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A 24-year-old rapper who refuses to sign a record deal was just named 'one of the most influential people in the world'

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chance the rapper winning grammy

Chance the Rapper is the most talented rapper of his generation and a pioneer in the music industry. His latest album, "Coloring Book," won him a 2017 Grammy for best new artist.

In 2017, the Grammys made streaming-only albums available for awards consideration for the first time, which allowed "Coloring Book" to be nominated. Because of the new rule, Chance, whose real name is Chancellor Bennett, made history as the first artist to win a Grammy based on a streaming-only album. 

"Coloring Book" is so popular that it's the first streaming-only album to chart on Billboard's ranking.

Miraculously, Chance has done all of this without a label supporting him. He's turned down record deals from numerous labels, and depends on word-of-mouth and his SoundCloud account for distribution.

The fame and success just reached another milestone of recognition: Chance was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world, according to Time magazine. "Chance upends expectations about what artists, ­especially hip-hop artists, can do,"the rapper Common wrote in the magazine.

Meet the most successful fully independent musician of our era:

SEE ALSO: 35 movies coming out this summer that you need to see

Chance the Rapper calls his albums "mixtapes." He recorded his first one in his senior year of high school.

He formally kicked off his career with the song "Windows." It got him some attention in Chicago's hip hop scene, and Chance spent another eight months tinkering with the rest of the album.

 



His first album — "10 Day"— gave Chance a cult following.

The album was released in 2012 and received over 400,000 downloads on the music-sharing site DatPiff and got Chance a cult following.

It's called "10 Day" because he wrote it during a 10-day suspension from high school.



A few months later, Childish Gambino (Donald Glover) featured him on his song "They Don't Like Me."

Listen to it here.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

24 photos that show how Jennifer Aniston's style has evolved over the years

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Jennifer-Aniston

Jennifer Aniston has long been admired by American women for her grounded sense of style and her ability to look young as she ages.

Despite her celebrity and wealth, she's always worn clothing that the average woman could easily transition into their own lives. She defines the best version of the "every woman's style," something that has stuck with her from the very moment she appeared in the spotlight. 

Follow along as we dissect Aniston's evolution from '90s chic to modern-day style maven. 

Aniston's big break came with her first TV role on "Friends." Her go-to looks included a jeans-and-T-shirt ensemble, and a classic Little Black Dress. "The Rachel" hairstyle also became a huge '90s trend.



Just a couple years later, in 1997, Aniston is back on the red carpet in another LBD. Her up-do is a lot like one that her "Friends" character, Rachel Green, would wear.



Aniston isn't the only member of the "Friends" cast to rock a classic black dress.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

These stunning glass pipes and bongs for the 1% cost up to $300,000

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cannabis glass

Mr. Grey — no, not the one from "50 Shades"— curates an art collection with pieces so expensive that few people can afford them.

The 21-year-old independent curator, who prefers to keep his anonymity, works with artists who have carved out a new niche in Manhattan's art scene: high-end glass pipes and bongs.

It's a market that's blowing up, he says, thanks to the growing legalization of marijuana across the country. In the past three years alone, nine states have legalized cannabis for recreational or medicinal use, bringing the total to 28 states plus Washington, DC that have decriminalized the drug.

Grey tells Business Insider that the new laws are encouraging artists trained in glassblowing, to experiment with cannabis glass design and create extravagant works of art.

He recently showcased 30 pieces in his two-story apartment in New York City. We got an inside look at the items in the curated collection, which cost up to $300,000.

Keep scrolling to take a look.

SEE ALSO: 22 incredible works of art from this year's Burning Man

Mr. Grey showcased the 30 pieces for family and friends inside his apartment in Soho.



They were created by artists from all over the world.



The pieces are not only handcrafted and stunning, like Unparalleled Glass' $35,000 "Cactus Set" ...



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The best marijuana vaporizer for every type of person

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Pax Labs, Pax 3, marijuana vape vaporizer

Legal weed in North America is expected to generate $22 billion in 2021, with help from the ever-growing vaporizer market.

Vaping is an alternative to smoking that involves inhaling vapor from an electronic device. Some research suggests vaping is less harmful than lighting up because it doesn't require igniting a material and inhaling carcinogens along with it.

As the industry heats up, so does the competition. There's a range of devices to fit every consumer's needs, whether they prioritize ease of use, portability, or style. With so many options out there, Business Insider set out to find the very best vaporizers.

We put together a panel of industry experts and asked them for recommendations in six categories: best for the beginner, the user-on-the-go, the user who blazes at home, the marijuana concentrates fan, the buyer on a budget, and the techie. We used their responses as well as anecdotal evidence and our own experiences to come up with the list below.

SEE ALSO: The way people buy legal marijuana will change in 2019 — here's what to expect

For the beginner: Alchemy Vaporizer Pen by Dark Heart

Price:~$40 per replacement cartridge

Taking a hit from a vape pen is often as intuitive as placing your lips on it and inhaling.

"I recommend beginners start off with vape pens since they are inexpensive and super easy to use," says David Hua, cofounder and CEO of medical marijuana company Meadow.

Hua is a fan of the Alchemy Vaporizer Pen, which uses cartridges filled with potent marijuana oil. The company behind the device names each botanical-infused pod after the effect it cultivates: "Relax" contains a soothing blend of lavender, chamomile, and an indica strain to calm the senses, while "Awaken" uses citrus, mint, and a sativa strain to invigorate the user.

"These experience-based oils are especially helpful for those who are new to cannabis and don't yet know the effects of particular strains," Hua says.

Dark Heart's cartridges also work with most generic pens, which retail for about $10.

Find it here.



For the on-the-go user: The Mighty by Storz & Bickel

Price:$399

The Mighty by Storz and Bickel might look like an old-school walkie-talkie more than a vaporizer, but the portable device has merits where it counts.

Max Simon, CEO and founder of Green Flower Media, says the Mighty offers the "highest quality in terms of functionality and precision."

Joe Dolce, author of "Brave New Weed," agrees: "The Mighty is not the most beautiful, inexpensive, or easily concealed vaporizer on the market, but it delivers the most generous and flavorful vape hit with low draw resistance of any I've tried."

Experienced users will enjoy the precision temperature control, which allows them to ramp up the effects of specific terpenes (oils) and cannabinoids (chemical compounds), Dolce explains. Plus, rich vapor flavor and a long-lasting battery make the Mighty a top performer.

Find it here.



For the user who blazes at home: Volcano Classic by Storz & Bickel

Price:$479

The Volcano Classic takes the cake in the tabletop vaporizer category. The device debuted in the mid-2000s and quickly garnered fans for delivering heavy hits with consistency.

Manufactured by hand in Germany, the Volcano Classic works by heating up loose-leaf material packed into a chamber, which causes an attached balloon to fill with vapor. The user closes a valve that seals the balloon, removes the bag, and inhales from it to get high.

"The bags this vaporizer fills are a hit at any social event," writes Brandon Siddall, head budtender at top marijuana dispensary Caliva, and Adam Smith, purchasing manager, in an email. "But on a nice, low setting with just a little material, they are also perfect for a solo relaxation session after work."

Find it here.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

These are the unwritten dress codes for the major London City banks

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Jake beardLondon is one of the fashion capitals of the world, yet dress codes in its banking sector remain steeped in tradition.

Business Insider spoke to bankers at Citi, Credit Suisse, HSBC, ING and a Spanish institution to find out what people are really wearing to work in the City.

The most important thing to remember if you’re joining a big London bank is not to stray too far from the norm. 

In fact, blending in is the unwritten rule at most institutions, according to insiders, particularly if you are joining the middle or lower ranks of a bank.

Most banks give guidelines on dress when hiring new recruits. "It's not very specific, along the lines of no flip flops, etc.," said a banker at Citi. "But there’s also a general rule of thumb that if you’re unsure it’s probably inappropriate."

Here's what you need to know about dress codes if you're joining one of London's big banks, according to their employees. 

1. Stick to the palette.

Colour schemes for men and women are pretty dark and conservative. “Your suit is navy or grey and your shirt is white or blue,” says a Citi banker.

Suits are usually slim-fitting and have no pattern. Pinstripes are a "no-no."

If you see a guy walking around in a pinstripe suit then they're either from New York or work in equities on the trading floor, according to bankers we spoke to.

Equity trading has historically been viewed "lower market" than fixed income by some, leading them to suggest the dress code here is "less sophisticated".

A female analyst or associate will usually go for a classic white top with black pants, and only really start mixing colours and styles at the VP/director level. "Women are advised to wear suits so that they are promoted as much as their male counterparts" an analyst says.



2. Facial hair is OK, but only if you can grow a full-on beard.

Despite the rise of the hipster beard, clean shaven is still preferred at most London banks. And facial hair is more often something experimented with by seniors.

One banker said: "Either you can grow one or not — no one wants to see a load of 'bum fluff'. I think over the last 10 years in the city beards have become commonplace and there is generally no issue unless perhaps you are a client facing M&A banker."

"Even then I know a few with a beard."



3. Make sure your suit fits.

No one really cares what make of suit you have as long as it fits you right.

The suits being worn at most UK banks in the City are not considered very fancy.

"Most guys buy off the rack, there are only one or two on my floor who get custom suits," says a trader at HSBC.

That is, unless, you're working at a French bank, such as BNP Paribas, Société Générale or Crédit Agricole, where tailored suits are far more commonplace, and you may even catch people wearing a three-piece.

According to an employee of Dutch bank ING: "The French banks are much more 'dapper' in general."

An employee of a Spanish bank recommends buying tailor made suits in South-East Asia. "If you spend £300 on a tailor-made suit out there you know it will be a worthwhile investment!"



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 9 best management consulting firms in the US

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mckinsey consultants

Management consulting was an estimated $71.2 billion industry in the United States in 2016, according to analytics firm Statista, and the industry is only growing larger.

But how many of the more than 600,000 consultants in the country are actually helping the companies paying them big bucks to improve efficiency and profitability?

Forbes teamed with Statista to determine the top consulting firms in the country. They settled on an unranked list of 234, highlighting those that stood out. A Forbes representative told Business Insider the list of highlighted firms is not ranked because the team behind the list thought it would be unfair to equally measure firms that were so different across their specializations and industries.

The top firms, however, received the highest number of "very frequently recommended" ratings from the polls that Forbes and Statista conducted of more than 8,000 senior consultants and more than 1,000 senior clients. The polls measured each firm's work across 32 sectors, ranging from finance to oil and gas, and with work pertaining to legal issues and mergers and acquisitions.

Participants could not recommend their own firms. Last year's results were also factored in, but were weighted to be less important than this year's responses.

The "Big Three" major management consulting firms — McKinsey, BCG, and Bain — all made the highlight list, and the consulting branches of three of the "Big Four" major accounting firms — Deloitte, PwC, and KPMG — also made the list of most recommended.

An unranked list of nine standouts is below, and you can find the list of all 234 at Forbes.

SEE ALSO: The 25 highest-paying companies in the US in 2017

Deloitte Consulting

Deloitte received more recommendations than any other entry, and was among the highest rated in 21 of 32 total categories. It received well above average assessment on its work in sectors as varied as automobiles and energy, and is also noted for its legal work.

In March, Deloitte made job search engine Indeed's list of companies hiring for many high-paying jobs, with 1,500 job listings for positions paying over $100,000 a year.



McKinsey & Company

McKinsey received the second highest number of exceptional ratings, and was among the top in 17 of 32 categories. Among the Big Three consulting firms, it stands out for its work in the mining industry, and was also noted for its work in strategy.

McKinsey also made job site Glassdoor's 2017 list of the highest-paying companies in the US, with an annual median base compensation of $140,000 and a median total compensation of $153,000.



Accenture

Accenture received the third highest number of excellent recommendations, ranking among the top in 16 of 32 categories, including its work in sales and supply chain management.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

30 affordable US cities where the average home costs $250,000 or less

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It’s no secret that skyrocketing home prices are turning once livable cities into playgrounds for the rich. As the housing market recovers from the devastation of the 2008 economic collapse, median home prices are rising while many American’s wages are stagnating.

However, those who have always dreamed of owning a home need not fret. Outside the rapidly growing megacities in America, there are a number of towns where opportunities are high and housing prices are well below $250,000. Many smaller cities such as Chattanooga, Tennessee are flush with high-tech industries, cultural events, and breathtaking scenery that rivals anything found in one of the country’s overpriced metro areas.

Here are 30 cities, ranging from burgeoning municipalities to established boomtowns, where homeowners can settle down without collapsing into debt.

SEE ALSO: The 15 US cities where residents have the healthiest finances

DON'T MISS: Here's the salary you have to earn to buy a home in 19 major US cities

1. Albany, New York

New York’s capital is a city often overshadowed by the immensity of New York City. However, Albany offers the one thing New York City can’t — affordable home prices. The median home price in Albany hovers around $195,000, and has even gone down 9.4% from 2006 prices. In addition to the welcoming prices, Albany’s citizens are treated to a diversified job industry dominated by tech sectors, well-paying government jobs, and the healthcare industry.



2. Albuquerque, New Mexico

Nestled along the mighty Rio Grande river, Albuquerque, New Mexico has remained an ideal place for modest home prices and candidates seeking well-paying careers. The booming city’s median home prices sits at $187,000. Tech industries have flocked to the Southwestern metropolis, forming the New Mexico Technology Corridor. More conventional government jobs are also available, bolstered by a rich set of universities ranging from the University of New Mexico to National American University.



3. Atlanta, Georgia

Appropriately known as the “Jewel of the Southeast,” Atlanta, Georgia is easily the best place to do business south of the Mason-Dixon line. Global companies including Coca-Cola, Delta, Home Depot, Turner Broadcasting, UPS, and more call Atlanta home. In addition, recent infrastructure improvements such as the Beltline and Ponce City Market have made Atlanta a more attractive city for prospective home buyers. Where most cities with a high standard of living demand high incomes, Atlanta’s median home price is a scant $183,000.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 3 most popular majors at every Ivy League school

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Princeton University Students Graduation Campus

An Ivy League education is often thought to be a ticket to future successes. The most recent admissions numbers— with acceptance rates in the single digits — shows just how sought after a degree from their campuses can be.

So what do undergraduates at the eight Ivy League schools like to study? Turns out, it's surprisingly similar no matter which school they attend.

At six of the eight schools, economics is the most popular major among students who graduated in 2016. The most popular major at the two outliers, Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania, were engineering and finance, respectively.

Scroll down to see the top three most popular majors across the Ivy League.

SEE ALSO: Here's the study schedule of a student who spent about 100 hours applying to colleges — and got into all 8 Ivy Leagues

Brown University

1. Economics 
2. Computer Science 
3. Biology 



Columbia University

1. Economics 
2. Political Science
3. Psychology 

 

 



Cornell University

1. Engineering 
2. Business, Management & Marketing
3. Biological and Biomedical Sciences 

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 20 best smartphones in the world

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Now that I've spent some quality time with the new Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6, I can comfortably place them in our top 20 smartphones list.

galaxy s8 camera 1200 wide

The Galaxy S8 was a clear contender for the top spot, and the G6 finally let me place an LG phone within the top 10. To be clear, the top 10 smartphones in this list come very close to each other in terms of performance, design, and features, and you'd easily be happy with our number 10 pick as you would with our number one pick. It all comes down to your personal preference over design and features.

Here's our list of the best smartphones you can buy.

Note: Prices may vary depending on the retailer.

SEE ALSO: 8 reasons Google's Pixel is better than the iPhone

DON'T MISS: These are the smartphones with the best signal strength

20. BlackBerry Classic

If you were a BlackBerry fan in the company's heyday, you're going to love the BlackBerry Classic. It looks similar to older BlackBerry models but features a sharp touchscreen and an excellent physical keyboard.

Price: $309



19. BlackBerry Priv

The BlackBerry Priv is a huge departure for BlackBerry. Instead of running BlackBerry's own operating system, the Priv runs Android. While it may look like a standard Android phone, the Priv has a slide-out keyboard.

This could be a great device for those who want a physical keyboard but still want access to Google's apps and services that aren't available on other BlackBerry devices.

Price: $294

Read the BlackBerry Priv review »



18. Samsung Galaxy Note 5

The Galaxy Note 5 is a killer big-screen phone. Like previous versions of the Note, it has a large, vibrant display and a stylus for taking notes. The metal-and-glass design is great, too.

Price: $478

Read the Galaxy Note 5 review »



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

15 new photos from 'Game of Thrones' season 7 reveal a lot about what's going to happen

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Game of Thrones season 7

HBO just released the first official images from the hotly anticipated season seven of "Game of Thrones," and they look awesome. But also very, very dark. 

Winter is definitely here, after six whole seasons of everyone being told it was coming. Every character is bundled up in furs and coats and dressed in black and other dark colors. Dark times are coming, and it is very clear that no one is safe. 

The images don't tell us everything, of course, but with a closer look, some of them do inform us about where characters are geographically, and suggest whom they're with and where they're headed.

It's all we have until "Game of Thrones" season seven premieres on July 16, or at least until we get a full-length trailer.

Here are the 15 first official images from season seven of "Game of Thrones":

SEE ALSO: All the 'Game of Thrones' deaths, ranked from least tragic to most tragic

Daenerys Targaryen and her crew make it to Westeros.

Looks like Dany and her really, really big crew have safely made it to Westeros. Looks like they're staring at something — or someone — important. This is probably Dragonstone, the original home of the Targaryens.



Tyrion Lannister is keeping an eye out.

He's looking sharp but also very tired as Hand of the Queen. 



Missandei is also looking at something.

And it is probably the same thing Tyrion is looking at.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here’s how to play Blackbox, the infuriating iPhone puzzle game that’s rising to the top of the App Store

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BlackBox App

Some smartphone games require little more than opposable thumbs and a pulse. 

Others, like Blackbox, require so much wit and creativity that you'll either end up feeling frustrated or incredibly proud of yourself. 

Blackbox is a puzzle game for iPhone that's rapidly climbing the App Store's top free apps chart — and for good reason. 

The app gives you small challenges that you have to complete by doing everything except touch the screen. Each challenge ends when you "turn on the lights," meaning the small, brightly-colored squares (called lights) change from empty to filled. To do this, you have to use your phone's other sensors, features and functions to trigger the puzzle.  

If that sounds confusing, it is, and Blackbox is hard — I mean really hard — but equally rewarding. Here's how it works.

SEE ALSO: 12 fun tricks hidden inside Google Hangouts

When you download Blackbox, you'll be greeted with a short (and sassy) walkthrough of the components of the app.



But those directions are mysterious, only providing the basics before launching you into your first puzzle.

In this puzzle, there are six lights to turn on. The game doesn't give you any directions on how to do that, simply urging you to "Think outside the box," which isn't particularly helpful — unless you notice that the words are reversed, which means you need to flip your phone around until you hit all six lights. 



The main thing to know about Blackbox is that most of the puzzles can't be solved with simple taps or swipes on the screen. Instead, the game uses actions you can complete using the sensors and features within your phone — like changing the volume buttons, altering the screen brightness, plugging into the headphone jack — to solve the puzzles.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

How Bashar Assad rose from a comfortable childhood to become one of the deadliest world leaders in modern history

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Bashar al Assad

Syrian President Bashar Assad has been widely accused of war crimes for the mass torture and killings carried out by his military throughout more than six years of civil war. 

Assad has managed to cling to power thanks to a brutal scorched earth campaign on Syrian rebel groups and civilians, with the help of Russian warplanes and Iranian proxy militias.

The embattled president's rise to power was initially met with optimism in the west, where it was believed the younger Assad would not rule with as heavy a hand as his father. But when protests inspired by the Arab Spring broke out in 2011, Assad responded with force.

Here is a look at Assad's rise and continued stronghold on Syria, which has been gripped by one of the most catastrophic conflicts in decades.

SEE ALSO: The US just attacked Assad for the first time — here’s how Syria's six-year civil war has unfolded

Born on September 11, 1965, Bashar Assad is the third child of the late Syrian President Hafez Assad and his wife Anisa.

Source: CNN



As the second son of a president who came to power after a coup, Assad was never expected to take over the presidency from his father.

Source: CNN



Assad received a medical degree from the University of Damascus and moved to study ophthalmology at the Western Eye Hospital in London.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 'best' pizza in NYC costs $30 for a regular pie — and it's ridiculously delicious

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Over 50 years ago, in 1965, Italian immigrant Domenico DeMarco opened Di Fara Pizza in the Midwood section of Brooklyn.

To this day, it's considered by critics and locals alike to be "the best of the best," as former chef Anthony Bourdain reportedly put it back in 2007.

Just look at this:

Di Fara Pizza

There's a lot of pizza in New York City. It's a cliché maybe, but Di Fara Pizza is considered by many to be New York City's best pizza. It's notoriously expensive ($30 for a regular cheese pizza), and has a notoriously long wait (over an hour, easy). It's also dangerously delicious. And I should know — I ventured deep into Brooklyn to try Di Fara's legendary pizza for myself. This is what it's like!

SEE ALSO: I ate a 17-course tasting menu at one of the world's best restaurants — here's what it was like

The first thing you need to do is get to a part of Brooklyn that isn't well-serviced by New York's world famous subway system. My wife and I took the B68 bus.



One of the best parts of going to Di Fara's is visiting the Midwood section of Brooklyn.

Midwood is a predominantly Orthodox Jewish neighborhood, Eastern European in origin, though plenty of other religious groups and ethnicities live in the area. Famous names, from Adam "MCA" Yauch (of the Beastie Boys) to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, hail from the Midwood section of Brooklyn. The neighborhood has largely resisted the forces of gentrification sweeping Brooklyn's western coast (the side facing Manhattan).



But you're here for the pizza. I get it. Di Fara Pizza is located at the corner of Avenue J and East 15th Street. I went at night, but this is what it looks like during the day from the outside:



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

100 songs everyone should listen to in their lifetime

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Tina Turner back up singers

Some of these songs have gone down in the history books for breaking records and reaching new heights. Others might have been terribly received by critics, but are still adored by the masses to this day. There might even be a few underrated goodies that you've never heard of.

We took the songs with the highest ratings, biggest sales, most awards, and top ranks on radio charts and included them alongside some of our newsroom's favorite picks to create a definitive list of the 100 songs everyone should listen to in their lifetime.   

Here they are, in no specific order. 

"Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin

This epic is 31st on Rolling Stone's list of "500 greatest songs of all time." It's also named the number three greatest rock song of all time by VH1.

Listen to it here»



"Highway to Hell" by AC/DC

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included this heavy metal song in its list of "500 songs that shaped rock and roll."

Listen to it here»



"Beautiful Day" by U2

The song won three Grammy Awards in 2001 — record of the year, song of the year, and best rock performance by a duo or group with vocal

Listen to it here»



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

What it's like to use the $400 juicer that people are freaking out about

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Juicero

It's already being called "Juicegate"

On Wednesday, Bloomberg broke the news that the high-end juicer backed by Silicon Valley's elite venture capitalists wasn't even needed to squeeze out the juice. 

When it was launched a year ago, the $700 machine touted the tons of force it generated to squeeze out every last drop of juice from the fresh fruits and vegetables. 

Bloomberg found that hand-squeezing the packets yielded nearly the same result. 

Now, Juicero is on the defensive and is arguing that it's juicer (whose price was previously cut to $400) is needed because "the value of Juicero is more than a glass of cold-pressed juice. Much more,"says its CEO Jeff Dunn.

To Juicero, the value of the company is its connected juice press that can tell you when the juice is about to expire and saves you the two minutes of packet squeezing. Anyone who thinks otherwise can now return their press for a full refund, Dunn says.

When Business Insider's Alyson Shontell tried the Juicero machine (pre-Juicegate) in April 2016, she found herself saying "Oh my God," as she put down her first glass of Juicero-pressed juice. 

Whether a $400 juicer is worth saving two minutes of hand-squeezing is a question you'll have to decide, but here's what it was like to use the Juicero machine when Business Insider first visited last April.

SEE ALSO: Here's what it's like to use a computer in North Korea

Juicero has three big warehouses in the Bay Area. This is the building where most of the 70 full-time employees work, and it's also a factory where Juicero parts are made and tested. It's a pretty crazy operation inside, but I was asked not to take photos of any of the testing facilities.



I walked up one flight of stairs where the employees were stationed to meet Juicero's founder and CEO, Doug Evans. Along the way, there were some strange contraptions lined up against a wall. It turns out they were Juicero prototypes Doug and his team built before landing on the current model. The oldest to newest go from left to right. (In November 2016, Doug was replaced by its new CEO, Jeff Dunn)



Doug worked on Juicero for three years in "stealth mode" before he publicly launched his juicer in March 2016 with about $100 million in funding from investors. There were 12 prototypes in total.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

A startup's $1 million flying car is officially rolling out to buyers in 2020

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aeromobil flying car

A Slovakia-based startup has tossed its hat into the very nascent field of flying cars.

AeroMobil unveiled the final, commercial design for its flying car at the supercar show Top Marques Monaco on Thursday. But the vehicle won't come cheap; AeroMobil says it will cost between €1.2 million and €1.5 million ($1.3 million and $1.6 million), with deliveries beginning in 2020. 

The reveal comes at a time when several companies have expressed an interest in developing flying cars, such as Uber and Zee.Aero, a secretive company funded by Google co-founder Larry Page.

But unlike Uber and Zee.Aero, AeroMobil is launching a true flying car that can both drive on the road and hit the skies. Most companies are pursuing VTOL (Vertical Take-Off Landing) aircrafts, which, like the name implies, allow the aircraft to take off vertically without needing a runway, but aren't meant to be driven.

Scroll down for a closer look at AeroMobil's flying car:

SEE ALSO: A German startup is planning to test its futuristic aircraft for a flying-taxi service in 2018

AeroMobil is accepting pre-orders for its flying car, but is only producing 500 units. AeroMobil CEO Juraj Vaculik told Business Insider that the ultimate goal is to launch a version of the vehicle as part of a shared mobility service in the future, but Vaculik said it's too early to get into specifics about that plan.



AeroMobil says the vehicle can transform into flight mode in less than 3 minutes. As a car, it has a top speed of 100 mph (160 kph) and can drive for 434 miles (700 km).



The vehicle can fly for 466 miles (750 km) and reach a top speed of 223 mph (360 kph) when in the air, the company claims.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

If you don't like SUVs, the JCW MINI All4 Clubman is an insanely fun alternative

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Mini Clubman JCW All4

The MINI Clubman has always been a weird car. The first iteration of MINI's effort to provide more versatility that one could get with the "original" MINI two-door (itself a BMW reworking of a classic British car from the 1960s). Enter in the mid-2000s an offbeat design that feature a small, additional pair of gate-swinging doors to provide rear access, along with a wagon-y back featuring old-school saloon-style doors rather than a hatch.

Yup, odd. But distinctive and consistent with MINI's eye-catching, go-your-own-way, design-intensive approach to carmaking.

The second-gen Clubman, rolled out in 2015, gained proper rear doors and was outfitted with optional all-wheel-drive (the first-gen was front-wheel only), transforming it into a sort of wagon-cum-crossover, albeit a low-slung version. Like all MINIs, it was decidedly sporty, calculated to be able to out a smile on you face and successfully complete grocery store excursions or short getaways with luggage.

BMW-owned MINI had another level to take the Clubman to — the John Cooper Works performance treatment — and has now done so, creating the JCW Clubman All4. Think of it as the Clubman with an added wild streak, because that's what the JCW mods typically do: They make your MINI into a bonkers thing, as I found out when I sampled the insane two-door MINI JCW.

The car was introduced last year, and we got our hands on a tester just as the Northeast was being slammed by its (maybe) last snowstorm of winter (we're enjoying much balmier weather now). Price? A cool $45,000. Here's what we thought:

SEE ALSO: The MINI Cooper S Convertible is the perfect MINI

The 2017 John Cooper Works MINI Clubman All4 — Whew! That's a lot of name! — landed in the snowbound driveway of our suburban New Jersey test center before spring sprung. Color: Rebel Green, chaps!



We wondered if the Clubman JCW would be a terrifying as the last JCW MINI we, um, enjoyed. That car scared the living bejeezus out of us. What a savage little thing!

Read the review here if you dare.



The MINI Cooper S Convertible was rather more chill. Basically, the perfect MINI.

Here's the review for that one.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 25 most dangerously polluted cities in the US

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More than 125 million Americans live in counties with unhealthy levels of air pollution, according to the American Lung Association's 2017 "State of the Air" report.

Pollution leads to various kinds of nasty health outcomes, including asthma, lung cancer, and shortened lifespans.

The report, released April 19, rounds up air quality data from 2013, 2014, and 2015 in the United States. (Because air quality data is plentiful and complicated, the annual ALA reports usually look two years into the past.)

The report focuses on two key kinds of pollution: particles and ozone.

Particles include everything from dust kicked up during a drought to tiny particles floating in the air from forest fires or fossil fuels. Ozone, or smog, develops in the upper atmosphere when emissions from tailpipes and smokestacks cook in the sun's heat.

Local pollution levels can be measured according to amounts of ozone in the atmosphere, number of days with extremely high particle pollution levels, or levels of year-round particle pollution. Each of those metrics yields different results — Los Angeles is the worst US city for ozone, for example, but not when it comes to year-round particle pollution, which is the ranking we use in this article.

Janice Nolen, the lead author of the ALA report, told Business Insider that local problems like car traffic can make cities' ozone or particle problems worse, but that the overall issue is a national one. Even a place with strong environmental rules can be vulnerable to bad air flowing in from other parts of the country.

Here are the US cities with the worst year-round particle pollution. (The report notes, however, that data is missing on all of Illinois, most of Tennessee, and part of Maine.) For more information and suggested policy solutions, you can read the full report.

SEE ALSO: A powerful new tool reveals how climate change could transform your hometown

25. Erie, Pennsylvania



22 (tied). New York, New York



22 (tied). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania



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What it's like to stay at a remote Icelandic resort where an all-inclusive, four-day stay can cost you up to $11,000

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Last year, a whopping 1.7 million people visited Iceland. In fact, the number of Americans alone who visited the country outnumbered Iceland's own population. Now, two million visitors are expected by the end of 2017.

With so many tourists Instagramming their Icelandic hot-spring soaks, professional travel writer Trevor Morrowwho runs the blog "Trevor Morrow Travel: Dude-Approved Travel, Food, and Gear," knew he needed to experience a different kind of Iceland once he finally made the journey there.

"I've been seeing more and more friends posting incredible photos from Iceland these days," he told Business Insider. "They've all inspired me to go, but I really wanted to get off the well-trodden path, away from the usual points of interest, and find the idealized version of Iceland I've pictured in my head for years: remote, quiet, untouched, devastatingly beautiful, and all mine."

While searching for that kind of experience, Morrow found Eleven Experience's Deplar Farm. Located in Iceland's remote, northern Troll Peninsula, he decided it was the perfect place to experience a different kind of trip. The hotel invited him to stay, and Morrow shared his experience with Business Insider.

SEE ALSO: We shadowed a bunch of Wall Streeters during an early-morning training session for the most intense competition out there — here's what it was like

After an eight-hour-and-forty-five-minute, non-stop flight from Los Angeles to Reykjavik, Morrow was picked up in a private car provided by Eleven Experience. Before making his way to Deplar Farm, Morrow spent an afternoon and night in Reykjavik.



During his brief stay, Morrow was taken around the city by an Eleven Experience tour guide. "I visited Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavik’s most famous church, and toured Harpa, Reykjavik's concert hall designed by architect Olafur Eliasson," Morrow said.



He also got a taste of the local food, grabbing a bite at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, a hot dog stand that's been open since 1937.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

11 of the best nature documentaries on Netflix

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The world celebrates Earth Day on April 22, marking the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. 

It's a good time to think about how we can protect our planet.

Luckily, Netflix is packed with nature documentaries to inspire you to become more environmentally-savvy.

From David Attenborough's landmark "Planet Earth" series to oceanographer Sylvia Earle’s campaign to save the world’s oceans, here are 11 of the best nature documentaries on Netflix for you to session this weekend.

1. Mission Blue

This documentary follows oceanographer Sylvia Earle’s campaign to save the world’s oceans from threats such as overfishing and toxic waste.

Watch the trailer here >



2. Cowspiracy

Learn how factory farming is decimating the planet’s natural resources and why this crisis has been largely ignored by major environmental groups.

Watch the trailer here >



3. Chasing Ice

Environmental photographer James Balog deploys time-lapse cameras to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glacier.

Watch the trailer here >



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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