STUFF: News, Technology, the cool and the plain weird

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Star Wars Fan Film May Contain The Galaxy's Goriest Moment

Star Wars: Exile is a 16-minute fan film about a pair of Jedi who must confront a sinister Inquisitor in the employ of Darth Vader and the dark side. It’s a bit talky at times. But it also has high production values including commendable special effects, a refreshingly diverse cast, multiple lightsabre battles, and — I can emphasise this strongly enough — GORE.

Star Wars: Exile is tagged “episode one”, so it seems we’ll be seeing more of these characters’ adventures in the future. Hats off to writer-director Noel Braham (who plays the young, conflicted Jedi Makal Lori) and his co-director, Pokey Spears, who pops in evil-eyed contact lenses to play the Inquisitor.

[MIKA27]

Effortlessly Good Juggler Might Not Be Human

Maybe its the vacant expression on his face, but juggler Tukasz Uczkiewicz looks like he could pull off these tricks in his sleep. Which is all the more frustrating, because he’s so damn good I can just barely follow what’s going on.

Lukasz seems to have all but abandoned his YouTube channel, but he’s still somewhat active on Instagram where he posts the occasional juggling video. Beyond that, the 22-year-old Pole has almost no digital footprint, but hopefully he’s somewhere making a living off these incredible moves.

[MIKA27]

Undersea Lake in Gulf of Mexico Kills Everything It Touches

They call it the “Jacuzzi of Despair” and it’s not another teen horror movie … unless you’re a teenage fish trying to swim through it.

Marine scientists have discovered a hot, toxic undersea pool on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico that kills every living thing attempting to cross it.

While researching corals in the Gulf using a remotely-controlled underwater robot, Temple College biology professor Erik Cordes found the mysterious lake-in-a-gulf in 2014. He returned in 2015 with a three-man sub for a better look.

Dead isopod who attempted to enter the Jacuzzi of Despair

What he saw belongs in an underwater monster flick.

You go down into the underside of the ocean and you’re looking at a lake or a river flowing. It seems like you aren’t on this world. We have been in a position to see the primary opening of a canyon … we noticed the brine falling over this wall like a dam. It was this stunning pool of purple white and black colors.

According to his report in the journal Oceanography, the lake was 3,300 feet below the surface, 100 feet in circumference and 12 feet deep. The bed of this rare undersea pool was covered with dead deep-sea crabs. Measurements showed the temperature in the lake at 65 degrees Fahrenheit – balmy compared to the water around it which was 39 degrees.

What killed the crabs was not the heat but the salinity. Cordes says the briny water was 4-to-5 times saltier than normal Gulf seawater, making it dense enough to sink to the bottom. There, it mixed with salt formations, hydrogen sulfide and oily deposits on the Gulf floor, forming a toxic goo that gets cooked by methane leaking from bed. The end result is a toxic oxygen-starved lake that kills crabs and other bottom feeders who accidentally step into the “Jacuzzi of Despair.”

What doesn’t get killed adapts, says Cordes. The sub crew found giant mussels with a symbiotic bacteria living in their gills that fed off the hydrogen sulfide, along with shrimp and tube worms that have also changed to live in the hostile environment.

While deep-sea hydrothermal vents are common, this is one of only a handful of brine pools caused by methane seepage and the first with so-called “extremophiles” living around it. That makes it a great place to help space scientists prepare for what they might find on other planets and moons with similar conditions.

[MIKA27]

AND NOW I SHALL RUIN YOUR DAY: Prepare Yourself to Never Stop Hearing This New Justin Timberlake Song

Before you play the new track from Justin Timberlake, pause just for a second and really try to remember this moment. This is what it's like to live in a world where you have not heard "Can't Stop the Feeling." You'll never get this back. And maybe, come July, when you've heard this song thousands of times (and loved it!) you can think back and try to recall what it was like before.

Now play it.

Okay, do you know how many times this summer/winter you're going to be singing that line "I got that sunshine in my pocket" before that funky bass line drops? There's going to be so much shameful air bass in the coming days and weeks and months. I hope you're prepared for this.

Every bar, every club, every cab, every party, every wedding, every birthday, every baby shower, every morning on the way to work, every evening on the way home, every barbecue, every time you put on the radio it will be: "Just dance, dance, dance."

And JT knows what he's done. Look at him in that video—that cheesy grin, that comment in the opening where he says, "This will be the song," then stops himself before he says "of the summer."

Ahhh....sometimes it's good to be on the internet and not know many people on this forum in person as I'm sure after this, a lot of you will hate me.

[MIKA27]

Helgray Hornet Watch

After a successful Kickstarter campaign, the exceptional looking Helgray Hornet Watch is now available for purchase. Inspired by 1980s fighter jets (takes its name from the MD F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet) and pilot watches, the Hornet features a 42mm stainless steel case, and boasts a double-domed sapphire crystal, Japanese quartz movement, and water resistance to 100m (10 ATM). The Hornet is as rugged as it gets and is available now in two styles. And it's only $299.00

[MIKA27]

SOAK WOOD-FIRED HOT TUB

Inspired by a love of water and fire and a constant desire for a hot bath, The Soak Wood-Fired Hot Tub takes its minimal design and red cedar seats from Japanese Ofuro soaking tubs. The Bauhaus style form is covered in a marine grade aluminum and held together with tig welding. A side accessed stove and stainless steel pipe allow for authentic wood-fire heating, while a propane heating option is also available for a less demanding soak.

[MIKA27]

Dancing Stormtroopers Invade Britain's Got Talent

There’s a whole bunch of videos out there of dancing stormtroopers at Disneyland, but a dance troupe topped them all last night during a British talent show.

The Boogie Storm dance group went on Britain’s Got Talent last night and performed a pretty amazing dance routine. As someone who’s worn Stormtrooper armor often, it’s doubly impressive, because armor isn’t the easiest thing to move around in.

The group is moving onto the show’s finals, so we’ll likely see more from them soon.

[MIKA27]

Independence Day: Resurgence video looks back at 'The War of 1996'

While we rightfully regard Roland Emmerich's Independence Day as a bona fide classic blockbuster, for the people in that fictional world it was anything but. Independence Day: Resurgence picks up 20 years after that famous victory over the aliens, and a new clip titled 'The War of 1996' has given us some more insight on the ramifications of the event.

This is a smart bit of marketing; In addition to handily recapping the events of Independence Day - complete with sound bites from THAT speech - we also get a little more info on our new characters that gives us a better idea of their personalities and mindsets as they prepare to defend Earth against another alien invasion.

Between this and the latest trailer there's a lot to be hopeful for with Independence Day: Resurgence, and we'll found out if that faith is validated next month.

Directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, Vivica A. Fox, Brent Spiner, Liam Hemsworth, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jessie Usher, Maika Monroe, and Sela Ward, Independence Day: Resurgence opens in UK cinemas on June 23, 2016 before hitting US theatres a day later.

TRAILER

[MIKA27]

Australian Expedition To Antarctica Uncovers A Treasure Trove Of 71-Million-Year-Old Fossils

Shark vertebra.

Fossils are cool and during an expedition earlier this year in Antarctica, scientists from the University of Queensland scientists collected a whole ton of them, some dating back to the Cretaceous era.

The team of 12 scientists reported the discovery of fossils on James Ross Island near the Antarctic Peninsula, which included a mix of marine and dinosaur fossils, dating back at least 71 million years.

Plesiosaur skeleton vertebrae

We did find a lot of marine reptile remains, so things like plesiosaurs and mosasaurs,” said Dr. Steve Salisbury of the University of Queensland, in a press release. “The rocks that we were focusing on come from the end of the Age of Dinosaurs, so most of them are between 71 million and 67 million years old.”

Following the expedition, the team travelled to South America, and their discoveries are currently in Chile. They will be shipped to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History for further study. Scientists don’t expect the full results of the study for another year or two at least, but hope to gain further knowledge into what the environment was like during the time these animals existed. In the meantime, Salisbury hopes that the expedition itself will inspire others to explore and hunt for history.

“What we found or didn’t find isn’t as important as the fact that we were actually there, trying to do it,” Salisbury said. “If that inspires other people to get into the hunt for fossils, then I’ll be very excited.”

[MIKA27]

The 19th Century Hyperloop Was Going To Travel From NY To SF In 24 Hours

Illustration of an aero-train from the May 5, 1894 issue of Scientific American

In 1894 the Wright Brothers’ first flight was still nearly a decade away. But people were obsessed with figuring out how to use powered flight for any number of applications. The May 5, 1894 issue of Scientific American featured one such idea — an aero-train that could zip across the country at 241km per hour.

In the present issue we illustrate a proposed high speed railroad, in whose operation aeroplanes take a part. By this system the attainment of a speed of 241km an hour is claimed to be possible, while for long distances a rate of 201km an hour is hoped for. The projectors hold that the railroad of the present time must be supplemented by some system admitting of higher speed.

Interestingly, one of the problems that the people at Scientific American saw with this proposal was that you couldn’t have dramatic turns. This is precisely one of the biggest hurdles that modern day engineers have pondered when it involves the Hyperloop, albeit for different reasons.

To reach this speed, curves must be abolished, as the centrifugal force will be too great to be withstood. Accordingly, as far as possible, the line will go right across country from point to point, without regard to grade. Next, the road must be free from interruption; there must be no possibility of any obstacle getting on the track. This makes an elevated structure the proper one, and the one shown in the cut has been designed to secure the essential features of strength and safety. It includes an upper and a lower pair of rails, and a pair of trolley wires or leads.

Illustrations of an aero-train from the May 5, 1894 issue of Scientific American

The magazine invokes the “comforts of the Pullman car,” in reference to the Pullman train cars that would become the industry standard for pleasant travel in the 19th century.

The cars are of special design, with sharp ends, so as to encounter the minimum of air resistance. In cross section they are of sufficient dimensions to present the comforts of a Pullman car. They will have a trussed steel frame and metal sides, tops and floors. They are carried by wheels four to six feet in diameter, which wheels are to be placed near their tops, so that the cars will be virtually suspended from the upper rails. The axles of these wheels pass through journals near the car roof. One or more pairs of these wheels are to have two electric motors connected to their axles, so as to serve as driving wheels. The speed being so high, there will be no trouble in using direct connected motors without gearing.

But their quest for a high-speed train would not come to pass. One imagines this would be for so many reasons, but chief among them is the acknowledgement in the article that not only would they have to avoid dramatic curves, they’d have difficultly ascending any steep climb.

When you picture a route from San Francisco to New York one can’t help but see a problem, then. What do you do when you hit the Rocky Mountains?

If you’d like to read the entire article on this aero-train of the 19th century you can view it at Archive.org.

[MIKA27]

THE BRUERY SHARE THIS COFFEE STOUT

Already one of the leaders in the Imperial Stout game, The Bruery are back with yet another big beer that also happens to be for a good cause. The Bruery Share This Coffee Stout is the first in a series that will spotlight a worthy charity with each sale. This 11.9% ABV stout uses freshly-roasted coffee from the Phillippines and for every bottle produced, Free Wheelchair Mission in the Phillippines will receive one dollar. The cause makes it worthwhile by itself, but a coffee-infused imperial stout from The Bruery only makes it more enticing.

[MIKA27]

Scientists warn America's deadliest volcano is 'RECHARGING' for eruption amid quake swarm

Seismologists studying Mount St Helen's say a "swarm" of 130 tremors have been recorded below the volcano as it generates more lava ahead of a possible future eruption.

The active volcano, responsible for America's deadliest ever eruption, is "still very much alive" according to experts tasked with predicting when it will next blow its top.

They are continuing to monitor the situation carefully amid concerns that the current quakes could develop into a "big recharge event" indicating that a huge eruption is imminent.

Mount St Helen's, in the north-western state of Washington, was responsible for America's deadliest eruption in 1980 when 57 people lost their lives and hundreds of homes were destroyed.

The volcano is responsible for the deadliest eruption in US history

It is located some 95 miles south of the city of Seattle, which is home to more than 600,000 people.

In a note put out this week the US Geological Survey (USGS) revealed that the number of tremors being detected below the deadly volcano has increased dramatically, with a "swarm" of 130 registering in the past eight weeks alone.

Seth Moran, scientist-in-chief at the Cascades Volcano Observatory, said: “It’s telling us that years to decades from now, St Helens will erupt again."

Mount St Helen's last erupted in 2008 following a surprise reawakening in 2004, which had been preceded by decades of relative inactivity.

But Erik Klemetti, an assistant professor of geosciences at Denison University, said the recent seismic activity shows the volcano is now replenishing its magma supplies ahead of a future potential eruption.

The volcano caused widespread devastation in 1980

There are also fears about the Yellowstone super volcano

He told Wired: "As the magma intrudes, it imparts pressure on the rock around it and it heats up water/releases gases that can add to that pressure. This generates small earthquakes as the rocks shift in response to that stress.

"It does mean that even as St. Helens sleeps, the magma that will likely take part in the next eruption is working its way up towards the surface, likely stopping along the way to crystallize and interact with the residue of previous eruptions.

"It might take a big recharge event to really get the system primed for the next eruption."

In a post on its website the USGS said the series of small quakes showed "the volcano is still very much alive", adding that its magma chamber is "re-pressurising".

It said: "Earthquake rates have been steadily increasing since March, reaching nearly 40 located earthquakes per week.

"The earthquakes are volcano-tectonic in nature, indicative of a slip on a small fault."

The experts added that there was no evidence an eruption is imminent with key indicators including anomalous gases and increases in ground inflation not currently detected.

Similar patterns of "earthquake swarms" were detected in 2013, 2014 and in the 1990s.

The extra activity comes amid growing fears about the huge super volcano under Yellowstone national park, some 870 miles to the east in Wyoming.

The massive volcano last erupted 70,000 years ago but a recent unexpected spike in seismic activity around the globe, which has resulted in devastating earthquakes in Asia and Ecuador in the last month, has unsettled nerves.

A fortnight ago terrifying new footage emerged showing steam and ash rising beneath the surface of the 2,805m tall volcano, fuelling fresh concern it could be about to blow.

Scientists have predicted that if the mammoth volcano blows its top the eruption will be so large it will have huge global consequences, possibly even threatening the future survival of mankind.

[MIKA27]

Try Not to Freak Out Inside This 360-Degree View of a Tornado

Colorado had a wild weekend. At least seven tornadoes touched down across the state, according to ABC News, with this particular sucker hitting ground near Wray, Colorado, on Saturday. The tornado clocked in at eight miles in length, 440 yards across, and its winds raged at 130 m.p.h.—not a violent storm, but still strong. At least five people were injured and multiple homes and pastured were ripped up.

The beast was caught on camera in a 360-degree video that documented the tornado as it gained strength, dust, and debris. The sky turned, the wind whipped, and raindrops fell as the vehicle—and camera, and the driver—approached the storm.

Be sure to drag the cursor over the video to experience the full effect, and take a moment to appreciate the bravery (idiocy?) of those poor saps running straight towards the twister.

[MIKA27]

John Oliver Explains Why All That Miracle Science Is Total Bullsh*t

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LclMZ0MWYeI

Thanks to science, we can eat four pounds of chocolate a week and drink two glasses of wine a day. Science is amazing! Every week we see headlines in our Facebook feeds touting questionable claims of coffee reversing liver damage or preventing colon cancer or causing colon cancer and also liver damage. It makes no logical sense, but if science is making these claims, it must be true. Science can't be wrong—it's science.

"Coffee today is like God in the Old Testament: It will either save you or kill you depending on how much you believe in its magic powers," John Oliver said last night. "After a certain point, all that ridiculous information can make you wonder: Is science bullshit?"

It turns out that a lot of science—most of which we get from legitimate news outlets—is complete bullshit. These studies have either appeared in non-accredited scientific journals, have not been peer reviewed, or are just otherwise riddled with flaws.

Most of the time, Oliver says, scientists are being pressured to get studies published, which encourages them to force an experiment to have big findings or to exaggerate study results in press releases. Members of the media, in turn, takes these studies as the truth, and report these findings with little fac- checking on sample sizes or who is funding the study.

Oliver pointed out one study in particular which found driving while dehydrated was as bad as driving drunk. This study, however, looked at only 12 men and was produced by the European Hydration Institute, which is funded by Coca-Cola.

"You might reasonably think, 'Well no one knows anything about what causes cancer,'" Oliver said. "And that is a problem. Because that's the sort of thing that enabled tobacco companies for years to insist 'The science isn't in yet.'"

[MIKA27]

Here's The Smartest Drone Delivery Idea We've Seen Yet

Drone deliveries are the future. Years from now we really will be able to order something online and have it dropped off at our door hours later by a tiny flying robot. But presently there are some issues with drone deliveries. And they’re only partially related to aviation laws. Quadcopter-based deliveries have to struggle with the weather, tiny delivery zones and drones potentially falling out of the sky. Zipline, a robotics company based out of San Francisco, claims it solved those issues.

The company aims to change the drone delivery game with an $US800,000 ($1,093,938) grant from the UPS Foundation, the shipping giant’s charitable arm, and assistance from Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance. While Google or Amazon are testing their drone delivery services in the US, Zipline is planning to use its new service to save lives in Rwanda.

That’s a helluva beta test.

The organisations announced their plans at a press event outside San Francisco last week. Unlike the other drones being tested for delivery services, Zipline has opted to produce fixed-wing aircrafts. This, Zipline CEO Keller Rinuado claims, makes the drones much more adaptable to nasty weather and allows them to make every single component in the drone redundant.

At one point during the press event he motioned to the guts of a drone and said, “I could cut any wire and this thing would still fly.”

Redundancy is critical because Zipline’s drones won’t be dropping off your eBay order, but will instead be used to make regular deliveries to remote Rwanda hospitals. These hospitals have struggled with supplies in the past due to their isolated locations. Most life-saving supplies are currently delivered via motorcycles — which can be attacked or stolen by criminals, or delayed by bad roads.

The Zipline drones will avoid all that by flying 90m to 120m above the ground and dropping their payloads with a paper parachute. And because they’re made of 3D-printed parts and require little manpower to fly, the drones cost about the same as a motorcycle delivery too.

But where after a motorcyclist makes a delivery they would then have to make the same gruelling journey back to urban areas, the drone can simply fly home to base. Because the Zipline drones are fixed-wing aircraft, that base can be much further away than the typical 5km range of a more traditional quadcopter drone.

The drone network is expected to go live a little later this year, with up to 150 daily deliveries to 21 remote Rwandan hospitals, and Rinuado has given his company a pretty easy metric for success — just be more reliable than the current network of deliveries via motorcycle. “If we are better and more efficient than motorcycles than we can grow exponentially in the next 10 years.” It’s a low bar, and Zipline wants to soar right over it.

[MIKA27]

Wolverine 3 Will Be R-Rated, And Star A 'Bold, Different' Wolverine

There’s been a lot of rumours circulating about the third — and supposedly final — Wolverine movie. It’s going to be violent. It’s going to have Patrick Stewart’s Professor X. It’s going to be set in the future. Well, producer Simon Kinberg just revealed that pretty much all of those things are true.

Speaking to Collider, Kinberg acknowledged all the long-standing reports about the film as true — well,almost all of them. He danced around Patrick Stewart’s much-rumoured involvement, all but confirming it (which is not really a surprise as Stewart himself has said he’s in the film). But everything else, from the R-rating to the setting? That’s definitely happening:

I’m not sure what I’m allowed to say about that. I will agree with you that Patrick Stewart was rumoured to be a part of that film. It takes place in the future, and as you and others have reported, it is an R-rated movie. It’s violent, it’s kind of like a western in its tone. It’s just a very cool, different film.

No direct confirmation as to whether it’s an adaptation of the Old Man Logan storyline as everyone expects it to be, but considering the veracity of the rest of the rumours, I wouldn’t be surprised at this point. Kinberg also clarified that the setting and rating of the film will allow them to portray a Wolverine quite unlike anything seen in the past movies:

It’s a very radical, bold, different Wolverine than you’ve ever seen in any of these movies.

Presumably that means that now the R-rating is in place, Hugh Jackman’s Logan can be much more bloody (and sweary and everything else-y) than he has been before. After all, he is meant to be the best at what he does, and what he does isn’t very nice! Wolverine 3 is set for a March 2017 release.

[MIKA27]

How To Turn Agave Into Tequila

There’s no alcohol that makes me forget the night as much as tequila, and there’s also no alcohol I know less about. Which is fitting, I guess. What makes it special is the blue agave plant. Here’s a quick look at what it takes to make tequila. From harvesting and cutting out the core of the blue agave plant (which looks like something from Super Mario Bros.) to baking it and extracting the juice and letting it ferment, it’s a delicious-looking process.

Drink more tequila. Or drink mezcal, which is made from other agave plants.

[MIKA27]

CHOCOLATE CHIP BOURBON BOMBS

Baked in small batches in Houston, Texas, the Chocolate Chip Bourbon Bombs are pairing your favorite after dinner treats in one bite. These boozy morsels take your typical cookie's semi-sweet chocolate chips and pecans and lace them with Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey from Garrison Brothers Distillery. You can order them in a half dozen, but you know you're going to need the full.

[MIKA27]

The Team Behind Insidious Will Turn the Werewolf Comic Curse Into a Movie

Blumhouse, the company behind films like Paranormal Activity, Insidious, and The Purge, has kind of become the biggest name in horror. Now it’s looking to add to that list of titles by acquiring the rights to the awesome-sounding werewolf comic book series, Curse.

Curse was published in 2014 by Boom; it was written by Michael Moreci and Tim Daniel, and illustrated by Colin Lorimer and Riley Rossmo. It follows a widowed father who captures a man for a reward he believes will help cure his sick daughter. Problem is, the man ends up being a werewolf, and now the father has to figure out if the beast can save his family or not.

No writer or director yet has been attached by Blumhouse—but this blending of family drama with werewolf action seems like a smart way to tap into one of our most famous, but underutilized, monsters.

[MIKA27]

Trailer for The Woods

The Woods is a new, found-footage horror film with a stellar pedigree. It’s from the team behind You’re Next, one of the best horror movies to come out in recent memory, as well as The Guest, an equally awesome action film drenched in style. The first trailer is now here, and it’s very unsettling.

That team is director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett, who’ve managed to keep details of their fall horror film under wraps. All we know is it’s about a group of friends who take a trip into the woods. That’s a premise we’ve seen about 500 million times so you know there has to be a hook that makes it different. Can you figure it out from the trailer?

Everything in that trailer is creepy as hell, from the chilling rendition of The Police’s Every Breath You Take, to the slow shots over the woods and the quick cuts of the action. This movie has a whole lot of promise.

Here’s the first poster, too.

The Woods opens September 16.

[MIKA27]

'Assassin's Creed' Movie Trailer

It’s finally here — the first trailer for the upcoming Assassin’s Creed movie starring Michael Fassbender (X-Men: Days of Future Past, 12 Years a Slave )and Marion Cotillard (The Dark Knight Rises, La Vie en Rose).

Through a revolutionary technology that unlocks his genetic memories, Callum Lynch experiences the adventures of his ancestor, Aguilar, in 15th Century Spain. Callum discovers he is descended from a mysterious secret society, the Assassins, and amasses incredible knowledge and skills to take on the oppressive and powerful Templar organisation in the present day.

The film is due to hit cinemas in the US on 21 December.

[MIKA27]

Civilization VI Coming Later This Year

It’s been nearly six years since there was a new, proper Civilization game. That’s changing later this year, with the newly announced Civilization VI.

Here’s the official trailer for the game, due to arrive on October 21 on PC:

In the new game, cities now physically expand on the map, units can be combined into a single tile, and there are new multiplayer modes designed for players to finish a game in a single session. (That last one is smart!)

It seems like Civilization VI will make a big emphasis on expanding diplomacy, with the developers promising changes that play out over the course of the game, “from primitive first interactions where conflict is a fact of life, to late game alliances and negotiations”.

If you’ve never played a Civilization game before — you might be daunted by the series, but Firaxis Games is promising Civilization VI will include a new slate of tutorials designed to ramp in new players. That said, they also made a point that veterans will have ample opportunity to tweak the game to their liking, hopefully removing any worries it’s being nerfed.

There’s also a “digital deluxe” edition that offers a discount on “four DLC packs” that will “add new maps, scenarios, civilizations and leaders”.

[MIKA27]

WHISKEY BARREL COFFEE

When it comes to liquid vices, most people find themselves somewhere on a spectrum between coffee and spirits. Thanks to Whiskey Barrel Coffee you can combine both of those in just one cup with their whiskey barrel aged beans.

After sourcing and blending quality beans, the folks at this Colorado based roasters place them in old bourbon barrels where they sit absorbing the latent flavors from the whiskey soaked wood. After a set amount of time aging, the beans are roasted up in either dark or light profiles resulting in a totally unique bean that brews a bright cup of coffee. Of course, the packaging on this coffee is great and indicative of the attention to detail given at every step in the process. A solid gift for both coffee and whiskey lovers alike, you can pick these up in either light roast, or dark roast for $50. [Purchase]

[MIKA27]

Feltmark WALD HI·LO Plug Lamp

It’s easy to find really good DIY projects when you’re looking to upgrade the lighting situation in your home or office, but the end result will rarely impress as much as the Feltmark WALD HI·LO Plug Lamp. The fully dimmable lamp is crafted entirely of aircraft aluminum and weighs less than seven ounces, but the aspect that really sets WALD apart from every other lamp is the plug and play design. All you have to do to add a healthy dose of high end design to your existing setup is plug the 34″ long lamp into an outlet. Available in olive drab, dark plum and neutral finishes, this minimalistic lamp is as easy to use as it is fun to look at.

[MIKA27]

Decorpro Ion Fire Pit

According to Decorpro, their Ion Fire Pit is “inspired by the rigid geometry of Roman architecture.” While we might be more inclined to describe it as something straight out of Lord of the Rings, there’s no denying the fact that this 100% steel, automotive grade powder-coated fire pit is a badass conversation starter. At almost 200lbs, 4′ in diameter and over 3′ tall, this fire pit will be the focal point whether you’re putting it on the back patio or outside the cabin. That kind of girth and heft gives you the ability to capitalize on the slits in the tall columns that have been specifically designed to rest skewers, stickers and even rotisserie spits for easy, hands-free operation. If you have money to drop on something unique, the Decorpro Ion Fire Pit is better than anything you’ll find at your local big box.