bonds

Aston Martin couch takes a back seat to none

An ejector seat might be a fine way to get rid of the boss, but let's be serious--it isn't exactly something you'd find showcased in Architectural Digest. Aston Martin's "DB6 Couch" might not be either, but at least it doesn't threaten to send you flying out a window.

This limited-edition piece, from Aston Martin Heritage Designs, is an exact replica of a DB6 model's rear end with and is available in custom colors. Also true to the real thing is the price: $7,300, according to OhGizmo, and that doesn't even … Read more

What does Bonds indictment mean for reporters Fainaru-Wada and Williams?

The news that home run record holder Barry Bonds had been indicted came as a shock to much of the bay area yesterday. For several years, Bonds' legal struggle has made headlines and helped shed a light on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in professional sports, but after such a prolonged saga, it seemed unlikely that the Giants star would go down. His personal trainer Greg Anderson (whom I met while at the Federal Detention Center in Dublin, CA), spent over a year in custody for refusing to cooperate with the grand jury and many believed that Bonds' indictment hinged on the testimony Anderson had refused to provide.

Anderson is out today, but there is no reason that he caved and testified. The grand jury was due to expire next month and its extraordinarily unlikely that he would give up now. Former US Attorney Kevin Ryan confirmed on a radio news program this morning. Anderson's attorney Peter Garagos stated, Law.com, "Frankly I'm aghast. It looks like the government misled me and Greg as well, saying this case couldn't go forward without him."

There are many unanswered questions about why the government brought the indictment when they did, but what's just barely been mentioned is how this turn-of-events will affect Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, whose coverage of the story for the San Francisco Chronicle and their book, Game of Shadows, led to the reporters being subpoenaed and later found in contempt for not revealing their anonymous sources.

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The "fake news" virus spreads to San Francisco weekly

Do you remember the name Stephen Glass? How about Jayson Blair? Both men were hired as journalists at highly esteemed news publications but chose to write fiction instead of acting as reporters.

After reading Steroids Confidential, this week's cover story in the SF Weekly, my first conclusion was that its authors, Nic Foit and Ira Tes, had secured themselves a place alongside Glass and Blair in the business of manufacturing the truth. As it turns out, the title belongs The SF Weekly itself and, as the SFist points out "Nic Foit and Ira Tes" is nothing more than an anagram for steroid fanatic.

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Photos: 2008 Aston Martin DBS

For those of you in two minds about whether to make the trip out to the exotic car extravaganza at this week's Pebble Beach Concourse d'Elegance, Aston Martin has just given you a very compelling reason to do so. A cameo appearance of the Aston Martin DBS as James Bond's latest whip in Casino Royale whet our appetites in anticipation of a production version of the curvaceous coupe, and Aston is using this week's event to pull the wraps off. If you can't make it over to Monterey at short notice, you can check out … Read more

007 phone, Roger Moore vintage

The Chinese manufacturer that came up with this "VIP 007" phone apparently had its decades mixed up when contemplating the retro-styled handset. Either that or it was particularly fond of Roger Moore, because the design of this so-called James Bond phone looks distinctly like one of those caveman versions (sorry, Geico guys) from the early '80s, though 50 or 60 pounds lighter.

True to that unfortunate form, this GSM handset sports a gigantic antenna and has its receiver on the edge of the phone, as shown on Akihabara News, but it does apparently have a color display to … Read more

OMG! Barry Bonds! (Also: Bling Software)

Bling Software makes software for mobile phones that lets them run Ajax apps. Publishers can easily take their Ajax-heavy Web pages, and quickly recode them for the mobile platform. The Bling software can then display the apps, including interactive content and streaming video.

What the service doesn't do is just display existing Ajax-heavy Web pages on mobile phones. The publisher has to do some work before they'll display correctly.

The presentation here at Demo 07 was based on the Barry Bonds Web site. At the end, the man himself stepped up to the stage, seeming a bit bewildered. … Read more

Plant bugs on bad guys, then track them with your Garmin Astro

Yeah, yeah, we get the Jetsons reference. (Aren't there enough of those these days?) The $650 Garmin Astro, as featured on Gizmodo, is meant to track hunting dogs by following the movements of small wireless devices that can attach to their collars. The Giz guys, however, suggest that it could be used to keep tabs on kids or live-action Pac-Man players. Here at Crave, we think there are way more uses for this little handheld navigator. Namely, it could be used to fight crime. Imagine the kinds of reconnaissance you could do with a GPS device that not only … Read more

Sony's $4,300 James Bond playset

Remember when you were a kid and the coolest birthday present you could get was a Fisher-Price or Little Tikes "playset" packed full of kiddie versions of grown-up tools? Depending on the contents of the colorful plastic briefcase, you could pretend to be a doctor, a construction worker, a detective, a cop, or what-have-you. Yes, I suppose they make those for grown-ups, too, but here at Crave we like to keep things clean.

Anyway, Sony is definitely capitalizing on kiddie nostalgia with its new "Limited Edition Spy Gear Set," a promotion for the latest Bond flick, &… Read more

Mondeo, Ford Mondeo

Ford scored a PR victory by getting its 2007 Mondeo featured in the new James Bond film, Casino Royale. In the film, Bond gets married, buys a house in the suburbs, and drives the Ford Mondeo to work every day in his new job as an actuary. Okay, I made that up. The Mondeo will get a cameo appearance when Bond drives one in the Bahamas, going from the airport to his hotel. An Aston Martin, the car make more famously associated with Bond, will be his official Bond car in the movie. Ford owns Aston Martin, but is trying … Read more