Traditional office jobs may seem "safe" compared to more labor-intensive, blue-collar professions. But it turns out the long hours, stress of tight deadlines, and sedentary nature of office jobs, among other things, can be detrimental to your physical and mental well-being — and they can literally suck the life out of you.
Anything from the office printer to your computer keyboard can have serious effects on your body and health.
This is an update of an article written by Vivian Giang and Kim Bhasin.
Sitting all day can lead to illness and disease.
Research shows that when you sit eight-plus hours per day, as most office workers do, you face a higher risk of muscular skeletal disorders, obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, kidney disease, and more, even if you work out regularly.
Excessive sitting can also shave years off your life.
We know sitting for lengthy periods is terrible for your body. But aches and pains are the least of your problems: Sitting too much can lead to an early death.
A 2012 TIME article points out that sitting "can shorten life expectancy almost as much as smoking can, which highlights just how damaging inactivity can be, particularly for the heart."
Using a treadmill desk increases your chances of physically hurting yourself.
Some office workers are using treadmill desks as a way to avoid shaving years off their life — but while these machines may help reduce your risk of obesity and heart disease, using them may make you more prone to increased typos and can cause you to fall (and hurt yourself) more often than merely sitting in a chair.
The annual Forbes 400 list was released today, ranking the wealthiest Americans across industries.
The rich continue to get richer. The combined net worth of the richest 400 Americans was $2.29 trillion, a huge increase from last year's $270 billion.
But it turns out that many of the richest people in America made their fortunes through technology — we've rounded up the 10 richest here.
10. Charles Ergen is worth $16.9 billion.
Change from last year: +$4.4 billion
Age: 61
Charles Ergen is the founder and chairman of the DISH Network. His company had humble beginnings— in 1980, he, his wife, and a friend started selling satellite dishes out of the back of a truck.
Ergen is notorious for being a frugal leader and micromanager. Up until about 10 years ago, he insisted on signing every check that came out of Dish.
If you’ve ever traveled from Macau to Hong Kong to mainland China, you’ll notice that your passport gets stamped every time.
That's because Macau and Hong Kong are "Special Administrative Regions" with their own money, police force, schools, languages, and even government; for almost 20 years since rejoining China, Hong Kong has been able to elect its own leaders.
But Hong Kong and Macau are not independent countries. Hong Kong has been under Chinese rule since 1997, and protests have erupted on the island over Beijing's decision to select candidates for a coming Hong Kong election.
Check out the video below for the quick explainer on the differences between Macau, Hong Kong, and China.
No job is easy, but being the CEO of a company can be particularly stress-inducing.
The only way to combat that kind of stress is with a hobby that helps you unwind.
These eight CEOs all appear on our 2014 list of the Sexiest CEOs Alive! and they all have one thing in common (aside from running companies): They have some pretty unique interests outside the office.
Tony Hsieh has a knack for poker playing.
Hsieh's got his hands full running Zappos and revitalizing downtown Las Vegas, but he still makes time to unwind with a few hands of poker. Be forewarned: He's really, really good. He even played in the World Series of Poker "before it was famous."
But he gets more than just enjoyment out of it. "If I play poker at a tech conference, depending on who else is playing, it's a good way to get casual face time with someone and build a relationship,"he told Playboy magazine. "Even if I lose money, I'm still winning."
David Karp flies (and crashes) drones around his Brooklyn neighborhood.
Karp is more than $1 billion richer after the sale of his company Tumblr to Yahoo last year, so naturally he can afford to have expensive hobbies—like flying drones around Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where he lives, and his Manhattan office.
"These things [drones] are amazing. These things are not regulated. I keep destroying them. I’ve had five of them," he told New York magazine. "You get them from China, so they all come HK Post, which means that you have to wait for them for, like — you’re lucky if they come within two months. So I usually have a few on order at any given time."
Marissa Mayer bakes cupcakes.
While Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer was still an engineer at Google, she wanted to come up with the perfect cupcake recipe, and approached it the same way she approached launching new Google products: by creating a spreadsheet of ingredients and measurements. Then, in true Mayer fashion, she did this with frosting as well.
This rural Vermont hotel feels like a high-end summer camp for adults, with its sprawling grounds, glamorous yet rustic cabins, and endless activities, such as snowshoeing, hiking, canoeing, biking, fly fishing, and more. The resort has a laid-back vibe, yet is renowned for its excellent service and intimate feel.
The hotel ranked at No. 41 on Condé Nast Traveler's list.
The descendants of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, the family controls more than 50% of the Wal-Mart Corporation, according to Bloomberg, and combined are worth at least $160 billion based on Forbes' wealth estimates.
Four Walton family members are in the top 10 of the latest Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans. They have spent some of their money amassing huge collections of art, real estate, and expensive cars.
They also invest a portion of their fortune into charity, mainly through the Walton Family Foundation. But unlike some of today's millionaires who plan to donate most of their vast wealth to charity, the Waltons have used tax loopholes to keep getting richer.
The Audi TT has been around since the late 1990's and adds a peppy, insouciant character to the German automaker's otherwise rather sleek, Teutonically cool (some might say severe) lineup.
Two new versions are slated to appear at this week's Paris Motor Show. But don't expect anything crazy. That's would not be acceptable at Audi.
The new TT will moderately upgrade the familiar TT vibe, while the TTS is a little something for the enthusiasts: 306 hp and a 0-6o mph time of less than 5 seconds.
The cars aren't radically refreshed, but they are holding down the vee still vanna have fun category for a carmaker (owned by Volkswagen) whose vehicles are a triumph of design and engineering and minimalist luxury over more offbeat automotive ideas.
That said, the new TT and TTS continue a sculpted-from-a-block-of-steel impression that many Audis exude and that serves as a sort of unifying aesthetic for the brand.
Who loves these cars? Car designers love these cars.
As updates go, the TT and the TTS add a bit of aggression in the overall context of extremely dignified improvements.
Both rides will go on sale in Europe before coming to America in 2015. Pricing hasn't yet been revealed.
The TTS Roadster is a hot little number: 306 hp empowers a 0-60 sprint in under 5 seconds. Audi's all-wheel-drive keeps everything under control.
The TTS retains the refined yet muscular proportions that the Roadster has always been known for.
A car like this needs to look glued-to-the-ground and ready for action on winding roads. But nothing too crazy. Even though it's yellow. We are German, after all.
With the massive protests in Hong Kong raging for a second day, officials in Hong Kong have initiated a blackout of Instagram throughout the city.
That means that, along with images of demonstrators flooding the streets of downtown Hong Kong, the impressive and sometimes nausea-inducing shots from the city's "Outlaw Instagrammers" will go unseen, as well.
These daredevils, who defy both death and the law, climb to the top of Hong Kong's tallest buildings, of which there are quite a few, and snap amazing photos of themselves and their friends, posting the results on Instagram.
With Instagram blocked in Hong Kong, we thought we would compile a list in the meantime of the best "rooftoppers" (as they like to be called) from Hong Kong. We don't suggest you try these feats on your own, but feel free to live vicariously through these crazy shots.
Hong Kong is known as the "most vertical city" in the world, with more than 1,200 skyscrapers. There seems to be no better place for Instagrammers, like @daniel__lau, to do what they do best.
@Daniel__lau recently made headlines when he posted this video on Instragram of him and his friends taking selfies on the very top of Hong Kong's fifth-tallest skyscraper, known as "The Centre."
With all the interest surrounding Hong Kong in the past few days aspro-democracy protests continue to erupt, it's easy to forget how much change the city has seen in the past 50 years. Hong Kong has undergone major growth, moving from a small city to one filled with massive skyscrapers, making it one of the most densely populated areas in the world.
Photographer Nick DeWolf captured daily life in Hong Kong during a trip to Asia in 1972. His photos show just what it was like in a time when the Pearl of the Orient was still transitioning into what it is today.
DeWolf has shared his photos with us below. Check out what Hong Kong was like more than 40 years ago.
Here's what the harbor looked like then. Those fairly modest buildings have grown to more than 1,200 skyscrapers.
As it is now, the harbor was a busy place full of people.
Here's what it looked like along the coast and the waterfront.
Much development and change has happened since then.
Here is Hong Kong's Pok Fu Lam village, where the city's first dairy farm once sat.
This is Queen's Road Central, near where much of the protesting is occurring.
Hollywood Road, also in close proximity to the demonstrations, has no connection to the neighborhood in California.
Another street in the heart of the city, where much of the protesting is happening, is Morrison Street.
Neon signage was everywhere, much of which remains today.
City life was busy and bustling, even with 3 million less people living there, compared to current population figures.
In 1972, there was around 4.1 million people living in Hong Kong. Today, there's around 7.2 million.
Often chided as the "hipster" or "stroller central" outer borough, Brooklyn, New York, is home to a thriving and diverse small business scene.
We scoured its 71 square miles, as far north as Greenpoint and deep as Bay Ridge, to find the shops, restaurants, bars, and startups worth the trek from Manhattan.
What sets this collection apart from our regular Coolest Small Businesses lists is the number of companies run by native Brooklynites.
"Owning a business in Brooklyn, as a lot of my family members had in generations before me, means a lot in terms of being able to make something and sell it in a place I was born and raised,"saysBridget Firtle, owner of small-batch distillery The Noble Experiment NYC. "It's super rewarding."
For this list we focused on businesses that opened within the past five years or so. Know a cool business we missed? Let us know in the comments.
Why it's cool: Louis Coluccio, born and raised in the Brooklyn neighborhood where his grandfather started an Italian food importing business some 50 years ago, opened the upscale marketplace A.L.C. Italian Grocery in 2012 as a nod to traditional Italian salumerias.
The quick-service menu walks the line between old-school Italian and earthy-crunchy, serving both arancini — rice balls stuffed with fresh risotto, reggiano cheese, and parsley — and raw kale salad with beets.
What it is: A neighborhood ice cream shop with addicting flavors.
Why it's cool: Named as a nod to a Walt Whitman Poem, Ample Hills Creamery is a new Brooklyn institution that churns out, quite literally, the best ice cream in the borough. Popular flavors include salted crack caramel, ooey gooey butter cake, and the munchies — a pretzel-infused ice cream with bits of Ritz crackers, potato chips, and mini M&Ms.
Founders Brian Smith and Jackie Cuscuna recently published a book of their best stories and recipes.
What it is:A gift shop for the person who has everything.
Why it's cool: Annie's Blue Ribbon is the store with anything and everything for people who love anything and everything. Browse the shelves full of Ryan Gosling coloring books, rockabilly temporary tattoos, wine candles, maps of all the best burger joints in New York, and other assorted tchotchkes. The shop also sells a ton of Brooklyn-themed goods and products.
You may be the hardest-working, most motivated employee in your company — but if you're in a field that has terrible growth opportunities, raises and promotions may not be in the cards for you.
That's right: Moving up and making more has a lot to do with your skills and work ethic — but not everything.
"Some professions just haven't displayed the same level of growth as others in recent years," says AJ Smith, the managing editor of SmartAsset, a financial tools startup.
Knowing that, SmartAsset decided to identify the best jobs for pay and growth opportunities.
To compile its list, SmartAsset used data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics for more than 1,000 distinct jobs in 2012 and 2013 to find the current average salary, one-year percentage growth in the number of jobs available, and salary growth numbers for each profession.
Unsurprisingly, family and general practitioners land at No. 1.
These "general practice doctors" earn an average of $176,530 a year and saw a 9.8% job growth rate in the past year. These professionals also experienced 2.6% salary growth year-over-year, on average.
Rounding out the top three are psychiatrists and dentists.
"People may be most surprised by No. 4 on our list, which is reinforcing iron and rebar workers," says Smith. "But while the salary for this construction job is lower than all the other jobs on the list, the opportunity and salary growth are both huge — in the double digits."
Muchmore’s— a music venue, bar, and coffee house in Williamsburg — is challenging a New York law that prohibits its patrons from dancing, according a New York Post report.
The suit references NYC’s cabaret laws, which require all venues to have a license if they plan to host dancing by more than three people at a time.
The restrictions date back to Prohibition when police were targeting New York’s (booze-serving) dance halls, and speakeasies began to pop up all around the city.
But bar owner and real estate attorney Andrew Muchmore argues that the law has become arbitrary in the 21st century and infringes on his customers’ First and 14th Amendment rights (free speech and equal protection).
According to The Post, the suit claims that without the license, Muchmore has been forced to play “folk music, rock music, experimental electronic music, jazz and other forms of music that are not conducive to dancing” at his bar.
But he believes it’s the constitutional right of customers to get down. Muchmore argues in his suit that cabaret laws prevent him from playing a certain type of music that would encourage dancing.
So why doesn’t he just get the cabaret license? Muchmore claims that he would have to set up “elaborate digital security systems and to jump through a mass of bureaucratic hoops.”
The Post also notes that the licenses are usually only issued to larger nightclubs than tiny bar establishments.
Season 2 can often times be a make-or-break moment for a television series. Sure, you've been brought back after a good-enough first season, but what have you done for viewers lately?
This fall sees the return of Fox's “Sleepy Hollow,” ABC's “The Goldbergs,” and NBC's “Chicago PD.” Each series still has some proving to do before fans and critics alike fully embrace them. It's a tall order but it's possible, as proven by these 8 TV shows that took off in their sophomore seasons after experiencing a less than perfect first year run.
NBC's "Hannibal" had critical buzz but low ratings in its first season.
With a classic procedural set up in its first season, “Hannibal” came back ready to take fans deep into Will Graham and Dr. Lecter's relationship. Gone was the weak killer-of-the-week format. It was time to turn “Hannibal” into the drama it needed to be if it wanted to survive on television.
Season 1 was met with some critical buzz but ratings were less than stellar. After getting NBC's stamp of approval with a renewal, “Hannibal's” second season featured deeper story while still offering even more murder.
HBO's "Veep" didn't become as funny until the show's second season.
HBO's political satire became a hit right out of the gate, garnering mostly positive reviews from critics and an Emmy win for Julia Louis-Dreyfus. But many questioned if the first season of “Veep” struck only a single note.
“Meyer was simply too pathetic in that first season,” wrote Slate's David Weigel. VP Selina Meyer was always a bridesmaid, never a president. With the start of the second season though, the Armando Iannucci-helmed series saw Meyer winning for once as she scores major points while stumping for candidates in the midterm elections.
The insult comedy that fans came to love in Season 1 was still readily available in Season 2 but the one-liners went from blue to solid gold in the series’ sophomore season and made “Veep” an easy choice as one of the funniest shows on television.
Showtime's "Ray Donovan" became more realistic in the series’ sophomore season.
The Showtime series’ second season will come to a close Sunday, but “Ray Donovan” fans have already deemed the last 11 episodes as a major improvement from the show's freshman year.
Jon Voight is a powerhouse, giving a performance that will undoubtedly earn him his second Emmy nomination — and he might just win it next year.
“Donovan” also earned its highest ratings in Season 2 with the upcoming finale having the potential to boost that bench mark even higher. The grittiness of the family struggle following Boston's church sex abuse scandal remains in Season 2, but with the heightened realism that was often times lacking in Season 1.
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."
If you've been following the same people on Twitter for the last five years, you're probably missing out. An engaging Twitter feed should provide an intersection of interests from thought leaders across fields.
For that reason, we've gathered 22 intellectual heavyweights in areas like design, neuroscience, management, and economics. Start following them and get your ideas flowing.
If we missed anybody, tell us in the comments.
Aimee Groth, Kim Bhasin, and Danielle Schlanger contributed research to this story.
Scott Barry Kaufman, scientific director, The Imagination Institute, University of Pennsylvania
Eisenberg takes the sometimes stuffy world of design and makes it delightfully accessible.
Of special note is the Friday Link Pack, her weekly digest of the finest detail-oriented content around. Her feed is also one of the best places to track down tickets to CreativeMornings, her creativity-oriented monthly conference series.
Abumrad stands at the intersection of curiosity, science communication, and public radio.
He has 2 million follows on air and 245,000 on Twitter, and he's worth listening to. He'll give you quirky musings on science, technology, and the world around us.
The three best teams in the league all had byes, a bunch of upsets came in blowout fashion, and there were some strange performances from teams like the Patriots, Eagles, and Steelers.
As a result of all that weirdness, our power rankings are all over the place.
1. Seattle Seahawks (previously: 1st)
Record: 2-1
Week 4 result: Bye
One thing to know: Nothing, they had a bye! They play Washington in Week 5.
2. Denver Broncos (previously: 2nd)
Record: 2-1
Week 4 result: Bye
One thing to know: Nothing, they had a bye! They play Arizona in Week 5.
3. Cincinnati Bengals (previously: 3rd)
Record: 3-0
Week 4 result: Bye
One thing to know:Nothing, they had a bye! They play New England in Week 5.
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."
Richard Branson, one of the most exuberant and successful entrepreneurs of the last 50 years, stopped by our offices last week. As the conversation below suggests, one of his greatest strengths may be his ability to grasp all that's thrilling and inspiring to people, be they his customers, his employees or anyone he happens to meet. The following has been edited for clarity and length.
Henry Blodget: Most management gurus preach the virtue of focus. They'll say you have to focus on one thing, learn how to do it great, crush everybody else. How does Virgin succeed doing dozens of things in dozens of industries?
Richard Branson: It's interesting. When we started diversifying from student magazines to records, from records to airlines, there were big headlines saying, "Will Branson's balloon burst? He's stretching the brand too far."Fortunately, we ignored them. We built up what I would call a "Way of Life" brand, a brand that has overcome my frustrations in lots of different areas. I hated flying on other people's airlines, so I thought we could create an airline that we enjoyed flying on. I was frustrated by the way the banking system works, so let's create the friendly bank that I'd like to go to, and so on. And if we hadn't done that, 50 years later, we would not be in business today.Because our original business was the record business. The record business has imploded, record shops have disappeared. So by diversifying, we've I think had the last laugh.
HB: But each of these businesses is very hard, very competitive. Even if you have a macro idea for a great airline, how do you actually execute it while then also building a space tourism company, a cola company and the many other companies that you're doing?
RB: Let's take Virgin Atlantic as an example. I was trying to fly from Puerto Rico to the Virgin Islands, and I got bumped off an American Airlines flight. I was desperate to get there. I had a beautiful lady waiting. So I went out, I hired a plane, I was 28 years old. Came back with a blackboard, wrote on it: Virgin Airlines, 29 dollars, one way. And I filled it with all the people who'd been bumped. When I got there, somebody said, "Sharpen up the service a bit and you might be in the airline business."
I thought there was no point in going into the airline business unless we could be by far and away the best airline. We got one secondhand 747. We were competing with British Airways and about 18 other American carriers. And by creating something really special, we survived. In fact, every single one of the American carriers we were competing against disappeared, went bankrupt. And the reason for our survival was we just had magical stuff, we had magical service, and people enjoyed the experience with Virgin Atlantic.
HB: And how do you keep the focus over the years, while you turn your attention to other things?
RB: I learned very early on the art of delegation. The best bit of advice I think I can give to any manager of a company is find somebody better than yourself to do the day-to-day running. And then free yourself up to think about the bigger picture. By freeing myself up, I've been able to dream big and move Virgin forward into lots of different areas. And it's made for a fascinating life.
WATCH: Branson On Staying Focused
HB:Fascinating! So what would your advice be for us? We started Business Insider seven years ago. We were very nearby, three of us writing in the loading dock of another company. It's been very successful, 200 people now, but all these huge companies want to kill us. What's your best advice for us — and for me?
RB: (Laughs.) I'm not sure you need any advice. The feedback I get is that you're doing spectacularly well. When I arrived here, I saw five people and I thought, "God, how are they managing to achieve that with five people?" Then I came around the corner and there's 200 other people. You're offering a great service. People are tuning in. So continue to find great people, continue to do what you're doing. And do it better than your rivals. I know that's easier said than done, but you seem to be getting it bang on.
HB: You said that culture eats strategy for breakfast. In other words, it's much more important to have a great company culture than the perfect strategy. Why is that, first of all, and then second, how do you build a great culture?
RB: Don't take yourself too seriously. Realize that the people who are working with you, this is their life. You know, 80% of their time is spent at work. Make sure that they're proud of what they're doing, that they're enjoying what they're doing. I know it's difficult to take 200 people out for a drink in the evening, but you know ...
HB: We're bringing the drinks in!
RB: Well, then occasionally maybe take them down to the pub, if you have a local pub. Make sure there's time for partying, time for celebration. You've got a lot to celebrate about; share that celebration with your team. I'm sure you do, but you know, offer lots and lots of praise, bring out the best in people. Look for the best in people. People don't need to be told when they've done something wrong — they know it.
WATCH: Branson On Inspiring Teams
If you look for the best, they'll overcome their negative side and they don't want to let you down. But if people are jumping down people's throats all the time, in the end, they'll just shrivel up like a flower shrivels up that's not watered.
HB: How important is luck in building a great business?
RB: I think luck certainly plays a part in it, because there are lots of people out there who've worked enormously hard who haven't been successful. But you know the old saying, by working hard, by making the right moves, you can create your own luck, I think. But certainly luck plays a part. I've been lucky to have survived balloon trips, boating trips, you know, a lot of rather foolish things in my life, so I was definitely born under a lucky star.
HB: Your friend Elon Musk had an interesting thing to say recently. "I like Richard but," I think his exact quote was, "technology is not your whack." He makes technology; you use technology to create better experiences. What do you think about that?
WATCH: Branson On Elon Musk
RB: Well, I hope we're about to prove him wrong in that. I mean, I would not be able to change a sparking plug and I would not be able to fly a spaceship or build a rocket or whatever. But what I am good at doing is finding brilliant people and surrounding myself with brilliant people. And you know, before Christmas, we'll start to go into space. Earylish next year, I'll be going to space with my kid Sam. I would love to have my daughter, Holly, with me, but she's pregnant. And then we're going to start a whole new era of sending people to space.
We're building our own spaceships shaped as airplanes. That means that one day we'll be able to transport people across the earth in spaceships. We're going to be able to put thousands of small satellites into space. So at the moment Elon and I are in different areas, but there will come a time, I'm sure, where we'll overlap. He's done something extraordinary — I think our team has done something extraordinary, as well.
HB: And are you scared to do that? Especially with your son?
RB: Oh, look, I'm not going to take Sam to space until we're 100% sure that we've got it right. And that's why the program has taken three years longer than we'd hoped. But we believe we're there now. The rocket is performing beautifully. We have lots more test flights before we go. We'll actually put the spaceship into space before the end of this year, where there'll be a number of flights into space before I take him. But, I'm not going to put him up there or our customers up there until we really feel we've got it absolutely right.
HB: You mentioned the possibility of flying folks to different parts of the earth through space. Is that the ultimate goal here — it's not tourism, it's to build a trans-world transportation system?
RB: It's both. There are millions of people out there who would love to become astronauts, who'd love to go to space — they'd love to look back at this wonderful world from space. That will be the engine that will enable us then to develop spaceships to transport people around the world at tremendous speeds in an environmentally friendly way.
HB: Everyone looks at your life, my goodness, it's just one heroic success after another amazing accomplishment. Tell us about a time that you failed, and how did that make you feel?
WATCH: Branson On His Biggest Mistake
RB: (Laughs.) I think our most notable failure was thinking that we could knock Coca-Cola into the number two position. For about a year, we thought we were going to pull it off. We launched Virgin Cola. We were outselling Coke and Pepsi in the UK. We thought we'll bring it to America, we arrive with a Sherman tank. We went to Times Square. This was before 9/11. We'd rigged up the Coca-Cola sign in Times Square with what looked like explosives, lots of smoke and everything. And we fired the Sherman tank at it. Anyway, it was a good laugh. We rolled the tank over tons of coke cans; Coca-Cola was splashing everywhere. We were on a high. Anyway, Coke had bigger tanks. And our cola was not exceptionally better, and therefore we didn't have that edge to deal with their counterattack. And suddenly Virgin Cola was disappearing from all the shelves, as retailers became very rich from Coke coming in, lavishing them with deals and resources.
So, the moral of the story is, if you do something, make sure it's a hell of a lot better than your competitor, and when BA tried that trick with us, Virgin Atlantic survived. And it cost BA a lot of money. So, you know, quality in the end wins out, or should win out.
HB: So how did you feel when you realized Virgin Cola was dead, or was going to be?
RB: By then I had moved on to other projects. I think in life the key thing is just to fight really hard to make sure something survives. If it looks like you've done everything you can to avoid failure, just move forward, move on and learn from it. And that's what we did then.
HB: Do you have any moments of self-recrimination or doubts or suddenly, "I thought that I was invincible and now I've been laid low," or any moments where you have to pick yourself up, or is it just sort of "next thing"?
RB: No, honestly. People do not mind people who try things and fail. If you're a good entrepreneur, you're not going to succeed in every single thing you try. You've got to try to succeed at more things than fail, but the public doesn't mind people who go out and take on the big companies. And if they fail in one, then move on in another one, in the end, you don't lose their support and the brand doesn't get damaged. I supposed I'm quite good at — you know, we have so many things happening — moving on and being positive.
HB: You recently stopped eating beef because cattle raising is very tough on the planet. Yet, you run an airline, which is one of the roughest things, as I understand it, for the environment. How do you balance that, and what do you think individuals should do? Pretty much everything we do is bad. How should we each change; how should businesses change?
RB: Yes, I was criticized by an environmentalist last week for expanding my airline at the same time I'm trying to address climate issues. The truth is that even the most avid environmentalist flies in airplanes to get to conferences to talk about saving the world. What is important is that we can try to balance our books and more. We're working with a company called LanzaTech that's based in New Zealand, and they've come up with a way of turning the waste product that goes out the chimneys of steel plants and aluminum plants into jet aviation fuels.
So rubbish that would otherwise be up in the sky goes through a process and comes out as jet aviation fuel, and Virgin Atlantic will be the first customer of LanzaTech. We're working with other companies that are trying to create algae-based and isobutanol-based fuels for planes. That, to me, is the way to deal with this problem. Not to just have every plane grounded, because I don't think it's realistic.
HB: You seem to be very excited these days about little satellites. What's the promise there?
RB: An array of little satellites around the world can make sure that the two and a half billion people who don't have mobile phone access or Wi-Fi access or internet access will be able to get it.
An array of little satellites around the world can make sure that the two and a half billion people who don't have mobile phone access or Wi-Fi access or Internet access will be able to get it.
And Virgin Galactic is unique in dealing with that, because little satellites will start falling out of the sky in five years' time. So you've got 15,000 little satellites around the world, you're going to get a call on a Tuesday and say five of the satellites have fallen out. Normally you'd have to wait a year for a big rocket to go up and disperse those satellites back to that place. With Virgin Galactic, we can just take off with two hours' notice. Drop off those little satellites, send them into orbit, they'll go to their respective places and replace them. So, there's tremendous potential, I think, for Virgin Galactic to transform that sector.
HB: In addition to creating so many companies and non-profits, you have this amazing life of adventure. I think a lot of people who are running companies or in business feel like the answer is to work 18 hours a day, your competitor is trying to kill you, you need every minute that you can put into that. How do you do all this amazing stuff and still have time to fly across the Pacific, do all these other things that you do?
RB: By delegation. By knowing that if my balloon goes down tomorrow, I have a fantastic team of people who will keep Virgin on the road. I think the adventure side of me has helped give Virgin an adventurous brand feeling and put Virgin on the map on a global basis, which has really helped us be able to take Virgin into new areas.
It's been great fun as well, and some people would say very foolish, because there were certainly some risky minutes in those adventures. But I'm a great believer that saying yes is a lot more fun than saying no.
HB: In addition to being the global ambassador for your brand, what is the primary work that you do? You conceive the idea, hire the best people, and then you step back?
I'm 64. So I'll kite surf, I'll play tennis, I'll swim. If you're feeling really good and fit, I think you can get two or three extra hours a day of hard work in as well.
RB: Yes. I'll dive in when there's problems. I'll help put Virgin on the map on a global basis. I'll help conceive new areas for Virgin to move into. And work pretty hard on all those areas. And then there's the other side, which is important — you know, I'm 64 — that is to have fun, keep fit. So I'll kite surf, I'll play tennis, and I'll swim, I'll find enjoyable ways of keeping fit. And that doesn't just apply to 64-year-olds — that should apply to 18-year-olds, 20-year-olds.
It's really important to find an hour or two to a day to make sure that you keep healthy, keep fit. It's very easy just to forget that aspect. And if you're feeling really good and fit, I think you can get two or three extra hours a day of hard work in as well.
WATCH: The Full Business Insider Interview With Richard Branson
There are infinitely many numbers, and infinitely many ways to combine and manipulate those numbers.
Mathematicians often represent numbers in a line. Pick a point on the line, and this represents a number.
At the end of the day, though, almost all of the numbers that we use are based on a handful of extremely important numbers that sit at the foundation of all of math.
What follows are the eight numbers you actually need to build the number line, and to do just about anything quantitative.
Zero
In The Beginning, There Was Zero.
Zero represents the absence of things. Zero is also an essential element of our number system. We use zero as a placeholder when writing numbers with more than one digit — zero lets me know the difference between having 2 dollars and 20 dollars.
Zero as a number on its own is also extremely important in math. Zero is the "additive identity"— any time I add a number to zero, I get that number back: 3 + 0 = 3. This property of zero is a central aspect of arithmetic and algebra. Zero sits in the middle of the number line, separating the positive numbers from the negative numbers, and is thus the starting point for building our number system.
One
We Can't Get Very Far Just Having Zero, So We Turn To One.
As zero was the additive identity, one is the multiplicative identity — take any number and multiply it by one, and you get that number back. 5 x 1 is just 5.
Just using one, we can start to build up the number line. In particular, we can use one to get the natural numbers: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and so on. We keep adding one to itself to get these other numbers: 2 is 1 + 1, 3 is 1 + 2, 4 is 1 + 3, and we keep going, right on out to infinity.
The natural numbers are our most basic numbers. We use them to count things. We can also do arithmetic with the natural numbers: if I add or multiply together any two natural numbers, I get another natural number. I can also sometimes, but not always, subtract two natural numbers, or divide one natural number by another: 10 - 6 = 4, and 12 ÷ 4 = 3. Just using zero and one, and our basic arithmetic operations, we can already do a good amount of math just using the natural numbers.
Negative One
Natural Numbers Are Pretty Great, But They Are Also Quite Limited.
To start with, it is not always possible to subtract two naturals and get another natural. If all I have to work with are these counting numbers, I have no idea how to parse a statement like 3 - 8.
One of the wonderful things about math is that, when we are confronted with a limitation like this, we can just expand the system we are working with to remove the limitation. To allow for subtraction, we add -1 to our growing number line. -1 brings with it all the other negative whole numbers, since multiplying a positive number by -1 gives the negative version of that number: -3 is just -1 x 3. By bringing in negative numbers, we have solved our subtraction problem. 3 - 8 is just -5. Putting together the positive numbers, zero, and our new negative numbers, we get the integers, and we can always subtract two integers from each other and get an integer as the result. The integers provide the anchor points for the number line.
The negative numbers are useful in representing deficits — if I owe the bank $500, I can think of my bank balance as being -500. We also use negative numbers when we have some scaled quantity where values below zero are possible, such as temperature. In the frozen wasteland of my hometown of Buffalo, we would get a few winter days each year down in the -20° range.
With its massive scale and diverse range of responsibilities and functions, Ramstein Air Base, home to the US Air Force's Europe headquarters, is one of America's most important overseas military facilities.
But just outside of the air base's gates lies the small German collective municipality of Ramstein-Miesenbach, which was formed from the junction of the two eponymous towns. The town's population of 20,000 roughly equals the number of people who work on Ramstein Air Base daily.
Its proximity to such a large concentration of American and NATO military personnel means the town has a uniquely international feel to it — even though it manages to keep its own unique character.
Wandering through the residential districts of Ramstein, the town seems like a thoroughly German country village.
The houses are charming and well maintained, and the nearby air base is completely hidden from view.
Within the center of the town is a quaint shopping street with a variety of restaurants and a few pubs.
If you’ve ever traveled from Macau to Hong Kong to mainland China, you’ll notice that your passport gets stamped every time.
But Hong Kong and Macau are not independent countries. Hong Kong has been under Chinese rule since 1997, and 
We recently came out with our list of the 
Muchmore’s
According to The Post, the suit claims that without the license, Muchmore has been forced to play 
Richard Branson, one of the most exuberant and successful entrepreneurs of the last 50 years, stopped by our offices last week. As the conversation below suggests, one of his greatest strengths may be his ability to grasp all that's thrilling and inspiring to people, be they his customers, his employees or anyone he happens to meet. The following has been edited for clarity and length..png)
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