Billion Dollar Home

Think that housing prices are outrageous? Check out this billion (yes, you read that right: $1,000,000,000) house owned by India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani:

Need to cool off after the stressful drive? Of course there’s a swimming pool and yoga studio. Or, by some accounts, an ice room to escape the Mumbai heat, infused with man-made snow flurries. Then there’s the mini-theater, three balconies with terrace gardens, the health club, spectacular views of the Arabian Sea (and the Mumbai slums). [...]

Sedate isn’t an obvious description for the new building, which reportedly requires 600 staff members to keep Ambani, wife Nita, their three children and Ambani’s mother in the style they’ll soon become accustomed to.

The rather awkward-looking structure was designed by U.S. architects using principles of Vaastu, Indian traditional geomancy akin to Chinese feng shui, to maximize "positive energy." No two floor plans are alike, and the materials used in each level vary widely, driving up the cost.

600 staff for a family of 5? Why, that’s downright silly – you’d only need 200 tops, otherwise it’s just extravagance. Mark Magnier of the Los Angeles Times has more: Link (Photo: Danish Siddiuqui/Reuters)

---

Quaint Economic Stimulus of Yore: When $4 Billion Used to be Real Money

In 1935, Science and Mechanics magazine noted that Congress appropriated the "stupendous sum" of $4.88 billion for an economic stimulus (the National Industrial Recovery Act, which is largely considered to be a policy failure by historians).

$4,880,000,000 may seem quaint by today’s standards – but it used to be real money back then. You can take a look at the illustrated comparisons of what $4.88 billion look like over at Modern Mechanix, but I particularly like this one:

Where’s my bucket? I volunteer (if I can keep some for mahself!) Link

---

VideoSift Clips of the Week

(Links open in a new browser window/tab)

	Ricky Gervais + Elmo = Hilarity! It doesn't get much better than this comedy gold Elmo interviews comedian Ricky Gervais (G to E: "do you know what necrophilia is?") Set your piggies free: Link
	Rube Golberg Corkscrew Machine British designer Rob Higgs was commissioned by Marcus Wilkinson of ONEOFONEHUNDRED to build this fantastic Rube Goldbergian contraption: an amazing mechanical device, made from almost 300 found objects, to uncork a bottle and pour a glass of wine. Link
	Bunny vs. Snake Which is more vicious a cute little bunny rabbit or a big snake? Find out here - the ending may just surprise you: Link
	My Legs Give Me Superpowers Athlete, actress and fashion model Aimee Mullins gave a talk at TED about a dozen or so of her prosthetic legs, and the superpowers they gave her: speed, beauty ... and an extra 6 inches of height! Who said what about disability now? Link
	How Much is a Billion Dollars? Most people understand $100 - even say, a million bucks. But what about a billion dollars? Just how big is that? Here's a video clip that puts it in perspective: Link

For more the web's most interesting videos, check out: VideoSift (good luck with the recovery, guys!)

---

Don't Miss: New Stuff | Bestsellers | The Cute Store
                   Funny T-Shirts

Need a gift? Get unforgettable gifts for:
Geeks | Pranksters | Kids | Hipsters | Shutterbugs

---

---

---

---