7 Electric Skateboards to Leave Kicking and Pushing in the Dust by William Goodman

Simply put, skateboarding rocks. One of the coolest hobbies around, the feeling of kicking and pushing the ground away from you is a thrilling experience. But what if you could make that feeling not only better but faster too?

Electric skateboards can help you take things up a notch. Thanks to powerful motors included in the boards, you can zoom around town or your college campus with speeds up to 25 mph. Boards are typically controlled through a dedicated hand controller, which allows a user to slow down quickly or speed up depending on the circumstances. At the same time, a durable and comfortable base lets you skate in style.

No matter how you’re planning on skating, make sure you do it on one of the seven electric skateboards we’ve highlighted below.

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‘The Mandalorian’ Shines With Surprising Season 2 Finale by William Goodman

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This article originally appeared on Complex.com

[Ed note: This post contains spoilers for Season 2 of The Mandalorian, including MASSIVE SPOILERS for today’s finale— "Chapter 16: The Rescue"—do not read any further unless you want it all ruined for you! Don’t say we didn’t warn you.]

A legendary Star Wars character once said, “Never tell me the odds.” It’s advice I should have taken into consideration ahead of The Mandalorian’s first season. The Disney+ streaming show seemed to be carrying a tremendous burden with its debut. It had to launch a brand new platform for the House of Mouse and chart a new story outside the Skywalker films. The first season succeeded by focusing on an inherently paternal relationship between The Child aka Baby Yoda aka Grogu, and the show’s titular Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal), set against Western-style tropes. The show’s small-scale focus — it’s not about saving the galaxy, it’s about saving a child—allowed Star Wars to feel big again.

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Performance Enhancing Shoes: The APL Basketball Shoes Banned by the NBA Are Back by William Goodman

When it comes to basketball, the words of Mars Blackman continue to resonate decades later: “It’s gotta be the shoes.”

Yes, basketball sneakers have become a massive industry, with some of the top players in the NBA having their own shoe lines and even (in some cases) their own entire brands such as Air Jordan or Curry Brand. Because basketball shoes are such big business, competition is incredibly steep. So how does a new entrant into the space differentiate themselves from what’s come before?

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Under Armour & Steph Curry Drop New Curry Flow 8 Sneakers for Curry Brand by William Goodman

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Stephen Curry is a generational talent. It’s not up for debate. The Golden State Warriors guard is the best shooter in the history of the NBA, bar none. He’s also the executive producer and presenter of our favorite extreme mini golf television show, Holey Moley. And while he missed most of last season due to an awful injury, he’s only going to continue to write his legend. And part of that story continues with his latest deal with Under Armour.

Announced at the beginning of December, Curry and UA have officially launched Curry Brand. Sure, this naturally means more Steph-designed shoes under the UA banner, but there’s also a larger purpose at work behind Curry Brand — ensuring all kids have equal access to this sport. According to the news release about the partnership, only 22% of kids who grow up in low-income households participate in youth sports, which means there’s a tremendous opportunity to offer a helping hand. Curry Brand plans to provide solutions to this problem by fostering relationships that will provide opportunities for youth sports in under-resourced communities through apparel and equipment, safe places to play, and ensuring coaches are engaged in their own professional development.

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The Action Is the Juice: Ranking the Heat Homages by William Goodman

This article originally appeared on GQ.com

When Michael Mann’s Heat arrived in the waning days of 1995, audiences came for a showdown between two acting titans and walked away having watched a reinvention of the heist genre. Bigger, more sprawling, and more ambitious than the competition, Heat layered multiple subplots and fringe characters into its tale of a master thief hunted at every turn by a cop who’s just as obsessive as he is—a trope that has since become a staple of the genre.

Mann’s masterwork is known for its incredible action sequences and masterful performances from Robert de Niro and Al Pacino, who appeared on screen together for the first time. The two play opposite sides of the coin: de Niro’s Neil McCauley is a cold and calculated career criminal devoted to his craft above all else, while Pacino’s Lt. Vincent Hanna’s fixation on police work has left a trail of failed relationships in his wake. Naturally, both men respect the hell out of each other.

With its deep cast and story boiled down from Mann’s script for an aborted TV series, Heat quickly entered the pantheon of crime films as well as Los Angeles epics. While there are certain films whose directors have stated outright they were influenced by Heat, other choices on this list are more subtle in how they reference or subvert Mann’s work. So grab your rival and square up over a cup of coffee as we dive into the best Heat-like movies since Heat.

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You’re Going to Need to Sit Down After Reading About the 12 Best Gaming Chairs by William Goodman

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There are few things worse than standing up from a marathon gaming session and realizing your back, legs and body are in total pain because you’ve been hunched over a controller for hours at a time. Sure, you can play games on your couch or in a standard office chair, but investing in a dedicated gaming chair is both a practical and effective way to play.

Gaming chairs are a bit more oversized than your standard computer chair, providing complete lumbar, head and neck support during those intense sessions of Warzone or Fornite. Made from premium leather or even breathable mesh, they’re meant to cushion and support you throughout hours and hours of games so that you avoid that aching feeling. And they’re typically done in a more sporty style to match the futuristic look and feel of either your console or PC.

With that in mind, we’ve rounded up 12 of the best gaming chairs on the market across all kinds of prices and with all types of gamers in mind, so there’s an option for every need and budget. Our picks, below.

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10 Sweatshirts To Feel Cozy and Warm in This Winter by William Goodman

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While we all love a good hoodie, there’s something to be said about the importance of a standard sweatshirt. The crewneck sweatshirt is one of those quintessential menswear pieces that should be in everyone’s wardrobe. While they provide the same great warmth and inherent coziness of their hooded bretheren, standard sweatshirts are a little easier to dress up or down depending on the situation.

However you decide you want to style your’s, snagging a sweatshirt is a quick and easy way to ensure you’re both stylish and warm. We’ve rounded up 10 of our favorites you can buy right now. From cool graphics, smart reimaginings, and even luxury offerings, here are the best sweatshirts for men.

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Review: EarFun’s Air Pro Earbuds are an Impressive Set of ANC Earbuds by William Goodman

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EarFun continues to have a strong 2020. Hot off the success of their EarFun Airs (we here at SPY rather enjoyed them), the new-ish consumer audio brand is back with their take on a set of active noise-canceling (ANC) earbuds. EarFun struck gold the first time around, but can they repeat in a space where it’s hard to really make an impact? After spending considerable time with a set of EarFun Air Pros provided to SPY for review, it turns out the answer is a resounding yes.

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