Monthly Archives: May 2014

A Smart Crockpot

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I was recently in a meeting with a group of advertising executives when a chief marketing officer (CMO) asked for a time-out so he could adjust his Crock-Pot. I was mystified and fascinated at the same time. What was he talking about?

He whipped out his iPhone, pressed a few buttons, checked his train schedule, pressed a few more buttons, closed his phone, and told us it was okay to proceed with the meeting.

I couldn’t resist asking him after the meeting what took place during the time-out he called for. He told me once again that he was adjusting his Crock-Pot. At first I thought he was saying something obscene to me. Then I realized he was for real.

The meeting was running overtime and the CMO wanted to slow down the meal being cooked in his new Crock-Pot® Smart Slow Cooker Enabled by WeMo. This was the first time I ever heard that you can adjust the cooking time on a Crock-Pot from a remote location.

It’s new and it can be done. The Crock-Pot® Smart Slow Cooker Enabled by WeMo now allows you to control the slow cooker settings from your smart phone. The CMO said he often has to shut the Crock-Pot down because of spontaneous client dinners that pop-up.

Since he lives alone in Westchester, he claims he always needs the flexibility of changing the settings on his one-pot cooker. The six-quart pot features one-touch controls and three heat setting options. At $129.99, this also seems like an invaluable tool for seniors as well. Many want the freedom of making decisions last-minute. Here is their chance,

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Robots Care For Seniors

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Some of us may actually have a virtual nurse taking care of us when we can no longer take care of ourselves. Now that’s something to think about. In some ways I would rather have a robot watch over me rather than a professional aide. I like the idea of being monitored 24/7 via computer software. I don’t like depending on another human being who may have his or her own agenda. I know I’m being paranoid.

I don’t want to worry if the aide is going to show up or be in a bad mood. I want this all to be very clinical. There is always room for family and friends to provide human contact. The robot will give me serenity and independence.

As I write this, I realize that I may change my mind many times before I get to that stage. I recently read about six elderly people in different parts of Europe who have robots taking care of them. It’s part of a new experiment called GiraffPlus, an EU-funded project to use robotics to help older people who want to live alone. The robot is part of a central system that monitors movements and vital signs. Robot sensors also measure weight, blood pressure and blood sugar.

There is a lot more to this experiment that you might like to read about. Click here.

I’m curious if you would like a robot to live with you? Are you thinking about this subject? Please share.

Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda

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I have many friends in their 50s, 60s, and 70s who often wonder what their lives would have been like if they tried to execute some of the creative ideas they have had over the years. Many of them claim they didn’t act on their impulses because they were afraid their ideas weren’t good enough. They didn’t understand the concept back then of tweaking a good idea until it became a great one.

Obviously, the Google co-founders didn’t have any of those inhibitions. There were other search engine algorithms already in place when Larry Page and Sergey Brin met at Stanford in 1995. They started Google in 1998 because they felt their algorithm made more sense. It examined “the number and relevance of links between pages, not just the keywords on them.” Business Insider has a good story explaining this.

BI also explain how Page attended a conference given by an Italian science and math professor that changed his thinking about the efficiency of a search engine. In 1997, Massimo Marchiori of the University of Padua, Italy, shared information about a project he was working on called Hyper Search. The program scanned links between web sites, not the text in them.

Long story short, Page latched on to Marchiori after the seminar. He spent the day talking about algorithms, Marchiori remembers Page saying, “Man, I would like to develop your idea further.”

The net net. Page and Brin developed an algorithm that completely changed our lives. I am sure, however, they will have their own set of regrets when they reach our age.

Did you have an idea that ran away? Share it with us.

Email Buddies

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Back in the day, when we were teens, I had a number of pen pals. Today, I have email buddies. These are people who I met in person, but kept the relationship alive via frequent emails.

One such couple is Dan and Kathryn Mikesell. They are very serious art collectors who we met during a PAMM, Perez Art Museum of Miami, outing. They created The Fountainhead Studios in 2008, which now provides affordable studio space to over 30 Miami-based artists.

Twice a year the studios open to the public. Here is my pictorial essay.

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Sandra Ramos and her daughter. She is one of Cuba’s most famous artists. We visited her home and studio in Cuba and finally met her in person.

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Dan and Kathryn Mikesell

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One Cuban Blogger Is About To Make History

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Yoani Sanchez

I am beyond excited. I feel like I am truly watching history in the making. Maybe I can be a small part of it real soon. Cuban blogger, Yoani Sanchez, is planning to launch Cuba’s first online digital newspaper next week that will not be government owned and controlled. I only know what I read in newspapers and on the web. Sanchez is very well known in Cuba for a blog called Generation Y. Now she is going to launch 14ymedio which stands for the date she announced the daring new enterprise and because she lives on the 14th floor of an apartment building in Havana.

When I was in Havana last October, I was told never to go too high in an office or apartment building because the infrastructure was so bad. The building might not fall down but the elevators were always out-of-order. There was also a great possibility that if you got stuck in a high rise elevator it could take a very long time to get you out. I made a mental note of it. I found it pretty fascinating that Sanchez lives so high up. Maybe she takes the stairs. Anyone who is going to take on Communism the way she plans to, has to be very strong, One day when I hopefully meet her, I will ask her about living arrangements.

Meanwhile Cuban government officials have already warned members of Sanchez staff that this was not a good idea. Sanchez is determined anyway she can to get this digital newspaper live and active. She believes the Cuban government is in transition and times are changing. The premise is to write stories about Cuban life in every area newspapers in America cover: news, sports, fashion, education, the arts, tech, etc.

Read a more in-depth story about this new endeavor in the Miami Herald.

Later today, I will call my girl friend Carmen Santamarina, who leads legal tours to Cuba every other week, to find out if she can get me an introduction to Sanchez. I want to help this endeavor anyway I can.

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Carmen Santamarina

A Bike Lock That Talks To You

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What a surprise. Another product is now connected to your smartphone!!! Wait a minute. This one makes more sense to me than a lot of others who have smartphone apps.

Skylock is a solar-power bike lock that lets you know via a real-time alert if someone is tampering with your bike. This product comes to life if Velo Labs raises $50,000 on its website.

Personally, I hope Velo makes it. I hate it when someone gets their bike stolen. This product will stop thieves and give bike riders piece of mind. The part I love the most about this lock is that it will automatically disengage as you get closer to your bike. Thank you Bluetooth for allowing this to happen. 🎈🎈🎈🎈

The mechanics behind Skylock are really clever. The lock has a sensor that detects motion. Too much motion and you get notified. This also works if you are in an accident. The built-in accelerometer communicates with your iPhone to find out if you have been in an accident. If you don’t respond, the app will alert emergency responders.

The Skylock will retail for $249. You can get it today for $159 during the crowdfunding campaign. Let’s make this happen.

A Costco-Like Alternative In The Palm Of Your Hands

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Some people love to go museums, stage plays, the movies, restaurants, and the beach. My cousin Jeff loves to go to Costco. As a 50-year old therapist, he finds the warehouse club an adventurous playground. I have to say he returns home from his scouting trips with gems that most of us would never find.

I don’t know how he is going to feel about the next new concept in warehouse club shopping. I’m almost afraid to tell him that venture capitalists are throwing money at entrepreneurs who are starting online warehouse clubs for smartphones and tablets. The major appeal for shopping online is no crowds, no gas costs, and no big chunks of time wasted on outings. Yet, you get the same price advantages of the bricks and mortar stores.

One such new mobile warehouse club is Boxed, a startup that delivers bulk-sized products, just like from Costco and Sam’s Club, right to your front door. The app just raised a $6.5 million Series A investment from Greycroft, First Round Capital and Signia Venture Partners. Oh, one more thing. There are no typical membership fees and no shipping costs. Products are delivered in two days or less and go anywhere in the United States.

I am not sure if Boxed will be successful, but if I’m the typical customer, then this concept is going to be huge. I use my iPhone for everything including writing DigiDame. Boxed doesn’t have a website. It’s all in the app.

Sorry, cousin Jeff.

Sitting On Your Brains

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If someone says to you, “You’re sitting on your brains,” it may not be the insult you think it is. The person may be referring to the newly developed Darma smart cushion which is becoming the main topic of discussion in office environments around the country.

You are one of a few thousand to see it first. That’s a very low number considering the company hopes to sell millions later this summer. A few angel investors told me about Darma and then sure enough, I found, it on YouTube. Watch the video.

The Darma smart cushion is a fitness tracker. It’s not tied to you like a wrist, waste or headband. All you do is sit on it. Pretty nifty.

The Darma smart cushion is also built with 1mm sensors that detect your heart rate, respiratory patterns, and sitting posture. The information. Is communicated to an accompanying iOS app via Bluetooth 4.0.

Darma will also tell you to sit straight so you don’t create back problems. It will alert you when to stand up and stretch. This is the part I love the most: if Darma sees your stress levels are on the high side, it’ll advise you to take a break.

I’m going to buy Darma when it hits the shelves. I heard it is going to be around $178. Sitting on a smart cushion may be just what I need to remind me there is life after work.

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Number Sign To Me, Hashtag To You

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Illustration by Digital Relevance

My aunt Dotty used to repeatedly ask me “what does dot com mean” when we all got our first email addresses. She was well into her 80s. I used to explain dot.com to the best of my ability. Just when I thought she understood the dot.com concept, she would ask again. This proves that unless you use certain tech products or software applications repeatedly, you forget what it’s all about.

I am reliving my aunt Dotty’s questions all over again as more and more seniors hear about hashtags ###. Most folks who do not use social media are fascinated by the growing popularity of what they call the number sign. And for people who are on social media all the time, the hashtag has become one of the best ways to reach millions.

The hashtag is being used in new and different ways everyday. The one person who can really explain what hashtags are all about is Bianca Bosker, senior technology editor of Huffington Post.

If you read Bosker’s fun and simple explanation of hashtags, chances are you too will be searching for places to use them.

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A Shirt That Doubles As A Health Monitor

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I know the headline above is going to immediately grab the attention of all my fitness fanatic friends who religiously read my blog. They get a kick out of it when sedentary me tells them something new in fitness.

This is a biggie. Several fashion manufacturers are working on clothing pieces that will track health and fitness levels. I’m talking about precisely recording your heart rate, calories burned, and levels of stress. I also think this is pretty terrific for people who, from time to time, do not feel well due to overly exerting themselves. The numbers on a companion app will tell them whether they just need to relax or call for an ambulance.

The company that is getting all of the attention lately is OMsignal of Montreal. They were recently written up in Business Insider. They call their new make collection “biometric smartwear” featuring high-performance compression shirts. Female clothing is coming soon.

OMsignal currently has four different styles of male shirts including an undershirt, a sleeveless shirt, a casual t-shirt and a longsleeved shirt. Health sensors are embedded into the fabric. A little black box clips onto the shirt then transmits the data to a smartphone.

The shirts are available now for $199. Four designs are available in white, black and grey with orange or indigo stitching.

In my opinion, wearable health sensors save lives all the time. If something is out of order, it gets spotted immediately. You can’t beat that in a wellness program.