The Sounds Of Irma 

Every once in a while we hear a huge crash outside our 9th floor window. It sounds like broken glass falling. It’s actually terra cotta tiles falling off the roof of this high rise office and hotel complex. It’s smashing on the floor of the pool terrace just below our window. A peek through the curtain reveals a pile of shattered tiles that will sooner or later fall into the pool. 


After several hours of listening to the tiles falling, it starts to feel commonplace. Every time it happens, Eliot and I laugh a little bit. It reminds us that we are in the middle of one of the worst hurricanes ever. 

We are tucked away in our luxurious hotel suite with all the comforts of home. We are so thankful for our niece Val and nephew Alfredo for including us in their hurricane evacuation plans. 

We don’t have any electricity, TV, or A/C right now but we are still so much better off than those who drove for hours to avoid the hurricane, and then had to drive again to other cities because the storm was chasing them.  We brought movies, music, Audible, e-readers, crank-up radios, flashlights, batteries, food,  protein bars, snacks, wine, water, soda, and weed (only kidding on the last one) with us.


I’m going to be upset if I can’t post today’s blog because I haven’t missed a day in over five years. Something had to happen sooner or later. We are going to be in this hotel for a while because there is a lot of debris on the road and the last thing we need is a flat tire.

The staff at the Colonnade has been superb. The lobby has electricity, alcohol, food and all kinds of supplies. It’s amazing how many guests prefer to remain in their rooms and take care of themselves. People brought their cats and dogs so I guess they are just happy to be safe and secure.

Now I am going to try to post this.  I just heard free ice cream in the lobby. What do I do first? 

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Irma Strikes Tomorrow (Your Sunday) 

While we waited, here are some of my Facebook posts. 


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Irma Getting Closer 

5:40pm the east view from my kitchen window

7:36pm view, east and west.

8:17pm view, east and west.



Getting Ready For Irma 

We evacuate to a hotel in Coral Gables tomorrow called The Colonnade. My niece Valerie, and her husband Alfredo, found the hotel. They are very resourceful and understand all of the requirements we will need. 

We have a hurricane preparedness meeting with the hotel staff tomorrow at 5pm.. I guess we are going to get a list of Do’s and Don’ts. This is going to be interesting. We are still praying that the storm blows off into the ocean. It’s possible, but not probable. I am told the roar of the storm is terrifying. If we are not directly in the eye of the storm, we will experience less of a sound.

Our neighbor, Sam Champion.



Counterfeit Vs. The Real Deal  

I don’t know why, but whenever I buy an expensive designer handbag, I get the feeling a few of my girlfriends think it’s a fake. That is probably because I don’t buy expensive clothes. 

I don’t bother to defend myself because what’s the point? However, I just learned about a new handheld gadget that can detect counterfeit goods. 

The device features a microscope camera that closely analyzes the print patterns, leather grain and paint work of luxury goods.

Entrupy is a New York company that designed the unit. Watch the video. Their accuracy rate is better than 98 percent for Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Gucci. That’s what they claim. 

The company has already done deals with pawnshops, wholesalers and online retailers who need to identify fakes.  The unit can be leased initially for $299 with a $99 monthly fee. It must be working. They already have 160 businesses signed up for the device which is able to inspect up to 30,000 handbags and wallets. 

I might get one too. The next time someone gives me a funny look about a new handbag that I just bought, I will encourage them do the Entrupy test. No more second guessing.

Misconceptions And Mistakes Of Start-Ups

Image, Indiabiz.com


 

 

It’s amazing how many tech start-ups make the same mistakes and eventually die. 

TV personality Steve Greenberg and Lois Whitman of HWH PR, have witnessed these avoidable blunders so many times over the many years they have been in the tech world. They decided to point out the common ones so future new companies will not make the same mistakes. The goal of this podcast is help entrepreneurs attract investors, strategic partners, and great editorial coverage
 

To listen to the Lying on the Beach podcast press here. 

 

Smart Pillow Talk


You have a smart watch, a smart TV, and now possibly a smart pillow. Once you learn what the Zeeq smart pillow is capable of, you will be interested in knowing more about the overall quality of your rest. The Zeeq smart pillow tracks your sleep, stops your snoring, and streams music. 

A company press release said the pillow features snore detection and prevention, wireless music and audio via Bluetooth, sleep tracking and analysis, smart home integration with Amazon Echo and Alexa, sleep cycle alarm clock, music timer and lots more.

“The snore alarm feature uses microphones inside the pillow to detect your snoring and emit a gentle vibration when it reaches a preset decibel level so you stop snoring and adjust your sleep position without waking your partner.”

I’m anxious for someone to review the Zeeq. I would like to know if snoring can be cured this way.  Who is willing to try if I can get a review unit? 

An extra bonus is that the Zeeq app let’s you stream your favorite music, listen to audio books, listen to soothing sleep sounds or white noise. There are eight evenly-dispersed, super-thin speakers.  There is also an auto-shutoff function. 

A smart alarm activates your movement. You can then check your SleepScore on the Zeeq app. “Zeeq’s 3 axis accelerometer and audio sensors measure sleep movement and snoring to give you a helpful analysis of your nightly sleep quality.”
The retail price is $199.00

 

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Smile, You’re On Facial Recognition 

Image: CNET


If you don’t like the way you look in a photograph, you are not going to like what I am about to tell you. Your face is going to replace your credit card, and perhaps cash, in the next few years.

The world is going facial recognition. It’s already started in Hangzhou, China where a local KFC has a facial recognition payment system that lets diners pay with a smile. They may be required to insert their phone numbers as well for double security purposes.

When Eliot and I traveled through the Scandinavian countries a few weeks ago, we found out that they are a cashless society. We used credit cards for everything, even a bag of potato chips or gum. I have to say that it was a relief just to use a card for everything rather than dealing with the right amount of paper and coins.

We might like the freedom by simply stepping in front of a screen and smiling.

The software programs being used today are so accurate that even if there are multiple people in your photo, the facial recognition can pinpoint exactly who you are.

The Chinese program being used at the KFC in China is called the Alipay facial recognition payment system. It’s designed by Ant Financial Services Group, an Alibaba Group affiliate. 
Companies like Samsung, PayPal, MasterCard, Apple and NEC are also testing the technology. 

You can see how facial recognition works in a CNET story. 

Backup Camera For All Automobiles 

A friend of mine, John Shalam, built one of the most successful consumer electronics companies  in the United States. It was called Audiovox in 1965 when he started it in Hauppauge, Long Island. It was renamed Voxx in 2012. 

The company specializes in four areas: OEM and after-market automotive electronics, consumer electronics accessories, and consumer and commercial audio equipment.

VOXX Electronics just introduced a new product for cars which I feel is a must for all drivers. It’s a new wireless, Bluetooth backup camera that works with a smartphone. Called “LOOK-IT,” it will be available in select Best Buy stores and Crutchfield.
Many brand new cars feature a back up camera. The first time I saw it years ago I thought it was brilliant. The trouble is that the cars we bought (or leased) never offered this feature, 

I was so excited to learn that we could now buy a back up camera in the aftermarket. I first read about it in Amy Gilroy’s CE Outlook newsletter. She covers the auto industry.  

She said the “LOOK-IT includes an adjustable rear view camera that’s pre-mounted in a license plate frame. It communicates via Bluetooth 4.0 to a smartphone mounted in your car to create a do-it-yourself backup camera.

“LOOK-IT comes with a remote control that mounts on the steering wheel. Push it and it launches the camera view at any time, but the device also activates automatically in reverse and shows smart grid lines that can be calibrated.

“The new wireless camera has 4 years of battery life. It comes with a magnetic air vent mount for a smartphone. LOOK-IT was developed by Lightwave Technology, Montreal, Canada. VOXX is serving as the US distributor.”

The street price for LOOK-IT is $299.
I’m getting one for my Jeep. 

 

A Speck in the Sea

Image: Amazon

Sosinski and Aldridge

I had a very complicated and challenging day today at work. This is nothing unusual but today I just felt a little overwhelmed. I have a list of things to do, as long as my arm, and little time to get them done.

I was wondering if anyone else outside the walls of my office was having a tough day too. Then I got a call from my friend Stephen Adler, a marketing executive and a fundraiser, who told me he had a new client and wanted me to handle the PR. 

After I heard the story behind this new client, I will never complain about a tough day again. The clients were John Aldridge and Anthony Sosinski. Perhaps you know their names because they made headline news on July 24, 2013 when they had a harrowing experience in the waters off Montauk Point, Long Island, NY. 

In the middle of the night, Aldridge fell off the back of his fishing boat, the Anna Mary, while his business partner, Sosinski, slept in one of the inside cabins. The boat was on automatic pilot so it immediately moved away from where Aldridge fell. No one heard his screams. It wasn’t till hours later when Sosinski woke up, that he realized Aldridge was missing. 

Both Aldridge and Sosinski, best friends since childhood, were seasoned sailors and fisherman. The Anna Mary was their lobster fishing boat.

 

A newly released book, A Speck in the Sea, and a movie being made by The Weinstein Company, tells the heart-wrenching tale of survival, perseverance, and positive thinking. Aldridge spent 12 hours in the ocean in the darkness surrounded by sharks, while Sosinski led the coast guard, family and friends in the search.
After watching the feature the New York Times and CBS This Morning did on this horrific accident, (click here), I will never complain again about having a tough day.

I spoke to both friends today and we agreed that I would put together a PR plan that would help them to help others. They are anxious to motivate others to think positively and stay strong.