How to Be a Real Man

Character, duty, standards and the things nobody sat you down and explained.

The BRO Code. What to do, what not to do, and a few laughs on the way.

Read a tape measure in one glance, sixteenths and all

Stop counting little lines from the inch mark. Read off the landmarks, call it like the crew does, and quit wasting lumber.

GuideGarden & YardSam OrtizOct 5, 20266 min

A Kid's Garden Needs a Win by Week Four

Tomatoes and pumpkins lose kids by July. Radishes, bush beans and one giant sunflower keep them coming back out the door.

Ask BRO

Pressure-test my business idea

Ask it

StoryHistoryDean ShawOct 4, 20267 min

The Wright Brothers Flew for Five Years Before the World Believed It

Kitty Hawk was the easy part. The hard part was the cow pasture, the newspapers that yawned, and the years they chose not to fly at all.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

PartnerCancerDefying.com

Home7 min read

Caulk a tub and a window so nobody can tell you did it

A pro-looking caulk line has almost nothing to do with a steady hand. It comes down to what you do before the gun ever comes out.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

GuideGarden & YardNina CastellanOct 5, 20266 min

Water-Bath Canning Lives or Dies on the Acid

Jam, pickles and tomatoes are the safe starting point for home canning, but only if you get the acid right. Grandma's method won't cover it.

StoryHistoryMarcus ValeOct 4, 20266 min

The Railway Canada Couldn't Afford and Built Anyway

A young country promised a train to the Pacific, nearly went broke keeping its word, and finished five years early. Not everyone was thanked.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

PartnerCoconut.com

GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseWes DunbarOct 3, 20267 min

Fire Without Matches Is a Tinder Problem, Not a Spark Problem

A ferro rod, a bow drill and a 9-volt battery will all make fire. Only one should be your plan, and none of them work without the boring part.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next two weeks.

GuideGarden & YardWes DunbarOct 5, 20267 min

Save Tomato and Bean Seed First and Leave the Squash Alone

Seed saving is easy with the right five crops and a jar of stinking tomato goo. Pick the wrong ones and next summer gets weird.

StoryHistoryMarcus ValeOct 3, 20267 min

The Pony Express Went Broke Delivering the Mail on Time

For eighteen months, kids on fast horses beat the clock across 1,900 miles of open country. The company lost a fortune doing it. The ride was worth it.

Ask BRO

Rehearse the raise conversation with me

Ask it

GuideSkillsCal BrennanOct 3, 20267 min

Four emergencies, and the instinct that makes each one worse

Bleeding, burns, choking and sprains each come with one obvious move that's wrong. Learn the right one now, while nobody's hurt.

Dude.com — 16 AI advisers who listen, talk and are here with you

PartnerDude.com

GuideGarden & YardNina CastellanOct 5, 20267 min

Your Rosemary Died Because You Treated It Like Basil

Four kitchen herbs, two completely different gardens. Split them up and you'll stop buying the plastic clamshell at the grocery store.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

StoryHistoryDean ShawOct 3, 20266 min

Wash Day, the Iceman and the Lamp Chimney Nobody Misses

Three machines took apart the American week your great-grandmother lived. The real story of how they got into the kitchen is better than the myth.

GuideCan You Fix ItWes DunbarOct 3, 20267 min

Hang a Pre-Hung Door So It Doesn't Drift Open at 2 a.m.

Most bad door installs get decided before the first nail. Diagnose the opening, set the hinge side first, and the latch takes care of itself.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

PartnerShirts.com

GuideGarden & YardWes DunbarOct 5, 20267 min

Skip the Bucket and Grow Your Potatoes in a Bag

Bed, bag or bucket? One clearly wins, one is a trap, and the timing matters more than the container. What it costs and what goes wrong.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

StoryHistoryDean ShawOct 3, 20266 min

The Can Came Almost Fifty Years Before the Can Opener

The zipper, the lawnmower and the can opener all took two men: one with the idea and a second, stubborn one who made it actually work.

GuideCan You Fix ItWes DunbarOct 3, 20267 min

Sweating a Copper Joint Is Mostly About Getting the Water Out

The torch is the easy part. A dry pipe and clean metal decide whether the joint holds, and most first-timers skip both.

Ask BRO

Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

Ask it

GuideGarden & YardWes DunbarOct 5, 20267 min

Peppers Want Warm Feet, So Plant Them Later Than You Think

Most pepper plants fail before they're two weeks in the ground. The fix costs about ten dollars and a little patience.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

PartnerGermProof.com

StoryHistoryMarcus ValeOct 3, 20266 min

The Flour Sack Dress and the Neighbors Who Fed Each Other

Our grandparents didn't get through the 1930s on grit alone. They had a system: the garden, the sewing box and the family next door.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

Older articles

Older Be a Man stories