Lifestyle

Give the epicureans on your shopping list something to savor with these tasteful gifts

Belly up

What’s better than bacon? How about bacon as often as you want it? This pork-happy dream can be a reality with Tender Belly, the bacon specialists who use vegetarian-fed pedigreed heritage pigs from sustainable Iowan family farms to create their flavorful, fine-restaurant-quality signature thick slices of yummy bacon – with no antibiotics, no nitrates, now available via a monthly subscription. Order up a three-month subscription ($177) of four pounds of glorious, delicious dry-cured and cherrywood-smoke bacon shipped door-to-door at the beginning of each month. Or, for smaller appetites, order strips by the pound ($14.75).

Bake by numbers

The baking beginner on your list will feel like an accomplished chef with Scratch and Grain baking company kits. These color-coded ready-to-bake kits make homemade baking fun and easy. Just follow the step-by-step instructions and whip up delicious treats made with organic, high quality ingredients. Kits cost between $5.49 and $8.49 and include snickerdoodle, classic sugar cookies and limited-edition holiday sugar cookies. Other cookie kits include chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, gluten-free chocolate truffle, and chewy peanut butter gluten-free. There’s also cupcake kits and organic pumpkin markets. Available at www.scratchandgrain.com

Cool beans

Stock up the foodie on your list, with mixes for soups, chili and baking like Old-Fashioned Chili Mix ($5.95) , Chocolate Brownie Mix ($5.95) , Golden Cornbread mix ($3.95) or Gourmet Popcorn kits ($5.95) from the Women’s Bean Project. Each product is lovingly handmade by women who support themselves and their families through their work for this philanthropic-minded company that gives opportunities to disadvantaged women. Gift baskets and other items like dog treats are also available from www.womensbeanproject.com.

Hostess helper

Your hostess with the most-est will appreciate your gift of exquisite desserts and treats from Matthews 1812. Baked in Connecticut-based and shipped nationwide, these delicious serving-size party pleasers, like Bourbon Pecan Minis ($20) or Bourbon Fig Cake )$33), are the perfect hostess gift, or great for serving at your own holiday gathering.

Meat me

Carnivores will salivate for delicious and tender steaks from Greensbury, a dedicated leader in the grass-fed movement, with its origins in the Amish farms of Pennsylvania and now ranching in Texas, Ohio, New Mexico and Illinois. This beef-by-mail company delivers exceedingly high-quality meat products from cattle raised humanely and sustainably, free of hormones, steroids and antibiotics. The taste and quality of the meat comes from careful cutting, vacuum sealing and boxing of the meat, using only natural enzymes and a 21- to 28-day wet aging process. The company also sells premium seafood, pork, lamb, poultry and game products. Two six-ounce fillet mignon steaks cost $43.99. Subscriptions offer a reduced cost for regular customers.

Save a trip to the mall by filling up your virtual shopping cart with these great gifts

The holidays should be a season of joy, not a marathon of stressful shopping. Make it easy on yourself and order up these sure-to-please gifts, all available online – and in stores – if you must, for everyone on your list.

Knead a break

“I don’ like massages,” said nobody, ever. It’s true, everyone likes to get massages, so treat yourself and your family to luxurious massages that will make everyone feel good with HoMedics Fold-Away Massaging Shiatsu Lounge Chair ($399). Sit back and relax while this comfy no-assembly-required lounge chair kneads the neck, shoulder, back and legs in an immersive deep-kneading shiatsu massage experience, with an option to apply soothing heat, all controlled with a programmed remote. The seat adjusts for different height levels and features three massage zones that concentrate on different areas, so every family member can enjoy a massage to their liking. When not in use, the chair folds compactly for easy storage. Available online at Bed Bath & Beyond or at store locations.

It’s anyone’s game

Before you know it, the weather will be warm again, so give the airheads in your life the ultimate flying disc game, KanJam, so they can brush up on their dinger and deuce skills. A favorite collegiate game that has made its way to schools, parks, campgrounds, beaches and backyards everywhere, this disc tossing game has its own lingo and has inspired leagues and national tournaments for championship titles. Equipment consists of two clip together bottomless buckets and a disc, making this game easy to pack and play anywhere.  $39.99 on Amazon and at retailers nationwide.

The keys to love

Sentimentalists will cherish the Giving Key Classic Key Necklace ($42), the gift that keeps on giving and inspiring. Originating with a caring gesture symbolized by a New York hotel room key, the Classic Necklace is the signature token of the brand’s collection of imprinted keys that symbolize the Pay-It-Forward concept of passing on the gift of a good deed or giving support to a person in need. Available at www.thegivingkeys.com.

Wear-ever clothes

Outdoorsy types on your list will love Craghoppers style, the rugged yet fashionable and comfortable clothing line that is versatile enough to go from the campfire to a casual dinner. For women, the jeans-style Ester pants ($70) are made from fabulously stretchy skinny cord fabric and are practical and agile to pair with a variety of tops. For men, the Kiwi Classic Thermic Jacket ($140) is a perfect ally on chilly days, with a waterproof outer layer and high-loft insulated lining that keeps out the cold in style. Available at www.craghoppers.com.

Kids Rock

Inspire budding geologists with Hearthsong’s  Dr. Cool Giant Geode ($19.98, ages 6 and up) which includes one of the largest geodes available anywhere, for kids to crack open and discover the beautiful crystal formation hidden inside. It’s the best way to explore geode treasure, just like geodes found in the desert for a volcanic ash bed. The kit includes educational information and instructions for breaking open the geode, which is a great way to start or build up a rock collection. Available at www.heartsong.com. As a feel-good bonus, when consumers purchase a STEM toy from HearthSong before December 11, 2017, and Bayer will donate the full value of that toy to Toys for Tots to buy STEM toys from HearthSong at a discount and donate up to $250,000.

Warm feet

Know anyone with cold feet? Warm their heart, and feet, with Heat Holders ($9.99-$20.99), touted as the world’s warmest thermal socks, that will keep their toes toasty in luxurious comfort, whether they are sitting around the ski lodge or lounging at home. These thick and cozy socks, made with a specially developed heavy bulk yarn and long pile cushioning, are designed to trap warm air close to the skin keeping your feet warmer for longer. Heat Holders also makes awesomely warm hats, scarves, thermal underwear and throw blankets. Available at www.heatholders.com.

Tri this

Photography buffs on-the-go can get steady shots wherever they shoot with the MeFOTO Backpacker Air ($125), a tripod that is lighter and smaller than most professional styles but comes loaded with high-performance features. Ideal for smartphones, compact cameras, action cameras and small mirrorless cameras, it features a removable selfie stick with a Bluetooth remote, and it comes in several stylish colors. Available at www.mefoto.com.

As the surge in cyber shopping and social media influence on buying decisions has proven to retailers, the landscape for those selling goods and services has altered dramatically in the past few years. No longer do companies have the opportunities interact face-to-face with their customers or even communicate with them on the phone.

To compete in the new paradigm, companies that understand the rapidly evolving manner in which consumers, influencers, and companies share information are quickly adopting subscription-based revenue models to measure customer experiences and predict business growth will be the ones that survive and thrive.

Those who utilize this type of customer success platform are developing and maintaining valuable loyal customer relations. Whatever business a company is involved in, relationships are key to success. To develop meaningful and loyal relationships, companies need to understand the user behavior of their customers and they need to engage them and anticipate their future needs.

To achieve customer success, companies must monitor customer health indicators and chart a course for correction so they can identify and drive new revenue opportunities. They also need to uncover customer needs to prevent user frustration, and they need to speak to customers when and where they are most likely to listen.

When a company follows these tenets, they can accelerate a customer’s journey from adoption to advocacy, thereby assuring their customer understands and appreciates their value proposition, which will optimize the company’s return on its investment.

Many technology platforms, such as Salesforce, Zendesk, #Slack and Gainsight have made the job of organizations and their sales associates easier, but to fully integrate these platforms and make them applicable to a business, there must be meaningful analysis and then action to enhance or correct where a company is succeeding or failing in meeting its customers’ needs.

B2B platforms, such as UserIQ, serve more than to provide messages and alerts to customers by empowering companies to foster growth. They aid with on boarding and retention and boost expansion and advocacy by combining user intelligence, targeted engagements, and customer health to give customers what they need to be successful at any stage of their business.

The most savvy and wisest of companies are adapting quickly and utilizing the latest technology that synthesizes and analyzes big data into usable information that can help them to keep their customers and encourage their customers to not only stay loyal but to spend more and become advocates and bring new leads to the company.

For any company that has looked for solutions to counter churn, these innovative technologies are helping companies to focus on excellent customer service, production and improvement of their lines of products and services, and a better bottom line without guesswork.

As entrepreneurs and consumers move into a new era of how we buy, we are transforming the ways that we decide what and from whom to buy, companies that are adopting technology platforms will lead the way to better products and services and a better buying experience for everyone.

8 items that make the grade for studious students

It’s midterm time, and staying up until the wee hours of the morning is an unfortunate reality for hard-studying students, but pulling an all-nighter does not have to be a miserable experience. Here are a few survival items for making the hours go faster and easier when you’re cramming for a big exam or have to finish that research paper due tomorrow.

A+ lighting

Shed some light on your schoolwork with an OxyLED LED desk lamp. The OxyLED T35 (sale priced $10.27 on Amazon) is a sleek USB-powered foldaway lamp that is dimmable by touching it, and its adjustable head allows you to fold it up to save valuable real estate on your desk.

The OxyLED T36  ($23.99 on Amazon) operates on a USB-charged battery and features a long bendable neck and can clip on the edge of the desk or a bed headboard so you can kick back and shine a light anywhere you choose to study. Both lamps can be dimmed with a touch to the desired light level that is easy on your eyes and can shine just where you need light, so you won’t keep up your roommate.

Yogurt your way

When the dining hall is closed and the vending machine just won’t give you the brain food you need, grab a Siggi’s Triple Cream 9-percent milk fat Icelandic-style strained yogurt for some quick nutrition and energy, without the sugar crash. If a traditional serving container is not your cup of yogurt, Siggi’s drinkable Swedish whole milk yogurt is perfect for imbibing on the go, or for a fast pick-me-up, tuck a Siggi’s tube of strained low-fat yogurt in your backpack to squeeze in some 2-percent milkfat dairy with 5 g of sugar and 5 g of protein and only 50 calories that’ll keep you going when the studying gets tough.

Think drink

Protein means power, and Iconic Protein Drink has the formula for quick energy that is delicious and nutritious. Iconic’s convenient 11.5-ounce serving bottles can be a filling snack or even a meal replacement if time doesn’t allow for to a bite to eat. You can fuel up with 20 g of dairy protein – from grass-fed cows, 3 g of sugar and 130 calories, with no lactose, gluten, soy, carrageenan, GMOs or BPA. Iconic comes in a variety of flavors including Chocolate Truffle, Vanilla Bean and Café Au Lait. Get a sample pack of each flavor for $12.99.

Instant gratification

Want a great cup of Joe to help you make it through the night, but you don’t have time to hit a café? Indulge in a class cup of caffeine with Kuju Coffee, a one cup portable drip coffee brand that is perfect for brewing up in a dorm room. Kuju’s Pocket PourOver ready-to-brew filter anchors to your mug so you can brew craft quality coffee, without a percolator. Kuju not only tastes good, the brand does good by sourcing its beans from a family farm in Thailand that employs former sex trafficking victims, and Kuju donates 1% of sales to the National Parks Foundation. Travel 5-Pack available for $24.95 at kujucoffee.com,

Clean energy

When your reserves are running low, fuel up with the clean energy of Zevia Energy drinks, the clear carbonated energy drink in flavors like Kola, Mango Ginger and Raspberry Lime that will give you a zing with 120 mg of natural caffeine without slogging you down with sugar and mind-gunking ingredients like artificial sweeteners and coloring. While your party schedule is on hold until the last bell rings, that doesn’t mean you can’t take time for a mocktail happy hour with a Zevia zero-calorie mixer. Enjoy the straight-up flavors of Dry Lemon Lime and Ginger Beer as a deserved refresher on a study break and of course a most-excellent elixir for the celebration after you ace the test. Grab a variety 12-pack of energy 12 for $18.99 on Amazon, or shop for Zevia products at grocers nationwide.

Raise the (snack) bar

If a diet of liquid lunch has got you craving something to crunch, try Granola Cups from Nature Valley, a satisfying mix of a dry snack with a creamy filled center. Stock up with a 5-count pack of 6 for $33.63 on Amazon, or pick up a box of five-pouches (each with two cups) at Target. If your snacking style leans more to the leafy and fruity, go for a LÄRABAR Fruit and Greens bar, packed with natural nutrition in flavor combos like Pineapple Kale Cashew and Mango Spinach Cashew. Grab a four-pack for $4.99 on Amazon or at retailers nationwide including Target and Walmart.

An Appetite for appetizers

Begin your exam prep with a trip to the grocery store to stock up the freezer with Hip Chick Farms artisan organic poultry products like chicken fingers, meatballs, and sausage patties that can make quick, hot and hardy meals to get you through a long night of hitting the books. All of Hip Chick Farms’ products contain no artificial ingredients, stabilizers, preservatives or fillers and are picky-eater approved. Available at Target and other grocery stores nationwide.

The full-ride chair

Nothing will make a long night of studying longer than an uncomfortable chair, so invest in your education with a quality seat. The Modway Attainment Drafting Stool is a versatile ergonomic office chair that can rise to the occasion with an adjustable height that adapts to various desks (44” and higher) and is ideal for sit-stand desks. The caster wheels make for easy mobility, and a three-inch thick foam seat cushion, mesh back, padded flip-up arms and a foot-rest ring at the base helps keep you sitting comfy for hours. Available online at Staples.com for $141 or office supply stores nationwide.

Mild temperatures keep LA outdoor nightlife lively into fall

LA outdoor nightlife

Southern Californians don’t know how lucky they are. While East coasters are storing their patio furniture for the long winter, SoCal dwellers can enjoy shirtsleeves outdoors for months to come. Even at night, when temperatures drop to their lowest, a sweater or light coat is all one needs for a comfortable evening under the stars. So rejoice Angelenos, and enjoy the bounty of alfresco activities into autumn, such as these venues and events that define LA outdoors nightlife.

I-See-a-Bowl

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in LA who would not agree that the Hollywood Bowl is the most fabulous place to experience an outdoor concert. With a full summer series that trails into early fall, the Bowl hosts international musical headliners, such as this season’s lineup of artists including Jack Johnson, Ziggy Marley, Pentatonix, Kool & the Gang and The Village People, Blondie and Garbage, movie soundtrack sing-alongs, and of course many of world-class symphonies like the Los Angeles Philharmonic and resident Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.

Over the years the 17,500-seat amphitheater has expanded to include a number of food venues inside the complex, along with 14 beautiful picnic areas so patrons can BYO-picnic, but in addition to its unique ambience, this iconic landmark continues to be most renowned among music lovers for its phenomenal acoustics, owing to the natural hillside setting in which it resides, where sometimes coyotes can be heard howling during lulls in the music. The bowl is the kind of place that makes you glad you live in LA, and it’s worth every moment of waiting to get out of the stacked parking.

Screen time

Well into fall weekends, Cinespia, the original and the largest outdoor movie event, hosts movie nights on the lawn at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Drawing crowds of thousands, this remains one of the coolest events in LA, with guest DJs spinning tunes and throngs spreading out across the vast grassy grounds in font of Rudolph Valentino’s mausoleum, with their low-back chairs, gourmet picnic dinners and flameless candles. Film aficionados talk along with and cheer their favorite lines from modern classics like Superbad and The Princess Bride and horror flicks that seem apropos among the headstones, like Night of the Living Dead.  Get there early to stake your space with a blanket, or pay a bit more for early access and VIP reserved seating.

Another excellent outdoor movie event is Showtime’s Eat See Hear, held at unique settings around LA, including Autry Museum in Griffith Park, La Cienega Park in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles State historic Park, Rose Bowl Stadium, ROW Downtown LA, and the Santa Monica pier. This movie event boasts the largest outdoor screen in the West has a big focus on food trucks, and the Showtime sponsorship and dog friendly nature of the events distinguish it from others around town. With the variety of venues, it feels like a different event each time you go. For a slightly increased ticket price, patrons can get “Fashionably Late” seeming in the most desirable front-and-center section.

Endless summer

While the list of outdoor evening events in LA is nearly as long as the line at Pink’s on a Saturday night, other don’t-miss venues and attractions that are open into October or later, including The Greek Theatre at Griffith Park, The John Anson Ford Theatre in the Cahuenga Pass, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which hosts Jazz at LACMA through November.

Engineer creates women’s car care clinic and guide to help women perform basic car fixes and maintenance

Patrice Banks’ Girls Auto Clinic Glove Box Guide is just the kind of book my father wished I’d had when I got my first car, and second, and third, and so on. Instead of calling him up or bringing my car to my parents’ house every time I had an indicator light come on or I heard a new rattle or thump, I could’ve referred to this book and maybe even have found an easy fix I could do myself.

The guide aims to help women who are not mechanically minded to never feel powerless again by learning to maintain their ride, think like a mechanic and learn the basics so they can get down and dirty under the hood. The sassy and casual tone of the book makes it fun to learn things like what you can and can’t touch, the meaning of all those lights on your dashboard and which ones you can ignore, how to change a flat tire, correctly jumpstart a car, and first aid for your engine if it overheats. Tips also include the signs when it’s time to get a new vehicle.

The book has lots of easy-to-follow instructions with illustrations, tips, tricks and information that the author says every woman must know about her car to make her a confident driver and smart consumer. Banks, the founder of Girls Auto Clinic, worked for 12 years as an engineer and then went back to school to learn auto repair and began leading car care workshops. She now runs an auto repair shop/salon outside Philadelphia staffed by female mechanics. Girls Auto Clinic is published by Simon and Schuster, available on Amazon in paperback for $17.

Unabashed non non-fattening sub and burger restaurant serves up what every bro wants

As the name Fat Sal’s Deli implies, you would not expect to find quinoa salads and kale here. This is a burger and sub joint. And also chili, and shakes. The subs are, well, fat, some of them filled with everything but the kitchen sink. If you think I’m exaggerated, get a gander of the Fat Jerry, loaded with shaved rib-eye, French fries and a fried egg on top.

This is the anti-salad place. If you’re not in the mood for a sandwich, no worries, the fat fries can be a meal in themselves. Take the buffalo chicken cheese fries, which are topped with chopped chicken fingers, melted cheddar and mozzarella, buffalo hot sauce, and blue cheese dressing. Talk about a hot mess, this is a fat mess, and delicious and fattening and decadent by design.

As evidenced by the majority of the patrons being guys, this place is a bro hang out, with most of the women tagging along with their dates, though there were a few females indulging in some satisfying subs, perfect for a girls night out. For those trying to watch their figures, there is an Albacore Tuna sandwich and a token Grilled Cesar Salad option.

At the Fat Sal’s location in Hollywood, the open air patio and HD stereo system filling the air with R-rated rap music is inviting to their target crowd of urban hipsters, and the chunky concrete slab table tops, metal stools and wooden booths create fitting ambiance for a fast casual meal of hearty hamburgers and subs. It’s a place one can enjoy going to occasionally, but if you made it a habit, you wouldn’t be able to get out the door.

The latest in compact tripods comes loaded with features, including a selfie stick

The MeFOTO Road Trip Air tripod with built-in selfie stick is a great option for serious photographers that want a steady shot but need portability and options for a full-on SLR camera or a smart phone camera, to adapt to the shooting situation.

The tripod features a convenient click-and-lock system for the legs and center column. It took a few minutes to figure it out, but with a firm twist each leg section locks in place.

The ball head and pan head can also be locked or loosened to be fluid. A full-size SLR camera or other small or medium camera with a bottom screw hole can be easily mounted on and removed from the platform using the universal quick release plate.

For mobile shooting, with a twist of the collar and a knob at the bottom of the telescoping center pole, the selfie stick slides out and can be used as a mount for a smart phone with a digital remote.

The center column is also reversible using a retractable weight hook at the bottom of the center column, so that the tripod can be placed ideally for close-up photography and shooting difficult-to-reach objects.

The tripod is available in a variety of chic colors and it also comes with a super nifty and sturdy carry bag with heavy-duty dual straps and a impressively large slide lock.

For a compact tripod system, the Road Trip Air is a kit with a lot of versatility and features. While it folds up relatively small, it is still a bit weighty at 2.5 pounds, so it will fit in a backpack, but it may be more weight than you want to carry if you’re climbing Everest.

The MePhoto Road Trip Air is available on Amazon or at http://www.mefoto.com/ for $175.

Coding Jam is the latest gameplay system that teaches kids to code while they play

The other day my son commanded Google Home to play a custom playlist he had created on a Pandora. Two things occurred to me about this. First, wow. The digitally connected future vision of the The Jetsons was coming true; and then, my more mundane thought was, “That music is awful. My 10-year-old child could write better arrangements,” and thanks to Osmo, he can.

Like many other kids who love video games, my son craves leveling up and learning how to improve his skills, and Osmo has harnessed this excitement in a new technology experience, Coding Jam, that allows kids to create music through basic coding. Using colored building blocks and a system that interacts with an iPad or iPhone, kids can arrange and play musical notes in strings and sequences to write their own tunes.

The coding system, designed for kids 5-12, was created by former Google techs as the next generation of award-winning Osmo STEAM-fueled hand-on gameplay that helps children learn valuable coding skills that they can build upon to understand more complex coding, i.e., become the next genius engineers to save the world, or at least they can have fun and create some cool music.

The system works by helping kids learn music fundamentals such as chord progressions, leading into patterns and sequences. As they get to know coding’s creative side, they develop an ear for rhythm, melody and harmony. And more good news for parents: new research finds that high-school students who studied music appreciation scored 61 points better on their verbal SATs and 42 points better on their math SATs.

Once their arrangements are composed, kids can safely share their jammer mixes with family and friends. As they build the system with more blocks, they can create literally millions of combinations and programming options.

Here’s a short glimpse at what the experience is like: https://youtu.be/E9eAMARTnAk.

Osmo system are available at Amazon, Target, ToysRUs and online at the Osmo store.