An audiophile who beams his music on the airwaves, loves electric guitars and packs his noise-cancellation earphones for every long flight, Michael Jansen, CEO of Satellier, is as geeky as one can get.
Are you proud of your gadgets?
I installed a Whirlpool jacuzzi in my backyard, in a glass pavilion with a direct view of Khan-i-Khana’s tomb, at my residence in New Delhi. The multi-jet jacuzzi assembly has a built in TV, DVD player and a mini refrigerator. It is my private home stress-therapy clinic and doubles as a play pool for my three children in summer.
Have your gadgets ever come to your rescue?
Daily. For instance, the drive-and-play port on the iPod enables me to plug the device in my car’s dashboard and broadcast my songs through the local AM frequency. Since I drive myself, the music can wonderfully drown the surrounding din.
Which gadgets do you like to show off?
My G2.1 Guitar Effects Pedal Assembly by Zoom. I have several guitars, electric and acoustic, and my latest addition to the family is a Paul Reed Smith SC 250 Single Cut Electric Guitar. I plug into a simple Marshall amp and can get “big bowl” arena sound from a box about the size of a small TV.
What’s next on the shopping list?
I want to build my own sound-proof music studio and install a complete professional mixing rack so I can begin to record music.
What is the geekiest thing you’ve done?
I was a video-game freak when I was young. I spent every nickel I earned from mowing lawns, at the gaming arcade. I used to compete in local competitions and even won a few. That’s probably the geekiest for me.
What is the most expensive gadget you’ve ever bought?
A home information (data centre), with multiple displays that tie together real-time Web-based information services, studio productions and business activities worldwide. In a month’s time, I shall have the 1.0 version of my first home data centre [installed].
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Is there a technology that particularly interests you?
Industrial-organic green building components that “live and breathe”, with features that imitate nature, such as experimental curtain-wall glass panels painted with a fine film of resin bearing a similar chemical constitution to the coating of a lotus leaf. The glass film purports to be “self-cleaning”, doing away with traditional window washing and the use of toxic cleaning chemicals. I could cite hundreds of examples. These things are really cool…
If you could, what kind of dream gadget would you build?
I would build energy-positive buildings in cities, which could solve many of our problems around the world.
Can you unwind with the help of your gadgets?
My Bose noiseless on-ear headphones check the ear-ringing problem from long flights, and music has never sounded better.