[00:00:00] Speaker A: On this edition of the Local Click, we have Lisa McCurdy and David close with full circle Realty, as well as Miss Deborah Leach with the Cannon County Senior center. Plus, we'll talk to Justin about lots of technology news and tips, and we'll have a new ask the experts guest with us, DTC employee that you don't want to miss. Learn more about fun local events and interesting people throughout the heart of middle Tennessee, with a dash of everyday tech talk thrown in for good measure. The local click starts now. Hello and welcome everyone, to the local click. The Local click is the monthly technology podcast produced by DTC Communications. That's right. We talk interesting parts of technology as well as we talk to a lot of interesting people in our service area, a lot of local businesses and things of that nature. And we have a good time and we appreciate you joining us each and every month for the show. And back with us to kick off the show again today is Justin Malden. Thank you again, Justin. Good to see you.
[00:01:03] Speaker B: Listen, I am glad to be back. I haven't been kicked off yet, and so I really appreciate you letting me come back again.
[00:01:08] Speaker A: He keeps trying to get kicked off, but he's gonna have to try a bit harder. So it is the month of April. Maybe we'll have a lot of April showers, I don't know, but I'm definitely looking forward to some nicer weather. How about you?
[00:01:20] Speaker B: I would much rather have April showers in that nicer weather than have to deal with tax day.
[00:01:26] Speaker A: I think you're probably not alone in that. Most people don't look forward to that part of their lives, do they?
[00:01:32] Speaker B: No, no. We're looking forward to the, the better weather, people getting outside, enjoying things a little bit more, and looking forward to what we've got coming up on the show. Today.
[00:01:41] Speaker A: Should be a really good show today. I think we've got a lot of cool things going on. Of course, you'll be here talking some of your tech tips, your tech news roundup, which is always great to kind of see what's going on in the technology sphere that we might have missed in the past month, as well as the ask the expert segment, which will be coming up with Jeff Tanner. We've got a couple great interviews for this month. We will have Miss Deborah Leach with the Cannon county senior Center. And then I'll be back towards the end of the show where I kind of like to talk about what's up, DTC, all the different places that we'll be. And with the weather getting warmer and nicer you can guarantee that we'll be at more places coming up soon. So you definitely want to stick around for that. But we're going to kick off the show first with our first interview, and that will be with Lisa McCurdy and David Close, both with full circle realty in Watertown, Tennessee. Thanks for joining us. For the April edition of the local click, Lisa McCurdy and David Close, both with full circle realty in Watertown. Thank you so much for joining us today on the show.
[00:02:46] Speaker C: Nice, Nick.
[00:02:47] Speaker A: We appreciate it very much. So, before we can get started into the nitty gritty of real estate, and I know that's something probably on a lot of people's minds right now. There's a lot of people looking to buy or sell right now. But I want to learn a little bit more about both of you if I could. So, Lisa, why don't you start us off? Tell us a little bit. What about you?
[00:03:05] Speaker D: I grew up in Wilson County.
I graduated from Mount Juliet.
[00:03:09] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:03:09] Speaker D: And I lived in Smith county for a while, and then I eventually made my way to Watertown. And I love it. Feels like I've been there forever.
[00:03:18] Speaker A: So you have a lot of ties to middle Tennessee then?
[00:03:21] Speaker D: Very strong ties, yeah.
[00:03:22] Speaker A: What about you, David?
[00:03:23] Speaker E: I'm a hometown Watertown boy. Graduated high school there, was raised in DeKalb as a young kid, but moved down there, I think, in second grade. And was that graduated high school and kind of moved to Smith county for a while.
[00:03:36] Speaker A: But back home now, you are co owners, right? We are in the business. And so. And you chose to make Watertown your home base. So what would be the reason, the primary reason for that? Just because you're so familiar with the area and you spend so much time there or.
[00:03:49] Speaker E: Yeah, it's home. You know, it's close to for the office and access and, you know, just know a lot of people.
[00:03:55] Speaker A: So. Yeah. So, Lisa, how did you get your start in real estate?
[00:03:59] Speaker D: I got my start in real estate when I moved back to Tennessee. I lived in Missouri for a couple years, and the agent that helped us move back, they just did such a great job and made the process go so smooth. It was like putting the pieces of a puzzle together, and every piece has.
[00:04:16] Speaker C: To be in place in order for.
[00:04:17] Speaker D: That transaction to get done.
[00:04:19] Speaker A: So you like those organizational skills involved.
[00:04:21] Speaker D: In attention to detail, helping somebody get home, helping.
You know, a lot of people think that home ownership is not attainable, and it can be if you've got the right people in place.
[00:04:33] Speaker A: So you saw some of the qualities in the whole transaction that kind of fit with your personality, so to speak?
[00:04:39] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:04:39] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:04:40] Speaker C: So it's good.
[00:04:41] Speaker D: I like it.
[00:04:41] Speaker A: Great. What about you, David?
[00:04:43] Speaker E: I was raised in real estate. My father was a owner broker as my whole childhood growing up and up until his passing, he was still doing it. So it just been in my, you know, just something that I picked up over the years and I really enjoyed doing.
[00:04:58] Speaker A: So you probably picked up a lot of tips from him, too, right? I did.
[00:05:02] Speaker E: He taught me the ins and outs of it, so, yeah, I was really fortunate.
[00:05:06] Speaker A: Talk about full circle realty and how you got your name. Cause I think that's a great name.
[00:05:11] Speaker C: Like I said, I moved out of.
[00:05:12] Speaker D: Tennessee for a couple years, and I was raised in Wilson county.
Moved to Smith county for a little bit, and then ended up back in Wilson county in Watertown. So I kind of came back full circle.
David and I worked together at another real estate company, 2016, and worked out really good. And then we kind of went our separate ways, and then now here we are, back again, full circle.
[00:05:42] Speaker A: I see where it came from makes a lot of sense.
[00:05:45] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:05:45] Speaker D: So that's, you know, my thing is I want to be able to help other people bring their real estate full circle.
[00:05:52] Speaker A: So what counties do you primarily work in, as far as listings?
[00:05:57] Speaker E: We're pretty much all of middle Tennessee within, you know, kind of everything touching our area. You know, we will definitely service.
[00:06:05] Speaker A: So it's not just the Watertown, Wilson county area. Right. And I assume you guys are there for buyers or sellers on either side of a transaction, right?
[00:06:15] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:06:16] Speaker A: Yeah. Do you have a favorite side of it?
[00:06:19] Speaker E: I prefer the listing side.
[00:06:22] Speaker A: Okay. What about you, Lisa?
[00:06:24] Speaker D: I like first time homebuyers because that excitement and helping them reach that goal, there's nothing. Nothing touches it.
[00:06:33] Speaker A: I still remember as a first time home buyer myself, that excitement that my wife and I had when we were looking and the possibilities, the imagination. Can we see ourselves living here and that kind of thing? It is. It's exciting.
[00:06:44] Speaker C: It is.
[00:06:45] Speaker D: It really is. And to get to be a part of that and help somebody achieve that, it's awesome.
[00:06:51] Speaker A: So what are the advantages of a buyer using an agent, a real estate agent? When they're ready to buy a property.
[00:06:57] Speaker D: A good agent can benefit a buyer by saving them time and money.
They handle the negotiations. There's several costs that are involved with buying a house that you don't even realize.
You can get a lot of those rolled into the loan. And a good agent has a good network title company, a lender that can help. And a lot of buyers don't even know where to start.
[00:07:23] Speaker A: So it kind of speeds the process up in some ways, doesn't it? If you've got someone working for you that's experienced in that field. Yes.
[00:07:29] Speaker C: And they do it every day.
[00:07:30] Speaker A: If I had a piece of property or a home that I wanted to sell, what's the advantages of using an agent versus me just trying to sell it on my own?
[00:07:36] Speaker E: Well, knowing what the processes are. I mean, as far as making sure your documentation, your forms that are necessary for you to sell your property or taking care of and. And that, you know, further disclosures and things like that, then also you, all your advertising, your, you know, we. We do drone videos, we do pictures, you know, so it's things that they're probably not thinking about when they're thinking, well, I like to sell my property. And also the fact that they don't have to be sitting around waiting on people to call them, so they have to show their homes. We'll have everything set up and organized.
[00:08:11] Speaker A: They don't.
[00:08:12] Speaker E: So they can just kind of leave it to us to make sure that everything's handled properly.
[00:08:16] Speaker A: I don't think a lot of people realize just how big of a service industry the real estate business is with people.
[00:08:23] Speaker E: Right. That's kind of overlooked a lot of things.
[00:08:26] Speaker A: They think it's almost just like a checkbox. I need an agent for this or that, but they don't realize the amount of work, and it's not. It's. I know this for a fact because I've worried real estate agents myself to death, but there is no time clock, right on the phone. Calls and texts. Right.
[00:08:42] Speaker E: All times a day. Yes. Weekends.
[00:08:44] Speaker A: So.
[00:08:45] Speaker E: Yes.
[00:08:45] Speaker A: Yeah. So you're working hard for your clients on either side, really, 24/7 exactly. Yeah. Talk about the importance of having access to high quality, high speed fiber Internet for a home listing.
[00:08:58] Speaker D: Well, nowadays, one of the first things that everybody asks is, what's the Internet like? You've got so many people working from home or homeschool that they need that Internet, and that is nine times out of ten, one of the first questions that we get asked.
[00:09:13] Speaker A: Wow. And I'd say, if there's not access, that would probably hamper the sale of that property. Right?
[00:09:22] Speaker D: Yes, it can.
[00:09:22] Speaker A: Yeah. Have you noticed that there's a. The same thing? There's an increase in people really asking those kinds of questions early on in the process? Yeah, they do.
[00:09:30] Speaker E: That's very important to people.
[00:09:32] Speaker A: Yeah, we've noticed. We hear a lot of people talk about some of the first questions asked. And sometimes it's not like I have city water or sewer. It's like, what's the Internet like? Right. Exactly right.
[00:09:44] Speaker E: You have a high speed Internet.
[00:09:45] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:09:46] Speaker E: And so who is it with? You know, DTC is always a been really good for this area, you know.
[00:09:53] Speaker A: So how has the market changed in the past few years, especially after the pandemic and that sort of thing? Have you noticed a change in that?
[00:10:01] Speaker D: Oh, it's changed quite a bit.
We went into a heavy season of listings, getting multiple offers, which it happens, but it's not, it wasn't a regular occurrence.
[00:10:15] Speaker A: It wasn't as common.
[00:10:16] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:10:17] Speaker D: In your rural areas.
And so that was interesting and that made it really hard on homebuyers. Thankfully, it's not as common now.
It's kind of settled down a little bit on that, but it has definitely changed.
[00:10:35] Speaker A: What about interest rates? I know you hear that in the news quite a bit, how the rates are fluctuating quite a bit and that sort of thing.
[00:10:43] Speaker E: They are. And that has a lot to do with the, with the change in what Lisa was saying about the multiple offers and all because with the rates up, it's kind of slowed down that a little bit. But they're talking about some rate decreases coming, you know, in the near future, so we'll see how that plays out.
[00:10:58] Speaker A: Yeah. And that does change really what you can afford, doesn't it, by monthly payments.
[00:11:03] Speaker E: More than people realize.
[00:11:04] Speaker A: Yeah, I know real estate is a one on one type of business where you're really trying to hold the hands of a buyer or seller during a transaction because they're looking for your expertise in a lot of this stuff. But at the same time, I'm sure with technology trends being what they are, people expect to at least get that first start sometimes by going to the Internet, right, and looking for listings and that sort of thing. Do you guys use a website for some of those types of things?
[00:11:31] Speaker C: Yes, we do have a website.
[00:11:33] Speaker D: We also utilize the MLS for searches, and you can do searches from our website as well.
[00:11:39] Speaker A: So if someone heard something today that kind of sparked their curiosity and they want to get in touch with you for some help with their real estate needs, how do they need to get started?
[00:11:47] Speaker D: Well, they can call the office at 615-697-3264 or they can check out the website, which is fullcirclerealtytn.com dot.
[00:11:57] Speaker A: Awesome. Awesome. Well, Lisa, David, I really appreciate you visiting us here today and teaching me a little bit more about the real estate business. And good luck in all your future business endeavors.
[00:12:09] Speaker E: Thank you.
[00:12:10] Speaker A: Thanks for watching and we'll be back with more of the show in just a moment. Gaming builds real skills for real careers in esports and beyond.
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Welcome back to the local click. It's time to hand it over to Justin, as we do each and every month for Justin's tech tips. Justin, take it away.
[00:13:27] Speaker B: So I've got one here that's sure to raise your level of excitement. Something that's talked about often, something that people think about all the time, and that is web browser extensions.
[00:13:39] Speaker A: Oh, I'm glad I was holding on for that. Web browser extensions. Yes, I was hoping you'd go there.
[00:13:44] Speaker B: So we use web browsers all the time. Whether you're on your computer, whether you're on your phone, whatever device it may be, tablet, it does not matter. You're using a web browser of some sort. And most time the names that stick out would be Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge or Apple Safari or the three big players in there. And there's some other ones as well. So we know what a web browser is, we use it all the time. But there's a specific piece of software that can run inside that to make it even more functional, even more customizable. And that's called an extension or plugin depending upon the browser that you're using. But most of them call them extensions, something we don't think about often. You probably actually already have some extensions that are running within a web browser right now and you just don't realize it if you've installed some pieces of software. So these pieces of software can do all kinds of things, add all kinds of functionality. So one of the biggest things that they do is add some extra layers of security. So if you've got an antivirus or you've got an anti malware on your system already, chances are it asked you to install a plugin, an extension for your browser already. So that way when you're surfing the web, it's checking your websites as you go, it's checking your downloads to make sure that there's nothing in there that shouldn't be. So it's helping protect you. It's adding an additional layer there. It can do some other cool things. We've talked about password managers before. That's been a tech tip that we've talked about before. Password managers can run inside your browser.
[00:15:11] Speaker A: That's a big one as well. Yeah.
[00:15:13] Speaker B: So that, you know, so it adds, you know, you can think about the security aspect, you can think about the password manager, which is a layer of security and also a layer of convenience too, that can run. But there's also some neat things that it can do. There's certain extensions that will help you with your grammar. So if you're writing something or you're filling in, maybe you're using, instead of using an email application, you're using email within a desktop environment, you're typing it in. It will help you beyond what your normal check and review for spelling and grammar that's built in. It will help you to make sure that, hey, you're changing your word variety up. The sentence syntax is a little bit better, making sure that you do have subject verb agreement, all sorts of things that those can help you with so that when you send that email, when you press that send button, you don't have to worry about, hey, I've messed up somewhere along the line, when somebody reads it, they can help you save money too. Browser extensions can.
[00:16:07] Speaker A: I'm always about that.
[00:16:08] Speaker B: So these websites that people have never heard of called Amazon and Walmart, some small websites, small websites, these e commerce sites, you can use extensions that will automatically fill coupon codes for you or help you find better deals on it. If you're shopping on one site and you're trying to buy something that it can say, hey, actually you can find a better deal on this website or.
[00:16:32] Speaker A: Have you, that's seen pretty neat.
[00:16:33] Speaker B: Or here's this coupon code, and you can save money. So it can help you save money as well. Probably my favorite thing about browser extensions though, and the number one thing that I use it for is ad blocking.
You get those distracting pop ups. You go to a website, hey, subscribe here, check out this page, check out this product. Yeah, we've all seen it and it's a catch 22. You know, you want to support websites, you want, you know, we go and we browse the web and we get to access a lot of information for free. And they need a revenue stream for it, but sometimes it can be a little much when more of the page is ads versus the content that you're trying to access. Maybe there's an issue there. And this can help you facilitate a way to cut back on those intrusive ads, especially, you know, the ones that you've got to get through before you actually access it. For some people, that's enough that they don't ever go back to a website.
[00:17:28] Speaker A: Right.
[00:17:28] Speaker B: I don't want to come back. If I've got to deal with this every time, why would I come here? And this may be a way to help, help bypass that as well. So there's, there's all kinds of things that you can do with web browser extensions. There's literally hundreds of thousands of them available. A majority of them are free. There's a lot that are free. Some of them do cost money, so you may have to pay a little bit. Most everything's on a subscription model nowadays. Usually they're not too expensive, but if there's something that you think a web browser should do that it's not already doing, probably there's an extension out there that'll make it for you.
[00:17:59] Speaker A: That's true. And I will add this, too, when you're looking on the list of browser extensions for your favorite web browser. As a little tip, I always like to check the reviews, and I like to stick to ones that have a lot of reviews that are at the top of the recommended list because you can have some unscrupulous browser extensions, too.
[00:18:19] Speaker B: Yeah. So there's some other concerns, too, and some other considerations to be given. Like you said, the security of them, some of them are signed, some of them are from known developers, some of them aren't. Also, they can eat up system resources, so you don't necessarily want to run a lot of these that you're not really utilizing, you know, so if they're beneficial to you, but I'd recommend that you, you pick a few that work for you, that help you, because you don't want to just go downloading 100 that you don't know about. It could be a security risk. It could also slow your system down and actually have the adverse effect and make your browsing experience worse instead of better.
[00:18:52] Speaker A: Yeah, we're trying to lift things up, not tear them down. Right.
This segment we're lucky to have. Miss Deborah leach with the Cannon County Senior Center. Miss Deborah, thank you for being with us today.
[00:19:03] Speaker C: Thank you for inviting me.
[00:19:04] Speaker A: Well, you had a very long drive over to the Woodbury studio from your place right?
[00:19:09] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. It was very long.
[00:19:11] Speaker A: We were laughing here behind the scenes. Like, she could probably walk from the senior center to our studios here at DTC and Woodbury's office.
[00:19:18] Speaker C: I could. I could and probably need to.
It's chilly out there today.
[00:19:23] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, thanks for being here. Thank you. I know a lot of people that are watching and listening, especially from the Cannon county area. They know you and know about you and stuff. But for those that don't, tell us a little bit of history about yourself and how you ended up here in Woodbury.
[00:19:38] Speaker C: Well, as far as the director of the senior center, my undergraduate degree is in social works, so I graduated from MTSU, and then my graduate degree is in sociology with an emphasis in gerontology, with a certificate of gerontology at the graduate level. So I've always worked with older adults. Cause that's the study of aging, gerontology. And I guess I worked in mental health for a long time. And then when I moved back to Auburntown, started working over here at the hospital and was invited to join the board. So I was on the board of directors at the senior center for about seven years. And then after that, the job opening came available and I applied. And so I've been there ever since. That was ten years ago. It'd be ten years ago in June, which it has flown by. Doesn't seem.
[00:20:30] Speaker A: I was going to say it doesn't seem like it's been ten years, because I remember when you started there.
[00:20:34] Speaker C: Yeah, 2014.
[00:20:36] Speaker A: So you have ties to Cannon county. You live in Auburn town area, right? So I would think it probably pleases your heart, so to speak, to be able to help seniors in your home county.
[00:20:49] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, I really enjoy that. And we have a lot going on at the senior center and we have a good time.
But yes, I do enjoy working close to home and with the people of Cannon county.
[00:21:01] Speaker A: What's the main purpose of the senior center?
[00:21:04] Speaker C: Well, our mission, basically, is to promote independence, wellness, and activities to enrich the lives of Cannon county seniors. But you don't have to be or live in Cannon county to be a member of our center. We welcome anybody that is aged 60 and older. That's who we serve.
[00:21:23] Speaker A: That was going to be one of my questions, too.
[00:21:25] Speaker C: I was kind of curious about that, 60 and older. And I am knocking on that door myself, so it won't be long.
[00:21:33] Speaker A: Well, some of the events and special little things that you have going on at the center, I can understand. You probably get several calls wanting to know, hey, can I be a part of that. And you'd be like, well, you're not quite at that age yet where you're eligible to participate.
[00:21:47] Speaker C: Right, right. And we really do stick to the, to the age. But yes, our exercise program is very popular, and we have a fitness room with commercial grade equipment, and that's not something you can find anywhere around here except really if you have to go into rehab or something. So we have that available, and there is no membership fee to join the senior center. So people really like that fitness room that we have, as well as the exercise classes. But we also are a nutrition site, so we serve meals every day. We do the meals on wheels program, and then we have a lot of classes we offer. We've got an amazing art class. A lot of people like that.
Quilting class, craft classes, but we also have a lot of fun activities. Beanbag baseball.
[00:22:38] Speaker A: Oh, that sounds exciting.
[00:22:40] Speaker C: It's a little like corn hole. We just play it once a month because everybody gets excited and loves it.
[00:22:45] Speaker A: Now, do you get involved in some.
[00:22:46] Speaker C: Of these games when they're going on? Oh, yeah. I'm the biggest cheerleader. You know, sometimes they say they think that I have more as much fun or more than they do, but we do a lot of fun activities. Of course, bingo is another big one at the center. We have big crowds for that. So we have great community partners that come in and help provide some of the activities as well.
[00:23:07] Speaker A: That's awesome.
[00:23:08] Speaker C: And then we have things like, we've got a foot clinic going on right now, foot care, and so we've been able to provide that free of charge. We do try to offer a lot of different things for a variety of people in different age groups as well.
[00:23:24] Speaker A: What I'm noticing, too, is it's a great blend of fun activities. Right. But also helpful activities with health, you know, working out, keeping active and fit or different, you know, clinics and that sort of thing. Right. It's a balance, isn't it, when you try to help people?
[00:23:40] Speaker C: Yeah, we do. We try to offer that balance. We are also, you know, community resource center. So we have a lot of information and resources for people that we try to connect them to as well.
[00:23:51] Speaker A: What is your standard, I guess, set of days that you're open or hours?
[00:23:56] Speaker C: We're open Monday through Friday and we're open 08:00 to 04:00 okay.
[00:24:02] Speaker A: And you don't have to make any kind of appointment. Right. You can just pop in and.
[00:24:06] Speaker C: Right. And if you just want to come and see what we offer and take a tour, we welcome everybody to do that as well.
So, yeah, people like to come and kind of see what's going on, see what we offer. You know, like we have a library and a computer room, and then we have the fitness room and, and then people can see the art displayed so they can see that we have different things that might interest them.
[00:24:29] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:24:30] Speaker C: And then we do publish a monthly newsletter, so we like to give those out as well.
[00:24:34] Speaker A: Oh, that's good.
[00:24:35] Speaker C: People who come in that are new.
[00:24:36] Speaker A: Yeah. Kind of helps you keep in tune to the calendar. Right. And the different things that are going on for that particular month. Yeah. Now, I know I hear a lot of talk around town about one thing that you're very involved in, and that's some of these trips that you take the seniors on. Right. Is that one of the most popular things that you get to work on each year? I would imagine so, because I hear a lot of talk about it.
[00:24:58] Speaker C: Yeah. Our travel program, it's actually a fundraiser for the center, but we offer it to the community so anybody can travel with us. I think some people think that you have to be 60 to go on some of these trips, but you don't.
We have had people to take their grandchildren, their children, a friend, so anybody can go.
But yes, we do international travel as well as domestic, and then we also do bus trips and sometimes we do day trips that are short trips.
But our international travel has been really amazing, and I've been fortunate to be able to go on some of those trips. And for me, I wouldn't have otherwise probably ever done that.
[00:25:41] Speaker A: And not just you, but a lot of the people that are interested in this, it doesn't come up every day where you have the, where do you get started if you want to go on an international trip somewhere? You know, how do you get started? Having you helped them through that process and setting up some of this, that's a big deal.
[00:25:56] Speaker C: Yeah, it does take some time, but typically I meet with the travel agents and I have some that I work with that specializes in group travel for seniors.
And so we select at least two trips a year have been international, and then we will do some domestic, and so we just focus on those. Right. But also have some cruises that we do as well. So this October we're going to England, Scotland and Wales, and then this summer I have a tour going to the Canadian Rockies, Glacier National park. So we do have people booked on both of those. And we also have a cruise in one set for 2025 that some people are interested in that's going to New England and up to Canada.
[00:26:44] Speaker A: Oh, that'll be fun, too.
[00:26:45] Speaker C: So, yeah, and we've been to Ireland and to London and Paris, Italy. I got to go on the grease trip this past October, and that was pretty incredible. It's a beautiful place.
[00:26:59] Speaker A: I bet there's a lot of friendships that get made through the center, especially on these trips, because when you travel with others and get to see all the excitement of these different places and things like that, you're building a lot of memories. Right. A lot of connections, so to speak.
[00:27:12] Speaker C: And usually friends usually go in room together, so people who are already pretty connected. And then, so then you meet other people as well. And then we travel with a larger group. So we may have 15 to go on a tour from the Kenny county senior center, but then meet up with another maybe 40 people for a bus load that we then, once we get to our destination, will travel with and get to meet.
[00:27:36] Speaker A: Right. Talk about a little bit about the volunteers that like to help. And are you always looking for volunteers to assist with different things at the center?
[00:27:46] Speaker C: We have about 50 volunteers that are seniors. So we really, of course, volunteerism is really big, as we know, in the state of Tennessee, but also with the Tennessee Commission on aging that we have a contract through, they track and want us to keep up with volunteer hours. So volunteerism is really important. We use a lot of volunteers. I have volunteers at the front desk, like right now. You walk in volunteers. We have volunteers that help deliver commodities, help deliver our meals on wheels.
But yes, throughout the year, especially during fundraiser events, we like to have volunteers even from the community. For example, the Lions Club, they help us each year with one of our big fundraisers. So collecting trash for good old days. So they always volunteer and help us through that. But yes, to answer your question, we need volunteers, and they can, I'm sure.
[00:28:48] Speaker A: When we get to the end of this interview, we'll give your contact information out in case people want to inquire more about that. I like something that you mentioned just a second ago, too, you were talking about. You have a lot of seniors that volunteer to help seniors. I think that's a neat aspect of that.
[00:29:02] Speaker C: We do, and we have a great program in the, I guess Christmas time. It's called adopt a senior program. And so our seniors volunteer and they adopt a senior in need, and so they buy, they go shopping and buy gifts for the seniors in need. And so that's a way they can give to someone else, and that's a volunteer project. And then I have volunteers that go out and deliver those gifts. So it's a wonderful program because the recipients and those that deliver both have great rewards.
[00:29:39] Speaker A: That's a win win, isn't it?
[00:29:40] Speaker C: Yeah, that's a good program.
[00:29:43] Speaker A: Well, let's talk about technology a little bit. And since we're a technology based podcast, we talk a lot about technology. And some people may incorrectly think that there's not much technology involved at the senior center. But we know for a fact, because I've been there and I've seen it, there is quite a bit of technology there, isn't there?
[00:30:01] Speaker C: Yes, there is. And of course, of course, we have Internet and wifi as far as the services you all help us provide, and tv, of course, telephone.
But we do have a computer lab, so we have four computers set up in there with a printer so that our seniors can come in and check their email, they can get on the website, and, you know, they can google whatever they want, they can order online, that type of thing.
But we do have one of my part time staff.
She's able to assist with technology a lot better than me. I'm very limited in that area.
But some people come in, for example, with their cell phones and maybe a new cell phone, don't quite know how to use it, so she can assist with that.
[00:30:48] Speaker A: IPads, laptops, that's a great service that you're providing.
[00:30:52] Speaker C: And then we have computer classes from time to time.
We partnered with the high school for our last computer class and had some of the students and one of the teachers come over and help our seniors. So we like to do that. And it would be good to have more, I guess, of an ongoing computer class and technology assistance. So we continually work on that.
[00:31:18] Speaker A: That's great.
[00:31:18] Speaker C: Some of our seniors still have the flip phones, but a lot of them now are purchasing the smartphones. So, like, we all do need a little help when we first get started.
[00:31:29] Speaker A: You'd be surprised how many seniors can get around on a smartphone, though, because I know several of them myself, and sometimes they know more about it than I do, and that's the truth. So what's the most exciting part of your job every day?
[00:31:45] Speaker C: You know, like, we were talking about the travel program. That has been, you know, a privilege that I've had to be able to do that. But I think the most exciting part and the thing that I like the best probably, is the fact that I get to help people. And when you have somebody to come in and you're able to give them maybe a resource or you're able to do something for them or provide them with some assistance. We're also the help center for Middle Tennessee Electric, so we help people through their share and change program with utility bills. And so when we're able to provide a service or give somebody a resource and help somebody in some way, it's, I think, makes, you know, the day worthwhile.
And that's probably the most enjoyable part of my job, is really being able to provide that type of service. And sometimes it's just listening, you know, it's somebody that's got a need, comes into the office, and you just listen and talk, help them.
[00:32:49] Speaker A: Just being there for someone sometimes. Yeah, I know. There's another thing that you're extremely involved with every year in Woodbury, and that's the cannon county good old days, and you do a fantastic job on that. Tell us all about what it is and for those that haven't been and when it is, and just some details in general, and what you expect to have there this year.
[00:33:10] Speaker C: Okay. Yeah. It's our biggest fundraiser, and a lot of people don't realize that the senior center actually coordinates it, organizes it, and hosts it. And this is our 18th year.
[00:33:22] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:33:23] Speaker C: Yeah, it's been a while. But of course, we know it originated back in the seventies with Bill Smith and Steve Smith and the bank of commerce. And I was one of those way back when, not in the seventies, but in the eighties, that worked with good old days. So it's been around a long time. It's really a good community event, and we're proud to be able to host it.
But it's a. We call it a festival. It's two days, Friday and Saturday. This year it is May 3 and fourth. And we kind of went back to the original dates, in a way, because it was always the first weekend in May for many years, but it's a little bit earlier, so a little bit pushed for time. But we have a lot of fun events. We think at the good old days, we start off with our senior events, and the reason we do that is because May is older Americans month.
[00:34:22] Speaker A: Oh, okay.
[00:34:22] Speaker C: And so the senior center hosting it, we try to incorporate a little bit about older Americans month. And this year, the kind of the theme of it is making connections. And that's one of the things that we're able to do at the senior center, is make those social and strong connections. So we're going to incorporate that. And then, of course, we have lots of entertainment on stage. As you know, you're going to be a part of that.
[00:34:46] Speaker A: I may have participated a few times in some of the musical activities there. Yeah. I always appreciate you having us.
[00:34:52] Speaker C: So we have a lot of good bands and musical entertainment. We have a good group lined up this year as well.
We also have, of course, pageants from baby show all the way up to our senior mission.
[00:35:05] Speaker A: And those are big. Yes, those are really big.
[00:35:07] Speaker C: And we hope we have a lot of contestants this year as well. Of course, we have a parade on Saturday, and then we have school events scheduled at Dillon park on Friday.
Dog show. The dog show is very popular.
[00:35:24] Speaker A: That's very popular.
[00:35:25] Speaker C: Yes, it is Saturday, two to four. And so food vendors, I think a lot of people like to eat while they're at good old days.
[00:35:37] Speaker A: I've been known to eat while I'm there.
[00:35:39] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:35:39] Speaker A: I've never left hungry.
[00:35:41] Speaker C: So we have several already, from barbecue vendors to a Cajun vendor who's new this year.
[00:35:47] Speaker A: Oh, that's neat.
[00:35:48] Speaker C: Yes. We have a lemonade vendor, a coffee vendor that's new this year, and, of course, lots of, lots of different varieties of food.
And then we have several already scheduled as far as information vendors, retail vendors. So you'll be able to get a lot of good information about services, resources in the community while you're there, as well as buy something.
[00:36:14] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:36:15] Speaker C: That you can't live without. And we have more craft vendors already this year.
[00:36:20] Speaker A: Oh, that's great. People love that.
[00:36:21] Speaker C: Some crafts and some local crafts that people have made. So that should be really, really good to look at as well.
[00:36:26] Speaker A: Yeah, people love the crafts. They really get into it, don't they?
[00:36:30] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:36:31] Speaker A: Yeah.
If others want to learn more about all the things that you're kind of talking about with good old days, do you have a website or somebody that can keep in touch with that?
[00:36:42] Speaker C: Yeah, we have a website. It's Cannon county good old days.com. And so I have all of these sponsors. We got wonderful sponsors. If we didn't have sponsors, we could not put on this event. So they're listed on there our corporate gold and gold sponsors. We also have event sponsors. They help us sponsor every event that we do.
And then I also have on there, we have listed the vendors as well as the forms that you need. If you want to be a vendor, you can still be a vendor. Still time left or a sponsor if you want to sponsor.
[00:37:15] Speaker A: So you can access all of those forms on your website. You don't have to physically come there.
[00:37:20] Speaker C: And you can print them off and mail them in. And then we have the dog show on there and all the pageant forms on there as well, so, well, thank.
[00:37:30] Speaker A: You so much for your time. As far as the time and effort you put into keeping the tradition going, because it is a tradition in a small town. You know, it's a big deal and people, they want to see it keep going. So I know it's a labor of love. I know the amount of hours that you put in this because we talk about it every year and it's a lot of work, for sure.
[00:37:50] Speaker C: So, yeah, it is. But we have a good board of directors, and like you said, we have volunteers that help us. So it takes a lot of us to put it all together. But just to share a quick little story, I get a lot of people that talk about good old days and say, well, you know, I met my spouse there, or, you know, my best friend. I met my best friend there. So it is, it is more than just a festival. It's a place to gather and a place for people to, you know, meet people.
[00:38:21] Speaker A: Well, I just, I think it's exciting that we can continue to keep it going because really, that's the livelihood of a smaller town, isn't it?
[00:38:29] Speaker C: It is.
[00:38:29] Speaker A: It's the tradition. It's the memories you make. It's the sharing these kind of moments with your friends and your family. And it's really kind of, in my opinion, kind of what sets apart some of our great local smaller towns than some of their bigger cities.
If people want to learn more about the senior center, about the Cannon county senior Center, what should they do? Should you have a web address or Facebook?
[00:38:52] Speaker C: We have a website, cannon countyseniorcenter.com. Okay. We also put our newsletter on the website, so it's monthly. And so they can, you know, click on there and kind of see what we have going on. Okay. But they can always call our phone number, 615-563-5304 or just stop by for a visit and check us out.
[00:39:15] Speaker A: Well, there you go. Well, keep doing what you're doing. You're doing a great job. I hear nothing but good things about you throughout the community.
[00:39:21] Speaker C: Thank you.
[00:39:22] Speaker A: And she's a hard worker, folks, let me tell you. So. But thanks for being here, and good luck at good old days, too, this year.
[00:39:28] Speaker C: Thank you.
[00:39:28] Speaker A: So stay tuned. We'll have more of the show coming up in just a moment.
[00:39:33] Speaker F: My name is Ashley Roth. My husband Caleb and I own stain and seal experts based in Alexandria, and we are a DTC customer.
Caleb grew up in the fence industry, so when we got married and wanted to do something on our own, it made sense for us to start staining fences and manufacturing fence and deck and log cabin stains.
We manufacture our own stains that check all the boxes for us that we offer to our customers here locally as well as nationwide that buy our products.
DTC services all of our phone systems. We also have their fiber Internet. For our phone system to work is instrumental for us. We rely heavily on our Internet and phone services from DTC. It means a lot to us that they're local, that they've always been local, and that we're able to support them and their services give us what we need to support our customers. Hi, I'm Ashley, and that's the DTC difference.
[00:40:37] Speaker A: And welcome back to the final segment of the April edition of the Local click podcast. And it's time for the part of the show that we like to call ask the expert. And so for today, we have a new expert, and that would be Mister Jeff Tanner. Jeff, good to see you. Thanks for being here.
[00:40:56] Speaker G: Well, it's an honor to be here.
[00:40:59] Speaker A: You have. We were talking off camera. You've been here at DTC for quite a while.
[00:41:04] Speaker B: Currently.
[00:41:04] Speaker A: You're doing a lot of, I guess you might say, fiber install support, right? Is that what you're doing?
[00:41:11] Speaker G: Yeah, you could say that.
[00:41:13] Speaker A: So what do you do? Explain to everybody at home what you do?
[00:41:17] Speaker G: I'm the one that usually, of course, you, you know, the engineers will go out and I'll go out after them. And when it has to be buried, if it has anything to do with buried, that's really where I come into play.
[00:41:30] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:41:30] Speaker G: And I'll put the drop in the ground. You know, it's not like a lot of people might think that you're actually digging up their yard. Well, it's not, because the machines that we have, you know, just makes a small end dension. It just cuts it and puts the wire in or the fiber and covers it right back up, and then we run over it and smooth it out. And after a couple of rains, usually can't even tell we've been there. Sometimes you can't tell. The day we leave, you can't tell we've even been there.
[00:42:02] Speaker A: Wow. That's awesome. So, Jeff, when you talk about burying a drop, I know that's what a lot of the technicians call it, but as far as in layman's terms, what does that mean? And just how far in the ground are we talking about?
[00:42:16] Speaker G: Usually your. The.
The ditch that we create for the drop to go in, which is an open and closed ditch, is approximately about a one and a half inches wide.
And like I said, it's open and closed. So the plow puts it in and vibrates it in. So it's really just kind of just basically open and close it. Puts it in and just closes it back. And we try to go, we try to get six inches and we can go as far as 18 inches. You know, if it's a clear run, we'll probably put it in twelve to 14 inches in the ground.
[00:42:57] Speaker A: And the nice thing about the equipment that you're using, it sounds like even, even if you had to go 18 inches deep, we're not talking about a huge width. Right.
[00:43:06] Speaker G: No difference.
[00:43:07] Speaker A: Right.
[00:43:07] Speaker G: There's no difference at all.
[00:43:09] Speaker A: Right.
[00:43:09] Speaker G: There's no difference from one inch to 18 inches.
[00:43:13] Speaker A: Yeah. So basically what you're doing when people call in, I guess, to sign up for fiber service, a lot of times that fiber cable will need to, of course, run to their house. Yes. And so it's your job to basically get it from the pole near the road to the side of their house and make it safe and secure and look good. Right. For the customer.
[00:43:37] Speaker G: Yes.
[00:43:37] Speaker A: Okay. Yes. Gotcha. Gotcha. So what can. If I were to call in and I wanted to sign up for service, would you basically be able to advise us of where that line needs to go? Do I need to know anything to tell you, or do you kind of take care of the whole process?
[00:43:56] Speaker G: Pretty much. Take care of the whole process.
A lot of times it's nice to know, you know, like if your water's coming in, in the front of your house and stuff, if you know that, it's, it's nice for us to know it, but it's not a requirement. I mean, most people don't know that anyway, so it's, it pretty much falls on our part because we'll do the 811 call to get all your, all of your utilities located.
[00:44:21] Speaker A: Right.
[00:44:22] Speaker G: So we don't come out and start cutting stuff because that's the one thing we don't want to do, is to cut.
[00:44:28] Speaker A: Right.
[00:44:28] Speaker G: Any of your utilities going to your house.
[00:44:30] Speaker A: Right. So how long does a typical job. I know. No, there is no such thing really, as typical in anything in life. But on normal call, how long do you think it normally takes to, to bury a drop?
[00:44:43] Speaker G: Typically 30 minutes.
[00:44:45] Speaker A: Oh, wow. That's a lot quicker than I thought.
[00:44:47] Speaker G: Yeah, it's, you know, sometimes it's quicker than that.
[00:44:50] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:44:50] Speaker G: It just depends on what you run into. And if you have to, I mean, if you have to go under sidewalks, it can add a little time. Flower beds, a lot of times will add some time, you know, because to get it, we have to rake it back.
[00:45:05] Speaker A: Right.
[00:45:06] Speaker G: Do what we have to do, and then we always put it back like it was when we got there.
[00:45:11] Speaker A: So. So I guess really what it sounds like to me, what do you think Justin, is if you're on the fence, no pun intended, about getting fiber at your home because you're worried about how the, the cable will actually get to the side of your house? Doesn't really sound like it's that big of a deal.
[00:45:30] Speaker B: It sounds pretty close to hassle free, as you can get with something.
[00:45:34] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:45:35] Speaker B: Yeah. So y'all are taking the worry out of it. The, the end user, the consumer, doesn't really have to take care of anything. It's all being handling on Jeff's end and what they do through engineering and the other departments here. And we appreciate what you do, Jeff.
[00:45:49] Speaker G: We want to make it a happy customer experience.
[00:45:53] Speaker A: Well, we're going to turn the, turn the page, so to speak. We're going to hand it off to Mister Justin here, like we do each and every month for what we like to call the tech news roundup. So, Justin, you take it away and let us know what's going on in technology this month.
[00:46:07] Speaker B: So not a lot of new products, software feature, things that have really happened over the past month. It's kind of been kind of slow there, really. The biggest news that we had as far as software development goes. Sam Altman, who's the CEO of OpenAI, did recently tease chat GPT five. And I know we talk AI all the time on here, but it's always at the forefront of the news. And what's really interesting is in his comments, he was teasing, it says, probably going to be summer to fall release. But he said, compared to chat GPT four, that it makes chat GPT four look like it stinks, basically. So he is really hoping it and talking the improvements.
He's talking the talk right on it. And there's been huge jumps already in that technology space. So much so that even recently here, our own state legislation passed called the Elvis act, and it was signed into law by the governor. And what the Elvis act stands for, because we all know the name Elvis, but it's an acronym for Ensuring Likeness, Voice and image Security. And so what that does here in the state of Tennessee, we're known for music recording.
We have Music City in Nashville. And so because of the space and how important it is here, state of Tennessee became the first state actually to enact legislation to help prevent any sort of copyright infringement or unlawful use through artificial intelligence, through AI of any sort of entertainers, image, likeness, voice, or whatever, because voice changers are becoming very, very popular right now. And so they want to make sure that credit is being given where it's due. Because a lot of these AI technologies, though, they seem so fascinating, they have to have models to learn, which means they're using things that are already existing. So these voice changers are using real people's voices. They're using the vocals of real artists already in order to capture and to learn what a natural language of human voice sounds like. Well, if they're using it, they want credit to be given where it's due. And so you enter into the copyright space and other things as well. But how do entertainers make their money? How to, how do artists make their money? Right through the sale of their products. So they want to make sure that these artists are being compensated. And there's even in Congress at the national level, there is some legislation that is probably going to pass, it looks like it very well will pass, that any content that is non original, that's AI generated, needs to be labeled as such. And that can come from the aspect of making sure people understand it's not original content, but also probably helping understand what is a legitimate piece of news, potentially, versus something that's made up, because AI's causing a lot thing, a lot more news pieces and satire, or you're talking these voice changers, you can do what's called a deep fake, put somebody's face on somebody else, use a voice changer, and pretend like somebody did something or said something that they didn't, you know, so that that space is going to be key to keep an eye on also staying right in the entertainment space. TikTok. I am not a TikTok user. I do not have a. Jeff, are you a TikToker?
[00:49:17] Speaker G: Yes, I have tick tock.
[00:49:18] Speaker A: Do you? There you go. There you go.
[00:49:21] Speaker B: So a lot of people do. I'm one of the ones.
[00:49:23] Speaker A: I don't.
[00:49:23] Speaker B: I just, I've never gotten into it. But I mean, there are, I think, estimates over 100 million users in the United States of TikTok. So over. Over a third of the United States is actively using TikTok. There's some security concerns with it. And actually, half of Congress has already voted on what is going to be a ban on the current chinese ownership of TikTok, which would force either a shutdown of TikTok or a sale to a different company in order for it to continue.
Now you say, well, how is that tech related? Well, again, using these entertainment sites. These are also news gathering sites for people. They're information gathering sites to tell you, you get information, how you disseminate information.
And every major news outlet uses TikTok.
Politicians use TikTok. Athletes use TikTok. People go there to get information. And so it could be a pretty big deal concerning that space and the amount of users. And then one more thing, and we'll be done. And there's a lot of legislation, ton of legislation on the technics. That's really what's been going on over the past month. The Department of Justice recently filed a lawsuit against Apple.
They are, it's an antitrust lawsuit alleging anti competitive practices. And there's been some scrutiny for Apple in the past because they, they're pretty closed off in their ecosystem and how they do things. And so there's now a lawsuit that's been alleged. It's the largest lawsuit that's been alleged against a technology manufacturer since Microsoft in 1998. So this is not the first time the Department of Justice has went down this road. But also, you know, recently, X and Meta and Google actually all came together to file a brief in support of a plaintiff against Apple for their usage of the App Store and limiting the App Store. And that's also one of the allegations within the Department of Justice lawsuit, is for Apple to open things up a little bit.
[00:51:30] Speaker A: This is not the first time Apple's been in the news for that sort of thing with the Epic Games and Fortnite.
[00:51:35] Speaker B: Right. And that's the lawsuit.
Epic Games and some of this stuff has already been occurring in the European Union and it's now crossed the Atlantic over into the US a little bit. So the USB C on the iPhone 15 was a result of Apple being forced to do that because that's what everybody else was doing instead of using a proprietary hardware component. And they've also got in the EU some different stipulations as far as opening their App Store and what's called side loading of apps. So it'll be very interesting to see what happens here. But Apple's very protective of their product. They like to control it. They believe that they've got a quality product and they want to have their hand in it to be able to ensure that quality stays where it is. But then also on the flip side, you've got some other users who would like to access some features or see a little bit more competitiveness in the marketplace.
[00:52:24] Speaker A: Yeah. Going back to what you started off with the AI and the music industry and that sort of thing. Remember what we always used to say? Seeing is believing or hearing is believing. Yes. That's not the case, is it? You can't trust what you see or hear half the time anymore with technology. So appreciate that. So we're going to change gears again right now, and we're going to go to what's up, DTC, where I like to talk about all the different things going on in DTC land for the month of April 1. Up for the month of April is the Smithville elementary careers on wheels. That will be happening on April 5 and then following that, the spring mile long yard sale in Watertown where you get all the bargains that you've ever wanted and then some. That'll be on April 13. And the DTC Express trailer will actually be at that event. So make sure you stop in and see us if you are there. And wrapping up will be the Cannon county cruise Inn on the square, which is always a lot of fun. If you're a car buff, you don't want to miss this one. That's on April 27. And that's always, like I said, some of the best cars you'll see in Cannon county all year will be at this event. You don't want to miss that one. So all right, I think that's going to wrap it up for the month of April. For the local click, for Justin and for Jeff, I'm Nick Noakes saying so long until next month. Learn more about the show by visiting us
[email protected] dot. Also be sure to subscribe to us on your favorite podcast or video platform so you won't miss our next episode of the local Click. See you next month.
