I loved iTunes for the first few years of its existence. It was wonderful 18 years ago when we first started to buy music and movies online. It seemed like a miracle that we had immediate access to the content. What a wonderful world we lived in.

Then a few years later iTunes became cluttered with podcasts and movies. I always felt overwhelmed with too many choices. I even had trouble navigating and checking out. I became so frustrated that most of the time I just closed the page and bought nothing.

I don’t remember exactly but I think I stopped looking at iTunes over 10 years ago. I was happy to hear that Apple executives finally announced that the company will be closing iTunes and reintroducing the same content into three apps: Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and Apple TV. The new apps will automatically appear on your screen.

This new move seems so logical it’s a wonder Apple didn’t do it before. I like the fact that the categories are going to be separated. Music, podcasts, and TV/movies, will all be wrapped up in nice neat packages.

The New York Times was very creative when they announced the death of iTunes. You must read it.

Click here.

https://youtu.be/_ZWh8KgIWKk

At 76 years old, Patricia Lay-Dorsey, is one of the best known personalities at the electronic music festival in Detroit. She is better known as Grandma Techno. She has been taking photos of the concert since 2007. She is now publishing a book of her concert photos. Grandma Techno is living proof that seniors can get in the grove at any age. Watch the video which shows Grandma Techno at her happiest moments.

Thank you best selling author, Neil Plakcy, for sharing this story with me.

Two years ago, I read a book by James Patterson, one of the most popular writers ever, that scared the wits out of me. “The Store” was fiction, but I knew one day its story would come true.

That day is now. The Wall Street Journal just reported that Amazon has a division called Alexa’s Smart Properties that is working on partnerships with home builders, property managers, and hotels to install Alexa smart speakers into rooms everywhere. Alphabet from Google and Apple can’t be far behind in trying to sell the smart speakers to every type of business.

The whole idea is to get vital information from renters, home buyers, and hotel guests so that Amazon can collect the data. You may not be aware of it, but if Amazon is able to monitor smart home interactions, the company can start to influence buying habits. They will send potential consumers personal texts and social media messages with information about products and services they previously inquired about.

In Patterson’s book, an Amazon type empire, controlled every aspect of a person’s life. If you actually went to a traditional store, a shopping cart was waiting for you with everything you were planning to buy. What’s more, if you were running low on certain items, the fake Amazon company automatically sent deliveries to your home.

As the company got more familiar with potential customers, they would enter their homes to put away groceries just where they belonged. Just remember, Amazon owns smart door locks, lights and appliances.

That was fiction, but if you want to see what insight Patterson has on our digital future, read the Wall Street Journal story to understand how all of this may become a reality.

Amazon’s Plan to Move In to Your Next Apartment Before You Do