Memorial Day, 2015
A Day Of Reflection
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Memorial Day, 2015
Author Archives: loiswhitmanhess
Bragging Rights
They were just a few months old when they first met. Whitney Hess (l) and Veronica Belmont (r) were probably already computer geeks. Veronica’s mom, Barbara, was my client at Coleco for a few years. This picture was taken in Barbara’s West Hartford, CT, home. Thirty-three years later both these gals are major personalities in the world of tech.
Whitney Hess, Keynote speaker at DrupalCon Conference 2015. She is a coach, writer, and speaker teaching people in the tech world how to bring their whole selves to their work.
Veronica now has her own show on the Engadget tech site. She is the go-to person for any question you may have about tech. 
So Nice To Be Young
This is wakeboarding.
I doubt I would have ever tried to wakeboard when I was young, but it does look like so much fun. Exhilarating is the word. We used to take a small flat board, or rubber tube, and surf at Rockaway Beach, Queens.
Today, the young and the adventurous, can go wakeboarding electronically if they love to surf. A Swedish company, Radinn, just developed the Wakejet Cruise, a self-propelled board that lets users surf anytime, anywhere they want.
You have to watch the video to understand how you can now surf in the ocean, sea, or lake. The Radinn Wakejet weighs around 64 pounds and can go 28mph. (The same speed as waterskiing). That’s fast. The battery, which only takes an hour to charge, will last up to 30 minutes, if you go full speed. The Wakejet comes with an on-board computer, a mobile-app system for iOS and Android, a GPS tracking system and magnetic safety switches.
This could be yours for a mere $20,000.
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At Your Service
“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” Abraham Lincoln.
I have been living in Manhattan for almost 40 years. I’m used to walking three square blocks in any direction to get what I want. I’m also used to every type of delivery service. I get all my food, laundry, cosmetics, cleaning supplies, flowers, hardware, and home furnishings messengered to my doorstep.
Now the rest of the country is going to have “almost” the same conveniences in a short period of time. Amazon Prime Now has just announced a new delivery service which will allow customers to order items from local neighborhood stores and have them sent to their homes in an hour or two.
Amazon Prime Now is testing the new service in Manhattan and then will expand to other cities such as Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Dallas, and Miami. An entire country rollout is presently being worked out. Amazon Prime Now is a new service of the Amazon Prime program, which costs $99 a year.
This new service is another step in Amazon wanting to become your one-stop shop for everything. The first stores Amazon will be working with in Manhattan is D’Agostino, Gourmet Garage, and Billy’s Bakery. Eataly and Westside Market will join in soon.
Uber is reportedly going to announce a new delivery service as well. Let the competition begin and welcome to my world!!
Drones Can Now Land On Your Shoulder
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are getting so small you might mistake them as flies. Be careful not to swat one of them if they pass between your face and the book you are reading.
Yes, they are so small that they can actually fly into places never thought possible, like your mail box, handbag, or coffee cup.
Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology just created unique mini-UAVs for surveillance performances. Their rotor spars snap off so you can also carry them in your pocket protector. The tiny drone features 0.3mm rotor arms that locked in place with a set of magnets in each joint.
Watch the video.
Be careful before you get undressed. You never know if you are being recorded. The whole world is changing. You are absolutely not alone anymore.
My Friend Bruce Thinks He’s A Typewriter
The guy performing “A Singular Kinda Guy” by playwright David Ives, (who also wrote “Venus in Fur”) is an old friend of mine. His name is Bruce Apar and he has been a trade journalist most of his life. You can image how surprised I was to learn on Facebook that became a typewriter. You have to watch the video above to understand what I just said.
Image: boston.com
I just found out that Woody Allen did a deal with Amazon to create a TV series for its streaming service. He hasn’t a clue what a streaming service is. When he found out that his movie will now appear on a tiny screen, he wanted out of the deal. He also doesn’t use a computer. He has never sent an email or gone online to view anything.
Bonnie Richer, my best girl friend ever since we met in second grade, finally agreed to appear on Facebook with me. We received 60 plus likes.
Only in New York City would a doorman get a tribute like this . Doormen are our family. We see them more than we see most other people that we know.
Fond memories before our laptops.
Text Invites Hit The Party Scene
I love sending out invitations to a party. There is something therapeutic about creating an invitation, putting a list together, and then blasting it out over email. The days of paper invitations have been over for me for years.
I honestly do not feel that digital invites are any less significant than paper invitations that look like you are being invited to dine with the Queen. In fact, some of the fancy paper invites that I have received over the years were nicer than the party itself.
In my opinion, many digital invites are more appropriate than the paper ones. They set the tone better for the party. No fancy frills create an element of mystery. No one knows what to expect.
The big decision for most people is whether to send their digital invitations out over Facebook or email. Both are not ideal because those channels are overcrowded with lots of other messages.
Enter a new app called Hobnob. The app is capable of sending entire invites over text messaging. That means invitations are immediately received. I can’t wait to try this.
The Hobnob app is very easy to use. All you have to do is enter the event name, location, start time and date. You then select one of several designs provided or you can upload your own design. Make sure you have the phone numbers of everyone you want to invite.
Be among the first to send out a text invite. Your invitees will think you are totally cutting-edge.
Food For Thought
For those of you who love food, want to know about the latest restaurants, and want to follow the developments of chefs across America, download the app Chefs Feed, available on the iPhone and Android.
There are other apps like this, but my friend Derik told me this is the one he really respects. Derik is a chef and knows so much about the topics I just mentioned because of Chefs Feed. He said the blogs are amazing because they are very informative, short, and easy-to-read.
Derik and his wife Debbie visited us this weekend in NYC from their homes in Provincetown and Washington DC. The minute they knew they were going to NYC, Derik preselected the elegant new Mexican restaurant, Cosme. We never heard of it even though it’s located on the street of my last office in the Flatiron District.
He told us all about the chef, Enrique Olvera, his signature dishes, which other restaurants he owns and how we can taste a little of this and a little of that. I can’t boil water and I found the evening fascinating. I downloaded the app and plan to follow trends as well.
The following are some of the dishes from Cosme.
Here is what Chefs Feed looks like.
Pick Away
This video demonstrates just how easy it is to open a combination lock. Thanks to 3D printing, cracking a lock can be done in record breaking time. All you need is a stepper motor to spin the dial, a servo motor to tug the lock, (to see if it’s open yet), and a 3D printed harness to hold everything in place. Viola!
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Visiting The New Whitney
Eliot and I joined members of the Perez Art Museum Miami on a group trip to the new Whitney museum. Here are the photos I took with the IPhone 6 Plus.
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DigiDame 