New York in the 1980s was a far cry from the city it is today. At the time, Manhattan was crime-ridden and full of burned-out buildings and unresolved tensions. For photographer Brian Rose, who lived through that era, the present-day city can be startling.

“New York was at a precarious point in time. The city could easily have gone the way of Detroit. We didn’t know,” Rose told Business Insider. "Lower Manhattan was a post-apocalyptic landscape of crumbling buildings and abandoned streets. You couldn't tell things were going to get better until the late '80s."

Rose recently completed a photographic study of one of Manhattan’s most-changed neighborhoods, the Meatpacking District, which has transformed over the last 20 years from an open-air industrial meat market to a glittering hub of nightlife and restaurants. Rose originally photographed the area in 1985 and returned in 2013 to document the same street corners.  

Rose has collected his photos from both 1985 and 2013 in a book, "Metamorphoses," which you can purchase here. He has shared some photos with us, but you can check out the rest in the book or on his website.

The Meatpacking District in the 1980s was a derelict scene. In the early morning hours, trucks rolled in and workers got started on the meat trade. By midday, the streets were "semi-abandoned," according to Rose.

Today, the area is bustling day and night with tourists, diners, shoppers, and nightclub attendees.

The area used to be blue-collar.

Prosthetic limbs have been around for centuries, but the prosthetics of today don't look like those from your grandfather's day.

These days limbs can be bionic, almost seamlessly blending in with their wearer in form and function. Limbs can incorporate electronic components that allow the limb to respond to their wearers similar to a biological limb. They can be shaped for different purposes or customized to their wearer's specifications.

It is enough of a task to make artificial legs that can walk naturally or arms that can grasp, but what happens when their wearer wants those limbs to be able to swim, climb, dance, or surf?

We sought out some of today's most amazing athletes who are pushing the idea of what it means to mix the biological with the technological and take their sports to new limits.

Some people have become famous for taking prosthetics to the next level. In 1996, Aimee Mullins was the first amputee to compete on an NCAA track team, setting multiple world records.

Source: ABC

Running prosthetics, like the ones Mullins used and the ones seen below, take the shape of a cheetah leg. They have no heel and can store and release energy like a spring. But for other athletes, it is not always about putting one foot in front of the other ...

Source: The New York Times, The Atlantic

... at least not in the way you'd think.

Eighty-three percent Russians approve of Vladimir Putin as president, a number that has soared from 54% last year since his annexation of Crimea and intervention in Ukraine as well as the Sochi Olympics.

Westerners may wonder why Russians so happily approve of a man who is becoming an international pariah.

And that might get them wondering what else Russians think and what Russians are like anyway.

Taking care to avoid unfounded stereotypes, we've turned to data from polling centers, the World Health Organization, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and Pew Research Center to identify facts about the majority of Russia's 144 million citizens.

The average Russian adult consumes 15 liters of pure alcohol annually, far more than the 9-liter average in America. Heavy drinking has been blamed for alarmingly high early death rates for Russian men.

Source: WHO and Reuters

56% of Russians aren't pleased with the quality of their drinking water, the worst of the 36 nations ranked by OECD.

Current data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development

60% of Russians think their country is moving in the right direction.

August 2013 Levada Center Poll

On the surface, money seems straightforward. What could be more black and white than numbers?

But in fact, money is complicated. Nothing makes this clearer than looking at the ways in which we're subject to cognitive biases — the way our brains sneakily convince us to make decisions that often work against our best interests.

Cognitive biases may convince us to spend more, save less, and feel more confident in our decisions than perhaps we should. And the scary thing is, for the most part, we're powerless against them.

Here's a look at some of the most common ones.

Time discounting

This is a familiar concept to anyone who has ever chosen to spring for a weekend at the lake today, rather than saving that money for a more comfortable retirement later.

Time discounting fights against delayed gratification, making us more likely to value immediate rewards over ones to be had in the future.

Anchoring bias

Also called the relativity trap, anchoring explains why you'll pay $25 for an hour of parking after seeing $30 at a lot down the street.

The first number you see, whether that's a price or a salary that comes up in negotiation, colors any that come after it. A high anchor influences you to spend more than you normally would.

Denomination effect

You hate to break a $50, but have no problem dissolving four tens, a five, and a handful of change.

It's not just you. Studies have shown that people are less likely to spend higher-denomination bills. Once you break that $50, however, you may be in trouble.

This feature is a part of our Most Influential People Behind The Scenes In Sports series.

Erin Andrews has managed to do what only a handful of broadcasters have ever done — leave ESPN and became more popular than ever.

She's one of the faces of Fox Sports 1. She's on air during the biggest sporting events of the year. And she continues to expand her list of broadcasting duties beyond sideline reporting.

Everyone, ESPN especially, is trying to find the next Erin Andrews.

When you look back at her career arc, though, you see she had to put it a lot of hard work before she exploded in popularity.

Andrews majored in communications at the University of Florida and was a member of the Dazzlers dance team.

Source: ESPN

She started at the bottom of the journalism totem pole after graduating in 2000.

Source: ESPN

The Sunshine Network hired her to report on the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2001. After a stint covering Atlanta sports for Turner, she was hired by ESPN as an NHL reporter in 2004.

Source: ESPN

Cities might be humanity's greatest invention — if you listen to Harvard economist Ed Glaeser, author of  "Triumph of the City."

"So much of what humankind has achieved over the past three millennia has come out of the remarkable collaborative creations that come out of cities,"he said in an interview."We are a social species. We come out of the womb with the ability to sop up information from people around us. It's almost our defining characteristic as creatures. And cities play to that strength." 

Indeed, many modern metros are pushing the limits of industry, design, and urban planning, while rethinking the way people live and work. 

With that in mind, we assembled a list of the 18 most innovative cities in the world, using a range of metrics from patents per capita to skyscraper height.  

Singapore has the best infrastructure in the world, including an airport complete with a butterfly garden, pool, movie theaters, hotels, spas, showers, and of course a four-story slide.

[Business Insider] 

Amsterdam is the most bike-friendly city in the world, with a full 38% of all trips in the city made by bicycle.

[Amsterdamize]

Bangalore, India, is known as the Silicon Valley of India, with a tech sector that brings in $17 billion in revenue a year. Venture capital has noticed, investing $300 million in venture funding in 2012.

[BBC]

Is it bad to charge your phone overnight? What about charging an iPhone with an iPad adapter?

Despite how often we use devices like smartphones and laptops, we have plenty of questions about how those technologies works. And with so much information out there — not all of it true — it's hard to know if we're treating our electronics properly. 

We've dug into some of the most common myths in consumer tech to debunk some of the biggest misconceptions out there. 

Mac computers can’t get viruses

Yes, Apple computers are susceptible to malware too. Apple used to brag its computers aren't vulnerable to PC viruses, but the company quickly changed its marketing page after a Trojan affected thousands of Mac computers in 2012.

Private/Incognito browsing keeps you anonymous

There’s a misconception that “incognito” and “private” are synonymous with anonymous. If you’re using Incognito Mode in Google Chrome or Private browsing in Safari, it simply means the browser won’t keep track of your history, import your bookmarks, or automatically log into any of your accounts. It won’t keep your identity anonymous — so keep that in mind if you’re visiting sites you shouldn’t be.

Leaving your phone plugged in destroys the battery

If you’re like most people, you probably leave your phone plugged in overnight long after the battery is fully charged. Some used to say this would hurt your phone's battery life, but in fact, there's no proof that this damages your phone’s battery in any way. Modern smartphones run on lithium-ion batteries, which are smart enough to stop charging when they’ve reached capacity.

In 2011, Foster Huntington made a life-changing decision. He would quit his job designing for Ralph Lauren in New York City and ditch life as he knew it for something drastically different: Living out of a van as he traveled the country.

A snowboard and surfing enthusiast, the Colby College graduate embarked on a life living inside a VW Synchro, putting on mile after mile as he documented everything his saw with his camera.

Through his blogs, A Restless Transplant and Van-Life, he created a movement and a community centered around a new nomadic way of living in the 21st century.

Through Kickstarter, Huntington published a book "Home Is Where You Park It"— a collection of his photos — and "The Burning House," which implores readers to consider what they value. Now Huntington is somewhat of a poster child for brands like Patagonia and Urban Outfitters.

Along with his friends, Huntington now has lived this way for over 3 years, transforming vans and buses into living spaces (check out the #vanlife tag on Instagram), building treehouses and cabins along the West coast, and simply living life on his own terms, all while being able to translate his lifestyle into a profitable business. 

The photos that Huntington takes are stunning. Take a look at what life is like for him through his pictures on Instagram.

Warning: You will be tempted to follow in his footsteps.

In 2011, Foster Huntington left his job designing for Ralph Lauren and his apartment in Manhattan, and made a decision that would change his life.

So he bought a van and decided it would be his new home.

Armed with a camera and the essentials, Huntington set out West for a new and different life.

There's as much variety in housing markets within the 50 states as there is outside of it.

A million dollars buys something much different in New York City than it does in rural Vermont or San Francisco.

To give you a greater idea of just how much our real estate values vary around the U.S., we teamed up with Point2Homes to look at what $1 million buys in housing markets from coast to coast.

In Edmond, Oklahoma, $1 million gets you a 5,000-square-foot home with a pool on more than 1.5 acres.

Click here to see the home.

In San Diego you can get a 1,500-square-foot, 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment with 2 balconies in a historical building.

Click here to see the home.

In North Druid Hills, Georgia, $1 million buys a 7,000-square-foot home close to Emory University with 6 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, and a fountain in front.

Click here to see the home.

.

Apple executive Jonathan Ive bought a stunning home on San Francisco's "Billionaire's Row" for $17 million in 2012, according to The Wall Street Journal. The home was originally listed for $25 million.

Ive, Apple’s senior vice president of industrial design, is credited with the look of the iPod, iPhone, and other products.

The home is one of San Francisco's most historically significant properties — designed by Willis Polk, a well-known local architect.

The house has four bedrooms and 7.5 bathrooms.

Completed in 1927, the house still looks very well kept and has a beautiful brick facade.

The house has a signature slate roof, and deep portico entry.

Local architect Willis Polk designed the home.

The formal sitting room has a lovely pattern on the ceiling.

Back in 1904, a 25-year-old Albert Einstein would spend his afternoons pushing a stroller. 

You could find him "wheeling a baby carriage on the streets of Bern, Switzerland, halting now and then, unmindful of the traffic around him, to scribble down some mathematical symbols in a notebook that shared the carriage with his infant son, also named Albert,"The New York Times wrote in its obituary of the great scientist.

"Out of those symbols came the most explosive ideas in the age-old strivings of man to fathom the mystery of his universe," The Times added.

In his lifetime, Einstein would change the world, describing the workings of reality better than anyone since Isaac Newton and revealing the capabilities of the atom bomb. 

In time, Einstein's name has become a byword for genius.

Here's the genius, in his own words.

On authority

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."

["The Curious History of Relativity"]

On scope

"Nature shows us only the tail of the lion. But there is no doubt in my mind that the lion belongs with it even if he cannot reveal himself to the eye all at once because of his huge dimension."

[Smithsonian, February 1979]

On politics

"I am by heritage a Jew, by citizenship a Swiss, and by makeup a human being, and only a human being, without any special attachment to any state or national entity whatsoever."

["The Yale Book of Quotations"]

"War encapsulates the whole range of human experience. That’s what is so seductive about it. It makes you feel alive," says photographer Peter Van Agtmael.

Van Agtmael was fascinated by war since a young age. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, he traveled to Ground Zero to photograph the aftermath for a newspaper at Yale, where he was an undergraduate. After graduating, he decided to document the wars of his generation. He spent three years preparing himself for the task, documenting conflict and dangerous situations around the world for various photo agencies. In 2006, he applied and was accepted to be embedded with the Army in Iraq.

Since that first tour, Van Agtmael has returned countless times to both Iraq and Afghanistan, where he has forged friendships, witnessed tragedy, and been woken up to the rude, brutal reality of American wars.

Van Agtmael has collected his work, covering the war abroad and soldiers’ homecoming, in the book "Disco Night Sept. 11." He has shared a selection with us here, but you can check out the rest in the book, which can be purchased here.

Van Agtmael says that when he first decided to go to Iraq, he believed in photography's transformative power on public opinion. "That's a compelling narrative when you are young," Van Agtmael says. Unlike previous wars, the only way to document the war was to be embedded with the military. This photo was taken just minutes before an IED was triggered.

Van Agtmael began his first tour documenting the army at 24, the same age as many of the servicemen. A friend of this young Marine at FOB Delhi asked Van Agtmael if he wanted to see a picture that he'd drawn. It was of an angry pig with a giant penis dressed as a Marine, holding a machine gun.

Van Agtmael says Iraq and Afghanistan were similar wars. "When you step into the American military reality, it is pretty unchanging. The uniforms change, the equipment changes, the tactics change, but the feeling is the same," he says. Here, a Blackhawk helicopter lands at a small American outpost in eastern Afghanistan.

During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military sprayed approximately 20 million gallons of herbicides across 5.5 million acres of Vietnamese jungle and countryside, an area roughly the size of New Jersey, according to The New York Times. U.S. soldiers sprayed these herbicides to flush out Vietcong soldiers, who used the foliage for cover.

The main herbicide, nicknamed Agent Orange, consisted of two herbicides, one of which had been tainted with a toxic strain of dioxin, according to The Times. Dioxins are a group of chemical compounds that have similar structures; the World Health Organization has called these compounds "highly toxic." The EPA characterizes dioxins as likely human carcinogens, and it notes they've been linked to birth defects and a serious skin condition called chlorachne.

Nearly 40 years after the Vietnam War, a particularly harmful strain of dioxin still saturates Vietnamese lands, wildlife, and groundwater — ensuring Vietnamese villagers will feel its effects for generations more. The Vietnam Red Cross estimates that Agent Orange caused at least 150,000 birth defects since the end of the Vietnam War.

Getty photographer Paula Bronstein traveled to Vietnam in 2011 to document the third generation of Vietnamese to suffer the effects of Agent Orange. The impoverished villagers continue to have health problems, and orphanages often care for children disabled by Agent Orange. 

In recent years, the U.S. has made efforts to clean up dioxin sites and has provided $46 million in general aid for disabled Vietnamese. Still, some lawmakers have argued the U.S. hasn't done enough to accept culpability for the harmful effects of Agent Orange. 

Bronstein traveled to villages in the north of Vietnam near Cam Lộ, Ba Vì, and Da Nang. The U.S. sprayed Agent Orange mostly in the south but also spread the herbicide in many areas in the north. This is a U.S. Army map of spray missions conducted during the war.  

During the war, the U.S. said Agent Orange was harmless, according to the Chicago Tribune. While the U.S. now offers benefits to veterans who suffer certain Agent Orange-related illnesses, it still refuses to acknowledge Agent Orange caused health problems in Vietnam, according to the Aspen Institute. The Vietnam Red Cross estimates Agent Orange affected as many as 3 million Vietnamese.Children in areas where Agent Orange was used have been affected with hydrocephalus (brain swelling), cleft palates, mental disabilities, hernias, extra fingers and toes, spina bifida, and various genetic diseases. Still, it's tough to prove Agent Orange caused these problems due to some studies finding inconsistent results, according to a 2006 study by researchers at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.Dioxin exposure is linked to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, soft-tissue sarcoma, type-2 diabetes, and several types of cancer, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.The 2006 Garvan study, which conducted a review of 22 Agent Orange studies, concluded parental exposure to Agent Orange unequivocally increased the risk of birth defects.In order to receive aid from the Vietnamese government, affected Vietnamese must prove Agent Orange caused their ailments or birth defects, according to Bronstein. Since it's tough for poor villagers to pay for tests to provide this proof, she says they often don't get the aid to help them pay for their children's medical care.

Since many Vietnamese can barely eek out a living as farmers, some leave their children at orphanages run by charities and aid organizations. The problem is so bad that many orphanages are overcrowded, with new children arriving every day. At 17, the disabled children move to an adult-care home. It's unlikely they will ever live independently.Those who don't give up their children must care for them through their adult years. It's a stressful proposition. Few completely understand why they have the issues that they do, says Bronstein. They only know it's the U.S. government's fault. Da Nang is one of the areas most affected by Agent Orange. The U.S. military used the airport there as a major military base and storage site for Agent Orange. In 2011, the U.S. began an operation to decontaminate the soil in dioxin "hot spots." Da Nang was the first site of the operation. The program, costing $43 million and to be completed in four years, will render the dioxins in the soil harmless, according to The New York Times. It does nothing to help those already affected by Agent Orange.

SEE ALSO: These Photos Show The Harsh Reality Of War In Iraq And Afghanistan

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The Islamic State, or ISIS, has been taking swaths of territory in northern Iraq and Syria in recent weeks. Between taking the city of Mosul, targeting the Yazidis (an ethno-religious minority in Iraq), and battling the Kurdish peshmerga, ISIS has moved increasingly toward Kurdistan, the de facto state of northern Iraq’s Kurds.

Amid the chaos, U.S. officials and northern Iraqis have fled to Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan. U.S. President Barack Obama authorized military strikes against ISIS should they threaten Erbil

With a population of 1.5 million, Erbil is the largest city in Kurdistan. It is also one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with life in the city dating as far back as 6000 B.C.

Since the winding down of the Iraq War, Erbil has become a hub for development, leading some to question whether it could become the next Dubai.

We gathered some photos of the progressive city that ISIS has in its sights.

This is where Erbil is located on the map. It is far north of Baghdad but just 55 miles from ISIS-controlled Mosul.

Erbil is very liberal city, compared with the rest of the Middle East. As Kurdistan is both largely secular and religiously diverse, Erbil has a busy nightlife scene, with dozens of bars, liquor stores, clubs, and restaurants opening in the past 10 years. Many consider its busy nightlife scene to be rivaled only by that of Dubai and Beirut in the Middle East.This is Erbil International Airport. Though an airport has been located on the site since the 1970s, a brand new one with modern amenities was built in 2010.This is downtown Erbil, the main hub of development in the city. In 2013, Dubai's Emaar Properties announced that it was investing $3 billion into downtown Erbil. The proposed investment would go toward building houses, apartments, offices, hotels, and parks.This is what downtown looks like at night. In the distance are a number of the towers that are currently being built or have just opened in downtown Erbil.Erbil's major tourist attraction is the Citadel, the historical city center of Erbil. It was been inhabited since 5000 B.C. and has been a major center of numerous cultures. It is a UNESCO Heritage site. This is what it looks like closer up. The Citadel is located on a mound that archaeologists think conceals the remains of ancient cultures. It features a continuous wall with 19th-century facades, giving it the look of a fortress.This what it looks like inside the Citadel.There is a wealth of development at the base of the Citadel. Shar Park features numerous fountains, brick arcades, and a clock tower.  It also features numerous cafes and teashops.The Mudhafaria Minaret is nearly 120 feet tall. It is all that remains of a massive mosque built in the 1100s.The Qaysari Bazaar in Erbil is one of the oldest in the world. It wraps around the entire southern half of the Citadel. The Bazaar is a bustling center of life in Erbil. You can find anything there from food to clothes to books and electronics.As with other economic hubs in the Middle East, Erbil has recently begun opening mega-malls. The Family Mall that Erbil opened in 2010 with over 100 retail stores that carry major Western brands like Zara, DKNY, Rolex, Armani, and Levi's. Family Mall is also located directly next to a new amusement park.The mall is extremely popular. It also features an indoor ice-skating rink and a 14-screen movie theater.

NOW WATCH: 9 Animated Maps That Will Change The Way You See The World

SEE ALSO: Visit The Holy City Of The Iraqi Religious Minority That ISIS Is Threatening With Destruction

DON'T MISS: There's A Big Paradox About The US Fighting ISIS In Iraq

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Wall Street is always coming up with new complex instruments to trade and invest in.

But some surprisingly simple investments are still capable of making a killing. They just aren't the traditional investments.

In a report released Tuesday by Bloomberg Markets Magazine,Devin Banerjee outlines some of the strange but highest-performing investments in the past couple of years. Ranging from fine wine to lean hogs, these commodities have gained exceptional returns. One such investment even went up 465% in only a year.

Check out some of the weirdest investments that are making a fortune in the market.

Chateau Pavie Wine

Although wine has seen dismal returns over the past three years, at an annualized return of -9.6%, one vintage wine is doing exceptionally well.

Chateau Pavie, from the Bordeaux region of France, has seen high returns, especially on its 2004, 2001, 1999, and 1998 bottles. A 2004 Chateau Pavie bottle had a one-year return of 14.3% and a three-year annualized return of 24.1%.

Another high performer from Bordeaux was the 1982 Chateau Latour, with an annualized return of 10.1%.

Source: Bloomberg Markets Magazine

A Grand Prix Race Car

Classic cars were a huge earner for investors, with a three-year annualized return of 21.0% and a one-year return of 40.7%.

The 1954 Mercedes Benz W196 Grand Prix race car fetched a record $29.5 million at a British auction to an unidentified private buyer. The car was used by Formula One driver Juan Manuel Fangio.

Source: Bloomberg Markets Magazine

Vintage Ferraris

In the same category of classic cars, Ferraris from the 1950s and '60s saw high returns.

A 1967 Ferrari GTB NART Spyder went for $27.5 million, and several more went for prices between $10 million and $20 million.

Source: Bloomberg Markets Magazine

Liam Martin knows how to rock a wig a lot better than the average 17-year-old boy. The New Zealand teenager has won Instagram fame by hilariously recreating celebrity photos.

He's impersonated everyone from Beyonce to Miley Cyrus, often using food or paper to construct his outfits. 

Right now, Martin has more than 1.6 million Instagram followers.

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He posts about one photo a week...

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...And each one will get hundreds of thousands of likes.

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Russia has been all over the headlines recently.

Earlier this year, it was for the Sochi Winter Olympics. More recently, it's because president Vladimir Putin has been flexing his muscles again, this time in Crimea.

As the world's eighth largest economy Russia can't be ignored.

The sheer scale of its pipelines, for instance, its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, or its population decline are mind-boggling.

We put together some key facts about Russia.

Russia has the same surface area as Pluto.

Russia has a surface area of 17 million km², compared with 16.6 million km² for Pluto.

Source: UniverseToday

Russia's pipelines could loop around Earth more than six times.

Russia's pipelines, including condensate, gas, liquid petroleum gas, oil water, and refined products, are 259,913 kilometers long. The Earth, meanwhile,  is 40,075 kilometers in circumference.

Source: The World Fact Book

Russia accounts for half the global stockpile of highly enriched uranium (HEU).

Russia has 695 tonnes of highly enriched uranium (HEU), the most of any country in the world. The U.S. has the world's second largest stockpile at 604 tonnes.

Source: International Panel on Fissile Materials

Breaking up is never easy. 

But sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. This is especially true if your significant other works on Wall Street — and starts to show some very telling warning signs.

We get it. Finance is a demanding job. Your boyfriend or girlfriend might be busy, stressed, stretched to the breaking point, and not be fulfilling all his or her duties as your significant other. But there's a point at which the behavior becomes unacceptable.

To help you out, we've created a list of some common indicators that you're headed for trouble. If your significant other starts exhibiting any of these signs, you'd better run for the hills. 

They start chewing tobacco.

The trading floor is a place where nasty habits go to breed and thrive. Because traders can't smoke there, sometimes they chew tobacco to get the buzz without having to go outside.

This is not OK.

They have only condiments in the refrigerator.

Ketchup is not a vegetable. This is not up for debate.

They use only Wall Street jargon.

Bankers have their own language, and it's all based on money, deals, and trading.

For example: "Upside of going to the Hamptons this weekend is that James is throwing a party at Pink Elephant, downside is that he's inviting my ex."

If your significant other talks like this about ... basically anything, let him or her go.

Inventor and M.I.T. Media Lab researcher David Rose coined the term "enchanted objects" to describe ordinary objects with extraordinary functions. 

These objects are not only fun but also may hold the key to a better way for humans to use new technology — as opposed to what Rose considers a bleak future in which every tool will be crammed into a computer screen.

Rose, whose gadget-filled home was recently featured in The New York Times, has a new book called, "Enchanted Objects: Design, Human Desire, and the Internet of Things."

We've compiled 15 of the coolest enchanted objects currently in existence. Many of these aren't available on the market yet, but they offer a glimpse into what the future has in store. 

The Vitality GlowCap reminds you to take your medications by lighting up, making chirping sounds, and eventually sending you a text message. You can share your medication data with a remote loved one, a professional caregiver, and your pharmacy.

Not widely available.

The Ambient Umbrella has a handle that will glow if snow or rain is in the forecast, reminding you to grab it on your way out the door.

Not widely available.

The Google Latitude Doorbell, created at the MIT Media Lab, chimes a tune when a family member is approaching the house. Each family member has their own tune.

Not widely available.

A new Yo-Yo World Champion has been crowned in Prague, and this year’s winner was a 17-year-old from Chico, Calif. (first spotted on Gizmodo).

Gentry Stein, who has been yo-yoing since he was in third grade, won the 2014 World YoYo Contest by a slim margin with 88.2 points according to YoYoNews.com. He beat out thousands of other top players who hailed from around the world. Contestants were scored on their technical abilities as well as their showmanship.

As you can see from Stein’s winning freestyle (video below), he is incredible. And like most of his competitors, many of his moves are his own inventions, which makes it even more fun to watch.

WATCH: 7 Crazy Facts That Sound Fake But Are Actually True

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