“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear.
Share your story ideas or interesting finds with us by emailing [email protected]
Header Image Via: Gran Turismo
How do we measure the space between imagination and real-life experience? Where is the line between what’s virtual and what’s real? For Jann Mardenborough, the only way for him to know was to cross that line and to never go back.
Mardenborough was just 19 years old when he won the GT Academy, a competition that took the best Gran Turismo video game players from around the world and trained them so that they would be able to jump into an actual race car and drive upwards of 200 mph around some of the most iconic race tracks around the globe. Mardenborough’s career would accelerate from there, as he would go on to have a top 3 finish at Le Mans and a top-of-the-podium finish at GP3 in 2014. Although this sounds like a Cinderella story, there is an unfortunate tragedy that underlines the fact that professional race car driving is no longer a video game. There is no reset button.
Gran Turismo is a film that portrays Jann Mardenborough’s story from gamer to racer. Directed by Neill Blomkamp and anchored by a solid cast including David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, and Archie Madekwe, Gran Turismo is sure to have all of us (especially those who have played this game religiously) at the edge of our seats. The film has a debut date of August 11th, 2023.
As of the early 1900s, most of the planet had already been explored, documented and mapped. The Arctic, and more specifically the North Pole, remained as the final frontier. At the time, one can only use their imagination as to what that part of the world looked like. Folktales from people who lived as far North as possible sparked fantasies of a long lost land – a potential 8th continent. Others believed that past all of the ice and at the center of the North Pole, was a warmer ocean waiting to be discovered.
Although there have been definitive and well documented accounts of explorers physically arriving at the North Pole, like Roald Amundsen who flew over the center of the Arctic circle in 1926, a Russian explorer who put boot to ice in 1948 (also flew there), and the Plaisted Polar Expedition spawned from a bar bet that resulted in Ralph Plaisted overlanding to the North Pole in a snowmobile, there were two gentleman in the very early 1900’s who made it their life’s work to win the race to the top of the world.
The two men were Robert Peary and Frederick Cook. Peary, the grizzled Arctic explorer veteran versus Cook, the spry young gun adventurer. As told by Johnny Harris, an Emmy-winning independent journalist, in a recent short video entitled Who Really Got To The North Pole First? published on his YouTube channel, this story is more than just the discovery of the North Pole. It delves deeper into the rivalry between the two explorers and the drama post-telegram that notified the world that someone had finally made it to the North Pole. Here’s the kicker, one of these guys wasn’t really forthcoming with his accomplishments, and faked his discovery of the North Pole. To find out who that was, check out the video above.
Rucking is easily one of the best bang-for-your-buck exercises you can have in the workout routine. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s quite simple – put some weight in a backpack and walk. It’s that simple. We can’t think of any other brand that makes a practical everyday bag dedicated to rucking than the Jacksonville Beach based company, GoRuck.
GoRuck has a wide array of rucksacks and workout equipment in their arsenal, but what distinguishes the brand from other bag manufacturers out there is that they’ve got a knack for creating and developing everyday bags that seamlessly blends the ability to tastefully carry around your gear while also adding a bit of weight (if you so choose) in the process.
GoRuck has recently announced a limited edition collection that updates the classic GR1 backpack with a new rugged fabric, as well a larger, more EDC-friendly variation of the bag in the GR2. Both the GR1 and GR2 are constructed out of X-PAC, a durable fabric often used in the world of sailing that boasts attractive specs such as 210 Denier Nylon, DWR Coating and X-Ply Recycled Polyester. Translation, these bags are incredibly lightweight and waterproof. The GR1 XPAC uses a familiar minimal silhouette, perfect for a daily commute or a light ruck session. The GR2 XPAC is an extension of the GR1 with the most notable upgrade being an additional clamshell opening made for optimal EDC organization. For more information including size and color options, head on over to here.
The last time we all left Paul Atreides, he and his mother were on the run from the Harkonnens and ended up receiving asylum from the community of Sietch Tabr. For those who still haven’t seen the film, we won’t spoil what happened next.
This week however, the trailer for Dune: Part Two was released, and it seems that everything that made the previous film a cinematic juggernaut, from the insane visuals to the profound story plot, we’re going to get more of in the sequel. Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya return as they both reprise their roles as Paul Atreides and Chandi. Also returning is Director extraordinaire, Denis Villeneuve, who was a part of 6 Oscars for Dune in 2022, as well as the Hamilton BTCA Visionary award in 2021. As the story goes, Paul Atreides will attempt to unite with the Fremen people of desert planet Arrakis and prepare against an all-out battle against House Harkonnen. Dune: Part Two is slated to hit theaters in November.
Latest Review
