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MLB POWER RANKINGS: The Top Teams And Their Top Players After 7 Weeks Of Action

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Miguel Cabrera

After losing two of three to the Minnesota Twins, the Detroit Tigers rebounded to sweep the Baltimore Orioles and open up a 6-game lead in the American League Central and retain their spot at the top of the MLB Power Rankings.

Meanwhile, the Miami Marlins, who were already playing above their talent-level, lost their best pitcher (Jose Fernandez) for the year, resulting in this week's biggest slide.

We broke down each team's playoff hopes as well as their top players through the first six weeks.

#1  Detroit Tigers (24-12)

Previous Ranking: 1

Expected Wins*: 21.8

PECOTA Projected Wins: 93

Playoff Odds: 92.1%

PECOTA Projected Wins and Playoff Odds via BaseballProspectus.com

* Expected Wins (AKA Pythagorean Record) is the record a team would be expected to have at this point in the season based on how many runs they have scored and allowed and adjusted for strength of schedule.



#2  San Francisco Giants (27-15)

Previous Ranking: 3

Expected Wins*: 24.1

PECOTA Projected Wins: 91

Playoff Odds: 85.6%

* Expected Wins (AKA Pythagorean Record) is the record a team would be expected to have at this point in the season based on how many runs they have scored and allowed and adjusted for strength of schedule.



#3  Los Angeles Dodgers (22-20)

Previous Ranking: 2

Expected Wins*: 21.7

PECOTA Projected Wins: 95

Playoff Odds: 82.8%

* Expected Wins (AKA Pythagorean Record) is the record a team would be expected to have at this point in the season based on how many runs they have scored and allowed and adjusted for strength of schedule.



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Before And After Photos Show How Climate Change Is Already Melting The World's Glaciers

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climate change

While climate change is affecting every corner of the planet in different ways, the most striking evidence of a warming world is often captured by images of shrinking glaciers and the widespread disappearance of snow and ice.

Scientists are most concerned about how the dramatic loss of Antarctic land ice contributes to global sea level rise.

Researchers reported on Monday that the West Antarctic ice sheet is now in a state of irreversible collapse and could raise sea levels by as much as 4 feet by the end of the century.

The rapid retreat of the West Antarctic ice sheet is anecdotal of climate change-related impacts on ice around the world. Most glaciers have thinned and retreated during the last century. Some of this change is the result of natural ice dynamics, but warmer water flowing up from the deep ocean speeds up the rate of melting.

The comparison images that follow show significant changes to glaciers that have occurred over times periods that range from months to decades. The photos were collected by NASA for their "State of Flux" series and generally document effects that are related to increasing temperatures.

Pine Island glacier is one of the fastest-moving glaciers in Antarctica. Scientists worry that this will have a major impact on sea level rise. A 2012 image shows a major break forming along the western edge of the glacier.

Source: NASA



The crack continued to widen over the next year and in November 2013 a chunk of ice six times the size of Manhattan finally broke off. These calving events happen about every five or six years but this iceberg was about 50% larger than previous ones in the area.

Source: NASA



A series of images shows the retreat of the terminus of Bear Glacier in southern Alaska between 1980 and 2011. As the glacier has melted, chunks of ice have broken off the main mass and formed icebergs in the water.

Source: NASA



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The 10 Highest-Paying Jobs That Don’t Require A Bachelor's Degree

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nurse

If you think you need a bachelor's degree to have a lucrative career, think again.

Yes, it's true that those with a bachelor's typically earn more than those without one — but it's certainly not always the case. 

A new report by the career-guidance website CareerCast  found that there are plenty of high-paying jobs — including commercial pilot and registered nurse — that don't require four years of college. They do, however, require specialized training. 

"There's no question that college graduates with four-year degrees are very likely to earn almost $1 million more in compensation through the course of their careers,"says Tony Lee, publisher of CareerCast. "However, for the many people who are unable to earn that degree because of the costs, financial obligations, or other reasons, it's still possible to have a very rewarding, challenging, fulfilling career that pays well.

"These jobs offer great opportunities for those job seekers," he said. "To land one of these jobs, you'll need to compensate with good old-fashioned hard work and some post-high-school training," 

CareerCast evaluated 200 professions across a variety of industries and skill levels to determine the highest-paying jobs that don't require a four-year degree. It gathered data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau, trade-association studies, and other sources.

10. Communications Equipment Mechanic

Annual Median Salary: $54,530

Education Required: Postsecondary nondegree award

Many trade schools and junior colleges offer vocational programs designed to teach the skills necessary to become a communications equipment mechanic. The BLS reports that completion of one of these programs typically comes with either official certification or an associate’s degree.



9. Aircraft Mechanic

Annual Median Salary: $55,230

Education Required: FAA-accredited Aviation Maintenance Technician School

These schools teach those working to become aircraft mechanics the skills necessary for the job. Passing an FAA exam is a requirement.



8. Respiratory Therapist

Annual Median Salary: $55,870

Education Required: Associate’s degree and state licensing

Programs for training and certification in respiratory therapy exist throughout the country. Anyone trying to become a respiratory therapist must be certified by the National Board for Respiratory Care.



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What America Will Look Like Under 25 Feet Of Seawater

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Jefferson 25 feet

Alarming new research found that the West Antarctic ice sheet is now in a state of irreversible collapse and could raise sea levels by as much as 4 feet by the end of the century.

As global sea level rises, coastal cities and islands face a growing risk of being washed away.

To give us a glimpse of the future, artist Nickolay Lamm produced images showing what major landmarks along America's East Coast would like in the next several hundred years under 5, 12, and 25 feet of seawater.

Lamm used sea level rise maps from Climate Central to create a formula to calculate how much water there would be on the ground in a specific location.

Here's a map of New York City today. The white triangle is where the "camera" is positioned in the illustrations — toward Lower Manhattan. In the next slide, you'll see what this camera is looking at in real life.

Source: Nickolay Lamm/StorageFront.com; Data provided by Climate Central



Here's New York City today, from the perspective of the camera in the first map.

Source: Nickolay Lamm/StorageFront.com; Data provided by Climate Central



Here's that same map of New York City in about 100 years if sea level rises by 5 feet, represented by the blue shading.

Source: Nickolay Lamm/StorageFront.com; Data provided by Climate Central



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How A New York City Pizza Place Is Using Tech To Improve The Dining Experience [PHOTOS]

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pizza vinoteca

Pizza Vinoteca isn't your typical pizza place. The restaurant, which opened in March just off of New York City's Union Square, is taking a high-tech approach to creating quality pizza, with features like an army of iPads and a system that can calculate your wait time.

"There are three aspects to our restaurant, as you can see by our name: pizza, wine, and technology," Pizza Vinoteca CEO Ari Malcolm said to Business Insider during a recent trip to the restaurant. "We really try to take the technology and not only make it more useful for operations, but also have it be as user-friendly for guests as possible." 

The food is delicious, too, with interesting combinations like a shrimp pizza topped with green zucchini and yellow squash, and a meatball pizza served with kale pesto. The infrared grill gives the pizza a crunch that's a distinctly modern take on the traditional Italian dish.

When you enter the restaurant, you'll see a bank of touchscreens.



The restaurant has a custom app to streamline the process of ordering food for takeout.



As you scroll down, you'll see descriptions and prices for each of the menu items. There are four categories of pizza, a selection of salads and paninis, plus bombolini and gelato floats for dessert.



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24 Iconic Photos Of The Coolest Americans Ever

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ElvisPresley_Marshutz_Stanley

What exactly do we mean when we call someone “cool?” Most would struggle to describe it, but just about everyone knows "cool" when they see it. It is a distinctly American invention that finds its roots in African-American culture, Jazz, and the multitude of icons that the American fame machine has produced. 

A new exhibition and book, "American Cool," currently on display at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C., traces the origins of “cool.” It also includes a look at the 100 “coolest” Americans of all time.

To decide who made the list, curators Frank H. Goodyear III, the co-director of the Bowndown College Museum of Art, and Joel Dinerstein, the director of the American Studies program at Tulane University, engaged in a vigorous debate based on four criteria. 

Dinerstein explained to PBS Newshour: “First an originality of artistic vision as established through a signature style, which is to say their artistic vision cannot be separate from their personality. Second, that in a given historical moment, they were perceived as a cultural rebel. Third, that they have high profile recognition. Fourth, that they have a recognized cultural legacy.”

While the usual suspects are featured, including James Dean, Jimi Hendrix, and Hunter S. Thompson, there are many less obvious faces on the "cool" list as well. All are, however, what Dinerstein calls,"the successful rebels of American culture."

The National Portrait Gallery shared a selection of the portraits with us here, but you can see the entire collection in the book or at the gallery until September 7th.

Long Island-native Walt Whitman was a poet, essayist, and journalist, best known for his seminal poetry collection "Leaves of Grass" (1855), which was criticized for its overt sexuality.WaltWhitman_Hollyer_NPG_82_25Frederick Douglass was an African-American orator, writer, statesman, and activist. After escaping from slavery in 1838, Douglass wrote a landmark autobiography of his experience and became a leader of the abolitionist movement.FrederickDouglass_unid_NPG_74_75Leon "Bix" Beiderbecke was one of the most influential jazz soloists of the 1920s. At the time of his death from alcoholism at 28, Beiderbecke was little known outside of the jazz community. beiderbeckeBIXNicknamed "the Empress of the Blues," Bessie Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. She is often considered the greatest singer of the era.BessieSmith_VanVechten_NPG_91_108Billie Holiday was a jazz singer and songwriter, whose style was inspired by jazz instrumentalists. She worked with many of the titans of early jazz, including Count Basie, Artie Shaw,  and Louis Armstrong.BillieHolliday_Willoughby_NPG_97_96Though born in Britain, Audrey Hepburn made her mark on American culture as a film, TV, and Broadway icon during Hollywood's "Golden Age," with the films "Breakfast At Tiffany's" (1961) and "My Fair Lady" (1964).AudreyHepburn_Halsman_NPG_95_96Hailing from Hoboken, New Jersey, Frank Sinatra was one of the most influential and best-selling entertainers of all time.FrankSinatra_Leonard_RutgersHumphrey Bogart was named in 1999 by the American Film Institute as the greatest male star in the history of film. He appeared in such iconic movies as "Casablanca" (1942), "The Big Sleep" (1946), "The Maltese Falcon" (1941), and "Sabrina" (1954).HumphreyBogart_Halsman_NPG_85_11Lauren Bacall is a film and stage actress most famous during Hollywood's "Golden Age." She often appeared alongside Humphrey Bogart and was a mainstay in the film noir genre, often playing the "femme fatale" role.LaurenBacall_Eisenstaedt_TimeLifeConsidered by many to be the greatest actor of all time, Marlon Brando achieved acclaim for playing the role of Stanley Kowalski in the play "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951) and later for his roles in "On The Waterfront" (1954), "The Godfather" (1972), and "Apocalypse Now" (1979).MarlonBrando_Halsman_NPG_98_38James Dean is best known as an icon of teen disillusionment, which he exhibited prominently in the film "Rebel Without A Cause" (1955). He died in a car accident at 24.JamesDean_Schatt_NPG_91_209Mississippi-born Muddy Waters is considered the "father of modern Chicago blues" and is credited with influencing some of the biggest acts of the 1960s and 1970s, including The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, AC/DC, and Led Zeppelin.MuddyWaters_Stewart_RutgersMiles Davis was a jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Davis revolutionized jazz in  the '50s, '60s, and '70s, pioneering the jazz fusion, jazz-rock, and jazz-funk genres.MilesDavis_AvakianActor Steve McQueen has been called "the King of Cool" for his anti-hero persona and his many popular iconic movies, such as "The Great Escape" (1963) and "The Thomas Crown Affair" (1968).SteveMcQueen_Claxton_FaheyKleinHailing from Seattle, Washington, Jimi Hendrix was called "arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music," by the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame.JimiHendrix_McCartney_NPG_96_26_publicity okJoan Didion is a writer and essayist best known for her documentation of the tumultuous American culture in the 1960s.JoanDidion_Wasser_NPG_2012_35Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist that first achieved recognition as a graffiti artist on the Lower East Side during the late 1970s. He died of a heroin overdose at 27.Basquiat_Kasterine_NPG_2011_24Scottish-born David Byrne is a founding member of American new wave band Talking Heads, one of the most popular and influential bands of the 1980s.DavidByrne_Resnick_NPG_2011_106Debbie Harry is a singer-songwriter, most famous for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie.DebbieHarry_MapplethorpeOne of the most influential pop stars of the last 30 years, Madonnna broke through in the early '80s with her debut single "Everybody" and later with "Like A Virgin."Madonna_SimonKurt Cobain was the lead singer and guitarist of grunge band Nirvana. Cobain struggled with heroin addiction and depression through much of his life, eventually committing suicide at 27 in 1994.KurtCobain_Seliger _NPG_2013_68Tony "The Birdman" Hawk is a former professional skateboarder, widely considered to be one of the most influential pioneers of skateboarding. TonyHawk_Schoeller_NPG_2010_37Puerto Rican actor Benicio del Toro has appeared in numerous cult films including "The Usual Suspects" (1995), "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas" (1998), "Snatch" (2000), and "Sin City" (2005).BenecioDelToro_Bird_NPG_2012_32

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Meet The 53 Best Small-Business People Of The Year

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triangle club

For the past 50 years, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has celebrated the nation's entrepreneurs and small-business owners during its annual National Small Business Week, which kicks off today.

In addition to events, panels, and talks that happen around the U.S., the SBA names winners for Small Business Person of the Year from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam. From this group of 53 outstanding entrepreneurs, one is chosen as the national winner on May 16.

The SBA, which provides American small-business owners with loans, federal contracts, and strategic counseling, selects the winners based on a handful of factors, including the business' staying power, growth in number of employees, sales growth, innovation in the field, and contributions to the community. The SBA defines a small business as one that is independently owned and operated, organized for profit, and, depending on the industry, has a maximum staff of 100 to 1,500 employees and revenue of $500,000 to $20 million.

This year's winners are creating jobs, driving innovation, and carving out niche markets. Take South Dakota's Ryan McFarland, who created a safe bicycle alternative for young children that brought in $10 million in sales last year, or the New Jersey-based family business Kiran Gill, an environmental firm that has grown revenue an average of 50% annually to $13 million.

These entrepreneurs show that a smart strategy, a little luck, and a lot of hard work can still pay off.

ALABAMA: Harvey Nix, Proventix Systems

Nix founded Proventix in 2007 and developed an automated hygiene-compliance system for healthcare facilities that tracks when workers perform a cleansing activity such as washing their hands. Independent studies have shown the system has increased the levels of hygiene in facilities that have adopted it and lowered the risk of spreading infection.

As CEO, Nix has grown the company from two employees and one client to 23 full-time employees and 42 clients in 11 states. He plans on doubling the number of employees in 2015.



ALASKA: Ginna Baldiviez and John Baldiviez, House of Bread Anchorage

The Baldiviezes have been operating businesses in Alaska since 1990. In 2010 they opened the Anchorage branch of the House of Bread bakery-and-cafe franchise based in California. After three years, they achieved gross sales of almost $1 million.

"Our goal was to become part of the community," John said. "And I think that is something that we made happen with the support of our loyal customers."



ARIZONA: Cynthia Miracle Reed, MIRACORP

When Reed, an Army veteran, gave birth to her daughter in 1989, she left Vector Research and created her own company to have better work-life balance. MIRACORP started as a management-and-administrative-services consulting firm based out of her home. In 2008, she received SBA 8(a) certification, which assists financially disadvantaged small businesses.

As president and CEO, she has since guided MIRACORP to an 850% growth in revenues. It now has 122 employees with a presence in 11 states and the District of Columbia, and has worked with federal agencies like Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security.



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12 Gorgeous Early Concept Designs For Godzilla

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godzilla movie

If you see "Godzilla" in theaters this weekend, you'll come face to face with the 355-foot tall monster; however, that wasn't the way the monster always looked.

It took a lot of work and designs to get Godzilla the way he looks in the final movie.

Many of the early concept designs for Godzilla are shown in a new book out this week, "Godzilla: The Art of Destruction," in which director Gareth Edwards details the inspiration for the many renderings and why certain looks didn't work out.

Believe it or not, but dogs, birds, and even bears all played a role in designing Godzilla's final look. 

Business Insider received permission to exclusively share some of the early concept designs featured in the book.

First, here's how Godzilla looks in the film. Director Gareth Edwards says he wanted to be able to find a look for Godzilla where the creature looked good from every angle.



“We knew we were going to be living with this design for the rest of our lives in some form,” Edwards said. “You don’t want to be looking at this and be like, ‘Oh, we could’ve done better.’”



"This one had that Christmas tree effect for the fins," said Edwards. "They seemed incredibly big, and you didn't see that form anywhere else on his body. And the lightning effect made it kind of hard to understand what you were looking at."



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The 10 Best All-Inclusive Resorts In Mexico And The Caribbean

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4. One&Only Palmilla, Los Cabos There are all-inclusive resorts, and then there are all-inclusive resorts.

The difference lies in the details: Going above and beyond the standard amenities, the ten hotels we’ve hand-picked as the best of the all-inclusive best offer fun and exciting ways for travelers to indulge.

World-class food, beautiful decor, and fantastic activities are all to be had — and everything is built into one price-per-day, making planning out your budget a simple feat.

From Cabo to Cancun and back again, these are the ten all-inclusive resorts that are truly worthy of the name.

10. Excellence Playa Mujeres, Cancun

This adults-only luxury resort offers a nice all-inclusive experience. The rooms here are spacious and contemporary, with large modern bathrooms, whirlpool tubs, and high-end amenities such as big flat-screen TVs, free Wi-Fi, and iPod docks. Some have large rooftop terraces with private plunge pools and ocean views. There are also nine restaurants on-site and 11 bars, offering a variety of cuisines and atmospheres. Dozens of daily activities include snorkeling and Spanish lessons, but many guests choose to simply relax at the hotel’s world-class spa, which features ocean-side treatments. A huge fitness center include a yoga and Pilates studio, and free non-motorized sports as well as introductory scuba lessons are offered. The lists go on and on, truly making this an all-inclusive resort deserving of the title.



9. Parrot Cay and COMO Shambhala Retreat, Turks and Caicos

Accessed via a 30-minute boat ride from Providenciales, this 1,000-acre all-inclusive resort on a private island is the definition of tranquility. With an incredible infinity-edge pool, the world-renowned COMO Shambhala Retreat, waterfront Balinese-style villas, doting service, and more than three miles of pristine beaches, it’s easily one of the most luxurious and romantic options in the Caribbean.



8. Fowl Cay Resort, Bahamas

Crowded beaches are unheard of on this private island resort where a maximum of 28 guests at a time have free range of 50 acres and three beaches. Personal boats for daily excursions as well as personal golf carts, on-call service, spacious villas with fully stocked kitchens and wet bars, and a host of all-inclusive activities — such as kayaking, tennis, and bocce — make Fowl Cay a standout gem in the Exumas.



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THE INTERNET OF EVERYTHING: 2014 [SLIDE DECK]

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IoE

The age of Internet ubiquity has arrived.

The world is moving beyond standalone devices into a new era where everything is connected.

We've created a slideshow highlighting the key trends and forecasts for the entire Internet-connected ecosystem, including connected TVs, connected cars, wearable computing devices, and all of the consumer and business tools that will soon be connected to the "Internet Of Things."

BI Intelligence is a new research and analysis service focused on mobile computing, digital media, payments, and e-commerce. Only subscribers can download the individual charts and datasets in Excel, along with the PowerPoint and PDF versions of this deck. Please sign up for a free trial here.







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Here's What It's Like To Take A Helicopter To The Best Surf Spots In Alaska [PHOTOS]

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Surfing In Alaska

When one thinks about surfing, the first place to come to mind probably isn’t Alaska. Adventure photographer Scott Dickerson is trying to change all of that. 

Dickerson has been photographing and surfing in Alaska for the last fifteen years, finding all the best local spots and shooting pros and receational surfers for the likes of Red Bull, the New York Times, National Geographic, and others.

He calls himself the unofficial spokesperson for the Alaska surf community, which is a small but dedicated group of individuals willing to weather nearly frigid water temperatures and dangerous, constantly fluctuating tide conditions. 

While he’s surfed in more big name destinations such as California, Hawaii and Australia, he says that the biggest difference between Alaska and those spots isn’t the cold water. It’s the empty, breathtakingly beautiful surf spots that never get crowded with other surfers. According to Dickerson, on most days, you’ll be the only person surfing at whatever spot you go to. 

With more miles of coastline than the rest of the United States combined, there are no shortage of surf spots to check out. The nature of the Alaskan wild means that the majority of the spots are only accessible by helicopter or boat. Dickerson leads tours using his 58-foot fishing boat and also leads combination heli-skiing and surfing trips with Chugach Powder Guides. 

The following photos are from a recent heli-surfing trip Dickerson organized this fall where he surfed the best hidden spots tucked in between the fjords of Alaska.

Dickerson meets his fellow surfers at Seward Airport around sunrise for a full day of surfing. Sunrise in Alaska is around 9:00 am in the Fall. In the summer, it is as early as 4:00 am.



The first spot they go to check out is a short ten-minute helicopter ride away to the Gulf of Alaska.



They land at their first potential location. It's a no go. They quickly move on to the next spot. On any given trip, they might fly to several spots because tide conditions fluctuate wildly from day to day and even hour to hour.



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The 45 Best Restaurants In America

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The Best Restaurants in America 2x1The restaurant industry is notoriously cut-throat: According to the National Restaurant Association, 30% of restaurants fail in the first year they open, and of those that survive, another 30% close in the next two.

To stand out in an increasingly bloated market, restaurants need to wow diners with incredible meals, outstanding service, and great ambiance — especially if they're charging upwards of $100 a person for the experience.

With dozens of best-restaurant lists and user-generated reviews crowding the internet, the definitive winner can get lost in the shuffle. We looked at five notable restaurant rankings compiled by food critics, diners, and experts, and combined these rankings to come up with the ultimate list of the Best Restaurants in America.

Go straight to the restaurants »

The rankings we used were The Daily Meal's 101 Best Restaurants in AmericaOpenTable's 2013 Diners' Choice Top 100 Best Restaurants in AmericaThe World's 100 Best Restaurants; the James Beard Foundation's 2014 Restaurant and Chef Award Semifinalists; and Zagat's 20 Top-Rated Restaurants Across America.

We gave each restaurant a numerical rating based on how many lists the restaurant appeared on and how high it appeared on lists that were ranked. Restaurants that appeared on multiple lists ranked higher on our list, while restaurants that ranked on only one of these lists ended up closer to the bottom. You can read our complete methodology and see numerical scores here.

45. Zuni Café

Location: San Francisco, California

Chef: Judy Rodgers

Co-owner and chef Judy Rodgers has been at the helm of Zuni's kitchen since 1987, making this Bay-area restaurant a standout on multiple "best" lists, including spot No. 23 on The Daily Meal's 101 Best Restaurants.

Zuni's menu draws on classic Venetian comfort food with a modern twist, using local and organic ingredients wherever possible.



44. Cochon

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana

Chef: Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski

The brainchild of chef Donald Link and chef-owner Stephen Stryjewski, Cochon makes traditional Cajun comfort food cutting-edge.

Cochon appeared on last year's list at No. 33 and makes a return at No. 44. This Big Easy restaurant ranked 22nd on The Daily Meal's list.



43. The Publican

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Chef: Paul Kahan

A newcomer to our list, The Publican is "an homage to beer, pork, and oysters." Executive chef Paul Kahan and chef de cuisine Brian Huston serve their farmhouse fare, which takes on both French and Belgian influences, to eager meat-loving guests along communal beer-hall-style tables.

Publican ranked No. 21 on The Daily Meal's list but didn't rank anywhere else.



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The 22 Coolest Small Businesses In London

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The Vintage Emporium and Tea Rooms, London

London is arguably the financial capital of the world.

Though recent banking and market scandals have rocked the city's standing atop the Global Financial Centres Index, its small business scene has exploded in recent years — giving a good name to the capital city of the U.K.

Europe's rival to Silicon Valley has sprouted a digital wardrobe concierge service, a cat cafe, a monster supply store, and a grungy bar with a nationally trending hashtag. Even Business Insider is opening an office in London later this spring!

The 22 coolest small businesses in London are model examples of how to carve out a niche market, get people talking, and create an unforgettable experience for your customers.

Alice Through The Looking Glass

14 Cecil Court

What it is: An "Alice in Wonderland"-themed shop.

Why it's cool: At Alice Through The Looking Glass you'll find all sorts of Wonderland-inspired knick-knacks and curios, from framed illustrations to Victorian top hats to chess pieces. The store is also home to the resident white rabbit, Harley, who lives in a little burrow in the shop's front window.



Archipelago

53 Cleveland Street

What it is: An exotic meats restaurant.

Why it's cool: Archipelago invites you on a sensory culinary journey amid the glow of golden Buddhas, dwarf palm trees, and giant peacock feathers. This dimly lit, exotic dining destination serves crocodile, wildebeest, kangaroo, zebra jerky, alpaca, and other fare you might recognize from a Disney animated film.

Channel your inner "Survivor" contestant and top off the evening with a memorable dessert: Chocolate Covered Locusts.



The Bowler

Follow them on Twitter for locations

What it is: A meatball-peddling food truck.

Why it's cool: Greasy hamburgers and limp hot dogs, be gone. This restaurant on wheels, nicknamed the "Lawn Ranger," specializes in meatballs made with love— containing free range meats and fresh, seasonal veggies. 

And when in London, do as owner Felwick says customers do: stroke the van's "grass-fed," astroturf exterior while you wait for your food to be prepared.



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9 Ways Highly Successful People Think Differently From Everyone Else

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sheryl sandberg

Success isn't always about being more talented, luckier, or working harder than everybody else. It can come from thinking a little differently about the way you do business.

This is a theme we've heard from some of the most successful people across industries — from entrepreneurs and executives to famous artists.

With this in mind, we've put together some of the most amazing insights we've found on how successful people think differently than everyone else.

Instead of leaving unproductive policies in place, they change them.

When Donna Morris joined Adobe in 2002 as a senior director of global talent management, she noticed that the annual performance-review process wasn't serving anybody in the company. 

"We fundamentally believed people were our most important asset," she tells Business Insider, "yet once a year we had a process that pitted person against person." 

So she soon abolished it. Goodbye annual performance review, hello regular check-in.

Reflecting on the experience, she says that "people should have the courage to disrupt a process that might no longer be providing the company with value."



Instead of just having a job, they have a craft.

If you spot popular talk-show host and comedian Bill Maher on a plane or in the back of a car, he'll be scribbling on a yellow notepad. This is his craft, he says, the incremental work of perfecting a joke. 

The craft is in "moving one word around, from the middle of the sentence to the end of the sentence," he says. "It's moving one joke that works pretty good over here, moving it behind this other joke, and now it's a giant laugh."

He compares his approach to comedy as that of making violins — a profession that takes decades to master.



Instead of trying to change everything about a company, they focus on one important factor that ripples out.

When Paul O'Neill became the CEO of aluminum manufacturing giant Alcoa, he stepped on stage before a crowd of Wall Streeters and decreed that the company would have a newly committed focus. Not on revenues or R&D but safety

"If you want to understand how Alcoa is doing," he said, "you need to look at our workplace safety figures."

O'Neill's emphasis didn't just increase safety; it changed the company. Over his tenure, Alcoa dropped from 1.86 lost workdays to injury per 100 workers to 0.2. A year after O'Neill's speech, profits hit a record high, and when he retired 13 years later, the company's annual net income was five times higher than when he started.

"I knew I had to transform Alcoa," he says. "But you can't order people to change. So I decided I was going to start by focusing on one thing. If I could start disrupting the habits around one thing, it would spread throughout the entire company."



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14 Pinterest Projects That Failed Hilariously

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Pintester

Pinterest is largely an aspirational social network. People post and "pin" pictures that help them create the ideal version of different aspects of their lives. 

For that reason, the site is loaded with all sorts of DIY crafts, as well as recipes and tutorials for home decor projects. 

Browsing the site, everything looks beautiful, and many things look relatively easy to make yourself.

The cold-hard truth: They're often quite the opposite. 

Blogger Sonja Foust runs a funny site called Pintester where she posts about her experience trying out different Pinterest projects. The site's slogan: "Failing at Pinterest pins so you don't have to."

SEE ALSO: 13 Things You Didn't Know Guys Were Doing On Pinterest

Foust started Pintester back in late 2011.



"Pinterest was my new favorite website," she says, "But when I would try to make things it just wasn't working out."



Her attempts never looked as good as the pictures she'd see.



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PRESENTING: The 100 Most Influential Tech Women On Twitter

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Julia Boorstin presentationThere's been a lot of talk about how women are underrepresented in the tech world and the voice of tech tends to be more male-centric. Especially when it comes to the Twitter conversation, it can feel a bit XY heavy.

So we decided to put together a list of the female newsmakers in tech, the most influential women that you should be following on Twitter.

With the help of rankings from PeerIndex, we ranked the top most influential female tech tweeters to help you even out your followees. 

PeerIndex assigns each user a score of 0-100 by analyzing the speed and quantity with which users spot and share their tweets. We've included both the overall PI ranking for each tweeter, as well as the specific PI ranking among Twitter users in the tech community.

100. Christina Cacioppo

Occupation: Developer at Nebula Labs

Handle: @christinacaci

Why: This former VC analyst realized coding was where it's at and decided to build cool things on her own. She's currently working on an online education project along with a bunch of other stuff including video messaging app Hoot, Join Startups — a job board for startups — and Laisin, a book database.

Tech PI: 64

PI: 65



99. Aliza Sherman

Occupation: Author, Speaker, Founder of Cybergrrl

Handle: @alizasherman

Why: Sherman started the first woman-owned internet company in the early 1990s and tweets not only tech news but also inspirational messages about life in general.

Tech PI: 64

PI: 69



98. Kathleen Fritzsche

Occupation: Cofounder of Accelerate Stuttgar and StartUp Stuttgart

Handle: @kathl_fritzsche

Why: A self-proclaimed startup addict, Fritzsche knows what's up in Germany and the global tech world in general.

Tech PI: 65

PI: 49



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The 10 Hottest Apps Right Now

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TwoDots

This month was crazy in the app world.

Foursquare, the superpopular location-based mobile app, announced that it was splitting its business into two separate mobile products

And the popular game Dots is getting a sequel. Finally!

The App Store updates with new additions all the time, but these are the 10 apps that people are talking about this month.

Beats Music

Apple confirmed this week that it was buying Beats Music in a $3 billion deal

In an internal memo to employees, Tim Cook wrote that, "Beats Music was built with deep respect for both artists and fans. We think it's the first subscription service to really get it right."

Although that remains to be seen (Beats Music has only 111,000 subscribers), Beats updated its iPhone app, and dropped its yearly subscription price from $120 to $99. 

Price: Free to download; $10 per month/$99 per year subscription fee

Available:iOS | Android



Coffee Meets Bagel

Coffee Meets Bagel has been around for a couple years, but it was recently updated with a new interface and in-app chat capabilities.

It presents you with one potential date at noon every day. The matches aren't random — potential mates are friends of friends — and then you like or pass the person. If the person likes you back, you score some chat time in a private chatroom. 

The company recently received $2.8 million in funding

Price: Free

Availability:iOS



Monkey Parking

Finding an affordable place to live in San Francisco might be hard, but finding a parking spot might arguably be worse. 

That's where Monkey Parking comes in. You can bid on spots that are going to open up where you want to park. And, you can put your parking spot up for auction and watch as the bids start coming in.

Currently the app is only available in San Francisco and Rome (as in Italy — the app's founders are Italian), but it's possible that if it catches on, it'll roll out to other cities. 

Price: Free

Availability:iOS



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 10 Hottest Apps Right Now

$
0
0

TwoDots

This month was crazy in the app world.

Foursquare, the superpopular location-based mobile app, announced that it was splitting its business into two separate mobile products

And the popular game Dots is getting a sequel. Finally!

The App Store updates with new additions all the time, but these are the 10 apps that people are talking about this month.

Beats Music

Apple confirmed this week that it was buying Beats Music in a $3 billion deal

In an internal memo to employees, Tim Cook wrote that, "Beats Music was built with deep respect for both artists and fans. We think it's the first subscription service to really get it right."

Although that remains to be seen (Beats Music has only 111,000 subscribers), Beats updated its iPhone app, and dropped its monthly subscription price from $120 to $99. 

Price: Free to download; $10 per month/$99 per year subscription fee

Available:iOS | Android



Coffee Meets Bagel

Coffee Meets Bagel has been around for a couple years, but it was recently updated with a new interface and in-app chat capabilities.

It presents you with one potential date at noon every day. The matches aren't random — potential mates are friends of friends — and then you like or pass the person. If the person likes you back, you score some chat time in a private chatroom. 

The company recently received $2.8 million in funding

Price: Free

Availability:iOS



Monkey Parking

Finding an affordable place to live in San Francisco might be hard, but finding a parking spot might arguably be worse. 

That's where Monkey Parking comes in. You can bid on spots that are going to open up where you want to park. And, you can put your parking spot up for auction and watch as the bids start coming in.

Currently the app is only available in San Francisco and Rome (as in Italy — the app's founders are Italian), but it's possible that if it catches on, it'll roll out to other cities. 

Price: Free

Availability:iOS



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

12 Things Successful People Do Before Breakfast

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dog walking early morning reuters

“If it has to happen, then it has to happen first,” writes Laura Vanderkam, time management expert and author of “What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast.”

Those among us who have managed to find professional success and eke out a life actively embrace this philosophy. They must set aside their first hours of the day to invest in their top-priority activities before other people’s priorities come rushing in.

Science supports this strategy. Vanderkam cites Florida State University psychology professor Roy Baumeister’s famous finding that willpower is like a muscle that becomes fatigued from overuse. Diets, he says, come undone in the evening, just as poor self-control and lapses in decision-making often come later in the day. On the other hand, early mornings offer a fresh supply of willpower, and people tend to be more optimistic and ready to tackle challenging tasks.

So what do successful executives and entrepreneurs do when they are rested and fresh? From Vanderkam’s study of morning rituals, we outline the following 12 things that the most successful people do before breakfast.

They wake up early.

Successful people know that time is a precious commodity. And while theirs is easily eaten up by phone calls, meetings, and sudden crises once they’ve gotten to the office, the morning hours are under their control. That’s why many of them rise before the sun, squeezing out as much time as they can to do with as they please.

In a poll of 20 executives cited by Vanderkam, 90% said they wake up before 6 a.m. on weekdays. PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, for example, wakes at 4 a.m. and is in the office no later than 7 a.m. Meanwhile, Disney CEO Bob Iger gets up at 4:30 to read, and Square CEO Jack Dorsey is up at 5:30 to jog. 

The bottom line: Productive mornings start with early wake-up calls.



They exercise before it falls off the to-do list.

The top morning activity of the rich and powerful seems to be exercise, be it lifting weights at home or going to the gym. According to Vanderkam, Xerox CEO Ursula Burns schedules an hour-long personal training session starting at 6 a.m. twice a week; Christies CEO Steve Murphy uses the mornings to do yoga; and Starwood Hotels CEO Frits van Paasschen runs for an hour every morning starting at 5:30.

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

Beyond the fact that exercising in the morning means they can’t later run out of time, Vanderkam says a pre-breakfast workout helps reduce stress later in the day, counteracts the effects of high-fat diet, and improves sleep.



They work on a top-priority business project.

The quiet hours of the morning can be the ideal time to focus on an important work project without being interrupted. What’s more, spending time on it at the beginning of the day ensures that it gets your attention before others (kids, employees, bosses) use it all up.

Vanderkam uses the example of business strategist Debbie Moysychyn, who dealt with so many ad hoc meetings and interruptions throughout the day that she felt she couldn’t get anything done. She started thinking of the early mornings as project time, and chose a top-priority project each day to focus on. Sure enough, not a single colleague dropped in on her at 6:30 a.m. She could finally concentrate.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

HOUSE OF THE DAY: This Old-Fashioned Tudor In The Hamptons Is Filled With Cool Technology

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high tech tudor

Smart homes don't have to look futuristic to be high tech. 

This custom-built Tudor home in the Hamptons just hit the market for $3.25 million. It has six bedrooms, six bathrooms, and more tech features than you would expect just by looking at it. 

Inside, there's a host of smart-home technology, including smart thermostats, a remote security system, and lighting control by HAI. There's also a wireless SONOS sound system that divides the home into three different zones.

The home sits on an acre of land in Southampton.



There are several sitting areas inside. Here's one of the home's four fireplaces.



There's another fireplace in the formal dining room.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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