Longform and Editorial
CONNOR
MARTIN
As Creative Copywriter at Lifetime Products, I am responsible for the Lifetime Blog. Category managers often request particular content, but the majority of new topics arise out of opportunities for high-ranking pages that can generate organic traffic, discovered through Google Analytics. The blog is written personally; AI tools are usually employed only to audit SEO performance. This allows best capitalization of the blog's various marketing opportunities, primarily funneling organic traffic to commerce pages and fortifying brand authority through educational topics. Blog practice amplifies the brand voice, fortifies brand presence and trust, and generates online revenue through direct-to-consumer as well as account partner redirection.
Lifetime Blog posts, new and old, are regularly audited and revised to push them to page-one performance.
Below you will find some examples of posts, all of which have successfully held position at page one, usually top three results, for their desired keywords. This page features text only; for full formatting including images and links, please follow direct links.
Why Is It Called Pickleball?
Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, and every day hundreds of new people are taking up the game. This includes learning rules, techniques, and new terminology like “kitchen” and “dink.”
But what about the name of the game itself? Pickleball isn’t as obvious a name as baseball or basketball, and many people don’t even know where it came from, though many stories have made their way around as legend.
Where did pickleball get its name? The history of pickleball
The true origin of the name goes back to the very creation of the game itself. Pickleball was invented in 1965 by Joel Pritchard and Bill Bell, who, at the time, wanted to come up with an activity that the whole family could enjoy using game components they already had available. This included a badminton court, ping pong paddles, and a whiffle ball.
Joel’s wife Joan had been a competitive rower in the past, and was familiar with the term “pickle boat.” In competitive rowing, different positions in the boat have different strengths and specialties, and the best and fastest boats always had a crew of specialists in their strongest position. A “pickle boat” was a boat manned by leftover rowers of assorted specialties that didn’t always line up to their natural crew assignments, or were less experienced. These boats were usually the slowest and would come last in races. The last boat is called the “pickle boat” because in fishing fleets, the last boat to return to port would stay out and use brine to pickle the catch.
Since the game of pickleball was played using assorted leftover components from other games like badminton and ping pong, the Pritchards decided to call the game pickleball, after the pickle boats that were made up of leftover rowers.
Pickles the dog
A common myth is that pickleball is named after the Pritchard family dog, Pickles, but it’s actually the other way around! Pickles joined the family a couple years after pickleball was invented, and was named after the game that the family had quickly grown to love.
Try pickleball for yourself!
Now that you know where the game (and name) came from, why not try playing it? Lifetime has pickleball equipment, including a full pickleball set, for you and your friends and family to enjoy!
A Guide to Home Composting
What is Composting?
Composting is the process of recycling organic waste into fertilizer for enriching soil and plants through controlled decomposition. Everyone produces organic waste in day-to-day life, from food scraps to grass clippings and dead leaves. With composting, you can transform your decomposing discards into a helpful, usable product, reducing waste and strengthening your soil. The decomposed material is a rich, nutrient-packed substance called compost, and is extremely potent for fertilization.
How to Start Composting
Compost is controlled decomposition of organic waste, and is easy to do at home with discards from everyday life. All you need is a good composter, and you can use it as a receptacle for those discards. A composter, also called a composting bin, is a closeable container designed for recycling organic material into rich compost. Once you select a composter, you’ll want to set it up somewhere where it is easy to access and exposed to direct sunlight. Then, begin composting your organic waste and adding it to the composter.
How to Make Compost
Four things are very important to successful compost: heat, moisture, air, and time. Heat is best controlled by the location of the composter—this is why it’s best to place it in direct sunlight. If you live in an area that is cold or doesn’t receive much sunlight, it’s still a good idea to place your composter in a warmer location like a shed or garage, or to expose it to as much sunlight as possible. The compost will still progress, but not as quickly as with good heat.
Moisture is best controlled by the materials that are added. There are two types of compostable materials: green and brown. The right ratio of green to brown materials will keep your compost at a healthy moisture level and allow for rapid and productive decomposition.
Air is important to the composting process, so it’s important not to fill your composter beyond about 80% of its capacity. This will allow enough oxygen for the decomposition to occur. You should also stop adding new materials about 3-4 weeks before harvesting. Double-bin composters will allow you to continue adding materials to one bin while the other one has been filled and is composting.
What to Compost
Anything that was once growing will decompose, and most organic materials have composting potential. Food scraps and organic waste are produced by everyday waste and are great for composting. Compostable material can be broken down into green materials and brown materials.
Green materials are wet or recently growing discards, such as food scraps, grass clippings, coffee grounds, and eggshells.
Brown materials are dry wood or plant material, such as dry leaves, wood chips, straw, sawdust, corn stalks, and newspaper.
A good ratio of brown to green material is important for a good compost. You’ll almost always want more brown material, and a 60-40 ratio should produce good compost, but this depends on what is being composted and conditions like environmental heat and moisture.
If your compost is wet and foul smelling, you probably need more brown material. If it’s too dry, add more green materials. Your compost should be moist but not soggy or wet. If you add sawdust to your compost, mix or scatter it to avoid clumping, and make sure it is free of oil residue.
What NOT to Compost
Be careful not to ruin a perfectly good compost by adding incompatible materials! Meat, bones, and fish scraps should be avoided unless you are using a special composter for these materials. Perennial weeds and diseased plants can spread seeds and diseases with the compost, and fruit peels like bananas, orange, and peaches can contain pesticide residues. Pet manure should not be used in compost that will fertilize food crops. Black walnut leaves are not compostable.
Composting with a Tumbler
A tumbler, also called tumbling composter or rotating composter, is a type of composting bin that is fixed on a turning axis, so that it can be rotated. These make composting easier and more efficient. After closing the composter, you can turn or rotate it—this keeps the material well mixed and oxygenated, maximizing decomposition and helping to produce a good compost. If you are using a tumbler, rotate it at least once a week. Otherwise, it works just like a regular composting bin.
Selecting the Best Composter for You
A good composter is sturdy, easy to use, locks to keep pests out, and is made of a material that retains good heat for the decomposition process, like high-density polyethylene. Tumbling or rotating composters also provide additional benefits. Large families or larger gardens will be better served by composters with a high capacity, while smaller composters are perfect for a little garden. You can view available Lifetime composters here.
Composting Tips
Composting can be as much an art as a science! The best way to learn is by experimentation. As you try composting, you’ll become more familiar with the temperatures, moisture levels, and smells that can help you evaluate and optimize your composting setup. Composting breakdown can take a couple of months, and then the finished compost can used. With good composting practice, you can reduce your waste and enrich your soil and plants, contributing to a cleaner lifestyle and a healthier environment.
The Best Portable Basketball Hoops
You want to set up at hoop at home to play the game you love whenever you want, but with so many basketball hoops out there, it can be hard to know which one is the best. Different hoops have different strengths, and some hoops are better for certain situations. One thing that all great hoops have in common is premium build materials and attentive quality control, as well as features that make it easy to play your way. Here are the best home basketball hoops available in 2024.
Best Hoop for Kids: Lifetime Adjustable Youth Steel-Framed Shatterproof Portable Basketball Hoop 91115
For younger players, smaller hoops allow them to learn the game of basketball as they grow. Most kid’s hoops feature flimsier materials and ephemeral build quality, but the Lifetime Youth Hoop boasts an extremely sturdy polycarbonate backboard that provides rebound action more similar to full-size hoops. This system adjusts from 5.5 to 7.5 feet in height and is portable so the kids can play anywhere. US-made made with high-quality materials, this kid’s hoop is a winner. Find it at Walmart.com here.
Best Hoop for Professional-Level Performance: Lifetime Mammoth Bolt-Down Basketball Hoop 90964
Best Hoop for Value: Lifetime 44-Inch Impact Portable Adjustable Basketball Hoop 90759
For shoppers looking to achieve a complete basketball experience while keeping costs to a minimum, the Lifetime Impact Hoop offers a great balance of quality and affordability. The high-density polyethylene backboard is extremely durable and does well in outdoor conditions like rain and UV light, and the adjustable-height, full-size rim ensure that even on a budget you get a full, authentic basketball experience at home. This hoop is portable and built to last, and we found its quality and reliability to be well above that of other budget hoops. Grab yours at Walmart.com.
Best High-End Hoop for the Whole Family: Lifetime 52-Inch Polycarbonate Adjustable Portable Basketball Hoop 90228
For families with kids, adults, and everything in between, a youth or arena-style hoop might not be the best for everyone. The Lifetime 52-Inch Polycarbonate Hoop has a large, Steel-Framed Shatterproof Backboard that’s great for high-level play, but uses a Power Lift® system to easily adjust from regulation 10 feet down to 7.5 feet for younger players. It’s also portable and features a great full-size rim with pro-style flex action for dunking. This hoop does a great job covering all the bases for a variety of different players, and occupies the pinnacle of build quality. It's available at Dick's Sporting Goods.
Best Casual Hoop for the Whole Family: Lifetime 48-Inch Polycarbonate Adjustable Portable Basketball Hoop 51550
With an easy-to-use Speed Shift adjustment mechanism, a 48-inch Shatterproof Fusion backboard, and courtside portable base, this hoop has all the features to make playing basketball easy for kids and adults alike. The size and features give full playability and a complete basketball experience while still offering exceptional value, and it’s a great choice for families looking to be able to pick up and play. You can find this hoop on Amazon.com.
Best Portable Glass Hoop: Lifetime Adjustable Tempered Glass Portable Basketball Hoop 90734
Glass backboards give the most authentic rebound performance, but are usually restricted to in-ground or bolt-down models due to their size. The Lifetime Portable Tempered Glass Hoop gives the rare option of arena-like backboard action with a portable base, and is the best hoop for a blend of performance and portability. It has the same premium adjustment mechanism as the Mammoth model as well as the Slam-It Ultra arena-style rim, but in a stable and portable package. It’s the first of its kind and we’ve found it to be an unbeatable unit when it comes to blending performance and convenience. Get yours at Lifetime.com.
There you have it—the best basketball hoops for home use in 2024! Lifetime residential basketball hoops are American made for quality, durability, and performance, and are consistently the best-performing hoops in the residential market. With a broad variety of styles to choose from, you can find your perfect hoop no matter what your style of play might be. For more information on residential basketball hoops, check out our pre-purchase guide as well as our complete buying guide!
For more samples, visit the home page of the Lifetime Blog.
Other Work
Prior to work at Lifetime, I wrote several pieces for Metal Utopia, a music blog and webzine from Italy. The language and directive of editorial music copy differs from e-commerce blogging, but principles of good SEO, readability, and high-quality prose remain the same. Samples are provided below; for a full bibliography, visit my author page here.
Alexi Laiho Tribute
The first time I heard the solo at the end of Sixpounder I had to pause and play it back ten more times. I couldn’t believe it–it was a musical sequence as exciting as any I had heard. I was only twelve at the time, but even now, fifteen years later, I am still in awe whenever I hear Alexi Laiho’s playing. I caught Children of Bodom live for the first time on the Blooddrunk tour in 2008 and to this day, it was the most fun I’ve ever had at a metal show. Alexi was a titan on the stage, and he dominated the arena with his playing, and his vocals, and his energy and stage presence. The performance was how I imagined music used to be in the 70’s and 80’s when rock and metal were dominant pop genres that commanded enormous audiences and cultural attention. I was still coming down from it days later. Turns out, that was just the Wild Child effect.
When Children of Bodom’s first album, Something Wild, was released, Laiho was only eighteen years old. The recording was raw, but it oozed talent from every position, especially that of the lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter. Bodom then skyrocketed from promising to prodigious with their second work, 1999’s Hatebreeder. Hatebreeder was, and is, a whirlwind of everything that makes metal great: it’s angry, explosive, rapid, and yet, somehow, beautiful and meticulous. Alexi Laiho, then 20 years old, managed to blend elements of classical music, black metal, and 80’s hair metal into one of the defining entries in the melodic death metal canon. Every lead, riff, and solo were evidence that their creator was a prodigy.
With the release of their third record, Follow the Reaper, a year later, Children of Bodom ascended to stardom in their native country of Finland. Laiho’s playing on that album deservedly drew attention: he was performing at the level of the guitar giants of the era, and he was still only 21. His leads were fast, technical, tasteful, and flashy. The music he wrote was infectious in its energy and harmony. The next two Children of Bodom records further established the band as a force internationally and by 2005, Alexi “Wild Child” Laiho was a full-blown star, appearing on magazine covers (including famously standing between Steve Vai and Zakk Wylde on the front of the Guitar World 25th anniversary virtuoso issue), in instructional videos, television shows, and movies. Children of Bodom’s music had fully penetrated the metal scene internationally and was featured in several major films and video games. But none of it came at the expense of Laiho’s sincerity as an artist. He did not revel in the spotlight, only in the celebration of the spirit of heavy metal, of which he was a living manifestation. Indeed, Wild Child was known to live up to his nickname both on and off the stage, famously being a fan of alcohol, reckless behavior, and debauchery. In many ways, Alexi was one of the last true rock stars–his live performances were electric and many of his touring adventures were non-stop alcohol-fueled parties. He was synonymous with youth, excitement, and impetuous joy, and was an icon of the freedom, artistry, and righteous defiance that embody the spirit of heavy metal.
Live Review: Striker
It’s odd to think that The Number of the Beast is as old now as Led Zeppelin I was when I first heard it as a child, letting it repeat over and over on my portable CD player. But with time comes longing, and with longing nostalgia, and with nostalgia, recreation. I don’t believe that 80s heavy metal bands ever ceased to exist or even to be born, but at a certain point they were caught “in between,” not young enough to capture the cultural zeitgeist, and not old enough to evoke that yearning for a forgotten era. The genre has settled now, and as a collective seems aware of its own place in history, which means attention turned to it in the contemporary age is done so in the light of reminiscence.
It is with an attitude of levity, then, that Striker can approach its material and audience. But levity does not mean complacency. In the 80’s, musicians would often come onstage stoned and sloppy, powering through a dynamite set on pure style and energy. Striker was tight, lucid, and precise, blazing through riffs and cleanly-plucked leads, evoking a modern prog outfit in performance and a cadre of nightclub hellions in presence and demeanor. They and I, alongside some 200 fans, reminisced, and we did not do so quietly.
The technical nature of 80’s heavy and hair metal almost betrays the nonchalance of its own reputation–after all, this is the sweaty, alcoholic sludge that power and melodic death metal crawled out of. You knew punk bands didn’t care because their music was as raw as their message. But Iron Maiden, Yngwie Malmsteen, Ratt–these groups were no strangers to camp, a perspective certainly inherited from hard rock bands that pioneered theatrics and storytelling in their songwriting, and that acted as precursors to pioneers looking to push the limits of color and virtuosity in their music. It would always be difficult for bands to maintain a rebellious edge but still care about how they and their songs were perceived. For groups (like Striker) recreating the style in the modern day, the burden of image is gone–it’s all thrills for these artists. They’re playing a role, one they know is past the height of its cultural relevance but that conjures a reaction nonetheless. This gives them the freedom to embrace the saccharine nature of the music and perform uninhibited by vanity. As a result, the show is not as arresting as seeing someone like Van Halen in the 80s would be–the audience is not possessed by the cultural authority of the performers. Instead, they’re in on the game, drinking in the throwback alongside the onstage musicians and sharing in their homage to heroes who have since grown old and become mortal men.
40 years after this style emerged, authenticity is all but impossible. It’s almost like going to a Shakespeare festival; the wardrobe, language, and artistic style are all part of a period piece, but not all bands are created equal, and the ability to successfully elicit a representation of a certain impression is limited by the talent of its attempters. Striker hits the mark, fully recreating the feelings and tones of their inspiration, but it is not completely dry–their sound is informed by several generations of contemporaries, and there’s a heaviness to their music that can only exist after metal evolved to the extreme. To a young ear, it will sound fresher, more impactful, and less gentil. This isn’t to compare their songwriting to the greats, and it isn’t merely hair metal cosplay–there’s a real appreciation for the music from its creators and they arrived at the venue prepared to demonstrate it.
There isn’t much to say about the concert presentation. This was, all things considered, a small gig, Striker being the first band to play, followed by Seven Kingdoms and Beast in Black. The stage was lit by a few bright lights in basic colors and occasional fog machines. No elaborate light shows, no moving pictures, just five dudes onstage having a blast–and have a blast they did. The musicians of Striker left no doubt that they were enjoying the performance; they headbanged, they laughed, they clasped hands with audience members. Such a concert could not have been seen as dull were it performed at a knitting convention, and if Striker deserves credit for anything, it’s communicating their passion to their audience.
I may be doing an injustice to this group in describing them as a genre act–the performance is not entirely throwback. These are musicians that live in the here and now and understand the context of their work, and how to fashion it with the tools and influences of today. They know how to generate the energy required to power such a high-speed machine. And, like the people that attend their show, they understand the camaraderie that is shared in the presence of heavy music, and in the memory of sounds that brought us up in joy.
Neo - Exul Review
Grab a dictionary and light some candles because after a long break that was exacerbated by COVID lockdowns and lineup changes, Ne Obliviscaris is back with more long form, high-concept progressive extreme metal, ornamented with harmonic violin and ominously Middle English song titles. NeO, with their fourth record, have come to a crossroads—they aren’t the new kids on the block anymore, but they also aren’t yet part of the old guard, established veterans like Opeth and Between the Buried and Me. This is the period when a band must either advance their sound (while avoiding a betrayal of what has made them beloved so far) or risk falling into formula. It’s a delicate tightrope to walk, but any stumbles are usually assuaged by the right amount of talent: enter Exul, the next step on the high wire for one of prog metal’s premiere bands.
From their formation, Ne Obliviscaris felt like a super group. Emerging from Australia with a roster of top-tier talent at every position, the band didn’t hesitate in putting together a debut work that enchanted prog fans. Portal of I seemed to have everything: technical guitar passages, high-intensity drumming, tremendous growls, dramatic clean vocals, fiery bass lines, and even expertly performed violin, all woven together in extended compositions featuring stylistic wanderings and sensitive use of dynamic range. Thematically, it shared the cerebral nature of its musical approach. Few releases check so many different boxes so well, and the album was received splendidly by an admittedly niche community. The bar was set, from the beginning, very high. Since then, Ne Obliviscaris have succeeded in crafting each release with an entirely distinct and clear identity. Portal of I was black and monolithic, a relentless barrage of songs, each seeming enormous and individual. The follow-up, Citadel, was smaller, more focused, and more melodic, leaning further on natural minor to create a dreamlike, chambered sensation over three ambitiously epic observations. Urn was sinister and baroque, with darker harmonic minor structures and aggressive, driving dissonance encircling the usual melodious architecture. Exul takes its own shape and color as well, although that specific color is eerily similar to what a blend of the previous three would produce, like blue, green, and orange melding into warm grey.
Where does a band go that has already accomplished so much in such a short time, and explored so many musical ideas? The outstanding departures here from previous stylings are twofold: a generally darker, meaner approach that echoes the central themes of exile and isolation; and a markedly increased usage of the musical statement that is the metal riff. This would make it seem like the new record is more “traditional.” It is not. Exul has everything that is now part of the trademark NeO sound, but where washy chords and tremolo guitars would have filled out the body of a passage before, angrily chugging notes now take their place. These passages, however, are familiar. Xenoyr’s enormous bellows echo through thundering verses as the drums fire like artillery, relentless and violent. Tim Charles sings soaring lines over guitar and bass arpeggios, and piercing violin washes over the songs like rainwater spilling into a fast-moving river. But these tracks are also more cinematic than past ones, and the melodies are simple shapes that create complexity with layering, as opposed to the intricate, tightly defined ones from previous releases. The result is a series of songs that sound more tonal than eventful, like NeO put their process in a blender and made a pudding, using all the same ingredients, that is experienced in reduced, smoother textures. We hear more things simultaneously, with fewer individual moments of distinction. As far as puddings go, it’s quite delicious.
The floor of quality for a band of this talent is extremely high—and Ne Obliviscaris further benefits from the only things in music more valuable than talent: discipline, skill, and effort. The chops are on full display, but not in an academic sense or one of exercise. Like the professionals they are, every note is calculated, measured, and applied seriously. The bass guitar parts stand out immensely, further proving that no part of the composition should be wasted, but in the band’s insistence to provide balance, the guitars occasionally find themselves lacking body. This is an attribute that has slightly improved since previous releases, when chordal passages seemed to suck away some of the punch that an extreme metal experience should deliver. But the group’s newfound embrace of heavy riffs has filled that hollow and each song pounds along with authority. When fully enveloped in NeO’s archetypical emotional grandeur, complete with the haughtiest, most esoteric of lyrics (and song titles), it would be easy for all of this melodrama to fall dangerously close to camp or even self-parody, but the performance is simply too good to not take seriously.
What’s lacking is the clear creative distinction across the different songs themselves. Each piece is sufficiently epic, with the shortest, “Misericorde I – As the Flesh Falls,” (not a sequel to “As Icicles Fall” from Portal of I) coming in at just over seven and a half minutes, and even that track is part of a 17-minute two-part epic. (The final track is a textural outro movement, and is primarily atmospheric.) The band has seasoned every song with bits of the new album’s overall flavor; uniformity and homogeny lurk dangerously close. Add that this release, so far, is the least distinct overall of the expanding Ne Obliviscaris discography and you land closer to that floor of quality than one would hope after six years. That said, this is not the same album as Urn. There are enough new ideas that Exul does not feel routine or even expected, but there is also little that is dashing or surprising. It is another fine observation from one of the best bands in the genre, and a satisfactory addition to their canon.
Ne Obliviscaris fans will be eager to hear respectable new content from a unique and exceptional group for the first time in several years. New listeners will probably be impressed by the band’s abilities and creative voice. Those who do not feel fatigued by the imposing and grandiose opulence of the long, dramatic buildups and powerful climactic crescendos will soak up the excellence of this record. Those waiting for a dramatic turn towards the undiscovered will have to be satisfied with Ne Obliviscaris’ body of work as a whole, as they will not find excessive new ground in Exul. This band knows what they do well and are attempting to grow without turning away from it. After seeing so many other musicians try and fail, maybe that’s something to be grateful for.