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Category: Technology

NASCAR Champ Joey Logano Takes A Victory Lap in Houston

2018 NASCAR Champion Joey Logano stopped in Houston recently during his tour to thank sponsors and share stories of his success.  Logano’s local pitstop was at Shell’s headquarters on the west side of town.  He spent a few hours taking photos, signing autographs and attempting to shake hands with Shell employees despite wearing a heavy, diamond-laden championship ring. 

Logano’s #22 racecar is sponsored by Shell Pennzoil.  He spoke to employees and the media with his success stories of winning the Monster Energy NASCAR series using the company’s lubricant product. 

Here is a clip of a few fun moments chatting with the champion:

2018 Holiday Gift Guide

So I missed the Hanukkah deadline but that’s OK.  I got a rock.  Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen to you as there are some pretty cool gadgets, tool and gear to be had this holiday season.  Here is a list of goodies I recently showed on my “Houston Life” TV appearance.  Watch the clip below and then start clicking and ordering:

Start With A Thermostat When Making A Smart Home

Our annual holiday gift guide continues as we roll through Houston.  A recent appearance on “Houston Life” (NBC) found us discussing some of the benefits of having a smart thermostat and other smart home products. 

Safety Is Job 1 at Shell and Team Penske

6,000 ft above the Gulf of Mexico – Flying aboard a 16-person helicopter back to New Orleans I was still questioning why I spent an entire day sitting in a classroom and being dunked in a pool.  Upside down.  Harnessed to a helicopter simulator chair.  Shell explained it was all in the name of safety just in case there was an issue during the flights to and from its deep water oil and gas production facility in the Gulf we were headed to.  As we are about to land safely at the New Orleans airport there was nary an issue during the 100-minute flight but it was reassuring to have passed the Tropical Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET) the day before. 

I was a part of the crew invited to tour the Turritella, Shell’s Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility stationed 200 miles south of Louisiana.  The purpose of this trip was to demonstrate to media and members of Team Penske how safety and preparation are critical in the offshore environment and on the track.  Team Penske, of course, is a the professional stock car, open wheel and sports car racing team that currently competes in the IndyCar and NASCAR Cup Series, among other racing leagues.  Penske Corp. president Bud Denker led his team members on the trip – he was first in the training pool – which included 3-time Indy Car champ Helio Castroneves. 

Day 1 of this 2-day event was spent at Shell’s training facility in Robert, Louisiana, about an hour north of New Orleans.  The 9-hour (yes, 9 hours!)  training class taught us safety techniques and procedures of how to escape and survive a helicopter should it ditch in the water.  Teamwork was the theme as all participants learned how to work together to exit the aircraft should it land upright or upside down.  This is where fun came in. 

The afternoon found us all in an Olympic-size pool that featured a full-scale replica of a helicopter attached to moving cables above.  After watching several demonstrations of how to enter and exit the chopper we were strapped to the 5-point harnessed seats several times in both upright and upside positions.  Notwithstanding unwanted water rushing up our noses we all passed with flying colors and were presented with HUET certificates we would need for the trip the next day. 

A 6:00am hotel lobby rendezvous began our busy Day 2 with a bus ride to the airport.  After another safety briefing we were escorted to a helicopter that Shell contracts with PHI.  Liftoff was right on schedule and we were quickly soaring above the Gulf.  Several members of the Shell team briefed us on their Gulf of Mexico drilling and production facilities while we gazed at nothing but water as far as the eye could see. 

Carlos Maurer, president of Shell Lubricants America, was quick to point out one of the final products that is produced in the water below us includes engine oil so many of us use everyday.  Helio made sure we all knew that his likeness appears on many of those oil cannisters sold at retail outlets and was the sole reason Shell continue to have record sales numbers.  Knowing that we needed to remain strapped to the seats during the flight no one was going to ague with the gregarious race car driver. 

We approached the Turritella vessel which hovers over Shell’s Stones field in the Lower Tertiary geologic frontier in the Gulf.  Discovered in 2005, it is Shell’s second producing field in this region along with Perdido. 

As we circled to get a good view we could see an oil tanker floating a few hundred yards behind the FPSO.  They were in the midst of off-loading millions of gallons of oil from the Turritella onto the tanker.  This process occurs several times each week. 

We landed slowly onto the helipad located a the stern of the vessel.  After unstrapping ourselves we carefully walked down into a holding area where we were given more safety instructions and handed personal protective equipment.  Our tour began as we were clad in coveralls, protective eye wear, gloves and hard hats.  Over the next several hours we were led through the Turritella’s command center, bridge, engineering room, crew bunks and the cafeteria. 

120 crew members were on board during our visit, most working the typical off-shore schedule of 14 days on, 14 days off.  The crew certainly eats well as we dined with them during a lunchtime shift.  Homemade hummus, salads, baked cod, pasta, potatoes and dessert was served by the trained cooks and kitchen crew.  The menus change daily which makes for a happy, well-fed crew. 

At some point we needed to see the equipment and learn the process of how oil and gas – almost 10,000 feet below us – was being extracted from 27,000 feet below the earth’s surface onto the vessel on which we were standing.  The Turritella is a modified ship with one key feature – an extremely large turret is situated near the bow.  This structure rises several hundred feet above the main deck and extends through the vessel nearly 30 feet under sea level.  This feature allows the Turritella to circle around the stationary turret ensuring the vessel is constantly pointed into the Gulf’s waves to minimize rocking and swaying. 

Deep inside the vessel at the bottom of the turret is an incredibly engineered system where a large buoy connects to the ship.  Underneath the buoy are a network of steel pipes that creep almost 2 miles down to the bottom of the Gulf.  Oil is pumped up through these pipes into the massive storage tanks aboard the Turritella where it is held until it is off-loaded onto tankers. 

We were told this FPSO concept was created, in lieu of a stationary oil rig, for several reasons including safety, of course.  An FPSO can disconnect the buoy and float away from danger should a hurricane enter the Gulf.  The process of disconnecting the buoy – which floats about 200 ft below the water surface – and reconnecting it to the Turritella takes about 7 days.  To ensure a smooth operation should the vessel be in the path of a hurricane Shell goes through the drill once a year.  An estimated 50,000 barrels of oil equivalent (boe) per day is produced from Stones field. 

Our visit ended with most of the Turritella’s crew listening to Helio and Team Penske members talk about teamwork and the importance of their work.  Helio made sure to let them know their efforts propel his team to race throughout the year and his checkered flag finishes could not happen without Team Shell. 

Upon landing back at the airport we realized the HUET certification we received the previous day was but a small percentage of the measures Shell goes through to ensure its employees and equipment remain safe. 

LISTEN TO THE TRIP RECAP AS HEARD ON IHEARTRADIO’S “THE HIGH-TECH TEXAN SHOW WITH MICHAEL GARFIELD”

An Alternative Speaker To Amazon’s Devices

Alexa is everywhere and most everyone assumes that to utilize that voice-enabled assistant one would need an Amazon Echo or Dot.  Not so fast.  There are other devices on the market that utilize the Alexa operating system while also giving you other interesting features. 

One example is Fabriq, a Bluetooth/wireless smart speaker that is an alternative to the Amazon devices.  The speakers are customizable with different patterns on the outside that make them personable.  The bright colors and decorations are unique so no matter if your kid wants to spice up her college dorm room or you want a little color in your office, there is a Fabriq for everyone. 

You can connect 10 Chorus units throughout your home so you can create a whole-house music system.  Set up is easy as you simply connect the device to a WiFi network. 

The Chorus is priced at $99.99 and the smaller Riff is $49.99.  Each can be bought online at Amazon.com and Target.com. 

It’s a water bottle with a Bluetooth speaker! 

The 16oz double-walled stainless-steel bottle houses a modular 5-watt Bluetooth speaker that can either twist off or be used right on the bottle.  Aquio partnered with audio company iHome to create the unique product which will be on sale August 1.  The company claims it can keep hot liquids hot for up to 14 hours and cold beverages cold for up to 24 hours. 

The iP67 rated speaker (waterproof and sandproof) actually sounds quite good with a 360 degree throw.  It has digital echo cancellation for speakerphone use and provides audio caller ID.  Yes you can talk to your water bottle.  Battery life is up to 6 hours. 

Aquio is available in black, seafoam, blush and merlot and lists for $69.99, though the company is offering a 30% launch discount plus free shipping. 

Watch and take a LISTEN here:

VIDEO: Summer Tech/Travel Gadgets

Summer is halfway over but you may still be packing up to hit the road.  Here are some smart and sharp products to help you with packing, monitoring your home, sharing your memories, and helping you sleep in those noisy hotel rooms.  I will elaborate on these and more products, as usual, on my High-Tech Texan radio show (Saturdays 11a – 1p CT) on iHeartRadio around the world. 

Everyone is All In on AI at CES 2018

One of my post-CES rituals is whittling down all the products and services I saw to figure out who “won” the trade show.  I remember falling in love with thin HDTVs in the early 2000’s, fawning over Blu-Ray and HD-DVD players and yearning for every smartphone I saw on the convention center floor.  This year I was impressed with camera-filled refrigerators that can recommend recipes and TVs that can be rolled up as flat as yoga mats. 

But the darling of this year’s CES was not a gadget but the growing amount of artificial intelligence software helping these products run.  The proliferation of companies showing off their products was mind boggling.  Robots ran – and climbed stairs – amok, car simulators showed how they can be driven without a driver, even coffee makers that let you know when a fresh pot was ready.  Google and Amazon were everywhere.  Literally everywhere including hotel and tram signage along with booth workers wearing ubiquitous “Hey Google” outfits.  Almost every product seemingly sported the message that it could be controlled with some faction of AI. 

To make some sense of why 2018 may be the year that our voice and touch will be the key factors to hit the market, I spoke with Jeremie Capron, Managing Director of Research at ROBO Global.  His company created the first benchmark index to track the global robotics and automation market bringing solutions to investors. 

We know Cyber Monday is a made-for-the-internet event but it keeps me busy every year.  I spent most of the morning speaking with radio stations across the country as I gave listeners tips on what to watch out for and avoid.  The afternoon found me in a few TV stations showing up some neat gear that was either on sale or to give viewers interesting ideas on what to buy.  Here are some clips from my HOUSTON LIFE (NBC) appearance. 

Cyber Monday Tips

I have no clue if Cyber Monday is the biggest day for online shopping in the U.S. Some stat says it is while another disputes it.  It’s a made-up date anyway thanks to the National Retail Federation.  But it is my duty to write blogs like this and make media rounds each year to either hype up this “special” day or warn you about all those nasty, evil cyber criminals lurking to steal your credit card and personal information.  Since it is almost impossible to keep an updated list of every online store offering 50% off a kitchen blender or free shipping if you spend $100, I will go with the super hero angle of protecting the world from the bad guys.  But feel free to email me if you find a good deal on a pair of black, size 11 Chelsea boots. 

Yes this is the most wonderful time of the year but here are a few things to keep in mind before you click the BUY button:

Use a credit card vs. a debit card – Your debit card is linked to your bank account, thus exposing your available funds.  By using your credit card there is an added sense of security knowing that you are using borrowed money.  If you see or sense something odd with a recent purchase contact your credit card provider and they can dispute the charges. 

Don’t save your information – If you frequently shop on a specific website, you probably have an option to save your credit card information.  Definitely a convenient and time-saving trick but not the safest thing to do especially if you use a public computer or a device that others can access easily.  Suck it up and take the extra minute to enter your information each and every time. 

Use a secure connection – We love WiFi but try to avoid making purchases through a public wireless network.  It’s not that difficult for cyber criminals (Boo!  Hiss!)  to hack into that WiFi signal and access your details. 

Change your passwords frequently – Blah, blah.  How many times have you heard this?  JUST DO IT!  NOW!  Especially when doing frequent online purchases.  Changing your passwords often is important, but so is making sure you have strong passwords too.  Throw in some characters like $ or % or !. 

Update your antivirus – This should happen automatically but check your computer’s software regularly to keep it up-to-date.  Don’t forget there is also antivirus software for your mobile phones.  Download a copy from either Avast, Trend Micro, or Sophos.