Brandon Wade has built a controversial online dating empire based around the concept that it's perfectly OK for people — men, mostly — to pay women for dates and relationships. Wade even believes in bribing women to go out with you.

He's best known as the founder of SeekingArrangement.com, the website for "generous" men who are OK with paying for dates, and the women who are happy to accept the money.

He's also a master of PR and word-of-mouth marketing. Just look at his media clips: From The New York Times to Playboy, editors can't resist his unapologetic mix of sex and money.

Skip to see Wade's life in pictures »

Last September Wade started yet another dating site in his empire, which now numbers five major sites. Carrot Dating is a mobile app that literally requires men to offer bribes to women for dates, with gifts ranging from chocolate to jewelry. Wade believes it's a humorous way to kick off a relationship.

When Business Insider talked to Wade, he told us how he got into paid dating in the first place, and how he met his wife, after years of being too shy to even talk to women. He also gave us some personal pictures from his early life to illustrate his story.

This is Brandon Wade today, in a launch photo for his newest mobile app, Carrot Dating.

At MIT in the 1990s, "I was very much a nerd," he told Business Insider.

"In the very beginning I was a very lonely, shy and perhaps socially inept child who grew up being really lonely. That was really me. I was very much a nerd. My mother saw me in a great deal of pain, so she told me to focus on my goal: To study very hard, because if I was successful later on in life and I had the financial means, and I could be generous, then dating would be easier for me. I followed that advice! It worked out well!"

"I got accepted to MIT. I studied physics. Eventually I graduated with that degree as well as an MBA from the Sloan school of management. That was in 1993, the MBA was in 1995."

Earlier this year, Satya Nadella replaced Steve Ballmer as Microsoft's CEO, underlining the rise of Indians and Indian-Americans in the U.S. tech world. 

Today, around 15% of startups in Silicon Valley are founded by Indians, according to the research of Professor Vivek Wadhwa, himself a seasoned entrepreneur. 

We've put together a list of some of the brightest minds, innovative dreamers, and most accomplished leaders.

"It's just one more symbolic thing that validates that our world is becoming much more global and is crossing boundaries," Padmasree Warrior, chief technology officer of Cisco Systems, told the LA Times, after Microsoft announced Nadella's new position. "It suggests that it's execution and results that matter in the end, regardless of where you come from."

SATYA NADELLA

CEO, Microsoft

Satya Nadella is the third CEO in the history of Microsoft. He worked at the company for 20 years before winning the CEO title, as a VP in the company's business and online services divisions and heading up Microsoft's cloud computing efforts. 

He's known internally as a smart and diplomatic person, who's good at getting warring factions to work together. He just announced his vision for Microsoft to become a software-anywhere company.

GOKUL RAJARAM

Product Engineering Lead, Square

As product engineering lead at mobile-payments startup Square, Gokul Rajaram oversees the startup's point-of-sale system, Square Register.

He was poached from Facebook in July, where he was in charge of developing new ad units as the company's product director of ads.  

Rajaram joined Facebook in 2010 when it acquired the startup he was running with his brother, Chai Labs. Facebook essentially bought Chai Labs to hire Rajaram.

Before Chai, Rajaram spent 5 years at Google, where his last job was Product Management Director, AdSense. He was also a product lead for several Google acquisitions. 

In short, Rajaram is a tech superstar, described by past colleagues as "a legend" and "beloved times ten."

VINOD KHOSLA

Founder, Khosla Ventures

Vinod Khosla dreamed of starting his own technology company since he was 16. 

First, Khosla co-founded Daisy Systems, a computer-aided design system for electrical engineers, followed by Sun Microsystems to build workstations for software developers (Oracle bought the company in 2010). He eventually became a general partner at the VC firm Kleiner Perkins.

Then he decided to start his own firm. He founded Khosla Ventures, one of Silicon Valley's top-tier venture capital firms, in 2004. Since, Khosla has backed companies like Square, Jawbone, ZocDoc, Indiegogo, and bitly. Khosla is also a founding board member of the Indian School of Business. 

Another insanely expensive home has hit the Silicon Valley real estate market, according to Curbed. 

This beautiful six-bedroom house is located in ritzy Woodside, Calif., where Larry Ellison's Japanese estate and Steve Jobs' historic mansion can also be found.

The house, which currently belongs to mutual funder Harry Hagey, was designed in the 1980s-era California contemporary style by noted San Francisco architect Sandy Walker. There's a huge pool, tennis courts, and a separate greenhouse. 

The house has some amazing features, but be forewarned: It's listed for a cool $19.95 million. 

The home sits on 6.05 acres of land in Woodside, Calif.

It's a beautifully contemporary home, with floor-to-ceiling windows that make it seem even more spacious.

Trees surround the property, making for a secluded space that would be perfect for someone trying to escape the public eye.

Swiss Re, a global reinsurance company, has analyzed the disaster potential for 616 of the world’s largest cities (PDF).

Each city is ranked according to its potential for earthquakes, storms, storm surges, tsunamis, and river floods. For each type of disaster, Swiss Re devised an extreme weather scenario in which defenses fail and the human and economic toll can be enormous. 

Further, each city was ranked based on the effect each scenario would have on its residents by combining population-distribution data and vulnerability estimates for each disaster. The scenarios consider fatalities, injuries, evacuations, those whose homes would be damaged or destroyed, and those who would be unable to access their workplace.

10. Tehran, Iran

15.6 million people potentially affected

Tehran sits on one of the most dangerous fault lines in the world — the North Anatolian fault. The entire population of the city is heavily exposed to earthquakes.

9. Los Angeles, U.S.

16.4 million people potentially affected

Los Angeles, like much of California, sits along the San Andreas Fault, making it one of the most earthquake-prone places in the world; 14.7 million people are at risk directly of earthquakes at any given time in the city. 

8. Shanghai, China

16.7 million people potentially affected

Shanghai, China's most populated city, is located on the Yangtze River Delta, making it vulnerable to serious flooding from storms and typhoons. Its long coastline and the large volume of water flowing through the city make it especially at risk. 

Brazil has deployed federal troops to Rio de Janeiro in an effort to rid slums of violent crime, drug traffickers, and gangs ahead of the FIFA World Cup in June.

The drug lords are fighting back against the authorities, trying to recapture their territory after years of police occupations.

This violent battle has raised concerns about safety and security at the upcoming World Cup soccer tournament in Brazil, which hundreds of thousands of foreigners are expected to attend.

The final game in the tournament will take place at the Maracaná stadium, a few miles from the Manguinhos slums.

Rio de Janeiro is also hosting the Olympics in 2016.

Thousands of policemen in Rio patrol the slums where 1.5 million people live. The Metrô-Mangueira slum (right) will be demolished for construction of World Cup infrastructure.

Thousands of families will be displaced to make way for sports and tourism facilities. In this photo, Maracanã stadium is seen between two favelas, or slums.

Violence pervades the slums — daily shootouts have become the norm as drug traffickers fight for control of the neighborhoods.

We were recently introduced to "Graph TV," an index of virtually every TV show according to its IMDB ratings.

Kevin Wu created the interactive database, which also allows you to see people's favorite (and least favorite) series episodes. It's pretty neat and if you're a TV fan, you should check it out.

We've compiled some of the most popular series that have ever aired to see when shows peaked, and when viewers started losing interest.

Note that these maps reflect IMDB user reviews and ratings for episodes of series. They are not representative of Nielsen viewer ratings.

"Breaking Bad" skyrocketed in popularity in its last two seasons when the chemistry-teacher-turned-meth-kingpin's empire started falling apart.

IMDB ratings: 9.6/10 based on 459,099 ratings

People were into the season 4 ending of "Dexter," but disliked the final season.

IMDB ratings: 9.0/10 based on 347,819 ratings 

We could deal with flashforwards and flashbacks, but "Lost" became a bit tough to follow during season 6's weird flash sideways.

IMDB ratings: 8.6/10 based on 268,472 ratings 

There are some pretty obvious ways to get in trouble on Wall Street: screw up a huge project, upset an important client, stop showing up to work, losing a ton of money, etc. These are standard.

But there are other ways we've heard of — really weird ways — that have gotten Wall Streeters in serious trouble, or worse, fired.

These stories involve everything from mooning the boss to getting mad at a co-worker for passing gas. 

So yeah, they could happen to anyone ... right?

Bringing an inappropriate item such as a fake grenade to work.

It's probably not the best idea to order something that resembles an explosive and have it sent to your office.  

EXAMPLE: A Nomura employee had a UPS package sent to the office containing a novelty grenade on a wooden plaque with a sign reading "Complaint Department: Please Take a Number," sent to the office.

The object was discovered during a routine screening, causing parts of World Financial 2 to be evacuated on initial fears that it might be a real explosive.  

It was later determined to be a fake grenade, but the bank placed the employee on administrative leave for bringing an "inappropriate item" to work. 

Source: Bloomberg News 

Blowing up on a co-worker for passing gas.

Passing gas is not cool. But who knew getting angry at a co-worker for letting one rip could get you fired? 

EXAMPLE: In 2003, a Swedish bank IT person was dismissed after blowing up on a colleague who had farted in the office, newspaper Aftonbladet reported.

The computer tech took his case to court.

"Provoked by a terrible fart - a real Mok - 07.30 on my study, which I am mad as a hornet react to the event. The person sh**s so bad that he basically has its own toilet at the office where no one else goes and could not possibly put a fart by accident," a Google translation of the article shows. 

He was awarded 850,000 crowns (or about $100,000) in compensation, the report said. 

Source: Aftonbladet via Here Is The City

Mooning your boss at the office

Don't expect to keep your job after showing your boss your naked rear end.

EXAMPLE: Back in 2005, Chicago-based investment banker Jason Selch was fired and forfeited his $2 million partnership when he mooned his bosses. 

At the time, Selch was an employee with Wagner Asset Management when it merged with Columbia Asset Management, a subsidiary of BofA. Shortly after the merger, Selch learned that a friend of his had been fired for not accepting lower compensation with Columbia.

This really ticked him off, so he went into the conference room where some execs, New York-based COO Roger Sayler and Chicago-based CIO Charles McQuaid, were meeting, and asked if he had a non-compete agreement. He did not. 

That's when he dropped his pants and mooned his superiors and told Sayler he hoped he would never return to Chicago. He was fired and later lost his lawsuit. 

Source: Courthouse News 

Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel was a guest on the latest edition of Jon Gruden's "Quarterback Camp" on ESPN.

Much of the episode dealt with breaking down Manziel's ability on the field and what he needs to work on to succeed at the next level.

But the show also produced a number of great quotes from both Manziel and Gruden that tell us a little more about the controversial quarterback.

Johnny Manziel is able to make so many crazy plays because of the players he grew up idolizing.

Manziel says he is driven by the quest to win championships.

He also compared his game to that of video games.

As Vice President Joe Biden recently pointed out, it has become painfully evident that airports in North America have struggled to keep up with international competition.

Aging infrastructure coupled with booming demand for air travel have put a sometimes unbearable strain on facilities.

While it's no secret that North American airports often lack the amenities and architectural flair of their international counterparts, there are, however, a few that can hold their own.

Leading aviation reviewer Skytrax just released the results of its annual World Airport Awards, which includes a list of the best airports in North America. The Skytrax awards are based on 39 parameters including ease of access, airport comfort, cleanliness, and wait times at check-in and security screenings. Nearly 13 million travelers from 110 different countries participated in this year's survey.

10. New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)

Yearly passengers: 49 Million

2013 rank: 10

Why it's great:  For many, JFK Airport is synonymous with the glory years of aviation. For others, JFK is no more than a crumbling relic of a bygone era.

In reality, the JFK of today is neither. Gone are the dated 1960s era terminal buildings and their dilapidated facilities. In their place are modern terminal facilities that are either newly constructed or recently renovated. JFK customers cite the airport's new terminals and shorter security lines as key points of interest. 

Source: Skytrax World Airport Awards. Yearly passenger figures are final rankings for 2012 provided by Airports Council International. 

9. Dallas/Forth Worth International Airport (DFW)

Yearly passengers: 59 million

2013 rank: 7

Why it's great: DFW is the fourth-busiest airport in North America and the eighth-busiest in the world. The airport serves as the main hub for American Airlines as well as the gateway to Latin and South America for many others. Customer reviewers liked the airport's open circular design and convenient intra-airport transportation.

Source: Skytrax World Airport Awards. Yearly passenger figures are final rankings for 2012 provided by Airports Council International.

8. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)

Yearly passengers: 33 million

2013 rank: 9

Why it's great: SeaTac is the busiest airport in the Pacific Northwest. It serves as the main hub for Alaska Airlines, and is one of Delta's gateways to the far east. Skytrax customers noted the airport for its cleanliness, wide variety of dining options, and efficient baggage system.  

Source: Skytrax World Airport Awards. Yearly passenger figures are final rankings for 2012 provided by Airports Council International.

When it comes to cities in Texas, Houston is sometimes overshadowed by metropolitan Dallas or hipster Austin.

But as home to 5,000 energy-related firms and nearly two dozen Fortune 500 companies, it's also a major destination for business travelers. In 2012, some 4.2 million people — 31% of all visitors to the city — came for work.

Fortunately for those business travelers, Houston offers much more than chain restaurants and hotel bars. We scoped out some great attractions to check out during your next visit to "Space City."

Houston has some fantastic and diverse cuisine. A great pre-meeting breakfast can be found at The Breakfast Klub in midtown, which has a simple, Southern-inspired morning menu consisting of dishes like "katfish and grits" and "wings and waffle."

3711 Travis St, Houston, TX. thebreakfastklub.com

If you're in town over the weekend, be sure to stop for brunch at Hugo's, an upscale TexMex restaurant in Houston's Montrose neighborhood, which has live music on Sunday mornings.

1600 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX. hugosrestaurant.net

Escape Houston's high temperatures with a trip to The Galleria, a super-sized mall in Uptown Houston that — in addition to hundreds of stores — contains hotels, offices, a running track, and a 20,000-square foot ice-skating facility.

5085 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX. simon.com.

A gorgeous Bel-Air estate formerly owned by country singer Kenny Rogers is on sale for $65 million.

The hillside mansion is technically still under construction after being enlarged from 9,359 square feet to a whopping 24,000 square feet, listing agent Mia Trudeau of Hilton & Hyland told the Wall Street Journal. The home is virtually complete, save for the new guest wing, which will add another two bedrooms and three bathrooms to the home.

Currently, the mansion has nine bedrooms and 14 bathrooms with a ballroom, a saltwater pool, a 12-seat home theater, and even a refrigerated wine room. With two acres of property, the estate also has a tennis court, gym with a sauna, and an outdoor glass elevator next to the pool.

Rogers purchased the home in the ‘70s, according to the WSJ. He added two lion statues to the main gate and renamed the property “Liongate.”

The current sellers of the home are a mystery, but Trudeau told the WSJ that “they are European and purchased the home for personal use,” adding that they put the mansion up for sale because they hadn’t spent enough time in Los Angeles.

The property is currently listed with Hilton & Hyland.

This is Liongate Estate, the 24,000-square-foot property that is currently on sale for $65 million. The home has a tennis court, saltwater swimming pool, and outdoor glass elevator.

Source: Hilton & Hyland

The home sits on two acres of property, and both of its Bel-Air entrances are gated. Rogers was the owner to add those lions to the gate (he's a Leo).

Source: Hilton & Hyland

Let's go inside the mansion, shall we?

Source: Hilton & Hyland

While California and Colorado are well-known as great craft beer destinations, New York is proving itself a noteworthy home to some awesome breweries.

Sarah and Giancarlo Annese, authors of "Beer Lover's New York," visited nearly 100 breweries all over New York State scoping out the bright stars among the craft beer scene. They shared their picks for the 10 best breweries from Niagara to the North Fork.

The Anneses operate under the Brewers Association's definition of craft brewery — a brewery with an annual production of fewer than 6 million barrels of beer — but they mainly support drinking any fresh, local beer closest to where you live.

Barrier Brewing Company

Oceanside, NY

Founded: 2009

Evan Klein and Craig Frymark had just expanded to a 30-barrel brewhouse when it was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. The New York beer community rallied around them, with Simon Thorpe, CEO of Brewery Ommegang, inviting them to brew at his facility. The resulting beer, Barrier Relief, raised money to rebuild.

Blue Point Brewery invited Barrier to join other Long Island breweries on a collaborative brew, Surge Protector IPA, which brought in $29,000 for Barrier, and another $29,000 for Sandy relief.

Bridge and Tunnel Brewery

Maspeth, NY

Founded: 2012

Bridge and Tunnel is a one-man, Queens-based nanobrewery started by Rich Castagna, a lifelong New Yorker who has been homebrewing for over 10 years. Each of his beers is named for a neighborhood story. For example, his flagship beer, Angry Amel Dunkelweizen, recalls a neighbor he had growing up who would threaten to cut the ears off the children playing in the street.

Brewery Ommegang

Cooperstown, NY

Founded: 1997

Ommegang started out with only one beer, Ommegang Ale — now called Abbey Ale — a rich, brown Belgian-style Dubbel with notes of dark fruit. Now they offer a long lineup of other styles, and are experimenting with sour beers. The brewery recently partnered with HBO to produce a line of "Game of Thrones"-inspired beers, including a "Take the Black" Stout, an "Iron Throne" Blonde Ale, and their newest "Fire and Blood" Red Ale.

Baseball is back, and outside of a couple of games down under, the regular season begins next week.

While all teams and their fans have hope in March, some teams look a lot better than others heading into the season.

To come up with the power rankings before the season starts, we took into consideration each team's PECOTA projections (a calculation from Baseball Prospectus that is based on the projected stats for all players), how the teams performed last year, and what they did this offseason.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (92 wins last year)

Previous Ranking: 1

PECOTA Projected Wins: 100

Las Vegas Wins Over/Under (via Bovada.lv): 93

Consensus Offseason Grade: B

Key Additions: 2B Alexander Guerrero, SP Dan Haren

Key Losses: SP Ricky Nolasco, 2B Mark Ellis

2. St. Louis Cardinals (97 wins last year)

Previous Ranking: 2

PECOTA Projected Wins: 89

Las Vegas Wins Over/Under: 90.5

Consensus Offseason Grade: A

Key Additions: SS Jhonny Peralta, 2B Mark Ellis

Key Losses: OF Carlos Beltran, RP Edward Mujica, RP John Axford

3. Washington Nationals (86 wins last year)

Previous Ranking: 4

PECOTA Projected Wins: 89

Las Vegas Wins Over/Under: 89.5

Consensus Offseason Grade: B+

Key Additions: SP Doug Fister, OF Nate McLouth

Key Losses: SP Dan Haren

Head down to a county fair in Texas, and you may find helmeted men racing through dirt tracks at bristling speeds on, of all vehicles, lawn mowers.

The pastime is a strange motorsport that photographer Jennifer Boomer started documenting after moving to the Lone Star State. Indeed, lawn mower racing began as a joke, according to a July 2013 profile of the sport in the Wall Street Journal. It was meant to poke fun of the "slickness" of professional motorsports but eventually became a "mini-NASCAR" with its own trading cards and advertisers.

Found in many parts of the Midwest and South, lawn mower racing has a particularly strong following among old-timers in Texas.

"There was a bit of the 'good ol' boys' in [the racers]," Boomer told Business Insider. "They're very community-minded, but they're having a good time."

Lawn mower racing can be an expensive sport, with racers spending $10,000 on a mower alone, though local companies often sponsor the races or racers. Blades are removed from the mowers for safety.

“We call it the poor man’s NASCAR,” Richard Lively, who has won the state championship in Texas multiple times, told the Longview News-Journal in 2011.

Boomer shared some of the photos with us here, but you can check out the rest of her work at her website.

SEE ALSO: Brutal photos of North Carolina's amateur wrestling circuit

Join the conversation about this story »

As a reporter who often writes about food and restaurants, I've long heard tales of "chef of the century" Robuchon.

The French chef made a name for himself at Paris' Jamin, regarded as one of the best restaurants in history. After retiring from Jamin in the '90s, Robuchon re-emerged with a series of restaurants bearing his name and helmed by his protégées.

With 22 locations around the world — from bakeries to fine dining establishments— Robuchon now has accumulated 28 Michelin stars, more than any other chef in the world.

I recently sat down with Robuchon at his Las Vegas Joël Robuchon location to talk about what he eats when he's not cooking for others, his dining pet peeves, and the possibility of opening cheaper restaurants.

(Note: All responses have been translated from French to English, and have been edited for clarity.)

BUSINESS INSIDER: You're regarded as one of the best chefs in the entire world. What is the most challenging part of cooking?

JOEL ROBUCHON:  The older I get, the more I realize the truth is the simpler the food, the more exceptional it can be. And it's extremely difficult, because to do something that's very sophisticated that utilizes these very high quality ingredients is very easy, but to do something simple that is exceptional — that is where the difficulty is, and it's the hardest thing to do in a kitchen. It really asks for a mastery of the ingredients and a mastery of taste.

I never try to marry more than three flavors in one dish. I like walking into a kitchen and knowing that the dishes are identifiable and the ingredients within them are easy to detect. My role as a chef is respecting the produce. Why should I change and mask the original flavors of the produce that I'm utilizing?

BI: What's your biggest dining pet peeve when you visit other restaurants?

JR: The worst thing for me is to not taste what I'm eating, to not know what I'm eating. It upsets me to no avail. And then seeing dishes that have so many additives. I don't support that at all. That upsets me quite a bit.

BI: We've noticed celebrity chefs have been starting more casual, "cheap eats" restaurants in recent years. Do you have any plans to do something similar?

JR: Joël Roubchon restaurants are certainly a high price point [Ed note: $425 a person for the dégustation menu at the Las Vegas restaurant], but at L'Atelier we have menus that are more accessible. We have lower price points in order to open the doors to a larger clientele. Right now, we are discussing other projects, but nothing is concrete as of yet.

BI: What do you think is really exciting about the fine dining world right now?

JR: I'm seeing this move towards healthier cuisine. I'm opening a restaurant in Mumbai, India because I like getting surprised by the quality of that cuisine. They use so many vegetables, and yet there are so many different flavors. For instance, a very simple dish made with lentils is extremely good. We're meeting more and more vegetarians everyday in our restaurants, and I'm also very interested in organic produce and utilizing the freshest products available. I may be wrong, but I definitely feel that that is the future — to be healthy.

BI: After retiring from Jamin, you did a series of cooking shows for 12 years. Do you watch cooking shows today?

JR: Not very much. There are different kinds of shows: shows that don't teach anything, and then there are some where you can really learn how to be a good cook. But the rise of these TV shows is also really increasing the visibility of cuisine worldwide. At one point in time when you looked at a chef or a cook, it was considered a job that not a lot of people wanted because it was very manual, and very hard to do. These TV shows are bringing value to these jobs now. They show that in order to be a good cook, one has to be very, very good with one's hands, but also have a strong mind.

BI: What do you cook for yourself when you're not at the restaurant?

JR: I'm a regular person like everyone else, so I do as simple as I can. Steak and french fries, nice and French. I really do love eggs as well. I make quite a lot of omelets, salads — I do enjoy a really good green salad with very good, high-quality tomatoes with a lot of flavor to them and some burrata cheese or mozzarella. Even a roasted chicken with some oven baked potatoes, that's something that everybody loves.

BI: You fly all around the world, splitting your time among Las Vegas, Paris, Hong Kong, and all your other restaurant locations. What is your morning routine like?

JR: Well, I begin everyday with a shower [laughs]. And then I always put a list together of what I'm going to do that day, because it's very important to set a schedule. As a general rule, I wake up at 7 a.m, to be ready by 8 a.m., and dive into work by 9 a.m. We finish very late. We usually get out of the restaurants around 12 a.m. Last night, we got out of here around 1 a.m.

BI: Who is your favorite guest of all time at your Las Vegas Joël Robuchon?

JR: There will always be customers that we particularly like and prefer. For Las Vegas, it would be Celine Dion because when we first opened, we had some very slow days. And [Celine Dion and her husband] were the first to come, and they started sending a lot of guests our way. They really helped to popularize the restaurant within Las Vegas.

DON'T MISS: Here's What It's Like To Dine At The Most Remarkable Restaurant In Las Vegas

Join the conversation about this story »

The deadline to sign up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act is Monday, March 31. (Extensions will be granted in a few cases.)

I first tried to look at my options on the health insurance exchanges on Oct. 1, 2013, even though, at the time, I didn't think I would sign up. But like millions of other people, I couldn't even log in.

This week, with the deadline approaching, I finally decided to sign up for coverage on New York's exchange. And — much to my surprise — it was easy.

Note: New York runs its own health exchange; others may not work exactly the same way. Check healthcare.gov to find a link to the appropriate exchange for you.

SEE ALSO: Why I Finally Signed Up For Obamacare

Getting started is easy — just click the get started button and register. Enter your name and email address.

This is the home screen where you can manage your account. Clicking between tabs allows you to enter information, find out if you are eligible for a subsidy, and choose a plan.

To start the application, enter your contact and demographic information.

Apple has come a long way since it unveiled its in-house maps app with the release of iOS 6 in September 2012. 

Less than a day after Apple released iOS 6 and unveiled its in-house maps, users have gone to Twitter and Tumblr to post their most ridiculous findings.

When using the 3D feature, some searches ended up showing you an apocalyptic rendition of some of the world's most cherished monuments.

Since launching Maps in 2012, Apple seems to have made significant improvements.

Later this year, Apple may add transit directions, for example.

Then: Brooklyn Bridge was going down on the Manhattan side.

Now: This is a bridge I'd feel OK driving across.

Then: Manhattan bridge was a rollercoaster.

Kyle Larson is not your typical NASCAR driver.

He is Japanese-American, does victory burnouts without a steering wheel, and has been compared to some of the best drivers in the sport.

This past weekend in Fontana, Larson opened a lot of eyes with his first Nationwide Series victory and a strong finish in the Sprint Cup race.

He is NASCAR's next big superstar and may be the driver that can bring non-racing fans to the sport.

Larson's mother is Japanese-American and her parents spent time in an internment camp during World War II.

[Source: LATimes.com]

Larson entered his first race at the age of seven in a go-kart.

[Source: Fox News]

He nearly chose IndyCar's open-wheel racing over a career in NASCAR because the cars are 'really cool' and the better development system.

quote on photo?

[Source: SI.com]

I've been an iPhone user since the first model launched almost seven years ago.

In that time, I've also tested dozens of other smartphones from every manufacturer from Motorola to LG. So far, not one of them has convinced me to switch.

Apple's biggest rival Samsung is getting ready to debut its new flagship phone, the Galaxy S5 in a few weeks. I'm still married to my iPhone, but that doesn't mean I'm not open to change. The problem is, Samsung would have to fix a few glaring problems before I make the switch.

I want a Samsung phone with a better design, preferably with a metal body like the HTC One or iPhone 5S. I'm not a fan of plastic phones.

Guaranteed software updates.

Samsung has a habit of abandoning major software updates for its older phones. While it continues to support older devices with security updates, the new devices are typically the only ones that get the latest and greatest new features. 

Meanwhile, Apple and HTC do a great job at providing software updates with new features for their older phones.

Get better apps.

To be clear, this isn't Samsung's fault. Developers tend to make new apps for iPhone before moving to Android. And when they do make Android versions, the apps aren't typically as beautiful or functional as their iPhone counterparts.

Apps are so essential to a phone's overall experience that I can't see myself making the switch until developers start taking Android as seriously as they to iOS.

It happens all the time — for one reason or another, a company gives up on a product.

It stops producing it. It stops supporting it. It diverts its resources to other pursuits in hopes of creating something bigger and better than before.

For example, a couple weeks ago, Apple said it was discontinuing the iPad 2. The iPad 2 was around since 2011 at a discounted price, and although it will be replaced by the better and faster iPad 4, we'll still miss the first iPad that had a front-facing camera.

Whether it's for purely nostalgic reasons or practical purposes, here are 12 discontinued products that we miss.

Apple Newton

Introduced: 1993

Discontinued: 1998

This was Apple's first take on a handheld organizational device. It used a stylus and handwriting recognition software to capture notes, orchestrate your calendar, and look up contact information.

There are a number of theories surrounding why it was discontinued. It had several flaws — the writing recognition dictionary contained only 10,000 words, for instance. The most reasonable seems to be that Apple was in financial distress and had to make cuts where it could.

PalmPilot devices

Introduced: 1997

Discontinued: 2010

Another relic of the late 1990s, Palm's devices were the de facto handheld organizer for years — and hugely popular with business-types back in the day. They ran specialized apps like current smartphones, and some even had their own wireless data connections.

The devices bit the dust when HP acquired the company for $1.2 billion in 2010.

Google Reader

Introduced: 2005

Discontinued: 2013

This one's plug was pulled on July 1, 2013. Google Reader was a powerful RSS feed management tool. It's beloved by many, but not enough for Google to keep busy supporting it.

The official explanation: "While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined. So, on July 1, 2013, we will retire Google Reader."