Category Archives: Uncategorized

Bikers Beware

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Neil Weinstock

This is not exactly a tech story even though bicycles do have lots of tech accessories and some have electric engines. This is a warning from a friend of mine, Neil Weinstock, who is busy developing the next big technology in 3D. Go to www.soliddd.com to read all about it.

Neal was in a life-threatening bike accident two weeks ago on Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, NY. After riding on city streets since 1978, he claims he is not going to do that anymore. He will take his bike to a park where he can do his 25-mile ride a few times a week without the threat of speeding automobiles.

Neal said if he wasn’t wearing a helmet he would be dead today. A run-away car made an unauthorized turn from the side road on Ocean Parkway and smacked right into him on the main road where the bike lane was situated.  The car kept going while he was on the ground gushing blood.

He blacked out and doesn’t remember a lot other than tremendous shooting pain. He was hospitalized for several days and a hundred plus stitches later, he was standing in front of me at CE Week.

Neal is very concerned about Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plan to get more bikes on the road. “The plan to rent bikes without helmets is unthinkable and irresponsible,” he added. “I want to warn people of my generation, and all generations, that they can’t bike without a helmet. It’s just suicide.”

Neal, we are so happy you lived to tell the story. We can’t wait for you to change the 3D landscape. We are very proud of you

gdgt Live

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The world of tech likes to party. Every month, or sometimes every week, there is some event that industry people can attend to see new products, socialize, drink, eat, and go home with a bag of goodies.

The gdgt event last night, smack in the middle of Silicon Alley in New York  City, was a little different. This one was targeted to the consumer. Thousands of people showed up to walk through the exhibit hall at The Altman Building, 135 West 18th Street. Manufacturers and app developers had their new introductions on display to get first hand customer reactions and to start generating sales. FYI, gdgt, a company that dropped its vowels, is a blog where you can get reviews from people who actually have the product you’re looking for. They run live events all around the country as a means to get the innovative companies to interact with the public.

Last night was my first time attending as a blogger. I am usually a PR person pitching product myself. I wanted to find new, exciting products to tell you about. One of the most interesting pieces of information that I picked up is that AARP is becoming a sponsor of some of these events. Robin Raskin of Living In Digital Times told me that AARP is expressing more interest in technology. It all makes sense to me but I will let you know about any services they develop involving innovation.

Here are some of the innovations I saw last night that might interest you.

1) iRobot Roomba 790 with Command Center

2) iPieces from Pressman, a host of new games from Pressman Toys

3) Cobrar entry into the app market with the iRadar

DigiDame Nailed A Scoop !!!

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You may not remember but on June 11th, I wrote a post from Croatia saying that outdoor TV viewing was very popular, especially in bars and restaurants. I showed you a few photos of what the flat panel TV’s looked like hanging on the walls and talked about how crowds gathered to drink, eat and watch sports games together. Before Croatia I had never seen an outdoor flat panel so I found it fascinating. The units I am talking about are designed to be displayed outdoors and remain there in all kinds of weather.

The only other time I had heard about an outdoor TV came from my pal Howard Greenberg. He said he had a friend who owned one. I remember grilling Howard because I never heard think of this concept before. I thought perhaps his friend rigged a traditional set for outdoor purposes. Howard insisted that I was wrong and the TV panel was designed to be displayed outside. He said that his friend installed the unit by the pool so his family could watch their favorite sports shows while swimming, having BBQ’s and just relaxing on their patio.

Just a few days ago, I was telling Greg Tarr, Executive Editor at TWICE magazine, a trade publication in the consumer electronics business, about the outdoor flat panel TV that I saw in Croatia and what Howard had told me. Greg is the utmost authority when it comes to new product introductions and trends in the TV hardware business.

Greg confirmed that outdoor flat panels are now appealing to a wide general audience in the United States and he just wrote an article about it. The manufacturers that are in the business so far are SunBrite, Cinios, Runko, Seura, and Toshinaer. I was thrilled that I spotted this trend in Europe and that I shared it with you earlier this month.

Thank you Greg for taking the time to share your story with me and my readers.

Follow The Breadcrumbs

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Before you go any further, be sure to read yesterday’s post about finding lost people, pets, and objects. Today’s topic is all about retracing your own footsteps. How many times have you walked into a room without the foggiest notion why you went in there in the first place? Kind of scary but it happens to people all the time. It gets scarier as we get older.

Just this morning a friend of mine over 50 couldn’t find his cell phone in my apartment. He couldn’t remember what room he was in and where he might have left it. He went into a complete panic mode even though Eliot and I were immediately looking for it. When we couldn’t find it, we simply dialed his cell from the house phone (Yes, we still have a landline) and it began ringing in his carry-on bag. He said he always puts his cell phone in his pocket so he was dumbfounded how it got in his mini luggage.

It is times like this that we all need to take a deep breath and retrace our footsteps to find out how we mindlessly misplaced something. It just takes a few seconds to forget what we were doing. If we could just drop a few breadcrumbs we could figure out where we were and where we are supposed to be going.

That is why I am introducing you to the Magellan eXplorist 110. . The GPS receiver is really for outdoor navigation when you want to repeatedly go to a specific spot when fishing, hiking, hunting, and biking.

However, some of my friends have resorted to hanging the GPS unit around their neck as if it was a mini compass. It records their every move with a series of digital breadcrumbs. They now can easily retrace their steps. No more threat of memory loss.
While this may be silly to some, to others it is a very serious solution to a nagging problem.

It retails for $129.99.

Internet Isolation Is Not Necessarily A Bad Thing

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Yesterday I hinted that many of my friends are very worried that the world of the Internet is making their children and grandchildren totally anti-social. They believe that the adults of tomorrow will be incapable of relationships, both personal and business, because they haven’t spent enough time learning interpersonal skills.

I have one girl friend who absolutely can’t stand sitting next to a family in a restaurant, where young children are watching a movie on an iPad or playing a video game on a smart phone. As a former elementary teacher, she honestly feels that parents should be engaging their children in dialogue during meals rather than using technology as a babysitter.

I have been very curious about this subject for a while because I am the mother of an adult child who spent the better portion of her life in front a computer screen. In recent years I have often heard my daughter say she doesn’t want to be anywhere near a computer when her work is done for the day. Too bad her work is never done.

In order to get a proper perspective on this, I decided to ask people under 40 how they feel about the their isolation. Here are some of the things they told me:

1-Most people piss me off. Their conversations are a waste of time. I prefer to talk online where I can instantaneously cut someone off.

2-The Internet has made me more social than ever before. I have friends all over      the world. We talk about “things,” not “people.” We see each other a few times a year, and when we do we pick up where we left off online. We are all interested in the same things. I don’t have to hear about their kids, their money woes, or their sex lives. I spend way too much time with egomaniacs who only want to talk about themselves. None of them are really interested in what I do and how I do it.

3-I am a homebody. I have many hobbies. I go out with family and friends a few times a month. I love them but they are so boring.

4-I have never been happier since the advent of the Internet. I am busy all the time doing things that I like to do. My mind is being stimulated every waking hour. I used to sit around reading comic books and watching TV.

5-Before the Internet, I spent most of my time partying and getting drunk. Now I have to stay sober because I am an app developer. I have never felt better in my life. I even got married to a girl who I met online.

6-The only one who is worried about my interpersonal skills is my mother. She nags me all the time. She needs to learn interpersonal skills. Nag, nag, nag

7-My parents’ universe is so small. My universe is so big. I love them but they are clueless about the business world and personal relationships. Most people are like me, not them.

8-My father watches sports on TV all day. My mother yaks on the telephone. They are not exactly role models.

I have to admit that there are many times that I love sitting at home alone in front of my computer. Have I found the Fountain of Youth?

You Need A Digital Personal Assistant

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Julie Lesser

You go to a dentist when your tooth hurts. You go to your hair stylist when you hair needs a cut. You go to a masseuse when your muscles ache, and you go to a therapist when you are at your wits’ end. Then why shouldn’t you go to what I call a Digital Personal Assistant when you need help with the wonderful world of technology? A DPA is someone you can hire on an hourly basis who will help you figure out Twitter, set up iTunes, show you Audible, explain whatever apps you are interested in, and even go shopping with you for your tech needs.

Let’s stop this insanity. Why should we be held hostage to our technology fears when there are so many youngsters who are out of work and willing to introduce us to a world that is beyond our comprehension? We lead vital and productive lives. Why should anything stand in our way of experiencing the latest in innovation? We should be a part of the digital revolution and learn as much as we can. Most of us rely on our children to help us. I think we all agree that they have little time and no patience for us. A friend of mine recently told me, “My son is the last person I would ask. He talks jargon and when I ask him more than once to show me something, he almost gets violent.”

The simple truth is that your children are the wrong ones to teach you this stuff. You need someone to call who knows there is a financial reward that goes along with it. I used to pay $25 an hour to a young friend of mine to teach my girlfriend how to use Skype, send multiple emails, fix her printer, and explain the wonders of scanning. It was my birthday gift to her. She has now used a Digital Personal Assistant several times.

Julie is a digital whiz

Last night I was talking about this concept with my much younger girl friend Julie Lesser who lives in Westlake Village, California. Julie is an Internet expert even though that is not her day job. She is just one of these natural talents who intuitively knows her way around software, hardware, social media platforms, mobile equipment, and apps. She spends six or eight hours on the net every day researching, reading, and learning more and more about how our lifestyles are being influenced by the tech world. It is not unusual for younger people to spend hours at their computers. In fact, it is what makes them much more sophisticated and specialized in a world that we don’t realize exists.

Julie was answering questions I had about Facebook and why there are so many format changes. She enlightened me as no one else has had the patience to do. That will also be another blog post. Meanwhile, we discussed the concept of the Digital Personal Assistant and decided that we would both venture into starting a small business that helped others. We were on the phone for two hours discussing all of the possibilities. That is a lot of time for someone to be offline, so I truly want to officially thank her now.

We would like to begin by helping any DigiDame readers. Email me at Lois@digidame.com. any time you have a question. If Julie or anyone else we add to our virtual staff can’t help you via telephone or email, we will get you someone in person. Don’t be shy, call. I know that the biggest challenge for this business model is getting the 50-plus crowd to make that first call. We either have a tremendous fear factor or we are just too lazy to learn. I don’t know how to get through to you other than to just keep saying it over and over. Technology is just not that difficult to learn. Once you learn it, or even part of it, your life is going to go in to a positive spin. Don’t you deserve it?

1010 WINS Gives Me The World

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By the time you read this you may already know the verdicts for John Edwards and Dharun Ravi. But as I sit here anxiously awaiting the fate of these two guys on this rainy Monday morning in New York, I am wondering how you receive your news in the age of the Internet.

I have been relying on New York’s all news radio station 1010 WINS for as long as I can remember. I first listened to WINS on my clock radio, then my boom box, then my shower radio, then on my laptop when radio went “live” on the Internet and today on the apps on my iPhone and iPad.

I don’t leave home without access to 1010 WINS. WINS is the nation’s oldest all-news station in the country, broadcasting in that format continuously since 1965. Known on-air as “Ten-Ten Wins”, the radio station is now owned by CBS Radio. I used to feel sorry for people who lived in cities without an all news radio station. It is just so uncivilized. I grew up in New York where 1010 WINS was around as long as I can remember. Their slogan, “Give us 22 minutes and we will give you the world,” basically sums up what the station does. You can tune in any time of the day or night and within 22 minutes you know exactly what is happening in the world of politics, sports, weather, entertainment, business, music, pop culture, crime, traffic, accidents and deaths. They don’t miss a beat.

Alan Freed, an icon in Rock n Roll, got his start on 1010 WINS

I could never understand when someone claims they get their news from The Today Show. The Today Show? You have got to be kidding? The Today Show doesn’t give you the most up-to-date information on every topic. It gives you the side story after the news happens.

Now through the Internet you can experience what I have all these years. I listen to the station wherever I am in the world. Yes, sometimes it is disconcerting when I am in Europe to listen to the weather in New York, however, this is still the most efficient way to get world news. From the minute I wake up in the morning, to the time I go to bed at night, I tune in every few hours from my app, from my computer, from my bathroom radio. Remember, all you need is 22 minutes.

Even in the age of the Internet, 1010 WINS still beats out any other form of news including CNN, Associated Press, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, etc. By the time they put out the alerts, which are pretty quick, I have heard the news on WINS. News happens all day long. WINS reports it almost instantaneously. I am willing to debate this with anyone who wants to challenge me. In fact, I am pretty sure that Internet aggregation took its cue from 1010 WINS because the radio station was the first to rely on other news formats to gather information. They have original reporting, plus they find important and interesting stories from TV and print publications. The whole premise is to be the centerpiece of news delivery. That is the same platform that Huffington Post, The Daily Beast, Yahoo, and everyone else has adopted.

If you are an Internet baby or someone who is trying to reinvent yourself in the digital age, I really urge you to tune in any way you can. You will be one of the most informed people in any conversation you have. I am sure you have heard from anyone who is involved in the Internet that “Content Is King.” That means that without meaningful information, your Internet site is meaningless. The same holds true with how people perceive you. I am spelling out the easiest way to multi-task and be informed. You are welcome!

I Am A Digital Voyeur

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I spent the afternoon yesterday visiting two Internet centric companies in the Gramercy Park, Flatiron districts of Manhattan. I had no idea that Business Insider and Tumblr were steps away from my office on 21st and Broadway. Yes, I should have known, considering my company has been located in the area for a year and a half. I have been so busy working that I never considered canvassing the neighborhood. I knew that when we moved across the street from the Flatiron building we were in the heart of the NYC digital world. That is why I became intrigued by an email I received a few weeks earlier, asking if I wanted to participate in an open house program called Walkabout NYC.

The email said that “Walkabout NYC is a celebration of the technology and entrepreneurial culture in New York City. On Friday May 18, 2012, tech companies behind some of our favorite products will host a citywide open house. Stop by and check out their workspaces, see how they work, and meet the people leading the technology movement in NYC. This is about meeting new people, seeing awesome office spaces, learning about how people work, and having fun. The companies are thrilled to have you visit, and we hope you have a great day exploring!”

Walkabout NYC was founded by Danny Wen and Shawn Liu of Harvest HQ, a time tracking and billing company in SoHo servicing thousands of customers around the world, from freelancers to small businesses to departments within Fortune 500 companies. Danny and Shawn have always enjoyed taking tours of creative and entrepreneurial workspaces. No matter what size, they found that the spaces always fostered inspirational energy. Today, Harvest HQ has become a gathering point where the founders invite others to visit their workspace and share their tools of the trade. Walkabout is also expanding internationally. Voxel, an Internap Company, started a Walkabout in Singapore. The philosophy is the same, inspire people in the local technology community of Singapore to explore the spaces, culture and unique energy of digital companies.

We never had anything like this when I was in the earlier stages of my career. I guess the local Chambers of Commerce had the same premise by gathering businesses to meet each other. Walkabout NYC was different because you got to visit a lot of companies in one afternoon. Most of the people in the hosting companies were busy working, so the visitors actually got to see a true business day. I am still stunned that I spotted Henry Blodget, CEO and Editor-In-Chief of Business Insider, sitting right in the middle of the news room (in my days they called it a city room) typing away. I had just seen him on a TV news show with Eliot Spitzer, the former NY State Attorney General. Both of them were commenting on the recent financial troubles at JP Morgan Chase. Before they started the report, Henry said something like “Nice to be with you under different circumstances” and then got right in to the topic. I thought Henry was referring to the downfall of Spitzer’s political career a few years ago due to his womanizing. If you Google Henry Blodget you will see it was an entirely different situation.

Look closely. Henry Blodget on the right typing away

Henry is someone to be admired. He is a great role model as to how to reinvent yourself and always be of significance. I loved that he was immersed in whatever he was writing and didn’t even know there was a room filled with visitors. Someone from BI confirmed that the workspace he was sitting in was his office. He has two computer screens, one where he sits, the other where he stands. I have never seen anyone stand and write but apparently he does. My friend Adrian Rice from Steelcase should pitch him on their workspace treadmill, which is now a big favorite for those who want to get some exercise while they work.

I was so enamored when I saw Henry working away, I couldn’t wait to get back to the office to write my blog and handle several of the hundreds of tasks I have to do for my PR clients every day. The list is always endless. We all need to be motivated as often as possible. I can’t wait for the next Walkabout NYC.

The Past Is The Future

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Recently I found myself wondering whatever happpened to a certain from a friend who grew up in the same building as I did in Hollis, Queens? In the digital age you don’t have to wonder anymore. It wasn’t Facebook, but somehow, some way, Ellen Gershoff Jaffee got in touch with me. She is now one of my regular readers and often makes comments. 

Not only have I met the beautiful Ellen, I have also reunited with her brother and mother after 40 years. My mother died seven years ago this June,so when Ellen’s mother attended one of my parties in Miami a few years ago it was like being with my own mother again. We talked about people in the neighborhood that only my mother’s generation would have been interested in. 

Nadia, Mel and Lois

Then there is Mel Matza, my first boyfriend when I was 13. I didn’t see him in the decades after he moved to Bologna, Italy to attend medical school. He ended up staying there and getting married. Through email and Skype we were able to reconnect. Now, even though we see each other only occasionally, we are able to stay current online. I never would have thought we would have been so close at this point in our lives. 

Maurice de Hond

Two former clients whom I adore, one in Jerusalem and the other in Amsterdam, still keep in touch frequently. Harry Fox now lives in Israel and is a part of the tech industry. He was an innovator 25 years ago when we worked together and he’s still inventing today. I met with him when we were in Israel. He and his wife hosted a BBQ for Eliot and me plus three other friends. I also see Harry at trade shows, and occasionally we will work together on an assignment. The client from Amsterdam, Maurice de Hond, was our supervisor on a computer project. I have been in constant contact with Maurice as well and have participated in several assignments including a murder mystery, book and film projects, and how tablets and other devices are helping young children to create their own virtual school. 

Larry Hymes

Then there is Facebook. I searched for a fellow named Larry Hymes who I was friendly with when I was 17 years old. He lived a few miles away from me but we saw each other often and he dated a number of my friends. I think we talked on the telephone every night for two years. He now lives in Los Angeles and is in the menswear business. At first he didn’t answer me and then finally sent back a message after a few weeks. This is what it said: “Tell me more about yourself. You sound familiar but I can’t place you.” I was floored. I was thinking about him for years and he was clueless as to who I was. He spent two years of his life talking to me every school night and on weekends. We went to dances, movies, bowling and Diner hopping all over Queens, and this guy couldn’t remember me. It wasn’t a case of my being offended or that he could have been faking it, because he kept writing back. He talks to me on Facebook from time to time but can’t remember any details of our relationship. He blames it on drugs. I blame it on some other disconnect in his brain. 

Adrian “Ace” Rice, rocker

There are a number of other stories I can tell you about, but the one that is the most recent and the reason why digital communication is such a wonderful tool, came via a phone call from a stunning guy I met at the CES show many moons ago. Adrian Rice (nickname Ace) lives in southern California, works for Steelcase, and is a rocker. He is a little younger than me, married ,and yes we found each other on Facebook a few years ago. His smile can light up a room and I am not even sure why he even wanted to maintain a relationship other than he must be a very friendly guy. If you look him up on Facebook, you will see him rocking away at many venues with shis band. I picked up the phone when it rang and Adrian said, “I have been reading DigiDame, and making comments, so I just decided instead of typing something something else, I would call.” It was so lovely. We spent about 20 minutes going down memory lane, then made a date to meet up for breakfast or coffee when Eliot and I will be in LA next month. I haven’t seen him in years. How do I quickly transform myself from a good old broad to the perky young gal he met at the Curtis booth decades ago? Ouch, the years do accumulate quickly.

Mother’s Day is Very Different in the Digital World

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This morning I received five separate texts messages from male friends wishing me a Happy Mother’s Day. Last night I celebrated Mother’s Day by Skyping with friends in Israel, Holland and Italy. Later today my godson from Manila will call me on Skype with his family. I did FaceTime with nieces and nephews a few times today.
 
Early this morning I researched and posted 15 suitable messages on Facebook and Twitter for clients. The big story of the day is digital wallets. More about that in a future post. I also had to make time to write this blog post.

I received several electronic Mother’s Day cards this afternoon and two off-color videos from childhood friends. When I opened Twitter and Facebook, I read another 25 or so Happy Mother’s Day posts from online friends.

The digital experience didn’t end there. Things got much heavier when my daughter Whitney showed up for brunch. We talked about her new “user experience” assignments, new apps, my blog, her blog, Eliot’s newly created electronic Shutterfly photo book from our trip to India last year, what books we recently read on our iPads and Kindles, Viddy and Socialcam video editing, why I can’t ever remember how to use certain technologies and should I buy an ultra book vs a netbook when my laptop at home blows. Still waiting for a flash solution on my iPad.

In addition to the most gorgeous bouquet of flowers, Whitney handed me her real gift spelled out inside an adorable greeting card in scripted with my first dog’s name, Gucci.  First she wrote a few personal things and then detailed the gift she knew would please me the most.

“I want to help you with DigiDame. That is why my gift to you is optimizing DigiDame.Together we will be installing sharing services, blog roll, Disqus comments, recent comments plug in, popular posts plug in, tweet wall, archives, contact page, tags/categories, and reading list.”

I teared up. She knew how much I wanted and needed the help. I rely so much on our tech whiz at HWH that it felt so good to have additional reinforcements. Whitney spent a few hours optimizing DigiDame so take a good look around. We talked about all of the improvements and what I need to do to get a much larger audience. I have my work cut out for me but I had the most rewarding Mother’s Day ever. Other mothers may have spent the day eating heart shaped pancakes and parading around town with their corsages and sparkling new jewelry. I got what I needed the most, the ability to stay in the digital game a little bit longer.