Dream big: our 2002 executive holiday shopping guide goes berserk. (Connection: Executive Toys Special).The whole world is tightening the belt back yet another notch, but not us. Christmas is about peace on earth, good will and all that, but it also about going out and spending some dough. Most everything on our list this year is at the top of its category. Meaning you could buy something pretty darn good for less (and probably should). But what's the point of the gift-giving season, if not to go all the way? So, here goes, from plasma TVs to space travel, our executive gift guide for 2002. Happy shopping. Bentley Continental GT thumb|center image= See also Bentley Continental for other models sharing this name The Bentley Continental GT is a grand tourer coupé with two doors and a 2+2 seating arrangement released in 2003, replacing the previous Rolls-Royce-based Continental R and T. Luxury sedan Sedan (sədäN`), town (1990 pop. 22,407), Ardennes dept., NE France, on the Meuse River. A noted textile center since the 16th cent., Sedan also has metal and brewing industries. The town became part of French crown lands in 1642. US$160,000 www.bentleymotors.com We, for one, do not believe for a minute that a global economic meltdown meltdown Occurrence in which a huge amount of thermal energy and radiation is released as a result of an uncontrolled chain reaction in a nuclear power reactor. The chain reaction that occurs in the reactor's core must be carefully regulated by control rods, which absorb ought to slow down production of cars so big and fast you literally can't drive them on most of the world's highways. Not when they look this good. Try a 500 British-horsepower engine, twin-turbo on a four-seater with all-wheel drive. Volkswagen owns Bentley, but this beast of a car was designed and will be built in Crewe, England. It tops out at 290 kilometers per hour, hitting 100 kph in five seconds, says Bentley, or about as long as it took you to read this line. All the rest--retro-future aerodynamics aerodynamics, study of gases in motion. As the principal application of aerodynamics is the design of aircraft, air is the gas with which the science is most concerned. , six-speed gearbox, seating for four--seems like a mere afterthought once you realize how fast, and big, this thing is. Hyundai makes a nice sedan for about $10,000, but somehow it seems like settling for less, you know? Cannondale R3000 Road bike US$4,199 www.cannondale.com Even standing still it looks fast, Cannondale comes back to the cutting edge of bike technology. The new-generation Optimo tubing (15% stronger than conventional aluminum alloys) allows for a stronger and lighter frame: the soul of a racing machine. Reacts effortlessly to any input on the pedals. The bike hugged the ground on turns, not losing any thrust on even pavement. The ride is just a tad harsh on Verb 1. harsh on - criticize harshly; "the teacher keeps harshing on the same kid" criticise, criticize, pick apart, knock - find fault with; express criticism of; point out real or perceived flaws; "The paper criticized the new movie"; "Don't knock the food--it's uneven tarmac, but the pure exhilaration of taking a corner at full blast with total confidence is worth it. You could spend less--one-tenth the price puts you on a decent starter bike--but put this 16-pound racer between your legs and there's no looking back. Apple iPod Digital music player Hardware or software that plays audio files encoded in MP3, AAC, WMA or other audio formats. There are several software-based music players that play audio files in a desktop or laptop computer, including iTunes, RealPlayer and Windows Media Player. US$499 www.apple.com/ipod Design is the strong suit of this memory-hefty music device. Strip off the headphones Head-mounted speakers. Headphones have a strap that rests on top of the head, positioning a pair of speakers over both ears. For listening to music or monitoring live performances and audio tracks, both left and right channels are required. , and what you have left is a powerful 20-gigabyte memory device encased en·case tr.v. en·cased, en·cas·ing, en·cas·es To enclose in or as if in a case. en·case  ment n. in a very slick chrome and-white-plastic shell. A joyously simple wheel on the face maneuvers easily through thousands of digital tunes. You could buy an MP3 player A digital music player that supports the MP3 format, which was the audio format that started a revolution in online music downloads and distribution. All portable music players, the iPod being the most popular, support MP3 along with one or more other audio formats. with plenty of memory (although not 20 gigs) for less than $100, but it wouldn't be as nifty. Surprisingly, Apple, the choice of arts professionals, chose text menus--black-and-white text to boot--for the iPod. Never fear: Apple is rumored to be working on a personal digital assistant based on the Pod technology, and that almost certainly will involve color graphics--and play MP3s anyway. Space Adventures Space travel training US$200,000 www.spaceadventures.com Space camp for (rich) grownups. Fourteens day of rigorous medical checks, zerogravity training--how does pulling 8 Gs sound after an overseas trip to Russia's Star City space center--and then a couple of spins in a MiG fighter jet for good measure. Okay, you get a nifty flight suit, and five-star hotel stay and interpreters and such. But remember, if you toss your cookies in the simulator, it could be lights out for your launch. Oh, the $200,000 only covers training--you'll need $20 million for lift-off, so be sure you can handle the pressure, and you can write the big check. The folks at Space Adventures got wealthy U.S. citizen-astronaut Dennis Tito Dennis Anthony Tito (born August 8, 1940 in Queens, New York) is a United States multimillionaire who gained celebrity status by becoming the first space tourist to pay for his own ticket, although he himself opposes being called "tourist" and asks to be called an "independent into the ether, so maybe you're next. Or maybe you could take that 200 large and just buy a nice farmhouse in the French countryside. Sony DCR-PC120BT Digital video camera US$2,200 www.sonystyle.com There are a lot of handy little video cameras out there, but this one took the cake. First, just because it's small and light, about 465 grams with battery and tape included. It records digital video to tape, makes short videos that can be sent through e-mail and takes digital photos, too. Photographers will appreciate the Carl Zeiss
Carl Zeiss (September 11, 1816 – December 3, 1888) was an optician commonly known for the company he founded, Zeiss. lens and 1 Ox optical zoom Changing the focal length of a camera by adjusting the physical zoom lens. All zoom lenses in film cameras and digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras are optical zoom. Digital point-and-shoot cameras as well as consumer and prosumer video camcorders have optical zoom, but they also . If your computer is ready to talk wirelessly using Bluetooth technology, this camera is ready to talk back, sending images straight to the hard drive for editing. You could buy a better camera, but most of those cost twice as much and only add things documentary filmmakers might care about. Cheaper? There's plenty, but not this slick... Alienware Area 51m Laptop computer/game console US$2,866 www.alienware.com Woof! A high-speed processor, high-resolution screen, three-dimensional audio and every bell and whistle See bells and whistles. in-between. Built for serious gamers and video editors, this laptop has some serious guns. Multiple ports and swappable bays for plugging in accessories will keep arts or media pros happy, while processing power is certainly enough for any business application you care to throw at it. At around 4.2 kilos, this would strain any commuter's back; Alienware sells it with a special padded backpack. All that processing firepower and fans keeping things cool means the battery drains in just under three hours. If you don't edit video and find gaming a bit juvenile for your screen time, there are plenty of powerful portables that weigh less and run longer on a single charge. You can buy a good work laptop for $500 now. But why? You have monsters to zap A command that typically deletes the data within a file but leaves the file structure intact so that new data can be entered. See wipe. 1. (language) ZAP - A language for expressing program transformations. ["A System for Assisting Program Transformation", M.S. . Treo Handspring Digital assistant/phone US$499 www.handspring.com It's hard to believe that some companies are still trying to sell people on the idea of browsing the Web through phones with tiny, text-based screens. Web sites and graphics built for viewing on the Treo load as fast as, or faster, than on an office Internet connection. The flip lid is a bit of a hindrance, but being able to see through it to the data is a thoughtful touch. The keyboard is actually manageable, as small as it is; it's not too hard to imagine a time when surfing the Net might be something you can do from anyplace, anytime. It'll be the end of newspapers, probably, and doing mobile e-mail will become as commonplace for kids and commuters as it is today for global executives. Pioneer Plasma TV Plasma television screen US$16,000 www.pioneerelectronics.com Soon enough, of course, all television screens will be flat plasma displays. And, yes, you could buy one now for far less than half of Pioneer's price. But, this is the tip-top of the line. It can handle just about any screen size, from normal television to wide screen cinema to computer desktop display. It carries the latest in color filters to ensure vivid imagery. We loaded up a word processing word processing, use of a computer program or a dedicated hardware and software package to write, edit, format, and print a document. Text is most commonly entered using a keyboard similar to a typewriter's, although handwritten input (see pen-based computer) and program and found it clear enough to edit text from 10 meters away. DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. movies, as you can imagine, were pretty impressive, too, Very similar to the industrial version, Pioneer's home model has special moving elements (your eyes don't notice) that protect the screen from burning in fixed images, like computer icons. Very nice. We'll take two. Los Apantles Five-bedroom, five-bath home US$1.9 million www.barbarawaugh.com Five acres of springs and mountain gardens an hour or so from Mexico City Mexico City Spanish Ciudad de México City (pop., 2000: city, 8,605,239; 2003 metro. area est., 18,660,000), capital of Mexico. Located at an elevation of 7,350 ft (2,240 m), it is officially coterminous with the Federal District, which occupies 571 sq mi . Sixteen foot ceilings in the bedrooms (40 feet in the main studio) and a 360-degree view from the hilltop of the surrounding fauna. Guest rooms have their own baths. The sacred Malinalco pyramid, an Aztec site, is five minutes away. All the trees and plants are native and thrive in the property's microclimate microclimate Climatic condition in a relatively small area, within a few feet above and below the Earth's surface and within canopies of vegetation. Microclimates are affected by such factors as temperature, humidity, wind and turbulence, dew, frost, heat balance, without additional care, says the Realtor. Haven't you always wanted your own microclimate? We know we have. The list goes on: A pool, outdoor dining, modern kitchen appliances, private cisterns for water, its own electricity generating plant, water purifiers The Purifiers, also known as the Stryker Crusade, are a fictional paramilitary/terrorist organization in the Marvel Comics universe and enemies of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Brent Anderson, they first appeared in the 1982 graphic novel . and space for the helicopter to land. If they don't sell it, we'll be the first to rent it come vacation time. Somehow, we're sure this place will find a buyer first. |
|
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion