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Wednesday, June 29, 2016

The Writer's Life 6/29 - Gifts

There's a new crusader in the fight against ticket-happy government hacks. Londoner Joshua Browder, 19, a student at Stanford here in the USA, has created a free online robot-lawyer that fills out legal forms. The idea came to him when he received a bunch of violations in his home town. At first he helped just family and friends. The site is now available in London and NYC. Launched just last month in the Big Apple, it has a 41% success rate. It has saved motorists three million bucks so far. I expect two things to eventually come of this: a fee, which would be justifiable as long as it's reasonable, and an effort by bureaucrats to have it banned. Hail Joshua! Here's the url: http://www.donotpay.co.uk/signup.php

Aside from the item above, I was unable to find anything fresh today, so here's the Top 10 Most Ridiculously Overpriced Gifts, culled from smashinglists.com, pared and edited by yours truly:
10. Clive Christian No 1 for Women, 50ml -- For something billed as “the world’s most expensive perfume” it’s disappointing that it's almost affordable -- $750. Attention shoppers: there’s currently a bottle on ebay listed at $9.99.
9. Gina Courts shoes, available at Selfridges (London) for just $2100. They are gold, tastefully decorated from wedge-heel to peep-toe in hundreds of Swarovski crystals in red, green and gold.

8. Globe Clutch -- And it’s on to Harrods for this bling-y item, $6,750 for the high-end luxury handbag.
7. Cristal Louis Roederer Champagne Jeroboam 2012 -- It comes wrapped in ribbon that's been dipped in 24-carat gold, and there were only 400 bottles made. It’s said to have an intense taste with “hints of white flowers, citrus and fruits, followed by warm notes of toast and wood.” Cost? $26, 000.
6. Ralph Lauren Alligator Ricky Bag -- Back to Harrods for another tasteful bag, this one in unambiguous gold priced at a hefty $28,000. It's named after Ralph Lauren’s wife. According to the product description, it is “extremely practical” thanks to its multiple strap configurations and roomy inside pockets.
5. Millage Flying Tourbillon Watch -- It’s not only high-end retailers that stock hugely overpriced gifts. The next three are from Amazon, this one currently priced at $99,000. It comes in several colors, has a watch made from alligator leather and a seven-year guarantee.
4. Steinhausen Luxury Accessory Case -- So, where do you put your very expensive watch? A very expensive watch box of course! There's room for 20 and is retailing on amazon.com right now for $99,999.00, but go to Steinhausen’s website for a steep discount, priced at $250. It might be a victim of a rogue Amazon pricing algorithm.
3. AudioQuest Speaker Cable -- For our last Amazon item – nothing quite says “I love you” like a speaker cable? And if you want to really spoil the audio-lover in your life, this piece is available on the UK site for $175,000. The reviews say it’s definitely worth the money -- for those with supersonic hearing, maybe.
2. Cobblestone Yellow Diamond Bracelet from Tiffany -- The price isn’t even on the website -- “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.” A little digging reveals that it goes for a cool $1.3 million. It has 59 yellow diamonds, and the rest of it is filled in with white diamonds, bringing the total carat count to over 100.
1. Rangyai Island, Thailand -- There’s nothing quite like buying someone a private island. This one is available for $160,000,000. It has “beautiful white sand beaches and lush tropical forests” and comes with its own generator and fresh water supply. It’s even close to Phuket Airport, for jetting in between meetings. Phuket -- why not?
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

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