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Google reveals what people really think about weed

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weed marijuana

Americans are searching for weed more than ever, according to Google trends.

What are they searching for, when, and where? Let’s find out.

SEE ALSO: Americans have radically changed the views on weed in the past 25 years

DON'T MISS: Google reveals the biggest stars on 'Game of Thrones'

Interest in cannabis is rising in the US (note: we’re looking at all weed-related searches here, as grouped by Google machine learning).



Interest is highest in Colorado, Washington, Maine, Michigan, and Alaska. It’s lowest in Utah.



Not California? If you go to the metro level, Eureka, Calif. comes out far on top, with Chico-Redding, Calif. in fourth. (Roanoke-Lynchburg, Va. is last).



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

These are the worst faux pas you can make in 17 different countries

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nepal namaste

Local customs can be a tricky thing to figure out.

What's considered a friendly gesture in one place might be obscene in another.

Thankfully, hundreds of responders to a recent Quora thread have chimed in from all around the world to offer dos and don'ts when traveling.

Here's what you should keep in mind while traversing the globe.

SEE ALSO: 14 terrifying tourist attractions that will make your stomach drop

Argentina

"Don't reject the mate."

Mariana del Rosal explains that in Argentina, drinking mate— a close cousin of tea — is "a ritual and a demonstration of confidence and friendship."

Side note: It comes with a metal straw called a bombilla, but never stir your mate with it.



Australia

"Do not litter, spit, or smoke in prohibited zones."

Katie Birtles says that Australians take public cleanliness very seriously. While some countries may think nothing of dropping a candy wrapper or spewing something awful onto the sidewalk, Aussies take pride in keeping things nice and tidy.

"If you do need to spit, do it discreetly," she says.



China

"Don't enter or exit a room before people of older generations."

As April Li explains, the polite thing to do when there are multiple generations entering or leaving the same space is for the eldest members to go first. China believes very strongly in deference to elders, so the gesture is a sign of respect.

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 5 best new songs you can stream right now

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the weekndNow that new music comes out every Friday — though not always on every streaming service — it can be hard to know where to find the next great song.

To help you out, Business Insider compiles this rundown of the best new music you can stream right now.

This week, The Weeknd released a single with Daft Punk, and Detroit rapper Danny Brown premiered a fresh new track on Apple Music. 

Check out this week's best new songs:

SEE ALSO: The 5 best new songs you can stream from the week of September 16

Danny Brown — "Tell Me What I Don't Know"

Detroit rapper Danny Brown premiered a new song from his upcoming "Atrocity Exhibition" LP on Apple Music's Beats 1 radio this week. Brown aptly described the cinematic-sounding track about street violence in his hometown as "like a scene in 'The Warriors.'"

RAW Embed



Sugar for Sugar — "Bizarre Love Triangle"

Outside of her fame in film, Scarlett Johansson has quietly had a secondary career as a singer for nearly a decade. The actress's new band, Sugar for Sugar, debuted a stellar cover of a New Order song for an upcoming charity album benefitting amfAR, an AIDS research foundation. 

Youtube Embed:
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Height: 380px



NxWorries (Anderson .Paak & Knwledge) — "Lyk Dis"

The music of NxWorries — the duo of talented singer/rapper Anderson .Paak and producer Knwledge — recalls '70s soul legends like Al Green and Curtis Mayfield with a hip-hop edge. "Lyk Dis," the group's smooth and explicit new single, finds .Paak rapping and singing about the art of lovemaking.  

RAW Embed



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I tried In-N-Out and Whataburger side by side — and it's clear whose burgers are better

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Whataburger, In-N-OutWhataburger is to Texas what In-N-Out is to California. Both companies are still family-owned, regional chains, and their respective fans stand strong behind their favorite.  

As a Texan, I can say with confidence that when it comes to burgers, BBQ, and grilled meats, we don't mess around. However, when analyzing a burger, many factors come into play — the condiments, freshness of the vegetables, and bun are all extremely important considerations.

Last fall, I taste tested the difference between these two chains in Dallas, Texas, where an In-N-Out and Whataburger live in harmony on the same block. Here's who I thought had a better burger. 

SEE ALSO: This dining club treats toddlers to fancy meals at Michelin-starred restaurants — here's what it's like to eat with them

My first stop was Whataburger. The building is outlined in a classic orange trimming, making it hard to miss when you're cruising down a Texas highway at 80 mph.



Southern hospitality is alive and well inside a Whataburger. Even when ordering to go, you get a table number so that a friendly staff member can hand-deliver your food to you. There's no confusing name or number-calling here.



They have a variety of Tex-Mex inspired sauces to choose from for your fries or burger, including spicy ketchup, picante sauce, and salsa verde.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Beautiful photographs capture the heartwarming moment parents meet their newborns for the first time

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first hello family

For Australian photographers River Bennett and Bel Pangburn, their studio is a birthing suite.

No matter what hour of the day a baby is born, the duo is right there to capture those first precious moments when people become parents. 

In their collaborative photo series, The First Hello Project, they document the blood, sweat, and tears of giving birth, and the tender, loving calm that settles in when the new baby finally arrives.

River Bennett and Bel Pangburn both have freelance photography companies of their own.

Pangburn runs her own business called Trigger Happy Images, and Bennet has a website called The Wolfpack Mrs, “for mamas with messy hair and thirsty hearts.”



They work together on The First Hello Project, photographing labor, birth, and the exhilaration of parents meeting their new additions.

“Together, Bel and I have had the privilege of documenting some of the most incredible moments of raw emotion in birthing suites and homes around the world,” she said.



“The First Hello Project grew out of a crazy conversation Bel and I had one day,” Bennett said.

"We had been sharing some fun stories over our bucket list moments that we as photographers had the opportunity to be a part of,” she said. “I told Bel how I would love to shoot a birth one day and she told me she had captured her friend and sister’s birth and how insane it was. It wasn’t long after our conversation that I was approached by a couple to capture their birth journey on film.”



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The story of Wojtek: The 440-pound bear that drank, smoked, and carried weapons for the Polish army during World War II

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wojtek

During World War II, the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the 2nd Polish Corps had an unusual soldier among its ranks, a 440-pound Syrian bear named Wojtek.

Wojtek first came to the company as a cub, but over the course of the war he matured and was given the rank of corporal in the Polish army.

Here's Wojtek's amazing story below.

SEE ALSO: 10 shocking facts about World War II

After being released from a Siberian labor camp during the Nazi invasion of Russia in 1942, the 22nd Polish Supply Brigade began a long trek south toward Persia. Along the way, they bought an orphaned bear.

Source: The Soldier Bear



"He was like a child, like a small dog. He was given milk from a bottle, like a baby. So therefore he felt that these soldiers are nearly his parents, and therefore he trusted in us and was very friendly," Wojciech Narebski, former Polish soldier, told the BBC.

Source: BBC



As he grew, his diet changed, but he remained friendly.

Source: The Soldier Bear



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Inside MIT's bonkers, $60 million-per-year laboratory for geniuses

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MIT Media Lab photos (28 of 28)

Founded in 1985, the MIT Media Lab is one of the strangest and most exciting academic institutions in the world.

Housed across two buildings on the prestigious university's Cambridge, Massachusetts campus, the laboratory works to bring together researchers and students across disciplines to build novel tools.

On September 20, I had the opportunity to tour the lab and speak with a number of the researchers. Here's a peek inside inside what might be one of the most innovative places on the planet, where the future seems to be very much in the present.

Much of the Media Lab looks like the inside of an extremely fancy college dorm, or perhaps an overfunded Silicon Valley startup. The group's annual budget is about $60 million, before outside grants get factored in. The biggest physical difference from a normal academic building? Researchers share working spaces across disciplines, and most rooms have only glass walls.



The Biomechatronics group works on artificial limbs. These are 3D-printed sockets, custom-designed to comfortably fit the limbs of individual users.



Here's the machine used to plan the sockets.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The best way to learn a new culture when traveling abroad

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cartagena

A little while back, I took a cheese-making course in the wilderness outside a mountain village in India. You might wonder, "How does one end up on a former tea plantation 7,000ft above sea level, attempting to milk a cow (and failing miserably)?" Well, I'd already got a knack for a few curries, and cheese happens to be among India's hottest new foods.

Moments like that are why I tell friends who are traveling: cooking classes are one of the most rewarding things you can do on any international trip. Whether you're learning to make a traditional cuisine or a trendy Gouda, few experiences are more memorable -- or better for exploring a new country -- than learning to create your own feast.

Call me a millennial, but I rarely cook at home (my vegetable peeler has been MIA for months). It's not that I don't enjoy it, but I travel and work a lot. Well that, and restaurant doggy bags are pretty great.

But cooking on holidays is a whole separate game, one of my travel obsessions. Here's why you should find yourself in a kitchen the next time you go abroad:

You get to know a country's real cuisine

I've gone for new experiences, like making cheese, but usually try to learn the local cuisine -- mostly because, as a tourist, finding authentic fare isn't always a cinch. Take Rome. Despite being an obvious food destination, the restaurants you'll find between the Coliseum and Trevi are likely to be packed with tourists (most likely, annoying ones).

That's why I stayed at the Beehive on a recent trip, a cute eco-hostel that offers cooking classes. The menu was no-frills – pasta sauces, walnut pesto, and zucchini in basil and almonds – but authentic. The hostel owner, Steve, is adamant about teaching only what people will go home and make (it probably won't be pasta).

"I got started doing the classes because we had guests who wanted to learn and there wasn't anything else available or accessible to their budget," he said. "So I figured, what the hell, I'll just do it."

Michelle, another tourist on a foodie pilgrimage, said the class was the trip's biggest highlight. "My flight to Rome arrived around noon and when I got to the Beehive I was tired with a sincere need to be horizontal for at least a couple of hours," she said. "I knew I would be jet lagged, groggy, and hungry waking up, so the cooking class was perfect. I signed up and didn't think twice because homemade Italian food would be my first meal in Rome. Who would argue with that?"



To cook like a local, you have to shop like one

These classes aren't just about sharp edges and hot surfaces -- they're about gathering foodstuffs, an essential skill in a new city. I lived in Bangkok for almost three years before taking a Thai cooking class, and wish I'd done it much sooner.

We started by buying fresh ingredients in one of Bangkok's oldest slum markets. We bought our curry paste from a hidden, 50-year-old shop that sells out of spice every day before noon. Till then, my favorite diet was street food and mom-and-pop restaurants. My green curry wasn't close to what the auntie next door could whip up, but at least I knew how to appreciate what goes into her creations.



You learn more than recipes from teachers

I'll never forget going to "Cooking with Nonna," a class taught by sweet Italian grannies. "Cooking has always been my passion," said Giuliana, my group's Nonna. "I love it because it gives me a chance to practice my English."

With a translator's help, Nonna instructed us on how to make gnocchi from scratch with a gnocchi paddle (harder than it looks, folks). In turn, we got to grill her on the history of tiramisu as we blended up mascarpone and eggs for the caffeinated dessert.

"Well," she said, "it started with a bar."

"Nonna, it wasn't a bar," the translator said. "It was a brothel."

Nonna went on to explain, very sweetly, why tiramisu literally translates to "pick me up." And I've not looked at tiramisu the same way since.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 20 most dominant college football programs in the modern era

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University of Alabama

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

That's right — college football season is back in full swing. 

And as co-eds gear up for tailgates, home games, and fierce rivalry matches, some schools' pride and atmosphere clearly surpasses the rest. 

Niche, a company that researches and compiles information on schools, ranked which colleges have the best football programs, primarily looking at the number of BCS bowl appearances, number of NCAA championship wins, and average attendance at home games. The ranking also took factors such as BCS bowl game wins, number of alumni in the NFL, and student survey responses into consideration.

For its ranking, Niche used the number of National Championships won recently (since 2000), but we included the number in the modern poll era — since 1936 — for reference. Check out a full breakdown of the methodology here.

Whether you prefer to sport Wisconsin red, yell "Roll Tide," or cheer the Fighting Irish to victory, scroll down to see the 20 best colleges for anyone obsessed with college football. 

SEE ALSO: The 25 best colleges to go to if you're obsessed with college basketball

DON'T MISS: The 50 best colleges in America

20. West Virginia University

Location:Morgantown, West Virginia

National championships: 0

Average attendance at home games: 52,910

Number of alumni who have played in the NFL: 180



19. University of Tennessee

Location:Knoxville, Tennessee

National championships: 2

Average attendance at home games: 95,584

Number of alumni who have played in the NFL: 310



18. Penn State

Location:State College, Pennsylvania

National championships: 2

Average attendance at home games: 96,587

Number of alumni who have played in the NFL: 343



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

If you're embarrassed by your Patronus, you're not alone — these are the lamest 'Harry Potter' spirit animals you can get

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patronus pottermore

"Harry Potter" site Pottermore unveiled a new quiz Thursday that allows fans to discover their Patronus. If you're not familiar, the magical conjurings take the form of spirit animals which protect a witch or wizard from the soul-sucking dementors.

In the book series, some pretty cool ones are revealed. Harry has a stag, Hermione's is an otter, and there are other characters who have a fox and woolly mammoth as their own. Naturally, fans were eager to find out what mighty animals would be assigned as their protector.

hermione patronus

And there were some cool ones. Among those we've seen revealed are unicorns, dragons, and even Hippogriffs! A colleague of mine even got a wolf.

However, some fans were quickly disappointed that they were getting animals that, well, weren't as exciting. In fact, some of them sounded downright lame.

If you're embarrassed by your Patronus, we hear you! Here are some of the worst Patronuses we've seen so far.

Sure, a Nightjar is cute, but I'm not sure if this little bird is up for a fight.

 



Scary dementor coming your way? How about you fend it off with a wood mouse.



This grey squirrel already has the right idea. He's running away. Far away.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The fabulous life of legendary fashion billionaire Ralph Lauren

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Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren is a name synonymous with American fashion. And yet, the story of how he built one of the largest fashion companies in the world from nothing isn't quite so well-known.

Lauren's net worth is now estimated to be nearly $6 billion, according to Forbes.

Here's how he amassed that wealth, and what he uses it for.

 

SEE ALSO: How a former lawyer quit his office job to revolutionize how men buy luxury bespoke suits

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

Ralph Lifshitz was born in New York City in 1939, the youngest of four by Russian Jewish immigrants. As a teenager, he changed his last name to Lauren and walked around his Bronx neighborhood wearing outlandish styles like army fatigues and tweed jackets.

Source: O, The Oprah Magazine



After dropping out of Baruch College two years in, he enlisted in the US Army and served from 1962 to 1964. He then had a short stint as a tie salesman at Brooks Brothers and another, now-defunct tie company.

Source: O, The Oprah Magazine



By 26, he was designing and selling his own neckwear. He put together "rags" and fashioned them into ties. He designed a distinctive fatter, European-style neck tie, making them "out of a drawer" in the Empire State Building.

Source: O, The Oprah Magazine



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Watch out Tesla: Mercedes-Benz's first fully electric truck could hit the road in 10 years

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Daimler electric truck

Mercedes-Benz is officially entering the trucking industry.

The Daimler subsidiary unveiled its all-electric truck at IAA, an international motor show in Hannover, Germany that runs until September 29.

Scroll down for a closer look:

SEE ALSO: Volkswagen's 'revolutionary' electric concept car could steal the Paris Motor Show

Meet the Urban eTruck: a fully electric truck designed specifically for city driving that gets a range of 124 miles.



That may not seem like a ton of mileage, but considering it's designed for package or cargo delivery within cities, it's enough to complete a day's worth of routes.



The truck currently runs on three lithium-ion batteries that are part of a modular design, so you can add an extra battery pack to slightly bump that 124-mile limit.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

We ate at a Costco food court, and it was one of the best dining experiences we've ever had

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Costco Food 7

Costco is the holy grail of bulk buying, the cathedral of wholesale. But it's not all about 10-pound jars of peanut butter.

A stop at Costco's humble food court — after walking miles around the cavernous warehouse — is a shameless reward for buying enough extra paper towels to fill your entire car trunk.

The food court is simple yet esteemed by Costco diehards. Amazingly, it's one of the biggest pizza chains in the US, and nationwide it sells roughly 100 million hot dogs a year, at extremely low prices.

After several readers expressed their regard for Costco's hot dogs and pizza, we took a trip to the retail giant's Brooklyn location in March to discover all its revered food-court glories — and it totally exceeded our expectations.

SEE ALSO: We tried a customizable pizza chain that's taking over — here's what we thought

NOW WATCH: This perfect fried chicken only needs to be fried for 3 minutes

The food court at Costco doesn't offer the most varied selection, but it's cheap, quick, and provides a nice treat for customers after a long day of shopping.



We ordered one of each item on the menu, excluding the salad, smoothies, and ice cream — those are pretty uninteresting, run-of-the-mill items.



We did not expect the servings to be so enormous and dirt cheap. This entire selection costs just over $25. Let's delve in and go through the choices.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 20 best colleges for studying abroad

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unviersity of denver study abroad

For students with the travel bug, a college's study abroad program can make or break where they decide to go to school. But before students can jet off to their country of choice, they need to find a program that is the right fit for them. 

The Princeton Review recently released its 2017 college rankings, which included a list of the 20 most popular study abroad programsin the US.

To create the ranking, The Princeton Review asked 143,000 students at 381 schools "How popular is studying abroad at your school?" Students responded on a five-point scale ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree."

Read on to learn why these colleges have the most popular study abroad programs.

SEE ALSO: The 20 colleges with the most school spirit

DON'T MISS: The 50 best colleges in America

20. University of Delaware

Location:Newark, Delaware

The Institute for Global Studies at UDel coordinates over 70 study-abroad programs annually. This fall, UDel is leading trips to a dozen countries including Japan, Italy, Portugal, and France.

UDel also offers winter and summer programs that last anywhere from three to five weeks, and offers one or two courses in a variety of disciplines.



19. Syracuse University

Location: Syracuse, New York

SU Abroad has more than 60 World Partner programs where students can enroll, pay tuition, receive grants, and retain scholarships and financial aid through Syracuse while abroad. These programs appeal to students interested in a specific school, country, or area of study, like attending film school in Prague or studying biodiversity in Madagascar.

Syracuse also has eight centers abroad that host SU students in five European countries as well as Turkey, China, and Chile.



18. Carleton College

Location: Northfield, Minnesota

Carleton College employs a faculty-led program model that extends "The Carleton Experience" off-campus. This year, the school is offering 18 study-abroad programs led by faculty and sponsored by a number of academic departments. Destinations include Ireland, France, and Russia.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's the ranking every Wall Street bank cares about

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Silver medalist Hailey Danisewicz, Gold medalist Allysa Seely and Bronze medalist Melissa Stockwell of the United States celebrates on the podium at the medal ceremony for the Triathlon Women's T2 at Forte de Copacabana

We have new data on how Wall Street banks stack up in every business line, and there is one clear winner.

JPMorgan led the pack in the first half of 2016 for revenue across fixed income, equities, and banking, according to data-analytics company Coalition.

That bank made $12.5 billion.

It ranked No. 1 by revenues in investment banking, and within that equity-capital markets. It also placed first in fixed income, currencies, and commodities (FICC), and within that G10 rates, and securitization.

Goldman Sachs and Citigroup ranked joint second overall for the period.

Goldman placed first in commodities within the FICC division. It also ranked first in futures and options within equities, and in mergers and acquisitions within investment banking.

Citigroup's move up the rankings  it finished 2015 in joint third  was based off of a strong performance in FICC. It ranked second overall in that business behind JPMorgan, and within FICC placed first for emerging markets and municipal finance, and joint first for G10 FX.

Here's the global ranking, plus the rankings broken down by region:

JPMorgan is a clear winner, with a top three position in every business except cash equities.



JPMorgan also ranks top in two of the three regions, placing first in the Americas and Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Deutsche Bank and Citigroup ranked joint first in Asia.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

19 photos that show why Berlin is one of the best places to party in the world

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Berlin nightlife

Ever since the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, nightlife and clubbing have become entrenched in the culture of the German capital, and the city has earned a partying reputation that it's proud of.

As the New York Times described, "One aspect of reunification that no one would have predicted — the emergence of techno and a tenacious, do-it-yourself club scene — has turned out to be not a passing night-life fad, but a cornerstone of the city’s identity." 

DJs blast techno and house music to crowds who are solely there to dance. But it's not just a techno city — Berlin offers plenty of spots for rooftop drinks, swing dancing, craft beers, late-night eats, and classic rock 'n' roll.

SEE ALSO: 18 stunning photos from the night the Berlin Wall came down 26 years ago

Zum schmutzigen Hobby is a popular dance club that's located in a former fire station. Here, DJ Olga Wodka plays pop songs for a packed crowd.



Swing dancers teach a class at the Claerchens Ballhaus, a dance hall located in the central district of Mitte. Claerchens Ballhaus originally opened more than 100 years ago, and was run by the same family for almost 90 years. Much of the decor still has an antique, untouched look.



The Bassy Club defines its vibe as "strictly before 1969," featuring music that's a mix of blues, soul, country, and rock 'n' roll.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

These 14 companies are quietly building cutting-edge tech for America's spies

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CIA Lobby Office Seal

The Central Intelligence Agency has its own investment capital arm, and it's been pumping money into some of Silicon Valley's most innovative companies for years.

In-Q-Tel (named after "Q" in the James Bond films) invests in companies that can deliver useful technology to the intelligence community within 36 months. But since it's structured as an independent, non-profit organization, it's rather unique: It's a VC firm that doesn't really need to make money back for outside investors, and it can tap into the deep pockets of the intelligence "black budget."

Its involvement in a startup is also a stamp-of-approval of sorts, often bringing in more money from other VC firms, to the tune of $11-$15 for every dollar the CIA kicks in. In-Q-Tel typically does not disclose the amount it invests, though a Washington Post story from 2005 says the funding is often relatively small $500,000 to $2 million investments.

Here are some of the cutting edge companies the CIA has found useful.

SEE ALSO: This is everything Edward Snowden revealed in one year of unprecedented top-secret leaks

Cylance is using artificial intelligence to analyze and kill malware well before it becomes a problem.

Cylance built a product that can analyze and determine whether a file you are about to open is malware, and then stop it from executing — all in less than a second.

Instead of using lists of known bad software, or "signatures" of malware, Cylance's product uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to determine what's bad and what's not.

Especially when phishing email scams are still the number one method hackers use, Cylance's software is a gamechanger in the cybersecurity space. Which is probably why it's currently valued over $1 billion.

The product, CylancePROTECT, is used exclusively in the enterprise for large corporations, banks, and government clients. Cylance told Business Insider it would soon be launching a product for regular users as well.

In-Q-Tel invested in the company in 2016.



Orbital Insight analyzes the millions of satellite images being beamed back to Earth to answer all kinds of interesting questions.

Let's say you are a big retailer like Wal Mart or CVS, and you want to get an understanding of how many people are shopping at your stores. One method for figuring this out is to analyze the number of cars in the parking lot — which is one thing Orbital Insights can do.

The company can figure out things such as how certain stores are performing, how many people visit a store, or determine how busy it is at certain times of the day, and so on.

The satellite analysis can answer other questions as well: What intersections are the busiest at rush hour? Or perhaps, how is China's economy doing?

Orbital Insights has attracted plenty of interest beyond the CIA, which chipped in $5 million in 2016. Around that same time, Google Ventures led an investment round of $15 million.

 



Cyphy built a tethered drone that can monitor an area for days at a time.

Cyphy (pronounced Sci Fi) has a tethered drone that can keep a watchful eye from up to 10,000 feet above its base station, or it can help with long distance communications.

The company has a patented microfilament tether to keep the drone connected to a ground control station, where it gets all its power and communication from. So unlike the average drone, the ground-powered "persistent aerial reconnaissance and communications" can be launched and stay in the area for a much longer time.

It's outfitted with a high-definition camera that can shoot in night vision, which makes it ideal for troops in the field who need to keep an eye on their base perimeter.

The company also has a smaller "pocket flyer" drone that flies through doors and windows, and which fits inside a soldier's cargo pocket. 

In-Q-Tel invested in Cyphy in 2015.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The $70,000 Grand Sport is the greatest Corvette ever (GM)

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Corvette Grand Sport

I'm not going to get into the long and illustrious history of the Chevrolet Corvette, in continuous production since the 1950s and now into its seventh generation. You can look it up.

Suffice it to say that we really, really like Vettes. The C7 Stingray was our 2014 Business Insider Car of the Year. It set a whole new standard for this most American of vehicles (still bolted together with patriotic care in beautiful Bowling Green, Kentucky). 

Since we got behind the wheel of the glorious Stingray with a 7-speed manual transmission, we've sampled the same car in a convertible version with an automatic — and outfitted with Apple CarPlay — and taken a rocket-ship ride on the supercar-defying Zo6, a 650-horsepower monster of a machine.

We thought we'd seen it all, Vette-wise. And then an Arctic White 2017 Corvette Grand Sport Convertible paid us a brief visit. Too brief — we had it for only about a day and half. But we lucked out on the weather in the Northeast. 

There aren't too many cars available right now that are this good. And there are none that are this good for a base price of about $70,000. Ours stickered at $85,910, and it was nicely appointed (the "Black Suede Design Package" alone added four grand) . 

Here's what we thought:

SEE ALSO: Corvette might be on the verge of the biggest change in its history

For starters, this thing looks great in white.



The seventh generation of Corvettes was inaugurated by the exquisite Stingray and its 460 horsepower V8.

Read the review here, as well as our 2014 Car of the Year commendation.



We later sampled the convertible version and got a taste of how happy the Vette's engine is when paired with an automatic transmission. It's actually FASTER than with the manual.

We tested out Apple CarPlay on this Vette.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's how movie star and Oscar-winning producer Brad Pitt rose to fame

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brad pitt

Brad Pitt arrived in Hollywood nearly two decades ago. Today, he's one of the most recognizable faces in the world.

While looks may have nabbed him some early roles, it took great ambition, talent, and the ability to swivel between acting and producing to create a career that could stand the test of time.

Pitt has starred in many of the most enduring and beloved movies in entertainment history, including "Thelma and Louise,""Interview with the Vampire,""Moneyball,""A River Runs Through It," and "Ocean's Eleven."

As with any Hollywood heart throb, Pitt's personal life has sold a great number of magazines. He has been attached to some of the biggest actresses in the entertainment business, from Gwyneth Paltrow to Jennifer Aniston, and soon-to-be-ex-wife Angelina Jolie.

Here's how this Missouri kid found his way to Hollywood and rose to fame:

SEE ALSO: Angelina Jolie has filed for divorce from Brad Pitt

DON'T MISS: How Angelina Jolie became the most famous actress in the world

Brad Pitt was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma on December 18, 1963 and grew up in Springfield, Missouri. He was the eldest of three children in a conservative household of parents, truck company owner Bill Pitt and family counselor Jane Pitt.

Source: Bio Channel



Just two credits shy of a journalism degree at the University of Missouri, Pitt gave in to his love of films and set off for Los Angeles in the late-1980s.

Source: Bio Channel



In LA, Pitt worked as a limousine driver for a few months, while taking acting classes. Within seven months, he found an agent and began booking acting work, including the soap opera “Another World"in 1987, and “Growing Pains” in 1987 and 1989 (in two different roles).

Source: Fox News



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How one 24-year-old runs a $70,000-a-month business while traveling the world

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Aileen Adalid Norway

Aileen Adalid entered the corporate world at age 19 after graduating from De La Salle University in Manila, Philippines, with a degree in business management.

But the trilingual Philippines native quickly grew envious of the flexible lifestyles of "digital nomads" she met while freelancing on the side in Manila.

At 21, Adalid quit her entry-level job at Deutsche Bank — which paid just $300 per month — to transition to a life of perpetual travel.

For the next year, Adalid freelanced in graphic design, web design, SEO management, and online marketing, sustained largely by one stable client contract that earned her more than double her previous salary. The best part: The flexibility enabled her to travel frequently to places like France and Thailand.

In May 2014, Adalid partnered with a friend to start an online Amazon retail business called Adalid Gear, a health and outdoor accessories company, and relocated to Belgium.

She also revived her one-time teenage diary blog, I Am Aileen, fashioning it into a lifestyle and travel blog that has gained traction among online travel communities.

Adalid now earns about $5,000 a month from her online ventures, and she travels from her home base (now back in the Philippines) at least once a month to destinations throughout Europe and Asia.

You can follow her adventures on her blog, I Am Aileen, or through her Facebook or Instagram.

Adalid told Business Insider about cutting ties with the corporate world to chase after the "digital nomad" lifestyle, and finding a balance between traveling the world and running two successful ventures. Read on to find out how she did it. 

DON'T MISS: A 31-year-old who's been traveling the world for 5 years explains how she affords it

SEE ALSO: 14 things I learned when I quit my job to travel the world

Back in college, Adalid studied business management and had a combined year of training experience under her belt at huge multinational companies like Nestlé, Unilever, and Siemens.

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 In Belgium.



But after graduating college at 19 and spending two years working as a product controller at Deutsche Bank, she realized the corporate life wasn't for her. She was increasingly intrigued by both entrepreneurship and travel, so she left her job with about $600 in savings in April 2013.

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In Dubrovnik, Croatia.



"I started working as a remote freelance graphic designer, web developer, and marketing assistant taking on different projects but with a main stable client who employed me. My pay at this point was more than double of what I earned at my office job and I was able to control my time more for working as I started to travel around more."

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