Andreessen Horowitz partner Benedict Evans is a mobile expert. He analyzes what mobile means for future tech businesses, giving out quick insights and figuring out what the next big thing will be.

Evans is excellent at crunching numbers and visually displaying what that data means in a meaningful way that makes sense.

This week, he gave a presentation at The Wall Street Journal's WSJD conference, in which he spoke about the power of mobile. Evans also gave the presentation at Andreessen Horowitz's a16z Tech Summit.

This post is sponsored by Spark Business℠ from Capital One^®.

Starting your own company is arguably one of the hardest — and most rewarding — things you can do, so it's no surprise that entrepreneurs have interesting and inspiring stories to share.

As part of our Fast Track Q&A series, we spoke with the owners of six small businesses, including a duo that started a wildly successful sandwich chain and a couple that opened the first post-Prohibition brewery in their hometown.

They all talked candidly about their strangest jobs, their greatest talents, and their tips for aspiring entrepreneurs. We've selected some of the best answers to highlight here. 

Find out more about Sponsored Content

SEE ALSO: Fast Track Q&A

Customers are bound to surprise you.

Company: Ledbury, a luxury men's clothier with headquarters in Richmond, Virginia

Founders: Paul Trible (left) and Paul Watson (right)

Question:"What's the strangest request you've ever gotten from a customer?"

Answer:"Every summer a handful of women come into the store and buy a dozen of our shirts to use as beach cover-ups. They buy these beautiful, Italian cloth, luxury men's dress shirts. Then they just use them as bikini cover-ups," says Trible.

Read their full Q&A.

Don't be afraid to fail.

Company: Jive Jerky, a homemade jerky retailer based in Moscow, Pennsylvania

Founder: Tim O'Grady

Question:"What advice would you give to an aspiring small-business owner?"

Answer:"You can spend your whole life trying to plan something out, thinking about the best way to go about it, before you realize the years have slipped by and you never did it. Just go out and start it. If it fails, it fails. But at least you went out and tried."

Read his full Q&A.

It helps to be versatile.

Company:Num Pang, a Cambodian-style sandwich chain in New York City

Founders: Ben Daitz (left) and Ratha Chaupoly (right)

Question:"What is your greatest talent, professional or otherwise?"

Answer:"You need to have many different strengths, every day. One day, you could be a plumber. The next day, you have to be an accountant. Then you have to be a chef," says Daitz.

Watch their full video Q&A.

A lot happened in October. 

Conflict raged in Ukraine, Iraq, and Syria. Government protests continued in Hong Kong. Ebola freaked everybody out. Atlantic City fell apart. Comic-Con had some really awesome costumes.

The world's news photographers captured it all.

Here are 25 of the most amazing photos from the past month.

October 5 was the second day of Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast day. Festivities start at the end of the Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca, pictured here.

Philosopher-activist Cornel West struggles with police during a protest in Ferguson, Missouri, on October 13.

A blindfolded man waits to be interrogated by Free Syrian Army in Aleppo on October 6. He was suspected of giving information to the Syrian government.

On Wednesday, the world's Hindus celebrated Chhath, a sacred festival praising the Sun God and giving thanks for sustained life on Earth. The event is especially massive in India, where 80.5% of the population believes in Hinduism.

Part of the celebration involves festival-goers visiting India's rivers, which are held as sacred to Hindus, to bathe and procure holy water. While this has been done for thousands of years, in recent times, visiting India's rivers, such as the large Yamuna (seen above), have become perilous.

With India's population growing at a rapid pace, along with other factors like with a lack of sewage treatment and education about waste, the country has some of the most polluted rivers and bodies of water in the world. Bathing and drinking the water is a serious risk.

The Yamuna River is considered one of the most polluted rivers in the world, especially near the population-dense city of New Delhi, which generates more than 500 million gallons of sewage per day.

It is this sewage and other industrial contaminates that create the foam on the river's surface. The river has been deemed "dead," meaning there is no longer enough oxygen in its waters to sustain fish.

Only recently have efforts begun to educate the populace about water pollution and sewage treatment. Enforcement of environmental laws have been weak as well.

It's Friday evening. You're out on a date. And you order a Manhattan.

Again.

A classic is always a great choice taste-wise, but variety is the spice of life. Sometimes you should venture out and go for a bolder, lesser-known option — if for no other reason than to impress your date with your cocktail savvy.

And there's a lot to discover here.

Business Insider collected a list of outstanding but relatively unknown drinks that every cocktail enthusiast should try at least once.

So what are you waiting for?

Clover Club

This drink predates Prohibition and was originally created at Philadelphia's Bellevue-Stratford, which at the time was a popular hang out "for literary, legal, financial, and business lights."

Ingredients:

• Gin
• Lemon juice
• Raspberry syrup
• 1 egg white
• Sugar

La Paloma

La Paloma is rich, refreshing, and more popular than the margarita in Mexico. Sold. 

Ingredients:

• Tequila
• Lime juice
• Pinch of salt
• Grapefruit soda

Penicillin

The Penicillin has been dubbed the "best 21st-century cocktail." It was created by Milk and Honey's Sam Ross.

Ingredients:

• Scotch whisky
• Fresh lemon juice
• Honey-ginger syrup
• Islay single malt Scotch

The US-led mission in Afghanistan is coming to an end this year, with allied forces withdrawing from the country's fractious Helmand Province earlier this week.

With coalition troops leaving Afghanistan to meet their withdrawal deadline this calendar year, there's no better time to watch Ben Anderson's 2013 documentary: "This Is What Winning Looks Like".

The British producer spent six years in the country, capturing a damning picture of both the Afghan National Army and the US-led coalition's efforts to train it.

Rampant corruption, illiteracy, technical incompetence, and a Taliban threat indistinguishable from provincial civilians are only a few of the problems stacked against the prospect of the Afghan state's meeting success by western standards. It's a reminder of the uncertainty that lies ahead for the country, and the failure of the US to fulfill many of its major goals.

The documentary takes its title from the words of American General John Allen in February 2013, on his last day as head of NATO forces in Afghanistan. Allen's words were meant to inspire. The documentary adopts them with dark irony.

At a patrol base, US soldiers discover that Afghan troops have been detaining four men in a makeshift prison of stacked sandbags. An interpreter translates their version of the facts ...

... but confronted about the illegal detention, an Afghan soldier puts his foot down, and the Americans see little choice but to back off in response. A US soldier later tells one of his comrades: "Just wait, I don't want to piss them off. It's their show." The whole episode is just one example of a lack of communication and differing standards between the Afghan and US militaries.

Americans spend an average of $2 billion on Halloween candy every year.

But not all Halloween candy is created equal. We thought back to our trick-or-treating days to determine which candy we were most excited to find in our plastic pumpkins.

Obviously, anything king-sized dominates. But without size as a factor, we considered the most satisfying treats.

The 15 best Halloween treats:

15. Junior Mints: These are highly underrated. The gooey and sugary mint interior and chocolate coating make Junior Mints a nice change of pace from the other candies in your bag.

14. Starbursts: The texture of these bright candies might be a little waxy, but there's literally a "burst" of flavor. So yummy.

13. M&Ms: No candy-coated chocolates can compare to M&Ms. They're the original, and are always a treat.

12. Pop Rocks: '80s and '90s kids know how cool these are. Pop Rocks crackle and pop in your mouth and taste like pure sugar — what's not to love?

11. Nestle Crunch: Milk chocolate and crunchy rice crispies make Nestle Crunch an old-school favorite that lives up to its name.

10. Pixy Stix: It was so fun to open these tart, sugar-filled sticks and pour them into your mouth while your parents looked on in horror. Sugar rush!

9. Airheads: Chewy and fruity, pulling apart Airheads and devouring them was a blast as a kid. And though all the flavors are excellent, everyone knows White Mystery is the best.

8. Nerds: Sweet, crunchy, and slightly sour, Nerds are shiny little nuggets that usually come in packs with two flavors. Not only is the packaging cool, but the flavors were always perfectly paired.

7. Milky Ways: Made of nougat, caramel, and chocolate, Milky Way bars are a sweet, chewy staple in any kid's Halloween sack. Also excellent frozen.

6. Kit Kats: It's so satisfying to snap apart Kit Kat bars. The four sections makes them easy to share, but you never did that. These were all for you.

5. Sour Patch Kids: Talk about flavorful — Sour Patch Kids start with a punch of sour, and then become sweet. Everyone has their favorite color, but we prefer the red and green ones.

4. Butterfingers: A sweet peanut butter-crunch center coated in chocolate. Almost a universal favorite, the only downside of Butterfingers is that the crunchy part can get stuck in your teeth.

3. Twix: The textural contrast between the cookie, caramel, and chocolate is impeccable. Plus, the cookie gives the caramel and chocolate a little added oomph.

2. Snickers: Crunchy, chewy, chocolatey, and sweet, Snickers bars pack a ton of flavor. Plus with roasted peanuts, nougat, caramel, and milk chocolate, they are heartier than your average candy bar.

1. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: The perfect ratio of chocolate to peanut butter, everyone loves Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. The sweet and salty flavor combo makes this one of America's favorite treats.

In fairness, we also decided to rank the 15 most disappointing Halloween "treats." Not only are they despised by kids everywhere, but they are also worth a few "tricks" in retaliation.

The 15 worst Halloween treats:

15. Butterscotch candies: These are those candies your grandmother always had lying around the house that you wanted to be delicious, but were actually just sickly-sweet hard candies. Devastating.

14. Candy Corn: Candy corn was originally known as "Chicken feed." Enough said.

13. Bazooka Bubblegum: Bazooka Bubblegum is great until you've chewed it for a full three minutes and suddenly it tastes like cement in your mouth rather than delicious bubble gum. Such a bummer.

12. Flavored Tootsie Rolls: Tootsie Rolls are okay, but flavored Tootsie Rolls are never what you want them to be. They're waxy and weird-tasting.

11. Necco Wafers: Texture aside, the flavors of these classic candies are truly bizarre — orange, lemon, and lime are all okay, but then there's also clove, chocolate, cinnamon, licorice, and wintergreen. What?!

10. Sixlets: Chalky-tasting chocolate covered in a candy shell. Not the worst things ever, but these are no M&Ms and are always highly disappointing.

9. Mary Jane Peanut Butter Kisses: These sticky peanut butter taffies are made with molasses and a bit of grainy peanut butter in the center. Everyone avoided these until all the name-brand candy was gone and then ate them out of desperation.

8. Good & Plenty: The oldest branded candy in the U.S., Good & Plenty is licorice in a hard candy shell that tastes like a crunchy, stale Twizzler. Plus, they look like pills.

7. Dots: Not only do these colorful treats barely have any flavor, but it's impossible to get them un-stuck from your teeth. In terms of gummy candy, Dots are at the bottom of the barrel.

6. Black Jelly Beans: There's always one lurking in a bag of ordinary and perfectly delicious Jelly Beans. But when it's a whole bag full of black Jelly Beans, it becomes unacceptable.

5. Circus Peanuts: These peanut-shaped marshmallow candies are dense, chewy, and taste like they went stale sometime in the 19th century. We can all do better.

4. Raisins: Fruit is not candy. It is fruit. And dried fruit in the form of raisins is even worse than fresh fruit.

3. Pencils: Seriously? Seriously?!

2. Toothbrush: There's always that one curmudgeonly dentist in the neighborhood who's handing out cheap toothbrushes. We get it! Candy is bad for your teeth! Now give us some.

1. A penny:"Penny candy" is no longer a thing. At least give trick-or-treaters a dollar so they can use it at the nearest vending machine. YOU MONSTER.

SEE ALSO: The Most Iconic Halloween Costumes Of The Last 20 Years

Join the conversation about this story »

As Halloween rolls around once again, Business Insider has put together a list of Top 10 Scary Cars — cars that strike fear into the hearts of drivers, onlookers, and society at large.

Be afraid! Be very afraid!

And here they are — enjoy!

10. The Lamborghini Veneno looks like an alien warship on the prowl for unsuspecting planets to colonize. Is it cool? Absolutely. But it's kind of terrifying, too.

9. The "Deathmobile" is one of the most memorable relics of the 1978 comedy classic, "Animal House." The car's angry fangs, skull-and-crossbones, and prominently mounted bust of Lenin summarize the type of mayhem unleashed at Faber College by the men of Delta Tau Chi.

8. The Maybach Exelero is dark and menacing. This car has only one rightful owner ...

Struggling to decide what to be for Halloween tonight?

These last-minute make-up ideas from Pinterest are all so bold that it won't really matter what you're wearing.

Pinterest says there have been 176 million pins dedicated to Halloween so far this year, and that about 78% of Pinners plan to spend between $10 and $49 for their costumes this year. The average person spends $77.52. 

We got a list of the most popular make-up looks on Pinterest — here are our favorites.

Sugar-skull make-up has been huge on Pinterest this year.

Cat make-up is easy — then just add ears!

Add some dots and lines and you're a comic book character.

Josh Sundquist is a bestselling author, motivational speaker, cancer survivor, Paralympic ski racer, and the undeniable champion of all Halloween costumes. 

Sundquist, who had his leg amputated as a child due to a rare form of bone cancer, has spent the past few years dressing in “amputee-themed” costumes that bring a humorous light to his disability. 

He has dressed up as the Gingerbread Man with a missing leg from Shrek, the classic leg lamp from the movie A Christmas Story, and last year he did a crutch handstand and became a flamingo. 

This year to celebrate the fact that he has joined the U.S. Amputee World Cup Team, he has dressed up as a foosball player. 

It took a lot of clever crafting to make the ingenious costume. The foosball player boot was made out of cardboard and duck tape; and Sundquist’s crutches were covered in bubble tape and a laminate covering and used as the bar. So he can use his crutches to walk around, but when he wants to transform into the football player, he simply has to put his hands behind his back. 

Sundquist is even able to do the signature foosball player spinning kick. 

Sundquist uses these Halloween costumes to celebrate what makes him unique. "I’ve always dealt with the social discomfort of my disability by having a sense of humor, but I used to be much more self-conscious," Sundquist said on his blog. 

"In high school I wore a prosthesis all the time and didn’t want anyone to find out I was missing a leg. But now I’m more comfortable with who I am and what I look like, and I guess with these Halloween costumes you could even say that I celebrate what makes me different."

Sundquist was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma and given a fifty percent chance to live when he was only nine. After a year spent in chemotherapy, his left leg had to be amputated. 

He was officially declared cured of the disease by the time he was 13, and went on to accomplish many things, including becoming an extraordinary athlete. Sundquist trained for six years and in 2006, he was chosen to represent the U.S. in the Paralympic Ski Team in Turnio, Italy.  

Sundquist now travels across the country to give motivation speeches to Fortune 500 companies and inner city public schools. He has a bestselling memoir called,Just Don’t Fall, and has a devoted YouTube following. 

He also has a really incredible sense of humor. For more information about Josh Sundquist check out his page here, and keep scrolling to see some of his past Halloween costumes.  

2013: Flamingo 

2012: The Leg Lamp from A Christmas Story

2010: The Gingerbread Man From Shrek

SEE ALSO: 13 Things You Never Knew About Halloween

DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider On Facebook!

Join the conversation about this story »

I never thought I'd go to a wild dance party on a boat at 6 a.m., but now that I have once, I can't wait to do it again.

I'm not into electronic music at all, but I was inspired by Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, who has said that his experiences going to raves shaped his view on the world and ultimately helped him build his company into a billion-dollar business.

Could I get the same "experiential epiphany" squishing into a room with a crowd of strangers to dance to music I don't even like?

Daybreaker, a monthly, early-morning dance party that attracts techies and startup employees from all over New York,  sounded like the perfect way to try to find out. 

Daybreaker was hosting a Halloween-themed extravaganza on a boat that started at 6 a.m. Business Insider colleague Melia Robinson and I decided to check it out and see what all the hype was about.

Waking up at 5 a.m. was a struggle, but we successfully dragged ourselves out of bed and started "rave-ifying" ourselves with the requisite gemstones and glitter.

It was still pitch-dark outside by the time Melia and I left at 5:30. Our taxi driver was incredulous when we told him what kind of event we were going to.

The boat started loading from New York City's west side at 6 am, and we realized we were in the right place when we started spotting some crazy costumes.

On a rather unassuming street in the otherwise nice town of Alton, Illinois, there lies a sinister estate that was once called the "most haunted place in the Midwest."

The McPike Mansion, a beautiful 16-room house sitting on 15 acres of overgrown land, has been vacant for more than 60 years, and maybe for good reason. Multiple ghastly figures, orbs, strange noises, and unexplained happenings have been documented over its almost 150 years of existence. Many believe that the ghost of former owners of the house and their servants still walk the grounds and inside the house's dilapidated halls.

Photographer Todd Morgan got access to the house recently and shares the photos with us here. You can see more of his work on his Facebook. 

So, if you're feeling brave enough, take a tour of the McPike Mansion and get into the Halloween spirit.

The McPike Mansion was built in 1869 for Henry Guest McPike, a business man and the one-time mayor of Alton. McPike was also a skilled horticulturist and during his time on the grounds, he perfected his own type of grape.

The house was built in the Italianate-Victorian style and has 16 rooms. When it was new, it had ornate molding, carved banisters, and boasted 11 marble fireplaces.

The McPike family lived in the house until 1936 and has sat vacant since the 1950's.

Check out the cemetery»

Join the conversation about this story »

At this time next week, the streets of New York City will be littered with thousands upon thousands of runners with one singular goal in mind: to cross the finish line.

What started as a Central Park race with just 55 finishers has now evolved into the largest and most famous marathon in the world.

Coming off a record year which saw 50,266 finishers, the TCS New York City Marathon expects to see around 60,000 entries this year.

Check out the famous runners here >>

Of those 60,000 runners, some names will stand out more than others, as the race has become a major platform for celebrity runners and the charities that they support.

While these names most definitely won’t be among the top finishers in the race, they’re sure to garner the most attention. Click through the slides to see 10 surprising celebrities that are running this year’s New York City Marathon.

More From Sneaker Report:

• The First 100 Shoes to Cross the NYC Marathon Finish Line
• The 20 Worst Celebrity Marathon Finish Times
• Kendall Jenner Sheds Some Blood, Sweat and Tears at the Gym
• 10 Athlete Endorsements That Will Surprise You
• 10 “Running” Shoes That Look Great (But You Should Never Run In)

Caroline Wozniacki

Claim to fame: Tennis player

Running for: New York Road Runners Team for Kids

Currently the thirteenth ranked women's tennis player in the world, Wozniacki is putting down her racket to try her hand in marathon running. Although this is Wozniacki's first race of any kind, we wouldn't doubt her, as she has been hard at work training ever since she first declared for the race this summer. To get a look at Wozniacki's dedicated training regimen, check out her Instagram profile, where she has been documenting the training process every step of the way.

Katrina Bowden

Claim to fame: Actress

Running for: Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

You might know Bowden from her role on "30 Rock," but it turns out she is quite the runner also. Bowden will be raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society which is the same charity supported by the Nike Womens Marathon Race Series.

Tiki Barber

Claim to fame: Former NFL running back and current radio host

Running for: PitCCH In Foundation

Some say Tiki Barber ended his football career way too early when he walked away from the New York Giants after the 2006 season. Now the former running back and current CBS Sports Radio host will get a chance to show that he still has it when he runs the New York City Marathon representing CC Sabathia's PitCCH In Foundation.

The United States may be a melting pot, but many ancestry groups still stick together.

Take German-Americans, the country's largest ancestry group with 49 million members. While they make up more than 30% of the population in the Midwest, they account for less than 10% of the population in the Deep South and California.

Irish-Americans are everywhere in the North East, but almost nowhere in the South West. Meanwhile, there are hardly any Mexican-Americans in New England.

Maps of the largest ancestry and racial groups in America based on the American Community Survey can be found in a book called "Ancestry & Ethnicity in America." With permission from Grey House Publishing, we're posting them here.

49,840,035 Germans live mostly in the Midwest.

From "Ancestry & Ethnicity in America" based on the American Community Survey (2006–2010 Five Year Estimate). Respondents could name more than one ancestry group or race.

35,751,251 Irish are strongest in the North East.

From "Ancestry & Ethnicity in America" based on the American Community Survey (2006–2010 Five Year Estimate). Respondents could name more than one ancestry group or race.

31,798,258 Mexicans are strongest west of the Mississippi.

From "Ancestry & Ethnicity in America" based on the American Community Survey (2006–2010 Five Year Estimate). Respondents could name more than one ancestry group or race.

Here they are: the most important charts in the world.

A lot has changed since the last time we published this collection back in July.

The economic situation in Europe has deteriorated, the unemployment rate in the US has fallen below 6%, and the Fed looks poised to conclude its quantitative easing program this week.

Volatility has returned to markets, with the S&P 500 recently declining more than 9% before sharply rebounding, while the bond market had one of its most volatile days in history as the US 10-year yield fell 37 basis points in just a few hours. 

And in the background of all of this is the declining price of oil, which on Monday fell below $80 a barrel for the first time in over two years, and a Russian economy that is looking at a dramatically depreciating ruble. 

We asked our favorite economists, analysts, bloggers, and hedge fund managers for the chart they're watching right now. What they responded with was a collection of charts reflecting the increasing market fears about deflation, the economic malaise in the eurozone, and the growing suspicion that maybe the Fed's QE program will be reinstated faster than many people currently expect.

And despite the uncertainty, many of our experts offered reasons why we should be optimistic.

So without any further ado, here is what some of the sharpest folks on Wall Street are focused on right now.

Dan Ivascyn, PIMCO

David Einhorn, Greenlight Capital

Josh Brown and Michael Batnick, Ritholtz Wealth Management

Holiday shopping starts this month, and if you want to buy someone a smartphone, there are a ton of great devices to choose from.

Here's our monthly list of the best smartphones you can buy.

We update this list approximately once a month. Our rankings are based on a variety of factors including design, software and hardware features, content selection, carrier availability, and price. We only consider phones that are available in the U.S. at the time of publication. We list approximate prices for what phones cost without a contract. Prices vary from carrier to carrier and retailer to retailer. You can see October's smartphone rankings here.

#15 BlackBerry Passport

BlackBerry's newest smartphone is the square-shaped BlackBerry Passport. It's fat and wide compared to all other smartphones, a design BlackBerry hopes will help it stand out. It also has a physical keyboard, a rare thing these days.

Unfortunately, early reviews for the Passport were pretty negative.

Price: $600 unlocked from BlackBerry

#14 Amazon Fire phone

Amazon's first smartphone, the Fire phone, generated a lot of hype before it launched in July. But just about every critic bashed it. It's an interesting device thanks to its screen's 3D effects, but it doesn't have the same vibrant app ecosystem as the iPhone or Android phones.

Click here for the Amazon Fire phone review >>

Price: Starts at $450, only on AT&T.

#13 Nokia Lumia 1520

The Lumia 1520 is the first Windows Phone phablet ever made. It has a huge 6-inch screen, which gives you extra room for more apps and Live Tiles on your home screen. If you like Windows Phones and want a giant screen, this is your best option.

Click here for the Nokia Lumia 1520 review>>

Price: Around $585, only on AT&T

Experienced managers know that there's not a single management style that works on every type of employee. An approach that motivates one may have the opposite effect on another.

That's why we turned to Paul Tieger, CEO of SpeedReading People and coauthor of "Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type," which has sold more than 1 million copies over five editions.

Tieger has spent 30 years advising companies and individuals on how to manage according to personality type to maximize team effectiveness.

Tieger uses a system that is based on the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types — which were themselves based on the work of pioneering psychotherapist Carl Jung — but is unaffiliated with the official Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test.

He's used his experience to develop a simple online tool called TeamWorks that identifies each personality type's strengths and weaknesses and offers insight into how to motivate, provide feedback, and retain employees of every type.

You can have your employees determine which personality type best characterizes them, and then develop a management style suited to their needs.

Tieger has collected the main points for each type to help you get started.

First, determine where your employees fit in to each of the four categories.

Text in graphic © 2014, SpeedReading People, LLC, all rights reserved.

Stay strictly logical with ESTJs.

Text in graphic © 2014, SpeedReading People, LLC, all rights reserved.

Reward ISTJs with more challenges.

Text in graphic © 2014, SpeedReading People, LLC, all rights reserved.

Even if you know nothing about astronomy, you've likely heard the name Hubble in reference to the Hubble Space Telescope.

This telescope, which uses a series of high-resolution cameras to observe the visible universe, has captured the hearts of the public with its stunning images and the hearts of the scientific community with its wealth of data collected over the last 24 years.

Many wonders of our universe, including the nature of dark matter, formation of stars, and atmospheric composition of exoplanets, have been observed either indirectly or directly by Hubble. Here is a series of beautiful Hubble images that also taught us something about the incredible, mysterious, and unique universe in which we live.

Eric Goldschein contributed to an earlier version of this post.

In 2006, Hubble set its sites on the mesmerizing Orion Nebula and discovered 16 planets nuzzled within its beautiful confines. Before the Kepler Spacecraft launched in 2009 and began searching the galaxy for exoplanets, the number of known planets outside of our solar system was limited. This Hubble discovery was a momentous find that strongly hinted at the prevalence of planets throughout our universe.

What you're seeing at the center of this Hubble image is a very important type of luminous star called a Cepheid variable. Before Hubble, astronomers had only a vague idea of the age of the universe. But by using the patterns by which these stars brighten and dim over short periods of time, astronomers obtained extremely accurate distances to these objects, which helped them pin down the 14-billion-year age of the universe.

We can't see dark matter, but we know it's there thanks to Hubble. The is a real Hubble image of a galaxy cluster with false coloring superimposed on top. The false blue indicates where most of the cluster's mass is located but also where few galaxies lie. This suggests that there is a large clump of dark matter at the center of the cluster.

Steve Jobs didn’t launch two of the most valuable companies in modern times by following the rules all the time.

Jobs faced many obstacles to get Apple, and later Pixar, off the ground. But Jobs had a unique way of crafting his own reality, a “distortion field” that could persuade people that his personal beliefs were actually facts, which is how he pushed his companies forward.

And he also used a blend of manipulative tactics to ensure his victories, particularly in boardroom meetings with some of the most powerful company executives in the world.

Many consider Jobs a genius, but there’s no reason we could all learn a thing or two from his tactics.

Here, we teach you how to get what you want — whether that’s in your career, or in your life in general — by using examples from Jobs’ life. Most of these stories were taken from Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs, which you can buy here.

Work hard, and others will respect you. Respect is a crucial first step to getting what you want.

By 1996, Apple had a serious issue: it was pinning its hopes on a new operating system that wasn’t ready and it wouldn’t even solve Apple’s needs. So the company looked for a partner to build a more stable operating system: in the end, it came down to two companies: one started by Jean-Louis Gassée called “Be,” and NeXT, Jobs’ computer company that was struggling at the time. 

When it came time for the two companies to pitch to Apple, Gassée acted too nonchalant, whereas Jobs didn’t hold back. Amelio described Steve’s sales pitch on the NeXT operating system as “dazzling. He praised the virtues and strengths as though he were describing a performance of Olivier as Macbeth.”

Even after Jobs eventually returned to Apple, he says he worked from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., since he was still also leading Pixar's operations. He suffered from kidney stones. But he insisted on motivating both companies by consistently showing up and pushing people to make the best products possible, and they respected him for it.

Pitch with passion. People can be influenced by strong displays of emotion.

Pitching was a key part of Jobs’ repertoire, and it should be part of yours, too. The process of selling — yourself, or a product — is the key to getting others to buy into your ideas.

In a pitch to the trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, Jobs wanted to show off everything iTunes could do — he was recruiting musicians at the time in hopes of corralling the record labels into going along with the iTunes plan. Marsalis said Jobs talked for two hours. “He was a man possessed,” he said. “After awhile, I started looking at him and not the computer, because I was so fascinated with his passion.”

He also pitched his marketing gurus with a similar passion, to “ensure that almost every ad they produced was infused with his emotion.” The resulting ads, like the "1984" ad and the iPod silhouette ads, helped Apple become much more than just a computer company.

Disarm people with seduction and flattery.

Whether they’re working for you, or you’re working for them, people continually seek approval for their actions — so they respond very well to affection. And if you keep giving it to them, they’ll eventually crave it from you. From Isaacson’s biography:

“Jobs could seduce and charm people at will, and he liked to do so. People such as (former Apple CEOs) Amelio and Sculley allowed themselves to believe that because Jobs was charming them, it meant that he liked and respected them. It was an impression that he sometimes fostered by dishing out insincere flattery to those hungry for it. But Jobs could be charming to people he hated just as easily as he could be insulting to people he liked.”