Beats by Dr. Dre are a case study in how excellent marketing and brand building can build a global phenomena out of a mediocre product. Kind of like Lance Armstrong or Ed Viesturs. For the price, we can't think of a more over-priced, over-hyped product. Particularly given the same sound quality can be found in headphones at a fraction of the cost. Nevertheless, anything Beats related is probably marketing gold, so it makes sense that POC came out with a helmet with integrated Beats. And for about $300 you can have buy yourself one. Or you could just be smart about it, put a Beats sticker on your ear cover and use your perfectly decent ear buds to get the same sound quality. And still be the cool kid on the slopes.

Funny post on Uptown Almanac the other day featuring a flyer promoting a bike theft workshop put on by Google, SFPD (they blamed SF Bike Coalition for the silly graphic), and the SF Bike Coalition. The irony of  the flyer is that it features a bike graphic showing how to incorrectly lock up your bike to deter thieves. Mostly because it employs the use of a cable to lock both the front and back wheels. Any self respecting bike thief can easily cut through those cables with a cable cutter, so not only would you lose your front wheel, but the second most expensive part of the bike after your frame, the back wheel. We can attest to that, one of our employees' bikes was just liberated of its back tire on 5th and Market, one of the busiest, most tourist traveled locations in SF. What's the best way to lock you bike? Through the wheel and rear triangle of the bike. So says Sheldon Brown, the de facto expert of all things bicycle on the interwebs.  

Sweet baby j, what's with BMW? What's wrong with sticking to cars? You have to come into the outdoor world and start throwing ostentatious wealth into things that really don't need it. Like ski lifts? Check out this ridiculous lift designed by BMW at Hochzillertal/Kaltenbach, Austria:

An ultra-modern cabin from LEITNER ropeways ensures a relaxed mountain ascent. The interior comes from BMW Individual – comprising of leather seats with an integrated massage function and a multimedia system from the BMW 7 limousine series. In combination with exceptional dining opportunities at the Hochzillertal Ski Resort and 181 kilometres of pistes.  The BMW Individual for LEITNER project presents probably the most exclusive way to experience the winter wonderlands of the Alps.

Somebody needs to be taken to out to the woodshed for this abomination. Via VIP Gondel.at.

One would think Armstrong would show a little remorse, class, or god forbid humility after a decade plus of pathological lying. Nope. Here's a picture he posted to Twitter over the weekend. What an ass. Via Yahoo.

Lets be honest, the USADA's goal in lynching Lance Armstrong is to make him out to be the most evil athlete in cycling history, despite the fact that probably every top cyclist in the world was doing the same thing he was. Don't begrudge the man for just doing it better than everyone else.  And lets not lose sight of the fact that the USADA, since it began operating in October 2000, has been about as effective as condoms in a frat house. So of course putting attention on Armstrong distracts people from figuring out what a piss poor job they actually did rooting out doping. Makes sense to us. And lets not forget US Cycling and UCI, they were all complicit in the rampant doping taking place in the sport, turning a blind eyes at worst, never taking doping that seriously at best. Everyone knew what was going on, everyone. Anyhoot, enough about that. We're just enjoying Lance being made out to be the Don Corleone of cycling by the USADA. Sweet baby j, the fun never ends:

The United States Anti-Doping Agency said Wednesday that Lance Armstrong was at the center of the most sophisticated and professional doping program in recent sports history and that it would soon release details of its findings.

The agency said its dossier on Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor who denies ever doping, will include sworn testimony from 26 people, including nearly a dozen former teammates on the United States Postal Service team. Those Postal Service teammates have admitted their own doping and say that Armstrong doped, encouraged doping and administered doping products on the team, the agency said on Wednesday.

The file, as described by the agency, would be the most extensive, groundbreaking layout of Armstrong’s alleged doping, bolstered by unprecedented interviews, financial statements and laboratory results.

“The U.S.P.S. Team doping conspiracy was professionally designed to groom and pressure athletes to use dangerous drugs, to evade detection, to ensure its secrecy and ultimately gain an unfair competitive advantage through superior doping practices,” the agency said. “A program organized by individuals who thought they were above the rules and who still play a major and active role in sport today.”

Via NY Times.

If you like bourbon and camping trailers, and you happen to be stinking filthy rich, you'll love the Bulleit Woody Tailgate Trailer. This beauty is handcrafted from reclaimed Bulleit Bourbon casks, and includes glassware, an entertainment system with a flat-screen TV, Blu-ray Disc player, and a state-of-the-art sound system. And most importantly, a one-year supply of Bulleit Bourbon and Bulleit Rye.

We don't know about you, but the most outrageous thing about this egregious example of ostentatious conspicuous consumption isn't the price tag, it's that these people have the audacity to define a one year supply of Bourbon and Rye as 4 cases of each. Four cases?  Somebody drops $150,00 and you're going to nickle and dime them on the bourbon? Com'on people, somebody who has nothing better do do with their money clearly needs to fill their empty, shallow lives with more than 8 case of whiskey. Sheesh. 

Here's the dark side of being a sponsored athlete, slapping your "brand" on everything imaginable with no shame. Viesturs and Karnazes are kings of this, they realize their 15 minutes are brief and they're cashing in as much as possible. And by cashing in as much as possible, we mean orthotics. That's right, orthotics, the inserts you walk around all day with your stinky feet. For a mere $45, your feet get to stomp around on these two "superstars." Amazing. Really. 

Shaun White. Awesome snowboarder. Good skate boarder. Multimillionaire. Drunken buffoon. Which goes to show you, you can take the boy out of the trailer park, but you can't take the trailer park out of the boy. Good for him, enjoying his money though. And he knows who pays his bills because he was quick to apologize to his "business partners."

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Olympic snowboard champion Shaun White apologized Tuesday for ‘‘unwise choices,’’ saying he got ‘‘carried away’’ after police accused him of pulling a hotel fire alarm that forced guests to evacuate.

White was charged with public intoxication and vandalism and is due in court Oct. 10.

The 26-year-old snowboard star said on his Facebook page he wants to apologize for ‘‘any inconvenience it caused my family, friends, business partners, the hotel and their guests. He added that he was ‘‘celebrating a happy occasion with a ton of family and friends and got carried away. I'm truly sorry for my poor behavior.’’

Via Boston.com.