Luxist: What better way to celebrate the birth of a feline icon than to dress her up like royalty and showcase her cuteness on a deck of solid gold playing cards? That's what Japanese company Sanrio has done with their 54-card deck of 99.99 percent gold cards. Each card measures 58 x 89 mm and features Kitty herself on the royal face cards. Contrary to popular belief, Hello Kitty was born in London, not Japan. To honor her birthplace, the flip side of the card features her posing proudly with a Union Jack in the shape of an apple.
Attivo is a totally new concept in boating. Lightweight and compact, at only 3.5 metres long Attivo has sportsboat looks and can carry up to four adults in cruise mode. Pull a lever and lift the canopy and is instantly converts a larger living area to accommodate a further two adults and even converts into a full sized double bed.
Below the fitted cushions you will find plenty of locker space for all of your short break needs. Forward is the large locker, ideal for bedding, clothes, and all the little bits you want out of your way in the daytime – the centre lockers accommodate a powerful 12 volt battery, each side, to run the outboard, and all of the low voltage lighting and pumps built in. Plenty of room for other things too – the 240 volt unit and charging system is fitted here to supply power to sockets so you could, if you wanted to, run all of your luxuries and make Attivo a 'home from home', as well as to boost the batteries for more cruising.
Attivo is environmentally-friendly - it's propelled by an electric outboard motor and powered by internal batteries and charging system. The amazing style was created by car designer Keith Helfet whose previous works include Jaguar's XJ220 supercar and F-Type concept.
Born Rich: Gold and diamond covered business card is a cool way to show off your riches. Earlier, we saw the Hello Kitty gold business card and the Mitsubishi Materials Fine gold card and now, GK Power, a Seoul-based smart card maker and online game provider, has made a new high-concept card for the VVIP customers. GK Power has developed technologies that enabled cold film coating and diamond embedding on plastic cards. Some of the GK Power’s high-concept cards include BC’s ‘Diamond Card,’ Hyundai Card’s `The Black’ and Woori Bank’s corporate cards. In the words of company’s president and CEO, these glittering cards are one of the ways to beat the market competition to lure the biggest spenders. These custom designed credit cards carry high price tags.
USA Today: Wyndham Hotels' new "Smart Chair" aims to do for in-room lounging and working what Westin's Heavenly Bed did for sleeping.
The Westin pillowtop-mattress bed, introduced in 1999, was an instant hit and is credited with starting a revolution in hotel bedding.
The Smart Chair, designed by Michael Graves & Associates, is currently ensconced at select Wyndams (the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, downtown Atlanta, and Princeton, N.J., to name a few). It is due chainwide by the end of 2008.
"We felt the 'bed wars' were over and turned our focus to signature products that would appeal to a new generation of travelers, namely the Gen Xers," says Evy Apostolatos, a Wyndham spokeswoman.
The Smart Chair is just one of the cool new furnishings on the hotel landscape, aimed at travelers who expect rooms with more bells and whistles.
Los Angeles Times: Stores such as Barneys New York and Fred Segal Apothia have been adding to their stables of swanky, chemical-free beauty lines lately, but these brands are still in the minority at major beauty counters, sprinkled into a larger mix of conventional labels.
Enter Vert - the first beauty outpost in L.A. to exclusively stock upscale beauty lines that are 100% free of synthetic ingredients. The airy, Zen-inspired boutique on Venice's hippie-chic Abbot Kinney Boulevard is the brainchild of Renata Helfman, a veteran makeup artist for film and TV who conceptualized the store after growing weary of tracking down her favorite eco-luxe beauty products in varied locations across the city.
In fact, she had the idea for Vert (which means "green" in French) while in her car. "I couldn't believe there wasn't a place that has all these brands under one roof," she says. "It dawned on me one day - what a great idea."
BornRich: The iPod shuffle has already been dipped in pure gold and diamonds. Pictured above is even cooler than those. Designer John Harrington, quite renowned for his classy jewelry collection, has customized Apple Ipod shuffle to create the ultimate fashion accessory. The Diamond Shuffle has been laser etched with his signature ‘Renaissance’ motif and is festooned with five excellent quality diamonds. The beautiful blinged creation wills set you back £300 but, that looks to be negligible for such a fine-looking creation.
BornRich: Here is another interesting thing for the uber-rich to spend their money on. AquaDomi is a modular system of floating houses and it gives the owner the opportunity to create his own house in his own style. Although the images shown on the site are computer generated but, it looks like these floating houses are available for sale.
AquaDomi has already constructed cafes and restaurants using these design principles. The latest line of the floating houses from the company is Noma series, which include three new houseboat models. The Noma houseboats have a floor-to-ceiling height of 300/250 cm or 250/240 cm. The houseboat can also be used as a combined home and office. Family Noma is spacious and largest of all the series. The houseboat is accessible through the terrace/court.
The two bedrooms are fitted with wardrobes and each one has its own terrace that is accessed through sliding doors. AquaDomi offers a wide selection of light, well-arranged quality kitchens with all modern equipment. The dining room and living room are connected to the kitchen. The houseboat is connected to the public infrastructure for water, waste water, electricity, telephone, community antenna and internet.
Yanko Design: Imagine a yoga mat you unfurl from a metal tube that’s actually a stereo. It can take in memory cards or play content off an MP3 player. The real tech candy here is the mat which is made of an electronic paper screen. The idea is you can attend yoga classes from anywhere since streaming video plays right on the mat. You can even “conference” in friends so they can get in the group fun. It’s just a concept but the technologies do exist in some form now.
Triple Pundit: Kimpton Hotels, based in San Francisco with over 40 three- and four-star boutique hotels around the US, has made a life-long commitment to environmental responsibility. They've proven that operating with sustainable values won't stop them from delivering a premium guest experience. In fact, polled hotel guests say they are loyal to Kimpton because they appreciate the sustainable ethic. A good portion of their clientele are business travelers whose companies have also adopted CSR strategies, and are committed to consuming products and services with the least impact.
You won't hear about their green initiative on a flashy ad campaign, because Kimpton doesn't advertise. What they save in the marketing department, they spend on programs for employees and enhancing guest experience, through programs like their EarthCare program.
Through this initiative, Kimpton provides in-room recycling, donates beverage bottled to local charities, prints with soy-based inks on recycled paper, offers organic snacks, gives guests the opportunity to re-use towels and linens, and serves only organic, shade grown and free trade coffees. These are things that any hotel could (and should) do at little or no additional cost, and Kimpton doesn't stop there.
KansasCity.com: The latest trends in wedding include having wedding websites with TMI for orientating guests, budget wedding gowns, as well as green weddings.
Wedding Web sites with TMI
A wedding Web site is a must, a virtual clearinghouse to assist guests with everything from chapel address to hotel accommodations.
Of course, some couples go much further. They include details of how they locked eyes across a crowded room, what kind of wine they ordered on their first date, biographies of the entire wedding party, even photographs of themselves embracing passionately.
It’s all very sweet. Until it gets cloying. Or annoying. Or just too much. Like the time a bride and groom revealed — on their wedding Web site — that their relationship began with a one-night stand.
Observers say that because the wedding-Web site industry is still only a few years old, the rules for what’s acceptable are still fuzzy. Many sites are set up with fields to be filled in: “first date,” “proposal” and so on. And so the tales come rushing forth.
Anna Post, author of the forthcoming Emily Post’s Wedding Parties, uses this rule: Don’t include anything that you wouldn’t tell guests face to face.
Budget wedding gowns
A once-in-a-lifetime experience no longer requires a once-in-a-lifetime investment. So here comes the bride — in a budget wedding gown from Target. The gowns that were introduced in May are sold through Target.com for less than $200. Bridesmaid dresses sell for as little as $30. J. Crew offers wedding gowns for $295 to $2,450.
The typical bride spends more than $1,000 on a wedding gown.
Green weddings
Eco-conscious couples are spending a lot of time and money planning weddings that reflect their environmentally friendly lifestyles.
They’re using recycled paper and minimizing the amount of paper used for invitations, place cards and programs. Creating centerpieces with pesticide-free flowers and potted plants that can be planted in the yard after the wedding. Serving organic and vegetarian menus.
Click here for ideas on how to host greener nuptials:
BusinessWeek: There are hotels built on stilts in the ocean, hotels fashioned out of former royal palaces, even hotels set among jungle treetops. So why not craft a hotel that can be plugged into an existing space in any city in the world? That was the thinking behind Qbic Hotels, a low-cost, high-design concept made up of prefabricated rooms that literally come out of a box.
Qbic allows guests to make their reservations online, with rooms ranging from €39 to €139 (about $80 to $200) a night, based on an advanced booking system. Once at the hotel, guests receive an electronic card that's needed to check in and check out.
In order to create a hotel in big cities where real estate is often costly and space at a premium, Qbic's founders came up with a novel idea: Create a prefab, plug-and-play module called a Cubi that can be outfitted inside existing space.
What distinguishes Qbic—at least for now—is its ability to offer both high style and low cost in a self-service environment. "Qbic is quite stylish and slick," says Harteveldt. "I think that it appeals to someone who appreciates style after being in an airplane cabin that is devoid of style."
TrendHunter: A company called My DNA Fragrance claims that it can develop a perfume for women or cologne for men based on your DNA. The customer submits a swab of saliva to the company and there you go, you have your own customized scent. Hopefully your DNA smells wonderful.
Springwise: In a variation on online dating, two new concepts allow people to connect online after first meeting (briefly) in the physical world. Canadian Admit an Attraction prints Attraction Tickets for members (CDN 9.95 for a twelve-pack). Members hand out a ticket to someone they meet in public. A ticket receiver can then go online to check out the member's profile using a unique access code, and get in touch if the attraction is mutual. Since the tickets don't contain any personal information, both parties are guaranteed a level of privacy they wouldn't have if they exchanged phone numbers or email addresses.
Hitchoo, which recently launched in Singapore, works on the same principle, sending members cards with a friendly "You made my day" on the front, and access details on the back.The first 8 cards are free; 12 additional cards can be bought for SGD 18.
UberReview: All those promises of a future with jetpacks getting you from here to there have finally come true. Before you start planning your trip to Miami, the amazing JetPack will only give you a 3 min thrill ride. That 3 min ride does not come cheap at $250,000 but it does include free training. Before you start to cry, a new and improved version is already in the works and should get you about 19 minutes of flight time for a reduced price of $200,000. To see the Jetpack in action, check out the video after the jump.
DailyCandy: If your mind wanders before three, try Bedtime Beats, a CD designed to help you snooze. Unlike your Ambien/Prosecco experiment, the sleep aid was mixed by real scientists.
The smarty-pants at Case Western Reserve University discovered that classical music played at 60-80 beats per minute can improve your sleep. Using that info, a couple of sandmen (er, sandwomen) deejayed a collection to conk you out.
The CD includes more than two hours of Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi, et al — all of which have been remastered to the optimal tempo and volume. Just press play fifteen minutes before sleepy time and relax to the beats of the rhythm of the night.
Iconoculture: With this ring, I thee shed — in a miniature casket suitable for display. Wedding Ring Coffins, created by divorce survivor Jill Testa, help the recently unhitched bury dead marriages in style. The tiny mahogany coffins look just like the real thing, complete with brass handles and a black velvet lining that sets the ring off nicely if the client opts for an open casket.
Most mourners don't actually bury the coffins. It's more fun to share the sentiments engraved on personalized plaques, which range from dignified ("Bury the past and move on") to vengeful ("Six feet isn't deep enough") to sly ("She should have learned how to play golf").
These pod-like luxury beds infuse art and design into an otherwise mundane piece of furniture. Offering the ultimate in relaxed environments, the protective, egg-like design features “state of the art” light and iPod-ready sound therapy system which removes outside noises, in addition to a muscle relaxing system and high end mattress. With quality rest and sleep at such a premium, we could see even more alternatives to the traditional sleep system emerging—although hopefully, with a smaller price tag.
BornRich: Philips and Swarovski have teamed-up to bling the tech goodies with their ‘Active Crystals’ collection that features I GB flashy USB memory keys studded with swarovski. The collection includes four different designs: Heart Ware, Heart Beat, Lock In and Lock Out. Heart Ware and Heart Beat are worn as pendants and The Lock In and Lock Out attaches to a keychain.
The sparkling collection will be hitting the market in August and the price details are yet to be disclosed. The collection will also include four pairs of noise-cancelling headphones.
Detroit Free Press: There is a growing group of wine drinkers who are turning to the box rather than the bottle. With better wine varieties now available in boxes, wineries are attempting to give the category a new identity far from the rowdy boating trips and drunken fraternity parties that gave box vino its cheap, low-quality image.
The effort seems to be paying off. Box wine is now the fastest-growing wine category. According to data from AC Nielsen, three-liter box wine sales grew 44% in the past year, compared to a 3% gain in overall table wine volume.
"It's gaining tremendous acceptance by the consumer," said Ben Dollard, president of Pacific Wine Partners, a division of Constellation Brands. "It's just the tip of the iceberg."
Vintners have been doing a good deal of experimenting in the last few years. Wine even comes in plastic bottles and cans.
Although wine has been packaged in a box for some time, the new boxes aren't like the five-liter jugs of sweet, headache-inducing wines of the past.
Although those still are readily available, premium varieties on the market show a bit more complexity with hints of berry, apple or oak.
Of course, the premium entries are more expensive. For example, a Chardonnay can run $20 for a box that contains the equivalent of four bottles, whereas the lower quality five-liter boxes sell for between $6 and $10 for more than 6 bottles of wine.
The premium boxes are still a steal, however, because one quality bottle can cost $10 to $30 or more.
Box wine manufacturers can afford to charge less for quality when the packaging materials are far less expensive.
And of course, you can't beat the convenience. You can take a box of wine just about anywhere or you can leave it at home and not worry that it will go bad. Box wines stay fresh for as long as four weeks after they're opened because the boxes contain a vacuum-sealed bag that prevents the wine from being exposed to air.
"A box just kind of sits in the fridge and I don't have to think about it," said Waller.
The Cool Hunter: Techno craftsman Gresso (http://www.gresso.com) are better known for their African Blackwood mobile phones. The collection of phones are beautifully constructed out of 200 year old wood and have placed Gresso in a unique market where wooden craftsmanship meets technology. Now, Gresso have developed their own line of MP3 players called, The Symphonia Collection. The model is again crafted from African Black wood, whilst the front panel is made of a scratch resistant 18 carat gold surface. The idea behind it's conception is for the Symphonia to be worn as a piece of jewelry rather than an MP3 on a lanyard. With this exceptional finish, this is easily achieved. The Symphonia Collection holds 1 GB of memory and when it debuts later this year will be priced between US$4000 - $6500.
BornRich: If the drop in temperature has made the grilled delicacies a thing of the past, then this DeLonghi Healthy Indoor Grill will bring the grilling season again! The all-weather grill cooks with a combination of contact and radiant heat and it’s removable stainless steel drip tray allows excess fat to drip away, providing low-fat food and smoke-free indoor grilling. The indoor grill features double coated non-stick cast iron grill plate which releases foods easily and distributes heat evenly for consistent results. Adjustable thermostat ranges from high (455 degrees) to low (350 degrees) settings and the large cooking surface can cook a meal for your entire family in just a matter of few minutes.
The Observer UK: Never have there been so many ways for busy professionals to outsource their lives. Now, perhaps inevitably, it's the turn of their babies.
No need for expectant parents to wade through books or trudge round shops for the latest products guaranteed to turn others green with envy. Instead, for a fee of up to £2,500, parents-to-be can sit back while every detail of the pregnancy, their child's birth and their new family's early years is arranged on their behalf.
'We will organise everything from sourcing the best baby carrier to creating the baby's bedroom and arranging parent confidence classes,' said Keely Paice, founder of Baby Planners and the former editor of an international business magazine. 'Once baby arrives, we will hire the best maternity nurse, shortlist nannies and nurseries, advise on feeding patterns and help with establishing routine. In addition, we will be on call by phone and email 24 hours a day for one-to-one advice.'
The average woman, said Paice, spends between 150 and 250 hours preparing for her first child. 'Our service might seem like another entry on a long list of unexpected expenses, but we can save time, money and hassle,' said Paice, who has two young children. 'The market for baby products has never been more competitive or confusing. I've met a woman who wasted hundreds of pounds buying three pushchairs because she kept choosing inappropriate models.'
The service has dozens of clients on its books, and Paice has been contacted by nine companies worldwide who want to franchise her idea.
Strange New Products: A pharmaceutical company, Warner Chilcott, announced today the availability of a new chewable birth control pill with a refreshing spearmint flavor.
The product, called "Femcon Fe", is billed as the first and only FDA-approved chewable birth control pill. The company says that one of the leading causes of oral contraceptive failure is not consistently taking these pills everyday. By making it chewable, and tasty, it'll allow women to have more fun.
On a serious note, the Warner Chilcott also says that a chewable form will provide an alternative to women who experience "breakthough bleeding" with traditional birth control pills.
BornRich: In the past, we have told you about stylish waterproof TV sets for your bathroom, to make your bathroom more luxurious and to give all those couch-potatoes, a reason to leave their idiot-boxes for a refreshing shower. But, I do think, we have given you very less options for a bathtub combo that includes a built-in TV, if you want it that way! So, going with one, The Luxor hydro massage bathtub that is though not-at-all as alluring as the one from CalSpas with a 42″ auto-rising plasma TV. But, it features a 14 LCD screen with video input, adjustable air & water massage jets at the bottom with underwater lighting at the base and built in shampoo and body wash dispensers.
Josh Spears: Would you believe me if I were to tell you there was a place where one could get a haircut, a shave, shop and enjoy a cocktail? Well for you Chicagoans, this might just be your lucky day. Guise, located on Halsted in Lincoln Park, is the creation of Brad Habansky who was looking to create a one-stop shop where men felt comfortable; and that he did. In the front of this swank establishment is numerous barber chairs each featuring their very own plasma television. The main draw for me is the comfort of being able to get a good haircut (*cough* and manicure) and not have to worry about looking to prissy in front of your female counterparts, but the shopping at Guise is not too shabby either.
Babygadget: As a young father, I hate the stereotype you often see on television and commercials of the bumbling dad. Does it take us a touch longer to pick up some skills when it comes to child-rearing? Sure, but that doesn't mean that we remain bumbling for the rest of our lives. I always enjoy when I come across products that are made for fathers, and also keep us better organized without making us feel like idiots. The Daddy's Tool Bag does all these things, and at $45 is also affordable.
The bag has a nice, manly look, and includes all the pockets and flaps you'd expect from a good diaper bag. The real value comes from the included vinyl changing mat, as well as a video that gives good step-by-step instructions on things such as bottles, diapering, car seats, and other baby skills.
TrendCentral: Catering to those thrill seekers with an aversion to heights, airplanes, or both, SkyVenture boasts a true skydiving experience – without going outside. Resembling a space station smack in the middle of a desert landscape, the Arizona location features a vertical wind tunnel 14 feet in diameter and 15 feet long, with wind speeds of 150 mph to simulate a free falling experience. No prior skydiving is necessary, and potential “jumpers” need only a 20 minute training to participate. For interested flyers not located in the Eloy area, SkyVenture has facilities all over the country and around the world, so now there’s no excuse not to jump.
Engadget: If Chumby, maker of this rugby ball-sized computer by the same name, has its way, then it will replace all of our bedside digital clocks with a stripped-down computer stuffed in a cuddly exterior case. Apparently the Chumby is designed to be a little hackable nugget that will play Flash applications (known in Chumby-speak as "widgets") that can do various other things like (you guessed it): play music, check your RSS feeds, and display your photos. Inside this little furball is a 266 MHz CPU, 32MB SDRAM, 64MB Flash RAM, 320 x 240 3-inch screen, two USB ports, 2W speakers, and WiFi.
LuxuryLaunches.com: A unique artistic fusion of two genders - feminine embellishments to the masculine weapons! Antonio Riello has spruced up of real military weapons into fashion items for ladies. Ladies Weapons are born from the most outstanding contemporary Italian features: the obsession for personal security and the passion for elegance and fashion. Contemporary military weaponry is restyled by the artist as high fashion accessories for sophisticated ladies. Using leopard skins, brightly lacquered colors, inset jewels and fake furs, Antonio creates a range of specialized items for wives of mafia bosses, arms dealers, sophisticated ladies and exigent soldiers.
The New York Times: All cities takes a toll, and at times all city dwellers have to take their leave. When life in Istanbul gets too stressful, people can head to the baths. In Rio there's the beach. In Tokyo, though, the antidote to urban overload is more of the same. In the world's most media-saturated city, people take a break by checking themselves into media immersion pods: warrens cluttered with computers, TV's, video games and every other entertainment of the electronic age.
The Bagus Gran Cyber Cafés are Tokyo's grand temples of infomania. Situated well above retail level, on the odd floor number where in Manhattan you might find tarot readers or nail salons, these establishments contain row after row of anonymous cubicles. At first glance the spread looks officelike, but be warned: these places are drug dens for Internet addicts.
The first Gran Cyber Café opened in 1999. Today there are 10, serving some 5,000 people a day. Each has a slightly different orientation — some are geared to teenagers, some to salarymen — but the atmosphere is the same throughout the franchise: equal parts lending library, newsstand, arcade, Kinko's and youth hostel. An inspired extension of the basic Internet cafe, the Gran Cyber Cafés shift their meaning the more you study them, as if by a trick of their trademark low light.
Stuff Magazine: Back in our formative years we were mighty impressed by the levitating pens in the Science Museum shop, and now somebody’s taken the concept to exciting new heights by making a floating bed.
You can credit a Dutchman by the name of Janjaap Ruijssenaars for making one of the coolest pieces of furniture we’ve ever seen. He’s apparently dedicated the last six years of his life to the project, which is wholly understandable – we can’t think of anything more worthwhile.
There’s no anti-gravity gubbins involved; it merely uses magnets to stay off the ground, can carry a weight of 900kg and is held in place by some virtually invisible tethers.
Only the wealthiest of heads will be able to rest on its pillows anyway – a full-sized model is expected to cost €1.2 million (£832,000).
American Express: AMEX has introduced the the new Butterfly card. It is a stylish new companion exclusively for American Express® Gold Card members. The Butterfly card works interchangeably with your traditional American Express® Gold Card. Even though it has a different Card number, it’s linked to your regular Card account with all the same benefits and services.
PORTALINO: What could be better than watching TV in bed? How about watching TV in bed on a TV that’s built into the bed? Using a wireless remote, you can activate the TV that rises out of the foot of the bed like a display-screen in some James Bond villain’s hideout.
The TV is only 22”, but it should be large enough since it’s so close to you. Also built into the bed, an electronic leveling system. The only downside, as it usually is with cool products, is the price. $25,900 for this bed. We don’t think many people would buy a bed that’s worth more than their cars.
TrendCentral: These fusion workouts combine the intimacy of personal training with the challenge of boot camp-style conditioning in private, class-like settings. Each session targets the five key elements of a complete fitness program—strength & endurance training, flexibility, and balance & core work. Juliet Kaska, fitness guru and owner of L.A.’s Emerson Hall Fitness created these three-times-a-week-for-five-weeks programs exclusively for her famous Zen-mod training studio by pulling from a multitude of her favorite exercise methods (resistance training, yoga, boxing, cross training, plyometrics and pilates) and incorporating nutritional food and whole health guidance.
Iconoculture: Care to smoke dessert? Forget about those artifically flavored, sugar-soaked drugstore stogies of yesteryear. Young smokers are sucking up a more dignified breed of cigar, with sophisticated aromatic essences of exotic fruits, herbs or crushed coffee beans subtly infused into the tobacco.
Drew Estate’s ACID line contains flavors like Extra Ordinary Larry and Kuba Kuba, which contain varying degrees of herbal aroma and exotic spice that complement the leaves. CAO sparks discriminating palates with Moontrance, containing bourbon vanilla and exotic fruits, or Karma SutraSplash, with authentic dashes of mango and chocolate mint ice cream. It may sound like kids’ stuff, but the flavors are good enough to make the grownup dessert menu.
As with coffee and fine spirits, partakers of cigars are looking to take their experience up a notch with artisanal ingredients and handcrafted style.
Iconoculture: Would you make any much-loved family member sleep on the floor on a lumpy pillow? That’s the logic driving a new generation of high-end dog beds that feature not only frames, but luxe mattresses and decorator themes befitting not a doghouse, but the room of a pampered child. From the Asian-themed Saigon Day Bed Frame ($300) and Pampered Puppy’s “Furari” dog bed ($250) to SSS Petcare’s wrought-iron frame ($127-$163) and pillow-topped mattress ($250-$420), there’s nothing about these canine crash pads that says “dog’s life.” Then again, with a good night’s sleep on the radar for human health, how could Fido’s sweet dreams be far behind?
Iconoculture: Smells like global spirit? That’s the divine essence of MoslBuddJewChristHinDao, the first-ever “unifaith fragrance” from Berlin-based design house Elternhaus. The ecumenical scent blends extracts and elements from major world religions into one perfectly balanced body spray. The harmonious bouquet is the inspired creation of Mark Buxton, the discerning nose behind perfumes and colognes from Comme des Garçons, Givenchy, Versace and Cartier. MoslBuddJewChristHinDao’s packaging is as modern as its concept: The worldwide whiff comes in a stark, concrete bottle.
The Cool Hunter: The trend in hotels with themed rooms seems to be spreading like a rash, with hotels in Denmark, UK, Berlin, Paris & Madrid. The clever concept sees different artists and designers commissioned to fit out each room, or in the case of the Madrid hotel, entire floors. The idea is to give guests a completely different experience to the guest next door. The latest hotel to join in the trend is the Reflections hotel in Bangkok. Each of the 30 rooms has been created by a different designer or artist in everything from stylish deco style right through to crazy kitsch, which can make you feel as though you’ve stepped into a fantastical abstract painting. It’s fun and definitely not for the minimal-lovin faint hearted.
K9 Water Co: Vitamin fortified, flavored bottled water specifically formulated for dogs has been introduced under the titles of Puddle Water, Hose Water, Gutter Water and Toilet Water. The Original K9 Vita Water(tm) is fortified with vitamins such as A, B, C and manganese, and conveniently packaged in colorful, 1/2 liter, recyclable bottles, according to Don Magier, CEO, K9 Water Co. Inc. It is available at http://www.k9waterco.com, or check with your local pet store.
"Each variety is specifically formulated to provide your dog with essential vitamins that contribute to overall good health while providing the hydration that dogs need," says Magier.
The Original K9 Vita Water can be enjoyed in four of the flavors dogs enjoy most: chicken, beef, liver and lamb. "Dogs are raving that it's REBARKABLY REFRESHING!" Magier says. "As animal lovers and pooch parents ourselves, we're committed to producing the highest quality product we possibly can for dogs to enjoy. We use only purified water, human grade vitamins and no artificial colors. Our formula is the result of tests conducted by an independent veterinary nutritionist to ensure daily consumption levels are safe and accurate," says Magier.
The founders of K9 Water Co., Inc. believe that one of the best things you can do for your dog's health is also one of the easiest -- provide sufficient hydration and essential nutrients with The Original K9 Vita Water. Magier calls it "a delicious treat that can help maintain healthy skin and coat, and can also help maintain consistent energy levels and production of collagen." He says it is a tasty alternative to pills and chalky powders.
petgadgets.com: The Soniks have arrived to revolutionize the squeaky dog toy forever with their exclusive "Silent Squeak" technology only dogs can hear.
The whole family of toys contains an ultrasonic squeaker that emits sound in a range above the hearing of humans but just right for playful dogs!
Introduce your dog to the silent but spunky Sonik toy family: Proud parents SubSonik and SuperSonik, trendy and troubled teenagers, UltraSonik and HyperSonik, and the trusted family pets Woofer and Tweeter.
For more innovative and high tech pet products, explore petgadgets.com.
Yenra: Windjector from Dosho Design uses air resistance to provide a cardio workout, stretching, and strengthening of the core muscles. The twenty-nine core muscles are crucial for improving athletic performance as well as for performing everyday activities. Windjector use of air resistance allows each individual to work out at his own pace. The faster you move, the more resistance you encounter, and the harder you work out.
Windjector provides training for the cardiovascular, respiratory, muscular endurance, and muscular strength systems. This workout helps improve flexibility, agility, and mobility.
RotatingHome.com: Perfect for entertaining and personal enjoyment a RotatingHome may be just right for you. No longer will you need to decide which rooms will have a great view and which rooms will have minimal view or no view at all - the RotatingHome allows you to see your entire view from all the major rooms in your home! If you prefer to enjoy your view in the open air, a rotating deck can surround the entire circumference or just part of your home. A RotatingHome can be built in any size or shape with all or part of the home turning and it can have any number of stories with one or all rotating. The structure can turn a 100 times in one direction or a 1,000 in the other or stop in any position while always being connected to all utilities, just like any other home. You can choose the speed it rotates, we recommend a variable speed from one revolution in 30 minutes to one revolution in 24 hours. This is all made possible by the truly unique and patented SWIVEL at the heart of the home.
A rotating home is perfect for an upscale beach house or large mountain cabin or even in areas prone to storm surges! Steep mountain terrain is not a problem as the RotatingHome can be built up on a central steel column. With only one fully Rotating Home that meets 21st century building codes currently in existence, the uniqueness and technology are unprecedented!
gizmag: You’d think we would have already perfected the best way to produce a cup of coffee from coffee beans, but several years of research by Stanford University mechanical engineering lecturer Alan Adler (the inventor of the Aerobie flying disk which holds the world throwing record of more than a quarter mile) appear to have found a better coffee machine.
Independent reviews suggest the new Aerobie AeroPress delivers the smoothest, richest, purest and fastest cup of coffee (under 30 seconds) you’re likely to find and the bonus is that the AeroPress costs just US$30.
WashingtonPost.com: Tennis can be a great workout if you have skilled, competitively matched partners playing singles. For others, the game is more stop than go, sprinkled with cuss-muttering frustration: hit, run, whack ball into net, stop. Hit, return, re-return(!), stop, curse, hail taxi to retrieve errant shot, etc. Entertaining, yes, even social. But not a heart-rate booster.
Cardio Tennis, a national program being offered at a variety of venues in the Washington area, seeks to change that. The workout runs participants around the court urgently enough to keep their heart rates in the cardio-training zone (65 to 85 percent of maximum heart rate) while helping improve tennis skills. It's billed as similar to an interval workout. Armed with a racquet, a watch and my well-honed ability to count heart beats via my carotid artery, I showed up to give it a try.
On an indoor court at Sport Fit Bowie in Bowie, instructor Kevin McClure starts me and four other participants with warm-up footwork moves followed by a repeating drill in which we hustle from one spot to another, squaring up to imaginary balls and swinging imaginary racquets, culminating in a phantom overhead slam down a nonexistent opponent's throat. No unforced errors!
DenverPost.com: Picky, picky, Josh Spear. He's the prince of particular, the satrap of selection, the chief of choosing, this 21-year-old occasional University of Colorado undergraduate with a unique passion for the things that please him. When Spear likes something, he posts it on his popular blog, joshspear.com.
What happens next? The thing gets noticed.
About 5,000 people a day come to the blog for his daily take on cool, and they'll sometimes buy the fishbowl or vintage graffiti tie, or get involved in that effort to save a soon-to-be-destroyed modern house.
The recipients of Spear buzz dig the attention, and the sales.
"Things have been snowballing, and Josh has helped getting the word out," says Denver artist Jason Thielke, who was able to leave his day job as a clothing designer after Spear posted images of, and enthusiasms about, Thielke's drawings. Now, Thielke's booked through 2006, with art openings around the country and design work for individual clients.
Others preen for Spear's affections, sending him e-mail after e-mail at all hours, all day: "Check out our new digital chopsticks, Josh!"; "Josh, you've GOT to post these Norwegian T-shirts we found!"; "Hey, Josh. What do you think of our new designer sneaker store in Seattle?"
In the teeming jungle of the blogosphere, most participants range somewhere between drops of dew and army ants - little noticed, soon to disappear. Spear lounges high on a branch, waving his spotted tail: a leopard.
"I did one of the hardest branding initiatives in the world - branding yourself," he says after lunch, during an interview in the plain, two-bedroom condo he shares with a roommate in downtown Boulder, where the living room serves as his office. "And I'm still doing it."
"Cool-hunting" and "trend-spotting" have been categories of corporate work for decades. The suits want to know what those young people are doing and thinking; they hire trend-spotting "experts"; the experts talk to the kids on the street and draft lengthy reports; and the companies, armed with the reports, try to appeal to their youthful market.
That model is unraveling. So companies increasingly are turning to bloggers like Spear for what they hope are glimpses inside the collective brain of their most maddening demographic: Young Unimpressed Hip America.
"At this point, the data shows that when people are asked, 'Who do you trust?' what they say is, 'People like me,"' says Jennifer McClure, a longtime public relations executive who now is executive director of the Society for New Communications Research, a think tank focused on new media and communications. "That means they are trusting people like Josh much more than any formal advertising or marketing message getting pushed to them. That's the phenomenon he is enjoying right now."
We talked to Josh, and he gave an update on his creative consulting company which appears to be doing very well. In his own words: "The consulting is amazing. I've had to do basically no selling, people are just coming out of the wood work to me left and right... agencies, big fortune 500 brands, small startups, brand managers etc. I'm able to really make it a select clientle.
What I really boast is working 1 on 1 with people in strategy, and my honest opinion about their brand and products and where they're going. I can't play the age card forever, but at 21 I offer a young, fresh perspective to these companies that's authentic, and not some regurgitated focus group.
Condo Hotel Center: Many people dream of owning a vacation home. But often concerns about maintaining it, renting it out in the off-season, or even justifying the expense when it’s only to be used for a couple weeks of the year keep people from making the dream a reality.
Now comes along condo hotels, a new type of vacation home ownership that provides solutions to all these problems. Condo hotels enable you to own a luxury vacation home at a world-class resort and receive rent revenue whenever you're not using it.
So how do condo hotels differ from owning a traditional vacation apartment or condominium? First of all, these are not your typical second homes. They are beautifully furnished condominium suites in some of the most prestigious hotels and resorts around the country. The properties often feature four- or five-star amenities ranging from full-service spas and fitness centers to concierge services, business centers and fine-dining restaurants.
Condo hotels are operated by big-brand management companies such as Hyatt, Ritz-Carlton, Sonesta, Starwood, Hilton, Trump and Rosewood. Typically they are high-rise luxury hotels located on prime land overlooking the ocean or a golf course, near popular theme parks or attractions, or in the heart of a booming downtown. Prices for condo hotel units range from $250,000 to over $1 million for top properties.
Here’s what makes the condo hotel concept so appealing. When you’re not using your condo hotel unit, you have the option of placing it into the hotel's rental program. You receive 40%-60% of the revenue your unit generates (it varies by property), with the balance going to the hotel operator. While the hotel operator doesn't guarantee the rental of the unit, by capitalizing on the hotel's brand name, big league advertising, national affiliations, centralized reservation system and management expertise, unit owners typically receive a higher level of rental income than they would from a traditional vacation home. More importantly, ownership is 100 percent hassle-free, as the hotel operator takes care of renting and maintaining the unit as well as managing the property’s many amenities.
How are the ownership expenses split? As part of the rental agreement, the hotel pays for most operating expenses such as housekeeping, administrative and marketing. The condo hotel owner typically pays for real estate taxes, insurance and capital improvements. The rental revenue that owners receive helps defray these expenses and, in some cases, provides additional income.
While developers primarily sell their condo hotel units as a lifestyle and vacation home alternative, many buyers see merit in the condo hotel concept as an investment tool. They say it gives them the best of both worlds. They can enjoy all of the amenities of vacationing in a first-class resort while having ownership of a real estate investment that has potential to appreciate.
BizJournals.com: When Lynne Gonsior was pregnant with her son Tony, she set out to find clothing and nursery necessities that were unique and trendy -- even edgy. Instead, she found the same old clowns and ducks.
"Everything was baby blue or pink."
Gonsior, a former senior buyer at Marshall Field's, refused to settle. She and her husband Dan, a property developer, opened Über Baby in Minneapolis one year ago. The business has grown quickly; the Gonsiors expect more than $1 million in revenues by 2006. With an increasing demand for nontraditional baby accessories, Über Baby is a hotspot for parents as young as 20 and grandparents as old as 80. According to Lynne, Über Baby's merchandise is 80 percent exclusive. Nothing sits in the store for more than a couple of weeks to ensure rapid turnover. The store also features the designs of select vendors like Disney animator Joe Mosher.
"We have to constantly stay ahead of the trend curve in order to stay successful," Lynne said.
The couple's 2,100 square-foot store carries clothing lines, unique gifts and original paint colors. The store boasts an extensive selection of Überbags, or funky diaper bags that look more like designer handbags. Racks of T-shirts with logos like "I love my dads" and "Sir Craps-a-lot" are prominently displayed, along with onesies that label a baby as either Republican or Democrat.
TrendCentral: If you’ve exhausted your Awesome Workout Mix and can’t seem to find the right motivational soundtrack to hit your stride on the treadmill, these exercise MP3 downloads may be just the thing. Designed by yoga/Pilates guru Grace Lazenby along with a team of Hollywood personal trainers, there are 11 different workouts ranging from iStretch to iSculpt Ballet. Each one is a personal training session/soundtrack that you can purchase and store on your MP3 player. You won’t have anyone to serve as your therapist or to yell at when you feel like you’re about to break, but you also won’t have an excuse to not work out when you’re away on vacation.
BusinessWeek: When Keith and Kimberly Hartke heard that the Fontainebleau Resort in Miami Beach was building a new condominium tower, they were ready to buy, quickly plunking down $600,000 for a 1,000-square-foot one-bedroom unit. Keith had vacationed at the hotel as a child and returned as a newlywed with Kimberly years later. But what sold the Hartkes on investing in a property wasn't their history with the resort. It was the fact that they could rent the unit out like a hotel room when they weren't using it. "It's not just a condo at the beach," Kimberly says. "We're getting in the hotel business."
The Hartkes are charter members of the latest trend to hit the hospitality industry: the condo hotel. By uniting the public's desire to invest in real estate with the travel industry's quest for new properties, the condo hotel has reinvigorated the hotel construction business and begun altering the skyline of cities such as Miami and Las Vegas.
fibre2fashion.com: The Spa at the St Julien has thrilled many with their sleeper hit, Cool Sets – night wear apparel that is casually elegant, affordable and incredibly comfortable.
The new sleepwear line created in Boulder, Colorado made its debut at the Spa at the St Julien in July 2005. Cool Sets, is specially formulated to control body temperature fluctuations caused from climate change and certain health conditions, while remaining true to its motto “Feel the Comfort.”
Spa Director Michael Simmons commented that while typically sold through Cool Sets home parties, the Spa at the St Julien is the only retailer to sell Cool Sets directly to customers. They just can’t keep them on the shelves! Guests and locals simply touch the fabric and are convinced that Cool Sets is crafted with the highest quality. The Spa at the St Julien is proud to continually offer their patrons the best we can find!
The Cool Hunter: It had to happen. As practically everything we use in the home – from TV sets to cell phones, ipods and computers – have shrunk in size and increased in efficiency, it was only a matter of time before the home itself became a transportable, order-in, pocket sized commodity. Ok, so it won’t fit in your pocket but the Micro-Compact Home can be easily craned into position and comes complete with a sound system, flat screen TV and air-conditioning. And at roughly 77 sq metres, the two level dwelling isn’t a whole lot smaller than your average inner city studio apartment. The thoroughly urban invention was a joint project between students at the Technical University of Munich and the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Plans for the first Micro-Compact village using prototype units are currently under way at the University of Munich campus. Or for 50,000 euros you can buy your own although we’re not sure how welcoming your local council would be.
Ubercool: In case you haven’t noticed, water is everywhere, particularly the bottled kind. It’s such a hot commodity it has created a $46 billion market. In some countries, bottled water has even eclipsed beer consumption, and it could well overtake carbonated soft drinks as the world’s No.1 beverage.
A notable water of late is BORBA Skin Balance Water ($34 for a 12-bottle case), which comes in three formulas, each designed for different needs. The "Replenishing" pink flavor is formulated for dry skin and promises to reduce roughness and dryness by about half using "gelatin-complex aids."
Adult acne suffers should drink the lavender-colored "Clarifying" flavor to clear up imperfections. And there’s even a sea-foam green "Age Defying" formula said to reduce lines and wrinkles.
BORBA is the brainchild of marketing and skincare guru Scott Vincent Borba, who created the bargain-priced line of e.l.f. cosmetics — a favorite of beauty aficionados. BORBA deploys nano technology to produce tiny molecules packed with skin care ingredients. Once ingested it works at the epidermal level to help create clearer, healthier skin.
The Epoch Times: As the heat of the summer season drags on, a jaunt into the cool mountain air is a welcome escape for summer vacationers. After the white blankets of snow melt from the slopes, the mountains reveal their green grass and colorful wildflowers. Fresh air, warm days and cool nights are a welcome change from the hubbub of sticky heat in a crowded metropolis.
Usually regarded as winter wonderlands, ski towns and resorts have capitalized on their pleasant summer weather to attract tourism by providing visitors a unique mix of nature’s beauty, diverse culture, adventure and value. They offer urbanites and wilderness novices a taste of the rugged mountains without sacrificing the comforts of modern restrooms and coffee bars.
There are many ski towns to choose from for a summer ski resort getaway, including mega resorts and quaint villages. Loyalists return year after year to the same place where they discovered welcoming charm and hospitality. Make your choice based on convenient geography and access to your preferred activities. As the end of summer nears, seize the opportunity to take a memorable trip into the mountains before they once again turn cold and frozen.
PressBox.co.uk: The O2 Detox treatment is a safe, straightforward process. It simply involves immersing one's feet into a footbowl filled with water.
Whilst immersing your feet in the water positive and negative ions are emitted by the machine which re-energise the body. This type of machine is described as a detox machine because the response of a rebalanced body is to excrete any excess toxins via the kidneys, liver, bowels and skin not only DURING but also AFTER treatment. Therefore you will experience the beneficial effects of a detox experience.
TrendBlog: The heat wave doesn’t seem to be breaking. But help is on the way. There is some really cool stuff out there. Here is our collection of cutting edge cooling devices, much hotter than air conditioner, ceiling fans, etc.
The Hyakko Ryou Ryou is a chilled bandana and wraps around your head like an ice bag. You will not only stay cool but also look like the coolest Karate Kid. The soothing coolness will last for about 30 to 60 minutes, than you have to wet it again.
Local6.com: A new company plans to unveil new high-tech tombstones with embedded flat screen monitors that would allow visitors to play memorial videos of the deceased, according to a report.
Joe Joachim, who says he wants to be the Walt Disney of the funeral business, plans to unveil the Vidstone this year at the annual funeral directors convention.
Joe Joachim, who says he wants to be the Walt Disney of the funeral business, plans to show the Vidstone this year at the annual funeral directors convention.
"What we're trying to do is create the ultimate funeral experience," Joachim said. "Funeral directors are realizing it's an important service we can offer, and and we're happy to offer it."
The solar-powered Vidstone will play a video of the person's life at the touch of a button.
It will not have speakers but a jack to plug in headphones at cemeteries.
TrendCentral: An LA psychiatrist and a DC therapist are trying to ease the formal doctor-patient relationship with... treadmills? With the knowledge that people are often uninhibited about their personal lives and thus very close with their personal trainers, Wayne Sandler (LA) and Jane Cibel (DC) are incorporating exercise into their sessions. Sandler has two treadmills in his office where he and some of his patients work out while he counsels them, and Cibel takes her patients through a full body workout that includes free weights and treadmills.
While we certainly aren’t knowledgeable enough in the field of psychiatry to know if these techniques are actually effective, studies have shown that exercise is an effective anti-depressant. Maybe in the future personal training will be a course requirement for aspiring shrinks.
TrendBlog: Realizing that Generation X has been busy (re)producing Generation Y and Z and beyond; the inventive European entrepreneurs behind d-i-r-t-y.com have come up with an idea that will no doubt make parents, children and young-at-heart designers happy.
Dubbed “Babydisco,” this trendy toddler hangout is bound to leave an impression on the fashionistas and taste-makers of tomorrow. The crew behind Babydisco describe it as “an initiation to different forms of contemporary culture (design, video, music)” as well as “an oneiric and playful introduction to club land. Children take possession of a reduced-scale entirely rebuilt club with strong design, where night-club clichés meet childlike universe in a soft jewel box. The discotheque becomes a free space, to which adults have no access, except for a minute glance through the door.”
Of course each one hour session is “by appointment only.”
Backed by French fashion store Colette, Babydisco has “get-em-while-they’re-young” executives rubbing their palms with glee.
Springwise.com: More beauty-based ideas, of the Metrosexual kind no less (ah -- how 2004), as male beautification continues its waxed & plucked victory march. Male grooming salons and spas are seeing brisk business (as Springwise reported before). Men now make up 29 percent of all spa goers, according to the International Spa Association, while many European spas even report that men comprise 50% or more of their business. Here's a telling update (and hopefully a source of inspiration) of some recent salon/spas/barber spottings in this field:
The Dandy House Men's Beauty Day Spa is a Japanese chain offering everything from eyebrow trimming to body hair removal to weight-loss programs. Dandy House plans to expand from its current 54 salons to 100 by 2010.
Iconoculture: Consumers find a release for their primal passions, as well as their sense of unusual style, in retreats that are affordable, energy-efficient, and oh so cool.
Batman isn’t the only guy with a cool cave, OK? Affluent homeowners seeking a novel retreat are digging into their equity budgets to add custom-built caves to their property. The subterranean add-ons house everything from wine cellars to home entertainment centers to luxury spas.
Bacchus Caves in Napa, California, a longtime builder of winery caverns, now sells 60% of its caves to private clients (USA Today 5.19.05). One Connecticut man shelled out for a 3,000-sq.-ft. cave with faux hot springs. It wasn’t cheap, especially by Neanderthal standards, but caves cost just $150 per sq. ft. to build, compared with $500 per sq. ft. for most above-ground construction.
Iconoculture: Gyms can be intimidating, not to mention crowded and confining – especially for people who spend enough of their waking hours indoors. These workouts set them free.
Park benches aren’t just for sitting. Fitness buffs use them for aerobic step-ups while on Urban Walks in Washington, DC. The outdoor classes, from Balance Integrated Training Concepts (ITC), transform cityscape features like curbs into exercise equipment.
Trainers lead small groups of eight on early-morning 3-mi. walks that wind through leafy neighborhoods and parks. Walkers stop to stretch and pump up their heart rates using whatever is at hand; walls, for instance, make great chest presses. For $10, anyone feeling suburban girth can drop in. Like a tamed version of urban exploration or a kidless take on stroller excursions, the activities engage people to get out and make friends with their neighborhoods.
EastBayRI.com: Knitting has become the new trend, and all of a sudden, the crazy stares are gone. The popularity of the age-old pastime has soared in recent years, and even clebrities like Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz have recognized its theraputic benefits. Sometimes, just being able to sit down and escape the chaos of life and create something is the most soothing thing in the world. Another advantage to knitting is that you can have one-of-a-kind handmade clothing and accessories all year long. There are so many different things that are being knit.
Bella Yarns in Warren is not just your typical yarn store. It's also home to "Open Knit Night," where people come to knit, talk, and learn. Thursday nights from 6 to 8 p.m. the shop is filled with knitters of all ages. The crowd varies from night to night. The winter season is a more popular one for knitting, with at least 12 people a night showing up with their projects in hand.
DailyCandy: Let's face it. E-cards meet a need. When, say, you forget your brother's birthday. And when you throw a Bachelor finale party for your pals. But those fast and free messages don't make anyone sentimental.
Nothing says someone cared enough to send the very best like a beautifully designed traditional note in your mailbox. (That strange thing attached to your house.)
Paper Ink Studio is the brainchild of architect Le Vu, who had an insatiable desire to play with color. Her collection of cards, announcements, and invitations are minimalist at heart — but their vibrant color schemes, retro graphics, and clever text give correspondence a kick.
Parking Network: Refinery, a Top 25 U.S. interactive agency, announced that it is building an application for the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) that for the first time will link the City’s more than 1,000 off-street parking venues, even those not managed by PPA, through a consumer-friendly Web site. The site will allow users to view detailed location, availability, timing, and rate information in real time. The off-street parking locator is one of the first systems of it kind for a major metropolitan parking authority such as PPA.
This functionality, set to launch in 2005, is designed to make parking in Philadelphia more convenient and transparent by giving users the ability to review all viable off-street parking options by location, without leaving their homes. Refinery is designing the site with a state-of-art Geographic Information System (GIS) that combines detailed Philadelphia street map and attraction information with a rich database of off-street parking venues.
"Philadelphia has always been known as a City of innovation and we hope this changes the way people think about parking," said Joe Egan, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Parking Authority. "We believe this new service will help stabilize parking rates by providing consumers with information that will help them make informed parking choices".
Yenra: Swedish lifestyle company Singelringen has launched a finger ring for singles. Meaning the single ring in Swedish, Singelringen is for a burgeoning number of singles who are keen to identify one another as romantically unattached.
With sharp declines in marriage rates over the last few decades, single people are not only growing in number but also in influence.
Signs of the changes are everywhere: television programs like Friends have ushered in an age where being single is not only okay, for many it's a satisfying lifestyle choice. Internet dating is out in the open. Supermarkets built to cater to families are reinventing themselves with urban outlets serving up single-sized portions. Savvy marketers chase the single pound with specialized travel, finance, and media offerings.
"Everyone is single at sometime - so why not make the most of it?" asks Johan Wahlback of Singelringen. "It's a great time in a person's life. We should have a way of showing off, letting other people know that we're single. That's what Singelringen is all about - taking being single out of the shadows, celebrating it and sending a message."
"In this case the message is that single doesn't mean solitary, sad or sit at home alone," says Singelringen co-founder Asa Revland. "Whether you want to attract romance or friendship, it's much easier if we know someone is open to meeting new people."
Singelringen launches this month in Sweden, Denmark, the UK and the Republic of Ireland and will soon be available in the US, Japan, Thailand and throughout Europe.
Singelringen's Swedish heritage is evident in the elegant design and quality craftsmanship of the single's ring. The ring combines new and traditional materials in an outer band of light-catching turquoise acrylic melded to an inner silver band. A crescent shape cut into the acrylic allows the silver to shine through and signifies the wearer's openness to new conversations, friendships or romantic relationships. Each ring carries a unique number engraved in the silver band.
FortWayne.com: Now that every corner beauty shop calls itself a day spa, along comes something new: the day resort.
That’s what Cornelia Zicu calls the haven she opened recently on top of the Ferragamo building in Manhattan.
The main level houses 11 facial and massage rooms, luxurious locker rooms, a hair salon, a separate barbershop and a tranquil relaxation area where staff members brew tea or pour Champagne for guests awaiting treatments.
For a true urban treat, though, there’s the roof garden (scheduled to open in June) where guests can catch some sun or have a lazy lunch from Cafe Cornelia.
The roof level also features three soaking tubs, four body treatment rooms and a pool for Watsu massage.
A signature massage is $150, a facial is $175 – and each comes with an array of tempting enhancers such as hot stones or aromatherapy that sends the prices higher.
Yahoo! Finance: Move aside, dull, ordinary light bulbs -- Mood-lites, http://www.mood-lites.com, the ultimate lighting to enhance the spa lifestyle, dubbed a "must have" by The New York Daily News, has arrived to brighten your world!
Kathryn Goetzke White, the creator of Mood-lites, believes that Mood-lites is a holistic compliment to the spa lifestyle. "Mood-lites offer a variety of light-bulbs that will soothe your mind, body, and spirit," says Goetzke White. "Try putting 'Tranquility' in your massage treatment room to make it a more spiritual place, 'Renewal' in your tea and water relaxation area for revitalization, 'Happy' in your doorway or foyer to create an atmosphere of hospitality, 'Creativity' in your meditation room to encourage imagination, or infuse the room with vitality by adding 'Energy' in your recreational spaces," recommends White. "The opportunities are as infinite as your ingenuity."
The launch of Mood-lites includes a broad range of moods and colors, including Renewal(TM) (jade), Tranquility(TM) (sapphire), Serenity(TM) (turquoise), Passion(TM) (crimson), Creativity(TM) (purple), Happy(TM) (yellow) and Energy(TM) (orange). Mood-lites is the only colored bulb currently on the market with a coating that creates a special 'glow.' At a suggested retail price of $5.95, consumers don't have to purchase expensive colored shades or decorative lamps when they want to conjure up a new mood with lighting. Now all they need to do is buy a Mood-lites bulb and put it in a lamp -- and change the bulb whenever they are in the mood for something new and different!
STLtoday.com: It's easy enough to hang artwork on your wall, but have you ever considered turning your wall into a work of art?
Beyond faux finishes, crown molding, chair rails, wainscoting and baseboards, new decorating techniques and products are giving three-dimensional grandeur to walls that is nothing but artistic.
Maya Romanoff of Chicago, a textile designer and wallpaper master, said that he began as an artist trying to sell items for people to put on walls. But that wasn't the satisfaction he was looking for. He wanted his art to be the room, the walls, the finite boundary.
If people wanted Romanoff on their walls, he figured that they'd be willing to go all the way and make their walls into a Romanoff creation, not a backdrop but a focal point. His wallpaper products are well known and well regarded for their texture and artistry.
Paint may be the cheapest and easiest way to redecorate a room, but wallpaper can be more dramatic and pretty easy if you opt for just one accent wall. The newer wallcovering products no longer take many messy hours to apply or remove. Big patterns are great for concealing less than perfect walls.
And as Romanoff is fond of saying, wallpaper is art.
Yenra: Jacuzzi has announced a new initiative called Morphosis and unveiled a new series of whirlpool baths -- Alpha, Gamma, and Sigma -- that were designed in conjunction with Pininfarina, legendary for their Ferrari car designs.
Morphosis is a new and important Jacuzzi initiative focused on seeking out ventures in order to combine the best design aspects from outside the bath industry with the performance and technology of Jacuzzi.
From the Greek word morphosis -- to take shape, and also Morpheus, the god of dreams, the new Alpha, Gamma and Sigma whirlpool baths merge high-end design with hydrotherapy innovation. The fluid shapes of the bath tubs pair ergonomics with artistic design for a product that will be the centerpiece of the bathroom.
"This first series of tubs coming out of the Morphosis initiative are luxury whirlpool baths designed for the most discerning homeowner," says Kent Baker, president of Jacuzzi Whirlpool Bath. "In this initiative we actively sought to integrate astoundingly different and forward-thinking design with what we know best -- the movement of water. Our partnership with Pininfarina brings together two brands known for performance and innovation to elevate bathroom design to a whole new level."
AP: Despite suffering technical glitches that prompted jokes and guffaws, Bill Gates promised Wednesday that Microsoft Corp. would help millions of consumers stay seamlessly plugged into a world of digital music, movies, video games and television shows.
In his seventh annual keynote speech at the annual International Consumer Electronics Show, Microsoft's chairman explained that the proliferation of broadband Internet access and the falling price of data storage are compelling people to put music, photos, movies and other aspects of their life into a digital format.
Yenra:Hilton has signed an exclusive agreement with Bally Total Fitness to provide hotel guests with access to more than five thousand certified personal trainers at Hilton or Bally locations in major cities throughout North America. In addition, Hilton's Personal Performance Program includes enhancements to its in-room exercise options by offering an in-room mini gym designed by Bally at properties across the country.
A scientific study conducted on behalf of Hilton measured the impact of travel on performance and productivity and found that those who exercise while traveling performed sixty-one percent better than non-exercisers on alertness and reaction tests.
"Hilton has conducted extensive research throughout its rich history to identify unique opportunities to help our guests enjoy a rewarding travel experience when they stay with us," said Jeffrey Diskin of Hilton. "This new relationship with Bally Total Fitness provides our guests the additional motivation to maintain an existing exercise program, start a new one or simply get the advice and guidance of a certified personal trainer."
NewMediaBeijing.org: ScreamBody is a wearable space for screaming. When a person needs to scream but is in the office, classroom, looking after children, or in any number of situations where it is just not appropriate, ScreamBody acts as a surrogate lung allowing the person to let the scream out of their own body and into a body extension. ScreamBody silences the screams (or utterances of any kind) so the person may feel free to vocalize without fear of environmental retaliation, and at the same time records these for later release where, when, and how the person chooses. The vocalizations are played back out of ScreamBody by the user actually squeezing them out of its cushiony body -- the harder the squeeze, the louder the recordings are played out. This act of release is important because to simply silence the scream would be to annihilate the deep communication and would leave the person feeling betrayed by the apparatus, rather than empowered and encouraged to get their voice into the world. It is hoped that after enough use, a person will no longer need ScreamBody but will instead be able to vocalize without fear or embarrassment.
Vital Concierge Services: Westside area residents and businesses now have the opportunity to free themselves of time consuming tasks. Vital Concierge Services is available to assist them in almost every manner possible.
Today people are working longer hours, spending more time commuting and taking on additional workplace responsibilities, leaving considerably less time for their equally important personal lives.
Vital Concierge Services can help businesses create avenues of efficiency, productivity and profitability as well as helping employees at all levels manage demanding work and personal schedules.
Their services include Personal Assistance, Work Life Organiser, Home Management and more.
The Seattle Times: Designer jeans costing $150 can hardly be called expensive now that Calvin Stewart has entered the fray.
The New York-based designer ratcheted up the stakes with the introduction of A.P.O. Jeans, offering fully customized denim embellished with diamond, gold and platinum details — starting at $1,000 a pair.
"We wanted to be the Mercedes-Benz, the Maybach of the denim industry," Stewart told The Associated Press. (DaimlerChrysler's ultra high-end Maybach can cost upward of $300,000.)
A.P.O. jeans are constructed from denim woven in India that costs $40 a yard, compared with the $2- to $3-per-yard cost of materials for most designer denim. Buttons and rivets are made with precious metals or, if a customer is willing to shell out $4,000 or more, up to a dozen white diamonds on the main button.
Stewart, 42, says he'll make jeans to match a customer's measurements or copy the fit of a favorite — but perhaps worn-out — pair.
Not surprisingly, the jeans come with a certificate of authenticity, an appraisal and a "born-on" date. And to guard against counterfeiting, Stewart employs a secret, continuous-stitching method.
Popgadget: During the holidays, many families get puppies and kittens as gifts, only to discard them in shelters or on the streets just a few weeks later when the responsibility of taking care of a companion animal becomes tiresome. Perfect Petzzz is a better choice for anyone who's been begging for a puppy but may not be ready to actually care for one. The Perfect Petzz dogs and cats make breathing noises and smell like real animals. They just keep sleeping forever, though, without needing to be walked, played with, or fed, which doesn't exactly simulate the actual experience of having a real dog or cat but they could be a soothing (or creepy, not sure which) presence in a lonely house.
Frommers.com: My wife and I didn't want to leave our bed at the Hotel Delamar in Greenwich, CT. Sure, we were having a romantic weekend, but more than just love was preventing us from getting up -- the quilt and pillows made us feel like we were floating on clouds.
A good hotel room is full of delicious stuff -- pillows a lot more lush than my $19 Bed Bath & Beyond on-sale specials and bath products that make my $2.29 Rite Aid shampoo at home look like, well, $2.29 Rite Aid shampoo. Sure, it also helps that people are waiting on you hand and foot at a four-star hotel, but plush furnishings go a long way towards creating a luxury experience.
Want to make your home feel a little more like a top-of-the-line hotel? Order in room service from your nearest takeout place, call up the local maid service and buy bed and bath goodies from your favorite luxury lodging.
Bizjournals.com: After launching new products and services for Golden-based Adolph Coors Co. and Broomfield-based Level 3 Communications Inc., Heather Shepardson wants to get a piece of the $8 billion Christmas decoration market.
Shepardson, 36, recently introduced the Ever-Green Water System, a plastic box disguised as a Christmas present. The product fits neatly under a Christmas tree, providing a 2.7-gallon reservoir of water through a plastic tube.
Currently vice president of enterprise data services at Level 3, Shepardson said the Christmas novelty is doing so well that she's thinking about quitting her day job and devoting all of her professional attention to the new endeavor.
The Independent: They are dressed in designer outfits, spend their days working out on the treadmill and take holidays in luxury accommodation. It's a dog's life in the 21st century, it seems.
While pet pampering may once have been seen as a sign of a lonely life, it is now increasingly linked with celebrity culture. The hotel heiress Paris Hilton dresses her chihuahua in Chanel, the former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell buys her shih-tzu diamond collars and even Kimberly Quinn sent her Dandie Dinmont to a counsellor in an attempt to curb its hatred of David Blunkett's guide dog.
Duluth News Tribune: Rolf Reifgies always got in trouble at the airport security checkpoint because of his suspenders.
Whenever the Wisconsin businessman flew out of Minneapolis, Milwaukee or Madison, the metal in his suspenders set off the magnetometer. Then, six weeks ago, he discovered BuzzNot, a brand of suspenders with plastic clasps.
"Works like a charm," Reifgies said of the $19.99 pair he found on SuspenderStore.com. Now when he takes off on trips to sell his milking equipment, Reifgies glides right through security. "It's a nuisance if I wear regular suspenders."
In this era of tightened airport security, retailers are coming to the aid of the aggravated traveler, offering new products -- such as bras and shoes -- designed to get passengers through the checkpoints without the indignity of a pat-down.
Orthodox Jews are forbidden to work, write, drive or perform other activities from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday to keep the Sabbath holy. Cooking or fire lighting are not allowed too in the home, including its modern equivalence - the use of electricity.
A bit inconvenient for Orthodox Jews, but there are people who view this inconvenience as a money-making opportunity. One of them is Jonah Ottensoser of Star-K. He earns a living by guiding companies like General Electric, Electrolux, and Viking in building Sabbath-compliant appliances and products. Since he was hired seven years ago, Ottensoser has helped design Sabbath modes for more than 300 types of ovens and stoves, and dozens of refrigerators.
This certainly makes good business sense; in the US alone, there are 900,000 Orthodox Jewish households (and millions throughout the world). Increasingly, tech companies are acknowledging cultural and religious values which would allow them to tap emerging overseas markets as well as become more competitive in domestic niche markets.
Is your CD rack an eyesore? Are you having storage problems? If your answer is yes to any of the above question, then it is high time that you consider getting a rack that is stylish and space saving such as the Mechanica media racks!
What's more, the shelf spacing is fully adjustable and one could just add more shelves at any time! The sheer convenience and the sleek designs sure do leave people yearning for one of these shelves.
In fact, we did feature several articles in previous issues of our CoolBusinessIdeas newsletter about the qualities that customers look out for in consumer goods and products. Things like performance, functionality, comfort, durability and style. So be sure to read what we have to say about the Hides multi-function eyewear as well as the Bumble-Free cup dispensers.
Let's Get Down To Business...
The AV Mechanica media racks feature unparalleled flexibility - CDs, DVDs, VHS or Beta storage in any combination! This flexibility definitely entices customers to buy their racks. Producers should always bear in mind that consumers like practicability and style. So if a producer can successfully fuse both factors together in a product, the thirst for the product would then be greater.
Ever wanted to be the CEO of your very own Starbucks or Amazon.com? Fire your boss and be your own boss? Now you can, with BIZNESS! - the free biweekly business newsletter about new business ideas, opportunities and innovations from around the world. More than just new business trends, BIZNESS! helps the aspiring entrepreneur (you!) with small business advice, business tips, and entrepreneur resources and opportunities.
USA Today: Wyndham Hotels' new "Smart Chair" aims to do for in-room lounging and working what Westin's Heavenly Bed did for sleeping.
Springwise: In a variation on online dating, two new concepts allow people to connect online after first meeting (briefly) in the physical world. Canadian 
DailyCandy: If your mind wanders before three, try 
Josh Spears: Would you believe me if I were to tell you there was a place where one could get a haircut, a shave, shop and enjoy a cocktail? Well for you Chicagoans, this might just be your lucky day. Guise, located on Halsted in Lincoln Park, is the creation of Brad Habansky who was looking to create a one-stop shop where men felt comfortable; and that he did. In the front of this swank establishment is numerous barber chairs each featuring their very own plasma television. The main draw for me is the comfort of being able to get a good haircut (*cough* and manicure) and not have to worry about looking to prissy in front of your female counterparts, but the shopping at Guise is not too shabby either.
Babygadget: As a young father, I hate the stereotype you often see on television and commercials of the bumbling dad. Does it take us a touch longer to pick up some skills when it comes to child-rearing? Sure, but that doesn't mean that we remain bumbling for the rest of our lives. I always enjoy when I come across products that are made for fathers, and also keep us better organized without making us feel like idiots. The Daddy's Tool Bag does all these things, and at $45 is also affordable.
Iconoculture: Would you make any much-loved family member sleep on the floor on a lumpy pillow? That’s the logic driving a new generation of high-end dog beds that feature not only frames, but luxe mattresses and decorator themes befitting not a doghouse, but the room of a pampered child. From the Asian-themed Saigon Day Bed Frame ($300) and Pampered Puppy’s “Furari” dog bed ($250) to SSS Petcare’s wrought-iron frame ($127-$163) and pillow-topped mattress ($250-$420), there’s nothing about these canine crash pads that says “dog’s life.” Then again, with a good night’s sleep on the radar for human health, how could Fido’s sweet dreams be far behind?
The Cool Hunter: The trend in hotels with themed rooms seems to be spreading like a rash, with hotels in Denmark, UK, Berlin, Paris & Madrid. The clever concept sees different artists and designers commissioned to fit out each room, or in the case of the Madrid hotel, entire floors. The idea is to give guests a completely different experience to the guest next door. The latest hotel to join in the trend is the Reflections hotel in Bangkok. Each of the 30 rooms has been created by a different designer or artist in everything from stylish deco style right through to crazy kitsch, which can make you feel as though you’ve stepped into a fantastical abstract painting. It’s fun and definitely not for the minimal-lovin faint hearted.
Yenra: Windjector from Dosho Design uses air resistance to provide a cardio workout, stretching, and strengthening of the core muscles. The twenty-nine core muscles are crucial for improving athletic performance as well as for performing everyday activities. Windjector use of air resistance allows each individual to work out at his own pace. The faster you move, the more resistance you encounter, and the harder you work out.
RotatingHome.com: Perfect for entertaining and personal enjoyment a RotatingHome may be just right for you. No longer will you need to decide which rooms will have a great view and which rooms will have minimal view or no view at all - the RotatingHome allows you to see your entire view from all the major rooms in your home! If you prefer to enjoy your view in the open air, a rotating deck can surround the entire circumference or just part of your home. A RotatingHome can be built in any size or shape with all or part of the home turning and it can have any number of stories with one or all rotating. The structure can turn a 100 times in one direction or a 1,000 in the other or stop in any position while always being connected to all utilities, just like any other home. You can choose the speed it rotates, we recommend a variable speed from one revolution in 30 minutes to one revolution in 24 hours. This is all made possible by the truly unique and patented SWIVEL at the heart of the home.
DenverPost.com: Picky, picky, Josh Spear. He's the prince of particular, the satrap of selection, the chief of choosing, this 21-year-old occasional University of Colorado undergraduate with a unique passion for the things that please him. When Spear likes something, he posts it on his popular blog, 
Here’s what makes the condo hotel concept so appealing. When you’re not using your condo hotel unit, you have the option of placing it into the hotel's rental program. You receive 40%-60% of the revenue your unit generates (it varies by property), with the balance going to the hotel operator. While the hotel operator doesn't guarantee the rental of the unit, by capitalizing on the hotel's brand name, big league advertising, national affiliations, centralized reservation system and management expertise, unit owners typically receive a higher level of rental income than they would from a traditional vacation home. More importantly, ownership is 100 percent hassle-free, as the hotel operator takes care of renting and maintaining the unit as well as managing the property’s many amenities.
The Epoch Times: As the heat of the summer season drags on, a jaunt into the cool mountain air is a welcome escape for summer vacationers. After the white blankets of snow melt from the slopes, the mountains reveal their green grass and colorful wildflowers. Fresh air, warm days and cool nights are a welcome change from the hubbub of sticky heat in a crowded metropolis.
DailyCandy: Let's face it. E-cards meet a need. When, say, you forget your brother's birthday. And when you throw a Bachelor finale party for your pals. But those fast and free messages don't make anyone sentimental.
Maya Romanoff of Chicago, a textile designer and wallpaper master, said that he began as an artist trying to sell items for people to put on walls. But that wasn't the satisfaction he was looking for. He wanted his art to be the room, the walls, the finite boundary.
Popgadget: During the holidays, many families get puppies and kittens as gifts, only to discard them in shelters or on the streets just a few weeks later when the responsibility of taking care of a companion animal becomes tiresome. 
In fact, we did feature several articles in previous issues of our CoolBusinessIdeas newsletter about the qualities that customers look out for in consumer goods and products. Things like performance, functionality, comfort, durability and style. So be sure to read what we have to say about the 
