Well, that was quick: Whether you vacationed the first or second half of the week, or merely slept in on Wednesday’s national holiday, here we are, dear readers – the end of a sweet, sweaty and abbreviated workweek.
It’s July 6 out there, and if you had Epaminondas defeating Cleombrotus I in the Battle of Leuctra on his date (or thereabouts) in 371 B.C., you’re a winner.
Finger-lickin’ good: It’s also National Fried Chicken Day, so really, everyone’s a winner.
Getting their dollar’s worth: Happy anniversary to the United States dollar, which was officially resolved by Congress to be the name of U.S. currency on this date in 1785.
Sole man: American inventor Lyman Blake received a patent on July 6, 1858, for a sewing machine built specifically to attach soles to shoes, a big step (har har) toward the mass production of footwear.
But it was a dry heat: Though science takes it with a grain of salt, witnesses say the thermostat hit 158 degrees Fahrenheit on this date in 1949 in Lisbon, Portugal.
For the record, the highest “reliable” air temperature ever recorded was 134 degrees F, on July 10, 1913, in Furnace Creek, Calif. The Death Valley locale is also the site of the highest recorded ground temperature (as in, literally the temperature of the ground) – a blistering 201 degrees F on July 15, 1972.
When Paulie met Johnny: Paul McCartney and John Lennon met for the first time on July 6, 1957, at a church dance in Liverpool.
Exactly seven years later, on July 6, 1964, “A Hard Day’s Night” premiered in London.
Please hold: Cosmic Call 2, an interstellar radio message targeting multiple nearby stars, was beamed from the RT-70 radio telescope array in California on July 6, 2003. To date, there’s been no extraterrestrial response, though that’s not surprising – the message isn’t scheduled to reach the closest targeted star, Cassiopeia, until April 2036.
On the Go: And finally, happy anniversary to Pokemon Go – the groundbreaking and controversial augmented-reality game that’s still thrilling fans (and occasionally endangering them) debuted two years ago today.
Meanwhile, here in reality-reality: Former First Lady Nancy Reagan (1921-2016), “Father of Rock ’n Roll” Bill Haley (1925-1981), TV talk-show host and producer Merv Griffin (1925-2007), “Psycho” shower victim Janet Leigh (1927-2004), Batman’s little buddy Burt Ward (born 1945) and 43rd U.S. President George W. Bush (born 1946, and doesn’t he look like Abraham Freakin’ Lincoln right now) all mark birthdays on July 6.
And take a bow, Dalai Lama – Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso (yep, all of it), the 14th leader of Tibetan Buddhism, turns 83 today.
Couldn’t have said it better: It’s not precisely a quote on innovation, but the Dalai Lama did say this once: “I think technology really increased human ability. But technology cannot produce compassion.”
Amen to that. And share your words of wisdom with us at editor@innovateli.com, where our philosophy is always kindness.
A few words from our sponsor: Farmingdale State College is New York’s largest public college of applied science and technology, and a national pioneer in environmental sustainability. With more than 9,600 students, Farmingdale has Long Island’s second-largest undergraduate enrollment among four-year institutions and offers rigorous academic programs in business, engineering technology, health sciences and liberal arts and sciences – including a master’s degree in Technology Management. Learn more here.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Cu later: Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, working in collaboration with circa-2014 CSHL spinout DepYmed Inc., are reporting promising preclinical results from a compound that could be used to treat Wilson’s disease and other disorders – including certain types of cancer – involving copper toxicity, or elevated levels of copper in the body.
Investigators published their findings June 26 in the medical journal Genes & Development. According to that report, new research confirms that a tiny molecule known as DPM-1001 “robustly reduced” copper levels in cells grown in cultures sampled from Wilson’s disease patients and in a mouse model infected with Wilson’s disease, according to CSHL.
That’s potentially huge news for the one in 30,000 people who suffers from Wilson’s disease, an inherited disorder that causes liver enlargement, hepatitis, cirrhosis and even liver failure. “Optimization work” on the DPM-1001 compound continues at CSHL, in concert with DepYmed research; learn more about their progress to date right here.
TOP OF THE SITE
Go east, young company: With a little help from the Suffolk County IDA, the Hamptons Business District – the East End’s only Class-A industrial park – is adding another 64,000 square feet of dynamic space.
Worth the wait: One year after winning $10 million in Albany’s second-annual downtown-redevelopment funding contest, Hicksville is kicking its renovation plans into high gear.
Read all about it: Make sure your innovation team doesn’t miss a beat – encourage them to subscribe for free to our thrice-weekly newsletter.
STUFF WE’RE READING
Qwik fix: From Newsday, the skinny on a new shuttle service designed to ease downtown Huntington’s parking woes.
Best of the best: From Forbes (and Accenture), the secrets that set apart the true masters of innovation.
Full plate: A San Francisco startup has introduced the world’s first digital license plate, featuring automatic toll payments, a GPS system, customized messages and even a LoJack-like theft-recovery system.
ON THE MOVE
+ Brian Gilchrist has been hired as chief of pediatric surgery at NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola. The former combat surgeon in the Persian Gulf War previously served as chairman of surgery at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center.
+ Garden City-based Moritt Hock & Hamroff has announced two new hires: Keith Frank is now a partner in the firm’s Employment Practice Group and Jill Braunstein is now of counsel in the firm’s Corporate and Securities Practice Group.
+ Jeanne-Marie Mazzaferro has been promoted to director of pupil personnel services in the Southampton School District. She served previously as assistant director of special education.
+ Thelma Booker, a volunteer at Northwell Health’s Peconic Bay Medical Center, has been elected to a one-year term as president of the Nassau-Suffolk Council of Hospital Auxiliaries.
+ Ellen Lattari has been hired as a public relations specialist with Hauppauge-based Austin Williams. She previously held the same position with ULC Robotics in Hauppauge.
+ Great Neck-based Zimmerman/Edelson has announced three personnel moves: Former Account Manager Greg Gordon has been promoted to senior account manager, former Account Executive Christine Sammarco has been promoted to senior account executive and former Assistant Account Executive Kevin Wilkinson has been promoted to associate account executive.
+ Amy Marion has been installed as president of the Nassau County Criminal Courts Bar Association. The civil rights attorney is a partner at Lake Success-based Abrams Fensterman.
BELOW THE FOLD
Eat and greet: The Long Island Food Council has arranged a Summer Celebration for July 10 in Woodbury, featuring grade-A networking and tasty treats from makers across the Island. More info here.
PB&J all the way: How childhood’s go-to sandwich went from elite to everyday, why it’s now part of President Trump’s trade wars and how it fuels the NBA (for the record, we prefer ours on whole grain bread).
Related: So, is peanut butter actually good for you, or not? Debate rages.
Free news? There’s really no such thing, so please continue to support the great institutions that support Innovate LI – including Farmingdale State College, where innovation only starts with that super-cool Technology Management master’s degree.
