This is the future. Or at least a badly photoshopped metaphor for the future.
Image: Lore Sjöberg

Last week I talked about my sojourn into the World of Warcraft, my departure therefrom, and the debilitating nausea that now overcomes me when I see a Tauren druid hopping its way across Thunder Bluff. You might think I have nothing to show for my endless hours of questing, grinding, raiding and not bathing. To the contrary, I got something priceless out of the game: nothing.

If you haven’t played World of Warcraft, you might not know that it’s essentially Project Runway set in Valhalla. Everyone...

Electric bikes can make urban commuting faster and easier than getting to the office by car—and a whole lot more fun.

Though they look and generally handle just like regular bikes, most electrics employ an intelligent pedal-assist system that adds a motorized boost to your own pedaling efforts. Most will let you dial in exactly how much assistance you want, all the way up to levels that will let you hit Tour de France speeds without breaking a sweat.

You can buy aftermarket kits, like the one from BionX, to convert your current bike to...