The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered what to do with all of the coolness that people write, and while I share a lot of it on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, this is a better forum for sending it on to y’all. Most times these different streams don’t overlap, so be on the lookout at all these places for good stuff!
So with that, let’s get into the action!
DCRainmaker.com posts this past week:
Here’s all the goodness that ended up on the main page of DCRainmaker.com this week.
Here’s all the Parisian fun we’ve been having on our Paris sub-blog. Note that these are now available through a separate RSS feed and not the main one, though, I’d be curious if folks want it in the main one..
The Queue is a place where I post quick galleries of products that have just started the review cycle. Here’s a handful of the start of an onslaught of new products that have come in this week (tons more planned over the next 3-4 weeks). At the moment, these don’t show up in the main RSS feed since they are just quick galleries. I may consider adding it in if there’s interest.
Triathlete Magazine – They’ve got a full blown article on me, as well as a look at how I do reviews! It’s on newsstands now (January 2013 edition), or you can also pull it up via the digital app on a number of platforms such as the iPad Newsstand:
Swimmer Magazine– They make reference to me in an article on swimming gadgets. It’s a quick mention, but a much appreciated note nonetheless!
Stuff that I found interesting around the interwebs:
Here’s a not-so-small smattering of all the random things that I stumbled on while doing my civic duty to find the end of the Internet:
1) Cycling Tour of Rwanda Photo Gallery: We’ve all seen the spectacular images of the Tour de France, the Giro, and others. But how about a pro cycling race in Rwanda? Check it out, worth the browse.
4) Interbike to kinda sorta allow consumers next year: The cycling show Interbike will allow ‘invited’ consumers next year to the show (previously, it happened on the down-low and only media/distributors/bike shops/exhibitors were allowed). While this is a step in the right direction, I ultimately think it’s silly. Just let Friday be an open day. Eurobike does it on Saturday with a whole day dedicated. With Interbike, the draw will be less due to location, and Friday is virtually empty anyway.
5) Strava adds X-Features: This is essentially a new beta area of Strava with new functionality and things they’re testing out. Cool concept. They’ve put up two new features on their site already.
7) Blood Doping 101: A great introductory post into exactly what blood doping is, how it works, and why it’s made such a difference (negative difference) in the sport of cycling.
8) Simon Whitfield competes in toy triathlon: Simon and a reporter go head to head in a number of events, in an effort to raise money for Childrens Miracle Network. All you have to do is click the ‘Like’ button on the page and the kids get $1. (Via EverymanTri)
9) A year doping – what it does to the average athlete: Serving as his own lab rat, an amateur bike racer spent a year taking supplemental testosterone—rumored to be a peloton favorite—to find out if it could transform an average Joe. (Via The Byliner)
10) Heart Rate Sensor Socks: While these aren’t actually targetted yet at endurance athletes, the idea is pretty interesting if ported into the sport world.
Sports Technology Software/Firmware Updates This Week:
Each week I quickly highlight some of the new firmware, app, software and website service updates that I see go out. If you’re a sports technology company and release an update – shoot me a quick note (just one liners is perfect, or Tweet it at me) and I’ll make mention of it here. If I don’t know about it, I won’t be able to post about it. Sound good?
Magellan Switch Update 1: This is the first major update to the unit, and fixes a slew of issues and offers some refinement in other areas. It notes improvement in GPS Signal & Reception, but I haven’t had a chance yet to test and see if it solves the only outstanding issue I had with the unit: Instant Pace. Would love to hear from others on this.
Joule GPS Firmware 19.061: A bunch of new features here, including proximity pairing (it’ll automatically pair to the cloest ANT+ sensors when in pairing mode), as well as the ability to use the interval button as a back button. Grab the update via Power Agent.
iPhone Apps that were updated this week:
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Ray – If I was you, I’d send that thing to the French Kinkos and get a mural made for the living room. If the woman starts worshipping it – added bonus. ;-)
In fact, every ‘category’ on the site can be made into an RSS feed (Product Reviews, Travel, etc..) – just add the word ‘Feed’ after it. :)
As for pulling in the Paris blogs back into the main feed – I sent an e-mail off to the developers to have them do that. I agree, time to have it back! Thanks all!
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FAQ’s
I have built an extensive list of my most frequently asked questions. Below are the most popular.
You probably stumbled upon here looking for a review of a sports gadget. If you’re trying to decide which unit to buy – check out my in-depth reviews section. Some reviews are over 60 pages long when printed out, with hundreds of photos! I aim to leave no stone unturned.
I travel a fair bit, both for work and for fun. Here’s a bunch of random trip reports and daily trip-logs that I’ve put together and posted. I’ve sorted it all by world geography, in an attempt to make it easy to figure out where I’ve been.
The most common question I receive outside of the “what’s the best GPS watch for me” variant, are photography-esq based. So in efforts to combat the amount of emails I need to sort through on a daily basis, I’ve complied this “My Photography Gear” post for your curious minds (including drones & action cams!)! It’s a nice break from the day-to-day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it!
Many readers stumble into my website in search of information on the latest and greatest sports tech products. But at the end of the day, you might just be wondering “What does Ray use when not testing new products?”. So here is the most up to date list of products I like and fit the bill for me and my training needs best! DC Rainmaker 2023 swim, bike, run, and general gear list. But wait, are you a female and feel like these things might not apply to you? If that’s the case (but certainly not saying my choices aren’t good for women), and you just want to see a different gear junkies “picks”, check out The Girl’s Gear Guide too.
I think you should take a picture like the one in triathlete. you have enough watches to make it happen.
Thanks for all you do.
Ray – If I was you, I’d send that thing to the French Kinkos and get a mural made for the living room. If the woman starts worshipping it – added bonus. ;-)
I’d like to see all the new posts, regardless of which part of the site they are appear on, to show in the one RSS feed.
Yeah, I agree!
Me too!
Likewise!
It would be nice to have all posts in a single RSS thread, but really not a big deal. I already added the second feed.
nice article on triathlete
I also want them all in the same feed: I LOVE the Paris articles!
Trotify – straight out of “Monthy Python and the Holy Grail”…..
I’d love to see an RSS feed for “the Queue”
Ask and you shall receive! link to dcrainmaker.com
In fact, every ‘category’ on the site can be made into an RSS feed (Product Reviews, Travel, etc..) – just add the word ‘Feed’ after it. :)
As for pulling in the Paris blogs back into the main feed – I sent an e-mail off to the developers to have them do that. I agree, time to have it back! Thanks all!