Quantcast
Channel: Features
Viewing all 61683 articles
Browse latest View live

A lot of things we buy come from a blue volcano — but mining it has a dark side

0
0

When you slather lotion onto your body, light a match, or scoop laundry detergent into your washing machine, you probably don't think about where the materials that make these products came from.

But in reality, hundreds of people risk their lives each day to secure a necessary ingredient for a variety of goods: sulfur.

Some of the sulfur comes from an Indonesian volcano, which glows blue at night:

Kawah Ijen volcano blue lava

Every day, miners scale the volcano and collect thousands of pounds of sulfurous slabs, which eventually are exported to China and Southeast Asia.

The work is extremely dangerous, and gases from the mine "singe the eyes, throat, and lungs and can even dissolve teeth,"National Geographic reports.

child sulfur minePhotojournalists such as Italian photographer Luca Catalano Gonzaga, Reuters photographers, and others have spent days in the belly of the mine, capturing the literally back-breaking work and horrific conditions associated with the job.

Here are 36 photos that illustrate the treacherous life of a sulfur miner in Indonesia.

The Kawah Ijen volcano lies in East Java, Indonesia.



The mouth of the mine sits near the foot of the crater, which holds a pool of turquoise water.

Source: National Geographic



The volcano is part of a complex of steep, conical stratovolcanoes in the Banyuwangi Regency of East Java, Indonesia.

Source: Getty Images, Science Daily



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

A computer made up stories about these 13 photos and the results are hilarious

0
0

titanic movie 1997 ship bow rose wind arms outstretched

Telling stories may be distinctly human act, but computers are quickly catching up.

Developer Samim Winiger has merged image-recognition and language-processing software to birth an open-source program that can take an image and make up a story about it on the spot.

To give it human-like language, Winiger leaned on two AI models built by University of Toronto PhD student Ryan Kiros— one armed with 14 million passages from romance novels and the other with Taylor Swift Lyrics.

Winiger's AI looks for recognizable objects in an image, finds passages that contain the object in its lusty and lyrical repertoire, and then organizes it into a mini-story.

To test the software, he summoned 5,000 random images from the web. Scroll down to see 13 of Tech Insider's favorite hilariously nonsensical stories (which we've only edited for punctuation). 

'He leaned over to kiss me on the shoulder.'

He was a shirtless man in the back of his mind, and I let out a curse as he leaned over to kiss me on the shoulder.

He wanted to strangle me, considering the beautiful boy I'd become wearing his boxers.

Model: Romantic Novels



'The man released a woman's blood, and that was the reason for all of them.'

My man was within a woman, and she gave him a questioning look. I don't know what else to say to her. For the first time in years, I had never seen as beautiful as the rest of my man. 

In fact, he had his hands on her hips, holding her close to his chest and looking down at her as if she were the most stunning woman I d ever seen. The man released a woman's blood, and that was the reason for all of them.

She hoped to make an appearance, convincing him and the woman who was still her first.

Model: Romantic Novels



'There was only a few people in New York City, and New York City.'

We had to act much like the leader of the group, and for the first time in months,  I had no idea what she was going to do. In fact, I was pretty sure they were all bundled up in the snow. I couldn't help but close my eyes. 

As soon as he let go of my leg, he slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me toward him. There was only a few people in New York City, and New York City. She seemed to have no sense of conviction, that the fewer people I trusted and weapons started.

Model: Romantic Novels



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

How 'Game of Thrones' actress Natalie Dormer became a fearless rebel in 'The Hunger Games'

0
0

natalie dormer

After landing her first gig in period drama "Casanova," Natalie Dormer felt the red carpet ripped out from underneath her. She waitressed and temped doing data entry in an office just to make ends meet.

Now, the British-born actress has a number of massive titles under her belt, including “Game of Thrones” and "The Hunger Games." She plays a rebel filmmaker, Cressida, in "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2," in theaters Friday.

We’re taking a look back at Dormer’s journey to becoming Hollywood's favorite femme fatale.

Just six months of out drama school, Natalie Dormer read for the role of a clumsy ingénue in Lasse Hallstöm's "Casanova."

Source: Daily Mail



Dormer, a Berkshire, England native, blew away the casting directors and walked away with a three-picture contract with Disney.

Source: Daily Mail



It later fell through for unknown reasons. A year later, Dormer was working a temp job doing data entry just to pay rent.

Sources: Evening Standard and Daily Beast



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

10 investing questions you're too embarrassed to ask

0
0

confused man

At first blush, investing may seem inaccessible and confusing. But it's a fairly simple concept.

Here's the gist: Investors (like you) buy a piece of a company or lend money to a company (or to the government) in the hopes of making more money. The amount of money you make depends on how well the company does.

All the concepts and jargon can be easily demystified, and there's no reason you should avoid investing just because it might be a little intimidating at the outset. Here's a breakdown.

SEE ALSO: 12 things everyone should know before investing

1. What's the difference between a stock and a share?

"Shares" are the ownership certificates of a specific company — so you might say you have 50 shares of Facebook. Owning stock, on the other hand, is a more general term that means you own a number of shares in a company or multiple companies. For example, if you own shares of Facebook and Google, you own tech stock.

But really, this is just semantics. People often use the terms interchangeably.

Whether you call it a "share,""equity," or "stock," it means the same thing: You have some ownership in a company's assets and earnings.

2. What's a bond?

Bonds are issued by companies, states, and governments (in both the U.S. and abroad) to help finance various projects. For example, if an airline wants to buy a bunch of new planes, they might issue bonds to borrow money from investors in the market (like you). An investor who buys a bond loans money to the corporation or government for a set time at a fixed interest rate. This rate is determined by a number of factors, like what's going on in the economy and how risky it is to be lending to the company or government.

In general, a bond is a more conservative investment than a stock, so bonds are often used to offset stock investments. Stocks tend to be riskier because their value is more likely to bounce up and down depending on the day.

If investors are worried about being paid back, they'll want to be compensated for taking on that risk with a higher interest rate. If the entity who puts out the bond is unable to pay back its creditors (like you), they will default and you may not get your money back. The company will likely declare bankruptcy and the company's assets will be liquidated in order to pay back its creditors, but there may not be enough cash to go around. Some investors might be out of luck.



3. What does 'risk' mean? Isn't the whole stock market risky?

When you invest in the stock market, you're accepting some risk because we can never know exactly how well a company will perform. Maybe the companies you are investing in will outperform expectations and you'll get more money than you were hoping for. Then again, maybe their valuations will tank and you'll lose some of your investment.

An investment of any kind is all about balancing risk and reward. In general, riskier bets come with more potential for upside but this also can mean things could go the other direction as well, resulting in a loss. On the flip side, a more conservative approach — like bonds  — limits both the potential for upside and downside, and results in a much smoother ride.



4. What's a mutual fund?

A mutual fund is a pool of investments created by a money manager, who places money in various stocks, bonds, and other investments, like real estate or natural resources. This is really no different from a group of friends deciding to pool their money to buy something they couldn't each afford on their own. Anyone can invest in a mutual fund. Rather than buying one share of Apple stock, you could invest in one share of a fund that invests in a much larger portfolio of U.S. companies, and still get a little piece of Apple.

5. What's an ETF?

Exchange-traded funds, better known as ETFs, work similarly to mutual funds, but their up-front and ongoing investing fees are generally lower. One reason for this is that most ETFs simply track an index, which is basically a chunk of the stock market. It's a lot less work to replicate an investment strategy that essentially already exists inside the index. On the other hand, many mutual funds try to create a strategy that's meant to beat the market.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 12 most underrated tourist attractions in South America

0
0

quilota

La Boca’s Caminito? Christ the Redeemer? Machu Picchu? South America has no shortage of marquee tourist attractions.

So many so, it’s easy to forget that hidden behind all those picture-perfect postcards (and long lines of iPad-wielding visitors) are a ton of lesser known -- but equally spectacular -- spots flying (mostly) under the tourist radar.

From beautiful beaches and “bottomless” volcanos to salt flats and artist villas, here is the one most underrated attraction in each South American country.

SEE ALSO: The perfect day traveling the world's most dangerous country

Mount Fitz Roy, Argentina

Before you read another word, take a careful look at the picture above. Recognize the silhouette of those perfect peaks? No? Perhaps you’re wearing them right now, you know, maybe on your stylish black fleece. Hint, hint. Okay, fine, you win -- it’s Patagonia, as in the clothing brand. Yes, the mountains are the inspiration behind the logo.

And even though Mount Fitz Roy is apparently one of the toughest mountains in the world to climb, there are a bunch of easy-to-moderate treks in the area so you can still earn/enjoy the spectacular views.



Baia do Sancho, Brazil

The principal beach on the 21-island Brazilian archipelago of Fernando de Noronha consistently ranks as the best beach in the world. How is it underrated then, you ask? Simple -- no rating does this place justice. It’s UNESCO-protected and the Brazilian government restricts the number of tourists allowed on. So if you’re reading this while relaxing on this Brazilian beauty, consider yourself privileged.



Laguna Colorada, Bolivia

In your quest to get to the world’s largest salt flat (and this eerie railroad graveyard) and snap that one perfect perspective-bending photo of you jumping or “holding” your friends or whatever, don’t overlook this blood red lake on the Bolivian altiplano. Also: flamingos call the plateau home. So, you you should also take a picture of them too.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Inside the sold-out charity event that pulled in young Wall Streeters on Thursday night

0
0

DSC_0073 copy

Young Wall Streeters headed to New York City dance club Marquee on Thursday night, decked out in sparkling cocktail dresses and dapper suits for the sixth annual Toast to Wishes charity event organized by Make-a-Wish New York's under-40 board.

The event, which has brought in $1.5 million over the past six years, helps grant the wishes of children diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions.

"We felt like there was a void in the market, so to speak, of really fun — truly fun — charity events that supported great causes,"Zach Coopersmith, the 30-year-old organizer for the event, told Business Insider. Coopersmith is a cofounder of Lending Ridge Capital. "For me, the impact that Make-A-Wish has on kids and their families dealt such a tough hand is unmatched, unparalleled,"he told last year's attendees.

With an open bar, a DJ, and plenty of hors d'oeuvres, the gathering attracts 650 people and features silent auctions and raffles. Tickets cost $185 for general admission; the event sold out.

Welcome to Marquee in Chelsea, New York City.



The venue hosts the Toast to Wishes event every year — which takes roughly six months to plan and ushers in 650 guests.



The event was well attended by young Wall Streeters, such as Nick Lyons, from PJT Partners, Tara Grom of SAP Partners, Mike Middleton of Global One Investors, Garrett Schreiber of Enhanced Capital, and Joe DiGennaro of BlackRock.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

16 people who are living the dream without spending a fortune

0
0

Bali Ubud Our Office

Circa 4 p.m., pretty much anything sounds better than staring at your office computer screen.

For instance, traveling the world — working when you feel like it, how you feel like it, and with a view to rival any Instagrammer's best shot. Or maybe even putting your job on hold (or leaving it altogether) to soak up experiences as you pass through.

If you ask the people below, that life is not only possible, but affordable. Here's how real people who spend their lives traveling from city to country to continent make it work without spending a fortune. 

SEE ALSO: 11 tips to start earning money doing what you love, from people who have done it

Matt Gibson runs a business from Ban Phe, Thailand.

In 2004, Gibson left his native British Columbia to move to Taiwan, in hopes of quickly paying off his student loans. 

Teaching English and working only 18 hours a week, he was able to eliminate them in a matter of months.

Today, he lives in Ban Phe, Thailand, where he says his living costs are about $1,000 a month. He earns $3,000-$5,000 through his website, Xpat Matt, and his marketing company for travel brands, Xpat Media.

"Like many travel bloggers, I live a pretty lean lifestyle," he told Business Insider. "In most places living abroad, it's not very expensive — $1,000 a month goes pretty far. I've been saving money pretty regularly for the past couple of years. My day-to-day is pretty inexpensive, but sometimes I'll splurge on trips."

When he isn't visiting places like Sri Lanka and Bhutan, Gibson works from home across the street from the beach, where he goes for a run or a swim nearly every day.

Read more about Gibson »



Jonathan Look retired at 50 and sold all of his possessions to live a 'vagabond life.'

Look retired from his job as an air traffic controller at age 50 to spend 10 years traveling the world.

He started in Xcalak, a tiny village on the Caribbean coast of Mexico, and then spent seven months high in the mountains of southern Mexico in the town of San Cristobal de las Casas. After a few month in the US, he moved to Siem Reap, Cambodia, then Chiang Mai, Thailand. He's spent time in Bali, Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Bhutan, Canada, Chile, China, Guatemala, Malaysia, Peru, and Vietnam.

"My base living expenses are less than 20% of what they were back in the states when I was looking for meaning in the things I bought and consumed," Look writes on Next Avenue.

You can follow his adventures on his website, Life Part 2.

Read more about Look »



Arjen Ulrich spent six months walking from his hometown of Alkmaar, the Netherlands, to New York City.

After visiting New York City in 2013, Ulrich made a plan to walk 3,200 miles from the Netherlands back to New York, covering as much ground on foot as possible.

Walking a maximum of 25 miles a day might not sound like a dream, but on a budget of $24 a day, Ulrich was able to see Belgium, France, the UK, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, Canada and the US on foot.

"Hitchhiking through the north of Iceland from Seyðisfjörður (east) to Reykjavik (west) resulted in one of the best experiences on this trip so far," he told Business Insider. "With still more than 350km to go I got a ride from a Canadian guy who was spending his three short days in Iceland by driving around the whole country, only to stop to take pictures or for a short nap in the car. I joined him through the night, saw the sunset and sunrise at 2:30am and slept outside on a piece of grass, finding the sun high up in the sky warming up my face as I woke up at 9am. That was freedom in near-perfect form!"

Read more about Ulrich »



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum just sold $300 million worth of Facebook stock — but once he was living on food stamps (FB)

0
0

WhatsApp Co-Founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton

WhatsApp cofounder Jan Koum just disposed of a lot of Facebook stock.

Earlier this week, he sold shares amounting to nearly $300 million.

Although the sale wasn't discretionary and was just meant to pay off the taxes on stock Koum received after selling his company, that's a lot of money (and makes the ~$160 million Marc Andreessen just sold look like small potatoes). 

But it's even more interesting in light of Koum's rags-to-riches history. 

Here's how Koum got where he is today:

SEE ALSO: Marc Andreessen has sold nearly 75% of his Facebook stock in two weeks

Koum's net worth is $8.8 billion, ranking him #3 on Forbes' list of America's richest entrepreneurs under 40.

Source: Forbes



But the CEO comes from humble beginnings. He was born in Ukraine in 1976, into a household without running water.

Source: Forbes.



Here's how he describes life in his hometown outside Kiev: "It was so run down that our school didn't even have an inside bathroom. Imagine the Ukrainian winter, -20°C, where little kids have to stroll across the parking lot to use the bathroom. Society was extremely closed off: you can read 1984, but living there was experiencing it."

Source: Wired



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Ikea designed a better shelter for refugees — here's what it can do

0
0

ikea refugee shelter

Earlier this year, the UN's Refugee Agency ordered 10,000 shelters for refugee families around the world.

But these aren't any ordinary shelters.

These were designed by Ikea and built by Better Shelter, a social enterprise run by Ikea's non-profit foundation, to help refugees fleeing violence and conflict by "putting their needs at the heart of the development process."

These Ikea-designed shelters are safer, more durable, more cost effective, and generally bigger and more useful than the tents the UN typically uses for refugees.

Take a look at how they work.

Ikea's Better Shelters can last up to three years. In contrast, current UN tents only last about six months due to harsh weather conditions.



The shelters are composed of three individual parts — the frame, the panels, and a photovoltaic system for lights and power — which are easy to assemble, disassemble, and reuse.



The photovoltaic system is housed on the shelter's roof, and it's powered by the sun.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

SPACE QUIZ: Do you know the difference between Mars and Earth?

0
0

MARS9

Because of how they appear from afar, we call Mars the Red Planet and Earth the Blue Planet.

But these two worlds don't look so different when you zoom in, which is what scientific satellites do to give researchers information on how different regions of each planet change over time.

We've collected some of these satellites' spectacular images of Mars and Earth and juxtaposed them to test your skills.

Can you tell which is the planet you call home and which is the desolate, lifeless wasteland more than 141 million miles away?

LEARN MORE: Epically awesome photos of Mars

SEE ALSO: The 12 most compelling scientific findings that suggest aliens are real

Which photo is of Earth and which of Mars?



Earth is on the right.

During a recent pass over the Australian continent, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly snapped 17 photos from the International Space Station, and they all look insanely alien — almost like certain features on Mars.

Mars is on the left.

When temperatures heat up in the Martian spring, the carbon-dioxide ice in the polar caps sublimates, meaning it changes from its solid form directly to a gas, into the atmosphere, leaving behind these distinct starburst patterns. Why the melting process makes these characteristic patterns is a subject of ongoing research.

All of the photos of Mars shown here were taken by the HiRISE camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Each Mars photo has false coloring that highlights distinct Martian features, like sand dunes.



Which photo is of Earth and which of Mars?



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

19 things you can make instead of a whole-roasted turkey this Thanksgiving

0
0

stuffed pumpkins

A delicious Thanksgiving meal can take a lot of time and effort to put together, and cooking an excellent turkey is definitely one of the hardest parts. 

For those who are either looking for a new main course or who just want an easier way to prepare the bird, we've put together a list of 20 Thanksgiving plates to try this year. 

From mini turkey pies to a crown roast of lamb, here are 20 ways to spice up your holiday meal. We've included some of our favorite recipes with each dish. 

SEE ALSO: 50 meals everyone should eat in their lifetime

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

Stuff pork chops with a variety of fall staples like cranberries, pecans, and apples.

Click here for a recipe »



Go for a classic honey-glazed ham for your Thanksgiving centerpiece. Choose a boneless version for ease, or go for a bone-in holiday ham for a stand-out piece.

Click here for a recipe »



Cornish game hens can often be juicier than turkey, and they cook in less time, making them an easy and tasty alternative.

Click here for a recipe »



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 50 most underrated colleges in America

0
0

2x1 underrated colleges 2015

We often hear about the best colleges in the US, but there are dozens more outstanding schools that don't always get the recognition they deserve.

To discover the most underrated colleges in America, we compared US News and World Report's rankings of the best universities and the best liberal-arts colleges in the country with PayScale's 2015-16 College Salary Report, which ranked more than 1,000 colleges and universities based on their graduates' mid-career salaries.

We considered two factors: reputation and future earnings, specifically looking for schools that had relatively low rankings on the US News list but high mid-career salaries. You can read the full methodology here.

Pace University topped the list, with the Missouri University of Science and Technology and the New Jersey Institute of Technology rounding out the top three.

Scroll to learn more about the 50 most underrated colleges in America.

Additional reporting by Melissa Stanger.

SEE ALSO: The 50 best colleges in America

DON'T MISS: The 24 best liberal-arts colleges in America

50. University of Dayton

Location: Dayton, Ohio

Median mid-career salary: $88,700

The Catholic institution in Dayton, Ohio, encourages its nearly 9,000 students to actively practice their faith through liturgies, spiritual retreats, and special programs such as PORCH (People of Respect, Compassion, and Hope). UD's website says it is also committed to making the school "greener, more global, and more diverse."



49. Oklahoma State University

Location: Stillwater, Oklahoma

Median mid-career salary: $86,700

The Stillwater campus is the flagship of the Oklahoma State University System, and the school is in the top 25% of universities by return on investment. While athletes and sports enthusiasts flock to OSU for its championship-winning teams, the school is also a prominent research university and offers 200 undergraduate majors through its six colleges.



48. University of St. Thomas

Location: St. Paul, Minnesota

Median mid-career salary: $91,300

There are plenty of opportunities available on St. Thomas' main campus in St. Paul, Minnesota, where students take advantage of the school's 90 undergraduate degrees or work toward a self-designed specialty degree. St. Thomas encourages students to get off campus, too — the school offers 150 study-abroad programs in 50 countries.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

There's a good reason why the next generation of robots will look like animals

0
0

Biomimetics.

That's the field dedicated to imitating aspects of nature to better understand, and potentially solve, complex human issues.

It's the reason why so many engineers and researchers are creating robot models of animals.

cheetah

Robotic animals can help researchers better understand locomotion, evolution, and simply how certain animals accomplish the amazingly unique tasks that they do.

But they can also have tangible applications, from scouting for danger for the marines to aiding in search and rescue missions.

Here's a round-up of 11 robots whose designs were inspired by animals and what they can do:

This giant robot called the Crabster was designed to resemble crabs and lobsters because of their ability to control their movements while living in rough waters. Its stability helps it survive in aggressive water. In April, Crabster was tested for excavating artifacts in waters near Mado, Taean. It was designed by the Korean Institute of Ocean Science and Technology.



This salamander-like robot, Pleurobot, will help researchers understand animal evolution and spinal therapy. Developers from EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology tracked 64 spots on the salamander’s spine to make it. The robot can also be used for search and rescue missions.

RAW Embed

 



Festo is a German automation supplier that makes robots inspired by nature every year. Last year, Festo designed this robotic kangaroo that can emulate hopping just like actual kangaroos. The robot is meant to guide an understanding of ways to intelligently recover energy.

RAW Embed



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Science says people decide these 13 things within seconds of meeting you

0
0

Donald Trump

Psychologists call it "thin slicing."

Within moments of meeting you, people decide all sorts of things about you, from status to intelligence to conscientiousness.

Career experts say it takes just three seconds for someone to determine whether they like you and want to do business with you.

Fortunately, you have some control over the way others see you. For example, wearing tailored clothes and looking your conversation partner in the eye will generally create a more positive impression. But as for how aggressive you seem? That's largely determined by your facial structure.

Here, we've rounded up 13 assumptions people make about you — sometimes accurate and sometimes less so — based on first impressions. Read on to find out what signals you might be giving off.

SEE ALSO: 9 things you're doing that make people dislike you immediately

DON'T MISS: The 27 jobs that are most damaging to your health

If you're trustworthy

People may decide on your trustworthiness in as little as a tenth of a second.

Princeton researchers found this out by giving one group of 245 university students 100 milliseconds to rate the attractiveness, competence, likability, aggressiveness, and trustworthiness of actors' faces.

One hundred and twenty-eight members of another group were able to take as long as they wanted. Results showed that ratings of trustworthiness were highly similar between the two groups — even more similar than ratings of attractiveness — suggesting that we figure out almost instantaneously if we can trust someone.



If you're high-status

A small Dutch study found that people wearing name-brand clothes — Lacoste and Tommy Hilfiger, to be precise — were seen as higher status and wealthier than folks wearing nondesigner clothes when they approached 80 shoppers in a mall.

"Perceptions did not differ on any of the other dimensions that might affect the outcome of social interactions,"the authors wrote. "There were no differences in perceived attractiveness, kindness, and trustworthiness."

Just status and wealth.



If you're straight or gay

A small 2008 study of male and female undergrads given photos of 90 men's faces — half of the men were straight and half were gay — found that on average, the participants accurately judged the photographed man's sexual orientation in a twentieth of a second about 57% of the time, 7% better than pure chance.

"The rapid and accurate perception of male sexual orientation may be just another symptom of a fast and efficient cognitive mechanism for perceiving the characteristics of others,"wrote study authors Nicholas O. Rule and Nalini Ambady.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

21 stunning photos that show how people watch TV around the world

0
0

TV Around The World

Television is a source of information and entertainment that people enjoy the world over. 

The United Nations declared November 21 "World Television Day" to recognize"the increasing impact television has on decision-making" and "its potential role in sharpening the focus on other major issues, including economic and social issues." 

Even in the most difficult of circumstances, people will do whatever it takes to get their TV fix. 

SEE ALSO: The fascinating story behind New York City's only remaining backlot movie studio

Inside a room in Aleppo's Karm al-Jabal district, a Free Syrian Army fighter kicks back while watching TV and surveillance monitors.



In Donegal, Ireland, a cat turns his back on the TV while the Irish Prime Minister Edna Kenny gives a televised address.



Outside of Madrid, in the gypsy settlement of Puerta de Hierro, a young boy takes a bath while watching TV at his grandparents' house.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

We asked Tinder users about the Match IPO — here's what they had to say

0
0

Sean Rad

Match Group, the IAC-owned company whose stable of businesses includes Tinder and OkCupid, went public on Thursday, after pricing its initial public offering at $12 per share on Wednesday.

Shares jumped as much as 24 percent on Thursday, valuing the company at $3.57 billion.

It's been an eventful week for Tinder, one of Match Group's subsidiaries. Earlier this week in an interview with the Evening Standard, Tinder CEO Sean Rad gave a cringe-worthy interview, sparking his parent company, Match Group, to file an update about it with the SEC.

But what do Tinder's users think of its parent company's IPO? We decided to jump into the app and see for ourselves. We were pleasantly surprised by some of the thoughtful answers we received.

SEE ALSO: I tried every major dating app — and the best one surprised me

"I think they need to get rid of the CEO bad image, hbu?"



"It's good for [CEO Sean] Rad but you don't know what the future of the app looks like."



"Well I think his personality really came out which is synonymous with many frat house tech startups both here in NYC and the valley."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The email habits of Tim Cook, Bill Gates, and 11 other successful people

0
0

tim cook

When you receive almost 150 work emails every day, your inbox can quickly become the bane of your existence.

That suffering increases exponentially when you're the leader of a company.

So how do top executives like Bill Gates and Tim Cook manage their overwhelming inbox flux?

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos forwards pressing emails with one added character.

When a customer emails Bezos to complain about something Amazon-related, which they can easily do, Bezos often forwards the message to the appropriate person at the company, adding just one character: "?"

"When Amazon employees get a Bezos question mark email, they react as though they've discovered a ticking bomb,"Businessweek reported in 2013. "They've typically got a few hours to solve whatever issue the CEO has flagged and prepare a thorough explanation for how it occurred, a response that will be reviewed by a succession of managers before the answer is presented to Bezos himself."



LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner sends less email.

The golden rule for email management, according to Weiner, is, if you want less email, send less email.

He writes on LinkedIn that the rule occurred to him at a previous company when, after two email-happy colleagues left the company, his inbox traffic decreased by almost 30%.

"Turns out, it wasn't just their emails that were generating all of that inbox activity — it was my responses to their emails, the responses of the people who were added to those threads, the responses of the people those people subsequently copied, and so on," Weiner writes.

He continues: "After recognizing this dynamic, I decided to conduct an experiment where I wouldn't write an email unless absolutely necessary. End result: Materially fewer emails and a far more navigable inbox. I've tried to stick to the same rule ever since."



Birchbox cofounder Katia Beauchamp makes employees include a response deadline.

The beauty-sample subscription service CEO told Lifehacker that insisting people on the team indicate when they need a response in all emails is one of her best time-saving tricks.

"It makes prioritization so much faster," she said.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

5 characters from the 'Game of Thrones' books left out of the show

0
0

Game Of Thrones

You may think keeping track of the many characters in "Game of Thrones" is already tough, but the reality is there are even more in the original books.

In order to make the series more digestible for a television audience, the HBO showrunners had to leave out many side characters. 

We rounded up five abandoned book characters fans were looking forward to seeing onscreen for the HBO adaptation, but wound up never making an appearance. Keep reading to learn more.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Game of Thrones," including un-adapted book material.

Strong Belwas: A bodyguard to Daenerys.

Instagram Embed:
http://instagram.com/p/b88nubluhu/embed/
Width: 658px


In the books, Strong Belwas is sent to Daenerys along with Ser Barristan. They both serve her as their queen, and become part of her council and bodyguard. Much to the disappointment of book readers, the show introduced Ser Barristan without Belwas by his side. As the seasons go one, Belwas remains absent.

Belwas is an ex-slave known for his many victories in the fighting pits. He has a big belly covered in scars — one for every man he's killed. At one point, after defeating an enemy of Daenerys', Belwas defecates on the ground near the man's severed head. If only that had made it into the show. 



Vargo Hoat: The leader of a mercenary group hired by the Lannisters.

Instagram Embed:
http://instagram.com/p/zQewNZsjuR/embed/
Width: 658px


In the show, Jaime Lannister has his hand chopped off by a plain-looking man named Locke. The book version of this character was Vargo Hoat, a man with a long goatee and strong lisp. Book readers were most looking forward to seeing Hoat refer to Jaime, often called Kingslayer, as "Kingthlayer." 

Another one of his classic lines involves Brienne of Tarth, who Hoat mistakenly believes is from the Sapphire Islands, making her a valuable prisoner. "Thee'th worth a bag of thapphireth," he says in the book. But instead of giving viewers the lisping Hoat, showrunners simplified things by having Locke take over this role. 



Patchface: A jester and companion to Shireen Baratheon

Instagram Embed:
http://instagram.com/p/sNFY9ZmBa1/embed/
Width: 658px


Shireen Baratheon, the daughter of Stannis Baratheon who has greyscale, spends a lot of time with a jester named Patchface in the books. His face is covered in red and green motley tattoos — a mark of his former slave life. Patchface speaks in rhymes and incoherent phrases. His brain was damaged after barely surviving a shipwreck, but sometimes his "jests" are creepy and prophetic.

For example: "Fool's blood. King's blood, blood on the maiden's thigh, but chains for the guests and chains for the bridegroom, aye, aye, aye." Not exactly a cheerful rhyme, and it seems to allude to the infamous Red Wedding. Sadly, the showrunners not only left Patchface out the show, but they've now killed off Shireen (who is alive so far in the books). 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Check out 44 cool cars from the SEMA show in Las Vegas

0
0

Kia A1A_Optima

Every year, the automotive world descends upon Las Vegas for the Specialty Equipment Market Association Show, transforming the city into a mecca of aftermarket modified cars. The result — usually — is odd, wacky, and awesome cars that you'll see at no other show.

The show wrapped up before last week's LA Auto Show, but we thought the insane rides on display were worth a look back, as the traditional car-show circuit gets started and run through the beginning of next year.

Every year for SEMA, car companies and specialty tuners bring the coolest and craziest modified cars in their arsenal. Last year's SEMA show hosted more than 60,000 buyers of aftermarket car parts and introduced more than 2,000 new products.

SEE ALSO: Lamborghini is the world's craziest super car maker — here's how it came to be

Every year, carmakers and aftermarket manufacturers gather at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the SEMA show.



There are cars people expect to find at a car show ...



... such as this BMW M4, ...



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 50 stocks that big hedge funds love most

0
0

cherries

It turns out that a lot of hedge funds are tracking the returns of the stock market.

But within the market, hedge funds favor some securities over others.

According to FactSet's new hedge fund ownership report, the top 50 biggest funds increased their exposure to equities by 7.6% in the third quarter led by the Health Care and Consumer Staples sectors.

"The Health Care and Consumer Staples sectors were the two most popular groups in terms of total value of purchases, with four of the top ten purchases in the quarter coming from companies in these sectors," FactSet analyst Andrew Birstingl said.

We've compiled FactSet's and have the list of the top 50 stocks that hedge funds love. We've ranked them based on the aggregate market value held by the 50 largest hedge funds. Also included is the percent weight in the top 50 funds in aggregate, the percent of all outstanding shares the hedge funds own, and a recent comment from a company executive.

Check out the list below.

50. Halliburton

Sector: Energy

Market Value Held by Funds (in Millions): $2,603

Weight of stock in Top 50's aggregated portfolio: 0.3%

% of shares outstanding: 8.6%

Executive Comment: "Activity levels and pricing took another hit across the globe, as our customers respond to the impact of reduced commodity prices, and the pressure that their own shareholders are putting on them. Considering the difficult headwinds that were working against us, I'm actually very pleased with our overall financial results for the third quarter, especially for our Eastern Hemisphere operations,"said CEO Dave Lesar. 

 

Source: FactSet



49. Adobe Systems

Sector: Information Technology

Market Value Held by Funds (in Millions): $2,610

Weight of stock in Top 50 's aggregated portfolio: 0.3%

% of shares outstanding: 6.4%

 Executive Comment: "Industry analysts continue to recognize our solutions as market leading in their categories. Last month Gartner named Adobe as a leader in two Magic Quadrant reports. Web content management where we were ranked highest in completeness of vision and mobile application development,"said CEO Shantanu Narayan.

 

Source: FactSet



48. Time Warner Inc.

Sector: Consumer Discretionary

Market Value Held by Funds (in Millions): $2,659

Weight of stock in Top 50 's aggregated portfolio: 0.3%

% of shares outstanding: 4.7%

 Executive Comment: "This continues our track record of delivering industry-leading performance while also positioning the company for a world where viewers consume an increasing amount of content on demand and on multiple platforms and devices. And that's a world in which brands need to thrive, both inside and outside the traditional TV ecosystem. We've been doing that by leveraging our strong brands, global scale and distinctive IP to produce content that resonates deeply with consumers and will become even more valuable on this environment,"said CEO Jeff Bewkes.

Source: FactSet



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
Viewing all 61683 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images