Just when you thought you have seen Chris Davenport at his best, he comes dressed to impress for the sixth annual NEPSA Video Awards in Aspen, Thursday night.
To see more of Davenport, make sure you check out Saturday night’s Matchstick Productions, Claim, here in Aspen where one hopes to see Chris in his normal ski attire.
Looking good Dav!
Outside Magazine honored Black Diamond Equipment with a 2009 winter “Gear of the Year” award. This marks the second straight year that Outside has presented a GOY to Black Diamond. Taking top honors, the Bandit AvaLung is a lightweight, minimalist avy-tools pack for out-of-gate resort skiing/riding and feature’s Black Diamond’ own proprietary AvaLung technology.
Also new for 2009 and definitely worth mentioning are Black Diamond’s new Factor Freeride Boots. Outside editors are quoted as saying, “If we had GOY honors for boots, the Factor would win.”
Black Diamond won a 2008 Outside GOY for their Verdict Ski. With its dimensions at 134-102-120 (180cm), this ski is guilty of carving trenches on hardpack while retaining innocence in the deep POW.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQlfuAYMNrc]
Dennis Lewon to head up new Glamping Magazine
Word on the street is that Dennis Lewon may leave his post at Backpacker to head up the recently launched Glamping magazine. Glamping is a form of glamorous camping as reported on in the USA Today, ABC News and the LA Times. Dennis was quoted saying, “I have always considered camping sort of glamorous and over the years have grown sick of sleeping on the ground.”
Perhaps the best SWAG ever
Swag is loved and disdained. It has been described by one infamous gear editor as “a river that flows through my office.” So, who might be qualified to rate swag as the best ever? How about a PR person – Nate Simmons, who has experience giving out over a decades worth of swag. In an unequivocal statement today Mr.Simmons exclaimed, “this is the greatest swag I have ever received, ever.”
The object of his affection?
BD’s new Custom telemark boots.
Comfy enough for all day wear
We’re really excited to announce our partnership with New Belgium Brewing. We have been selected to manage New Belgium Brewing’s media planning and buying for 2009. Read the official announcement here.
Newton Running is a little Boulder shoe company that has been making big waves in the running shoe world since their launch two years ago. Along the way they’ve garnered an evangelical following of runners who sing the shoe’s praises…sometimes literally.
One happy customer liked her shoes so much that she penned lyrics to a song about Newton Running, sung to the tune of Gavin Degraw’s pop hit, “In Love with a Girl.”
If you don’t know the tune, here’s the video. Much to my co-workers chagrin, I actually played the music and sang along with the Newton lyrics…they fit amazingly well.
Ode to my Newton Training Shoes
(To the tune of Gavin De Graw’s song “In Love With A Girl”)
So many shoes gonna look like they want you,
Try to get you thinking they’re really fast.
But there’s nothing like the fit of the one that has put in the time
And you know its gonna be there.
Back your forefoot when no other shoe does it,
Don’t let nobody slow you down, when your fast.
There’s no pain in protecting your pace,
From the 5 to the Tri to the runners high.
I’m in love with a shoe who knows me better,
Fell for the color just when I met her.
Took my sweet time when I was at the store,
Newton understands…
And you know how to treat my toes right,
Not too loose and not too tight.
Helps me to soar when I’m in flight.
Newton understands me.
I’m in love with a shoe (I’m in love with).
I’m in love with a shoe (I’m in love with).
Read Sing along with the rest of they lyrics here.
Adam Chamberlain topping out on the Y Couloir, SLC
There are two schools of thought on writing quotes in press releases.
First, there’s the traditional, Bull Durham approach:
Crash Davis: It’s time to work on your interviews.
Nuke LaLoosh: My interviews? What do I gotta do?
Crash Davis: You’re gonna have to learn your clichés. You’re gonna have to study them, you’re gonna have to know them. They’re your friends. Write this down: “We gotta play it one day at a time.”
Nuke LaLoosh: Got to play… it’s pretty boring.
Crash Davis: ‘Course it’s boring, that’s the point. Write it down.
And then, there’s the freewheeling, “tang” approach.
Both styles are well documented and juxtaposed in a recent press release from the Conservation Alliance announcing the appointment of two new board members: Adam Chamberlain from Black Diamond and Gareth Martins from Osprey.
The Bull Durham style:
“We are excited to have such great additions to the Alliance board,” said John Sterling, Conservation Alliance executive director. “Gareth and Adam bring great passion and experience that will help guide our efforts to protect our last wild places.”
The Tang style:
“Fire. The Wheel. Tang. The Conservation Alliance. Through innovative leadership that marshals the best conservation instincts of the outdoor industry, the Alliance has built tremendous momentum and a track record of partnership in the safeguarding of wild places,” said Chamberlain. “ I am stoked to have the opportunity to add my energy and enthusiasm to the Board’s efforts.”
Last week, I got a note from the good folks at Newton Running that said rock star John Mayer recently stopped into a Boston area City Sports and bought himself a pair of Newtons.
I guess it was only a matter of time before the paparazzi snapped a shot of him wearing them.
Here he is wearing the Newton Motion shoe, coming out of the gym in West Hollywood.
John also mentions Newtons on his personal blog. Click on the link that says “Smart.”
More John Mayer Newton photos here.
And get your complete John Mayer stalker obsession fix here.
Network security is essential both in the business world as well as in the case of home networks. Anyone who is employed at the same physical location can be hacked and hijacked for extortion and other unlawful purposes, as was shown by the recent hack of JPMorgan Chase by hackers with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Why did I mention this, since it’s a topic we didn’t even touch on in this article? The end result of any security-conscious network manager or employee is that security is not just an afterthought, but is almost required of them. This situation also holds true for home networks, as most home routers include default security mechanisms that are useless and pose great risks to your data, also if you want to improve your network security, there are services like Fortinet, which specialize in this area for homes and small businesses.
By installing your own router in your home or office, you can ensure the network security and privacy you expect, especially if the options are straight forward to understand and use. In our test, we tested the best router around for many of these reasons:
Flexible
The most flexible router is a high-end R7000. You can choose what packages you want, how much data you want to download, when you want to download, and your own VPN for privacy. You will also be able to get you VPN router without any free software at all.
The most flexible router is a high-end R7000. You can choose what packages you want, how much data you want to download, when you want to download, and your own VPN for privacy. You will also be able to get you VPN router without any free software at all. Affordable
Many of the cheap routers can’t really do what a high-end router can, but this can be a cheap router that really excels. You can get a router for less than $50. And if you’re on a budget, then you can get a $20 router with no restrictions for home use.
Many of the cheap routers can’t really do what a high-end router can, but this can be a cheap router that really excels. You can get a router for less than $50. And if you’re on a budget, then you can get a $20 router with no restrictions for home use. Quality
A wireless router comes with a firmware and hardware which should be working, so it’s a good bet that it will have superior performance than the cheapest router in the store. I’ve tested more than 50 different routers and routers and when I say good performance, I mean that they are all able to handle data transfer for at least 5Mbps, with two or three being able to handle 10Mbps.
A wireless router comes with a firmware and hardware which should be working, so it’s a good bet that it will have superior performance than the cheapest router in the store. I’ve tested more than 50 different routers and routers and when I say good performance, I mean that they are all able to handle data transfer for at least 5Mbps, with two or three being able to handle 10Mbps. Cheap
Many of the cheap routers, even a low-end $35 router, don’t really do anything right, other than sit there waiting for you to connect to them over the Internet. You will usually see no guarantees about security or speed, and you will usually have to pay a ridiculous amount of money in order to have access to your data on a home network.
Jason Hairston (left) and Jonathan Hart, founders of Sitka Gear, pose with Jason’s bear after their recent hunt in Alaska. These are some big black bears.
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