dragon

SpaceX Falcon 9 Flight A Success

Filed under: Wings

SpaceX has become the first non-governmental entity to launch a spacecraft into orbit and recover it safely back on Earth. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from the Space Launch Complex-40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and propelled the Dragon spacecraft into a 186 mile circular orbit. The capsule circled the Earth twice before firing its four thrusters and reentering the atmosphere. It touched down in the Pacific Ocean and boats and aircraft recovered the unmanned re-usable capsule. Dragon's next flight, scheduled for the middle of next year, will demonstrate the spacecraft's ability to rendezvous with the orbiting lab and future plans include filling it with cargo and eventually an astronaut.

This could be the first of a whole fleet of privately built space vehicles as the commercial space industry ramps up. The private rocket and spacecraft could be hauling astronauts to the space station in two to three years, leaving the NASA budget available to focus on more ambitious projects including trips to Mars. SpaceX, was founded by Elon Musk, who is also behind the electric car company Tesla. It launched a Falcon 9 rocket in June, but that test was done without an real capsule.

Tags: dragon, elon musk, falcon 9, spacex

Vacheron Constantin Three Dragons Limited Edition Watches

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Vacheron Constantin recently opened up a new boutique in Hong Kong. To celebrate, they have also released three new limited edition Dragon watches. There will only be nine of each of the three watches made in this highly limited edition. The dragon motifs are each hand made, involving an incredible amount of delicate work. in addition to the hand applied decoration, there is also a fair amount of guilloche machine engraving that also requires a very skilled artist to apply.

Each of the three watches is done in a different shade of gold, along with a different image of the Chinese style dragon. Vacheron Constantin is well versed in artistic watch creations such as this. The Mask collections come to mind when thinking of their talents here. Inside the watches is a manufacture made Vacheron Constantin movement, and each is attached to a high quality black alligator strap. Vacheron Constantin is serious about China, not just Hong Kong, as the country is poised to breed a new generation of watch buyers given the current economic growth there in comparison to the rest of the world. Plus, Hong Kong remains one of the most important watch market capitals of the world - so the opening of the new "Flagship Boutique" by Vacheron Constantin there makes sense. I suspect it is the only place that these watches can be acquired.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: boutique, china, collection, dragon, hong kong, HongKong, timepiece, vacheron constantin, VacheronConstantin, watch

Gebson Sky and Earth Dragon Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Gebson is a new Swiss watch brand out of Neuchatel. The goal of the brand will be to mix fine art with traditional watch making and to capture beautiful cultural art in modern timepieces. This is not the only time such an approach has been taken, but there is so much applicable art out there that it is a market barely tapped. Gebson can literally go to the history and culture of any society and start to pick and choose images that would look good replicated on a watch dial.

This watch is part of Gebson's new Sky and Earth collection which currently has two models. This is the dragon, and is named as such for good and obvious reason. Along side what looks like red enamel, a gold engraved oriental dragon is finely rendered along with a burst of flame around the date dial that is meant to represent the sun (Sky). The Earth part of of the collection is a tiger features on another watch. The watch case looks to be in 18k yellow gold, while the bezel is covered in diamonds and likely rubies. Aside from the seconds hand, I would like for the hands to be longer, and enjoy more contrast with the dial. Aside from that it is a nice watch if you enjoy the style.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: dragon, gebson, sky earth, SkyEarth, timepiece, watch

Outrageous Dragon BBQ Grills

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Art

Wow. These Dragon BBQ Grills are one of those things you either love or hate right from the get-go. They're a combination of functional grill and artistic sculpture, with amazing detail. "Intense" is a word that comes to mind, and a definite requirement for owning one is being into dragons in a big way. There are three dragon grills in the collection so far, with the first one already sold for $65,000, the second premiers in Nevada in January and will be listed for $90,000, and the third remains TBA.

Via Born Rich

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Tags: barbeque, barbeque grills, BarbequeGrills, bbq, bbq grill, BbqGrill, dragon, dragons, grill, grills

Prada 'Animalier' Dragon Belt

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

My personal taste in belts leans towards simple and classic, but some prefer edgy conversation starters and have a thing for dragons. This 'Animalier' dragon belt by Prada is just the thing if you're one of the latter, depicting a dragon and snake battling it out in goldtone on black croc printed leather. It's made in Italy and the belt is 1 1/2" wide with a hooked pin closure, and the buckle itself measures 3 3/4" by 2 1/4". $436

Way too gaudy for me, but then I've seen people pull off stranger accessories with the right outfit and attitude -- more power to 'em!

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Tags: animalier, belt, dragon, gold, goldtone, leather, prada, snake

Alexander McQueen Mini Novak Dragon Clasp Bag, Handbag of the Day

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

Based on it's small size - 8" x 6" x 2" - and dark color, this Mini Novak Dragon Clasp Bag by Alexander McQueen would appear to be intended for an evening bag, but it seems so extravagant that it might actually detract from anything else that one might be wearing. The bag has an all-over black fish scale pattern with a distinct gloss. The centerpiece is the large brass dragon brooch in the center of the bag, which features a pair of dragons writhing over a smooth green stone. To coordinate with the brooch, the rest of the hardware, including the beaded shoulder strap, is also brass. Price: $1,515.

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Tags: alexander mcueen, dragon, handbag, handbag of the day, purse

Ming Dragon Dinnerware

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Black and white may be the hot colors in dinnerware, but few things are bolder than a flaming red dragon, which the Ming Dragon Dinnerware from designer Johann Joachim Kaendler proudly displays. The fine porcelain is hand painted, with gold edging on the plates. Because the dragon is traditionally portrayed either in the clouds or amidst waves, the dishes have a slightly scalloped outer edge and, in a slightly unusual touch, the coordinating teacup shows the same wave-like patter along its rim. Price, per 5-pc. setting: $958.

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Tags: dinnerware, dragon, ming, ming dragon, place setting, plate, plates, tea cup

Carved and Sculpted Eggs

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

Forgo those cheap plastic eggs that seem to be overflowing supermarket shelves in the weeks before Easter and satisfy your craving for the seasonal egg-shapes with something that will last. Real eggs of various sizes can be carved and sculpted into a variety of surprising shapes and astonishingly beautiful patterns. Ron Cheruka, the "Egg Man", has been doing egg art for many years and uses modified dental tools with carbide and diamond bits to hand cut every egg that he makes. He uses ostrich, rhea, emu and standard eggs in his work. The emu eggs are visually stunning due to the natural pigments in the shells, which range from teal to black, but the nearly cantaloupe-sized ostrich eggs are the most spectacular. Their thick shells allow for the most detailed carvings, like the dragon pictured here, and the finished egg resembles polished ivory. Dragon Egg Price: $500.