The Truth Behind Binging

Posted on July 3, 2015 by loiswhitmanhess

Eliot and I watch more TV than ever before. I don’t know where we find the time. We work, go to the theater and movies, visit with family and friends, attend events, read, travel, and eat out. Despite all this, we manage to watch at least 30 hours of TV a week.

We binge. We love it. We have such a good time watching some very well developed TV series. We are in the comfort of our apartment, relaxed in loosely-fit clothes, snacks nearby, and bathroom breaks when we want them.

Media Post, a marketing trade publication, just did a study that says binging is on the rise. That’s no surprise. The part that I found strange was that while binging “brings much joy to consumers, it can also bring the blues.” TiVo Research says that “52% of those surveyed are experiencing sadness when they approach the end of a TV series.

I can relate to that. It’s difficult to let go to your pretend family and friends on the TV screen. “Binging is also having an impact on sleep patterns.” TiVo says “31% have lost sleep due to binging, and 37% say they have spent entire weekends binging.”

Eliot and I have done that. It’s a great escape from all of life’s challenges. After a weekend of binging, we realized how much we enjoyed ourselves and how it didn’t cost much to have a good time.

World’s Longest And Highest Glass-Bottom Bridge

Posted on July 2, 2015 by loiswhitmanhess

At first I thought it was a hoax. Was my friend Todd Smith kidding me two days in a row? First he emailed me a story about a guy who makes landmarks out of toothpicks, and now he’s telling me about a glass bottom bridge almost 100 stories in the air.

I quickly googled it. The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon skywalk. Sure enough. Todd was right. China is about to open the most terrifying see-through walkway bridge in the world. It’s a quarter-of-a-mile across a canyon at 980ft up. It’s suspended between two cliffs. Israeli architect Haim Dotan, conceived this venture.

You’ll never get me anywhere near the structure. Just thinking about it, gives me the shakes. I gladly admit it. I’m afraid of heights.

Apparently, there are many who aren’t. The walkway is going to have the highest bungee jump attraction. All I can say is “Ouch!”

You Don’t Pick Your Teeth With These Toothpicks

Posted on July 1, 2015 by loiswhitmanhess

This is truly amazing. An innovation doesn’t always have to be a digital invention. It can sometimes be toothpicks. Yes, toothpicks.

My friend Todd Smith told me about Stan Munro. He has been making things out of toothpicks since the 5th grade. Thirty years later he turned it into a big money-making career. It was all happenstance.

While Stan was a TV feature reporter 10 years ago, his wife Suzi found out that she had Polycystic Kidney-Liver Disease (PKLD). Watch the first video to hear Suzi’s explanation of what happened to her. Have a tissue ready to wipe away your tears.

Stan had to stay home with his wife. She couldn’t be alone. During that time, he focused on his hobby of toothpicking. Strange as it may seem, he sold his first Toothpick City exhibit in 2006 to a museum in Spain. Then in 2011, his wife received a double-transplant at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.

Life really started turning around. There are still tough times, but they inspire each other. Stan and Suzi live in North Syracuse, NY. He has built some of the world’s most famous landmarks out of toothpicks. All of his models are built to 1:164 scale. They can take anywhere from a day to six months to create.

Museums and galleries show his work all the time. The one closest to him is the Museum of Science and Technology in Syracuse. Name all of the structures, and you win a Waterpik Water Flosser. I even inserted clues, in or near, the photos. Good luck.