Volvos are more known for their safety than for their aggressive looks. Which is why these Volvo 40 Series Concept Cars are so interesting. Their bold lines and angular forms are a departure from the company's traditional design language, and represent the future of their compact lineup. The 40.1 is a taller, crossover-like vehicle, while the 40.2 is a lower-slung sedan, both are built on the new Compact Modular Architecture. Unlike most concepts, the first 40 Series is expected to go into production in 2017 and will be available as a twin engine plug-in hybrid or as a fully electric vehicle.
The introduction of pure yeast to beer brewers in 1833 by Carlsberg changed the landscape of brewing as we know it today. And now, thanks to the discovery of a 133-year-old bottle found in their cellars, Carlsberg has re-created that landmark beer, dubbed Carlsberg Father of Lager Beer. Up until pure yeast was introduced to brewers, beer of consistent quality was non-existant, so all beer brewers today owe the Carlsberg team a debt of gratitude. Father of Lager Beer was created using yeast extracted from the 1833 bottle and is your chance to get a taste of beer history.
Chances are you already have a stockpile of frame-worthy pictures trapped on your phone for eternity. Get those photos out of storage and onto your walls without leaving the house. Just upload your image and Framebridge will ship it to you ready to hang in a custom frame. If you're wanting to show off something that isn't in digital form, they'll shoot you a prepaid mailer for you to send in your vintage album collection, original artwork, or whatever you're hoarding and return it set for display. Shipping is included and prices are size based, so your selection will always fit your style and your budget.
The convenience of always-on voice controls meets the power of the world's biggest search engine in Google Home. Like Amazon's Alexa, the Google Assistant baked into Home lets you ask questions, set times, and control Internet of Things devices using natural language. It also supports Google Cast, meaning you can play songs on any Cast-enabled speaker (including the Home itself), link them together for whole-home audio, and even pick out and start watching TV shows using nothing but your voice. Swappable bases let you match the device to your decor, and since developers are getting a look at it months before its official debut, you can count on it having a few surprise features when it launches later this year.
Perched on a hill overlooking the coast of Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, Rabbit Snare Gorge Cabin takes its inspiration from the traditional gable roof and dormer, but stretches it vertically to make the most of the views. The single-family home is designed as a summer getaway, with the bedroom and bath on the lower level and an open living area above that includes both the second floor and a mezzanine above, all clad in birch plywood. Windows both large and small afford great views while following the path of the sun to maximize natural lighting, and the 20 foot-tall entryway serves as a windbreak while providing contrast with the cedar exterior cladding.
If you've ever had the urge to sell everything, quit your job, and jump in a van to travel the world but don't know where to start, Travel The Planet Overland will serve as your guide. It's a book put together by a family that left it all behind in 2009 and traveled over 100,000 miles across 29 countries. Intended to inspire and educate others to embrace the great wide open, the book walks readers through important traveling tips from how to cook on an open fire to knowing what to expect at border crossings. Packed with beautiful photography, it's a guide that might be the last nudge you need to go off the grid.
The result of two years of design and development, the Heroin Bike is a racing bike that's as aesthetically pleasing as it is performance-oriented. It's inspired by Le Corbusier's "Modulor" concept of ideal proportions, and designed and assembled in France using parts from expert Italian carbon fiber craftsmen. Those include the handmade, high-modulus carbon fiber frame, the handmade carbon monocoque seat post, the custom-built carbon fiber handlebar, and high-temperature carbon fiber rims. It's all hooked to a Shimano Dura-Ace 11-speed gear-shifting system and direct mount dual pivot brakes, and is limited to just 349 matte black units.
Make your next snorkeling trip far more exciting with the Sea Doo Underwater SeaScooter. Powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, it can move you around at depths of up to 130 feet and at speeds of over 4 mph. It has three speeds for added control, a self-filling ballast hull for neutral buoyancy, and ergonomic handles with trigger controls. The batteries are good for up to 90 minutes per charge, and are easily swappable for back-to-back dives.
The premise behind Amazon's Dash Buttons is simple: press a button, reorder some essential life product. So what happens when you let people make that button do whatever they want? You get the Amazon Programmable Dash Button. Like all its siblings, it's an oval-shaped, Wi-Fi connected button. But unlike the rest, this one is connected to Amazon Web Services, letting you code the button to perform tasks like switch your lights on and off, order pizza, open the garage door, call a cab, and any other Internet of Things-style tasks you can think of.
It sounds like science fiction: the ability to converse with someone speaking a different language without needing to know it. Yet that's exactly the future Pilot Translating Earphones promise. The world's first smart earpiece to translate between people speaking different languages in real time, it comes with a second earpiece for listening to music, uses a companion app to toggle between languages, and most importantly can function offline, so you're not at the mercy of your Internet connection. European-based Romantic and Germanic languages will receive support first, with other world languages following, and adding new ones is as simple as downloading a song.
Located on a 4,000-acre farm on Bank Peninsula, the Scrubby Bay House is a remote refuge on New Zealand's South Island. The cedar-clad farmhouse is inspired by an aging piece of driftwood surrounded by grazing stocks and goes nearly undetected, blending into the surrounding landscape. Isolated by the neighboring hillsides, the home is accessed by helicopter or a cliff-top farm track. The macrocarpa timber interior is complimented by black steel fittings and a massive fireplace crafted from stones found on the property. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer unspoiled views of the private bay and impressive coastal sunsets. The three bedrooms can accomodate up to 14 guests and are available to rent for short stays.
If throwing knives is one of your hobbies or something you've thought about taking up, you can do a lot worse than this Cold Steel True Flight Thrower Knife. Many of the throwers on the market currently are made using cheap steel or stainless steel that breaks. This model from Cold Steel however, is 12 inches long and made using 1055 carbon steel, finished in a black, baked-on protective coat. The handle also comes equipped with a pre-wrapped para-cord for a better grip. A strong, accurate throwing knife worthy of a place in your collection.
The Leesa's combination of cooling, conforming, and supporting foams already provides a great night sleep, but with the Leesa ArtLifting Mattress, your conscious gets to rest easier, too. This limited edition piece comes with a special mattress cover designed by AirLifting artist Scott Benner, with a portion of the proceeds going to support the art platform for homeless and disabled artists. As with all Leesa mattresses, you can order one to your home and take advantage of their 100-night trial program, or just swing by the Dream Gallery in SoHo to try one out while taking in some original artwork.
You don't need a crazy body or audacious exhaust to make a great custom bike. This Vintage Steele 1978 Yamaha SR500 Motorcycle is proof. Built by the Vermont-based cycle shop, it keeps things simple yet stylish, with a knobby rear tire, a retro-styled white gas tank, gold tinted wheels, and a blue-tinted frame that adds a necessary splash of color. And unlike most custom rides, this one won't cost a fortune to put in your garage.
Inspired by the bags the military has carried for decades, the Tanner Goods Cargo Carryall is a rugged duffel for civilians. It's made using Mil-spec 18 oz cotton canvas, with a reinforced bottom, Mil-spec, Made in USA hook, keeper, and grommet, rivets made in-house, hardcore webbing, and black bridle leather accents. It has a capacity of 72 liters, and with a simple strap and single handle, it's a low-key way to carry a whole trip's worth of essentials.
Bordered by canals on both sides, The Hoxton Hotel is an ideal headquarters for exploring the streets of Amsterdam. It's made up of five canal houses, one of which was home to the city's mayor back in the 17th century. Each of the 111 rooms is unique in its own way, and offers canal views, free water, Wi-Fi, a mini fridge, a daily breakfast bag, and plenty of original architectural detail that serves as a reminder of the building's history. There's also a restaurant, coffee and cocktail bar, and a meeting space on site, with the latter playing host to the ongoing series of Hoxtown weekly events.
The best products are built to solve a problem. And that's exactly how the Electric Stacker Sunglasses became a reality. The problem was finding a pair of sunglasses that not only look good, but are equipped to handle any outdoor adventure you encounter. Each pair starts with a stylish aviator frame that's tough, lightweight and durable. The lens is polarized, impact-resistant, and prepared to resist water, dirt, and just about any other gunk you might encounter on a bike trail. They'll also stay attached to your face throughout thanks to an anti-slip nose and ear grips that are hidden into the frame. And after a long day on the trails or slopes, just remove the eye mask and these bad boys quickly become your everyday sunglasses.
Combining shallow water maneuverability with modular design, the Mokai Es-Kape Motorized Kayak lets you reach waters inaccessible to typical watercraft. It has a smart design that nests inside the cockpit for easy transport, and a lightweight Subaru motor to power the proprietary jet drive. The high-impact polyethylene hull can be assembled in just minutes, the seat provides a comfortable ride, and the simple joystick controls let you manage steering and power with ease, whether you're fishing, exploring, or just taking a leisurely ride around the lake.
It might not feel like summer yet, but it will before you know it. And stocking the right summer beer should top your list of summer prep. Mandarina from Almanac Beer Co. is a brand new release, and it will be available in these great looking, ready-for-summer cans. Mandarina somehow manages to pair hops with tart citrus flavors — resulting in a crisp, warm weather beverage that's refreshing and flavorful at the same time. And since it's canned, it's even easier to transport to the beach or any other outdoor drinking venue as the temperatures climb.
When it comes to 40+ year old vehicles, you're normally lucky if it has the same engine as it did when it left the factory. This 1974 Volkswagen Beetle With 55-Miles still has the same oil. Purchased as the first car of an elderly man who only drove the car to church and back, it has just under 90 km on the odometer, and was discovered in a barn. It's since had a light recommissioning done, but still has the original tires, books, invoice, and oil.
Our ears all look different. Turns out they hear differently, too. Nura Headphones are the first cans to take this into account. Using a microphone to measure both the tones going in and coming out of your ear canal, they adjust the sound automatically to match your hearing. Helping things along is a novel design that uses an in-ear driver to handle highs, and an over-ear cup with a bass driver, letting each note and tone breathe while also doubling up on noise isolation. They're powered by a digital connection to your device, so there's no battery to keep charged, and since the sound is custom tailored, you can leave the volume lower and save your hearing at the same time.
Tesla is doing a great job pushing us towards an all-electric future. But while most of us drive cars, there's still an awful lot of diesel-guzzling rigs on the road. The Nikola One Electric Semi-Truck hopes to change that. It has a 2,000 hp, 6x6 all-wheel drive electric powertrain that gets topped off by a natural gas-powered turbine. The result is an earth-friendly vehicle that can haul nearly 2,000 pounds more than its competition, accelerate twice as fast, and go up to 1,200 miles without needing a fill up. Its carbon fiber cab offers a number of advanced features, like two full-size beds, a full-size fridge and freezer, a 40-inch TV, LTE connectivity, and a 15-inch touchscreen to control the action, and since it doesn't have a traditional engine, it provides 30% more cabin space and a forward driving position with panoramic views.
With an innovative design and sturdy materials, the Stair Rover Longboard is the first skateboard made to tackle the most challenging urban environments. As the name suggests, the board is able to glide down stairs, thanks to a V-frame design that lets the eight wheels bounce up and down independently, conforming to different terrain. Its chassis is made from thermoplastic with shock absorbers for a smooth ride, the custom aluminum trucks are designed to accommodate sharp turns, and the ply maple deck has an integrated handle that makes it easy to carry.
Created by students at the University of Colorado Denver, these Colorado Outward Bound Micro Cabins are designed to house both students and educators alike. To facilitate a quick build time, each cabin is separated into two parts: a "frame" that provides storage for larger gear while also holding the "box" and forming the covered porch. The prefabricated box is lined with specially milled, CNC'd birch plywood that serves as desks, beds, and storage, while the exterior is clad in steel, with a slanted roof to keep snow off the flat top surface of the box and direct views towards the distant mountains of the Mosquito Range and surrounding trees and rocks.
Photos:
Jesse Kuroiwa / Colorado Building Workshop
Encased in a matte black flask, Creed Green Irish Tweed Cologne is as classic as its packaging. The legendary scent has been a regular on red carpets since making its debut in the '80s. Composed by sixth-generation Master perfumer Olivier Creed, its notes of sandalwood, florentine iris, and french verbena give off a rich woodsy fragrance that'll leave you smelling like Clooney.
A true plug and play turntable is here, and it packs a lot into a small package. This G. Pinto On Turntable has a height of only 2.5 inches, and is also a great example of beautiful design. It features a carbon fiber tonearm, belt driven Corian platter, and a valve preamp with a dedicated power supply. It's also capable of handling traditional analog sources as well as digital ones through a Bluetooth audio receiver. The multi-layer beech veneer deck help it stand out and its sure to be a nice addition for any audiophile who also shares a passion for minimalist design.
After two centuries of distillation, Laphroaig continues to churn out some of the best scotch on store shelves. And to help celebrate their 200th anniversary, they've released Laphroaig Lore Scotch Whiskey. Lore is distinctly Laphroaig, with plenty of smoke, peat, and seaside minerality. The whiskey was drawn from a selection of ex-bourbon barrels, first-fill sherry butts, and smaller quarter casks. A fitting tribute from one of the standard bearer's in the whiskey world.
