Emoji Trends Show Strong Growth Patterns

December 14, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Are Emojis the #1 Communication Tool for Everyone?

It’s hard to imagine a world without emojis. These little icons are fast gaining traction as the preferred communication tool across all demographics. PCs, smartphones, and tablets would be better served by replacing alphanumeric keys on their keyboards with emoticons and emojis. The widespread popularity of emojis is evident in the number of retailers, restaurants and online platforms that are now incorporating emojis onto their platforms. Several notable cultural changes have taken place in recent years, including emoji-style order systems by pizza giant Domino’s, or the emoji-style logo that IHOP adopted.

The emoji culture is alive and well, as evidenced by the recent slew of emoji animation being adopted in Hollywood. Consider the latest Adam Sandler movie Pixels which was bordering on the emoji theme, as aliens attempted to attack Earth with video games invasions. Emoji purists will argue that the biggest Hollywood blockbuster is ‘The Emoji Movie’ which debuted in 2017.

This comedy-adventure has a run time of 1 hour 26 minutes, and it details the story of an Emoji named Gene who wants to be a normal emoji without having multiple expressions. While critics have slammed The Emoji Movie as one of the worst-ever Hollywood movies, kids certainly found it entertaining enough, and it is driving the cultural zeitgeist of emojidom.  These emojis allow for greater levels of engagement and far more effective messaging than simple words or number systems.

Whether you like them or loathe them, emojis are here to stay. These little images perfectly capture sentiment and transmit feelings and opinions at the click of a button. Many online review companies now provide emojis over numerical rating systems to gain an accurate reading on a company’s products or services. Digital advertisements are typically rated with emojis, and they have proven to be a highly useful form of transmitting emotionally-based feedback for people.

The Top 5 Most Popular Emojis on Twitter

Such is the rollicking popularity of emojis that an emojitracker monitors all emoji activity on Twitter. The top-ranked emoji of all is the laughing face with tears of joy. Its unified ID is 1F602, and the shorthand representation of it is: joy: It currently enjoys a popularity ranking of #1 on Twitter. Far behind, but in position #2 on Twitter is the heavy black heart, with a unified ID of 2764, and a shorthand representation of: heart: At position #3 on Twitter is the smiling face with heart-shaped eyes emoji. It has a unified ID of 1F60D, and a shorthand representation of: heart_eyes: At position #4 is the black heart suit, with a unified ID of 2665, and a shorthand representation of: hearts: And to round out the top 5 emojis is the loudly crying face. This emoji has a unified ID of 1F62D, and a shorthand of: if sob:.

Rising Popularity of Emojis in Gaming

Emojis enjoy widespread popularity in gaming circles. A quick search reveals scores of emoji fun games such as mood spinners, emoji slots, Barbie DIY Emoji Style, Valentine Emoji card games, Disney Emoji BLITZ! and many others. A popular slot game that is now available to fans is Emoji Planet. This slot machine game is powered by NetEnt, and features 5 spinning reels and 6 rows of fun. There are Cluster Pays™ mechanics involved, and players will go on a wild ride through an emoji paradise, known as Emoji Planet.

You can win up to 1 million coins, and there are plenty of added extras in this game. There are 10 bet levels (1 through 10), and coin values start from as little as 0.01 through 1.00. The game features cascading blocks which fall away to reveal new emoji symbols which you will use to complete winning combinations. These include rocket ships, bombs, slices of pizza, poop, tears of joy, hearts, lips, aliens and other cute little emoticons. Players are tasked with collecting as many useful emojis as possible to activate the 5 Emoji Features. These include The Two Hearts Feature, the Rocket Feature, the Kiss Mark Feature, the Pizza Feature, and the Bomb Feature.

Some of the many exciting aspects of the game include the Cluster Pays™. Plus, Cluster Pays rewards you when part of the cluster is vertically or horizontally adjacent to an identical symbol. 5+ identical symbols will result in wins. The Emoji star is the Wild symbol and it substitutes for all other symbols to form winning combinations. The Pizza Feature is activated when a 3 x 3 grid of pizzas form on the reels. The Bomb Feature is activated when 8 random symbols form on the reels, and the Kiss Mark Feature forms with 3 sticky wild symbols. These are but a few of the many exciting emojis that await you in Emoji Planet Video Slot™.

Filed Under: technology Tagged With: ,

Holiday Gift Guide- For the Home

December 13, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Getting ready for the family and/or friends to head over for some holiday celebrations? If you are like us, you are. Here are some items we are loving right about now as we deck the halls and cook too much.

The Ninja® Intelli-Sense™ System with Auto-Spiralizer is perfect for meal prep, and has a “smart” base with a touchscreen that lets you choose between four high-performance appliances. Intelli-Sense Technology lets you use a Smart Menu of choices for each appliance on it’s base, and it’s both easy to clean and durable enough for regular use and wear as well, so you don’t need to worry that because it’s high tech, it’s super delicate- it’s not.  It also comes with a recipe book with creations by chefs you can make at home using your new machine(s). Choose from items like home made pastas, margaritas, pizza dough, fresh salsa, and much more. You can pick yours up at retailers nationwide for about $269.99.

The Ninja® Cooking System with Auto-iQ™  is another fantastic four appliances built into one machine- you get the ever-useful slow cooker, a stove top, a steamer, and an oven you can use for baking. One of the cooler aspects of the Auto-iQ is that it lets you choose from more than 80 pre-programmed recipes (as well as whatever other recipe you choose). All you have to do is add the ingredients, select a recipe from the included cookbook, and the Auto-iQ will cook it.  Really. If making meals in one pot weren’t easy enough, doing it at the push of a single button makes it almost too easy- almost. Pick yours up wherever kitchen gear is sold for about $149.

Gatherings mean extra cleanup- and you will love The Shark® IONFlex™ 2X DuoClean™ Cordless Ultra-Light Vacuum. Yes, the name is a mouthful, but it also describes what it does. It’s  cord-free vacuum with DuoClean™ technology, that comes with two rechargeable ION batteries so that you can be charging one while using the other- never any downtime. It also has MultiFLEX Technology which gives it a flexible reach for under furniture but also easy for storage. The DuoClean Technology means that it has a bristle brush for a deeper clean in carpets as well as a soft brushroll to pull in bigger floor gunk- it covers all it’s bases. It also has a handheld vacuum so you can clean hard to reach spots, the couch, ceiling, take it out to the car, or wherever it’s needed.   It also comes with lots of extras, like an Anti-allergen dust brush, MultiFLEX under app wand, cradle, and more.

UPDATE- after about 2 months of use, this vacuum was totally useless. It stops working constantly, overheating, clogging, dirt etc won’t go to the correct space to empty, shuts itself off,  etc. I have sent it back for replacement, which was incredibly difficult and time consuming. Customer service ran me in circles. After I got the replacement, guess what started happening? If you guessed the exact same problems, you’d be right. Don’t waste your time and money on this one.

laser tag

You will want to keep the kids busy while you are getting the house ready- and you can even get them outside if the weather is cooperating at all- with the new Laser X laser tag game. The new Laser X has an updated, technologically-advanced laser blaster system that features sophisticated electronics and optics which gives players up to 200 feet accuracy. The game only needs two players, but can have many more then that. The system knows when the players are being hit, shooting, hiding, running, or more- though from what we can tell, if you “hide” too long, it tells you to “run!” and gives your spot away- not a good hide and seek buddy, haha.  It is available in sets that equip two players for $49.99 or that equip one player for $24.99.  The Long Range Blaster ($39.99) and Gaming Tower ($39.99) are also available.  Gets yours at GetLaserX.com.

laser tag toys

Filed Under: Holiday Gift Guide, home, review, toys Tagged With: , , ,

Win a bag from Fricaine – Great for travel

December 11, 2017 by 5 Comments

Looking for the perfect gift for the traveler or purse addict in your life? Take a look at Fricaine.

Fricaine is a celebration of humanity and the special fabrics that are essential parts of identities worldwide. These high quality, fashion products from globally-sourced exotic fabrics that accentuate the tastes and preferences of a global marketplace are sure to be a hit.

All of their products are nurtured by expansive global travel – in Europe, Africa, Asia and throughout the U.S. It is also inspired by the beautiful, traditional and eclectic expressions of identifiable native fashions from these areas.

Their wristlet is great for travel as all in one evening bag: This sophisticated wallet can hold your money and your phone making it the perfect evening out bag… you can even throw in a lipstick should you want to.

I have taken mine out to several functions where I didn’t want to bring a larger purse, as well as days out where we were doing a large amount of walking and I needed my hands to be free. It was pretty, which is nice, and also functional. I got quite a few compliments- and my phone was handy, haha.

You can also get larger bags, like carry ons.

The unique and perfectly sized carry-ons are embroidered handbags are specially built by combining custom-made high-quality micro-fiber leather with proprietary multi-colored embroidered pieces that are native to the protected Miao tribe.
One of you can win one of these beautiful bags. Please feel free to enter by using the RC form below.
Good luck- contest ends Dec. 27, 2017.
Filed Under: giveaway, Holiday Gift Guide, review

Ways To Choose Best Hotel For Family Vacation

December 11, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Planning for your vacation has been long overdue. The hard core work hours and unending meeting is getting on your nerves and you need to get some relief from that. A proper vacation with your family or friends can do the trick and let you enjoy some time away from work and hassle of daily lifestyle. In fact, it is must for every family to go on a vacation once in a year or maybe two, if you have that opportunity. So, you have decided for a short trip and have already chosen the place. Now, the next question is about hotel. The tourist attraction places have so many hotels that choosing the bet one seems difficult. There are some points, which might help you to select the best hotel in town, without even wasting more than your set rates on that.

Tips to consider:

Always remember to jot these points down before you finally book a room in your selected hotel. It is better to start early, maybe 6 months minimum, if you are planning to go for a trip during season. When it comes to off-season, you might get some discounts on hotels too and won’t find it difficult to book a room.

 

  • Be sure of the mattresses:

 

After a long day at tourist attraction sites, you will come back to your hotel for a good night sleep. You need to gain energy for the next day’s trip. Unless you have a proper bed and soft mattresses, it becomes rather difficult to get a good sleep. Too hard or soft mattress won’t do it good. Your hotel mattress should be of the accurate software, which can take the shape of your body when you sleep on it. Once the mattress takes shape of your body, you won’t feel any pain and can drift into deep slumber. Foamy mattresses are the best ones to choose.

 

  • Location of the hotel:

 

Once you have sorted out the mattresses related issue, you have to check more on the location of the hotel. Depending on the surrounding environment you want, the location is subject to change. Always remember that your hotel needs to be just perfectly located in proper green surrounding. If you want to stay closer to entertainment spots, be sure to check the surrounding of the hotel accordingly, and then go for the booking.

 

  • Dining options to check in:

 

Sometimes you are so tired after a long day that you don’t like moving out of your room to visit a restaurant for dinner. Always look for the hotels with on-site dining option. It means that hotel has its own restaurant, which can cook and even deliver the food to your room. You can even try to get to the restaurant located adjacent to the main building for dinner time. Or else, you can just have your spaghetti and meat balls at your room, watching your favorite game.

 

  • Childcare options are to be noted:

 

Are you traveling with a family and have children in the trip? If so, then be sure to double up your services more. You need to choose a hotel with childcare options. So, whenever you face any difficulty with your children or want some emergency help, you can get that immediately. Now, this option is a bit optional and not needed if you are traveling with friends or don’t have a child in your trip.

 

  • Breakfast included in the list:

 

Some 5-star hotels will offer you with complimentary breakfast with your stay. That means you don’t have to pay for your breakfast and get that incorporated with your staying bill. If you can come across any such hotel, that will be great for you. Moreover, you will come across continental, inter-continental and regional dishes in the breakfast menu. Choose whichever one you want to try and can get that associated with your breakfast menu. Some hotels can even deliver the breakfast at your room, if asked for.

Be sure of the price:

These are few of the many points to consider while choosing a hotel for your family or friend trip. Just be sure of the price of the hotels and each night stay, before you can finalize the deal with the hotels.

Filed Under: traveling Tagged With: ,

Mean Green Cleaning for the Holidays

December 10, 2017 by Leave a Comment

The holiday season is upon us, and you know what that means. Everyone you know (and some you don’t) will soon be invading your home- or you theirs. Or both.  The back and forth of visiting over the holidays is pretty endless, and with it comes two things- mess and germs. Well, yes- holiday fun, food, and gifts as well- but you will want to be prepared for the first two things to keep your season merry and bright!

This time of year it’s extra important to keep the house clean. The weather outside is frightful- keep it’s blech out there, not in your homes and off of your spaces. Mean Green is great- they have a multitude of products to choose from, and it’s easy to keep them handy as you need them.

The Mean Green® Super Strength Heavy Duty Wipes are really great to keep around and very handy- they are “specially formulated to out-clean other brands on tough grease and grime. Easily removes grease, grime, oil, adhesives, and other tough messes from various surfaces. It’s ideal for the kitchen, bathroom, workshop, garage, DIY projects, construction sites, commercial cleaning, in the home, or on the move”. I keep some under the sink for those “fun” messes boys like to make near the toilet, as well as in the kitchen for spills and stickiness that paper towels just can’t deal with. They make fast work of these and more.

The entire Mean Green line are great cleaners and work great for their specific specialties.  I would highly suggest grabbing a few at your local retailer.

Filed Under: home Tagged With: ,

National Chorale presents 50th presentation of Handel’s Messiah Sing-In

December 9, 2017 by Leave a Comment

National Chorale, New York’s premier professional choral company, under the Artistic Direction of Everett McCorvey, continues its 2017-2018 Season at Lincoln Center with the 50th presentation of Handel’s Messiah Sing-In onFriday, December 15, 2017 at 7:30pm at the David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, NYC. Tickets are $30-100 and are available at www.nationalchorale.com, or by calling (212) 333-5333.

Join an audience-chorus of almost 3,000 voices under the batons of 17 eminent conductors. Celebrate choral singing and sing in New York’s most joyous and popular Holiday Season music event! The performance featuresJoanna Mongiardo, Michael Nansel, Holly Sorensen, and John Wesley Wright.

The 17 conductors from around the country, who will each conduct a movement, are Constance Chase, Hugh Ferguson Floyd, Gregory Hopkins, James John, Thomas Juneau, Deborah Simpkin King, Chris Ludwa, Everett Mccorvey, Vagarshak Ohanyan, Stephen Pagano, John Palatucci, Jennifer Pascual, Vincent Rufino, Kathryn Schneider, Michael Spierman, Jason Tramm and Mark Van Schenkhof.

 “The National Chorale is one of the most firmly established professional choral groups in the country.”– The New Times

NATIONAL CHORALE’S 2017-2018 SEASON CONTINUES WITH:

March 16, 2018

Angela Rice – Thy Will Be Done, An Easter Oratorio

New York Premiere featuring tenor Gregory Turay

April 13, 2018

Beethoven’s Symphony #9 and Ralph Vaughan Williams – Serenade to Music

 

ABOUT THE NATIONAL CHORALE

The National Chorale, New York’s premier professional choral company, is celebrating its 50thLincoln Center Season at David Geffen Hall, previously Avery Fisher Hall, with its continuing series of choral orchestral masterworks and 20th century American Classics.

Founded in 1967, the National Chorale is the only professional choral company in the United States to have established and maintained an annual subscription season in the major New York City concert halls – 50 seasons in David Geffen Hall, with additional concerts at Carnegie Hall.  It presents a broad repertory of choral-orchestral works; seldom-performed works from many stylistic periods; opera-in-concert; American music theatre; and contemporary works, including commissions by the Chorale for its Lincoln Center Season.

Filed Under: holidays, theater Tagged With: , ,

Top 5 RV Stops From Indianapolis To Los Angeles

December 8, 2017 by Leave a Comment

 

For ambitious travelers looking to make a long, multi-night RV trip that will take in many different parts of the country, a drive from Indianapolis to Los Angeles is the perfect route. Not only does this drive take in the legendary regions of the Midwest, the mountains and deserts of the west, and the subtropical splendor of southern California but it also offers many activities and places to stop along the way. If you’ve never taken this route before, then you should seriously consider it for your next RV rental journey. When mapping out your route, make sure to pencil in these five stops.

Kansas City

A true jewel of the Midwest, Kansas city is the perfect stop if you want to get a good feel for the region. Here you will find a sparkling, lively city full of great places to eat, shop, and sightsee. Downtown Kansas City is home to a number of restaurants, from high end establishments to down home American comfort food to top rated food trucks, to sample after some hard days on the road. You can also get in some shopping, as Kansas City is host to everything from name brand, high-end stores to funky boutiques. You will be surprised to find just how lively, scenic, and friendly this top Midwestern city is.

Kansas City is also a terrific base for exploring the terrain of the Midwest. Just outside city limits lies the many miles of flat farmland that have made the Midwest legendary. No matter which direction you travel in, you will have wide open skies, many miles of scenic farmlands, and a number of quant farm towns along the way. Anyone looking for a great taste of the Midwest should certainly consider Kansas City for their route.

Denver

As you continue on your RV rental journey, you will pass through the Midwest and into the rocky regions of the West. Anyone looking to plan the most scenic route will want to head through the gorgeous and unique state of Colorado. Colorado features stunning mountain ranges including The Rockies, vast meadows and forests, and many interesting and lively cities and towns. A great place to stop is in Denver where you will be treated to the best of both worlds. Firstly, Denver offers a ton of natural beauty with towering mountains visible from nearly all points of the city and wonderful hiking, skiing, mountain biking, and more just a short drive from the downtown area. Second, the city itself is a pretty, lively, modern place with a wide variety of nightlife, restaurants, shopping, and entertainment available on any given day or night.

Las Vegas

Located right in the heart of the deserts beyond the mountainous western regions you have the legendary glittering city of Las Vegas. Vegas is an absolute must for anyone on a trip from the Midwest to the coast, offering much more than the casinos, glittery entertainment, and nightlife it has been known for all these decades. But speaking of casinos and nightlife, you certainly have that here. There are dozens of casinos open 24 hours per day both on and off the Strip, not to mention an abundance of shows, clubs, dining, and other nightlife. Even just taking a drive down the Strip and witnessing the neon lights and crowds of people is well worth it. No matter which way you look at it, Las Vegas offers plenty of action.

One aspect of Vegas you may have never considered is the activities to be had just beyond city limits. In the desert lands beyond Vegas you have easy access to unbelievable hiking, mountain biking, rafting, and unique camping opportunities. You are also within driving distance of The Grand Canyon, Death Valley, and Joshua Treet National Park. 

San Diego

All you have to do is take a turn south in order to put you on the right path to the golden city of San Diego. Here you will find perfect weather year-round, sparkling stretches of coast, and a laid back modern city full of interesting eating, shopping, and nightlife. Many point out that San Diego may be the ultimate southern Californian town, featuring all of the elements that make this region unique and satisfying all rolled into one city. Any stay in the southern Californian regions would be incomplete without a stop here.

Los Angeles

LA is the perfect place to end your trip. The City of Angels offers a hip, sunny expanse of thriving neighborhoods, terrific eats, and a diverse cross section of cultures. The Pacific Ocean can be accessed and admired in the Venice and Santa Monica neighborhoods. With its blend of sunny bohemia, glittery Hollywood, and countless activities, LA is a great place to rest up and enjoy after your long journey. (You can stop at Vertoe Luggage Storage LA for luggage if you need any) 

Anyone taking an RV rental from the Indianapolis area to Lose Angeles is certainly in for one of the journeys of their lifetimes. Make sure to put these five stops on your list when planning your trip.

Filed Under: traveling Tagged With: , , ,

Rigoni di Asiago and Nocciolata Spreads

December 8, 2017 by 3 Comments

Rigoni di Asiago are an Italian made food family of spreads that are now available in stores nationwide. Their fruit spreads, honeys, and chocolate-hazelnut spreads are both sustainable and organic.

Made with organic ingredients completely free of GMO’s, preservatives, colors, additives, or artificial sweeteners, Rigoni di Asiago’s Nocciolata combines hazelnuts, fair trade cocoa and cocoa butter, natural vanilla extract, skimmed milk, and raw cane sugar for a chocolate-hazelnut spread with undeniably superior flavor. It is made with environmentally-responsible cold-pressed sunflower oil (no palm oil!). It also contains far less sugar than other brands and is free from hydrogenated fats. Rigoni di Asiagoeven offers Nocciolata Dairy Free, is a certified-vegan alternative of this chocolate-hazelnut spread.

Prepared with perfectly ripened organic fruit, Fiordifrutta fruit spread simply contains fruit sweetened with organic apple juice, providing a completely natural, healthy, low-calorie spread. These come in 17 different flavors.

Fiordifrutta fruit spreads come from organic farming. Each 8.82 ounce jar is made exclusively from over three pounds of selected organic fruit using using a patented low-temperature cooking process. Unlike most other spreads on the market, Fiordifrutta fruit contains no added sugar. Sweetening is made instead with organic wild apple juice. This exclusive recipe preserves the nutrients of the natural fruit while significantly reducing the sugar substance content (30% or more compared to other spreads) and contains 30% fewer calories than most others.

Mielbio encompasses a full range of raw Italian honey from Wildflower to Acacia, Orange Blossom, Lime and more.

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