The humble medicine cabinet has been elevated to a storage cabinet that homeowners are willing to spend thousands on (N.Y. Times link). Our need to acquire all manner of personal grooming products and implements has pushed out, in many directions, the narrow shelves where the Band-Aids and aspirin live. Mirrored his and hers arrangements stretch the length of those double sinks. Customized shelving accomodates “a very tall can of professional hair spray.” Neoprene gaskets prevent that characteristic click of the door. Oddly, one architect likes to keep his matchbox car collection in his cabinet alongside his vintage shaving gear. Ahh affluence… where to store away all that accumulation?

I’d always heard that there was a round, revolving house in my hometown but I’d never, to my recollection, seen it. A real estate ad in the N.Y. Times caught my eye, however, and I discovered that that very same rotating home is up for sale. If you’ve got $1,995,000 and would like to see the world go by at a choice of ten speeds (from one revolution every 50 minutes to two per day), here’s your big chance. An article in a local paper describes the genesis and construction of the round abode. Conceived by architect Richard Foster and his wife Eleanor, the house took shape when they could not choose from the spectacular views surrounding their site. Once Foster thought up the rotating idea, he went full speed ahead, solving logistical problems such as how to bring up water, run out sewage, and attach phone and electrical. The ball bearing rotation system and motor came from Germany and is expected to last 87 years, with 40 pounds of lubricant applied every 5-10 years. Now a widow, Eleanor Foster has settled in a new home and put the rotating house that was for her an “extraordinary experience” on the market.

World’s Largest Collection of World’s Smallest Versions of World’s Largest Things. It’s a long title for a bunch of little representations of big attractions. (via snarkout)

The Seattle Cinerama held its Cinerama Film Festival last week and we went to take in the glories of This Is Cinerama, which was created as an introduction to the three-projector technology that captivated movie-goers for a time in the 1950s. The film is a showcase of scenery from around the world, and a large portion of the second half is devoted to Cypress Gardens in Florida. I hadn’t heard much about Cypress Gardens before, and when I looked it up, oddly enough it was just making news again on Monday as a new owner is attempting to rejuvenate the property. The Gardens had closed in April 2003 after succumbing finally to a slow economy and drop in tourism.

Originally opened in 1936, Cypress Gardens gained two of its famous attractions by twists of fate. Its “Southern Belles,” girls in old-fashioned hoop skirts who are part of the scenery, originally were recruited to stand in front of a damaged vine at the entrance gate that was giving a misleading impression of the beautiful gardens inside. The park’s water ski shows were established after visitors who had seen a photo of a water skier at the park arrived asking when the show was. Eventually the park changed hands a couple times, faced pressure from Floriday’s Disney attractions, and became a destination for the older generation, before closing completely. The new owner is hoping to create a park for all ages with the inclusion of a water park with roller coasters. One of the Southern Belles is hard at work making new hoop dresses as the originals had been sold.

Other former Florida attractions of various (and some dubious) interest are chronicled in Florida’s Lost Tourist Attractions. A relatively recent oddity is Florida Splendid China which opened in 1993 with scale models of China’s architectural treasures. It closed in 2003 after an unsuccessful run. I can only imagine a small Great Wall and mini Terra Cotta Warriors keeping each other company as they crumble in the hot Florida weather, wondering if Shamu or Mickey are ever going to drop by to pay their respects.

In the new world of Internet delivered music, all may not be over yet for Tower Records. Seemingly against the odds, it came out of a quick Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization this week. It is now owned mainly by a group of creditors, with 15 percent held by founder Russ Solomon and his family. The Sacramento Bee (Tower’s first store opened in California’s capital city) delved into court records and interviewed stakeholders to put together a short history of why the company has survived. Although Tower was about to default on its bonds, they were still keeping up with record and video supplier bills and bank loans. The record companies still believe it is a viable outlet for introducing new music. Tower’s remaining 93 stores will mostly remain open. However, there is certainly potential for a dim future, and the company is looking for a buyer to take on the challenge of competing in the new and changing universe of the music industry. (via Follow Me Here)

Insured for $10 million, a silver dollar from 1794 may be the first one ever struck by the U.S. Mint. European currencies circulated in the country at the time, and the government was eager to produce its own. The American Numismatic Association press release details the characteristics of the coin which has experts discussing its “first strike” potential. It was compared to a copper trial struck from the die, and carefully examined by several numismatic professionals. The “flat, smooth and glossy” surfaces and “minute die-preparation marks” contributed to its grading as a coin that was struck for presentation or as a specimen. Thus it is likely to have been one of, or the one, first silver dollar struck by the mint. Its exact pedigree is uncertain, but there is agreement that it is an important piece.

Want to get your own face on a postage stamp without becoming famous (and dying first, in the case of the U.S.)? All you have to do is take a Panama Canal cruise on Holland America’s ms Rotterdam. Onboard you can have a sheet of 10 stamps created with a photograph of your choice. The stamps can then be used as postage from any Netherland Antilles port or onboard ship to mail a letter anywhere in the world.

I was surprised to discover recently from a tourist brochure that there is a Russian submarine on display in Seattle. The “Cobra” operated from 1974-1994 and its missions are still classified by the Russian Navy, though there is of course speculation about where she has patrolled. Veterans of U.S. Navy submarines act as docents aboard the sub. I haven’t visited yet, but she’s docked at Pier 48. If you enjoy learning about underwater military stuff, the Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, WA, which I have visited (and previously noted here), is full of interesting diving equipment, exhibits on the ocean environment, submarines, and the requisite weaponry of naval warfare. During the Revolutionary War, butter churns and beer kegs were filled with gunpowder for use as mines.

Although Eddie Bauer was never officially up for sale, L.L. Bean was kept informed of how parent company Spiegel’s bankruptcy proceedings were progressing. It sounds like L.L. Bean is exploring ways to expand its retail presence and acquisition of Eddie Bauer, as a compatible outdoorsy kind of company, was a potential route to that end. But L.L. Bean decided last week to drop a potential pursuit of the not-yet-available Eddie Bauer.

Got debtors? Hallmark Loyalty, a division of the greeting card company, has helped Discover create special greeting cards to serve as gentle reminders for card holders who have missed payments. Creating an emotional bond, making people feel guilty, playing up sentiment about the company, and relationship building are the marketing tools behind financial firms’ caring enough to “Send the Very Best.”