Tag Archives: Reviews

Technology: Cowboy Electric Bike Is Lightweight, With Integrated Lights & Removable Battery

From a TechCrunch online review:

Cowboy Electric Bike integrated lightsFrom the outside, the Cowboy e-bike is a sleek bike. It features a seamless triangle-shaped aluminum frame, integrated lights and a low-key Cowboy logo near the saddle. The handlebar is perfectly straight like on a mountain bike. The only sign that this is an e-bike is that the frame is much larger below the saddle.

The e-bike is relatively light at 16kg (35lbs). Most of the weight is at the back of the Cowboy e-bike because of the battery. But an investor in the startup told me that it wasn’t a problem and that he was even able to attach a baby seat at the back.

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https://cowboy.com/

The two things you’re going to notice quite quickly is that there’s no gear and there’s a rubber and glass fiber belt. Cowboy has opted for an automatic transmission — motor assistance kicks in automatically when you need it the most, such as when you start pedaling, you accelerate or you go uphill.

To read more: https://techcrunch.com/2019/10/23/a-bike-lovers-take-on-the-cowboy-e-bike/

Top Camper Trailers: “Lume Traveler LT540” Is Larger, With Open Roof, Upgrades

From a New Atlas online review:

Lume Traveler LT540 outdoor kitchenCustomers who liked the original Lume tailgate kitchen will find a larger version in the LT540 No. 1/Pure spec trailers, but those looking for a more all-weather solution will be able to enjoy indoor cooking with the new Nordic floor plan, which pulls the kitchen inside across the front wall. To accommodate it, Lume pushes the double bed back toward the bumper and eliminates the front sofa standard on the No. 1 and Pure models.

https://www.lumetraveler.com/en/en-lancering-lt540/

Lume Traveler LT540 Open RoofLast year, Dutch startup Lume wowed the world by topping its highly distinctive Traveler LT360 caravan with a retractable soft top, creating an airier style of trailer camping. Despite costing more than €46,000 (US$51,000) at the time, Lume’s debut model was successful enough to inspire a second model: the longer, more spacious Traveler LT540. Rather than use the 540’s extra 5.5 feet (1.7 m) to stuff the whole family inside, Lume makes things more comfortable for the wandering twosome, adding a toilet room, available indoor kitchen, available seating lounge, and floor space.

To read more: https://newatlas.com/outdoors/lume-lt540-convertible-glamping-trailer/

New Culture Books: “The Sartorialist INDIA” By Scott Schuman (2019)

From an Architectural Digest online interview:

the_sartorialist_india_fo_int_3d_05353_1908190959_id_1260398I wanted this book to be a bit different. It’s not an encyclopaedia of India, but I really tried to go to a lot of different places and photograph whatever I saw that I thought seemed really visually intriguing. I went to music festivals, sporting events, wrestling…and there’s cricket and horse racing in this book too.  There’s fashion week, and then small villages in Odisha. As a photographer, if you’re picky like I am, I didn’t want to just include say, a horse racing photograph, but I wanted to put myself in that position, and if I came up with something good, that would be great. I just wanted to try and put myself in a lot of different positions to see different elements of India.

Scott Schuman has been travelling to India for the better part of a decade. For his acclaimed fashion blog, The Sartorialist, Scott has photographed the eye-catching, sometimes strange, effortless whimsy of street fashion all around the world, and India has made a significant appearance too. Now, Scott is releasing a book of photographs specifically dedicated to the country—The Sartorialist: India, published by Taschen. Scott speaks to AD India about his travels to the country, his quest for the cool kids, and what still surprises him about Indian fashion.

To read more: https://www.architecturaldigest.in/content/the-sartorialist-in-conversation/#s-cust0

Travel Destinations: Isla Palenque Is An Island Eco-Paradise Off Panama

From an Architectural Digest online review:

Isla Palenque Resort Panama PoolAs a natural paradise rooted in sustainable luxury, only 5 percent of the island is developed, with the rest kept as a nature reserve. “It’s 400 acres of unspoiled jungle, lagoons, mangroves, and beaches that create intimate connections between the land and the traveler,” notes Benjamin Loomis, the architect and developer behind Isla Palenque Resort. From the people to the food to the design materials, everything is sourced locally (most even coming directly from the property).

Let’s strip it back to the basics. Imagine your own private island: 400-acres of lush rain forest with a rich archaeological history and secluded beaches accessible by foot from a beachfront casita. At Isla Palenque, a small private island on the western Pacific shore of Panama, this is exactly what guests are treated to: a sustainable and intimate escape that is the ultimate expression of barefoot luxury. A plane, an automobile, and a boat ride are the minimum requirements to get there, but once you arrive, allow the tide to kiss your feet while you sip a fresh fruit juice at sunset on a beach you have completely to yourself.

To read more: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/this-private-island-oasis-in-panama-raises-the-bar-on-sustainable-design-retreats

Nostalgia: New Book On “Holiday Magazine” Portrays It’s “Romance Of Travel” From 1946-1977

From the RizzoliUsA.com website:

Holiday The Best Travel Magazine That Ever Was By Pamela FioriThe first book on magazine sensation Holiday, which between 1946 and 1977 was one of the most exciting publications in the world. Renowned for its bold layouts, literary credibility, and ambitious choice of photographers and artists, Holiday portrayed the romance of travel like no other periodical.

At Holiday magazine’s peak, urbane editor, Ted Patrick, and visionary art director, Frank Zachary, invited postwar America to see and read about the world. On the journey, readers joined the magazine’s renowned roster of talent. Some of the most celebrated writing by Jack Kerouac, Ernest Hemingway, Graham Greene, Joan Didion, Truman Capote, Colette, and E. B. White (his piece “Here Is New York” was commissioned for Holiday in 1949) first appeared in its pages. Henri Cartier-Bresson documented a breathtaking Paris and other cities; Slim Aarons captured the glamour of travel around the world; and Al Hirschfeld and Ludwig Bemelmans contributed showstopping illustrations of places and personages.

Pamela Fiori writes about the magazine’s history, giving it context during the era of the jet age, world turbulence, and the rise of Madison Avenue advertising. Holiday was a vibrant original, inspiring travel magazines that followed and leaving glorious photography and art as well as thought-provoking journalism in its wake.

To read more: https://www.rizzoliusa.com/book/9780847866250/

Boomers Fitness: 63-Year Old Unicycler Pedaled 30,000 Miles To Peak Health

From a Wall Street Journal online article:

Mr. Peterson pulls a trick on his unicycle in Redondo Beach, Calif. PHOTO DAVID WALTER BANKS FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNALNow 63, Mr. Peterson has progressed from bike paths to rugged mountain trails and is known for his caped helmet emblazoned with his nickname, UniGeezer. Based on his GPS and bike computer, he estimates he’s logged nearly 30,000 miles, or 24 million pedal revolutions, since he started.

He thinks there’s a fear factor that prevents more people from trying unicycling. “If you fall, 99% of the time you land on your feet,” Mr. Peterson says. His worst injury was a torn piriformis, a tiny muscle behind the glutes, from overuse.

Unicycling isn’t as trendy as spin class, but Terry Peterson says he sweats just as much and smiles way more.

In 2006, at age 50, Mr. Peterson was 30 pounds overweight and got winded climbing a flight of stairs. His job as a piano tuner in Lomita, Calif., was mostly sedentary.

Popular workouts like running, cycling and boot camp sounded boring. “I needed something that would constantly demand my attention and keep me entertained,” he says. He thought back to his childhood unicycle, googled his old toy and was wowed by online videos of Canadian off-road unicycling pioneer Kris Holm. “This wasn’t the cheap ride I had when I was 11,” he says. “He was on a real, purpose-built unicycle doing unreal tricks.”

To read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/hes-gone-a-long-way-on-his-unicycle-11571572801

Top Podcasts: US Constitutional Law Expert Brian Kalt On 25th Amendment (Quillette)

Unable The Law, Politics, and Limits of Section 4 of the Twenty-Fifth AmendmentBrian Kalt, an expert on US constitutional law and the presidency, talks to Jonathan Kay about the 25th Amendment and whether it can be used to remove a president. Professor Kalt recently published a book called Unable: The Law, Politics, and Limits of Section 4 of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment.

 

Top New Exhibitions: “The Last Knight” At The Metropolitan Museum, NYC Through Jan 5, 2020

From the MetMuseum.org online:

The Last Knight Metropolitan Museum of Art Exhibition BookThe Last Knight: The Art, Armor, and Ambition of Maximilian I examines the profound significance of European armor at the dawn of the Renaissance, through the lens of Emperor Maximilian I’s (1459–1519) remarkable life. On view only at The Met, The Last Knight coincides with the five-hundredth anniversary of Maximilian’s death, and is the most ambitious North American loan exhibition of European arms and armor in decades. Including 180 objects selected from some thirty public and private collections in Europe, the Middle East, and the United States, The Last Knight will explore how Maximilian’s unparalleled passion for the trappings and ideals of knighthood served his boundless worldly ambitions, imaginative stratagems, and resolute efforts to forge a lasting personal and family legacy.

This exhibition features many works of art on view outside Europe for the first time, including Maximilian’s own sumptuous armors that highlight his patronage of the greatest European armorers of his age, as well as related manuscripts, paintings, sculpture, glass, tapestry, and toys, all of which emphasize the emperor’s dynastic ambitions and the centrality of chivalry at the imperial court and beyond.

To read more: https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2019/last-knight-art-armor-ambition-maximilian?utm_source=Exhibitions&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2019_1019_Met_Exhibitions

Top Scenic Bike Rides: The Hilly Scenery Of Bologna’s Back Country

From an Italy Magazine online article:

Bologna Italy BikingThe awesome sight of the expansive Reno river greets you as you enter Casalecchio di Reno. A fairly non-descript satellite town, Casalecchio’s best asset is Parco Della Chiusa (also known as Parco Talon), a vast forest and nature reserve full of crumbling old mansions, hiking trails and great views of the river and undulating hills. The park is a popular spot for picnics and makes a worthwhile destination on its own.

Italy MagazineIn this half-day cycle starting from central Bologna and ending at the small town of Sasso Marconi, you can take in hilly scenery of Bologna’s back country, see where history was made at the villa of radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi and sample some local delicacies in one of the province’s best osterias. The route is entirely flat, mostly along cycle paths and can be done by even the most beginner cyclist. With no tourists around, it offers a chance to see Italian life in all of its ordinariness, away from the sometimes twee environs of the centro storico.

In total, the ride from Bologna to Sasso Marconi should take you one hour at a leisurely pace, not counting stops along the way. Rent a bicycle from Dynamo, a bike co-op on Via dell’Indipendenza near the bus station – a half day rental will cost you 13 euros.

To read more: https://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/get-out-town-half-day-cycle-trip-bologna

New Art Books: “Morning Glory On The Vine” By Joni Mitchell Is “Vivid, Intimate”

From a New Yorker online article:

Joni Mitchell Morning Glory on the Vine drawingI became engrossed in Mitchell’s drawings while browsing the book—they’re vivid, intimate—but her handwritten lyrics and poems are just as revelatory. It’s hard not to think about art-making of any kind as an alchemical process, in which feelings and experiences go in and something else comes out. Whatever happens in between is mysterious, if not sublime: suddenly, an ordinary sensation is made beautiful. Our most profound writers do this work with ease, or at least appear to. Mitchell’s lyrics are never overworked or self-conscious, and she manages to be precise in her descriptions while remaining ambiguous about what’s right and what’s wrong; in her songs, the cures and the diseases are sometimes indistinguishable. 

Joni Mitchell Morning Glory on the Vine BookJoni Mitchell, in the foreword to “Morning Glory on the Vine,” her new book of lyrics and illustrations, explains that, in the early nineteen-seventies, just as her fervent and cavernous folk songs were finding a wide audience, she was growing less interested in making music than in drawing. “Once when I was sketching my audience in Central Park, they had to drag me onto the stage,” she writes. Though Mitchell is deeply beloved for her music—her album “Blue” is widely considered one of the greatest LPs of the album era and is still discussed, nearly fifty years later, in reverent, almost disbelieving whispers—she has consistently defined herself as a visual artist. “I have always thought of myself as a painter derailed by circumstance,” she told the Globe and Mail, in 2000. At the very least, painting was where she directed feelings of wonderment and relish. “I sing my sorrow and I paint my joy,” is how she put it.

To read more: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/joni-mitchell-discusses-her-new-book-of-early-songs-and-drawings