Ministry of Sound's Newest Venture - Minibar

I have enjoyed the Ministry of Sound music compilation CDs for years. Naturally, when I came across this post from Cool Hunting, I was even more excited! Unfortunately, there is no plan to open any of the Minibars in the United States. So perhaps a trip to the UK is in order? :)

From Cool Hunting:

Fifteen years since the original club opened in London's Elephant and Castle, Ministry of Sound has evolved beyond all recognition into a truly global brand. These days, it doesn't just sell dance music of all shades, but also the audio equipment to listen to it on, and even clubbing holidays to places like Egypt.

Ministry's latest off-shoot is the Minibar, which aims to be the "ultimate bar concept" that will "revolutionize the high street." Whether or not the pun in the name immediately marks the place down is up to you, but the rest of the spiel is quite intriguing. Minibar will be split into four zones, and will include hot-tub seating (pictured right), a diary room and video rooms for some "web cam excitement." Aside from the ideas obviously inspired by watching too much Big Brother, there'll also be the requisite cocktail and shot bars, and a dancefloor coupled with a decent sound system.

Surprisingly, the first Minibar opens in the relatively small North-of-England town of Harrogate (it's about the same size as Kansas City) next Friday, 31 March 2006. With such high hopes for it though, you won't be surprised to hear that Ministry intends to eventually roll out the brand in every major U.K. city.

Minibar
Unit 1
The Royal Pavilion
Parliament Square
Harrogate
North Yorkshire HG1 2RR
United Kingdom

(Via Cool Hunting)

Carpet Mural

I enjoy traveling. While some people detest the airport, there's something about it that just gets me excited. Yes, this may be strange, but I like it. :)

In my travels I have been to countless airports, big and small, all across North America, Europe and some in Asia. I have to admit that I don't really notice the floor much, but if more cool art installations like "Flying Carpet" were around, it would sure make my airport hustle more interesting.

An installation at the Sacramento International Airport, Iranian artist Seyed Alavi has created an aerial view of the Sacramento River that is woven into a carpet. Located on the floor of a pedestrian bridge connecting the terminal to the parking garage, this is a neat expression of art on a seldom noticed but heavily seen (trafficked) area.

(Via Boing Boing)

Bottle opener ring

The Original Ring Thing is a beer drinker's answer to that age-old question, "where's the bottle opener?" Have you ever fumbled through a drawer, looking for a bottle opener? Now you can wear one on your finger! This cool ring incorporates a bottle opener into its design. Fun and functional!

Available at ThinkGeek.com for about 8 bucks.

(Via Gadget Review)

Coffee mug stirs your coffee!

For the extremely lazy people (or those days when you can't muster enough strength to stir your own coffee) this mug stirs your coffee for you! At the touch of a button, you can have the mug stir your coffee, instead of you using a spoon or a stirring stick.

Available for $22 at Gadget.brando.com.hk

(Via Uber-Review)

Biodegradable Containers

These biodegradable food containers made from a corn-based resin that will break down in your compost bin in about 45-60 days. The containers come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are designed for cold and warm foods only, they cannot be exposed to heat over 110 degrees.

While I don't have a compost bin (nor do I know anyone who does) I think this is a really cool idea.

(Via Eco-Products)

Google Finance Launches

The much-anticipated Google Finance has launched. As with most Google offerings, Google Finance is in Beta, but that hardly seems to matter much anymore. It seems as most of the services that Google offers are launched in Beta and many stay that way. It doesn't bother me much and I haven't seemed to encounter errors in their other Beta offerings that I use (Gmail).

I enjoy the look and feel of Google Finance and see it as another offering for investors to obtain financial information and research on companies. On the main page of Google Finance, there's a space to enter a ticker symbol or company name, a current snapshots of the major U.S. stock markets, stock quotes, as well as industry news and related headlines. I'll keep it in mind when researching stock and company financial information.

Egglings

With both a weird and cool vibe, Egglings are an alternative to the usual potted plant. Made of white ceramic, they look and feel just like real eggs. Simply crack one open, add water, and there you go! Each Eggling comes with a terra cotta tray and seed pack.

With 5 different seed packs to choose from, you can do a bit of gardening in this unique container. Priced at $8.95 each.

(Via Boing Boing)

No Email for some FBI agents

Alright, how crazy is that?

Christine Monaco, a spokeswoman for the FBI in New York, said Monday that all FBI agents can communicate with each other via a secure internal e-mail system, and about 75 percent of the New York office's employees have outside e-mail accounts.

So that would mean that about 25 percent of the New York FBI employees don't have outside email accounts. I know it's not as simple for the government to assign .gov email accounts, not like getting a gmail, yahoo, or hotmail address, but doesn't it seem just wrong that in the 21st Century, our government workers don't all have email? Yes, we are fighting a "war on terror" but if government employees can't communicate quickly and effectively with people both inside and outside of the FBI, how can they share information? Communication is key in any organization and I just find it crazy that the US government's budget constraints mean no email for some FBI agents.

FBI spokeswoman Cathy Milhoan said e-mail addresses are still being assigned, and that the New York city bureau's 2,000 employees would all have accounts by the end of the year.

End of the year! Too little, too late? Let's hope not.

(Via CNN)

Top 1000 Library Holdings

The 2005 list contains the "Top 1000" titles owned by OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) member libraries. Basically, libraries around the globe have deemed these works worth purchasing and holding in their collections.

Topping the 2005 list are: The Bible, The Census, Mother Goose, The Divine Comedy and The Odyssey.

Check out the full list here.

(Via Boing Boing)

Top 10 tallest buildings completed in 2005

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat has released their 2005 list of Top Ten Tallest Completed Building Projects.

Not surprisingly, five of these buildings are located in China, whose economy, according to a report by Pricewaterhouse Coopers, is set to double in size between 2005 and 2050, two in Australia, one in the UAE, one in Russia and just one on the US.

Deth & Taxes: A graphic representation

Created by artist mibi, this chart is a visual representation of where our United States tax dollars go. Mibi explains:

After a year in the making... researching, number crunching, layouts, stock gathering, and lots of procrastinating, i am proud to say it is finally done.

Death and Taxes: A visual look at where your tax dollars go.

Most people are unaware of how much of their taxes fund our military, and those aware are often misinformed. Well here it is. Laid out, easy to read and compare.
With data straight from the White House.

I hope this makes people think and ask questions.

Why do we spend more on jets than we do on public housing?
Why is the Endowment for the Arts so small?
Whats with all this foreign military financing?

Im sure you can come up with numerous questions of your own. Unfortunately i dont have any answers. Our leaders do. Your president, his cabinet and your congress person have these answers. Ask them for the answers or better yet, demand them.

(Via Boing Boing)