Coming off the heels of the world’s most famous dress, a post on 9Gag of a cat walking on a set of stairs is going viral.

Spotted on The Daily Mail, the 9Gag post asks readers if the cat is walking up or down the stairs. At the time of this post, almost 4,000 comments have been made arguing about the image.

“Down because generally the wood would be flat on the horizontal portion of the stairs and the stone is on the back/vertical portion of the stairs,” said one commenter. 

“It's clearly up, you just have to imagine the camera in a different angle,” said another.

The picture shows a cat with its paw out and tail up on a set of stairs. Depending on your perspective, you can either see the cat going down with the light coming from the ceiling, or up with the light coming from the downstairs floor.

Arguments for the cat going down include the pebbled texture of the stairs and what looks like a stair lip that would only be seen from an upward perspective (with the cat descending towards the viewer.)

The light would then be coming from the ceiling.

An argument for up, however, insists that the stairs could be mosaic tile with a wooden lip, and the bright patch in the upper center of the image is light from downstairs. Viewers would then be looking down at the top of the stairs with the cat coming towards them.

While many of the comments are hung up on the appearance of the stairs, there are some people who are wrapped up in the biology of the cat's posture, insisting that this is exactly how a cat would look if they were going either up or down the stairs, depending on the argument.

“The cat is going up, the tail is used to balance the body of the cat and in this case the tail is elevated upwards so that when the cat uses its rear legs to push up it pushes parallel to the line on which gravity is working on the tail to stabilize itself,” said one commenter. 

“Look at the cat’s tail — it’s facing upwards, or the opposite of the direction it’s moving in. If the cat were to go up the stairs, it’s tail would point downwards,” said another.

What do you think? Depending on whom you ask, it could be either. 

SEE ALSO: 18 more optical illusions that will make your head explode

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A college math and computer science professor at Biola University in California had the best April Fools' Day prank of 2015.

The resulting YouTube video, which is going viral on Reddit, shows a lecture that professor Matthew Weathers gave to his class with a projector. At the end of his lecture, he pulled up a YouTube video of one of his classes to show the students that they were also available online.

Unexpectedly, the video counterpart picks a fight with the real Weathers, and they begin to argue with each other.

And then things get really weird:

Weathers goes behind and "into" the screen, where the pair begin to exchange blows and throw icons, some of which even fly out into the real world.

Eventually, video Weathers wins and traps the real Weathers. The video Weathers deletes his competition and exits the screen at the end.

The students went crazy for it.

Weathers said he used Adobe Premier and After Effects to create the on-screen skit and spent a lot of time practicing to make sure everything was perfect — what we see in the video is exactly what happened in class.

"I practiced about 20 times to get the timing right," Weathers told Reddit. "But yes, I also had audio cues that helped a lot."

The video, which was filmed Tuesday because Weathers did not have class on April 1, has been viewed almost 2 million times on YouTube.

This is not Weathers' first April Fools'-inspired math class. Last year, he also went "inside the screen" to buy a book on Amazon, and back in 2010 he did a skit in which his shadow kept messing up his presentation.

His videos have been so popular that he even uploaded a tutorial on how to do it.

As for future pranks, Weathers told Reddit, "I haven't figured that out yet … we'll see what happens on April 1, 2016."

You can see more of Matthew Weathers' videos here.

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On Thursday, a picture of a cat walking on a set of stairs started to go viral. The original 9Gag post asked readers if the cat was walking up or down the stairs. 

The story has since exploded and no one online can agree if the cat is running up or down. Commenters in both camps keep citing architectural and biological reasons for their conclusion.

It’s getting ugly.

@businessinsider Well thank you Business Insider but WE can figure it out.. The cat is most certainly going UP the stairs. We're sure of it.

— Qwyvr (@Qwyvr) April 9, 2015

But it’s obvious that the cat is going down the stairs.

First, look at the architecture of the stairwell. The nose of the stair treads is overhanging the riser, which has a pebbled texture. 

This is what the textured rise and stair nose might look like in real life:

Plus, if you look closely, there’s even a slight shadow under the overhanging nose of the stair treads. These shadows would only be visible if the cat was going down the stairs towards the viewer who is looking upstairs. The light coming from the upstairs landing is causing the shadow of the tread to fall on the riser:

One Redditor suggested that what we're seeing are stair grips — not a stair nose — to keep people from slipping. But that would mean the stair grip would be ever-so-slightly raised (we know this because of the shadows), which would be extremely dangerous — people (and cats) would be tripping all the time.

Then there’s this comment from Business Insider reader fred-sof: “The cemented in brick/stone in the side walls are placed in and on top of the step landings, they are the light grey brick shape items in the side walls.”

What he means is that bricks or stones are typically placed on top of step treads to build up the wall surrounding the stairs. Here’s what that looks like in real life:Finally, numerous commenters on Reddit insist that this is simply what a cat looks like when it’s going down the stairs — tail up for balance, eyes focused on the ground, and taking the stairs step by step.

“When my cat goes up stairs, he kind of hops up them,” said Redditor ktphoenix. “Front paws first, then back ones, and on up. It's only when he's coming back down that he actually walks one paw at a time. That and the position of the ledge makes me pretty sure it's down.” 

Obviously people can see it both ways, but you're only correct if you say the cat is going downstairs.

SEE ALSO: No one on the internet can figure out whether this cat is going up or down these stairs

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For the past three years, art director Matilda Kahl has been wearing the same outfit to work every single day.

“I just wanted to save some time and energy,” she told Business Insider.

Kahl was tired of running late in the morning, reevaluating her outfits, and stressing about whether her clothes were appropriate for different events or meetings at her creative advertising agency.

For someone in the creative field who has to make a lot of decisions throughout the day, she longed for one less choice to make.

“During the weekdays, I have so many creative challenges at work to keep my mind stimulated that I don’t feel an urge to express myself creatively through what I wear,” she said. “I finally had enough.”

After one particularly memorable meeting in which she realized her male work colleagues never face as much sartorial stress as she did, Kahl decided it was time for her own work uniform —something that could look professional, fashionable, and classic when worn every day.

“I was looking for something that was simple yet wouldn’t feel too anonymous,” Kahl said. “After a few long days hunting for the right top, I fell in love with the white blouse for its diagonal line of buttons and the cuts in the sleeves. It felt personal but wasn’t too attention-drawing.”

Kahl bought 15 versions of the silk white top as well as six pairs of black pants so she wouldn’t continually have to do laundry. She also included a black leather bow around her neck to add flair to the ensemble.

The outfit was a success, with hardly any of her coworkers caring what Kahl was wearing. “I’m happy to say we don’t talk about it much, which was the whole idea behind the uniform,” she said. “To take focus away from the wardrobe and lay it on the work instead.”

In April of this year, Kahl wrote an article for Harper’s Bazaar about her decision to implement her work uniform for the past three years. Her story soon went wild online.

“The response has been overwhelming since Harper’s posted the article,” Kahl said. “I never thought the public would think it’s such big of a deal, but wearing a uniform as a woman is apparently more provocative than I could ever imagine.”

She also didn’t realize how big a change the outfit would have on her own life as well.

“Nowadays, I never have to rush through the process of putting together an outfit, so the whole experience has become a lot more enjoyable,” she told Business Insider. “It has really made me more appreciative of the clothes I own — they feel more special now when I don’t wear them every day.”

Kahl has other clothes aside from her black and white weekday wardrobe, and loves to wear her more creative outfits on the weekends and weeknights.

“I still wear all the colorful skirts and patterned sweaters that I own as often as I can,” she said. “I’m also very into dresses, as they are feminine and fit most occasions.”

As for whether she’ll keep doing it, Kahl isn’t sure, but sees no reason to stop yet.

“If I wake up one day and feel like start spending time on picking out an outfit every morning of the week, I’d have no problem with giving it up,” she said. “The uniform is here for me, I’m not here for the uniform.”

SEE ALSO: A new trend has tons of women cleaning out their closets until they're left with only 33 things

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10 to 20 years ago, it was common practice to leap on last-minute or standby fares that were dirt cheap.

The airlines were trying to get rid of unused inventory, and people were able to fly for very affordable prices.

But according to Scott Keyes, a reporter for Think Progress and author of “How To Fly For Free” and “How To Find Cheap Flights," this is no longer the case.

“That used to be true back when airlines would want to get rid of their last-minute inventory and just kind of take whatever they could get,” Keyes told Business Insider. “But the airlines wised up recently.”

What they realized, according to Keyes, was that the majority of travelers buying those last minute seats were businesspeople who needed to book flights to major meetings or conferences — events they’d be willing to shell out a lot of money not to miss.  

And because their companies were usually paying for the trip anyway, they were less sensitive to prices and a lot more likely to book pricey last-minute flights. 

“These men and women are the ones buying in the last couple days before the flight so the prices tend to go up actually a lot higher in the last few days before a flight rather than dropping off,” Keyes said. “So waiting until the last minute for a lower price is a strategy I would vehemently recommend against.”

If you’re one of those people that keeps hoping to find an affordable standby ticket to a destination, don’t hold your breath. 

Instead, Keyes recommends buying tickets about three months in advance.

“Wait until between three months to a month out because that’s when you tend to get the best prices for domestic flights," Keyes told us.

That’s for off-peak flights. If you’re hoping to fly to Europe, book a trip home during the holidays, or fly during a time period where a lot of other people will be booking (like for spring break), Keyes suggests looking at flights about six months out.

For more of Scot Keyes’s travel tips and advice, check out his ebooks e-books “How To Fly For Free” and “How To Find Cheap Flights.”

SEE ALSO: This guy has gamed the airline industry so he never has to pay for a flight again

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In 2010, Courtney Carver realized she simply had too many clothes.

“I remember thinking, ‘we have to do something about this closet,’” she told Business Insider. “I was decluttering my entire life and documenting it on my website Be More With Less, and my closet seemed to be a hotspot. It really started as a personal challenge — with all the clutter in the closet, I had no idea even what my style was.” 

But instead of selling or donating just a few items, Carver decided she would do a complete overhaul and only allow herself to keep 33 clothing items for an entire three-month season. 

That included shoes, outerwear, clothing, accessories, and jewelry.

“I did a rough count of 33 items — it would cover four pairs of shoes, and this many shirts, this many pants, etc.,” explained Carver. She kept her favorite pieces that were flattering and fit her best, and decided she would not allow herself to shop or buy new clothes for three months unless she switched an item out with something else: If she bought a new shirt, she’d have to get rid of another one.

She began to document the process on a new website she called Project 333— 33 items of clothing for three months. Carver called it her “capsule wardrobe.”

Since then, capsule wardrobes have spread across America and around the world. “There are people in almost every state in the US and in many, many other countries making capsule wardrobes,” Carver said. “It’s interesting to see that over-shopping is a problem for us here, but it’s also an international issue.” 

One capsule wardrobe convert is blogger Laura Blanton of The Lovely Laura Life who’s based in southwest Ohio. She was inspired to start a capsule wardrobe after coming across Project 333 as well as another popular capsule wardrobe blog called Un-Fancy by Caroline Joy Rector. 

“I liked the idea of minimizing my wardrobe, especially because I didn’t like my spending habits,” Blanton told Business Insider. “I had no idea how much I was spending on clothes, but I knew it was definitely too much and didn’t line up with priorities in my life.”

But Blanton’s capsule wardrobe hit a snag a month later.

“After I started, I found out I was pregnant,” Blanton told us. “So I was building these seasonal maternity capsules and it was like the three different phases of pregnancy."

Though it was intimidating, Blanton stuck with her capsule wardrobe through all phases of her pregnancy. She is even planning to expand the idea to a yearly capsule wardrobe of 75 pieces (or less) because of the unpredictability of Midwest seasons. “I’m still in the building phase and I have a master list of what I want to attain to keep me focused,” she said.

The capsule wardrobe movement can be tied to a growing minimalistic trend in the fashion community.

Take for instance Marie Kondo and her wildly popular book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.” A celebrity in Japan, Kondo’s entire premise is similar to the capsule wardrobe, but on a macro scale — only surround yourself by the things that bring you joy or make you the happiest, whether that’s your clothing or household mementos.

Carver even wrote a blog post on Project 333 about "Kondo-ing" her capsule wardrobe.

Then there’s Matilda Kahl, a 27-year-old art director in New York, who has gone viral after sharing her story about wearing the same outfit to work for three years. 

“I have realized how much more efficient, productive, and happy I can be when I don’t let myself get distracted by the small things in life,” Kahl told Business Insider. “The uniform has become a great everyday reminder that I (and only I) decide what is important.”

She said wearing the same outfit keeps her from having creative fatigue when she’s working during the week — something Carver agreed with strongly.

“It’s becoming more and more mainstream,” Carver said of minimalistic wardrobes. “All creatives like to express themselves through what they wear, but they’re finding they are better able to focus their creative energies when they’re not thinking about how to create the perfect look.”

Ultimately, making a capsule wardrobe is about finding clarity in your style and life in general. Both Blanton and Carver said that it has helped them stop impulse shopping and uncovered their own personal sense of fashion.

“I don’t have to give a lot of attention to what I’m going to wear,” Carver said. “I’m saving time and money, and I find that with dressing with less, I get to wear my favorite things every day.”

If you’re just getting started building a capsule wardrobe, here’s some of their best advice:

1. Start by getting rid of everything you don’t love

“I think we all need to figure out what works best for us,” Carver said. “Get rid of the excess and start with the bare bones.”

Put the clothes that don’t fit you, you haven't worn in a while, or that you know you don't love into a separate box and store them away for the first three months of your capsule wardrobe.

When you pull them out later on, chances are you’ll realize that they don’t fit your style or body type, and you’ll wonder why you were holding onto them in the first place.

2. Create a master list of things you need

Look at what’s left in your closet after you purge, and then make a list of everything you need to buy, finding inspiration on Pinterest or blogs. Try and think about dual-purpose clothing items that you can layer in the fall and winter or wear alone in the summer. 

“Some seasons I’ll have less than 33 items,” Carver told us. “Especially in the summer when I don’t need to count extra outerwear like hat, gloves, and things like that.”

3. Try to do all your shopping at once

Once you have your master list, do all of your shopping at once to fill the gaps and missing pieces — this will negate the need to impulse shop because you’ll know you’re simply not allowed to buy something new for the next three months.

If this doesn’t seem doable or you love thrifting, Blanton suggested giving yourself a one-week rule. “I force myself to at least wait one week before I think about it again,” she said. “If you avoid it long enough, there’s not such a strong desire and you can be more logical." 

4. Be lenient with yourself 

Some people like to follow rules for their capsule wardrobe like Carver to prove to themselves they can do it. Others like Blanton prefer to not be so strict with her wardrobe.

“All three of my capsules were different numbers,” she said. “I started out with 50 because I differentiated between my work wardrobe and my everyday wardrobe. But after I did that first wardrobe I realized it was way more than it needed to be so I downsized to around 35.”

Ultimately, the goal of a capsule wardrobe is not to follow a set of arbitrary rules, but to be more intentional with your life. 

5. Jump right in — the hardest part is the fear of starting

“The biggest struggle was before I started and it was the fear of not having enough,” Carver said. “But all of these imaginary things I worried about like running out of clothes or people at work noticing, none of them happened.”

The hardest part is always getting started. If you want to build a capsule wardrobe, just do it.

SEE ALSO: A simple method for making sure your clothes match

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For the billionaire buying a guard dog, why go with a standard pup when you can get one that's trained in three different languages?

It only costs $230,000.

CNBC visited the Harrison K-9 facility, a South Carolina-based dog training company that only sells the most highly trained and intelligent German Shepherds to executives and celebrities.

Harrison K-9 has been in business since the 1970s when founder Harrison Prather began training dogs for law enforcement and the US government. Not long after, he learned there was a market for the über wealthy to have not only a guard dog, but a companion as well.

He started an intense training course that taught the dogs to not only attack aggressors and protect their owners, but also be good with children and other animals. The goal was to create sweet and loving companion dogs that could — if the situation arose — snap into action.

The elite dogs are imported from Germany and taught multiple commands such as “come, heel, sit, down, or stay” in both English and German as well as through special hand signals. They are trained in a variety of places such as office buildings, city streets, parks, vehicles, and even yachts so they won’t become distracted or disoriented in a new environment.

The 25-acre Harrison K-9 training facility has obstacle courses where they teach the dogs to do perimeter searches for the home, bite and hold onto aggressors, and complete agility courses. 

To get one of these sweet pups, prices start at $35,000 and average between $40,000 and $50,000. CNBC points out that some of the more top-of-the-line dogs run over $80,000. They are sold when they’re around two-years-old to make sure they’re mature enough for the field and highly trained. 

The most expensive dog Harrison K-9 ever sold was a dog named Julia for $230,000 to a businessman in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Julia was so smart that the head trainer told The New York Times she was almost like a person. “If my daughter Kailee was outside in the woods, I’d say, ‘Julia, where’s Kailee?’, and she’d go out and find her,” she told The Times.

One thing's for sure — they're loyal. Plus, the company says on its website that having a dog will intimidate criminals far more than security systems and human guards would thanks to its sharp teeth and lack of hesitation to attack.

You can see the current guard dogs that Harrison K-9 is training here. In addition to being extremely expensive, they're also adorable.

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When life gives you lemons, it’s time to read this list.

We researched all of the miraculous things you can do with lemons, from the juice to the peel. Uses include making you healthier, more beautiful, cleaner, and a better cook (obviously), plus so much more.

Here are 66 things you can do with a lemon:

DEODORIZING

Clean the garbage disposal: Freeze lemon slices in plastic ice cube trays with vinegar. Once frozen, you can place a few cubes down the disposal, turn on the water, and run it for 30 seconds to clean and deodorize.

Freshen your fridge: Soak a cotton ball or sponge in lemon juice and leave it in the fridge for a few hours — your fridge will smell so much better, and it works even better than baking soda.

Make a DIY room freshener: Throw lemon peels, cloves, and cinnamon sticks into a pot of simmering water. It will make your whole house smell amazing, get rid of odors, and humidify the air, too.

Deodorize the humidifier: Pour in lemon juice with the humidifier water. Turn it on and let it run — the lemon juice will naturally deodorize the machine plus make the room smell fantastic.

Make your breath smell better: Drinking lemon water and combat the bacteria in your mouth. Just make sure to rinse with water afterwards since lemon juice can erode your teeth.

Deodorize trash cans: Throw a few peels into the trash can to keep everything smelling as fresh as possible.

Make the fireplace smell amazing: Use dried citrus peels like lemon and orange as kindling — to prepare, let them sit out on the counter for a few days so they can fully dry. They’ll act as a flame starter and will make the fire extremely aromatic.

Remove odors from hands: Whether it’s garlic or fish, cooking can make your hands smell horrible. Wash them with lemon juice and some soap to eliminate unwanted odors.

Neutralize cat-box smells: Make your home smell better by neutralizing the acidic smell of your cat box with a few lemon slices placed nearby in a bowl. It will have the same effect as store-bought air fresheners.

CLEANING  

Polish furniture: Make a homemade furniture polish that will smell better and cost less than typical polishes out of lemon oil, squeezed lemon juice, and olive or jojoba oil. Combine the ingredients and buff with a cloth.

Remove food build up from a microwave: Place a bowl of water, lemon juice, and slices of lemon into the microwave. Heat on high for three minutes and remove the bowl. Any leftover food that used to be caked on will wipe right off and your microwave will smell amazingly clean.

Clean windows: Because it's acidic, lemon juice is great at cutting through grease or grime build up on windows and glass. You can also mix it with cornstarch, vinegar, and water for an even better window cleaning treatment.

Remove hard water stains from faucets: Hard water can make your tub dingy and leave you with unsightly stains on faucets and shower heads. Remove build up by taking a cut lemon and rubbing it on your shower fixtures — they’ll look shiny and new when you’re done.

Clean cutting boards: Freshen your dirty, greasy cutting boards with a handful of coarse salt and a cut lemon. Sprinkle salt on the cutting board and then rub it in with the cut side of a lemon. Wipe off the salt or rinse the board in the sink — easy. You can do the same thing with rolling pins and wooden salad bowls.

Revive your old coffee maker: Run your coffee maker through a full water-only cycle. Then, mix a solution of lemon juice and water together and pour it into your coffee maker water tank. Allow it to sit before turning it on and letting it run through the cycle. Make a fresh solution and repeat the process. Run another water cycle and soak the carafe, filter, and coffee reservoir in dish soap and water to remove any lemon taste.

Clean marble: To remove rust stains from marble, sprinkle baking soda on the stain and add some lemon juice. Scrub and add more lemon juice and baking soda as needed. Wipe immediately with a clean, wet rag. 

Polish brass and copper: Combine equal parts lemon juice and vinegar and then wipe the mixture on the metal with a paper towel. Polish with a soft cloth until dry. You can also combine lemon juice and baking soda to make a paste and have a similar effect to remove tarnish.

Polish silverware: Mix a tablespoon of lemon juice with 1 1/2 cups of water and 1/2 cup instant dry milk. Let the silverware sit overnight and then rinse and dry. If you’re in a hurry, simply pour some lemon juice on tarnished pieces of silverware and buff with a clean cloth.

Make your dish soap more effective: Add a teaspoon of lemon juice to dish soap to cut through grease on dishes and make your soap even more effective.

Bleach plastic Tupperware: If your Tupperware is soaking up colors from your favorite spaghetti or tomato soup, rub with some lemon juice and let it dry in the sun to bleach away the stains. 

Clean the toilet: Pouring in 1/2 cup of lemon juice and letting it sit will make toilet stains easy to tackle with a brush (and make the bathroom smell citrusy). You can also add 1/2 cup of borax for extra stain fighting powers.

Unclog a drain: Pour boiling water down the drain and then half a box of baking soda followed by 8-12 ounces of lemon juice. The lemon juice will react with the baking soda causing it to turn into a foam. Then pour more boiling water down the drain to rinse away the foam and the clog.

Remove water stains on shower doors: Cut a lemon in half and dip one half into baking soda. Rub onto the glass and then rinse and dry. 

Create an all-purpose cleaner: Combining water, baking soda, vinegar, lemon, and lemon essential oil will create an amazing all-purpose cleaner for the kitchen or the bathroom. Get directions here.

Clean cheese graters: Instead of ruining your sponge, clean your cheese graters using a half of a lemon instead. It won’t matter if it gets grated a little and the acid in the lemon will cut through the cheese easily.

Polish hardwood floors: Make your own lemon-vinegar floor cleaner to fight mold, bacteria, and germs. It also has the added benefit of being non-toxic and will make your floors look great.

LAUNDRY

Gently bleach fabrics: Add lemon juice to hot water and soak your white linens. Then rinse and wash as normal. You can also add 1/2 cup of lemon juice to your cycle instead of bleach for similar results.

Spot treat your shirts: Pour lemon juice on the stain and add some table salt. Rub the stain between your fingers and then rinse. This is especially helpful with dark underarm stains, and will be even more effective if you let the clothing dry in the sun.

Get mildew stains out of clothes: Make a paste with lemon juice and salt and rub it into the infected area. Let it dry in the sun, and repeat until the stain is gone.

Remove grease stains: Mix lemon juice with vinegar and apply to the stain. Let it sit and then rinse off.

Whiten tennis shoes: Spray lemon juice on white athletic shoes and let them dry in the sun. It will bleach the fabric and even make them smell better.

COOKING

Soak fruits and veggies in lemon water to prevent browning: After slicing up your fruit, keep it from oxidizing and turning brown by soaking in a cold bowl of water with lemon juice. Take out produce and pat dry. This works with apples, cauliflower, bananas, pears, potatoes, and avocados.

Revive limp lettuce: When lettuce starts to get soggy, you can soak the leaves in a bowl of cold water with the juice from half a lemon. Refrigerate for an hour and then dry leaves before adding to salads or sandwiches. 

Keep rice from clumping: Add a spoonful of lemon juice while rice is cooking so it doesn’t stick together at the end. Let it cool when it’s done and then fluff with a fork.

Upgrade your ice cubes: Freeze lemon slices in ice cube trays (or cupcake trays if you want bigger ice cubes) and use them to add some zest to a standard glass or pitcher of water. 

Marinate meats: Lemon juice is a brilliant marinade when added with oils and herbs. The acid in the lemon juice will break down the meat so that the oil and spices can flavor it even better. 

Make candied lemon peels: Instead of throwing away your lemon rind, you can make candy out of it that you can put on cakes, into cookies, or just eat as a snack. All you need to do is boil the peels a few times with sugar and coat in sugar.

Keep brown sugar soft: Adding a lemon slice to brown sugar will keep it soft. The moisture from the lemon will keep the sugar from becoming rock hard and unusable.

Boost flavor and reduce salt intake: Studies have shown that if you use lemon juice and lemon zest, you’ll use less salt to boost the flavor of your dishes. It's a healthier alternative instead of constantly reaching for salt and pepper.

Make a buttermilk substitute: If you don’t have buttermilk, add two tablespoons of lemon juice to a 1% or 2% cup of milk. Let it sit so the acid sours the milk for 15 minutes and then add it to the recipe. 

Make a sour cream substitute: Similar to the buttermilk tip above, lemon juice will sour whipped cream if you let it sit for 30 minutes or so. It will also cut your calories if you’re used to adding a dollop of sour cream to a baked potato.

Make lemonade: You know what they say about life giving you lemons. Add some gin if you want a grown up lemonade.

BEAUTY

Lighten your hair: Lemon juice will bleach your hair in the sun. Create your own leave-in hair brightener by combining almond or coconut oil, cinnamon, and chamomile tea with lemon juice. Mix together and spray on your hair before heading outside into the sun. The lemon will lighten strands while the oil will make sure hair doesn’t get too dried out. (Simple lemon juice will also do the trick.)

Fade age spots or freckles: Lemon juice will lighten and brighten skin by reducing freckles as well as fading age spots. Wash you face, pat dry, and then apply lemon juice with a cotton swab.

Make a brightening moisturizer: Mix coconut oil with a few drops of lemon juice to hydrate skin and brighten it at the same time. Since both are anti-fungal, the mixture will also help prevent acne.

Whiten and strengthen nails: Mix lemon juice with olive oil and soak your nails. The lemon juice will brighten the nail while the olive oil will strengthen it.

Fight dandruff: Massage two tablespoons of lemon juice into your scalp and then rinse with lemon water. Repeat until dandruff is gone.

Fight acne: Lemon juice is a natural astringent which will fight the oil and clogged pores that can cause acne. After cleaning your face and patting dry, apply lemon juice to your face. After 10 minutes, rinse off with cool water. Repeat twice daily.

Exfoliate your skin: Combine lemon juice, sugar, olive oil, and honey to create a nourishing scrub for your skin. Apply to your body and face before rinsing off.

HEALTH 

Start your day with lemon water: Drinking lemon water will give you a dose of Vitamin C, potassium, and will aid digestion and give your immune system a boost. 

Soothe a sore throat: Lemon juice has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties which can help a sore throat. It also has lots of Vitamin C to help boost your immune system.

Treat canker sores: Because lemon is both anti-fungal and antibacterial, it will speed up the recovery time of a canker sore. Simply add lemon juice to a cup of hot water. Let steep, and then gargle with the solution. It will sting, but that means it’s working.

Soothe skin rashes: Soak a cotton ball in lemon juice and apply to the rash. This works especially well with poison ivy.

Stop itchy insect bites: Rubbing a bit of lemon juice on insect bites will relieve the swelling and itching. Just make sure not to go outside with it on since you might attract more bugs.

Reduces phlegm and soothes a cough: Adding a little lemon juice with honey to hot water will reduce mucous build up, which can help you get better faster.

Remove warts: If you don’t want to go to the doctor to treat your wart, try lemon juice as a do-it-yourself option. Dabbing lemon juice on the wart will break it down and it should disappear in two weeks.

MISCELLANEOUS 

Polish leather shoes: DIY your own shoe polish with olive oil and lemon. Combine one part lemon juice with two parts olive oil and let it sink into the leather of your shoes. Wait for 10-15 minutes and then buff with a cloth. 

Make invisible ink: Squeeze lemon juice into a bowl of water and then dip a cotton swab into it. Write a message on white paper and then wait for it to dry before heating the paper close to a lamp or light bulb to see the message.

Sanitize jewelry: Add a tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 1/2 cups of water. This is especially good for sanitizing earrings, but should not be used on pearls or gold.

Repel bugs from your home: Mop your floors with lemon juice and water to ward off roaches and flees, and spray concentrated lemon juice on any areas you think bugs like ants may be getting in. Bonus points if you throw some lemon peels outside of entryways.

Remove pet stains from fur: Pinkish-red stains can sometimes form around your pet's eyes and mouth. To remove these stains, combine baking soda and lemon juice and rub it onto fur. Keep it away from your pet's eyes and wait for about 10 minutes before rinsing off. Always check with a vet first to make sure it's safe.

Remove berry stains from your hands: Berries can dye your hands red if you’re not careful, especially if you’re slicing, rinsing, or cooking with them. To get rid of them, make a paste of cornmeal and lemon juice and rub onto hands, let sit, and rinse off.

Kill weeds: Lemon juice will kill any weeds you don’t want growing in your yard or driveway. Fill a spray bottle with the juice and douse the offending plants.

Make your own dog and cat repellent: If neighborhood cats and dogs are using your lawn as a litterbox, combine lemon peels with coffee grounds and place them where the pets usually ‘go’ — they hate the smell and will soon head to other yards. 

Save hardened paintbrushes: If your paintbrushes look like there’s no saving them, bring lemon juice and a little water to a boil and throw in the brushes to sit for 15 minutes. Wash them with soap and water afterwards and let dry. Bristles should feel soft again.

Did we miss your favorite thing to do with lemons? Let us know in the comments!

SEE ALSO: 59 amazing things you can do with baking soda

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NOW WATCH: 6 Food Myths That Are Completely Wrong

Click here to see what you can do with baking soda >>

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NOW WATCH: 10 fashion mistakes men make over and over at the office

On Monday, the listing for a $1,795 one-bedroom in Manhattan’s Lower East Side with a shower in the kitchen went viral.

And though not an ideal set up, these apartments with showers or bathtubs in the kitchen are not as uncommon as one might expect.

In fact, Business Insider associate video producer Alex Kuzoian currently lives in a similar set up with two other roommates.

“I never really had a problem with it,” he said of the apartment. “The bizarre-ness of it kind of just fades after awhile.”

Kuzoian has been living in his Hell’s Kitchen home for the past four months where he’s paying significantly less than $1,000 a month — extremely affordable for the Midtown Manhattan location where the average rent for a one bedroom is $3,374, according to Reator.com.

Even though the shower is in the common area, Kuzoian says that the lack of privacy isn’t too much of an issue since all of his roommates are on different schedules.

“The most annoying part is just not having a real bathroom,” he said. “We have one sink (the one in the kitchen) and then just a tiny room with a toilet. It would be nice not to have to brush my teeth, shave, and do the dishes in the same sink.”

It’s the act of shaving that really bothers him.

“I don't like to do it over the kitchen sink — plus theres no mirror there anyway — so I stand in front of the mirror that’s attached to my bedroom door and hold a garbage can under my chin,” he said. “That’s why I only shave like once a week.”

But Kuzoian said because the apartment is so affordable, he really doesn’t mind the set up. Plus, because he knew his roommates before he moved in, everyone is already comfortable with one another. 

“We don’t have too many guests, mainly because the place is so small — there’s not a lot of room for them to stay,” he said. “It’s usually just our girlfriends or boyfriends.”

He added, “they’re already kind of used to it.”

As for any plus sides of living in an apartment where your shower is in your kitchen, Kuzoian said it’s definitely a “great conversation piece” and that someday he hoped he would be able to look back and get a great story out of his current living situation.

“Being young makes it easier,” he said. “If I were older there's no way I’d tolerate it. But for now, it's just part of the cliche 'NYC experience,’ I guess.”

SEE ALSO: The Manhattan apartment with a shower in the kitchen isn't as crazy as you think

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NOW WATCH: This NYC bank-turned-mansion bought by a photographer for $102,000 just sold for $55 million

Scott Keyes, a reporter for Think Progress and author of the e-books “How To Fly For Free” and “How To Find Cheap Flights,” is an expert at finding affordable airfare. 

Keyes has become so gifted at landing super cheap tickets and getting the most out of his frequent flyer miles that he has booked an epic world trip that spans 13 countries, 20,000 miles, and 21 flights — all free. 

He told Business Insider his process is a “labor of love,” and after spending five years dedicated to finding airline deals, Keyes now knows the best websites, tricks, and tips for getting tickets for dirt cheap prices. 

Keep reading to see his 14 best travel hacks.

Set up a Tweet deck and email alerts

If you’re truly dedicated to finding cheap flights, it has to be a lifestyle. Keyes has alerts and a Tweet deck filled with airlines and websites that he follows to discover affordable tickets.

Your odds of scoring bargain tickets will also skyrocket if you set up newsletter alerts from travel websites like Airfarewatchdog and The Flight Deal. You can even sign up to get emails from Keyes himself when he stumbles across a deal.

Search for flights from all nearby airports

This one might seem obvious, but if you’re flying from a hub like New York City, make sure you’re not only searching flights leaving from JFK or LaGuardia and include the nearby Newark airport, too.

“If you live in an area or are flying somewhere where there are a lot of airports, search them all,” Keyes advised. This could save you hundreds of dollars, even if the airport is a little out of your way. 

Do a ‘month search’ on your itinerary

Websites like Kayak and ITA Matrix allow travelers to search their itinerary and destination for an entire month’s worth of travel so you can discover the cheapest possible airfare.

“I flew to Costa Rica once a couple years ago and I did a month search on ITA Matrix,” Keyes told us. “Instead of going in the first week of April, I realized I could go in the second week of April and save over $100.”

If it doesn’t make a difference when you get to your destination (even if it’s a matter of getting in Thursday instead of Friday), searching for an entire month can save you a significant chunk of cash.

Compare prices on Southwest separately

Affordable airline Southwest will not show up in aggregate search engines such as Kayak or Orbitz. 

It’s annoying, but always worth it once you find a decent-priced domestic flight to see if Southwest has something even cheaper. This goes for all budget airlines that may not be showing up in search engines, too.

Always check for “throwaway tickets" 

Throwaway tickets are flights you purchase to an unpopular destination. Let’s say you’re traveling from New York to Chicago — those tickets are going to be quite expensive. But New York to Milwaukee will be less expensive since fewer people will be traveling there. 

A throwaway ticket would be if you found a flight from New York to Milwaukee with a layover in Chicago. Then instead of getting on the plane to go to Milwaukee, you would throw away that leg of the ticket and exit the Chicago airport. 

“This one can be a huge money saver,” Keyes said of the hack. If you want to find throwaway tickets, check one of Keyes’s favorite websites Skiplagged that specifically searches for them (though due to a lawsuit, you currently can’t buy the tickets through Skiplagged, but through a third party site).

Book at the right time 

“A big mistake that people make is buying either too early or too close to the departure,” Keyes told us. “Wait until between three months to a month out because that’s when you tend to get the best prices for domestic flights.”

That’s for off-peak flights. If you’re hoping to fly home during the holidays, book a trip to Europe, or fly during a time period where a lot of other people will be booking (like for spring break), Keyes suggests  looking at flights about six months out.

Buy the cheapest ticket, no matter when it is 

“The way most people approach airfare, they do it backwards: They decide where they want to go and then try to find the cheapest flight to get there,” Keyes told us. “But if your ultimate goal is to be able to find as cheap a flight as possible and go somewhere cool for not much money, then starting with an open, blank slate and going wherever there's a cheap flight right now is going to be your best bet."

That’s how Keyes wound up flying to Milan for $130, going to Galapagos for $45, and visiting Norway and Belgium for around $350 instead of the typical $1,000.

None of these destinations were necessarily on his ideal travel list, but because Keyes found deals on Twitter or through websites, he decided to buy them right away and ended up saving thousands for being flexible.

Fly on the cheapest possible days

Keyes told us the cheapest days to fly are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. If you’re going home to visit your parents over a long weekend and were planning to fly in Friday and leave on Sunday, search Thursday to Saturday or even Friday to Monday instead to see if there's a cheaper alternative.

“If you have any flexibility in being able to fly on those days, that’s usually when you’re going to find the best fares,” Keyes said.

Don’t be afraid to complain (politely)

“One of the things I’ve been able to employ rather effectively is when things go wrong on your flight, you can get compensation for those errors,” Keyes said. “I’ve gotten miles for it and I’ve gotten money for it.”

If something goes wrong — say the TV in your seat isn’t working or there are mechanical issues with the plane — it will never hurt to send an email to the airline politely informing them of the problem. Keyes even created special email templates in his book “How To Fly For Free” that he’ll use if something happens.

The key is to be polite, give the airline all of your information (what seat you were in, the flight number, etc.), and inform them that usually you love flying with them, which is why you were so surprised by the inconvenience.

“As long as your grievance is somewhat legitimate (and not outside the airline’s control like the weather), most of the time you’ll actually get some sort of compensation,” Keyes said.

Be open to getting bumped

One of the most dreaded travel experiences is being bumped from a plane or having a delay. But Keyes insists that this is a fantastic way to earn free money or frequent flyer miles.

If a flight is full and you're not under any tight timeline, take advantage of being bumped and ask the ticketing agent if you can get money or frequent flyer miles instead of flight vouchers for your inconvenience (they'll usually honor your request). 

Open credit cards (smartly) to get lots of miles

“If you’re financially smart and responsible, there’s so much opportunity for you,” Keyes told us.

Keyes currently had 25 credit cards that he uses to get hundreds of thousands of miles and points, which ultimately helps him fly for free. He monitors his credit score, always pays off his credit cards in full each month, and keeps track of his miles and cards at websites like AwardWallet.

Though that sounds like a lot of work, it’s a lifestyle that Keyes has built up to.

“Over time, you start to ramp up your credit cards slowly but surely,” Keyes said. “Don’t go open six cards right off the bat, but go at your own comfort level and slowly work your way up.” 

Choose credit cards that give you the best perks

“I enjoy flying because I can get into these lounges and that just makes the experience a whole lot more pleasurable,” Keyes said. “You can have free beer and free WiFi and get out of the hustle and bustle. They even have perks like showers in here and free spas.”

To access the luxurious world of airport lounges, Keyes uses his credit card perks.

“Every airport has different lounges and it just depends on the credit card whether it will give you access,” he told us. Do some research about what lounges are at your most frequented airports and see if there is a travel credit card you can sign up for to access them.

Get a free stopover trip with your frequent flyer miles 

Airlines charge a set number of frequent flyer miles for certain places around the world, no matter where you go. For instance, an economy ticket from the US to Eastern Asia on United will cost you 65,000 miles, whether you’re traveling to Taipei or Tokyo.

But Keyes said that airlines will let you have a free stopover with your frequent flyer miles – something many people don’t realize. That means you can book a flight from the US to Tokyo, but fly back to the US from Taipei.

You’ll need to book separate travel accommodations to get from Tokyo to Taipei, but the ticket will likely be pretty affordable. “You can add a whole other destination to your trip for almost nothing extra,” Keyes said. 

Make your miles go further with long layovers

Most frequent flyer users don’t realize that you can take a layover of less than 24 hours for an unlimited amount of flights.

If you’re willing to do the legwork and research, you could see a lot of different countries on your way to a destination with this hack.

“Say you’re flying in the South Pacific and you’re willing to spend less than a day in each place, you can fly from New Zealand to Cook Island to Guam to Singapore to Bangkok and basically do all this for the price of one awards flight,” Keyes said.

You may not be able to soak up the feel of each city for only a day, but it just goes to show that with a little planning, you can see the world.

For more of Scot Keyes’s travel tips and advice, check out his ebooks e-books “How To Fly For Free” and “How To Find Cheap Flights.”

SEE ALSO: This guy has gamed the airline industry so he never has to pay for a flight again

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NOW WATCH: Beautiful drone video of epic trip across South America

Many products for women are no different than the same products marketed to men — but women are paying more. 

Gender-based pricing, also known as the “woman tax” or “pink tax,” has been an accepted phenomenon since a 1995 California study that revealed women pay $1,351 a year more for the same products as men. This had such an impact that California became the first and only state to ban gender-discriminatory pricing.

In a new video on the YouTube channel The Daily Share, Mike Byhoff and Katie Isaacson tested just how true this remains in the other 49 states today.

First, they compared Schick razors, both the Hydro 5 for men and the Hydro Silk for women. Both are a similar product with five blades and moisturizing strips, but the women’s razor costs $1.41 more than the men’s.

They then did a side-by-side comparison of Neutrogena’s Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream for women and Neutrogena Men’s Age Fighter Face moisturizer which use the same ingredients according to the company, but the women’s version costs $1.07 more. 

While Schick refused to comment for the video, Neutrogena told the producers that the reason the women’s products were more expensive was “related to a number of factors, including packaging differences, modification of the formulation that impact the manufacturing process, and the discretion of each retailer.” 

That was a similar response to what deodorant spokespeople told Consumer Reports in 2010 when the company found that equivalent women-marketed products such as deodorant and shampoo were significantly more expensive.

One product that the team found was unisex pricing were American Apparel’s Oxford shirts— they cost $74.99 for both genders. 

Unfortunately, if you were to get these shirts dry cleaned at the same cleaners, you’d find that the “lady-shirt” would cost more than the men’s — in this case, $6 compared to $5.75. 

And it’s not just products. Before President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, women were paying a total of $1 billion more than men for heath insurance premiums. The Affordable Care Act banned those gender-based premiums.

But women still pay more for long-term care insurance. Women can expect to be charged a full 13% more simply because they’re expected to live longer, according to The Daily Share producers.

Maybe it’s time to start buying men’s product instead if they’re cheaper and fit your needs. No need to always reach for the pink if that choice will cost you.

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NOW WATCH: What the Chinese saying 'The ugly wife is a treasure at home' actually means

When 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 >>

Eleven Madison Park was just named the best restaurant in America, and we can see why. With Michelin-starred chef Daniel Humm at the helm, the French-influenced bistro serves exceptional greenmarket cuisine that surprises and delights.

Food blogger Julian Fang captured the experience of dining at Eleven Madison Park in spring 2011, for his website Jewelz. He opted for the 11-course tasting menu, which today runs three and a half hours long and costs $225 per person.

While the menu has changed, the decadence remains. We've shared a selection of Fang's photos with permission.

Daniel Humm's award-winning restaurant is located in Manhattan's Flatiron neighborhood, on Madison Avenue between 24th and 25th Streets.

The Art Deco-styled dining room features floor-to-ceiling windows and whimsical floral arrangements that reach to the high ceilings.

But let's get to the food. Eleven Madison Park only offers a tasting menu, preceded by light amuse-bouches. First up were these bite-sized cheese gougéres, served warm and sprinkled with salt.

Apple has its new spaceship-style campus. Google's got the "Googleplex" (and several even more impressive campuses worldwide). Facebook's got swanky new digs as of earlier this year. And video game streaming service Twitch – now part of Google after an acquisition last year– has a seriously game-centric work environment.

While none compare to Apple's massive, somewhat terrifying undertaking, the new campus of the company behind the world's most popular game – "League of Legends"– is quite a looker.

The view of Riot Games' new campus in Los Angeles.

In a very, very blue room sits "League of Legends" characters "Tibbers" (the big guy) and "Annie."

In the mood for a game of gigantic chess? This is Riot Games' new "quad."

We've found 25 places every partyer will want to cross off their bucket list.

From the yachts of Saint Tropez to the raucous clubs of Ibiza and Las Vegas, these destinations will give you a party you will never forget.

Megan Willett contributed to this post.

Austin, Texas, U.S.A.

With a slogan like "Keep Austin Weird," you can expect to find a diverse crowd of young musicians, artists, and tech and business folks traveling across the city's many bars. 

For an epic bar crawl, start on Sixth Street and make your way west through the city's eclectic bars, seeing lots of live music along the way.

Bali, Indonesia

Known for its prime surf waves, Kuta Beach is the top party spot in Bali, Indonesia.

Hit the busy streets, late-night parties, and beach raves with thousands of backpackers and locals who flock to the Southeast Asian party circuit.

This is a great destination if you're looking to party on a budget as cheap drinks are their specialty. 

Barcelona, Spain

If you're looking to party hard on a small budget, Barcelona is your place. Check out Espit Chupitos, a bar dedicated to producing quirky shots like the Harry Potter that are all only two euros.

After partying all night in the city's clubs, spend the day at the beach, where crowds of clubbers take to the sands to continue the dancing. 

The Apple Watch has arrived, and there are already over 2,500 apps jockeying for a place on your wrist.

We've sorted through them so you don't have to, and collected 20 essential apps that do a great job of showing what the Apple Watch can do.

There are apps for staying on top of the latest headlines, getting a ride, managing your finances, trading stocks, and even some that let you unlock your Mac and your hotel room door.

Uber lets you dispatch your own personal taxi and view updates right from your wrist.

Price: Free

Robinhood for Apple Watch allows you to buy and sell stocks for free, stay on top of market data, view your portfolio, and see a timer counting down the market close.

Price:Free

Instagram's Apple Watch app lets you browse your news feed, like photos, and post emoji comments right from your wrist.

Price:Free

Facebook went all out for its celebration of "Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day" this week.

A petting zoo, drone tutorial, cupcake decorating station, and multiple Lego stations were just a few of the activities the company set up for its employees' offspring to enjoy.

"Facebook's mission to make the world more open and connected, and its values — to be bold, be open and move fast — can be shared by everyone, children and grownups alike," Lori Goler, Facebook's VP of People, said. "The event is intended to inspire and educate."

Facebook offers several benefits for families, including a four-month paid leave for new moms and dads and a $4,000 bonus for each child born or adopted.

The company also covers costs for egg and sperm donation, egg freezing, and other fees related to surrogacy and in vitro fertilization. 

Large tents were set up in a central area of Facebook's Menlo Park campus.

About 2,000 people ended up attending the festivities.

A miniature train was set up to transport the smallest of Facebook's guests.

I recently completed a four month internship at Snapchat in Los Angeles.

During these four months, I had many awesome adventures, learned lots, ate delicious food, and met some fantastic people.  

Here is a glimpse into my life at Snapchat in Los Angeles in pictures!

There were three other interns working at Snapchat with me from the University of Waterloo. We ended up finding a sweet place to live together in a neighborhood called Marina Del Rey.

Our place was a 7-minute bike ride to work, and it was also one block away from the beach.

We biked or walked to work every day in gorgeous weather.

It’s good to be in the tech startup scene these days.

A number of VCs are raising record-size funds, while some startups are achieving incredible valuations with relative ease.

When the market gets this hot, it’s easy to lose track of all the transactions.

So Pitchbook, a company that analyzes global private equity and venture capital data, put together a slide deck that sums up all the VC transactions by region in the first quarter of 2015.

No. 5: Los Angeles. LA companies raised more than $560 million in the first quarter. Most of the money went to consumer and healthcare startups. Stance, a luxury socks startup, raised with the highest valuation at $245 million.

No. 4: Pacific Northwest. Companies here raised $687 million, with more than half of it going to the IT sector. Porch, which makes software to help homeowners find home repair professionals, saw its valuation jump 5.1x to $435 million. The region's median pre-money valuation also more than doubled from last quarter.

No. 3: Boston. Startups here raised a total of $1.3 billion in the first quarter of 2015. Healthcare and IT startups took in more than 85% of the total funding. Seres Health, a drug maker, was the highest valued company at $389 million.