Looking for fascinating topics to converse with someone on a date, at a party or by the water cooler? This is the HOT list that you need to memorize, idolize and synchronize. What to ride, what to wear, what to tech-out in, what to see and how to be seen… from Tampa Bay to B.F.E., it’s another edition of the “IT” list done OUR way…
ARTIFICAL INTELLIGENCE COMING TO A BED NEAR YOU
Hmmm…if all else fails in finding that perfect partner…here’s something to consider. Sex robots seem like something straight out of sci-fi, but AI (that’s stands for “Artificial Intelligence” for all you Einsteins out there), scientist David Levy says they could be coming soon. Levy is the winner of the 2009 Loebner Prize—his winning creation was a human-like “chatbot” (capable of holding simple conversations and responding to human feedback). The idea is to combine the technology of AI with mechanical components to create a robot that doesn’t just respond physically, it carries on a conversation. I think I’m in love! Think it’s too far-out? A Japanese company has created “HoneyDoll”…with electronic sensors…we’ll let you mind wonder… creepy or the next step in escort services? Maybe both.
EXTRAORDIN-ERRY CRACKBERRY
Geeks from around the world rejoice and BlackBerry users unite, for we have news that the “inPulse SmartWatch” is no longer the object of legends and fantasy, but rather it is scheduled to go into production. According to a very resourceful, well, source, the incredible gadget features an OLED screen (Organic Light Emitting Diode-or as some techies call it, “the screen of the future”) that we hear is “big, bright and beautiful” and optimized for displaying emails, SMS, even Twitter messages clearly and thanks to OLED has solid battery life. Just so we have our facts straight, the watch is for use with BlackBerry Smartphones and developed by a new BlackBerry-dedicated accessory company, Allerta, Inc….but we can’t wait to get our well-manicured hands on it! www.getinpulse.com
DOGGIE STYLE
Don’t have time to take Fluffy to the spa? HOUD’z of HOLLYWOOD comes to you! There is personalized pampering for your sweet K-9 right here in Tampa at Houd’z of Hollywood. Houd’z brings their “stylists” in a fully equipped, climate controlled, elite size grooming vehicle…no more cages…no more frenzied grooming environment…just a stress free spa-day for you and Fido!
www.houndzofhollywood.com
BLING IN MY DRINK
Smirnoff is juvenile. Absolut is soooo passé. Grey Goose is typical. Do you know what a Diamond tastes like? Well, Hollywood hotties and celebutantes sure do by drinking Diamond Standard Vodka. “Distilled four times and filtered by thousands of De Beers® diamonds for exceptional purity”…each perfume-like bottle is fixated with a round-cut 25 mm Swarovski crystal from the Crystallized Elements collection and in limited quantities. Now, which one of you big spenders would like to meet me at SideBern’s for a Diamond Vodka Martini?
www.diamondstandardvodka.com
HEMP YOUR RIDE
Not only will you be able to smoke pot legally as a “pain reliever”, (wink, wink) thanks to the Obama Administration, but you maybe able to ride in Hemp! You ask, “Drive Hemp? But how, oh wise one, can that be accomplished?” And I will inform you that Lotus Motors has discovered one crazy and dare I say, ingenious way, of reducing car weight; by making the body panels out of hemp composites in the Eco Elise. You see, interestingly enough, Hemp takes very little energy to produce and if mixed with polyester resin, a body panel can be created. By doing so, Lotus has reportedly reduced electricity by 14%, gas by 30% and water by 11%. So far, this Hemp-hicle is a concept car, but the most important question I ponder is, can you eventually smoke it?
WE LOVE OUR BOOBIES!
We really do! October was Breast Cancer Awareness month and there are a variety of 
organizations spreading the word on education and prevention. One of those organizations is Keep A Breast Foundation that creates art events to increase breast cancer awareness among young people and benefit breast cancer education, prevention and treatment programs in communities around the world. Combining sculpture, philanthropy, and symbolic artistry, the foundation hosts a series of art benefits exhibiting one-of-a-kind plaster forms of the female torso, customized by leading artists and auctioned to raise funds for breast cancer programs all over the world. From skateboarders, to art galleries, to well-known painters, to surfers, to celebrities and to recording artists like PINK and Katy Perry, all lending a hand and their boobies to Keep A Breast. Who knows, next year I may donate my boobies to be plastered, too! www.keep-a-breast.org
Eau De #2…SMELL LIKE YOU
Ever wanted to create a fragrance that is the epitome of you? The Mono Mumero Collection #2 by L’Artisan Parfumeur is an exclusive opportunity in über luxury to create a formula for a fragrance that can be all yours and only yours and no one else’s but yours. For a little chump-change ($10,000…oh, come on, you can afford it) you will receive a “certificate of authenticity”, four 100 ml bottles, four 50 ml bottles, and four 15 ml bottles of the fragrance. But that’s not all folks, you can buy even more of “Eau de You” at an ongoing rate of $450 per bottle and have the option of ‘willing’ the certificate, or giving ownership, to someone else as a gift. Now that’s what I call HOT! www.artisanparfumeur.us
TRASHWORTHY
Don’t know what to do with that plastic bottle and that old torn cotton towel you’ve had for ages? Well, if you are Atayne, a small performance apparel company, you can make all your athletic clothing from garbage. Well, not exactly from actual garbage…what sort of company do you think we’re promoting here, people!
Atayne’s sports apparel is made from recycled polyester, meaning from post-consumer plastic bottles and recycled cotton. And if you work-out as much as I do, you know that sports clothing can get sweaty and smelly. In an oxymoron sort –of-way, even though the clothing is made of garbage, Atayne uses naturally-derived chitosan (a polysaccharide that can purify waste) to eliminate body odor. So basically, you’re wearing garbage, but you don’t smell and it’s good for the environment? Sounds like a win, win, win to me! http://www.atayne.com
CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?
Want something completely different to give as a gift for Christmas, Hanukkah or Festivus? Look no further. Surprise a friend, a mom, a sister, a dad or a husband by giving a Secret Spa Day at REDBAMBOO MEDI•SPA in Clearwater. The Experts for all Things Beautiful at REDBAMBOO offer Concierge Service sure to impress anyone on your gift list and pleasantly surprise them with a day at the spa.
Picture this: your special someone being whisked away in a Mercedes to an undisclosed location. They will arrive at REDBAMBOO with a Champagne toast and transported to a tranquil oasis of beauty. They will be submerged in a variety of services such as massage, facials and IPL that you have custom selected just for them. Later a scrumptious lunch will be served and they will be transported back home via Mercedes where they will rack their brain for the remainder of the day trying to find a gift that will out-do-yours. www.rbmedispa.com
DINING AND A MOVIE
The old “dinner and a movie” has turned to dining and a movie. Cobb Theatres’ CinéBistro has just opened in Hyde Park Village, changing the way Tampa goes to the movies. With a dash of style, a jiggle of quality and a splash of sophistication, CinéBistro is not just a theater, but a dining experience and an entertainment venue. From the buttery leather theater chairs, to the gourmet meals and premium cocktails, CinéBistro offers movie and cuisine aficionados the perfect night out. But in case you want to play-hooky from work or life in general, they’re also open for lunch and mid-afternoon. http://www.cobbcinebistro.com
