Review: NomadKey - The ultra portable lightning adapter

Nomad started as a KickStarter project in 2012 with a product called ChargeCard, a USB cable the size of a credit card.  That project raised more than 10 times the requested startup costs, and launched Nomad onto the stage, now with a range of USB products.

Their latest product to ship is the NomadKey, an ultraportable USB lightning adapter the size of a house key.  It is rugged and flexible while remaining infinitely portable.  So small it ships attached to a greeting card sized mailer.

For $29.00 this MFi certified cable is the greatest accessory cable I have for on the go convenience.  It and a full line of accessories are available here.

No Shave November is upon us, do you REALLY know how to shave?

This time of year hundreds of thousands of men will shave clean on November 1st and then forgo the razor for the rest of the month, either in pursuit of fundraising for numerous charities (most notably colon cancer) or out of corporate laziness.  However the key is a clean and close shave at the start of the month, and it is the small things that make the difference in a good shave.

A while back I posted about receiving my starter kit from Wet Shave Club.  There is something refreshing about taking the time to do things the old fashioned way.  Over the years somehow we have gotten to five bladed disposable razors and dozens of different shaving creme formulas purporting to cater to every possible skin type at often insane prices.  However my grandfather and yours managed to get close and clean shaves every morning using a double-edged safety razor, a puck of shaving soap and a brush.  Shaving is becoming a lost art, but it doesn't need to be.  

Here is how to shave the way our grandfathers did:

Step One:  Use a new clean blade every three days or so

Step Two: Prep your shaving brush by soaking it in warm water to soften the bristles

Step Three: Prep your beard.  This was often done at barber shops by placing a hot towel over the face to soften up the beard, but in my experience nothing beats a hot shower to soften up your hair and get it ready to come off.

Step Four: Build a lather with your brush.  Start with as little water as you can and add water as needed to get lather to desired consistency.

Step Five: Apply lather to beard.  Dab on, brushing with the grain.

Step Six:  Put razor to face!  Start with handle parallel to floor and then slightly drop end down until the blade just starts to grab hair.  Apply as little pressure as possible, letting the razor do the work unlike disposable razors.  Make sure you shave with the grain of your beard to avoid ingrown hairs.

It could take two or three passes to get a nice clean shave, but it is a beautiful thing.

Here's one for the country music fans

Yesterday morning I opened me email to find a message from Mr. Garth Brooks talking about his new album, Man Against Machine which is set to be released in a few weeks.  He was excited about this great idea one of the guys at GhostTunes (the site he launched to sell digital versions of his music) came up with.  The concept was to record a quick description of the song over the preview sample so that we could hear Garth's own thoughts about each song on the album.

Since the website is called GhostTunes and it was already the end of October they decided to launch the preview on Halloween.  Head on over for a sneak peek, it sounds amazing.  I can't wait for the album and Garth finally touring again after all these years.

From Garth's email:

"...a friend of mine at GhostTunes asked if we would take a different look at sampling for this new record...he wanted to know if we would speak a little bit on each song as a snippet of the song was playing. Because he asked, we went into studio and tried it. We were all surprised to hear how cool it turned out. Because it was his idea and his ask, I felt it fair to keep this to GhostTunes. Because it is GhostTunes, Halloween seems like the perfect time. So, for 24 hours, starting at midnight Thursday night, October 30th and for the entire 24 hours of Halloween, 2014, a sneak-peek at the new album will be available..."

You can here the preview at https://www.ghosttunes.com/garth-brooks/

Whiskey Review : WhistlePig's "The Boss Hog"

In my latest delivery from the folks at Caskers.com I received a couple bottles of WhistlePig's newest single barrel release, the 2014 "The Boss Hog" Rye.  Bottled at 117.8 proof after 13 years from barrel number 3 this is an amazing bottle with amazingly deep flavor profile.

The first thing to hit your palate is sweet caramel followed quickly by the spice of Rye and the heat of a high test proofing.  It leaves with a smooth crisp finish that lingers  with hints of orange peel and leather.

If you are fortunate enough to find a bottle of this rare and elusive pig hold on tight.  They are sure to make any mud hole feel like fat boy heaven.

Coming Soon: PivotalLiving announces new wearable concept

Want to help people track their movement and sleep patterns?  Give the tracker away!  That is the direction PivotalLiving unveiled in a new concept in the distribution of fitness wearables with their Life Tracker1 program.  The idea is pretty simple: instead of charging a small fortune as an entry point to getting healthy you get the tracker free to use for as long as subscribe to their monthly healthy living tracker.  Users pay $12/mo for access to software that tracks and analyzes movement, sleep, nutrition, hydration and a number of other wellness points.

Available for pre-order now they expect to begin shipping in December of this year.

Review: Wet Shave Club

There have been a ton of changes to the way men shave over the years, and there have been hundreds of patents filed trying to make a better and more expensive razor blade.  In the last year a couple of companies have tried to fight the tide of rising prices by introducing shave clubs, most notably dollarshaveclub.com.  I came across Wet Shave Club and was intrigued by their idea.  Instead of reinventing the razor blade, their idea is to bring shaving back to its roots.

In 1880 the first safety razor was patented, for the first time putting a safety comb over the top of the blade to prevent accidental cuts.  Wet Shave Club said "Double edged razor blades are just pennies a piece and available world wide, why not start a shave club that uses that instead of fighting it?" and they are onto something.

The Wet Shave Club starter pack includes a safety razor, blades, shaving brush, shaving soap, and astringent to help with nicks.

Here's how it works.  For $29.95 a month you get a starter kit (pictured above) which includes a safety razor, blades, shaving brush, shaving soap, and astringent sticks.  The starter kit also includes shaving instructions for those who have never shaved with a brush and safety razor before.  After that you get a box delivered every month with an assortment of shaving soaps, blades, after shave, and other shaving products.

If you are tired of spending way too much on razors and looking to get back to an easier and better shaving experience, give Wet Shave Club a try.