The idea of staying in a messy, loud hostel might seem like a thing of the past — best kept for the backpacking days of your late teens and 20s.

However, a "hostel" is simply "budget-friendly accommodation that focuses on a shared social experience." While to be considered a hostel it must have the option of a dorm room, most offer private rooms as well — and instead of messy and loud, some can actually be pretty luxurious.

Business Insider teamed up with hostel booking site Hostelworld and its HOSCAR ranking of the best hotels in the world to discover where you'll find the most luxurious hostel in every European country for under £40 ($54).

Scroll down to see each one — as well as what it will cost you and what you can expect — in alphabetical order.

The following nation states and cross-border countries are not included in the list: The Åland Islands, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Monaco, San Marino, Svalbard, Ukraine, and Vatican City.

SEE ALSO: 14 hostels you won’t believe aren’t luxury hotels

ALBANIA: Stone City Hostel, Gjirokaster.

Situated right in the heart of the old town of Gjirokaster, Stone City Hostel is close to the best sights, including a castle and communist bunker.

It boasts a huge roof terrace with brilliant views of the castle, a shaded garden with fruit trees, and is also next to the best coffee bar in town.

Price: Private rooms from £22, dorms from £8.

ANDORRA: Mountain Hostel, El Tarter.

If the outdoor heated pool and jacuzzi aren't enough to tempt you, Andorra's eco-friendly Mountain Hostel is perfect for mountain sports and activities like skiing, snowboarding, freeride, freestyle, and ski touring in the winter season, and mountain biking, hiking, and trail running in summer.

The hostel uses solar energy and is also bike-friendly, offering cyclists a security box, padlock, workshops with tools, and a bike wash area.

Price: Dorms from £22 per night.

ARMENIA: Kantar, Yerevan.

Located in the very centre of Yerevan, just a minute's walk from the Republic Square, this cosy hostel has dorms for four to eight people or private bedrooms with balconies. 

Price: Dorms from £10 per night.

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.

Some sneaker releases garner so much hype that people literally set up bot accounts to buy them the second they’re available online. But some happen a little more quietly.  

Today, as with pretty much every Saturday (and most days of the week, for that matter), some of our favorite brands are releasing cool new sneaker styles and collaborations — but you won’t need an automated bot to cop your favorite pair.

We rounded up 8 of the coolest sneakers releasing today that aren’t likely to sell out in five seconds. Brands like Nike, Air Jordan, Adidas, Puma, and New Balance all made the list.

Whether you're looking for runners, basketball sneakers, or a high-end fashion sneakers, you'll find something here.

Nike React Vapor Street Flyknit

$180, available at Nike

With the ultra responsive React cushioning system and the lightweight Flyknit upper, the Nike React Vapor Street Flyknit is built for racing in comfort. The latest release features a combination of college navy and deep royal accented by a large black Swoosh and a partially white midsole.

Nike Air Max 270 "Be True"

$160, available at Nike

Releasing in celebration of Pride Month, the Air Max 270 "Be True" celebrates the LGBTQ community with the silhouette's most limited release to date. While the lavender and black upper are mellow, the rainbow 270 Air unit adds a bold hit of color. The "Be True" slogan can be found on the heel pull tabs and the insoles.

Nike Air More Uptempo

$160, available on Nike

Paying homage to Scottie Pippen's legendary run with Chicago Bulls, the latest release of his signature sneakers feature his team's colors. The white upper is contrasted with black "AIR" lettering for a bold in-your-face look. Red is used on the Swoosh and Air units.

• You might think you know what slang words teens are using these days, but there's a good chance it's already out of fashion.
• "YOLO,""swag," and "bae" are out, teens told Business Insider.
• Here's how to use the slang that Gen Z is actually using without seeming completely uncool — or should we say not lit.

In May, Subway Canada ran a poll imploring Twitter users to vote on their favorite bread. Or, as they put it, their "bread bae."

No one voted on it. Subway Canada has 135,000 followers.

To be fair, some theorized that the poll, which ultimately wracked up 13,000 retweets, was fake and simply a PR scheme to troll for tweets. Either way, the internet wasn't having it, with many saying that the use of "bread bae" sounded more like it was aggressively concocted by an out-of-touch marketing employee.

Tons of other brands have tried and failed to pander to teens by using their vernacular. Gen Z slang has appeared in various marketing ads over the years, often drawing the ire of the very consumer base these companies are trying to attract.

In a recent Business Insider survey of 104 teens nationwide, Generation Zs shared insight about how they communicate today. Here are seven words make them cringe, and what they're opting to use instead.

SEE ALSO: 104 Generation Zs reveal what it's like to be a teen in 2018

"Swag" describes a person who is cool or enviable, or someone can "have swag." But it hasn't been trendy since 2012, teens say.

Source: Urban Dictionary, Business Insider survey

Now, teens are more likely to express something that's cool as "lit." It's slightly different than swag in that it's not typically used to describe a person; a situation or thing is more likely to be described as "lit."

Source: Urban Dictionary, Business Insider survey

"Bae" comes from African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) pronunciation of "babe." It used to be the ultra-popular way to refer to your significant other, but teens say it's now overused.

Source: Urban Dictionary, Business Insider survey

LG has truly upped its game with its latest two smartphones, especially with its latest G7 "ThinQ," and it deserves a spot on your short list. 

As with all smartphones, however, competition is fierce, and rival phones can have an edge in certain areas. Here, I'm looking at the specific things that I found the Galaxy S9 can do better than the LG G7.

The list is based on my personal testing of each device as my daily drivers. Check out the six things I preferred about the Galaxy S9 over the LG G7:

SEE ALSO: 4 reasons you should buy the LG G7 instead of the Galaxy S9

The base model of the Galaxy S9 is $30 cheaper than the LG G7.

If you're looking to spend closer to $700 than $800, the regular Galaxy S9 with a 5.8-inch display goes for $720, versus the $750 you'd pay for the LG G7. 

The Galaxy S9 uses a better screen technology than the LG G7's.

Samsung uses AMOLED displays, a type of OLED display technology, for its Galaxy lineup, and it's superior to the LCD display on the LG G7 in nearly every way. Contrast is more dynamic, colors are richer, and it doesn't use up as much battery, which is useful for features like the "always on" feature that shows you basic information on the screen without even waking the screen's display. 

The Galaxy S9 has a better design than the LG G7.

It's a matter of personal taste, but it's hard to argue that the Galaxy S9 doesn't look better than the LG G7. The curves and edge-to-edge display stand out in particular. And there's just a slightly more premium look and feel about the Galaxy S9 that the LG G7 just doesn't quite match. 

• Americans have garnered several negative stereotypes around the world.
• They include beliefs that Americans are entitled and arrogant and that Americans are obsessed with their jobs.
• Here are the worst stereotypes I heard while traveling to 25 countries.

Every country has its stereotypes, both good and bad.

As one of the biggest populations in the world, Americans have garnered an outsize number of negative stereotypes, like the belief that all Americans are rich or that Americans are way too obsessed with their jobs. That's what I learned after traveling to 25 different countries, ranging from South America to Europe to Southeast Asia.

Read on to see what non-Americans really think of people from the US.

SEE ALSO: There are only 11 phrases travelers need to get by in any language

DON'T MISS: The World Cup is underway — these photos from around the world show why soccer is the world's most beloved game

All Americans are rich

One of the most widely believed stereotypes I encountered while traveling was that all Americans are rich. Not just "I can afford to not haggle at the night market" rich, but "multiple cars and houses back home" rich.

This stereotype is fueled in part by America's powerful global economic standing. But despite the country's reputation, plenty of Americans know that the wealth of the country doesn't always transfer to all its citizens, and there are millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet.

Americans are overly patriotic

Americans have a reputation for being overly patriotic. Many first-time visitors to the US are surprised by the preponderance of American flags waving from our schools, offices, and homes, and it's pretty common to hear Americans proclaim their country the greatest on Earth.

Americans are ignorant about the world

Hand in hand with Americans' supposed superiority complex is an ignorance about the rest of the world, according to the stereotypes I heard while traveling.

It's an unfortunate reality that many Americans who travel lack knowledge of the culture and customs of the country they are visiting, and worse yet, sometimes they don't seem to care enough to learn.

Americans can combat this stereotype by engaging with people from other cultures abroad and making an effort to see things from their perspective.

• I tested Amazon's free, two-hour delivery from Whole Foods stores.
• I loved the convenience of the service but was shocked to find that it wasn't technically free.
• The app tacks on an optional tip for the courier that cost me $18, on top of the $163 that I paid for the groceries.
• That means the service is only free if shoppers opt out of tipping their couriers.

Amazon is now offering free, two-hour delivery of Whole Foods groceries to members of its paid Prime program in about 30 metro areas across the United States.

The delivery offer, which will roll out to all stores this year, is one of the most highly touted changes that Amazon has brought to Whole Foods since purchasing the grocery chain in a $13.7 billion deal last year.

I tested the service in Richmond, Virginia, and was shocked to find that it wasn't technically free. Here's how it went:

SEE ALSO: 'I ultimately am not afraid to get fired': Leaked audio captures Whole Foods CEO John Mackey describing clashes with Amazon

Amazon delivers Whole Foods groceries through its same-day delivery service, Prime Now. I opened the Prime Now app to start my order and found it easy to locate and browse the selection of goods offered at the Whole Foods store closest to us.

However, the app was intermittently slow. After I added a product to my shopping list, a spinning wheel would frequently appear for 30 seconds or longer, preventing me from adding or searching for additional items. 

Once I finished building my shopping list, I got a message that some items were out of stock or low on inventory.

Only three items out of more than 40 were affected by this.

Next, I was presented with a range of options — both paid and free — for delivery.

I could limit delivery to a one-hour window for $5, or select a two-hour window for free. It was 3:45 p.m. at the time, and the first available free time slot was from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

I went back to my shopping list to add a few more items, and by 3:50 p.m., the time slot of 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. had disappeared. 

I ended up choosing a delivery slot for the following day instead. 

Apple is one of the most prestigious companies in the world, so it's not surprising to learn that getting a job there isn't easy.

Apple asks both technical interview questions, based on your past work experience, and some mind-boggling puzzles.

And if you're interviewing to work at Apple's retail stores, you'll be asked a lot of questions about how you'd handle an angry customer. 

We combed through posts on Glassdoor to find some of the toughest interview questions candidates have been asked.

Some require solving tricky math problems, while others are simple but vague enough to keep you on your toes.

Lisa Eadicicco, Nathan McAlone, and Maya Kosoff contributed to an earlier version of this story.

SEE ALSO: 33 Uber interview questions you don't want to be asked

"We have a cup of hot coffee and a small cold milk out of the fridge. The room temperature is in between these two. When should we add milk to coffee to get the coolest combination earliest (at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end)?"—Product Design Engineer candidate

"How much does the Empire State Building weigh?"— Solutions Consultant candidate

"How do you check if a binary tree is a mirror image on left and right sub-trees?" - Research scientist candidate

In the US, June is Pride month. It's a time when cities show extra support for LGBTQ+ rights, culture, and communities through parades, drag shows, film festivals, talks, rallies, and more.

The tradition that goes back to the early 1970s, when New York and San Francisco began hosting events to commemorate the Stonewall Riots and work toward full equality for LGBTQ+ people.

The US is far from the only country to recognize pride. Queer people in nations around the world face their own unique challenges, and cities aim to highlight them through their Pride celebrations throughout the year.

Here's how 19 cities around the world have celebrated Pride in 2018 so far.

SEE ALSO: June is LGBT Pride Month — here's everything you need to know

Columbus, Indiana, began showing its Pride in April, a few months earlier than most of the nation.

The Pride festival occurred in downtown Columbus, the hometown of Vice President Mike Pence (an outspoken opponent of the LGBT community on many issues).

In New York City, each borough is holding its own Pride events and parades during June, except for Staten Island, which celebrates in May.

The parade in Queens, pictured above, featured plenty of glitter and rainbow iconography.

Mumbai's Pride parade in February stopped traffic.

Every second, millions of emails, clicks, and searches happen via the world wide web with such fluidity that the internet seems almost omnipresent. As such, people often mistakenly assume that internet traffic happens by air — our mobile devices, after all, aren't wired to anything.

But satellites carry less than 1% of human interactions, and in some ways the truth is far more impressive than messages sent by tower signal.

The internet — arguably the most important resource in the modern world — is very tangible and fairly vulnerable. It exists in large part under our feet, by way of an intricate system of rope-thin underwater and underground cables hooked to giant data storage units so powerful, they're capable of recalling any piece of information at a moment's notice. 

Here's what the infrastructure of the internet actually looks like today:

In the most basic sense, the internet's job is to carry information from point A to point B.

Those points are IP addresses — the unique codes that identify locations around the world — and they're what your devices are linked to when you're connected to the internet. Curious what yours is? If you type "My IP address" into Google, the search engine will bring it up. 

As it travels, any information transferred over the web arrives at internet data servers, which live in data centers around the world. In 2008, an estimated 9.5 trillion gigabytes passed in and out of the world's servers — but more on those later.

Moving information to and from servers often involves crossing oceans. We rely almost entirely on cables for internet traffic because they're faster and cheaper than satellites, but laying them across bodies of water is a tedious process that's taken almost 200 years and requires a lot of maintenance.

At the fourth annual 29Rooms exhibit, hosted by media company Refinery29, an attendee can lounge inside a caramel-scented canopy, perch themselves atop a throne of puffy clouds, or even walk into "The Womb" for a simulation of being in utero (yes, you read that right). 

The art exhibition is in San Francisco for the first time this weekend, ending June 24th. It showcases 29 interactive, creative spaces designed to allow guests an opportunity to unleash their imagination and express themselves uninhibitedly. Better yet, it was co-created by celebrity artists, including Janelle Monae, Jessica Alba, and Jake Gyllenhaal.

It's also extremely Instagram-worthy: Bold displays of color, neon lights and temporary tattoos abound. If you're looking for the perfect selfie opportunity, look no further. 

Take a look at the highlights.

SEE ALSO: This $30 million San Francisco mansion, once owned by Vanessa Getty, is one of the city's most expensive homes — take a look inside

Some of this year's exhibits were designed and conceptualized by celebrities, including actor Jake Gyllenhaal, musical artists Chloe X Halle and Janelle Monae and actress Jessica Alba. Celebs often swing through the 29Rooms exhibit, too.

Anna Kendrick was there as well to promote a "Tell Us Your Secret" exhibit, inspired by her new mystery flick "A Simple Favor." Next to Kendrick is Refinery29 founder Piera Gelardi.

Gelardi launched the first 29Rooms exhibit in 2015 to celebrate her company's 10th anniversary. It was such a crowd success that she brought it back in the years following. And the rest is history.

This year, like every year, made for some wickedly Instagrammable moments. Rarely did I see people who weren't snapping photos on their phones. Many opted to simply document the exhibits rather than actually interact with them.

• In Bali, ride-sharing apps like Uber and its Southeast Asian counterparts Grab and Go-Jek are tourists' first choice to get around the island.
• Taxi drivers have repeatedly threatened, attacked, and harassed ride-sharing drivers, who they feel are violating Bali's unwritten traditional laws and profiting off their communities.
• It's become increasingly clear that tourists' use of ride-sharing apps has disrupted Bali's traditions and culture in unexpected ways.
• I spoke to more than a dozen taxi drivers, ride-sharing drivers, and regular Balinese, which revealed the unusual story of what happens when centuries of culture slam into new technology.

If I get my ass kicked by a gang of taxi drivers, I thought in May, that will have been the dumbest car ride I ever took. I was walking up to a taxi stand off a popular surfing beach in south Bali with the intent of asking what might be the most sensitive question on the island.

As I stood in front of the thatched wooden hut and my translator, a Balinese engineer named Ketut Parikesit, made introductions to the dozen drivers resting in the shade, I worried one might recognize me. The night before I had been the source of their outrage.

The previous night, like a lot of tourists in the beach town of Caangu, I had been partying at Old Man's, a popular beach bar. At 2 a.m., I got tired and drunkenly wandered home. A taxi driver at the stand quoted me a price of 200,000 rupiah ($14) for the ride back. I tried to bargain with the self-righteousness of a western traveler used to being treated like a money tree. The driver refused to budge, pointing angrilyto a wall-size board on the back of the hut printed with locations and prices. As I walked away, a driver called out, "I guess you'll be walking home tonight."

I didn't.

I walked until I was out of their line of sight, ordered a Grab — the Southeast Asian equivalent of Uber — and paid a tenth of the fare.

Visiting any developing country is a persistent exercise in identifying the line between supporting and exploiting the local economy. The line can sometimes be easy to draw: Most people would agree that it is better to eat the grilled fish at the fisherman's shack rather than the bouillabaisse at the pricier expat-owned French restaurant.

But technology has blurred the line.

When I refused the taxi driver and called the Grab, getting picked up by a Balinese man named Kadek, was I siphoning off tourism dollars or supporting a different local?

SEE ALSO: North Koreans understand their government lies, but there's one thing they don't know, according to a defector

DON'T MISS: I woke up at 2 a.m. to hike two hours up a mountain in Bali to see the sunrise — and it was completely worth it

Nearly 5.7 million tourists visited Bali last year. Like everywhere else, ride-sharing apps have become the popular way to get around.

Nearly 5.7 million tourists visited Bali last year — many of whom stay for months at a time — and the island has a growing community of expats from the US, Europe, and Australia who either work as digital nomads or make businesses to serve them. The number of tourists isonly expected to go up in the coming years.

Like everywhere else, ride-sharing apps like Uber, Grab, and Indonesia-based Go-Jek have increasingly become the most popular way to way to get around.

But in Bali, the resistance from taxi drivers has been uniquely tenacious, frequently exploding into violent confrontations, as happened last year when anUber driver was beaten to a pulp by four taxi drivers. Harassment and threats from the so-called "taxi mafia" are a common occurrence for both drivers and the tourists who use the apps, or so I’d heard.

Even before arriving I was warned off using ride-sharing apps lest I incur the "taxi mafia's" wrath.

As I rode to my hotel in Ubud, a city in central Bali known for its proliferation of spiritual healers, yoga retreats, and vegan cafes, I spotted signs with red x's over the logos of the most popular ride-sharing services and a plea to "Support the local economy."

In the eyes of Bali's taxi drivers, ride-sharing companies profit off their communities and give nothing back.

At the taxi stand in Caangu, I met Wayan Tono, the stout 50-year-old head of the Caangu Batu Balong Beach Transport, a taxi cooperative made of 165 drivers from the banjar of Batu Balong.

Tono, a proud man with a white button-down opened halfway to his puffed chest, explained that ride-sharing apps disrupts the system that has dictated Balinese culture for hundreds of years.

Each village in Bali is subdivided into multiple banjar, or sub-villages, that are often not bigger than a square mile and maximum of 500 people.

Each banjar acts like a co-operative where the residents determine nearly every aspect of daily life at mandatory community meetings — everything from building local roads and land use to punishment of local crimes and administering religious ceremonies. The drivers in Tono's co-op were all natives of the Batu Balong banjar.

When Tono said that they were locals— which he and his fellow drivers said repeatedly — they didn't mean Balinese. They meant the literal ground we were standing on.

• OpenTable released its list of the 100 best restaurants in America for al fresco dining in 2018.
• California and Florida are home to 56 of the 100 restaurants.
• Other states with restaurants on the list include Hawaii, Arizona, Ohio, and Maryland.

Nothing says summertime like eating outdoors.

In honor of the first day of summer on Thursday, OpenTable has released its annual list of the 100 best restaurants in America for al fresco dining in 2018.

Culled from millions of OpenTable reviews, the list includes restaurants in 22 states, each with its own stunning views or cozy surroundings. California and Florida are home to more than half of the restaurants on the list — no surprise there — but there are plenty of representatives on the list for those who don't live near the coast, too.

Read on to discover where you should eat this summer for an unforgettable outdoor experience.

SEE ALSO: I've been to 25 countries, and these are the 7 worst stereotypes I've heard about Americans

DON'T MISS: 14 vegetables that are actually fruits

Arizona

Café Monarch - Scottsdale, Arizona

El Chorro - Paradise Valley, Arizona

Gertrude's - Phoenix - Phoenix, Arizona

Lon's at The Hermosa - Paradise Valley, Arizona

Mariposa - Sedona, Arizona

Olive & Ivy Restaurant & Marketplace - Scottsdale, Arizona

Tonto Bar & Grill - Cave Creek, Arizona

Wildflower - Tucson -Tucson, Arizona

California: San Diego area

Campfire - Carlsbad, California

Coasterra - San Diego, California

Duke's La Jolla - San Diego, California

George's Ocean Terrace - San Diego, California

Pacific Coast Grill - Cardiff - Cardiff-By-The-Sea, California

Poseidon - Del Mar, California

The Prado at Balboa Park - San Diego, California

Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens - Escondido, California

Tom Hams Lighthouse - San Diego, California

California: Los Angeles area

Beachcomber Cafe - Newport Coast, California

Catch LA - West Hollywood, California

Farmhouse at Rogers Gardens - Corona Del Mar, California

Geoffrey's Restaurant - Malibu, California

Gracias Madre - West Hollywood, California

The Ivy - West Hollywood, California

Perch LA - Los Angeles, California

Pump - West Hollywood, California

True Food Kitchen - Pasadena - Pasadena, California

Sometimes you're just not in the mood to watch something new. And that's okay, because there are plenty of good reasons to watch certain TV shows multiple times.

It's incredibly rewarding to watch complex dramas or meta comedies that rapidly fire off jokes because there's a lot you might've missed the first (or second, or third) time around. And a few shows are worth revisiting simply for nostalgia's sake. 

We put together a list of the most rewatchable shows that are great to revisit for either (or both) of those reasons, from "Arrested Development" to "Mad Men."

SEE ALSO: The 29 most rewatchable movies of all time

"Game of Thrones"

To really understand what's happening on "Game of Thrones," it's necessary to rewatch. You'll re-learn a lot of things you may have forgotten, like why Arya and Sansa's relationship is strained, and you'll also learn completely new things, like how Daenerys is connected to all this in the first place. There's a lot of family trees and names and places in this show, so for the most effective "Game of Thrones" rewatch, turn on the captions. 

Available to stream on HBO Go or HBO Now.

"The Good Place"

"30 Rock"

Similar to "Arrested Development" in its visual gags and meta jokes, "30 Rock" is still as fresh as it was when it premiered over ten years ago on NBC. Even its pop culture references kind of work better than they did back then. And yes, we are definitely thinking of the episode where Jerry Seinfeld guest-starred just to plug "Bee Movie" in 2007. 

Available to stream on Hulu.

• Attending the FIFA World Cup has been on my travel bucket list since I fell in love with the sporting event in 2010.
• I was able to get tickets for the 2018 FIFA World Cup through a friend who has attended the last three World Cups.
• I attended the Poland versus Senegal group stage match. It was incredibly exciting to watch the first African team to win at this year's tournament.

Like a lot of sports fans, I’ve always dreamed of going to the FIFA World Cup.

Few sporting events conjure up the mix of top-of-the-line talent, global togetherness, and just flat-out unbridled joy that the World Cup does.

I won’t lie — the first World Cup that I really watched was in 2010. At the time, I was traveling through Europe and got to watch the games on giant screens in public squares in Germany, Spain, and the Czech Republic. The enthusiasm that European fans brought to the tournament was contagious and I was hooked. Attending the World Cup went on my travel bucket list.

When a friend of mine from college told me that she and her husband were heading to the Cup this year in Russia, and that they had some extra tickets, I jumped at the chance.

On Tuesday, I attended the Poland versus Senegal match at Spartak Stadium in Moscow, Russia. It was even more exciting than I imagined. You can be sure I’ll be getting to another Cup soon.

Here’s what it was like:

To get to the game, I took the Metro. Moscow's metro system is one of the biggest and busiest in the world, with a ridership of 2.442 billion in 2017.

Source: Moscow Metro

The trains to the Spartak Stadium, where the Poland versus Senegal game was to be played, had TV screens in each car broadcasting the current game.

The Spartak station was packed when my train got in at around 3:30 p.m. The game wasn't until 6 p.m., but I wanted to make sure I got in early.

Android users are pretty spoiled for choice, which actually makes it harder to pick a smartphone.

Two of the phones you'll undoubtedly be checking out include the Samsung Galaxy S9 and the LG G7 "ThinQ."

Below, I've listed the four things that the LG G7 does better than the Galaxy S9. Apart from those four things, the phones have pretty much identical specs and features, including the speedy Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, wireless charging, and water resistance. 

There are several things that the Galaxy S9 does better than the LG G7, but there are still 4 good reasons why should consider the G7 before pulling the trigger on the Galaxy S9:

SEE ALSO: Here's how the 'unlimited' plans from Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile compare

1. The LG G7 has better bang for your buck in terms of screen size.

For the $700 range, the biggest screen you'll find is in the $750 LG G7. It has a 6.1-inch display compared to the 5.8-inch display on the standard $720 Galaxy S9. 

The LG G7's display is also just barely smaller than the 6.2-inch display on the $840 Galaxy S9 Plus, which costs $90 more than the LG G7. 

2. The LG G7 has a notch, which is actually a good thing on Android smartphones.

The iPhone X-style notch at the top of the LG G7's display actually makes way more sense on Android smartphones than it does on iPhones. That's because the notch is a perfect place for the Android notification bar that's at the top of Android phone displays. 

When you move the Android notification bar to the notch, you make a little bit more room for your home screen, apps, and pretty much anything else you do with your phone. 

And if you don't like the "notched" look, where you can see your background and apps in the screen area around the notch, you can turn the notch effect off. The Android notification bar will remain at the top, but it'll be blacked out like traditional Android. 

3. The LG G7 has the best audio quality for both wired or wireless headphones.

The LG G7 has a higher quality headphone amp than most other smartphones, which can make a noticeable difference to someone who appreciates top sound quality. 

For wireless Bluetooth audio, it also goes the extra mile. It comes with the "aptX HD" standard, which delivers better quality audio over Bluetooth than the standard aptX you'd find on the Galaxy S9. 

June is Pride Month, when cities across the US show support for LGBT+ rights, culture, and communities. 

It's a tradition that goes back to the early 1970s, when cities began hosting events to commemorate the Stonewall Riots and highlight issues that LGBT+ Americans still face.

Here's what Pride Month is all about.

What is Pride Month, and how are cities celebrating it?

Pride is a monthlong LGBT+ celebration, protest, and act of political activism in the US. Nearly every city has some sort of big event — usually a large parade with plenty of rainbow iconography, glitter, and floats driven by local companies and organizations.

Several cities have already kicked off the month with Pride parades and LGBT-centered events, ranging from protests and dance parties to poetry readings and drag shows.

Why do Americans celebrate Pride, and when did it all start?

The history of Pride — as well as the larger LGBT rights movement — dates back to the late 1960s at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Manhattan. The venue was known as the rare spot where same-sex patrons could dance with each other without the fear of harassment.

At the time, it was fairly common for police to raid gay bars and nightclubs, especially in big cities like New York City and Los Angeles. Sometimes these raids would result in violence on behalf of the officers. 

In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, the police raided Stonewall, but this time, the patrons fought back. Marsha P. Johnson, a black trans woman celebrating her 25th birthday at the time, is credited with starting the uprising.

The Stonewall Riots, consisting of thousands of people, lasted for the next six days.

Does Stonewall still exist today?

The Stonewall Inn — a two-story establishment on Manhattan's West Side — still operates today as a gay bar and entertainment revenue. Throughout the week, it hosts dance parties and drag shows.

In 2015, the City of New York designated Stonewall as a historic landmark. A year later, President Obama named it a national monument.

"The Stonewall Inn is a rarity — a tipping point in history where we know, with absolute clarity, that everything changed," Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer said in a statement to BuzzFeed in 2015.

With the availability of unlocked devices, it's easier than ever to switch carriers and get the best "unlimited" data plan that works for you.

There are a few things to consider when choosing a carrier and its unlimited data plan, like how carriers interpret the meaning of "unlimited." For most of them, it means capping your speeds after you reach a certain amount of data usage. 

Each carrier also offers its own perks, like free Netflix, Hulu, or HBO. They also have their own limitations to mobile hotspots, video streaming resolution, and data for tablets and wearables. 

So to help you figure out what's what, here's a quick rundown of how the current crop of unlimited plans match up. You can scroll down for the full head-to-head.

SEE ALSO: There are 6 major services that let you stream live TV over the internet — here's how they compare

The big caveat: No "unlimited" plan is really unlimited.

Wireless carriers use the word "unlimited"in a misleading way.

No "unlimited" plan here allows you to use an endless amount of LTE data across the board with no penalties. Instead, each carrier warns that it may slow your speeds if you use a certain amount of data in a month and live in an area of congestion.

Each plan also limits what you can do with that data when it comes to things like mobile hotspots, international usage, and the like.

The situation only gets worse when you look at the restrictions imposed on unlimited plans from mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) like Boost Mobile and Cricket Wireless, or on the prepaid "unlimited" plans from the major carriers themselves.

Also, none of the carriers' advertised rates includes device subsidies. If you buy a phone from a carrier and pay for it in monthly installments, that fee will be added to the cost of your plans.

Still, the "unlimited" plans have value. At least with the major carrier plans, you do truly get unlimited talk and text, and the amount of data you can use without risk is fairly generous. And being slowed in areas of congestion is not the same as being outright throttled; even after passing a carrier's warning point, you can still get LTE speeds.

The other caveat: Not all networks are created equal.

A good "unlimited" plan isn't as worthwhile if it comes with shoddy internet. Sadly, a big chunk of the country still suffers from mediocre mobile coverage.

It's hard to give exact metrics on how the carriers' current networks compare, but a recent PCMag report found Verizon to have to best mix of speed, coverage and reliability, with T-Mobile and AT&T close behind. A recent RootMetrics study, meanwhile, found a bigger gap T-Mobile to be fast but less reliable, and also put Verizon tops in terms of overall quality. 

In general, Verizon is consistently near the top, T-Mobile is said to be much improved from years past, AT&T is either in second or third, and Sprint often brings up the rear. Much of the time, though, which is best for you depends on where you live.

If you opt for a prepaid carrier, you usually have to deal with slower speeds. Cricket Wireless has an unlimited plan for $65 a month, for example, but its parent, AT&T, caps Cricket download speeds at a lower-than-average 8 Mbps.

Sprint, meanwhile, caps all video on Virgin Mobile's and Boost Mobile's unlimited plans at a less-than-HD resolution. Virgin did recently introduce an enticing deal that offers a year's worth of data for $1, but you need to use an iPhone to be eligible for it.

And the prepaid "unlimited" plans from carriers like Verizon and T-Mobile block things like HD video streaming and the ability to use your phone as a mobile hotspot. As a result, we've omitted all such prepaid plans from this comparison.

Verizon

How much does it cost?

The Go Unlimited plan starts at $75 a month for one line. It costs $130 a month for two lines, $150 a month for three lines, or $160 a month for four or more lines. 

The Beyond Unlimited plan starts at $85 a month for one line. It costs $160 a month for two lines, $180 a month for three lines, or $200 a month for four lines. Each additional line here costs an extra $50 a month, with a maximum of 10 lines for $500 a month.

Verizon recently introduced a brand-new unlimited plan called "Above Unlimited," which starts at $95 for a single line, $180 for two lines, $140 for three lines, and $120 for four or more lines. 

Verizon also now lets you pick which of its three unlimited plans you want to apply to different lines. That way, you can assign different unlimited plans according to the needs of specific users. So, in a three-line account, one line could have the $50 "Go" plan, the second line could have the $60 "Beyond" plan, and the third line could have the $70 "Above" plan. That way, you don't need to pay $70 per line for the other two lines if only one line needs the "Above" plan, for example. 

None of this includes taxes and regulatory fees, though. Those vary by region, so your bill will be a bit higher than what's advertised.

And as with every major unlimited plan, all of these rates apply only if you set your billing to auto-pay every month. Otherwise, all of the prices above will cost $5 more a month per line.

How much LTE data do you actually get?

With the Go Unlimited plan, Verizon says it may temporarily slow your mobile data speeds in areas of congestion. This doesn’t mean you’ll constantly be slowed to a crawl when browsing the web on your phone, but it makes it especially difficult to call this a true “unlimited” plan.

With the pricier Beyond Unlimited plan, Verizon says it may temporarily slow your mobile data speeds in areas of congestion if you use more than 22 GB of LTE data in a given month. 

With the new "Above" Unlimited plan, you get 75 GB of fast LTE data in a given month before it may temporarily slow your mobile data speeds in areas of congestion.

Can you stream HD video?

Not with a smartphone on the Go Unlimited plan. If you buy that, Verizon says video streamed over its mobile network will max out at a 480p resolution, which is less than high-definition. There is a visible difference in sharpness between 480p and HD, particularly on the ever-expanding and increasingly high-res displays of today’s smartphones. Again, this is a clear example of limits on an “unlimited” plan.

The "Beyond" and "Above" Unlimited plan does let you stream video on smartphones in high-definition, but even that is throttled: Verizon says it’s capped at a 720p resolution. This isn’t as noticeable a drop-off in sharpness as going to 480p, but it’s the minimum threshold for an HD video, and it’s still a step back for consumers than the previous plan, on which Verizon didn’t restrict video on any device at all.

If you subscribed to Verizon’s original unlimited plan, you’re now saddled with the Beyond Unlimited plan’s 720p limit.

If you want the full HD 1080p resolution for video streams on a smartphone, Verizon lets you pay an extra $10 per line for those on the Beyond and the Above Unlimited plans. 

It’s worth noting that the limits above are different if you stream video to a tablet instead of a smartphone. With that, the Go Unlimited supports up to 720p video streaming, while the Beyond Unlimited plan supports up to 1080p video streaming. This makes sense given that tablets offer more screen real estate.

The Trump administration took another step this spring toward its campaign promise to keep undocumented immigrants out of the US.

In early May, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Department of Homeland Security officials would begin a new "zero-tolerance" immigration policy: Everyone who attempts to cross the border — even those seeking asylum — are now being prosecuted.

The policy seems to be doing exactly what it was designed to do. Homeland Security figures reveal that between May 5 and June 9, border officials separated more than 2,300 children from 2,206 parents.

Following mounting pressure from both sides of the aisle, Trump signed an executive order that he said will stop family separation at the border. However, the fate of immigrant children already in custody remains unclear, and the order still faces legal obstacles.

Even before the Trump administration enacted this policy, migrant families often needed to separate, largely because crossing the US-Mexico border undocumented was always dangerous.

Steel fencing with razor wire, sensors, and surveillance cameras line most of the nearly 2,000-mile US-Mexico border today. Back in 1971, the US fundamentally changed a section of the barrier: The Nixon administration built Friendship Park, the only federally designated bi-national meeting place along the US southern border.

Until 1994, the park between San Diego and Tijuana did not include any fencing. Anyone could spend time there during the day, under the monitor of US Border Patrol. But border security tightened over time, and today families can barely touch fingertips through Friendship Park's thick steel fence.

Friends of Friendship Park, a local community organization formed in 2006, is now attempting to work with the San Diego Border Patrol to allow unrestricted access to the park again.

Take a look below:

SEE ALSO: 26 photos that show the US-Mexico border's evolution over 100 years

DON'T MISS: A journey along the entire 1,933-mile US-Mexico border shows the monumental task of securing it

On August 18, 1971, first lady Pat Nixon inaugurated Friendship Park (located west of San Ysidro, California) and declared it a national monument.

Source: NBC News

"May there never be a wall between these two great nations," the first lady said. "Only friendship."

Source: The Washington Post

Over 100 years prior, in 1848, the US built a pyramid-shaped statue on the San Diego beach to mark the end of the Mexican-American War. Today, there are 276 such monuments to the war along the border; the one in Friendship Park was the first.

Source: The Washington Post

For many entrepreneurs, Kickstarter represents a level playing field where good ideas can find people with the cash to help make their dream a reality.

Just look at the success of the legendary Potato Salad, where a guy tried to raise the funds to make, well, potato salad — and ended up raising over $55,000, throwing a potato party for charity and even publishing a cookbook loaded with 24 potato salad recipes. 

Indeed, without Kickstarter, we'd never have the Pebble smartwatch, highly anticipated games like "Shenmue 3," or the "Veronica Mars" movie.

But not every good idea survives contact with the real world, and we've seen a lot of high-profile flameouts from ambitious Kickstarter projects that just couldn't deliver, like the "world's thinnest watch."

And then there are weird, bad crowdfunding projects like the case of the Indiegogo campaign that promised it could build gills for humans, but that's a whole different issue.

Here's a look at the most successful Kickstarter projects of all time, and where they are today. Spoiler alert: Despite being acquired by Fitbit in late 2016, and the forthcoming shutdown of a lot of its best features on June 30th, Pebble shows up a bunch.

SEE ALSO: This $30 million San Francisco mansion, once owned by Vanessa Getty, is one of the city's most expensive homes — take a look inside

Before the fidget spinner fad took off, there was the Fidget Cube, a vinyl desk toy designed to help you focus. The 2016 campaign raised $6,465,690 and was released into the mass market with good reviews, one of which dubbed the doodad "a baby toy for adults." It sells for $20 on the company's website.

Source: The Verge

In 2016, Peak Design held a Kickstarter campaign for a trio of svelte bags for phorographers, and raised $6,565,782. Its bags retail for $39.95 to $289.95.

"Reading Rainbow," the beloved 1980s kids' TV show, became one of Kickstarter's earliest success stories in 2014 with a $5,408,916 campaign to make a "virtual field trip" app for smartphones and tablets. In 2017, though, the app was renamed "LeVar Burton Kids Skybrary" after Burton, the show's host, lost the rights to the "Reading Rainbow" brand.

 Source: The Current

Garmin's line of high-end smartwatches just got a major upgrade.

On Monday, Garmin unveiled its series of Fenix 5 Plus smartwatches. The three watches — the Fenix 5S Plus, the Fenix 5 Plus, and the Fenix 5X Plus — are upgrades to Garmin's Fenix 5 line, which it launched last year. 

The new watches start at $700 and have new features like on-watch music storage, advanced GPS mapping, and contactless payments. 

Garmin also added a pulse oximeter to the Fenix 5X Plus, which means the watch can track your blood oxygen levels while you're working out in high altitudes. 

Here's everything you need to know about Garmin's new Fenix 5 Plus smartwatches. 

SEE ALSO: Everything I loved and hated about using HTC's new $800 flagship smartphone, the U12+

Here's Garmin's Fenix 5 Plus series: the Fenix 5S Plus, the Fenix 5X Plus, and the Fenix 5 Plus.

While each Fenix 5 Plus watch has unique features, there are a few standard features for all three watches:

• The watches have built-in topographical maps, and a routing feature to help find popular trails that other Garmin users have tried
• The watches have satellite reception, which helps track you in environments like canyons or places with heavy tree cover
• Garmin offers advanced fitness tracking on all three watches. You're able to track your exercise history and find out if you're over-training or need to make adjustments to your form
• All three watches have a heart-rate tracker
• You'll be able to store up to 500 songs on your watch so you can leave your phone at home while exercising
• The watches will also have Garmin Pay, Gamin's version of contactless payments
• You'll be able to get calls, texts, and email notifications on all three watches.

The Fenix 5S Plus, with a 42 mm case, is the smallest of the three watches.

The watch is made for smaller wrists, but Garmin says the display is now 20% larger than the previous version, the Fenix 5S.

The Fenix 5S Plus comes in silver, black, and rose gold.