Alex Lauer

Alex Lauer is the features editor at InsideHook. Since joining the company in 2016, he’s covered a wide range of topics, including cars, the environment, books and business. His reporting broke stories on the rise of Bookshop (the anti-Amazon online bookseller), the fall of Best Made Company (and sale to Duluth Trading) and the false promises of a supposedly “environmentally-friendly” NFT initiative. His hands-on methods — driving in a Sherp (of Kanye West fame) in northern Minnesota and idling in the electric Ford Mustang Mach-E for 12 hours in the middle of winter — offer a reliable and unique perspective on popular issues. Previously, he wrote for City Pages in the Twin Cities after graduating from the University of Minnesota. After starting at IH in New York City, he now lives in Minneapolis, MN. Follow him on Instagram: @alexlauer.

All Articles From Alex Lauer
Three stainless steel Bonfire firepits from Solo Stove, one with a roaring fire and two with cast iron grills on top

Solo Stove Bundles Are on Sale for Grilling, Roasting or Just Relaxing

Take up to 35% off the low-smoke firepits in various configurations

Howie Guja, part of the Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol, holds a bottle of Champagne while standing next to Krystal Rose, a sweepstakes winner holding an oversized check for $10,000

When You’re the Publishers Clearing House Guy, Everything Is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts

For you, a PCH giveaway is incredibly rare. For Howie Guja, it’s his day job.

The Polestar 2, an electric car from Volvo and Geely-owned brand Polestar. The car company is running an ad during the Super Bowl, which will be the first time many Americans will have heard of them.

Among Super Bowl Car Commercials, Americans May Ask: What’s a Polestar?

The Volvo-owned, Tesla-fighting electric car company makes its big pitch

A 2016 four-door Land Rover Defender 110 Adventure in Phoenix Orange. This is the last of its kind to roll off the line in Solihull, and it's up for auction in February 2022 via Collecting Cars.

One of the Last Original Land Rover Defenders Ever Made Is Up for Auction

This Defender 110 Adventure holds a special place in history, and only 52 miles on the odometer

The Sofar from Floyd, a three-seat couch in saffron, which is on sale for President's Day 2022

Floyd's Innovative Furniture Is All on Sale for President's Day

Discounted sofas, bed frames and desks are all up for grabs

Three ceramic nonstick pans from Food52 and GreenPan. The pans are currently on sale for 24% off.

Do Yourself a Favor and Pick Up These On-Sale Ceramic Nonstick Pans

Food52 took GreenPan’s effortless skillets and made them even better

A replica Tesla Cybertruck built by the Russian YouTubers at Garage 54. We talked to Vladislav Barashenkov about building the UAZ-based vehicle

Why Are People Building Their Own Cybertrucks? We Asked Them.

What do Russian YouTubers, a Bosnian businessman and an Arizona EMT have in common? Homemade Tesla Cybertrucks.

John Williams and Steven Spielberg at the American Film Institute's 44th Life Achievement Award Gala on June 9, 2016. On the occasion of Williams’s 90th birthday, we remember the time the composer met Spielberg in the 1970s.

The Partnership of John Williams and Steven Spielberg Started With a Blind Date

Remembering the awkward beginning of one of the greatest director-composer alliances on Williams's 90th birthday

On the left, the redesigned Spirit of Ecstasy automotive mascot, or hood ornament, introduced by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in 2022. On the right, Eleanor Thornton, who lived from 1880 to 1915, and was the inspiration behind the figurine.

The Scandalous and Tragic History Behind Rolls-Royce's Spirit of Ecstasy

Next time you see the luxury automaker's hood ornament, think of Eleanor Thornton

From outerwear down to slip-on boots, we've got the full rundown of deals at Huckberry's Annual Winter Sale.

Our Favorite Deals at Huckberry’s Winter Sale, From Waxed Jackets to Sweats

Take up to 50% off cold- and warmer-weather gear

Jay Leno checks out the Ferrari Enzo engine at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan on January 5, 2003. In 2021, Leno explained why he doesn’t own a Ferrari.

Jay Leno Equates Buying a Ferrari to a “Dominatrix,” Prefers Porsche and McLaren

It’s not about the cars, it’s about the customer service

The Nutribullet EveryGrain Cooker, a new grain cooking appliance, on a yellow and orange background. We tested and reviewed the kitchen appliance to see if it's worth buying.

Review: The Nutribullet EveryGrain Cooker Does a Whole Lot More Than Rice

We tested the all-in-one kitchen appliance to see if it deserves a space on your counter

The Black Pearl sailing yacht from Oceanco. Jeff Bezos's own megayacht, which is reportedly based on the Black Pearl, will be able to enter the ocean only after a historic bridge in Rotterdam in the Netherlands is dismantled.

Jeff Bezos Is Literally Having a Bridge Dismantled to Deliver His Megayacht

A historic lift bridge in Rotterdam will be temporarily deconstructed to make way for the Amazon founder's new plaything

A 10-inch D3 stainless steel fry pan from All-Clad. It's currently on sale at Home & Cook's factory seconds sale.

All-Clad Cookware Is Heavily Discounted During This Factory Seconds Bonanza

Stainless steel skillets, bakeware sets and nonstick pans are all included

A grid showing the various National Park NFTs from creator Mick Gow. The NFTs are now available on OpenSea.

The Oxymoronic Nature of National Park NFTs

Can environmentalism go hand-in-hand with blockchain tech?

Nightwatchman Marco Carrara looking out from the Lausanne Cathedral bell tower in December 2018. The night watch hired the first woman in 600 years: Cassandre Berdoz.

In Switzerland, Feminism Advances From the Top of a Bell Tower

Cassandre Berdoz is the first woman to hold a historic night watch post in Lausanne that goes back to the 15th century