Last year, I went to Burning Man for the first time.

Despite having attended many different festivalspreviously, Burning Man was unlike anything I have ever seen.

Burning Man, as the website proclaims, is "an annual art event and temporary community based on radical self expression and self-reliance in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada."

Last year, over 61,000 people attended, many of them in the tech industry.

While most people go for the full seven days, I only did four, so my experience may have been different from others. But the beauty of Burning Man is that everyone can have whatever kind of experience they want.

Check out my trip last year here >

For me, I loved biking around during the hot desert days looking at all of the beautiful art installations constructed in the middle of nowhere and taking advantage of strangers' generosity by way of wine tastings, zip lines and fried chicken.

For others, the festival comes alive at night. As the sun goes down, the lights of Black Rock City come up and the pulse of the music keeps people awake until well into the following day.

Since most people who haven't been to Burning Man seem to be confused by what it actually is, here are some photos that sum up my trip last year.

It all started with this: a cheap, leopard suitcase I purchased on the streets of NYC. Everything you bring to Burning Man you risk getting seriously dirty or losing. I felt okay sacrificing this.

I packed it full with costumes, sunscreen, sunglasses, flashlights, food, and other items on the official checklist. Everything is in plastic bags to keep it clean from the impending desert dust.

Upon arrival in Reno, the closest airport, I hit a Walmart to grab last-minute necessities such as jugs of water. Walmart was clearly prepared for all of the "Burners" driving from Reno.

Sitting in a cubicle all day can be depressing, but the sad truth is that the vast majority of high-paying, stable jobs require people to mostly stay chained to their desk.

Using average salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, we decided to pick out the 13 highest-paying jobs where people get to stop staring at their computer screens and go somewhere else.

Take a look to see the kind of money you can make in a classroom, at a drill site, or in a cockpit 30,000 feet above the earth.

13. Mining and geological engineer

Average annual pay: $96,950

These are the folks responsible for figuring out what's going on under the surface at mining and land development sites, and making sure things are safe for the environment and for workers.

Though mining is thought to be a dangerous industry, the salary isn't bad.

12. Industrial production manager

Average annual pay: $99,370

The average factory manager makes just shy of six figures, but it's unclear whether working on a factory floor is much better than in a cubicle.

11. Economics professor

Average annual pay: $100,490

There's good money in the (college) classroom, and economics professors are cited everywhere from news stories to policy papers for their decision-making knowledge.

Prior to working for the government, current Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen was an economics professor at the University of California-Berkeley.

I am not very brave. When it comes to daredevil activities, the farthest I'll go is zip-lining and the occasional roller coaster. I don't even like heights.

But I do like adventure! And, as we have reported, Google cofounder Sergey Brin likes to push his body to the limits. He counts the flying trapeze as one if his favorite hobbies, having taken advanced classes in his college days and bringing groups of Google employees to try it as a team.

How would it feel to soar through the air? What would it feel like to push myself to do something I would normally never try? 

I spent an afternoon at the Trapeze School New York, and it was just as scary — and even more exhilarating — than I ever imagined.  

Produced by Sam Rega.

SEE ALSO: SERGEY BRIN: Why The Google Cofounder Likes To Push His Body To The Limits

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Warren Buffett turned 84 years old on Saturday.

And even at that age, the billionaire "Oracle of Omaha" continues to be involved in some of the biggest investment plays in the world.

Buffett is undoubtedly the most successful investor in history. His investment philosophy is no secret, and he has repeatedly shared bits and pieces of it through a lifetime of quips and memorable quotes.

His brilliance is timeless, and we find ourselves referring back to them over and over again.

We compiled a few of Buffett's best quotes from his TV appearances, newspaper op-eds, magazine interviews, and of course his annual letters.

Buying a stock is about more than just the price.

"It's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price."

Source: Letter to shareholders, 1989

You don't have to be a genius to invest well.

"You don't need to be a rocket scientist. Investing is not a game where the guy with the 160 IQ beats the guy with 130 IQ."

Source: Warren Buffett Speaks, via msnbc.msn

But, master the basics.

"To invest successfully, you need not understand beta, efficient markets, modern portfolio theory, option pricing or emerging markets. You may, in fact, be better off knowing nothing of these. That, of course, is not the prevailing view at most business schools, whose finance curriculum tends to be dominated by such subjects. In our view, though, investment students need only two well-taught courses - How to Value a Business, and How to Think About Market Prices."

Source: Chairman's Letter, 1996

For most students, early September means back-to-school time.

But that’s not the case for everyone, especially in the tech industry.

Billionaire investor Peter Thiel, for example, is paying $100,000 for kids to drop out of school and start their own companies.

Thiel has a point: Some of the most successful tech entrepreneurs have racked up billions of dollars without ever finishing college.

Whether to skip college or not is totally up to you. But if you’re one of those thinking about it, this will serve as inspiration.

Bill Gates

Company: Microsoft

School: Harvard

Net worth: $81 billion

Bill Gates started college at Harvard in 1973, but dropped out two years later to found Microsoft. His co-founder, Paul Allen, went to the same high school as Gates.

Gates remained Microsoft’s CEO until 2000, when he stepped down to take on the Chairman role. Now, he serves as a technology advisor to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, while focusing on his charity work at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In 2007, Gates received an honorary degree from Harvard, when he also delivered the commencement speech.

Michael Dell

Company: Dell Computer

School: University of Texas at Austin

Net worth: $18.8 billion

Michael Dell was a freshman at the University of Texas at Austin when he decided drop out. He was a biology major, but computers were what really got him excited at school.

In 1984, Dell founded Dell Computer Corp. and turned it into a multi-billion dollar computer empire over the next 30 years.

Dell became the youngest CEO of a company ever to make the Fortune 500 list in 1992.

He took Dell private in a deal worth $24.9 billion in 2013, and currently serves as the company’s Chairman and CEO.

Mark Zuckerberg

Company: Facebook

School: Harvard

Net worth: $34 billion

Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard in his sophomore year to focus on running Facebook. The 30-year old has remained the company’s CEO/Chairman since its founding in 2004.

Facebook went public in 2012 and is now worth over $200 billion.

It had 1.32 billion monthly active users as of June 2014, and had over $7.8 billion in revenue last year.

Research has found that the average U.S. employee spends about a quarter of his or her time at work combing through the hundreds of emails each employee sends and receives each day. 

And yet, according to career coach Barbara Pachter, plenty of professionals still don't know how to use email appropriately.

Because people send and receive so many messages each day, many end up making embarrassing mistakes that could be detrimental in a professional interaction.

For example, you can easily miss a spelling error while typing out an email on your smartphone, or you may come off as too casual or unprofessional in tone or content.

Pachter outlines modern email etiquette rules in her book "The Essentials Of Business Etiquette." We pulled out the most important ones you need to know.

1. Include a clear, direct subject line.

Examples of a good subject line include "Meeting date changed,""Quick question about your presentation," or "Suggestions for the proposal."

"People often decide whether to open an email based on the subject line," Pachter says. "Choose one that lets readers know you are addressing their concerns or business issues."

2. Use a professional email address.

If you work for a company, you should use your company email address. But if you use a personal email account — whether you are self-employed or just like using it occasionally for work-related correspondences — you should be careful when choosing that address, Pachter says.

You should always have an email address that conveys your name so that the recipient knows exactly who is sending the email. Never use email addresses (perhaps remnants of your grade-school days) that are not appropriate for use in the workplace, such as "babygirl@..." or "beerlover@..."— no matter how much you love a cold brew.

3. Think twice before hitting "reply all."

No one wants to read emails from 20 people that have nothing to do with them. Ignoring the emails can be difficult, with many people getting notifications of new messages on their smartphones or distracting pop-up messages on their computer screens. Refrain from hitting "reply all" unless you really think everyone on the list needs to receive the email, Pachter says.

In May, we reported on the salary needed to buy a home in 12 major U.S. cities, based on first-quarter data analyzed by the mortgage website HSH.com.

The site has updated its data according to 2014 second-quarter numbers, which we have listed here (with the addition of Washington, D.C.).

Spoiler alert: It's only gotten more expensive.

The site looked at median home prices from the National Association of Realtors, along with interest rates for common 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages and property taxes and insurance costs, to figure out how much money it would take to pay a median-priced home's mortgage principal, taxes, and insurance — and how much you would have to earn to afford it.

HSH.com does caveat that of course, property taxes and insurance costs can skew the cost of an individual property. "Also, if other personal debts exceed 8% of a given monthly gross income," the site notes, "this will increase the salary needed to qualify." You can check out its website for the full methodology.

While HSH's full list includes 27 metro areas in the U.S., here we're presenting the data for 13 of the largest cities, ordered from lowest salary required to highest and rounded to the nearest $500. Note that they're calculating the salary needed to buy, which, if you're married or otherwise splitting the cost, may be your household income.

Can you afford to buy a median-priced home where you live?

Detroit

Population: 921,147

Median Home Price: $136,300

Monthly Mortgage Payment: $845

Salary Needed To Buy: $36,000

Phoenix

Population: 1,476,331

Median Home Price: $198,600

Monthly Mortgage Payment: $962

Salary Needed To Buy: $41,500

San Antonio

Population: 1,258,733

Median Home Price: $184,200

Monthly Mortgage Payment: $1,080

Salary Needed To Buy: $46,500

When Warren Buffett started his investing career, he would read 600, 750, or 1,000 pages a day.

Even now, he still spends about 80% of his day reading. 

"Look, my job is essentially just corralling more and more and more facts and information, and occasionally seeing whether that leads to some action," he once said in an interview. 

"We don't read other people's opinions,"he says. "We want to get the facts, and then think."

To help you get into the mind of the billionaire investor, we've rounded up his book recommendations over 20 years of interviews and shareholder letters. 

"The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham

When Buffett was 19 years old, he picked up a copy of legendary Wall Streeter Benjamin Graham's "Intelligent Investor." 

It was the one of the luckiest moments of his life, he said, because it gave him the intellectual framework for investing. 

"To invest successfully over a lifetime does not require a stratospheric IQ, unusual business insights, or inside information,"Buffett said."What's needed is a sound intellectual framework for making decisions and the ability to keep emotions from corroding that framework. This book precisely and clearly prescribes the proper framework. You must provide the emotional discipline."

Buy it here >>

"Security Analysis" by Benjamin Graham

Buffett said that"Security Analysis,"another groundbreaking work of Graham's, had given him "a road map for investing that I have now been following for 57 years."

The book's core insight: If your analysis is thorough enough, you can figure out the value of a company — and if the market knows the same. 

Buffett has said that Graham was the second-most influential figure in his life, after only his father. 

"Ben was this incredible teacher; I mean he was a natural,"he said. 

Buy it here >>

"Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits" by Philip Fisher

While investor Philip Fisher— who specialized in investing in innovative companies — didn't shape Buffett in quite the same way as Graham did, he still holds him in the highest regard. 

"I am an eager reader of whatever Phil has to say, and I recommend him to you,"Buffett said. 

In "Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits," Fisher emphasizes that fixating on financial statements isn't enough — you also need to evaluate a company's management.

Buy it here >>

Job interviews are stressful and difficult, even when employers are following the law.

But many seemingly innocuous and common interview questions, like "Do you have any kids?" can be illegal or put you at risk of being discriminated against.

While every state has different laws regarding job interviews — some specifically prohibit certain questions, while others merely prohibit discrimination based on their answers — it's important to be on your toes and know what employers can and can't do.

"Have you ever been convicted of a crime?"

A) Always illegal.

B) Could be illegal.

C) Never illegal.

B) Could be illegal (depends on the state).

Some states prohibit employers from asking about applicants' criminal history unless the crime is directly related to the job they are interviewing for.

"Are you married?"

A) Always illegal.

B) Could be illegal.

C) Never illegal.

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There is a new highest-paid player in the NFL this season.

With his new 7-year, $126.7 million contract, Jay Cutler of the Chicago Bears replaces Peyton Manning as the player with the highest base salary in the NFL. However, the largest salary cap hit (base salary plus bonuses and a prorated portion of any signing bonus) belongs to Ndamukong Suh of the Detroit Lions at $22.4 million.

Meanwhile, to no surprise, quarterbacks dominate this year's list with five of the top six and nine of the top 25.

#1 Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears — $17.5 Million

Position: Quarterback

2014 Cap Hit*: $18.5 million

Contract: 7 years, $126.7 million ($54.0 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $58.2 million

2014 Outlook: The Bears are a borderline playoff team and if they are going to be successful, Cutler needs to stay healthy (missed 11 games last 3 seasons) and he needs to do better than the 17 touchdowns he's averaged the last three years.

*Base salary plus bonuses plus signing bonus prorated over the life of the contract

Data via spotrac.com

#2 Eli Manning, New York Giants — $15.2 Million

Position: Quarterback

2014 Cap Hit: $20.4 million

Contract: 6 years, $97.5 million ($35.0 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $135.1 million

2014 Outlook: In 2013, Manning had his worst season since his rookie year, throwing a league leading 27 interceptions. His 5.4 adjusted yards per attempt (adjusted for interceptions) ranked 30th in the NFL among quarterbacks with at least eight starts. If he doesn't improve those numbers, it will be a long season for the Giants.

#3t Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos — $15.0 Million

Position: Quarterback

2014 Cap Hit: $17.5 million

Contract: 5 years, $96.0 million ($58.0 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $242.7 million

2014 Outlook: At 38, Manning may be better than ever and as long as he is on the field, the Broncos are a Super Bowl favorite.

There are at least 50 universities in the U.S. that charge over $60,000 a year to attend, an unfathomable amount for college. But what about high school?

For the fourth year in a row we've rounded up the 50 most expensive boarding schools in the U.S. Only one boarding school on our list exceeded $60,000, but the number of schools that come close to that amount continues to rise.

These elite schools come with impressive perks like iPads for every student, state-of-the-art athletic and academic facilities, and, sometimes, tickets into the Ivies.

To create this list, we looked at tuition, room and board, and mandatory fees, including one-time fees where applicable, to calculate the total cost for the 2014-15 school year. In instances where the school listed a variety of expected expenditures for books and other required materials, we used the average. (Special-needs schools and daytime-only schools were not taken into consideration for this list.)

50. Cushing Academy

Location: Ashburnham, Massachusetts

Total cost: $53,700

Enrollment: 400

Students have full access to the Cushing Institute for 21st Century Leadership, an initiative aimed at preparing students to become effective leaders in a digital and fast-changing world. The program organizes dialogues on virtues and forums on critical issues, while teaching students to use new technologies in the classroom.

Additional tuition refund insurance, billed at 4.7% of annual tuition, is required.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

49. Tabor Academy

Location: Marion, Massachusetts

Total cost: $53,775

Enrollment: 494

Every three years, students at "The School by the Sea" have the opportunity to spend their winter break in the Caribbean doing hands-on research in marine biology and conducting studies and research in Caribbean history and culture.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

48. The Williston Northampton School

Location: Easthampton, Massachusetts

Total cost: $53,800

Enrollment: 530

The Williston Northampton School is very generous with financial aid and scholarships, including merit-based scholarships for legacy applicants.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

It's hard to get by when you don't have a job and the price of goods is rising.

That maxim is behind the dramatically named "Misery Index," which adds together a country's unemployment and inflation rates. The higher the number, the more "miserable" your country is.

The index was created by economist Arthur Okun, and it was an extremely popular measurement during the Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan presidencies.

There have been some criticisms of the misery index. Extensive studies have shown that unemployment influences happiness (or rather, unhappiness) significantly more than inflation.

Still, few would argue that both unemployment and inflation are bad when they are very high.

Bloomberg's Alex Tanzi compiled a list of the "most miserable countries" in the world according to this index. We highlight the 21 countries that scored 10 or higher.

Some famously miserable countries are noticeably absent from this list. Bloomberg left them off because either the unemployment rate or inflation rate (or both) were absent or dated. But we thought we'd share them with you anyway.

21. Finland

Misery index score: 11.80%

CPI inflation: 0.3%

Unemployment: 11.5%

Exports account for over one-third of Finland's GDP in the past few years. Major export industries include technology for mobile phones, startups, gaming, cleantech, and biotechnology sectors. The rural population focuses on timber export. 

Finland's markets avoided the global financial crisis, but the continued EU recession hurt the economy in 2009 and from 2012 to 2013. Essentially, Finland must figure out how to grow its economy while the European export demand is weak.

Recently, Finland's economy grew in Q2, after contracting in Q1 2014 and Q4 2013.

Source: CIA Factbook, RTT News

20. Chile

Misery index score: 11.80%

CPI inflation: 0.3%

Unemployment: 11.5%

Chile's major industries include copper (which alone provides 19% of government revenue), lithium, foodstuffs, and fish processing. Chile's economy relies on foreign trade — exports of goods and services make up about 33% of Chile's GDP.

Chile is known for its strong financial institutions; it has the strongest sovereign bond rating in South America.

Recently, Chile's economy grew at its slowest pace since 2010. 

Source: CIA Factbook, Bloomberg

19. Brazil

Misery index score: 11.40%

CPI inflation: 6.5%

Unemployment: 4.9%

Brazil was one of the first emerging markets that began recovering after the global financial crisis. Large capital inflows in the past few years led to the appreciation of the currency. However, this has also hurt the domestic manufacturers; the government subsequently raised taxed on some capital inflows.

However, the economy is slowing down (the economy expanded by just 0.2% in Q1 2014, and Q2 is expected to be as low), which has led to the devaluation of the Real.

Major industries include textiles, shoes, chemicals, and cement. Agriculture makes up 5.5% of the GDP.

Source: CIA Factbook, WSJ, Bloomberg, BBC

McDonald's feeds more than 69 million customers in 119 countries every day, meaning the chain has a massive range of taste buds to please. 

The Big Mac chain has had to get pretty creative with its offerings, especially in foreign markets, which accounted for 68% of the company's $27.6 billion in revenue last year.

From Samurai burgers to seaweed-flavored fries and deep-fried bites of brie cheese, McDonald's has tried just about everything to cater to local tastes overseas. 

McDonald's Ebi Burger

Where: Japan, Singapore and other Asian markets

What it is: This sandwich features whole shrimp embedded in a crispy patty and topped with lettuce and spicy sauce. It's served on a Big Mac roll. In Japan, it's called the Ebi Filet-O.

McDonald's Shaka Shaka Chicken

Where: Singapore

What it is: Shaka Shaka Chicken consists of a deep fried chicken patty that's served in a paper sleeve with a packet of spices for pouring on top of it. 

McDonald's Crock Brie

Where: Italy

What it is: These deep-fried triangles of oozing brie cheese are only available in Italy.

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In 1993, AT&T released a series of commercials grouped by the theme "you will."

They were all about things people would be doing in the future.

Unlike most futuristic concepts, these turned out to be surprisingly accurate. True, there are no far-out ideas like flying cars, but there is plenty of great stuff that was mind-blowing in 1993.

Today, most of this stuff is commonplace.

We were reminded of these ads on Twitter by Conor Sen. Revisiting the ads, we saw yet another prediction that's about to come true thanks to smartwatches getting popular. 

This is a good reminder of how far we have come in a very short period of time.

"Have you ever borrowed a book from thousands of miles away?" asks AT&T ...

In 2007, the answer became yes. Amazon introduced the Kindle, allowing people to easily download books. Amazon has a Kindle lending library that lets users share certain books. You can also download books to rent from your local library.

"Cross the country without stopping for directions," says AT&T.

It's an old story: The star executive who gets caught waist-deep in a fraud scandal; the finance phenom who steals millions by skimming off the top. 

What causes these smart, successful people to get wrapped up in illegal activities and unethical behavior? Dr. Muel Kaptein of the Rotterdam School of Management tackled this question in a paper about why good people do bad things.

These major crimes usually escalate from smaller offenses or lapses in judgment that are rationalized by a slew of psychological reasons. 

We've collected 27 insights from Kaptein that explain a few of the various reasons why good people lie, cheat, and steal.

This is an update of a story originally reported by Max Nisen and Aimee Groth. 

Tunnel vision

Setting and achieving goals is important, but single-minded focus on them can blind people to ethical concerns. 

When Enron offered large bonuses to employees for bringing in sales, they became so focused on that goal that they forgot to make sure they were profitable or moral. We all know how that ended.

Source: Muel Kaptein 

The power of names

When bribery becomes "greasing the wheels" or accounting fraud becomes "financial engineering," unethical behavior may be seen in a more positive light.

The use of nicknames and euphemisms for questionable practices can free them of their moral connotations, making them seem more acceptable.

Source: Muel Kaptein

Social bond theory

In large organizations, employees can begin to feel more like numbers or cogs in a machine than individuals.

When people feel detached from the goals and leadership of their workplace, they are more likely to commit fraud, steal, or hurt the company via neglect.

Source: Muel Kaptein

Inventions have been boosting economic growth and productivity since the dawn of man.

Unsurprisingly, it is the inventor who is often the early tester of those inventions. And some of those inventions pose deadly risks.

With the help of Wikipedia, we've compiled a short list of brilliant engineers, scientists, and old-fashioned daredevils who fell victim to their own ideas.

1. The cofounder of the Stanley Motor Carriage Company crashed his automobile into a woodpile.

Francis Edgar Stanley and his twin brother, Freelan Oscar Stanley, invented the Stanley Steamer automobile in 1896. 

In 1906, they broke the world record for the fastest mile — 28.2 seconds. That means that their car went 127 mph, or 205 kph.

In 1918, the two brothers sold their Stanley Motor business. Later that year, Francis was driving his car when he veered sharply, hoping to avoid an obstacle. The car crashed into a woodpile, and his car overturned.

Source: The Stanley Museum

2. The first hot air balloonist died while crossing the English Channel.

The "extremely theatrical" Jean-Françoise Pilâtre de Rozier volunteered for the first human hot air balloon flight in 1783 (along with Marquis d'Arlandes) because "there was no way" he "was going to let this honor go to an artisan." The flight propelled him into international stardom.

Two other men later gained notoriety for being the first to cross the English Channel by hot air balloon. Their flight was not without significant problems — and they nearly drowned.

Pilâtre de Rozier was envious of their stardom (and that he was no longer the center of attention) and created the Rozière balloon to solve the problems faced by the other men. But something mysterious went wrong during his attempt at crossing the English Channel, and he died during the flight.

Source: Ultimate History

3. Scientists working in a secret New Mexico laboratory called "Omega Site" received lethal doses of radiation from the core of a plutonium bomb.

In 1946, eight scientists including Louis Slotin (who previously worked on the Manhattan project) and S. Allan Kline were working on an "action that would bring into close proximity the two halves of a beryllium-coated sphere and convert the plutonium to a critical state."

Slotin and the team had performed this experiment over 24 times by that point, but this specific time a screwdriver that was keeping the two halves from touching slipped, causing a lethal burst of radiation. Slotin died in nine days.

Source: New York Times