The Connect2 Podcast

Hosted by Connect2 by Mark Hughes and Jeff Cullen

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Episodes

243

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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About the show

A conversation between Mark and Jeff, two information junkies, about a wide range of contemporary issues. We discuss current events, nerdy things, business concepts, marketing, technology, media and photography. As we are based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, there are lots of local topics. The podcast is generally upbeat and often covers current events and we occasionally have guests. Each episode typically has a central focus for most of the podcast but also lots of other regular topics including what they learned in the last week and what media they are consuming.

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60 recent

September 1, 2026Episode 2451 hr 6 min

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 the sound is not quite good as usual (sorry about that).

August 25, 2026Episode 24457 min

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 - 45,000 feet.

August 11, 2026Episode 2431 hr 1 min

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 discuss online security and what your options are to protect yourself.

August 4, 2026Episode 2421 hr 3 min

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 one is better. Mark and Jeff explore this topic

July 28, 2026Episode 24157 min

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.

July 21, 2026Episode 24054 min

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

July 14, 2026Episode 23957 min

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!

June 16, 2026Episode 2381 hr 23 min

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

June 9, 2026Episode 23748 min

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

June 2, 2026Episode 2361 hr 3 min

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 false, nobody seemed to notice the correction until it was way too late.