Dapper Scout is a lifestyle web magazine for men. We keep you informed of all the things you need to know, with the latest in fashion, electronics, restaurants & nightlife, travel, and even more.
Working out at home has its advantages and disadvantages. Advantage: no gym membership to pay. Disadvantage: no gym equipment to work out with (let alone the space here in Manhattan). But even without access to the full spectrum of classes and equipment most gyms provide, you can still achieve your fitness goals at home with the simplest of tools by equipping yourself with Ader Kettlebells(available at Kettlebell Inc. starting from $20). Ader Kettlebells have a smooth and consistent finish (without being slick to the touch), a cast handle (vs. welded) and a wide base. With impeccable craftsmanship and durability, Ader Kettlebells are a cost-effective workout tool that takes up minimal space and with just a modest investment in a small set, paired with a workout regiment that maximizes their usage (e.g. CrossFit), you’ll be well on your way to making that potential gym membership something you’ll never have to consider again.
There’s only one thing that drives you these days and it has little to do with advancing your career, being a better man or losing that extra weight you’ve put on these past few years. Let’s face it—it’s all about golf. You read about it. You watch it. You play it with a passion that borders on obsession. Every vacation you plan is predicated on whether there’s a course nearby you haven’t played yet. Whether the playing conditions are idyllic or life-threatening, your single-minded focus on improving your game pushes you to lengths that leave most fair-weather golfers indoors and complacent. And if there’s one tool you need to get your golf swing back on track and elevate your game, it’s the iSwing iPhone App(available on the iTunes App Store for $5).
The iSwing is the simple but highly innovative swing analyzer you can take with you wherever you go (as long as you’ve got an iPhone). With its built-in recorder, the iSwing records your golf swing and allows you to play it back frame-by-frame, in slow motion, in a repeated playback loop or in the newly released Motion Echo setting. You can also draw in lines over your swing to check the angle of your swing plane, and the iSwing lets you share a frame-by-frame sequence photo via Facebook Connect and E-mail as well as store your recordings/sequences in a diary by date and time. Whether you’re a novice or scratch golfer, the iSwing can help you analyze, refine and adjust your swing (on the go) in ways like never before.
Standing outside this morning waiting for the crosstown bus, we realized it’s time for a much-needed escapade to significantly warmer climes. Though it won’t be happening for us anytime soon, if you were smart enough to make plans that take you over international waters in the near future, show a little pride for the red, white and blue with the Valextra U.S.A. Passport Holder(available at Barneys for $295). This passport holder comes in a grained, royal blue leather accented with red stitching and a contrasting cut-out image of the United States—a visually striking reminder of where you’re departing from before you head off to wherever you’re going (to get away from it all).
And while we recognize the inherent perils of white leather (and just how few of us can pull it off), for those with the properly rakish demeanor and style quotient, the Valextra 6 Credit Card Wallet(available at Barneys for $370) is the ideal leather accessory (editor’s choice: white) to house all your important plastic and foreign currency as you work on little more than getting intimately reacquainted with that thing called sleep as you take in some sun, and thoughts of that thing called work, slowly start to dissipate.
The last time we watched a movie about werewolves, we were admittedly entertained (and Kate Beckinsale in a full body latex suit never hurts), although in the end, we were left feeling vaguely unsatisfied. Having grown up reading books like Stephen King’s Silver Bullet and watching old school werewolf movies like An American Werewolf in London, we’ve been yearning for a movie that’s a bit more of a throwback, something a little less slick, and instead, more macabre and gritty. Enter The Wolfman. A remake of the 1941 classic, the 2010 update features an eclectic but accomplished cast that includes Benicio del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving and Emily Blunt (a favorite of ours as well). At this point, we have no idea what’s truly in store for us, but based on the newest trailer, we’re eagerly anticipating its release on February 12, 2010.
Fear is a funny thing. It can take rational and level-headed individuals and reduce them to a practically incoherent, babbling mess of nerves by simply throwing them into the darkness of the unknown. And that’s the very thing the creators of HAUNTED HOUSE accomplish, wreaking absolute havoc with your mind as you anxiously anticipate what awaits you behind the ominous doors of this experimental haunted house experience. From the ingeniously twisted minds of those who brought you A Midsummer Nightmare, the timely HAUNTED HOUSE is an even deeper and darker reinvention of the original summer experience that had this DS editor thoroughly questioning his decision (and sanity) while waiting/hyperventilating in line. The rules are simple yet compelling. You must walk through the house alone, and though the path is clearly marked and you’ll be equipped with a flashlight, we can assure you that between the fog, strobe lights, and absolute depth of darkness in certain areas, you’ll be disoriented in a way you’ve never experienced before. You will have to crawl. You will be touched. And you will see things you’d rather wish you hadn’t. All of these components add up to the most tantalizingly terrifying 15 minutes we’ve ever had to experience. Now it’s your turn.
As much as the editors at DS enjoy traveling, with our busy schedules, even something as simple as packing can become a stressful chore, especially because we like to keep our travel bags as efficiently packed and uncluttered as possible. The OHSO Marko Travel Toothbrush (available at OHSO for $15) is our favorite new travel accessory as it combines three separate toiletry components (i.e. toothbrush, holder and toothpaste) into one compact and polished item. Toothpaste is drawn and stored in the handle using vacuum technology and can be easily refilled with any toothpaste brand using a universal adapter, if necessary. And with a simple twist of the handle knob, toothpaste is directly dispensed to the bristle head, which also comes off for cleaning and replacing. The Marko Travel Toothbrush even comes with both a watertight and vented cap to provide air circulation for drying the bristle head (because the last thing you want is something growing in there).
What makes the Ducati Monster so iconic is a combination of performance and a stripped-down aggressive aesthetic. It’s long been our favorite Ducati, and now there are 10 additional reasons to love the Monster even more. With the introduction of Kit Monster Art (available at Ducati dealers starting from $699), Ducati gives Monster (696 and 1100) owners the ability to customize their bikes with an updated tank, mudguard, micro-bikini fairing and seat cover in any one of 10 new vibrant colors, including but not limited to, ‘Rosso GP’ red, ‘Arancione Scrambler’ orange to ‘Lilla Glamour’ lilac and ‘Oro Puro’ gold. While we’re particularly fond of the ‘Verde Tricolore’ green, these colors will only be available for a limited time as Ducati will regularly update shades and graphics to promote the ongoing generation of new ideas and a fresh perspective.
With multiple tracks from Ocean Eyes in heavy rotation on our iPod, we realized we wanted to know just a little more about the man behind Owl City. We got a lot more than we bargained for and still find ourselves chuckling at the lyrically whimsical responses we received…
DS: Describe the past year for you—from what we can tell, it looks like it’s been a busy one.
Owl City: Most of last year consisted of lounging around the house in my incredibly enormous pair of 1989 turquoise sweatpants. The kind that have the super tight, bunchy elastic bands around the ankles. Other than that, I’ve kept busy writing, performing, touring, snoozing, grilling, driving, eating, noodling, shouting, and yakking (as in “talking” and not to be confused with hunting wild yaks).
DS: Narrowing the time frame a bit, what did you do today?
Owl City: I spent the morning lying on my back on a sandy secret ocean beach in LA, then drove down the coast in a red convertible with the most wonderful girl in the universe, through the coziest little beach towns imaginable. Now I’m sitting in a Starbucks in southern California wearing clothes, drinking Naked Juice and typing like a madman on my MacBook which doesn’t even belong to anyone named Mac.
DS: We hear you’re a bit of an insomniac—is it true this had a little something to do with your development as a musical artist?
Owl City: Very true. I can’t fall asleep and get a good night’s sleep unless I’ve been awake for two or three days. I have it pretty bad, but it allows me to get a lot of work done and usually I become most inspired when I’m dog tired. And that’s a pretty weird feeling for a punky little owl.
DS: Does your creative drive being a nighttime endeavor have anything to do with your pseudonym of Owl City?
Owl City: Not particularly. The term Owl City comes from a show and tell experience I had when I was in second grade. It involved a class full of whiny brats, a ferocious screech owl by the name of Pickles and both parties screaming, running, hooting and flapping around the room. Total lunacy.
DS: How would you describe your musical style and who would you credit as having influenced it?
Owl City: Some people say it reminds them of chocolate donuts. Some people say it sounds like the feeling one might perceive after swan diving into a swimming pool full of melted Moose Tracks ice cream and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Others say Owl City sounds like a gang of skin-headed Harley bikers hurling rude insults and throwing punches at each other in a furious, rambunctious, obstreperous brawl. Totally awesome.
DS: What was the inspiration behind Ocean Eyes?
Owl City: The ocean and…eyes.
DS: What’s your favorite song on Ocean Eyes and why?
Owl City: I sorta like this song called “Fireflies.” It reminds me of Iowa.
DS: If you were to do a cover of a song, which would it be?
Owl City: “I Wanna Be A Hulkamaniac” by Hulk Hogan and the Wrestling Boot Band. The song is unbelievably epic. Like “Lord of the Rings” epic.
DS: You’ve got a very slick and fully interactive website (www.owlcitymusic.com) as well as pages on just about every other major social networking site out there—at times, does it feel like being digitally connected to your fan base is just as much a full time job as it is being a musical artist?
Owl City: Yeah for sure. However, it’s a great challenge and I think of it as a huge blessing to be able to connect with fans in such a progressive way. Because…the internet is the new…TV. Or radio. Or something sweet like that.
DS: What does one do for fun in your hometown of Owatonna, Minnesota?
Owl City: Well, we folks enjoy bowling on weekends, driving clean cars to church on Sunday, running on treadmills after eating a lot of pizza, throwing Baby Ruth candy bars in swimming pools and hot tubs full of people when no one’s looking, wearing knee-high tube socks with cowboy boots or sandals or Crocs, and driving super tough 4×4 trucks with sleeping bags in the back and mud on the fenders. It’s lavish but I call it home.
DS: The editors at DS are foodies at heart and wherever we travel, we always look forward to eating the best or most random of local foods—what would that be in Owatonna?
Owl City: There’s this place called McDonald’s. It’s amazing. They sell burgers and fries. It gives some people Montezuma’s revenge.
DS: You’re about to start your 2009 North American Tour in Nashville, TN—is this your first major tour and how are you feeling about it? Who else are you playing with?
Owl City: Yeah, this is the first major headline tour. Couldn’t be more excited about it. Playing with my wonderful friends Kate Havnevik, Unicorn Kid, Brooke Waggoner and The Scene Aesthetic. Good times are approaching like the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl.
DS: Is there one venue or city you’re particularly looking forward to playing?
Owl City: By all means, Boston. Gonna throw the biggest tea party since 1773.
DS: Who are you listening to right now that you’re really digging?
Owl City: I’ve really been digging Garbage lately…the band.
DS: Who would you love to collaborate with in the future?
Owl City: Michael Jackson.
DS: What other projects do you have in the pipeline?
Owl City: I have an idea for this revolutionary project called Wellington Gigglebomb and the Flexing Porpoises. Haven’t gotten around to it yet but it’s gonna take over the world.
It’s simple. Watch it. The editors at DS have had little patience for most movies these days given how invariably insipid so many of them have been. So without much in the way of expectations, we watched District 9 and were obliterated by the visual onslaught of imagery and documentary-like footage that streamed from the outset of the movie. We initially gnashed our teeth in disgust and loathing at the protagonist and his naive bumbling demeanor, but we soon found ourselves becoming engaged and entrenched in District 9 as his character became more fully developed and intertwined with the simple, but riveting story. The special effects and cinematography were superbly executed and though the violence was at times raw (with viewpoints often accentuating the inevitable collateral damage of certain shots), it never felt overly gratuitous. We were in absolute awe of some of the battle scenes where CGI and imagination were working together in such flawless unison that we couldn’t recall being so caught off guard since we saw the first Matrix movie all those years ago. And at the core of District 9 is a story told from a perspective that elicits empathy and emotion and had the sci-fi fan in us rejoicing that a movie like this could even exist.
When you want the job done right, sometimes you can’t rely on somebody else to understand and articulate what’s going on in that mind of yours—which is why the best person to manage the steps in any project is invariably going to be you. And if having complete control of the creative process is something that appeals to you, then welcome to the Trek Project One Custom Bike Program. Based off either the Madone 5 Series or Madone 6 Series bicycles, Project One allows you the creative license to build your dream bike by breaking down the entire custom bike process into three basic steps using a simple and intuitive online tool:
Build your Project One bicycle online: choose your options, paint scheme, custom signature decal, and then submit the information to your nearest Trek dealer.
Stop by your local Trek dealer and receive a Project One Pro Fit Consult to tweak and refine your colors and specs (as well as make a downpayment).
Once your custom bike is finished, it’s as simple as picking it up from the dealer and then riding off in satisfaction!
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