Category Archives: digital

Getting It From The Front and Back

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I’ve become a bit of a voyeur when solo in London. Eliot was off on a video shoot. There I was alone in a cafe doing my work when I looked up and saw this young thing in front of me. I decided to use the Frontback app on him. All was heaven until I saw my old face. Ouch!

Frontback is an app that utilizes both the front and rear cameras of your smartphone to take a dual image. The app is only available on iPhone now and the app for Android is on its way.

I love this app because I can take pictures of what I see plus insert myself in the scene. I don’t love looking at myself but I think it makes the photo shot more interesting if you get to see the person taking the photo. It certainly is a lot of fun.

The more you use it, the more proficient you become. It’s also quick and easy to share Frontback photos on social networks.

Frontback first uses the rear camera to snap a picture of whatever is in front of you. Then a few seconds later it captures an image from the front-facing camera. The pictures then get stitched together with the first image on top and the second on the bottom.

You are going to love this app. Thank you Re/Code for spotlighting it.

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Oh So, That’s How It Works

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One of the delights in getting older is that everything I eat gets stuck in my teeth. Today I had a Caesar Salad for lunch at the Tate Modern in London. When I went to apply my lipstick after eating, I received a sudden dose of reality. I was truly getting old. My teeth were filled with croutons. It looked like my teeth had the measles.

This has happened before. I spoke to my dentist who had what he thought was a great solution, $12,000 for a set of Veneers. I might have considered that but my teeth are straight. His suggestion seemed too costly for a bunch of crumbs.

I was determined to find another way to deal with the problem. This may not be the greatest solution but I like the idea of using an all-in-one toothbrush and toothpaste device that will allow me to clean my teeth on-the-go.

I found the Ohso toothbrush which is ready for action. The Ohso contains a chamber in the middle to hold toothpaste. All you have to do is turn the bottom of the toothbrush to dispense toothpaste directly onto the brush. The chamber is air tight, so it doesn’t leak. Designed with its own plastic case, the toothbrush is small enough to fit in any purse, backpack, or pocket.

I like the idea of carrying the Ohso toothbrush with me. I’ll keep it the same pouch as my whitening stick. Together, they can keep my teeth white and bright.

The sells on Amazon for $19.95.

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I’m in a Relationship With My Computer

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More and more Americans are becoming just like Joaquin Phoenix in the movie “Her.” They are spending a disproportionate amount of time with their computers or hand held devices. I am one of them. In fact, let me restate, I’m proud to be one of them.

I see nothing wrong with being on the computer for as long as I want to each day. I’m on it for work, play, and information. After taking the Mashable “computer.relationship” test, I realized that I probably like my computer better than I like most people. Yes, except for you, of course.

Think about the following points and let me know where you stand.

1) Do you remember how or when you first became so attached to your computer?

2) Suddenly, your phone knows you better than I do.

3) It’s putting a damper on other relationships.

4) But you don’t need them. Your phone will comfort you.

5) Its warmth will calm you down.

6) Your friends are getting worried.

7) You try to evade the issue, but need to look up a word that describes how you feel.

8) They just don’t get it!

9) Nothing is more panic-inducing than realizing you left your phone at home.

10) Your hand can’t even function properly at this point without it.

11) Losing your phone is as devastating as losing a loved one.

12) You consider your phone a lifeline and you couldn’t survive without it.

13) Then you wake up, grab your phone and start all over again.

Danielle Steel’s Ex-Husband is Creating a Strange Buzz in Silicon Valley

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For better or worse, Tom Perkins has a lot of tongues wagging about him in the last few weeks. After being credited for making Silicon Valley one of the most innovative places on earth, Perkins, at 82, is going out of his way to underscore a growing problem in the area.

In a published letter that he wrote to the Wall Street Journal this past January, Perkins compared the growing unrest toward the American one percent in Silicon Valley to Nazi Germany’s anti-semitism. Ever since he made those questionable remarks plus others, he has been the talk of the town in the mainstream press.

The video above is a recent interview where Perkins is being asked to justify his comments. I was told that Danielle Steel, his wife from 1998 to 2002, was in the audience. They remained good friends after the divorce but no one knows for sure what she is thinking now.

Perkins was a founding partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers (KPCB) , a venture capital firm located on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park in Silicon Valley. It is considered one of the “largest and most established” venture capital firms in the world. KPCB were the early financial backers for AOL, Amazon.com, Compaq, Electronic Arts, Genentech, Google, Intuit, Juniper Networks, Sun Microsystems, Symantec, Verisign, WebMD and Zynga.

Perkins hasn’t officially been with the VC company for a number of years. Reports in the press indicate that he is bringing Kleiner Perkins unwanted publicity and they are distancing themselves from him.

I wrote about this today because I believe this topic is going to take a lot of twists and turns in the months ahead. I want to hear your comments.

First Users of New Force Fitbit Report Skin Rashes

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Sometimes being first to own something new in the world of technology is not always the smartest move. I learned the hard way that being first to own a new innovative product meant that I had to work through the kinks until the inventors corrected the bugs.

I can’t begin to tell you how many times I had the most frustrating days when the technology that I bought into didn’t work. As silly as it may seem now, I have had more meltdowns then I care to remember when technology stopped me from getting my work done. I suffered through failing email servers, shaky software programs, and malfunctioning copy machines,

Then there were days when even my recreational tech products failed. Mp3’s became muffled, bluetooth ear pieces lost transmission, smartphone apps turned off or they just froze in place. I’ve really tried to have patience but being tolerant isn’t one of my attributes.

I was one of the first users of the Fitbit, a wireless tracker of steps, distance, calories burned, and stairs climbed. It also measures your sleep quality and helps you learn how to sleep better. Since its introduction there have been many new versions with lots of advances. For some reason, I stuck with the original Fitbit.

Now comes word that Fitbit’s newest product, the Force wristband at $129.00, is causing blisters, rashes and itchy dry patches on the wrists of the users. The Wall Street Journal was one of the first to report it.

Fitbit Chief Executive James Park said he believes the skin problems are “allergic contact dermatitis, which can resemble a sunburn or a rash.” He said it also could be allergic reactions to nickel, a component of the steel in the Force. “Our investigation is looking beyond nickel to other potential causes as well.”

The Fitbit has been one of the most successful fitness products on the market. Its name is almost synonymous with “wearable technology.” It’s a shame that this had to happen after so many years of a great track record. Personally, I think fans will be forgiving. They understand the tough road of innovation and are appreciative of the company’s accomplishments. People who love all of the new digital products exercise patience. I have to remember that.

If you want to read the details about the Fitbit rash, click here.

Dirty Phone Calls

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This post is going to gross you out. It discusses exactly how dirty your cell phone is. Maybe you don’t want to know. It’s one thing to find out about how dirty a public bathroom door knob is, or how dirty the inside of your handbag is, but get ready to freak when you learn about the filth and the germs you are putting on your face every time you make a call.

The inventors of PhoneSoap, a device that sanitizes your cell, reported that phones have 18 times more harmful bacteria than the handle on a male public toilet. They also found research reports that showed that staph, E. Coli, and MRSA live on our cell phones!

Okay you’ve been warned. Here comes a shocking bit of info. One in six cell phones have fecal matter on them because people use their phones in the bathroom. All this info comes from Wesley LaPorte, Inventor/Germ-Guru and Dan Barnes, Internet Marketing Guru at PhoneSoap.

This all may sound a little self-serving because LaPorte and Barnes are introducing a remedy for dirty phones, but the info is worth noting. They say that cell phones are susceptible to bacteria because of the warmth they radiate.

LaPorte and Barnes invented PhoneSoap, a small box that simultaneously charges and sanitizes your cell phone using UV-C light. UV-C light is electromagnetic radiation that’s used in hospitals and clean rooms around the world.

There is a lot more to learn about this product but I will allow a previous PhoneSoap fundraising campaign to spell it out. Click here to read much more about this product and cell phone related health concerns.

PhoneSoap is available on Amazon at $45.99. Remember, PhoneSoap charges your cell as well. That’s a huge plus.

A Second Life

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Everything old is new again. The art world surely knows how to take obsolete products and turn them into pieces of art.

I’m sure you have seen plenty on your own, but I really liked the piece I saw at Art Wynwood, Miami (above) which is a mixed media portrait painted on used floppy discs and other outdated technology.

The paintings were created by London-based artist Nick Gentry. The Robert Fontaine Gallery of Miami represents Gentry. The artist claims “The portraits are a history of the things that happen in life, collected into one painting.”

The pieces remind me of Chuck Close’s work. Any thoughts?

GoPro + Art = Digital Art

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One of the reasons GoPro is such a success is the content that is being created by users. GoPro is the video camera that snaps on to your helmet or that you wear on a harness around your chest. The whole purpose is to record everything you see and experience. The founder, Nick Woodman, now 38 and a billionaire, instinctively knew that people all over the world would want a record of their adventures.

Millions of people are using GoPros to video record everything from extreme sports to birthing babies. Users just fasten the GoPro on and record everything in sight in order to share with others or review themselves.

The art community has also jumped on the GoPro bandwagon. Just the other day I witnessed two French artists at Art Wynwood in Miami using GoPros as part of their painting performance. You have to watch the video to see how they paint and record at the same time. The artists, Christian Volckman and Raphael Thierry, are called CR and hail from France. They paint with “four hands.”

CR is well known for collaborative art projects. The painters create animated videos in which one picks up where the other one left off, described as the “cadavre exquis” method. The GoPro videos are projected on flat screen displays for all to see. The entire process makes you feel like you are part of the art.

I own a GoPro. They are so much fun. The only challenge is that you have to be a skilled editor. I am not. It takes a lot of time to produce an exciting video when you have hours and hours of footage.

You have to cut more than you keep. That’s tough for most people.

The Perfect Keyboard Solution

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Every time I go on a trip, I ask myself the same question. Should I take my laptop or can I get away with my iPad? I usually end up taking my laptop (along with my iPad and iPhone) because I may have a lot of typing to do. I’m not talking a few paragraphs, I mean multiple pages.

Of course you can type on an iPad, many do. All I am saying is that it feels awkward and it slows you down. It’s also very difficult to type with two hands so you use one of your pointers for everything.

Wait until you learn more about the TouchFire keyboard. It fits right over the iPad’s on-screen keyboard and is completely transparent. You need to watch the video to see this marvel in action. I just bought the TouchFire from Amazon for $39.99. It is being delivered Monday. I just had to share my new find with you.

A National Treasure Uncovered

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Steve Jobs continues to make news from the hereafter. The story I am about to tell you is true, even though it sounds totally made up.

The original mouse from the Lisa computer has been found. This is the one that Jobs actually used 30 years ago. The mouse was buried in a time capsule by organizers of the 1983 Aspen International Design Conference.

Jobs donated the mouse for the time capsule — called the “Aspen Time Tube” — after using it to give a presentation at the conference, The event’s organizers wanted to reopen the 13-foot-long steel tube in 2000. One small problem . No one could find the exact location of the buried treasure because of new landscaping in the area. See it all on the video.

The capsule was actually rediscovered six months ago. A crew from the National Geographic Channel show Diggers brought it to the surface. Tune in on February 25th at 10pm, the NatGeo channel, for the full details

Thank you guys.