Sam Laird
As seen in:
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The New York Times,
Mashable,
Yahoo,
Climbing Magazine,
AFAR,
East Bay Express,
SLAM Magazine,
RealClear Defense,
Oakland North
and
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Articles by Sam Laird
American Missile and Russian Dachas
The Tomahawk cruise missile is a near perfect machine. Its development followed advances in guidance and turbofan engine technology in the 1970s. It has been tested for decades. And it has been upgraded and augmented for the same amount of time.
Shoemakers and Record Breakers: A Brief History of Women's Climbing Shoes
Left to Right: The Scarpa Rockette, the Five Ten Diamond, the La Sportiva Mythos Lady. “La Sportiva is the first company I recall making women-specific shoes,” Lynn Hill, one of climbing's biggest icons, explained to me recently. I was sure that by talking to Hill I would get to the bottom of weeks of research, and figure out once and for all the origin of women's climbing shoes—but it was just another dead end in a harder-than-expected maze.
Perfect photo of Rickie Fowler proves the single life's not so bad
Golfer Rickie Fowler is anyone who's ever found themselves stranded alone in a sea of love. Which is to say, Rickie Fowler is all of us. After the United States won its first Ryder Cup since 2008 on Sunday, Fowler's teammates got mushy with their significant others. But Fowler, in the middle of it all, had no one to smooch — which led to this amazing photo. Image: cott Halleran/PGA of America via Getty ImagesLet's get a closer look. Image: Scott Halleran/PGA of America via Getty ImagesSo good.
Squad Goals: Where to Watch the World Cup Across the United States
The United States may not be playing in this year’s tournament, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be watching. These are the soccer bars to visit. Watching the World Cup is fun in any environment. But watching the World Cup while surrounded by fellow fans drinking beer in a packed bar? That’s tough to beat. The United States failed to qualify for the men’s World Cup in Russia this summer, yet that shouldn’t stop you from finding a watering hole to enjoy the greatest event in sports.
Luka Doncic of Slovenia is the Best International Prospect Ever 🌍
I. When Luka Doncic pulls up to a photo studio in central Madrid on a crisp April afternoon, a scuffed and scratched basketball travels with him. The Spalding goes most places with Doncic. It lives in the trunk of his car, always at the ready. That’s not strange, though—most teenage hoopheads keep a weathered rock in the trunk. What’s different is that Doncic’s ride happens to be a metallic blue Porsche with paint so shiny the car’s surface ripples in the sunlight.
5 Soccer-Crazy World Cup Destinations That Aren’t Russia
Set your airfare alerts for the biggest party in sports. These destinations aren’t the host nation, but they’re still worth the trip. The 2018 World Cup kicks off June 14 in Moscow, but the host nation isn’t the only place worth considering for a soccer-centric trip. It’s also well worth thinking about a last-minute trip elsewhere for the most magical event in sports, which takes place throughout Russia through July 15.
Facebook Launches WordPress Tool, Makes Blogging More Social
Facebook announced sweeping integrations for WordPress.org and WordPress.com VIP users on Tuesday morning -- allowing you to add your blog content to the social network in one click. The integrations are accessible through a Facebook for WordPress plugin (available here) and allow bloggers and administrators of WordPress-based sites to cross-publish content to WordPress, their own Facebook Timelines and the Facebook Pages they oversee.
Hometown hero Henderson honored by alma mater
Baseball Hall of Famer and former Oakland Tech Bulldog Rickey Henderson speaks at a ceremony renaming the former Carter Field in his honor. Oakland Tech product Rickey Henderson’s pro baseball career spanned parts of four decades, included stints on nine major league teams, and ended with the hometown hero holding career records in stolen bases, runs scored, and leadoff homeruns.
NFL’s Martellus Bennett thinks children’s books need more black stars, so he wrote his own
Martellus Bennett had already noticed the problem. But it was put into sharp focus after his daughter, Austyn Jett, was born two years ago. “There aren’t many children’s books about black characters that are just going on adventures,” the NFL star told Mashable this month. Black characters, he found, tend to star in children’s books with directly racial themes.
A Surfing Legend Conquers Addiction, but Prison May Lie Ahead
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Not long ago, Anthony Ruffo surfed everywhere from Santa Cruz to South Africa, a glamorous life of big waves, photo shoots and beautiful women, bankrolled by corporate sponsors. “Ruffo was a big deal, definitely someone you wanted to be like,” said Shawn Barron, another Santa Cruz surfer. Today, Mr. Ruffo is staring at prison. A recovering methamphetamine addict, he is charged for the second time with dealing the drug in the seaside town where he grew up.
Mixtape Madness | The Classical
It’s just after 3:00am on a frigid night last December and Nils Wagner and I are somewhere deep in Georgia, hurtling south in his 155,000-mile-old Chevy Aveo through the Interstate 95 darkness. A carton of decimated fast food sits forgotten beneath his seat. Extra clothes are stuffed in two plastic grocery bags in the back. High-definition camcorders and 25 mini-DVD tapes are tucked in the trunk, as Wagner navigates with his left hand.
Jabari Brown Soldiers On
Near the end of a March state playoff game, underdog Oakland High is tied with host De La Salle of Concord, a perennial Northern California basketball power. Oakland's speed, quickness, and athletic creativity were enough to hold a small lead through the game's first three periods.
To Create a Star, Add Hip-Hop to Hoops and Post to YouTube
At a game last week, above, Travis Farris captured video of Aaron Gordon, No. 55. The Super 100, a basketball camp last month at El Cerrito High School, brought together dozens of budding local prep stars. As the event began, a row of sneaker-clad counselors addressed the players, who were seated in rows on the gym floor. One man looked out of place. Dressed in a white T-shirt, baggy jeans and black Chuck Taylors, he held a small video camera.
Shoe Marketer Who Enriched N.C.A.A. Takes on His Creation
Sonny Vaccaro is an adviser in a suit against the N.C.A.A. that could transform a $4 billion industry. Sonny Vaccaro signed Michael Jordan to his first shoe contract. He invented the practice of paying college basketball coaches to outfit their players in his company’s gear. For decades, Mr. Vaccaro, who worked as a marketing executive for Nike, then Adidas, then Reebok, revolutionized the merchandizing of amateur athletes, earning millions of dollars for his employers, the N.C.A.A. and himself.
An Upstart Looks to Take on the Giants of Online Ticketing
When most folks think of buying event passes online, they think Ticketmaster. But the San Francisco-based upstart Ticketfly wants to change that. With a series of new feature rollouts this summer and fresh round of prominent venture funding, its future looks bright. Earlier this month, the company introduced a reserved seating product that effectively extended its potential venue partnerships by a factor of three.
‘Blade Runner’ on Trial: Oscar Pistorius Case Consumes South Africa - Mashable
At left: Oscar Pistorius in a Pretoria court room during his murder trial. At right: Pistorius in better days, as a South African track star and national hero. In the wee hours of Valentine’s Day 2013, Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee runner who skyrocketed to global fame just months prior at the London Olympics, shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp dead through a bathroom door inside his well-appointed home in Pretoria, South Africa.
What Techies Are Buzzing About at CES [INFOGRAPHIC]
By Sam Laird on January 10, 2012 These are among the nuggets of information provided by our friends at Simply Measured analytics. The Twitter statistics provide a quantified analysis of who and what caught the tech world's attention at the unofficial kickoff to CES. Below, we offer some quick analysis on Simply Measured's complete findings, but please examine the stats yourself to parse out what you think the data's most interesting revelations are and then share with us in the comments.
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