Skip to Content
Mike Newman Profile Picture

Mike Newman

Managing Editor at Cool Material

The Best Pieces of Tech for the Office

There’s a whole wide world of gadgets designed to streamline your workflow. If you’re going to drop some cash on a pricey electronic device, though, it’s probably worth knowing whether or not it can deliver on what it claims to do. That’s why we rounded up this group of items.…

12-Best-Pieces-of-Tech-for-the-Office-Header
Curtiss Hera Motorcycle

If you're unfamiliar with the Curtiss name, let us break the brand down for you. Imagine a motorcycle outfit keen on marrying industrial good looks with the dreams of a sci-fi movie director. The Zeus was a shining example of this and now so is the Hera, an electric bike…

Curtiss-Hera-Motorcycle
Studio Schicketanz Dog House

Studio Schicketanz is a California-based architectural firm behind a series of stunning homes. The outfit's latest build is decidedly smaller but no less awesome. The brand built a dog house. But not just any dog house, mind you. No, this is easily the sweetest pup pad we've ever seen. As…

Studio-Schicketanz-Dog-House-1
A Collection of Old Bond Posters Is Up for Auction

A humongous collection of vintage movie posters is up for sale through RM Sotheby's, and while you can dig through and find plenty of gems on your own, we're taking you right to the good stuff. Fifteen old James Bond movie posters will see the gavel drop, meaning this is…

A-Treasure-Trove-of-Old-Bond-Posters-Is-Up-for-Auction-1
The Star Wars Archives: 1977-1983

One look at the publishing house and the price tag should tell you all you need to know about the quality of this Star Wars coffee table book set for release on November 15. It's Taschen, and it's close to $200. It's going to be epic. Made in cooperation with George…

Star-Wars-Archives-1977-1983
What to Watch This Weekend: Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan

With cable, Netflix, and internet options, finding the best thing to watch during your downtime is difficult. Instead of flipping through menus all weekend and settling on nothing, turn to What to Watch This Weekend, a series in which we give you our pick for the best new show or…

Tom-Clancys-Jack-Ryan
‘The Other Side of the Wind’ Trailer

Carrying on with House of Cards without Kevin Spacey seemed like the toughest challenge Netflix would ever face just months ago. Alas, that's chump change compared to what the streaming giant has up its sleeves. Say hello to the official trailer for The Other Side of the Wind, a long-unfinished project from…

The-Other-Side-of-the-Wind-Trailer-new
LEGO Built a Life-Size Bugatti Chiron That Actually Drives

We're here with bad news. No matter how hard you try, you'll never build the most impressive LEGO vehicle. Why? Because LEGO just claimed that title with this life-size Bugatti Chiron. What's crazier? It actually drives. Crafted from LEGO Technic elements, this Bugatti is powered by the same Power Functions…

LEGO-Built-a-Life-Size-Bugatti-Chiron-That-Actually-Drives-1
Tesla Wireless Phone Charger

Elon Musk may be in hot water for tweeting about taking Tesla private and making crude comments about one of the cave divers who helped rescue the trapped soccer team in Thailand, but the man still knows how to move a product. Case in point, this Tesla Wireless Phone Charger,…

Tesla-Wireless-Phone-Charger
Swamp Dragon Makes Hot Sauce With Booze

Eating some wings with extra hot sauce can make you feel a little like you're drunk. If that hot sauce happens to be from Swamp Dragon, there's a chance you actually are drunk. That's because the brand makes its sauces with real booze. They claim it's the world's only liquor-based hot…

Swamp-Dragon-Makes-Hot-Sauce-With-Booze
‘Bad Times at the El Royale’ Trailer

We've had our fair share of memorable moments at hotel bars. Whether it be on a business trip or a solo jaunt, the hotel bar is a place where traveling strangers gather to blow off steam after long flights and long meetings. All the crazy stuff that happens is fodder…

Bad-Times-at-the-El-Royale-Trailer
Internet Company Logos as If They Existed in the ’80s

It's easy to see how much some internet companies have changed over the years by looking at their old webpage designs. But what if you could go back even further? What if Amazon, Instagram, and the gaggle of popular online companies existed in, say, the '80s? That's the idea behind…

Internet-Company-Logos-Reimagined-as-If-They-Existed-in-the-’80s-1
The Last Blockbuster in Existence Now Has Its Own Beer

Gone are the days when renting a movie for the night meant hitting Blockbuster and hoping whatever you wanted to see was in stock. When it invariably wasn't, you'd proceed on to see what other new releases had a full tape behind the display box. You'd then settle on Dumb &…

Last-Blockbuster-in-Existence-Now-Has-Its-Own-Beer
Swimply Is the Airbnb for Pools

Maintaining a pool is a pain. Between treating the water and skimming for bugs, it can sometimes feel like having one is more work than it's worth. A better option? Swimply. Swimply is, essentially, Airbnb for pools. What does that mean? It means you can rent someone's pool for a…

Swimply-Pool-Airbnb
City Quitters

At time of publication, a studio in San Francisco or Manhattan goes for approximately one billion dollars a month—and that's before utilities. So, it's no surprise that more and more people are ditching the hustle of city streets for a more peaceful existence in the country. City Quitters: An Exploration of…

City-Quitters