September 2008
3 posts
Timbuk2 2Way
The modern man’s pockets are more crowded that an Apple product launch. The Timbuk2 2Way is a great way to free up some real estate in your bulging pant sacks. It attaches via a Velcro band to the strap of your shoulder bag or backpack and can hold most modern smartphones close enough to your chest that you can still feel it vibrate when you have a call. It even has an extra pocket...
Esquire Magazine
We’ve recently reintroduced Esquire Magazine to a couple of friends who were all pleasantly surprised. Far from being the bourgeois periodical devoted to sartorial elitism, Esquire is now better described as Maxim for adults. The writing is excellent and the content is informative. The What I’ve Learned column has some great tidbits of wisdom from people with lives far more...
For Whom the Bell Tolls
OK, I know what you’re thinking. “Hemingway? That’s a boring oldie-tyme book! Why would I want to read that?” Well I’ll tell you. For Whom the Bell Tolls an kick ass story about an American man on a mission to blow up a bridge during the Spanish Civil War. It is written in Hemingway’s unflinchingly sparse prose and bounds along at an incredible...
The Modern Multipen
Remember when you were a kid and you used to doodle with one of those 4-color Bic pens. Well modern multi-pens are still extremely popular in Japan and as it turns out they are surprisingly useful in your grown-up day job. They are great for sketching diagrams in multiple colors, marking up documents with vicious redlines, or annotating TPS reports with color-coded passive-aggressive edits. One...
August 2008
5 posts
Sigg Water Bottles
Al Gore cries a little every time you throw out a plastic water bottle. Fortunately there is an alternative that looks good and doesn’t kill baby seals. Sigg water bottles will change your life. Everyone we know who has started carrying one wonders how they went without it for so long. Despite Nalgene’s claims to the contrary, plastic bottles eventually do get gross - absorbing...
Oakley Vault
Expensive sunglasses are great right up until the point you sit on them or they get crushed in your bag after jockeying for position on the subway. If you’re going to shell out undisclosed sums of money of a pair of fancy shades it would be nice if you could put them in something that could survive your irresponsible lifestyle. The Oakley Vault is a felt-lined aluminum sunglasses...
Laphroaig 10-Year Single Malt
We’ll be honest, Laphroaig (pronounced La-froyg) isn’t for everyone. It is one of the peatiest single malts out there as it hails from the northern Isle of Islay. The flavor is best described as standing on the beach on a cold night next to a raging campfire with the briny smell of sea air wafting about. It’s a perfect whiskey to sustain you through a chilly winter (or a...
McMafia : A Journey Through the Global Criminal...
McMafia is a survey and history of worldwide organized crime - from the to the back alleys of Odessa, to the slums of Mumbai and the streets of Johannasburg, Gleny offers a series of stories that are better than anything found in thrillers on the big screen. The book opens with a story of senseless murder in London and the pace never slows as the books pulls you into the world of organzied...
July 2008
3 posts
Sony MDREX85LP Studio Quality Earbuds
I’ve long touted the Sony MDR-EX51LP Headphones as the best 20 bucks you could spend to radically improve your iPod experience. They arguably have 85% of the quality of The premium Shure E2Cs at a third of the price. Sony recently released the Sony MDREX85LP as a mid-tier offering for those of us who can’t justify the price of their high tier MDR-EX90LP model. The 85s are just outstanding! ...
Kyocera Industrial Ceramic Scissors
I recently handled a pair of these Kyocera 3in Industrial Ceramic Scissors that a colleague brought into work and simply had to own a pair. They are made from Zirconium which is a type of ceramic developed by the eggheads at Kyocera’s materials division so they will never rust and probably never dull. The feel and sound of the scissors as the blades sweep past each other exemplifies precision....
June 2008
2 posts
The Art of Shaving 4 Elements Shaving Kit
I recently got the Art of Shaving 4 Elements Kit on account of its promises to revolutionize the shaving experience and though it reeks of unabashed metrosexuality, I have to say it works. It has four parts, pre-shave oil, shaving cream with a genuine badger shave brush and aftershave lotion. The pre-shave oil helps the razor glide over your face like a White House press secretary over...
Abitax 0510 Tag Light
LED keychain flashlights are a dime a dozen, but the Abitax 0510 Tag Light is a noteworthy example for a couple of reasons. First, it’s confoundingly small and light so you’ll hardly notice it on your keychain. Second, it’s brighter than MIT post-doc on fire. The beam shines through the front and the sides of the housing so it provides a wide cone of light. It was designed...
May 2008
7 posts
Lamy Pico Retractable Pen
The Pico is my latest can’t-leave-home-without-it gadget. It’s a retractable pen from Lamy, those Teutonic mavens of mechanical writing precision. When pressed, the pen extends out one end and the writing point pops out the other end. It’s one of those things you’ll find yourself fiddling with in meetings as you pretend to be interested in the lack of TPS report...
Ford Mustang Shelby GT-H Convertible
I just got back from a trip down the Florida Keys in a Mustang Shelby GT-H Convertible and was all but moved to tears for the experience. The GT-H is a limited edition heavily modified Mustang GT made especially for the good people at Hertz. It’s a throwback to the 1960s GT350H Rent a Racer. The mill is a modified version of the Cobra which features go fast bits including an intake large...
Monocle Porter Bag
When my 3rd roll-aboard broke, I started looking for a bag with a little more style than a generic black cordura rollerboard. I found the Monocle Porter overnight bag in someone’s flickr stream. Porter bags are known for being sturdy, and this version, made exclusively for Monocle, is really good looking. This bag feels like it will last 20 years and get better looking as it ages - the...
Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Kentucky Straight...
With the US Dollar tanking, finding a decent single malt whiskey from across the pond for less than $50 is getting harder by the day. What a great time to rediscover America’s national spirit: Bourbon. While $30 won’t buy you a Scottish Single Malt worth cleaning your paint brushes with, it can actually get you quite a nice bottle of golden Kentucky deliciousness. Elmer T Lee Single...
The Mechanical Watch
Every modern man should own at least one mechanical watch (either handwind or automatic). Sure quartz watches are more accurate and less expensive, but a mechanical watch has a soul. The second hand sweeps which reminds us that time is a continuum and not a series of discrete ‘ticks’ marching us inexorably to our death. All respectable watches from Rolex, Omega, and other high end brands are...
Leatherman Skeletool
I recently picked up the much anticipated Leatherman Skeletool CX . Leatherman has been making multi-tools since the Carter Administration, but I got one since they finally came out with a tool that has a few features that have been heretofore lacking in Leatherman products. First, it has a one-hand opening knife that can be opened when the tool is closed. Secondly, the blade is made from a...
Very Short Introductions
Those Limey Redcoats from Oxford recently released a new series called Very Short Introductions. They are pocket sized tomes on a wide ranging array of subjects from Architecture to Vikings. I just finished the one on Law which is a superb survey of international Law with an emphasis on Common Law (That’s the legal foundation behind the systems in the UK and the US among other nations). ...