Pressing Facebook’s Buttons

Posted on September 16, 2015 by loiswhitmanhess

I always thought it was peculiar when a friend, or family member, announced on Facebook, that his or her father died. What was more shocking was when the sorrowful post received 100 “likes.”

I could never figure out if that meant Facebook members were happy that the father died or they just wanted to acknowledge the post. Of course, I knew that it meant “acknowledgement,” but it still disturbed me.

Voila! Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg must have sensed my frustration. In a recent meeting, he admitted the company was working on a way for Facebook users to show “empathy” when it was inappropriate to “Like.”

Zuckerberg said they were not going to produce a “Dislike” button because he was not interested in turning Facebook into a platform “where people voted up or down.”

Therefore, Facebook is contemplating a “Sorry” button because they feel it’s more appropriate. Nothing has been finalized.

Watch the video to hear Zuckerberg talk about the possibilities.

Photography Drones Hit The Wedding Scene

Posted on September 15, 2015 by loiswhitmanhess

I couldn’t believe my eyes. There I was, peering in on an elaborate wedding, in the very at elegant ballroom, of the Santa Clara Hotel, in Cartagena, Colombia, when all of a sudden, my friend Howard declares, “Look, it’s a drone.”

I looked up, and much to my disbelief, a flashing, red lit drone, (kind of like a flying saucer) was circulating the dance floor, 15 feet up, capturing all of the opulence of the fairytale wedding. My jaw dropped.

I can’t explain why I was so surprised. I’m in the tech industry. I should have known about these things. I usually do. However, when I saw this for the very first time, I got overwhelmed. I had never seen a drone used this way. The fact that it was flying over lavish gowns and pearly white dinner jackets, was a surprise. We didn’t get to watch the drone for too long. The party coordinators closed the entranceway doors as soon as the bride and groom were announced.

Later that night I googled “wedding photography” and learned that more and more couples want drones to capture stunning aerial shots of their special day. That means that wedding photographers are adding drones to their list of options. I heard that video photographers are charging as high as $1,000 for an hour of flying time.

Father-of-the-brides beware! You can’t fight progress.

I have included various videos of wedding photography drones doing their job. One even shows a major goof.

Making Campbell Soup In A Keurig K-Cup

Posted on September 13, 2015 by loiswhitmanhess

For the last week, the topic of conversation has been coffee. It makes sense. I’m in Colombia, the home to some of the greatest coffee in the world. It’s so strange. Eliot and I love our Keurig Green Mountain coffee every morning. The people here do not consider that coffee

Now, we just learn that our favorite Keurig machine will also be able to make fresh-brewed soups. Keurig and Campbell’s Soup have developed the ability to make soups in the K-Cup pods. Each cup will only be 70-calories and are available in Homestyle Chicken Broth, Noodle Soup Mix, Southwest Style Chicken Broth and Noodle Soup Mix.
Many people in the tech business knew that Keurig and Campbell’s Soup were working on this product development for a few years. Well, it showtime. The product is ready.

You can read more about this topic in USA Today.

The food has been superb this week. I photographed a few to show you.

Farmer Cheese on Colombian bread.

Dressing up a hamburger.

Trout On Plantains.

Local fruit.

Senior Citizens of Colombia Become Country Ambassadors

Posted on September 10, 2015 by loiswhitmanhess

I love when I see active senior citizens. It makes me feel that we are still important members of society. When we flew from Bogota to The Coffee Triangle a few days ago, I noticed many older folks on our airplane in uniforms. Our tour guide explained that the government and other benefactors sponsor gatherings around the country several times a year where senior citizens share items from their local communities and exchange ideas.

I was also reminded that when Latinos meet, there is always a lot of dancing. No one needs an excuse to party. I felt very fortunate to meet up with the ambassadors again in the town of Filandia. I have included a video of local politicians campaigning alongside the seniors and, of course, dancing.

A welcome to Filandia sign.

I inserted myself smack in the middle of one of the groups

Capturing the excitement on a Go Pro.

Selfies are contagious.

Our bus driver and a member of our group joining in on the festivities.

Colombians love color in their art and architecture.

Every house in Filandia expresses artistic independence.

Pastel colors are very popular in the square.

Two establishments compliment each other.

It’s amazing how each store front manages to attract patrons.

Not sure about this one but colors are sometimes used to support a certain political party.

i was told that the colors on each house are constantly being maintained.

Back To Nature in Colombia

Posted on September 9, 2015 by loiswhitmanhess

We feel like we have been on a Safari. We are in the mountains of Armenia, Colombia (the Coffee Triangle). We are surrounded by the most gorgeous plantations and rolling hills. The coffee is superb and the Colombian people are among the most hospitable group I have ever met. This is truly an adventure. We haven’t seen any chain stores in days and definitely no Starbucks.

This is the lodge, Hotel Mirador las Palmas, we are staying at. Other than no air conditioning and crappy Internet, this place has been a treat. On to civilization tomorrow, Medellin. Not sure I’m happy about that.

The main house.

Where we ate.

The roof was magnificent.

The Infinity pool.

One of many paths.

Another path.

Guest rooms.

The Jacuzzi.

Outside the dining room

Overall view.

Loving Colombia

Posted on September 8, 2015 by loiswhitmanhess

Celebrating our coffee tasting degree ,San Alberto Plantation, Buena Vista, Colombia.

Coffee Tasting Degree.

The Jeeps we took to get to the plantation.

i have to try this at home sometime.

The pickers weighing the coffee beans. We got lucky catching them in the act.

One of the coffee bean pickers with his iPod.

Our Jeep driver, one arm and one eye.

Wish I Had The Poloroid Snap Camera On Our Trip

Posted on September 6, 2015 by loiswhitmanhess

I’m not embarrassed to admit that sometimes I wish I had the old Polaroid instant print camera when I travel (we are in Bogota, Colombia, on a tour) or when I’m at a party. I love taking pictures of people and immediately handing them a print. I know you probably think this is a nutty thing for me to say, since I’m such a proponent of senior people using the latest and greatest in technology.

The trouble is that most people (youngsters too) take their sweet time responding to digital photos. I can send folks a picture of themselves via email and it can take weeks to hear their reaction. I like immediate gratification. It would be more fun to take a picture, hand it to someone and watch the response.

This morning we went up to Monserrate, a mountain that dominates the city center of Bogota. 10, 341 ft above sea level.

Eliot rarely sees pictures of himself. He is always snapping his own.

It would have been nice to hand a print photo to this group so they could have celebrated the moment.

Meanwhile, a number of friends who attended the IFA conference in Berlin, Germany a few days ago, (a consumer electronics trade show), told me about the new Polaroid’s Snap camera that prints instant photos without ink. They said it was the talk of the show. Targeted to sell for $99, the 10-megapixel Snap camera looks like a toy but the quality of the prints are supposed to be the best yet.

Features include: a big red shutter button and a self-timer button for selfies, a button to switch between modes for color, sepia, and black and white. The prints come out of the right side and the left side has a Micro USB port. I looked online and found a video that explains all of the features.

The camera should be available in a few months. I may be first on line to buy it.

At Our Age

Posted on September 6, 2015 by loiswhitmanhess

It’s amazing. We’ve been on this earth for so many years and we still mispronounce certain words. People are always correcting me. That why when I read about the 50 most frequently mispronounced words in Ragan’s PR Daily, I decided to share it with you. In the world of digital, you are not suppose to cut and paste an entire story. So all you have to do is click here to see all 51.

Here are the first few ….
1. aegis—The ae in this word is pronounced /ee/. Say EE-JIS/, not /ay-jis/. In mythology the “aegis” is associated especially with the goddess Athene. It is her shield with the Gorgon’s head on.

2. anyway—The problem with this word is not so much pronunciation as the addition of an unnecessary sound. Don’t add an s to make it “anyways.” The word is ANYWAY.

3. archipelago—Because the word is from Greek, the ch is pronounced with a /k/ sound. Say /AR-KI-PEL-A-GO/, not /arch-i-pel-a-go/.

Jimmy Kimmel’s Hate Mail

Posted on September 5, 2015 by loiswhitmanhess

If you were worried that your children, or grandchildren, spend too much time playing video games, now you have a whole new couch potato sport to be concerned about. The new pastime is youngsters, watching other youngsters, play video games.

I know it sounds absurd but now kids sit at their computers watching complete strangers play video games. I want to be sure you get the picture. The younger generation is using their computers to zero in on other video gamers playing video games.

Jimmy Kimmel found this so absurd that he joked one night during his monologue that the next big thing would be kids, watching other kids, watching video gamers, play video games.

Apparently, he really upset the community of video game spectators. To understand how ugly it really got, watch the two videos. Bottom line, Jimmy is questioning the role of parents today. Is it funny or pathetic?

The Next Time You Are In Miami

Posted on September 3, 2015 by loiswhitmanhess

Remind me to take you to Little Havana the next time you are in Miami. I really mean Calle Ocho (SW 8th Street/Tamiami Trail). It’s known as the neighborhood for Cuban exiles, perhaps the largest in the world. The street life is filled with restaurants, music and cultural activities.

Tonight, the four of us, Ruth, Howard, Eliot and myself, wanted Cuban Food so we ended up in Exquisito, right in the middle of all of the street action.

After dinner Ruth suggested we stop by Cuba Ocho, a Cuban cultural and research center, which also features great tapas and diversified music.

The minute we arrived at Cuba Ocho, I spotted a desk lamp on top of the bar that I adored. When I asked the price, I was introduced to one of the owners of Cuba Ocho, Yeney Ramos.

Yeney explained that her husband, Roberto Ramos, 44, fled Cuba in 1992 with a boat stuffed with valuable works of his Cuban art. The walls of Cuba Ocho are covered with Ramos’ personal collection of paintings and books from Cuba’s prerevolutionary era. Some of his pieces are being shown in museums all over the U.S. He is also known for creating the coffee table book, “The Great Masters of Cuban Art.”

Yeney Ramos