What A Press Conference Looks Like These Days

Let’s take a peek at the Waterpik Sonic Fusion Press Conference

The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum,

NYC

May 15, 2018

The press agreed pairing the new Waterpik Water Flosser with the Intrepid was very clever because they are both known for water, technology and power.

The 70-plus members of the media, who showed up for the introduction of Sonic Fusion, will remember this press conference forever. It was in a creative location, the presentation was informative and entertaining, the product was extremely innovative, and the Waterpik team mixed well with the audience.

It’s rare for the media to applaud a presentation. Waterpik got a big roar. They were engaged in the discussion, asked questions, and gave the Sonic Fusion an initial thumbs up.

The work has just begun. We need to get superior editorial coverage, keep the press interested and create many new programs to prove Waterpik is a major marketing and sales force.

Suzanne Carranza of Waterpik

Bart Prins of Waterpik

Brian Woodard of Waterpik

Jay McCulloch of Waterpik

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Do You Hear “Yanny” or “Laurel?”

If you haven’t heard about the debate going on over the Internet, then you really have been preoccupied. Every type of media has been covering the “Yanny” vs “Laurel” story.

It all started a few days ago with a gal named Katie Hetzel, a freshman at a high school in Georgia. She was studying for her world literature class where “Laurel” was one of her vocabulary words. When she looked up the word “Laurel” on vocabulary.com and played the audio, she heard the word “Yanny.” Hetzel was mystified.

She then asked her friends what they thought. She posted it on Instagram and the story went viral. If you Google “Yanny,” you will see the hundreds of media outlets who have covered this story.

If you want to hear for yourself, click the New York Times story below.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/05/16/upshot/audio-clip-yanny-laurel-debate.html

Let us know what you think.

Waterpik’s Electric Toothbrush Lets You Floss And Brush At Exactly The Same Time

Major Breakthrough in Oral Care.

First ever flossing toothbrush from Waterpik®

 

After months of planning to introduce Waterpik’s Sonic-Fusion toothbrush, we finally had the press conference today on the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. It was picture perfect. The water, the power and the technology of the Intrepid and the Waterpik unit was a perfect match. The torrential rain hitting the huge windows in the Great Hall today was the perfect sound effect to remind everyone the power of water.

Here is the press release.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. ‒ Waterpik®, creator of the original Water Flosser, introduces Waterpik® Sonic-Fusion®, the world’s first and only flossing toothbrush. Designed for self-professed “flossing failures” who value gum health but can’t commit to the extra step, Sonic-Fusion® offers an effective, one-step oral care regimen for a complete clean.

By merging the latest Waterpik® Water Flosser and Sonic Toothbrush technologies, Sonic-Fusion® enables brushing and flossing at the same time. As the sonic toothbrush head cleans tooth surfaces, the Water Flosser jet inside the brush head targets plaque and debris between teeth and below the gumline where toothbrush bristles can’t reach. This flexible device also allows for brushing and flossing separately, with the touch of a button.

Waterpik® Sonic-Fusion® delivers all the clinically-proven benefits of the Waterpik® Water Flosser[1] and is significantly more effective for removing plaque vs. other sonic toothbrushes.

• Up to 2X as effective as regular brushing and flossing

• Removes up to 99.9% of plaque from treated areas

Dr. Chris Salierno, DDS, tested Sonic-Fusion® with his patients who struggled with home care. “I had the opportunity to test Sonic-Fusion with my patients and I was truly amazed by the results that I saw.  My patients had significantly less plaque build-up, less bleeding and less inflammation of the gums.  It appears to me that Sonic-Fusion is not only a more effective way to brush and floss, but it’s also easier, so I found that my patients were actually flossing more often than they normally would.”

The new Sonic-Fusion® features specially engineered Waterpik® Water Flosser and Sonic Toothbrush technologies, as well as:

• Compact, all-in-one design that requires less counter space

• One-handed mode control for simplified use

• Three modes (brush, floss, brush + floss) for flexibility

• Advanced water pressure control and 10 settings for custom comfort

• 2-minute brushing timer with 30-second pacer

• Reservoir capacity of 60+ seconds

• Premium LED recharge indicator

• 2 patented Water Flossing brush heads included

• Deluxe toothbrush case included

• 3-year limited warranty

Waterpik® Sonic-Fusion® has earned the American Dental Association (ADA) Seal of Acceptance. The extensive review of the clinical research by the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs confirmed that it helps remove plaque along the gumline and between teeth and prevents and reduces gingivitis.

The new Waterpik® Sonic-Fusion® will be available online May 15th for $199.99.   For more information, visit waterpik.com/sonic-fusion

About Waterpik®

Waterpik® is the #1 brand of Water Flossers and Replaceable Shower Heads. Headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado, the company has a rich history of innovation and design, engineering their products to deliver the wellness benefits of water in multiple new-to-the world products – including the iconic Water Flosser and Original Shower Massage®.  The Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Church & Dwight.

For more information, visit waterpik.com. Waterpik® can also be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Apple Watch Saves A Life

I love Apple products but I could never justify buying an Apple Watch. Watch this video, which is less than one minute, to see how an Apple Watch warned its owner to get to a doctor fast. It’s amazing. I guess I should consider one.

Robots In Your Future

Boston Dynamics is going to change your impression of what robots will be able to do for you. They seem creepy at first, but they will soon become familiar creatures for both home and commercial use.

Watch the videos. These robots will be on sale next year. Boston Dynamics is a spin-off of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They developed the first robots that can run and maneuver like animals.

Mother’s Day

Lunch at the Print Hotel and the RBG documentary after. Q and A with the movie director after. A perfect day orchestrated by Whitney and Fredrick. Photos by Steve.

Godmother Bonnie between the redheads

Eliot, Fredrick and Steve

What a beautiful day!

Happy Mother’s Day

My parents are pictured to the right. My aunt and uncle are to the left. I have shown this picture before in DigiDame. It’s one of my favorites. It means so much to me. The four of them were very close. I hope they have each other in the afterlife. We love and miss them all so much. Happy Mother’s Day to everyone.

Leggo my Eggo

https://youtu.be/UY789mG36AQ

Embarrassing to admit, but I get breakfast in bed everyday. It’s usually comprised of two rice cakes with low sugar jelly, coffee with half and half, and brown sugar.

I’m not an egg person, but if I were, I would want the “LEGO Breakfast Machine.” It can fry bacon, crack eggs and scramble them. Yum.

It was created by a financial company called The Brick Wall. The video demonstrates a couple of different egg combination. Go for it.

One Of The Boys In The Band, 1968

Larry Luckinbill, at home in Palm

Springs.

Larry and his wife, Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill, with my family, last Thanksgiving, in Palm Springs.

I’m forever the PR person. I couldn’t help myself. When I heard that my pal, actor Larry Luckinbill, was going to the opening night of Boys in the Band on Broadway later this month, I jumped at the chance to tell the press. The minute I issued a media alert, every Broadway writer called me to interview Larry.

Larry is one of three actors who are still alive from the original production of Boys in the Band. Larry played Hank in the original workshop (January, 1968), then the Off-B’way production that followed it (March or April, 1968), then the London company (late 1969), followed by the shooting of the film in NYC (1970), at Hy Brown’s studio (affiliated with CBS).

The others, who are still alive, are Peter White (who played Alan), and Mart Crowley, the author. All of the other actors died of AIDS except for Cliff Gorman (Emory) who had a brain disease.  All of the original production crew–including the producers–died of AIDS.  The original director died of AIDS.

Larry said it was a 60’s-70’s-80’s epidemic.  “And it was so bad in part because gay folks were so targeted, and therefore so closeted.  Epidemics thrive on ignorance and lack of information–and the gay population was generally hidden away from general notice.  Now, it’s all different–but it’s instructive to go back and look and see what misery closeting and isolating and turning whole groups of humans into pariahs makes.”

Larry was the first actor to say yes to being in it. Mart Crowley (writer) and Larry met when they were both in college. Larry said the play was a powerful agent for social change and social justice during the Off-B’way run. He saw the effect it had on people, including his conservative, Roman Catholic, Southerner parents.  It confirmed for him, “What an actor’s mission should be–to search out and appear in work that has the potential to change lives in some positive way,”

He has spent the last two days doing interviews with print, broadcast, and internet media. More to come. If you Google Larry’s name, you will start to see the interviews appear. The press loves Larry, and Larry loves them. This is such a nice experience.

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Underwater Photos From Galapagos

From the minute my cousin Jeff Young, from Sherman Oaks, California, found out that Eliot and I were going to the Galapagos, he urged us to buy an under water camera. We did and the photos below are the results of being capable to snorkel and capture life under the sea that few of us ever see.

Eliot was disappointed with his first attempt because it was difficult to shoot the fish swimming by. Eliot is going to try video next time. We saw the video one of the naturalists took and it made a major difference.

In any case, we want to thank cousin Jeff for the camera recommendation and for the books he sent us on Charles Darwin, and pamphlets that showed us what birds to look for. That made a big difference in our trip. After all, what do city kids know about the Lava Heron, Doves, Rails, Flycatchers, and Mockingbirds? Thank you Jeff!

Temple Emanuel Features A Legend

I’m not sure how I found out that 91 year old Mel Brooks was going to be performing at Temple Emanuel in New York City tonight. I’m glad I did, because it was like watching a lifelong friend reminisce about years that you spent together.

Eliot and I flew from Miami Beach to NYC this morning because we have several events taking place this week. We made sure we were in Manhattan early today because we absolutely wanted to see Mel Books in his golden age.

Our friend Steve Greenberg joined us for what will be one of Mel’s final gigs in the next few years. The main takeaway was that working and performing well into your ’90s helps keep you sharp and focused.

Two thousand people showed up to pay tribute to one of the most talented people in Hollywood. The forum of a very reformed temple was just the most perfect setting for Mel Brooks to tell Jewish shtick from his 60-plus years in comedy.

Someone from the audience asked him if he wore briefs or jockeys. He responded, “It depends.” (The adult diaper). The audience went wild. Several times during the night the audience broke out into thunderous applausez, and finally at the end, he received a much deserved and loving standing ovation.

Mel Brooks was totally alert and profound on stage. It was amazing to watch him because he didn’t skip a beat, or miss an opportunity, to make fun of himself. All photos and videos by Steve Greenberg.

New Google Maps Updates

I’m always amazed how well Google works. We set our destination when we get in the car, and the Google voice gives us precise directions. Even when we make a mistake, Google corrects us. Occasionally, Google takes the long way to where we are going, but that doesn’t happen too often.

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Now, I just found out that Google Maps will be adding several “exploration features” that many other companies tried to develop but were never accomplished. No doubt, Google will make it work.

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One of the new upgrades is recommendations when you arrive in a new neighborhood or city. Right now we use Trip Advisor for local suggestions, so it’s going to be very interesting to see what Google has to say.

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Another upgrade is restaurant recommendations. All the new “trending” restaurants will be listed, as well as others in the same food and price category. The recommendations will also stress seasonal establishments like ice cream parlors, or outdoor restaurants.

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Artificial intelligence will also help identify places you will like because of past preferences. If you liked a certain group of places in the past, Google Maps will figure out similar tastes. The book and fashion industry already do that, so Google should have no trouble making suggestions. We will take them all.