I try very hard to remove judgment from this blog. I run across many homes, buildings, projects, products, apps and other stuff that strike me as crappy, unnecessary or flat out harmful to the maintenance of human life on this planet (and likely other planets). But for the most part, I keep my opinions to myself. I act under the belief that when we focus on increasing the positive, the negative simply runs out of room to exist. That said, my heart has a special place of judgment for a certain retailer who can be seen by 88% of all domestic air passengers in the United States. For 25 years, SkyMall has been the most complete retail outlet of the unnecessary. If you don’t need it, they probably got it.
Apparently I am not alone in my distaste for the catalog. In what might represent a sign of the times–where people no longer feel compelled to impulse-buy 20″ high Bordeaux Wine Glasses or Bigfoot Tree Yeti Sculptures–SkyMall is going out of business.
In (ahem) mourning of SkyMall’s impending passage, we thought we’d put together a few of their (ahem) essentials–stuff you can still get as they liquidate their stock. Act now (or don’t) as you will have to hunt these precious products down at tchotchke shops and late night infomercials in the (hopefully not-so-distant) future.
Determining what’s important to you is the most critical step for living an edited life. When our homes, possessions and activities are aligned with our priorities–the things that truly bring value to our day-to-day lives–we often find ourselves getting rid of a lot of the stuff we thought we couldn’t live without. But let’s face it, at a certain point we can only reduce so much. There are some things we cannot–and frankly should not–live without. Here is a short list of some of those things:
1. Winbot Window Washing Robot
The essence of living an edited life is clarity–having the ability to see what matters. But how can you have clarity when your windows are dirty? And how can you do the things that are truly important if you’re spending all of your time washing dirty windows? The fact is, you can’t. It’s impossible. The Winbot removes the time sink that is washing windows, allowing you to live your life with clarity and free of unnecessary distractions.
2. Star Wars Darth Maul Fx Lightsaber Case Of 4
For many of us, Star Wars is an epic that transcends mere entertainment. It’s a parable for life: tapping into the unseen forces, the polarity of good and evil, the ability to trust and step into your power. And few items encapsulate the triumph of light defeating dark like the lightsaber. Whether it’s Obi Wan versus Darth Vader or that one guy versus the other guy in one of the prequels (full disclosure: this author wasn’t able to sit through any of them), the lightsaber represents the achievement of mastery and overcoming of adversity in the face of insurmountable odds. The Star Wars Darth Maul Fx Lightsaber Case Of 4 allows you to recreate the epic duels in your own home. At $530, you enjoy a bulk discount and have a backup should one fail.
3. Baby Wipe Warmer
For the minimalist parent, few things are as troubling as the idea of exposing your baby to a cold clean up wipe. Studies have shown that cold wipes are the third leading cause of IDS (infant discomfort syndrome). The Baby Wipe Warmer cures some of the symptoms of IDS and provides more accessories to your baby’s life, which every parent knows is something you can’t have enough of.
4. iMac Slipper
If you use an iMac or you’ve thought about getting one or you know someone who has one or had one, you know how the rubber bottomed aluminum base can seem naked. It’s simply too clean and modern. The iMac slipper has a solution: put a felt and leather thing on it. Unlike the impenetrable aluminum base, the slipper is leather. The slipper’s manufacturer Hardgraft explains the benefits of this construction:
Dirt can penetrate the leather, you can clean it gently with a slightly damp sponge. If the leather gets wet, let it dry at room temperature. To protect it from excess water, apply an impregnator or a natural leather balm or wax. Vegetable tanned leather changes over time becoming darker and warmer in tone, especially when exposed to the elements. SPECIALIST CLEAN ONLY
5. Rover 2.0 App-Controlled Wireless Spy Tank
The Rover 1.0 was such a disappointment. Its spotty reliability and lack of iOS compatibility made it virtually useless for any real spy work. The Rover 2.0 takes care of those issues with iOS and Android compatibility. Whether you’re spying on a neighbor or a former romantic partner, you can depend on the Rover to anonymously collect incriminating video coverage (saving thousands on Private Investigator fees). Part of living the edited life is to fully acknowledge that life is too short for bad wireless spy rovers.
Have we missed anything? Feel free to put your suggestions for indispensable items in our comments section.
What has 18,000,000 square feet of floor area, an artificial beach and a Gap clothing store? If you answered, the New Century Global Center in Chengdu, China–now the biggest building in the world as measured by floor space–you’d be correct.
The building’s interior can swallow 20 Sydney Opera Houses or three Pentagons. It will feature offices, conference rooms, a university complex, hotels, an IMAX movie theater, a “Mediterranean village”, a pirate ship (very important), a skating rink, aforementioned 54K sq ft beach and a 4.3M sq ft shopping mall.
Buildings like the Global Center seem to demonstrate the Chinese’s knack for going too far. Some might even argue they take sustainable building too far. But for all of the finger pointing, the fact remains that the Chinese per capita carbon footprint is a fraction of that of most western nations. In 2009, Americans produced 17.2 metric tons of CO2 per capita; for China, that same figure was 5.3 metric tons (a figure that is admittedly on the rise).
Moreover, as a Guardian article by George Monbiot pointed out a few months ago, many “developed” nations’ emission reductions are only possible with overseas emission increases. He took the example of the UK, who boasted a 19% carbon emission drop between 1990 and 2008, as measured within its borders. When emissions were measured to include consumption behavior and the embodied emissions therein, the UK posted a 20% increase–a fact that has a big role in the increasing carbon emissions within China’s borders.
What does this all have to do with the price of tea…we mean, the size of a mall in China? It’s a reminder that in our increasingly connected world the excesses of one country often go lockstep with another. And as distasteful as we might find what is, for intents and purposes a gargantuan shopping mall located halfway around the world, it’s also a reminder that we take responsibility for how we consume at home.
Have you ever wanted to own your own Versailles Palace but thought the 720K square feet of floor space just a tad excessive? Well, if you have $65M dollars burning a hole in your pocket, there’s a stateside version of the venerable Louis XIV palace for sale in Orlando, FL. The home can be outfitted with many modern features, and at a mere 67K square feet of floor space (i.e. 160 LifeEdited apartments), it’s a far more manageable space than its 300 year old French cousin.
If you’ve seen the movie “The Queen of Versailles,” you know the home we’re referring to. At the time, the home was to be the largest single residence in the United States. It was the brainchild of David and Jackie Siegel, a couple made rich–then subsequently made ruiness–via the largest privately held timeshare company in the world.
Few movies epitomize the housing boom and bust than the travails of the Siegels. The movie’s production began during the pinnacle of the housing boom and the Siegel’s wealth. When asked why David Siegel was building a house so big, he answered “because I can.” Here are some of the features the house was supposed to have:
13 Bedrooms, 23 Bathrooms
20 Car Garage
Grand Hall with 30-ft. Stained Glass Dome
2 Grand Staircases
37′ x 30′ Kitchen
10 Satellite Kitchens
2-Story Wine Cellar
A view from aboveThe ballroom that never was
We say “supposed to have” because mid-production the housing boom busted. The Siegels lost most of the money and Versailles went into foreclosure. Now the incomplete house is for sale for $65M (we bet you could get it for less). So in addition to whatever you fork over for the house itself, you will have to augment that amount with considerable construction costs.
The movie also shows the unquenchable thirst for stuff. They were moving into the larger home because they were bursting at the seams of their tiny 26K home. One scene shows soda being stored in a shower because they lacked space elsewhere.
Have you seen the movie? Do you think the Siegels learned their lesson or will people always choose excess when they have the opportunity? What does it say–if anything–about all of our behavior?
This last Friday, the Wall Street Journal launched a new real estate section called “Mansion.” WSJ managing editor Robert Thomson implied in a statement that it wasn’t just about the rich admiring their big homes, saying “We all like to think of our home as a mansion, even if it is a humble abode, and we all have the license to aspire.”
The section we saw featured homes like tax-shelter luxury apartments in Puerto Rico, 9500 sq ft modern homes in Napa CA, 17K sq ft Telluride ski lodges, a look at several “sky garage” condos (i.e. a car life allows you to park your Lamborghini or Ferrari in your unit) and the migration of tech moguls to multi-million dollar home in Los Angeles. Humble abodes these are not.
Truth be known, when we set about building the 420 sq ft LifeEdited apartment, we wanted to create a new variety of aspirational home–one that relied on great design and intelligent use of space rather than massive square footage and Olympic-sized hot tubs. While this aspirational model might work with select populations (and they’re probably all reading this post right now), we wonder whether a compact home would be something the greater public could get into?
What do you think? Will micro homes forever appeal to very select populations? Will the mainstream always consider them worst-case-scenarios or might they see them as something to aspire to? We’d love to hear your thoughts.
Some things seem inherently unedited: SkyMall catalog, Big Gulps, Hummers. And in the housing world, nothing says unedited like a McMansion. Their flabby floor-plans, 4 car garages and 1K sq ft foyers epitomize more-is-less living. That said, now that they’re here, what the hell do you do with them?
A few people are thinking about alternatives uses for the McMansion. After all, nothing is inherently “unedited.” A 10K sq ft home that’s used all the time might be more efficient on a per-user basis than a 500 sq ft space that’s rarely used. A Big Gulp split between 20 is an appropriate treat.
Rainbow Mansion is an example of a smart exploitation of the McMansion’s girth. The house (so named because of its location on Rainbow Dr.) describes itself as “an intentional community of driven, international, passionate, and socially conscious people trying to change the world.” The home benefits from its location in Silicon Valley (Cupertino to be precise), where open-minded, creative folks abound. That said, it still shows the possibilities of re-purposing an otherwise misbegotten architectural conceit in any locale.
Inside Rainbow Mansion. Photo by alexandervandijk on Flickr
The 7 residents of the 5K sq ft space split a $7300 rent and are bound by their beliefs that they can change the world. Since its beginning in 2006, they have had “60 residents from more than 12 countries including 16 folks from NASA, 6 from Google and 5 from Apple.” The space features a library and hosts regular salons. The communal nature and shared philosophy have surely aided the home’s longevity.
Another example lies a bit east of Cupertino at the University of California, Merced, where students are opting out of dorms in favor of sharing foreclosed McMansions, according to an ABC news article. A home they profile houses 6 for $1800–i.e. $300 each, or half the money the dorms cost. While having undergrads in a residential neighborhood might not seem like the best fit, the town had been hit hard by the housing crisis and neighbors and realtors are happy to have the students.
Lastly, a project in Australia–a nation whose homes’ haunches rival the US’s–called Reincarnated McMansion is looking for people who have homes that exceed 360 sq m (3875 sq ft) to volunteer their homes so they can be tore down; two new homes will be made with the materials. While an enticing idea, there’s no indication that anyone has signed up to date.
There are of course limitations to converting these types homes. You can usually only have so many unrelated residents in the same home (code is probably more lax in CA where co-housing is popular). McMansions often have double height rooms that are tough to convert. Also, McMansions are not known for their build quality, so it might strike some as specious to do anything with these monstrosities; Grist suggested we make them wildlife habitats. Nevertheless, these examples show that even things that epitomize excess can be made efficient.
Do you or anyone you know have examples of re-purposing McMansions or other large dwellings? Let us know in our comments section.
[Correction: earlier version incorrectly stated that 5 UC Merced students paid $3300.]
Q: What costs $1-2B, has 27 floors, 49K square feet (roughly 117 LifeEdited apartments) requires a staff of 600 people and houses a family of four?
A: Antilia, the world’s largest, most expensive single-family residence.
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Antilia was the vision of Nita and Mukesh Ambani–the couple at the helm of India’s richest family. In a country where the majority of citizens subsist on less than $2/day, in a city that is often called “Slumbai”, the couple wanted to build their own “Taj Mahal of 21st Century India” (seems more like a Graceland to us). If size doesn’t impress, check out these features:
Parking for 168 cars
9 elevators
3 helipads and its own air traffic control
An ice room with snow flurries
The world’s largest collection of antique sewing machines (rumor is that it was originally staple guns).
Perhaps the best part is that the Ambani’s may not even be living in the joint. Vastu Shastra–basically Vedic Feng Shui–says there are not enough windows on the eastern face of the building to greet the morning sun. According to the Daily Mail UK, the family is still slogging it away in their old dump–a 14 story tower.
But watch out Ambani’s. Another mega-rich Indian family, the Jones’, we mean the Singhanias, are close on your heels with their JK house (no, we’re not kidding). While 30 m shorter, it boasts an Antilia-beating museum and 2 pools (Antilia has 1 pool and no museums…pathetic).
While these homes might seem absurd, they can also be viewed as natural extensions of the mindset that if you can build bigger, you do–a mindset that best represented itself on these shores with the McMansion.
Hopefully, these architectural monstrosities represent the pride before the fall, ushering in an era of sane use of space and efficiency…one can hope.
photo of Antilia living room credit: Jonathan Becker for Vanity Fair
While the world is littered with things that don’t promote living an edited life, few things are as baldly contradictory as SkyMall. The in-flight catalog presents countless ways to flip the LifeEdited credo on its head, i.e. “design your life to have less money, health and happiness with more stuff, space and energy.” Today, we are presenting 10 products that can bring confusion and clutter to even the most streamlined existence.
1. LED Blossom Tree
Love the country and energy-efficient lighting? Few things reconcile these passions–or create a bramble of wires in your crawlspace–better than this LED blossom.
2. Temple And Eye Massager
Nothing screams, “It seemed like a good idea when I was on the plane” like a remote-controlled temple and eye massager.
3. Baggy Rack
The Baggy Rack might actually be useful–about 2 or 3 times a year. And it’s one of those things you would remember to use after filling your baggies.
4. Voice Activated R2-D2
Sure, you probably have a droid, but if it’s like most, it’s pretty disobedient. According to SkyMall, this one obeys 40 voice-activated commands like “turn around,” “move forward 2 units” (most only move forward 1) and many other tasks critical to daily life. It’s also perfect for tripping over.
5. Shake N’Take Smoothie Maker
Blenders just aren’t specialized enough. Sure, they make perfectly great smoothies and shakes, but you have to pour the liquid into another container, which often takes up to 8 seconds. Nothing saves time and populates your countertop like a Shake N’Take Smoothie Maker.
6. EZ Egg Cracker
For those who like adding extra steps to the simplest of tasks, the EZ Egg Cracker is a must for your kitchen.
7. Zombie of Montclaire Moors
This thing is just weird and creepy, right?
8. Wine Glass Holder Necklace
For the multi-tasking oenophile.
9. Hovering Picture Frame
Hanging pictures has changed little since Lascaux. The Hovering Picture Frame will surely herald a new epoch in the annals of picture presentation.
10. SlumberSleeve
Do you have rock hard biceps? Do you like contorting your body to sleep on your arm? Look no further than the SlumberSleeve. Bonus: according to SkyMall’s description it acts as ankle, knee and “small neck” pillow for the double-jointed and fans of suffocation.
