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Seattle might be the next San Francisco — here's how the two major tech hubs compare

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San Francisco

Seattle and San Francisco have been at the epicenter of the west coast's tech boom since the dot-com era.

Today, both cities are home to some of the most influential companies in tech: Seattle with Microsoft and Amazon, and San Francisco with Twitter, Airbnb, Lyft, and Uber. 

As the tech industry's influence continues to grow, San Francisco and Seattle have faced comparison in recent months. If you work in tech, which city would make a better home? Here's an overview of how the two metropolises compare:

SEE ALSO: The 50 best-paying big companies, according to employees

It's more expensive to live in San Francisco than Seattle.

It's estimated that living in San Francisco will cost you nearly a quarter more than living in Seattle, and San Francisco's housing costs aren't expected to wane anytime soon.



Seattle's housing costs are on the rise, but they're not expected to supersede San Francisco's pricey housing anytime soon.

Average monthly rent for a one bedroom in Seattle will run you around $1,300, as opposed to San Francisco's estimated $2,000 for a bedroom in a house with roommates. And don't expect to purchase property in either city: Both of these coastal tech meccas have very little real estate on the market. While it doesn't look like Seattle's housing costs will eclipse San Francisco's anytime in the near future, the city's housing market is skyrocketing. 



Prefer a mild climate but hate the rain? Head to the Bay.

San Francisco enjoys mild temperatures year round with the thermostat usually hovering around 60 degrees Fahrenheit.



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The most captivating aerial photos taken of Earth from the sky this year

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aerial earth

From the on-the-ground perspective, Earth is pretty stunning.

But that view is limited.

Take to the skies and you can see the world in entirely new ways.

These are some of the most stunning aerial photos that Reuters photographers took of life on Earth over the past year.

Cities peek through clouds of smog, forests smolder as they burn, and rivers flow through the Australian outback.

Check out some of the most amazing perspectives of Earth from above captured in 2017.

 

SEE ALSO: These are 15 of the best photos scientists took in 2017 — and they show the world in stunning ways

A rainbow of bicycles sits at a parking lot in Shanghai, China.



Agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources burn forest to combat illegal logging in the state of Amazonas, Brazil.



A machine tries to clear a road across the Sognefjellet mountain in Krossbu, Norway.



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The 17 Oscar best picture winners since 2000, ranked from worst to best

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gladiatorThe 21st century is less than two decades old, but its first batch of Best Picture winners already paint an extraordinary portrait of a world in flux.

From a massive historical epic to an intimate digital indies — from a musical that riffs on showbiz standards to period drama that reflects on present crises — these 17 films range from “problematic” to “perfect” and hit all points in between.

More than that, they illustrate Hollywood’s evolving definition of greatness, and the relationship between the film industry and the times that forge it.

Here are the 17 Best Picture winners of the 21st century, ranked from worst to best:

SEE ALSO: All 26 notable Netflix original shows that debuted in 2017, ranked from worst to best

17. “Crash” (2005)

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“Brokeback Mountain” deserved better, but the Academy didn’t know it. Paul Haggis’ painfully obvious ensemble drama about racial prejudices in Los Angeles was a smug, one-note drama designed to make white liberals feel good about themselves. (It took a decade for “Get Out” to put this recurring tendency in its place.) The spin-the-racial-wheel structure careens from a black filmmaker to a Persian immigrant to a Hispanic locksmith as it heads toward a tidy climax in which everyone’s bias comes to a head.

The movie was released early in the year and gradually crept back into the conversation so the Academy’s homophobic contingency had a backup plan as “Brokeback” gained momentum. But perhaps that’s unfair: Some very reasonable people like “Crash,” which is so sincere and eager to make its purpose obvious that support for the movie was synonymous with endorsing its good intentions. It’s possible to appreciate the outlook of “Crash” while still recognizing that it’s a bad movie; unfortunately, Oscar season circa 2005 wasn’t interested in subtle distinctions. —Eric Kohn



16. “The King’s Speech” (2010)

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Tom Hooper’s snoozy character study about the stuttering future King George VI’s attempt to get over his impediment and deliver a declaration of war on Germany demonstrates the worst tendencies of Oscar bait: weighty subject matter given a quirky, entertaining twist. That was the Weinstein formula in a nutshell.

Colin Firth does his thing in the lead, carrying this gimmicky period piece along as well as possible, but “The King’s Speech” never manages to wrestle free of its obvious framework. At this point, as best picture winners go, it speaks to another era — when the most boring, unadventurous option is automatically the consensus choice. —EK



15. “Argo” (2012)

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It’s crazy to think that, only five years ago, Hollywood awarded their highest honor to a glorified TV movie because they felt bad for Ben Affleck. And the only reason they felt bad for Ben Affleck was because they forgot to nominate him for their highest individual honor. Oscar narrative sure take on a life of their own. Of course, as is often the case, “Argo” doesn’t fully deserve the scorn it continues to receive for being an undeserving Best Picture winner; it’s a fine little historical thriller, smartly crafted and suspenseful from start to finish.

There’s not much to it beyond the fun of watching the guy from “Good Will Hunting” sneak a bunch of Americans out of Iran during the Revolution, but that is fun. Affleck knows how to put a good story together, and it’s hard to regret sitting through anything that stars Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Kerry Bishé, Victor Garber, Richard Kind, and/or Clea DuVall. Still… it’s never a great sign when a movie gives the impression that it directed itself. —David Ehrlich



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Millennials are tracking their kids' whereabouts and internet usage on their phones — here are the apps 'parennials' are obsessed with

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millennial parent young phone

Millennials, roughly defined as being born between 1980 and 2000, have grown up with the internet. Now that older millennials are having kids, they're also giving birth to countless new apps for parents like them.

These apps can track a child's whereabouts, internet usage, and even bowel movements on a smartphone.

There's a massive market for apps built with millennial parents — or "parennials"— in mind. The New York Times recently reported that more than 16 million millennial women are now mothers, according to Pew

Here are the apps that parennials are obsessed with.

SEE ALSO: A high-fashion apparel startup wants to create a better uniform for working women — and millennials are obsessed

Winnie is a place for parents to connect and discover new things to do with their kids.

People on Winnie help each other be more successful parents. They can ask questions and get recommendations about everything from sleep-training to local childcare, and browse and search a directory of family-friendly restaurants, shopping, and parks. It's like Yelp for parents.

Sara Mauskopf, who created Winnie as CEO, is an alumna of Google and a millennial mother. 

Download the app »



Life360 lets you keep tabs on your kid's location.

Life360 answers an age-old question: "Where are you?" The app enables parents to track their children's whereabouts using GPS, and lets them save their favorite locations so that family members get automatic alerts when someone comes or goes. A chat feature allows family members to let the group know when they're running late.

Download the app »



Cozi is a calendar for the digital-savvy family.

There's no shortage of calendar apps for your phone, but some parents say Cozi is the first you should try. Specifically designed for families, the app helps parents keep track of each family member's (color-coded) individual calendar, shopping lists, and to-do lists all in one place.

Users have the ability to add new events and lists and send reminders to ensure that no one misses a practice or an appointment.

Download the app »



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5 tax breaks that'll end in the next decade

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taxes woman paper

Talk of big change is afoot in Washington. House Republicans have already passed their version of tax reform for individual taxpayers and corporations (officially known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act), and the Senate is currently debating the House bill and a proposal of their own.

Tax reform was arguably the top campaign promise for President Trump. It's all the more important that it succeeds in being signed into law, considering that healthcare reform fell flat on its face after multiple attempts and many months of trying.

Of course, success won't come easy, even though House Republicans have passed their bill. The Senate has just a two-vote majority for the GOP, meaning it can only afford to lose two Senators and still allow for Vice President Mike Pence to break a 50-50 tie. That's a tall order that failed to work during healthcare reform on numerous occasions. Nevertheless, Republicans in both the House and the Senate are in agreement that their bills will be good for middle-class families, as well as for businesses.

At the core of both tax-reform bills is a simplification of the individual tax code that largely increases the standard deduction and removes a number of credits and deductions in the process. For corporations, their peak marginal income tax rate would drop from 35%, one of the highest levels in the world, to 20%. The GOP believes that by putting more into the hands of corporations, they'll be able to hire, expand, and pay higher wages. In turn, consumers with more disposable income are liable to spend it. Since our economy is about 70% dependent on consumption, it would appear to be a formula for stronger GDP growth.

Surprise! These key tax breaks would disappear by 2026 (or sooner)

But there are clear concerns about both the House and Senate GOP tax plans. These worries include adding to an already bloated federal deficit over the next 10 years and the possibility that tax reform favors the wealthy far more than it'll favor lower- and middle-income individuals and families.

However, the biggest issue of all, and perhaps the greatest surprise of this tax-reform process, is that individual taxpayers could be in for a rude awakening in just a few years' time, depending on which version of the bill is signed into law (assuming either is approved by Congress and the president). According to Congress' Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT), five critical tax breaks for individual taxpayers are set to expire by Dec. 31, 2025, or sooner, sending tax liability for many low- and middle-income folks screaming higher in 2026 and beyond.

1. $300 per-person flexibility credit (expires Dec. 31, 2022)

In the House's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, in addition to a proposed $1,600 Child Tax Credit is a $300 per-person flexibility credit for parents and non-dependent children. This new credit is designed to counteract the loss of the personal exemption and other deductions and credits for working families. However, the House GOP bill notes that this credit would sunset at the end of 2022, removing this key break for millions of taxpayers. 



2. 23% deduction for pass-through firms (expires Dec. 31, 2025)

The House and Senate certainly approached pass-through income differently. (Pass-through income is received by owners in sole proprietorships, S-corporations, and limited-liability companies.) The House capped profit income at 25% from pass-through businesses, while the Senate created a 23% deduction for certain pass-through income. In the Senate bill, this deduction expires at the end of 2025, leaving owners of these businesses to once again pay much higher income tax rates. 



3. Expanded child tax credit (expires Dec. 31, 2025)

An initial version of the Senate GOP tax bill proposed raising the maximum Child Tax Credit (CTC) from its current $1,000 to $1,650. Following revisions, that proposal now sits at doubling the CTC to $2,000. But as noted by the JCT, this provision in the Senate's bill would expire just over eight years from now, removing a critical credit from the pockets of millions of low-income working families.



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Both the Google Home and Amazon Echo are on sale for $79.99, so which one should you buy?

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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.

google home vs echo

  • Now is a great time to buy a smart speaker because the Amazon Echo and Google Home are on sale for $79.99 for a limited time.

  • We tested the two smart speakers to determine which one is the best value for your money.

  • The Amazon Echo wins with its 15,000+ skills, full compatibility with many smart home devices, and its simple design.

The Amazon Echo and Google Home are both on sale for $79.99 this holiday season, so if you've been waiting to choose a smart speaker for your home, wait no longer. Now is a great time to buy one.

The only hard part is choosing which one is best for you. Although we already have a full buying guide to the best smart speakers, we thought it'd be fun and helpful to pit the Google Home and the Amazon Echo against each other in a battle royale for the title of best smart home speaker.

To help you decide which one to buy, we've been testing both the Amazon Echo and the Google Home for months.

Each speaker has its advantages and its weaknesses. We break it down into a few key categories: compatibility with smart home devices and services, voice recognition and search, design and sound quality, as well as security and privacy. 

Keep scrolling to see which smart speaker wins each category and to read our final verdict on which one you should buy.

Buy the Amazon Echo on Amazon for $79.99 (originally $99.99)

Buy the Google Home from Best Buy for $79.99 (originally $129.99)

SEE ALSO: The best smart speaker you can buy: Amazon Echo vs. Google Home vs. Apple HomePod

Smart home compatibility and services

Winner: The Echo wins easily, thanks to Alexa's 15,000+ skills and Amazon's wide-ranging support for the most popular smart home products.

Anyone who's looking to build a smart home should grab the Echo instead of the Google Home. Amazon has significantly more partners than Google because the Echo has existed for a few more years than the Google Home. Alexa has 15,000+ skills, and new ones are added every day. Google is catching up, but it's still a long way off.

More smart home devices and popular services work with the Echo than the Google Home. The only reason why the Google Home might be better for some people is if they don't use Amazon and they're heavily into Google services.

Unfortunately for Google, literally millions of people are Amazon Prime subscribers who will get more bang for their buck with an Echo.

Amazon's Alexa supports the following:

  • Smart home devices: Phillips Hue, Ring, Schlage Smart Locks, TP-Link Smart Home Products, Leviton, Insteaon, SmartThings, Wink, Caseta Wireless, LI-FX Smart Bulbs, GE Link Smart Bulbs, WeMo, iHome Smart Plugs, iDevices Switches, Nest, Sensi Thermostat, EcoBee Thermostat, Lyric Thermostat, August Smart Lock, Arlo Pro, Nest Cam IQ, Rachio Sprinklers, Gargeio Garage Door, iRobot Roomba Smart Vacuums, and so many more. You can browse all of the Echo compatible products on Amazon and buy them by clicking this link. 
  • Services: Amazon's Alexa supports more than 15,000 skills, and it supports far too many services to list here. Big ones include Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, TuneIn, Sirius XM, Uber, Domino's, StubHub, Audible, Dish, NPR, and so many more. You can also buy things from Amazon with a simple voice command.

Google's Assistant supports the following:

  • Smart home devices: Chromecast, Chromecast-enabled TVs and speakers, Nest, SmartThings, Phillips Hue, LIFX Smart Lights, TP-Link Smart Home, Vivint Home Security, Rachio Sprinklers, Logitech Harmony, Geeni Connected Tech, August Smart Locks, Anova Precision Cooker, Insignia Wi-Fi Smart Plug, Belkin WeMo Insight Smart Plug, iRobot Roomba 960, Honeywell Wi-Fi Thermostat, Mr. Coffee Smart Coffee Maker, Lutron, Ring, and many more. See the full list here.
  • Services: Spotify, Pandora, Google Play Music, TuneIn Radio, YouTube, IFTTT, Netflix, Google Services, Domino's, Food Network, Headspace, MadLibs, and more. See the full list here.


Voice recognition and search

Winner: The Google Home is slightly better with understanding accents and natural language, plus, Google's search prowess makes it the clear winner.

Google started out as a search engine, so it is absolutely no surprise that the Google Home is better at answering questions and searching for random info on demand. The company has also been working on voice recognition, natural langauge processing, and translation for years, so the Google Home is better at understanding accents and natural language than the Echo.

That's not to say the Echo is hard of hearing. Alexa also understands you very easily and what she lacks in search power, she makes up for with skills, which use the knowledge from other apps and services to serve your needs.

Both speakers are good at understanding requests, but you do have to use scripted commands still. Google is slightly better at dealing with pauses, hesitations, and awkward phrasing than Alexa, but it's close.



Design and sound quality

Winner: In terms of design and sound quality, there's no clear winner because both speakers come in multiple colors and sound decent for medium-sized Bluetooth speakers.

The new Echo certainly looks better than the original and it comes in a few fun colors and finishes, so clearly that's an improvement. The Google Home also offers a selection of colorful bases in cloth or metal that complement the white top portion of the speaker.

Neither one is what you'd call a masterpiece of design. In fact, both have been mocked — the Google Home for looking like an air freshener and the Echo for being a boring cylinder. In the end, good design comes down to taste, and tastes vary. I personally like the look of both speakers, but I don't have a strong reaction either for or against them. 

When it comes to sound quality, both speakers sound good for medium-sized Bluetooth speakers. You won't get audiophile sound out of either speaker, but both of them sound just fine for most people.

The new Echo did get some audio improvements, so it does sound better than the original one. The Google Home has always sounded decent. The only major difference here is that the Echo supports more music services, but since you can use both as Bluetooth speakers —and therefore play any audio from your phone — that advantage is negligible.



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The best value plays in your DraftKings lineup for Week 14 of the NFL season

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Alfred Morris

We had a solid week of daily fantasy value picks last Sunday, with a few players putting on performances that could've helped you cash in your DraftKings league.

Jermaine Kearse went off for 157 yards on nine receptions and ended up as the sixth-best wide receiver in fantasy, and Alex Collins found the end zone twice to finish as a top-five running back for the cheap price of just $4,500. Other than Tyrod Taylor, who went down with an unlucky injury in his first snap of the game, the rest of our picks were pretty solid as well.

This week, we're back at it, trying to identify the best, affordable players for your DraftKings lineup. Below we've picked some of our best value plays for daily fantasy. Consider them when trying to find a few extra dollars to upgrade elsewhere in your lineup.

QB: Jimmy Garoppolo, $5,500

Jimmy Garoppolo had quite a debut on Sunday, throwing for just under 300 yards to help lead the 49ers to their second win of the season in comeback fashion over the Chicago Bears. The one thing that Jimmy G didn't do was find the end zone, a career goal he'll surely be eager to cross off this week. He looked like a seasoned pro in the pocket and at $5,500, feels like something of a steal facing a Texans defense that rates near the bottom of the league.



RB: Alfred Morris, $5,500

Alfred Morris finally had the game we thought him capable of having in Ezekiel Elliott's absence, running for 127 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys' blowout win over the Redskins last week. Morris will likely be heavily featured in the Dallas offense again when they face the Giants this weekend.



RB: Giovani Bernard, $3,100

While Giovani Bernard has been relatively quiet this season, with Joe Mixon out with a concussion this week, Bernard will be getting the start for the Bengals and is an absolute steal at just $3,100.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

7 unavoidable questions to ask your partner before it's too late

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couple man woman dating friends married talking sad beach water

  • You'll never know everything about your partner — and that's OK.
  • But there are certain facts you should definitely know before things get serious. Think how much debt they have and how they feel about divorce.
  • We checked out a Reddit thread on the topic and highlighted some of the most compelling questions.


You will never get to know your partner perfectly. In fact, that's one of the beautiful things about being in a relationship: Your partner is constantly surprising you.

That said, there are some basic things you probably should know before establishing a life with someone. Over on Reddit, there's a thread titled, "What questions should everyone ask their partners before getting married?" Most of the questions apply to couples starting to get serious, and not just couples heading to the altar.

Below, we've highlighted seven of the most important questions from that thread. Read on and see which you still have to ask.

SEE ALSO: 7 strategies that can help make your relationship happier in 10 minutes or less

Do you want kids?

That's a tip from IntoTheMystic1.

It's best to address the topic of parenthood sooner than later, so no one winds up resentful — or heartbroken — years down the line.

If you or your partner are (understandably) worried that having kids will change your relationship for the worse, you should arm yourself with knowledge about what helps parents maintain intimacy.

Some researchers suggest that there are certain "buffers" against marital disaster after the birth of a child, including:

-"Building fondness and affection for your partner" 
-"Being aware of what is going on in your spouse's life and being responsive to it"
-"Approaching problems as something you and your partner can control and solve together as a couple"



Who will do the cooking, laundry, and housework?

That question comes from Back2Bach, who adds: "What can we do as a couple to divide the routine chores and responsibilities so that each feels they're making an equal contribution to the relationship and daily living?"

Back2Bach is onto something: According to a 2007 Pew Research poll, sharing household chores is the third most important factor in a successful marriage. (The first two are faithfulness and a happy sexual relationship).

In an excerpt from "Fast-Forward Family" published in The Atlantic, three researchers write that even today, women tend to shoulder the brunt of their family's housework.

The researchers also write that having some guidelines about who does which chores when can be helpful:

"The couples in our study who lacked clarity on what, when, and how household tasks and responsibilities would be carried out often said that they felt drained and rushed and had difficulty communicating their dissatisfaction in their lives. Spouses who appeared to have a clear and respectful understanding of one another's roles and tasks, in contrast, did not spend as much time negotiating responsibilities; their daily lives seemed to flow more smoothly."



How much debt (if any) do you have?

VanDriver1 writes, "It may not be a deal breaker in regards to getting married but A $20k surprise after the wedding is not something you need to deal with."

An honest conversation about finances — especially about debt — is key before getting married, or even getting serious. As Business Insider reported, lying about your debt can potentially destroy your relationship.

For one thing, Valerie Rind, author of "Gold Diggers and Deadbeat Dads: True Stories of Friends, Family, and Financial Ruin," said, "If you're tying your horse to someone else's wagon, you need to know not only what's coming in, but what's going out."

What's more, Rind said, "You need to know how somebody runs their finances because that totally affects the whole picture."



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The 10 biggest box-office bombs of 2017

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Flatliners Sony

It's time to look back on 2017 and see what happened at the multiplex. And for some titles it wasn't pretty.

Though 2017 found some success stories — like the early-year releases "Get Out" and "Split" from Blumhouse, the fall favorite "It," and presumably "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" when it comes out in mid-December — numerous titles were dead on arrival.

For every "Beauty and the Beast" and "Wonder Woman" in 2017, there was a dud like "CHiPs" and "mother!" that quickly followed.

Here are the 10 worst box-office earners of the year (compare them to our list from the halfway point).

Note: This selection is limited to only those titles released by the six major studios that have played in more than 2,000 screens for at least two weekends. Grosses below are all US earnings from Box Office Mojo.

SEE ALSO: RANKED: The 11 best movies of the year so far

10. "The House"— $25.5 million

Reported budget: $40 million 

(Note: Production budgets are estimates and do not include expenses for marketing and release.)



9. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul"— $20.7 million

Reported budget: $22 million



8. "CHiPs"— $18.6 million

Reported budget: $25 million



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Here's how the royal family spends Christmas every year

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queen elizabeth christmas

  • The royal family spends Christmas at the Queen's estate in Norfolk.
  • They have a black-tie dinner Christmas Eve, then exchange gifts at teatime and attend church on Christmas Day.
  • The Queen gifts 1,500 Christmas puddings to her staff and security forces.

Christmas is around the corner, and Buckingham Palace is already gearing up for another festive season.

The British royal family has many traditions dating back centuries — particularly around the holidays. With Kate Middleton's pregnancy and Prince Harry's engagement to Meghan Markle, their Christmas is sure to be merrier than ever.

Here's how the royal family celebrates Christmas.

Before Christmas, members of the royal family send out cards to extended family, friends, and British politicians.



The royal family traditionally spends the holiday at Sandringham House, the Queen's estate in Norfolk.



Fiancés aren't usually allowed to join the festivities, but Prince Harry reportedly asked the Queen to make an exception for Meghan Markle this year.

You can read about other times Markle has broken royal protocol here.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Inside the New York City offices of $45 billion hedge-fund firm Two Sigma

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Two Sigma offices

What do you picture when you imagine a hedge-fund office? A noisy trading floor full of hedge-fund guys in fleece vests?

Two Sigma, a $45 billion hedge-fund firm that uses advanced technologies to find investment opportunities, is a little different. The firm, which says it has seen head count grow by more than 400% in the past seven years, is as much a technology company as it is a finance company, analyzing over 10,000 data sources to find patterns in markets.

That approach seems to have paid off. Two Sigma ranked as the fifth-biggest hedge fund in the world in Institutional Investor's Alpha's 2017 Hedge Fund 100 list, while cofounders David Siegel and John Overdeck each made $750 million last year, according to the magazine's list of the top-earning hedge-fund managers. The firm also runs an insurance business, Two Sigma Insurance Quantified, a market-making arm called Two Sigma Securities, and a venture-capital arm.

In August, Business Insider took a tour of the firm's two New York offices, which are across the road from each other in the SoHo neighborhood. The offices are stashed with arcade games, computing memorabilia, gyms, a hacker space, and a music room.

SEE ALSO: These before-and-after photos show tech billionaires' dramatic transformations

There was a teach-in on Python for Research when we visited 101 Avenue of the Americas, one of three talks the firm hosts weekly.



The kitchen was well stocked.

You may be able to see a Juicero machine on the left side. Two Sigma Ventures, the venture arm of Two Sigma, is an investor in Juicero, which recently announced a price cut and layoffs.



Across the road at 100 Avenue of the Americas, there's another kitchen, with staff taking time out to play games.



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From police-grade cooling vest to $750 beard, here's what it takes to make a living as Santa

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Santa Jim Boston

Santa Jim understands the value of a top-notch beard — no straggly, wispy nonsense or anything that could easily get pulled off.

Instead, he imports his beard, which ties on in three places, from Switzerland for a whopping $750.

To Santa Jim, it's worth every penny.

According to this professional, private events Santa Claus — Jim Manning when he's out of the red suit — a lot more goes into playing Santa than simply showing up, finding the nearest couch, and letting kids sit on your lap.

Below, Manning shares more about the business of being Santa:

SEE ALSO: What it's really like to be a professional Santa Claus

DON'T MISS: A man who's played Santa for 13 years shares the 5 most annoying things he wishes parents would stop doing

First: Create an online presence

In 2004 I grabbed the domain name SantaBoston.com, and that's really been what's sent a lot of the Santa Claus traffic to me. The website presence has been important, and I've added social-media presence over the years. I'm now seeing direct social-media results — people see me on Instagram and they're hiring me from that. But the website is still the No. 1 way people contact me.

And having a mobile-friendly website has been huge. My website wasn't mobile-friendly until about three years ago. Now about 78% of people look at my website on their phones or their iPads.

The content that goes on the website is important, too. There are a lot of Santa Clauses who have websites, and fortunately I've had a lot of them helping me in terms of what the site needs.

People want to see ... Do you look good as Santa? Do you seem trustworthy? And what are your prices? And you don't put your prices on your website, because that's just not something you do. But people want all that information, and they want it quickly, and they're going to decide whether to reach out to you from that.



Then, start booking a year in advance

The busy season is December, Thanksgiving to Christmas. We start receiving calls and emails in August to book events. Some people will book from the year before. But the real majority of the requests start coming in October and November. And a lot of last-minute requests come in, too. The real season starts to ramp up after Thanksgiving.

The first week of December is more promotional work — a lot of photo shoots. I did a photo shoot for Legal Sea Foods, where they had me as Santa Claus taking photos of their clam chowder or their lobster. Drug stores, car dealerships — they'll bring me in to set the tone for the season and whatnot.

Then toward the middle of December, that's when I start getting into more corporate parties, private parties. And then as we get closer to Christmas Eve, the majority of my events are parties in people's homes.

Christmas Eve is the busiest day. I'll do 10 appearances. This year, my first visit is at 11 a.m. and my last visit is scheduled for 9 p.m.

Most weekdays are two to three visits. Weekends are much busier. Sunday I did eight different visits. I'll have five or six days off somewhere in between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Santa Jim charges $499 for a visit, and does upwards of 80 visits during the season.



Be sure to suit up

I've also got a lot of my own costs. This isn't a part-time thing for me — this is my full-time gig. So I have an operations manager, and a lot of money goes into advertising and promotions.

I spend over a hundred dollars on gloves every year. My dry-cleaning bills are pretty expensive.

The gloves I wear are band gloves that have little grips on them. Why do they have grips on them? Because when I'm turning the pages of "The Night Before Christmas" I don't have to fumble around. To me, details like this are super important.

The wigs and beards and mustaches? A friend of mine imports them from Switzerland. One wig, beard, mustache set costs me about $750, and I have five of them, which I've built up over the course of a few years.

My beard is tied on in three different spots. It's really beautiful, and children under the age of 8 have a tough time distinguishing between my beard and a real beard. 

 The belt cost me $400 — that was handmade from a leather maker in Montana, which a big, gold-brass buckle.

I've got a cooling vest, which law-enforcement officers use to stay cool, because I'm playing Santa Claus for upwards of 10 hours. I've got the fat suit

I spend over $300 a year on dry cleaning with all my suits. I've got five suits that I keep in regular rotation. So pretty much as soon as I wear a suit I'm dropping it off at the dry cleaners and I'm keeping them on a constant rotation because I want to look as fresh as possible.

Driving-wise, this year I'm driving 75 hours, probably over 3,000 miles. So there's gas, tolls, and so forth.

Then there's food. Normally I cook for myself and my wife, but I don't have time for the month of December, so I end up eating out a lot, doing take-out. I tried finding a meal-delivery service. But at the end of the day, it's a lot of grab-and-go.



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How Mark Zuckerberg runs Facebook, the best place to work in America

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• Business Insider took a look inside the daily routine of Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

• Facebook is now the most desirable place to work, according to Glassdoor— and Zuckerberg is popular with reviewers, too.

• His typical schedule includes exercise, family time, and tons of travel.


Mark Zuckerberg has a lot on his plate.

The 33-year-old runs Facebook, the social media giant with a market cap of $505.63 billion. What's more, Facebook just snagged the top spot in Glassdoor's annual rankings of the most desirable places to work. Reviewers on the career site specifically pointed to Zuckerberg himself as a big draw.

While the tech CEO dedicates a ton of time to the company, Zuckerberg still makes the time to exercise, travel extensively, and spend time with his family.

He stays productive and balanced by eliminating non-essential choices from his life and setting ambitious goals for himself.

Here's a look at an average day for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg:

SEE ALSO: Vladimir Putin's hard-core daily routine includes hours of swimming, late nights, and no alcohol

DON'T MISS: A look at the demanding schedule of Elon Musk, who works in 5-minute slots, skips breakfast, and largely avoids emails

After waking up at 8 a.m., the Facebook founder immediately checks Facebook, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp on his phone, he told Jerry Seinfeld in a Facebook Live Q&A.

Sources: The Telegraph, Inc.



Once he's gotten his morning updates, it's time to work out. Zuckerberg typically exercises about three times a week.

Source: Business Insider



Sometimes he brings his dog Beast along. The tech CEO says running with his pet has the "added bonus of being hilarious" because it's "basically like seeing a mop run."

Sources: TimeBusiness Insider



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's how the cast of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' looks in real life

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"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" is almost in theaters. Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, and the rest of the film's cast came out to celebrate the movie's world premiere in Los Angeles, California on Saturday.

When they're not wielding lightsabers, dressed in battle armor, and hanging out with porgs and droids in a galaxy far, far away, they clean up pretty well.

Daisy Ridley continues her journey as Rey, a scavenger from Jakku who's trying to find her place in the universe.

The last time we saw Rey she, Chewbacca, and R2-D2, they found the elusive Luke Skywalker on the planet of Ahch-To.



Ridley often wears her short hair tied back on red carpets, but not in a three-bun style.

The skirt of the dress twirled as she moved around. She wore blue eyeshadow to match.



Rey is hoping Luke Skywalker will train her in the ways of the Force, but she may not find the hero she was seeking out.

"Rey has a certain expectation as to what she might be getting from Luke and what that may entail. And, as a lot of people know, it's difficult when you meet your hero because it may not be who you expect," Ridley said at Star Wars Celebration.

Skywalker went into exile from his sister and loved ones after a terrible tragedy that's been teased in trailers. We'll learn more about that in "The Last Jedi."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

21 hilarious reviews of the most ridiculous Amazon products

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Amazon Weird Products

The INSIDER Summary:

  • From groceries to jeans, Amazon sells almost everything you need at this point.
  • The site also has a plethora of unique products, to say the least.
  • INSIDER picked the funniest reviews for 21 ridiculous products you'll find on Amazon.

 

At this point, Amazon sells almost everything you could ever want or need. The company has made it possible for you to buy a new phone, get groceries, and shop for jeans — all in one place.

You will also find, among the site's many gems, some truly ridiculous products. If you're looking for the perfect gag gift, or a gift for someone you just straight up hate, your search ends here.

INSIDER rounded up the funniest reviews for 21 of the weirdest Amazon products you can buy right now, at your own risk.

For only $39,000, you too can own these affordable "Niagara" Waterfall Diamond Glass Speakers.

Buy on Amazon for $39,004.71



Or, for the same amount, you can buy 1,300 tasteful peel-and-stick posters of this stock photo instead.

Buy on Amazon for $30.30



Another must-have product, "Crafting with Cat Hair" will teach you skills you never wanted in the first place.

Buy on Amazon for $9.10



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9 clues that gave away the big twist on Sunday’s 'The Walking Dead' mid-season finale

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

Sunday's mid-season finale of "The Walking Dead" promised a big, shocking moment fans would be talking about until the show returns and it made good on its word.

The show made a huge departure from the comic series when Carl revealed in the episode's final moments he was bitten by a walker at some point earlier on the show. Showrunner Scott Gimple said Carl's bite will play out as other bites have on the series. AKA Carl's toast. In an interview with ComicBook.com, Andrew Lincoln, who plays Carl's father Rick Gimple told him Carl would be dying.

Though many were surprised, eagle-eyed fans may have had an inkling if they were watching the show carefully or have been paying attention to actor Chandler Riggs on social media. Keep reading to see the clues that hinted that Riggs time was short on "The Walking Dead."

1. Chandler Riggs worried fans when he debuted a new haircut for a movie role.

November 30, Riggs showed off a new mullet. Fans instantly thought it might be bad news for Carl. People started tweeting things like "rip Carl Grimes" to the actor.



2. Riggs tweeted a few somber messages about his time on the show over the past few months.

"Coolest part about being in la is seeing myself on billboards," Riggs tweeted in October. "Makes me really appreciate twd & the fans for giving me such an awesome opportunity and a career. Idk if I'll ever be as successful as I am right now, but I'm so glad I got this chance to help tell a story that actually impacts people."

More recently, Riggs went down memory lane to recall his favorite moment to film on the show.

"Saw a question somewhere about my favorite scene to film in the first 3 seasons on twd was, had me thinking," he tweeted December 1. "Tbh all of the last episode of season 2 was so much fun to film. coolest part was dropping the lighter to just obliterate a horde of zombies."

He even trolled other outlets in November tweeting "y'all think i'm getting killed off every year."



3. Riggs announced he was accepted into college last year.

Last November, Riggs told fans he was accepted to go to college at Auburn University in Alabama.

Riggs said he hoped he would be able to juggle the responsibilities of both school and filming "The Walking Dead."

"Theoretically, I could take one or two classes on campus and maybe an online class," Riggs told The Hollywood Reporter about being a full-time student while working on the show last December. "My professors would have to be willing to cooperate. It wouldn't be easy but I think that could be possible."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Every single photo in the Kardashian family's epic '25 days of Christmas' card

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While the average American family might send the same holiday card to friends and relatives, the Kardashians are unveiling a 25-part photo series to tease their full holiday card — with one photo for every day in December leading up to Christmas.

Like everything the Kardashians do, their "25 days of Christmas" card is carefully curated for social media, with family members including Kim Kardashian West and Kris Jenner sharing one picture from the card every day.

Each photo highlights a different member of the brood — as Kardashian West told James Corden on "The Late Late Show," this year's card is limited to the women and kids in the family — captured by the photographer Eli Russell Linnetz.

In the midst of reports alleging that Kylie Jenner and Khloe Kardashian are expecting babies, people are speculating that the family is leading up to a big reveal of the news in this year's card. For that reason alone, it's worth keeping track of the pictures as they are released.

Below, take a look at every piece of the puzzle so far.

Day One's photo set the tone for the rest of the holiday card: Saint West stood next to a stack of holiday gifts amid a white background and a Christmas tree, partially cut out of the frame.

Instagram Embed:
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On Day Two, North West looked up at her mom in a photo that looks more like it's from a Gap commercial than a holiday card.

Instagram Embed:
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Kourtney's son, Reign, was featured in Day Three's photo.

Instagram Embed:
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41 people in their 40s who inspired us in 2017

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2017 was certainly an interesting one. Before you bid a fond farewell to the exhaustion, politics, and daily grind of it all, let's take a look back at the people who inspired us this year.

From Ta-Nehisi Coates' searingly insightful op-eds to Jessica Chastain's advocacy work, there's plenty of applause to go around. Which means that maybe, just maybe, 2017 wasn't completely terrible after all.

Rose McGowan brought attention to the #MeToo movement.

If 2017 was the year of the #metoo movement, then Rose McGowan was its loudest, proudest, angriest cheerleader. The 44-year-old actress is one of the dozens of women who accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment and assault, and continuously used her platform to advocate for victims of abuse.



Patty Jenkins directed the smash hit "Wonder Woman."

Not only did Patty Jenkins bring us an epic love letter to the power of women with her 2017 film "Wonder Woman," but she smashed a number of records along the way.

The 46-year-old is the first female director to rack in more than $800 million at the box office for a live-action film.



Roxane Gay published pieces that made us laugh and cry.

Roxane Gay writes books that will educate you, make you laugh, and send a swift punch right to your heart. In her 2017 New York Times best-seller "Hunger," the 43-year-old author chronicles, with incredible complexity, her childhood rape, and her struggles with overeating.

Gay’s honest prose makes her one of this year's most inspiring people — and her hilariously unapologetic Twitter presence is just the cherry on top.



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6 TV shows that completely don't deserve their Golden Globe nominations — sorry

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jonathan nancy stranger things

In many ways, this year's Golden Globes nominations for television shows got it so right.

We definitely celebrated the nominations for "The Crown,""Game of Thrones,""This Is Us,""Insecure," and "Master of None," among many others. In all, the Golden Globes put together a pretty good list of nominees. But there were a few instances that really threw us.

Keep reading to see which TV show nominations we believe aren't worthy.

"SMILF" is an uneven comedy that just feels so, well, Showtime-ish.

OK, so right off the bat we're annoyed by the show's title. Secondly, by the fact that the show's feel and premise (a single mom raising a kid in the concrete jungle) feels derivative from Showtime's own "Shameless," and other comedies about raising kids in the [insert lower-middle-class area of a big city].

And finally (and probably the most important as far as awards go), the show just feels uneven, as if it's trying to feel it's way toward what it really is and we have to watch it while it figures it out.

The inclusion of "SMILF" means more deserving shows like ""Insecure,""The Good Place," and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" could've had a shot. 



Netflix's "Stranger Things" season two is good, but not this good.

To be perfectly honest, we totally binge-watched the second season of "Stranger Things" as soon as it dropped. But we can also push back our fanboy love for the show enough to know that it doesn't really deserve to be among TV's top five dramas — especially not after its second season, which wasn't nearly as well-crafted nor as expertly plotted as its first season.

Golden Globes, you're late.

We do feel David Harbour's nomination for best supporting actor does feel right. His character really had to dig deep this season to play a father to a damaged Eleven.



Would you watch a comedy called "Will"? Yeah, neither would we.

We've probably never said we're excited to see what Will says next on "Will & Grace." That's why it's pretty alarming to us that Eric McCormack got a nomination for best actor while none of his co-stars got noms.

Sure, Will is funny, but is he funnier than the self-involved, Type A wannabee Grace? Or does he provide the off-the-wall antics of Jack or the hilarious posh humor of Karen?

Any one of those people would seem more or as deserving of a nom as McCormack. Yeah, this was a major oversight.



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The new Audi Q5 is one of the most high-tech cars you can buy — these are its best features

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  • Kelley Blue Book gave the Audi Q5 its 2018 Best Auto Tech Award for luxury brands.
  • The car has three available trims that start between $41,500-$50,800.
  • It has an impressive array of safety features that can detect surrounding cars and pedestrians to prevent or limit the damage from collisions.


If you're looking for a luxury car with advanced technology, it can be difficult to find an option that has standout features without breaking six figures.

That's why Kelley Blue Book gave the Audi Q5 its 2018 Best Auto Tech Award for a luxury brand. With its standard set of features, the car costs under $45,000, and fully loaded, it still doesn't reach $60,000.

Here's why Kelley Blue Book was so excited about the car:

SEE ALSO: We drove a $35,000 Mustang and a $120,000 Porsche to see which we liked better — here's the verdict

Audi's Q5 has been one of the brand's best-selling models since it was introduced in 2009. The 2018 edition received a significant overhaul, earning a rating of 9.6 out of 10 from Kelley Blue Book.



The car has three available trims, which start between $42,475-$51,775. Kelley Blue Book recommends the middle-priced option, the Premium Plus.



The car's "pre-sense" system boasts a number advanced safety features that come standard with any configuration, including the ability to sense other vehicles or pedestrians while driving up to 52 mph and automatically engage the brakes to lessen the chance or impact of a collision.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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