WGST's "The Sully Show" for 4/10/15 - From Kaua'i

Rick and Sully talk this week as Rick is coming to you from the island of Kauai in Hawaii, out 50th State

Rick is actually working while in Hawaii this Spring Break.

He's at the Kauai Marriott Kalapaki Bay! - With a ton of recreational activities, a superior beach experience & 18 hole golf course in Kauai Lagoons.

And also the Grand Hyatt Resort & Spa Kauai which features the Poipu Bau Golf Resort. This golf course used to host the Grand Slam of Golf and we take a look at some technology that is uniquely Hawaiian.

Have a listen:

listen to ‘My Segment on "The Sully Show" on 640 am WGST for 4/10/15’ on audioBoom

Kaua'i  facts:

Nickname:  The Garden Isle
Size:     552 square miles, roughly circular in shape with a diameter of 32 miles and a wide point of only 25 miles.
Population: 67,000
Highest point: Kawaikini Peak is Kauai's highest point at 5,148 feet
Kauai is geologically the oldest  of the major Hawaiian islands at 5.8 million years old.

1.   Kauai's Mt. Waialeale is the Wettest Spot on Earth, averaging 450 inches of rain per year producing eight major, majestic waterfalls. Very lush and healthy vegetation in Kauai.

 

2.  Kauai's Building Code dictates that "no building shall be taller than a Coconut Palm"--thus the 4 story limit on vertical construction.

Even the hotels... which is kind of amazing.

Rick likes this as it means Kauai will never become like Honolulu with all condo buildings and high rise hotels.
 

3.  No Surprise Here- Kauai is a big golf destination...  There are 10 golf courses at seven venues on Kauai.

North Shore

> Makai Golf Club at Princeville
> Makai Golf Club at Princeville – Woods Course
> Prince Golf Course at Princeville at Hanalei
East Side
> Wailua Golf Course
South Shore
> Kiahuna Golf Club
> Kukuiolono Golf Course
> Poipu Bay Golf Course
Lihue
> Kauai Lagoons Golf Club
> Puakea Golf Course
 

4. Kauai is like Atlanta in that a ton of movie and TV shows have been shot there.

There’s no doubting the inspiring scenic beauty of Hawaii’s Island of Discovery. But did you know dozens of filmmakers were inspired by Kauai’s beauty as well? For decades movies and television shows have used Kauai as the stunning backdrop for their epic stories, from “South Pacific” to “Jurassic Park.” Take a movie tour to learn about the more than 60 feature films shot on location in Kauai or you can discover them for yourself and make your own movie moments:

Lihue:
Huleia River (by air tour or kayak only): Raiders of the Lost Ark
Nawiliwili Harbor: Jurassic Park: The Lost World
 
East Side (Coconut Coast):
Lydgate State Park: Blue Hawaii
Wailua Falls: Fantasy Island (TV show)
Wailua River: Blue Hawaii, Islands in the Stream
Coco Palms Hotel: Blue Hawaii, South Pacific
Opaekaa Falls: Blue Hawaii, The Wackiest Ship in the Army
Kapaa Town: Honeymoon in Vegas
Anahola Mountains: Raiders of the Lost Ark
 
North Shore:
Kilauea Lighthouse: Lilo & Stitch
Anini Beach Park: Honeymoon in Vegas, Lilo & Stitch
Hanalei Bay: South Pacific, Lilo & Stitch
Lumahai Beach: South Pacific
Makua “Tunnels” Beach: Body Heat, South Pacific
Kee Beach: Lord of the Flies, The Thorn Birds, Throw Mama from the Train
Kalalau Valley: King Kong, Mighty Joe Young
Napali Coast: Jurassic Park: The Lost World, Six Days/Seven Nights

5.  The U.S. Military is also Here!

The U.S. Military uses the Pacific Missile Range Facility on the southwest side of the island for training exercises and developmental tests...they have about 42,000 square miles of remote sea and air space that is virtually encroachment free.

* Tourism is also key on Kauai as is West Kauai Technology and Visitor Center which houses high technology companies is probably the best "least known" tourist attraction on the island...

WGST's "The Sully Show" for 4/3/15 - Spring Tech Cleaning

Rick and Sully talk "Spring Cleaning Technology" this week...

Not just spring cleaning in cleaning your house, but also some tech to clean your life or make your life a bit easier...

listen to ‘My Segment on "The Sully Show" on 640 am WGSt for 4/3/15’ on audioBoom

1.   Shark Vacuums

Euro-Pro – maker of the Shark vacuum – started out as a small, unknown company in the U.S., and has rapidly taken the industry by storm. Shark has recently achieved #1 market share in the vacuum category, besting stalwarts like Hoover, Bissel and Dyson, and is the fastest growing vacuum brand in the United States.

Shark’s share of the total upright market has grown 259 percent since 2011 and wins in the $160-$260 price segment with an 80 percent market share.

Shark was recently ranked the “Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Upright Vacuums” for the second year in a row, according to the J.D. Power 2015 Vacuum Satisfaction StudySM, and has received more 5-star online reviews than any other vacuum brand.
www.sharkclean.com

 
2.  Swash

www.swash.com

Swash
Tired of trekking to the dry cleaner with your winter sweaters and coats?   

Have those winter clothes dry cleaned in less than the amount of time it’ll take you to get to the dry cleaner!  With the new Swash system, that dream may be a reality.  Although limited to one piece of clothing at a time, the compact machine might be a clever solution for small apartments without full washing facilities (although technically the machine only refreshes and doesn’t wash, much like a dry clean).  It promises a full refresh of your clothing in 10 minutes.  You can buy Swash at Bed, Bath, and Beyond for $499.99.  Swash pods (think K-cup for a dry cleaner) cost $6.99 per 12 cups (also available at Bed, Bath, and Beyond).
 
 

3.  Justin
www.ithomeproducts.com
Innovative Technology has a portable power line and it's called Justin Power.
They have many chargers and power sources, but these make charging easier...

Power Bank with Built-In Stand: Props up your phone or tablet while charging it so you can easily video-chat or view your recordings from the day’s excursions (6,000mAh).
 

Power Bank with LCD Display: Compact with a bright, easy-to-read LCD Power Indicator that shows the power percentage of the bank (5,200mAh)
 


4.  Vida Health Coach app  - organizing your health

App is free and it's $15/week for the coaching
 
Lose weight, feel better, and hit your health goals with a real-life, professional Vida health coach. We’ll instantly connect you with a live expert coach to create an ongoing, personalized health program that fits your style and schedule.

HOW VIDA COACHING WORKS:

• Vida coaches are experts in nutrition, fitness, health, and motivational psychology. It’s like having your own personal trainer, nutritionist, mentor, therapist, and accountability partner all in one, always by your side in the Vida app.

• Our coaches are available on your schedule, 24/7 and connect with you through daily text messages and weekly video check-ins. They fit your style so you get the motivation and encouragement you need.

• Get started with a FREE video consultation with your Vida Coach. They’ll go through our proven 32-point health assessment to learn more about you and put together your own 100% personalized health plan.

• Stay accountable with daily reminders, tips, & inspiration from your coach.

• Vida connects with the Apple Healthkit Application and integrates with all of the most popular health tracking and calorie-counting applications: MyFitnessPal, Withings, Fitbit, Nike Fuelband and more!
• See the benefits of Vida coaching today. YOUR FIRST WEEK IS FREE!

5.  30/30 app

 - organize your day
iOS app
This simple task manager lets users divide their days into small increments of focused work (30 minutes by default) punctuated by regular breaks.

6.  Epson WorkForce WF-7610 printer  -  All-in-one Printer

Consolidate.

Get rid of your printer, copier, scanner   -  get the all-in-one 7610

Powered by Epson’s PrecisionCore printing technology.
The wide format WF-7610 delivers borderless prints up to 13” x 19” and wide format scanning up to 11” x 17”

 

WGST's "The Sully Show" for 3/27/15 - Atlanta Auto Show Tech

The annual Atlanta Auto Show is running this week and weekend at the Georgia World Congress Center....

Rick had his big preview article of the Auto Show in the AJC on Monday.
The show includes new and classic cars, along with the popular concept cars and interactive exhibits.

The show also features the latest in technology for your vehicles..

Let's take a look at some of the tech at the 2015 Atlanta International Auto Show:

listen to ‘My Segment on "The Sully Show" on 640 am WGSt for 3/27/15’ on audioBoom

1.   Dodge Ram Rebel

The Dodge Ram Rebel takes the tried-and-true half-ton pick-up, adds some beefy body work, a new schnoz, uprated tires, and a tweaked air suspension to appeal to buyers wanting to look like they're ready to tackle Mojave but never will.

The cosmetic changes are the obvious upgrades, with no chrome, no cross-hair grille, a Moparized aluminum hood, powder-coated skid plates, and more...

Go with the  5.7-liter HEMI V8 in 4x4 and 4x2 setups. The air suspension rides about an inch higher than the normal 1500 and has been tweaked to include Rebel-spec Bilsteins and a lone off-road setting (versus the normal two), but with the same cruising mode that automatically drops down when trundling along at highway speeds.

All Rebels will have an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Will probably be priced in the mid $30,000 range

 
2. Uconnect Radio

Allows users to listen to not only AM/FM stations, but also personal internet radio and apps like iHeartRadio  right in your car.

Cars are becoming connected in many ways.


3.  Concept Cars

Look for pre-production and concept cars at the show in the Acura ILX, Buick Cascada Convertible, Hyundai Sonata PHEV Plug-in, Kia's Track'ster and with Mercedes bringing their corporate headquarters to Atlanta, look for their new AMG GT on the show floor.

4.  Ford Looking Ahead...

Ford Motor Company will be bringing a mobility discussion to Atlanta as part of the company’s presence at this years Atlanta Auto Show, which opens this week at the Georgia World Congress Center. Leaders from Ford Motor Company, Georgia Tech and the Georgia Department of Transportation held a panel discussion surrounding the Future of Mobility in Atlanta at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center. Ford and it's partners discussed two mobility experiments taking place at Georgia Tech: Parking Spotter and Remote Repositioning, also we heard how the Georgia Department of Transportation is addressing what mobility looks like for Atlanta drivers.
-  Parking Spotter-  This experiment, conducted with Georgia Tech, leverages driver-assist sensors that most Ford vehicles already have, including sonar and radar, by putting them to work for everybody. The sensors search for open parking spaces while the driver looks for spots around the city, and share the information with a cloud database other drivers can access. The system makes it easier for a driver to locate an open spot, reserve it and navigate to the space. It also reduces fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.
 

5.  “CAMP JEEP”

“Camp Jeep” will be operating all five days of the Auto Show. This dynamic outdoor exhibit will give show attendees a chance to experience the extreme off-road capabilities of Jeep vehicles.

March 25                      12:00pm-9:00pm
March 26                       12:00pm-9:00pm
March 27                       12:00pm-10:00pm
March 28                       10:00am-10:00pm
March 29                      11:00am-8:00pm


FEATURED VEHICLES:  Jeep Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, and Wrangler.
 

My Appearance on WGST's "The Sully Show" 3/20/15 - March Madness and the Tech News of the Week

As the NCAA Tournament continues its run..  Rick and Sully take a look at the tech news and happenings of the week.

Rick is also out at the SEC Women's Gymnastics Championships today at the Gwinnett Arena competiton goes through tomorrow

Have a listen:

listen to ‘The Sully Show March 20, 2015’ on audioBoom

1.  Tech for watching and following NCAA Tournament Games costs $1.7 billion in workplace productivity  -  We now have streams and more on our mobile devices

During the first week of the tournament, according to the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas, American companies will lose at least $1.7 billion in work productivity. That's a lot of chatter around the water cooler; to say nothing about those employees who watch the tournament games on their office computer or smartphones.

Of course, March Madness helps build office morale, if you look at it in that way.

 

2. Speaking a Second Language May Change How You See the World - Now there are apps that help you learn another language

Speakers of the two languages put different emphasis on actions and their consequences, influencing the way they think about the world, according to a new study (abstract). The work also finds that bilinguals may get the best of both worldviews, as their thinking can be more flexible.

Apps like Rosetta Stone, Duolingo and Babbel can get you up to speed on a second or third langauge.

 
3. Nintendo Finally Working On Games for Smartphones

More problems for workplace productivity.

Nintendo is finally bringing its games to mobile devices. It's partnering with Japanese game publisher DeNA to develop games for phones and tablets based on Nintendo's popular game IPs.

Games like Mario, Zelda and Pokemon are coming...  some maybe with some 3-D effects.

4.  Facebook Introduces Payment System

Will Sully send some money to Rick?

Facebook announced a new feature for its Messenger services: the ability to send money to friends. The payment system will work by connecting debit cards from Visa or Mastercard — no credit cards, and no bank accounts. The company claims they aren't trying to make money on it, since it'd be such a small business compared to their ad revenue. "Once the $ button is tapped, users simply enter the dollar amount and hit Pay.

The money is instantly taken from their debit account and delivered to the recipient's debit account. Facebook never holds the money, though the receiver's bank will usually take a few days to make the funds available as is standard. Both users see a confirmation message detailing the transfer status and time." Facebook says transaction information is encrypted, and users will protect their cards with a dedicated passcode.

5. Microsoft will make Windows 10 upgrades free to all, including pirates

Microsoft will make Windows 10 available as a free upgrade even to pirated copies of other Windows operating systems in China. Terry Myerson of Microsoft's operating systems unit made the announcement at the WinHEC technology conference in Shenzhen, China, and then told Reuters, "We are upgrading all qualified PCs, genuine and non-genuine, to Windows 10." Microsoft has a history of attempting to tackle massive and rising software piracy rates in Asia and developing countries, and periodically offers low-cost "licence amnesties" to the worst-offending countries, such as Indonesia and Kenya.

My Appearance on WGST's "The Sully Show" 3/13/15 - Tennis and the Tech News of the Week

Rick is in Indian Wells, CA this week as the BNP Paribas Open starts it's tennis run. This is the biggest tennis tournament in the world outside of the majors. It is also the most tech-friendly tournament on the ATP Tour.  - They have their own app, tons of video screens around the grounds, 14 scoreboards alone on Stadium Court.  They even stream the action from 2 of the practice courts.

Have a listen:

listen to ‘The Sully Show March 13, 2015’ on audioBoom

 

Rick has been at the best of the pre tournament events.

1. The Wilson event with world No. 3, Simona Halep.  New Wilson racquets in the Burn and the Blade. New Wilson tennis shoes and partnering with Sony on smart technology for the racquet.  Rick did the tennis obstacle course Wilson has called the #BURNChallenge.

2.  Rick was one of the media participants in the "Tennis With the Stars" event at the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa.  He played with ATP World Tour top-10 players Kei Nishikori and David Ferrer .   How was it?   -  *Spoiler... Rick won

3. Apple Watch Announcement  Apple had an event on Monday to formally introduce the Apple Watch.. Is the Apple watch viable?
 

And now it’s all here and ready to debut on April 24. (Preorders start April 10.) But do you want to pay $17,000 for it?

OK, you don't have to pay that much, but that's the top price of the premium gold option, called the Apple Watch Edition. If you're looking for something on the scale of hundreds of dollars instead of thousands, the company is offering the Apple Watch Sport (starting at $349) and the flagship Apple Watch (starting at $549). All of these watches come in two sizes, 38 mm or 42 mm; have different case colors to choose from; and have swappable bands. Depending on the band you choose, the standard Apple Watch can easily reach $1,000.

Apple claims that the watches will have about 18 hours of battery life, and they'll charge using a special MagSafe cable. As Apple previewed in September, users will navigate through the menus of the watch using a special knob that both physically turns and is touch-sensitive.
You can reply to a text message, browse Instagram, and remotely opened a garage door. The watch lets you know when you've been doing too much sitting, can track heart rate, and is also Apple Pay–enabled, so you can buy many different things.

4. Social Media Reviews Drive E-commerce

E-commerce is a booming market, and its growth is closely tied to social media engagement. This engagement from users is often in the form of posting to their networks about positive or negative experiences, or by posting reviews to ecommerce sites. An infographic from Bazaarvoice highlights how reviews can impact sales and return on social media investment.

The infographic is based on sample data collected from the Bazaarvoice network, and it analyzed 57 million reviews and more than 35 billion product pageviews.

One of the most effective tools for increasing feedback across your site, is to syndicate customer content. Featuring user-generated content across the site, encouraged others to leave reviews, which also improved product coverage compared to native content alone.

For example, featuring reviews next to consumer electronics resulted in a 324 percent increase in review volume, and a 26 percent increase in product coverage. In hardware, it caused a 259 percent increase in review volume, and an 18 percent increase in product coverage.

As the volume of reviews increase, so does the profile of the site. During early stages of growth, conversation in the reviews serves to drive traffic. Once there are more than eight reviews, sites begin to see growth in organic search traffic. When more than 100 reviews have been collected, businesses can see trends in feedback, such as sentiment or product suggestions.

And as the number of reviews ticks even higher, businesses start to see increases in the conversion rate. Just one review can increase the conversion rate by 10 percent. At 100 reviews the conversion rate can be boosted by up to 37 percent, and by the time there are 200 reviews, the rate can be boosted as much as 44 percent.

5.  "March Madness" apps

- Thuuz Sports - Provides your personalized guide to navigate through all these sports and insure that you never miss a great game or match. Make sure you have your alerts turned on so that you get the full impact of the service!

We only send you one alert per game, and only if it's truly exciting from your perspective, so you'll never be overwhelmed with notifications.

With your preferences set appropriately, you can govern which sports to follow, which teams to get heightened excitement alerts for, and how often to get alerted within a given league, from the "I don't want to miss any great game" fanatic to the "only if its the best of the best" casual fan.

- NCAA March Madness Live -
 

NCAA March Madness Live to present all 67 games across digital platforms
Completely redesigned for this year’s NCAA Tournament, the NCAA March Madness Live app – developed in partnership with the NCAA, Turner Sports and CBS Sports – will feature a sleeker design, improved navigation, an all-new GameCenter experience, a new “run” game and new sections focused on providing fans with more content than ever before.

From Selection Sunday to the cutting of the nets in Indianapolis, fans will be able to watch all of the action via March Madness Live accessible from www.ncaa.com/marchmadness, www.CBSSports.com, www.bleacherreport.com, CBS Sports App, Bleacher Report’s Team Stream, the App Store, the Amazon App Store, Windows Store and Google Play on Thursday, March 12.

As part of the industry-wide TV Everywhere initiative, pay-tv subscribers will have unlimited live streaming coverage and on-the-go access to the tournament across all screens, including online, mobile and tablets, throughout the entire championship. Fans will have access to all games airing live on TNT, TBS and truTV by logging in with their TV service provider information, and all games broadcast on CBS with no registration required.

NCAA March Madness Live will offer a temporary preview period giving users access to live game streaming before login is required.  Additionally, fans can watch games via live streaming on TNT, TBS and truTV’s digital platforms, as well as participating TV provider websites.

New for the 2015 NCAA March Madness Live:

• “Teams” Section – The new teams section allows fans to follow their favorite team throughout the tournament with stats, video content, a season recap/snapshot, team roster and information outlining upcoming tournament match-ups.

• “Featured” Section – For the first time, fans will be able to view content that captures the storylines, classic tournament moments, match-up analysis, top plays, press conference coverage, featured video content and more.

• GameCenter – The epicenter of NCAA March Madness Live has been reengineered to give fans more ways to watch live games on smartphones - allowing video viewing in both portrait and landscape orientations.  In addition, companion content on smartphones and tablets, such as team and player stats and social content from the Coke Zero NCAA March Madness Social Arena, is more dynamic and more discoverable than ever before.

• Capital One NCAA Tournament Run – A new game available at ncaa.com/tournamentrun that allows fans to stay competitive in the tournament after a busted bracket. To play, users must answer questions about each game match-up throughout the tournament to accumulate points and create the longest “run.”

• Capital One NCAA March Madness Bracket Challenge – This year, the official bracket game of March Madness – available via desktop, smartphones and tablets – is upgrading with new game features and more tools to help fans make their bracket picks.  In addition, this is the only bracket game to integrate access to the live video stream of every match-up during the tournament.