7Gr. For espresso lovers only.

7Gr offers high quality coffee and - in contrast to a lot of other companies - really appreciates good design. I want to especially point out their delicious variants of ESE pods, which are from my point of view an easy and convenient way to enjoy a perfect coffee experience.

The pods are available in three different flavors and each of them can be recommended wholeheartedly. Also beans and ground formats are available.

PEOPLE
Our favorit! A Grand Cru of high-quality Arabica and Robusta beans from Brazil, India and Ethiopia. Complete and full taste, not too strong and not too weak, hints of cocoa... simpy a perfect mixture.

TIME
A selection of fine Arabica from Brazil, Colombia and Ethiopia. Round taste, maybe a bit stronger than PEOPLE, smooth texture... very enjoyable.

ALWAYS
This is the decaffeinated pod, which despite the lack of coffein tastes very compact, smooth and convinving.

If you are looking for great coffee presented with style you should check out 7Gr. Beside coffee they also produce other fine stuff as cups, cookies or liquor - maybe I will write about these sometime in the future as well.

From the producer:  A SIGN OF IDENTITY.

Our name is our pledge.
A pledge that we fulfill by following a path made of passion, of course, and of substance, too.

You need 7 grams of finely ground coffee to make a perfect espresso. Not a gram more, nor less.

Our brand fully reflects our philosophy, starting from the value we place on every moment that preceeds the extraction of those 25 ml of pure flavour and aroma which end up in our coffee cup. A rigorous process in which everything has its “weight” and any decision regarding it will make a difference.

You can buy 7Gr products @ Kaffeezentrale.de

7Gr.it
r
*

Sherlock

"Sherlock" is a new TV series which is based on the well-known characters Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson - but is transferred to our time. The stories (criminal cases) are exciting, deep, modern and develop quick. Also the filming fits the setting and the episodes come with impressive pictures of London and with adequate timing of the cuts. Highly recommendable - the series also got lots of good critics!

The first season contains three episodes, the DVD/Bluray package comes as usual with bonus material and also with an unaired pilot. At the moment season 2 is in production and should be available sometime 2012.

From the producer: Co-created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, Sherlock stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the new Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as his loyal friend, Doctor John Watson. Rupert Graves plays Inspector Lestrade.

The iconic details from Conan Doyle's original books remain – they live at the same address of 221b Baker Street, have the same names and, somewhere out there, Moriarty is waiting for them.

Steven Moffat says: "Conan Doyle's stories were never about frock coats and gas light; they're about brilliant detection, dreadful villains and blood-curdling crimes – and frankly, to hell with the crinoline. Other detectives have cases, Sherlock Holmes has adventures, and that's what matters."

Studio: Polyband
r
*

Carrera - Motorsports at Home

"Fernando Alonso vs. Sebastian Vettel" - This exciting and challenging duel can be experienced again and again at YOUR home with this awesome Slot Car Racing Set from Carrera.

I still can remember my childhood where I also owned such a racing track - and had lots of fun with it, together with my brother and my dad. But to be honest I was overwhelmed when I opened the new Carrera Box at about twenty five years later, together with my son this time. It was a pleasure to set-up the track together, and then: to experience the first drive. Simply stunning!! The cars look great and drive at amazing speed around the track. It's great fun to find out at which position you have to chose which speed and to fight against the other driver for the final victory.

Strongly recommended for the WHOLE family!!

From the producer: The small scale for small drivers. GO!!! is the first track and car system for many people and the 1:43 scale set-up has now been exciting new Carrera fans, their fathers and grandfathers for a full 10 years. In this anniversary year GO!!! is introducing new Disney/Pixar ‘Cars 2’ and Spongebob cars, as well as several exclusively licensed reproductions and spectacular action features. Of course, the old familiar Nintendo models will also be available. All basic sets are equipped with turbo power control sets and are a guarantee for great racing enjoyment for kids of six years upwards with add-ons such as loop kits, crossovers and junctions, flyovers and high bends

In 2011 even the smallest Carrera fan can look forward to lane-change bends, single track sections and see-saw, all of which require drivers to exhibit a great degree of care and precision with the hand-held control set. For even more home circuit gaming thrills there are mechanical points kits, looping sets and a special jump..

Producer: Carrera

You can buy this great Carrera Slot Car Racing Set either online or at your favorite toy shop!
r
*

Hornig Cialde Espressomaker

I really like coffee.

Luckily I hade the chance to taste wonderful coffee lately - made by the fine Pod Espressomaker from Hornig (a company pretty well-known for high quality coffee products). I wasn't impressed only by the espresso itself, but also by the great open standard coffee-system called ESE (Easy Serving Espresso Pods). With those single-serve pods you can choose out of many different roasters and blends, which are also priced very differently. A flexible system to perfectly meet your personal needs.

The technique of the pod machine (18 bar) and the solid construction guarantees near-barista quality - and you should definitely give it a try. Especially recommended with the five different Hornig blends (espresso, melange, bio fair traide, decoffeinated, premium/consul). A couple of sample pods of each blend are included in the package, to make sure that you can enjoy your first espresso within minutes.

Enjoy your coffee with ease and in minimum time, with a massive and high quality machine which produces espresso in a professional manner.

Thanks to its soft and refined lines that have been inspired by 60's design, Podstar fits in small offices and meeting rooms, but it is also at home on kitchen worktops.



Features
Power consumption: 1.200W, 230V - 50 Hz
Functions: coffee, hot water, steam
Pump: max. 20 bar
Water tank: 1,5lt

You can buy this fine product online at hornig.at!


Information about Easy Serving Espresso Pods (ESE) at Wikipedia
r
*

TS Adventure Binoculars

If you ever wanted to watch animals more closely when going hiking or wanted to have a better and more detailed view of the beautiful landscape around you, you should definitely think about getting a binocular.

It can be used for a lot of other occasions as well of course, e.g. For going sailing or even for watching the stars.

When it comes to a certain model I can really recommend the TS Optics Adventure 8x42. Not only because it is pretty light-weighted, but also because of the high manufacturing quality - I was really impressed by the optical results of the first animal observations I did. Last but not least the cost-benefit-ratio is very attractive.

TS Optics Adventure 8x42

The TS Adventure line of binoculars is made as the ideal companion for nature observers, birdwatchers, hikers and all other users looking for robust binoculars with a very high optical and mechanical quality at an affordable price. Other binoculars with this quality often cost twice as much and even much more than that!

The broadband multicoating and of course the premium-grade lenses used for these top-of-the-line binoculars offer a bright and crisp image that is otherwise extremely rare in this price range.
Demanding birdwatchers will enjoy the Adventure binoculars every bit as much as nature observers or amateur astronomers. Image sharpness is excellent both in the center of the field as well as at the edge.

TS Adventure 8x42 binoculars offers particularly bright views even under dark lighting conditions, e.g. in a forest. This, coupled with its excellent image quality, makes the binoculars ideal for hunters, birdwatchers, amateur astronomers and hikers.

Features:
- Waterproof down to 1.5m
- Nitrogen filled
- Fully Multicoated Lenses and Prisms
- Phase-corrected optics
- BaK-4 Prisms
- Comfortable Eye Relief: 17.5mm
- Diopter Adjustment



You can order this fine product at teleskop-express.de!
r
*

Bluray: Wild China & Yellowstone Park

Lately I had the pleasure to experience Blu-ray - this time with the appropriate equipment, that is a HTPC, Full-HD LCD TV, AV-Receiver and high-quality speakers. To be honest, it was stunning.

Both documentaries mentioned below are great - not only in terms of audio/video quality, but also when it comes to the content. It's very interesting to learn about the Chinese culture and history (on two Blu-ray discs) and not less fascinating to get to know the "Yellowstone National Park" without leaving your couch. And all of this with amazing pictures of beautiful spots.

Maybe you will get hooked, too.

From the publisher (Wild China): The amazing scenery and wildlife of China have always been closed to the prying cameras of Natural History filmmakers – until now. Given unprecedented access to this vast country, the renowned BBC Natural History Unit has produced a series full of breathtaking footage and amazing discoveries.

From the publisher (Yellowstone): Larger than some American states, Yellowstone National Park is one of the world’s last and most spectacular wildernesses. It is also home to some of the richest wildlife beyond the plains of Africa. Follow the fortunes of America’s wildlife icons as they face the challenges of one of the most extraordinary wildernesses on Earth in this three part natural history spectacular released on DVD from 23rd March.

Studio: Polyband
r
*

Cloer 6320 - Toaster/Grill

If you like grilling on fine plates (meat, fish, vegetables,...) as well as preparing delicious waffles on your own, you should have a look at this comfortable griller from Cloer.

Not only the design is straight-forward and elegant, also the griller is easy to handle and it can be used for a lot of different purposes. The plates heat up pretty fast, but the grip always stays cool as it is insulated.

I tried simple cheese toast as well as fish - and both dishes worked out really fine. You can remove the plates pretty easy and so I also used the waffle plates, and the result was more then great. No sticking of the dough, good handling of the toaster and perfect consistency of the waffles. Delicious!!

A fine and multi-purpose appliance with fast and simple usage. Recommended.

- Fast and easy-to-use toaster/grill
- Nonstick cooking surface
- Compact
- Different plates
- Elegant and modern design (stainless steel)

The Cloer company began manufacturing electric irons in Germany in 1898. In the early 1900's they designed and marketed the first waffle iron. They have continued expand their brand with other electric kitchen appliances, survived two world wars, and grew to market to all of Europe from their manufacturing warehouse in Germany. They are well known for the durability and style of their electric kitchen appliances and truly create art for the kitchen. In order to remain competitive the Cloer company recently purchased Asian factories and hired their own Asian management to work under German engineers to competitively produce their high quality Cloer brand electric kitchen appliances.


Homepage: cloer.de

You can buy the series here: amazon.de
r
*

Nature wonders of earth

The DVD package (2 discs) "Natural wonders of earth" contains six episodes of high quality films about the most beautiful spots on earth. Beside Alaska, Hawai and the Sahara, also the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon are featured. Not only the pictures are stunning, also a lot of interesting information about the formation of earth is presented to the viewer. The canadian extreme athlete Will Glad flys with a paraglider over Hawaian volcanos, skies in snow-covered mountains and climbes the sheer rock walls of the Grand Canyon. Great entertainment!

Studio: Polyband (German)

Buy "Nature wonders of the earth" online @ amazon.de
r
*

Celestron Telescope

If you always wanted to start watching the stars sometime, and if the wish to become a hobby-astronomer steadily grows - you should definitely have a look at this fine telescope. The Celestron Powerseeker 80EQ is a great opportunity for beginners to get a high quality telescope with a lot of features for a pretty good price - a lot of value for the money spent. It comes with a well-written manual and a lot of accessory - and the handling is quite easy. I was really, really impressed when watching celestial objects, including some deep-sky star clusters and galaxies. At the beginning it is a little bit tricky to orient oneself in the huge sky and really find the object you are searching for - but after some time it works out, and then you (and maybe your whole family) will spend nights watching and watching and watching.... the stars.

From the producer: Amateur astronomy is a great family hobby that can be enjoyed year round, and Celestron’s PowerSeekers are the ideal choice for families looking for an affordable and high quality telescope that will provide many hours of enjoyment for children and adults alike.

PowerSeekers are quick and easy to set up – even for the novice. No tools are required for assembly!

Their sturdy equatorial mounts are perfect for tracking objects in the night sky, and the collapsible alt-azimuth mounts are perfectly suited for terrestrial (land) viewing as well as astronomical use.

All of Celestron’s PowerSeekers include a full range of eyepieces plus a 3x Barlow lens that provides an increase in viewing power hundreds of times greater than that of the unaided eye!

General Features
- Quick and easy no-tool setup
- Slow motion controls for smooth tracking
- Erect image optics - Ideal for terrestrial and astronomical use
- Fully coated glass optical components with high transmission coatings for enhanced image brightness and clarity
- 3x Barlow lens triples the magnifying power of each eyepiece


Producer: Celestron

You can order this fine product at teleskop-express.de!

To make yourself familiar with all the different objects in the sky (and their position), I would recommend "Stellarium".

Stellarium is a free open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. It is being used in planetarium projectors. Just set your coordinates and go.

You can download Stellarium here.
r
*

Measuring the World

This audio book tells the truly amazing story of two of the greatest scientists of the 18th/19th century - Carl Friedrich Gauss and Alexander von Humboldt. Daniel Kehlmann manages to write about their opposing way of doing research in parallel and in a very entertaining manner - Humboldt travels around the world to measure it, Gauss measures the world in his head. This seemingly contradiction makes this book so special, beside the valueable information about the discoveries of these great men. This audiobook can be recommended without reservation.

Loosely based on the lives of 19th-century explorer Alexander von Humboldt and a contemporary, mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss, Kehlmann's novel, a German bestseller widely heralded as an exemplar of "new" German fiction, injects musty history with shots of whimsy and irony.

Humboldt voyages to South America to map the Orinoco River, climb the Chimborazo peak in Ecuador and measure "every river, every mountain and every lake in his path." Gauss is the hedgehog to Humboldt's fox, leaping out of bed on his wedding night to jot down a formula and rarely leaving his hometown of Göttingen. The two meet at a scientific congress in 1828, when Germany is in turmoil after the fall of Napoleon. Other luminaries appear throughout the novel, including a senile Immanuel Kant, Louis Daguerre and Thomas Jefferson.

The narrative is notable for its brisk pacing, lively prose and wry humor (curmudgeonly Gauss laments, for instance, how "every idiot would be able to... invent the most complete nonsense" about him 200 years hence), which keenly complements Kehlmann's intelligent, if not especially deep, treatment of science, mathematics and reason at the end of the Enlightenment. [amazon.com]


author: daniel kehlmann
publisher: universal music (audiobook in german)
r
*

Jamie At Home - Vol. 1 & 2

I was not sure how much I will like this new DVD series by Jamie Oliver - but I ended up loving it. The fact I like most is that he focuses on the whole process of cooking. This means starting with growing fresh vegetables in the garden and using this high-quality ingredients for rather quick and delicious dishes. A big success is the selfmade tomato ketchup - we already gave this recipe a try at home, and it tasted awesome.

From the producer: Jamie Oliver goes back to his roots for a mouth-watering new series filmed at his Essex home. The chef has spent the last five years tackling school dinners and youth unemployment, so it's a treat to have him back cooking great recipes using ingredients straight from his own garden. From perfect potatoes to superb strawberries, and from tasty tomatoes to fresh pizza toppings, the 12-part series is a straightforward guide to getting the best from mother nature.

With the help of gardener Brian, Jamie has transformed the garden of his Essex house, and discovered a passion for growing his own produce. Now he wants to show just how easy it is to cultivate amazing fruit and vegetables at home. Even if you only have a balcony or back yard, Jamie shows how to grow fantastic veg and fruit and turn it into simple, tasty and delicious food. Packed with dozens of new step-by-step recipes, Jamie at Home is enough to get any cook's green fingers itching.

There are already two volumes of this fine production available.

Studio: Polyband
r
*

PicooZ TandemZ-1 Helicopter

If you liked radio controlled cars when you where young, you will love this RC helicopter. It's amazing how resistant it is - because during the phase of learning how to control it you will experience a couple of crashes for sure. Nevertheless you get used to fly this little helicopter after a couple of tries and it is really great fun. It also challenging to steadily improve your skills and pass more and more of your self-defined "missions". The set comes ready-to-fly and needs no further assembling, so you can already start with your new hobby after a charging time of 20-30 minutes.

You are looking at the world first mini chopper packed with twin rotor design, the Tandem-Z. 3 Channel helicopter (only 25 grams!). It is made from light foam material to withstand light collisions. This mini helicopter is packed with break through technology! It has twins rotor blade located at the front & rear end, when the two blades start to spin, it creates a sophisticated gyroscopic effect that makes the helicopter hover stably or to move in forward, backward, left and right direction. You must read the instruction very carefully to fully understand the myth of controlling this helicopter. Although the Tandem is too titchy to carry troops or heavy artillery, it's more than capable of lifting your spirits (groan!) as it aka-aka-aka's around the room. And that's no surprise because this is the world's first twin-rotor micro chopper. It's more fun than a Sea Knight load of fun things from Funville. [Amazon.com]

Product Features
* 6 ways direction movement: Forward, left, right, up, down and hovering
* Innovative gyroscopic rotor blade design & 3 Channels Digital Control
* Easy to operate, suitable for children 15 years old or above
* Made by foam material, can withstand light collision against wall while test flying
* Built in LED front lamp at the front for night time flying - Ideal for indoor flying


Homepage: silverlit.de or silverlit.com

Silit Elements

If you like cooking - and if you are looking for the perfect utensils, please check out the cooking series Silit Elements. This series is stunning not only in terms of design and functionality, also the quality is outstanding. Find additional details enclosed...

Pure cooking enjoyment
Elements is versatile and flexible. The system elements are all completely compatible amd create totally new healthful possibilities for preparing foods. Various pots, inserts and lids all match perfectly and can be combined for different uses.

Simply practical
Elements is not only ideal for cooking, but also for serving and storing foods, for example in well-designed cook'n serve bowls. Elements is made of ultra-hard, extremely robust and anti-bacterial high-tech ceramic Silargan. With the cook'n serve bowls you can directly freeze in.

Ingeniously designed
The multifunction lid fits perfectly and is ideal for water-reduced cooking. It can be rested on the sides of the pots - table and stove stay clean. All system elements can be stacked to save space.


ELEMENTS is a well-designed comprehensive system. The perfect combinability of the individual elements guarantees versatility and the material ensures healthful dining pleasure. Whoever opts for ELEMENTS experiences first-class technology by Silit in its most attractive form.

Material: Silargan
Design: Liora Reich & Barro de Gast
Awards: reddot Design award 2005

Homepage: Silit.de

You can buy the series here: 1A-Neuware.de
r
*

Planet Earth

The first part of this great series covers mountains, caves, shallow seas and deserts - and has been produced in top quality, as known from several previous BBC documentaries. The pictures are amazing and you will be rendered speechless, believe me. Each episode focuses on a certain region, with the goal of covering the whole planet with the full series. From my point of view this is a very impressive advice to take care of our planet (without addressing this topic directly or in an aggressive and demanding way, as known from several other productions). If you like documentaries, especially about nature and wildlife, this series is definitely a must-have - and if you don't like documentaries you should get it as well...

From the makers of The Blue Planet: Seas of Life with an unprecedented production budget of $25 million comes the epic story of life on Earth. Five years in production over 2000 days in the field using 40 cameramen filming across 200 locations shot entirely in high definition this is the ultimate portrait of our planet. A stunning television experience that captures rare action impossible locations and intimate moments with our planet's best-loved wildest and most elusive creatures. From the highest mountains to the deepest rivers this blockbuster series takes you on an unforgettable journey through the daily struggle for survival in Earth's most extreme habitats. Planet Earth takes you to places you have never seen before to experience sights and sounds you may never experience anywhere else.

Director: Alastair Fothergill
Studio: Polyband
r
*

Twin Peaks - Gold Box Edition

Twin Peaks is one of my favorite TV series - I like not only the plot and its tension, but also the dark and mysterious mood which has been created by David Lynch is in my opinion unrivaled. Also the actors have done a great job, and most of them became famous after being part of Twin Peaks. The experience when watching it enfolds "like a beautiful dream and terrible nightmare all at once", to speak in a character's words. The extra features on this Gold Box Edition (which includes both seasons and the long-awaited pilot) intend to draw you into the milieu surrounding the world of the story and you will find a making-of the series (and the sound) as well as a Special about David Lynch, some ads and some printed postcards. Simply well done, get it!!

* All 29 Episodes plus the Original Pilot
* Brilliantly Remastered Picture
* Deleted Scenes
* Exclusive documentary - exploring the show's origins, production and impact
* 'A Slice of Lynch'
* The complete Log Lady Introductions
* Interactive Map of the show's unforgettable locations
* And many Golden Nuggets: On-Air promos, TV spots, postcards and more!

Director: David Lynch
Number of discs: 10
Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment

samorost 2

a wonderful flash game by jakub dvorský of amanita design. samorost 2 is an adventure game full of clicky puzzles, also with great and arty graphics and a beautiful soundtrack.

each level in samorost 2 contains puzzles that must be solved to go on through the adventure. a puzzle usually consists of clicking on an object to activate or on a creature to perform an action. there are no dialogues or innventory, you move your character through the game just by clicking. the first chapter is free, the second chapter costs a couple of dollars. great entertainment - and rightly nominated for "best web browser game" at the independent game festival 2007.

hardcore zen

"Life isn't what we want it to be; because it isn't, we're unhappy; when we decide it doesn't have to be, we become happy; and to help us make that decision, we should get plenty of sleep and eat a good breakfast every day."

I love Zen Books. But especially this one, which tells the story of a punk rock guy who becomes a zen master. It is about reality - and just about reality. Not about living in an abstract astral sphere or about a quick ten-steps-to-enlightenment Zen. The book is funny, interesting and will change your life - and will get yout to sit (again). His second book, "Sit down and shut up", should be available at the end of april. And I'm really looking forward to that one.
You can find further writings by Brad Warner in his blog - http://www.hardcorezen.blogspot.com/

This is not your typical "Zen" book. Brad Warner, the young punk who grew up to be a Zen master, spares no one - just like Reality itself. This bold new approach to the Why of Zen Buddhism is as strongly grounded in the tradition of Zen as it is utterly revolutionary: Warner's voice is hilarious, and he calls on the wisdom of everyone from punk and pop culture icons a to the Buddha himself to make sure his points come through loud and clear.
The subtitle (and the cover!) say it all: there has never been a book like this one.

twin peaks

A masterpiece by David Lynch. One of the greatest tv-series' I've ever seen... unfortunately just season one for now. But as season two is out now, I hopefully will feature it here soon.

One of the most influential TV shows of the 1990s, Twin Peaks has lost none of its quirky and queasy power to get under your skin and haunt your dreams. Without its groundbreaking mix of convoluted plotting, complex character interactions, surreal fantasy sequences and a continuous story arc, we would probably not have had The X-Files, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under or even The League of Gentlemen. So brew up a pot of some "damn fine coffee", dig into some cherry pie, and lose yourself in David Lynch and Mark Frost's murder mystery-soap opera, which unfolds, in one character's words, "like a beautiful dream and terrible nightmare all at once".

eyes wide shut

Ingenious film-adaption of Mr. Schnitzler's "Traumnovelle" - done by Mr. Kubrick. Just 9,89 EUR now!!!

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Starring: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman Director: Stanley Kubrick

nintendo wii

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! - At the moment I go to work at daytime and try to save Hyrule at night.... and it's great!!

Nintendo's Wii video game system (pronounced "we") is designed to attract people.

The real revolution in this system, is its controller, called the Wii Remote. Racing-game steering and a tennis swing, for example, are done through movements of your hand rather than by just your thumbs.

Each Wii will come with a game compilation called "Wii Sports," including tennis, golf, baseball and bowling games, that will show off the console's intuitive new controller. In addition to this you should order The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess as soon as possible. In my opinion one of the best "Zelda's" so far, very straight forward, not too easy, not too tough, great storyline, ...

Wii also offers superb backward compatibility -- GameCube discs, and select Nintendo titles from the original NES of the 1980s all the way through the Nintendo 64.

A number of Wi-Fi-enabled titles are in development that will employ Nintendo's newly-announced wireless gaming service, WiiConnect24. And as you would expect, Wii will be able to communicate with the Nintendo DS mobile gaming system wirelessly.