Just stumbled across this great video featuring Graham Hill, the founder of Life Edited, that discusses their philosophy of “clearing the arteries of life.” Fascinating and eye-opening.

Check it out, and let it motivate you to life-edit this weekend.

[via PSFK]

Serendipitously stumbled across this video series by men’s grooming brand The Motley last week. Billed as an “on-going conversation with men who create, explore, advocate and inspire,” the series looks at young men who are creating something new and pursuing their dreams.

Love the idea of highlighting men that are out there doing it. Check it out.

[originally via Finer Cut]

So remember when I told you I was growing a mustache for Movember, the movement to raise money for men’s health issues? Well, the month is halfway through now, and this is what it looks like.

And I hate it. I really do.

I’ve been told I look like a young Clark Gable. Sure, if Clark Gable were hit in the face with an ugly stick. Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn. I obviously don’t, because I’m letting this thing grow on my face.

But here’s the rub: I’m not doing this for me. If I were, I would have shaved a long time ago.

I’m proud to report that our Movember team - the best damn dad team on the planet – has raised over $8,000 so far. And we still have half a month to go.

Don’t be sad that you haven’t donated yet. I know you’ve wanted to, but you got busy, and you had a long day, and yada yada yada. Don’t despair – you can rectify that situation right now. Donate now, and immediately feel better about yourself.

It’s like a dose of self-esteem. Think of it as making up for all the self-esteem I’m losing this month.

By now, I’m sure you’ve heard of Movember, the annual month long mustachioed fiasco where men all over the world grow mustaches in order to raise funds and awareness for men’s health – specifically prostate cancer. Well, my friends. This year’s about to blow it all out of the water.

This year a team has been assembled the likes of which has never before been seen on this planet. Doug French has used his booming voice and considerable swagger to herd a group of dads from all over the map into the same arena, charged with using their social media skillz to compete against one another for social good. And things are already getting dirty.

Today is the official first day of Movember, but some of these other bastards have already started raising money. (Note: It’s Movember, not Moctober.) So I’m starting from a disadvantage here. So I need you to do me a favor.

Hustle on over to my Movember page, and give a donation, will you? It doesn’t have to be a large one, and it’s for a good cause. Namely, me winning, and shaming these other guys into submission.

Do it for my upper lip. Because, friends, my mustache is going to look sad. I mean, really pathetic and wispy. Some of these guys can grow lip hair faster than Tom Selleck. So in this competition, consider me the underdog.

Seriously. Donate. (And thanks in advance.)

While recently perusing through Isle of Man, one of my favorite stores in Chicago, I happened upon a collection of chambray skinny ties that caught my eye. Not only were these ties stylish, but the sign next to them said they benefited the DiBi Foundation. Seeing as how I tend to like products for a cause, naturally I went home and looked it up.

The DiBi Foundation (don’t judge them by their poor website) was founded by Chicagoan Daniel Bruce, and a portion of the proceeds from DiBi Ties go to helping provide teaching kits to rural communities around the world. That’s just a win-win for everyone.

I’m definitely planning on picking one of these up soon. These are going to be great with fall around the corner. You can shop their selection of ties online at KarmaLoop, or see the list of retailers on their site, which of course includes Isle of Man, as well as some other Chicago staples such as Belmont Army Surplus and Riley.

Did you know: children in the United States are exposed to an average of 25,000 TV commercials every year? And have you ever considered the quality of those commercials, or what they’re communicating about gender roles?

Embedded in those advertisements are a stereotypical set of social values about expected gender roles for boys and girls. The toys that are developed for each presuppose the interests of each audience. So if you’re a 9-year-old boy, and interested in becoming a chef, you’re going to be very confused from a young age.

This is one of the reasons why I love this simple remixing tool that provides an easy way to re-combine audio from ads directed at boys with video from ads directed at girls (and vice versa). Imagine combining the audio from one of the above videos with the video from another. The results are hilarious and insightful. It shines a light on how ridiculously predictable both of the stereotypes are.

Hope you enjoy this as much as I did. I had to pull myself away after a while because it’s so addicting (and somewhat nostalgic).

Got any favorite combinations?

Add or Delete is a new initiative that aims to start a conversation about our advertising content – just in time for the Super Bowl, a game that marketers spend $100,000 per minute on.

Add or Delete’s mission is to convince companies to spend just 5% of their advertising budgets (globally, that would amount to around $25 billion) to social, economic or environmental improvements.

But what’s really cool is how they’re allowing you to participate. They’re calling for us to decide for ourselves which commercials add to the national discourse, and which ones deserve to be deleted. Just visit their Facebook page, and upload a YouTube video or link to their wall, with your comments about why it should be added or deleted.

This is a great resource ahead of the Super Bowl, considering how most Super Bowl ads, as GOOD put it, tend to be stupid, sexist, or racist. I really love the idea of actually calling out companies whose ads not only do nothing to improve society, but are actually offensive. Sure, you may get a laugh for three seconds, but is it worth it?

So visit Add or Delete, and call those companies out while you’re watching. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside – almost as much as if the Bears were playing tomorrow.

(PS – 5 of 28. Off to a good start!)

I know this shelf from Finnish design firm Kayiwa isn’t in the least bit functional. But come on – you’ve got to admit that it’s pretty cool. Especially for typography nerds. But before you go thinking you’ll run out and get one, I feel obligated to let you know that one of these babies will run you 15,000 € (that’s around $21,000). Too bad. My son really likes letters.

I was recently introduced to Tyke Threads, and so far I’ve been happy with the collection I’ve seen there. Much cooler stuff than you can usually get at your local Babies R Us. Like this Western shirt from Wonder Boy. Perfect for when my 1-year-old wants to show off his rugged side.

When he gets a little older (read: 2), and worries more about being seen as a pseudo-intellectual, he can wear one of these shirts from Out of Print. They recently added a kids section to their fun line of “shirts on a mission.” [via Cool Hunting]

Now on to the grown-up stuff. I don’t think Miles would be all that interested in this tobacco and sandalwood scented candle from Sydney Hale Co. (available on Etsy). Sounds pretty great to me, as long as it isn’t too strong. There is such a thing as “overly manly,” especially when it comes to scents.

And I must introduce you to this little goodie from Nau (a company that does great things, and that you should absolutely check out). Referred to as “organizational origami,” the “Fluent Stash” keeps everything organized in an amazingly stylish way. The above opens up to the below, for carrying pretty much whatever you need.

The coup de grâce of this week’s list was brought to me by Etsy’s relatively new “Dudes” mailing list (a small step in the right direction for inclusion of guys in the site). I am loving these iPhone docks by Woodtec. They even have docks that support the iPad. Now I just need an iPad.

What interesting stuff have you found lately?

Anyone who reads this blog with any regularity knows that I’m a Scotch drinker. I can’t help myself. Call me old fashioned, but give me a glass of single malt and a book, and I’m set for the day.

Which is why I jumped at the invite I received to attend a tasting for The Macallan. I had tried The Macallan on previous occasions, and had very much enjoyed it, so I figured it would be a good time. What I wasn’t expecting was to be so impressed with the company itself.

Our presenter (a man whose name I forget, but he was genuinely Scottish, and genuinely hilarious), went out of his way to tell us about an ongoing collaboration the company has with Charity:Water. We even watched a video about the need for clean water in the developing world – at a Scotch tasting! Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. You know how much I love Do-Gooders.

If you’ve got thousands of dollars to spare, check out the promotion Charity:Water and The Macallan are doing right now. They’re auctioning off a very rare bottle of 64-year-old Scotch (pictured above) to fund clean water projects around the world. As the presenter said, those of us who can afford to drink the finest spirits in the world can afford to help others at least get clean water.

You know what else was great? The drinks. We got to sample a 10-year-old, 12-year-old, 17-year-old, and 18-year-old, and I was happy with all of them. If I had to pick one, I’d drink the 18, but the 12 was surprisingly smooth and the 17 had a nice oaky flavor to it. The quality of their offerings combined with the company’s philanthropy have made me seriously consider switching to them full-time.

Because, as our presenter pointed out, since they give so much of their profits to philanthropic causes, when you drink Macallan, “you do it for the kids.”

So half of what I found this week is dedicated to the iPhone. If you’re not an iPhone user, I apologize. Since I am one, I tend to gravitate towards iPhone related stuff. Like these iPhone gloves by Dots. Being able to use my phone without having to take off my gloves is fantastic in Chicago winters. The above are actually from a collaboration by Dots for Opening Ceremony, if you feel like paying twice the price for basically the same thing.

To protect said iPhone, I’m loving these cases from Grove. Not only are they handmade from eco-friendly bamboo, they can be customized to just about any design you want. Check out these designs above, and then visit their site for more examples of how others have customized their cases.

Now take your phone and plug it into one of these speakers from X-Mini. Or so says Cool Hunting, who tried one of them out and says they pack a wallop for such a small package. And not too expensive with a range of $20-$80.

Use those speakers to listen to this guy: Canadian rapper Shad. I’ve been listening to his new album, TSOL, and so far am loving it. Thanks for the reco, Dave.

And just to show you that I’m not all iPhone focused today, check out these coats from +J (a collaboration by Jil Sander for Uniqlo). All reasonably priced, and all among the most stylish thing you can wear this winter. Now you’ll just have to find a Uniqlo, since the only one in the US resides in NYC. (Sad trombone.)

Speaking of things you can’t get in the US (at least not in person), how awesome are these Aston Martin Racing bags from Hackett? Enough said. [via Definite Touch]

To go out on a techy note, Hello Rewind, and the awesome laptop, iPad or netbook  sleeves they can make out of your old t-shirts. That’s right… your old Frankie Say Relax t-shirt from the 80s can now be atop your favorite piece of tech equipment in 2010. What a wonderful world. PS, Hello Rewind also supports sex trafficking survivors. So major bonus.

What cool stuff have you found lately?