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Sexin' Up That Stogie With Custom Bejeweled Cigar Bands & Gold Ashtrays
Okay, so smoking cigars and spending money on bejeweled accessories for them are both pretty gauche, but that's what made these products so fascinating to me. Ysenberg specializes in the design and production of high value accessories in the world of cigars. Their point, in their words, is to realize and arrange the individual wishes of the customer.
That said, they have two lines of products; Ysenbands (actual custom personalized gold or gold plated sterling silver and gemstone cigar bands with leather accents) and Ysentrays (cigar ash trays made with gold, gold leaf, gold accents and crystal or dichroic glass).
YSENBANDS
Some Ysenband customers include the King of Benin and Chief of the Ritz in Paris:
YSENTRAYS- crystal and gold leaf ashtrays
Ysenberg items come with a certificate with registered individual numbers on all their products.
Their products can be found at high end cigar and smoke shops all over Europe. Go here to find distributors.
YSENBERG e.U.
Johanna Fritsche
Tschapina 10
6707 Bürserberg
AUSTRIA
T: +43 (0)664 912 79 39
F: +43 (0)5552 62648 19
ysenberg.com
The World Without People
If a virulent virus, or even the Rapture, depopulated Earth overnight, how long before all trace of humankind vanished?
There are places in Manhattan where they’re constantly fighting rising underground rivers that are corroding the tracks. You stand in these pump rooms, and you see an enormous amount of water gushing in. And down there in a little box are these pumps, pumping it away. So, say human beings disappeared tomorrow. One of the first things that would happen is that the power would go off. A lot of our power comes out of nuclear or coal-fired plants that have automatic fail-safe switches to make sure that they don’t go out of control if no humans are monitoring their systems
Once the power goes off, the pumps stop working. Once the pumps stop working, the subways start filling with water. Within 48 hours you’re going to have a lot of flooding in New York City. Some of this would be visible on the surface. You might have some sewers overflowing. Those sewers would very quickly become clogged with debris—in the beginning the innumerable plastic bags that are blowing around the city and later, if nobody is trimming the hedges in the parks, you’re going to have leaf litter clogging up the sewers.
Many of the buildings in Manhattan are anchored to bedrock. But even if they have steel beam foundations, these structures were not designed to be waterlogged all the time. So eventually buildings would start to topple and fall.
At the other end of the chronological spectrum, anything made of bronze might survive in recognizable form for millions of years—along with one billion pounds of degraded but almost indestructible plastics manufactured since the mid-20th century.
Meanwhile, land freed from mankind’s environmentally poisonous footprint would quickly reconstitute itself, as in Chernobyl, where animal life has returned after 1986’s deadly radiation leak, and in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, a refuge since 1953 for the almost-extinct goral mountain goat and Amur leopard.
15 Most Creative Beds
Magnetic Floating Bed
Designed by Dutchman Janjaap Ruijssenaars, this magnetic floating bed has enough magnets to keep 900 kilograms (1,984 pounds) floating in the air. To make sure that the bed doesn't float away because of hard wind or weird movements, it's tethered to the walls by four cables. Technically, the magnetic floating bed is for sale, but at a price of 1.2 million euros ($1.53 million), you're not likely to find it in your local mattress store.
Hamburger Bed
Haven't you ever wanted to curl up inside a juicy hamburger? No? Well, too bad. The Internet loves hamburgers and therefore the glorious Hamburger Bed has over 1,000 fans on Facebook and a sesame seed duvet.
NapShell, an egg-like bed
You might not have realized you needed a power-napping bed – but once you have seen this futuristic creation by Napshell you’ll feel your life is totally incomplete without it. Ergonomically designed to be good for your back and spine, the Napshell bed’s super comfy shaped mattress will fit a wide range of body types and heights. Visual and acoustic elements within the bed make instant, deep relaxation possible at the press of a button. Complete with LED lights, MP3 player and sound proof walls, the Napshell is a busy businessperson’s ultimate dream come true.
Molecular Bed
Made of 120 sofa balls covered with elastic fabric, the Feel Seating System designed by Animi Causa has a really unusual shape. It is inspired by a molecular structure, the basic form for all objects is the universe. If you are a playful person you can use it in many creative ways, because the structure of the feel allows to create multiple forms.
Fantasy Coach, A fairytale bed
Wave your magic wand and this carriage may appear to make your little princess' dreams come true. This fanciful coach bed is the most extraordinary children's bed we've ever seen. Handcrafted in England of wood and fiberglass, the oval shaped interior measures just over 6 ft. in diameter. Construction and delivery time on this piece is over 6 months. The bar is set with this magnificent piece; it simply has no equal outside of fairy tales. Linens and interior options priced upon request. The price of a dream come true? $47,000.
Cosmovoide Bed
We spend around a third of our lives asleep... but that can't justify spending $60,000 on a bed, can it? The makers of Cosmovoide think it can. Their luxury bed is shaped like an egg (to either give you Morkian dreams, or wrap you up in cozy cosmic harmony or some such nonsense), has hammock-like suspending springs, seven rainbow-colored LEDs, a telephone, and a DVD/home theater set-up including a TV at its foot. Most fascinating? Its twin "electric relaxation bed frames," which just get the mind boggling. That price is the base model, by the way: it's customizable, according to its french manufacturers.
Quantum Sleeper, the "anti-terrorist" bed
The Quantum Sleeper is a bed that hermetically seals itself as you sleep to protect you from Bio-Chemical terrorist attack, natural disaster, kidnappers/stalkers and affords Bulletproof 'Saferoom' protection." It also has one-way mirrors so intruders can watch themselves futilely try to get in while you sit inside and call the police on your mobile, shortwave or CB radio. You can cower in style with the optional CD and DVD players and microwave oven. The price of protection? 160,000 dollars.
Private Cloud, the rocking bed
The Private Cloud, designed by Manuel Kloker, is a patented rocking frame for a bed that moves back and forth like a rocking chair. It sells for an average of about $6,800 depending on the size ordered, without the mattress.
The Scoop!
Designed by Guido Rosati for Saba Italia, Scoop! is a sophisticated and innovative answer to the demand for combinig the sofa function with the bed function. The two semi-circular sides of the bed can be separated resulting two new pieces of furniture. This bed is a great way to surprise your guests, and also you can be proud to have a stylish contemporary bed and two sofa’s in the same time.
The Computer Bed
The computer bed is a normal bed which makes an intelligent use of the space below the bed. The gas pistons enable the bed to double up as a computer table. Invented by European designer Lino's son Francesco, this twin model comes with a reinforced metal frame in your choice of several different kinds of wood. Prices start at $3650.
The Sonic Bed
The sonic bed is a king-size bed with 12-channel surround sound. It may look like a wooden tank from the outside, but inside its got enough speakers to dwarf any home theater set up. Created by Kaffe Matthews as a museum exhibit (no plans for retail as of yet), the bed requires 220 volts of electricity and covers every inch of your body in sound.
The Lomme Bed
According to the product copy, owners of Lomme Beds will benefit from state of the art light and sound therapy, which remove outside disturbances and "allow you to wake naturally feeling refreshed and full of energy."
BedUP, the Ceiling Bed
Coming from the house of Decadrages, the designer BedUP model offers you a perfect comfort level without occupying much space. Suspended from the ceiling, this novel furniture piece can be accommodated in 4 sq mt space of your apartment. By day, the bed is stored on the ceiling, the under-surface becomes ceiling with the possibility of integrating lighting. At night, the bed can come down in the manner of an elevator and stops at the height previously requested, thus avoiding moving furniture that would have been placed underneath it.
The Hanging Bed
Created by italian designer Andrea Lucatello, the bed is not actually hanging but, it does looks like floating on the floor. The Hanging Bed comes in two sizes, the Queen European King and Double and many colors. The gorgeous bed sells for almost $5,500 excluding the mattresses.
Coffin Bed
The Casket Furniture Company designed a bed for those who wants to know the feeling of sleeping in a coffin. According to their site, this ‘long awaited' item can be yours for only a little over $4,000. It’s constructed of Solid Pine with a removable top and bottom and adorned with a handmade metal cross and gothic pall bearer handles. Finished with an ebony stain and lacquer with a burgandy velvet interior. Disturbingly, their site also indicated ‘locks and latches' are available at an added price.
Designed by Dutchman Janjaap Ruijssenaars, this magnetic floating bed has enough magnets to keep 900 kilograms (1,984 pounds) floating in the air. To make sure that the bed doesn't float away because of hard wind or weird movements, it's tethered to the walls by four cables. Technically, the magnetic floating bed is for sale, but at a price of 1.2 million euros ($1.53 million), you're not likely to find it in your local mattress store.
Hamburger Bed
Haven't you ever wanted to curl up inside a juicy hamburger? No? Well, too bad. The Internet loves hamburgers and therefore the glorious Hamburger Bed has over 1,000 fans on Facebook and a sesame seed duvet.
NapShell, an egg-like bed
You might not have realized you needed a power-napping bed – but once you have seen this futuristic creation by Napshell you’ll feel your life is totally incomplete without it. Ergonomically designed to be good for your back and spine, the Napshell bed’s super comfy shaped mattress will fit a wide range of body types and heights. Visual and acoustic elements within the bed make instant, deep relaxation possible at the press of a button. Complete with LED lights, MP3 player and sound proof walls, the Napshell is a busy businessperson’s ultimate dream come true.
Molecular Bed
Made of 120 sofa balls covered with elastic fabric, the Feel Seating System designed by Animi Causa has a really unusual shape. It is inspired by a molecular structure, the basic form for all objects is the universe. If you are a playful person you can use it in many creative ways, because the structure of the feel allows to create multiple forms.
Fantasy Coach, A fairytale bed
Wave your magic wand and this carriage may appear to make your little princess' dreams come true. This fanciful coach bed is the most extraordinary children's bed we've ever seen. Handcrafted in England of wood and fiberglass, the oval shaped interior measures just over 6 ft. in diameter. Construction and delivery time on this piece is over 6 months. The bar is set with this magnificent piece; it simply has no equal outside of fairy tales. Linens and interior options priced upon request. The price of a dream come true? $47,000.
Cosmovoide Bed
We spend around a third of our lives asleep... but that can't justify spending $60,000 on a bed, can it? The makers of Cosmovoide think it can. Their luxury bed is shaped like an egg (to either give you Morkian dreams, or wrap you up in cozy cosmic harmony or some such nonsense), has hammock-like suspending springs, seven rainbow-colored LEDs, a telephone, and a DVD/home theater set-up including a TV at its foot. Most fascinating? Its twin "electric relaxation bed frames," which just get the mind boggling. That price is the base model, by the way: it's customizable, according to its french manufacturers.
Quantum Sleeper, the "anti-terrorist" bed
The Quantum Sleeper is a bed that hermetically seals itself as you sleep to protect you from Bio-Chemical terrorist attack, natural disaster, kidnappers/stalkers and affords Bulletproof 'Saferoom' protection." It also has one-way mirrors so intruders can watch themselves futilely try to get in while you sit inside and call the police on your mobile, shortwave or CB radio. You can cower in style with the optional CD and DVD players and microwave oven. The price of protection? 160,000 dollars.
Private Cloud, the rocking bed
The Private Cloud, designed by Manuel Kloker, is a patented rocking frame for a bed that moves back and forth like a rocking chair. It sells for an average of about $6,800 depending on the size ordered, without the mattress.
The Scoop!
Designed by Guido Rosati for Saba Italia, Scoop! is a sophisticated and innovative answer to the demand for combinig the sofa function with the bed function. The two semi-circular sides of the bed can be separated resulting two new pieces of furniture. This bed is a great way to surprise your guests, and also you can be proud to have a stylish contemporary bed and two sofa’s in the same time.
The Computer Bed
The computer bed is a normal bed which makes an intelligent use of the space below the bed. The gas pistons enable the bed to double up as a computer table. Invented by European designer Lino's son Francesco, this twin model comes with a reinforced metal frame in your choice of several different kinds of wood. Prices start at $3650.
The Sonic Bed
The sonic bed is a king-size bed with 12-channel surround sound. It may look like a wooden tank from the outside, but inside its got enough speakers to dwarf any home theater set up. Created by Kaffe Matthews as a museum exhibit (no plans for retail as of yet), the bed requires 220 volts of electricity and covers every inch of your body in sound.
The Lomme Bed
According to the product copy, owners of Lomme Beds will benefit from state of the art light and sound therapy, which remove outside disturbances and "allow you to wake naturally feeling refreshed and full of energy."
BedUP, the Ceiling Bed
Coming from the house of Decadrages, the designer BedUP model offers you a perfect comfort level without occupying much space. Suspended from the ceiling, this novel furniture piece can be accommodated in 4 sq mt space of your apartment. By day, the bed is stored on the ceiling, the under-surface becomes ceiling with the possibility of integrating lighting. At night, the bed can come down in the manner of an elevator and stops at the height previously requested, thus avoiding moving furniture that would have been placed underneath it.
The Hanging Bed
Created by italian designer Andrea Lucatello, the bed is not actually hanging but, it does looks like floating on the floor. The Hanging Bed comes in two sizes, the Queen European King and Double and many colors. The gorgeous bed sells for almost $5,500 excluding the mattresses.
Coffin Bed
The Casket Furniture Company designed a bed for those who wants to know the feeling of sleeping in a coffin. According to their site, this ‘long awaited' item can be yours for only a little over $4,000. It’s constructed of Solid Pine with a removable top and bottom and adorned with a handmade metal cross and gothic pall bearer handles. Finished with an ebony stain and lacquer with a burgandy velvet interior. Disturbingly, their site also indicated ‘locks and latches' are available at an added price.
Claudia - Les Tuileries - Paris
The AURA by Motorola: A Mobile Phone Inspired By A Luxury Watch
The Motorola AURA phone distinguishes itself from other mobile phones with some very unique features in addition to being pretty darn pretty to look at.
The world's first to have a round, 16 million color sapphire crystal display screen, the stainless steel phone also has a fixed focus 2 megapixel camera, quad band internal antennae, EDGE technology, video capture and video playing capabilities, bluetooth, USB high speed, multimedia and standby talk time up to 400 hours. It even comes with the following game apps: RealDice Chess, RealDice Backgammon.
AURA™ by Motorola is a timeless, classically designed device that delivers a sensory experience that is second-to-none for those with refined taste. Combining an exquisite interface with superb craftsmanship inspired by high-end watches, AURA breaks convention and re-establishes artistry in the design and manufacturing of mobile devices. From the moment an AURA owner picks up his or her device they embark on a journey of discovery.
• not available in black.
An Exquisitely Performing Device, Designed to the Highest Standards
Drawing on inspiration, materials and techniques from luxury jewelers, AURA begins with the world's first 16 million color, circular display with more colors and sharper resolution than has ever been seen on a Motorola phone. The product's richness can literally be felt, from the weight of its stainless steel housing and the textures and patterns chemically-etched into its surface, to its Grade 1, 62-carat sapphire crystal lens, one of the most scratch-resistant materials on earth.
Key Features:
* World's first circular display on a mobile phone, 16 million color
* Chemically-etched textures and patterns
* Three tungsten carbon carbide coated main gears
* The main bearing is Swiss-made
* Protective PVD coating and mirror polish finish, same as used on luxury watches
* 130 precision ball bearings
* CrystalTalk™ technology
* Made from over 700 individual components
* Assisted-opening blade mechanism
* Stainless steel housing
* Scratch-resistant, 62-carat, Grade 1 sapphire crystal lens
* 300 ppi resolution display
* Stereo Bluetooth® technology
The Return of Artistry
AURA™ by Motorola
93799XQBSAPrice: $1,999.99
buy it here.
If the phone is sold out directly from the above dealer, in the US you can purchase it at select Bloomingdales stores in NY, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago.
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