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.

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

No matter how big or how small, lay a challenge down and the modern man will accept. It feels good to win. Whether you win the office NCAA basketball pool or the tour de France…a victory is a victory. I almost choked on a mouthfull of saltine crackers, eaten the ATOMIC chicken wing, and successfully ran up a “down” escalator. Why…because someone told me that I couldn’t. There was no rhyme or reason to my decisions, just a little voice in the back of my mind screaming out “you can do it, you can beat this guy.”

These challenges used to be undertaken without refernce to past man’s failures or accurate gauge of your opponent’s strengths. These days, however, there are thousands of websites out there who showcase the been there and done that. Ask Men is a website dedicated to the intricacies of the male species.

“AskMen.com is a free online destination for men, a men’s portal, designed to provide men with daily features on subject matter that interests the general male population.

What is its mission? To offer men candid advice, that is useful, practical and entertaining. AskMen.com address issues regarding dating, women, fashion, money, fitness, and entertainment. Offering advice that is too complicated or unrealistic does not serve any viable purpose, therefore it deals with topics that can be incorporated into men’s daily lives.”

The Modern Man no longer has to go through life like a neanderthal proving his point. We have tools and we have knowledge. We can learn from those whom have tried and failed. Teddy Roosevelt would stay up all night and read up on subject matter he knew was of interest to those he would meet with the following day. He didn’t have Wikipedia or Google, but he did have the where with all to prepare himself for his daily battles. The result…Little Victories.

Whether you have plans next Saturday with your foodie friends, a Harvard MBA, or an Art History major, don’t forget to brush up on the topic matter that you know they are interested in. A little homework on gourmet cousine, luxury watches, or modern art could make all the difference between a night of sounding smarter than you actually are and arm wrestling for the check. The measure of the modern man lies in his ability to win the affection of others.

modern man

Football season has finally arrived. NFL and College football is underway, and that puts a smile on many a man’s face. We have been patiently waiting the past seven months for an excuse to sit in front of the television and drink Budweiser all day. There is nothing like screaming profanities at an unaffected roster of over paid men while they try to inflict pain on others.

Apparently, I am not the only one who has been waiting for the fall. Advertisers have spent the off season crafting their message to affect the much saught after demographic of men whom spend their days glued to their plasma. Though Tivo has enabled us to fast forward through most of the garbble, Miller has found a way to reach the masses with their Man Laws. A few of my favorites have are listed below:

“A man should never take his girlfriend to a sporting event instead of his drinking buddies unless all his drinking buddies are unable to go. (In which, said buddies should promptly turn in their man cards.)”

“A man may only speak with his wife/girlfriend once during a guy’s night out, and may reply to two text messages only to tell her not to call again or text again.”

“On Valentine’s Day, never give anything unbeatable to your significant other, for she will expect you to topo that gift the following year.”

modern man

The modern man is always on the go. We don’t have the time or the room to lug around a copy of Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” in our Jack Spade’s. The magazine has not replaced the great literary works of this century, but it has certainly captured a disposable following. When I leave my apartment for the uptown R train, there is nothing like opening a magazine for a crash course in life before I hit the office. I can learn how to hot wire a car, fix my slice, and hack my iPod all before my first cup of coffee.

Only suckers pay full price. With your typical guys magazine going for an average of 4 bucks on the street, the only way to get your daily dose is to hit the internet looking for a bargain. There are lots of sites out there to choose from, but I am particularly fond of BigMags.com. I logged on the other day to take advantage of the “5 magazines for 1 year” offer at a measly $29.95 (Maxim, Entrepreneur, Wired, Golf Illustrated, and Traveler). You can hardly walk out of Barnes and Noble these days for 50 cents an issue, you won’t feel so bad leaving a copy behind in the john.

modern man

There comes a time in a man’s life when his 20 inch tv/vcr combo from college just won’t cut it anymore. The combo has served its purpose, but who watches tapes, and more importantly why would anyone want to watch football on a rinky dink 20 inch tv. The modern man knows that the ONLY way to watch the game is on at least a 42′ flat panel.

Walk into your local Best Buy or Circuit City, and that middle aged jerk who still lives at home with his mother, will try to sell you on the latest and greatest without regard to your financial situation. Best advice…know before you go. There are thousands of resources to pour over to help make the best decision. Save yourself the time and go to CNET for a one page break down…

“If you’re in the market for a big screen television — and we’re talking 42- inches and above — then we’d suggest plasma as a safe bet. Plasmas give you more bang for your buck at the big end of town, and while LCDs can give you better resolution, the price difference is currently too wide. However, if money’s not an issue and you want the sharpest image in town, then a large LCD is for you. At the smaller end of things (15″ to 36″ TVs), LCD is the only way to go if you want something slim and tasteful. And the best thing is that LCDs are getting cheaper all the time. “

Sack up already. You’ve got less than a week until your friends come over for the Ohio State and Texas kickoff Saturday, Sept 9 at 7:00 pm.

modern man

The rise of the internet over the past decade has brought its share of problems along with its share of conveniences. As a young professional in New York, I am faced with a dizzying array of choices to make once I unplug from work. I’ve only been in the Big Apple for a little over two years, and am still amazed at every new discovery I make. I know that if I need a cigarette, I can walk into Nat Sherman’s on 42nd and 5th and ask to try a “Classic.” I know that there is a bar in Midtown that has “secret VIP passes” for cutting line at the Empire State Building, and all it will cost you is market price for Pint of Guinness.

Though, I am sure there are a plethora of hidden gems I am not privy to, I can always rely on my daily newsletter from MUG: Manhattan User’s Guide. From the Company: “Manhattan User’s Guide is a daily e-mail that keeps you on top of the city…from splashy restaurant openings or wonderfull hole-in-the-walls to usefull services such as best moving companies or tailors to the best shopping in town, the occasional look at good architecture, or bad politics.”

This newsletter has it all, and it’s a hell of a lot better than asking that guy in the office who grew up in Bergen County and knows all the Bridge and Tunnel crowd hotspots.

Sure, the ladies out there all liken themselves to a character on Sex and the City, but what about the guys? Due to the lackluster performance of the Soprano’s, HBO was a channel destined to be dropped by most guys. Let’s face it, the cable packages out there entitles you to pick three “premium” channels from a wide variety of shit: HBO, Skinamax, Showtime, Starz, The Movie Channel, and Encore. Listed in order of current programming necessity:

1. HBO - Sopranos and Entourage.
2. Skinamax - The movies suck but the post 11:00 pm lineup is better than Cathouse.
3. Showtime - One word…Weeds. (Every man’s fantasy wife minus the golf clubs)
4. It’s a toss up between HBO’s sloppy seconds and whoever has Mighty Ducks III in the daily rotation. This is an irrelevant choice, best accomplished by a game of ini mini mini mo.

The recent success of Entourage, HBO has attracted a new yuppie crowd. The wannabe Gotti’s from the Jersey shore have been replaced a new breed of young men who embrace the old saying, “ass, gas, or grass…nobody rides for free.”

So which guy are you?

• Vince - The leader of the pack. You’ve got the looks, the money, and the moves. Life is easy and so are the ladies.

• Eric - All the girls think you look “cute” in your 30″ X 30″ jeans. You can get away with shopping at the kids abercrombie to save $20 on a shirt, and you act like your wallet is bigger than your umm, “package.”

• Drama - The old guy at the frat house, you graduated, but just can’t get enough. The interior of your dad’s passed down Dodge Intrepid could pass for modern art in New York filled with fast food wrappers, tins of Kodiak chew, and empty gatorade bottles from post-hangover mornings that can easily be used for an on-the-go spitter or toilet. People make fun of you by referencing Viagra and little do they know that you have googled Propecia and Rogaine.

• Turtle - You couldn’t get laid if you tried, but you still tried to hit on your little sister’s best friends. You know never to leave a party too early because the later it gets, the better you look. You usually end up with the hottie’s best friend…the nottie.

P.S. - If you think you are Vince, you are probably wrong. Just ask your friends.

modern man