2014 Year in Review

Feeling Pot, Pot, Pot
In honor of Colorado and Washington’s, cough, emancipation, we tested out the finest in vaporizers. Spoiler: everyone wins. Including the new wave of marijuana-themed businesses … at least for now. But is a pot Marlboro on its way?

Getting There’s Most the Fun
You know what was better than a big event this year? The attendant lead-up. We had fun in ‘14 with the Super Bowl, the Oscars, the villains of the World Cup and summer movie season before they happened. Then … they happened. Meh. But here’s to 2015’s first mock NFL draft!

Good Guys Wear Black
When we kicked off coverage of the Blackphone — a hyper-secure Android phone with a series of encryption apps — we were worried about the NSA. Apparently, we should have been worried about hackers in North Korea. And boneheaded security decisions by major corporations.

Count Your Every Move
People were counting steps and activity trackers were on everyone’s minds and wrists, including ours (we still swear by the Misfit Shine’s rugged, wrist-less simplicity). But there’s no leader, yet: looks and functionality haven’t quite been a fit. And don’t expect the Apple Watch to change things.

The State of the American Dad
The American dad is alive and well, according to our survey of 6,000 readers. We asked about your parenting style (more teacher than caregiver), concerns (loosening of moral standards) and awesome movie fathers (Mufasa!). Now, then: time to help a mother out.

Steak Out
Some things never go out of style. Like steak. Our Summer Grill Guide featured a 101 on prime meat cuts, the Cadillac of grills and a burger recipe from Ernest Hemingway. Bonus steak fact: no gluten. Gluten, which, apparently after “sustaining humanity for thousands of years,” is our biggest threat.

Adult Swim
We discovered Polanski in early June, and it changed our lives. A rather mysterious mag, full of pouty-lipped ladies in very, very little clothing, it made us excited for a returning fave in 2015: the equally artsy/provocative pub Odiseo.

These Are the Toys You Need
Adult Big Wheel. Supercar golf cart. A jet-ski hoverboard. Our Toys of Summer were fun for any season. As for big gadgets next year? Bendable phones and at-home virtual reality.

The Truth About Three-Boobed Women
As online “facts” become harder to vet, we happened upon Emergent, a fantastic debunker of sketchy online hearsay. Shame most of that North Korea stuff turned out to be true. As for that teen millionaire investor? Fake, but hey, let the kid live.

Game of Drones
Drones were everywhere in 2014. Including our office. And the DreamQii Plexidrone, which we saw firsthand, might become the iPhone of personal aerial. User-friendly, lightweight and a snap to put together (literally). While privacy and FAA regulations remain hurdles, drones have already inspired a new artform: the fascinating new genre of drone flyaway videos.

You Can Call It a Comeback
Birdman may dominate the Oscars. Kudos to Michael Keaton, our Batman of yore and centerpiece of our thinkpiece on comebacks in 2014. We’ve already tagged Shia LaBeouf for ‘15. But outside of pop culture … here’s what won’t happen in 2015.