Have Country Clubs Gone to the Dogs?

Forget the dog park and the beach, dog owners in Lala have a new option called The Club - Beverly Hills. Yes, that's right, a country club for dogs.

The amenities include, but are not limited to: yoga, aromatherapy, massages, personalized bedding, jacuzzi soaks and personal portraits. A one-day stay is about $270, not including overnight accommodations. Lucky for you, there's a 50% discount on Gilt City right now. (insert sarcasm here)

I have enough trouble coughing up money for pet deposits and pet rent, forget about a doggy country club membership. It's bad enough that the dog doesn't have a job to pay for his portion of the rent, but now he gets a country club membership, too? I'm amazed that there's a market for this. Probably the same people who purchase the Doggy Mansions. Mind you, this is coming from someone who is utterly obsessed with her dog.

Adorable, right?

One thing's for sure, there's a growing supply of high-end goods and services for pets. Although I'm not in the market for said goods and services, I can't wait to see what's next.

Crazy HOAs

I'll admit, I'm at a point in my life where I really envy people who own their homes and no longer have to pay rent. I often find myself watching hours and hours of HGTV's House Hunters, fantasizing about the day when I can hunt for a house of my very own.

Then reality hits and I'm reminded of how crazy some homeowner associations can be. This list contains some of the most ridiculous and unreasonable rules that I've ever seen.

If I had to remember to carry my dog every time that I had him in common areas, I'd probably rack up a nice little bill to the HOA, too. Unbelievable. I'm grateful for this article because it reminds me that owning a home isn't all it's cracked up to be.

The Future of Advertising

Ever since the movie Minority Report came out, I've been anxiously awaiting the day when advertising billboards would specifically address me by name with a customized message.



Okay, so this scene does seem overwhelming, but it is definitely kind of cool. You have to remember, I'm looking at this from a media buyer's perspective.

Fast Company recently published a story about Iris Scanners and I think the above movie clip is what most consumers may be afraid of after reading the article. I envision it being more subtle and personalized. Rather than the ads simply mentioning your name, they will be relevant to what you need and want in the near future. It would be like having ads shown to you which correlate to items on your "to do" list. Billboard and internet ads will serve as little reminders throughout the day instead of invasive distractions.

One thing mentioned in the Fast Company article that I disagree with is that fraud will be "eradicated". That's an unrealistic expectation. I mean, didn't they see this scene from Minority Report?



All I know is that I'll be one of the first people to opt-in. I hate carrying around a wallet and cash. I foresee a decline in purse and wallet sales. Come to think of it, I wonder if the iris scans work while wearing sunglasses.

Freakonomics Documentary

I don't think I've ever been so excited to see a documentary. For those of you who haven't read Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner, the book is centered around "the hidden side of everything". Levitt & Dubner compare extremely different things and illustrate, by way of economics, how they are strikingly similar. For example, sumo wrestlers are compared to school teachers and the KKK is compared to a group of real-estate agents.

Seeing the trailer makes me want to read the book again. This documentary and book will be mandatory for my kids one day.

Inception and Duck Tales

After seeing the Inception trailer for the first time, I remember being confused and moderately intrigued. Now that I've actually seen the movie, I feel that the trailer does it no justice.



There were so many things I loved about Inception. It had a great cast, an intricate story and phenomenal imagery. I left the theater thinking that Christopher Nolan was pretty amazing. Taking all of that into account, I was very surprised when I started to hear rumors about Inception being a rip-off from an old Duck Tales comic.

The comic is called "Uncle Scrooge in the Dream of a Lifetime". I believe Video Gum broke the story with this post. Since then, the web has exploded with information regarding the similarities between the latest summer hit and my favorite cartoon.

The comic in its entirety can be found here. Of course, I had to read the comic in order to form my own opinion and I agree that there are some obvious similarities. Basically, the Beagle Boys are attempting to rob Uncle Scrooge yet again. This time they decide to use one of Gyro's new inventions to invade Uncle Scrooge's dreams and steal the combination to his safe.

Here's an excerpt that I found to be of note:


Furthermore, if you've seen Inception, you know how important "the fall" is. Gyro discovered its importance when Donald went into Uncle Scrooge's dream to help him.

Personally, I'm not sure if I believe Christopher Nolan stole the Inception idea from Duck Tales. Either way, I still love the movie and I now appreciate the cartoon so much more.

A Tunnel Bus in China

They're calling China's latest creation the "3D Express Coach", but essentially it looks like a bus with a built-in tunnel. In order to save money and decrease traffic, China will be building a bus that can drive over cars that are no more than 2 meters high.

I don't know about you, but I would be terrified if a bus drove over me. It's scary enough having them on the road alongside me! Although I do think it's a clever way to alleviate traffic congestion, I can't help but consider some of the safety issues.

What if the bus accidentally goes over a car that's more than 2 meters high? What if there's an accident beneath the bus while it's driving over traffic? Since the "3D Express Coach" can carry between 1,200 to 1,400 passengers, it's a huge liability.

More details and pictures can be found here

A Golden Safety Net

Call me morbid, but I find it fascinating that a "suicide barrier" is going to be built 20 feet beneath the Golden Gate Bridge. On average, 30 people a year jump from this bridge, which makes it the most popular place to commit suicide in the WORLD.

The first suicide occurred a mere 3 months after the bridge was constructed in 1937. It would seem that this problem would've been addressed by now and I'm surprised that it has taken over 70 years to reach a consensus. Unfortunately, there is still a long road ahead as this barrier will cost approximately $45 million to build.

The full story can be found here