Geek Life

The range of potential outcomes in an Alabama football season under Nick Saban is narrow. The Crimson Tide are almost certainly going to make the College Football Playoff, and the main question mark is whether they’ll win the whole thing or fall ever so slightly short. The Tide have only missed the Playoff once since 2014, and even then they finished 11–2 (it took a QB injury and some trickery from Auburn to keep them out of the postseason).

For the rest of college football, any inkling that Alabama might be lesser than its usual self is a breath of fresh air. The possibility always exists that the Tide will just win anyway, and articles like this one will live in infamy as examples of naysayers who doubted when they should not have. But, as my Split Zone Duo co-host Richard … Read more

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Like many places in the world right now, we’re roasting in the town of Mariposa—a town in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Consistent 90- to 100-degree temps for weeks have kept most people inside with their ACs humming, or seeking respite in the Merced River for a cool dip. But with e-biking, I can get out daily, regardless of the heat; the wind generated from cruising around keeps me cool. This is my first season e-biking and, like many new riders, I could’ve been stuck with a bike that didn’t work in the heat, couldn’t climb big hills or epic routes, and was prone to breaking down in the middle of nowhere. Which is why I want to share e-bike buying tips with you—because it’s not all about how cool a bike looks (although we do love vintage styling).

After learning this lesson the hard way and having to return an … Read more

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The hot new Formula DRIFT racing series is still blazing with round four of the Pro Championship debuting at the refreshed Lake Erie Speedway in North East, PA. American Chelsea DeNofa won after pressuring the overall points leader Matt Field in the No. 777 Chevrolet Corvette to over-correct through the sweeping Outside Zone 2 turn, leading to an unfortunate off-track excursion.

DeNofa—in the BC Racing/Nitto Tire/Ford Mustang—was able to mount the top spot on the podium after the overall race leader, Norwegian Fredric Aasbo in the Rockstar Energy Drink Toyota GR Supra, was disqualified when failing to fix a broken rear suspension in the allotted time out for repairs.

DeNofa’s teammate Vaughn Gittin Jr., in the Monster Energy Ford Mustang, previously lost to Aasbo, driving the Rockstar Energy Drink Toyota GR Supra, after over-rotating in Outside Zone 3, droning the second semi-final, which forced him to lift and straighten, ending … Read more

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Any race on the pro triathlon circuit can be expected to test the outer limits of human endurance, self-induced punishment, and nutritional supplement sponsorship. But only one has a starting line that would’ve made Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly pee their Speedos. That honor belongs to the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon (EFAT).

On Aug. 14–15, the annual Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon turns 40—fully afloat in the wake of 2020’s canceled event, due to the pandemic, and still the scariest three-part race named after a former maximum-security prison.

“That first jump is a pretty shocking jolt every time,” says professional triathlete Ben Kanute, EFAT’s reigning three-time champion, about the start of the race.

That infamous start has competitors leap into San Francisco Bay from a passenger ferry parked near Alcatraz Island. That’s followed by … Read more

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Minty and fizzy, mojitos are refreshing cocktails well-suited to warm-weather drinking. Ordering a round of may not be the best move at a busy bar. That’s why we’ve put together a list of make-at-home mojito recipes that reinvent the classic Cuban cocktail.

These are perfect for drinking on your porch or batching up for a party. Just make sure you don’t skip any steps. Muddling the mint is important, as it releases herbaceous oils into your drink. A muddling mistake many at-home bartenders make is tearing the leaves, which will give your cocktail too bitter of a taste. Rather, use your muddler to press down gently on the leaves and give a firm twist, repeating a few times.

Other … Read more

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If you’ve been hoping to upgrade your home theater and gaming setup, but are overwhelmed by the amount of high-quality TVs and sound systems out there, try the newly released and updated Vizio M-Series LCD TVs and sound bars. They offer excellent performance at a surprisingly affordable price tag: For under a grand, you can get a 50-inch, 4K HDR Smart TV (with all the usual apps like Netflix, Hulu, and Apple+) and a sound bar that boasts 11 speakers, including two wireless satellite speakers that hook up to a booming 6-inch subwoofer.

The M-Series TVs take 4K clarity to another level with technology that claims to give you over a billion colors—75 percent more than regular 4K TV—boosted brightness for better highlights, and a powerful backlight that works over 30 zones in the screen to balance brights and darks for deeper blacks and enhanced contrast. This line … Read more

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The chance to spend a night sleeping a stone’s throw away from a volcano, much less 80 volcanoes, isn’t something many experience. But, thanks to Volvic and Airbnb, you have a chance to sleep in the shadow of France’s most famous volcanoes. Even better, if you can book this very special lodging, it’ll only cost you 1 Euro ($1.18 US) plus taxes.

The Chaîne des Puys is a north-south chain of 80 volcanoes located in central France. With the last known eruption in the area occurring more than 6,000 years ago, this area of cinder cones, lava domes, and craters is now a UNESCO World Heritage site of lush forest and beautiful lakes. It’s also home to Volvic’s one-of-a-kind vacation rental.

A room with a volcanic view

The house itself is a LUMIPOD, a unique concept housing that combines outdoor and indoor spaces. Its most spectacular feature is … Read more

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Late last year, Chris Paul’s basketball fate seemed sealed. He would go down as one of the best players ever, to be sure: a 10-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA performer, six-time steals champion, former All-Star Game MVP, and surefire future Hall of Fame member. But he would also be remembered as one of the best players to never appear in the NBA Finals, let alone win a championship. Every one of Paul’s teams—from the start of his career with the New Orleans Hornets, his long run with the Los Angeles Clippers, and then brief stops with the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder—had bowed out in the conference finals or sooner. Even that undersells his teams’ playoff difficulties. Paul didn’t even play in a conference final until 2018, when the Rockets lost in seven games to the Golden State Warriors, who went on to win the championship that year.

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It’s rare to get jazzed about running clothes. Some people just want their duds to be functional, but if you want serious style points with comparable performance specs, check out the new Mr. Porter x District Vision Running Capsule. Its inspiration comes from District Vision’s five-point mindful running course in tandem with Mr Porter’s Health In Mind initiative, which raises awareness around mental wellness through movement. One-hundred percent of the net profits from the 11-piece collection will be donated to Health In Mind, which supports men’s mental and physical health initiatives and is supported by the Movember Foundation.

Before we highlight some of our favorite pieces from the collection, here are some highlights excerpted from District Vision’s mindful running course, which are dictated by Max Vallot, District Vision’s co-founder. His mindful approach to exercise is a great entry point to self-discovery and satisfaction through sport.

Step 1: Breathe

Take a … Read more

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Sixty-two years ago, NASA’s Mercury Project selected the first group of American astronauts. Among that group of seven men were names such as Alan Shepard and John Glenn. The Mercury Seven, as they came to be known, all went into space. Around the same time, a private program was putting women pilots through some of the same testing and training the men were undergoing for NASA. This group of women were known as the Mercury 13, but none of them went into space. But, thanks to Jeff Bezos and the billionaire space race, that’s about to change: 82-year old Wally Funk is finally getting her day in the sun—so to speak.

In a video post on his Instagram account, Bezos told Funk, an original member of the Mercury 13, that she’ll be accompanying him on the first flight of the New Shepard capsule on July 20. Bezos asked her what … Read more

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I have no interest in becoming a cyclist. The only bikes I have are rusty cruisers with big, springy seats about a foot wide. I’d be down to pedal, but there is no way I am ever becoming a “bike guy.” I’m not interested in 24-speed drivetrains, clip-in shoes and technical maintenance. I’m not wearing Spandex or learning a bunch of French racing terms.

Hell, I don’t really even want to wear a helmet. Mostly, I want to listen to Rancid and sweat out a bunch of miles.

Turns out, the Apollo, from Priority Bicycles, is ideal for my particular set of needs, specifically designed to not just be low maintenance, but almost no maintenance. You might have to change the hub oil every few years or 3,000 miles.

Are you riding 3,000 miles?

The Apollo falls into the gravel category—bikes that can be ridden anywhere. Get out on the … Read more

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The world is healing, folks. Laughter is back, airport lines are back, tiny shorts are back. Add to that list hyper-expensive sports cars. COVID most definitely didn’t kill those, but what good is a $325,000 Mercedes if no one’s around to appreciate it?

Thankfully the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series is hitting our shores at just the right time. For a few hundred lucky buyers, this will be the summer of speed: They’ll take ownership of a wild sports car that recently set the production car record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany. (Watch here if you haven’t eaten your lunch yet.)

To catch you up: The Mercedes-AMG GT is a front-engined sportscar built to rival Porsche’s almighty 911. It first arrived in 2015; the Black Series model arriving now represents the concept tweaked to its quickest essence. A new, hand-built 4-liter bi-turbocharged V8 engine uses a flat crank for … Read more

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Just a few years ago, probiotics seemed like a strange and foreign concept. Now research on the microbiome has exploded — science tells us having a diversity of microorganisms in the gut enhances immunity, digestion, and other aspects of health — and these beneficial bacteria have become a hot commodity. Probiotic supplements are currently a $1.7 billion U.S. industry, according to Euromonitor International, and New Hope Networks projects they’ll increase to $2.5 billion by 2018. Companies are taking the trend to the bank, too, adding probiotics to their cold-brew coffees, kale chips, granola, and even frozen burritos.

Do probiotics work?

But a big question remains: Do these probiotic-infused foods and beverages actually make us any healthier? Can you really boost your immunity, knock out digestive woes, and generally feel better by munching on a snack that’s been bolstered with bacteria?

It’s complicated, says Dr. Amy Burkhart, an integrative-medicine physician … Read more

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