Ten Things Every Man Should Own - #9

I was a reluctant latecomer to both mobile phones and other such devices. However, I jumped on the e-reader bandwagon in 2011, and have not had a moment's regret! I was skeptical about the idea of reading a book off an electronic device (a book IS made of paper, is it not?) At the risk of being a sell-out, I bought a Kindle Keyboard 3rd gen ($99), with wireless (not the 3G).

Here are the top 10 reasons YOU need a Kindle!

1. Good for old eyes . Unlike a paper book, you can adjust text size and spacing. I find Kindle’s E Ink technology easier to read than a paper book.
2. Save space. I have many, many books....and they are heavy. I had so many I donated a good portion of them to the library. Now I have 400 books on my Kindle, and it takes up very little space.
3. Save money. Books are expensive, but Kindle titles tend to be cheaper than paper books. There are countless thousands of books one can get for FREE, either from Amazon or elsewhere...get books in the public domain, or borrow from a friend.
4. Improve your vocabulary. Highlight a word while reading, and access two built in dictionaries! Never find yourself guessing at the meaning of a word.
5. Sample Kindle books for free. Before buying a book, you can have a sample chapter sent to your Kindle free of charge. You can also have a friend loan you a Kindle book for a 14 day period.
6. Great for multitasking. With the Kindle’s trim design, you can read during activities that would otherwise be wasted. I love to use my Kindle when I’m on the treadmill, stationary bicycle or other such exercise drudgery, The Kindle can also be read one-handed.
7. Some Kindles can read to you. The Kindle can play audio books, but you can also make it read many of your standard Kindle books. The robotic voice takes a bit of getting used to.
8. You can play games. I don't play games, but they do have chess, Scrabble and things like that.
9. The battery charge lasts ages! Most electronic devices need to be constantly recharged...I often only charge my Kindle once a month, even though I use it every day!
10. Amazon has great customer service. Nuff said.

Ten Things Every Man Should Own - #10

The Casio G-Shock has been a standard for men who need dependable, hard-use goods, since their debut in the mid-1980s. These durable and rugged watches have adorned the hands of a wide range of people, from Olympic athletes, to the Special Forces soldiers of "Black Hawk Down". These watches also have a large collector's following.

I like the watches because they are affordable, simple enough to use (although feature-heavy), and durable. The watch face is pretty hard to scratch, and I wear my watch ALL the time, and tend to stick my hands in dark dirty places where more fragile watches dare not go. My only criticism of the G-Shock is that it boasts a proprietary sized band...your average off the shelf band will not fit without a special adapter. The G-Shock is sold with a fairly decent silicon rubber band. I am hard on my watch bands, but this one is in great shape after having it a year, and I cannot see any cracks as would appear with other "rubber" watch bands. On a side note, the only watch band brand I trust are those made by Maratac Zulu.

My favorite G-Shock is the solar powered model with atomic clock synchronization. In addition to G-Shock's near bullet-proof design, the solar/atomic model never needs batteries. It is also able to receive the radio signal that keeps it in tune with the world's most accurate clock. No more fumbling with buttons to switch to Daylight Savings.

The watch also has a few different lap timers and things like that which I don't fully understand. It will also light up in the dark, a la Indiglo (thanks Timex), and has an alarm clock.

Check Amazon for prices and options.