We are not Too Late for a Second Career

Posted on December 16, 2012 by loiswhitmanhess

Just when a friend of mine lost all hope of getting a job at 68 years of age, he was offered a CEO position at a financial services company in Raleigh, NC. Ken had been out of work for eight years and just could not land a position. Prior to that, he held sales and marketing positions at various companies. We would sit on the phone for hours bemoaning our fate. All the good jobs and assignments were going to younger people.

Then one day Ken’s granddaughter introduced him to several social media platforms, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, others. He started to socialize online the way he used to network in person. He dedicated himself to only posting info that made him look desirable for a high ranking position: 1-Business stories he found in his daily readings about a targeted niche. 2-Short, positive thoughts about changes in the specific industry he was interested in. 3-Inspiring comments about recent industry speeches and activities that he posted on other people’s blogs, podcasts, videos and group discussions.

Ken’s main goal was to appear knowledgeable and ageless. He carefully scrutinized every sentence he posted so that he always appeared positive, hopeful, and determined. There was never an attitude, a need to show-off or self-righteousness. It was all about presenting himself as a confident individual who knows how to get things done.

He was very disciplined about his postings. Ken made himself extremely visible and consistent. One day he received an email from a member of the board of a medium-sized financial company in Raleigh that mostly deals with real estate investments. The email was an invitation to a roundtable discussion about the stock market being held at company headquarters. Other outsiders were being invited too. He had to pay for his travel. All else was comped.

He went. When Ken came back from the two-day meeting he was a new man. Not only did he feel refreshed and enthused, but he felt relevant for the first time in years. His participation in social
media gave him the business degree he never got. He taught himself so much about what was happening in business today that he actually became more knowledgable than many executives 10 years younger than himself.

Ken used the time away from the daily grind of business to actually become a strategist. The roundtable discussion in Raleigh was really an audition for all those who were invited to participate. Ken got the highest marks because he was the only one who understood and appreciated how to use today’s digital assets.

Today, Ken travels to Raleigh every Monday through Thursday and works from his home in Alpine, NJ on Fridays. He plans to work until he drops. He said he spent eight years in a forced retirement already and was miserable. These days he feels more alive and satisfied. While he doesn’t have much time to BS with me anymore, he doesn’t miss a day of being a voice online. He is gaining more traction than ever before and is teaching his grandchildren social resume skills that will be their calling card in the future.

SodaStream of Consciousness

Posted on December 15, 2012 by loiswhitmanhess

Eliot and I rarely go food shopping. We lead a carefree life and buy things we need as we go along. We don’t have any one to answer to. We go to work, eat breakfast in the office, eat lunch out and then do random things during dinner time like meet friends, go to shows, movies or someone’s house. When we are home, we order in or eat a Lean Cuisine and ice cream.

Eliot hates when we buy food at the supermarket and then we have to throw it out because it spoiled. He would rather starve. Our lifestyle suits us until we have friends sleep over. It is very embarrassing that we don’t have a thing in our refrigerator. Not even soda. We run out all the time.

My friend Steve is bunking in with us this weekend and brought us a present so we would never run out of soda. It’s called SodaStream, a soda maker that takes regular tap water and turns it into soda without the usual nutrasweet or high fructose corn syrup. I have been resisting this product from Steve for a long time because I don’t like do-it-yourself anything. I want to buy everything ready to go.

Steve was determined to get us to be SodaStream junkies. He demonstrates this product on his TV gadget tours. He gave us 12 out of the 60 available favors. I still resisted. He couldn’t understand why.

“You are the DigiDame,” exclaimed Steve. “You are supposed to like all gadgets. What is your problem?” I had to agree to try it. Steve made Eliot a root beer and a diet coke for me. We both loved our respective flavors. Steve was so pleased. Now our refrigerator is filled …with concentrated soda favors.

“Why don’t you write about it?” Steve suggested. “It is the hottest kitchen gadget this year.” Powered by a refillable CO2 canister, the SodaStream allows you to create three levels of fizziness. The SodaStream Source is priced from $129.99 and is available at top department stores and retailers including Bed Bath & Beyond, Macy’s, and other fine retailers. Visit http://www.sodastream.com.

Calling All Taxis

Posted on December 14, 2012 by loiswhitmanhess

In case you haven’t heard, NYC’s Taxi and Limousine Commission has agreed to allow New Yorkers to hail a cab right from their smartphones. This has been an on-and-off service for over a year. Just when app maker Uber Technologies was ready to launch, the Mayor’s office pulled the deal because they didn’t want taxi drivers texting while behind the wheel. I am not sure how all of this got reversed, but now the T&L Commission has agreed to try the service for a certain period of time. It starts in February.

Über is an on-demand car service that allows anyone to request a ride via mobile app, text message, or the web. Drivers arrive curbside in just minutes, you can track the arrival of your ride on your iPhone or Android, credit card only, and you’ll receive a text message when the driver arrives.

Über is located in San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Denver, Sydney, Chicago, Washington DC, Toronto, San Diego, and Dallas.

People who download the app can now use their smartphone to retrieve a cab right where they are standing. NYC’s TLC’s chairman, David Yassky, has approved the proposed short term plan only with strict “geographical” stipulations. For example, Manhattan residents can only summon a taxi if it is within a .5 mile radius from their location. However, elsewhere the distance between a cab and the customer is increased to a maximum of 1.5 miles.

Anyone who is a regular in NYC knows how difficult it can sometimes be to hail a cab, which is what designers had in mind when they created this app. After downloading the app, you simply type in your anticipated pickup location. After your location is recognized, you can request what type of car you want to be picked up in, a taxi, an SUV, a black car, or an exclusive UBERx car. Users must type their credit card information into the app, as the service automatically records the charge with the tip included, and sends a receipt of your bill to your email account as well as to your personal Uber app once the ride is over. Not only does the app then tell you the minimum fare, maximum number of people that can fit in the car, and the estimated time of arrival, but it also tells you who your driver will be, accompanied by his picture, customer ratings, and a contact number just in case you need to call. The best part about this app is its accessibility. It is free to download and use, except for the taxi fare of course.

I was anxious to hear what New Yorkers had to say about hailing a cab via an app, so I took to the streets to ask both drivers and passengers what they thought. I questioned six drivers over the last three days and 10 frequent taxi riders. The consensus is that way down the road this will become standard once everyone gets used to it. For right now this is an option. You can still hail a cab from the curb. It has been most compared to the resistance to use credit cards in taxis. At first everyone hated it because it took passengers much longer to leave the taxi once they reached their destination. Now, some find it faster than paying in cash. Others are concerned about waiting for taxis on the side of a road and they don’t show. All of the concerns will be ironed out during the experiment.

Personally, I would like Uber to find a way to tell taxi drivers the quickest way to get to a destination. Every cab I get takes the longest way. I love when the drivers get defensive with me when I try to tell them not to go west when we have to go east. We usually get into a heated debate and then end up joking with each other by the end of the trip. It is all a part of the New York experience.

Somewhere Over The Photo

Posted on December 13, 2012 by loiswhitmanhess

A few years ago, when I saw the price of a birthday greeting card, I thought to myself, “Why am I spending $5.00 when my friend will look at the card for a half a second and toss it in the trash?” Admit it! You do the same thing. Okay, you display your cards for a few days and then it gets thrown out. I bet you never read it a second time. The price of cards are just getting too expensive. I would rather buy a bagel with a schmear even though I don’t need that either.

Another option is electronic greeting cards, which I really don’t like either. When I want to send one, it is so complicated that by the time I fill out all of their questions I’ve really lost interest. I close down and move on. I am also not that crazy about receiving electronic cards. You have to download the card, sometimes give them your email address and go through other hassles. Not for me. The problem with all this is that I do love sending cards and letting people know we are thinking of them. I think I found a great solution.

There is a new app strangely called “Over.” It lets you take your photos or their photos and write a caption right on the image. You can use this as a greeting card for any occasion. Simply choose your photo, touch the screen to add a personalized message, and then choose to share them on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, or email. With more than 200 fonts and styles, “Over” makes it easy to turn photos into holiday cards. You can resize the photo or enlarge the caption to make it fit any situation.

The app costs $1.00. Just a dollar forever. Just think of all the trees you are saving. The whole process takes a few seconds. It is like one-stop shopping. Everything you need is on one page. No searching, waiting, or nerve racking options.

“Over” is going to become your favorite app. You are not going to be able to resist taking every photo you have and writing a comment on it.

Here is some of my handiwork.

Back to the Library

Posted on December 12, 2012 by loiswhitmanhess

We all thought libraries were going to leave this earth like VCRs, Palm Pilots, and cassette players. Don’t count libraries out just yet. Many libraries across the country have jumped on the ebook bandwagon and will now allow you to borrow from their electronic catalog. How amazing is that? I love when the establishment reinvents itself to take advantage of new opportunities. Kindle is the most popular ebook at most libraries. That is because its owner, Amazon, was smart enough to team up with the majority of libraries. Some places offer books for Nooks as well. Don’t forget that you can get Kindle ebooks on your iPhone and iPad as well.

In order to take advantage of this convenience, you still have to have a library card, (you can get one from your local branch or you can obtain one online) and make sure you have their pin-code so you can access all of the available ebooks in their collection. My good friend J.D. Biersdorfer of The New York Times recently did a blog piece on how to borrow an ebook from the library, so if you click here you can follow her instructions. Each library has its own set of rules but they are very easy to follow. Also note that each library has its own loan period, so be sure to check that out. Some libraries even got wise to which titles are more in demand and put shorter time constrictions on them.

Here are some other helpful tips. You do not have to go to the library to borrow a book. You can now borrow (download) a book from the comfort of your home on the library’s website. Depending on which library that you belong to, you may have to look around a bit for the ebook link, but most sites place it right on their home page. After clicking it, you are free to browse through the available ebooks. Once you are ready to checkout, you click the Checkout button and follow the prompts, including signing in with your local library card and account information. However, if you’re not signed up, it should allow you to do so on that page.

One of the biggest advantages of downloading an ebook from the library is that it is less expensive. If you are a book collector, this is not for you. For the majority of us, borrowing ebooks from the library is now a big wow factor.

iPhoneography, an Unexpected Treat at Art Basel

Posted on December 11, 2012 by loiswhitmanhess

Colleen Duffley

I had the chance to see one of the most amazing photo exhibits last week. I came across it at Red Dot, one of the many satellite shows during Art Basel. At first I thought I was looking at a wall of 8 by 10 inch photos, but as I got closer I realized the display consisted of 40 iPad 2s mounted on a free-standing structure. Entitled “Light Impressions,” the exhibit was in celebration of iPhone photography now renamed “iPhoneography.”

The new art form was conceived by Colleen Duffley, an international photographer who directs and produces many different types of creative installations. Duffley wanted “Light Expressions” to level the photo playing field by allowing people from all walks of life to capture an image on their iPhone camera that expressed their imagination, sensitivity and innovation. Each artist was assigned one iPad 2. Every iPad features 13 images continually looped at different intervals.

The metal structure that is used to showcase the 40 iPad 2s actually materials recovered from a wreckage of 1995’s Hurricane Opal. An additional iPad 2 is used to stream the entire show online at http://www.studiobthebeach.com. Studio b. is Duffley’s creative venue that brings together the world of photography, art, literature, fashion, design, music, and the culinary arts.

Duffley said, “iPhone photography is still an emerging art form. We are just discovering its capabilities. People are astounded to see what is being done with iPhone camera work. It doesn’t matter which iPhone is being used. It is all about capturing the image, the processing and publishing. It is a pure art form. It is much more about creativity than the cost of the camera. I feel that all of the artists are unique and important to the overall look of the installation. It is the coming together of a community.”

This is the list of photographers from across the globe who partcipated in the first exhibit. The artists keep changing all of the time.

Gerard Godin, Janine Graff, Nathaniel I.Cordova, T.S. Elliott, George Alexandris, Helen Breznik, Elena Herrero, Amo Passicos, Robert Herold, Aik Beng, Edina Herold, Amy Hughes, Colleen Duffley, Natali Na Prosvet, Laura Peischi, Alan Kastne, Cara Weil, Donna French, Jason Donnelly, Benamon Tame, Paul Moore, Jamie Stewart, Art Meripol, Allessandro Greganti, Jenny Markley, Jen Bianco, Elizabeth Grilli, Hans Borghors, Giuseppe Navone, Jaime Ferreyros, Catherine Restivo, Easton Reynolds, Stephane Mahe, Catriona Donagh, Alain Guerquin, Daniel Berman, Seikou Yamoka, Chris Harland, Roger Guetta, and Dan Piassick.

Here are Duffley’s comments on some of the iPhone photographers:

1. Nacho Cordova. “He was one of the original 40 . He did not use many apps to create his photography. He just had great composition and lighting. Nacho was killed shortly after the installation opened. His work is strong and timeless.”

2. Giuseppe Navone. “His images are painterly and evoke mood and emotion. He does use apps but it’s not overdone or obvious.”

3. Paul Moore. “He almost has a 3D look. Or truly HDR effect. Saturated scenic’s that still have great composition. His people are amazing.”

4. Elizabeth Grilli. “Amazing bird shots. You have to capture the image. Her birds are Cartier Bresson like.”

5. Shikoku Yamasaka. “New to the installation. He used fingerpaints on his iPhone and iPad. These are really paintings but I feel he is creating amazing images. I love them.”

6. Janine Graff. “Her images are playful and fun. And very creative using apps to mix multiple images.”

7. Edina and Robert Herald, husband and wife from Hungry. “When I chose them I didn’t know they were husband and wife. I don’t look at the names, just the images. They are hauntingly beautiful. It’s the only way I can describe them. Timeless, they stir the soul.”

Many folks who saw the exhibit at Red Dot told Duffley, “Steve Jobs would have been proud to see the iPads being used this way. He would have loved your creativity.”

Dear John, Who’s Kidding Whom?

Posted on December 10, 2012 by loiswhitmanhess

If you haven’t been following the story of fugitive tech millionaire John McAfee, there are some important digital revelations that you should be aware of in case you ever decide to go on the lam. McAfee is the founder of McAfee, Inc., the gigantic anti-virus software company. He recently got caught trying to escape the police in Guatemala because a picture that was taken of him had his GPS location. The photo was published in Vice, an international arts and culture magazine. Either McAfee forgot or he wanted to be caught because he allowed a Vice editor to take an iPhone photo of him that contained the metadata location information.

McAfee knows better than that. The minute the photo was published mini-bloggers on Twitter alerted everyone to “Check the Metadata” in order to find out where he was hiding.

(Metadata describes how large the picture is, the color depth, the image resolution, when the image was created, and other data.)

The genius but bizarre software developer had invited Rocco Castoro, the editor-in-chief of Vice magazine, along with Robert King, a photographer, to chronicle his run from the police by traveling with him. McAfee is a “person of interest” in the death of his neighbor, Gregory Faull, in Belize, which is his official residence. McAfee crossed the border to Guatemala in order to avoid interrogation. McAfee and Faull are both American citizens living in Belize.

You can read all about the case here in a recent New York Times story. You can also read here about how some members of the press feel manipulated by McAfee because of prior shenanigans.

The interesting facts I want to point out are that McAfee has always been hungry for editorial coverage at any expense. How much of this photo error are we expected to believe? How legal is it for two members of the media to know about the whereabouts of a fugitive and not immediately report it? As the story continues to unfold, we will learn more about the who, what, and where of the story.

Meanwhile, the tech press is all over it. Wired.com was first to report, “Oops, Did Vice Just Give Away John McAfee’s Location With Photo Metadata?” When Vice realized the blunder they had made, they quickly tried to replace the photo without any GPS data, but it was too late. The police quickly captured the colorful computer pioneer.

The Guts of Computers Inspire Art

Posted on December 9, 2012 by loiswhitmanhess

Debbie Lee Mostel is a prime example that age has nothing to do with the appreciation of technology. After years of successfully designing jewelry for Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Bloomingdale’s, Mostel became fascinated with the construction of technology: motherboards, heat coils, and laser pickups to name a few. She decided to use the guts of outdated computers and other gadgets to form new creations that people could cherish and display. I came across Mostel this past weekend at Red Dot, a satellite art show just a few miles away from Art Basel in Miami.

Of course, I was attracted to Mostel’s exhibit when I saw the technology angle. I loved that parts of technology inspired her to create new art forms. It is always refreshing to see a woman involved in fashion switch to electronics. I think it shows that women on the art scene are capable of developing new values that haven’t been explored before. I have included a video where Mostel talks about her art and the iPhone pictures I took of her magnificent pieces.

Eliot’s Photo Sold

Posted on December 8, 2012 by loiswhitmanhess

Thank goodness for technology so I can share this news with you. Eliot’s photo that was taken in June, 2012 at Plitvice Lakes National Park, the largest national Park in Croatia, (at the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina) sold during Art Basel. It was being exhibited at the Williams McCall gallery South of Fifth in Miami Beach. The buyers, originally from Boston, just bought a townhouse a few blocks from the gallery. They felt the photo was very “Zen-like.”

Here are some photos from the magical evening. Over the next few days I will show you how technology has become part of art at Art Basel, the largest art exhibition in the world.

My Friend Marc de Hond Speaks at TED

Posted on December 7, 2012 by loiswhitmanhess

Marc de Hond is the son of a very good friend of mine, Maurice. They both live in Amsterdam, Holland. In fact, I featured Maurice a few weeks ago about his early education ideas in the digital world. I didn’t know then that Marc would be selected to give a speech at TED, the worldwide conference, that is well-known for “Ideas Worth Sharing.” He gave the speech in Amsterdam a few days ago.

Marc’s inability to walk due to a faulty post-surgical procedure has led him to become a super hero to all that know him. He has identified the amazing power of adaption for both his body and mind. His story of accomplishentment is a tremendous life lesson for all.

Today Marc is an entrepreneur, DJ and a dedicated player of wheelchair basketball. He also works as a television host.

Thank you Marc, for sharing this video with us.

Love,

Lois and Eliot

Share this post!

Share this post!

Share this post!

Share this post!

Share this post!

Share this post!

Share this post!

Share this post!

Share this post!

Share this post!