360 DEGREES Weblog

On the first day of creation, God created the dog. On the second day, God created man to serve the dog.
While you take this age-old humor with a pinch of salt, designer Marco Morosini has his sacred belief lying there. The designer’s new Dog is a God collection by Italo Bosa is designed to serve the canine species. The Dog is a God collection draws its belief from the ancient times, when they were considered cult objects. As the designer puts it, “The Assyrians and Egyptians embalmed them after death; and the Chinese, the Incas and the Mayas took special care of them.” The Castagna doghouses from the collection feature a sleek and simple design that mimics a temple shape to rest your four-legged friend in a heavenly abode. Besides, we have earlier also told you about the Travel doghouse from the collection to take care of your pet’s travel needs.

Aspiring kid architects can learn from greats with the Lego architecture series. Bright and Spacious has a gallery of the Lego’s Architecture Series by Adam Reed Tucker that includes the Empire State Building and the Seattle Space Needle and now has a couple of offerings by Frank Lloyd Wright. The NY Guggenheim Museum model is shown above. I’d love to see Lego interpret the works of Frank Gehry, now that would be a challenge. Each set sells for $45.

Acerbis, the Italian design firm that is constantly innovating to merge home entertainment and furniture into one with its whimsical range of hi-tech furniture, has introduced its New Concept collection at Salone Del Mobile 2009, which also includes the Lyneus Lodovico audio-video cabinet we have earlier told you about. Another one from the collection is the NC Base Superschermo 100. This new version allows you to enjoy an LCD and a projection screen experience all in one! The NC Base Superschermo 100 cabinet conceals a projection screen in its belly to turn your living room into a media room just like that. The automated screen boasts an available projection width of about 2 meters for 16:9 format with high efficiency and luminosity features compatible with most of the projectors on the market. A smart alternative to a home theater room, in case you are not ready to go through the custom installations or simply not in the mood to spend big bucks for getting a personalized home theater room.

At 2.7 inches in length and an inch in diameter, the pill MP3 player is a small unit, but it trumps the new shuffle with a bit of intuitive design. The controls are in the pill, not in some stupid headphone arrangement. Pull on the pill to reveal the controls and then turn back or forward to select tracks, it just works.

Unlike most concepts, this one appears to have gotten off the ground. Look for it later in the year.

Atomic Floyd Sound Power System combines a series of innovative technologies - functional features1, special materials2, and certified components3 - to create World Class acoustics that gives you exhilarating sound experiences. From GBP 89

Think of a hotel where champagne costs £25 a glass, bathrooms have gold plated mirrors on the floor, toilets are remote controlled and the private beach has been created from 9,000 tons of the white sand imported from Egypt. We are talking about newly opened, most expensive hotel in Europe – the Mardan Palace. The £800 million luxury resort in Antalya, Turkey had an audience of 600 rich and famous people at its opening party. A stunning fireworks display impresses the guests at the opening party. Celebrities who played guests were Richard Gere, Sir Tom Jones, Sharon Stone and Mariah Carey. Paris Hilton, the recession fighter, was also on the VIP guests list. More than £1billion has been spent on this project by Russian billionaire Telman Ismailov. Hotel suites cost a whopping £11,500 ($18,300) a night. Mardan palace is festooned with 2,500 tons of gold, 500,000 crystals and 23,000 square meters of Italian marble. The lavish resort has 560 rooms, including two Royal Suites with private pools.

Artist Jorge Colombo took about an hour to fingerpaint an intricate Times Square scene on his iPhone using Brushes, a $4.99 iPhone drawing app. Now, it’s the June 1st cover for The New Yorker.

Ooh, baby, baby, it’s a wild world. And we all have to bond together on these Internet social systems so we know we’re not alone. As time marches on, social networks evolve from global gathering grounds to cul-de-sacs devoted to specific interests. You might join a network of crafters. I might flock to a hub where people debate the meaning of Beatles lyrics. But seriously, folks, has it devolved to the point where we need a social network devoted to the type of lube one might use to silence a squeaky wheel? Yes, the WD-40 Co. has launched The Money-Saving Tool community. At this budding Peyton Place of cyberspace, members are encouraged to share money-saving tips and tricks—through stories, photos, videos, what have you—to show the creative ways they protect their investments and avoid paying for expensive repairs or replacement goods. According to the WD-40 Web site, the substance boasts more than 2,000 uses. As a virtual welcome wagon during the site’s launch earlier this month, WD-40 offered the first 40 community residents a value pack containing its WD-40 Smart Straw can, WD-40 Big Blast can and WD-40 No-Mess Pen assortment.

Thanks Becky Ebenkamp

British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has already put children’s nutrition in the spotlight with his School Dinners documentaries and Feed Me Better campaign. Now, through a partnership with Swedish Scandic Hotels, he’s bringing his philosophy right to the table for travellers with children.

The three-year partnership will focus on a different target group each year, beginning with children. Specifically, starting this summer, kids will be able to try out completely new children’s menus at all 150 of Scandic’s hotels. Many traditional meals will be revamped; other, new ones will also be introduced, featuring natural preparations and organic ingredients. Kids will begin by choosing their food from a photo-based menu designed specifically with them in mind, according to Fashtastic. They’ll also be able to assemble their own salad. Entrees will include spaghetti and meatballs, while dessert will feature ice cream “Smushins”—something Oliver apparently invented as kid–including vanilla ice cream with healthy toppings like fresh fruit and berries, “smushed” together with a spatula by the kids themselves.

Thanks Springwise

Ok, it’s not really a can opener, but it looks like one. Sorta. Kinda. The Zipit is a motorized plastic clamshell package opener from ThinkGeek. It’s an interesting concept, but I think I still prefer the manual Zibra Open It shears. These might be good for people with poor hand strength though.