Portable Decks Are a Perfect Fit for Kanye. But That May Be It.

We've been made aware of this pretty innovative DJ GO portable music system courtesy of Kanye West's blog.

The unit has an internal hard drive and mixer meaning you can hold court at any party that might not be demonstrating the requisite musical acumen necessary for proper booty shaking. That's the scientific terminology; in layman's terms, you can play your own music wherever you want, particularly if the music isn't any good at some party.

All of which is fine for Kanye, who is well within his rights to play whatever music he wants, wherever he wants. But we're not entirely sure this really works for your typical musical lover.

While the mixer is a nice touch, there isn't much the DJ GO can do that your laptop and iTunes can't. Besides, if you end up hijacking the music at a party and people end up hating your selection of Benny Goodman's greatest hits, you could be in big trouble.

So while we applaud the innovative design of this unit and understand how it's a perfect fit for Kanye, we're not sure it's something the average music lover can really use. Let us know if we're wrong on this. It has happened before.

Portable DJ Decks (Kanye's Blog).

Lean Into That Turn.

We've taken the time to discuss cruising (and sometimes racing) of the four-wheeled variety, but we can't help but be fascinated by bike racing. Like when pro racers lean all the way into those tight turns and for a second it looks like they might shred their knee on the asphalt? That looks pretty tough.

We've found one top-notch program that allows us to delve deeper into this fascination, and wouldn't you know, it's in Vegas.

Freddie Spencer's High Performance Riding School was founded by three-time world champ Freddie Spencer (who else?) and appears to have a great curriculum going over at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Intended for novice riders and occasional racers alike, tuitions vary but all include transportation to the track, video track sessions, and (best of all) use of the school's gorgeous Honda CBR600.

Useful as the instruction you'll receive will be, the real clincher with Camp Freddie may be the access to some really great Honda sport bikes. Mix in the Vegas backdrop and you've got a complete riding experience. Just watch your knees on those sharp turns.

Freddie Spencer's High Performance Riding School.

Honda/Mattel Concept Car Scares Us

It's an automotive fantasy so crazy that it's practically nonsensical. It's the four-wheeled equivalent of Japanese cartoons; it doesn't make any sense but we just can't keep our eyes off of it.

But apparently this concept car is ready to go on sale (a scale version, not an actual car) and was inspired by the 40th anniversary of Hot Wheels and Honda's 1967 RA273 Formula 1 model. We found it over at Wired.com's Automotive blog.

We don't really know what else to say. It looks nuts and makes us want to go see that bizarre-looking Speed Racer movie.

Honda Goes Crazy With a Hot Wheels Racer.

Your South Beach Questions Answered

We occasionally pride ourselves on being semi-decent authorities on travel and nightlife. That is, after all, why we're here. But we're not exactly a walking, talking, drinking version of the Travel Channel (although we're loving Bizarre Foods).

So we were excited to see the New York Times' travel writers attending to their writers' questions about weekends in South Beach. The result is a really thorough roundup of South Beach nightlife that we found pretty impressive. All we can really contribute to this discussion is that you should try to rent a nice car if you can. At least that's how we do South Beach.

The Best Night Life for a Layover in South Beach (New York Times).

Start Planning for the Olympics

In anticipation of the Olympic Games in Beijing, we've looked high and low for the best places to plan the best trips around the Games, making sure to pay special attention to enjoying some of the Olympic events while taking advantage of the awesome opportunity to visit a China that has been developing steadily in anticipation of the Games.

The Beijing Games' official site had some helpful information for this search, but their creepy-looking mascots detered us somewhat.

In our efforts to find a sort of one-stop shop for this trip, we did manage to find some strong options at ChinaHilights.com, which offers pre- and post-Olympic packages as well as customizable packages during the Games themselves.

The site appears very knowledgeable of the development in Beijing and most of China and promises to put together a customized Olympic itinerary per your specifications. While they can take care of most of the details, they aren't a licensed ticket broker and can't get you tickets for Olympic events, although they do refer you to separate sites where you can find tickets.

All in all, its the best single site we've found so far for planning your 2008 Olympic trip.

2008 Olympic Tours (China Hilights).

Butler Population Suddenly Rises Suspiciously

Apparently the folks in Atlanta are buzzing about the new Rosewood Hotel, the city's newest luxury hotel that is hoping to gain a five-star rating from Mobil Travel Guide.

And how do they hope to attain that desirable rating? By training a bunch of local butlers and providing guests with complimentary butler service. The hotel even went to the trouble of flying in Josephine Ive- a world-renowned butler trainer- from Australia to teach the aspiring Jeeveses about the finer points of the luxury service industry.

We've been to Atlanta a few times and can't say the city is exactly synonymous with butler service. But all the more reason, we guess, to establish an ultra-luxe establishment looking to provide guests with almost-unforgivable levels of pampering.

So enjoy your new butler service, Atlanta. You've earned it.

Hotel Butlers Will Offer High-End Pampering.

All This (Whatever It Is) Can Be Yours if the Price is Right

We couldn't help but be more than a little curious about this upcoming online auction over at Assiter & Associates. The home pictured above is located near Las Vegas and is up for auction at a starting bid of $500,000.

Located in nearby Henderson, the home looks as if it was inspired by Area 51 and has extra acreage for you to build a pool or tennis courts. Viewings are available throughout May before the property, built primarily from structural steel, granite, concrete, and glass, goes on the auction block on June 6th.

Assiter's web site includes a virtual tour of the unique home, which also features a stainless steel elevator, home theater, spa master bath, and a rooftop garden complete with bar, fire pit, hot tub, and a gorgeous view.

No word yet on exactly who this Sci Fi house used to belong to (we're investigating), but whomever designed it had a flair for design. A custom-lit two-car garage keeps you just a short ride from the strip, so we'd take a close look at this unit and how it's doing in the June auction to see if there might be a futuristic Vegas vacation home in your immediate future.

Spectacular Las Vegas Home (Assiter & Associates).

Favorites: Antonio Esfandiari

One of poker's most charismatic professional players, Antonio Esfandiari was the perfect guy to approach about some of his favorite things. He admits to spending most of his time playing cards and gambling, but Antonio still takes the time to enjoy other things every once in a while.

Favorite Place to Travel: "So far my top three would have to be Sydney, Australia; Vancouver, Canada; and Florence, Italy. For starters, I love good food and those three cities have amazing food. I also enjoy nice people and all three cities are loaded with wonderful people. All three of these cities are incredibly beautiful. Sydney is so amazing to me — in a way it's like San Francisco without the crazies and the cold weather. Vancouver is just so chill. Everyone is happy, which creates an amazing energy throughout the city. And Florence ... Where do I start? It's stunning! Everything about Florence is amazing — words cannot describe."

Favorite Dining:
#1 - "Bartolotta Italian at the Wynn in Las Vegas. I've traveled through many parts of Italy and have yet to find Italian food as good as Chef Paul Bartolotta puts out at his restaurant. You want Italian, you go there. Simple."

#2 - "Fix at the Bellagio. This establishment has incredible food and a totally hip, cool environment. It is always stacked with good-looking women and it's the perfect place for a good, fun meal."

#3 - "Tu Lan in San Francisco on 6th (Ave.) and Market (St.). You will be scared for your life when you first walk in: It's located in one of the worst parts of the city, is a total hole in the wall and the dishes are hand washed. I'm not sure how this place passes health inspection, but the food is out of this world. It may be the best I've ever had. And entrees are no more than six bucks. A must try."

Favorite Clubs: 
#1 - "Tao nightclub at the Venetian. It's the best club in Vegas. The crowd is always good ... the energy is always poppin'. Simply the best."

#2 - "The Bank at the Bellagio. I've never seen a sexier club. Whoever designed this place needs a serious pat on the back. Absolutely gorgeous." 

Antonio Esfandiari

More:

• "Celebrity Favorites" on How To Roll

Laser Harp: Cool New Home Furnishing or Evil Genius Invention?

We're always looking for that new and innovative something that can set your home base apart. Like an alligator tank or walk-in humidor.

After stumbling upon Stephen Hobley's laser harp, we can't help but be conflicted. At first sight, it's a very innovative and striking instrument that could potentially spice up any home. Hobley even provides instructions for building your own on his web site.

Our first thoughts turned to regaling our guests with some drinks and our laser harp rendition of Free Bird. But now that we've had some time to contemplate it further, the LH also looks a bit like some insidious tool used by the world's foremost super villains, like Goldfinger or Skeletor.

Now we're just conflicted. So please, let us know if this is actually something worth investing some time and money to build up your common space or if it's just weird.

Build Your Own Laser Harp.

A New Way to Teleconference

Plenty of people have tried to find a way to make teleconferencing an easy mainstream way of communicating. So far nobody has come close to actually doing it.

But the latest venture from Creative might be the first legitimate shot at making this happen. The InPerson was originally unveiled at CES in Las Vegas and features all the things you'll need to get a complete audio-visual dialog going wherever you are.

The lightweight, mobile communication tool comes in with a seven-inch LCD and high-quality video to go along with above-average audio and connectivity. Upon our first review, it looks like a simple interface that works great for both one-on-one personal conversations as well as larger business conferences.

Of course, as more people begin to invest in the InPerson the term "prank call" should soon take on a whole new meaning. Click the link below for a demo, although you might want to turn off the music playing. We found it a little grating.

You Can Be There InPerson.