Category Archives: digital

My Body In 3D

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The thought that someone other than myself has an outline of my body parts is just the incentive I need to go on a drastic diet. I am sure there are other people who feel the same way.  We all have to get use to having merchants who know us up-close and personal. That is the digital future.

Amazon just bought Body Labs. It’s a 3D scanning platform that will measure your size and then create an avatar-like image of your  dimensions. This all fits beautifully with Amazon’s “try before you buy” Prime Wardrobe service. This subscription based program will allow Prime members to order (and try on) from three to 15 items of clothing before they actually buy any of them.    

The whole idea is to cut back on returns. Get the size right that first time. Let me know your thoughts on this.

 

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Nordstrom Introduces Stores Without Inventory 

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I  said it the other day, and now I say it again today. The retail world is changing. It has to. Traditional retailers cannot compete with online merchants. 

Therefore, Nordstrom has opened its first store without inventory, called Nordstrom Local. The 3,000 sq. ft. store, the first one located in West Hollywood,  CA., just features a few dressing rooms. The average Nordstrom store used to be  140,000 sq. ft.

The smaller Nordstrom store features personal stylists, beverage bars, salons, and alteration sections. 

Nordstrom likes these convenient locations because they can provide better customer service like same-day alterations and convenient pick-ups for purchases and returns.

Nordstrom is still figuring out the correct retail concept for the future. I think they are getting very close.

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51 Years In Tech 

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I wish I was starting my career all over again.  There are only a handful of industry people I started with who are still around. Most are dead or retired. I never expected them to leave me. I have had to make new friends. They are all very nice, but the ones who are gone were more like family. 

The tech industry today is filled with people who come and go so fast you rarely get to see their true talents. I now just go with the flow. I had to learn new work habits, new priorities, new attitudes, new goals and new demands. 

In order to survive in today’s work place, you have to reinvent yourself all the time. It’s exhausting, but if you love what you do, you manage. I have been managing so far. At my stage, you want to know you are making a meaningful contribution.  

Thank you Dealerscope for this recognition and Allen Hirsch of HandL phone cases who nominated me.  It’s very comforting.

Smile, You’re On Google Camera 

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Google has introduced a new type of video camera that I would want to buy if I was an Android user. Called Google Clips, the mini camera acts just like a GoPro.  

The $249 Google Clips automatically shoots seven second videos without audio on its own. The camera is programmed to look for faces and pets. Google Clips does not constantly record. It just captures certain moments. A clip on the back of the 2-inch camera let’s you attach the unit to a wide variety of surfaces.

Google Clips is great for recording snippets at dinner parties, special events, lectures, parties, meetings, and even long walks. Many folks don’t want to be the photographer all the time. Let the camera do most of the work.  Users can choose the best of the best videos for a permanent record on a companion app. It will store your Google Clips so you can edit, share, or make stills. That’s pretty amazing.

Read what USA Today has to say about it.

 

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Hold Your Tears For Toys ‘R’ Us.

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Leave it to a toy company to play the digital game. Rather than roll over and die, Toys ‘R’ Us is betting on augmented reality to bring itself back from the dead. I’m sure you all read that the retailer just declared bankruptcy. 

Many of my family and friends were already  crying the blues for the retailer that was once a major part of their social life, especially with their children. Eliot, Whitney and I would drive to the Toys ‘R’ Us in Douglaston, Queens, from Manhattan. to spend our Saturday afternoons. Eliot would run to Legos, Whitney to Barbies, and I would be walking the aisles looking for other friends who were visiting the toy store at the same time.

Those were the days, long before the Internet. No one wants to go shopping anymore. People spend hours online searching for their dream buys. The days of hanging out at Toys ‘R’ Us are long gone.

At least I thought so. Then we all got a big surprise. The retailer has just announced Play Chaser, a free augmented reality app that turns stores into virtual playgrounds. All you have to is  point the app at the star icons all around the stores and you can play games and win prizes. 

Geoffrey the Giraffe, is still around and will be playing games with you and your children and grandchildren.

A company press release says Play Chaser is currently in 23 stores in California, New York and North Carolina. However, it should be available across the country as of October 21st

The New York Times recently did a story about the refinancing of Toys ‘R’ Us. After you read it here, you might be more hopeful for the future of bricks and mortar.

It’s So Nice To Have A Man Around The House 

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Ikea finally got the message. Not everyone can, or wants to, assemble their furniture. The Swedish home goods giant has a solution. They recently bought TaskRabbit, a digital startup company that gets handymen jobs for free lance workers. The company employs 60 employees and has a base of 60,000 independent workers

Jesper Brodin, top executive at Ikea, said they are very excited about being involved in the on-demand, sharing economy.  “It enables Ikea to learn from TaskRabbit’s digital expertise and provide customers with affordable service solutions.”

Ikea has really been stepping up its digital presence lately with the recent announcement of its new augmented reality app called “Ikea Place.” Using the iPhone’s camera, consumers can now see how an Ikea piece of furniture will look in their homes. How  cool is that?  Pretty  awesome. 

TaskRabbit is really helping Ikea become part of the tech world. Ikea has sales of more than $36 billion annually and 183,000 workers.

Ikea is anxious for TaskRabbit to sign up other retail partnerships as well. TaskRabbit already has a deal with Amazon.  This is going to get interesting.

TaskRabbit is quickly expanding from 24 city locations to 40 in the U.S. It also wants to offer its services in other countries as well.

All I can say is, “It’s about time.”

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Whitney and Fredrick In India; Lois and Eliot at a Drag Charity Party

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Whitney and Fredrick are in India at a friend’s wedding. The bride went to school with Whitney at Carnegie Mellon. 

The second set of photos are from tonight’s charity event we attended at The Sanctuary Church in Ft. Lauderdale for the Julian Fountain of Youth in Haiti. Our friends Randy Bridges and Ron Moorman invited us.

Whitney’s tattoo

The bride arrives



Back in Ft. Lauderdale.

Getting ready for the drag show

Randy and me.


Randy let’s go!

Randy and Ron on left with friends

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Amazon’s Physical Activity 

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The online company that has put so many retailers out of business, is now expanding its operation with many different types of physical locations. 

I used to think that an online business truly meant online. Nope. Amazon now has physical locations in malls, shopping districts, and in industrial complexes.

The many different Amazon businesses  include:

  . Amazon Bookstores 

 . Amazon Instant

· Amazon Lockers

· Amazon Pop-Up

· Amazon Home Services

· Amazon acquired Whole Foods

· Amazon partners with Kohl’s and will start accepting Amazon returns at 82 stores in Chicago and Los Angeles. Ten stores will feature an “Amazon smart home experience.”

Business Insider recently did a great wrap up on all that Amazon has become. You can read it here.

Amazon never ceases to amaze.

Benefit For The New York Pops 

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We attended a benefit for the New York Pops tonight at Feinstein’s 54 Below. The star of the cabaret-type show was our pal Lucie Arnaz, accompanied by our other good friend, Ron Abel. The headliner, Lucie, really sold out the house. It was standing room only. Lucie is married to actor Larry Luckinbill. They have five children.  

Eliot and I won this in the silent auction, a day with Random House authors. Maybe they can help me finish my book.

One highlight of the evening was that Lucie sang “Until Now,” created by Ron Abel and Chuck Steffan. Since Eliot and I are friends with all three, it was  a thrill to hear it. It’s such a gorgeous song that I hope you share it with others.

The other highlight of the evening was when Lucie sang “They’re Playing Our Song,” from the Broadway musical of the same name. She was the female lead and Robert Klein was her costar. The book  was written by Neil Simon, lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager, and music by Marvin Hamlisch.

A Talking Garbage Can  

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I hate touching my garbage can. First of all, my hands are usually greasy and I don’t want any of it getting on the can itself. On the other hand, I don’t want any remnants left on the garbage can getting on me. 

Yuk!

I have found a great solution.  The Simplehuman voice-activated sensor trash can.  For $179.00, I can buy a garbage can that I can talk to.  If I say  “open” the top of the can will open.  I can also wave my hand in front of the sensor and the lid will open.  Special sensors for voice and motion do all the work.

The Simplehuman trash cans come in a variety of sizes, colors and prices. Colors include silver, white, rose gold and black . 

Read more about the Simplehuman trash can in Digital Trends