Limpert Tech "SullyCast" on ALT 105.7 and iHeartRadio 12/20/19 - Tech and Tennis With Danielle Lao

Rick is joined by pro tennis player, author and all around insighful individual, Danielle Lao.

His co-author of The Invaluable Experience, and WTA tennis pro.

Have a listen:

Danielle, a former USC All-American is wrapping up the 2019 tear on the WTA Tour and is now in the off-season until she heads to Australia to start out 2020.

Rick and Danielle talk her tennis and her favorite gadgets and tech. She candidly answers some rapid-fire questions and talks about her love of podcasts and blogging. Danielle gives great insight what it;s like to be a top-200 player on the WTA Tour.

Good luck to Danielle and enjoy this episode.

Danielle gives and honest recap of her 2019 in here blog here.

As an Author:

Danielle Lao, a two-time All American tennis player at USC explains why playing college tennis was a time in her life she will never forget and why playing college sports is an “Invaluable Experience.” .

As a Player:

Danielle has played at all four Grad Slam tournaments, has has success on the ITF Pro Circuit and at the time of this recording had a WTA ranking of No.196. Look for Danielle in qualifying for the 2020 Australian Open.

Limpert Tech "SullyCast" on ALT 105.7 and iHeartRadio 6/29/19 - Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa

Rick spent last weekend in Austin, TX, at the Grand  Re-opening of the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, TX. This picturesque resort in the Texas Hill Country.
 

Omni Barton Creek underwent an extensive $150 million renovation and expansion that began in November 2017. From its opening 30 years ago to becoming the premier Texas Hill Country destination, this marks a major milestone in the property's history. The resort attracts local and out-of-town visitors to a refined, but relaxed retreat, embodying the spirit of the region.

Website: https://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/austin-barton-creek

Have a listen:

1. About the resort

One of the most sought after resort destinations in Texas, Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa stands tall among picturesque hill country views matched in vastness only by its storied history.

Opening as a country club in the mid-1980s, the vision of the future development in the rolling hill country came together with the aid of former Texas Gov. John Connolly and former Lieutenant Governor Ben Barnes. The resort’s doors officially opened September 5, 1987, with former First Lady of the United States Lady Bird Johnson in attendance for the grand opening ceremony.

Over the years, four championship golf courses were introduced, one designed by Austin native Ben Crenshaw, another by Arnold Palmer and two by Tom Fazio, earning the property its current reputation as one of the best golf resorts in the state.  

Along the way, the resort has hosted a variety of notable events and tournaments, including the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf  (Champions Tour) Tournament, and many influential guests ranging from former U.S Presidents (#41 President Bush and #43 President Bush) to musical great Willie Nelson to Heisman winner Earl Campbell.   

Former University of Texas legendary football coach Darrel Royal was a founding member of Barton Creek Country Club and frequently golfed Barton Creek’s courses; the resort’s only ballroom is named in his honor.
While the face of the resort has changed over time to meet guest needs, the resort’s central purpose and mission remains steadfast: to provide unrivaled, Texas-sized hospitality to each and every guest that walks its storied hallways.

Today is an exciting new chapter for Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa with our $150 million renovation in conjunction with the resort’s 30th anniversary.
 

2. A new arrival and lobby experience

Attention to detail here is the key. Guests are welcomed to the property with special artwork.
Love the one that resembles "fire flies" behind the guest check in.
The lobby is also spacious and bright, makes great use of windows to get the best views.
 

3. 493 freshly-designed guestrooms and suites

Rooms and suites all upgraded. Lots of outlets to plug in all your devices. Great views of the hills, fast Wi-Fi.

Rooms feel like an apartment home!

What else could you want?
 

4. Brand new Mokara Spa with a private adults-only rooftop pool and light cuisine from the Spa Creek Café

Facials, body treatments, massages and salon services.

Mokara Spa is very inviting and the staff is so friendly.

Upon arrival, we will provide with you with a plush robe and spa slippers. Relax before or after your services in our gender-separate relaxation lounges, steam rooms, dry saunas and whirlpools. Please bring a swimsuit for our coed rooftop pool deck. Spa facilities are only available to spa guests on the day of their treatments. Resort guests may purchase a day pass for a $50 fee, subject to availability.

5. A Multi-tiered poolscape with an infinity edge pool featuring sweeping Texas Hill Country views

Barton Creek's new multi-tiered pool deck features an infinity pool overlooking the 18th green of the Fazio Foothills golf course. An Austin oasis, guests can relax poolside in several hot tubs and private cabanas.

6. A redesigned tennis complex featuring 10 courts with LED lighting for evening play
 

7. Golf Courses

Recognized as one of the best golf resorts in the Southwest by GOLF Magazine and featuring top-ranked courses by Golf Digest, Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa is one of the most sought-after golf destinations in Texas. Just 10 miles northwest of downtown Austin, our resort blends the best of the capital city with the beauty of Texas Hill Country.

Able to be played by golfers of all levels.

Play like the pros on four championship courses designed around the tranquility of our scenic setting. Let us help you choose which of our Barton Creek courses is ideal for your group outing.
Resort guests can also gain exclusive access to instruction from on-site professionals at the renowned Barton Creek Golf Academy, where golfers can tune up their game before teeing off for a world-class experience. Don’t forget to check out available golf offers to enhance your getaway.
To schedule a tee time: (512) 329-4653

 

Limpert Tech "SullyCast" on ALT 105.7 and iHeartRadio - BB&T Atlanta Open and Tennis Tech

It's that time of the year! Rick is in Midtown for the next 10 or so days with the BB&T Atlanta Open tennis tournament. Rick is the media director and follows tennis all year long, so he gets to see the latest tennis tech up close.
 

And some new tech is being put in play at the tournament this week at the BB&T.
Have a listen:

1.  BB&T Atlanta Open debuts an app
For Apple and Android

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bb-t-atlanta-open/id1380436653?mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bleachr.tennis_app.atlanta&hl=en_US

The official app of the BB&T Atlanta Open lets you follow all the tennis action both at and away from the tournament.

Get News, Featured Articles, Draws, Schedules, Stats, and more! Plus access the entire "In the Stadium" fan experience upon entering the tournament grounds where you can instantly interact with other fans, special team content, trivia, and unique fan challenges.

Earn points as you participate and make your way up the leaderboard to become the number one BB&T Atlanta Open Superfan!
 

2.  Electronic Line Calling to be Used on Every Court at 2018 US Open

The US Open will become the first Grand Slam tournament to use electronic line calling on every court this summer, when its use of the technology is expanded to cover all 16 courts.

The move will ensure consistency and fairness for all players, while keeping the US Open at the forefront of technological innovations.

Last year, electronic line calling had a dedicated in-stadium presence on the four main courts – Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium, Grandstand and Court 17. It was also used to provide video reviews on Courts 5, 10 and 13, which were served via a dedicated replay room inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, rather than at the court itself. Based on the success of this expanded trial on the three field courts, the decision was made to roll out the technology across the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

As a result, electronic line calling cameras will be present on all 16 competition courts when the US Open main draw begins on Aug. 27, with the initial plan to use the technology in men's and women's singles, doubles and mixed doubles matches.
 

3. Wimbledon Streamed in Ultra HD to fans

Wimbledon has come a long way!

NextVR team filmed tennis in ultra-high resolution stereoscopic 3D for the first time ever. Matches were streamed over free Wi-Fi to fans waiting in line to get onto the grounds. Spectators can point their phones at stadium plaques to trigger augmented reality experiences. “Our grander ambition is to make sure we are keeping Wimbledon relevant through the use of technology,”

4. NetCam was a smash at Wimbledon

NetCam is the next evolution of their Globecam unit – a world leader in live, point-of-view miniature camera solutions that specialise in live sport. NetCam will be deployed on each side of the net to deliver audiences an unprecedented panorama of Wimbledon’s Centre and No.1 Courts during match play.
In addition to improving the fan’s viewing-experience, the miniature camera technology also provides players and officials with a unique, live net’s eye view of the on-court action.

 

5. New Nike Shoe debuting for US Open in August - The Zoom Zero

With the US Open—the final Grand Slam tournament of the year—fast approaching, Nike Tennis has readied a brand-new sneaker just in time for the United States’ most prestigious tournament. The Zoom Zero is a truly unique example of tennis footwear: a shoe that features New York-inspired detailing, and boasts a brand-new take on Zoom cushioning technology.

Most sneakers that utilize Zoom feature two seperate cushioning units: one in the heel, and one in the forefoot. The Zoom Zero turns this conventional cushioning method on its head by offering a single curved Zoom Air unit that stretches all the way from heel to toe, offering both impact protection on a player’s heel strike and a springy feel when a player is on their toes ready for a volley. A rigid rubber toe offers impact protection, and bright pops of color on the tongue and heel add a little extra flair. For a NYC-inspired touch, the shoe also features “New York” signed in different languages from the midsole’s peak on the midfoot all the way up to the heel. The Zoom Zero is set to release in both black and white on Nike.com, so enjoy images (and original design sketches) of the shoe below while you wait, and get ready to hit the tennis court in this futuristic sneaker this summer.
 

6. Weekly "Bird" update

During an Atlanta City Council work session Friday, local lawmakers declared Bird and its multiple dock-free vehicle-sharing competitors a crucial part of evolving Atlanta into a more multimodal (and less car-dependant) city. But they say some regulation is needed...
A city ordinance proposal drafted by Councilmembers Michael Bond, Jennifer Ide, Dustin Hillis, Matt Westmoreland, and Andre Dickens seeks to ensure Bird scooters and other small shareable vehicles are used in an “obstruction free” fashion.
Bird users, evidently, are not the only offenders. Vehicle-sharing companies have been sprouting like weeds recently, and options such as Lime bikes and scooters and Muving mopeds have also been found idle, crowding sidewalks and obstructing public rights of way.

- The BB&T Atlanta Open starts this weekend... tickets and more info at www.bbtatlantaopen.com

WGST's "The Sully Show" for 3/11/16 - Rick Playing Tennis and Spring Cleaning for your Tech

Rick is back in town after spending the better part of the week in the California Desert, specifically the Palm Springs area, where he was at one of the largest tennis tournaments in the world, the BNP Paribas Open, and participating as one of the tennis-playing media members in the "Tennis With the Stars" event at the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa.

Rick took to the court with Canadian tennis superstar Genie Bouchard and was the last doubles team standing in the media competition that also featured Richard Gasquet, Kei Nishikori and women's World No. 3, Garbine Mugaruza.

 
 
We also are getting ready to "Spring Ahead' this weekend as we turn our clocks ahead one hour, so Rick and Sully look at some "Spring Cleaning" ideas when it comes to your gadgets and technology...
 
Have a listen:

1. Physically Cleaning Your Devices

- Wipedown your headphones
- Clean your monitor or TV screen
- Carefully clean not only your phone, but also the case  - Touch screen devices are known to be a safe harbor for all sorts of germs and bacteria.  Make sure you power off your device before you start wiping it down, and never spray a cleaning solution directly onto your device; just to be safe.
- Cleaning your keyboard -     Shut down your computer. If you're using a wired desktop keyboard, unplug it.Tilt the keyboard upside down and shake it to remove any loose debris. If you have a can of compressed air, you can spray it in between the keys as well.
 

2. Recycling Your Old Gadgets

This is not only good for the environment, but can put some extra cash in your pocket.

You can use approved recycling programs, donate to non-profits, sell outright or trade to someone that can put the item to use. Repurpose for a DIY project.
 

3.  Getting Optimized

Keep your apps and device software up-to-date: Always run optimally!
It may prevent you from getting a virus.
 

4.  Digitizing your life

Simple things like:
- Going digital with your wallet
- Digitize your CD collection
- Take pictures or scan of all those receipts you are saving
- Go digital with print subscriptions to magazines, newspapers, etc

 

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.