My doctor just gave me two antibiotic prescriptions, one for Cipro and the other for Z-Pak. He also gave a set for Eliot. I don’t like to travel without them. Since we are leaving for Barcelona on July 12th, I made sure we were covered for colds and stomach ailments.
I thought I was being so smart until my friend Carlos sent me this Ted Talk by Maryn McKenna, a journalist and author who specializes in public health, global health and food policy. You must watch the video above to learn the facts. We may be killing ourselves.
Eliot and I watch more TV than ever before. I don’t know where we find the time. We work, go to the theater and movies, visit with family and friends, attend events, read, travel, and eat out. Despite all this, we manage to watch at least 30 hours of TV a week.
We binge. We love it. We have such a good time watching some very well developed TV series. We are in the comfort of our apartment, relaxed in loosely-fit clothes, snacks nearby, and bathroom breaks when we want them.
Media Post, a marketing trade publication, just did a study that says binging is on the rise. That’s no surprise. The part that I found strange was that while binging “brings much joy to consumers, it can also bring the blues.” TiVo Research says that “52% of those surveyed are experiencing sadness when they approach the end of a TV series.
I can relate to that. It’s difficult to let go to your pretend family and friends on the TV screen. “Binging is also having an impact on sleep patterns.” TiVo says “31% have lost sleep due to binging, and 37% say they have spent entire weekends binging.”
Eliot and I have done that. It’s a great escape from all of life’s challenges. After a weekend of binging, we realized how much we enjoyed ourselves and how it didn’t cost much to have a good time.
This is truly amazing. An innovation doesn’t always have to be a digital invention. It can sometimes be toothpicks. Yes, toothpicks.
My friend Todd Smith told me about Stan Munro. He has been making things out of toothpicks since the 5th grade. Thirty years later he turned it into a big money-making career. It was all happenstance.
While Stan was a TV feature reporter 10 years ago, his wife Suzi found out that she had Polycystic Kidney-Liver Disease (PKLD). Watch the first video to hear Suzi’s explanation of what happened to her. Have a tissue ready to wipe away your tears.
Stan had to stay home with his wife. She couldn’t be alone. During that time, he focused on his hobby of toothpicking. Strange as it may seem, he sold his first Toothpick City exhibit in 2006 to a museum in Spain. Then in 2011, his wife received a double-transplant at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.
Life really started turning around. There are still tough times, but they inspire each other. Stan and Suzi live in North Syracuse, NY. He has built some of the world’s most famous landmarks out of toothpicks. All of his models are built to 1:164 scale. They can take anywhere from a day to six months to create.
Museums and galleries show his work all the time. The one closest to him is the Museum of Science and Technology in Syracuse. Name all of the structures, and you win a Waterpik Water Flosser. I even inserted clues, in or near, the photos. Good luck.
I feel we are living in miraculous times when it comes to technological advancements in medicine. CNN just did a spectacular feature on neurologist Kelly Foote and neurosurgeonMichael Okun. Together, they gave a famous TED talk where the two doctors spelled out the details of direct brain stimulation.
What does that mean? Both doctors strategically implant electrodes inside the skulls of patients to alleviate symptoms of tremor, multiple sclerosis and even OCD.
You have to see how this works. It is quite remarkable. Your brain speaks a binary language, just like your computer. That’s all you need to know before you watch the video.
The next big category in the world of gadgetry is digital personal assistants. They’re going to change our home lives forever. Not only will they make great companions for those who live alone, but they will also keep all users informed and up-to-date on all relevant news.
The one I want to highlight today is the Echo made by Amazon. The Amazon Echo is a voice command device that answers questions, plays music and can control other smart devices. The device, housed in 9.25-inch tall cylinder speaker, responds to the name “Alexa.” The name can be changed.
To fully understand the capabilities of this gizmo, watch the above video. It could become your greatest resource.
My long time friend, Dick Krain, who was a big time executive at Grey Advertising for 30 plus years, sent me this video today because we always share interesting information. I just finished watching it. It is so exciting that we are living in a time when things occur at Internet speed.
Many of us think the possibility of Donald Trump becoming President of the United States is absolutely ridiculous. One mystery: how does he produce productive, level-headed children?
Meet The Next Larry Page and Sergey Brin
I met these two teenagers, ages 16 and 14, at CE Week today, a mini CES convention. They were among a handful of students who won awards for their digital inventions. When I asked them who they were, they answered “innovators.” Remember these two Dwight High School students. They have a technology that will allow you to attach a gizmo to your glasses and read everything people are mumbling. The timing couldn’t be more perfect for someone like me who misses a lot of words in loud restaurants. Bravo to these two unusual youngsters.
By now, you probably have heard the news. It was all over the press last night. I didn’t want to take a chance that you might have missed it, so here we go again.
If you have an Gmail account, you can now undo “send” after you clicked the email option. The new Google feature gives you the five to 30 second delay option. This is great news for folks like me who like to use an email to vent and then delete. Every once in a while, I might actually send it and then have huge regrets. I need the few seconds to change my mind. Do you too?
The undo feature is not yet available on mobile devices, so many of us are slightly disappointed. Most of my friends spend the majority of their time on their smartphones.
I am pretty sure Google will be forced to release this feature on mobile devices as soon as possible considering they have 900 million users worldwide, which I’d the largest email service available.
I predict the other email services will be announcing a similar feature soon.
The iPhone has actually become a mobile vision examining instrument. Prior devices, which measure wavefront aberrometry, cost anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000. The founders of Smart Vision Labs, say their invention is priced at $3,950.
Read about wavefront aberrometry here. The quick version from AllAboutVision.com says “wavefront technology, or aberrometry, diagnoses both lower- and higher-order vision errors represented by the way the eye refracts or focuses light.”
The company has just raised $6.1 million in its first major round of institutional funding from Techstars Ventures, Heritage Group, Connectivity Capital, and Red Sea Ventures.
My friend Carlos shared this video with me Saturday morning and I wanted to share it with you as soon as possible. It’s all about the fact that our computers and mobile devices will soon be able to detect our emotions.
Rana El-Kaliouby, Ph.D and chief science officer of Affectiva, recently gave a TED Talk about how this technology is going to rollout. It’s going to be a very important part of our future as spend more time with our technology. If you want to be involved in the evolution of this technology, start now. You can have a major influence on its initial applications.
It’s only a 10 minute video. After watching the clip, you are then guaranteed to be the most sought out person at the next dinner party. You will know things others have no clue about. Enjoy your new found status as a technology expert.
Thank you Carlos. Another new facet of life to get use to. Glad you warned us.
Did you ever want to remove yourself from the situation you are in to find a happy place? If your answer is yes, then I have an app for you. Say hello to Buddhidy, a meditation app that features over 80 custom-made medications.
It doesn’t matter what predicament you are in, there is a mediation that will be targeted to whatever you need: travel, sleep, eating, etc. It costs $3, but that’s probably a small piece to pay for relief. All it takes is five to 10 minutes.
This is almost like therapy on-the-run. In this day and age, it might be the perfect solution.
DigiDame 