Become a Senior Selfie

Posted on November 7, 2013 by loiswhitmanhess

<br Our Selfie Picture (Lois, Eliot and Whitney) at Joe Allen’s restaurant last night before going to see Broadway Show, Before Midnight. Don’t miss it.

The Oxford Dictionary’s definition of a “selfie”:
Syllabification: (sel·fie)
Pronunciation: /ˈselfē/
(also selfy)
noun (plural selfies) informal
a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website: occasional selfies are acceptable, but posting a new picture of yourself everyday isn’t necessary.

Social media is all about taking pictures of yourself with your smartphone and posting it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. The photo is called a selfie. Selfies are becoming increasingly popular because they provide all of us with “fifteen minutes of fame.”

We all like to be stroked, even if we have to promote ourselves to get it. Apparently, it is perfectly acceptable because millions of people are doing it everyday.

I found the perfect gadget for people who love selfies. Audiovox just released ShutterBall, a remote control that allows you to back away up to sixty feet to take a shot of yourself, a group of people, or record videos.

Priced at just $25, the ShutterBall remote is simple to use. Twist the ShutterBall to activate the battery and download the ShutterBall app to an Apple or Android phone or tablet. A mini folding stand comes with the ShutterBall for staging purposes.

I just ordered one from Amazon. I was never good at taking a selfie. This should do the trick. If not, then I’m stuck with the kindness of strangers.

Successful Characteristics

Posted on November 7, 2013 by loiswhitmanhess

I thought you would enjoy interesting tidbits about two of the most successful entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley: Larry Page, co-founder of Google and Elon Musk, co-founder of Tesla Motors. I always like to examine the characteristics of people who are successful in business because it helps me discern changes in the digital community. I like checking out personalities, quirks, and dreams. I usually find a common denominator in all of them. Most of the time it’s a passion and a certain, positive attitude.

Click on these two links to read some real wild stuff.

Google CEO Larry Page Is Becoming One Of The Most Powerful People In Human History

16 Genius Quotes From Eccentric Billionaire Elon Musk

I have also included a chart from Business Insider that shows how well top colleges in the country have done cultivating billionaires. It’s interesting to note that many of the successful business people in the digital community dropped out of colleges.

What is the lesson to be learned here? You need to believe in your dreams in order for them to come true!

I’m No Expert, But . . .

Posted on November 5, 2013 by loiswhitmanhess

I can see my brother cringing now — I am giving financial advice. I can’t help myself. I just read that Twitter raised its IPO price range to $23-25. That means the the social network stock is in high demand. I can’t just look away. I had to discuss this opportunity with you. The books on the initial offering may have closed today, and the shares start trading this Thursday. But you can still buy at a relatively low price when it starts trading, and it should rise fast.

No one knows how well this stock will do, but investors are betting that a company that lost $133.9 million in the first nine months of 2013 is worth $13.6 billion. Most folks in the digital community feel Twitter has a young, large, and influential user base that has positively impacted the world so far and will continue to do so in ways that haven’t even been explored as yet. The potential is huge. Twitter is considered the social media darling.

In my non-expert opinion, the stock could possibly be another Apple. People made fortunes on Apple. However, those that couldn’t stand the stock’s volatility pulled out their money before it reached its peak. If you are not a risk taker and freak easily, don’t buy. This is a long term investment.

To be listed on The New York Stock Exchange, the ticker symbol will be TWTR. Good luck!!!!

No More Four-Eyes at the Computer

Posted on November 4, 2013 by loiswhitmanhess

A young but prolific product designer in London has just developed an invention that is going to eliminate on all computers eye strain, headaches, and the inability to see the screen. Student and product designer Ryan Jongwoo Choi, currently studying at Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design of the University of Arts London, came up with a way that you don’t have to wear eyeglasses to see the computer screen better. Instead, the object on the screen adjusts to your eyesight.

The i-Free auto-corrects both computer words and images. It meets the prescription needs of every viewer. Goodbye glasses. An additional screen clips on top of your desktop computer, laptop, or tablet. A prescription indicator on the top allows you to adjust the clarity. The words become clearer at certain numbers, since the screen is adapting to the prescription input.

This is such an amazing invention when you think about it, yet such a natural. It makes me wonder why every eye doctor didn’t think of it before. I emailed Ryan earlier this evening at the university to find out if there are any updates. He said he is a graduate student now and is hopeful the i-Free will be available at retail outlets in the first half of next year.

Fear Versus Precaution

Posted on November 3, 2013 by loiswhitmanhess

I don’t even have a grandchild, yet I find myself involved in the controversy of whether parents should arm their young children with miniature sensing devices in order to keep track of them just in case they wander off in supermarkets, department stores, or even playgrounds. A story appeared in today’s New York Times by Anne Eisenberg about the introduction of a watch from Filip Technologies that tracks the location of a young child and lets him or her easily communicate with just the push of a bottom.

Surprisingly, many of the therapists Eisenberg interviewed for the story gave somewhat negative reviews of the Filip product and others like it because they felt children need to learn problem-solving skills and learn to manage stress. That means if they get lost they should experience fear and independence.

That’s all fine and good, but what about the distraught parents? Twenty-seven years ago, I lost Whitney in a Caldor’s in Riverhead. She was four at the time. I thought she was at my side, but she had wandered around the bend and proceeded to sit down on the floor. I immediately started to call her name and stood on my tippy toes to find her. No answer. In three seconds I imagined I had lost her forever, and my whole body started to shake. Of course, once I started running up and down the aisles, I spotted her on the floor. Had I bent down, rather than stood on my toes, I may have seen her through the racks of clothes. To this day I have no idea why she didn’t answer me.

I met up with a very well-known international physiatrist this morning at a friend’s brunch. I told him about the story in The Times as well as about my experience with Whitney. He had a different opinion than the ones you will read in the story. I didn’t ask permission to quote him so I am leaving out his name. “I don’t see anything wrong with using a gadget to locate a child, but let’s really evaluate the facts. The chances of losing a child is not very likely, so the GPS monitoring solution is a little extreme. What’s more, a gadget shouldn’t really replace good parenting skills. No harm, either way.”

If I had to do it all over again, I would have had ten alarms on Whitney. I am really curious about your opinion. To be clear, here’s the question: Is it better to teach young children independence by letting them experience fear, or to buy one of the various GPS monitoring devices as a safety precaution?

Our Biking Days Are Just Beginning

Posted on November 2, 2013 by loiswhitmanhess

Here are all my excuses for not taking a bike ride.

I feel I will exert myself too much, possibly causing a heart attack.

I will not be able to get to a bathroom fast enough.

I may get completely exhausted and can’t peddle home.

I can’t keep up with my biking companions.

My back and neck ache after a few miles.

I have had several cardiologists tell me that biking is a great exercise for seniors. First and foremost, it gets you off the couch and in the fresh air. When you are peddling along you are prone to enter a fantasy zone that takes you away from your usual everyday thoughts. You can feel ageless. That’s a good thing.

Also, the misconception about biking is that it is only good for young people. That’s not true at all. In fact, a physical trainer told a male friend of mine that bike riding is not a true workout. It may be a great exercise for riders who do 40 miles a day but for the average person it just gets the heart pumping more than usual.

For those senior folks who would love to ride a bike but really need assistance along the way, let me remind you that there is such a thing called electric bikes. You can peddle manually or turn the switch for the motor to take over. You feel like you are on a quasi scooter. It is that simple. Electric bikes come in all shapes, sizes, and price ranges.

I have included a recent New York Times article that covers electric bikes. Here is a link to a site that will show you a wide range of electric bikes and various prices. Be sure to watch the video above to see a collapsible electric bike.

Happy peddling!

Capturing Halloween

Posted on November 1, 2013 by loiswhitmanhess

I just had to devote one blog post to the stunning pictures Eliot took Thursday night at the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. Stretching more than a mile, this event draws two million spectators and 50,000 costumed participants.

The characters were so colorful that Eliot’s photos look like art pieces. It is wonderful to be able to share them this way. The digital world has made us all really appreciate moments like this.

Start Spreading the News

Posted on October 31, 2013 by loiswhitmanhess

You are now officially allowed to do what many people have been doing for years — not turning off their mobile devices during take-off and landing on commercial airplanes. The Federal Aviation Administration announced today that airline passengers can listen to music, read, and play games from the minute they get on a flight until the minute they get off. The start date has not been announced yet, but it will be before the end of the year.

This only applies to U.S. carriers. Overseas airlines have to make their own determinations. The FAA in the U.S. finally came to the conclusion that the use of mobile devices does not interfere with pilot controls and communications. This new ruling has nothing to do with making calls or texting. You are absolutely not allowed to do that.

Passengers are only allowed to browse the web and check emails when the Wi-Fi network has been turned on, usually above 10,000 feet. Prior to that moment, the FAA will still requires all mobile devices to be placed in airline mode.

Personally, I am a bit relieved. There hasn’t been a flight I’ve been on where I haven’t been annoyed by a seat mate who is still sending emails or texting while we are charging down the runway. Many flight attendants gave up trying to enforce the rule a long time ago. Passengers are just getting worse and worse. They think they are the exceptions to the rule.

I fear the day the FAA approves cell phone usage during flights. There will not be a minute’s peace.

One More Day of Cuba, Maybe

Posted on October 30, 2013 by loiswhitmanhess

After today, I will get back to talking about tech. Before I do, I have to tell you about a fantasyland we walked into in the fishing town of Jaimanitas, just on the outskirts of Havana. Our tour guide told us he wanted us to see the works of José Rodríguez Fuster, who is my age, born in August 1946, in Villa Clara, Cuba. Fuster is an artist specializing in ceramics, painting, drawing, engraving, and graphic design.

Everyone in my travel group couldn’t believe their eyes when we entered Jaimanitas, Fuster’s hometown. He turned it into a unique work of public art. It took him over ten years to rebuild and decorate the houses with ornate murals and domes to suit the personality of all the neighbors. Fuster even installed a chess park with giant boards and tables. Watch Fuster’s video.

We might not know him in the United States, but Fuster’s art is right up there with Gaudi in Barcelona or Brâncuși in the Romanian city of Targu Jiu. His work makes you happy. You don’t have to love contemporary art to love Fuster. You only have to love life.

Who Knew?

Posted on October 29, 2013 by loiswhitmanhess

The following information was gathered by me during my recent trip to Cuba and supplemented by research on the Internet. I am always amazed about the depth of information you can get from Google. No matter how many interviews I did in Cuba to get the correct information, Google had all of the facts in one neat package. It will be interesting to see if you can tell which pictures I took myself and which ones I got off the Internet.

The last thing I ever expected to see in Havana was a hotel dedicated to the Jewish religion. As I explained yesterday, Jews are a small part of the Cuban population. Apparently the building was a textile factory before the revolution and most of the workers were Jewish. Thanks to a restoration process carried out by The Company Habaguanex S.A., belonging to the Office of the City Historian of Havana, the Hotel Raquel is a permanent tribute to the Hebrew culture and its presence in the Cuban contemporary art.

The building is completely captivating because of its Art Nouveau style, including the marble columns that rise in the hall of the entrance, an extensive roof of dark glass, and a watchtower where guests can view the streets and squares of Old Havana.

Raquel’s name is biblical for a beautiful woman, an inspiration of the Hebrew culture. The Hotel Raquel also has a restaurant of Jewish cuisine and a Judaic gift shop. How cool is that?