Category Archives: digital

Dear Evan Hansen, How Do You Do!

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Oops, I forgot you are not allowed to take photos inside the theatre.

Oops, I did it again.

Dear Evan Hansen is a sensational new Broadway Musical that tells the story of just how terrifying social media can be for a teenager with severe social anxiety.  I don’t think other folks would quite describe the musical that way, but that’s exactly how it resonated with me. 

I personally believe that social media has done way more good, than harm, in our society. It has given every American a chance to be heard on every possible issue, and it has opened a line of communications between many people who have never spoken before.

However, no one could have ever predicted the dilemma Evan Hansen got himself into when he told a little fib that got exploded on social media. It makes us all aware that we have to be accountable for what we post and, unfortunately, for what gets posted about us.

I may have just done Dear Even Hansen a major injustice by describing the show this way, because it is one of the best I have ever seen on Broadway. Theatergoers must feel the same way because every seat is sold out for months, and people are paying big bucks to stand in the back of the theatre for both acts.

From the minute Dear Evan Hansen starts, to the last bow the cast takes, the audience is applauding non-stop. The topic may be a little unsettling, but the show will still captivate you in ways that you have never explored before.

My Thoughts About Uber 

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I’m still not convinced that Travis Kalanick, CEO, of Uber, truly understands why a growing number of his customers switched to Lyft. It’s not only that he was on President Donald Trump’s business advisory group, but that he lowered Uber’s prices in an effort to gain new customers when the yellow taxis went on strike for a few hours to protest the administration’s immigration policies. 

Kalanick probably thought it was a cool PR move. Several hundred thousand Americans plus Uber drivers, many of whom are immigrants themselves, did not. They were horrified. Everyone was spreading his or her dismay by posting #DeleteUber on of their social media accounts. Uber has been emailing customers who deleted their accounts to say “the company shares their concerns and will compensate drivers affected by the ban.”

In other words. it was an apology. Read about it in Reuters. Here is an excerpt. “Joining the group was not meant to be an endorsement of the president or his agenda but unfortunately it has been misinterpreted to be exactly that,” Kalanick said he told the president he would not join the economic council.

There is no question about it, Kalanick is running scared. One wrong move may have distroyed the genius of a company he worked so brilliantly to build. I loved Uber. I used it several times a day whether I’m in Miami, New York, or Los Angeles. Many of the drivers know me. 

I can’t help it. I switched to Lyft. I may never go back to Uber. There is very little difference between the two. Many of the drivers are the same. Kalanick opened the way for me to try Lyft. He may regret that for the rest of his life.

Controlling Netflix With Your Mind     

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Netflix engineers demonstrate Mindflix.

Netflix likes their employees to have fun. I just found out that the company conducts “hack days” where employees are given 24 hours to develop crazy and wacky gadgets for the movie company.

Two engineers just invented Mindflix, a special headband that helps you surf Netflix using your mind. All you have to do is move your head to the side to scroll, and then think “play” when you see a title you want to watch. This gadget could replace the remote control.

The Netflix’s engineers achieved this task by customizing a brain-reading headband made by Muse, which is usually used for guiding meditation. Muse measures whether your mind is calm or active. The headband is sensing brain activity and using the feedback to control certain pre-established actions.

Watch the video for a better explanation.

No word if Netflix plans to pursue this idea, but they told the press about it. That always means something. 

Rare Opportunity To Own One-Of-Kind Warhol Style Portrait Of Yourself, Or Someone You Love

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Artists Debbie Carfagno and Michael Enns, both former master printers for pop-art icon Andy Warhol, will be demonstrating the Warhol innovative silkscreen process at the Williams McCall Gallery @ Frameworks, 3196 Commodore Plaza, Second Floor, Coconut Grove, Fl, 33133, 786-359-4321, Saturday, February 4th, 6pm.

I will be happy to get all DigiDame readers their own personalized portrait. Not sure of final price. If you are interested, contact me directly in the comment section of DigiDame.

Carfagno and Enns worked for Warhol in the late 1970’s until his death in 1987. The artists will be offering audiences the opportunity to get “Warholed.” They will also be discussing the silk-screening process, as well as many of their experiences at The Factory. 

Warhol was an American artist who was a leading figure in pop art. His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, celebrity culture, and advertising that flourished by the 1960s.

Introducing The Migraine Hat  

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If you spend any time on social media, you know that a lot of people are very aggravated and frustrated by the current political situation. Most people who post on Facebook and/or Twitter don’t mind telling you just how they feel. 

This could possibly cause a lot of headaches  for peace-loving people who used to go to Facebook and Twitter for fun. That brings me to the subject of migraines. I came across a product, the Migraine Hat, that I just had to tell you about.  It’s a $29,95 hands-free, wearable ice pack that is adjustable so it can be worn tight for compression or loose for cooling relief.  

The company said,”This is a solution to the problem of working to reduce pain and discomfort for some migraine sufferers of which there are 37 million in the U.S. alone.”

The product does not claim to be a “headache” solution. A migraine is not a typical “headache,” which is the stigma the company is working to overcome. 

Watch the video 

  

The Migraine Hat website points out that the hats are:  

1-Fully adjustable for kids and adults.

2-Lined with neoprene to stay cold longer.

3-Portable and can be worn on the go.

4-Flexible and can be pulled down to block light and sound.

5-Filled with an Cryo Gel Ice Pack that is both removable and reusable. Uniquely designed compression chambers deliver targeted pressure where you need it most. Stays cold up to four hours.

6-Available in a drawstring storage bag. This special drawstring bag stores your Migraine Hat and the Cryo-Gel ice packs so they can be placed in your freezer, ready when you need them.

7-Adjustable, one size fits all.

8-Designed to pull over eyes and ears to block light and sound. Adjust tight or loose to target pressure points.

Be sure to ask your doctor if the Migraine Hat is good for you.  Never try anything new without consulting a medical advisor.

Thank You Family And Friends 

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Together They Conquer In Washington DC

Grandmas Ruthie and Rhoda Are Smiling

No Greater Team Support

Strength From Oregon

You Can Always Count On Abby (m) To Make A Strong Statement

Jill Brooke (r) Marches In DC And Will Be Writing Essays On Experiences

Proud To Be The Aunt Of This Strong And Proactive Woman

Proud To Be The Aunt Of This Adventurous And Determined Woman

Marilyn Is To Be Admired For So Many Reasons

Mother Earth Never Stops Giving

I Always Said This Gal Is Beautiful Inside And Out

Steve (r) Is Always Filled With Surprises

You Can Always Count On Howard and Rene

This Is What You Need To Know About Alexa 

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Alexa was the most popular innovation at CES. Everyone was talking about her. I want to make sure that you know exactly what Alexa is all about because this voice-controlled intelligent personal assistant is going to enter your life in many ways.  

This is good news for seniors. We now have a personal assistant that is capable of “voice interaction, music playback, making to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, playing audiobooks, and providing weather, traffic and other real time information. It can also control several smart devices using itself as a home automation hub.”

Alexa lives in cylinders, home security, TV sets, home management, plus, plus. Many tech categories are thinking of new ways to include the voice recognition software. It’s pretty obvious Americans love giving orders.

My co-podcaster, TV personality and Innovation Insider Steve Greenberg, and I, discussed Alexa on a recent broadcast of Lying on the Beach. If you want to learn more about Alexa from us, click here.

If you want to read more about the complexity of Alexa in the years to come from Wired, a leading tech magazine, click here.

Enjoy the information. It’s your future. 
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I’m Now The Proud Owner Of A Walker 

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Mine is all black, less conspicuous. Ha!

I really tried to talk my orthopedist out of it. I couldn’t bear being seen pushing a walker. I had no choice. It was either accept a walker or find myself another doctor. “If you are looking for rakhmones, (Yiddish for pity), I could recommend someone else,” my modern orthodox doctor told me today.

“You need a walker because you shouldn’t be placing any pressure on your knee. As you get older, you run the risk of having your knee collapse if the stress fracture doesn’t heal properly. Then you will have real tsouris (Yiddish for trouble).” 

I asked my doctor about using crutches and he basically said that a woman my age can’t be trusted with them. The last thing I needed was to fall down. The walker was the only way to go. He recommended one with a seat in case I got tired. I got more nauseated by the minute.

The final results of the MRI was a stress fracture. We went to a medical supply store to buy the walker and a knee cuff with braces that I must wear all day. The store owner made sure I got the right size for each item. At first these things looked like foreign objects, but I’m now getting used to them. I am actually grateful that such innovations exist. 

Years ago, my foot probably would have to be strapped in a bed sling and I would have been trapped there for weeks, maybe months. Now, I can be mobile, yet give my knee the care it needs. I am pretty sure that in a few years there will be a companion app for both these contraptions, allowing us to click in for height, tightness, navigation, and time management.

We live in some world. Let’s hope for the best, at least for the next four years.

Steve and Lois Rate Bright Lights A+

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Lying on the Beach is a podcast by Steve Greenberg and Lois Whitman 



If you haven’t seen the documentary on Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher, called Bright Lights, stop what you are doing, and watch it now. It’s available on all HBO platforms. It’s just terrific. 

TV personality and Innovation Insider Steve Greenberg, and PR expert Lois Whitman, of HWH PR, can’t stop talking about the movie. They said you get a fabulous glimpse into the lives of these Hollywood stars, how they related to each other, their Hollywood compound and their friends and family. Todd Fisher, Debbie’s son, provides plenty of insight into family life. Get ready. You also get a glimpse of an elderly Eddie Fisher in his last days. 

It’s absolutely eerie that documentarians Fisher Stevens and Alexis Bloom, started this project in April 2014, and finished it 18 months later. The TV film was Carrie’s idea because she wanted to document her mother still working in her 80’s. HBO released the movie earlier than scheduled, as a tribute to these two extraordinary ladies who died one day apart in December.

Click here to hear more about what they had to say about Bright Lights on their podcast, Lying on the Beach. 

Okay, I’m A Big Baby 

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MRI Scan Machine

I’m not going to say that getting an MRI is the worst thing that ever happened to me, but it certainly can be categorized as tortorous. I had to get an MRI today because I twisted my knee three weeks ago and the pain now is intense. I walked into my closet and took a misstep. It was as simple as that. I immediately.saw stars. After a few minutes, I felt fine.

This happened just before I left for CES in Las Vegas. I complicated the possible injury by walking miles with a limp. It didn’t bother me for the five days I was there, but when I got back to Miami, the throbbing began. I ignored it for a while, but now nine days later, I can’t  get across the room without excruciating pain. I hobbled into an orthopedist’s office today at Mt. Sinai on Miami Beach. After an X-ray of the knee, he declared that I may have a stress fracture. 

His words are still stinging in my ear, “We have to be careful with people your age because stress fractures can be problematic. They must be treated, so we have to do an MRI to see exactly what you have.”

I’m officially old.  I had an MRI, and something called an MRA, a few years ago to examine my heart. Everything turned out to be completely normal, but that trip in the donut hole, really tested my stability, or the lack of it.

I hated it today too. If there is one innovation I hope for in the future, it’s a new way to do these tests. Yes, I’m very grateful for this technology, but panic-attack sticken people like me total freak when we have to hold still in a small space for 45 minutes. I was totally isolated in a round hole with clanging noises that gave me a headache. Earphones couldn’t drown out the high volume of the noise. Since it was around six o’clock at night, I kept thinking that everyone went home and I was just left there to rot. 

I couldn’t stand it any longer. I squeezed the ball that sounded the alarm. It felt like forever before the technicians answered.  “You’re doing fine, Lois. The film is coming out great. You only have two more minutes to go.” Ten minutes  later, I was finally released. I was sweating and freezing at the same time.

As I was getting dressed, I heard a commotion in the next set of curtains. It turns out that some younger guy woke up that morning paralyzed. He couldn’t feel a thing from his waist down. After a number of day long tests, they told him he needed an immediate operation and there were no guarantees. I heard enough.

I ran out to Eliot who was waiting for me in the  visitors lounge. He said, “Are you hungry?” I replied, “Only for a Cosmopolitan.” He made me one the minute we got home. 

Tomorrow, the results. I can hear my mother saying, “What can be cured, can be endured.” I pray for good health for all.