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

This week we discussed: 

• Amazon‘s quarterly earnings came out last week, and it was staggeringly great. More staggering than many thought. Here’s one data point: Over 40% of all ecommerce purchases belong to Amazon. Think on that.
• Amazon’s success comes at what cost? How’s this for a headline from the Observer: Amazon Workers Have to Process 300 Packages an Hour and Pee in Bottles. It’s backbreaking work. Workers in the UK have to process a package every nine seconds from 7:30 am to 6 pm. Some get panic attacks from the stress… others are hospitalized. It’s competitive and scary. Some employees pee into bottles to avoid taking time away from the job. It’s not AI and robots… these are humans, and even Amazon is surprised and investigating/reporting. 
• There are some news items that you read, and all that you can think is this: This must an article from The Onion. How about this for a headline: Amazon will now deliver packages to the trunk of your car. I literally LOL’d when I read this… and then… it’s true? Why not? Give them access to your home… so why not the trunk of your car?
• Amazon is also issuing an Amazon Echo for your home, that is aimed at kids. It’s called, the Echo Dot Kids Edition. It comes with a protective rubber case (in red, blue or green). This is what makes it unique: the new FreeTime service that comes preactivated with it. The service adds parental controls, kid-friendly content, and an optimized experience for kids to Alexa. What could go wrong? 
• App of the Week: SoundPrint (aka the “get off my lawn” app).