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Airbnb plans to rent out mansions and penthouses this year
Not content to simply point people in the direction of national parks, it sounds like Airbnb will now offer the well-heeled even more luxurious places to stay. Codenamed Airbnb Lux, the short-term rental service will soon offer penthouses and mansions if its tests are successful, according to Bloomberg's sources. Supposedly, the housing stock comes from Airbnb's purchase of Luxury Retreats earlier this year.
Notch's $70 million LA mansion recreated in Minecraft
As soon as it was known that Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson had bought a $70 million mega-mansion in LA, it was only a matter of time before someone recreated it in blocky form. One dedicated player took up the challenge immediately and, in less than 24 hours, had a video up on YouTube comparing his digital incarnation shot-for-shot with a slick real-estate highlight reel. It's an accurate portrayal of the luxurious Beverly Hills pad, even if it doesn't quite match the ingenuity of some other Minecraft creations we've seen depicting Denmark, works from London's Tate gallery, and the first level from Super Mario Land.
Boca Raton's most expensive home has Star Trek and Call of Duty-themed rooms
As much as we love Star Trek, we've never thought about modeling our home after the USS Enterprise. But then, we've never had $35 million in our back pocket, so what do we know? A mansion in Boca Raton has gone on sale for that eye-watering figure, boasting a bar and cinema based on the NCC 1701-D bridge, complete with security desk and pastel brown seats. The property is being sold by businessman Marc Bell, who decked the property out with a Star Wars-themed lounge and a Call of Duty-inspired games room. When you're done geeking out, of course, you can relax in the well-appointed gym, full-sized basketball court, or just relax with the home's 1,500-bottle strong wine cellar. Don't worry, we'll bring the corkscrew. [Image credit: Andy Frame]
Disney World's Haunted Mansion gets interactive upgrade, digital spooks (video)
It may not be as scary as Walt Disney World's Hall of Presidents, but the Florida theme park's Haunted Mansion just got a ghostly upgrade. The ride's grand finale, which previously positioned hitchhiking ghosts -- by way of half-silvered mirrors -- alongside unsuspecting visitors, is now reportedly using a series of digital mirrors and sensors to make things more interactive. As opposed to just popping up next to passengers, Disney's Ezra, Gus, and Phineas are now equipped to rip your head off, blow it up balloon-style, and send it flying. Sure it sounds scary, but this is Disney, the same company that didn't see the nightmare-inducing capabilities of a robotic Obama. For a peek at the new creepers, peep the video after break.
Palm planning keyboard-less 'Mansion' with 800 x 480 screen?
This one is still very much a rumor, but PreCentral is reporting that it's heard from a "very reliable tipster" who says that Palm is prepping a new phone codenamed "Mansion," which may or may not be the same device that recently turned up in a certification database under the name P102. The real kicker, however, is that the phone is supposedly a touchscreen-only device, and that the screen is said to boast a fairly high 800 x 480 resolution -- no word on screen size, unfortunately. Not much more than that to go on at the moment, but the "Mansion" codename itself does at least make a bit of sense -- as a PreCentral commenter has noted, the Pre was originally codenamed "Castle."
Steve Jobs gets permission to raze Spanish-style CA mansion
The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that Steve Jobs has won permission to tear down his mansion in Woodside, California. The historic home (built for mining magnate Daniel Jackling in 1925) sits on 6 acres of forested land; it has 30 rooms, 14 bedrooms and 13 1/2 bathrooms. Steve Jobs bought the mansion in 1984 and lived in it for 10 years before renting it out, but it has been vacant since 2000. In 2004 Jobs applied for a demolition permit to tear the mansion down so he could build a newer one on the same spot. Though the Woodside Council said the building was a historic resource, they finally agreed with Jobs that restoring it would be expensive and "economically unworkable." That's when a group called Save Our Heritage stepped in. They filed a suit to block the demolition, and a judge and appellate court agreed that Jobs had failed to show that tearing down his house was the only viable option. In May 2009, Jobs presented evidence to the council that it would cost millions of dollars more to renovate the mansion than to build his proposed new home. The evidence included an expert report on the continued deterioration of the building, which has suffered from rot, mold, decay, animal and bird infestations, and human vandalism; to top it off, the home is located 160 feet from a branch of the San Andreas Fault. The court has agreed with Jobs again and he has been given permission to apply for a demolition permit. Woodside officials will need time to review the permit application and said that Jobs would be required to save objects of historic interest from the mansion and turn them over to the city. In the mean time, Save Our Heritage is considering appealing this latest ruling but hopes that Jobs will accept a new offer from a couple who have proposed that he dismantle the mansion and rebuild it on their property two miles away. Last year AppleInsider posted a photo gallery of the mansion. [Mansion photo courtesy of Jonathan Haeber]
Explore Richard Garriott's secret dungeons
Ever wanted to own a medieval-esque castle with secret passages and a dungeon? Produce one of the most significant gaming franchises in history and that dream could become a reality.The HGTV show Secret Spaces was guided by gaming industry eccentric Richard Garriott, aka Lord/General British, through Garriott's Austin home. Garriott became extravagantly wealthy through his Ultima series of computer games, and has spent some of his money building a house/castle hybrid called "Britannia Manor." The manor is full of secret passageways, hidden rooms, and strange artifacts.We have the YouTube video here for you. Unfortunately, they didn't show where he keeps his Sputnik satellite.[Via Joystiq]
Luigi's Mansion sequel coming to Wii?
A forum poster over at Neo GAF has dropped some tidbits from the EGM Rumor Mill to the inter wubs stating that a sequel to the GameCube launch title Luigi's Mansion is in the works for the Wii. Now, should this be true, we're sure that the game will feature even more sucking than the first installment, with a back pack so big that it can be seen from space, which coincidentally is where we predict Luigi's next adventure to be. In fact, Luigi wanted to go to space first, but you know that show-off brother of his just had to beat him to the punch. It's tough living in the portly plumber's shadow (seriously, Mario could stand to lose a few pounds and Luigi's lactose intolerance means he needs sunlight so he can produce precious vitamin D). All fat jokes aside, this is a no-brainer. With the Wiimote, Luigi's Mansion 2: Electric Boogaloo (working title) can be free to traverse into the first-person realm. That's right, you read it here first: the next game to bear the Luigi's Mansion name will be in the first-person view and will have the thin, mustached man capturing space ghosts...and possibly fighting Jason.Luigi Vs. Jason: Electric Boogaloo anyone?
