Monthly Archives: March 2017

Read Between The Lines 

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The next time you text someone, remember it’s not always being read the way you intended it to be read. Be careful. Texting has dramatic ramifications. Please watch the Key & Peele video sketch “Text Message Confusion,” which shows how people misinterpret the ambiguity of text messages. 

By the way, texting is not the only risky business. So is driving. Certain people are so arrogant. Today, a guy in a Rolls Royce thought he was above Miami law. He was wearing a pair of headphones while driving. That is so illegal. No one stopped him. I snapped a photo of the culprit committing the crime and I got his license plate number too. Maybe this blog post will go viral and someone will recognize the driver. That would be amazing. 

Robots, The New Delivery Men

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The next time you order food from a local restaurant, a robot may show up. The first two cities to see robots roaming through their streets are Redwood City, Calif. and Washington, D.C. 

The company that is making this possible is Starship Technologies, an Estonia-based startup. Starship  is working with delivery food service companies Postmates in Washington, D.C., and DoorDash in Redwood City, Calif.

Re/Code, the tech site reports that the six-wheeled robots are a little under two feet tall, weigh about 40 pounds empty and travel four miles per hour. Watch the above video to see the robots in action.

Starship was created by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis. They just received $17.2 million in funding from Daimler AG, Shasta Ventures, Matrix Partners and others.

Starship has been experimenting with robot deliveries in more than 40 cities in Europe. I guess this is now the real deal. 

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Comic Solutions 

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I found the new iTunes Terms of Service document so unique, I wanted to share it with you. Artist R. Sikoroyak turned the entire iTunes Terms of Service document into a comic book with cartoon characters. How clever is that? 

The document was always famous for being long and boring. No one ever wanted to read it. Now, more people will not only read it, but will  collect it as well. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs stars as the main character.

This comic book is a classic example of turning a major negative into a plus, something we need more of in our lives. 

Eliot’s Photos 

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Currently on display at Williams McCall Gallery at Frameworks, Coconut Grove, Fl. Photos by Eliot Hess. The photos were taken at the world’s most famous outdoor gallery, Wynwood, Miami, Fl. Size: 32 x 23, $1,500 each. Limited edition 10 each.



Additional photos by Eliot Hess 

Nap Pods

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https://youtu.be/hNoAiBu1Edc

Nap pods have been around for a few years. I first saw them in Asian airports. They were situated near the gates, so travelers could rent them for 20 minute power naps. Apparently, it was a hit with Americans like me, because now they are being used around the United States. A number of different companies make pods to sleep in.

I just found out that several New Mexico high schools have installed them in class rooms for sleep-deprived students. The National Institute of Health reports that only a third of teens are sleeping eight hours. 

The Institute recommends 10 hours a night. The sleeping pods in New Mexico were paid for through mental health grants from the state. Educators believe 20-minute naps can help students feel more refreshed and then they become more productive.

Hammacher Schlemmer feels nap pods are going to be a big business. In the future, we may see them in shopping centers, golf courses, libraries, sports arenas, co-working spaces, and theme parks.

Hammacher Schlemmer is selling the Nap Pods for $16,000. The company says, “The pod’s contoured, cushioned bed provides optimal ergonomics for napping by elevating the feet, relaxing the lower back, and slightly bending the knees, all of which promote blood circulation. Its spherical dome enclosure provides semi-privacy; a privacy visor provides additional seclusion. 

“Controlled at the armrest, a built-in timer is set to a pre-programmed 20-minute nap, but can be set to any preferred nap time. A suite of ambient rhythms plays through the built-in 200-watt Bose speaker (or headphones jack) to eliminate surrounding distractions. The pod gently wakes nappers with slowly brightening light and vibration, minimizing grogginess. White glove delivery. Special conditions and guarantee limitations apply. 60″ L x 57 1/4″ W x 48″ H. (310 lbs.).”

I’m rooting for the success of Nap Pods. This may be the answer to a lot of personality disorders and mean-spirited people. A little extra sleep can possibly change attitudes. We can only hope. 

Two Art Events Today 

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I learned something interesting about art today. A curator for a large personal collection told me, “It doesn’t matter if you are a novice, or an expert. You are always learning.” That made me feel very comfortable in a world that I know very little about. 

First stop. Juan Carlos Maldonado, president of Art&Art Collection, invited patrons of the Perez Art Museum of Miami PAMM to view his collection of abstract art. The Unbounded Line is a selection of work that shows the intricate and remarkable histories of abstract and constructivist. We loved the art  Here are some of the pieces we saw.


Then off to Williams McCall at Frameworks where Eliot had three photos on display.

    

My favorites. 


Was It Good For You? 

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Some people will not want to fake it anymore, thanks to a new high tech condom ring. They will be more interested in measuring it. The i.Con smart condom is manufactured by British Condoms.

The i.Con and its companion app, tracks speed, “average thrust velocity,” duration, skin temperature, girth, calories burned, and frequency of sessions. 

The i.Con also features a micro-USB charging port providing eight hours of use. The manufacturer swears “all data will be kept anonymous, but users will have the option to share their recent data with friends, or, indeed the world.” 

Wow wee!!

The Wedding Writer  

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The other day I saw a story in the New York Times about Vincent Mallozzi, the newspaper’s wedding reporter. I flipped out. He was the guy, who in 2008, wrote one of the first stories ever about how women were using the Internet to support each other after their divorce. My client was http://www.firstwivesworld.com.


Vinny Mallozzi worked for the sports section of The New York Times from 1986 until 2003, when he became a Weddings reporter and lived happily ever after. Here is the story about Vinny. 

Vinny is the wedding reporter.

In 2008, Vinny called to say he thought it would be  interesting to sit in on a live meeting for First Wives World so his readers could truly understand what challenges divorced women faced. He showed up with his photographer, Earl Wilson, and proceeded to stay for a few hours listening to the gripes and future plans of each woman. 

Paul, Debbie and Jonas

 
The founders of First Wives World, Paul Lambert, Debbie Nigro and Jonas Neilson, became true pioneers of the Internet because of that story. Read it here.

I was amazed that almost 10 years later, I was able to Google the story and find it. It just reminded me how lucky I am to be involved in the digital world and how many great stories I have personally created in my career as a PR agent. While most days I want to rip the hair out of my head trying to get a writer to pay attention to my pitch, there are stories like this that make it all worthwhile.