iDale

Don't touch me on my Carina Nebula

What you see above is Hubble’s 20th anniversary image showing a mountain of dust and gas rising in the Carina Nebula. The top of a three-light-year tall pillar of cool hydrogen is being worn away by the radiation of nearby stars, while stars within the pillar unleash jets of gas that stream from the peaks.

Write that down, then see the high res version here.

I’m not sure what to make of it when automotive companies start delving into other markets. Sure, there is merchandise, but blatantly moving into a completely different space for the fun of it sometimes doesn’t make complete sense to me.

We’ve all seen the toasters and kettles that Porsche Design did in partnership with Siemens – they got water from 0-100 degrees in just a few seconds. But tell me, what’s the deal with this plastic bobsleigh – that even won a “red dot” award for high design quality?

porsche now designing bobsleighs

Apparently the inspiration for this first (you mean there will be more?) Porsche bobsleigh was drawn from the racing bobsleigh. Thus, they claim, its runners are based on the engineering of these professional sports devices and are almost as effective (almost). Both have a so-called ‘spring’ in the runners, that give the bobsleigh its excellent steer-ability.

Whoopteedoo Basil!

It goes for about R2000 here, but I rate you rather hook yourself up with a Porsche Rucksack

Generally, when we think of Kuwait, we think of Saddam Hussain and an oil war. But I beg of you to please put all those thoughts behind you. In fact I’ve got a  little something that I think will help you move right along…

Behold The Star House…

Arrive on your boat. Naturally.

Nestled into the landscape, this beach house blends naturally into the coastline of Kuwait and slowly unfolds itself as you approached from the desert or the coast.

To infinity and beyond...

When you arrive, you get a glimpse of the sea whilst going down to the public space of the chalet. On this lower level, the house extends into the landscape and the sea, accentuated by an infinity pool in the garden. The private side of the house, located at the entry level, is concealed from the visitors. Bedrooms and private living spaces remain isolated from daily activities.

The Star House by night is plain bliss

The initial design was master planned for three detached dwellings, each with extensive sea views while simultaneously achieving privacy from one another. The client, instead, opted for a single house, two bungalows and a boathouse, with this incredible garage stashed below…

For the love of science. Really! Really? Really.

If you like this home, best you take a look at some of these:

• Irresistible Spanish Island Villa
• Compass Pointe Five-Room Dream
• Floating House in Seattle
• and be sure to Step Into This Carla Ridge Palace…

Checkers is for tramps. True story.

During the Age of Enlightenment, chess was viewed as a means of self-improvement. Even ol’ Ben Franklin wrote an article in 1750 called “The Morals of Chess” in which he said:

“The Game of Chess is not merely an idle amusement; several very valuable qualities of the mind, useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired and strengthened by it, so as to become habits ready on all occasions; for life is a kind of Chess, in which we have often points to gain, and competitors or adversaries to contend with, and in which there is a vast variety of good and ill events, that are, in some degree, the effect of prudence, or the want of it. By playing at Chess then, we may learn foresight, circumspection and caution.”

Paul Smith on the other hand has simply improved the quality of the game by releasing his limited edition hand made chess set including a board storage case and pieces box. It’s got a multi stripe leather trim around the base, the top of the board has a leather black and white check with red outline and white contrast stitching, the top is embossed with the Paul Smith signature, and the bottom is covered in purple suede.

Paul Smith says purple's the new white

As for the wooden pieces  - they’re all handmade and lacquered in both black and purple, with felted bottoms. This Chess set is another piece, which captures the character of Paul Smith’s humorous approach to the design of everyday objects, with the bold use of colour and quality in detail. Get one here for £575 (only about R6000).

I like to get away to the bush every chance I can. There is something incredible about being placed in the middle of the wild for a week with no fences, no security and no electricity – that’s life at Megwe Camp in the Tuli Block, Botswana.

Before I begin, lets just get one thing straight here… The zoo is fun. Pilanesberg is cute. Kruger is a little more real. But Botswana… it.  is. the. wild.

That’s why I was so excited when I was invited to join some friends and these fine animals for the past week!

We charged past border control straight into the bush

The moment we drove out of the Pontdrift border post we were viewing game – and it never stopped for six days solid, even when we were in the camp, which was a gorgeous set of four chalets nestled inside a natural wall of trees with a view down to a watering hole less than 100m away. There was a central kitchen area with a lounge and balcony which had a fridge and freezer powered by generator. Other than that there was no electricity available to us.

Each evening the camp was illuminated with lanterns for us and a large fire was prepared for our nightly braai. Of course we added so much wood to it the place nearly went up in flames at least three times. But that’s just life in the bush when you’re a pyromaniac.

Pumba and offspring were part of the arrival committee

Each day we had an optional morning and evening game drive with our personal guide “soccer”. This man was born in the region and lived and learned the land before becoming a certified ranger more than 10 years ago – what a champ. He even took us for walks into the wild and educated us on everything from footprints and nests to carcasses and birdlife.

One evening he took us up a hill to a famous protected area where we hung out by a baobab tree with wine and snacks watching the sun set in the african sky – utter beauty! The area was also full of artifacts from the very first settlers and anything we found was placed on a rock along with other findings from previous visitors to the site.

Cape Town's got NOTHING on this vibe

There is really no point trying to describe this indescribable trip. How do you clearly put across the feeling you get when you’re lying in bed and suddenly all goes silent before you hear the cry of a hyena in the silence of the night crawl down your spine? How do you paint a picture of sitting peacefully when suddenly you hear a dog bark? And I’m not talking about a dachshund. I’m talking about a 100% bloodthirsty wild dog who’s bark is filled with evil!

Well, you can’t describe it all, and that’s why I’ve put together a selection of photos I took using my new Nikon DSLR camera for you (more on that later). I can only hope they convey some of the incredible experiences I had while away.

Click here to look at more photos of my incredible Botswana trip…

As one does at the end of the year, I’m heading away for a small well deserved break. I’ll be moving camp to Botswana (In the Tuli Block) for some relaxation, pampering and game viewing.

I’m armed with enough meat to feed fat bastard three times, my new Nikon DSLR camera and Bear Grylls-type-knowledge. So it’s guaranteed that you’ll see and hear all about the trip when I return.

In the mean time, take a look at some of my timeless content on the right…

I’ve featured many timepieces on my blog in the past. Like here, here and even over here. But nothing to date has intrigued me more than this faceless watch (more so than this faceless watch)…

The Keyser Söze of timepieces

Sure, it’s not ideal having absolutely nothing in the centre – what’s the point? But the genius of using lighting around the border to indicate the hour and minute hands is splendid.

Variety

This bad boy appears to come in two different colour options. The question has to be asked: is a watch really a watch without a face?

When it comes to skin care, all I really know is that at the very least, you’ve got to cleanse, tone and moisturise.

Like me, you’ve probably heard of many far-fetched anti-aging approaches (or don’t really care): diamond dust scrubs, moisturisers made from fetal nutrients, and of course, the ubiquitous dead sea mud. But this one’s totally new and surprising, even to me…

24k Gold collagen face mask - I love gooold!

“While our new gold mask is simply beautiful, its real benefits are a matter of complex chemistry and biology. Gold powder, when combined with the proper level of silk extract, blocks free radicals to help the skin regenerate quicker and fuller. After a single treatment, your face will look and feel firmer, fresher and vibrant.”

At least that’s what Nicole Vitale, senior director of Equinox spas, says of their new treatment.

Personally, I’d rather have me some of these precious gold prizes:

• Gold Bugatti Veyron Model
• Taj Mahal Gold Coins
• The Gold Vending Machine

Inspiration can come from anywhere. In this case, Ralph didn’t drink Absinthe, he was bowled over by a 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Coupe he owns. Our boy mated the auto world with the fashion world, and has given birth to none other than the Ralph Lauren Sporting Watch…

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The watch is reminiscent of the car’s interior and features an elm burl wood ring, Arabic numerals for increased legibility, arrow-shaped hour and minute hands supposedly making it look as royal as the Bugatti that influenced its design…

Ralphy: The man with the plan.

The movement of the watch is crafted by the Richemont group – the same company that makes Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai and IWC. The “must-have” designer timepiece is for a good $13,200 – that’s about R100,000

Other watches on my blog:

• Magical Louis Vuitton Floating Timepiece
• Carbon Ceramic Wristwatch for Car Lovers
• Expensive Patek Philippe Timepiece
• Behold! The Faceless Watch

This my friends is a limited edition range of chrome decanters (fancy hip flasks for the hobos who didn’t know that) that represent the radiators of famous cars…

Park them in your intoxication station

The set, each made after carefully studying the originals, includes Rolls Royce, Bugatti, Mercedes, Bentley & Jaguar. What’s more is that they are all accurate to scale and made in the original materials, so that they may be regarded as genuine collectors’ items preserving the memory of the car concerned…

I see dead car radiators

If you’re keen to pay an arm and a leg, you can get hold of  Nicholas Brawer at Madison Avenue in New York by sending him an email.

Otherwise, keep looking at extravagant auto merchandise on my blog:

• Hard Drives For Petrol Heads
• Gold Bugatti Veyron Model
• Audi Auto-Inspired Piano