Category Archives: senior lifestyle

My New Friend 

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AvatarMind iPal™ Robot

He And She AvatarMind iPal™ Robots


I was walking the aisles of CES in Las Vegas when all of a sudden I saw the future, the AvatarMind iPal™ Robot. I knew immediately that this was an innovation I wanted to be associated with as soon as possible.

As luck would have it, the first person I approached at the iPal booth turned out to be the CEO. He told me he is marketing the iPal for the  children, elder care, hospitality and retail market.
You are one of the first humans to see this robot. Check out the video 

Children 

iPal is a fun companion. It can talk, dance, tell stories, play games, encourage physical activity, and enable them to chat with friends, share videos, and safely connect to the internet and social media.

​Parents 

iPal is a teacher for their children with spoken language learning and tablet-based educational programs, providing educational content in an engaging manner that supports social development and encourages interest in science and technology. Parents can remotely control iPal and monitor their child’s safety and activity on their smartphone or desktop from anywhere and at any time.

​Elder Companionship/Care

Many elders are alone and lonely. They often have problems keeping track of everyday activities, such as taking their medicine. iPal is a constant companion that supplements personal care services and provides security with alerts for many medical emergencies such as falling down.

​Retail/Hospitality

An example is a chain of children’s stores where iPal greets children when they come in the door, entertains them, tells them about products, etc. Another is as a concierge/greeter in hotels to provide guests with a higher level of personal service.

I’ll let you know about future developments. The iPal Robots will be available mid-year.
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Stories I wanted to share with you.

1-The biggest Ikea in the U.S. will open next month in Burbank – Curbed LA. Click here for story.

2-Don’t miss this one. Seth Meyers Interviews Kellyanne Conway About President-Elect Trump

Earbuds That Help You Hear

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Company video 

My CES video interview 

I have a solution for seniors who have some hearing problems, but are not quite ready for hearing aids. I was introduced to the IQbuds at CES. They are a combination of wireless headphones and a hearing aid.

Made by a company called Nuheara from Perth, Australia, the Bluetooth IQbuds are capable of cancelling out ambient noise yet amplifying the human voice. You can also use them for hands-free calls, streaming of music, and to personalize a user’s experience

They sell for $199.00.

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RIP Steven McDonald, Paralyzed Officer Who Championed Forgiveness, Dies at 59

Stephen was the brother of Owen McDonald and cousin of Danny McDonald. Eliot and I worked with both Owen and Danny in the 1970’s and are still in touch with them. Stephen, a New York City police officer, was shot in Central Park in 1986.The McDonalds are a big, wonderful family. You can read all about Stephen here. 

Meryl Streep Gave The Speech Of Her, Our Lifetime At Golden Globes 

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We are living in very strange times. Meryl Streep reminds us not to tolerate bullies, and people who support them. Thank you Meryl for being a leader in this effort. 

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Brooke Wanser of the Las Vegas Review Journal

Brooke Wanser and me at the Luxe Cafe, Palazzo, Hotel, Las Vegas.

 

There are five decades between us, yet Las Vegas Review Journal Brooke Wanser and I had no lull in our conversation when she came to interview me about being the only one to attend 50 years of CES trade shows. I had such a good time talking to her. It was like reliving my career as a journalist again as she told me about her newspaper beats. I thank Brooke over and over for my profile story.

Here it is. 

Tech reporter turned PR maven celebrates 50th anniversary attending CES | Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Click here 

It’s Baby Time

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Bloomlife got a lot of attention at CES, primarily because women with big stomachs were walking around showing off their automatic track and monitoring systems. Bloomlife tells pregnant women the frequency and duration of their labor contractions. It’s a  personalized digital pregnancy wearable.  

The concept is brand new. The company is only renting the monitor for the last trimester at $149.00. While some future moms may not feel that this gizmo is necessary, I bet most will love ❤️ it.  There’s nothing like having a little reassurance that’s it’s time to head to the hospital. I did a video with a company executive giving a fast synopsis of the product,  and I also posted a Bloomlife one which gives you great insight. 

I stayed at the Palazzo Hotel in Las Vegas this year. Our new favorite.  

Light Therapy 

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I went looking for Apira Science of Boca Raton, FL, at CES, because I heard that they are  recognized as one of the global leaders in aesthetic light-based therapies. I really thought light therapy was voodoo until I heard Jonathan Graff, director of clinical research and education, at Apira Science, explain the technology.

Instead of trying to capture the details of what he said about growing hair and reducing wrinkles, I thought you should hear it for yourself. Please play the video.

Apira is truly a pioneer in the development, manufacturing, and distribution of low-level light therapy  systems and devices for the consumer market. They claim that their iGrow product increased hair counts of more than 35%, following only 16 weeks of iGrow light therapy. Pretty impressive! 

Let’s hope that Iderma is a great anti-aging solution. It’s all in the lighting.

 

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In-Home Eye Exam

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I arrived in Las Vegas this afternoon for the 2017 CES. I have already done 12,999 steps looking at the latest innovations. The one I want to tell you about immediately is the EyeQue Personal Vision Tracker. This is the first in-home vision testing system that features an optical miniscope and a smartphone application so you can now get corrective vision measurements whenever, and wherever, you choose. 

“Now you can take your eye measurements at home and then order a pair of eye glasses,” said John A. Serri, PhD, founder of EyeQue. He said he feels that it’s very important to keep track of your of your vision. “EyeQue is not meant to replace the eye doctor. It’s meant to be a support system for between eye doctor visits.”

Read more about EyeQue in the company’s press release. Click here. 

I also included an official video interview I did with Dr. Serri. 

Here is the official product video.

Great Way To End The Year 

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The King Mango Strut is an annual satirical parade held in Coconut Grove, Florida. This year there was plenty of material to draw from. The reason why we love it so much is because it brings out the creativity in folks and everyone is there for a good, clean and safe time. The parade has great energy, positive vibes, and good wishes for all!!
Happy New Year !!!

Photos by Eliot Hess

Smoke And Mirrors

Zika Reminder

My Sister

Tall Ideas

You Know Who This Is !!!

Janet Reno Returns

The King And Queen Of The Parade.

That’s All Folks !!!!

Become An Instant Astronomer 

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This is one of Eliot’s favorite apps. He uses Skyview to help him find stars or constellations in the sky. Eliot just opens the SkyView app and points it to the sky. It’s as easy as that. Have fun! 

Fireworks Outside Our Condo

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It’s a good thing that Eliot keeps his cameras ready on his desk for any action that happens outside our windows. He has captured fires, car accidents, new cruise liners, low-flying sea planes, and boating accidents. Tonight without warning, we had a magnificent fireworks display. 

We see a multitude of fireworks every New Year’s Eve and Fourth of July. Tonight was different. Someone planted a barge right in Biscayne Bay next to the MacArthur Causeway to produce a private celebration. It was spectacular. We have no idea what the celebration was for, but we enjoyed the spontaneous show. Thank you, whoever you are. 

Snapchat Spectacles Used For Surgerical Tutorial 

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Warning: The above video could cause you to faint or vomit. If you don’t like the sight of blood, don’t open the video.

I squinted my way through it. I watched because I didn’t want to miss the first time a surgeon used a pair of Snapchat’s Spectacles to record his procedure.

As a reminder, Snapchat’s Spectacles are sunglasses fitted with a camera that records 10-second clips that are uploaded to personal Snapchat accounts.

Dr. Shafi Ahmed, a hernia repair surgeon at the London Independent Hospital, used his Snapchat account to share a series of video clips that formed a tutorial for medical students.

Dr. Ahmed, said, “It’s about using the tools we have, from smartphones to Facebook, to push the boundaries and reach more people than ever before. The Snapchat platform is really interesting because it mimics who we are. We see things, we forget about them. Some goes into our long-term memory, but most of it, 95% of it, is all short-term.”
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Approximately, 150 to 200 medical students watched the tutorial in real time, others joined in within the 24-hour limit. 

To learn more about Dr. Ahmed’s operation, read Time Magazine’s coverage of the entire event.