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Historic rains transform the driest place on Earth into a floral oasis

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desierto florido 2009

When nature devastates, it often also brings life.

Historic rainfall in Chile this year killed 28 people and left thousands homeless, the news agency EFE reported.

In Antofagasta, Chile, it rained 0.9 inches in 12 hours — which is about what the area gets on average in an entire year, according to the Weather Channel.

But the historic rainfall has turned the Atacama Desert, which is the driest place on Earth, into a flowering oasis.

"The Atacama region was punished, but also blessed by the phenomenon of a flourishing desert, something that happens only after the rains, this time brought about by El Niño and climate change," Atacama National Tourism Service Director Daniel Diaz told EFE.

The Atacama Desert, surrounded by the Andes Mountains in Chile, is the driest place on Earth.



Its wide expanses of sky have some of the best vistas for stargazing.



The desert's terrain is so much like Mars that the European Space Agency has even tested rovers there bound for the Red Planet.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

How to never pay an ATM fee again

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Man at Bank of America ATM

Whether it be out of laziness or ignorance, we continue to pay ATM fees— and the seemingly insignificant charges can add up over time.

If you're using one of the traditional "big banks" you'll likely get hit with two fees if you don't use their machine: one from the ATM for the privilege of withdrawing cash, and one from your own bank for going out-of-network.

Thanks to the double charge, consumers these days are paying an average of $4.35 each time they use an out-of-network ATM.

The good news is that these fees are easily preventable. Never pay an ATM fee again by following these basics:

SEE ALSO: 13 simple ways to improve your finances in an hour or less

Use your bank's ATM.

The simplest way to avoid fees is to withdraw cash from your bank's ATM. A good rule of thumb: "If it's not your bank's logo, don't use it," says Nick Clements, co-founder of Magnify Money, a free, independent service that provides unbiased comparisons of financial products.

"The traditional bigger banks have invested heavily in building very large branch and ATM networks," he tells Business Insider. "If you use their network, it's free. If you don't use their network it can get really expensive."

If you live in a major city and use one of the traditional, bigger banks, there should be various ATM options nearby. Start by checking the online location pages for banks like Bank of America, Citi, Chase, and Wells Fargo, and put in the extra effort to get one of your bank's ATM machines. You can also look up the locations on your smartphone using the bank's mobile app. 

If your bank doesn't have convenient ATM options — or if you live in a smaller town with fewer ATMs — you may want to consider opening a checking account with a more accessible or online bank (more on that in a minute).



Get cash back.

Most grocery and convenience stores allow you to get cash back following a purchase with your debit card. It would be much more economical to go buy a pack of gum and ask for cash back than use a third-party ATM machine and get charged $2.50 or more. Or, make a habit out of asking for cash back after your weekly trip to the grocery store or Target.

This is the one "loophole" when it comes to ATM fees, Clements explains, as you don't get charged for this.

However, if you're relying on this option, keep in mind that most stores put a cap on how much you can get at the register: typically $40.



Find a bank that doesn't have fees.

If you're open to switching banks, online banks such as Ally and Bank of the Internet reimburse you for ATM fees, since they don't operate their own machines. For holders of the "High Yield Investor Checking Account,"Charles Schwab does the same, and even reimburses for international withdrawals (although to get this checking in the first place, you also need a Schwab brokerage account).

Not every online-only bank treats ATM fees the same way — some only reimburse fees up to a certain amount each month, for example — so make sure you know the policies before committing.

While these online banks can save you on ATM fees — and tend to offer higher interest rates for their savings accounts — Clements notes that if you have to make a lot of cash deposits, this may not be the best option for you, as you can't deposit cash into internet-only banks.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's how to carve an incredibly realistic 'cheeseburger pumpkin'

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pumpkin burger

This pumpkin burger takes veggie burgers to a whole new level.

Or rather, fruit burgers, since pumpkins are technically fruits.

As their entry for Business Insider's annual pumpkin carving contest, our marketing team carved a pumpkin burger — and it's awesome. 

If you're looking to create your own burger pumpkin, Instagram and Pinterest are a great place to start. Looks like plenty of other people are also going to be carving pumpkin burgers this Halloween. 

Keep reading to learn how to make your own pumpkin cheeseburger. 

First, you'll need to slice your pumpkin into several pieces. Here's a guide.



By removing the rounded side on the left, the pumpkin will lie flat. You'll use this thin slice to create your tomato later.



Hollow out the two outside slices. Be sure to save the seeds.



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29 things you should never include on your résumé

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laptop couch Hiring managers receive an average of 75 résumés per position they post, according to CareerBuilder.com.

So they don't have the time or resources to review each one closely, and they spend approximately six seconds on their initial "fit/no fit" decision.

If you want to make it past the initial test, you need to have some solid qualifications — and the perfect résumé to highlight those qualifications.

Here are 29 things you should never include on your résumé.

Vivian Giang contributed to an earlier version of this article.

SEE ALSO: The 30 highest-paying jobs you can get with an associate degree

DON'T MISS: A new job-search site aims to solve the elusive 'culture fit' problem

1. An objective.

If you applied, it's already obvious you want the job.

The exception: If you're in a unique situation, such as changing industries completely, it may be useful to include a brief summary.



2. Irrelevant work experiences.

Yes, you might have been the "king of making milkshakes" at the restaurant you worked for in high school. But unless you are planning on redeeming that title, it is time to get rid of all that clutter.

But as Alyssa Gelbard, career expert and founder of career-consulting firm Résumé Strategists, points out: Past work experience that might not appear to be directly relevant to the job at hand might show another dimension, depth, ability, or skill that actually is relevant or applicable.

Only include this experience if it really showcases additional skills that can translate to the position you're applying for.



3. Personal stuff.

Don't include your marital status, religious preference, or Social Security number.

This might have been the standard in the past, but all of this information is now illegal for your employer to ask from you, so there's no need to include it.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

I rode to work in a corn-powered supercar and it blew my mind

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mclaren ride 11

On a typical weekday, I squeeze onto a crowded New York City subway car for a 40-minute ride into work. But today I got lucky: I was chauffeured to the office in the passenger seat of a $239,000 green supercar.

To kick off the start of its new BREAKTHROUGH television series on innovation, National Geographic teamed up with Uber to offer rides this week in a fleet of cars all powered by alternative energy sources.

The vehicles included Teslas, Porsches, and BMWs, which run on everything from solar energy, to hydrogen cells, to recycled vegetable oil.

I decided on the raw power of a corn-ethanol-fueled McLaren 12C Spider with a twin-turbo 3.8 liter V8 engine. In practical terms, this means it can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds. McLaren says this model can reach a top speed of 207 mph, but some drivers have clocked it at 215 mph.

Keep scrolling to see what it's like to ride to work in a corn-powered supercar.

The McLaren pulled up in front of my Brooklyn apartment at around 8:30 a.m. It attracted a lot of stares from my neighbors walking toward the subway.



The driver asked if he could open the door for me, or if I wanted to open it myself. Obviously I had to give the awesome "butterfly" doors a try.



As I settled into the passenger seat, I heard someone call out "sweet car!" I knew this was going to be an awesome ride.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 13 most impressive brand comebacks of all time

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Birkenstock

Every once in a while, a popular brand falls off the map.

During that time they have two choices: accept defeat or make a comeback plan.

In the chance the brand chooses to make a comeback, a huge rebranding effort comes into play.

Gathered from surveys by Ranker.com these are brands defied the odds.

 

SEE ALSO: 24 brands that improve the quality of everyday life

13. Members Only

This popular clothing brand in the '80s had the advertising tagline: "When you put it on, something happens." But the brand slowly became dismissed in the fashion world because of its dated look. Lucky for them, retro is in. The brand relaunched in 2004 with a men's and women's line and has been seen being worn by celebrities such asAnne Hathaway, David Hasselhoff, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, and Miley Cyrus. 



12. Myspace

From 2005 until 2008, Myspace was the largest social networking site in the world. Then in 2008, Facebook emerged and Myspace was forgotten. But now, Myspace is capitalizing on its music platform. Backed by Justin Timberlake, the site underwent a major redesign and is now a popular place for artists and musicians to post their work, while users can browse and search featured content. 



11. Birkenstock

These distinctive cork-soled sandals noticed a surge of popularity on the '90's, but as trends go, they became increasingly unaccepted in American culture. Thanks, yet again, to retro style taking the runways, the two-strap sandal trend is back and Birkenstock is at the top of the pack.

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

26 tech companies where the average pay is over $120,000

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computer happy

There's no question that tech is a booming industry that pays well. But it's not just Google, Facebook, and Microsoft employees that enjoy high salaries.

Employees at a whole variety of tech companies are commanding salaries over $120,000, according to job-hunting site Glassdoor.

Glassdoor culled through its massive database of self-reported salaries to come up with this list of average worker pay at the largest tech companies, across all job titles. All companies included here had at least 30 salaries reported to Glassdoor, and this includes total pay, including bonuses, etc. as employees reported it.

From this data one thing is clear: It pays to work in tech.

SEE ALSO: College students are using this app to show off their loaded guns and other weapons

No. 26: Qualcomm, $121,249

Employees rate the company: 3.7 out of 5

What it does: Qualcomm is a chip maker best known for making chips that power mobile and wireless devices.



No. 25: Avago, $122,285

Employees rate the company: 2.5 out of 5

What it does: Avago is a computer-chip and computer-component manufacturer.



No. 24: CA Technologies, $122,520

Employees rate the company: 3.2 out of 5

What it does: CA Technologies makes software that helps IT departments monitor and manage their data centers and networks.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

7 memory skills that will make you smarter

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professor genius calculations formula

Learning ability is probably the most important skill you can have. 

Take it from Peter Brown, Henry Roediger, and Mark McDaniel, authors of "Make It Stick: The Science Of Successful Learning." 

"We need to keep learning and remembering all our lives," they write. "Getting ahead at work takes mastery of job skills and difficult colleagues. ... If you're good at learning, you have an advantage in life." 

And to learn something is to be able to remember it, say the authors, two of whom are psychology professors at Washington University in St. Louis.

Unfortunately, lots of the techniques for learning that we pick up in school don't help with long-term recall — like cramming or highlighting. 

To get over these bad habits, we scoured "Make It Stick" for learning tips. 

Here are the takeaways: 

SEE ALSO: 4 strategies for remembering everything you learn

Retrieval: Bring it back from memory.

When you're attempting to recall an idea, method, or technique from memory, you're retrieving. Flash cards are a great example: They force you to recall an idea from memory, unlike a technique like highlighting where you're not burning anything into your brain. The reason retrieval's so effective is that it strengthens the neural pathways associated with a given concept. 



Elaboration: Connect new ideas to what you already know.

When you try to put a new idea into your own words, you're elaborating. 

"The more you can explain about the way your new learning relates to prior knowledge," the authors write, "the stronger your grasp of the new learning will be, and the more connections you create that will help you remember it later." 

For instance, if you're in physics class and trying to understand heat transfer, try to tie the concept into your real-life experiences, say, by imagining how a warm cup of coffee disperses heat into your hands. 



Interleaving: Varying your subjects.

When you work on a variety of things at once, you're interleaving. If you're trying to understand a subject — from the basics of economics to hitting a pitch — you're going to learn better if you mix up your examples.

A sports case: Batters who do batting practice with a mix of fastballs, change-ups, and curveballs hit for a higher average. The interleaving helps because when you're out there in the wild, you need to first discern what kind of problem you're facing before you can start to find a solution, like a ball coming from a pitcher's hand.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

America's economic boom, crash, and epic comeback in 128 color-coded maps

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September 2015

While the US economy as a whole is growing modestly, that growth is not even across the country.

As the Philly Fed's latest coincident indexes survey shows, six states — North Dakota, Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, West Virginia, and Vermont — saw economic activity contract during the three months ending in September.

Three other states went sideways, while the other 41 states continued to inch upwards.

These coincident indexes combine different state-level indicators to give us a picture of current economic conditions for that state.

On the bright side, we're doing much better than we were during the darkest days of the recession when all of those states were flashing red. And we have the history to show it. Every month, the Philly Fed publishes a color-coded map tracking economic activity across the country. Red shows economic contraction while blue or green show expansion.

The maps start in 2005 when the economy was booming, then get really ugly. We've put them all together below.

January 2005



February 2005



March 2005



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14 incredible facts about Texas

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guns texas

They say everything's bigger in Texas, and we're here to show you it's true.

If the Lone Star State were its own country, it would have the 12th-highest GDP in the world.

Some of that growth is attributed to Texas' bustling energy businesses, which has been front and center over the past year with the lower oil prices.

With that in mind, take a close looker at the inner workings of this major economy below.

SEE ALSO: Wall Street's brightest minds reveal the most important charts in the world

Texas has enough crude oil reserves to fill up almost 1,588 Empire State Buildings.

Texas has 10.47 billion barrels of crude-oil reserves, or 439.740 billion gallons. This is 31.4% of the US's reserves.

The Empire State Building's volume is 37 million cubic feet, or 276,779,000 gallons.

Source: US Energy Information Administration



There are enough registered machine guns in Texas to arm every student enrolled at Harvard and Dartmouth.

There are 28,690 registered machine guns in Texas.

There are about 21,000 students enrolled at Harvard and 6,298 students enrolled at Dartmouth.

Source: My San Antonio



Thirty-five North Dakotas would still have fewer businesses than Texas.

There are 2,164,852 firms in Texas.

There are 61,546 in North Dakota.

Source: US Census



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Africa's most coup-prone state is still more peaceful than the US

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global peace index

According to this year's edition of an annual report from the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), Botswana, Kuwait, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Angola, and Burkina Faso all have one surprising thing in common: They are more peaceful than the US.

The Global Peace Index from the IEP compiles yearly rankings of peacefulness in 162 nations based on 23 different types of data.​

The IEP attempts to answer a simple question: Is the world getting more or less peaceful?

While the most peaceful nations in the world are growing more peaceful, with some reaching historic highs, the least peaceful countries are descending further into chaos and war.

The report also includes an analysis of the economic impact of containing and dealing with the consequences of global violence. Last year violence containment was estimated to cost $14.3 trillion, which is approximately 13.4% of the world's gross domestic product.

Here's a look at the highlights of the report (and here's the full report):

SEE ALSO: The 10 most reputable cities in the world

Europe is home to the majority of the world's most peaceful nations.

Of the 20 most peaceful countries in the world, 15 are located in Europe. Greece rose 22 places, and the United Kingdom rose eight, after diminishing their military presence in Afghanistan.



Meanwhile, the US ranked 94th out of 162 nations.

The US sits in the middle tier of the ranking because of long-running international military campaigns, unparalleled levels of incarceration and homicide, and colossal military spending. 



Nations like Vietnam and Kosovo that were mired in ugly conflicts years ago have bounced back and become relatively peaceful.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

12 tiny transformations that will improve your life

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hug laugh smile

I can’t say it happened overnight.

I’ve been on a journey to achieve greater mindfulness and calmness for some time now, especially because it’s not something most of us can switch on or off and suddenly stop being a part of the “next!” generation, whose answer to most things is to just keep scrolling, clicking, and updating to discover what’s better — and driving ourselves insane in the process.

With this prevailing mentality rushing us onto the next thing, I found it was a huge challenge to suddenly start paying attention to a simple but daunting exercise: keeping my body and mind in the same place at the same time.

Have you also realized that we often spend all day thinking about what we’ll do when we get home and then when we get home we spend all evening thinking about the next day?

The scary thing is, if we spend our lives this way, we never truly live. If we keep projecting ourselves into future scenarios that will never transpire the way we envision, we lose out on the only real opportunity to get closer to the life we dream about: the right now.

Once we understand that in each moment we’re being given the opportunity to actively create the life we want, minute by minute, day by day, then and only then can we begin to live.

This is where I’m at — the beginning of this understanding — and these are the 12 simple and transformative practices that have made the greatest difference in achieving a newfound personal happiness and sense of peace. They’ve helped me turn down the noise, feel more centered, and reignite my capacity for kindness and empathy.

SEE ALSO: How the most successful people manage their time

Leaving early for things

I really don’t like when other people are late, and I really don’t like myself when I run late. The easiest remedy for this is to take control of the single aspect of our ever-more-flaky society that I’m actually able to control: my own behavior.

Leaving with plenty of time to arrive at my destination puts me at ease, knowing I’m doing the right thing by not making someone else wait on me, and I also have time to enjoy the journey there.

I’ll walk a new route, stop in a shop, and resist the urge to run if I hear the subway coming. Life can move so much slower if you allow time for it to do so.



Non-resistance in crowds and traffic

Just let the other guy go first. Instead of pushing your way onto the train first, step aside and let others disembark. Instead of trying to merge aggressively ahead of traffic, let a couple cars pass first.

Life is only a combat zone if you contribute to it, so reduce your stress, think of these as acts of kindness, and let the busy-bodies get out of your way.

Try it for a day and see if you feel a weight lifted off your shoulders when you stop putting up a fight in these relatively unimportant situations.



Incorporating acts of kindness into your diet

Along with taking deep breaths and letting the lady on your right merge during rush hour, make an overall effort to be more kind. Kindness to others contributes to a sense of accountability to one another, which in turn helps manifest and maintain calmness.

I started with smiling at the person next to me on the subway when I sat down or holding doors for others without expecting a thank you. Then I moved on from strangers to loved ones: picking up the dinner tab, surprising mom with a little something — you get the idea.

A lot of people emphasize doing random acts of kindness for strangers, but it’s equally as — or even more — important for the people you care about most.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

These are the 15 best used cars for first-time drivers

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Ford Mustang GT Convertible 2005For most young people and their parents, buying a first car is a major step.

Buying a new car is tempting. But another great option is to look at used cars, which can often be had for a fraction of the cost of brand-new versions.

We came up with 15 used cars we think are the best for the young car buyer on a budget. 

To make our list, we focused on cars that are available on the market right now for under $15,000. We looked for ones that are reliable, fun to drive, comfortable, attractive, economical, practical, and most of all, safe.

For safety, we checked out the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) moderate-front-overlap crash-test ratings for the cars we selected. Prices are based on current prices on Autotrader.com and reflect the lowest price we think a decent example may cost. 

2001-present Honda Civic

Starting price: $5,000 and up

IIHS crash test rating: Good

Why buy it: The Honda Civic is bulletproof. If properly maintained, the car can go for well over 250,000 miles without any issues. As one of the most popular cars in the world, spares are easy to come by and repairs are relatively affordable.

Being popular means that there is large aftermarket support for the car, so kids can customize a Civic to their liking for not much money. Also, the sporty and practical Si hatchback from the early 2000s is now available for under $10,000. And since it was only available with a manual gearbox, it teaches a good lesson.



1999-2006 Toyota Celica

Starting price: $5,500 and up

IIHS crash test rating: Good

Why buy it: The Toyota Celica sub-compact sports car is quick, fun to drive, reliable, and offers a surprising level of utility. Powered by either a 140 or 180 horsepower four-cylinder engine, the Celica's spirited performance does not diminish is high fuel-economy ratings.

As a sports car, beware of copies that have been abused by boy racers or have had low-quality aftermarket modifications, as they may diminish the long-term durability of the car. 



1998-2004 Toyota Tacoma

Starting price: $5,900 and up

IIHS crash test rating: Acceptable

Why buy it: Toyota's Tacoma pickup makes our list as the only representative of the pickup segment. The Tacoma offers rugged off-road capability in addition to Toyota's strong build quality.

The truck's available four- and six-cylinder power plants offer good performance, but some may find them to be a bit thirsty when it comes to fuel. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 10 best lunch options to keep you from passing out at your desk

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Antonia Farzan lunch salad

What you eat for lunch affects your productivity for the rest of the day.

High-fat, high-sugar lunches make us sleepy and have low energy by 3 p.m., says Lisa De Fazio, a healthy lifestyle expert and registered dietitian, so it's important to go heavy on the protein and healthy fats and easy on the carbs when choosing what you eat for lunch.

Of course, we can all come up with plenty of excuses to make poor eating decisions during the workday.

Luckily, whether you bring your lunch, buy it, or scrounge something from the noon meeting, there are plenty of healthy lunch options that will keep you from passing out at your desk.

SEE ALSO: The 19 best snacks to eat at your desk

Peanut butter and jelly sandwich

"Believe it or not, a peanut butter and jelly on whole grain bread is a great choice," De Fazio says.

She suggests choosing all natural almond or peanut butter and all natural fruit preserves. "Pack some baby carrots and an apple, and you have a healthy vegetarian lunch that reminds you of your childhood," she says.



Hummus and whole grain pita, string cheese, grapes, and cherry tomatoes

Hummus is a good source of calcium, iron, protein, fiber, and heart-healthy fats, which prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly.

 



Frozen entree

There are many healthy, tasty frozen entrees that would be easy to grab in the morning and keep in the office freezer, De Fazio says.

She prefers brands like Amy's Kitchen, Cedarlane, Luvo, and Artisan Bistro, which boast more natural ingredients than other brands.



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15 paradoxes that will make your head explode

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Jacques-Louis David death of socrates"I know one thing," Socrates famously said. "That I know nothing."

It's a crucial insight from one of the founders of Western philosophy: You should question everything you think you know. 

Indeed, the closer you look, the more you'll start to recognize paradoxes all around you.

Read on to see our favorite Catch-22s from Wikipedia's epic list of more than 200 types of paradoxes.

SEE ALSO: 20 cognitive biases that screw up your decisions

DON'T MISS: 26 time-management tricks I wish I'd known at 20

To go anywhere, you must go halfway first, and then you must go half of the remaining distance, and half of the remaining distance, and so forth to infinity: Thus, motion is impossible.

The dichotomy paradox has been attributed to ancient Greek philosopher Zeno, and it was supposedly created as a proof that the universe is singular and that change, including motion, is impossible (as posited by Zeno's teacher, Parmenides).

People have intuitively rejected this paradox for years.

From a mathematical perspective, the solution — formalized in the 19th century — is to accept that one-half plus one-quarter plus one-eighth plus one-sixteenth and so on ... adds up to one. This is similar to saying that 0.999... equals 1.

But this theoretical solution doesn't actually answer how an object can reach its destination. The solution to that question is more complex and still murky, relying on 20th-century theories about matter, time, and space not being infinitely divisible.



In any instant, a moving object is indistinguishable from a nonmoving object: Thus motion is impossible.

This is called the arrow paradox, and it's another of Zeno's arguments against motion. The issue here is that in a single instant of time, zero seconds pass, and so zero motion happens. Zeno argued that if time were made up of instants, the fact that motion doesn't happen in any particular instant would mean motion doesn't happen.

As with the dichotomy paradox, the arrow paradox actually hints at modern understandings of quantum mechanics. In his book "Reflections on Relativity," Kevin Brown notes that in the context of special relativity, an object in motion is different from an object at rest. Relativity requires that objects moving at different speeds will appear different to outside observers and will themselves have different perceptions of the world around them.



If you restored a ship by replacing each of its wooden parts, would it remain the same ship?

Another classic from ancient Greece, the Ship of Theseus paradox gets at the contradictions of identity. It was famously described by Plutarch:

The ship wherein Theseus and the youth of Athens returned from Crete had thirty oars, and was preserved by the Athenians down even to the time of Demetrius Phalereus, for they took away the old planks as they decayed, putting in new and stronger timber in their places, in so much that this ship became a standing example among the philosophers, for the logical question of things that grow; one side holding that the ship remained the same, and the other contending that it was not the same.



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13 US housing markets where speculators are making a killing flipping homes

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house home renovation flipping gutting

Flipping homes is on the rise, according to real-estate data-tracking firm RealtyTrac.

This practice of buying a house, fixing it up, and then quickly selling it is a popular way to book a quick profit.

“After curtailing flipping activity last year due to slowing home price appreciation and shrinking inventory of flip-worthy homes, real estate investors have started to jump back on the flipping bandwagon in 2015,” said Daren Blomquist, vice president at RealtyTrac.

According to a RealtyTrac study, 43,197 homes were flipped during the third quarter, which accounted for 5% of all home sales in the US. 

Additionally, flippers are seeing profits rise on the houses. Flippers averaged $62,122 in profits for the third quarter, which is up slightly from an average profit of $61,781 during the same quarter last year.

We took RealtyTrac's data and compiled a list of the top 13 counties in the US where flippers made more than 65% return on investment during the third quarter. The list is ranked from lowest return to highest and includes the average gross profit, purchase price for flippers, and selling price.

Check them out below.

13. Middlesex, Connecticut

Average Gross Return on Investment:
64.8%

Average Gross Profit:
$88,890

Average Purchase Price:
$137,130

Average Flipped Price:
$226,020

 

Source: RealtyTrac

 



12. Camden, New Jersey

Average Gross Return on Investment:
67.5%

Average Gross Profit:
$91,054

Average Purchase Price:
$134,853

Average Flipped Price:
$225,907

 

Source: RealtyTrac



11. Cook, Illinois

Average Gross Return on Investment:
68.0%

Average Gross Profit:
$94,598

Average Purchase Price:
$139,035

Average Flipped Price:
$233,633

 

Source: RealtyTrac



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Meet the 'Everyday Astronaut' — a photographer with a spacesuit and a knack for the surreal

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Everyday Astronaut 04612

Over a year ago, Tim Dodd put the minimum bid on an old space suit online. When it arrived at his doorstep, he wasn't sure what on Earth he would actually do with it. But eight years of experience as a professional photographer came in handy, and "Everyday Astronaut" was born. 

"I want to help add A, art, into STEM education (STEAM)," Dodd told TI. "I think that science, engineering, technology and math all can coexist and influence art and vice versa." Dodd's photography career brought him to the Kennedy Space Center to cover launches, and the ideas sparked from there. 

In May 2014, Dodd released the first of his "Everyday Astronaut" series on Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit. Sites including BuzzFeed and The Guardian covered the quirky project, but Dodd was far from finished with his space suit. 

Scroll down to read more about what Dodd and his astronaut alter-ego have been up to lately. 

This was the very first installment. "Everyday Astronaut is meant to be a fun, funny, exploratory and inspirational account," Dodd explained.

Source: Instagram



"My original series was intended to be a peak into this wanna-be astronauts' life." Dodd captioned this photo: "Oh crap!! I'm late for my ride!!!"

Source: Instagram



"One of the first times I put it [the suit] on in public was at Kennedy Space Center...Well soon I had a line of people waiting to get their picture taken with me thinking I was part of the attraction."

Source: Instagram



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14 ghostly photos of famous Egyptian landmarks with no tourists

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Egypt Isolation

Tourists have traveled to Egypt's ancient pyramids and historic monuments for centuries.

But tourism has dropped rapidly in recent years, as violent conflicts following the 2011 revolution have been particularly successful in scaring off travelers.

According to a recent Reuters article, 9.9 million tourists visited Egypt in 2014, compared to 14.7 million people in 2010. The country's tourism minister recently said that he expects that number to be around 10 million again this year.

"From January until the end of August the rise was very little, barely 5%," he told Reuters.

In 2014, photographer Ben Terzza left Wales with his partner to live in Egypt for several months. A teaching job had been offered to his partner, so Terzza decided to tag along.

Terzza and his partner eventually made a trip to the capital city of Cairo. What they found there was a disappointing surprise. Cairo felt desolate and was visibly empty, which Terzza captured in a selection of his photos below.

SEE ALSO: The 15 countries that receive the most tourists every day

After four months of living in Egypt, Terzza and his partner decided to take a trip to Cairo around Christmastime. It was about five hours north of El Gouna, where they had been staying.



They were warned to be careful while visiting Cairo, and sure enough, they felt isolation in the air as soon as they got there.



When they went to the Saqqara pyramids on the edge of the Cairo region, they found they were the only people there. Besides feeling nervous to be off that far alone, they were also being bothered by locals while they were walking around.



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Here are 32 of the best basketball players on Wall Street (GS, JPM, MS)

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David RobinsonBasketball season tipped off this week, and this year's NBA season offers plenty of compelling storylines for even the most casual fan.

And even though most Wall Street executives affiliated with the NBA are best-known for being the owners of pro teams, there's another big tie-in between the finance sector and the hoops season.

There are a lot of ex-athletes populating the halls of the biggest financial institutions out there. 

Here is a list of 32 finance executives who played hoops at some of the top basketball programs in the US.

If we're missing any big names, please send an email with a quick bio and photo to jmarino@businessinsider.com.

Travis Hansen moved in to private equity after playing for the NBA's Atlanta Hawks.

After playing college ball at Utah Valley State College and Brigham Young University, Hansen was drafted No. 37 overall in the NBA draft and joined the Atlanta Hawks. He would go on to play basketball in professional European leagues before he retired in September 2011. He launched Tesani Capital in 2013.



Jonathan Berger took his talents to the Windy City after Princeton.

Jonathan Berger spent his college years until 2005 on the Princeton Tigers' basketball team. After school, he decamped to Chicago, where he became portfolio manager at Alyeska Investment Group, a $4 billion hedge fund.



Melvis Langyintuo joined Goldman Sachs after graduating Skidmore College.

Melvis Langyintuo was class president at Skidmore College in New York, and in his senior year he also factored in the Thoroughbreds' hoops lineup. Today, he's a global macro trader at Goldman Sachs, after stints at Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan.

Speaking at Skidmore's commencement in 2012, Langyintuo said: "I feel that a statement by my college basketball coach Joe Burke, at the conclusion of my Skidmore athletic career, captures some important aspects of life’s experiences — especially the past four years at Skidmore College ... He said, 'All things inevitably come to an end ... the hardest thing in life is when great things come to an end.'"



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These intricate 3D Disney, Marvel, and Seinfeld characters are made out of paper

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jackie huang

Jackie Huang is a California-based 3D paper artist whose amazing art is gaining a following on Instagram.

Using only layers of paper, she's able to bring to life incricate characters from Disney, Marvel, and even the characters of "Seinfeld." We first spotted this on Design Taxi.

Huang told Tech Insider each of her highly detailed paper illustrations can take as many as 40 hours to complete and is a much more complex process than most people think.

"I try to turn this ordinary object — paper — into something extraordinary," Huang said. "So the best part about my work is when it causes people to stop and take another look."

Keep scrolling to see some of her amazing designs.

Jackie Huang realized she had a passion for working with paper when she was in design school.

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"I wound up taking a 3D Paper Engineering course that taught us how to make pop-ups," she told TI. "When I found paper as a medium, everything clicked."

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Her paper sculptures can take between 10 to 40 hours to make, depending on the size of the project.

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