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Technical.ly
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Technical.ly
He watched his tech specialties grow obsolete. But he's still optimistic about the next frontiers.
Jason Michael Perry jokes that he is known as 'the man with three first names.' But that's not why he's so recognizable to Baltimore tech scene players. Perry's upbringing in New Orleans immersed him in the power of language and education. He thought he would be a comic book writer and illustrator, but early exposure to the PC revolution and internet age sparked a passion for technology and learning through doing. His career spanned decades of professional change that saw him repairing hardware, working on a media outlet's web operations, teaching novel technologies to fellow developers and guiding startups to new technical heights. These days, the former chief technology officer of Baltimore digital services tentpole Mindgrub lays his head in the city's Station North neighborhood, where he's building a smart home one automation at a time — and helps others do the same with their businesses. The RealLIST Connector and Engineer's reputation extends beyond the tech industry, too. . He serves as a board member for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO), an advisor to the World Trade Center Institute (where he also moderates panels of experts through its AGILE Innovation series) and an entrepreneur-in-residence at the University of Baltimore's Merrick School of Business. The prolific writer behind the ' Thoughts on Tech and Things ' newsletter also recently published a book, 'The AI Evolution,' and started Perry Labs to help people and organizations meaningfully integrate AI. 'I want to build the future, instead of just using the tools.' Perry is not afraid to explore the convergence of humanity with AI. In 2024, Perry collaborated with the BSO on 'AI in A minor,' an experimental performance event on AI-composed music. Like his smart home, this project captured Perry's curiosity and comfort folding together emerging technology with the human experience. In this edition of our How I Got Here series, Perry reflects on witnessing multiple technology revolutions, learning through doing and what it means to be in the earliest stages of AI. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Where are you from? How did you start loving technology? I was born and raised in New Orleans. My mom was a librarian and my dad was an English professor at the University of New Orleans, so storytelling and learning were big parts of my upbringing. I thought I'd be a comic book writer and illustrator — reading and writing were core to me. My dad brought tech home early on when I was a kid. We had a Commodore 64 [8-bit computer], an Atari and, eventually, an IBM computer with Prodigy. We got on America Online and the internet. I felt like I was there, witnessing [the tail-end of the PC revolution]. I also got to see the birth of the internet and mobile technology. Now I see AI as the next big shift. What were your first few jobs? My first job was in high school at the NOLA Center for Science and Math. The computer teacher hired me and some friends to help maintain the lab. He taught us networking certifications like MCSE and A+. From there, I worked retail at CompUSA and became a software technician, fixing laptops and printers. Then I got hired by the Times-Picayune, the New Orleans daily paper, to be their webmaster on for arts and entertainment. I was 18 or 19, and got to learn HTML and Flash on the job. Then I became a webmaster for a life insurance company. A lot of the technology was so new it hadn't made it into classrooms yet. There were no bootcamps or books, and [the company] was too far behind to teach me. So I had to teach myself. After a layoff, I took my severance check and started a web consulting business with a friend. We built e-commerce platforms and CMS platforms from scratch. How did your career advance? How did it take you to Baltimore? Hurricane Katrina destroyed my business in 2005. I evacuated to Birmingham and then DC, where my freelance training work turned into a full-time role. I became the director of training for Fig Leaf Software and spent the next decade flying across the country, learning new software quickly and teaching others. Eventually, I moved to Baltimore to become the chief technology officer at Mindgrub. At first, I lived in Timonium, but wanted to be in the city. Now I live in Station North; I love being near Penn Station and the Charles Theater. What do you do now? Part of leaving Mindgrub was to explore my interests, and embracing my love of emergent technology and helping people. I recently launched my own company, Perry Labs, to help businesses figure out how to actually use AI. I'm looking for ways to embrace my love of helping to build the future, but also do it in a way that brings value to people and organizations. I want to build the future, instead of just using the tools. In five years, I see myself expanding this business and bringing together people with like-minded thoughts and ideas to build something amazing. What do you do outside of work? I've been slowly turning my house into a smart home. I can control the lights, the curtains, the temperature — all from my phone or watch. I have high school kids and one college kid, so life is busy. I took up golf recently, just to get out of the house and move more. I'm also biking a bit. What are your opinions on AI? I'm an AI optimist. I believe there's more potential here than we realize, and I'm happy jumping into the deep end to see what's there. I'm doing the spelunking for others and hoping that I'm bringing back the good stuff. One of the things I love about teaching AI is that I get to hear how others are using it — it blows my mind. At Philly Tech Week last week, a woman told me she saw my talk last year and was inspired to try and use AI. She had been struggling with an undiagnosed medical issue, so she began putting everything into ChatGPT — the medicine she was using, her symptoms, meeting summaries — and started asking questions. It transformed her conversations with doctors. I understand the fear around AI, but what excites me is the possibility of things like this. There are so many ways it will change and help solve problems. What AI advice do you have for small business owners? First, try it. Seriously. 'We focus so much on AI replacing humans, but not as much on how it can augment us.' Second, I think there's a reframing of what the value proposition is. We focus so much on AI replacing humans, but not as much on how it can augment us. People say, 'I wish I had time to do X, but I'm spending all my time doing Y.' Now we have a technology that can do Y for you all the time. So what if you could focus your time on X? There have been thousands of examples of fear with new technologies, like when restaurants were afraid that in-home refrigerators would mean that everyone would cook at home and restaurants would no longer exist. It's a hard shift for some people. The technology spaces where I worked for 10 years are now entirely obsolete. That's three to four different technologies I spent years honing my craft in that no longer exist. That experience as a technologist, knowing that I'm going to have to continually recreate myself, makes it a little bit easier to understand this AI moment.
CBS News
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Nas to perform with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in July
Songwriter and hip-hop icon Nas will perform with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in July. The performance will take place on July 23 at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The event, titled "NAS: Illmatic Live with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra," celebrates the 30th anniversary of the acclaimed album by pairing Nas's pioneering lyrics with full orchestral arrangements. The collaboration bridges classical music with hip-hop, reimagining tracks like "N.Y. State of Mind" and "The World Is Yours" with symphonic accompaniment. "Welcoming Nas to perform alongside the BSO will be a highlight of the year," said Mark Hanson, President and CEO of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. "This collaboration speaks to our commitment to breaking boundaries and creating a space where all audiences feel connected to the power of live orchestral music." Nas, since releasing "Illmatic" in 1994, has produced 14 critically acclaimed albums and received 16 GRAMMY nominations, winning Best Rap Album in 2020 for "King's Disease." His recent work includes collaborations with producer Hit-Boy on "King's Disease III" and "Magic 3." The concert will be conducted by Steven Reineke. Tickets range from $75 to $299 and are available now through the BSO website and the Meyerhoff box office. The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performs annually for more than 275,000 people throughout Maryland and is currently under the direction of Music Director Jonathon Heyward, who began his inaugural season in September 2023.
CBS News
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Hip-hop performers Jadakiss, Too $hort to headline Preakness Festival 150
Famed hip-hop performers Jadakiss and Too $hort will be headlining the Preakness Festival 150, days before the 150th thoroughbred racing of The Preakness Stakes in Baltimore. Preakness 150, marking the 150th year of the second leg of the Triple Crown, will have a week-long festival and celebration of the iconic horse race. Singer and actress Deborah Cox and rapper D-Nice, along with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, are also included in the lineup for Wednesday, May 14, at Pier Six Pavilion in downtown Baltimore. Too Short, who had collaborations with Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G., is a California-born rapper. A couple of his biggest singles were "Blow the Whistle" and "The Ghetto." Jadakiss, a New York rapper and had signed with Ruff Ryders, is known for songs like "We Gonna Make It," Still Feel Me," "Kiss of Death," and "Money, Power and Respect." The new festival will feature cultural events, arts activities, and other programming at prominent locations across the state, made possible through public and private stakeholder partnerships. Here's a list of events happening during t he Preakness Festival from May 8 through May 17 . The 150th running of the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, will be on Saturday, May 17 at Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course. Seize the Gray edged out Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan and six other horses to win last year's race. The Preakness 150 will be the final horse race at Pimlico Race Course before a major renovation project gets underway in 2026. The Maryland Stadium Authority was authorized to finance up to $400 million in state bonds for the rebuild, design, and construction of Pimlico. The planned development includes a new clubhouse, stables for approximately 700 horses, event space, and a hotel to be constructed by a private partner. The plan also calls for structured parking and workforce housing in the Park Heights neighborhood, according to the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority. "It was held in Northwest Baltimore, but it was very clear it wasn't for Northwest Baltimore," said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, who grew up in Park Heights. "Bringing the surrounding communities into the fold, we've begun to change that narrative." A separate training facility would be developed with a capacity for about 650 horses, maintaining the current combined stabling capacity of 1,400 horses, which is currently split between Laurel Park and Pimlico. The redevelopment is expected to create significant economic benefits for Baltimore and the community hosting the training center. Officials project 140 to 160 racing days annually at Pimlico, and the facility will include a 1,000-seat event space and a new hotel. The Preakness Stakes will relocate to Laurel Park in 2026 while the new facility is built.
