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Flipping through The Manual: Bluegrass belts, castles, alpine fly fishing gear

Burned out on apps, keys and screens? Improve your analog life this weekend! Digital Trends’ brother site The Manual exists to give men straight-up advice, from unspoken suit rules you need to know, to the latest in fashion, food, drink, travel, grooming and culture. Here are a few of our favorite stories to appear on The Manual lately.

Get your royal warrior fantasy on at Dromoland Castle

Get your royal warrior fantasy on at Dromoland Castle
Dromoland Castle Image used with permission by copyright holder

Every man dreams of his own castle, so if Ireland is your destination, Dromoland Castle is the place to stay.

Read the full story on The Manual

Blow your dinner guests away with homemade tortellini

Blow your dinner guests away with homemade tortellini
FPWing/Shutterstock Image used with permission by copyright holder

Are you looking to get into the cooking game? Check out this brief guide on how to make tortellini, courtesy of Bluehour’s Chef Kyo Koo.

Read the full story on The Manual

On your feet: Greats keeps the hits rolling with The Royale 2.0

On Your Feet: Greats keeps the hits rolling with The Royale 2.0
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Greats brand swapped out some lighter, more breathable materials for summer, and dressed their flagship shoe in smooth Italian leather. It’s an easy choice for summer kicks.

Read the full story on The Manual

Bluegrass Belts: Must have accessory

Bluegrass Belts: Must have accessory
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Bring a little bit of Kentucky’s equine culture into your wardrobe. You’ll wear this belt all the time!

Read the full story on The Manual

Pack it in: Alpine fly fishing

Pack it in: Alpine fly fishing
Kevin Cass/Shutterstock Image used with permission by copyright holder

We took some advice from some alpine fly fishing experts at a local fly shop in Salt Lake and headed for some high mountain lakes in the Uinta Range’s Naturalist Basin in search of monster rainbow and cutthroat trout recently, and found a paradise of glacier fed lakes and twelve-thousand foot peaks.

Read the full story on The Manual

Booze Tripper, St. Augustine: Where you should drink when on vacation

Booze Tripper, St. Augustine: Where you should drink when on vacation
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’re going to vacation in Florida, you should know where you’re going to drink before you leave. The St. Augustine Distillery has got you covered.

Read the full story on The Manual

Digital Trends Staff
Digital Trends has a simple mission: to help readers easily understand how tech affects the way they live. We are your…
The best HP laptops to buy in 2023
HP Spectre x360 13.5 front angled view showing display and keyboard deck.

HP offers several excellent laptop lines that are tailored for professionals, traveling, and student use, and it generally makes great all-purpose laptop models for those who want dependability and performance. HP laptops show up on our best laptops and best 2-in-1s lists, among others. However, picking and customizing an HP laptop can be a confusing process for newcomers, and it's not always immediately clear what differences mark the various HP lines, nor which is the best pick.

Allow us to make the choice easier with our list of the best HP laptops available in 2023, and an explanation of what each model excels at.

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The best smart light bulbs
best sunrise alarm clocks philips wake up light

Smart bulbs do more than turn on and off when you clap your hands. Upgrading your home with smart bulbs can reduce your energy consumption. You can use your phone to turn your lights on and off remotely or use a smart home device to create an automated schedule for your lights. Smart bulbs typically come with additional features like adjustable brightness or colors.

Shopping for smart bulbs can be confusing if you’re not familiar with home automation. When you are ready to make the switch from traditional bulbs to smart ones, our guide can help you decide what the best choice for your home and lifestyle is. They use very little energy, and they are available at different price points.

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The best cheap smart bulbs
Sengled smart bulb in dining room.

Smart lighting has taken over. With just a single smart bulb and some Wi-Fi (and maybe a little help from Alexa), you can transform a drab and dim living room into a pulsating, kaleidoscopic disco. OK, maybe that’s a bit extreme. Smart lighting truly is an awesome investment for any home, though. Smart lighting can increase your home security, help cut down on your energy bill, and be customized to adapt and change with your lifestyle. In terms of investment, though, major smart lighting starter kits can tend to be on the pricey side.

Thankfully, there are a number of great companies that make budget smart bulbs and lighting systems that work just as well as some of the big brands, but at a fraction of the cost. Which budget smart lights are worth buying? We’ve put together a working list of some of the best budget lights out there and what we love about them.

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