I would have preferred not to have remembered some of these ads. However, I’m grateful once again to my friend Todd Smith for sharing these with me. It made me realize how much things have changed. I’m so glad I’m a senior now, rather than back when the following ads were printed. We are much younger-minded than people our age decades ago. I’m grateful.
A long time business friend of mine, Mark Fleischmann, a trade magazine writer, posted the photo below on Facebook the other day.
Image credits: Gabz
I became mesmerized. I loved the combination of nature and art in an urban environment. I quickly googled the artist, Gabz lpa HD, and found out he came from the Dominican Republic. Then I saw the story about how street artists are incorporating elements of nature into their graffiti.
I was so hooked. I couldn’t stop staring. The artists had to search for the perfect spots. The interactive art is not permanent because of the elements of weather. The artists don’t seem concerned. They are grateful for whatever time they get, as long as they turn heads of people passing by.
Image credits: Sandrine Boulet 
Image credits: Sandrine Boulet
Image credits: Natalia Rak
Image credits: Công Thành
Image credits: unknown
Image credits: Zoltron
Image credits: Banksy
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You’ve never seen magic tricks like this before, all on an iPad. Get ready to be quite amazed.
Whitney’s second shift babysitter (from 9 years old to 14), Mary, with husband Chris, and son Christopher, visiting us this weekend in Miami.
Christopher and yours truly, posing in front of this tour bus, that turns into a boat. Amphibious!!! I captured it on this video. Eliot, Mary, and Chris were with us too.
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My doctor just gave me two antibiotic prescriptions, one for Cipro and the other for Z-Pak. He also gave a set for Eliot. I don’t like to travel without them. Since we are leaving for Barcelona on July 12th, I made sure we were covered for colds and stomach ailments.
I thought I was being so smart until my friend Carlos sent me this Ted Talk by Maryn McKenna, a journalist and author who specializes in public health, global health and food policy. You must watch the video above to learn the facts. We may be killing ourselves.
Eliot and I watch more TV than ever before. I don’t know where we find the time. We work, go to the theater and movies, visit with family and friends, attend events, read, travel, and eat out. Despite all this, we manage to watch at least 30 hours of TV a week.
We binge. We love it. We have such a good time watching some very well developed TV series. We are in the comfort of our apartment, relaxed in loosely-fit clothes, snacks nearby, and bathroom breaks when we want them.
Media Post, a marketing trade publication, just did a study that says binging is on the rise. That’s no surprise. The part that I found strange was that while binging “brings much joy to consumers, it can also bring the blues.” TiVo Research says that “52% of those surveyed are experiencing sadness when they approach the end of a TV series.
I can relate to that. It’s difficult to let go to your pretend family and friends on the TV screen. “Binging is also having an impact on sleep patterns.” TiVo says “31% have lost sleep due to binging, and 37% say they have spent entire weekends binging.”
Eliot and I have done that. It’s a great escape from all of life’s challenges. After a weekend of binging, we realized how much we enjoyed ourselves and how it didn’t cost much to have a good time.
This is truly amazing. An innovation doesn’t always have to be a digital invention. It can sometimes be toothpicks. Yes, toothpicks.
My friend Todd Smith told me about Stan Munro. He has been making things out of toothpicks since the 5th grade. Thirty years later he turned it into a big money-making career. It was all happenstance.
While Stan was a TV feature reporter 10 years ago, his wife Suzi found out that she had Polycystic Kidney-Liver Disease (PKLD). Watch the first video to hear Suzi’s explanation of what happened to her. Have a tissue ready to wipe away your tears.
Stan had to stay home with his wife. She couldn’t be alone. During that time, he focused on his hobby of toothpicking. Strange as it may seem, he sold his first Toothpick City exhibit in 2006 to a museum in Spain. Then in 2011, his wife received a double-transplant at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.
Life really started turning around. There are still tough times, but they inspire each other. Stan and Suzi live in North Syracuse, NY. He has built some of the world’s most famous landmarks out of toothpicks. All of his models are built to 1:164 scale. They can take anywhere from a day to six months to create.
Museums and galleries show his work all the time. The one closest to him is the Museum of Science and Technology in Syracuse. Name all of the structures, and you win a Waterpik Water Flosser. I even inserted clues, in or near, the photos. Good luck.
I feel we are living in miraculous times when it comes to technological advancements in medicine. CNN just did a spectacular feature on neurologist Kelly Foote and neurosurgeon Michael Okun. Together, they gave a famous TED talk where the two doctors spelled out the details of direct brain stimulation.
What does that mean? Both doctors strategically implant electrodes inside the skulls of patients to alleviate symptoms of tremor, multiple sclerosis and even OCD.
You have to see how this works. It is quite remarkable. Your brain speaks a binary language, just like your computer. That’s all you need to know before you watch the video.
The next big category in the world of gadgetry is digital personal assistants. They’re going to change our home lives forever. Not only will they make great companions for those who live alone, but they will also keep all users informed and up-to-date on all relevant news.
The one I want to highlight today is the Echo made by Amazon. The Amazon Echo is a voice command device that answers questions, plays music and can control other smart devices. The device, housed in 9.25-inch tall cylinder speaker, responds to the name “Alexa.” The name can be changed.
To fully understand the capabilities of this gizmo, watch the above video. It could become your greatest resource.
Let your imagination run wild. It’s only $179.99.
DigiDame 