Archive for the 'Luxury Gifts' Category
The Valentine Winner: Long Lasting Roses
Last night I wrote about Kohler’s $6000 overflowing bathtub that has been added to my Dream List, but now have a more practical and traditional suggestion for Valentine’s Day.
How about some award-winning and long-lasting flowers?
Our friend, Marian Meyers with the infectious smile and impeccable taste in wine and food, owns FlowerGram, an online service that just took top honors in beauty and lasting floral freshness. It was a War of the Roses contest conducted by New York’s ABC Channel 7 affiliate. They compared several online sellers of flowers, and FlowerGram’s bouquet took top honors (and was also one of the most reasonable in cost). It was the only bouquet to earn a coverted “A” and to last a full week.
To keep those Valentine roses fresh for the longest period of time, the flower lady advises to immediately cut the stems with a sharp knife (scissors might mash the stem), place in fresh water with a drop of bleach to kill unwanted bacteria, and repeat the process in a couple of days.
Am I surprised that Marian’s flowers are lusher and last longer than anyone else’s? Absolutely not! If you were to snag an invitation to one of Marian and Roger’s parties, you would understand what I mean. We hope to see them in Encinitas tonight. Let’s hope for flaming sunsets and outstanding wine!
read comments (1)The Cooktop that Cannot be Ignored
I am seasoned enough to have had more than a few stoves and cooktops in my cooking life. There have been the ones I hate (Frigidaire’s electric/glass cooktop, for example) because they have no self control—and allow little from me. Favorites have included a great big commercial Garland with six burners, large oven, a salamander and a spacious grill.
Those were the days!
But the hands down favorite cooktop of my life was an induction model we had in the mountains. It looked like a typical black glass electric cooktop, but the similarities ended there. To everyone’s delight, it would bring water to a rolling boil in a flash, and the water would stop its movement immediately when the power was shut off. The cooking surface remained cool (except from reflected heat of the pan), and control over cooking temperature was perfect. It was even better than gas ranges.
This morning, I discovered that the difficult-to-find induction cooktop is in the news. Reading about PATH’s selection of the Top Ten Technologies for the Housing Industry in 2007, it was a thrill to see the induction stovetop make the grade.
And it’s about time. The induction cooktop is not only a superior cooking surface compared to all others (my opinion), it also achieves power savings of 40 to 70 percent compared to conventional stovetops.
How does this technology work? According to the Induction Site
Induction is a third method, completely different from all other cooking technologies– it does not involve generating heat which is then transferred to the cooking vessel, it makes the cooking vessel itself the original generator of the cooking heat.
I have already started shopping online, and my early choice would be the Viking 36” All Induction Pro Series Cooktop. It seems to offer the most burners, and is manufactured by a great American name.
It may not be the most beautiful appliance in the modern kitchen, but for cooking precision and easy clean-up, it can’t be beat. Soap and water can dispense with most cooking spills, because the surface doesn’t get hot enough to burn these messes into the surface.
It’s a great cooking appliance for cooks who love speed, precision, and energy savings—but hate clean-ups!
For other fun luxury home appliance and improvement reading, see:
Switchable Mirror Glass Windows
Sonos: The Expandable Sound System
Wine Storage for Oenophiles
Haute Refrigerators for Cool Kitchens
A Hummer for the Links or Estate?
The Venetian Plaster Master
Free MIT Education?
The way I figure, its early Sunday morning and a great time to read about and share cool discoveries and they are not always about real estate or luxury estates in San Diego.
This one is too rich not to share: A Free MIT Education.
Thanks to a web-based electronic publishing initiative, this incredible opportunity from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is being generously funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and MIT with support of the Ab Initio software firm.
It is an educational opportunity of a lifetime for self-learners and those gifted with spare time and curiosity. There are currently over 1500 courses available, ranging from engineering (of course) to foreign languages, to philosophy, history, urban and women studies and special offerings from the Sloan School of Management.
How does it work? It is a publication of MIT course materials that do not require any registration, attendance or homework. You are on your own and work at your own pace. No degrees or certifications are granted, nor is there access to the MIT faculty.
The cost? Free.
The benefit? Priceless.
Ultimate Phone for the Luxury Bath
by I used to joke about needing a cell phone implant that I could answer with the twitch of a nose. That way I wouldnt have to play hide and seek with my phone and jump out of the shower when I hear it ringing. (Its really not that bad these days. I am a recovered celloholic who only occasionally relapses). Fujitsu Genies, after three long years of research, have come out with an amazing phone that is not only waterproof, but can ring underwater.
This slim .7 inch Fujitsu F703i can be held three feet underwater 
for 30minutes and offers a 2.2 inch QVGA TFT LCD, a decent 1.3 megapixel camera and a .1 megapixel internal camera for video calls. Have a dirty phone? You can now wash it! Given the times that my cell phones have gotten that tell-tale internal red dot that reveals water exposure, I am thinking that a washable phone should be a must. A big thanks for this find goes to the SciFi Blog:
http://blog.scifi.com/tech/archives/2007/02/01/waterproof_phon.html
How to Totally Hide the Bedroom TV
A television on display in a well-appointed master bedroom? Banish the thought!
It is a bedroom appliance never seen in home decor magazines, model homes or in Feng-Shui-directed abodes. At the very least, bedroom televisions are hidden in cabinets because sleeping areas are seen as sacred sanctuaries and spaces. Yet, how many of us watch television while in bed and wish we could totally hide the evidence?
MK1 Studio has been slaving for a decade to develop their underbed Television Lift. According to their site, a 50 inch panel with amplifiers, DVD and VCR players, subwoofer and seven channels of surround sound can be totally concealed beneath a King-sized bed. Queens will accommodate a 42 inch panel with all the same accessories as the King.
How long does it take to deploy? Only 45 seconds from the time you touch the button. Moreover, the screen can be swiveled so that it can be viewed from outside the bed.
Still not a believer? Watch the video:
