This month's issue of The Atlantic features an article exploring how most contemporary men don't have much a relationship (either good or bad) to the "amoral virtue" of masculine charm.   

Author Benjamin Schwarz touchstone here is Cary Grant, who emerged after making over thirty films as somewhat feckless, "pomaded pretty boy" managed to emerge into an archetype of charm.

Out of nowhere he had assimilated his offhand wit, his playful knowingness, and, in a neat trick that allowed him to be simultaneously cool and warm, his arch mindfulness of the audience he was letting in on the joke. Grant had developed a new way to interact with a woman onscreen: he treated his leading lady as both a sexually attractive female and an idiosyncratic personality, an approach that often required little more than just listening to her—a tactic that had previously been as ignored in the pictures as it remains, among men, in real life.

Schwarz then asserts that this notion of male charm is rarely present in contemporary culture because charm is no longer a value in our culture...it's "all but absent from the screen because it’s all but absent from our lives." Charm, argues Schwarz, isn't an inherent value, it's an amoral virtue. Most men don't cultivate it because they don't consider it to be an essential aspect of being an adult male; it's a two-faced quality, having both "allure" and "menace." His concluding paragraph provides this insight:

Charm is a social—a civilized—virtue. But its very refinement, the weight it places on self-presentation, means that it is inherently manipulative...The charming man (or woman) always knows that he (or she) is pulling something off, no matter whether that charm is used to put the wallflower at ease, to get the soccer dad to exchange some pleasantries, or to close the sale. The charmer knows that he or she is manipulating—and in the end, it’s impossible not to be at least slightly contemptuous of the object of one’s manipulation

This is a fascinating conversation, and Schwarz's article is a solid, quick read. Check it out in full at The Atlantic: 

The Rise and Fall of Charm in American Men  

I guess it's because it's basically summer. The weather is hot, I'm officially in the groove of bike season, so I decided it was time to say goodbye to the beard.   If you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen the #ChrisShavesHisBeard hijinx last night, but as any guy who's gone from fully bearded to baby's bottom will tell you: it's never just as straightforward as just buzzing it off left to right. You play with it. You make silly faces at yourself while you imagine, "What if I actually did all that work to maintain my facial hair like this?" So, here's my 2013 beard bon voyage party:

And scene. Have a great weekend, everyone. Come say hi on Instagram and let me know what you're up to.

Artist and designer Maya Weinstein engages both the industrial food complex and the artisanal handmade food movement with her "DIY High Fructose Corn Syrup" kit.   Created as her M.F.A. thesis at Parsons The New School for Design, Maya's search began

as a journey to uncover the mysteries of processed food...The DIY HFCS Kit is a way to visualize as well as interact with the food science behind industrialized ingredients, it is citizen food science for everyone, everywhere...The interesting thing about high fructose corn syrup is that the ingredient pops up in so many foods; from cereal to bread, yogurt to ice cream, frozen dinners to canned soups; but high fructose corn syrup is never actually seen on its own. One of the main reasons for this is because it is a highly processed industrialized ingredient created in large factories behind very closed doors. The method for making for high fructose corn syrup was not easy to uncover, nor were the ingredients, but with a little help from some friends and a whole lotta research and testing the Kit was finally created. The DIY High Fructose Corn Syrup Kit contains all of the ingredients you need to make high fructose corn syrup at home along with an instructional video, all you need is a stovetop or crock pot... I strongly believe in learning through experience and making.

So, what's the process behind making the sticky stuff at home? Bon Appetit gave it a shot, and says, "Mix 10 cups of Yellow Dent #2 corn extract with one drop sulfuric acid, one teaspoon Alpha-Amylase, one teaspoon Glucose-Amylase, and one teaspoon Xylose, strain through a cheesecloth, and heat. Then, once the slurry has reached 140 degrees, add Glucose Isomerase, bring to a boil, let cool, and enjoy!" 

The actual recipe and technique is actually quite hard to come by, as manufacturers have kept their processes secret, which adds another level of commentary to Maya's DIY, unfiltered product. She plans to continue the series with future kit ideas such as DIY Enriched Bleached White Flour and DIY Monosodium Glutamate.

Read more about Maya's work and what actually goes into producing the recipe in the kit at Bon Appetit: DIY High-Fructose Corn Syrup by Artist Maya Weinstein

A bold geodesic dome tent that looks like a modern igloo? Yes, please.

Built by The North Face, this eight-person dome tent will makes your stay in nature that much more stylish, and allows you to take on the mosquitoes, leeches, snow, and bears with gusto.

It has a two meter footprint, which means, you can invite all your buddies to tag along. This bright hut is also made to withstand the harshest conditions, so tough you can even take it to Antarctica or The Himalayas (not that you’re going to, but just in case).

And you'll need to invite seven other pals to go in with you, because this flashy guy costs $5,000. But, come on - having happy memories of an encounter of the third kind while camping is priceless, right (no.) If you’re totally geeking out about this tent, read the full specs in here.

If you can’t afford the whole “Honey! I’m going to The Himalayas” extravaganza (and even if you could, the whole five thousand dollar tent thing), then maybe go for something smaller and more affordable, like this North Face model one here.

[Via: That Should Be Mine] 

Thrift stores in my neighborhood are full of these extra thick, extra decorative Western-style "cowboy" belts that look more late 1980s line dancing than late 1880s cattle rustler. It'd take a partner much braver than me to wear one in the real world, butI dig Matt's point that they're so ornamental, they're akin to profile molding. So, on that note, he turned one into an upcycled picture frame. 

Mitered leather work! Make one for yourself, one for a Father's Day gift, and one to frame that photo of your next great outdoor adventure. 

Get the full how-to at Design Sponge - DIY Project: Vintage Belt Frame 

Renters rejoice! A tearable wallpaper that' clean, stylish, and easy to use. Looky here:

This ‘Tear Off’ modular wallpaper by ZNAK is what many of us renters have been praying for. Something to style your wall without getting your landlord to come knocking at your door with a note that reads “Say goodbye to your deposit. Sucka!”

The Tear Off is "glued" directly onto your wall and from there, you can peel off sections to create patterns or custom designs. I love the image below, where a kid went crazy with crayons, then the ZNAK wallpaper was applied and boom, an art installation is born before your eyes. Mind you, you WILL lose your damage deposit for graffiting the wall, but hey...looks awesome.

You can download their online catalog to see more specs of this cool wallpaper, including instructions. The process seems pretty straight forward: apply, peel, enjoy. Can you imagine revamping a room just by tearing off pieces from the wall? Ah-mazing.

Check out other ZNAK’s awesome products over here. (Baltic art wallpaper? Hello!). 

[Via: Design Milk]

Fiber artist LeBrie Rich created this fantastic vintage-inspired "TV dinner," complete with a rabbit-eared television, a nostalgic Hamm's beer, and a wooly turkey dinner.    LeBrie is a Portland, Oregon-based artist who runs Penfelt, a line of handmade felt objects and fiber arts workshops. The "TV/Dinner" was "originally created for a storefront window display for Knit-Purl," a knitting supply shop in Portland, and was constructed from, "stitched commercial wool felt combined with needle and traditional wet felting."

That wispy gravy! Both enticing and terrifying, just like a real TV dinner. Learn more about Lebrie's work at her site, Lebrie.com, and at PenFelt. [via Make: Craft] 

German industrial designer Dieter Rams is best know for his "functionalist" approach: that good design makes a product useful, and allows the design to disappear. (The calculator and podcast app on your iPhone mimics Rams' designs.) Best know for his work with Braun, he just celebrated his 81st birthday, and still lives with his wife, Ingeborg Kracht-Rams, in the home he designed in the 1960s, just outside of Frankfurt and it's as awesome as you'd think it would be.   

The couples' home is featured in the 2011 Phaidon book "Dieter Rams: As Little Design as Possible" by Sophie Lovell.

Learn more about the Rams home, his work, and his famed "ten principles of design," at Yatzer.com: Good Design is As Little Design as Possible. All photos by Phillip Sinden.

For a little DIY take on a Rams-inspired design, check out Brandon's modern CD player and iPod stereo:

This summer, move beyond cans and a cooler of ice, and create a sturdy, portable bar cart for your outdoor cocktail parties and grill-filled get-togethers. This option is made from cedar dimensional lumber, so it can not only stand up to the elements, but it's a great project for those without a table saw and a bunch of fancy woodworking tools.    Mark Powers from This Old House designed this project using easy-to-find materials from your local home center, using rich cedar and brass hardware for a classic, outdoor-friendly design. If your not into outdoor cocktails, this two-tiered cart would work great for outdoor dining, as a rollable grill cart, or even a portable potting bench.

Get the full materials list and how-to from This Old House: How to Build and Outdoor Bar Cart 

Meet Joe. As in a "cup of..." I always thought this colloquial term was a corruption of "java" or the name's generality, the everyman. But it turns out, there was a very specific Joe from whom the nickname was derived:  

Josephus Daniels, the secretary of the Navy under President Woodrow Wilson. A new biography of Daniels details his strict moral and behavior codes he enacted during his tenure.  Quartz.com reports, 

He increased the number of chaplains, discouraged prostitution at naval bases, and, most controversially, banned the consumption of alcohol. 'As a substitute, stewards increased their purchases of coffee, among other beverages,” writes Lee Craig in the new book, 'and Daniels’s name became linked to the daily drink of millions around the world. A cup of coffee became disparagingly known as ‘a cup of Joseph Daniels,’ and as legend has it, this was soon shortened to a ‘cup of Joe.''

And there you go. Joe. Read more at Quartz.com: Why Coffee is a Called Joe 

Wanna learn more about coffee? Check out How to Make the Perfect Cup of Coffee at Home:

Know why foods like chili, Buffalo wings, tacos, or Southeastern Asian street foods always seem to taste better with beer, even though it does nothing to tame the heat and actually seems to make it worse?   Answer: because there are flavors in chile peppers that are only soluble in alcohol. So, consuming and cooking chile-based foods with alcohol allows for new taste combinations that can't be created in any other way.

And that's what, I'm guessing, make this whiskey hot sauce so delectable. The emphasis is on flavor, in addition to the heat. 

Get the full recipe (and see more beautiful photos) at The Ivory Hut: Whiskey Hot Sauce 

Happy summer, ManMakers. Those three months where the days are long, and the weekends are time to just grab a bag and go. So, this is our handy guide to traveling: tips to plan, pack, and explore so you can get the most out of your trip.

It starts like this: you plan a trip, request your vacation time, make a few arrangements, the you leave everything to the very last minute, and panic ensues. Yep. We've all been there. And...this is why we have created our nifty little guide to help you get all of those details sorted out. Take note!

PLAN

- Flying to your destination: Hipmunk is a great site to find deals on airplane tickets. Love how it categorizes the search results by agony and price (brilliant, right?). There's also Kayak, which shows you the cheapest flights found by other people, perfect for those with a flexible schedule. 

- Drive to your destination: If you're going away road trip style, make sure to get GasBuddy on your smartphone. This app will give you the cheapest gas prices on the go. If you're still unsure whether you should be driving or flying, then go to Travel Math, a site that calculates the best way to get to your destination (based on time, cost, distance, etc.).

- Book your accommodation: airbnb is honestly one of the best tools to book accommodation. There are tons of different options to choose from - cabins, apartments, single rooms, you name it. But, if you are more into hotels, Price Negotiator is perfect for finding deals. 

- Map your points of interest: Google map any attractions you want to visit before hand, make sure to check schedules for museums, parks, and restaurants, and then save them in your favorite places so you can easily navigate later, as well as visit all the spots in a region or neighborhood. Use Any.DO to make quite notes and reminders so you don't forget any of these details.

PACK

You may think this is the least of your worries, but we've all spent time scrambling to figure out what to bring.

Before you pack

1. Lay out every single item of clothing you're taking. Then get rid of one thing in each category.
   Do you really need that many shirts? Get rid of any "just in case" items. Those never get used, and you know it.
2. Cover the basics. It's only a weekend.

• 1 casual shirt,
• 1 pair of shoes
• socks and underpants
• dark jeans (you can dress them up in case you go out) and a belt
• 1 jacket, sweatshirt, or sweater,
• 1 dressy item for going out to a nice dinner
• toiletries (unless you're staying at a hotel where they're provided. Then just a toothbrush and paste and medications)
• Accessories:one book, phone charger. Leave everything else at home. 

Pack it up

1. Odd shaped items go at the bottom of your suitcase or backpack (shoes, windbreaker, etc). Save space by stuffing your socks and clean undies in your hat (plus it'll help to keep the shape). 
2. Roll your jeans, t-shirts, and shirts and add them on top.
3. Fill any gaps with the rest of your items (e.g. belts, watches, ties).
4. Any delicate items go on the very top, snuggled in between your garments.

EXPLORE

Even though we love the feeling of having a Lonely Planet guide while traveling, they can be heavy and take too much space. Instead, stuff your phone with apps and you'll be set for success.

• Wallpaper Magazine City Guides: You can either buy the printed version or you can download the app. Either way, these guides are a must-have for any design-savvy traveler.
• Everplaces:nothing like getting some local advice. This app has tons of reviews and recommendations written by locals. Best of all, it has a design-y twist and you can find lots of cool spots.
• Wi-Fi Finder:Need a cyber fix? Use this app to find the nearest WiFi network, super handy when you want to quickly upload some pictures to your Flickr account or fire off a few emails.
• Trapster: Getting a traffic fine while on vacation definitely sucks, with Trapster you can find police "traps" to avoid getting a ticket, not that you would, but just in case (shhh, don't tell them we told you about it).
• SitorSquat:Let's face it, when you're traveling the last thing you want to do is having to spend money and time lining up at a store, just you can use their washroom. SitorSquat can tell you where to take your business on the go. Phew!
• Average Cam Pro:if all you're using to take photos is your phone's camera, then you should get Average Cam Pro. This app is great to take photos at night (including starry skies!). If you have a mini tripod take it with you, if not, just place your phone on a flat surface and let the app work its magic.

Travel light, travel often. Got any extra tips or apps of your own? Share them in the comments below!

Bon voyage!

"Experiment with Nature" is the excellent blog of Schwood Eyewear, makers of super cool handmade wooden sunglasses. They've started a new series called " 'Field Trip', a series of exploration videos showcasing Oregon’s diverse and beautiful landscapes. With adventures ranging from mountainsides to coastal dunes, the series is intended to inspire others to get out and enjoy these easily accessible locations in the Pacific Northwest. "

The first edition features the waterfalls of the Columbia River Gorge. The video includes the famed Multnomah Falls, but plenty of awesome sites, and a map of featured hikes. Check it out:

 See more stills and get the map at Experiment with Nature: Waterfalls of the Columbia Gorge 

Got a bunch of plain walls? Then you, my friend, need a feature wall. Oh...what's a feature wall? They're that one wall with all the stuff you want to look at: cool fireplaces, awesome artwork, a special accent paint color or graphic treament. They're a relatively easy way to add character without having to revamp an entire rooms, and will bring plenty chutzpah to your space. [Top Photo: Julia Leach for Lonny Magazine]

Use Colour: This ones easy. Select a color. Paint the whole wall. Sit back and bam! All of the sudden your place has been transformed into a modern loft. So much better to paint one wall than the whole room, right? [Photo: Kristin Sjaarda for The Marion House Book]

Use Patterns: Grab some masking tape, divide the wall in sections, use your favorite palette, and you'll be on your way to creating a unique playful pattern. If the colors from the picture above are a bit too whimsy for you, just use something more masculine, even better, go Scandinavian and do it all in black and white. [Photo: Weekday Carnival] 

 Use Art: If you want to avoid getting messy with paint, then resource to my favourite kind of decor: art! Select a wide range of styles and make the look cohesive by using interesting frames. Add texture by using a vintage frame with chunky edges or use sculptures. FYI: make sure the wall doesn't get too much direct sunlight or your precious gallery collection might fade away. [Photo: Jeroen van der Spek for vtwonen magazine]

Use Texture: Tiles, metal, brick; adding a bit of texture can make a bold statement. To achieve a great look, I would recommend sticking to one color and texture. If you go too loco you may end up with a mess (and not the cool kind). Remember that raw materials always transform a room into a calm, grounded oasis - think terracotta, stone, wood. [Photo: Rob Brinson on Design Sponge]

Leave it empty: It doesn't get easier than this - paint your whole wall white and leave it as is. By doing this you're creating a huge canvas where you can add and remove pieces as you please. Use this area as a wall of "ideas" where you tape inspiration for future projects. [Jeanette Gostomski for iitala]

Most of the ideas in this roundup are suitable for tight budgets, so there's no need to stress about it. And hey, don't forget to share the results with us ;)

Many an otherwise great jacket or pair of jeans has been ruined by a faulty zipper. A tailor or gifted sewing machine user can replace your zipper for you, but if yours is a high quality all-metal set, you can easily fix your current zipper without any special tools or parts.   Instructable-r Marcellahella offer this quick fix, using nothing but a pair of needle nose pliers. She mentions that if your pull or lower stop is really destroyed, you can grab a part from another item of clothing, or grab a $2.00 zipper you can hack for parts from a discount store. 

Check out the full how-to at Instructables. English doesn't seem to be Marcella's first language, but the instructions are clear and the photos have all the details you need...so "sic" and all that:

How to Fix a Zipper (No Replace) 

When it comes to interior design inspiration, the Italian approach always tops my list. So, I'm grabbing a few tips from this inspiring home to spruce up my place.

Directly from the vault of awesome comes this home of Italian lifestyle business man Maurizio Zucchini. At a glance you can tell this guy knows his stuff - mid-century furniture, contemporary accents, and lots of white space that serve as a canvas for all the lush greenery.

A few takeaways from this style:

• If you're gonna go crazy with plants, make sure you keep it consistent by using pots and planters with similar aesthetic and color.
• Keeping a neutral base palette (white, grey, etc) gives you a chance to add colorful statement pieces.
• Play with different heights with furniture, You can ground the whole look with taller structures, like those huge cacti, or a tall bookshelf or cabinet. Then have fun with lower pieces, like that short coffee table...which is totally winking at me right now.

See more of mr. Zucchi's stunning home at Yellowtrace.

 When you think about it, the idea of beer ice cream really does make sense. The malt flavors cut through the richness of eggs and cream, and the sweetness of the custard base provides a canvas for theunique flavor profiles of an individual beer to come through. It's like tasting the beer in a whole different, but complementary, context than when drinking it from a a glass.

Oh, and you can eat beer on a cone. So, that too.

Louise from America's Test Kitchen provides some insight in selecting your beer. "Just like when you’re choosing a beer for drinking, there isn’t one best choice for ice cream. The only ground rules are it has to be malty, not hoppy (hops get bitter when cooked) and it has to have a decent ABV." Strong aromatic flavored beers like  oaked Scotch ales, breakfast and oatmeal stouts, or maple bacon ales would really shine here.

So, what's it take? A single 12 oz bottle of beer, five easy-to-find ingredients, and an ice cream maker. Sounds like a perfect weekend project to me.

Get the recipe from America's Test Kitchen: How to Make Beer Ice Cream 

These vintage suitcase shelves were created by Ki Naussauer, a designer known for her commitment to flea market pieces and upcycling. This wall is from her actual living room, which means: she made them herself, and you can too. Here's how it'd go:    1. Scour thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets, or Craigslist for a collection of suitcases. Look for options with various widths and colors, and with hardware that looks to be in good shape. They don't need to be functioning, just attractive.

2. Choose a depth, and then wrap a piece of blue tape around the perimeter and draw a line on the tape. Remove any lining or fabric (which could get caught in the blade), and cut the suitcases along the line with a jigsaw, bandsaw, or even rotary tool or reciprocating saw. Just be sure to watch for hardware, and use an old blade or something designed for metal, as you will likely be cutting through wood, leather or plastic, and metal.

3. Figure out how you'd like to afix them to the wall. If you don't plan to put too much weight on them, some simple angle brackets will work. Or, to make them more robust, create 1/2" plywood panels that will fill out the back and reinforce the shape. Glue and nail them in place along the bottom container. Then, you can simply take off the lid, and attach them to the wall through the plywood panel (screwing into studs or anchors), then, just reattach the lid.

[via Apartment Therapy; photo and styling from Ki Naussauer for Worthpoint] 

Inside the rain forests of Costa Rica, there's an entire "neighborhood" of tree houses... a full community complete with a cafe, community center, and, oh yeah: a network of zip lines, which residents use to move among the tree top properties.    The community is called Finca Bellavista, and My Modern Met calls it a "a pioneering, off-the-grid, self-sustaining tree house community. Founded by couple Erica and Matt Hogan back in 2006 as a way to save a large portion of rainforest, Finca Bellavista has transformed into an ever growing commune with 27 separate tree house style structures and more planned for construction." 

And...you can visit and stay. And I will. Oh, buddy, I will. Learn more at My Modern Met and DesignBoom: 

finca bellavista: a sustainable treehouse community, costa rica

Like any true DIYer, designer and artist Ben Uyeda likes to have his tools on hand for quick fixes and tinkering. So, he came up with this original coat rack/storage project that incorporates a functioning set of screwdrivers into the design.   

Ben says,

Many people these days are using cordless drills and drivers, or hand screwdrivers that have replaceable heads. While these are great in their own respect, sometimes a traditional driver is all you need.
Let’s say you're in the middle of a project and are in need of a screwdriver. Sure, you could stop what you're doing, go pull out your toolbox and scrounge around until you find one; but wouldn’t it be more convenient to always have one right where you can see it?
This made me think,"Why can’t tools be displayed out in the open around the apartment?"

The driver handles have a cool Plasti Dip finish, and slide into a hardwood table leg. Super clever, and quite easy to pull off. Check out the how-to at Homemade Modern: Screwdriver Coat Rack