Louis Vuitton Cup Sunglasses

Louis Vuitton Cup Sunglasses
The 12th Act of the Louis Vuitton Cup began yesterday, June 22nd, in Valencia. With only one act following this one in the run up to the America's Cup, the competitors are all probably feeling the pressure to perform. Louis Vuitton, as the primary sponsor, has a number of logo products that have been created specifically to commemorate this year's races, including totes, calf-skin loafers and a watch, which is particularly appropriate because LV is the official timekeeper of the America's Cup, which the victor of the Louis Vuitton Cup will race in. Perhaps the most useful to the competitors are the special edition sunglasses, which will help shield their eyes from the glare of the water. The glasses offer 100% UV protection and are made of a special plastic that will allow them to float, should they fall into the water.

American Express Butterfly Card

American Express Butterfly Card
American Express has recently introduced Butterfly, for Gold Card holders. The Butterfly card is a foldable credit card that comes in a tiny case. It is completely free and linked back to the main Gold Card account of the Amex holder. The "signature accessory" is intended to give some cache to carrying a Gold Card, but it is also a way to minimize what you carry. American Express points out that it can be used as an accessory or key ring, as a chain or loop can be easily attached to it. It looks much more stylish than just about all other keychain credit cards.

South Bay at Lake Oconee

South Bay at Lake Oconee
A new development is being created on Lake Oconee in Georgia, a little over an hour from Atlanta in Georgia's tourist-friendly Lake Country. South Bay at Lake Oconee is a $60 million development of 114 condos, a full-service marina, covered dry-dock slips, a marina store and market. There will be six units in each building with lake views and amenities such as wrap-around porches, high-end wood cabinets, and granite countertops. The community will have a swimming pool, clubhouse, outdoor fire pit, a pavilion, walking paths, a sandy beach, and a children's playground. The marina will offer boat repair and dry slip storage. Condos will start in the $400,000s.

Sebring Sport's New Cupholders

Sebring Sport's New Cupholders
Engadget picked up on this hot (and cold) new cupholder that will be available in the new Chrysler 2007 Sebring. The cupholder has both heating and cooling mechanisms that will keep beverages at temperatures up to 140F or cool them down to a mere 35F. As Evan noted, the cupholders do look to be extra-deep, which means that they'll keep your drinks from spilling, too.

Now, if only we could get Audi to add this feature in cars that have the on-board espresso system - we'd never get out!

Bose QuietComfort 3 Headphones

Bose QuietComfort 3 Headphones
Luxury means not having to hear other people talk, unless you actually want to and Bose's new QuietComfort 3 Acoustic Noise Canceling Headphones are the perfect way to do just that. They offer full-spectrum noise reduction, along with Bose's usual commitment to quality and performance, very much like their older models. Unlike those models, however, the QuietComfort 3 has a much smaller, sleeker headset design. In fact, they are nearly half the size of the QuietComfort 2!

This also means that, since I have the QC2, the QC3 users might be talking about the size of my headphones behind my back - and not in a good way. Fortunately, the Bose headphones work so well that I won't be able to hear them.

If you want to upgrade your pair, the new headphones are $349.

Swiss Army Couch

Swiss Army Couch
The distinctive multi-functionality of a Swiss Army knife is the thing that makes it useful and appealing to so many people. San Francisco designer Ken Lee decided to apply the same concept to something larger: a sofa. The Swiss Knife Seating Unit is not only shaped like a Swiss Army knife, but it unfolds, rotating a full 360 degrees. This allows you to shape it to your room, add extra seating or tuck away to minimize the area that it takes up.

Goliath Expedition

Goliath Expedition
Talk about a massive travel project. Well, it even has a name to match its scale: It's called the Goliath Expedition.
The Goliath Expedition is Karl Bushby's 36,000 mile gargantuan trek around the world. A monster, nay, Goliath effort to basically walk around the world. He began in the Chilean town of Punta Arenas, and started hoofing it through all of South America, Central and North America, then crossing from Alaska into Siberia using the frozen Arctic waters of the Chukchi Sea (north of the Bering Straits) as a land bridge (ah, land bridge...hasn't someone thought of that before???). He then heads across Europe through Siberia to Western Europe. Again, all on foot.

Pretty impressive. You can follow the whole exploit at Karl's site: the Goliath Expedition.

Google to bring GPS-based advertising to a vehicle near you

Google to bring GPS-based advertising to a vehicle near you
So targeted, it's freaky. Google, everybody's favorite search engine, and Google-owned dMarc Broadcasting, plan to use GPS to hook up Google AdWords customers with GPS-based in-car advertising. What does this mean, exactly? As Eric Schmidt, Google CEO described it, if he needs a pair of pants, not only will his radio remind him of that fact, but it will also instruct him to turn left at the strip mall 500 feet up ahead to visit the clothing store to buy new pants.

In addressing a luncheon of publishing execs, Schmidt wasn't clear on how exactly Google would accomplish this, but he did expect to be able to show the industry something in a year or two.

The Obelisk

The Obelisk
Part sculpture, part furniture, the Obelisk is an entire outdoor collection that stacks neatly up into one piece - unlike the vast majority of lawn furniture, which either must be left out or collected in an ungainly pile. Designed by Frank Ligthart, this modular stack appears to be a sculpture, hand woven from a synthetic fiber called Hularo. The stack deconstructs to reveal that it is comprised of four chairs and a coffee table. Available at JANUS et Cie, the Obelisk is $9,800.

Baby Brangelina's Domain

Baby Brangelina's Domain
Suddenly, keeping up with the Jones means more than it used to, especially when it comes to naming your kids. When I was born, for instance, my parents went with Anne because it was at the beginning of the name book. No longer can parents rely on such simple reasoning.

You've got Apple, Brooklyn, Paris, Hazel, and Dweezle. The explanation behind these weird celeb names is simple. All of the good domain names have been taken.

Take the spawn of Brangelina -- young Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt. Even before the little bundle of paparazzi-joy arrived, the happy parents had been busily laying claim to at least 17 domain names, each featuring a various configuration of the wee-Jolie-Pitt's already strange moniker.

Certainly, trends come and trends go. But until this trend flies south, you can just forget about the silver spoon from Tiffany's, and you can forget about the diamond encrusted pacifier from itsmybinky.com
If you want to keep up with the Jones, then the best gift you can buy that baby comes from GoDaddy.com.

Klimt Painting Sets Record

Klimt Painting Sets Record
Eclipsing the record set in 2004 by a Pablo Picasso painting, Gustav Klimt's Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I has sold for $135 million, the highest price ever paid for a painting. It was purchased by billionaire Ronald S. Lauder, the heir to the Estee Lauder fortune, and it will be displayed in his small, New York museum, the Neue Galerie. The painting was taken from the Bloch-Bauer's home in 1938 by Nazis and was sold by her niece, Maria Altmann, who has only had it since the beginning of this year, after looted artwork was returned to relatives of the original owners.

DirecTV Titanium

DirecTV Titanium
Our friends at HD Beat brought this brand new service from DirecTV to our attention. DirecTV Titanium gives you access to every single thing that DirecTV offers - including all their HD channels, sporting events, movies, pay-per-views and adult programs - for a flat fee. It is $7,500 per year and includes ten HD DVR receivers as well as 24 hour on-call concierge service.

The website doesn't say what the concierge service includes, but it's safe to say that it probably doesn't extend too far beyond troubleshooting, given that DirecTV isn't likely to start a chauffeuring service anytime soon.

Titanium will be released at the end of this month, June 28th, to "a select few" subscribers. Want to be one of them? Just fill out their online form and someone will contact you.

More Delays For the A380 Jet

More Delays For the A380 Jet
For those patiently waiting for a ride aboard the massive double-decker Airbus 380, it seems like you are going to have to keep waiting. Airbus has said they are expecting new delays of at least six months. They still plan to deliver the first plane to Singapore Airlines but wiring problems with the A380 will mean that they will produce only nine planes next year instead of 27. The delays may force some companies to cancel their orders or lease other planes.

Bill Gates Retires

Bill Gates Retires
Yesterday, Microsoft presented one shocking news: Bill Gates will retire and leave Microsoft.

Set for July 2008, Bill Gates who is now chairman of Microsoft will retire to spend more time on his global health and education work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Still, after July 2008 Gates would continue to serve as the company’s chairman and an advisor on key development projects.

Since 1975 when together with his friend Paul Allen started Microsoft, Bill Gates was a key figure to the Redmond giant.

The company announced that Chief Technical Officer Ray Ozzie will immediately assume the title of chief software architect and begin working side by side with Gates on all technical architecture and product oversight responsibilities, to ensure a smooth transition. Similarly, Chief Technical Officer Craig Mundie will immediately take the new title of chief research and strategy officer and will work closely with Gates to assume his responsibility for the company’s research and incubation efforts; Mundie also will partner with general counsel Brad Smith to guide Microsoft’s intellectual property and technology policy efforts.

“Our business and technical leadership has never been stronger, and Microsoft is well-positioned for success in the years ahead. I feel very fortunate to have such great technical leaders like Ray and Craig at the company,” Gates said. “I remain fully committed and full time at Microsoft through June 2008 and will be working side by side with Ray and Craig to ensure that a smooth transition occurs.”

“This was a hard decision for me,” Gates added. “I’m very lucky to have two passions that I feel are so important and so challenging. As I prepare for this change, I firmly believe the road ahead for Microsoft is as bright as ever.”

Ballmer and Gates noted that Microsoft has been steadily expanding its senior leadership in recent years, and that today’s announcement continues a transition process that has been underway for several years. In January 2000, Gates assumed the role of chief software architect and Ballmer assumed the role of CEO, responsible for all day-to-day operations and company business strategy.

In the last time, Bill Gates main purpose was Vindows Vista. He was involved in every aspect of development. He also considered XBOX project as one of its child. Since July 2008, Gates will still remain chairman but he won’t be involved in any technical or development aspect. Maybe with advices or knowledge but he will mostly leave Microsoft to continue without him.

To continue with its actual CEO, Steve Ballmer. But until Bill Gates will leave, Ray Ozzie, a close friend of Bill Gates will stay close to him to learn and to continue its work.

After the retirement, Bill Gates will continue its work at the foundation that him and his wife have, foundation that is one of the largest in the world and which gave away until now almost $30 billion for actions like diseases, cancer and AIDS.

Well, that’s about all. Bill Gates will leave and Steve Ballmer era will start.
Source: News.Soft32.com

Questions surround the wireless network deal between Google/EarthLink and San Francisco

Questions surround the wireless network deal between Google/EarthLink and San Francisco
Came across this blog post which says that the San Francisco wireless network that Google and EarthLink are developing was basically a sweetheart deal between the city and the companies. There are mentions of secret panels and secret negotiations that gave Google and EarthLink the ability to build the network with little resistance.

You'd have to read it further to get a true grasp of what is being discussed. Of course, this is from an "alternative" news site, so the tendency to bring forth conspiracy theories and accusations from these sources has to be considered. In any event, it's interesting reading, and may be worth further discussion down the road.