really?

So…yeah this is a toaster that scans an image from your computer into you guessed it, your toast. Talk about insanely cool but totally unnecessary. I mean, I’d buy it - what a delightful way to receive the news every morning and if you don’t like it you can always just eat it.

The Scan Toaster (how clever) connects to a PC through a USB cord and downloads anything from your local weather conditions to that morning’s headlines. It’s able to do this through a network of modules, each heated by a hot wire. Each module can move by 30 degrees and once the user selects what he or she would like on his or her toast - the modules align themselves and burn appropriately. 

Electrolux is the maker of this bad boy but don’t get too excited, there aren’t any plans to manufacture the toaster on a mass scale. Unfortunate - especially for this holiday season. How excited would YOU be?

Photo Courtesy of reghardware.co.uk

brooklyn beers.

Just came across this article on NYTimes.com and found it interesting. Before our time of legal drinking, Brooklyn used to produce one fifth of the country’s beer in 1960 and fifteen years later the number of local breweries dropped to zero. Today, Brooklyn is catching its’ second wind to get back in action. 

Sixpoint Craft Ales, out of Red Hook N.Y., just bought a bottling line in Williamsburg that will increase their production. Sixpoint’s growth in Brooklyn has been increasing for the past few years and about 300 bars in New York carry beers from the line-up. The most popular being: Sweet Action, Brownstone Ale, Righteous Rye. Sixpoint chose to settle in Brooklyn because of the borough’s long history of well crafted beer, and while Brooklyn Brewery brews twice as much beer as Sixpoint, the latter still catches the Brookyn boutique beer essence. 

I’m still a gin-and-tonic-two-olives kinda girl, but heck, I’m down for a beer once in a while. To read more about Sixpoint, click here.

feathers and faux.

Out of all the Fall trends for ‘08, my two favorites are feathers and faux fur. I’ve been dying to get Kate Moss’s faux fur gilet from Top Shop’s U.S. online store, but it’s been sold out for ages and I can’t find another one like it. I hate to say it too, I do love Rachel Zoe’s fur vest that she’s been sporting on her show, The Rachel Zoe Project - but needless to say I’d be thinking of snuggly foxes prancing in the forest the entire time.

Seems like there’s a surplus of vests this season and they’re great for this time of year, at least in LA (I heard it snowed in Ithaca yesterday - is this true?? Suckers.) It’s hot during the day but chilly at night - they’re perfect for going out. Anything feather too seems great for inbetween seasons. It’s easy to dress up like Kate Bosworth (above) or dress down if you’re just going ot the grocery store or to Melrose for some shopping. These are definitely two trends that have the strength to stay around for the winter season, keep watching to see if they do. I know I will!

Photos courtesy of Topshop.com and Fashionising.com

vanity fair portraits.

Some of you may know that the Vanity Fair Portraits book has hit the shelves, a great Holiday gift might I add. Well, now the actual portraits are showing at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art until March 2009. 

It’s the first major exhibition to bring together VF’s rare archive of vintage prints. The collection includes portraits from the earlier years, 1913-1936 and portaits from 1983 to present. The Burberry sponsored presentation in Los Angeles will be the only U.S. stop on the exhibits international tour.

Photographers to be represented include Cecil Beaton, Harry Benson, Julian Broad, Imogen Cunningham, Annie Leibovitz, Man Ray, Mary Ellen Mark, Steven Meisel, Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts, Edward Steichen, Mario Testino, and Bruce Weber.

I’ll be sure to check it out and let you know how it is!

Photo Courtesy of http://www.lacma.org/art/ExhibVF.aspx

welcome to the green house.

One of my favorite sections of the NY Times website is the House & Garden section. Yeah, I guess it sounds kind of lame but I never fail to find the most interesting stories, plus the photos are impeccable. 

This house, located in Culver City, CA, not too far from where I’m living in Los Angeles, is made of prefabricated steel shell. The structure is completely green and built on the dime. Who says building green can’t be chic?

 

“Shredded jeans encased in wire mesh insulate the ceiling and walls of the living room. Red-lacquered Ikea cabinets, topped with the same black-stained concrete as the floor, define the open kitchen.”

There are more photos on NYTimes.com that can speak to the beauty of this home and it just goes to show that you don’t have to sacrifice style for sake of the environment.

mail goggles.

Some of you may have already heard, but for those who aren’t in the technology loop - Google released a new feature on Gmail that sole purpose is to eliminate drunk e-mailing. It’s probably the funniest and best idea ever. The feature requires that you solve five math problems in 60 seconds between the times of 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. That time supposedly corresponds with the difference between drink number one and drink number four.

This isn’t the first feature to deter drunkies - for years judges have ordered DUI drivers to instal breathalizers in their cars to prevent it from starting if they’ve had too much to drink.

I don’t know about you, but drunk e-mailing doesn’t seem to be a huge problem for our age group. I’m going to have to go ahead and suggest mail goggles for text messages and, I hate to admit it, but for facebook messages as well. We’ve allllllllllll been there…no judging.

Photo Courtesy of NYTimes.com

double duty.

This new iPhone case developed by Brando.com.hk, serves as a solar powered charger and case. Talk about going green. The black leather case is only $48 and comes with rechargable batteries. It can fully charge an iPhone in 12 hours in direct sunlight and comes in two styles - a flip-top model and a book-like model.

Seems like a pretty smart idea to me. You aren’t using up electricity and it’s good to leave your phone out in the sun for once - and how annoying is it when your iPhone dies on you in the middle of the worst possible situations?

Check out their site: Brando.com

sleeping blu-ray.

Who doesn’t love those Disney classics that we all grew up with? I definitely bought The Little Mermaid on iTunes last year.

With new high definition technology, Disney has remastered Sleeping Beauty. Yes, of course Disney always releases old movies for a “limited time,” but this classic is in Blu-ray.

According to a NYTimes.com article, the picture is so sharp, “that it is occasionally possible to glimpse the tiny shadows cast by misaligned cels, which adds a welcome humanizing factor. But otherwise the digital restoration has eliminated all stray dust motes and turned the color fields into perfectly solid blocks.”

If the classic was good, imagine this. But - for a price. The Blu-ray edition obviously costs $39.99, but I think it’s a worthy investment. Especially since the Disney Animation studios are right around the corner from my apartment! ;)

 

 

 

Photo Courtesy of Disney Home Studios Entertainment via NY Times

it’s benefit season.

STEPPING UP The New York Women’s Foundation held its first gala on Thursday at Gotham Hall. Behind the evening’s gaiety were months of planning details from flowers to honorees.

I found this article on the NY Times website today. I thought it was interesting to read given the extravagance of these benefits and galas in comparison with the economy. People are willing to drop $1000 to $75,000 to attend these events. 

The article talks about the work that goes into putting on these events and focuses on the event pictured above hosted by the New York Women’s Foundation, whichn gives grants to nonprofit groups that help low-income women and girls, through services like job training and mentoring. It was a new endeavor for the foundation and held on Oct. 2, guests were lured away from the highly anticipated vice presidential debates to attend this benefit. This is one of the many challenges the event planners faced in putting together the “Stepping Out and Stepping Up” event. 

Click the link to read more, it’s pretty interesting. Ciao!

 

Photo Courtesy of: NYTimes.com

the sickest shoes for 09, kinda.

But these Prada Spring/Summer 2009 shoes come with a rather embarrassing price…

In my brink opinion, beauty is pain when it comes to shoes, but I think my pain threshold stops here. Given these are wicked tall models who would have trouble walking in these platforms, they are pros. If they can’t do it, I doubt any of us ladies can. That’s so unfortunate because they’re so hot. I’m curious to see how uncomfortable these really are, and if anyone can pull them off…

Photo Courtesy of: Fashionising.com/blog

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