Ten High Tech Restaurants from around the world

Waiter free bars? Sex doll styled Maitre D’s. Ice cream created wearing safety glasses and lab coats? Sounds futuristic, but all of these restaurants do exist, and I’ve sourced the most fascinating to share with you. Dining should be about more than food- enjoy my guide to the top ten High Tech Restaurants of the world.

Number one: Inamo Restaurant, London

Inamo Restaurant is located in Central London and serves you up sushi with a side helping of gadgetry. Everything about this restaurant had been optimized tech wise, from the iPad they check your reservations on to the touchscreen tables where you can order your food. The touchscreen tables are the most interesting part of the restaurant as they offer you so many things. They’re very pretty to look at, as you can choose what colour the table will be (and change it at whim) as well as whether you want it to be flowers/ stripes etc- design led technological place mats. To adjust the table you use a small circular touchpad in the left hand corner- there are no buttons but by moving your fingers and double tapping you can navigate around.

Essentially theses areas act as a mouse and you use an on table menu to navigate settings. There are games to play- should you WANT to play a game whilst eating and you can use the menu to order cocktails and food to your table. You do get waiter service as well, but this is an addition if you’re hungry and want more- or only want to order digitally. You can also access a webcam that goes into the kitchen to see the chef at work. I was excited about this, but the image is fairly  blurry, so it’s not as good as it sounds. The menu also lets you choose your next location, which is cool, so when you leave you know what bar/club you’re retiring too. Read more…

Tags: Chin Chin labs, Eyecandy Sound Lounge, Hajime Robot restaurant, Inamo

Concoon yourself in this space age spa pod

Every now and then we all need some down time, and now you can switch off in something that looks scarily close to the Avatar’s nest (plus a few extra comforts). This space age looking design is called the Concoon and is created by German design company Wasserbetten. As you’ve probably guessed from the not so subtle play on words, the idea is that you cocoon yourself into this pod and it allows you to unwind with a personalized experience. Each pod is created with smart materials that let you mimic the ‘floating feeling’ you might have in the womb (or in a floatation tank).

The Concoon features a built in water bed with surround sound which can be accessed with headphones or through subtle speakers. It also features various light cycles which are supposed to mimic various states of relaxation and provide therapeutic relief. The design looks ethereal and elegant but is surprisingly sturdy with a stainless steel base and a glass fiber reinforced plastic outer shell. The idea is that 20 minutes a day cocooned inside should allow you relief from everyday stresses, and I’m betting it’s super comfortable as well. Read more…

Tags: Concoon, Wasserbetten Concoon

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc: Hands on Mobile Phone Review

I’ve had the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc a few weeks now, and naturally, as soon as I’ve finally made up my mind about the handset they go and release news about a NEW one (The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S), which renders my review slightly dated, though still pretty relevant. In my industry it’s common to change your phone every week, but we tend to forget that most people are tied into 18-24 month contracts so they have longer to play with their handset than us. I’ve had a few weeks going hands on with the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and here are my thoughts.

Touted as the fashion phone, the slimline contours of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc certainly fulfill this promise. The design is superslim and incredibly lightweight with a large 4.2 inch screen that’s attractive and easy to navigate. I’m used to the Xperia interface having previously owned the X10 Mini, and this definitely feels like the bigger better brother, faster, more fun and way easier to navigate. The three navigation button menu is easy to decipher, allowing you to go straight to the home menu, back up a step and bring up multiple screens.

The specs

The Arc features a 3.5mm headphone jack, a HDMI output and a lock key on top of the screen. There’s also a volume adjuster rocker at the side and it has a 4.2 inch capacitive screen. It is very shiny, which also makes it a fingerprint dust bunny, but once you turn it on the colours are so vibrant that marks fade away. Scratch resistant mineral glass covers the front and despite multiple knocks in my bag (and an aggressive keychain) remains scratch free. It has an internal memory of 512MB and comes with an 8GB micro SD card, though you can fit it with a 32GB one. It runs on Android, and the area that particularly impressed was the 1GHz Qualcomm processor which makes the phone run really quickly, and you’re able to load up multiple programmes and flick through different apps with ease. Read more…

Tags: Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, Xperia Arc review

London Riots 2011: Get online to catch a looter

The last few days have been very stressful for UK citizens, primarily Londoners. We’re living in the aftermath of the London Riots, and no one is quite sure how to behave. An eerie calm pervades Oxford Street as armed policeman walk four abreast down the street and muscle bound guards loiter around the front of Selfridges. Shops have started shutting from 2pm onwards and two meetings I was meant to attend were cancelled ‘just in case’. Despite Tuesday night being fairly calm, Monday saw fires and shouts in the town I live in, with hooded figures clearly visible on Camden canal, shouting and  throwing things about with more than usual abandon. London has been gripped with a fear that these ‘youths, chancers, looters’- call them what you will, have suddenly seized control and all rules don’t seem to apply anymore.

Whilst I have no doubt this hysteria will soon be under control, what I have been amazed by is how quick the interweb has been at chastising and identifying the culprits. In the past few days numerous websites have been created all with the sole purpose of identifying these people, and-so far- not one of them is in anyways a commercial enterprise;  just a pure and good samaritan endeavour to try and help people and shopowners get some justice for the abuse of their property.

Twitter has also been a goldmine of support with the Twitter hashtag #londonriots providing up to the minute information of what was taking place (though some was erroneous data- no animals escaped from London Zoo) and a new Twitter hahstag #riotscleanup and #riotcleanup. It’s great to see how the web community has banded together to support eachother- both online and IRL with meetups arranged to help clear the damage. Here’s my roundup of some of the London Riots websites that have been created. Spare a moment and take a look- you could really make a difference.

Zavilla

This website was created a few days ago, but already looks pretty slick. People email in images or upload them to their Facebook page and then you can scroll through them and see if you can identify anyone. If you do there’s a form to fill in where you submit details of the rioter you recognize and then the creators of the site will use this- anonymously- to contact the police. I don’t really know what Zavilia stands for as it’s a less obvious riot site title,and Dictionary.com tells me it’s not recognized. Hmm- maybe the creators  just liked the way it sounded? If it’s slang for something else, I’m just to old school to recognize it. Read more…

Tags: #londonriots, London Riots, London Riots 2011

Audio Armchairs are La-Z-Boys for rock chicks

Concept Shed might sound like a brand that just creates cool looking prototypes and drawings and never delivers, but that’s not the case. The funky looking Audio Armchair you see above is a fully working model that you can purchase, albeit for an undisclosed price- probably custom made from their Cornwall headquarters ( a UK brand- w00t!).

I don’t have a huge a mount of info about the Audio Armchairs, but the picture really does speak for itself- an elegant looking chair in a deliciously bright colour. There are three shades (as far as I know), called lemon, aubergine and tangerine, and all are 100% leather. They look like they’d be amazingly comfy and squashy to sit in, and speakers are hidden in the wings of the chair. There’s also a seat sensor (perhaps so it turns on when you sit down?) a built in MP3 player and it’s completely button less, so I guess you alter the volume by leaning in the seat.

I like how they have reworked the classic Chesterfield armchair to make it highly modern and desirable, and if I had a spare windfall lying around I know I’d be calling up Concept Shed and ordering a pair (in aubergine, naturally).

Tags: Audio armchairs, Concept Shed

The strange Origin of Gadget Terms

‘Names are an important key to what a society values.  Anthropologists recognize naming as one of the chief methods for imposing order on perception,’ said David  Slawson, and this holds true to most things in society. A name denotes place, culture, idea- and the likes of Gucci and Manolo Blahnik have profited by associating their name with an idea of luxury and quality. Many of us willingly use names without any idea of the origins of the words, and as many words have a rich cultural history, I wanted to examine the etymology of some of the most commonly used gadget terms. Technology is a rich landscape of strange beginnings- did you know that the term mouse was created as the peripheral chased an ‘on screen cat or that boondoggle can be used to refer to your gadgets?

Read on to discover the origins of Top Ten technology terms.

1. Geek

People use the term geek to denote many things nowadays, from people who wear glasses to those who have an uncanny knowledge about the ISO ratings on cameras. Add tech know how to that list, an in depth knowledge of sci-fi, and well, you see where I’m going here. The origin of the word is a little stranger though, with its roots in 1916 USA slang, where the term referred to a ‘sideshow freak’ who was well known for biting the heads of chickens. Yes, chickens.

The word also has roots back in 1510 where it was an imitative verb in Scandinavian which meant to ‘mock and cheat’. Quite how chicken biting sideshows artists and Scandinavian cheaters turned into the modern day geek I’m unsure- perhaps just a predilection for the unusual?

2. Gamer

The term gamer is synonymous nowadays with XBOX/Playstation/Warcraft addicts, but it has really only had this association since 1999. The word is a shortened version of Gamester, with the first recording of this term being in 1590. It didn’t mean someone who was particularly good at egg and spoon,  but rather a prostitute. You could read into this that prostitution was ‘the first game ever played’, or that they were ‘game’ for anything. It later was used to refer to gambling, and so we learn the seedy past of today’s mainstream term.

(It was also sometimes used to refer to a swan keeper which is a nicer way to look at it…). Read more…

Tags: boondoggle, doohickey, gadget, Gamer origin, geek eytmology, pin gun, technology terms

X Rated Social Media: Why porn stars are hiring Social Media Strategists

Social media is a fantastic marketing tool, so it’s no surprise that celebrities have jumped on this bandwagon. It’s interesting to think about the effect this online sphere has on the more X-rated industries however, and just how the adult industry is managing to harness this tool, bearing in mind the constraints (Facebook doesn’t allow X rated photos) and the maintenance using these tools properly requires.

Lauren McEwen is a cofounder of 7Veils, a USA based agency which specializes in creating social media strategies for the porn world, and she’s very vocal on why it’s something all adult stars should get into. She’s surprisingly down to earth, with a great business mind,  and her acumen is another step in the long process of making people realize that licensed consensual porn doesn’t need to be seen as second class or seedy.

The adult industry has played a major part in technological changes over the last decade, with the decision to use the Blu-ray format essentially ending the Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD wars- and making Sony executives very happy. Their interest in 3D has also helped televisions develop, and whilst we can’t completely say that porn has helped 3D establish itself in the mainstream, it certainly has been very receptive of the new tools.

It’s the arena of social media that I’m focusing on here, and I asked Lauren why she thought it was important for adult stars to have a digital presence.

She replied, ‘If you are asking why social media is important for adult stars you are really asking why is social media important for any business or brand. Porn stars are a business, a brand and a personality. It is important for them to get to know their fan as much as any other public figure.  Whether they are improving their reputation, growing their network, promoting their content or simply connecting with fans, social media is the most powerful direct access media tool available.’

I like the fact that Lauren approaches adult social media the same way as any brand, and that she doesn’t differentiate between work for adult stars and the mainstream. What sort of challenges are involved in working with adult stars though?

‘I am not mentioning anyone (adult stars) on Facebook that is because it is much harder for adult to operate on Facebook due to the strict terms of service. There are a few nice pages that have beautiful landing pages like Playboy and Sasha Grey, but pages get deleted so often that adult stars are often reluctant to use Facebook.’ Read more…

Tags: 7Veils, PornStar Tweet, X rated social media, X rated Twitter agency