"His name is Steve. He likes to do pranks like you do, and he’s also into building electronics like you."

When mutual friend Bill Fernandez introduced Steve Wozniak to Steve Jobs, he unwittingly changed computing history. The two were friends almost immediately, each impressed with the other's intelligence and abilities, and would go on to form Apple in 1976.

But before they did that, they played some awesome pranks around their hometown, together and on their own.

In the early chapters of Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs, we get multiple looks at the devilish sides of the two Steves.

Jobs threw an unsanctioned "Bring Your Pet To School" day.

"I had a good friend named Rick Ferrentino, and we’d get into all sorts of trouble. Like we made little posters announcing 'Bring Your Pet to School Day.' It was crazy, with dogs chasing cats all over, and the teachers were beside themselves."

If you rode a bike to school, Jobs caused you some trouble.

From Isaacson's book:

[T]hey convinced some kids to tell them the combination numbers for their bike locks. "Then we went outside and switched all of the locks, and nobody could get their bikes. It took them until late that night to straighten things out."

He had some fun with firecrackers in third grade, too.

"One time we set off an explosive under the chair of our teacher, Mrs. Thurman. We gave her a nervous twitch."

Everyone recognizes Amazon's famous logo. But did you know there are three different symbolic messages tucked within it?

We picked 17 tech company logos that have hidden, subtle, or otherwise clever messages inside their famous brand marques. They include a Facebook logo that secretly indicates another company it hoped to kill, a message you won't get unless you understand Morse, and an actual cryptogram.

Now see ...

The little-known scientific reason your iPhone earbuds always get tangled >>

What kind of Lego kid were you? Follow-the-instructions or anything-goes?

The latter group, those who weren't afraid to make a mess and improvise their own Lego creations, are today able to submit their unofficial Lego builds to the company itself for public consideration and a year-long round of public voting. If the build can successfully garner 10,000 supporters — essentially a vote of "I would buy this if it were on store shelves"— then Lego will investigate releasing it as an official set.

It's a system called Lego Ideas, and it looks a lot like Kickstarter. Each project displays its number of supporters and the remaining time left in its campaign to break the 10,000 supporters mark. Projects will often include multiple photos of the finished item, occasionally a story surrounding its origin story.

As an example, this "Back to the Future" Lego set was originally submitted to the company by user m.togami and is now a standard Lego item available for sale:

If your idea should go so far as to break the 10,000 supporter mark and get Lego's attention, here's what happens next:

Projects selected in the LEGO Review go into production. You give input to our professional LEGO designers, whose job it is to create the final set based on your project. Once complete, it goes to the factory, then it’s shipped around the world and released for sale. You’re featured in set materials, receive a royalty on sales, and are recognized as the product creator. Your supporters can now own the LEGO set they helped make happen on LEGO Ideas.

So check out the attached slideshow of our favorite things currently drumming up attention on Lego Ideas. If one of them catches your eye, there's a link below each picture that you can click to learn more on the site itself.

The first thing that bears mentioning is the variety of projects. They might be beautiful and accurate, like these trees ...

Check it out on Lego Ideas »

... or silly and absurd, like these horses with laser guns on their backs.

Check it out on Lego Ideas »

People make small homages to favorite movies, like this one to "Ghostbusters."

Check it out on Lego Ideas »

Click here to see how to properly eat a watermelon >>

Join the conversation about this story »

In 2012, Jason Vitug found himself on top of a temple in Myanmar.

"I realized I was living a childhood dream," he says of that moment, near the beginning of his year-long, 21-country travel adventure. "And I started wondering why I was the only one there. "

That epiphany became the first seed of his financial education website, Phroogal, which crowdsources high-quality answers to anyone's burning financial questions in order to help them afford the lives they want to lead.

Vitug returned from his trip ready to help others have their own top-of-temple moments.

Traveling through countries including the Phillippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Brunei, Timor L'Este, and Belize, "relates a lot to how I view finances now, and what it truly means to live life rich," he says.

Here, Vitug shares the personal finance lessons he absorbed on his way — along with photos of some memorable moments from his trip.

A goal is the first step.

"Everything starts with a goal in mind," says Vitug, whether that's a trip around the world or paying off $80,000 of student loans and credit card debt, a project he had partially accomplished when he set off on his global tour.

"Your goal needs to be clear and stated. I started backpacking with a goal to see 20 countries in 12 months, and I exceeded it." Twenty-one countries later, he's also debt-free.

A plan is crucial to achieve your goals.

A goal is the first step, but it's nothing without a plan, Vitug explains. "Even with backpacking, you need to plan to get from one part of the country to the next."

A plan keeps you on track to to accomplish your goals, he says, and "a financial plan can help you achieve the lifestyle you dream."

When you don't know the answer, seek out advice.

"I learned the value of seeking advice from locals and fellow travelers," remembers Vitug. "I discovered the best places to eat, cheapest accommodations, and the most beautiful places hidden from many tourists. In general, people are willing and happy to help."

The same applies to money: "Ask experts, or even people who lived through what you're currently going through, for guidance. You're not expected to know everything."

During the World Cup, some trading floors on Wall Street might change the channel from stock market news to watch soccer (or football). 

It turns out there are many former professional soccer players working in finance.

We've included a round up of them in the slides that follow. Please note, this list is not a ranking. 

** If you know of other top players working in finance, please email their name/photo to jlaroche@businessinsider.com. 

NCAA Division I soccer champ Pat Phelan is an advisor at a finance firm in Boston.

Finance Job: Phelan is now an advisor at Boston-area Cape Cod Wealth Strategies & Insurance Services, LLC. 

Education: Wake Forest University (2004 to 2007)

Position: Central Defender/Central Midfielder

Soccer Highlights: He played professionally for the San Antonio Scorpions and the New England Revolution. In 2008, he was a first round draft pick in the Major League Soccer Super Draft. While at Wake Forest, he was the captain of the 2007 Division 1 National Championship team. He was also named First Team NSCAA All-American. He was the 2004 Gatorade National Player of the Year. Growing up, he was a member a number of national teams for various age groups.

Former pro Espen Baardsen works for Eclectica Asset Management.

Finance Job: He currently works for Hugh Hendry's Eclectica Asset Management. 

Position: Goalkeeper

Soccer Highlights: Baardsen was born and raised in California. He ended up a goalkeeper for Tottenham. He went on to play for Norway even though he had never been there. He was the 3rd goalkeeper for the 1998 World Cup for Norway. He retired at age 25 to go into finance. 

Former U.S. national team player Pete Woodring runs a wealth management firm in San Francisco.

Finance Job: He's the founding partner of San Francisco-area wealth management firm Cypress Partners.

Education: University of California, Berkeley (1986 to 1991)

Position: Forward

Soccer Highlights: He was a three-time captain/MVP at Berkeley. In 1992, he was the second America to play in the Budesliga, Hamburg Sports Verin. In 1993, he got to play three games for the U.S. national team, including the 1993 U.S. Cup loss against Brazil. In 1994, he played in Denmark for Superliga and in 1996 he played for Major League Soccer's New England Revolution. 

Source: LinkedIn

Everyone's been talking about rising inequality in the U.S., spurred on by the massive popularity of French economist Thomas Piketty's book "Capital in the 21st Century."

As much attention as it's received, it's also come in for some criticism. 

The core fact of income inequality doesn't seem to be in doubt. Indeed, the FT, which found flaws in Piketty's use of some data, never questioned this element specifically.

But Piketty's assertions on wealth, and his conclusions about the nature of capitalism, continue to be called into question.

Now, Michigan professor and New York Times contributor Justin Wolfers has laid out the state of the rest of the Piketty debate in a wonderful presentation posted to the NBER.

With his permission, we republish it here. 

This all-time great cover from BusinessWeek captures the obsession with Piketty and his work.

As previously mentioned, no one doubts income inequality is worsening.

At the end of May, I took a tour of LinkedIn's office. 

At the time I visited LinkedIn, I was watching HBO's "Silicon Valley." I couldn't help but feel a little like I was in the show when I went to LinkedIn. 

I've been to Microsoft's offices, Amazon's offices, and plenty of other big companies, but there was something about LinkedIn that felt uniquely emblematic of what I think of when I think about Silicon Valley.

Maybe it's because it's just down the road from Google. Take a look for yourself and see if you agree ... 

LinkedIn is based in Mountain View, California, which is the home to Google. When I pulled into town, I saw two self-driving cars across from me at a traffic light. Where else do you see TWO self-driving cars?

Here is one of those cars making a left right in front of me.

You drive right past Google on the way to LinkedIn.

Even tech billionaires love their pets.

From Amazon chief Jeff Bezos, who named his dog Kamala after an obscure "Star Wars" character, to Salesforce founder Marc Benioff, who's brought his dog Koa to so many meetings he's given him the title "chief love officer," it seems that many tech executive aren't afraid to show off their adorable animal friends. 

We've rounded up some of the cutest ones here.

Tumblr founder David Karp has an incredibly animated French-English bulldog mix named Clark. Clark is internet-famous thanks to all of the hilarious photos and GIFs Karp posts of him to his personal Tumblr.

Source: Davidslog.com

Instagram cofounder and CEO Kevin Systrom has a golden retriever named Dolly. This adorable pup has more than 11,700 followers on Instagram.

Source: Instagram, @dolly

Not to be outdone by his Instagram cofounder, Mike Krieger has his own puppy, a 5-month-old Bernese mountain dog named Juno.

Source: Instagram, @junopup

NOTE: This is an updated version of a feature originally authored in 2013 by Max Nisen, who no longer works for Business Insider.

Revel was supposed represent the future of Atlantic City.

However, this gleaming 57-story $2.2 billion dollar casino has been a financial disaster.

After a nearly 6 year saga of construction halts, union protests, and government assistance, it opened to great fanfare in May 2012.

It was supposed to revitalize the city and provide a resort like alternative to smoky, windowless casinos.

But Thursday, it was forced to file for bankruptcy for the second time in two years. Management warned employees that it could be forced to shut down as early as this summer.

Former Business Insider reporter Simone Foxman was there to photograph the Revel as it started. Here's a look at how things have gone downhill.

The $2.2 billion dollar project started more than half a decade ago, when Morgan Stanley approached casino veteran Kevin DeSanctis, who is now Revel CEO.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

The casino nearly didn't happen. Construction began in February of 2008, just a few months before the economy began to collapse.

Source: A 2012 interview with CEO Kevin DeSanctis

Casinos in particular were ravaged by the recession. From 2007 to 2011, gaming revenue declined by an average of 8.6%.

Source: UNLV

We like to think we're rational human beings. 

In fact, we are prone to hundreds of proven biases that cause us to think and act irrationally, and even thinking we're rational despite evidence of irrationality in others is known as blind spot bias.

The study of how often human beings do irrational things was enough for psychologists Daniel Kahneman to win the Nobel Prize in Economics, and it opened the rapidly expanding field of behavioral economics. Similar insights are also reshaping everything from marketing to criminology.

Hoping to clue you — and ourselves — into the biases that frame our decisions, we've collected a long list of the most notable ones.

Affect heuristic

The way you feel filters the way you interpret the world. 

Take, for instance, if the words rake, take, and cake flew across a computer screen blinked on a computer screen for 1/30 of a second. 

Which would you recognize? 

If you're hungry, research suggests that all you see is cake.

Anchoring bias

People are overreliant on the first piece of information they hear. 

In a salary negotiation, for instance, whoever makes the first offer establishes a range of reasonable possibilities in each person's mind. Any counteroffer will naturally react to or be anchored by that opening offer. 

"Most people come with the very strong belief they should never make an opening offer,"says Leigh Thompson, a professor at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. "Our research and lots of corroborating research shows that's completely backwards. The guy or gal who makes a first offer is better off." 

Confirmation bias

We tend to listen only to the information that confirms our preconceptions— one of the many reasons it's so hard to have an intelligent conversation about climate change.

A big Hollywood blockbuster often requires a lot of cash.

While it doesn't always take a big production budget to make a break-out hit, the most successful movies are often the costliest.

We turned to IMDB and Box Office Mojo to gather the 30 priciest films ever made, and consulted the consumer price index to adjust for inflation.  

We've also included the original reported and estimated budgets for comparison. A few franchises make the list twice.

While none of this year's movies are among the most expensive, many of the most successful films ever made cost more than $200 million.

29. [TIE]: "The Lone Ranger": $218 million

Original estimated budget: $215 million
Worldwide gross: $260.5 million
Worldwide adjusted gross: $264.2 million

*(All budget estimates have been adjusted for inflation.)

29. [TIE] "Oz the Great and Powerful" (2013): $218 million

Original estimated budget: $215 million
Worldwide gross: $493.3 million
Worldwide adjusted gross: $500.3 million

(All budget estimates have been adjusted for inflation.)

28. "Troy" (2004): $218.9 million

Original estimated budget: $175 million
Worldwide gross: $497.4 million
Worldwide adjusted gross: $622 million

(All budget estimates have been adjusted for inflation.)

Korean food is famous for its hearty spicy stews, bright pickled vegetables, and addictive barbecue.

But for novices, a Korean restaurant and its menu can be intimidating. Most dishes don't have names that translate into English. If you're not familiar with the names, you might make your order based on your analysis of the English ingredients and hope for the best.

The goal of this feature is to introduce you to a few popular and savory dishes so that you don't have to go into your next Korean restaurant unprepared.

Yukgaejang

Spicy shredded beef stew with scallions, onions and Korean radish.

Like most Korean stews, yukgaejang is simmered for hours, which leaves the vegetables soft and the beef fall-apart like a brisket. It's typically served with a bowl of rice that can be mixed into the soup.

Its hearty, hot, and spicy making it the quintessential Korean food. You can get it at every korean restaurant. Believe it or not, this picture was taken at a highway rest area halfway between Seoul and Busan.

Bibim Naengmyeon

Cold buckwheat noodles mixed with sliced beef, pickled radish or Asian pear, pickled cucumber and spicy chili sauce.

"Bibim" is Korean for "mixed." This popular North Korean dish can also be served with in a chilled beef consommé instead of the spicy sauce; just ask for mul naengmyun.

It's an extremely popular hot weather dish, and it'll sometimes even be served with ice cubes. Your waittress or waiter will offer to cut your noodles with her or his kitchen sheers.

Galbi

Short ribs marinated in soy sauce.

No one ever forgets about the time they got Korean barbecue and had galbi. The earthy marinade of soy sauce and garlic is balanced by the sweetness of sugar or honey. On a hot enough grill, the sear will turn into a light char that's basically candy.

Most Korean restaurants offering barbecue will have grills built into the table. However, grilling at the table is usually reserved for larger groups.

Click here to find out why >>

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Click here to see the list>>

Join the conversation about this story »

On Thursday, President Obama will award the Medal of Honor to Cpl. Kyle Carpenter, making him the 15th recipient of the nation's highest military award for bravery after more than a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The medal is a remarkable honor, and while it is a symbol of courage and sacrifice for those who receive it, it's not something many aspire to.

That's because the criteria for receiving the award is incredibly stringent, requiring significant risk to life and limb in direct combat and a display of "personal bravery or self-sacrifice so extraordinary as to set the individual apart from his or her comrades."

For some service members put into extreme circumstances, the daily grind can give way to moments of incredible bravery that warrants them the nation's highest award.

Often it is the family of the fallen hero who receives the posthumous award. In the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there have been relatively few who have received the honor after more than a decade of combat.

Sergeant First Class Paul Smith held off hundreds of Iraqi soldiers from an exposed position.

On April 4, 2003, after his unit briefly battled and captured several Iraqi fighters near the Baghdad International Airport, Smith instructed his men to build an impromptu holding area for the prisoners in a nearby walled compound.

A short time later, his troops were violently attacked by a larger force. Smith rallied his men to organize a hasty defense, then braved hostile fire to engage the enemy with grenades and antitank weapons.

He then ran through blistering gunfire to man the .50 caliber machine gun on top of an armored personnel carrier to keep the enemy from overrunning the position, completely disregarding his own safety to protect his soldiers.

Smith was mortally wounded during the attack, but he helped defeat the attacking force which had more than 50 enemy soldiers killed, according to his award citation.

Award Presented (posthumously): April 4, 2005

Corporal Jason Dunham dove on an enemy grenade and saved the lives of two Marines.

While his unit was engaged in a major firefight in Iraq along the Syrian border on April 14, 2004, Dunham and his team stopped several vehicles to search them for weapons.

As he approached one of the vehicles, the driver lunged at Dunham's throat and they fought in a hand-to-hand battle. Wrestling on the ground, Dunham then yelled to his Marines, "No, no watch his hand."

The insurgent then dropped a grenade with the pin pulled. Dunham jumped on top of it, placing his helmet between his body and the grenade in an effort to brunt the explosion.

"He knew what he was doing," Lance Cpl. Jason A. Sanders, who was in Dunham's company, told Marine Corps News. "He wanted to save Marines' lives from that grenade."

He saved the lives of at least two Marines and was mortally wounded in the blast.

Award Presented (posthumously): Jan. 11, 2007

Lieutenant Michael Murphy went into the open during a fierce battle to call for support.

While leading his Navy SEAL team on June 28, 2005, to infiltrate and provide reconnaissance on a Taliban leader, Murphy and the three other members of his team came under withering gunfire from 30 to 40 enemy fighters.

The fierce gunfight pitted the SEALs against insurgents on the high ground, and they desperately called for support as all four operators were hit by gunshots.

When his radioman fell mortally wounded, and with the radio not able to get a clear signal, Murphy disregarded the enemy fire and went out into the open to transmit back to his base and call for support.

From his Summary of Action:

He calmly provided his unit’s location and the size of the enemy force while requesting immediate support for his team. At one point he was shot in the back causing him to drop the transmitter. Murphy picked it back up, completed the call and continued firing at the enemy who was closing in. 

"I was cursing at him from where I was," Hospital Corpsman Marcus Luttrell, the only survivor of the battle, later told The New York Times. "I was saying, 'What are you doing?' Then I realized that he was making a call. But then he started getting hit. He finished the call, picked up his rifle and started fighting again. But he was overrun."

Award Presented (posthumously): Oct. 23, 2007

Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota's famous Twin Cities, have a lot of love for their local culture, from beer to bands to food trucks. Put together, there's little you can't find.

The Twin City small-business scene is thriving, with everything from an "Alice in Wonderland"-themed Korean restaurant to a custom hair-dye bar to a regional sake brewery.

We found 27 cool small businesses that show the best and brightest of the Twin Cities' innovation and creativity.

Askov Finlayson/The Bachelor Farmer/Marvel Bar

200 N. 1st Street, Minneapolis

What it is: A trendy clothing store/restaurant/bar owned by the sons of Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton.

Why it's cool: The Bachelor Farmer, Marvel Bar, and Askov Finlayson are all located in the same historic warehouse that brothers Eric and Andrew Dayton bought and restored.

Popular with hip diners, the Bachelor Farmer honors Minnesota's Nordic heritage and grows its produce on the roof. While they do great wine pairings, for cocktails you'll want to pop over to Marvel Bar, where whimsical mixed drinks dominate.

Waiting to be seated at either? Browse the racks at Askov Finlayson, a chic clothing and home-decor store that showcases brands one can't typically find in Minneapolis.

The Beez Kneez

2204 Minnehaha Ave. S., Minneapolis

What it is: Raw and local honey, delivered by bike.

Why it's cool: The Beez Kneez is an urban apiary, community beekeeping program, and educational honey house in the middle of Minneapolis. Run by two friends with a passion for cycling and sustainable beekeeping, they make it their responsibility to teach the community about the importance of bees to our food system and how to keep a hive.

They also fill orders of honey from their own hives and deliver it, by bicycle, wearing antennaed helmets.

Benjos Shoelaces

Online, based in Minneapolis

What it is: A stylish specialized shoelace company.

Why it's cool: Ben Hertz makes shoelaces that allow the wearer to express his or her individuality. It started years ago when he replaced some broken laces in Rome with a red pair, and the compliments started pouring in. But because Hertz couldn't find anything similar in the U.S., he decided to make his own so that he and others could add a cool, new punctuation of style detail with this distinct wardrobe addition.

Wall Streeters are just like us in many ways, sharing the urge to settle down and start a family at some point in their careers. 

We decided to track down a bunch of these Wall Street offspring to see what they've done with their legacies so far.

Some followed the family business path, while others strayed into new passions. From singer-songwriters to journalists and equestrians, these Wall Street kids are doing some remarkable things.

Let's meet the next generation. 

Alexander Soros, son of billionaire hedge fund manager George Soros

Age: 28 to 29 (est.)

About: Alex has established himself as a big-time philanthropist like his father. As a student, he's a big political donor, too.

He graduated from NYU in 2009. He's pursuing his doctorate in modern European history at the University of California – Berkeley, and has also started a social justice foundation in his name. 

Brian Tepper, son of billionaire hedge fund manager David Tepper (Appaloosa Management)

Age: 27 (est.)

About: Brian is a software engineer in the computer gaming field.

He graduated with a degree in game development from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.

He has two sisters, Randi and Casey.

Caroline Gorman, daughter of Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman

Age: 18

About: Caroline Gorman is another Wall Street progeny on a musical path. She sings and plays piano and guitar for her band, Madness and the Film.

Last year, the two-person band released "Scrapbook," a four song EP.

Zulily, the daily deals site for moms, went public in fall 2013 with a $2.6 billion valuation.

Since then, the site has grown to about 3.7 million active customers, with net sales of $237.9 million in the first quarter of this year.

We visited Zulily's Seattle offices to check out what it's like inside one of e-commerce's current success stories. 

Zulily is an extremely fast-growing company. Its office on Elliott Avenue in downtown Seattle is its sixth one in four years.

From the moment you walk into Zulily's headquarters, you're dazzled by the bright decor and the sound of children playing.

All the pictures on the website's homepage are done in-house. Zulily's stylists create new sets for every fashion shoot.

"I think that because I am rich, handsome and a great player people are envious of me. I don't have any other explanation."

That's Cristiano Ronaldo talking about why people hate him.

While other soccer players date models and appear in underwear ads too, no one's lifestyle gets under the skin of soccer fans like Ronaldo's.

He's one of the biggest stars at the 2014 World Cup, and the biggest threat to the United States in Group G. He's also one of the most polarizing players in Brazil.

He earned $44 million last year, making him the ninth highest-paid athlete on earth.

Source: Forbes

He recently signed a contract that'll pay him $23 million per year until 2018 — making him the world's highest-paid active player.

Source: Marca

He makes almost that much ($21 million annually) in off-field endorsements.

Source: Forbes