GorillaOffTopic, Everything But Gorilla Trades

Ever wonder what it would be like to take a flight somewhere and actually be able to use that laptop you lugged aboard for Internet access? You probably know that it’s been in the works for a while now, but now it’s become a reality.  JetBlue will be offering limited email and instant messaging services on some of its flights as early as next week to try and renew efforts to offer in-flight Internet access. The great news is that it will be absolutely free! Wow..something free on an airplane flight in THIS volatile economy? That’s certainly a hard thing to believe!  But before you get too excited, notice what the Gorilla relayed earlier about this announcement; it’s LIMITED Internet access. So what does that mean exactly? Well, to start with, general email attachments and web surfing will not be permitted because of bandwidth constraints. In addition, if you want to use your laptop or handheld device you will have to use services from Yahoo only, which will limit some people, but then again, you could always forward your corporate emails to a Yahoo account, right?  Jet Blue also has a deal with Research in Motion to allow passengers with one of two Blackberry models (which both have WI-FI capabilities) to check personal email and work email as well.  JetBlue plans to debut its new system on an Airbus A320 on Tuesday’s flight from New York to San Francisco. The aircraft has been specially designated “BetaBlue,” as it will be used to test the systems new entertainment services offered through JetBlue’s subsidiary LiveTV. As far as use of the devices during take-off and landing, that has not changed, and JetBlue still requires them to be turned off during take off and landing.  

Glenn Fleishman, editor of the Wi-Fi Networking News site, said he “knew of no commercial airline currently offering such services, though many will debut next year.” But other airlines are expected to follow suit with the use of the Internet, etc. and AMR Corp.’s  American Airlines is expected to do so as early as within the next few months. So is it a good thing even though you may be “limited?” Well, at least it’s a start. Even if you are limited to certain devices, certain options, and using Yahoo services, most people believe that if they can at least access their corporate emails while in flight, that takes care of a lot of issues. And that my friends, limited as it may be, is better than nothing!

It is Monday. You are up and about getting ready for your usual commute to work. On your way out, you look in the mirror by the front door to check your appearance, as you always do. Tie is straight…check! Hair is neat…check! No food in the teeth…check! You are on time- no, you are early, in fact. You think to yourself, “This will be a good day.” Suddenly, just as you are opening your car door- BAM! A flash of light hits you out of nowhere. It happens to you every so often so you are no stranger to its sneakiness, and its brashness. It is a migraine-or at least the familiar beginnings of a migraine and you dread what you know will be the inevitable pain and misery that will surely abound within the hour.  For those of you who don’t know about them, a migraine is not just a bad headache, it is much worse, and unless you have personally experienced one, you cannot imagine just how badly they can hurt. They are painful. They are disruptive. They can sometimes be debilitating. But now, a new device is on the horizon that may just zap the pain away.  A recent study revealed that a device, which delivers a therapy known as transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, may be just what the doctor ordered. This cool little device sparks a magnetic pulse, that when held against a person’s head, creates an electric current among nerve cells to the brain. In turn, the migraine is disrupted in the “aura” phase, which is experienced by many people at the beginning stages of a migraine and causes visual disturbances and tingling and numbness. A new study, which included over 200 patients, randomly selected some of the patients to use the TMS device and the others to use a “sham” product. Of those who used the TMS device, 39% of the TMS patients were pain-free two hours after treatment, versus 22% of patients using the sham device.  

Dr. Yousef Mohammad, of Ohio State University in Columbus, said “This is very significant. This is a much better response than is achieved with any other method or medication that we have.” If this incredible device becomes available, it means that the misery migraine sufferers have to endure may be soon be a thing of the past. So let’s rewind, shall we? With the TMS device in your pocket, you walk to your car feeling ready for the day, and when the migraine strikes, you whip out your little headache blocker and BAM! Within a short period of time, you are back to Monday morning in great shape and the day isn’t an entire loss. Well, isn’t technology and science a wonderful thing?

Time is THE most valuable commodity. Yes, it is of the essence- and in fact- it is the essence of a life of peacefulness, and low stress. That is if, in fact, you have some to kill. Most of us don’t, and that is why many people are “outsourcing” there lives so to speak. Ever wondered what it would be like to have some of your most tedious errands taken care of for you? Or maybe you have menial tasks, like making plane reservations, or even dinner reservations, but simply don’t have the time to do it. Nowadays you don’t have to be the CEO of a big company or a celebrity to have a personal assistant, no sir.  Today’s personal assistants can be found online in the form of a “virtual assistant” and are relatively affordable for anyone making at least $30,000 per year. The Gorilla heard about this concept and thought “how cool!” Now, you understand, the Gorilla doesn’t want to compare himself to a “celebrity,” but it sure would be nice to have someone at his beck and call, when he needed a little help with those tedious things, such as calling American Express to get that erroneous charge off of his account. You know how long they put you on hold for- right? Well, wouldn’t it be nice to have someone else perform this time-consuming little task for you, so that you could continue to be productive at your workplace?  There are a number of web sites that offer services just like these and much more. They do virtually everything you could imagine from ordering a birthday cake to sending out “thank you” notes on your behalf. Some even have messenger and courier services if a delivery is needed on very short notice. You’d think the prices on services such as these would be simply outrageous, but they are in fact, quite reasonable depending on the need, and which services you plan to use.  For example, one interesting site the Gorilla visited, AskSunday.com, charges about $29 per month for up to 15 “requests.” Another site, GetFriday.com, offers pay-as-you-go and monthly plans in increments of 10 or 15 minutes. The monthly plan starts at around $120 for 10 hours. Not bad, at all! Many working people can afford it-even in this wilted economy. The point is, most of these tasks take up our valuable time, which can make us less productive, and therefore cost us time- which is money. These virtual assistant services seem to counteract that fact, so the cost is completely relative to what you might lose if you had to perform all of these tasks yourself. And the critics agree.  

They say if you look at the type of people who use these sites, they are most likely not going to stop because of inflation. Demand for personal assistants, for businesses and personal reasons, is climbing. According to research firm Evalueserve, which estimated revenue from such sites last year at $250 million, they anticipated it would grow to $2 billion by 2015. Wow! It makes sense in a such a harried world to outsource some of your little day-to-day errands. The Gorilla is a big fan of the virtual assistant and loves the services they provide. (Not to mention- Mrs. Gorilla is currently his personal assistant…so she loves the idea as well!)  It sure gives a whole new meaning to “multi-tasking!”

What if you were paralyzed and unable to walk? One can only imagine how a lifetime spent never being able to walk would affect a person, but now, new technology can let those who are paralyzed walk- at least in the virtual world. Technology is an amazing thing and recently, a 41-year-old paralyzed man used only his brain waves to manipulate a virtual Internet character to take a walk and chat with another person on the popular Second Life web site.

The man, who has suffered paralysis for more than 30 years, can barely move his fingers due to a progressive disease, which affects his muscles, so he has been unable to use a keyboard or a mouse. But a new experiment allowed him to wear special headgear, which contained electrodes that monitored the brain waves related to his hands and legs allowing him to walk and move freely. All he had to do was imagine that he was walking and voila! Walking was exactly what he did! 

Using a microphone he was also able to have a conversation with someone else (another character). The researchers at Japan’s Keio University said that it is the first time that a paralysis patient has succeeded in meeting someone and having a virtual conversation in an Internet virtual world. In addition, Junichi Ushiba, associate professor at the biosciences and informatics department of Keio University’s Faculty of Science and Technology says that researchers are also now studying a system that would let patients create text messages by mentally selecting the letters. ”In the near future, they would be able to stroll through Second Life shopping malls with their brain waves… and click to make a purchase,” Ushiba said. 

Second Life is an increasingly popular virtual world in which people can navigate a character called an avatar (on their own behalf) through a whole world of activities such as social activities and even shopping. It is always tough for those who are rendered immobile due to any kind of debilitating disease or condition, so it is a wonderful innovation that can allow those individuals to at least have the feeling of being able to control their movements- even if it’s just in a virtual world.

It’s summer folks, and you know what that means, right? A little sun, fun, and relaxation are on the way for many who intend to enjoy their vacation time with family friends, or simply alone. Many people will head out to the beach or the lake on the weekends, and that means getting a lot of sun exposure. But before you gas up the Chris Craft or jet skis just remember…put on the sun block, and put it on thick!

Skin cancer is a very real threat; probably more than you know, and the fact of the matter is, like it or not, it is something that any of us who live in the world (and are exposed to any sunlight) are at risk. Surprisingly, it is estimated that over 1 million new cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed in the United States alone this year, and it is believed that of those, approximately 68,000 will be the often-deadly, melanoma. Of those, about 8,000 will result in death. Melanoma is one of the deadliest forms of cancer and if it is not caught in the earliest stages, it is almost always fatal. Currently, there is no cure for the deadly cancer, but recently, a possible breakthrough has scientists and researchers on edge, wondering if a cure is on the horizon. The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington, conducted a study which was based on an experimental immunotherapy treatment. One man involved in the study had a complete remission after receiving treatment, surprising and exciting researchers who have always believed that immunotherapy is the most promising treatment for late stage melanoma.  The 52-year-old man, who is from Oregon, was given only one year to live before he received the immune-priming treatments, but doctors who conducted the study are reluctant to show their enthusiasm at their success since the man was the only one out of nine patients who had good results. Still, the treatment, reported in Thursday’s issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, is being counted as the latest in a small series of successes involving immune-priming treatments against deadly skin cancers. And although he had no role in the research, Dr. Darrell Rigel, a dermatology researcher at the New York University Cancer Institute in New York, says “Immunotherapy has become the most promising approach” to late-stage, death-sentence skin cancers.  Although this is extremely good news, the immune-priming experiments have yet to yield a consistent therapy. The therapies, which have a long history behind them (20 years of research to be exact), have focused on souping up a certain kind of immune system cell — the “killer T cells” that envelop and kill foreign agents. But the new research at Hutchinson took a different approach. Scientists here focused instead on specific helper T cells that are adept at locking onto cancer cells and guiding the killer cells to their target. Researchers then drew blood from patients, located the special helper cells and then grew more of them in the laboratory. They then infused roughly 5 billion of the cells back into the patients — without chemotherapy or the other harsh drugs. “It’s a simpler and less toxic approach to melanoma than had been previously employed,” said Dr. Louis Weiner, director of the cancer center at Georgetown University.  The fourth man in the study to be treated was the Oregon man, who was treated in 2005. Two months after, treatment scans revealed no tumors, even though the cancer was in its advanced stages and present in his back, groin and lungs at the time of the treatment. Two years after the treatment, he had no symptoms at all. The good part is, there were no side-effects to the treatment, unlike other cancer therapies. In addition, an analysis showed that his immune system had targeted not only one type of protein target on cancer cells, but two others as well. It is thought that the treatment revved up his immune system’s ability to expand his cancer-fighting ability in new ways. Unfortunately, though, the longer-term effects are not known at this time because the man fell completely out of touch with researchers and has declined any further interviews, making it impossible to follow-up on his progress.  Still, it is inspiring news that we can all be excited about. But the Gorilla wants to warn you- wear that all-important sunscreen because many of us are getting to the age in which the lack of doing so earlier in life is literally biting us in the behind (and in other areas more exposed to the sun!). So have your good ole’ fun in the sun, but do it with sunscreen and a big fat hat on your head!

It seems that Microsoft reigns supreme once again in the “what’s cool in tech” department. Mr. Softie and Harrah’s Entertainment just introduced the coolest new innovation, and the Gorilla can’t wait to try it out for himself. So what is it that has the Gorilla so excited? It’s a high-tech interactive bar table that lets patrons do a number of different things including order custom drinks, watch YouTube videos, play touch screen games, and even flirt (yes flirt) with each other- (although the very married Gorilla probably won’t be using that feature!). 

The table makes it easy for Harrah’s to track its customers’ habits and behaviors, adding to its sophisticated customer rewards program that tracks users’ gambling habits. These cool tables were recently installed in the lounge at the Rio All-Suite hotel and have built-in 30-inch flat screens, which use Microsoft’s surface technology and include custom applications built exclusively for Harrah’s.

The $10,000 units incorporate the program called Mixologists, which lets patrons be the bartender and create custom concoctions of the cocktails and mixers of the users choice. The coolest part of that is that the program can remember what you drank while you were there and remember it the next time you order! Another program lets users watch YouTube videos either by searching or choosing from a list of popular videos. Harrah’s officials announced that they reached a licensing deal with YouTube on Wednesday. The table also includes a program called Flirt, which allows customers sitting at any such table in the lounge see and chat with each other, take and email pictures, and exchange phone numbers. 

Other cool programs let customers play video games and get info about restaurants, shows, etc.  ”Of all the goodies up our sleeves lately, this is one of the most dramatic,” Tim Stanley, chief information officer of Harrah’s, told The Associated Press. “The range of opportunities is fairly limitless.” The Gorilla, for one, is a new fan of this cool technology and he can’t wait to go to Vegas and try it out! Hey… Banana Daiquiris, a little YouTube, and some gambling anyone? Viva Microsoft! Very well done once again.

It’s amusing to think of an elderly group of people playing video games, but if you have frequented a retirement home lately, that is very likely, exactly what you will see. Yes, folks, it’s true. It seems that many older folks are finding that video games are a popular pastime. Specifically, the popular bowling game by Nintendo’s Wii video gaming system. It is not news really that the Japanese electronics giant has been going after the over 50 baby boomer crowd in hopes that they have some post-retirement time on their hands. But, the over 70 crowd?  The games seem to be just as popular with this age demographic as well. What ever happened to shuffleboard anyway? The days of traditional, old-fashioned games, such as Canasta, are numbered as the demand for the popular Wii rises among seniors. The truth is, according to the Entertainment Software Association, 25% of all gamers are actually 55 and older. Wow! Who knew? The Gorilla should not be surprised since his friend’s father (who is around 74) is a big fan of Madden 08′ for Sony’s handheld PSP gaming system. The guy just can’t get enough. But the thought of some of those elderly folks at the rest home, throwing that virtual bowling ball on the Wii system just cracks him up (in a good way!), but that is exactly what is happening.  Elderly folks are having “bowling tournaments” using the game, and if you have ever tried this fun game, you know why. It actually simulates the action of bringing one’s arm back and throwing a bowling ball down an alley. It’s so popular some people say that they can’t put the thing down because they enjoy it that much. I’ve never been into video games,” said 72-year-old Flora Dierbach last week, as her husband took a twirl with the Nintendo Wii’s bowling game, “but this is addictive.” She said residents love the Wii set up in the clubhouse lounge. Interestingly, many grandparents are being taught to play by their grand kids, but in a new twist, some grandparents actually say they are the ones teaching their grandchildren how to use the games!  

Beth Llewelyn is Nintendo’s senior director of corporate communications, and she says making the games user-friendly to the older demographic was always the plan. “People have no fear of picking up a remote control, but they’re hesitant to pick up a video game controller,” Llewelyn said. “So the idea was to make the controller look like a remote control with just a couple of buttons.” Amazingly, since the Wii systems hit stores in November, over 1 million gaming systems have been sold in the U.S. The Gorilla is a huge fan of the Wii and not only is it fun, but it can be great exercise as well, and that is something everyone could use! Happy gaming everyone!

Have you ever been to the desert? If you have then you have certainly felt the intense magnitude of the heat there. Like the Gorilla, you have probably even pondered the effects of all that heat, and how it could power the world with its solar energy. Well, okay, maybe you hadn’t quite thought about that aspect, but scientists certainly have- and thank goodness!  As it turns out solar power from Africa’s deserts could actually supply all 600 million of it’s poor citizens - who don’t have electricity currently- with power, and it can even be exported to Europe. This was reported by a green energy conference in Nairobi on Thursday. Today, the Gorilla was out in the blistering sun and thought about that very good idea and smiled. After all, why not?  This desert sun could possibly provide the equivalent of 1.5 barrels of oil per square kilometer, as reported by Gerhard Knies, who is project manager for Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC), at a meeting of nine African states. He explained that the desert is the largest and best source of solar power and went on to explain how deserts receive 700 times more power per year than all humankind is using! Whoa, now that is a lot of power! The timing could not be better, as so many of Africa’s poor are in desperate need of electricity. Imagine how it could affect their society for the better!  And the better news is that providing solar thermal energy is simple and clean compared to extracting and processing fossil fuels (which we know is harmful to the environment and way too costly to boot). The process of harnessing the sun’s enormous power involves a combination of mirrors and pipes to concentrate the sun’s heat to boil water and drive an old fashion steam turbine. Once you have the mirrors and pipes, the costs are finished, and Mother Nature does the rest. That’s it! ] 

Currently, solar power is being used throughout the world as a supplement to the costly use of fossil fuels, but its use is limited right now. Eventually, the hope is that fossil fuels will become the supplement to renewable solar energy! Well, all the Gorilla can say is, let’s get going on this people! The outrageous costs of fuel are what is behind the movement to harness solar power, and with price of gas in Europe reaching as high as $12 and more per gallon, push has certainly come to shove. Hey, whatever it takes to get this environment healthier and cleaner is what we all want, so to the awesome innovation of harnessing solar power, the Gorilla says ”bring on the heat!”

The Gorilla had the distinct pleasure of having lunch with his family and some of his kids’ friends today. It was a rare treat to get everyone together at the end of a very long school year. It doesn’t happen very often, so the Gorilla was thrilled by the idea–at first that is. Everyone was sitting around chatting to one another and the vibe was good. Things seemed to be going well and the food was ordered, but then…it all went downhill.  Parents, pay attention to this familiar scene; suddenly, every person at the table had an electronic device of some kind in hand and was either texting, playing a game, or talking on the phone. It all happened so quickly that before the Gorilla knew it, all of them were preoccupied with something other than having lunch. It was a depressing scene that left the Gorilla wondering….are people losing their social skills because of technology? Studies have shown that in fact, they are.  By social skills, we mean the ability to sit and talk with others comfortably, normally, and with no outside entertainment or stimulation. Some scientists and psychologists are quite concerned about the effects of so much wired time, much of it spent multi-tasking. Aside from the more visible consequences of so much screen time — lots of children who don’t get enough exercise and higher obesity rates — they believe there may be troubling developmental, learning, and social ramifications. But what can we do when it’s just the society they (and we) live in?  As adults we argue about it, we worry about it, but our kids don’t because they are already in it, and it’s perfectly normal for them, so they don’t think to question it. It’s a perfect example of one generation questioning the next. It’s exactly what was done to us, and we didn’t suffer any harm from the Walkmans we had, or the Atari games we played for hours on end. So why then do we worry so heavily about our kids’ computer time, video game playing, texting, or cell phone use? Have we ourselves suddenly morphed into one of those same nay sayers who used to question us? Or do we have a legitimate concern with our youth always being so connected?  Like many psychologists, the Gorilla believes that having great well-rounded kids involves making boundaries, plain and simple. Set your kids’ phones to only allow a certain amount of texts per day (yes, you can). Set their phones to only allow calls or use during certain times as well. Limit computer times and websites they can visit (if they are younger). Limit the amount of play time with video games. Besides, having limits on just about everything they do, it  

will teach them self-control in the process. Now, you may be asking what the outcome of the lunch was, and here is the where the happy ending comes in. It was quite simple really; the Gorilla made everyone at the table shut off their electronic devices until lunch was over. Yes, they hemmed and hawed at first and then they all had a great time sharing stories, personalities, and good times over a meal- minus the outside stimulus- and guess what? They all survived! Surprising isn’t it?

It’s summer, and despite the ridiculously high price of gasoline, nothing is going to stop those diehard vacation junkies from getting into their station wagon or SUV and taking the family on the road. Just like Chevy Chase’s character, Clark Griswold, in National Lampoon’s Vacation, nothing was going to stop this gun-hoe guy from taking his family cross country for the summer! Believe it or not, the Gorilla is not much different than Clark! The Gorilla just loves to get the family together for a great road trip! But the Gorilla, much like Clark, is…well… directionally challenged, shall we say. Yes, there have been many “roadblocks” during these road trips that, at times, were frustrating to the Gorilla’s family, but yet, the Gorilla, like many men, always refused to just pull over and ask for directions. (Yes, folks, it’s not a myth!) However, after the last very frustrating trip, (that took a 2 hour “detour”) the Gorilla got wise and purchased one of those hand-held navigation devices (a GPS), and miraculously, life got a whole lot easier on the road! Incidentally, the Gorilla does in fact, have his own in-car navigation system, but the thing is so complicated and not very user friendly, not to mention, it is not portable.  The new portable GPS’s can fit right into your pocket or your spouse’s purse, and if you are pulled over at the rest stop and want to know where the nearest hotels are right then, you can find out right then! It’s all in the palm of your hand, literally. GPS units cost between $200 and $500, but can run close to $1,000 for the fully-loaded and newer models. Two of the more popular GPS units are, TomTom, which runs about $500, and Garmin, which is what the Gorilla just purchased for only around $200. There are currently about nine different portable Navigation GPS units to choose from, so do your research and take your pick. But guys (and gals- but especially guys), do yourself and your family a favor…give it up and get smart. After all, why put yourself through all of that undue stress when you don’t have to?  Getting great guidance isn’t the only thing drivers need to be concerned about on those long arduous and sometimes weary road trips. Staying awake is the primary concern for people taking those long trips and it should most certainly be. Another great travel product the Gorilla discovered is the Drive Alert Master. It is a device which is worn behind the ear (much like a blue-tooth head-set) and cleverly sounds an alarm the second a driver starts to nod off. The great thing is, safety doesn’t have to cost a lot! The device only costs around $24.  Or you could use the cheaper alternative at only around $12, the Nap-Zapper, which is worn the same way. Both devices also emit a loud sound if the driver’s head dips below a certain angle. These devices are simply genius and a must-have for weary travelers. So the lesson learned here: Don’t drive stupid! Drive smart, and go out and purchase these very handy and helpful tools for travel this summer.