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Here's what it's really like to work retail on Black Friday

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black friday

"Black Friday" is no term of endearment, especially for the people who have to work in retail that day.

From retailers' perspectives, being "in the black" is a good thing — it means profits. For many of them, Black Friday is the biggest sales day of the year.

But the name has darker origins. As Time reports, newspapers in the 1960s reappropriated the term Black Friday, which was originally used to describe the September 24, 1864 stock market crash and ensuing panic it caused, to describe the rush of crowds stores saw the day after Thanksgiving.

These days, to call it the most hectic day in retail is an understatement.

To get a better sense for what it's really like to work retail on Black Friday, we asked a former Best Buy sales associate, who handled customer service and worked as a cashier during five Black Fridays until 2013, to weigh in. Here's what she had to say about her experience:

Describe what it was like working on Black Friday.

"On the day, a couple hours before the store opened, customer service people and sales associates would go outside and start selling accessories, credit cards, and product protection plans. That was difficult because it was cold and the people looking for the doorbusters were less likely to get anything other than the product.

"Once the doors opened, the first few hours were craziness, a blur of customers and product.

"Then it started to slow down, and the rest of the day was like waves of calm and then tons of people. In between the craziness during times of calm, people were trying to clean up and return product back to the floor.

"I really think the best way to describe it is that it is a blur."



What was the incentive for retail employees to work on Black Friday?

"When I started the incentive was extra hours, and there was excitement about the rush of it. But as the shift moved toward Black Thursday, there really wasn't that incentive anymore. It was more annoying to come in on Thanksgiving. However, since you had to come in on a holiday, you got holiday pay."



How did scheduling on Black Friday work?

"Black Friday was tons of work and everyone was involved.

"It was pretty much all hands on deck, especially during that first initial rush of customers. And throughout the day there continued to be a steady flow of people, so everyone had to be available.

"This might have changed since I last worked Black Friday in 2013, but when I was there minors got the eight-hour shifts during the day. More experienced staff usually got a split shift, so one eight-hour shift from midnight to 8 am and then you came back at 3 pm or 4 pm to close.

"I think this has changed now because the store hours have changed, but before you could easily work 15 hours on Black Friday. Not too much anymore — everyone I know this year is scheduled to work 10 hours."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

RANKED: All 50 states and DC, from least to most average

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uncle sam america

The US is a huge, diverse country, and the characteristics of the states that make it up vary widely.

We used 38 demographic, social, and economic indicators that cover several aspects of American life, mostly from the US Census Bureau's recently released 2015 American Community Survey estimates.

We looked at how far away each state was from the average of each of those metrics among the states and Washington, DC. Adding those distances together, we figured out how far from average each state was. See our method and sources.

Here's all 50 states and DC, ranked from least to most average, along with some of the metrics for which they were outliers or average.

SEE ALSO: 22 maps that explain America

51. District of Columbia

What's not average: The District of Columbia is very different from the states. Much of the capital's strangeness relative to the states stems from the fact that it is entirely a city, unlike the mix of urban and rural areas that exist in most states. That leads to a much younger and less white population than most states: The median age in the District is 33.8 years, well below the average among the states of 38.1. Meanwhile, DC is 36.0% white, also lower than the average of 68.9%.

What's average: About 76.8% of households in DC have a broadband internet connection, very close to the average rate of 76.2%.



50. Hawaii

What's not average: Unsurprisingly, Hawaii has by far the largest proportion of residents who identify as Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander of any of the states, at 8.8% of the population, far above the 0.3% average among the states. Similarly, 36.1% of the population of Hawaii identifies as Asian, nine times the 4.0% average.

What's average: Hawaii's GDP per capita of $56,996 is very close to the average GDP per capita of $56,602.



49. Alaska

What's not average: Alaska has the highest proportion of men — 52.6%— of any state. The average sex breakdown among the states is 49.4% male. Unsurprisingly, 13.3% of Alaskan residents identify as American Indian/Alaska Native, the highest ratio among the states and far above the average proportion of 1.4%.

What's average: About 29.7% of Alaskans have a bachelor's degree or higher, just below the average rate of 30.3%.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 10 foreign countries that send the most students to American colleges

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beijing skyline

The number of foreign students in American schools has been surging over the past decade, and numbers are up again, according to newly released data from the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education (IIE).

Foreign students in the US were up 7.1% from last year with 1,043,839 students total, and international students now make up 5.2% of all higher education students in the US.

The influx of foreign students is vital for American universities, and especially public universities which have become increasingly dependent on foreign students to fund their budgets.

Here are the 10 foreign countries that send the most students to American colleges:

SEE ALSO: Ivy League acceptance rates have always been low — but the decline over the past 10 years has made them almost impossible to get into

10. Mexico

With a population of about 122 million, Mexico sent 16,733 of its students to the US for college last year.



9. Japan

Japan, which has a population of about 127 million, had 19,060 of its citizens attend American colleges in 2015-16.



8. Brazil

Of the roughly 200 million people in Brazil, 19,370 went to the US for college last year.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

15 hard truths about adulthood, from a 29-year-old illustrator who tells it like it is

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In September 2015, Mari Andrew decided to start drawing a picture a day.

"I was sort of depressed and found myself going home just to watch Netflix way more often," Andrew told Business Insider in an email. "I wanted a creative hobby, so I thought illustrating would be an easy, enjoyable way to document little moments from my day."

She started posting her drawings to Instagram to hold herself accountable, and soon enough, she started building a following. Today, the 29-year-old has over 14,000 followers on her account, @bymariandrew.

Hi! My beloved friend @susan_alexandra interviewed me on her magical site! ✨ www.susanalexandra.com/friend-zone

A photo posted by Mari Andrew (@bymariandrew) on May 12, 2016 at 9:23am PDT on

"Who knew so many people could relate to my dating woes and existential angst?" she said. "Now that my account is more public and a lot of people see it, my goal is for my audience to feel connected and understood. When you can laugh at the confusion and challenges in your life, you can get through them way more easily. So I try to give people a reason to laugh at themselves and realize that we're all in this together."

Below, see 15 of Andrew's all-too-relatable illustrations about everything from happiness to money to scheduling. For the rest, follow her on Twitter, Instagram, or check out her website.

SEE ALSO: These 16 truths about adulthood drawn on Post-its will make you laugh before you cringe

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Who you're most likely to marry based on your job

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couple bride groom wedding

Love and work — who knew that the two were so intimately connected? Based on research by Bloomberg Business, it turns out that your job could help you predict who you'll end up marrying.

By scanning US Census Bureau data covering 3.5 million households, Bloomberg compiled this interactive chart that shows how people are pairing up by profession.

Here are the most common matchups for 29 jobs:

DON'T MISS: 7 ways being married influences your success

SEE ALSO: People with these jobs are most likely to marry someone in a totally different profession

Elementary- and middle-school teachers

Female elementary-school teachers are most likely to marry male or female elementary- and middle-school teachers.

Male elementary-school teachers are most likely to marry female elementary- and middle-school teachers or male education administrators.



Financial analysts

Female financial analysts are most likely to marry male financial managers or female retail salespeople.

Male financial analysts are most likely to marry female elementary- and middle-school teachers or male operations research analysts.



Flight attendants

Female flight attendants are most likely to marry male managers or female flight attendants.

Male flight attendants are most likely to marry female flight attendants or male elementary- and middle-school teachers.



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10 sad, sad facts about your Thanksgiving turkey

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Each Thanksgiving, we cut, tear, and rip apart roasted, glistening turkeys like it will be our last meal on Earth. And we love doing it.

For those of you eating turkey this Thanksgiving, there are some facts you should know, first. Facts about flying turkeys, frozen turkeys, and the sad secret of the lucky pardoned turkey that might not be so lucky.

SEE ALSO: The most Googled Thanksgiving recipe in every state

DON'T MISS: The turkey you're about to eat weighs twice as much as it did a few decades ago

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We went to Walmart for Black Friday — and it was nothing like we expected (WMT)

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Walmart's Black Friday sales are wildly popular — so popular, in fact, that they have led to massive crowds in stores every year, brawls over merchandise, and tragically, the death of a worker in 2008 after he was trampled by shoppers at a Long Island, New York store. 

When we visited a Walmart store in Dublin, Georgia, on Thursday at the start of the retailer's doorbuster sales, we expected to find chaos. 

Here's what we saw instead. 

We arrived five minutes before the start of the doorbuster sales, which kicked off at 6 p.m.



There were tons of people in the store, but it was shockingly calm.



The general mood was far from the frantic one we expected. Everyone was pretty quiet — and strangely serious.



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The 19 European universities which produce the most employable graduates

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Edinburgh University

Times Higher Education published its annual "Global University Employability Survey," a ranking of universities that turn out graduates with the best job prospects.

While US universities dominated the very top of the list, the overall ranking had a huge amount of European institutions near the top too.

The global list was based on a survey of recruiters and managing directors from senior companies, and took into account a variety of factors which are deemed to make a graduate employable.

Those skills were professional experience, a high degree of specialisation, proficiency in at least two foreign languages, extracurricular activities, an excellent academic record, and graduation from a "top" university.

Business Insider took a look at the European universities on the list which offer their graduates best employment prospects.

Take a look:

19. University College London, UK

Employability score: 301

UCL is a science-based institution which specalises in research, with over 850 professors and over 6,000 academic and research staff teaching a student body of 36,000. 52% of its pupils are postgraduates.



18. London School of Economics and Political Science, UK

Employability score: 307

LSE specialises in the social sciences, most notably in economics, politics, sociology, law, and anthropology. It has 10,600 students and over 3,000 academic and research staff. Alumni include 16 Nobel Prize winners, as well as philosopher Bertrand Russell and Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger.



17. École Polytechnique, Paris, France

Employability score: 311

Commonly known as "X," the highly selective university was founded by a mathematician in 1794 during the French Revolution. It counts three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

These are the best Black Friday tech deals in the UK right now

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The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships so we may get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Black Friday in LondonThe biggest shopping day of the year is here! 

This Black Friday, Amazon UKJohn Lewis and Currys are the big online retailers you should keep an eye on

Because deals aren't all created equal, we'll do our best to separate the wheat from the chaff and bring you only the ones actually worth buying this year. 

If you need some general holiday shopping help, we've put together a lot of holiday gift guides for specific products and categories. So if you're thinking about picking up a drone, a Bluetooth speakersomething for your favorite geek, or music lover, you're in luck.

Our guides even cover some good do's and don'ts for holiday shopping and some good gift ideas for people who might be harder to shop for, like your co-workers or your father-in-law

If you're looking for the best deals right now, keep refreshing this page – we'll be making sure those deals are on this list.

This story is developing. Bookmark this page and stay tuned for Insider Pick's Black Friday coverage on November 25, 2016.

Lenovo Ideapad 310

- List price: £559.95

- Deal price: £329.95

- You save: £130

BUY IT NOW



Xbox Live £5 free Credit

- List price: £45

- Deal price: £45

- You save: £5

BUY IT NOW



Sony PlayStation 4 with free Uncharted 4

- List price: £229.95 (only the PS4)

- Deal price: £224.99

- You save: £34.95

BUY IT NOW



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's the salary you have to earn to buy a home in 19 major US cities

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denver neighborhood houses autumn

How much does it take to buy a home?

Mortgage site HSH.com has updated its estimate of how much annual income a household would need to buy a home in major metropolitan areas in the US, according to third-quarter 2016 data.

In Q3, mortgage rates fell across the board for the second quarter in a row, which offset small increases in home prices in all but four major markets, making it more affordable to buy a home in the majority of major US cities.

However, a shortage of homes on the market means that if mortgage rates were to rise, buyers would find themselves in an expensive, tight spot.

HSH.com looked at median home prices from the National Association of Realtors. It took into account interest rates for common 30-year fixed-rate mortgages and property taxes and insurance costs to figure out how much money it would take to pay a median-priced home's mortgage, taxes, and insurance in each city, and how much you'd have to earn to afford it.

HSH.com emphasizes that this is only the base cost of owning a home, without taking into account maintenance and other incidentals.

The site also calculated how it would change the salary needed to buy a home if a buyer were to put 10% down instead of the recommended 20%. No matter where you are, putting down less makes things more expensive — you can visit HSH.com to see both numbers.

Salaries are listed from lowest to highest needed and are rounded to the nearest $500.

SEE ALSO: Here's how much you need to earn to live comfortably in 15 major US cities while still saving money

19. San Antonio

Population: 1,409,000

Median home price: $212,300

Monthly mortgage payment: $1,127

Salary needed to buy: $48,500



18. Orlando

Population: 255,483

Median home price: $229,900

Monthly mortgage payment: $1,162

Salary needed to buy: $50,000



17. Minneapolis

Population: 407,207

Median home price: $240,300

Monthly mortgage payment: $1,181

Salary needed to buy: $50,500



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

These are the only 4 hair products guys should ever use

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If you don't know your gels from your pomades, you're not alone. 

The world of men's hair product is daunting, but don't be afraid. We've distilled it down to three basic categories that should suit any kind of hair.

No matter what kind of hair you have, at least one of these products is bound to tame your mane and make it look great.

 

 

SEE ALSO:  This is the best way to get the haircut you want

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

1. Hair wax (a.k.a. putty, clay, glue, molding creme, or styling paste)

For guys with straight or wavy hair, wax is the perfect product to use on a daily basis. It makes hair look effortlessly styled with a medium hold and the lowest shine of all hair products.

Another benefit comes from the heaps of texture it adds to all types of hair. It's good for a "messy look" that actually doesn't look messy at all.

Though it comes in many variations, most are made with different waxes like beeswax. They're also water soluble and will easily wash out of your hair. 

American Crew Fiber is the tried-and-true hair wax favorite, but other good choices include proprietary brands made by popular barber shop chains like Blind Barber and Fellow Barber.



2. Pomade

Pomades are hair wax's classic cousin. They combine a lot of hold with a lot of shine and are the best product to use for a slicked-back pompadour look or "Mad Men"-style side part. Again, pomades work best for men with straight or wavy hair, especially if it's on the long side.

The shiny finish and superior hold of pomades are what really separates them from hair waxes. Pomades are ideal for hair styles that don't need a lot of movement since they can sometimes feel waxy or greasy to the touch.

All of our favorite hair wax brands also make very suitable pomades, including American Crew. Uppercut also makes an extra-strength pomade called Monster Hold.



3. Styling cream

While hair wax and pomades can be similar, styling cream is a different beast altogether. Instead of a waxy solid like our first two products, styling cream is more of a thick liquid and is suitable for curly-haired men. It offers a light shine with no hold at all, and it takes care of the frizz and unruliness in your hair.

In short, styling cream will leave your hair manageable without drying it out.

For styling cream brands, you really can't go wrong. Moroccanoil has gained a lot of popularity recently for taking good care of both men's and woman's hair, but men's-focused creams like the Fellow Barber's Styling Cream and Malin + Goetz's sage styling cream are also excellent choices. Finally, Bumble and Bumble makes another good unisex alternative.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Check out the all-new Ford Super Duty pickup, the largest vehicle we've ever tested (F)

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Ford Super Duty

Ford has gone all in with the redesign of its critically important Super Duty series of large pickup trucks. The Super Duty had been refreshed and updated, but it hadn't been completely rethought in two decades.

Ford makes a lot of money off these ginormous F-Series pickups, so a new Super Duty was a big risk. Customers from this type of truck, optimized for work and for towing, are among the most demanding in the auto industry.

The carmaker had already taken one huge risk with its legendary F-150 full-size pickup, switching to aluminum from steel in production. That worked out well, so Ford moved on to the Super Duty lineup, the F-250 and its larger stablemates.

While I had checked out the new F-150 and been pleased, I had never actually driven a Super Duty. It was a big missing piece of my ongoing professional development.

Plus, who doesn't like a big-ass pickup? So when Ford told me I could borrow a 2017 F-250 Super Duty Platinum 4x4 Crew Cab, with a mighty 6.7-liter Powerstroke turbo diesel engine, I said heck yes.

Here's what it was like to have this mountain of a pickup in my driveway for a few days:

Our borrowed Super Duty arrived in a "Magnetic" gray paint job.



This pickup tipped the scales at around 6,000 lbs. — three tons!



I think the tree was intimidated. I didn't even think to ask my Prius how it felt. It was acting like it wanted to go hide in the garage.



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These are the 4 best sound bars you can buy

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The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships so we may get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

91yE4lQAvLL._SL1500_During a product demonstration I recently attended, I was told one of the most common reasons TVs are returned is because of blown-out speakers. 

This makes sense; we want TVs to get thinner, while continuing to produce loud, clear sound. Unfortunately that doesn't work well with the laws of physics, so a lot of people crank up these less powerful speakers and blow them out. 

Stereo systems have been around for decades, but until recently they've been pretty inconvenient. Their bulk and abundance of wires ultimately made them more of an enthusiast's purchase rather than a standard one. 

Sound bars are leveling the playing field. Even a surround sound setup is possible to achieve without having to turn your living room, basement, or bedroom into a Best Buy.

The recommendations below are for people who have different goals and budgets, and come from either personal experience, or that have been reviewed positively. This guide will continue to be updated as newer options become available, and while all the products on this list are solid, I've surfaced any recurring complaints that owners of them seem to have.

Check out the rest of our Black Friday coverage from the Insider Picks team. We're covering the best tech deals around the web, deals over at Amazon, and deals at Target, Walmart, and Macy's.

DON'T MISS: Amazon’s store brand makes a lot of great tech, but these are the 10 gadgets actually worth buying

SEE ALSO: 3 TVs under $500 that stand above the rest

The budget solution: VIZIO SB2920-C6

Sure this is last year's model, but if you don't care about having Google Cast support, this entry level sound bar from Vizio should suit you just fine. It's a 2.0 sound bar, so if you're looking for a true surround-sound solution, this won't be for you. That said, it's also the smallest (physically) sound bar on this list, so if you're looking to up your home theater game without taking up too much space, this would be ideal.

Like I mentioned earlier, this sound bar doesn't have Google Cast built-in, but it can be used wirelessly as a Bluetooth speaker. If your TV is located in a central part of your house or apartment, you can certainly use this sound bar as a wireless stereo system. In terms of connectivity this one is pretty sparse; you can connect it to your TV or receiver through an optical audio cable, and any other device through two auxiliary ports. The big recurring complaint with it is that it doesn't turn on and off automatically when turning your TV on or off.

Yes, it's bare bones, but that's why it's our budget pick. For under $100 you get a good-looking sound bar that can deliver better sound than your TV, without taking up too much room. If you're looking for a little more oomph without breaking the bank. it does come in a slightly larger size, both are listed below.

VIZIO 29-Inch 2.0 Channel Sound Bar, $74.15, available at Amazon.
VIZIO 38-Inch 2.0 Channel Sound Bar, $96.84, available at Amazon.

 



The budget pick with ample bass: VIZIO SB3821-C6

A step-up from my base recommendation, a 2.1 sound bar system would be ideal for those who still want to save space, but want some more bass. It has the same inputs, looks the same, and won't take up too much more space. The "wireless" subwoofer does need to be connected to power, so do keep that in mind. The only recurring fault people have with this soundbar is that the bass can get a little too bassy, even when turned down. Producing a lot of bass is the subwoofer's job, but if you live above neighbors and have thin walls, it's definitely something to consider. 

VIZIO 38-Inch 2.1 Channel Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer, $158, available at Amazon



The surround-sound soundbar: VIZIO SB3851-C0

If you've got the space and desire to get a surround-sound sound bar system, once again Vizio has you covered. The sound bar itself looks identical to its 2.0 and 2.1 siblings, but it's fleshed out with a subwoofer and two satellite speakers.

Like the other Vizio sound bars on this list, this one can also be used as a Bluetooth speaker — in this case a pretty powerful one. If you're worried about a mess of wires across your floor when setting up the rear speakers, Vizio made a very clever design choice; the rear speakers can be plugged directly into the wireless subwoofer. This gives you a lot more freedom when considering how you want to set up your room, and is way more convenient than having to plug everything into the sound bar directly. The connections on this sound bar are identical to those on the other Vizio sound bar I recommended: an optical audio output, two sets of auxiliary inputs (one of which can be used for the rear speakers), and analog out. 

If you're looking to get a 5.1 surround sound system in a smaller form factor, this set from Vizio is a safe bet. Again, the only recurring complaint I could find is that it's bass heavy whether the subwoofer cranked up or turned down low. I'm going to be reviewing Vizio's 2016 surround-sound sound bar system soon, and this post will be updated accordingly. 

VIZIO  38-Inch 5.1 Channel Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer and Satellite Speakers, $248, available at Amazon



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

7 innovations that want to change the way we manage diabetes, a disease that affects 371 million people worldwide

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LivongoGen2MeterBeingUsed

It's been almost a century since researchers discovered a way to treat diabetes.

Since then, there have been a number of medical and technological advances that aim to make the lives of people living with diabetes — both type 1 and type 2 — more manageable. Around the globe, the group of conditions affects 371 million people worldwide, a number that's expected to increase to 552 million by 2030.

From monitoring blood sugar levels — a taxing experience that people with diabetes must grow used to doing every day — to ways that make insulin easier to deliver, here are some of the innovations that are changing the way we manage diabetes.

SEE ALSO: The incredible history of insulin, a drug that was discovered almost a century ago

DON'T MISS: A 93-year-old drug that can cost more than a mortgage payment tells us everything that's wrong with American healthcare

Medtronic created the world's first 'artificial pancreas.'

In September, the FDA approved a device that's often referred to as an "artificial pancreas" for use in people with type 1 diabetes over age 14. The device, made by Medtronic, is called the MiniMed 670G, and it works by automatically monitoring a person's blood sugar levels and administering insulin as needed — no constant checking and injecting required. That way, it can act like a pancreas, the organ in our bodies that in healthy people is able to moderate our blood sugar levels by pumping out insulin that can process the sugars found in food. 



Livongo is making a glucose monitor that can get software updates just like your phone.

"No one cares about the technology," Glen Tullman, the CEO of California-based startup Livongo and whose son has Type 1 diabetes, told Business Insider. "They simply want to live their life."

On Wednesday, the company added the capability for the monitor to receive software updates, eliminating the need for people to constantly upgrade to new glucose meters when the technology advances. Livongo also offers the testing strips the machine uses for free by charging employers — companies like Lowes and Office Depot offer Livongo's service as a benefit — a monthly fee.



Bigfoot Biomedical is also building an artificial pancreas.

Bigfoot Biomedical's founder and CEO Jeffrey Brewer was among the first to back the artificial pancreas with a donation to JDRF, a diabetes research organization. But when things weren't moving fast enough, he — along with Bryan Mazlish, the company's chief technology officer — decided to take matters into their own hands and build their own artificial pancreas. 

Bigfoot bought an insulin pump company, partnered with continuous glucose monitor company Dexcom, and got to work building an artificial pancreas system that could connect to your phone and wouldn't "look like something that should be in the hospital," Brewer told Business Insider. Bigfoot's focus is on the cloud-based technology that surrounds the device.

The first trial for the device got underway in July, and the company hopes to get the device on the market in the next few years. Like Livongo, Bigfoot is hoping to offer the system as a monthly service, so instead of paying for the device and its components when they run out, it's all included in a monthly fee. 



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7 rules for flying like a modern gentleman

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guy in airport

You can't check your responsibility for proper travel etiquette at the gate.

From who gets the armrest to flying's unofficial dress code, there are a few rules every guy should know when he travels on an airplane.

These aren't laws — no one's going to put you in jail for violating armrest etiquette. But if every guy followed them, the airplane would be a much happier place.

SEE ALSO: The skinny tie is dying

DON'T MISS: If you're going to let your beard grow out, here's the most important thing to remember

You can drink, but don't go overboard.

Sure, plenty of people imbibe in the airport and on the plane, but this is not a night out on the town. You're traveling — there's absolutely no reason to overdo it.

Plus, flying already dehydrates you. Have a glass of water in between cocktails.



Try not to use the plane's bathroom if you can help it.

Unless you have some kind of medical issue, a flight under three hours shouldn't require a trip to the lavatory — yet another reason to drink lightly. Leave it open for those who really need it, like the elderly or parents with small children.

Plus, think of how dirty the airplane bathroom is. Best avoided.



Don't recline your seat.

The fact that your seat can recline doesn't mean that it should. Reclining only makes your seat slightly more comfortable while making the passenger behind you so much more uncomfortable. Not only that, but the people affected by your seat recline often end up reclining their own seats, starting a pointless chain of recline.

Those in the back row as well as the emergency exit row have it the worst, as their seats don't go back at all. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The surprisingly frugal habits of 8 extremely wealthy people

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Mark Zuckerberg

Frugality is a subjective term. To the average Joe it could mean eating meals at home or scouring the internet for cheap flights.

But to a billionaire it means showing up to work in a T-shirt and jeans, driving a Toyota or Volkswagen, and, in some instances, foregoing the purchase of a private jet or lavish vacation home.

Surprisingly, some of the richest people on earth are incredibly frugal, each one with their own penny-pinching habits.

From eating lunch in the office cafeteria with their employees to residing in homes worth a fraction of what they could afford, these eight self-made billionaires — many of whom are also generous philanthropists— know the secret to keeping their net worth high.

DON'T MISS: After studying rich people for 5 years, I realized there are 10 critical habits the wealthy learn from their parents

SEE ALSO: The 50 richest people on earth

Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, still lives in the same home he bought for $31,500 in 1958.

Net worth:$68.1 billion

The "Oracle of Omaha" is one of the wisest and most frugal billionaires around. Despite his status as one of the richest people on earth, he still lives in the same modest home he bought for $31,500 in 1958, doesn't carry a cellphone or have a computer at his desk, and once had a vanity license plate that read "THRIFTY," according to his 2009 biography. And when his friend of 25 years Bill Gates visits Omaha, Buffett picks Gates up from the airport himself.

Buffett also has a decidedly low-brow palate, known not just for investing in junk-food purveyors like Burger King, Dairy Queen, and Coca-Cola, but also for filling up on them as well. The Buffett diet includes five Cokes a day, as well as Cheetos and potato chips.

At his annual shareholder's meeting in 2014, Buffett explained that his quality of life isn't affected by the amount of money he has:

"My life couldn't be happier. In fact, it'd be worse if I had six or eight houses. So, I have everything I need to have, and I don't need any more because it doesn't make a difference after a point."



Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, drives a manual-transmission Volkswagen hatchback.

Net worth:$51.5 billion

Despite his status as one of the richest tech moguls on earth, Mark Zuckerberg leads a low-key lifestyle with his wife Priscilla Chan and their newborn daughter. The founder of Facebook has been unabashed about his simple T-shirt, hoodie, and jeans uniform.

"I really want to clear my life to make it so that I have to make as few decisions as possible about anything except how to best serve this community," Zuckerberg said.

The trappings of wealth have never impressed the 32-year-old, who in December 2015 announced he would donate 99% of his Facebook shares during his lifetime.

Zuckerberg chowed down on McDonald's shortly after marrying Chan in 2012 in the backyard of their $7 million Palo Alto home — a modest sum for such an expensive housing market and pocket change for a man worth more than $51 billion. In 2014, he traded in his $30,000 Acura for a manual-transmission Volkswagen hatchback.

 



Carlos Slim Helú, founder of Grupo Carso, has lived in the same six-bedroom house for more than 40 years.

Net worth:$31.6 billion

Rather than spending his fluctuating fortune, Carlos Slim funnels his billions back into the economy and his vast array of companies. He once mused to Reuters that wealth was like an orchard because "what you have to do is make it grow, reinvest to make it bigger, or diversify into other areas."

The 76-year-old is by far the richest man in Mexico, but he forgoes luxuries like private jets and yachts and reportedly still drives an old Mercedes-Benz. Slim runs his companies frugally, too, writing in staff handbooks that employees should always"maintain austerity in prosperous times (in times when the cow is fat with milk)."

The businessman has lived in the same six-bedroom house in Mexico for more than 40 years and routinely enjoys sharing home-cooked meals with his children and grandchildren. He's got a couple of known indulgences, including fine art — in honor of his late wife — and Cuban cigars, as well as an $80 million mansion in Manhattan, which he was trying to sell last spring.



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12 holiday gifts ideas for the programmers and IT professionals in your life

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Happy programmer work

The holiday season is here.

If your shopping list includes someone who loves computers or programming, you're in luck. From gadgets to clothes to toys, there are a whole lot of things your favorite geeky guy, girl or kid will like.

We've compiled a short list of ideas for you, most of them under $100, and many under $25.

SEE ALSO: 12 cloud computing skills worth over $113,000 a year salary

SEE ALSO: Programmers are having a huge discussion about the unethical and illegal things they’ve been asked to do

Arduino Starter Kit: $90

The Starter Kit is a great entry to the world of building cool electronics projects like a musical instrument you play by waving your hands or a lock that opens by tapping a secret code. 

The Starter Kit includes the components and step-by-step instructions for 15 projects.



CanaKit Raspberry Pi 3 Ultimate Starter Kit: $90

An alternative starter kit for wannabe electronics gadget makers is this "ultimate" Raspberry Pi 3 starter kit. It includes the latest Pi computer as well as a whole bunch of other components for building electronic gadgets.



Intel's Compute Stick with Windows 10: $132

Intel's Compute Stick is a full-fledged Windows 10 computer, the size of a USB stick, that you can plug into any HDMI display like a TV or monitor.

Carry it in your pocket or on your key chain and you'll always have a PC with you.



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14 things successful people do over holiday weekends

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reading, book

Thanksgiving is almost here, and a lot of people have taken a few days off from work to travel, spend time with family, or just relax and recharge. 

At this point, most successful people have planned out (or at least thought about) what they'll do over the next three days.

"Successful people recognize how important it is to take advantage of a long weekend to refuel their passions and recharge their batteries," says Michael Kerr, an international business speaker and author of "The Humor Advantage."

They work extra hard the days leading up to a holiday weekend in order to maximize their leisure time, adds Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert and the author of "Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job."

They also compartmentalize any work-related tasks that slip into their days off, separating them from their coveted leisure time. "They know that if the two blend into each other, they'll likely feel cheated afterward," she says.

Planning ahead for a holiday weekend is important because you don't want to squander the relatively rare opportunity to decompress from the office.

Taylor explains: "These extended weekends are different from the regular weekend because you know you have extra time to relax, tie up loose ends personally, catch up with important people in your life, or get ahead on a project. And time is a nonrenewable resource. How you spend it should be consistent with what you need to accomplish short- and long-term to be content."

Not sure how to make the most of the next few days? We've got some ideas.

Here are 14 things successful people do before and over holiday weekends:

SEE ALSO: 14 things successful people do in the first 10 minutes of the workday

1. They plan ahead

Many successful people plan out their activities for the holiday weekend well in advance so that they are not drawn into the temptation of working, Kerr says. They make reservations, book flights, go grocery shopping, or schedule activities with their kids.

Taylor adds: "They're strategic enough to have an action plan for the long weekend, but flexible enough to tackle any urgent work issues that may arise."



2. They prepare at work

"Most of what they do happens before they leave for a long weekend so that they are psychologically free to relax and enjoy it," Kerr says.

This includes saying proper goodbyes to colleagues, cleaning up their office, finishing any pressing tasks, and creating a clear plan of action for when they return to the office so they can hit the ground running.



3. They set technology guidelines

Successful people set email and phone rules for themselves and the people they work with, so that people understand when, if at all, they will be available to respond or pick up.

"This can communicate to employees how critical it is for everyone to take a complete break, and that any and all work can wait," Kerr explains. "Although employees may assume this, they often need to hear it from their leader to be able to completely relax over a holiday weekend." 



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10 TV shows you probably forgot about that are finally ending this season

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pretty little liars season 6

Incredibly, we've nearly gotten to the holidays and the big five networks have yet to cancel an underperforming freshman series, although episode orders for shows like Conviction and Pure Genius have been cut.

Regardless, there are still quite a few shows that have already been slated to end this TV season, and if you want to know which shows you are going to have to say goodbye to, we've compiled them into this easy-to-read list.

Please note that this list excludes shows that will technically be ending next TV season. So if you're wondering where some shows you know are ending are at, like Longmire, they may not be ending until the next season rolls around. But, as usual, let us know about any we may have missed!

"Grimm" will start its final episodes in January.

Grimm was a steady Friday night series on NBC for years, airing opposite a slew of shows that were quickly cancelled, including Constantine and Dracula. However, over the last couple of seasons, the ratings for the drama faltered a bit, leading NBC to both cancel the drama and push it back to midseason. The final set of episodes will hit the schedule in 2017, starting on Friday, January 6.



The final fourth season of "Black Sails" will kick off January 29.

Starz kicked off its modern programming slate with the launch of Black Sails four seasons ago. Over time, Black Sails has become one of the most exciting and best written programs on television, one that has been highly ignored by critics. The pirate-based drama will be ending after its next airing at midseason, but it will be remembered as the show that helped launch Starz into a new era of quality originals. Catch its final season starting on Sunday, January 29.



The final episodes of "Pretty Little Liars" are expected to come next spring.

Pretty Little Liars has already aired the first half of its final season, which has made its cancellation a little bit confusing. If you are a fan, don't fret, there's still a half season of the Freeform drama left to air. The final set of episodes are expected to hit the schedule this coming April, and some of the episodes are coming with grave titles like "Farewell, My Lovely" and "Till Death Do Us Part." I don't anticipate this one going out on a totally happy note.



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Malia Obama is going to Harvard next fall — here's where America's other 'first kids' went to college

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U.S. President Barack Obama and his daughter Malia walk from Marine One to board Air Force One upon their departure from O'Hare Airport in Chicago April 7, 2016.    REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Malia Obama has chosen to attend Harvard University in the fall of 2017 after she takes a gap year, the White House announced on Sunday.

Her announcement follows months of speculation about her choice after she went on a tour of the Ivies, Stanford, and New York University last year.

With an eye on first kids who were teenagers or young adults when their parents lived in the White House, as far back as President John F. Kennedy, we looked at their college choices.

While President-elect Trump's children fall outside the scope of this criteria, the four older ones all attended stellar colleges as well. Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Tiffany all graduated from the same alma mater as their father — The University of Pennsylvania — and Eric graduated from Georgetown University.

Take a look below to see who dropped out of college, who failed the bar exam, and whose parents didn't go to their graduation.

Lynda Bird Johnson Robb, University of Texas at Austin, Class of 1966

The oldest daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson, Lynda Bird Johnson Robb attended the all-girls National Cathedral School in Washington, DC, and the University of Texas at Austin for college. She is the last first daughter to be married in the White House.



Luci Baines Johnson, Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Studies, 1966 (did not graduate)

The younger daughter of President Johnson, Luci attended Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Studies, but she was forced to drop out in 1966. She was married that year, and the school prohibited married students.



Tricia Nixon Cox, Boston College, Class of 1968

The oldest daughter of President Richard Nixon, Tricia attended Boston College and earned a degree in English. Her father served as a guest speaker at her graduation.



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