As I enter Planet Smoothie, I notice a sign on the door offering a discount to military, police, and firefighters: “Thank you for your service – we salute you!” I'm there to interview Heidi Bedell, a Lake Nona resident with an inspiring story. Heidi was born in Korea and lived as an orphan in her youngest years. She was transitioned from home to home until she ended up … [Read more...]
Make Nona: Teams Compete in Lake Nona for NASA Hackathon
Q: What do these things have in common? A Twitter bot that crowdsources STEM articles to aid in research. A tool that plans energy consumption based on solar output. A scale model of the Earth that predicts natural disasters. An app that allows users to calculate the ROI of a residential or commercial solar array. A lunar habitat that … [Read more...]
Canvas and Orlando Brewing Cook Up a Triumphant Beer Pairing Dinner
It has been quite some time since a beer pairing dinner landed in Lake Nona. Beer pairings are a rising trend in the foodie world. It isn't surprising that there is overlap in the craft beer and foodie scenes. The flavor profiles of craft beers lend themselves to creating unique pairings with food. Orlando foodies recently had the treat of a special collaboration between Canvas … [Read more...]
Make Nona: Slime Time
I have a difficult confession to make: My teenage daughter, Sylvia, is a slime addict. It started innocently enough but has quickly spiraled out of control. Tupperware containers full of slime litter her room. Teenagers seem particularly susceptible to the influence of slime. Parents, be warned! Sylvia first learned about slime on the internet, of course. When she first saw … [Read more...]
Local Artist Kaisley Alvarez Dreams to Draw
Kaisley Alvarez picked up a pencil to draw when she was just two years old. In some ways, she never put it down. When she was in high school, she was always excited to get to art class. She enjoyed being able to "wind down" and experiment with different styles of art there. Kaisley has been a resident of the Lake Nona area for about 10 years. She loves the sense of community … [Read more...]