Sensing a pattern: Welcome to the weekend, intrepid innovators! Well, almost … just one more workday between you and (can it be?) another rainy Saturday, with Long Island stuck in a stubborn wet-weekend loop.
Whether the weather cooperates (or not), you know the drill: Two days off after five days on, beginning with an entertaining (if slightly formulaic) innovation-economy review that (ahem) breaks the mold.
When you’re smiling: Grin and bear it on World Smile Day.
Long-ish weekend: Speaking of off days, this will be a long weekend for the roughly 14 percent of non-government employees who enjoy a paid holiday on Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day (which became a federal holiday in 1939, meaning government and school staffers automatically get the day).
On that note, a quick reminder that Innovate Long Island will be busy exploring our pre-Colonial roots this weekend, so no Calendar Newsletter on Monday. Back Oct. 10 with fun freshness.
Can I get a (r)amen: Today is Oct. 6 and we kick things off with a couple of winners – World Smile Day, encouraging acts of kindness around the globe (online and otherwise), and National Noodle Day, serving up a multicultural munchable that’s been gracing human menus for 4,000 years.
It’s your nickel: Other winners associated with this date include Massachusetts-based inventor William Remington, who patented nickel plating – providing an innovative combination of anti-corrosion and water-resistance – on this date in 1868.
Fall classic: There were no winners when the upstart Cincinnati Red Stockings and the veteran Chicago White Stockings competed in a two-game postseason exhibition beginning Oct. 6, 1882 – not officially the first World Series, but the first-ever clash between American and National league champions. (The “series” ended in a 1-1 tie.)
Moving tribute: There are no film or video recordings of those classic contests, since motion pictures wouldn’t become a thing until this date in 1889, in Thomas Edison’s New Jersey laboratory.
Mixed media: “The Jazz Singer” was a remarkable technical achievement, overshadowed by racism.
All that “Jazz”: There were no film or video recordings with soundtracks until this date in 1927, when “The Jazz Singer” premiered and swept away the silent era.
Planets … ummm … in spaaaaace: And it was 28 years ago today when astronomers announced the discovery of the first known exoplanet.
Science (and fiction) had long conjectured about alien planets orbiting stars beyond our Solar System, but the distant gas giant 51 Pegasus b was the first confirmed exoplanet. (More than 5,000 have been discovered since.)
By George: American engineer and entrepreneur George Westinghouse (1846-1914) – a veteran of the U.S. Army and Navy who invented the railway air brake and supercharged the nation’s nascent electrical industry by championing alternating-current technologies – would be 177 years old today.
Hamer time: Fearless Fannie Lou makes her point.
Also born on Oct. 6 were American Canadian railway administrator Sir Thomas Shaughnessy (1853-1923), a slow-and-steady type who cautiously constructed Canada’s largest railroad; American biochemist Florence Seibert (1897-1991), who developed accurate tuberculosis tests, among other achievements; Norwegian ethnologist and adventurer Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002), whose daring transoceanic expeditions failed to convince mainstream science that ancient cultures interacted; American women’s and civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977), among the 20th Century’s most powerful African American voices; and Italian American strongman Bruno Sammartino (1935-2018), one of professional wrestling’s all-time greats.
Visionary: And take a bow, Glen David Brin! The American scientist, technology consultant and best-selling science fiction author – winner of the prestigious Hugo, Locus, Campbell and Nebula awards – turns 73 today.
Give the scientific scribe your best at editor@innovateli.com, where your news tips and calendar events fuel our science nonfiction.
About our sponsor: Sahn Ward Braff Koblenz 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
Betty Rosa: Removing barriers.
Fee advice: High-schoolers might not appreciate this, but parents shepherding them through the college-admissions process will be thrilled to learn that 100-plus New York institutions have waived application fees this month.
October is College Application Month, and to that end the 64 schools of the State University of New York system – including Long Island-based Stony Brook University, Farmingdale State College, the College at Old Westbury, Nassau Community College, Suffolk County Community College and Maritime College – are joining the City University of New York’s 26 schools to accept fee-free applications through Oct. 31. Forty private colleges and universities statewide are also on board, marking the first time the two major systems and so many private institutions have banded together for a full month of no-charge application processing.
Dubbing application fees a “significant financial barrier” for many New Yorkers, New York State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa applauded the no-fee alliance. “(Application fees) can deter otherwise qualified students from applying to higher-education institutions,” Rosa said Thursday. “This levels the playing field, ensuring that all aspiring students have … an equal opportunity to pursue their academic goals.”
Hospitality helper: Trumpeting new jobs, increased tax revenues and improved hospitality options, the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency has first-stepped an incentives package supporting a new 72,000-square-foot hotel in Southold.
Actually, 72,979 square feet, according to plans submitted to the IDA by Enclave Southold LLC, which also aims to renovate a historic 3,764-square-foot home on its 6.7-acre Main Street property – ultimately resulting in the 40-room luxury hotel, two new restaurants, a well-appointed spa, four guest cottages, indoor and outdoor pools and other amenities. The $43 million project, which is expected to generate $1.27 million in additional tax revenues over the next 15 years even with the proposed incentives, will also create 51 full-time positions, plus construction-phase jobs.
The IDA must still take a final vote, but the Enclave Southold deal “checks all of the boxes,” according to Suffolk County IDA Acting Executive Director Kelly Murphy. “It will help satisfy a growing need for quality hospitality options on the North Fork, significantly increase tax revenue and create jobs, all while keeping up with the aesthetic of the surrounding area,” Murphy added.
TOP OF THE SITE
Collaboration proclamation: Longtime journalist and former Nassau County Executive Laura Curran lays out the only path to victory in the war against global cybercriminals.
Playing catch-up: Season 4 of Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast returns with an exciting new one-on-one next week! Catch up quick on everything that’s happened in Seasons 1 through 3 1/2.
ICYMI
Longtime Long Island business-law cornerstones SilvermanAcampora and Portnoy, Messinger, Pearl & Associates have raised the Rimôn flag.
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 California: Irvine-based wireless-network facilitator KP Performance Antennas combines portability and next-level functionality in new rubber ducks and whips.
From Illinois: Chicago-based online/retail meal-solutions maestro Home Chef redefines “home-cooked” with ready-to-heat Tempo brand.
From Brooklyn: Corporate-planning platform The Vendry streamlines business events with sleek search engine tailored for planners, venues and vendors.
ON THE MOVE
Mitch Pally
+ Mitch Pally has been elected chairman of Hauppauge-based Discover Long Island’s Board of Directors. He is chairman of the Midway Crossing Local Development Corp. in Ronkonkoma.
+ Adelphi University has appointed five new members to its President’s Advisory Council:
- June Griffith Collison, president of California-based Dignity Health Community Hospital
- Renu Delassandro, chief marketing officer at Westbury-based Jovia Financial Credit Union
- Robert Kavner, lead director at California-based Heliogen
- Peter Principato, CEO of California-based Artists First
- Michael Sammis, CEO, COO and CFO of California-based Universal Music Publishing Group
+ Sarah Kautz has been hired as executive director of the Southampton History Museum. She was preservation director at Preservation Long Island in Cold Spring Harbor.
+ Michael Renda has been hired as assistant principal of Cherokee Street Elementary School in Ronkonkoma. He was the principal of the Neighborhood Charter School in Harlem.
+ Wendy Pearson has been named Stony Brook University vice president for strategic initiatives. She was the senior advisor to the provost at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
+ Joseph Capone has been appointed chairman of the Young Presidents’ Organization, Long Island Chapter. He is president/owner of Total Fire Protection in Woodbury.
+ Alan Gagnon has been hired as a senior website project director at Hauppauge-based Austin Williams. He was a senior project manager at MRM Worldwide in Manhattan.
+ Joan McGovern has been hired as director and administrator of the Cormaria Retreat Center in Sag Harbor. She will continue as chaplain at Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital in Oceanside.
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 (Speak Easy Edition)
Short story: But not the shortest.
Long history: McCarthy’s bumpy reign wasn’t the shortest on record (one guy sat in for just a day).
Big job: The House of Representatives’ top spot is more than just a political football.
Portable feast (for the ears): Ranking 2023’s best Bluetooth speakers.
Speaking of excellence: Please continue supporting the amazing firms that support Innovate Long Island, including Sahn Ward, where decades of land-use experience always speak to the client’s best interests. Check them out.
