G I Z M O D O .cz

We weren’t especially impressed with the selection of Black Friday deals on LEGO last week, but Amazon.com is making up for it a bit with some pretty good deals on LEGO today, “Cyber Monday” (when many people buy online for the holidays).

Overall, there’s 20% off select LEGO, but some of the best deals are on items normally excluded from other sales, like LEGO Star Wars and MINDSTORMS NXT.

Head on over to Amazon.com to check out the deals.

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Often thought of the most suitable hardwood for outdoor furnishings because of its hardiness when exposed to water, heat and humidity, teak makes for great bathroom tubs and sink basins as well.

Plavisdesign of Italy, who has a large selection of ceramic designs for the bath, has a special collection of modern teak wood tubs and wonderful sink vessels by Bulle Design, many of which were recently introduced in the trade shows.

The natural quality of the wood and the organic shapes combined with sink pedestals of glass and/ or stainless steel accents or fittings, make this collection suitable for many architectural styles or genres. Japanese miminalist, bauhaus, modernist or simply urban would all be appropriate environments for pieces from this collection.

Teak Tubs

Abby:


Day:



Nextstep:





Teak Sinks / Basins / Vessels

All:


Ant:


Dave:


Gene:


Luis:


Neil:


Stan:



And the Teak Middle, a wall mounted shower:



In addition to this collection, Plavisdesign has many beautiful ceramic sinks, vessels, basins and tubs, too.

And worth noting is their new stunning modern Ari tub made of Corian and glass:



See more at Plavisdesign


via Piero Bargagni,14. 32026
Villa di Villa, Mel (BL) Italia
phone +390437548128
fax +390437374502

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I believe that the best builders are always trying out new techniques and new styles. For my latest creation, I tried to really push myself to do something new, and ended up well outside of my comfort zone.

I’ve never really worked with orange before building this mecha. I’d also never used multiple ball joints to create a spine in a mecha before this attempt. In addition, this was an attempt at a style of mecha, based on existing art, that I’d never attempted before.

I haven’t made up my mind yet as to whether this was really a successful build, but I do know that it’s done. I’m really curious as to what people will think of it.

[Edit] I got some great suggestions to improve the Dragon Unit from a variety of sources. Thanks to an ample dosage of peer pressure from Andrew Lee, here’s the MK II version.

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Rob (dasnewten) is at it again, building a great looking star fighter. It has a style reminiscent of classic Star Wars ships, a mix of angular and textured. The shape is also quite similar to his much-lauded Naganata, I guess we’ll call them variations on a theme.

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The annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, which will air on CBS on December 1st, has gone beyond simply sexy. This year, it's moved far from a cheesy Vegas Revue or a slutty Ziegfeld Follies. Along with showcasing the usual; lace g-strings, merry widows, satin teddies, push up bras and lots of lovely skin, the show is fast becoming an true fashion show. All without losing its sex appeal.

This year's styling deserves kudos for breaking away from more traditional angel wings as props, replacing them with far more edgy and imaginative versions. Wings made of balloons, wire, fabric, plexiglass and more are combined with the lingerie, making it feel as though we're at Fashion Week watching a futuristic and irreverent fashion designer instead of just the leggy nubile nymphs most husbands ogle while on the john.

The set designs and lighting are more akin to a theater production than a lingerie show:




The show is bound to widen its audience appeal by treating the runway, sets and styling like it's a JCDC or Gilles Deacon show instead of just voyeurism for a lascivious audience. But don't fret, there's still plenty of cleavage, thigh-high boots and butt cheek-baring couture for those of you who want it.

The unusual styling:











The host, supermodel Heidi Klum:


The show is hosted by the incredibly stunning Heidi Klum, who I am now convinced is actually an alien being, haven given birth to four children (the most recent just 6 weeks prior to hosting this show!!) only to have her rockin' bod snap right back into shape without so much as a stretch mark.



Since her VS catwalk debut in 1997, Heidi has been a showstopper—wearing the tallest wings ever in 2003 and singing a duet with her husband Seal in 2007.

The Supermodels
Ths year's supermodel line-up, straight from your mail order catalog: Adrian Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Marisa Miller, Behati Prinsloo, Doutzen Kroes and Miranda Kerr.




The Entertainment
In addition to the far out costuming, there was plenty of wild set decor and entertainment. Black Eyed Peas performed and Fergie, looking just as sexy as the supermodels, rocked the house:




The $3 million 2009 Diamond Harlequin Fantasy Bra:


Each year, they have a 'fantasy bra' made with real diamonds and gemstones. This year, it's the 2009 Harlequin Fantasy Bra set with over 2,350 brilliant cut white, champagne and cognac colored diamonds accented with a rare 16 carat heart-shaped cognac diamond pendant. Total carat weight =150. Price = $3 million:



More from the show:











all images courtesy of getty and Victoria's Secret

You can see backstage photos, learn about the Miami model search, see the girls in Times Square and much more at the Victoria's Secret All Access website.

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show will air on CBS, December 1st.

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Martin is giving us a nice taste of micro scale space. His new Halog frigate has some cool features. I especially like the use of hinge bricks to create a surface texture, a technique I hadn’t seen before. I’m also keen on the launch bay (or whatever it is) on the front of the ship. The photos are are on Flickr, but there’s more description here.

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This is so cool! Er....warm.

Seems like a lot of products are multi-tasking for us these days and here's yet another new, modern hi-tech version of an old utilitarian product. The Poseidon by Chillchaser is an innovation in outdoor heating.



It incorporates a media player, speakers, built in USB port, remote functionality in a weatherproof modern metal design with carbon fiber heating tubes that significantly reduces running costs and cuts carbon dioxide emissions by 50% .


The IPX5 weatherproof media player features a super bright high resolution LCD display that is perfect for playback of all your videos, pictures and music. Audio is also catered for via the inbuilt crystal clear speakers. The built in USB port enables you to run video and audio from your memory sticks. You can also plug in your MP3 players and ipods using the 3.5 input socket.


The PIR economy feature enables the Poseidon patio heater to automatically switch on and off depending on activity near the unit. When enabled, the PIR sensor constantly monitors peoples’ movements up to a distance of 4 meters and if after 4 minutes it does not detect movement it will switch off. Thereafter, if the PIR sensor does detect movement it will automatically switch on at the original settings. This economy function optimises energy usage and minimizes CO2 emissions even further than the 50% already indicated – making Poseidon the most efficient and eco-friendly heater in the world.

Instant heat with two heat settings - 1350W / 2700W. - the elements are replaceable & designed to last 8,000 hours.

Far Infrared Electric heaters offer more focused heat, heating people rather than the air and emit zero CO2 exhaust gases unlike gas patio heaters. Far Infrared carbon fibre heating is used worldwide in hospitals for many problems as it is proven to be the most natural, versatile, and healthy form of heat known to man. FIR heat helps maintain body vitality and increases metabolic function without side effects



Built in rollers and pull handle facilitate easy mobility around patio areas. Poseidon also features a storage compartment for tidy cable management. The magnetic remote enables you to simply attach it to the body of the heater so that you don’t lose it.

It also has a safety master lock so children can't tamper with it and a safety tilt features that automatically shuts of the heater if it's knocked over.


learn more here.

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I know I’m a pathetic sucker for any creations based on Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, but it’s impossible to resist another of Sylvain’s (captainsmog) dioramas. Aside from the tie-in with my favorite author, this uses a variety of both sophisticated and simple techniques to create a detail rich scene. Plus, it has a wizard’s bad ass (not a town near Lancre) wheelchair almost running over a watchman.

Windle Poons isn’t my favorite character, but this is just a good all around medieval city scene. I especially like the weeds growing through the textured cobbles, the drain pipe on the left, and the wooden roof.

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A young hip company manned by the Boos family, Wurkin Stiffs has a large selection of fun fashion gifts for men. Stainless steel 'power' collar stays ( a play on tech for the geeky male), fashion collar stays (resin with whimsical illustrations), fashion cuff links (round or square resin with the same illustrations as the fashion stays) and knotz, textile cuff links knotted in several color combinations and three styles.



High-tech alloy stays are made with the same material and technology used in aerospace. These magnetic collar stays will make all of your dress and/or sportswear shirt collars absolutely perfect, giving you the ability to adjust your shirt collar spread where you want it.

"Power-On" Collar Stays:
The 2.5 inch satin-finished Power Stays with super-strong magnetic buttons are sold either separately or in sets. They also sell replacement magnet buttons.





"Fashion" resin collar stays:
Würkin Stiffs Fashion Power Stays™ have images embedded in a crystal-clear resin and yes, they are magnetic. Here are a few of my favorite ones:





How the magnetic collar stays work:


Also available is this nice little leather holder for the stays, complete with embossed "power stay' image:


and here's a fun little video they produced:


"Fashion" Cuff links are milled and machined from one-piece of solid billet brass, not three-pieces soldered together like most. They are double-resined on both sides, which gives you a true-finished cufflink on front and back. Also included at no extra charge, a creative "v-design" which keeps our imagery positioned right-side-up on your cuff.

Available in square or round, they feature the same whimsical art as the fashion stays. Here are just a few examples:



Knotz cuff links:
A more affordable alternative to their resin cuff links and available in three designs; knots, square pegs or barber poles, and tons of color combinations based on everything from birthstones, international colors... even superheroes.



Each knot is specially designed and identified with it's own name. Each comes in a crystal-clear glass vial with a cork stopper. The perfect affordable gift for you cuffs.

Who is behind Würkin Stiffs?

President: Jonathan Boos

Customer Service: Amie Boos

The "Boss": baby Aiden Boos



CONCEPTION OF THE MAGNETIC COLLAR STAY AS TOLD BY JONATHAN BOOS:

Three years ago, I was getting dressed to take my wife out for dinner and have drinks with our friends in downtown Sarasota. My wife had bought me an expensive shirt the prior week, in which I was putting on to wear for that evening. Looking in the mirror, I could not believe the shirt's collar. It would flare out and not stay in any position I would put it in. I looked like the flying nun! After continual complaining about the way the shirt collar looked and time running out. . .

I had an idea.

I immediately configured a make-shift magnetic collar stay. Yes, it was primitive. However, the basic idea was there and more importantly it worked. The collar adjusted exactly to the way I wanted the collar to look. Throughout the evening I must have asked my wife, "How does my collar look?" a hundred times. Each time she would say, "It looks the same". Three hours, two Long Island Iced Teas and a Vodka Cranberry later. . . I must say I might not have looked so good, but my collar was perfect!

When I got out of bed the next day, I drove to my twin brother's hair salon. I figured he is sort of in the fashion industry and he appears to dress very well for a straight guy. Joshua seemed very impressed with the idea, helped me do research and then we built the first real prototype.

Working as a hairstylist for thirteen years and struggling with out-of-control collars on a daily basis, Joshua became the first guinea pig to try the magnetic collar stay. Long story short, Joshua and I both knew a start of something special was conceived, when after wearing the magnetic collar stays for an entire workday, Josh stated: "Finally, I was able to concentrate on the job at hand, without having to mess with my collar every five minutes!"

We both agreed that it would be a huge undertaking for just one of us to make every man's shirt collar to look perfect! So we decided to join together; to create Würkin Stiffs, Inc

Buy Würkin Stiffs products on line, in store or by phone. Shop them here.

be sure to check these great gifts for men, too:

From Collar Stays To Cufflinks (Ties, too!) : The Hippest Wearable Gifts For The Stylish Dad

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One thing I really like about the Homeworld universe is that it inspires a lot of great LEGO creations, all with a unifying aesthetic (stripes!), but that also provides builders with enough flexibility to add their unique touches of their own. Kurt Vinnedge (vìnn) gives the Taiidan his own spin, resulting in the Vinnidan Interceptor:

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