Month: November 2016

If you managed to get your hands on the new Nintendo NES Classic today, consider yourself lucky. Like a scene out of the mid-1980s, the miniature game system—which comes pre-loaded with 30 classic video games—is flying off store shelves before it even touches them. While we can’t promise you’ll find one in your stocking this holiday season, we can share these fun facts about your favorite NES games.

1. THE KONAMI CODE’S ORIGINS ARE IN GRADIUS.

Way back in 1985, Kazuhisa Hashimoto was working on the arcade game Gradius. Because he didn’t want to actually play the whole game during the testing process, he developed a little shortcut that gave him a full set of power-ups, letting him live long enough to easily get to where he needed to without dying. When the game went live in 1986, the code was still there. To get full power-ups, all a player had to do was enter the code up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A.

The trick caught on, and soon, the so-called “Konami Code” could be found in a number of arcade and video games. Most notably, it gave you 30 extra lives in Contra. This super-secret (…or not) code has a special place in the hearts of geeks who have since grown up and used the insider code in websites, in movies, and on TV shows.

2. SUPER C USED A DIFFERENT CODE.

The original Contra was famous for featuring the Konami Code (Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start) to score a player 30 lives. For whatever reason, Super C, the Contra sequel, instead used the code Right, Left, Down, Up, A, B, Start, which only gave a player 10 lives.

3. BALLOON FIGHT WAS ONE OF SATORU IWATA’S FIRST PROJECTS.

Balloon Fight was one of the first games the late Satoru Iwata worked on as he began his career at Nintendo. He later went on to become Nintendo’s president and CEO, presiding over the launches of the Nintendo DS and Wii.

4. BUBBLE BOBBLE IS GOOD FOR YOUR BRAIN.

Bubble Bobble may seem rudimentary by today’s video game standards, but it proved that video games can be good for the brain. Educators praised the game’s ability to help kids overcome developmental challenges with its focus on problem-solving, strategy, and motor skills.

5. PIZZA INSPIRED PAC-MAN.

It’s not easy to create a game based solely on the concept of eating. But Namco employee Toru Iwatani did just that in 1980 by taking the idea of a pizza with a slice missing, and then having it eat a bunch of dots while being chased by ghosts in a maze. (Iwatani has also said that the shape is a rounded version of the square Japanese character for “mouth.”) The name of the game, Pakkuman, was inspired by the Japanese onomatopoeia, “paku-paku,” which describes the sound of eating, similar to the English word “chomp.” As the game was brought to market, the title morphed into Puck Man.

But when Puck Man made his way to North America there was concern that the arcade cabinets would be vandalized by making the P into an F to spell something entirely different. A compromise was reached and the game became known as Pac-Man instead. Thanks to the American marketing machine, the name Pac-Man was eventually adopted for the game all over the world.

6. AN ORIGINAL COPY OF CASTLEVANIA IS WORTH SOME SERIOUS CASH.

The Dracula-based video game Castlevania is particularly valuable these days. Sealed versions of the game sell for upwards of $900, depending on the condition. Original Nintendo NES editions of Castlevania and Castlevania 2 have sold for more than $950.

7. ICE CLIMBER GAVE BIRTH TO SUPER MARIO BROS.

Ice Climber was the first game that Kazuaki Morita worked on. He would go on to refine the game’s formula for his next title at Nintendo: Super Mario Bros., where the action moved horizontally instead of vertically.

8. THE REAL MARIO WAS A LANDLORD, NOT A PLUMBER.

During the development of Donkey Kong, Jr., a Nintendo employee reportedly pointed out that the character looked a lot like Mario Segale, the Italian landlord of Nintendo’s U.S. office. Thus, Mario was born. The original “Lady” character became “Pauline” at the same time in honor of one team member’s wife, Polly.

9. THE GAME VERSION OF MARIO WAS ORIGINALLY A CARPENTER.

In Mario’s first appearance in Donkey Kong, he was portrayed as a carpenter. But after a colleague remarked that his overalls made him look more like a plumber, legendary designer Shigeru Miyamoto changed the character’s occupation. This alteration also led to the game being set underground in the pipe-populated sewers of New York City.

10. THE NEW YORK TIMES THOUGHT MARIO AND LUIGI WERE JANITORS.

When longtime Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi passed away in 2013, The New York Times ran an obituary that quoted one of its own articles from 1988, in which Mario and Luigi were incorrectly described as janitors. On September 27, 2013—25 years after the article in question ran—the paper ran a correction:

“An obituary on Sept. 20 about Hiroshi Yamauchi, the longtime president of Nintendo, included a quotation from a 1988 New York Times article that inaccurately described the Nintendo video game Super Mario Bros. 2. The brothers Mario and Luigi, who appear in this and other Nintendo games, are plumbers, not janitors.”

11. THERE’S AN EXCITEBIKE ARENA IN MARIO KART 8.

In 2014’s Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U, an Excitebike arena became available as downloadable content (DLC), allowing the original game’s 8-bit track to be played in a 3D environment.

12. FINAL FANTASY GOT ITS NAME FROM ITS CREATOR’S DESIRE TO RETIRE.

One of the most popular role-playing game franchises of all time got its name from almost becoming the last project its creator ever worked on. According to Hironobu Sakaguchi, he named the game he’d been working on Final Fantasy because he planned to quit the video-game industry if it didn’t sell well. Despite the small staff of developers he was afforded for the game, it managed to sell—to the tune of 400,000 copies initially and a long list of sequels, spin-offs, and remastered releases in the years to come. Sakaguchi went on to serve for several years as President of Square USA, the company that first took a chance on Final Fantasy.

13. A U.S. COURT RULED THAT DONKEY KONG AND KING KONG ARE TWO DIFFERENT APES.

Filed in 1982, argued in a federal court in May of 1984, and concluded that October, Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd. represented Universal’s demand for a piece of Nintendo’s Donkey Kong action. The game had pulled in $180 million in sales from around 60,000 arcade machines by 1982, and the studio alleged copyright infringement due to the titular villain’s resemblance to King Kong.

Attorney John Kirby, Jr., who represented Nintendo (and for whom it’s believed the company’s puffiest character was named, in thanks), pointed out that Universal itself had proved in the case of Universal City Studios, Inc. v. RKO General, Inc. that the plot and characters of King Kong were in the public domain. In the Nintendo case, the court ruled that Universal had acted in bad faith with the suit, had no right to the characters, and that, in any case, the studio had failed to prove that “there was any likelihood that an appreciable number of prudent purchasers [were] likely to be misled or confused as to the source of Donkey Kong” based on the ape’s and the game’s attributes.

14. YES, METROID AND KID ICARUS ARE RELATED.

If you think Metroid and Kid Icarus are similar, there’s a reason for that: They were both developed by the same team, including director Satoru Okada, co-director/artist Yoshio Sakamoto, and composer Hip Tanaka.

15. METROID LOOKED TO ALIEN FOR INSPIRATION.

A fantastic game on its own, 1986’s Metroid became the stuff of legends when it saved its biggest surprise for the final moments. After a player completed the game, a short scene revealed that the space-suited, missile-blasting hero was in fact (*gasp*) a woman! This shocking revelation wasn’t something that had been planned from the start, and was instead the result of a programmer asking, “Hey, wouldn’t that be kind of cool if it turned out that this person inside the suit was a woman?” midway through the game’s development. The Metroid team already counted Ridley Scott’s female-led, sci-fi horror movie Alien as one of the game’s chief inspirations, so they decided to run with that innocent suggestion—and the rest is gaming history.

16. WE MAY NEVER KNOW WHO JUSTIN BAILEY WAS.

Justin Bailey was a programmer. Justin Bailey was an inside joke. Justin Bailey was referencing British slang for “bathing suit.”

If you played Metroid in the 1980s, chances are you’ve heard one of these explanations for the game’s most infamous password. Entering “Justin Bailey” and keying in an additional 12 blank spaces allowed players to begin the game with heroine Samus Aran appearing in a leotard instead of her armor while being supplied with a full arsenal of missiles. Where did he come from? Was he man or myth? Or was it all just one very weird fluke?

Turns out, he could very well have just been a bored player who accidentally became the most famous (and hypothetical) NES gamer of all time. (Click here for a much more detailed explanation.)

17. THE ARCADE VERSION ENDING OF DOUBLE DRAGON II: THE REVENGE IS DIFFERENT FROM NINTENDO’S.

The end of Double Dragon II: The Revenge differs on both the NES and arcade. On the NES, damsel-in-distress Marian is brought back to life after being killed early in the story; the arcade version ends on a much more dour note, leaving her dead. You can compare both versions below:

18. A SEQUEL TO MEGA MAN 2 WAS ANNOUNCED, BUT NEVER MATERIALIZED.

In 2010, Capcom announced that it would release Mega Man Universe for the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade the following year. The company promised that the new video game would have similar gameplay to Mega Man 2 and would give the player the ability to customize their own levels and stages. But a few months later, Capcom canceled the game and apologized to Mega Man fans who were anticipating the new release.

Capcom didn’t disclose a specific reason why they canceled Mega Man Universe, instead citing “various circumstances,” which might have included the exit of the designer of Mega Man Universe, Keiji Inafune.

If Mega Man Universe had actually been released, it would have been the first time the character would have been called “Mega Man” in his native Japan. Historically, the character was called “Rock Man,” but was changed when the video game was imported to the United States.

19. NINJA GAIDEN REVOLUTIONIZED THE CONCEPT OF CUTSCENES.

Ninja Gaiden‘s director, Hideo Yoshizawa (credited as Sakurazaki), wanted the NES version of the game to have a much deeper story than the arcade version, so he implemented 20 minutes of cinematic cutscenes. Though standard now, a story told through cutscenes was revolutionary at the time.

20. BEFORE PUNCH-OUT!’S OFFICIAL RELEASE, 10,000 JAPANESE FANS GOT A GOLD VERSION.

Nintendoficionados who submitted high scores from 1987’s Golf U.S. Course Famicom Tournament received gold-colored Famicom (the Japanese equivalent of the NES) cartridges containing Punch-Out!’s near-identical precursor, with Super Macho Man as its final foe.

21. TO ADVANCE IN STARTROPICS, YOU NEEDED TO HAVE THE BOX.

In StarTropics, to advance the story, players were required to input a code that was attached to a letter. However, the letter didn’t exist in the game; it was physically included in the box the game came in. This obviously caused problems as players could easily lose it (or wind up with a rental copy lacking the letter at all) and be stuck forever, so Nintendo had to reprint the code in Nintendo Power magazine to try and help confused gamers.

22. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA’S “ZELDA” IS NAMED AFTER ZELDA FITZGERALD.

Despite being conceived in Japan, The Legend of Zelda’s titular princess was named after a native Alabaman. Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed that Zelda Fitzgerald—novelist, feminist, and wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald—was the inspiration for his Hyrulian heroine’s handle.

23. THERE IS SIGNIFICANCE TO LINK’S NAME, TOO.

Originally, The Legend of Zelda was meant to be a game that spanned in-universe time periods, beginning in the canonical “past” and ending up in the “future,” with the Triforce acting as a mode of transport between them. The series hero’s unusual moniker was meant to symbolize his role as a link between the eras. But Nintendo’s current position is that he is a “link” between the player and the game.

24. SHIGERU MIYAMOTO WAS DISAPPOINTED BY ZELDA II.

When gaming site Kotaku asked Miyamoto if he’s ever made a bad game, the designer responded that Zelda II: The Adventure of Link didn’t live up to his expectations. “We could have done more with [Link],” he said. “It would have been nice to have had bigger enemies in the game, but the [NES] hardware wasn’t capable of doing that.”

25. GHOSTS ‘N GOBLINS IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE TOUGHEST VIDEO GAMES OF ALL TIME.

Not only is Ghosts ‘n Goblins known as one of the hardest games of all time, you actually have to beat it twice to actually complete it (it turns out the first play-through is all just a dream for the player).

Rhetoric is often defined as “the art of language.” That might sound like a bit of a cliché (which it is), but it’s actually quite a nice way of saying that rhetorical devices and figures of speech can transform an ordinary piece of writing or an everyday conversation into something much more memorable, evocative, and enjoyable. Hundreds of different rhetorical techniques and turns of phrase have been identified and described over the centuries—of which the 21 listed here are only a fraction—but they’re all just as effective and just as useful when employed successfully.

1. ADYNATON

You’ll no doubt have heard of hyperbole, in which an over-exaggeration is used for rhetorical effect, like, “he’s as old as the hills,” “we died laughing,” or “hyperbole is the best thing ever.” But adynaton is a particular form of hyperbole in which an exaggeration is taken to a ridiculous and literally impossible extreme, like “when pigs fly!” or “when Hell freezes over!”

2. ANACOLUTHON

Often used in literature to create a stream-of-consciousness style in which a character’s thoughts flit from one idea to the next, anacoluthon describes a sudden and unexpected break in a sentence that leads to it being concluded in a different way than might have been expected. Although it can sometimes be due to nothing more than a speaker losing their train of thought, in practice anacoluthon can also be OH MY GOD I’VE LEFT THE GAS ON.

3. ANADIPLOSIS

Anadiplosis is an ingenious and memorable rhetorical device in which a repeated word or phrase is used both at the end of one sentence or clause and at the beginning of the next. As with practically all rhetorical devices, William Shakespeare liked using it (“She being none of your flesh and blood, your flesh and blood has not offended the king”), but you can thank George Lucas for what is now probably the best-known example: “Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

4. ANTHYPOPHORA

You know when you pose a question for dramatic effect and then immediately answer it yourself? That’s anthypophora.

5. ANTIMERIA

If you’ve ever friended or texted someone, emailed or DMed something, tabled a meeting or motorwayed your way across country, then you’ll be familiar with antimeria, a rhetorical device in which an existing word is used as if it were a different part of speech. More often than not this involves using a noun as if it were a verb, a semantic process better known as “verbing” (which is actually a perfect example of itself). Slang (and modern English in general, for that matter) loves antimeria, but it is Shakespeare who remains the undisputed master of it. Cake, drug, kitchen, squabble, ghost, blanket, graze, elbow, and crank were all only ever used as nouns before he got hold of them.

6. ANTIPROSOPOPOEIA

Prosopopoeia is just a more formal name for personification, in which inanimate objects are either described in human terms or given human characteristics. The opposite of that is antiprosopopoeia, a figure of speech in which a person is compared to an inanimate object. That might sound odd, but it’s actually a very effective form of metaphor able to confer a great deal of detail or information in a clever and often witty way—think about what it means to call someone a doormat, a tank, a firecracker, a mattress, or a garbage disposal and you’ll see precisely how effective it can be.

7. ANTONOMASIA

The Bard. The Iron Lady. The King. Ol’ Blue Eyes. When you substitute a proper name for an epithet or a nickname, that’s antonomasia.

8. APOSIOPESIS

In Act 2 of King Lear, the eponymous king rages against two of his daughters in a disjointed speech that ends with the famous lines, “I will have such revenges on you both that all the world shall—I will do such things—what they are yet, I know not, but they shall be the terrors of the earth!” The point at which Lear’s threat of revenge trails off, restarts, and trails off again is a perfect example of aposiopesis, a rhetorical ploy in which an idea is left unsaid or a sentence is left incomplete purely for emphatic effect. Why I oughta…

9. ASTERISMOS

Right. Okay. Here goes. Asterismos is the use of a seemingly unnecessary word or phrase to introduce what you’re about to say. Semantically it’s fairly pointless to say something like “listen!” before you start talking to someone, because they are (or at least should be) already listening. Rhetorically, however, asterismos is a seriously clever way of subconsciously drawing attention to what you’re about to say.

10. ASYNDETON

“We got there, the weather was bad, we didn’t stay long, we got back in the car, we came home, end of story.” When you deliberately miss out the conjunctions between successive clauses, you’re left with a choppy and abrupt series of phrases that energetically push things forward, an effect properly known as asyndeton. The opposite is called polysyndeton, when you add more conjunctions to a phrase or clause than are strictly necessary, often with the effect of intentionally dragging it out: “We ate and drank and talked and laughed and talked and laughed and ate some more.”

11. CHIASMUS

Apart from the fact that it’s part of a great speech, one of the reasons why John F. Kennedy’s famous “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” line is so striking is that is a fine example of chiasmus, a clever rhetorical formation in which the order of a pair of words or phrases in one clause (your country, you) is inverted in the next (you, your country). This gives a rhythmic and instantly memorable criss-cross pattern, AB-BA, which appropriately enough takes its name from the X-shaped Greek letter chi.

12. CONGERY

Congery is a form of tautology, the rhetorical use of repetition. It refers to a writer or speaker using a number of different and successive words or phrases that all effectively mean the same thing, purely to emphasise the point. That’s it. That’s all. Done. Finished. Finito.

13. DIALOGISMUS

In a dialogismus, a speaker either imagines what someone or something else might be thinking (“I bet that guy’s thinking, ‘what am I doing here?’”), or else paraphrases someone’s earlier words (“‘Don’t worry!’ she told me. ‘Everything will be fine!’”). In either case, the speaker ends up talking not as themselves just for rhetorical effect.

14. DYSPHEMISM

If a euphemism is a nicer turn of phrase used in place of a more offensive or embarrassing one (like “call of nature” or “bought the farm”), then a dysphemism is an offensive or detrimental phrase deliberately used in place of a nicer one. This applies to everything from using an insult instead of someone’s name, to phrases like frankenfood and junk food that try to influence what we should think of genetically modified crops and take-out restaurants with just a few choice words.

15. EUTREPISMUS

First, we need to explain what this is. Second, we need to show how it works. And third, we need to explain what it achieves. Eutrepismus is the numbering or ordering of a series of phrases that are all under consideration, and it’s used to structure arguments and speeches more clearly, making them easier for an audience to take in and follow your train of thought.

16. EXPEDITIO

An expeditio is that instantly recognisable figure of speech in which you list a number of alternatives, and then proceed to eliminate all but one of them. “We can go for Italian, Mexican, or Chinese. But I had Chinese last night and you hate garlic, so it’s going to have to be Mexican.”

17. HYPOCATASTASIS

When you say that something is like something else (“as busy as a bee”), that’s a simile. When you say that something actually is something else (“a heart of stone”) that’s a metaphor. But when you just go all out and label something as something that it actually isn’t (“You chicken!”), that’s a hypocatastasis.

18. PLEONASM

When you use more words than are in actual fact absolutely really strictly necessary in order to communicate and make your point effectively and efficiently, that’s a pleonasm. It needn’t be as clumsy and as long-winded as that, of course, and more often than not the term pleonasm is used to apply to what is otherwise called “semantic redundancy,” in which extra qualifying words are used to force a point home—like “empty space,” “boiling hot,” or “totally unique.”

19. SYNECDOCHE

A synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part or component of something is used to represent that whole—like calling a car your “wheels,” the staff of a company the “hands,” or the film industry as a whole “Hollywood.”

20. TMESIS

Tmesis is the proper name for that fan-bloody-tastic technique of splitting a word in half by inserting another word inside it. More often than not, the word being inserted in the other is a swearword (you can provide your own examples for that), but it needn’t always be—tmesis can be used any-old-how you like.

21. ZEUGMA

There are several different forms and definitions of precisely what a zeugma is, but in basic terms it describes a figure of speech in which one word (usually, but not always, a verb) governs or is directly related to two or more other words in the same sentence. So you can run out of time, and out of the room. You can have a go, and a laugh. And, to paraphrase Charles Dickens, you can go home in floods of tears and a sedan-chair.

Gravediggers aren’t normally acknowledged for their skill, but eastern Europe’s funeral industry wants to pay homage to the funeral industry’s unsung heroes. Yesterday, the Associated Press reports, laborers competed in an international grave digging tournament in Trencin, Slovakia, sponsored by the third International Exhibition of Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services.

Apparently a gravedigging competition is an actual thing in Hungary https://t.co/lmRdwaqCWq pic.twitter.com/JRK4zi8pvq

— dwnews (@dwnews) June 3, 2016

Ten two-member teams from Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary competed to dig the fastest and neatest coffin-sized pit, using only shovels and picks. No modern tools were allowed, and each grave had to measure exactly 5 feet deep, 6.5 feet long, and 3 feet wide.

“This whole exhibition is about getting groups of funeral companies together,” said event spokesman Christian Striz, as quoted by the AP. “It’s all about showing people how hard” the gravedigging profession is (and since Striz was reportedly dressed like the Grim Reaper, how funny it can be, too).

In Slovakia, gravediggers are a necessity. “Most Slovak graveyards are so crowded and spaces between graves so narrow that we need human diggers instead of machines,” Ladislav Striz, the contest’s founder, told Reuters. “They work hard, come rain, come snow.”

Two brothers from Slovakia—Ladislav Skladan, 43, and Csaba Skladan, 41—took home the grand prize. According to The Guardian, the siblings dug their grave in only 54 minutes, and a five-member jury declared their work to be the neatest.

“I am happy we won,” Csaba Skladan said. “It’s a satisfaction after 15 years in this job.”

[h/t Associated Press]

If you want to plan a trip, you typically start at the same place you do for all other research: Google. But while the search engine was a good jumping-off point, travelers would usually quickly turn to tools like Hopper’s airfare predictions or Kayak’s Explore filters to take advantage of the deal-hunting features Google lacked. However, Google recently updated their flight and hotel search tools to make them even more robust. Here are four improvements to take advantage of.

1. THE GOOGLE TRIPS APP

In September, Google released Google Trips, a full service travel app that helps you plan and manage upcoming journeys. Once you download the app and connect it to your Gmail account, it scans your email for all relevant travel information—from your flight information to your hotel confirmation to your car reservation—to consolidate and store it in one place. You can also download this info so you can access it offline, which is useful if you’re en route and Wi-Fi is spotty or nonexistent.

You can also use it to create your own personal itinerary based on those recommendations you got from friends and pages you bookmarked in your travel guides. (Or, if you’re in a time crunch, you can choose from one of the itineraries Google Trips proposes for you.) It also gives you relevant and important logistical information about your destination, like public transportation and tipping etiquette.

2. BETTER FLIGHT PRICE TRACKING

Price tracking is nothing new in Google Flights—if you want to monitor prices, just toggle the “track prices” button when you search for a specific flight. You can also elect to get email alerts when prices increase or decrease. Even better, though, Google will now tell you if the prices for that flight are likely to increase. If they are, a pop-up window will tell you how much more you can expect to pay if you book later.

Google Flights has also enhanced its “date tip” feature (which tells you how much you can save if you fly from a different airport or on a different day). Now, Google will also tell you if the specific route you’re researching has experienced any price jumps historically.

3. MORE FILTERS WHEN EXPLORING DESTINATIONS

Google’s Explore feature (which you access from the flight search page by clicking the sandwich menu next to “Flights” in the window’s upper left corner) is also more robust now. Previously, you’ve been able to use its interactive map to explore prices to destinations around the world based on when you want to travel, which is useful if you’re looking for an inexpensive getaway during a set period (like Spring Break). With its recent updates, you can now also filter and sort flights by number of stops, price, and airline. Its “Interests” filter lets you look for specific types of destinations: beaches, honeymoon spots, wildlife, and more.

4. INSIGHT ON HOTEL DISCOUNTS

Google’s hotel search has received an upgrade, too. When you search for hotels in a specific city, Google will now tell you what prices have looked like historically, depending on the hotel and your travel dates. This way, you can see if the current rate is standard or if it’s likely to drop in the near future.

Like the “tips” feature in Google flights, the hotel search will also show you how much you can save if you book on a different day. Google also highlights (with a lightbulb icon) whether the hotel you’re considering is running any special deals or is top-rated in the area.

As a recurring feature, our team combs the Web and shares some amazing Amazon deals we’ve turned up. Here’s what caught our eye today, November 11.

Mental Floss has affiliate relationships with certain retailers, including Amazon, and may receive a small percentage of any sale. But we only get commission on items you buy and don’t return, so we’re only happy if you’re happy. Good luck deal hunting!

GADGETS

Doctor Who Keychain – TARDIS Die Cast Key Ring for $9.99 (list price $14.95)

Eton FRX5 – All Purpose Weather Alert Radio with Bluetooth for $49.99 (list price $129.99)

Dr.Meter MS10 Digital Decibel Sound Level Meter Tester 30 dBA – 130 dBA for $22.99 (list price $50.99)

BOLT Lighter USB Rechargeable Windproof Electric Plasma Arc Cigarette Lighter with Charging Cable and Carrying Pouch for $16.99

ONSON 2Pack 6FT 10FT Extra Long Nylon Braided 8pin Lightning to USB Charging Cable Sync and Charging Cord (Gray) for $11.99 (list price $16.99)

OtterBox DEFENDER SERIES Case for iPhone 7 (ONLY) – Frustration Free Packaging – BLACK for $25.99 (list price $49.95)

SanDisk 64GB Ultra SDXC UHS-I Memory Card SDSDUNC-064G-GN6IN for $21.64 (list price $59.99)

Pocket-sized V Smart Phone Holder Tablet Stands – HONSKY 3 Packs of Universal Portable Foldable Plastic Small Cellphone Holders, Tablet Stand, Smartphone Mounts for $7.99(list price $10.65)

3Csmart Octopus Style Portable and adjustable Tripod Stand Holder for iPhone, Cellphone, Camera with Universal Clip and Remote (Black) for $12.98

Anker SoundBuds Wireless Headphones – Sweatproof, Magnetic In-Ear Sport Earbuds with 8-Hour Playtime and Noise Cancellation, Secure Fit Bluetooth Headset for Running, Workout and Gym for $29.88 (list price $35.99)

Spigen Ultra Hybrid iPhone 7 Case with Air Cushion Technology and Hybrid Drop Protection for iPhone 7 2016 – Black for $11.99 (list price $24.99)

Linksys AC1200 Amplify Dual Band High-Power Wi-Fi Gigabit Range Extender / Repeater with Intelligent Spot Finder Technology and AC Pass Thru (RE6700) for $79.99 (list price $119.99)

Apple Watch Sport, Space Grey Aluminum Case/Black Band, 42mm for $279.00 (list price $399.00)

Quick Charge 2.0 AUKEY 3-Port USB Wall Charger for $14.99 (list price $21.99)

iClever Wireless Bluetooth FM Transmitter Radio Adapter Car Kit with SD Remote Controller, Black for $23.99 (list price $49.99)

X-DRAGON 5PCS Flexible USB LED Light Lamp 180 Degree Adjustable Portable Lamp for Power Bank PC Laptop Notebook Computer and Other USB Devices for $8.99 (list price $39.99)

Kodak 50-in-1 Card Reader – Black for $9.99 (list price $14.99)

TeckNet M002 TrueWave 2.4G Wireless Mouse, Blue for $9.99 (list price $19.99)

Smartphone Car Mount Holder, iKross 4-in-1 Universal Windshield / Dashboard / Sun Visor / Air Vent Car Mount Cradle Holder Kit – Black for $18.99 (list price $39.99)

Anker PowerLine 3ft Apple MFi Certified Lightning to USB Cable Sturdy Charging Cord (White) for $8.99 (list price $26.24)

TaoTronics Telescopic Monopod Mini Selfie Stick for Android and iOS Smartphone – Black for $5.99 (list price $14.99)

SanDisk Ultra 32GB microSDHC UHS-I Card with Adapter, Grey/Red, Standard Packaging (SDSQUNC-032G-GN6MA) for $10.59 (list price $37.99)

Jackery Mini Premium 3350mAh Portable Charger – External Battery Pack, Power Bank, & Portable iPhone Charger (Black) for $10.19 (list price $29.99)

Innoo Tech Bluetooth Headphones Wireless Sport Swift Noise Cancelling Headset Stereo Earbuds Sweatproof In-Ear Earphones with Mic for $15.99(list price $39.99)

FRiEQ Universal Waterproof Case for Outdoor Activities – Waterproof bag – IPX8 Certified to 100 Feet (Black) for $6.99 (list price $19.99)

iPhone Flash Drive 64GB USB 3.0 Adapter with Lightning Connector for iPad iOS PC, HooToo External Storage Memory Expansion Stick, iMemomate for $39.99 (list price $69.99)

MAGINOVO Bluetooth Headphones, Wireless Bluetooth Headset, Stereo Earphones for iPhone for $29.99 (list price $69.99)

KITCHEN

Kitchen Maestro Collapsible Silicone Colander/Strainer. Includes 2 Sizes 8 and 9.5 inch. for $11.99 (list price $19.99)

Danby 120 Can Beverage Center, Stainless Steel DBC120BLS for $201.99 (list price $279.99)

ZonePerfect Nutrition Bars, Chocolate Almond Raisin, 1.76 oz, 12 Count for $10.25 (list price $14.99)

EPHome 2Pack Extra Large Multipurpose Silicone Nonstick Baking Mat, Pastry Mat, Heat Resistant Nonskid Table Mat, 23.6”*15.75” (Blue) for $25.99 (list price $89.99)

Rachael Ray Tools Garbage Bowl with Non-Slip Rubber Base, Green for $9.99 (list price $40.00)

Greenmall Ceramic Knife Set (6 Pieces)Slicing Utility Paring Fruit Knife Peeler With Sheaths and Holder Non-slip Handle for $20.99 (list price $48.99)

Jetty Home Cheese Knives with Engraved Labels Gift Set (4 pcs) for $21.99 (list price $24.99)

MOOBOM 110lb/50kg Hanging Fish Scale Portable Backlit LCD Display Digital Electronic Balance for $7.99 (list price $14.99)

OXO Good Grips 14 Piece Freezer-to-Oven Safe Glass Bake, Serve and Store Set for $55.99 (list price $69.99)

Tovolo Sphere Clear Ice System for $16.14 (list price $19.99)

Le Creuset Signature Iron Handle Skillet, 11-3/4-Inch, Cerise (Cherry Red) for $199.95 (list price $260.00)

Premium Moscow Mule Copper Unlined Gift Pack Mug, 100 % Pure Solid Copper (16-Ounce, Hammered, Set of 2) with FREE Copper Jigger for $23.99 (list price $79.99)

Bürstenhaus Redecker Mushroom Brush with Handle, Natural Pig Bristle, 5-Inches Long for $11.99 (list price $12.95)

Porcelain Bowls – Set of 4 – 17 Ounce for Cereal / Soup, Plaid Pattern, White – by Sweese for $19.99 (list price $26.99)

ZYLISS Lock N’ Lift Can Opener with Lid Lifter Magnet, White for $14.01 (list price $16.99)

Kitchen Active Bamboo Cutting Board. Premium Natural Bamboo Board, 15″X12″ With Big Wood One Handed Handle for $15.97 (list price $34.99)

BaconBoss Microwave Bacon Cooker for Healthier, Crispy Bacon for $25.99

Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Stainless 16-Inch Rectangular Roaster with Rack for $42.99 (list price $47.04)

O-Breko Slow Masticating Juicer with 200W 65 RPM DC Motor and Reverse Function, Spraying Silver for $113.99 (list price $220.00)

Colander Collapsible – Red & Grey – Over the Sink Colander with Handles – Folding Strainer for Kitchen 6-quart Capacity – By Comfify for $16.99 (list price $24.99)

Spiral Ninja Vegetable Spiralizer Bundle – Zoodle Slicer – Zucchini Veggie Spaghetti Pasta Noodle Maker – With Ceramic Peeler for $11.99 (list price $29.99)

Chicago Cutlery 1119644 Fusion Forged 18-Piece Knife Block Set, Stainless Steel for $71.25 (list price $169.99)

Tanors Ceramic Coffee Dripper for $10.99 (list price $14.99)

Breville BOV845BSS Smart Oven Pro Convection Toaster Oven with Element IQ, 1800 W, Stainless Steel for $215.95 (list price $279.99)

Lifeasy – Felt Insulated/Cooler Lunch Bag with Crossbody Strap for $16.59

Proctor-Silex 59738A Hand Blender for $13.65 (list price $16.99)

Top Rated Bellemain 100% Pure Bamboo Expandable, Utensil – Cutlery and Utility Drawer Organizer-2 Year Warranty for $18.95 (list price $34.95)

Set of (2) Premium, 5 in 1 Multipurpose Silicone Kitchen Tool: Trivet Mat, Pot Holders, Spoon Rest, Jar Opener, Coaster for $12.90 (list price $19.99)

KitchenAid Food Grinder and Fruit/Vegetable Strainer Set for $79.99 (list price $119.99)

Lodge E3AP40 Enameled Cast Iron Apple Pot, 3-Quart, Patriot Red for $49.97 (list price $62.51)

FUGAMI Silicone Soap Tray / Soap Holder / Soap Dish for $7.97 (list price $15.94)

Keurig 119367 2.0 My K-Cup Reusable Coffee Filter, Small, Black (Updated Model) for $7.96 (list price $14.99)

Ninja Coffee Bar Glass Carafe System (CF092) for $129.99 (list price $199.99)

California Home Goods Cast Iron Pizza Pan, 14-inch, Pre-Seasoned Round Oven Griddle for $24.95 (list price $59.95)

Dish Silicone Drying Mat (16 X 12.5 Inches), Draining Mat for Kitchen Counter, Dark Grey, Homwe for $10.97 (list price $14.97)

Cuisinart CTG-00-SMB Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls with Lids, Set of 3 for $19.39 (list price $26.16)

Contigo AUTOSEAL West Loop Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Travel Mug with Easy-Clean Lid, 16oz, Black for $13.91 (list price $20.99)

Chef’s Star 15 Ounce Stemless Wine Glasses Set – Classic Durable Wine Cups Ideal for All Occasions – Packaged in a Gift box – Top Gift Idea! – Shatter-Resistant Glass (6 pack for $11.95 (list price $19.99)

ARC International Luminarc Pub Beer Glass, 16-Ounce, Set of 10 for $12.99 (list price $16.99)

California Home Goods 9.5″ Non-Stick CermiTech Frying Pan, Oven Safe, Dishwasher Safe, Scratch Proof, 9.5 Inches, Ceramic Titanium Blend, Copper Colored for $17.95 (list price $39.95)

Shun DM0702 Classic 7-Inch Santoku Knife for $99.95 (list price $119.95)

EZ Off Jar Opener for $14.95 (list price $19.95)

Microhearth Grill Pan for Microwave Cooking, Red for $34.99 (list price $45.00)

Yeti Coolers Rambler Colster 12oz and Comes With Limited Edition Yeti Can for $26.99 (list price $39.99)

HOME

Candle by the Hour 48-Hour Horizontal Candle, Eco-friendly Natural Beeswax with Cotton Wick for $25.88 (list price $29.00)

BlueMagic 900 Carpet Stain & Spot Lifter – 22 oz. Aerosol Can for $3.77 (list price $8.59)

CedarFresh Cedar Balls with Lavender, 24-Count for $3.86 (list price $5.99)

Dyson V6 Animal Cordless Vacuum, (Certified Refurbished) for $229.99 (list price $319.00)

Lava Lite 2166 14.5-Inch Beatles Yellow Submarine Lava Lamp, Silver Star Glitter/Clear Liquid for $20.99 (list price $29.99)

Queen Size Silver Classic Sateen Dobby Stripe Sheet Set for $15.99 (list price $69.95)

Santin Art- Modern Abstract Painting the Cloud Tree High Q. Wall Decor Landscape Paintings on Canvas 12x16inch 3pcs Stretched and Framed Ready to Hang for $14.90 (list price $79.00)

Vornado VFAN Jr. Vintage Air Circulator, Green for $59.99 (list price $79.99)

Ultimate Bamboo Pillow – Extra Plush Edition – Down Alternative Hypoallergenic Poly Bed Pillows with Bamboo Cover – Crafted in the USA (Queen) for $24.99 (list price $89.99)

Hand Crafted] HemingWeigh Himalayan Round Crystal Rock Salt Votive Candle Holder for $8.99 (list price $19.99)

Dreamhome – 20″ X 20″ Square Poly Pillow Insert (1, White) for $8.99 (list price $19.99)

Aroma Essential Oil Diffuser,OliveTech 400ml Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier with Color LED Lights Changing – Wood Grain for $43.99 (list price $69.99)

Comenzar Battery Operated 5-Inch, 6-Inch, 7-Inch Flickering Flameless LED Candles with 10-Key Remote Timer, Set of 3 for $31.99 (list price $150.00)

Roommates Rmk1586Scs Star Wars Classic Peel And Stick Wall Decals for $8.80 (list price $13.99)

EWEI’S HomeWares 3 Floating U Shelves, Walnut Finish for $15.99 (list price $20.50)

Melannco Set of 3 Square Wood Shelves, Espresso for $14.99 (list price $20.00)

Coaster Home Furnishings 300290 Contemporary Vanity, White for $180.34 (list price $214.00)

Grip-It Ultra Stop Non-Slip Rug Pad for Rugs on Hard Surface Floors, 8 by 10-Feet for $22.09 (list price $30.44)

LUCID 3-inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress Topper – Queen for $89.99 (list price $139.99)

Household Essentials 35704-1 CedarFresh Storage Accessories (71 Items) for $13.39 (list price $14.99)

Ultimate Bamboo Pillow – Extra Plush Edition – Down Alternative Hypoallergenic Poly Bed Pillows with Bamboo Cover – Crafted in the USA (Queen) for $89.99 (list price $89.99)

DampRid FG50T Hi-Capacity Moisture Absorber, 4-Pound Tub for $9.82 (list price $10.99)

Coral Fleece Blanket Grey (Twin, 60 by 90 inches) – Zig Zag Design, Lightweight Couch Blanket, Warm Bed Blanket, Easy Care – by Utopia Bedding for $12.99 (list price $35.99)

DHP Julia Chaise Lounger, Black for $164.99 (list price $249.00)

Arctic Dreams 10″ Cooling Gel Mattress Made in the USA, Full for $239.99 (list price $649.99)

Moroccan Trellis Contemporary Gray/Yellow 7’3″ x 10’2″ Indoor Area Rug for $149.99 (list price $379.99)

The Original 3/4″ KANGAROO Non-Slip Anti-Fatigue Comfort Mat, Ergonomically Engineered, Non-Toxic, Waterproof, 32×20 inches (Black) for $38.99 (list price $59.99)

Comfort Research UltimaX Beans for Bean Bag Chair Refill, 100 Liters for $14.88 (list price $29.99)

Emerald Home T100-0 Chandler Cocktail Table, Wood for $173.75 (list price $319.99)

Yankee Candle Company Balsam & Cedar Large Jar Candle,Green for $20.99 (list price $27.99)

Gorilla Grip Non-Slip Area Rug Pad for Hard Floors, Made in the USA, Extra Cushion (2×8) for $14.99 (list price $19.99)

GermGuardian AC4825, 3-in-1 Air Cleaning System with True HEPA, UV-C and Odor Reduction, 22-Inch for $89.99 (list price $149.99)

Delsey Luggage Aero 3 Piece Polycarbonate Hardside Spinner Set, Emerald Green for $393.79 (list price $499.99)

Emerson CKS1708 Smart Set Radio Alarm Clock for $18.99 (list price $24.99)

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Kitchen and Dish Scrubber, 4 Count for $4.22

Premium, Luxury Hotel & Spa, 6 Piece Towel Set, 100% Genuine Turkish Cotton for Maximum Softness and Absorbency by American Soft Linen for $39.95 (list price $78.95)

Seventh Generation Natural Stain Remover Spray – 22 oz for $4.75 (list price $5.25)

CRESNEL QUEEN Size Extra Thick 4-Mil Heavy Duty Mattress Bag – Fits Standard, Extra-Long, Pillow-top variation – Durability guarantee for moving and long term storage for $12.98 (list price $19.98)

Giantex Recliner Chair Swivel Armchair Lounge Seat w/ Footrest Stool Ottoman Home for $89.99 (list price $199.99)

Premium Quality Stainless Steel Compost Bin 1.3 Gallon, Includes Charcoal Filter for $19.99 

Household Essentials Woven Seagrass Waste Bin for $10.08 (list price $47.98)

BoxLegend Clothes/T Shirt Folder Blue Plastic 4mm Thickness Shirt Folding Board Easy and Fast Laundry Folder flipfold rack for $19.99 (list price $49.99)

Snuggle-Pedic Shredded Bamboo Combination Memory Foam Body Pillow With Kool-Flow Cover for $69.99 (list price $249.99)

simplehuman KT1116 Sink Caddy, Stainless Steel for $16.99 

Dirt Devil Vacuum Cleaner Simpli-Stik Lightweight Bagless Corded Stick and Handheld Vacuum SD20000RED for $16.99 (list price $39.99)

Saganizer 4 Bag Laundry Organizer, Chrome / White for $38.87 (list price $50.00)

Bounty Select-a-Size Paper Towels, White, Huge Roll, 12 Count for $26.99 after on-screen coupon (list price $28.99)

Ziploc Slider Storage Bags, 96 Count for $11.52 after on-screen coupon (list price $14.40)

HEALTH AND BEAUTY

Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Skin Therapy Lotion for Dry Skin, Aloe, 14 Ounce Pump for $7.59 (list price $12.77)

Amopé Pedi Perfect Wet & Dry Electronic Foot File, Regular Coarse – Waterproof, Rechargeable, Cordless, Dual Speed for $45.88 after on-screen coupon (list price $69.99)

Cottonelle FreshCare Flushable Cleansing Cloths Pouch, 42 Count (Pack of 8) for $13.99 after on-screen coupon (list price $14.99)

Aleve Caplets with Easy Open Arthritis Cap, 220 mg, 100 Count for $8.58 (list price $20.50)

Bayer Aspirin Regimen Low Dose 81mg, Enteric Coated Tablets, 300-Count for $11.42

CARA Dermatological Cotton Gloves, Large, 24 Pair for $19.99 (list price $28.96)

Dr. Scholl’s Moleskin Plus 24″ x 4 5/8″ Padding Roll, 1 Count for $4.99 (list price $7.87)

Aesthetica Pro Series Double Ended Brow Brush for $7.99 (list price $9.00)

Gillette Venus Breeze Women’s Tropical Scented Razor Blade Refills 6 Count for $21.12 (list price $24.99)

Prefer Beauty -Sharpest Stainless Steel Best Quality Nail Clippers Kit for Fingernails & Toenail + 1 Black Nail Cleaner for $11.69 (list price $28.99)

L’Oreal Paris Collagen Moisture Filler Facial Day/Night Cream, All Skin Types for $8.09 (list price $11.49)

Remington S5500 Digital Anti Static Ceramic Hair Straightener, 1-Inch, Purple for $16.12 (list price $19.99)

Maybelline New York The Blushed Nudes, 0.34 Ounce for $8.99 (list price $11.99)

Art Naturals Organic Moroccan Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner Set (2 x 16 Oz) – Sulfate Free – Volumizing & Moisturizing for $25.95 (list price $39.95)

Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser, For Normal to Oily Skin, 16 Ounce (Pack of 2) for $18.98 (list price $27.98)

Professional Dental Guard -Pack Of 4 – for $19.99 (list price $39.99)

Oral-B Pro 1000 Power Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush Powered by Braun – Color Shipped May Vary (Blue or White) for $39.99 (list price $65.99)

Cleaning MakeUp Washing Brush Silica Glove Scrubber Board Cosmetic Clean Tools (Pink) for $1.82

Nexxus New York Salon Care Shampoo and Conditioner, Therappe Humectress 33.8 oz, 2 ct for $35.64 after on-screen coupon (list price $46.39)

Bath Bombs Gift Set – USA Made – Lush Bath Bubble Alternative. Vegan, All Natural Essential Oil Kit. Relaxation, Stress Relief, Dry Skin Relief for $18.97 (list price $54.95)

MuscleTech Pro Series Muscle Builder, Rapid Muscle Building Formula, 30-Day Supply, 30 Rapid-Release Capsules for $16.00 after on-screen coupon (list price $20.49)

Tiger Balm Ultra Strength .63 oz for $7.93

OFFICE, SCHOOL, AND CRAFTS

LolliZ Gel Pens 48 Gel Pen Tray Set for $11.99

Oxford Ruled Index Cards, 3″ x 5″, White, 100/Pack (31) for $1.00 (list price $1.79)

Modern High Back Mesh Executive Chair With Headrest And Flip Up Arms. Color: Silver Grey for $91.51 (list price $159.99)

TOPS The Legal Pad Legal Pad, 8-1/2 x 11-3/4 Inches, Perforated, Canary, Legal/Wide Rule, 50 Sheets per Pad, 12 Pads per Pack (7532) for $10.51 (list price $21.99)

Crafty Croc Liquid Chalk Markers, 10 Pack Earth Colored Ink Pens for $19.77 (list price $31.95)

Paper Mate Flair Felt Tip Pens, Medium Point, Assorted Colors, 12-Count for $9.99 (list price $19.99)

Safco Products 2162BL Onyx Mesh Desktop Tub File, Letter Size, Black for $18.14 after on-screen coupon (list price $38.00)

Cross Edge Capless Gel Ink Pen, Jet Black (AT0555-2) for $22.99 (list price $47.00)

Post-it Tabs, 1-Inch Solid, Aqua, Yellow, Pink, Violet, 22/Color, 88 per Dispenser (686-AYPV1IN) for $5.99 (list price $10.75)

Saunders Recycled Aluminum Cruiser-Mate II Storage Clipboard with Dual Tray Storage, Fits Forms Up To 8.5 x 12-Inches (21118) for $31.87 (list price $35.79)

Smead Poly Frequency Expanding File, 12 Pockets, Flap and Cord Closure, Letter Size, Blue/Black ( 70863) for $5.49 (list price $10.48)

Scotch Thermal Laminating Pouches, 8.9 x 11.4-Inches, 3 mil thick, 100-Pack (TP3854-100) for $12.53 (list price $24.68)

Duck Brand Stretch Wrap, 5 Inches Wide x 1000 Feet Long, Single Roll (964682) for $7.10 (list price $17.89)

Pentel Super Hi-Polymer Lead Refills, 0.5 mm, 90 Pieces (C25BPHB3-K6) for $3.72 (list price $6.87)

3M Desktop Paper Document Copy Holder, 150 Sheet Capacity (DH340MB) for $11.72 (list price $21.99)

Sharpie Color Burst Permanent Markers, Ultra Fine Point, Assorted Colors, 24-Count for $15.02 (list price $35.38)

EXPO Low-Odor Dry Erase Markers, Fine Tip, Assorted Colors, 8-Count for $6.22 (list price $11.49)

Essentials by OFM High-Back Racing Style Leather Executive Office Chair, Black for $96.23 (list price $113.23)

Uni-Ball Uni-Ball Elite Rollberball Stick Pens, Micro Point, Blue-Black Ink, 12-Count for $22.94 (list price $38.49)

Winsor & Newton Calligraphy 6-Jar Ink Set, 30ml for $26.76 (list price $39.99)

All Weather Spiral Notebooks, MALEDEN Waterproof Steno Notepad Memo Scratch Pads for Outdoor Activities Recording and Tactical Pocket (5PCS) for $12.99 (list price $25.99)

Prismacolor Premier Soft Core Colored Pencils, 150-Count for $90.98 (list price $312.79)

OUTDOORS, GARDEN, AND SPORTS

Lifefactory 16-Ounce BPA-Free Glass Water Bottle with Flip Cap & Silicone Sleeve, Midnight Blue for $13.82 (list price $22.99)

Bosch PSJ120XL-102 Men’s 12-volt Max Lithium-Ion Soft Shell Heated Jacket Kit with 2.0Ah Battery, Charger and Holster for $100.00 after instant discount applied at checkout (list price $199.00)

OxyLED Super Bright 800 Lumens CREE T6 LED Flashlight Bundle with Rechargeable Batteries, AC Charger + Charger Base and White Tube, Black for $12.90 (list price $36.99)

Estwing EFF4SE 4-Pound Special Edition “Fireside Friend” Wood Splitting Axe/Maul with Shock Reduction Grip for $51.17 (list price $59.99)

Physix Gear Sport Kinesiology Tape 2″ x 16.5′ Pro (Black) 2 Pack for $19.97 (list price $29.99)

Gerber Bear Grylls Survival Hatchet [31-002070] for $29.41 (list price $48.00)

Evriholder FUR-D Duo Fur Remover for $5.98 (list price $10.00)

ROXANT High Definition Mini Monocular Pocket Scope with molded grip, carrying case, neck strap and cleaning cloth. for $19.95 (list price $24.95)

Wilson Ultra 500 Straight Golf Ball (15-Pack), White for $7.39 (list price $9.99)

Kootek Tactical Flashlight Knife K1 Multifunctional Self Defense Survival Knife with XML T6 LED Rechargeable Adjustable Torch Emergency Light for Vehicle Camping Outdoor for $19.98 (list price $26.99)

Coleman Fixed Blade Knife, Double Edge Blade Hunting Knife with Fire Starter, 9-Inch Overall – CM2012 for $16.79 (list price $21.00)

AquaFusion Fruit Infuser Water Bottle – Eco-Friendly BPA-Free Tritan 24 Ounce Drinking Water Bottle – Best Infused Fruit Infusion Water Bottle for $7.99 (list price $29.99)

Coleman Road Trip Beach Shade for $49.99 (list price $54.99)

Coghlan’s Camp Grill for $9.98 (list price $16.99)

Coleman Expedition First Aid Kit (205-Piece), Red for $19.94 (list price $29.99)

Stanley Adventure Stacking Vacuum Pint, Stainless Steel, 16 oz for $12.20 (list price $15.00)

Lewis N. Clark On Air Adjustable and Inflatable Neck Pillow Perfect for Travel, Blue for $11.49 (list price $14.99)

Scrubba Portable Laundry System Wash Bag for $49.95 (list price $54.95)

Lewis N. Clark Luggage Rfid Document Organizer, Black, One Size for $12.44 (list price $15.99)

Precious Cat Ultra Premium Clumping Cat Litter, 40 pound bag for $15.19 (list price $19.99)

GREENIES Dental Dog Treats, Teenie, Original Flavor, 130 Treats, 36 oz. for $29.24 (list price $31.99)

Hynes Eagle 15.6-inch Multifunctional Travel Backpack for $39.99 (list price $149.99)

Kolumbo UltraSlim WindMaster Wind Tested 55MPH Travel Umbrella with Auto Open Close for $20.99 (list price $46.99)

Open Alert Indicator TSA Approved 3 Digit Luggage Locks for Travel Suitcase & Baggage – 1 Pack Black TSA Lock for $6.99 (list price $15.00)

Hopsooken Travel Organizer Luggage Compression Pouches, Light Blue (6-Piece Set) for $35.99 (list price $39.99)

ELECTRONICS

TOOLS

Bosch GLM 10 Compact Laser Measure, 35′ for $29.88 (list price $59.99)

If you haven’t yet caught it, you can catch a sneak peek at the latest Planet Earth series on YouTube, even if you don’t get the BBC, as The Verge reports. A 360° clip from the first episode of Planet Earth II, “Islands,” highlights the wonders of the Galápagos Islands in high definition.

Drag the video around to check out action on the volcanic rocks, marine iguanas basking in the sun, underwater footage of Galápagos fur seals, and even the crew readying their equipment. It’s available in 4K resolution, so go ahead and go full screen for this one.

[h/t The Verge]

Leprosy in humans was eradicated from Britain by the 19th century, but new research published in the journal Science reveals that a medieval strain lives on in a secluded population of squirrels. As the The Telegraph reports, 25 red squirrel specimens sampled from Brownsea Island, off England’s southern coast, all tested positive for leprosy-causing bacteria.

Mycobacterium leprae is the oldest strain of bacterium linked to the disease. It was the same pathogen responsible for spreading leprosy throughout Europe during the medieval period, with the last case of it in Britain recorded in 1798. Leprosy has entered the country through outside sources since then, but the indigenous strain was believed to have been eradicated. The recent study from the University of Edinburgh and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology shows that Brownsea Island red squirrels have been harboring it for at least a few decades.

Though every squirrel sampled from the island carried the bacteria that causes the disease, only some of them showed symptoms. Leprosy manifested itself in the animals through swelling and hair loss around the ears, nose, and paws. The disease isn’t unheard of in the creatures: Both animal versions and human strains of leprosy that have infected people in places other than Britain have been found in the squirrels in the past. But these results mark the first time a human strain native to the country has been detected in red squirrels.

In humans, leprosy—known as Hansen’s disease today—causes painful growths and lesions on the skin. While cases still crop up in certain parts of the world, leprosy is exceedingly rare. It’s estimated that 95 percent of the world’s population has a natural immunity to the disease, and when it is contracted, it can be treated with antibiotics.

The news is more alarming for red squirrels than it is for humans: Thanks to threats like the squirrel pox virus and invasive grey squirrels, their numbers have already fallen from an one-time high of 3.5 million to 120,000 in the UK. The researchers behind the study will now work with conservationists on the island to figure out how to better protect the squirrels in the future. In the meantime, they recommend humans avoid contact with the animals and wash their hands regularly to avoid infection.

[h/t Telegraph]

Best known as the eccentric author of Slaughterhouse-Five and Cat’s Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut filled his novels, plays, and short stories with irreverence, satire, and wry wit. He wrote about dystopian societies, disillusionment with war, and skepticism, particularly connecting with millions of readers in the 1960s counterculture. To celebrate Vonnegut’s birthday, we compiled a list of facts about the beloved science fiction writer.

1. HE MET HIS FIRST WIFE IN KINDERGARTEN.

Born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1922, Vonnegut met his future wife, Jane, in kindergarten. Although they dated as teenagers in high school, their relationship paused when Vonnegut went to Cornell University, dropped out to serve in World War II, and became a prisoner of war in Germany. After returning to the U.S., he married Jane in 1945. The couple had six children—three biological and three adopted—but divorced in 1971.

2. HIS MOTHER COMMITTED SUICIDE ON MOTHER’S DAY.

When Vonnegut was born, his parents were well-off. Kurt Sr., his father, was an architect and Edith, his mother, was independently wealthy from the brewery that her family owned. But due to Prohibition and the Great Depression, the family struggled to make ends meet, sold their home, and switched their son to a public school. Edith, who suffered from mental illness, became addicted to alcohol and prescription pills. In 1944, when Vonnegut came home from military training to celebrate Mother’s Day, he found Edith dead. She had committed suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills, and the 21-year-old Vonnegut soon went to Germany to fight in World War II. In an interview with The Paris Review, Vonnegut remembered his mother as being highly intelligent, cultivated, and a good writer. “I only wish she’d lived to see [my writing career]. I only wish she’d lived to see all her grandchildren,” he said.

3. HE TURNED HIS PRISONER OF WAR EXPERIENCE INTO A BESTSELLING BOOK.

Because Vonnegut was flunking his classes at Cornell, he decided to drop out and join the army to fight in World War II. During the Battle of the Bulge, in 1944, German forces captured him, along with other American prisoners of war, in Dresden. Forced to work long hours in a malt-syrup factory, he slept in a subterranean slaughterhouse. In a letter he later wrote to his family, Vonnegut described the unsanitary conditions, sadistic guards, and measly food rations. After surviving the February 1945 Allied bombing of Dresden, in which tens of thousands of people were killed, Vonnegut was forced by his captors to remove jewelry from the corpses before cremating them. “One hundred thirty thousand corpses were hidden underground. It was a terribly elaborate Easter-egg hunt,” he said in his Paris Review interview.

Later in 1945, Vonnegut got frostbite and was discharged from the army (he earned a Purple Heart). Over two decades later, in 1969, Vonnegut published the bestselling novel Slaughterhouse-Five, which gave readers a fictionalized account of his wartime imprisonment. He later said that only one person benefited from the raid in Dresden: him. “I got three dollars for each person killed. Imagine that,” he said.

4. CONTRARY TO RUMORS, HE WASN’T FRAT BUDDIES WITH DR. SEUSS.

An urban legend suggests that Vonnegut and Theodor Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss) were college friends who spent time together in the same fraternity. But according to Snopes, the tale of Geisel and Vonnegut’s friendship is greatly exaggerated … that is, it’s false. The two authors probably never met, and they didn’t attend any of the same schools (plus, Geisel was 18 years older than Vonnegut). Geisel did, however, once visit a friend who belonged to Cornell’s Delta Upsilon fraternity. Geisel drew a mural on the wall of the fraternity’s basement, and Vonnegut saw his drawings at Cornell a decade later as a student.

5. HE HELD A SERIES OF ODD JOBS TO SUPPORT HIS FAMILY.

In 1947, Vonnegut began working in public relations for General Electric, an experience that he drew upon to write Cat’s Cradle. He wrote articles and short stories for magazines such as Collier’s and The Saturday Evening Post, and his first novel, Player Piano, was published in 1952. Vonnegut then briefly wrote for Sports Illustrated, managed a Saab car dealership in Massachusetts (the first in the U.S.), and worked as an English teacher.

6. HE ADOPTED HIS SISTER’S THREE KIDS.

In the late 1950s, Vonnegut’s sister, Alice, died of cancer and Alice’s husband died in a train accident within the span of a few days. Although Vonnegut already had three children with his wife, he adopted his sister’s three sons. Since he now had six children to support, Vonnegut spent even more time writing to earn money.

7. HE ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.

Although Slaughterhouse-Five made him a famous, bestselling author, Vonnegut struggled with depression in the midst of his literary success. After getting divorced in 1971, he lived alone in New York City and had trouble writing. His son became psychotic, and although he married his second wife in 1979 (and they adopted a daughter together), his depression got worse. In 1984, he tried to kill himself by overdosing on sleeping pills and alcohol, an experience he wrote about in 1991 in Fates Worse Than Death, a collection of essays.

8. HE GRADED ALL HIS BOOKS.

In an interview with Charlie Rose, Vonnegut discussed his grading system for his books (he also wrote about this system in Palm Sunday, a collection of his works published in 1981). He gave himself an A+ for his writing in Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five but wasn’t as generous with Happy Birthday, Wanda June or Slapstick, which both received Ds.

9. HE LOVED WATCHING CHEERS.

In 1991, while speaking to the press to promote his Showtime television show Vonnegut’s Monkey House, he extolled the virtues of the NBC show Cheers. “I’d rather have written Cheers than anything I’ve written,” he said. Although he viewed television in general with skepticism, he made an exception for the long-running sitcom, calling it television’s one comic masterpiece: “Every time anybody opens his or her mouth on that show, it’s significant. It’s funny,” he said.

10. HE TRIED TO STOP SMOKING BUT GAINED TOO MUCH WEIGHT.

A lifelong smoker, Vonnegut began smoking cigarettes as a young teenager. Interviews with the author described his chain-smoking, his preferred brand (Pall Mall), and his frequent coughing and wheezing. Vonnegut admitted that he quit smoking twice, but neither attempt succeeded long-term. “Once I did it cold turkey, and turned into Santa Claus. I became roly-poly. I was approaching 250 pounds,” he told the Paris Review. The second time, his lack of smoking made him “unbearably opinionated” and curtailed his writing time. “I didn’t even write letters anymore. I had made a bad trade, evidently. So I started smoking again,” he said.

11. THANKS TO CAT’S CRADLE, HE FINALLY GOT HIS MASTER’S DEGREE.

While studying anthropology as a young man at the University of Chicago, Vonnegut wrote his graduate thesis comparing 19th century Cubist painters to Native American artists. Vonnegut later explained that the faculty rejected his dissertation, and he dropped out of his master’s program there: “I left Chicago without writing a dissertation—and without a degree. All my ideas for dissertations had been rejected, and I was broke, so I took a job as a P.R. man for General Electric in Schenectady.” But the quality of his novel Cat’s Cradle, published in 1963, persuaded University of Chicago faculty to accept the novel as his dissertation. So 20 years after he dropped out, Vonnegut finally earned his master’s degree in anthropology.

12. HE HAS OVER 200,000 TWITTER FOLLOWERS.

How complicated and unpredictable the machinery of life really is.

— Kurt Vonnegut (@Kurt_Vonnegut) November 5, 2016

Although Vonnegut died in 2007 at 84 years old, his ideas live on in 140 characters or less. A Twitter account dedicated to the writer tweets his quotes several times a day to more than 200,000 followers. Examples of his tweets? “How embarrassing to be human,” and “We could have saved the Earth but we were too damned cheap.” Fittingly, the account follows just one person, @TheMarkTwain, for Vonnegut greatly admired the Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn author.

13. THE VONNEGUT MEMORIAL LIBRARY CONTINUES HIS LEGACY.

Located in his birthplace of Indianapolis, The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library honors the writer’s achievements and keeps his legacy alive. Opened in 2010, the library displays signed copies of Vonnegut’s books as well as early rejection letters. Visitors can also see his drawings, examine family photos, and view his typewriter, cigarettes, and Purple Heart. The library works to fight censorship, a cause that Vonnegut strongly believed in, by giving free copies of Slaughterhouse-Five to students whose schools have banned the book. So it goes.

LOVER FOUND FOR LONELY SNAIL

Jeremy the garden snail is unique in that his shell curls to the left, while almost all snails of his species grow shells that curve to the right. Scientists want to study his genes by examining his descendants, but he would need another left-handed snail to mate with. Now, a potential mate has been found. Jade Melton is an amateur snail scientist, and has kept a left-handed snail named Lefty since she found him quite some time ago. When she heard Jeremy’s story, Melton contacted Dr. Angus Davidson of the University of Nottingham. The two snails, which each have both male and female reproductive organs, have been housed together to see if they will mate.

BLOTTING CRACKS WITH TOILET PAPER

Toilet paper strips have been seen on various roads in Littleton, Colorado, but this is not Halloween vandalism, but a road repair breakthrough. City repair crews fill cracks in the asphalt with tar, and then lay the toilet paper over top. The scheme will be used for 120 streets in Littleton slated to have their cracks filled.

The TP, applied with a paint roller, absorbs the oil from freshly laid tar as it dries, keeping it from sticking to people’s shoes or car and bike tires. With the paper’s protective abilities, asphalt isn’t tracked all over the city or splattered on wheel wells. And the biodegradable paper breaks down and disappears in a matter of days.

“Since my car is new, I didn’t want it to get damaged,” Worthington said.

Kelli Narde, a spokeswoman for Littleton, said the real benefit of using toilet paper is that it allows traffic to retake the road right after a crack is filled.

“It means traffic has better access because we don’t have to close down a street to do the sealing,” she said.

There are industrial products sold for exactly this purpose, but single-ply toilet paper does just as well for a fraction of the cost. Double-ply will not work, because the top layer blows away into yards. It’s an idea that may spread to a community near you.

DECEASED CANDIDATE WINS ELECTION

Voters in Oceanside, California, were to choose between incumbent Gary Ernst and challenger Nadine Scott for the office of city treasurer. Then Ernst died in September. It was too late to remove his name from the ballot. But then the city newsletter not only praised Ernst’s accomplishments, but urged citizens to vote for Ernst anyway, because if he won, the city council could “appoint a treasurer who is qualified.”  The newsletter did not mention Nadine Scott. On election day, Ernst received 53.06% of the votes. The city council must now decide whether to hold a special election to fill the slot, or to appoint a city treasurer.

CANADIAN DIVER MAY HAVE FOUND MISSING U.S. NUCLEAR WEAPON

Sean Smyrichinsky was diving for sea cucumbers off the coast of Pitt Island, British Columbia. He was excited to find a large object, at least 12 feet across, that reminded him of a UFO. When he told the tale to some fishermen, they suggested he might have found “that bomb.”

“That bomb” was a nuclear device that was dumped or exploded off the B.C. coast on Feb. 13, 1950, when an American B-36 bomber crashed while en route from Alaska to Texas. It was packed with lead – not plutonium – and TNT.

Five crew members died but 12 were rescued after they parachuted onto Princess Royal Island, about 200 km south of Prince Rupert. They were forced to abandon the plane after ice built up on its wings and three of its six engines caught fire.

None of the stories at the time of the crash detailed the payload the bomber had been carrying. But eventually it was discovered that the bomber’s mission was to simulate a nuclear attack on San Francisco, and the plane had been carrying a Mark IV nuclear weapon.

Smyrichinsky looked up a picture of the missing bomb, and believes it is the same object he saw. He reported the find to the Department of National Defence, who will investigate.

SNAKE ON A PLANE

Passengers on Aeromexico flight 231 from Torreon to Mexico City on Sunday were stunned to see a Hollywood movie come to life. A snake wriggled its way into the cabin area from a gap between the ceiling and the wall. The reptile was reported to the airport, and the plane was given priority in landing at Mexico City. Airport staff caught the snake, but not before several phone videos captured the incident. Authorities are investigating how the snake got onto the plane.