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The Video Round Up: October 31st 2015

By Austin Parker Published March 30, 2022

The Video Round Up is a new series highlighting videos and multimedia content that caught our eyes. Getting stoked on travel, good food, and extreme sports is best when shared with friends, so we’ll be posting a bi-weekly series on our favorite videos we find from every corner of the web. Have a tip or some awesome footage? Shoot an email to support@themanual.com

PAKPOD

PAKPOD super-versatile tripod (KICKSTARTER project movie preview)

We received this fun little product in the mail a few weeks ago to test during

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Pakpod’s Kickstarter. Since then, our pakpod has been hung from bridges while fly fishing, wedged into narrow cracks on gnarly rock climbing routes, and stashed in our day packs every single day. The genius is in the stake design – each leg can grab onto just about anything, and lock down, providing you more versatility in getting the right shot in tight spaces or less than cooperative weather. Originally designed with underwater shooters in mind, this mighty little tripod will become an indispensable tool for seasoned pros and amateurs alike.

Sony Action Cams: Travis Pastrana

Action Cam | Legend of Action Sports - Travis Pastrana | Sony

You’re probably familiar with Sony’s new action cams from our very first Round Up and behind the scenes look at Robbie Maddison’s Pipe Dream film. Sony continues to march on and recently signed action sports legend Travis Pastrana to the team. We can’t wait to see what his Nitro Circus crew comes up with, so stay tuned for some craziness.

Cannibal Canyon

Cannibal Canyon | Downhill Skateboarding on Donner Pass

Sector 9 Longboards and Redbull Media found a group of longboarders crazy enough charge down the 2.4 miles of Highway 40 through Donner Pass, CA. With top speeds of up to fifty miles an hour, and a total elevation change of more than 2,000 feet, this race to the bottom is way beyond our meager abilities on a board.

Birchbox’s Movember Ball Exam

7 Guys Perform a Testicular Self-Exam On Camera (SFW)

Not going to lie, watching this video made us feel more than a little awkward. Birchbox is an official partner in the Movember, so they are invested in keeping every man healthy, one testicle at a time. While don’t advise that you take a video of your own cancer screening, you should definitely check out their Movember Survival Kit while you get ready to grow your stache for the next few weeks.

Tactivate Wingsuite World Record

Tactivate Wingsuit World Record Attempt for Special Operations Warrior Foundation

On November 11th Jimmy Petrolia, a retired USAF Pararescueman, will jump out of a plane from above 30,000 feet in an attempt to break multiple wingsuit world records. His stunt is not just for bragging rights, but will raise money for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides support for the children of American Special Operations personnel who fall in the line of duty. Our hats are off to Jimmy and the entire Tactivate team. We’ll be following his efforts closely.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Austin Parker is a former contributor at The Manual Parker is a powder skier and sport climber and is no stranger hauling…

Culture

Don’t ruin your cigars: here’s how to properly season a new humidor

Seasoning secrets every cigar lover could use

faceless man presenting a cigar humidor with cigars inside with gloved hands

If you're a newcomer to the world of cigars or just bought a brand-new humidor, you'll need to season it. And no, I'm not saying to add salt and pepper to it. If you've never heard of it, you might ask, "What is seasoning for a humidor?"

Don't think you need to flavor the box or anything — seasoning is really about getting the wood inside your humidor so as not to rob your cigars of precious moisture. Easy to understand, and getting it done is relatively straightforward as well. The trick is figuring out the "why," and we'll get into that in a bit. But let's first discuss seasoning a humidor.

Culture

The NBA’s ultimate celebration tool: The victory cigar

A look at the players and coaches who smoke to celebrate

Jordan smoking a cigar image on a bag

Sports are synonymous with celebration. After winning the biggest trophy of their lives, athletes want to indulge in the payoff that comes with seeing their dreams realized. Teams go into the locker room, where a waterfall of champagne hits them in the eyes, and swimming goggles seem to be a requirement, lest you walk around on the best night of your life half blind. While drinking is often the activity of choice after winning a championship, the NBA has an alternative symbol of greatness that other sports don't use nearly enough: the victory cigar.

Basketball is a team game, but it's also an individual canvas for solo superstardom. After winning an NBA championship, the coaches and players who sit atop the throne have long smoked a cigar in the locker room, during the parade, or even on the bench before the clock has hit zero. There's nothing quite like a good stogie to signify the ultimate win over the rest of the league, but how did the victory cigar get so ingrained in NBA championship celebrations? We want to take a walk down memory lane and look at some of the historical moments and people who made the cigar what it is within the NBA today.
Red Auerbach's victory cigar on the bench
Red Auerbach: The Story Behind the Victory Cigar + His Disdain of NBA Officials - Red on Roundball

Culture

The best medical shows of all time to binge now

From ER to The Pitt, these are the best medical shows ever made

Noah Wyle in the Pitt

Throughout TV's long history, the medical drama has occupied a somewhat unique place in the landscape. Medical shows are often some of the most reliable on TV precisely because there's so much drama built in to working in a hospital.

Personally, I've found the medical drama to be deeply comforting for years, even if I have no desire to be a doctor myself. Understanding the stress of people in the healthcare profession is fascinating in and of itself.