Category Archives: digital

Book Exchange

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I’m looking for people to participate in a huge book exchange. My favorite librarian started it. You can be anywhere in the world to participate. All you have to do is buy your favorite book (just one) and send it to a stranger.

You’ll receive a maximum of 36 books. It’s going to be so much fun. If you are interested in participating, please let me know. Email me at loisw@hwhpr.com. I will send you the details. Thank you.

Paul McCartney To Play Live YouTube Concert Tonight

https://youtu.be/1QGxFpSb6Sc

Be sure to catch Paul McCartney tonight on YouTube live concert to celebrate his new album, Egypt Station.

The 76-year-old rocker will play songs from his Beatles, Wings and solo days at a

secret venue in New York.

The gig will be streamed at 5 p.m. PT, 8 p.m. ET Friday. That’s 1 a.m. Saturday in the UK and 11 a.m. Saturday in Australia.

People Who Need People

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I think someone was reading my mind. As we get older, I worry that many of us are going to need a lot more assistance in doing household chores, visiting doctors, and preparing meals.

Obviously, I was not alone in my thoughts. A start-up in Miami has dedicated itself to pairing up college students with seniors who need help. I think this is such a wonderful idea.

Go to http://www.joinpapa.com if you need assistance. Encourage a college student that you know to get involved. Pricing is outlined on the website. I am told that every student goes through intense training and is completely vetted. I have included a phone number so you can call and ask all kinds of questions.

https://youtu.be/9m4fWGWADh0

Looking Back On Our Lives

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It’s probably my age, but I love listening to podcasts where baby boomers, or even older people, reflect on their lives. I find out that many of us, rich or poor, famous or unknown, all end up trying to figure out what our lives were all about.

Alec Baldwin, the actor you know so well from his portrayals of Trump on Saturday Night Live, (he desperately wants to be remembered for more serious roles), hosts a podcast called, “Here’s The Thing.” He interviewed Jenn Wenner, the founder of Rolling Stone Magazine, just before he sold it last February. I just got around to listening to the interview now.

I wanted to share it with you because it talks about the music we grew up on and how that stays our favorite forever. Most of the interview focuses on his ownership of Rolling Stone, what it was like knowing so many rock stars, and why he decided to start a second family in his 60’s.

Click here to listen to the podcast. (The podcast starts with a quick commercial, then you will hear Alec introducing the interview.)

New York City’s Most Unbelievable Restaurant—Manhatta

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I thought after living in Manhattan for over 40 years, nothing could impress me. That was the case until last night. Whitney and Fredrick arranged for all of us to celebrate Eliot’s birthday at Manhatta, Danny Meyer’s newest restaurant on the 60th floor of 28 Liberty St., formerly the Chase Manhattan office building.

It just took our breath away. We have all seen the sights from the World Trade Center, but that was nothing compared to this 360 degree advantage point. It’s just the right height to see every detail of what a map of the city looks like in real life. You see all airports, bridges, rivers, highways, roads, and every major building NYC is known for.

The food doesn’t take second place to the view. Every dish was remarkable, and much different from what you have ever experienced. Our BFF, Bonnie, was amazed about how delicious each course tasted. The service was also impeccable and the decor was in excellent classic design. By now you must be questioning the prices. All I can say is that it was extremely reasonable. No tipping allowed. That was tough to deal with because you always want to show your appreciation.

Trust me, when I tell you that this is an experience you don’t want to miss. A big thank you to Whitney and Fredrick for discovering this restaurant and nailing the reservation.

And a big happy birthday to Eliot who went home totally exhausted from eating one of the best meals ever, and snapping away more photos in an evening than most people take on a vacation. The photos posted here were taken on an iPhone by Whitney and Lois. Tomorrow we will get to see Eliot’s photographic eye.

Wearable Technology

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For $25, you can give a child, or even an adult, an augmented reality T/shirt that reveals what’s going on inside the body. It’s really awesome because very few people have ever seen anything like this before.

It also makes a very powerful gift. All you have to do is point a smartphone, or a tablet at the Virtuali-Tee shirt when it is being worn, and you see the heart and digestive system. It works with a companion app. It was first introduced on Indiegogo.

Yes, it’s a little scary but it’s very educational. Watch the video. You are going to remember this forever.

Scenes from the town of Dingle, and the Dingle Peninsula, which are as far west as you can get in Europe. We could practically see the United States.

Tomorrow is our last day in Ireland. We fly to NY on Tuesday. It was a terrific trip. My eyes are smiling. Landscapes by Eliot Hess.

Free International Calls

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Spread the word. The next time you go to a hotel, ask to speak to the management. Tell them one of the best amenities they can give a guest is the free Travel Buddy from Handy.

I just found out about it when we check into Randall’s Court, Killarney, Ireland. All of the hotels rooms have a Travel Buddy smartphone. As long as you are a guest in the hotel, you get to use the international cell for free. You can call anywhere in the world, and for as many times as you want/need to. You can also make free local calls. If you are out-and -about, you now have the ability to call folks nearby.

I thought this was a bit generous so I questioned the the hotel staff. The concierge told me that they heard about the service from a hotel in Hong Kong, and decided that they wanted to offer it too. Since they started the service a year ago, hotel reservations have dramatically increased.

The Travel Buddy by Handy also offers guests navigation maps so they can learn how to walk around the neighborhood without getting lost, and a list of local restaurants, retail stores, events, hospitals, Churches/Synagogues, gas stations, etc.

The guests in my hotel love the Travel Buddy by Handy because they can call home for free. That is a huge bonus for people who travel without international telephone plans.

The only way to get more and more hotels to feature the Travel Buddy by Handy is to keep educating everyone in the hospitality business. Tell them to visit

https://www.handy.travel/ for further details.

The video explains more.

How Much Is That Robot Doggie In The Window?

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Every tech publication is talking about the new robot dog Sony is introducing to the U.S. market in a few weeks. Bow wow. You can read about it by just Googling Aibo, but I’m prepared to tell you all you need to know.

It cost $2,899 and the battery only last two hours. I can justify the price for early adopters, but I don’t think two hours is enough time for any new gadget. You are just getting warmed up when the batteries run out. That doesn’t work for me, even though I would love to be one of the first to own a dog that I could leave home for days, or weeks, without any worries.

The other negative is that Aibo should only be used indoors.

Most tech folks who have played with Aibo say it is adorable and a lot of fun.

They also said that Aibo features artificial intelligence and sensor technology. I have posted several videos here that will explain all of the fancy features.

I love the fact that Aibo includes a companion app for picture taking, commands, and learning tricks and navigation.

The wonderful thing about Aibo is that you can develop a personal relationship with the doggie robot. Again, watch the videos.

Artificial Intelligence Enters The Art World

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A new era is about to dawn in the art world. Christie’s Prints and Multiples will be auctioning a series of paintings next month that were actually created by artificial intelligence.

The first piece will be a portrait of a fictional man named Edmond De Belamy. The other 11 portraits will feature members of the so called De Belamy family.

Christie’s said The De Belamy portraits were conceived by a group of artists called Obvious and the algorithm was created by Generative Adversarial Networks, also known as GANs.

The portrait of Edmond De Belamy could sell for $7,000 to $11,500. It’s going to be very interesting to see the reaction of folks attending the auction. Who will be the first person to make the AI purchase?

Read more about the auction in Engadget.

Every Senior Should Roll This Way

We Arrived In Belfast

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This is small part of a three mile wall that separates the Protestants from the Catholics in Belfast. Take a look at the future of America. This is exactly where we are headed.

We are staying at the Europa Hotel. It was bombed 33 times during the conflict. It gives me the creeps that hatred still lives here.

I’m standing in front of Queens University in Belfast. This is where the mobile defibrillator was invented and Milk of Magnesia.

Life Lessons

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I like hearing what other seniors have to say about the stage of life they are in. I think it’s important to know that most of us have the same challenges, at one time, or another. I guess it’s all about attitude. Here are some thoughts on that.

https://youtu.be/o8iz7TXTXaE

From a 70 year old

From an 80 year old

From a 92 year old

From 100 year olds