Category Archives: senior lifestyle

Bye Bye To A Famous Retailer

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Rachelle and Joe Friedman

I feel like I’m living in a state of disbelief. It is possible that a store that was once considered the most popular retailers in New York City because it sold the most exciting tech products available, is closing because no one wants to go to it anymore? I never thought the day would come that J&R Music World would be extinct.

Located on Park Row, across the street from City Hall, J&R was founded by Joe and Rachelle Friedman in 1971 after arriving here from Israel.

This was their American dream. The Friedman’s turned the location into a top tourist attraction, a place where hot recording artists released their albums and a destination for their music concerts in the park right across the street from them.

It’s hard to believe that people would prefer to shop online rather than to go to J&R to schmooze with other techies. I can’t get it in my head that J&R, as a bricks and mortar retailer, is no more. At least for now, their online and catalog sales will continue,

One Park Row lived on for 40-plus years. It was home to everyone in the business. Now it’s going to be yet another apartment building. Boohoo!

The Never Ending List

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I am a list addict. I love making “To Do” lists. My lists have lists. I can spend hours going through my notes to create daily and weekly lists. Even though I’m the DigiDame, my lists are usually created on paper. Then I take a photo of my lists and digitally file them. I also use Evernote and my iPhone calendar for further list organization.

Then there are times when I have to write down random ideas so I can add them to my lists. In the past, I have used napkins, sugar packets, business cards, or anything that has a spot to write something down.

I must not be alone. Many people our age claim if they don’t write something down, it will never get done. It just slips their mind. A number of creative manufacturers have developed a host of products that allow us to write something down no matter where we are.

Here are three options:

1-AquaNotes Waterproof Notepad for Shower

2-Temporary To-Do Tattoo


3-Post A Note Pen>

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I Don’t Know Why It’s Called Situ But It’s Good For You

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Smart scale weighs food and counts calories. It will also tell you nutritional value.

This is the scale you have been always looking for. It’s a smart scale that calculates the nutritional value of the food you’re about to eat. A companion app lets you keep track of calories, fat, vitamins and minerals.

Place an item on the scale, connect your iPad over Bluetooth and tell the companion app what the food is. Situ will tell you everything you need to know about what’s inside. Engadget, a tech site, was one of the first to write about it.

There are no more excuses for not living a healthier life. Consider the scale called Situ a life coach. It was developed by an ex Apple employee who lost 100 pounds. He needs your help to bring Situ to market. It is currently on Kickstarter. Click here to read all about it. Don’t miss the video when you click. It is fascinating.

A Whole New Dimension in Music

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The music industry is about to go through a major transformation and we will be witnessing it in the next year or two. Sometimes I wonder if I am the only one who is so amazed by these changes. I guarantee you that if John, George, Elvis and Michael ever came back, they would be shocked to learn that Billboard has added a whole new feature for charts that has nothing to do with the sales of songs.

Starting in May, Billboard, the world renowned music trade publication, will be ranking songs being discussed and shared the most on Twitter. The real-time charts will be published on Billboard.com as well as through the publication’s Twitter feed.

Having been a Billboard reader for decades, this change is mind-boggling because the entire music industry lived and died on the weekly sales charts. In order to rank on the top of the list, you had to achieve more sales that week than any other artist.

Now the whole complexion is changing when Billboard starts showing which artists and songs are being discussed the most. Sales will still be reported too but chatter is going to have a major influence on popularity.

This is going to be an interesting journey in music because Twitter, like all social media, can be manipulated by users who have millions of followers. One good tweet can have a huge impact on trending and future Twitter conversations. Read more about it in The New York Times.

From where I stand, this is going be a very interesting new twist in the music business. I will report any new findings

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The Final Word on Saving Your Wet iPhone or Tablet

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It’s amazing that more people don’t drop electronic devices into their bathtub, toilets, sinks, swimming pools, jacuzzis, and ocean. Americans take their mobile products with them everywhere. Oh, the stories I have heard.

I’m no one to talk. A few years ago I took my iPhone and iPod into that bathroom with me when I was going to hand wash some of my clothes. Stupidly, I placed both devices on the edge of the sink while my clothes were soaking.

I forgot that I brought my wireless products into the bathroom with me, and went on to do other chores in my apartment. A little later I had to make a phone call and went back to the bathroom to get my iPhone. It wasn’t there. I hunted the entire apartment for my devices. At that point, I was in a full blown panic attack

I decided to finish my hand wash and then I would hunt again. I can’t begin to describe the horror I felt when my hands went into the soapy water and touched my electronic devices. Somehow, they fell in. My whole life flashed in front of me. I literally drowned my contacts and files.

If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn’t have panicked as much. I strongly suggest to read this
CNET story that gives by blow by blow description what you should do if your mobile products ever get submerged in water.

First tip: turn all products off. No time to waste. The CNET story spells out the rest .

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Ryan Seacrest Gets Caught Making A Typo

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My cousin Beth showed up at a family vacation at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, CA with a Typo. It was the first time I actually had a chance to try the new keyboard case for the iPhone 5 and 5S. Ryan Seacrest is a major investor in Typo and has been actively marketing the iPhone accessory.

Typo’s claim to fame is that it helps users type 50 per cent faster with fewer typos. Thus the name. The big draw is its touch keyboard. People love the feel of a typewriter-type keyboard.

Many folks, including Beth, resisted buying an iPhone because of its flat-surface on screen keyboard. They were loyal BlackBerry users until the Typo keyboard case became available. I am not saying that everyone will instantly jump ship, but the new accessory is definitely a major attraction.

Beth has been using Typo for a few weeks and is very satisfied. She says she can use both hands to type and there is plenty of room for her fingers. She gave me a great demonstration.

I was even thinking of buying one until I opened the newspapers the next day and learned that BlackBerry managed to block the sale of all Typos. BlackBerry claims that Typo infringed on its patents. A federal judge agreed and issued a preliminary injunction.

The court battle is going to get very interesting. Let’s see if Seacrest and his Hollywood buddies show up to defend the new case.

Beth, hold on to your Typo. It may become a valuable collectible.
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Joan Rivers Pulls The Senior Card

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Either you are going to love or hate Joan Rivers’ return to the “Tonight Show” last Monday night. Let me correct myself, Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight Show.”

This was actually Joan’s second appearance. She also participated in Fallon’s very first show along with a parade of celebrities who stopped by to wish him well. That marked the first time that Joan had been on the “Tonight Show” in nearly 30 years. Johnny Carson put the kibosh on Joan after she agreed to host another late night show on a competing network.

Joan used her appearance to let the world know that at 80 she no longer cares what people think of her. She always said what was on her mind and now she is going for the jugular.

Joan was pretty raunchy and offensive on the show so consider yourself forewarned. The reason I wanted to share it with you is because at 80 she is still slugging away. To most of her audiences and co-workers, Joan is ageless. Yes, they know that she is older, but they do not consider her old.

She has two million Twitter followers, a half a million Facebook friends, and is making great headway on Instagram and YouTube. Joan knows all about social media, handles her own posts, and was one of the first to have a comedy show on the Internet. Let’s not forget about her TV reality show and Fashion Police.

I think it is safe to say that 80 is the new 60 in Joan’s case. Let that be an inspiration to all of us.

iPhone Now Compatible With Binoculars and Scopes

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I always had the itch to be an investigative reporter. I love looking for stories, getting scoops, and reporting the facts. I wish someone would give me an assignment.

I really got the urge to do some reporting when I learned that Swarovski Optik, a maker of binoculars and bird-spotting scopes, just introduced a $145 adapter that turns an iPhone 5 and 5S into a camera with either spotting scopes or binoculars.

The adapter is pretty easy to use. Once you actually use it, you will wonder why we didn’t have this handy gadget before. CNET explains how the adapter works and what quality of photos to expect. Experience tells me that the quality of photos will be terrific once we get the hang of it.

Centenarian Gets Free Internet

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La Valencia, La Jolla, CA
I think I’m one of the few people who loves living in a hotel. I could live in a hotel for the rest of my days. I love being able to go to the reception area and have people take care of all of my needs. I find that when I am in a hotel, I sleep better, my energy level is up, and it’s easier to combine work and play.

The only thing that pisses me off is if a hotel charges for Internet in guest rooms. Common space is always free. Wi-Fi is free in most of the hotel guest rooms in Europe and in Asia. I have stayed in plenty of business hotels, (euphemism for dumps) out-of-the country, and none of them ever charged extra for the Internet.

America is another story. I think most of the finer hotels now provide free Wi-Fi throughout their premises. I’m now going to crusade every hotel in the United States to do the same. Let me know if there is a hotel you want me to go after. I have my ways.

I think as you get older, the people who work in hotels treat you better. Eliot and I must look like Ma and Pa Kettle because everyone is very solicitous. The crazy thing is that I don’t mind it a bit.

This morning when we were checking out of the La Valencia in La Jolla, a bellman told me that a 100 year old woman has been residing at the hotel for over a decade. Her husband stipulated in his will that she can stay for as long as she wants to. He made all the provisions for her.

I became instantly envious. The centenarian was doing it her way. She has an aide who lives with her and has all of the meals delivered to her room. She basically turned this fabulous hotel into her own private assistant living facility. And the pièce de résistance is that the Internet is free. Touché!

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A Day of Nature With a Little Help from the Digital World to Record It

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So here we are in the village of La Jolla, CA, at the La Valencia Hotel. Our hotel is pretty swanky but I really love it because it offers free Wi-Fi for the many devices that I drag everywhere with me.

We stayed here before but this time we requested a full ocean view so I could hear the waves breaking. They tried to slip us a corner view but this New Yorker just kept insisting on the particular spot I knew I wanted. They were actually very accommodating.

This morning we woke up to Jonathan Living Seagull on the balcony of our room. He was a few feet from my bed. Just beyond him you can see the palm trees and then the ocean.

I made a YouTube video of this little creature because the little steps he took on the railing represented what Eliot, Whitney, and I wanted to do for the day–walk. We actually did more than six miles on the boardwalk in Mission Beach alongside the Pacific Ocean. My Fitbit registered 16,000 steps. It was very exhilarating. We could have walked longer but we had errands to take care of.

I am back in our room now watching the waves again. The French doors are open and a nice breeze is blowing through, No snow. No humidity. No worries .