China May Never Match America’s Creative Muscle Fast Company Falling Mad Men Esquire ACL Field Trip: Mr Porters Office A Continuous Lean Con Artist Starred in Sting That Cost Google Millions WSJ Standout Films at Sundance 2012 Cool Hunting Day 31: Invest in Leather Valet A Visit with the Worst College Basketball Team in America [...]
Style Pick: Eddie Bauer Heritage Mountain Parka
Originally conceived in 1978 as a multi-season coat, Eddie Bauer re-introduces the Mountain Parka today as the Heritage Mountain Parka. More casual than technical, many of the original parka’s details remain including cotton/nylon fabric, trim, hardware and colors (brilliant blue, ivy, olive, black) and a throwback price. $149 | eddiebauer.com
Stay | Camp Wandawega: Elkhorn, Wisconsin
One star resort
Part childhood camp, part adult retreat, all neo-luddite, Camp Wandawega proves relaxation doesn’t have to involve iPads and DVRs. In lieu of technology, Wandawega’s camp counselors — oh yes, there are counselors — are happy to point you to activities like lake fishing, archery, various court sports, or one of the many other non-internet-connected activities [...]
Travelteq x Cicli Maestro Traveler Bike
Bicicletta Italiano
Bringing their subtle Italian style from leather goods to two-wheel motion, Travelteq has collaborated with Milan based Cicli Maestro to create the Traveler Bike (~$1120). For the record, we haven’t decided whether or not to categorize it as a style accessory or simply a stylish bicycle, but we’re leaning toward the former. The single speed [...]
SlatGrill
Lite a fire
For grilling in the great outdoors, lightweight construction and portability are a must, but without durability and a flexibility, there’s really not much point (or culinary joy) in lugging one around. Oddly, there aren’t that many great options out there. Newcomer SlatGrill ($110), designed by Chris Weyandt of St. Paul Minnesota, offers up a solution [...]
Daily Briefing: 1.18.2012 (SOPA Edition)
A Guide to SOPA WSJ Progressive Change Campaign Committee Petition PCCC End Piracy, Not Liberty Google NYTimes and LATimes Come Out Against SOPA TechDirt How SOPA Would Affect You, an FAQ CNet The President’s Challenge O’Reilly SOPA on Wikipedia Wikipedia
Photo Essay: Professional Bull Riders Madison Square Garden Invitational
8 second showdown
Going into its sixth year, the Professional Bull Riders descended on the Big Apple earlier this month, and with it an abundance of leather, flannel and denim in tow. But the rough-and-ready horde didn’t come here to talk style, but instead demonstrated the brutally tough sport of professional bull riding. Kicking off a 10 month, [...]
Style Pick: Mission Workshop Eiger Field Jacket
The first in a series of new technical pieces called the Advanced Projects Series, Mission Workshop has infused the classic military field jacket with their thoughtful, modern touch as well as a heavy dose of the murdered out look we can’t get enough of right now. Made from Swiss fabric called Schoeller c_change, the Eiger [...]
Adidas Adizero Rush
Rushless
Performance engineering and lightweight design come together with the all-new Adidas adizero Rush ($100). Weighing in just under 7 oz. the Rush features their lightweight adiPrene+ midsole, a nylon mesh frame for stability and breathability (SprintWeb) and thin rubber outsole for a close-to-ground feel. And just in case the shoe’s design, available in 7 colors, [...]
Design Spotlight: Sunrise Thermal Airship
Flight by light
It may look like a mechanical dragonfly but Metin Kaplan’s “Sunrise” is not a Da Vinci helicopter. By harnessing the power of the sun, Kalpan’s project aims to make thermal-powered flight a reality for a wider audience — and if you’re wondering who needs slower, solar-powered aviation just think about its applications in filming, patrolling, [...]
Style Pick: Lo & Sons Cambridge Overnight & Laptop Bag
Ready for your Friday presentation in Palo Alto and Saturday in Seattle, the Cambridge serves double duty as both a commuter and overnight bag. Lo & Sons, a family operation, has infused the bag with plenty of conveniences and features learned from their own travel-heavy lifestyle. Inside the bag offers enough room for a 15″ [...]
Snoball
Cause and snowball effect
The problem with charitable giving is the lack of transparency. Sure, pitching in your money to the larger channels gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling, but wouldn’t you like just a bit more control over what and how you do your charitable giving? Online giving isn’t new, and it may not just yet be [...]
AKG K495NC Noise Cancelling Headphones
Clear the mechanism
If there’s one thing that Bose does well, besides marketing, it’s noise cancelling headphones. They just work, even if they scream “I live for middle-management”. And despite efforts from some of our favorite brands, most of the offerings have been pretty lackluster. AKG aims to remedy that, including their former noise-cancelling headphones, with the all-new [...]
20 Cars We Loved at Detroit 2012, By Way of iPhoneography
All cylinders firing
Good news: we were on the ground at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show (aka North American International Auto Show). Bad news: our luggage wasn’t. Trying to put together any editorial on an auto show without photography can be, well, a challenge and the last time we checked, our court-room sketching skills weren’t really up to [...]
Prescreen
Unique films, everyday low prices
Here’s a nice concept for the cinephile. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a service, like Netflix or Hulu, that pooled and sent you (or that you could choose from) great independent films to discover and watch — all for just a few bucks? Well, there is. It’s called Prescreen, a start-up video-on-demand platform [...]