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I don’t know what the world is coming to, but it seems like if you have the right amount of money, you can get anything done. Like take the story of Ed and Nina Otto. They lost their dog Sir Lancelot Encore in January, 2008 to cancer, but just couldn’t bear this loss. Now the logical thing to do is go buy a new dog, but not if you are rich and eccentric. The Otto’s actually paid an insane amount of $155,000 to have their dead dog cloned by South Korean company BioArts International. “He’s back with me,” said Nina, “in terms of the essence of him, as much as you could probably expect to ever get back someone who died. This is Sir Lancelot, as he was, when he was nice and healthy,” said Nina Otto, “probably around the time that we actually took his DNA and froze it. I know that to a lot of people spending that much money is ridiculous. I’ve heard some of my friends say ‘On a dog?’, but it wasn’t just a dog. It was Lancelot.” This is probably the first commercially cloned pet in the US. But seriously, this a bit too crazy.

Via - [Newlaunches]

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I don’t know what the world is coming to, but it seems like if you have the right amount of money, you can get anything done. Like take the story of Ed and Nina Otto. They lost their dog Sir Lancelot Encore in January, 2008 to cancer, but just couldn’t bear this loss. Now the logical thing to do is go buy a new dog, but not if you are rich and eccentric. The Otto’s actually paid an insane amount of $155,000 to have their dead dog cloned by South Korean company BioArts International. “He’s back with me,” said Nina, “in terms of the essence of him, as much as you could probably expect to ever get back someone who died. This is Sir Lancelot, as he was, when he was nice and healthy,” said Nina Otto, “probably around the time that we actually took his DNA and froze it. I know that to a lot of people spending that much money is ridiculous. I’ve heard some of my friends say ‘On a dog?’, but it wasn’t just a dog. It was Lancelot.” This is probably the first commercially cloned pet in the US. But seriously, this a bit too crazy.

Via - [Newlaunches]

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The Maybach 62S Landaulet is something to drool over, it is a deliciously luxurious. It has a rollback canvas roof that is certainly one of its main highlights. It comes packed with a bunch of great features and that goes without saying at a price of $2.2 million. This is a ‘Buy it now’ price on ebay and it might make many cringe. The car has a twin turbo V12. It looks hot in black and white. However, who will buy this car at such a high price in these times of financial crisis? The seller might want to rethink the price tag. Still, there’s no question that this car has stunning looks.

[Jalopnik]

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The Maybach 62S Landaulet is something to drool over, it is a deliciously luxurious. It has a rollback canvas roof that is certainly one of its main highlights. It comes packed with a bunch of great features and that goes without saying at a price of $2.2 million. This is a ‘Buy it now’ price on ebay and it might make many cringe. The car has a twin turbo V12. It looks hot in black and white. However, who will buy this car at such a high price in these times of financial crisis? The seller might want to rethink the price tag. Still, there’s no question that this car has stunning looks.

[Jalopnik]

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Since today was the day for eco-friendly vehicles that zoom on the roads as well as soar high in the air, its time to end the day with another green vehicle that is set to hit the depths in a green style. Fueling his passion for speeding up the underwater exploration, Ted Ciamillo intends to pedal across the Atlantic in a one-man submarine. The eco-friendly pedal powered sub is a larger version of the Lunocet. And what is Lunocet? Well, teaming up with marine biologist Frank Fish (is that a nickname?) of West Chester University, Ted had designed a carbon-fibre “tail” for divers, called the Lunocet. Akin to dolphins, Lunocet enables the diver to swim as efficiently as possible. Coming back to the new pedal powered mini-sub, it is going to be crafted out of light weight yet sturdy materials. To be precise, a stainless steel frame, a polycarbonate shell and a propulsion system made from aluminum and titanium.

Also instead of having a pressurized shell filled with air, it will be full of water at all times. Ciamillo will wear a wetsuit and breathe using scuba gear or a specially adapted snorkel. The guy has calculated about 50 days to cover a distance of 3700 kilometers of open water from Cape Verde off the west coast of Africa to Barbados in the Caribbean. Good Luck buddy!

[Newscientist]

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After covering posts about terra-vehicles that aim to cut down on emissions and race to keep the environment clean, its time to look up to the green air-vehicles too. Just yesterday, the SkySpark project took off in Turin. In an attempt to shape up as a 100% ecological aircraft, this electrically powered flier also aims to set a world speed record for the same. The whole system is powered by a hydrogen fuel-cell, about 65kW. Powered by an electrical motor, it has already surpassed internal combustion engines both for efficiency and dimensions. Electronic control systems allow today to modulate RPM and torque with dynamics which are far beyond what it is attainable in reciprocating engines.

Italian astronaut Maurizio Cheli is the project coordinator and the SkySpark’s pilot. Supporting the navigation issues, NavSAS will use its technology to provide an accurate positioning of the plane during the tests and the record attempt. Such eco-friendly, zero-emission aircraft promise to keep our blue skies clean.

[Skyspark And Blogspot]

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Come February and you can find green wheeled goblins on the roads on America! No I am not narrating any fairy tale and the goblins I am referring to are the human powered vehicles from Goblin Motors. All set to come alive in the coming month, these single seater, human powered vehicles are known as velomobiles. American can now commute to work using their own power or use the power assist and arrive without even breaking a sweat! The GoblinAero and the GoblinRAMPAGE are based on the bicycle technology and high tech aerodynamics engineering to serve as the most eco-friendly personal vehicle of the time. Users can simply cruise through town using the engine or use the pedals to take advantage of their powerful muscular legs. Sporting an ergonomic seating position, the upholstered seat also comes with an adjustable seat back for uber comfort.

The highlight of such vehicles is that many states eliminate the need of license or registration for them. The Aero is already up for sale for $6,000-$7,000 while the big brother Rampage will hit the roads in the summer for a heated price range of $7,000-$8,000.

[Alternative-energy-news]

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BMW is out to lure all the eco-friendly racers with its latest green supercar dubbed ZD 10 ED. The ED stands for Efficient Dynamics and the Z 10 stands for the platform it is built on. Under the hood, it packs in fuel saving technologies that include stop-start system, an integrated starter/generator and a new brake energy regeneration system modified to store energy in a lithium-ion battery. Powered by a new generation, direct-injection turbocharged straight-six efficient engine, it can produce 400 horsepower with ease. This power will be channeled to the rear wheels via BMW’s new seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Along with this, the light weight body helps to boost the efficiency by nearly 15%. However no word on pricing or availability yet.

[Wippz]

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When temperatures plunge, only ardent skiers would actually itch to venture outdoors and hit those snow-clad slopes. And the more adventures ones try their skills after dusk. Guided by the headlamps, skiers glide over the long stretch (about 5km) of solar powered lights on this trail. And that’s exactly what brings the Bogus Basin Nordic trails on Greenlaunches. This solar light system is an interesting draw and a fabulous example of the use of green energy for such a winter sport. It also bags the honor of being the longest renewable energy evening ski trail system in North America. So when the sun goes down and most of the ski resorts send everyone home until the lifts start again in the morning, you can indulge in some night fun by zipping past slopes that are lit with green energy at Bogus Basin.

[Idahostatesman]

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The Ovei pod is perfect for the rich spoilt brat who needs to leave home for a couple of days to show his parents how annoyed he is. Of course, it wouldn’t take much for them to find out that he is ‘chilling out’ in the luxurious pod that fits in a 5.1 surround sound system, a 26” LCD display, climate control and all that stuff. If you feel that all this isn’t enough for your entertainment in the little pod, you could also throw in a PS3, XBOX or a media server inside. At 72k (£50,000) it obviously has to cater to specific client specifications. Ahh! Now you can sit inside and forget about the recession! (Yeah, right!)

[Coolest-gadgets]

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Hourglass, more commonly known as sandglass is the most illustrious medium for describing the quick passage of time. The two glass bulbs exchange sand as well as time through the narrow passage between them. Since time is so precious to us, a shop in Thailand decided to make the best use of it by replacing the sand in an hourglass with diamonds, 10,000 carats of them. The price for this most expensive hourglass in the world is a whopping $6,400,000.

[Luxuo]

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Here is another story where the family of an old lady has benefited thanks to her keen eye for antiques. The vase, which is just four inches high and decorated in an Oriental style, was displayed in a cabinet full of other china at the woman’s home, with no one aware of its true worth. After her death, the family asked an antiques expert to value her ornaments but was surprised to find that the true jewel was this tiny antique vase. The piece was identified as a Royal Worcester vase from the early 1750s and is expected to be worth over £10,000 ($14,263). The old lady however had purchased this priceless vase for less than £20 from an antiques shop in Somerset a few years ago. The shopkeeper probably was ignorant about the worth of this English porcelain vase. The vase is an extremely rare and valuable survival and only very few such pieces have hit the market in the last fifty years.
The rare vase will be auctioned on 5th Feb and we are sure it will fetch much more than the expected price.

[Telegraph]

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I definitely enjoy buying bizarre pieces of furniture that add some style to my living room. And one designer that definitely doesn’t disappoint when it comes to unique and eccentric pieces is French designer Jean-Marie Massaud. And the latest creation by this designer has definitely impressed me again. Known as the Ad-hoc Lounge Chair, it was designed by the designer for Viccarbe. A simple hand crafted chair resembling a spider web or a cute and cozy nest, it is definitely appealing. The exquisite handcrafted armchair is perfect for both outdoor and indoor use. Just imagine how perfect this chair would look in your green lawns or right next to your fireplace. The brass structure is available in lacquered white, black, or orange epoxy. But if that is still too common for you, you can opt for the special 24k gold finished chair by shelling out a few extra dollars. No matter which you pick, this one is definitely a beauty.
Priced at $5,150 and $8,060 for the gold finished version, this one is another eccentric chair with an equally eccentric price tag.

[Stylecrave]

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What would I do if I had $6000? Pamper myself crazy by investing in the latest Sogno (pronounced “SOHN-yo”) massage chair by Inada. I just love massages and hardly miss a single opportunity to hit the spa. Thanks to Inada I can have the relaxing experience of a massage in my very home. The massage chair is so good it even promises health benefits for your back, shoulders, arms, and fingertips. Songo, which means, “dream” in Italian, can massage over 1,200 square inches of you as you sit in it. Sounds so thrilling doesn’t it? But here is the best part, Every Sogno massage begins with an infrared body scan that compares a user’s profile to 106 stored body profiles and gives you the right massage for your body type. Your body will be pampered with a range of variation and choreography in kneading, tapping, and sophisticated stroke combinations. I can just imagine spending hours on this beautiful chair and pampering my body to an exquisite relaxing experience. Winner of the prestigious CES Innovation Award for 2009, for its impeccable balance of comfort, functionality, and design, the Sogno chair is definitely great.

Priced at $6000 and available at HealthyBack.com, this is one chair that is totally worth its price.

[Luxist]

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As we turn to sun for powering up every possible thing on earth, latest innovative materials are being designed to reduce the cost and increase the efficiency. One such ingenious material on the horizon is Konarka’s Power Plastic. This super-light fabric is ultra-flexible and affordable in comparison to the traditional silicon panels. With such high flexibility potential, Power Plastic can also be fused into fabrics…..giving rise to solar powered tees, skirts, jeans and more. The maker is also working on a translucent version of the material that could also be used to put up on the windows of the eco-towers. Such Power Plastic windows will help to energize the whole tower with its sun-soaking powers.

The solar film is made by printing a secret polymer ink onto thin filmstrips using a converted Poloroid press. When light contacts the film, the ink emits electrons and generates an electric current.

Along with going transparent, this material also boasts of its ability to print camouflage and other patterns. This in turn has attracted the attention, imagination, and investment of several branches of the US military, the National Science Foundation, DARPA, the Department of Energy, the Department of Commerce, Fortune 100 companies, and leading venture capital firms.

[Cleantechnica]

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Are you bored of all the symmetrical structures and gadgets in your home? Just invest in the curvaceous speakers by Morel that go by the name- Fat Lady and watch your room take shape. The Israeli company is well known for creating high quality audio since 1975, so you can definitely look forward to a great audio experience along with some visual stimulation. The voluptuous composite enclosure is made from carbon fiber and fiberglass and has no straight lines. The bass reflex design holds two 9-inch woofers made from a “carbon fiber-Rohacell sandwich cone” with a double magnet motor and a 3-inch external aluminum voice coil. These cross over to the 6-inch mid-range at 200 Hz. The mid is made from the same material and sports a similar design as the woofers. At 2,500 Hz the mid-range crosses over to the soft-dome 1.1-inch tweeter, which is made from “hand-coated Acuflex” and sports a Neodymium magnet and an aluminum external voice coil. Morel has claimed a frequency response of 20-25,000 Hz or 60-18,000 Hz ±1.5 dB, an impedance of 6-ohms, and a sensitivity (2.83V/1 meter) of 87 dB. Promising ultra tech design along with unbeatable performance, the Fat Lady is definitely impressive.
The Fat Lady’s dimensions (or should we say vital stats) measure 13 3/8″ wide, 50″ tall, and 17 3/8” deep and she weighs a mere 97 pounds (each). But the Fat Lady is anything but cheap; to own her you have to shell out a fat price of $32,000/pair.

[Hemagazine]

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Just recently a French magazine L’argus de l’automobile has announced the winners of its seventh Student Competition Awards, themed ‘Automobile Design for Social Utility’. A team of three students from Institut Supérieur de Design in Valenciennes, France bagged the honor of first prize for their ‘Link’ concept. Winners Damien Grossemy, Thibaut Dereymacker and Maxime Dimarco received $4,000 (€3000) and also and opportunity of working with the Design department of Renault. Here is the description about the winning automobile design - The ‘Link’ concept proposes a multi-user, on-demand system based on car sharing principles in inner cities. Special stations are located at strategic points within the city limits (no more than 400m apart), at which a user can order a vehicle according to their needs. The electrically-powered cars vary in size and shape, and when not in operation can be used as interactive information points by passersby. Special ‘green’ lanes - similar in concept to California’s High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes - also allow cars carrying four or more passengers to bypass congested roads.

[Cardesignnews]

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As the trend of resorting to alternative energy is gaining ground, it isn’t surprising to come across a trash van that is actually powered by the garbage it collects. Folks residing in Yorkshire can watch this green self powered garbage van in action. Developed by Smith Electric Vehicles, the Kirklees Council believes that these battery powered electric trucks are supposed to be the first of its kind. These zero-emission vans will clear waste from 25 newly-installed split litter and recycling bins around Huddersfiled town centre. And what cannot be recycled will be transported to the local Energy from Waste (EfW) plant. Here the remaining trash will be combusted to generate electricity that can again juice up the van’s battery. Such a trash disposable system helps to save fuel and raises the awareness of the benefits of alternative energies.

The long-lasting battery can also run up to 100 miles on one fill-up. It is also completely recyclable.

[Businessgreen]

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While the rest of the world is going bankrupt, the bankruptcy lawyers are only getting richer. Professionals’ fees in bankruptcy cases are growing at four times the rate of inflation. Studies reveal that the total fees paid for lawyers, accountants and other professionals in bankruptcies from 1998 to 2007 doubled, while the consumer price index rose about 25 percent. It is almost like a competition among various firms to set a record for charging the highest fees per hour! Chicago-based Sidley Austin LLP and New York’s Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP also requested hourly rates exceeding $1,000 in the past two months in separate bankruptcy cases. The lawyers are definitely regarded as saviors during this time of financial crisis that many companies are facing. But their exorbitant fees definitely need to be curbed. According to Stephen Lubben, a professor at Seton Hall University School of Law in Newark, New Jersey, bankruptcy fees may eventually be challenged on grounds that lawyers are mostly liquidating companies instead of restructuring them.
At this rate, only lawyers will emerge as victors over the ongoing recession.

[Bloomberg]

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If you believe that a nice and classy pen is essential to complete your suave and smart look, then you definitely need to invest in the Tibaldi Bentley Continental pens. Inspired by the lines of the Bentley Continental range, which includes the Continental GT, Continental GTC and Continental Flying Spur, this line is definitely a beauty. The lid and the lower part of the barrel are knurled while the top of the lid features Bentley’s signature B monogram. This exclusive edition is limited to just nine hundred and ninety nine pieces, making this range even more attractive and exquisite. The pen is available in fountain pen, roller ball, and mechanical pencil variants in five different colors taken from Bentley’s paint palate that promise to appeal to every man.
A perfect way to flaunt your classy and stylish looks; this pen is definitely great. For all those who wish to own this beauty it is available at all Bentley dealerships and Tibaldi stores.

[Sybarites]

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