A Las Vegas Peek into the Love Bible for Seniors

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Netta Schucco, her son Chuck (left),
and his partner Ron (right)

 

In the last year or two, I have met a lot of men and women in their 60s and 70s who feel they have no identity. Their careers are finished, their children are grown, and their calendars are filled with doctor appointments. Some are fortunate to have grandchildren to fill their time; others still feel that is not enough.

That is why I was captivated by “The Sun City Sinner,” a 2012 self-published book by Netta Schucco. Netta started writing this book when she was 79. It took her five years to finish it, but she was determined to do so. Continue reading

The Northeast Blizzard

This morning I woke up to a winter wonderland outside my window. It doesn’t last that long in Manhattan, too many people walking on the sidewalks, too many cars on the roads. I was curious to see what other neighborhoods looked like. I decided to ask family and friends to take photos and send them to me so I can post them on DigiDame. Thank you Mr/Mrs Internet for allowing us to share photos so easily.

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Riverhead, Long Island

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Stop Talking to Yourself

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My girl friend Bonnie asked me to share this with you. Most people who use smartphones, speaker phones, and conference call systems, do not realize that only one person can talk at a time. Continue reading

Denoff Fires CEO of AA

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We are about to get three feet of snow in New York, maybe much more. Everyone is in prep mode. Everyday schedules are being disrupted. Most airlines are canceling flights in and out of NY. Digital savvy people are flocking to Twitter and Facebook to tell their woes. The following was posted on Facebook this morning by a Broadway producer friend, Douglas Denoff. I just had to share it with you. Many of you have expressed similar frustrations.

Doug Denoff gave me permission to share his post from Facebook this morning.

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Forget the DNA, This Proves She Is Mine

You can read Whitney’s words here or get the true flavor of her blog, called Pleasure and Pain, by clicking here. I am posting Whitney’s blog because I want the older generation to be aware of the challenges of the Internet. In no way do I mean to imply that anyone should not state their mind online. I just want people to realize that they may get attacked. You just have to develop a thick skin. Politicans, Hollywood stars, CEOs, and everyone famous knows what I am talking about.

Whitney Hess during her non digital hours

Whitney Hess during her non digital hours

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Speaking Up

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 06:00 AM PST

Two days ago, a prominent designer named Sarah Parmenter published a post titled Speaking Up, in which she revealed the horrific harassment she has endured as a public woman in technology.

Sarah and I have spoken at the same conferences and share a lot of the same friends, and I have admired her ability to be so well-liked. I considered it her gift. I always assumed she’d never experienced any backlash from being outspoken and influential. I just figured she was better at it than I am.

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Don’t Write Another Letter

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Writing letters to big companies to complain about a product or service is a big waste of time. The majority of the time, your letters get thrown on a never ending pile, and eventually an intern, PR person (that’s me), or a mail room guy will answer you with some standard response. Yes, there are times you will receive a free meal, additional airline points, or a gift certificate to Pizza Hut or some other large chain which is easy for most people to access. But usually not.

If you want to get immediate satisfaction, learn to use Twitter. In the last few months, major companies have staffs of up to 50 people monitoring this particular social media platform to immediately cure any nasty comments someone has posted about them. The last thing a company needs is a disgruntled customer airing his or her complaints in front of millions of viewers.

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Even Vegas Can’t Keep This a Secret

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Rumor has it that the blackout during the Super Bowl game was not an accident. It was the brainchild of a digital mastermind. I can’t prove any of this, nor do I want to. I just want to let you know what I have been hearing and reading. It all started with an email from a friend yesterday in the morning and now it has escalated to tweets, texts, and Facebook posts. Many folks are using secret codes so that the FBI and CIA don’t start knocking at their doors.

Reportedly, some big Las Vegas gamblers, all over the age of 50, were the culprits. They bet hundreds of thousands of dollars on the 49ers, and when their team was losing big time, they decided to give them a little rest. While Beyoncé was shaking her booty, they shaking up their lackies to “kill the lights.” Those were not the exact words that were used, but the order was given on Facebook and/or Twitter.

I really tried to find out how it was done, but the best I could get was that a bunch of hackers created a power surge at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. It is still under investigation. While the Baltimore Ravens won the game, I hear that the Vegas gamblers did okay too because they didn’t bet to win the game. They bet on a certain combination of points that had to be generated by both sides.

Officials at the Superdome and its energy company, Entergy, said they were doing a major investigation to get at the root of the problem. Half the stadium was in darkness for a 34-minute delay. There is also speculation that Beyoncé’s dazzling, hologram-assisted halftime show was to blame for the outage. So far no credibility has been given to that theory. Entergy, however, tweeted that the problem was on “the customer side.”

After emergency generators restored power, escalators and credit card machines were shut down. I am not sure what the broadcasters had to do. I’m still checking that out.

Sunday’s Super Bowl Generated 24.1 Million Tweets

tideHere is what I know about Sunday’s Super Bowl. I read these facts right on Twitter and spoke to members of the press. This  event was a huge milestone for social media. Twitter reported that 24.1 million tweets were generated about the game and the halftime show. Beyoncé was the star of Twitter with 268,000 tweets per minute (TPM). The end of the game generated 183,000 TPM; the 108-yard kickoff return touchdown by the Ravens’ Jacoby Jones, 185,000 TPM; and the power outage, 231,500 TPM.

Another first was that brands such as Tide, Oreo, and Calvin Klein reacted quickly and posted clever ads on Twitter related to the outage. The Oreo ad generated the most attention and admiration for its quick thinking media team: Continue reading

A Tribute to Ed Koch from Andrea Peyser

Andrea Peyser

Andrea Peyser

Andrea Peyser has worked for the New York Post for as long as I can remember. She has a way with words that few can equal. Even when I disagree with Andrea, I can’t get over how she uses words in such a way that best describes a situation. It is a rare talent to be able to write about a situation or an event from a totally different viewpoint. She comes up with angles that most have never thought about. Sometimes I find myself laughing out loud. Other times I cringe because she is so harsh. Continue reading

Binge Viewing

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If you are a true couch potato, then you know the joy of sitting home all weekend to watch TV. We have done this many times when we want to be anti-social or just plain lazy.

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