360 DEGREES Weblog

 

How many remotes do you have in your living room? 2 or 3?  Well I got 3 of them and at any given time, at least two of these are missing. Generally I’ve found that either I wandered off into another room and set one down, or the couch at it. Still, I spend more time searching for them than I’d like. That’s why something like this Remote Buddy Stylish could come in handy.

First, I would like to point out that despite its name, this thing doesn’t actually look all that stylish. It is useful in the respect that it not only provides a good place to set your remotes, but it will also locate them for you at the push of a button. It also provides a drink holder, so you don’t lose that too. You can get yours for right around $60.

The latest inspiring example of innovative interior commercial design is the new Maedaya Grill & Sake bar in Melbourne, created by local design studio Architects Eats. The sushi restaurant’s interior, much of which is “bound” by ropes,  demonstrates the possibility of using ordinary recyclable material for hospitality projects without compromising sophistication.

The rope idea originated from the classic design of sake bottles, which are traditionally secured with ropes. The principle material for this project consists of Manila ropes, timber and concrete. Materials had to reflect on natural elements such as vegetation and earth.

Aiming to bring affordable luxury to modern travellers, a new hotel brand just opened its doors at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. citizenM (the M is for mobile) is targeting guests who view design as a given, need rooms that are comfortable and efficient, but can’t or don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars, euros or pounds for a night’s sleep. The hotel was founded by Rattan Chadha—who created fashion label Mexx and is also involved with Asian hotel group Oberoi—and designed by acclaimed Dutch architectural firm Concrete.

citizenM manufactures its rooms offsite to save time and money. Once the identical prefabs units have been shipped to a site, 240 rooms can be stacked up into a hotel in about 15 days, after which they’re hooked up to plumbing and electricity. Rooms are compact—just 14 square meters—but big windows and a smart layout ensure they don’t feel cramped. Brand partnerships include Vitra—the hotel is a veritable showroom for its iconic furniture—and Philips, which designed a ‘MoodPad’ that allows guests to regulate room temperature and lighting, adjust blinds, flip through TV channels and set alarms (including one that gently counts down from 100).

Making up for small rooms that are mainly meant for sleeping and showering, citizenM features inviting common areas, including a self-serve deli selling sushi, salads, hot pasta, etc. To cut costs, the hotel doesn’t offer a full-service restaurant or room service. Guests handle their own check-in and check-out, which takes less than a minute. Room prices range from EUR 69–139, based on demand. The company plans to open 20 hotels across Europe, starting off with downtown Amsterdam, Glasgow and two locations in London.

O.K. I must admit that the idea of battery powered suitcases like the LiveLuggage power assisted (PA series) tickles me. I have done more than my fair share of long haul traveling and if there is one thing I hate, it is lugging a heavy suitcase around. Sure, you can get wheeled bags, but even they require a bit of muscle power, especially if A to B is a particularly long distance. $1365

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has “decreed” (that means demanded and payed for) the start of “his strategic vision of making the UAE a hub for multicultural understanding. The museum will be a celebration of the region’s artists and art. It will also celebrate Khor Dubai’s importance as a cultural hub within a Dubai as a global city.” I find it interesting that they believe a building filled with only local artists will somehow put Dubai’s new museum on scale with more inclusive international museums like Hermitage, Getty, New York’s MET, Prado, British Museum and Louvre. UN Studio, based in The Netherlands, has been selected to design the Museum and will certainly be the most international aspect of this rather intriguing looking museum.

Maserati have unveiled the redesigned Quattroporte and Quattroporte S for the 2009 model year. The Quattroporte uses the same 4.2 liter engine which outputs four hundred horsepower and has a top speed of 270 kilometers an hour, the Quattroporte S uses a 4.7 liter engine which outputs four hundred and thirty horsepower and has a top speed of 280 kilometers an hour. The exterior features many subtle chages with the biggest changes done to the front grille and the tail lights. The 2009 Maserati Quattroporte and Quattroporte S will be available this fall from Maserati dealerships worldwide.

Of all the restaurants that might offer a $200 truffle-laden burger on their menu Burger King is probably one of the last ones, if not the last one, that comes to mind. But believe it or not Burger King has launched a $200 hamburger called simply “The Burger” that features Wagyu beef, white truffles, Pata Negra ham slices, Cristal onion straws, Modena balsamic vinegar, lambs lettuce, pink Himalayan rock salt, organic white wine, and shallot-infused mayonnaise all served up on an Iranian saffron and white truffle dusted bun.

That’s quite a list of ingredients.

“The Burger” will be on sale once per week in London and proceeds go to benefit the Help a London Child charity.

Disney’s New Innoventions Dream Home is the futuristic hi-tech abode every geek could vie for! The house features state-of-the-art technology to give it’s the owner the luxury of getting household errands done, virtually without anyone lifting a finger. The home offers family members high-tech connectivity, not just with one another but with people, entertainment and information in the world at large. . The Innoventions Dream Home is both a show and a showcase, offering guests of all ages a hands-on experience with new in-home technologies The fictional Elias family will welcome all guests into their new Dream Home at the end of June. These actors are equipped with RFID tags, so when they enter a room, lighting preferences can change, different music can play, and perhaps most interesting, the dozens of LCD picture frames (all networked) can display different pictures. Each room in the house has touch panels, and all interact with streaming HD feeds and HP media servers running Microsoft’s Media Center. There’s even a magic mirror in the daughter’s room that puts virtual outfits on the user in real time.

Veuve Clicquot has a thing about teaming up with high-end renowned brands to offer exceptional indulgences for champagne enthusiasts, time and gain. Following Globalight’s success, now they have collaborated with Italian yacht maker Riva to unveil the La Grande Dame by Riva Collection. Since popping a bottle of champagne while cruising through serene waters is mandatory (at least I think it is), this luxurious set includes the Cruise Collection, Cruiser Bag, and ice bucket for intoxicating celebrations. While the Cruise Collection, a “made to measure” piece contains 4 bottles of La Grande Dame 98, 2 magnums of La Grande Dame 88, 6 champagne flutes Riedel and 6 water tumblers, plates, table mats and cutlery, the Cruiser Bag, a limited edition of 300 pieces only, contains a bottle of La Grande Dame 98 and two champagne flutes.

Whilst, for personal viewing of video content, the screens provided on both Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch are certainly sufficient in size (whilst adhering to pocket-friendly dimensions) if you want to share video content stored on your iPhone or iPod Touch or you simply want to site back and liberate the content from the limited size device’s screens this QingBar MP101 mini projector developed specifically for the iPhone and iPod Touch will undoubtedly appeal.

Honlai Technology’s QingBar MP101 assumes docking station format, allowing you merely to slot your iPhone/Touch into place, at which point not only will the QingBar MP101 serve to recharge your device but it can also project video content onto a wall/ceiling of your choice courtesy of a (not exactly overly bright) 10-15 ANSI lumens 5W LED LCoS lamp – rated at 20,000 hours lide expectancy - with your videos accompanying sound being taken care of thanks to the MP101’s built-in stereo speakers (rated at 2 watts).