The Rock Bottom Data Feed

The Fuss About Tony Mazzarella

John Ladley and Mark Cooper — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:38:21 +0000

John Ladley and Mark Cooper welcome Tony Mazzarella to Rock Bottom! He just completed a Ph.D. focused on Data Governance, reframing it not as a static control layer but as a dynamic system that connects technology, people, and real-world outcomes. He'll explain all that, and much more, in this episode and the next.

We also have a new Archedataology artifact, Data Poetry Slam, and advice from the 8-Bit Consultants. As always, if you have a suggestion for an artifact to explore, a poem to share, or question in 256-characters to answer, write us.

Be sure to visit DATAVERSITY where you can use discount code ROCK15 to get 15% off your first purchase!!

Chapters:

00:00 – Open & Introduction; 03:25 – Monologue; 05:36 – Tony Mazzarella Part 1; 33:09 – Data Poetry Slam; 34:13 – Dispatches from Rock Bottom; 36:19 – The 8-Bit Consultants; 37:40 – Recap & Close

More Fuss About Stijn Christiaens

John Ladley and Mark Cooper — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 14:46:44 +0000

In this episode, we continue our conversation with Stijn Christiaens, co-founder and Chief Data Citizen at Collibra. He talks more about what data really is, and why it's far more than just transactions. From user interactions and system logs to external data sets and entirely new data created by redesigned products, Stijn unpacks the expanding scope of data in modern organizations.

Today we are excited to introduce a new opening segment, Archedataology: Data before it knew it was data. In this and upcoming episodes, we'll look at records, artifacts, and traces people created long before the modern language of datasets, databases, and analytics even existed. Societies counted, tracked, and remembered things like ledgers, tallies, and inventories, revealing that the practice of "data" long predates the word itself.

We also have another Data Poetry Slam and we play the Audio Data Rorschach Test with Stijn.

Be sure to visit DATAVERSITY where you can use discount code ROCK15 to get 15% off your first purchase!!

Chapters:

00:00 – Open & Introduction; 03:20 – Monologue; 06:08 – Stijn Christiaens Part 2; 29:57 – Dispatches from Rock Bottom; 32:27 – Data Poetry Slam; 32:49 – Audio Data Rorschach Test; 34:44 – Recap & Close

The Fuss About Stijn Christiaens

John Ladley and Mark Cooper — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 16:32:47 +0000

John Ladley and Mark Cooper are back with the fourth series of The Rock Bottom Data Feed! We're introducing some new segments; some in this episode and more in upcoming episodes (we would tell you more, but we want them to be a surprise).

Something else that we're trying this series is to do more long-form interviews. Instead of hours long episodes, though, we're splitting each conversation into two episodes. This allows us to go deeper into the topics, as well as to chase the squirrels that inevitably cross our paths.

We look forward to hearing what you think. Post a comment or send an email.

We lead off the fourth series with Stijn Christiaens, co-founder and Chief Data Citizen at Collibra. In this episode and the next, he'll be talking with us about what’s exciting, new, and changing in data management and governance. He's got a front-row seat. We also dig into how AI is breaking open unstructured data, pushing governance beyond “data governance” into “AI governance,” and why adoption (not tools) is the real measure of maturity. Best of all, Stijn is seeing executives finally take ownership. They're getting educated, reorganizing around data capabilities, and moving governance toward business-as-usual.

Be sure to visit DATAVERSITY where you can use discount code ROCK15 to get 15% off your first purchase!!

Chapters:

00:00 – Open & Introduction; 03:52 – Monologue; 06:02 – A New Segment; 06:28 – Stijn Christiaens Part 1; 30:59 – Dispatches from Rock Bottom; 33:06 – Another New Segment; 34:26 – Recap & Close

The Fuss About Series Three

John Ladley and Mark Cooper — Wed, 31 Dec 2025 14:40:17 +0000

Series Three of the Rock Bottom Data Feed has been an exploration of AI and data. It's a big subject. Sometimes we got talking with our guests and next thing you know we've gone long or ventured into a topic that's beyond the scope of the episode. Never ones to let good conversation go to waste, we've accumulated those bits here. If you haven't already listened to the episodes in this series, go back and listen. If you have already listened to the episodes in this series, go back and listen anyway.

As a special bonus, we present Rosie Krantz and Goldie Stern at the AI Bootstrap (sponsored by Outplaced) in its entirety.

But first, we join Ben Counter and Pete Webster live at the Ponds Data Governance Bowl.

And be sure to visit DATAVERSITY where you can use discount code ROCK15 to get 15% off your first purchase!!

Chapters:

00:00 – Open & Introduction; 06:28 – Rosie Krantz & Goldie Stern at the AI Bootstrap (sponsored by Outplaced); 22:53 – Kelle O'Neal, Gregg Loos, Doug Laney, and Tony Shaw; 42:06 – Recap & Close

The Fuss About Data Education

John Ladley and Mark Cooper — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 02:00:00 +0000

It is our pleasure to welcome to Rock Bottom, Tony Shaw, Founder and CEO of DATAVERSITY, the premiere resource for data education, whether delivered live, recorded, virtual, or in person. It is clear that data is becoming increasingly important for AI success, and in many ways, corporate success. But while data education is also becoming increasingly important, it is still undervalued by too many companies. Keeping up with the state of the art is key, and there's no substitute for being there in the room with other practitioners.

In this episode, we conclude the story of Roman Krantz and Gilbert Stern. Their expulsion from of the land of cubicles has been rough, but they may have found a port in the storm. Will AI be the demise of Roman and Gilbert, or will they rewrite their own ending?

And be sure to visit DATAVERSITY where you can use discount code ROCK15 to get 15% off your first purchase!!

Chapters:

00:00 – Open & Introduction; 06:37 – Monologue; 09:21 – Tony Shaw; 41:19 – Dispatches from Rock Bottom; 44:07 – Audio Rorschach Test; 46:05 – Recap & Close

Featured Image: Frontiers Conferences, "Frontiers 2011 - Day 2." Flickr.com. Some rights reserved.

The Fuss About Losing Jobs to AI

John Ladley and Mark Cooper — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 01:00:00 +0000

Nearly a hundred thousand corporate employees have been terminated in mass layoffs this year. Most just in the past few months. And ostensibly because of AI.

We're not convinced.

Our scheduled guest was unexpectedly unavailable (and in case you're worried, we can confirm that he was not replaced by AI), so in this episode, John and Mark discuss these recent events and some of what the future holds. Maybe this batch wasn't totally due to AI, but it's coming.

We are also excited about our partnership with DATAVERSITY. Use discount code ROCK15 to get 15% off your first purchase at DATAVERSITY:

Chapters:

00:00 – Open & Introduction; 04:59 – Monologue; 07:19 – John & Mark; 31:35 – Dispatches from Rock Bottom; 33:53 – Recap & Close

Feature Image: Tuggerah Removals and Storage. Some rights reserved.

The Fuss About Data In the C-Suite and On the Balance Sheet

John Ladley and Mark Cooper — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 12:37:04 +0000

In our first series, Doug Laney introduced us to Datanomics. He is also the author of Data Juice. In this episode he returns to Rock Bottom to go into more detail about the approaches and metrics companies can use to truly treat data as an asset.

To do that, we need to introduce data into the C-Suite. Most companies approach Data Governance through the CIO or CDO, and that has been moderately successful. It's good to have CEO interest, but too often that happens when data quality becomes so bad the CEO notices. Not the way you want that to. happen. Perhaps the CFO is a good option. Let's see.

We are also excited to announce our partnership with DATAVERSITY. Use discount code ROCK15 to get 15% off your first purchase at DATAVERSITY:

Chapters:

00:00 – Open & Introduction; 04:31 – Monologue; 07:28 – Doug Laney; 36:12 – Dispatches from Rock Bottom; 38:19 – Audio Data Rorschach Test (with a special guest!!); 40:46 – Recap & Close

Featured Image by freeimageslive.co.uk - gratuit

More Fuss About AI

John Ladley and Mark Cooper — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 13:00:00 +0000

The Rock Bottom Data Feed gang is back for another series, and for much of this series we will be focused on AI. Just like the internet and Six Sigma, we think it's here to stay. So, what are its ramifications for the data area? How can we make AI work for us, not against us? How can we get something useful from it?

In this episode we welcome Kelle O'Neal and Gregg Loos from First San Francisco Partners. FSFP is a consultancy that helps organizations make their information actionable. They are also on the forefront of using AI to accelerate their own business processes, and share some of what they've learned through the process

We are also excited to announce our partnership with DATAVERSITY. Use discount code ROCK15 to get 15% off your first purchase at DATAVERSITY:

Chapters:

00:00 – Open & Introduction; 05:10 – Monologue; 07:33 – Kelle O'Neal & Gregg Loos; 45:17 – Dispatches from Rock Bottom; 47:55 – Audio Data Rorschach Test; 50:40 – Recap & Close

Featured Image: "Keynote Ballroom" (2008) by TheDeepFryedBoot at Flickr.com. Some rights reserved.

The Fuss About Nick Guy

John Ladley and Mark Cooper — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Welcome back for this, the third series of the Rock Bottom Data Feed. Previously, John and Mark did a four-part radio play following Nick Guy, Data Detective, as he investigated the death of Consolidated International and the role that Jen AI may have played in its demise. The reception from our listeners was very enthusiastic, so in this special episode we present the full, uninterrupted radio play.

We'd again like to thank The Rock Bottom Players who helped with the Nick Guy series and other sketches: Chris Ladley, Amy Ladley, Pamela Thomas, Evan Goldt, Kasey Griffin, Karen Schowalter Cooper, and Johnathan Whited.

Featured Image: noir city, by Emiliano Grusovin, Flickr.com, some rights reserved.

Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction; 08:21 – Part 1: Jennifer Am I; 16:04 – Part 2: Dead in the Red; 24:26 – Part 3: A Profile in Death; 27:33 – Part 4: Neglect and Death; 28:21 – Close

The Fuss About Your Hosts

John Ladley and Mark Cooper — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 13:12:11 +0000

In this very special twentieth episode of the Rock Bottom Data Feed, John Ladley and Mark Cooper welcome John Ladley and Mark Cooper to the show. Two blokes chatting at the kitchen table about data as anthropology and AI. Isn't that what everybody talks about at the kitchen table? You'll also hear your hosts answering the two questions asked of every Rock Bottom Data Feed guest and playing the famous game show.

We'd also like to take this opportunity to thank The Rock Bottom Players who helped with the Nick Guy series and other sketches: Chris Ladley, Amy Ladley, Pamela Thomas, Evan Goldt, Kasey Griffin, Karen Schowalter Cooper, and Johnathan Whited.

Chapters:

00:00 – Two Blokes; 08:21 – Data as Anthropology; 16:04 – AI in Information Management; 24:26 – Thank Yous; 27:33 – Hubris Data Pros; 28:21 – Two Questions; 35:06 – Audio Data Rorschach Test; 39:01 – Close