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
The new Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven from Made In, the cookware company based in Austin, Texas. This French-made pot comes in navy blue with a brass-colored knob on the lid.

Why You Should Consider Made In’s New Dutch Oven Over the Classics

For their take on the enameled pot, Made In went to Le Creuset and Staub’s home turf

The Burrow Circa Bed with a headboard and a dark walnut finish. The DTC furniture company launched this Bedroom collection in February 2022.

Burrow Redesigned Your Couch, Now They Want to Do Your Bedroom

The DTC furniture company is now offering bed frames, mattresses and other essentials

The new high-performance Aston Martin DBX707 SUV in blue with its headlights on. The SUV debuted on February 1, 2022 and will be available in Q2 this year.

The "Pinnacle of SUV Performance" Has One Glaring Omission

They delivered on their promise of the most powerful luxury SUV. Is it enough?

A men's sweater fleece jacket, pair of 8-inch Bean Boots and flannel-lined jeans from L.L. Bean, all of which are discounted during a sitewide sale

What to Score at L.L. Bean's Rare Sitewide Sale, From Bean Boots to Fleece

We don’t know how long the sale will last, so hop to it

An NFT created by Nigerian digital artist FreddieJacobArt named "Oghenerukevwe" on OpenSea NFT marketplace. OpenSea admitted in January 2022 that over 80% of the NFTs created for free on the platform are “plagiarized works, fake collections, and spam.”

A Huge Portion of Our NFTs Are Fraudulent, Says Largest NFT Marketplace

What is OpenSea doing about the problem? For now, not much.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiling the Cybertruck in November 2019 in Hawthorne, California. On an earnings call in January 2022, Musk said the electric pickup truck won’t be produced until at least 2023.

In Elon Musk’s Crystal Ball, Tesla’s Future Lies in Self-Driving Cars, Not Cybertrucks

Instead of betting on the electric pickup, Roadster, Semi or an economy EV, Musk is betting on autonomous vehicles

A collection of reusable Stasher platinum silicone bags in a variety of colors. Every kitchen should have this alternative to single-use plastic bags. Here's why.

Stuff We Swear By: Every Kitchen Should Have a Pack of Stasher Storage Bags

These reusable silicone bags are boring. They’re also ingenious.

Pope John Paul II arriving at Shea Stadium in New York, New York on October 3, 1979 standing in the truck bed of a 1980 Ford Bronco the automaker converted into a white popemobile

Remembering the Time the Pope Went on an NYC Stadium Tour in a Ford Bronco

Pope John Paul II's "Wimbledon White" Bronco helped usher in the term "popemobile"

The Thor Vision Vehicle and Airstream eStream, two electric RV concepts announced by Thor at the 2022 Florida RV SuperShow in January

Electric RV Concepts Are Great, But When Will We Get the Real Deal?

Airstream, Winnebago and Thor all have electrified RVs in the works

2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 70th Anniversary Edition in White Pearl Metallic Tri-coat

You Don’t Need to Shell Out to Celebrate Corvette’s 70th Birthday

Chevy is offering a special Z06 and an anniversary edition package, but also doing something special for standard 'Vette buyers

A men's sherpa-lined flannel shirt, a men's sherpa-lined Super Dux jacket and a knit beanie, all of which are on sale during Carhartt's Winter Sale of January 2022

There's Way More Than Workwear at Carhartt's Big Winter Sale

Take 40% off sherpa-lined jackets, flannel shirts, knit beanies and more

The new Zenith Defy Skyline three-hand sport watch in blue. It's supposedly the first Swiss watch to feature a tenth of a second sub-dial. The watch was unveiled during LVMH Watch Week 2022.

Zenith’s New Defy Skyline Is a Simple Three-Hand Watch. Or Is It?

Forget the chronographs and carbon fiber, it’s this deceptive sport watch you want

A red 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E, an electric crossover SUV, in the driveway of a Minnesota home. I idled the EV for 12 hours in for a cold-weather test.

I Idled in an Electric Car for 12 Hours in the Freezing Cold to See What Would Happen

The I-95 shutdown ignited a debate about EVs in winter, so I did an extraordinarily mundane test

The Aston Martin DBX SUV driving at night. The British automaker just announced a new high-performance version of the DBX, which will be unveiled in February 2022.

When Aston Martin Says “World’s Most Powerful Luxury SUV,” Believe Them

The Brits are set to unveil a high-performance version of the lauded DBX

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink leaves a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in 2019. In his 2022 CEO letter, Fink argues for sustainable investing.

What BlackRock’s CEO Believes Will Be the “Greatest Investment Opportunity of Our Lifetime”

Larry Fink’s annual letter promotes a vision of investing our way out of the climate crisis

A person holding a smartphone up with a lake and mountain in the background. On the phone is United By Blue's NFT of Eddy Earth, the sustainable brand's new mascot.

The Blockchain Growing Pains of a “Capitalist Conservationist”

United By Blue wanted to use NFTs for good. It didn’t go exactly as planned.