Hasta La Gadget!

There are some cars which comes with a system that allows the driver to contact emergency personnel, or a division within the car maker that tends to such emergencies such as car breakdowns and whatnot. However this is a feature that is typically found on higher-end vehicles which not everyone can afford.

The good news is that it looks like Europe wants to make this feature a standard across all cars by 2018. This is partly due to the fact that over 25,700 people died driving on European highways last year and in a bid to help reduce those numbers, the European Parliament believes that by outfitting cars with emergency call systems, it would allow them to reach out to emergency services faster, which ultimately could lead to more lives being saved.

According to MEP Olga Sehnalova, this is a feature that will be a public service and will be free of charge to all drivers regardless of their type of vehicle and how much it was bought for. THe program was originally proposed back in 2012 but it took a while as regulators worked out a system that would balance utility and privacy.

As it stands what has been proposed is that the tracking of the vehicle is disabled and will only be enabled when the car crashes. From there information such as vehicle type, location, and number of passengers will be sent to rescue services.

Europe To Make In-Car Emergency Calling Standard By 2018 , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

iOS 8’s adoption right out of the door has been a bit slow. However it seems that as more users start to resign themselves to the fact that they’ll have to upgrade to get all the latest features, plus with more users getting the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, it was only natural for iOS 8’s adoption rate to climb.

Well for those who are wondering how iOS 8 is doing at the moment, they will be pleased to learn that it has finally crossed that 80% mark. To be more specific, iOS 8 is sitting at an adoption rate of 81% which is a pretty decent jump from last month where it was sitting at 75%. Based on the rate iOS 8 is being adopted by users, we wouldn’t be surprised if it manages to hit the 90% mark or beyond ahead of iOS 9’s release which should be in the later part of the year.

Like we said before iOS 8 was a bit slow to be adopted out of the door compared to iOS 7. This is because the changes made in iOS 8 weren’t as drastic compared to that of iOS 7. Not to mention many users of older iOS devices found that upgrading to iOS 8 slowed their devices down significantly.

There was also the issue of jailbreaking as at that time, a jailbreak for iOS 8 was not available yet, which is why many jailbreak users were holding off on it. That being said we have to wonder what iOS 9’s adoption will be like, and more importantly what will it bring to the table?

iOS 8 Adoption Crosses the 80% Mark , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

If you have an iPhone or an Android, chances are that every single move you make is being tracked, location by location, including the exact times you were there. And if it’s an Android, all that tracking data is being sent straight to Google.

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Dr. Rebecca Cipriano is a well-respected medical doctor, board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology. She has been in private practice for more than 15 years.

After years of caring for women of all ages and walks of life, she recognized the rapidly emerging need for nutrition counseling as a means of prevention as well as panacea for what ails them.

Governed by the breadth of knowledge she obtained via her master’s degree in clinical nutrition and guided by her passion to help patients live a healthy life on all levels, she founded Pop Weight Loss Centers in 2008. More than a typical weight loss program, Pop Weight Loss offers medically supervised, one-on-one nutrition counseling with a goal of teaching people how to lose weight and keep it off.

Dr. Rebecca is a pioneer in the field of personalized weight loss and advocates for health and fitness as a non-negotiable lifestyle change, rather than a trend or quick fix.

Ever fueled by her desire to educate and empower men, women and children on the real way to lose weight and feel better, Dr. Rebecca began putting pen to paper in 2011 to write Pop: Burst the Diet Bubble and Finally Lose Weight.

Dr. Rebecca believes that proper nutrition, as supported by regular exercise and a handful of other healthy habits, is catalyst for all positive change in your life.

How has your life experience made you the leader you are today?
A lot of my leadership beliefs can be traced back to my pregnancy. Because I gained too much weight I developed diabetes and hypertension, two conditions I did not have prior to pregnancy. After I gave birth, I struggled to get that baby weight off and regain control of my health. It was at that moment I realized I had more knowledge of nutrition than most doctors. In addition to my MD I also completed a Masters In Clinical Nutrition. Even thought I knew what I was supposed to be eating during and after my pregnancy, I wasn’t doing it. This was the moment my weight loss plan was born. I developed truly healthy protocols to regain control of my eating habits. My program needed to be one that fits into heal busy lifestyle without weighing and measuring food, or counting calories.

I grew more and more fascinated with nutrition and diets programs available, and learned that at any point, up to 77 percent of the American population is on a diet. The idea of constantly being on and off a diet is an unhealthy concept that does not work. I then explored the programs and prepackaged meals that a lot of people try to lose weight, and knew most of them were far from healthy.

Here I began to transform the weight loss program I developed for myself into a consumer facing protocol, based on education. Along the way, it became clear to me that my best nutritional and dietary habits were based on my education, so I designed a consumer-facing weight loss program that puts education first and makes our clients leaders of their own health. Misinformation about what is truly healthy is something my team at Pop Weight Loss deals with on a daily basis.

How has your previous employment experience aided your position at Pop Weight Loss?
Even before launching Pop Weight Loss, my husband and I were operating our own medical practice, Healthy Woman ObGyn LLC, one of the largest practices in NJ, where our success has been closely tied to the quality of our care and compassion. I see the entire franchising model resting on the same principles. If the franchisor’s business plan and structure doesn’t support all the people involved, the franchise won’t succeed either.

What have the highlights and challenges been during your tenure at Pop Weight Loss?
As the brand has grown and entered new markets across the country, we’ve found that different regions have have different approaches and attitudes toward fitness and nutrition. As a result, some of our protocols work better in certain areas than in others. For instance, we tend to face more challenges in communities that have different approaches and attitudes towards fast food restaurants.

On the other hand, we’re excited by how much attention Pop Weight Loss has received from the medical community. For instance, our team in Connecticut is based in a less populated region, but the area’s large medical community has been reaching out to work with our staff, since nearby doctors are realizing their hospitals and practices don’t have adequate nutritional programs in place. Targeting this type of void in the healthcare sector will be key to our brand’s success. Doctors really are fragmented about where they send patients for weight loss, and often just say “lose weight” but give no advice about how.

Why did you want to start your own weight loss and wellness center?
I felt strongly that there weren’t enough nutrition and weight loss programs that were effective. So many of our patients have said that before joining Pop, it seemed there was nowhere to turn for healthy weight loss help that was sustainable. I felt the same way after my pregnancy. I wanted to show people that they could be successful, with patience, support and proper guidance.

What advice can you offer women seeking a career in weight loss, fitness and the wellness industry?
I would advise other women to take the lead, if they are living a healthy lifestyle and feel passionate about wellness. Don’t give up — when you love what you do, it comes through, and you will feel inspired to keep innovating and adapting. If you know your work is important keep going. Pop has been a rewarding experience, both personally and professionally. I have had an opportunity to share what I know with people and really make an impact on their lives.

How do you maintain a work/life balance?
I have really good people that work with me and a supportive family. You have to prioritize everything, and I’m lucky enough to do the things I enjoy doing. When you work with people who have the same vision, you can get your life balanced.

What do you think is the biggest issue for women in the workplace?
I’ve seen a lot of female professionals struggle to manage their personal and professional lives. I think it’s important for people to find ways to separate the two. You have to have a point in your day when you stop with work and electronics and focus on your family, friends and yourself. Exercise helps me so much to clear my mind – I do something in the exercise realm every morning. Sometimes I run out side, sometimes I take a yoga class in my home (I love You Tube exercise classes). Taking time away from work will actually help people to enjoy their work life and home life more.

How has mentorship made a difference in your professional and personal life?
I try to be a mentor at my OBGYN practice and at Pop Weight Loss. I try to help the people I work with to have confidence to trust themselves, and trust the people they work with, and try to weed out what is really important in life.

Throughout my life, I have had people that I look up to also. At the time, when I was younger, I didn’t understand why my mentors did the things the way they did, but now I have a different perspective.

When you’re a role model, in terms of being healthy and exercising, being compassionate with people around you will inspire those people to model themselves after you.

Which other female leaders do you admire, and why?
I admire women like Marissa Mayer, the CEO of Yahoo, who is influential in the business world and has a family life. I admire all woman who do not give up on their dreams.

What do you want Pop to accomplish in the next year?
I want Pop Weight Loss to be the modern fixture of health and wellness, where we see one on every corner. A brand where losing weight and staying healthy is a positive, ongoing experience, and not something that you turn on and off.

I am committed to providing nutritional education to the country in an organized fashion, and hopefully make the world healthier in the process.

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Lisa Lorino is the founder of LJLdesigns, a San Francisco-based interior design firm. She began her career at the famed Rockwell Group in New York City where, in her words, she was first exposed to the “crème de le crème of interior design.” In 2000, Lisa moved to San Francisco to work for BraytonHughes. While there, Lisa rapidly rose up in the ranks to become the youngest Vice President at the firm.

In 2004, Lisa founded her own firm, LJLdesign, based on numerous client requests for her to do their personal homes. Lisa’s outgoing personality, passion for design, and incredible work ethic resulted in many new clients for LJLdesigns while maintaining her role as a leader of design at BraytonHughes.

In 2010, Lisa collaborated with Discovery Home on a 13,000 sq. ft. residential renovation in Beverly Hills for Alex Von Furstenberg and segued her business to residential design full time. She has spent the last five years creating stunning designs in some of the most exclusive communities in the world with a clientele that includes prominent developers, entrepreneurs, and Hollywood celebrities.

How has your life experience made you the leader you are today?
I am the only daughter of Italian immigrants and grew up in New Jersey. Through my upbringing, I was fortunate to have a lot of varying life experiences that has made me the designer and business person that I am today. My parents worked hard for everything and instilled their work ethic and dreams in me from a young age. Tradition was important to my family and we often went back to South Italy, where my father was from. When I was twelve we went to Rome. I fell in love with the architecture. After this trip, my parents gave me the blueprints to the house that they built together and I became obsessed with laying out spaces. My mother is from an artistic Southern family and grew up on a farm in Tennessee. When I would go to visit that side of the family, my Aunt, who was a notable artist, taught me how to paint and watercolor. All of these experiences kept me very grounded and gave me an appreciation for the simpler things in life.

How has your previous employment experience aided your position at LJLdesigns?
Fresh out of college, I started my career at The Rockwell Group. I was fortunate to work with some of the most creative people in the industry. Every day I was in awe of my surroundings and made sure to absorb every moment. Looking back, I was a living sponge. I learned that anything can be designed and someone can always build it. I believe that the foundation of my design creativity started at the Rockwell Group. My experience at this firm opened many doors for my career.

After leaving the Rockwell Group, I then moved to California in 2000. It was the height of the dot.com boom and technology was just starting to be integrated into design. I started working at EDG and was able to work with Eric Engstrom before his passing. (He was truly eccentric and I have many fond memories of working with him.) Working for a boutique firm was a wonderful experience, it felt like a family. Everyone knew one another and there did not seem to be a separation between the principles and designers.

Finally, I spent the next ten years at BraytonHughes Design Studio. I honed my design skills and learned about how the industry works. BraytonHughes is very organized and pays the utmost attention to each detail. Their work is timeless and classic, something I continue to strive to accomplish in all my work.

What have the highlights and challenges been during your tenure at LJLdesigns?
Some of the highlights as a designer have a lot to do with the design journey. Every time I start a project, I get butterflies in my stomach – it’s like following in love. Sitting down with the architect and homeowner in the beginning stages, where anything is possible, and everyone is excited. It is such an incredible feeling. Seeing a project come to fruition and being able to walk through something that once was an idea and a drawing is breath-taking. I feel blessed to get to experience that over and over again. Additionally, there are some highlights that not all designers are able to experience but I have been blessed with; meeting exceptional business leaders, working with some great celebrities, being able to fly in private jets, meeting some great new friends and seeing a lot of the country & world while traveling with clients.

Being a small firm, I work with many young design professionals. Many of whom are gaining experience and desire to grow their portfolios with both large and small firms. Working with them, watching them grow into more skilled designers, and then supporting them as they move on – it can be difficult. It is bitter sweet to see them come into their own and move onto their next journey. Another challenge that I come across, is finding the time, or making the time for business development. It is always something that I think about. So far word-of-mouth has worked well for me, but there have been moments where I was not sure where my next project was going to come from. That can be scary.

What advice can you offer women who want to follow a similar career path?
Stay current. This does NOT mean be trendy, if you are, you won’t last. Timeless will always win over trendy. Read every magazine, design blog, beautiful coffee table book you can get your hands on – and travel! Share all your resources with other designers and don’t be afraid to ask other designers their opinion or creative criticism. One of my biggest pet peeves is when designers aren’t collaborative or play the blame game. Lastly – don’t give up, dream big and be emotional. I don’t remember where I read this quote; it has always stuck with me and I believe that they are wise words. – “Great design should move you and surprise you. You should feel it and have an immediate attraction.” –

How do you maintain a work/life balance?
Early in my career and before working at BraytonHughes Design Studios, work life balance seemed like a myth, like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. As I grew confident about my designs and under the direction of great mentors at BraytonHughes Design, I learned how to maintain a good balance. Initially, when I started my own firm, I lost my balance by becoming overzealous but regained it once learning the appropriate workload that my firm can handle while observing my core value of being hands on with all of our clients. Today, I focus on having fewer projects so that I can be hands on and put out quality design.

What do you think is the biggest issue for women in the workplace?
Speaking only from my experience, my biggest issue in the workplace has been having children. The design industry is very deadline oriented. This, in turn, motivated me to move from working for a firm to starting my own business. In my situation, my partner and I both worked in high stress, deadline orientated industries which forced us to rely on a nanny during the work day. While I felt rewarded at work, I also felt devastated coming home to see my daughter grow up without me. The choice for me became clear – start a practice of my own. In doing so, I was able to create a lifestyle where I was in control of my schedule and have since only taken on projects that work for me and my growing family. Family, friends and health are incredibly important to me. Maintaining a work/life balance is hard and I am still learning.

How has mentorship made a difference in your professional and personal life?
Mentoring has made a significant positive impact on my life, both professionally and personally. I have been blessed to have many professionals mentor me in my career so far. While both David Rockwell and Eric Engstrom deserve mention for all of the support and mentoring that they gave me over the years, I feel as though Joel Villalon, from BraytonHughes Design really took mentoring me to the next step. Joel was the first lead architect that I worked with at BraytonHughes Design. He really took me under his wing and deepened my understanding of the design process. I believe that by him doing this, we sharpened each other’s skills. Joel also taught me a lot about work life balance. One of the things that he really emphasized was applying the same dedication and discipline to your family and personal life as you do your work. This lesson really stuck with me and for that I and my family are grateful.

Which other female leaders do you admire and why?
When it comes to female leaders, I am fortunate that from a young age I didn’t have to look far. While I am familiar with and have worked for many female business leaders, actresses, and thought leaders, without thinking twice – my mother is the person that I most admire. I understand that it might seem cliche because all girls look up to their mother but, my mother has an inspiring and unique story. In the terms of world leaders or being famous, she wasn’t. She was a leader by her example, work ethic and heart.

My mother came from meager and humble beginnings, but that never got in the way or let it limit her potential. She graduated at the top of her high school class then moved to DC and worked at the white house. After that she went on to model in New York and eventually met and married my father. Currently, she still works at a law firm in New Jersey. When she is not at work, her list of things to do seem to never end. She is always in her garden, re-decorating the home, tackling things in the office and always cooking for her family and friends.

My mother was ever encouraging. From a young age, she always impressed on me that I can do anything that I put my head and heart into. The world was my oyster. Watching her success showed me that anything is possible. She is smart, resourceful, compassionate, and the most loving person I know. She inspires me; my work ethic comes from her.

What are your hopes for the future of LJLdesigns?
My hopes for the future of LJLdesigns are simple – to continue to grow, design, and create. Additionally, it is important that I have a personal relationship with each and every client – that is what sets LJLdesigns apart.

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