. You can choose between two major networks.
You get the first cell phone line free for a year. So that's a big.
[00:40:33] Speaker A: That's a big deal.
[00:40:33] Speaker E: Yeah, it's a very big deal.
We have three different plans available. So, you know, there's an option for everyone there.
And I think just being able to choose which network works best for you and then having everything all, you know, all in one place makes it a better alternative for customers too, to kind of come to us and let us just handle everything. So you're not dealing with a big carrier who. You're just a number here. You're a face. You can come in. We'll help you.
[00:41:00] Speaker A: The same people that have been helping you for years?
[00:41:02] Speaker E: Yes, yes. And I have, you know, we've had a lot of our same customers. Like, we trust you. Here you go. And when we help them. So we're not just going to twist your phone over and kick you out the door. You know, we're here through that whole process for you.
We're here later. If you need something, you can come in and we'll be there for you. So I think that's, that's the biggest benefit is that, you know, we're not overseas. We're here with you.
[00:41:27] Speaker A: The whole thing, that's what makes us DTC in a lot of ways.
[00:41:30] Speaker E: It is, Yeah. I like to think so. Yes.
[00:41:33] Speaker A: Well, finishing up today. We've talked about a lot of different things, but I know you have a servant's heart. I can just tell by talking to you what's your favorite thing about helping others.
[00:41:41] Speaker E: I think it's the, the lock bulb moment when I talk to a customer and, you know, they're having a problem or they're nervous about adding Internet or, you know, they're just confused. And you talk to them and you listen and they have that light bulb moment when they understand where you really
[00:42:01] Speaker A: got through to them.
[00:42:03] Speaker E: And then you just make, I think that makes the difference. And then, you know, they just say you're, you know, thank you. And I'm like, well, you're welcome. It's not. You don't have to thank me. It's just I want to help you.
And then I give them my number and I'm like, call me if you need anything. You can email me. And I think it's just that moment when you have that breakthrough with them and they understand some of the technology and how it works.
[00:42:25] Speaker A: Right.
[00:42:25] Speaker E: And it, and it makes a difference because, you know, now they feel a part of that.
[00:42:30] Speaker A: You've gotten through to them.
[00:42:31] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:42:32] Speaker A: And they're appreciative of it.
[00:42:33] Speaker E: They are, yes. Well, I mean, you know, some people don't have people that can help them.
[00:42:38] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:42:38] Speaker E: You know, so, like, we really are all they have. And so, you know, it's just nice to have that, that connection with them when you can help them.
[00:42:47] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, thank you for all the help that you do provide to our customers, Sasha. You do a great job. And thank you for watching and listening this segment of the podcast. And guess what? There's more coming up in just a moment, so stay tuned.
[00:43:04] Speaker C: In 1951, rural Tennessee was at a crossroads.
The big companies wouldn't come here and a massive ice storm had just left its mark on our communities.
But where others saw unprofitable hills and hollows, our founders saw home.
They didn't just want a phone company.
They wanted a cooperative, an organization built by by the community, for the community.
For 75 years, DTC Communications has been more than a utility.
We've been a neighbor.
We've grown from basic party lines to a world class fiber network that spans across middle Tennessee.
Our roots as a cooperative mean our priorities isn't Wall street, it's the people we serve.
Whether you live in our original footprint or our newest service areas, our mission is the same. To provide the best technology with a local heart.
Because people matter.
[00:44:18] Speaker B: We're not just connecting wires, we're connecting neighbors.
[00:44:23] Speaker A: We're bringing work technology to the places we call home.
[00:44:29] Speaker E: Because here you aren't just an account.
[00:44:32] Speaker A: You're part of the DTC family and
[00:44:35] Speaker E: we're proud to serve you.
[00:44:38] Speaker C: Technology has changed a lot since 1951.
We've gone from copper to glass and from dial up to gigabit speeds.
But the heart of DTC remains exactly the same.
We are a local company driven by service and built on 75 years of trust.
[00:45:01] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:45:02] Speaker C: For 75 years, DTC Communications making meaningful connections.
[00:45:14] Speaker F: At dtc, we connect you throughout your home, powering how you live every day.
And now that connection doesn't stop at your front door. With Trilight Mobile you stay connected wherever life takes you at home or on the go. It all works together. Because today connection isn't just something you have, it's something you rely on.
Dtc, Internet and Trilite Mobile stay connected wherever you go.
[00:45:48] Speaker A: We take a walk down memory lane. Before technology was so complicated. A segment we call before the WI fi.
[00:45:56] Speaker B: We're going way before the WI fi. We're going before television, we're going before radio.
How did people use to get their news?
[00:46:08] Speaker A: How did people.
The newspaper, maybe.
[00:46:11] Speaker B: The newspaper, right. We're again, we're going way far back. You know, you, you know they had it delivered at times, but you remember you had the paper boy that would stand there on the corner of the street or maybe that there was a newsstand is what it was called where you would go and you would collect and that's how you, you read the news. That's how you figured out what was going on. Sometimes way later than the thing happened. Because it took a while. Yes, it took a while for things to be told and to get around.
And then, you know, we fast forward and the radio started happening.
So you didn't have to worry about the newspaper being delivered to your doorstep and getting that Sunday edition, right? That bigger Sunday edition.
I've been told by realtors in the past that when people were looking to move places, they wanted to see the Sunday edition of newspapers because it contained the most information and would help give them a feel for what was going on. And you know, you have radio programs, you know, we, we have a local radio program. I can tell you when WJLE does their new segments each day in their schedule, they still do as part of radio program daily. They have WGLE news at set times every single day.
[00:47:26] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:47:27] Speaker B: And radio programs used to, that's how you'd get again. You'd gather around the radio and you'd listen to hey, here's the news for the day.
And then television came along and you could get your news from television, but it's not like it is today.
You, each network had one 30 minute news segment, you know, for their station. That was it.
[00:47:47] Speaker C: Right.
[00:47:47] Speaker B: You had a 30 minute nightly news segment and now we have 24. Seven channels. That's all they do is news. They don't do anything else. So you have a 24. 7 news cycle.
So we went from newspapers to. Then the radio was filling the gap during the day.
I haven't seen these in forever.
Coin operated newspaper boxes.
[00:48:14] Speaker A: I remember them.
[00:48:15] Speaker B: Yeah, you know, you stick your, stick your quarters in and get an honor system too.
[00:48:19] Speaker A: You got that right.
[00:48:20] Speaker B: It would open up and you took one, you could take them all. But it was an honor system box. It was an honor box.
[00:48:27] Speaker A: You know, when they would put a lot of coupons in certain editions of the newspapers, there could be some people that would get more than one copy so they could double up on those coupons.
[00:48:36] Speaker B: I did not. I have never been a coupon clipper, physical coupon. That's a good.
[00:48:42] Speaker A: They used to do that a lot.
[00:48:44] Speaker B: You know something else you had in order to consume information or find things out.
[00:48:48] Speaker A: What's that?
[00:48:48] Speaker B: Encyclopedias.
[00:48:49] Speaker A: Oh yes.
[00:48:50] Speaker B: And I know we've mentioned that before, but that was part of it. You know, encyclopedias were your household reference to understand history and how we got to where things were. And people use libraries.
Right. You, you know, before Google, you know, when you were trying to consume or figure out things, the library was your search engine.
[00:49:09] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:49:09] Speaker B: That's where you went on microfilm and searching and doing those things.
And it's. And so it's, it's very interesting to. To think again. Just the consumption of, of news. Do you know how I consume and get most of my news? And I'm, and I'm going to say this honestly. How's that Through X formerly known as Twitter.
[00:49:29] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:49:30] Speaker B: That's how I consume most of my news in 2020. It's not, it's. It's not through the radio.
Definitely not through a newspaper.
It's. It's not through the television.
It is through a social media side because I can go on there. I can follow the news outlets and then I can get on and check when something's happening.
And so that's how I consume news. I've never been, I was never the person who, who had a newspaper. I didn't really listen to the radio.
I did watch television. Growing up and understanding the news. My news was Sports center at 7am every morning and top 10. Right.
That was my news consumption before the WI Fi. It was so different compared. It was so delayed. Two years ago now when there was a breaking news story, my buddy called me and he immediately said this just happened and I was in rural Kentucky and I'm like no. I pulled over and again pulled my. And I could immediately start reading about it in real time what was happening. And as develop mints were happening. We didn't. We get information before we know all the details and all the intricacies. Which means we. It gets wrong sometimes.
[00:50:43] Speaker A: I was about to say that yeah,
[00:50:45] Speaker B: we don't have Everything up front. Yeah, but news was different before the WI fi, the instant consumption of being able to know. So. But there's, I think that take. That takes away from the excitement too. Oh, I don't know this. Let me go, let me go find this and let me sit down and enjoy my time.
[00:51:02] Speaker A: It's a different feel. It definitely is. But yeah, I remember the newspaper days quite well and I do miss that sometimes, just having that physical media. Now, though, let's get back up to current day on Tech News Roundup.
[00:51:16] Speaker B: First, we've got a major development and something that needs to happen. And there's been so much talk of this kind of stuff happening over the past few years. Few years, but we haven't seen a lot of action. But Apple has committed $30 billion to chip manufacturing in the US with Broadcom. So Broadcom does what we would refer to as modems now. So cellular modems for, for connectivity and some other things as well. Bluetooth and that kind of stuff. So. But they're a chip manufacturer. We know Apple is not a manufacturer. They're just a designer. They always contract out for who actually manufactures the product, though. And so the US especially post Covid, we've been hit hard with chip manufacturing shortages. I mean, we're still experiencing, not the shortages that we had, but between Covid and AI now and the demand for, for chips because of AI. There's, there's, there's just still a shortage that's ongoing. So this will be a major boost for them, and it'll be a major boost because it's American chip production. We're not relying upon a foreign nation or a foreign company to manufacture that. And so that, so that's really interesting to see the domestic production happening. We've seen so many AI models get announced.
So many Clyde announced Mythos, which immediately got banned by anybody outside of the United States. And then they just rolled it back because they didn't have a way to really make sure that, you know, actors outside of the US were accessing it. And so they've now re released it with some other things disabled, a little bit more friendly. And they've called it Fable.
[00:52:58] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:52:59] Speaker B: And so they've got a new model out. OpenAI has released chat GPT 5.6. And I'm sure they'll be at like 16 here in a couple weeks that they've done.
Gemini's released something else now. I mean, it just, it's this ongoing cycle. These, these artificial intelligence models that continue to just get better and better and better and I read about Claude Fable was able to get outside of the sandbox and Apple not intentionally, it just managed to do it on its own. I believe Claude co work installed on macOS was able to get outside of its sandbox that was programmed by default by Clyde and was able to begin getting full system access.
And so these models are getting so complicated and so sophisticated that we're starting to see some unintended consequences of what can be done.
[00:53:58] Speaker A: I think these developers are going to have to really be more careful in the way they deploy some of these things.
[00:54:04] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean so it's very interesting to see what's going on there out in the European front. And the reason we talk about what happens in the EU is because a lot of things that happen in the EU end up making its way over here domestically to the U.S.
but the European Union has told Google and I kind of thought this would happen because they did it with Apple, that they have to open up Android a little bit more. But they're also saying they have to share the data that they've collected. Certain types of data now have to be shared. And that comes from an antitrust perspective. You know where you, Google and Apple are so big, you know, you've got those pressures that are, that are on them. But they did also find them 4.1 billion euros. Gotta make sure I say that right, not dollars, but 4.1 billion euros, you know, you know already on top of this and this pressures come, coming, come against that as well. So they're, they're after the EU is after Google and Apple. They're both, they're both big tech so to say is having, is having issues in the European Union.
SpaceX went public, so that's very interesting. Had a record breaking IPO. Hasn't fared so well since its IPO but it went public. Elon Musk Co. Did raised a lot of money for SpaceX for them to continue their mission.
But it has fallen off a little bit since the ipo.
I think it took off a little bit too quickly and then I don't want to say crashing because we don't want any other stuff to crash, but it came back to reality. I got you and listen, that's it. We've talked a little bit about AI, we've talked about some regulatory things that are happening, We've talked about SpaceX and beyond space and that'll continue to get rolling out.
I expect more. We didn't see a lot this month.
I'm really curious though, especially here locally and in Tennessee what we're going to see with data centers and potential data center regulation. I agree because I've seen some news stories in regards to that. We don't have anything in our area specifically again, OpenAI building a colossus. I mean it's literally called Colossus out in Memphis.
And so that's gonna be something we'll have to keep our eye on because it could be things that do affect us locally. Yeah, you know, it may, it may not be a locally owned company, but really curious in rural America in our area because we do have the land. That's the key to be able to set those things up. What, what we may may see happen here. But that's it for, for tech news. We'll come, we'll come back, we'll come back next month for more.
[00:56:48] Speaker A: That's right. And I'm sure there'll be and of course it wouldn't be a complete episode if we didn't tell you where DTC will be during the month of the show. And for the month Of August, on August 7th and 8th, DTC will be at Red Apple Days at CS Hawkins park in downtown Auburn Town, which is always a fun time. So definitely stop by and say hello if you're going to be in the area on those two days.
And August 13th through through the 22nd, it is the Wilson County Fair, also known as the Tennessee State Fair. And it'll be at the Wilson County Fairgrounds, of course, in Lebanon. And that's again August 13th through the 22nd. And we will be there and we'll be looking forward to seeing you. It's a great time as I know you already know, if you've ever been and if you haven't been, what are you waiting for? You need to go and check it out. It's a lot of fun. It's huge.
And there's got to be some something for everyone at that State Fair. So we hope to see you there August 13th through the 22nd. And that can only mean one thing. We've told you all about tech News. We've told you where we'll be, we've talked to exciting guests and that must mean the show is a wrap for this month.
[00:57:57] Speaker C: August.
[00:57:58] Speaker B: So sad.
[00:57:59] Speaker A: So sad. But guess what?
[00:58:02] Speaker B: See you next month.
[00:58:02] Speaker A: Exactly. There's more to come next month, so we hope you'll stay tuned with us at the local click. As always, thanks for listening and watching and we will see you next time. Learn more about the show by visiting
[00:58:12] Speaker B: us online at the localclick.
[00:58:14] Speaker A: Com. Also, be sure to subscribe to us
[00:58:17] Speaker D: on your favorite podcast or video platform
[00:58:20] Speaker A: so you won't miss our next episode
[00:58:22] Speaker B: of the Local Click.
[00:58:24] Speaker A: See you next month.
