Free International Calls

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Spread the word. The next time you go to a hotel, ask to speak to the management. Tell them one of the best amenities they can give a guest is the free Travel Buddy from Handy.

I just found out about it when we check into Randall’s Court, Killarney, Ireland. All of the hotels rooms have a Travel Buddy smartphone. As long as you are a guest in the hotel, you get to use the international cell for free. You can call anywhere in the world, and for as many times as you want/need to. You can also make free local calls. If you are out-and -about, you now have the ability to call folks nearby.

I thought this was a bit generous so I questioned the the hotel staff. The concierge told me that they heard about the service from a hotel in Hong Kong, and decided that they wanted to offer it too. Since they started the service a year ago, hotel reservations have dramatically increased.

The Travel Buddy by Handy also offers guests navigation maps so they can learn how to walk around the neighborhood without getting lost, and a list of local restaurants, retail stores, events, hospitals, Churches/Synagogues, gas stations, etc.

The guests in my hotel love the Travel Buddy by Handy because they can call home for free. That is a huge bonus for people who travel without international telephone plans.

The only way to get more and more hotels to feature the Travel Buddy by Handy is to keep educating everyone in the hospitality business. Tell them to visit

https://www.handy.travel/ for further details.

The video explains more.

How Much Is That Robot Doggie In The Window?

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Every tech publication is talking about the new robot dog Sony is introducing to the U.S. market in a few weeks. Bow wow. You can read about it by just Googling Aibo, but I’m prepared to tell you all you need to know.

It cost $2,899 and the battery only last two hours. I can justify the price for early adopters, but I don’t think two hours is enough time for any new gadget. You are just getting warmed up when the batteries run out. That doesn’t work for me, even though I would love to be one of the first to own a dog that I could leave home for days, or weeks, without any worries.

The other negative is that Aibo should only be used indoors.

Most tech folks who have played with Aibo say it is adorable and a lot of fun.

They also said that Aibo features artificial intelligence and sensor technology. I have posted several videos here that will explain all of the fancy features.

I love the fact that Aibo includes a companion app for picture taking, commands, and learning tricks and navigation.

The wonderful thing about Aibo is that you can develop a personal relationship with the doggie robot. Again, watch the videos.

We Sleep In More Hotel Rooms Than We Do In Our Own Bed

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Titanic Museum Belfast

This is a memorial building to those who lost their lives when the Titanic sank. It’s also a tribute to those who built the largest cruise liner of the time. The building is on the exact site where the ship was built on May 31, 1911 in Belfast. Unlike most tourist traps, this memorial felt like the real deal. The interactive displays made you feel like you were a member of the construction team or one of the millions who mourned this tremendous loss. This experience was an emotional reminder.

This Could Be Our New Summer Home

Kylemore Castle was built in 1868 as a private home for the family of Mitchell Henry, a wealthy doctor from London whose family was involved in textile manufacturing in Manchester, England. The Castle is located in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. The reason why we just can’t take it seriously is because there are only four bathrooms in the 40,000 square foot Castle.That doesn’t go well with 33 bedrooms. We pass.

Sticks And Stones

We visited the largest cemetery of megalithic tombs in Ireland today. It is also among the country’s oldest with monuments from 5,000 years ago. Archaeologists have recorded over 60 tombs of which 30 are visible. It’s located in Carrowmore, Sligo.

Rainbows Galore

Today was a day filled with rainbows on our tour. It just made everyone so happy. Eliot took magnificent photos of many of them. These are two of his favorites.

Artificial Intelligence Enters The Art World

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A new era is about to dawn in the art world. Christie’s Prints and Multiples will be auctioning a series of paintings next month that were actually created by artificial intelligence.

The first piece will be a portrait of a fictional man named Edmond De Belamy. The other 11 portraits will feature members of the so called De Belamy family.

Christie’s said The De Belamy portraits were conceived by a group of artists called Obvious and the algorithm was created by Generative Adversarial Networks, also known as GANs.

The portrait of Edmond De Belamy could sell for $7,000 to $11,500. It’s going to be very interesting to see the reaction of folks attending the auction. Who will be the first person to make the AI purchase?

Read more about the auction in Engadget.

Every Senior Should Roll This Way

If It’s Tuesday, It Must Be Derry

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We had an amazing day today visiting the Giant’s Causeway, a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in Northern Ireland. It’s a natural wonder of the world because of its geological formation. This is the stuff that legends and folklore are made of. It is certainly one of the most dramatic scenes that will ever grace your eyes. You can tell by the crowds that this is a worldwide destination not to be missed.

We met up with one of the 12 Irish Tenors who gave us a private performance.

This is Charlene, our tour guide in the town of Derry. She will probably be a big political figure in Ireland someday soon because she is extremely passionate about keeping the peace here. There are still small pockets of folks who try to cause disturbances from time to time. It’s young folks like Charlene who are working hard to integrate people and keep them involved in progressive projects.

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Netflix, Etc.

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The four of us are all from Hollis, Queens where Jay’s Diner on Hillside Avenue and Francis Lewis Blvd was ground zero for big dreams and big ideas. Say hello to Run-DMC, one of the world’s greatest hip-hop groups, and Lois Schneider Whitman-Hess who refuses to give up. Photo by Eliot Hess, Belfast, Ireland.

The thing that you love most about Netflix is about to change. Get ready. There is a good chance that you might start to see ads between shows. Netflix is testing it out, but it just may be the start of annoying commercial interruptions. The official statement from Netflix is “We are testing whether surfacing recommendations between episodes helps members discover stories they will enjoy faster.” Netflix claims viewers will be able to skip ads for other shows. If you are really upset by this news, you can read more about this on CNBC. Click here.

I am trying to get some momentum on a social media campaign. If you are a Twitter user, I would appreciate your participation. No obligation.

Should this gorgeous hunk be given another chance? Please click below to watch the video. We are looking for some clever responses on Twitter. Please post #Waterpiklovesyou

https://twitter.com/brandonbarash/status/1027245223477276672?s=21

We Arrived In Belfast

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This is small part of a three mile wall that separates the Protestants from the Catholics in Belfast. Take a look at the future of America. This is exactly where we are headed.

We are staying at the Europa Hotel. It was bombed 33 times during the conflict. It gives me the creeps that hatred still lives here.

I’m standing in front of Queens University in Belfast. This is where the mobile defibrillator was invented and Milk of Magnesia.

Second Day in Dublin

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This public art statue is a gift to Dublin, and other cities around the world, from an artist who wants to remain anonymous. The premise is to remind everyone to be kind to the homeless. Don’t assume you know their story. Have you seen this statue anywhere else?

We were told to do the pub crawl in the Temple Bar area so we followed orders.

Turning An Eye-Sore Into Eye-Catching Art

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My friend, Dick Krain, knows I love street art, so he sent this is to me. American artist, Tom Bob, is running loose in the streets of New York, and let’s hope nobody catches him.

Life Lessons

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I like hearing what other seniors have to say about the stage of life they are in. I think it’s important to know that most of us have the same challenges, at one time, or another. I guess it’s all about attitude. Here are some thoughts on that.

https://youtu.be/o8iz7TXTXaE

From a 70 year old

From an 80 year old

From a 92 year old

From 100 year olds