Gear

Neoprene, that stretchy material that's lightweight yet insulating, has long been a good friend to water sports enthusiasts. So why restrict it to wet use? The answer from a company called Nufoot is landlubber neoprene footwear that falls somewhere between a slipper and a heavy sock - with anti-skid soles. These might be just the ticket for airport lounges, long flights and workouts, not to mention beach walks. So far, the footwear comes in two styles, a Mary Jane shoe in women's sizes and an ankle bootie in men's sizes.

Even before the Christmas tree went up at 124-year-old Bucherer watch boutique in the lakeside town of Lucerne, Switzerland, the shop was already planning decorations for the year of the snake. Chinese symbols marking the start of the lunar new year Feb. 10 will greet the busloads of Asian shoppers who visit Lucerne every day and invite them inside to see watches from Tag Heuer, Rolex and more than 20 other brands. Less than half the timepieces bought at the Lucerne store in December may be for Christmas, said Joerg Baumann, Bucherer's marketing director.

If you're searching for ways to keep your cellphone, GPS device and sometimes tablet computer handy on car trips without having to drill holes, sacrifice cup holders or rely on suction cups, Satechi's new ST-TP01 Car Holder Mount gets a different grip. The adjustable cradle grabs devices from 5 inches to 10 inches long -- which means most smartphones, readers, tablets and GPS units, which can be rotated to horizontal or vertical mode. The cradle swivels out from a weighted suction/pressure gripper that locks onto the top of the dashboard, rather than the window, so the electronic device hogs neither the view nor the cup holder.

WASHINGTON - The effort to resolve the standoff over federal spending and taxes snagged once again Tuesday - just a day after House Speaker John A. Boehner and President Obama appeared to make substantial progress - as Boehner abruptly shifted to what he called Plan B. The speaker's new proposal calls on the House to vote on a measure that would prevent taxes from going up except for those earning more than $1 million a year. The proposal drew opposition from the White House and Senate Democrats as well as from some House conservatives.

What's more fun: getting hold of some of the coolest new athletic technology, or giving it as a gift? You could end up buying two of each of these noteworthy innovations. Smartphone golf coach SwingTip: A 2-ounce, 3-D Bluetooth motion sensor that attaches to any golf club and instantly shows you a video animation and metric analysis of your actual golf swing, so you can identify problem areas and make adjustments. Images are stored for later viewing. Likes: It works, showing you what your swing looks like and providing valuable analysis, including your swing speed, whether the swing was inside-out or outside-in or whether the club face was open or closed.

Packing up for your dog is a whole lot more convenient with the Pet King Portable Pet Bowl set, two sturdy plastic dog bowls joined by a hinge, with snap-on plastic lids. When not in use for food and water, the bowls fold back to back, and the plastic handles at the end of each bowl snap together to form a double carrying handle. The plastic lids hold solid food in, but are not quite watertight enough to keep liquids from leaking. The Pet King comes with a zippered nylon bag with shoulder strap and is available in two sizes.

From inside the rocket-shaped time capsule of a silver 1949 Hudson Super Six, West Hollywood looked astonishingly modern to Brazilian director Walter Salles. Salles, who has devoted the last eight years to adapting Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" for the screen, rode past men holding hands on Santa Monica Boulevard, past the green neon signs of shops selling medicinal marijuana, past a Starbucks - and another Starbucks - and another Starbucks. It was a streetscape that would have been unimaginable in Kerouac's time - both in the freedoms of the passersby and the homogeneity of the businesses.

In a potentially hopeful sign, contract talks in the now 5-day-old strike at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach went all night Friday and into early Saturday morning. "Representatives of the harbor employers and [union] leadership have resumed negotiations today in an effort to reach a fair agreement that will end the strike," according to a statement released Saturday by the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Employers Assn., which represents some of the world's largest shipping lines and terminal operators.

Now that Jeff Zucker's new gig as CNN Worldwide President is official, the question mark now looms over how his exit as executive producer and show runner of Katie Couric's daytime talker will affect the show. Couric's former "Today" boss had been at the wheel of the show since its start -- with his right-hands, co-executive producers Michael Bass and Kathy Samuels. With Zucker's exit nearing, Couric and the folks behind the show, distributor Disney-ABC Domestic Television, have been thumbing through potential successors.

I can still remember the thrill of opening up my first giant 64-count Crayola crayon box. Crayola is still making those beloved crayons, but to keep up with these high-tech times, the company has partnered with Griffin Technology to create Crayola DigiTools. A big finger-like handheld stylus interacts with iPad apps to create digital drawings in iconic Crayola colors with special effects, including 3-D and Airbrush styles. The 3-D Pack comes with 3-D glasses that work with the technology to make objects seem to pop out of the screen.