Category Archives: People

Sam Gold: Apple’s Archive Savior

Posted on September 5, 2017 | 4 comments

When Sam Gold was 13, his parents gave him a bar mitzvah choice: a party, or a trip.

He went to San Francisco. But he wasn’t interested in the Golden Gate Bridge, or curvy Lombard Street. He wanted to visit the headquarters of Apple and Google.

Sam is now a Staples High School sophomore. He hasn’t lost his fascination with some of the most innovative companies on the planet. If anything, he’s teaching them some lessons.

Sam Gold recently, at Google’s pop-up shop in SoHo.

Sam has already made a name for himself on YouTube. Posting as Sam Henri, he’s a content creator and social influencer. Sam’s 5,800 subscribers love his unique take on all things techs.

He’s high enough on the food chain that Google sent a web router, and Philips shipped WiFi-enabled light bulbs, for him to review. Check out his channel — he’s going places.

Sam is also a very talented graphic designer.

Sam Gold had fun editing this photo. Yes, that’s him on the wall.

But it’s as an Apple fan that he may be most impressive.

From age 3, when he got his first iPod Nano (from his Nana), he has loved all things Apple.

So last April — when the man running the biggest Apple archive on the internet suddenly terminated his channel — Sam took notice.

And instantly flew into action.

He’d already spent years using tools like the Wayback machine to archive over 800 Apple-related videos. They included ads, keynote speeches, even weird internal training tapes.

The earliest video was from 1979 — decades before Sam was born.

In 2001, Steve Jobs introduced the iPod. Sam Gold has that video — and many others.

Within 24 hours he’d uploaded them all to his own, new unofficial Apple archive YouTube channel.

As you’ve figured out by now, Sam knows his way around the internet. Before posting his 80 gigabytes of videos, he checked YouTube’s Terms of Service. He was sure his archives were legit.

But a week later YouTube flagged Sam, for violating their TOS. They called his Apple channel “spam” — although he was not charging anyone, or making any money off it.

Repeated requests for clarification from YouTube went unheeded.

So Sam turned to the tech-savvy Reddit community. Suggestions poured in.

His archives were not gone, of course. He kept them on a disk. That was perfect for one Reddit user, who had a petabyte worth of storage on his server. (A petabyte is a million gigabytes. Or, in layman’s terms, “a shitload.”)

He offered it to Sam. The teenager quickly transferred his archives from a disk to the server. That’s where — right here — they are now, available free to the world.

Apple’s amazing video archives — all in one place, courtesy of Sam Gold.

But that’s not the end of Sam’s story.

A reporter for Vice heard what happened, and contacted Sam. That led to a front-page story on Motherboard, Vice’s tech platform.

Which, in turn, led to the possibility of Sam freelancing for that well-read, edgy and influential site.

Which leads to this “06880” request.

Later this month, Apple makes a big announcement. They’re expected to announce the next generation iPhone.

Sam has tried to get on the press list. So far, he’s been unsuccessful.

So: If any “06880” reader has Apple connections, please help Sam travel (once again) to California.

It’s the least Apple can do for the kid who saved their entire video archives.

BONUS FUN FACT 1: In addition to Google and Philips, Apple sent Sam some products. Unfortunately, it’s not an iPhone or other device. The largest information technology company in the world gave him a hat, pen and water bottle.

BONUS FUN FACT 2: This summer, Sam decided to see how many certifications he could get online. He is now an official Universal Life minister, ordained to perform weddings, funerals and (I am not making this up) exorcisms. Sam declined to get certified as a lactation consultation, however. He saved that $35 fee — perhaps for his upcoming trip to California.

4 Comments

Posted in People, Staples HS, technology, Teenagers

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Party Harty Parties On

Posted on September 4, 2017 | 7 comments

In 1989, Sue Marshall opened a store across from what was then Grand Union.

For nearly 3 decades, Party Harty has been a hearty part of Westport’s business scene.

Marshall had spent 11 years in the fashion industry. But with 2 young daughters — ages 4 and 2 — she wanted to work closer to home.

Owning a retail store is hardly a party. But Marshall attracted loyal customers with a great mix of balloons, decorations, paper goods, candy, candles, pinatas, face make-up, wigs, custom party favors and invitations.

Before Halloween last year, a Party Harty customer posed with the Haunted Tree Man.

A key to success was customized service. You may not have known what you needed to make your graduation/anniversary/birthday/Halloween/bar mitzvah/prom-posal etc. celebration a success. Thankfully, Marshall and her hardly party-pooping staff did.

Jackie Marshall began working for her mom while still in college. She fell in love with the business. She’s still there.

But starting tomorrow (Tuesday, September 5), the Marshalls and their crack staff will be working a few doors down. Party Harty found a great location a few doors down. The new address is 578 Post Road East — next to BodyQuest, across from Terrain.

The Marshalls are placing a new emphasis on gift buying. There are Westport-themed items, and presents for every occasion.

Some of Party Harty’s Westport-themed gifts.

Party Harty invites everyone to celebrate their new home on Tuesday. They’re serving snacks, and offering tours of their new home.

In other words: It’s a party!

Jackie and Sue Marshall, in front of Party Harty’s new location.

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Posted in Local business, People

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GoKid! Get This Carpool App!

Posted on September 4, 2017 | 7 comments

Like many New Yorkers, Stefanie Lemcke started looking outside the city for schools for her children.

She and her husband took day trips here. When they realized “wow, people actually live in Westport!” they made the move.

Like many new arrivals, she loved the town. And — like many — she had to adapt to becoming a chauffeur. “No one told me I’d do so much driving!” she says.

Like no one else, however, she turned that mind-numbing chore into a flourishing business.

Stefanie Lemcke

On the Upper West Side, Lemcke walked her kids to school. Here, she had to learn to navigate carpools. Emails, Excel spreadsheets, texts — there had to be a better way.

Having worked for years with companies like Uber and Lyft, she thought instinctively of an online platform. She had not been involved on the tech side, but she became “obsessed” — her word — with her idea.

Her solution: a secure website that allows families to connect easily with others in their school, and identify carpool opportunities. She called it GoKid.

Lemcke hired 2 freelancers in California to write the initial code.

Techstars — a Detroit-based startup accelerator — accepted GoKid. That helped her raise over $1 million in funding.

She hired the best people she could find — wherever she found them. Lemcke’s team includes 3 developers in New York; 3 Argentines; a London COO, and one guy who travels in a truck.

Despite very little marketing, growth as been explosive. Over 50,000 carpools have been organized, in more than 25 countries.

But GoKid — which works on a desktop, smartphone and other devices — is very much a Westport company. Its official address is here, and visitors to the site see photos taken all around town.

Many of GoKid’s promotional photos were shot in Westport. This scene is at Staples High School.

GoKid fills a clear need. For budget and other reasons — one bus route averages $37,000 a year — over 50% of all school districts no longer use buses, Lemcke says. In California, just 17% do.

Of course, Lemcke notes, “Kids still have to get to school” — and their many other activities. GoKid allows users to organize carpools by neighborhood, grade, even kids’ interests. It’s a way to find trusted drivers beyond a small group of friends.

Last week, GoKid rolled out advanced features, like “recent participant” and “recent location”; the ability to set up return carpools with different participants, and customized alerts and notifications. It’s now available on Android devices. And it’s making its first marketing push.

The screenshot on the left shows text messages regardiing a carpool event. The one on the right shows a carpool map.

Lemcke knows the carpooling problem first hand. She lives on North Avenue — a few feet from Staples High and Bedford Middle schools. “Everyone drives their kids, even though we have buses,” she notes.

But the founder of an app that makes carpooling easier is not convinced that’s the only solution in her home town.

“It would be nice to create an initiative here around walking and biking,” she says.

“This is a progressive community, with great schools. But we’re backward when it comes to transportation.”

Of course, parents will continue to drive their children. That’s a fact of Westport life.

“Given the traffic and congestion, we welcome the opportunity to work with  Westport schools to help parents save time and reduce traffic,” Lemcke notes.

(For more information about GoKid, click here.)

 

7 Comments

Posted in Children, Education, Local business, People, Staples HS, technology, Transportation

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Fill A Truck For Harvey

Posted on September 3, 2017 | 15 comments

Adam Goldberg is a longtime Westporter. His company, Aquafence, provides state of-the-art removable flood barriers that work great in emergencies, but are kept out of sight the rest of the time.

His product was not available in Texas when Hurricane Harvey roared through. But that doesn’t mean he can’t help.

Goldberg is sending a 30-foot truck to Houston. He hopes it will be filled to the brim with supplies — donated by area residents.

He’s looking for:

  • Non-perishable food items
  • Snack bars, granola and fruit bars
  • Cleaning materials and detergents
  • Diapers and formula
  • Clean blankets and pillows
  • Soap, shampoo, deodorant and bug spray
  • School supplies
  • Toys
  • Pet food
  • Clean, sorted and folded clothes
  • Paper products.

Donations should be brought in boxes and bags, labeled with what’s inside. They can be brought to the Imperial Avenue parking lot this Saturday (September 9, 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.).

Please email Goldberg (adam.goldberg@aquafence.com) beforehand, with a list of goods being donated or any questions.

PS: Goldberg’s generosity extends far beyond collecting and delivering much-needed goods. After driving the truck to Houston, he’ll donate it to a relief organization there — for keeps.

He’ll fly home. And no doubt start organizing his next project.

Westporters are doing what they can to help Hurricane Harvey victims. Yesterday, Sammi and Spencer Henske went shopping for supplies.

15 Comments

Posted in People, Weather

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For Wyatt Davis, State Budget Cuts Literally Hit Home

Posted on September 2, 2017 | 4 comments

Wyatt Davis got the most out of Staples High School.

He hosted a weekly radio show on WWPT-FM. He was an avid member of Best Buddies and the Photography Club, and the football team’s most ardent fan. Nearly every staff member and student knew him — and all loved him.

Not bad for a young man who — because of cerebral palsy — cannot speak, or use his extremities.

Wyatt Davis in 2011, at the WWPT-FM controls.

Wyatt is 21 years old. That’s the age limit for high school special education services. He graduated last June (while also attending community college).

In normal times, he’d move to a program like STAR. Like similar organizations around the state serving those with intellectual/developmental disabilities, its services would help Wyatt transition to the “real world.”

But these are not normal times.

In the absence of a state budget, Wyatt — and over 200 recent high school graduates like him — have been stranded in a hellish limbo.

“Wyatt uses a wheelchair for mobility, and needs 24/7 assistance to meet his basic health care needs,” says STAR executive director Katie Banzhaf.

But, she adds, “I don’t think of Wyatt that way. To me and all of us who know him, we see an amazing young man who loves photography (he takes great photos with adaptive devices), loves his iPad, has a great sense of humor, and will absolutely charm his way into your heart.”

Wyatt Davis and his friend Taylor Harrington, watching a Staples baseball game.

Through STAR — which he became involved with last year — he has attended photography and music classes, and engaged in many activities.

But state legislators have not yet passed a budget for the fiscal year that began July 1. Governor Malloy’s interim budget cut funding for places like STAR by up to 18%.

Now Wyatt mostly stays home.

His parents have paid privately for STAR services, 3 days a week. They have other pressing needs — including Wyatt’s other health expenses, and a daughter in law school — and cannot afford that for much longer.

A little snow doesn’t stop Wyatt Davis from enjoying the slopes.

The other option is for his father or mother to quit their job, to stay home with Wyatt. But that won’t help him grow, develop and make friends.

“We’re trying to raise awareness and funds from the community so Wyatt can return to STAR for at least 1 to 2 months,” Banzhaf says. “That will give us time to find additional resources, so he can stay as long as he needs us.”

United  Way of Coastal Fairfield County — and an anonymous donor’s contribution of $1,000 — have ensured that after major hip surgery last month, Wyatt can join STAR again next next week.

The organization hopes other neighbors and friends will help too. To donate — or for more information — call Peter Saverine, STAR director of philanthropy, at 203-846-9581, ext. 302, or email psaverine@starct.org.

 

4 Comments

Posted in Economy, Organizations, People, Staples HS

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Avi Kaner Does Bloomberg

Posted on September 1, 2017 | 1 comment

Westport knows Avi Kaner as our 2nd selectman.

Yesterday, the rest of America knew him as a grocery store expert.

Kaner was interviewed by Bloomberg TV. The subject was Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods, and how rival businesses can compete on price.

The owner of Morton Williams — a 15-store New York supermarket chain — could not see the graphics being shown. If he’d been able to, Kaner says, he would have responded specifically to them.

Avi Kaner on TV.

Nonetheless, he did a great job answering questions like how responsive suppliers will be to Kaner compared to Jeff Bezos, and how to avoid a price war when Amazon/Whole Foods doesn’t mind one.

For Kaner’s deep dive into all things avocado, guacamole and banana, click here.

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Posted in Local politics, Media, People

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Mary Lou Cookman Schmerker Is Safe: Report From Houston

Posted on September 1, 2017 | 8 comments

Mary Lou Cookman Schmerker is an alert and avid “06880” reader. Her insights in the “Comments” section are always positive, reflective and on target.

Mary Lou is also a Houston resident. Fellow “06880” reader John Suggs contacted her during Hurricane Harvey — on behalf of our entire online community — to make sure she was safe.

She was. And — despite all that’s going on during this cataclysmic event — she found time to send this report:

Since 06880 is “Where Westport Meets the World,” it was suggested that as a Westport native who was transplanted years ago to Houston it might be interesting to provide a first-person account of the storm.

If I were to post pictures of my surroundings right now, everyone would ask, “What’s the big deal?”

A stroke of pure luck puts us in an area 79 feet above sea level. A little more than a quarter of a football field saved us from devastating floodwaters.

Friday night Hurricane Harvey came ashore in Rockport, and devastated that area with Category 4 winds, tidal surge and massive rainfall. The counter- clockwise winds placed the Houston area on the “dirty side” of the storm. Even Friday night, areas of Houston began to experience flooding.

Rescue boats fill a flooded street. (Photo/David J. Phillip)

The major danger Friday night came from numerous tornado warnings. We did not sleep much, but we were secure in our own beds.

All day Saturday the storm crawled at 1 mile an hour across the region. It dumped massive amounts of rain, but thankfully winds were not severe.

Saturday night we turned the phones off and slept as best we could.

Sunday the rain continued with small breaks.

Monday the rain continued with some breaks. Finally on Tuesday the storm moved back out to the Gulf of Mexico a little bit. We began to experience longer dry periods.

On Wednesday we woke up to sunshine. Because of our 79 feet, all we have to remind us right here are wind gusts.

But that is not the story. We are somewhat isolated here because of the possibility of flooding from the Brazos River. It is not expected to crest until Saturday. (By the time this is posted, that may be revised downward.)

The Gulf coast of Texas is flat. All water from streams, rivers, ponds, bayous, gullies, retention ponds,  sloughs, street drains and reservoir overflows eventually make its way to the Gulf (in our area Galveston Bay).

Houston is the country’s 4th largest city. With the surrounding metropolitan area 7 million plus people are impacted by this storm, which is now on the march east and north to impact more area and people. The actual number will be staggering.

The suffering from Hurricane Harvey is heart-wrenching.

Along with the tragic stories and situations there are heartwarming stories of people helping people. The New York Times has covered, with a video , the generosity of Jim McIngvale. “Mattress Mack” started out selling mattresses from a small facility, and now owns 2 large upscale furniture stores. He has opened those both as Red Cross shelters, and is not concerned about the loss of business.

Buc-ee’s, a gas station and convenience store chain, told a convoy of National Guardsmen that they could have anything in the store free of charge. Along with snacks and soda Buc-ee’s carries high-end food, nice casual clothes and gift items. Anything the men and women in uniform wanted they could have, free of charge.

At first there were so many volunteers they dubbed them “second responders.” Now they are called the Concerned Citizen Corps.

Convoys of trucks pulling boats of all descriptions have come from Louisiana. They are being referred to as the Cajun Navy.

A rancher drove in pulling a tanker with 800 gallons of gas that he donated, so boats with outboard motors could refuel free of charge.

The stories of individual heroics are uplifting — and countless.

Before I share my favorite story, I want to say that what is happening here in Texas is restoring my faith in the caring capacity of our fellow men and women. So far I haven’t heard any political accusations or racial slurs. People reach out and help regardless of race, creed, nationality or political persuasion.

There are thousands upon thousands in shelters, sleeping and eating in close quarters. Men, women and children of all ages are represented. We have a very large, diverse population in this area, and pictures show that diversity. We see women with Muslim head coverings next to women in African dress next to those from India in saris.

My favorite story so far is of a group of Hispanic men. They arrived Monday night in yellow trucks so large that people needed extension ladders to climb out. They made trip after trip picking up people long after dark, bringing them to a gas station.

The men looked for cell phone lights to show them where people were, and listened for cries of help. In and out they went for hours, not caring that they were exhausted and soaking wet themselves. They just kept on their mission.

From dry ground, people were loaded into panel trucks and taken first to a Walmart, then finally into buses to a shelter. These men were tireless in their desire to help any and every one.

This has gotten quite long. I’ll send another report about why we have so much flooding here. I think there is an important correlation to make for Westport.

With gratitude for all the help being sent to this area, and the examples of neighbor helping neighbor across all lines,

Mary Lou Cookman Schmerker
Staples High School Class of 1958

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Posted in People, Staples HS, Weather

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Suited’s Sale Helps Houston

Posted on August 31, 2017 | 2 comments

For 3 years, Ryan Meserole’s Suited.co custom shop across from the train station has dressed men well — and given back to Fairfield County.

Now it’s time to help Texas.

In 2012 Ryan’s aunt Rosemary Duffy lost her Brooklyn home — and everything else — Hurricane Sandy.

She moved to Houston. Now she’s going through it all again.

The timing could not be worse. Less than a month ago, Rosemary lost her brother-in-law — firefighter Michael Duffy — to cancer linked to 9/11.

Despite it all, she was most concerned for others, Ryan reports.

“I’m still a Brooklyn boy at heart,” he says. “I was fortunate to move here later in life. Despite what people say about New Yorkers, we love to help.”

So here’s his offer: Anyone who donates $100 or more to Red Cross Harvey relief will receive a 50% discount at Suited. It’s good for any fabric and shirt.

In other words: You can snag a custom suit for as little as $650 this weekend.

Ryan will even set up a laptop in his store, for easy access to the Red Cross website.

If you’ve already donated to the Red Cross for Hurricane Harvey, just bring in your confirmation. You’ll still get his discount.

Suited.co is at 44 Railroad Place. For more information, click here.

 

2 Comments

Posted in Local business, People, Saugatuck, Weather

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Like A Good Neighbor, Westport Wash & Wax Is There

Posted on August 31, 2017 | 3 comments

It’s a Westport tradition: getting your car clean at Westport Wash & Wax.

Everyone does it. And while they wait, everyone reads the many notes of thanks tacked to the bulletin board. Every organization in town, it seems, benefits from owner Scott and Laila Tiefenthaler’s generosity.

One of the most grateful recipients is Homes With Hope. Over the past 16 years, the local housing service has received more than $80,000 from the car wash.

Tomorrow (Friday, September 1), Westport Wash & Wax holds its 17th annual Good Neighbor Day. Once again, 100% of the proceeds — all day — go to Homes With Hope.

“For nothing more than the cost of a car wash, you can help end homelessness,” says CEO Jeff Wieser.

Thanks, Westport Wash & Wax, for your continued generosity, and commitment to our town!

Westport Wash & Wax is very generous — and very, very good!

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Posted in Local business, Organizations, People

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Lisa Fielding’s Secret Table

Posted on August 31, 2017 | 2 comments

Lisa Fielding can often be found doing one of 3 things:

Writing. Cooking. Or writing about cooking.

The woman who grew up everywhere — her family bounced from San Francisco to Europe to the Middle East to New York to Chicago for her father’s international banking career — finally landed in Hollywood.

Fielding became a film executive, working with big-name producers. But she eventually grew tired of developing projects for “lazy writers who got all the credit” — and began writing herself.

She’s not the type to sit at a desk all day, though. Besides, every fledgling writer needs a “real” way to put food on the table.

A friend suggested she do it literally — by cooking.

Lisa Fielding

Fielding was already known as a fabulous entertainer. All those youthful moves had given her an international repertoire.

She launched her business in 2009. A story in a local paper provided the push she needed.

Her first gig was scary — “like being on stage,” she recalls.

But Fielding had hosted parties since she could remember. Overseeing the details of a sit-down dinner for 12, or a birthday celebration for 50, was second nature.

In the film business she’d traveled often to New York. As her personal chef career boomed, she realized she wanted to claim the East Coast as home.

Now that’s entertaining!

When she discovered Litchfield County, Fielding says, “I decided to become a Yankee.” She loved it. The commute to New York was a bit much, though.

She found Westport: a perfect match.

“It’s like Litchfield — but it’s not,” Fielding says.

“It’s bucolic, green, verdant. You don’t have 8 acres, but you do have a proper place, with things to do. It’s enchanting.”

She moved here August 1. She’s already moved her company — Secret Ingredients — to town

It’s more than just private cooking. After attending the Hidden Kitchen in Paris — multi-course tasting dinners, served at a communal table in a private apartment, with guests who don’t know one another but bond over delicious food and great drinks — Fielding decided to bring the concept to “car-centric L.A.”

She launched in 2010, with a 9-course sit-down dinner for 24 in a beautiful Hancock Park villa.

Fielding followed that with a Malibu beach party; a feast for 150, served at one long table in a Napa winery, and more.

She named it The Secret Table — “where intrepid foodies come to meet and eat.” She took it Litchfield and New York.

Now, Fielding plans to start her “secret” events here too.

“Westport has a collective love of the aesthetic. It’s everywhere I go, ” she notes. “I look forward to tapping into it.”

The Secret Table is a great way to make new friends.

Lisa Fielding has been in town for just a month.

Her many new friends are already old — and well-fed —  pals.

(For more information, email lisa@secrettable.net)

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Posted in People, Restaurants

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