"excuse me, sir, but would you happen to have the position of the moon?"

WIWI: It tells time. It has two faces. It shows the movement of the stars. It shows the orbit and phase of the moon. It compensates for annoying forces like gravity that affect the accuracy of lesser watches. It has no battery. Only 2 are made each year. It is totally ridiculous.

The Patek Philippe Sky-Moon Tourbillon may quite possibly be the most complicated (and therefore desirable) watch currently in existence. In addition to an absurd sounding name - (I had to wiki "tourbillon" to find out that it refers to a "mechanical watch escapement that counters the effects of gravity and other perturbing forces that affect the accuracy of a chronometer." Now all I have to do is wiki "escapement") - this manually-wound stack of gears, springs and levers also manages to contain a perpetual calendar with a retrograde date display, a minute-repeater, accurately depict the motion of the nocturnal sky relative to where you are, show the position and phase of the moon, display the lunar as well as the sidereal time (that is, the time as measured by the diurnal motion of the vernal equinox - wiki that) - and have a gong. Yes, a gong. According to the company, more than 25 trillion gear-ratio combinations were computed before arriving at the one that achieves the smallest error for all of the displays. As a result, the lunar time is accurate within 38.5 seconds per century, the sidereal time to within 33.8 seconds per century, and the moon phase to within 6.51 seconds per lunation.

What time is it? Who cares?

$620,000

impractical, or not?

WIWI: they look pretty. basically, that's it. looks as if they're partially advertised as fitting on a round plate, but seems to me that straight ones didn't have that problem in the first place. usually cute things like this work like crap, but you never know until you try. i would also need a grill to find any use for these. who broils? really.


Now your grilled and broiled kebabs can fit perfectly on your barbecue plates with these curved steel skewers. The 15'' long skewers curl into an 8'' circle.
$9.95

sushi sushi sushi

WIWI: DIY sushi. however, i won't be getting the fish itself. i read somewhere that if raw fish isn't properly cut and handled, you could get really sick. no thanks. also, i don't really need to be rich to buy this, but i do think i'll need to be rich to take off enough time from work to roll sushi myself. or pay someone to do it.


Sushi Chef Sushi-Making Kit: If you’ve ever watched a professional sushi chef at work, the idea of making sushi yourself might seem somewhat daunting. But more and more of us have been putting aside this apprehension in an urge to create some favorite sushi combinations at home. This well-equipped Sushi Making Kit provides the essentials for satisfying that sushi craving.
$35.95

first i need to start buying and reading books

WIWI: but this is an ingenius idea. i would want it retrofitted to fit magazines and newspapers, but we can't have it all.


La Bibliochaise Home is water varnished in white, black or aubergine, also available in others colors upon request.
Cotton cushions with removable covers in a wide range of colours. Contains 5 metres of books.
no price, but looks expensive.

if i were rich, i probably would have a dishwasher

WIWI: depending on how often you hand wash dishes, this might actually be worth it to get. if adjusted correctly, it could pay for itself by saving you on dish soap. then again, that's a lot of dish soap. plus i like the color red they use in this pic. pretty.


The Simplehuman Sensor Soap Pump dispenses soap touch-free to help avoid cross-contamination. Simply place your hand under the sensor to dispense soap automatically. An optional LED light timer blinks for 20 seconds to indicate how long to lather for germ-free hands. Four volume settings allow the pump to dispense preset amounts of soap or lotion. Use the continuous dispensing button to dispense soap directly on pots and pans for dishwashing.
$39.99

i don't even like sweets

WIWI: homemade whipped cream is incredible, especially since you can adjust the sweetness of the cream. i wonder if you can add cocoa powder to make chocolate whipped cream. possibilities are endless


Add the ISI Stainless Steel Gourmet Non-Aerosol Whipper to your list of kitchen must-haves. Quickly and easily turn whipping cream into delicious dessert toppings with very little effort. It comes with several attachments, and a bottle brush type cleaner to help make clean up a snap. And because it's non-aerosol, it's good for the environment.
$120

When the Finger won't do...give 'em the Digit

WIWI: I've found that as effective as hand gestures are at communicating with other drivers when you're on the road, they have their limitations. I can't count how many times my "thanks!" wave has been mistaken for the "I've been a bonehead" slap on the head. And, they don't work very well at night.

This LED emoticon from ThinkGeek.com may be the perfect solution. You can tell this thing to flash a happy face or a sad face to the driver behind you, as well as to say "Thanks," "Back Off," and "Idiot." If only you could hack it to customize the messages.

ThinkGeek does note that it may not be legal in all states (Sorry, Tennessee!!!). I suspect mine (Minnesota) is one in which this might be contraband.

it sucks!

WIWI: yes, i'm literally drooling over a vacuum, but i like my stuff clean. especially since my hair falls out at an insane rate (TMI?), the dust bunnies in my place are actually beginning to look like bunnies, and i essentially occupy a 17x12 foot space.


The Dyson Stowaway has Root Cyclone technology, wraps to store away, with a motorized Brushbar.
$499.99

functional decorating is fab

WIWI: i hate hate hate dealing with wiring. messy and ugly and the whole chance of electrocution is offputting. but wires this pretty might make a good sound system project worth it.


FlatWire is thinner than a business card and yet flexible enough to bend to any angle required for a customized installation. This technology has the same or better performance as conventional wiring.
And most uniquely, when FlatWire is installed correctly, it becomes virtually INVISIBLE.
FlatWire will forever change the way we think about wiring, decorating, redecorating and even new construction. We no longer have to compromise our vision of a room based on the location of outlets or how easily we can move them.
25 ft of 18 gauge wire: $37.25

how college dorm, but expensive

WIWI: i sometimes have separation anxiety when it comes to my clothes. i'm not sure if it'd be worth it to get this chair, plus imagine all the lint that would be flying off the frayed fabric edges, but the real question is whether i can get a matching ottoman.


The Droog Rag Chair by Tejo Remy is layered from the contents of 15 bags of rags. It arrives ready made but the user has the option to recycle their own discarded clothers to be included in the design. Each piece is unique, but it can also become a treasured chest of memories. Rags, metal strips. 60 x 60 x 100cm. Ships in 8 to 12 weeks.
$3,325

it fixes everything in style

WIWI: there was a time when silver duct tape in and of itself was really trendy. people made clothes and shoes and bags out of it. for this snazzy version, red and green are OK, but i would be all over this stuff if they had the bright yellow plaid. i know it has a name, but it's escaping me right now. beautiful.


With so many uses, this economical "sportsman's repair kit" (aka L.L. Bean Maine Guide Duct Tape, Plaid) will be the first thing you put in your hunting pack. Comes in handy for everything from patching equipment to removing dog hair from truck seats. Exclusive traditional plaid print.
2"W, 30 yd. Set of two rolls. USA.
$9.50

now you can rub your feet into furry carpet all you want

WIWI: i'm not sure why it would need to light up when static is detected since it should just be eliminating it anyway, but if i had it, i'd definitely carry it around everywhere and use it before i touched anything. i wonder what kind of battery it takes (or does it run of static electricity?) clearly i have no idea how this sort of thing works.


The Resitec Earthing Static is a tiny key holder with static discharger. It:
Eliminates shock
Lights up when static is detected
H: 57mm x W:7mm x D:7mm
$14

rent in dc is outrageous

WIWI: at least it's not made out of cardboard. but seriously, this is amazing. even though i'm not in love with retro/modern rounded edges, the concept is incredible. i wouldn't suggest this for sleep walkers, though.



The Loftcube
Body: Personalised mobile home with customised design of the four window spaces.
Interior: Modular structure for customised partitioning via wall panels and functional panels.
Construction: Custom-made, hot-dip galvanized steel/timber frame construction with glass windows and high-gloss, glass-reinforced plastic-clips.

large version with bathroom and kitchen:
$180,000

and while we're on the cooking theme...

WIWI: Rediculously heavy, shiny and complicated. Do they cook food any better than pans that cost a thousand dollars less? Probably not. Hey, did I mention they're shiny?

All-Clad Copper Core cookware features five (count 'em) five-ply construction with a pure copper pot or pan sandwiched between two layers of aluminum, sandwiched again between two layers of stainless steel. Mmm...sandwich.
$1999.95

they also make phones

WIWI: mostly i want this knife because it's ceramic and beautiful and ergonomic. i've been looking for a knife for when i move, something that will make me love cooking even more, but i'll probably be looking at a decent $20 version.


This all new Kyocera 7" Professional Chef's Knife is part of the new Revolution series and works great for slicing fruits, vegetables and boneless meats. Zirconium oxide blades stay razor sharp at least 10 times longer than traditional cutlery. Ceramic blades will never rust or change from its natural state. It is totally impervious to acids, juices, oils, salts or other elements. As a result, it will never alter the taste, smell or appearance of food.
$89.95

why build it when you can buy an overpriced version?

WIWI: because it looks 100 times cooler than a shitty whiteboard or corkboard. and it reminds me of all the futuristic boardrooms that have huge windowpanes that serve as display boards, even though it makes no sense since it'd be near impossible to read if there wasn't a plain background behind the glass. that's what the future is for.


Pottery Barn's Framed Frosted Glass is a stylish alternative to the typical whiteboard, our sheet of frosted green glass is banded with a sleek frame.
$129

plowing snow is SO uncivilized

WIWI: Your tools are neither cute, nor sentient enough.

Yuki-Taro is an autonomous snowplow robot with a GPS brain and camera eyes (yes, its eyes are functional). Yuki doesn't simply push snow around like you would with your primitive shovel or snowblower; nay, it actually finds snow to eat, compresses the powdery substance into convenient rectangular blocks in its body, and poops them out the back so its ape-like master can come pick the blocks up later for easy disposal or alternate uses such as cooling or refrigeration.
~$8,300

make work suck less

WIWI: You sit in the same chair for 40 hours every week until you're too old to enjoy life. Might as well make it a good one.


The Humanscale Freedom is a 160-pound office chair that automatically counterbalances your weight, supports your neck and contours to every minutae of your body as you sit, move and recline without the use of a single knob, motor, lock or lever. Because the headrest automatically moves forward to cradle your head as you lean backwards, you can kick back and still get that TPS report done. Unless, of course, you didn't get the memo.
$1,350

stepping on a pedal is just too much work

WIWI: forget that plastic garbage that calls itself a waste receptacle (pun intended). anything robotic is better than its non-AI counterpart.


Eliminate cross-contamination with touch-free operation. The lid of the SimpleHuman sensor trash can opens automatically when you place your foot in the sensor zone at the base.
$200

monk-y beer

WIWI: monks + belgium + beer = delicious and complex


Brew Like a Monk: Trappist, Abbey, and Strong Belgian Ales and How to Brew Them
$18

forecast: cloudy skies and raw vegetables for dinner

WIWI: the thing is beautiful and shiny. environmentally friendly too. i can't see how it could work well, but i def want to try.


The Solar-Grill has a flexible mirror, which focuses the sun beams on the barbecue cup allowing it to heat up.
$240

because cooking is basically a science experiment

WIWI: measuring cups are usually boring, which is THE reason why i don't use them. maybe with this i'll start treasuring accuracy from now on


Just like cooking, this mod blue beaker is a little bit art, a little bit science. Lab-beaker styling with a deep spout and multiple calibrated measurements, in a cool blue shade of heavy-duty plastic.
$5

tea is good for you

WIWI: the french press of tea. is that a leather case too?


The Eva Solo Tea Brewer Gift Set with Tumblers would make the perfect gift either for friends, family, or even yourself! The tea brewer is unique in that in can brew tea in two different ways. You can allow the tea leaves to float freely in the water and then the filter retains the leaves when you pour your tea into the mouth-blown glass tumblers. Alternatively, you can put the tea leaves in the filter and once the tea has brewed for long enough, fully depress the plunger.
$90