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The insane ways your phone and computer can be hacked — even if they're not connected to the internet

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Google engineer, servers

Hacking is the new spying. And, as we've learned time and time again, both government and private organizations are using cyber-spy techniques to gain as much intelligence as they can.

But getting this data can be difficult. In fact, some of the most previous of digital information is safeguarded by machines that have no contact with the outside world.

So can this internet-less data be hacked? Well, yes.

With some help from the research of the security firm Kaspersky Lab, as well as some of our own personal digging, here's a look into some of the insane and creepy technologies used to hack offline devices.

SEE ALSO: The best ways to keep your identity safe, according to the world's top security experts

Detecting electromagnetic radiation

Both the US and the USSR have spent decades looking into the electromagnetic radiation that an electronic device emits. Kaspersky Lab writes that once a device is plugged into a power line it "generates electromagnetic radiation that can be intercepted by proven technologies."

Now people have figured out how to harness this information to track keystrokes. Writes Kaspersky Lab:

Keystrokes can be remotely tracked with high accuracy at the 67-feet (20-meter) distance by using a homemade device that analyzes the radio spectrum and costs around $5,000. It is interesting to note that the attack is equally effective against common cheap USB keyboards, expensive wireless keyboards with a signal encryption, and built-in notebook keyboards.


Power consumption analysis

While on the topic of electricity, it's also possible to deduce a person's device activity based on the power their gadgets consume. A technique called Load Monitoring monitors voltage and current changes to understand activity. It's been used by electricity companies to better understand what is causing certain changes in electricity usage in a specific place.

But in Japan load monitoring has been shown to be able to pinpoint exactly what device is running at what time. Similarly, researchers have begun looking at electricity consumption as a way to detect when a computer malware has been injected into a computer network.



What's inside your smartphone

It's true that smartphones are connected to the internet, but there are other parts inside it that also give away a slew of information.

For example, the accelerometer inside a phone — which is the sensor used to track a phone's tilt and motion — can be used to detect what someone is typing on a computer. According to Kaspersky Lab, if a smartphone is near a computer keyboard it "provides an approximate 80 percent recognition accuracy rating" at tracking what a person is typing.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

8 reasons why you should visit Porsche’s awesome $100 million US headquarters

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Porsche HQ AtlantaPorsche Cars North America recently moved into a new corporate headquarters next door to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

One Porsche Drive houses PCNA’s corporate offices, Porsche Financial Services, a conference center, a classic Porsche repair and service shop, and most importantly the first Porsche Experience Center outside of Europe.

Since America is still Porsche’s largest market (though soon to be overtaken by China), the new digs are suitably impressive in a James Bond villain’s lair style that $100 million buys.

We were lucky enough to be among the first group let loose on this veritable Disneyland for petrolheads and Porschephiles—perhaps Orlando would have been a more appropriate venue. To make everything just that little bit more special, the kind Porsche folks rolled out a selection of 911 Carreras, Caymans, Boxsters and Panameras in range topping GTS spec (more power and lots of ticked option boxes) from their fleet of eighty cars for us to romp on in an extended remix version of what is on offer to the general public.

You too can now experience the Porsche Experience, and here are eight very convincing reasons why you should.

Even if you don’t bleed petrol …

SEE ALSO: Here are the nominees for 2016 North American Car of the Year

The Handing Course

If you have the very first world problem of deciding between a rear engined Porsche 911 Carrera or the mid-engined Cayman or Boxster, this is a good place to try them out back-to- back. Actually, this is a major reason for the PEC’s existence—to help with buying decisions.

Designed to mimic tighter country or canyon roads, the 1.6 mile course features moderate elevation changes, slow and fast corners, and enough straightaway to get those signature flat-six motors howling. Tightly surrounded with slightly intimidating Armco barriers, there isn’t much room for error, but—as with the rest of the PEC—an instructor in the passenger seat offered pointers for the safest fast way around. Going back-to-back in a Cayman GTS and 911 Carrera 4 GTS, I now know which flavor of Porsche I want. Call me old fashioned, but as amazingly balanced and perfectly fine-tuned as the Cayman is, the faster and more lively Carrera won me over. Plus there are back seats for the kids ...



The Off Road Course

Given the Porsche Cayenne’s sleek styling and ubiquity in the city, it's easy to dismiss Porsche’s most popular vehicle as a soft roader. One lap of the PEC’s Off Road Course will quickly change that notion. Twenty-one off road obstacles, including a 1.1 ratio hill climb and a forty five degree vertical descent challenge that had us standing upright in the footwells, demonstrate that the Cayenne is truly off road ready.

The Cayenne Diesel, with its hill crushing electric motor-like torque, was more appropriate for climbing, water crossing, and railroad tie stomping than a GTS model, but the instructors assured us they’d successfully completed the course in a full boat Turbo S model. Impressive, eye opening and a lot of fun.



The Kick Plate

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of the rear end of your car swapping around mid-turn due to black ice, then you’ll understand the concept of the Kick Plate. At approximately twenty miles per hour you drive towards a two hundred yard long pad of watered, polished concrete with a hydraulic metal pad at the beginning that is triggered to randomly shoot the rear wheels left or right. First time up in the sweet handling mid-engined Porsche Boxster GTS and I was immediately launched into a neck snapping, twice-around spin. (Note: for the sake of the experiment traction, control was completely off).

After a couple of runs with some pointers from a very patient instructor, I was able to catch the spin and actually hold a drift along the full length of the pad. The 911 GTS with a signature rear mounted engine was definitely more of a challenge to catch. I could have spent a lot of time at the Kick Plate trying to master it.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

This is how you move a $17-million super-yacht

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LR S4 GTS Yellow

When the Dynamiq GTT super-yacht — currently under construction in Italy — is completed, it will be one of the fastest and most efficient yachts to grace the Port of Monaco, and the world. 

But building a $17-million superyacht is no easy task. After the body was finished in an outdoor dry dock, the boat had to be lifted, placed on wheels and rolled, very carefully, into a warehouse for more delicate finishing. 

Dynamiq shared these images with Business Insider of the GTT's big move into its new home until it is completed later this year. 

A massive gantry crane hoisted the yacht from its first home, a massive dry dock at an Italian shipbuilding yard.



Dangling from the huge crane, the super-yacht looks more like a toy boat than a vessel capable of 21 knots (about 25 mph).



You can get a sense of the crane's sheer size just by looking at the hooks on the end of its cables.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Where tech terms like 'bug,' 'robot,' and 'cloud' originally came from

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LSD computer virus

Hey, did you see that there's a new patch for that game out? Yeah, it introduces a new bug, so make sure you saved your game to the cloud before you grab it. 

Thanks to the smartphones, tablets, and laptops we're increasingly carrying around all day, computer jargon is entering our daily speech at an alarming rate. But these words started somewhere else.

From bugs to cloud to to mice to spam, here's where we get 11 common computer terms.

The term "bug," meaning a flaw in a piece of software, gained popularity after a moth flew into the insides of the Harvard Mark II supercomputer in 1946.



"Booting," meaning to start a device up (think "rebooting") comes from "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps." Before a computer does anything else, it loads a simple program called the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System). Early Early computer scientists saw this as the computer pulling itself up by its own bootstraps.



Today, a "library" is a selection of reusable code snippets that developers use to perform common tasks without having to reinvent the wheel. Back in the 1940s, a "Library" was a selection of program tape literally snipped until programmers wanted to glue and iron them back into their applications.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

29 famous people who failed before they succeeded

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Jay-Z

Rejection can feel genuinely devastating. But before you retreat into your tear-stained hovel to plot a new, anonymous life as a subsistence farmer in rural Australia (not that there's anything wrong with that!), consider this: Some of the world's most successful people have failed — sometimes more than once.

We've put together a list of indisputably successes, from movie stars to scientists, who experienced massive failure before they found fame and fortune.

Weaker people might have given up. Instead, these folks remained focused on their goals. 

Scroll on to see the underdogs who went on to change the world.

SEE ALSO: Here are the summer jobs 19 super-successful people had before they were famous

Walt Disney was fired from the Kansas City Star because his editor felt he "lacked imagination and had no good ideas."

Several more of his businesses failed before the premiere of his movie "Snow White." He went onto become the guy who redefined American childhood.



Oprah Winfrey was publicly fired from her first television job as an anchor in Baltimore for getting "too emotionally invested in her stories."

But Winfrey rebounded and became the undisputed queen of television talk shows before amassing a media empire. Today she is worth a cool $3 billion, according to Forbes.



Steven Spielberg was rejected by the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts multiple times.

He went on to create the first summer blockbuster with "Jaws" in 1975, has won three Academy Awards, 4 Emmys, 7 Daytime Emmys, and his 27 movies have grossed more than $9 billion.



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14 little-known tricks to help you land your dream job using Glassdoor

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Glassdoor Robert Hohman

Most of us think of Glassdoor as the place to get the skinny on salaries and reviews from employees.

But Glassdoor is really a job-hunting site that competes with the likes of CareerBuilder.

It's free for job hunters. It makes its money by helping recruiters find qualified job candidates.

As such, the company is always beefing up its job-hunting tools, adding new ways to help you find a new job you'll love — here are some tricks to help.

SEE ALSO: 13 tech jobs that pay at least $130,000 across the country

Find job posting before anyone else

You can have Glassdoor send you brand new job listings every day.

Search for a job title that you are interested in. Click on "Create Alert" and select a Freshness date of "Last 24 Hours." That will show you the listings posted that day, so you can be among the first to apply.



Find the companies that employees like best

You can filter your job search based on employee ratings, for instance, limiting the search to only companies with 4 star ratings or above (highest rating is a 5-star but even Google doesn't have a perfect, 5-star rating).

Search for a job title, create a Job Alert. Beware the little "sponsored" tag on the right-hand side. That means the company paid for its job listing to appear on the top of your list.



Find out how other employees got the job

You probably know you can read employee reviews on Glassdoor, but you can also get an idea of how people landed the job like applying online, getting a friend to refer them and so on.

Search for the company, then click on interviews and the "Getting an interview" box will appear on top. Click more to see how worth your while other options might be, like going to a campus recruiting event.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 10 most affordable cities in the world

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mumbai

Of all the cities in the world, your dollar will go the furthest in Mumbai, India.

It's currently the cheapest city to live in, according to the Economist's World Cost of Living Index.

The index, which is calculated every other year, compares countries based on the cost of things like food, drink, clothing, rent, transportation, and utility bills.

It's designed to help companies figure out how much to compensate employees who are working overseas. 

Some of the world's cheapest cities, like fourth-ranked Damascus, Syria, are also among the most dangerous. This list shouldn't be considered a guide for people who are looking to save money by moving overseas — try this list of places where expats can live for cheap instead — but rather as a look into the cost of living in places far away from home.

All prices listed are from the Economist's World Cost of Living IndexMandi Woodruff contributed to an earlier version of this article.

SEE ALSO: The 20 most expensive ZIP codes in America

10. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

World Cost of Living Index: 57

1 kg loaf of bread:

Today: $1.78
Five years ago: $1.57

A bottle of wine:

Today: N/A
Five years ago: N/A

A pack of cigarettes:

Today: $2.40
Five years ago: $1.47

1 liter of unleaded gas:  

Today: $0.13
Five years ago: $0.15



9. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

World Cost of Living Index: 56

1 kg loaf of bread:

Today: $1.61
Five years ago: $1.18

A bottle of wine:

Today: N/A
Five years ago: N/A

A pack of cigarettes:

Today: $2.31
Five years ago: $1.60

1 liter of unleaded gas:  

Today: $0.13
Five years ago: $0.15



8. Panama City, Panama

World Cost of Living Index: 55 (tied)

1 kg loaf of bread:

Today: $3.53
Five years ago: $2.72

A bottle of wine:

Today: $7.05
Five years ago: $10.00

A pack of cigarettes:

Today: $4.50
Five years ago: $1.80

1 liter of unleaded gas:  

Today: $1.17
Five years ago: $1.05



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

A photographer traveled to Iceland and took these incredible photos of his trip

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Alex Cornell Iceland 30

Photographer Alex Cornell has been to Iceland three times.

After his most recent visit, he documented his experiences through a comprehensive travel guide.

Cornell says the country is like a "photographer's heaven," mainly because it stays light for so long, eliminating the need for rushing to get that perfect shot in a matter of a few short hours.

"In Iceland you have that kind of neurosis of time; the sun just doesn't go down for two or three more hours," Cornell said. "Not to mention that you're also seeing a lot of really incredible stuff; it's not wasted on the landscape."

Cornell shared some of the most breathtaking shots he captured on his most recent visit to the country.

SEE ALSO: 32 photos that will make you want to travel to Iceland

FOLLOW US: BI Travel is on Twitter!

The Ring Road — also known as Route 1 — is Iceland's main highway. Since Cornell and his girlfriend rented a car during their trip, this road was how they made their way around the island during their 8-day visit.



The highway looks more like a neighborhood road; it's only two lanes and has no guard rails. But the 828-mile road actually runs around all of Iceland.



The stops they made along the way included landmarks — both natural and man-made — and hotels. This is the ION hotel, which is located in the southern town of Selfoss.

To learn more about ION, click here >



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

12 fascinating facts about the majority of Greeks

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greece greek flag elderly

Greece has rich ancient history and Mediterranean beauty, but lately it's been in the news because because of its economic upheaval

While more than 60% of Greek voters rejected a proposed bailout deal during Sunday's referendum, the country was long divided between those who were hoping for a "yes" vote and those who were hoping for a "no."

Still, there's a lot the majority of Greeks have in common, from their patriotism to their willingness to spend $5 on a cup of coffee. Here are 12 things you may not have known about the majority of Greeks.

SEE ALSO: Why Greece's economy can’t just grow its way out of this mess

Voting is compulsory in Greece for everyone 18 and older, but in the most recent elections for which data are available, the turnout was just 64% of registered voters.

Source: PBS, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)



Greeks have an intense love for their country, with 71% having a favorable view of their own country; only Germans and the British were more patriotic. Sixty percent of Greeks also think they're the most hardworking people in Europe.

Source: Pew Research Center



Life expectancy for the average Greek is 81 years, compared to about 79 years in the US.

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 10 best places to visit this summer

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Costa Rica

We've heard this refrain all too frequently of late: "Where should I go in August?

I want a long-weekend getaway, or maybe I'll just take the week before Labor Day off..."

We rounded up 10 destinations (a few unexpected) that offer great weather, value, food, and culture—just be sure to book your trip before summer fades.

SEE ALSO: 10 of the world's best city beaches

DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider's Lifestyle page on Facebook!

Reykjavik, Iceland

Why now: 

The sun currently sets around midnight and rises at 2:30 a.m., so you have nearly 24 hours of light to explore the beautiful, otherworldly landscape.

We recommend renting a car and driving out to Gullfoss—the country’s most famous (and most impressive) waterfall— before heading for a soak in the Blue Lagoon.

Once back in the city center, vintage shopping is a must, with stores like Spuutnik offering an almost overwhelmingly large inventory.

Action plan: Check Icelandair or low-cost carrier Wow Airlines for deals all summer—Wow was touting $99 flights one-way not too long ago.



Mexico City

Why now: 

Mexico’s capital—locally known as the DF, or “Distrito Federal”—is usually overlooked in favor of beachy getaways in Tulum or Baja California.

But Mexico City is more exciting than ever: so big, sprawling, and full of cutting-edge art that you could easily make multiple visits and not see it all.

Action plan: 

You can (and should) spend a full day in the National Anthropology Museum, but design lovers need to make an appointment to visit the UNESCO-listed home and studio of influential Mexican architect Luis Barragan. Read on: Mexico City City Guide: Where to Eat, Stay, and Play

 



North Coast of Brazil

Why now: 

Northern Brazil is on the cusp of an explosion in tourism from the US, so traveling there now—to the LGBT-friendly, beach-lined states of Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará, and Pernambuco—means you’re ahead of the trend.

Expect to hear more about this region, as Brazilian airline TAM is looking to create a hub in one of these three cities to expand its service around northern Brazil (and the region) to North America.

The weather is also ideal right now: sunny and in the low 80s, on average.

Action plan: 

Road trip along the Via Costeira (Coastal Highway) through Natal; discover the “Brazilian Venice” of Recife; or scuba dive the reefs just off Fortaleza. Note: U.S. travelers to Brazil do require a visa, but last year’s World Cup means many may already have it in their passports, and should take advantage. That event also means energy is still high in the country, and tourists can benefit from infrastructure enhancements introduced during the games. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

28 stunning aerial photos that will change the way you see the world

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niagara falls

The website Daily Overview uses satellite imagery to capture stunning aerial photos from destinations around the world. 

The images give us an incredible bird's eye view into some of the world's biggest festivals, infrastructures, and natural wonders. 

We've put together a collection of some of our favorite images, from the crashing waters of the Niagara Falls to the lush canola fields that cover the mountains of Luoping County in China.

You can see their full collection with a live feed on their Instagram page.

(All captions courtesy of Daily Overview)

SEE ALSO: 35 incredible travel destinations you've probably never heard of

Follow us! Business Insider Travel is on Twitter

The canal system of Amsterdam — known as Grachten — is the result of considered urban planning. In the early 17th century, when immigration was at a peak, a comprehensive plan for the city’s expansion was developed with four concentric half-circles of canals emerging at the main waterfront. In the centuries since, the canals have been used for defense, water management, and transport. They remain a hallmark of the city to this day.

 

 



Chilean authorities stated that the initial eruptions of the Calbuco Volcano in southern Chile released approximately 210 million cubic meters of ash into the air. Striking infrared satellite images taken in recent days show the town of Ensenada, located at the based on the volcano, covered in a thick layer of gray dust.

 



Canola flower fields cover the mountainous landscape of Luoping County, China. The crop is grown for the production of oil, which is extracted by slightly heating and then crushing the flower seeds.

 



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All of the new features coming to your iPhone and iPad this fall (AAPL)

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craig federighi ios 9

Apple just released the public beta for iOS 9, its next big update for iPhones and iPads, which will officially launch in the fall. 

The update brings several new features to Apple's products, including the new Apple News app, a more powerful version of Siri, and better multitasking for the iPad.

Here's a full tour of iOS 9, complete with screenshots of every major feature.

SEE ALSO: 11 features Apple "borrowed" from Android in the past year

This is what the new Search looks like. It suggests apps that you frequently use and people you contact the most.



You can even search for specific things in the Settings menu with the search bar at the top instead of having to dig around.



Spotlight Search can sift through apps too. Notice how one of the first results when I type in "orange" is "Orange Is The New Black," which it says is on Netflix and iTunes.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

GOLDMAN: Here are the 9 most overpriced stocks in the market

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treasure chest coins

Gaining an anemic 4 points in the first half of the year, the S&P 500 wasn't exactly a huge boon for investors.

Goldman Sachs's David Kostin thinks the outlook is a bit rosier. He projects 6% growth in the S&P 500 for the second half of the year.

However, he also thinks the best days for some stocks are already in the past.

In a recent report, Kostin complied a list of the 40 companies that have the most downside relative to Goldman Sachs analysts' price targets.

We've ranked the bottom 9 companies with possible downsides of more than 20%. They're below in order of least to most downside. 

1. Transocean Ltd.

Ticker: RIG

Industry: Energy, Oil and Gas Drilling

Price as of June 30: $16.12

Downside to Target: 56.6%

Executive Outlook: "So, while the near-term outlook is certainly challenging, I believe the company's first quarter results provide clear evidence of a Transocean team focused on improving those things within its control to best position the company for the eventual recovery," Jeremy Thigpen. CEO



2. Noble Corp.

Ticker: NE

Industry: Energy, Oil and Gas Drilling

Price as of June 30: $15.39

Downside to Target: 38.3%

Executive Outlook: "We entered 2015 well aware of the formidable industry challenges resulting from the combination of lower crude oil prices, reduced upstream spending by customers and excess offshore rig capacity," David W. Williams, President and CEO



3. Celgene Corp

Ticker: CELG

Industry: Healthcare, Biopharmaceuticals

Price as of June 30: $115.74

Downside to Target: 32.6%

Executive Outlook: "Our continued investments in our franchises, innovative therapies and technologies position us for sustained growth beyond 2020," Bob Hugin, Chairman and CEO

 



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17 things keeping you from getting rich, according to a journalist who spent his career studying millionaires

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man thinking

Prompted by legendary businessman Andrew Carnegie, who turned a few nickels and dimes into a fortune, journalist Napoleon Hill researched more than 500 self-made millionaires over 20 years before releasing his 1937 bestseller, "Think and Grow Rich.

In addition to boiling down the "secret" to building wealth in 13 principles, he revealed 30 "major causes of failure" that hold many of us back from getting rich.

Here are 17 that are still relevant today.

SEE ALSO: 11 short books to read if you want to get rich

Not having a well-defined purpose.

"There is no hope of success for the person who does not have a central purpose, or definite goal, at which to aim," Hill writes.

If you're looking to build wealth, start with visualizing a savings goal with a specific price tag. Then form a financial plan and determine exactly where you want your money to go.



Lack of ambition.

You have to want to aim above mediocrity, Hill says: "We offer no hope for the person who is so indifferent as not to want to get ahead in life, and who is not willing to pay the price."

Wealth doesn't simply appear. You have to work toward it with patience and persistence. A good starting point is to invest your money (the earlier the better), and let the power of compounding build your wealth. It doesn't take much time or effort but it does require action on your part.



Not properly applying your education.

A college degree won't cut it. Knowledge is only potential power, and it will not become useful or lead to great wealth unless it is organized and applied to life, Hill emphasizes: "Education consists not so much of knowledge, but of knowledge effectively and persistently applied. Men are paid not merely for what they know, but more particularly for what they do with that which they know."

Don't settle with your degree. Make it a priority to constantly learn knew things and challenge your mind. There's a reason that many of today's successful and wealthy people are voracious readers.

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's the perfect twist on the original Piña Colada recipe from 60 years ago

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pina colada cocktail

Fruity and cold, tiki drinks are the perfect summer quaff. And the king of all tiki drinks is the sweet, creamy, rum-based favorite, the Piña Colada.

The tiki classic has made a comeback in recent years, along with other classic cocktails, and bartenders are putting their own twists on the fruity beverage. In celebration of National Piña Colada Day (July 10), here's a quick primer on the original recipe, and our favorite version. Be warned — it provides a serious kick.

Three Puerto Rican bartenders claim ownership of the Piña Colada, which happens to be Puerto Rico’s national beverage. The most famous version of the story credits the drink to bartender Ramon "Monchito" Marrero of the Caribe Hilton back in 1954. 

According to the hotel, Monchito spent three months mixing, tasting, and discarding hundreds of combinations until he got the perfect blend.

Monchito made no secret of his original recipe, and today the Caribe Hilton features it proudly on its website: "Pour 2 ounces of light rum, 1 ounce of coconut cream, 1 ounce of heavy cream, and 6 ounces of fresh pineapple into a blender. Add ice. Blend for 15 seconds. Pour into a 12-ounce glass. Add a pineapple wedge and maraschino cherry for garnish."

rocket fuel fire islandThis is a perfectly acceptable way to make a Piña Colada. Some would even say it’s the best way.

But there's a twist on the original recipe that takes the Piña Colada to the next level. Called the Rocket Fuel and invented by the bartenders of Fire Island, it's a liquored-up version made with Bacardi 151 floater and Amaretto.

The Island Mermaid, a Fire Island staple that has been around for 25 years, shared its own delicious recipe for making the island favorite, which owner Scott Hirsch warns can “sneak up on you.”

Here is the Island Mermaid’s seriously awesome take on the drink, courtesy of Hirsch:

Instead of mixing all the ingredients in the blender, we make the Piña Colada freshly with gold rum (not silver because it affects the flavor). You pour the gold rum over the ice in the blender and add the Piña Colada mix until the ice barely rises. Then blend.

Listen for the ice to disappear. Seriously, listen. It matters a little.

In the glass you are using, pour a shot of 151 rum. Then take the blended colada and pour it over the shot so it runs up through the drink. We recommend a 12-14 ounce pour. Then, gently circle the top of the drink with a floater of amaretto. The first sips are "sweet" getting you ready for the blast down below!  

That's it. Garnish with a slice of pineapple. Blast off.

Whether you prefer your Piña Colada classic or with a serious kick, expect to see lots of these tiki drinks this summer.

SEE ALSO: 50 glorious food creations you can eat at the Minnesota State Fair

DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider's Life On Facebook!

Join the conversation about this story »

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


12 weird jobs you'll be surprised to know exist

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cuddler

It seems as though we can pay people to do anything for us these days: walk our dogs, build our furniture, organize our homes ... cuddle with us when we're feeling lonely.

That's right: You care hire a professional cuddler to snuggle with you for about $60 an hour. You can also pay an "undercover bridesmaid" to stand next to you on your big day, or a professional mourner to cry with you at a loved one's funeral.

Those are just a few of the weirdest jobs we found while compiling our list of the most unusual professionals.

Keep scrolling to see all 12.

SEE ALSO: 'Aladdin' Actor Reveals A Typical Day In The Life Of A Broadway Star

Snake milkers extract venom from some of the world's most dangerous snakes, like rattlesnakes and cobras. The extracted venom is often used to create antivenom for hospital or laboratory use, and can be sold for up to $1,000 per gram.

Source 1; source 2.



Professional bridesmaids are there to assist brides on their big day. Jen Glantz, the cofounder of Bridesmaid for Hire, a company that offers 'undercover bridesmaid' and personal assistant-type services to brides and their wedding parties, charges anywhere from $300 to $2,000 per wedding.

Source.



Iceberg mover became a profession after the disastrous sinking of the Titanic in 1912. The International Ice Patrol (IIP), which was founded a year later, is operated by the US Coast Guard and tracks the location of icebergs and provides safe routes around them. If necessary, the iceberg will be towed out of the area.

Source.



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MILLION-DOLLAR URLS: The most expensive domain names of all time

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danica patrick godaddy

What's in a web address?

Quite a lot of cash. 

We scoured domain name resource DN Journal and put together a list of documented million-dollar, domain-only ".com" sales. Some have been squatted on for 20 years and have only recently traded hands.

Unsurprisingly, sex- and gambling-related domains are some of the biggest money makers.

NOTE: Web businesses have other assets and are not domain-only sales, so they were not eligible for this list. For example, Insure.com was bought for $16 million as a fully-operating, profitable company. DN Journal reports only the domain names sold after 2003 because prior sales are not verified by credible sources. 

SEE ALSO: 11 brilliant quotes from Evan Spiegel, the controversial 25-year-old Snapchat founder

MM.com — $1,200,000

Date sold: July 2014

MM.com was sold for $1.2 million through Sedo in July 2014. It was purchased by Hangzhou Duomai E-Commerce Co. Ltd, a company behind other domain names Game.com, JZ.com and 4.cn.



Power.com — $1,261,000

Date: November 2014

Silicon Valley electronics supplier Power Integrations bought Power.com to replace their old, less simple domain, PowerInt.com. 



eBet.com — $1,350,000

Date sold: October 2013

A man named Rick Schwartz registered eBet.com in 1996 for $100. He held onto it for nearly 20 years — making a juicy profit off of it when the domain company Network Solutions bought it for $1.35 million.

Because Schwartz has made a number of high-profile sales (you'll run into another much later in this list), he's earned the nickname "Domain King."

"When do I sell? When the domain name is ripe,"he writes on his blog. "When is it ripe? When the right buyer comes along."

 



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These were the best TV commercials of the last quarter

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iroomba ad

We see dozens of TV ads every month, but it's difficult to remember those that really grabbed us.

Each quarter, advertising analytics company Ace Metrix pulls out the top-performing ads across 31 categories, including retail, fast food chains, insurance, and mobile devices. 

Ace Metrix tested around 2,000 ads during Q2. Standout spots over the past few months were, surprisingly, functional ads that educated viewers about the product. Ace Metrix tests the ads with more than 150,000 consumers, giving each commercial a score (between 1-950) based on 96 measures such as watchability, desire, relevance, change, attention, information, likeability, and persuasion.

We've ranked the ads based on their Ace Score.

SEE ALSO: These are the 10 companies that spend the most on advertising

Herbal Essences — "Take Your Hair to Paradise." Ace Score: 535. Category: Hair.



Cover Girl — "Pink: The Super Hero Makeup." Ace Score: 547. Category: Cosmetics.



Samuel Adams — "Summer Ale." Ace Score: 552. Category: Beer.



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The most dominant college sports program in every state

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brett hundley

When it comes to college sports, there are powerhouses and then there's everyone else.

Business Insider has compiled a list of the schools that run the most dominating sports programs in all 50 states.

To create the ranking we used data compiled by Niche for its college rankings, as well as athletic department revenues provided by the NCAA.

A number of factors go into the rankings, with the most weight given to athletics revenue, Niche's NCAA championship score (with more weight given to bigger sports), average home football attendance, average home men's basketball attendance, as well as Niche's student survey responses.

ALABAMA — University of Alabama

2014 athletic department revenue: $152.6 million

Average Home Football Attendance: 101,505

Average Home Men's Basketball Attendance: 11,159 

NCAA Championship Score*: 30

Student Surveys on Athletics: 4.3 out of 5

Overall Rank among Schools on this list: 1

Visit Niche for more on the University of Alabama

*(Number of NCAA Championships won since 2000 across Division I, II, and III. Eight sports are measured, including football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, men's and women's soccer, and hockey. Championships were weighted by division and sport, with Division I getting a 3x multiplier and Division II getting a 2x multiplier. Football and men's basketball received a 3x multiplier, and baseball and hockey received a 2x multiplier. FCS Football was also included but did not receive a multiplier.)



ALASKA — University of Alaska-Anchorage

2014 athletic department revenue: $2.3 million

Average Home Football Attendance: N/A

Average Home Men's Basketball Attendance: N/A 

NCAA Championship Score: 0

Student Surveys on Athletics: N/A 

Overall Rank among Schools on this list: 50

Visit Niche for more on the University of Alaska-Anchorage



ARIZONA — University of Arizona

2014 athletic department revenue: $97.6 million

Average Home Football Attendance: 47,619

Average Home Men's Basketball Attendance: 14,157 

NCAA Championship Score: 15

Student Surveys on Athletics: 3.9 out of 5

Overall Rank among Schools on this list: 16

Visit Niche for more on the University of Arizona



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14 incredibly preserved historic villages and towns around the world

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old villagesIn countries around the world, there are villages and towns that have fascinatingly managed to preserve their original architecture and landscape amid rapid modernization.

The rich historical context they give us has led to their recognition by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites of cultural significance.

From Banská Štiavnica, Slovakia’s oldest mining town, to South Korea's Yangdong and Hahoe villages, whose stunning landscape inspired 17th- and 18th-century poets, here are 14 villages and towns that have managed to maintain their original culture, architecture, and character for hundreds of years.

SEE ALSO: 26 ancient ruins you should visit in your lifetime

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Český Krumlov, located on the banks of the Vitava River in the Czech Republic, is one of the best preserved medieval villages in Eastern Europe, according to UNESCO. Here, you’ll find a medieval castle overlooking the town, winding cobbled lanes, and the Eggenberg Brewery, which uses the area’s high-quality water in a traditional method dating from as far back as 1560.

Learn more about the Historic Centre of Český Krumlov.



Japan’s Shirakawa-go village, located in the Gifu Prefecture, and the nearby Gokayama village, located in Nanto in Toyama Prefecture, are known for their unique building style of steeply pitched, thatched roofs. The villages are located west of Tokyo in a stunning mountainous region where you’ll see a river valley surrounded by rugged mountains.

Learn more about the Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama.



The Old Town of Lijiang in Yunan, China, established in the 13th century, still maintains its historic landscape and a complex, ancient water-supply system, which you can still see functioning today.

Learn more about the Old Town of Lijiang.



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