Category Archives: senior lifestyle

#nakedbikeride hashtags

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Image: Leon Neal/APF/Getty

My friend Laurie asked me about one of my recent posts this morning at a Father’s Day brunch. She was curious why I wrote about something that wasn’t necessarily “senior” oriented.

Good question. The main reason I write this blog is because I want my readers to be aware of some of the hottest topics or innovative products in the digital world. I hope I’m delivering a service that makes everyone who reads DigiDame very much a part of one of the most remarkable periods in history. Trust me, I know that many readers are far more knowledgeable than I am. All I am trying to do is keep other seniors informed so they can appreciate the tech revolution.

Even a silly post like this one is meant to keep all those who are interested apprised of current Internet news. I can’t stress enough how hashtags (#) have replaced the town crier in ways we never thought possible.

In the last few days, thousands of bikers all over the world met In the buff because of the Twitter hashtag #nakedbikeride. Seventy cities around the globe participated.

This event first took place in 2004. The purpose is to demonstrate “the vulnerability of cyclists on the road” and to “protest against oil dependency.”

I don’t understand the “”oil” part, but okay, I accept it. This year, some of the more active cities were London, Seattle, Chicago and Guadalajara,

Thank you Mashable for publishing some of the sights

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14 Jun
Metmanph @metmanph
#wth #NakedBikeRide pic.twitter.com/FOTEfhWW20

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14 Jun
Friction Media @FrictionMedia
This definitely is 1 of the weirder walks 2 Waterloo station I’ve had recently #NakedBikeRide @BBCNews @ITV @MetroUK pic.twitter.com/6XcV94px79

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14 Jun
Yesica Ramos @YsiicRams
#nakedbikeride #bike #mexicocity pic.twitter.com/rVGS3ss6vJ

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We smartly voted to keep our clothes on at Father’s Day brunch. Laurie is to my left. Thank you Laurie.

Happy Father’s Day

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Join us for a July 4th celebration

Lois and Eliot Hess
1000 South Pointe Drive
Miami Beach, Florida
Apt 3601

8:00 PM
Desserts and Drinks
Fireworks 9PM Sharp

Valet Parking

Please RSVP: Lois 917 822 2591
Or email loisw@hwhpr.com

The App That Wipes Out Graffiti

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A real estate friend of mine recently told me that a lot of the graffiti that is in urban areas across the nation is going to be wiped out. He was not talking about the art work that adorns so many city streets, but rather the offensive scribbles that really devalue many buildings.

He didn’t tell me exactly how it was going to get done, but I wonder if we are going to follow what the Romanians did in Bucharest. It all started out as an advertising campaign for Cif, a cleaning products company, but turned into an appreciated national public service.

The McCann advertising group. ad agency, created an app that encouraged Romanians to snap photos of vulgar graffiti. The photos were transmitted to the Cif team who quickly drove in a branded van to the location to clean the surfaces.

There were so many times over the years that I wished I could have done the same thing. I hate when someone defaces properly that belongs to others. It would be great to catch them in the act, but that will never happen.

New Hot Features From iOS Operating System

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My brother Steve reminded me of an article about some of the fantastic upgrades on the iOS 8 operating system that is slated to come out in the Fall. Personally, I think some of these improvements are very senior friendly. You’ll see what I mean.

The iOS 8 is going to feature a microphone button in the (message) text window so you can record a short audio or video message and send it without leaving the app. I know that I will use this new feature all the time because of its simplicity. No more three or four steps to get this done. I love sharing on-the-spot news, so I can’t wait to try this out. Apple didn’t reveal the size of the audio and/or video message allowed, but I’ll be happy with whatever it is. Sometimes shorter is better.

Another feature that will be available on the iOS 8 is photo and video messages that will disappear after a few seconds. You may not remember but I wrote about an app called Snapchat that the young folks use to send photos and videos that are only available for a few seconds. Not sure what everyone is sharing and then wants wiped out. Hmmm.

Teens and young adults like to exchange private messages and then want them erased. Now older IPhone users will have the same advantage. The big plus, in my estimation, is that all of my messages will not take up so much space, I am really lazy about cleaning them out. Yes, you can choose to keep whatever you want.

You are going to love the next feature being debuted. Apple is going to give you the ability to opt out of a group text message that goes back and forth. No more constant beeping. The new feature will also let you rejoin the conversation at a later time. How cool is that?

Click here to read a CNN story that has more details about the new features of the upgraded iOS 8.

We Know Why You Lie

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I admit it. It’s really all my fault that I lost my mini iPad and a stack of important papers on an American Airlines flight yesterday. Read yesterday’s DigiDame for my first report on this dilemma. I was very tired when I sat down in my seat. I quickly put my mini iPad and papers in a pocket on the seat in front of me. Then I fell into a deep sleep.

By the time I left the aircraft I totally forgot what I left behind. I didn’t realize my loss until I started to unpack. Freak time. I quickly called the Lost and Found department at Miami AA. All you get are voice mails telling you not to call. If they find your lost items they will call you.

I know that my mini iPad was taken off the plane because I tracked it on the app Find My iPhone. I marveled at the ability to keep an eye on my iPad and then crashed when I discovered the app wasn’t working as the mini iPad battery died. Don’t make the same foolish mistake. GPS does not work when there is no charge.

I couldn’t stay inactive all day so I called MIA Lost and Found. Nothing. I filed a police report with airport detectives. I will know more later today. I got through to the airport tower. An air controller was furious that someone gave me their number. I also tweeted back and forth with AA hoping that would help to resolve this situation.

Even though everyone at AA said they would help, no one did. I was on my own. Late last night I actually got through to someone at AA Lost and Found. In a 24-hour period they received 30 iPads that passengers lost, none were mine.

Final analysis? This entire fiasco could have been much easier if AA had a live rep to help me navigate through the process. I feel sorry for everyone who suffered before me. I was hoping to get AA to change their Lost and Found procedures so no one would ever experience the frustration that I am going through. I guess that is too much to expect.

Here is my Twitter conversation with AA where nothing was accomplished.

Lois Whitman-Hess (@loiswhitman)
6/11/14, 9:49 AM
@AmericanAir @aairwaves Left iPad on ft 1599 NY to Miami yesterday. Seat 5E. Tracking it on Find my iPhone. Taken off plane. No word from AA

American Airlines (@AmericanAir)
6/11/14, 9:54 AM
@loiswhitman Have you contacted the Lost and Found department in MIA yet. Their email address is Miami.lostandfound@aa.com.

Lois Whitman-Hess (@loiswhitman)
6/11/14, 10:32 AM
@AmericanAir @aairwaves no one answers. Called many numbers around the clock. I am going to tweet this experience until I get results

Lois Whitman-Hess (@loiswhitman)
6/11/14, 10:35 AM
@AmericanAir @aairwaves @fmiphonestories @findmyiphone No one is calling back. 24 hours. This system doesn’t work. Will keep tweeting

Lois Whitman-Hess (@loiswhitman)
6/11/14, 11:14 AM
@AmericanAir I filed a police report and now a detective is on the case. I am pissed that the entire process is so phony

Lois Whitman-Hess (@loiswhitman)
6/11/14, 11:17 AM
@AmericanAir I plan to get to the bottom of this for everyone else who doesn’t have the energy or the tenacity.

Lois Whitman-Hess (@loiswhitman)
6/11/14, 11:18 AM
@AmericanAir the person who took the iPad off along with important papers is hoping not to get caught. AA has to have checks and balances

American Airlines (@AmericanAir)
6/11/14, 11:19 AM
@loiswhitman We’ll be happy to touch base with MIA and request they look to see if it was turned in, Lois. Please DM us a description of it.

American Airlines (@AmericanAir)
6/11/14, 11:29 AM
@loiswhitman Thank you, Lois. We’ve forwarded this info to our team at MIA to look for your lost item. We’ll follow up once we hear back.

Lois Whitman-Hess (@loiswhitman)
6/11/14, 11:58 AM
@AmericanAir sorry 2B champion of lost items but someone has to do it. Your lost and found dept in Miami and the process is a joke

American Airlines (@AmericanAir)
6/11/14, 12:27 PM
@loiswhitman We’ve received your DM and will respond as soon as possible.

Lois Whitman-Hess (@loiswhitman)
6/11/14, 12:52 PM
Interesting that FindMyiPhone is not on a public twitter feed. Let’s find out why???

Lois Whitman-Hess (@loiswhitman)
6/11/14, 3:31 PM
@AmericanAir no one contacted me. Have to go on rampage again. Only thing that works. Someone working for AA took it for themselves

Lois Whitman-Hess (@loiswhitman)
6/11/14, 3:40 PM
@AmericanAir owes me a mini iPad. Read digidame.com tomorrow to find out why!

American Airlines (@AmericanAir)
6/11/14, 3:46 PM
@loiswhitman We’re sorry you’re iPad is missing, Lois. We’ve responded to your DM. Please check.

Lois Whitman-Hess (@loiswhitman)
6/11/14, 5:07 PM
@AmericanAir found my mini iPad and I can’t get it from MIA Terminal D. Shame on them

American Airlines (@AmericanAir)
6/11/14, 5:20 PM
@loiswhitman We’re glad to hear you iPad has been found, Lois. Please continue to work with Lost and Found.

He’s Back

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I want to be sure you are hip with the younger set. One way to make that happen is to tell your children and/or grandchild that the guy who brought us “Gangham Style“‘ is back with a new music video, They will be so impressed. “Gangham Style” generated over two billion views.

The Korean rapper named Psy, just released a music video for his new single “Hangover,” featuring American rapper Snoop Dogg. The video is already up to eight million hits.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you. If you are over 40, watching this five-minute video could make you disgusted with music forever.

A Shift In Search

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Photo by: Gethiredfast.com

I don’t remember trends changing so much, so fast, when I was young. Today, in the world of the Internet, you really can’t count on anything being dominant for too long. I was a little surprised to learn that Google, Yahoo, and Bing are getting some serious competition from smartphone apps. It is becoming increasingly popular to search for information on apps that focus on the specific interests you are investigating.. I am quickly learning that more and more of my friends are really becoming quite dependent on the apps they like. I guess it only makes sense that they would seek counsel from information sources they trust.

Tech Crunch, a tech site, recently noted that most of our research is being done on our smartphones as compared to desktops, To quote them “Google is all search for everything but can’t necessarily tell us in a click the best restaurant or what the price is on a coveted item. We use niche travel apps such as Kayak to look up travel info, Trulia to search for homes and local business search company Yelp to look up local businesses.”

Tech Crunch pointed out that a Nielsen consumer report says we’re “spending an average of 34 hours using the Internet on our mobile phones every month compared to 27 hours using the Internet on our desktop.”

There’s lots of interesting information on this. Click here to read more.

Binoculars Meet iPhone

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If you love sports, concerts, and bird watching, then you are going to love the field binoculars. When the binoculars attach to iPhone, it is perfect for either easy viewing and/or recording. The 36mm lenses on the binoculars deliver 8X magnification for a 465-foot field of view at 1,

The unit is being sold at Hammacher Schlemmer for $99. The description reads “When the phone is in camera mode, the screen displays all magnified images as if it were an external monitor. The included phone case seals snugly over one eyepiece, aligning the phone’s camera with the binocular lens. Included phone cases fit iPhone 5S/5 and 4S/4. The field glasses also function as standard binoculars when detached. Includes carrying case and cleaning cloth. 1 3/4″ H x 6″ W x 7” L. (2 lbs.).

My friend Steve just gifted the binoculars to me. I wanted to let you know about them immediately. After I use it a few times, i will give you a review.

Become Your Own Optician

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The wonders of technology. You can now have the ability to adjust your own prescription just by turning a dial on your regular or sunglasses. At first I just couldn’t believe it and then I heard of Adlens Adjustables.

For just $69.00, Adlens lets you pick near, intermediate, and distance corrections. Tiny dials on each side of the frames make the adjustments. Adlens claims, “This functionality allows the same pair of glasses to be used for close-up activities and seeing clearly in the distance.”

The unique Alvarez technology alters the power of each lens. “When the dials are turned, two overlapping wave-shaped plates glide across one another, creating the perfect amount of sight clarity for the user.”

I find this absolutely amazing. Click here to watch a YouTube explanation.,

In My Camera Roll

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Fredrik Eklund of Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing agreed to take this photo with us if we promised never to do business with Ryan and Luis.

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Take a tip from DigiDame. I took six pictures of all of my jewelry. Filed it away. You never know.

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You may think this is a pile of white mints. “It’s actually a memorial to my father,” says artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres. The installation can be seen at the DeLa Cruz private museum in Miami. The 175-pound pile of mints represents his late father’s weight. He wants everyone to take a mint. It is replenished every few days.

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