TLS Endorses: The Better iPhone Case

The iPhone is a thing of beauty; a digital swiss-army knife whose superior technology is only overshadowed by its sleek design.

So why do most people take the iPhone's best feature away by putting it in an otter box? You're not Bear Grylls, right?

With Summer approaching, here are two alternatives to keep your pockets happy while you shed layers (in style, obviously). Both are extremely slim and provide a nice, tacky grip so you don't drop your phone. If you don't drop your phone, you can drop the bulky box case.

J.Crew Leather iPhone Case $38:

J.Crew Rubber iPhone Case $25:

Meditation Monday

From Valet. 

A recent study by the University of Miami studied the effects of meditation developed by the Mind Fitness Training Institute for the US Marines. The soldiers spent between 12 to 15 minutes a day engaged in mindfulness meditation—which, explained simply, is a focused concentration on the present. For example, sitting in a chair, eyes closed, focused on nothing but your breathing, and the feeling of the air coming in and out of your lungs. 

The result? Researchers reported that the Marines who meditated scored better on mood and memory evaluations, They also found improved athletic ability, relief from anxiety and

Nike Dunk High 08

I think most basketball shoes are fuckin' ugly. Furthermore, if you're over 25, I can't understand buying sneakers to display them (or who you are displaying them for?). That said, I saw these Nike Dunk High 08's over the weekend and thought they looked cool. The colorway is simple and the fleece/tweed is awesome for winter. I haven't worn high tops this century, but if were going to, I might start with these. 

©William Yan 

I'd take these new Marc McNairy's, hand-stitched with a blue sole, I only wish he'd kept the Fuck Off on the bottom instead of the happy face. Still very dapper. 

Blazer Etiquette

Not to be confused with blazing etiquette. 

Tie Your Scarf like a Boss

It's getting beginning to look a lot like...Winter. With each new season comes the opportunity to separate yourself and find some swagger. Here are 21 new ways to tie that scarf you got for christmas. You're welcome. #theleisurestudy


Who cares what language it's in, we could all learn a stylistic lesson from Europeans. Lesson 2 is wear the biggest scarf you can to cover the gold-printed long sleeve you're wearing :)

Name that Seinfeld Episode

One of the most inspiring pieces of art these eyes have ever seen.

Nathan Manire :: To buy, click here. 

How to Get the Best Shave

For too long, I've seen too many guys with razor bumps and ingrown hairs bulging from their necks and thought, "ouch". It isn't as though these gentlemen are in a defined age range either. I remember years ago, a friend asked me how my face was always clean-shaven without having neck bumps. I told him I just started. We were both 25 and he didn't get my sense of humor. 

Easier Eating

You get home from work. You're tired because you need to eat. Your cabinets and fridge are full of food, but none of it looks good. You contemplate ordering take-out, so you start looking-up places. Stop. Check out this website My Fridge Food first. First thing to do is turn off the annoying ad on the right-hand side of the screen because it has audio. My Fridge Food lets you enter in the ingredients you have at home, and it generates recipes for you in seconds. There is a simple menu, which looks like this:

And a highly elaborate menu, in which you can scroll through food groups in detail. Another great feature is the calorie max you can set if you're serious about your caloric intake. Hopefully, this takes some stress off you and helps you have a healthier holidays. Cheers!

*Thanks to Kristen for the heads-up

Less But Better :: Dieter Rams

Dieter Rams was the chief of design at Braun for over 35 years; and with good reason. This is short film by Andrew Birtchitt that relates to Rams' exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He makes an interesting point around the 2:20-mark. 

"Less but better; that should be the main objective for the future."

Christmas Gift Guide :: Pt. II

(Turn on cliche christmas music) 

Part II of the Gift Guide focus' on gifts that are in everyone's budget without sacrificing the cool. If you missed Part I, Click Here.  Between the two, there is something here for every personality. If you can't find something on here, open up iTunes and buy them a gift-certificate; unoriginal bastard. As always, click the links below the photo to be taken to the product page. 

Bike Beer Holder $22 :: Leather. For the city-peddling socialite. 

Gear :: Get the Lowest Price

Download these Apps on your smartphone for free and start saving on gifts. With all the money you save, buy yourself that present you really want. Or, maybe buy something for that special someone who tells you about this cool stuff ;) Click the links to download via iTunes. Gift Guide, Part II debuts tomorrow. 

Price Check by Amazon: You can search for items with your voice or by taking a photo of things like books and DVDs. Price Check's layout is slightly more attractive than RedLaser's, though it's limited to the Web since it gives online-only results from Amazon.com and companies that sell through Amazon.com Inc. Price Check displays search results with the product at the top of the screen and three tabs that let you quickly scroll through prices, a description and user reviews. And if I found an item's price was lower online than in the store, it would be simple to buy it through the app.  The best part about Price Check is the abundance of product reviews. They're indispensable for looking up potential gifts and helping you think twice before making purchases.

RedLaser by eBay: great for finding items online and in nearby bricks-and-mortar stores. also includes a handy feature for making simple shopping lists, and a history feature that records all the items you've looked up, so you can go back and find things later on.

Knot-Making Sense

Words and Pictures by Andrew Snavely via Primer :: These days guys like variety in their ties. Different textures, different fabrics. Once abhorred by sartorialists, these days a guy wearing a narrow cotton tie looks great at his boss’s barbeque. A textured wool tie can take some of the Wall Street edge off of your suit for the office, and transition perfectly for a less casual atmosphere out on the town. The problem is, with the combination of skinnier ties and thicker fabrics, our old standby knots don’t give us the results we need. Here are two suggestions for skinnier ties. The Nicky and The Kelvin.

The Nicky Knot

Christmas Gift Guide :: Pt I

Here is part one of my Christmas gift guide. I could say "Holiday", but I recently read that 94% of english-speaking (also see reading) people celebrate or acknowledge Christmas. If you're Jewish, try to get [at least] eight of these items. As always, click the links below the photos to go to the product's page.

Schott Zwiesel Bar Glasses because they look amazing and are almost indestructible. And because solo cups should be left in the parking lot.

Thanksgiving:: What to Wear to the Table

On the fence about what to wear to Thanksgiving? This outfit should apply in most situations. Dress it up with a v-neck sweater or unstructured blazer (like corduroy or tweed). Stick to solid colors. Don't mix up a lot of different patterns either. That's overthinking it. Almost like writing a blog about thanksgiving wardrobes. Don't forget clean socks as your shoes will probably have to come off at some point. Have a Great Thanksgiving. Enjoy your family's characteristics, it's what made you...you :) 

[click links below for product]

Brooklyn State of Mind

Some tasty places to visit in Williamsburg [Brooklyn, NY]: 

Teddy's Bar and Grill. 96 Berry Street (corner of Berry & N8) (718) 384-9787

Great brunch/Bloodies. Huge Portion of Huevos Ranchos, Perfectly seared Steak & Eggs, freshly ground Chicken Burger, and coconut-encrusted "Jamaican French Toast" with maple rum glaze. Plus other standard breakfast/lunch fare. 

Bruce Weber :: Intrvw via "The Talks"

Bruce Weber is an accomplished photographer whose work has been in every major magazine for over 20 years and, unfortunately, he's probably best known for shooting the Abercombie & Fitch Quarterly Magazines. Some equate it to soft porn, others defend it as art signifying typical adolescence. At least the guy is photographing them for legitimate publications and not showering with them in college football facilities. (Too soon?)  Check out his interview with The Talks here. He talks about his photo work, his movie studio and productions, and the many books that come out bearing his photos. Some of which you've probably seen on your friends coffee table and thought, "I love black and white pictures, they look so familiar..." Here's a quick taste of Weber's work:

 

Moving Forward :: Danny Toumarkine

When I lived in New Hampshire, Danny lived down the street from me. He is a really positive, genuinely nice dude who loved to snowboard. His effortless style won him a lot of accolades on the East Coast, and before I left he was working in a snowboard shop and planning on riding all-season out west to get bigger sponsorships and ride full-time. I heard about his accident through Facebook updates and a blog that his friends set up, dannyisthebomb.com. I can't wait to see the movie and I'm glad that Danny is on a board again. *With a helmet this time :)

*I know at least 4 people who severely hurt themselves because they didn't wear a helmet. They are/were all great skiiers and riders too. Wear one.

Hip to be [large] Square? Or Rectangle?

<--This is what I want! I'm looking for an affordable home rectangular ice cube tray. I remember reading about a swiss-made, silicone tray with four rectangles. It looked like one that new planting flowers come in. Yeah, that's the best analogy I could come up with, so don't act like you've never seen one. It looks like this, but with four deep grooves that produce rectangles:

This is by Tovolo and produces 2" squares for a rocks glass. It's cool because it's under $8, but I don't think it's anywhere close to the MUJI ice ball that I featured on here earlier. 

A good drink becomes great if it can stay cold without losing it's flavor. You don't drink it too fast for fear of dilution, nor do you have to wince and slug the last watery sips down just to get a fresh one. You're welcome :) 

Fall Thoughts

Fall in New England is unpredictable. 65-degrees and gorgeous one day, 38-degrees with 40mph winds the next. That isn't hyperbole either, it actually happened last week. Some of the good:

Taken w/ my iPhone! That's how nice it was outside.

Steve Jobs :: 1955-2011

'

Jobs, after his last keynote, WWDC 2011, leaning against his wife. (Via MinimalMac)

"Remembering that i'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever enountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything; all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure, these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important." -Steve Jobs

Genius. It's a word that gets used a lot. Music, Art, Literature, etc. but make no mistake about it, Steve Jobs was one. Upon hearing the news of his death, I shook my head in silence for about a minute. The guy had pancreatic cancer, which, sorry to be cynical, is pretty much a death sentence. We all knew this day would come, but the expectation doesn't make things easier. It just conjures up a lot of feelings I have about cancer. I've watched friends battle it before they could legally drink. I've watched it take family members who had so much life to still live. Cancer doesn't discriminate. It's claimed another victim. This time, one who we'll remember every time we turn on a computer, make a phone call, turn on a heated seat, or swipe a credit card at a gas station (yup, Jobs had a lot more than just computer patents, over 300 actually). Steve's genius is all around us, helping make our lives easier and more enjoyable, because he wasn't scared. He didn't listen to naysayers, didn't follow the status quo, and had the audacity to think differently and remind us to do the same.

Thank you, Steve. Not just for your products, but for your outlook, courage, and attitude right up until the end. It reminds me of an asian proverb interpreted as, "A lifestyle is what you pay for; a life is what pays you." We all knew Steve Jobs was one of the richest men in the world. His life taught us it's because he never measured it in dollars and cents.