Here’s a fun look at the largest private yacht in the water from our favorite tech blog…

The yacht, christened the M/Y Eclipse, is 536 feet long—11 meters longer than the previous record holder, which belonged to Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai—and weighs 13,000 gross tons. It was built at at the Blohm + Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany but was designed—inside and out—by Terence Disdale Design and engineered by Francis Design.It boasts 24 guest cabins each with a six-foot movie screen, two swimming pools, multiple hot tubs, and a discotheque. The ship is serviced by a crew of 70 and requires an estimated $60 million a year in upkeep.Getting onto the ship—assuming youre invited—is easy. In addition to its dual helipads, the Eclipse also features a mini-submarine dive-rated to 50 meters and three smaller landing boats.Getting onto the ship when you arent invited is not advisable. For starters, the ship is outfitted with long-range radar designed to give the crew time to maneuver the floating behemoth in the event of missile attack. And, if the crew cant avoid the missiles, the bridge and Abromovichs cabin are both wrapped in armor plating and bullet proof windows. It even has anti-bugging equipment throughout to prevent spying. And God help you if your one of the paparazzi. The Eclipse is equipped with a laser shield system that sweep around the ship and, upon detecting a CCD, shine directly at the source to spoil any potential photo.

via Of Course the Worlds Most Expensive Private Yacht Has Its Own Laser Shield - Gizmodo.

Here’s a fun look some new luxury service opportunities – this time in the Hospital arena!:

A waterfall, a grand piano and the image of a giant orchid grace the soaring ninth floor atrium of McKeen, leading to refurbished rooms that, like those in the hospital’s East 68th Street penthouse, cost patients $1,000 to $1,500 a day, and can be combined. That fee is on top of whatever base rate insurance pays to the hospital, or the roughly $4,500 a day that foreigners are charged, according to the hospital’s international services department.

But in the age of Occupy Wall Street, catering to the rich can be trickier than ever, noted Avani Parikh, who worked for NewYork-Presbyterian as in-house project leader when the 14th floor was undertaken. She pointed to the recent ruckus at Lenox Hill Hospital, where parents with newborns in the intensive-care unit complained that security guards had restricted their movements and papered over hospital security cameras in their zeal to please Jay-Z (real name Shawn Carter) and Beyoncé Knowles, whose daughter was born on Jan. 7 in a new “executive suite.”

Many American hospitals offer a V.I.P. amenities floor with a dedicated chef and lavish services, from Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, which promises “the ultimate in pampering” in its $3,784 maternity suites. The rise of medical tourism to glittering hospitals in places like Singapore and Thailand has turned coddling and elegance into marketing necessities, designers say.

Chefs, Butlers and Marble Baths – Not Your Average Hospital Room – NYTimes.com.

This is an entertaining article about interviewing in general. You never know what someone will ask! I stopped at #2 because I can’t think of anything I would do in response to that one! Click through for the rest. It is a real mind-bender!

Interviewing for a job can be very stressful. Some of the questions can really make you sweat as you try and find the right things to say.

Others, not so much.

Glassdoor.com, a jobs and career website, recently released its top-25 “oddball questions” from interviewers in 2011. The company picked through more than 150,000 interview questions to come up with some of the wackiest things job candidates were asked in 2011.

Here is the list:

1. “How many people are using Facebook in San Francisco at 2:30pm on a Friday?” – asked at Google, vendor relations manager candidate

2. “Just entertain me for five minutes, I’m not going to talk.” – asked at Acosta, leadership development program associate candidate.

Top 25 oddball job interview questions from 2011 | LinkedIn.

Here’s a great article to start thinking about as 2012 continues to push people into the social media realm. What is online about you and by you says quite a bit to potential employers, especially where discretion is concerned. Click through for the full article and enjoy!

In this new, growing market, those seeking their next dream job should cultivate their presence and contacts strategically in places where employers will be on the lookout for the best talent. According to the MSU survey [PDF] of more than 3,000 companies conducted last month, social media has flourished as a burgeoning recruitment strategy, becoming a more mainstream approach for companies of all sizes and industries, even the most conservative. For job seekers, social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and Twitter have established new ways getting discovered by employers, as well as directly reaching recruiters and hiring managers.Here’s the scoop on what job seekers should know in order to be successful in today’s digital job market.

via What Job Seekers Need to Know in Today’s Digital Market.

Look out for the household staff revolution – ROBOTS! (But they’ll still need people to teach them the ART of service, not just the mechanics!)

Household robots arent just the stuff of science fiction anymore. Several types of household robots are already available on the market from robotic vacuum cleaners to robotic pool cleaners. And soon humanoid household help could soon cook and clean for use. TUMs robots have already expanded their repertoire to include making popcorn and the robots werent explicitly instructed to turn the stove on and off. They did it by themselves.This could mean that soon you can just tell a robot to “Make a sandwich” and the robot would be able to infer what actions it needs to do to accomplish the task.A start-up company in Menlo Park, California called Willow Garage has already designed a robot that can fold clothes, set the table and bake cookies.

via Robots Take Over Kitchen and other Household Chores – International Business Times.

Seems like the overseas Butler recruitment is the place to be! Check out details in the below article:

English butlers, synonymous with Reginald Jeeves in the novels of P.G. Wodehouse, are answering more calls from super-rich Chinese and Russian clients as wealth shifts between east and west.The Guild of Professional English Butlers has trained 20 percent more butlers this year than last, placing them with clients as soon as they are ready, according to Robert Watson, head of the firm in southern England, last week. The number of domestic staff registered with Greycoat Placements has trebled over the past three years, Managing Director Debbie Salter said.“Demand is outstripping supply,” Watson said by telephone. “We deal with people who often are cash rich and time poor. The credit crunch did affect things for a time, but before you get rid of the butler, get rid of the Ferrari.”As Europe struggles with a debt crisis and the U.S. tries to revive its economy, burgeoning growth in emerging markets is boosting spending on luxuries like never before, and creating opportunities for more people to look after them.The ranks of millionaires in 10 major Asian economies will more than double to 2.8 million by 2015, according to a Julius Baer Group and CLSA Asia Pacific Markets report on Aug. 31. China’s economy grew 9.1 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier, compared with U.S. growth of 1.5 percent.

via English Butlers Wanted For Super-Rich Clients – Bloomberg.

Here’s a quick article from Spain – raising the standards for household employment.

A ROYAL Decree approved last week will see that domestic staff in Spain are paid the minimum wage per month.

From next year, anyone employing domestic staff must pay their social security from the first hour worked instead of being exempt of paying from the first 20 hours as until now.

As well as receiving the minimum wage, discounts for food, lodging and any other concepts can’t amount to more than 30 per cent instead of the current 45 per cent.

They must also have written contracts, and will be entitled to two extra month’s wages, while the maximum of nine hours work per day is maintained.

If fired, they will be entitled to seven to 12 days severance pay for each year worked although they will not be entitled to unemployment benefits. 

Euro Weekly News | Royal Decree approved for domestic staff in Spain | Spain | News | The Largest English Language Newspapers in Spain.

This looks nice enough to get sick on purpose!

Taking a ride to the local medical facility isn’t associated with much of pleasantries – bumpy ride abode a stretcher with tight strapping, and narrow spaces, not to forget the unpleasant feeling of being in such a condition. But Platinum Ambulance services are set to change all of that by introducing luxury and comfort with the Mark C Miller ambulance. This particular one might well be the world’s most luxurious ambulance one can see. A first glance outside this stretch limo ambulance didn’t give us an impression of being a vehicle which might be used for such a grim scenario, but surprises do come along. Meant for the higher consumer bracket, the interiors cater to this niche segment in every inch of the way. Hand-crafted mahogany wood detailing, with Wi-Fi internet and satellite television, along with amenities for a bar, Jacuzzi, library, fully fledged entertainment system and computer, chef, personal attendant and masseur at personal convenience, are just some of the luxuries associated with the services from Platinum ambulance. The ultra smooth ride on this vehicle is courtesy the extra-wide tires and specially designed chassis, which will give you an experience similar to that of floating on pillows!

via World’s Most Luxurious Ambulance Service by Platinum Ambulance.

Here is an announcement about the new Personal Assistant training at Bespoke Institute:

Dear Colleagues,

Today’s competitive workplace is pressured by the volatile economic climate combined with technology that is changing by the day. Training and education is more important than ever to secure high paying jobs.

For these reasons, I am excited to be teaching this first-ever 25-hour course called BASIC SKILLS FOR THE PERSONAL ASSISTANT at the Bespoke Institute in New York City. Given the demands of the profession, there is no reason why Personal Assistants have to ‘wing it’ anymore. The class is designed to benefit currently working PAs, admins, and those new to the profession.

Personal Assistants are respected do-whatever-it-takes project managers who handle a multitude of complex, and sometimes unusual responsibilities. These range from sourcing hard-to-find gifts, travel planning, scheduling, coordinating events, and drafting correspondence, to serving as discreet gatekeepers to the world at large. They are the liaison to and work in collaboration with the entire household staff.

The class is scheduled over two back-to-back weekends – Nov. 5/6 & Nov. 12/13. The cost is $1795 and some students are able to have their employers cover the tuition as an important investment in their professional development…

Read More from the link:

via Personal Assistant Class in NYC.

Green living is just so much easier when you have your own personal environmental concierge.

“The problem with going green is that people think it takes so much work, so much effort, so much conscious decision-making,” said Letitia Burrell, president of Eco-Concierge NYC, a year-old business in Manhattan that tries to make it easy for people to rid their homes of toxins, hire sustainable-cuisine chefs and find organic dry cleaners.

Memberships range from $175 a month to $3,500 a year, depending on the level of service. Or you can opt for à la carte service at $25 to $50 an hour.

It is a niche business, but a clever one. At least a half-dozen services of this type have sprung up around the country in recent years, both to help time-starved consumers manage their lives and to assuage the guilt of those who worry that they are letting the planet down.

“There are people who come to us gung-ho and they want to make a sweeping lifestyle change,” said P. Richelle White, who left a corporate advertising job four years ago to start Herb’n Maid, a green cleaning and concierge service in St. Louis. “These are busy professionals who don’t have the time to do the research themselves about different products and services.” Ms. White charges $39 for the first hour and $29 an hour subsequently; she was considering introducing monthly subscriptions.

Personal concierge services originated in hotels but made the leap to people’s homes in the last decade or so, said Katharine C. Giovanni, who runs an industry trade group, the International Concierge and Lifestyle Management Association.

via Personal Eco-Concierges Ease Challenges of Going Green – NYTimes.com.