Category Archives: senior lifestyle

Inside Your Singing Head 

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I can’t carry a tune, but I really admire folks who can belt out a song. I just love watching my favorite performers sing the songs I adore. I become mesmerized and almost go into a trance.

I have now taken that to a whole new level. There’s a new MRI technique that allows us to watch more than 100 muscles in our face and neck move to create a wide range of sounds. I can’t stop watching the video demonstration.

It was developed by Professor Aaron Johnson of the University of Illinois and his team from the Bioimaging Science and Technology Group at the Beckman Institute. The MRI records at 100 frame per second, 10 times faster than what conventional MRI can accomplish. 

Read more about it on Engadget. Click here. 

Shady Copy

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One of the most popular entertainment publications today has 600,000 readers and costs practically nothing to publish. Say hello to “The Shade Room.” It is entirely published on Instagram by aggregating celebrity videos and photos. Very little staff is needed. 

It was started by a 24-year old gal who only goes by the name Angie. Her team consists of a few writers and a brand manager. Instead using a ton of copy in what used to be called a story, The Shade Room is a screen shot with a short caption. Check out the photos on this post to see what that looks like.

The Shade Room gets all of its information from combing social media sites and researching key words. In the digital age, public figures have such big egos that they are  usually the first post good or bad information about themselves. 

You can tsk, tsk all you want. The Shade Room is flourishing when other entertainment publications are going out of business. We are living in times when social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) is the place where younger people go to for their news. 

Word has it that many more serious publications are going to start publishing news on social media platforms just so they can reach new audiences. The New York Times is one of those publications that sees merit in it. An inside source told me that if the Times posts a news breaking story on Twitter, it will be accompanied by a link that will lead the reader back to the full newspaper. 

You can’t stop progress, all the lack of it. Click here to get a fuller story in the New York Times.

  

Moleskine Goes Digital 

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 Image: New York Times

I always wondered why so many folks enjoy taking notes in small black Moleskine notebooks. It doesn’t matter how digitally oriented they are, they still like to write down things the old fashion way. Some of my friends even have multiple books they have used stored on shelves in their home office. They would never think of throwing them away.

There is something about a small personal  notebook with an elastic band that makes it so special. Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh and Ernest Hemingway wrote and sketched in small black notebooks according to Arrigo Berni, chief executive of Moleskine SpA, the Milan-based company that now makes Moleskine notebooks.

Today, the Moleskine notebooks feature many digital attributes. The company has partnership with  Adobe, FiftyThree, Evernote and Livescribe. That means you can upload content from Moleskine notebooks to smartphones and tablets just by using various software programs. 

Read more about Moleskine in the New York Times. Click here. 



Technology Kills 

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My friend’s father, a big time judge, died when he couldn’t get his iPhone to work. He mastered the iPad, but at 87, for some reason, his new iPhone was giving him trouble. He tried to work it for days. One night he told his wife, “I will never get this thing.” He had his dinner, went to sleep and never got up.

When I heard this story I thought to myself, “I can totally relate.” Not that I think I’m going to die, but I actually felt the Judge’s exasperation. We all get challenged by technology from time to time. If the Internet goes down, or I lost my passwords, or even if I can’t check-out of an online store, I get so frustrated. The out-of-control sensation really makes you feel like you are on the outside, looking in. You feel totally disconnected. I wonder if the judge felt so overwhelmed that he just gave up? 

I just wanted to share that story with you. Don’t give up. Call on someone to help you, I do that everyday.

News not to miss.

GoPro’s CEO makes $284 million a year. That’s four times as much money as Apple’s Tim Cook. Click here for the Mashable story. 

The Whitney Museum moved downtown in NYC. The video illustrations in the NY Times are cutting edge. Click here.

How Meryl Streep is Using Her Own Money to Combat Ageism and Sexism in Hollywood. A Vanity Fair exclusive. Click here. 

Largest Picasso painting in the world is getting a new New York City home. Nothing is forever. For the Mashable story, click here.

On a personal note.

Introducing the other H in HWH PR. Stanley Hochstadt, a prince of a man. It’s been years since we’ve seen each other, but I still feel close to him. I just became friends with him and his wife Sandy on Facebook. Thank you social media. 

  Sandy and Stanley Hochstadt 

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Photos From Williams McCall Event 

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Gallery owners Dawn McCall and Gail Williams with artist Rubem Robierb. 

  

Weatherman Sam Champion, husband of Rubem, with one of the guests.

  

Bachelorette star Josh Murray representing Enduring Hearts charity. 

  

Josh’s aunt and uncle, the Feldman’s of Miami. 

  

The Rubin’s and the Levy’s. 

   

       

Rubem’s heart paintings

Other guests 

  

     



   

     







Thumbs Up 

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Image: CNET

 Image: Zigmag

Manicurists are going to love this.

Researchers at MIT Media Labs are busy developing a thumbnail-mounted, (U.S. quarter-sized) trackpad which is operated by the index finger on the same hand. It’s called NailO and consists of a battery, capacitive sensors, a microcontroller, a Bluetooth radio chip, and a capacitive-sending chip. 

I’m always looking to amaze you. It’s mind-boggling to think of all this technology packed into such a small space. Many tech publications are writing about the NailO because of its size and capacity.

NailO is user-friendly. You no longer have to be concerned about freeing up your hands to pick up a smartphone or controller. All you will have to do is tap your thumb with your index finger. The command will be sent

The NailO will also be useful when you don’t want to be rude by swiping your smartphone in the company of others. Now you can  subtly tap your thumbnail with your index finger to quickly send a message, 

The MIT researchers are also working on a detachable decorative top membrane to match the user’s outfit. This is a whole new dimension in wearable technology.

Read more about the NailO on Zigmag.com and CNET. 

Your Meds And Too Much Exercise Can Cause Gum Disease And Tooth Decay 

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No one can accuse me of doing too much exercise. Here I am on my daily morning stroll. Nice and easy. 

For the last few weeks, I have been working on a marketing campaign for Waterpik, my client. It’s all about why certain people have bad gums and tooth decay. 

I wanted to alert you about this ever increasing problem. Many of us are taking certain medications that are causing us to have a decrease of saliva in our mouths. This is called dry mouth. It is also commonly found in those who strenuously exercise (fitness fanatics, athletes). Drinking lots of water does not help.


Why does a dry mouth cause such problems? Saliva has high levels of oxygen, which helps to keep the bad anaerobic bacteria at bay. Saliva is also a natural cleanser that helps wash unwanted debris and bacteria away. If you mouth is dry due to meds or exercise, it becomes a breeding ground for all kinds of problems. 

 

It is obvious that you are not going to stop taking your meds, and athletes are not going to stop working out and playing sports. Therefore, it is recommended that you should do everything you can to improve your dental hygiene regimen. Make sure you remove the debris and bacteria that could be lurking deep between teeth and below the gumline. 


If you have dental problems, let me help you get the Waterpik® Water Flosser. It is ideal for getting rid of debris. I have wanted to make this offer for a while but now I have some inventory. All you are going to have to do is write a review for me. 


Just so you know, the Waterpik® Water Flosser has precisely controlled pressure and pulsation settings that remove plaque bacteria and improve gum health. It also features a new pulse-modulation technology that provides enhanced gum stimulation. The action of stimulating and massaging the gums may stimulate saliva production and alleviate dry mouth in addition to removing the bad bacteria. 


It doesn’t matter if you think this is a self-serving commercial. Save your mouth. This is a limited offer, so act fast.  

Miami Beach very early in the morning.

     

 

A Shower That Recycles Water

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I am probably one of the worst offenders for wasting water. I take very long showers. I find it very therapeutic. It’s my mediation and thinking time. I feel renewed when it’s time to get out. Frankly, I cherish this special time of the day.

I have to admit that I feel pretty guilty about wasting all that water lately, especially when I have been constantly reading about the drought in California  and other western States.

That’s why I took a keen interest in the OrbSys Shower that reportedly saves more than 90 per cent of the water and 80 per cent of the energy one normally uses while washing. It’s the same  principle as when the astronauts go into space for years without a fresh supply of water. They wash and drink from recycled water.

Swedish industrial designer Mehrdad Mahdjoubi developed a high-tech purification system that recycles water while you wash. It’s called a closed loop system.  He explains, “Hot water falls from the tap to the drain and is instantly purified to drinking water standard and then pumped back out of the showerhead. As the process is quick, the water remains hot and only needs to be reheated very slightly.”

The OrbSys shower is constantly recycling water. You use about five liters of water for a 10 minute shower  it is estimated that a regular shower uses 150 liters of water. 

The showers have to be professionally installed. It’s worth the savings. I call this a pretty nefty idea. Read more about the OrbSys in the Smithsonisn magazine.

OrbSys shower recycles water as you wash

No compromise on water pressure

   

 

Images: CNN

Let Me Paint You A Picture  

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 Image: LifePaint

I will do anything to make bike riding more safe. I know too many people who have gotten severely hurt over the years. There is one road in Miami, the Rickenbacker Causeway, which is known for way too many deadly bike accidents, yet thousands keep riding over it everyday. 

 

Image: Flickr

One of my friends on a bike got wacked by a car door which suddenly opened on the streets of Manhattan. The door knocked him to the ground. It was nighttime and the driver swears he never saw him. Another friend got sideswiped by a truck in Malibu Canyon, Los Angeles, when he was going around a bend. The truck driver said he never saw him even though he was right in front of him.

Luckily, both friends survived these terrible accidents. I know of others who were not so lucky.  If only there were ways to reduce the risk for serious bicyclists. I recently heard of one solution called LifePaint.  

It’s owned by Volvo, the car company. All cyclists have to do is spray their clothes and bicycles with this peculiar paint. Watch the video posted above. The goal is to make bike riders easier to see at night. LifePaint an invisible reflective spray that glows under the glare of a car’s headlights. It’s perfect for helmets, bicycles, shoes, backpacks, etc. The paint is transparent so you don’t see anything unusual. Plus, there is no residue so you can’t feel it either. You should be able to buy LifePaint at local bike shops. 

More info can be found in Gizmag.com. I would like to know if any of you have heard of LifePaint?  How safe is it? 


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