Bots, or bits of code that automatically post to social media, are integral to the Internet. Google uses bots to crawl search results, and businesses use them to post automated messages.

More recently, bots are being used by governments mimic social media users and manipulate public opinion.

In 2015, more than 40 countries deployed political bots, says Samuel Woolley, a PhD candidate at the University of Washington. His team has logged more than 100 cases of bots designed to sway elections, pad follower counts, or spread propaganda during political crises.

Here are five countries that use bots to promote their agendas.

SEE ALSO: A Twitter bot has spent the entire day scolding people who are talking about Caitlyn Jenner

Mexico.

The Mexican government, under President Enrique Peña Nieto, uses Twitter bots to shut down dissent.

Known as Peñabots, they first appeared during Mexico's 2012 election to spread pro-Peña propaganda.

The bots still have a strong presence on Twitter, Woolley says. Peñabots target journalists for smear campaigns, jam activist efforts, and promote an average of 3 fake trends every day.

Turkey.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's party has amassed its own bot army, leading up to the country's local elections in August.

Researchers say that the Turkish government has coded more than 6,000 bots to promote the party. There are also reports of thousands of fake Twitter accounts.

"They are still used to shut down any kind of democratic conversation," Woolley says.

When protesters found out, Erdoğan claimed that the activists were actually bots and threatened to ban Twitter in Turkey.

Russia.

The Russian government uses bots to intimidate people who disgree with Vladimir Putin.

In April, the government paid hundreds of bloggers to post messages on forums and social networks. They all praised Putin and condemned Western governments.

“We had to write ‘ordinary posts’, about making cakes or music tracks we liked, but then every now and then throw in a political post about how the Kiev government is fascist, or that sort of thing,” one of the bloggers told The Guardian.

It has been unseasonably warm here at Business Insider's global headquarters in New York City, and as such, we've been noticing how a lot of men are rocking their winter clothes, since there's no need for heavy winter coats to hide them.

That means we can see the sweaters — a lot of them, day in and day out — on the street, in the office, and at bars.

It means we can see how boring guys are with their sweaters.

For a refresher on how to get as much as possible out of the sweaters in your collection, we talked to stylist Jessica Cadmus of The Wardrobe Whisperer, and she sent us a few pointers.

"When I first meet them, many of my male clients are in the habit of relegating their sweaters to weekend wear only.  In those cases, their sweaters are being severely underutilized," said Cadmus.

She continued: "As I always say, men's fashion moves in millimeters, and so it's incumbent upon all men to use every resource they have wisely and widely. That means relying on the sweater for more than just a companion to denim."

Let's begin.

Consider wearing your sweater as a blazer.

"This chunky sweater will look superb layered over a patterned button-down and paired back to gray trousers," said Cadmus. "Wear with or without a tie.

This one's at Elie Tahari for $398.

Put it under a blazer or suit jacket.

Throw a white button-down under this and a blazer over it, and you'll look like a bag of money.

Pair with gray trousers, said Cadmus.

You can do better than jeans.

This one's at Human Scales for $141.

If you're going to do that "just make sure the sweater fits close to the body so the proportions look correct," said Cadmus.

Try this one with a gray suit jacket.

Get it at Reiss for $180.

There are more than 145 companies worth more than a billion dollars in Silicon Valley.

Of those, 21 more than doubled their value in the last year. 

Venture capital database CB Insights tracked the list of the biggest unicorn valuation increases of the year. (Unicorn is Valley parlance for a company worth more than a billion dollars). 

Here's the list of companies that more than doubled their value in the past year, courtesy of CB Insights:

SEE ALSO: The 25 hottest startups that launched in 2015

21. Oscar Health Insurance Co.: 119%

2015 valuation: $1.75 billion

2014 valuation: $800 million

Total valuation increase: $950 million or 119%

The startup that's trying to shake up the insurance industry has been a favorite of 2015. Google invested $32.5 million in Oscar in September, bumping it to a $1.75 billion valuation. Oscar lets users talk to doctors on the phone for free, and it was the first insurance company to give fitness trackers to its customers to let them get rewards for walking a certain number of steps in a day.

20. Nextdoor: 120%

2015 valuation: $1.1 billion

2014 valuation: $500 million

Total valuation increase: $600 million or 120%

Nextdoor wants to bring the neighborhood together again. Since everyone is already on multiple social networks, Nextdoor created a new one that only allows people to join based on their physical address. (A postcard is sent to your mailbox with the code to log in). In March, the company raised another $110 million, driving its valuation to $1.1 billion and adding its unicorn horn.

19. Pinterest: 120%

2015 valuation: $11 billion

2014 valuation: $5 billion

Total valuation increase: $6 billion or 120%

It just started selling advertising in a bid to make money off its image bookmarking platform, but Pinterest didn't need an existing business plan to convince investors to double its valuation to $11 billion this year. 

With less than month left in 2015, Pandora has released its list of the "top thumbed" songs on the service this year.

The list includes the 100 songs that motivated people to click the little white thumbs-up most frequently this year. It ranges from pop to hip hop to R&B and even includes two or three throwback hits.

Drake makes the list more times than anyone else, with 12 songs appearing on it, and The Weeknd takes the top spot with "Earned It," his song from the "50 Shades of Grey" soundtrack.

Keep reading to see all 100 of the most popular songs on Pandora this year.

SEE ALSO: Pandora has a new secret weapon to take on Spotify and Apple

1. "Earned It" - The Weeknd

Youtube Embed:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/waU75jdUnYw
Width: 800px
Height: 450px

Click here for Pandora's "Earned It" radio. 

2. "See You Again" - Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth

Youtube Embed:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/RgKAFK5djSk
Width: 800px
Height: 450px

Click here for Pandora's "See You Again" radio.

3. "Uptown Funk" - Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars

Youtube Embed:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/OPf0YbXqDm0
Width: 800px
Height: 450px

Click here for Pandora's "Uptown Funk" radio. 

You'll always be allowed a few life mulligans, but by the time you've hit the big 3-0, you should have sorted out most of the reckless habits we tend to fall into as young 20-somethings.

This is especially true for money matters, considering you're close to entering — and need to prepare for — your peak earning years.

While most of us have a general idea of what it takes to succeed, we sometimes let ourselves — and a few money lies — get in the way.

Don't let these 15 lies hold you back.

Mandi Woodruff contributed to an earlier version of this post.

SEE ALSO: 13 tips to save up to $1,000 in 30 days or less

So long as my job pays well, it's OK if I hate it.

The job market may not be what it used to be, but by age 30 no one should be toiling away at a job that leaves them stressed out and dissatisfied with life. Sometimes your just have to say no, and have the confidence to quit.

We were inspired by a young woman who wrote about turning her back on a lucrative job on Wall Street when years of 14-hour work days made her overweight, burnt out, and miserable.

"I'm a few months into my new job [as an asset manager for a nonprofit] and it's made my life richer. I'm making an effort to breathe, smile, eat healthier and have positive thoughts about my future," she wrote.

"I took a pay cut of about 30% to change positions, but I don't think that I should be applauded for making the choice to accept less pay – I don't view it as a sacrifice."

If I turn a blind eye, somehow my finances will figure themselves out.

The worst things to do in your early 20s is to ignore financial red flags when they arise.

Check your bank account, no matter how fearful you are of how low the number might be; don't leave your credit report untouched; and take advantage of work benefits, such as the 401(k) match.

If you're broke, you might as well know it and own it. It's the only way you'll ever truly be able to do something about it.

I should get married because it's the 'next step.'

Tying the knot by 30 seems to be the trend these days, but there are few people who can actually afford the absurdly expensive cost of the average American wedding.

Why kick off your lifetime union with a massive pile of debt that will only cause stress and inevitable arguments down the line? If you're truly in love, chances are The One will still be around by the time you're both financially fit to face those bills together.

"Impulsiveness in general is typical when you're younger, whether it's impulsive decisions to buy the car, go on the vacation, or even marry the wrong person," certified financial planner Michael Egan tells us. "That's a big one actually. You need to make sure your spouse, if you're going to be sharing your life with them, has a similar stance on money to you."

Facebook Messenger can already be used to send money, make video calls, and get customer service support.

But now you can use it to order an Uber.

Facebook has partnered with Uber to let you order a ride without even leaving the Messenger app.

We just tried it, and it felt futuristic to have Uber built directly into an app like Messenger, which many of us at Tech Insider use daily to keep in contact with friends.

Uber is sweetening the deal for early adopters by offering the first ride through Messenger for free.

Here's how to use Uber in Messenger:

SEE ALSO: Facebook teams up with Uber to make it easier to meet your friends in real life

My colleague Steve Kovach asked if I wanted to meet at Penn Station here in New York City. To order an Uber ride there, I just need to tap this little button.

And then tap "Transportation" to get started.

You may also see this little car icon in a message thread once you set up Uber in Messenger. It can be used to order a ride quickly.

There's no place quite like Portland. 

Oregon's largest city exhibits a particular blend of mossy Northwestern cool. It's a land of flannel, tattoos, coffee, and food trucks.

We stopped by last week. Here's a few of the things we found, plus a few we need to check out. 

People love (or hate*) the Portland Airport Carpet. When arriving at PDX, it's custom to take a foot selfie, as I did.

Heading into town, you're greeted by another PDX classic: the White Stag sign, standing handsomely in the Portland Skyline.

Portland is a watery place, and the convergence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers necessitates stately bridges, like the Hawthorne Bridge.

You can tell a lot about someone by looking at what apps they have on their home screen — and, sometimes, how many notifications each of those apps have.

So, we asked a grab bag of entrepreneurs, executives, and VCs for a peek at what apps ended up on that coveted first page.

Check them out:

SEE ALSO: RANKED: The 20 most influential Vine and YouTube stars under 21

Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO

Home screen highlights: Nadella loves cricket, so it makes sense that he'd have ESPN's Cricinfo featured prominently.

Worth noting that when you're using a Windows phone, you don't swipe left and right through pages in the same way as you would on Android or iOS. You scroll down through as many tiles as you have. So technically Nadella doesn't have the same kind of "front page" as others.

Dennis Crowley, Foursquare founder and CEO

Home screen highlight: Crowley tells Business Insider that lately he's been obsessed with the digital art-frame startup Electric Objects — the "EO" app on his home screen — which lets users change their artwork every few days.

You can even see what pieces he's displayed lately here.

Crowley also invested in the company.

Amit Singhal, senior VP of search at Google

Home screen highlights: Singhal is all about brain-games, like Lumosity and Elevate, and, naturally, Google products.

Voice Search, which Singhal has on his home screen, is one of the company's big projects right now.

Even those who seem to have it all deserve a Christmas gift. 

But what do you buy someone for whom money is no object? 

We have a collection of 11 gifts that are completely over-the-top, ranging from the world's largest tin of caviar to a private jet tour around the globe.

They're just as lavish as the millionaire in your life. 

SEE ALSO: 10 gifts guys REALLY want for the holidays this year

Set them up on a ride with Keanu Reeves.

The KRGT-1 is the first bike made by Arch Motorcycle, the company founded by Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger in 2014. The limited-edition performance bike comes with a 124-cubic-inch twin engine, special racing-inspired trim, and performance suspension.

This package, which we saw on Neiman Marcus' Fantasy Gifts guide, comes with a two-day ride down the California coast, hotel and airfare included. Joining you will be Reeves and Hollinger themselves. 

Price: $150,000

Get them their own billionaire toy.

The Quadski XL is an all-terrain vehicle that can instantly transform into a watercraft and can travel up to 45 miles per hour on both water and land. 

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff reportedly plays around with one while vacationing at his $12.5 million Hawaiian estate. He also recently gave two Quadskis to the San Francisco Police and Fire Departments as a gift, apparently because he thought they would be helpful for water rescues. 

Price: $50,000

Splurge on the world's largest tin of caviar.

French caviar purveyors Petrossian have created only 50 of these 22-pound tins of caviar. Each tin, which is about the size of a tire, is filled with Ossetra caviar, which is the most expensive variety of the delicacy. 

The caviar is hand-selected by a member of the Petrossian family, generally considered to be the worldwide leader in caviar distribution.

Price:$125,000

When it comes to many people's priorities, sleep often comes dead last. But sleep deprivation can have lasting effects through your waking life, from the common cold and chronic heart disease.

In fact, a third of Americans get six hours of sleep or less, well below the seven to eight hours recommended by doctors and scientists.

Luckily, there are a huge number of sleep apps that claim they can help you get more shut-eye. But with so many on the market, it's often hard to figure out which works best.

So I put five of them to the test — one a night for five nights in a row.

Here's how well sleep apps worked for me.

SEE ALSO: I tried a sleep training app and it completely changed how I think about sleep

As a 28-year-old, usually the first and last thing I look at is my phone. Yes, I know that the blue light smartphones emit can have damaging effects on my sleep but my habit of checking my phone immediately before sleep and upon waking is too well ingrained.

On weekdays, I'm in bed between 11:00 PM and 12:00 AM and wake up at 7:00 AM to 7:30 AM every morning. Weekends, of course, are a lovely free-for-all.

I spend most nights sleeping soundly through the night. However, there are exceptions. I have problems dealing with anxiety so I sometimes spend nights tossing and turning, especially before stressful days and usually almost every Sunday night. I also have very vivid dreams and nightmares that wake me up in a cold sweat.

I've never used sleep trackers before so I don't know exactly how much I regularly sleep, but I'm eager to see how well apps can track and help me improve my sleeping patterns.

Night 1: Sleepyti.me

For the first night, I decided to go with the simplest app — Sleepyti.me. It works out the best time to fall asleep or wake up using the rapid eye movement cycle — the five stages that occur during sleep.

The first stage of sleep is the lightest and the deepest is the fifth, which occurs about 70 to 90 minutes after you fall sleep. Every night, you cycle through the five stages.

Because disrupting sleep during the REM state results in grogginess, Sleepyti.me tells you to schedule your alarm for when you're cycling through the lightest stages of sleep.

I wanted to wake up at 7:15 so headed over to sleepyti.me and plugged that in.

The app then selected the best time to fall asleep — either 10:15 or 11:45 — and recommended that I plan at least 14 minutes to fall asleep.

10:15 seemed a little early for me, so I faithfully fell asleep at 11:45.

While I should have netted about 7.5 hours of sleep based on sleepyti.me's planning, I actually got a terrible night's sleep, probably because I was anxious about getting to sleep and staying asleep.

Instead of sleeping peacefully through the night, I woke in stints and mentally took notes every time I did.

I usually get the worst week's sleep on Sunday nights, but this was a lot more pronounced.

Apple is very good at making phones, computers, and tablets.

But it doesn't make the best apps.

If you have an iPhone, you know this. You're stuck with certain apps — like Stocks, Tips, Game Center, Calendar, Weather, and Newsstand, among others.

You can't delete them from your phone— the best you can do is hide them in a folder, far, far away from your home screen.

But there's some good news. Apple may soon let you delete some of those pesky apps, which would free up storage and screen space on your phone. Apple CEO Tim Cook told BuzzFeed's John Paczkowski that the company is working to "figure out a way" for you to delete some of the apps that come with your phone.

In the meantime, however, here are 10 great apps to use instead of the ones that come on your iPhone.

SEE ALSO: The 15 best productivity apps in the world

Instead of Safari, use Chrome.

Replace Safari, Apple's browser that comes with your iPhone and iPad, with Google's Chrome, especially if you use Chrome on your PC. The browser syncs with Chrome on your other devices, so your history and recent searches from your laptop or desktop are available on your phone.

Instead of Apple Music, use Spotify.

Apple's new music service, Apple Music, is pretty good, but Spotify has Apple beat when it comes to finding new content. This summer, Spotify has unveiled a host of new features to help you find new artists and songs — Discover Weekly is one of them. It gives you a new two-hour playlist each week filled with music the company thinks you'll like, and Spotify's new "Now" feature, which tries to deliver the perfect song for the moment.

Spotify also has a free version that allows you to listen to music on-demand, while Apple Music only allows people who don't pay to listen to its 24-hour-per-day live radio station.

Instead of Weather, use Dark Sky.

Dark Sky isn't free, but it's definitely worth $3.99. The app tells you what the weather will be like throughout the day, giving you the exact time it's supposed to rain, snow, or be clear. It aggregates data from multiple sources, and even from other Dark Sky users, making the forecasts super accurate.

It also sends you alerts when it's about to rain, so you'll never walk out of the house or office without an umbrella.

For those who want a great free option, check out Yahoo! Weather, which is visually nothing short of stunning.

The cheap prices at Trader Joe's make it a popular place to shop for groceries.

But its popularity can also make Trader Joe's an extremely stressful place to shop.

Anyone who frequents the grocery chain knows that lines to checkout can often snake around half the store.

Trader Joe's keeps its prices cheaper than many of its competitors by primarily selling its in-house brand.

We have compiled some tips to navigate the often-crowded store while taking advantage of its best deals.

SEE ALSO: How to save money at Whole Foods

Consult the Fearless Flyer.

You can pick it up in stores, or it might be mailed to you, but perhaps most conveniently it's available online. The Fearless Flyer highlights featured products, which can help you plan out your shopping list.

Stay away from frozen fruit.

Kiplinger points out that buying a small bag of frozen fruit at Trader Joe's is significantly pricier than buying a 64-ounce bag of frozen fruit at Walmart — nearly three times more expensive!

Know when to go.

Keep track of when your local Trader Joe's store gets crowded.

"As for the best days to shop, the pricing remains the same from day to day, so look for the days or times when the store is least crowded. My local store is a war zone from Saturday to Monday, so I try to avoid those days," noted an editor at The Kitchn.

Product launch days at Apple stores are like Christmas times 10.

Fanboys and girls line up outside stores days in advance to get their hands on the hot, new gadgets. While sleeping on the street sounds less than ideal, it'll all be worth it when they walk out with the latest toys.

We're taking a look back at some of the best reactions on launch days over the years.

SEE ALSO: The first Apple Store in the Middle East showcases the future of Apple's interior design

September 2013: One of the first customers to snag the iPhone 5S pulls a "Rocky" outside the Apple store on Fifth Ave. in Manhattan, New York.

September 2014: Throwing your hands up in the air is a right of passage for Apple fanboys and girls.

May 2006: Guests count down to the opening of a new, 24-7 Apple store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York.

Pope Francis celebrates his 79th birthday Thursday. 

Though his favorability ratings in the US have slipped slightly in the last few months, the pope is still extremely popular in many parts of the Catholic world. During recent trips to the US, South America, and Africa, hundreds of thousands turned out just to get a glimpse of him.  

Pope Francis is known for being a relatable, humble, and accepting figurehead — some have even called him the "People's Pope." 

Here are 20 photos that show just how awesome Pope Francis is.  

SEE ALSO: 22 photos that show the intense excitement surrounding Pope Francis' first-ever visit to the US

Pope Francis, who was born in Buenos Aires in 1936, is the first New World Pope.

Pope Francis is often known as the "People's Pope" for his kind and humble nature.

Pope Francis held a number of odd jobs in his past life, including stints as a janitor, chemical lab technician, and even a bouncer at a bar in Buenos Aires.

Hydrotherapy spas have been cropping up all over New York and Los Angeles, but the Turks have been steaming and stewing in hot water for a thousand years. At the Richmond Nua Spa on sublime Lake Sapanca—the Hamptons of Turkey—I hesitated before signing up for a full Turkish bath treatment. My previous hammam experience in Morocco was awful, involving six quivering naked ladies pretending to enjoy a brutal, communal scrubbing in a moldy underground spa dungeon. I hoped this one—in the birthplace of the ritual—wouldn’t be as mortifying.

Here’s what happened when I explored the traditional scrub-down.

SEE ALSO: The 26 most luxurious spas around the world

Step 1: Steam

Pre-hammam, I was advised to raise my body temperature a bit, so I waded into the Osman Steam Bath, a reproduction of those used six hundred years ago by sultans. It was heated to a lung-compressing 120 degrees, with 90 percent humidity. Gasping for breath, I forced myself to stay in there as long as possible to get the alleged health benefits—clear sinuses, debloating and improved circulation. Two minutes later, I crawled out bright red, glistening and ready for a bath. 

Step 2: Sluice

Kenon, my hamman attendant, was a large, hairy Turk who would soon be the only man (save for my husband and doctor) to see me naked in ten years. “I don’t speak English,” he said when we met. Fine by me. During the glory days of the Ottoman Empire, attendants in the sultan’s baths were strong and silent to the extreme, having been relieved of their tongues (as well as other key body parts). Kenon led me to a private (thank God) hammam antechamber and instructed me to strip and fix a thin cotton cloth called apeshtemal under my arms. Kenon wore one too, over his hips. I’m happy to report these attendants are no longer made to be eunuchs.

I entered the hammam, a 95-degree circular room with gray marble walls, a domed ceiling and an octagonal marble table in the center. I lay face-up on a towel on the heated slab. Kenon untied my peshtemal, leaving me completely exposed except for a tiny washcloth draped over my bits. I had a flash of “I’m naked here!” self-consciousness, but that dissolved when Kenon poured hot water from a copper bowl all over me.

Step 3: Exfoliation

Kenon put on a hand-woven course cotton mitt called a kese and scrubbed every inch of my body—and I do mean every inch. I thought I was clean going in, having showered and steamed beforehand, but Kenon sloughed off deeply embedded grime and rolls of old skin. The theory is, once the dead layer is removed, your pores are wide open and gushing out toxins. If nothing more, I lost a pound of withered cells (truly, it was appalling). The scrub—aggressive but relaxing—increased circulation to the surface of my skin, kick-starting new skin cell production. I rolled onto my belly and Kenon exfoliated my back. Bliss.

The United Nations just published its annual Human Development Report, which ranks where people live long, healthy lives — the countries, in other words, that are best to live in.

The UN looked at nearly 200 countries across a number of categories, including life expectancy, education, and financial wealth.

Here are the countries that scored the highest.

10. New Zealand — People in New Zealand have a high life expectancy, living an average of 82 years.

9. Canada — Tying with New Zealand, Canada ranks high in education level. More than half of its residents graduate from college.

8. The United States — The U.S. ranks high in financial wealth. Americans earn an average of $52,947 per year.

Holiday time puts a strain on everybody's wallet, no matter what kind of budget you're working with.

Factor in all of the under-the-radar expenses that everyone always forgets, and you're in danger of becoming a Grinch.

Prepare yourself to better handle some of these hidden holiday-season costs so your spirit can stay merry and bright.

SEE ALSO: How to book last-minute holiday travel without spending a fortune

Postage for holiday greeting cards

I used to spend hours and hours signing, sealing, and addressing holiday cards to my friends and family, and I always forgot to factor in postage.

Not altogether, exactly — I knew I had to send them out — but I didn't prepare my budget for how much the postage actually would cost, which usually ended up around $100 or so. That's a whole gift's worth!

End-of-the-year tips for service professionals

Some service professionals you tip every time — hairdresser, masseur, manicurist, babysitter — and some you only tip once a year, like your doormen or mail carrier.

Either way, it's important to factor in these "holiday bonuses" for all the people who do you well throughout the year. If you're thinking about skimping, don't do it. Now's not the time to be a miser.

Holiday babysitting premiums

Listen, we live in a free-market, capitalist society, where everyone, including that teenager up the street who babysits your kids, marks up their fees to reflect holiday pricing. If you want someone certified and trained in childcare, the price is even higher. Might as well get used to it.

"We charge additional fees and add automatic gratuities for holidays so that we can ensure that we will have babysitters that will be available for our clients," says Rachel Charlupski, founder of The Babysitting Company. "A holiday sitter will cost between $250 and $500 for four hours depending on the reservation, number of children, and the city."

It's not easy training to survive in a galaxy far, far away.

The new, younger cast members of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" spent months doing grueling work to prepare to join the franchise. And for the returning veterans like Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher, the process was very much the same.

For some, preparing meant a pep talk with Ford, and for others, it involved intense training with stunt coordinators and physical trainers.

See how the main cast members prepared below, and catch the film in theaters as it starts to roll out in them tonight:

SEE ALSO: How new 'Star Wars' star Adam Driver went from a former Marine to the Hollywood A-list

To prepare for his audition, John Boyega watched Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill's original audition tapes on YouTube.

"I watched their audition, and there was this casual approach to danger and to being a hero that I drew some inspiration from," he told CNET.

(Source: CNET)

On the other hand, Daisy Ridley avoided the original films for her preparation.

She told ABC News: "I'm really glad that I didn't know it that well, because I didn't feel like I was trying to fit into anything. I was just trying to do a good job."

(Source: ABC News)

Boyega and Ridley underwent rigorous training, which helped prepare them for filming in Abu Dhabi, which serves as the planet Jakku.

About six weeks ago, my girlfriend Rebecca and I signed up for Purple Carrot, a vegan meal kit company.

We're not vegans. We're not even vegetarians. We like to eat meat! But we wanted to cook more, and eat food that was healthy and tasted good.

We heard about Purple Carrot when Mark Bittman, the cookbook author and former food columnist at The New York Times, announced in November that he'd taken a job there to work on recipes, source food, and write newsletters for members.

We were not only attracted to the company because of Bittman — he's long been a proponent of ethically-sourced and environmentally friendly food — but also because the meals looked and sounded good. They're not based on "fake meat" or meat substitutes, which is what comes to my mind when I think "vegan."

Here's what it's like to use Purple Carrot.

SEE ALSO: What it's like to use the amazing meal-delivery service that just raised $135 million

First, a bit about meal-kit companies.

The idea behind meal kit companies — you may have heard of the big ones like Blue Apron, Plated, or Hello Fresh — is that each week you're sent a box with perfectly portioned ingredients and step-by-step instructions that show you how to cook a meal from scratch.

I was skeptical of meal kits when I first heard about them because they felt like something for lazy and entitled people who couldn't be bothered to go to the grocery store. I had also heard horror stories about the amount of waste they create. (More on that later.)

But some friends of ours had Blue Apron and loved it — and we were eating way too much takeout — so we decided to give it a shot.

At first I was into Blue Apron, but after a couple of weeks we realized that we didn't want to cook and eat that much meat and fish. We were also sent some beef that left a lot to be desired, and the vegetarian options from the company seemed boring and loaded with cheese.

So we decided to try Purple Carrot.

The box from Purple Carrot arrives every Tuesday via FedEx.

The box weighs about 12 pounds and is small enough to easily carry up the stairs to our third floor apartment.

Here's a picture of our cat, Frankie, on the box, so you can get an idea of its size.

Purple Carrot has two meal plans to choose from. We signed up for three meals per week for two people, which costs $68. That's $11.33 per meal.

You can also sign up for a $74 family plan, which feeds four people twice per week. 

Four meals are offered each week, and subscribers use Purple Carrot's website to choose each week which three we'd like.

You can skip a week anytime you'd like or pause your membership if you'll be out of town.

When a dapper New York advertising exec purchased a small studio in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, he wanted to capture the richness and subtle style of an old noir film. Of course, he didn't have a lot of space to do it.

Two years and a handful of renovation projects later, he's created a 575 square foot space that's dripping with sophisticated cool.

SEE ALSO: 10 things every man should have in his home

Clever storage

When you're limited with storage, utilize pieces that can pull double duty. A trunk serves as a coffee table (while storing out of season items) and an upholstered stool doubles as a side table.

No office? Make one

A cleverly placed table behind a sofa can serve as a smart work station when needed.

Small bedroom? Keep it tailored

Loose blankets and sheets overhanging the bed frame or big, thick comforters can give a bed an oversized look. But that's not what you want when you're looking to maximize space. Keep things trim, tailored and tucked and you'll see how much more square footage you regain.