DISQUS

I'm not a huge fan of live tweeting, either. I've been asked to live tweet the symphony orchestra here in Edmonton. I did it, and found it hard to focus on the music while doing so. It might work for some situations, but generally I'm not a big fan.

As for live tweeting births, what the hell? My girlfriend would kill me if I decided to live tweet the birth of our child.

I can't believe that guys don't have a basic toolbox stocked with these sorts of tools. Honestly, I think that even women should have a tool box with at least a hammer and some screwdrivers if they live alone. Independence and the ability to do minor repairs around the house is important for everyone---regardless of gender.

As for not getting a hammer with a wooden handle...I can't bring myself to do it. There's something appealing about a wooden handle that gets worn and polished from use over the years. My father's hammer is not a special hammer in any particular way, but the fact that the handle shows that is a tool that has been used and has served it's owner well for decades gives it a real nostalgic quality. I hope that my own hammer will one day tell a similar tale.

A truly romantic date is really just about connecting with the one you love. Ideally, doing something you'll both enjoy, and that will give you something to talk about is, well, ideal...

One of the best dates I've had with my girlfriend---and one that I'd like to repeat---happened when we were staying in the mountains. We spent the day hiking in the mountains and at the end of the day, we went back to our hotel (it was early spring, so the campgrounds hadn't yet opened for the season), cleaned ourselves up nice and went for a romantic dinner at the local Italian restaurant.

Afterward, we got a bottle of wine and headed back to our hotel room for the night...

The mix of natural beauty and rugged terrain followed by a refined and cultured Italian dinner gave us the best of both worlds and made for a very romantic day.

I must agree. While I do love Twitter, I rarely use DMs, for more or less the same reason as Amadeo. Text messaging is probably the #1 communication form.

Great post. Something classy like this is exactly what I'd like when the day comes. Thankfully, my friends know me well enough to know that when I say, "No strippers," I mean it (as opposed to thinking that I'm just saying it to keep up appearances).

@JC: I dunno, man. I don't really like that whole skinny jean preppy kid look, but if a guy has the confidence to wear it, more power to him. It's not my thing, but real men come in all stripes. Confidence is one of the most important traits of manliness, and you've got to be confident to wear that stuff.

@Jacob Burress - What's the name of that soap? That sounds very practical, especially given the difficultly of carrying liquids (such as shampoo) in carry-on luggage. I'd like to pick up a bar or two from my local camping supply store for the next time I travel, and it'd be easier to find if I know what I'm looking for.

Thanks!

Wow! So many responses! I wish I hadn't subscribed to the comments! Is there anyway you can delete my subscription to these comments?

Damn! This is a great contest. I've been in love with Saddleback luggage since you first mentioned them, so the chance to win one for free is awesome.

While I've been guilty of trying to cram too many things into my pockets in the past, I've started to come around to the idea of a man bag, and I'm starting to carry one more often.

Not only is it practical for carrying things like my Moleskine, pens, books, knife, camera, it also lets me carry some "be prepared" type items: change of socks & underwear (in case I end up spending the night at someone else's home), a toothbrush, deodorant, and a condom. Like I said...a man's got to be prepared.

I've got to admit, if I'm lucky enough to win this contest, I really don't know which bag I'd choose! They're all so awesome. I'd probably get more use out of the briefcase or messenger bag, though.

Unfortunately, I'm an apartment dweller and my building, like so many others, doesn't allow real trees. Because of this, I'm forced to use an artificial Christmas tree.

Just a note to the person who said that real trees are a waste, that's not true. Christmas trees are grown on tree farms. Because of that, they are a renewable resource. I've actually read a few articles that claim real trees are more environmentally friendly than artificial trees (so long as they are grown on a tree farm). This is despite the fact that artificial trees can be reused for many years if taken care of.

Ain't it the truth?

This is exactly what I needed to read today. I've been thinking a lot about how the true meaning of manliness got lost somewhere along the way from the past to the present. Somehow, it got twisted, and so many of us never grow past boyhood. For whatever reason, these boys never become real men, and so use violence and disrespect to make themselves feel like men. That's not real manliness.

Real manliness are the qualities that Sean is teaching his son. Real manliness is the kind of manliness espoused by The Art of Manliness. I just wish more people would heed this advice.

I think Luke was trying to be funny and, even though I disagree with his comments, I did think it was kind of funny. I mean, Commander Riker was a prick? I don't think so. Haha!

I'm with Sean, though, every bearded guy I've met (again, up here in Canada) has been an awesome guy, with very rare exception. I think beards might be more common up here in the frozen north, too, since I know a fair number of guys who have them. These guys aren't just artsy types, either. Many of them are highly successful professionals.

Sadly, many women aren't fond of beards, but my girlfriend loves my beard and got quite annoyed when I decided to joke that I had shaved it off (obviously, this was on the phone, and not face-to-face).

OK, now that you say it's the Weather Network, I recognize it. I didn't think it was AT&T, but that's the only thing I could think of.

I've been doing this for a while. It's a great tip, but definitely increases the amount of available toolbar real estate.

As for your sites, I can't get them all, but I can get most of them:

- Friend Feed
- Twitter
- ???
- Gaming World
- Something Awful
- ???
- Some kind of stock ticker?
- TD Bank
- Google Calendar
- Google Docs
- Gmail
- Gmail again
- ???
- Facebook
- BLANK!
- Reddit
- Yelp??
- AT&T...in Canada?

@KK: Clear your cache and it should open the regular version.

It seems to be back to normal, more or less, now. I still think it's a bit slower than it used to be, but it's not as noticeable as it was a few days ago.

Yeah, I agree that it now seems significantly slower. They call this progress? Ha!

1. Cell phone
2. Communication
3. Allow our customers to tell us what they need, instead of trying to tell them what they need.
4. Are we talking about money? Plastic. Are we talking about bags at the grocery store? Neither, I use reusable ones (well, when I remember...).
5. Hard to say. Probably not.

It gets cut off in Firefox, too.

I think you're definitely onto something here, Matt. It's pretty obvious, when you actually stop and think about it. I mean, branding can work wonders, but when it comes to conversions, the way to get them is to go after the people who are already your fans. You don't create new fans by shoving stuff in front of there face, you do it by treating your existing fans well enough that they will go beyond mere fans/customers and become brand evangelists for you.

It's hard to say which version of the 4 Cs is "best," but I'm pleased that all of them include "Customers" and "Communications." To me, those are the two most important things (and, I think your list includes them, too, even if you didn't name them directly).

Very good tip, Michel. I'd be hesitant to use passive voice in body copy, but it's definitely effective for headlines, bullet points, and the like. Any thing that is likely to be picked out by someone who is scanning, rather than reading, can probably benefit from using the passive voice instead of the active.

I agree with you, Matt. Only "cool" brands are likely to succeed in this model. Although, never underestimate what people are willing to admit to being a fan of.

Kraft Dinner (aka Mac & Cheese) is a pretty huge thing here in Canada (no, I don't know why). People love it. When a small town near where I live decided that they were going to help out our troops in Afghanistan by sending them a "taste of home," they chose to send KD. As many boxes as they possibly could.

The soldiers, of course, loved it.

Wait, you DON'T have a problem with his stand-up? But...but...it isn't funny!

That's just plain bizarre. I don't even know what to say about that.