From horseshoes to cornhole to bocce ball, every red-blooded American enjoys some form of lawn game during a summer barbecue. Each generation, innovators and entrepreneurs attempt to capitalize on a family's desire to relax outside, with a cold beverage in one hand, while competing in a game that doesn't require breaking a sweat. There is perhaps no more notorious failure in fulfilling these requirements than lawn darts. While the foot-long spears satisfied our need to compete, they ignored the fact that flying sharp objects, running kids, and that aforementioned beverage don't mix well.

[ Read Full Story ]

The Tour de France has made a critical change in protocol that could greatly alter race strategy, regarding how it provides real-time updates. For a decade, attacks by specific riders were immediately broadcast over an official communication channel, Radio Tour, and directly into the follow cars where directors for each team were listening. Depending on the specific rider(s), the specific team, and the size of the lead, directors in each car would instruct their team through helmet-mounted radios on whether to give chase or lay back.

[ Read Full Story ]

With grownups from the NFL to the DOD paranoid about concussions, it’s about time the research community asked, “What about kids?” Research published this month in the Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology offers a unique look into how hard kids are getting hit in hockey. The findings suggest players are suffering the biggest blows to the tops of their heads.

[ Read Full Story ]

A 450 square foot shoebox apartment was once a valid exemption from owning fitness equipment (and merely one component of your preemptive exercise avoidance plan). But you soon may have one less excuse for that gut.  The Otto-Bench, a concept created by Gabriel Prero, presents the first chink in your oversized armor. The aesthetically pleasing ottoman or coffee table, transforms seamlessly into a weight bench and houses all the required hardware needed to get buff.

[ Read Full Story ]

For non-metrosexual men, they’re one of three pairs of shoes on the closet floor. Between the dusty brown loafers and Adidas cross-trainers lies a pair of flip-flops. In Providence they’re worn four months a year, in Florida everyday after work and in California—from birth. Flops are an extension of man’s feet, but could the pleasure of air running through ones toes be outweighed by long term complications?

[ Read Full Story ]

For 18 years you fought a nightly crusade for control of the television. Like a samurai with his sword, your father protected his remote during dinner, while seated on his porcelain pedestal and while snoring loud enough to wake the dead. An air horn wouldn't rouse him, but a mere footstep towards the volume setting was perceived as a sign of aggression. Yep, Dad's a pretty special guy. Yet you, like so many other sons across this great land, forgot about Father’s Day. And forgiveness comes at a cost. So what better sign of devotion than to purchase your pop that which you so brilliantly battled for throughout your childhood—a remote.

Not just any remote, mind you. No, your father deserves more: the ultimate remote branded with four letters that mean so much to men and their television rituals: E – S – P – N. Yes, for a mere $299 you can purchase you father the ESPN Ultimate Remote (currently only available on Amazon.com).

[ Read Full Story ]

A memo sent from Major League Baseball’s Umpires Union to its members last week suggests instant replay will be implemented by August 1st. In typical MLB fashion, the proposed plan is a decade late, ignores the potential provided by modern technology and will likely create more questions than answers. In the words of Yogi Berra, “This is like déjà vu all over again.” (see: steroid debacle).

But fear not Red Sox Nation and Marlin fan! We've concocted an ingenious plan that will save baseball from its masochistic ways. Before PopSci rescues America’s Pastime, it’s important to detail the current plan so we might strip it naked and expose the deficiencies.

[ Read Full Story ]

I’m not much of a “gamer”. (In fact, I’m not even entirely sure that’s the preferred nomenclature to describe one skilled at Halo and aroused by watching Grand Theft Auto.) The only video game system I’ve ever owned is the original Nintendo which still sits proudly attached to my television with a quarter holding RBI Baseball in place (undefeated through much of college). But, I do cover sports and its broadly defined intersection with technology, so when Nintendo began advertising Wii Fit, I felt obliged to turn off Tecmo Bowl and see just what the past twenty years has done to 64-bit technology and what it meant to the world of fitness.

There have been 786 reviews of the Wii and Wii Fit by men and women far more qualified than myself to compare its gaming merits to Dance Dance Revolution (never played), Guitar Hero (dabbled once in Best Buy) and the best of PS2 (never touched it). PopSci’s own gaming guru gave an excellent review of the system. But Wii Fit, and to a degree the Wii, isn’t only intended for Donkey Kong prodigies.

[ Read Full Story ]

Forget last night. According to the statheads the Celtics have this thing wrapped up despite losing game three of the NBA finals yesterday to the Lakers. Lenovo Stat tool uses a plus-minus algorithm to calculate the best individual players and combination of players.

[ Read Full Story ]

Was it the foot? No matter the credentials of experts claiming otherwise, Big Brown’s failure to win the Triple Crown will forever be linked to that question. After dominating at the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, Big Brown dived, finishing in last place despite being favored at 1-4 odds.

[ Read Full Story ]

Get ready to add a few more golf clubs to the bag – sort of. Callaway Golf launched its new I-MIX drivers this month which allows enterprising duffers everywhere to swap out specific heads and shafts according to course or weather conditions, or just to impress their cronies. The heads are attached to the shaft using a custom torque wrench that provides an audible click and a visual indicator suggesting when it’s safe to let the big dog bite.

[ Read Full Story ]

So much for scalping tickets. In a country where Big Brother is more than a myth, Chinese officials have taken technological steps to ensure only those who purchase tickets to the opening and closing ceremonies are allowed inside the Bird’s Nest in Beijing. RFID chips in each ticket will include photos, phone numbers, email addresses and passport data ensuring the $720 face value isn’t increased on the street.

[ Read Full Story ]

With each 18 holes purchased, man has a decision to make. It’s a reflection of one's beliefs on purity versus convenience. It’s an expression of one's willingness to endure for the sense of accomplishment. It’s an opportunity to scoff at pragmatism in favor of tradition. And it comes down to a single question: Cart or no cart?

[ Read Full Story ]

Imagine a shoe so uncomfortable you have to hammer the insole and smash it inside a door to make it tolerable. Now imagine tossing the same $70 shoe in the trash because it shredded into pieces after just 45 minutes. Welcome to the world of ballet.

[ Read Full Story ]

A horse was euthanized this past weekend on the hallowed track of the Kentucky Derby. Eight Belles ran the race of her life, finishing second. But, just steps past the finish line the filly snapped both her ankles and crumbled to the dirt. Veterinarians on site promptly decided to euthanize the horse—on the racetrack—with just a few trucks and an appropriately placed oversized derby hat shielding the more than 150,000 spectators (NBC wisely did not show footage of the horse).

[ Read Full Story ]