All’s flare: Welcome to Wednesday, dear readers, as we soak up the sun of a seasonably warm workweek – and brace for a titanic solar storm.
Actually, not much bracing is required – though the latest in a series of escalating solar storms might make the Northern Lights visible here on Long Island Thursday night (if skies remain clear and you’re far enough from city lights).
Well, that’s different: Actually, at 1 in every 100 people, heterochromia iridum is not as rare as you might think.
Where’d you get those peepers? If we do see some Aurora Borealis action, about 1 percent of us will see it with two eyes that don’t match up, color-wise – that’s the percentage of humans with the genetic variation heterochromia iridum, making them the stars of National Different Colored Eyes Day.
Conversation starter: Also overlooking differences is New Conversations Day, when we’re encouraged to stop small-talking about the weather and dig a little deeper into interpersonal communications.
Before you sit down to chat, grab a slice of delicious pie – you just gotta on National Pecan Pie Day, sweet and sticky and covered in whipped cream every July 12.
Full medal: Also made fresh on this date was the U.S. Armed Forces Medal of Honor, signed into law in 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln to honor the Civil War’s best and bravest.
Fantastic plastic: Hyatt’s celluloid billiard balls set a colossal new standard.
Rollout: Also showing real balls was inventor John Wesley Hyatt, who patented celluloid – primarily as a material for billiard balls, but heralding a plastic future – 153 years ago today.
Zap hosting: Heralding an electrified future was a July 12, 1894, act of Congress that set standards for volts, amperes, ohms, joules and other electrical units.
One for you, 19 for me: Funding the future, for the first time, were U.S. federal income taxes, which became a thing on this date in 1909 with Congress’ passage of the 16th Amendment.
Etched in history: And it was July 12, 1960, when the Ohio Art Co.’s popular Etch A Sketch first hit toy store shelves.
The domestic toy distributor paid $25,000 to license L’Ecran Magique (“The Magic Screen”) from French technician André Cassagnes, who gave aluminum powder an electrostatic charge.
The natural: American naturalist, essayist, scientist, poet and philosopher Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) – a leading transcendentalist known best for keeping it simple – would be 206 years old today.
What’s rights is right: Cultural taboos, assassins and other terrible hurdles have only strengthened Malala Yousafzai’s girls-rights crusade.
Also born on July 12 were American inventor, entrepreneur and philanthropist George Eastman (1854-1932), whose Eastman Kodak Co. brought photography to the masses; American agricultural scientist George Washington Carver (1864-1943), among the 20th Century’s most prominent Black scientists; American architect, engineer, inventor and writer Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983), a full-on futurist; American actor and comedian Milton Berle (born Mendel Berlinger, 1908-2002), whose legendary stage and screen career covered 80 years-plus; and English musician, singer and songwriter Christine Anne McVie (1943-2022), the Grammy-winning heart of Fleetwood Mac.
She is Malala: And take a bow, Malala Yousafzai! The Pakistani female-education activist – who won a Nobel Peace Prize at age 17, the youngest person (and only the second Pakistani) to earn the honor – turns 26 today.
Wish the international symbol for girls’ rights well at editor@innovateli.com, where girls, boys and everyone else have an inalienable right to share news tips – and we always prize your calendar events. (Peace out!)
About our sponsor: Whether it’s helping in site selection, cutting through red tape or finding innovative ways to meet specific needs, businesses that settle in the Town of Islip soon learn that we take a proactive approach to seeing them succeed. If your business wants to locate or expand in a stable community with great quality of life, then it’s time you took a closer look at Islip.
BUT FIRST, THIS
All part of the plan: A not-for-profit “life plan community” for seniors has cut the ribbon on its wellness-rich community center.
Marking a major step for its multiyear, multimillion-dollar “Journey Toward Renewal” renovation project, South Setauket-based Jefferson’s Ferry officially welcomed visitors last week to its new centerpiece. The comprehensive commons includes a creative arts studio, card and game rooms, a 24/7-access fitness center (fully stocked with state-of-the-art exercise machines), a dance/yoga studio and a fully operational beauty salon – even a physical therapy/rehabilitation suite that replicates a Jefferson Ferry’s apartment, helping residents more easily transfer new rehab routines to their home environments.
Following the opening of six new on-campus dining venues earlier this year, the shiny community center checks another important box for the not-for-profit community’s active 62-and-older population, according to Jefferson’s Ferry President and CEO Bob Caulfield. “Over our more than 20 years in operation, Jefferson’s Ferry has continued to evolve to meet the changing needs of the people who have made [this] their home,” Caulfield said. “Journey Toward Renewal is evidence of our commitment to excellence.”
Look out below: Albany is putting more eyes in the skies over Long Island’s shark-infested waters.
Fin tech: From the Sharks With Frickin’ Laser Beams File comes Gov. Kathy Hochul, who’s ordering extra battalions of laser-packing, shark-detecting drones into the air above Long Island’s beaches.
After triggering a salvo of anti-shark measures in May (including remote-controlled drones and increased watercraft and helicopter surveillance), the governor this week announced that dozens of additional shark-monitoring drones will be deployed to local beach communities along the Long Island and New York City coastlines. The reserves take flight after an early-July spate of shark attacks in regional waters – none fatal, but enough bite to put Long Island on a record-setting shark-attack pace.
Not on my watch, says Chief Martin Brody Hochul, who’s ordered the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to get those additional airborne automatons into the hands of local beach patrols ASAP. “These new drones will increase the shark-monitoring capacity of local governments across Long Island and New York City, ensuring local beaches are safe for all beachgoers,” the governor added.
POD PEOPLE
Episode 40: Lauren Sheprow, crystal clear.
Season 4 of Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast raises the bar again with a hail to the new chief – Lauren Sheprow, the former head of Stony Brook University media relations and first new Village of Port Jefferson mayor in 14 years.
Lauren joins Spark host Gregory Zeller to discuss decades of elite strategic communications, PJ’s vital role in regional tourism and hospitality and the critical importance of effective messaging – in government, healthcare, professional tennis and everywhere else.
TOP OF THE SITE
Spectrum analysis: With millions of telehealth-dependent patients at risk, New York Institute of Technology Provost Jerry Balentine implores Congress to quickly reinstate the FCC’s lapsed radio spectrum authority.
Christmas in July: Not exactly … but always easy, always free subscriptions to this engaging and educational newsletter always make a great gift for your innovation team.
VOICES
With national marijuana use rising precipitously, Family and Children’s Association President/CEO and Voices Nonprofits Anchor Jeffrey Reynolds examines a potential pharmaceutical treatment for millions of Americans struggling with Cannabis Use Disorder.
STUFF WE’RE READING
Mind: Strengthen those neurons (and live longer) by learning something new every day. Vox studies hard.
Body: Ditch the diets and stash the supplements – healthy feet are the key to whole-body wellness. The Zoe Report steps up.
Soul: Karma’s a bitch at MyPillow, where everything from forklifts to cardboard boxes is up for auction. Newsweek bids low.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ Pano AI, a California-based AI platform for active wildfire detection, raised $17 million in growth funding led by Valor Equity Partners, Salesforce Ventures, T-Mobile Ventures and the 5G Open Innovation Lab.
+ Ten Thousand, a New York City-based men’s activewear brand, raised $21 million in Series A funding led by Provenance, Fernbrook and Alfa.
+ NLM Photonics, a Washington State-based semiconductor manufacturer, raised $1 million in funding led by Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co. and Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.
+ Nuvocargo, a NYC-based logistics startup focused on USA/Mexico shipping, raised $36.5 million in Series B funding led by Tresalia Capital, Amador Holdings, Tiger Global, NFX and ALLVP.
+ Flywheel, a Minnesota-based, AI-powered medical imaging and data platform, raised $54 million in Series D funding co-led by Novalis LifeSciences and NVentures, with participation from Microsoft and Hewlett Packard Enterprises.
+ Author Health, a Massachusetts-based health platform focused on serious mental illnesses and substance-use disorders, raised $115 million in funding led by General Atlantic and Flare Capital Partners.
Like this newsletter? Innovate Long Island newsletter, website and podcast sponsorships are a prime opportunity to reach the inventors, investors, entrepreneurs and executives you need to know (just ask the Town of Islip). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Severe Thunderstorm Warning Edition)
On the rise: Catastrophic flooding has inundated the Northeast … and more is on the way.
What the hail: A brutal month across “Hail Alley” pushes the nation closer to a new weather-related damages record.
Flood plain: Albany pins catastrophic Northeast downpours on worsening climate change.
Shocking truth: Why you shouldn’t shower during a thunderstorm – no, really.
It’s always sunny in Islip: Please continue supporting the amazing institutions that support Innovate Long Island, including the Town of Islip Office of Economic Development, which clears socioeconomic clouds with a sunny disposition – and unrivaled business-development excellence. Check them out.
