• Life360 is a popular location-sharing app often used by parents that's listed as the No. 5 social networking app in the App Store.
• Some enterprising teens have figured out how to hide their locations from their parents within the app, and they share their methods on TikTok.
• Other teens, though, take the parents' side, leaving comments asking how they would feel if their kids faked their location.
• The app, and teens' methods for skirting it, have become a meme on TikTok. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Parents have always worried about what their kids get up to without supervision, but in 2019, they have more ways than ever to always have an eye on them.

But as tracking tools used by parents get more sophisticated, teens are finding increasingly clever and sneaky ways to get around those tools. One such tracking app, Life360, has become so prevalent that it's become a meme in and of itself among teens on TikTok. 

Unsurprisingly, many teens dislike the idea of always sharing their location with their parents. In June, Louise Matsakis at Wired reported on teens using TikTok to make memes about the tracking app. Now, teens on the video sharing app are posting ways they've found to get around parental supervision on Life360, while others comment and point out that their parents just want to keep them safe.

Life360 had over 18 million monthly users by the end of 2018. The app lets you set a "circle" of family members, and then you can access each other's locations at any time. Users can also be notified when someone else arrives at or leaves a particular location, or when their battery is running low. The basic version is free, and the premium $7.99 per month edition also offers roadside assistance and other perks for new drivers.

Not everyone being tracked on Life360 is a young kid or new driver. In October, Abby Ohlheiser at The Washington Post reported on parents continuing to track their children at college with parental tracking apps. And even kids as young as age 9 have figured out ways to get around other types of surveillance from their parents, like Apple's limits on screen time.

Here's how Life360 became a TikTok meme, and how teens are outsmarting it. 

SEE ALSO: A TikTok creator used a clever $5 hack to make an older iPhone look like the new $1,000 iPhone 11 Pro

Reposting audio is one of TikTok's signature features, which makes it easy for memes to get popular quickly. Users can click on the audio in a video and easily make a new video with the same sound.

As more teens and their parents use Life360, the community on TikTok has made a meme out of it. Videos are set to the song "FLY" by Still Lonely, which has the lyrics "Life 360" in it.

One TikTok creator, @daphnechi, told Business Insider via Instagram message that when she made this video, she had about 20 followers.

"I didn't think that it would be seen by almost 2 million people," she said. "I made it just to help people."

She said that downloading an app like Life360 implies that parents don't trust their children.

"Yes, my parents are trying to keep me safe, but one of the best parts about being a teenager is being mysterious and hiding things from your parents," she said.

Still, some commenters are less supportive of finding ways around the app. One comment says: "Or you could tell your parents the truth and be a good teenager. They're just looking out for you 🙂." 

Life360 CEO Chris Hull told Business Insider in an email that while many TikTok users are vocal about their dislike for the app, he doesn't believe they represent the app's user base, and pointed out that the app has more than 1.6 million review on the App Store and Google Play Store.

"Yes, there are some from frustrated teens but you will overwhelmingly see reviews from parents and teens on how they use the app for everyday coordination and safety," Hull said. "In 2018, Life360 conducted a nationwide study which found that nearly 70% of teens are comfortable using a location sharing service with their families. So it's not surprising to hear that some peers are defending us — their response and our research all support the fact that location sharing has become the new norm for today's digitally native families."

Still, most teens on TikTok are more focused on outsmarting Life360. Many TikTok users are sharing the enterprising ways they're skirting the location-tracking.

The most common method kids use is turning off WiFi and data to freeze their location in the app.

One user shared her method and asked that "no one snitch on me [because] this is my lifeline" ...

... while another user framed their how-to as a guide for how to sneak out.

Some TikTok creators joke about their strict parents ...

... while others record their screen to show followers a step-by-step guide.

While we can't confirm whether the method actually works — nor can we encourage using the app to lie — it's clear that teens might have the upper hand, at least when it comes to technology. 

• American malls are closing all over the US.
• A report done by Credit Suisse in 2017 estimated that 20% to 25% of malls would shutter between 2017 and 2022, largely because of store closures.
• Retailers have announced more than 8,600 store closings in 2019. 
• These photos show how malls were forced to shutter as key anchors such as Sears and Macy's left. 
• Sign up for Business Insider's retail newsletter, The Drive-Thru, to get more stories like this in your inbox. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

American malls are dying out.

Retail complexes all over the US are being clobbered by store closures sweeping the country.

Retailers have announced more than 8,600 closings so far in 2019 and according to a report done by Credit Suisse in 2017, between 20% to 25% of malls will close by 2022. 

A national retail apocalypse has crippled US malls as anchor stores such as Macy's and Sears, which take up large retail spaces and drive foot traffic, have shuttered stores and left malls with enormous gaps to fill. 

For many malls, this is an impossible task. 

Take a look at some of these haunting photos below that show how badly America's malls have been hit:

This article was first published in January 2018. 

SEE ALSO: These department stores once thrived a decade ago but no longer exist

This is the Carousel Mall in San Bernardino, California, which closed in 2017. The mall had been hanging by a thread after it lost its two main anchors, Montgomery Ward and JC Penney, several years before.

Source: Business Insider

Euclid Square Mall in Ohio had a similar fate and shuttered in 2016.

It was temporarily used by religious congregations who held services in old stores. In September 2017, Amazon announced plans to build a 1.7-million-square-foot fulfillment center in its place. That fulfillment center has since opened.

Source: Crain's and Scene

White Flint Mall in Bethesda, Maryland, was once home to a Bloomingdale's department store.

Elizabeth Taylor reportedly shopped here.

Source: The Washington Post

But this wasn't enough to keep it going – it shuttered its doors in 2015.

Photographer Seph Lawless has become famous for his photos of abandoned malls. Here, he captures Chicago's Lincoln Mall, which closed in January 2015.

Source: Seph Lawless

In its heyday, the 700,000-square-foot mall had the capacity to host four anchor stores and 100 smaller shops.

Source: Business Insider

But in the months before it closed, it was home to just 40 businesses.

Source: The Chicago Tribune

In 2013, the mall's owner told The Chicago Tribune that the mall was losing $2 million a year.

The same year, a court-ordered receiver was appointed to force the location to pay taxes and fines, as well as make necessary repairs.

The mall's tenants did not generate enough in rent to pay for the improvements or repairs, according to an attorney for the owner.

Source: The Chicago Tribune

The mall reportedly failed to make these changes, which included creating new exits to comply with fire codes and replacing electrical and air conditioning systems.

In November 2014, a Cook County judge ordered the closure of the mall following the holiday shopping season.

Photographer Seph Lawless also captured the Metro North Shopping Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

The mall opened in 1976 and covered over 1.2 million square feet, housing more than 150 retailers.

Source: Kansas City Star

It was shut down in 2014.

Already, the interior looks like it's been deserted for decades.

It's completely run down and leaking.

Lawless has said it was "by far the creepiest mall I've been in."

Source: The Daily Mail

Developers had planned to renovate the mall, but the makeover was slated to cost $200 million. The plan was ditched in 2015.

Source: Kansas City Star

The mall is now being demolished to make way for a new part-commercial, part-residential development.

Source: Kansas City Star and Biz Journals

The Randall Park Mall in Cleveland has been empty since 2009.

Source: Fox 8

The site was bought by Amazon to be converted into a 800,000-square-foot fulfillment center, which opened this fall.

Source: Crain's and Cleveland.com

Rolling Acres Mall in Ohio was once packed with visitors.

In 2008 it faced a similar fate as other struggling malls and shuttered its doors.

JCPenney was once the anchor store of the mall. It even had its own auto center, which is pictured below.

After the mall closed, photographer Seph Lawless captured these photographs showing how the complex had been left to rot.

Source: Seph Lawless

The inside of the mall was covered with snow ...

... and had been left to crumble.

In June 2016, the city deemed it unsafe for locals, issued warnings for people to stay away, and increased police presence.

Source: Cleveland

After several rounds through the bankruptcy courts, it was acquired by the city of Akron.

Source: Cleveland

Demolition began in May 2016.

These photos were taken of Cloverleaf Mall in Chesterfield, Virginia, in 2011.

This was the area's first large-scale, regional shopping center.

Source: Chesterfield Observer

But it closed in 2008.

Once a buzzing hub, the inside looked completely barren.

In 2011 the building was demolished.

In its place, a Kroger supermarket was built on the former 28-acre site.

Source: KLTV

Hawthorne Plaza in California closed its doors in 1999.

Since then it's made for an appropriately spooky spot for filming.

"Gone Girl,""The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift," and "Minority Report" were filmed there.

Source: Business Insider

The mall was originally home to national department store chains such as JCPenney.

In total, the space was 900,000 square feet with a five-acre parking lot.

Today, it is just a shell that's covered in graffiti.

In 2016, drone enthusiasts transformed the space into a drone racing track, where users could race their remote control drones around the building while it was lit up in fluorescent lights.

Source: Business Insider

But these pop-ups were short-lived. Later that year, the city of Hawthorne agreed to demolish the building and replace it with a $500 million open-air development, but this still hasn't happened.

Sources: Curbed

Maple Hill Mall in Kalamazoo, Michigan, was closed and demolished in 2004. It was rebuilt and transformed into the Maple Hill Pavilion, which is now home to Target and discount stores Marshalls and Dollar Tree.

Source: Business Insider

Some of these mall closures are less recent. Dixie Square Mall in Chicago, which was once home to 60 different stores including JCPenney and Walgreens, was left vacant for 33 years before being demolished in 2012.

Source: Chicago Tribune

Despite all the festive cheer and time with loved ones that come with the holiday season, it can also be a stressful time if you plan on buying gifts for everyone in your life.

Every year, Insider Picks creates dozens of gift guides to help you find the perfect gift — for any budget, hobby or interest, and person. You can find all our holiday gift guides on this page, but to make it even easier on you, we've also rounded up and categorized them below. 

Consider this your ultimate cheat sheet to knocking out your gift shopping for the year. Click on a link below to jump directly to all the gift guides in that category. 

• Gifts under $25
• Gifts under $50
• Gifts under $100
• Stocking stuffers
• Gifts for her
• Gifts for him
• Tech gifts
• Unique gifts
• Home and kitchen gifts
• Food and drink gifts
• Gifts for hobbies and interests
• Gifts from your favorite stores
• Limited-edition gifts

Here's a master list of all our holiday gift guides: 

• 26 affordable tech gifts under $25

It's tough to be a tech enthusiast when the market is full of expensive gadgets. Some of the best tech gifts, however, won't cost more than $25. 

• 44 cool stocking stuffers on Amazon for under $20

Stocking stuffers have a reputation for being cute but useless. These small gifts challenge that perception.

• 27 unique stocking stuffer ideas — all under $10

Surprise your friendly neighborhood mailman or the cousin you only ever see at the big family holiday gathering with a thoughtful stocking stuffer. 

• 76 gift ideas for everyone on your list, all under $100

With a $100 budget, you can buy anything from a smart speaker to an educational cooking class. 

• 50 thoughtful gifts for mom under $50

When it comes to gifting your own mother, the saying "it's the thought that counts" has never been more appropriate.

• 51 gifts for her, all under $50

Whether you're looking for the perfect gift for your sister, mom, partner, or otherwise, we've put together a list of over 50 great gifts under $50 that we think she'll love. 

• 24 great gifts for your grandma

Grandma is another important woman in your life who you know always has your back. Show her the love and appreciation she deserves with these gifts. 

• 39 thoughtful gifts to give your girlfriend

We give you more than three dozen gift ideas that make gifting your partner infinitely easier this year. 

• 50 thoughtful gifts to give your wife

You don't need to spend a crazy amount of money or plan an extravagant gesture to show your wife you appreciate her. 

• 51 creative and affordable gifts for her, all under $50

Whether you're looking for the perfect gift for your sister, mom, partner, or otherwise, we've put together a list of over 50 great gifts under $50 that we think she'll love. 

• 23 beauty gifts from Nordstrom

Nordstrom carries some of the best brands in beauty and skin care, like everyday makeup from Anastasia Beverly Hills and luxurious creams from La Mer. 

• 65 cool gifts for him that you can buy on Amazon

Every gift he could ever want, from a fidget toy to luxury sheets, can be found on Amazon. 

• 50 gifts your dad actually wants

Dads always say they never want anything, but we came up with 50 gift ideas for you anyways. 

• 24 gifts your husband will appreciate

Some of these gifts for your husband might even benefit the entire family, so it's a cost-efficient, win-win situation. 

• 54 clever and practical gifts for dad under $50

If you have a specific budget you're working with, you'll find affordable yet useful gifts in this guide. 

• 25 hidden gems on Amazon

Using the Amazon Gift Finder tool, we found some cool gifts that makes shopping on the site feel less impersonal. 

• 32 kitchen gifts from Williams Sonoma

Carrying legacies like KitchenAid and Le Creuset to modern classics like Instant Pot, specialty shop Williams Sonoma proves it's serious about cooking. 

• 21 unique kitchen gifts from Sur la Table

Sur La Table has a great selection of gifts for cooks of all levels. Or, if your recipient would rather eat than cook, it has gifts for foodies, too. 

• 32 unique kitchen gifts from Food52's online shop

In addition to devising creative and delicious recipes, Food52 sells kitchen products, including ones from its own in-house brand. 

Kitchen gifts don't have to be expensive. Even a simple and practical accessory like a ramekin or avocado slicer will make them happy. 

• 32 thoughtful gifts on Amazon that are Prime eligible

Procrastinators, this is the guide for you. As long as you're a Prime member, you can get any of these cool gifts in two days. 

• 23 gift sets and limited-edition beauty gifts at Nordstrom

Nordstrom carries some of the best brands in beauty and skin care, like everyday makeup from Anastasia Beverly Hills and luxurious creams from La Mer. 

• Seth Dallaire recently left his role as VP of global advertising sales and marketing at Amazon Advertising to be CRO at Instacart, creating a gap in Amazon's leadership.
• Dallaire was the face of Amazon's burgeoning advertising business and was the rare public figure who attended industry conferences and events to mingle with advertisers.
• Business Insider asked five agencies close to Amazon who they thought would replace Dallaire, and based on their knowledge of the company, they named five people they believed were being considered.
• The people they listed are internal executives with varying seniority and roles.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

When advertising exec Seth Dallaire recently left Amazon to be CRO of Instacart, Amazon lost a big name behind its growing but still nascent advertising business.

Amazon has increasingly emerged as a competitor to Facebook and Google, but the e-commerce giant keeps a low profile at industry events or conferences. Dallaire was the face of Amazon's advertising business and a rare exception to its notoriously closely guarded strategy. He's a long-time advertising exec who prevously worked in sales roles at Microsoft and Yahoo and sits on the boards of the Interactive Advertising Bureau and the Ad Council.

Daniel Tejada, Amazon sales manager of digital agency Blue Wheel Media, described Dallaire as "a big picture guy" who helped with both Amazon's search and programmatic ad business. In seven years at Amazon, Dallaire's purview grew from overseeing Amazon's US sales teams to VP of global advertising sales and marketing in 2014. Amazon Advertising's leadership team ladders up Paul Kotas, SVP of Amazon Advertising, one of Amazon's most senior executives.

Business Insider asked execs including Tejada at five advertising agencies that work closely with Amazon who they think is likely to be Dallaire's successor. To be clear, the sources don't have inside knowledge of how Amazon is thinking about filling the role; this list is speculative, based on their knowledge of how the company works and its talent. They said they believed Amazon was looking internally to fill the role and named five internal executives with varying seniority and roles they believed were being considered.

Amazon declined to comment for this story.

The five people named span executives within product and sales roles within Amazon Advertising. They include employees with global and US responsibilities and people on newer teams like agency relationships. They have worked at Amazon for seven to 15 years.

"Amazon likes it that way — they reward loyalty, performance and they're very entrepreneurial," said one agency exec who who spoke anonymously to protect its close relationship with Amazon. 

Two agencies said it's not clear that Amazon will replace Dallaire immediately and that it may divvy up his responsibilities among his former colleagues until they fill the role.

Will Margaritis, SVP of e-commerce at Dentsu Aegis Network, another of the five agency execs Business Insider spoke to for this story, said Amazon needs to replace Dallaire's role to keep the momentum around its advertising business going. Amazon is expected to make $11.33 billion from advertising this year, according to research firm eMarketer.

"The biggest holes in Amazon's operation are having someone to tie their products together into a compelling narrative globally, and to have someone that truly understands the needs of the advertising business and how to fight its battles internally," he said. "Amazon is retail-first, and they're often protective to a fault, often hindering their progress. Even beyond a visionary, they need a bulldog to fight for growth internally."

Below are the five Amazon execs sources said are being considered for Dallaire's role, listed alphabetically.

Do you work at Amazon and think we overlooked a key player or ignored someone? Have something else you want to share about Amazon? Email me at ljohnson@businessinsider.com or contact me on Confide or Signal at 720-261-0417. 

SEE ALSO: Amazon's pitch deck shows why it could be better positioned than other video streaming services to help marketers reach rich consumers https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-is-playing-up-its-rich-shoppers-to-ott-advertisers-2019-5

Colleen Aubrey, global VP of performance advertising.

Aubrey runs a product team within Amazon's juggernaut search business and was Dallaire's peer. 

She is one of the lead execs there working to convince brands that its ads drive brand awareness and consideration in addition to conversions. She told Business Insider in April that she has helped with a feature called Stores that lets marketers design and merchandise their own digital storefronts.

Two agency sources named Aubrey as near the top of the execs being considered for Dallaire's role, though one said she may not be the ideal fit for Dellaire's role since her experience is more in product than sales. She has been VP of performance advertising since 2017 and has held multiple performance and display ad roles since joining Amazon in 2005.

Tanner Elton, head of US advertising sales.

Elton comes from the entertainment sales side of Amazon. He was promoted to head of US advertising sales after Jeremi Gorman left Amazon last year to join Snap as chief business officer.

Elton has the job that Dallaire previously held, though one agency source said he hasn't been in the position very long, suggesting he may not be senior enough for the open role.

Elton has worked at Amazon since 2012 and has worked with advertisers like Universal Pictures on campaigns including an experiential one for "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom."

Zach Johnson, director of international advertising sales and global accounts.

A seasoned exec who's said to have a lot of CPG experience, Johnson has overseen US and global teams during his 15-year run at Amazon and has held the title of director of international advertising sales and global accounts since August 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile. 

Last year, Johnson spoke at a conference put on by French marketing publication Viuz about Amazon's work with Diageo that spans video and search advertising.

Jamie Lomas, director of global emerging account sales.

Lomas is based in Amazon's Seattle headquarters and was cited by agencies as a candidate for Dallaire's role because he has a global job.

Lomas overseas Amazon's mid-size advertisers, a job that a source estimated requires working with 50,000 clients — "a massive responsibility."

Earlier, he worked with big brands like consumer electronics companies and worked on campaigns involving display, programmatic and integrations with Amazon devices in other roles at Amazon, according to a bio for an upcoming event hosted by the American Advertising Federation.

Before joining Amazon in 2011, Lomas worked at Seattle-based tech and media startups like AdReady and Classmates.com. 

Ryan Mayward, global head of agency development.

Mayward overseas Amazon's growing agency practice to build relationships with large holding companies and smaller agencies.

Amazon historically worked directly with advertisers but started expanding its agency business three years ago under Mayward. He's also a board member of The Advertising Club of New York.

As Amazon starts to chip into ad budgets from Google, Mayward was cited as an executive to fill Dellaire's role because of his connections with Madison Avenue agencies.

"The success he's already had within Amazon does a good job demonstrating his ability to handle their corporate politics," said Dentsu Aegis Network's Margaritis. "He's no-nonsense, and does a great job cutting right to the point. That goes a long way within the walls of Amazon, and would help get advertising products the attention they need to thrive."

• Many TV shows made their debut in 2019, and some are much better than others.
• Critics loved comedies like "Sherman's Showcase" and "Tuca & Bertie."
• New shows like "Undone,""South Side," and "A Black Lady Sketch Show" have already received perfect scores from critics. 
• Many crime dramas like "L.A.'s Finest,""Bluff City Law," and "The Code" have received low marks from reviewers across the board. 
• Visit Insider homepage for more stories.

Many new television series debut each year, but not all of them are created equally.

Here are some of the best and worst TV shows that came out in 2019, based on critic scores from Rotten Tomatoes. 

Note: All scores were current on the date of publication and are subject to change.

"Undone" is an animated series that won the hearts of critics.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

This adult comedy-drama aired in mid-August as Amazon's first original animated series and it follows a protagonist named Alma whose relationship with time is altered after a near-fatal car accident. Alma uses this new relationship in order to seek out the truth about her father's death. 

Critics have raved about this show, with Judy Berman for Time magazine writing,  "Undone embraces a form of speculative storytelling that's closer to mythology. Its rotoscoped world might be merely a fun-house mirror of reality, but if you're brave enough to gaze into it, a mind-expanding adventure awaits."

Critics loved "South Side," a scripted comedy about life in Chicago.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

The Chicago-centric series "South Side" aired on Comedy Central in July.

On the show, friends and recent graduates Simon James and Kareem "K" Odom (portrayed by Sultan Salahuddin and Kareme Young, respectively), are stuck working at a Rent-T-Own until they can move on to bigger and better things. 

As critic Tambay Obenson wrote in his review for IndieWire,"Brought to life by local Chicagoans, both in front of and behind the camera, 'South Side' succeeds in what it sets out to do: give viewers a more complete, if humorous depiction of life on Chicago's south side."

"A Black Lady Sketch Show" kept critics laughing.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

This HBO comedy aired in August, and it is full of sketches that mainly focus on topical issues.

It stars creator Robin Thede and comedians Ashley Nicole Black, Quinta Brunson, and Gabrielle Dennis.

As Critic Eric Deggans wrote for NPR,"'A Black Lady Sketch Show' is a shining example of the great work you get when equality comes to comedy. The only criticism I have is that it took so long for us to get here," said

"David Makes Man" stood out to critics with its heart-wrenching plotline.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

This gripping coming-of-age drama created by Tarell Alvin McCraney aired on OWN in August.

It follows a young man named David (portrayed by Akili McDowell) as he attempts to move up in the world by attending a school for young prodigies. 

"The surrealism of 'David Makes Man' channels McCraney's out-of-body experiences to wrenching, lyrical: Even when the show ends, the quiet grace of its protagonist hovers over the viewer," wrote critic Hannah Giorgis for The Atlantic.  

"Tuca & Bertie" blew critics away, but it was cut short.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100% 

Debuting in May, Netflix's animated adult comedy focused on two birds who live in the same apartment building.

Despite receiving high marks and a perfect score, the series was canceled earlier this year.

As critic Dave Nemetz wrote for TV Line, "[It's] a vibrantly colorful, delightfully surreal animated comedy that mashes up the best bits of those two shows with a playful, psychedelic edge."

Critics wrote that "Sherman's Showcase" is a nostalgic and wonderful sketch show.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100% 

"Sherman's Showcase" aired on IFC in July and each episode is hosted by Sherman McDaniel. On the series, music and comedy are utilized to take viewers through time.

As Mike Hale wrote in his review for The New York Times, "'Sherman's Showcase,' meanwhile, is a pure jolt of stylized nostalgia, from its affectionate sendups of soul, R&B and hip-hop to its candy-colored sets with their abstract cutouts, traversed by roller-skating dancers."

Critics were blown away by the compelling story of "Unbelievable."

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

"Unbelievable" aired on Netflix in September and it recounts the true story of a teen named Marie and two female detectives — Detective Grace Rasmussen and Detective Karen Duvall.

After Marie was accused of lying about being raped, Rasmussen and Duvall take it upon themselves to find the truth within the situation.

"'Unbelievable' isn't just a gripping story, it's an incredibly compelling argument for why we need to take a frank look at the way victims of sexual assault are treated and how seriously we take them," wrote critic Amy Jones for The Telegraph. 

"State of the Union" left critics wanting more.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

In this British comedy series that originally aired on SundanceTV, Rosamund Pike and Chris O'Dowd play Louise and Tom, a couple with a crumbling marriage.

Each episode dives into both what brought the couple together and what is causing them to pull apart from each other.

"It's so good, in fact, you're left wishing there was more; more time, more settings, more to the story than just the simple structure these professionals excel within," wrote critic Ben Travers for IndieWire. 

"Watchmen" was a hit with critics.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

HBO's "Watchmen" series is based on the graphic novel by the same name which is set in an alternate history where heroes are treated as outlaws. 

It stars Academy Award-winning actress Regina King, and critics can't get enough of it. 

"There's the persistent sense of narrative freefall you get when almost anything implausible can happen, and usually does, but Regina King anchors it all with passion and purpose," wrote Suzi Feay in her review for the Financial Times. 

On the other hand, "Chambers" was a critical flop.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 42%

Netflix's "Chambers," which premiered in April and was canceled in June, is a supernatural drama that follows teenager Sasha Yazzie (portrayed by Sivan Alyra Rose).

Yazzie receives a heart transplant and is haunted by unexplained visions of the terrible circumstances that led to her donor's death.

Although the show features powerhouse actors such as Uma Thurman and Tony Goldwyn, it still didn't resonate with critics. 

"The ingredients are there for a loopy body-horror freakout, but this series' pulse stays damnably faint, even when it should be sending yours through the roof," wrote Isaac Feldberg in his review for the Boston Globe. 

Highly anticipated Apple TV Plus show "See" left critics disappointed.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 40%

A drama on Apple's new streaming service, "See" takes place in a dystopian future where humans have lost the sense of sight. The world is thrown for a loop when twins are miraculously born being able to see. 

Even though "Game of Thrones" star Jason Momoa is at the head of this series, it still fell a bit flat with critics. 

"Cool idea. But the story doesn't gel well, and the video-game-like combat sequences can be exhausting," wrote Matthew Gilbert for the Boston Globe. 

The comedy series "Fam" was a flop with critics.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 40% 

Starring Nina Dobrev, comedy series "Fam" aired on CBS in January and was canceled after just one season. 

The show centers around Dobrev's character, Clem, an event planner, who is living with her new fiancé Nick (portrayed by Tone Bell), as well as her 16-year-old half-sister, Shannon.

"'Fam' boasts an almost outrageously good case, one plugged into the most hollow and familiar of premises and then fed with a broad assortment of reheated multi-generational punchlines," wrote Dan Fienberg for The Hollywood Reporter. 

Critics felt NBC legal drama "Bluff City Law" was just another cliché.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 38%

NBC's American legal drama "Bluff City Law" aired in September, and the critics were less than impressed.

As Daniel D'Addario wrote in his review for Variety, "What works tepidly well here is a family dynamic that at least feels unusual; what does not are heard-them-all-before cliches about the power and responsibilities of attorneys."

"The Code" fell flat with critics.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 36%

"The Code" is a military-centric legal drama that aired on CBS this April — but the network canceled the series just four months later in July.

"It's hard to really get too deep into The Code when there's really nothing to dive into. It's a truly by the numbers CBS series to the point where if you were playing a game of network procedural Mad Libs, The Code is what you would end up with," wrote critic Merrill Barr for Forbes. 

Critics weren't feeling the love for "The Village."

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 31%

This NBC drama that aired in March is about the familial bonds between the residents of an apartment building in Brooklyn.

And although audiences enjoyed "The Village," critics weren't sold on the emotional series.

"The writers of 'Village' make the mistake of confusing emotion with quality. It's not enough just to feel; you have to do something with those feelings, too," wrote Kelly Lawler for USA Today. 

"Proven Innocent" wasn't enjoyed by critics.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 28% 

Fox's "Proven Innocent" follows the trials and tribulations of a wrongful-convictions firm.

The legal drama stars Rachelle Lefevre as Madeleine Scott, a woman who was driven to work in law after spending 10 years in jail for a crime she didn't commit.

"[T]he dialogue, weighted with explicit statements of thought and feeling rather than their sidelong evocation, is often too heavy for even these fine actors to successfully lift," wrote Robert Lloyd in his review for the Los Angeles Times. 

"Lindsay Lohan's Beach Club" was a reality-show flop.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 27%

This MTV reality series centers around actress Lindsay Lohan and her staff as they run a high-end beach club in Greece.

And although the show was rife with dramatics, it fell flat with most viewers.

As Emily Yahr wrote for The Washington Post, "As easy as it would be to write off 'Lindsay Lohan's Beach Club' as yet another ridiculous show, when you consider everything that led the once-celebrated actress to this place, it actually just feels tragic."

"L.A.'s Finest" couldn't be saved by an impressive cast.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 7%

The Spectrum original "L.A.'s Finest"  made its big debut in May — and critics were not impressed even though audiences seemed to enjoy the show. 

It stars big-name actresses like Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba and is about a former DEA agent and a police officer who are paired together on the force.

As critic Danette Chaves wrote for AV Club, "'L.A.'s Finest' quickly sinks into mediocrity, unable to offer the same kind of big-screen thrills in a weekly format, or find much of anything new to say about odd couples and pasts that won't stay hidden."

Read More:

• What 32 actors took from the sets of TV shows
• 17 iconic TV characters who were only meant to be on a few episodes
• 8 of the best and 8 of the worst TV shows that got canceled this year, so far

• I recently made my first trip to Wegmans, a family-owned grocery store chain on the East Coast with one of the most loyal followings in retail.
• I was impressed by everything on my trip, from the produce to the prices, but I was really there to try as much of the fresh food as possible.
• I tried a burger, pizza, salad, soup, sushi, fries, and bottled tea, and everything was consistently fresh and high-quality. However, the clear standout of my meal was, surprisingly, my nine-piece box of sushi, which I had pulled from a cold case.
• Sign up for Business Insider's retail newsletter, The Drive-Thru, to get more stories like this in your inbox. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

I recently visited a Wegmans grocery store for the first time in my life, and to say that it changed my life would be an understatement.

Maybe it was the little toy train with Wegmans-themed boxcars that circled several of the dairy and meat fridges. Maybe it was the spacious aisles and glorious stacks of colorful products, immaculately organized and all fresh. Maybe it was the kind and chatty employees who always seemed more than happy to help. Maybe it was a combination of all those things.

However transformative it was to wander the well-stocked aisles of Wegmans, nothing made me fall in love with the store more than its freshly prepared food. The pizza counter has a real pizza oven. Salads are hand-tossed and made-to-order. The sushi counter has a fridge of prepackaged sushi, but also a real sushi bar with sushi chefs.

And none of it breaks the bank.

So I went on a tour de food court and tried to sample as much of the feast as I could humanly carry. Here's how it went:

SEE ALSO: I ate everything at Costco's food court, and it was clear that its trendiest items are also its worst

What I ordered: a small four-topping pizza, bottle of Wegmans oolong tea, nine-piece sushi deluxe, spicy Southwest chicken and rice soup, a Nutty Professor salad, and an American classic burger with Tuscan fries. In total, everything cost $57.79 before tax. Not bad for New York, considering this was basically four full meals.

SMALL FOUR-TOPPING PIZZA, $9 — You can either buy a slice from a ready-made pie, or you can make your own pizza. I ordered a special-made pizza in the smallest size, which is meant for one person.

For toppings, I ordered Italian sausage, onions, and mushrooms on shredded mozzarella. Other options included fresh mozzarella.

The crust was sturdy and not at all soggy. The cheese was so gooey I had to lift my slice a foot in the air in order to separate it.

It was no New York City-style slice, but it was fresh and the ingredients were of relatively high quality. The onions were sweet, the sausage spicy, and the crust marvelously chewy.

The only thing I didn't like about the pizza was its sauce, which was light and sweet. It was the only element of this pizza that felt less than restaurant quality.

AMERICAN CLASSIC BURGER, $9; TUSCAN FRIES, $4 — I was so excited when I saw that Wegmans had a made-to-order burger bar. I ordered a classic cheeseburger as well as Tuscan fries.

I ordered my burger medium. It was thick, and the cheese was gracefully melted onto the brown patty. However, it felt kind of dry.

Sure enough, the patty was well done to the point of being dry. The only toppings on the burger aside from cheese were pickles, ketchup, and mustard.

To me, it just tasted like a bigger, slightly nicer McDonald's cheeseburger. I was disappointed.

The fries, too, were underwhelming. The rosemary-heavy seasoning was great, but the potatoes were also dry and not as crispy as I would have liked.

NUTTY PROFESSOR SALAD, $9 — To keep things simple at the salad bar, I chose a pre-made salad: the Nutty Professor, which has a mix of organic greens, squash, cabbage, carrots, cashews, and ginger turmeric dressing, and many, many more ingredients. However, you can also build your own salad.

I wasn't sure all the ingredients in the salad were there, but then again, I hadn't read the description very closely. I was mostly drawn to this one because of the cashews and ginger dressing.

I'm usually a skeptic of tofu in salads, but the tofu in this salad was soft, light, and bursting with flavor.

The dressing was light and a little spicy. Each component was fresh, and all together it tasted wholesome.

Although it was delicious, it was both about the same price and the same quality as salads I had eaten at MOD Pizza or Blaze Pizza.

NINE-PIECE SUSHI DELUXE, $21 — This is the most I've ever paid for grocery store sushi. It's also the only time I've ever seen such a rich fish variety in a grocery store sushi set.

I was stunned to see highly prized uni, or sea urchin, on my plate. Uni is one of the rarest and most raw seafood delicacies available to the general public, and it's usually hard to find in lower-end sushi restaurants — let alone in grocery stores.

From what I could tell, there were two kinds of salmon on my plate: farm-raised and wild. There was tuna, fatty tuna, salmon roll, and other fish I couldn't identify.

It was evident from my first bite that all of the fish on my plate were fresh and high-quality.

The rice was perfectly seasoned and shaped tautly into beds for the fish.

Every single bite burst with flavor. And the sea urchin tasted much better than the only other time I've splurged on sea urchin — at a Japanese restaurant. It was creamy and light with a hint of seawater.

This was also the first time I'd seen "REAL WASABI" written on a wasabi packet. As sushi aficionados know, sushi is rarely served with real wasabi, or Japanese horseradish, in America. Most restaurants serve cheaper horseradish pastes dyed green to resemble the Japanese condiment.

At this point, I took a break to try the spicy Southwest chicken and rice soup. I was drawn to this soup because of my love for chicken, rice, spicy things, and the American Southwest.

But while this soup was pleasantly spicy, it was otherwise lackluster, like many grocery store soups tend to be. It'd do in a pinch on a cold day, but it wouldn't be my first choice of soup.

I was also confused by the very large chunks of chicken, which didn't seem appropriate in a soup.

So I gave up on the soup and went back to the sushi.

I usually don't finish the items that I try, but I could not stop eating.

Every single cut of fish was thick, soft, and sinew-free. This wasn't just good sushi for a grocery store. This was just good sushi.

JUST OOLONG TEA, $1.79 — I washed it all down with a few gulps of Wegman's house-brand oolong tea.

All you can ask for from bottled tea is that it isn't burned or bitter, and this wasn't. So yep, it's tea.

Although the burger and the soup were average, everything else about this meal exceeded expectations. Everything was customizable, fresh, and affordable, and some things even managed to be more delicious than a grocery store meal has any right to be.

The highlight of my meal was easily the sushi, which I still can't believe came from a plastic box in a fridge.

Next time I want to treat myself, I might just hop on a bus to Wegmans.

• Royal Caribbean International's 228,081-ton Symphony of the Seas is the world's largest cruise ship.
• It debuted in 2018.
• The ship has 22 restaurants, 42 bars and lounges, theaters, an ice rink, and a zip line.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

For Royal Caribbean International, bigger is better. 

In 2018, the cruise line debuted the world's largest cruise ship, the 228,081-ton Symphony of the Seas, which follows the previous record holder, Royal Caribbean's 226,963-ton Harmony of the Seas. But according to CEO Michael Bayley, a ship's size is a function of the company's desire to pack enough dining, entertainment, and lodging options to make all of its passengers happy — not a goal in itself.

"When we set out to design ships originally in the concept phase, we don't get caught up in size. We really get caught up in concept and what we're trying to deliver," he said in a 2018 interview with Business Insider.

At 1,188 feet long and over 215 feet wide, the Symphony of the Seas has a wide variety of food and entertainment options, including 22 restaurants, 42 bars and lounges, theaters, an ice rink, and a zip line.

Here's a look inside the world's largest cruise ship.

SEE ALSO: Here's how you can use your Costco membership to book a cruise

The Symphony of the Seas can hold up to 6,680 passengers.

The ship took three years to build.

Customers can choose from 2,759 rooms.

Including the 1,346-square-foot Ultimate Family Suite.

Passengers have access to 24 pools, whirlpools, surf simulators, and waterslides.

This is the top of the Ultimate Abyss, which sends riders down a 92-foot drop.

Splashaway Bay is a playground-water park hybrid.

Hot tubs are available for those who want to relax.

As is the Vitality at Sea Spa.

The boat is divided into seven "neighborhoods." The Central Park neighborhood holds over 20,700 plants.

At the Bionic Bar, robot bartenders serve passengers drinks.

There are 22 restaurants, including the Alice in Wonderland-inspired Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine.

The ship has two, 43-foot-tall rock climbing walls.

And a zip-line that hangs from the ninth deck.

There's a candy store, if you want to indulge your sweet tooth.

The ship has multiple theaters and an ice-skating rink where passengers can watch a variety of shows.

Symphony of the Seas debuted in 2018.

Have you worked on a cruise ship? Do you have a story to share? Email this reporter at mmatousek@businessinsider.com.

• Read more:
• The 10 large cruise ships with the nicest cabins
• The hardest job on a cruise ship can lead to blindness and burned skin from dangerous chemicals, according to a lawyer who represents cruise ship workers
• The 10 best large cruise ships for people who love food
• 7 of the most luxurious cruise cabins in the world

• The Beekman is a luxury hotel housed in a renovated New York City landmark building dating back to 1881.
• The preserved nine-story atrium is a breathtaking architectural triumph often utilized for high-fashion photo shoots, music videos, and of course, hundreds of Instagram photos.
• I spent a night ina Studio Suite, which starts at $462 a night. It's a great splurge, but a more affordable Superior Queen begins at $262 a night and is equally well-appointed.

Entering The Beekman is like taking a step back in time, and for good reason. The building dates back to 1881.

Temple Court, as it was once known, originally housed prominent New York law firms in a multi-tenant office building. It was also one of the first skyscrapers in Manhattan — at just 10 stories.

Since those early days, the building fell into disrepair and was eventually abandoned, but thanks to its Queen Anne-style architecture and stunning nine-story atrium, it was named a city landmark in 1998. The atrium, crowned by an oversized iron and glass skylight, was unsealed years later and the building became a hotspot for fashion and music video shoots. In 2012, plans were announced to convert the landmark into a hotel, and four years later the highly-anticipated The Beekman, a Thompson Hotel, hosted its first guests.

The building's architecture and charm remain the main draw, but the five-star hospitality doesn't hurt either. I stayed in a Studio Suite, which was comped for review purposes, but starts at $462 a night in low season and can reach over $700 a night at peak.

If you really want to feel like a 19th-century oil baron, spring for a Penthouse. Housed in the building's original turrets, the 1,200 square foot, multi-story suite offers 40-foot ceilings, lounging and dining areas, a stone fireplace, and a private outdoor rooftop terrace. But brace yourself — a night in one of these rooms starts at $6,500. 

Though at a luxury property like the Beekman, you really can't go wrong in a standard room. If you're okay with a smaller space, the Superior Queen is the hotel's most affordable, but least spacious option. It begins at a very reasonable $262.

• The first impression
• The room
• On-site amenities
• What's nearby
• What others say
• What you need to know
• The bottom line
• Book The Beekman starting at $262 a night here

Keep reading to see why I was so impressed by The Beekman.

SEE ALSO: Hotel review: If jazz were a hotel, it would look a lot like The Evelyn New York

SEE ALSO: Hotel review: Hotel 50 Bowery brings approachable luxury to New York City's bustling Chinatown

SEE ALSO: Hotel review: We spent a night at the boutique Park Terrace Hotel in Bryant Park and loved the mod room, free breakfast, and upscale amenities

SEE ALSO: Hotel review: We stayed at the Conrad New York Downtown — here's why the all-suite Hilton offering is worth the high price tag

When I first arrived at The Beekman, I found myself wandering around the block, unable to find the entrance. While The Beekman is named after one of the streets it occupies, it's entrance is around the corner on Nassau St., and the unassuming gray awning blends in too well with the stone facade.

It doesn't help that the entrance was partially obscured by construction scaffolding, either.

As I stepped into the expansive lobby decorated with antique tile, dark wood paneling, and a wide concierge desk adorned with Persian rugs, I was completely transported into the old New York world of The Beekman, and immediately forgot about any confusion caused by the inconspicuous entrance.

It was a slow Monday afternoon, so I was greeted right away and checked in with ease.

As the concierge explained the standard details of Wi-Fi and check out times, a porter silently snuck up behind me, and nearly startled me with his attentiveness. It also made me feel wildly important.

He took my bag, and we journeyed deeper into the century-old building. As we waited for an elevator, he gave a miniature history lesson, revealing details about the building's past and its architectural details, but saving the big reveal for when we got upstairs.

As we stepped out of the elevators, we were greeted by the atrium, the stunning crown jewel of The Beekman hotel.

From six floors up, the porter encouraged me — if I wasn't afraid of heights — to take a peek over the exquisitely-detailed Victorian ironwork railing. I gazed down to the lobby bar below, and then up at the huge skylight bathing the halls in natural light.

Once I collected my jaw up off the floor, I went to my room.

While several rooms are straight off the atrium, mine was down the hall a bit, away from the noise of the elevators, which I appreciated.

I spend the night in a Studio Suite, which is in the hotel's mid-level pricing tier, and the largest accommodation that's still a single room. Larger suites venture into multi-room setups. 

At 475 square feet, my room was one of the largest hotel rooms I've ever stayed in. I appreciated the amount of freedom I had to move around, and as someone used to just a bed and perhaps a small chair in a hotel room, it was novel to have options.

There was also a cocktail table in front of a two-seater sofa, a marble desk where I did some writing, and of course, the King bed.

When I travel, I often don't spend much time in my hotel room, so for my purposes, it felt a bit excessive. But for those who need the space, the Studio Suite felt spacious without seeming vast and empty. The price, which begins at $462 per night in the low season, felt like a solid value for a luxury Manhattan hotel.

The room's eclectic style struck a balance between modern and elegant, with stand-out bespoke lighting fixtures designed especially for the hotel. I particularly fell in love with a blue porcelain Japanese foo dog lamp on the nightstand. I even contemplated how much they might charge me if I brought it home.

The bathroom was also a highlight. My partner and I always seem to fight for sink space in the morning, so it was lovely to brush my teeth in peace.

The waterfall shower left a bit to be desired as far as water pressure, but a second hand-held showerhead did a much better job. That is, if you're coordinated enough to use it without soaking the towels hung on the wall. I was not.

Though my room was on the sixth floor, I did hear a lot of street noise. The Beekman is in a busy downtown location, so sirens and honking were frequent during the day. As the neighborhood settled down for the evening, I stopped noticing as much noise, and wasn't awoken at all. But I do live in New York and I'm used to sleeping through car alarms and ambulances. If you're a light sleeper, you may want to ask for a room on an even higher floor or facing a quieter area.

Compare room types and prices for The Beekman New York

Under the atrium is The Bar Room, The Beekman's lobby bar, decorated like a well-worn library with dark wood, leather seating, and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.

The look is a nod to the Mercantile Library Association, which used to be housed in the building, and was a frequent haunt of Edgar Allen Poe.

When I was there, I stumbled upon an editorial shoot taking place, proving it was clearly a place to see and be seen for the aesthetics alone. While I didn't partake in cocktails, there were plenty of hotel guests and New Yorkers using the space to work and chat around the clock.

The hotel also has two restaurants and a lounge.

Temple Court from celebrity chef Tom Colicchio is an upscale American restaurant that takes its name from the original building. My breakfast was delicious, and I can highly recommend dining here.

There's also Augustine, a French brasserie by restauranteur Keith McNally, as well as a speakeasy-style lounge called the Alley Cat Amateur Theater. Specializing in Japanese-inspired cocktails and an Izakaya-style menu, the underground haunt is open late nights from Tuesday through Saturday and features nightly live sets from musicians and DJs. I stayed on a Monday night and, unfortunately, missed out.

The Beekman is a short walk to some of downtown Manhattan's great landmarks, like Battery Park, which is also where you can take in exquisite views of the Statue of Liberty or catch the Staten Island Ferry (which is a completely free way to see the Statue of Liberty up close).

On your way to Battery Park, you'll pass Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange, Trinity Church, and the famous Charging Bull statue. You're also not far from the Freedom Tower and the 9/11 Memorial.

On a nice day, I recommend walking across the nearby Brooklyn Bridge to check out DUMBO, a trendy waterfront neighborhood in Brooklyn.

The Beekman is also near The Oculus, a hub for both the New York City Subway and the PATH train into New Jersey, as well as a high-end shopping.

Compare flight deals to New York on Expedia

The Beekman has an excellent 4.5-star rating on Trip Advisor, placing it number 36 out of all 506 hotels in New York City. Guests rave about the stunning architecture, the warm and helpful staff, and the vibe of The Bar Room and Temple Court.

Those unhappy with their stay are few and far between, but the common complaints that do exist seem to all be noise-related, with some noting you can feel the subway trains go by underneath you, and others citing that rooms just off the atrium experience noise from the bar drifting up to the rooms. Many complained of all-night jack hammering from the construction next door, but those comments are from several months ago, and I didn't hear any construction noise at all. It's likely that phase of the building project is over.

Booking.com ranks The Beekman similarly, with an outstanding 9.1 out of 10 from 2,482 guest reviews. Because The Beekman is so highly-rated, Booking.com has given it the distinction of one of their top hotels in New York.

Read reviews, compare prices, and book The Beekman on Trip Advisor

Who stays here: Those looking for a luxurious hotel experience in Manhattan away from the overwhelming atmosphere of Midtown, as well as folks with an eye towards architecture, design, and a love for "old New York."

We like:Temple Court. Join hotel guests, locals, and Wall Street execs alike in this quiet but consistently busy restaurant for an outstanding breakfast.

We love (don't miss this feature!): The atrium. The preserved 1880s Victorian architecture really shines in this grandiose yet intricate nine-story focal point of the hotel. It's stunning.

We think you should know:The Beekman has a complimentary House Car that will take you to DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights, or anywhere in downtown Manhattan south of Canal Street.

We'd do this differently next time: Stay on a different day of the week to take advantage of the Alley Cat Amateur Theatre, the speakeasy-style basement lounge with live music and DJs. They're closed on Mondays, which is when I stayed and missed out.

The Beekman is a slice of old New York, preserved, renovated, and modernized.

Impressive original architectural elements remain, and the hotel has done a marvelous job of bringing the building back to its glory while energizing it with the hospitality of a luxury hotel.

The building, however, is merely the backdrop for a truly upscale experience, with courteous, knowledgeable, and friendly staff; bespoke eclectically furnished rooms, and outstanding on-site food and drink.

If you're a light sleeper, you may have trouble with city noise creeping into your room, but that's the price you pay for staying in the heart of downtown Manhattan — that, and upwards of $250 a night. But it's worth it to stay within this intricate slice of history.

Book The Beekman New York starting at $262 per night here

• For the outdoor-adventure-minded, there's no place like REI.
• A veritable wonderland of all things outdoors from camping stoves to stand-up paddleboards and sleeping bags, it's our go-to for a one-stop shop before setting out into the wilds.
• Below, we've rounded up some of our favorites from within and without the co-op, and if it's an experience that they're after, REI has you covered there, too.

Outdoorsy folk can be a fussy bunch, and rightfully so. After all, this is stuff they, and often their very lives, truly depend upon. Still, this makes shopping for them an endeavor. Would they dangle from a cliff with this carabiner? Are the straps on that rucksack up for the Appalachian Trail? Will these boots blow out in a year or two, halfway up or down a mountain? These are serious considerations one doesn't necessarily go through when purchasing gifts at, say, Macy's.

We've taken care to conduct a whole lot of testing and research to pull together what we've found to be the best REI has to offer throughout its wide array of categories.

So whether it's for your girlfriend, your father, your aunt, or your grandmother who just happens to be an itinerant adventure junkie, there's something for all below. And if nothing strikes your fancy, a $20 lifetime REI Co-op membership and a gift card will never do them wrong.

For most items on REI, order by December 20, 9 a.m. PT to get it before December 25.

Still shopping for more gifts? Check out all of Insider Picks' holiday gift guides for 2019 here.


A trip of a lifetime

An REI Adventures trip, starting at $659

Through REI Adventures, you can send them just about anywhere in the world they (or you) please.

A coffee maker for the campsite (and maybe home)

AeroPress, $32

Aeropress has such a cult following indoors and out, there's a good chance this will even replace their French press or coffee machine at home, too.

A reusable silicone zip-locking bag to appeal to their inner hippie

Stasher reusable bag, $12

Appeal to their (and your) inner hippie with this sealable, reusable silicone storage bag.

A field guide to emergency first aid

Pocket Guide to Emergency First Aid, $13

Heaven forbid they need it, but knowing them, you know they will.

A classic 2-burner camping stove

Eureka Ignite 2-burner camp stove, $100

There's nothing quite like the two-burner tabletop camp stove, and if they don't have one by now, it's high time. These things last forever.

A new, featherlight bike helmet

Smith Bike Helmet, $160

Speaking of lasting forever, help them keep their noggin (or what's left of it) intact.

A cactus-and-fern-scented candle to bring the outdoors in

Cactus flower and fern candle, $29

Winter can get stuffy; bring the outdoors in with a cactus-flower- and fern-scented candle.

A complete hammock shelter system

ENO OneLink Hammock Shelter System, $210

The be-all, end-all of camping hammocks.

A brand new snowboard

A new Arbor snowboard, $420

Arbor makes some of the prettiest snowboards around, and whether you know it or not, they've probably longingly admired one of these on the slopes or through a storefront window.

A brand new pair of skis

A new pair of skis, $280 and up

Rossignol, K2, Salomon, Atomics, and Volkl, REI has them all, and there's no better time to buy last year's still-perfectly-good models than now.

A sleeping bag built for two

Siesta double sleeping bag (REI), $149 to $159

If you, or they, haven't tried one of these, especially on winter camping trips, you (and/or they) are in for a far warmer night's sleep.

A pared-down, lightweight Leatherman tool

Leatherman Skeletool, $70

Leatherman's best known for its clunkier, more equipped "Free" and "Wave" models, which they probably already own. Get them something just as trusty but much more packable for longer treks where every ounce counts.

Ultra-warm socks made from bison wool

UBB Bison Wool socks, $38

Pick up a pair for yourself while you're at it: These are great on and off the slopes.

A discounted lift pass at 44 ski resorts

Indy ski pass, $189 (originally $200)

Get $10 off 88 ski passes at 44 resorts (that's a weekend at each). They'll probably never fill it, but it's a challenge they can only accept.

A skiing or snowboarding helmet, because it's 2019

Smith Valence MIPS snow helmet, $138 (originally $210)

Smith Camber MIPS snow helmet, $111 to $112 (originally $170)

This is the year they finally start wearing a helmet on the mountain.

A cookware set for proper meals at camp

Stanley Even-Heat Camp Pro Cookset, $140

That cheap, ultra-light aluminum cookware set gets hot plenty fast, but it also burns the daylights out of everything all too easily. Get them something they can actually cook on out there.

A waterproof case for the essentials

Pelican Go G40 case, $40

No more drowned phones, wallets, or keys.

A rugged wheeled cooler that won't fall apart (on or off the trail)

YETI Tundra Haul, $400

Why it took Yeti until this year to make a wheeled cooler is beyond us, but behold!

An adventure canoe for two

Mad River Adventure 14 Canoe, $769

An exceptionally cozy fishing or expedition canoe for two. Oh, the places you (and they) will go...

A roof rack box for skis, snowboards, and whatever

A Thule Roof Rack Box, $385 and up (originally $550)

There's a lot of peace of mind in knowing that your thousands of dollars in snow gear is safely locked on your roof, and almost as much in knowing that there's a little more room inside the car on ski trips this year.

An inflatable SUP to keep in their trunk for paddling whenever, wherever

NRS Inflatable SUP Kit, $1,200

Subway- and airplane-compliant, an inflatable SUP will also pack into the trunk of a sedan.

New ski goggles to replace their scratched ones

Spy Woot Snow Goggles, $65

It's time they ditch those scratched up old things.

A new rucksack

REI Co-op Trail 40 Pack (men's), $59 (originally $119)

REI Co-op Trail 40 Pack (women's), $59 (originally $119)

All they need for a weeklong trek, nothing they don't.

A portable power station for all their backcountry adventures

Goal Zero YETI Portable Power Station, $300

Almost indestructible, this is an essential tool for car-campers and van-lifers everywhere.

A festive, synthetic chinchilla fleece

Patagonia Synchilla Snap (women's), $89 (originally $119)

Patagonia Synchilla Snap (men's), $104 (originally $139)

Warm, fuzzy, and festive to boot.

A vacuum-sealed wine and/or whiskey tumbler

YETI Rambler Wine Tumbler, $25

YETI Rambler Lowball Vacuum Tumbler, $20

There's something about the hand feel of these we just can't get over, and there are few better gifts out there for couples.

Chocolate-covered cherries in a tin they'll keep forever

Chukar Cherries, $30

A little sugary trailside pick-me-up in a tin they'll never toss.

A heavy-duty ski jacket

Arc'teryx Beta AR Women's Ski Jacket, $287 to $575

Arc'teryx Alpha SV Men's Jacket, $374 to $785

A good ski jacket is imperative on the slopes, and Arc'teryx's are among the best.

A lightweight rechargeable headlamp

BioLite HeadLamp, $50

The best, and lightest-weight, headlamp on the planet. Even if they already have one (or six), this will quickly become their favorite.

• The Razer Junglecat is a $99 wireless controller that can turn an Android phone into a portable video game console.  
• The Junglecat functions as a standard controller for PC computers and Android, but you can use the included case to split the Junglecat and attach the controls to the sides of your phone.
• The Junglecat case works with the Samsung Galaxy S10, the Samsung Note 9, and the Huawei Mate P30 Pro.  
• The hybrid controller is clearly influenced by the massively popular Nintendo Switch, and it's looking to reach a growing group of gamers playing on mobile devices. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Razer is looking to bring Nintendo Switch-style controls to Android phones and computers with a new $99 controller.

The new controller, called the Razer Junglecat, includes a pair of left and right wireless controllers that connect via Bluetooth. They can be used separately or together, and will work with games and apps that feature native controller support. Razer also has a Gamepad App that lets players customize the controls for specific apps if necessary.

Unfortunately, the Junglecat only connects to Android phones and PC computers for now — iPhones and other Apple devices have stricter approvals for Bluetooth devices. The Junglecat package includes cases for three specific phones that will let the left and right side Junglecat controls slide onto the sides of your device.

The controller is available to buy on Razer's official site and through other online retailers.

A growing number of gamers are playing titles with controller support on their phones, and it appears that Razer is looking to capitalize on that. Wildly popular games like "Fortnite" already support controllers on mobile, and companies like Google, Apple, and Microsoft are all in the process of launching new mobile gaming platforms with controller support in mind.

For people already dedicated to gaming on their phones, the Junglecat is a quality controller that offers some convenience, though in comparison to the Nintendo Switch, its certainly rough around the edges. 

Here's a closer look at how it works. 

SEE ALSO: Nintendo's best-selling game, 'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate,' just added a beloved fighting game character to its roster

Razer's Junglecat Controller can be used in its compact form, or you can separate the left and right sides to attach them to the Junglecat case.

The controller is clearly inspired by the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons, but unlike the Joy-Cons, the left and right sides of the Junglecat never make a direct physical connection to your phone. They pair together automatically and connect to your phone as a combined bluetooth device.

Razer says the Junglecat's battery lasts for more than 100 hours, and after more than a week of regular, use I haven't needed to recharge. Oddly, the two sides of the controller charge separately, but with such a long battery life, it's not too much of an issue.

The case works with four phones: the Samsung Galaxy S10, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, the Razer Phone 2, and the Huawei P30 Pro.

According to a Razer representative I spoke to at a press event, the company would like to make more cases to make the controller fit around more phones, but the phones chosen seem to be the most popular among mobile gaming enthusiasts in the US and abroad.

Because of Apple's strict rules for Bluetooth devices, the controller cannot connect to the iPhone or other Apple devices at all. However, Razer said it hopes to bring MFi (Made for iOS) support to the Junglecat in the future.

Games and apps with native controller support connected to the Junglecat automatically.

Once you've attached the Junglecat to your phone, it feels like you're playing a full-fledged video game console. The joysticks on the Junglecat are also quite similar to the Nintendo Switch, though they're positioned parallel to each other rather than staggered. This makes it a bit easier to use the buttons on the right-hand side, but just a bit tougher to play games that require both analog sticks at once.

The Junglecat case is held in place by basic plastic connections, but I never felt concerned that the phone would fall out or the controllers would fall off. It would be nice to have the satisfying lock mechanic Nintendo uses for the Switch, but the Junglecat is just as easy to slide on and off the sides of your phone.

Carrying the controller around is easy enough, and the case adds a minimal amount of size to your phone. You can use it with PC games, too.

If you do have the right phone and are already an avid mobile gamer, the Junglecat does feel like a more practical option than carrying around a phone clip and controller setup.

The portability and modular design of the $99 Razer Junglecat are impressive, but the limited number of compatible phones limits its long-term value.

You can buy the Razer Junglecat on Razer's official site, or other online retailers.

• Travis Kalanick, Uber's ousted founder, will soon be in direct competition with his previous company after raising $400 million from Saudi Arabia for his new food-delivery startup, according to The Wall Street Journal.
• Travis Kalanick's net worth is $3.2 billion, according to Forbes.
• Kalanick keeps his personal life fairly under wraps, but he spends much of his fortune on real estate and travel.
• He has no clear ventures into philanthropy. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Travis Kalanick cofounded Uber in 2009. But, after a series of scandals and a workplace culture where discrimination and sexual harassment were the norm, Kalanick resigned as CEO in 2017. 

Though he's no longer leading the global ride-hailing company, Kalanick remains wealthy. He's worth $3.2 billion, according to Forbes.

On November 7, The Wall Street Journal reported he quietly raised $400 million for a food-delivery startup in January. The startup, CloudKitchens, would be in direct competition with Uber, where Kalanick is still a director.

Here's how he spends his fortune:

SEE ALSO: Uber founder Travis Kalanick has reportedly raised $400 million for his next act from Saudi Arabia. He'll be competing directly with his old company.

NOW READ: Tim Cook is worth $625 million and leads a $1 trillion company — but he reportedly buys discounted underwear and wants to give his money away after paying for his nephew's tuition

Travis Kalanick presently has a reported net worth of $3.2 billion. Much of that is from holding 7% of Uber's stock.

As Business Insider previously reported, he was, up until recently, relatively "cash-poor for a billionaire." But his liquid assets saw a boost after he sold $1.4 billion in Uber shares to Japanese tech giant SoftBank.

Source:Business Insider

Kalanick grew up in the middle-income Los Angeles neighborhood of Northridge. He wanted to be a spy when he grew up.

Source:Business Insider, LA Times

Kalanick went to UCLA, but didn't graduate. That's because he dropped out to help found Scour, a peer-to-peer search engine.

Source:Business Insider

Far from wealthy at that point, Kalanick was collecting unemployment checks while working full-time on Scour. A group of entertainment companies sued Scour for $250 million, forcing the start-up to fold.

Source:Business Insider

Kalanick quickly rebounded with RedSwoosh, a networking software company that he called his "revenge business." He co-founded Red Swoosh in 2000, and then sold it for $23 million in 2007.

Source:Business Insider

The earnings from Red Swoosh made Kalanick a millionaire. He took a year off in 2007, after selling the company, and went to Spain, Japan, Greece, Iceland, Greenland, Hawaii, France, Australia, Portugal, Cape Verde, and Senegal.

Source:Business Insider

The lavish lifestyle that followed Kalanick's sudden rise to millionaire status in the late 2000s also helped foster the idea for creating Uber. He and his friends spent $800 on a private driver one New Year's — so he started thinking about ways to make black cab service more economical.

Source:Business Insider

Uber was then founded in 2009. But nowadays, Kalanick has his own private driver. A series of accusations against the company's workplace and ethics eventually led to Kalanick leaving in 2017.

Source:The New York Times, Business Insider

After Kalanick left Uber, he headed to Tahiti.

Source:Business Insider, Recode

He sailed around the islands in a $70 million sailing vessel owned by media mogul Barry Diller and fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg. The boat, called Eos, is 305 feet long and can hold 16 guests and 21 crew members on board.

Source: Recode, Daily Mail

Back on dry land, Kalanick splits his time between New York and his hometown of Los Angeles.

Source:The Wall Street Journal

New York City, with its plentiful taxis, bike lanes, and public transit options is a good place for Kalanick to settle down... because, as of June 2016, the Uber co-founder reportedly only had an expired driver's license.

Source:The Verge

But Kalanick does own a 1999 BMW M3, albeit one with a broken alternator. If he bought when it was released, it would have been $45,000.

Source:The Verge, Autotrader

While we don't know much about Kalanick's Los Angeles pad, but we do know he just bought a $36.4 million apartment in Manhattan. It's the penthouse at the under-construction 565 Broome SoHo — a 30-story luxury apartment building.

Source:The Wall Street Journal, Elliman

Here's a rendering of what Kalanick's penthouse will look like. It's 6,655 square feet with a 2,500-square-foot private roof terrace. And there's a 20-foot heated outdoor pool with 360-degree views.

Source:The Wall Street Journal, Elliman

The penthouse has two floors, four bedrooms, and 4.5 bathrooms. There's even an outdoor kitchen.

Source:The Wall Street Journal, Elliman

Real estate is definitely the name of the game in Kalanick's post-Uber world. In March, he bought City Storage Systems, which redevelops underused industry, retail and parking sites, for $150 million. He then made himself CEO. "There are over $10 trillion in these real estate assets that will need to be repurposed for the digital era," he tweeted after the acquisition.

Source:Mercury News

That acquisition was funded by Kalanick's new investment fund, 10100. It's dedicated to funding promising firms in e-commerce and real estate, as well as emerging tech in China and India.

Source:Crunchbase

As for what Kalanick's own philanthropic efforts, it's not clear how he gives back with his $3.2 billion fortune, or what he intends to do with his money after he dies. A source close to Kalanick said he has "no interest, from what I can tell, in philanthropy."

Source:New York Magazine

Instead, he seems intent on doing good through capitalism. He's mentioned Uber programs where gifts are delivered to less fortunate children during the holidays and supplies delivered to displaced people leaving Syria.

Source:Salesforce

In his new job leading investment fund 10100, he said in March that he's focusing on "large-scale job creation." But, as the LA Times pointed out, it's not clear what sort of jobs he plans on creating. "At Uber, Kalanick was criticized for kickstarting an entire sector of the tech industry reliant on contract workers rather than employees," the LA Times' David Pierson wrote. "Uber itself is expected to someday replace its drivers with autonomous vehicles."

Source:LA Times

On November 7, The Wall Street Journal reported that Kalanick quietly raised $400 million in January from Saudi Arabia's sovereign-wealth fund for his new startup, CloudKitchens, a delivery-only restaurant company. The deal could value CloudKitchens at $5 billion and puts Kalanick in direct competition with Uber, which is currently scaling its Eats business.

Source:The Wall Street Journal,Business Insider

• Some city skylines around the world have changed dramatically over the past 20 years.
• The Notre Dame's recognizable spire collapsed in a fire in 2019.
• The London Eye was still under construction at the beginning of 2000.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Some of the world's most iconic skylines have undergone significant changes over the past 20 years.

While some cities have enjoyed prosperous economic growth, spurring the construction of impressive skyscrapers and other structures, others have tragically lost beloved landmarks.

As 2019 comes to an end, here's a look back at how 10 of the world's city skylines have evolved since the year 2000.

The twin towers of the World Trade Center were an iconic part of New York City until the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

"The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were a familiar sight to New Yorkers," Brittany Fowler wrote in Business Insider. "For decades, you looked up, and they were there. It was a reassuring sight."

One World Trade Center, completed in 2014, commands the horizon now.

One World Trade Center is 1,776 feet tall— a reference to how the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776.

The Dubai Marina in the United Arab Emirates was undergoing basic construction in 2000.

The marina is set along an artificial canal on the Persian Gulf. The first of its seven bridges was completed in 2000.

The Dubai Marina is still being expanded, but it's full of luxury high-rise buildings.

The area's attractions include the Dubai Marina Mall, Al-Rahim Mosque, and plenty of beach access.

The Notre Dame Cathedral was among Paris' most recognizable landmarks.

The cathedral was built in the 12th century.

A 2019 fire destroyed Notre Dame's spire and most of its roof.

Archaeologists, scientists, researchers, and construction workers are currently working to restore the site in time for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Mount Fuji stole the show in Tokyo, Japan, in 2000.

Mount Fuji, which stands at 12,389 feet tall, is southwest of Tokyo.

But the Tokyo Skytree building made a distinct addition to the city's landscape in 2012.

It's no Mount Fuji, but it's the world's tallest tower at 2,080 feet.

Shanghai's Oriental Pearl Tower was completed in 1994, but there weren't many other buildings surrounding it in 2000.

The Oriental Pearl Tower, the sixth-tallest tower in the world, is located in Shanghai's Pudong economic district.

More skyscrapers have cropped up around the tower in recent years.

The Pudong economic district is classified as a Special Economic Zone with the goal of furthering China's economic growth through tax and business incentives, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

After the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, Moscow's landscape began to change.

Dingy apartment complexes from the Soviet Union remain standing alongside Western-style establishments like casinos and nightclubs.

The population of Moscow has increased by about 2 million since 2000.

It remains one of the largest cities in the world with around 12 million people, and its infrastructure is growing to keep up.

The city of Cairo, Egypt, has existed on the bank of Egypt's Nile River for over 1,000 years.

Its foundations date back even further to the Fatimid dynasty in the year 969.

Cairo has become so large and populous that Egypt is building an entirely new capital city to alleviate the congestion.

The project has run into delays due to a lack of funding.

The London Eye was still under construction when the year 2000 began, opening to the public that March.

The 443-foot Ferris wheel was the tallest one in the world until 2006.

It has remained one of the defining characteristics of London's skyline, and was joined by The Shard skyscraper in 2012.

According to Londonist, the London Eye is the most popular paid attraction in the UK with over 3.75 million riders every year.

The Shard, built in partnership with Qatar, was designed to be a "vertical city" complete with offices, hotels, apartments, and retail space.

The infrastructure in Seoul, South Korea, struggled to keep up with its population growth.

Rapid economic development can have catastrophic consequences. Seoul's Songsu bridge collapsed in 1994, killing 32 people. It was built to hold 36.3 tons and regularly held more than 47.3 tons, according to the New York Times.

Seoul turned an unsafe highway into a walkway called Seoul Street in 2017.

The walkway is set along the Cheonggyecheon Stream, an artificial river woven with paths and bridges, built in 2005. The park added much-needed green space to Seoul's landscape, the Washington Post reported.

After the Asian financial crisis in 1997, construction projects across Bangkok, Thailand, came to a halt.

Stock markets and currency values in east and southeast Asia plummeted in 1997 due to the Thai government's decision not to peg the baht to the US dollar.

While some unfinished buildings have either been torn down or completed, some abandoned towers still remain.

A number of "ghost" buildings in the cityscape are unfit for demolition or further construction. The most famous example is the Sathorn Unique, a 49-story abandoned skyscraper known as "Ghost Tower" that still stands in the middle of Bangkok.

• Read more:
• The 50 most beautiful cities in the world
• 26 stunning photos that show how much city skylines have changed over the years
• 13 photos that show what New York, London, and other major cities almost looked like, based on old city designs

• Ousted Uber cofounder Travis Kalanick has opened a San Francisco location for his CloudKitchens startup, a company that rents commercial space and turns it into shared kitchens for restaurateurs, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
• Kalanick's CloudKitchens concept is right in line with a growing trend in the food-delivery world that has restaurants and chefs turning to rentable kitchen stations in a shared space to prepare food for delivery instead of traditional brick-and-mortar locations.
• We paid the kitchen in San Francisco a visit to see what it's like. Check it out.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Ousted Uber cofounder Travis Kalanick has pivoted from the ridesharing industry to another kind of shareable market: ghost kitchens.

As part of Kalanick's acquisition of real-estate company City Storage Systems, the startup CloudKitchens — which he's been rather hush-hush about — rents commercial space that offers delivery-only restaurants and chefs a place to prepare food without having to worry about maintaining the restaurant portion of a brick-and-mortar location.

There are many names for these kitchens — commissary, virtual, dark, cloud, or ghost kitchens — but the idea is that restaurateurs can rent out space in them to prepare food that can then be delivered through platforms like DoorDash or, yes, UberEats, which was launched during Kalanick's time at the company.

Commissary kitchens are basically "WeWork for restaurant kitchens," as TechCrunch's Danny Crichton writes.  These "smart kitchens," as they're called on the CloudKitchens website, can come with everything a restaurant or chef needs, like sinks, WiFi, and electricity.

They've become a hot trend in the food-delivery arena, allowing existing restaurants to be closer to a market without shelling out the cash needed for a traditional brick-and-mortar restaurant. They also allow chefs to work without having to embark on the risky business of opening a new restaurant.

And the kitchens can also do marketing for these businesses, which is another perk.

Kalanick's CloudKitchens is right in line with the growing trend, so much so that Saudi Arabia's sovereign-wealth fund funneled $400 million into the startup in January in what is the first known financial backing by the country since the murder of American journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

There are already CloudKitchens locations in Chicago and Los Angeles, but as reported by The Wall Street Journal's Rolfe Winkler and Rory Jones, a CloudKitchens location has been established in San Francisco's SoMa district, though when exactly is unclear. CloudKitchens did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. The WSJ report states that the kitchen is located at 60 Morris St. Though you'll find with a quick Google search of "CloudKitchens San Francisco" that it doesn't necessarily want to be found.

Nevertheless, we paid Kalanick's San Francisco ghost kitchen a visit to see what it's like. Check it out.

SEE ALSO: Fast food turns to 'ghost kitchens' and restaurants on wheels as chains like &pizza and Chick-fil-A battle for delivery dominance

CloudKitchens' San Francisco location is in the city's SoMa district, a neighborhood that has been taken over by new housing and trendy tech offices in recent years.

Source: 7X7

It's wedged within a nondescript alleyway. When we visited, an Amici's East Coast pizzeria truck was parked in front of the kitchen before driving off.

There's not much to indicate the kitchen's location except for a fairly bustling stream of delivery workers coming and going, or standing and waiting to pick up their orders.

A sign on the building says "No Parking," though there were plenty of cars parked that presumably belonged to the waiting delivery workers.

Inside was a delivery window and a row of tablets where drivers were instructed to sign in upon arrival.

The mural behind the tablets read San Francisco-centric things like "Fog City" and "Hella," a slang term that supposedly originated in the Bay Area. Through a door to the left of the tablets was a hallway where the kitchen stations likely are located.

Above the delivery window was a TV screen displaying order statuses.

The couriers listed were GrubHub, UberEats, and DoorDash, alongside orders from delivery-only restaurants like Moonbowls, The $5 Salad Company, Colombos, and Zoodle2.

You'll find the same address listed for all of those brands online: 60 Morris St.

We also saw delivery bags bearing the logo for Sweetgreen, the fast-casual salad chain, which also has a brick-and-mortar location in the city's SoMa neighborhood.

CloudKitchens isn't the only ghost-kitchen startup making waves — there's Kitchen United, backed by Google venture branch GV, and Amazon recently announced its foray into the market.

Source: The Wall Street Journal and TechCrunch

Even food-delivery platforms are getting in on the action — DoorDash recently announced the opening of its own commissary kitchen in Redwood City, about an hour south of San Francisco.

Source: SF Gate

As Americans increasingly lean into take-out for their dining needs, the ghost kitchen market will likely get even hotter.

• Now until November 10, 2019, you can save 20% on clean beauty and skin care during Credo's Friends & Family event. The code to save is STOCKUP.
• Credo has tons of clean beauty products, so you can hoard your favorites or find new ones you haven't tried yet. 
• Here are 14 best-selling clean beauty products to buy, including lipsticks, cleansers, and more from Tata Harper, Kosas, and Ilia. 

Credo is running its annual Friends & Family sale now through November 10, 2019, where you can save 20% on clean beauty, skin, care, body care, and more with the code STOCKUP. 

Every item at Credo is made without dozens of irritating and harmful ingredients like formaldehyde, aluminum powder, and more. Certain ingredients like musks are also never used because they're often not ethically or sustainably sourced. At a time when shoppers are becoming more conscious and discerning of the ingredients in products they use, Credo has become a mecca for all things clean. 

Here are 14 best-selling clean beauty and skin-care products to buy at Credo, or shop the entire sale here:

A longlasting lipstick

Kosas Lipstick, $28

Made with botanicals like castor and coconut oil, this lipstick is lightweight, longlasting, and hydrating. There are eight different shades of red so you can find one that suits your skin tone best. 

A gentle exfoliating cleanser

Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser, $84

Cut down the steps in your cleansing routine with this best-selling exfoliating cleanser. Apricot microspheres and BHA from white willow bark physically and chemically exfoliate your skin for a healthy glow and clearer complexion.

Eyeshadow formulated with coconut oil and shea butter

Aether Beauty Rose Quartz Crystal Gemstone Palette, $58

This palette includes matte, shimmery, metallic, and duo-chrome eyeshadows all formulated with moisturizing coconut oil and organic shea butter. The eyeshadows are also made rose quartz powder that helps reduce the appearance of fine lines. 

A facial oil beloved by royals

Beauti Skincare Beauty Sleep Elixir, $70

If Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle allegedly use and swear by this oil, then you know it must be good. It's powered by a blend of omega oils, vitamins, and minerals to smoothe and nourish your skin. 

A creamy medium-coverage foundation

Ilia True Skin Foundation, $54

Although this foundation is buildable and provides medium coverage, the formula is super creamy and melts into your skin, so you'll never have a cakey or unnatural look. 

A fragrance that won't irritate sensitive skin

Heretic Dirty Fig Eau de Parfum, $65

If you're looking for a clean perfume, check out Heretic. Its formulas are made without synthetic fragrances and instead uses essential oils and naturally-derived fragrances. This one smells like sweet figs with notes of bright grapefruit and black currant, and soft rose.

A blue clarifying mask

Herbivore Botanicals Blue Tansy Mask, $48

Blue tansy oil gives this clarifying gel mask its intense color and exfoliating properties, while fruit enzymes help brighten skin.

A hydrating facial toner to rebalance your skin

Indie Lee Co Q10 Toner, $34

This facial toner is formulated with CoQ10, plant extracts, and hyaluronic acid to hydrate your skin. The spray bottle makes it easy to spritz whenever your skin needs a little boost.

A buildable concealer that matches your skin's undertones

Rituel de Fille The Ethereal Veil, $34

This buildable cream concealer comes in a variety of undertones to match your skin for seamless coverage. It's also made with jojoba seed oil to moisturize.

Rejuvenating eye gels

Honest Hazel 3-Treatment Eye Gels Pack, $12

These eye gels contain cactus collagen to help reduce puffiness, aloe vera and vitamins C and E to help decrease the appearance of fine lines, and arbutin to help lighten the appearance of dark circles. 

A cleansing oil that removes makeup and hydrates your skin

One Love Organics Vitamin B Enzyme Cleansing Oil + Makeup Remover, $42

This cleansing oil gets rid of makeup and hydrates skin at the same time to help streamline your routine. The pump bottle is convenient and prevents the oil from spilling all over your hands or bathroom counter.

A hair-care set for healthier strands

EVOLVh Healthy Hair Trio, $69

Keep your hair healthy with this shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in conditioner set that cleanses, moisturizes, and nourishes.   

Organic mascara powered by botanicals

Lily Lolo Mascara, $20

Define, lengthen, and volumize lashes with this award-winning organic mascara. It's formulated with antibacterial botanicals and is safe for sensitive eyes.

A sunscreen and primer with SPF 30

Suntegrity Natural Moisturizing Face Sunscreen & Primer, SPF 30, $45

Sunscreen is a crucial part of any skin-care routine and this non-greasy moisturizing formula is packed with SPF 30 and doubles as a makeup primer too.  

• Shaunta Grimes is a writer and teacher. She is an out-of-place Nevadan living in Northwestern, PA. She's on Medium, Twitter, and Instagram and is the author of "Viral Nation" and "Rebel Nation," and "The Astonishing Maybe." She is the original Ninja Writer.
• Grimes quit her day job three years ago to work full time as a writer and entrepreneur. To stay on track with her goals, she realized focusing her energy at the start of the day was key.
• Productivity begins before you even wake up; a good night of sleep is key. Before you dive into anything, you should make a list of what needs to get done. And try listening to a podcast or chatting with your barista — hearing a story gets your imagination flowing.
• You can reduce daily stress by taking a small step toward getting dinner done. And you can use that extra time later on to make headway toward a larger goal.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Three years ago, I quit my day job to be a full-time writer-slash-entrepreneur. It's a dream — and also terrifying. I don't have anyone outside of myself structuring my time. No one watching the clock, or upset if I don't show up in the morning. Nobody to check in on my progress, or lack thereof.

Sure, I have a boss, but that boss is me.

This boss has a tendency to think mid-morning naps are a good thing, even when there is work that needs to be done. This boss also has no problem with me working 12 hours a day, seven days a week, for months on end.

It took some trial and error and a few too many breakdowns, but what I've realized is that in order to stay on track to reach my goals, I need to focus on how I spend my energy in the earliest hours of my day. What I accomplish before lunch influences my overall productivity, creativity, and mood.

Here are five things I do that you might want to make part of your morning routine, too.

Get enough sleep

This obviously begins way before lunch, but I cannot overstate how important getting enough sleep is. I feel a marked difference when I get a solid eight hours. Too many six-hour nights and I start to run into problems. When I'm tired, my brain starts to shut down by 3 p.m., particularly the creative part of my brain. I'm not going to tell you exactly how much sleep you need. You know that already. Do what you need to do to make sure you're getting it.

Make a list

Once you're awake, make a list. There are lots of ways to do this. Use Evernote, Asana, or go old-school and write in a notebook. Whatever works for you. I'm an analog fan, so I keep my daily lists in a planner.

Every morning, make a list of the things you need to do that day. Think about your goals and add the very next step you can take on each of them. It's okay if you don't get to every single item on your list. Just writing it all down helps you stay honest with yourself.

Now pick a few items and figure out how you're going to get them done before lunch. I usually choose five. I write them on sticky notes and display them on my "5 Before Lunch" board.

Get your story fix

Listen to a podcast on your way to work. Keep a paperback in the bathroom. Talk to the barista who makes your vanilla latte. I don't care how you do it, but sometime before lunch, take in a story. Sure, I realize that watching a bit of Netflix isn't traditional productivity advice. But getting your story fix helps ignite your imagination and creativity. When you open yourself up to other people's narratives, you gain inspiration for your own.

Get a head start on dinner

Want to reduce the stress in your life? Eliminate that terrible moment of standing in the kitchen, surrounded by hungry family members, with no clue what you're going to feed them. Before lunch, decide what you're going to have for dinner. It's okay if the answer is Taco Bell. Sometimes, it just is. But make that a choice, not a desperate act of self-preservation.

Get a head start. Chop some veggies or throw something in the slow cooker. If you save 10 minutes a day and use that time to, say, write a page of your book, you'll have your first draft done in a year.

Do one brave thing

Make sure you're not making yourself so busy with the day-to-day things that you ignore your biggest, scariest goal. I'm talking about your true-north thing. The thing you know is important by virtue of how terrifying it is. For a few minutes every morning, ignore the voice that says, "You can't do that right now. You have so many other things going on!" Don't be the person who is going to do something great — tomorrow.

Do one thing that moves you toward that goal before lunch. Every day. And see what happens.

• Dating after divorce isn't easy — especially if you've never dated in the digital age.
• There are many shocks for people reentering the dating world after divorce, from the unspoken rules of dating app etiquette to the sheer size of the online dating pool.
• We asked six people who have been divorced what they found most challenging about navigating the modern dating world.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Dating can be challenging, but dating after divorce can be even more so. 

It's not easy to jump back into the modern world of dating, especially if you met your spouse in the pre-dating app era. If figuring out how to use the apps themselves seems difficult, imagine trying to understand the unspoken rules of romantic interaction that comes with these platforms.  

"Going out in the world with a newly defined relationship status of 'divorced' can be frightening for many singles, as well as exciting for those who've been waiting to start over again," Julie Spira, founder of Cyber-Dating Expert, told Business Insider.

She said it can be confusing as to when you should start dating or how you should go about doing so: Do you ask to be set up? Meet people at events? Join dating sites and apps?

Spira suggested all of these methods, but said to first make sure to take the time to heal and do things for yourself as a single person. Plus, she said that when you do decide to start dating again, it's important to be genuine and authentic about your dating goals — whether you're looking for something casual or a more serious relationship.

Here, eight people share the biggest challenges they faced after they got divorced and entered the modern dating world.

One problem with modern dating is that many dating profiles 'seemed basically the same.'

After his divorce, Rusty Gaillard, 47, found dating again was made more complicated by the vague nature of online dating profiles. 

"As much as I wanted to pick people based on their personality, I found all profiles were basically the same," he told Business Insider. "I could tell much more about someone based on the kinds of photos they posted than anything. I looked for pictures that expressed some of the person's personality, doing things they enjoy."  

He met his first post-divorce date for coffee via Match.com and said his goal was to find a potential partner, so he was as open and vulnerable as he could be.

"If you want to attract someone who likes you for who you are, then be yourself," he said. "If you're using a dating app, write your profile and post pictures that are really you. Especially after divorce, it can be tempting to hide, pretend to be someone else, or try to attract a certain kind of person. But instead, be your real self."

Jumping into the world of online dating can make people seem more cynical, one woman said.

Michelle, a 54-year-old who asked to withhold her last name, has been divorced three times.

"As a woman in her 50s, dating just isn't as fun as it used to be," she told Business Insider. "Between kids, divorces, mortgages, careers, and starting life over again, there are challenges in trying to find 'the one' for the last time."

While she'd met her first two husbands in person — in high school and through her family — she met her third husband on Match.com in 2005. But she said online dating then was different than it is now.

"Online dating was new, and people were much more sincere about dating and less cynical," she said. "Now, there are so many people who create fake accounts and try to scam people, and the newer generation of online dating creates a 'sell your wares' shopping mentality, like Amazon."

Every so often, she'd sign up for a new dating site, but she began to realize that she missed familiarity so much, it became work to make the effort to tell her story over and over again. It made her realize that she needed something different in a relationship.

"By my age now, I realize that I am no longer interested in dating, but would like to have a monogamous relationship that is comfortable, casual, and easy," she said. "And if we ever live together, it would have to be in a duplex, because I really like my little world."

One latecomer to the world of online dating said that not being in the same physical space as the person you're interacting with has changed his approach to romance.

Mike Darcey, a 55-year-old who was married for 20 years, said that "dating has definitely changed" since the last time he was single.

"Before I was married the first time, you had to physically be in the same space to meet someone new," he told Business Insider. 

But now, he said it seems being in the same space together is something that happens afterward. 

"You are fed a significant amount of data, mostly propaganda, about a person before you decide to have real contact," Darcey said. "It does feel like the art of having a face-to-face, eye-to-eye conversation has diminished greatly."

He eventually got remarried — to someone he met offline.

One woman said she was surprised by how many people on dating apps seemed to be interested only in sex or short-term relationships. She called modern dating 'an entirely new and scary world.'

Christine Michel Carter, a 33-year-old author on parenting, is a mother of two who is dating after her 10-year marriage ended in divorce.

"Man, is this a new world since I was single," she told Business Insider in an email. "Facebook barely existed and MySpace was very popular."

Her first post-divorce date was with a former boyfriend, but when it did not work out, she decided to try online dating.

"Dating these days is completely different," she said. "The dates I had with complete strangers were awkward, as I'd been off the market for so long. It seemed commonplace to have an online dating profile and to be overly flirtatious on it, which I'm not very comfortable with."

Carter was also surprised by the blatant interest in sex or a short-term relationship, she said, whereas she likes to build intimate relationships and connections with one person for a long time.

"It's an entirely new and scary world, dating in 2019 — the attention spans, interest in getting to know someone, and overall mind games are so confusing to me," she said. "I've met some nice gentlemen, but I've definitely met some people I wouldn't take to the gas station, much less home to meet my kids." 

These days, she also prefers meeting dates in real life, such as colleagues through work, versus online.

"I find that much easier and more comfortable for an introvert like me," she said.

Even the expectation of texting as a main method of communication is enough to rattle people who dated in the pre-internet era.

Glenn Allen, a 38-year-old who was married for 12 years, said the most shocking thing about dating today is how texting and social media have changed the way people communicate.

"When I was dating my ex-wife, we almost never texted — it was about eight years before the iPhone was even invented," he told Business Insider. "We actually emailed and wrote each other notes a lot."

But now, he said texting is a necessary part of keeping a relationship alive.

"If there's a long space — days — between texts, the relationship feels 'off' and disconnected, and usually an indication that something's not right," Allen said.

He also said some dates have felt like people are interviewing for a spouse.

"I have been on the receiving end of that a few times, and it wrecks the date pretty fast," he said.

Finally, the sheer size of the online dating pool can make it difficult for newcomers to tell who's a good match and who's even telling the truth.

Divorce coach Dawn Burnett was married for 15 years, and post-divorce, most of her dates have come from dating apps like Bumble and Plenty of Fish.

Burnett said dating used to be simple — you met someone you liked when you were out at an event, or were introduced by friends and you started dating.

"Today, though, the internet has changed it all — there is a large pool of candidates to pick from and they are easily accessible, swipe right or swipe left," she told Business Insider. "If you don't like the one you met for a drink, move on. There are plenty to choose from — unless you are looking for quality."

She also said she hopes the person who shows up matches their profile pictures or measures up to the person they made themselves out to be in their profile, and finding someone who's loyal is harder to come by, too.

When it comes to dating after divorce, Burnett said it's important to connect within.

"When you are happy with who you are you are, you will look for quality instead of trying to fill a void," she said. "I know it has helped me in clearly and quickly identifying red flags. Dating is supposed to be fun: Don't burn energy you don't have to give away freely, and remember, you are the one who holds the power of choice at the end of the day."

• Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for "Doctor Sleep."
• Warner Bros. adaptation of Stephen King's 2013 sequel to "The Shining" is in theaters and it features many changes from the book.
• "Doctor Sleep" is a sequel to the original horror movie that follows the grownup Danny (played by Ewan McGregor) who meets others who have similar powers, referred to as "shine," as they face a dangerous cult, the "True Knot," set on acquiring their powers.
• From some huge character omissions to a completely different ending, Insider rounds up the biggest departures the movie makes from King's best-seller.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Danny's visit with Dick Hallorann at the film's start is completely different.

In the book: Wendy (Dan's mother) asks the Overlook Hotel's chef, Dick Hallorann, to visit with Dan (the young boy from the original who's now an adult) to help him work through trauma he's experiencing from his stay there in "The Shining." Dan has been seeing ghosts from the hotel, mostly the naked woman from room 217.

Hallorann tells Danny about his sadist grandfather and teaches him how to lock the spirits in trap boxes within his mind.

In the movie: Wendy never calls for Hallorann. Instead, he appears as a ghost who young Danny briefly speaks with to learn about the magical lock boxes he can store with spirits in his head.

Danny Torrence is in a different state when we first meet him.

In the book: Danny is introduced to us as he wakes up in Wilmington, North Carolina, after a drunken night with a woman, Deenie, he met at a bar. 

In the movie: For whatever reason, Danny's now in New Jersey. 

Deenie's child doesn't constantly haunt Danny as he does in the book.

In the book: When Danny wakes up in Deenie's bed and discovers he's missing $500, he decides to take the money Deenie has left in her purse. On his way out of the apartment, Danny spots a toddler, Tommy, with a bruised arm standing by a few lines of coke. The child cries out, believing it to be candy saying, "Canny. Mama."

Danny picks up the child and brings him to his mother. It's something that continuously haunts him throughout the book, especially because he later surmises that Tommy died at the hands of his abusive uncle and Deenie took her life as a result.

In the movie: Danny spots Tommy, but he's never near a table full of drugs or crying out "Canny." He plants the toddler next to his mother, just like in the book, and takes some of her cash.

Later in the film, Danny witnesses both of them in his bed as corpses. To someone who hasn't read the book, the scene may simply play as a creepy nightmare and not a confirmation that she and her child were killed. It's never brought up again in the film even though it's a demon that follows Danny for a very long time because he stole from them.

Abra's grandmother, Concetta, is basically non-existent in the film.

In the book: Concetta, referred to as Momo by Abra, a girl with the "shining" power, plays a huge role in the novel. 

When Concetta is dying of cancer, she's visited by Dan. At her bedside, Dan learns a startling revelation about a connection they have (more on that in a second). Concetta is also instrumental in helping Dan defeat the True Knot.

In the movie: Momo gets nothing more than a slight mention as a nod to the book. Abra's mother mentions that she's going to visit her mother who isn't doing well. 

In the book, Abra and Dan are related.

In the book: When Dan's at Concetta's bedside, he learns that his father had a child with her years ago. Abra's mother is his half-sister, making the young girl his niece.

That helps explain why the two have such a strong connection and makes their relationship less random. 

In the movie: This isn't addressed at all. It's skipped right over. The only nod you get to their book relationship is that Abra refers to Torrence as her Uncle Dan. However, that's something Abra did in the book even before she knew they were related in order to explain why the two were hanging out to any onlookers.

A number of other big characters are missing from the film.

In the book: When Dan arrives in Frazier, New Hampshire, he receives a job from Casey Kingsley. Kingsley takes a chance on him even though he can tell Danny's an alcoholic. He says he can work in Frazier as long as he sobers up and attends AA.

Doctor John is the bridge between Danny and Abra's family in the book. He convinces Abra's family the two both have special powers.

In the movie: Kingsley's role is somewhat combined with Billy's. Doctor John appears briefly, again as a nod to the book, as the head of Danny's AA group. It's never revealed whether or not he knows Abra's family.

The majority of the True Knot die in different ways.

In the book: After killing a young boy, many of the True Knot slowly contract measles and start to die. It's a bit of a silly death, but that's what happens.

Others are killed when Danny unleashes a red steam on them that he breathed in when Concetta died of cancer. This probably would have been a bit confusing to adapt to screen.

Some of the other members of the True Knot part ways with their leader, Rose, when she becomes too obsessed with Abra and many of the flock are dying off.

In the movie: All of that is scrapped in the film. No one leaves Rose's side and it becomes an all out shooting spree as Billy and Danny kill most of the True Knot by gunshot at a campsite.

Danny returns to the Overlook Hotel, which is still standing.

In the movie: Danny and Abra travel to the Overlook Hotel for a final showdown with Rose after the rest of the True Knot are killed. 

In a long sequence of events, Danny revisits and unleashes many of the ghosts from the hotel on Rose. Danny even has a vision of his father, Jack, at the Overlook's bar, and has a long conversation with him.

In the book: Danny returns to the campsite where the Overlook Hotel was to face off against Rose, but the hotel itself is completely demolished. On the novel's first page that's made clear when King writes it burned to the ground because of a defective boiler. 

Like in the film, Danny sets the spirits of the hotel loose on Rose. Abra's never physically there or in danger.

A number of people are killed in the film's third act who survive in the book.

In the movie: Crow Daddy, a member of the cult, visits Abra's home in order to kidnap her, but only winds up killing her father, David. 

After shooting Rattlesnake Andi, another member of the cult, she commands Billy to kill himself, which he does on screen. 

In the book: None of this happens. While the True Knot dies, Abra's father and Billy make it to the end of King's book alive.

Danny is also killed by the film's end.

In the movie: Danny sacrifices himself to save Abra by tampering with the Overlook Hotel's boiler and burning it to the ground.  

He's later seen at Abra's house, giving her advice about her powers, but it's revealed he's not really there. He's a ghost.

In the book: Danny Torrence doesn't die. He's seen celebrating 15 years of sobriety with his new family at a birthday party for Abra. This was the most surprising change from the books.

• Every year, Oprah releases a list of her favorite things, including tech gadgets.
• This year's list includes the Apple Watch Series 5 and Powerbeats Pro, plus some under-the-radar items.
• Here are the 10 tech gadgets Oprah recommends for 2019.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

It's November, which means it's officially holiday shopping season.

Luckily, Oprah has your back when it comes to picking out the gadgets worth buying. On Friday, she released her annual list of "favorite things," and the icon has thought of everything, from smart dog collars to luxe slippers.

Oprah's list of tech gadget picks includes some products you probably heard about this year, like the new Apple Watch Series 5, along with some lesser-known buys, like a smart pen and notebook.

Here are the 10 gadgets Oprah recommends for 2019.

SEE ALSO: This $200 AI toothbrush was the most fun I've ever had brushing my teeth

10. Flywheel Home Bike and built-in tablet

The Flywheel home exercise bike gives you the option to work out from the comfort of your own home, and avoid venturing out into the cold. You'll get a free two-month subscription to Flywheel's collection of live and streamed studio classes, which go for $40 per month. 

Flywheel also tracks your stats to allow you to compete against yourself and others, and free assembly is included.

The bike and tablet cost $1,599 and are available on Amazon.

9. Magic Hands truShiatsu Neck and Back Massagers

The Magic Hands massagers have four nodes designed to "recreate the feeling of human hands" to soothe sore muscles.

The massager is reversible, comes with adjustable arm straps, and even has heat functionality. TruMedic says "you'll believe it's coming from an actual set of human hands."

The Magic Hands massager is available on Amazon for $300, and comes in blue, green, and orange.

8. Sony XB12 Extra Bass Portable Bluetooth Speakers

This bluetooth speaker comes in six colors, and is waterproof and dust-proof, with "extra bass for deep, punchy sound."

Sony says that the battery should last for up to 16 hours.

All six colors are available from Sony for $35.

7. Neolab Convergence Neo Smartpen M1 and Notebook

The Neo M1 Smartpen has a camera that converts handwriting to digital text, which is stored in the Neo Notes app. The pen is lighter and thinner than other smart pens, so NeoLab says it should be easy to grip.

The notebook comes in gray, blue, and pink, with 150 ruled pages. The smart pen and notebook are available on Amazon now for $144.

6. Riki Skinny Mirror

The Riki skinny mirror is a portable vanity with LED lights that simulate natural light, perfect for selfies and applying makeup. 

It only weighs 1.5 pounds for easy travel, and has five different light modes.

The mirror is available for $195 on Amazon.

5. Echo Dots Kids Edition

This version of Amazon's Echo smart speaker is designed with kids in mind, and parents can set daily time limits and filters. Kids can ask Alexa for music and stories, or call pre-approved friends and family members.

The Echo also comes with FreeTime Unlimited, which means you get access to more than 1,000 Audible books, plus music and games. 

The Echo Dot for kids is available on Amazon for $70.

4. Courant Catch: 2 Multi-device Wireless Charger

This wireless charger can fast-charge two devices. It's compatible with AirPods, iPhones, Galaxy phones, Pixels, and others, so no matter what configuration of devices your family has, this should work.

The Courant Catch is available on Amazon for $150.

3. Rae Phone Crossbody

Oprah's chic pick for carrying your phone is made of vegan PU leather, and comes in four colors.

Besides carrying your phone, the crossbody also has 10 card slots that should fit everything you need for a night out or a day on the go.

The Rae phone crossbody is available on Amazon for $48.

2. Apple Watch Series 5

Apple released the newest version of its Apple Watch in September, and it had some major upgrades from previous versions, including an always-on interface and a slew of new health features.

You can buy the base level Series 5 with GPS for $399, or with GPS and cellular connectivity for $499. You can also customize your watch in the new Apple Watch Studio.

1. Beats Powerbeats Pro

These wireless Beats earphones come in four colors, and have nine hours of battery life, or more than 24 hours with their charging case.

Their adjustable ear hooks make them comfortable and secure for working out, plus four different ear tips ensure a good fit.

You can buy Powerbeats Pro on Amazon now for $250.

• The past decade, 2010 to 2019, was full of both impressive and lacking albums by artists. 
• While "Lemonade" by Beyoncé won over critics, "Love?" by Jennifer Lopez disappointed them, according to review aggregator Metacritic, which pulls reviews from sites like Pitchfork, A.V. Club, and Rolling Stones magazine. 
• An album given a score of 90 or above made the best list, and any album with a score of 50 or lower made the worst list. 
• As a note, the scores listed throughout the piece were accurate at the time of publication but are subject to change. 
• Here are the best and worst albums of the past decade, according to critics.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

"Ghosteen" by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds from 2019 is said to be both comforting and haunting.

Metacritic score: 97%

"Ultimately, all are visions, alternately haunted and comforting. Subtle evolutions in mood and instrumentation come to peaks that are made all the more stunning by their scarcity."

Source: The Guardian

"To Pimp a Butterfly" by Kendrick Lamar from 2015 has been called timeless.

Metacritic score: 96%

"This is an important--a very important--piece of work that will stand the test of time. It's also an utter blast to listen to and live with."

Source: Drowned in Sound

"DAMN." by Kendrick Lamar from 2017 is praised as an album proving Kendrick is in his prime.

Metacritic score: 95%

"It's not what you might have expected or even--on one or two initial listens--have been hoping for from Kendrick Lamar. But this is an artist in his absolute prime: artistically, lyrically and musically."

Source: Drowned in Sound

"Black Messiah" by D'Angelo from 2014 is lauded as a showcase of the artist's talent.

Metacritic score: 95%

"Despite the elongated nature of its creation, Black Messiah is a fluid, confidently cool piece... A real showcase of his incredible talent."

Source: Clash Music

"My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" by Kanye West from 2010 has been called a game changing album.

Metacritic score: 94%

"There is no question that this album is a game changer. It's Kanye West's greatest work."

Source: Consequence of Sound

"Lemonade" by Beyoncé from 2016 was lauded as a stunning breakup album.

Metacritic score: 92%

"Lemonade is a stunning album, one that sees her exploring sounds she never has before. It also voices a rarely seen concept, that of the album-length ode to infidelity. Even stranger, it doesn't double as an album-length ode to breaking up."

Source: Pitchfork

"Channel Orange" by Frank Ocean from 2012 is said to be a masterpiece of an album.

Metacritic score: 92%

"It's a headphone masterpiece that bangs on shelf speakers."

Source: Austin Chronicle 

"You Want It Darker" by Leonard Cohen from 2016 is described as a strong collection of songs with an irreplaceable voice.

Metacritic score: 92%

"It's as strong a collection as any of his in recent times and tied together of course by that voice--deeply authoritative, unfathomably evocative and really quite irreplaceable."

Source: Record Collector Mag

"Eve" by Rapsody from 2019 is reported to have the sounds of skilled artist who made one of the best rap records.

Metacritic score: 90%

"Eve is more than a sign of the times. Easily one of the best rap records of the year, it's the sound of a skilled artist becoming a vital one, and asserting her place not only in the genre but in the world."

Source: Rolling Stone

"We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service" by A Tribe Called Quest from 2016 is said to be a great album.

Metacritic score: 91%

"It solidifies the group's track record for absolute greatness, adding an unexpected sixth turn to a career that followed one aesthetic path but was always moving."

Source: Pop Matters

"The ArchAndroid" by Janelle Monáe from 2010 is praised as an album with swagger and style.

Metacritic score: 91%

"Monae's inexhaustible swagger and singular style sell both the high-concept theatrics and the schizophrenic sonics."

Source: The A.V. Club

"Melodrama" by Lorde from 2017 is described as an extraordinary and authentic album.

Metacritic score: 91%

"Self-care has allowed Lorde to make something extraordinary and authentic, something that takes you by the hand and assures you that you can survive and thrive in the same sea of emotion."

Source: Pretty Much Amazing

"Gold & Grey" by Baroness from 2019 is depicted as a work of art.

Metacritic score: 91%

"To say this album is epic would be an understatement; it's a work of art in the truest sense."

Source: New Musical Express

"Home, Like Noplace Is There" by The Hotelier from 2014 is said to be full of personal stories.

Metacritic score: 91%

"It is all about being strong. It reaches out and tries to help make sense of it all. It's a comforting empathy. The stories are intensely personal but are so easily transferable beyond their original inspiration."

Source: Sputnik Music

"Spaces" by Nils Frahm from 2013 reportedly sounds like an artist breaking free.

Metacritic score: 90%

"After the delicate beauty of previous albums, this is the sound of an artist unleashed."

Source: Clash Music

"Cardiology" by Good Charlotte from 2010 was panned as a failed album.

Metacritic score: 50%

"As a whole, Cardiology is an attempt to leave behind the band's failed newer sound and return to their pop-punk roots."

Source: Sputnik Music

"Hotel California" by Tyga from 2013 is said to be disappointing.

Metacritic score: 50%

"Hotel California fails to deliver on any of the hype it had leading up to its release."

Source: Rap Reviews

"Britney Jean" by Britney Spears from 2013 is described as being underwhelming for a dance music record.

Metacritic score: 50%

"Ms. Spears and Will.i.am have turned to European disc jockeys who have found dance music's lowest, least funky common denominator: the steady thump of four-on-the-floor. And they've settled for too many tepid tracks."

Source: The New York Times

"What About Now" by Bon Jovi from 2013 is said to sound like an artist who got stuck in his comfort zone.

Metacritic score: 50%

"What About Now suggests a few paths for progress, and an ambivalence about committing to any one of them, all under a comfort-zone haze of undifferentiated, low-ambition, lightly roo tsy hard rock."

Source: The New York Times

"Total Xanarchy" by Lil Xan from 2018 is described as a lackluster punk album.

Metacritic score: 49%

"If adult critics really loved this stuff, the Xanarchy team would no doubt feel they'd made a wrong turn somewhere. It's punk, or it's the thing people who don't really know what "punk" means call "punk," or it's a dog whistle meant to sail over the heads of the the elderly (i.e. anyone over 24)."

Source: Pitchfork

"#willpower" by will.i.am from 2013 is described as an album full of quotable clichés.

Metacritic score: 49%

"Conveniently, he's premeditated every song in #willpower with a bevy of wishy-washy, quotable clichés that are meant to fit the space of 140 characters. Sadly, that's as deep as it gets."

Source: No Ripcord

"All Things Bright and Beautiful" by Owl City from 2011 has been called a lazy album.

Metacritic score: 49%

"Owl City is electro-pop's unwanted bastard child, combining all the worst elements of the genre. The production is lazy and unbelievably dull."

Source: No Ripcord

"If Not Now, When?" by Incubus from 2011 is said to be a frustrating album.

Metacritic score:48%

"If Not Now, When? is frustrating in many ways, chiefly because it feels like a step in the wrong direction for a band that can still pen enthralling tunes."

Source: Slant Magazine

"Can’t Be Tamed" by Miley Cyrus from 2010 is described as a confused statement of a record.

Metacritic score: 48%

"When you get right down to it, not only is Can't Be Tamed a confused statement of a record, but it's a pretty boring listen as well, as Cyrus hits on tired old pop trends (AutoTune? Really?) as a way to deliver her quasi-edgy new persona to a much more intelligent mainstream audience."

Source: Pop Matters

"Sorry for Party Rocking" by LMFAO from 2011 is reportedly an album with a confusing sound.

Metacritic score: 47%

"This Los Angeles party-hop duo can't decide if they want to rhyme like the Beastie Boys or booty-croon like Taio Cruz. So on their second album (which includes the hit "Party Rock Anthem"), they do both, making for a disc of brain-cell-depleting jams."

Source: Rolling Stone

"Life, Love & Hope" by Boston from 2013 is said to sound bland and unoriginal.

Metacritic score: 47%

"The songs come with soaring sentimental choruses, but brittle rhythmic foundations--you will miss Sib Hashian, Boston's old drummer--as well as deeply grandiose or cornball keyboard parts.... Where Mr. Delp is absent, the singers Tommy DeCarlo or David Victor commit passable imitations, or Kimberley Dahme provides bland contrast."

Source: The New York Times

"Harverd Dropout" by Lil Pump from 2019 is described as an album that isn't worth a full download.

Metacritic score: 46%

"I'd suggest downloading the two good songs and forgetting the rest of this album ever happened."

Source: PopMatters

"One More Light" by Linkin Park from 2017 is said to be an album that shows how a band lost its identity.

Metacritic score: 46%

"A muddled mess of a record from a band that completely abandoned any sense of identity."

Source: Consequence of Sound

"Authentic" by LL Cool J from 2013 is labeled as a lost album.

Metacritic score: 46%

"Despite his years away acting, LL hasn't really lost his touch rapping. What he has lost is a sense of focus and direction."

Source: Rap Reviews

"Love?" by Jennifer Lopez from 2011 is described as an album that doesn't show any real emotion.

Metacritic score: 46%

"While Lopez has claimed that her new public image showcases the real her, she never could pull off the idea of being a real human being with actual emotions on record."

Source: BBC Music

"Some Kind of Trouble" by James Blunt from 2011 has been called a depressing album.

Metacritic score: 45%

"Shallow, soulless and strangely cynical, Some Kind of Trouble is a thoroughly depressing listen."

Source: The Guardian

"Hell in a Handbasket" by Meat Loaf from 2012 is said to sound like a bad Broadway rock musical.

Metacritic score: 44%

"Unconvincing and overbearing, it's like being ambushed by the cast of a Broadway rock musical."

Source: BBC Music

We rounded up the nine best sales and deals happening online today, with savings on Hasbro Games on Amazon, menswear at Bonobos, and Beats headphones, KitchenAid mixers, and the 23andMe DNA kit at Target.

Deals in this story are subject to change throughout the day. The prices listed reflect the deal at the time of publication. For even more deals and savings across the web, check out Business Insider Coupons.

The best sales and deals happening today at a glance:

• Save up to 30% on Hasbro Games on Amazon
• Save on hundreds of items during Target's Black Friday Preview sale
• Save an extra 25% on already reduced styles at Nordstrom Rack
• Save 25% on orders of $175 or more at Bonobos
• Veterans and active military save $40 on a one-year Amazon Prime membership

SEE ALSO: The best mattresses you can buy

DON'T MISS: I got my teeth straightened through an online service called Candid for under $2,000 — here’s how it works

1. Save up to 30% on Hasbro Games on Amazon

Shop the Hasbro Games sale on Amazon now. 

Board games are a great way to bring family and friends together for some wholesome fun — and Amazon is having a big sale on all of your favorites. As a Deal of the Day, you can save up to 30% on most Hasbro Games. The sale includes popular games like Connect 4, Monopoly, Yahtzee, Scrabble, and Life.

2. Save on hundreds of items during Target's Black Friday Preview sale

Shop the Target sale now. 

Black Friday is in exactly three weeks, but if you want to avoid the crowded stores after Thanksgiving, you'll want to shop at Target now. Until tomorrow, Target is holding its Black Friday Preview sale with hundreds of items at Black Friday prices. Some of the best deals include $170 off Beats Solo3 Wireless headphones, $220 off KitchenAid 5-quart stand mixers, $100 off 23andMe DNA kits, and more.   

3. Save an extra 25% on already reduced styles at Nordstrom Rack

Shop the Nordstrom Rack sale now. 

Nordstrom Rack's selection of products usually consists of past-season and overstocked items from its parent store, Nordstrom— and because of that, the prices are always discounted. Now, during the Nordstrom Rack clearance sale, prices are even lower. Until November 11, you can save an extra 25% on already reduced styles including clothes, shoes, and accessories for the entire family, plus home goods, beauty, and tech. In total, you can save up to 75%.

4. Save 25% on orders of $175 or more at Bonobos

Shop the Bonobos sale now. 

If you're shopping for men's clothes and accessories to give as gifts this holiday season, Bonobos is the perfect place to find nice styles in a wide range of fits and sizes. To save you from being a last-minute shopper, Bonobos is rewarding early shoppers with a discount. Now through November 10, you can save 25% on orders of $175 or more by using the promo code "EARLYBIRD" at checkout. 

5. Veterans and active military save $40 on a one-year Amazon Prime membership

Sign up for Amazon Prime now, $79/year (Originally $119/year) [You save $40] 

Amazon Prime memberships mean much more than just free two-day shipping. The $119 annual subscription includes more than 30 useful benefits like access to thousands of movies and TV shows on Prime Video, thousands of songs on Prime Music, and much more. Right now, military veterans and active service members can save $40 on a one-year Amazon Prime membership, bringing the price down to $79. The promo is valid for new and existing members.

6. Get $750 worth of travel points when you sign up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred

Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred from our partner The Points Guy.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is a great option if you're new to earning points and miles, as it has a reasonable $95 annual fee. You'll earn 2 points per dollar on all travel and dining purchases and 1 point on everything else, and the card includes some valuable benefits like trip delay coverage and primary car rental insurance.

You can earn 60,000 Chase points with the Chase Sapphire Preferred when you spend $4,000 in the first three months from account opening. That's worth at least $750 toward travel. Read our review to learn more about the card's benefits.

Business Insider may receive a commission from The Points Guy Affiliate Network if you apply for a credit card, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

7. Save up to $275 on a Bear mattress, plus two free pillows

Shop the Bear Mattress sale now. 

Named the best mattress for hot sleepers in our buying guide, Bear Mattresses are designed to keep you cool and comfortable at night. Additionally, the mattresses feature Celliant, a material that converts heat from the body into far infrared — a type of energy that's been proven to help rebuild cells. The technology can help you wake up feeling well-rested and free of aches and pains, plus you won't break a sweat in your sleep. Right now, you can save $175 on orders of $1,075 with the promo code "SAVE175" and $275 on orders of $1,075 with the promo code "SAVE275" at checkout. You'll also receive two free pillows.

8. Save 53% on an Audible subscription

Get Audible for $6.95 per month for the first 3 months now. 

Amazon's audiobook service Audible is the perfect subscription for avid readers who might not have as much time to read as they'd like. The subscription includes one audiobook and two Audible Originals each month with the option to swap any book if you don't love it. For a limited time, you can get three months for $6.95 per month — the price goes up to $14.95 per month afterward.

9. Save 15% on all orders at Framebridge as a new customer

Shop the Framebridge sale now.

In addition to offering customizable framing options for your prints and original paintings, Framebridge will turn your favorite digital images and smartphone pictures into beautifully framed artwork that's suitable for display. Simply pick a frame, upload your image, and Framebridge will ship it to you ready to be hung and shown off. Right now, new customers can save 15% sitewide by using the exclusive promo code "INSIDER15" at checkout.