Techstination

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.   The code name is Project Purple.  It is a roller coaster that will be unlike any other we are told.  And as you can imagine…there’s lots of innovation here.    It is under construction at Six Flags Great Adventure where Stephen Kolczynski is the construction manager..

“Next up to go, all we have left essentially is the tower structure at the far end of the ride.  Near 400 feet tall in height.     We’re getting ready to start some of our building foundation, some of our underground utility work.”

With miles and miles of wiring.   Stephen by the way has risen through the ranks at the park….even working as a ride operator for the legendary Kingda Ka coaster.   But there is some irony..

“Were you a coaster guy…a coaster kid?” “ No, I’ve never been.  I’m still not a huge coaster guy myself.”

But millions are.  And they’ll be lining up for what for now is called Project Purple in 2027.

You can find us at Techstination.com.   I’m Fred Fishkin.

How to prevent those awkward knocks on the bathroom door? Kwikset is out with the Halifax Occupancy Indicator Lever. How does it work? Product Manager Andrew Lindley chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.   I’m Fred Fishkin.        A new era in roller coasters is rising…using some of the latest technology to design and build what is being called Project Purple at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey.    While many details about the coaster, due to open in 2027, are being kept under wraps still, regional public relations manager Ryan Eldredge tells us..

“We will break multiple world records.   Don’t want to go into full detail, but as you can see there is an inverted launch above you.  So that’s certainly something special.  I think it’s going to be a ride unlike any other.  Certainly as we break some records, we’re going to look to go significantly vertical here in the coming weeks.”

As for coaster enthusiasts..they can’t wait.

“My first big one was Nitro when I was maybe ten years old.” “They’re really fun to ride and really like El Toro, it’s probably my favorite roller coaster here.”

More with the Project Purple construction manager in my next report.

You can find us at Techstination.com.   I’m Fred Fishkin.

With new AI tools and generation of family history stories, #Ancestry.com is using innovation to open more windows into the past. Ancestry's Crista Cowan chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.   I’m Fred Fishkin.        It wasn’t just during Covid.   The trend to build start ups away from Silicon Valley or other major locations along either coast is continuing.   At the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Alison Todak is VP of Entrepreneurship and Innovation.  And she says in many ways AI tools have evened the playing field..

“Entrepreneurship has become more accessible.  The pandemic really shifted the world in workforce, remote work and work from anywhere.  It is a lot more affordable and based in the middle of the country and so we’re certainly seeing an uptick in people discovering that entrepreneurship could be for them as well.”

Todak says technology and AI have brought down many of the costs ….

“Lovable, which is an AI coding which allows you to build a Web site in seconds versus weeks.”

And Shopify for ecommerce as well can speed things along.

You can find us at Techstination.com.   I’m Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.   I’m Fred Fishkin.     What’s trending in search this spring.   Google search trends expert Megan Stoner tells us there is continuing interest in what is called chaos gardening..

“And that is where instead of having rigid rows in your garden, you just sprinkle a bunch of different seeds in your garden and it grows with a whimsical, wildflower look.  It is perfect for someone like me who is a bit more type B with that stuff.  So I think it lessens the barrier to entry there.”

In fashion and beauty….floral dresses are trending….perfectly understandable….along with blue mascara.  Maybe a bit less understandable.     Also trending… purple foods…especially purple yams.  You can check out our full interview online….and learn more from blog.google.com.

You can find us at Techstination.com.   I’m Fred Fishkin.

No gimmicks. Just easy to use digital devices that are helping millions take better care of their health. The story behind AliveCor's KardiaMobile and what's next. Founder and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dave Albert chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. Aiming to ease healthcare frustrations, Amazon Health AI has arrived…serving as a digital health assistant that can integrate, with permission, with your personal health records and can connect to Amazon’s One Medical where Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Andrew Diamond, tells us…

“Health AI is a newly launched, safe, private, highly secure agentic health assistant. It is available for free on Amazon.com and in the Amazon app and it is designed by Amazon’s technologists in partnership every step of the way, with One Medical’s national, primary care clinical team to make it easier and faster for you to get trustworthy answers to your healthcare questions.”

Check out Amazon.com/health-ai for more.

You can find us at Techstination.com. I’m Fred Fishkin.

Gunnar Optiks is celebrating its 20th anniversary as a pioneer in computer and gaming eyewear. And some of the most important benefits haven't always been the most obvious. CEO Joe Croft dives into the science and eye health in this chat with Techstination's Fred Fishkin

With new Google translation capabilities using any earbuds and Ask Maps, AI is making travel and travel planning easier. More on the latest tools? Google's Jennifer Jones chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.