If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives)

Brand Your Spouse With The Hilarious Titanium Anti-Cheating Wedding Ring.

The Cheeky has designed this hilarious high-strength titanium wedding band on which the words "I'm Married" are embossed in reverse on the interior of the ring, leaving a legible impression on your finger when the band is removed.

Go ahead, try picking up someone in a bar with the words "I'm Married" depressed into your skin.

The Anti-Cheating Ring costs $550 and is available in any size.

Buy it here
Also available for £359.99 at iWoot.

It's A Bird! It's A Plane! It's A Jetpack-Powered Yves Rossy Flying at 6000 Feet

above: Breitling DC-3 Passengers Observe Jetman in "Full Flight"

In Buochs, Switzerland, Friday, June 22nd, Yves “Jetman” Rossy pulled a 'Superman' and flew in close formation with a vintage Breitling Douglas DC-3 aircraft, giving the passengers onboard the unique experience to see the world’s first jet powered man in full flight.

As the guests boarded the 1940’s, twin propeller aircraft and took to their seats; Yves Rossy prepared his rigid carbon Kevlar wing equipped with 4 Jet engines and positioned himself on the skid of an Eagle AS 350 helicopter. The DC-3 took a holding position above Lake Lucerne, at the heart of Switzerland, as Yves climbed to 6000 feet. Yves began his fall backwards from the helicopter, stabilized the wing and engaged all four engines to full throttle reaching a speed of 205 km/h and an altitude of 4500 feet before he joined the DC-3 using just his shoulders, body and legs to steer.

The flight lasted 7 minutes, before the Jetwing exhausted its fuel supply and Yves pulled his parachutes to land safely back at Buochs airport.

Aviation pioneer, Yves Rossy continually pushes the boundaries of personal flight, and this latest feat adds to the impressive list of Jetman accomplishments including: Flying over Rio de Janeiro, Grand Canyon West and the English Channel and flying in formation with the Breitling Jet Team and Breitling Wingwalkers.

info and video courtesy of the Associated Press.

The $50,000 Leica M9-P Edition Hermès. How It Was Made and What Comes With It.

above composite ©It's Hip, It's Here

The collaborations between Parisian house Hermès and Leica camera keep getting more impressive - and more expensive. This is the third time the brands have teamed up to create a special edition camera.

Launched in two different sets, one of which 300 are available, the other of which only 100 are available, the cameras are wrapped in Hermes' ‘Veau Swift' calfskin in ocre and finished in silver chrome and anodized silver. Below is a look at the luxurious camera and the making of it.

Limited special edition: The Leica M9-P ‘Edition Hermès’

Following the Leica MP and the Leica M7, this is the third in a line of premium special editions of the M-System to be created in collaboration with the well-known Parisian house Hermès. The Leica M9-P ‘Edition Hermès' is being offered as a strictly limited edition. The limited numbers, unique product design and premium finishing with numerous extras make this a truly special edition in every respect.

The white-gloved unboxing of the camera:

Craftsmanship of the highest degree

The Leica M9-P ‘Edition Hermès' represents the quintessence of a long-standing tradition of master craftsmanship at both Leica and Hermès. So it is only logical that the handcrafted leather supplied by Hermès for the trim of the camera should be applied by hand. Absolute precision is the guiding principle in the construction of this masterpiece.

Luxurious leather by Hermès
The special limited edition Leica M9-P ‘Edition Hermès' is extraordinary in every respect. The highlight is its ‘Veau Swift' calfskin in ocre, supplied by Hermès for the leather finish of the Leica M9-P camera.

This exclusive leather trim by Hermès determines the colour concept of the special edition and ensures a perfect tactile sensation. The fine and supple leather is applied not only to the camera body, but is also used for the shoulder strap included in the set.

Unmistakeable design
In collaboration with automotive designer Walter de'Silva, selected features of the camera body were restyled, including the top and base plates, the shutter speed dial, the multifunction wheel and the shutter release. In addition, the frame selector lever, the accessory shoe and the Leica script on the upper face of the top plate have also been omitted to further emphasize the unique status of this limited edition.

The camera is finished in silver chrome and its lens in anodised silver. In another true master stroke of the Leica factory, the two finishes are absolutely indistinguishable. All protective caps are also manufactured completely in metal.

A video of the making of the Leica M9-P ‘Edition Hermès:

AVAILABLE IN TWO SETS:

The Leica M9-P ‘Edition Hermès' - Set 1

This first of the two Leica M9-P ‘Edition Hermès' sets comes in a worldwide limited edition of 300. In addition to the camera, the set includes a silver anodised Leica Summilux-M 50 mm f/1.4 ASPH. lens.

The Leica M9-P ‘Edition Hermès' - Set 2

The Leica M9-P ‘Edition Hermès' - Série Limitée Jean-Louis Dumas, in a strictly limited edition of only 100 sets worldwide, is a memorial to the friendship between the former president of Hermès, Jean-Louis Dumas, and Leica.

The camera in this set is accompanied by three lenses: a Leica Summicron-M 28 mm f/2 ASPH., a Leica Noctilux-M 50 mm f/0.95 ASPH. and a Leica APO-Summicron-M 90 mm f/2 ASPH., all featuring a stunning silver-anodized finish.

This unique collection of photographic equipment finds a fitting home in a hand-crafted Hermès camera bag that is available exclusively as part of this second set.

As an homage to Jean-Louis Dumas, the second set also includes a book with a selection of his pictures.

This photographic work in two volumes shows an entertainingly diverse portfolio of 200 black-and-white images captured by Jean-Louis Dumas with his Leica M-camera.

all images and information courtesy of Leica.

It's Big, It's Bad Ass And It's Still Not Yet Ready. The $1.42 Million Bugatti 16 C Galibier.

Bugatti has been teasing us with their 16 cylinder Galibier sedan for over 2 years now with what is said to be the world's most powerful four door luxury sedan. Still not given the green light for production, the French automaker launched this promotional video (with the most pretentious voiceover I've ever heard) a month ago:

Rumored to have been ready for purchase by 2012, Bugatti head Wolfgang Durheimer was reportedly disappointed with the car’s levels of comfort and performance, forcing engineers to go back to the drawing board. Bloomberg is citing two unidentified sources who say the Galibier will actually be launched in 2013 or 2014 with a base price of approximately 1 million euros ($1.42 million USD).

The most recent photos of the Bugatti Galibier prototype:

The Galibier concept, first unveiled in 2010 at the Geneva Auto Show, is a five-door hatchback with sleek styling and incredibly luxury laden custom interior. It boasts a supercharged 8.0-liter 16-cylinder engine which likely produced between 800 PS (588 kW / 789 hp) and 1,000 PS (735 kW / 986 hp).

Concept drawings:

Following the footsteps of the Veyron, the Galibier features a W16 engine displacing 8.0L. However, unlike the Veyron’s quad-turbocharger setup, the Galibier uses two-stage supercharging. The results are essentially the same, though, as the Galibier reportedly produces more than 1,000 horsepower.

Details:

Bugatti says the car’s exterior is inspired by the torpedo-like Type 35, while also evoking cues from the Type 57.

The Galibier is largely constructed of carbon fiber, but some body panels — such as the doors and fenders — are made of aluminum. The interior, which has room for four, makes use of similarly exotic materials, albeit of a different variety. The cabin is adorned with the highest quality wood and leather, juxtaposed with an ultramodern LCD center console.

The interior: