This may not rival The Da Vinci Code as a page-turning thriller, but it was a pretty fascinating read for us...given that our entire business is centered around men. Three trend spotters -- Marian Salzman, Ira Matathia, and Ann O'Reilly -- document in detail some of the major social changes affecting The Future of Men. Consider the following:

• Socio-psychological shifts mean that, in much of the Western world at least, the female's need for the male has decreased to the point at which his most important function is biological (the ability to procreate). And even that can be outsourced...
• As we evolve toward a more global, information-centered society, the stereotypical markers of a man - physical strength and a hunter-and-warrior psyche - have become less relevant...
• Media stereotypes of the contemporary male tend to be negative, very often depicting men as inept buffoons...
• Men are finding they have to learn new tricks in order to attract a life partner -- or at least, the caliber of partner they want to attract...
• Where women talk about individual empowerment, men are feeling less empowered, even emasculated. Where is the line drawn between emotionally vulnerable and plain old pathetic? Which aspects of chivalry get dates and which the evil eye? What the &%$#@ do women want?

While the mass media gloms on to buzzwords like "metrosexual" or "NASCAR Dad" for shorthand, this book gives the complexity of today's man the attention he deserves, and hits the nail on the head for its main arguments; it even includes an interesting anecdote about the precipitous decline in hammer sales.

For us, the future is clear: more golfing, drinking, smoking, gambling, and living every day like it's our last. May the force be with you.