360 DEGREES Weblog

You’d figure that after winning grands prix and driving the fastest cars on the planet, an accomplished F1 driver would have had his fill of extreme Gs and rapid acceleration, but these are speed junkies, and they’re always looking for a new adventure. That could be why two seasoned F1 pros are lining up, among the myriad celebrities and billionaires, to experience a low-orbit space flight with Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic.

Sponsoring the winning Brawn GP car at this past weekend’s race in Bahrain, Virgin Galactic announced their two latest recruits: Rubens Barrichello and Niki Lauda. Barrichello, who is second in the standings for the F1 world championship this year, has already paid the $200,000 for his ticket on one of Virgin’s space flights, which Branson delivered in person at the race. Three-time world champion Niki Lauda, however, is planning to take it even further by undertaking training, at age 60, to pilot the Virgin spacecraft and take other paying tourists up into space. Lauda already owns his own airline and sometimes pilots the flights himself, but even for the driver who’s been to hell and back, this should be a new adventure altogether.

The onslaught of Oscar-contending DVD releases continues with Frost/Nixon ($18). Nominated for five Academy Awards, this Ron Howard-helmed flick details the 1977 long-form interviews between British TV host David Frost and former U.S. President Richard Nixon from a modern perspective, with knockout performances from both Frank Langella (Tricky Dick) and Michael Sheen (Frost). One of the best films of 2008, ready for a 2009 living room screening.

If you are a fashion conscious globe trotter, having a stylish luggage is a must. And Samsonite Black Label collaboration with Viktor & Rolf offers you just that. The two have teamed up to produce a fashionable range of luggage and accessories known as the Samsonite Black Label by Viktor & Rolf collection. Stylish, chic with a hint of playfulness, these bags are sure to become a rage among the fashion conscious elite class. The design has been inspired by the 1960’s golden age of travel and a fun twist has been added by the unique prints and patterns like airplanes, large bows and oversized hardware. Retro yet contemporary, these bags were launched exclusively at Colette on February 10.

We have seen some amazing radiator designs in the past, but the animal-shaped radiators from Dutch designer Guus Van Leeuwen take the cake. The designer’s “Domestic Animals” series has made a debut at this year’s Salone Del Mobile exhibition in Milan. The Guus Van Leeuwen radiators are covered with the skin of the animal they represent. Every “Domestic Animal” is crafted out of a single ongoing steel tube that starts and ends at the tail. “This can’t be bended in one time, so every animal is built from 40 to 60 pieces, which are all bent by a computer-controlled machine and then welded onto each other to create this one ongoing tube.” At the tail the radiators can easily be connected to the central heating system. Personally, I don’t see any reason to deck these steel carcasses with the real furry skins, but probably this is done to add a sophisticated touch to these sculptures-cum-radiators.

Sometimes it’s the simplest of ideas that make the best advertisements – and who doesn’t remember creating wacky hairdo’s with the bath bubbles in the tub as a kid. Well at least we do. Take a look at these simple yet effective ads.

This new iPhone Credit Card Terminal software turns your groovy handset into a portable full blown credit card processor. No more ties to the landlines, or having to buy expensive swipe equipment. Install the app, sign up to authorize.net and you’re good to go, grabbing payments over WiFi or 3G. Instant approvals and declines over the air, a transaction history log and email receipts. What’s not to love? Unless it’s the $25.00 a month service charge and 2.09% transaction fee? But just think, selling stuff at fairs, shows, concerts, on-site (e.g. domestic cleaners, repairmen etc)…the mind boggles. Awesome

There’s been a show-stopping addition to RM Auctions’ annual Leggenda e Passione event at the Ferrari factory in Maranello on May 17. We’ve already enthused about the rare 1957 250 Testa Rossa and the passel of other multimillion-dollar Ferraris on offer; now RM informs us that an ultra-rare and enormously valuable 1967 podium-finish Ferrari 330 P4 Le Mans (above) has been entered in the sale, and is sure to shatter records. Regarded as one of the greatest sports-racing prototypes ever designed by Ferrari, the fiercely competitive 330 P4 is one of only three P4s ever built.

The example on offer has a distinguished racing pedigree including a win at the 1000-kilometre Trofeo Filippo Caracciolo in Monza and a third overall finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1967. The car has been driven by such legendary names as Lorenzo Bandini and Willy Mairesse, while Jackie Stewart and Chris Amon famously took the car to second place in the British BOAC International 500, clinching the World Championship for Ferrari in the process. The May 17 event marks the first time the car has come to market in 38 years.

Once again the molecular gastronomy stylings of chef Ferran Adria have pushed Spanish restaurant El Bulli to the top of another world’s best restaurants list. El Bulli won the top slot in the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2009. The list is the result of a poll of more than 800 chefs, critics managers and others done for Restaurant Magazine.

According to the AFP, Adria is quoted as saying it was an important night for Spain (in addition to El Bulli, two other Spanish restaurants, Mugaritz and El Celler de Can Roca were in the top five). He dedicated his award to Heston Blumenthal, whose restaurant, The Fat Duck was in the second position. Adria praised Blumenthal for his honesty. Blumenthal closed his restaurant briefly over a potential food poisoning scare earlier this year. Restaurants in the top ten from the U.S. were Thomas Keller’s Per Se and Grant Achtaz’s Alinea in the US.

Off the list this year was Gordon Ramsay’s flagship London restaurant. Bloomberg reports that it was in 13th place last year but didn’t even crack the top 100 for 2009. He did squeak onto the list in slot 91 with his restaurant Maze.

Bad news for the restaurant world, eating out has topped the list of a survey of what people are willing to give up during a recession. The survey, conducted by New York marketing firm GfK Custom Research last fall found that 82 percent of those surveyed could easily forgo restaurant time as their first cutback in a difficult economy. Forbes reports that the National Restaurant Association in Washington, D.C., predicts that Americans will spend $566 billion eating out in 2009 which is a small 2.5 percent increase over 2008. The good news for those still interested in dining is that the deals abound. All across the restaurant spectrum, from casual dining to some of the best restaurants in the U.S., discounts and special offers provide an incentive to let someone else do the cooking.

Possibly the world’s first virtual construction tool, the Stanley Level iPhone App (Free) is also the first truly accurate digital level available for the iPhone. Once calibrated, the Stanley Level uses the iPhones built-in accelerometer to achieve the desired angle, and displaying a bubble for perfect measurements, just like the real thing.