Lifestyle briefs

Feb 2, 2012, 3:06 GMT

Cult 'OnePiece' continues to be hip

Berlin (dpa) - Three young Norwegians have taken the fashion world by storm thanks to the design in 2007 of what they consider the ultimate chill-out wear. All agreed that the ideal solution was a hooded sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants so they designed a loose-fitting, all-in-one hooded sweatsuit with a big zipper called the OnePiece Jump In. Fashion magazine 'Vue' has described the multi-coloured clothing as too hip to simply wear around the house and recommends also wearing a OnePiece outdoors together with a leather jacket. (http://onepiece.com)

Tilt-shift photography allows you to see the world as a model

Berlin (dpa) - Tilt-shift photography is often used for simulating a miniature scene, such as toy cars on a motorway, miniature figures in a pedestrian zone or model airplanes at an airport. Thanks to image and video hosting websites such as Flickr and Vimeo, tilt-shift has become something of a mass phenomenon in recent years. Tilt-shift involves rotation of the lens plane relative to the image plane, which is called tilt, and movement of the lens parallel to the image plane, which is called shift. If you don't have the expensive special lens required you can upload your photos to sites like http://tiltshiftmaker.com to see the effect.

London rediscovers the pleasures of gin

London (dpa) - Gin palaces were extremely popular in Victorian London as customers could purchase cheap, reliable alcohol quickly and get drunk without much fuss. The concept has grown in popularity again recently, albeit in more luxurious surroundings and with a heftier price tag, as numerous small distilleries have opened up across London. Gin is normally drunk neat, with tonic or in a cocktail. 'People are drinking less now but they are drinking better quality gin,' explained Sam Galsworthy from the Sipsmith micro-distillery. People wanted to experiment with something special rather than sticking to mass-marketed brands, he said.