In Vegas, the city of excess, they have assembled a collection of forty soups, 100 salads and 150 desserts, all laid out on an array of tables totaling more than 500 feet long to qualify for a Guinness record for the World’s Largest Buffet.

In order to qualify for a record, Las Vegas Hilton Executive Chef George Bargisen had to assemble at least 500 unique offerings. He succeeded; with 510 different dishes it was quite the spread for Guinness officials to sample.

Spending 24 hours straight organizing the buffet bonanza, dishes from over a dozen ethnic cuisines were showcased. A sampling of foods included: salmon Wellington, fried alligator, pumpkin pie, baklava and pistachio truffles.

With a dizzying assortment of delectable goodies to sample, one might expect to pay a arm for this dining treat. Not so. The $7.50 a head buffet was not only priced economically, but the money collected was donated to hunger relief charity America’s Second Harvest. Good food, lots of it, and your money goes to a charity? What a deal!

(Via CNN)

Marketers and ad execs are always looking for new and innovative ways to get their products in front of the public. From celebrity endorsements, to pairing your product with another, creating a synergy of awesome-ness, it’s amazing what is presented to the public.

I submit, for your approval, one of the latest examples of American advertising synergy (?) NASCAR Meats. Yes, you read correctly, NASCAR is putting it’s logo and branding meat.

Available at a grocery store near you, “Rev up your taste buds for the exciting taste of NASCAR Officially licensed meat products.” That quote was taken directly from the NASCAR Meat “Taste the Excitement” website.

These NASCAR branded meat products include: hot dogs, bacon, sandwich meat and smoked sausage. So if you had a difficult time choosing your meat products before, NASCAR is here to help.

So my question to you is: “If I start buying and eating NASCAR Meat products, will I go really, really fast?”

(Via Boing Boing)

Finding home values on the internet has been made easier by Zillow. It looks like three month old Zillow is about to get some competition. Real Estate ABC (owned by Internet Brands)is a new entry in the online home valuation market. It is available now on a hidden beta, (http://www1.realestateabc.com/home-values/.)

Similar to Zillow, Real Estate ABC also offers some added features. The site allows users to adjust property values for a particular property. Adjustable property variables (values) include Interior, Exterior, Lot Size, View, Privacy/Noise and Local Market Conditions. You can also the local market conditions on a slider, from cold to hot and everything in between.

It’ll be interesting to see the different offerings and features between Zillow and Real Estate ABC and if any other similar sites pop up.

(Via TechCrunch)

I came across this post on Cool Hunting and was intrigued. I lived in Italy, Milan to be specific, for six months and really enjoyed my time there. While there, I developed an appreciation for gelato, quality Italian food and Italian coffee. I still love me some Breyers (Vanilla bean, please. It’s divine!) and Starbucks, but also appreciate all that is Italy. So whenever I come across something that will remind me of my time in Milan, I’m keen to try it.

Aperol, a low-alcohol aperitif is a blend of 30 herbs, spices and fruits. According to Cool Hunting, it’s light and refreshing like the English Pimm’s, but has a more pronounced citrus taste. With an alcohol content of !!%, it’s ideal for spring and summer cocktails, Aperol is best enjoyed mixed with soda, vodka or champagne.

I have never tried it, but the next time I’m out for drinks with friends, I’ll ask for some Aperol. Perhaps a sip will take me back to Milan. 🙂

(Via Cool Hunting)

Tired of your bland manila file folders or even the bold primary colored ones you can get at your local office supply store? Longing for a bit of funk in your filing life? Bob’s Your Uncle, has your solutions: camo file folders! This Boston-based stationer has a flurry of this and other cool, off the wall, stationary products to bring some zing into your office. Available in blue, orange and pink, you can get a set of six (two of each color) for $12 at Fred Flare.

(Via Cool Hunting)

Tired of running out of staples? Looking for an alternative to your boring office stapler? Look no more, the Stitch Lock has arrived! The Stitch Lock uses the paper itself to hold the pages together, no more ugly staples! Popular in offices in Japan, the Stitch Lock can stitch together up to 7 pages.

It’s certainly a novelty, but a somewhat useful and cool item. Available from Jbox.com for $36.

(Via Gadget Review)

I have enjoyed the Ministry of Sound music compilation CDs for years. Naturally, when I came across this post from Cool Hunting, I was even more excited! Unfortunately, there is no plan to open any of the Minibars in the United States. So perhaps a trip to the UK is in order? 🙂

From Cool Hunting:

Fifteen years since the original club opened in London’s Elephant and Castle, Ministry of Sound has evolved beyond all recognition into a truly global brand. These days, it doesn’t just sell dance music of all shades, but also the audio equipment to listen to it on, and even clubbing holidays to places like Egypt.

Ministry’s latest off-shoot is the Minibar, which aims to be the “ultimate bar concept” that will “revolutionize the high street.” Whether or not the pun in the name immediately marks the place down is up to you, but the rest of the spiel is quite intriguing. Minibar will be split into four zones, and will include hot-tub seating (pictured right), a diary room and video rooms for some “web cam excitement.” Aside from the ideas obviously inspired by watching too much Big Brother, there’ll also be the requisite cocktail and shot bars, and a dancefloor coupled with a decent sound system.

Surprisingly, the first Minibar opens in the relatively small North-of-England town of Harrogate (it’s about the same size as Kansas City) next Friday, 31 March 2006. With such high hopes for it though, you won’t be surprised to hear that Ministry intends to eventually roll out the brand in every major U.K. city.

Minibar
Unit 1
The Royal Pavilion
Parliament Square
Harrogate
North Yorkshire HG1 2RR
United Kingdom

(Via Cool Hunting)

I enjoy traveling. While some people detest the airport, there’s something about it that just gets me excited. Yes, this may be strange, but I like it. 🙂

In my travels I have been to countless airports, big and small, all across North America, Europe and some in Asia. I have to admit that I don’t really notice the floor much, but if more cool art installations like “Flying Carpet” were around, it would sure make my airport hustle more interesting.

An installation at the Sacramento International Airport, Iranian artist Seyed Alavi has created an aerial view of the Sacramento River that is woven into a carpet. Located on the floor of a pedestrian bridge connecting the terminal to the parking garage, this is a neat expression of art on a seldom noticed but heavily seen (trafficked) area.

(Via Boing Boing)

The Original Ring Thing is a beer drinker’s answer to that age-old question, “where’s the bottle opener?” Have you ever fumbled through a drawer, looking for a bottle opener? Now you can wear one on your finger! This cool ring incorporates a bottle opener into its design. Fun and functional!

Available at ThinkGeek.com for about 8 bucks.

(Via Gadget Review)

For the extremely lazy people (or those days when you can’t muster enough strength to stir your own coffee) this mug stirs your coffee for you! At the touch of a button, you can have the mug stir your coffee, instead of you using a spoon or a stirring stick.

Available for $22 at Gadget.brando.com.hk

(Via Uber-Review)