Category Archives: senior lifestyle

First Users of New Force Fitbit Report Skin Rashes

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Sometimes being first to own something new in the world of technology is not always the smartest move. I learned the hard way that being first to own a new innovative product meant that I had to work through the kinks until the inventors corrected the bugs.

I can’t begin to tell you how many times I had the most frustrating days when the technology that I bought into didn’t work. As silly as it may seem now, I have had more meltdowns then I care to remember when technology stopped me from getting my work done. I suffered through failing email servers, shaky software programs, and malfunctioning copy machines,

Then there were days when even my recreational tech products failed. Mp3’s became muffled, bluetooth ear pieces lost transmission, smartphone apps turned off or they just froze in place. I’ve really tried to have patience but being tolerant isn’t one of my attributes.

I was one of the first users of the Fitbit, a wireless tracker of steps, distance, calories burned, and stairs climbed. It also measures your sleep quality and helps you learn how to sleep better. Since its introduction there have been many new versions with lots of advances. For some reason, I stuck with the original Fitbit.

Now comes word that Fitbit’s newest product, the Force wristband at $129.00, is causing blisters, rashes and itchy dry patches on the wrists of the users. The Wall Street Journal was one of the first to report it.

Fitbit Chief Executive James Park said he believes the skin problems are “allergic contact dermatitis, which can resemble a sunburn or a rash.” He said it also could be allergic reactions to nickel, a component of the steel in the Force. “Our investigation is looking beyond nickel to other potential causes as well.”

The Fitbit has been one of the most successful fitness products on the market. Its name is almost synonymous with “wearable technology.” It’s a shame that this had to happen after so many years of a great track record. Personally, I think fans will be forgiving. They understand the tough road of innovation and are appreciative of the company’s accomplishments. People who love all of the new digital products exercise patience. I have to remember that.

If you want to read the details about the Fitbit rash, click here.

Dirty Phone Calls

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This post is going to gross you out. It discusses exactly how dirty your cell phone is. Maybe you don’t want to know. It’s one thing to find out about how dirty a public bathroom door knob is, or how dirty the inside of your handbag is, but get ready to freak when you learn about the filth and the germs you are putting on your face every time you make a call.

The inventors of PhoneSoap, a device that sanitizes your cell, reported that phones have 18 times more harmful bacteria than the handle on a male public toilet. They also found research reports that showed that staph, E. Coli, and MRSA live on our cell phones!

Okay you’ve been warned. Here comes a shocking bit of info. One in six cell phones have fecal matter on them because people use their phones in the bathroom. All this info comes from Wesley LaPorte, Inventor/Germ-Guru and Dan Barnes, Internet Marketing Guru at PhoneSoap.

This all may sound a little self-serving because LaPorte and Barnes are introducing a remedy for dirty phones, but the info is worth noting. They say that cell phones are susceptible to bacteria because of the warmth they radiate.

LaPorte and Barnes invented PhoneSoap, a small box that simultaneously charges and sanitizes your cell phone using UV-C light. UV-C light is electromagnetic radiation that’s used in hospitals and clean rooms around the world.

There is a lot more to learn about this product but I will allow a previous PhoneSoap fundraising campaign to spell it out. Click here to read much more about this product and cell phone related health concerns.

PhoneSoap is available on Amazon at $45.99. Remember, PhoneSoap charges your cell as well. That’s a huge plus.

A Second Life

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Everything old is new again. The art world surely knows how to take obsolete products and turn them into pieces of art.

I’m sure you have seen plenty on your own, but I really liked the piece I saw at Art Wynwood, Miami (above) which is a mixed media portrait painted on used floppy discs and other outdated technology.

The paintings were created by London-based artist Nick Gentry. The Robert Fontaine Gallery of Miami represents Gentry. The artist claims “The portraits are a history of the things that happen in life, collected into one painting.”

The pieces remind me of Chuck Close’s work. Any thoughts?

GoPro + Art = Digital Art

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One of the reasons GoPro is such a success is the content that is being created by users. GoPro is the video camera that snaps on to your helmet or that you wear on a harness around your chest. The whole purpose is to record everything you see and experience. The founder, Nick Woodman, now 38 and a billionaire, instinctively knew that people all over the world would want a record of their adventures.

Millions of people are using GoPros to video record everything from extreme sports to birthing babies. Users just fasten the GoPro on and record everything in sight in order to share with others or review themselves.

The art community has also jumped on the GoPro bandwagon. Just the other day I witnessed two French artists at Art Wynwood in Miami using GoPros as part of their painting performance. You have to watch the video to see how they paint and record at the same time. The artists, Christian Volckman and Raphael Thierry, are called CR and hail from France. They paint with “four hands.”

CR is well known for collaborative art projects. The painters create animated videos in which one picks up where the other one left off, described as the “cadavre exquis” method. The GoPro videos are projected on flat screen displays for all to see. The entire process makes you feel like you are part of the art.

I own a GoPro. They are so much fun. The only challenge is that you have to be a skilled editor. I am not. It takes a lot of time to produce an exciting video when you have hours and hours of footage.

You have to cut more than you keep. That’s tough for most people.

The Perfect Keyboard Solution

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Every time I go on a trip, I ask myself the same question. Should I take my laptop or can I get away with my iPad? I usually end up taking my laptop (along with my iPad and iPhone) because I may have a lot of typing to do. I’m not talking a few paragraphs, I mean multiple pages.

Of course you can type on an iPad, many do. All I am saying is that it feels awkward and it slows you down. It’s also very difficult to type with two hands so you use one of your pointers for everything.

Wait until you learn more about the TouchFire keyboard. It fits right over the iPad’s on-screen keyboard and is completely transparent. You need to watch the video to see this marvel in action. I just bought the TouchFire from Amazon for $39.99. It is being delivered Monday. I just had to share my new find with you.

A National Treasure Uncovered

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Steve Jobs continues to make news from the hereafter. The story I am about to tell you is true, even though it sounds totally made up.

The original mouse from the Lisa computer has been found. This is the one that Jobs actually used 30 years ago. The mouse was buried in a time capsule by organizers of the 1983 Aspen International Design Conference.

Jobs donated the mouse for the time capsule — called the “Aspen Time Tube” — after using it to give a presentation at the conference, The event’s organizers wanted to reopen the 13-foot-long steel tube in 2000. One small problem . No one could find the exact location of the buried treasure because of new landscaping in the area. See it all on the video.

The capsule was actually rediscovered six months ago. A crew from the National Geographic Channel show Diggers brought it to the surface. Tune in on February 25th at 10pm, the NatGeo channel, for the full details

Thank you guys.

Patterson Interrupted

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The woman who captured all the attention

I almost didn’t write this blog post because it really has nothing to do with the digital world. I circled back to this life-lesson incident because our Internet went down and I didn’t have access to the web for research. Maybe this is a sign that the story should be told.

Picture this: A loud-mouthed, self-absorbed fan, constantly interrupting one of the most popular authors in the world during his meet and greet presentation yesterday at Murder on the Beach Bookstore in Delray Beach, Florida.

As I described yesterday, the bookstore was packed. Most loyal fans showed up an hour before James Patterson, author of 260 million books purchased worldwide, gave his talk. Everyone wanted good seats. The rest of the fans squeezed into the aisles like it was the last train home. The air conditioner was at max, but you could already feel the heat rising.

Right on time, Patterson appeared in front of the mic. Before he got a few words out of his mouth, you heard a commotion in the back of the store with one raspy female voice screeching, “I can’t see Patterson. I can’t see Patterson.” The author stopped talking, waiting for a break in the chaos to start again, but the outbursts continued. He made a few jokes like, “I thought I was the speaker?” Those of us in the front laughed, but the voices in the back got louder and louder.

Finally, Patterson couldn’t take it anymore. He stopped everything. He asked, “What is the problem back there?” No one answered him. You heard moans and groans. All of a sudden, some elderly, heavy set woman, squeezed her way through the crowd, stepping on the toes of others, giving a right and left elbow jab to those standing in the way. She was panting heavily, “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe,” as she slowly made her way down the aisle until she reached the front.

Instantly, some other older woman got up to offer her a chair. Without hesitation, “panting woman” took the chair and brought it closer to Patterson while she blocked the view of those who thought they had front row seats.

Patterson tried to start again, but the woman kept kvetching. “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe.” At one point I expected her to pass out. Patterson tried to be sympathetic, but it was becoming increasingly clear that this was more about her self-absorption than anything else that was going on in the room.

There was no stopping this woman. She interrupted Patterson for the entire hour. She loudly commented on everything he said. The problem was that she was a loyal fan. She recited excerpts from Patterson’s book, clapped like a two-year-old when Patterson announced his next books, and offered to give him pages to read from the book her son was writing as a New York City cop.

If this were any place other than Delray Beach, this intrusive nudnik would have been removed. If it were New York, she would have been a victim in one of Patterson’s books.

But this was Delray. Patterson was tolerant and the crowd was kind. I was flabbergasted.

Patterson on Patterson

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The author who has sold approximately 260 million copies of his books worldwide says the most important thing you can do for your children or grandchildren is to encourage them to read. Eliot and I met up with James Patterson at Murder on the Beach Mystery Bookstore in Delray Beach, FL last night.

Patterson was launching his latest novel, “Private L.A.” The place was packed with fans, way over capacity. “Do what you have to in order get your kids to read,” he said. “If they read, they won’t see things in black and white. They will be able to open themselves up to new opportunities and concepts. They will be better thinkers and live richer lives.”

Patterson has several special initiatives in motion that encourage children of all ages to read. The programs are so strong that he believes he actually saves lives. “We have seen the difference from before and after. Remarkable. The time I devote to the programs is both exhilarating and rewarding.”

Patterson admitted he doesn’t spend a lot of time using digital products. All his books are written by hand. He still likes the feel of a book. There is something magical about visiting a bookstore. He doesn’t want young people to miss out on this adventure.

Patterson said he spoke to Jeff Bezos of Amazon about the absence of bookstores and the impact it will have on future generations. Bezos’s response was interesting. “We’re working on it.”

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Out of My Comfort Zone

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My goal date is June 6, 2014. On that day, I plan to prance into the dress rehearsal dinner for the wedding of my friend’s son wearing a wrap dress by Diane von Furstenberg. For the last 40 years, I have watched one gorgeous gal after another wear that dress with pride, confidence, and moxie. I want that to be me too.

Newsweek 1976

Newsweek 1976

Most recently, actress Amy Adams, wore an original Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress in the movie “American Hustle.” It was the same green and white wrap dress that von Furstenberg wore on the cover of Newsweek in 1976.

Today von Furstenberg is celebrating her 40th year of being a touted fashion designer. This is my 47th year working. What better way for me to celebrate than try to squeeze into a wrap dress?

I want to lose another 10 to 15 pounds in order to give the dress justice. This whole desire came about after I read about the 40th anniversary Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress exhibition at the former May Company department store building on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, now part of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art complex.

I have to say that the online division The New York Times did a fabulous job covering Von Furstenberg’s remarkable career with their use of editorials and a series of videos.

Take a look how newspapers today are using a combination of media to get their point across. I really suggest you read your daily newspapers online. Otherwise, you are missing the full dimension of the way stories are being presented today.

This Will Blow Your Mind

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You have to try this at home yourself. This is not magic. But it’s pretty darn close.

Everyone has been talking about the Cycloramic ever since its founder, Bruno François, appeared on Shark Tank last week. This is going to be one of the most amazing things you have ever seen. A new app is capable of turning a series of photos into a panoramic photo or video. And the phone can even do it by itself using the iPhone’s vibrate feature which has been specially calibrated by the app to spin the device smoothly around on its own steam. You can then view the photo or video on Cycloramic’s 3D viewer.

You have to watch the videos to better understand this amazing feat.

The Sharks loved the Cycloramic. Mark Cuban gave Cycloramic $500,000 at a $3 million valuation. François was only seeking $90,000.

After researching information about the app, I found out that the episode was filmed over the summer. At that time, Cycloramic had 660,000 downloads and cost $.99 on the App Store. Today, it has more than eight million downloads and costs $2.99, although it is currently offered on special at $1.99. François is also developing a rotating base to allow the app to work on non-iPhone devices.

About 100,000 new downloads took place within an hour of Cycloramic’s debut on Shark Tank. The power of television? No, the power of a great product.