333: A Dongle Has Entered the Courtroom

In Episode 333 of The AV Life, Tim Van Woeart may be temporarily off camera, but the crew has no trouble keeping the show moving. Renee Benson checks in from the road as InfoComm preparation ramps up, sharing the pace and pressure of visiting customers ahead of major product announcements. Brandy Johnson joins the conversation with her usual energy, humor, and road-tested perspective, while Murphy Daley gives an update on the continued momentum around The AV Project Manager Handbook, including plans for an audiobook, a possible course, and the idea of making project management more accessible to AV professionals who may not learn best by reading alone.The conversation moves from practical project management into full AV Life chaos in the best possible way. Murphy’s PM Minute focuses on the value of every project team member understanding just enough about everyone else’s role to improve handoffs, respect timelines, and reduce friction. From there, the crew dives into a very AV-adjacent courtroom story involving Elon Musk, OpenAI, a monitor, a dongle, and a group of lawyers trying to solve what every AV person has seen before: the room is ready until someone actually has to connect something. The episode wraps with a more serious higher ed discussion about the recent Canvas disruption, teaching continuity, Princeton’s move to require exam proctors again, and the broader question of how institutions should rethink learning, assessment, and academic integrity in a world where AI tools are now part of the landscape.Topics DiscussedTim’s camera trouble and the rare host blackout episodeRenee’s road schedule ahead of InfoCommNew product launches and pre-show customer preparationMurphy Daley’s AV Project Manager Handbook momentumPlans for an audiobook version of Murphy’s bookTurning the book into a course or training resourceThe PM Minute: learning enough about other roles to improve project handoffsAV project teamwork, respect, boundaries, and cross-training lightThe Elon Musk, OpenAI, monitor, and dongle courtroom storyCourtroom AV standards, or the lack of themInfoComm planning, HETMA activity, and hydration remindersRumors about InfoComm locations and Vegas versus OrlandoRutgers, Canvas recovery, and teaching continuityBusiness continuity thinking in higher education technologyPrinceton, AI-assisted cheating, and the return of exam proctorsWhether traditional assessments are becoming too easy to hack with AILockdown browsers, phone collection, and exam room controlsWhy academic integrity may require redesigned learning experiencesThe need for future AV Life episodes on AI, teaching, and continuityInviting more voices into future AV Life conversationsThe AV Life is a Higher Ed AV Media production. More at higheredav.com.Connect with Tim:LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-van-woeart-45416826/Twitter (X) – https://twitter.com/TVanWoeartConnect with The AV Life:Twitter (X) – https://twitter.com/TheAVLifePodYouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@theavlife3337