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

[MIKA27]

1996 ALFA ROMEO 155 V6 TI ITC

Alfa Romeo dominated touring car racing in Europe from 1992 to 1996 with its 155 sedans. Knocking cars like the formidable Mercedes 190E out of the top spot, the 155 would see constant updates that kept it at the forefront of competition across the Continent, from Germany to Spain to England. This 155 V6 TI ITC is the ultimate evolution of the 155, sharing as much with Formula One cars of the era as its road-going namesake. Tubular front and rear subframes carry F1-style pushrod-actuated suspension, along with a paddle-shift transmission and highly-developed aerodynamics. A 490-horsepower, 11,900 RPM V6 delivered power to all four wheels via a sophisticated drive system, enough to power the 155 from 0-62 in 2.5 seconds. Chassis 005, pictured here, won races at Interlagos and Mugello, finishing 11th overall in the standings. The car will cross the block June 15 in Milan. $850K

 

[MIKA27]

GROVEMADE WOOD HEADPHONE STAND

A bold statement piece for your desk, Grovemade makes premium accessories for your home office like this Wood Headphone Stand. The stand is a beautiful resting place for your favorite headphones and is constructed using solid hardwood, natural vegetable-tanned leather, and stainless steel to offer a sleek, layered look that complements everything in your office. Made in the USA the stand is heavy enough to stay put while in use and thanks to the use of authentic materials will develop a distinguished character over time. $150

 

[MIKA27]

BODMIN JAIL HOTEL

Built in 1779, the Bodmin Jail housed petty criminals until it closed in the 1920s. Now, its former cells serve as luxury suites for Cornwall's latest hotel. The conversion comes after a six-year, multi-million dollar restoration, transforming the derelict ruins into inviting communal spaces and 70 guest rooms. Cells were combined to create spacious suites that include king-size beds, free-standing soaking tubs, and walk-in showers, while the onsite chapel is now the main bar and restaurant. Although most of the functions have changed, the property maintains its historic charm with original stone walls and period details throughout.

 

[MIKA27]

ORPHAN BARREL COPPER TONGUE BOURBON

After nearly a decade and a string of premium whiskey releases, the Orphan Barrel brand is back with one of its best offerings to date. The new release is a blend of two separate 16-year-old bourbons that creates a balanced, complex dram. Named Copper Tongue after the copperhead snakes that reside near the Dickel distillery where the bourbon was crafted, it's bottled in the brand's signature rectangular-shaped glass bottles at cask strength — but remains approachable at just 89.8 proof.

[MIKA27]

The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power's Stunning First Teaser Is Here

 

[MIKA27]

Moon Knight's New Super Bowl Trailer Brings Justice and Pain

 

[MIKA27]

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Lives Up to Its Name in Super Bowl Spot

Now that Spider-Man: No Way Home has properly set up the dominoes, with some help from WandaVision and Loki, it’s time for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to knock them all down. As is the case with just about every year, Marvel released a new trailer during the Super Bowl, and it confirms what was teased at the end of No Way Home: the multiverse is in all sorts of disarray, and it’s up to Stephen Strange to set things right again.

While Benedict Cumberbatch’s Strange has proven by now he’s more than worthy of the Sorcerer Supreme title, a problem as big as the multiverse requires some extra helping hands. We already knew that the Scarlet Witch herself, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) would be along for the ride: after everything that happened in her show, Stephen considers her the closest thing to an expert on the multiverse. But thanks to this trailer, we also get a brief, but exciting first look at Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavez, a teen with the ability to travel between dimensions. Even more interesting is the brief voice of Patrick Stewart. But is he playing Professor X, or someone new entirely?

The first Doctor Strange was notable in how visually trippy it got with its alternate dimensions and action sequences, and Multiverse looks like it’ll happily continue that trend. For as much CG spectacle as there appears to be in Multiverse—after all, it’s a Marvel movie—it looks like the film will be dipping its toes into horror. Before Sam Raimi eventually came on to direct the sequel, original director Scott Derrickson notably said this would be the “first MCU scary film” at Comic-Con in 2019. Some shakeups have occurred since then, but it looks Raimi (a horror director himself, yes) and writer Michael Waldron are indeed making Doctor Strange’s sophomore outing just a little bit frightening thanks to Strange Supreme.

Also starring Benedict Wong and Chiwetel Ejiofor, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness releases in theaters on May 6.

[MIKA27]

Blade Runner Will Live On as a New TV Series From Ridley Scott

After Denis Villeneuve’s foray into the neo-noir future of Blade Runner seemingly petered out at the box office, the future of the franchise seemed dire. But now, the show must go on—and Blade Runner has found a new home, a new format, and a familiar talent behind the scenes.

Deadline reports that Amazon has tapped original Blade Runner director Ridley Scott to executive produce a brand new live-action streaming series for Prime Video. Titled Blade Runner 2099, the series is set 50 years after the events of Denis Villeneuve’s 2017 film. Silka Luisa, currently showrunning Shining Girls for Starz, will co-produce and lead writing for the series, and Amazon Studios is currently fast-tracking development of the series according to the trade, looking to establish a writers room to join Luisa soon. Deadline further notes that, while not guaranteed, Scott could return to direct Blade Runner 2099 should Amazon move ahead with the series.

2049, itself set 30 years after Scott’s original adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s seminal novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, followed Ryan Gosling as K, a young Blade Runner tasked with hunting down the rogue android replicants, crossing paths with the first movie’s protagonist Deckard, played by Harrison Ford. Since its release it’s not the only new Blade Runner project we’ve seen, however: last year Crunchyroll and Adult Swim gave us Blade Runner: Black Lotus, a 3DCG anime series from Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama. Set in 2032, it followed Matrix Resurrections’ Jessica Henwick as a replicant named Elle, herself on the run from the shady forces looking to forcibly “retire” her.

[MIKA27]

Ivan Reitman, Legendary ‘Ghostbusters’ Director, Dies at 75

Ivan Reitman, the luminous filmmaking and producing powerhouse behind such irreverent cultural touchstones as Ghostbusters and Animal House, has died, his family said Sunday. He was 75.

Reitman died peacefully in his sleep at his home in California on Saturday night, according to a joint statement given by his family to the Associated Press. No cause of death was specified.

“Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father, and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life,” said Jason Reitman, Catherine Reitman, and Caroline Reitman, the director’s three adult children.

“We take comfort that his work as a filmmaker brought laughter and happiness to countless others around the world,” the family added. “While we mourn privately, we hope those who knew him through his films will remember him always.”

Having cut his teeth by producing then-fledgling horror auteur David Cronenburg’s early work, Reitman burst onto the scene first as the producer of the madcap 1978 frat comedy National Lampoon’s Animal House.

The following year, Reitman took the first step in what would go on to be one of his most celebrated artistic partnerships, directing an unknown Bill Murray in summer camp flick Meatballs.

From there, it was just a hop, skip, and a jump into the comedic stuff of legend. As a director, Reitman hit a number of cinematic home runs throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including 1981’s Stripes (another Murray team-up), 1988’s Twins, 1990’s Kindergarten Cop, and 1994’s Junior.

But it was with 1984’s Ghostbusters that Reitman was able to cement his status as a giant of cinema. The critically acclaimed and arguably immortal blockbuster has collectively pulled in a $242 million domestic lifetime gross and spawned a series of sequel properties, including last year’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

Directed by his son, Jason, Afterlife served as a kind of spiritual torch-passing. Reitman served as producer to his son’s vision, and was reportedly moved to tears while watching a cut of the film.

“My father hasn’t been leaving the house much because of COVID,” Jason told Empire magazine in January last year. “But he took a test, put on a mask and drove down to the Sony lot to watch the movie with the studio. And after, he cried, and he said, ‘I’m so proud to be your father.’ And it was one of the great moments of my life.”

Born in Czechoslovakia in 1946, Reitman was the child of an Auschwitz survivor and an underground resistance fighter. The family immigrated to Toronto to escape communist oppression when he was just 4 years old.

“I remember flashes of scenes,” Reitman told the AP of the journey in 1979. “Later they told me about how they gave me a couple of sleeping pills so I wouldn’t make any noise. I was so knocked out that I slept with my eyes open. My parents were afraid I was dead.”

Nearly six decades later, Reitman would be made an Officer of the Order of Canada “for his contributions as a director and producer, and for his promotion of the Canadian film and television industries.”

As a producer, Reitman hit a hot streak with the Beethoven film series, about the cuddly Saint Bernard, and 1996’s Space Jam.

In 2016, Reitman told The Daily Beast in an interview that he still considered Ghostbusters to be the strongest of his Murray quartet, calling it “the purest and most complex.”

In Ghostbusters, “the story was the alpha,” Reitman said. “It was important and you couldn’t just make up whatever was in your head. Attention had to be paid, and attention had to be paid to the storytelling.”

[MIKA27]

Rough Crafts Builds a Pikes Peak-Inspired, Forged Carbon-Clad Ducati Monster

Winston Yeh of Taiwan’s Rough Crafts has never been one to do things in half-measures. So, when a customer recently approached the Taipei shop requesting a high-performance one-off build, Yeh went above and beyond, sourcing a Ducati Monster 1200 S before transforming the naked two-wheeler into a GP-grade, carbon-clad track weapon.

Starting out as one of the country’s last 2020 Monster 1200 S specimens, the bike — which takes inspiration from stripped-back, high-performance Pikes Peak racers — has been completely rid of its stock bodywork before being built back up with a complete suite of bespoke forged carbon fiber items. This includes a marbled carbon, cafe-inspired tank with RC’s signature knee dents, a massive set of woven carbon intake scoops, a crest-shaped take on a traditional tracker front number board fitted with a sunken set of stacked KOSO LED headlights, and a tracker-esque tail section capped off with a bespoke diamond-stitched saddle that’s complemented via a matching bum-stop.

In typical Rough Crafts fashion, Yeh has outfitted the Duck donor with an ultra-top-shelf suite of componentry that includes 17” five-arm split-spoke carbon fiber BST wheels, BERINGER brakes, a custom-tuned Ohlins monoshock, and a blacked-out Ohlins FGR300 fork with carbon fiber upper tubes that are slotted in custom billet triples. On top of new filtration and an STM slipper clutch, the 1,198cc L-Twin at the heart of the build has also been treated to a two-into-one SC-Project S1GP exhaust with a full titanium header. Other details include KOSO LED indicators, a custom Rough Crafts billet subframe, an open clutch cover, and a custom-designed and machined top tripe with integrated clip-ons and instrumentation gauge.

Appropriately christened the “Apex Assault,” Rough Craft’s latest one-off work further demonstrates Yeh’s ability to deliver a show-stopper of a custom, regardless of the genre or style. Those interested in commissioning their own world-class build from Rough Crafts can contact the shop via its website.

[MIKA27]

Grand Marnier Debuts an Ultra-Premium $3,500 Expression

Grand Marnier has been an institution in the premium liquor space since 1880. The French brand of liqueurs has maintained a dominant position in its market due to its delectably sweet and complex flavor profile. While it is mainly known for its iconic Cordon Rouge, it has a variety of higher-end offerings among its Cuvées. Looking to add an ultra-premium offering to its already stout lineup, Grand Marnier is releasing an opulent Grand Cuvée: Quintessence.

Part of its new and aptly named Exceptional Range, Quintessence has received such a prestigious moniker because it is meant to reflect the elite artisanship of the French Maison. Though simple in concept, Quintessence represents the beauty and potential of how implementing the highest-quality ingredients through exceptional execution can yield a masterpiece.

At its core, Quintessence is merely an aged combination of Cognac, orange essence, and oak casks, but the rarity and quality of the spirit used, the double distillation process through which it goes, and the craftsmanship behind it all combine to make it truly remarkable. Quintessence blends the rarest and oldest hors d’âge Cognacs with macerated Bigaradia orange peels — the same rare citrus used in the brand’s original 1880 recipe — and puts them through a rigorous double-distillation process that intensifies the flavors. The result is an amber ambrosia with a palate that features notes of dried apricot, walnut, and warm vanilla.

As if this spectacular liqueur weren’t enough, it is housed in an exquisite handmade Baccarat decanter that draws inspiration from the design of the original Grand Marnier bottle from the 1880s. Given its rarity and excellence, Quintessence is limited to 1,000 bottles and retails for $3,500. It will be available for purchase in late February.

[JohnS]

Great to hear from you @MIKA27! 👍

[LLC]

Welcome back. Good to see you posting new content 🙏

[MIKA27]

20 minutes ago, LLC said:

Welcome back. Good to see you posting new content 🙏

It's been a while hey! Happy New year to all  

[MIKA27]

Astronomers Find ‘Weird’ Stars Covered in Burned-Up Helium

Over 10,000 light-years from Earth, two mega-hot stars are changing what astronomers know about stellar evolution and how the gassy balls can be constructed. The stars are unique for their exotic surface composition: They are cocooned in carbon and oxygen, the ashen remains of helium burning.

The stars were recently discovered by a team based in Germany using data from the Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona and the LAMOST survey. The stars are dense and burn very hot, with surface temperatures about 10 times greater than our Sun. It’s their surfaces that make them so special, as they’re constituted by carbon and oxygen, which are produced when helium burns. Details about the discovery of PG1654+322 and PG1528+025 were recently published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

While the stars’ surfaces are carbon and oxygen, their cores are thought to still be helium, based on their temperatures and radii. That’s strange.

“Normally we expect stars with these surface compositions to have already finished burning helium in their cores, and to be on their way to becoming white dwarfs,” said Klaus Werner, an astronomer at the University of Tübingen in Germany and lead author of the new paper, in a Royal Astronomical Society release. “These new stars are a severe challenge to our understanding of stellar evolution.”

In other words, the exterior of the stars seem to have already undergone nuclear fusion, but their cores are still lively nuclear reactors. (That distinguishes the objects from white dwarfs, which are small compact stars at the very end of their life, devoid of nuclear fuel.) The discovery of this exotic structure naturally leads to the question of how these stars might have originated. Alongside this team’s research is a second new paper, also in the Monthly Notices of the RAS, that explores how the rare stellar class may emerge.

“We believe that the weird objects discovered by Klaus Werner might have been formed through a rare type of stellar merger,” said Miller Bertolami, an astrophysicist at the Institute for Astrophysics of La Plata in Argentina and lead author of the second paper, in an email. “We argue in our paper that, under the right conditions, a carbon-oxygen white dwarf might be disrupted and accreted by a companion, forming objects as those discovered by Werner et al.”

During a merger between two white dwarfs, Bertolami added, the more massive object can break the smaller object apart with its gravitational pull. Rather than two stars amicably mixing material to become one star, the interaction may be more like a hand putting on a glove, with one star cannibalising the other.

Going forward, the researchers will need to change their stellar evolution models to test whether such mergers could actually result in stars like PG1654+322 and PG1528+025. There are some burning questions that still need to be answered.

[MIKA27]

In the 1800s, Valentine’s Meant a Bottle of Meat Juice

An act of love in the form of a medicinal tonic.

IN RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, A MUSEUM simply known as The Valentine tells the story of the city’s 400-year past. Set in a beautiful neoclassical building that dates to 1812, it was founded on the fortune one man made from his meat juice—which is exactly what it sounds like.

Before it became a museum, The Valentine was the home of dry goods merchant Mann S. Valentine II. In the fall of 1870, Valentine’s wife Anne Maria fell ill, apparently suffering from a “severe and protracted derangement of the organs of digestion,” as Valentine later wrote. Doctors had given up hope of curing her, and Valentine himself had been holed up in their basement for weeks.

But when Valentine emerged from the basement, he brought with him a potential cure that he’d cooked up. Knowing that Anne Maria couldn’t stomach solid food, but that she was in desperate need of nutrients, Valentine had concocted a tonic from beef juice and egg whites. The tonic was more effective than beef broth, he reasoned, because boiling meat for broth alters its proteins and leaves it “impaired in value.” By gently cooking the beef at a low temperature and then pressure-cooking it, he extracted juice from the meat that retained more of its nutritional value and “was acceptable to the most irritable stomach,” he wrote.

Anne Maria and Mann S. Valentine II

Valentine administered his tonic to Anne Maria, and in the following days, watched as she began to recover. Thrilled with his success, Valentine returned to his basement. He made more meat juice, sent samples off to doctors, and started to bottle and sell the tonic out of his home. Valentine’s Meat Juice company was born.

“I have been using your ‘Meat Juice’ on different cases in this hospital,” one New York Surgeon wrote to Valentine. “It has more than answered my expectations. I find that patients improve rapidly in appetite and strength under its administration.”

By 1874 Valentine had published a booklet filled with similar testimonials from doctors, who swore to its efficacy in curing everything from nausea to dysentery and cholera. Several doctors described administering Valentine’s Meat Juice to patients who refused any other form of nourishment, liquid or solid, and witnessing signs of recovery.

“One of my patients, seriously ill with typhoid fever, was nourished exclusively by it for two weeks, and daily increased in strength from its use, until firmly convalescent,” wrote one Virginia physician.

Valentine heavily marketed his Meat Juice.

“I have found that this preparation stimulates the stomach when enfeebled from almost any cause, not only in dyspepsia and chronic gastritis, but in seasickness, the sickness of pregnancy, and such kindred complications,” another physician wrote. He claimed that he used the tonic by enema, to achieve better absorption, and found that it “exhibits its nutrient qualities in a remarkable degree.”

Another doctor eagerly suggested that Valentine’s Meat Juice be used as a substitute for meals when necessary. “In the hurry of business … many young men are debarred from taking their meals at regular hours, and to remove a sense of hunger or exhaustion, they are led to the use, or abuse, of alcoholic stimulation.” Taking a dram of meat juice instead of whiskey, he wrote, would be far more nutritious and avoid “any of the pernicious effects of the latter.”

By the late 1870s, Valentine’s Meat Juice had become one of the most popular and highly available patent medicines around the world. It was a top-selling product in American pharmacies and a fixture in many household medicine cabinets.

“The Meat Juice was incredibly popular the first decade or so that it came out,” says Lauren Gleason, a historian at the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum in Alexandria, Virginia. “It was one of many pre-manufactured products that you could have bought at your average pharmacy in the late-19th century.”

The interior of the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, where Meat Juice was once sold.

The Apothecary Museum is the site of an original apothecary, or pharmacy, where Valentine’s Meat Juice was sold. Visitors often notice a small box in the museum’s collection that carries the Valentine’s Meat Juice label. “[The name] gets a good reaction out of visitors, which is fun,” Gleason says. “They’re like, ‘Ew, what’s that? That’s so gross.’”

The preparation of Valentine’s Meat Juice, however, sounds almost savory. “Beef was pressure-cooked and strained to remove its juice, which was then boiled down into a concentrated liquid that was mixed with egg whites, later glycerin,” explains Meg Hughes, director of collections and chief curator at The Valentine. Patients were instructed to take one teaspoon of the protein-rich tonic diluted with two or three tablespoons of water (cold or lukewarm, but not hot). Many people also mixed it into soup or gruel, or if they had especially tender stomachs, into crushed ice.

Valentine’s Meat Juice was sold in a tiny brown bottle with a distinctive pear shape. After it achieved commercial success, other companies came out with their own meat-juice knockoffs. To foil copycats, Valentine trademarked the design of his bottle and his logo, which, for unknown reasons, featured a bird’s nest. He also successfully sued a London company called the Valentine Extract Company of London, which manufactured “meat globules” (similar to bouillon cubes), over its name.

Valentine was also a savvy marketer. He showed up with his meat juice at the International Exposition in Philadelphia, in 1876, determined to get greater visibility for his product. Two years later, he took it all the way to Europe for the Paris Exposition, where Meat Juice made a splash on the world stage.

Back in the United States, Valentine’s Meat Juice saw another boost in popularity in 1881, after the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal reported that President James A. Garfield took two teaspoons of it with his midday meal while recovering from an assassination attempt. However, Garfield ultimately died from complications arising from the gunshot wound, more than two months after it had been inflicted.

As for Valentine’s wife, Anne Maria, she lived for two more years after Valentine first revived her with his beef tonic. So did it actually play a role in her recovery that time?

“Of course we can never know if her husband’s tonic was actually effective, but I have to think that the dose of iron Anne Maria ingested in the meat juice could have been beneficial,” says Hughes.

The 1800s, when Valentine’s Meat Juice came along, was a sketchy time for medicine. There was nothing to stop patent medicine makers like Valentine from making misleading or even false claims about their products. Medical “quackery” was alive and well, and apothecaries often stocked drugs that were at best ineffective and at worst, downright dangerous. A patent medicine known as Fulton’s Renal Compound, for example, that claimed to treat kidney disease probably killed more patients than it cured. The 1906 Food & Drug Act, which was the first federal regulation of medicine in the U.S., cracked down on misinformation from the patent medicine industry. Among other things, it required manufacturers to list ingredients on their labels.

Valentine’s automated bottle corker, patented 1875. 

Gleason says there was probably nothing nefarious about how Valentine made or marketed his meat juice (and it may even have had mild health benefits). “When the product comes out, it was pre-Food & Drug Act, so there are no regulations that he’s having to adhere to,” she says. “He’s not having to say what was in his product. But it seems that it wasn’t anything terrible. You’d just squeeze a piece of meat, collect the stuff. Cook it.”

Sometime after 1906, however, the company rebranded its product as a flavoring for cooking, rather than a health tonic, and Hughes suspects the Food & Drug Act was a factor. By then, Valentine had passed away. His other legacy, The Valentine museum, opened in 1898 and featured art and curios Valentine had collected over the years. Valentine’s Meat Juice remained within his family until it closed in 1986, by which time the product was more commonly found in kitchen pantries than medicine cabinets.

While Valentine’s Meat Juice evokes an unfamiliar era, it isn’t entirely forgotten. As Hughes notes, there are still plenty of Richmonders who remember seeing it in the grocery store.

MIKA: Meat juice! 🤣

[MIKA27]

1967 TOYOTA-SHELBY 2000 GT COUPE

One of the most influential Japanese cars in history, the Toyota 2000 GT is highly sought-after, with only 351 ever built, and roughly 60 of those exported to the US. Even among those, this is a special example. The first serial-numbered 2000 GT chassis, MF10-10001, was completed on September 27, 1966, and was originally finished in Solar Red. In a bid to enter SCCA C-Production racing, Toyota handed it and two other examples over to Carroll Shelby and his team, who plussed the cars with exhaust, brake, wheel, and suspension upgrades, and also added a roll bar, racing harnesses, and a Ferrari-style gated shifter. The other two examples were used as the primary racing cars, while MF10-10001 was the backup, thus seeing less wear and tear. In 1980 it was purchased by a noted 2000 GT specialist, who spent over a decade giving the vehicle a complete body-off restoration, bringing it back to its original 1968 SCCA configuration complete with its historic white and metallic blue racing livery. With such a rare provenance, and in pristine condition, it's one of — if not the — most desirable 2000 GTs on the planet.

BID NOW / $2,750,000+

[MIKA27]

RESTAURANT KAMAKURA VILLAGE

Located in Japan's Nagano Prefecture, Kamakura Village has used its snowy landscapes to create a unique dining experience for tourists. The pop-up eatery serves guests lunch and dinner in 20 private snow huts. Inside, visitors can enjoy Noroshi Nabe, a centuries-old hot pot made from Shinshu Miso, Miyuki Pork, and locally grown mushrooms and vegetables, including honshimeji, enoki, and king trumpet. The property also hosts a Shinto Shrine housing a divine rope called a Shimenawa used to ward off evil, and an offering box. The Restaurant Kamakura Village is open until February 27, 2022.

[MIKA27]

JOHN WILKES BOOTH'S SWAGGER STICK

On April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth shot and killed President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C.

When described on the day of the assassination, witnesses said "he held the reins of his gallant steed gathered firmly in his left hand, while in his right he carried a gold-mounted whip, seemingly more for ornament than use."

The item alleged is the actor's ornate swagger stick. The 28-inch cane features a black wooden replacement shaft with a gold-plated handle in the shape of a horse's hind leg. It's engraved "Neal Bryant to J. W. Booth." and was said to have been one of his prized possessions, having appeared in eleven different photographs of the assassin. A historic artifact, the item is currently up for auction. $50K+

[MIKA27]

LOUIS VUITTON TAMBOUR HORIZON LIGHT UP CONNECTED WATCH

Offering a decidedly different look than any other smartwatch, Louis Vuitton's Tambour Horizon Light Up blends luxury with tech. Its 44mm stainless steel case comes in polished, matte black, or matte brown finishes, and is topped with a piece of sapphire glass that covers both the always-on 1.2-inch round AMOLED screen and a ring of 24 trefoil-styled LEDs around the edge that gives it a seamless appearance. Eight possible dials with eleven different gradient displays provide plenty of customization options, as do the interchangeable straps in either leather or Monogram canvas.

[MIKA27]

SPIDER-MAN MARVEL COMICS LIBRARY: VOL. 1  /  $200

Superheroes were nothing new in 1962 when Stan Lee first pitched Spider-Man to his boss, who argued against the idea, citing spiders, a teenage lead, and his loner persona as strikes against it.

Finally allowing him to appear in the already-cancelled Amazing Fantasy, Spidey immediately shot to the top of the best-seller list. Six decades, multiple films, and countless issues later, the character is among the most recognizable in pop culture.

Spider-Man Marvel Comics Library: Vol. 1 celebrates the neighborhood web-slinger with a reprinting of his first 21 stories, originally published between 1962 and 1964 and featuring iconic villains such as the Green Goblin, Mysterio, and Doctor Octopus.

More than a simple reprint, each page was photographed as it looked decades ago, then digitally remastered and printed on three different paper stocks developed specifically to simulate the feel of the originals.

Hardcover / 11" x 15.6" / 10.62 lbs. / 698 pages

[MIKA27]

WHISTLEPIG PIGGYBACK DEVIL'S SLIDE RYE NON-WHISKEY

Dry January can seem extra long for whiskey lovers. Instead of waiting until February, March or any month really, for an Old Fashioned fix, WhistlePig created PiggyBack Devil's Slide Rye Non-Whiskey. It's made with 100% rye that's matured for six years, then undistilled to remove the alcohol but leave the flavor. The resulting drink has the same familiar notes as the real stuff, and is ready to be enjoyed neat or mixed into a mocktail. 100% of the proceeds go to benefit the United States Bartenders' Guild National Charity Foundation.

[Habana Mike]

Wow brother!

Great to see you back. I thought you'd fallen off the face of the earth.

Lots of pent up posts flowing!

Hope all's good. Was always a must read for me.

[MIKA27]

8 minutes ago, Habana Mike said:

Wow brother!

Great to see you back. I thought you'd fallen off the face of the earth.

Lots of pent up posts flowing!

Hope all's good. Was always a must read for me.

I'll be on and off still my friend, needed a break away from it all after so many years.

Good to see you and others haven't forgotten me.  

Thank you for the welcome.

[Fuzz]

9 minutes ago, Habana Mike said:

Wow brother!

Great to see you back. I thought you'd fallen off the face of the earth.

Lots of pent up posts flowing!

Hope all's good. Was always a must read for me.

Shhh... he has to get used to life being back on the outside. Melbournites are finding it hard to re-adjust from prison life.