• Target CEO Brian Cornell said many smaller innovations are "nice little experiments that distract the organization."
• He made the comment during a panel discussion at Business Insider's IGNITION conference in New York on Thursday.
• Cornell said Target focuses its innovation research on ideas that can be rolled out to stores and online within a three-to-five-year time frame.

Target CEO Brian Cornell explained a key part of the company's strategy Thursday, saying that he thinks innovations like robots and virtual reality are "nice little experiments that distract the organization."

Cornell made the remarks at Business Insider's IGNITION conference in response to a question about retailers experimenting with store-of-the-future concepts.

"Walmart has their Store No. 8, where they are doing robots and VR," Bob Safian, the editor of Fast Company, said during a panel discussion with Cornell. "It sounds like you are less concerned about things that are further out and more focused on things that are going to have an impact on a shorter time frame."

In response, Cornell said: "Experimentation is interesting but if I can't scale it — if i can't do it 1,800 times — it's not going to add a lot of enterprise value." The number 1,800 is a reference to the number of Target stores in the US.

Cornell then added: "To do things at scale, they have to have broad-based applications. Otherwise they are nice little experiments that distract the organization and distract resources that really need to be reapplied to the core enterprise."

He said he is specifically focused on innovations that Target can roll out in stores and online within a five-year time frame. 

"We can do anything once," he said. "When I think about innovation, I've got to think about ideas we can scale across the entire United States."

To assist in that process, Target has partnered with the venture capital firm BCG Digital Ventures to launch a 14-week "innovation sprint" aimed at coming up with new ideas for growing the retailer's business. 

The project involves Target managers teaming up with BCG Digital Ventures' designers, engineers, and investors to generate ideas for new products and potential businesses.

The 14-week "sprint" is coming to a close this week, and on Friday the teams will present their ideas to executives, Cornell said.

"We're going to see some pretty exciting ideas," Cornell said.

SEE ALSO: A 2-year price study put Walmart and Amazon head-to-head — and the results should terrify Amazon

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• Hamburg, Germany has been named the best night out in the world in a major study by Hostelworld.
• It was named the most welcoming city to tourists, the best place to meet new people, and the easiest to get around on public transport.
• Copenhagen, Berlin, and Dublin also ranked highly on the list.

Hamburg, Germany has been named the best night out in the world.

That's according to a major study from hostel-booking platform Hostelworld, which looked at how residents of 41 cities in 27 countries around the world rate the nightlife in their hometowns.

The company interviewed 4,100 city-dwellers around the world, asking them questions about the following five categories:

1. The quality of the nightlife (including variety of things to do and general enjoyment).
2. Openness and friendliness of the locals (including how welcoming they are to tourists and how easy it is to meet people).
3. How safe people feel.
4. How easy it is to get around.
5. The cost.

Hamburg came out on top thanks to being the most welcoming city to tourists, the best place to meet new people, and the ease of getting around thanks to excellent public transport and proximity of key destinations to each other.

It was followed closely by Copenhagen, which ranked highly for safety and quality of nightlife thanks to the availability of activities and "general enjoyment," but was knocked down for being the most expensive.

Cost-effective Berlin, and Dublin, famed for its nightlife, also ranked highly.

Meanwhile, many cities that come to mind when thinking about big nights out scored surprisingly poorly.

Unaffordable London came 26th, with Rome (hard to get around), and Tokyo (hard to get around, poor nightlife, expensive) ranking 39th and 41st respectively.

Here are the 10 best cities in the world for a night out:

1. Hamburg, Germany
2. Copenhagen, Denmark
3. Berlin, Germany
4. Dublin, Ireland
5. Amsterdam, Holland
6. San Francisco, United States
7. Gothenburg, Sweden
8. Prague, Czech Republic
9. Warsaw, Poland
10. New York, United States

"The results of this study have been fascinating, especially the performance of smaller cities – most notably with Hamburg taking top spot over Berlin," said Marek Mossakowski, Global Head of Brand at Hostelworld.

"We know young travellers are increasingly venturing off the beaten track to uncover unique experiences, and this study demonstrates this."

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NOW WATCH: The key to long-lasting relationships is more simple than you think

• This police dog just returned to work after being shot.

• Mikey works for the Fresno County Sheriff’s office.

• He was accidentally shot by a deputy in July.

• He lost two toes after the incident but is still able to walk and run.

A dog that lost two toes after being shot just returned to work after recovering from his injuries.

Mickey is part of the K-9 unit at the Fresno County Sheriff’s office.

He was accidentally shot in the paw in July by a deputy who "fired a round at a vicious dog attacking Mikey." The bullets hit Mikey after going through the dog.

Despite losing two toes, Mickey is still able to walk and run after a five-month recovery.

Produced by Claudia Romeo 

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• Fortezza Dei Colli Chianti Classico Reserva, by Lidl, won a prestigious award.
• It took home one of only 14 Gold awards at the International Wine Challenge.

A £6.99 ($9.45) Chianti from grocery store Lidl has been ranked among the best wines in the world — even beating out wines costing over twice the price.

The Fortezza Dei Colli Chianti Classico Reserva took home one of only 14 Gold awards at this year's International Wine Challenge, the "Oscars of the wine world" where a total of 391 medals were dished out.

It was blind-tasted alongside other Chianti Classico wines, which can retail for closer to £30 ($40.50) or even £45 ($60.75), but came out on top.

It was also the lowest-priced 75cl supermarket wine to win a Gold in the competition.

This isn't the first time a budget retailer has received attention for stocking a top wine at a reasonable price.

In June, Lidl's own £7.99 ($10.11) bottle of sparkling wine received the same award as nearly 40 top Champagnes.

Meanwhile, in May, Aldi's £5.99 bottle of rosé was ranked among the best wines in the world.

The Fortezza Dei Colli Chianti Classico Reserva is "a full-bodied dry red with mature, fruitcake-scented flavours," according to Lidl.

"The wine is deliciously versatile, working well with roast Turkey, steak or pork chops."

In other words, it's the perfect wine for your Christmas dinner.

Paul Gibson, Buying Director at Lidl UK, said: "The fact that our Chianti Classico Riserva was the lowest-priced supermarket wine to win Gold means our customers can be assured that amazing wines don’t have to break the bank, at Christmas time and beyond."

SEE ALSO: 19 wines for £9 or less that have been ranked among the best in the world

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NOW WATCH: I've been an iPhone user for 10 years — here's what happened when I switched to the Google Pixel 2 for a week

• Food brands have been hit hard by boycotts by the right and left.
• I decided to go on a boycott diet, eating only foods boycotted by the left one day, and only foods boycotted by the right the next. 
• Liberals may be missing out on tastier food than conservatives — but there's much more to the story. 

In a politically polarized country, what you eat can say a lot about what you believe. 

The past two years have seen an unending series of politically motivated boycotts and counterboycotts. People on the left ditched Papa John's after the founder slammed NFL leadership, only for the right to start smashing Keurigs because the brand pulled advertising from Sean Hannity's Fox News show. 

With the boycotts adding up, it felt like you could craft an entire diet based on what certain people are refusing to eat. 

So, I decided to do just that. 

For one day, I would only eat items boycotted by the left and endorsed by the right. The next day, I would do the opposite, feasting on liberals' favorite foods, which conservatives refuse to touch. 

The experience would leave me feeling physically ill — and emotionally queasy. 

SEE ALSO: Brands including Papa John's and Starbucks are victims of a 'consumer awakening' as boycotts explode in Trump's America

I started the day off with a conservative favorite — Chick-fil-A.

Progressives arguably kicked off the modern era of politically motivated food boycotts in 2012, after Chick-fil-A donated to anti-LGBT groups and its CEO voiced opposition to same-sex marriage. 

If you look at Chick-fil-A's sales, the high-profile boycott was a failure. Just two years after the controversy, Chick-fil-A beat KFC to become the biggest chicken chain in the US in terms of sales.

Among Republicans, the chain still ranks No. 1 on Harris Poll's ranking of the reputations of the 100 most visible companies in the US. Across all consumers, the chain is ranked significantly lower, in the No. 17 slot.

Eating a Chick-fil-A breakfast sandwich, I'm forced to admit that Chick-fil-A's egg and sausage sandwich is superior to almost any other fast-food breakfast offering.

That might be one reason that boycotts of Chick-fil-A didn't actually hurt sales.

Conservatives doubled down to support the chain during the boycott. And, with high-quality food and menu items that no other chain has managed to replicate, apolitical and more progressive customers may have been more inclined to turn a blind eye to executives' viewpoints. 

For lunch, I tried to partake in a more short-lived alt-right obsession: Wendy's.

Not every right-wing boycott starts with the alt-right, a loosely allied group of white supremacists, men's-rights activists, and other far-right people. But with the social-media power of many alt-right personalities, they often play a role in starting or amplifying boycotts. 

Wendy's was designated the "official burger of the Neo-Nazi Alt-Right movement" by a white-supremacist website after the brand's Twitter account tweeted, then deleted, an image of Pepe the Frog. Once a common meme, Pepe was declared a "hate symbol" by the Anti-Defamation League after being adopted as a symbol of people — primarily the alt-right — spreading racist and anti-Semitic messages.

However, when I showed up at Wendy's, the location was closed for renovation — which may have been for the best. Still, the Wendy's Pepe tweet is a convenient representation of how quickly things can go from light-hearted fun to straight-up hate speech on social media. 

• The former national security adviser Michael Flynn was charged Friday with one count of making false statements to federal investigators.
• He pleaded guilty to the charge at a plea hearing.
• Experts say it's a sign he's cooperating with the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 US election.

The former national security adviser Michael Flynn has been charged with making false statements to federal investigators about his conversations last December with Russia's ambassador to the US at the time, Sergey Kislyak.

Flynn pleaded guilty at a plea hearing at the federal courthouse in Washington.

"It has been extraordinarily painful to endure these many months of false accusations of 'treason' and other outrageous acts," Flynn said in a statement.

He said his guilty plea and decision to cooperate with the Russia investigation was made in the "best interests of my family and of our country."

"I accept full responsibility for my actions," he said.

Experts had said the unexpected plea agreement was a sign that Flynn was fully cooperating with the special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russia's interference in the 2016 US election and whether any Trump campaign associates colluded with Russian officials.

"This is completely indicative of cooperation with the government," said Andrew Wright, a former associate counsel to President Barack Obama and Vice President Al Gore. "You have a right to a grand-jury indictment, but Flynn evidently waived that right in order to plead guilty. So that is a clear sign that he is cooperating.

"The price of admission for him was to plead guilty to a single-count felony," Wright said. "That was the easiest one for the government to write and requires them to show the fewest cards."

An indictment filed by Mueller's office says Flynn "falsely stated" on December 29 that he did not ask Kislyak "to refrain from escalating the situation in response to sanctions that the United States had imposed against Russia that same day," and that Flynn did not recall Kislyak "subsequently telling him that Russia had chosen to moderate its response to those sanctions as a result of his request."

Obama imposed sanctions on Russia on December 29 over its meddling in the US election.

Flynn also told Mueller's team that he did not ask Kislyak to "delay the vote on or defeat a pending United Nations Security Council resolution" and that Kislyak "subsequently never described to Flynn Russia's response to his request," the indictment says.

In a statement, Ty Cobb, a White House lawyer, deemphasized Flynn's role in the administration and called him a "former Obama administration official."

"The false statements involved mirror the false statements to White House officials which resulted in his resignation in February of this year," Cobb said. "Nothing about the guilty plea or the charge implicates anyone other than Mr. Flynn. The conclusion of this phase of the special counsel's work demonstrates again that the special counsel is moving with all deliberate speed and clears the way for a prompt and reasonable conclusion."

Read the document below:

Flynn is the 4th person in Trump's orbit charged

Flynn is the fourth person in President Donald Trump's orbit to be charged as part of Mueller's investigation.

A federal grand jury indicted Trump's campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and Manafort's former business associate Rick Gates on 12 counts at the end of October. Manafort and Gates pleaded not guilty to the charges, which were related to money laundering, tax fraud, and failing to register as foreign agents.

George Papadopoulos, a former foreign-policy adviser to the campaign, pleaded guilty earlier this year to making false statements to the FBI about the nature and extent of his contacts with foreign nationals who he knew had ties to senior Russian government officials.

NBC reported last month that Mueller had compiled enough evidence to bring charges against Flynn and his son, Michael Flynn Jr., related to Flynn's lobbying work throughout the latter half of 2016 — while he was a top Trump campaign surrogate — for a businessman with ties to the Turkish government.

It had not been reported previously, however, that Flynn had lied to federal agents about his conversations with Kislyak.

Former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates told a Senate Judiciary subcommittee earlier this year that she had warned the White House about Flynn's conversations with Kislyak so that the Trump administration "could take action" amid concerns that Flynn could be subject to blackmail by Russians.

Yates said she had had "two in-person meetings and one phone call" with the White House counsel, Don McGahn, in January about Flynn.

"The first thing we did was to explain to Mr. McGahn that the underlying conduct that General Flynn had engaged in was problematic in and of itself," Yates recalled. "We told him we felt like the vice president and others were entitled to know that the information that they were conveying to the American people wasn't true."

She added: "We told him ... we were concerned that the American people had been misled about the underlying conduct and what General Flynn had done, and, additionally, that we weren't the only ones that knew all of this — that the Russians also knew about what General Flynn had done."

While he was the vice president-elect, Pence insisted in an interview with CBS that Flynn and Kislyak "did not discuss anything having to do with the United States' decision to expel diplomats or impose censure against Russia" — a statement that turned out to be untrue and set off alarm bells at the Justice Department.

Yates said the Russians "also knew that General Flynn had misled the vice president and others."

"This was a problem because not only did we believe that the Russians knew this, but that they likely had proof of this information," she said. "And that created a compromise situation — a situation where the national security adviser essentially could be blackmailed by the Russians."

Flynn was forced to resign roughly 18 days after Yates first warned McGahn about his conversations with Kislyak.

SEE ALSO: A top senator just introduced a slew of new names into the Senate's Russia probe

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• The Porsche Panamera Turbo carries a hefty price tag.
• The Cadillac CTS-V is essentially a Corvette Z06 with four doors.
• Can the awesome Caddy face down possible the greatest sedan on Earth?

The Porsche Panamera is an incredible car — so incredible that we named it Business Insider's 2017 Car of the Year.

The Panamera in Turbo trim is monumental: There's a stonking twin-turbocharged, 4.0-liter V8 under the hood, cranking out 550 horsepower. But behind that motor is a cabin of unparalleled luxury.

For those who want it all, the Panamera Turbo doesn't disappoint. But it will cost you more than $150,000.

That's a rich sticker, but for about half the price you can get your hands on even more power. It won't be German power — it will be Detroit oomph. And it will have a Cadillac badge.

The CTS-V is probably my favorite high-performance four-door on Earth. If you like the Corvette Z06 and its 6.2-liter, 650-horsepower V8 widowmaker, the CTS-V has the same powerplant, just tuned down by 10 horses, to 640.

Let's call the comparison a showdown between perhaps the greatest sedan in existence and the extreme value proposition. Read on to see who wins.

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The CTS-V in "Red Obsession." I enjoyed the vehicle immensely. Our test car cost over $90,000 and was very well-optioned. Base, the CTS-V is about $86,000.

Read the review »

The "V" cars are Caddy's answer to high-performance versions of European sports sedans: BMW's M Sports, Mercedes-AMGs, and the Audi RS. And, of course, dedicated high-end rides such as the Panamera.

It's tough to climb much the General Motors lineup than the CTS-V, however. With the Z06 and forthcoming ZR1 'Vettes, you get mountains of power but no back seats, and the flagship CT6 Caddy doesn't yet come in V trim.

I will at this point acknowledge that one might not be cross-shopping a CTS-V and a Panamera Turbo. But then again, a lot of folks don't think they should cross-shop a Z06 and, say, a Ferrari 488. That doesn't mean they shouldn't.

I also more recently checked out the car in a fetching "Crystal White" paint job. It got some serious stares, but I still liked the CTS-V better in red.

The heart of the Caddy is the savage, 640-horsepower, supercharged V8 LT4 motor, which the CTS-V shares with the Corvette Z06.

This engine is sublime. For my money, it's better than the Porsche's 550-horsepower V8, but I tend to think that big V8s get along better with superchargers than turbochargers. (Both increase the compression of airflow headed in an engine's cylinders for combustion, but superchargers are powered by the motor, whereas turbos are spun by engine exhaust.)

The best part of driving a CTS-V, in many ways, is starting it up and hearing the gutsy roar and rumble. Because we're dealing with a luxury sedan, out on the road, the CTS-V isolated the driver and passengers from the exhaust note, but you can sure as heck feel those 640 horses doing their thing.

The eight-speed automatic has a manual mode, so you can use the paddles behind the steering wheel to shift your gears. The CTS-V also has various drive modes, including a ferocious "track" option. I found that skipping the paddles and going with "comfort" and "sport" modes were the best route.

"Driving the car is glorious," I wrote in 2016. "The Z06 requires constant attention ... The CTS-V, by contrast, is an insane beast when you want it to be, possessed of earth-splitting violence delivered via a 0-to-60 time of 3.6 seconds."

• Meghan Markle may have encouraged Procter & Gamble to change the tagline to an advertisement for dishwashing liquid when she was 11.
• The tagline inspired jokes from her male classmates about how women "belong" in the kitchen.
• After Markle wrote letters to Hillary Clinton, lawyer Gloria Allred, journalist Linda Ellerbee, and Procter & Gamble, the tagline was changed.
• Inside Edition resurfaced a 1993 Nick News segment that chronicles the incident.

Meghan Markle may have encouraged Procter & Gamble to change the tagline to an advertisement for dishwashing liquid when she was 11, according to a speech she gave for UN Women on International Women's Day in 2015.

In the speech, she described seeing a TV commercial in school for Procter & Gamble dishwashing soap, whose tagline claimed, "Women all over America are fighting greasy pots and pans." After two male classmates made a joke about how women "belong" in the kitchen, Markle became frustrated.

"I remember feeling shocked and angry and also just feeling so hurt. It just wasn't right and something needed to be done," she said in the speech.

She told her father about the incident, and he encouraged Markle to make her voice heard. 

"He encouraged me to write letters, so I did, to the most powerful people I could think of," she said, which included Hillary Clinton, civil rights lawyer Gloria Allred, journalist Linda Ellerbee, and Procter & Gamble.

About a month later, Procter & Gamble made the tagline gender-neutral, changing "Women all over America" to, "People all over America."

A young Markle explains the incident in a 1993 Nick News segment on Nickelodeon, which was recently resurfaced by Inside Edition.

The video shows Markle and her classmates watching the commercial as part of a social studies assignment.

You can watch Markle's full UN speech here.

SEE ALSO: Meghan Markle's first name is not actually 'Meghan'

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Brooklyn's House of Yes nightclub strives to be the place where just about anything can happen. 

Opened in 2015, the club is the brainchild of New York artists Kae Burke and Anya Sapozhnikova. On any given night, party-goers might encounter trance DJs, aerialists, circus performers, marching bands, burlesque dancers, magicians, and tarot card readers.

The club is notorious for out-there parties with themes like Prohibition Disco, House of Love, and Bad Behavior. Costumes are just about required for any party at House of Yes, which makes sure things get weird.

We recently headed to House of Yes to attend the "Ancient Aliens" party and talk with Burke and Sapozhnikova.

House of Yes is located at the Jefferson L Train stop in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. Bushwick is a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood that has seen an influx of artists and young professionals over the last decade.

The place is hard to miss. The space, opened on New Year's Eve 2015, used to be a laundromat. House of Yes raised the ceilings and added all the lighting, sound, and theatre equipment you could imagine.

HoY grew out of NYC's Do-It-Yourself and Burning Man scenes, starting in a rundown loft in 2007 before moving to a warehouse a year later. The warehouse closed in 2014 due to rising rents. A year later they partnered with artists and nightlife veterans Justin Ahiyon and Ilan Telmont to launch the Bushwick space.

Burke and Sapozhnikova never went to school for theatre or hospitality. When they first moved to New York at 19, they started working at legendary parties in the DIY scene like Rubulad and The Danger. 

As part of those experiences they learned everything from theatre directing to acting, lighting, costume design, set design, and everything else involved in making live events. 

Then they started developing those skills through their own events and parties at the various iterations of House of Yes.

• Relationships are complicated, and they take a lot of work.
• But that work can be fun — and easy.
• Here are some easy strategies for strengthening your relationship on a daily basis, from saying "thanks" to putting a ban on talking about housework.

Relationships take work. A lot of work. But a week at a couples' retreat — while potentially nice — isn't the only way to reestablish intimacy.

You have multiple opportunities every day to show your partner you care, get to know them better, and defuse petty arguments.

Below, find seven strategies for strengthening your relationship, none of which take more than 10 minutes.

SEE ALSO: 10-minute changes to your daily routine that can make you happier

Try 'mindful conversation'

"Mindful conversation" isn't designed to help romantic couples, per se — but it's a useful exercise in learning to actually listen to what your partner is saying, instead of tuning out or waiting for your chance to jump in.

Here's how it works (one of you can be "A" and the other can be "B"):

1. A talks and B listens for a set time period (say, three minutes)

2. B responds with, "What I heard you say is …"

3. A gives feedback and B responds until A is satisfied.

4. A and B switch roles. 

It might be awkward at first, but it gets easier over time.

Hug or kiss your partner

Happiness expert Gretchen Rubin previously told Business Insider that she and her family make a habit of practicing "warm greetings and farewells." Every time someone comes or goes, everyone gives a sincere hello or goodbye.

It's a habit most couples could stand to adopt. According to IKEA's "Life at Home" report, while most people surveyed say it's important to hug or kiss their partner in the morning, far fewer people report showing this kind of physical affection before heading out the door.

And yet research suggests that physical affection is related to greater satisfaction in romantic relationships. So take a minute or two to show your partner how much you care about them.

Say 'thank you' for something small

In "The Gratitude Diaries," journalist Janice Kaplan chronicles her yearlong experiment with being more grateful for everything and everyone in her life — including her husband.

She writes that thanking her husband for something as small as fixing a leaky faucet ended up improving her overall marriage.

As Business Insider's Erin Brodwin has reported, psychologists have known for a while that couples who express gratitude toward each other are more likely to stay together. In fact, thanking your partner even once can bring you two closer months later.

That's possibly because a single act of gratitude sparks a cycle of gratitude and generosity: You thank your partner, so your partner feels appreciated and invests more in the relationship, which in turn makes you feel more grateful to them.

Crime levels have declined sharply in the US over the past two decades. According to FBI statistics, the rate of violent crime fell 50% between 1993 and 2015, the most recent full year available.

However, public perceptions about crime don't always align with the data. In 21 Gallup surveys since 1989, the majority of Americans said there was more crime compared to the year before, despite the downward trend in both violent and property crime rates in the US during that period.

Niche, a company that researches and collects reviews on cities, recently pinpointed the safest cities in the country in a 2017 ranking.

The researchers analyzed public crime data — including larceny, vehicular theft, and homicide rates — from sources like the US Census and the FBI. They also considered over 100 million reviews from users, who rated how safe they feel in their cities. The ranking suggests that California, with seven of the top 28 cities, is one of the safest states in the nation.

One caveat: the cities below have relatively low population numbers. As The Atlantic notes, cities with higher densities tend to have more crime. But within a city, high traffic areas are generally safer than low-traffic areas. (The more foot traffic, the riskier an assault becomes for the assaulter.)

Check out the 28 safest cities in America, according to Niche:

SEE ALSO: 25 incredible photos revealing the history of America's first modern shopping mall

28. Corona, California

Population: 159,595

Annual violent crimes (e.g. assault, homicide) per 100,000: 129

Annual property crimes (e.g. burglary, motor vehicle theft) per 100,000: 2,281

27. Virginia Beach, Virginia

Population: 448,290

Annual violent crimes (e.g. assault, homicide) per 100,000: 139

Annual property crimes (e.g. burglary, motor vehicle theft) per 100,000: 2,205

26. Roseville, California

Population: 126,327

Annual violent crimes (e.g. assault, homicide) per 100,000: 183

Annual property crimes (e.g. burglary, motor vehicle theft) per 100,000: 2,515

• Manhattan's Via 57 West is a luxury residential building that just won the Emporis Skyscraper Award.
• It was designed by star Danish architect Bjarke Ingels.
• Built with sustainability in mind, the building recycles 60,000 gallons of water a day and was built using responsibly forested wood.  

This week, Via 57 West, a luxury residential building designed by star Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, was announced as the winner of the Emporis Skyscraper Award, the world's most renowned prize for high-rise architecture.

The unique pyramid-like building, with a 22,000-square-foot sloping courtyard in its center and floor-to-ceiling windows, has been capturing the attention of architecture fans since renderings were first revealed in 2009. 

The building, which has a total 709 units, was built with sustainability in mind. The energy-efficient building recycles 60,000 gallons of water a day, and it was built using responsibly forested wood. Not to mention, with 178 different floor plans, there's a fit for any type of living situation.

Units have been on the rental market since March 2016, except for the building's 142 affordable housing units, which range from $565 for a studio to $1,067 for a three-bedroom apartment and were filled via a lottery in late 2015. Average prices for the market-rate apartments range from $2,770 for a studio to $16,500 a month for a four-bedroom apartment.

Last year, Business Insider got to peek inside five different units, each with a unique floor plan. We were in awe with what we saw. 

SEE ALSO: 12 eerie images of enormous Chinese cities completely empty of people

APARTMENT #1, two-bedroom, two-bath: This particular unit was listed for $7,200 per month and is 1,024 square feet.

Thanks to the building's tetrahedron-like design, some of the apartments are lucky enough to have not one, but two balconies. Here, the smaller room of this two-bedroom apartment leads out to a patio space.

The master bedroom is separated by a small hallway.

• In response to a story Business Insider published about "sugar babies," one reader wrote to us to share his "sugar dating" experience.
• He's been a "sugar daddy" for over 10 years and has been seeing one sugar baby for three years.
• He said the women he dates are not prostitutes, but "everyday people" with "jobs and an otherwise regular life."

After Business Insider published a story about how some college students are becoming "sugar babies" to help pay for college, we heard from several "sugar daddies" who said there was more to it. One reader wrote to us about his "sugar dating" experience.

This reader works in tech in Silicon Valley, and has an income "well over $250,000" and a net worth "well over $1.5 million." He is in his mid-60s.

His account, edited for clarity, is below, and he remains anonymous for privacy purposes.

Outsiders tend to equate being a sugar baby with prostitution, but that's not how I see it.

To me, sugar dating is more like an arranged temporary marriage where you do your own arranging.

A prostitute not only offers sex acts for money and sees multiple men a day, but that's how she makes her living. A sugar baby wants an ongoing relationship. She wants a guy who she can get along with. She wants what a girlfriend or wife might get if they found a well-off man. She has a job that mostly pays her bills, but she is looking to improve her lifestyle. And she does not talk about sex for money.

But most of them know if the arrangement is going to continue past the first date they have to make like a girlfriend and become intimate.

I've been a sugar daddy for more than a decade

I've had an account on SeekingArrangement.com since 2006, but I also tried Sugardaddyforme.com and was on Craigslist Erotic Services for years before that section was closed down.

I have met countless women from these sites. I talk with them and hear their stories. I've seen some of the women for years and others were just one time and some in-between.

The picture the advertisements paint of a hot, young college girl meeting a rich guy who pays them to look pretty while eating dinner and traveling places is mostly fake. Women read the stories and try to get that easy gig, but it's not really there.

The women I meet are everyday people. They have jobs and an otherwise regular life. You'd never know they are a sugar baby. In fact, most women keep the whole thing quiet and, at most, discuss it with one girlfriend who is doing the same thing and maybe taught them the gig.

Most women only last a couple of weeks as a sugar baby, often because they get tired of getting weird propositions from creepy men who don't actually have the money to help them out. I treat sugar babies like regular people and figure out what they are up for and go with that.

The typical sugar baby has a goal, like saving up for a car, taking a trip, or getting a new apartment. She is likely in-between boyfriends, or just broke up with a boyfriend, or she's divorced and doesn't want dating drama. Some of them like that an older guy with money fancies them. Older women who have been married expect things, while sugar babies are grateful to get them.

It's like having a girlfriend — but I'll never get married

For three years now, I have been seeing one sugar baby. She's half my age but our relationship is like boyfriend and girlfriend.

As a sugar daddy, you are in the honeymoon stage most of the time — you get treated well, you get lots of romantic evenings and you are seen as a savior of the women in distress and the facilitator of her better lifestyle.

I have gone on vacations with some women and given some women extra money, but that's after I get to know them well. I've had women ask for money just for dinner, but I don't go for that. Why would I? I've had women ask for money up front or for a large allowance, but no thanks to that either. There are nice girls on sugar baby dating sites who are just looking for some help with their bills, but there are a lot of scammers, too.

Student loans are a problem for many younger sugar babies though, and there's no doubt many come to the site for cash to make their monthly payment. I've met two active college girls over the years, one who went to Berkeley and one who went to UC Davis.

Like all of the sugar babies I've interacted with, I gave them a per-visit donation of $200 to $300, plus dinner, gifts, and outings. But I know that very good looking college girls ask for $500 to $600, and some of them get it.

A guy has to be careful of who he is dealing with — many will tell you that they are a college girl when they obviously are not. The first thing I do when contacting someone is get their email and phone number and Google it. They often show up on Facebook, but sometimes on escort sites.

Once I get to know a woman, I might spend $1,000 to $2,000 a month, with dinners, vacations, and shopping on top of that. Some women ask for $5,000 to $10,000 a month, but I'd be surprised if they get that — unless they got lucky and met a millionaire from Manhattan.

My current sugar baby has a good job where she makes about $45,000 a year, but she couldn't afford an apartment without a roommate. Thanks to me she now lives in a one bedroom condo on her own and is happy. I have also taken her to Europe three times and she was thrilled.

I would never get married given the no-contest divorce laws in California and the courts that favor the woman. I have friends who lost their retirement savings late in life due to a wife who got tired of the marriage and took the house and bank account and then found a boyfriend who did her bidding.

My own brother has had a long divorce and custody battle. In fact, he's spent much more on divorce lawyers over the years than I have on sugar babies.

I'm having fun and I can still afford to retire.

If you are a sugar daddy or sugar baby and would like to share your story, please email yourmoney@businessinsider.com.

DON'T MISS: Millions of college students are so terrified of loans they're turning to 'Sugar Daddies' for help paying for school

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The booming tech industry has caused an ongoing housing crisis in San Francisco, and longtime middle-income residents have been forced out by sky-high housing costs.

A startup called Starcity is on a mission to alleviate the situation. Founded in 2016, the 18-person team is creating communal housing for middle-income people who don't qualify for government subsidies but still can't afford San Francisco's sky-high prices.

Starcity buys up defunct hotels, retail buildings, and parking garages and turns them into dorm-like living spaces for the city's restaurant workers, teachers, and artists. According to the founder Jon Dishotsky, fewer then 20% of residents work in tech.

Right now, Starcity runs two San Francisco locations — one in the Mission district and one in Soma. There's an 1,800-person waiting list for the two open locations, with nine more locations in the works. We visited the Mission location to see what it's like.

SEE ALSO: Go inside the hottest neighborhood in San Francisco, where home prices have risen 75% in the past 5 years

The Mission Starcity was previously a residence hotel called the Yug, and other than a new paint job the outside has remained the same. "We're not dropping a glass box in the community and walking away," Dishotsky said.

The building's front room is reserved for the surrounding community. When the space first opened in May, it served as an art gallery for Mission-based artists.

The surrounding neighborhood is characteristic of the Mission before the tech boom and is filled with street vendors and mom-and-pop shops.

Before opening a new building, Starcity gets in touch with neighborhood groups to see who in the community is in need of housing. The goal is to build a bridge between the older generations in the city and the new ones — not divide them over $4 lattes.

At a time when shoppers are fleeing mall chains like J. Crew, Gap, and Abercrombie & Fitch, the direct-to-consumer fashion label Everlane is thriving.

Founded in 2010, Everlane follows in the footsteps of e-commerce sites like Warby Parker and Bonobos by selling wardrobe staples like T-shirts, cardigans, pants, and loafers mostly online. An outside firm estimated Everlane's sales at $35 million for 2015, up nearly 200% from 2013.

Michael Preysman, founder and CEO of Everlane, swore for years that his online clothing company would never go into physical retail. But this week, Everlane announced it is opening two brick-and-mortar stores in New York and San Francisco to bring new customers into the fold and connect with existing fans.

We stepped into the Everlane headquarters to find out what one of the most innovative companies in fashion is doing differently during the retail apocalypse.

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Everlane would like you to believe this is no ordinary crewneck.

These are no ordinary pants either — they are "versions" of pants. Much like app developers who post frequent software updates, Everlane is constantly iterating on its products.

This model is in stark contrast to how traditional fashion brands operate. Most retailers launch collections based on seasons, so when August rolls around, the stores fill with new sweaters and corduroys in the hope that shoppers scoop them up before Pumpkin Spice Lattés arrive.

But as Quartz pointed out, this approach doesn't reflect how customers shop. Most people don't buy new wardrobes all at once, but rather search out items as they need them.

"Traditional brands launch a ton of stuff, and then they look at what sold and what didn't," Preysman told Business Insider. "We look at it much more on a product-level basis."

Everlane releases small batches of new apparel continually throughout the year.

It gathers feedback from customer surveys, return shipments, and in-person "fit clinics" to make products better. In the past, Everlane has swapped the material in a pair of slim wool trousers to make them less itchy and adjusted a shoe sole so feet wouldn't slip out as easily.

• This year's "Unofficial Goldman Sachs Holiday Gift Guide" features a typically expensive and eclectic range of products.
• They include ancient fossils, luxurious cars, and high-end apparel.
• Prices range from $6 to $3.5 million.

Once again, it's that time of year where children everywhere learn one of life's most valuable lessons: Santa loves rich kids more.

Since last year's list — with over 5.4 million views — was the most popular gift guide in media, we decided to keep the same theme going: an eclectic mix of the fantastical and the practical, albeit still skewing slightly toward the 1%. After all, that’s the American way.

Here are the things a man wants but feels guilty buying for himself, as well as the things he needs but probably doesn't even know of. Regardless of how deep your pockets are, this is the only holiday gift guide you'll need.

John LeFevre is the creator of satirical @GSElevator on Twitter, and the author of the bestselling book, "Straight to Hell: True Tales of Deviance, Debauchery, and Billion-Dollar Deals," currently in development with Paramount as a major motion picture.

SEE ALSO: The unofficial Goldman Sachs gift guide for 2016

For his inner child

My son's newfound obsession with dinosaurs and fossils has resurrected a passion from my youth, one that undoubtedly, many men can relate to. Coming up for auction in the coming weeks is a complete Triceratops skull ($150,000), a stunningly preserved fossilized alligator ($30,000), and a extinct American lion skull ($55,000) that would make the perfect office conversation piece. At the lower end of the price spectrum is this meteorite slice complete with extraterrestrial gemstones ($1,500) that doubles as a work of art.

For his closet

I've written many times about socks. I don't like loud or gimmicky socks; they don't add personality or style. I hate color matching socks with my wardrobe in the morning, especially when hungover. And sorting and pairing is tedious. Simply put, I like plain, elegant socks, and I love the fresh feeling of new ones as a lifestyle choice. Enter the perfect new subscription service, Brummell ($6-7 per pair). They send premium-quality dress socks to your door every few months at a huge discount. This means you never have to worry about socks again, leaving you to focus on more important fashion considerations, like this Loro Piana Cashmere pullover ($935) or these Tom Ford Straight-Fit Vintage-Wash jeans ($680).

For his midlife crisis

Cars are typically a terrible investment, except for rich people. Hitting the auction block this December includes every boy's dream SUV from the 1980s — a Lamborghini LM002 ($450,000), one of only 60 delivered to the United States, unapologetically complete with a 76-gallon fuel tank and a Countach V-12 engine, and the instantly collectible and exceptionally rare Ferrari LaFerrari ($3,500,000). Or if those are too garish, there's always Paul McCartney’s 1964 Aston Martin DB5 ($1,800,000).

• The typical "401(k) millionaire" reaches the milestone after age 50, according to a Fidelity Investments report cited by the New York Times.
• On average, women hit the milestone at age 58.5, while the average man became a millionaire at age 59.3.
• Those who became millionaires saved over 20% of their income and invested nearly 80% in stocks.

Some people spend their whole lives working toward a seven-figure savings.

But it's undoubtedly easier to reach millionaire status if you have a high-earning job that allows you to sock away more of your income.

In fact, a Fidelity Investments report cited by the New York Times found that the typical "401(k) millionaire" was an American with a six-figure income — $287,700 for women and $354,600 for men.

On average, women hit the milestone at age 58.5, while the average man became a millionaire at age 59.3. That's several years before the full retirement age of 67, but depending on how much money you plan to spend annually in retirement, $1 million may just be the tip of the iceberg.

Fidelity says there are 133,000 401(k) millionaires on its platform, which oversees retirement accounts for more than 15 million Americans. Notably, women now represent about 20% of Fidelity's 401(k) millionaires, nearly double the share of women 12 years ago.

But you don't have to be a high earner to become a 401(k) millionaire. In fact, Fidelity found that saving consistently and investing in the stock market were the keys for those who reached millionaire status while earning less than $150,000.

For those mid-level earners, women had a savings rate of nearly 25% — 18.1% of their salaries and 6.8% employer match. By contrast, men earning less than $150,000 who reached millionaire status saved 22.8% total. Still, men earned about $1,800 more than women annually, according to Fidelity.

Perhaps most importantly, the stock market was the preferred choice of investment. Men and women who became 401(k) millionaires held the majority of their savings — 76% and 77%, respectively — in stocks.

Ultimately, those who start investing in their 20s, no matter the amount, will be better off. Fidelity found it takes about thirty years of working and saving to reach the milestone.

Younger investors can take advantage of compound interest and have more time for investments to bounce back from downturns in the market. The S&P 500 has averaged an 11% annual return since 1966, but even a more conservative expected return of 5% can make a difference in your retirement savings.

And while the $1 million mark is something of an accomplishment, you may need more than that to live comfortably in retirement, or even quit work early. A nest egg of $1 million provides annual retirement income of about $40,000, using a 4% withdrawal strategy.

To find your magic number, or retirement savings goal, all it takes is a simple calculation: determine your desired annual retirement income and divide it by 4% (the maximum amount you will withdraw from your savings each year to pay for your living expenses in retirement).

Once you know that number — whether it's $1 million or more— you can leave work as soon as you reach it.

SEE ALSO: 8 things you can do today to be richer next year

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This week, legendary investor T. Boone Pickens listed his 100-square-mile ranch in the Texas Panhandle, northeast of Amarillo, for $250 million. 

Pickens, 89, has had a long, successful career in business and is currently the chairman of BP Capital Management (which he founded), so it's no surprise that he owns such an expansive spread.

There are some features of Mesa Vista Ranch, however, that make it truly unique. We've rounded up the most interesting facts about it here.

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When he first bought about 2,900 acres of land here in 1971,the only structure was a corrugated metal house that Pickens used to stay warm during days of hunting quail.

The ranch has increased by 22 times its original size since then. Mesa Vista Ranch covers some 64,800 acres now.

And now, there are a number of different structures: the 12,000-square-foot lake house, the 33,000-square-foot lodge, the 6,000-square-foot family house, the 1,700-square-foot gatehouse, the 1,600-square-foot pub, and the 11,000-square-foot kennel.

• Google created an inexpensive solution for AI-powered computer vision.
• The AIY Vision Kit costs $45, is adorable, and can learn to distinguish your dog from your cat.
• Beyond just home monitoring, the AIY Vision Kit can be used to make your home smarter.

Here's your chance to be the first person on your block to have a house with artificial intelligence. 

All you need is $45 and the patience to put together a weird cardboard kit that Google announced on Friday.

Google's got a thing for cardboard gadgets — it made headlines a few years ago when it released a cardboard headset that transformed your phone into a rudimentary virtual reality device. 

This time, Google's cardboard/electronic hybrid is an AI-powered camera that can learn all sorts of useful stuff. It can learn to distinguish between your pets, and learn how to identify various types of plant and animal species. It can tell you when your car was in the driveway, and when someone else's pulled up. 

It can become your personal security assistant, essentially, or it can help monitor the various animals roaming around your house — be they dog, cat, or human.

The idea is to enable so-called "machine learning" — electronic devices that "learn" from experience — on a small scale. Paring this concept with a camera enables vision-based machine learning, in the same way you might learn from seeing something with your eyes. 

It's even got a weird name: the "Google AIY Vision Kit."

That's largely because this isn't a device aimed at casual electronics consumers. It's for people that like to tinker. "Vision Kit is a do-it-yourself build," Google's director of AIY projects Billy Rutledge wrote in the announcement blog post. 

To that end, you have to buy several other components to make the Vision Kit work — they total about $45 to $60, depending on what you get. These components are literal circuitry, so you have to be pretty comfortable with electronics.

And even after you've done that, this is a DIY project for people who are either willing to learn a lot about Raspberry Pi, the computing platform based on plug-and-play circuit boards, or those who already have that knowledge. If you're not familiar with what Raspberry Pi is, chances are that Google's Vision Kit isn't for you.

That said, if you're at all inclined towards learning more about how electronics work, this is a great way to start. The AIY Vision Kit will be sold through Micro Center starting soon — you can pre-order one right here.

SEE ALSO: Google's new Cardboard headset proves that good virtual reality doesn't have to be expensive

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• American Express Travel looked at flight-booking data and found the 10 destinations with the greatest increase in bookings during this year's fourth quarter.
• Some appeal to those who like the cold and others to those who want to escape it, but each offers unique cultural experiences.
• Many will allow travelers to break out of their vacation routines and travel to destinations that are not often associated with holiday travel.

It's not too late to book your holiday vacation. 

Whether you want to celebrate Christmas, ring in the New Year, or skip both and avoid the holiday vacation crowd, there are plenty of options around the world that can provide unique cultural experiences. 

American Express Travel looked at the 10 destinations that have experienced the greatest increase in flight bookings during this year's fourth quarter, and it found a wide range of cities across the globe. Some provide opportunities for skiing and unique holiday celebrations, while others allow travelers to get out of the cold and catch some sun.

These are some of the destinations that travelers are flocking to this holiday season.

SEE ALSO: 10 massive New Year's Eve parties that are worth traveling for

Aruba

Increase in bookings: 31%

Travelers looking to escape the cold have been flocking to this Caribbean island to relax on its pristine beaches. Aruba also has the advantage of being undamaged by this year's hurricanes.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Increase in bookings: 28%

The capital of Argentina is a haven for design enthusiasts with its creative architecture and fashionable residents.

Reno, Nevada

Increase in bookings: 78%

Reno offers the excitement of a major city and the laid-back vibe of a ski town. The city features a number of gastropubs with excellent craft beer and plenty of opportunities to ski in the Sierra Nevada.