We don’t think of AMC’s hit series Mad Men to be exactly something that could help kids get on bikes. The TV show about the dark side of the world of advertising has characters drinking, smoking and basically leading a life that is anything but healthy. But it is a stylish show, and while life may not have to imitate art – the art of the show can do something good.
Trips for Kids looks to benefit from the sale of a one-of-a-kind, Mad Men-inspired art that will be sold through an online auction running now until April 1. And 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale will benefit Trips for Kids. The art includes a replica the hit TV show logo made entirely of vintage license plates and was created by renowned license plate artist and former HGTV host, Aaron Foster. Press release after the jump
The League of American Bicyclists last week as part of the National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. presented Leadership Awards to 13 members of the United States Congress for their strong support for healthy and active transportation options for all Americans. These include members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, who have worked to preserve popular, cost-effective programs that make bicycling safe and accessible for rural and urban residents across the nation.
Getting ready to do a triathlon? Jesse Kropelnicki can offer some tips on going the distance. He is an elite/pro level triathlon coach who founded QT2 Systems, LLC, a leading provider of personal triathlon coaching; TriathlonCalculator.com; TheCoreDiet.com, a leading provider of sports nutrition; and Your 26.2 a marathon training company.
Making the ski slopes look at pure as fresh driven snow isn’t really that hard, but making the white stuff look nice isn’t exactly green. But now the Volvo-Powered Ecogroomer could be a game changer, as it builds on existing technology and adds self-powered augmentative grooming units to the side, thus covering 200 percent more surface area on each pass. 
Fortunately the same technology that can allow athletes to know how where and how far they’ve run can be used to keep track of family members with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. Swiss-based u-blox has created Watchie, a GPS-based device that can be worn by patients as a watch and provide real time GPS tracking for caregivers.
It is probably an obvious point, but we need to be smarter about our fitness, and here is where technology can help. But to be smart, we can be SMART – as in using Self-Monitoring and Recording with Technology. These were among the findings of a new study announced at last week’s American Heart Association conference in California, that overweight adults who used handheld devices to deliver personalized dietary and exercise reminders were actually able to better stick to their diets than those who simply kept paper diaries or used unresponsive electronic devices. 
There are times that “getting into hot water” is a good thing, such as when it is cold outside and you could use a warm beverage. The Jompy takes this a step further, as it provides a way for campers, backpackers and hikers to get hot water from their hydration packs, while also ensuring that the water is clean and safe to drive.
Helmets for fitness have seriously evolved in the past 25 years, and while even a decade ago riders in pro cycling didn’t like to wear them, now the helmets are not only required – they are embraced. But there is still a ways to go, and the Swedish developers at MIPS are working on building a better helmet. Because it isn’t just about protecting the head, it is also about protecting the gray matter in side. Niklas Steenberg, CEO of MIPS AB tells where helmet development is “headed.” 
Dubbed the Nightfire, this incredibly small flashlight from River Rock Designs is just slightly longer than its battery and let it blasts away with 100 lumens. And impressively it is powered by just a single AAA battery.
“Look Ma, no paddles!” That’s probably our first take when seeing the Hobie Mirage Revolution 11, which is part of the company’s “MirageDrive line” of watercraft. While you can still do the traditional paddling, this drive allows users to pedal instead. Two pedals drive a pair of underwater fins – and reportedly work much like a penguin’s flippers. While the boat might be named Mirage those watching it move across the water might think they are seeing things as the Kayak’s users isn’t doing any paddling!
Brother Randy and Michael Gregg have come up with a novel new way to hunt – not with a rifle but with a camera. Actually more to the point it is a camera that looks like a rifle. It allows a hunter to get a “Kill Shot” without actually making a kill.
Imagine a skateboard that went nowhere, yet could still allow users to actually make some skateboard moves? One such deck is the Gyroboard, a product of Gyro Enterprises, which simulates the movement of board sports but from a stable position. The board does move – it just doesn’t go anywhere. Instead it features 360 degrees of rotation, can tilt forward or side to side. In this way it actually provides more motion than a skateboard or snowboard, but could be used for rehabilitation or training.