My gifted geeky colleague Fiona yesterday referred to The Internet of Things - things like the Samsung Washing machine that can be controlled from your iPhone.
I have been having a play today and here is a list of things on the interwebs that I like this week!
FindBacon - jobs site for developers... I love the site UX and think the branding is just brilliant!
Pinboard - a new version of Delicious now that Delicious seems to have been spoilt by its redesign!
LG - for creating a fridge that can order your groceries for you automatically (kind of) amongst other smart grid ready and wifi enabled appliances! Launched at CES 2012 demoed Smart Manager, which transforms the refrigerator into a complete food
management system. Consumers can use the refrigerator's LCD panel or
their smartphones to check the food items stored inside, as well as
their location and expiration date. Smart Shopping is another new aspect of the Smart Manager feature. It
offers online grocery shopping directly from the refrigerator's LCD
panel or smartphone. A shopping list is created by selecting food items
from the inventory, which will be loaded onto Smart Shoppinghttp://www.lgnewsroom.com/ces2012/main.php by pressing
the "Go Shopping" button. Consumers can purchase these food items from
the refrigerator's LCD panel or smartphone, while items not on the list
can be searched for and selected manually. These features eliminate the
hassle of having to write down grocery shopping lists the old-fashioned
way or the need to visit the grocery store, saving time and increasing
convenience.
Forefathers Design - I just like their designs... I like their origins, I just like them! Passionate designers are rare nowadays!
Treehouse - a great web design & programming learning program in the vein of codeacademy.com but not just javascript! Don't forget its the year of code so get out there and learn to code!!
Chris Jennings (designer) - just because I found his work this week and its so great!
IconFinder - because its bloody handy!!
I think that would keep me busy for months just looking at all of that!
Follow me on twitter for more @alliekeith
Thursday 23 February 2012
Monday 13 February 2012
I don't celebrate Valentine's Day... but if I did...
It would probably be the best Valentine's Day in the world...
My husband and I don't do Valentine's Day. This is not because we are unromantic or JUST because it is overhyped and commercial.
The main reason is that our anniversary is the 12th Feb and my husband's birthday is a week later. It is really excessive to have 3 celebrations in one week about how much we love each other!! We do that every day anyway.
So if I was planning a Valentine's Day this year, what would be fantastic gifts? I am a believer in not doing the obvious but finding something unusual, rare and with more meaning than the usual commercial gifts.
Ladies
Fragrance - I know it seems like an obvious choice but there are most definitely some alternative perfume choices out there that are not the usual celeb sponsored crap that is on TV around 14th Feb. I love specific perfumes that were chosen for me as they really capture some of my favourite scents in the world.
Diorissimo by Dior
A beautiful scent created in 1956 with top notes of Lily of the Valley which Dior believed was the symbol of hope, happiness and joy. Edmond Roudnitska, a French Master Perfumer and author, created it for Dior and it helped establish his reputation as one of the finest perfumers of the 20th century. Why, I hear you ask? Well, the epheremal smell of Lily of the Valley, unlike the other ingredients of Jasmine or Rose, cannot be extracted from the flower without destroying them so Roudnitska created a near perfect recreation of the scent!
Its my favourite scent - it has tradition, class and smells unbelievable.
The only other perfume I wear is from Caron and is called Coup de Fouet, the eau de cologne version of their Poivre scent, launched in 1957. Based on black peppercorns, with Rose and cloves, it is a rich, unisex, peppery scent. The Poivre perfume can come in a Baccarat cystal fountains and 50ml of pure perfume can cost upwards of £200 and the only place I have found to buy it in the UK or London is Harrods, Fortnum and Mason or Les Senteurs in Belgravia. But I think it is worth it... they have a huge range of other frangrances as well and I think the extra effort and rarity factor are ideal elements of the perfect gift...
Jewellery - every girl loves a new piece of jewellery but I hate it when people have just done something obvious like just gone to Tiffany's - not that I don't love Tiffany's but I think there are more unique places and pieces to buy than a Tiffany tag necklace or a Links of London Sweetie Bracelet.
I personally love looking on Net-a-porter for jewellery as they have some big name designers as well as some really unusual pieces like a Love 18 karat gold and leather bracelet by Aurora Lopez Mejia for £2,935 if you are feeling extravagant!
If that is a little on the steep side, what about this stunning crystal pavé heart ring from Marc by Marc Jacobs, for a mere £110. A beautiful, wearable and unusual gift that leaves plenty of cash left over for the rest of your Valentine's day treats!
I am also totally biased but my husband bought me a gorgeous necklace for Christmas that was all about family as we have a new baby and I always refer to us as three peas in a pod. This silver and pearl 3 pea necklace brought tears to my eyes and came from a website I love called the Handpicked Collection which has some really unusual ideas.
And if money were no object? Well it would have to be a piece from Garrard! I have already blogged about how delicious their Fire of London collection is, but for a more romantic note, their Wings collection or Entanglement collection are beautiful.
Lingerie - I am a total sucker for stunning lingerie and bed wear. For my wedding night, I spent a tiny fortune on a stunning set of cashmere and silk pyjamas from Myla that are still my favourite clothes in the world (I love them more than my wedding dress). Myla is my kind of shop, classic, sexy and just a little bit kinky so I think they make a delicious alternative to Agent Provocateur for gorgeous lingerie - they even have a Valentine's section - Be Myla Valentine.
Leather - now before you think this is some sort of kinky section, it is actually about handbags, purses and shoes! Women love accessories and a designer handbag or pair of killer shoes is just a pure indulgence gift! This is one area where you don't need to find unusual places, just the right one for the recipient.
For this season I am in love with the Gucci Diana tote with bamboo handles. I think it is just such a Spring classic and the perfect size for most occassions!
If you are planning on whisking anyone away for a romantic weekend as well then why not put their surprise tickets in this beautiful Mulberry Clipper bag, when you present it to them? It is a perfect little overnight bag and just screams "whisk me off to Paris or Rome"!
If these seem a little bit on the pricey side, have a look at the stunning clutch bags they have on ASOS at the moment. This lemon yellow quilted clutch by Ted Baker is bang on trend for Spring and will enhance any outfit...
Shoes - If your other half loves shoes, just go to Jimmy Choo, Christian Laboutin or Manolo Blahnik
Don't mess about with these things... no cheap alternatives will do. You will probably get the best sex of your life, probably while she wears the shoes...
There is something very irresistable about gorgeous shoes. I would team them with a pair of Wolford Velvet hold ups
Of course, all these gorgeous things need a suitably glamourous place to wear them to, so here are some ideas
Dinner:
Some vastly different ideas here
One - Clos Maggiore a super pretty room near covent garden that is kind of old school.
Supper Club - super modern with caberet and a spot of burlesque...
Barts - a gorgeous venue in Sloane Avenue with cocktails in tea cups - a seriously impressive place
Weekend Away in the UK
Manoir aux Quat'Saisons - nothing more to be said other than pure deliciousness and luxury
Babington House - Just a stunning luxury filled wonderland
Weekend Away elsewhere...
For a really personal service try RomeLofts.com - unique properties all over Rome - some with spectacular views!
For further afield or real luxury try Mr & Mrs Smith - a collection of luxury hotels and houses around the world. Some really unique hotels, personally reviewed by the staff - my sister actually used to review for them.
Men
The men in our lives are sometimes really short-changed on Valentine's Day. Women go nuts if their other half hasn't put in the required amount of effort, thought and romance into their Valentine's Day plans. But do they put the same amount of thought into the gifts for their menfolk?
Here are just a few ideas of things that I think men might appreciate...
A day at The Refinery
Some men love a spa day, or at least a proper shave and a massage. The Refinery in London is the perfect venue - an all male "grooming" environment.
To combine with this, why not get him so fantastic aftershave and shave accesories from Geo F. Trumper such as their Eau de Portugal aftershave and a Whisky Leather Gillette Fusion Travel set
For more grooming gifts, go to the Men's Grooming department at Harrods and stock them up on moisturiser, scrub and even a bit of Manscara to make them feel fabulous.
Accessories
Men love accessories as much as us ladies so why not get them something fantastic to flash with their mates:
How about a superb iPad cover by Samira Boon called the furoshiki shiki - a transparent cover in some great bold shades that the ipad works through. Looks cool and its Japanese - what could be better. Just make sure he also has an ipad to go in it!!
A super cool wallet can be the perfect upgrade from that horrid old plasticy one he has had since university. Try Mulberry for some amazing Ostrich or Tan leather wallets in various styles
Smythson also has a fantastic collection including this classic black pigskin wallet.
If these are a little out of your price league, have a look on ASOS for some cool Ted Baker wallets
I could go on and on. I guess the message is to avoid the obvious, keep it simple and remember it is all about the other person!
Happy Valentine's Day...
p.s. I tweeted to Nando's today about Valentine's Day and it got a lot of retweets as I was being juvenile. I should do that more often...
My husband and I don't do Valentine's Day. This is not because we are unromantic or JUST because it is overhyped and commercial.
The main reason is that our anniversary is the 12th Feb and my husband's birthday is a week later. It is really excessive to have 3 celebrations in one week about how much we love each other!! We do that every day anyway.
So if I was planning a Valentine's Day this year, what would be fantastic gifts? I am a believer in not doing the obvious but finding something unusual, rare and with more meaning than the usual commercial gifts.
Ladies
Fragrance - I know it seems like an obvious choice but there are most definitely some alternative perfume choices out there that are not the usual celeb sponsored crap that is on TV around 14th Feb. I love specific perfumes that were chosen for me as they really capture some of my favourite scents in the world.
Diorissimo by Dior
A beautiful scent created in 1956 with top notes of Lily of the Valley which Dior believed was the symbol of hope, happiness and joy. Edmond Roudnitska, a French Master Perfumer and author, created it for Dior and it helped establish his reputation as one of the finest perfumers of the 20th century. Why, I hear you ask? Well, the epheremal smell of Lily of the Valley, unlike the other ingredients of Jasmine or Rose, cannot be extracted from the flower without destroying them so Roudnitska created a near perfect recreation of the scent!Its my favourite scent - it has tradition, class and smells unbelievable.
The only other perfume I wear is from Caron and is called Coup de Fouet, the eau de cologne version of their Poivre scent, launched in 1957. Based on black peppercorns, with Rose and cloves, it is a rich, unisex, peppery scent. The Poivre perfume can come in a Baccarat cystal fountains and 50ml of pure perfume can cost upwards of £200 and the only place I have found to buy it in the UK or London is Harrods, Fortnum and Mason or Les Senteurs in Belgravia. But I think it is worth it... they have a huge range of other frangrances as well and I think the extra effort and rarity factor are ideal elements of the perfect gift...
Jewellery - every girl loves a new piece of jewellery but I hate it when people have just done something obvious like just gone to Tiffany's - not that I don't love Tiffany's but I think there are more unique places and pieces to buy than a Tiffany tag necklace or a Links of London Sweetie Bracelet.I personally love looking on Net-a-porter for jewellery as they have some big name designers as well as some really unusual pieces like a Love 18 karat gold and leather bracelet by Aurora Lopez Mejia for £2,935 if you are feeling extravagant!
And if money were no object? Well it would have to be a piece from Garrard! I have already blogged about how delicious their Fire of London collection is, but for a more romantic note, their Wings collection or Entanglement collection are beautiful.
Lingerie - I am a total sucker for stunning lingerie and bed wear. For my wedding night, I spent a tiny fortune on a stunning set of cashmere and silk pyjamas from Myla that are still my favourite clothes in the world (I love them more than my wedding dress). Myla is my kind of shop, classic, sexy and just a little bit kinky so I think they make a delicious alternative to Agent Provocateur for gorgeous lingerie - they even have a Valentine's section - Be Myla Valentine.
Leather - now before you think this is some sort of kinky section, it is actually about handbags, purses and shoes! Women love accessories and a designer handbag or pair of killer shoes is just a pure indulgence gift! This is one area where you don't need to find unusual places, just the right one for the recipient.For this season I am in love with the Gucci Diana tote with bamboo handles. I think it is just such a Spring classic and the perfect size for most occassions!
If you are planning on whisking anyone away for a romantic weekend as well then why not put their surprise tickets in this beautiful Mulberry Clipper bag, when you present it to them? It is a perfect little overnight bag and just screams "whisk me off to Paris or Rome"!
If these seem a little bit on the pricey side, have a look at the stunning clutch bags they have on ASOS at the moment. This lemon yellow quilted clutch by Ted Baker is bang on trend for Spring and will enhance any outfit...
 |
Décolleté 100 leather pumps |
Don't mess about with these things... no cheap alternatives will do. You will probably get the best sex of your life, probably while she wears the shoes...
There is something very irresistable about gorgeous shoes. I would team them with a pair of Wolford Velvet hold ups
Of course, all these gorgeous things need a suitably glamourous place to wear them to, so here are some ideas
Dinner:
Some vastly different ideas here
One - Clos Maggiore a super pretty room near covent garden that is kind of old school.
Supper Club - super modern with caberet and a spot of burlesque...
Barts - a gorgeous venue in Sloane Avenue with cocktails in tea cups - a seriously impressive place
Weekend Away in the UKManoir aux Quat'Saisons - nothing more to be said other than pure deliciousness and luxury
Babington House - Just a stunning luxury filled wonderland
Weekend Away elsewhere...
For a really personal service try RomeLofts.com - unique properties all over Rome - some with spectacular views!
For further afield or real luxury try Mr & Mrs Smith - a collection of luxury hotels and houses around the world. Some really unique hotels, personally reviewed by the staff - my sister actually used to review for them.
Men
The men in our lives are sometimes really short-changed on Valentine's Day. Women go nuts if their other half hasn't put in the required amount of effort, thought and romance into their Valentine's Day plans. But do they put the same amount of thought into the gifts for their menfolk?
Here are just a few ideas of things that I think men might appreciate...
A day at The Refinery
To combine with this, why not get him so fantastic aftershave and shave accesories from Geo F. Trumper such as their Eau de Portugal aftershave and a Whisky Leather Gillette Fusion Travel set
For more grooming gifts, go to the Men's Grooming department at Harrods and stock them up on moisturiser, scrub and even a bit of Manscara to make them feel fabulous.
Accessories
Men love accessories as much as us ladies so why not get them something fantastic to flash with their mates:
How about a superb iPad cover by Samira Boon called the furoshiki shiki - a transparent cover in some great bold shades that the ipad works through. Looks cool and its Japanese - what could be better. Just make sure he also has an ipad to go in it!!
A super cool wallet can be the perfect upgrade from that horrid old plasticy one he has had since university. Try Mulberry for some amazing Ostrich or Tan leather wallets in various styles
If these are a little out of your price league, have a look on ASOS for some cool Ted Baker wallets
I could go on and on. I guess the message is to avoid the obvious, keep it simple and remember it is all about the other person!
Happy Valentine's Day...
p.s. I tweeted to Nando's today about Valentine's Day and it got a lot of retweets as I was being juvenile. I should do that more often...
Thursday 9 February 2012
Japanese food - the best food in the world?
This lunchtime I was lucky enough to go for a fantastic meal at Roka on Charlotte St, London, from the same family as Zuma. I love Charlotte St - despite being so close to Tottenham Court Road, it feels like a little village and is stuffed full of great restaurants, bars and hotels and close enough to Soho etc if you need anything else!
Roka itself is a rotuba grill take on Japanese food so is perfect if you need something that also caters to the non sushi eaters in a group, but also does a mean line in all the items one would associate with Japanese cuisine like sashimi, rolls etc.
As it was a work function, rather than faff about with ordering things off the menu, someone took charge and just ordered a tasting selection backed up with a few additional dishes to make things interesting.
Safe to say that the food was delicious and I can also thoroughly recommend lychee juice and soda water as a brilliant (made up by myself I might add) refreshing drink to have when you want something tasty but not wine!
A colleague had been raving about the lamb cutlets and they were gorgeous; juicy, full of flavour and not what I would have expected of lamb in a Japanese restaurant at all! Thoroughly scrumptious.
I now need to prise myself back to work but can't help wondering if, given all the fantastic Japanese restaurants in London, is Japanese food the best cuisine in the world?
For me it is certainly up there! The amazing flavours, the clean-ness of the food as there is not much dairy in it and the freshness demanded of the produce, is just delicious. I love the complexity, but ultimate simplicity that comes with the food and how delicately it is prepared. Japan is a nation of people who seem to take their food seriously and believe that if something is worth doing, it is worth doing PERFECTLY! But it doesn't often seem pretentious - that mainly comes from the venue rather than the food!
I remember going to Zuma with my husband where we both fell in love with their crispy squid with green chilli and salt - we ordered about 4 dishes of the stuff and when we came to order our 5th, were told they had sold out. It's that good! It is worth going there for drinks, just to have it as a bar snack!! They also do a stonkingly good selection of cocktails and sake...
Generally I would say I adore all food, there isn't much I won't eat, and I love the way the Japanese prepare, plate and flavour their food. I have some qualms about some of their ideas such as whaling, eating endangered Tuna and other endangered species that could probably use a break from being hunted. Therefore, would people saying it is the greatest cuisine in the world just make it seem acceptable for them to carry on pillaging nature as they do?
I suppose I can love the method of the cuisine while still wishing they could be more sustainable about their ingredients and methods? This isn't meant to be a high horse rant about Japanese food - I am sure that they would also point to a lot of Western methods of food production that are hideous (I give you trans fats).
Anyway - my lunch was pure deliciousness and I can't wait to eat it all again soon!
 |
| Soft shell crab sushi rolls from Roka |
As it was a work function, rather than faff about with ordering things off the menu, someone took charge and just ordered a tasting selection backed up with a few additional dishes to make things interesting.
Safe to say that the food was delicious and I can also thoroughly recommend lychee juice and soda water as a brilliant (made up by myself I might add) refreshing drink to have when you want something tasty but not wine!
 |
| Roka Lamb Cutlets ©London Eater |
I now need to prise myself back to work but can't help wondering if, given all the fantastic Japanese restaurants in London, is Japanese food the best cuisine in the world?
For me it is certainly up there! The amazing flavours, the clean-ness of the food as there is not much dairy in it and the freshness demanded of the produce, is just delicious. I love the complexity, but ultimate simplicity that comes with the food and how delicately it is prepared. Japan is a nation of people who seem to take their food seriously and believe that if something is worth doing, it is worth doing PERFECTLY! But it doesn't often seem pretentious - that mainly comes from the venue rather than the food!
 |
| Crispy Squid from Zuma © Epicurious |
Generally I would say I adore all food, there isn't much I won't eat, and I love the way the Japanese prepare, plate and flavour their food. I have some qualms about some of their ideas such as whaling, eating endangered Tuna and other endangered species that could probably use a break from being hunted. Therefore, would people saying it is the greatest cuisine in the world just make it seem acceptable for them to carry on pillaging nature as they do?
I suppose I can love the method of the cuisine while still wishing they could be more sustainable about their ingredients and methods? This isn't meant to be a high horse rant about Japanese food - I am sure that they would also point to a lot of Western methods of food production that are hideous (I give you trans fats).
Anyway - my lunch was pure deliciousness and I can't wait to eat it all again soon!
Thursday 2 February 2012
Oh what a day - lights, love and lust
 |
| Cathedral of 55,000 lights at the Festival of Light, Ghent 2012 |
I am constantly reminded of why I love working in digital and the absolute bloody amazingness that the web shows me every day. Stuff I would NEVER have seen if it wasn't for the giant, sharing, rich content world of the web.
Here are some of my favourite things I saw today that has made me a tiny bit happier at the world!
The Light festival of Ghent in Belgium.
As you can see from the picture, the Belgians have only gone and made the most spankingly awesome festival of light installations including this bad boy... A cathedral made of LED lights. Before you eco-mentalists start worrying, it uses only 2kw per hour of electricity! Now that is a lot of bang for your kilowatt!
Feet First - a Family Portrait
A brilliant photographer, Tom Robinson, did a great series called "I'm Going to be a Dad" where he snapped people's reactions when he and his wife told people she was expecting a baby (so lovely, see it here). Having seen this a while ago, I was pleased to discover he had another great photo diary of his life called Feet First which basically charts he and his family's travels and life with photos of their feet in great locations. I love the point where they add their new baby girl to the shots as well. I think it is a really special series and it really made me smile and slightly emotional as well. Have a look at this gorgeous set of travel/family photos on this link.
Garrards - centuries of history
| 12ct Garnet Fire of London Ring by Garrard |
While on their website, I utterly fell in love with this amazing Garnet ring in their Fire of London collection. I could honestly just lick it - it is so stunning. It is likely to also be about £12,000 so unlikely to ever adorn my little paws but it did give me 15 minutes of true drool-worthy window shopping having a look at their stunning site with just the most amazing collection of jewellery you have ever seen.
 |
| Garrard Diamon Jubilee Necklace |
I once dragged my husband to a Diamond exhibition that nearly made me weep with desire. I should also probably not be allowed back in the Tower of London Crown Jewels display as I go round and round on those little conveyor belts like a slightly mad woman, looking at them from every angle!
 |
| Taylor's swimming tiara! |
I have always said that if I was the Queen, I would sit around in my pyjamas wearing all the Crown Jewels I could fit on in one go and waving the Soveriegn's Sceptre about and giggling like a nutter.
So this is what the wonderful web brought me today: light, love & lust - that's quite a day!
Wednesday 1 February 2012
Privacy...
I always find it interesting, the people who choose not to be on Facebook or other social networks. Of the people I know who are not, they tend to fall into two camps:
Apathetic
Paranoid
The Apathetic lot I generally find are a bit too self obsessed to worry about what other people are up to, so they are not interested.
The Paranoid lot think that EVERYONE IN THE WORLD will read it, so they are afraid of it...
People are weird.
Apathetic
Paranoid
The Apathetic lot I generally find are a bit too self obsessed to worry about what other people are up to, so they are not interested.
The Paranoid lot think that EVERYONE IN THE WORLD will read it, so they are afraid of it...
People are weird.
Why men and Women are frustrated - its all about Disney and Porn
 |
| This Disney cartoon did make me laugh |
I know so many people who think "someday my prince will come" where as actually you might as well start chatting up that bloke in IT as there is no such thing as a man that is perfect for you. Except for my husband - who isn't perfect, but is perfect for me!
Who wants Prince Charming - they always struck me as pretty dull... as shown by the fact that they are always a minor part of the storyline!
As for the porn... well what can I say...
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