Yearly Archives: 2012

Happy 62nd Birthday Arianna Huffington

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Arianna Huffington

Arianna turns 62 on July 15th. I am getting a head start on this story.

I am pretty sure that everyone who reads DigiDame knows who Arianna Huffington is. If you don’t, I encourage you to read on to get inspired and learn some very important life lessons:

1. You can be relevant in the digital world or any world when you are a senior citizen.

2. A woman changed the media landscape by creating a blog that combined original content with collaboration and aggregation. Huffington Post attracts more readers than the New York Times. (According to UK Telegraph story below, the Huffington Post became the most visited English-language news source in the world, outranking even America’s so-called “Gray Lady”, The New York Times, attacting 60 million unique monthly visitors. It recently won the coveted Pulitzer prize for journalism and has attracted more than 155 million comments since it started.)

3. You can be single and still be invited to parties for couples only.

Last week I was feeling sorry for myself and our client because I had to be the PR representative for Westinghouse Digital at a trade show. I had a head cold, my nose was running, my eyes were drooping and I probably looked 100 years old. When I went to the ladies room to wash my hands, I looked into the mirror and saw young, perky PR gals to my left and right. I wanted to run into the streets screaming “Who stole my youth?” Somehow, I managed to get more press appointments and more editorial coverage for our client than any of those stunning, skinny, trendy, sexy numbers did for theirs.

No question, my competition is far better to look at, but I am going to keep on pretending that I am Arianna Huffington. If she can do it, so can I (and you can too)!

Please read the following story. It talks a lot about the economy, the future of journalism, and the pace of one red hot mama.

How Arianna Huffington has breathed new life into the media – Telegraph

Think Twice Before Buying A Smart TV

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This may be self serving but I think it is good advice. My client Rey Roque, Senior VP, Westinghouse Digital warns the American consumer that when they are buying a TV they should be concerned about the size of the screen and the picture quality, not the bells and whistles of internal Internet content. Everyone who bought a Smart TV just a few years ago are now finding themselves with outdated equipment. There is just too much technology being introduced every year to get stuck. You are better off with external smart boxes such as a ROKU.

Any questions? Just ask. I have a lot of expert advisors.

The Faces Behind The Names

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As I mentioned in an earlier post, I attended a tech convention last week where I met up with a number of tech journalists when I was stationed at my client’s exhibit, Westinghouse TV’s. I thought it might be fun for you to see the faces of some of the people whose stories you read all the time.

John R. Quain, New York Times, chatting with Rey Roque, Senior VP, Westinghouse

Roy Furchgott, New York Times

Dennis Wunderlin, The Giz Wiz, and Dick De Bartolo, Mad Magazine

Tobey Grumet, Details Magazine and iVillage

Jim Willcox (on left), Consumer Reports

Gary Shapiro (right), CEO of the Consumer Electronics Show

Barry Myers of gdgt (right)

Steve Smith, TWICE Magazine

Internet + Death

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When I was in the taxi riding home from JFK airport two weeks ago, after our trip to Croatia, I received this text from the superintendent of my NYC coop: “Your neighbor in 10A passed.”

I was stunned on several accounts.

First, I never understood that expression. Passed? I am not trying to be funny, but passed what? An exam? Broke wind? Passed a stone? I just asked Eliot if he agreed with the expression “passed” before writing this post. He got annoyed with me and in a tone that only a 100-year marriage could produce (remember, we work together 24/7), he sighed, “What do you think it means? Passed. Like in passed on. Like no longer living. Like on to the afterlife.” It seemed to make sense during his explanation, but I don’t like it.

Secondly, I was stunned to receive a text. That seems to be the way I am receiving death notices these days. Cut and dry. No need for small talk. “Virginia passed.” Now don’t say that this is “just New Yorkers.” Many people in my coop know each other well because we are always at each other’s throat over some issue.

Virginia was another story. My quiet neighbor who I’ve seen maybe 10 times in the last 20 years even though we lived side-by-side, seemed happy and healthy when we met at the trash chute a month ago. She was around my age and single. I was on my way to work when she opened the door to throw out her garbage. This was our usual encounter. Virginia had been sick a few years back and looked frail for quite some time. In the last year or two she seemed active and carefree. I also confirmed this with our doormen. They know things like that.

I tried to talk to our super Salim face-to-face, but he was too busy in the morning before I left for work and off the premises when I came home at night. So the texting continued. “What happened?” I texted.  He texted back, “Her nephew called me to say that he couldn’t reach her. When he came to the building a few hours later, we both went into her apartment together. We found her in bed, gone.”

When I met up with Salim days later, he told me that in the 20 years he has been working in the building this marked the eighth body he’s discovered — several found in bath tubs, on the floor, or slumped in a chair.

The third thing that stunned me was the notice the police posted on Virginia’s door. Until an autopsy is performed and a death is determined, no one is allowed to enter the apartment. The seal on the door cannot be broken. Salim promised to text me the findings. Other neighbors asked me to text them what I’ve learned.

Texting has replaced hanging out the window, screaming your neighbor’s name.

By the way, we argue by text as well but we use CAPS. “SCREW YOU!!”

I wanted to tell you this story after reading Jenna Wortham’s New York Times piece about “Death Online.” Jenna has been reporting on digital news for years. She is well-respected and adored.

NYTimes: Digital Diary: Talking About Death Online

Posting about a personal loss online makes people — both the poster and the readers — uncomfortable. Why does the social Web seem limited to a few emotions? http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/29/digital-diary-talking-about-death-online/

Rest In Peace Virginia

The Next Big Thing In TV—–4K

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You will be hearing a lot about a new improvement in TV viewing called 4K, so I wanted you to know about it first. It is a long way off, but tech writers will be devoting a lot of their stories to it. That is what they always do when a new improvement has been announced. I didn’t want to leave you in the dark, so I am giving you a simple explanation of 4K and links to other stories if you want to explore.

The reason why it is called 4K, is because it is four times the resolution of the current HD – high definition – now.  Current HD maxes out at 1080 lines or a 1080p picture.  4K HD is 4096 lines, or 4096p.  Kind of like the regular display in the 1st generation iPad vs. the Retina Display in the new iPad – more pixels, higher picture quality. 4K originated in movie theaters.

Toshiba promises to ship a unit in the first quarter of 2013.  Westinghouse showed a 4K TV at CE Week.

That is all you need to know for now. Impress your kids and friends when you casually mention 4K to them. Trust me, they will suddenly have a new respect for like never before.

Toshiba’s 4K TV

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20116433-1/toshibas-$12000-55-inch-4k-3d-tv-dazzling/

Sony is releasing a 4K projector

http://www.slashgear.com/sony-unveils-worlds-first-4k-home-cinema-projector-31231097/

Ars Technica describes 4K.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/06/4k-tvs-are-coming-but-they-face-an-uphill-battle-in-the-home/

Happy Fifth Anniversary iPhone

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We miss you Steve.

It has been five years since the iPhone was first introduced. I have included a link to CNET, one of the best tech blogs in the world, that shows Steve Jobs first introducing the iPhone at an Apple press conference. Witness history in the making. It gives me chills. I think I love my iPhone more than a lot of other things. Call me shameless.

http://news.cnet.com/8300-5_3-0.html?keyword=fifth+anniversary

 

 

Silent Retreat

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A friend of mine, Barbara Hearne, moved from Miami to Ashland, NC because she wanted the adventure of building a new home and to experience the woods and mountains. She loves it!

During a recent conversation she told me she decided to “unplug” for a certain period of time and actually go silent for a week. That means no verbal or tech communications. Just complete silence. I was fascinated. I asked her to tell me all about it.

This is her story, her words.

If I had to describe my life in 2012 it would be “un-plugged.”

The previous three years were filled with packing, moving, selling, renting, designing and building my new home in the mountains.  Preparing the land and then building took years. I loved every minute.

My only question is how houses were built before email, texts, cell phones, internet, digital images and virtual 3D models.   I fell asleep at my keyboard many many nights because of  endless questions, answers and decisions made.

When the house was almost complete, I attended my first “Silent Retreat” with over 300 people.  Ahhhhh, a week of not speaking, “silent sitting”, hiking on my own and spending nights quiet in a little cabin.  I actually had to buy a watch since no tech items were allowed.  I noticed a few high end cars outside of some cabins — Porsche, Mercedes, Lexus. The luxury we came for was having no chatter, no input and lots of rest.  I’ve learned to value this quiet time.  Once a friend commented that I am a “true” introvert.  Inspiration bubbles up when I make time for silence.

Since that retreat I’ve given myself permission to be outdoors in nature more and less on the computer.  I love digging in the dirt, watching things grow, feeling the breeze and observing the creatures do their thing.  My partner recently bought me the new iPad,  but I must admit it’s his truck filled with mulch, stone and trees to be planted that excites me most. 

I know that silence is not dependent on being un-plugged. Maybe this is how I’m finding my balance or maybe it’s about getting older and wanting to feel life from the inside out.  Most importantly, I’ve learned to listen to what I need and I give myself permission to have it.  A wise teacher once said it best, “Life is but a whisper, be silent, listen.”

How Qwerty Is This?

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To all of you who have aches and pains from typing on a keyboard all day, good news is on the way. Ray Mc Enaney, owner of BeeRaider, came all the way from Ireland to CE Week to introduce a radical new keyboard design that challenges the dominance of the QWERTY standard. The QWERTY keyboard was first introduced in the late 19th century for mechanical typewriters.

Ray says it is time for a change. The new design is considered to be especially relevant for portable devices including smartphones, tablets, netbooks and laptop devices. The first Radial Keyboard is available for all Android users. Other formats are in the works.

The new Radial Keyboard design follows several fundamental guidelines. The aim is to produce a design that would result in:

  • A keyboard that would be more logical, ergonomic and efficient
  • A reduction in user familiarization-time
  • An improvement in a user’s data-entry keying-speed
  • A reduction in the keyboard’s footprint size

As a point of information, the QWERTY layout was developed in an effort to solve a peculiar typing problem with mechanical typewriters. Whenever a typist began to type too fast, the previously pressed key jammed with the next key pressed and the wrong character was printed. The solution was to lay out the QWERTY keyboard’s alpha-character keys in such a way as to slow down a user’s typing speed. And in case you never noticed, the alpha-characters for spelling the word “TYPEWRITER” are deliberately placed on the top row of the QWERTY keyboard so that salespeople selling typewriters could easily demonstrate their typing proficiency by quickly typing this word to impress potential customers.

Unique selling points for the Radical design according to Ray:

  1. Optimized alpha-character layout based on each character’s frequency of use in the English language. Will achieve greater typing speeds
  2. Logical, more efficient ergonomic layout with a familiar user-friendly bee outline that anyone can readily relate to (especially children)
  3. Testing shows that the keyboard’s alpha-character layout can be easily memorized in as little as 10 to 20 minutes. Becoming a touch-typist is a possibility for everyone. Remember, most people even after years of using QWERTY, still don’t know where the alpha-keys are located and must look at the keyboard in order to find them when typing
  4. Much bigger keys for the weaker less dexterous fingers
  5. Small portable size footprint but still maintaining an acceptable keycap size for its smallest keys.
  6. It solves the problem of small cramped keys on devices such as Netbooks
  7. It can be conveniently operated with one or two hands
  8. It has room for a built-in mouse and cursor-keys or numeric keypad
  9. It looks like fun
  10. It reduces the possibility of RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury)

Ray added that the future is about portability, connectivity and wear-ability. ”QWERTY no longer meets the requirements of a modern data-entry keyboard device.”

Ray is in IT support at the Dundalk Institute of Technology.

Bikers Beware

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Neil Weinstock

This is not exactly a tech story even though bicycles do have lots of tech accessories and some have electric engines. This is a warning from a friend of mine, Neil Weinstock, who is busy developing the next big technology in 3D. Go to www.soliddd.com to read all about it.

Neal was in a life-threatening bike accident two weeks ago on Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, NY. After riding on city streets since 1978, he claims he is not going to do that anymore. He will take his bike to a park where he can do his 25-mile ride a few times a week without the threat of speeding automobiles.

Neal said if he wasn’t wearing a helmet he would be dead today. A run-away car made an unauthorized turn from the side road on Ocean Parkway and smacked right into him on the main road where the bike lane was situated.  The car kept going while he was on the ground gushing blood.

He blacked out and doesn’t remember a lot other than tremendous shooting pain. He was hospitalized for several days and a hundred plus stitches later, he was standing in front of me at CE Week.

Neal is very concerned about Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plan to get more bikes on the road. “The plan to rent bikes without helmets is unthinkable and irresponsible,” he added. “I want to warn people of my generation, and all generations, that they can’t bike without a helmet. It’s just suicide.”

Neal, we are so happy you lived to tell the story. We can’t wait for you to change the 3D landscape. We are very proud of you

gdgt Live

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The world of tech likes to party. Every month, or sometimes every week, there is some event that industry people can attend to see new products, socialize, drink, eat, and go home with a bag of goodies.

The gdgt event last night, smack in the middle of Silicon Alley in New York  City, was a little different. This one was targeted to the consumer. Thousands of people showed up to walk through the exhibit hall at The Altman Building, 135 West 18th Street. Manufacturers and app developers had their new introductions on display to get first hand customer reactions and to start generating sales. FYI, gdgt, a company that dropped its vowels, is a blog where you can get reviews from people who actually have the product you’re looking for. They run live events all around the country as a means to get the innovative companies to interact with the public.

Last night was my first time attending as a blogger. I am usually a PR person pitching product myself. I wanted to find new, exciting products to tell you about. One of the most interesting pieces of information that I picked up is that AARP is becoming a sponsor of some of these events. Robin Raskin of Living In Digital Times told me that AARP is expressing more interest in technology. It all makes sense to me but I will let you know about any services they develop involving innovation.

Here are some of the innovations I saw last night that might interest you.

1) iRobot Roomba 790 with Command Center

2) iPieces from Pressman, a host of new games from Pressman Toys

3) Cobrar entry into the app market with the iRadar