Don’t know what to get your Dad or Grad this year? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered:
1. House of Marley Chant and Bag of Riddim Bluetooth Audio Systems
Is your Grad a little down in the dumps about the end of their collegiate career? Have no fear! Your budding scholar can keep the party going post-University with the House of Marley’s Chant and Bag of Riddim Bluetooth Audio Systems. Their unique, earth-friendly designs pack a whole lot of style and you can bring your music with you from a friend’s backyard BBQ to a beach party to the campfire. Compatible with hundreds of different Bluetooth-ready devices to start the party wherever life takes you. Can you say, “We be jammin’?”
2. Fitbit Flex
Dads and Grads alike suffer from a common enemy: boredom. The Flex is the latest in a long line of digital trackers. This version is wearable, accurate, and understated.
3. Apple TV
You know what your Dad or Grad needs? Not more TV, no, better TV. The Apple TV works with Netflix and iTunes, and will change the way you couch potato.
4. Pentax Q
The Q is small, but packs crazy punch. Interchangeable lenses allows for amazing control and range. Your Dad can finally start documenting his birdwatching activities.
5. Pebble Smart Watch
The Pebble is the most popular Kickstarter, ever, and for good reason. The open-source, e-paper-based watch is as stylish as it is smart. Keep your Grad looking fly with this must-have tech.
I freely admit that, despite my dashing good looks and smoldering digital personality, I was not selected as one of the Google Glass Explorers. Still, I’ve been closely following my comrades in eyewear and there appears to be an emerging question: what is proper Glass etiquette? Proper, you say? Etiquette, you ask? Say no more.
Treat Glass like a Gun. That is, don’t point it at anyone who you don’t want to shoot. Take it off when going to meetings and at social events.
Treat Glass like a Camera. That is, don’t go wearing it in the bathroom. Or anywhere where privacy is paramount.
Treat Glass like a New Toy. That is, be sure to let others check it out. Sharing is caring.
Treat Glass like a Baby. That is, we want to hear all about it.
The Great Firewall of The NYTimes. The 8th Wonder of the Digital World. The wall that keeps the subscribers apart from the nameless horde. As unbreakable as it is monolithic. Until now.
There’s a few ways to sneak past the gray lady. First, and probably least pirate-y, you can Google search for any article title, followed by a qualifier like “NYTimes” — that should be enough to surface the piece. Alternately, you can use a cookie-less browser, like Chrome Incognito or Firefox Private Browsing, to navigate through the NYTimes site. No cookies means no wall.
Or, you know, you could get a
subscription. Probably the best money you’ll spend all month.
It’s that time of year again. Brainy topics mixed with powerful leaders mixed with cutting-edge technology. Yep, it’s the
WIRED Business Conference. It’s a stellar line-up of speakers and topics, so here’s what you’ll need to keep your mind from imploding under the weight of all that knowledge.
Take Note. Good old pen-and-paper is still the most satisfying, but use an e-enhanced version like this
Evernote Moleskine to streamline things.
Link Up. Use an app like Cardmunch or any other LinkedIn linked-up app to smooth your networking experience. And buy the first round.
Have fun you crazy kids.
Image via Cool Material
So yea, you suited up. Now what? They say the devil’s in the details, and you’ll be a right demon with the right accessories. Generally, men don’t have many options for jewelry (sorry, your uncle’s pinky ring just ain’t working for him) so whatever you do wear has to really hit the bullseye.
These cuff links are so manly I had to shave in the middle of writing this post. Go for either the .38 Special or something a bit more fiery. Either are idiosyncratic enough to start a conversation with your special lady friend but small enough that she’ll only notice when she’s close.
Nice move, you devil you.
Image via Consequence of Sound
With an upcoming, hotly anticipated new album coming out in May, DJs/musicians/aliens Daft Punk have a serous challenge to overcome — revamp their signature disco-tech look for a decidedly smoother, more buttoned-up 2010s. They did it, handsomely, with a collab with Yves Saint Laurent. Still retained are the helms and gloves, but their stage clothes are now slick, sequined black suits. It’s Liberace meets Tron.
What does this have to do with you, dear consumer? Everything. It means that the suit isn’t just back, it’s been made new. We’ve seen the rise of many suit-oriented webstores, and Daft Punk’s (not to mention a certain other musician’s) decision to suit up just reinforces the new place that suits have in the every day. Suits aren’t just for vice presidents and boardrooms anymore, they’re something you can slide on for a night of drinks, or an afternoon jaunt, or even, yes, spinning sick beats.
Image via Flickr
According to a recent interview, director Michel Gondry doesn’t like time travel. His reasoning: if we travel to the past, we know the future. And if we’re faced with a future that has no surprises, what’s even the point?
To add to the depressing existential crisis, Gondry reveals that if he could go back into the past, he’d “say yes to a girl.” That’s one of the saddest things I’ve ever heard related to theoretical physics.
It got me thinking: is the future just a grim horion at the edge of our present? Some other things that might be depressing, depending on how we as a society handle them. Cloning. Immortality. Replicators. Google Glasses. Texting at your wedding.
What’s got your rain clouds in a bunch?
Image via Flickr
Vacuum cleaners, smartphones, nose hair trimmers, apps—technology is supposed to make life better. Except in many cases, especially for the last example, this is far from reality. The worst offenders create a whole new host of problems we didn’t even know could exist.
Twitter - Twitter can be great, but “real time” really means “all the time” and the incessant need to keep up with the digital Jones’ can cause you to miss things IRL.
Instagram - Instagram makes everyone’s life (except yours) look like a beautiful extended commercial. How are photos of my morning walk supposed to compete against my frenemy’s pics from Ibiza?
Seamless - There was a time when eating out took time, and the effort to get to know your local eatery. But Seamless lets you boop beep your way to food — all without ever having to talk to (gasp) another human being. The app’s “order the usual” feature just makes the isolation all that much more real.
Read more about the apps we love to hate on BI.
Image via WIRED
First: hey @Pebble, I’m still waiting for my watch! Ahem. Sorry. Pebble, an e-Paper-equipped, open-source smart watch has (finally) shipped and it was only a matter of time before everyone’s favorite Kickstarter project launched, well, another Kickstarter project.
Provocatively called “Wide Body,” the project seeks to quell a basic human question: “Does this watch make my wrist look girly?” Apparently Pebble’s native strap is a bit on the narrow side (plus it’s got a sort of 90s-esque design vibe) and the Wide Body project offers beefy wearers a beefier option in leather or silicone. Admittedly, they’re quite handsome.
It may be the first time a Kickstarter project has been started in response to another Kickstarter project. The “Inception” is killing me.
Image via Flickr
Military-inspired hardware has been trendy for gentlemen since Napoleon started wearing his hat sideways. Army stuff is just cool. And the biggest trend is one that’s really crept up on us: camouflage. I’m not even talking fancy active camo, I’m talking the leafy kind. Camo can be a great way to add a bit of edge to an otherwise very business-appropriate outfit. Here’s a quick round-up.
MSTRPLN Camo: These sleek iPhone cases are just subtle enough to not stand out, but slick enough to make a statement. The perfect camo.
The Knottery Camo Watch Strap: A standard-issue. Slip the NATO strap on (the design keeps your watch on your wrist even if one of your springs fail) and steathily drop into that board meeting.
Word. Notebooks: You mean you DON’T keep a classic pen and paper on you? Well aren’t you glad I’m here to help? Word. Notebooks keep you organized, and the camo pattern shields your deepest, darkest marketing strategies.
Business is war, after all.
