In the NFL, lots of players sign big contracts. But unlike other sports, NFL deals are rarely guaranteed and few players see all of the money in those large deals.

But a select few have gone on to make big money in their careers as there are now 26 players who have made at least $100 million.

The list of the 25 players with the most career earnings includes 17 active players, 17 quarterbacks, 1 Tom Brady, and 2 Mannings.

Using contract data obtained by Spotrac.com, here are the 25 highest-paid players in NFL history.

25. Champ Bailey, CB — $102.8 million

Seasons: 15

Highest single-season earnings: $16.5 million (2010; included $3 million roster bonus)

Championships: 0

Pro Bowls: 12

First-team All-Pro: 3

One thing to know: Bailey's largest contract came after the 2003 season, when he signed a seven-year, $63 million deal.

24. Alex Smith, QB — $106.5 million

Seasons: 12

Highest single-season earnings: $19.0 million (2014; included $18 million signing bonus)

Championships: 0

Pro Bowls: 2

First-team All-Pro: 0

One thing to know: Often referred to by the pejorative "game manager," Smith is on pace to lead his team to the playoffs for the fifth time in the last seven years.

23. Calvin Johnson, WR — $113.8 million

Seasons: 9

Highest single-season earnings: $25 million (2013; includes $20 million option bonus)

Championships: 0

Pro Bowls: 6

First-team All-Pro: 3

One thing to know: Johnson retired after the 2015 season because he was "in pain." He walked away from the final four years and $67.7 million on his contract.

Many former athletes struggle with weight gain after their playing careers end. This is especially true among football players.

Some players are luckier and actually lose a ton of weight. In many cases, the players are now nearly unrecognizable.

One common theme among many of these players is the position they played.

Most of the players on the following pages were offensive lineman, suggesting those players do more to push their body weight to an extreme, developing dangerous habits like consuming massive numbers of calories to maintain their playing sizes.

Brad Culpepper (No. 77) was a 275-pound defensive tackle for three different teams and retired after the 2000 season.

Source: @monicaculpepper

Here is Brad Culpepper with his wife on the show "Survivor." He says it was pretty easy to lose 80 pounds because he simply stopped eating all the extra food needed to maintain his playing weight.

Source: sptimes.com

Alan Faneca was a 320-pound offensive lineman for the Steelers, Jets, and Cardinals, and he last played in 2010.

With the holidays coming up, toy and game shopping is about to heat up. 

Toy and game retailers start ramping up inventory this time of year to prepare for the seasonal rush. In an industry with an estimated worth $26.5 billion, retailers like Toys "R" Us generate 40% of sales and 70% of operating profit during the key holiday quarter.

In recent years, the industry has attracted competition from the likes of Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble, the latter of which has diversified into toys and games in order to prop flagging book sales. However, Toys "R" Us' recent bankruptcy indicates that all is not well for brick-and-mortar toy retailers, who may be looking forward to this holiday season even more than American kids.

According to research firm NPD Group, these are the top-selling toy properties for the first half of the year.

10. LEGO Star Wars

With Disney pushing the annual release of Star Wars movies, Star Wars toys are likely to remain popular as the franchise has long been a hit with kids as well as fans of the originals. Similarly, Legos have become a classic, so it's not surprising to see the combination of the two on the list. Among the iterations of this co-branding arrangement are video games, figurines, and buildable battleships like the Millennium Falcon.

Find it here on Amazon.com.

9. Paw Patrol

The popular animated Nickelodeon show about six rescue dogs that launched in 2013 lends itself well to toy merchandising. Among the selection of Paw Patrol-branded items are plush toys, patrol vehicles like trucks and boats, and action figures. With the show's growing popularity, Paw Patrol toys could be on the list for years to come.

Find ithere on Amazon.com.

8. Shopkins

Another entry with a foothold in the animation world, Shopkins toys is a series of collectible figures based on grocery store items such as Apple Blossom, Cheeky Chocolate, and Kooky Cookie. Launched in 2014, the concept has branched off into a animated movie, web series, trading cards, and other related items.

Find ithere on Amazon.com.

• Fifteen states are refusing to hand over voter data to President Donald Trump's Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.
• States attorneys general who refused balked at the commission's original request for information including partial Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses and voting history.
• The commission is tasked with investigating voter fraud, even though scientific research has shown it is extremely rare.

More than a dozen states still refuse to release detailed voter data to President Donald Trump's Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, which is investigating voter fraud.

The commission has stirred controversy from the moment it was established last spring. Critics say Trump is using it to find support for his unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud that cost him the popular vote during the 2016 election. Democrat Hillary Clinton received 2.8 million more votes nationwide than Trump.

All states that have agreed to comply are withholding some details the commission sought and are releasing only information considered public under state law. The commission sent one request in late June and another in July after a court said the data collection could move ahead.

While there have been isolated cases of voter fraud in the US, there is no evidence of it being a widespread problem, as Trump suggests.

Critics argue the commission is stacked with people who favor voting restrictions, rather than those who want to expand access, and that the commission has a predetermined agenda that will result in recommendations making it more difficult for people to register to vote, stay registered and cast ballots.

Its first significant action was to request a wide range of information about all registered voters in every state, including partial Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses and voting history. The commission scaled back its response after stinging criticism.

A tally by Associated Press reporters nationwide shows that 15 states denied the request, raising questions about how useful the information will be. Here is how every state responded:

SEE ALSO: US states overwhelmingly reject Trump voter-fraud panel's request for sensitive voter information

DON'T MISS: The White House is allowing people to publicly comment on Trump's voter-fraud commission — and it's going as you'd expect

ALABAMA: Comply

Secretary of State John Merrill, a Republican, said the commission can buy the information at a cost of more than $32,000. And it will exclude information such as Social Security and driver's license numbers.

ALASKA: Comply

Josie Bahnke, director of the state Division of Elections, said the commission paid the $21 that is standard for these types of request for publicly available voter data. The information was sent to the commission in September.

ARIZONA: Undecided

Matt Roberts, spokesman for the Secretary of State's office, said in early October that the office has yet to receive a formal request from the commission for the data.

"In the secretary's mind, we haven't responded because we haven't received anything that remotely resembles a formal public records request, nor the accompanying payment for said voter registration records," Roberts said. He would not speculate on how the secretary would respond to such a request.

To be as good as Tom Brady is at age 39 requires a super-natural desire to compete.

And during Brady's 19 years in the NFL, his competitiveness has become legendary.

Across the league, there are stories of Brady's intense desire to win, top-notch preparation off the field, and extreme self-confidence that prove nobody loves competing as much as Brady.

Check out 31 of the best examples of Brady's competitiveness below.

Former Patriot Dan Koppen said that Brady is the most competitive person he's ever met.

Source: CSNNE

It started in high school for Brady. He used to have his high school teammates over his house to study film while his mom made them lunch.

Source: WEEI

But it wasn't always easy. He hired a psychologist to deal with the stress of being the seventh-string QB when he first got to Michigan.

Source: ESPN

Frequent flier and points expert Gilbert Ott is no newbie to luxury travel — but his experience flying first class on Lufthansa left him impressed.

As owner of air miles site God Save the Points, he spends his time travelling the globe in first class, writing about the latest hacks in the travel industry, from how to get cheap flights to how to make economy feel like first class.

In July, he took a £4,500 ($5,900) flight on Lufthansa first class for just $750 (£570) using air miles.

He departed from Frankfurt Airport heading to New York — and he documented his luxurious experience in a video.

Scroll down to see what it's like to fly first class on Lufthansa, according to the man who travels in style on the cheap.

This is frequent flier and points expert Gilbert Ott. In July, he paid $750 (£570) for a £4,500 flight in first class on Lufthansa by using Asiana Club miles, which he earned by purchasing Starwood Preferred Guest hotel points.

"It’s a little over eight hours in change, and I’d flown over in economy for a short work trip, so it was a very welcomed improvement," Ott told Business Insider. "To be on a plane with four cabins, and be in the one that only has eight seats at the pointiest end is pretty cool."

Ott arrived at Frankfurt Airport's First Class terminal — yes, there's a separate one — and said it was "like a hotel lobby but just for first class passengers," compete with a cigar bar, fine dining, unlimited booze, shower rooms, nap rooms, and private security.

Once checked in and through to the lounge, he took a shower, "because I have my own bathroom to take showers in," he said. They gave out rubber duckies.

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

When closet and cabinet space is at a premium, it's all too easy to clutter a home with the things that make up your life — books, shoes, mail, dirty dishes, laundry.

When you're working with 1,200 square feet or less, like I am, you have to get crafty with how you use your space, optimizing it for maximum organization and comfort.

I've lived in New York City for the past eight years, and I've gotten pretty good at making the most of my square footage, carefully choosing furniture and home accents that don't just look nice but also double as extra storage space.

I went through my Amazon order history from the past six months to review the best space-saving purchases I've made for my latest apartment. You'll find a few pieces I've picked up from West Elm, Urban Outfitters, and CB2 in this list as well.

Here are 10 space-saving items I've bought along with my reasons why for each — in case you want to add any to your home. For any pricier purchases I talk about, I also list a similar, more affordable pick you can supplement into your home.

If you have a space-saving hack I didn't cover, email me at ehoffman@businessinsider.com, because I'd love to hear it! The ideas in this list are specific to my apartment's layout and are by no means the only options out there.

SEE ALSO: I’ve been sleeping on the perfect sheets for the spring and summer, and I’ve never slept better

For the kitchen: a dual-compartment trash can for regular trash and recyclables.

Trash cans are surprisingly expensive! That's partly why I ended up "going big or going home" on a pricey simplehuman one. If I was already going to fork over close to $100 on a new trash can (I wanted one with compartments for regular trash and recyclables), I might as well increase my budget and get the best money can buy.

I don't have the room to store a trash can in the cabinet underneath my sink, so I treated this purchase like I would a piece of furniture. The trash can, for better or worse, is the first thing people see when they walk into my apartment, and my rose-gold one from simplehuman makes a pretty nice first impression. It's stylish (can I say that about a trash can?), surprisingly compact given the amount of garbage it can hold, and it even has a convenient liner pocket that dispenses trash bags one by one from inside the can for a faster liner change.

This is by far the best designed trash can I've seen, and for me, it is well worth the high price.

What I bought: simplehuman 15.3-Gallon Dual-Compartment Recycling Step Can with Liner Pocket, $199.99

A similar pick: Organize It All Stainless-Steel Step-On 16-Gallon Recycle Bin, $103.99

For the kitchen: a hanging pot rack for your most used pots and pans.

My kitchen has decent countertop space and cabinet storage, but it’s not enough for me to easily store of all my pots and pans. So I got this hanging pot rack from Cuisinart to free up some room and make my most used cookware easier to access.

I like the copper version best for my space (I chose it to coordinate with my rose-gold trash can), but the rack also comes in matte black, stainless steel, and bronze.

Cuisinart Chef's Classic 36” Rectangular Wall-Mount Bookshelf Rack, $119.95

For the bedroom: a shoe rack to keep all of your footwear together and organized.

Easy to assemble and sturdier than its price suggests, this is a great shoe rack for less than $10. For $10 more, you can get a rack that holds up to 30 pairs of shoes.

Whitmor 20-Pair Floor Shoe Rack, $20.99

You've probably noticed that this year was particularly weak for fall television. 

There are way more stinkers than successes, particularly from the big networks like CBS and ABC.

So we ranked the worst of the worst, from The CW's "Dynasty" to ABC's "Wisdom of the Crowd." Hopefully you see this before you've watched any of these.

Here are the worst new shows of the fall 2017 season, ranked:

SEE ALSO: These are the 7 most popular new TV shows this fall

6. "Young Sheldon"— CBS

"Young Sheldon" could be good if it wasn't trying so hard. The show has something going for it, especially in Sheldon Cooper's parents and family life, but everything is lost in network comedy cliche. An exhaustive effort to incorporate Sheldon Cooper's personality into the adorable newcomer Iain Armitage — mixed with every cliche you can think of — makes it feel like something you've seen before, but don't need to see again.

5. "Dynasty"— The CW

This reboot isn't nearly as fun as the original because it's trying way too hard in every way. The first shot of the series is of the Trump family. Everyone is overacting, but not in the silly way that made the '80s "Dynasty" so enjoyable. The dialogue tries so hard to be clever that it's condescending. The pilot is filled with exposition — the main character, in voiceover, explains what a dynasty is, as if some people would be too dumb or poor to know. And the show desperately tries to fit in a feminist angle, despite the fact that the plot clearly relies on pitting two women against each other. 

4. "The Good Doctor"— ABC

This gimmicky ABC drama has a great cast. Freddie Highmore continues to prove he should be taken seriously as an actor, and Richard Schiff is amazing, as always. But the cast can't make this emotionally manipulative drama worthwhile, though it has potential. The show has solid ratings, so it can trust its reliable audience and make the story a little more nuanced, but will it?

Netflix's library of original movies has expanded exponentially since it released its first film, "Beasts of No Nation," in 2015 — and its pace of production is only picking up.

The company recently announced that it will be releasing 80 original films in 2018, including high-profile movies from the likes of Will Smith and Martin Scorsese.

Among Netflix's recent original drama releases, films like the new Noah Baumbach dramedy, "The Meyerowitz Stories," and the Stephen King adaptation "1922" (out this Friday) have garnered universal critical acclaim.

To find out which Netflix drama films are worth watching, we turned to the reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes to rank each release by its composite critical reception. We excluded films that didn't have enough reviews to receive a designation of "Rotten" or "Fresh." We also included and footnoted upcoming films that have already screened for critics, like the Oscar-contender "Mudbound."

Here are 28 of Netflix's original drama films, ranked by their Rotten Tomatoes critic score from lowest to highest (if there was a tie, we used the audience score to break it):

SEE ALSO: Netflix's 24 original drama series, ranked from worst to best

28. “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny” — 19%

Critic score: 19%

Audience score: 38%

Netflix description:"Renowned warrior Yu Shu-Lien comes out of retirement to keep the legendary Green Destiny sword away from villainous warlord Hades Dai."

27. “Brain on Fire” — 22%

Critic score: 22%

Audience score: 59%

Netflix description: "Struck by a mysterious, mentally devastating illness, a young reporter searches for answers while battling psychosis, catatonia and memory loss."

26. “Death Note” — 40%

Critic score: 40%

Audience score: 24%

Netflix description: "Light Turner finds a supernatural notebook and uses it to mete out death, attracting the attention of a detective, a demon and a girl in his class."

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

I'm always looking for ways to streamline how I pack for a trip. Despite thinking I'm already a pretty good packer, I still think I can be better. Maybe you feel the same way.

Some of the best tips I've adopted into my travel routine are recommendations from friends and coworkers. So to help inspire you, I asked my Business Insider colleagues to share the things they always bring when they travel, and I got some interesting responses.

Some are seemingly random (an audio splitter), some are convenient (a pair of noise-cancelling headphones), and some you probably didn't realize you needed (a bottle of melatonin).

Check out our favorite travel picks below.

SEE ALSO: 22 awesome and weird things we bought using Amazon Prime

DON'T MISS: The 11 gadgets and tech accessories I used the most while traveling abroad

An audio splitter

Audio splitters are key for watching movies on iPad with significant other or friend. — Antonio Villas-Boas 

Belkin Speaker and Headphone Splitter, $3.35

An extra-long charging cable

An extra-long charging cable comes in handy when you're too far from the nearest power outlet. — Jay Freshwater 

Anker PowerLine+ 10ft. Lightning Cable, $17.99

A portable battery

The sense of security a big portable battery gives you is invaluable. If I forget to charge my phone/tablet before leaving the hotel — and I always do — it's nice to know I'll still be safe to watch a movie on the flight, or have enough juice to call an Uber once I get off the bus. — Jeff Dunn

Anker PowerCore 20100 Ultra High Capacity Power Bank, $39.99

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "The Walking Dead" season eight premiere.

Season eight of "The Walking Dead" kicked off with Rick and his army unleashing war against Negan, but it also offered a few separate glimpses of other timelines which left some viewers puzzled. 

If you thought there were three timelines going on in the episode, executive producer Greg Nicotero says there was actually one more. 

"I counted four," Nicotero told Comicbook.com. "They aren't just one-off visuals. The way that [showrunner] Scott [Gimple] and the writers like to unfold these stories is really to give the audience an opportunity to put the clues together for themselves." 

Nicotero says you'll continue to see them play out over the course of the season. Some are simpler to spot than others. Keep reading to see each timeline you need to keep straight this season.

SEE ALSO: Here's the preview for the rest of 'The Walking Dead' season 8

1. The current timeline: Rick marches to war.

This is the most obvious timeline to pluck out of the episode. The majority of the season eight story line will follow Rick and his army as they face off with Negan and his Saviors.

2. The far-off future timeline: Old Man Rick

This is the other most obvious timeline to notice from the series' 100th episode. Throughout the episode, viewers received flashes of Rick at some point in the future. 

But is it all a dream? Nicotero told INSIDER that isn't the case, something that was insisted by "The Walking Dead" creator Robert Kirkman and showrunner Scott M. Gimple on the series' aftershow Sunday when they said Rick's not in a coma.

Expect to see more of this to play out during the season. You can read more on the flash-forward scenes here.

3. Some time in the future: Carl and Rick at the gas station

This may have been less obvious, but the sequence from early in the episode with Carl stumbling onto a popular comic character, Siddiq, played by Avi Nash appears to take place at some undetermined time in the future, too. 

Fans of the comic know Siddiq doesn't show up until after Rick's with war with Negan. Is that the case here as well? We'll have to wait to find out. 

For more on who Siddiq is and how he may factor into the new season head here.

Mark Zuckerberg, the 33-year-old founder and CEO of Facebook, has a net worth of $74 billion and counting.

He's currently the fifth richest person in the world, according to Bloomberg's Billionaires Index, but it seems he doesn't have a taste for opulence. Especially when it comes to cars, clothes, and travel.

As a member of the Giving Pledge and cofounder of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which he started with his wife and college sweetheart Priscilla Chan, the Harvard dropout has dedicated much of his current and future fortune to charitable causes.

Keep reading to find out exactly how Zuckerberg and Chan spend their billions.

SEE ALSO: A typical day in the life of Mark Zuckerberg, who wears the same thing every day and tucks his daughter in every night

DON'T MISS: Meet the 9 richest people in America, who have a combined fortune of $567 billion

In May 2012, eight years after its founding, Facebook debuted on the New York Stock Exchange. At the time, it was the biggest technology IPO in history. Each year since then, Zuckerberg has added an average of $9 billion to his net worth.

Source:Fortune

Despite his status as one of the richest tech moguls on earth, the Harvard dropout leads a low-key lifestyle with his wife Priscilla Chan and their two young daughters.

Like many other Silicon Valley stalwarts, Zuckerberg favors a uniform. Though casual in appearance, his signature grey t-shirts and hoodies are designed by luxury brands and are reportedly much more expensive than they look, retailing for hundreds and even thousands of dollars.

Source:Business Insider, GQ

With a huge new Super Mario game on the verge of launching, there's never been a better time to own a Nintendo Switch. 

Between "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" back in March, and the upcoming "Super Mario Odyssey," 2017 is a pretty incredible year for Nintendo's newest system.

At the same time, for a console that launched in 2017, there are some glaring holes in what the Switch offers. No Netflix? No online voice chat or cloud saves? Some stuff that's become standardized in gaming, whether you're playing on a PlayStation 4 or an iPhone, simply doesn't exist on Nintendo's console. 

Here are the biggest missing features on Nintendo's otherwise excellent little console.

SEE ALSO: 11 reasons why now is the perfect time to buy a Nintendo Switch

1. A unified profile that tracks your game library and saved data.

The main point of the Switch is its ability to bring your games anywhere. You can literally pick up the console and bring it with you, or plop it into the Nintendo Switch Dock and play on your TV (seen above). 

That's why it's especially baffling that the same concept isn't applied to your Nintendo Switch profile data. Yes, you can sign in with your Nintendo Account on another Switch and it'll allow you to download your purchased games. Unfortunately, all the saved data on your profile for anything you've played is locked — physically — to your Switch.

There's a new method for transferring that data in the latest Switch firmware update, but it's limited in use. You have connect both of the Switch consoles to the same WiFi network, for instance. On the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, you can simply upload your game saved data to their respective cloud services and re-download them whenever you want. It's a great fail-safe back-up if, say, your console breaks.

It's a little thing, no doubt, but one that makes a huge difference.

2. The ability to easily chat with friends online.

The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 — consoles that have been outright replaced by subsequent generations in the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, respectively — had system-level voice chat functionality.

What that means in English is that you could group up with friends, online, and chat in a private room while playing whatever game together. Maybe you weren't even playing games together! Think of it like group Skype on game consoles.

The same goes for general voice chat: If you're so inclined, you can put on a chat headset and speak with random strangers in online games on the Xbox and PlayStation platforms. 

Not so with the Switch: The only solution is the convoluted madness you see above, which involves plugging the Switch and your phone into a dongle. This also doesn't work on a system level — you can't jump from game-to-game with friends while chatting. It's the kind of thing that's now expected as standard on all other gaming platforms, and it's bizarrely missing from the Nintendo Switch.

3. Video recording on the system level.

Nintendo just added video recording to the Switch in a recent update ("Version 4.0"). You can record gameplay by holding down the capture button. But there are some huge caveats:

-The maximum recording is the last 30 seconds of gameplay.

-You can't record video at any time.

-You can only record video of supported games, and the list of games thus far is short ("Breath of the Wild,""Splatoon 2,""Arms," and "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe." The upcoming "Super Mario Odyssey will also allow it.)

On both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, you can record gameplay of any game — and your maximum length is far longer. The PS4 automatically records the last 15 minutes of gameplay at any given time, for instance. The built-in editing software on both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 is also far more substantial; on the Switch, you can edit length, but nothing else.

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "The Walking Dead."

Rick, Daryl, and the "Walking Dead" gang have fought the living and the dead on the hit AMC show since its debut in 2010. From massacring cannibals to hacking away at limbs to save others from turning, most of the crew have done unspeakable things to get to where they are today. 

For those who have survived, though grim, the experiences have helped shaped the group into the characters we know and love today. 

With season eight upon us, INSIDER is looking back at where some fan favorites started their journeys. Keep reading to see how your favorite characters who have been on "The Walking Dead" the longest have evolved.

SEE ALSO: There are 4 different timelines going on in 'The Walking Dead' season 8 premiere — here they all are

At the start of the show, Rick Grimes woke up from a coma to discover a world taken over by the undead. He quickly had to become desensitized to the idea of killing walkers before they could kill him.

Grimes was trying to reunite with his family. After quickly doing that, he became the leader of a small group and tried to navigate balancing right and wrong in a new world. 

Rick has shed the sheriff look and traded it in for his signature beard. Rick has gone through several different leadership styles from the domineering Ricktatorship to a more laid-back democracy. As he prepares for "all out war" on season eight, expect to see a no-nonsense Rick come back to the forefront.

Though Rick was beat down and broken a bit last season after meeting Negan, the group's leader is back in action and, it appears, more relentless than ever as he goes after the Saviors. 

We would be remiss if we didn't mention that Rick has grown some pretty sweet beards over the course of the show.

Rick's son Carl started out as a young, naive boy who was always finding ways to get out of the line of sight of his mother.

He had to learn how to protect himself and his family.

Nobu, Wall Street's favorite deal-making restaurant, has opened its first outpost in the Bay Area — a smaller version of the massive Nobu restaurants found in cities like New York, Tokyo, and Qatar. Nobu Palo Alto is located about halfway between the offices of Facebook and Google, and is inside a hotel owned by Larry Ellison, the billionaire founder of Oracle.

Silicon Valley has never been a center of haute cuisine. Rising rents, high local fees, and acute labor shortages make it difficult for high-end restaurants to turn a profit, despite the area's concentration of wealthy people looking to strike deals over dinner.

But the tech elite still needs to eat. We toured the new restaurant and tried the food to see if Nobu Palo Alto can bring an end to the fine-dining drought in Silicon Valley. Take a look.

SEE ALSO: Inside the $600-a-head Silicon Valley restaurant where Google and Apple executives eat gold-flecked steaks

Nobu's ever-expanding culinary empire has a glitzy new addition.

Nobu Palo Alto is located in the Larry Ellison-owned Epiphany Hotel, which is currently being rebranded as a Nobu Hotel. It's not the first time the tech icon and chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa have partnered. The pair co-owns Nobu restaurants in Malibu and Hawaii.

Source: The Mercury News

Nobu Palo Alto — restaurant No. 37 in chef Matsuhisa's empire — aims to deliver the same hugely popular dishes and clubby scene as other Nobu locations worldwide.

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.

A few weeks after I moved into my apartment in Brooklyn, I gave video tours of the space to my groups of friends back home. Someone always inevitably noticed our dining table. "Hey that table's from IKEA, isn't it?" they would say.

I get the implication: The home goods in my apartment are virtually indistinguishable from any other young working professional's. I would love to come home to an apartment with nice, luxurious goods, but I shop at the big retailers because high-end boutiques, while great for beautiful inspiration, aren't so friendly on the wallet. 

Rachel Cohen and Andrés Modak were two recent Wharton MBA grads who moved to New York. They, too, struggled to make their apartment their own with unique, inexpensive home goods. Shopping at traditional retailers was also overwhelming and confusing — a classic example of the paradox of choice, when more options actually paralyze decision-making.

This experience led to an idea: creating an exceptional home can be refreshingly simple. 

Cohen and Modak started Snowe in 2015, which offers simple and accessible luxury goods that bring a little something extra to your home, whether you're hosting a dinner party or just carrying about your daily activities. Unlike our parents' generation, who brought out the coveted dinnerware and drinkware only once or twice a year for special occasions, the cofounders believe in the power of everyday luxury.

In an interview with Bond Street, they said, "We believe your nicest products should be used on a daily basis. That glass of wine at the end of the day, that cup of coffee you have in the morning. You want those small moments to feel luxurious." It's like the feeling of wearing a really nice but simple piece of jewelry. It makes a difference in how you carry yourself, and you actually care for that gold ring or necklace instead of throwing it around like the piece of jewelry you could've gotten anywhere. 

Cohen and Modak didn't want to settle when it came to building their home, and you don't have to either. 

Learn more about Snowe and why it's a favorite among millennial home shoppers, below.

SEE ALSO: The 10 best purchases I've made to save space in my small apartment

The shop is divided into five categories.

Eat: Dinnerware, flatware, table linens, sets, and accessories

Drink: Drinkware, serveware, sets, and accessories

Sleep: Sheets, pillows, pillowcases, duvets, shams, comforters, sets, and accessories

Bathe: Towels, sets, and accessories 

Clean: Candles and diffusers 

As you browse products and images, you'll notice that Snowe's aesthetic is clean and pleasant to look at.

It gives you a taste of the look and feeling you can bring to your own home. Since all of Snowe's products come in neutral colors, they're easy to incorporate into your dining room, bedroom, and bathroom setups. 

The quality of design and craftsmanship is apparent, but the prices are actually reasonable.

Snowe's dinnerware is made from lightweight but durable porcelain and is oven-, microwave- and dishwasher-safe. You can grab an 18-piece Dine and Serve Set, which includes plates, bowls, and serving platters, for $295. Its dishwasher-safe glassware is made from lead-free crystallized glass, and individual pieces cost $12 to $15. 

For the bedroom, Snowe offers crisp yet breathable percale and sateen sheets, duvet covers, and shams, as well as down pillows for $38 to $228. 

Its soft and quick-drying towels are made with 100% long-staple cotton and cost $8 to $48 per piece. 

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

The Insider Pick:

• Back in 2003 when the first GPS running watch entered the market, it was a novelty. Now, there is an overwhelming number of watches to choose from. While each one has its benefits, the TomTom Spark 3 Cardio + Music is the best overall with its optical heart rate monitor, built-in music storage, and long-lasting battery.

If you’re a runner, you know that outside of what you’re wearing on your feet, one of the most important necessities you use can be found around your wrist. Running is a sport that constantly has you competing against yourself, whether it’s increasing your weekly mileage or running a faster race. A good running watch makes it possible to record all that data and helps you become a better runner.

While a basic watch can track your time, a good GPS running watch allows you to track your distance, pace, and even your heart rate. With running, as with so many sports, success lies in the details. Having the extra capabilities that come with a GPS watch can take your training to the next level and help you reach your running goals.

The challenge? There are so many different brands and models of GPS watches to choose from, ranging from those with the most basic features to ones that can pair with your smartphone to track every aspect of your run. Looking at all the choices and comparing the specs can be mind-boggling, to say the least, which is where we come in. Below you’ll find our top five picks. We’ve done the research and combed the reviews while keeping budget, features, and style in mind.

Updated on 10/23/2017 by Kylie Joyner: Added testing notes for the TomTom Spark 3 Cardio + Music.

Although the TomTom Spark 3 Cardio + Music is our top pick, for various reasons laid out in the slides below, you should also consider the Garmin Forerunner 15, the Polar M600 Sports Smartwatch, the Apple Watch Series 2, and the Garmin Forerunner 630 based on your running needs.

SEE ALSO: 13 things to take with you the next time you go running outside

The best GPS running watch overall

Why you'll love it: The TomTom Spark 3 Cardio + Music
packs in the most features for the price, coming in at around $200. 

While Garmin and Polar are usually top contenders when it comes to GPS watches, TomTom proved that it shouldn’t be overlooked with the Spark 3 Cardio + Music. It packs in a lot of features, bridging the gap between the high-end GPS watch and the everyday fitness tracker.

 I was recently able to test out my top pick to try out a few new features. After putting the Spark 3 through the paces, I can confidently say that it still lives up to the title of “Best GPS running watch overall.” The number of features it offers is impressive — even more so now with the new updates.

It doesn’t have the sleekest design when it comes to aesthetics and was a bit bulky on a smaller wrist like mine, so I personally wouldn’t use this as my daily fitness tracker. However, if you have a larger wrist or don’t mind the sportier look, the Spark 3 is fully capable of being used as a fitness tracker as well as a GPS running watch. It should be noted that if you swim, cycle, or cross train at the gym it can be used for these activities as well.

While I wouldn’t use this as my daily fitness tracker, as a running watch, I found the fit to be extremely comfortable. The same goes for the wireless headphones that come with the watch if you choose to get the fitness bundle. While I could hear some ambient noise, which I prefer so I can stay aware of my surroundings, the sound was crisp and clear with no skipping. I downloaded music right to the watch so I didn’t need my phone while out running, which felt freeing. I find the less gear I have to worry about, the more peaceful the run.

If you do like running with your phone, one thing you won’t find with this watch are smartphone notifications. It’s fully dedicated to tracking almost every aspect of your fitness, but text messages, app notifications, and calls won’t be showing up on this watch — yet, anyway.

Another downside: You’ll need to create a playlist either in iTunes or in Windows Media Player to download music to your watch. You won’t be able to download any music directly from your phone. This is a little annoying, but it’s worth the extra hoop to jump through to have your running playlist right on your wrist.

Now to the actual software update. Both the fitness age feature and the personalized workouts serve as great motivators. To determine your fitness age, the Spark 3 measures your VO2 max (the measurement of the maximum amount of oxygen that you can utilize during intense exercise). It then compares this to a global average of others in your actual age group.

While it’s disputed how accurate a VO2 measurement can be from a GPS watch, I found this feature to be a great motivator to keep running so I could keep improving — or at least maintain — my fitness age. After a few runs, I received a fitness age of 20. 

After I received my fitness age I tried out a few of the workouts that come with the new update. The workouts are personalized to help individuals reach their fitness goals, and are categorized according to these goals, whether that be fat burning, improving endurance, overall fitness and more.

I tried the first one out directly from the watch on my first go and found myself very confused. After a slightly frustrating run, I signed into the TomTom site with my account and went over the workouts online so I could understand each one better, and what the goal of each one was. After that, the prompts I received on my watch during the workouts made far more sense, and I liked having goals to work towards. Since I typically run on my own, it was nice to be able to change up my workouts and receive the extra coaching on days where I needed some extra motivation.

For those looking to meet specific fitness goals, or just looking for another way to stay motivated, these updates won’t disappoint. They make an already impressive GPS fitness watch an even more valuable tool — one that will not only please runners but all fitness enthusiasts.

Pros: Long-lasting battery, easy menu navigation, phone-free music, built-in heart rate monitor, route mapping

Cons: Bulky design, music support needs improvement (using third-party wireless headphones can be challenging), and limited app capabilities (using a third-party app with this is more favorable)

Buy the small TomTom Spark 3 Cardio + Music on Amazon for $200 (originally $249.99)

Buy the large TomTom Spark 3 Cardio + Music on Amazon for $215.00 (originally $249.99)

The best basic GPS watch for less than $100

Why you'll love it: The Garmin Forerunner 15 is a no-frills running watch, but it offers a solid set of features and accurate data tracking for less than $100. 

If you're just beginning your running journey and looking for a reliable GPS watch, or if you're looking for a basic watch that can track your activity between runs, then the Forerunner 15 may be the one for you.

The watch marks your running distance, pace, and time. You can also get it with an optional heart rate monitor. Outside of the basic features expected in a GPS watch, the Forerunner 15 also tracks activity between workouts by counting the steps you’ve taken, giving you reminders to move and counting the calories you’ve burned throughout the day as well as during your runs.

One of the top reviews on Amazon states that this is a perfect watch for a beginner runner. If you are a new runner, the run/walk feature is especially useful because it allows you to set timed intervals alerting you when to walk and when to run. The run/walk method of training is a great way to prevent injury by stopping you from doing too much too soon.

If you’re a more advanced runner trying to improve your race pace, the virtual pacer is another great feature. It allows you to program a specific pace, and the watch will alert you if you’re going faster or slower than your goal.

You won’t find more advanced features like Bluetooth connectivity here, but if you’re looking for basic training aids, then this watch is a reliable choice. This is by no means a smartwatch, but you can connect your watch to a computer and upload your workouts via Garmin Express. This program syncs your data to the Garmin Connect website and mobile app, which is available on both iOS and Android.

What the Foreunner 15 lacks in connectivity, it makes up for in reliability. The battery lasts 8 hours in GPS mode and up to 5 weeks in watch/activity tracker mode. Garmin is known for being relatively quick at picking up a satellite signal, so you can get on your way as soon as possible, and this model is no exception. Its distance tracking is also fairly accurate, according to a CNET review, which compared distance results to those on the website MapMyRun.

If you opt for the heart rate monitor, it comes separately but is both easy to use and provides accurate results. The same CNET reviewer who compared distance results to MapMyRun finds it reliable enough to use for testing the accuracy of other heart rate monitors. The terms accurate and straightforward sum up this running watch. This Amazon reviewer states that it, “does what it is supposed to do very well.”

For under $100, we think the Garmin Forerunner 15 provides runners with the basic features they need for a great price.

Pros: Long battery life, accurate GPS tracker, heart rate monitor compatibility, useful training aids, and can track activity outside of runs

Cons: Doesn’t support wireless syncing (no Bluetooth connectivity), lacks more advanced features found on high-end GPS running watches

Buy the Garmin Forerunner 15 on Amazon for $79.99

Buy the Garmin Forerunner 15 with a Heart Rate Monitor on Amazon for $84.95

The Best GPS Running Watch for Seamless Android Integration

Why you'll love it: The Polar M600 is an Android Wear smartwatch made for runners that has yet to find a true rival on the market.

The Polar M600 isn’t just a sports watch — It’s also a very capable smartwatch powered by Google’s Android Wear. If you use an Android phone and you want comprehensive fitness tracking as well as the ability to download native apps and play music, the Polar M600 is the one for you.

With the recent release of Android Wear 2.0, you can now install and enjoy these apps while away from your smartphone, allowing you to leave your phone at home. The Google Assistant is now built-in, ready to help you via voice commands, and the battery life has been improved significantly. You can also download your favorite apps and get notifications on the go.

Polar is a well-known name in the running watch business. It was the first company to offer wireless heart rate monitoring in 1977, and has continued to make a name for itself in the running world. The M600 comes with a wrist-based heart rate monitor, so you can go without the traditional chest strap monitor.

It has an integrated GPS to track a wide variety of activities including running. This is a smartwatch and is paired with your phone, so you will need to recharge it more often than a traditional sports watch, but it still provides up to 8 hours of training with the GPS and wrist-based heart rate monitor running.

In terms of design, this is a sports watch first and a smartwatch second. It would blush with embarrassment if held up next to the classic Huawei Watch or the sleek Tag Heuer Connected. It’s also prone to attracting dust. If functionality is your main concern, though, it will pass the test. It’s both comfortable and sturdy, with a silicon strap that is ideal for long runs.

At 13mm thick, it’s a bit bulky, but not as thick as many comparable GPS watches. According to Wareable, at 63 grams it’s a full 16 grams lighter than the Polar V800, which is known as the company’s flagship multi-sport GPS watch.

One of the most notable things about the Polar M600 is it has yet to find a true competitor in the form of another Android Wear sports smartwatch. The New Balance RunIQ was released in February 2017 as a possible contender. However, the reviews show that while the outlook seemed positive on paper, when put to the test the heart rate monitor was less than accurate, it’s battery didn’t last as long, and the software lagged behind when compared to the Polar M600.

It should also be noted that while Android Wear claims to be cross-platform, able to work with both Android and iOS devices, this watch still performs the best with an Android phone.

Reviewers on Amazon are pleased with its long battery life, accurate GPS tracking, and the ability to leave their phone at home but still listen to music and receive notifications while out running. Even the most critical reviewer admits that the GPS and onboard music make it a “good stand-alone running watch.”

Pros: Accurate GPS tracking, reliable heart rate monitor, connectivity to apps, music and notifications without a smartphone

Cons: Less than stellar performance when paired with an iOS device, not the best-looking in terms of smartwatch design

Buy the Polar M600 on Amazon for $329.95

• Even if you eat it on a regular basis, there's probably a lot about McDonald's that you don't know.
• Whether it's how to order a "skinny" McFlurry or snag a Big Mac for a fraction of the cost, there are lot of secrets to be learned.
• Here are 12 ways to hack the menu for cheaper and tastier food. 

Whether it's your sinful indulgence or you eat it without abandon on the regular, there’s a lot about McDonald’s you probably don’t know. Like any other famous American icon, Ronald has a ton of secrets. Like, how to get an M&M McFlurry for a fraction of the calories and how to get a cheaper Big Mac—not exactly tabloid-worthy scandals but secrets we thought were worth sharing, nonetheless.

Read on to discover 12 remarkable ways to hack the menu, save cash, and get a tastier meal at your favorite fast food chain! And if you’re in search of more McNugget nutrition intel, don’t miss our report, every menu item at McDonald’s—ranked!

Go for the “Round Egg”

Want to make sure the egg that winds up on your McGriddle is fresh from the carton? Order a “round egg,” suggests one Quora user and former McDonald’s employee. If you don’t make this request, your eggs will come from a powdered mix. Gross, right? “Round eggs,” on the other hand, are cracked and cooked fresh in a round ring (hence the term “round egg”) before making their way into your tray.

You can get a “skinny” McFlurry

Want to save cash and calories? Ditch the McFlurry you know and love and trade it in for a kiddie cone with your favorite McFlurry mix-in. A snack sized M&M McFlurry, for example, has 420 calories, 15 grams of fat, and a staggering 58 grams of sugar. A kiddie cone with M&Ms, however, contains just 215 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 38 grams sugar. While that’s a still a ton of the sweet stuff, these stats are far more reasonable. Looking for even more ways to say goodbye to added sugars—and goodbye to your belly? Order your copy of the "Zero Sugar Diet," today!

You can score a Big Mac on the cheap

Don’t want to part with $4 to indulge in Ronald’s signature dish? Order the McDouble ($1.39) without ketchup and mustard, and ask for Mac Sauce and lettuce, instead. The result: You’ll get a burger that has the same taste as the double decker sandwich you love! The only thing it’s missing is the middle bun, but considering the Golden Arches’ bread products are nothing more than empty calories, we consider this a win! For more ways to cut back on cals and shrink your gut, don’t miss these 36 easy ways to cut 50+ calories.

• TurnStyle, an undergound market and food court, opened in the Columbus Circle subway station in 2016.
• It is home to over 30 vendors.
• I was impressed by the variety and quality of its offerings, many of which are from local businesses.

To most, the idea of eating in a subway station—or riding the subway, for that matter—is repulsive. Too much heat, too little space. 

But in April 2016, TurnStyle, a food court and shopping center, opened in the Columbus Circle subway station. The premise was simple: Turn a subway station into a destination for commuters, tourists, residents, and employees of nearby office buildings.

The execution would be more difficult. Could you transform one of the most of the unpleasant environments in New York City into the kind of place one would be eager to visit?

I made my way to the underground market on a Wednesday afternoon, hoping I'd find more than oversized rats and irritated commuters.

TurnStyle is located beneath Columbus Circle, at the intersection of 8th Avenue, Broadway, Central Park South, and Central Park West.

The signs pointing you toward the market are subtle in some places...

...and more colorful in others.

"The greatest reward in becoming a millionaire is not the amount of money that you earn. It is the kind of person that you have to become to become a millionaire." — Jim Rohn

Most people wish their circumstances would magically change for them. They don't have the desire to become better themselves so they can proactively improve their own circumstances.

Unlike most people, who simply wait and wish for luck, you can seek to become the kind of person equipped with the skills and abilities to do brilliant things.

You can become the kind of person who does highly influential work. Your work can solve pressing problems, improve people's lives, and get noticed by important people who share your work not for your sake, but for theirs! Sharing your work makes them look good because of how great it is.

The quality of who you are as a person, and the work you do, is completely within your control. But you can't wish for it to happen. You must become the kind of person who naturally attracts the success you seek.

Here's how:

SEE ALSO: 9 things to do in your 20s to become a millionaire by 30

1. Invest at least 10% of your income in yourself

If you don't pay for something, you rarely pay attention.

Most people want stuff that's free. But if you get something for free, you rarely prize that thing. You rarely take it seriously.

How much do you invest in yourself?

How committed are you to yourself?

If you aren't investing in yourself, than you don't have any skin in the game of your own life.

If you aren't invested in your business, you probably won't do high quality work.

If you're not invested in your relationships, you're probably more focused on what you can get than what you can give.

When it comes to self-improvement, investing 10% of your income on yourself will yield a 100X or more return on that investment. For every dollar you spend on your education, skills, and relationships, you'll get at least 100 dollars back in returns.

If you want to do something extremely well, you need to surround yourself with the right mentors. Anything that you'll ever do well will be the result of high quality mentoring. If you suck at something, it's because you haven't received quality mentoring in that thing.

The best mentorships are the ones where you pay your mentor. Often, the more you pay the better, because you'll take the relationship far more seriously. You won't solely be taking in that relationship. You won't purely be a consumer. Instead, you'll be invested, and as such, you'll listen more carefully. You'll care more. You'll be more thoughtful and engaged. There will be higher consequences for not succeeding.

I invested $3,000 to get help writing my first book proposal from a highly successful writer. That $3,000 got me maybe 4 or 5 hours of his time. But in those 4 or 5 hours, he taught me what I needed to know to create an amazing book proposal. He provided me resources that dramatically enhanced and sped up my process. With his help, I was able to get a literary agent and eventually a multi six figure book contract.

Had I been overly concerned about the $3,000, I'm confident that to this day, I'd still not have written a book proposal. At the very most, I'd have written a terrible one. I would not have been as motivated or invested, so I would have been far more likely to procrastinate needed action.

If you don't have much money, surely you can afford to buy a book. How much money and time do you spend on entertainment, clothes, or food? It's a matter of priority.

It's only when you invest in something that you have the motivation to make it happen.

Beyond mentorships, you should invest in education programs such as online courses, books, quality products such as food and sleep.

Your level of success can generally be directly measured by your level of investment. If you're not getting the results you want, it's because you haven't invested enough to get those results.

Your number 1 investment must be yourself.

Who you are determines:

• the quality of marriage you'll have

• the quality of parent you become

• the quality of work you produce

• the level of happiness you have

Here's what you'll find when you financially invest yourself in something. You become very committed to that thing. Economists call this sunk cost bias. But you can leverage this to your benefit. If you want to escalate your personal commitment to something, invest heavily in that thing.

Eventually, it will become a point of no return.

You'll become so fiercely committed that withdrawing will seem ridiculous.

Hence, you'll need to truly know WHAT you want and WHY (see #14 below). If you don't know these things, then over-committing could be a huge and irrational problem.

However, if you are certain about WHO you are/want to be, WHAT you want, and WHY, then you need to invest yourself.

2. Invest at least 80% of your "off" time into learning

Most people are consumers rather than creators.

They are at work to get their paycheck, not to make a difference.

When left to their own devices, most people consume their time as well. It is only by investing your time that you get a return on that time.

Nearly every second spent on social media is consumed time. You can't have that time back. Rather than making your future better, it actually made your future worse. Just like eating bad food, every consumed moment leaves you worse off. Every invested moment leaves you better off.

Entertainment is all well and good. But only when that entertainment is an investment in your relationships or yourself. You'll know if it was an investment if that entertainment continues to yield returns over and over in your future. That may include positive memories, transformational learning, or deepened relationships.

Even still, life isn't purely about being entertained. Education and learning is also key. And although both are essential, education will provide far greater returns in your future.

The world's most successful people are intense learners. They are hard readers. They know that what they know determines how well they see the world. They know that what they know determines the quality of relationships they can have and the quality of work they can do.

If you are constantly consuming junk media, how can you possibly expect to create high value work? Your input directly translates to your output. Garbage in, garbage out.

3. Don't work for money, work to learn

"When you are young, work to learn, not to earn." — Robert Kiyosaki

Just as a large majority of your down-time should be spent learning, so should a great deal of your "working" time.

Wealthy and happy people work to learn. Unsuccessful and unhappy people work primarily for money.

Only 20% of your energy should be spent doing your actual work. The rest should be spent learning, improving yourself, and resting.

It is by "sharpening your saw" that you'll continue to become a better and more capable person. Thus, as you dedicate large portions of time becoming a better thinker, communicator, and better at your craft, the quality of your work will continue to increase. Eventually, you'll be able to charge VERY VERY high fees for your work, because no one else can do it like you.

When you prioritize learning and recovery, then during the hours you are actually working, you'll be in a deep flow state. You won't be distracted like most people are when they work. You're either 100% on or 100% off. While working, you can get more done in a few hours than most people get done in a number of days.

Your time is spent well because your priorities are clear, you're well-rested, and your mind is stimulated.