Karim Rashid-designed Globalight champagne cooler steals the show
[Via Luxurylaunches, thanks Yoge]
Posts with tag alcohol
At this point, it's hard to envision an object that hasn't been miniaturized for the purpose of creating yet another novel flash drive, so you won't color us wowed with BeWine Connected's latest. This wine bottle USB drive packs Open Cellar wine cellar management software, a screensaver / wallpaper and wine-influenced ringtones (saywha?) onto 1GB of internal storage, but we'd be tempted to promptly format the thing upon arrival. Nevertheless, those interested in expanding their weird-but-still-useful collection of thumb drives can hand over €35 ($50) and claim one more solid addition.
Granted, we've come across hordes of patent applications that were far from practical, but if it's the premise that counts, we suppose this one works out alright. The app calls for a "probe" which could then be inserted into a drink, and an indicator connected to a database that would enlighten you if your drink has indeed been injected with a noxious solution while you weren't paying attention. The process would also require that a blast of electricity be sent through the probe, and though it's not directly stated, it also entails that the user be sober enough to understand it and willing to bust it out whilst partying. We have our doubts about the last two ever truly working out.
While it's certainly debatable whether beer is to thank for the explosion in the consumer electronics industry, it looks like we'll be thanking the beverage without hesitation for making our world a little greener. Oddly enough, "scientists and Australian beer maker Foster's are teaming up to generate clean energy from brewery waste water by using sugar-consuming bacteria," and better yet, the University of Queensland will host a microbial fuel cell at a Foster's Group brewery near Brisbane. Essentially, the cell will consume brewery wastes such as sugar, starch, and alcohol, while producing clean electricity by harnessing the energy released from the organic materials coming in. The device is expected to produce two-kilowatts of power, and while hopes are to bring the technology to other breweries and wineries around the country, this iteration should crank up sometime in September.
Beer has certainly found its place in worldwide culture, but claiming that it's the foundation for all of the consumer electronics that we enjoy today is probably stretching it. Nevertheless, the controversial (or just plain sarcastic) Charlie Bamforth proclaims that "beer is the basis of modern static civilization," touting his three decades at Anheuser-Busch as a knowledge base. Essentially, Charlie insinuates that beer spurned innovation in ages past by making the early brewers think outside of the box, which subsequently led to tents, then cities, and by extension, iPods, laptops, and USB-powered oddities. Granted, the man's linkages make entirely more sense when inebriated (or at least tipsy), so if you're looking to prove just how important alcohol is to your gadget collection, grab a few cans and hit the read link below.
It's one thing to lose track of all the peripherals you need to gank whilst stealing a gaming console, but to leave behind digital snapshots of yourself at a crime scene is on an entirely different level of dumb. In a case filled with Darwin award nominees, a team of self-incriminating thieves managed to break into private property and jack about "$5,000 worth of expensive alcohol, including $800 bottles of wine and high-dollar scotch," only to forget a digital camera filled with photos of the party in progress. Interestingly, game designer Richard Garriott (Ultima Online, anyone?) actually owns the property, and has stated that he'll probably install a swank video surveillance / security system to prevent such an annoyance from happening again. But if you've been wondering how to make a quick buck in order to snag a few new pieces of kit flowing out of CeBIT, Texas police are offering "up to $1,000 in reward money" for leading investigators to the less-than-intelligent criminals.
Just days after most everyone in the world celebrated (read: ingested alcohol) the new year, Toyota is hitting us up with news declaring that drunk driving won't be tolerated in its future fleet of vehicles. Although Nissan has already considered an add-on option that would prevent inebriated individuals from motoring around on a whim, it looks like Toyota is following suit with its own anti-drunk driving approach. Reportedly, the automaker is developing a "fail-safe system for cars that detects drunken drivers and automatically shuts the vehicle down if sensors pick up signs of excessive alcohol consumption." Utilizing "sweat detectors," the steering wheel automatically sniffs out the driver's BAC and can restrict the car from cranking if it deems necessary; additionally, it can recognize "abnormal steering" or take advantage of the "special camera installed to monitor your pupils" in order to slow your vehicle to a halt if you're smart aware enough to wear gloves when taking the wheel. While we've no idea how much Toyota will inflate vehicle prices to account for this, um, luxury, the firm purportedly hopes to outfit its cars with the system "by the end of 2009."
Although third-party options have long been available to interfere with the poor decision to start a car while inebriated, a recent string of alcohol-related accidents in Japan has led Nissan to begin mulling over a factory installed system that prevents intoxicated individuals from cranking up their own ride. The technology would utilize "breathalyzer-like devices" to detect the blood alcohol content when you got behind the wheel, and if it finds that you're over the legal limit, the hopes of turning that engine over are squashed. Potential "solutions" included a straw-like device which you'd have to puff on before ignition could ensue (sanitation concerns could become an issue here if you share your car with someone), or an automated system that would require drivers to enter a series of numbers (presumably difficult if you're not sober) before being granted access to cruise. While we don't know when these anti-drunk driving vehicles will start popping up at dealerships, we highly doubt folks that are careless enough to toss a few back before getting behind the wheel would have the presence of mind to pay extra for something like this when they buy their car -- besides, we'll all be using autopilot before too long, right?








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