Running a little hot: You made it, perspiring professional! Another mop-your-brow workweek ends, another cool-your-jets weekend begins.
Yeah, there’s a hot and stormy Friday to navigate first, but that’s no sweat for a cool customer like you, with ice water in your veins and all – not to mention this chill innovation review to help you put the week on ice.
Inch by inch: Possibilities abound on July 14, both National Shark Awareness Day and National Tape Measure Day.
Jaws of life: It’s July 14 out there, a pretty good date to observe National Shark Awareness Day, all about understanding the essential ecological roles filled by the much-maligned oceanic predators.
Take it all off: Speaking of beach safety, today is National Nude Day. (Local public-decency ordinances apply.)
It’s also National Tape Measure Day, and if you can’t find interesting combinations for those last two, you’re just not trying.
Stick shift: Measuring twice, cutting once and blowing stuff up real good was Swedish inventor and future prize progenitor Alfred Nobel, who demonstrated dynamite for the first time on July 14, 1867.
Cork of fate: Less explosive was the masterstroke of American inventor John Smith, who patented corkboard – specifically, his “process of treating cork” – on this date in 1891.
Blastoff: More explosive was American engineer Robert Goddard, who earned the first U.S. patent for liquid rocket fuel on this date in 1914.
You call that a Red Planet?: They might not look like much, but these first-ever closeups of Mars were cutting-edge in 1965,
Flyby: Thanks in part to Goddard, the NASA space probe Mariner 4 rocketed past Mars on this date in 1965 – the first human spacecraft to do so.
It’s-a me, Mario! And it was July 14, 1983, when Japanese videogame titan Nintendo released the arcade classic “Mario Brothers.”
Starring the titular carpenter-turned-plumber and his younger brother, Luigi, the game was officially billed as the third in the wildly popular “Donkey Kong” series.
The Stone Lady: American geologist, science writer and educator Florence Bascom (1862-1945) – who earned two bachelor’s degrees, a master’s degree (all from the University of Wisconsin) and a PhD (from Johns Hopkins University), making her a 19th Century educational anomaly among women – would be 161 years old today.
Towering Bell: Gertie got around.
Also born on July 14 were English adventurer Gertrude Bell (1868-1926), a globe-trotting architect who made her name in Arabia; American animator William Hanna (1910-2001), who partnered with Joseph Barbera to make cartoon history; gap-filling 38th U.S. President Gerald Ford (1913-2006); Swedish movie maker Ernst Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007), an author and theater director who became his country’s premier filmmaker; and American computer scientist Jay Wright Forrester (1918-2016), credited with inventing magnetic core memory and creating the first computer animation, among other breakthroughs.
Glee-ful: And take a bow, Jane Marie Lynch! The Emmy-, Golden Globe- and SAG Award-winning American actress, comedian, singer, gameshow host and brand ambassador – as droll as the day is long – turns 63 today.
Flattery don’t charge these batteries, civilian, but your news tips and calendar events do a snappy job of it. Share those – and birthday wishes for the immortal Sue Sylvester – at editor@innovateli.com.
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BUT FIRST, THIS
Jazz bones: Jitterbugging from the Dance on Your Grave Department comes a tribute jazz concert staged at an enormous Long Island cemetery.
Farmingdale’s Pinelawn Memorial Park and Arboretum – a non-sectarian cemetery featuring 500-plus acres of pristine greenspaces, vibrant flowerbeds, historic monuments and flowing fountains – saluted some of its most famous interred this month with a musical tribute at its Louis Natalie Mall. Legendary jazz musicians John Coltrane, William James “Count” Basie, Lloyd Trotman and Gaetano “Guy” Lombardo are all laid to rest at Pinelawn, which enlisted the Silver Arrow Band – an A-plus corporate event/wedding band that’s shared stages with everyone from Beyoncé to Bon Jovi – to posthumously honor the quintessential quartet.
Even at a sprawling cemetery known for yoga classes, foliage tours and other visitor-friendly attractions, the July 1 concert marked “a very special evening,” according to Pinelawn Memorial Park and Arboretum President Justin Locke. “For the first time, we honored the extraordinary jazz musicians who are resting peacefully at Pinelawn,” Locke noted. “We were honored and humbled to share this history with the community.”
How do you spell “thorough?”: North, south, east and west get full coverage in the LIREDC’s GIS.
Water view: The Long Island Regional Planning Council is hugging the coastline.
With the help of Syosset-based geospatial services innovator The LiRo Group, the forward-thinking coalition of engineers, builders, lawmakers and executives has energized a detailed database (officially, a Geographic Information System) compiling current waterfront zoning laws and land uses across Nassau and Suffolk’s north and south shores. The comprehensive collection of existing uses and development zones analyzes 100,000-plus waterfront properties – spanning both counties, two cities, 13 towns and 64 hamlets and villages – to create what the LIRPC calls a “complex mosaic of Long Island waterfront development.”
The goal is to give planners, developers and other regional rainmakers a swimming start on offshore-wind development, marine research, tourism, fishing and other key socioeconomic issues, according to LIRPC Chairman John Cameron. “The council felt there was a need … [to] identify where the greatest Blue Economy development opportunities may lie ahead,” Cameron noted. “We live on an island and are highly dependent upon our waters, not only for beauty and recreation but economically.”
TOP OF THE SITE
ESG whiz: Midmarket CEOs are feeling a lot better about things, according to the latest Marcum-Hofstra CEO Survey, which dives deep into Environmental, Social and Governance issues.
Let me be clear: Freshly minted Village of Port Jefferson Mayor Lauren Sheprow joins Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast to discuss the importance of clear communication, inside government and out.
ICYMI
The FCC’s radio spectrum authority has lapsed – and millions of telehealth-dependent patients are now at risk, warns New York Institute of Technology Provost Jerry Balentine.
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: Round Top-based sustainability specialist Eco Material Technologies teams with advanced-manufacturing pioneer Hive 3D on “near zero carbon” 3D-printed homes.
From Indiana: Fort Wayne-based tub-and-spa manufacturer Master Spas relays with all-time Olympian Michael Phelps to introduce therapeutic Chilly GOAT Cold Tubs.
From Texas: Houston-based youth esports leader Valhallan Esports Training and gaming guru Mavix energize ergonomic solutions for healthier gaming experiences.
ON THE MOVE
Nitin Varghese
+ Nitin Varghese has been hired as a paid social media strategist at Hauppauge-based Austin Williams. He was a marketing analyst at Pioneer Industries in Farmingdale.
+ Julia Lee has joined the Tax Certiorari Practice Group at Uniondale-based Forchelli Deegan Terrana. She was deputy bureau chief for Nassau County’s Property Assessment Litigation Bureau.
+ Ryan Ruf has been hired as assistant superintendent of business and operations for the Massapequa School District. He was chief operating officer at Eastern Suffolk BOCES in Patchogue.
+ The Adelphi University Board of Trustees has welcomed five new members:
- Doug Flynn, certified financial planner and cofounder of Flynn Zito Capital Management
- Nicholas Iadevaio Jr., vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion at L’Oreal USA
- Joseph Moscola, executive vice president of system operations at Northwell Health
- Kimberly Sluis, vice president for programs at the Strada Education Foundation
- Greg Carey, chairman of the Public Sector and Infrastructure Group at Goldman Sachs
+ Catherine Gonzalez has been promoted to deputy director at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City. She previously served as director of education.
+ Rebekah Webb has been hired as office administrator at Mark Design Studios in Hicksville. She was a senior administrative assistant at Long Island Adolescent and Family Services in Stony Brook.
+ Melissa Gonzalez has been hired as a partner at Jericho-based Grassi Advisors & Accountants. She was a partner at Woodbury-based Mazars USA.
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 Nixon Peabody). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Box Office Bomb Edition)
Never say never: Though Connery did, after “Gentlemen” bombed.
Bad: Is “woke” Disney box office poison?
Really bad: What do 2023’s high-profile flops mean for future blockbusters?
Extraordinarily bad: The comic-book movie so awful it permanently retired 007.
Best picture: Please continue supporting the amazing firms that support Innovate Long Island, including Nixon Peabody, where entrepreneurial spirit and deep client engagement are always in the script – and the sophisticated solutions are always part of the happy ending. Check them out.
