The best stuff ever in the whole entire world for hip, happening ladies!

It is Friday, and once again we have a great guy gift from Tim. But, as a female, I am really digging this too.

Flip Mino HD – It’s official, digital video is now almost so easy your mom can do it.  Seriously, I’ve been taking this little gadget for a spin since Christmas and am thoroughly impressed.  For less than $200 (I bought mine at Amazon for $137 on a holiday “Gold Box” deal) you can shoot and edit high def video.  I’m not the only one who picked one of these up at Christmas. I’ve heard from friends who also received this as a gift and one of the first things I hear from everyone is the size and ease of use means you’ll actually pack it along and use it.  I’ve packed it along on ski trips (I fell on it and it still works) and to my company Christmas party.  It was very natural to just pull it out of the pocket and start shooting… something I don’t experience with my more traditionally shaped Canon HD camcorder.  The real magic happens when you connect this little bad boy to your computer via the tough looking “switchblade” usb jack.  It comes with editing software that is loaded by plugging it into a compute which means you can edit wherever you are and with anyone’s computer at any time.  The video files load quick and the controls are extremely intuitive and simple.  I whipped out a :30 video with music and simple titles and credits in about 20 minutes start to finish which included loading the software for the first time.  The video quality looked great and the editing controls are probably the easiest I’ve seen from any software (I’ve tinkered with Pinnacle Studio, Sony Vegas, Adobe Premiere and a little bit of Final Cut Pro).  It also looks like they have a lot of options for sharing, including loading it to Youtube or Facebook or emailing it to friends.  For those of you without video editing software or a camera that are just looking to take some family and friends video and share quickly this is a great option.  For those of you with video cameras and software, consider this as your “it is so cheap I don’t care where I take it or what I do with it” camera and start stacking more footy.  This little gadget is a no brainer at this price. – Tim

Super duper guy finds from Tim, once again. Ladies, if you are looking for a last minute gift, this is for you. Gentlemen, if you just need to get you act together, please read on.

Ecco Dress Shoes:  Doesn’t matter the color, doesn’t matter the style. These shoes look awesome and are comfortable as sneakers.

Dopp Kits/Toiletry Bag:  I used to travel a lot, I still travel a bit.  I have three fully packed toiletry kits with all of these essentials and more.  One for the office/gym, one for travel and one set in my medicine cabinet and shower at home.  It makes it easy to stay so fresh and so clean if all your gear is packed and ready at your fingertips.  It also ensures you’ll never leave town without toothpaste.   Straight up, get yourself a nice toiletry kit and keep it packed all the time. - Tim

Do you love how organized Tim is? I sure do. Thanks Tim for all the spectacular tips!

These are the hottest products from my friend Mike, who is a minion of THE MAN (that Microsoft company). He used to be my go-to for all things technology, until I got a computer geek man of my own. Mike definitely knows what he is talking about when it comes to this stuff, even if you might not understand what all he’s talking about. You should see the television/computer/whatnots setup he has in his home. Seriously. Amazing, confusing, compelling.

I also thought that a key thing to note was that just like last week’s guy wishlist from Tim, this one has the Logitech Harmony Remote. I am thinking that this is a clear indication that it would be a fantastic gift for the deserving gents.

Read on for Mike’s faves…

Chumby One: The original Chumby was a geek toy that probably didn’t appeal to anyone other than a hard-core geek. With the new Chumby ‘One’ the company is taking the genre of small, cheap, dedicated internet device to the mass market. For $100 you get a great portable device that is able to run any of the hundreds of application available from the Chumby store (most are free). Fire up the Pandora app for an endless, playlist of music or set the device up to act as an alarm clock with weather details. The built in wifi and the ability to run from a battery really take the Chumby ‘One’ to the next level of usefulness. Great device for the geek in your life!

Zune HD Media Player: Disclaimer – I used to work for Zune. Nonetheless, the new Zune HD media player really is a delight to use. It feels really solid and has a good amount of weight to it. The OLED touch screen is gorgeous and really responsive. The new user interface took a bit of getting used to, but once I got the hang of it I found I really liked it. The recently released games (free!) really show off the power of the platform (it’s built on the NVIDIA TEGRA platform) and give a hint of great things to come from this device. The limited storage (32Gb max) was a bit of a downer (I had to trim down my music collection to fit on the device). But, everything else about this device is great.

Logitech Harmony 510 – Remote Control: The lowest end Logitech Harmony remote control is a joy to use! I have spent many years looking for the ideal remote control and have finally settled on the Harmony. For $100 you get a fully programmable remote control with a great suite of software for setting up all your AV equipment. It has an excellent ‘Help’ feature that guides you with easy to answer questions and troubleshooting tips for when things don’t work as expected. The choice of buttons and layout work really well and the battery life is great for this class of device. You could spend more money and get one of the fancier versions, but I haven’t found the need.

Some additions to Tim’s guy gifting list below from yours truly…

Molton Brown Black Pepper Products – I received a few bottles of this as a sample some years back, and it is my absolute favorite for men. Whenever I want to get Jason a little something special, I get him the body wash. He enjoys it as much as I do. Such a great quality product found at Barney’s. This here is the complete set, which would be an excellent gift.

Automatic Battery Charger – I honestly think that this is a must own for anyone with a car. An automatic battery charger. It is the worst when your battery dies and you have to run around looking for a car to help, and then someone with jumper cables too. And hopefully, on top of it all, your vehicle is in a position that another car can reach it. Well, worry no more. These little packs are the perfect gift for any car owner.

Here it is…for all your shopping needs…the ultimate guide for shopping for the men in your life.

Here’s my list for of gift for guys… its a little mix of things I want and things I’ve already got and fully endorse. – Tim

1.  XBox 360 or Roku Netflix Player.  Ok, if you haven’t heard the gushes from the techie or movie buff in your life, streaming Netflix is legit. It is revolutionary actually. All you need is a good home internet connection and even the lowest tier Netflix subscription for about $9 per month and you can easily stream thousands of movies and television shows. If you didn’t need to watch the PBA on ESPN every Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET you might even consider canceling your overpriced Comcast basic cable. I like the Roku box for non-gamers because it requires no on-going subscription besides Netflix.  If you could see your self playing some Call of Duty go for the X-Box 360 and spring for the Gold Live subscription.

2.  Filson Sportsman’s Bag.  I’ve had my on this bad boy for a few years… but can’t bear to spring $275 for a duffel bag.  I planned to write about this bag two weeks ago and then recently saw a pair coming off the plane this past weekend… I started telling my brothers about them then realized the owner was standing next to me.  He said he’d used them for 10 years and had nothing replaced.  The best part is if you ever, and I mean ever need anything replaced they will do it for free.  I can see myself packing this up for a trip to Vashon on the weekend… throwing gym or ski clothes in it or overnighting to Alaska for a good friend’s wedding.  Where do you imagine the man in your life going with it?

3.  Logitech Harmony Remote.  There are $1,000 versions and $40 dollar versions.  If you own more than three components that are connected to your TV you owe it to yourself to get one.  I’ve been using $40 and $100 models and set up a few $50 models for my in-laws and they are all brilliant.  The true magic is in the cloud and the intuitive device knowledge and settings they have coded for old and new electronics is staggering.  Your settings are stored online so trading up remotes or changing models of any component can be done at the click of a button.  It eliminates clutter from the living room and is really easy to use as it automatically sets inputs for any activity (movies, music, tv, videogames, apple tv, streaming netflix, etc.).  As two of my closest tech advisors said when they were selling me on it… “it is so easy my wife/girlfriend can use it”.  Nuff said!

4.  EMS Techwick Boxer Briefs.  Ladies, stuff your man’s stocking with some underwear that will change his life.  They are durable, comfortable and look great.  I’ve written about these before and frankly I can’t say enough good things about this product. (See last week’s post on these here)

5.  Canon G11.  This digi cam looks sweet.  It has a lot of pro features at a relatively low cost ($450).  It isn’t a bulky SLR so you’ll actually pack it with you on that ski, beach, or european vacation and you might even take it out for night of Halloween debauchery.  Be the envy of your friends on Flickr by upping the quality of images.

6.  Ride Machete/Lib Tech Skate Banana/K2 Slayblade.  An interesting thing happened in the last couple years… snowboards changed shape.  Everyone is talking about reverse camber.  It helps you float in pow, keeps you from catching edges and in general makes your snowboard experience more like surfing.  I’m personally coveting the Ride Machete but there are a lot of cool reverse camber boards from almost every manufacturer now.  I can’t wait to try one!

7.  Apple iPhone 3GS.  Ok, don’t go out and buy someone an iphone without consulting them first (or offering to pay for two year’s of service). This thing has changed my life… I really wish these bad boys were around when I was traveling all over the country for Jim Beam because I would have saved a few gray hairs (or bouts of random alapecia). My wife loves hers too… in fact she’s playing on it next to me as I type this.

8.  27″ Apple Imac.  I can’t believe I just gave Apple two in a row but wow, the screen on that thing is so big and shiny.  It just sucks me in like a can of Pringles. I’d like to sort my pictures and make family videos with this thing all night long.

9.  Nike ID sneakers.  This is a fun gift. You can make them for someone or you can let them make their own or you could even make them together. I made my wife a pair of vintage running shoes in a Valentines Day colorway a few year’s back. Pink canvas, red leather swoosh and a nice light brown suede upper and heel. The tongue has an evergreen tree graphic and the insole has a couple laying under a tree and dreaming.  She gets tons of compliments on them and I love it. I’ve made my own Air Max 90’s… I call them T-Max 90’s. I’ve got a sweet northwest inspired colorway; gray, turquoise blue, green and brown w/ zebra insoles and metallic silver tongue graphic. They are flashy but one of a kind. I love almost any “mass customization” company or product.

10.  Netbook.  I’m pounding this list out on my new Dell Mini 10 but I’d suggest getting something with 2GB of RAM, Windows 7 and a better video card than my Dell. A netbook is relatively inexpensive (as low as $200) and it is great for traveling especially if you already have a notebook and/or a desktop.  I can see students packing this to class along with heavy books for quick web searches and taking lecture notes.  I packed it on a recent personal trip and could keep up with some of my work and upload photos to Flickr every night from the hotel bed.

Quick shopping tip… avoid the stores and buy online.  Amazon is great especially if you haven’t used your complimentary subscription to Amazon Prime.  The month of December is a great time to “test it out”.  Free two-day shipping provides that almost instant gratification and it is so easy to buy… almost too easy.

Friday Guy Day! I must admit that I’ve never given guy’s underwear much thought, unless it relates to checking out certain gentlemen in less clothing. Now I’m thinking I need to get a bunch of these for Jason.

EMS Techwick Boxer Briefs: Best underwear. Gotta go with wicking underwear! I’ve pretty much swapped all my underwear out for these. Fit great, look great and wicking/technical fabric underwear isn’t just for sports it is good for everyday. – Tim

In keeping with the holiday party theme this week, Tim is giving the guys a hint on hair.

Some guys maintain their coif every day, but for others, this is an excuse to get fancied up. Here’s the product…

Artec Textureline Material (Pliable Mattifying Paste): WTF!  Seriously, the name for the shit I put in my hair is more complicated than the list of ingredients on the side of the package.  I used to use Bumble & bumble Sumotech but then my prettyologist (big up Lorraine) left Rudy’s to start her own salon.  She chose this L’Oreal product as a suitable replacement for Sumotech and she gets it at her beauty supply store and then sells it to me when I come in for a cut.  Essentially it is $10 per can cheaper than Sumotech and does the same thing.  Those who know me, know I love my hair.  I’m willing to spend money on cuts and product for the simple reason that I consider myself lucky to still have hair.  Big up to my bald brothers!  This stuff gives you a little bit of shine, a bit of hold but doesn’t leave your hair crispy.  Seriously, nothing says cheap hair product like a stiff head.  Guys, it looks like you’re from South King Co. or a Gotti brother if the hair is crispy and it doesn’t have to be that way. – Tim

Thanks Tim for straightening the men in our lives out! Glad to be introducing a few suggestions to Jason here on the home front.

Tim finishes up his tingly clean series for the gentlemen this week (see Tim’s past favorites here).

Neutrogena Invigorating Face Wash I’ve never been loyal to a men’s face wash until now. I used to buy whatever was on sale. Then Neutrogena came along with this little bottle of magic about a year ago to complete my tingle trifecta. Guys need to know that the same soap they use on their butt isn’t good for their face, it dries you out. A friend who worked for L’Oreal and Phyto once told me all the research they had about men who buy high end grooming products tells them even the metro ones are essentially still lazy guys who don’t want to shop… they want a whole kit of face stuff at once, they don’t want to procure individual items.  In general, that seems true.  That’s probably why Kiehls, Art of Shaving and Anthony  do so well in the high end men’s grooming category because they’ve got little kits with face wash, pre-shave oil, shave gel, after shave, lotion etc.  It seems like half those things are a waste though… and do I really need to spend $50-100 on my face.  Ladies, don’t answer that! - Tim

We’re talking guy talk again. This week is a continuation of Tim’s tingly fresh suggestion from last week (see here). And how happy am I that Tim is suggesting this particular product?? Refer to this gleegarden history.

Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Liquid Soap. I buy this at my local IGA in the bulk aisle where I refill my old containers… which means I’m being eco-conscious.  However, ecology isn’t on my mind, economy is.  I swear to god either the pricing hasn’t been updated in 5 years or their scale is off because I only spend like $5 for 3 re-usable bottles of it.  It seems like it is much cheaper than buying a new package.  That said, the official packaging is kind of trippy and all of the copy makes for good “kill time while I shower” reading.  This thing really tingles and they claim you can use it on everything (hair, face, dishes, teeth, etc.).  I only use it to wash my body. – Tim

More of the popular guy goods today! Take it away Tim…

Tingles! Like that old Selsun Blue commercial says, if it tingles, that means its working.  Guys are extra dirty compared to the fairer species and that means we need stuff with extra cleaning power.  Nothing makes you feel more clean and refreshed than tingling from head to toe.  Also, I’m a shower every morning guy, not just because I’m dirty but also because I don’t really wake up until I shower.  Here’s one of my favorite ‘tingly’ products:

American Crew Citrus Mint Shampoo.  OK, normally $10 is more than I would like to spend on shampoo.  However, it is easy to find because a lot of grocery stores carry American Crew and we’re guys, we don’t use much shampoo anyway.