I used to think that seniors who dressed like teenagers, looked ridiculous. Now that I’m a senior, I think seniors who dress like teenagers, look terrific. I guess it’s all in the in the point of view.
I found these photos on Facebook. I can’t find the origin, but I’m going to frequently look at them to inspire me. We all need a little boost now and then.
Assad
If bookstores could speak, they might quote Mark Twain’s “Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” The strongest indication that book stores can still thrive comes from Shanghai. A new bookstore on Star Avenue in the Binjiang District in Hangzhou, China is so magnificent that Architectural Digest just did a story on it.
The progressive bookstore features a multitiered reading area, a lounge, a gallery, and a children’s section. If the rest of the world had bookstores like this, more readers might go back to print.
Another Night, Another Art Opening
Marcelo Holzinger is not only a talented artist but he is also a great marketer on Facebook.
Hundreds showed up in Marcelo’s honor. Everyone was connected by Facebook. It’s a great network builder. One post, a few reminders, and a room filled with some of the most creative characters in the greater Miami area.
Marcelo with a fan
Hannah and Her Scissors (center, owner of a beauty salon on Biscayne) and artist Marco Beria
I have lived on the island of Manhattan for 40 years. I thought I had seen it all, until I spotted two posts on social media sites that told me things about NYC that I never knew.
I wanted to share them with you. Don’t miss this opportunity to find out some startling facts, click here and click here.
And now, for some of my recent photo finds and signs.
Terry, Jack, and Ron
We had so much fun tonight in Key West. Friends of friends turned out to be former male super models for Halston and the Marlboro Man. These were the days of Studio 54, decades before the Internet.
It was wonderful to hear about Liza, Warhol and Rubell. It was even more wonderful to see pictures of these guys in their heyday and to know that they still live exciting lives, even in the laid back, calmness of The Keys. Jack, in the center of the above photo, was a businessman.
We went through pages and pages of magazines and books to see these Eileen Ford male models with some of the biggest names in Hollywood. It was also magical to hear how wonderful it was to work for Halston and how much he contributed to the world of fashion.
It was also pretty awesome to stand by a guy in his 60’s (Terry) and realize that you used to see him many moons ago up on a Billboard in Times Square puffing on a cigarette as one of the Marlboro Men.
It seems like it was yesterday, yet it was a lifetime ago.
Everyone knows that Marilyn Monroe was a blonde bombshell. However, few of us knew that she was greatly responsible for Ella Fitzgerald’s career.
KPLU.org.
During the 1950s, Ella experienced a lot of bigotry because of her race. African-American people were limited to a few venues in the country. Ella wanted to perform in the popular Mocambo night club in Hollywood. That’s where Frank Sinatra got his start. Like many other clubs, Mocambo was restricted.
Marilyn was a big Ella fan. When she heard that Ella was rejected by Macambo, she made a call to the club’s owner requesting that Ella be booked for a week. She told him that if he would oblige, she would show up every night of Ella’s run. Since Marilyn was such a huge superstar, her presence would guarantee a huge audience turnout and headline press.
The owner said yes and Marilyn kept her word. Ella never had to work a small venue again. The whole world opened up for her.
What does this have to do with the digital world? Absolutely nothing. I just wanted to share it with you.
My brother sent me this video because he didn’t know if it was real. After checking around a bit, I discovered it was an April Fools’ joke.
Google executives in the Netherland concocted this video as a spoof on its self-driving cars. I encourage you to watch the video. It’s definitely a glimpse into the future.
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Sometimes I think situations, products, and services come about just when I need them. Yes, it’s called serendipitous. I can give you countless examples. Two that just happened to me are: Uber/Lyft and Photomyne.
In recent years, I cut back on my driving. I just don’t like to be behind the wheel anymore. I will drive if I have to, but I prefer Uber or Lyft. It just seems strange to me that one day I decide driving is not for me anymore, and then, soon after, I hear about the invention of Uber and Lyft. It was a perfect fit.
Now I want to condense all of my old photo albums. We have so many of them filled with decades of great memories. The biggest problem is that the photos are now fading and shifting around. We weren’t sure what to do with them.
A few weeks later I learned about Photomyne, a smartphone app that lets you turn your old prints into digital files faster than you can imagine. The big advantage is that you don’t have to snap one picture at a time. The app allows you to scan multiple pictures in a single shot.
The description from the app says, “The app automatically crops each photo and restores its faded colors using machine-learning technology.” A newer version will have cloud-only backup to free up storage on the user’s smartphone, faster scanning, and collaborative photo albums.
A recent post about Photomyne in Tech Crunch revealed that since its launch nine months ago, “The company has grown to over 900,000 users. More than 500,000 are users of the paid Photomyne app, and around 400,000 use the free Photomyne app. To date, these users have scanned over 14 million photos.
The Tel Aviv-based company has raised $2.6 million to make this app one of the most popular.
I wish life could be so easy, all of the time.
In case you haven’t heard, your smartphone is going to be the instrument you will need to start a transaction with an ATM machine in the not-too-distant future. You will be required to tap the cash machine with your phone in order to be recognized.
This is truly something out of science fiction. I almost can’t believe it myself. We won’t be inserting debit cards anymore. It’s going to be “Knock, knock it’s me. Let me have my cash.”
I read about it in CNET. I suggest you read the story as well because it details exactly how it will work. Security issues are also covered. You can also watch the video above for a demonstration.
The CNET story claims that Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Chase will be the first to test the technology and others will follow.
Just when you think you have seen it all in the world of technology, something else develops.
I have a client, Allen Hirsch, a New York artist, who claims Tim Cook’s 17th century painting also has HandL
Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, announced that he saw an iPhone in a 17th Century Dutch master painting in Amsterdam yesterday.
To see where he made those claims, click here and here.
MAllen Hirsch considers himself a kind of reincarnation of the painter, Pieter de Hooch, was not surprised:
“Mr. Cook may be right, but calculating the relaxed angle of the hand, the two curled fingers, the weight of the phone, the guy in the picture is probably using a HandL.” Hirsch was referring to a unique new phone case he invented that allows users to interact with the phone in a gripless, organic way.
Hirsch also shares the special admiration of the painting as Cook does. He after all, owns De Hooch’s earlier version of the picture. “This was his pre-iPhone period,” Hirsch quips.
“De Hooch uniquely combined interior geometry and doorways with the organic figure which inspired his more famous Delft peer, Johannes Vermeer. I was painting like De Hooch before I even knew him. But when I saw his work, I felt a metaphysical connection- like he was inside of me.
“This interest in geometry and figure in De Hooch and my work parallels the organic integration of tech and the hand that I pursued in the development of HandL.”
Hirsch owns seminal works by the artist and is working on a paper presenting recent discoveries he made about the artist including proof that he lived beyond the established 1684, and other interesting subject matter hidden in his work (besides iPhones)..
About Allen Hirsch
Allen Hirsch is a prolific American artist, writer and entrepreneur. Hirsch and his work have been featured on the cover of TIME Magazine five times, has been featured several times in the New York Times and in New York Magazine. He has spent part of the last 20 years painting in jungle huts in Venezuela, creating works that resemble Dutch 17th century imagery. He has also invented new techniques such as string painting and explored brain lateralization in art and on the face. In New York, Allen has developed special real estate and hospitality properties, which include the world famous restaurant La Esquina in Soho. In 1993, he did the inaugural Bill Clinton portrait for Natl Portrait Gallery that also hangs in the White House. Hirsch’s artwork can be seen at http://www.allenhirsch.com
About HandL
“HandL creates a whole new gripless experience for phone owners,” noted Hirsch. “I have designed it as a natural extension of our hand, allowing freedom and flexibility in phone handling without dropping fears. I worked to make HandL the simplest, most versatile interface between hand and phone, consisting of a high quality elastic band and finger brace. It feels like the phone is floating in your hand.” HandL phone case reduces wrist pain caused from gripping our phones and allows the user to operate even the large screen phones easily with one hand. This allows a more seamless integration of these devices into our busy, multitasking lifestyles. HandL also ingeniously converts into a portrait and landscape stand.
The product is currently available for the iPhone 6/6S, iPhone 6/6S Plus, and the Samsung Note 4 and Note 3 from $24.99-49.99. HandL is also about to launch other models that will ignite the users’ tactile senses.
HandL phone case can be purchased primarily through its website, http://www.handliberation.com
This is a fun product for all of us who were never able to spend thousands of dollars on custom lighting systems for our home. It’s almost a dream come true for those who love the idea of remotely controlling the lights in each of the rooms of your apartment or house.
iDevices Socket is wi-fi light bulb adapter that simply screws into a standard light socket. For $79.00, you can buy an iDevices Socket which will turn a standard bulb into a smart Wi-Fi bulb. The iDevices Socket interfaces with Siri and other wi-fi connected products.
There may be other adapters like this on the market but the iDevices Socket also features dimming capabilities and a color light ring for ambiance. It can handle up to 60 watts.
To find out more about iDevices, see the Dealerscope story on the product.
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DigiDame 