Seems pretty interesting.  Dodgeball  is a NYC startup that lets you keep in touch with your friends and friends of friends via text messaging.  Some of the capabilities are listed below.  I am going to sign up, and I’m sure there will be more to come on this Web 2.0 darling.

Its about time.  Sony has finally upgraded to a 6x Optical zoom digi for your snapping pleasure.  Pending May release means that you will be able to get up and close to whatever this Spring.  Shakes from the night before?  Not to worry, this bad boy is image stablized and anti blur so you dont have to be.

Most people want to be smarter.  Those who don’t probably aren’t smart enough to realize there stupidity in the first place.  Some educations cost a fortune, while others can be obtained with nothing more than an internet connection.  In a series of posts to come, tagged under ‘Get Smart’, I am going to find and report on  some of the best FREE resources out there.

Hacking Knowledge: 77 ways to learn Faster, Deeper, and Better offers “77 tips related to knowledge and learning to help you on your quest. A few are specifically for students in traditional learning institutions; the rest for self-starters, or those learning on their own. Happy learning.”

Verbal and Auditory Techniques

24. Stimulate ideas. Play rhyming games, utter nonsense words. These loosen you up, making you more receptive to learning.
25. Brainstorm. This is a time-honored technique that combines verbal activity, writing, and collaboration. (One person can brainstorm, but it’s more effective in a group.) It’s fruitful if you remember some simple rules: Firstly, don’t shut anyone’s idea out. Secondly, don’t “edit” in progress; just record all ideas first, then dissect them later. Participating in brainstorming helps assess what you already know about something, and what you didn’t know.
26. Learn by osmosis. Got an iPod? Record a few of your own podcasts, upload them to your iPod and sleep on it. Literally. Put it under your pillow and playback language lessons or whatever.
27. Cognitive enhancers: binaural beats. Binaural beats involve playing two close frequencies simultaneously to produce alpha, beta, delta, and theta waves, all of which produce either sleeping, restfulness, relaxation, meditativeness, alertness, or concentration. Binaural beats are used in conjunction with other excercises for a type of super-learning.
28. Laugh. Laughing relaxes the body. A relaxed body is more receptive to new ideas.

Get your life in order!  BackPackIt lets you keep your to-dos, notes, ideas, and schedule online.  All the hip kids these days are keeping track of their lives with trendy moleskins, but think about all the time you waste transferring your ideas to the web, not to mention the unsightly beer stains picked up while slugging PBR at happy hour.

Joshua Green, a senior editor for “the Atlantic” assumed the position as lab rat for Wired Magazine, documented an interesting story that scratches at the surface of man’s quest to better himself.   Over a four week period, Joshua put his body and brain through a series of tasks to learn if cognitive improvement was possible.

WEEK TWO: More lifestyle changes. Neuroscientists say that showering with your eyes closed and brushing your teeth with your “opposite” hand can open up new neural pathways by challenging your “proprioception” – your brain’s perception of movement and spatial orientation. This morning I try closing my eyes in the shower, quickly become disoriented, and wipe out. (Get a rubber bath mat, trust me.) I also find it surprisingly hard to keep my eyes shut through an entire shower. My solution: a sleep mask. It works nicely, but I look like a naked Lone Ranger.

I finished the article on the R train to Bklyn and hurriedly made my way to the bathroom of my apartment to begin brushing my teeth with my left hand…not rocket science.  The “blind shower” did not require a bath mat.  I found that the most difficult aspect of it was trying to decipher whether or not I had squeezed enough shampoo into my hand.  I guess that’s the point.  We breeeze through our days swiping metro cards, adding milk and sugar to our coffee, and responding to emails without so much as a second thought.  But…do we really know what we are doing?  Are we truly cognitive of our actions and aware of the mechanics behind the signals given off by the neurons in our brain?

I am here to find out.  I didn’t have too many New Year resolutions, so for the next month, I am going “on assignment” to lower my brain age.  Though, I’d rather be on assignment playing 18 holes and napping in a hammock.  Oh Well!  There’s always next year.

Joshua Green, a senior editor for “the Atlantic” assumed the position as lab rat for Wired Magazine, documented an interesting story that scratches at the surface of man’s quest to better himself.   Over a four week period, Joshua put his body and brain through a series of tasks to learn if cognitive improvement was possible.

WEEK TWO: More lifestyle changes. Neuroscientists say that showering with your eyes closed and brushing your teeth with your “opposite” hand can open up new neural pathways by challenging your “proprioception” – your brain’s perception of movement and spatial orientation. This morning I try closing my eyes in the shower, quickly become disoriented, and wipe out. (Get a rubber bath mat, trust me.) I also find it surprisingly hard to keep my eyes shut through an entire shower. My solution: a sleep mask. It works nicely, but I look like a naked Lone Ranger.

I finished the article on the R train to Bklyn and hurriedly made my way to the bathroom of my apartment to begin brushing my teeth with my left hand…not rocket science.  The “blind shower” did not require a bath mat.  I found that the most difficult aspect of it was trying to decipher whether or not I had squeezed enough shampoo into my hand.  I guess that’s the point.  We breeeze through our days swiping metro cards, adding milk and sugar to our coffee, and responding to emails without so much as a second thought.  But…do we really know what we are doing?  Are we truly cognitive of our actions and aware of the mechanics behind the signals given off by the neurons in our brain?

I am here to find out.  I didn’t have too many New Year resolutions, so for the next month, I am going “on assignment” to lower my brain age.  Though, I’d rather be on assignment playing 18 holes and napping in a hammock.  Oh Well!  There’s always next year.

An interesting thing happened today. In my prelunch carb crave, I was reading an article in Buisinessweek about young American entrepreneurs. Most had very interesting stories, and more importantly interesting ideas. following my five minute info fix, I put on my coat and made my way for lunch. I work near Columbus circle, so there is a large selection of mediocre food at my disposal. I usually fire up a smoke, pick a direction, and head into the first place I see as my smoke nears its end. With only four directions to choose from on this marvelous grid we call New York, I inevitably frequent the same four establishments. My trek today led me west landing upon good ole Subway, “made pretty fresh.” As I walked in I was confronted with a big smile and an offer for a FREE COOKIE! My lucky day. Though the company sponsoring this program was none other than Mobo and their GoMobo guerrilla marketing team. Now if you don’t know, Mobo is a place where you can “order food on the go.” You sign up, save your favorite orders, text in your order, and skip the line to get your chow quick. Genius. You still get yourself out of the office, fresh air, and exercise without having to stand behind “annoying cell phone talker” who has to ask the person on the other end what kind of bread she should get. Here’s to the future. Well done Noah.

To All:

It’s been a while. I’ve been working on some other projects and have regretfully neglected my little yuppiguide. On the topic of “things neglected,” I should mention the fact that I haven’t shaved in a few weeks. Luckily, I haven’t had any meetings to go to, but the Halloween “costume” has since played out. Looking at my newly purchased electric razor that I bought on Amazon pretty cheap after after my last razor chewed through the “protective” foils (how annoying and painfull), I realized how little time and money I actually spend on taking care of myself. When I buy toiletries (shampoo, soap, face wash, lotion, and deodorant etc) I prefer to do it all at once, and I tend to purchase all of the items from one of two product lines in particular (I guess branding and advertising does work). One trip to Target in Brooklyn is enough to make anybody hold out. That said, after I christened my wet/dry in the shower last night and slapped on some lotion, my Guinness induced Sunday haze seemed to fade away instantly. I felt like a new man. I never seem to have enough time or money, but if I did I can assure you that my next shave would be in the hands of barber for a well deserved hot lather shave.

Yours Truly,

Ryan

modern man

The Wall Street Journal recently did a study that showed men’s business clothing is gaining more and more market share. The casual flip flops, ripped jeans, and vintage tees that we have all come to love over the past few years are being replaced by a band of Brooks Brother Ivies who “just can’t take it anymore.” Dressing up for work is not just for the Fortune 5’s anymore. So if you are ready to sell out your style and shell out some bucks to get ahead at work, I’ve included a few links to help you along your way. A few words of advice, just because the store has an Itallian name (and I am specifically referring to the string of “cannoli tailors” that line 34th street and sell Carenzini rayon for 125 bucks) doesn’t mean you are getting an Itallian suit. To know before you go, check out Banana Republic and Soyouwanna.com.

modern man

Who wouldn’t want to wake up, play 18 holes of golf, grab a Corona and head to the beach cabana until your six o’clock date with a few pina coladas and fresh crab legs? How sweet life would be. But, the modern man knows that sunday night marks the end of the weekend debauchery and the beginning of the work week grind. There isn’t enough Starbucks in the world to help me through the first two hours of Monday morning, but here are a few sites ( IndiaTimes and eHow ) that offer an alternative Monday morning panacea.

” make sure you finish all the dirty work on Friday itself. Keep Monday for a fresh start. That way, at least there’s one thing less to bog you down on a Monday. Now that you know how to chase your blues, have a very happy Monday, remember the weekend’s just five days away!”

modern man

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