It always surprises me how long certain industries take to adopt modern technologies that are not only relevant to their business, but can also serve to enhance it. When it comes to the internet and accessibility, the question is never if, but rather when and usually the answer is, the sooner the better. I like to say I am an intermediate wine enthusiast and up until this point have been frustrated at the lack of a single source where I can find a comprehensive list of wines and reviews, rather than just one or the other.

Andy Hund and John Kleven, two young entrepreneurs must have felt my pain too and in January 2006, they set out to remedy this problem; what resulted was Vinquire, which officially launched in April 2007. The site is, first and foremost, a wine search engine, a feat accomplished using a propietary crawler that traverses over 3,500 wine retailers so readers can be sure they get the best prices for their favorite bottle. In addition to an impressive and fast-expanding database, Vinquire’s presentation is equally appealing. The site uses a combination of Django, Javascript, and XHTML/CSS for that Web 2.0 feel. The muted colors are easy on the eyes and even though the speed can use a little help, it’s quite acceptable. My favorite part about the site is how detailed the filtering is: you can search by vendor (Albertsons, BevMo, Costco, Safeway, and my favorite, Trader Joe’s) and then even narrow it down more by price (under $10, under $20, etc).

If that’s not enough, you can add the human aspect into the equation by taking into account reviews. Using a system which they won’t divulge, Vinquire calculates a WineRank score which includes factors such as the average score by users and helpfulness scores of those reviews. I am told that professional reviews will be integrated in the next 3 months, and that’s something I am really looking forward to. I know I should really just make my own decisions when it comes to wine, but with over 550 wine reviews, user forums, a fun wine recommendation feature, and a light-hearted wine industry blog, it doesn’t hurt to get a little help from Vinquire.

Don’t know if you’ve heard, but Transformers: The Movie comes out July 4th. You’ve probably been subjected to months of your friends and their robogasms, debates over Michael Bay’s directorial abilities or trying to decide if that box of Transformers cereal from 1986 would be either a) safe to consume over twenty years later and/or b) trendy to consume over twenty years later, maybe even to the point where you just want to start taking a baseball bat to the next person who even thinks about talking about Transfuckingformers: The Movie. Then, riding an unexpected wave of childhood nostalgia you come across the Optimash Prime Mr. Potato Head Transformer, and you’re transported back to a time where the only thing you care about is where the hell you lost his moustache….and whether or not he’s going to get smashed to pieces by a crazy, fed-up friend with a huge wooden bat. Ah, good times.

(Via Uncrate)

I officially had a fanboy moment last night, when Ian Walton shot us an email about the latest addition to his portfolio, the ulo chair. Upon watching the video of how it converts from its “upright” to “lounge” positions I have to say that the chair is, for lack of a better word, totally hot. Much like his Glo Pillow and the Miele Cultivate System I’ve covered previously, the ulo is an innovative modern update on what many times might be considered a mundane or boring living necessity; it also takes cues and inspiration from compact living situations (like the WeeHouses), hence the double-duty. The chair is on display at the NCAD Graduate Show in Dublin until the 17th of June. Don’t fret if you don’t get to see it now…I’m positive we’ll be seeing huge things from Ian very, very soon.

Yesterday kicked off the beginning of a holiday weekend here in Brazil. It also coincides with Sao Paulo’s annual Gay Pride Parade happening on Sunday, the largest of its kind anywhere in the world. The theme this year is “For a world without racism, sexism and homophobia” and last year, 3 million people — we’re talking gay and straight — attended the festivities. So what do you do in the lead-up to the event? You party, of course. There’s no shortage of events leading to Sunday’s massive event, including a day dedicated to gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals and transvestites at Sao Paulo’s Hopi Hari, the biggest (how about those friggin’ superlatives?) amusement park in Latin America along with a cultural street fair and of course, the culminating event. The parade will boast 23 sound trucks with a closing performance by Fischerspooner on the last vehicle. To give you some insight into how progressive Brazil is, nine of these trucks are sponsored by governmental and non-governmental organizations, including major banks and the Ministry of Tourism. This is a country were gay couples can have the same rights as married straight couples. I heart Brazil.