Lauren Bacall, whose seven-decade career made her one of the greatest stars in Hollywood history, died this evening in her New York home a month shy of her 90th birthday.

Born Betty Joan Perske on September 16 (a birthday we both shared) 1924, she set out to become a dancer before turning her sights to acting and attending the American Academy of the Dramatic Arts after her graduation from high school. While appearing in the occasional off-Broadway production she began modeling and, at age 19, caught the eye of film director Howard Hawks’ wife, who saw her on the cover of a magazine and suggested she be given a screen test. So impressive was her test that she was cast opposite Humphrey Bogart in the film “To Have and Have Not.” It was in this film that she introduced one of the most quoted lines in film history when she said “You know how to whistle, don’t you? You just put your lips together and…blow.” Despite their 25 year age difference, the two fell in love and were married a year later. The marriage would last until Bogart’s death in 1957.

She continued to co-star with Bogart in such classic films as “The Big Sleep,” “Dark Passage” and “Key Largo.” In 1953 she tried her hand at comedy, co-starring with Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable in “How to Marry a Millionaire.” She spent the next decade or so alternating between film and television before heading to Broadway, appearing in the musical “Applause,” for which she won the Tony Award as Best Actress.

In 1973 she reprised her role in the television production of “Applause” and then returned to the big screen as part of the all-star cast of “Murder on the Orient Express.” She also starred opposite John Wayne in his last film, 1976’s “The Shootist.” In 1980 she appeared in the Robert Altman film “HealtH.” This movie was filmed in St. Petersburg Beach, Florida and I can remember some friends and I trying to sneak our way into the Don Cesar Hotel, where the film was shot, in the hopes of meeting Ms. Bacall, who my friend Scott Gilbert had a major school boy crush on. We were not successful.

She continued to work at her leisure, appearing in such films as “The Fan,” “Misery,” “Pret-a-Porter” and “The Mirror Has Two Faces,” for which she received her first and only Academy Award nomination, as Best Supporting Actress. Though she did receive the Golden Globe for her performance, the Oscar went instead to Juliette Binoche. . As the 21st Century loomed she began contributing her voice to various animated projects, including “Madeline: Lost in Paris,” “Howl’s Moving Castle” and was actually heard earlier this year in an episode of “Family Guy.”

In 2010 she received an honorary Academy Award in recognition of her central place in the Golden Age of motion pictures.

This is going to be tough. I’ve had the great fortune, followed by genuine sadness, in the past to see a young talent break through, shine brightly and then die. Two people that come to mind are River Phoenix and Heath Ledger. Both great talents and both taken way too soon. The fact that I have been entertained by Robin Williams for almost four decades only makes the pain of his passing hurt more. Williams died earlier today, with the cause of death pointing toward suicide. He was 63.

I can remember Williams’ appearance on “Happy Days,” where he first gave life to Mork, the alien from the planet Ork. With his brightly colored suspenders and soon to be catchphrase “Nanu nanu,” Williams, like Mork, invaded our televisions and made them his own. I can still remember gathering at my friend Scott Gilbert’s house, just after my 18th birthday, with other friends to watch the debut of the new comedy “Mork and Mindy.” I can still remember the laughter, which peeled from the living room throughout the house. The show, and Williams, were such an instant hit that within a few weeks the movie theatre I was working at brought back an R-rated sketch comedy called “Can I Do It ‘Til I Need Glasses,” trumpeting in the ads that the film “starred” Robin “Mork” Williams. Williams really only had two brief appearances in the film, but that fact wasn’t enough to keep people from paying their money and selling out the opening weekend performances.

In 1980, the studios came calling properly, with Williams playing the title role in Robert Altman’s “Popeye.” Two years later, he showed he was much more than a funny man when he took the lead in the film version of John Irving’s classic novel “The World According to Garp.” He continued filling theatres in the 80s with a series of comedies, including “The Survivors,” “The Best of Times” and “Club Paradise.” In 1987, he teamed up with director Barry Levinson and earned his first Academy Award nomination (for Best Actor) for his role as Airman Adrien Cronauer in “Good Morning, Vietnam.”

Oscar nomination number two came in 1989 for the Peter Weir directed “Dead Poets Society.” He starred opposite Robert DeNiro in Penny Marshall’s “Awakenings” and alongside Kenneth Brannagh and Emma Thompson in “Dead Again.” He even managed a small cameo in his friend Bobcat Goldthwait’s film “Shakes the Clown.”

1991 saw him star as the grown up Peter Banning in Steven Spielberg’s “Hook.” That same year he earned Oscar nod number three opposite Jeff Bridges in “The Fisher King.” The next year he exploded (literally) as the voice of the genie in the animated Disney hit “Aladdin,” So acclaimed was this performance that the Hollywood Foreign Press presented Williams with a special award for his work. He later amazed audiences when he donned a fake bosom and gray wig to portray everyone’s favorite housekeeper, “Mrs. Doubtfire.” During this time he would also show up in small cameo roles in films like “Shakes the Clown” and “To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar.” In 1996 he co-starred with Nathan Lane in Mike Nichol’s “The Birdcage” and as a young man who grows up too fast in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Jack.” The next year saw him co-star opposite two young actors who found work by writing their own script. The writer/actors were Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and Williams received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the duo’s “Good Will Hunting,” which also won Affleck and Damon an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Williams continued working in a mixture of comedies and dramas, including “Patch Adams,” “Bicentennial Man,” “One Hour Photo” and “Insomnia.” He also contributed his voice to such popular animated films as “Robots” and “Happy Feet.” He appeared as President Theodore Roosevelt in “Night at the Museum” and it’s sequel (and had just completed work for the third installment). He returned to episodic television last year opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar in the CBS series “The Crazy Ones,” which was recently canceled. Last year he also appeared as President Dwight D. Eisenhower in the critically acclaimed film “Lee Daniels’ The Butler.” This past May he starred opposite Mila Kunis and Peter Dinklage as a man who is mistakenly told he has 90 minutes to live in “The Angriest Man in Brooklyn.” The Internet Movie Data Base lists three remaining projects (including the third “Museum” film) to be released.

I’ve tried my best to sum up the highlights of a thirty-six year career in these past six paragraphs. I’ve hit the high notes of a career that also had low times. Williams, along with Robert DeNiro, were with the late John Belushi the night the comedian overdosed and died, and that experience supposedly scarred Williams straight for quite a while. He recently had a couple of return trips to rehab, which proves nothing except that he was human. But I’ve chosen to remember the best about Robert Williams. To me he will always be the young man in the bright suspenders, standing on his head on the closest chair and exploring the world with the wide eyes of a child. He had so much to learn, and so much to teach us. Good night, Robin. God bless you!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie SpoilerCast – TPP Episode 32 – August 8, 2014
CLICK HERE TO DIRECT DOWNLOAD THE mp3

SpoilerCast!!! They dive shell first into the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie! Make sure you watch/listen to this show AFTER you’ve watched the movie. They analyze this TMNT movie from every angle and try to help you the Fellow Turtles Fan understand its impact.

Official Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie Website:
www.teenagemutantninjaturtlesmovie.com

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KISSIMMEE, Fla. (July 18, 2014) — The magic of the Christmas season comes to Gaylord Palms Resort from November 15, 2014 – January 4, 2015.This year, guests can indulge in holiday merriment like never before.

 

ICE! Featuring The Nutcracker

Dreams of the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Mouse King will come to life in a full-on frozen wonderland this winter during Christmas at Gaylord Palms. On Nov. 15 scenes from everyone’s favorite ballet, the Nutcracker, will be reimagined in nearly 2 million pounds of hand-carved vibrant ice sculptures. ICE! will feature four slippery ice slides and live carving stations inside of the Artisans in Action Frostbite Factory.

 

New in 2014

That’s not the only exciting happening during this year’s annual Christmas at Gaylord Palms.  Guests can now experience the rush – Alpine Rush Snow Tubing – an 18’ 8-lane giant snow hill created with 1.5 million pounds of real Florida snow. Children and adults of all ages will frolic with delight as they speed down these snow covered hills.

 

The Christmas Experience

Christmas at Gaylord Palms is a mystical experience that boasts the true nature of the season all under a glass enclosed atrium.  Lush gardens sprinkled with poinsettias, grand

holiday displays and more than 2 million twinkling lights. Don’t forget the famous 54-foot-tall majestic Christmas tree; character dining and meet and greets; delectable holiday dining; Cookies with Mrs. Claus and awe-inspiring live entertainment that crowds have grown to love including the rhythmic Luminescence show.

With so much to see and do, the best way to experience Christmas at Gaylord Palms is to spend the night with us. Packages are now on sale at ChristmasatGaylordPalms.com.

ICE! is open daily from Nov. 15, 2014 to Jan. 4, 2015, including holidays. The Christmas experience begins Nov. 21, 2014. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to www.ChristmasAtGaylordPalms.com.

 

About Gaylord Hotels®
Gaylord Hotels® is a collection of hotels and upscale resorts that afford endless opportunities for leisure travelers and conventioneers. The brand’s hallmark—“everything in one place”—provides guests with diverse dining options, quality spa and fitness center services, top-notch entertainment, on-site shopping and endless activities. Gaylord Hotels is a pioneer in the hotel and convention industry with properties in the nation’s most desirable destinations. Gaylord Hotels include Gaylord Opryland® in Nashville, Tenn.; Gaylord Palms® in Kissimmee, Fla. near Orlando; Gaylord Texan® on Lake Grapevine near Dallas, Texas; Gaylord National® on the Potomac in National Harbor, Md.; and The Inn at Opryland® in Nashville, Tenn. For more information, please visit http://www.GaylordHotels.com.

 

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is a leading lodging company based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, with more than 4,000 properties in 78 countries and territories and reported revenues of nearly $13 billion in fiscal year 2013. The company operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts under 18 brands. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at  www.Marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.MarriottNewsCenter.com.

 

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Loot Crate is a epic monthly subscription box for geeks and gamers for under $20. You are getting at least $40+ Retail Value in every crate, most of the contents are exclusive to Loot Crate! So be sure to subscribe to have bragging right against your friends. You also have a chance to win Mega Crate with $750+ Value! This is the first time that we have received Loot Box (and hopefully not the last). I came across an ad on Facebook and couldn’t help but requesting one and helping spread the word.

Loot Crate isn’t messing around with its partners either. They only have the best including Capcom, Marvel, DC Domics, Star Wars and Nintendo. So you are guaranteed to get something amazing each month for sure. This month focus is on Villains, so if you dig that be sure to check out our video unboxing below to check out what great goods is included in July’s crate.

There are three ways to sign up for Loot Crate:
1 month plan $13.37/mo + $6 S&H
3 month plan $12.37/mo + $6 S&H
6 month plan $11.67/mo + $6 S&H

Click here to sign up your own Loot Crate subscription!

Click here for our first video unboxing of this latest Loot Box:

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You can tell that a lot of planning went into this loot crate. Who doesn’t love Villains. Even though they are bad guys doesn’t mean they are bad guuuuyysss (Anyone see “Wreck it Ralph”?) Inside the July pamplet, there is a great interview with Marvel Artist Skottie Young. There is a listing of Loot Crate’s Top 5 Video Game Villains. It is unveiled which treats were included in the Mega Crate for this month including a 60″ LED TV 1080p and a Marvel Labbit Venom Figure and more, so congrats to those subscriber that got that.

In case you don’t feel like watching the video, here are the items included in this month’s Loot Crate:
1. Joki Villain T-Shirt (Mash-Up for Loki and Joker)
2. Exclusive Rocket Raccoon Comic
3. Harley Quinn & Joker Posters
4. Deadpool Socks
5. Necessary Evil: Super Villains of DC Comics DVD
6. Darth Vadar Key Chain
7. Bowser 3×3 Magnet

After experiencing the ASUS Transformer T100, I wanted to see what else ASUS had new to offer. I came across the ASUS MeMO Pad 7 7-Inch 1 GB Tablet, but from the moment I took it out of the box, I knew I wasn’t thrilled. The tablet takes quite a while to turn on, which is probably since I have been playing with a Acer Chromebook, which boots in a mere seconds. The tablet is too big for one hand and too small for two hands, so I felt awkward trying to maneuver it in my hands. ASUS is saying that this is one of their thinnest and lightest MeMO Pads, so it is definitely small but in terms of lightness, I felt that it had a little extra weight to it then I actually expected. If I take my iPad Mini compared this, it is not much lighter.

The technical guts of the device are as follows: 1.33 GHz Quad-Core Intel Atom processor, Android 4.4 KitKat. It comes with an 16 GB Storage expandable by 64 GB with micro SD, 1 GB RAM. There is also a 2 MP Front Camera and 5 MP Rear Camera with Auto focus (1080p Video Recording). Besides the boot time, the device is otherwise pretty smooth since it comes with a powerful Intel Atom Quad-Core processor. The picture quality on the device is also solid. The colors are vibrant, clear and bright with the IPS Display with 170-degree wide viewing angles.

Some of the features that are included with this are ASUS HomeCloud, which is a one-stop destination to access your video and music streaming across cloud storage. It also auto-uploads photos from your device. The camera has several different neat features including Time Rewind, which allows you to rewind your photos and never miss an important moment. All Smile, which gives you to the option to pick the perfect smile. Smart Remove gives you the option to easily remove unwanted moving objects from your photos like photo bombers. Last is Auto Selfie, which takes high resolution selfies with the rear camera without worrying about missing a person.

Other features at the ASUS MeMO Pad 7 include is a brand new interface called ASUS Zen UI. It is customizable to your own personality. It comes with eMusic to play and download music with your given 75 complimentary music downloads from ASUS. Also includes is Zinio, which gives you access to 5000+ digital magazines from around the world and you even get 6 free Mini-Subscriptions to your favorite magazines and a $10 voucher at registration. Lastly since this is only 16GB storage, there is the ASUS WebStorage Service available, which allows to you get 500GB of online storage free for 2 years. So you see that there are some decent features included with this device but I personal wasn’t very wowed. I would rather stick with a slightly larger and more functional Samsung Galaxy Tab.

I have been testing numerous tablets, laptops and other computer-like devices recently and I have been trying to find the perfect device for me to use as a backup to my desktop and smartphone. Well, I think I have found it with the Acer C720P Chromebook, which is actually Acer’s First Chromebook with Touchscreen. It is 11.6 inches, measures only 0.78-inches thin and weighs only 2.98 pounds. This is great device to take on the road and be able work remotely.
Acer already has the industry-leading Chromebook line and they are only sealing the deal by adding a 10-point touch display, which only makes this more convenient. Even though this has a mouse track pad and keyboard included, I like the option of being able to tap and swipe your way through navigating on it. In fact, the Chrome OS also has custom gestures built-in, so you are able to tap, swipe, and pinch to zoom just like you would do on your tablet or smartphone.

The device lasts up to 7.5 hours of battery life and boots literally in a mere seconds. I mean this thing is lightning fast. It includes the latest Intel® Celeron® processor based on Haswell micro-architecture. This device also has a fantastic tilt angle of up to 145° which gives the best view of the screen since I am usually lying down when working. It also has the option to extend to a bigger screen or television using the HDMI port.

So all this talk about how great this device is but in case you don’t know Chromebooks are not laptops and they are not tablets. They are basically used for browsing the web and also come with popular Google products built in: Search, Gmail, YouTube, and Hangouts. You are able to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations and drawings with apps like Google Docs, Zoho and SlideRocket. Plus the Chrome Web Store offers thousands of free apps, themes, and extensions to help you make the most of your Chromebook.

The Chronebook comes with only 2GB of space but you are able to take advantage of up to 100GB of free storage on Google Drive the first 2 years after purchase. The Acer C720P Chromebook also connects with dual band Wi-Fi and even comes with 12 free Gogo Inflight1 passes, which is worth about $150 bucks and can be used on continental U.S. flights of participating airlines. Another thing that I love is that these machines are virtually virus, malware, spyware, adware free and being an IT guy myself that is always a bonus.

So I have been shopping various Chromebooks in the last few months and this Acer C720 Touch is easily the best that I have seen on the market. If you are looking for something that is light, powerful and very easy to use that I cannot recommend this anymore. Plus this device only would run you around $299.99, which is much cheaper than a laptop or any iPad. Highly recommend this for sure! Another great Acer product.

I wish they cool toys like this when I was a kid. With the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Z-Line Water Tower Washout Playset” you can literally build a city and then use your “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” character to zip-Line from wall to wall. It is pretty cool once you get it all setup and going. I have been a fan of the TMNT since the 80’s and I have a two year old daughter and we bought really enjoyed this!

This does not come with any “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” figures but it will most with any of the new Turtles figures or even the old ones as well. I tested my old 1980’s Michaelangelo and it worked perfectly. The directions were easy to put this together, if you are wondering how it holds on the wall, don’t worry there are no screws involved. It is held by 3M tape, which could work well or not well due to your texture on your wall.

The Water Tower Washout is not the only playset available either. There are three other playsets available including a Window Wipeout Playset; Billboard Breakout Playset and Fire Escape Free Fall Playset. These are connectable so you can wire up the entire room with these Z-Lines. Some parents might not dig this too much but I totally think it would be awesome to have the whole room as a Z-line obstacle course.

Here is what is included in the box: Water Tower Play set, 4 Command Strips from 3M, 4 wall clips, 1 gargoyle launcher, 1 C-Clamp, 2 tension cylinders, 2 Z-line pulleys, 1 two-hand handle, 1 one hand handle, 2 48″ Zip-line, 1 72″ Zip Line, 1 Angle Gauge. It definitely requires some parent’s assembly but once it is up and ready. It is very easy to manage and use. Also priced very well, this is a great product for any fan of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”, young or old.

It is not easy to be a gamer and also have a young child. I recently just purchased a Playstation 4 and I was dying to get lost in the system after putting my daughter to sleep. I could do so but I had to keep the volume so low it was taking some of the fun out of the experience. I wanted to give this system a real test run. Well, the answer to this problem can simply be resolved with the purchase of this fine product, Turtle Beach Ear Force PX4, which is a Wireless Dolby® Surround Sound headset

When I am playing a game, I like to get immersed in the game and listen to all the fine details and enjoy the score. This is honestly, the best and only way to do that. The PX4 allows you up to 15 hours of uninterrupted play on your video games sytems including the PS4, PS3 and Xbox 360 games. But the fun doesn’t stop there and you are able to also use this amazing headset to enjoy watching content on your Netflix account or even any of your Blu-Ray movies. The surround sound is absolutely impressive.

Besides just listening to your games or movies, this headset also has a receiver that allows you to stay connected with friends and teammates with chat audio for each system. The headset used Dual-Band Wi-Fi Wireless Technology that is interference-free with audio and chat. A really cool feature that I actually didn’t even know about until writing this review is the ability to dual-pair the headset. So you are able to link your Bluetooth on your phone to be able to answer mobile phone calls without ever leaving the game or pai with ANY Bluetooth communication device, such as a PC, laptop or tablet. Tell me this is MEGA cool!?

For those audiophiles out there this headset also takes advantage of multiple EQ presets including bass and treble boost combinations plus separate game and chat volume controls. You can adjust your experience by changing the positioning of the surround sound. You can even connect a second audio source (such as a phone or MP3 player) to the transmitter to listen to music when done gaming. Chat volume automatically increases as the game volume gets louder.

At first, I was a bit concerned about having to wear a headset for a long period of time but Turtle Beach really delivered a product that specialized in comfort. It is thickly padded with adjustable headband and breathable mesh ear cushions. What I really like is the fact that the built-in rechargeable battery delivers up to 15 hours of continuous play and you can even charge while playing (if you are close enough to your system). All and I, I couldn’t have been anymore excited for this release and if you are a gamer, I highly recommend this!

Who doesn’t love coffee? I am not the kind of person that in order to start the day needs to have a cup of coffee but I do though my coffee very much. I also would much rather make a cup at home and bring it with me than stopping at a Starbucks, 7-11 or any other store on my way into the office. In the past, I have always made a whole pot of coffee, take a cup and leave the rest or end up drinking much more than I wanted due to a whole brewed pot. Personally, when I thought of getting a Keurig systems in the past, I never liked the idea that it just made one cup. Well, my eyes have been opened since the new Keurig K45 Elite Brewing System is a dream come true and has completely sold on the product.

When Keurig promotes the fact that they get “The Perfect Cup Every Time”, I had to be skeptical. Literally when I brewed my cup, the temperature was spot on and there was a great balance of water blended in. I initially tasted five different cups and each one was simply outstanding. So flavorful and fresh! This system is said to be ready and brews in under one minute, whether it is coffee, tea, hot cocoa or iced beverage and there is nothing but truth that There are three cup sizes to choose from and for us travelers there is a removable drip tray to accommodate travel mugs. A cool feature for this system is that it also comes in new colors in partnership with Pantone, including: Rhubarb, Patriot Blue and Coconut White

This package includes a Water Filter Kit, which should be changed out ever 2 months or every 200 cups for optimal flavor. Also included is a bonus 12 count K-Cup variety box to show off the variety that Keurig posseses. The flavors are Green Mountain Coffee® Breakfast, Green Mountain Coffee Hazelnut, Green Mountain Coffee Nantucket Blend, Caribou Coffee Caribou Blend, The Original Donut Shop Regular, The Original Donut Shop Decaf, Eight O’Clock The Original, Starbucks Pike Place Roast, Barista Prima Coffeehouse Italian Roast, Celestial Seasonings English Breakfast Black Tea, Cafe Escapes Chai Latte, Swiss Miss® Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa. I am torn between The Original Donut Shop Regular and Eight O’Clock The Original being my favorite.

There is absolutely no shortage in variety when it comes to the Keurig. There are over 250 different gourmet brands to choose from. We all know how important coffee is to some people and Keurig aims to make sure that you can have your options. Whether it is coffee, tea or even hot cocoa, Keurig give you many choices. hot or even cold…this unit can even brew over ice for your favorite chilled beverage. For those who are concerned about space, the dimensions of the unit is 13.0H x 9.8W x 13.3D. The system also includes a quiet brew technology and a removable 48 oz water reservoir…honestly what more can you ask for? This is my first experience with a Keurig system and I have to admit, I think I am hooked…now I am curious to see what other types of systems they have.

About 5-6 years ago, I was really getting stressed out about cleaning out house. We have three cats at the time and between the fur and litter everywhere, it was just a mess. We literally went through three vacuum in a few months and were not satisfied with anything we got…this is till we discovered the Dyson brand. Wow, I have never been so happy with cleaning using their products. On thing that still caused me occasional issues is the cord. I wanted a vacuum with the power and efficiency of a Dyson but without a cord.  Well, my prayers have been answer with the new Dyson DC59 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner.

This vacuum cleaner is one of the most sleek and downright coolest vacuum that I have ever seen. Like I mentioned it comes with no cord and no hassle. It has a docking station, which is setup to be wall mounted, that charges the machine. So it will be ready to use whenever you need it and most importantly you will not need to keep plugging and unplugged the vacuum at each room. We do not have a big house but during our weekly cleaning, we have to plug and unplug three times in order to clean the entire house. Now, all that extra work has been eliminated.

So I am sure you are wondering, how long this thing is going to last on a charge. Well, it is quite impressive running at 24 minutes of cleaning time when using the run-time enhancing trigger. It also claims to suck up as much dust as a conventional vacuum and when I tested it, I was very impressed. In fact, this actually has 75% more brush bar power and removes more dirt from carpet. It works just like my big Dyson, better in fact. It is much quieter and weighs about barely anything.  I love that is has a balanced build, so it is not top heavy at all. All the key components are located around the grip for easy handling from the floor to the ceiling.

Speaking of handheld cleaning, with this vacuum there is no more awkward hose. This Dyson DC59 comes with a brand new brush bar which includes a direct-drive motor for edge to edge cleaning. Other additional tools are included as well to clean tight gaps, on the stairs and in the car. I have a two year old daughter and let’s just say my car needs a cleaning from cheerios to cookies all on my car floor. I would have never done this in the past because I would have had to drag the big vacuum in the garage, find a place to put it in etc but this new cordless vacuum changed that entire experience and made things much easier. You can now just remove the long bar as seen above and connect a smaller brush and it works like a mega powerful dust buster.

If you are not impresses yet, then let me throw some big technical terms at you describing just how amazing this is. Firstly like all Dyson products, this comes with a two-year warranty on parts and labor, which is a such a great reassurance (and being an owner of a Dyson for over 5 years, we have never needed this). This vacuum is powered by the Dyson digital motor V6, which spins up to 110,000 timesa minute – up to 3 times faster than conventional motors. The DC59 also using 2 Tier Radial cyclones and carbon fiber cleaner head technology. It seems weird to get excited about a vacuum cleaner, so trust me I realize that but this is not a vacuum cleaner it is a work of art. Dyson is changing the world of cleaning and this is easily one of their best products. I highly recommend it.

 

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Jeff Lowe is the VP Enterprise Sales & Marketing, SMART Technologies. SMART Technologies Inc., a leading collaboration company and global provider of visual collaboration solutions, recently announced a new product called, SMART kapp, which is the world’s first digital capture board. SMART kapp capitalizes on the company’s 20 year history as the inventor of the SMART Board® interactive whiteboard, their collaboration technologies and their patents. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Jeff about this amazing new product and what we can expect.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about how you got started with at SMART Technologies and your role with the company?
Jeff Lowe: I have been at SMART for a little over two years now, after a career in large technology organizations like IBM and TELUS. SMART has two distinct business units, one is the K-12 and the other is corporate or what we call Enterprise market. I am head of sales and marketing for the Enterprise market. We help companies to collaborate better with their workers whether they are in the same office, same city or across the world.

MG: Give us the lowdown on creating the world’s first digital capture board, SMART kapp?
JL: When you look at what collaboration tools companies are using, almost every company uses dry erase boards and flip charts. They have been around for decades and haven’t changed much, if at all, while other tools have adapted greatly to how far we have come in technology. That is one side and the other is informal collaboration, which is really growing. It is the preverbal water cooler conversations and the meetings that happen in between meetings, this is where a lot of work is being done these days in corporation around the world. So we feel that due to these things there are new tools required to grow and advance.

MG: What are some of the features that you are most excited about?
JL: I would have to mention three. The first is the ability to capture what is written on the board in real-time. Often times what happens in a meeting is that people are jotting down their ideas and then that information then needs to be captured. This can happen via one of two ways, either someone has to come and write it up or people take a photo with their phones. It is often not an ideal way to capture that information. On the kapp board you can literally just hit a button and capture what is on the board in a high quality digital image like a JPG or PDF. The next one is to be able to share that with remote workers. How often during meetings do we have remote people on the phone, who are trying to follow a meeting but cannot see what is being written on the board, so they become disengaged. Sometime people will take a photo of the board and email it to the remote workers. What we are able to do with the kapp board is you can scan a QR code, which launches your email on your mobile phone that is paired with the board and you send an email which invites them to the kapp meeting. There is nothing that the remote worker even has to have installed. They open a browser and can watch in real time the annotations taking place on the board.

MG: Since it is glass; how resistance are we talking to scratches and other wear and tear?
JL: We have thought of that. It made with tempered glass. It is pretty heavy duty glass. One of the great things about glass is how easy it is to write on. It is very smooth and elegant. It also is easy to erase it. We all know how dry erase board have issues with old things left on there that can’t be erased. That all goes away with the glass surface.

MG: Are they any features that are going to be added in at a later time?
JL: Yes, that is a fantastic question Mike! This is version 1 and we are looking to launch the next version already with the next few months with shipping to begin start of the next year. Some of the features you will see is size. The current size is similar to a typical dry erase board or flip chart. We are looking to introduce one in the 80+ inch range. The second is colors. Right now, the color of the ink is only black. In the future we are planning on including other colors. We are also looking to expand features with the software application itself, for example things like print to text conversion and expanding on the number of concurrent users that can connect to a meeting, which is right now five.

If you are wondering “What is the Asus Transformer Book T100?”, it is a 2-in-1 ultra portable laptop with a detachable 10′ tablet. Asus has really been putting out some amazing products recently. This was the first of hopefully many that we managed to request to review for the site. Most people today a tablet or for the average user it would be an iPad. I am tried of an iPad where you don’t have any freedom to do what you want to do. I was looking for something that I could use for both work and play and this tablet definitely delivers in both departments.

Even though, the Asus Transformer Book T100 is a tablet, it has laptop like performance with the latest Intel Atom Bay Trail-T quad-core process and running Windows 8.1 operating system. So you have the option to use it as a tablet or attached keyboard and use it like a mini-laptop. All the features are there including Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013, which comes pre-installed and Windows Store stocked with Xbox Live games and music. The battery like is decent with the ability to last 11 hours web browsing. It is not like an iPad but you can do so much more with this you have to expect the battery to be drained faster.

Let’s get to some of the tablet’s core features now. Even though the system’s storage comes in a mere 32GB/64GB, what this does have is UNLIMITED ASUS WebStorage, which is not only cool but amazing! It does a file synchronization update for every item instantly as modified and added. The display is a very sharp 1366 x 768 IPS with wide viewing angles. It is able to output full HD video via it’s Micro HDMI port. The sound includes built-in high quality stereo speakers. I am a music man myself, I felt that there could have been a little extra “umph” added to these speakers personally.

The style of the complete device itself is rather cool. I like being able to just snap the keyboard on and off and work via touch screen or via laptop. My main concern with this though is in fact the size of the keyboard, maybe I have fat fingers but I had a terribly hard time typing on this keyboard, especially when using the shift key. Also, I would have loved….loved this to have had a back light on the keyboard since I spent a few nights trying to position the light from the screen to the keys in order to see what I was typing. That feature would have made this much more attractive to me in terms of using it since in terms of its features are otherwise pretty great.

Now I didn’t go much into the full HD video option, which can be connected via it’s Micro HDMI port, I took this on a trip with me (with the proper cable) and I was able to play videos for my daughter in the hotel TV right from the tablet. Since there is nothing worse that hotel TV, this literally made the trip. Traveling with this also was a treat because it is extremely mobile. The Asus Transformer Book T100 is not only one of the lightest ultra portables available right now, running at 2.2 lbs, it also one of the lightest 10-inch tablets (solo from keyboard) running at a mere 1.2 lbs.

So if you are a casual tablet user and looking for something light, portable and feature packed this will be the device for you. This is not a full laptop that you can be gaming on. It looks amazing with Netflix and other games though especially “Tiny Death Star”, which is a blast to play on this little device. The device is also extremely affordable running around MSRP $399 and Red and White colors are due to be available later this month!

Photos by Liz Phillips
Note: There are spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier within this article.

For New York City-bound Avengers fans looking to bridge the Marvel Cinematic Universe gap between April’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier and August’s Guardians of the Galaxy, they needn’t look any further than Discovery Times Square’s Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. Located in the heart of midtown, the exhibit replicates an actual SHIELD base with state of the art interactive exhibits and Marvel artifacts. We got the chance to tour this unique experience during its preview period in late May and were glad to return last week to see its completion and test whether we were worthy of our newly-issued SHIELD ID cards.

Upon entry into the exhibit, “probationary” level agents are scanned and welcomed with an official message from none other than Agent Felix Blake (Titus Welliver). After Blake’s message, the entry room gives way into the further secret headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D. It should be noted for anyone reading this in confusion in light of what occurred in The Winter Soldier that this exhibit hails directly from Phase 1 in the MCU timeline, right after the events of the Avengers. Though it begs the question: How awesome would a HYDRA station be? Bring on the digitized Dr. Zola and his databanks brain, Marvel! But I digress.

After briefing, each Avenger gets highlighted starting with beautiful costume displays of the SHIELD agents Black Widow and Hawkeye (even if the mannequin’s arms don’t hold a candle to Mr. Renner’s). Beside them are the suits of SHIELD higher-ups Agent Phil Coulson and Director Nick Fury. Like most all of the props on view throughout the exhibit, the costumes are accompanied by touch screens giving in-depth info on the items on display. Other noteable props we encountered on our tour included Loki’s infamous helmet and scepter, the Tesseract portal device and of course, Captain America’s iconic shield.

What makes this exhibit special however, beyond its wealth of actual props and costumes, is that ID everyone was issued. As the station’s staff move recruits from the designated rooms of Captain America, The Hulk, Thor and Iron Man, would-be agents can scan into interactive exercises that test their skills versus the Avengers. Spoiler alert: None of us are stronger than Steve Rogers. It also allows users to share some of their results with Facebook if they chose to connect with the social network upon registering their ID.

Unsurprisingly, the most interactive room is that of Tony Stark himself where visitors can watch themselves get suited up on screen and maneuver Iron Man in his virtual garage or operate an actual robotic arm.*

The largest space belongs to Thor, whose costume from the first film is cleverly displayed as a gift from Asgard to Midgard. Beside it, S.T.A.T.I.O.N. boasts apparently the largest holographic projection in North America, that of Thor’s legendary hammer, Mjolnir. Across from these artifacts, agents can virtually manuever through stars in a program the center developed in collaboration with NASA. Jane Foster would be proud.

Marvel’s Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N.  at Discovery Times Square is now open and you can find ticketing information on their official website. 

(Special thanks to Heather for being our model agent!)

*Our team discovered an amusing Easter egg in regards to this arm, clearly the exhibitors know their NYC audience! Head on over to our TUMBLR page to enjoy our short video as well as additional photos from the exhibit.