Sunday, April 24, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Forget the 6 million dollar man! Here comes the $6400 toilet
Is the world ready for the Kohler Numi, the uber-luxurious toilet with on-board foot warmer, built-in boom box, an heated seat that goes up and down on its own, not to mention a special bidet attachment, all controlled by a touchscreen with a 20-foot range?
Ready or not, Kohler Numi is now available for $6,400, and if you’re into high-tech design and desire a level of comfort unforeseen until now, this device could be right up your alley.
Like most high-end toilets from Toto (like I've heard of these guys or something) — such as the high-end NeoRest that costs around $4,000 — and others, there is a bidet function in the Numi, using a retractable wand-like device to spray you in just the right places (oh yeah!), and its temperature, power and aim are all easily adjusted with that touchscreen remote. When the spraying is done, there’s a fan that blows warm air to dry you off.
To entertain you in the meantime, there’s a built-in music system with FM radio and auxiliary input, so yes, you could conceivably plug your iPhone into this toilet. Too bad there’s no Bluetooth capability, but those well-heeled enough to have such a toilet could build that into their bathrooms separately.
Take a look at the video if you’d like to see the Numi’s robotic seat in action, triggered by a motion detector so that your hands won’t have to touch anything toilet-related. Just think, this could be the end of toilet seat up/down arguments.
It also looks like a good to tweet about your latest bathroom related adventure
These toilet types seem to be all the rage in Japan (pre tsunami or post?!), but they seem to have been slow to catch on in North American, according to Kohler representatives. You don’t need to buy an entire toilet of this type to enjoy the benefits of its bidet functionality, however.
After thoroughly checking out the Kohler website I found the Kohler C3 toilet seat that does a lot of the same bidet, deodorizing and drying functions as this one, and from what I see, if North Americans knew what it was like to own such a device, they might be willing to spend some serious money for it. Maybe $6,400 is a bit steep, but $800 for a comparable bidet seat (called a washlet in some quarters) could be possible, and some cost a lot less than that.
How about it, readers? Could these kinds of devices catch on in the Canada or elsewhere?
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The Haka
Well embracing my Kiwi side (lol) I found myself becoming more and more interested in various Kiwi things. Beachroot (beets) on a burger with egg, cricket, the mighty All blacks and rugby so with that came the haka. The what you say?!
Haka:
A native war dance (or so I thought) performed by the All Blacks and other Kiwi rugby teams before a match to intimidate their opponents and praise their Māori heritage. Upon further investigation I found out its more than just that.
The History
Although the use of haka by the All Blacks rugby team and the Kiwi rugby league team has made one type of haka familiar, it has led to misconceptions. Haka are not exclusively war dances or performed only by men. Some are performed by women, others by mixed groups, and some simple haka are performed by children. Haka are performed for various reasons: for amusement, as a hearty welcome to distinguished guests, or to acknowledge great achievements or occasions.
War haka (peruperu) were originally performed by warriors before a battle, proclaiming their strength and prowess in order to intimidate the opposition. Today, haka constitute an integral part of formal or official welcome ceremonies for distinguished visitors or foreign dignitaries, serving to impart a sense of the importance of the occasion.
Various actions are employed in the course of a performance(thats right, performance), including facial contortions such as showing the whites of the eyes and the poking out of the tongue, and a wide variety of vigorous body actions such as slapping the hands against the body and stamping of the feet. As well as chanted words, a variety of cries and grunts are used. Haka may be understood as a type of symphony in which the different parts of the body represent many instruments. The hands, arms, legs, feet, voice, eyes, tongue and the body as a whole combine to express courage, annoyance, joy or other feelings relevant to the purpose of the occasion.
Types
The various types of haka include whakatu waewae, tutu ngarahu and peruperu. The peruperu is characterised by leaps during which the legs are pressed under the body. In former times, the peruperu was performed before a battle in order to invoke the god of war and to discourage and frighten the enemy. It involved fierce facial expressions and grimaces, poking out of the tongue, eye bulging, grunts and cries, and the waving of weapons. If the haka was not performed in total unison, this was regarded as a bad omen for the battle. Often, warriors went naked into battle, apart from a plaited flax belt around the waist. The aim of the warriors was to kill all the members of the enemy war party, so that no survivors would remain to undertake revenge.
The tutu ngarahu also involves jumping, but from side to side, while in the whakatu waewae no jumping occurs. Another kind of haka performed without weapons is the ngeri, the purpose of which was to motivate the warriors psychologically. The movements are very free, and each performer is expected to be expressive of their feelings. Manawa wera haka were generally associated with funerals or other occasions involving death. Like the ngeri they were performed without weapons, and there was little or no choreographed movement.
The most well-known haka is "Ka Mate", attributed to a historica war leader of the NZ Moari tribe. The "Ka Mate" haka is classified as a haka taparahi – a ceremonial haka. "Ka Mate" is about the cunning ruse Te Rauparaha used to outwit his enemies, and may be interpreted as "a celebration of the triumph of life over death".
Gender
Most haka are performed by men, with the female role, if any, limited to providing support by singing in the background. There are however some haka which are performed predominantly by women – one of the most well-known being the Ngāti Poro (still no clue how to say that) haka "Ka Panapana"
Mythology (oooooooooooohhhhh, big word!)
According to Māori mythology, the sun god, Tama-nui-te-rā , had two wives, the Summer Maid (Hine-raumati), , and the Winter Maid (Hine-takurua). Haka originated in the coming of Hine-raumati, whose presence on still, hot days was revealed in a quivering appearance in the air. This was the haka of Tāne-rore, the son of Hine-raumati and Tama-nui-te-rā.
Translation? Here ya go..
By the blood of our ancestors! We are powerful! We are invincible! We are not scared of you and you will surrender before the brave warriors that we are! Look at the size of our arms! And of our legs! Come and tackle us if you dare! Be very scared! Be terrified! Grrrr!
This brief but interesting history lesson was brought to you by the letter "W"
Haka:
A native war dance (or so I thought) performed by the All Blacks and other Kiwi rugby teams before a match to intimidate their opponents and praise their Māori heritage. Upon further investigation I found out its more than just that.
The History
Although the use of haka by the All Blacks rugby team and the Kiwi rugby league team has made one type of haka familiar, it has led to misconceptions. Haka are not exclusively war dances or performed only by men. Some are performed by women, others by mixed groups, and some simple haka are performed by children. Haka are performed for various reasons: for amusement, as a hearty welcome to distinguished guests, or to acknowledge great achievements or occasions.
War haka (peruperu) were originally performed by warriors before a battle, proclaiming their strength and prowess in order to intimidate the opposition. Today, haka constitute an integral part of formal or official welcome ceremonies for distinguished visitors or foreign dignitaries, serving to impart a sense of the importance of the occasion.
Various actions are employed in the course of a performance(thats right, performance), including facial contortions such as showing the whites of the eyes and the poking out of the tongue, and a wide variety of vigorous body actions such as slapping the hands against the body and stamping of the feet. As well as chanted words, a variety of cries and grunts are used. Haka may be understood as a type of symphony in which the different parts of the body represent many instruments. The hands, arms, legs, feet, voice, eyes, tongue and the body as a whole combine to express courage, annoyance, joy or other feelings relevant to the purpose of the occasion.
Types
The various types of haka include whakatu waewae, tutu ngarahu and peruperu. The peruperu is characterised by leaps during which the legs are pressed under the body. In former times, the peruperu was performed before a battle in order to invoke the god of war and to discourage and frighten the enemy. It involved fierce facial expressions and grimaces, poking out of the tongue, eye bulging, grunts and cries, and the waving of weapons. If the haka was not performed in total unison, this was regarded as a bad omen for the battle. Often, warriors went naked into battle, apart from a plaited flax belt around the waist. The aim of the warriors was to kill all the members of the enemy war party, so that no survivors would remain to undertake revenge.
The tutu ngarahu also involves jumping, but from side to side, while in the whakatu waewae no jumping occurs. Another kind of haka performed without weapons is the ngeri, the purpose of which was to motivate the warriors psychologically. The movements are very free, and each performer is expected to be expressive of their feelings. Manawa wera haka were generally associated with funerals or other occasions involving death. Like the ngeri they were performed without weapons, and there was little or no choreographed movement.
The most well-known haka is "Ka Mate", attributed to a historica war leader of the NZ Moari tribe. The "Ka Mate" haka is classified as a haka taparahi – a ceremonial haka. "Ka Mate" is about the cunning ruse Te Rauparaha used to outwit his enemies, and may be interpreted as "a celebration of the triumph of life over death".
Gender
Most haka are performed by men, with the female role, if any, limited to providing support by singing in the background. There are however some haka which are performed predominantly by women – one of the most well-known being the Ngāti Poro (still no clue how to say that) haka "Ka Panapana"
Mythology (oooooooooooohhhhh, big word!)
According to Māori mythology, the sun god, Tama-nui-te-rā , had two wives, the Summer Maid (Hine-raumati), , and the Winter Maid (Hine-takurua). Haka originated in the coming of Hine-raumati, whose presence on still, hot days was revealed in a quivering appearance in the air. This was the haka of Tāne-rore, the son of Hine-raumati and Tama-nui-te-rā.
Translation? Here ya go..
By the blood of our ancestors! We are powerful! We are invincible! We are not scared of you and you will surrender before the brave warriors that we are! Look at the size of our arms! And of our legs! Come and tackle us if you dare! Be very scared! Be terrified! Grrrr!
This brief but interesting history lesson was brought to you by the letter "W"
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Facebook types
Found this viral video on the types of people on facebook. In my love and hate relationship with FB I thought I would post this to see what everyone thinks.
Brought to you by Altoids-the curiously strong candy brand (yar) and the ad agency The Evolution Bureau it is intended as a tongue-in-cheek “Curiously Strong Award” to “the stars of your social network.”
The song breaks down the plethora of FB friend types including “The Like-A-Lot,” who “likes everything you do” and “The Friend Tycoon,” who tries to friend everyone he meets. “Let me tell you about The Oversharer,” goes another lyric, “treating that rash with aloe vera. Did he get it from hiking in the High Sierras or from a girl named Sarah? Yo, we don’t care-ah.”
Yes, it’s funny stuff, but it’s also “a slick admission that while FB interactions can often be completely silly, for millions they’re also enjoyably meaningful diversions.”
Many writers have tried to catalog the various FB types before, but none have been quite as catchy as this.
One problem however: What does this have to do with mints? On FB, after all, no one can smell your breath.
Brought to you by Altoids-the curiously strong candy brand (yar) and the ad agency The Evolution Bureau it is intended as a tongue-in-cheek “Curiously Strong Award” to “the stars of your social network.”
The song breaks down the plethora of FB friend types including “The Like-A-Lot,” who “likes everything you do” and “The Friend Tycoon,” who tries to friend everyone he meets. “Let me tell you about The Oversharer,” goes another lyric, “treating that rash with aloe vera. Did he get it from hiking in the High Sierras or from a girl named Sarah? Yo, we don’t care-ah.”
Yes, it’s funny stuff, but it’s also “a slick admission that while FB interactions can often be completely silly, for millions they’re also enjoyably meaningful diversions.”
Many writers have tried to catalog the various FB types before, but none have been quite as catchy as this.
One problem however: What does this have to do with mints? On FB, after all, no one can smell your breath.
IPhone 5 is coming!! iPhone 5 is coming!
Just in case you live under a rock here's a quick note that iPhone 5 is coming. Go fig right! As per the norm who'd a thunk it that 5 would come after 4. Being a tech junkie I'm highly aware of this even if math is not my strong point.
With everything new and upcoming comes rumors. Having had every iPhone model so far go figure I'm already chomping at the bit in anticipation for the new model but all the rumors are starting to drive me crazy. To quell the rumor mill for all my iPhone loving friends I found a neat lil graphic online to help with what might come to be with the new device.
From the looks of things change is afoot. You decide.
Sorry for the image size I couldn't make it any bigger for some reason
Thanks to the folks over at nowhereelse.fr for the lovely graphic.
Lates
With everything new and upcoming comes rumors. Having had every iPhone model so far go figure I'm already chomping at the bit in anticipation for the new model but all the rumors are starting to drive me crazy. To quell the rumor mill for all my iPhone loving friends I found a neat lil graphic online to help with what might come to be with the new device.
From the looks of things change is afoot. You decide.
Thanks to the folks over at nowhereelse.fr for the lovely graphic.
Lates
Lost but now found
Salutations,
Long time no speak. Let's just say I've been taking a lil break from the blogging world to do other things. Okay, I'm lying. I've been super lazy lately as I'm now starting work at 4:30 am (yeah for me!) since most of my clients are on the east coast. In and effort to serve them better I'm the lucky guy that now gets up SUPER early. Woo hoo!!! Its not that bad but lately I've developed a fondness for early to beds and strong early morning coffee so if I tend to ramble in posts just go with it. Not that anybody reads this. I just thought I needed to justify my absence and neglect to all my legions of imaginary loyal followers.
Thanks for hanging in there with me.
More to come
Long time no speak. Let's just say I've been taking a lil break from the blogging world to do other things. Okay, I'm lying. I've been super lazy lately as I'm now starting work at 4:30 am (yeah for me!) since most of my clients are on the east coast. In and effort to serve them better I'm the lucky guy that now gets up SUPER early. Woo hoo!!! Its not that bad but lately I've developed a fondness for early to beds and strong early morning coffee so if I tend to ramble in posts just go with it. Not that anybody reads this. I just thought I needed to justify my absence and neglect to all my legions of imaginary loyal followers.
Thanks for hanging in there with me.
More to come
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)