The beauty of losing a presidential election is that you have a bunch of free time to invite your closest friends in business and politics to an awesome retreat at an exclusive resort in Utah.

The Washington Post reports that this week, Mitt Romney hosted high-powered retreat for lawmakers, investors, business leaders and the like at the five star Stein Eriksen Lodge.

Romney is "increasingly" managing his son Tagg's private equity firm, Solamere, WaPo says, and he wanted to get all the investors together.

Problem is, he also wanted to get all of his political friends together to talk about the issues facing the country. So what is a busy man to do?

Overlap the two conferences of course.

The political conference was billed as a Romney-style Aspen Ideas Festival and called, The Experts and Enthusiasts (E2). According to the Post, business leaders that came for the Solamere conference, often ended up staying for the end of E2.

And why not? When speakers include David Axelrod and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and yoga sessions are led by Cindy Crawford, you've gotta stay another day.

And of course, hedge fund SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci was there (from WaPo):

“They tied it into Solamere, they’re raising another fund,” Anthony Scaramucci, the New York investor who organizes a popular hedge fund schmoozefest known as the SALT conference, said as he sank into a leather couch. “There was a micro business thing — Solamere; a macro business thing — managerial leadership.”

For the full piece head to Washington Post>

Stein Eriksen is a Norwegian style lodge located in Park City, Utah. Obviously it wasn't this snowy when the Romneys were there this week, but here's the main lodge.

It was founded by Olympic skier Stein Eriksen and sits 8,100 feet high.

There are 180 rooms in the resort, packages range from $26-$300/night right now, though in season they shoot way up into the thousands.

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To riff off the lyrics of a song by the late Notorious B.I.G.: more money, more problems.

While that's certainly true in life, the problems compound after death as creditors, heirs and the Internal Revenue Service come calling for their share of an estate.

The twin burdens of fame and fortune don't make estate planning any easier. If anything, having all the money in the world only complicates everything. 

Whether due to hubris, bad advice or just plain not planning on dying, celebs make the same mistakes as regular folks and then some.

Leona Helmsley

The infamous "Queen of Mean" may have died with a truly high-class problem: dying with too much money to comprehend. The widow of real estate magnate Harry Helmsley was a multibillionaire, and at the time of her death intended that her estate provide for the care of dogs "and such other charitable activities as the trustees shall determine," according to a 2009 article in The New York Times.

Leona Helmsley wisely planned for her dog, Trouble, to be taken care of after her passing. Her judgment came into question with the actual details of the plan.

"She gave $12 million in trust for a dog, and at the same time, she cut out two of her grandchildren," says Herb Nass, a New York-based attorney and author of the book "The 101 Biggest Estate Planning Mistakes."

"She was an enormously wealthy person, and for her to leave so much to a dog and nothing to two grandchildren just makes me think she did not quite understand the extent of her wealth in some ways," he says.

A judge subsequently reduced Trouble's trust fund to $2 million (the dog has since died), and the disinherited grandchildren received a $6 million settlement.

Sammy Davis Jr.

Singing and dancing legend Sammy Davis Jr. died in 1990. He was a member, along with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, of the iconic Rat Pack. Despite a long career in show business, acknowledged posthumously with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Davis' estate had dwindled from his heyday to the time of his death. When he died, he left behind a large tax bill that the estate was unable to pay.

"He had a will that was very generous to a lot of people, and at the end of the day when he died, his estate was insolvent. Basically, the debt exceeded the assets," says Nass.

Steve McNair

Young people at the top of their game have every reason to believe they have plenty of time to plan for death, but for too many, that's not the case.

"Here in Nashville (Tenn.), the quarterback of our pro football team, Steve McNair, was shot by a girlfriend, and turns out he had no documents," says Howard Safer, chief executive officer of Argent Trust Company of Tennessee.

McNair left behind a wife and children, in addition to his mother whom he was supporting. One consequence of his untimely death was the displacement of his mother from the 45-acre six-bedroom home McNair had purchased for her, according to a blog post by North Carolina attorney Sabrina Winters. His estate was also hit with a massive tax bill as a result of not planning, according to a 2012 report by Estate Planning Source, which prepares trust documents to its network of attorneys.

In March 2012, McNair's widow petitioned the probate court in Tennessee to get $3.7 million released from the estate in order to pay federal and state estate taxes, Estate Planning Source reported.

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From New York to Bangkok, it seems that every culture in the world has its own comforting and nostalgic street food.

This week, foodies and chefs from around the world are gathering in Singapore for the World Street Food Congress, a 10-day extravaganza that brings together the best street food from around the world.

The Jamboree, which lasts until Sunday, offers the best street foods from around the globe. You'll find everything from crispy fish tacos from Mexico to fragrant laksa (fish soup) from Malaysia.

From Portland we have a deep fried soft shell crab burger on a toasted bun with tomato and spicy mayo.

Mexico brings us a crispy fish taco. The fish is tilapia, battered and fried, topped with chipotle mayonnaise and red cabbage.

Here's a plate of Nasi Manado. Manado is a city in Indonesia, and a style of cooking. The rice (nasi) is surrounded by a skewer of pork and other incredibly spicy foods.

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It takes teamwork for power couples to work while also maintaining a happy personal life.

Personal and professional demands—children, emails,  meetings—challenge these duos' relationships.

From turning off the phone to watching Sunday night TV, these 16 power couples have unique ways to help each other stay on top of their game.

Jeff Bezos proofreads his wife Mackenzie's manuscripts.

Jeff Bezos, CEO and Chairman of Amazon.com, found help from his wife Mackenzie when starting Amazon, and it was reciprocated by Jeff, who served as an extra set of eyes for Mackenzie's novel manuscripts. They have since had four children, but that doesn't stop the couple's synergistic relationship.

According to a Vogue interview, "'Jeff is my best reader,' she says of her more well known spouse, who will cheerfully clear his schedule for the day, read her manuscript in one sitting, and give her meticulous notes on her work."

A close friend of the couple's told Vogue that “Family is very important to Jeff, and he absolutely relies on her to create that stable home life. They are such a normal, close-knit family, it’s almost abnormal.”

David Goldberg saves work until Sunday night.

No surprise that the Sandberg-Goldberg couple is massively busy between balancing children, housework, and a couple of companies called Facebook and SurveyMonkey. 

Sandberg, a media staple thanks to her views on "Leaning In" to ambition, prides herself on her relationship with Goldberg. Sandberg says the relationship labor-split is 50-50, making both of their goals more attainable and clearly embodying Sandberg's philosophy.

Goldberg says that his wife is his closest advisor, but when he does inevitably need to address work on his own, he waits until his family life is in order. 

"I save everything up until Sunday night. If I start sending emails starting Saturday afternoon, then people respond by Sunday and I have to answer those. I don't respond before Sunday unless the email is urgent."

Brit and Dave Morin put their phones away at dinner.

The Martha Stewart of Silicon Valley — without the criminal record — Brit Morin is the founder of Brit + Co., while husband Dave Morin is the co-founder and CEO of Path.

While the two relate often and well about the type of work that goes on in the office, Mrs. Morin says the most arduous challenge of their relationship comes in leaving work at work.  

"[Going to dinner without our phones is] our biggest accomplishment. We have the itch to reach into our pocket, but we don't."

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Editor's note: Daniel Stocker is a car nut who loves taking photos. He shared some photos and memories from his trip to this year's Villa d'Este Concorso d'Eleganza with Business Insider. You can see more of his work here.

This year I attended the Villa d'Este Concorso d'Eleganza, an exclusive auto show on the shores of Italy's Lake Como, for the third time.

The first day of the Concorso takes place in the gardens of the beautiful Villa d'Este Hotel, and is open only to press and invited guests. On the second day, the cars are moved to Villa Erba, a nearby park, so they can be presented to the public. The extensive parkway is by no means inferior in beauty to the smaller one at the Villa d'Este. 

In addition to the show, RM Auctions held an auction at Villa Erba, and made a few wealthy car collectors and investors very happy.

But it's not just the cars that make this event so beautiful and unique: It's a mixture of the scenery, the sounds of yesteryear's finest racecars, and the scent of 1930s Rolls-Royce leather upholsteries.

Aston Martin is one of two manufacturers to celebrate a significant birthday this year, so it came as no surprise that they brought along their very own centennial birthday present: the CC100 Speedster. Based on the V12 Vantage and inspired by the 1959 DBR1, the CC100 features some design cues we might soon encounter in Aston Martin production cars. The multi-layered grill already found its way onto the front of the new V12 Vantage S.

A whole class was dedicated to Aston Martins of yesteryear, with this DB4 GT Zagato from 1961 being one of the most exquisite ones. Only 19 Zagatos were ever built, and this is one of the two “Lightweights” that were raced in Le Mans.

While Lamborghini is celebrating its 50th birthday by introducing ridiculous concepts such as the Veneno and the Egoista, the Concorso's tribute was a little more tasteful. This 350 GTV prototype, for example, marked the beginning of Ferruccio's production car adventures.

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It's National Donut Day, and what better way to celebrate than with a definitive ranking of America's best morning pastries?

We couldn't personally taste donuts from every beloved pastry shop in the country, so we scoured blogs and online reviews to come up with 20 bakeries known for their rave-worthy donuts.

The we ranked the donuts based on availability, originality, and price, in addition to how they tasted.

Keep reading to see the definitive list for the 11 best donuts across the nation. Did we miss your favorite? Let us know in the comments.

#11 The Foie Gras Doughnut at Do or Dine in Brooklyn, NY makes the list for originality alone. But its $11 price tag is really a drag.

Originality: 10
Taste: 8
Price: 1
Availability: 5
TOTAL: 24

Availability was based on store hours and how quickly the establishment sold out of donuts. Originality reflected how common the customers' favorite flavor was at other donut shops, and price took into account both the actual price as well as if the store was cash only.

#10 Diners rave about the Chocolate Glazed donuts at Do-Rite Donuts in Chicago, IL. Though not the most original flavor, the extra dollop of chocolate is always welcome.

Originality: 2
Taste: 10
Price: 7
Availability: 6
TOTAL: 25

Availability was based on store hours and how quickly the establishment sold out of donuts. Originality reflected how common the customers' favorite flavor was at other donut shops, and price took into account both the actual price as well as if the store was cash only.

#9 Though this picture doesn't do it justice, everyone loves the classic Tres Leche donut at the Doughnut Plant in New York, NY. It tastes just like a slice of "three milks" cake.

Originality: 4
Taste: 9
Price: 7
Availability: 8
TOTAL: 28

Availability was based on store hours and how quickly the establishment sold out of donuts. Originality reflected how common the customers' favorite flavor was at other donut shops, and price took into account both the actual price as well as if the store was cash only.

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Novak's Djokovic's girlfriend Jelena Ristic is everything you want in a significant other.

She's smart (she's the director of the Novak Djokovic Foundation).

She's beautiful (obviously).

And she LOVES tennis. At any Djokovic match, you'll find Jelena in the crowd mirroring the rollercoaster of emotions that her boyfriend is going through on the court.

She cheers, cries, shouts, and gets stone silent with nervousness.

She doesn't care if she's making a funny face or blocking someone's view while cheering. She just really wants Novak to win.

She goes nuts during big matches

But she's more relaxed earlier in the tournaments

She's just waiting until someone challenges Novak

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I recently visited one of Cairo's most desperate slums.

Before I got to Egypt, I had never heard of the place, which is called Dar al-Salam. And I was only able to venture into it because I was accompanied by a member of an organized crime family.

I learned about Dar al-Salam from a man named Sonny, whom I met one night in Cairo's violent Tahrir Square.

Sonny had done what few Egyptians could manage: He had escaped Egypt. After growing up poor, he had become a mechanic, run a successful business, met a Japanese woman, and emigrated to Japan. He had only now braved a return trip to Egypt to visit family and friends. 

Sonny invited me for dinner at his family home in Dar al-Salam. It was Easter.

At dinner, Sonny talked about growing up in Dar al-Salam and living next door to one of the most powerful organized crime families in the area. Some of these family members would end up being our guides through the neighborhood. Without their approval, I was told, my excursion and photography would not have been possible. 

Dar al-Salam is a Cairo suburb most non-Egyptians have never heard of.

I would have missed it too but for this man, Sonny, who grew up there and happened to be taking refuge in my hotel during a Friday night riot in Tahrir Square. He invited me for dinner in Dar al-Salam that Sunday.

We arrived in Dar al-Salam before dinner. We heard this was a former factory.

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Billionaire hedge fund manager Steven A. Cohen, who runs the super-secretive hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors, has a reputation on the Street for being one of the most successful traders.

Cohen launched his Stamford-headquartered hedge fund in 1992 with only $25 million. Today the fund has $14 billion assets under management and employees around 900 people globally. 

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Cohen came into prominence as a powerful Wall Street trader for his grand slam returns. 

He's been in the spotlight for a different reason. 

Late last year, he was identified as "Portfolio Manager A" in the latest insider trading case against former CR Intrinsic (a subsidiary of SAC) portfolio manager Mathew Martoma. The New York Times recently reported that Cohen and others at the firm also received subpoenas to testify before a grand jury in the case. 

It's well-known that Cohen is the ultimate target of the government in their crackdown on insider trading.  

While he has been implicated in the latest insider trading case, it's important to keep in mind that he has not been charged with any wrongdoing.  In fact, he may never be charged. 

He's maintained that he acted appropriately.  

Now let's get to know Cohen better.  

He's a Long Island native. He grew up in a middle class family and had a lot of siblings.

Steve Cohen was born on June 11, 1956. He's the third out of eight kids.  

He grew up on Great Neck, Long Island, New York. 

His father worked at a dress manufacturer and his mother was a homemaker who also taught piano lessons. 

Source: BusinessWeek, Source: WSJ 

In high school, the billionaire worked at a supermarket.

Cohen was a "fruit boy" at Bohack supermarket where he made a $1.85 an hour.

He quit that job because he was making more at the poker table.  

Source: Vanity Fair

He graduated from Wharton with a degree in economics.

He studied economics at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.  

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Summer fever is in full swing and we’ll do just about anything to enjoy a little sun during our lunch break or a boozy weekend brunch.

Over the past couple of weeks, we shared our top al fresco hotel restaurant picks in New York City and Los Angeles, and this week we’re spilling our inside scoop on the best outdoor dining spots in the nation’s capital.

So come with some SPF and an empty stomach — these D.C. restaurants in the sun are sure to satisfy!

Cafe Du Parc at The Willard Intercontinental

Cafe Du Parc, at The Willard Intercontinental, located just a short walk from the White House, is popular among tourists, locals, and business people in town with clients.

Serving three meals a day, as well as cocktails and light bites in between, the restaurant offers French-inspired dishes such as French onion soup and wild mushroom tarts.

Bourbon Steak at the Four Seasons Washington D.C.

Celebrity chef Michael Mina’s carnivore-friendly restaurant has a great location in the elegant Four Seasons in Georgetown.

Diners can opt for entrees complete with well-suited sides, or choose from an extensive offering of a la carte meats, such as New York strip, aged Porterhouse, or filet mignon.

During the summertime, the restaurant’s quiet courtyard opens up with comfy patio furniture.

Poste Moderne Brasserie at Hotel Monaco Washington D.C.

Not only can you sit outside at Poste Moderne in Hotel Monaco, but while sitting outside at the large communal table, you can probably see some of what you’ll be eating; the restaurant grows many ingredients, such as kale, kiwi, and cantaloupe, in its own garden.

Offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Poste Moderne includes a rotation of specials for every weekday — we recommend the bouillabaisse on Tuesdays.

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By the time Ken Ilgunas was wrapping up his last year of undergraduate studies at the University of Buffalo in 2005, he was had no idea what kind of debt hole he'd dug himself into. 

He had majored in the least marketable fields of study possible –– English and History –– and had zero job prospects after getting turned down for no fewer than 25 paid internships. 

"That was a wake-up call," he told Business Insider. "I had this huge $32,000 student debt and at the time I was pushing carts at Home Depot, making $8 an hour. I was just getting kind of frantic." 

Back then, student loans had yet to become the front page news they are today. Ilgunas could have simply deferred his loans or declared forbearance. He also could have asked his parents (who were more than willing to help) for a leg up. He could have thrown up his hands and gone to grad school until the job market bounced back. 

Instead, he moved to Alaska and spent two years paying back every dime. And when he enrolled at Duke University for graduate school later, he lived out of his van to be sure he wouldn't have to take out loans again.

"I had no idea what I was getting into at the time. I didn't even know what interest was when I was 17," he said. "I just think that's awfully indicative of the incredibly poor personal finance education young people have at that time in their lives." 

In his book, "Walden on Wheels: On the Open Road from Debt to Freedom," Ken chronicles his journey out of debt. 

He was kind enough to share his story with us this week. 

He knew exactly where to go for work. Ken had spent a couple months working at a remote Alaskan truck stop the summer before graduating. So he called up his old contacts and landed a job there as a local tour guide, cook, and basically whatever the locals needed.

"The day after I graduated, I was on a flight to Alaska and pretty much started work right away," he said. "As ignorant as I was, I did know that if I didn't deal with my loans, I'd have to deal with accumulated interest or delinquency or default. I wanted to pay it off as fast as humanly possible."

It was a brilliant move for a 20-something needing to pay down debt in a hurry. "It's 250 miles from the nearest store, room and board were included, and there wasn't any cell service," he said. "You can amaze yourself with how much you can save when you reduce your cost of living. Almost every dollar I made went toward my student loans."

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Oslo, the capital of Norway, is the new most expensive city in the world for expatriates.

The city topped a new list of pricey cities from ECA International, a global management consulting firm that calculates the cost of living based on prices of various day-to-day goods and services.

Prices for common goods in Oslo — like a cup of coffee or a quick lunch — are significantly higher than they are in New York, a city not exactly known for bargains.

However, New Yorkers still pay way more than Oslo residents when it comes to real estate with almost double the monthly rent.

In Oslo, a can of soda would cost you $3.43. In New York, it costs $1.64.

Source: ECA International

A man's suit would set you back $855 in Oslo. In New York, a man's suit costs $687.

Source: ECA International

Buying a video game in Oslo costs $87, while in NYC it's closer to $60.

Source: ECA International

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The top tennis players tend to come in cycles. Right now the best tennis players in the world are either at the peak of their careers or nearing the end.

As a result, all of the top tennis players have been around for a while and have grown up before our eyes.

But at one point they were all teenagers just breaking into the sport. And while they are all recognizable as a teens, they all looked a lot different.

On the next few pages we'll take a look at how much the top tennis players have changed since their careers first started...

Novak Djokovic in 2005 (age 18)

Novak Djokovic now

Serena Williams in 1998 (age 16)

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If we learned anything from Prancercising— the bizarre horse-inspired exercise that went viral last week — it's that you don't have to look cool to feel the burn.

And no one knew that better than '80s fitness instructors. With big hair, tight spandex, and some crazy moves, they really took working out to an uncomfortable place.

Thankfully, YouTube has done its part to keep these videos alive for future generations.

So we decided to put together a rundown of the best '80s fitness moves to get you in shape and toned for the summer months ahead.

If one of these GIFs doesn't load, click here to refresh the page.

First, let's warm up. Really extend those arms.

Now work those triceps! You WISH you looked this good.

Flailing like a beached whale will work those obliques.

And while you're down there, let's do the Jane Fonda.

Not masculine enough for you? Maybe try what these two studs are doing:

Now let's work that boogie body! (This entire video is worth watching, by the way.)

Get your heart racing with some tubular cardio.

Don't forget to exercise your facial muscles!

And, of course, no one knows how to get in shape quite like Richard Simmons.

Great job! Now show off those muscles — you've earned it.

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Credit card brands always brag about their cards' ability to expand your purchasing power and vie with each other for the greatest universal acceptance worldwide.

Remember MasterCard's priceless slogan: "There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's MasterCard"? Or Visa's: "It's everywhere you want to be"?

It turns out there are some things credit cards won't buy. So you can leave home without it, to riff off of American Express' catchphrase.

While credit companies typically want you to pull out their credit card for a purchase, the payment networks -- American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa -- won't approve so-called naughty purchases. These transactions are treated as high-risk activities or run afoul of federal law, even if state laws allow it.

As a consumer, "it pays to discover" the five items that can't be bought with your credit card and the reasons behind the policy.

Online pornography. If you're looking for a little online titillation, don't use your American Express card for the experience.

The company doesn't allow its cardholders to purchase online pornography, even though it's federally legal, says Chao. According to the company spokeswoman, the policy has been in place since 2000.

The company found that the online adult-content industry has "an unacceptably high level of customer disputes," according to Chao. This raises administrative costs for American Express to deal with these disputes. The ban extends to American Express gift cards and prepaid cards as well, says Chao.

Visa declined to comment, while MasterCard and Discover did not respond to inquiries about their online pornography purchase policies.

Lottery tickets. Looking to win millions? You can't use your American Express or Discover card to get the chance.

Both companies prohibit cardholders from buying lottery tickets with their credit cards. Chao calls the purchases "high-risk business activities."

Besides the card companies, some states, including Connecticut, Iowa, Wisconsin and California, prohibit the purchase of lotto tickets with credit cards. Even in states that allow the practice, the retailer may turn you down.

"Lotteries often leave the decision up to the retailers," says Tom Tulloch, director of administration for the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries. "Often retailers are reluctant to accept credit cards for lottery purchases (because) their sales commission is reduced by the swipe fees they would have to pay on the transaction."

Visa and MasterCard declined to comment on their policies toward purchases of lottery tickets.

WikiLeaks donations.

Shortly after WikiLeaks -- the rogue information-gathering and dissemination website -- leaked hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. diplomatic cables to the public in 2010, Visa and MasterCard blocked donations to the site. At the time, MasterCard said it doesn't allow its customers to be engaged either directly or indirectly with illegal activity. The organization, set up by Julian Assange, says it has lost 95 percent of its revenue since the so-called financial blockade began.

However, in December 2012, a new organization called the Freedom of the Press Foundation was created and funnels donations to WikiLeaks among other organizations that execute "aggressive, public-interest journalism." The foundation takes all major credit cards for donations.

Visa and MasterCard both declined to comment on the financial blockade. WikiLeaks never signed up to accept donations through Discover or American Express.

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The idea of a flying car has fascinated dreamers and aviation geeks alike since humans first got off the ground with powered flight.

The concept has obvious advantages: the "go anywhere, anytime" freedom of an automobile without any of the traffic congestion that terrestrial drivers face on a daily basis.

Featured in movies like Back to the Future and Blade Runner, this mode of transportation has been restricted to the realm of science-fiction due to the complexity of the drivetrain required and the training that would be needed to operate such a vehicle.

Now, a company called Terrafugia has put forward their vision for a practical flying car. Using electric-gasoline hybrid technology from the cutting edge of the automobile industry and autopilot technology adopted from the aviation industry, the company thinks they have what's needed to bring a flying car to the mass market.

The concept started as the Terrafugia Transition, a plane that can be driven on the road

Unfortunately, the Transition had to take off and land from an airport, so Terrafugia began working on a second generation concept

Which came to be known as the Terrafugia TF-X, an electric-hybrid flying car with a range of 500 miles

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Technology is rapidly changing everything we do.

Mary Meeker, a former Wall Street analyst who's now a prominent Silicon Valley investor, highlighted a number of innovative companies in her recent presentation about the future of the Internet.

We pulled out the game-changing startups she mentioned and added few others. The following startups are re-inventing the way we share photos, make payments, develop ideas, get around, learn, and more.

Re-Inventing Photos: Snapchat is an app that lets users send photo messages to friends, but the images can't be viewed more than once. More photos are shared on Snapchat per day than Instagram.

What it is: A real-time photo messaging app where you decide how long your friends can view sent pictures before they're forever deleted. If they take a quick screenshot, you're notified.

When it was founded: May 2011

Who founded it: Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy

How much it has raised: $14 million from Lightspeed Venture Partners, SV Angel, and Benchmark.

Why it's important: More than 150 million pictures are shared on Snapchat per day – that's more than Instagram. And about one-third the volume of Facebook.

Re-inventing Video: Dropcam is a home camera that lets you view the footage from multiple devices. More video is uploaded per minute on Dropcam than YouTube.

What it is: A home video monitoring camera and software that's easy to set up and that stores footage in the cloud. Users can drop in on their home cameras from mobile devices or the web, and save clips of the footage. It's used by parents to monitor babies, as a security camera, and more.

When it was founded: January 2009

Who founded it: Greg Duffy and Aamir Virani

How much it has raised: $17.8 million from Mitch Kapor, David Cowan, Ben Narasin, Salil Keshpande, Felicis Ventures, Accel Partners, Bradley Horowitz, Menlo Ventures, and Bay Partners.

Why it's important: Dropcam is making surveillance cameras affordable and available to everyone. It stores footage in the cloud, so the tapes are never lost or damaged. More video is uploaded per minute than YouTube. YouTube uploads 100 hours of video each minute.

Re-inventing Audio: SoundCloud lets people upload, collaborate on, or listen to sounds. It has 180 million monthly users and 11 hours of sound are uploaded per minute.

What it is: A platform that lets people upload, share, listen to, or collaborate on audio files. You'll find everything from strange noises to complete tracks on SoundCloud.

When it was founded: 2007

Who founded it: Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss

How much it has raised: $63.3 million

Why it's important: SoundCloud doesn't have quite the upload volume of YouTube or Dropcam, but it still has an impressive 11 hours of sound being uploaded to it each minute. As many as 180 million people use it each month (or 8% of the Internet).

*This is a KPCB company

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Every year, Ericsson puts together a massive report on global mobile usuage trends.

The charts and data in this report then proliferates through Powerpoints and slide decks around the world.

So, get a jump start on everyone else in the industry and…

In many places around the world, people have more than one mobile subscription plan

Mobile broadband subscriptions have long surpassed "fixed" broadband subscriptions

Smartphones are going to dominate the "mobile" Internet, despite the rise of tablets

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Apple is holding its biggest event of the year, WWDC, on June 10.

It's a developers conference, but Apple usually uses the first day to announce new products and other goodies in a big keynote presentation.

So what's on tap? Here's everything we expect Apple to announce.

The biggest announcement will be for iOS 7, a new version of the operating system that powers iPhones and iPads. Apple's chief designer Jony Ive is in charge of the new look. So what's going to change?

According to multiple reports, iOS 7 will have a new "flat" design. That means icons and buttons won't mimic real-world objects. Instead, the design will look cleaner and less glossy.

Source: 9to5Mac

Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 operating system is a good example of flat design.

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What do people do online, how do they get online, and how are startups changing our behavior?

Mary Meeker, a former Wall Street analyst and current Silicon Valley investor, put together an annual presentation on the state of the Internet and mobile.

In it, she answers a bunch of those questions and more. Here are the most stunning findings.

There is 9 times more content available to peruse online than there was 5 years ago. It's all thanks to user-generated content, such as photo shares, video uploads, tweets and articles. As of 2011, the content totaled 2 zettabytes.

500 million photos are shared and uploaded per day. More photos are uploaded and shared on Snapchat than Instagram. Snapchat's upload volume is about 1/3 of Facebook's.

Snapchat is a monster, with more than 150 million images being shared and uploaded per day.

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