A game of inches: Welcome to Wednesday, dear readers, as winter does its thing and we march, undaunted, toward innovative socioeconomic greatness.
It’s chilly out there, but so far, nobody’s definition of a brutal winter – although, believe it or not, Long Island’s annual low-snowfall record is already safe and secure.
That was a good one: Weather permitting, it’s Jan. 19 out there, a great one for waxing nostalgic – Good Memory Day, when we’re encouraged to relive the good times.
Kernels of truth: Corny, we know.
In a Jiffy: The Pop Secret is revealed, Redenbacher stands tall and a Jolly Time is had by all – yes, Jan. 19 is also National Popcorn Day.
And it’s World Quark Day, which doesn’t sound like a menu item, but it is.
At the wire: Doubt they were eating quark on this date in 1883, when Thomas Edison strung up the town of Roselle, NJ, and flipped the switch – making Roselle the world’s first city electrified by overhead wires.
What wire? The first two-way transatlantic wireless communication was made on Jan. 19, 1903, when President Theodore Roosevelt reached out and touched English King Edward VII.
The coded transmission – in which Roosevelt celebrated a “wonderful triumph of scientific research and ingenuity” – was successfully sent by Guglielmo Marconi and his crew.
Tesla-ish: Edison also dabbled in EVs.
Another bright idea: In other ingenious triumphs, French inventor Georges Claude patented the neon-lighting tube on Jan. 19, 1915.
Not to be outdone, Edison scored three patents on this date: for a “Telegraph Apparatus” (1875), an “Electrical Automobile” (1904) and “Improvements to Telegraphy” (1909).
We’ll be briefs: Tighty whities became a thing on Jan. 19, 1936, when “Jockey” briefs debuted in Chicago’s Marshall Fields department store.
To the letter: And the world’s most popular word game went global 67 years ago today, when Scrabble was first sold in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Take another piece of my heart: Joplin, timeless.
Pearl: American singer-songwriter Janis Joplin (1943-1970) – who belted out rock, soul and blues and ranks among the premier performers of an era filled with them – would be 79 years old today.
Also born on Jan. 19 were Scottish inventor James Watt (1736-1819), who unlocked the Industrial Revolution with his Watt steam engine; American physician William Williams Keen (1837-1932), the first U.S. brain surgeon; Dutch astronomer Jacobus Kapteyn (1851-1922), who turned science around with evidence of galactic rotation; American anthropologist Leslie White (1900-1975), who invented “culturology”; and crime-solving American educator, author and arachnologist M. Lee Goff (born 1944), a founding member of the American Board of Forensic Entomology.
Hello, Dolly: And take a bow, Dolly Rebecca Parton! The American singer, songwriter, actress, author and businesswoman – a country music icon who owns Oscars, Emmys and a fantastic humanitarian legacy – turns 76 today.
Give the Dumb Blonde your best at editor@innovateli.com, where we work 9 to 5 (and longer) to connect the Islands in the Stream that are your news tips and calendar events (we’re looking at you, Jolene).
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
Memorable: Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and friends welcome the Esplanade of Woodmere.
Memory serves: Matching state-of-the-art healthcare with strict religious tenets, a “kosher memory care” center has opened in Woodmere.
Freshly minted Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman joined Town of Hempstead Clerk Kate Murray, Village of Lawrence Trustee Michael Fragin and other regional officials Tuesday to ceremoniously cut the ribbon on the Esplanade of Woodmere. Staffed around-the-clock by trained caregivers, the renovated senior-living community combines a distinctive dementia-care program – leveraging Montessori Moments in Time memory-care programming, part of the Meridian Senior Living package – with a kosher menu.
Blakeman said he was “proud” to welcome the Esplanade of Woodmere to Nassau, both for the topnotch services it provides patients and its positive influence on county economics. “This personalized senior-care facility will serve as a great resource for our area and will help create many good-paying jobs for residents,” the county executive added.
Making hay: With its star attractions craving winter meals, an Islandia-based not-for-profit has kicked the spurs on its Second-Annual Hay Drive.
Pal-O-Mine Equestrian, a private organization providing a comprehensive therapeutic equine program for children and adults with disabilities, is hoping that animal-loving Long Islanders – who provided more than $10,000 during last year’s First-Annual Hay Drive – will saddle up again during the “challenging winter months.” While the organization has been forced to suspend various programs throughout the pandemic, its large herd (with its large appetite) remains intact, and chows down on 16 hay bales daily, each weighing about 50 pounds.
With a monthly hay bill exceeding $7,000, the organization is hoping to raise $21,000 this year. Checks can be made payable to Pal-O-Mine Equestrian and mailed to 829 Old Nichols Road, Islandia, NY, 11749; donations also accepted here.
POD PEOPLE
Episode 17: Renee Flagler, girl power.
Sponsored by ThermoLift, Season 2 of Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast goes from the workshop to the laboratory to the halls of academia – and goes one-on-one with Long Island’s top innovators, who share unique experiences and winning perspectives. Inspiration awaits.
TOP OF THE SITE
Wind-fall: New York State has finalized two offshore wind-power contracts promising billions of dollars in public and private investments.
Balancing act: With balanced state finances projected through 2027, Gov, Hochul has revealed details of her ambitious, $200 billion FY2023 Executive Budget.
Brains of the operation: Individual Innovate Long Island newsletter subscriptions for every member of your innovation team are always easy, always free and always a smart call.
VOICES
Here’s a hot take: The news media are better at predicting the future than you probably think. Voices media master and ZE Creative Communications Executive Vice President David Chauvin highlights modern storytelling pivots that prove the point.
STUFF WE’RE READING
Variety show: Diversity, equity and inclusion all promote business innovation. Fast Co. mixes it up.
Fusion engine: Investing in “big science” fuels industrial innovation. The World Economic Forum raises the stakes.
The pizza effect: How out-of-towners convinced Italy to give its most famous food a whirl. Food52 enjoys a slice.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ Urban Umbrella, a New York City-based scaffolding design company, raised $6.5 million in venture debt funding. The round was led by Anthos Properties.
+ Ubiquitous Energy, a California-based solar technology company, raised $30 million in Series B funding led by Andersen Corporation, ENEOS, Safar Partners, Hostplus, Red Cedar Ventures and Riverhorse Investments.
+ Checkout.com, a NYC-based online platform that simplifies payment processes for large global-enterprise merchants, raised $1 billion in Series D funding led by Altimeter, Dragoneer, Franklin Templeton, the Qatar Investment Authority, the Oxford Endowment Fund and others.
+ Chapter, a NYC-based, technology-driven Medicare Advisor, secured a $42 million Series B funding round led by Additio, Narya Capital, Susa Ventures, Maverick Ventures, XYZ Venture Capital and others.
+ Exotec, a Georgia-based warehouse-robotics company, raised $335 million in Series D funding led by the Growth Equity business within Goldman Sachs Asset Management, with participation from 83North and Dell Technologies Capital.
+ ChargeNet, a California-based software platform integrating digital payments into electric-vehicle fast chargers, energy storage units and solar power systems, raised $6.2 million in seed financing led by Aligned Climate Capital, with participation from the San Diego Angels, Tech Coast Angels and the LACI Impact Fund.
BELOW THE FOLD
Dragon tales: A 33-foot ichthyosaur, 180 million years later.
A for effort: But a Rhodes Scholar has lost it all for lying on her scholarship application.
Bees: Why that backyard honeybee hive may be more trouble than it’s worth.
Seas: Scientists have unearthed the most complete “sea dragon” fossil ever found.
Easy as A, B, C: We’ll keep it simple – nobody supports your business like the Town of Islip Office of Economic Development, one of the amazing organizations that support Innovate Long Island. Check them out.
