Raining in LA

It's been raining non-stop for the past two weeks here in Los Angeles. The LA river is usually completely dry near my house, but now it's about as active as I've ever seen it.

If you are visiting from Italy, you should say hello :)

Dyson DC23

I'm not a vacuum enthusiast, but I am an enthusiast of well made and well designed products. And that's exactly what the Dyson DC23 is.

The DC23 Animal is designed specifically homes with pets and hardwood floors. Two things we have.


Just look at this thing. It means serious business. It looks like something out of Halo.


These tubes are what create the Cyclone vacuum, it's what gives the vacuum so much suction.


I've never had a canister vacuum before. Apparently they all come with a cord retract button. I'm not ashamed to admit that I spent a good 15 minutes playing with this.


It might sounds silly, but the power button is great. It's big. It's easy to find. It's low to the ground. And all those things make it easy to hit with your foot.


The canister is easy to remove, and so is the filter. Which supposidly lasts forever, it just needs to be washed every 3 months. Awesome!



Here's a video of the Cyclone in action.

Apple Mac Mini

There's been a lot of talk about Google TV lately. But as with all HTPC dedicated boxes, there's always one thing missing. iTunes and youtube seem good enough, but sometimes you just want to download a movie or tv show the old fashion way. About a year ago I canceled my cable and replaced it all with a Mac Mini...and it's been awesome.

Typical with Apple. It's minimal and beautiful.


Brushed aluminum unibody with a mirrored Apple logo.


The under neath is a tapered stand that gives the Mini the appearance that it's floating.


The biggest change to this current Mac Mini was including an HDMI port. I had a Mini before this, and I had to jerry rig a displayport to HDMI adapter.


On the botton is the stand, but also the access to the inside.


Just turn the white dot to the circle.


And it opens up revealing easy access to the RAM. Unfortunately no easy access to the HDD. The inside is almost as pretty as the outside :)


It fits perfectly next to the TV. And the best part, no matter how or where a movie, tv show, or music shoes up. I can find it. I don't have to wait for Just netflix, or just hulu, or just itunes. I can go anywhere.

Suzuki DP-1000 Duality Digital Piano

Last year, Tracey's Family, Friends, and I all chipped in to get her a new piano. I search high and low for the perfect one considering price and quality. I really think I found it.

For starters it has a Dark Rosewood finish that matches our place. Obviously important in a piano :)


The keys are perfectly weighted to feel like the keys on a grand piano.


It has a ton of features including the ability to plug into your computer to record your playing.


It even has an ipod doc so you can play along with your music.


And my favorite part. It folds up to look like a normal side table.

Meridian Coffee Table

I love my Coffee table. It may not look all that special right now, but believe me. It's the coolest coffee table you'll ever see.


For starters, it's made from solid hardwood. Not particle board you get at IKEA (Nothing against IKEA. My imagination goes crazy in that store).


Nice little details.


Even imperfections in the wood, gives it character. But the best part is...


It transforms!


It has a spring loaded mechanism that lifts the top up to create a table at your couch.


It even has little compartments to store all of your remotes. Which, as you can see I have a lot of.

Various Souvenirs

Here are a few of the Souvenirs we have displayed in our house. I plan to get more. The first two are from The Wild Animal Park in San Diego. I highly recommend going, WAY better than a zoo.


A little wooden frog biting a stick.


You can use the stick to play the scales on it's back.


Etched Dried Gourd.


This guy is from Bali, Indonesia.


He sure is happy :)

LA Auto Show: The Fisker Karma

And my favorite car of the show! The Fisker Karma.

It's a 4 door sports car, in the idea of the Audi A7 or Porsche Panamera. The special part is that it is a Plug In Hybrid.


This car is absolutely gorgeous.


The best part of this car is the roof. It's all solar panels, and they power the climate control. So when it's hot and sunny out...it charges the air conditioner. Another interesting thing is that is keeps the car's climate control running when it's parked in a hot parking lot. Brilliant!

LA Auto Show: Cars you might actually see on the road.

As opposed to the last post, these are cars you will actually see on the road. First is the Chevy Volt.

I have to admit that I liked this car more than I thought I would. It's much smaller than it appears, It, surprisingly, doesn't feel cheap.


When the car was in Concept, All the black was actually glass. But apparently they couldn't figure out how to mass produce all the curves cheaply. So now they are just solid plastic. Not as cool.


I thought the center console was cool too. It's sleek and futuristic.


But the door panel has this weird Xbox looking design. I hate it. I really hate it.


I said it before, I'll say it again. The new Kia Optima is just too nice to be a Kia.


I really like the rims.


I really like the new Toureg. I think the front is much more streamlined than before.


The Subaru Impreza Concept car is another favorite of mine.


The back is really nice, and I love those tailights.

Super Cars of the LA Auto Show

Here are some pictures of my favorite, and not so favorite Super cars from the LA autoshow.
First is the Audi R8 GT.


The R8 is one of my favorite cars out today. And the GT just makes it better.


The biggest change is probably the new V10 engine.


An easy way to spot the GT model is that the side induction vents flare out.


I've always loved the exposed carbon fiber panel. This car also had a gorgeous matte white paint job. And you know I HATE matte paint jobs.


Next is the Lexus LFA, at first I really liked it. The front end makes me think of the old Supras.


But then I saw the back. I'm sure the mesh is there for a reason, probably weight. But it just seems like too much. Though I do like the exhaust because I am a sucker for integrated exhausts.


My Least favorite of the show goes to the Infiniti Essence. I just can't get into the organic flowing look of it. It looks like fabric, and not in a good way.


And the back is...just gross.


I will admit that I really like the interior though. It feels like the entire control panel has been wrapped around the driver. Very Cool.


My favorite supercar of the show is the Jaguar C-x75. They had it ropped off pretty far away, so I couldn't get too many pictures. But man, you have to see this car in person. It's so sleek, the lines are perfect. It looks amazing.


I think it's very well proportioned.


And a Mercedes SLS, cause gull wing doors are cool.