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The Style Rider: Read All About It

style rider read bike
Matt Brand was once apart of The Manual team – he has since moved on and started a blog that fuses an everyday commute with the interesting and exciting styles of New York City. We had a quick coffee with him between shots to hear more about StyleRider.

“I bike everyday from Brooklyn to TriBeCa, and was fascinated by the styles of people on wheels: bikers certainly, but also motor-cyclers, skateboarders, roller-skaters, people in wheelchairs, walkers, even older people pulling those mini grocery-cart things,” Brand told us.

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Brand’s idea was also different from the other style blogs out there. “It was a different type of street style that I hadn’t seen on photo blogs,” said Brand, “I liked the idea of bringing sport and action photography into the street style category.

Brand began documenting people who caught his eye during the morning commute. Shooting everything while in motion, on his road bike.

At first, Matt took shots without people knowing, which he says was easier than going through the process of approaching and engaging random street-goers. One day he experimented with a “mini interview” – asking them questions about their style, and shooting them while they answer. “I liked the image that this interaction produced much better – their eyes were on me or the camera, and their expressions were always different,” he explained.

Developing this technique, Brand found that he was capturing people in a very natural, happy, joyful state. He believes this is because their attention is on multiple things (riding bikes, reflecting on questions, and talking.) “I’m getting this very real expression of “letting go”, which is nearly impossible to capture in a controlled photo shoot environment.” Brand also works at an ad agency, so his career experience comes into play.

As Brand started getting stronger and stronger quotes and stories, the blog has taken on a life of it’s own. It’s like a hybrid of The Sartorialist and Humans of New York, another blog that captures New Yorkers during the day and captures photos and terrific stories.

So what’s next for Matt as he continues to evolve his blog? “One thing I’m looking to do is team up with an anti-smoking initiative,” he said. “I think the project would be a softer and more subversive way to approach cessation: everyone I shoot is happy, joyful, and they look cool – all without smoking.”

Check out The Style Rider here.

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Best cheap backpack deals for October 2022
classic backpack

If you're looking for the best cheap backpack deals, you be happy to find there are many choices. The backpack universe includes packs for hiking, biking, commuting, and more. For this overview of the current best cheap backpack deals, we focused primarily on backpacks tech backpacks for commuters or people who work from home, and backpacks for travel.
Today's Best Cheap Backpack Deals

How To Choose A Backpack
Size
Backpack capacity is best determined by the size of the person who will be wearing it, but there are variation based on personal preference and habits. A middle school student who likes to carry their all books to and from school every day will need a larger backpack than a student who rarely brings books home. Student athletes may want a gigantic bag to carry sports clothing and gear, though in that case a second bag is often an option. One factor regarding size is specific to electronics, considered separately just below. Commuters will want to consider how much weight and bulk they want to carry on a daily basis.
Laptop And Electronics Readiness
Computers, Chromebooks, tablets, and other electronics are expensive. Even though most devices can take moderately rough handling, the best solution when choosing a backpack is to pick one with a padded protected area that fits the device. Most laptops will fit in a sleeve designed for the most common 15.6-inch display size, but a few are larger, so be sure to account for screen size (measured diagonally). Because many tech-focused people and some students carry more than one device, there are also backpacks with multiple protected sections. Two additional handy electronics-focused features to look for are an opening for a USB charging port and an easily-accessed zippered compartment for adapters, cables, mice, and other small accessories.
Material
Backpacks are constructed of a variety of materials, including nylon, polyester, canvas, cotton fabric, leather, and more. If you're choosing a backpack for a student, keep in mind the material will need to withstand rough treatment and often be put or stored in areas where they will pick up dirt.
Comfort
Backpacks often have a variety of handles and extra straps, but padded shoulder straps that don't dig in when the backpack is loaded with books can add a lot to its comfort.
Water Resistance
None of the cheap backpacks below are waterproof, but some are constructed of water-resistant material. If anyone will be wearing or carrying the pack in the rain, at least minimal water resistance is a good thing.
Style
Style is another personal preference consideration, but try not to sacrifice function and comfort just for looks.

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Amazon first opened Amazon Style Glendale (California, outside of L.A.) earlier this year. While the tech-forward brick-and-mortar store sports upgrades to old-school big box stores, some customers have reported being disappointed in the experience, according to The Guardian.

While Amazon Style does have front-of-house employees who can assist shoppers in their search (much the same way traditional retailers do), shoppers can also experience the store via their smartphone by scanning QR codes to send clothes to the fitting room or straight to pick up. Once in the fitting room, shoppers can select looks without having to leave. The store delivers on-the-spot algorithmic service that traditional brick-and-mortar models often can't meet, but retailers in the future will have to incorporate that sort of technology with an even greater human touch — more like a personal shopper experience — to offer that personal touch critical to the sensory experience of seeing, touching, and feeling products.

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Futuremood pioneered using colored sunglasses to stimulate moods by regulating lights and color with halochrome lens technology. Austin Soldner and Michael Schaecher met at a newly formed San Francisco research and development lab created by the high-end audio tech maker Bose. The pair collaborated with world-leading lens manufacturer Zeiss to ideate and realize Futuremood’s mood-altering sunglasses that, according to company studies, have shown to alter your state of mind. Alongside DJ and production duo Alexander "Alex" Pall and Andrew "Drew" Taggart, there’s no stopping achieving your particular shade of Zen with Futuremood shades.

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