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It’s the first week of GameStop’s Summer Sale — these are the best deals right now

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Video games are great if you want to pass the time during the summer without being in the heat. GameStop agrees, so they're offering five weeks of sales on plenty of great video games and consoles to help you cope until the weather gets more tolerable.

All of the deals can be found on GameStop's website. The deals listed below are valid through August 2.

"Uncharted 4" for $39.99

Run, jump, shoot and swashbuckle your way through a thrilling and surprisingly personal adventure in the final chapter of Nathan Drake's story.

Platforms: PS4



"Assassin's Creed: Syndicate" for $19.99

Play as siblings Jacob and Evie Frye as they sneak and stab their way around Victorian London, covertly taking down those who wish for world domination.

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One



"Metal Gear Solid V" for $19.99

What is likely to be the final entry in Hideo Kojima's fascinating, confusing and grandiose saga is also one of the most fun action games ever made, with endless options for stealth or mayhem in its open world environments.

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

21 things you should never say when you meet someone new

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coworkersWhether you're introducing yourself to someone at work or meeting a possible client over coffee, what you say when you first meet someone new is so important because those opening words leave a lasting impression.

"Words, poorly and unconsciously chosen, can indeed hurt not only first impressions, but also your credibility, relationships, and opportunities for career advancement," says Darlene Price, president of Well Said Inc., and author of "Well Said! Presentations and Conversations That Get Results."

Price says that when you're nervous, you may speak without thinking, much faster than usual, and say more than is necessary.

While we've all likely experienced foot-in-mouth syndrome at one time or another, keeping these talking points in mind the next time you meet someone new can help you avoid saying the wrong thing:

SEE ALSO: 20 things you should never say to your coworkers

DON'T MISS: 32 things you should never say to your boss

'I hate this company' or 'My boss is a jerk'

Nothing tanks a first impression faster than negativity, Price says. Even when what you say is true, it's best left unsaid in a social or business setting, especially when you're putting your best foot forward in a first-time meeting.

If you have a genuine complaint about someone or something, communicate the issue with the person who can do something about it, such as human resources — not your new contact.



'How much do you make?'

The amount of money a person earns is a very personal matter.

"It's considered rude to ask, and unconscionable on a first encounter," she says. "If you're really that curious, or it's important that you know, instead of committing this faux pas, do some research on sites like GlassdoorPayScale, Salary.com."



'I'm sorry to be a bother'

Why are you saying you're a bother? As Barbara Pachter, an etiquette expert and author of "The Essentials of Business Etiquette,"previously told Business Insider, if you are truly sorry about something you haven't done yet, then why would you go ahead and do it anyway? When introducing yourself, "Excuse me. Do you have a moment?" works much better, she says.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

28 brilliant questions to ask at the end of every job interview

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It's important to remember that every interview is a two-way street.

You should be assessing the employer just as much as they're assessing you because you both need to walk away convinced that the job would be a great fit.

So when the tables are turned and the interviewer asks, "Do you have any questions for me?" take advantage of this opportunity. It's the best way to determine if you'd be happy working for this employer, and whether your goals are aligned with theirs. 

"The very process of asking questions completely changes the dynamic of the interview and the hiring manager's perception of you," says Teri Hockett, chief executive of What's For Work?, a career site for women. "Asking questions also gives you the opportunity to discover details that you might not have otherwise unveiled."

Amy Hoover, president of TalentZoo, says there's another reason you should always prepare questions. "It's expected — and if you don't ask at least two questions, you will appear disinterested, or worse, less intelligent and engaged than a prospective employer would like." You should have at least four questions prepared, though, in case your original two are answered through the course of the interview.

But, Hoover says, don't just ask questions for the sake of it. To actually benefit from them, you'll need to think carefully about what you want to ask.

"Your questions can, in fact, make or break an interview," she explains. "If they're not thoughtful, or if you ask something that has already been addressed, this can hurt you way more than it can help. Asking smart, engaging questions is imperative."

Luckily, there are plenty of smart ones to pick from.

Here are 28 questions you should always ask in a job interview — if they weren't already answered — to help you get a better sense of the role and the company, and to leave the interview with a positive, lasting impression:

 

SEE ALSO: 31 smart answers to really tough interview questions

DON'T MISS: The 27 jobs that are most damaging to your health

Who do you think would be the ideal candidate for this position, and how do I compare?

Hoover recommends this question because it's a quick way to figure out whether your skills align with what the company is currently looking for. If they don't match up, then you know to walk away instead of wasting time pursuing the wrong position for yourself, she says. 



Who would I be reporting to? Are those three people on the same team or on different teams? What's the pecking order?

It's important to ask about the pecking order of a company in case you have several bosses, Vicky Oliver writes in her book, "301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions."

If you're going to be working for several people, you need to know "the lay of the internal land," she says, or if you're going to be over several people, then you probably want to get to know them before accepting the position.



How has this position evolved?

Basically, this question just lets you know whether this job is a dead end or a stepping-stone.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 25 best cities for millennials in America

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jersey city new jerseyMoving to a new city for the first time can be nerve-wracking. This is especially the case for millennials, who are living at home longer than any other generation. Whether for a new job or simply a change of pace, there's a lot of factors Generation Y might want to consider before leaving their parents' house. 

Nichea company that researches and compiles information on cities, recently released its ranking of the best cities for millennials in America

Niche assessed more than 220 cities with a population of more than 100,000, focusing on 11 factors to determine which cities in the US were best-suited for young professionals. Some of those factors include access to bars and restaurants, percentage of residents age 25-34, cost of living, and unemployment rate. You can read a more about the methodology here.

A city in Massachusetts takes the top spot, while California is the state with the most cities on the list.

Keep reading to find out the 25 best cities for millennials in America. 

SEE ALSO: 25 best places to live if you love outdoors

DON'T MISS: The best suburb in every state

25. Tempe, Arizona

Population:166,975

Residents 25-34 years old:19.3%

Access to bars: A

Access to restaurants: A-

Cost of living grade: C-

Unemployment rate: 6.1%



24. Plano, Texas

Population:271,166

Residents 25-34 years old:13.4%

Access to bars: B+

Access to restaurants: A-

Cost of living grade: C+

Unemployment rate: 4.2%



23. Round Rock, Texas

Population:106,972

Residents 25-34 years old:15.5%

Access to bars: A-

Access to restaurants: B+

Cost of living grade: C+

Unemployment rate: 5.3%



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

16 incredible spy gadgets from CIA history

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CIA operatives may not use jetpacks or laser-powered watches, but they do have a few tricks up their sleeves.

At the CIA Museum in Washington, DC, you can get a glimpse of the gadgets used in past spy missions.

The agency has declassified 600 out of some 20,000 objects used by CIA operatives throughout history, museum director Toni Hiley tells Tech Insider. Current operatives are constantly looking to old gadgets to build new ones.

"Revisiting technology is something we always do in the world of espionage," Hiley says. "There's no such thing as technology that's too old for operations."

From concealed cameras to flies on the wall, here are the 16 most fascinating gadgets from the collection.

SEE ALSO: We went to a meetup with hundreds of Pokémon Go fans and found out why everyone is so obsessed with the game

A pipe that conceals a radio.

This men's pipe from the 1960s hides a radio receiver. Sound travels from the pipe through the jaw bone to the ear canal.



A camera that fits in a cigarette pack.

A miniature 35-mm Tessina film camera fits inside this pack of Parliaments. Hiley says the CIA chose a Tessina because it was one of the smallest and quietest cameras in the 1960s.



A pigeon that carries messages.

During WWII, operatives would strap these lightweight cameras to pigeons. As the bird flew over a target, the camera took hundreds of photos. These images were more detailed than those from airplanes, because pigeons can fly hundreds of feet lower.

Unfortunately, the pigeon photos are still classified.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

4 mega-trends that could change the world by 2030

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In 2012, the US government put on its futurist hat and published a report entitled "Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds."

It's a surprisingly lucid text, full of both grim predictions and hopeful insights about the world that humans will inhabit within the next two decades.

One section deals with so-called "mega-trends"— world-changing patterns in society, health care, government, and resources. The report outlines four mega-trends that are poised to create the greatest impact in the years to come.

Here's what we can expect.

1. Individual empowerment

Over the next 15-20 years, the government expects that the majority of the world's population will no longer be impoverished — a world first — thereby granting people newfound empowerment and autonomy in their lives.

Continued giving from groups like the World Health Organization and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will lift millions of people out of poverty, the report argues. It classifies "individual empowerment" as the most important mega-trend because it is both a cause and effect of other trends.

The report hedges slightly, however, because more empowered people will also have greater access to lethal weapons and networks, which is "a capability formerly the monopoly of states."



2. Diffusion of power

If current economic and demographic trends hold, North America and Europe will lose status and influence as developing countries in Asia become more prominent world powers, the report states.

"China alone will probably have the largest economy, surpassing that of the United States a few years before 2030," it explains. "In a tectonic shift, the health of the global economy increasingly will be linked to how well the developing world does — more so than the traditional West."

What will ultimately decide the fate of any country is how well it adapts to the new nature of globalized networks. Having the most money or people won't necessarily keep a country powerful if others are more adept at staying connected to data and resources.



3. Demographic patterns

A combination of aging populations, fewer children, migration, and urbanization will lead to a dramatically different world in 2030.

With an expected 8.3 billion people, human civilization will be both older and much more focused on city life, which could create uncomfortable scenarios. Our infrastructure may improve, but our level of innovation and output will slow down without younger workers. "Aging countries will face an uphill battle in maintaining their living standards," the report states.

It's entirely possible, however, that within the next several decades, humanity will generate more urban construction than it has in the rest of its history.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

10 places every entrepreneur should visit at least once

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Gaining perspective through travel can be really valuable for entrepreneurs.

Kunal Desai, CEO of online investing and trading education site Bulls on Wall Street, spends roughly half of the year traveling, and has found that some destinations can be a great source of inspiration for one's own business. 

We spoke to Desai, who recommended 10 destinations that boast innovation, networking opportunities, lower costs of living, or lower taxes — all of which are factors that can help entrepreneurs boost their own businesses. 

SEE ALSO: This startup wants to help you speed through airport security lines

DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider's lifestyle page on Facebook!

COSTA RICA: According to Desai, who lived in Costa Rica for four months in the winter of 2013, one of the country's main draws is the fact that the dollar can go a long way here. It also has a large population of expats and remote workers, and is home to an incredible scenery of beaches, jungles, and mountains.



AUSTIN, TEXAS: Austin has a growing startup community, boasting access to capital, incubators, and plenty of co-working spaces. Thousands of entrepreneurs descend on Austin for the SXSW festival every March.

Click here to learn more about Capital Factory »

Source: Duke University of Medicine



SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: "It's the tech capital of the country," Desai said of San Francisco. He attributes this to factors like a motivated labor pool, capital, and the support startups can get through accelerators.

Click here to learn more about Y Combinator »



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Skip waiting for a table, your food, or the check at restaurants with this new tool

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Trying to actually sit down at a restaurant during lunch hours at work can be stressful.

There are so many steps you have to get to in a short period of time, from walking there to waiting for the check. Many people just grab a quick slice of pizza instead.

But there's an app that is trying to make it a lot easier to get lunch at work. I heard about the app, Allset, through a friend living out in San Francisco. 

The company’s entire premise is to strip the dining experience of all worries. Its tagline is, “No more waiting for a table, food and check.” 

Through the app, you can make reservations and place your lunch orders ahead of time to ensure that you have a table, and that the meal is on said table within minutes of your arrival. The service also completely removes time spent waiting for the check by allowing you to pay for your meal in-app beforehand. 

The company launched its app to streamline the dining out experience in San Francisco last fall, but just rolled out an option to make restaurant reservations via a chatbot through Facebook Messenger earlier this week. For now, the service is available at over 150 restaurants in San Francisco, Palo Alto and New York City. I decided to give the newer platform a test run for lunch near my workplace in Manhattan.

SEE ALSO: Facebook said it might have to pay the feds between $3 billion and $5 billion

When I opened up the platform in Messenger, I hit "Order Now" and was subsequently prompted to enter either an address or zip code.



From there, nine restaurants, all within a mile from our office address popped up. I scrolled to the right to survey the options.



All of the restaurants appear to be in the middle to higher-end price range. I really appreciated that the address and distance from my location of each restaurant was readily available.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Do not connect to Wi-Fi, and other tips for hanging out with 20,000 hackers in Las Vegas

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DEF CON hacker conference

Thousands of hackers, cybersecurity experts, federal agents, and others will descend upon Las Vegas next week for what are always interesting conferences — with talks on as varied applications as hacking cars and airline boarding passes.

Two of the largest conferences in the hacking world will be happening — Black Hat USA and Def Con — along with a Darpa competition between autonomous computers right in the middle of both.

More than 20,000 people are likely to attend.

But what should you expect while you're there? Should a new attendee be worried about getting hacked? What talks are a must?

These questions and more were asked of some past attendees. Here's what they told us.

SEE ALSO: We saw these brand new Tesla Model Xs parked outside Apple's secret car office

Next week starts with Black Hat USA, a six-day event geared toward information security professionals that features training, talks, and plenty of vendors onsite.



In the middle of that will be Darpa's Cyber Grand Challenge, in which seven teams are competing with their own fully autonomous computers in a hunt for software flaws.



Then it's Def Con, one of the oldest and largest hacker conventions around, held annually since 1993.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The most swoonworthy bike at the Tour de France was this understated $12,000 custom job made by a 45-year-old company based in Connecticut

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Pierre Rolland's Cannnodale SuperSix Evo TdF 2016

One hundred and ninety-eight of the world's best cyclists started this year's Tour de France, and each rode a bike that would make any lover of state-of-the-art tech drool. We saw fancy-looking rides with wind-tunnel-tested aero frames, stealthy brakes, and unconventional chainrings.

One bike we couldn't stop swooning over was Pierre Rolland's custom-painted Cannondale SuperSix Evo HI-MOD. The Frenchman's gorgeously understated velo, with its jade paint and classic-looking frame, elegantly stood aside from gaudy color schemes, overly aggressive geometry, and aero uppitiness.

Rolland, who rides for the American Cannondale-Drapac team, still benefited from plenty of high-tech goodies under the hood, as was only fitting for the two-time Tour de France stage winner.

 Lawson Craddock interview: A rising star of American cycling and a Tour rookie

 What Tour de France riders eat for dinner

 An American team bought its leader 21 of the world's fastest bicycle chains

 What riders at the Tour eat and drink immediately after racing

 How one American team at the Tour is keeping riders cool when hotels don't have AC

 The secret ingredient used to treat bicycle tires at the Tour? Vinegar

 An inside look at what America's coolest team did the day before the Tour de France

Wilton, Connecticut-based Cannondale shipped Rolland a custom-painted SuperSix Evo HI-MOD for the 2016 Tour.



Rolland has won two stages in the Tour, and he has finished the race in the top 11 on four occasions. This year he was 16th.



Rolland is 6-foot and weighs just over 150 pounds. He rides a 54-centimeter frame. The high-end performance-driven SuperSix Evo is popular with both pros and amateur riders for being stiff yet comfortable.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's everything we know about 'Project Titan,' Apple's electric car

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Apple's building a car. Or something automotive.

Nobody's really sure, because the company won't comment on it, and Apple is famous for keeping its research and development projects under wraps.

But its hard to keep a project of this size a secret. Even Tesla CEO Elon Musk says it's an "open secret" that Apple has obvious automotive ambitions. 

There are a lot of rumors and gossip about the Apple Car. We've collected the best below so they're all in one place:

Do you know anything about Project Titan or Apple's car? Email the author at kleswing@businessinsider.com.

SEE ALSO: We saw these brand new Tesla Model Xs parked outside Apple's secret car office

The rumors first started to fly in February 2015, when the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple had "several hundred employees" working on an "Apple-branded electric vehicle" called Project Titan.

Source.



According to the report, the vehicle looks like a minivan. Senior Apple executives have met with Austrian contract managers including Magna Steyr.



The thing is that Apple doesn't actually do any manufacturing, unlike car companies like Ford or Tesla. It contracts the assembly of devices like the iPhone to third-party factory companies like Foxconn.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

We tested Buffalo Wild Wings against its biggest competitor — here's the verdict

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chicken wings 9

Today is National Chicken Wing Day. 

Chips, dips, and a heaping pile of wings are essentials for the upcoming football season.

But there are a few decisions to make before you can break out the blue cheese and celery. Sure, wings are a no-brainer, but from where to get them?

Buffalo Wild Wings, with more than 1,000 locations worldwide, is a major player in the sports bar and wings world, offering 21 wing flavors.

But Texas-based Wingstop is proving to be an adept competitor. While the chain offers fewer flavors — only 12 — the similar prices and quality are gaining new devotees every day.

To find out which chain is truly the best wing experience, I chose five comparable wing flavors from both and put them to the ultimate taste test.

This is quite the undertaking, especially resisting the urge to start eating on the subway ride back to the office.



Approximately 100 wings in five flavors – a fair mixture of boneless and traditional per flavor – meet on the field.



The flavors are: Classic Mild, Garlic Parmesan, Asian (Buffalo Wild Wings' Asian Zing, and Wingstop's Spicy Korean Q), Classic Hot, and Mango Habanero.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The world in photos this week

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A selection of photos from some of the biggest news that you might have missed this week.

SEE ALSO: 'Unique, strange, and terrible' — ISIS may have created a new type of bomb

President Barack Obama and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton wave as they appear on stage together on the third day session of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.



Senator Bernie Sanders embraces his wife Jane O'Meara Sanders after the Vermont delegation cast their votes during roll call on the second day of the Democratic National Convention.



A member of Baton Rouge police Cpl. Montrell Jackson's unit touches his casket during his funeral service. Jackson, slain by a gunman who authorities said targeted law enforcement, is the last of the three Louisiana law enforcement officers killed in last week's ambush to be buried.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

13 signs your coworker is a psychopath

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The Shining

Bullying isn't just for school kids on the playground.

Andrew Faas, a former senior executive with Canada's two largest retail organizations, found this out the hard way when he blew the whistle on a corrupt colleague, and subsequently had his phone and email hacked and even received an anonymous death threat.

To help others, Faas says in his new book, " The Bully's Trap," any worker being hired or promoted in a supervisory position should be required to take a psychological test.

What would it test for? The 20 signs listed in the Hare Psychopathy Checklist, as developed by renowned psychologist Robert Hare.

A psychopath may not show all he signs, but they will likely demonstrate at least some of them, Faas says.

Here are 13 sign that one of your coworkers may be a psychopath, from Hare's checklist, Faas, and articles we found on Psychology Today:

Natalie Walters contributed to a previous version of this article.

SEE ALSO: 21 signs you have a terrible boss

DON'T MISS: 7 signs you can't trust your coworkers

They have sadistic motives and intents

"I think the most telling sign is their sadistic nature," Faas says.

A psychopath motivates others through fear, rather than respect, he says, and they intend to destroy rather than correct.

This one characteristic is what separates psychopaths from a boss or coworker who is simply "firm," he says.

"I've led and managed workforces that are in the thousands, and I've always been and still am a very demanding leader, but I motivate through respect because I want people to improve," Faas says.



They're glib and constantly turn on the superficial charm

Psychopaths are masters at presenting themselves well.

They are great conversationalists who can easily sprinkle chit-chat with witty comebacks and "unlikely but convincing" stories that make them look good, writes Hare in a post on Psychology Today.

Confronted with such charm, you may believe that the psychopath is a decent — delightful, even — person by the end of the conversation.

Hare writes that one of his raters once interviewed a male prisoner who threw in some compliments about her appearance, and by the end of the interview she felt unusually pretty.

"When I got back outside, I couldn't believe I'd fallen for a line like that," she said.



They have a grandiose estimation of self

Psychopaths see themselves as the center of the universe, writes Hare, on Psychology Today. They are so important in their minds that they believe other people are just tools to be used.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

25 high-paying jobs for people who don't like stress

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relaxing by water

Think there's no such thing as a high-paying, low-stress job? Think again.

With help from career-information expert Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D., we combed through the Occupational Information Network (O*NET), a US Department of Labor database that compiles detailed information on hundreds of jobs, and looked at salary data on the US Bureau of Labor Statistics website to find jobs with that perfect combination of high pay and low stress — and it turns out there are plenty.

O*NET rates the "stress tolerance" for each job on a scale from zero to 100, where a lower rating signals less stress. (Note: We are not saying these jobs are "stress free"– they just tend to rate lower than other professions.)

To rate each job, O*NET looks at how frequently workers must accept criticism and deal effectively with high stress at work.

Here are 25 jobs that pay more than $70,000 a year, on average, and earned a stress tolerance rating of 70 or lower, in order from highest to lowest stress score.

SEE ALSO: 10 ways successful people cope with stress

Audiologist

Stress tolerance: 70

Average annual salary: $77,420

What they do: Assess and treat people with hearing and related disorders. They may fit hearing aids and provide auditory training, and sometimes perform research related to hearing problems.

Education requirements: A doctoral degree and license.



Optometrist

Stress tolerance: 70

Average annual salary: $115,750

What they do: Perform eye exams to check for vision problems and diseases. They prescribe eyeglasses or contact lenses as needed.

Education requirements: Bachelor's, four-year doctor of optometry program, and a state license.



Art director

Stress tolerance: 69

Average annual salary: $101,990

What they do: Art directors are responsible for the visual style and images in magazines, newspapers, product packaging, and movie and television productions.

Education requirements: Bachelor's degree or previous work experience.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

34 things all college kids should do before they graduate

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It's no lie that college is the best four years of your life.

But it goes by fast, so you should take advantage of every second of your undergrad years. Yes, college is about preparing you for the future. But mostly, it's about trying new things.

Here are 34 things you have to do before graduating college.

Travel to a new country. This is one of the few times in your life where you’ll have the flexibility to travel this much.



And if you want to see some new places, it's a good idea to learn a new language.



Party somewhere epic, whether that be by the local water tower, or a castle in another part of the world.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

I took the first step to living like a minimalist and it felt surprisingly unsatisfying

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Marie Kondo Spark Joy

There's a difference between being organized and living tidy.

The former is a good quality to have, the latter is a lifestyle choice called minimalism, a practice that extols living with less possessions. I'm an organizer and always have been — but I'm also a pack rat, which is a minimalist's foil.

Minimalism is a visually-appealing — albeit mentally-perplexing — trend. While it feels good to have possessions and own things, minimalists say it feels even better to own very few things, all of which you need, not just want.

An extreme form of minimalism is sweeping Japan, where people following the guidance of figures like Marie Kondo, an organizing consultant and the author of two best-selling manifestos on minimalism, jettison the majority of their belongings and keep only the necessities.

Earlier this month, I tried my hand at a mild form of minimalism. I say mild because I didn't follow Kondo's precise rules of only keeping items that "spark joy," because frankly, my hair dryer doesn't spark joy, but it's practical. I figure I can work up to Kondo's high-level minimalism.

Still, I was more ruthless than I've ever been in going through my possessions and deciding what's truly worth keeping. I wanted to get a taste of this proverbial trend. And while Kondo and her books, in part, inspired me to consider minimalism, I in no way followed every step of her practice.

But what started as an enchantment with minimalism and an eagerness to hop on the bandwagon turned into a lesson in decluttering and minor shot to my ego. Here's the breakdown of my week-long experiment:

SEE ALSO: I tried giving up my phone for a week and barely made it 2 full days

The experiment

The five-day challenge I created for myself was an amalgam of a few others I had seen, including a 21-day challenge by The Minimalists, a pair of guys who write and speak about the practice for a living, and a 30-day challenge by the blogger Into Mind that's ultimately focused on achieving a minimalist mental state.

I began by dividing my possessions into five categories (for the five days of the work week): books, bathroom and beauty products, miscellaneous (also known as junk), clothing and shoes, and digital (computer). I started with what I presumed to be the easiest category of stuff to pare down and worked my way to the hardest. 

It's important to note that minimalism experts say paring down your possessions is a good place to start on the road to minimalism, but by no means the only facet of the lifestyle.

So, my week of shedding my pack-rat tendencies is just step one.



Day 1: Books

Despite my self-proclaimed bibliophile status, I knew the books piling up in the corners of my room weren't all keepers.

One thing Kondo suggests when going through books is refraining from opening them so as not to trigger nostalgia or emotion. I mostly heeded her advice. I opened one book ("Sick in the Head: Conversations about Life and Comedy" by Judd Apatow) that I was going to donate since I'd already read it, but I got sucked into a story and couldn't give it up.

I started with 40 total books (all of which I've acquired in just one year living in New York City) and ended up donating exactly half. The 20 books I kept are ones I haven't read yet, books I loved and know I'll revisit or reference, and a couple that I need to return to their rightful owners (my kid sister would like her copies of "Harry Potter" back in mint condition, please).

From a numbers perspective, I think I did well with this task. But since I read so much and tend to buy books rather than borrow from friends or the library, I'll likely have to do this every few months. Ultimately this day gave me the motivation to clear out the huge collection of books I keep at my parents' house next time I visit. 



Day 2: Beauty

I live in a three-person apartment with one tiny bathroom and no storage space, so all of my bathroom and beauty products (save for shampoo and conditioner and my toothbrush) sit on an open shelf in my bedroom, exacerbating the visible clutter.

To make sure I only kept what I need, I took an idea from the aforementioned Into Mind challenge. I wrote a list of items I use on a regular basis off the top of my head. Any item not on the list ended up in the trash.

On my list: makeup, makeup remover, face wash, dry shampoo, deodorant, moisturizer, hair product, hair brush, nail polish and remover, curling and flattening irons, hair dryer, and eye drops. After going through the pile, a lot of the clutter started to feel like half-used junk and I was happy to trash it.

By the end of my purge, I’d kept everything on my list, plus cold medicine and a couple small travel pouches.

This day really felt like minimalism to me. I was able to determine what I really needed versus what I thought I needed or may possibly use in the future. For example, that tanning spray I used once? Or the dozens of headbands and flower crowns (embarrassing but true) that I haven't worn in over a year? I'll be just fine without them.



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13 facts about flirting that single — and married — people should know

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Wink driving

What could be more terrifying than talking to someone you're attracted to? 

Luckily, social science has figured out what makes flirting work — or not.

Below, we've rounded up some of the most intriguing findings on the art of flirtation, so you can saunter over to the object of your affection with confidence.

This is an update of an article originally posted by Drake Baer.

SEE ALSO: 15 relationship facts everybody should know before getting married

People flirt for six different reasons

In a 2004 review of the literature on flirting, Northern Illinois University professor David Dryden Henningsen identified six different motivations for the behavior: 

• Sex: trying to get in bed
• Fun: treating it like a sport
• Exploring: trying to see what it would be like to be in a relationship
• Relational: trying to increase the intimacy of a relationship
• Esteem: increasing one's own self esteem
• Instrumental: trying to get something from the other person

In that study, Henningsen asked 101 female and 99 male students to write out a hypothetical flirty conversation between a man and a woman, then identify the motivations for the things they said. 

The behaviors broke down along gender norms: Men were significantly more likely to have a sexual motivation, while women tended to have a relational one.



Couples need to flirt, too

Like Tinder, cats, and dying alone, flirting is usually associated with single people. 

But couples need to know how to flirt, too.

After studying 164 married people for a 2012 study, University of Kentucky researcher Brandi Frisby noted that most of them flirted — by playing "footsies" or whispering in their partner's ear, for example — as a means of maintaining and emphasizing intimacy. Oftentimes, she wrote in her paper, married couples flirted to "create a private world with the spouse." 



Some conversation starters are better than others

For a study in the journal Sex Roles, University of Alaska psychologist Chris L. Kleinke asked 600 respondents to rate the effectiveness of three varieties of opening lines in a flirtatious situation: 

• "Pick-up" lines like "You must be a librarian, because I saw you checking me out" 
• Open-ended, innocuous questions like "What do you think of this band?" or "What team are you rooting for?"
• Direct approaches like "You're cute — can I buy you a drink?" 

The responses were pretty evenly split along gender lines: While the men in the study tended to prefer the more direct approach, the women tended to prefer the open-ended, innocuous questions. Not surprisingly, very few people said they preferred the pick-up lines.



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It’s International Tiger Day — here is everything you ever wanted to know about these stunning, wild cats

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11290353413_e597804dae_oToday is International Tiger Day, a day to celebrate these majestic, endangered wild cats that are renowned for their beautiful coats and black stripes.

These elusive, solitary Asian creatures have long inspired awe. They are the national animal of Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Malaysia and South Korea. Every year, travelers flock to such places as Ranthambore and Bandhavgarh National Parks in India  just for a chance of spotting one of these creatures in their natural habitat. And yet, tigers are highly endangered and are listed on the IUCN red list,

Business Insider spoke with Ullas Karanth, Director for Asia at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and tiger researcher, to learn more about these beautiful big cats and the threats they face today. Here are some of the most interesting things that we learned.

SEE ALSO: 12 rare animals that are teetering on the brink of extinction

DON'T MISS: These 10 natural phenomena happen every summer on our planet

Tigers are strictly an Asian species. Tiger fossils were discovered in China suggest that the species could be over two million years old.

Source: J.H. Mazak et al, PLoS ONE 



Today, tigers are the largest of the big cats in the world, weighing up to 660 pounds. They can get up to 10 feet in length — with their tails alone measuring three feet. Tigers are also incredible jumpers, able to pounce at least 10 meters (approximately 32 feet).

Source: WWF



Able to live in a variety of forest and grassland environments,”tigers are versatile,” said Karanth. “They can live in temperatures ranging from -35 degrees Celsius in Russia to 48 degrees Celsius in India [and] they can adapt to annual rainfall as low as 600mm to as high as 8000mm.”



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Here are the references to '80s movies in Netflix's great new show 'Stranger Things'

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Stranger Things E.T.

If you've heard anything about "Stranger Things," it's that Netflix's latest show makes some interesting references. Actually, a lot.

The series that's been called a "Frankenstein’s monster of '80s influences" includes nods to, among many others, "Alien,""Firestarter,""The Goonies," and most of all "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial."

To see just how often "Stranger Things" tips its hat to the sci-fi, horror, and fantasy classics before it, watch the video Ulysse Thevenon edited together on Vimeo. His supercut doesn't include every scene from the series' eight episodes, nor does it feature every tiny reference, but it has the major moments that any good fan should know. And it's of course set to the ultra-'80s opening theme by Austin synth band Survive.

Get ready to see a lot of Steven Spielberg.

SEE ALSO: Netflix's newest show 'Stranger Things' is the best thing I’ve seen all year

DON'T MISS: Winona Ryder explains why she disappeared from Hollywood: 'I don't have any interest in being a movie star'

First and foremost, "Stranger Things" loves "E.T." Pretty much any time it uses flashlights recalls Spielberg's classic.



Again, "E.T." gets a lot of shout-outs.



The creepy terror in "Stranger Things" is right out of "Alien."



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