The New Me, A Road Warrior

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I want this! I need this! I deserve this!

I don’t know about you, but I am a nervous wreck in the passenger seat next to the driver — better known as the “death seat.” This has been going on for a long time. It is getting worse as I am getting older.

I hate driving on I-95 in South Florida, the Ventura Freeway, the San Diego Freeway, and the Long Island Expressway. Is it my imagination or are there more young girls speeding up and cutting off other cars? I started to notice this 10 years ago. At first I thought it was young, rowdy men who were drunk. I was so surprised to learn that it was young women who were the culprits. I discovered that when we sped up and pulled alongside the car that cut us off. That is what happens when there is a lot of traffic. Ha, ha.

It is the most scary thing to experience. We are driving along very peacefully, when all of a sudden a car speeds up next to us. Then just as they are passing our right front fender, they cut in front of us. You see a flash in front of you, your heart flutters and feel like someone smacked you right in the chest. That is the kind of emotional impact it has on me.

This happens so often that I wonder if these young women have a nervous tick? What’s worse is that they are cutting us off while they are texting, yakking on the phone or plucking their eye brows. I wanted to give each one “the finger,” but I am afraid that they will pull out a gun and shoot me.

I started writing down their license plates numbers, but I probably got them wrong. Who can see that far and at the speed of light?

All of my frustrations ended today when I discovered a great weapon against them, the Roadtrip Video Recorder at Hammacher Schlemmer for $ 129.95. I don’t care how expensive it is. I want to make citizen arrests! I am going to hang out the front side window like a dog and hit the record switch when I see a car speed up.

This is how Hammacher Schlemmer describes The Roadtrip Video Recorder. Sets up in a car and enables hands-free visual and audio documentation of travels.( In my case, road rage). The suction cup mount attaches to a window or dashboard and the camera can be directed to record color video at 640 x 480 resolution of the approaching horizon or roadside views. The lens has a 120º viewing angle, an 8X zoom, and integrated motion detection that automatically initiates recording when the car is moving. The 2.4″ LCD viewfinder rotates 270º, enabling travelers to monitor what’s being recorded or view stored video, and four infrared LEDs allow nighttime video recording. Video is recorded in AVI format and stored on the included 2 GB SD card (supports up to a 32 GB SD card that records up to three hours of video). Rechargeable battery provides up to two hours of video recording after a two-hour charge via the car outlet adapter. Also captures still photographs. Includes AV cables for displaying video on a television and a USB cable for connection to a computer. 4″ L x 2 1/2″ W x 1″ D. (4 oz.).

Once I capture a few of these dare devils on video, I am going to post them on YouTube for all to see. I will not be using the YouTube blur feature. I will be issuing media alerts with their full descriptions for all to see. I hope I live to tell this story for a long time.

Put Your Money Away

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There was a time when someone told you to “Put your money away” meant he or she was going to pick up the” tab” for whatever you were doing at the moment; most likely eating a meal. That expression is going to take on a whole new meaning in a few months as more and more retailers will be using iPhone and Android apps that will recognize when you enter their store and automatically tally your bill when you step up to the cash register. “Put your money away” is going to mean “We don’t take cash or plastic here, just apps.”

No money, no credit or debit cards, no checks, no nothing. You don’t even have to take your smartphone out of your pocket. A simple “hello” will do.

This is how it will work. The cashier will say, “Hello _________.” You place your items on the counter. The cashier will say, “Today your order is $___________. Then you walk away with the goods. The receipt for the order will appear on the app that you are using.

Some of the apps will require you to “Open a Tab” the very first time you visit a new retailer. This is how your financials get transferred to the register. You do that once and you never have to access your phone again at that particular retailer. I guess this is where I remind you that in order to get started in the first place, you have to download your app of choice and provide your banking information so it is on file.

I witnessed a transaction last week when I was at a boutique retailer. I couldn’t believe my eyes as I was busy looking for my American Express card. For some reason, I can never find what I want, when I need it. It is always such a hassle finding my cards that I would just love to be recognized and have an automatic transaction.

Once you get over the “Big Brother Is Watching You” phase, you can use these apps to your advantage. The apps offer discounts to first time buyers, frequent buyers, offer you specials, new items, close-outs, etc.

The smartphone app that David Pogue recently profiled to explain this new concept to his New York Times readers is Pay With Square. He also lists other apps that do similar things as well, so it is well worth reading to see all of the future options.

If anyone reading this blog is using a similar retail payment service, please share your experience with us in the comments section.

Just To Be Clear, You Can Watch Your TV Programs On Other Screens

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The future is here now so take advantage of it. Many of the network and cable channels are providing apps (some you have to pay for) on your iPad, iPhone, and Android so you can stream your favorite programs on-the-go and watch them from remote locations. All you need is a wi-fi connection. You don’t know how liberating it is until you have tried it.

Planning outside activities around our TV schedule has always been a challenge for us. We just get a lot of enjoyment from many of the TV programs we watch. Call us couch potatoes, Ma and Pa Kettle, anti-social, and non-sophisticates, we don’t care. The truth is we enjoy a lot of sports, HGTV House Hunters/International, Discovery, Bravo, and networking programs better than a $100 a person meal. Our DVR is maxed out.

If a certain network or TV show is not available on an app now, I guarantee it will be shortly. In order for you to better understand what is going on, ESPN just did an instructional video (very short) on how to watch ESPN on the web. I really recommend that you watch it so you will understand how to secure your other channels.

ESPN is a class act when it comes to doing it right.

A Reason To Be Alone

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I don’t know about you but I need more and more time just to think. I have so many projects going on that I need time to clear my head.

When I first spotted this practical and compact metal detector, I thought this would be a great way to get some exercise and have time to zone out.

Wouldn’t it be ironic if I found a magical treasure combing the beach instead of surfing the web?

Www.Hammacher.com
$59.95.

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The Baby Boomer Digital Divide

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Are you a baby boomer digital native (an early tech adopter) or a baby boomer digital immigrant (someone who is happy with analog)?

A Huffington Post blogger, Ira Wolfe, asked that question recently in the tech section. He was expressing his concern for baby boomer digital immigrants who refuse to truly engage in technology. He worries about their future in the next decade or two as boomers live longer than previous generations.

While Wolfe does admit that three out of four boomers, 50 to 64 years of age, use the Internet (according to a Pew Internet Study) he claims that many are not really connected. They check their emails every few days and only use their cells for making calls.

As technology gets more and more sophisticated, Wolfe feels many boomers will get left behind. “There will be a digital divide amongst boomers. There will be those who want to stay relevant and experience the rewards of the digital revolution and those laggard boomers, lamenting the decline of print media, longing for the good old days, and struggling to stay current. They are resisting digital technology like the plague.”

I think the most interesting point that Wolfe mentions is that the gap between baby boomers is going to change friendships and relationships. Some want to grow older talking about the wonders of technology, and others who want to talk about their aches and pains forever and ever.

What do you think?

Don’t Worry, I Will Blur Out Your Girlfriend And Grandchild

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This happens to me often.

I enter a party and someone in the room rushes up to me and says one of two things. “If you are going to video this event Lois, you can’t put my grandchild on YouTube. My son is a very important company executive who has to deal with a lot of undesirables. The face of his child cannot be exposed for the world to see. We are afraid of terrorism or kidnapping.”

Or the next scenario is………….”Lois,” cough cough, “As you can see, I am not supposed to be at this party in the first place and I am not supposed to be in the company of so and so. I know that you like to take a lot of videos. I really can’t be on YouTube or any video you mail out to friends.”

If you think I am making this stuff up, think again. Either some people are so paranoid, or they really think I am not trustworthy. I really haven’t figured it out. All I know is that there are a few friends and family who feel they have to constantly remind me not to shoot them (I am talking video, not guns).

At first I was annoyed, but then I learned tolerance. Today, we all heard about the mass killing in Aurora, Colorado. Crazy things happen in our crazy world. People make me swear that I will not put them in an uncompromising or uncomfortable situation. It took some time, but I finally got it in my head that they needed and deserved my reassurance over and over.

Someone from YouTube must have been listening in, because just the other day the company announced a new “Face Blurring” feature “when footage requires anonymity.” It is a new tool that allows me (and you) to obscure faces within videos with a click of a button.

It is so easy that I am going to explain it in a few simple sentences. I will also show you what the video looks like before and after. I am going to embed it below. Rememmber, I explained embedding videos yesterday.

After you posted the video you took on your YouTube channel, you click on the new “Enhancements” tool. Proceed to “Additional Features” and click the “Apply” button below “Blur All Faces.” Caution: preview the video before you finalize it so you know what it looks like with the faces blurred. YouTube points out that when you save the changes to the video, a new copy is created with the blurred faces. It is up to you to decide whether you delete the original video.

For all the worry warts in my life, I promise to delete the original.

Original Video

Blurred Video

Not Everyone Knows What I Am About To Show You

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Below are videos that I took this morning on my iPhone of a fire on Fifth Avenue and 22nd Street in the Flatiron District of Manhattan. I shot five quick videos that show the fire engines pulling up to the location, the ladders being hiked up to the roof to find the cause of the fire, and the reaction of the people on the street.

I transferred the videos from my iPhone to YouTube, then I wanted to post them here. Normally, I would just cut and paste the links from YouTube. You would then have to click on each one of the links to see the videos. A colleague showed me how to embed the videos into my blog post so the videos can be played from.within my blog, rather than sending you to the YouTube site to view them.

What I am about to explain can only be done on blog posts or websites. You cannot embed a video in an email. Facebook automatically embeds videos for you, but it is interesting to learn how it is done on other sites.

1-First go to YouTube and select the video you want to embed.

2-Press the “share” button. Normally you would then select to “share” it in email, Faceboo,k or Twitter.

3-Instead of selecting which way you want to “share” it, click on “embed.”

4-Copy the code that appears in the box right near “embed.”

5-Go to the website where you want to embed the video and paste the code in.

6-The actual video will then show up on the page instead of the link.

It is so cool. Look at my video posts below. I embeded all of them to show up as videos, not links.

DigiDame Captures NYC Hail Storm

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Tree down on 61st between Second and Third Avenues. Photo by DigiDame. The good thing about this was that people stopped to look at it, smile at each other and take turns taking pictures.

Next photo-Eliot Hess captures lightning in Flatiron District, NYC, on his iPhone during storm just the way pal Steve Greenberg told us all how to do it. Hold finger on camera shutter button till you see the lightning strike and then release immediately.

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I Am An Expert On Yahoo’s Big News

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The big news in the technology press today was that Yahoo’s new CEO is a six-month pregnant executive from Google. Marissa Mayer was vice president in charge of local and location services at Google. She was there for 13 years (the 20th employee) and was very involved in Google Maps, Google Earth and Zagat. Mayer was reportedly instrumental in the 2011 purchase of the world famous restaurant guide/review bible. I read someplace that she was the former girlfriend of Google founder Larry Page (meow). Her husband is Zachary Bogue, a lawyer and a significant investor in big time start-ups (good move). She started at Yahoo a few days ago.

As much as I am a feminist, I was very surprised that Yahoo would hire someone who is going to be slightly pre-occupied with an overwhelming change in her life in the Fall. I should be the last woman on earth thinking this, because I went back to work three weeks after my daughter was born. The truth is I had a C-Section on a Sunday at 4pm, and by Monday morning I was already on the telephone barking orders to HWH employees.

This was all pre-Internet.

Today in the world of virtual workspaces, Mayer should have it much easier because she doesn’t have to physically be anywhere to lead Yahoo once again into greatness. Sources tell me she is very smart, practical, serious about her work and most of all, knows how to make things happen. Those are the ingredients of a woman who can have it all. It is also going to depend on Mr. Bogue. Mayer cannot be filled with guilt when she has to work, which could be the greater part of her day. It doesn’t matter how many you have in help. If your husband or partner is not willing take a full share (plus, plus) of parenting, then a woman is constantly confronted with the question of whether she is doing the right thing. If you have a husband or partner who makes you feel that your child is getting the best care, then a woman has a free head to focus on her work. I was very lucky. My husband was my business partner yet was extremely involved with our daughter and loved being a kid again with her.

I was very involved in raising my daughter, but I was really in charge of security and health. Don’t laugh! I spent most of my free time making sure she was safe, healthy and secure. My husband was one of her friends. Sometimes they talked for hours about fantasy stuff like Dawson’s Creek. It used to drive me crazy listening to them in the car. I was relegated to the back seat with the dogs on our three hour trips to the Hamptons. In those days, I would think to myself, “Who are they talking about? Who are Dawson, Pacey, Jen and Joey?” I was also very lucky when I hired the best nanny in the world. It was just a matter of luck. She took better care of our baby then what we were disciplined to do. Most of the time, our daughter looked like she came out of a gift-wrapped box. The truth is that we became a blended family. Our nanny’s children spent weekends and holidays with us. Today we are still all close.

Now I want to tell you the real reason why I wrote this post. If there was a backlash about Marissa Mayer getting the position because she is having a baby in early October, I would have gone on a rampage on her behalf. For most of my career I have witnessed so many male executives who were not focused solely on their work, but abused their positions to better their personal lives. I am not going to get into specifics, but I could write a book about how many hours I spent with male clients talking and consulting about their girlfriends, their extra martial affairs, the gifts they needed to buy, their golf game, how drunk they got last night, their boats, fast cars, the trips they were taking,how I was going to make them famous for their career sake, and could I introduce them to…………whatever the next job choice was at the moment.

You might ask me why I didn’t extricate myself from these encounters or one-on-one discussions that was neither my business or responsibility. The only answer is that in the early days of my career, pre-internet, you spent more personal time with people and this was a bonding experience I didn’t shy away from. As long as we were getting work done, and there were solid results from my agency each month for each client, I lent an ear on personal topics, Today , I have little tolerance for this. Then again, I’ve heard it all.

I feel I have every right to conclude that Yahoo made one of the most strategic and forward-thinking marketing moves ever. They have now set the standards for other companies as well. Women all over the world have gained a new respect for a company that deserves every bit of it because of what they have accomplished in the past, and what they will gain in the future.

Jerry Seinfeld Made Another Show About “Nothing”

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The Internet is now the wild west for Hollywood. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, YouTube, independent websites, entertainment websites, cable and TV network websites, Facebook, Twitter, other video services, are all producing content to start their own channels.

The most miraculous aspect of this development is that the playing field is now leveled. Everyone and anyone can start their own video channel and aspire to be Cecil B. DeMille. This is such great news for those of us who want to act or be behind the camera. The biggest challenge is producing quality content and knowing how to promote your channel to get additonal unique visitors every month. That is exactly what I confront with Digidame.

The Internet has also become a new platform for big name talent to find new ways of reaching audiences and attracting sponsors. A lot of the middle men are cut out. There is a bigger chance to make more money on the Internet than being beholden to big Hollywood studios who control everything.

Let’s see how Jerry Seinfeld fares on the web.. For his first attempt he partnered with Sony Pictures Television’s Crackle Service.

His new web series called, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,  debuts on July 19 at 9pm. Seinfeld does what Seinfeld does best. He made another show about nothing. Just listen to the comments from Larry David. From nothing comes a lot of good laughs but, of course, you have to be a Seinfeld fan. I am.

Seinfeld interviews fellow comedians over a cup of coffee. The list of guests scheduled to appear include Ricky Gervais, Alec Baldwin, and maybe even you. Why do I say that? Anything is possible. The number of episodes, the length, and all the talent have not been announced yet. It doesn’t have to be.

This is the Internet you know.