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I went to 'Cast Party' — the Coachella for the most dedicated podcast fans

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TI Graphics Podcast Cast Party 2x1

Like many others, the first podcast I ever listed to was "Serial"— the iconic breakout star of digital radio programming. 

When I heard about a live podcast taping that included one of my new favorite shows — Gimlet Media's Reply All— my curiosity piqued.

A live podcast taping? I was game, but had low expectations. Podcasts are often recorded, mixed, and edited over a period of weeks. Why take that to a live stage? 

I am gladly eating my words. 

Cast Party Live

Cast Party Live was sold out the first night, with so much demand that a second night was added. The evening was filled with laughter, hilarious cameos, crazy dance performances, and nonstop entertainment. 

Scroll down to see what made the night so awesome. 

 

Cast Party Live was held at an NYU performance arts center.

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Ticket holders lined up around the block nearly an hour before the doors even opened. Enormous satellite trucks parked outside, gearing up to broadcast the show live to movie theaters around the country.



Throughout the evening and into the next day, fans around the country who watched the simulcast in movie theaters shared photos on Instagram and Twitter.

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Seating inside in theater was general admission. Folks scrambled for open chairs and the best view. The stage was bright pink and purple, and the anticipation in the room was palpable.

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See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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This artificially intelligent program can transform photos to make them look like famous paintings

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Artificial intelligence (AI) has slowly been taking over the art scene. AI can critique art alongside the most seasoned critics and dream up trippy images on its own

Now scientists from the Bethge Lab in Germany have built an AI system that can learn a painting's style and apply it to other images.

The results look as though Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh painted their own version of the image. 

According to Leon Gatys, PhD student and the lead on the paper published in the open-source journal arxiv, this is the first "artificial neural system that achieves a separation of image content from style."  

Scroll down to see how it works and the beautiful images it created.  

The AI could take the style of one image, like the swirls and dots of Vincent van Gogh's most famous painting "Starry Night" and make another image adopt this style, like a very sophisticated photo filter.



For their experiment, the scientists used a photo of the Neckar river in Tuebingen, Germany.



The altered photo of the river looks as though van Gogh was standing at the banks of the Neckar river instead of at his window in Saint Remy de Provence, the original setting for "Starry Night." Gatys wrote that the system gives us a mathematical basis for understanding how humans perceive and create art, especially because it mimics biological vision and the human brain.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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There's a stunning new smartwatch coming from Motorola (Moto)

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moto 360 (2nd gen)

Until the Apple Watch came along, everyone seemed to be drooling over Motorola's smartwatch, the gorgeous Moto 360. Reviews were mixed, but for a time, the Moto 360 was the standard by which all wearables were judged.

On Wednesday, Motorola announced a new version of the 360, which goes on sale later this month.

The new Moto 360 looks very similar to the original model's gorgeous round design. But with beauty comes a caveat. Just like last year's model, a portion of the Moto 360's round screen is cut off at the bottom, so it looks like images are missing a piece.

Still, it's a great looking smartwatch, and now that watches like the Moto 360 run Google's Android Wear operating system are compatible with the iPhone, almost anyone can give it a try.

Here's a look at everything the new Moto 360 can do.

Motorola announced the second-generation Moto 360 smartwatches with 46mm screens (first two on left), a 42mm model (third from left), and a 42mm women's model (right).



The women's model has a slightly angled (versus rounded) bezels, and slimmer straps.



The new Moto 360s have protruding lugs, which make more room for the battery than there was in the original Moto 360.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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50 incredible bars you should drink at in your lifetime

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The Rock restaurant and bar Zanzibar

Whether you want to drink in epic views, history, or iconic cocktails, these bars have got you covered.

From the world's oldest bar to one housed inside of a massive tree in South Africa, we've found 50 unforgettable bars worth traveling the globe for.

Here's your boozy bucket list.

SEE ALSO: 40 incredible restaurants you should eat at in your lifetime

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Rick's Café in Negril, Jamaica, is an iconic drinking institution, known for its epic sunsets and the many people throwing themselves off its surrounding cliffs. The world-famous beach bar is perched on some epic cliffs above the ocean, and a popular spot for cliff divers to plunge into the water 60 feet below.

To learn more about Rick's Café, click here »



Inside Iceland's ION Luxury Adventure Hotel you'll find the Northern Lights Bar, a bar designed explicitly for optimal Northern Lights viewing. An hour from Reykjavík, amid mountains and lava fields, sits this glass cage of sorts, which juts out from the end of the hotel, and occasionally has astronomers on hand to drop their aurora borealis knowledge.

To learn more about the Northern Lights Bar, click here »



Bangkok's Sky Bar will have you feeling drunk without a drop to drink, as it sits on the Lebua Hotel's 63rd floor — 820 feet in the sky. The trippy LED lit bar changes color every few minutes, has some of the most incredible views of the city, and was prominently featured in The Hangover Part II.

To learn more about Sky Bar, click here »



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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11 choices rich people make that the rest of us don’t

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Rich people think and act differently than the rest of us. They aren't born with this "rich mentality"— they learn how, and then choose, to think and act this way.

It's a concept that has been in print for nearly a century, thanks to a journalist's research of over 500 self-made millionaires in the early 20th century, and continues to gain relevance today.

In T. Harv Eker's bestselling book, "Secrets of the Millionaire Mind," the self-made millionaire identifies specific choices the wealthiest people make on a daily basis that most of us fail to emulate.

Here are 11 of them, with commentary from Eker's bestseller:

 

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

Rich people choose to be in control of their success.

"Rich people believe 'I create my life,'" writes Eker, while average people think, 'Life happens to me.'"

You have to be in control of your financial life, he emphasizes: "You have to believe that you are the one who creates your success, that you are the one who creates your mediocrity, and that you are the one creating your struggles around money and success. Consciously or unconsciously, it's still you."



Rich people choose to think big.

If not you, then who? That's how rich people think, Eker writes: "Big thinking and big actions lead to having both money and meaning."

"Most people choose to play small," he continues. "Why? First, because of fear. They're scared to death of failure and they're even more frightened of success. Second, people play small because they feel small. They feel unworthy. They don't feel they're good enough or important enough to make a real difference in people's lives."



Rich people choose to commit to attaining wealth.

Rather than wanting to be rich, wealthy people consciously commit to being rich. 

"Getting rich takes focus, courage, knowledge, expertise, 100% of your effort, a never-give-up attitude, and of course a rich mindset," writes Eker. "If you are not fully, totally, and truly committed to creating wealth, chances are you won't."

They are able to fully commit because they have precise goals and a clear vision: "The number one reason most people don't get what they want is that they don't know what they want," he continues. "Rich people are totally clear that they want wealth. They are unwavering in their desire ... As long as it's legal, moral, and ethical, they will do whatever it takes to have wealth."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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MEET MELANIA TRUMP: The 5'11" supermodel married to Donald Trump

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Melania Trump

While Donald Trump loves to be the center of media attention, his third and current wife, Melania Trump, is a bit more camera shy.

The Slovenian-born model keeps a lower profile than her husband, doing philanthropy work, raising their son, working on a jewelry collection with QVC, and creating a $150-an-ounce caviar moisturizer.

With Trump on the campaign trail, Melania has stoically stood by his side.

But who exactly is Melania and where did she come from? Learn about Trump's other half here ...

SEE ALSO: Donald Trump's forgotten but incredible TV and movie cameos from the '90s

Melania Knauss was born April 26, 1970, in Slovenia.



The 5'11" brunette began her modeling career at 16, and signed with a modeling agency in Milan at 18.



She took a break from modeling to get her degree in design and architecture at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia.

Source: MelaniaTrump.com



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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I tried Shake Shack and In-N-Out side by side — and it's clear which one is better

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Shake Shack versus In-N-Out

The endless debate. East vs. West. In-N-Out Burger vs. Shake Shack.

While planning a vacation to sunny Austin, Texas, I noticed something peculiar. The town has a Shake Shack and an In-N-Out Burger within its boundaries. Truly, Austin is a "weird" place.

In fact, Austin is one of only two cities — the other being Las Vegas — where the chains coexist. Shake Shack is based in New York City and has locations primarily clustered around the Northeastern Seaboard, while In-N-Out is based in California and its locations cluster around the Southwest.

I saw the perfect opportunity to settle the debate of which makes the better burger by trying both.

Keep scrolling to follow my burger odyssey through the scenic hills of Austin in my quest to finally put to rest the question on everyone's minds.

SEE ALSO: This couple quit their advertising jobs to travel the world — and now they scrub toilets for food

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

I started my burger journey at Shake Shack. Opened this May, this is a new location for the East Coast chain. It's in a new housing development on South Lamar Street, near all the Austin action, but not particularly close to anything exciting. An Alamo Drafthouse is its neighbor.



Inside, the decor is modern and understated. The moss wall, hanging terrariums, and local plants offered up something interesting and green to look at while I stood in the unusually short line.



Before I knew it I was ordering a ShackBurger and fries — my usual.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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The world's 7 most expensive public transit systems

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As people flock to cities, public transportation is the way of the future.

But that doesn't necessarily mean it's cheap.

Cities like Tokyo, where an unlimited day pass comes in at just under $5, are exceptional. 

The day passes for these cities will leave your wallet weeping, so be prepared if you ever visit.

 

7. Munich, Germany

All-day fare: $13.50

Munich's system is unique in that travelers can purchase both single and partner tickets.

Companions reduce the cost per person from $13.50 to $8.34. But if you happen to be adventuring alone, expect the full fare.



6. Stockholm, Sweden

All-day fare: $13.60 

Better buy your ticket before boarding the train or bus in Stockholm, or any other part of Sweden for that matter.

SL riders without a ticket will be charged a fee of roughly $142, since tickets can't be purchased onboard.



5. Oslo, Norway

All-day fare: $16.89

Like many European countries, travelers in Norway can purchase tickets based on how much ground they'll be covering.

Zones 1 and 2 cover the entire Metro system in Oslo and bus routes to the suburbs. The fare covers an all-day ticket for those two zones.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Here are all the signs that Apple is about to have a monster event (AAPL)

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Apple is holding a major media event next Tuesday, September 9. It released invitations to the media (pictured right) last week.

All indicators suggest this will be the biggest Apple event of the year — and possibly the biggest tech event of the year as well.

The event will be held at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, which has historical significance to Apple. It's the same venue where Steve Jobs first debuted the Apple II computer to the public, back in April 1977.



The auditorium is huge: It holds roughly three times the capacity of the Flint Center, which is where Apple held last year's September event to introduce the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch.



Speaking of iPhones, everyone is expecting Apple to unveil the successors to the iPhone 6: the iPhone 6S, and the iPhone 6S Plus.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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10 incredible works of art that were built to be burned to the ground

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nk guy art of burning man

There is no other festival quite like Burning Man. 

Held for a week each summer in the middle of Nevada's Black Rock Desert, Burning Man is a temporary installation where participants can imagine and build their ideal society. 

There's no cell service or internet, money doesn't work there, and artists spend months building enormous pieces that they only intend to burn down by the end of the week. 

Writer and photographer NK Guy first made the trip to Burning Man in 1998, hoping that the festival would make for a great stop on a summer road trip. 

"In many ways I was totally unprepared for what I'd encounter," Guy told Business Insider in an email. "It was like visiting a foreign country that you'd seen on a postcard — both familiar yet completely surreal. I felt I'd been transported to an alien planet, or to a movie set where the cameras aren't turning."

He's gone back to photograph the event every year since then. Guy has compiled many of his photos in a book called "Art of Burning Man," published by Taschen in August. 

He shared some of his favorite shots from the book with Business Insider. 

SEE ALSO: I went to Burning Man and it was even crazier than I expected

The Black Rock Desert, situated in a dry lakebed in Nevada, makes for an extremely dramatic backdrop.

Here, a group of burners paddle a rowboat near a pier that was constructed in a throwback to the area's past. A Spanish galleon is docked at the far end of the pier. "You can go from a brilliant golden sunrise to scorching intense heat at lunchtime to a choking dust storm in the afternoon to a pink desert twilight to intensely dark night – all within the space of a day," Guy said. 



As you might imagine, photographing Burning Man comes with a daunting set of challenges.

"Dust storms are horrific to breathe in, and not great for fragile camera gear ... You can't drive in your car, so I had to carry around my equipment, including heavy tripods, by bike and foot," Guy said. "If the dust weren't bad enough, I've had years where a third of my shots were blank frames because the heat had melted the foam bumpers in my camera's shutter."



Though many people now travel to Burning Man for the parties, Guy's focus has always been the art produced for the event.

"Burning Man is one of the few places on Earth other than private homes and some religious institutions where nothing, including the art, can be bought or sold. The fact that the art isn't driven by commercial imperatives frees artists to take their work in very interesting directions," Guy said. Cupcake cars created by the "Acme Muffineering Team" certainly fit the bill.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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The 10 most popular iPhone apps of all time

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There are millions of apps in Apple's App Store, but most of them never get popular, or they fizzle after topping the charts for a brief time.

Then there are the select few that completely crush it and dominate the charts for years. They are the juggernauts of the App Store that every other app hopes to steal the spotlight from.

The research firm App Annie calculated the most popular apps in Apple's App Store dating back to 2010. Big companies like Apple and Google lead the pack.

But the real winner is Facebook with four of the top 10 apps, including the number one and two spots.

1. Facebook

Released: July 2008



2. Facebook Messenger

Released: August 2011

 



3. YouTube

Released: September 2012

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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16 video games we can't wait to play in the near future

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Games just keep getting better and better.

Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo continue to push the limits of their living room game consoles, and we've seen some great games this year on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Wii U, respectively, as a result. 

And these consoles will continue to mature, which means we're only going to be treated to better and better titles across a wide swath of genres, from adventure games to competitive shooters and more.

Here are the games we can't wait to play in the near future:

"Star Wars: Battlefront"

After two “Star Wars: Battlefront” games a decade ago, EA DICE is now rebooting the beloved franchise just in time for "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens," the first major epic "Star Wars" movie coming from Disney later this year.

Though the original games centered on conquering command posts with factions made of “Star Wars” creatures like Wookies, Jawas, and Tusken Raiders, studio head Patrick Söderlund said this would be “DICE’s interpretation of what Battlefront” should be, so we’re expecting some new spins on the original concept.

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC

Release date: November 17, 2015



"The Legend Of Zelda Wii U"

The next "Legend of Zelda" for the Wii U is being touted for its amazing visuals as well as its new open-world format, where you can travel on foot, on horseback, or using a new kind of parachute item to float over long distances. Gameplay was shown off at last year's E3 conference, but the game was unfortunately delayed back in March, when producer Eiji Aonuma said Nintendo was no longer considering a release date in 2015.

Platforms: Wii U

Release date: TBA 2016



"Kingdom Hearts III"

The "Kingdom Hearts" series — an intelligent and thrilling crossover between Disney and Square Enix characters and worlds — has sold 21 million units so far. This year, we finally got a look at "Kingdom Hearts III," which originally had a 2015 release date but Square Enix now insists the launch date is "unannounced." (Expect later next year or 2017).

In this new game, Sora will once again be your protagonist as he and his Disney buddies Goofy and Donald search for the guardians of light. They'll visit all the familiar Disney worlds, as well as some new ones, including Star Wars and Marvel locations, and even San Fransokyo from Big Hero 6.

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Release date: TBA



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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These 14 tech companies offer their UK employees the best pay and benefits

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Silicon Valley tech firms are famous for showering their employees with benefits on top of what could already be considered a substantial salary. 

British employees have also found that tech companies tend to be generous when it comes to compensation.

Glassdoor, the anonymous employee review website, has published its list of the companies that offer their UK employees the best pay — including salaries and bonuses — as well as other benefits. Out of the 25 firms on Glassdoor's list, most of them are in tech and hail from across Europe as well as the US. 

Glassdoor relied on feedback from employees over the past year who rated their satisfaction with their salary and compensation on a five-point scale. The rating takes into accounts all benefits and perks, not just money. That means that some tech companies that may not offer all their employees the biggest paycheck still made it onto the list. 

14. Google

Employee rating of compensation and benefits: 4.2 out of 5

Sample average salary: £59,104

“Great coworkers, amazing perks and a transparent inclusive corporate culture. Loads of international career opportunities. Very diverse and empowering environment.” – YouTube partner manager (London).

Extra perks: Free breakfast, lunch, and snacks, and access to Google gym and fitness classes. Most employees can choose a Macbook, Chromebook, or Windows laptop and some are supplied with the latest Google phones and tablets.



13. BMC Software

Employee rating of compensation and benefits: 4.2 out of 5

Sample average salary: £60,832

“BMC is a fairly flexible workplace with opportunities to work from home on a regular basis. The overall pay package is in line with the market. Its a global company providing opportunities to work on the same project or product with people from different countries.” – software development manager (London).



12. NetBuilder

Employee rating of compensation and benefits: 4.3 out of 5

Sample average salary: £19,000

“The community is fantastic. Social activities are very common. Accommodation is great, in the heart of MediaCityUK. Their teaching approach is different to most but works very well.” – IT consultant (Manchester)

Extra perks: Pool table in the office and paid-for accommodation just ten minutes away.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Here's what analysts are saying about today's big ECB meeting

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European Central Bank President Mario Draghi smiles during a news conference in Frankfurt, April 15, 2015. The European Central Bank expects to fully implement its 1 trillion euro government bond buying programme due to run until September 2016, the bank's president, Mario Draghi, said on Wednesday.

It's a big day for the European Central Bank, with both an interest rate announcement and an update on the bank's monetary policy.

While no change is expected on interest rates, ECB head Mario Draghi's press conference at 1.30 p.m BST will be closely followed for any hints about what the bank is planning next. 

Draghi's big problem is the Chinese market meltdown of recent months, which has put more deflationary pressure on the eurozone after speculators piled into the "safe haven" euro in the wake of the crisis.

This in turn has put pressure on European exports by making them more expensive and there are fears that this slowdown in trade could lead to lower prices in Europe.

We've rounded up what analysts, economists, and commentators are expecting to hear from Draghi this afternoon.

UBS

Analyst: Paul Donovan

"The ECB meets, and of course is expected to do nothing with regards to policy (the ECB excels at doing nothing). However there is some slight excitement over the prospect of the quarterly forecast update which may help shape policy expectations about next year."



DEUTSCHE BANK

Analyst: Jim Reid

"With regards to the ECB, Draghi's press conference will be closely watched. DB’s Mark Wall expects the council to, as a minimum, highlight downside risk, reiterating its commitment to QE and signalling its ‘readiness’ to act. However Mark thinks that this may not be enough and instead the rhetoric may go further than in the last meeting.

"In particular, the Governing Council and Draghi could explicitly mention that there is an increased likelihood that the ECB will have to do more to achieve a sustainable inflation path towards 2%. This could eventually include extending the duration or increasing the monthly target of asset purchases. Also worth watching will be the staff inflation forecasts where Mark expects the 2017 forecast to be revised marginally lower. This fits in with our view that central banks will likely be forced to do more for some time to come."



BARCLAYS

Analyst: Philippe Gudin

"We expect the ECB to ease monetary policy further before year-end as a result of what we consider to be an unwarranted tightening of financial conditions. We expect ECB President Mario Draghi to prepare markets for such a decision and we think he could even announce an extension of the programme beyond September 2016."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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NEED A CHANGE? Here are the 20 best US cities for getting a new job

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Sometimes, it's a good idea to make a move and tweak the course of your career.

If that time has come for you, we have some good places to do that.

We looked at 362 metropolitan areas in the US and ranked them based on the state of their job markets. We considered job creation rates, unemployment rates, and wage growth rates.

Further, we made a measurement of how diverse the regional economy is based on how many different occupations were common in the metro area, as well as how evenly distributed jobs are among those occupations.

For more details on our methodology and sources, click here.

SEE ALSO: RANKED: The 50 US states and DC from worst to best

20. College Station, Texas

College Station is home to Texas A&M University, a major part of the city's economy and job market.

College Station had the best wage growth among the metro areas we looked at by far, with wages rising an incredible 25.4% between June 2014 and June 2015.



19. Manchester, New Hampshire

Formerly an industrial center, the largest city in New Hampshire now boasts a strong and diverse service-centered economy.

Manchester did well across the board. The city's June 2015 unemployment rate of 3.4% was the 16th best among the 362 metro areas we looked at.



18. New York City

New York is America's largest city, and it has always been a magnet for people around the world looking for a better life.

New York scored above average on our metrics, and particularly impressive was its 11th-highest June 2015 average weekly wage of $1,019.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Moms on Instagram are getting wildly competitive over the state of their kids' lunch boxes

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For many kids, a school lunch consists of basic foods — like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches — but now, thanks to a new bento box lunch trend, kids are being sent to school with edible artworks in their lunch boxes, and some parents are feeling the stress.

The creative-lunch-box trend has been popularized on sites like Instagram, where many parents post daily pictures of their lunch-box designs, as noted by US News and World Report.

For parents who aren't able to send their kids to school with sandwiches shaped like Elsa from "Frozen" and pineapples cut into hearts, these intricate lunch boxes can be a source of competition, and even embarrassment.

Keep reading to learn more about the competitive world of kids' lunch boxes on Instagram.

Check out this lunch box. It might look a little different from the brown paper bags you had as a kid.

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Many of the lunches are created in the style of Japanese bento boxes, with foods separated into individual containers.

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Source



A quick Instagram search for hashtags like "#KidsBento" or "#CuteLunch" will yield thousands of pictures of adorably shaped sandwiches and perfectly portioned snacks.

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See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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RANKED: The 20 hottest destinations for vacation and retirement home buyers

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cayman islandsWith so many breathtaking destinations across the globe, more Americans are looking for retirement and vacation homes outside of the Continental US. Online real estate marketplacePoint2 Homes recently released a list of America's most appealing destinations for a second home, according to monthly Google searches within the US. 

From the bustling streets of Argentina to the relaxing coasts of Barbados, see the hottest places for a home away from home below. 

 

SEE ALSO: America's 20 most expensive cities for renters

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20. Argentina



19. Cuba



18. Colombia



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Everything we know about the next season of 'Game of Thrones'

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Danerys Targaryen Game of Thrones Khaleesi season five

Warning: Do not read ahead if you want to avoid spoilers for "Game of Thrones," as well as speculation about upcoming plot lines.

"Game of Thrones" fans were left on the edge of their seats last June, when the fifth season of HBO's smash hit came to a close on a giant cliffhanger finale.

Filming for next season started almost immediately, and with the set location reveals, new casting calls, and analyses of the book series, fans already have a pretty good idea of what's to come. 

We've sifted through all the rumors and speculation to find the plot lines that are most likely to come to fruition. Scroll down to see what's in store for season six of "Game of Thrones."

Fans are excited to see the return of some characters that were noticeably absent during season five. Notably: Bran Stark and his companion, Hodor.

Isaac Hempstead Wright, the young actor who plays Bran, confirmed he will be back this season. "It’s going to get particularly interesting with Bran," Wright told Entertainment Weekly. 'He has some interesting visions.”

As EW noted, "Game of Thrones" showrunner David Benioff indicated that by the time we see Bran in the upcoming season, he will have already been training with the mysterious "Three Eyed Raven" he was last seen with.

Benioff once made a comparison between Bran Stark and Luke Skywalker to explain his absence in season five. "It would be far less interesting, after 'The Empire Strikes Back' to have an hour-long movie in between 'Empire' and 'Return of the Jedi' where Luke is training,” Benioff said. “It’s so much cooler to cut from [the] end of 'Empire' to beginning of 'Return,' where he’s become the Jedi."



We'll get to see Bran's new abilities, as well as more of his powerful teacher, the Three-Eyed Raven.

Bran is the only active warg currently on the show, which means he has an advanced ability to enter the minds of animals and humans around him. We learned in season four that he is also a "greenseer," someone who can see into the past and future through cryptic visions. 

Bran is coming back, along with his new mentor the Three-Eyed-Raven. Casting announcements were recently made, when Variety confirmed "Max von Sydow will take over the role, which was originated by Struan Rodger in the season four finale of the HBO drama." 

Book readers have speculated Bran will play a big part in the coming war against the Others (the supernatural ice humanoids also known as White Walkers) with his talents, and this will likely be unveiled in the coming episodes.



Bran isn't the only Stark who may return to the screen. Rickon may return, too.

Rickon, the often forgotten Stark, is rumored to return in season six. In case you can't remember who Rickon is, he is the youngest Stark child, who named his direwolf Shaggydog.

In both the show and the books, Rickon hasn't done much. Like his brother Bran, we last saw him in season four. Rickon split from Bran and Hodor, and took a different path with Osha — the Wildling woman who is now in service of House Stark. Their plan was to try and get to the Last Hearth, a castle that belonged to a family who had sworn fealty to the Starks. 

There has been no word of them since.

But actors Art Parkinson and Natalia Tena, who play Rickon and Osha, respectively, have recently been sighted in Belfast, Ireland, a known filming location for "Game of Thrones" scenes that take place in northern Westeros. 

In the book series, it's not clear where Rickon and Osha (spelled Asha in the novels) have been. The last they were mentioned, a loyal Stark follower met Davos Seaworth (Stannis' right hand man) and asked him to find Rickon.

One reader has theorized, based on context clues of the book scene, that Rickon might be hanging out on an island called Skagos, a remote settlement, home to a supposedly cannibal race of men. 

Now that is the type of drama season six would be remiss to leave out. With the actors' reappearance in Belfast, there's a chance the world will finally know what Rickon has been up to all this time.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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6 'Shark Tank' companies that are crushing the competition

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shark tank river illustration

It pays to have a Shark on your side.

Every entrepreneur that hooks a Shark as a partner sees at least a slight bump in sales as a result of the so-called "Shark Tank" effect — but only companies that take the long view toward sustained growth turn out to be good investments.

Here are six businesses that walked out of the Tank with a deal and have been scaling up ever since, generating a handsome return for their big fish investors.

Pipsnacks

Brother and sister team Jeff and Jen Martin struck a deal with Barbara Corcoran in the beginning of season six for their company Pipsnacks, whose flagship product Pipcorn is an all-natural miniature popcorn that doesn't get stuck in your teeth or cause digestive problems.

After Corcoran invested in the Brooklyn-based company, she took the product nationwide by adding co-packers in the Midwest and on the West Coast. Pipsnacks's sales went from $200,000 prior to "Shark Tank" to more than $1.1 million within just three months of the company's landing a deal with Corcoran.



Sun-Staches

In season six, novelty sunglasses company Sun-Staches attracted a $300,000 investment from Shark Daymond John, who immediately secured a licensing deal for the company with Marvel Entertainment.

Having access to Marvel's roughly 8,000 characters for its sunglass designs has certainly paid off, helping the company generate $4.1 million in sales in less that five months, just shy of the $5.7 million in revenue it earned the previous year.



Q-Flex

When 13-year-old entrepreneur Andrea Cao made a deal with Barbara Corcoran and Mark Cuban for her handheld massage device Q-Flex during season six, she had just $20,000 in sales.

Since launching a website and moving manufacturing out of her garage and into a fulfillment center, sales have risen to $500,000. Cao and her mother have also had to hire four employees to help with customer service and product assembly.



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A disillusioned dating startup founder just made an 'evil' app for ruining relationships

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damn love

It can be tough to keep all of the dating apps and startups straight these days.

But the new app Damn Love distinguishes itself pretty easily: It's a game that rewards you for your ability to ruin relationships.

Journalist and Elle magazine advice columnist E. Jean Carroll created the game after handing over the reins of another project, matchmaking service Tawkify, to its new head, Kenneth Shaw.

She'd worked on Tawkify since 2012, but when she got some tech-heavy advice, she decided to turn her attentions elsewhere, she told the Observer's Matt Kassel.

“We learned that you have to turn love into data,” she told Kassel. “That’s something that I’m totally against.” 

So she created Dorothy Parker Brothers Games LLC and put together Damn Love, an iPhone game that asks its users to break imaginary couples up. Its tagline is "Damn Love — a cruel game for posh people."

The game's jaunty soundtrack and quirky art make it a totally different experience from other slick, streamlined, futuristic video games. Also, despite the fictional paramours, real-world names pepper the game's answers (mine's one of them since, full disclosure, I know both Carroll and Kassel from my days at the Observer).

It's available on iTunes and Google PlayHere's how it works.

First, the rules of the game are explained.



You'll be competing against another user in real time.



The game rewards "evil" thinking.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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