Boulder Creek Men's Big & Tall Fleece-Hooded Camo Shirt Jacket.

Boulder Creek has been making clothes for big men for a long time, and they are thankfully consistent with their sizing.  One of the biggest problems I have had with ordering clothing online is that a 6XL can mean wildly different things depending on what country and brand is producing it.

King Size sent me this Camo print hooded shirt jacket, and just from the brand I knew I wasn't going to need to worry about the fit.  As far as the shirt itself, it is warm without being too heavy, and the sleeves button securely but are thin enough to be able to roll them up if you need to.

If you are looking for something to keep you warm but not too hot while working outside that will wear well and fit the way you expect, this shirt will do the trick and keep you comfortable in Fat Boy Heaven.

A new service is on a mission- can they out-geek LootCrate?

A few months ago I was contacted by a new Kickstarter project with a simple concept: to be a better and geekier box-a-month service than LootCrate.  The project was successful, reaching their funding goal in less than a week, and GEEKFUEL was born.

I just received their first ever box, along with a Kickstarter exclusive bonus box, and so far their method seems to be at least partially focused on enlisting popular artists from the DeviantArt community to add exclusive artwork to the mix.  Add exclusive comic books, limited edition Pop vinyl figures, caffeinated beverages and access codes for games and downloadable content on Steam and I think they have a chance to give the veterans a run for their money.

Instead of listing the contents I figured the best way to describe this product would be to take pictures as I was unpacking the box.  So here we go.  I give you GEEKFUEL:  

All told a pretty impressive showing for a first issue.  Subscriptions are available monthly, quarterly, every 6 months, or annually with price breaks and bonuses at each increased level.  I've been a big fan of LootCrate for a long time but GEEKFUEL is definitely making a name for themselves in Fat Boy Heaven.

Stop the woman from yelling...a Kickstarted relationship saver coming your way

I came across a simple yet elegant Kickstarter project today that is going to save a lot of relationships if we can all get on board and support it and get orders placed.

Adam Raby was brushing his teeth one day when he stabbed himself in the gums with a stray beard trimming that had fallen into his toothbrush.  It led him to launch this project.​  A specially coated cloth with suction cups at two corners which attach to your mirror to keep it above the items on your counter.

A simple easy solution and it will keep mama happy.  Not a bad plan, and it will keep us all living in Fat Boy Heaven.

The gift every one on your list needs this holiday season and doesn't know exists

In today's high tech world I am sure I am not the only geek who has a gear bag that goes everywhere I do.  Along with my iPhone, iPad, Bluetooth speaker, and headphones there were few things as critical to life as charging cables and power adapters.  Now added to that list are the technology accessory I buy for all of the non geeks in my life, portable power packs from Anker.  For an extremely limited time the great folks at Amazon are letting me give you this link for more than 50% off the normal price of their latest product, the 16000mAh Astro E5.  Fatboyheaven.com readers can buy it now for $39.99 instead of $89.99 by clicking this link right here.

The 1st gen devices were a revelation to me, carrying enough power to last a cross country train trip with my iPhone.  When I got this 2nd Gen model I was blown away.  It was less than 1/3 the volume while providing more than 2/3 the power.  That leap in battery technology is huge, and critical to keeping me out of the chiropractic office and in the field.

In this age where everyone has at least one piece of tech they can't be stranded without, this is the perfect gift you can be sure will be used and appreciated, even though most of the people you give it to will never have even known to ask for it.

Review: Lomography's latest camera brings instant photos back to the party!

The Lomographic Society is a global organization that is trying to keep interest alive in film photography, and their latest effort is to revive the tradition of instamatic photography with their newest product, the Lomo Instant.

Dead simple to use, and very easy to get decent pictures while still flexible enough to allow for some wide ranges of creativity in settings of aperture and shutter speed that you wouldn't expect to find in an instant camera.

My first two selfies taken with the Lomo Instant

The Lomo Instant they sent me is a limited edition called the Sanremo, and the kit includes the camera and the "Lomo Instant Lens Kit".  This lens kit contains a fisheye lens, portrait lens, and close up lens.  These lenses give you even more flexibility than you ever had with that old Polaroid.

The bottom of the camera has a chart to help you find the right flash and shutter settings on the go 

The Lomo Instant uses FujiFilm instax mini instant film, an instant film that is easily found online.  It develops fast with strong clear images and is fairly inexpensive.  

The last thing they include in keeping with the societies goal of reviving the lost art of manual photography is a set of cards with photos and tips on how to get similar results with your camera.  They range from the very simple to some very advanced techniques in the 18 card set and are a very nice group of tips.

As with their last major project, the Impossible Instant Lab, this became a reality after a successful run on Kickstarter.  This is why Kickstarter is such a great idea.  It launches great projects like this into the world on a regular basis.  Here at Fat Boy Heaven we love Kickstarter, and we will keep bringing new and successful projects to your attention.  

Review: NomadKey - The ultra portable lightning adapter

Nomad started as a KickStarter project in 2012 with a product called ChargeCard, a USB cable the size of a credit card.  That project raised more than 10 times the requested startup costs, and launched Nomad onto the stage, now with a range of USB products.

Their latest product to ship is the NomadKey, an ultraportable USB lightning adapter the size of a house key.  It is rugged and flexible while remaining infinitely portable.  So small it ships attached to a greeting card sized mailer.

For $29.00 this MFi certified cable is the greatest accessory cable I have for on the go convenience.  It and a full line of accessories are available here.

Kickstarter: PopcornBall,

One of the coolest projects to come along in awhile on Kickstarter is The PopcornBall, a simple and elegant product that was designed to solve one of snackings oldest problems: How do you get butter and salt on ALL the popcorn?

A ball with finger holds on two ends to make spinning easier and a wide opening with a secure latch on the top to facilitate filling and snacking, a quick spin once butter and popcorn are added allows butter to easily and fairly equally distribute according to it's inventor.

Follow the link for video and more details, and consider backing this great product if you like popcorn.  If this project succeeds you could see PopcornBalls at your local movie theater very soon.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/popcornball/the-popcorn-ball

Whiskey Review: Tap 357 Canadian Maple Rye Whisky

Another of the new whiskys I just received from Caskers.com is this new Maple Rye from Tap 357.  Canadian Rye is aged 3-7 years before being mixed with fresh maple syrup and being aged an additional 6-12 months.  The process leaves a wonderfully full bodied whisky that actually tastes like maple sugar instead of like someone mixed maple syrup into your shot glass as some other products on the market do.

Maple is the first and strongest note on the palate, followed quickly by a light spice from the Rye and notes of tobacco and leather.  The finish smoothes into the lingering feeling that you have just been drinking with the crew from a maple syrup farm.

Not my favorite drink but I'll hold onto the bottle for the holidays.

Whiskey Review : WhistlePig's "The Boss Hog"

In my latest delivery from the folks at Caskers.com I received a couple bottles of WhistlePig's newest single barrel release, the 2014 "The Boss Hog" Rye.  Bottled at 117.8 proof after 13 years from barrel number 3 this is an amazing bottle with amazingly deep flavor profile.

The first thing to hit your palate is sweet caramel followed quickly by the spice of Rye and the heat of a high test proofing.  It leaves with a smooth crisp finish that lingers  with hints of orange peel and leather.

If you are fortunate enough to find a bottle of this rare and elusive pig hold on tight.  They are sure to make any mud hole feel like fat boy heaven.

Review: Wet Shave Club

There have been a ton of changes to the way men shave over the years, and there have been hundreds of patents filed trying to make a better and more expensive razor blade.  In the last year a couple of companies have tried to fight the tide of rising prices by introducing shave clubs, most notably dollarshaveclub.com.  I came across Wet Shave Club and was intrigued by their idea.  Instead of reinventing the razor blade, their idea is to bring shaving back to its roots.

In 1880 the first safety razor was patented, for the first time putting a safety comb over the top of the blade to prevent accidental cuts.  Wet Shave Club said "Double edged razor blades are just pennies a piece and available world wide, why not start a shave club that uses that instead of fighting it?" and they are onto something.

The Wet Shave Club starter pack includes a safety razor, blades, shaving brush, shaving soap, and astringent to help with nicks.

Here's how it works.  For $29.95 a month you get a starter kit (pictured above) which includes a safety razor, blades, shaving brush, shaving soap, and astringent sticks.  The starter kit also includes shaving instructions for those who have never shaved with a brush and safety razor before.  After that you get a box delivered every month with an assortment of shaving soaps, blades, after shave, and other shaving products.

If you are tired of spending way too much on razors and looking to get back to an easier and better shaving experience, give Wet Shave Club a try.

Review: LyveHome Photo and Video Manager

I received an advanced edition of the LyveHome Photo and Video Manager a week ago, and have been putting it through it's paces for the last few days.  It is a local network connected appliance that serves as a backup for all of your pictures and home video files.  Rather than your data being in the cloud where it can be hacked, it resides in your home on your local network giving you security and only uses the cloud to authenticate and locate the device to send your pictures to it.  When you have the application running on your iOS, Android, Mac, or PC device it uploads any new picture and home video to the internal 2TB HDD.  This allows you to access the data files from any other authorized device.

Hardware

The appliance itself is quite slick.  The device has a 5 inch touch screen display with an SD card slot on the side and USB port on the rear for data transfer from portable media.  It also has an HDMI port and audio out jack for connection to your entertainment center for picture or video playback.  It will connect wirelessly via 802.11 b/g/n, and also has Gigabit ethernet for connection directly to your router if you need it.

The rear of the LyveHome has the ethernet, HDMI, USB, Headphone, and power ports

Software

The LyveHome has very basic software built in, managing it's connection to the network and the LyveHome server for authentication.  It also keeps track of the amount of space used my pictures and video on the internal drive.  

Screen 1 of 4: The default display can show either sample pictures or scroll through your uploaded images.Screen 2 of 4: The status screen displays the amount of space remaining and number of pictures and videos stored on the device.Screen 3 of 4: The device screen shows you all of the devices authorized to transfer to and from the LyveHomeScreen 4 of 4: The final screen is the settings screen, where you control brightness, which images are displayed on the main screen, and your network and other settings.

 The software for iOS is also very basic.  When you first open it you are asked to either create or sign into an existing Lyve account.  Once that is accomplished the software asks for permission to access your camera roll.  If given access it starts processing your pictures and uploading them to the LyveHome.  The settings screen gives you the ability to toggle auto-import, upload over cellular data, and a power upload feature which prevents your device from going to sleep while transferring (transfer stops when the iOS device goes into standby).

Top of settings pageBottom of settings pageThe software for the Mac is pretty similar. The software will automatically detect iPhoto and Aperture libraries and copy them, and then allows you to specify other folders to have pictures automatically copied from when the software detects they are added.

The Lyve Desktop software for MacSummary

In all the software makes it easy and the device is great if you have a large quantity of photos and videos to keep a-hold of.  The idea of having everything local instead of in the cloud I'm of mixed opinion about.  While for my family, with multiple iPhones taking pictures and photos and videos for the web sites on multiple computers and cameras, I don't know that it makes as much sense for most families.  Cloud storage is more convenient for most people, and doesn't require connection to a local device.  While intended for the home, I really see this as being of more value to home office and small business customers with multiple users and content they need to keep secure.  The only value it has to the average family is as a way for everyone to share photos without them being uploaded to the web where photos can be accessed by others.