Fine Living
Most people enjoy the finer things in life, such as a pint of beer on a hot summer day, or an attractive, scantily clad woman bending over to retrieve her car keys. However, some people crave fine things of another type; gadgets, gear, travel, and even the occasional cooking recipe are all topics you’ll find under our fine living category. Chances are you’ll see a picture of the occasional scantily clad woman as well.
Recently we brought you some fancy wood burning gadgets with modern twists like the Biolite CampStove and Cook-Air Grill, today we bring you the Backcountry Boiler. A water bottle-sized water boiler for when you’re away from civilization and need to boil water for drinking, making tea or coffee, or hot water for noodles.
The Backcountry Boiler is about the same size as a large water bottle but a bit heavier because of its metal composition. It has a capacity of 20 ounces of water but the recommended maximum is 16 oz., which can be heated in about 5 minutes using a variety of material for the fire. continue reading →
Forget about the quilted, quicker, picker-upper. We got a new paper towel on the block that not only does an excellent job at cleaning but is an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional paper towels. The Bambooee Paper Towels act just like an ordinary paper towel, but they can be machine washed and reused 20 times.
The “Going Green” trend is still going strong and it’s not too late to jump on the bandwagon – everybody is doing it! The Bambooee towels are made out of sturdy and super-absorbent bamboo fibers which work the way was as standard paper towels do. Best of all, a single roll of these environmentally friendly towels replaces up to 60 rolls of regular paper towels! continue reading →
Back in 2010 we wrote a post on the Meeting Knife which we called the puzzling knife, the Vuzzle chair by Korean designer Christopher Daniel reminds me of that knife and I’m calling it the Puzzling Chair.
The chair is inspired by a Voronoi diagram and is quite a unique take on a sitting device. The chair is made out of 59 individual cushion pieces that have built in neodymium magnets to hold them together. It’s like a big heavy puzzle that you get to sit on. The chair’s resting place is a cube and by removing 13 of the cushions, it turns into a chair. The extra cushions can be used as foot stools or small stools for sitting. You can get creative with design and come up different configurations. The Vuzzle Chairs come in three colors: Vuzzle Bloody Marry, Vuzzle Milk, and Vuzzle Neat. continue reading →
Many times throughout history, people have invented things that they market as one product, but that which people know is actually used for a very different thing. In an older episode of Mad Man, the team was tasked with marketing a vibrating weight loss belt for women. Peggy got her hands on it, tried it out, and learned why women were *actually* buying it. See where I’m going with this? The reason I mention this story is that I believe this Horizontal Shower from German manufacturer Donbracht follows the same marketing strategy. Sell a unique looking shower that’s better suited to continue reading →
I’ve smoked the hookah a few times here and there but it’s not a regular thing for me. Some people are obsessed with the smoking device and even collect them since different regions of the world have different styles and designs. And those with money to blow skip the standard hookah and strictly deal with “designer” hookahs such as the ‘Designer Shisha by Porsche Design’.
If the offerings from Porsche Design are still not worthy enough then perhaps the hookah from Etienne LeRoy might do it for you. The Swiss made Etinne LeRoy hookah was unveiled at the Big Boys Toys in Dubai and is limited to only 99 pieces making it that much more exclusive. The Swiss are known for their quality craftsmanship and this hookah is no exception. According to the company, “the Etienne LeRoy team have decided to ally the Eastern tradition and modern Swiss design to create the best sheesha ever made”. continue reading →
It’s not exactly a groundbreaking technological discovery, but this little invention might just revolutionize the key chain industry. If you’ve ever broken a nail or hurt your finger from shuffling around keys on your key chain, you aren’t alone. It’s a problem that plagues millions of people world wide, and this epidemic is quickly spiraling out of control. Scientists have been working dilligently for years to come up with a solution, and until recently all attempts had failed. That all changed with continue reading →
In the Netherlands, a country of modest people and humble structures, stands a climbing wall that is anything but. The Excalbur climbing wall at the Klimcentrum Bjoeks Climbing Center in Groningen, the Netherlands, is the world’s tallest climbing wall. Reaching a maximum height of 121ft, this massive climbing wall dwarfs everything around it.
I’ve done a little bit of climbing over the years, and climbing walls a fraction of Excalibur’s height were terrifying for me at first. I can’t even imagine climbing the full height of this wall; I think I would continue reading →
Last December I wrote about the $50,000 CXC Motion Pro II video game racing simulator, if that was out of your price range then you might want to think about the Vesaro Advanced Racing Simulation rig. The Vesaro race simulators have a starting price of £999 ($1,565 US) and can go up to £16,578 ($25,980), still a hefty price but much more reasonable compared to $50k 
, which can buy you a very nicely equipped sports car.
The Vesaro race simulators come in 9 different variations and all come with stainless steel structures that have been painted black. The base model continue reading →
Having a fireplace in a home has a way of bringing a warm and inviting environment that makes people feel comfortable. It really doesn’t matter whether it’s a wood-burning fireplace, gas, or a fake electric one. Hell, I even have a fireplace app for my phone to provide me with that warm, fuzzy feeling.
An electric fireplace seems to be a popular alternative these days and the new real estate developments seem to be embracing them. They can be pretty nice but I recently came across the Serafin Fireplace which really caught my attention. This is a liquid fuel fireplace that uses PureFuels which is a clean-burning, natural, ethanol based fuel used in vent-less fireplaces. continue reading →
Living in the Pacific Northwest, we have it pretty easy when it comes to snowfall in areas such as Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC but the folks in the Northeast and Midwest don’t have it all that great during the winter months. I used to live in Missouri, so I know what those poor schmucks have to deal with and I’ve busted my tailbone numerous times on slippery sidewalks. Snow boots are great for pedestrians but it’s rather annoying carrying your regular pair of shoes once you do arrive at your destination. Thanks to the YakTrax Instant Ice Shoes, you can have snow boot grip without having to wear those boots. continue reading →
