Omarosa Manigault-Newman, the firebrand communications director of the White House Office of Public Liaison who was abruptly fired in December, has released her tell-all book, "Unhinged: An Insider's Account of the White House."

In the book, she recounts her alleged experiences inside the Trump administration and campaign, making startling claims that include an accusation she heard a recording of Trump saying a racial slur.

But the Trump administration is fighting back, with the president leading the charge by downplaying her credibility and calling her names on Twitter.

The relationship between the two former reality TV stars — Trump was the host of NBC's "The Apprentice" while Omarosa was a contestant — was not always strained. Even in a phone call between Trump and Omarosa shortly after her ouster from the White House, the two appeared to share a compassionate moment with Trump offering his condolences.

"Damn it, I don't love you leaving at all," Trump appeared to say on a secretly recorded phone call from Omarosa.

Here's a timeline of Omarosa's journey from a star on "The Apprentice," to her eviction from the White House:

Omarosa Manigault-Newman was involved in politics long before Donald Trump's presidency.

Omarosa held various roles in government during the Clinton administration. She answered invitations for Vice President Al Gore and eventually landed a job with the Department of Commerce.

Her former colleagues described her tenure as rocky, including Cheryl Shavers, the former Under Secretary for Technology at the Commerce Department, who said that "she was asked to leave as quickly as possible, she was so disruptive," according to People.

"One woman wanted to slug her," Shavers said.

Omarosa made her primetime debut on NBC's "The Apprentice" in 2004.

She was eliminated from the show by Trump in Week 9 of the first season. 

Source: Bustle

Omarosa continued to make appearances in various "Apprentice" spinoffs. She also starred in her own show "The Ultimate Merger," in which 12 men, selected by Donald Trump, competed against each other for her favor.

• The megalodon is filling cinema screens worldwide in the new blockbuster, "The Meg."
• Paleontology has inspired film for years — Jurassic Park influenced a generation of dinosaur lovers. 
• There are plenty of other prehistoric creatures worthy of the big screen, including ichthyosaurs, pliosaurs, mosasaurs, xiphactinus, and basilosaurus.

As "The Meg", a new sci-fi horror film about a giant shark, fills cinema screens worldwide, it's worth pausing to appreciate the animal behind the screams. Carcharocles megalodon (or just Megalodon) is one of the most impressive creatures ever to have existed on Earth. Huge, voracious, and beautifully mysterious, megalodons were the largest known sharks to ever exist.

The species itself is only known from the fossil teeth it left behind, which can be as long as 18cm. These relics suggest an appetite for whales, and scientists have used them to estimate a body size of up to 17 metres. But despite their dying out at least 2.6m years ago, the primal fear such a massive creature inspires is very much alive.

No other scientific discipline can fill cinema seats quite like paleontology, but for a long time it has been dinosaurs that have ruled the ancient roost. Films like Jurassic Park influenced a generation, and for many of us the awe and fascination on the faces of the paleontologists was just as captivating as the beasts themselves.

Without a time machine or the budget of a film studio, most paleontologists never get to see the movement, sound, and spectacle of their favourite long-dead animal. Screen time is always biased towards charismatic megafauna, because exalting the charms of species that don't even merit their own Wikipedia page is a hard sell. For people to engage with the complexity of biodiversity we must first pique their interest with the big ticket beasts.

So there's an enduring public fascination with monsters, but those based in reality prompt an especially cold shiver. With over 80% of the ocean unexplored, marine hunters like the megalodon make those inky black waters both terrifying and alien to us. They also beg the question, what else was lurking in prehistoric seas? To the directors of the world I present five of the meanest extinct sea monsters that deserve their own blockbuster.

SEE ALSO: 6 things 'The Meg' gets wrong about the prehistoric giant sharks — and the one it gets right

Ichthyosaurs

A cold-blooded dolphin lookalike from 200m years ago, ichthyosaurs were sleek but deadly marine reptiles which were perfectly adapted for movement through water at speed, reaching lengths of 15-20 metres or perhaps even larger. They were incredibly successful, conquering the world's waters and surviving 160m years of the Mesozoic "age of the dinosaurs".

Pliosaurs

Pliosaurus are another group of marine reptile from the Mesozoic, with brains similar in proportion to a great white's, bodies up to 15 metres long, and a set of teeth that would make a crocodile blush. A few of the larger discoveries have inspired names such as "Predator X" from Norway, and "The Monster of Aramberri" in Mexico.

Mosasaurs

The Mosasaur takes centre stage in the "Jurassic World" films, but it is surely a contender for its own spin-off. At up to 17 metres with rows of conical teeth, they were colossal predators. Mosasaurs were also one of the earliest and largest marine reptiles described, holding a special place in the history of palaeontology.

• Beauty retailers Sephora and Ulta both offer their own rewards programs. 
• Sephora Beauty Insiders earn one point for every dollar spent and earn free gifts as points accumulate.
• On the other hand, Ulta's Ultamate Rewards members earn one point for every dollar spent and receive discounts based on how many points they've earned.
• Earlier this week, Sephora added new features to its rewards program that make it more similar to Ulta's than it had been in the past.

As two of the top beauty retailers around, Sephora and Ulta are competitors. One of the biggest differences between them is the rewards program that's offered by each store.   

Through Sephora's Beauty Insider program, shoppers earn free gifts after they've gained a certain amount of points, which can be earned through shopping in store or online. The program grants access to free makeup classes and an online community. Sephora customers who spend $350 in a calender year are upgraded to the VIB program and receive extra benefits such as custom makeovers and free monthly gifts. The most loyal customers, who spend $1,000 in a calender year, are upgraded to VIB Rouge and receive a private beauty advisor hotline, free 2-day shipping, and invites to exclusive events. 

Earlier this week, Sephora added new features to its program that allow VIB members to earn 25% more points per purchase, and VIB Rouge members to earn 50% more points per purchase. It also will be offering five times more rewards options for those looking to redeem more than 750 points, as well as expanding its rewards offerings at other tiers to offer a much wider variety of products. 

Ulta has a slightly different rewards program. Points are still earned for every dollar spent, but rather than earning free gifts, shoppers can get discounts on anything in the store. While there aren't perks like free makeup classes or an online community, members have more opportunities to earn double or triple points through store promotions. Platinum members, who spend $450 or more in a year, earn 25% more points per purchase and are eligible for exclusive coupons and deals. Diamond members, who spend $1,200 in a year, earn 50% more points per purchase, free shipping on orders over $25, a $25 beauty service reward card, and invites to exclusive events. 

With both programs, the benefits are more impressive as you accumulate more points. Sephora shoppers can earn gift packages of high-end products, while Ulta shoppers can get hundreds of dollars off a purchase — sometimes getting prestige brand products for free. 

 To see which rewards program has more to offer, we put both to the test. Here's what we found: 

SEE ALSO: Take a look inside the most luxurious mall in New York City, where Wall Streeters shop designer brands like Louis Vuitton and Gucci

I signed up for both rewards programs online. Sephora was first.

After signing up, I was taken to my new Beauty Insider profile.

I was prompted to create a nickname, upload a profile photo, and explore the online community.

The community allows rewards members to join groups, browse makeup looks, and view a Beauty Insider event calendar.

You can also chat with other Beauty Insiders as you shop.

• Georgetown Preparatory School in Bethesda, Maryland, is the alma mater of both Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
• The private school costs between $37,000 and $60,000 a year and features a recording studio, a swimming pool and a nine-hole golf course.
• Georgetown Prep is one of the most elite boarding schools in the country, with an acceptance rate of just 23%.

Georgetown Preparatory School isn't your average high school.

Located in suburban Bethesda, Maryland, Georgetown Prep's 93-acre campus features perks like a recording studio, a swimming pool and a nine-hole golf course. A year's tuition at the all-boys Catholic school costs as much as $60,000.

In less than a month, the Supreme Court could feature two Georgetown Prep alumni — Neil Gorsuch graduated in 1985, while nominee Brett Kavanaugh graduated in 1983.

Here's a look inside one of America's most elite high schools that's at the center of the political world right now:

SEE ALSO: Inside the insanely competitive world of elite New York City preschools

SEE ALSO: Inside an exclusive, strict Long Island all-boys school that counts high-powered media stars, politicians, and CEOs as alumni

DON'T MISS: The most surprising things about America, according to a Silicon Valley engineer who moved from India 7 years ago

Georgetown Preparatory School is an all-boys private high school in suburban Bethesda, Maryland, just outside of Washington, DC.

Source: Georgetown Prep

The sprawling 93-acre campus features a recording studio, student lounges, a swimming pool, an indoor track, and a nine-hole golf course.

Source: Georgetown Prep

Tuition for Georgetown Prep costs $37,215 a year …

Source: Georgetown Prep

Based on Ninja's performance while he's playing "Fortnite," you know for a fact that whatever he's doing is working.

I can't guarantee it'll turn you into a "Fortnite" legend, but if you want to try something that clearly works for one of the biggest "Fortnite" streamers in the world, a good place to start is with the game's settings more than anything else — apart from being Ninja himself. 

Fortnite has preset options for graphics and controls, but a little tweaking here and there can actually give you advantages over other players who don't tweak their settings.

YouTube channel Unbox Therapy recently posted a video showing some of Ninja's "Fortnite" settings, and a website called BestFortniteSettings.com also laid out the specific tweaks, as revealed by Ninja himself during some of his streams on Twitch. 

Check out Ninja's "Fortnite" settings, as well as hte tweaks and shortcuts he has on his keyboard and mouse:

SEE ALSO: Here's every part you'll need to build Ninja's gaming PC where he plays and streams 'Fortnite'

Ninja doesn't set all the graphics settings to "Epic."

Choosing every graphic setting's maximum value is great for making a game look great, but some settings actually make it harder to spot enemies, especially from far away. 

Ninja's has every graphics setting in "Fortnite" set to "Epic" apart from a few things, according to bestfortnitesettings.com and Unbox Therapy. 

- Shadows are set to "Off"

- Anti-aliasing is set to "Off"

- Post processing is set to "Off"

Make sure you set the "Frame rate limit" to the highest possible number your monitor supports.

Ninja uses the $480 Alienware 25 Gaming Monitor, which has a refresh rate of up to 240Hz.

The number next to the "Hz"— or hertz — is how many times the screen can refresh itself every second. The higher the number, the more frames per second it can display. And the more frames per second, the smoother the gaming experience.

That smoothness doesn't just make the game look better when you're moving around. It can help your aim, too. Essentially, you can make finer and more accurate aiming movements with high refresh rates than with a monitor with lower refresh rates. 

Resolution should be set to the highest resolution your monitor supports, unless it makes the game play less smoothly.

Ninja's monitor has a 1080p resolution, which isn't the sharpest monitor you can buy. But with lower resolutions, your computer's graphics card doesn't have to work as hard, and it can push more frames per second. As a result, you can get smoother performance with lower resolutions. 

Ninja gets between the the 70 and 220 frames per second with his PC, which is on the high-end of smoothness.

At the same time, monitors with higher resolutions like 1440p can deliver sharper details than a 1080p monitor, which can help you spot enemies from further away. The trade-off is that the game may not play as smoothly as it would on a 1080p monitor, as the graphics card has to work harder to render graphics at 1440p resolution.

4K monitors would offer the sharpest details, but few PCs — if any — can play "Fortnite" at higher than 75 frames per second. That's smooth enough for most players, but if you want Ninja's smoothness, you'll need a monitor with lower resolution. 

For years, we've heard rumors about a Samsung foldable smartphone called the Galaxy X.

The phone still hasn't surfaced — but Samsung's mobile business head DJ Koh said on August 10 that it's "not far away" during a press conference following the company's Unpacked event where it announced the Galaxy Note 9 phone. 

It's tough to gauge DJ Koh's "not far away" statement, whether he means 2018 or 2019. An earlier report from July suggested 2019 would be the year we finally get a peek at the Galaxy X, according to the Wall Street Journal.

A lot of phone manufacturers, including Apple, are also said to be creating similar foldable smartphones. But if Samsung stays the course, it might be the first to execute, since it has the added advantage of being the maker of the OLED display that make bendable screens possible. 

Here's what we know about the rumored Galaxy X smartphone, reportedly codenamed "Winner":

SEE ALSO: 2 incredible smartphone innovations in the works and their likelihood of becoming real

The Galaxy X, as it's been nicknamed, will reportedly be 7 inches diagonally when unfolded. That's about the same size as a small tablet, giving more screen space than a traditional smartphone, in a smaller package.

When the screen is folded in half "like a wallet," there's a smaller display screen on the front and cameras on the back, according to the Journal. 

Samsung's patents and prototypes show a device that either opens and closes from side to side like a book, or horizontally like a notepad. Either way, the fold will make it possible to incorporate bigger display options. It might also give users the option to split the screen into two panels that show different things or show one big picture, similar to what Samsung accomplished with its 48-inch ultrawide computer monitor — but that's still speculation. 

The foldable design might make it a little more fragile.

Depending on the material of the outside layer, a smartphone that folds on itself could serve as its own screen protector, but the fold might create new issues in terms of durability, as indicated by Samsung exec DongJin Koh earlier this year

“We want to have a good reaction from customers once the phone is out in the market. But there are still durability issues that we need to address," he told reporters at a press briefing at CES in January. It's possible that pushing two screens against each other makes for a harsher impact on collision.

An additional concern with the amount of screen space is that multiple screens — meaning the ones on the outside and the inside — are more likely to make the battery overheat.

The Galaxy X could be bulkier than most modern smartphones.

Most smartphone manufacturers have spent years making devices slimmer, and a foldable smartphone could be like adding a layer to a thin phone or stacking two thin phones on top of each other.

The ZTE Axon M, marketed as the first foldable smartphone, is made of two displays attached by a mechanical hinge — but it's almost 1.5x thicker than Samsung's Galaxy S9.

And if the size of the display is comparable to a tablet's, then we can assume the device will be closer in weight to a tablet, too. 

You're not alone: everyone wants to eke out more time from their iPhone battery.

But you might not be going about it the right way. Because so many people have iPhones, a lot of conventional wisdom about iPhone battery life can be similar to folk wisdom. 

But that's not to say there aren't ways you can improve your battery life by changing specific settings or the way you use your iPhone.

Here are five common myths about iPhone battery life, what you can do about them, and sources where you can find additional information: 

Myth #1: Closing apps you're not using can save battery life

It's a safe bet that at some point you know someone who compulsively shuts off apps on their smartphone to save battery.

They hit the home button twice, and then swipe up on various apps they've used in the past until the carousel is cleared.

In fact, this does not save battery, and may actually use extra power when you re-open apps you've totally switched off. Apple's top software executive even confirmed this in an email to a user. 

"You should force an app to close only when it’s unresponsive," Apple wrote in a support page. 

You can read a more thorough debunking of this myth here. 

Myth #2: Charging your phone overnight can hurt the battery

For years, some users have insisted that plugging your smartphone in while you sleep can harm the battery.

Maybe this made sense years ago, but it's overblown today. Instead, your battery lifespan depends on "cycle count," or how many times you've charged it over its lifetime. 

Modern smartphones, including the iPhone, have advanced power management that means that they won't take in more current than is necessary to charge them — meaning that leaving it plugged in after it reaches 100% won't have any effect. 

"All rechargeable batteries are consumables and have a limited lifespan — eventually their capacity and performance decline so that they need to be replaced," Apple writes in a support document. 

There's more information about why it's safe to charge your phone overnight here. 

Myth #3: Apple's $29 battery replacements are guaranteed to improve your device's battery life

There was a minor scandal last year when it was discovered that Apple sometimes reduced the power to iPhone processors with old and spent batteries.

Basically, Apple did make some iPhones appear to run slower. It fixed the issue in a software update and offered $29 replacement batteries to users.

But just because you can get a battery for $29 doesn't mean it will solve all your battery life issues. For some people, it could. But if you go to an Apple store and the technician said your battery seems fine, it probably is. 

"I would say less than 10% of the phones we have ordered batteries for actually need a battery, based on diagnostics," a Genius at a Midwestern Apple store told Business Insider earlier this year. 

To check if your battery needs a replacement, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health (Beta).

If you don't see it, you probably need to update your iPhone software.

If your "maximum capacity" is under 80%, you might want to change it. Otherwise, if you're only missing a few percentage points, you can probably wait. 

Apple's App Store has over 2 million apps, so it can be hard to find which ones are worth your time and which ones aren't. 

That's why Apple built in a rating system, to let users say which apps are 1-star and which ones are 5-star worthy. Apple's ratings and reviews influence how apps show up in search results, and you can see the rating before you download.

But which apps over the 10 years since the App Store first launched have had the most uniformly positive reviews? 

App analytics firm Sensor Tower used its proprietary database to find the highest rated iOS apps by percentage of positive user review — defined by the percentage of 4- or 5-star reviews in the United States over the last 10 years. Only apps with over 100,000 reviews were considered. 

The list will surprise you. Let's take a look: 

SEE ALSO: These are the most successful paid apps in the history of the Apple App Store

10. Wattpad

Wattpad, a social network for readers and writers, has a 4.6 average rating. It's free with in-app purchases. 

9. Spotify

Spotify has a 4.8 average rating on the App Store. It's free, but you need a subscription to get the most out of it. 

8. Waze

Waze, Google's other maps app that intelligently avoids traffic, has an average 4.8 rating on the App Store. It's free. 

Here it is, another smartphone that costs $1,000.

Samsung announced the Galaxy Note 9 on Thursday with the same price tag as the iPhone X, which is still a ridiculous asking price for a smartphone, if you ask me. But that four-figured price tag might be slightly more justifiable on the Galaxy Note 9.

After looking at the specs and features of both phones, it's clear that you're getting more "phone" in the Galaxy Note 9 than you are with the iPhone X. 

Check out the major differences between the iPhone X and Galaxy Note 9 to see what I mean:

SEE ALSO: How Samsung's new Galaxy Note 9 compares to last year's Galaxy Note 8

Both have ultra-premium designs and are covered in glass: This one's up to you.

Both are gorgeous devices, even if the Galaxy Note 9 has wider bezels on the top and bottom of the display. 

The Galaxy Note 9 is significantly heavier and larger than the iPhone X.

The Galaxy Note 9 weighs in at 201 grams and the iPhone X weighs 174 grams. That extra 25 grams will be noticeable. 

The overall size of the Galaxy Note 9 will also take up more space in your pockets and hands than the iPhone X. 

The Galaxy Note 9 has a larger and better screen.

The Galaxy Note 9's massive 6.4-inch screen dwarfs the iPhone X's 5.8-inch screen. 

Samsung also has the best displays in the smartphone business. Even though both phones share a similar type of OLED display, the Galaxy Note 9's display is just stunning. It's also slightly sharper than the iPhone X's display at around 516 pixels per inch versus the iPhone's 458 pixels per inch. But considering the size difference between the two phones' displays, the extra sharpness on the Galaxy Note 9 won't be significantly noticeable. 

• Home Depot and Ace Hardware, two of the biggest home-improvement stores in the United States, offer a similar product selection and help with home-improvement projects. 
• Though the stores sell many of the same products, Home Depot's setup appears to be geared more toward professionals — like contractors and interior designers — than Ace Hardware's.
• Home Depot reported on Tuesday that same-store sales were up 8% in its most recent fiscal quarter, and Ace Hardware reported in May that first-quarter sales were up 2.2%.
• We visited locations of both retailers and found that Home Depot had significantly more to offer and was nicer to shop at than Ace Hardware.

SEE ALSO: We shopped at a Walgreens, a CVS, and a Rite Aid to see which was the best drugstore, and there was a clear winner

I visited an Ace Hardware store in the East Village.

The store was small and carried a lot of household items and convenience-store products like hand soap and toys. It was a pretty random selection towards the front of the store.

The store had a ton to offer in terms of tools, and it felt more like a local shop than a massive chain store. Everything was clearly labeled in this part of the store, and most products cost under $20.

There are tons of lists online that suggest what computer you should buy, but there are so many great computers out there that any list is incomplete.

You're better off knowing what will cater to your specific needs. That way, you can look for the right computer for you, even if it may not be found in the hundreds of roundups online. 

Below, I've listed what kind of specs you should consider based on what kind of user you are, whether you're a professional, power user, casual user, or use a computer purely for email. Everything below applies to both laptops and desktops, as well as Windows and Mac machines. 

Check it out:

SEE ALSO: 5 reasons I still use a big, heavy desktop that sits in one room while everyone else is going mobile

High-end specs: Smooth, fast performance for professionals, power users, and those who don't want to wait for things to happen on their computers.

Who it's for: Professionals. Anyone who wants the smoothest performance no matter the cost. Power users who have lots of open web browser tabs, run several apps at the same time, or use power-hungry apps like Photoshop. Anyone with low patience for waiting for their computer and apps to work.

Price: Around $1,500 and up. More for Apple computers.

CPU: Core i7 processor and up

RAM:  16GB of RAM and up

Storage: 250GB SSD and up

Size and weight for laptops: Can be thin and light, but usually cost more and could have less power. Can be big and heavy, but don't cost as much with more power

Mid-range specs: Good for professionals and power users on a budget, and probably "most users" in general.

Who it's for: Professionals on a budget. Power users on a budget. Those with patience who run lots of open web browser tabs and apps. Casual users who don't use computers that often but want smooth performance when they do.

Price: Between $500 and $1,000. More for Apple computers.

CPU: Core i5 processor

RAM:  8-16GB of RAM 

Storage: 250GB SSD and up

Size and weight: Can be thin and light, but usually cost more and could have less power. Can be big and heavy, but don't cost as much with more power

Low-end specs: Decent performance for casual users and people who don't really use computers that often.

Who it's for: People who don't use computers that often. And when they do, it's for things like emails, general web browsing and shopping, and home-related tasks like tax apps and so on. Can work for power users on a budget, but they'll need to have patience for the computer and apps to work. 

Price: Between $400 and $700

CPU: Core i3 processor

RAM:  4-8GB of RAM 

Storage: 120-250GB SSD and up

Size and weight: Can be thin and light, but usually cost more and could have less power. Can be big and heavy, but don't cost as much with more power

At the Met Gala in early May, a surprising new couple showed up on the red carpet: billionaire tech CEO Elon Musk and Canadian musician and producer Grimes.

While Musk has long been known to date successful and high-profile women, the two made a seemingly unlikely pairing. Shortly before they walked the red carpet together, Page Six announced their relationship and explained how they met — over Twitter, thanks to a shared sense of humor and a fascination with artificial intelligence.

Since they made their relationship public in May, the couple has continued to make headlines: Grimes for publicly defending Musk and speaking out about Tesla, and Musk most recently for tweeting that he wants to take Tesla private.

The couple was in the news again on Monday for a new reason: the rapper Azealia Banks chronicled on Instagram what she claims was a strange weekend staying with Grimes and Elon Musk in Los Angeles. 

But for those who may still be wondering who Grimes is and how she and Musk ended up together, here's what you need to know about the Canadian pop star.

SEE ALSO: How to dress like a tech billionaire for $200 or less

Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher, grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia. She attended a school that specialized in creative arts but didn't focus on music until she started attending McGill University in Montreal.

Source: The Guardian, Fader

A friend persuaded Grimes to sing backing vocals for his band, and she found it incredibly easy to hit all the right notes. She had another friend show her how to use GarageBand and started recording music.

Source: The Guardian

In 2010, Grimes released a cassette-only album called "Geidi Primes." She released her second album, "Halfaxa," later that year and subsequently went on tour with the Swedish singer Lykke Li. Eventually, she dropped out of McGill to focus on music.

Source: The Guardian, Fader

A few months back — a little over six, to be more exact — I tested out the Google Home Max, Google's $400 smart speaker. 

I'm not an audiophile, or an expert on high-end speaker rigs. Despite my best efforts, I can't really tell the finite differences between one expensive speaker and another. Whether it's from lack of ability or lack of education, I'm just not a connoisseur. 

What I am is someone who likes music (aren't we all?) and six months ago, I decided to test the Google Home Max to see if it fit my criteria as a regular, music-enjoying person. It passed with flying colors. I loved the device, and to this day, it's usually my answer when people ask me what's the coolest thing I've tried. 

But love can fade. The thing that once seemed like the best, most exciting, coolest product in the world can, over time, become passé; even the coolest gadgets can lose their luster. 

The point is, I didn't expect to like the Google Home Max so much six months later — but I do.

After spending several months with the device, here's what I'm still loving about it. 

SEE ALSO: We tested portrait mode on three of the top smartphones in the world, and there's a clear winner

1. The look and feel.

Look, the Google Home Max probably isn't winning any awards for innovative design. It looks like, well, a speaker, and you can barely tell it has any "smarts" inside. 

And while we're at it, there are better-looking smart speakers on the market — Apple's HomePod, which is comparable in price, has a slightly more high-end look and feel.

All that being said, the Google Home Max's nondescript appearance is exactly what I'm going for when bringing new technology into my home. I don't want it to be the first thing people notice when they walk into my apartment; I want them to ask where that great sound is coming from, then notice the Google Home Max and say, "Oh! How cool!"

Because the Google Home Max doesn't need the be the centerpiece of a room, it's been a more versatile device than I was expecting. I'm using the chalk version, which is white and light gray, and it blends in well with the rest of my apartment. 

2. The sound.

In six months of using the Google Home Max, I've found nothing to complain about when it comes to the sound.

I've found that the way I most often use it is when I'm sitting down to dinner. As a Brooklyn apartment-dweller, my living room and kitchen are all one room, and my dining table is only a few feet away from where the device sits on my TV stand. Most nights when I'm sitting down to dinner, I'll ask it to play an artist, album, or playlist — it's become an automatic part of my evening ritual, especially because I can ask it to change the song or lower the volume without having to get up from the table.

The Google Home Max works just as well during parties as it does during quiet nights at home. While there are downsides to using it during a party since guests can so easily request anything they want, the sound is impressive. The bass is deep without being too heavy, and I feel like I didn't need to blast music — I can hear it just fine, even over the sound of dozens of people talking. 

When I first started testing the Google Home Max, I was worried that its shape would have a negative impact on the sound quality. Its peers — like the Amazon Echo or the HomePod — have a cylindrical shape, which means that the sound is coming from all sides and not just blasting out the front of the device. 

But I haven't found that to be an issue. The device sounds good to me whether I'm standing adjacent to it or squarely in front of it. That being said, I wouldn't recommend putting it in the middle of a room — the sound is significantly muted if you're standing directly behind it. 

3. The smarts.

One of the things that's surprised me most is how easily Google Assistant has become integrated into my life. 

Before getting the Google Home Max, I didn't think I needed or wanted a digital assistant inside my home. My main experiences up until that point had been with Siri on the iPhone and Amazon's Alexa on an Echo Dot speaker, and in both cases, they never really became a part of my daily routine. 

But Google Assistant has been different, and I find myself using it several times a day. I most often use it to set cooking to timers, or for asking about the weather, travel times, what song is playing, or random facts. The next feature I plan to try now that I have two Google Home Minis is using Chromecast to play music in every room of my apartment.

If you're thinking, "This thing costs $400 and that's all she uses it for?", that's a fair critique. The fact is, that's all I've needed it for — so far. The Google Home Max has tons of other features, but I don't have a smart home so it can't control my lights or thermostat, and I prefer a physical planner over a digital calendar, so I don't review or create appointments using the device. Everyone uses smart assistants differently and places different valued on convenience, and so far, these features are the most important to me. 

If I have one complaint about the internal smarts, it's that Google Assistant is easily triggered by my TV. Its lights will illuminate almost every time I have my TV on, and for words that sound nothing like "Hey Google." It's not a deal-breaker, but it can be annoying. 

The Galaxy Note 9 is here — but is it an upgrade from last year's Galaxy Note 8?

In several ways, yes. The Galaxy Note 9 has a bigger battery, some advanced camera features, and more starting storage. It also comes with a more advanced S Pen that can be used as a remote (which, if you buy the blue version of the Galaxy Note 9, comes in bright yellow).

The Galaxy Note 9 is also bigger, heavier, and costs at least $70 more than last year's model, putting it on par with the iPhone X as one of the most expensive smartphones you can buy.

But the Galaxy Note 9 also has a very similar overall design to the Galaxy Note 8, the same camera from a hardware standpoint as last year's model, and identical features like wireless fast charging and a nearly edge-to-edge display.

So whether you're considering upgrading from the Galaxy Note 8 or trying to decide between the two phones — after all, the Galaxy Note 8 is still an excellent phone and now has a reduced price tag — here are all the ways the Galaxy Note 9 differs from the Galaxy Note 8.

SEE ALSO: Samsung just unveiled the Galaxy Watch, its $330 answer to the Apple Watch — here's everything we know about it

The Galaxy Note 9 is more expensive than the Galaxy Note 8.

The Galaxy Note 9 got a bit of a price bump compared with last year's model.

The new phone starts at $1,000, the same as the iPhone X. The Galaxy Note 8 started at $930, though you can get it today for $750.

The Galaxy Note 9 has more storage space than the Galaxy Note 8.

The Galaxy Note 8 comes with three storage options: 64 GB, 128 GB, or 256 GB.

The Galaxy Note 9 has only two storage options, but they're significantly higher: either 128 GB or 512 GB.

The expandable storage is higher on the Galaxy Note 9 too.

The Galaxy Note 9 has room for a 512 GB microSD card, meaning you could potentially bring your phone's total storage to 1 terabyte.

The Galaxy Note 8 has a microSD slot too but can hold only a 256 GB card.

• The Chronicle of Philanthropy publishes an annual list of the top 50 philanthropists (both individuals and couples) by calculating their yearly donations.
• In 2017, America's wealthiest residents donated $14.7 billion to nonprofit organizations.
• About 60% of the total was donated by people who made their fortunes in tech, suggesting America's philanthropic center is shifting away from Wall Street and towards Silicon Valley, according to The Chronicle.

America's wealthiest people donated $14.7 billion in 2017 to causes, alma maters, foundations, and charities — more than doubling the amount given away in 2016.

For 18 years, The Chronicle of Philanthropy has published an annual round up of the top-50 philanthropists in America by calculating their yearly donations. In 2017, the individuals and couples on the list donated a median of $97 million, doubling the giving amount from the first list published in 2000. The total donation amount of the 2017 list is the highest amount since the 2008 recession, according to Forbes.

The 2017 list features 11 individuals or couples from the technology industry accounting for $8.7 billion in donations, or about 60% of the total, suggesting America's philanthropic center is shifting away from Wall Street and towards Silicon Valley, according to The Chronicle.

The top three donors who gave away at least $1 billion each are tech moguls: Michael and Susan Dell, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, and Bill and Melinda Gates. 

Notably missing from the list is billionaire investor Warren Buffett, who made a multibillion-dollar donation in Berkshire Hathaway stock to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2017. But because the "annual installment" was part of Buffett's initial 2006 pledge to donate more than $36 billion in Berkshire Hathaway shares to the Gates' organization, the Chronicle did not count it as a 2017 donation.

Below are the top 25 philanthropists who donated more than $97 million each in 2017. Note that four people passed away after the ranking was first published in February — Porter Byrum, David Rockefeller, Florence Irving, and Henry Hillman.

SEE ALSO: Not one woman is listed amongst the world's 100 highest paid sportspeople

SEE ALSO: Warren Buffett says low-cost investments are essential for the average investor — here's how much it costs to use 8 common investing apps

25. Sheryl Sandberg

Source of wealth: Technology

Total amount donated: $97,999,000

Biggest causes: Sheryl Sandberg & David Goldberg Family Fund, LeanIn.org and OptionB.org

Source: Forbes 

23. (TIE) Kenneth and Pamela Ricci

Source of wealth: Transportation 

Total amount donated: $100,000,000

Biggest causes: University of Notre Dame

Source: Notre Dame News

23. (TIE) Agnes Gund

Source of wealth: Family wealth (banking)

Total amount donated: $100,000,000

Biggest causes: Art for Justice Fund, criminal justice reform, literacy organizations including Actors' Gang, the National Book Foundation, PEN America and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting

Source: Inside Philanthropy 

• Millennials are the generation born between 1981 and 1996.
• Because they came of age during the Great Recession, millennials are dealing with a number of financial problems.
• Some of millennials' most critical money problems are student loan debt, inflating living costs, unexpected expenses, and needing to save more for life milestones.

Defined as the cohort born between 1981 and 1996, millennials are the generation known for being tech-savvy, pursuing their passions, and killing a bunch of industries. They're also known for shouldering a number of financial burdens specific to their generation.

This is in large part due to the fact that millennials grew up or entered the workforce during the Great Recession, creating unique financial challenges.

Even though millennials benefited from a 67% rise in wages since 1970, according to a Student Loan Hero report, the increase hasn't kept up with inflating living costs. That's not to mention that millennials are bogged down with student loan debt, are working to catch up on lost income, and have to save more for life milestones, like a buying a house and retiring.

But many millennials are so strapped for money that they are relying on others — like their parents or grandparents — for financial help.

Below, see some of the most significant money issues millennials are facing today. 

SEE ALSO: It looks like it's not just crushing student loans holding millennials back anymore — it's also their aging parents

DON'T MISS: More than half of 20-somethings still count on money from their parents to pay their bills

Millennials are burdened with student loan debt that's higher than ever

Crushing student loan debt is one of the most notorious expenses burdening millennials. College tuition has more than doubled since the 1980s; as a result student loan debt is at an all-time high, with the average student debt per graduate who took at loans at $17,126, Business Insider reported in November.

Not only has the number of students taking out student loans increased by 10% from 2000 to 2012,  according to a report by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, but students began borrowing more money too — the median cumulative loan amount rose to $20,400 from $16,500 in that time.

Millennials have to save longer to buy a house

Home prices are on the climb and millennials are paying for it — literally. 

Millennials buying their first home today will pay 39% more than baby boomers who bought their first home in the 1980s, according to Student Loan Hero. In fact, the value of homes has increased by 73% since the 1960s, when adjusted for inflation. 

Maybe this is why homeownership among millennials is at a record low — they have to spend more time saving money to buy a house. In some cities, it can take nearly a decade to save for a 20% down payment on a house, according to a SmartAsset report.

Millennials are shelling out money for soaring rents

Meanwhile, many none-homeowning millennials are devoting their hard-earned cash to soaring rents.

Rents increased by 46% from the 1960s to 2000 when adjusted for inflation, according to Student Loan Hero. In 1960, the median gross rent was $71, or $588 in today's dollars. By 2000, that number rose to $602, or $866 in today's dollars.

The Chinese Communist Party has long sought to suppress ideas that could undermine the sweeping authority it has over its 1.4 billion citizens — and the state can go to extreme lengths to maintain its grip.

In just the past few years, the government has attempted to muzzle critics by making them disappear without a trace, ordering people to physically barge into their houses, or locking up those close to critics as a kind of blackmail.

Even leaving China isn't always enough. The state has continued to clamp down on dissent by harassing and threatening family members who remain in the country.

Scroll down to see what China can do to people who criticize it.

SEE ALSO: China is waging war against a cafe because it served coffee to Taiwan's president

1. Make you disappear.

Wang Quanzhang, a human rights lawyer who defended political activists in the past, has not been seen since he was taken into detention three years ago.

He was taken away in August 2015 alongside more than 200 lawyers, legal assistants, and activists for government questioning. Three years later, he remains the only person in that cohort who still isn't free.

Nobody has heard from him since. His lawyers, friends, and family have all tried contacting him, but have consistently been denied access, Radio Free Asia reported.

The lawyer's friends and family, and other lawyers, have tried visiting him, but to no avail. His wife, Li Wenzu, has been routinely harassed by Chinese police for protesting Wang's detention, according to the BBC.

His wife recently received a message from a friend saying that Wang was alive and "in reasonable mental and physical health," but was denied further information when she contacted authorities.

2. Physically drag you away so you can't speak to the media.

A woman was dragged away by men in plainclothes after she tried to share footage of an explosion outside the US embassy in Beijing with journalists on the ground in July.

As the woman was trying to share images of the scene with journalists, a group of men took her across, claiming it was a "family matter," according to Agence France-Presse reporter Becky Davis who witnessed it.

The woman claimed she didn't know any of the men. You can watch the whole scene unfold in this video.

China was likely trying to cover up news of the explosion. Weibo, a popular microblogging platform, reportedly wiped all posts about it in the hours following the incident, before allowing some media coverage of it later on.

While it remains unclear who the men were and why they took the woman, Davis said it is common for plainclothes police to act as family members and take people away. 

Read more: 'I do not know that man. I didn't do anything!': A woman who tried to share footage of the explosion near Beijing’s US Embassy was forced into a car and driven away

3. Put your family under house arrest, even if they haven't been accused of a crime.

China has kept family members of prominent activists under house arrest to prevent them from traveling abroad and publicly protesting the regime.

In 2010 Liu Xia tried to travel to Oslo to accept the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of her husband, Liu Xiaobo, a human rights activist who at the time was imprisoned for "inciting subversion" with his protests.

She wasn't allowed to go and was placed under house arrest with 24-hour surveillance. She had no access to a cell phone or computer, even though she hadn't been charged with a crime.

She was allowed to leave the house in 2017 to attend the sea burial of her husband after his death from liver cancer, before being sent to the other side of the country by authorities so she wouldn't see memorials held by supporters in Beijing.

Liu Xia was detained in her house for eight years in total. She was released to Berlin in July after a sustained lobbying effort from the German government for Liu's release.

Still, she is not completely free: Xia is effectively prevented from appearing in public or speaking to media for fear of reprisal from Beijing. She fears that if she does, the government will punish her brother, who remains in Beijing, her friend Tienchi Martin-Liao told The Guardian.

Apple has a web store that's hard to find on its main website called the "Refurbished Mac Store."

It's a place where Apple sells almost any kind of refurbished devices, not just Macs, for a nice little discount. And not all of them are older models. Many refurbished devices are current-generation. 

For most of the refurbished options, you get a 15% discount across all the different models. For example, you get a 15% discount on all refurbished MacBook Pros, whatever specs they have. For iPhones specifically, you get a 10% discount across the board. 

I was amazed by the quality of my refurbished 2016 MacBook Pro that I bought in 2017. It was flawless and showed no sign that it had already been used. In my mind, my refurbished MacBook Pro came from Apple, not the previous owner. 

I personally haven't bought other refurbished products from Apple yet, but if they're anything like my refurbished MacBook Pro, they're absolutely worth considering if you're not trying to spend what Apple asks for brand-new devices. 

Check out the best refurbished devices you can buy from Apple's Refurbished Mac Store:

SEE ALSO: Apple has an interesting idea for how to make its famous MacBook trackpads invisible

The iPhone 7

Apple still sells brand new iPhone 7 phones for $550, which is $150 cheaper than the iPhone 8. Buying it refurbished for $500 gets you an extra $50 discount, making it $200 cheaper than the iPhone 8. 

The iPhone 7 Plus

Apple still sells brand new iPhone 7 Plus phones for $670, which is $130 cheaper than the iPhone 8 Plus. Buying it refurbished for $600 gets you an extra $70 discount, making it $200 cheaper than the iPhone 8 Plus. 

The 2016 and 2017 13-inch MacBook Pro

You can save at least $200 on refurbished 13-inch MacBook Pros from 2016 and 2017.

• Family Dollar was acquired by Dollar Tree in 2015.
• Analysts say Family Dollar has proven to be a drag on Dollar Tree's earnings.
• "Family Dollar remains the weaker part of the business," Neil Saunders, managing director at GlobalData Retail, said in May. "A far higher proportion of its shopper base goes there out of necessity rather than because they particularly want to."
• We visited one of its stores to find out what it is like to shop there.

It's been three years since Dollar Tree bought Family Dollar, and so far, it's been a disappointing run. 

The discount chain, which has more than 8,000 stores in the United States, has pulled down its parent company's earnings. In its most recent quarterly results, same-store sales at Dollar Tree were up by a modest 1.4%, but breaking this number down, it becomes clear that there is a weak link in the mix. While Dollar Tree same-store sales were up by 4% in the quarter, Family Dollar sales dropped by 1.1%.

"Family Dollar remains the weaker part of the business," Neil Saunders, managing director at GlobalData Retail, said in a note to investors in May.

"It is more of a needs-based experience which caters for customers' basic, everyday requirements. A far higher proportion of its shopper base goes there out of necessity rather than because they particularly want to."

Dollar Tree acquired Family Dollar in 2015, after undergoing a bidding war with Dollar General, its main US rival. Dollar Tree and Dollar Tree are almost neck-and-neck in terms of store count and annual sales. Both dollar chains have about 14,000 to 15,000 locations. Dollar Tree generated $22 billion in sales in 2017 compared with $23.5 billion at Dollar General.

The bidding war may have distracted Dollar Tree and led them to "gloss over some of the glaring problems at [Family Dollar]," Credit Suisse analysts wrote in June. 

"Family Dollar clearly preferred Dollar Tree as the acquirer (since the Family Dollar name was more likely to survive), and Dollar Tree likely wanted to prevent Dollar General from nearly doubling its size overnight," the analysts wrote.

We decided to check out what it was like to shop at Family Dollar:

SEE ALSO: We shopped at Dollar Tree and Dollar General to see which offered a better experience, and the winner was obvious

The Family Dollar store we visited was located in Brooklyn, New York. On average, its stores are around 7,000 square feet in size.

At the entrance of the store was a selection of seasonal products. This tactic is also used by its sister store, Dollar Tree, to grab the attention of the shopper and make sure items with a shorter shelf life don't go unnoticed.

The layout of the store and assortment felt a lot more similar to a Dollar General store than a Dollar Tree.

In fact, Credit Suisse analysts say it would likely have made more sense for Dollar General to acquire Family Dollar. The offering is more in line, and there is a limited overlap in terms of where stores are located.

Family Dollar stores are generally found in urban areas while Dollar General stores are typically located in rural places.

Superhero movies are known for their blockbuster, money-making appeal, but they can also produce some stellar performances.

Acting goes overlooked for most moviegoers when watching a superhero movie. And you generally don't see actors in superhero movies nominated for big awards like the Oscars (except for that one time). 

But there are plenty of performances that are not only great on their own terms, but capture what makes their respective characters so great. The best superhero movie performances take what's on the comic book page and add another layer to it on the screen.

We looked at the best performances in superhero movies to determine the top 20. The only rule was that we picked a specific movie — for instance, Robert Downey Jr. has played Iron Man in multiple movies throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but which one is he the best in?

Some movies will repeat because they have more than one memorable performance that warranted a spot on this list. Characters could repeat, as well. We all know how susceptible to reboots these movies are.

From villains to heroes and supporting characters, these are the 20 best superhero movie performances:

SEE ALSO: We made a timeline showing the entire history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

20. Letitia Wright as Shuri in "Black Panther"

Letitia Wright stole every scene in "Black Panther" as the title character's genius sister, and became a fan favorite in the process.

19. Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two-Face in "The Dark Knight" (2008)

Eckhart's performance as Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent, who is tragically disfigured and driven mad, is overshadowed by Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker in "The Dark Knight." But we believe Dent's sudden transformation because of Eckhart's acting.

18. Danny DeVito as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin in "Batman Returns" (1992)

Danny DeVito's portrayal of The Penguin is over-the-top and disgusting, but he does it as only he can. The character hasn't been seen on screen since, and it would be hard for anyone else to top.