Monthly Archives: October 2017

Experiencing A New Dimension     

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I’m not a person who gravitates to roller coasters, ferris wheels, bungee jumps, or ziplines. I can barely go to the edge of my condo’s balcony, 36 stories up. 

I have no idea what possessed me to try the virtual reality headset that was being offered at a recent Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce real estate meeting. Thanks to sponsor Hotwire Communications, a fiber optics telecommunications provider, the Oculus Rift virtual reality system was available for a demonstration.

Virtual reality (VR) is a computer technology that completely immerses you inside a virtual world. Oculus Rift uses a virtual reality headset that  superimposes a computer-generated image right in front of your eyes.

Once you put the headset on you are basically in a different world. You intellectually know that your two feet are on the ground, but you feel the full impact of the virtual world in front of you. Hotwire’s VR journey featured a walk through a new luxury apartment. 

I got lucky. I could have put on a VR headset that had me jumping out of a plane or skiing down a 2,000 foot slope. Walking from room to room in the luxe apartment was challenging enough. I felt off balance and slightly dizzy. Every time I took a step, I couldn’t tell the difference between the VR environment and where I was actually standing,

Eliot, on the other hand, had no trouble at all. In fact, he wanted more action. He would love to experience what it’s like to float in air or rocket to the moon. 

I hope you all get to try a VR experience really soon. Start with an easy one first, and then advance from there. Don’t pretend to be brave. You may find yourself screaming for your mother.

Good luck 

 

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Pull Strings 

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I had to “pull strings” to show you these treasures. Eliot and I discovered them when we were visiting the SoHo, NYC, loft of Allen Hirsch, an artist, sculptor, and creator of HandL phone cases. Allen only wants me to promote his phone cases, so I had to convince him to let me show you a few of his paintings that feature a totally new technique. You are going to think I’m fooling you. 

These are paintings on strings. Yes, the strings contain the paint, not the canvas. One looks at, and through, the image at the same time. You really can’t tell if the paint is on the string, or on the canvas. Allen laughs when I question him if this is a magic trick. The strings of color achieve an image that you just can’t stop looking at. 

A new visual space is achieved by the fact that the viewer needs to change the focal point from the strings to the image within. This new technique of painting ties together many of Allen’s artistic interests over the past 20 years. 

We thought they were magical. Allen’s new line of luxury HandL phone cases are going to be quite unique too. There is nothing like them on the marketplace. I will be showing them to you soon. Enjoy! 

 

Is It A Religion Or A Disease? A Psychiatrist Calls It Audiophilia  

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I was there in the early days of hi-fi. I watched many audiophile writers sit in the middle of a sound room at trade shows or audio salons, close their eyes, and listen to music. Sometimes, they didn’t move for an hour or so. I used to wonder if they were sleeping, or seriously listening to the sounds. 

The audio writers back then loved all of the stereo equipment as much as they loved any treasure. Franklin Karp of Audio Video Systems, emailed me this BBC film today. It’s all about audiophiles in 1959, with tongue-in-cheek humor. 

Critics call it a masterpiece. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It brought back so many memories.
Here it is.

This is dedicated to the audiophile writers who started it all. I will be adding to the list as other audio industry folks remind me of those I missed. 
Harry Pearson • J. Gordon Holt • Julian Hirsch • Hans Fantel • Len Feldman• Larry Archibald • Gordon Sell • Bob Angus • Barney Pisha • Larry Klein • Gene Pitts • Michael Riggs • Ivan Berger • Lance Braithwaite • David Ranada • Peter Dobbin • Ed Foster • Peter Michell • John Atkinson • Robert Harley • Anthony Cordesman, • Dan Kumin •

 
Read the What’s Hi-Fi article that covered the film

The Future Of Photography   

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Every time Eliot and I travel, or go some place interesting, he packs a knapsack filled with heavy camera equipment to take with us. As each year passes, I worry how he manages to lug all that stuff.

That’s why I was particularly interested in a new camera called “Light” that is supposed to go on sale this week. Two of my tech friends told me about it. It sounds fabulous for a novice like me, but I wish Eliot would consider it. 

For $1,950, the new “Light” camera weighs less than a pound, fits in your back pocket, has 16 lenses and sensors that can capture a 52-megapixel shot. While I know very little about camera technology, I am told that amount of pixels give you a super detailed photo. Most cameras only offer 12 megapixels. 

One thing I do know about is having a great zoom lens. I love being able to zoom in on things from blocks away. The optical zoom on “Light” captures  objects five times closer and gives you lots of focus options.

I wanted to know more about this camera so I googled it. The Wall Street Journal had the best review. All the details are covered by expert Geoffrey Flowler.

My Body In 3D

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The thought that someone other than myself has an outline of my body parts is just the incentive I need to go on a drastic diet. I am sure there are other people who feel the same way.  We all have to get use to having merchants who know us up-close and personal. That is the digital future.

Amazon just bought Body Labs. It’s a 3D scanning platform that will measure your size and then create an avatar-like image of your  dimensions. This all fits beautifully with Amazon’s “try before you buy” Prime Wardrobe service. This subscription based program will allow Prime members to order (and try on) from three to 15 items of clothing before they actually buy any of them.    

The whole idea is to cut back on returns. Get the size right that first time. Let me know your thoughts on this.

 

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Nordstrom Introduces Stores Without Inventory 

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I  said it the other day, and now I say it again today. The retail world is changing. It has to. Traditional retailers cannot compete with online merchants. 

Therefore, Nordstrom has opened its first store without inventory, called Nordstrom Local. The 3,000 sq. ft. store, the first one located in West Hollywood,  CA., just features a few dressing rooms. The average Nordstrom store used to be  140,000 sq. ft.

The smaller Nordstrom store features personal stylists, beverage bars, salons, and alteration sections. 

Nordstrom likes these convenient locations because they can provide better customer service like same-day alterations and convenient pick-ups for purchases and returns.

Nordstrom is still figuring out the correct retail concept for the future. I think they are getting very close.

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51 Years In Tech 

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I wish I was starting my career all over again.  There are only a handful of industry people I started with who are still around. Most are dead or retired. I never expected them to leave me. I have had to make new friends. They are all very nice, but the ones who are gone were more like family. 

The tech industry today is filled with people who come and go so fast you rarely get to see their true talents. I now just go with the flow. I had to learn new work habits, new priorities, new attitudes, new goals and new demands. 

In order to survive in today’s work place, you have to reinvent yourself all the time. It’s exhausting, but if you love what you do, you manage. I have been managing so far. At my stage, you want to know you are making a meaningful contribution.  

Thank you Dealerscope for this recognition and Allen Hirsch of HandL phone cases who nominated me.  It’s very comforting.

Smile, You’re On Google Camera 

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Google has introduced a new type of video camera that I would want to buy if I was an Android user. Called Google Clips, the mini camera acts just like a GoPro.  

The $249 Google Clips automatically shoots seven second videos without audio on its own. The camera is programmed to look for faces and pets. Google Clips does not constantly record. It just captures certain moments. A clip on the back of the 2-inch camera let’s you attach the unit to a wide variety of surfaces.

Google Clips is great for recording snippets at dinner parties, special events, lectures, parties, meetings, and even long walks. Many folks don’t want to be the photographer all the time. Let the camera do most of the work.  Users can choose the best of the best videos for a permanent record on a companion app. It will store your Google Clips so you can edit, share, or make stills. That’s pretty amazing.

Read what USA Today has to say about it.

 

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New Uber Lounges 

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Everytime I call for an Uber, or a Lyft, I always wonder if the driver is really going to find me. Nine times out of 10 they do, but it still concerns me all the time.

Uber has come up with a solution but I’m not sure they did it for my purposes. The transportation company has announced the “Uber Lounge,” a physical pick-up and drop-off seating area. Some locations will even have a host or hostess who will act as brand ambassadors.

The new concept is in partnership with Westfield shopping centers. Uber is looking for other partners as well because they really want to use these lounge areas as branding opportunities.

The new lounges are in all 33 of Westfield’s shopping centers in the U.S., starting with Century City in Los Angeles. They will feature  ultra-modern design, sleek seating, and other amenities yet to be named.

Word has it that other car services, including Lyft, all plan to establish their own type of seating area locations. 

The competition is really getting wild.

Hold Your Tears For Toys ‘R’ Us.

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Leave it to a toy company to play the digital game. Rather than roll over and die, Toys ‘R’ Us is betting on augmented reality to bring itself back from the dead. I’m sure you all read that the retailer just declared bankruptcy. 

Many of my family and friends were already  crying the blues for the retailer that was once a major part of their social life, especially with their children. Eliot, Whitney and I would drive to the Toys ‘R’ Us in Douglaston, Queens, from Manhattan. to spend our Saturday afternoons. Eliot would run to Legos, Whitney to Barbies, and I would be walking the aisles looking for other friends who were visiting the toy store at the same time.

Those were the days, long before the Internet. No one wants to go shopping anymore. People spend hours online searching for their dream buys. The days of hanging out at Toys ‘R’ Us are long gone.

At least I thought so. Then we all got a big surprise. The retailer has just announced Play Chaser, a free augmented reality app that turns stores into virtual playgrounds. All you have to is  point the app at the star icons all around the stores and you can play games and win prizes. 

Geoffrey the Giraffe, is still around and will be playing games with you and your children and grandchildren.

A company press release says Play Chaser is currently in 23 stores in California, New York and North Carolina. However, it should be available across the country as of October 21st

The New York Times recently did a story about the refinancing of Toys ‘R’ Us. After you read it here, you might be more hopeful for the future of bricks and mortar.