Surface Computers - Microsoft designed the next evolutionary step in computing

I have close to 14 blog articles which I have done the research for, but never actually took the time to write and publish them. But every now and again a story comes along that fascinates me so much, that I have to publish it immediately. This is such a story.

Microsoft is once again changing the face of computing: The latest evolutionary leap in computing. Ever watched the movie The Island with Scarlet Johansson and Ewan McGregor? In the movie the character that plays the director of the facility uses a “surface” / table computer. His desk becomes the computer, with “files” (computer files) scattered across the table. Just by touching the table and moving his fingers on it, he manipulates the files, type and operates the commands.

Well, Microsoft is making this all a reality. Click here to watch the video clip of a demonstration of the product.

This is really fascinating! I can see that these tabletop/ “surface” computers will soon replace our standard desktop PC’s. Pretty soon, your computer will be bought in a computer retailer and also available in furniture shops! Bill Gates will once again become the richest man in the world. Rumour has it that Carlos Slim Helu now holds this position. I will report on this shortly...

Source

Asus S6 Leather bound Notebooks - Luxury Computing

Okay. So do you wanna know what I bought with the money made on the deal named in the Diana Carmichael article? I bought myself the Leather bound, luxurious S6 Laptop from Asus. Pictured is two hide options. I have the lighter colored one.

If you absolutely need to impress clients or colleages. Get this beauty. I love to go down to a street cafe during lunch. But being the busy person that I am, I take my notebook with me to get some work in while munching on my ceaser's salad. So many people, strangers, come up to me just to feel the soft leather coat of the computer.

This little luxury goes a long way...

The New BMW X5 – The SUV Benchmark

With the new BMW X5, status and good sense comes standard. The old X5 was the benchmark against which every SUV (4x4) were measured. The new X5 raised the bar several yards higher. The car has exceptional off road capabilities and on road, the drive compares to that of a luxury sedan.

In my eyes, the X5 has the same iconic status as the Mercedes S-Class: Always the leader of the bunch and buying any competitor’s product is just a compromise. Range Rover, The ML/GL, Suburbans and the Porsche Ceyenne all scores a distant second to the new behemoth.

The styling screams mucho, but any woman driving it will score points in my book.

Features that I like is the in window displays, the multi media and computer/ navigational system, the improved duel suspension for on- and off-road driving and the comfortable interior lay-out.

The car oozes confidence and gives total peace-of-mind to the owners. The car, like it’s predecessor, will become a regular at country clubs, high-end fashion events, luxury lodges and parked in the parking lot of the best parties.

Club Sportiva - Partial Sportcar Ownership (Carsharing)

A business associate of mine, Markus, and I had a very good meeting yesterday. He owns his own printing and distribution company and usually makes a good impression in front of potential clients, tailored in Hugo Boss suits, Ralph Lauren shoes and the Breitling watch. He walks into every room with an aura of success: He owns the room.

But he usually does something in every meeting that makes it hard for me to fully concentrate: When he sits down, he takes his car keys out of his pocket and places it on the boardroom table in front of him. I cannot help to notice the keys... Yesterday it was Aston Martin keys. Strange thing is, at our first meeting back in January, the keys were those of a Ferrari and the time after that it was BMW. So obviously I started thinking the printing business must be doing reaaaaally good. Let's forget online, it pays to go offline!

But yesterday I walked him to the car. Yes, there stood a beautiful 2006 Aston Martin DB9 Vantage, its silver body gleaming in the hot sun. I said to Markus: "Beautifull car buddy. What happened to the Ferrari?" He smiled, slipped the Polo Sunglasses on his face and told me the secret... Carsharing. He was part of an exclusive carsharing club. The consortium owns a collection of cars and that both the Aston and the Ferrari were part of the collection. He reserves a sport car every time he wants to impress clients. He makes sure that he does not pitch up at a client with the same car twice! “Markus, Markus, Markus… The tailored suits are enough, buddy!” I thought to myself.

But if you would like to go Markus’ route; here is the phenomenon of carsharing consortiums.

Wikipedia describes carsharing as such:

“Carsharing is a system where a fleet of cars (or other vehicles) is
jointly-owned by the users in distinction from car rental or cars in private
ownership. The users are organized as a democratically-controlled company,
public agency, cooperative, ad hoc grouping. The fleet is made available for use
by members of the carshare group in a wide variety of ways. The costs and
troubles of vehicle purchase, ownership and maintenance are transferred to a
central organizer (the Carshare Operator or more familiarly CSO).”

I searched the net and came to site of Club Sportiva, the Bay area’s largest partial-ownership club. Instead of owning one sportscar and being responsible for all the maintenance of the car, you buy into the hassle-free consortium and instead of having access to only one sportscar, you can have a whole collection to choose from. On Monday you can drive the Lamborghini Gallardo to work, followed by the Porsche 911 Turbo on Tuesday, the vintage Ferrari 348 on Wednesday and so forth. Members do not have to worry about maintaining these bad boys, as they have a professional mechanic shop worrying about the cars’ well-being.

Club Sportiva has a $8 million car collection which includes brands like Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Lotus, Corvette, Jaguar, Bentley, Morgan, Maserati and Mercedes-Benz. The cars vary from new and vintage sport cars to luxury sedans. In some consortiums you car even drive away in the Muscle Cars of yesteryear.

The concept to me is sound. The benefits excellent, and the service that comes with these partial ownership worth the while. BUT, dear Markus, you do not NEED to drive a new car every day to make a deal, but it could help…

Drive 495 - Golf Fitness in Manhattan

So I love my golf; nothing beats spending a 4 hours on a beautiful green course, trying to beat my personal best. I only resently broke 90 and am trying to break 85. You know what they say: "There is only one thing better that breaking 85... and that is breaking 75!"

But sitting in Manhattan for a couple of months, I gettin' out of shape... golf shape that is. So I mentioned this to the native NY, account exec at the company and he took me to Drive 495.

Drive 495 is a golf fitness gym in the heart of Soho. The club consists of two floors, the bottom you'll find a fully equiped fitness studio with cardio and weight areas and the top loft consits of a golf studio. Here you can exersize the body and sharpen you shot in front of virtual driving ranges.

Appatently you can play a full similated course to sharpen your skills with each club. Play St Andrews, Valderama or Pebble Beach without leaving Manhattan! Skilled personal trainers help sculpt your body for perfect golf fitness. Members include celebs like Michael Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Douglas, Hugh Grant, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Donald Trump. For more info, visit their comprehensive site.

I enjoyed the experience (did not join, but was tempted), but I still enjoy the real thing. I cannot wait to return to NV to play my favourite courses! BUT when in Rome... vitually escape it!

"Rich Lifestyle" articles of Note 01

A Few quality artcles for your perusal...

Maserati MC12 vs Porsche Carrera GT vs Mercedes McLaren SLR - Wealth Wonders

BMW Designs Luxurious Boeing 787 Interior for Russian Tycoon - Born Rich

"Young Affluents" Are The Future Of The Luxury Market - Luxist

UK scientists building robot village -- can we come? - Engadget

Gorgeous Grays for Summer 2007 - Shopaholics Anonymous

Pictured: Porsche Carrera GT, taken from the article Maserati MC12 vs Porsche Carrera GT vs Mercedes McLaren SLR.

Maybach vs Bentley vs Rolls Royce - Which one do you want to be cheuffeured in?

I'm not going to give an in-depth article today, instead, I will supply you with pictures of the three ultimate luxury car brands, Bentley, Maybach and Rolls Royce. I will do an in-depth article about one of them, based on which one gets the most votes by next Sunday.

YOU TELL ME...

Which Car Manufactuer makes the ultimate luxury car to be chauffeured in?

A. Bentley

B. Maybach

C. Rolls Royce

Vote by leaving a comment

BENTLEY ARNAGE:

MAYBACH 62:

ROLLS ROYCE PHANTOM:

International CXT, MXT and RXT: Check out Ashton Kutcher's new ride

So this is why Bush invaded Iraq: So that Republicans can ride in environment-busting, gas guzzlers like these! Owners of these trucks are all tired of their Hummers and wanted to have the biggest truck in town, to either substitute for something, or to reflect their over-inflated egos!

If you were offended by the above, this truck is for you! Careful though, these are just some of the comments passers by will make. Maybe not to your face, but they will in the least, be thinking it.

Hummer met its match with International’s XT Range:

CXT - The first truck to be introduced and still the best seller - Up to $200,000, depending on customizations. Enjoy the DVD theatre in the back seat.

MXT - Created to be lower to the 'sporty' version of the CXT, the MXT sits lower to the ground, has a bit better suspension and fuel consumption, but looks .... well... ugly.


RXT - Build to be longer, with a longer suspension and superior towing power, this baby can pull anything. If you haul your 40ft boat from port to port, International tells you this is the ultimate towing car.

Despite my intro, these trucks are attracting celebrity buyers like Ashton Kutcher (pictured), Nick Lachey and car aficionado, Jay Leno. If this type of 'commercial Monster Truck' is your thing and you don't mind dropping $200 G's on your ride give your local International dealer a call, go test drive the thing, and then go buy a Hummer!

Weird Expensive Watches 2007

In this entry we take a look at some really unusual watches! And if you want to stand out from the crowd with a unique watch that says it all, then you might want to take a look at these...telling the time will never be the same again!


Jacob $ Co. Quenttin Watch – Approximately $10,000

Bizarre, yet beautiful! Made in the style of a 60’s cassette player, the limited edition Jacob & Co. watch seems as if it’s been brought back from an age that knew of no limits! The Quenttin does everything you’d expect from a watch, and has no other special abilities apart from displaying the time on vertical rolls powered by a tiny engine. Although the bezel and cage are made from a choice of White, Rose Gold or Platinum, the Quenttin will mostly be remembered for its weird characteristics; which could very well be described as those of a mechanism James Bond uses to deciphers passwords and unlock doors!


Solsuno watch - approximately $500-$600

138 LED’s in a watch! Some say that if you see this watch from a distance in the dark, you will think it’s a flying causer, but don’t run away! The brightly colored lights are only the 138 LED’s built into the watch, which indicate the time, day, month and year! This watch from Solsuno is definitely not average, but reading the time might take some time getting used to since each little LED represent a different function.

Seiko – $2,000

The world’s first electronic paper watch! What makes this watch so unusual is the display! It’s not LED, nor is it TFT, but a microcapsule electrophoretic display which consists of pure white and black particles! Developed by Seiko Watch Company and Seiko Epson, the watch has a large screen with twice the clarity of a normal LCD! It is believed that only a couple of hundred watches were made, which means that you’ll be able to wear something truly unique!

Hammerhead 201 – $50,000

Anything is possible! If you ever see an advert for a watch that says it has some of the most unique features, don’t believe it, it’s not a Hammerhead 201! Recently launched by Urwerk, the Hammerhead 201 is easily the oddest looking watch out there, but certainly one of the watches with the most unique functions! Some of the features include hour satellites, but adds in telescopic minute hands that adjust their lengths as they follow the minutes and then retract. On the back of the watch there’s an oil change indicator, and also the world’s first horological odometer which keeps track of the total time of use for over a 100 years!

Untamed Luxury - Hit the open road in an uber expensive bike

There is always a thrill in speed, and an adrenalin rush at every bend! This entry takes a look at a couple of motorcycles that scream with individuality. You never know, you might be the next in line to own a motorcycle that screams with untamed luxury…

Lincoln Mark LT Bike – $300,000

Ever thought that prestige could roar? Built by Orange County Choppers, the Lincoln Mark LT is the result of mimicked key design features of the Lincoln truck. If you ever thought what a truck would look like if it were a motorcycle, then the LT Bike is most definitely the best example we could find! Growling with precision and detail, the motorcycle demands attention whether parked, or screaming down the street. For $300,000 this is 100% sophisticated muscle, and an extremely unique possession since it was fabricated by the masters of chopper design at Orange County Choppers.


BMW Bruiser MK 2 Concept – Price unknown



A look at the future of the two wheel thrill! This year revealed many extraordinary concept designs, but we felt that the BMW Bruiser MK 2 truly captures our imagination. Elements like the twin headlights and futuristic design bring old to new with lots of curves and chrome to amplify the retro concept. We’re uncertain about the specifications of the Bruiser MK 2, but never the less we want one since its design certainly goes beyond the norm, and leaves a great level of excitement within you.


1926 Harley Davidson Peashooter – Estimated $1 million


The classics always remain! It has no brakes, clutch or transmission, but that’s no problem; its how it was meant to be. In the late 20’s the Peashooter raced in many different factory races and could reach speeds of 100mph. Similar to the production series, but with phenomenal weight reduction been done, it is a timeless classic that lead most of the standings while racing in its heyday. Today, the Peashooter is still remembered by those that recognize it as one of the most sought after collectibles, which still looks, feels, and sounds like a Harley, with the only difference being that it has become exceptionally valuable and rare. Certainly, the Peashooter will never be forgotten

MTT Turbine Superbike - $150,000

227mph of pure adrenalin! The MTT Turbine Superbike is the worlds first turbine powered motorcycle in its class, and has already been recognized by Guinness World Records as the “Most powerful motorcycle ever to enter production” and the “Most expensive production motorcycle”. Jay Leno was the proud owner of the very first one, and it is no surprise that it also made its movie debut in Torque. The motorcycle is phenomenal and features a rear mounted camera with an LCD color display, a forward and rear-looking radar detector, and a one touch “Smart Start” ignition. With only 5 being produced each year, the MTT is certainly the most exhilarating 2-wheel adventure available.

The Rich's Luxurious Thingamajigs

Last week we showed you what you could buy with half a million dollars, and I guess you’ll all agree that most of the items were really fascinating. So, this week we decided to show you even more of the most extraordinary gadgets on the market. And you won’t believe that the majority of these items are actually the most expensive around!


GoldVish Illusion cell phone - estimated at $1 million

Mobile luxury to the extreme! Forget any top of the range phone you’ve ever seen before, the GoldVish Illusion has arrived! At 1 million dollars the Illusion is by no doubt the most exclusive phone ever made! Encrusted with tiny diamonds, the phone comes with a sapphire glass display and you even have a choice whether the casing needs to be in solid platinum white, or 18ct yellow or rose gold. The phone comes nothing short of the latest technological features, and those that seek alternative methods to conceal valuables, the Illusion even has a secret compartment! The back of the phone is equally mesmerizing and delicately finished in Crocodile or Stingray leather.


Kaleidoscape Movie Server - $27,000

Compact entertainment that saves space! If you’ve got stacks of DVD’s and music CD’s, but have no idea where to store them, then the Kaleidoscape is what you need. The Kaleidoscape is a multimedia server which allows you to convert all those discs to digital form, letting you access them at the push of a button. You can even access your collection from any player you can set up around your house! If you haven’t got an exceptionally large collection, but wish to own one, then you can pre-order your Kaleidoscape with some of the best titles around.


Sphaeron Excalibur Speaker - $325,000

Speakers with horns? They might look like speaker sculptures, but in fact the Excalibur is setting new standards. Equally fascinating for being the most expensive speakers in the world, with a Guinness Record to prove it, these speakers reproduce music three-dimensional, thus making the sound so crisp and clear you’ll feel as if your part of an orchestra. Those willing to pay the bulky asking price can get their speakers in a unique color of their choice to blend with the surroundings.


iPod Presidential MP3 - $45,000

The most expensive MP3 player in the world! With the MP3 market completely over crowded, iPod decided to launch a new Presidential range to set them apart from the rest for good! Claiming to be the king of MP3 players, the Presidential range allows music fanatics to decorate their iPod in tiny diamonds, which are positioned according to their taste, as well as pick from a variety of exclusive colors. We are unaware of the specific features, but can imagine that for 45,000 dollars you should be able to load as many songs and video clips as you best well desire.

So Much to Do, So Much to Buy

On Wednesday evening August 16 Maranda A. won $584,588.21 on King Cashalot Progressive!! Apparently, when she won, she screamed so loud that her neighbors could hear her…

So this week, we thought it would be interesting to show you what you could do, and buy with so much money...


Panasonic 103-inch plasma TV - $35,000

Life-size entertainment! With 103-inches of television, any spots game or movie will be an enormous experience. Panasonic is soon to be launching the world’s largest plasma display which delivers more that 2 million pixels of viewing excellence, and you can imagine that, a room with a view just got a whole different meaning. No matter at which angle you’re viewing the 103-inch plasma, you’ll still have a picture perfect view.


Luxury Tree House - $20,600

No more slippery slides and swings, this is what every kid dreams of having. The luxury tree house is made from shipped lapped pine siding, while the log is a real tree that has been hollowed. There are different themes available including a castle and pirate ship, and even adults can appreciate its décor values in the backyard. If you want to spoil your kids with luxury the same way that celebrity Heath Ledger has, then a tree house is the way to go.


7-night holiday in the St. Regis Resort, Bora Bora - $105,000

This is where Nicole Kidman had her honeymoon. At $15,000 a night in the Royal Estate Villa, you can be spoilt with luxury. The villa resembles a peaceful dream, which include an in-room Jacuzzi and private swimming pool. On the private lagoon island, guests have access to a spa, restaurants and a state-of-the-art fitness centre. And since this holiday is all about luxury, guests also have the services of a 24 hour butler.


Titanic Deckchair - $100,000

Want to buy something unique? If you feel like adding a piece of memorabilia to your shopping list then a deckchair from the Titanic will be a most valuable investment. There are only six of these in the world and not only does the deckchair offer the owner a unique piece of history, but also a decorative piece that will spark many a conversation.


Rotary Subwoofer - $25,000

Infrasonic sound! With enough acoustic output to move an open door back and forth, the subwoofer is the first infrasonic home theatre woofer. You can even feel the empty space of a concert hall or the low frequency rumble of wind! To make the rotary woofer more remarkable, it also finds resonance frequencies of walls and ceilings which enhance your sound experience. This is truly the best audio equipment you’ll ever own.


Louis Vuitton Motorcycle - $130,000

This motorcycle was originally created for Mary J. Blige! If hitting the open road is what you’re about, you might as well do it in the most unique fashion. Louis Vuitton and Von Dutch Cycles joint their forces to create this motorcycle which stands out from the crowed in a rumbling manner. The bike is covered in leather and Louis Vuitton logo as well as hand painted colors for a trendy finish.


$5,000 burger experience for 10 people - $50,000

The FleurBurger 5000 experience! What makes a Kobe-beef burger topped with foie gras, black truffles, and Keller’s secret sauce, that go inside a brioche bun so expensive? Well, it comes a bottle of 1990 Château Pétrus served in imported Italian Ichendorf Brunello stemware. The charming experience is available at the Fleur de Lys restaurant and to cherish the pricey treat forever, they ship the stemware and certificate of authority right to your home. This is certainly a feast to remember…


Spaceflight - $102,000


The ultra-luxurious travel option! If you’d like to get a view from the top, then 62 miles above earth should do it. For a small fortune you get to visit space and join an elite group of luxury adventurers that have had the privilege of experiencing what millions of people can only dream of.