Strangely, airlines and airplanes and air travel continue to still look pretty much the same, no matter which airline you fly. In fact, most of us would say that the in-flight experience is getting worse each day. Premium-class prices warrant a slightly more tolerable experience, but it is still tough to really tell one experience from the other.

An airplane is of course transportation, and not a hotel, spa or restaurant, but we have been waiting for a long time for the first airline that is willing to embark on true differentiation. Taking cues from cool architecture, leading-edge design and the vibes we see ahead of, and outside of, trends, The Coolhunter is now working on creating truly cool airline experiences, giving premium-class passengers a real reason to select one airline over another.

Absolutely everything— from the on-board entertainment, furnishings and decor, to exclusive on-board shopping — will be curated by TCH. Rather than being mundane, boring and almost same as all other airlines, the TCH-curated in-flight experience will be really something worth talking about. Each flight will be different, each experience more surprising and exquisite. Airlines who want to ad value to their inflight experience, can contact catherine@thecoolhunter.net or bill@thecoolhunter.net

Virgin Atlantic exterior designed by Andy Gilmore for TCH Design Studio

We love a fine wine, especially when it can be ingested in as thoughtful an environment as this one. Welcome to Meru’s, a “designer” winery like no other. Located in the Napa Valley in California, Merus looks more like a Michelin-starred restaurant than your average cellar-door retail outlet. Exposed beams are the only nod to the past in this interior design strategy, which is thoroughly modern with a hint of Californian warmth.

Amsterdam-based Uxus Design is the architecture and design firm behind the winery. With more than a few inspiring, high profile projects under its belt, Uxus is one of the Netherlands’ hottest design studios – with an office to match.

It’s been a busy year for Uxus, who have unveiled a number of other great retail design projects recently including the new Heineken ‘concept’ bars which will open in airports across the globe and one of Europe’s coolest McDonald’s play areas in Amsterdam. - Bill Tikos

Nearly 25 years ago, the world tuned into Melbourne for the ultimate in sporting events, the Olympic Games. Even long before that, Aussies were renowned as being among the world’s greatest sport fans. From grand-slam tennis to cricket’s oldest and greatest rivalry between Australia and England, Ozzie sports are part of its culture.

Opening in 2010, the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, designed by COX Architects with engineering assistance from Arup, and from Norman Disney & Young — is a $200-million boutique rugby and soccer stadium with a capacity of 31,000.

Pride in sporting venues is also part of the very culture that supports sports so proactively. To stand on the same level as the Bird’s Nest, the Water Cube, Wimbledon, Coliseum and all sports architecture icons, new and old, great sporting venues support and enhance the cities in which they stand.

Melbourne expects its new Rectangular Stadium to not only contribute to the city’s sporting life, but also to be a focal point of the city’s Olympic Sports Park and Entertainment Precinct — only a short walk from the city center.

Fractured architecture is slowly becoming synonymous with 21st-century architecture in Melbourne. From the honeycomb concrete façade of Federation Square, to the steel tubing we recently wrote about on the city’s new recital centre, the bio-frame roof of the Rectangular Stadium already looks like it belongs. The roof will be covered with thousands of LED lights that can shine in many colors. They will be programmed to follow patterns that mimic the crowd’s energy during a match — soccer with Victory or rugby with Storm — or any other game or event. - Andrew J Wiener

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Wednesday 8 Oct 2008 12.19pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Overdue account

Dear David,

Our records indicate that your account is overdue by the amount of $233.95. If you have already made this payment please contact us within the next 7 days to confirm payment has been applied to your account and is no longer outstanding.

Yours Sincerely,
Jane Gilles

From: David Thorne
Date: Wednesday 8 Oct 2008 12.37pm
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Overdue account

Dear Jane,

I do not have any money so am sending you this drawing I did of a spider instead.
I value the drawing at $233.95 so trust that this settles the matter.

Regards,
David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 10.07am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Overdue account

Dear David,

Thank you for contacting us. Unfortunately we are unable to accept drawings as payment and your account remains in arrears of $233.95. Please contact us within the next 7 days to confirm payment has been applied to your account and is no longer outstanding.

Yours Sincerely,
Jane Gilles

From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 10.32am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Overdue account

Dear Jane,

Can I have my drawing of a spider back then please.

Regards,
David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 11.42am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Overdue account

Dear David,

You emailed the drawing to me. Do you want me to email it back to you?

Yours Sincerely,
Jane Gilles

From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 11.56am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Overdue account

Dear Jane,

Yes please.

Regards,
David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 12.14pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Overdue account

Attached <spider.gif>

From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 09.22am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Whose spider is that?

Dear Jane,

Are you sure this drawing of a spider is the one I sent you? This spider only has seven legs and I do not feel I would have made such an elementary mistake when I drew it.

Regards,
David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.03am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Whose spider is that?

Dear David,

Yes it is the same drawing. I copied and pasted it from the email you sent me on the 8th.
David your account is still overdue by the amount of $233.95.
Please make this payment as soon as possible.

Yours Sincerely,
Jane Gilles

From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.05am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Automated Out of Office Response

Thank you for contacting me.
I am currently away on leave, traveling through time and will be returning last week.

Regards,
David.

From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.08am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?

Hello, I am back and have read through your emails and accept that despite missing a leg, that drawing of a spider may indeed be the one I sent you. I realise with hindsight that it is possible you rejected the drawing of a spider due to this obvious limb ommission but did not point it out in an effort to avoid hurting my feelings. As such, I am sending you a revised drawing with the correct number of legs as full payment for any amount outstanding. I trust this will bring the matter to a conclusion.

Regards,
David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Monday 13 Oct 2008 2.51pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?

Dear David,

As I have stated, we do not accept drawings in lei of money for accounts outstanding.
We accept cheque, bank cheque, money order or cash. Please make a payment this week to avoid incurring any additional fees.

Yours Sincerely,

Jane Gilles

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 13 Oct 2008 3.17pm
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?

I understand and will definitely make a payment this week if I remember. As you have not accepted my second drawing as payment, please return the drawing to me as soon as possible. It was silly of me to assume I could provide you with something of completely no value whatsoever, waste your time and then attach such a large amount to it.

Regards,
David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Tuesday 14 Oct 2008 11.18am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?

Attached <spider2.gif>

Shabtai von Kalmanovic, who brought WNBA stars to Russia to play for his Spartak team during the American league’s off-season, was in his car when assailants opened fire.

Reporting from Moscow – A Russian tycoon who organized a Michael Jackson concert in Moscow, was once jailed for spying in Israel and hired American female basketball stars to compete in his homeland was slain Monday by gunmen in the capital, television news reported.

Shabtai von Kalmanovic was killed near Moscow’s Novodevichy monastery when a Lada sedan pulled up to his black Mercedes-Benz and the assailants opened fire. Kalmanovic died instantly; his driver was injured.

“Submachine guns and shotguns were used in the attack,” Anatoly Bagmet, an investigator with the Moscow prosecutor’s office, told Vesti television. “The car was in motion when shots were fired.”

The attackers fired at least 20 rounds at the businessman’s car, a police source told the RIA Novosti news agency.

Kalmanovic, 60, had invested millions of dollars in the Spartak, a women’s professional basketball team that won the EuroLeague Women title the last three seasons. He hired stars of the Women’s National Basketball Assn., including Tina Thompson, Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird, to play for his team during the American league’s off-season, paying them as much as 10 times their U.S. salary.

New York Liberty center Janel McCarville, currently on the Spartak team, responded to the news on Twitter: ” . . . This drama got me shook, hoping to go to bed, wake up n have it all be a dream…” During the 1990s, Kalmanovic organized tours in Russia of such artists as Jackson, Liza Minnelli and Jose Carreras, according to the Interfax news service.

Born in Lithuania during Soviet rule, Kalmanovic immigrated to Israel during the early 1970s. He was arrested in 1986, convicted of spying for the Soviet Union, and served nearly six years in an Israeli prison. He moved to Russia after his release and went into the construction business.

Igor Prelin, a former KGB colonel and spokesman, said Monday that he had always doubted that Kalmanovic was a full-fledged Soviet spy.

“He was 22 when he immigrated to Israel, so he couldn’t by definition be a professional spy,” Prelin said. “We did use the Jewish immigration at the time to plant some agents in Israel and in the West by compelling young people willing to leave for Israel to agree to help the KGB in the future on condition that they be allowed to leave the Soviet Union.

“We didn’t do anything to help Kalmanovic get an earlier release” from prison, he added. “That happened mostly thanks to a huge campaign of the Russian Jewish community at the time.”

Adolf Shayevich, the chief rabbi of Russia and an acquaintance of Kalmanovic, said the tycoon “was a remarkable person and an active member of the Jewish community who attended all the Jewish holidays in our synagogue. He possessed an amazing collection of Judaica, definitely the biggest in Russia — very rare Jewish scrolls and other most interesting objects.

“This is all simply horrible,” Shayevich said. “In the center of Moscow! Such things now happen all the time and the culprits are never found.”

Basketball, Kalmanovic said in a 2008 interview, was one of his greatest passions.

“You need, still, some crazy people to do some crazy things that are difficult for journalists and readers to understand,” Kalmanovic said in explaining why he had poured millions of dollars into a sport that was not particularly popular in Russia. Moscow regional authorities had to bring busloads of schoolchildren and soldiers to fill the stands for the team’s games.

“Misunderstanding is the price you pay,” he said. “So what? So what if people think you’re doing it to show off?”

Times staff writer Mark Medina in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

The death of television and the advent of online-only programming has been upon us every week going back at least as far as the first Hulu stream, and perhaps much further depending on which rumor-monger blogs you subscribe to. But a rumor hit the Web today that, if true, has the potential to tip the scales toward a Web-delivered TV future faster than many might imagine: According to the AllThingsD, Apple is pitching a $30 subscription package to networks that would deliver TV over the Web to customers via iTunes, and it wants to get it up and running by early next year.

In Apple’s vision, networks would climb aboard the iTunes delivery system, offering their programming via Apple’s multimedia service, which Apple would deliver to iTunes users for $30 per month. Certainly some kind of revenue sharing deal would be involved, and networks could still monetize via advertising within their shows. Further appealing to customers and networks alike, Apple isn’t tying the service to a piece of hardware like its unimpressive Apple TV box, which would require customers to make an additional investment. Rather, by streaming the service through iTunes, Apple offers the networks a built-in base of 100 million accounts that already use the software, while turning any computer or handheld device sporting iTunes into a potential means of consumption.

The real question for Apple is this: will any of the networks actually get on board? Peter Kafka over at AllThingsD thinks if anyone jumps first, it will be Disney, since CEO Bob Iger has been open to jumping in bed with Apple in the past. That first big client will likely be the hardest one, so if Disney pulls the trigger, other media giants might be forced to follow suit.

But there are other complications. Cable companies have everything to lose by allowing such an arrangement, and will likely fight tooth and nail to remain the dominant medium for programming delivery. Cable networks have profitable relationships with those cable providers that they will be loath to jeopardize, and networks themselves will be troubled by the idea that offering programming via iTunes on a subscription basis–even if the shows don’t hit the service until after they’ve aired on traditional television–will cannibalize their own ratings, driving down ad rates.

But unlike failed attempts to bring television to consumers via the Web, Apple is no startup, and its ability to deliver customers may win out. The movement is already underway, with other large companies paving the way for Apple: Netflix bundles a streaming movie service with its mail subscription DVD service, Blockbuster, Amazon and iTunes already rent movies over the Web and Google is stepping into the fray by offering films through YouTube. Then there’s television’s own success story in Hulu, a joint-venture between three leading networks (NBC, ABC and Fox) to stream their content, with limited but mandatory advertising, over the Web.

Then there’s the delivery side of things; Apple has a lock on what are arguably two of the best mobile media delivery devices in the iPhone and iPod Touch, and should the much-ballyhooed Tablet come roaring onto the scene next year as rumored, Apple might have the best portable device for watching video media tied directly to iTunes. If the networks are willing to give Apple a chance, it might just be able to meet the converging demands of increased portability and on-demand choice right in the middle. Apple completely shook up the music business when it introduced iTunes; the potential is there for it to do the same to television.

Available now online at Factory413.com are two colorways in the ever popular Supra NS Skytop model, Both were released about a year ago, but did not stay on the shelves for long, as fanatics grabbed them right up. One version sports a red patent leather design along with a white sole, while the other yields a silver design. Look for them both now on the website as they go for the asking price of $

The X-Games flavored Supra TK Society’s may help someone take home the gold medal but the brand made attaining the gold medal a little easier for all you non athletes out there. Here we see the model donning a metallic upper that that looks fit for a winner. No real word on the release date but its rumored that they will be a surprise limited release. Excited?

Four ways this free service can put advanced telephony features within reach

by Tony Bradley, PC World

Editor’s Note: The following article is reprinted from the Biz Feed blog at PCWorld.com.

Google Voice has been the subject of controversy for all the wrong reasons since its availability was expanded earlier this year. Even with limited availability, the service has reached almost 1.5 million users, and half of them reportedly use it daily.

The reason for its popularity isn’t hard to see. Google Voice provides a plethora of call handling features at a price that can’t be beat: free. For small and medium businesses, Google Voice is an opportunity to use advanced call management features typically reserved for expensive voice solutions in larger enterprises.

Large companies have IP-PBX’s and dedicated voice administrators to manage it, or they have made the move to unified communications and have a voice environment built around Microsoft or Cisco or some other unified communications vendor. Small and medium businesses don’t have the financial or personnel resources for those solutions though. Let’s look at how smaller businesses can put Google Voice to work:

1. Simultaneous Ring
Google Voice allows you to have an incoming call to the Google Voice number simultaneously ring on multiple phones. On an individual basis, calls could ring an office desk phone and a mobile phone at the same time to ensure important calls reach you no matter where you are.

Businesses can put this feature to use though as a form of departmental call routing. You can use a Google Voice number for a department, such as sales, or customer service, and have the Google Voice number simultaneously ring the desk phones of all of the people in the department so that customers get an efficient response.

2. Custom Call Greeting and Routing
You can set up Groups in Google Voice and establish unique call management options for each group. A sales department can use this function to set up different groups for each salesperson. Incoming calls that are associated with a sales person’s group can be routed to go only to the designated user’s desk and mobile phone, and if the call goes to voicemail it can have a custom message from the individual sales person rather than a generic greeting.

Using a Google Voice number in this way, all customers can dial one number to reach the sales department, but existing customers will be routed to their designated sales person, while calls from new and potential customers would be managed using the default settings to simultaneously ring the whole department.

3. Voicemail by E-mail
When a new voicemail is received in Google Voice can send the voicemail to an e-mail address and/or transcribe the audio into the text of an e-mail message. You can configure Google Voice to deliver the voicemail messages to an e-mail group or distribution list address so that all of the members of the department will receive the voicemail.

Having the voicemail sent to email at all will help ensure it is not overlooked entirely, and distributing the message to a group can improve the efficiency with which the department responds to customer inquiries and lead to significantly higher customer satisfaction.

4. Call Screening
You can configure Google Voice to announce incoming calls to you before you decide whether or not you want to accept the call. When the phone rings and you answer you are not connected immediately with the caller. Google Voice will identify the source of the call at which point you can choose whether to accept it or pass it to voicemail.

This function can be used by an individual or a team to reduce wasted time and improve productivity. If you are in the middle of a project, important calls can still be taken, while other calls can be sent to voicemail so that you can stay focused on more productive tasks.

Google recently announced a new option, a sort of Google Voice Lite, that allows you to use some Google Voice features while maintaining your existing number, but the functions I listed above require the standard Google Voice account. Google Voice is not available to the general public just yet, but if you know a friend or a friend that has Google Voice you might be able to get an invite.

Tony Bradley is an information security and unified communications expert with more than a decade of enterprise IT experience. He tweets as @PCSecurityNews and provides tips, advice and reviews on information security and unified communications technologies on his site at tonybradley.com.

ThinkJL is a Los Angeles based Digital Marketing and Design company. We cater to the create and design needs of the music, film, fashion & sports industries. Our focus is to provide our clients with customized creative tools that are affordable, effective and on the cutting edge. Thanks to the quality of our work, we have been fortunate to work on such notable projects as The Dark Knight, Twilight, New Moon, The Watchmen, Valkyrie, 3:10 to Yuma and Saw IV over the past few years.

Over the past few years, we have been honored to work on some of the biggest creative marketing and design projects in the world including The Dark Knight, Twilight, New Moon, The Watchmen, Saw IV, 3:10 to Yuma, Valkyrie, and have also had the opportunity to work with great clients such as NBC, Universal Studios, Walt Disney, MGM, Victoria Secret, EA Games, Def Jam, and Warner Brothers just to name a few. We are constantly seeking new technology and new creative ways to make an impact in the digital world.

Visit www.ThinkJL.com