Hydrolast "Shave Cloth"

I've been wanting to do an update on my "Method" shaving videos forever, but circumstances have prevented me from visiting Enchante, so I could get it right from the source, for some time now. Its crazy: I only live a couple hours away from Austin. Anyway, it looks like Charles has taken it upon himself to do a video about it. I think its very well done:

RIP MSN Groups

The end of an era slipped quietly away yesterday. MSN Groups, Microsoft's early attempt at what is now called social networking, was sent to the great bit bucket in the sky. I feel sad, in a nostalgic sort of way, in its passing. Its functionality could only be termed as ghastly: it had a rich text editor but no search capability (!), no private messaging (unless both parties happened to have a Hotmail account), no message quoting--none of the functions taken for granted in the popular forum software (such as phpBB or vBulletin) or journaling/blogging services (Livejournal, Wordpress, Blogger, etc.) commonly found today. But up until just a few years ago, the "MSN Wetshavers" group was the only hangout for anyone wanting to learn more about shaving. I still remember posting my first message (titled "Excited Newbie!") in 2004, after returning from the wedding anniversary trip my wife and I took, where I discovered traditional shaving. I was received, as many "newbies" were (not that there were a lot of them), with what I'll call wry amusement: the welcome-to-the-club-we-remember-how-we-felt-too attitude that often binds together small fraternal groups, the anachronistic, and the misunderstood.

We were a band of brothers, trying to help each other as best we could. We posted product finds in a time when there was precious little available in the US (Arran's Aromatics shave cream at TJ Maxx for $4! A Trumper's-quality product for one-sixth the price). We shared technique and advice. We cheered the efforts of those able to "spread the word" (Corey Greenburg's appearance on the Weekend Today show was a major milestone). It was on Wetshavers where someone posted a message suggesting that somebody needed to do a video about wet shaving as sort of a "visual FAQ." I picked up the virtual guantlet that was thrown down and created the beginning of what is now a series of videos that have over 1.5 million views. There were disagreements but everything was remarkably civil: there were very few "flame wars." And even the disagreements that did occur had positive outcomes in their own way.

(To Be Continued)

Video Downloads

I'm occasionally asked if its possible to download my shaving videos. My videos on blip.tv are available for download if you're a registered user. Also, YouTube recently announced a pilot program for video downloads, either for free or for a small fee, with Creative Commons licensing no less. I've signed up for the pilot program, though I haven't heard back from YouTube yet.

J. Peterman

J. Peterman, the catalog company made famous (infamous?) on the TV show Seinfeld, is running a sale on their "1903" collection of men's products, including their shaving products. Normally its priced a little beyond what I would want to pay for it, but with the sale prices (going till 2pm EST Friday) you might want to look at it. I admit the 1903 shave cream is a favorite of mine: the scent is very "cologne-like" and although they "tamed down" the scent recently (I actually liked it better when it was stronger) it performs competitively with the best out there.

Email Subscribers

"Bill" wrote me to suggest a larger font on my email blog feed (feedburner). I didn't know that Feedburner even had a setting for it but I found it and adjusted it to a higher point size (as you can see if you're reading this via the email feed!). Feel free to contact me with any suggestions you may have to make my blog look better.

The "Upside Down" Lathering Trick

Tell me how this works for you!

The Ten Minute Traditional Wet Shave

My latest video, "The Ten Minute Traditional Wet Shave," is now available on:
YouTube, Metacafe, Blip.tv, Veoh, Sclipo and Vimeo