Hasta La Gadget!

The ocean can sometimes awaken into a powerful, angry force that sends most people toward land.

Not surf photographer Doug Falter. He grabs his camera and dives into the water to photograph Mother Nature in all her fury and the surfers who dare to challenge her.

In just four years, surf photography has become Falter’s life. After quitting his job in Florida and selling most of his things, Falter, 29, moved to Oahu’s North Shore in 2011 with little experience in underwater photography and even less with the immense waves that the famed surf town was known for.

Falter said he almost failed high school gym because he wasn’t very good at swimming. But he dove right in once he settled in Hawaii, and learned quickly that staying calm in the water is essential.

“I’ve been held underwater [by a wave] for so long,” Falter told The Huffington Post. “In really crazy situations like that, I become as relaxed as I possibly can — almost like when an opossum passes out when it gets scared.”

Despite the dangerous conditions, Falter said he’d rather shoot photos from the surf than sit on shore.

In the water, “I feel like I’m actually part of the action,” he said. “Being out in the ocean is euphoric. In a split second, anything can go wrong. It’s comparable to hanging off a cliff on the side of a mountain.”

Since his move to Hawaii, Falter’s work has been featured in surf magazines across the country and was selected as part of National Geographic’s Daily Dozen round up.

Below, Mother Nature’s fury, as seen from the lens of a fearless surf photographer.

Want more? Keep up with Doug Falter’s underwater adventures here.

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It’s been a while since TomTom unveiled a new line of GO navigation devices, but now that they have, they’re pouring in a lot into it. The new generation of devices, which include the GO 510, GO 610, GO 5100, and GO 6100 not only come bearing touchscreens for easier and more direct interaction, they also come with a ton … Continue reading

TomTom hits back with their new action camera, the TomTom Bandit. Billed as the first-ever camera to come with a built-in media server (the camera works with a companion app, making it possible to create and share videos in a matter of minutes, simply by shaking a smartphone) this completely waterproof camera sports a 16MP CCD image sensor, a wide-angle lens, a powerful processor and a uniquely designed Batt-Stick which combines the long lasting battery, microSD card slot and SuperSpeed USB 3.0.

Furthermore, the camera is equipped with in-camera motion and GPS sensors, Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity. Finally, the TomTom Bandit can capture both HD, Full HD, 2.7K or 4K video and up to 16MP digital still images.

The TomTom Bandit is currently available for pre-order for 309.99 GBP (about $478). [Product Page]

“Are we all bigots?”

This is a question raised by actor Morgan Freeman in Wednesday night’s premiere episode on a new season of the Science Channel’s “Through the Wormhole With Morgan Freeman.”

Freeman, who serves as the host and executive producer of the show, takes on the role of race and presents scientific data to better understand how implicit bias affects the daily decisions we make.

“If you think you see everyone as equal, you’re kidding yourself. We all have biases, and no matter how open-minded we think we are, stereotypes color our judgment of others, and can lead us badly astray,” Freeman says in the opening sequence of the episode.

“When did hate become hard-wired into our brains? Are we all born to discriminate against our fellow humans?”

Freeman addresses these questions, and many others, by featuring the thoughts and opinions of scientists who are working to unlock those subconscious links within all of us that determine our decision-making processes. Scientific research — such as that conducted by the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity — may eventually help to better understand the role implicit bias plays in the judgements we form.

“If you ask that question — are we all bigots? — it’s amazing the number of answers you’ll get in the negative,” Freeman told The Huffington Post. “I would stand up and say very quickly, ‘I am not bigoted,’ but then you see the show and realize, ‘Wait a minute, yes I am.’

“We hope that will be one of the most provocative shows that we’ve done. I’m almost certain that it’s going to spark a dialogue.”

The unrest that has unfolded in Baltimore, Maryland over the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who was fatally injured after an arrest, has reignited concerns around policing and black lives. It has also fueled discussions on the role of race in the criminal justice system — however, Freeman and his team are digging deeper to expose the role of race in our own lives.

“We’re very sad about recent events that make this [show] so timely,” said Bernadette McDaid, vice president of production for Science Channel.

“What we’re hoping is that, by highlighting this inclination toward subconscious bias, from the topics very much being discussed in the public forum, it’ll draw attention to the fact that we are able to overcome that quick-fire bias, so there’s a very hopeful message in the show.”

This sixth season of “Through the Wormhole” also tackles subjects as diverse as:

Can Time Go Backwards?
Are We Here For A Reason?
Do We Live In The Matrix?
Are There Aliens Inside Us?
Why Do We Lie?

Watch this trailer for ‘Through the Wormhole With Morgan Freeman’

Science Channel’s “Through the Wormhole With Morgan Freeman” is produced by Revelations Entertainment and airs on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Check your local listings.

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Dear Blog Editor, Please Use Embedded Photo For Live Post & For Social Image…Also Mp3 Player Does Not Appear In Preview But Will Posted…Thanks! 🙂

This week I talked with entrepreneur Serafina Palandech, Co-Founder of Hip Chick Farms a California based LGBT owned organic, frozen poultry product company providing easy meal solutions for busy families. Hip Chick Farms was recently featured on the Food Network’s “Food Fortunes” where they joined food savvy entrepreneurs from across the nation to seek startup funding. The startup company was founded by Serafina Palandech and her wife Jennifer Johnson a former sous chef at Chez Panisse under Alice Waters who was credited with starting the global sustainable foods movement. For the last 14 years Jen has served as the Executive Chef for Ann and Gordon Getty in San Francisco. Hip Chick Farms makes healthy gourmet, artisan frozen products that provide time-crunched families delicious and easy food solutions. All of their products are made with whole natural foods and they never use any artificial ingredients in their products. At present they have four free-range chicken products including gluten-free chicken nuggets, chicken meatballs, gluten-free chicken wings and organic chicken fingers. They recently developed a partnership with Whole Foods and will be expanding their product line as well as increasing availability in other supermarket venues nationwide. We talked to Serafina about she would like to accomplish with Hip Chicks Farms and her spin on our LGBT issues.

LISTEN:

Now that marriage equality is in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court we asked what she would like to see happen for LGBT equality in the next few years. Palandech stated:

Jen and I spoke about this at length and we both share that marriage equality is incredibly important and that we’re happy to see it progressing the way that it is but we also believe that trans issues and equal equality for trans folk are incredibly important within the LGBTQ community. We need to shift our focus there and more of our energy to ensuring access to education, access to jobs, safety and equality under the law for trans people. Secondly, I would say that women’s equality within the LGBTQ movement sometimes does not get as promoted. So equality, equal pay for women is a very important issue to us as well.

Serafina Palandech graduated University of California, Santa Cruz with a BA in Women’s Studies and Art. She’s a veteran nonprofit executive, project manager, strategic planner and event organizer who before co-founding Hip Chick Farms spent more than fifteen years helping nonprofit organizations access private funding streams through event production and corporate/donor relationships. In her role as Event Director for MZA Events, Inc., she oversaw the planning and execution of AIDS Walk San Francisco, a 1.5 million dollar campaign that raised more than 3.7 million dollars per year with some 25,000 registrants and 400,000 individual donors. Just prior to launching Hip Chicks, Jen founded and ran Tugboat Events, a boutique event production company which produced charity events for organizations in the Bay Area.

Serafina, Jen and daughter Ruby Rose live on their farm the Ramblin’ Rose in Sebastopol, California. They believe in the value of family and together building a business that helps their local economy, farmers and suppliers.
For More Info: hipchickfarms.com

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