We had no idea that when we got to Arles, we would be at one of the largest photography exhibitions in the world. Arles calls itself the photography capital of the world. We walked 16,000 steps through the town’s squares, but absolutely got mesmerized by the work of Phillipe Assalit. Each model photographed is creatively photoshopped with his or her respective country’s currency. The colors in each photo were so vibrant that you immediately felt energized. I just had to share them with you.
It always takes me a few days to get into the swing of things whenever I leave home. I have been busy with challenging projects that are still going on. I had to figure out a way to juggle work and play. Visiting areas of the works like Provence gives me the energy and creativity to carry on. By the way, I’m not the only one. I see contemporaries sneaking in business calls and checking in with the financial markets. We are living in a time when you can have it all. You just need the discipline.
I know this is going to sound crazy, but a young female inventor just developed a new type of headphone that doesn’t play music through your ears.
Gemma Roper, a recent graduate of the Royal College of Art, London, designed a pair of modular headphones using bone conduction audio. She believes her concept will help prevent the ever increasing number of bike accidents each year.
Roper’s Safe + Sound headphone design uses bone conduction to play music through a user’s cheekbones rather than his or her eardrum.
Roper’s website explains that “bone conduction headphones work on playing sound-wave vibrations on top of bones. The waves get transmitted into the Cochlea, the inner ear, without going through the eardrum. This can work anywhere on the body but the closer to the ear, the better.
This concept is not entirely new. There have been other conduction headphones but they were designed to wrap around the user’s ears. The Safe + Sound modules clip onto the straps of a helmet.
Beethoven also believed in conductive listening devices. As you know, Beethoven was deaf. He was forced into biting down on a metal rod attached to his piano to hear the music.
The Safe + Sound headphone is still in prototype form but click here to watch a video demonstration. You’ll be the first to know when they are available.
Two entrepreneurs are repurposing London’s famous red phone booths. Kirsty Kenney and Harold Craston, graduates from London’s School of Economics, formed a company called Solarbox, to transform the discarded phone booths into charging stations for all kinds of mobile devices. The project started last year but is first gearing up now.
How cool is that? I wish we had charging stations in the United States. There is more good news for Londoners. Each booth will feature a solar panel so that three hours of sun a day will keep Solarbox operational for a year. This is made possible by an integrated battery that is capable of storing energy for additional use.
I hear that a 10 minute charge will increase a phone’s battery life by 20 per cent. One caveat! Users will be forced to watch advertisements with the booth while their devices charge. I can’t imagine people complaining about that once they learn the service is free
We were only in Barcelona for a few hours, when we spotted the Renault Twizy, a battery-powered two-passenger electric car designed and marketed by Renault and manufactured entirely in Valladolid, Spain. It’s becoming popular here.
Photos by DigiDame on her iPhone 6 Plus
Legal in Europe, it’s classified as a heavy quadricycle. We couldn’t believe our eyes as we strolled La Ramblas, (a big avenue in central Barcelona, popular with tourists and locals).
As we stopped for a red light, the car pulled up in front of us. I bent down and asked “what the heck is this?” The female driver was flattered and gave us a brief description. Told her she would be the feature of today’s DigiDame and my Facebook posts. She was hysterical laughing as she pulled away.
Here are some photos from the company’s website. 
This is what David Pogue posted on Facebook. Pogue is seated front and center.
David Pogue, a personal technology columnist for Yahoo Tech, a tech correspondent for CBS News Sunday Morning, a columnist for Scientific American, and a former technology columnist for The New York Times, has agreed to appear in “39 Steps,” a Broadway show produced by my pal Doug Denoff. The show is on 17th Street and Park Avenue South, Union Square Theatre. Pogue is also the host of NOVA ScienceNow on PBS and was the host of the NOVA specials
I’m thrilled Pogue agreed to be in the show, because I arranged it. Many people don’t know this, but Pogue has a music background. He graduated from Yale University in 1985 summa cum laude, earning a bachelor’s degree in music . He spent 10 years working in New York, some of that time in the office of Music Theatre International and as a conductor and arranger in Broadway musicals.
I knew Pogue would be a natural to join the show. I’m a matchmaker by trade. Most work days, I spend pitching my heart out to members of the media for products, services, or people my company, HWH PR, represents. My agency also networks sponsorships, promotions, contests, and partnerships between two companies or a personality and a company.
It’s mentally exhausting. The highs and lows are like being on a seesaw. However, when you score a biggie like Pogue, it makes everything else worthwhile. Pogue (along with others yet to be announced) agreed to play the part of the guest assassin. Doug and I came up with this PR stunt to gain attention for the show. It is a fun role with lots of surprises. Stay tuned.
Get your own tickets at 39stepsny.com!
The National Geographic Channel did a feature on YouTube tonight. While it was pretty bland, I’m glad I got to see it. I was reminded that YouTube is only 10 Years old but it has changed world culture.
Co-founders Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim wanted to have a successful video hosting business in San Bruno, CA. At first, they thought it could be an online dating site.
The first YouTube video, titled “Me at the zoo,” shows Karim at the San Diego Zoo. The video was uploaded on April 23, 2005, and and has been viewed 25 million times over the years.
The site has 800 million unique users a month and is the third most visited website in the world. It’s available in 76 languages.
It was bought by Google In 2006 for $1.65 billion.
“Charlie Bit Me” was one of the first YouTube videos to go viral. It has been viewed a million times.
“Diet Coke + Mentos” is one of the most successful YouTube videos. It has been viewed 18 million times.
We just finished watching a documentary called a “Little White Lie.” It’s about Lacey Schwartz, a white, Jewish girl in Woodstock, N.Y. Her parents are Peggy and Robert Schwartz. It wasn’t until college that she found out that her biological father was black. Could this really happen? You can get it on Netflix or YouTube.
I still find it amazing that I can watch a film on TV, or in the movies, and then find more material about it on YouTube. All I had to do was type “Lacey” on YouTube, and I found numerous interviews and promotional materials. Today, the movie doesn’t have to end when the film is over. Just search the title on Google. You will be suprised at what you find.
It’s a done deal, almost. The guys who started a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to build a solar underground park in NYC hit its goal of $200,000 from 2,000 backers.
Congratulations.
The money will be used to channel solar energy underground. James Ramsey, a co-founder and creator of the Lowline Lab and former NASA satellite engineer, developed a remote skylight that will be vital in the construction of the underground park.
If all goes according to plan, an acre of land underneath the Lower East Side will become a green park between 2018-2020.
I just love gadgets. I love them whether I can use them personally, or if they are a solution for someone else. It always amazes me to find a gadget that helps enhance an experience. That always makes it thrilling.
That was how I felt when I heard about The Deeper, Fishfinder. a new gizmo that knows where the fish are hiding. A companion app on your smartphone spells everything out for you. It’s designed for both amateur and professional fishermen.
I know so many people who love to fish. I can’t wait to tell them about The Deeper, Fishfinder because they can’t stand coming home empty-handed. I know that’s the whole point of fishing, but it would be nice to give them a little head start.
Let’s face it, you can give a fisherman all of the tools in the world, but if the conditions are not right, nothing gets caught. “The Deeper Fishfinder” at least reveals most of the fish species so the fishermen can get a decent advantage. The Deeper Fishfinder also measures temperature so it knows the perfect biting time.
At $200, the unit is perfect for land or sea. It works everywhere. The video above explains everything, It’s fascinating to watch. Words can’t describe it.
DigiDame 