Join this group if you grew up in North Miami Beach in the 1970s

A friend's Facebook status update gave me the idea to start a new Facebook group, "Growing up in North Miami Beach in the 1970s," with a focus on places and events that occurred in NMB in the 70s. There are many groups for other cities and times.  I'll try to keep the group on topic. 

Thousands of "kids" from NMB in the 1970s have shared their memories from restaurants, record shops, various pizza shops, delis, schools, sports, Haulover, and Greynold's parks.

Dozens of names I haven't heard in decades suddenly streamed across my computer.

Do You Remember any of these places... 

• Greynolds Park
• Skylake Mall
• Sandy's Drugs
• People's Gas on West Dixie Highway
• 163rd Street Shopping Center
• Record Shack, Record Land, Blue Note, Vibrations, Peaches
• Victory Park and Uleta Pools
• Figaro's, My Pi, Steve's on 164th Street

If you grew up in North Miami Beach the 1970s or are curious about "the way it was", join the Growing up in North Miami Beach in the 1970s Facebook group. Don't forget to answer the membership questions. If we knew each other in NMB, add me as a friend (send me a message and let me know you're adding me just in case I can't remember an old friend from the 70s).

  

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Strange foods found on the net: Food in electronics, usb devices, and other odd places

I saw a blog about hamburger obsession, 10 ways to make your burger fantasies come true. It got me thinking, how many people buy food gadgets so I did a quick scan of the net to see what I could find. Due to time and space limitations, my findings are not too extensive, but I'm sure you can find a lot more strange food swag, if you check.

Hamburger
I've found usb devices, CD Holders, mouse pads, Hamburgers YoYos, and a Wimpy doll (with Hamburger)





Hot Dog
a full body costume, a wall clock, and a hot dog wedding groom.




Pizza
a pizza flash drive, party lights, a belt buckle, and a singing pizza elmo toy.



French Fries
Not too many, maybe everyone is calorie counting?




Kiwi fruit
an ipod case, some sort of toy, and drawer pull knobs.



I'm sure with time and persistence, this list could go on forever :) what surprised me most is not too many cool Frency Fry oddities showed in my search. Give it a try.

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TRS 80 Model I

TRS-80 was a brand associated with several desktop computers sold by Radio Shack (Tandy Corporation). The original "TRS-80 Micro Computer System" launched in 1977 (later known as the Model I) was one of the earliest mass-produced personal computers.

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Amazon Kindle 2 - Slimmer, Thinner, Faster

Amazon.com unveiled a new version of its Kindle e-book reader, thinner and faster than the older model, but no cheaper.

Amazon tweaked the user experience a bit but Kindle 2 still lacks a color screen. The battery life was increased 25% and a useful new feature for many is a text-to-speech option. The company says the new Kindle will cost $359 and begin shipping on Feb. 24.

READ MORE and PRE-ORDER A KINDLE 2




Say Hello to The New Kindle
Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines

Lightweight: At 10.2 ounces, lighter than a typical paperback

Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, service plans, or hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots

Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered in less than 60 seconds; no PC required

Improved Display: Reads like real paper; now boasts 16 shades of gray for clear text and even crisper images

Longer Battery Life: 25% longer battery life; read for days without recharging

More Storage: Take your library with you; holds over 1,500 books

Faster Page Turns: 20% faster page turns

Read-to-Me: With the new Text-to-Speech feature, Kindle can read every book, blog, magazine, and newspaper out loud to you

Large Selection: Over 230,000 books plus U.S. and international newspapers, magazines, and blogs available

Low Book Prices: New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise

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Empire State Building - Purple Green and Gold for Fat Tuesday / Mardi Gras 2009

Since January I've received two dozen inquiries about my campaign to color the Empire State Building in Purple, Green and Gold. I usually pitch the folks who manage lighting the ESB and emphasize that it's a

nod to the survivors and lives we lost when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. A silent acknowledgment that "we remember" and understand rebuilding is a slow, painful process.

Since we sucessfully pitched the ESB folks in 2006, requests [via forms, faxes, email, and voice mail] for the past two years to repeat the purple-green-gold lighting tribute led to a dead-end. I assume that the group who manages the ESB lighting is overwhelmed with daily requests and probably feels that New Orleans and the Gulf Coast had their acknowledgment in 2006 and Hurricane Katrina is just a memory.

The Meaning of Purple, Green, and Gold
In 1872 Rex chose PG&G as the official colors of Mardi Gras:
Purple = Justice
Green = Faith
Gold = Power

I'd like to see cities, large and small, who don't normally celebrate Fat Tuesday, take Purple Green and Gold, and in their own creative way decorate structures to send the "We Care!" message. Fat Tuesday is February 24, 2009: Lets use Social Networking (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc) to spread the word. Reach out to the leaders in your home town.

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