[Disclaimer: this is not nearly as interesting or insightful as Competitive Cyclist's What's New. You've been forewarned.]
A few days ago, on one of my near-daily treks to Ride.Studio.Cafe, I walked in to see Dave S., Dave N., and Sal huddled around an iPad the far end of the coffee bar. Clearly excited about something, they slid the iPad over to show me their new gagdet: a Square. A small, white credit card reader that can attach to an iPad, iPhone, or Android phone, they had just finished putting the cafe menu into the iPad.
“Look, look,” Sal said, coming around to my side of the coffee bar, his hand hovering over the iPad.
“Oh yeah, I’ve seen those before,” I said.
Their faces fell in unison, the momentary disappointment then replaced by outrage and accusations that I was jaded. They went so far as to make me re-enact the scene again, but this time - to their satisfaction - I feigned shock, surprise, and awe.
Not usually being in the know, I’m usually on the other end of the equation. This might sound ironic given that I seem to be on the Internet ALL THE TIME but I have remained fairly oblivious even with an iPod, phone, laptop, and Kindle. So the following might not be new for you, but hey we can all pretend, right?
ifixbyx
I’ve known Mark, the mastermind behind ifixbyx, for a few years now and keep promising to visit his new space [but have yet to do so]. I understand how foolish this is because Mark gets to play around with Di2 on a regular basis. Yes, Di2. I love Di2. I think Di2 was made specifically for me, although I've actually never used it. Anyway, as I could go on and on about Di2, even if you don't have a fetish for Japanese electronic groups, if you’re looking for a top-notch mechanic in the NYC area, you can’t go wrong with Mark. He’s recently gotten a new website courtesy of Gage+Desoto, and it is pro. I like. A lot.
NYC Velo
My favorite store in the city, NYC Velo is celebrating its sixth birthday next Sunday [party here!]. They’ve also gotten a website facelift for the upcoming season, as well as some great new hires. If you see a short Asian girl trying on every pair of Oakleys they have, that will probably be me. And yes, my nonexistent nose and I look amazing in Jawbones.
Jens Voigt’s Army
I love it.
H-Zontal Bike
...I don't love it. For so many reasons. [Thanks, Josh.]
I know, I know. You're all blown away. I knew you would be.