Quantcast
Channel: Features
Viewing all 61683 articles
Browse latest View live

20 fascinating facts that make you think twice

0
0

Old library

The world is a fascinating place, and it's full of weird and interesting facts that you might have never realized were true.

Luckily, the folks over at Reddit have a collection of true facts about life, and we've combed through them to find our favorites.

From a creature that can survive the harsh vacuum of space to the odd state sport of Maryland, you're bound to learn something that makes you think twice.

Note: A shorter version of this article was originally published by Kyle Russell.

Cleopatra lived closer in time to the Moon landing than to the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Source: Reddit/StickleyMan



A mantis shrimp can swing its claw so fast it boils the water around it and creates a flash of light.

Source: Reddit/jicty



The Spanish national anthem has no words.

Source: Reddit/ricick



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

20 new high school grads who are changing the world

The email habits of Jeff Bezos, Tony Hsieh, and 8 other super-successful people

0
0

tony hsieh zappos

When you receive almost 150 work emails every day, your inbox can quickly become the bain of your existence.

That suffering increases exponentially when you're the leader of a company.

So how do top CEOs like Bill Gates and Tim Cook manage their overwhelming inbox flux?

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos forwards pressing emails with one added character

When a customer emails Bezos to complain about something Amazon-related, which they can very easily do, Bezos often forwards the message to the appropriate person at the company, adding just one character: "?"

"When Amazon employees get a Bezos question mark email, they react as though they've discovered a ticking bomb," Businessweek reported in 2013. "They've typically got a few hours to solve whatever issue the CEO has flagged and prepare a thorough explanation for how it occurred, a response that will be reviewed by a succession of managers before the answer is presented to Bezos himself."



Huffington Post cofounder Arianna Huffington has three email no-nos

Huffington has three simple rules for email:

  1. No emails for half an hour before bed
  2. No rushing to emails as soon as she wakes
  3. No emails while she is with her children

"The last time my mother got angry with me before she died was when she saw me reading my email and talking to my children at the same time," Huffington wrote in her book, "Thrive.""... being connected in a shallow way to the entire world can prevent us from being deeply connected to those closest to us — including ourselves."



Apple CEO Tim Cook reads most of his 700-plus emails

The CEO who wakes up at 3:45 a.m. each day said during an interview with ABC that he receives somewhere between 700 and 800 emails a day.

"And I read the majority of those ... Every day, every day. I'm a workaholic."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

15 TV shows to watch this summer

0
0

rachel mcadams true detective

While summer used to be the time of year that most TV shows took a break, this summer is more crowded than ever.

There are new offerings from streaming services and networks alike.

In order to help narrow it down, here is a guide for the must-watch shows of summer 2015.

"Wayward Pines" (FOX)

Premiere date: Thursday, May 14 at 9:00 p.m.

What it's about: A secret service agent (Matt Dillon) travels to a small town to solve a mystery. What he finds out, however, is that he may never leave it alive. 

Why you should watch: "Wayward Pines" is directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

A series of high profile box-office bombs have turned him into a convenient punching bag. Perhaps this foray into television will finally be the project that restores him to "Sixth Sense" glory. Since the show debuted, reviews have been positive.



"Aquarius" (NBC)

Premiere date: May 28 at 9:00 p.m.

What it's about: Police officer Sam Hodiak (David Duchovny) goes deep undercover to track Charles Manson and his family. 

Why you should watch: With "The Jinx,""Serial," and "Thought Crimes," America's recent fasciation with true crime is far from over. Now, the infamous (yet endlessly fascinating) legend of the Manson family gets its own hour. Just like "Hannibal,""Aquarius" looks as far from a network show as possible, which might be why we are so excited for NBC's latest drama. 



"Halt and Catch Fire" (AMC)

Premiere date: Sunday, May 31 at 10:00 p.m.

What it's about: This drama set in the early 1980s traces the beginnings of the home computer.

Why you should watch: The show received mostly positive reviews in its first season. But with some tense-looking commercials and some cool posters, it looks like AMC is now putting a lot of energy behind this show. Perhaps they are looking for a new period piece to fill the huge, nearly impossible to fill gap left by "Mad Men" in the network's schedule.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

These amazing photos show you where jumbo jets go to die

How Qatar got so rich so fast

0
0

FIFA officials were recently indicted in a $150 million bribery scandal in connection with the selection of South Africa as the host country for the 2010 World Cup.

At the same time, Switzerland has announced a criminal investigation into the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.

Allegedly awful conditions for migrant workers along with 120-degree summers always made Qatar seem like an odd fit for host. 

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This is the Excel trick that will change everything about how you work with data

Inside New York City's treatment center that freezes people at -200 degrees for fun

0
0

cryoNestled in midtown Manhattan, just a couple blocks south of Central Park, is a self-proclaimed health and wellness center called KryoLife, where clients are blasted with super-chilled air that's between minus 184 and minus 264 degrees Fahrenheit.

They like it so much, KryoLife co-founder and CEO Joanna Fryben told Business Insider, that over 90% of first-timers come back a second time. 

The chilly experience is widely used in Europe to relieve certain types of pain and is growing increasingly popular in America, especially among professional athletes and celebrities.

To see for ourselves what all the fuss was about, Business Insider sent a few of our reporters to the center where Graham Flanagan took one for the team. 

Whole body cryotherapy was invented in the late '70s in Japan as a way to reduce pain due to inflammation in arthritis patients. According to KryoLife's CEO TKTK, many of its more than 1,000 clients are looking to ease pain due to some type of inflammation.



In a room about the size of a modest walk-in closet is KryoLife's chamber. The center has just the one chamber at their Manhattan base.



Tucked in a corner is one of the center's large tanks of liquid nitrogen. At room temperature and standard pressure, liquid nitrogen boils, and it's the resulting nitrogen gas that fills the chamber.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

These are the best cheap smartphones you can buy

0
0

oneplus pne

You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a decent phone. There are plenty of options out there for people who want to save a little cash but still need a phone that's fast, can connect to the internet, and looks nice, too.

Here's a look at some of the cheapest phones worth buying.

Motorola's Moto G is one of the best budget phones you can buy.

It's hard to find a phone cheaper than the Moto G. Motorola's second-generation model starts at $179, comes with a clean version of Android, and runs pretty smoothly, even though it's powered by components that are older than those in today's more expensive phones, according to reviews from CNET and Engadget.

In short, it's a nice, compact phone with easy-to-use software that won't cost you more than $200. You can also get the 4G model for $219.



If you want something that costs even less, try the Moto E.

Motorola’s Moto E is great if you want a pure version of Android on a phone that runs smoothly. If you really only care about using apps and Google services, it’s a good choice. For $150, you get 4G data speeds, a 4.5-inch screen, and the most up-to-date version of Android.



Amazon's Fire Phone comes with some fun apps and is insanely cheap.

You can now buy Amazon's Fire Phone for just $179.99 without a two-year contract, which is ridiculously cheap for a new phone. If you opt for a two-year contract with AT&T, you'll get the phone for just 99 cents — which is basically a giveaway.

The Fire Phone comes with a sharp screen, a 13-megapixel camera, a fast processor, and Amazon's own apps and services. Firefly, for example, gives you information about object around you by scanning it with the phone's camera. There are tons of cameras on the front of the phone which creates a 3D effect for some images. The phone hasn't been selling well, which is a large part of the reason it's so cheap, but it's an excellent value for the price. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Take a tour of one of the biggest and fastest growing Chinatowns in the world

Here's the salary you have to earn to buy a home in 15 major US cities

0
0

san francisco

The mortgage website HSH.com has updated its estimate of how much annual income a household would need to buy a home in major cities in the US according to first-quarter 2015 data.

Several cities — Portland, Sacramento, Miami, and Denver — appear on the list of highest-priced metro areas for the first time.

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

Salaries listed are rounded to the nearest $500.

15. Philadelphia

Population: 1,517,628

Median Home Price: $204,900

Monthly Mortgage Payment: $1,138

Salary Needed To Buy: $49,000



14. Houston

Population: 2,076,189

Median Home Price: $200,300

Monthly Mortgage Payment: $1,158

Salary Needed To Buy: $50,000



13. Baltimore

Population: 640,064

Median Home Price: $233,100

Monthly Mortgage Payment: $1,172

Salary Needed To Buy: $50,500



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

15 books by billionaires that will teach you how to run the world

0
0

Bill Gates Summer Books

Whether you want to launch an empire or become the best in your field, who better to consult than those who've achieved the peak of professional and financial success?

That's why we've rounded up 15 books by self-made billionaires. Learn how these masters of industry achieved the impossible, in their own words.

'The Virgin Way' by Richard Branson

Although Branson confesses he's never read a book on leadership, his nearly 50-year entrepreneurial career has taught him a thing or two about building a business.

In "The Virgin Way," the billionaire founder of Virgin Group offers lessons on management and entrepreneurialism, including the importance of listening to others and hiring the right people. Branson is honest about his successes as well as his failures, such as underestimating Coke's influence when he tried to launch Virgin Cola in the 1990s.

Overall, the book is a compelling glimpse into the life of someone who's never shied away from a challenge.

Buy it here >>



'Onward' by Howard Schultz

After resigning as Starbucks CEO in 2000, Schultz returned to the post in 2008, just as the company was struggling through a financial crisis. "Onward" details how the billionaire brought the global coffee chain back to life.

Readers will learn how Schultz made tough decisions — like temporarily shutting down more than 7,000 US stores — in order to help Starbucks grow without neglecting its core values. They'll learn, too, about Schultz as a person, as he weaves together his unique business strategy with anecdotes about growing up in Brooklyn, New York. It's an honest and passionate recounting that will inspire entrepreneurs and everyone else to be brave in the face of adversity.

Buy it here >>



'How to Win at the Sport of Business' by Mark Cuban

In "How to Win at the Sport of Business," Dallas Mavericks owner and "Shark Tank" investor Cuban fleshes out his best insights on entrepreneurialism from his personal blog.

He writes candidly about how he progressed from sleeping on his friends' couches in his 20s to owning his own company and becoming a multi-billionaire. It's a story of commitment and perseverance — Cuban writes that even though he didn't know much about computers, he beat his competition because he spent so much time learning about the software his company sold. 

Buy it here >>



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Meet the 7 'Rich Kids Of Beverly Hills' featured on E!'s hit reality show

0
0

rich kids of beverly hills

On Sunday, E!'s hit reality show "Rich Kids of Beverly Hills" returned for a third season.

The hour-long, "Rich Kids Of Instagram" Tumblr-inspired show features seven friends from 90210 who drop thousands of dollars on clothes, shoes, cars, and partying like it's their job  because that's exactly what it is for some of these "funemployed" 20-somethings. 

Get to know the cast and catch up on the series here before delving into the current season three.

"Rich Kids of Beverly Hills" airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on E!

Meet 27-year-old Dorothy Wang, who was born and raised in Beverly Hills — "The best city in the world."

 

 

 



In the pilot episode, Dorothy says, "Growing up, my parents never talked about money. It wasn't until it was printed in Forbes that I knew how much money we had."



Dorothy is currently "funemployed and fabuluxe," but "when I grow up I want to be the Asian sensation of the world."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 11 best jobs for women in 2015

0
0

women networking

Although inequality is still very much present in the workplace, women have made great strides in recent years.

But some jobs are known for treating and paying women more fairly than others.

Jobs site CareerCast recently put together a new list of the best jobs for women in 2015. Many of the jobs that made the list defy the gender conventions of the workplace.

CareerCast looked at jobs where the percentage of women working in that field either is rising or is at a high level and hasn't fallen, making the barriers of entry for women in those fields less difficult to break through. They also considered factors such as income and growth potential.

All wages and outlooks listed are from the BLS and represent the entire labor force for each career.

Actuary

Annual median wage: $93,680 

Projected growth outlook (by 2022): 26%

Number of people who hold this job who are women: 36%



Advertising and promotions manager

Annual median wage: $115,750

Projected growth outlook (by 2022): 12%

Number of people who hold this job who are women: 66%



Biomedical engineer

Annual median wage: $86,960

Projected growth outlook (by 2022): 27%

Number of people who hold this job who are women: 20%



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Make-up artist posts shocking before-and-after photos of the porn stars she styles

0
0

melissa murphy makeup artist porn star

Ten years ago, make-up artist Melissa Murphy left her job working at the cosmetics counter in a Boston mall for the bright lights of the erotica industry.

When the actresses and models settle into her chair, she snaps a before and after photo to capture the transformation. You would be amazed to see how much make-up these beauties actually wear.

Murphy shared some of her Instagram photos with us. The results are incredible.

Make-up artist Melissa Murphy has been dolling up adult film stars for more than 10 years.

Instagram Embed:
http://instagram.com/p/uEAyp3HVZc/embed/
Width: 658px

 



She photographs her subjects in natural light and posts the juxtaposed images to her Instagram account.

Instagram Embed:
http://instagram.com/p/veQw5vnVXk/embed/
Width: 658px

 



Her account has more than 75,000 followers.

Instagram Embed:
http://instagram.com/p/uECfL2HVdg/embed/
Width: 658px

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's what people eat for breakfast around the world

0
0

Pancakes, Bacon, Eggs

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, keeping us healthy and sharp.

But breakfast foods vary wildly from place to place.

Inspired by a HostelBookers.com post by Victoria Philpott and a Quora post,  we took a look at some classic breakfast choices from countries around the world.

Whether it's bread and cold cuts in Germany or baked cheese pancakes in Russia, each country does their first meal of the day a little differently.

An earlier version of this post was written by Max Rosenberg.

AUSTRALIA: The typical breakfast consists of cold cereal and toast with vegemite.



BRAZIL: Expect to find ham, cheeses, and bread, served with coffee and milk.



CHINA: Traditional breakfasts vary based on the region, but dim sum, small plates of food prepared in a variety of ways, is popular.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

10 brilliant management strategies that Google lives by

0
0

laszlo bock

LinkedIn Influencer Laszlo Bock published "10 Ideas Proven to Make Work Suck Less" originally on LinkedIn.

In my 28 years of working (I got my first job when I was 14), I've amassed a random walk of jobs that could best be described as a guidance counselor's nightmare: I worked in a deli, a restaurant, and a library.

I tutored high school students in California and taught elementary school students English in Japan.

I was a lifeguard in real life at my college pool, and then I played one on TV (on "Baywatch," no less!).

Check out the management strategies here >>

I helped start a nonprofit that supported troubled teens and worked at a manufacturer that built construction products.

I earned an MBA and joined McKinsey & Company, where I rode the tech bubble of the late '90s all the way to the top — and then all the way down to the bottom — advising companies on how to grow, sell, and "scale" and then how to cut, shave, and "pivot."

But by 2003, I was frustrated. Frustrated because even the best-designed business plans fell apart when people didn't believe in them. Frustrated because leaders always spoke of putting people first, and then treated them like replaceable gears.

I had held blue-collar jobs and white-collar jobs, been paid minimum wage and a six-figure salary, worked with people who hadn't finished high school and those with Ph.D.s from the world's poshest universities. I'd worked in an environment where our sole purpose was changing the world and another where it was all about making a buck for the founder.

It just didn't make sense to me that no matter where I turned, people weren't treated better in their jobs. We spend more time working than doing anything else in the world. It's not right that the experience of work, even at some of the best employers, should be so demotivating and dehumanizing.

Crazy as it sounds (and my McKinsey colleagues indeed thought I was crazy!), I decided to leave consulting and find a job in human resources. I thought it would give me the greatest chance of affecting the most people, most quickly (vs. climbing the same ladder as the thousands of other former consultants and hoping to someday become a CEO). I was lucky enough to get an HR job at General Electric because one of their execs, Anne Abaya, rolled the dice on me. I learned a ton from her and my colleagues.

google employees

And then three years later a 6,000-person company called Google rang me up to lead what we decided to call "People Operations." The company is almost 10 times bigger today and we've won our share of recognition for our people practices. We've done what we can to advance the application of science to the people side of business, or as my colleague Prasad Setty branded the group he founded in 2007, "People Analytics."

But the best part has been realizing that Google isn't unique. Lots of other companies — places like Wegmans, the Brandix Group, Costco — in all sorts of industries do fantastic things for their people too.

Check out the management strategies that Google lives by >>

Indeed, Wegmans was the #1 "Best Company to Work for" in 2005, winning the award the year before Google won it for the first time, and continuing to be a personal source of inspiration for me and my team.

What's more, there's a tremendous amount of academic research supporting the idea that the strong results these companies achieved weren't a coincidence: that happy, fulfilled workers and business success actually go hand in hand. And we've found the same in our research at Google.

I figured that if I could bring together this research — and the experiences of Google and other companies — and share it broadly, we might have a shot at making work more meaningful for people everywhere. Out of that desire, my new book, "Work Rules!" was born.

And in the spirit of open sourcing and sharing, I've put together a brief guide with what I believe are the ten most important rules for developing a happy, healthy, and productive workplace.

If you find it inspiring, there's much more in the book, which you can find at www.workrules.net.

Hope you enjoy!

More from Laszlo Bock:







See the rest of the story at Business Insider

See inside the little red book that is placed on the desk of every Facebook employee

0
0

Facebook's little red book cover

In late 2012, when Facebook reached a billion users, a little red book started appearing on the desks of all its employees.

The book is full of inspirational, propaganda-style quotes about Facebook's history and values. Until very recently, its contents — even its existence — were largely unknown to outsiders. 

Now, however, former Facebook designer Ben Barry, who created it during his time with the company, has published a series of scans from the book.

Barry set up Facebook's print studio – known as the Analog Research Lab



Where he would "design logos, fuss with typography, print posters, and make books".



Facebook's corporate persona is neatly packaged in the little red book. Barry's site explains:



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Step back 25 years in time to the gritty days of New York City's Meatpacking District

0
0

meat packing and chelsea

It's almost hard to conceive how much New York City has changed over the past 25 years. Derelict industrial zones and abandoned buildings have been transformed into a hub of industry; what was once a wasteland now is a clean, safe, and very expensive city.

Photographer Grégoire Alessandrini remembers the old days, though, before all that gentrification. He recently began posting images he shot of Manhattan during the early and mid-nineties on his blog, and they create a fantastic window into another time. Alessandrini captured all sides of the city, and all the characters who inhabited its scenes. 

We put together a slideshow of old photos of Chelsea and the Meatpacking District, two neighborhoods that have seen extensive growth and change over the years. You can see many more images of New York on Alessandrini's blog, where you can also buy prints of his work.

Since the 1900s, the Meatpacking District was used for just that...



...packing meat and shipping it off to retailers.



However, by the time Alessandrini got there, times had gotten rough.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 20 jobs that robots are most likely to take over

0
0

referee

Machines are only getting smarter and more efficient.

So much so that they're starting to take over both blue-collar and white-collar jobs. 

NPR recently posted a guide created by researchers that predicts the chance of our jobs being automated within the next 20 years.

To make their projections, the experts scored jobs across 21 fields on nine possible traits, the four most important being: cleverness, negotiation, helping others, and squeezing into small spaces. 

Mental health and substance abuse social workers appear to be in the clear, with a 0.3% chance of being automated.

Telemarketers, umpires, cashiers, and several other jobs that are already being replaced by robots, have reason to worry, however. You can interact with the full guide here

While the researchers admitted that these percentages are rough, the data offers insights into what the future may look like. 

20. Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers

Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers have a 95.1% chance of being automated. 

Robots are becoming critical to the production process of electronics because of their precision and accuracy. They are being used to do things such as: load solar wafers into solar cells, place LED light bulbs, and inspect circuit boards, as reported by the Robotics Industries Association

Source: NPR



19. Postal service workers

Postal service workers have a 95.4% chance of being automated. 

Postal sorters, clerks, and mail carriers are being hit hard by automation. Not only are robots able to do tasks such as sort mail, but snail mail is also becoming more and more obsolete with the increasing digitization of mail.

Source: NPR 

 

 



18. Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers

Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers have a 95.5% chance of being automated.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts their employment to decline 10% between now and 2022 as robots begin assisting in the manufacturing and repairing of jewelry. 

Source: NPR 

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The world's most valuable brands in 2015 (GOOG, AAPL, MSFT, IBM, V, T, VZC, KO, MCD)

0
0

coca cola bottles

Apple has overtaken Google this year to become the world's most valuable brand, according to WPP and Millward Brown's annual "Brand Z" rankings.

Technology brands dominate the top 10, but there is also a surprise entrant.

Millward Brown's study uses the views of around 2 million potential and current customers of a brand, alongside financial data, to calculate a company's brand value. You can see the full report and methodology here.

10. Marlboro

Brand value: $80 billion

Percentage change from last year: +19%

Last year's rank: 13

What happened: Perhaps a surprise entrant into the top 10 for many people, Marlboro's brand value has shot through the roof over the past year. It commands 43.8% of the US cigarette market, and outside the US, Marlboro's share is bigger than the next two largest brands combined, according to Forbes. Millward Brown says the increase in brand value is largely due to the rise in Altria's (the company that controls Marlboro in the US) share price, which has increased around 26% in the past year.



9. McDonald's

Brand value: $81 billion

Percentage change since last year: -5%

Last year's rank: 5

What happened: It was a testing year for McDonald's, which had to battle consumer concerns around its ingredients, supply chains, and environmental responsibility. Its 5% decline in brand value this year follows another 5% decline in value a year ago. 



8. Coca-Cola

Brand value: $84 billion

Percentage change since last year: +4%

Last year's rank: 6

What happened: Millward Brown also credited Coca-Cola for roughing out tough times by adjusting its product range and communications to more effectively address growing consumer concerns around health issues. The brand had particular success with its worldwide "Share a Coke" campaign, which boosted sales in the US for the first time in more than a decade.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
Viewing all 61683 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images