There was a time when first dates often meant sweaty palms and plenty of nervousness. Not only did people agonize about where to go and how much to cram into a date, they also wondered about making a first impression with what to wear.

Over time, the concept of dating has changed. Where face-to-face interaction when meeting was the way to plan a first date, a lot of times first dates are planned in front of a computer. There is a chance you have exchanged pictures, but a lot of the planning is done with messages back and forth.

Most dating websites have downplayed the art of dressing up. Instead, dressing down, or casual, has become normal. If your first date happens to be a sporting event, then you won’t want to wear a suit or a dress to the occasion. Meeting for a drink or a meal? Now there is where you want to make the impression.

Here are some ways for both men and women to impress the opposite sex and increase the chances of a love connection:

1. Dress the part

Men, if you are taking a date to a restaurant that isn’t swanky yet is impressive, then you won’t likely need the suit-and-tie route. A nice shirt and a pair of dress pants or khakis will do the trick. More formal first dates for men are when you bring out the Brooks Brothers men’s suits so you can look your best and show your sharp dressing style. For women, a nice blouse and pants will work out for less-formal occasions. Dinner at a very nice restaurant involves breaking out the evening dress, or maybe you go the three-piece suit route if you are in a corporate job. With a little transformation, a daytime suit can easily become a nighttime outfit.

2. Accessorize

For the men, a nice watch or a small necklace looks good on an outfit. Make sure it goes well with what you are wearing at dinner. An extravagant watch may look out of place on a mid-priced outfit and may draw attention away from you. For women the rules are the same. Don’t overdress with plenty of jewelry. Wear something simple around the neck and ears and maybe one or two rings on your hand.

3. Finish the Look

Not only does this involve proper hygiene, with fingers and exposed skin washed and cleaned thoroughly, it involves what you wear to complete the outfit. Men should wear comfortable socks with shoes. Make sure the socks and shoes aren’t too tight. There’s no use gazing at your first date while you wonder about blisters at the end of the night. Women should wear appropriate heels with their outfit. Don’t wear spike heels with a conservative dress, for example. Make sure the look completes itself. And yes, ladies, it is acceptable again to wear hosiery with an outfit. If you do, match the look of the hose to the outfit and its accessories (purse, etc.). They always say one color makes you look better, if not slimmer.

4. A Little Too Much Fragrance?

Be sensitive to your date’s needs. This means don’t splash on too much cologne or perfume. A little fragrance dabbed on certain areas of the body goes a long way toward impressing the opposite sex. A lot of fragrance can trigger sensitive noses at a table, not to mention other tables might notice.

5. A Fresh Ending

This is not so much a dressing tip but a tip about how to end the night. This falls under accessories. Have a mint or something fresh ready that you can sneak into a purse or pocket. Breath spray works just as well. This will help you in the event the first date ends in a kiss or you feel the need to share a smooch during the night’s activity.

According to Mayan prophecy, the world is set to expire on December 21, 2012. With only 4 1/2 weeks (and counting) to the end of the world, Old Spice has recruited arguably the best defender of all-time – NBA legend and global ambassador Dikembe Mutombo – to save the planet from its impending peril!

In a new digital campaign launched last week promoting its Champion scent, “Dikembe Mutombo’s 4 1/2 Weeks to Save the World” is a real-time, embeddable digital video game where Mutombo will embark on weekly globe-saving missions based on current news happening and events (featured in the narrative and gameplay) that could be considered signs that the Apocalypse is coming.

Bullz-Eye: Tell us about the game. According to the site you have 4 1/2 weeks to save the world before the end of the Mayan calendar, correct?

Dikembe Mutombo: I team up with Old Spice to promote the computer game and we have to save the world in 4 1/2 weeks. Also to promote Champion scent from Old Spice. It’s a wonderful game for everybody to play.

Bullz-Eye: The concept is you’re going to defeat your rivals and save the world. Is there any way you could save everyone on Earth except for my ex-wife?

DM: (Laughing) We have to save the entire world. We’re going to save the world because the Mayan calendar says it will end in four and a half weeks. And we’re going to do our best to stay alive.

BE: If you could just reject her head to like the 10^th row, I’d really appreciate it. Just like you’re blocking Shaq.

DM: (Laughing) You’re funny man. It’s like blocking a shot and if I could, I’d send it all the way to the 10th row, no problem.

BE: Let’s talk about Georgetown. You played there with Alonzo Mourning and a lot of other great players. Why couldn’t you and Zo win a national title?

DM: Man, that is a major question that will haunt us for the rest of our lives. We had a chance and ultimately went to the NBA to become dominant centers and we had opportunities to win in college. The opportunity was there, and we just didn’t do it.

BE: This may not be a basketball question, but it’s become an internet meme, and we’ve got to ask you about “Who wants to sex Mutombo?” story.

DM: That story is not true. I don’t know who came up with that story. Nobody ever said who was there at the party with me, who was out with me. First of all, when I came to Georgetown, I didn’t know English. So why would my mind come across like that? Plus, playing for Coach Thompson, one of the most disciplined coaches in college, he was very strict and knew where we were every night. Somebody asked me about it once and I said it was a made-up story. When you’re awesome, beautiful, tall, whatever, people will try to make up stories about you.

BE: How did the finger wave come to be your signature move?

DM: It happened after my 3rd year, just before we beat the Seattle Supersonics in the 1994 NBA playoffs. I was having such a great year and blocking shots and I was moving up in the league. I used to block the shot and then I would shake my hand and no one said nothing. One day, I decided shaking the hand doesn’t really mean nothing, maybe the best way not to come into the House of Mutombo is to wave my finger, so it worked out very cool. But it ended up getting me a lot of technicals.

BE: How did the NBA come to ban that? Did Does David Stern call you personally?

DM: It came from the players. You would hear from someone like Phil Jackson or something, that maybe you better stop what you’re doing it’s costing a lot of money. It was good for me to do in the players face, but if I could face the fans and wave my finger away from the players face, it would be great. That’s why you see in the last 5 years you can see I started doing it away from the players face. So I don’t have to lose a couple of thousand dollars.

BE: Was there anybody you loved to do it to where it was worth losing a couple thousand bucks?

DM: There were a lot of players who did it to me. Yes, a few players who had a chance to dunk on me. Like Michael Jordan in the playoffs, he had a big dunk and waved his finger at me. But he got a technical foul.

BE: Who was your favorite NBA player to block?

DM: That’s a good question. To me, not just one particular player. But I think playing against Shawn Kemp… he was such a high jumping, athletic player.

BE: Skinny 200 pound Shawn Kemp? Or fat 300 pound Shawn Kemp?

DM: (Laughing) Come on man! I don’t know what new Shawn Kemp looks like now, because I haven’t seen him in a while, but old Shawn Kemp!

BE: How gratifying was it to be the first eight-seed to beat a one-seed when your Nuggets beat Kemp’s Sonics in 1994?

DM: One of my proudest successes of my career. But I’m happy to promote the Old Spice game now. I want everyone to go to the website and play the game to save the world. We only have four and a half weeks, so we better do it.

Play the game “Dikembe Mutombo’s 4 1/2 Weeks to Save the World” and buy Old Spice Champion Scent here.

Old Spice’s fans and casual video gamers will also play a major role in helping save the universe. All points earned and submitted over the duration of the 4 1/2-week game will power a wood carver engineered to draw additional rings on the Mayan Calendar.

Is facial hair making a comeback? You catch a new episode of IFC’s ultimate facial hair faceoff reality series “Whisker Wars” tonight at 10pm ET/PT.

Going on a first date with a chick can be nerve racking, especially when the first date materializes on a whim at the prompting of your prospective lady, out of the blue. You’re not going to say no because your schedule is a little tight, are you? Shit no you’re not. You’ve been working this angle for some time now and the time is right.

You’ve got to react and you’ve got to react fast. In a time like this, you need maximum power in a limited amount of time. Every move has to be concise, swift, with purpose and direction — like a ninja.

So, after several sets of push-ups over a limited span of time to pump up my upper body prior to our meeting, I needed something else to really put me over the top; a secret weapon if you will. And I don’t mean an Ed Hardy shirt.

It was at this moment that I unsheathed my potential partner in grime: Speed Stick Power. The new Speed Stick Power antiperspirant/deodorant series is predicated on keeping guys fresh and “all-day dry.” Speed Stick Power guarantees 24-hour protection while drenching your date in the scent of clean, crisp, educated, ample manliness. Put simply, this isn’t Pat Sajak’s deodorant.

The kind of man you are (or the man you present yourself to be during your romantic, ahem, campaigns) will help determine your chosen scent. Speed Stick has provided you with a total of six alter egos: Fresh, Energy Surge, Ultimate Sport, Fresh Gel, Ultimate Sport Gel and Unscented.

Ultimate Sport lends itself to some pick-up basketball at the Y with your crew. Or, maybe some intense cardiovascular exercise with your special lady, even. Ultimate Sport Gel is a gel that is uninhibited, unfettered and free, for when you’re fighting for rebounds and swinging your elbows like Jim Carrey in “The Cable Guy.” Unscented is more for a Sunday in recovery, when you want the funk to flow a little bit, but in a non-offensive, natural, 1970’s white afro kind of way. You are a man, after all, and ladies like a little musk every now and again.

Fresh Gel is the most outgoing of the bunch, so bust out your glow sticks and let the all-out assault on the dance floor begin. Energy Surge gives you that “little push over the top of the cliff” when you just don’t think “you can get to 11” all by yourself.

But Fresh is the scent that I used on this day, and I can tell you that after the conversation, games of footsie, and slight PDA, it was there for me when we were in public, adding to my overall scent appeal. And later, when tension rose like a cresting wave at high tide, then crashed upon the shore penetrating the sandy coast and punishing it into submission, I was dry.

Whoa. Check out Speed Stick power here and step your scent game up.

We tried out the new Philips Norelco SensoTouch 3D electric razor and right away we noticed some improvements. First, the numeric LED display on the front of the razor comes up as soon as you turn it on, and right away you know how many more minutes of charge you have left up to 60 minutes. It also alerts you about cleaning and replacement heads. The also added suction cups at the bottom of the charging unit so that it stays put on the counter.

More importantly, however, is that the unit still sports the GyroFlex design which makes for a very comfortable shave. The round heads flex, pivot and tilt to make it easy to move the razor around your face and easily hit each spot. This design sets this electric razor apart and we think most guys will love it.

The razor has many other features as well. The UltraTrack heads are built to capture hairs of all sizes for the most effective shave. It’s also a wet & dry shaver and has a skin friendly precision trimmer for you sideburns. Finally, the EasyGrip design makes this electric razor very easy to use as it fits perfectly in your hand.

This is a premium razor and makes an excellent gift for any guy on your list, including yourself!