esprit
Latest
This is the Modem World: There are no 'Classic Gadgets' and here's why
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. She was parked on Palos Verdes Boulevard. I was chugging up the hill on my road bike, trying to get some much-needed exercise on an early Saturday morning. The cool mist was still rolling in from the Pacific Ocean, and combined with the early morning horizontal light, it created little beads of moisture on her white finish like a can of beer on a hot summer's day. I romanticize, yes, but she was a Lotus Esprit, my favorite car of all time, in perfect condition. I'm not sure why the Esprit is my favorite, but it certainly has something to do with James Bond and a die-cast toy version I had in the '80s. Either way, I love the car, and it, to me, is a classic design. It broke design barriers in the '70s when other cars of the time -- ones that we consider classics -- were huge and angry. This one was sleek and futuristic; small, but big on the eyes. I drew it over and over again on school notebooks. I tried to improve the design by coming up with my own version called the Aerovette. But nothing was as perfect as the white 1977 Esprit.
Pre-order Sony's Designer LCD TV/Audio system - Esprit TAV-L1/R
Anyone remember that funky looking, self-standing, LCD/all-in-one home audio system Sony announced a few months ago? We sure forgot about it till we peeped it on Sony's website as being available for pre-order and shipping in October. The overall package is rather nice looking and we are sure there is a market for it, but at $3,999 for a 32-inch LCD, it is a little too pricey for our taste. It does have dual subwoofers, dual HDMI, and that cool looking slide down speakers/LCD cover that comes in a wide range of colors. The only major downfall we see, besides the $3,999 sticker price, is that the set is just a monitor - there is no tuner. This system would look nice just sitting all by itself. Who would want to wreck that look by adding a set-top box?Anyway, if this is your type of thing, jump on over to Sony's site to pre-order one for yourself.
