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WORK HARD, PLAY HARD: The 20 Most Intense Colleges In America

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university of michigan

College is about balance — yes, it's important to take your classes seriously, but it's equally as necessary to cut loose and have fun during your undergraduate years.

Business Insider has created a list of schools that best embody this dual principle — the "work hard, play hard" mentality that many students look for. We found that there was no typical "work hard, play hard" school, and everything from liberal arts colleges to Ivy League universities to large state schools are represented in the following ranking.

To compile this list, we used data from Niche, looking at its rankings of the best party schools and schools with the best academics, smartest students, best Greek life. Niche's college section — College Prowler — features close to one million in-depth student reviews on more than 8,000 schools.

We've included a few quotes from each school's Niche profile in our ranking to help illustrate what the student body is like.

No. 20 Washington University

St. Louis

"Amazing nightlife compared to peer institutions. Granted, we are no Arizona State but the students here know when to hit the books and when to party hard. There is a great hook up scene if you're into that."

"The academics at WashU are superb. The teachers add fun and an innovative approach to lessons which create an intellectual vibe here at WashU."

Visit Niche for more on Washington University in St. Louis.



No. 19 University of Southern California

Los Angeles

"You can find any type of person at one of USC's parties. As long as you are a Trojan, there is no discrimination. Everybody comes together to enjoy the night."

"USC is the best academically successful party school."

Visit Niche for more on the University of Southern California.



No. 18 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Urbana and Champaign, Illinois

"The social party scene is top notch and everyone always has a great time. Students are also responsible and know when enough is enough. The bars are always a great place to be to be social and most events occur there."

"The program is great and the advisers and professors are very knowledgeable. The workload is definitely not easy, but my motto is always "work hard and play hard." There are many diverse internship options for students."

Visit Niche for more on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.



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Check Out The Crazy, Neon 'Offices' Of This Silicon Valley Scavenger Hunt Startup

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Clash Joe

CLASH isn't your typical company, so it makes sense that its "office" spaces are quirky too. 

Founded by Joe Garvey in 2012, CLASH is a social scavenger hunt startup that has hosted events for major Silicon Valley tech companies like Google, Facebook, Salesforce, Lyft, Vox, Yelp, Pinterest, Fitbit, Cisco, Pandora, and Sony, among others.

Garvey describes the hunts — which typically involve drinking, neon facepaint, and goofy pictures — as "high octane."

Instead of your regular cubicle-filled office, CLASH has three locations, each one chock-full of neon colors and a touch of the wild side. 

The most recent addition to Garvey's CLASH empire is the Romper Room, a bar he opened in San Francisco's Union Square.



Because many of CLASH's scavenger hunts start with a drink or two, Garvey says the two businesses support each other perfectly.



There's plenty of room, because next to the bar area is a staircase that leads up to the...



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14 Pinterest Projects That Failed Hilariously

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Pintester

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

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

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

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

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

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

Foust started Pintester back in late 2011.



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



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



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18 Photos That Show Why New York City's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel Is A Legend

13 Books You Should Read Before They Become Movies This Year

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There are so many exciting new movies lined up for the end of 2014, but before you check them out, you should crack open the book version. 

We've compiled a list of all of the books being adapted into movies out this fall. Each cast is packed with Hollywood power players from Ben Affleck to Jennifer Lawrence, and many of the films are already generating Oscar buzz. 

You'll find thrillers, period pieces, dramadies, and even some true stories for your reading and viewing pleasure. 

"This Is Where I Leave You" by Jonathan Tropper

Release date: September 19

In this dramatic comedy, four grown siblings must sit Shiva for one week as per the request of their deceased father. While back together in their childhood home, the week loses control as the family encounters a slew of past and present characters, challenges, and well, life. 

The cast includes Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Adam Driver, Corey Stoll, Rose Byrne, Kathryn Hahn, and Connie Britton.

Buy the book



"A Walk Among The Tombstones" by Lawrence Block

Release Date: September 19

A ruthless drug leader recruits former NYPD detective and recovering alcoholic, Matt Scudder, to find the monsters behind the brutal kidnap and murder of his wife. Scudder works outside of the law investigating the grisly murders targeting NYC's worst drug criminals. 

This crime thriller stars: Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, Boyd Holbrook, David Harbour, and Sebastian Roché.

Buy the book



"Hector And The Search For Happiness" by Francois Lelord

Release Date: September 26

Tired of his routine boring life, a quirky psychiatrist, Hector, courageously sets out for a global adventure in hopes of uncovering the secret to true happiness. 

The dramedy stars: Simon Pegg, Rosamund Pike, Toni Collette, Christopher Plummer, and Stellan Skarsgård.

Buy the book



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GOLDMAN: These Are The 19 Most Overpriced Stocks In The Market

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landfill, trash, waste, seagulls

The S&P 500 and Dow Jones indexes have hit all-time highs in recent weeks.

According to Goldman Sachs' David Kostin, this five-year old bull market has further to run.

But even Kostin and his team believe some stocks are trading way above fair value.

In his new quarterly chartbook, Kostin lists 40 stocks that are the most overpriced in the market relative to Goldman Sachs analysts' price targets. 

Tech companies dominate this list.

What follows are the 19 stocks that Kostin says have at least a 15% downside relative to their recent prices.

19. Micron Technology

Ticker: MU

Price as of Sept. 30: $34.26

Downside to target: 15.4%

Comment: "Revenues for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 were $4.23 billion and were 6 percent higher compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2014 and 49 percent higher compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013,"Micron noted in its fourth-quarter earnings statement.

Source: Goldman Sachs



18. Clorox Co.

Ticker: CLX

Price as of Sept. 30: $96.04

Downside to target: 15.7%

Comment: In September, Clorox discontinued its operation in Venezuela after government restrictions made its business there unprofitable.

Source: Goldman Sachs



17. Campbell Soup

Ticker: CPB

Price as of Sept. 30: $42.73

Downside to target: 15.8%

Comment: Last month, the company launched a brand of ready-to-use soups called "Campbell's Soups for Easy Cooking", which it calls the "perfect secret weapon for today’s busy parents."

Source: Goldman Sachs



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11 Classic Movies That Were Originally Box-Office Bombs

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wizard of oz

How much money a movie makes at the box office isn't always an indicator of whether it will become a classic.

Some of Hollywood's greatest films were financial flops that took years before they were fully embraced by audiences.

From arguably the greatest film ever made, "Citizen Kane," to the cult hit "The Big Lebowski," these are the classic films that bombed at theaters.

"Donnie Darko" (2001)

"Donnie Darko" may have helped launch the career of Jake Gyllenhaal, but it was a huge flop when it came out in theaters.

The indie film, which cost an estimated $6 million to make, debuted to $110,494It didn't help that the film — which features a plane crash — opened not long after the Sept. 11 attacks. The movie wasn't released internationally for another year.

Theatrically, "Donnie Darko" went on to make $1.2 million. After its DVD release in 2002, it started playing as a midnight movie for over two years at New York's Pioneer Theater and became enough of a cult classic to release a "director's cut."



"Fight Club" (1999)

When "Fight Club" first hit theaters in 1999, it didn't just perform poorly — the film made just $37 million domestically— but also received mixed reviews.

Entertainment Weekly gave it a "D" calling it a "dumb and brutal shock show" while according to the film's commentary Rosie O'Donnell hated it so much that she went as far to ruin the film's twist ending on national television.

It wasn't until the DVD release that the film took off (it sold over 6 million copies) allowing a wider audience to catch the hidden details that made it a dark classic.



"Office Space" (1999)

1999's "Office Space" may have understood office life, but it failed to understand the box office.

After weak reviews and a poor marketing campaign, the film failed to reach an audience making only $10.8 million in theaters.

Director Mike Judge chalked it up to the movie being a tough sell.

"Office Space isn't like American Pie,"Judge told Entertainment Weekly. "It doesn't have the kind of jokes you put in a 15-second television spot of somebody getting hit on the head with a frying pan. It's sly. And let me tell you, sly is hard to sell."

The film eventually found its niche on DVD becoming a top rental, and was later ranked fifth by EW in its list of the greatest comedies of the last 25 years.



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GOLDMAN SACHS AND TEEN VOGUE: Here Are The 50 Brands That Young Women Love

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Converse

Goldman Sachs' equity research team and Teen Vogue's fashion experts teamed up to produce the definitive "Teen Vogue-Goldman Sachs Love List"— a list of the top 50 brands that "It Girls" love.

Join the conversation about this story »


MORGAN STANLEY: Here Are 42 Stocks That'll Thrive Even If The Economy Gets Worse

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Catbells_Northern_Ascent,_Lake_District_ _June_2009

Morgan Stanley has released a new report on secular growth stocks.

The 42 stocks are companies they believe will grow irrespective of fluctuations in the business cycle.

Tech companies like Facebook and Google dominate the list. There are also a lot of healthcare companies, which are benefiting from the aging population.

"We believe that the names selected for this report can grow strongly even if the global economy grows more slowly than our current GDP forecasts," the report states. "Indeed, growth stocks on the whole tend to be less impacted by cyclical forces, one of the reasons that, over time, they’re more likely to meet or beat estimates than their value counterparts."

Note: The EPS growth is the projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2013-2016, the PE estimates are based on 2014 Morgan Stanley research expectations, and the PEG ratio refers to the price-earnings to growth ratio which is an indicator of the stock's valuation. Growth stocks with lower PEGs are generally considered cheaper.

Albany Molecular Research, Inc.

Ticker: AMRI

EPS growth: 25%

PE 2014: 24.6

PEG ratio: 0.7

As a "provider of outsourced contracted manufacturing and discovery research services to the Biopharma industry," Albany Molecular research is "well positioned to benefit from secular trend of increased outsourcing," according to Morgan Stanley's Ricky Goldwasser.

Source: Morgan Stanley



Alexion Pharmaceuticals

Ticker: ALXN

EPS growth: 42%

PE 2014: 33.6

PEG ratio: 0.6

"Alexion’s key drug Soliris continues to expand into additional indications," according to Morgan Stanley's Matthew Harrison. "We look to indications for transplant support to drive additional growth over the next few years." 

Source: Morgan Stanley



American Tower Corp.

Ticker: ALXN

EPS growth: 14%

PE 2014: 43.9

PEG ratio: 1.0

The company will see "strong secular growth trends driven by the demand for mobile data in the US and emerging markets," according to Morgan Stanley's Simon Flannery.

Source: Morgan Stanley



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Everything We Know About 'The Walking Dead' Season 5

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Warning: There are spoilers ahead!

Season 5 of "The Walking Dead" premieres Sunday, Oct. 12 on AMC at 9 p.m. 

The last time we saw Rick, Carl, and the rest of the gang, they were reunited at the mysterious Terminus before getting trapped in a boxcar. 

A record 15.7 million people tuned in for the season 4 finale earlier this year. Expect Season 5 to set another record this weekend.

Not caught up with the show? Here's what you should know about the new season before its return.

There will be 16 episodes.

Once again, the series will be split in two halves. 

The first eight episodes will premiere Sunday, Oct. 12 with the final episode airing Nov. 30. After that, fans will have to wait through the winter for the series to return in 2015.  



The first six minutes of the season premiere are supposed to be excellent.

Don't tune in late to season 5.

At San Diego Comic-Con, Cinemablend was told by multiple people on the cast and crew the first six minutes of the season premiere will be "seriously intense."

Lead actor Andrew Lincoln said he was shocked that some of the stuff they filmed even made it to screen.

"All of us were just dumbstruck and said, ‘We’re not going to be able to show this. We’re not going to be able to show this.’” said Lincoln.



The zombies will look even grislier.

Special effects makeup artist Greg Nicotero is going to make the walkers look even more decayed this season. 

"Greg is introducing a new state of decay to the walkers,"showrunner Scott Gimple told CinemaBlend. "He does walkers without noses and it doesn’t look fake."



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15 People Who Are Living The Dream

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"Living the dream" can mean a lot of different things. To some, it's a life spent kicking back on a beach with an endless supply of Mai Tais. To others, it could be traveling all over the world, meeting new people, and experiencing a hundred different cultures. And to others, it is a dream job in which you get paid to do the things you love. 

Whatever your concept of "living the dream," we've come up with a list of people who are without a doubt living their dreams (and maybe yours, too). 

The 15 people on this list have often taken extraordinary risks and worked hard to build lives that let them do what they always dreamed of, whether that's shooting into space, playing video games all day, or living full-time in the wilderness.

Matthew Berry has made a career out of his fantasy sports obsession.

Matthew Berry was a Hollywood screenwriter for 10 years, writing for sitcoms like "Married With Children" and movies like "Crocodile Dundee In Los Angeles." For some, that's a dream come true. For him, it was awful.

"I was 35 years old and miserable and the only thing that made me happy was this dumb little fantasy sports website that I had started on the side," Berry told Lifehacker last year.

In 2005, Berry went after his passion: fantasy sports. Appearances on radio and TV for ESPN and the NBA landed him in a meeting with ESPN vice president John Kosner. Berry persuaded Kosner to let him turn his hobby into a full-time job.

Now, Berry is ESPN's top fantasy sports analyst, spending his days playing in every type of league imaginable. The dream job has led Berry to tell Sports Business Daily, "I like my salary. But I'd do it for free."



Scott Leonard runs his financial firm Navigoe from a boat in the Caribbean.

Scott Leonard, founder and CEO of the boutique financial advisory firm Navigoe, spent the past three years traveling the Caribbean and South Pacific in his 50-foot-long catamaran sailboat with his wife, Mandi, and three sons — all while continuing to manage his successful business. 

During the time he was away enjoying quality time and scenic views with his family, his business grew its customer base and revenue. That was thanks to Leonard's careful preparation and occasional flights back home from ports for face-to-face meetings.

But mostly, Leonard embraced his long-held passion for sailing, while exploring new island locales with his family and working just 20 hours a week with a flexible schedule.



Matt Block, Seth Davies, and Gus Voelzel live in a Mexican resort city and make a living playing online poker.

Matt Block, Seth Davies, and Gus Voelzel are just a few of the many 20- and 30-something Americans living in the Mexican resort city of Playa Del Carmen. The three have been living in the area for years, making a living by playing online poker.

The poker junkies play relentless tournaments and cash games on poker websites like Full Tilt Poker, hang out on the beach, and sample the often-wild nightlife in Playa Del Carmen and nearby Cancun.

Rent in Playa is roughly $700 a month for a place just five minutes from famous beach clubs. Each player can easily pay that rent by routinely making thousands of dollars in a few hours on the poker sites. With an endless supply of tourists to party with and plenty of money to spend, the poker expats are essentially on an endless spring break. 



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The 22 Most Successful Yale Alumni Of All Time

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Founded in 1701, Yale University continues to be one of the top universities not just in the U.S., but in the world.

And its reputation is only enriched by the famous and successful people who come out of this Ivy League institution. 

We've put together a list of the most successful Yale alumni ranging from Revolutionary War patriot Nathan Hale to Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o.

Former President Bill Clinton graduated from Yale Law in 1973 with his then-girlfriend Hillary Rodham Clinton. He's returned to his alma mater many times to address current students.

Source: The Yale Daily News



Hillary Rodham Clinton graduated Yale Law in 1973. Since then she's served as senator of New York and Secretary of State under the Obama administration. Like her husband, she's still connected to the university.

Source: Yale Law



After earning his B.A. from Yale in 2003, Ben Silbermann went on to co-found Pinterest, a company now worth $5 billion. Silbermann originally entered Yale thinking he would pursue a pre-med track.

Source: TIME, The Guardian,Wikipedia



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CITI: These 6 Huge Trends Are Completely Reshaping The World Economy

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brain electrodes technology wired

It's no secret that the world is rapidly changing.

"Twenty years ago, there were fewer than 3 million people with Internet access; now there are nearly 2.5 billion. Mice can grow human ears. Robots make cars. Guns can be manufactured with a 3-D printer," Citi's Andrew Pitt writes.

For investors, it's important to understand how all these changes are going to shake up the global order in the coming decades.

Pitt led a team of Citi Research analysts and Oxford University contributors teamed up to analyze the impact of six global mega-trends in a new 92-page report to clients.

"We live in a turbulent world. Knowledge will help you ride the winds and avoid the storm," Pitt writes in the report.

We present the key points here.

Trend 1: The world is getting more integrated.

The number of democracies has increased, and national borders have gotten more permeable.

Over the past 18 years, approximately 5,000 miles of land borders were opened, which has allowed 400 million citizens to live and work where they choose. Even non-democratic nations like China have increased global trade. 

And of course, there's also globalized media. More than 1.1 billion people use Facebook every month, and more than two-thirds of Hollywood's revenues come from international markets.

Source: Citi Research



Dropping tariff rates have led to increased integration and trade.

Tariff rates have greatly decreased from the 1980s, which has made it easier to export and import goods and services. Take India, for example. Its peak tariffs on industrial products were over 200% in the 1990s but were less than 10% in 2009. 

Reduced tariff rates have also helped domestic investments. Regional trade agreements are seeking broader goals of deeper economic and political cooperation and integration as well.

Source: Citi Research



Trend 2: The global population is getting older.

Several factors contribute to the aging population. First, fertility rates have declined, which has increased the proportion of older people. People now have better access to contraception, and women are pursuing education and employment opportunities as they become increasingly available.

Second, mortality has declined because healthcare has improved and global poverty has dropped.

Third, the Baby Boomers are growing old. The Baby Boomer generation was a "fertility spike," and now those numbers are translating to an "elderly spike."

Source: Citi Research



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The 12 Best News And Reading Apps In The World

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News Reading appWhether you're at home or on the go, it's always handy to have something to read.

We've already put together the definitive list of the best mobile apps out right now, but this collection focuses on the best news and reading apps around.

From e-books to Reddit to breaking news, these apps will help you stay on top of the stories everybody is talking about.

Never miss another of Reddit's famous AMA interviews with the Ask Me Anything app.

Everyone from Woody Harrelson, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and President Obama have participated in Reddit's popular AMA interviews, where commenters can submit questions for the chance for a direct answer. Since Reddit can appear cluttered and confusing for new users, Ask Me Anything organizes the interviews in an easy-to-peruse format, even alerting you to new AMAs and allowing you to explore past ones, too.

Price: Free (iOS, Android)



Tweetbot is a great alternative to Twitter.

Tweetbot is a fantastic way to customize your Twitter experience. With two extra tabs that can be tailored to your liking, it's simple and easy to stay on top of all incoming activity on Twitter. An extra bonus is the ability to mute people without unfollowing them. 

Price: $2.99 (iPad), $4.99 (iOS), $19.99 (Mac)



Paper by Facebook combines your Newsfeed and current events in an elegant way.

Paper by Facebook is a new way to ingest all of the stories you see on Facebook, whether they be from your friends or a newspaper. Paper features an incredible attention to detail, getting rid of the clutter of your Facebook Newsfeed and instead focusing on the pictures and words of each post. You can post directly to Facebook from within the app, or customize the topics you'll see with a nifty carousel that lets you mix culture, science, news, and whatever other topics are up your alley.

Price: Free (iOS)



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13 Fascinating Facts About The Majority Of Russians

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vladimir putin wavesEighty-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



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9 Books That Elon Musk Thinks Everyone Should Read

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Elon MuskWhen people ask Elon Musk how he learned to build rockets, he has a simple answer.

"I read books,"he reportedly likes to say

Musk — who was smart enough to get into a physics Ph.D. program at Stanford University and then drop out because it didn't seem that relevant to him — has always been hungry for the written word.

In its profile of the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, the New Yorker observed that he was picked on a lot during his South African childhood, and he would retreat into fantasy (J.R.R. Tolkien) and science fiction (Isaac Asimov) to cope. 

As we'll see in the following slides, books have always been important to Musk: inspiring him as a child, giving him heroes as a young adult, and helping him to learn rocket science while launching SpaceX. 

"The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Musk had a nickname when he was a shrimpy, smart-mouthed kid growing up in South Africa: Muskrat.

The New Yorker reports that "in his loneliness, he read a lot of fantasy and science fiction." 

Those books — notably "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien — shaped his vision for his future self. 

"The heroes of the books I read always felt a duty to save the world,"he told The New Yorker

Buy it here >>



"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams

Musk says he had an "existential crisis" when he was between the ages of 12 and 15, burrowing into Friedrich Nietzsche, Arthur Schopenhauer, and other moody philosophers to find the meaning of life. 

It didn't help.

Then he came upon "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," a comic interstellar romp by Douglas Adams. In the book a supercomputer finds the "answer" to a meaningful life is the number 42 — but the question was never figured out. 

This was instructive to a young Musk.

"If you can properly phrase the question, then the answer is the easy part,"Musk said in an interview. "So, to the degree that we can better understand the universe, then we can better know what questions to ask." 

Buy it here >>



"Benjamin Franklin: An American Life" by Walter Isaacson

Musk has said that Ben Franklin is one of his heroes.

In Franklin's biography, "you can see how [Franklin] was an entrepreneur,"Musk says in an interview with Foundation. "He was an entrepreneur. He started from nothing. He was just a runaway kid."

Something about that is similar to Musk's story — growing up in Pretoria, South Africa, going to school in Canada, transferring to the University of Pennsylvania, then using a Stanford University Ph.D. to land in Silicon Valley. 

Musk's review: "Franklin's pretty awesome," he says. 

Buy it here >>



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45 Gorgeous Vintage Photos Of Macau From Before It Became A Gambling Mecca

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demery macauMacau is the world's gambling Mecca — a place that exploded from nothing at the end of the 1990s, to averaging 19% growth for the last decade.

That is nothing short of wild success.

But now it seems the island's fortunes are turning. A corruption crackdown and a massive heist have slowed the flow of high-rollers onto the island.

Moreover, the Chinese economy is slowing across the board as the government sticks to its commitment to tighten monetary policy. All of this is making it harder for middle class gamblers to spend on games of Baccarat.

Wells Fargo analysts expect Macau to post a 20%-23% year over year decline in casino revenue for October. That's worse than the decline in revenue experienced during 2009, while the financial crisis was rocking the globe.

All of that said, Macau is still one of the world's most amazing growth stories. It is no small thing that what was once a sleepy Portuguese colony jas turned into the world's gambling center of sin.

In the summer of 1980, Leroy W. Demery, Jr., an expert in Asian transportation, visited the country (then still a Portuguese protectorate) and documented his journey. 

He posted his copyrighted photo collection to flickr, and with his kind permission we have reproduced the snapshots here.

Click here to see the photos >

Here is his introduction to the collection:

I traveled by overnight ferry from Hong Kong to Macao, spent the day (1980 July 16) in Macao, then returned to Hong Kong by overnight ferry.

"Overnight ferry" for a 60 km distance?

Yes, one boarded the vessel about 10 p.m. The fare included a bunk in an air-conditioned dormitory - "Spartan" but very comfortable. The vessel sailed after midnight and certainly arrived within 3-4 hours. Passengers were awakened at about 6 a.m., as I remember.

Yes, catamarans and jetfoils were much faster, but fares were higher, and the overnight ferry permitted one to save the cost of overnight accommodation.

Macao, in 1980, was quiet. Very quiet. It had a distinct "small town" atmosphere that contrasted sharply with the Central District of nearby Hong Kong. Much has changed since then. Remarkably, the land area has nearly doubled, from about 16 square km to nearly 29 square km. Many of the images in this set are certainly "vanished scenes."

I regret that do not have a 1980 street map of Macao, and so am not able to locate some of these images.

Anyway, read on to take the journey to Old Macau.

(Rob Wile contributed to an early version of this report)

Just to get you started, here's what Macau looks like today.



And here's what it looked like back in the day. This is Leal Senado, legislative seat during Portuguese rule, now home to the Institute of Civic and Municipal Affairs.



This section of the harbor is now reclaimed land, Demery says.



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These Images Show How Terrifying It Is On The Front Lines Of the Fight Against Ebola

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Americans are panicking as the first case of Ebola ever diagnosed on US soil was announced last week.

No one else has been diagnosed in the US, but in the heart of the outbreak in West Africa, tensions continue to mount as Ebola's death toll climbs.

As of Friday, Oct. 3, the virus had claimed nearly 3,500 lives, with thousands more infected, according to the World Health Organization. Health workers are soldiering on in the fight to quell the epidemic, especially in the most severely afflicted areas: Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.

We've put together a collection of photographs taken from the heart of the Ebola crisis. These images will give you a glimpse into the horror of the disease — and some of the healthcare workers, educators, and volunteers who are fighting to stop it.

As fear mounts and the Ebola death toll continues to climb, there have been reports of relatives leaving infected bodies in the streets. Here, a Liberian woman watches from a window as healthcare workers prepare to collect an abandoned body from a market in Monrovia.

Source: Reuters



Hospitals and Ebola treatment centers are full, and sick patients are often turned away at the door. Others are afraid to even go, worried the overflowing hospitals are worse than any alternative. That's another reason that bodies are sometimes found in public places like this, the victims having presumably collapsed in the street.



Citizens of the hardest-hit countries have been encouraged to contact authorities when someone dies from Ebola. Burial teams in protective suits, like this one, visit the homes of people suspected to have died of Ebola to collect the bodies.



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The Best New Buildings On The Planet

14 Of The Best Apps That Take Advantage Of iOS 8's New Notification Center Widgets

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iPhone 6

Apple's much-anticipated new operating system, iOS 8, was released to the public on Sept. 17. 

Among the changes is something called widgets in the Notification Center. Widgets give you information at a glance, right from the Notification Center screen. Some widgets even allow you to interact with the app, without having to actually go to the app and open it. 

To see which apps you own that already take advantage of Notification Center widgets, go to the "today" section of Notification Center and scroll down. Tap on "Edit," and you'll see a list of apps that you can see from the Notification Center. 

Widgets in Notification Center make it easier to interact with apps, without having to launch the app itself. 

Some apps that take advantage of widgets come preloaded on your phone, such as the Stocks app and the Reminders app. 

There are a bunch of apps that take advantage of widgets, and the list will just keep growing. 

Evernote

Note-taking app Evernote places a handy quick-launch bar in the Notification Center. From there, you can create text, take a picture, access your photos, create a reminder, or make a list — all without even opening the app. 



Dropbox

Dropbox lets you quickly glance and open your most important files, right from the Notification Center. You can also track newly added files, and see what changes were made recently, like new file names. Clicking on any of the files launches the app. 

The widget also separates the files with different tabs if you have both a personal and business account. 



Kindle

With Amazon's Kindle widget, you can quickly see a list of the books you're reading and how much progress you've made in each. By tapping on the book title, you go straight to the last page you read. 



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