What Actually Matters When Technology Moves Faster Than People Can Process

OPENING - EPISODE 34 PAUL WRIGHT Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Link Thru Social Podcast. My name is Paul Wright, and we're on episode number 34 today. That's right. Can't believe it. We started back in May, and we're already at episode 34. And we have a really fun guest for us today, Cody Johnston, better known as the Weird Canadian. He's a software engineer, turned content creator, and music artist focused on turning complex systems and emotions into something people can actually feel and understand. His website is theweirdcanadian.ca. And we're going to get to Cody right after this short message. SPONSOR MESSAGE - TICKETPORTX SPONSOR MESSAGE You've worked hard to build your audience. So why send your customers somewhere else? Introducing white label digital storefronts from TicketportX. Now you can process tickets, registrations, donations, merchandise sales, and collect valuable customer data directly on your website or custom landing page. 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INTERVIEW - CODY JOHNSTON / THE WEIRD CANADIAN PAUL WRIGHT & CODY JOHNSTON Welcome back to the Link Thru Social Podcast. Well, we have a wonderful guest today, Cody Johnston. And now Cody is known as the Weird Canadian, a creator, technologist, and music artist exploring the space where technology, creativity, identity, and reinvention collide. After spending over a decade building large-scale systems inside government and Fortune 500 environments, he stepped away from the machinery to start translating it, turning complex systems and lived experience into stories people can actually feel. Cody, I'm very excited to have you on the show today. Welcome. Thank you very much for having me. I'm excited. Yes. So your your website is theweirdcanadian.ca. I love the name. Why did you choose the name The Weird Canadian? And what does weird actually mean to you? So throughout my life, I've always been the weird kid, the one that never really fit in, even in Canada's terms. Like I hate the cold. I'm not a big Tim Hortons fan. I do not like sports or hockey at all. Like I was the weird child. And for a lot of the time, it it was kind of a stigma, something that like people really shied away from. As I grew up, I realized it's more of a superpower. being different, understanding things differently, and working towards just something that you're proud of is is a good goal. And thankfully nobody had the name. I got it across the board. And I'm very deeply proud of my Canadian heritage, not so much in the past decade or so, but I'm very proud of how we became a country and that type of thing. So I just wanted to celebrate both sides of my personality, the weirdness and the Canadian heritage. I I love it. It's it's a great name. and we're we're gonna dig into this today, but how is your how has your relationship with technology changed since stepping away from the the traditional tech roles that I mentioned off the top there? It it's changed in terms of how things get done. a lot of the processes that are done in these big corporations are super complex when they don't need to be. they're the they are just starting to understand how to do things fast, like agile development, that kind of thing. They are they are getting there, but they are so slow in how they do it. it's a superpower now with AI to be able to get there first. and that's what is the biggest boom, boon in your market is being there first and then iterating on your product to get better. so stepping away has really given me the ability to to do things that I wasn't allowed to do, first and foremost, and then to kind of be a little bit more concerned about what I'm doing as opposed to just being told. Sure. Now you you made the the big move geographically. You were you were in Ontario, and now you're in the beautiful province of Newfoundland. what changes like not just geographically, but personally and creativity, have you experienced going from Ontario to Newfoundland? well, for one thing, I get to touch grass a lot more. I I grew up so I grew up in Port Hope in Ontario, in the middle of the Ganaraska Forest. I I grew up in the in the wilderness. Like it was really kind of where I love fell in love with just Canada in general. but then when I moved away for school, I ended up in in cities and bigger towns. it got harder and harder to to actually go and do the outdoor things. the move really was an inspiration of helping my mental health and to give me the freedom that I couldn't afford in Ontario. it's a lot cheaper out here. 80% of the province is crown land. you can actually drive the entire province off-road. so I got to to buy all the toys that I used to have and really get to be comfortable back in my own environment. Gotcha. Yeah, that's it's I I'm envious of you. I'm I'm based in Ontario. in the busy, the busy city, just outside Toronto. And I I look forward to visiting other provinces that are a lot more laid back for vacation because it's it's a it's it's it's a lot in the city. It really is. The one thing that I I want to say to every Canadian out there is do it. Like go try out the different provinces. It's something that we don't really get access to because it's very expensive. but each one has their own personality, their own flavor, and and just that transition from me going from Ontario to Newfoundland has been just an eye-opener on what I can do as an individual. Sure. You know, we we take it for granted. We have such a large, beautiful country. And I I'm guilty of it myself. up until a few years ago, I hadn't visited very many provinces, and and I was lucky that my wife travels for business and she goes to all these different conferences throughout the country. And I've started tagging along just to get the experience to see what the other provinces have to offer and and to you know sightsee and and just see the the different the different culture in in the different provinces. It's it's it's really amazing. We have this huge, huge country, and it so many things to explore and and enjoy, I guess. A a little tidbit that I learned out here is there so dinner is their lunch, supper is their dinner, and lunch is their midnight snack. I love it. That's okay. Well, that's good to know. You know, we'll have to we'll have to make a poster of that social media. Oh my goodness. So you're also involved as a music artist, and you know I'm what what you're doing right now in Newfoundland. so you you're a music artist, and I I'm curious. Just tell me a little bit about what life is like now in Newfoundland. What does life look like for Cody on a day-to-day basis? For the most part, I'm actually working way more than I have ever worked in my life. the the standpoint of getting away from the the Fortune 500 is I felt that that was like a comfortability net. like I was just going through the motions to get through my day. now I actually have to focus on what I want to do and continuous focus too. Like that consistency is something that you really have to keep up with or you can lose it real easily. but my day is is mostly filled with me reaching out on social media, trying to connect with guests, writing music. The I also try and I'm trying to build out my comp or my channel as a media company to protect the creative. I'm very big into movies and TVs, and I realize that Hollywood is kind of killing that industry. so I want to build something that kind of protects that a little bit better. but for the most part, I'm just reaching out to individual businesses trying to help them in any way, shape, or form. My goal is to help, not for profit, but to do something that actually means something now. my music, my music has has been amazing because I used to write lyrics all the time. I've never I've never been able to sing, play an instrument, that kind of thing. so I've been playing around with the AI tools to kind of create the sound that's in my head. Like I always have music, TV shows, things in my head. for the first time, we can actually go from your thoughts to the creation. so it's been fun to learn these tools and kind of I'm I believe I have about 10 albums now out on Spotify under The Weird Canadian. nice. Yeah. All kind of my own lyrics and then me personally tailoring them to the taste that I'm I'm looking for. the one thing that I I do want to let the audience know is it's not stealing. At most, it's piracy. At most. on top of this, you don't expect the AI to do everything. The the goal of AI is to give you the finalized product, but it's up to you to tailor it to what you're looking for. You have to continuously iterate, everything is built off of something. You have to start somewhere and then build on it to make it your own. those who are just one-shotting things and and asking AI to build it for them, you you can feel the soullessness in it. Yes. but the more human you add, the more of yourself you add, the more it becomes something that you can be proud of. Gotcha. and and you mention AI. What are some of the biggest misconceptions that people have? I I'm all about education right now. We're we're in this point where AI is moving at such a rapid pace, you can't keep up with it. Day to day, it's hour to hour, it's changing. But there are a lot of misconceptions out there, and this is causing a big problem. Well, in your opinion, what are some of the the misconceptions? first off, first and foremost, it's gonna kill jobs. No, it is absolutely not. I'm I've been a software engineer for over 10 years. It does not build software unless you know how to build software. these things are basically just enhancements to your already developed abilities, using them to create and and build out things you know. because what they are are predictive models, they just predict what you want. the other misconception that people have on this is that like these are how do I say this? these are going to like kill your thinking. If anything, I think way more. I'm thinking at higher levels. So people when you're using it for answers and things and just taking the question, you're not really understanding it. But what how I'm using it is to break down what I don't understand so I can then go and use that information. Yeah, stop using it as a replacement, use it as an enhancement. things around data centers, like a lot of that is misinformation. There's there's a whole global economy around this. Everybody's trying to vie for the the biggest thing. there's a lot of misinformation. You have to start digging for it. the once you start like looking under the headlines, you start realizing how much bullshit is actually in the news. sorry for swearing. That's right. But yeah, there's a lot of misconceptions about what it is, what it's doing, how it's going to do things. And we are still we're still building. Like there's no six months ago, I couldn't do what I can do today. Right. Two weeks ago, I couldn't do what I could do today. Today, there are going to be more breakthroughs than there were yesterday. And I'm talking exponentially, so there's going to be double more breakthroughs. we are not at the end of this, and we're just along for the ride. And and in personally, I think it's a fun ride. And it's it's it's amazing. I've you know, I've over my the course of my life, I've seen all these different things emerge, you know, with cell phones and the internet, social media, and now with with buying, it's it's it's exciting times. and I've always been forefront leaders technology, always interested in how it works. unfortunately, I'm in the small demographic because a lot of people, like you said, just read the headlines and they're not digging deeper. And that's what you have to do in life with anything, not just AI. So podcasts like are mine and yours. We have to educate the people, we have to keep them abreast of what's going on to get rid of some of the mess that's out there. And you said it's bullshit, it is the bullshit out there, and you know, it's it's frustrating at times, you know. I'm I'm sure you AI is going to help us solve all of the problems, the majority of the problems that we have in our society and our world. and it gives people the personal agency to tackle them without needing the high upfront costs, the manpower, the know-how. like these are all things that can now be at your fingertips if you want them. That is that is the biggest caveat. If you want to, you actually have to be the one to drive it. Yeah, yeah, exactly. It's it's it's your decision, 100%. 100%. Now, your podcast, the Weird Canadian Podcast. tell us a little bit about that. And and you've you've had a lot of medicines. It's very admirable because we just celebrated a milestone not too long ago, and a lot of podcasts don't make it past 20. So why don't you tell us about your podcast? So The Weird Canadian is kind of my my take on how the world's changing. the structures we have in place are going to crumble. they they've been they've been controlling a lot of things for for years and they've stopped a lot of progress because of that. Like if you think about the social media companies, they just buy the companies that are developing and and innovating, and then they bring it in and see if they use it or not or throw it out because it it might ruin their business. so I'm actually looking at what's coming next. I'm showcasing systems and people building the next version of what we're going to experience. I do get it in a little bit politics here or there, mainly because that also affects a lot of this. Oh, yeah. but yeah, like I it started out as a as me just trying to figure out what I wanted to do in life, how I wanted to do things, and then slowly grew into a podcast that I can be proud of. and the consistency was something I I needed to continue on. Like I'm I'm very bad at being consistent. so I put a goal on my whiteboard that says you have to do this regardless, because that's how you win by showing up every day, doing what is necessary, and giving your all. so now it's kind of become so I think I have about 30,000 followers across my platforms. Wonderful. I have 150 episodes. I'm working with a few people now to try and make them a little bit better because I am not an editor. The tool, the AI tools are not simple enough for me to be able to edit properly. so I'm working with some people to try and and enhance my content, but I just want to showcase to that change is good. Things good things are coming. there's it's not all doom and gloom. and the other side to it is I want to add a little bit of hopefulness, love, nuance, and context back to the internet. I I think that's something we really miss. Yes, yes. And and you mention you you you get a little political sometimes, and I think you should. governments have a responsibility. And I think with the topic of AI, like a lot of things, and all governments, not just the Canadian government, they're always behind. They're always playing catch up. Oh, we should have thought about this, and now, all right, we're gonna get together a committee, and we're gonna do this, we're gonna do that. This is moving too fast for people. Like, you know, we don't have time for them to finish their summer break go back to the House of Commons. Like, there's things that are happening, especially security things that need to be addressed immediately. Like two weeks ago like platforms to reach people, educate people, and to reach people to push change and to push the government to put things in place to bring a great podcast, and I encourage everyone to listen to it. You can get it wherever you listen to podcasts. And of course, the website is the weird canadian.ca. in closing, Cody, did you have any other messages to our listeners and and viewers before we wrap things up today? two things actually. To the point of government, I worked in government. There is a lot of of waste. I think AI could be a benefit and a boon to it. unfortunately, it's going to mean a lot of people have to change their jobs. not always lose, but change to kind of affect that. and and the governments are working for us. They do not like that is one thing people need to understand. And the other thing I want to state is don't be afraid of AI. The more you play with it, the easier it gets, the more you understand. ask it the hard questions. Ask it about yourself. You've you've been giving your context to it for how long to ask these questions. Ask it about who it thinks you are. Yes. And then work from there. Wonderful. Well, Cody Johnston, it's been a pleasure, and I'd love to have you on the show again in the future. as things move so quickly, I'm sure we'll have a lot more to talk about the next time around, but I appreciate it. And again, I encourage everyone to check out the weirdcanadian.ca. Cody, thanks for being with us today. Thank you. All right. Well, the link through social podcast will be back right after this short message. SPONSOR MESSAGE - SMART POST APP SPONSOR MESSAGE Tired of stressing over what to post on social media? Meet Smart Post App, your all-in-one solution to create, schedule, and grow your content effortlessly. In just a few taps, you can generate engaging posts, stay consistent, and keep your audience coming back for more. No more guessing, no more burnout, just smarter content faster. Whether you're a business owner, creator, or entrepreneur, SmartPost offers both premium and pro plans. 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