This offer came with my American Express card statement:
Your Boeing 757 jet has been exclusively reconfigured for Abercrombie & Kent to accommodate 52 privileged guests. Our hand-selected crew attends to your every need, from remembering your favorite premium brand of spirit to suggesting the right wine at dinner. And with a staff-to-guest ratio of 1:7, service is unobtrusive but ever-present.
ForbesLife Find of the Day
Abercrombie & Kent
Any takers? ;)
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Need For Speed
A few months ago Comcast introduced PowerBoost: a temporary speed increase of up to 12Mbps downstream and up to 1,900Kbps upstream but apparently, my old modem (Motorola SB4200) was not up to the task - I never got more than 6Mbps down and 350Kbps up, so I got a rental modem (WebSTAR DPC2100) today and here are the results of a speed test! :)
Actually, the downstream went all the way up to 19Mbps and the upstream went up to 1,800Kbps when my PowerBook G4 was plugged directly into the modem, so my aging Belkin router (F5D7230-4) appears to be the bottleneck now.
Actually, the downstream went all the way up to 19Mbps and the upstream went up to 1,800Kbps when my PowerBook G4 was plugged directly into the modem, so my aging Belkin router (F5D7230-4) appears to be the bottleneck now.
Monday, May 14, 2007
U.K. Music Label Creates a Vinyl-MP3 Hybrid
From an article in Wired (emphasis is mine):
The records are beautifully packaged, double-weight vinyl discs that come with a unique code. With the code, buyers can download an unprotected, 320Kbps MP3 version of the music, to use however they like.
Publishing MP3s without the technology for digital-rights management was a deliberate choice. First Word cofounder Aly Gillani explains the DRM-free approach in terms that echo those of consumer advocate. "Once a customer has paid for the track they should be free to play it in any player," he says. "Making a legal, paid-for version of the file less useful than a copied or pirated one doesn't make sense."
The records are beautifully packaged, double-weight vinyl discs that come with a unique code. With the code, buyers can download an unprotected, 320Kbps MP3 version of the music, to use however they like.
Publishing MP3s without the technology for digital-rights management was a deliberate choice. First Word cofounder Aly Gillani explains the DRM-free approach in terms that echo those of consumer advocate. "Once a customer has paid for the track they should be free to play it in any player," he says. "Making a legal, paid-for version of the file less useful than a copied or pirated one doesn't make sense."
Monday, April 30, 2007
Brain scans pinpoint cannabis mental health risk
According to a study mentioned in a recent Reuters article, THC (the active compound in marijuana) inhibits function in the inferior frontal cortex brain region - "area ... associated with controlling inappropriate emotional and behavioral responses to situations".
"What THC seems to be doing is switching off that part of the brain, and that was associated with how paranoid people became".
"Most users of cannabis still do not have a problem with the drug but a minority, possibly because of genetic factors, are vulnerable to long-term damage from modern skunk -- which Murray says is to old-fashioned dope what whisky is to lager."
And here's an interesting article in Forbes: The Most Exotic Brands Of Weed.
"Serious cannabis consumers often exhibit the kind of connoisseurship typical of wine lovers. The exotic varietals on the following slides are all hard to come by, and some pricey."
"What THC seems to be doing is switching off that part of the brain, and that was associated with how paranoid people became".
"Most users of cannabis still do not have a problem with the drug but a minority, possibly because of genetic factors, are vulnerable to long-term damage from modern skunk -- which Murray says is to old-fashioned dope what whisky is to lager."
And here's an interesting article in Forbes: The Most Exotic Brands Of Weed.
"Serious cannabis consumers often exhibit the kind of connoisseurship typical of wine lovers. The exotic varietals on the following slides are all hard to come by, and some pricey."
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Hacking Your Body's Bacteria for Better Health
From an article in Wired:
Modern humans are bacteria-killing machines. We assassinate microbes with hand soap, mouthwash and bathroom cleaners. It feels clean and right.
...
And it now appears that our daily antibacterial regimens are disrupting a balance that once protected humans from health problems, especially allergies and malfunctioning immune responses.
"After the Second World War, when our lifestyles changed dramatically, allergies increased. Autoimmune diseases like diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease are increasing," says Kaarina Kukkonen, a University of Helsinki allergy expert. "The theory behind (what causes) the diseases is the same: Lacking bacterial stimulation in our environments may cause this increase. I think this is the tip of the iceberg."
Modern humans are bacteria-killing machines. We assassinate microbes with hand soap, mouthwash and bathroom cleaners. It feels clean and right.
...
And it now appears that our daily antibacterial regimens are disrupting a balance that once protected humans from health problems, especially allergies and malfunctioning immune responses.
"After the Second World War, when our lifestyles changed dramatically, allergies increased. Autoimmune diseases like diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease are increasing," says Kaarina Kukkonen, a University of Helsinki allergy expert. "The theory behind (what causes) the diseases is the same: Lacking bacterial stimulation in our environments may cause this increase. I think this is the tip of the iceberg."
Friday, April 27, 2007
Belkin Refund
According to a post in Broadband Reports:
"Apparently, if you bought one of the following models in the last 5 years, you can get all your money back as part of a new class action settlement. The lawsuit was filed against Belkin for selling hardware that did not achieve the advertised Mbps data throughput or connectivity ranges in real world environments."
Settlement claim information from Belkin website.
"Apparently, if you bought one of the following models in the last 5 years, you can get all your money back as part of a new class action settlement. The lawsuit was filed against Belkin for selling hardware that did not achieve the advertised Mbps data throughput or connectivity ranges in real world environments."
Settlement claim information from Belkin website.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Luxury Trans-Siberia Train
From a Reuters article:
The Golden Eagle ... offers passengers ensuite bathrooms, underfloor heating and plasma screen TVs in every cabin along the 9,300 kilometer (5,778 miles) Moscow to Vladivostok route, one of the longest train trips in the world.
A single ticket on the Golden Eagle will cost up to 9,595 pounds ($19,235) for the 13- to 15-day journey. A ticket on a normal Russian train costs around 10,000 roubles ($400) for the seven-day nonstop trip.
The Golden Eagle ... offers passengers ensuite bathrooms, underfloor heating and plasma screen TVs in every cabin along the 9,300 kilometer (5,778 miles) Moscow to Vladivostok route, one of the longest train trips in the world.
A single ticket on the Golden Eagle will cost up to 9,595 pounds ($19,235) for the 13- to 15-day journey. A ticket on a normal Russian train costs around 10,000 roubles ($400) for the seven-day nonstop trip.
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