Featured Artist of the Week: Christian Ramirez

Christian Ramirez is a very talented young Dominican photographer who takes some of the best and most dramatic black and white pictures I’ve ever seen. It is impressive how he can find beauty, life and serenity in the darkest most intimidating places.

He currently resides in NJ but often travels the world, bringing back with him some wonderful pictures. I had the great opportunity to interview him, which I will be more than glad to share with you…

The Pompomist: How did you get into photography?
Christian Ramirez: I actually got into photography not that long ago. It must have been around 2002 or so. I've been working in the graphic arts industry since I was 18 years old so I've been around it for a while but I didn't start shooting my own until I went to work for a retouching firm in NYC. There I started working with very talented photographers so I got inspired to try to capture interesting moments, people and places. For my own photography I didn't really get into fashion like most of the clients I was dealing with at the time. I knew I had an eye for creating other types of images.

The Pompomist: What sort of equipment and software do you use?
Christian Ramirez: Well since I’m a child of the digital revolution and make my living in the digital photography world. I shoot with different digital cameras. I have access to a Canon Mark II but to tell you the truth I mostly shoot with a Canon G5 which is only a 5 Megapixel camera but it is plenty for what I need. If I make prints I usually make them small and with my Photoshop tricks I can get the most out of each shot.
To keep all my photos organized I've been using iPhoto but I’m currently making the move to Adobe Lightroom. Of course like I mentioned before I also use Photoshop to manipulate each image to give it the look and feel that I want. Now when I’m working on a photo shoot set I use Capture One by Phase One. There is also the Leaf Capture system which I also use.
With all that said I have to mention that even though digital photography is great and all it is still up to the standards of film. To shoot film I use a Rolleiflex and I must admit I have plenty to learn about different film types and what can be achieved by them.

The Pompomist: I know you also create custom computers, can you tell us a little bit about it?
Christian Ramirez: Well I’m a huge tech head and love taking things apart specially computers. So I recently decided to make my own line of custom built computers. The first one I'm making is a very rugged laptop to use when I’m working on photoshoots at a beach, cave or where ever the surroundings are less then ideal for the standard laptops. I have a few more ideas for systems I’m going to be putting together very soon.
My whole thing with that is I’m never satisfied with what comes out of the box, whether its hardware or software. In the past I've been able to manipulate software and make it do things the programmers did not think about. So I thought if I was able to customize software to make my life easier then why not do the same with hardware. Plus it’s a lot of geeked out fun!

The Pompomist: Where is your favorite location to take pictures? Nature? People?
Christian Ramirez: For my style of photography I have to say just walking around any city I’m able to find interesting places and people to capture. When I travel to different places I just go out for long walks and look for interesting subjects that catch my eye. I always tend to shoot at cemeteries and churches.

The Pompomist: Where is the most spectacular place you've ever been?
Christian Ramirez: Without a doubt I have to say Cape Town, South Africa. I was there in 2004 for about two weeks. I was so at home there and saw beauty everywhere I looked. I was there for work so I didn't have the time to really wonder around much but I can't wait to go back. It is truly an amazing place. I liked it so much that to this day I have the South African flag on my cell phone.
Another place that I must mention is El Cementerio De Recoleta in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is a very popular tourist attraction, most there to see Evita's grave. There are beautiful statues everywhere, just beautiful works of art. Is there something wrong with me cause I spend hours on end there just taking photos?

The Pompomist: What are your favorite subjects to photograph?
Christian Ramirez: My favorite subject to photographs is statues. I really enjoy photographing a beautiful work of art. Like I said in El Cementerio De Recoleta you will find many.

The Pompomist: What first inspired your interest in photography? What continues to inspire you?
Christian Ramirez: What first inspired me was seeing a lot of interesting moments capture of film by the many talented photographers I was and still working with. I wanted to also try to capture moments of my own that gave the viewer a window of what goes on in my crazy head. As life continues and I hopefully travel to new places those things will inspire me to pick up a camera.

The Pompomist: Tell us about your photo shoot for America's Next Top Model (Season 5)?
Christian Ramirez: I was excited when Tyra Banks asked me if I would help her with a photo shoot she wanted to do with the girls. When I was asked I thought that while it would be a lot of fun I also wanted for the photos to be somewhat my style of photography. Tyra wanted the photos to be black and white beauty shots. Everyone was very happy with the frames I was able to capture and the panel of judges really liked the photos. It was the first time I showed my photos to a large audience and to hear all the positive feedback made me very happy.

The Pompomist: Name photographer(s) whose work you respect and admire and why.
Christian Ramirez: There are many photographers I admire. I enjoy all the different images photographers like Annie Leibovitz, Peter Lindbergh and Paolo Roversi just to name a few. There is so much talent in the photography world that it is hard to pick just one. I admire all the beautiful images they have brought us over the years.

The Pompomist: Tell us about your experience working for Pascal Dangin, founder of Box Studios/Boxwork?
Christian Ramirez: Working at Box/Boxwork is really a great experience. Working there is very inspiring because you're surrounded by a lot of talented people and I feed of from that. I'm looking forward to learning a lot from not only Pascal but from the rest of my co workers.

The Pompomist: What would you say to other enthusiast photographers out there who aspire to what you've achieved?
Christian Ramirez: Well like in anything else in life you have to work at it hard, learn new things as technology makes it available. Mix old school with the new and make a style of your own. I guess the most important thing is that your heart has to be in it and for the long haul.

The Pompomist: Thank you, Christian.

Here are just a few of his wonderful photos:

Some images from America's Next Top Model (Season 5) photoshoot:

Nicole (shown on bottom left photo), as Mr. Ramirez said: "... was the winner of season 5 and this picture was used to reveal to everyone that she had won the competition..."

Anny's Party... Plus The Aftermath

The Occasion
One of my best friends, Anny, is graduating tomorrow of her Masters Degree in Construction Management, so her husband threw a party to celebrate with friends and family. Anny has been my friend for about 9 years or so. We were also college classmates while studying ‘architorture’.

The Cast
Anny, Rolando (her husband), Alex, Yoka, Lise; long time friends from college like Sally, Paola among others; some new friends, like Mio, Gianny and Tony; plus some 20+ friendly young adults. To sum up, an awesome young crowd.

The Place
An apartment building’s clubhouse in Aventura. The place had a nicely decorated pool area with a great water view overlooking Sunny Isles (see picture above).

The Language
Speaking Dominican (yes, it’s kind of a language on its own), Puerto Rican on occasion, and English of course. I don’t think we used any sentences during the party that didn’t contain the words rum, sushi, refajo, Brugal, eto (yes, that’s a word) , una fria, chimi, motorita, motoconcho (yep, a couple more), beer, domino or champagne. It’s interesting the happiness that a good supply of alcohol can quickly bring to a group of respectable young professionals. We laughed, and danced, and drank, some played dominoes, others jumped in the pool, and talked, and drank, and sang, and drank again…

The Aftermath
When I got home just after 3am last night, I was very tired and beat. I opened the door to my apartment, said hello to Mr. NeoTheCat, took a shower and crashed in bed. Until I woke up at about 10ish today and noticed that, I was literally beat up. Not only had I had various cuts and scrapes, but also a couple of mysterious bruises in my arms. I have no idea how any of these happened, but I do have two possible scenarios:
1. Either I hit myself yesterday while at the party with a countertop or table or something while dancing or drinking Mimosas and wine.
Or 2. Maybe last night I forgot to lock the door to my bedroom before going to sleep and Mr. NeoTheCat opened the door (oh yeah, somehow he learned to open doors), came into my bedroom as I slept, and scratched and beat me with a hammer (he’s been mad at me for the past three weeks because I don’t let him go outside anymore, as per the vet’s request). I probably awoke unconsciously and raised my arms to defend myself. Then perhaps he got tired and left. Here's a picture of the possible suspect:

These are the best explanations I could come up with as I sit uncomfortably in the couch, writing this post and thinking I may seriously have cracked a bone or something.
In general, I had a great time last night. Congratulations, Anny!

Things That Are... Things That Are Not

Things that Are More Appealing in Small Sizes

1. Cell phones
2. My credit card debt
3. Skirts
4. Mini Coopers
5. My drive to/from work
6. Cats
7. My average work day

Things that Aren't More Appealing in Small Sizes

1. Humans
2. Roller coasters
3. Vacation days
4. Beds
5. Chunks of money
6. Clothing (screw you if you wear a size double zero, nobody likes you, eat a hamburger!)
7. And also [ ]… I’ll leave that to you imagination.

Price House: Great Example of Organic Architecture

This house is definitely what organic architecture is all about. This is Price House, designed by architect, Bart Price. The house is located in Corona del Mar, CA and is practically a virtual definition of organicism with its free flowing interior spaces, its geometries, and the use of different organic materials. According to Price’s website, “the scheme grew from the inside-out beginning with the desires for privacy as well as integration with the site and close association with the sea”.

Once inside, the wall texture was created by using the traditional elements of timber and shingle in a whole different way, working as a decorative element, and in addition, giving the house a cozy/cavernous feel. No need for paintings here.

The center of the house is a beautiful pool, crossed by a small bridge, and the bedrooms lie on either side. The formal core of the house rests in three columns which simulate an abstract tree trunk, approaching the organic architecture used largely by Gaudi and Wright.

Organic architecture does not seek to divide, cut or rule, but instead, allows the space to flow naturally into one another. It displays an almost mystical environment, sort of like a stage set.

Matches and Beer

I ran into Navarro today after work to pick up a couple of things I needed: matches and beer. As I checked out, I realized that for all intents and purposes, it looked like I was heading home to kill myself.

The cashier lady seemed overly concerned. The reality of it is that, I was just on my way home to light up some scented oil to fragrance my home (since I know Mr. NeoTheCat usually leaves the litter box stinky), and have a beer to celebrate the fact that tomorrow is Friday and 'Saint Paycheck’s' day!

My Sheep Doesn't Bark!

Four phrases to start up:

-Sheep sold as poodles in Japan for the equivalent of $1600 each.
-Famous Japanese actress wonders why new poodle (actually a sheep) won't bark or eat dog food.
-Couple surprised when told their “dog” had hooves.
-Thousands of Japanese were cheated into buying lambs they thought were poodles.

I mean, it’s true that poodle’s fur is slightly and ONLY slightly similar to sheep. I don’t mean to be harsh on Japanese… I am a ¼ oriental myself… but come on, Japan! We don’t have llamas or lambs here in Florida, but we definitely know the difference between those and a dog.

Hundreds of lambs were shipped over from the UK and Australia to Japan by an internet company and marketed as poodles... the “latest 'must have' pet”. But the scam was only noticed after a Japanese actress said her 'poodle' didn't bark and refused to eat dog food.

The article claims that, since sheep are very rare animals in Japan, it's not surprising that people didn't know what they looked like, and were fooled. But seriously, they know what dogs look like, and they should have known immediately that the paws are different… the face altogether! It never crossed their minds something like:

"Hey, I don't know what that is, but I can tell you it's not a dog. What's up with its feet? They're like... hooves or something."

Here’s the full article sent to me by a good friend of mine:

Japanese Fooled in Poodle Scam

EDUN: Eco-fashion Designed by Rock Stars

Did you know that Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson are designing an eco-friendly fashion collection? Yep, Bono as in U2… The designs are made with 80% organic cotton guided by a comfortable punk-modern design. They have some cool stuff… you can easily look like a rock star with these pieces.

From EDUN’s website:

“EDUN is a socially conscious clothing company launched in spring 2005 by Ali Hewson and Bono with New York clothing designer Rogan Gregory.

The company's mission is to help increase trade and create sustainable employment for developing areas of the world with an emphasis on Africa, providing a business model that others can replicate and follow.”

Ten Phrases That When Used in Front of Me Will Get You Punched in the Face

1. "I only wear prêt-a-porter designer clothing…”
2. ”All women suffer from headaches.”
3. Your very annoying ringtone.
4. "Typing is for women... not men."
5. "Please punch me in the face."
6. "Indie music? Oh no way! Nothing is cooler than Britney Spears.”
7. "Reggaeton is the best music genre ever created!”
8. "…well, I am a [your horoscope sign], you know."
9. "Duh!”
10. "Is this organic? Because I only eat organic…"

Ten Things I Would Stuff into My Mouth by the Handful if Society Did Not Dictate Otherwise… Including My Gastroenterologist

1. Steak
2. Oreo cookies
3. Gummy Bears
4. John Krasinski (Jim Halpert from The Office)

5. Atlanta Bread Company’s pumpkin soup

6. My friend Gigi’s wedding cake
7. New James Bond actor Daniel Craig

8. Hershey’s kisses
9. Red Lobster’s biscuits (not my favorite restaurant but the bread they serve is delicious)

10. Paul Banks from Interpol (he’s hot AND a rock star)

Big and Small

I don’t know how she does It, but Nadejda is very good at finding innovative furniture and interesting artifacts. She’s the creator, writer and editor of Pan-Dan. She posted an article about this wonderful Italian bench which you can widen by just sliding it to the desired length. It’s called PICCOLO GRANDE. The designer has table designs with the same concept as well. The bench has a steel structure, with top and seating in teak. I wouldn't mind having one of these.

Japanese Toilet Design

Ok, guys… this is an interesting design. Apparently the Japanese take their toilet designs more seriously than anywhere else in the world. Look at this new toilet design which was recently released by a Japanese toilet manufacturer. Here are some of the new features this toilet brings. Hang on… this will be unintentionally funny:

A) You can listen to music directly from the toilet, given that it comes equipped with pieces from Bach, Chopin and Mendelssohn. The way it works is that, once you go to the restroom to… take care of business, a sensor activates the music. This is great for relaxation and also to prevent anyone else to listen to anything OTHER than music, while you're using it…. Actually, now that I think about it, this toilet would be perfect for the engineering department restrooms at my place of work (you know what I mean, fellow co-workers… you don’t need to feel embarrassed by going to the restroom anymore!)

B) The exterior design is simpler that the traditional toilet, making it is easier to clean while collecting less dust and grime behind it.

C) It has an extra sensor where you can program a personal positioning of the seat. So, when you show up again to… do what you have to do, it motorizes the seat into the proper position. Once… done, it automatically places the seat in the standard position and closes the toilet automatically. Now this device could be the end of those toilet seat arguments with your husband/fiancé/boyfriend!

D) The toilet is also self cleaning and comes equipped with a neon night light in the bowl to help you see clearly during those um… late night emergencies.

If you feel like buying one, here’s the (poorly translated to English) site where you can find it (prepare with those shipping costs).

Underwater Marvels

A co-worker of mine sent me an email today about this wonderful underwater restaurant. The email was so interesting, I had to research and blog about it… actually, my friend told me I would probably do so… and he was right!
The restaurant’s name is Ithaa and I found out that is the world’s first mostly-glass restaurant, located several meters below sea level in the Indian Ocean at the Maldives of Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa.
The restaurant has a capacity of only 14 people, offering a clear acrylic 270 degree view, allowing you to watch the marine wildlife as you enjoy your meal. It was designed and built as Wikipedia said: “by M.J. Murphy Ltd.- a design consultancy based in New Zealand - and was opened on April of 2005.”
According to M.J. Murphy, the structure is supported on four concrete filled steel piles, which were driven into the ocean. This technique was used in order to minimize the damage to the already existing reef.

Now, after the success of Ithaa, there’s already a design for an underwater hotel, which will be called Poseidon Mystery Island. It will be located in the northeastern side of Fiji. Once finished, it’ll become the world’s first undersea resort, therefore, it'll be the only place you can spend the night several feet underwater.
The hotel will include 24 luxury rooms, a restaurant and bar/lounge, a library, conference room, wedding chapel, spa, and a suite with ultra-luxury accommodation and spectacular view to the undersea. The price? Well, the resort is expected to start at $15,000 per person, per week. Here are some renderings of the final design stages of the future underwater resort and a cool video I found.

Some numbers

Last night I went to this awesome, awesome “Clap Your Hands Say Yeah” concert at Revolution. I usually do not go to Sunday concerts if I have to work the next day, but I just couldn't miss this performance. The show was scheduled for 7p, but you know how that goes… It means that it’ll probably start about 2 hours later. So this is how my night (and the next day) went… in numbers…

7:37p
I get to Revolution all happy and content to see this great band live for the first time ever and with camera on hand, with plans of taking pictures so I can post them on my weblog for my fellow readers to see! I find a not-too-expensive parking lot about 5 blocks away from the venue. I get to the front door, show my tix and find out that the band doesn’t allow cameras. So I miserably had to walk back and forth those 5 blocks and leave the damn camera in the car.

9:04p
So I finally meet my friends there and the show starts… and what a great show that was! I danced and screamed until I ran out of energy!

11:09p
I was STILL dancing my butt off! Like I don’t have to go to work the next day... (Mind you, Revolution is in downtown Fort Lauderdale and I live in Miami… JUST about a 45 minute drive).

12:43a
I finally get home tired... shower, go to bed but unable to fall asleep, and having to show up to work at 6:30a (7:30a the latest).

3:12a
I was still unable to fall asleep being in bed for two and a half hours because, when I am alone in the dark and cannot sleep, I get all cuckoo. I spent that time worrying about such topics as:

- “I wonder why my cat is so quiet tonight...”
- “Am I having a heart attack?”
- “Did I turn off the burner on the stove?”
- “Geez, where am I gonna take my mom for mother’s Day?!”
- “Did I set my alarm?”
- “What’s that, I hear?!”
- “Did I leave the balcony light on?”
- “I really need my paycheck soon, or otherwise I am %@#$.”
- “I should have placed the frozen fish on the refrigerator so is ready to cook for Monday night. Damn it!”
- “Seriously, I think I am having a heart attack.”

3:46, 4:12, 4:45
Times I saw on my clock as I woke up from time to time throughout the night, worrying about the topics I mentioned earlier.

5:35a
Time I eventually got out of bed (I usually get up at 5:00a). I know for sure I am not getting to work at 6:30a, as I typically do.

7:28a
Time I finally got to work (looking like a zombie).

5:45p
Time I got to my car and started driving home after a looong (but productive) day.

67
Time, in minutes, it took me to get to my apartment into a moving car.

18
Time, in minutes, this should take without traffic.

Featured Artist of the Week: Tokyo Police Club!

Photo credit: Tokyo Police Club

Tokyo Police Club… nope, they’re not from Japan… they’re not cops either. They’re this awesome Indie rock band from Ontario, Canada. Their music is fun, happy and fresh… I simply cannot stop listening to them. I had the opportunity to see them live back in March and was definitely blown away of how wonderful this young band sounds. Though the singer/bassist was the focal point of the band, the rest of the band put in excellent contributions… especially the drums! (Thanks Greg!). Visit Tokyo Police Club's Website or their MySpace webpage for more info.
Here’s an interview I had with them... enjoy!

The Pompomist: What is one sentence that perfectly describes your band?
Tokyo Police Club: Four people learning to play their instruments at once.

The Pompomist: How did you come up with the name Tokyo Police Club?
Tokyo Police Club: Nevermind that! The "how" is not what's important here it's the "who" or more specifically the "what" as in "what came up with the name?".
And the answer to that question is the internet and it's not getting another damn dollar...

The Pompomist: Describe your sound to us:
Tokyo Police Club: See question 1, but add "with other people listening."

The Pompomist: Who are your influences?
Tokyo Police Club: Radiohead, Radiohead, Radiohead, Leonard Cohen.

The Pompomist: Who started the band and how long have you been together?
Tokyo Police Club: We started this band in January 2005 when Dave wrote some songs and, for lack of knowing anyone else who enjoyed playing music, asked us if we'd like to try playing them together.

The Pompomist: Tell us about your CD "A Lesson in Crime":
Tokyo Police Club: If you have money and think you'd enjoy it you could go buy it. If you don't, then you could always download it.

The Pompomist: Describe your show, musically and visually.
Tokyo Police Club: Musically, our show is our songs played slightly faster than they should be. Visually, it's all of us making strained faces as everything goes from "fairly well" to "complete shambles" in the matter of a few seconds.

The Pompomist: Tell us about your next show and why we should be there.
Tokyo Police Club: Our next show is Coachella. The line up is amazing so it'd be a great chance to see a bunch of artists you've been waiting to see for a while... Bjork's there! Why wouldn't you go?!

The Pompomist: Is there anything you would like to tell the fans of Tokyo Police Club?
Tokyo Police Club: Washing your hands regularly before eating and after using the
washroom is a great way to help stop the spread of germs and viruses. Even if you don't like us, that's sound advice.

The Pompomist: What can we expect from Tokyo Police Club for the rest of the year?
Tokyo Police Club: Hopefully a new album, but we'll have to see how that goes...

Here's a video of "Nature of the Experiment" from their latest album "A Lesson in Crime":

Ugh, jury duty!

A friend of mine told me last night that she received a notice for jury duty. I understand it is important for any voting US citizen to help prosecute anyone who has committed a serious crime if you're asked to do so, but I have to be honest... I do not like Jury Duty. Sure it is a day off from work, but onto a long waiting day at a government facility.
So far I haven’t received my notice for this year, but for some odd reason, I get lucky every time. Last year, jury duty was canceled throughout all South Florida... the same day I was assigned to go, due to hurricane Ernesto. By the way, here are some pictures of all the mess and devastation the hurricane left…

For those who do not know what jury duty is, here’s a brief explanation. First, you get a notice to report to a courthouse on a specific day. Then, you throw the notice somewhere around your house. If you bump into the notice again… repeat the previous step as many times as needed until the day arrives.
So you show up to the courthouse very, very early in the morning and, after passing through some metal detectors, you get to sit in a room with hundreds of jurors like you. Then you wait a long, long time… but at least you’re smart enough to bring a computer, cell phone, crosswords, book, newspaper, Ipod, magazine, along with something to snack on. Then, when jurors are needed, they will start calling out some names. Subsequently, you go to an actual courtroom, where the judge (usually an old, bald man) will explain what the trial is about and what to expect. Then again, randomly names are called, and the process repeats itself until the jury has 14 members. This is what jury duty is all about… boring isn’t it?
So now, how do you get out of jury duty relatively fast?
First off… show that you’re smart, 'cause if you're dumb, you're in some biiig trouble. Lawyers are looking for people who are easy to manipulate. If they see that they are much smarter than you, you won’t get out of there! So, make sure to use some unusual words like objicient, longiloquence, hordeaceous or bouleversement (I actually had to consult my dictionary to look for strange words. My vocabulary is not that rich).
Secondly, know some lawyers in the criminal practice of law or some cops. Lawyers are also looking for jurors completely ignorant of the law. By knowing a lawyer or a cop, they’ll think you know a little bit about law. Send them a bottle of liquor now and then.
If none of these work, you last choice is, when the judge ask you, "Have you or anyone close to you ever been accused or committed a serious crime?" If the answer is "yes", you will go home in no time.

Future Philharmonie de Paris

Early this year, almost a 100 architectural firms were competing to win the commission for the state-of-the-art Philharmonie de Paris: a $260 million project in Paris, France, scheduled to open in 2012. Finally, last week, a jury chose the design of French architect Jean Nouvel, over those of Zaha Hadid, and the Dutch firm MVRDV (one of my favorite architecture firms).
Mr. Nouvel already has major buildings not only in Paris, but in different parts of the world, including Abu Dhabi and the US. He also has a vast experience in designing concert halls around Europe.
In his designs, Nouvel places massive importance on designing a building that’s in tune with its site and surroundings. He constantly presents a relationship between transparency, shadow, and light in almost all his designs.

Photo Credit: New York Times

As you can see in the model and 3D computer images, the aluminum-clad building resembles a mass of freely stacked plates topped by sort of a gigantic sail. Once completed, the Philharmonie could become one of Europe’s best concert halls, standing out as an architectural monument.
The acoustic requirements are strict to the point that no member of the audience should be more than 100 feet from the conductor. Having a 2,400-seat capacity, the hall is planned to be built in a “vineyard” style, in which the audience sits in a circle with the stage at the center, offering a 360-degree view. This arrangement makes the audience feel as if they could hear the musicians closely, therefore producing a sense of togetherness between performers and the audience.
Mr. Nouvel said at the design presentation, that the novelty of his auditorium was to “suspend” balconies, attached to the building by access passages in a way that allows sound waves to circulate around and behind them. “The idea is that the audience will be in the middle of the music.”

Drive-In Theather at Home

Can you imagine having a big vacation home, say in Dominican Republic (yeah, why not), with a wonderful view to the ocean through the backyard, and a nice pool with a big screen where you, your family and friends could float, drink, and watch a movie? Well, you could have that big screen TV on your backyard for JUST $175,000. Call it “Drive-In Theater” without the driving. Of course you wouldn’t want that screen up there all the time or it would ruin the wonderful view to the beach, far, far away in the background.

That’s right. If you’re feeling a little bored in the backyard with your pool, sauna, spa, Jacuzzi, cottage, outdoor kitchen, tennis court, basketball court, fireplace and fire pit… don’t worry…outdoor video is here to stay! Should the doorbell ring when you’re out back playing a video game? No problem! You can switch to a video image of the person on the doorstep.

This technology has been seen here and there in the last few years. But now, with new waterproof technology, an outdoor theater, as well as the idea to move the indoors out, is slowly becoming popular…. Among the rich that is.

Engineered Environments of Alameda, California, created a screen that rises up out of the ground, for the Maui vacation home of a retired software executive. As the New York Times said:

“The house was built into the side of a hill overlooking the ocean; a lanai is on a lower level and beyond the lanai is a pool and then the beach.

The executive, who would spend about $800,000 for his indoor-and-outdoor audio-video system, wanted an outdoor environment where his guests could sit poolside, have drinks and watch the sunset, and then watch a movie or a football game without having to go inside.

Greg Jensen, Engineered Environment’s director of engineering, designed a setup in which a 20-foot-wide custom Stewart Filmscreen is hidden beneath a 20-foot teak bench that runs along the side of the pool nearest the beach. The bench is watertight, and the screen is further protected from the elements by a four-foot-deep concrete bunker. The projector, a Digital Projections Mercury 5000HD, drops from the roof of the cabana across from the pool. The cost of the screen was $50,000; the projector was $20,000. Total cost of the Dolby Digital 7.1 Theater: $175,000. Of course, you can’t watch it until it gets dark. ”

Now you will never be forced to sit in a boring garden and sniff a rose again!

Via New York Times