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How to sound like an expert next time you order a martini at the bar

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martini with lots of olives in a bar

Ordering a Martini seems simple enough.

But when the bartender asks for specifics, suddenly you're fumbling — vodka or gin? Shaken or stirred? And what in the world is a dry martini?

Does it even matter?

It does, according to Allen Katz, the director of Mixology and Spirits Education for Southern Wine & Spirits of New York. He helped us break down the different types of martinis on a cocktail menu, and taught us how to order one without sounding like an idiot.

In celebration of National Martini Day, read these tips, and memorize them.

1. Gin or vodka?

The classic martini was created as a gin cocktail, so for those interested in having the typical martini experience, give gin a try.

"Each gin you try will have a distinct flavor," Katz explains. "Different brands of gin are made using different botanicals so they all taste unique."

If the herb flavor of the gin proves too strong for you, order a vodka martini instead.

2. Dry, perfect, or wet?

These three distinctions refer to how much and what type of vermouth you want in your cocktail.

Vermouth is a type of wine that's flavored with botanicals, and can make a martini "dry" or "sweet." A modern martini usually calls for a splash of dry vermouth, which is known for its more bitter and less-sugary taste.

"Where people get confused is that when you request a 'dry' martini, it doesn't mean you want more dry vermouth — it means you want less vermouth," Kats says. A typical dry martini will have a drizzle of dry vermouth while an "extra-dry" martini will only have a drop or two of dry vermouth (sometimes even none at all).

A wet martini then is the exact opposite — you want more dry vermouth. Historically, martinis were quite wet, with old-school martinis prepared with an almost equal ratio of gin and vermouth.

A perfect martini, on the other hand, is made with equal parts dry and sweet vermouth with your vodka or gin.

3. Shaken or stirred?

“Shaken” means the alcohol of your choice will be shaken in a cocktail shaker with ice before being strained into your glass. "There's a bit of an aplomb or style to a well-shaken cocktail," Katz told us.

“Stirred” means the gin will be placed in a cocktail shaker with ice and stirred for about 30 seconds before being strained into the glass. "This results in a smoother version, with less likelihood of ice shards in your cocktail," Katz said.

4. Straight up or on the rocks?

“Up” means that your drink will be served in one of those familiar tall martini glasses that has been chilled. "On the rocks” means that it will be served in a tumbler over ice.

"If you've got an appropriately diluted martini, you shouldn't need the ice," Katz said. "Of course, that being said, when it comes to cocktails people should drink them however they prefer."

5. Do you want that "with a twist"?

This just refers to how you want your martini garnished. Classic martinis are either garnished with an olive on a skewer or a small twist of lemon peel for an added pop of citrus.

If you have a preference, just tell your bartender "with a twist" for the lemon peel, or "with an olive."

6. How about a classic twist on the basic martini?

Dirty, Gibson, and Vesper: These are the three famous types of martini that every bartender worth their salt will know how to make.

Dirty: A little splash of olive juice in the martini. "You still have to ask for degrees depending on how 'dirty' you like it," Katz said. "I've found that people who really like dirty martinis like them really dirty, and then you just garnish with an olive to bolster that characteristic."

Gibson: Can be made either with gin or vodka, but "instead of a classic garnish like a twist or an olive, you get a pearl onion," Katz said. "I've also seen Gibsons made with pickled onions and an olive."

Vesper: For those wanting to order a martini like James Bond, this is the drink for you. First described in the book "Casino Royale," the vesper martini was originally made with gin, vodka, and Kina Lillet, a type of bitter wine aperitif.

"Because Kina Lillet has become so rare, people nowadays will substitute another aperitif wine called Cocchi Americano," Katz told us. "And always remember if you order a Vesper, you're compounding the booze with gin and vodka." In other words, this is not the drink-of-choice for a lightweight.

7. A final tip ...

If you've never had a martini before, Katz recommended trying a traditional martini as a jumping-off point for future orders.

"Tell the bartender you'll have a martini with a 3:1 ratio of vermouth," he advised first-timers. "Try it with gin, because a gin martini will be more interesting with the vermouth. Order it stirred, and straight up."

And make sure to get a normal-sized cocktail, not one of those monster martinis the size of your head. That way, if you don't like it you can "simply move on to the next cocktail," Katz said.

SEE ALSO: You can't go wrong with this perfect all-in-one martini recipe

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's One Of The Easiest Bourbon Cocktails You Can Make At Home


I spent 2 weeks researching restaurants at every price point before my mom came to visit NYC, and here's where we went

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FullSizeRender (3)

About a month ago, my food-loving mom flew in from North Carolina to spend a weekend in New York City with me.

She was in charge of picking activities; I was in charge of picking food. 

I wanted her to experience a variety of cuisines and see different neighborhoods of Manhattan. I also had to account for one "splurge" night — to celebrate her new job — but wanted to balance that out with affordable spots.

Most importantly, I wanted these places to have really good food

There were a lot of factors to consider, but after two weeks of indecision and second-guessing, here's what I came up with, from $4 oats at a tiny oatmeal bar to $14 guacamole at Richard Sandoval's elegant Mexican restaurant, Pampano.

The itinerary

After several days of Googling, Yelping, polling people, and making — then canceling and remaking — reservations, I came up with a (tentative) agenda, hence the pencil. 

We didn't make it everywhere, but we did a did a pretty good job following through on this aggressively scheduled itinerary. 

 



Friday breakfast — Frisson Espresso

By the time my mom arrived on Friday, I was already at work, but that was no reason for her to miss out on a cup of NYC joe and a fattening pastry. 

I decided to leave my apartment keys for her at the coffee shop a few doors down from my place in Hell's Kitchen: Frisson Espresso. The relatively new shop is charming, with just as charming of a staff who agreed to deliver my keys to the suitcase-lugging-lady arriving at 10:30am. 

They also let me pre-pay for a coffee and scone to greet the traveler.

Price: $7.25 for a medium coffee and scone (I left tip for their hospitality)

$ out of $$$$ on Yelp



Friday lunch — Sagaponack

A coworker recommended this lunch spot tucked away on W 22nd street in the Flatiron District. It's one of those places where you enter and immediately forget you're in the middle of bustling New York City; its nautical inspired decor gives it the feel of its namesake town Sagaponack, in the Hamptons.

We ordered on the lighter side, trying to pace ourselves for the caloric marathon we were about to embark on over the next few days, and went with their East End salad and hummus platter. Had we not been pacing, we would have explored other parts of the menu, which offers burgers, tacos, lobster rolls, hot and cold sandwiches, and pasta. 

While the food was flavorful, fresh, and exactly what we wanted, the service was a bit slow. I'm all for leisurely meals, but a weekday lunch that drags for over an hour can be stressful.

Price: $31.67 for two courses and two Diet Cokes

$$ out of $$$$ on Yelp



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Michael Jordan's historic 1996 Chicago Bulls team

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michael jordan chicago bulls

The 1996 Chicago Bulls are widely regarded as one of the best teams in sports history. They went 72-10 in the regular season and won the NBA title.

The roster featured three future Hall of Fame players (Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman), a future Hall of Fame coach (Phil Jackson), and numerous All-Stars.

While many of the players are still involved in the basketball world, others have gone on to different things. One player has become a volleyball coach, another is a media personality, and one even makes frequent trips to North Korea.

Michael Jordan won regular season and NBA Finals MVP.



He now owns the Charlotte Hornets and is a billionaire.

 Read more here >



Luc Longley was the starting center.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

How Russia's most advanced military equipment stacks up against NATO's hardware

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Russian military parade soldiers

Despite the country's economic crisis, Russia has been stepping up its military spending at a dramatic pace.

At the same time, a lot of NATO members have been paring back their budgets.

At the same time, Moscow's relationship with Washington and Europe is in its worst state since before the collapse of the Berlin Wall.

But how does the modern Russian military stack up against the best that the Western Alliance has to offer?

Take a look.

Russia's new Armata battle tank is one of the world's most advanced. More than 2,000 are expected to be in service by 2020, and was showcased in Moscow's Victory parade this year, with a 125mm cannon capable of firing 10 rounds per minute.



Not all of NATO's highly advanced equipment is American (though most is) — Germany's Leopard 2A7 battle tank, which recently came into service, is perhaps the world's most well-regarded tank.



The 2S35 Koalitsiya-SV is Russia's new showcase self-propelled artillery piece, which was also showcased at the parade in May.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

48 tips on becoming more powerful

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house of cards

What is power? And how do you acquire it?

Robert Greene, author of "The 48 Laws of Power," has some insight.

Power is "the measure of the degree of control you have over circumstances in your life and the actions of the people around you,"Greene tells Business Insider. "It is a skill that is developed by a deep understanding of human nature, of what truly motivates people, and of the manipulations necessary for advancement and protection."

Greene gave us permission to republish his 48 laws power, which he developed from analyzing some of history's most powerful people.

This is an update of an article originally written by Aimee Groth.

Never outshine the master.

"Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite — inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power."



Never put too much trust in friends; learn how to use enemies.

"Be wary of friends — they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy. They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove. In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies. If you have no enemies, find a way to make them."



Conceal your intentions.

"Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense. Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelop them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it will be too late."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

These are the 11 most game-changing aircraft of the 21st century

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Stratolaunch

Today's most sophisticated aircraft are the things of science fiction.

In a few years, drones that can fit in the palm of a person's hand and 117-foot-wingspan behemoths capable of launching satellites into space will both be a reality.

At the same time, drone and advanced-fighter technologies will spread beyond the US and Europe, and countries including China, Russia, and Iran may have highly advanced aerial capabilities.

Here's our look at the most game-changing aircraft of the past few years — and the next few to come.

F-35 Lightning II

The F-35 may cost as much as $1.5 trillion over its lifetime. But it's also supposed to be the most fearsome military aircraft ever built, a plane that can dogfight, provide close air support, and carry out bombing runs, all with stealth capabilities, a high degree of maneuverability, and the ability to take off and land on aircraft carriers.

It hasn't quite worked out that way so far, and problems with everything from the plane's software system to its engines has both delayed its deployment and made its costs spiral upward. And it isn't nearly as effective at close air support as existing platforms such as the A-10.

But the US has more than 1,700 of them on order. Like it or not, the F-35 will be the US' workhorse warplane for decades to come.



F-22 Raptor

The predecessor to Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II is the single-seat, twin-engine F-22 Raptor, currently the most advanced combat-ready jet.

The US solely operates the world's F-22s thanks to federal law that prohibits the jet from being exported. Lockheed Martin built 195 jets before the last one was delivered to the US Air Force in May 2012. Despite the program's cost and the jet's advanced features, it saw combat for the first time relatively recently, during the opening phase of the bombing campaign against the Islamic State.



T-50

Russia's Su-50, also known under the prototype name of the T-50 PAK-FA, is the Kremlin's fifth-generation fighter and its response to the F-35.

Though still in prototype, Moscow thinks the Su-50 will ultimately be able to outperform the F-35 on key metrics such as speed and maneuverability. The stealth capabilities of the Su-50, however, are believed to be below those of the F-22 and the F-35.

The Kremlin plans to introduce the Su-50 into service by 2016. Once the plane is combat-ready, it will serve as a base model for the construction of further variants intended for export. India is already codesigning an Su-50 variant with Russia, and Iran and South Korea are possible candidates to buy future models of the plane.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

12 strange photos that will make you look twice

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RTXPCRRSometimes, your brain just doesn’t believe what your eyes are seeing. When that happens what’s occurring is commonly known as a optical illusion.

While Photoshop has made it easy to manipulate images, there’s still nothing like a good-ol’ photograph taken at just the right angle to deceive your mind and create an alt-reality.

Check out the images ahead to see some truly unbelievable scenarios - and get answers to what’s actually occurring.  

While it appears this boy is walking on air, he is actually mid-jump, falling into the Dnipro river in Kiev.



German street performer Johan Lorbeer deceives his audience that he's floating in mid-air, but this stunt involves a fake arm.



Disembodied heads float above their respective bodies, captured by a water-proof camera half-way submerged.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

MLB POWER RANKINGS: Where all 30 teams stand going into the summer

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John Lackey

In April, every MLB team is dreaming of October. After close to 70 games, many teams have given up on that dream and the good teams have separated themselves from the bad and the unlucky.

As we close in on the All-Star break, let's take a look at where all 30 teams stand after 11 weeks.

Using each team's actual performance, their expected performance, as well as their chances of making the playoffs according to PECOTA, here is how every team ranks so far.

1. St. Louis Cardinals

Record: 43-23

Expected Record*: 42-24

2015 Playoff chances (PECOTA): 94.0%

2015 Preseason projected wins (Fangraphs): 88

2015 Preseason projected wins (PECOTA): 87

What to know: The Cardinals now have to deal with the distraction of an FBI investigation into their front office.

*Using the difference between the number of runs scored and the number of runs given up, we calculated each team's Pythagorean Win Percentage which tells us how many games a team typically wins based on their run differential.



2. Los Angeles Dodgers

Record: 38-29

Expected Record: 40-27

2015 Playoff chances (PECOTA): 90.6%

2015 Preseason projected wins (Fangraphs): 91

2015 Preseason projected wins (PECOTA): 93

What to know: Clayton Kershaw, who struggled early in the year, is starting to show his Cy Young form, posting a 1.56 ERA over his last five starts with 49 strikeouts and just seven walks.



3. Pittsburgh Pirates

Record: 39-27

Expected Record: 41-25

2015 Playoff chances (PECOTA): 74.8%

2015 Preseason projected wins (Fangraphs): 85

2015 Preseason projected wins (PECOTA): 81

What to know: The Pirates have the second-best record in the National League, but are still 4.0 games back in the NL Central.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 10 best travel books to read this summer

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Reading in the parkOn summer days in New York City, there are few things I love to see more than (1) grown men wearing suits eating ice cream cones and (2) zany locals on park benches, engrossed in their paperbacks.

Maybe it is because both images symbolize a momentary pause from the hectic street scenes of Manhattan.

Maybe it's just that ice cream eating and leisurely reading are favorite pastimes.

I'm happy to see an uptick in both activities during the season and have compiled a summer reading list to help with the latter. I'll work on getting through all the NYC ice cream trucks next.

'Eating Viet Nam: Dispatches From a Blue Plastic Table' by Graham Holliday

A lip-smacking memoir about the Brit expat's street food exploits in Vietnam — and the cult food blog that followed.

Quirky descriptions of savory bun cha, pho, and bahn mi sate the voracious reader and eater alike. It's fun, easygoing, and sure to make you want to book a trip.

Buy it here >>



'The Sunlit Night' by Rebecca Dinerstein

A novel about a place where the sun never sets — in an archipelago in the Norwegian Sea — and two characters who flee old lives for solitude only to find themselves bound together in desolation.

Quirky and dark despite the light, with vivid descriptions of the crisp air, barren landscapes, and seductive silences.

Buy it here >>



'The Fault Line: Traveling the Other Europe' by Paolo Rumiz (translation by Gregory Conti)

By: Paolo Rumiz (translation by Gregory Conti) 

From the Arctic Circle to Odessa, an Italian journalist traces the path drawn by the Iron Curtain, shedding light on regions of the world that are rarely reported on.

Lush descriptions of Karelia, Estonia, and Belarus are told through conversations with Carpathian foragers and Moldovian farm women.

Buy it here >>



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

26 ancient ruins you should visit in your lifetime

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Petra, Jordan

It's incredible that monuments built by ancient civilizations thousands of years ago still stand today.

Seeing these sites is like stepping back in time and witnessing what life was like in a place that ceased to exist years ago.

From the Roman baths in England to the Ajanta caves in India, we found 26 ancient ruins that everyone should visit in their lifetime.

 

Dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries, Peru's Machu Picchu was a royal estate or sacred religious site used by Inca leaders. The site — comprised of over 3,000 steps and more than 150 stone structures — was only discovered in 1911, centuries after Spanish invaders wiped out Incan civilization.

Source



Pompeii was a thriving Roman city near Naples, Italy, before it was covered in ash from the eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The eruption killed 2,000 people, but the city itself remained intact under the ash until it was discovered in 1748.

Source



Drawing close to one million visitors a year, Stone Henge — 100 mysterious large stones in a circular layout — took around 1,500 years for our Neolithic ancestors to build. It's one of the ancient world's seven wonders.

Source



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20 befuddling pictures of pizza, everywhere but where you'd expect

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Photo by Jon Paul Douglass

Everyone loves pizza.

Jonpaul Douglass is no different. The Los Angeles-based photographer was walking in his neighborhood one day when he saw a pizza tagged on a wall in his neighborhood that was usually covered in graffiti. First he laughed out loud. Then he got an idea.

Jonpaul began a series called "#pizzainthewild," placing pepperoni pies in a variety of areas, both urban and rural. 

He likes to photograph the pizzas, which he gets them from Little Caesars, as fresh if he can, but admits that for certain situations he sometimes lets them sit in his trunk and get as hard as a rock.

In an interview with Heritage Radio, Jon remarked that "one of the great things about L.A. is that I can do this all day and people don't think twice of it. My friend and I were putting like 20 pizzas on just a lazy boy recliner on the sidewalk one day and so many people walked by without even turning their head." Speaking of humans, there's never any in his shots - making the shots seem even more surreal. 

He's taken over 100 pizza photos for the series already. We selected 20 of his best and most unusual images.

Jonpaul lives in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles and often places pizzas around there.

#pizzainthewild

A photo posted by Jonpaul Douglass (@jonpauldouglass) on Apr 29, 2014 at 9:35am PDT



Plenty of peacocks roam the neighborhood he lives in. The area, being centrally located, also allows him to easily travel around town.

#pizzainthewild

A photo posted by Jonpaul Douglass (@jonpauldouglass) on Jan 10, 2014 at 10:39am PST



He picks up pizzas two at a time, shoots, and then sticks them in the fridge in case another photo opportunity presents itself.

#pizzainthewild

A photo posted by Jonpaul Douglass (@jonpauldouglass) on Nov 26, 2013 at 11:45am PST



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

ROYAL & LOOKING: The world's 14 most eligible royals

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Prince Philippos of Greece

Royal bachelors and bachelorettes are flying off the market. 

Since we last rounded up the world's most eligible royals, in 2012, seven have either married or become engaged. Most recently, Sweden's Prince Carl Philip created a media frenzy when he wed a reality TV star

But as one royal puts a ring on it, another enters the international dating game. 

Here are the world's 14 most eligible royals, hailing from Great Britain all the way to Thailand.

Aly Weisman contributed to an earlier version of this post.

Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana of Thailand

The 28-year old princess is the daughter of the Crown Prince Maha Vajralongkorn.

She was educated at Chalalongkorn University, where she received a degree in Fine Arts.

In 2007, she was invited to show her collection at Paris Fashion Week. She debuted another collection the following year, gaining a royal presence within the fashion world. Recently, she decided to rename Tachai Island — part of the Similan Islands in the Andaman Sea — "Sirivannavari," after herself. 

 



Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales

Prince Harry is 30 years old and fifth in line for the throne.

The second son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, he made headlines for a few scandalous adventures during his teenage years but has since calmed down.

Harry is an officer in the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and was commissioned in a regiment of the Household Cavalry in the British Army. The younger brother of Prince William has publicly dated Chelsy Davy, who was his date to his brother's wedding. Lately he's been spotted with "Doctor Who" star Jenna Coleman. 



Princess Beatrice Elizabeth Mary of York

Princess Beatrice is 26 years old and seventh in line for the throne.

She is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew of York and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. She graduated from the University of London with a degree in history. In early 2015, she left her job as a coordinating producer at Sony's London office. The departure came shortly after her salary (allegedly £19,500) was revealed by hackers. 

Often called "the party princess," she is the only member of the Royal Family to have completed the London Marathon.

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Feast your eyes on what could be the world's most expensive mega-yacht

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Admiral X Force Yacht 145

The Admiral X Force 145 is not your everyday mega-yacht. The 465-foot vessel takes luxury to eye-popping new heights.

Not only is the yet-to-be-built boat huge; its lavish interiors are punctuated by crystal chandeliers and solid marble floors.

Two pools, two movie theaters, two helipads, a garage, multiple gym facilities, and a bi-level pool area merely scratch the surface of what this incredible boat will offer.

Though the price is only available on request, The Daily Mail estimates it will cost over $1 billion. Would that make it the world's most expensive yacht? Only if it gets built before spring 2018, when 4Yacht's Triple Deuce, a 722-foot leviathan, is set to be completed. 

The Italian Sea Group project was dreamed up by Dobroserdov Design in a partnership with Admiral Centro Stile. They provided us an artist's rendering of what the ship will look like when it's commissioned and completed.

Feast your eyes on the Admiral X Force 145. It doesn't get much more luxurious than this.



The X Force is longer than two jumbo jets or one-and-a-half football fields.



Inside, the yacht is packed with extravagant details. This main salon area is massive.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

19 iPhone-only apps that will make your Android friends jealous

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ip6

One of the best things about owning an iPhone is that you get a lot of the newest apps first before they arrive on Android.

It may not be fair, but it's a great perk for iPhone users. That means there's always something new to try.

You can enjoy exclusive apps from Instagram, cutting-edge photography apps, the best game we've seen this year, and even an app that will tell you the exact minute it's going to start raining.

 

Manual gives photography experts full access to all of your camera's settings.

Manual lets you open up the hood of your iPhone's camera, giving you full independent control of advanced settings like shutter, ISO, white balance, focus, and exposure compensation.

Price:$1.99



Robinhood is a no-fee stock trading app.

You don't have to pay any commission fees when you use Robinhood, a stylish new trading app that's backed by Marc Andreessen and Snoop Dogg. You can access market data and quotes in real-time, and Robinhood makes it easy to stay on top of your portfolio with its Apple Watch app and iPhone widget that you can check from your lock screen.

Price: Free



Fresh Air is our new favorite weather app.

Fresh Air is a gorgeous new weather app that emphasizes visuals with its minimalist weather graph. You can scroll forward in time to see how the weather will be in the future, and it also connects to your calendar app to give you forecasts on upcoming appointments.

Price: Free



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 25 richest self-made billionaires in the world

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bill gatesThere are two types of billionaires: those who inherited their wealth, and those who built it from nothing.

Our friends at Wealth-X, a firm that does research and net worth valuations on ultra-high net worth individuals, focused on the latter to compile a list of the wealthiest self-made billionaires in the world.

From tech mogul Bill Gates to Alibaba founder Jack Ma, here's who made the list. 

25. Len Blavatnik

Estimated net worth: $20.1 billion

Though he's known as one of Britain's richest residents, Blavatnik is a native of Ukraine. He earned degrees at Moscow State University, Columbia, and Harvard Business School before founding Access Industries in 1986 and investing in aluminum and chemical companies. In recent years he began investing in tech, with stakes in Spotify and Beats. Blavatnik also owns Warner Music, which he bought in 2011 for $3.3 billion.

Source: Wealth-X



24. Li Ka-Shing

Estimated net worth: $20.1 billion

Ka-Shing is one of the richest men in Asia, but his power far exceeds his wealth. He's known for investing in new, blossoming tech startups and was an early Facebook backer. Recently, the company he chairs, Hutchison Whampoa, bought the UK's second-largest mobile operator, O2. Last year he invested $23 million in plant-based egg-replacement company Hampton Creek through his firm Horizon Ventures.

Source: Wealth-X 



23. Patrick Drahi

Estimated net worth: $21 billion

The third-richest person in France, Drahi founded Altice, a multinational cable and telecommunications holding company, in 2002. Altice operates throughout France, Belgium, Israel, Portugal, and the Dominican Republic, and garnered international attention for its $1.8 billion IPO in January 2014. Drahi is coming to the US soon, too — he's taking over American cable company Suddenlink.

Source: Wealth-X



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Look at all the goofy clothing that tech companies made back in the '80s and '90s

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drake wwdc

Earlier this month, Drake caught everyone's attention when he appeared onstage at WWDC, Apple's big developer conference, wearing a vintage jacket made for the company's employees in the 1990s. 

It turns out Apple and other tech companies made lots of funny corporate gear in the '80s and '90s.

We've rounded up some of the best of it here. 

During his talk at WWDC, Drake made a joke about the vintage employee jacket, saying that he bought it "using this tool called the internet."



Drake's jacket looks just like one that recently sold for $825 on eBay. According to the listing, "this rare Apple Computers jacket varsity/baseball style jacket was given to Apple employees, at the time of the 'rainbow' logo." The rainbow logo was used by Apple from 1977 to 1998. An identical jacket is currently on eBay for $3,500.

See the listing »



Back in 1986, Apple released a clothing line it called "The Apple Collection," filled with oversized sweatshirts, windbreakers, and obnoxiously bright patterns.


 



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Russia's secret space shuttles have been sitting in plain sight for 22 years

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In 1974, Russia launched its largest, most expensive project in space exploration history.

The stars of the project, called the Buran program, were its space shuttles, which were built in secret from designs the Soviet secret police stole from NASA.

The Soviets invested anywhere from tens of millions to billions on the project, which was terminated in 1993. The sites where the shuttles were laid to rest have since been completely abandoned.

Photographer Ralph Mirebs recently visited one of these dust-ridden graveyards and chronicled the journey on his LiveJournal blog, where you can see the full collection.

The abandoned garage, also called a hangar, is located on a site that belong to Russia's space launch facility, called Baikonur Cosmodrome, where rockets are still launched today.



The abandoned hangar is 433 feet long and 203 feet high with giant doors on either end, shown below, that slid open to release the shuttles.



Near the top of this photo are beams attached with cranes that could lift up to 400 tons.



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7 successful people share the biggest mistakes they've made with their money

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dan price gravity payments

As author and leadership guru Dale Carnegie once said, "discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success." 

So, naturally, one of my favorite questions to ask guests on my daily podcast So Money is, "What was your biggest financial failure or mistake?"

Not because I want to embarrass them, but because those missteps inevitably reveal invaluable lessons and, in many cases, pave the way towards big wins.

Since launching the show, I've had the honor of interviewing everyone from top entrepreneurs to bestselling authors and entertainment personalities including Tim Ferriss, Ryan Holiday, and Margaret Cho.

Here's what they — and four others — had to say about a personal financial failure.

Farnoosh Torabi is an award-winning financial author and host of the daily podcast So Money. Want to learn more? Download her free e-book, "SoMoney Secrets: Financial Habits of Highly Successful People."

David Pottruck: 'Investing in startups.'

David Pottruck, the former CEO of Charles Schwab and now chairman of HighTower Advisors, says that after leaving Schwab, he began investing in small startup companies without any prior experience.

For example, remember Eos Airlines? Pottruck says investing in it was a big ol' fail.

"... A good idea does not necessarily create a good business and a good business does not necessarily translate into a good investment," Pottruck told me. "So, you have to look at something in terms of its idea value, its value as a business and then its value as an investment. All of those are different, and so I didn't know that, and I had to learn that."

Listen to the full interview with David Pottruck.



Tim Ferriss: 'Failing to find my market.'

"You should not make a product and then find your market," says Tim Ferriss. "You should choose your market and then make your product. You should know exactly who you're making something for and not get stuck as a lot of engineers do, creating something with a bunch of features and then attempting to figure out who you're going to sell it to."

The multiple New York Times best-selling author learned this lesson the hard way, confessing that after teaching his speed-reading seminar he was eager to create a product that allowed him to offer seminars without always having to be physically present. 

So, he created an audio-book, "How I Beat the Ivy League," and invested in the project using most of his savings and a lot of his time. Ultimately, he sold only two copies — including one to his mom, he joked.

Listen to the full interview with Tim Ferriss.



Margaret Cho: 'Not buying an apartment.'

Award-winning comedian Margaret Cho shared with me that one of her biggest mistakes was saying no to a friend who offered her a really great real estate deal back in 1994.

A friend had offered her the apartment in New York City from the movie "9 ½ Weeks" for less than $400,000. She declined the offer at the time, even though she had the money. Now she estimates it's worth between $8-9 million.

Although it would have been a great real estate investment, Cho doesn't look back. She says, "I was really scared to buy a house. And I really remained scared to buy a house until I bought a house ... But to me, I live very, very comfortably now and really never took those kinds of risks." 

Listen to the full interview with Margaret Cho.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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In four hours, the Wall Streeters completed a 400-meter run, football throw, pull-ups, 40-yard dash, dips, 500-meter row, vertical jump, 20-yard shuttle, bench press, and an 800-meter run.

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I tracked down and anonymously chatted with an insanely private hacker — this is how I did it

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privacy

Two weeks ago I decided I wanted to contact a hacker who did not want to be tracked. While this may sound difficult, I was able to communicate with the hacker using an array of online tools so that both he and I were happy with the level of privacy and felt we could speak freely.

Here is how I did it: 

Some background

I became aware of a teenage hacker who made a malware platform called Tox that was quite powerful. The hacker communicated using the dark web — forums on websites that could only be accessed using web browsers that anonymize traffic. He also posted a few updates on Pastebin, a website hackers frequently post messages, including the announcement that he wanted to leave behind his life of cybercrime. 

Using the information this Tox hacker had posted, I had very few details on how to contact him. It boiled down to a possible email address that he used and a PGP key (see my explanation on what that is below). Using these two pieces of information, I delved further, and ultimately found a way for us to talk in private.

What is a PGP key? 

PGP stands for Pretty Good Privacy — no joke. A PGP key is a way that internet users can encrypt their messages, making it nearly impossible for anyone but the sender and receiver to read the message. Everyone using PGP must have two keys — a public key and a private key. 

PGP works like this: If I want to send a message to you, I first need to know your public key (there are online repositories with public keys available). Then, using software, I write my message and the text is ciphered in a way that is unique only to your public key.

But the only way for this message to be deciphered is to use the second part of the puzzle — your private key. So I send you a message that is encrypted using your public key. You must then put your private key into the PGP software to decrypt the message. 

Given that no one but you knows the private key, it is nearly impossible for anyone to intercept the message and decode it. 

I generated my own encryption key using software called GPG Suite. It is a program that makes it easy for people to encrypt and decrypt messages. (I won’t go into great detail about all the things GPG Suite can do, but here's a bunch of documentation about the software if you're interested in learning more.)

Here's what my PGP public key looks like:

pgp screenshot

Back to the Tox hacker

Since I had his public key as well as probably email I address, I decided to write him a message using PGP to show that I trusted his privacy.  

So I wrote a short message asking if he’d talk to me. I said we could chat on Skype, as it’s been known as a good place for hackers to chat.

I used a web platform to encrypt my message on the iGolder website. It’s an easy form that has me copy and paste the public key as well as the message. It then encrypts the message into a garble of letters and numbers.

encryption screenshot

I then copied the encrypted message into an email and sent it to Tox. I also posted the encrypted body of my text to Pastebin in case the email didn't work. This way, if he was searching on Pastebin for anything entitled Tox (I named him in the subject), he would be able to copy the text and use his private key to decrypt the message.

encrypted email screenshot

And, what do you know, less than a day later I got a reply from the email I sent!

The Tox hacker said he would be interested in talking, but did not want to use Skype. He prefers to audit all the communication software he uses, and he wasn't sure about Skype's security. Instead, he wanted to use another chat client. 

Using TorChat 

The Tox hacker decided that TorChat was best, because it best ensured anonymity. TorChat uses Tor networks, which is a decentralized network to make tracking traffic nearly impossible. TorChat also encrypts messages (like the PGP emails before) making the text of the messages sent impossible to intercept. 

TorChat can be used for both instant messaging and file sharing, making it a go-to for dark net businesspeople.  

When you log into TorChat it gives you a randomly assigned address, which serves as your screen name. Tox gave me his TorChat address, I downloaded the app, and then we connected. 

torchat screenshot

Following that, we chatted using a simple interface very similar to iMessage. The rest of our correspondences were done using TorChat. 

torchat message screenshot

Using these services I was able to get in contact with and gain the trust of someone who held his privacy to the utmost degree.

There are a variety of other privacy-focused programs out there, but these are good starting points and a good way to see how the most skeptical of web users keep their web activity private.

You can read my actual interview with Tox here.

SEE ALSO: One of the most popular password security companies just admitted it was hacked

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