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Tag Archives: Sports

Because You Know, Being In A Human Slingshot Looks Really Safe

By David Ponce on 10/25/11 • Leave a comment!

By David Ponce

Although who the heck cares about safety when you’re clearly having as much fun as the people in the above video clearly are? Can’t watch the vid? Well, you just have to find a way. It’s a bunch of Darwin Award candidates propulsing themselves in the air with the aid of two bungee cords, an ATV and two tall poles. The “system” was developed by the Pope family in Hobble Creek Canyon, UT and filmed with a Canon 5D Mark II and Canon 7D and accompanied with music that will make you feel like impending death is is just the peachiest thing in the world.

Not enough?

Watch the below video to see where these folks got their inspiration.

The geek angle? Must you ask? Putting something like this together is the stuff of geeks, trust us.

VIA [ Geeky Gadgets ]

Skipark360 Resort Will Be Large Enough To Hold World Cup Events

By Andrew Liszewski on 09/28/11 • 2 Comments

Skipark 360 Indoor Resort (Images courtesy Gizmag)
By Andrew Liszewski

There’s something about gigantic indoor ski resorts that bring out the best in architects. Then again, a structure large enough to house a mountain steep enough for skiing is never going to be inconspicuous. So I guess you need to make them presentable. Or at the least, striking. Which Denmark-based firm C. F. Møller Architects has certainly done with Sweden’s new Skipark 360. When completed in a few years (construction starts in late 2013) the $220+ million structure will be the largest indoor ski resort on the planet. And with an almost 2,300 foot run that drops over 500 feet, it will actually be large enough to stage World Cup caliber ski events.

But you don’t build a structure this massive for just one purpose. In addition to the downhill course, the SkiPark 360 will also feature 2.2 miles of cross-country skiing tunnels, dedicated slopes for those no-goodnik snowboarders, ice rinks, spas, and conference facilities. And because it’s being built in Bålsta, a small town located about 40 minutes outside of Stockholm, it’s also got a few hotel rooms because I’m suspecting most of the clientele won’t be local.

Besides tourism, the Skipark 360 is being built as a response to climate change which has been detrimental to the area’s ski industry. So not only will it provide the perfect ski conditions to visitors and professional athletes all year round, but it will do so in a manner that’s environmentally friendly. Ideally the resort will be completely self sufficient using renewable energy sources like solar, wind & hydro power, as well as geothermal for heating.

[ Skipark 360 ] VIA [ Gizmag ]

ProForm’s ‘Tour De France’ Training Bike Automatically Raises And Lowers To Match The Actual Tour Route

By Andrew Liszewski on 07/22/11 • 20 Comments

ProForm Tour De France Training Bike (Image courtesy ProForm)
By Andrew Liszewski

It might look pretty run-of-the-mill as far as stationary bikes go. But there’s a reason ProForm’s ‘Tour De France’ has been named the official training bike of the actual race. And it’s not just because of the yellow highlights that match the famed yellow jersey. Thanks to its Google Maps-powered iFit Live Technology, you can virtually ride on any road on the planet. Including the official Tour De France route, which is one of the 24 pre-mapped and pre-programmed courses it comes with. (You can create your own too.)

But watching yourself following a virtual route on a tiny scrolling map isn’t that interesting. Or challenging. So the ‘Tour De France’ will automatically incline and decline to match the contours of the route you’re taking, making it feel like you’re riding up and down on the actual mapped terrain. Still not enough for you? The friction on the rear wheel is also automatically controlled to recreate your body’s wind resistance. When you climb on the bike and adjust it for your body, its onboard computers will calculate your height and weight, and apply the same amount of resistance you’d experience from the wind out on the open road.

It’s also got built-in wifi for syncing your performance results to iFit.com, is compatible with Polar’s chest-based pulse monitoring systems and even includes the necessary hookups for connecting and listening to your iPod. All for just $1,299. And let’s just hope you can avoid looking like this after a particularly gruelling ride.

[ ProForm Tour De France Training Bike ] VIA [ Mobile Magazine ]

Polara Self Correcting Golf Balls Reduce Slice And Hooks

By Andrew Liszewski on 06/24/11 • 2 Comments

Polara Golf Balls (Image courtesy Polara)
By Andrew Liszewski

Lets get this out of the way first and foremost. Polara’s self correcting golf balls, which promise to correct slices and hooks by up to 75%, are not approved for professional competition play. So if you think you’ve found a way to sneak into the PGA or LPGA, it isn’t going to happen. However, if you’re completely unable to play through a round of golf at your local course without constantly landing your ball off the fairway, and have very understanding friends, you might want to give them a shot.

I don’t completely understand the science of what keeps them on the straight and narrow, but it’s a combination of a deep, shallow and tiny dimple pattern on the outside of the ball. And what looks to be a specialized layer core which optimizes spin and increases distance. A set of 12 Polara balls will cost you $39.95, which I assume is more expensive than a regular set of balls. But since Polara’s balls will also reduce the number of snickers and laughter from your fellow players, I’m pretty sure it’s more than worth it for a lot of golfers.

[ Polara Self Correcting Golf Balls ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

33-In-1 Telescoping Golf Club

By Andrew Liszewski on 04/25/11 • 1 Comment

33-In-1 Telescoping Golf Club (Images courtesy Hammacher Schlemmer)
By Andrew Liszewski

Tired of dragging a full bag of golf clubs through the airport every time you travel? This cleverly designed club features a head that can be adjusted to 33 different loft angles, replacing your entire bag of equipment with just a single club.

A geared system inside the head changes its angle in 1/2-loft increments at the twist of a dial, essentially giving you a choice of 5 putters, 2 drivers, 3 fairway woods, 14 irons and 9 wedges. And since you still can’t stick a full-sized club in a plane’s overhead compartment, this one collapses to a mere 19-inches in height allowing it to be stashed inside a suitcase. $199.95 from Hammacher Schlemmer.

[ 33-In-1 Telescoping Golf Club ]

Finis Swimsense Performance Monitor Is Smart Enough To Distinguish Between Stroke Types

By Andrew Liszewski on 03/17/11 • 1 Comment

Finis SwimSense Performance Monitor (Image courtesy Finis)
By Andrew Liszewski

It’s probably not a guaranteed way to reach Phelps-like levels of performance in the pool, but if you’re curious about your lap times or stroke count and don’t have the sponsorship dollars to pay for a swim coach, this wrist-worn monitor from Finis appears to be just as capable. Using accelerometers, magnetometers and proprietary algorithms the Swimsense is able to automagically distinguish between backstrokes, breaststrokes, butterfly and freestyle strokes, in addition to tracking distance, split times, laps, pace times, stroke rate and even calories burned.

The Swimsense also comes with a charging/syncing dock which replenishes its rechargeable battery for 24 hours of use after a 2 hour charge, and also allows the results of the last 14 workouts (the watch’s max capacity) to be uploaded to an online training log site where your stats and performance vitals can be further analyzed. $199.99 available directly from Finis.

[ Finis SwimSense Performance Monitor ]

The Hela Disc – Coming To Roof Tops And Neighbors’ Yards This Summer

By Andrew Liszewski on 03/14/11 • 1 Comment

Hela Disc (Images courtesy nKline)
By Andrew Liszewski

Remember the Aerobie? It was a red ring throwing toy popular in the 80′s and 90′s that was the first real competitor to the Frisbee’s throne. When it came to distance it could really outperform your traditional throwing disc, but that also served to be its downfall. As kids we loved playing with the Aerobie, but ‘playing’ only accounted for about 5% of our day. The other 95% was spent trying to retrieve the Aerobie from neighbor’s fenced-in backyards, or off the roof of our house. So I can’t help but look at the Hela Disc with a little bit of skepticism.

Unlike the circular Aerobie, the Hela Disc has more of an oval shape with an arched airfoil design the company refers to as the FlexFoil. The far ends are also slightly weighted, so when thrown there’s a sort of centrifugal effect that flattens the disc out in flight, increasing its stability. In fact it apparently makes the Hela Disc more playable in windier conditions, so you don’t have to put off playing just because conditions are blustery. Of course there’s no reason to think the Hela Disc won’t spend just as much time trapped on roofs given it’s boasted to have a 150 foot throwing distance, but since they’re just $18.95 each, it won’t break the bank to keep a backup on hand.

[ Hela Disc ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

RobotPutt Vending Machine Dispenses Putting Lessons Instead Of Sugar Water

By Andrew Liszewski on 02/14/11 • Leave a comment!

RoboPutt Vending Machine (Images courtesy RoboPutt)
By Andrew Liszewski

A can of pop or a candy bar might give you an energy boost for a couple of minutes, but the makers of the RoboPutt vending machine feel your money could be better spent, particularly if you’re an avid golfer with a terrible putting game. Designed to be installed in pro shops or somewhere near a golf course, the RoboPutt machine provides 5 minutes of putting training and instruction for a mere $5.

Users bring their own putter, since it helps to use a club you’re already comfortable with, and in the process of creating their user account they attach a small sensor to it and record the mechanics of their current putting swing. Once satisfied, that information is uploaded to the RoboPutt machine and is stored with their ID for future comparisons. Each user is also provided with a swipe card so their information is available on any RoboPutt machine around the world. For the actual putting lessons they then attach their putter to a mechanical arm which goes through the motions of a proper putting swing so that a user can build up the appropriate muscle memory over time.

There are options to simply go through the motions of the swing you recorded to reinforce what you already feel is an ideal swing (if you’re a professional golfer for example) or to have the RoboPutt machine take into account and correct the swing you recorded to improve your game. And after that more advanced lessons are also available to help you master any kind of putting scenario.

[ RoboPutt Vending Machine ] VIA [ Gizmag ]

Hornby’s Slightly Less Exciting Scalextric Velodrome Racing Set

By Andrew Liszewski on 02/04/11 • Leave a comment!

Scalextric Velodrome (Images courtesy Pocket-lint)
By Andrew Liszewski

When you think about it, slot car racing really isn’t that exciting. But when you’re younger and lacking a driver’s license, it’s one of the few options you have for racing exotic supercars with your friends. And thanks to a healthy dose of good old imagination, I remember many slot car races being as exciting as an episode of Top Gear. Can’t say I’d feel the same way though if my 1:24 scale Lambo or Ferrari were replaced with a guy on a bike wearing Speedos.

Gearing up for the marketing blitz that will be the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Hornby recently unveiled this new take on the slot car track. It’s a Scalextric Velodrome that features a couple of competitive cyclists adorned in Great Britain livery. They’re still electric powered, so it’s not like racing requires any physical exertion on your part, but all the twists, turns, crossovers and other exciting elements that make modern slot car tracks so entertaining are gone. Instead they’re replaced with a decidedly boring oval with slightly banked corners…

~$120 (£74.99) available sometime this Summer.

[ Pocket-lint - Hornby goes London 2012 Olympics mad with Scalextric Team GB Track Cycling Set ]

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