Telling You What's Good

Archive for October, 2011

The Luxury Country: Switzerland – Suggestions (part 1)

It’s twice the size of New Jersey, but all other comparisons to that state are brutally unfair.  Despite its small size, figuring out what to do on a limited schedule in Switzerland can be challenging simply because EVERYTHING THERE IS SO COOL.  Do you want to go on a cheese tour (this is a real thing)? Do you want to climb serious mountains? Do you want to go sailing?  Every inch of the country is picturesque, and even small villages are worth stopping at for a drink, snack, and to take some pictures.  So if priorities have to be made, what are they?

Warning: long and very pic-heavy after the jump.

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October 20, 2011 | Categories: Switzerland, Travel | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Luxury Country: Switzerland – an Overview

On the Vierwaldstättersee

You’ve heard of luxury cars, luxury hotels, luxury watches, and all that.  Have you ever heard of a luxury country?  While the UAE might like you to think that Dubai is what I’m talking about (and much love goes out to the UAE), Switzerland is the embodiment of a luxury country.  (more…)

October 19, 2011 | Categories: Switzerland, Travel | Tags: , | Leave a comment

A Tale of Two Bars

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
for good booze flowed, but we had to face some lines.”*

For the last two-ish years, DC has been torn between two drink dens specializing in superlatively mixed craft cocktails.  They both turn out drinks unseen elsewhere in the city, if not the world, and they both have their fair share of devotees.  But the two could not be more different.  One is overly exclusive, in-your-face-with-upper-class-hipster-arrogance†, shrouded in too-low light, and with a door policy rarely seen outside Moscow nightclubs.  The other is welcoming, catering to and attracting all types – and the light is better.

They are the Gibson and the Passenger, and I favor the latter.  Here’s why:

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October 17, 2011 | Categories: Bars, Cocktails, DC, Drinks | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Killer Sound in a Small Package: Klipsch S4i Earphones

Last night a friend asked me to recommend him some good in-ear earphones, saying:
“I want WAY better than iPhone, I don’t even consider those headphones.”  And a fair point he has.  While I am an iPhone user, and my friend and I both Mac users, those white earbuds sound crappy, don’t isolate noise, requiring them to be cranked up quite high, and the control buttons are glitchy as hell.  Plus do you want to look like everyone else with that tell-tale white cable coming down from your ears?  I certainly don’t.

I happily recommended the Klipsch S4i to my friend, the product I’ve been using for about two years now.

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October 15, 2011 | Categories: Killer Stuff, Music, Technology | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Value vs. Expense (part 2 – or: How to Avoid Impulse Buys)

Link to part 1

Right so here’s the sequel.  So I’ve established that sometimes certain things cost a certain amount without many options, and should you want said thing, you’re stuck (the example I used was plane tickets).  I’ve also said previously that when you have options, it’s sometimes beneficial to go for a more expensive option.  But don’t go rushing out to drop $1000 on something that you could get for $500 and be just as good.  Here are my rules:

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October 4, 2011 | Categories: Philosophy, Value | Tags: , , | 1 Comment