Italian Modern...

If you're heading to Italy, but you're a bit more interested in the modern rather than historical - you might want to take a look at Urbanitaly.it. An excellent source for what's happening now in modern art, shopping, interesting hotel options, and dining. All without a hint of 'old school'.



Modern Italian travel advice via Urbanitaly:
www.urbanitaly.it

Cartoon violence...

This comically large handgun isn't a handgun at all - it's a SBS - Short Barreled Shotgun. The Taurus company has decided not to manufacture the 28 gauge revolver, much to everyone's relief.




Read more about it via the Firearm Blog:
www.thefirearmblog.com

Flip flops...

As unlikely as it sounds, soon you'll be able keep a pair of snow shoes in your pockets. These compact inflatable versions of snow shoes could be just enough to get you out of a tough situation. Cost: TBA






Info and details from the AnyExit Shop:
anyexitshop.com

Hi-top...

If you're looking for a bit of a view with dinner, there's good news: 'The Atmosphere' restaurant is open in Dubai. Located on the 122nd floor of the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa - you might need to pack a snack for the elevator ride up.





Read more about it via Extravaganzi:
www.extravaganzi.com

Not Yacht...

One student in Australia is certainly thinking outside the box. His design for an ekranoplan yacht has raised some eyebrows. Using an old principle - the idea is to skim over the water's surface at high speeds.




Discussion and video of the ekranoplan via Coolest Gadgets:
www.coolest-gadgets.com

Australian awards for James Dyson:
student.designawards.com.au

Mightier than...

If you're looking for a simple and stylish writing instrument - you might check out the newest from Porsche Design. The P3105 fountain pen is available in black or titanium. Both come with a rhodium plated 18 carat gold nib. Cost: 400 (black) or 2,500 (titanium)






Details from Porsche Design:
www.porsche-design.com/international/en

Off again, on again...

Way back in 2007, DARPA had a project on the drawing board called 'BlackSwift' - an unmanned drone planned for speeds up to mach 6. The platform could have a variety of use. It was cancelled. It looks like the project is back on. It's complicated.






Read more via 'The Danger Room':
www.wired.com

Snowy fun...

Snow and cold weather is a great opportunity to practice the dramatic 'J Turn' driving technique. Here's a quick tutorial from the folks at jalopnik - don't skip number 1: rent a car with extra insurance.




Executing a J turn via Jalopnik:
jalopnik.com

Battlefield primer...

If your dating strategy needs a bit of a make-over, you might consider 'The Art of War for Dating'. Author Eric Rogell's adaptation of Sun Tzu's classic adapted for the dating world. Cost: about 10 USD





Available from Amazon:
www.amazon.com

Snow monster...

The Porsche Panamera is already a pretty speedy ride - normally it has a 500 horse engine. Once the guys at Edo Competition got ahold of it, they've tuned it up to an impressive 750 horse power. They've added a few more creature comforts as well.






Read all about it via Zercustoms:
www.zercustoms.com

Good vibes...

Standard microphones don't do very well in noisy or windy conditions. The latest generation 'NT3' throat microphone from IASUS Concepts takes care of that. Transmitting vibrations directly from the throat, there's no ambient noise to worry about.





Full portfolio of products from IASUS Concepts:
www.iasus-concepts.com

Nic Nac...

If you're looking for that perfect 'coffee table' book... check out the new 'Rat Pack' photo book from Reel Art Press. The limited edition book is beautifully bound and packed with excellent photos of the gang. The book also ships with a nicely crafted wooden box sleeve. Cost: 650, 1600 or 4000 USD (depending on the edition)





Info via Reel Art Press:
www.reelartpress.com

You can take it with you...

Later this year, Victorinox will be offering swiss army storage, in the form of a pocket SSD flashdrive. The blazing fast storage will be available in 128GB and 256GB formats. A 512GB size will be available before the end of the year. That would be a half a terabyte of storage in your pocket. The drive will also sport an integrated e-paper display.




Read more via the Victorinox Blog:
www.victorinoxblog.com

Pirates hate lasers..

BAE systems has developed a modern 'anti pirate' laser. The non-lethal long distance system temporarily blinds the pirates - making it difficult to aim weapons at their intended target.





Read more about it from BAE systems:
www.baesystems.com

Holed up...

If you're looking for a 5 star cave to hide out in, you might want to check out the 'Yunak Evleri' in central Turkey. Built from caves dating back to the 5th and 6th centuries. Refurbished in 2000, the 30 room hotel boasts all the modern amenities you'd need.





Photos and booking details from the Yunak site:
www.yunak.com

Surprise package...

In an interesting twist on geocaching, here we have plans for a reverse geocache box .. it will only open when you are in the correct coordinates.








Details and plans from Make:
makezine.com

Sun seeker...

The German company PC-Aero is getting very close to testing their fully electric prototype plane. The single engine, all electric plane is estimated to travel at 100 mph. Their other product under development is a hanger/charging station for the plane.





Read more about it via Wired's Autopia:
www.wired.com

Juice concentrate...

If you need a little power boost while off the grid, you might be interested in these; 'Hydrostiks' from Horizon Fuel Technologies. These dry fuel cells pack a punch - each one is equal to about 10 AA batteries. They can also be recharged using a home fueling station that pulls hydrogen from water. Cost: about 99 USD for the cells, 500 USD for the charging system





Read more about it via Horizon's site:
www.horizonfuelcell.com

Consolation...

A while back, Tag Heuer and Triumph teamed up to re-create the classic motorcycle from the Steve McQueen movie 'Le Mans'. The bike never materialized - but, now the helmet is finally being offered for sale. Cost: estimated at 650 USD.




Read more about it via TopWatches:
topwatches.org

Recycling...

At the last Summer Olympic Games, many swim records were broken thanks to a new swimsuit material. That material has been outlawed at the games - so Speedo has a lot of it laying around. They're working on swimsuits for consumers, using the same material.



Take a look at some of their ideas via 'Trendland':
trendland.netTxt

The new diva...

If you're looking for a quiet but stylish place to think through your plans for the new year - you might try Castadiva. Located on the shores of lake Como in Northern Italy, this former mansion has been refitted to near perfection.







Details from the CastaDiva site:
www.castadivaresort.com

Flood insurance...

The Russian architecture firm Remistudio has an idea of what to do in case of high tide. Move to a massive, self surstaining hotel. Their plans on the drawing board include a giant shell shaped environment encased in photovoltaic cells.





Read more about it via inhabitat.com:
inhabitat.com

Ralph's garage...

You might know Ralph Lauren as a big name in fashion - but, his other passion is collecting cars. Here's a peek into his world class car collection in his rather stylish garage.





Inside Ralph L's garage via Selectism:
www.selectism.com

Wide screen...

Those 'really big' curved computer monitors are finally available from Ostendo. The 2280X900 displays can be paired with multiples to create an immersive field of vision for your command center - but, really - one is probably fine. Cost: 6500 USD each






Details from Ostendo/CRVD:
www.crvd.com

Hooked...

You might want to be on the lookout for these: 'The Wall Hook Coat Hanger Camcorder'. This normal looking clothing hook is actually a motion activated video recorder. The info is recorded to a microSD card. Cost: 36 USD.





Available from Brando;
gadget.brando.com