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I went to the most insane fantasy-football draft in New Jersey — here's how it went down

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mfl draft 2

Early in 2015, I was invited to partake in a nine-year-old fantasy-football league called the MFL: the Moscatiello* Football League.

My girlfriend's father and his brothers, nephews, and friends get together each year for a fantasy-football league more competitive, time-consuming, torturous, and, frankly, fun than any league I've ever heard of.

"Most leagues, it's all about money," John Moscatiello, one of the founding members and host of the draft each year, told me. "Our league — it's all about the wins, it's about getting the silly trophy, it's about trying to get a gold jacket, it's about trying not to be a clown."

The MFL, as John told me, "is a unique league for reasons."

First, a little background ...

* pronounced "Musk-uh-tell-oh."

The league started in 2006, when Patrick, John's son, suggested starting a fantasy league. Though nobody was necessarily a big football fan, the family knew their competitiveness could make something special.



Early on, they drafted a literal constitution, protecting the league from factors like collusion and negligence. John told me, "It was almost like something our Forefathers wrote."



My entrance into the league was a result of a rule made in 2011 by John's brother Tom: The Clown Rule. When one of the 12 members dropped out at the end of the last season, the MFL opened a spot for a new team and GM. I was one of several people invited to compete for the lone spot in the league.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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All of the new emoji coming to your iPhone

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combo

Get ready for a bunch of new emoji on your iPhone.

In an upcoming software update, Apple is adding dozens of new emojis, including the middle finger and burrito.

The new emoji were first announced in June by the Unicode Consortium, a group that standardizes emoji between different companies like Apple and Microsoft.

They became available on Thursday to people who are testing out iOS 9, the next version of Apple's mobile operating system. 

Apple is also introducing some more skin tones for some emoji and a bunch of new flag emoji.

So you can get a peek at what to expect, we've collected most of the new emoji you'll find in iOS 9.1 when it becomes available to download this fall.

There are several new face emoji in iOS 9.1, like the hugging and nerd face.



Two new hand emoji include the middle finger the horn sign, also known to mean "rock on."



New animals include a unicorn and an adorable lion face.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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10 enterprise tech rock stars under age 35

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Cassidy Williams

For decades the enterprise technology industry has been dominated by "experienced" people: Think Oracle's Larry Ellison (now joined by Mark Hurd and Safra Catz), Cisco's John Chambers (now joined by Chuck Robbins), SAP's Bill McDermott, Salesforce's Marc Benioff, Infor's Charles Phillips, HP's Meg Whitman, IBM's Ginni Rometty.

But nobody comes into their career as a polished older person.

So LinkedIn scanned its massive database of 380 million professionals to come up with a list of 150 rock star professionals under the age of 35 who are changing the business world, calling them "The Next Wave."

Among them, it found 10 Next Wave folks working in the business tech field. 

Here's a quick rundown of the folks that LinkedIn says are changing the way you work: 

SEE ALSO: What tech workers hate about their jobs

Ruba Borno, Cisco's VP of Growth Initiatives and Chief of Staff

The 34-year-old Ruba Borno joined Cisco from the Boston Consulting Group in June as part of recently-appointed CEO Chuck Robbins' new administration.

Cisco is the world's biggest maker of computer network equipment and she's charged with finding new markets for Cisco to enter.



Jeff Hammerbacher, Cloudera's Chief scientist and cofounder

Cloudera is the 800-pound gorilla in the hot big data technology known as Hadoop.

Jeff Hammerbacher, the 32-year-old ex-Facebooker not only helped found it, he is now using it, working with Mount Sinai in NYC, to help cure cancer.

 

 



Solomon Hykes, Docker's CTO and founder

The 26-year-old Solomon Hykes invented a technology called "containers"that is taking the enterprise cloud computing world by storm.

Docker has raised more than $162 million and spawned a crop of competitors, and has every big name in tech from Amazon to Microsoft calling it up for partnerships.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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After 10 hours with 'Metal Gear Solid 5,' I can't stop thinking about it

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Do yourself a favor and take a full vacation day to solely play the new "Metal Gear" game. That's what I did on Tuesday, and I'd love to spend the rest of the week continuing the marathon.

I arrived at Tech Insider's Flatiron District offices on Wednesday morning with wistful thoughts of attaching high-powered balloons to bears and sneaking around in a camouflage cardboard box. WHAT? This is the open-world madness of "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain."It's a delight.

Despite this being the fifth numbered entry in the "Metal Gear Solid" franchise, "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain" requires no prior knowledge of the series from new players. See that guy crawling in the image? That's the main character.

And I should know: I've never gotten further than an hour or two in to any previous "Metal Gear Solid" games. In the case of "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain," the game starts with a blockbuster escape from a hospital under attack. 



He eventually gets to his feet and gets a gun, but cut him some slack: dude's been in a coma for nine years!



Here he is running for his life from the soldiers chasing him:



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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9 weirdest businesses in Britain where you don't pay VAT

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undertaker

Budget pub chain Wetherspoons went to war against the British government over having to pay a higher value-added-tax (VAT) rate than supermarkets for food and booze.

It basically said the government was destroying pubs because of the massive difference in VAT for the two sectors. 

VAT is a consumption tax or general sales tax.

But there are dozens of sectors out there that pay little or no tax because of the fundamental goods or services they provide the country. One would argue that selling food and drink so we can go home and cook is one of them.

So what are the others? Some of them are pretty weird and some most people wouldn't want to work in. And some just look plain boring.

 

Houseboat parking landlord — If you have parking spaces or garages supplied with houseboat moorings, you'll be completely exempt from VAT.



Printing only pamphlets, leaflets, brochures — If you've got a printer and only print these certain items, you'll pay a big, fat 0% in VAT.



Emptying cesspools or septic tanks — as a service, if you just concentrated on doing one of the jobs that most would hate to do, you wouldn't have to pay any VAT.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Just when we thought Pluto couldn't get any weirder, NASA released these new photos

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pluto hi resolution nasa new horizons false color

NASA has released a fresh batch of Pluto photos, and they are exquisite.

We're just now seeing them — months after we first encountered the dwarf planet — because the New Horizons spacecraft can only trickle the images back to Earth from billions of miles away.

Despite this hurdle, the new shots are among the most detailed views of Pluto that scientists have ever seen. And, like other recent images, they're sowing a lot of mystery.

Keep scrolling to get a close-up look at a frozen world that continues to be weirder than anyone expected.

This new photo shows what you'd see if you could float about 1,000 miles above Pluto's equator.



Most of the above image is dominated by this flat, bright plain in the middle that scientists have named "Sputnik Planum."



The plain is composed of a smooth ice layer, but scientists are not sure what the darker, bumpy region in the bottom left corner is or what it's made of.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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What happened on 9/11, 14 years ago today

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9/11 September 11th Attacks

It has been 14 years since September 11, 2001, the date of the deadliest attacks on US soil since the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in World War II.

Nearly 3,000 people died in the 9/11 attacks, which The New York Times called the "worst and most audacious terror attack in American history."

The nation is still working to move past the tragedy.

More than a decade later, New York City is still rebuilding the Financial District skyline. And as recently as 2013, a piece of one of the planes that crashed into the towers was found wedged between two buildings near Park Place downtown.

These photos tell the story of what happened that morning, much of which was captured on live television.

SEE ALSO: Here are some of the poignant artifacts you'll see at the new 9/11 memorial museum

The morning of September 11, 2001, started off like any other. The Twin Towers stood tall in the Financial District, as they had for more than 30 years.



At 8:46 a.m., American Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. At first, newscasters weren't sure whether it was an accident or a deliberate attack.



At 9:03 a.m., United Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower, leaving no doubt that this was an attack. Some news channels captured the moment on live television.



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10 apps that will help you get the best night's sleep

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woman sleeping

Not getting enough sleep is terrible for you. From the common cold to chronic heart disease, sleep deprivation can have huge consequences on your waking life.

But sometimes sleep masks and fancy white noise machines just don't cut it.

Luckily, there are a huge number of sleep apps that can help you get more shut-eye.

Tech Insider waded through the Apple and Google app stores to round up ten easy to use and affordable sleep apps to help you get the best night's rest possible.

Scroll down and find a few new ways to get sleep better.

Sleepyti.me

Sleepyti.me is the simplest app, but no less valuable. It calculates when to fall asleep if you want to wake at a certain time, or what time to set your alarm to get the most of your sleep, based on the rapid eye movement (REM) cycle — the five stages that occur during sleep.

The fifth stage occurs about 70 to 90 minutes after you fall asleep and is when your deepest sleep occurs. Disrupting sleep during the REM stage results in grogginess, so Sleepyti.me wakes you during the lightest stage of sleep.

Price: free
Available on: any browser



Sleepbot

Sleepbot tracks your sleep quality and sets alarms for the best time to wake based on the REM cycle. When you're ready for bed, turn on the app and put your phone under your pillow. Sleepbot automatically mutes alerts and turns on airplane mode so you work emails and late night texts don't disturb you.

Price: free
Available on: iOS, Android



Sleep Cycle

Sleep Cycle works a lot like Sleepbot. Sleep Cycle tracks your sleep patterns and wakes you during your lightest sleep so you're not groggy. The sleep tracker also helps identify things that could be keeping you awake.

Price: $0.99
Available on: iOS, Android



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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How my Polaroids of the September 11 attacks led me into America's secret court system for terrorist suspects

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world trade center sept 11

This week marks the 14th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

On the day of the attacks, I lived directly across the Hudson River from the Twin Towers, in downtown Jersey City, New Jersey. As the buildings burned and then collapsed, the police shut down the entire Jersey City waterfront except for one small area, Morris Canal Park. The park had an unobstructed view, and I took a set of Polaroid shots of the disaster.

Later, as a senior writer for the New Jersey Law Journal, I investigated the cases of the 762 Muslim men who were randomly rounded up by the FBI after the attack, cleared of being terrorists, but secretly deported anyway to the countries of their birth. Some of them were tortured by local authorities when they arrived.

This is the story of how, after taking these Polaroids, I discovered that the US set up an invisible court system outside the control of the federal judiciary to deal with Muslim immigrants after September 11.

This is a postcard of Downtown Manhattan that I bought on the day of the attacks. People forget that the Twin Towers were more than twice as tall as the other buildings downtown.



On the day of the attack I was a freelance business journalist. The collapse of the towers brought work to a halt, so I went outside with my old-fashioned Polaroid camera to take some pictures. They're not great quality, but the Polaroid was the only camera I owned in the era before cellphones.



Thinking there would be thousands of wounded people, I approached this police officer to ask if I could donate blood. He said there was no need: People in the buildings either died or survived. Relatively few were wounded. You can see the smoke in the background at the end of the street.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's the best day of the year to buy a house in 11 major cities

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house

The old adage in real estate is that it's all about location, location, location.

New research, however, shows that "timing" may need to be tacked on to that saying.

According to an analysis by RealtyTrac of over 32 million house and condos sales since 2000, closing on a house on a particular day can save you a lot of money in some cities.

Of 11 major metro areas reviewed, completing the sale on the best day of the year saved buyers at least 10% against the market value for the house at the time of sale.

The best savings seem to occur on October days when there tend to be a dearth of buyers in the market, forcing sellers to bring down their prices.

Oddly enough, Seattle's best day for savings was April 1, which RealtyTrac found was the worst month for discounts.

Check out the best days to buy, the discount on those days, and the average closing price for 11 major metro areas below.

SEE ALSO: The single best day to buy a home nationwide

Atlanta

Best Day to Buy:
January 15

Discount on Best Day: 
14%

Average Closing Price since 2000:
$184,528



Boston

Best Day to Buy: 
October 8

Discount on Best Day:
38%

Average Closing Price since 2000:
$347,464



Chicago

Best Day to Buy: 
September 30

Discount on Best Day: 
10%

Average Closing Price since 2000:
$232,147



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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HERE COME CYCLING'S ROAD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: One of the biggest and best weeks in bicycle racing is headed to the US for only the second time ever

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Richmond2015 UCI Road World Championships Road Race

The week of September 20-27 will see over 1,000 of the world's fittest athletes race for gold at the UCI Road World Championships, with historic Richmond, Virginia, playing host. This edition of road worlds, an event that leaves Europe only occasionally, offers a huge opportunity for US riders and fans.

It's only the second time they have been held on US soil — you have to go back 29 years to Colorado Springs, Colorado, for the first visit — and the US has an excellent shot at winning several medals, most notably in the elite women's road race with Wall Street analyst turned bike racer Evelyn Stevens and in the elite women's time trial with Olympic gold medalist Kristin Armstrong.

While the Tour de France is the world's most famous bicycle race, for many the road world championships are a more intriguing affair. Unlike the Tour, where just a handful of riders have a real chance at winning the overall and a few big-budget teams control the three-week race, road worlds are one-day events held at the end of a long, grueling season, and they are much more open and therefore more unpredictable.

It is not uncommon for Tour champions and stars of the sport to be beaten by so-called lesser riders. Winning the famous stripes, one of sports' greatest prizes, can land a rider a lucrative contract and make a career. To become champion you need world-class talent, endurance, racecraft, and motivation, but past winners and near winners alike will tell you that you need luck, too.

This year's eight-day, 12-race UCI Road World Championships will showcase over 1,000 cyclists from 75 countries. Each race crowns a new world champion, and each champion wears the rainbow jersey for a year until the next championships. Organizers in RVA expect 450,000 on-site spectators, with another 300 million people tuning in to see the races broadcast worldwide. Lending importance to this year's World Championships is next year's Olympics, because in Richmond we should get a preview of Rio 2016.

Scroll on for detailed course information, race schedules, the favorites, how to watch on TV and online, some insights into worlds' colorful history, and "the curse of the rainbow jersey."

Below is the complete schedule for the 2015 UCI Road World Championships

Sat., Sept. 19

Team Time Trial Training: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Time Trial Training: 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Sun., Sept. 20

Women’s Team Time Trial: 11:30 a.m. to 12:55 p.m.
Men’s Team Time Trial: 1:30 p.m. to 3:35 p.m.

Mon., Sept. 21

Women’s Junior Time Trial: 10:00 a.m. to 11:10 a.m.
Men’s Under-23 Time Trial: 11:30 a.m. to 3:50 p.m.

Tues., Sept. 22

Men’s Junior Time Trial: 9:30 a.m. to 1:05 p.m.
Women’s Elite Time Trial: 1:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Wed., Sept. 23

Men’s Elite Individual Time Trial: 1:00 p.m. to 3:35 p.m.

Thurs., Sept. 24

Road Circuit Training: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Fri., Sept. 25

Women’s Junior Road Circuit: 10:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.

Men’s Under-23 Road Circuit: 12:45 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.

Dominion Conquer the Cobbles Ride: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Sat., Sept. 26

Men’s Junior Road Circuit: 9:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Women’s Elite Road Circuit: 1:00 p.m. to 4:25 p.m.

Sun., Sept. 27

Men’s Elite Road Circuit: 9:00 a.m. to 3:40 p.m.



This map shows the 10-mile course for the circuit races — the elite men will race 161 miles and the elite women 80.5

The course is fast and technical with lots of turns and three punchy climbs in the last few miles. (See the profile below.)

"All road races will take place on a challenging, technical inner-city road circuit,"organizers say. "The peloton heads west from Downtown Richmond, working their way onto Monument Avenue, a paver-lined, historic boulevard that's been named one of the '10 Great Streets in America,'" according to the official race website, Richmond2015.com. "Racers will take a 180-degree turn at the Jefferson Davis monument and then maneuver through the Uptown district and Virginia Commonwealth University.

"Halfway through the circuit, the race heads down into Shockoe Bottom before following the canal and passing Great Shiplock Park, the start of the Virginia Capital Trail. A sharp, off-camber turn at Rocketts Landing brings the riders to the narrow, twisty, cobbled 200-meter climb up to Libby Hill Park in the historic Church Hill neighborhood. A quick descent, followed by three hard turns leads to a 100-meter-long climb up 23rd Street. Once atop this steep cobbled hill, riders descend into Shockoe Bottom. This leads them to the final 300-meter-long climb up Governor Street. At the top, riders face a 680-meter false flat to the finish."See a bigger map here. Here's the schedule for the circuit races:

Thurs., 9.24.2015 | Road Circuit Training | 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Fri., 9.25.2015 | Women’s Junior Road Circuit | 10:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.

Fri., 9.25.2015 | Conquer the Cobbles Ride | 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Fri., 9.25.2015 | Men’s Under 23 Road Circuit | 12:45 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.

Sat., 9.26.2015 | Men’s Junior Road Circuit | 9:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Sat., 9.26.2015 | Women’s Elite Road Circuit | 1:00 p.m. to 4:25 p.m.

Sun., 9.27.2015 | Men’s Elite Road Circuit | 9:00 a.m. to 3:40 p.m.



These three spots will probably be the best places to watch the circuit races in person

Expect massive crowds on the trio of short, steep climbs that come near the end of each lap. Since the riders will be going (a bit) slower on the climbs, you'll get to see a little more of the action. But you'll want to arrive early.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

These are the 20 largest endowments and foundations in the US

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piggy-bank-savings-kid

They have billions of dollars under management and investments in areas as varied as coal, US Treasury bonds, and sub-Saharan Africa real estate.

No, these aren't private equity or Wall Street's biggest hedge funds.

These are nonprofit organizations serving higher education, healthcare, and the arts.

Based on second-quarter data from 2014, the finance research and data site Graypools compiled a list dominated by higher-education institutions and interspersed with healthcare funds, art-preservation societies, and financing cooperatives.

Here are the top 20 foundations and endowments in the US by gross assets, based on their regulatory filings with the IRS.

Note: Gross assets data comes from Graypools, which may "significantly inflate an organization's "size" by failing to adjust for fully-secured liabilities, such as mortgages on development real estate."

1. President and Fellows of Harvard College

About: This refers to a portion of Harvard University's endowment fund.

The President and Fellows of Harvard College is a permanent endowment, made up of some 12,000 funds set up to support professorships, financial aid, fellowships, and student activities. It is run by Harvard University's governing body, the 12-member President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Harvard distributed about $1.5 billion in the 2012 fiscal year — a third of its operating revenue.

Gross Assets: $56.37 billion

 



2. Kaiser Foundation Hospitals

About: Kaiser Foundation Hospitals is a nonprofit entity under the umbrella of the healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente that offers a network of hospitals, physicians, and healthcare plans. 

Kaiser Foundation Hospitals is partnered with several healthcare providers around the country, with some 10.1 million members in its network.

The gross assets represent the value of the network's 38 hospitals, 600-plus medical office buildings, and the land they sit on, said Marc Brown, manager of the media-relations department at Kaiser Permanente.

Gross Assets: $20.81 billion



3. Yale University Investment fund

About: Yale University's investment fund reported a 20-year return of 13.9% per annum, giving $20.6 billion in relative value added support to the Ivy League. 

The University estimates that in the fiscal year that ended in June 2014, the endowment's invested donations under management totaled $23.9 billion. 

The revenues go toward professorships, scholarships and prizes, maintenance, books, and more.

Gross Assets: $28.32 billion  

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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The 17 most popular destinations for British expats

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Italy

There are five million British people currently living overseas and the bulk of them are in a lot sunnier climates.

While Spain is the considered one of the most popular destinations for British holiday makers and expats, new data from international shipping company Pack Send reveals that some of the top destinations are rather surprising.

But it's not just about job prospects and better weather.

The Pack Send data shows that a bulk of expats are moving to countries like Italy for retiring due to the pace of life and relatively low costs to live out your days in scenic splendour.

Check out all the other places Brits are moving to. 

 

17. Portugal – 18,989 expats. Being only a two hour flight away from the UK and with much better weather, it's a no brainer why thousands of Brits would go to Portugal.



16. Japan – 20,812 expats. Japan may have some of the most expensive cities to live in the world, such as Tokyo and Osaka, but the boom and bust of various corporate industries has been a prime draw for expats over the years. However, according to the travel blog Expat Info Desk, Brits only account for a small slice of the two million expats in Japan due to the culture shock.



15. United Arab Emirates – 33,865 expats. Earning a usually high and tax-free salary, living in opulent surroundings and in the sun is a massive draw for heat-starved Brits. Jobs are usually a plenty, especially in finance and property in hubs such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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16 essentials for the ultimate man cave

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ford pool tableEvery guy dreams of having the perfect man cave, a place where he can put up his feet, relax, and do whatever he wants.

We've put together a list of items that will make the place look classy, keep it entertaining, and transform it into a prime space for relaxation.

From a pool table made from the parts of a Ford Mustang to drinking glasses that won't ever spill, here are 16 items that can take your man cave to the next level.

SEE ALSO: An engineer spent 3 years building the ultimate high-tech man cave

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This coffee table book is one you'll actually want to read.

"Top Gear: The Cool 500: The Coolest Cars Ever Made" recounts the stories behind history’s best cars, from vintage motors to the supercars of the future.

The book weaves together rare archive photographs with commentary from the "Top Gear" staff to break down the technology behind how cars work.

"Top Gear: The Cool 500: The Coolest Cars Ever Made," $29.25, available on Amazon.



This ice set keeps drinks chilled without watering them down.

If you prefer ice in your drinks, use this mold maker to create ice balls that won't melt as quickly as cubes.

Just pour water in the night before and let it cool to make a classy ice display for your glass of Scotch.

Home-Complete Ice Ball Maker Mold - 4 Whiskey Ice Balls -Premium Round Spheres Tray, $6.99 for one tray and $9.99 for two trays, available on Amazon.

 



This decanter makes for an elegant table display.

To take your man cave from fratty to classy, add a decanter.

The stylish piece looks elegant when serving liquor, and its design is sure to catch attention.

Wine Savant Whisky & Wine Sail Ship Etched Globe Spirits Decanter, $26.95, available on Amazon.

 



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This awesome map shows the parts of Pluto's moon NASA wants to name after Star Wars

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nh charon

Pluto's moon Charon might become a nerd's paradise if NASA has anything to say about it.

It's already settled that Pluto's landscape features must have names that come from underworld mythology like its rocky region called "Cthulu regio" (from H.P. Lovecraft's writing) and its dark spot called "Balrog macula" (from "Lord of the Rings").

But the door is wide open for Charon's craters, mountains, and plains, and NASA really went to geek town on its proposed names. They reference popular sci-fi works like "Star Wars,""2001: A Space Odyssey," and "Star Trek."

They aren't official yet, but we really hope these are the names that get approved. Keep scrolling to see Charon's features and which sci-fi stories they reference.

(NASA even has a spreadsheet that explains all the names if you want more details.)

Here's the map in all its nerd glory. Though they are still provisional, "we have a decent chance of getting these names approved," New Horizons planetary scientist Mark Showalter told Mashable.

Source: Mashable.



The craters Vader, Skywalker and Leia Organa are named after the "Star Wars" characters. The Vader crater, of course, is darker than the other two.



And if you have "Star Wars" represented, you can't leave out "Star Trek." So the Spock, Kirk, Sulu, and Uhura craters are sprinkled over the Vulcan plane.



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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 planes that can launch satellites 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, advanced 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 world's most advanced combat-ready jet.

The US is the sole operator of the F-22 thanks to a federal law that prohibits the jet from being exported. Lockheed Martin built 195 of the planes before the last one was delivered to the US Air Force in May 2012.

Despite the program's high cost and the jet's advanced features, it only saw combat for the first time relatively recently, during the opening phase of the bombing campaign against the ISIS in late 2014.



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 at the prototype stage, 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 both the F-22 and 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.



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THEN AND NOW: How New York City's World Trade Center has changed in the 14 years since the 9/11 terrorist attack

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world trade center

Completed in 1973, the original World Trade Center complex was dubbed a "dream come true" by Governor Nelson Rockefeller at the official ribbon cutting ceremony on April 4.

After the September 11, 2011 terrorist attacks left a hole in New York's skyline, ideas started spewing about what and how to rebuild.

Years later, One World Trade stands in its place. It's not just the Western Hemisphere's tallest building — it has also become a symbol of American pride.

See how the original World Trace Center evolved into today's Freedom Tower after the attacks of 9/11. 

SEE ALSO: 17 One World Observatory Instagram shots that will take your breath away

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Construction on the original towers began in February 1967 with less than a $500 million budget. Architect Minoru Yamasaki designed two 110-story tall towers that were to be constructed as hollow structures supported by steel columns.

Source: New York State Education Department, History.com



The Port Authority and New Jersey Engineering Department aided in the complex's construction. Over 10,000 workers were involved in the building of the complex, which included both towers and a five-acre outdoor plaza with a 25-foot-tall Fritz Koenig sculpture.

Source: New York State Education DepartmentHistory.com



There were 43,600 windows in the twin towers and over 600,000 square feet of glass. Each building accommodated 50,000 workers and around 200,000 daily visitors.

Source: New York State Education DepartmentHistory.com



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NOW WATCH: 50 Cent once sat in this home — which he can no longer afford — and told Oprah he would never go broke

Everything you need to know about Apple's best iPhone camera yet

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iPhone 6S live photos

Apple introduced two new iPhones this week — the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus.

These phones have the best iPhone cameras Apple has ever created, with more depth, detail, color accuracy, and auto-focus speed than ever before.

They also have some unique features we've never seen in an iPhone, like 4K video support and a really cool feature called "Live Photos."

Let's dive in.

The new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus come with 12-megapixel rear-facing cameras, a major improvement over the 8-megapixel cameras from recent years.



Images now pack 50% more pixels than before so you can see more details, and you also get 50% more "focus pixels" than in the previous iPhones for faster auto-focus.



Cameras with more megapixels usually sacrifice image quality in certain ways. Normally when you pack so many pixels so close together, it creates artifacts called "crosstalk": inaccurate colors and noise in your images.



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NOW WATCH: Jennifer Lawrence is all over the place in this awesome trailer for 'Joy'

10 of the best new hotels around the world

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COMO The Treasury, Perth

Love sniffing out the newest and best holiday destinations?

Look no further than these new hotels for your next luxurious holiday.

From boutique hotels to multi-national hospitality brands, these are the top picks of the best stays that have either recently opened their doors or are on the verge of welcoming guests into their rooms.

SEE ALSO: How to get an upgrade in a hotel

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The Laslett, London

At the heart of Notting Hill, nestled in a neighbourhood of Victorian townhouses is The Laslett. Spread across five of these listed townhouses, the hotel offers 51 cozy bedrooms and suites.

It aims to be a space reminiscent of a stylish home and is littered with art and photography from local artists. On the ground floor of The Laslett are a curated British library, the hotel’s Henderson bar and a coffee shop that serves seasonal British fare with signature dishes.

www.thelaslett.co.uk



COMO The Treasury, Perth

Set to open on 15 October 2015, COMO The Treasury in Perth will be COMO Hotel’s first Australian property. The hotel is housed in 140­ year-­old state buildings located on the corner of St Georges Terrace and Barrack Street.

There are 48 rooms and suites, two restaurants, a bar, the brand’s signature wellness centre of COMO Shambhala Urban Escape, as well as a gym and 20m indoor pool.

www.comohotels.com



Mandarin Oriental, Milan

Housed within four redeveloped 18th century buildings, Mandarin Oriental Milan is located next to the famous opera house, La Scala. It is also located minutes from Via Montenapoleone and Via della Spiga, Milan’s exclusive shopping streets. Its 73 rooms and 31 suites incorporate contemporary Italian design and the brand’s signature Asian-inspired touches. Other facilities of the hotel include a heated indoor swimming pool, a fitness centre, beauty studio, manicure and pedicure studio, and hair salon headed by celebrity stylist Massimo Serini.

www.mandarinoriental.com



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Here's what happened to markets the last 15 times the Fed tightened

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vice tighten

Ever since the release of the minutes from the Federal Reserve's most recent policy meeting– which surprised markets by striking a hawkish tone – one question has gripped investors perhaps more than any other: when will the Fed start tightening monetary policy, and what will happen when it does?

Deutsche Bank Chief U.S. Equity Strategist David Bianco says, "Don't fear interest rate normalization."

That's the title of one of his recent research notes, which takes a deep dive into what happened to markets each of the 15 times the Fed has embarked on policy tightening since 1965.

December 1965 - December 1966

Story: Bianco writes, "The 1965 tightening followed many previous hikes that were largely a post-war renormalization of rates. But the curve inverted in Dec. 1965 and yet hikes continued through Nov. 1966 on low unemployment – hawkish policy. Stocks fell into a bear market in 1966 even without recession and then the Fed started easing in Dec. 1966 and the market rallied."

Beginning Fed funds rate: 4.10 percent

Peak Fed funds rate: 5.76 percent

Source: Deutsche Bank



December 1965 - December 1966

1-month change in S&P 500 from start of tightening: 0.9 percent

12-month change in S&P 500 from start of tightening: -12.2 percent

Change in 10-year Treasury yield over entire tightening: 0.54 percentage points

Source: Deutsche Bank



August 1967 - September 1969

Story: The Federal Reserve began lowering rates in December 1966 over fears that the long-running economic expansion in the U.S. was about to turn. It continued to cut rates through July of 1968, when the economy began heating up again. Stocks traded sideways through March 1968, when they staged a rally through the rest of the year before falling in 1969.

Beginning Fed funds rate: 3.79 percent

Peak Fed funds rate: 9.19 percent

Source: Deutsche Bank, Allan Meltzer



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