Category Archives: Technology

Numbers game

Posted on May 13, 2016 | Leave a comment

I’m wearing a wearable for the first time today.

fitbit

I received my FitBit Charge earlier this week at a work event in Denver. I don’t know that I would have bought one, but I am excited to have the opportunity to try one out for free.

I was curious to see how many steps a New Yorker like myself — who walks everywhere on a normal day — would put in without going for an extra walk or run.

Today I was working at my office, which requires a walk back-and-forth to the subway, and a lot of desk work.

Looks like I should hit around 7,500 steps by bedtime. Not too shabby.

Let’s see what a weekend of running errands and goofing off in the neighborhood nets me. I think I can crush that 10,000 step goal.

Leave a comment

Posted in Exercise, Health, Humor, Technology, Walking

Tagged FitBit, Health, Humor, New York City, steps, technology, walking, wearable

America’s Greatest Innovation

Posted on January 25, 2016 | 1 comment

What is America’s greatest innovation?

AMERICAN_INNOVATION_AA_1280d

John Hockenberry, host of The Takeaway on WNYC Radio here in Manhattan, has that question up for a vote.

There are nine candidates vying for the title, and it’s far harder than I expected.

How do you choose between the mobile phone and the hearing aid? The sewing machine and air conditioning?

GPS and the electric guitar?

Review all the candidates, and then cast your ballot here.

1 Comment

Posted in Commentary, Entertainment, History, Humor, Technology

Tagged air conditioning, America, electric guitar, GPS, hearing air, innovation, John Hockenberry, mobile phone, New York City, radio, sewing machine, The Takeaway, vote, WNYC

Chill

Posted on January 8, 2016 | Leave a comment

Samsung, I already love your brand. I’ve traveled up your smartphone chain to my current Galaxy5.

Satisfied customer, I am.

So my little heart fluttered when I read about your new smart refrigerator…with its ridiculously large touchscreen…which allows me to order groceries while standing in my kitchen, in front of my empty frig!

I’m a city chick who already uses Fresh Direct for my grocery delivery, so imagine how excited I am to have two of my favorite brands working together to make my life easy peasy.

It’s like the Jetsons, it is.

And when life starts to look and feel like the Jetsons, it’s a very good day indeed.

Leave a comment

Posted in Commentary, Food, Home, Humor, Technology

Tagged brand, chill, city chick, easy peasy, food, FreshDirect, groceries, grocery delivery, home, Humor, Jetsons, kitchen, refrigerator, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy5, satisfied customer, smartphone, technology, touchscreen

Disbelief

Posted on November 11, 2015 | Leave a comment

Oh, great Apple:

Your products have seduced legions of worshippers, prostrate before thee at your Apple chapels.

But your plugs are a sin.

Signed,

An Android agnostic

Leave a comment

Posted in Business, Commentary, Humor, Life, Technology

Tagged agnostic, Android, Apple, Business, Chapel, computer, Humor, life, plugs, sin, technology, worshippers

Telephone tip

Posted on May 5, 2015 | 1 comment

I depend on my cellphone.

Most people do these days.

It’s never more apparent than when you misplace it or break it for even a single day.

It’s like losing a limb.

And I am ever so grateful to have my cellphone in hand when I’m walking down the sidewalk and see a couple of petition people lying in wait.

Like today.

I’m sure the two young ladies had something important to discuss with me — they always do, right? — but I just wanted to be on my way. And my cellphone allowed me to do just that.

As soon as the petition people were in view, I put the cellphone to my ear and begin having a fascinating conversation.

With no one.

The petition people don’t bother folks on the phone.

Give it a try yourself sometime.

1 Comment

Posted in Humor, Life, Technology, Walking

Tagged automobiles, cellphone, conversation, Humor, life, losing a limb, petition, sidewalk, technology, telephone, walking

Bless your heart

Posted on April 28, 2015 | 3 comments

A friend in the education biz recently developed a course on customer service for his company.

I provided some general communication tips, but realized today that I didn’t mention a personal perspective that I have gained from years on the phone with customer service representatives:

If the customer service representative speaks with a Southern accent, I:

a) believe they want to help me;

b) have found that they do help me; and

c) am in a better mood when I hang up because they are friendly — regardless of how I felt when started the call.

Now, I tend to believe that the people on the call on true Southerners. You can’t fake that hospitality…

Or can you?

It’s something the companies who depend on customer service — and, really, what company these days doesn’t — need to consider. We can teach people how to lose an accent…

Why not teach customer service folks to have one?

3 Comments

Posted in Business, communication, customer service, Education, Friends, Humor, Life, Relationships, Technology, Travel

Tagged accents, bless your heart, Business, communication, customer service, customer service representatives, education, fake it, friendly, friends, good mood, help me, Humor, keep calm and fake a Southern accent, life, Mood, Relationships, South, Southern accent, Southern hospitality, Southerners, technology, telephone, Travel

Time warp

Posted on April 16, 2015 | Leave a comment

My advice for today: never take time for granted.

As in, don’t assume your smartphone clock is always right. Like I did this morning.

I woke up and glanced at my phone — 6am.

Perfect.

I could turn off my usual 6:30 alarm (because I hate alarms) and check my email, Facebook, etc. before I woke up the dog, who I could hear snoring on his pillow.

A lazy, relaxing start to the day.

When the two of us ventured out into the living room some 45 minutes later, the DVR clock held a surprise —

It was 5:45, not 6:45 like my phone seemed to think.

A quick check of my phone’s clock settings revealed that the “automatic date and time” selection that links your phone to the network time was unchecked.

I don’t know how that happened. I certainly didn’t do it. But consider this post an opportunity for you to double check your smartphone settings…

And get all the sleep you deserve tonight.

Leave a comment

Posted in Dogs, Humor, Life, Technology, time

Tagged alarm, alarm clock, automatic date and time, cell phone, Dogs, DVR, Humor, life, living room, network, settings, sleep, smartphone, snoring, technology, time, time warp