Key Coverup

The expression “You can’t judge a book by its cover” also applies to computers. “You can’t judge a computer by its keyboard.” But maybe you can judge its owner.

For some reason, the keys on any computer that I ever used in the past looked pretty worn within a year. The worst letters were R, A, T, I, O, and N. Those are the most active keys. Not only were some of the keys faded. Plenty of crumbs also made their way between the keys. I guess I like to snack a lot while working.

I never noticed how shoddy everything looked until guests who occasionally used my laptop remarked that I needed a housekeeper. Now there are several solutions for keeping our keyboards tidy and new-looking. The next time I get a new laptop, I’m going to get one of the protective covers described in the video below.

How Good Are You In Bed?

Of course you think this blog post is about sex. That would be fun, but the topic has nothing to do with your sexual performance. It has everything to do with how well you sleep.

Many of my friends are obsessed with how many hours they sleep a night and the quality of the rest they are getting. Wait until they hear about the sleep tracker called Beddit.

Beddit, a Finnish company, will shortly be introducing a tracker that uses a thin-film sensor on your mattress to monitor your sleep habits. The sensor is a thin strip of film with adhesive on one side that acts like a sticker on your mattress. It uses a low-voltage USB power supply. Beddit is based on ballistocardiography (BCG), a scientific method for measuring cardiorespiratory functions.

While you are sleeping, the tracker is sending information to your smart phone about your snoring, when you really fall into a deep sleep, your heart rate, your body movements, and if light and noise really bother you.

Beddit will give you personalized coaching tips on how to improve your sleep. As you know, we all spend one-third of our lives in bed. Most of us know very little about how we actually sleep.

Be prepared to spend around $149.00 to find out more about it.

Something to Quip About

If you have ever had to create and share a document online, you know how complicated it can be. One person starts and then a second collaborator either adds to the copy or edits.

Whatever the case may be, I can never figure out the editing handiwork of the person I am working with. A case in point: I write a press release for a client at HWH PR. I either write it in an email or in Microsoft Word. Then I send it over to Jason Henriques of HWH to proof and format. He does his thing to the copy and emails it back to me.

Nine times out of ten, I have no idea what changes he has made unless I go thru the copy word-by-word, line-by-line. Many times I don’t have time to scrutinize it, so I just send it to the client for approval. They make changes and send it back to me. Again, it takes a lot of time to double check the changes.

A new app called Quip is a cloud-based tool that takes word processing to a whole new dimension. It’s all about collaboration. Quip lets users know when and where others made changes in the content. Edit changes appear in the left-side vertical pane. Deleted text appears in red, added text in green. To share documents, simply open the people icon, add the recipient’s address, and either email or text message.

There are so many aspects of Quip that you should really watch this video to understand its full potential.
.

Senior Career Advice

I may not be the ultimate expert about getting or keeping a job after 50, but I can share my experiences as a rainmaker for most of my career. The reason I am addressing this now is because I just finished reading an article, “Unemployed and Older, and Facing a Jobless Future,” from July in The New York Times. I don’t really feel it offered too much help for those who want an active business life in their 60s and 70s.

I have too many friends who want and need to work in their senior years. They just can’t get a job. These are folks who have had great careers their entire life and now find themselves isolated and helpless. Some of them have been without work for years. They are living a life where they feel like an outsider.

I can sincerely sympathize with all of these people because I experience dry spells getting new clients every year, sometimes for nine months at a clip. I know what it feels like to be rejected and have self doubts. I also know what it takes to turn things around and get positive results.

Before I tell you my little tricks, I want to state a few facts. Because of the Internet, the world has changed dramatically. Very few people care that at 50-plus you have a lifetime of experience. It is just not relevant anymore. People half our age can do the jobs that we think we are so perfect for and probably at half the salary. They also have better skills because of their digital know-how. It is just a fact of life that we have to get used to.

We also need to act a little more humble and try to re-invent ourselves to fit in. This is not about what the job can offer us but what we can offer the job. The days of major benefits and sweet deals are over. You can’t ask a potential employer self-serving questions. Wait until you have proven yourself. You don’t want to be an additional burden in a lousy economy that is drowning them. You have to interview like an ageless ball of energy that is so passionate about what they do that you can hardly contain yourself. You have the utmost respect and admiration for their accomplishments. You have new ideas and creative thoughts about their mission that will complement, not necessarily disrupt, their agendas. The only time the word “disrupt” should ever come in to play is if the company you are interviewing with is in desperate need to change.

The most important thing any job seeker should realize today is that most companies are in very challenging times. If they are doing well, they are scared that they will not be able to keep it up. And if they are not doing well, they are scared that they will go down the tubes.

You have to be a part of the solution.

1. You have to be a walking encyclopedia on the state of the industry. Read the trades, business journals, blogs, and Internet sites twice a day so you are totally up to date on every piece of news.
2. Learn all you can about the digital movement so you can keep up with all possible business opportunities in brainstorming sessions. You need to know how certain everyday chores can be addressed digitally.
3. Be prepared to spend a lot of your time thinking. Most jobs today are about brilliant ideas versus sweat equity. One great suggestion can get you everything you want out of your job.

I am no big shot. I have my own struggles. However, because I am exposed to the elements, I have seen and learned a lot. Feel free to call on me. I love to share. Make sure you share with me too.

Say Grace

Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington

I just finished listening to Grace Coddington read her memoir on Audible. Grace is the creative director at Vogue and the one who had the starring role in the 2009 movie, “The September Issue”, a documentary about how the leading fashion magazine puts together its fattest issue of the year. When most people talk about Vogue, the focus is usually on its world famous editor, Anna Wintour. Many of you will remember Anna from the movie “The Devil Wears Prada,” where she was played by Meryl Streep. The big surprise in “The September Issue” was the revelation that Grace was the true backbone of the magazine.

In reviewing “The September Issue” when it was first released, Time magazine noted, “If Wintour is the Pope then Coddington is Michelangelo.” I thought that was a great way to describe their roles at the magazine. Grace is all about fashion layouts, and Anna sets the tone and topics. Grace is very understated and leads a very quiet life, while Anna is much more flamboyant. Simply put, Grace is a great second banana.

Like most second bananas, Grace does most of the heaving lifting each month to make sure that Vogue is totally cutting edge. She is not at all interested in leading a glamorous life but rather a very quiet one, away from all the action when she is not working. She is all about researching and discovering new trends while her own personal style is pretty basic. At 70 years of age, Grace tends to be as natural looking as she can possibly be. She wears little makeup and let her once ravishing red hair go grey.

Grace reminds me so much of many of the editors I worked with at Women’s Wear Daily almost 40 years ago. They were not fashion plates. A few even looked disheveled and dated. As a young kid working for the Bible of the fashion business, I often wondered why these gals didn’t do more to be stylish and camera ready.

Grace is definitely a cut above the gals I worked with. For starters she spent years as a fashion model traveling the world and was the one that Vidal Sassoon used to create a simple, geometric, “Bauhaus-inspired” hair style called the wedge bob.

Unfortunately, at the age of 26, she was in car accident that left her somewhat disfigured. She later had plastic surgery to repair a lost eyelid. After a long recovery period, Grace gravitated to the editorial side of magazine work, where she developed a strong fashion sense.

It was fascinating listening to Grace read her autobiography in her very mesmerizing British accent. I didn’t really know much about the fashion world, so I found her journey meeting and working with all of the icons in the business very captivating. Grace’s honesty and professionalism are a great example for anyone who wants to know what it takes to be taken seriously in any field.

Once again, I encourage all to listen to books on Audible or any digital format. I probably never would have read this book in print. My choices are very diverse when I know my eyes will not be doing all the work.

It’s a Musk

I’m back in the USA as of lunchtime today. Some of you may have heard about the big announcement while I was away, but I wanted to put in my two cents anyway. Elon Musk, the co-founder of PayPal and Tesla Motors, posted a 57-page “alpha design” plan on his blog that details how the high-speed train would work. He was referring to the Hyperloop, the new super-speed transport that would take take people from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 30 minutes, at 800 miles an hour. I talked about the announcement of this innovation, that Musk promised on August 13th, a few weeks ago. Musk has been talking about this invention for over a year, in addition to his Space X project which promises to give Earthlings the opportunity to go planet hopping.

Apparently, there are still plenty of skeptics who feel Musk is a science fiction writer. Plenty of them took the recent disclosure from Musk as another opportunity to poo poo his ideas. High level executives at other types of transportation companies have a difficult time imagining people being transported through tubes in pods. Well respected engineers question the design, lwhile others say the entire proposed budget of $6 billion is a fantasy. Projects like building bridges or tunnels cost way more than that. A few cited the estimated $68.4 billion that the California High-Speed Rail Authority has budgeted for a high-speed rail.

I am not one who believes Musk is smoking something. I have seen too much innovation in the last ten years to question any new concept. I never thought my entire office would be operated from a mobile device, that I would have all of my newspapers and magazines rolled into one flat pancake that is backlit, or that I could type any question in the world into an electronic window and get it answered within seconds.

Multi-Function YouTube App

I finally had a chance to play with YouTube’s Capture app. Now I may never stop. I love video taping everything, but uploading to YouTube has always been problematic for me. There were too many steps before I had the opportunity to share my videos with family and friends.

Hooray! YouTube simplified the process. Now the Capture app from YouTube is featuring all the tools I need before uploading. I can now add captions, tags, and edit (color correction and auto stabilization) — and even include music. When I’m done putting the finishing touches on my video, I can then instantly upload the file directly to my YouTube channel. I can also store it as a private video.

Here is the best part. I can also share the video from the Capture app on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook. This saves me so much time because I used to have to go in and out of each app to get this done.

As you know, YouTube is owned by Google, so the fact that Capture is available on iOS is a big deal. Google will be making it available on Android mobile phones very soon.

I have included a Capture demo video, above.

Find below my own Capture videos, the first one taken in the Courtyard Restaurant of the Ritz Hotel in Madrid, and the second one taken in the lobby.

Digital Moments

European waiters use hand-held digital devices to process the check.

A senior woman in Madrid relies on her iPad to capture the sights.

Live tour guides have been replaced by hand-held audio devices.

This senior will only read the morning newspapers on an iPad.

This guy was happy to show off his iPad to everyone on the trip.

This row of seniors look like photojournalists at a press conference.

This gal spent the entire trip in a wheelchair except when she stood up to take a photo on her iPad.

Life at 65

AMA Vida River Cruise

I was very anxious to be ageless this summer. All year long, I am reminded of my age as I deal with business people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. I am okay just as long as there are no mirrors around. The minute I see myself surrounded by all the youngsters, I am shocked. I can’t believe how much time has gone by.

A few months ago, I somehow felt that if I could escape to Europe for a few weeks this summer, I would not constantly be reminded of my age. I would tour around and fantasize about all of the possibilities that lie ahead. Eliot and I finally planned a trip to Portugal and Spain. We booked an AMA Waterways cruise on the Douro River and then a few days in Madrid.

That is where I am now. I am typing to you from my riverboat suite. This trip was everything I imagined, and more. In addition to my clothes, all I needed was my laptop, iPhone, and iPad to make it work. I am five hours ahead so the work schedule is very accommodating. When I am out touring around, New York is sleeping. When I am back in my hotel room at the end of the day, New York is just getting ready for a full day’s work.

I am free to be me. For the last 10 days, the riverboat cruise has renewed my energy. Most passengers are in their 60s. A handful are older than that. We also have several couples in their 30s and 40s. A real mixed bag.

It was pretty evident that there were many people on this trip who felt just like me. We all wanted to see every inch of Portugal plus spend a decent amount of time relaxing, schmoozing, and tasting the wines and ports of the region.

Life doesn’t get much better than this. Thanks to the Internet and innovative technology, I am able to be where I want to be, and take on whatever persona I want to for an hour, a few days, or even a few weeks.

A must watch video of seniors pretending to be young again on the sun deck of the AMA Vida. Catch Eliot making his moves.

Visiting the only Synagogue in Porto

The following pictures are from the day in Porto.

Digital Appeal: Historic Synagogues Need Our Help

Yesterday, about 20 Jewish passengers on board the AmaVida Riverboat, touring the Douro River Valley in Portugal, requested to visit the Synagogue Kadoorie – Mekor Haim when we stopped in Porto. It is very common for Jewish people to visit shuls in far away places in order to show solidarity for each other.

While many of us knew there was a shul in Porto, none of us was aware of how beautiful it is. We were surprised when we arrived in front of the temple on Guerra Junqueiro Street. The synagogue is the largest in the Iberian Peninsula but only has 50 members. I don’t mean 50 families; I mean 50 congregants. It just doesn’t seem possible. That is the total number of Jews in Porto who want to belong to a Jewish center.

A spokesperson for the Kadoorie Synagogue told us that in all of Porto there may be 500 Jews, 3000 in all of Portugal. Many don’t want to be identified or were forced to convert many years ago to avoid persecution.

The temple is 75 years old and has somehow survived with very few members. Eliot and I saw similar situations throughout Eastern Europe. It worries me that these historic houses of worship may someday be closed all together.

I would love to start a foundation that supports older synagogues so they always remain active. I would use the Internet to reach out to Jews everywhere and other interested parties to help chip in for such a worthy cause. This is perfect for social media.

Years ago I was involved in an HGTV program that helped raise money for historic sites in the U.S. like the New Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, and Edith Wharton’s Home.

If anyone knows of a Jewish organization that is already funding older synagogues, please let me know.

We need as much help as we can get.

Thank you.