A Private Facebook for Two

Posted on August 8, 2013 by loiswhitmanhess

Lots of people I know refuse to use Facebook because it’s like being on a world stage. They just don’t want everyone knowing their business. They also feel that once something appears on Facebook, it’s written in stone forever. There is no way to take it back.

I used to wonder what these folks were hiding. Now I realize that some people just want private lives. However, many of them do belong to Facebook. They go on to snoop on everyone else. They just will never write a thing.

For those who want privacy, there is a new closed networking app. It is for people who want to share with only one other person. 2life lets you chat, share, collaborate, and coordinate. The iPhone app also lets you share calendars, web links, lists, and photos.

This is a perfect way for you to engage your children or grandchildren. Have your own private dialogue and share interests. Your online life with offspring can definitely make you much closer when you are face-to-face. A common bond keeps relationships very close.

This networking system is really geared for couples who want to share milestones or those who are doing a project together. It’s also perfect for new parents staying organized, a couple planning a wedding or buying a new home, friends who want to keep in close contact with each other, or two project managers who want a secured communications platform.

The 2life iOS app, which launched worldwide in mid-July in 14 different languages, has 70,000 downloads so far. The basic app is free. It does limit users to three lists, 20 uploaded photos, and two journal entries. The company’s 2life Premium option ($9.99 annually for a joint account) features unlimited lists, photos, and journal entries. 2life works only on iOS but will expand to other platforms — desktop and Android — in the months ahead.

Have fun you two!

Before and After Bezos

Posted on August 7, 2013 by loiswhitmanhess

Mackenzie and Jeff Bezos

By now most of you have heard that the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, purchased The Washington Post with his own personal money, $250 million to be exact. He is worth $22 billion according to Bloomberg business press. At 49, Bezos is also politically active, a libertarian who supports gay marriage.

I have been in discussions with the tech writers at The Washington Post recently. I was trying to get them to write about the kind of land mobile radios that first responders like EMS, fire, and police need to properly do their jobs. It wasn’t an easy pitch, so I was on the phone with a few reporters over many recent weeks.

No one told me that Bezos was in negotiations to buy the newspaper, but the usual eager-beaver “scoop” reporters were just not their usual energetic selves. They now claim they didn’t know that anything was going on at the time, but their dispositions have changed in the past few days.

They are now acting like they have something to prove. If they write a startling story about a certain topic, they may get noticed for breaking news. All of a sudden, I am important. I knew that my news was worthy of page one, but I couldn’t get them to focus. Now I am getting calls several times a day requesting further information or additional contacts.

If and when the story gets picked up, I will let you know. It’s an interesting one that should have been told a long time ago. Of course, bureaucracy kept it on the back burner. Hopefully, that all will be history soon.

Meanwhile, I truly believe Bezos bought The Washington Post because he understands that he needs content for his current and future businesses. There is lots of other speculation going around, like maybe his political aspirations, but I don’t think that has anything to do with it.

I do think that the editorial staff at The Washington Post will see changes over the next year or two. Those changes will help them survive and then prosper. There is nothing to fear. The changes Bezos will make will not have anything to do with the stories the reporters write, but rather the way they are delivered.

The fast pace of the Internet will dictate the changes, and if I were a journalist today I would be thrilled to be a part of his regime rather than work for a publisher who refuses to change with the times.

Here are some of the ways I think newspapers will change.

1) No more print. The Washington Post folks better get used to it. Print is a waste of money and everyone should read everything electronically. Those who are balking now will love the performance of digital once they give it a chance.

2) Layouts will not look like the newspaper of today. Stories will appear in capsule forms. If you want more information, you just click for additional coverage.

3) Every story will have suggestions and cross references to similar or related articles.

4) The newspaper will alert you to the most popular stories, which ones were the most emailed and posted on Twitter and Facebook, and suggested articles based on your previous preferences.

5) Articles will be much more current. New ones will appear every half hour if not sooner.

6) Relevant stories will be pushed out to you via email or alerts. You will check off what topics you want to know about firsthand.

7) Readers will contribute to the news and feature pages with any pertinent information they are privy to, much like a Twitter feed.

8) Readers will be able to access all the former stories that were previously written on the same topic. This will serve as a great reference. No one is left in the dark.

I will let Bezos surprise you with the rest. I gave you my best guesses

Check for Daily DigiDame Posts

Posted on August 7, 2013 by loiswhitmanhess

I just found out that the daily email blast for DigiDame did not go out until later yesterday. There may have been a glitch since I am posting from Portugal. If you don’t receive a 3:00 am EST email notification, please visit http://www.digidame.com on your own.

Don’t miss yesterday’s post about the possibility that solar energy could power your cellphone in the future. Today, I am giving my thoughts about Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, purchasing The Washington Post.

Talk later.

And thank you for reading DigiDame!

We All Need More Energy

Posted on August 6, 2013 by loiswhitmanhess

If I have one complaint about my iPhone it’s that I am always worried about running out of power. I go nowhere without my charger so that I can power up whenever possible.

I think we can all agree that any remedy to get a longer lasting charge would be a good thing. You can image my delight when I learned that researchers at UCLA are working a new way to use solar energy for our smartphones. They have developed a two-layer, see-through solar film that one day can be placed on the glass window of our smartphones to harvest energy from the sun.

In fact, the film is so strong that it will be able to work on any glass surface.

UCLA explains:

“The thin device uses two polymer solar cells to collect sunlight and then converts it into useable power.”

The film has the potential to be used on every surface that has a window. Imagine using this film for your home, the sunroof of your car, and all mobile devices. The researchers also explained they can produce twice the energy using two layers of film on glass than previously achieved with just one cell in a solar panel.

“A single cell device is only capable of capturing 40 percent of the infrared light that passes through it. The new two-layer device is able to absorb up to 80 percent of the infrared light that passes through it as well as some of the available visible light thanks in part to an infrared-sensitive polymer on the film.”

MIT and other schools are working on this technology as well. I sure hope this happens soon. It would be nice to be a part of this development.

I don’t know anyone living in a solar-powered home but I would love to know more about the pros and cons.

This Is Not a Mahjong Tile

Posted on August 5, 2013 by loiswhitmanhess

If I misplace my iPhone one more time, Eliot is going to have me committed. I neatly place it in the pocket of my handbag every time I use it. Somehow, some way, it falls out into the major portion of my handbag or it slides deeper into the pocket. Either way, I go into a complete panic looking for it. If I lose it, my life gets interrupted in ways I don’t even want to think about. Yes, I have everything backed up. I even have an iPad Mini with all of the same information. That’s not the point.

The last time this happened to me was just last Friday. Eliot and I were getting out of the taxi at the Delta terminal at JFK. Before the cab pulled away, I double checked to make sure I had my iPhone. I asked Eliot not to let the driver move the cab until I found it. Just the opposite happened. The driver quickly pulled away and, of course, my iPhone was no where to be found.

I had a total panic attack on the sidewalk. Surrounded by all of our luggage, we started ripping my handbag apart. Eliot said, “I know it’s in there.” I was doubtful. We finally found it on its side, deeper into the seam than ever before. We were both relieved and couldn’t wait to get a drink. I decided right then and there that I was buying several tracker Tiles when they finally make their debut.

Tile is a new product that combines tiny plastic tags with a companion smartphone app and locates lost stuff. The Tile itself is a little larger than a postage stamp. It costs $19 for one, or $50 for a set of four. The Tile will locate anything I don’t want to lose. It can be affixed with a two-sided adhesive strip to a computer or a TV remote, or, using a built-in loop, it can be fastened to a key chain. If any item is lost, the Tile iPhone app will give visual “warmer, warmer” directions to the object within a 50-to-150-foot range. A tiny speaker inside each Tile emits a little beep, helping me zero in once I am close.

Tiles last a year on a single battery after which they must be replaced. The company raised more than $2.5 million in pre-orders. I guess I’m not the only one losing things.

Open Table Aims to Give You Control of the Check

Posted on August 4, 2013 by loiswhitmanhess

Open Table, the online website that lets you book tables at most restaurants, must be reading the minds of many diners. They are working diligently on a software program that will allow patrons to pay for their checks within an Android or iPhone app. I also found out, from some business friends close to the San Francisco company, that Open Table is also experimenting with a new software program that may even allow us to order our food from our smartphones in order to bypass the waitstaff.

Personally, I am not sure how I feel about that. There are pros and cons. There is no question that a good waiter or waitress can enhance the dining experience immensely. However, lately I have seen the reverse. Many times over the last few years, I have been totally frustrated when three people out of a foursome are brought their plates leaving one person hanging and feeling victimized, or when the waiter serves me my friend’s meal and gives her mine, or when you ask for milk for your coffee and he delivers it ten minutes too late.

Maybe I am just getting older and have less tolerance. I remember fine dining being fine. Today, I recommend a restaurant to folks and I worry more about whether the service will be good than the taste of the food. I am hopeful that Open Table’s new program is a decent remedy, although I am also concerned about people losing their jobs.

So far, Open Table’s software will focus on allowing diners to pay for the meal on their phone. At the end of the meal, they will be able to review the check, add a tip, and then pay for it with a touch of a button.

OpenTable has 28,000 restaurants and 450 million diners worldwide. It generates most of its revenues from monthly subscription fees from restaurants.

OpenTable will be adding convenient features more and more as a result of its $11 million acquisition in June of Just Chalo, a mobile payments processor specializing in restaurants.

Let Your Email Do the Walking

Posted on August 3, 2013 by loiswhitmanhess

Howard Margolis.

I am writing you from Lisbon, Portugal. We flew here last night with a stopover in Madrid. We are on a two-week holiday. We stay in Lisbon for four days, then start an AMA Waterways River Cruise for seven nights on the Douro River. We finish up in Madrid for a few days.

I was rushing around like crazy to get certain work done so I didn’t have a lot of tedious work to attend to while we were traveling. We have complimentary wireless Internet everywhere we are staying, so I can keep an eye on my work.

Just when I thought I had everything wrapped up before the trip, I received a call in the middle of last week from my El Paso, TX, client saying they wanted to do a press party in late September in NYC for their new line of Revlon hair appliances. They needed us to secure a location ASAP and draft a proposal along with budgets.

I didn’t want to assign this task to anyone else at HWH because they are all loaded up with other deadline work. I am a big believer in blasting out emails to lots of potential sources to ask for help. My idea this time was to get one of the big name real estate brokers in Manhattan to provide us with an extraordinary apartment to hold the event. I wanted to find a very alluring place that would attract the press.

It took a few hours to target the right brokers, another 15 minutes to write the pitch, and then seconds to blast the email request. Within a half hour, I had positive replies from some of the most successful agents in the city including several from TV shows “Million Dollar Listing” and “Selling New York.”

There was one location that intrigued me the most. I immediately answered the email from that power broker who responded. It took a few emails back and forth on Wednesday afternoon to seal the deal followed by a confirmation phone call. Howard Margolis from Douglas Elliman agreed to meet me at the penthouse apartment on Friday seven hours before my flight for Lisbon took off.

I fell in love with the site, we schmoozed for a half hour, agreed to do other projects like this one in the future, and established what I believe will be a long working relationship.

Before email, this task would have taken me days to do and miles of pavement to pound. I may not be a lot of things, but I certainly am the master of email.

Here is the penthouse with terrace I secured, Be sure to click on the arrow below the picture to see the entire extravaganza.

Meet the broker I am working with Howard Margolis.

Broker Margolis also flies his own plane.

Views from our hotel room.

Videograms for Trigger Happy People

Posted on August 2, 2013 by loiswhitmanhess

This is so perfect for everyone who loves to share photos on any platform. Instead of sending stills as if they were a piece of art open to interpretation, put your subject matter in a video slide show with music and text.

I get no less than 10 to 20 photos a day from folks showing off their grandchildren, kids, pets, six pack, a flower, a bird, and yes, even a meal they made. I do the same to others.

Then one day on Facebook, I spotted a Videogram that Dr. Jay Gottlieb of Miramar, Florida, posted of his infant granddaughters. Just a few minutes later my friend Steve emailed me to say that Jay’s Videogram would make a perfect subject for a DigiDame post. I quickly added it to my list. Jay, a dermatologist, is the father of Amy Greenberg, married to Lonny, son of my friends Myra and Gary Greenberg. Get that? It doesn’t matter.

Instead of the usual silent presentation of a photo share, Jay jazzed it up. So can you. Go to Videogram by Shutterfly and learn more. Between the video that Shutterfly uses for a demo, above, and Jay’s, I think you’ll agree his is the better one.

It’s simple to make a Videogram:

1) Add photos/video clips
2) Select a style/theme
3) Choose a soundtrack

Videograms area available in three resolutions:

•360p – This web-quality loads quickly and is ideal for watching on your mobile devices or sharing on social media sites.

•480p – This TV-quality video is great for burning to a DVD or watching on a higher resolution monitor or flat screen TV.

•720p – This HD-quality video makes everything look crisper and better. Ideal for high-definition monitors and devices.

Have a great time snapping away.

Twitter News

Posted on August 1, 2013 by loiswhitmanhess

A look inside Twitter. Just wanted to share these posts. You never know what you might find.

Goldie Hawn (@goldiehawn)
7/30/13, 5:28 PM
We have lost my old friend Eileen Brennan. No one ever made me laugh more! Now I cry. Please keep singing darling from on high. Rest

Mother Jones (@MotherJones)
7/31/13, 7:02 AM
In just the past two years, natural disasters have cost the Treasury $188 billion—nearly $2 billion a week mojo.ly/14coSKi

The New York Times (@nytimes)
7/31/13, 6:38 AM
Stephen King’s Family Business nyti.ms/1cnqce4

Richard Branson (@richardbranson)
7/31/13, 7:02 AM
If you don’t have time for the small things, you won’t have time for the big things virg.in/ats

TODAY (@todayshow)
7/31/13, 7:26 AM
Traveler abandons bags at airport over hefty fees: on.today.com/13mko1a

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)
7/31/13, 8:16 AM
Poll numbers have nosedived for pervert NYC mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner- good news for New York!

GigaOM (@gigaom)
7/31/13, 10:05 AM
Starbucks will get speedier, Google-powered free Wi-Fi wp.me/p10LZV-2PjY

Yahoo! News (@YahooNews)
7/31/13, 10:11 AM
McCain says if Hillary Clinton runs against Rand Paul in 2016, he’d have a tough time voting: yhoo.it/166GYt9

Mashable (@mashable)
7/31/13, 10:13 AM
20 Colorful Bits of Graffiti That Make The World More Beautiful on.mash.to/17i5jLA pic.twitter.com/h

Huffington Post (@HuffingtonPost) 7/31/13, 10:20 AM
How best friends make life better, even when you really don’t want them to (GIFS) huff.to/1cbKh8P

Telephone Calls Are Passé

Posted on July 31, 2013 by loiswhitmanhess

Have you noticed that more and more of your friends are not calling you anymore? And that instead they are texting? Yes, even those 50-plus have fallen into the texting trap.

First it started with your kids, and now it has spread to your contemporaries. Texting has now become the preferred communications tool. I’ve sometimes thought that some of my friends text because they just want to look cool.

Then I received a text from my 83-year-old, very successful client, who doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone. I asked him why he sent a text rather than call me, and he was blunt: “I said what I had to say, and I didn’t want to spend anymore time on the topic.”

I almost laughed in his face. I couldn’t believe my ears. This wasn’t a kid speaking. And he was dead serious. In the age of the Internet, he was telling me, every minute counts. While he would have loved schmoozing with me, he just didn’t have the time. The Internet has doubled the work and doubled the opportunity for everyone.

People don’t want to pass the time of day on the phone. They want short, precise communications. They want to get in and get out. It’s kind of insulting, but it’s the way of the world. If you have a better explanation let me know.

Be sure to watch the above video. A very strange dude spells it out for us.

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