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6 mistakes unsuccessful people make in the New Year

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New Year Eve drunk party fun mess

2018 is almost here.

However, if you're going to start off on the right foot, you've got to have a good strategy and mindset.

Business Insider spoke with Ryan Kahn, career coach and founder of The Hired Group and creator of the "How To Get Hired" online course, about what not to do come January.

Here are eight mistakes that unsuccessful people make in the New Year — along with some advice on how to turn things around:

SEE ALSO: 7 things unsuccessful people do over holiday breaks

1. They don't reflect on their accomplishments

Many companies have performance reviews around this time, but even if yours doesn't, take the time to think about all that you've accomplished. Don't take your success for granted. "Take the time to think back on the year critically before heading out to holiday," Kahn said.



2. They forget to set goals

Kahn said it's important to think about your long-term goals and short-term steps around the New Year. You're not setting yourself up for success if you fail to sketch out some sort of path forward.



3. They leave loose ends

Unsuccessful people allow work to spill into their free time over the holidays. Try to celebrate the New Year by treating yourself to a much-deserved break. "Spend the extra time now to make sure you can enjoy worry-free time off," Kahn said.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

6 tricky morning routines that are difficult to pick up but will pay off for life

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The early birds will inherit the earth.

At least that's what a 2009 University of Leipzig study found. The researchers concluded that "morning people were more proactive than evening types."

But being an effective early riser isn't just about waking up before everyone else. It's about putting yourself in a positive mindset and getting important things done before everyone else.

So there's no point in setting your alarm clock at a crazy-early time if you're just going to zone out in front of the television for a bit before slouching off to work.

To start your day right, you've got to get into some good habits.

Following are six morning rituals that may seem hard to adopt but will ultimately reap major rewards, if you stick with them.

SEE ALSO: I tried waking up at 4 a.m. every day like Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi, but I ended up creating a perfect morning routine for myself

DON'T MISS: I followed Benjamin Franklin's daily schedule for a week, and the most rewarding part was also the most difficult

Make a plan the night before

This isn't a morning ritual per se, but it's a habit that's definitely conducive to a productive morning routine. So make sure to set yourself up for a successful morning by creating a game plan the night before.

It's always helpful to have everything you need for the day laid out and ready to go when you wake up. Make sure you're stocked on whatever you need for breakfast. Write out a little schedule on what you need to accomplish the next day.

This all sounds pretty simple, but when you're getting home at night, it's very tempting to just crash on the sofa with a glass of wine and leave all the thinking for tomorrow.



Wake up painfully early

Sorry, night owls. It's time to adapt.

In a poll of 20 executives cited by Laura Vanderkam, a time-management expert and the author of "What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast," 90% said they wake up before 6 a.m. on weekdays. PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, for example, wakes at 4 and is in the office no later than 7. Disney CEO Bob Iger gets up at 4:30 to read. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is up at 5:30 to go jogging.

Yes, this might sound awful, but if you get to sleep earlier, that'll numb the pain of such early wake-ups over time. The bottom line: Productive mornings start with early wake-up calls.



Start the day right with exercise

Yeah, there are super humans among us who crave that pre-sunrise workout (that, or they're just really good liars). Still, for everyone else, waking up at the crack of dawn to sweat and get sore probably doesn't sound ideal.

But the morning is probably the ideal time to exercise. By starting your day with exercise, you'll prevent yourself from putting it off.

Think about it this way: If some of the busiest people in the world can find time to workout, so can you. For example, Vanderkam notes that Xerox CEO Ursula Burns schedules an hourlong personal-training session at 6 a.m. twice a week.

US President Barack Obama starts out each day with strength and cardio training while Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey does three repetitions of a seven-minute workout, Anisa Purbasari reported for Business Insider.

"These are incredibly busy people," says Vanderkam. "If they make time to exercise, it must be important."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's what Trump's tax plan means for doctors — from pediatricians making $184,000 to anesthesiologists making $270,000 a year

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Donald Trump doctor physician

• Senate and House Republicans must agree on a final version of their competing tax plans before it can move forward.

• So far, both plans have attracted plenty of criticism.

• Career site Zippia broke down how the Senate tax plan could affect take-home pay in 2018 for people in various occupations.

• Business Insider homed in on how the plan could affect physicians.



Take-home pay is set to rise slightly under both tax plans put forward by congressional Republicans.

But most Americans shouldn't expect to collect a ton of extra pocket money, Business Insider's Lauren Lyons Cole reported. And, so far, the feedback from the public and experts regarding the plans has been overwhelmingly negative. According to a recent CBS poll, only 35% of Americans approve of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Career site Zippia provided Business Insider with data breaking down how different occupations fare under the Senate's tax plan.

Business Insider's Elena Holodny reported Americans "making around $200,000 to $500,000 would benefit less so from the proposed changes to the tax brackets and deductions." That also happens to be the income range many physicians fall within.

Business Insider specifically looked at how medical doctors fared under the new tax plan. The estimated federal tax savings below are for a single, childless taxpayer who claims the standard deduction.

Here's a look at how medical doctors, from pediatricians to anesthesiologists, could see their taxes change next year if the Senate's tax plan becomes law:

SEE ALSO: Here's what Trump's tax plan means for people at every income level from $20,000 to $269,000 a year

DON'T MISS: Here's what Trump's tax plan means for people making between $300,000 and $10 million a year

Pediatricians

Average salary: $184,240

Current tax: $41,657

Tax under the Senate plan: $36,856

Percent tax cut: 11.5%



Psychiatrists

Average salary: $200,220

Current tax: $46,131

Tax under the Senate plan: $41,970

Percent tax cut: 9.0%



Family and general practitioners

Average salary: $200,810

Current tax: $46,297

Tax under the Senate plan: $42,159

Percent tax cut: 8.9%



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The most outrageous things people tried to get through customs this year

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Travel is stressful — even unbearable at times.

But some travelers don't make it easy on themselves.

Take, for example, the travelers who tried to get any one of the bizarre items in the following photographs through customs.

Keep scrolling to see the strangest items the border force officers at Heathrow Airport confiscated in 2017.

The UK doesn't allow travelers to bring endangered species into the country.

Source



While this rule is stated clearly on the UK government's website, that hasn't stopped travelers from attempting to get a number of animal products into the country.



Everything from crocodile heads to monkey skulls sit in the custom house near Heathrow Airport in London.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

A look inside the daily routine of Apple CEO Tim Cook, who wakes up incredibly early and made $102 million in 2017

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Tim Cook Apple

• Apple CEO Tim Cook earned $12,825,066 this year, plus another $89 million in share awards.

Cook is a very private individual who wakes up early and makes time for exercise.

• He's a self-proclaimed "workaholic" who gets up to 800 emails a day.



Apple CEO Tim Cook's yearly earnings are directly tied to how well the tech giant performs in the stock market.

So judging from the size of his bonus, it's been a good year for Apple. Business Insider reported Cook raked in a grand total of $12,825,066 in 2017. About $3 million of that sum comes from the CEO's base salary — the rest amounted to "non-equity incentive plan compensation, which is essentially a cash bonus for top executives,"Business Insider's Becky Peterson writes. Bloomberg reported Cook also brought home $89 million in share awards, meaning his total compensation comes out to $102 million.

Since taking the helm of the tech giant in 2011, the CEO has established himself as a private individual, more focused on discussing Apple than his own life. Still, we can piece together some clues about his daily schedule.

Here's a look inside the typical routine of Apple's CEO:

SEE ALSO: Inside the daily routine of billionaire Bill Gates, who loves cheeseburgers, tours missile silos, and washes the dishes every night

Cook typically wakes up brutally early. According to USA Today, he usually rises at 3:45 a.m.

Source: USA Today



Once he's up, he gets to work reading through some of the 700 to 800 emails he gets every day. He once told ABC that he's "a bit of a workaholic" who reads "the majority of those" messages.

Source: Business Insider, Business Insider



Next, Cook hits the gym around 5 a.m. The CEO doesn't work out on Apple's campus, however. He prefers the privacy of an outside gym.

Source: Business Insider, Mashable



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

How to know if you should look for a new job — or an entirely new career

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After several years—or even a decade or two—in a particular field, you might feel that you're ready for something new.

You're at the end of your rope and you need a change. But you may not need to start from scratch.

"Sometimes people come to me and they say, 'I need a new career, I'm totally done," says Jessica Sweet, a career coach for mid-life professionals and executives at WishingWellCoach.com. "But it turns out they just need a new job. It's about defining the problem."

Before you leap off the job cliff, ask yourself a few questions:

SEE ALSO: 5 questions you should ask yourself before quitting your job

If I could do this work in a different environment, would I enjoy it?

Take the time to notice whether you're unsatisfied because of the work you're doing—or because of where you're doing it.  

"I find that people are often just miserable in their situation, and they can't separate the work from the bad boss, the crummy commute, or the coworkers who are backstabbing," Sweet says.

The verdict: If it's pretty clear that it's the people, places, or things—and not the actual work, it might be time for a new job, not necessarily a new career.



If tomorrow, I was told I couldn't work in my field anymore, how would I feel?

This question gets to the root of what you're passionate about. Do you feel a deep connection to what you're doing, or are you ready to break away?

"Remind yourself how you ended up in your field to begin with," says Cynthia Pong, a coach and facilitator at Embrace Change Consulting in New York City. "Think back and write down your 'spark story'—the story of how you first got excited about the work that you do. If you were never excited about it, that is important to recognize."

The verdict: If you were excited once, but now only feel dread, boredom or worse, it might be time to talk to a career coach about exploring new possibilities.



Do I know what my 'perfect promotion' would be?

Craft a job description that would make you thrive, what would it look like? Does the new description focus on your skills and talents that are currently being underutilized?

"One of the best exercises I do with my clients, before they make any big decisions, is make sure we know what they truly want so we can determine whether that can be found at their current job, in their current industry, or somewhere completely different," says Kelsey Murphy, career strategist and founder of online work-life community Whiskey & Work.

The verdict: Determining your future goals can help you see whether you're on the right path. It will make it clearer whether switching jobs can bring you satisfaction, or a career change is in your future.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's what you can expect from the year ahead, according to your zodiac sign

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Lisbon Woman on StreetSolid structures can be built this year in both your material and emotional life. It’s very much about taking responsibility for where you are in life, where you want to be, and deciding to make changes. In doing so, you take one step at a time to a more self-actualized life where you can improve and grow by being accountable for your own self-development. Read the 2018 Sun Sign and watch the video reports on Jennifer’s You-Tube channel for more detail as to the effects of major outer planetary moves.

ARIES: This year is very much about learning to trust your instincts and yourself.

The year ahead:  This year is very much about learning the lesson of trusting your instincts and therefore, trusting yourself. 

Love: You can advance your love life by building intimacy between you and another. Be prepared to say how you feel from your heart. No holding back. 

Career: Your career can take off now. Put in the hours and your dedication and hard work will be well rewarded. 

Money: Take charge of your financial situation. Be proactive about learning about money management, new forms of financial structure, and investing to ensure your money works harder for you. Do the research, take responsibility, and be smarter about money matters and it will pay off. 

Spirit: In 2018, you can get in touch with the real you and that will show in the eye's of others



TAURUS: This is a year to courageously step into the unknown and take charge of changes in your life.

The year ahead: This is a year to courageously step into the unknown and take charge of changes in your life. 

Love: You can be lucky in love. If you’re single, be ready to recognize a love interest and act upon it. Dare to be different, bold and upfront and love can capture your heart. If you are in a relationship and your goals are aligned you can achieve great things together. 

Career: When you follow your heart, you will walk the path of your soul purpose. For business success, follow your dreams and be true to you. 

Money: As life changes, so does everything else, as well as the way you think about and deal with money. Be open to adopting new ways of managing your cash. 

Spirit: To develop spiritually, it takes conscious effort. Put the time in to learn more, and personal rewards will follow.



GEMINI: It's up to you to recognize the opportunities that cross your path and take action.

The year ahead: Opportunities cross your path, however, it’s up to you to recognize them and take action. 

Love: The more you know and value yourself as the fabulous person you are, the more easily you’ll attract your perfect partner. Be open and honest about who you are and don’t try to be anyone else. 

Career: This year you can cash in on the work preparation and lessons you’ve learned. Ideas, options, and opportunities present themselves. Make sure the decisions and choices you make are in line with where you want to end up.

Money: Teamwork and partnerships will help boost your bank balance. However, ensure that all proceedings are of the highest level of integrity.

Spirit: Your imagination and intuition are sharp. Flashes of inspiration can inspire you at a deep spiritual level. Take note of how you feel not just how you think.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

I traveled through Northern India and the culture was absolutely mesmerizing

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  • Traveling through Northern India is a life-changing experience. 
  • Blogger La Carmina had the opportunity to experience India's fascinating spirituality and fringe culture first-hand. 
  • Here are some of the highlights from her journey. 

I dreamed of visiting India since my teenage years when I read about the adventures of Beatniks and hippies in this colorful country. I finally got the chance to visit Northern India this summer, traveling "on the road" to several cities with Janu Private Tours.

I was keen to see India's fascinating spirituality and fringe cultures first-hand. My fluent guide Mr. Janu customized the trip to match my exact interests. I saw alien-like astrology instruments, hugged elephants in an ethical sanctuary, and even made friends with "hijra," the third recognized gender. 

From the cremation grounds and Kali temples of Varanasi to sunrise at the Taj Mahal, here are some of the highlights of my life-changing journey. 

India is a visual delight for anyone who loves art and culture. I adopted the local fashion, and fell in love with this peacock gate inside Jaipur's City Palace.



India can be a difficult country to visit on one's own, and I'm glad I put my trust with the inspiring Mr. Janu. He started out as a tuk-tuk driver who barely spoke English, and built Janu Private Tours into a successful team that arranges trips all through India.



In New Delhi, Mr. Janu took me to the magnificent Jama Masjid mosque, which has sandstone arches and carvings in the Mughal style. It's located right next to the alleyways of Old Delhi, which I explored in a raucous rickshaw ride.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's when all of your favorite shows are coming back to TV this year

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this is us siblings

It's almost time for the return of all of your favorite shows.

After most shows take a short winter break, the new year sets the dates for when they are coming back. Shows like "Riverdale" and "This Is Us" are returning in January. The new year also brings new seasons of shows like Netflix's "Jessica Jones," which is back in March. 

We still might not know the exact dates of the return of shows like "Westworld,""The Handmaid's Tale," and "Legion," but we do know quite a few.

For all the new shows coming next year, go here.

Here's when you can watch new episodes of all of your favorite returning shows.

January 1

"Lovesick" (Netflix) 



January 1 at 8 p.m EST

"The Bachelor" (ABC) 

"Lucifer" (Fox) 

 



January 1 at 9 p.m. EST

"Valor" (The CW) 

"The Gifted" (Fox) 

"60 Days In" (A&E) 

"Better Late Than Never" (NBC) 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

I ate Jeff Bezos' mythical 'breakfast octopus' — and I now feel like I have a better understanding of the iconic Amazon CEO

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  • Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos once told the founder of daily deals site Woot over breakfast that he had acquired the company because it was like the "breakfast octopus" he was eating — something he "didn't understand."
  • The restaurant where they ate is Lola, a famous upscale eatery in Seattle near Amazon's offices.
  • I visited Lola to try the dish. It left me convinced Bezos' "breakfast octopus" analogy was not an offhand remark, but something that he had deliberately planned.

 

Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos, now the richest man in the world, is ripe for dissection.

In endless magazine profiles, newspaper articles, blog posts, and books, every episode of the enigmatic Amazon CEO's life is analyzed. Through them, a portrait of Bezos has emerged: intense, intimidating, curious, relentlessly competitive, and with a biting sense of humor. 

But only one of the hundreds of anecdotes I've read about him captures my imagination. That of the "breakfast octopus."

In a 2014 Dallas' D Magazine profile of Matt Rutledge, who sold his daily-deals e-commerce company, Woot, to Amazon for $110 million in 2010, Rutledge shared the story of his first meeting with Bezos after the deal.

During the breakfast meeting, Rutledge asked Bezos why he bought the company. Bezos famously looked down at his plate and said, "You're the octopus that I'm having for breakfast ... When I look at the menu, you're the thing I don't understand, the thing I've never had. I must have the breakfast octopus."

On a recent trip to Seattle, I made a pilgrimage to Seattle restaurant Lola to see what the "breakfast octopus" was all about.

SEE ALSO: Inside the secretive waterfront town that's home to Bill Gates' $125 million 'Xanadu 2.0' and Jeff Bezos' $91 million estate

Lola is located in between South Lake Union, a neighborhood so full of Amazon buildings that locals call it Amazonia, and Pike Place Market, Seattle's most famous landmark after the Space Needle. It's a seven-minute walk from Bezos' office at Day One Tower.



From the outside, the restaurant looked somewhere between a casual brunch place to meet with friends and an upscale date night spot.



It looked to be very busy at 10:30 AM on the Thursday before Christmas. When I went inside, I was told that it would be a 30 to 45-minute wait. The restaurant was buzzing.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here are all the UK tech figures named in the Queen's New Year's Honours list

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Cisco Adetunji Akintokun

Every year, the Queen's New Year's Honours list awards people in the UK who have made important contributions to society, including everything from charity, to journalism, and technology.

This year, the New Year's Honours list includes 16 people from the world of tech. The list features everyone from an artificial intelligence pioneer, a cybersecurity expert, and a pioneering investor.

Read on to see the list:

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis.

Demis Hassabis is the CEO and one of three cofounders of Google DeepMind, the London-headquartered artificial intelligence company that Google acquired in 2014 for a reported £400 million.

The company is best-known for its AlphaGo AI, which beat the world's best player at the board game Go. DeepMind has since made its AI agent even stronger.

Hassabis is made a CBE for services to science and technology.



techUK president Jacqueline de Rojas

Jacqueline de Rojas is the president of techUK, a non-profit organisation which represents the UK's technology industry.

De Rojas is a non-executive director on the board of Rightmove and on the board of Costain. She was appointed the chair of Digital Leaders in October.

De Rojas is made a CBE for services to international trade in the technology industry.



Hyperoptic managing director Dana Tobak

Tobak cofounded fibre-based internet service provider Hyperoptic in 2011. The company supplies ultrafast internet to new buildings and existing businesses.

Tobak is made a CBE for services to the digital economy.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

19 Grammy winners who don't deserve the awards — sorry

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Marcus Mumford Mumford and sons

The Grammys are supposed to celebrate excellence in music. But the Recording Academy misses the mark so frequently that they're almost a joke among music fans.

As one old "Simpsons" line shows, the Grammys aren't considered to be as prestigious as an Oscar or a Tony. There are currently 80 categories, which dilutes the value of the awards. And they've made so many slip-ups that they're not easy to take seriously.

But still, the Grammys hold a rarefied place in music — Chance the Rapper said he wanted to "snatch the Grammy" in a guest rap on Kanye West's "Ultralight Beam" (and then did) — so it's a shame they get it so wrong so frequently.

Here are the 18 most undeserving winners in Grammy history.

A 20-year-old Eric Clapton song won instead of "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

"Layla" is a great song. There's no denying that. But it just doesn't make sense that Clapton's acoustic cover of his own song, 20 years later, beat Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," the defining song of a decade, in the 1993 best rock song category.



Kings of Leon should have never won over Beyoncé or Lady Gaga.

Little more than an anemic one-hit wonder band, Kings of Leon had a remarkable stretch of Grammy success in the lat 2000s — but the victories for "Use Somebody" went too far.

At the 2010 Grammys, the band won the best record award for "Use Somebody," over Beyoncé's "Halo," Lady Gaga's "Poker Face,""I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas, and "You Belong With Me" by Taylor Swift. Fortunately, they lost the Song of the Year Award to "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it)" by Beyoncé.



A cover album won Album of the Year over an Amy Winehouse classic.

It's sweet that Herbie Hancock made a great album of songs covering his friend Joni Mitchell and that luminaries like Leonard Cohen, Tina Turner, and Norah Jones pitched in for the project, titled "River: The Joni Letters." But shouldn't the "Album of the Year" award go to, you know, something new? The category in 2008 had "Back to Black" from Amy Winehouse and "Graduation" by Kanye West.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

78 years ago, the B-24 Liberator took its first flight — here's how it helped bring down the Nazis

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B-24 Liberator bomber aircraft World War II

As the US military was looking to expand production of Boeing's B-17 bomber in the late 1930s, Washington asked Consolidated Aircraft to start producing the plane.

But after a visit to Boeing's factory in Seattle, Consolidated proposed a totally new aircraft.

Consolidated was granted a design study for a new bomber with specifications exceeding those of B-17. The company quickly turned out a new bomber design, and it received a contract for a flyable prototype, the XB-24, in March 1939.

On December 29, 1939, the XB-24 took its first flight — just a few months after Nazi Germany's Blitzkrieg swept over Poland in September. By spring 1940, Adolf Hitler's forces were marching through Western Europe and Consolidated's new bomber was sent to the British.

B-24 Liberator bomber aircraft World War II

1940 came to a close with Nazi Germany ascendant.

US had not yet entered the war, but President Franklin Roosevelt exhorted American industry to shift from peacetime production and start churning out the materials needed to bolster Allied forces teetering on the brink of defeat.

"Guns, planes, ships, and many other things have to be built in the factories and the arsenals of America. They have to be produced by workers and managers and engineers with the aid of machines which in turn have to be built by hundreds of thousands of workers throughout the land," Roosevelt said on December 29, 1940. "We must be the arsenal of democracy."

The B-24 bomber, dubbed the Liberator, would become a mainstay of that arsenal. The hearty bomber saw service in all theaters of the war but played an essential role in the effort to pummel German forces in Europe.

"The B-24 has guts," the Army Air Force's pilot-instruction manual said. "It can take it and dish it out. It can carry a bigger bomb load farther and faster, day in and day out, than any airplane that has passed the flaming test of combat."

Below, you can see how the vaunted B-24 went from prototype to the most mass-produced aircraft in history — helping carry Allied forces to victory along the way:

SEE ALSO: 73 years ago, the Nazis launched their last great western offensive of World War II — here are 13 photos of the Battle of the Bulge

By the beginning of 1941, other manufacturers had joined the effort to build B-24s. The Ford Motor Company made the audacious promise to build one bomber every hour — a claim that drew derision from the aircraft industry, which doubted an automobile company was capable of such a feat.

Source: "The Arsenal of Democracy"



In January 1942, when Edsel Ford, then the president of the company named after his father, first saw the B-24 at the Consolidated Aircraft factory in San Diego, he said, "It appeared a monstrosity." A prototype had been completed a year earlier, and the finished product was 66 feet 4 inches long and 17 feet 11 inches tall, with a wingspan of 110 feet — the longest of any aircraft of any kind in the US.

The wings were "exceptionally long and unusually narrow, with a high-aspect ratio that provided extraordinary lift," A.J. Baime writes in "The Arsenal of Democracy." The wing "was mounted shoulder-level on the fuselage so that it looked like arms outstretched, and the four engines hung down."

The Ford team found it would need 5 miles of wire, cut into almost 3,000 pieces ranging in length from 8 inches to 32 feet, for a B-24. The plane's components were 85% aluminum alloy and 13% steel. The rest was a mix of magnesium, brass, plastic, rubber, and other materials.

Each bomber also required 360,000 rivets — some one-sixteenth of an inch long and weighing .00005 pounds; others 50 times as long and weighing 0.05 pounds.



Ford and his top engineer, Charles Sorensen, believed Consolidated Aircraft had "created a hell of a weapon," but they criticized the company's production method, which was time-consuming and done in the open air, exposing the plane to the heat and cold. The Ford team knew how to build a lot of B-24s quickly: mass production on an assembly line.

Depending on the model, the B-24 was manned by a crew of between seven and 10 men stationed around the plane's cramped confines. The bombardier, stationed in the belly, controlled the payload doors. The flight crew, including the navigator and flight engineer, also manned the bomber's machine-gun turrets, which were set in the nose, tail, spine, and belly.

Twenty seven gauges and 12 levers spread across the instrument panel in the cockpit, used to control the bomber's speed and fuel. The four engines could put out a total of 4,800 horsepower, then the equivalent of 56 Ford V8s.

Source: Military Factory, "The Arsenal of Democracy"

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

RANKED: The 20 most popular TV shows of 2017

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walking dead amcA war is waging between "Game of Thrones" and "The Walking Dead" for the title of the most popular television show in the world, but which one will come out on top?

To figure out what shows have captured the world's attention, INSIDER worked with Parrot Analytics, which analyzes ratings data (where available), social media chatter, blogging, and illegal pirating, among other factors, to figure out the viewer demand for shows.

With all the different ways we're watching TV nowadays - online, mobile, and streaming, etc. - Parrot provides one of the best ways to compare shows across platforms and measure how popular they really are.

In ranking the popularity of these shows, Parrot assigned them an expressions total that reflects average daily audience demand from all countries from January 1 to December 18, 2017, which is adjusted for each country's population.

Here are the 20 most popular TV shows in the world for 2017, according to Parrot Analytics:

20. "Teen Wolf" (MTV)

Average demand expressions: 3.02 million



19. "Gotham" (Fox)

Average demand expressions: 3.18 million



18. "Supernatural" (The CW)

Average demand expressions: 3.45 million



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What it's like to live with a supercar in a big city

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Few things are better than the visceral enjoyment of driving a supercar.

Ask any car enthusiast which driver's seat they prefer and the answer, almost invariably, will be one that sits low, with a big, thunderous engine out back and a six-figure price tag.

As true as that might be, it's almost cliché to say that supercars are the stuff of dreams. Certainly they are for most people. For others — including journalists like myself who get to drive these things from time to time — they are less of a dream and more of a study in harsh realities.

Outside of a racetrack or some flawless stretch of pavement underneath an impeccable sky, supercars are otherwise useless. Some of them are works of art, to be sure, but once removed from their natural habitats and employed as daily drivers, they are basically loud, over-engineered land missiles that cost more than four times the average annual US household income.

Own one of these cars in a city like San Francisco and you're in for a stressful experience. And if you're like most city dwellers who don't have a personal garage, you can add paranoia and lack of sleep to the mix.

Audi loaned me a new Audi R8 V-10 Plus that I would spend a week with in San Francisco. All things considered, this is one of the few supercars that tries to make itself livable as a daily driver.

There are more than a few areas where the R8 shines. So my experience driving this car in and around the city by the bay, though challenging, had less to do with the car itself and more to do with the general headache caused by city living with this much power beneath my feet.

Allow me to explain:

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A day with the R8: excitement, joy, visions of how I'll look behind the wheel. I eyeballed that parking sign more than once and double-checked the curb before I could comfortably walk away.



When your wheels are 20-inch rolling sculptures like these, you try your best not to let a hostile curb destroy them.



Nothing about the R8 is ordinary. These racing seats are firm and supportive. Off the racetrack, they're better for short city jaunts instead of long drives. Avoid potholes at all costs. These buckets will not forgive you. Neither will the wheels. Nor the suspension.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

17 photos that prove the country where America has been fighting its longest war is actually one of the most beautiful on earth

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For most people around the world, hearing the name Afghanistan brings to mind images of war, terrorism, political turmoil, and a near-failed state whose human development index is one of the lowest in the world.

The United States has been at war in the country for over 16 years — the longest in American history. Afghanistan has been embroiled in conflict for almost 40 years, during which the Afghan people have experienced a Communist coup, an invasion by the Soviet Union, and the rise of al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Just this week, an ISIS militant detonated a bomb in a Shia cultural center and news agency in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital, killing over 40 people. The tragedy evoked just how much violent extremism still hampers the country's progress.

But underneath this brutal and frustrating modern history lies a country with a natural and cultural beauty that has few equals in today's world. With sweeping valleys, snow-capped peaks, and a patchwork of cultures and peoples, Afghanistan is truly one of the most gorgeous places on earth.

Here are 17 stunning photos that showcase the side of Afghanistan you won't see on the news:

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When American soldiers first arrived in 2001, many were taken aback by the stark contrast between the war and the natural beauty all around them.



"The surroundings were so beautiful," recounted Sergeant Thristan Tupaz. "Even though there is a war going on, I know there's going to be Taliban surrounding us — for some odd reason I just find it very peaceful."

Source: Journalism for the Soul



Afghanistan is nestled amid the steep Hindu Kush mountains between South Asia and the Middle East, and its peaks stand among some of the highest in the world.



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RANKED: The 10 best European Airlines

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  • Consumer aviation website Skytrax releases an annual ranking of the best airlines in the world.
  • For 2017, five European carriers made it into the top 20.

Every year, consumer aviation website Skytrax releases its list of the best airlines in the world. Even though airlines from Asia traditionally dominate the Skytrax rankings, European carriers have managed to hold their own amid some tough competition. 

In fact, the last non-Asian airline to take home Skytrax's Airline of the Year award was British Airways in 2006. 

This year, five European airlines managed to make it into the top 20 with two in the top 10. 

The Skytrax rankings are based on the impressions of 19.87 million travelers from 105 different countries. The survey, which covered more than 325 airlines, measured 49 parameters ranging from boarding procedures to seat comfort to the quality of service.

Here's a closer look at the 10 best airlines in Europe. 

SEE ALSO: RANKED: The 10 best economy-class airlines in the world

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10. Virgin Atlantic Airways

Overall rank: 33

Why it's awesome: Virgin Atlantic is the crown jewel of Sir Richard Branson's aviation holdings. However, with a 49% stake in the airline, Delta is actually VA's largest single shareholder. Virgin Group retains only 20% of the airline's shares. But VA's service, product, and ambiance are all Branson. From the purple mood lighting all the way to the stylish crew uniforms. 

See additional airline information at Skytrax.



9. Aeroflot Russian Airlines

Overall rank: 30

Why it's awesome: While Aeroflot's image in the west may be that of grizzled pilots wrangling old Soviet machinery through the treacherous Russian winter. In reality, things are very different. These days the new Aeroflot operates a fleet of new Airbus and Boeing jets. For 2017, Skytrax named Aeroflot the Best Airline in Eastern Europe. 

See additional airline information at Skytrax.



8. Norwegian

Overall rank: 28

Why it's awesome: Norwegian has been one of the most disruptive forces in commercial aviation over the past 10 years. The Scandinavian airline also helped reintroduce no-frills economy flying to the skies over the North Atlantic. This year, it was named the Best Low-Cost Airline in Europe by Skytrax. Norwegian also took home the prize for the World's Best Low-Cost Long-Haul Airline.

See additional airline information at Skytrax.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

LeBron James is turning 33 — take a look at the life of the Lamborghini-driving, mansion-buying 'cheapest guy in the NBA'

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LeBron James turns 33 on Saturday, December 30, but his on-court play shows no signs of aging. Neither has his spending, which has only increased as he accumulates wealth.

With over $233 million in salary and millions more in endorsements over his career, the Cleveland Cavaliers star has made quite a fortune for himself. Yet, he refuses to pay for apps or music and owns his title of "the cheapest guy in the NBA."

LeBron and the Cavs play at the Utah Jazz on his birthday. Here's a look at his fabulous life off the court:

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LeBron bought a newly built home this month in Los Angeles. The $23 million mansion is packed with plenty of amenities, 10 bedrooms, and an onyx bar.

Source: Business Insider



His new home is his second pad in Los Angeles. His Akron, Ohio house is also worth multi-millions, and he sold his Miami mansion a few years ago for a profit of $4 million.

Source: LA Times



LeBron gets his tattoos from New York's Keith "Bang Bang" McCurdy. The exclusive artist also inks up Rihanna, Justin Bieber, and Katy Perry with minimum prices of $500 an hour.

Source: Bang Bang, NPR



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The 17 biggest tech scandals of 2017

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Travis Kalanick2017 has been a reckoning of sorts.

Years of sexual misconduct in the tech industry (and elsewhere) were brought to light this year.

Tech giants like Facebook and Google had to answer questions about their roles in swaying the 2016 election. 

Apple finally owned up to intentionally slowing down old iPhones.

Even YouTube star PewDiePie had a fall from grace, losing out on a lucrative deal with Disney for making anti-Semitic comments.  

In short, it's been quite a year in tech. 

What follows are the biggest scandals in the tech industry over the course of the last year. Grab some popcorn:

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January: Uber's very bad year kicks off with #DeleteUber.

It's been an extraordinarily rocky year for Uber. Its bad luck began in January when the #DeleteUber movement led to a flurry of account deletions by customers upset about the company's ties to President Trump. It lost more than 200,000 customers in just one weekend.

As the year progressed, CEO Travis Kalanick resigned amid an investor revolt, many of Uber's other top executives resigned or were forced out, shady business practices were revealed, and more than 20 employees were fired as a result of an investigation into bad behavior in the workplace that includes sexual harassment.

(Plus, there was the Susan Fowler letter, the Waymo lawsuit, and the data breach, all of which deserve their own separate slides — more on those scandals to come.)

By December, Japanese investment firm SoftBank announced it had bought up around 15% of Uber at a 30% discount. SoftBank offered $33 per Uber share, which puts the company's value at $48 billion, a significant decrease from the $69 billion valuation it had after its last funding round.

Uber has said it still plans to go public by 2019



February: Former Uber engineer Susan Fowler alleges sexual harassment and gender discrimination at the company.

In February, a former Uber employee named Susan Fowler said in a personal blog post that she was sexually harassed and experienced gender bias during her year at the company.

The allegations were made in a post Fowler titled "Reflecting On One Very, Very Strange Year At Uber," which detailed how she was propositioned for sex by her manager, was ignored and lied to by HR, and was excluded based on her gender. 

CEO Travis Kalanick immediately launched an internal investigation into sexual harassment and gender discrimination at Uber, which eventually led to his own resignation.

Meanwhile, Fowler has a movie deal, and is expected to have a book deal soon.



February: Disney drops YouTube star PewDiePie after he posted videos containing anti-Semitic messages.

In February, Disney dropped YouTube star PewDiePie after he posted a series of videos that featured anti-Semitic messages. 

PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, is known for making gaming videos that often contain expletives and other colorful language. While a review by the Wall Street Journal found several videos containing anti-Semitic jokes, it was a video from January 11 that likely cost Kjellberg his deal with Disney. In the video, Kjellberg hired two men to make a sign that read "Death to All Jews" using the freelancer website Fiverr, where you can pay someone $5 to do something for you. Kjellberg later said the video was a joke that had gone too far.

Soon after, YouTube killed the second season of "Scare PewDiePie," and removed Kjellberg from its preferred advertising program.

Then, in September, Kjellberg used a racial epithet in an expletive-laden outburst during one of his popular live streams. He later apologized, saying, "I'm really sorry if I offended, hurt, or disappointed anyone with all of this."



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Here's what Trump's tax plan means for people working in tech making between $43,000 and $145,000 a year

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• US President Donald Trump has signed tax reform into law.

• Career site Zippia broke down how the final tax bill could affect take-home pay in 2018 for people in various occupations.

• Business Insider looked into how the tax bill would affect people working in a range of tech-related jobs.



US President Donald Trump has signed the GOP's huge tax reform effort into law, despite harsh criticisms of the plan from the public and experts.

Business Insider's Lauren Lyons Cole reported that while take-home pay is set to rise under the tax reform plan, most Americans won't see a ton of extra cash in their pockets. But how much you save also depends on how much you currently earn.

Career site Zippia provided us with data breaking down how different occupations fare under the finalized tax plan. Business Insider decided to look into how the new plan will affect tech workers in particular.

The estimated federal tax savings below are for a single, childless taxpayer who owns a house valued at three times their salary. Zippia's calculations factored in whether a given taxpayer would benefit most from taking the standard deduction or itemizing deductions.

Following is a look at how tech workers in a number of occupations, from computer operators to computer and information systems managers, could see their taxes change next year.

SEE ALSO: Here's what Trump's tax plan means for doctors making between $184,000 and $270,000 a year

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Computer operators

Average salary: $43,880

Current tax: $4,389

Tax under the Republican plan: $3,635

Percent tax cut: 17.2%



Computer network support specialists

Average salary: $67,770

Current tax: $8,747

Tax under the Republican plan: $8,209

Percent tax cut: 6.2%



Web developers

Average salary: $72,150

Current tax: $9,643

Tax under the Republican plan: $9,066

Percent tax cut: 6.0%



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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