Sure, there are lots of these sorts of "everything you need to know about buying suits," or "X number of rules of men's style," posts all over men's blogosphere. They'll tell you that fit is everything, that gray is the most versatile color, and to never button your bottom button.All of which are true, but I especially like these sorts of guides that go a little further, discussing aspects like weave, patterns, or, once you have your suit, what to do with it in regards to the rest of the stuff you've gotta wear with it, like your tie, topcoat, shoes, and watch.

This "Complete Guide to Suits" from Details magazine is a thorough one, providing lots of tips, ideas, and things to look for other than those that appear on every Pin-able infographic about these days.  

You've certainly heard a few of these already, but you're bound to learn something new. Worth a read: 

The Complete Guide to Suits: 57 Rules of Style [Details.com]

Chicago-based artist and designer Artpentry, maker of the "Gentleman's Boombox" - a stereo/speaker combo built inside a vintage suitcase - turns his outfitting skills to another type of popular case: the toolbox.   Artpentry - aka Floyd A. Davis IV - shares the technique The Craftsman Experience, on which I've also appeared. (Good times!) He explains the process in the video below. It was shot live, so it's a little long, and not everything comes together perfectly, but you'll certainly get a taste of how to approach a project like this. Very cool to watch: 

 This would look awesome in a an old secondhand toolbox with a nice patina.

Each Wednesday, I post some of my favorite can't-miss links, images, and otherwise mindblowing goodies from across the web.

There's an incredible waterfall in Iceland called Litlanesfoss that features amazing hexagonal rock formations. The phenomenon is known as columnar jointed basalt, which form "due to stress as the lava cools. The lava contracts as it cools, forming cracks. Once the crack develops it continues to grow. The growth is perpendicular to the surface of the flow." Read more at Kottke.org 

Some very fine Super Mario Bros. Easter eggs by LMNOPeas 

Street artist Shepherd Fairey designed the patch for a new space mission - Casis 

Wood. En. LEGOs. 

The Google Graveyard. I had no idea...

Swedish art director Petter Johansson created this charming 3D geometric cityscape from fruits, veggies, meats, and cheeses.    

It was designed in partnership with Stockholm-based Atelier Food, who seek to "connect a discussion about food with ideas revolved around sustainability, energy, culture, urban development and transportation. The project insists that 'food is an important part of many future challenges' and seeks to find global solutions and innovation through 'cooking, food labs and discussions.' " 

I love the mix of strong geometric shapes and the organic forms of whole vegetables, which give a great sense of natural texture to the well-planned "city"

See more at My Modern Met: Architectural Blueprint of an Entire City Made of Food 

I love this peak inside the studio and process of Ray Gascoigne, a 60-year veteran and master   craftsman of ships in bottles.

He's worked as a shipwright and a merchant sailor, and now designs, carves, and creates his stunning pieces completely from scratch, with just a few tools. Oh, and he looks like this:    

What a fascinating guy. I bet he has amazing stories. 

Bottled History from Smith Journal on Vimeo.

Look - I'm not implying I only have fifteen things in my kitchen. I love to cook, to the point that I ask for new tools and gadgets for Christmas and birthday presents. But, I also cook three meals a day at home, and 90%, it's with the same basic handful of utensils and cookware.   When visiting some of my favorite restaurants with open kitchens, I started to notice the same handful of items on display - hanging on walls, at the prep station - as those get so much use at my house they rarely leave the drying rack.

So, countertop appliances aside (blenders are great) and excluding standard utensil-caddy stuff like mixing spoons (I like bamboo) and dish towels (get some), here's ManMade's guide to the fifteen tools every kitchen needs, all selected with an eye of buying quality items that'll last as long as you can stand by a stove. They might not be the only things you need, but they're darn close. And, if you wanna cook like a chef, shop like a chef and choose the restaurant supply version of many of these. They're made to take a beating.

1. Spring-Loaded Tongs: Hands down, the most used item in my kitchen. They're like an heatproof extension of your hands, providing for dexterity and precision tasks that a spoon or spatula just can't match. I keep a pair of silicon and steel-tipped ones on hand for nearly every meal, using them for most flipping, stirring, and mixing tasks. Recommended: Oxo 12-Inch Locking Tongs [$10.99 at Amazon]

2. Enamel-Coated Cast Iron Dutch Oven: An investment piece, but one of the most versatile. These things are heavy, stout, and efficient. Goes from stovetop to oven to grill to refrigerator, and if you take care of it, will last for life. A round model in the 7-quart range will accomplish most takes like braises, stews and soups, deep frying, and searing. Recommended: Le Creuset [pictured] are the standard here, but all French models are worth the investment. For a more affordable option, the Lodge Color Dutch Ovens [$79.99]   get great reviews as well. 

3. Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls: Unless you're using the microwave, forget the breakable glass or colorful plastic, and opt for affordable, built-to-take-a-beating restaurant-style mixing bowls. These guys can take heat, so you don't have to worry about them melting if they get too close to the flame. Find some with a nice lip and a low bowl shape for easy tossing and handling. I even use mine on the range for popcorn, or on the grill as a lid or to heat sauces. If you buy them all from the same manufacturer, they'll store nicely inside each other, taking up little space. Recommended: Crestware 8-Quart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl [$10.50]

4. Butcher Block Cutting Board: Unless you're dealing with raw meats or other contaminating ingredients, don't waste your time or budget with a bunch of flexible plastic cutting mats, or glass or stone boards that will ruin your knives. Just get a large, heavy hardwood model, and use it for all your tasks. If you have the tools, these are a great project to make at home for much less (they also make great gifts), but if shopping, look for one at least 16x20 and 1-2" thick made of hard maple, cherry, or walnut. Bamboo is cool too, but hardwood will last for decades. These are a popular project for woodworkers (I can't count how many I've done), so check out local handmade shops and fairs or Etsy for cool ideas. Otherwise, you can't go wrong with pro models from John Boos or OzarkWest. Recommended: Boos Reversible 15.5 x 20" Maple Cutting Board [$58.10]

5. 8-Inch Chef's Knife: Forget all the fancy block set of micro-serrated blade and late-night ginsu infomercials, and just get the few knives you need. To start, invest in a quality 8" chef's knife for the majority of your slicing and chopping tasks. Trying them out in the store is best since different models fit different hand sizes, but a great all-around option (affordable) are the Victorinox Fibrox Series from the same folks who make Swiss Army knives. Recommended: Victorinox 40520 Fibrox 8-Inch Chef's Knife [$29.18]

6. 10 or 12-Inch Cast Iron Skillet: I've made the argument before that every person should own a cast iron skillet, and I still stick by it. See that post for reasons and versatility, but seriously: what else do you own that can go from campfire to freezer to charcoal grill to blazing hot oven to electric cooktop, and then allow you to serve your dinner out of it. My vote is to buy old, unseasoned (or poorly seasoned) cast iron from the flea market or secondhand shop and season it yourself, providing for an unbeatable, long lasting cooking surface, but if you're just trying to move away from using Teflon for everything, starting with a pre-seasoned skillet is better than nothing. Recommended: Lodge Logic 12" Skillet [$18.97] 

7. Microplane Zester/Grater: These guys originated as woodworking tools for rasping and shaping edges, but chefs soon realized they were the perfect thing for finely grating hard cheeses, chocolate, citrus, aromatics, and spices. I prefer the non-handled models, because you can flip the case over and use it to catch your shavings. I also prefer handle-style graters to box graters in general - I only ever use two sides of that thing anyway. Get a large, fine, and zester size Microplane. They take less room to store, and cost less money. Recommended: Microplane 40001 Stainless Steel Zester [$9.24] 

8. 1 1/2 Quart Stainless Sauce Pan with Lid: For all those liquid-heavy tasks where the dutch oven would just be overkill, a heavy-bottomed sauce pan works perfectly. Boiling water for grains or rice, reheating leftovers, making potatoes, simmering sauces, etc. Recommended: Cuisinart MultiClad Pro Stainless Steel Saucepan with Cover [$49.99] 

9. Instant Read Thermometer - If you cook proteins like meat or fish, there's nothing worse than overcooking them to dryness, or not cooking them to safe temperatures. Pro chefs can do this by sight and touch, but most of us home cooks cannot. An instant read thermometer costs less than $20, and avoids either error. Also great for coffee making and food crafts like cheese, jellies, pickles, and candy. Recommended: CDN DTQ450X ProAccurate Quick-Read Thermometer [$17.50]  

10. 1 Qt Measuring Cup: Perfect heat-resistant complement to the baking set in your utensil drawer. Great for boiling water in the microwave, catching draining liquids, as a small mixing bowl for salad dressings or sauces. I'll usually eat soup in one, too. Recommended: Pyrex Prepware Measuring Cup [$9.99]

11. Half Sheet Pan and Cooling Rack: Forget the dark, non-stick surfaces and airbake technology, and invest in a few restaurant style half-sheet pans and accompanying racks. You can do everything from roast vegetable to bake cookies to your Thanksgiving turkey on one of these, and the rack makes a perfect surface for resting a steak or draining homemade french fries. Buy these together so everything fits perfectly and stores nicely in very little space. Recommended: Norpro Stainless Steel Jelly Roll Baking Pan [$14.00]...but check the restaurant supply store first.

12. Non-stick skillet: As much as I love the crust and caramelization created by stainless and cast iron, there are some notoriously stick ingredients that really do benefit from non-stick: eggs, fish, pancakes, crepes, and the like. While I definitely don't recommend a whole set, keeping one around for special tasks is helpful. No need to be a hero. But do know these don't last forever, so there's no reason to spend hundreds of bucks on one. Recommended: T Fal Ovensafe Non-Stick Fry Pan 

13.  Mandoline Slicer: Many wouldn't consider these an essential, but you'll see them in every chef's knife kit. They make such quick work of repetitive tasks, and allow you to make cuts you couldn't do with a knife, such as super thin slices for homemade potato chips. They're super helpful for food craft projects such as canning and pickling, and if use it safely, will find a way into your daily rountine as well. Just use the hand guard, or better yet, a cut-proof glove. Recommended: Benriner Japanese Mandoline Slicer [24.99]

14. Mesh Stainer: Another great restaurant supply store find. After grabbing a few of these, I rarely get out a colander anymore, and especially love that these help save the liquid, the solids, or both. I prefer medium mesh options for nearly everything, and love the little arms that attach to the side of my quart measuring cup or stainless bowl. $7.00 very well spent. Recommended: Food Service Medium Single Mesh Strainer 8" [$6.88]

15. Stainless Steel 3 Qt. Saute Pan: The last piece to complement the cast iron and non-stick. Stainless is great for searing and developing deep caramelization flavors. I like using this over cast iron when high heat retention isn't as essential, or when I want the ingredients to stick a bit, such as browning veggies or onions. It's like color guarantees you won't burn the flavorful bits at the bottom, and it's high, straight sides make it great for cooking things that start out big but reduce a lot, such as greens or cabbage, or for making quick work of sauces. A great everyday workhorse. Recommended: All-Clad Stainless 3-Quart Saute Pan [$109.99]

Remember: If you're out on your own for the first time, or just trying to build a quality kitchen arsenal, buying the better quality thing once is better than having to replace everything every few years. 

What would you recommend? Share your ideas, and the pieces that you'd sub them out for, in the comments below. 

In the summer of 2010, several bottles of beer were discovered in a shipwreck below the Aland archipelago at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Due to the unique environment - cool, constant temperatures, high pressure, and total darkness, the beers were preserved, and completely drinkable, becoming one of the world's oldest existing beers.   The Finnish brewery Stallhagen, situated on the archipelago, plans to recreate the recipe - a pale ale - and sell it within the next year. They describe the refrigerator-like conditions that preserved the beer and several accompanying bottles of champagne: 

Divers discovered the beer in July 2010, as they salvaged champagne bottles from the wreck, which makes both the champagne and the beer the world's oldest...The bottles of beer and champagne were still drinkable, preserved by the slightly salty water, low currents, a constant temperature of 41 degrees Fahrenheit, pressure from the sea and the total deep sea darkness... Samples of the beer were analyzed by the Finnish laboratory VTT, which determined its composition. "It's a pale ale and resembles contemporary beer," VTT researcher Annika Wilhelmson said. However, the analysis was not able to determine if the beer was made solely of barley malt or whether it also contained other grains such as wheat. Experts have not yet been able to determine the origin of the ship, which appears to be a two-masted schooner of Nordic origin, built in the early 1800s. It is believed to have sunk in the Baltic sometime between 1825 and 1830.

Reminds me of this great story about Ernest Shackleton's Scotch supply discovered in Antaratica: A Rare Historical Scotch, Back on the Rocks

Read more about the Stallhagen ale at NYDailyNews.com - Finnish brewery to recreate 200-year-old shipwrecked beer

I chat with lots of ManMakers who would love to get started with bigger, more in-depth projects, but lack a dedicated place to work on them and the storage space for all the tools they'd love to acquire. So, here's a perfect project for them: a small-footprint workbench that's sturdy enough to do real work, and includes lots of built-in storage and plenty of accessories. It starts with a rolling tool cabinet, which you can find at any home center and many hardware stores. I also see barely used ones for sale on my local Craigslist, so consider secondhand options as well. Then, they all a sturdy solid wood stop, additional magnetic tool storage, a power strip, some pegboard, and even a small vice, which I believe is essential for all kinds of creative projects. 

I really do think this would be a great option to put in a home office, a garage, or even somewhere where you could wheel it outside when you want to work. Smart stuff.

Get the full how-to from Woodsmith e-Tips: Tool Cabinet Upgrade 

Barcelona-based artist and designer Yago Partal, who previously gave us Menswear Dog, offers this wonderful series of portraits of animal dressed up in all kinds of men's style pieces.

Sure, no creatures actually sat in a studio for these - it's Photoshopping and image manipulation - but I kinda like it that way more. Adds another layer of humor for me. 

There are lots more to check out at Hi Consumption. Worth your while: Fashion Zoo Animals [via Laughing Squid]

Chances are, if you own an iPad or tablet, it's already spent plenty of time in the kitchen. A source for checking recipes and directions, watching your favorite series on Netflix while chopping broccoli, or just for listening to music or the news while cleaning up and washing dishes. So, if it's gonna spend so much time in there, you might as well make it a safe and secure place to mount on the wall, away from splashing water or spitting oil.

Sugru - who previously brought us The Fixer's Manifesto - provide a full how-to to make one for only a few dollars. And if you choose the right color of Sugru, everything should blend in or complement nicely so it won't look like there's weird blobs of food on your kitchen wall.

Get the tutorial at the Sugru guide section: How to Make an iPad Wall Mount 

Each Wednesday, I post some of my favorite can't-miss links, images, and otherwise mindblowing goodies from across the web. 

 If the world only had 100 people, it would look something like this.

See the full graphic from London-based designer Jack Hagley here. 

From Experiment with Nature: "Andrew Bodrov digitally stitched together over 400 HD pictures taken by the recently landed Mars rover, Curiosity, and built an interactive spherical panoramic photo of the red planet. Go check out the 360° of martian horizon, desolate rolling red hills and hazy atmosphere (and a peek of Curiosity itself), and get the clearest idea yet of this whole new wilderness."  

Time-lapse video of magnetic Silly Putty absorbing a magnet 

Beastie Boys' Mike D is running a free food truck in Rockaway Beach for those affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Carved Batman coffee tables by Charles Lushear

The notion of making real music with record players isn't new: DJs and turntablists have been creating everything from original scores to jazz-like improvisations for nearly three decades. But musician and artist Diego Stocco has created a new twist: he doesn't use the turntable to play and manipulate records, but to play with tree leaves.   

He says, "Recently I bought a turntable to use it for an experiment, but that didn't turn out as I was expecting. Then, I noticed the equally spaced ridges on the plate and got an idea for something else. For about an hour I recorded short musical phrases by rubbing leaves against the turntable (the type of leaf, angle, pressure and fold determined the sound), then I combined the different takes together." 

Sure, he used some EQ and effects to shape the sound, but wow. Watch the technique in the video below:

Diego Stocco - Duet for Leaves & Turntable from Diego Stocco on Vimeo. [via Sauna]

There are about 960 usable minutes in everyday, provided you get enough sleep, and a new study suggests there's a much better way to spend it. And the number one item on the list? If you wanna be happier, you should be having more sex.   

 Sebastian Pokutta and Christian Kroll performed a study which focused not on subjective well-being (the standard means for measuring happiness), and "instead built upon an alternate method called the Day Reconstruction Method, which examined Americans’ time use and focuses on how daily activities affect happiness."  

Of course, 36 minutes of work isn't practical for anyone, but the results are interesting: "We should be doing more of what we like (having sex and hanging out with friends) and less of what we don’t (working and commuting) in relatively small chunks." And the real emphasis: that a day full of shorter chunks of various activities, and a mix of responsibility, pleasure, and wellness, is the best way to be spending your time. If you think about some of your favorite Saturdays over the last year, I'll be they look pretty similar to this breakdown. Mine sure do.  

How to have the perfect day: Have sex for 106 minutes [Quartz]

[Top image by Ditte Isager for GQ]

Sarah Rae calls this the "one appetizer to rule them all." Is it the ultimate snack? Don't know yet, but it's worth finding out. Cause bacon is one thing, and candied bacon another. But bacon candied with a beer/brown sugar syrup? Three ingredients I'm guessing add up to way more than the sum of their parts.

Is it a novelty? Sure. But sometimes novelties are exactly what's called for. Get the full (and easy) recipe: 

Beer-Candied Bacon [Tide and Thyme, via The Kitchn] 

In his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin outlines a "Precept of Order," a single page in his journal and memoirs that outlines how he should spend his day, "the following scheme of employment for the twenty-four hours of a natural day."The first item was to wake each morning and ask himself "What good shall I do this day?" 

I think that's a pretty cool way to look at life. I'm gonna start doing that myself. Give a try with me.

"What Good..." Enamel Steel Sign - $28 from Best Made Co.

These days, there are a multitude of screw and driver styles lining the hardware stores: torx and square, and Supadriv and star-bit and the like. But less than a century ago, there was but one - the single slot. So begins the surprisingly interesting story of Henry F. Phillips, the Portland, Oregon-based inventor of the Phillips screw drive. A Continuous Lean shares the history, beginning with:

[Phillips] knew that car makers needed a screw that could be driven with more torque and that would hold tighter than slotted screws. Car makers also needed a screw that would center quickly and easily, and could be used efficiently on an assembly line. The Phillips screw was designed so that it could be driven by an automated screw driver with increasing force until the tip of the driver popped out without ruining the screw head. So what many consider a design flaw is actually a feature (at least if you’re a car manufacturer). 

It's a quick and interesting read, and worth a look... Your little fun bit of maker history for the day:

A Better Way to Screw [A Continuous Lean] 

Designer Ross Moody of 55 Hi's, who last year brought us the birthday card that turns into a shot glass, now shares this cool typographic coaster set dubbed "Pick Your Poison." Each coaster contains two recipes for a cocktail: a party-starter on the first side, and then a hangover curing breakfast/brunch drink on the reverse. 

Ross explains, "Delicious drink mixes to poison your night and the tasty breakfast antidotes to ease the morning pain. This set of 6 double sided coasters features popular drink mixes on one side, and the breakfast recipe to cure the hangover it causes the next morning. Drink too many vodka-filled "Ninja Turtles"? A breakfast with "The Shredder" should help sop up all your shame."

Besides that pair, the set includes other clever combos - the Rusty Nail/Tetanus Shot, the Snakebite/Anti-Venom, and the like.

"Each coaster set comes with a title coaster, 6 popular drink concoctions, and 6 hangover-curing breakfast recipes. They are screenprinted on ultra thick blotter paper made specifically for sopping up condensation. Coasters are formatted with an ingredient list, preparation guide, and short description featuring fun facts or history of the item."

Love this. Pick up a set of six at 55 Hi's for $14.99, or three sets for $34.99 

Antartica has seen its share of exploration, research, and commerce: whaling stations, fishing villages, home bases for mapping and exploring, and scientific facilities. The unique weather conditions have basically keep these unique places refrigerated for decades, preserving their contents. io9 catalogs eight of these now abandoned communities: "Many of these facilities have since been abandoned, left to the snow and ice. But they still serve as remarkable time capsules to the industries and expeditions of their times." 

In addition to fully stocked huts and cabins, as seen above, there are lots of fascinating cultural pieces left behind, such as this bust of Lenin, which sits atop a several story pole, now buried. "If you dig down through the ice, you'll find a golden visitor's book to sign."

Or this abandoned theater and movie cinema in the Norwegian fishing village of Grytviken, which also contains a church still occasionally used for marriage ceremonies. 

See the rest of the sites and photos at io9: 8 Abandoned Antarctic Whaling Stations and Bases that are Still Amazing 

There's a new blog by Ben Uyeda called "Homemade Modern," that's making quite a stir in the DIY-o-sphere. Ben and company are setting out to create modern and contemporary style furniture by hand, andtheir commitment to exploring materials makes this a unique site, and they're turning out designs that look like they came from high-end studios and factories but can be made in your basement or garage. Ben's previous $5 concrete stool got passed around a bit (you likely saw it over the last few weeks), but I particularly like this update, which switches out the bucket mold for a square seat, and adds dowel rods for additional cross support. 

Check out Ben's new concrete stool updates, then head to episode 8 for the original how-to. Good stuff, Ben. Keep up the great work. 

Each Wednesday, I post some of my favorite can't-miss links, images, and otherwise mindblowing goodies from across the web. This

Michelle Newman created this amazing moving portrait of her 89-year-old landlady lip-synching to her favorite song. It is the best video you'll see all day, I promise.   

I hope music still moves me like this as I age. See more at Holiday Matinee. 

Art prints from your favorite early computers and video games by City Prints 

Burgers are good: One method for creating a really, really tasty burger.

A squirrel drinking from a squirrel-sized mug.  

The Pizza Lab takes on the task of creating the perfect pesto pizza. There are my weekend plans, right there.