Author Archives: loiswhitmanhess

Just In Case   

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Image: Indiegogo Just In Case

Somebody up there must like me. I’m finally going to get the one feature I always felt was missing from the iPhone. A company in Tel Aviv, called Just in Case, is introducing a case for the iPhone that can record any call as well as any in-person conversation. I  have been complaining for years that Apple never allowed me to record any of my calls on the iPhone. 

Maybe Steve Jobs wanted it that way for legal reasons, but that didn’t help me record detailed information that was being dictated to me. Most states allow a call to be recorded if both sides are in agreement. 

Just In Case is presently raising money on the crowd sourcing site, Indiegogo. The case is designed for IPhone 5 and above and features an internal recording device that will allow me to record a phone call or in-person conversation without connecting to an app or an external recording source. Yippee.

All audio files are stored on a 2GB microSD card. The storage files can be expanded. A built-in battery provides up to eight hours of recording time. The best news is that the case does not draw power from the iPhone. It has its own charging port.

The cases, slated for May,  will be available in red, blue, yellow, black, and white. Retail should be around $29.00.

Bring it on!!!!   

If You’re Not Living On The Edge, You’re Taking Up Too Much Space 

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I love thinking about the proverb “If you’re not living on the edge,  you’re taking up too much space.” Those words probably mean different things to different people.

To me, it means, I better keep taking risks and keep going on adventures otherwise my brain will disintegrate into a dustball. It also means that life should be lived to the fullest. The above video, circulating the Internet, shows what it is really like living on the edge in Pacifica, CA.  I don’t have the guts for that.

Robots Delivering To Robots

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You have to watch this video to witness what the world will be like in the not too distant future. Drones will be able to land on moving cars. Some of those cars may even be self-driving ones.

Imagine that you have been driving for an hour to a friend’s home. You suddenly  realize that you forgot your wallet on the kitchen table. That happened to me once. I was carrying so many bags, I didn’t realize that I left my wallet home. I made Eliot turn around so I could retrieve my most important cards and papers, because we were going to be away for the weekend. Eliot was not too happy, but he did it anyway. 

This kind of a situation may never happen again in a few years. There will be a time when you can commission a drone to get what you left behind. Hopefully, someone is at home to help with this task.

Watch the video provided by CNET so you can see how a drone lands on a car. You can also read about it here.

Touring The Guggenheim With Google 

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My virtual world is continuing to take me on cultural trips. 

As many of you may know, the wonders of Google’s Street View technology, are now allowing us to virtually visit cultural institutions around the world. Just look at the Eiffel Tower in the above video.

Breaking news. According to tech site Engadget, Google is working with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in NYC. Google engineers used drones, tripod and “trolley” cameras to create a 360-degree view of the Guggenheim galleries.

Honestly, some of you may think this is another indication that we will never get away from our laptops and hand held devices. 

Au contraire. I think this will encourage us to see what’s going on behind the walls of some of the best museums, monuments, and cultural centers around the globe. A relaxing virtual tour can inspire us to see the real thing. I’m feeling energized already.

Changing Photo Images 

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 This is some find.

The Dreamscope app allows you to turn your photos into amazing paintings! Go from photo to art in just one tap.

  
    
    
   

Postings On Facebook 

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  Sophia at 80, Happy Birthday 

Sophia At 80.

  

 

Tech Jewelry 

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This is the year that “wearable devices” truly become increasingly popular. How do I know? I read a lot of tech sites and more companies that manufacture fashion technology pieces are showing up at CES. 

One such company is Wisewear of San Antonio, TX. The brand is Socialite, a luxury smart jewelry line that conceals advanced technology inside interesting bracelets. Socialite’s jewelry features mobile notifications, distress messaging, and detailed activity tracking. Socialite’s app provides many more options.  

Each bracelet was designed by a fashion professional. My favorite one is 94-year old Iris Apfel, an American businesswoman, interior designer, and fashion icon.

The bracelets are about $395.00 each and they are still in early production (beta) so if you want to be any early adopter, proceed with caution.

Visit the Wisewear website to see the catalog.
 

Iris , you are amazing.

  

I love her style.

 

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The Latest On The Mammography Exam

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I visited my radiology  group in NYC this week because I received a letter from them explaining that they totally updated their machinery with the state of the art, 3-D mammography units, also known as 3-D tomosynthesis. 

The letter said, “Instead of imaging the breast as a whole, 3-D mammography acquires multiple very thin slices throughout your breast in a matter of seconds. As with CAT scans and MRI’s, the thin slices prevent the adjacent tissue from overlapping one another. Studies have shown that 3-D mammography is 30 per cent more accurate in finding breast cancer than 2-D exams, and that it also greatly reduces the number of false positive readings. 

“The FDA requires that 3-D mammography be performed in conjunction with standard 2-D mammography, which makes sense since we need to compare the current study with your prior 2-D images. However, in order to keep the radiation dose down to the low level that it has always been, we have added a very exciting and important technology. It’s called “C-View,” and it synthesizes 2-D images from the 3-D ones, thereby eliminating the need to take a second mammogram.”

I was due for a mammography exam so I decided to try the new 3-D machine. I am pleased to report that you really can’t tell the difference when you take the exam, but the results are quite different. I could really see many more details in the 3-D film. My radiologist showed me how she carefully compares the images of 3-D to 2-D. I was quite impressed. 

I wanted to share this information with you because you should be made aware of all of your options. Every radiology office is updating their machines. Make sure you are getting the very best.