The U.S. housing recovery has been causing home prices to rise.

Las Vegas stands out as one of the hottest markets in America with home prices up 15 percent year-over-year.

"More traditional buyers and sellers are sitting out of the market and investors are bidding up prices for foreclosed homes and [homes] at the lower end of the market," Quinn Eddins at RadarLogic tells Business Insider.

Eddins says investor activity in Las Vegas has increased 67 percent year-over-year through December 2012.

All of this has some economists warn that it may be overheating.

"Phoenix and Las Vegas were cities that had not been very bubbly, but then they joined this bubble around 2004 and then they became wild and they became very speculative and then they crashed over 50%,"Robert Shiller said in an interview with CNBC.

"Now they're starting to come up with some exuberance I have to say. Those are the most dramatic places."

Las Vegas was ground zero of the housing bubble.

Source: The Atlantic Cities

Home prices crashed as much as 62 percent, and are still down 59 percent since their peak.

Source: CNBC

Seen another way, Vegas home prices are up 15 percent year-over-year.

Source: S&P Indices

Please follow Money Game on Twitter and Facebook.

Technology has dramatically changed the way we live. 

From revitalizing the way we shop to altering the way we interact and keep in touch with people, technology has arguably changed our lives for the better.

And it's also making life much easier for parents. There is an increasing number of startups and companies working on products that are geared toward parents and their children.  

Ubooly for when you want to play with your kids in a digitally interactive way

Ubooly is a Furby-like toy powered by your iPhone or iPod Touch, which fits right inside the stuffed animal. 

The Ubooly iPhone app comes with games, stories, and jokes to help parents entertain their kids.

You might wonder why parents would want to give up their iPhones to their kids, but even with electronic recycling programs and buyback programs like Gazelle, there's a staggering number of people who still hold on to their old electronics. A recent Gazelle survey found that 51 percent of smartphone users keep their old smartphones in a drawer or closet.  

Cost: $29.99 for toy

Wittlebee takes the stress out of shopping for your kids' clothing

Wittlebee is a monthly subscription kids clothing club. Every month, parents receive six brand new items of kid's clothing — a mix of tops and bottoms. Parents can pause or cancel their membership at any time.

Cost: $39.99 per month

Angelcare's baby monitor gives parents peace of mind

Angelcare's baby monitor detects and notifies you if your baby has not moved for more than 20 seconds. 

The baby monitor comes with a mattress pad that senses when your baby moves, so you can easily determine if your baby is sleeping or awake. Like all baby monitors, it also provides two-way communication. It also alerts you if the temperature in the baby's room is too high or too low. 

Cost: $146.87

Please follow SAI on Twitter and Facebook.

Five years after the financial crisis, Wall Street has yet to return to its former glory.

Jobs are still getting cut, regulation is still driving compliance departments made, and even the hedge fund industry can't beat the S&P.

But if you put everything in perspective, this is nothing. The Street's been through tough times before, and it'll get through this too.

So let's have a little fun looking back at we've all been though... in stick figures.

Please follow Clusterstock on Twitter and Facebook.

Season 6 of 'Mad Men' premieres on Sunday, and many of us need a refresher course on key plot points. 

From one character's psychedelic adventures to another's dramatic suicide, there's a lot to remember.

We've got you covered with this catch-up slideshow.

Tune in on AMC at 9/8 central.

Lane Pryce is dead. He hung himself when Don caught him embezzling money and demanded he resign. Don, and the office in general, are dealing with their guilt.

But business is booming. Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce is expanding more than ever.

Unfortunately not everyone is going to have a role in the bigger offices. After rising in the ranks at SCDP, Peggy left for a Copy Chief position at Ted Chaough’s agency. She and Don had a very bittersweet farewell.

Please follow Advertising on Twitter and Facebook.

The Texas Rangers raised eyebrows recently when they gave Elvis Andrus an 8-year, $120 million contract. To many, it seemed crazy to give a weak-hitting shortstop a $100+ million contract.

But to understand Andrus' contract, it needs to be placed in perspective. In 2015, when the extension begins, Andrus will be making $15 million. That would not even rank among the 20 highest-paid players in baseball this season.

And with television revenue skyrocketing in baseball, salaries will continue to go up at a rapid pace. And it won't be long until $100 million contracts are the norm, rather than the exception.

On the next few pages we will take a look at some of those $100 million contracts and see who has the highest salaries in Major League Baseball this season (data via BaseballProspectus.com)...

#20 Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners — $19.0 million

Position: Starting Pitcher

Contract: 7 years, $175.0 million (2013-19)

#19 Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies — $19.5 million

Position: Starting Pitcher

Contract: 6 years, $144.0 million (2013-18)

#12t Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers — $20.0 million

Position: Starting Pitcher

Contract: 7 years, $180 million (2013-19)

Please follow Sports Page on Twitter and Facebook.

Last year, we told you about the real brands that have appeared in "Mad Men" and the fake ads that the staff of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce have created for them over the years.

Since then, a whole new bunch of clients have come and gone at Don Draper's agency.

So in advance of the premiere of "Mad Men" Season 6 on AMC this Sunday, we have once again trawled the agency's archives to compare the fake ads of Sterling Cooper to the ones that actually ran back in the 1960s.

Those clients include Playtex, Mohawk Airlines, American Airlines, and Samsonite luggage.

Turns out the fictional ads are vastly different from the real ones — and that Sterling Cooper's were often much worse. Hindsight is 20/20, of course ...

Sterling Cooper's Belle Jolie lipstick ad from Season 5 ...

Belle Jolie was one of few made-up brands on the show. In reality, cosmetics companies had been using photos instead of drawings in their ads for years. This one was from 1963.

Sterling Cooper's ad for Samsonite makes little sense (until you learn that she hates it because it's empty). Even then, no client would ever allow the word "hate" next to their brand like this.

Please follow Advertising on Twitter and Facebook.

It has to be incredibly daunting to strut down the catwalk as a fashion model.

All eyes are on you as you stomp in spiky stilettos, showing off the designers' latest collections.

Most of the time, things go smoothly and the models make it down the runway and back in one piece.

But occasionally, things turn disastrous. 

This model took a tumble during the final walkthrough of Sass & Bide's spring 2007 runway show in NYC.

The long dress by designer Miguel Vieira could have tripped this model up in Lisbon.

This model's outfit nearly distracts from her stumble at a show for the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology and Taiwan Shin Chien University Graduates Collection during China Fashion Week in 2011.

Please follow The Life on Twitter and Facebook.

Most high school senior photos are embarrassing.

While they can't be erased from memory or the Internet, they're in good company with a number of accomplished politicians.

Before these political stars were senators, presidents, or governors, they were jocks, freaks, and geeks — just like the rest of us.

A young Barack Obama — with a massive collar — at the Punahou School in Hawaii.

Vice President Joe Biden wasn't known for his public gaffes at Archmere Academy, where he was a star halfback/wide receiver on an undefeated team.

Michelle Robinson — the future First Lady — clearly wasn't into bangs yet as a student at the Whitney Young magnet school in Chicago.

Please follow Politics on Twitter and Facebook.

The cleanup continues after an ExxonMobil pipeline carrying crude from Alberta's tar sands ruptured in Mayflower, Ark., last week. 

New photos from the EPA show the extent of the damage. 

At least 60 homes were affected as oil flowed from a creek to a cove attached to Lake Conway, a tributary that leads to the Arkansas River.

Exxon said in a statement that the oil did not reach Lake Conway, although "ducks, turtles, a beaver and a muskrat" were affected.

About 5,000 barrels of oil spilled, although the final figures have not yet been released, the company said.

The Pegasus Line, buried 24 inches underground, ruptured on the afternoon of Friday, March 29.

The break in the line was isolated the next day, but 21 homes were evacuated.

Pictures taken by the EPA show the extent of the damage.

Please follow Science on Twitter and Facebook.

Southern charm is alive and well below the Mason-Dixon line, where romance is nurtured at every twist and turn of our favorite antebellum mansions and cobblestone streets.

Choosing the most romantic spots, then, is quite a difficult task, but we think we're up to the challenge.

From intimate city boutiques to sprawling Lowcountry estates, here are some of our favorite hotels ready for romance in the South.

The Inn at Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, South Carolina

This "inn" in Carolina Lowcountry, really more akin to a sprawling estate, provides a one-of-a-kind experience that uniquely blends southern history and almost otherworldly natural beauty: rivers, misty marshes, old oaks draped with wispy Spanish moss, and salty breezes. The main hotel building looks like a classic southern mansion, and the 50 Cottages and Cottage Suites are simultaneously homey and utterly luxurious, with working fireplaces, screen porches, and gorgeous bathrooms. Guests can enjoy a range of recreational facilities, including golf, bicycling, tennis, croquet, kayaking, and swimming (in the two pools), and the luxury spa is highly acclaimed. It's not an overstatement to say that the Inn at Palmetto Bluff is one of the most special properties in the entire country.

The Jasmine House Inn, Charleston, South Carolina

Housed in a beautifully renovated mansion dating to 1843, the Jasmine House Inn has all the charm of a B&B and the comfort of an upscale hotel, plus a central location in downtown Charleston. It has 12 large rooms with hardwood floors, 15-foot ceilings, flat-screen TVs and unique decor that might be a bit too much for some (think matching bedspreads and drapes, patterned rugs, and floral wallpaper). There are a bunch of great freebies, including a continental breakfast, Wi-Fi and evening hors d’oeuvres -- but you’ll have to pay for parking.

The Lighthouse Inn at Aransas Bay, Corpus Christi, Texas

The 78-room Lighthouse Inn at Aransas Bay is in a wonderful location right on the water in old Rockport. Rooms are classic -- if slightly outdated, with comforters instead of duvets, and tube TVs -- and offer decent amenities such as microwaves and mini-fridges. Balconies are the most appealing feature here, with two rocking chairs that face either the bay or the pool and gardens. This inn is full of scenic places to relax, including the big outdoor swimming pool surrounded by tropical landscaping and a fishing dock jutting out into the bay.

Please follow The Life on Twitter and Facebook.

On Wednesday, an international team of scientists announced they had found the most convincing evidence yet that dark matter exists.    

Dark matter makes up at least a quarter of our universe. It's the invisible stuff that holds our stars, galaxies, and clusters of galaxies together. The problem is, no one has ever been able to prove that it exists.

The latest results are not conclusive, but they provide better evidence than any previous experiments, MIT astrophysicist Samuel Ting said in a news conference. We are closer than ever to one of the secrets of the universe.

It all started in 1933 when Fritz Zwicky noticed something weird in a distant galaxy.

Zwicky, from the California Institute of Technology, noted a discrepancy between the mass of visible matter and the calculated mass of a galaxy cluster called the Cosizema cluster.

He calculated that the cluster had 400 times more mass than it should have had, based on what he saw with a telescope.

Zwicky also noticed that motion of the galaxies in the clusters was much too fast to be held together from the gravitational attraction created by visible matter alone. 

The stars and galaxies would fly apart if there weren't some extra mass creating a gravitational effect that kept them together.

Zwicky theorized that there must be some invisible "dark matter" to explain his observations.

It took many many decades, however, for the world to warm up to Zwicky's theory. That's because dark matter is just that — dark. The mysterious substance does not emit or absorb light, or other forms of electromagnetic waves.

So finding concrete evidence of the elusive substance is incredibly difficult. 

Although dark matter cannot be seen or touched, we can measure its gravitational effects.

Mass is measured by its gravitational effects on celestial bodies. The more massive something is, the stronger its gravitational pull. Gravity is the glue that holds our solar system, galaxies, and clusters of galaxies together.

Scientists know the mass of visible matter, like stars, dust, and gas, and that this mass would not create a strong enough gravitational attraction to keep stars and galaxies together. Thus, without the gravitational interactions created by some invisible mass, which we have named "dark matter," galaxies would fly apart as they whip around.

Please follow Science on Twitter and Facebook.

China accounts for 97 percent of global rare earth production and is said to have 87 percent of the world's rare earth deposits.

But in an attempt to curb pollution and protect its resources, the country began to slow exports of the metals.

Rare earths are used in everything from wind turbines to smartphones. The U.S., EU, and Japan have filed complaints with the World Trade Organization over these curbs.

Take a look at rare earth mining in China and its impact on local villagers and the environment.

China accounts for about 97 percent of the world's supply of rare earths.

But China has recently sought to limit rare earth exports.

Some say one reason is to lower risks to the environment.

Please follow Money Game on Twitter and Facebook.

Back in 1995, a public television show called the Computer Chronicles made an episode about an emerging technology: "The Net."

We found the video after venture capitalist MG Siegler embedded it on his blog.

It's pretty insane how far things have come in the last 20 years.

Our exploration starts with host Stewart Cheifet. He's at an Internet Cafe, "Where you get the best of both worlds: real people and virtual people."

Our first guide is NYT tech reporter John Markoff

He says his favorite use of the Internet is email. Here's a message he got from an executive named Steve Jobs

Please follow SAI on Twitter and Facebook.

AMC's hit show "Mad Men" finally returnsed Sunday with a two-hour season six premiere.

But the actors who play the often-stuffy sixties characters on TV, are nothing like their on-screen personas in real life.

Check out what Don and Betty Draper, Joan Harris, Peggy Olson and others are like in modern times.

Christina Hendricks has played office manager Joan Harris for six seasons on "Mad Men."

In real life, the 37-year-old is married to actor Geoffrey Arend and has said their home life is "like a musical."

Vincent Kartheiser plays sneaky Pete Campbell on the AMC show.

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

There's been a big shakeup at Google, and we're still fathoming its implications. But one thing is clear: Change at the top means new opportunities for rising talent.

Two top executives who reported to CEO Larry Page—Jeff Huber, head of Google's Geo and Commerce group, and Android founder Andy Rubin—are on to new, unspecified assignments, with other leaders taking over their business units.

That means Page's team will be busier than ever—and their lieutenants will have more opportunities than ever.

It's a good thing Google keeps coming up with new challenges. Some of Google's up-and-comers, while not big names outside the company, have hit the radar of competitors. In the past, Google has fought fiercely to keep its best talent, but some have been lured away. So don't be surprised if you see these people in new, bigger jobs soon—inside or outside Google.

Brian Rakowski, VP, Google Chrome

At Google I/O, Rakowski was one of the stars of the company's big product-launch conference, showing off new versions of its Chrome browser for iPhones and iPads.

Rakowski was the first graduate of Google's associate product manager program, the incubator for in-house talent created by former Google executive Marissa Mayer. He now runs the APM program, plugging him into a network of proteges.

He works for Sundar Pichai, who just got responsibility for Android as well as Chrome and Google Apps. That could mean a bigger job for Rakowski—or a new gig elsewhere. He's already on the top of recruiters' lists, but as a longtime Googler, he'd be hard to pry away.

Shishir Mehrotra, VP, YouTube

If Salar Kamangar, the early Googler who's in charge of YouTube, ever decided to take a new assignment at the company—and that's a big if—a source tells us Mehrotra, YouTube's vice president of product management, would be a natural to step up. Mehrotra's steadily added to his responsibilities in recent years, and under him, YouTube has launched a host of new mobile products and revamped its service to emphasize channel subscriptions.

John Hanke, Niantic Labs

Hanke's startup Keyhole became Google Maps. But now Hanke is working on mixing the virtual and physical worlds through Niantic Labs, a startup-like "sphere of weirdness" within Google. So far, it's come out with travel-guide apps and an augmented-reality game, but there's surely more to come.

Please follow SAI on Twitter and Facebook.

Just over a year ago, we visited LinkedIn's New York offices.

Many of the careers site's sales and marketing staff are based there (the tech staff is at the HQ in Mountain View, Calif.)

At the time, only 100 people worked at LinkedIn New York. The company was still refurbishing the office.

Today, the redecorating is mostly done and the office has 280 staffers and is still hiring — its marketing solutions unit is clearly booming. (The company has about 3,500 staff overall.)

This is what it's like to work at LinkedIn in New York.

LinkedIn's New York offices are located in the city's most iconic building.

As soon as you enter, Empire State Building doormen greet you at every turn.

The lobby of the building is filled with marble. Even the information desk is beautiful.

Please follow Advertising on Twitter and Facebook.

After 66 games over three weekends, the NCAA Tournament is down to just Michigan and Louisville, who will play in the national championship on Monday night.

And as usual, the tournament has seen its share of crazy highlights, both on the court and off. From players dancing to coaches freaking out, cheap shots, and sad mascots it has been a wild and wacky tournament.

On the next few pages we'll take a look back at the best GIFs from the tournament so far.

Julian Gamble unleashed the videobomb of the tourney

Wichita State played a little game of now you see it, now you don't

The villain of the tournament was Marshall Henderson

via @WorldOfIsaac

Please follow Sports Page on Twitter and Facebook.

So you just dropped some cash on a new e-reader.

Now you're expected to pay more money to fill it up with content?

Not necessarily – there are loads of places around the internet where you can score good books for the best price there is – no price at all.

Archive.org

Archive.org has been collecting and digitizing all kinds of texts for several years. With lots of the copyrights expired, most of them are available as a free download.

Check it out here >

Amazon's free Kindle books selection

Amazon offers thousands of books for free. This includes those with expired copyrights as well as the occasional book by a new author looking for exposure.

Check it out here >

OpenLibrary

OpenLibrary operates as a conventional library does, letting you borrow and return e-books. All it takes is a free account.

Check it out here >

Please follow SAI on Twitter and Facebook.

When traveling to a new city with limited time on your hands - whether it's for a 36-hour business trip or a quick getaway for your cousin’s wedding - you may have only one opportunity to venture to a celebrated local restaurant.

To experience the unique flavor of a city with one meal, consult our list of America’s Most Iconic Restaurants, released today.

Compiled by Zagat editors, this list includes 15 U.S. restaurants that embody the essence of their city.

Read on for some culinary inspiration - and maybe even a local history lesson!

Atlanta: The Colonnade

1879 Cheshire Bridge Rd. NE

Food: 21
Decor: 12
Service: 20
Cost: $22

Most everyone is either “gay or gray” at this “step-back-in-time” Cheshire Bridge “institution” that looks like “God’s waiting room” and dishes out “classic meat-and-two” Southern plates in “dinner-tonight-lunch-tomorrow” portions; sure, it’s “cash-only”, the decor’s right out of the “’70s” and the service skews “sassy”, but compensations include “cheap” tabs, “seriously high-octane potables” and an experience that’s “like nothing else in Atlanta.”

Austin Area: Salt Lick

18300 FM 1826 (FM 967)

Food: 25
Decor: 19
Service: 20
Cost: $24

“Bring your appetite” to this“true Texas” BBQ for a “first-class orgy of meat” via “piles” of pit-smoked, “fork-tender brisket”, “spicy sausage” and “fall-off-the-bone ribs” served “family-style” in a “rustic” atmosphere with “great” live music on weekends; it’s cash only with “looong waits”, and although it’s BYO beer, you can also pick up a bottle of wine from their tasting room to open at the picnic tables.

Boston: Parker’s

60 School St.

Food: 24
Decor: 25
Service: 24
Cost: $47

"The only place to go for Parker House rolls and Boston cream pie” is this “glorious” Downtown Crossing restaurant where “the elegance of another era” thrives via “old-time”, “pricey” New England eats, “beautiful”, “formal” digs and “wonderful service”; “if you’re looking for something innovative, go elsewhere”, but to experience a piece of “incredible history”, this is the spot.

Please follow The Life on Twitter and Facebook.

An artist named David Thomas Smith is putting on an exhibition at The Copper House Gallery called Anthropocene.

Smith took images from Google Maps and patterned them using motifs typical of Persian rugs.

The result is remarkable: twisted, elastic shapes and forms that, on closer inspection, reveal themselves to be our roads and building.

If you're interested in buying one of these works, click here to down a .PDF file with order information inclosed.

Here's the gallery's description:

The Copper House is pleased to present Anthropocene, the first solo show of photographic artist David Thomas Smith. Anthropocene examines global landscapes that have been transformed by the actions and activities humanity. 

 Smith has created these images using a unique and groundbreaking technique. Each image is composited from thousands and thousands of thumbnails extracted as screen grabs from Google Maps, which are then reconstructed piece by piece using Photoshop to produce such incredibly detailed images, a level of detail one can only really experience in person. 

Anthropocene itself reflects upon the complex structures that make up the centres of global capitalism, transforming the aerial landscapes of sites associated with industries such as oil, precious metals, consumer culture information and excess. Thousands of seemingly insignificant coded pieces of information are sown together like knots in a rug to reveal a grander spectacle.

Questions of photographic and economic realities are further complicated through the formal use of patterns that have their origins in the ancient civilizations of Persia. This work draws upon the patterns and motifs used by Persian rug makers, especially the way Afghani weavers use the rug to record their experiences more literally with vivid images of the war torn land that surrounds them.

This collision between the old and the new, fact and fiction, surveillance and invisibility, is part of a strategy to reflect on the global order of things. 

Beijing International Airport

If you're interested in buying one of these works, click here to down a .PDF file with order information inclosed.

Chrysler headquarters in Auburn Hills

If you're interested in buying one of these works, click here to down a .PDF file with order information inclosed.

The Burj Dubai in the UAE

If you're interested in buying one of these works, click here to down a .PDF file with order information inclosed.

Please follow SAI on Twitter and Facebook.