Monthly Archives: September 2015

Back To Nature in Colombia

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We feel like we have been on a Safari. We are in the mountains of Armenia, Colombia (the Coffee Triangle). We are surrounded by the most gorgeous plantations and rolling hills. The coffee is superb and the Colombian people are among the most hospitable group I have ever met. This is truly an adventure. We haven’t seen any chain stores in days and definitely no Starbucks.

This is the lodge, Hotel Mirador las Palmas, we are staying at. Other than no air conditioning and crappy Internet, this place has been a treat. On to civilization tomorrow, Medellin. Not sure I’m happy about that. 

The main house.

 

Where we ate.

  

The roof was magnificent.

     
  

The Infinity pool.

  

One of many paths.

  

Another path.

  

Guest rooms.

  

The Jacuzzi.

  

Outside the dining room

  

Overall view.

  
 

Loving Colombia

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Celebrating our coffee tasting degree ,San Alberto Plantation, Buena Vista, Colombia.

Coffee Tasting Degree.

 

The Jeeps we took to get to the plantation.

  

i have to try this at home sometime.

  
 

The pickers weighing the coffee beans. We got lucky catching them in the act.

One of the coffee bean pickers with his iPod.

 

Our Jeep driver, one arm and one eye.

 
   
   

Back To Basics 

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I am now in the middle of the Coffee Triangle, Pereira, Colombia, South America. Very slow to no internet in the guest rooms at the hotel, Mirador las Palmas. The connections in the common areas are intermittent. I will try to grab wifi wherever possible. There are cats and dogs loose everywhere. My friend Howard told me they keep the nasty creatures away. The hotel is very primitive. I hope this post goes through. If there is a way to be connected, I will find it. If you don’t see a post in the next few days, you’ll know why.

 

I will be climbing lots of stairs in the next few days trying to figure how to stay in touch. The good news is that I will be drinking a lot of great coffee.  

 
I am well aware that there are worse things in life than not being fully connected. No lectures. I get it.

Wish I Had The Poloroid Snap Camera On Our Trip

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http://youtu.be/RQ0kx33Pz5g

I’m not embarrassed to admit that sometimes I wish I had the old Polaroid instant print camera when I travel (we are in Bogota, Colombia, on a tour) or when I’m at a party. I love taking pictures of people and immediately handing them a print. I know you probably think this is a nutty thing for me to say, since I’m such a proponent of senior people using the latest and greatest in technology. 

The trouble is that most people (youngsters too) take their sweet time responding to digital photos. I can send folks a picture of themselves via email and it can take weeks to hear their reaction. I like immediate gratification. It would be more fun to take a picture, hand it to someone and watch the response.

 
This morning we went up to Monserrate, a mountain that dominates the city center of Bogota. 10, 341 ft above sea level.


Eliot rarely sees pictures of himself. He is always snapping his own.  
 

It would have been nice to hand a print photo to this group so they could have celebrated the moment.

Meanwhile, a number of friends who attended the  IFA conference in Berlin, Germany a few days ago, (a consumer electronics trade show), told me about the new Polaroid’s Snap camera that prints instant photos without ink. They said it was the talk of the show. Targeted to sell for $99, the 10-megapixel Snap camera looks like a toy but the quality of the prints are supposed to be the best yet.

Features include: a big red shutter button and a self-timer button for selfies, a button to switch between modes for color, sepia, and black and white. The prints come out of the right side and the left side has a Micro USB port. I looked online and found a video that explains all of the features.

The camera should be available in a few months. I may be first on line to buy it. 

At Our Age   

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It’s amazing. We’ve been on this earth for so many years and we still mispronounce certain words. People are always correcting me. That why when I read about the 50 most frequently mispronounced words in Ragan’s PR Daily, I decided to share it with you. In the world of digital, you are not suppose to cut and paste an entire story. So all you have to do is click here to see all 51.

Here are the first few ….
1. aegis—The ae in this word is pronounced /ee/. Say EE-JIS/, not /ay-jis/. In mythology the “aegis” is associated especially with the goddess Athene. It is her shield with the Gorgon’s head on.

2. anyway—The problem with this word is not so much pronunciation as the addition of an unnecessary sound. Don’t add an s to make it “anyways.” The word is ANYWAY.

3. archipelago—Because the word is from Greek, the ch is pronounced with a /k/ sound. Say /AR-KI-PEL-A-GO/, not /arch-i-pel-a-go/.
  
 

  
   

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Jimmy Kimmel’s Hate Mail

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If you were worried that your children, or grandchildren, spend too much time playing video games, now you have a whole new couch potato sport to be concerned about. The new pastime is youngsters, watching other youngsters, play video games. 

I know it sounds absurd but now kids sit at their computers watching complete strangers play video games. I want to be sure you get the picture. The younger generation is using their computers to zero in on other video gamers playing video games. 

Jimmy Kimmel found this so absurd that he joked one night during his monologue that the next big thing would be kids, watching other kids, watching video gamers, play video games. 

Apparently, he really upset the community of video game spectators. To understand how ugly it really got, watch the two videos. Bottom line, Jimmy is questioning the role of parents today. Is it funny or pathetic? 

Getting Ready For Prime Time   

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Juan Carlos Zapata is fearless. He is determined to reach new target audiences as a real estate broker. This is the first time that JC has ever taped a video of his pitch. He has no formal training, but wants to take advantage of digital marketing. 

That means once he is satisfied with one of his video presentations, he will distribute it to potential customers, other referral brokers, the press, architects, real estate developers, friends and family, who will help him spread the word about his ability to successfully buy and sell properties. 

Before you judge his attempt, let me remind you that some of the most successful digital marketers today defy the textbooks that teach us formal presentations. The biggest YouTube stars are those who have unique personalities, are very animated, sound a little funny, but have something to say.

Video stars have interesting content. Every YouTube personality has to find his or her own niche. Juan Carlos wanted a video to show his honesty. That’s why the videos are iPhone 6 Plus homemade with me at the controls. Once JC finds his stride, he will upgrade his video crew, hire hair/makeup artists, and lighting experts. Till then, it’s me and my mobile device.

The Next Time You Are In Miami

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Remind me to take you to Little Havana the next time you are in Miami. I really mean Calle Ocho (SW 8th Street/Tamiami Trail). It’s known as the neighborhood for Cuban exiles, perhaps the largest in the world. The street life is filled with restaurants, music and cultural activities.

Tonight, the four of us, Ruth, Howard, Eliot and myself, wanted Cuban Food so we ended up in Exquisito, right in the middle of all of the street action.

 

After dinner Ruth suggested we stop by  Cuba Ocho, a Cuban cultural and research center, which also features great tapas and diversified music. 

  

The minute we arrived at Cuba Ocho, I spotted a desk lamp on top of the bar that I adored. When I asked the price, I was introduced to one of the owners of Cuba Ocho, Yeney Ramos. 
 

Yeney explained that her husband, Roberto Ramos, 44, fled Cuba in 1992 with a boat stuffed with valuable works of his Cuban art. The walls of Cuba Ocho are covered with Ramos’ personal collection of paintings and books from Cuba’s prerevolutionary era. Some of his pieces are being shown in museums all over the U.S. He is also known for creating the coffee table book, “The Great Masters of Cuban Art.” 

 
Yeney Ramos 

  


The table tops are absolutely unique. What a way to experience art.  

 

Center stage for all kinds of musicians. Thursday night is salsa  (yes, dancing too) and Fridays are the battle of the rock bands.

The next few slides show this magnificent exhibition center. The place is a gem and it might become our home, away from home. I’m glad we found it. 

 

  
    
    
    
    

    
   

Digital Signs That Make Me Think

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Finally, A GoPro For Me 

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What took you so long GoPro? You finally created an easier way to use your cameras. For years, you had these sophisticated units  that were just too complicated for me to use. You practically had to be a professional digital editor to create a video.

I was one of your first customers. I loved the idea of wearing a camera so I could take a video of everything I saw during the day. I was so loyal. Over the years, I bought several units hoping to master your editing process. To no avail. Now, I hear you finally became user friendly. Bravo!

I’m thrilled that you now have an on-camera trimming feature that produces short clips. I can also edit on the companion mobile app. This is true for the full-size Hero4, the Hero4 Session and the other WiFi-capable GoPros. They can now produce five, 15 or 30-second videos. 

This is great news for everyone who loves to take videos. Read more about it in Digital Trends. Watch the above video, too.