I Have Seven Games Going On At Once     

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Words With Friends is a wonderful way to work your brain and keep in touch with people from your personal and business lives. I am now playing a game with people I met once at a party, childhood friends, neighbors, cousins, and business associates.

In all cases, I am delighted to be connected to these folks.  We challenge each other on the board, while chat-chatting on the private message board. It’s all very civilized.

It does get a little embarrassing when they are slaughtering me, but I also get uneasy when I am beating them. I often wonder what they are thinking when I create a word over 30 points,  I know what I think when a few of my competitors manage to score 60 plus points. I never think they are cheating. I become envious of their word skills. I wonder how they got so smart.

Words With Friends keeps you sharp and alert.  

Amazon Working On AR Preview Feature 

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 It’s going to be so much fun when we can see how a couch, or a lamp, will look in our home before we actually buy it. Amazon is working on an augmented reality feature that will do just that. The tech industry defines AR as a technology that superimposes a computer-generated image on a user’s view of the real world, thus providing a composite view.

Watch the video to see how it works and read Engadget for nite details.

The World We Live In

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I feel like I am living in the twilight zone. I can’t believe a news story that I saw on NBC last night. Parents are being encouraged to buy their children bullet resistant backpacks.

I was horrified. The message I got from this news segment was that we, as a society, have accepted massive gun attacks as an everyday occurrence. Instead of trying to protect our children with bullet-proof clothing, why aren’t we taking guns away from the majority of Americans who don’t need them. I know you have heard this plea from many other folks before. 

Florida Christian School, a private, nondenominational in Miami-Dade school (preschool to high school) has started offering parents the opportunity to buy a $120 piece of ballistic armor to turn students’ backpacks into potential lifesavers.

I think everyone has gone nuts. It has gotten so bad, I don’t want to go to concerts, special events, sporting activities, and malls. Maybe big event venues should consider bullet proof vests for all visitors?

FIU Now Offers First IoT Degree In U.S. 

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The above video is a NBC broadcast announcing the news that Florida International University, College of Engineering & Computing, is the very first university in the nation to offer a bachelor’s degree in the Internet of Things.

According to Wikipedia,”the Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of physical devices that connect and exchange data. 

I think it is very exciting that we are witnessing the birth of the IoT concept. According to the tech folks I talk to on a frequent basis, IoT is going to be one of the biggest innovations ever. All of your electronic devices will be communicating with each other. For example,  in the future, it is possible that your refrigerator will be telling your local supermarket what you need to replenish. Let your imagination run wild.

Keml Akkaya, program director of the IoT degree and associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at FIU said, “When employers hire a computer engineer, that person can focus on the hardware aspect, but companies want to hire employees who can do it all. With this degree, these skill sets will be combined in one person so companies don’t have to do multiple hires.”

To read more about this, click here 

Think About It 

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When I see a motto that I can relate to, I like to take a picture of it and store it in my camera roll. From time to time, I look at the words for inspiration. It helps put my thoughts into proper perspective.

Before we get into the words, I wanted to share a Facebook post that made me roar. Every time I think of these two pictures, I chuckle. It will mean different things to different people. To me, it says, “What would stop me from eating a spoon filled with delicious ice cream?” Answer: A picture of my dog. The one below is just too close for comfort.

Magic Wheelchairs Turn Kids Into Superheroes 

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I just finished reading about Magic Wheelchair, a global non-profit organization that creates custom wheelchair costumes for kids. The video shows how a father, Ryan Weiner, wanted to dress up his three year old son as a pirate for a special occasion.  

The young boy had spinal muscular atrophy and was restricted to a wheelchair. Weiner designed a homemade costume that incorporated the wheelchair as a pirate ship. Needless to say, his son was thrilled and felt so much joy. 

The organization is now all about making disabled kids feel special. Their wheelchairs no longer define them.  

In addition to bringing joy to the costumed kids, and their families, Weiner says his designs can act as a “cure” by liberating the kids from the stigma so often attached to wheelchairs.

Isn’t this wonderful? For more information, click here. 

Speaking of wheelchairs. I wanted you to see what the future looks like for people who can’t walk. This is pretty incredible. We are living in an age where technology can provide freedom that others never had before. A designer shared a video that shows what wheelchairs will look like in the future. 

Pick The Right Investor    

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(I didn’t have permission to tape the video. It has been deleted by YouTube. I probably would have been able to record it if it wasn’t over 10 minutes. Sorry!) 

Many DigiDame readers have children, grandchildren, or both, who one day will be raising money for a business they want to start. I think I have enough experience to say they shouldn’t take money from folks who are not passionate about them and the project they are working on.

Most entrepreneurs will take money from anyone they can get it from. I have been involved with those deals. Many times they don’t work out well because the minute something goes wrong, the investor pulls.

I encourage you to watch the segment of Shark Tank I taped off the air. You want an investor like Barbara Corcoran for the Fidget pitch in the video. She will not let this inventor fail.  She won’t run away when the big challenges present themselves.  I’m not saying that Barbara is always the right investor. I’m saying that she is  just as enthusiastic about the Fidget as the inventor.  

My last advice is that if you don’t find a passionate investor, you need to find several deep pockets so that you have plenty to replace the ones you lose.  Investing is a fickle business.

Interactive Public Art 

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Image: SLS Hotel photo of art installation.

I don’t know why I am so fascinated by technology, but I am. When I walked into the SLS Brickell hotel in downtown Miami yesterday afternoon, I was thrilled to see a large interactive installation  called “Monkey See, Monkey You.” 

Video by Steve Greenberg 

The lobby had a lot of interesting art pieces, but the large interactive screen was a big draw. All you had to do was approach the screen and the monkeys start moving. A few seconds later the playful monkeys start mimicking your poses and then movements. It’s a great way to make guests feel they are a member of the hotel community. 

I asked the concierge how the screen worked, but she didn’t have any available written details. She did think the system was being programmed by an XBox Microsoft system, a video games console. I tried to research the system being used but I couldn’t find any descriptions.

Enjoy the video.

Learning Spanish   

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We are going to make one more attempt at learning to speak and read Spanish. We have been living in Miami full time for over a year, and we would love to speak Spanish to a lot of our Latino friends.  We also would love to communicate with our French and Italian friends. 0ne language at a time.

We heard from many friends on the Internet that the Babbel app is the way to go. The ads for   Babbel say, “if we give it one hour a day, for three weeks, we could be having a conversation with someone in Spanish within a month. Our expectations are not that high. We will be happy if we can increase our Spanish vocabulary little by little.

It would also be nice to learn Italian and French so we can talk to strangers when we travel, or if we meet new folks in the United States. The reason for this sudden ambition is because we were told that Babbel is so easy to use. It sounds too good to be true. We will let you know.

“Powered Clothing” For Seniors    

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I am hoping to find a number of exhibits at CES in January that will be dedicated to making  clothing that will feature motors, sensors  and artificial intelligence in order to help the elderly with movement, including standing, sitting and bending.

Please watch the video to see how the “powered clothing” works.

I only know of two companies that have come together to make this type of apparel: famous Swiss designer Yves Behar, and a robotics company, called Superflex.

Béhar is the founder and principal designer of Fuseproject, an award-winning industrial design and brand development firm. He is also the chief creative officer of the wearable technology company Jawbone, and co-founder and chief creative officer of August, a smart lock company.

Superflex was born out of a nonprofit research organization called SRI International. It’s main objective is robotic augmentations for people who need help with every day tasks. 
The material being used is an origami like fabric  expands as needed. According  to a company description, “The power is housed in hexagonally shaped low-profile shells. It targets specific points in order to provide necessary support while maximizing ergonomics. The lightweight suit is able to connect to the wearers main muscle points while effectively acting as a second supportive skin.”

The suits should be available in early 2018. I will show you the reviews as soon as they become available. I will even try to get trial products for  some of our DigiDame readers to test.

Who wants to try and review powered clothing first? 

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