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

[MIKA27]

“Raising Dion”: Netflix Releases Official Trailer for Michael B. Jordan Superhero Series

With less than a month to go before the series leaps screens in a single bound on October 4, Netflix has released the official trailer and key images for its upcoming sci-fi family drama Raising Dion. Starring Jason Ritter, Michael B. Jordan, Alisha Wainwright, Ja’Siah Young, Jazmyn Simon, and Sammi Hanney, the nine-episode season is based on Dennis Liu‘s comic book. Carol Barbee serves as showrunner, and executive produces alongside Jordan, Liu, Kenny Goodman, Kim Roth, Michael Green, Charles D. King’s MACRO, and Seith Mann – who directed the pilot and several episodes.

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Raising Dion follows the story of Nicole Reese (Wainwright), who raises her son Dion (Young) after the death of her husband Mark (Jordan). The normal dramas of raising a son as a single mom are amplified when Dion starts to manifest several magical, superhero-like abilities. Nicole must now keep her son’s gifts secret with the help of Mark’s best friend Pat (Ritter), and protect Dion from antagonists out to exploit him while figuring out the origin of his abilities.

● Nicole (Wainwright) is a big dreamer who struggles to balance everything once Dion begins to develop superhuman abilities, creating a hectic day-to-day in which she strives to protect his childhood and his safety.

● Dion (Young) is an adorable eight-year-old, a precocious boy with an affinity for superheroes and science. This affinity becomes his challenging reality as he begins to develop the mysterious abilities, making his life difficult as he enters a new school and deals with the trauma of losing his father when he needed him the most.

● Pat (Ritter) is always doubted and misunderstood, and while his passion for science and comics sets an image of a seemingly awkward man, his warmth wins Dion over. Pat was Mark’s best friend since their college days at Columbia, and after Mark’s passing makes a big effort to be there for Nicole and Dion, and loves them like family.

● Kat Neese (Simon) is a surgical resident and Nicole’s sister. She’s the one that has her life together, and can’t help but correct Nicole on life and parenting. All in all, she’s a wonderful and supportive aunt and sister, but has a hard time biting her tongue as she watches her sister make mistakes.

● Sammi Hanney plays Esperanza Jimenez , a bright classmate of Dion who has brittle bone disease. A brilliant artist wise beyond her years, she looks out for Dion in an endearing manner, and, though it takes a while, Dion grows to realize she is his best friend.

[MIKA27]

‘Dark Waters’ Trailer: Mark Ruffalo Tries to Save a Small Town from an Evil Chemical Company

Focus Features has released the trailer for Dark Waters. Directed by Todd Haynes (Carol), the film is based on a true story of an attorney (Mark Ruffalo) for DuPont Chemical who discovered that his company was poisoning the residents of a small town for about forty years.

This feels like A Very Important Movie That No One Will See. And the reason I know this is that peoples aren’t going to spend their Thanksgiving weekend seeing a movie that bums them the fuck out. If you’re going to tell the story of a chemical company poisoning people (and we’ve had enough of these movies that they could basically be their own sub-genre) then you need a fun hook, like a take-no-nonsense Erin Brockovich. That’s not to say that this movie is good or bad, but this trailer makes it looks incredibly well intentioned and also painfully predictable right down to the scene where our hero is afraid to turn the key on his car because the powerful corporate interests are out to get him and also know how to make car bombs.

The wild card here is Haynes, who knows how to find fascinating twists on a story. I’m not sure if he has anything up his sleeve because this trailer looks pretty straightforward (The lawyer is good! The big company is evil!), but we’ll see how it all turns out. The film opens November 22nd.

[MIKA27]

Anthony Bourdain’s Custom Meteorite Kramer Chef Knife Is Up For Sale

On June 8th, 2018, the world lost arguably the greatest culinary journalist of all time, Anthony Bourdain. Now, a collection of personal effects once owned by the author, chef, documentarian, and celebrity is headed to the auction block.

For fans of Bourdain, this auction is loaded to the gills with things that help give a more intimate look into Bourdain’s wonderful and troubled life — including a Michelin trophy, Ralph Steadman original artwork, a collection of records, and his personal bomber jacket. But the most enticing item is undoubtedly a custom steel and meteorite chef knife made by Bob Kramer specifically for his friend, Bourdain. While some of the money will go yo Bourdain’s family, the sales will also benefit the Anthony Bourdain Legacy Scholarship at The Culinary Institute of America — his alma mater. The auction kicks off on October 9th with items expected to sell for between $200-$6,000 each.

 

 

[Ken Gargett]

1 minute ago, MIKA27 said:

Anthony Bourdain’s Custom Meteorite Kramer Chef Knife Is Up For Sale

On June 8th, 2018, the world lost arguably the greatest culinary journalist of all time, Anthony Bourdain. Now, a collection of personal effects once owned by the author, chef, documentarian, and celebrity is headed to the auction block.

For fans of Bourdain, this auction is loaded to the gills with things that help give a more intimate look into Bourdain’s wonderful and troubled life — including a Michelin trophy, Ralph Steadman original artwork, a collection of records, and his personal bomber jacket. But the most enticing item is undoubtedly a custom steel and meteorite chef knife made by Bob Kramer specifically for his friend, Bourdain. While some of the money will go yo Bourdain’s family, the sales will also benefit the Anthony Bourdain Legacy Scholarship at The Culinary Institute of America — his alma mater. The auction kicks off on October 9th with items expected to sell for between $200-$6,000 each.

 

 

met steadman once. i had been such a fan. used to have a set of his drawings on my wall when i lived in london. one meeting and the drawings came down and went straight to the bin. 

knife looks exciting though. 

[MIKA27]

PocketDrum

PocketDrum is a virtual drumkit that you can take anywhere to learn and play. The portable drumkit provides you with the most realistic drumming experience without the burden of a huge drum set. The Bluetooth enabled sticks connect wirelessly to the AeroBand App so you can jam freely, play along, or learn the basics of drumming. The PocketDrum uses spatial awareness and haptics to make it feel like you’re playing the real thing, you can even play without any noise if you connect your headphones. And to make things even more realistic, each stick vibrates with each hit, with different vibrations based on the bounce of drum and force of the hit. The drums also deliver different sounds based on the force of the hit, allowing you to better control your dynamics. $69+

 

[MIKA27]

OIL IN THE BLOOD – THE OFFICIAL TRAILER

This is the official trailer for Oil In The Blood, a film about the people who make up modern custom motorcycle culture. Production for the film was underway for years, Gareth Maxwell Roberts travelled the globe to interview many of the leading lights of the custom motorcycle world and the resulting film is fantastic.

Roberts has interviewed many of the most influential custom builders in the world including Walt Siegl, Shinya Kimura, Max Hazan, Ian Barry, Winston Yeh, and many others. He also sat down with the likes of Chris Hunter and Paul d’Orléans, easily two of the most important custom motorcycle writers in the world.

Oil In The Blood offers unique and unparalleled insight into the life and times of the custom scene as it stands today, in the future people will look back at it as a snapshot into our two-wheeled zeitgeist. The film was completed in 2019 and it’s poised for official release on the 14th of October this year on both Amazon and iTunes.

If you’d like to read more about Oil In The Blood you can click here to visit the official website.

[MIKA27]

Deus Highlights An Elite Porsche Club With This 120-Page Coffee Table Book

The celebration of Porsche’s iconic, air-cooled cars isn’t an uncommon occurrence within the automotive industry. Each year, we’re reminded of the German manufacturer’s exquisite catalog, its heritage, influence, and immeasurable contributions to driving culture. It was because of this adoration that Luftgekühlt, a gathering of the brand’s most diehard fans, was created — and now, Deus Ex Machina is paying homage to the experience with an impeccably-designed hardcover.

Ever since the Luftgekühlt festival was first devised by Porsche aficionado Patrick Long, it’s served as an annual safe haven for builders, designers, drivers, and fans, offering one of the largest community-focused car exhibitions in the world. And, even though the meet is dedicated almost entirely to air-cooled culture, the experience is inherently elaborate, bringing passionate individuals from every corner of the world to Los Angeles’ bustling city streets for a day of extravagant sightseeing. Luckily, the nature of Luftgekühlt isn’t reserved for those willing to make the trek to California’s beautiful western coast. This 250-page hardcover illustrates the best aspects of the event in striking detail; highlighting the cars, the people, and the culture surrounding Germany’s esteemed manufacturer. Inside, you’ll find world-class photography documenting the first three years of Luft, as well as features from some of the meet’s most prolific individuals, including Jeff Zwart, Rod Emory, Bruce Meyer, and Rob Dickinson. Head to Deus’ website to pick up your own copy for $120.

[MIKA27]

ABERLOUR A'BUNADH ALBA SCOTCH WHISKY

One of Aberlour's core expressions, A'bunadh is Scotch Gaelic for "the original" and was inspired by the discovery of a time capsule from 1898 that was found by Aberlour in 1975. A'bunadh Alba expands the line for the first time with a cask-strength whisky that is non-chill filtered and was aged in American oak Bourbon casks. While the original A'bunadh is dark and rich due to Sherry cask maturation, Alba is light and crisp and adds a refreshing option to the Speyside distiller's portfolio. It's bottled at 57.1% ABV and is an exclusive release for the US market.

[MIKA27]

BOLIDO CORE WATCH

Created by a duo driven by architectural design and functionality, this Swiss-made timepiece proves that ingenuity is alive and well in the world of horology. The Bolido Core watch begins with skeletonized STP 6-16 self-winding movement, the heartbeat of the watch that was created with precise time-keeping and beauty in mind. The intricate movement details are on full display through both the front and back of the watch beneath scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. It's able to withstand centrifugal forces and shocks and is regulated in 5 positions to maintain accuracy. Those intricate details are housed within a bold, contemporary surgical grade stainless steel case with black PVD coating that has already garnered a design award due to its unique shape that showcases the perfect proportions for your wrist. Each timepiece has SuperLuminova hands and hour markers and is finished with a black caoutchouc strap and a steel PVD buckle. $995

[MIKA27]

Snorkeling with Salmon is Your Next Underwater Adventure

Desperate to swim with a spawning salmon, I fling myself into the Kispiox River even though the fish are late and haven’t been seen yet this year. They don’t call this murky, winding waterway the “hiding place” for nothing. Before I can search the shockingly cold water for fish, I call out for a lifejacket to go with my ill-fitting wetsuit, foggy mask and wobbly snorkel.

My body remembers swimming with salmon once before in much warmer water on the other side of the country. The way you are supposed to wear a lifejacket and float like a starfish, letting the current carry you while you fight the urge to propel yourself with disruptive breast strokes and vigorous kicks. The way that being motionless frees you to stare deeply into the depths. How, if you are lucky enough to swim over or alongside a salmon, you should look but not touch.

I know what I’m doing, but I can’t make the fish appear.

Clyde Williams would shake his head and grimace if he could see me now. We hopped in the back of his Ford F-150 yesterday and drove around the Gitsegukla First Nation, learning about totem poles and how he cleans, smokes, and dries salmon behind his house.

“Have you ever swum with salmon?” I asked, chewing on his dried fish and trying to come up with some unusual salmon small-talk to see what wisdom he might pass on.

“Noooo.” Williams shut me down with one word, so I didn’t tell him about snorkeling with salmon with researchers in New Brunswick a few years ago, writing a book about fishing experiences, or coming to northern British Columbia just to stay at Bear Claw Lodge and kayak to a spot where I can, hopefully, snorkel with salmon. 

I stay in the unseasonably frigid Kispiox River longer than everyone else, longing for the sensation of being enveloped in a school of fish making their way home to spawn in the gravelly river bottom and then die. The others clearly prefer being on—not in—the Kispiox, kayaking the drizzly day away while waiting to see if the fog will lift so we can go heli-horseback riding and heli-hiking on a nearby mountain. I’ve never heli-anythinged, but salmon migrations trump helicopters in my world. 

We are 800 miles north of Vancouver in the part of British Columbia that’s closer to Alaska than Alberta and that’s rich in five kinds of salmon—chinook, sockeye, coho, chum and pink—plus steelhead trout. The chinooks should have been here by now. Their absence could be blamed on climate change, overfishing, unpopular government regulations for commercial and recreational fishers, natural four-year life cycles, the weather, all of the above, or none of the above. 

Salmon is part of most conversations up here. It has always been a staple food for many of the 203 Indigenous communities in this province, and anglers pay big bucks to come to wilderness lodges every fall for its cousin, steelhead trout, “the silver ghosts.” Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans keeps tabs on the numbers of returning salmon and restricts the fishery whenever those numbers are low. To help protect the salmon, Bear Claw Lodge lets people swim/snorkel with them but not fish for them, and it will take guests fly fishing for steelheads, strictly catch-and-release.

My summer salmon journey begins in Smithers, an alpine-themed mountain town of 5,400 “Smithereens” and one superlative lasagna at Telly’s Grill plus the oddball “Alpenman,” an iconic wooden statue of a man dubbed Alpine Al blowing an alpenhorn. At Smithers Brewing Co., co-owner Blaine Estby did everything possible to not play up the clichéd fish angle, but after going in endless circles trying to design a logo, the brewery chose a stylized “Smithers salmon with a wheat belly.”

Driving north from Smithers, we pit-stop along the Bulkley River at Witset (Moricetown) where members of the Wet’suwet’en Nation practice a traditional Indigenous way of fishing. One man, tethered to shore with a long rope, wearing street clothes and not a protective wetsuit, uses a long dip net to scoop fish from the treacherous Widzin Kwah Canyon. It’s as beautiful and dangerous a dance with nature as I’ve ever seen, and infinitely more graceful than my awkward slithering in shallow pools along the Kispiox in search of these same fish.

Kaleigh Allen, part of the family that runs Bear Claw Lodge, guides my kayaking/attempted snorkelling with salmon outing. From her elevated perch atop a paddle board with her Karelian bear dog Willy, she suddenly spots telltale flashes of red in two pools along the way and calls out “chinooks.” The first one instantly vanishes in the murky water, but I dive in after the second one, a big, blotchy red, pink and white creature that is “not dead yet but on his way out” after spawning.

“If you’re not a fish person and you get in a big pool with fish decaying all around you, you won’t like it,” Allen quietly confides. I am a fish person and so swimming with salmon, even at the end of their incredible river-to-ocean-and-back lifecycle, is weirdly appealing.

But it’s not meant to be. I climb out of the Kispiox defeated, relieved to have survived this cold-water foolishness and concerned that the chinooks might be in trouble. (They do eventually arrive, just later and in smaller numbers than usual, while the sockeyes and pinks run on schedule.)

Salmon appear almost everywhere else that I go while in the north, though.

At the ’Ksan Historical Village, a living museum of the Gitxsan people, interpreter Samantha Johnson shows homemade wooden traps traditionally used to catch salmon and shares how fish eggs (roe) are eaten with seaweed, while the flesh is hung in the smokehouse to be preserved for winter. One lovely saying about resilience and adaptation is popular with her community: “We are a new people. We are an old people. We are the same people, deeper than before.” 

I also spent several carefree hours cruising down the Skeena River with Northern BC Jet Boat Tours, watching Indigenous fishers along the way and finding grizzly prints in the sand where we stop for a shore lunch with owner Rob Bryce and Fred Seiler. The river draws its name from the Gitxsan word “ksan” for “river of the mists.” Bryce has forged ties with Indigenous communities and so we are welcomed ashore at Gitsegukla, part of the Gitxsan Nation, by Clyde Williams and two hereditary chiefs, Roddy Johnson and Vernon Milton. 

The men recite a traditional greeting and then sing and drum. As we meander around the Gitxsan village of 400 people in Williams’ truck, I comment on how nobody else is out and about. Williams, a tree faller who works in the logging industry, shrugs: “It’s always quiet. People are home. Some are doing nothing. Some are eating and breathing and just living the rez life. A lot are working.” Reserves are private property in Canada and not always welcoming to strangers, so I am grateful for the chance to pepper the amiable Williams with questions about modern Indigenous life. 

As an Indigenous person, he has special fishing rights and can use nets to catch salmon in the Skeena River. He has left a couple of chinook and sockeyes in a pink plastic water tank overnight so their flesh will become extra tender and juicy. Williams pulls a “jack spring” (small chinook) from the tank and deftly cleans it, dumping the guts in a bucket that will soon be returned to the river.

“This will be perfect for supper,” he says of the fish. “Filet. Wrap in foil. Barbecue.” Johnson, who is quietly watching, is gifted with fish heads for soup. Williams likes to add fish eggs to his soup, something his twin sons — who are grown and now live off-reservation — have dubbed Fear Factor Soup after the American game show.

The smokehouse is a no-frills wooden shack where Williams burns cottonwood, no bark, very dry and light. Thin salmon strips hang from wooden poles over a shouldering fire and pile of ash. The salmon that I sample has been smoked for a couple of days and is chewy, plain and pure. “Today’s generation,” explains Williams, “they’ve got candied fish strips. They’ve got all kinds of crazy ingredients. We’re one of the few that only have it this way. We haven’t done it any other way — yet. I don’t know if we’re going to go any other way with it.”

“How do you get the bones out?” he is asked. “Filet it before or they’re in there?”

“Don’t worry about it. Chew it up. You’re never going to choke on the bones. I haven’t choked on bones yet.”

Inside the smokehouse are thinner salmon strips that will hang for two or three weeks. “Look at that,” exclaims Williams, pointing to a gnawed strip. “Something’s got a hold of it. A squirrel. He found it, the little scoundrel.” I am not squeamish but wonder whether it is wise to chew where squirrels have chewed. The strips will go into the freezer so Williams can pull them out and pair them with a bag of plain potato chips for “fish and chips.” I long to taste this clever blending of old and new.

So I didn’t successfully swim with a school of spawning salmon in northern British Columbia, but I swam in the vicinity of at least one dying fish and got to eat dried salmon with Williams. I didn’t take a helicopter to the top of a mountain to ride a horse, but I rode through the Enchanted Forest where the Leonardo DiCaprio’s The Revenant was almost filmed among old-growth hemlocks and cedars, and I fell in love with what they call “holey rocks”—rocks with dramatic, weathered holes. I didn’t see a Kermode Spirit Bear, although the rare subspecies of the American black bear with a recessive gene lives up here and we dipped into the edge of the Great Bear Rainforest, but I saw a taxidermied Kermode in the Terrace airport and admired some of the white bear statues around town.

My journey starts with salmon and ends, strangely, with lava.

Before driving through the Nisga’a Nation, we stop to meet Bertram Mercer, economic development manager for the Nisga’a Lisims Government. We talk of salmon, commercial smokehouses, elusive Kermodes and a little-known volcanic eruption from nearly 300 years ago. The mid-1700s natural disaster spewed out a river of molten rock that drowned two villages and killed 2,000 people.

Now this area is called Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Park and is jointly managed and protected by the first nation and the provincial government. Exploring some of its 15 surreal square miles, I take a quiet walk down Crater Creek Trail, a petrified sea of lava rocks blanketed in white and green lichen. The lava beds are an unfathomable 98-feet deep in spots. 

“Wil Ksi Baxhl Mihl (“Where the Fire Ran Out”) is sacred ground,” an interpretive sign explains in English and the Nisga’a language. “Please respect this ground. Tread lightly and leave the lava rocks where they are, for they are the headstones of our forefathers.” Like rivers that hold spawning salmon, this ecosystem is fragile and so I try not to disrupt it, torn between protecting it by staying silent and sharing its powerful, untold story.

[MIKA27]

Nintendo Was Founded 130 Years Ago Today

On September 23, 1889, Fusajiro Yamauchi founded Nintendo Koppai (koppai means “cards”) in Kyoto, Japan. Originally a playing card company, the company would go onto revolutionised video games forever.

When the company was first founded, Nintendo made hanafuda playing cards. It was only three years earlier that the Japanese government legalised the cards, which were a favourite of gamblers.

Today, hanafuda is often played during the Japanese New Year’s holidays by regular folks, young and old alike.

It is still unclear what the company’s name Nintendo (任天堂) meant to founder Fusajiro Yamauchi. The “leave luck to heaven” translation is most likely incorrect. You can read more about what Nintendo’s name could mean right here.

The top photo is a pre-World War II photo of Nintendo’s headquarters. On the far left is a photo of Napoleon, which is for the company’s Daitouryou deck. Well over a hundred years later, Nintendo still sells this Napoleon deck.

[MIKA27]

The Batman Eyes Jeffrey Wright For Commissioner Jim Gordon Role

Jeffrey Wright might be heading to Gotham City to play Commissioner Jim Gordon in Matt Reeves' The Batman. After attempting to get a new Batman-focused franchise off the ground starring Ben Affleck's version of the character, Warner Bros. and DC have since moved in a new direction. Reeves is aboard to write and direct a brand new take on the Dark Knight, which will see Robert Pattinson star as Bruce Wayne.

Details of Reeves' vision for The Batman are slim, but the casting of Pattinson points to a younger version than the one the DC shared universe previously was using. It's said The Batman will be a detective-noir style movie that will still take place in the DCEU (as it's unofficially called), and include several members of Batman's rogues gallery. But, the film will also see other familiar members of the Batman mythos appear, and has now resulted in a brand new Jim Gordon.

According to THR, Jeffrey Wright is in negotiations to play Commissioner Jim Gordon in The Batman. Wright has recently starred in Westworld and joined the voice cast of Marvel's Disney+ series What If...? He is the first additional piece of casting to come for The Batman, and will take over the role of Gordon in the DCEU from J.K. Simmons - who made his lone appearance in Justice League in 2017.

As long as Wright does play Commissioner Gordon, he'll be the fifth actor to play the character in live-action on the big screen. Simmons most recently took on the role, but Gary Oldman did so for Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, Pat Hingle played him in the 1980s-90s era films, and Neil Hamilton returned for Batman: The Movie. It also comes after he's earned praise for his role in Westworld, and is several years removed from his last blockbuster movie role in the Hunger Games franchise.

The addition of Wright, though, will also make him the first person of color to play Commissioner Gordon in live-action. This is an obvious departure from Simmons' version that prior DCEU films used, but it's a decision that was rumored before. Mahershala Ali was reportedly a top choice for the role, so it's clear that Reeves was open to - possibly even wanting to - finding a black actor to play Gordon. While this may result in some fans questioning whether or not The Batman takes place in the DCEU, the bottom line is that the film now has an incredibly talented actor in the role that Reeves was able to hand-select.

[MIKA27]

Introducing North’s Stylish App-Friendly Smart Glasses With AR Tech

As time goes by, the sci-fi technology we thought would never come to fruition is popping up. One brilliant example of this is North’s custom-made Focals smart glasses, which give you a digital edge to tackle life’s everyday obstacles.

Bringing together the best of smartphones and eyewear, Focals features a digital display only you can see, so you can stay on top of your day. You can manage a variety of apps and features, including Slack, Gmail, calendar, Amazon Alexa, text messaging, Uber, Spotify, and even flight updates. The app-paired glasses boasts an exceptional full-color retina projection for sharp images floating at an arm’s length in front of you. For superior durability and performance, the glasses are anti-reflective, scratch-resistant, and water-repellent. You can even utilize sun clips to turn the Focals into sunglasses for outdoor use. It also comes with the Loop — a ring with a four-directional joystick — so you can toggle through apps and information effortlessly. You can get a pair of North’s smart glasses right now, starting at $599.

[MIKA27]

Bowers & Wilkins PX7 Headphones

British manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins have unveiled their new flagship PX7, an upgrade to their much-loved and most premium wireless headphones. The over-ear headphones are designed with everyday use in mind, they feature arms made with a lightweight carbon fiber composite, and memory foam earcups that are designed to offer comfort. The wireless headphones feature 43mm drivers, adaptive noise-cancelling, and 30 hours of battery life. The earcups also feature buttons to control your music or answer calls, and have four noise cancellation settings, off, low, high and auto (invites the ANC to automatically adjust to fit the environment you’re using them in). $400

[MIKA27]

Hammerhead Karoo Bike Computer

The Karoo Bike Computer is a new GPS system to equip your bike and get your essential data, and become aware of your figures, it also has worldwide cycling-specific maps. And with 8.5 GB of storage, you can download multiple states or countries as you travel. The Karoo Bike Computer is also compatible with a variety of Bluetooth-enabled sensors, so you can get your cadence, heart rate and more as you ride. Plus this gizmo features an Android operating system that has constant upgrades and evolves along with you. The screen has great definition and a generous size that enables quick and easy read with nice crisp graphics that provide instant visual perception of the info. Should you take your biking performance seriously, make no mistake, this is the thing to get.

[MIKA27]

AUSTIN DREAM GARAGE

If you thought Cameron's dad had it all, think again. The Austin Dream Garage takes Mr. Frye's Chicago abode and amplifies it to create the ultimate car pavilion. The three-story structure takes cues from Ferris Bueller's Day Off with a modernist glazed facade and an elevated '80s aesthetic. Aside from the exotic rides, its interior includes a state-of-the-art sound system, red leather furnishings, geometric carpets, and custom neon while a car lift safely transports rare BMWs and Porsches between floors. Although one 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder is noticeable absent, this multi-million dollar collection includes enough horsepower to get any gear head's heart racing.

[MIKA27]

URWERK X DE BETHUNE MOON SATELLITE WATCH

A collaboration for charity, the Urwerk x De Bethune Ur-Bethune Watch harmoniously blends the styles of two very distinct Swiss watchmakers. The mirror-polished titanium case, with its hollowed lugs and 12 o'clock crown, recalls Bethune's DB25, while the satellite time indication, spherical moon phase, and URDB01 caliber movement all recall Urwerk's past achievements. One of a kind, it will be auctioned at Only Watch in Geneva on November 9th, with proceeds going to support the fight against Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Bid now $110K+

[Fuzz]

1 hour ago, MIKA27 said:

The Batman Eyes Jeffrey Wright For Commissioner Jim Gordon Role

 Reeves is aboard to write and direct a brand new take on the Dark Knight, which will see Robert Pattinson star as Bruce Wayne.

Oh. My. God. Batman is going to sparkle in daylight!!!

[Guest Nekhyludov]

5 minutes ago, Fuzz said:

Oh. My. God. Batman is going to sparkle in daylight!!!

I hope he plays Bruce Wayne as the protagonist from Cosmopolis. I'd pay to see that 

[MIKA27]

2 hours ago, Fuzz said:

Oh. My. God. Batman is going to sparkle in daylight!!!

Blasphemer!

I'm a HUGE Batman fan and that is my greatest fear!!!! 

[Duxnutz]

On 9/22/2019 at 7:52 PM, MIKA27 said:

ABERLOUR A'BUNADH ALBA SCOTCH WHISKY

One of Aberlour's core expressions, A'bunadh is Scotch Gaelic for "the original" and was inspired by the discovery of a time capsule from 1898 that was found by Aberlour in 1975. A'bunadh Alba expands the line for the first time with a cask-strength whisky that is non-chill filtered and was aged in American oak Bourbon casks. While the original A'bunadh is dark and rich due to Sherry cask maturation, Alba is light and crisp and adds a refreshing option to the Speyside distiller's portfolio. It's bottled at 57.1% ABV and is an exclusive release for the US market.

Giddyup. One of the best values currently as it is. 

[MIKA27]

“The Last Of Us Part II” Finally Receives A Release Date

During today’s State Of Play livestream from Sony, we learned that The Last of Us Part II finally has a release date, and it’s not too far off. We now know the game will be released on February 21st, 2020. We also know that Naughty Dog will, of course, be releasing several editions of the game for you to buy. They’ve put everything up for pre-order as you can check out the various editions. 

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Five years after their dangerous journey across the post-pandemic United States, Ellie and Joel have settled down in Jackson, Wyoming. Living amongst a thriving community of survivors has allowed them peace and stability, despite the constant threat of the infected and other, more desperate survivors. When a violent event disrupts that peace, Ellie embarks on a relentless journey to carry out justice and find closure. As she hunts those responsible one by one, she is confronted with the devastating physical and emotional repercussions of her actions.

A COMPLEX AND EMOTIONAL STORY
Experience the escalating moral conflicts created by Ellie’s relentless pursuit of vengeance. The cycle of violence left in her wake will challenge your notions of right versus wrong, good versus evil, and hero versus villain.

TENSE AND DESPERATE ACTION-SURVIVAL GAMEPLAY
Set out on Ellie’s journey, taking her from the peaceful mountains and forests of Jackson to the lush, overgrown ruins of greater Seattle. Encounter new survivor groups, unfamiliar and treacherous environments, and terrifying evolutions of the infected. Brought to life by the latest iteration of the Naughty Dog engine, the deadly characters and world are more realistic and meticulously detailed than ever before.

A BEAUTIFUL YET DANGEROUS WORLD
New and evolved gameplay systems deliver upon the life-or-death stakes of Ellie’s journey through the hostile world. Feel her desperate struggle for survival through improved features such as high-intensity melee combat, fluid movement, and dynamic stealth. A broad variety of weapons, crafting items, skills, and upgrades allows you to personalize Ellie’s capabilities to your play style.

 

 

[MIKA27]

Budweiser & Jim Beam Craft A Limited Bourbon Barrel Black Lager

While we wouldn’t exactly call it commonplace, it’s not unusual for brands in related industries to team up on specialty releases. But it is a bit more unique when two giants join forces not once, but twice. And that’s exactly the case with the limited-edition Black Lager you see before you today.

For the second time, Jim Beam and Budweiser have joined forces on a specialty beer called Reserve Black Lager — a 7.1% ABV dark beer that perfectly melds what both brands have to offer. That’s because this brew was actually aged on six-year bourbon barrel staves to imbue it with bold, oaky flavors that pair perfectly with its notes of chocolate and coffee, toasted malt, and a smooth finish. Available now through December, this unique release will also be joined by a rerelease of the Budweiser Reserve Copper Lager — the first collaboration between these two brands. Find it in stores in both 22-ounce bombers and old-school stubby glass bottles.

[MIKA27]

Chernobyl's Infamous Reactor 4 Control Room Is Now Open To Tourists

The “highly radioactive” control room at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant’s Reactor 4 at the centre of the facility’s infamous 1986 catastrophe is open for tourists, so long as they wear a protective suit, helmet, and gloves while inside, CNN reported.

Chernobyl tour agencies confirmed to the network that the control room is now open for guided walkthroughs following Ukrainian President Vladimir Volydymyr’s July decision to proclaim the region an official tourist attraction (and perhaps not coincidentally, a surge of interest following the release of HBO’s wildly popular Chernobyl miniseries). Those who enter the unit must afterward submit to two radiology tests to measure exposure to contaminants.

Chernobyl and the neighbouring town of Pripyat the epicentre of a roughly 1,000-square-mile (3,200-kilometre) exclusion zone, though parts of the area have long been visited by tourists and many places that remain officially off-limits are often entered by thrill-seekers. Reactor 4, including the control room, has been off-limits to all but a handful of people; according to Ruptly, radiation in the room is some 40,000 times higher than normal.

As for what to expect, in 2011 the Guardian reported that the room had largely been stripped of its plastic instrumentation switches by “souvenir-hunters among the decommissioning staff,” though some things such as diagrams on the behaviour of the reactor and aged wiring remained. (Presumably there is no graphite there.) The seriously damaged unit 4 reactor itself and its original sarcophagus has been covered in a 32,000-ton arch called the New Safe Confinement.

Sergiy Ivanchuk, director of SoloEast tours, told Reuters in June that his bookings for tours had risen 30 per cent in May 2019 (when the HBO miniseries was released) compared to years prior, while bookings for the summer months had risen some 40 per cent. Tour guide Viktoria Brozhko told Reuters, “Many people come here, they ask a lot of questions about the TV show, about all the events. People are getting more and more curious... During the entire visit to the Chernobyl exclusion zone, you get around two microsieverts, which is equal to the amount of radiation you’d get staying at home for 24 hours.”

The 1986 incident resulted in 28 deaths from acute radiation syndrome and 15 deaths from child thyroid cancer. The full death toll remains the subject of dispute, with most estimates pegging the number of expected long-term cancer cases from the disaster in the tens of thousands.

[MIKA27]

People Once Wanted Their Cars To Spit Lit Cigarettes At Them

It’s easy to forget just how popular and widespread smoking once was. For much of the 20th century, smoking was not just an indulgence some people enjoyed every now and then, but the default vice of pretty much every adult. That’s why cars ended up with cigarette lighters and ashtrays crammed in every door, and why bonkers accessories like the Ronson Robot-Litre exist.

The Ronson Robot-Litre was the perfect accessory for smoker-drivers who were fed up, just absolutely sick of the tedious, inefficient joke of a process required for someone to enjoy a comfortable smoke in the car.

Sure, cars came with in-dash cigarette lighters and ashtrays, but you still had to manually fish a cigarette out of your pack, place it in your quivering, waiting mouth, push in the cigarette lighter, wait the interminable molasses-glazed seconds until it popped out, glowing spiral ready to ignite your smoke, then apply it to the cigarette to get it going then returning the lighter to its socket.

Whew. Holy shit, that’s exhausting. That’s like five whole steps, and who the hell has time for that? That’s time you could be smoking, or, at least, paying a little more attention to driving.

Thankfully, the Ronson company, which had been making matches and lighters for cigarettes since the 1890s (also patriotic and maybe a touch Jingoistic hood ornaments for cars) came up with a solution to the problem of simplifying driving and smoking in the 1960s: the Robot Litre.

The Robot Lighter reduced the complex, involved process of lighting up in a car to an incredibly streamlined two-step process: push a “control bar,” take a lit cigarette.

Yes, this thing wasn’t just some cheap-arse cigarette dispenser: this under-dash smoking assist system placed, directly into your nicotine-stained, shaking fingers a pre-lit cigarette, ready to be lodged in your mouth and experienced.

The Robot Litre plugged into the existing cigarette lighter outlet, and the hopper can hold 20 cigarettes—why that’s good for at least an hour, right?

Here’s a video of one—sadly, it’s not plugged into anything, and has no smokes in the hopper:

It appears the Robo-Litre could be mounted under the dash, or on the centre console. I’m not certain how many of these they sold, but I imagine for the truly committed car-smoker this must have been some pro-level shit, you car just ejecting a lit cigarette right into your hand.

The only way this could possibly be better is if it could somehow be mounted on the visor to shoot a lit cigarette right into your waiting mouth, and maybe with a photocell to detect when the previous one was gone, so a new one can be fired off automatically.

What would the modern equivalent of something like this be? An in-dash coffee maker that shoves a spring-loaded straw in your mouth, ready to inject coffee at preset temperatures and proper cream/sweetner/whatever mixed in?

A sandwich injector that unwraps and stabilizes the sandwich? I don’t really think anything analogous to this exists anymore, so let’s just marvel at this artefact of a time and place now long gone.