Briefings: The World Tri, Depressing Internet Behavior, The Dream Team, Fourchu Lobster, and a Poem by Bolano

The internet is a great place to wander around and read stories about guys like Charlie Wittmack, who conquer imagine impossible physical and mental challenges and then conquer them. It’s a good place to watch documentaries about the ’92 Dream Team and to read great poetry.

By Jeremy Berger

Published June 28, 2012

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Updated August 25, 2022

The internet is a great place to wander around and read stories about guys like Charlie Wittmack, who conquer imagine impossible physical and mental challenges and then conquer them. It’s a good place to watch documentaries about the ’92 Dream Team and to read great poetry. It’s also a good place to incubate your depression, apparently. Don’t do that.

It’s a big and complicated world. We’re at tips [at] gearpatrol.com if you think there’s something we should know about.

1. What to Read (for Inspiration) | A Man Obsessed

As you know we’re working on a series about training for Ironman Louisville on August 26. Some days training isn’t fun. Some days doubt creeps in and you think maybe I should have given myself more time or maybe I just can’t do this. Maybe today is one of those days. On those days you need to read about the The World Tri, Charlie Wittmack’s attempt to swim the English Channel, summit Everest, bike 9,000 miles and run another 750.

espn.go.com

2. What to Avoid | Using the Web Like a Depressed Person

The NYT has a few questions for you: “Do you check your e-mail compulsively? Watch lots of videos? Switch frequently among multiple Internet applications — from games to file downloads to chat rooms?” If so, you may be depressed, according to a study in the forthcoming issue of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine. Researchers at the Missouri University of Science and Technology found a correlation between these behaviors and depression. Here at GP labs we’ve known for a while that sitting in front of a computer all day sucks.

nytimes.com

3. What to Watch | The Dream Team

With the NBA finals just behind us, the Olympics around the corner, and 20 years since the 1992 Dream Team wiped the floor with the rest of the world, the NBA released a documentary about the squad that included 11 Hall of Famers. It’s got insight into Chuck Daly’s hair, Jordan’s rivalry with Magic, and a look at young Toni Kukoc getting schooled by Jordan and Pippen. If you’ve been using the Internet like a depressed person, this will make you feel better.

vimeo.com

4. What to Eat | Nova Scotia Lobster

You’d be forgiven for thinking that Maine lobster was the chief crustacean. That’s what we thought. It turns out the rare Fourchu lobster from a tiny Nova Scotia fishing town by the same name is highly prized for its intense flavor and sweetness. One chef, according to this article in the Wall Street Journal, calls it the “Kobe beef of the sea.” Others, including a panel of tasters for the newspaper, weren’t so sure.

online.wsj.com