As the battle for smartphone operating-system supremacy rages on (and some would argue it's already over with Apple's iOS and Google's Android on top), it's worth noting that such power-grabs are as old as modern computing itself.

Have you ever heard of a PC operating system called Amiga? What about Inferno? Arthur?

These were all real operating systems that once tried to compete with Apple and Microsoft. And with the birth of the smartphone, there were several early players attempting to do what modern devices do today. 

Let's take a look.

AmigaOS

Year created: 1985

Company: Commodore

What happened? Ars Technica put it best when in 2005, it wrote: "The Amiga computer was a machine ahead of its time. When it was released in 1985, its color screen (4096 colors in HAM mode!), four-channel sampled stereo sound, preemptive multitasking GUI, and custom chips to accelerate both sound and graphics made the year-old Macintosh seem antiquated and the PC positively Paleolithic. Steve Jobs was reported to be extremely worried about the Amiga, but fortunately for him and Apple, Commodore had absolutely no idea what they were doing."

BeOS

Year created: 1991

Company:Be Inc.

What happened? Apple offered to buy Be Inc. for $125 million in 1995, but CEO Jean-Louis Gassée wanted $200 million. Apple bought Steve Jobs's NeXT instead, and Palm acquired the company's assets for $11 million in 2001.

OS/2

Year created: 1985

Company: IBM

What happened? Microsoft and IBM joined to create OS/2 in 1985, but when Windows 3 became a huge hit, the partnership unraveled in 1990. Though no longer supported by IBM, the operating system still runs on many ATMs today.

Hundreds of wineries dot the rolling hills in Napa and Sonoma counties, the heart of California wine country. 

Visitors come from all over the globe for the region’s beautiful vineyards, quaint towns, hot air balloon rides, world-class cuisine, and, of course, wine.

Travelers looking to get pampered should consider these top luxury hotels.

This post was originally published on Oyster.com.

Calistoga Ranch, an Auberge Resort, Napa Valley

It’s no wonder royalty, A-list celebrities, and athletes keep returning to the luxury Calistoga Ranch: It’s in a class all by itself.

Guests rent exquisite private lodges, set on a private 157-acre park-like property complete with hiking trails and a top-of-the-line restaurant and spa.

Attention to detail carries over from room design to landscape planning — all modules for the lodges were flown in by helicopter to minimize impact on surrounding trees and to maximize privacy. The property boasts plenty of activities, including outdoor yoga, a beautiful heated outdoor pool, a bocce court, a fabulous fitness center, and wine tasting seminars. If guests decide to venture out for some reason, they can easily access downtown Calistoga and other towns with not only loaner bikes, but loaner Mercedes-Benzes!

Kenwood Inn and Spa, Sonoma Valley

Kenwood Inn and Spa is located in Sonoma County, but the hotel and grounds evoke beautiful Tuscany.

The European-style property impresses with its lush gardens and courtyards as well as its exquisite fountains and pools.

The 29 private and spacious rooms are individually decorated with romantic Mediterranean-inspired decor, and are furnished with cozy fireplaces, quality Italian linens, oversize showers, and personal balconies (some with stunning vineyard views). The  ultra-luxurious spa helps ensure that guests feel pampered.

Auberge du Soleil, Napa Valley

This 50-room luxury inn is one of the most exclusive (and expensive) destinations in California wine country.

Despite its intimate size, it has all the amenities of a larger resort: a 7,000-square-foot luxury spa, a lovely pool, and a Michelin-star restaurant.

Views of the surrounding countryside are phenomenal, the grounds are lush and peaceful, and the homey rooms all come with huge terraces (and, in most, fireplaces and soaking tubs). It’s a truly special, romantic retreat, and it’s location in Rutherford is convenient for exploring Napa Valley.

Goldman Sachs recently released its new "Hedge Fund Trend Monitor," giving clients a glimpse into the investment moves and strategies by 708 of the world's biggest funds.

In the report, Goldman lays out the 20 most "concentrated" stocks, meaning a large share of their market capitalization is owned in aggregate by hedge funds.

In upward trending markets, buying these 20 stocks has been a successful strategy. Less so in a "choppy or flat" market. From the report:

20. E*TRADE Financial

Ticker: ETFC

Sector: Investment Banking & Brokerage 

% owned by hedge funds: 18%

2Q Return: 18%

YTD Return: 63%

Major Owners: Omega Advisors (7.9 million shares), Select Equity Group (7.6 million shares), Southpoint Capital Advisors (7.5 million shares)

Source: Goldman Sachs, Bloomberg

19. Legg Mason

Ticker: LM

Sector: Asset Management & Custody Banks

% owned by hedge funds: 18%

2Q Return: -3%

YTD Return: 29%

Major Owners: Trian Fund Management (12.8 million shares), Greenlight Capital (2.3 million shares), QVT Financial (842,000 shares)

Source: Goldman Sachs, Bloomberg

18. Wyndham Worldwide

Ticker: WYN

Sector: Hotels Resorts & Cruise Lines

% owned by hedge funds: 18%

2Q Return: -11%

YTD Return: 13%

Major Owners: Iridian Asset Management (5.4 million shares), Lone Pine Capital (4.7 million shares), Partner Fund Management (2.9 million shares)

Source: Goldman Sachs, Bloomberg

Celebrities and music superstars descended upon the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for Sunday night's MTV Video Music Awards.

But the night's performances are just as talked about as the crazy fashions.

Katy Perry "roared" in a Cheetah dress, Miley Cyrus channeled her inner Gwen Stefani and Ciara left little to the imagination.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Lady GaGa wore all black custom Prabal Gurung on the red carpet.

Busta Rhymes looked equally as ridiculous.

Gaga opened the show in this nun number.

In honor of National Dog Day, we wanted to showcase the heroism and loyalty of dogs.

These selfless canines put themselves in harm's way for the benefit of humans.

Some are big, some are small, but all are man's best friend.

Kabang stopped a deadly motorcycle accident

In December 2011, Kabang leapt into the path of an oncoming motorcycle to stop it from hitting her owner's niece and teenage daughter and suffered horrific injuries in the process.

The girls were unhurt, but the dog lost her snout and the top part of her jaw in the ensuing accident. Miraculously, she survived, and recovered in an animal hospital in California for seven months. When she returned to the Philippines, she was greeted with a hero's welcome. 

Trakr found one of the last survivors of the 9/11 attacks

Trakr was a police dog for six years in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and retired in May 2001. But on September 11th of the same year, Trakr and his trainer, Canadian police officer James Symington, came out of retirement. They drove 15 hours to Ground Zero to aid in the search and rescue efforts, and Trakr sniffed out Genelle Guzman, the last survivor of the attacks to be found in the rubble, according to TIME.

After two days of searching, the dog collapsed from smoke inhalation, exhaustion, and burns. He was later presented with the Extraordinary Service to Humanity Award by Dr. Jane Goodall, and died peacefully in 2009.

Eve saved her paraplegic owner

Kathie Vaughan was driving her truck one day when it began to fishtail, and when she pulled over, the cockpit began to fill with smoke. Kathie, a paraplegic, couldn't get herself out of the car, but she pushed her Rottweiler Eve out the door first.

Kathie was in danger of passing out when she felt Eve grab her leg with her jaws. The brave dog dragged her owner to safety ten feet away just before the truck burst into flames, according to Care2.

Keith Olbermann made his much-anticipated return to television on Monday with the debut of "Olbermann" on ESPN2, the network he helped launch 20 years ago.

Maybe the best way to describe the new show is "The Daily Show" meets sports, minus the correspondents and skits. Given Olbermann's political background, the format actually makes sense for ESPN.

But does it make sense to add legitimacy to the blossoming rivalry between ESPN and Fox's new all-sports network, Fox Sports 1, which has already shown similarities to its sister-network, Fox News?

Only time will tell, but in the meantime, let's take a closer look at the debut episode of "Olbermann."

The show opened with a Daily Show-style monologue.

Olbermann spent the first 13 minutes (yes, 13) discussing Rex Ryan, and how the media creates controversy out of nothing.

Olbermann's point on the Jets and Ryan was that "reporting is dead." Meanwhile, he spent 13 minutes discussing this apparent non-story.

Let’s face it. This isn’t exactly the most optimistic time to be a college applicant. By now, even MTV-obsessed teens probably have heard or read about the $1 trillion student debt bubble, the soaring cost of college tuition and the federal budget cuts that have likely made even their safety schools more expensive than ever.

For most, the odds of affording a seat at an Ivy League school seem so slim they don’t even bother sending in an application. 

Here’s some good news. The idea that attending an elite school means shackling yourself to a lifetime of debt is one of the most persistent myths in higher education.

“Parents don’t understand the sticker price [of college tuition],” explains John McDonough, CEO of Studemont Group College Funding Solutions, a Texas-based service that helps parents navigate the college application and financial aid process. “There’s a formula involved and if you’re a family with high need, assuming your child can get accepted, there’s a high likelihood that a private school will cover 100% of that need.” 

The key is understanding the difference between  a college's sticker price and net cost. 

 When you see Harvard University’s $51,000/year price tag, what you’re actually getting is the sticker price. Ignore it. That number means literally nothing to a low-income applicant. 

What parents and students really want is the net tuition cost – the amount that a university will expect families to shell out after accounting for financial aid packages.

That’s the nice thing about private institutions. Thanks to healthy endowment funds, they’ve got cash for days and they are a lot more generous with their bankroll than your overworked, underpaid high school counselor may realize.

In 2012-13, on average, undergraduates enrolled full-time in private nonprofit four-year colleges pocketed $15,680 in grants (i.e.: "free money" not student loans) and tax benefits to help them pay for college, according to the College Board. Over the same period, undergraduates in public four-year institutions received about $5,750 in grants and tax benefits. 

How to find the net cost:  Use the White House’s simple college net tuition calculator. For example, we found that Harvard’s average net cost was actually just over $18,000 for the 2010-11 school year, making it more affordable than fellow Ivy Leaguers Princeton, Columbia, and Dartmouth. In fact, between 2007 and 2009, the cost of attending Harvard actually dropped by 15%.  

The average borrowing cost for students is also less than $90 per month. And if a student’s family earns less than $60,000 per year, Harvard charges nothing for attendance. Yale follows the same policy.

We’re just using Harvard as an example here but you’ll find similarly generous aid at pretty much every top private school. Don’t worry about being turned away at the door for being poor either. Admissions at Ivy League schools are all “need blind,” meaning they won’t factor financial well-being at all into the process.  In 2011, more than 60% of Harvard students qualified for financial aid.

“[These schools] don’t want to turn away a brilliant mind just because they grew up on the wrong side of the tracks,” McDonough says. “We have low-income families come in and it’s amazing when they find out that if their students can get accepted at an Ivy League or big ticket school, it can be cheaper than going to the state college down the road.”

So, if elite schools are such a bargain, why do less than 10% of low-income students apply?

That’s the question explored in a recent study by Stanford’s Caroline Hoxby and the University of Virginia’s Sarah Turner.

“The results of our research suggest that cultural or familial factors are not a primary driver of students’ behavior,” they concluded. “Indeed, the key barrier for many low-income high achievers seems to simply be a lack of information.”

Low-income students have a pathetic 1% chance of working with a school counselor who actually attended a highly selective school, they found, which makes it even less likely that they will be encouraged to pursue that path. 

“There’s a lot of economic profiling that goes on in high schools and these kids aren't even given the ability to dream about or think about going to these types of schools,” McDonough says.

We asked him to share a few strategies he gives low-income families who feel priced out of elite schools.

Never miss a deadline. “For some families on the low-income side, they probably haven’t had the ability to save anything for college. They’re living paycheck to paycheck. What we tell those families is there are still some deadlines you have to meet. Number one, make sure you get your SAT tests done on time. Apply early enough and then go through the financial aid process on time so that you can be sure you’ve done everything right.” 

You can negotiate financial aid offers.“A lot families have never heard that you can appeal colleges and negotiate them after they’ve sent a financial aid offer. That’s why we tell students to apply to multiple schools, not just one. You can use those other financial aid offers as leverage [when negotiating]. You write a letter to the school, saying that you can not afford X dollars of what they expect and ask them to please re-work their package. We have much better luck negotiating with private schools than we do big state schools. [Public schools] have a set budget and they can hide behind it.”

Visit admissions offices in person. “If you can walk into the college admissions office we find that to be sometimes beneficial. That way, you’re not just a number on a paper and you become a real person.”

SEE ALSO: How To Pay Off Student Loans When You Have No Money, No Job, And Nowhere Else To Turn

Join the conversation about this story »

There's no one way to make a lobster roll.

I learned this on a visit to Portland, Maine, where lobster rolls are not only everywhere but come in all forms. The basics are usually the same — a split-top hot dog bun stuffed with cold lobster meat — but the roll is subject to countless variations depending on where you eat.

Some questions to consider: Is the bun toasted? Should the meat be drizzled with butter or lightly dressed with mayo? Is it acceptable to mix in celery, onion, and other herbs? How much meat should there be?

According to DiMillo's, a large waterfront restaurant in Portland's Old Port district, the "classic" Maine lobster roll consists of chilled lobster meat mixed with mayo and served on top of iceberg lettuce in a split-top bun.

Here's how it's made:

1. Steam the lobster and pick the meat from the tail, claws, and knuckles (here's a step-by-step guide).

2. Cut the meat into smaller pieces. Place the meat in a plastic bag and chill.

2. Lightly butter both sides of the bun. Toast the bun on a grill for about a minute on each side or until golden brown.

3. When ready, prepare the toasted bun for the fillings.

4. Fill the bun with a small handful of shredded lettuce.

5. Mix the chilled lobster meat with some mayonnaise to bind it. Stuff the bun with 3.5 ounces of lobster meat and serve.

Some people prefer their lobster meat without mayo. That's the way Portland Lobster Company serves it. Their $15.99 lobster roll (market price at the time) was lightly brushed with butter and piled onto a single piece of lettuce. Fresh and simple. A lemon wedge, coleslaw, and French fries came on the side.

The Blue Rooster Food Co., a low-key sandwich shop in Old Port, puts an Asian spin on the seafood creation. The "Banh Mi" lobster roll comes with Maine lobster, pickled vegetables, cucumber, mint, cilantro, and crispy pork (which I didn't get).

This sandwich is definitely not for lobster roll purists, but all of the flavors worked well together. The vegetables were refreshing and they added a satisfying crunch to the lobster meat, which was mixed with mayo. The bun was toasted.

RîRâ, an Irish pub, serves their lobster meat au naturel with a dollop of mayo on top. The bun is toasted and it comes with French Fries on the side.

SEE ALSO: Maine's Top Chef Shows Us The Right Way To Steam And Eat A Lobster

Join the conversation about this story »

Last quarter, a company you've probably never heard of sold more smartphones than Apple in China.

That company is called Xiaomi, and it is often referred to as the "Apple of China" because a lot of its success comes from mimicking Apple's marketing strategy. 

Its best-selling phones are based on Android, but Xiaomi rewrites most of the operating system to fit its own needs. Xiaomi's "forked" version of Android is called MiUI. The company also sells its phones for hundreds of dollars less than Apple and Samsung's devices.

However, Xiaomi's place on top of Apple will likely be short-lived. Apple is reportedly going to start selling iPhones on some of China's largest carriers this year, which will help it snap up a lot more market share in that country.

In the meantime, check out MiUI and see why it's been such a success in China.

Xiaomi's phones are well-built, but sold for less than $200 U.S. without a contract. They also come in a ton of colors. They usually sell out in seconds.

This is the home screen. The icons are rounded squares, just like the app icons on the iPhone.

Even app folders look similar to the folders on the iPhone.

On Sunday, Colorado's Tejay van Garderen won one of the hardest bike races in the world, the week-long USA Pro Challenge. 

This was a happy day for U.S. cycling fans. About one million of them gathered on the roads along various stages of the race course to cheer on all the racers.  (Jump straight to the pictures.)

Colorado, home to 53 mountains  over 14,000 feet, is a place filled with fanatical cyclists. Many Colorado residents own at least three bikes: a road bike, a mountain bike and a "townie" with a big comfy seat used to commute, run errands.

The USA Pro Challenge is helping the country build a reputation for world-class, difficult stage races. Now in its third year, 128 riders from 31 countries on seven teams participated in the 2013 race, including 2013 Tour de France winner, British cyclist Chris Froome of Sky Procycling. But Froome didn't finish this race. He dropped out because of asthma.

This race course would give just about anyone an asthma attack. It covers countless hills in 600 miles in seven days across Colorado, including a ride up the highest mountain pass in any professional cycling race, Independence Pass, at 12,000 feet. The time trials, where racers ride 10 miles as fast as they can, are held on Vail Pass, at 10,000 feet.

The fans are insane, too. Every peak is a dance party. Like the Tour de France, people line the streets, many in costume, and crowd the cyclists as they pass by.

Fans climb the hillside in Fort Collins to get to the road where racers will soon be. You can't drive to the race, the road is closed.

Riders descended the hill in the background and then had to climb through this wild crowd.

Here's a close up of the crowd, above Horsetooth Reservoir in Fort Collins. A dozen boats gathered to watch the race, too.

Celine Dion has put up her gorgeous compound on Florida's Jupiter Island on the market for $72 million, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The home, which is jointly listed by Sotheby's International Realty agents Joseph Montanaro and Cristina Condon, was custom-built and designed in 2010 by Celine Dion herself.

She and her manager husband Reneé Angélil bought the lot of land in 2005 for $12.5 million and the adjacent mansion in 2008 for $7 million, The WSJ reports. They then razed to build the current spread.

The five-and-a-half-acre property has views of the Atlantic Ocean, a four-bedroom guest house, a simulated golf range, pool house, and three separate pools.

The main residence alone measures close to 10,000 square feet, with five bedrooms and a custom-designed, walk-in closet with automated rack for clothing and automated carousel for shoes.

Last year, Dion listed her home on a private island in Quebec for $29.3 million; it's still on the market.

Welcome to Celine Dion's 5.5-acre compound on Jupiter Island in Florida.

Source: Sotheby's International Realty

The singer is selling the property for $72 million.

Source: Sotheby's International Realty

She and her husband custom-designed the property themselves after buying two lots and razing one of the existing homes.

Source: Sotheby's International Realty

As we get closer (and closer) to Apple's actual launch event for the iPhone 5S, we're getting more (and more) leaked images of the phone.

The latest leak is a hands-on video from AppAdvice with the gold iPhone and the iPhone 5C, which is the low-cost iPhone. 

If you haven't seen what Apple's gold iPhone is going to look like, this is a pretty clear video. 

We did screengrabs of the video because it's easier/quicker to look at the images that way. You can see the video here, or flip through our gallery. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to blast through the pictures if you go the gallery route. 

Editor's note: Due to some technical difficulties yesterday, we were unable to post this list on August 26, National Dog Day. But we couldn't resist posting it today. Enjoy!

Dogs are the best.

Incredibly loyal, they comfort, protect, and love their humans unconditionally, making dogs superior to any other pet out there.

But not all dogs are created equal. These are the 11 best dog breeds, based on factors including health, personality, and overall popularity.

11. Portuguese Water Dog

Portuguese water dogs were originally bred to herd fish, retrieve lost tackle or broken nets, and act as couriers from ship to shore.

They’re good for people with allergies and make excellent companions since they are loving, independent, intelligent, and easy to train.

Portuguese water dogs also enjoy being petted and are friendly with strangers. Just be warned that like many larger dogs, boredom can cause them to become destructive.

10. Newfoundland Dog

Known as “nature’s babysitter,” Newfoundland Dogs are the absolute sweetest. Perhaps the best-known Newfoundland is the fictional Nana from “Peter Pan,” who was so wonderful with children.

These gentle giants are highly loyal and easy to train, and are legendary for their docile temper.

Newfoundland dogs are also strong swimmers, and the breed was trained to rescue people from drowning — one dog even famously saved Napoleon Bonaparte.

9. Maltese

One of the most ancient of the toy breeds, Maltese dogs were bred to be sweet and adoring of their owners. The Greeks even erected tombs for their Maltese dogs, and in Elizabethan times, they were called “The Comforter” because it was believed they could relieve pain and cure illness.

Maltese dogs are also extremely hypoallergenic, with silky coats that don’t shed.

And because of their size, these dogs are good for apartment living, too.

8. Golden Retrievers

Goldens are sweet, loyal, and incredible companion dogs. They’d rather be sleeping at your feet then running around outside without you.

They’re also very even-tempered, especially with small children. Goldens make great service and comfort dogs because of their friendly and tolerant attitudes.

Plus they were bred to retrieve ducks and other fowl for hunters, so if you like playing fetch, this is the dog for you.

7. Huskies

Siberian huskies are stunning animals, with their thick fur coat and piercing eyes. Most people who choose a Husky do so for their extraordinary beauty.

Huskies are good natured dogs who are affectionate with children. They shed minimally, except for twice a year when they blow out their coat, and don’t have the typical “dog odor” that bigger breeds tend to have.

Huskies are not considered a great breed for first-time dog owners, since they need a lot of attention, exercise, and are very good as escaping and running away.

6. Poodles

Poodles get a bad rap. But they’re easy to train since they’re so intelligent, and are lively, fun-loving, and loyal family dogs. 

Poodles can be attention seekers, so don’t be surprised if this people-oriented breed is constantly with you.

They’re also protective of their families and homes, and can become aggressive with people outside the family or with other dogs.

5. Beagles

Because of their intelligence, Beagles are used by law enforcement at airports to sniff baggage for items that are not permitted. Due to their friendly nature and appearance, Beagles don’t worry passengers.

This breed also has a lack of inherited health problems, and an even temper which is good for families and small children.

The most common reason Beagles are abandoned or turned over to the pound is because their owners couldn’t stand their howling. This can be controlled by training your dog early to avoid excessive barking.

4. German Shepherds

A relatively new breed (they date back to 1899), German Shepherds are exceptional animals: Courageous, obedient, incredibly loyal, and eager to learn.

German Shepherds are very intelligent too, and excel at most anything they’re trained to do. They’re usually used as service dogs and police dogs to protect officers and locate drugs or human remains.

German Shepherds love their humans so much that they will suffer from separation anxiety, and can become destructive when bored alone at home.

3. Pembroke Welsh Corgis

Corgis have a cult-like following mainly due to their playful and sweet personalities. According to Welsh mythology, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi was even the transportation mode of choice for fairies.

Though they can be shy with strangers, Corgis are good with children and have a strong desire to please their owners.

They’re also one of the silliest-looking dogs, with huge ears, a long torso, and a big butt. Just monitor their food intake closely since this breed is prone to overeating.

2. Labrador Retrievers

There’s a reason why Labs are the most popular breed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, as well as here in the U.S. They are devoted and obedient and have even temperaments that make them good with both children and other animals. 

Bred to be eager to please and playful companions, Labs are smart and commonly chosen as guide dogs and service dogs for blind or autistic individuals.

They also make understanding therapy dogs, and can be trained to aid law enforcement and other official agencies by screening and detection work.

1. Mixed Breeds

No matter what mix of breeds, mutts are awesome. Mixed-breeds are believed to have less genetically inherited health problems than purebreds, according to veterinarian Dr. Sarah Ward Fatula.

Plus, if you adopt your mixed-breed from the shelter, not only will they already be spayed/neutered, microchipped, and up to date with vaccines, but you’ll also be helping with the pet overpopulation problem.

To find a shelter near you, visit the ASPCA’s website.

SEE ALSO: The 10 Most Heroic Dogs Of All Time

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Mel, an Australian personal trainer and owner of MelVFitness, was fed up with misleading "Before and After" pictures used to sell fitness programs and diet pills.

Inspired by a similar project by personal trainer Andrew Dixon, Mel decided to make her own transformation in under 15 minutes (via Gawker).

All it took was better posture, some tanning lotion, and black bathing suit bottoms:

"Check out my transformation! It took me 15 minutes," Mel wrote to her followers on Instagram.

"Wanna know my secret? Well firstly I ditched the phonewallet (fwallet) cause that *** is lame, swapped my bather bottoms to black (cause they're a size bigger and black is slimming), smothered on some fake tan, clipped in my hair extensions, stood up a bit taller, sucked in my guts, popped my hip, threw in a skinny arm, stood a bit wider #boxgap, pulled my shoulders back and added a bit of a cheeky/I'm so proud of my results smile. Zoomed in on the before pic, zoomed out on the after and added a filter. Cause filters make everything awesome."

She also followed up with a blog post on how misleading transformation pictures can be, and the dangers of having unrealistic expectations for quick results.

"What a before and after shot doesn’t tell you how the person achieved it," she writes. "It doesn’t tell you if they did it a healthy way or if they starved themselves for weeks on end to get there."

"It also doesn’t show you the persons mental state, their self worth, how the hours of exercise they did, the lifestyle change, the early mornings, the skipped lunches, how they handled social situations or how many skinny mini teas they chugged," Mel adds.

Check out her full blog post here.

SEE ALSO: 11 Great Accessories For Running Outdoors In The Summer

Join the conversation about this story »

The Oregon football team has become well-known for its crazy uniforms in recent years. Other schools are now following in the Ducks' footsteps and have introduced their own wild uniforms and helmets.

Not only do the uniforms give fans more options when they are purchasing their own gear, but the flashy uniforms are also being used to lure the nation's top high school football players.

On the next few pages we will take a closer look at the craziest new uniforms that will be seen on football fields this fall.

Tennessee has introduced a "Smokey Grey" alternate uniform.

Texas will have numbers above the Longhorns logo for the season opener. The players will then vote on whether to keep the numbers all season.

via ESPN Horns Nation

Notre Dame will wear these uniforms for their Shamrock Series game against Arizona State.

For most people, the daily commute to and from work is no fun.

But if you think you have it rough, these photos will make you feel a lot better.

Around the world, insane traffic, behemoth crowds, crippling strikes, and rough weather make other people's commutes simply hellish.

Take a look, and think about this the next time you're frustrated when your train is a few minutes late.

Sao Paulo, Brazil is home to some of the world's biggest traffic jams, and its subway stations are a bit overcrowded.

Just getting the door of a train closed can prove tricky.

The city's buses aren't much better.

Now that marijuana is set to be legal in Colorado, the next step is to grow some. 

Denver Relief, one of the oldest dispensaries in Colorado, are the experts you want to hear from on this.

Their strain OG-18 won the top prize in the Cannabis Cup for medical hybrids.

They've even started a consultant side-business with the goal to advise people new to the industry on how to start their own marijuana business. 

Needless to say, Denver Relief is the firm to talk to if you want to find out how to grow cannabis for a living.

We spoke to Nick Hice, the chief grower at Denver Relief, and he told us the process, the challenges, and the tricks you need to know to grow outstanding marijuana. Of course, it's probably not legal in your state to do this, so just enjoy this for educational and informational purposes.

First get a big room: This is your nursery.

Don't grow from seeds, grow from cuttings from healthy, adult mother plants. When you grow from seeds, you get both male plants and female plants. Male plants must be eradicated, or else your marijuana flowers will have seeds, which reduces the quality and sale price.

To grow a new plant, you first cut any healthy branch off of a mother plant. You strip some of the lower leaves off, dip it in a rooting hormone, stick it in a media, and within 2 weeks the plant will have healthy roots and can be re-plotted.

Ten years ago, a Delta II rocket launched NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

As the fourth Great Observatory to enter into space, Spitzer has studied comets and asteroids, counted stars, and most notably, discovered "buckyballs"— soccer-ball-shaped carbon spheres crucial to star birth. The telescope's infrared vision allows it to see the coldest, farthest, and dustiest parts of space with incredible detail and clarity.

Entering its second-decade of space scrutiny, Spitzer must now undertake the task of helping NASA observe and potentially capture and redirect an asteroid nearing Earth.

This infrared image shows a Helix nebula 700 light years away from Earth in the constellation Aquarius.

Source: NASA

The Carina nebula, shown below, contains Eta Carinae, a massive star around 100 times the size of the sun.

Source: NASA

Two extremely bright stars omit a greenish fog, comprised of carbon and hydrogen compounds found right here on Earth in vehicle exhaust.

Source: Caltech

The world's skinniest home is now open for tours, according to digital architecture and design magazine Design Boom.

Designed by architect Jakub Szczesny the Keret House in Warsaw, Poland is the thinnest dwelling in the world, at a mere five feet wide. It has only 46-square-feet of living space.

The house was built in an alley between two other buildings and has no windows, a shockingly-small kitchen, and a ladder that leads to the main bedroom. Because of its size, it technically cannot be considered a building and is instead an "art installation," according to Szczesny.

Visitors who have made a donation of at least 20 Polish zloty (roughly USD $6) to the Polish Modern Art Foundation can now tour the home. You can check out which days the building will be open on the Keret House website.

Money raised by the Foundation will be allotted to the maintenance of the installation and to artistic activities within the Keret House project.

Szczesny sent us pictures of the interior if you can't make it all the way out to Warsaw. 

Here's what Keret House looks like from the street.

A pull-down staircase leads guests inside.

Designer Jakub Szczesny demonstrates how small the home really is.

Here's the tiny kitchen, plus one of the bathrooms with a sliding glass door.

Counter space for cooking is practically nonexistent.

You have to climb a ladder to reach the bedroom.

It has space enough for a desk and a bed.

The bed looks comfortable, if small.

One last look at the plans for the house:

SEE ALSO: The Narrowest Home In New York City Just Sold For $3.25 Million

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China accounted for 70% of all counterfeit goods between 2008 and 2010, according to a report released by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime earlier this year.

But China doesn't just have a thriving counterfeit industry with fake luxury goods. The country has gone on to make life-size replicas of European towns.

In fact, Shanghai rolled out a "One city, Nine Towns" scheme with small towns built in a different international style.

We compiled 26 things that China ripped off, some of which landed the companies involved in hot water.

WAL-MART: A spokesman for Wumart said, "We dream about being the Walmart of China."

Source: The Economist

GROUPON: Groupon.cn is a rip-off, Groupon's China business is called Gaopeng.

Source: Technode

HARRY POTTER: China even ripped off Harry Potter and Lord of The Rings in one book: Harry Potter and the Leopard Walk-Up-To Dragon.

Source: BeijingTaiwan/11Points