Gina

Author, Designer, and "that girl your mother warned you about." Looking good seems to be my job, whether it's working with the site design, or a number of other more interesting capacities. I have a ridiculous sense of humour and a brutal sense of honesty- you'll see a lot of that coming through in my writing, so don't say I didn't warn you if I somehow manage to offend you AND hurt your feelings at the same time. On the plus side, it makes my dating and advice columns a lot more pertinent to an unfinished man in the real world.

Fine Living · May 8, 2016

Manly Design with Wooden Cinderblocks and Oil Lamps – Sergio Silva

Most older guys will fondly reminisce about the days where they created customized (read: poor as shit) man caves with milk crates, two by fours, and cinderblocks. Something about the way the manly design of this makeshift modular crap is fondly remembered always made it something that a small part of me wanted to try, just because it seemed like a rite of passage. I usually snap back to reality pretty quickly, realize I don’t want trash in my apartment, and pull out the Ikea catalog. Then I found Sergio Silva‘s pieces, and suddenly the “I’m so broke I cook my KD on the radiator” look has been upgraded to a much more respectable “I have many leather bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany.”

Art & Photography · May 8, 2016

Hyper-Realistic Rubber: Tire Sculpture by Yong Ho Ji

Whenever I take road trips, I often notice the hulking shreds of stripped semi tires laying around, and I’ve always thought two things: one, they look …

Travel · May 8, 2016

The Urban Iditarod: The Best Beer Swilling, Cart Pushing Race You’ve Never Heard Of

The Alaskan Iditarod is a grueling race that pits man and sled dogs against the tundra and towering spruce forests, white out conditions and sub zero …

Relationships · May 8, 2016

The Clingy Girlfriend: What You Need to Know to Be Happy

We’ve all been there: you get into an exciting new relationship, and over time the sparkly, wonderful honeymoon phase starts to wane. There comes a point where you realize that her proximity, her habits, and her emotions aren’t necessarily as cute as they first appeared. In some cases, it’s because she’s attached herself so firmly to your hip that when you find yourself looking at a wonderful girl that you care about, you end up only seeing the worst about her; her neediness has become a glaring issue in your relationship and you’re considering trying to pry her off with a complex system of levers and wedges. How can you work on avoiding this emotional disaster, be it in an established relationship or with a girl you’ve just met? We’re here with a guide to the two most common types of clingy girlfriend behavior – if you can understand the psychology behind your girl’s style of attachment, you can decide the course that your relationship will follow.

woman looking at man keeping him on the hook

Relationships · May 8, 2016

On the Hook: Worse Than the Friend Zone

Dear Gina, I’ve got a problem, and I think I need some advice. There’s this girl I love- we’ve tried dating but its never worked out. It was good but there were problems, and when I went back to NYC for the summer, she stayed in Buffalo where she’s from. The distance got to us, fights occurred a lot and we broke up. But we ended up talking, and almost trying to work out the problems; my stuff wasn’t the only thing keeping her from a relationship, life just handed her too many lemons. So we would kiss, hold hands in public, cuddle, no sex and it was ok, but there were still fights…Now we just decided maybe it won’t work. I don’t know what to do. Do I move on?

It’s hard to believe that there’s anything worse than being friend zoned by a woman you want to be with, but the sad reality is that there is an even worse state…and most men will experience it at least once in their lives. I was talking with one of the other unfinished men this week about being on the hook, and I decided it was time

Pop Culture by Madeon on Novation Launchpad with man dancing

Music · May 8, 2016

Pop Culture by Madeon: Killer Live 39 Track Mashup

I heard Pop Culture by Madeon a few months ago and it immediately got in my head with its crunchy synth and infectious dance styling, so when it came up in my playlist today, I decided to check for a video. When I found the official release on YouTube, I was blown away by what I was seeing. I knew it was obviously a mashup, and could pick out bits and pieces of songs I like, but I didn’t realize just how deep this rabbit hole went. The seamless editing blends 39 separate tracks from artists ranging widely from ELO and The Who to Chromeo and Nero. Watching Madeon’s fingers dancing across his Launchpad and trying to figure out how he’s keeping track of the samples and levels while playing a freestyle organ solo is nothing short of amazing. His mastery of digital dj equipment seemingly knows no bounds. And then, I found out he’s only 17 years old – queue puff of smoke leaking out my ears. Hit the jump and turn it up for a great party track, an unbelievable visual use of musical technology… and bonus utterly ridiculous dance video .

6a010536909030970b012875d2f71b970c 800wi

Gadgets & Gear · May 8, 2016

Handsome, Modern Byrd & Belle Device Cases

For those of you who are Apple users, there’s a good chance you’ve looked into a case to protect the large, fabulous, and exceptionally vulnerable screens on your technology. If you’re trying to find a simple, modern and extremely attractive alternative to the boring or tacky offerings currently on the market, check out these smart and understated felt cases by Byrd & Belle. Made for a number of different technologies, you’ll be able to find the perfect fit for your device – there are six separate styles in a range of colours. The line is the brainchild of Angie Davis, who creates every item by hand in Minneapolis out of sustainable wool and environmentally friendly dyed leather. If you don’t care about any of that stuff, the fact remains that the combination is thick, soft, reinforced, and most importantly, has killer good looks. See the full line of Byrd & Bell cases after the jump.