It's the film that men love, the movie that made us all think, "hey, Brad Pitt's really handsome — and that's ok." It made us reconsider our jobs, our choice of neck ware, and whether to offer our ass or our crotch when squeezing past a flight attendant. It's also the moral voice that haunts us every time we lust after another slice of consumer electronics. If Ikea ever goes under, if Occupy has its way, it'll be David Fincher's masterful storytelling of Chuck Palahniuk's novel that I'll hold responsible.

It's been about twenty years since I first read the quintessential Beat tome, but its influence upon my life has been profound. From swilling wine in plain cotton tees to a wanderlust quenched by great glugs from the jug of serendipity, Kerouac's seminal work set me down a path of a life fully lived. One chapter in particular, the fourth to be exact, struck the flint that sparked a deep emotional connection to mid-century jazz, even before listening to the first note. To accomplish that with mere words is extraordinary. "God's empty chair" has yet to be filled.

Nikon's 40mm f2.8 Micro is perhaps the single greatest weapon of the modern tech photographer. No words can capture the essence of industrial design better than a good macro lens paired to a large camera sensor. Its reasonably low $280 price makes it accessible to any serious digital scribe that requires Nikon glass.

I was fortunate to have lived in Detroit in the early 90s when my taste in music was as caustic as the urban decay. Testosterone flowed like 30-weight oil through a hotrod built by Jesus himself. Industrial music was the perfect soundtrack to accompany any late night stomp into the city's fetid bowels. Ding a ding dang my dang a long ling long, indeed.

I love bags. I have a closet full of discarded mistresses of cargo, each replaced by another, slightly better, or at least better adapted to my hauling needs at the time. The North Face Base Camp Messenger Bag was a surprise, stumbled upon while casually browsing for who knows what. It has two suspended pockets, one for my 13-inch MacBook Air, and a second for a tablet. It's slim, but roomy enough to bring home a jug of milk or two from the market. And its waterproof, bike-messenger design with both mesh and buckled closures makes it ideal for cycling around in Amsterdam, regardless of the weather.