Sleek, Solar, Sexy and Super High Tech. The Latest Images of The Code-X Yacht.

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The "CODE-X Yacht" was featured in its early stages on just about every design blog years ago. Since then, it's actually come to reality and I wanted to share the latest images of the "Next Generation CODE-X Yacht" with you. (Info, specs and earlier images of the yacht are after the newest photos).
















CODE-X AG and SILICON-FIRE AG bring drive technology to a new level with the Next Generation CODE-X Yacht.

From the Code-X site:
CODE-X AG, the swiss company based in Meggen on Lake Lucerne, started with the goal of developing products with maximum exclusivity that use renewable energy sources to serve a common good in the mid to long term and serial production maturity subsequent to further development.




These high-end products with added value go far beyond the common perception of luxury goods. The brand represents well developed and technologically exceptional concepts and products which have an obligation to the environment. They also give their buyers a role as pioneer and frontrunner on the path to a cleaner, more environmentally friendly future.

The CODE-X-YACHT is the first product to celebrate its world premiere this year with a synthesis of solar technology and Formula 1 engines meeting the highest standards.









Early photos:






THE YACHT

The uncompromisingly designed yacht, built by international leading experts, symbolises a dream come true.

CODE-X unites radical purism, the optimal benefit of renewable energy and the sheer power of a racing machine in one boat.

A flexible solar hybrid propulsion system enables both quiet, environmentally friendly cruising in ports and coastal areas as well as the pleasure of high speeds on open waters!

deck layout:


Interior layout:


CURRENT SPECIFICATIONS

Engines:
2 x Ilmor marine combustion engines MV10-710
Configuration : 90 degree V 10
Horsepower : 2 x 710 HP
Torque : 882 Nm @ 4800 rpm
Full throttle rpm range: 5400 - 6300
Capacity: 2 x 8.3 liters
Performance: 90 kn
2 x electric engines

Source of Energy:
Fossil fuel (2 tanks)
Solar-power

Length: 47ft 7in (14.50m)
Engine: Twin 710hp Ilmor engines and twin electric/solar drives
Top speed: 90 knots
Price: On application


Motor Boat & Yachting had this to say about it:
The Code-X presents the helmsman with a terrible ethical dilemma. You can either use the environmentally impeccable solar/hybrid drive, which gives a cruising speed of just a few knots, or you can turn the key on twin 710hp Ilmor engines, combined with ZF Trimax propeller drives, for a considerably sexier but not-quite-so-green 90 knots. Despite MBY's heartfelt commitment to combating global warming, we know which we'd chose.

Either way, this ultra-modern machine is a far cry from the electric plodders occasionally seen on the UK's rivers and canals. Controlled throughout by touch screen, the Swiss design boasts a Kevlar/carbon shell with phototropic-shaded screens and windows, one of which raises to let the cocooned passengers, or should that be astronauts, out into the fresh air.

Inside an LED illumination system "ensures optimal night viewing" and there is solar-powered air-con and a whirlpool bath. Don't worry if you think all that black carbon is going to heat up in the Med sunshine: the deck is UV-resistant with a heat-repellent shell and you can opt for a lighter shade hull.

Code-X are also lining up a new racing series called Formula Clean. They will manufacture, at their own expense and parallel to the production of the limited Code-X leisure series, another fleet of seven boats carrying only renewable energy. Sounds like quite a fun way to save the planet.


CODE-X AG
Naumatthalde 9 & 11
CH-6045 Meggen
Switzerland

Phone +41 41 378 09 88
Fax +41 41 378 09 89
hs@code-x.ch

Like angular sexy super yachts? Then check out the lustworthy Wally Power 118 Superyacht.

Luxurious Premier Custom Made Table Tennis Tables From Eleven Ravens.

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Founded in 2011, Eleven Ravens, LLC is the premier manufacturing company for custom-made table tennis tables in the United States. Eleven Ravens' use of ultra sophisticated design, as well as its ability to incorporate popular brand images or corporate logos into the base of our table structure, produces a handmade product created by our skilled artisans that is in a class of its own.

Raven (available in Teak or Macassar Ebony):



Theseus (available in Teak, Bamboo or Aluminum):




Targus (available in Padauk, Bamboo, Teak or Aluminium):




Arclight (available in Padauk, Bamboo, Teak or Cocobolo Woods):




The Force ( Made for SAEF's Ignite The Mind 2012):




Spiderman Limited Edition: Made expressly for The Sport & Art Educational Foundation's "Ignite The Mind" Benefit, March 2012:


Sony's The Amazing Spider-Man & The Amazing Spider-Man images are © 2012 Sony Pictures Digital Inc. All rights reserved.

Poseidon (concept):


Martini Plexiglass Tables (concepts):






Extraordinary Design:
Bernard Semerdjian, an internationally celebrated graphic designer, serves as the head of the Creative Design Dept. for Eleven Ravens, LLC and is the primary designer for Eleven Ravens’ unique and innovative tables. Specializing in Interactive Digital Interface Design and 3D Imaging, Mr. Semerdjian has been a dedicated table tennis player for the past five years. His love of the game, coupled with his extraordinary gifts as a celebrated designer, has produced table tennis designs unlike anything ever seen before in this field. Mr. Semerdjian is one of the founding members of Eleven Ravens, LLC.

Craftsmanship:
We take great pride in our original designs and the extreme care that goes into the construction of our tables. Each element is carefully hand crafted, sanded, polished and fitted by our skilled artisans. Our table construction takes place in a highly regulated moisture-controlled environment using wood materials that are maintained at an optimum 8-15% moisture level thus ensuring the highest quality product possible.

All Eleven Ravens' premier tables are equipped with world-class championship table tops. Leisure or recreational tops are also offered on certain tables in a variety of colors.

Pricing:
Pricing information available upon request.



11Ravens
E-mail: info@11ravens.com
Phone: 310.741.1681

A special shout out to Vicki Mayer for bringing these to my attention!

Maker's Mark gets court seal of approval

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The first time I visited Maker’s Mark bourbon in Loretto, KY, I was invited to dip a just-filled bottle in the distillery’s iconic melted red wax.

In my enthusiasm, I plunged the neck of the bottle into the molten vat a bit too vigorously, and wound up with dripping wax coating the neck, half the bottle and my hand up to the wrist. My face was as red as the wax.

That embarrassing moment has always stayed with me, so when I saw a legal decree involving the wax seal, it naturally caught my attention.

From now on, if you see a whiskey with a dripping wax seal on its and it doesn't say Maker's Mark on the label, you may be seeing something illegal.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has held that the red, wax seal that covers the stopper on bottles of Maker’s Mark bourbon is a protected trademark that must be used exclusively by that brand.The ruling follows a lawsuit in which Maker’s Mark Distillery Inc. sought to prevent a similar seal from being used on bottles of Jose Cuervo tequila.

It's not the use of a wax seal, per se, that is the problem. Lots of distillers use wax seals -- Knob Creek, for one, and even Cuervo for years. Rather, it is the design of the seal that Maker's Mark worries about.

Until 2001, Cuervo bottles had been crowned with a straight-edge seal, then the design was changed to an uneven style that made the wax look as if it were dripping down the bottle neck, a la Maker's which was trademarked in 1985.

Judge John Heyburn II of the District Court for the Western District of Kentucky ruled in favor of Maker’s Mark on the dual points of infringement and trademark validity. This was upheld on appeal at the Sixth Circuit.

In their ruling, the three appeal judges noted: "The company has bottled bourbon for commercial sale under the Maker’s Mark name, and has used a red dripping-wax seal on its Maker’s Mark bourbon bottles, since 1958. Maker’s Mark -- and craft bourbon generally – garnered national attention when The Wall Street Journal published a front-page article about the bourbon, the red dripping-wax seal, and the family behind it ['Maker’s mark goes against the grain to make its mark,' by David P. Garino, 1980]."Furthermore, the appeal judges noted, a 2002 Business Week report declared the dripping-wax seal "one of the most recognizable branding symbols in the world." Six years later, the "CBS Sunday Morning" show referred to the factory process for applying the feature as the "famous dip in red sealing wax."

These findings, said the judges, "support the district court’s ultimate conclusion regarding the breadth of market recognition of Maker’s Mark’s trademarked, red dripping-wax seal."

Also, the judges wrote, "There is more than one way to seal a bottle with wax to make it look appealing.

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Drinking scene rejiggered in Kansas

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TOPEKA, KS -- The Jayhawk State's drinking scene is in the midst of major changes.

Under a bill signed into law by Governor Sam Brownback, changes effective July 1 include:

• Liquor stores will be allowed to offer free wine, beer and liquor tastings as of Sunday, July 1.

• Dinner railway cars can obtain a liquor license. State Rep. TerriLois Gregory, R-Baldwin City, said the measure was aimed at luring a Nebraska dinner train business to operate between Baldwin City and Ottawa.

• Drinking establishments may offer "happy hour” specials. Previously, could offer special drink prices, but those charges had to last all day.

• Micro-distilleries will be allowed to to sell and serve their products on their premises.

Another provision of the law, that went into effect on May 31, allows visitors at wine tasting festivals to taste samples and buy bottles of those same wines at the event. Previously, wine tasting visitors had to go to the individual wineries to purchase those same wines.

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Followup (2) on Five Wives Vodka flap

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In the face of widespread opposition, the Idaho State Liquor Division (ISLD) has reversed its earlier edict banning the brand Five Wives Vodka from being sold in the state.

The vodka, made in neighboring Utah, found favor with the Idaho drinking establishment, many of whom voiced objection to the ISLD decree. The distiller itself threatened a lawsuit against Idaho if the ban were not reversed.

The original ruling came in a nanny-state type of pronouncement from the ISLD that the ban was being instituted because the brand might be taken as a reference to the former Mormon practice of polygamy and that might offend someone. Both states have a significant Mormon population, although polygamy has been outlawed since the 1800s.

You can catch up on the nuances of the controversy on my earlier postings here and here.

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World's largest gin collection in UK hotel

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Duplessis (l) accepts the award.

OXFORDSHIRE, England -- The Feathers Hotel in Woodstock has officially been proclaimed the holder of the largest collection of gin in the world.

A Guinness Book of World Records adjudicator visited the hotel to count the 161 different varieties of gin stocked by the hotel bar as a crowd of guests and employees looked on for the entire 45 minute inspection.

Jeremy Duplessis, hotel general manager, said, "It's absolutely fantastic to be crowned a world record breaker. We have been building on the collection for three years and have picked up gins from all corners of the world -- from Holland, Spain, the U.S.A. and Germany as well as Britain, home of the famous London Gin, so it's great to have our efforts rewarded."

The hotel also stocks some of the world's most exclusive gins. For example, a bottle of Vincenzi 1950 comes in at US$348; a single glass of Burnett's White Satin 1960 will set drinkers back US$30; and, a seven-course dinner paired with gins is US$116.

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New Bacardi rums are revealing items

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For quite some time, distillers have been very particular about both the flavors in and the designs of their bottles and packaging materials as they fight for space on increasingly-crowded store shelves.

Bacardi, the world's top-selling rum, now is showing its attention in both areas as it rolls out its two newest flavored clear rums, Bacardi Wolf Berry and Bacardi Black Razz.

Wolf Berry is a blend of blueberry, rum and wolf berry (sometimes known as goji berry), which gives the spirit a sweet and tangy taste. Black Razz is a mix of raspberry, rum and black sapote, a Central American fruit.

New packaging features temperature- and light-activated bottles. When chilled, Wolf Berry reveals a red claw mark across the label; Black Razz reveals a large brilliant red berry logo.

Both the new flavors are available in 50ml, 200ml, 375ml, 750ml, 1l and 1.75l formats at a suggested retail price of $14.99 per 750ml bottle.

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