I want to be the one who promotes the new, innovative line of personal air conditioners that were just introduced because they solve a big problem for me. I’m always cold, and my girlfriends are always hot. They want the a/c as low as they can get it, and I want the temperature in a room to be at least 72 degrees.
We all now have a solution. It’s called CoolAir, a portable personal cooler fan. It’s designed for individual use.
It’s sufficiently compact so they can be moved around.
According to the website, “CoolAir cools, purifies and humidifies the air around you, creating a personal space that suits you. It has a mood light setting, with seven different color options to set the tone for your day or night.” Click on the link below to see how well these new units work.
I love independent bookstores. I always have. I like to stand in the middle of them pretending that I can magically absorb every bit of information that’s between the covers of each book.
I was drawn into this Nuremberg bookstore because I remembered the days when these establishments were a good part of my social life. It was a frequent destination, especially on weekends. It was fun to walk around to see who was writing what and spot new trends and topics.
Independent bookstores are more popular in Germany. This Nuremberg one celebrates the life of local artist Albrecht Dürer. Born in 1471, Dürer is still being revered all over the city. His rabbit paintings have made the furry little animal a city mascot.
A portrait of Dürer.
You know who this is.
Rabbits everywhere.
This is where Dürer was born and lived..
No Language Needed
We were walking down a quaint street in Nuremberg a few weeks ago, when I saw a woman lean out of her window to water her plants. I don’t see that too often so I took a picture of her. She spotted me and acknowledged my curiosity. Without saying a word she voluntarily posed. We smiled at each other to just appreciate that momentof time. Peace and happiness.
Joanne Wilson, a famous angel investor, who also just happens to write a blog called “The Gotham Gal,” recently told us about an investor who wanted his money back.
“The note had come due awhile ago and he was expecting his cash back with the interest. Spoiler Alert…that is never going to happen.
“I have often espoused that importance of legal documents from the get go of building a business. I am not a fan of the SAFE documents or notes in general because they are nothing but a piece of paper with zero work done and lessons to learn. Going through the education of understanding a document and the responsibility of taking cash from others is worth every cent especially from the get-go. Notes and SAFE documents cost very little to produce so I get it for a first round but that is the one and only time to have them.
“Founders take capital with the hope that the money they raise will give them the ability to grow their businesses, their hopes and dreams, their ideas. Investors participate because they too believe that there is an opportunity to support a founder financially that benefits their pocketbook but also benefits their desire to help others build.
“Many early stage angels should not be putting cash out there unless they understand that the chances of every seeing that capital again is low. I have seen investors write to a founder (what this particular investor did) and ask for money back with interest. The business is still alive but struggling so where does he believe the cash is? Then I have seen investors see how the company is growing and they expect a return when it is time to put money back into the company not take it out. I have told founders just to tell those investors to read their documents because they are not getting their cash back now unless some secondary buyer wants to buy them out.
“Certainly when the company gets into their Series C and onward there is opportunity to sell for the first set of investors, as there should be. Secondary markets should be bigger than they are. But if you are investing with the hope that you will get your capital back in a few years or a note with interest regardless of the companies standing, then you should NOT be investing in early stage businesses. Remember whatever you put in has a bigger potential of not coming out.”
I did it. I just committed $15 a month to have access to all of the tutorials and lectures pre-recorded by experts in various fields.
The program is called Master Class and it’s all available online. I don’t know about you, but I am grateful to be living in a time when all I have to do is “click” and “learn.” The great thing about these online classes is that I can take them with me everywhere I go, and can watch them anytime I please. I will let you know which ones I enjoy the most.
There is a whole new concept in journalism today that you probably know very little about. I hate to burst your bubble, but writers for newspapers, magazines and internet sites, are judged and paid by how many “likes” they get for the stories they produce. Media Post, a marketing newsletter, reported that many publishing companies
“pay bonuses to reporters whose stories drive page views and digital subscriptions.”
The editorial world has changed dramatically. It also impacts your favorite TV reporters. If they don’t have thousands, or better yet, millions of followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, they could possibly get replaced by folks who do.
In other words, not only do writers and TV broadcasters have to create unique and interesting stories, but they have to hope their work generates record-breaking clicks.
Media Post said that paying reporters based on clicks has been a common practice “among zillions of publishers in the digital era.” They remind us that ”business considerations should never interfere with a reporter’s job of gathering facts and writing fair and balanced stories.”
The digital world has changed all that. If a print reporter, or TV journalist, doesn’t have a big following, they quickly become yesterday’s news, (fired).
I have a habit of always chewing my tongue. I’m doing it right now as I type this blog for you.
I heard about a new gadget that can help us kick our habits. The Pavlok bracelet, at $200 on Amazon, delivers a zap that reminds you to stop practices that you want to get rid of.
The engineers at Behavioral Technology in Salt Lake City, Utah, believe a little zap will help you suppress nasty habits in three to five days.
That would be wonderful. My tongue will thank you forever.
The Pavlok creators say their product trains your “reptile brain” into associating the unpleasant sensation with your preferred vice.
The company’s website says, “Aversion therapy is Pavlovian Conditioning — associate the habit you want to stop, with a negative stimulus (like Pavlok’s shock) for a period of time, for a few days in a row. Rapidly, the brain learns to associate the two stimuli together, and stops liking the habit.”
The shock tingles. It doesn’t hurt. There is enough of a sensation to help you reprogram your brain.
Can you imagine traveling to any country of your choice, and being able to converse in the native language? Now you can with Pocket Talk.
Traveling with Innovation Insider, Steve Greenberg, has its advantages. He brings his gadgets to test on his trips. When I saw Pocket Talk at breakfastthismorning, I knew I wanted to share it with you. Watch the videos.
We visited the town of Bamberg today and had some fun with their public sculptures.
Called “The Sculpture Meeting,” by Chinese artist Wang Shugang, this art piece depicts eight lifesize squatting men, positioned in a circle on Schönleinsplatz Square, near a busy crossroads in the middle of the old town of Bamberg. The work of art is made of bronze, varnished in red. and goes back to an exhibition in the year 2013, “CIRCLES,” when it was first shown in Bamberg. Thanks to private donations and private funding, The sculpture has grown into a very popular subject for photos as the artwork is open to walk through and sit besides the eight men, thus becoming part of the artists creation.
When I tried to copy the position of the red men, I fell right on my tush. After I got up, I did my comedy routine, but no one laughed.
If you are a senior and you want to work, you must learn to use Linkedin. If you are a senior, and you tried LinkedIn, and still can’t find a suitable job, you are probably not using it the proper way.
Entrepreneur magazine has a 12 -step program that will teach you new ways to make your use of Linkedin successful.
Don’t snub your nose at LinkedIn.
There are approximately 610 million users of this business-oriented search engine. The trouble is that many users think if they post their profile, they will get a job. The successful users of LinkedIn know how to navigate their way around the program.
I’m sitting in the Flagship Lounge at American Airlines, JFK, thinking whether our flight to London, then onto Berlin, will have WiFi. I only had the privilege of having WiFi once when we crossed the ocean. It never happened again.
Coincidentally, I just read a story from the best known writer in the travel business, Peter Greenberg, (yes, we know each other, even though I haven’t seen him in years) that tells you which airlines offer free WiFi.
I thought you should have this information. Peter is known as the Travel Detective. If you travel often, you should follow him on all social media platforms.
Click to learn more about free WiFi on your next flight.
Eliot bought us first class tickets to Berlin. Somehow, he skipped over business class. He claims he doesn’t know how it happened.
When we arrived at the lounge, they escorted us to a private dining room. We just followed instructions and didn’t offer up info that we would have been happy with a bag of peanuts and a coke.
We just completed a delicious dinner that was paired with the best wines. My nerves are calmed a bit, but I will still be questioning every bump once we take off.
Here is what we just ate. Keto perfect.
We are traveling super first class. We have an escort who is picking us up at the lounge and driving us to the gate. The flights cost more than our budget tour through Germany. I do have my priorities.
If you are a senior and you want to work, you must learn to use Linkedin. If you are a senior, and you tried LinkedIn, and still can’t find a suitable job, you are probably not using it the proper way.
DigiDame 