Gear Patrol

It’s estimated that — on average — a person tells a lie anywhere from one to ten times per day. That’s hard for us to believe, since we always speak the truth. In Spy the Lie ($16), former CIA officers Philip Houston, Michael Floyd and Susan Carnicero explain how to spot the difference between truth…

America is no stranger to epic blockbuster action movies — hell, we invented the genre. But one viewing of the Indonesian film The Raid: Redemption ($20) left us questioning Hollywood’s chops as the king of adrenaline. Its premise is beautifully streamlined: an elite squad of 20 SWAT members is sent in to take down Jakarta’s…

The best handymen acquire their skills over a lifetime of tinkering, but if you’re all thumbs 365 days of the year consider The Art of Fixing Things ($11) by Lawrence E. Pierce a crash course in honey-do-list competence. Its 168 pages provide easy-to-follow tips supplemented by helpful photos in areas like automotive, appliances, household and…

Traditional Japanese cooking can be incredibly daunting if you’re not, well, Japanese. Moé Takemura helps confused Westerners and Japanese expats alike in her Guide to the Foreign Japanese Kitchen ($49), which thoroughly and simply details the necessities of Japanese cuisine from ingredients to silverware. Each of the 30 meals in the book is laid out…

Inevitably, in the wake of big events with major accomplishments, the instinct of writers and reporters is to look for the hidden stories, the secrets of the trade, the explanations for The Way Things Work. Our Briefings this week is roughly about that, both in the Olympics and in things and events more generally. Sometimes…

Real, life-affirming creations of art that come along at the right place at the right time to transform culture as we know it are… well, rare. Jaws is such a masterpiece, and one that has captivated audiences for nearly forty years. The film struck a chord through cutting edge effects, a genius score, and of…

During the Olympics the geopolitical world seems relatively simple, cultural stereotypes prove true, and we’re all basically friends if the teevee is tuned in to an NBC affiliate. It’s the USA v. China in the medal count. Great Britain’s pommel horse savant looks like a DJ. Kazakhstan wins gold in weightlifting. Cherish these simple times….

Hitchcock’s role in the evolution of film needs no introduction, but his movies have been in desperate need of a little TLC in the age of high-def. Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection ($299) is poised to be the damn-near-definitive Hitchcock release, updating the previous DVD version to glorious 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio. Specifically, the…

Pathos — that’s relevant experience and credibility for you non-rhetorically adroit folk — is everything when it comes to how-to books. That’s why The Responsible Company: What We’ve Learned From Patagonia’s First 40 Years ($20) gets two green thumbs up from us. Written by Patagonia’s founder and owner Yvon Chouinard and the co-editor of the…

Four long years have bitten the dust since we were last this excited for the (summer) Olympics. Beijing’s opening ceremony knocked our socks off with a terrifying army of perfectly drilled drummers, a crazy high-wire act and a photoshopped fireworks display that was as entertaining as San Diego’s 15-second, shoot-your-wad-early fusillade. London’s got a tough…

It’s been a strange and unsettling week in America. We’re trying to keep our heads about us by spending time with friends and family and keeping up with other, more light-hearted news. We left out the videos of watermelons wrapped in rubber bands exploding, but there’s some other good stuff, like softcore food porn and…

Ever felt the urgent need for an extended change of scenery? It can be done. If you are looking to drop off the grid but aren’t Bruce Wayne rich, you’ll need to figure out how to eat along the way. That’s where Work Your Way Around the World ($17) can help. Already in its 15th…

If you like your watches as much as we do then you’ll want to point your browsers over to the new HODINKEE. A drastic departure from the previous design, the daily dose of all that’s great in wristwatches has introduced an all-new site complete with magazine-style cover images, beautiful typography (glad to see someone still…

With the trappings of pure genius — coffee, interesting cars, and Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David — Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee, is such a refreshing take on comedy that we think it might just be one of the best things we’ve watched since the first season of Louie. Entirely free of plot, of course,…

Maybe next year one of us will run with the bulls in Pamplona. (Any takers, guys?) Until then, we’ve got more accounts from the festival, plus a battery of other man-related things: a debate about manliness, Carl Sagan’s reading list, Elon Musk’s latest venture, and a shop in Maine where you can get cool vintage…

We’ve already spoiled you for choice with summer reading choices, but we’re generous when it comes to quality literature. A Labyrinth of Kingdoms: 10,000 Miles Through Islamic Africa ($20) by Steve Kemper catalogues the real-life epic of Heinrich Barth, a 19th century explorer who ranks among Stanley and Livingstone but is virtually unknown outside of…

Historical fiction, especially “re-imagined” historical writing, runs the risk of coming off pretty damn awful. “What if Hitler had survived the war and opened a coffee and donuts shop?” all writers have asked themselves, and the lucky ones have been slapped by their peers and continued their cup of coffee, careers still intact. Stephen L….

It’s funny, we were just reading John Jeremiah Sullivan’s essay about the coming battle between humans and animals, “Violence of the Lambs,” when we realized the bulls are running in San Fermin. A few cuts and bruises, a few people gored — but this has been going on since Medieval times, so nothing to get…

Remember the tedium of English Comp 101? Outline, rough draft, working draft, final draft, and final copy—all for a lousy B-. Now, imagine 47 rewrites. Papa admitted to revising the ending of A Farewell to Arms 39 times. His grandson, Sean Hemingway uncovered nine more attempts while perusing the Ernest Hemingway Collection at the John…

Looking for a way to celebrate Merica’ year round? The American Cocktail: 50 Recipes That Celebrate the Craft of Mixing Drinks from Coast to Coast ($13) should do the trick. This helpful bartender companion, written by the trustworthy purveyors of liquid culture over at Imbibe Magazine, covers a unique selection of 50 favourites from master…

Unless you’re ready to while away an entire three-day weekend over beer, chips and fiduciary fisticuffs, the game of Monopoly is just about the most impossibly non-ending game out there, besides GameBoy Tetris. Does anyone actually finish Monopoly before a frustrated player chucks the board aside? Enter Monopoly Deal ($8), a fast-paced version of the…

Five years ago, Mexicans who sold tacos out of the back of a van were targets of the health department. Now, kids from suburbs buy trucks, sell mashup tacos, and get their own TV shows. How did they do it? The inspiration they received from TED. Building on the millions who have absorbed the ideas…

If you’ve ever dreamt of being Short Round and yelling “Docta Jones, Docta Jones!” to an adoring Indy (everyone has that recurring fantasy, right?), then Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures Blu-ray ($75) should be on your pre-order list like Henry Jones, Sr. on that Nazi knockout Dr. Elsa Schneider. Modern-day films just don’t make male…

The internet is a great place to wander around and read stories about guys like Charlie Wittmack, who conquer imagine impossible physical and mental challenges and then conquer them. It’s a good place to watch documentaries about the ’92 Dream Team and to read great poetry. It’s also a good place to incubate your depression,…

We’re all materialistic to some degree. Let’s face it, that’s why you come to this site (besides the bombastic and articulate writers, of course). We would never advocate loving objects more than our loved ones or even the act of living itself — then again, did you see that 90-inch Sharp behemoth?. Examining the things…

Ah, the summer heat. Take it or leave it, the dog days are anigh. Time for frenzied vacation logistics, thanking (and re-thanking) the good men who invented air conditioning, and of course a damn good book. From a collection of short stories by one of our favorite childhood authors to an emotionally exhausting murder mystery…

If you’re considering sneaking some Adderall into your favorite kid’s midday snack, you should take a peek at the Sony Wonderbook first. Recently unveiled at E3, the educational tool is an augmented reality pad consisting of only 12 pages that leverage the PS3’s PlayStation Eye camera to create the ultimate version of the pop-up book…

Excited for this year’s upcoming election? Neither are we. Or we weren’t, that is, until we checked out Presidential Campaign Posters: 200 Years of Election Art ($27), an illustrated history of our country’s presidential election campaign propaganda. The Library of Congress-published tome features 100 removable, ready-to-frame campaign posters, each with a brief description of the…

Need some high style and good design in your life today? Then head on over to Selectism, and its must-bookmark brother, High Snobiety. Our good friends have ensured your otherwise mundane day of RSS-reader clicking will be remarkably improved by visiting their new digs, which feature an all-new design, full-screen galleries, turbo-fast performance, handsome typography…

Writer and Entrepreneur Seth Godin’s new book, The Icarus Deception: Why Make Art? sounds positively inspired. Sounds? Yup, that’s because the book has yet to be published — Godin is raising funds via Kickstarter for publishing. Evidently, plenty of others agree because as of opening this morning, with more than 1,500 backers pledging in excess…