Limpert Tech "SullyCast" on Radio 105.7 and iHeartRadio - Solar Eclipse Tech

For a few moments on Monday, we will experience the first total solar eclipse in over 40 years.
Some tech and tips for the solar eclipse.

Have a listen:

Remember, the shadow of the moon will first touch Georgia at 2:34 p.m. on Aug. 21 and leave the state at 2:40 p.m. The shadow of the moon passes by quickly, at about 1,800 miles per hour, according to NASA.
Never view the Sun with the naked eye or by looking through optical devices such as binoculars or telescopes!
Rick and Sully discuss, and don't look directly at the eclipse

1. Solar Eclipse Glasses

Solar Eclipse glasses resemble 3-D movie glasses and sell for as little as $2. They are sold at Best Buys, Kirkland’s and Lowe’s stores. Many stores are sold out and won't be getting more inventory, so look around and don't look directly at the solar eclipse.
Reputable vendors  https://eclipse.aas.org/resources/solar-filters

 
2. Make your own viewing device here...   starting with just a long box or long tube
https://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/how-to-view-eclipse

3. Starbound Astronomy Viewing Chair

A $159  comfortable sturdy heavy-duty Chair designed for Sky Observing that folds flat for easy storage. The Chair is adjustable from 9" to 32". This allows for instant adjustment of the padded seat to whatever height you need for observing with your telescope. The chair has extra-thick padding and a heavily plated steel frame The Viewing Chair is available in two powder coated colors, White or Black (this version Black).
 


4. A Solar Filter for any Eclipse Photography
 

Black polymer is the most common filtering material for observing sunspots and granulation, through telescopes and binoculars.

These sheets are a quality product of Thousand Oaks Optical, Arizona, a manufacturer of safe solar filters for over 30 years. "Stronger than Mylar with the filtering properties protected within the substrate. Guaranteed five years."

Make a filter on your own for any telescope / binoculars / camera, and for a fraction of what factory made filters cost.

The sun will appear in a natural orange color when viewed through your telescope using this filter.
WARNING: ALWAYS MAKE SURE THE FILTER IS WELL ATTACHED TO THE TELESCOPE/BINOCULARS, USING STICKY TAPE, TO KEEP IT FROM FALLING WHILE OBSERVING!
 

5.  Apps for the Solar Eclipse

 - NASA Total Solar Eclipse 2017 Countdown: NASA has created this website, https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/, to guide you through the eclipse. You will find a live stream of the eclipse, an interactive eclipse map, a list of official eclipse events across the country,  eclipse science and education activities, such as making a solar viewing projector or a 3D printable pinhole projector, eclipse art projects and much more.
- Total Solar Eclipse 2017: This free app from Exploratorium gives you access to Exploratorium’s live video streams of the total solar eclipse. You can tune in to 5 simultaneous video streams: live coverage hosted by Exploratorium educators and NASA scientists; live coverage in Spanish; a non-narrated, 3-hour live telescope view of the full eclipse as seen from Oregon; a non-narrated, 3-hour live telescope view of the full eclipse as seen from Wyoming; and a live telescope view with live musical sonification and accompaniment by the Kronos Quartet.

Limpert Tech "SullyCast" on Radio 105.7 - Surviving that Middle Seat or Flight From Hell

It's the holiday season and that not only means "Merry Christmas" and Mistletoe, it means the dreaded holiday travel season and that means delayed and packed flight and everything involved with flying testing your patience.

You might even have to deal with an oversold flight or a middle seat on a 737.  

Rick and Sully talk a little travel this week...

What to do if you find yourself in 18B, which is probably a middle seat? Let's take a look and listen...

1. Sleep and that Neck Pillow

Sleeping upright can be a possibility—even in the middle seat. Make sure you have the right neck or travel pillow for your body, whether that's a standard neck pillow, a shoulder-wrapping Travelrest Pillow, or even a jacket that converts into a pillow. Though they may not be as cuddly as their foam-filled counterparts, consider blow-up travel pillows for their space-saving qualities. For more convenience, there are now blow up travel pillows.
 

 
2. Noise-Canceling Headphones

Ask any road warrior what to look for in a pair of headphones, and they will say noise-canceling. For just a few hours, a pair of good headphones can be a middle-seat passenger's best friend. The right set tuned to a good movie or music can take your mind off the otherwise muscle-contorting rigors of the middle seat.

Samples: Bose, Beats by Dre BiGR.
 
3. Airline Apps

Make sure you have the app of the airline you are flying downloaded on your phone or tablet. If you get delayed or if there are weather problems, sometimes you can get info and make changes easier on your app, rather than dealing with a gate agent.
 

4. The Airhook

Give your airline seat, especially a middle seat a comfort upgrade. The Airhook is a legroom-saving airline travel accessory that holds your beverage and electronic device. Available here for $22.45.
 

5.  Best "In Air" apps

Tripit published some suggestions here: https://www.tripit.com/blog/2015/02/best-apps-for-inflight-entertainment.html

Conde Nast published some Flight Tracker apps which help pass the time: http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2013-10-16/best-apps-for-tracking-flights

WGST's "The Sully Show" for 10/30/15 - Macon and Halloween Apps

Rick is in Macon, GA all this week once again. He is the media coordinator for the Tennis Classic of Macon, a women's professional tennis tournament- think of it as the Triple-A of the tennis circuit. It's a stone's throw away from the big tennis tours. You find young players, former college All-Americans and come veteran pros working their way up the rankings. Rick is there for all 9 days of the play and the action is taking place at the tennis center at Mercer University.

 
But also with Halloween here this weekend, there are a number of apps that can keep you and your family safe while trick-or-treating.

Remember that Halloween is all about having fun, but in the world we live in, one must take safety precautions. Here are some "app" ideas that AT&T is kind enough to provide.

Have a listen:

1.  iHandy Flashlight app

Download any free Flashlight app, like iHandy Flashlight app so you and your child’s device can be used as a bright light or beacon for easy navigation. The app allows some customization of the light, so users have some options.
 

2.   RedPanic Button App

You may also want to try the RedPanic Button app. Put to your child’s device not only for added peace-of-mind, but for the very fact that they can send out a text message with their exact coordinates that comes through on Google Maps to family members. The distress signal can also be posted on Facebook or Twitter. RedPanic offers quite a bit for a free app.
 

3.  AT&T's Family Map

Also, be able to track your little trick-or-treater with a location-based service, like FamilyMap from AT&T. This powerful app lets you see and track the location of your child’s device on an interactive and real-time map from your smartphone, PC or tablet.
 

4.   Life360

Life360 is a free app that allows users to create private groups, and communicate via group chat. It also sends notifications when members check into places and users can even set boundary limits.
 

5. Amazon is celebrating Halloween with $70 worth of apps and games for free (Thru Oct 31)

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If your Android phone or tablet seems boring with the same old apps, then today is a good day to give it a boost with some new apps and games. Amazon is hosting a “Scary Good Deals” sale to celebrate Halloween. There are 33 apps and games valued at over $70.

Some of the notable apps include Runtastic Pro (reg $5), Splashtop Remote Desktop (reg $5), and AVG AntiVirus Pro (reg $12). Gamers will also love the selection which includes Lego Star Wars Microfighters (reg $1), Airport Mania 2 (reg $5), and Huebrix (reg $1).

Since these apps and games are from the Amazon Appstore (not Google Play), you will need the Amazon Appstore app on your device. It’s already pre-installed on the Fire Phone as well as Fire tablets. All other Android users will need to download the Amazon App store app, which you can find here.

6.  Facebook
If you maybe have a teenager making the rounds to various friend's houses on Halloween, Facebook can be an asset if you have then "check in" at the locations they hit.
 

WGST's "The Sully Show" for 9/18/15 - Omni Homestead and Tech News of the Week

Rick was at the Onmi Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, VA this week. This is where Sam Snead grew up and got his start in golf. It's also the oldest continuous first tee in the US, dating back to 1892.   Resort will be 250 years old next year.

- 23 sitting or ex-presidents have stayed and played golf at The Homestead, no other place can lay claim to that

- Check out www.omnihotels.com  or http://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/homestead-virginia
 
The Omni Homestead Resort
Rick and Sully look at the some of the Tech News of the Week.

Have a listen:

1.   Apple iPhones available Sept 25 (Next Friday)

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s launch on September 25 at Apple Stores and authorized resellers in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

    A9 processor
    12-megapixel rear camera
    Same design as iPhone 6
    Less bendable 7000 Series aluminum shell
    3D Touch - can also recognize "finger pressure"  "Peek and Pop"
    Improved Touch ID  - Says it's twice as fast
    Gold, Rose Gold, Silver, and Space Gray colors
 

2. The Air Traffic Control Tower of the Future Doesn't Include Humans

Sweden is testing the future of air traffic control at Ornskoldsvik Airport. An 80 foot tall unmanned tower at the airport houses 14 high-definition cameras to help controllers survey the site with better-than-human vision. Video from the cameras is transmitted to Sunvsal Airport, where a controller guides the planes. Potential future plans include grouping every airport controller together at distant facilities in order to save costs of running multiple air traffic control towers.
 

3.  AT&T Partners with Best Buy

Rick had an article on this on Examiner - http://www.examiner.com/article/at-t-to-partner-with-best-buy-to-educate-customers  

That means AT&T will soon have dedicated space in some 250 Best Buy stores where they will be offering everything from smartphones to tablets to accessories and products for your home. Not only can customers purchase everything from wearables to connected car plug-ins, but this is a place where they can also ask questions. Find out how you can manage your home from your smartphone with AT&T Digital Life. Also, there will soon be 4K HDTVs on site to demonstrate the great TV options available nationwide through it's DIRECTV service.

For Best Buy, this is a natural fit as we head into the holiday season and for AT&T, it's a way of introducing their new products to customers and explaining how they fit into our lives.

4.  Porsche Unveils Its First Electric Car

Even Porsche gets in the electric car business.

German automaker Porsche has made its first foray into electric vehicles. On Monday at the Frankfurt Auto Show, it unveiled a concept car called the Porsche Mission E. Its 800-volt drive system can take the car from 0 to 100km/h in 3.5 seconds. The high-voltage charging system lets it gain 80% of its battery capacity back within 15 minutes. They claim a driving range of 500km on a single battery charge. Porsche said the car was not a response to the Tesla Model S, but the two will likely be direct competitors when the Mission E goes into full production. That will happen "within the next five years."
 

  Just for Sully
5.  Spurs Connect app turns football matches into a live social game


The club has launched a new app to get them playing along with live matches.

Spurs Connect, which is currently available for Apple's iPhone and iPad devices, is the result of a partnership between Spurs and mobile developer OneUp Games.

Released this month, it's a cross between Bingo and Connect 4, with fans competing with their Facebook friends to correctly predict events during matches, and get four in a row on the in-game board. The game is based on live statistics from Spurs' Premier League matches.

"Spurs Connect takes the best elements of watching the match with your friends and enhances it with direct head-to-head competition," claims the App Store listing for the free app, which makes its money from in-app purchases of virtual tokens, which are used to buy power-ups to boost people's chances or impede other players.

The game represents Spurs' first step into the "free-to-play" games market that has become increasingly dominant on smartphones and tablets. At the time of writing, 46 of the 50 top grossing iPhone games in the UK are free-to-play.

My Appearance on WGST's "The Sully Show" 10/2/14 Carmel-by-the-Sea, Poppy Hills and Apps

Rick is back from a week out on the West Coast in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. He was there writing about Carmel the First Tee Open PGA Champions Tour event. He was at Pebble Beach and played Poppy Hills on the Monterey Peninsula

Poppy Hills also has a couple apps they are proud of, and this is a new trend for golf courses.

1. Poppy Hills app for players - GPS component, info about courses, weather, images
2. Poppy Hills app for maintenance - the maintenance and ground crew at Poppy Hills use an app to take care of the course.

www.poppyhillsgolf.com
www.carmelcalifornia.com

Have a listen:

listen to ‘The Sully Show October 2, 2014’ on audioBoom

 
Rick and Sully will look at some apps that look and work great on the hugh iPhone 6 Plus

With a much larger screeen and a higher resolution display the iPhone 6 Plus offers new possibilities when it comes to apps.
 
1.  Open Table

Free - restaurant reservations app

This app was sometimes are to use on the smaller phone, now with the iPhone 6 it's almost perfect. Zoom in and out easier and a nice two-column view

 


2.  American Airlines

Free
American has the first major travel app to go dual-paned, so you can make use of the big screen on the iPhone 6 Plus Its new interface gives the app some more color, adding information about your upcoming trips and frequent flier status.

 

3. CNN

Free

CNN is the first news organization to get the dual-paned message. You can scroll the two panes independently to skim through stories and choose the next article you want to read.
 

4. Evernote

Rick's favorite do-it-all notetaking app. Looks great on the new iPhones.

What else does Evernote do?

And Sully wants to mention talking imogis