A stranger chided me for looking at my phone while I was at dinner with my wife two weeks ago. It embarrassed me, but he was correct—here I was eating a nice meal with good company, and I was busy plotting the next point on our trip across New England. I put the phone away; however, I admit I was waiting for the stranger to leave so I could continue my research.

Maybe that means I suffer from nomophobia, the fear of being without your mobile phone.

Two Iowa State University researchers investigated this phobia and created a questionnaire to help you determine if you’re a nomophobe. Score yourself a one if you strongly disagree up to a seven if you strongly agree with the following statements. Higher scores equate to a greater nomophobia severity.

1) I would feel uncomfortable without constant access to information through my smartphone.
2) I would be annoyed if I could not look information up on my smartphone when I wanted to do so.
3) Being unable to get the news (e.g., happenings, weather, etc.) on my smartphone would make me nervous.
4) I would be annoyed if I could not use my smartphone and/or its capabilities when I wanted to do so.
5) Running out of battery in my smartphone would scare me.
6) If I were to run out of credits or hit my monthly data limit, I would panic.
7) If I did not have a data signal or could not connect to Wi-Fi, then I would constantly check to see if I had a signal or could find a Wi-Fi network.
8) If I could not use my smartphone, I would be afraid of getting stranded somewhere.
9) If I could not check my smartphone for a while, I would feel a desire to check it.

If I did not have my smartphone with me:

1) I would feel anxious because I could not instantly communicate with my family and/or friends.
2) I would be worried because my family and/or friends could not reach me.
3) I would feel nervous because I would not be able to receive text messages and calls.
4) I would be anxious because I could not keep in touch with my family and/or friends.
5) I would be nervous because I could not know if someone had tried to get a hold of me.
6) I would feel anxious because my constant connection to my family and friends would be broken.
7) I would be nervous because I would be disconnected from my online identity.
8) I would be uncomfortable because I could not stay up-to-date with social media and online networks.
9) I would feel awkward because I could not check my notifications for updates from my connections and online networks.
10) I would feel anxious because I could not check my email messages.
11) I would feel weird because I would not know what to do.

(photo credit: Passetti via photopin cc)

We invest in what we think is important. In order to better understand what technology upgrades venue managers consider important enough to invest with their people and their cash, VenueDataSource surveyed more than 250 venues to identify the trends that are most common. The recently released “2015 Technology Report” provides new insights into what the fastest changing area in venue management has seen in the past two years.

The “2015 Technology Report” is now available to venue managers and suppliers who want to learn how current and planned venue technology investments stand in comparison to their peers:

• How many venues are embracing tiered pricing for Wi-Fi, and how many are getting rid of tiered structures completely?
• Are performing arts centers embracing mobile payment apps more than stadiums and arenas?
• How are venues addressing the increased use of drones inside our spaces?
• How much more are venue managers prepared to invest in technology spending in the next three years? And what applications and systems are the planned big-ticket items?
• What precautions are venue managers taking to protect their networks from hackers?

The “2015 Technology Report” has already been freely provided to the venue managers who participated in the survey. All members can access it now on the IAVM website at https://www.iavm.org/vds/vds-reports for further analysis of technology and trends in venues. You could also join us – for FREE – September 24 at 3 p.m. (EST) for an in-depth webinar review of some of the more interesting finds in the report. VenueDataSource  – We Connect the Dots.

(Image: Alex Abian/Creative Commons)

I know a lot of you are going to say, “Ain’t nobody got time for that,” but hear me out because I’m looking out for your health. If you want to reduce your blood pressure and possibly take fewer medications, then take a nap.

“Although [poet] William Blake affirms that it is better to think in the morning, act at noon, eat in the evening and sleep at night, noon sleep seems to have beneficial effects,” said Dr. Manolis Kallistratos, a cardiologist at Asklepieion Voula General Hospital in Athens, Greece. “Two influential U.K. prime ministers were supporters of the midday nap. Winston Churchill said that we must sleep sometime between lunch and dinner while Margaret Thatcher didn’t want to be disturbed at around 3 p.m. According to our study, they were right because midday naps seem to lower blood pressure levels and may probably also decrease the number of required anti-hypertensive medications.

“Μidday sleep is a habit that nowadays is almost a privileged due to a nine-to-five working culture and intense daily routine,” he continued. “However, the real question regarding this habit is: is it only a custom or is it also beneficial?”

The study included 386 middle aged patients with arterial hypertension, and researchers found that nappers had a 5 percent lower average ambulatory systolic blood pressure compared to people who didn’t take a nap in the middle of the day.

“Although the mean blood pressure decrease seems low, it has to be mentioned that reductions as small as 2 mmHg in systolic blood pressure can reduce the risk of cardiovascular events by up to 10 percent,” Kallistratos said. “We found that midday sleep is associated with lower 24-hour blood pressure, an enhanced fall of blood pressure at night, and less damage to the arteries and the heart. The longer the midday sleep, the lower the systolic blood pressure levels and probably fewer drugs needed to lower blood pressure.”

When you’re ready to nap at work, might I suggest the Ostrich Pillow?

(Image: Tom Lin/Creative Commons)

If I asked you to name mentors from your life, it probably would not take you long to come up with a list. For myself, the two that immediately come to mind are Al Murray and Paul Brailsford.

In my first swim meet as a freshman in high school, Mr. Murray put me in an event I had never done before and had failed to complete just days prior during practice. This began a streak of him providing me numerous opportunities to grow through his extreme generosity in our relationship, including him hiring me to work for two of his companies.

Paul Brailsford, of Brailsford & Dunlavey (no judging on the shameless name drop), was instrumental in helping me decide the type of college that best suited me. We had numerous discussions on the pool deck regarding the type of environment where I could unlock my potential—though at the time, I did not realize the depth of our conversations.

More recently, I took advantage of the opportunity to again engage in a mentor-mentee relationship. I participated as a mentee in the program two years ago and was very fortunate to be paired with Duane Morris from Montana State University. Generally, we spoke for 60-90 minutes monthly, with approximately 15 minutes of preparation time on the topic that I had pre-selected for the call. Duane was tremendous in providing advice and guidance for no other reason than wanting to give back to the IAVM community, which he said had been very generous to him over the years.

The Mentor Connector Program continues to grow each year from the continuing generosity and participation of our members. At this time, I personally challenge you to seriously consider signing up to participate. It’s merely 12-15 hours a year that could potentially establish a lifelong professional bond, friendship, and mentor-mentee relationship.

The Mentor Connector Program webinar is scheduled for September 10 at 3 p.m. (EST). Please join us to learn more about the program. Thank you.

You’re invited to the “world’s largest tailgate” next week when Kyle Field at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, reopens after a $485 million renovation led by Populous.

Students, former students, and fans around the world are encouraged to join those in College Station by virtually tailgating on September 12.

“We invite everyone who loves Kyle Field – home of the 12th Man – to take part in this celebration, whether right here in College Station or anywhere around the globe,” said John Sharp, chancellor of The Texas A&M University System. “Through the power of social media, we can all be part of this once-in-a-lifetime event on the day that Kyle Field comes back to life.”

According to the press release from Texas A&M, to join (and for a chance to have Aggie tailgate photos from anywhere in the world shown on the video boards at Kyle Field), follow these steps:

· Register your tailgate prior to September 11 at www.kylefield.com and provide the location and estimated number of attendees at the tailgate;

· Regardless of location and time differences, once your tailgate begins, tweet photos using the hashtag #KyleField;

· The hashtag will be monitored, and photos from the global tailgate will be streamed to the video board in the redeveloped Kyle Field.

To learn more about Kyle Field’s renovation, please watch the video below from Populous.

(Image: Populous)