Archives

September - December 2006

How to Bribe a Chinese Bank Manager
The former chairman of the China Construction Bank, Zhang Enzhao, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for accepting bribes:

Zhang admitted to accepting a Shanghai apartment valued at US$334,000 (HK$2.6 million) and a US$2,400 watch and a massage chair.
November 4th, 2006

Trying to Duplicate a Masseur’s Bone-Tingling Magic
The Red Herring business website reports (scroll down) that Japanese massage chair manufacturers are "in a frenzy trying to duplicate a masseur’s bone-tingling magic".

Fuji Medical Instruments, the Japan Times reported, started selling a new Cyber-Relax series chair that offers 559 different types of massages, up from 514 last year. Matsushita Electric Works Ltd. is staying focused on its 2005 release called Real Pro X, which mimics a masseur’s grip.

“For the ‘grip massage,’ four balls in the chair’s back move up and down,” the Japan Times reported. Tax included, the chairs sell in the ¥500,000 ($4,200) range, peanuts for anyone looking for a daily rub.
October 28th, 2006

A Personal Masseuse in the Form of a Chair
The contemporary furniture blog Behind the Curtains is impressed with the Keyton massage chair:

It's always dangerous to sit down when working a trade show since I may not want to get up again. It was really bad news when I sat in the Keyton massage chair. Wow. My legs, my back, my neck ... it was ... wonderful.

Truly the Keyton chair is not a chair that gives a massage. Rather it is a personal masseuse in the form of a chair. An electronics engineer, Enrique Cantó set out to create a robotic massage and he did so in style. Make no mistake. This is no gimicky and ungainly vinyl box that some people call a massage chair.

First it was the looks that got me into the chair. Streamlined like a race car, with stainless steel legs, and leather that is beyond soft. When I asked who designed these, I found out it was none other than Giugiario Design. The father-son industrial design firm is known for the Fiat, Alpha Romero and most recently Scavolini "Flux" kitchens.
October 4th, 2006

Ugly Enough for Any Undergraduate's Wretched Off-Campus Hovel
Plunging profitability and share price have led to the sacking of Richard J. Thalheimer, chief executive officer of Sharper Image, which sells massage chairs. Forbes magazine comments:

Perhaps Thalheimer can rest his tired bones in the company's "Ultimate Human Touch Massage Chair." For $4,495 (three year extended service guarantee $289.95), it looks ugly enough for any undergraduate's wretched off-campus hovel.
September 28th, 2006

Homedics iCush (Cont.)
Crunch Gear is not especially impressed with the iCush:

The verdict is: Good for smaller bedrooms and the younger audience, bad for everyone else.

...Right when you take the chair out of its box you’ll realize that you’re in a world of trouble. For the chair to function properly, you must connect audio cables to your gaming console and an adapter to the wall. In short, I had a cord running in front of me connecting to my XBOX 360 and a cord running behind me connecting to the wall. This raises another problem: Chair positioning.
September 16th, 2006