The Connect2 Podcast
The Connect2 Podcast is a conversation between Mark Hughes and Jeff Cullen, exploring connections across business, marketing, technology, and photography. Episodes are upbeat and often touch on current events and other topical issues. The show aims to help listeners connect with each other through wide-ranging discussion.
Episodes
What is Sleep and What Happens When You Sleep?
You spend a third of your life sleeping but how well do you know how it works? It is incredibly important to a good healthy lifestyle but it does some things that are not too obvious. There are also things that you can inadvertently do that has a negative consequence on your awake time after a poor night's sleep. It affects so many of your systems and today we discuss sleep
Valuing Commercial Property
The real estate world is divided into two very distinct categories, residential and commercial. There are a lot of problems with both worlds but commercial property is valued in a different way from residential properties. It has more of an economic basis whereas residential property is really more related to supply and demand. Mark and Jeff discuss the differences between the two after talking
Which AI Model Should You Use?
The Frontier labs are producing more and more models. As a casual user, you are presented with a number of options as to which version of the model you can select for your task. How do you decide. Mark and Jeff go through the different models and versions (as of Sept 2026) and help you understand. We also, briefly, discuss the current Alex Formenton controversy and how it fits into the culture
Is There Any Good News Out There?
It seems like everyday you look at any news feed all you see is terrible stuff. Earthquakes, volcanoes, Super El Nino, Polarizing Politics, War, etc... Everything seems so negative and honestly its a little draining. Today's episode is about some good news stories.... things that are positive and hopeful. Oh, and the coffee was great!
Canary in an AI Coalmine? Are we ready for AI Swarms?
Back in the day, underground miners would have canaries in a cage to test the air to make sure it was safe to breath. If the canary stopped singing and died, it meant that the air was bad and a big risk to the miners (they needed to get out!). Did we just see an AI equivalent of a dead canary? The Hugging Face attack by Open AI agents in July was so much worse than originally thought with the a
Photographic Competitions - Why They Help Improve Your Images
Mark has a special guest today with Kayla Gordon, from Winnipeg, with whom Mark has been travelling all over this planet with on several photographic trips. Both Mark and Kayla have competed in a number of image competitions with a range of results. They discuss the process and what you get as a benefit from these competitions. Just a special note, the recording was done via a zoom meeting, so
Supersonic Flight - Why we don't travel that fast
We have been able to travel at supersonic speeds for decades, the technology is well know as are the consequences of going very fast. There used to be Concordes but nothing after them. What happened, why don't we do air travel at supersonic speeds (at the moment) and why almost all commercial airplane travel is in a sweet spot of about 0.85 Mach (speed of sound) at an elevation of 35,000 - 45,00
Shhh! What's your Password?
Passwords protect our digital online lives but they keep getting more complicated and there is so many of them, people start getting lazy so that they can actually remember their passwords. This makes passwords unreliable as a security feature. Passwords are the first line of defense for your personal information but there are other options including password managers and Passkeys. Mark and Jeff
Directions - How Google Maps gets you to your destination
In this day and age, we are now relying on mapping applications on our phones to get us to our destination more and more. Google Maps and Apple Maps are great. They find a route to where you are going fast and predict the time so much better than even a couple of years ago. But, how do they do that? How do they predict how long it takes and how do they know about traffic. Better yet, which on
How Dangerous is Alcohol?
Alcohol is ingrained and accepted in our society. But is it safe to consume? Alcohol is a Class 1 carcinogen just like Tobacco and Asbestos. What??? Yep. So why do we consume it still? Good question. Let's explore that.
GPS - Finding Where You Are
GPS is a technology that has been around for a while and has become incredibly integrated into our lives. It is so ubiquitous but most people don't know how it works. Some people think the system is dumbed down from Military systems but that's not entirely true and there are multiple systems out there. The physics about GPS is very cool
Out of Africa! Mark Returns
Mark just went on a trip to Africa to photograph animals and tribes in some remote parts of Africa and has now returned. In this episode, we discuss where he went, what he saw and what he experienced. Whoo hoo!
Special Episode - Quebec Culture in 2026
While Mark was away, Jeff had the opportunity to talk with a childhood friend Daniel St. Onge to discuss Quebec Culture. Daniel still lives in Quebec and Jeff moved away when he was in his mid 20's
The State of Global Travel
The world has been radically disrupted by regional conflicts, political realignments, global warming and supply chain disruptions (e.g. fuel). What does that actually mean for travel in 2026 and moving forward. Mark and Jeff discuss the changes in approaches to global travel as a result of these factors and what is actually happening
The Origin of the Anti-Vax Movement
How did we become a society that successfully used Vaccines to eradicate several types of diseases only to now have a significant portion of the population distrusting vaccines as a whole? Where and when did it start? Mark and Jeff explore the origins of the fabricated study that launched then entire anti-vaxx movement. Previously it was very fringe and although the origin has been proven to be
How Credit Cards Make Money for Banks
Many people pay off their credit cards monthly, so how do the banks make money off of lending you money to pay for your purchases when they don't charge you interest unless you are late with payments? Mark and Jeff discuss how the credit card companies (and in Canada the banks) make money off your purchasing habits
How to Keep Your Brain Sharp as You Age
As people age, their brain starts to be a little less sharp. Despite this there are things one can do to try to keep your mental acuity as sharp as possible. Mark and Jeff discuss those techniques as well as the usual review of coffee, things they learned this week as well as media consumed.
Disinformation is Monetized: Can you trust what you see on Youtube?
Currently there is an ongoing disinformation campaign about Alberta Separation going on that is getting a lot of views +40 million. Why is it disinformation? Because is it mostly AI generated, often using actors pretending to be someone with inside information, and the people generating it don't really care about the politics, they are more interested in the emotional spin and how that can trans
Getting a Puppy? How to decide on your choice
As a dog photographer, Mark sees lots of dogs. As he is currently about to start looking for a new puppy for his family, Mark discusses with Jeff considerations on types of breeds and where you should get puppies from.
Creator Burnout - Online creators getting tired of the grind
As the podcast and online creation systems are getting mature, some creators are getting burned out or exhausted. They started with a great idea, things started generating content that got eyeballs watching.... but its a grind and they need to keep up with content creation or their revenue slips as the algorithm rewards you less. Mark and Jeff discuss burnout.
Peptides! What are they and should you be taking them?
Ozempic or GLP-1 is a drug people are taking to reduce weight, but did you know that it is a peptide? There are other, less studied peptide out there that are being taken for a wide variety of benefits and symptoms. Do they work and how much do we know about them
What Sports do Women Dominate over Men?
Women's sports are definitely on the upswing. Even though this is the case, people in the manosphere sometimes suggest that women's sport is an afterthought. Clearly this is not true, but are there some sports where women's sport dominates over men's? How would you even measure that? Money? Fame? Performance? Mark and Jeff discuss their thoughts on the status of women's sport
Comparing AI Models
In this episode, Mark and Jeff compare AI models and how agentic work will fundamentally change how we use LLM's as tools
Mark's Wildlife Photography Adventure in India
Mark and Jeff discuss Mark's trip to India, what he learned, what he enjoyed and what he found challenging.
Adventures in India
Today we have a travelling episode with Mark in Delhi India, we have a special guest for the podcast, Kayla Gordon a renowned photographer based in Winnipeg and a former theatre producer. They talk about the trip they have been on that is coming to a close.
Are AI Agents going to Destroy the Internet?
There are very few guardrails for AI agents and as they develop more autonomy, they pose a real risk of damaging and eventually destroying the usefulness of the internet. AI agents can attack people and they don't sleep, which means they can keep breaking things on the internet if left unchecked.
AI's Scaling Problem Explained
AI's breakthrough for LLMs was dependent upon an unanticipated result when additional computing power was added to the base algorithms. A great deal of money and effort has been invested into the next generation of AI with the anticipation that the first company to develop Artificial General Intelligence will dominate the landscape. Mark and Jeff discuss why there may be a significant problem wi
The Mystery of the Unfavourable Semi-circle
The Unfavourable Semi-circle was a mysterious Youtube channel that appeared in 2015. Mark and Jeff discuss what it was and what is known about it. To this day it is still a mystery.
AI Agents - Are they ready to replace people?
Many young people are very fearful of the advent of AI particularly because it may make all kinds of work redundant. AI tools do help leverage time but are AI agents ready to come in an replace workers entirely? if not, how far away are they?
Grieving the loss of a Pet
One of Mark's dogs passed away recently and in this episode we discuss the process of dealing with an elderly dog's passing and their journey over the rainbow bridge.
Do you have a BullS%(t! Job?
David Graeber did some research on jobs and found that a lot of people thought their jobs were meaningless. He classified these jobs as Bulls&%t! jobs and even classified them. In this episode Mark and Jeff dive into what makes a job a BS job
Enshitification of the Internet
We're back! After a few weeks of conflicting schedules and travel, we are back in business baby. Today we are talking about the enshitification of the internet (a term coined by Cory Doctorow) and take a closer look at what it means and examples of it.
Wishes for 2026
At this time of year we contemplate where we have been and where we are going. In the gap between Christmas and New Year's Jeff and Mark discuss their wishes for countries, individuals and people in general for 2026.... Have a Happy New Year!
Vaccinations.... how do they work and what to they do?
Today's episode explores a bit about different types of vaccinations, how they work and what benefit we get from them. Mark is traveling in a few months and had to get some vaccinations to travel.
Think Fast! How to lose weight
Most people can lose weight by using intermittent fasting to help manage their caloric intake. In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss the benefits of fasting and how it helps you manage your weight. It doesn't work for everyone but it does work for many.
Sleep....Sleep - How does it work?
Everyone sleeps, but how much do you need and how much do you know about it. Do you get enough sleep? Do you get enough good quality sleep? Mark and Jeff explore this as well as our usual segments
Carpe Diem - Seize the Day!
Nobody gets out of this reality alive.... everyone eventually dies. Some younger than others. Better to make the most of your time on this planet. In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss the appreciation for the time we have an what we see as we get older. Not depressing but more an appreciation of the time we have - Carpe Diem!
The Coffee Episode
Mark and Jeff go through the different types of espresso based coffee, discuss caffeine levels and review both the benefits (there are some benefits) and negatives of coffee. Grab a cuppa and enjoy the discussion, we guarantee you will learn something new
Creativity - Making something from nothing
Mark and Jeff explore how to create something from essentially nothing. How to make something creative from its raw form. How did Leonardo Da Vinci create great statues from blocks of stone?
The Cholesterol Episode, the good kind
What is Cholesterol and what does it do? Why do we need to manage it and what is the difference between HDL and LDL? Statins are some of the most prescribed medications but can have some serious side effects....
Polar Bears in the Wild
Mark just finished a trip to Churchill Manitoba to photograph polar bears. The results were amazing. In this episode, Mark discusses some of the details of his trip and things that make Churchill a special place
Sora the new AI Slop Generator and Social Network
OpenAI just released a new social media platform that consists entirely of AI generated slop. It has some unusual features and is fun to use and experiment with. Who knows where this will go but the ability to generate these short clips from text input is remarkable.
Drug Side Effects
What prescription drugs have the most side effects and what are they? What about generic drugs, are they just as effect as name brand drugs? How well do they perform? We explore both of these topics as well as discuss 3i/Atlas and what coffee we are drinking
New and Shiny vs Old and Predictable
Do you like to try new things? Are you resistant to change? Why are some people motivated to try new things while others resist change? Mark and Jeff discuss this
Fly Me To the Moon!
Nasa is planning it's Artemis program to send astronauts to the moon and establish a base on the Moon to get us to Mars. Today, we talk about the Artemis program, where it is at and where it is going
AI Robots are Coming!
What happens when you have a humanoid robot and you put into it, AGI? Where does that leave humanity?
The Health Episode
In this episode Mark and Jeff discuss why older people talk about health concerns.
The Bears of Katmai
Mark and Jeff discuss Mark's recent trip to Katmai National Park in Alaska where he got to photograph Kodiak Brown Bears, some of the biggest bears in the world (basically the same size as polar bears)
Bears! With special guest: Kayla Gordon
Mark is on the road on a photography excursion to photography Kodiak bears in Katmai National Park. On this travel edition of the podcast, Mark interviews a fellow photographer (Kayla Gordon from Winnipeg) and they discuss where they are and what they have been doing. ****WARNING**** The noise quality is a little rough (the generator for the boat was going on in the background), we were in an op
AI Slop is taking over the Internet
Have you seen lots of AI generated videos in your social media or Youtube? Well, AI slop used to be easy to spot and low quality, but it is rapidly getting better. It is also proliferating at an incredible rate. Because of monetization policies of various social media platforms, AI slop is rapidly taking over. It has the potential to completely overwhelm these social media platforms making the
Drugs and Mental Health
Drugs are an important treatment option for many mental health challenges, but our bodies adapt to the drugs and many of them lose their efficacy over time. Mark and Jeff discuss the types of medications whose usefulness wanes with time and what they are used for.
Windows vs Mac 2025
After over 30 years of using windows machines including work managing IT for a two different companies, Mark finally decided to try to make the switch to Mac. He is currently eating a large slice of humble pie and should have done this a while ago. It has gone well. Today's podcast discusses this and some earlier predictions from this podcast in 2020
80's and 90's bands.... where are they now?
Listening to music in the 80's and 90's, there are lots of favourite bands that had hits that we haven't heard from in years... Did they breakup? Did they stop playing? It turns out that there are many that have continued playing, releasing albums and touring. Why don't we listen to them anymore?
From "I do" to "We're through!" - Divorce stats in Canada
Everybody has heard that one in two marriages ends in divorce... well, that's not really true and has never been really true. Currently divorce rates are at the lowest they have ever been. So are marriages
Killer Whales!
Mark and Jeff discuss the different types of Killer Whales and the capture of the Pedder Bay Five (whales).
Privacy in a Hyper Connected World
There is so much information about us in the world today. There are many ways our data is collected and for many reasons. Some are helpful but others are used to track our preferences and shopping patterns. Some governments intentionally track their citizens. In this episode, we discuss how to protect yourself in this hyper connected world
Robot Vacuum Cleaners!!!!
In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss Robot Vacuums (and mops) and this is a followup to a previous episode where we talked about how Roomba the company was in financial trouble. This episode, we talk more about the new up an comers and what differentiates the good robot vacuums from the also rans
Renewable Energy: the Pros and Cons
What are the pros and cons of renewable energy? Sometimes in this politically fractured environment, people have talking points about renewable energy that has little to do with reality. Mark and Jeff discuss the actual pros and actual cons of both Solar and Wind Power and compare them in general terms to other forms of energy.
What are Forever Chemicals and should we be concerned
Forever chemicals are manmade chemicals that are related to the production of teflon related products. They don't breakdown and can be found everywhere on the planet and in particular are an issue with drinking water. Certain variants are toxic to humans and in many places of the world the levels found in our drinking water is dangerous to humans. Mark and Jeff explore this topic.
Are you Face Blind?
Some people have a very hard time recognizing faces. This is a problem in many social interactions and environments. Similarly, there are people who are Super recognizers and can recall faces of people that they only saw briefly even years previously. In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss a number of stunning facts surrounding this condition
Eight Things To Improve Your Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity is the ability of your brain to rewire itself either by learning new skills or as a result of recovering from injury. You can learn skills even as you get older but there are some things you can do to help keep your brain sharp. We review 8 things that can help your brain
China! How strong is their economy?
China was having some challenges prior to the tariffs introduced by the US. This has made them more vulnerable to the impact of these tariffs but not for normal reasons. Mark and Jeff discuss some of the infrastructure issues that have presented China with challenges as they have grown and developed into a manufacturing superpower.
Porn drives the Internet
Porn has changed dramatically over the decades and the money involved has skyrocketed. Porn has been the silent engine for change for the internet as it represents a huge amount of money despite being mostly not discussed in public. Mark and Jeff discuss the impact that porn has had on shaping the internet.
The Rise of Superhuman AI
A research group is predicting the rise of Superhuman AI and what the implications are for the world. There are two paths, a dystopian one and a utopian one. The timing is closer than everyone thinks and the consequences will reshape our world. What's more disturbing is that this group has a track record for their predictions previously and most of them were correct. Mark and Jeff discuss this
Carol Cadwalladr and the Digital Coup
Carol Cadwalladr is an investigative journalist that published information about the Cambridge Analytics data breach and reporting related to Brexit. She was hit with a SLAPP (Strategic lawsuits against public participation) lawsuit, about her Brexit reporting, specifically related to a TED talk she did. Although she won most of the case, she did lose an aspect on appeal and ended up having to p
Buying a New Car?
Purchasing a new car is a large and tricky investment that people do relatively infrequently but it is a lot of money and there is a lot of sales pressure from the various dealerships. Right now with all the new US tariffs, this makes things even trickier for the manufacturers and trying to find the cars can be a challenge depending upon where they are made. Mark is in the process of buying a ca
Mental Health During Traumatic World Events
The world is going through an epochal event and the trauma from the constant stream of bad news from ever changing world events is difficult to manage. This is especially true with all the significant self inflicted damage that the US is currently doing to its own population. It may be the fall of the American Empire. This is a pretty difficult thing to watch because there are negative conseque
Waymos!
Mark took several Waymo rides (self driving cabs) in Los Angeles. It was an awesome experience. Mark and Jeff discuss the state of Autonomous self-driving taxis
Travelling to the US as a Canadian in 2025
Mark just returned from travelling to the USA and times are difficult between the two nations. The current administration is also very tough on many visitors with some visitors being detained or deported from the USA for limited reasons and with little due process. As it stands is it not hostile to Canadians yet... but that might change if things get difficult in the US and they are looking for
Tell me a Story - The Importance of Storytelling
Mark and Jeff discuss the importance of storytelling to conveying concepts, engaging people, and helping to remember life events. Stories change how your brain works and is critical to connecting to the information being conveyed.
What is going on with Measles?
Mark and Jeff discuss the current outbreaks of measles, a disease that was considered eradicated decades ago in Canada. This is particularly relevant to travellers and to individuals that were originally vaccinated in the 1960's
Antartica 101
Mark and Jeff discuss something as far away as possible from politics.... Antarctica!
The Bond Between Humans and Dogs
In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss the unique bond between humans and dogs and compares them to humans and cats as well as humans and horses. The differences might surprise you
AI Notetakers.... what do they do?
Have you ever gone to a meeting, taken written notes only to find you can't read your own notes and can't remember what you committed to? Well, there are AI notetaking apps to help you with your meetings. Mark and Jeff discuss AI notetaking apps
Has Cannabis Legalization Changed Its Usage?
In this episode, Mark and Jeff look at stats for Cannabis useage in Canada and how it has changed since Cannabis was legalized in Canada.
Clown School
Mark has been attending clown school and has learned a lot about clowning and himself. In this episode, we discuss how clowning works in Canada and what you can learn about yourself when taking clown school
Trump and the Chaos Tsunami
Trump has been inaugurated and the daily chaos has begun! Just like last time. Hold on to your hats! Mark and Jeff discuss the implications of the new Trump administration for Canada/US relations. They are pretty sure Americans will not get cheaper eggs. Welcome to the Tech Bro Oligarchy
US-Canada Politics!
Mark and Jeff, discuss US and Canadian politics just prior to the inauguration of Donald Trump. This episode will come out just after he is inaugurated but the discussion is more far reaching about the differences between Canada and the US, between US protectionist tactics and the implications of his proposed threats. The political uncertainty will have lots of implications for both countries wi
Predicitions for 2025
Mark and Jeff discuss their predictions from a year ago for 2024 to see how things turned out. They also discuss what their predictions for 2025 are. They are broken down into high confidence, medium confidence and low confidence. They also discuss what they learned in the past week, sample some coffee and discuss what media they are consuming right now.
Christmas Gratitude
Mark and Jeff get ready for a short break over the Christmas holidays and discuss things that they are grateful for in the past year. As usual, they discuss what they learned in the past week as well as what media they are consuming.
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