If you've ever visited Amish country, you may have immediately felt an affinity for the deeply religious community's simple way of life where a cell phone doesn't ring and an instant message never pings. And now if you want some of that austere 19th century culture adorning your humble abode, Amish furniture is now just one Internet click away.
"For centuries the Amish have been known for their high quality craftsmanship and superior woodworking abilities," the press release from onlineamishfurniture.com reads. "Due to their lifestyle, reflective of the 1800's, they do not rely on modern conveniences such as electricity, telephones or motorized vehicles."
Or personal computers we presume, in what we have to believe is one the most imaginative uses of technology outsourcing on the planet.
Seriously though, the furnishings displayed on the Web site really show off the unique Amish combination of not overly-ornate styling with rugged functionality. A great example is the Amish Mt. Eaton/Bunker Hill Plasma Entertainment Center that lets you enjoy the latest episode of Desperate Housewives housed in the handiwork of people with a "commitment to moral values and the belief in carrying on family traditions."
Not-so bad ideas
- Many chefs are super-secret when it comes what they put in their dishes, a but new restaurant in London has taken culinary concealment to a whole new level: Diners eat in total darkness.
British newspaper The Daily Telegraph says customers at Dans Le Noir (French for In The Dark) haven't the faintest idea what they are eating, and that's a good thing.The idea, based on an already successful venture in Paris — its Web site says French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has eaten-but-not-been-seen there — is that not being able to view what you're consuming enlivens your taste buds.All needs are met by eight visually-impaired waiters, which we readily admit is an innovative and enlightened use of their capabilities."It is a sensual feast," Edouard De Broglie, the restaurant's owner told the newspaper. "You are sitting by people you don't know. You don't judge them by your first sight. You talk to them more in the dark, then you find out what they look like later." And feel free to belch, you can always blame your dinner companion.
- A former sewage plant in Switzerland is moving up the food chain: An entrepreneur wants to start producing caviar there.
Fish expert Daniel Brunner has bought the facility in Baeretswil, near Zurich, and plans to import 400 Siberian sturgeon, according to the Ananova Web portal."The plant has been thoroughly cleaned, so there is no chance of contamination," Brunner says. "It should have also lost its sewage smell by the time the eggs are ready to be collected, as the fish take eight years to mature."Too bad, we thought he could charge extra for that.