Sexin' Up That Stogie With Custom Bejeweled Cigar Bands & Gold Ashtrays

Okay, so smoking cigars and spending money on bejeweled accessories for them are both pretty gauche, but that's what made these products so fascinating to me. Ysenberg specializes in the design and production of high value accessories in the world of cigars. Their point, in their words, is to realize and arrange the individual wishes of the customer.



That said, they have two lines of products; Ysenbands (actual custom personalized gold or gold plated sterling silver and gemstone cigar bands with leather accents) and Ysentrays (cigar ash trays made with gold, gold leaf, gold accents and crystal or dichroic glass).

YSENBANDS







Some Ysenband customers include the King of Benin and Chief of the Ritz in Paris:



YSENTRAYS- crystal and gold leaf ashtrays






Ysenberg items come with a certificate with registered individual numbers on all their products.
Their products can be found at high end cigar and smoke shops all over Europe. Go here to find distributors.


YSENBERG e.U.
Johanna Fritsche
Tschapina 10
6707 Bürserberg
AUSTRIA
T: +43 (0)664 912 79 39
F: +43 (0)5552 62648 19
ysenberg.com

The World Without People

If a virulent virus, or even the Rapture, depopulated Earth overnight, how long before all trace of humankind vanished? 

Imagine if one minute from now, every single person on Earth disappeared. All 6.6 billion of us. Human history just stopped. What would happen to the world without us?



There are places in Manhattan where they’re constantly fighting rising underground rivers that are corroding the tracks. You stand in these pump rooms, and you see an enormous amount of water gushing in. And down there in a little box are these pumps, pumping it away. So, say human beings disappeared tomorrow. One of the first things that would happen is that the power would go off. A lot of our power comes out of nuclear or coal-fired plants that have automatic fail-safe switches to make sure that they don’t go out of control if no humans are monitoring their systems



Once the power goes off, the pumps stop working. Once the pumps stop working, the subways start filling with water. Within 48 hours you’re going to have a lot of flooding in New York City. Some of this would be visible on the surface. You might have some sewers overflowing. Those sewers would very quickly become clogged with debris—in the beginning the innumerable plastic bags that are blowing around the city and later, if nobody is trimming the hedges in the parks, you’re going to have leaf litter clogging up the sewers.



Many of the buildings in Manhattan are anchored to bedrock. But even if they have steel beam foundations, these structures were not designed to be waterlogged all the time. So eventually buildings would start to topple and fall.



At the other end of the chronological spectrum, anything made of bronze might survive in recognizable form for millions of years—along with one billion pounds of degraded but almost indestructible plastics manufactured since the mid-20th century.


Meanwhile, land freed from mankind’s environmentally poisonous footprint would quickly reconstitute itself, as in Chernobyl, where animal life has returned after 1986’s deadly radiation leak, and in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, a refuge since 1953 for the almost-extinct goral mountain goat and Amur leopard.

15 Most Creative Beds

 Magnetic Floating Bed

Designed by Dutchman Janjaap Ruijssenaars, this magnetic floating bed has enough magnets to keep 900 kilograms (1,984 pounds) floating in the air. To make sure that the bed doesn't float away because of hard wind or weird movements, it's tethered to the walls by four cables. Technically, the magnetic floating bed is for sale, but at a price of 1.2 million euros ($1.53 million), you're not likely to find it in your local mattress store. 


Hamburger Bed

Haven't you ever wanted to curl up inside a juicy hamburger? No? Well, too bad. The Internet loves hamburgers and therefore the glorious Hamburger Bed has over 1,000 fans on Facebook and a sesame seed duvet. 


 NapShell, an egg-like bed

You might not have realized you needed a power-napping bed – but once you have seen this futuristic creation by Napshell you’ll feel your life is totally incomplete without it. Ergonomically designed to be good for your back and spine, the Napshell bed’s super comfy shaped mattress will fit a wide range of body types and heights. Visual and acoustic elements within the bed make instant, deep relaxation possible at the press of a button. Complete with LED lights, MP3 player and sound proof walls, the Napshell is a busy businessperson’s ultimate dream come true. 





 Molecular Bed

Made of 120 sofa balls covered with elastic fabric, the Feel Seating System designed by Animi Causa has a really unusual shape. It is inspired by a molecular structure, the basic form for all objects is the universe. If you are a playful person you can use it in many creative ways, because the structure of the feel allows to create multiple forms. 



  Fantasy Coach, A fairytale bed

Wave your magic wand and this carriage may appear to make your little princess' dreams come true. This fanciful coach bed is the most extraordinary children's bed we've ever seen. Handcrafted in England of wood and fiberglass, the oval shaped interior measures just over 6 ft. in diameter. Construction and delivery time on this piece is over 6 months. The bar is set with this magnificent piece; it simply has no equal outside of fairy tales. Linens and interior options priced upon request. The price of a dream come true? $47,000. 




Cosmovoide Bed

We spend around a third of our lives asleep... but that can't justify spending $60,000 on a bed, can it? The makers of Cosmovoide think it can. Their luxury bed is shaped like an egg (to either give you Morkian dreams, or wrap you up in cozy cosmic harmony or some such nonsense), has hammock-like suspending springs, seven rainbow-colored LEDs, a telephone, and a DVD/home theater set-up including a TV at its foot. Most fascinating? Its twin "electric relaxation bed frames," which just get the mind boggling. That price is the base model, by the way: it's customizable, according to its french manufacturers. 


Quantum Sleeper, the "anti-terrorist" bed

The Quantum Sleeper is a bed that hermetically seals itself as you sleep to protect you from Bio-Chemical terrorist attack, natural disaster, kidnappers/stalkers and affords Bulletproof 'Saferoom' protection." It also has one-way mirrors so intruders can watch themselves futilely try to get in while you sit inside and call the police on your mobile, shortwave or CB radio. You can cower in style with the optional CD and DVD players and microwave oven. The price of protection? 160,000 dollars. 


Private Cloud, the rocking bed

The Private Cloud, designed by Manuel Kloker, is a patented rocking frame for a bed that moves back and forth like a rocking chair. It sells for an average of about $6,800 depending on the size ordered, without the mattress. 


The Scoop!

Designed by Guido Rosati for Saba Italia, Scoop! is a sophisticated and innovative answer to the demand for combinig the sofa function with the bed function. The two semi-circular sides of the bed can be separated resulting two new pieces of furniture. This bed is a great way to surprise your guests, and also you can be proud to have a stylish contemporary bed and two sofa’s in the same time. 


 The Computer Bed

The computer bed is a normal bed which makes an intelligent use of the space below the bed. The gas pistons enable the bed to double up as a computer table. Invented by European designer Lino's son Francesco, this twin model comes with a reinforced metal frame in your choice of several different kinds of wood. Prices start at $3650. 



The Sonic Bed

The sonic bed is a king-size bed with 12-channel surround sound. It may look like a wooden tank from the outside, but inside its got enough speakers to dwarf any home theater set up. Created by Kaffe Matthews as a museum exhibit (no plans for retail as of yet), the bed requires 220 volts of electricity and covers every inch of your body in sound. 


The Lomme Bed

According to the product copy, owners of Lomme Beds will benefit from state of the art light and sound therapy, which remove outside disturbances and "allow you to wake naturally feeling refreshed and full of energy." 


 BedUP, the Ceiling Bed

Coming from the house of Decadrages, the designer BedUP model offers you a perfect comfort level without occupying much space. Suspended from the ceiling, this novel furniture piece can be accommodated in 4 sq mt space of your apartment. By day, the bed is stored on the ceiling, the under-surface becomes ceiling with the possibility of integrating lighting. At night, the bed can come down in the manner of an elevator and stops at the height previously requested, thus avoiding moving furniture that would have been placed underneath it. 



The Hanging Bed

Created by italian designer Andrea Lucatello, the bed is not actually hanging but, it does looks like floating on the floor. The Hanging Bed comes in two sizes, the Queen European King and Double and many colors. The gorgeous bed sells for almost $5,500 excluding the mattresses. 


 Coffin Bed

The Casket Furniture Company designed a bed for those who wants to know the feeling of sleeping in a coffin. According to their site, this ‘long awaited' item can be yours for only a little over $4,000. It’s constructed of Solid Pine with a removable top and bottom and adorned with a handmade metal cross and gothic pall bearer handles. Finished with an ebony stain and lacquer with a burgandy velvet interior. Disturbingly, their site also indicated ‘locks and latches' are available at an added price.

The AURA by Motorola: A Mobile Phone Inspired By A Luxury Watch

The Motorola AURA phone distinguishes itself from other mobile phones with some very unique features in addition to being pretty darn pretty to look at.



The world's first to have a round, 16 million color sapphire crystal display screen, the stainless steel phone also has a fixed focus 2 megapixel camera, quad band internal antennae, EDGE technology, video capture and video playing capabilities, bluetooth, USB high speed, multimedia and standby talk time up to 400 hours. It even comes with the following game apps: RealDice Chess, RealDice Backgammon.



AURA™ by Motorola is a timeless, classically designed device that delivers a sensory experience that is second-to-none for those with refined taste. Combining an exquisite interface with superb craftsmanship inspired by high-end watches, AURA breaks convention and re-establishes artistry in the design and manufacturing of mobile devices. From the moment an AURA owner picks up his or her device they embark on a journey of discovery.



• not available in black.

An Exquisitely Performing Device, Designed to the Highest Standards




Drawing on inspiration, materials and techniques from luxury jewelers, AURA begins with the world's first 16 million color, circular display with more colors and sharper resolution than has ever been seen on a Motorola phone. The product's richness can literally be felt, from the weight of its stainless steel housing and the textures and patterns chemically-etched into its surface, to its Grade 1, 62-carat sapphire crystal lens, one of the most scratch-resistant materials on earth.




Key Features:
* World's first circular display on a mobile phone, 16 million color
* Chemically-etched textures and patterns
* Three tungsten carbon carbide coated main gears
* The main bearing is Swiss-made
* Protective PVD coating and mirror polish finish, same as used on luxury watches
* 130 precision ball bearings
* CrystalTalk™ technology
* Made from over 700 individual components
* Assisted-opening blade mechanism
* Stainless steel housing
* Scratch-resistant, 62-carat, Grade 1 sapphire crystal lens
* 300 ppi resolution display
* Stereo Bluetooth® technology

The Return of Artistry

AURA™ by Motorola

93799XQBSA
Price: $1,999.99
buy it here.

If the phone is sold out directly from the above dealer, in the US you can purchase it at select Bloomingdales stores in NY, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago.

The 50 Hottest Female Athletes Of All Time

Laure Manaudou



Laure Manaudou is a French Olympic swimmer who is a three time medalist. Manaudou has suffered through a bit of scandal after some nude pictures appeared online. Google is your friend on this one, but I’ll just say, girl is crazy ripped.



 Alina Kabayeva



What’s that they say about flexibility? That it’s never overrated? Kabayeva is a rythmic gymnast who is world renowned for her incredible flexibility. I imagine the flexibility comes in handy. Um, for the gymnastics.


Lisa Anderson



Lisa Anderson is a world champion surfer who has the hot stereotypical surfer look going on, including the sun bleached blonde hair. She’s into her 40’s now, but still competes and surfs regularly.


Missy Gibson



Missy Gibson is apparently a world class surfer, although info on her is pretty scarce online. Most people seem to mostly care about her stunning looks, which is understandable as it’s mostly what we’re concerned with here. And Gibson really is quite incredible looking.


. Laura Baugh



Baugh was named Golf Digest’s 1972 “Most Beautiful Golfer.” She eventually struggled with alcholism, four marriages, and a bleeding disorder that nearly killed her (and was brought on by her drinking), but she eventually cleaned up at Betty Ford and wrote a tell all book in 1999.


 Sasha Cohen



Just read that thing up above about flexibility again, because damn. Cohen won a silver medal in the 2006 Olympics and has since appeared on various television shows such as Las Vegas, Project Runway, and CSI:NY.



Sonja Henie



Sonja Henie was one of the biggest stars in the entire world at her height, moving from figure skating into acting, and eventually making $2 million + a year.


Anni Friesinger



Anni Friesinger is a talented German speed skater who has also spent time modeling. She’s appeared in numerous men’s magazines and has earned herself the nickname “Sexy Annie” in her home country, where they presumably care more about speed skating than we do here in America.


Erica Blasberg



Erica Blasberg is one of the hotter players on the LPGA tour, and Puma made the smart decision of making her the face of their golfing brand. She has struggled a bit on the tour, but I’m pretty sure guys still love her.


Tara Lipinski



Tara Lipinski is an American figure skater who won the gold medal in 1998 at the age of 15. To this day she’s the youngest gold medalist in Winter Olympic history.


 Picabo Street



Picabo Street was the most visible women’s skier in the 90’s winning a silver medal in the ‘94 Winter Olympics and a gold in the ‘98. She eventually retired after snapping her left femur, but was a spokeswoman for Mountain Dew for a time in the late 90’s. 


Gussie Moran



Gussie Moran makes an appearance here largely for historical reasons. She’s the reason we have so many tennis hotties on this list, as she was the first woman to ever push the boundaries of fashion on the tennis court. She famously showed up to center court at Wimbledon in 1949 in a short skirt with lacy, frilly knickers peering out from the bottom, and since then clothes have only gotten tighter and shorter. God bless her.


 Gabriela Sabatini



Gabriela Sabatini was an Argentinian tennis player who had a lot of success in the late 80’s and early 90’s. She has an exotic South American look going on that is pretty hot.


Amanda Coetzer



Amanda Coetzer is the most successful tennis player in South African history. She developed a reputation during her career as a giant killer, regularly beating players ranked higher than her. She dated pro baseball player Brady Anderson for awhile in the 90’s, and is now dating a Hollywood producer named Arnon Milchan.


 Natalie Coughlin



Natalie Coughlin is an incredibly successful American swimmer who won five medals at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. She’s getting into broadcasting, and spent time as an in-studio host for MSNBC during the 2006 Winter Olympics. I know I wouldn’t mind seeing more of Coughlin, so hopefully she’ll keep that up. Does anyone else see a bit of a Scarlett Johansson resemblance?



 Swin Cash



A lot of guys treat the WNBA as a bit of a joke, but a few of the players are definitely worth watching. Swin Cash is one of those players. She led the University of Connecticut to two different national titles and carried that success into the WNBA, winning a title with Detroit in her second WNBA season. But I’m sure nobody really cares about that. Bottom line: she’s hot.


 Carling Bassett



Carling Bassett primarily made her living as a tennis player back in the 80’s, but she made just as big of a splash as a fashion model with the Ford Modeling Agency. She also made some appearances on television and in film. Bassett is now retired and operating a tennis academy with Chris Evert, someone you’ll see further up on this list.



Barbara Schett



Barbara Schett is an Austrian tennis player who played from 1992 to 2005. She’s got a rocking body, and has to be the hottest thing to ever come out of Austria. 


Maria Kirilenko



Maria Kirilenko is a Russian tennis player in the mold of Maria Sharapova, only not quite there yet. She’s rapidly catching up though, having recently signed to be the face of Adidas tennis.



Cristie Kerr



Cristie Kerr is another LPGA hottie. She has appeared on an episode of The Apprentice and is said to have a close relationship with Donald Trump. Kerr is also a spokeswoman for Mutual of Omaha and Lacoste.



 Ana Paula Mancino



Ana Paula Mancino is a Brazilian volleyball player. Other than that I really have nothing, except that she’s smoking hot.


Hope Solo



Hope Solo kind of the opposite of what you’d expect a women’s soccer goalie to look like. Normally you have a mental image of a … um larger woman, but Hope is 5'9 and hot. She also has a pretty kick ass name.


 Daniela Hantuchova



Daniela Hantuchova is a Slovakian tennis player. She’s a little on the thin side, so if that’s your thing then she’s your girl. Hantuchova is pretty damn impressive off the court too, speaking six different languages as well as having been trained as a classical pianist.


. Mia Hamm



Mia Hamm is probably the most well known female soccer player of all time, and with that has come numerous endorsements. She’s now retired and married to Dodgers player Nomar Garciaparra. 


Dorothy Hamill



America was in love with Dorothy Hamill in the 70’s, going so far as to make her short bobbed haircut a national fad. She won the gold medal for figure skating at the 1976 Winter Olympics.


 Gina Carano



Gina Carano is probably the most bad ass woman on this list. She’s a MMA fighter as well as one of the Gladiators on the new incarnation of American Gladiators. All I know is she’s a lot easier on the eyes than the female Gladiators we had to suffer through the last go round.


Lokelani McMichael



Lokelani McMichael is a surfer and triathlete. She is still the youngest female to ever complete the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon. She’s been featured in Shape, Triathlete, Runner’s World, and numerous other fitness magazines.


Karina Petroni



Karina Petroni is possibly the greatest female surfer in the world. She’s only 20 years old, but her attractiveness has already made her a prime endorsement candidate, and she’s the frontwoman for numerous brands, including SoBe/Pepsi and Chevrolet.


 Amanda Beard



Amanda Beard is a seven time Olympic medalist in various swimming events, but she’s just as well known for her modeling work, including appearances in Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit edition. She now hosts her own segment on The Best Damn Sports Show Period, and I can say from personal experience that she’s the only thing worth watching on that particular program.


Florence Griffith-Joyner



Flo-Jo became an American icon after winning the 100m sprint at the 1988 Summer Olympics. If you like a woman who’s extremely fit then Florence Griffith-Joyner is the woman for you. Even if those muscles might or might not have been steroid enhanced. After all, who wasn’t taking steroids 20 years ago? The 80’s were a crazy time.


Michelle Kwan



Michelle Kwan is probably the most overall successful figure skater in American history, and she’s also one of the greatest figure skaters of all time. She started skating when she was 8, waking up at 3 AM to practice for three to four hours a day. Like most American female figure skaters, Kwan has spent some time acting, and has even done voice work for Family Guy and The Simpsons.


Gretchen Bleiler



Gretchen Bleiler is an American snowboarder and won a silver medal in the 2006 Winter Olympics. She’s also the spokeswoman for Oakley and K2, and it’s not hard to see why a company would want to have her representing them. 


Summer Sanders



Summer Sanders was a three time medalist at the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics in swimming. She has to be one of the strongest living proofs that your name can determine your destiny. Sanders has since gone on to broadcasting and acting and has hosted numerous sports related television shows.


. Heather Mitts



Heather Mitts is a great soccer player, but she also has great credentials for this list, having been voted the hottest female athlete alive in a 2004 poll run by ESPN.com. This is a girl who loves male athletes, having dated QB A.J. Feeley, tennis star James Blake, and outfielder Pat Burrell all in the past ten years. She’s single now though.


Jelena Dokic



Jelena Dokic is a Serbian tennis player who immigrated to Australia in 1994. She’s pretty curvy for a tennis player, but still features the usual awesome long legs.


 Ashley Harkleroad



Ashley Harkleroad recently made a splash by committing to appearing in Playboy magazine’s August 2008 issue. Pretty sure that’ll be a hot seller.



Kristy Yamaguchi



Kristy Yamaguchi really was US female figure skating for awhile back in the early 90’s. She recently won ABC’s Dancing With The Stars, which makes sense as dancing can’t be all that much more difficult than figure skating.


Ashley Force



I’m not entirely sure how a hot young girl gets into funny car drag racing (I’m not really sure how anyone gets into funny car drag racing), but Ashley Force definitely provides reason to watch the sport. She’s recently been featured on a reality show featuring her family called Driving Force. 



 Allison Stokke



Allison Stokke is a college pole vaulter who caused a massive stir on the internet when some rather mundane competition photos of her were found online. Which is a real testament to how hot she is. Or how easily pleased and amused the internet can be, I don’t know which. But she is really ridiculously hot.



Michelle Wie



Michelle Wie hasn’t had the kind of sucess everyone expected on the LPGA tour (remember when she was supposed to be the female Tiger Woods?), but she’s still raking in the cash thanks to massive endorsements with companies like Nike and Sony. She’s been the source of quite a bit of controversy for stuff like “inappropriate” clothing and phantom injuries, but I have to say I’m a fan. Probably mostly because of the inappropriate clothing.


 Peggy Fleming



Peggy Fleming was a figure skater in the 60’s, winning a gold medal at the 1968 Winter Olympics. She parlayed her good looks into a job commentating on figure skating events that she held for over 20 years, including several Winter Olympic games. Fleming is now a breast cancer activist after successfully battling the disease in the late 90’s.



 Maria Sharapova



Maria Sharapova is absolutely stunning, but she’s also a phenomenal athlete which makes her all the more attractive. While some women make this list almost primarily for their looks, Sharapova is just as noteworthy for her career achievements. Watching her play is always an enjoyable experience.


 Gabrielle Reece



Gabrielle Reece was named by ELLE magazine as one of the five most beautiful Women in the World in 1989. Even though she was a very talented beach volleyball player, Reece was probably more well known for her modeling and television work. Most people who grew up watching MTV in the early 90’s will remember her as host of MTV Sports.


. Danica Patrick



Danica Patrick is so hot she makes people care about IndyCar racing, at least for one weekend a year. That’s a hell of an achievement and pretty much enough said.


 Biba Golic



I feel pretty comfortable saying that Biba Golic is the hottest table tennis player to ever live. She’s also the only table tennis player I’ve ever technically heard of, but I’m still willing to bet she’s the hottest.


Jennie Finch



Softball players don’t immediately come to mind when you think of hot female athletes, but Jennie Finch is definitely the exception. Probably for that reason, she’s the most famous softball player of all time. Finch has appeared in SI’s swimsuit issue and won an online ESPN.com poll naming her hottest female athlete. 


 Chris Evert



Chris Evert is one of the most popular women athletes the United States has ever had. Her nickname for quite awhile was actually “Chrissy America”. She was linked to damn near every high profile actor and athlete in the 70’s (including Burt Reynolds, Geraldo Rivera, Adam Faith, Vitas Gerulaitis, Pat Boone, and John Gardner “Jack” Ford, son of U.S. President Gerald Ford) and even hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live.


Anna Kournikova



Anna Kournikova would probably break the internet if she ever posed nude. She gets slammed unfairly for being a poor tennis player (she’s never won a singles tournament), but she was at times one of the best doubles players in the world, even reaching #1 at various times.


 Katarina Witt



Katarina Witt appeared in Playboy in December of 1998. It was the second issue of Playboy to ever sell out, the first being the inaugural issue featuring Marilyn Monroe.


 Natalie Gulbis



Possibly a controversial choice, but Gulbis is ridiculously, ridiculously hot. Female golfers have come a long way in perceived attractiveness in the past ten years, and Gulbis is leading the way, having sold a personal calendar as well as posing in magazines like FHM.