That’ll work: Welcome to the first Friday in May, dear readers, delivering a few clouds, a little sun and plenty of seasonal warmth (more weather forecasting below).
Most importantly, today is an onramp to another well-earned springtime weekend – but first, one more workday to work through, and a workweek-wrapping innovation review to help it work out right.
True that: Journalism is not a crime — and a free press is essential in a Democratic society.
Meet the press: It’s May 3, so we open with a nod to the Fourth Estate – World Press Freedom Day, the UN’s annual salute to the free and transparent flow of information, directly challenging the nefarious, nonsensical noise of dictators (and wannabe dictators) with a 2024 focus on the global environmental crisis.
Just act normal: In a world where roughly half of our neighbors have normalized “alternative facts” and other bull$#!+, we also embrace National Paranormal Day, when the unreal – in this case ghosts, UFOs, Bigfoot and the like – becomes real.
And if you’re looking for a real treat, enjoy National Raspberry Pop Over Day, a fairly specific – and absolutely scrumptious – sweet-tart celebration baked fresh every May 3.
Capitol gain: Also starting fresh was the City of Washington, which actually formed several years earlier but officially became a thing on this date in 1802, when the Organic Act of 1801 took effect and incorporated the District of Columbia.
On the air: Douglas Edwards fills in viewers on May 3, 1948.
Top story: Nightly television network news shows became a thing on May 3, 1948, when newsman Douglas Edwards manned the anchor’s chair on the first installment of the “CBS Evening News.”
Two of hearts: Human heart transplants in the United Kingdom became a thing 56 years ago today, with surgeons at London’s National Heart Hospital doing the deed. (The fifth-ever U.S. human heart transplantation was performed the same day at St. Luke’s Hospital in Texas, for those keeping score.)
Consider this: National Public Radio became a thing on this date in 1971, with the premier of still-going news program “All Things Considered.” (Mirroring today’s disconcerting current events, Episode No. 1 covered public demonstrations protesting the Vietnam War.)
You’ve got mail: And it was May 3, 1978, when email spam became a thing, with a bulk commercial message beamed to ARPANET addresses across the nation.
The unsolicited ad, sent by innovative marketing agent Gary Thuerk, promoted a new computer model sold by Massachusetts-based electronics manufacturer Digital Equipment Corp.
With a cherry on top: American singer, actor, television producer, television and radio personality and entrepreneur Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby Jr. (1903-1977) – an Academy Award-winning multimedia icon who also advanced recording technologies, purchased television stations, bred racehorses and co-owned the Pittsburgh Pirates – would be 121 years old today.
Soul man: James Brown poured his heart into his live performances.
Also born on May 3 were French hydraulic engineer Henri Pitot (1695-1771), who mastered gas and liquid flow velocities with his eponymous pitot tube; Italian mathematician and physicist Vito Volterra (1860-1940), a founder of functional analysis who significantly advanced electromagnetism, mathematical biology and astronomy, among other sciences; Israeli politician and stateswoman Golda Meir (1898-1978), who helped found the State of Israel and later became prime minister (still Israel’s only woman head of state); American singer, dancer and musician James Brown (1933-2006), the prolific “Godfather of Soul”; and Iranian mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani (1977-2017), an expert in hyperbolic geometry and ergodic theory who became the first woman (and first Iranian) to win the prestigious Fields Prize.
Ride like the wind: And take a bow, Christopher Cross! The American singer-songwriter (born Christopher Geppert) – who swept the “Big Four” awards at the 1981 Grammys (thanks to a debut album featuring “Sailing” and other Top-10 tunes) and was later caught between the Moon and New York City with the enduring “Arthur’s Theme” – turns 73 today.
Send your best to Cross – who earned five Grammy Awards total (and tacked on an Oscar and a Golden Globe with that title track to the popular Dudley Moore comedy) – at editor@innovateli.com, where your news tips can do miracles and your calendar events take us away to where we’ve always heard it could be (just you wait and see).
About our sponsor: Sahn Ward Braff Koblenz Coschignano PLLC is one of the region’s most highly regarded and recognized law firms. Our attorneys are thought leaders, dedicated to achieving success through excellence. With our broad experience in land use, development, litigation, real estate, corporate and environmental law, we have the vision and knowledge to serve our clients and our communities. Please visit sahnward.com.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Wooden you know: Voodin’s recyclable blades offer ecological advantages over customary fiberglass models.
Aus Holz! From our Innovate Germany Bureau comes an interesting option for all those wind farms popping up in Long Island waters, promising an extra layer of ecological responsibility: wooden wind-turbine blades.
The world’s first wooden blades – 19.3-meter prototypes manufactured by German maker Voodin Blade Technology – have been installed on an existing turbine in Breuna, a small landlocked municipality in Central Germany. The laminated-veneer material is not only more flexible than composite-fiberglass materials, it’s recyclable – a distinct advantage when it comes to decommissioning, according to Voodin, which estimates a “typical lifespan” of 20 to 25 years for fiberglass blades that are “difficult and expensive to break down” and routinely buried or burned after use.
With the first generation of wind-turbine blades reaching the end of its operational lifespan, wooden blades – including 60- and 80-meter models under development – offer a more sustainable option for the future of wind power, noted Voodin Blade Technology CEO Tom Siekmann. “At this pace, we will end up with 50 million tons of blade-material waste by 2050,” Siekmann said. “With our solution, we want to help green energy truly become as green as possible.”
Coming soon: Suffolk County’s first Ronald McDonald House has broken ground.
The New York Metro Chapter of Ronald McDonald House Charities ceremoniously kicked off construction of its second Long Island location Wednesday on grounds adjacent to Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. The three-story, 60,000-square-foot building – set to join an existing Ronald McDonald House in New Hyde Park, located near Northwell Health’s Cohen Children’s Medical Center – is slated to include 30 private bedrooms (with bathrooms), a media center, interactive playrooms, a fitness center, laundry facilities and a fully stocked community kitchen, among other amenities benefitting the families of children receiving medical care at SBCH.
The new building won’t be ready until 2026 at the earliest, but after 10 years of planning, the groundbreaking is a momentous occasion, according to Stony Brook Medicine Interim Executive Vice President William Wertheim. “This facility will stand as a beacon of hope, compassion and support for families facing their toughest challenges,” Wertheim said Wednesday. “Our partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities highlights the strength of collaboration, and I am delighted to be joining our resources and expertise to meet the diverse needs of our community.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Flux capacity: Real Estate Institute at Stony Brook University Chairman Patrick Fogarty reviews challenges (and unique opportunities) across the fluctuating commercial, industrial, life sciences and residential real estate sectors.
Three-peat: Only Innovate Long Island brings you three (count ’em, three) jam-packed weekly newsletters straight from the innovation economy’s front lines – and only subscribers get to enjoy our exclusive Monday Calendar Newsletters. Fortunately, subscriptions are always easy, always free.
ICYMI
Two of Long Island’s major-league bioscience research hubs – each with its own cutting-edge cancer center – have extended a long and fruitful healthcare partnership that brings the latest laboratory research directly to the patients who need it most.
BEST OF THE WEST (AND SOMETIMES NORTH/SOUTH)
Innovate LI’s inbox overrunneth with inspirational innovations from all North American corners. This week’s brightest out-of-towners:
From Texas: Plano-based cybersecurity-solutions spearhead Critical Start assesses, tracks, communicates and reduces threats with advanced Cyber Risk Register tool.
From California: Agoura Hills-based automotive-adventure ace JackPak keeps motorists safe, connected and powered up with versatile car emergency kits.
From Illinois: Chicago-based culinary-convenience king Birch Benders goes organic – and champions “clean eating” – with Ultimate Fudge Brownie Mix.
ON THE MOVE
Susan Lane
+ Susan Lane has been inducted as an American College of Physicians Master. She is the director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program and vice chairwoman of education in the Department of Medicine at Stony Brook University’s Renaissance School of Medicine.
+ David Pernick has been hired as an associate in the Commercial Real Estate Practice Group at Uniondale-based Harris Beach PLLC. He was an associate attorney at Jaspan Schlesinger Narendran LLP in Garden City.
+ Colleen Guirand has been hired as a communications specialist at Hauppauge-based Long Island Cares Inc. She was a digital marketing assistant at Bedgear in Farmingdale.
+ Hauppauge-based Discover Long Island announced four new hires:
- Stacy Black is a senior project manager. She was director of digital projects and operations at AMC Networks in Manhattan.
- Melissa Jones is a public relations and communications coordinator. She is a recent graduate of Stony Brook University.
- Matthew Kane is a partnership and events coordinator. He was a game logger at MLB Network in New Jersey.
- Nolan Santo is a digital marketing and analytics manager. He was a junior digital marketing specialist at Modaramo Media in Port Washington.
+ Nicole Hecker has been hired as an associate in the Litigation Department at Garden City-based Morici & Morici. She is a recent graduate of The Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University in Hempstead.
+ Jenny Schaeffer has been hired as chief programs and network officer at Melville-based Island Harvest Food Bank. She was vice president of programs at California-based Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano.
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 Sahn Ward). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (From The Weather Desk Edition)
Seek shelter: The transition out of El Niño in the Pacific Ocean is fueling severe storms from Oklahoma to Iowa.
Storm front: What’s causing the extreme storms pounding the nation’s heartland?
Oh, NOAA: America’s key weather-science agency may soon be dismantled.
Hot potato: Farewell, El Niño … it’s La Niña’s turn to shape U.S. weather.
Rainmakers: Please continue supporting the fantastic firms that support Innovate Long Island, including Sahn Ward Braff Koblenz Coschignano, where sunny dispositions give way to hurricane-force tenacity when your legal interests are on the line. Check them out.
