Monthly Archives: February 2014

The Perfect Time To Take a Pee At The Movies

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Rob Calem

My life on the Internet never ceases to amaze me. One of my very conservative friends, Rob Calem, emailed an article he recently wrote that he thought would interest me. Topic: an app that tells you the best time to take a pee during a movie.

You have to know Rob to appreciate how out of character it was for him to even bring up the subject to me. Congrats Rob for finally being a little zany with a personal topic.

Read Rob’s post about the app called RunPee which, in his words, helps relieve the stress of relieving yourself at the movies. To find out the perfect time to take a pee at the movies click here.

A special message to Rob: thanks for sharing. You’re a good friend.

Hashtags Defined By Me #4U

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I am always getting questions about what the hashtag sign, #, on Twitter really means. It’s good to know the answer because more and more Internet platforms have started using hashtags as well.

Definition: The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. Twitter users use it as a way to categorize messages.

The hashtag symbol # also makes the keywords readily searchable. Just click on a hashtagged word in any Twitter message and you will easily find all other Tweets marked with that keyword.

It’s as simple as that!

Now that you understand what the so-called mighty hashtag # stands for, watch the Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake video above. It has been viewed 22 million times. You will never forget what a hashtag means again.

A Little Trick to Avoid Jet Lag

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Just got back from London this afternoon. The 10-hour flight from London to Miami was amazing because I actually had Wi-Fi access for the entire trip. Yes, across the Atlantic ocean. I was entertained for 10 hours reading all of my favorite newspapers, magazines, yakking to friends on email, playing Words with Friends, and doing a little work.

Apparently, I didn’t have all of my facts straight when I told you a few blog posts ago that international Wi-Fi was coming soon. American Airlines has it in all of their new aircrafts crossing the ocean. I opted for the maximum plan at $19.00. Ten hours divided into $19.00 is not a bad deal to make the time fly.

For all of you who suffer from jet lag, here is a little tip from motivational speaker Brain Tracy. Two friends actually followed these instructions and they said it worked.

London Cabs Offer Free Charging Stations

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The Brits are so civilized. Vodafone, the European telecommunications company, believes in capitalizing on the digital advantage. Vodafone has actually installed free cell phone chargers in the back of more than 500 black cabs in London. All types of mobile phones are included in the program.

This is a real blessing for Londoners who need to charge their cell phones when they are on-the-go. We wish American cabs offered cell charging stations as well.

We created a quick video to show you how it works. The charging station opens and closes with just a press of a button. It houses multiple charging cords. It’s very simple to use.

Vodafone also allows passengers to pay for their rides by using their phones at no extra charge. Registered users just text the word ‘Taxi,’ plus their taxi’s number and the amount they want to pay, to 31255.

This all seems so natural.

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Getting It From The Front and Back

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I’ve become a bit of a voyeur when solo in London. Eliot was off on a video shoot. There I was alone in a cafe doing my work when I looked up and saw this young thing in front of me. I decided to use the Frontback app on him. All was heaven until I saw my old face. Ouch!

Frontback is an app that utilizes both the front and rear cameras of your smartphone to take a dual image. The app is only available on iPhone now and the app for Android is on its way.

I love this app because I can take pictures of what I see plus insert myself in the scene. I don’t love looking at myself but I think it makes the photo shot more interesting if you get to see the person taking the photo. It certainly is a lot of fun.

The more you use it, the more proficient you become. It’s also quick and easy to share Frontback photos on social networks.

Frontback first uses the rear camera to snap a picture of whatever is in front of you. Then a few seconds later it captures an image from the front-facing camera. The pictures then get stitched together with the first image on top and the second on the bottom.

You are going to love this app. Thank you Re/Code for spotlighting it.

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Airlines Expand Wi-Fi To Cover International Flights.

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I was thrilled when I learned that Delta was going to be the first to offer Internet service on all international flights. I wanted to break out into a chorus of Hallelujah! I have secretly been praying for all airlines to offer this for years.

As you know, Eliot and I just flew to London last Wednesday on American Airlines from New York. I found the six hours without access to Wi-Fi almost impossible to bear. I fidgeted so much in my seat that the flight attendants were keeping a special eye on me to make sure I wasn’t a terrorist.

In my opinion, having the use of the Internet on long flights just makes the time go faster. I can read newspapers and magazines that only appear when Wi-Fi is available. I can play a few rounds of Words with Friends, complete research projects on Google or Wikipedia, and check Facebook and emails. These four exercises alone would make flying hours whiz by.

Meanwhile, we don’t fly Delta. I am, however, confident that if Delta does offer Wi-Fi, the other airlines will shortly follow. They are not going to let Delta have all the fun.

Delta actually announced that it would be adding Gogo’s satellite-based international service sometime this year. The date is not confirmed but let’s hope its sooner rather than later.

Delta will be drilling holes in the roofs of their planes in order to install the proper Wi-Fi receiving equipment. Once it is up and running, passengers should expect to receive maximum speeds of 30Mbps.

That certainly will do the trick to entertain me. I have a 10-hour flight back to Miami. It would have been two or three hours shorter if we were flying to New York but that is not how we planned it. I could really use Wi-Fi across the waters now.

Oh So, That’s How It Works

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One of the delights in getting older is that everything I eat gets stuck in my teeth. Today I had a Caesar Salad for lunch at the Tate Modern in London. When I went to apply my lipstick after eating, I received a sudden dose of reality. I was truly getting old. My teeth were filled with croutons. It looked like my teeth had the measles.

This has happened before. I spoke to my dentist who had what he thought was a great solution, $12,000 for a set of Veneers. I might have considered that but my teeth are straight. His suggestion seemed too costly for a bunch of crumbs.

I was determined to find another way to deal with the problem. This may not be the greatest solution but I like the idea of using an all-in-one toothbrush and toothpaste device that will allow me to clean my teeth on-the-go.

I found the Ohso toothbrush which is ready for action. The Ohso contains a chamber in the middle to hold toothpaste. All you have to do is turn the bottom of the toothbrush to dispense toothpaste directly onto the brush. The chamber is air tight, so it doesn’t leak. Designed with its own plastic case, the toothbrush is small enough to fit in any purse, backpack, or pocket.

I like the idea of carrying the Ohso toothbrush with me. I’ll keep it the same pouch as my whitening stick. Together, they can keep my teeth white and bright.

The sells on Amazon for $19.95.

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I’m in a Relationship With My Computer

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More and more Americans are becoming just like Joaquin Phoenix in the movie “Her.” They are spending a disproportionate amount of time with their computers or hand held devices. I am one of them. In fact, let me restate, I’m proud to be one of them.

I see nothing wrong with being on the computer for as long as I want to each day. I’m on it for work, play, and information. After taking the Mashable “computer.relationship” test, I realized that I probably like my computer better than I like most people. Yes, except for you, of course.

Think about the following points and let me know where you stand.

1) Do you remember how or when you first became so attached to your computer?

2) Suddenly, your phone knows you better than I do.

3) It’s putting a damper on other relationships.

4) But you don’t need them. Your phone will comfort you.

5) Its warmth will calm you down.

6) Your friends are getting worried.

7) You try to evade the issue, but need to look up a word that describes how you feel.

8) They just don’t get it!

9) Nothing is more panic-inducing than realizing you left your phone at home.

10) Your hand can’t even function properly at this point without it.

11) Losing your phone is as devastating as losing a loved one.

12) You consider your phone a lifeline and you couldn’t survive without it.

13) Then you wake up, grab your phone and start all over again.

Danielle Steel’s Ex-Husband is Creating a Strange Buzz in Silicon Valley

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For better or worse, Tom Perkins has a lot of tongues wagging about him in the last few weeks. After being credited for making Silicon Valley one of the most innovative places on earth, Perkins, at 82, is going out of his way to underscore a growing problem in the area.

In a published letter that he wrote to the Wall Street Journal this past January, Perkins compared the growing unrest toward the American one percent in Silicon Valley to Nazi Germany’s anti-semitism. Ever since he made those questionable remarks plus others, he has been the talk of the town in the mainstream press.

The video above is a recent interview where Perkins is being asked to justify his comments. I was told that Danielle Steel, his wife from 1998 to 2002, was in the audience. They remained good friends after the divorce but no one knows for sure what she is thinking now.

Perkins was a founding partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers (KPCB) , a venture capital firm located on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park in Silicon Valley. It is considered one of the “largest and most established” venture capital firms in the world. KPCB were the early financial backers for AOL, Amazon.com, Compaq, Electronic Arts, Genentech, Google, Intuit, Juniper Networks, Sun Microsystems, Symantec, Verisign, WebMD and Zynga.

Perkins hasn’t officially been with the VC company for a number of years. Reports in the press indicate that he is bringing Kleiner Perkins unwanted publicity and they are distancing themselves from him.

I wrote about this today because I believe this topic is going to take a lot of twists and turns in the months ahead. I want to hear your comments.