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 King-Size Cabin Wool Blanket from Faribault Woolen Mill Co. in Minnesota. Get the American-made blanket on sale now.

Now's Your Chance to Get $150 Off Faribault's Gigantic Cabin Blanket

A king-size merino wool blanket with a patriotic story to boot

The Eelex 8000, an all-electric boat from Swedish company X Shore, sitting in the water. Can this yacht tender, now available in the U.S., revolutionize the boating industry?

Will Electric Boats Ever Go Mainstream?

Tech execs and climate-conscious moguls are already buying e-towboats and yacht tenders, but where does it lead?

Tesla CEO Elon Musk holding a white hard hat while visiting a new electric car factory in Germany near Berlin in May 2021. He was the highest paid executive in the US in 2020 according to Bloomberg.

The Way Elon Musk Gets Paid, Once Considered “Radical,” Is Becoming the Norm

The Tesla CEO led Bloomberg’s Highest Paid Executives list by over $6 billion

Three pairs of J.Crew MacAlister desert boots, in the colors autumn gold, hunting green and auburn. The Clarks competitors are on sale for 24% off.

Pick Up J.Crew's MacAlister Desert Boots While They're on Sale

Made in Italy and available in green, auburn and autumn gold

"The Eye of the World" book from "The Wheel of Time" fantasy series by Robert Jordan. A TV adaptation from Amazon and Sony will debut in November 2021.

Start Reading “The Wheel of Time” Now, Before Amazon Makes It the Next “Lord of the Rings”

Or "Game of Thrones," as a similarly ambitious TV series will debut on Prime Video in November

An electric truck on an electrified highway with a pantograph from Siemens and Continental. It could be the future of trucking.

Electric Trucks Are Good. Electric Highways May Be Better.

In the race to clean transportation, it's not simply big batteries versus hydrogen fuel cells

The Carson City Canvas Barn Coat from Pendleton. The men's fall jacket is currently on sale during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.

FYI: Pendleton Makes a Great Canvas Barn Coat, And It's 33% Off

Corduroy collar, pockets galore and a blanket-like lining

The new 2022 Chevrolet COPO Camaro on the drag strip. The Chevy has the biggest V8 from an American automaker.

Chevy’s New COPO Camaro Has the Biggest V8 in the US. Do You Care?

Welcome to the awkward automotive transition period

A matte black Dutch oven (or Tall Cocotte) and an 11-inch enameled cast iron skillet from Staub. Both are on sale during a cookware clearance.

Staub Slashed Prices on Two Essential Pieces of Cast-Iron Cookware

Take 59% off the Dutch oven and 48% off the skillet

A red 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer driving along. The new luxury SUV has horrible gas mileage, proving we need stricter fuel economy standards.

The New Jeep Grand Wagoneer Has a Serious Fuel Economy Problem

FYI: 15 mpg should not be acceptable in 2021

A white-dial Q Timex with a red and blue bezel. The quartz watch is on sale at End Clothing for 50% off.

One of Our Favorite Timex Watches Is 50% Off. Get It Before It's Gone.

The white-dial Q Timex features a Pepsi-esque bezel and other handsome touches

An aerial image of burned Amazon rainforest in the Brazilian state of Rondônia in 2019

The Amazon Rainforest Is Still in Crisis, The Viral Videos Have Just Stopped

Two years after wildfires captured the attention of the world, systematic deforestation is worse than ever

A Pendleton quilt, Fellow Stagg electric kettle, carbon steel pans from Viking and other home and kitchen items that are discounted during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale of 2021

The 10 Best Home and Kitchen Deals From the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

Carbon-steel pans, Pendleton quilts, electric kettles and much more

J.R.R. Tolkien smoking a pipe at Oxford in December 1955, a couple years after he completed his translation of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight."

Why J.R.R. Tolkien Fell in Love With "The Green Knight" a Century Ago

Before "Lord of the Rings," Tolkien was bewitched by the Arthurian poem that underlies David Lowery's critically acclaimed new movie

The new 2022 Land Rover Defender Trophy Edition, a limited-edition SUV that comes with entry into the off-road Trophy Competition

Land Rover Is Selling a Defender That Comes With a Very Special Adventure

The English marque is resurrecting the spirit of a historic off-road event with the new Trophy Edition Defender

The Hank Biker Jacket in black from AllSaints. A model wears the jacket, which is 44% off during a July sale.

That Leather Jacket You've Always Wanted Is on Sale at AllSaints

So is that denim jacket, at prices up to 44% off