It’s Tuesday. Imagine walking into a downpour and, instead of fumbling with an umbrella, it simply lifts off and takes care of business on its own. A drone-powered umbrella that hovers above you, follows your movements, and keeps you dry sounds ridiculously cool—no hands required, no fighting the wind, no inside-out disasters. It’s basically a personal weather shield, turning a miserable rainy walk into something that feels ripped right out of the future.

And it’s not just a wild idea. John from the YouTube channel I Build Stuff actually made it happen, creating the world’s first fully autonomous, hands-free umbrella. Even better? The entire project is 100 percent open source on GitHub, so if you’re feeling ambitious, you can build one yourself.

-keep

It’s Monday. Ouch. That was a heartbreaker. It was a wild game, but in the end the Chicago Bears fell to the LA Rams in overtime, 20–17. That officially ended the Bears’ hopes of a Super Bowl run. It was an exciting season, but all we can do now is look forward to next year.

Aside from the Bears game, it was a full-on lazy weekend. The cold was brutal, so other than taking Abby out to play a few times, I mostly stayed planted indoors where it was actually nice and warm. There was plenty of hot chocolate, the girlfriend whipped up some fudge, and I spent an embarrassingly large chunk of time gaming. We also squeezed in a couple of movies—One Battle After Another followed by Train Dreams. Completely different vibes, but both were excellent.

Is it NASCAR yet? If you’re like me and counting the days until NASCAR fires back up, we’ve still got a bit of a wait. The preseason doesn’t get rolling for another two weeks, which feels like an eternity for race fans itching to hear the roar of the engines again. Until then, all we can do is wait. And try to stay warm.

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It’s Friday! Well, here we go. The Bears are set to face the Rams this Sunday in the divisional round, and for once, I’m keeping my predictions to myself. No bold guarantees, no scoreboard fantasies—just the hope for a hard-fought, entertaining playoff game that lives up to the moment.

One thing is guaranteed, though—the weather is going to be absolutely brutal. Forecasts are calling for temperatures in the teens, with wind chills plunging deep into the double-digit negatives. This is the kind of cold that stings your face, freezes your beer solid, and makes every tackle feel like it was delivered by a solid block of ice. So yeah, I sincerely hope the Rams remember to pack their long underwear because Soldier Field in January can be a real bitch.

Alright, I’ve got a little automotive eye candy for you today. These photos were sent in by a reader who recently hit up an indoor car show. I’d love to tell you exactly where this show took place, but that detail remains a mystery—the reader didn’t include it, and my follow-up email went unanswered. Oh well. Sometimes the cars are all the backstory you need.

Double babes and double jokes… enjoy!

-keep