Turn Your Phone Into A Subway Card

by Jeremy Kressmann on

If you’ve ever visited one of the more technologically advanced Asian metropolises like Tokyo or Hong Kong, you’re probably already familiar with the easy-to-use technology called RFID. It works like this – instead of paying cash for a bus or subway fare, you hold up a simple plastic card (or a chip embedded in your cellphone) to the ticket gate, and voila! You’ve paid and gotten on your way without pulling a dime out of your wallet.

Wouldn’t it be great if that same technology worked back in the USA, dear reader? Well, now you too can embed an RFID reader inside your fancy iPhone, thanks to a little creative hacking and a DIY company called Adafruit Industries. Using a relatively inexpensive tool kit sold by the company, they’ve put together the nifty video above showing how to install your very own RFID card for use with your iPhone. Not all cities have RFID payment systems, but an increasing number of American cities accept it on their mass transit systems. Care to give it a try? Check out the video above for a tutorial.

Cutest Kid Ever Goes Mountain Biking

by Jessica Festa on




This kid sure is excited, and for good reason. When I first started watching this video I thought it would be a cute clip of a small child falling off his bike; however, it turned out to an impressive short film documenting four-year-old Malcolm’s first descent biking down Hellion, Highland Mountain Bike Park‘s longest trail filled with challenges.

After watching this, I’m embarrassed about the many times I turned down mountain biking because I thought it looked too dangerous. Nothing seems to scare this kid, as he speeds over rocks and down hills, begging his dad to do the big drops, shouting, “It’s fun Dad, trust me. It’s fun! Look!”

Not only is this video impressive but judging by the over 600 comments on YouTube, it’s evoked many emotions in people concerning how great it is for a father and a son to have an adventure together. We’re just glad they had the GoPro Camera with them to capture it on video.

To see one of the world’s most extreme four-year-olds mountain bike like a professional, check out the video above.

Video Of The Day: Paris In Motion

by Elizabeth Seward on

“Paris In Motion (Part II)” from Mayeul Akpovi on Vimeo.

Thanks to BBC Travel’s Sean O’Neill, I checked out this beautiful time-lapse video he linked to on his Twitter page. “Paris In Motion” features over 3,500 images taken and compiled by Mayeul Akpovi. From famous landmarks to airports, this video captures the frantic motion within the city of Paris. Car headlights blur together as a quick streak of light, clouds rush the above sky and people walk in every direction in this video. Check out this video and then watch the making of footage here.

Video Of The Day: Men Embrace Pointy Boots in Mexico

by Libby Zay on


If you plan to travel to Mexico soon, look out for the latest fashion craze young men are embracing: pointy boots. Said to have originated in Matehuala in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí, the fashion trend has men elongating the toes of their boots as much as five feet, curling the tips upwards toward the knees. Men who can’t afford to have their boots extended by a shoemaker will stretch out their boots themselves, using pliable PVC, garden hoses and tires as extensions. The boots are then painted, sequined and otherwise embellished, sometimes going so far as to incorporate blinking lights and disco balls.

To further accentuate the boots, skinny jeans and cowboy shirts are also in vogue. The easiest way to spot the shoes is in nightclubs, where troupes of men in matching outfits show off their boots (and dance moves) to the sounds of tribal guarachero music, a mixture of pre-Columbian and African sounds mixed with electronic beats. However, the boots are becoming so widely worn that the dancers are being asked to perform at weddings and other events. The above video gives a more detailed primer into the trend, which is now making its way up into the United States and farther south into Central America.