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Philip Seymour Hoffman Found Dead

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philip seymour hoffman

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Philip Seymour Hoffman has been found dead in his West Village, NYC, apartment.

The report, which cites law enforcement officials, does not name a cause of death for the 46-year-old actor. He was reportedly found earlier this morning by a screenwriter in an apartment at 35 Bethune St.

The New York Post is also reporting that Hoffman has died, describing it as "an apparent drug overdose." One source has told the New York Daily News that Hoffman had a needle in his arm.

Hoffman was known to have a history of alcohol and drug abuse, and had told the Guardian in 2011 that after a stint in rehab at an early point in his career he had given up drinking. "Just because all that time's passed doesn't mean maybe it was just a phase," Hoffman told the Guardian's Simon Hattenstone. "That's you know, that's who I am." Last year TMZ reported that Hoffman had "fallen off the wagon" but was able to check himself into a detox facility to fight his addiction.

Hoffman had a long and critically acclaimed career as an actor, appearing in films such as "Boogie Nights" (1997), "The Talented Mr. Ripley" (1999), and "The Master" (2012). He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for "Capote" in 2005.

We'll update this post as we find out more...

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To Understand The Deep Relationship Between Chicken Wings And The Super Bowl, Look At This Chart

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Chicken wings are great all year round, but there's one time of year that they are especially wonderful: Super Bowl.

To understand just how important that relationship is, check out the Google Trends chart which we've included below (first picked up by the folks at r/DataIsBeautiful). Can you guess which time of year most people search for "chicken wings?"

Chicken Wings Google

 

Here's what it looks like when you add the search term "Buffalo wing" into the equation:

Buffalo Wings

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We Uncovered The Mystery Behind The Pyramid That's On The Back Of Every Dollar Bill

This DIY Car Takes Only An Hour To Put Together And Drive

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Anyone who's ever successfully put together their own furniture from Ikea knows that feeling of accomplishment that only comes with getting all the parts in the right place. 

Now imagine if the thing you just built could take you to the supermarket. tabby open source car

With the "Tabby," an open-source design from Italian manufacturers OSVehicle, you could put together your own car in under an hour — and it actually drives.

tabby open source car

tabby open source carThe Tabby is a chassis that accommodates two to four passengers and is compatible with electric, hybrid, and internal combustion engines. Blueprints can be downloaded on OSVehicle's site, while those with engineering inclinations are encouraged to critique the design and upload their own versions to the online forum. 

tabby open source car"We saw a worldwide need for a common platform for the automotive industry," Francisco Liu, the CEO of OSVehicle, said to Fast Company. "What better way than creating a community-based open-source framework that can be used to build any type of vehicle?"

Currently the Tabby kit can be pre-ordered for a spring 2014 delivery, with prices for all of the necessary parts costing between $5,350 and $8,000.

A second design from the company, called the "Urban Tabby," would include an extension on the chassis structure so that the car would meet legal guidelines to drive on streets in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. The launch date for that car has yet to be announced. urban tabby open source car

Check out this awesome time-lapse video of OSVehicle designers assembling Tabby in just 41 minutes and 44 seconds. 

SEE ALSO: Here's Why A Tiny Oregon Company Thinks People Will Buy Its $5,000 One-Wheeled Motorcycle

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RANKED: The 20 Colleges With The Most Hardcore Sports Fans

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Florida State University Fans Seminoles Students

From mascots to marching bands, cheerleaders to cheering sections, students show love for their alma mater's athletics in a variety of ways.

We've partnered with Niche to bring you a ranking of the 20 schools with the best college sports fans.

This list is compiled information about colleges' varsity sports programs, social life, and school spirit, as determined by Niche's "Best Overall Student Experience" ranking. Florida State University — whose football team recently won the national championship — topped this ranking.

Overall though, these college sports fans know how to cheer on their team and put a little fear in the other side.

#20 Louisiana State University

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

LSU is known for having some of the best tailgates in the country, with more than 90,000 fans typically showing up for a home game.

Most of the games at Tiger Stadium — known for its high volume level — are played at night.

Visit Niche for more on Louisiana State University.



#19 University of California, Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

One of the most popular sports at UCSB is soccer and the men's Gauchos team has almost 2,000 season ticket holders.

Students who purchase season tickets receive a UCSB soccer scarf, with the phrases "Gaucho Futbol" and "This is Soccer Heaven" on either side.

Visit Niche for more on UC Santa Barbara.



#18 West Virginia University

Morgantown, West Virginia

Mountaineers basketball players enter home games on an elaborate blue and gold carpet, which is rolled out before the team enters the WVU Coliseum stadium.

Before joining the Big 12, WVU's biggest rivalry was the "Backyard Brawl" against the University of Pittsburgh.

Visit Niche for more on West Virginia University.



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Mentally Ill Man Launches A Massive Social Media Campaign To Find The Person Who Saved His Life In 2008

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#FindMikeSix years ago, after Jonny Benjamin was diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder, he was convinced there was nothing left to live for.

The Londoner decided he would go to one of the busiest bridges in the city, and jump.

As he stood close to the edge, Neil Laybourn, a 31-year-old personal trainer, saw Benjamin, and was able to persuade him to reconsider, offering him a cup of coffee and kindness.

Then, he disappeared into the crowd of morning commuters.

Benjamin couldn't remember the name of his hero or any other details about Neil Laybourn, but knew how lucky he was to be alive. So, for the last six years, Benjamin has been a voice in the community of mental illness, posting videos on YouTube and partnering with causes like Rethink Mental Illness, hoping his experiences can demonstrate to others that they're not alone.

A few months ago, Benjamin, decided to locate the man who was responsible for saving his life. He launched a social media campaign alongside Rethink Mental Illness called #FindMike, using the name Mike as a bookmark for the man whose name he couldn't recall.

He posted this video to YouTube in December:

And he created these flyers to put around the city:

#FindMike Campaign

Yahoo reports the campaign soon went viral on Facebook and Twitter, attracting the support of celebrities from Boy George to U.K. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

Weeks went by and the campaign had spread to hundreds of thousands of viewers. Six years of wondering would be over, if people were compassionate and wanted to share Benjamin's story.

As luck would have it, the campaign soon made its way to Laybourn’s fiancée, who spotted the #FindMike update on Facebook.

She immediately recognized the story, and told Laybourn, who reached out right away.

"I had thought about him over the years and had always hoped he was OK,” Laybourn, now 31, said in an official statement from Rethink Mental Illness.

Yahoo reports:

The two reunited on Tuesday, giving their first joint TV interview two days later on the British morning TV program “Daybreak.” Benjamin thanked Laybourn on the broadcast, telling him, “You didn’t need to stop that day, and you did. And it was the kindness as well, the compassion. He was determined not to let me jump, and that was what pulled me back over the edge.”

You can see the full video of Benjamin and Laybourn's reunion below, or by clicking here. 

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These Words Are Mathematically Proven To Improve Your Online Dating Profile

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With millions of singles skimming profiles on dating sites every day, it can be tough to stand out from the crowd. 

But according to results from a study WIRED's Caitlin Roper conducted with OkCupid and Match.com, there are some strategies you can use to hack the system. 

For one, using certain words in your profile are proven to make you seem more attractive to other users. WIRED worked with data analysts at the two dating sites to come up with the 1,000 most popular words, shown in the chart below (pink for words used by females, green for words used by males). 2202FF_lovebynumbers_01

Surfing and yoga were attractive keywords for both genders, while London and New York were the two most popular cities mentioned. 

When it comes to pop culture, it pays to agree with the experts. The critically-acclaimed shows "Homeland" and "Arrested Development" were the most popular in terms of what made users attractive, while "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Pulp Fiction" were the top films. 

wired tv shows online dating

Online daters tend to value good taste and intelligence in general. In fact, men who use "whom" get 31% more contacts from the opposite sex, regardless of whether they used it correctly. 

The data crunchers even analyzed the 400 most popular OkCupid profiles to see if their profile pictures had anything to say about what attracts responses. According to their findings, you should look straight into the camera for your picture (88% of the most popular users did so) and show your teeth when you smile, as 54% of the hottest users did. 

And if you're a guy, skip the selfie — although it's more than acceptable for women to post a selfie (45% of the hottest straight women did, in addition to 42% of the most popular lesbians), men posting selfies didn't fare as well (13% straight, 25% gay). 

The full report can be found online at WIRED.com and on newsstands in the magazine's March issue. 

SEE ALSO: 4 Essential Suits Every Man Needs In His Closet

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How A Horrific Killing Led This Guy To Run 3,000 Miles Raising Bitcoin For The Homeless

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Jason King, Sean's Outpost

Homeless advocate, runner, and Bitcoin lover Jason King has combined all three together for an epic adventure. He's running across the country— some 3,100 miles — to raise money in Bitcoin for the homeless.

He's the founder of Sean's Outpost, a homeless outreach center in Pensacola, Fla., which is named for King's best friend who was allegedly robbed and then killed in 2012.

Recently, Sean's Outpost discovered it could do more to house and feed people when it received Bitcoin donations instead of other currencies. 

Back in March, when one Bitcoin was worth about $50, Sean's Outpost made this announcement that it would be accepting the currency: “Donate 1 BTC and we will feed 40 people.”

Over the course of the following months, donations poured in including a donation of 75 Bitcoins from Butterfly Labs/Bitcoin Development Fund.

Sean's Outpost went from being able to provide 50 meals a week to thousands per week. Then it built homes for them, hiring the homeless to do the work and teaching them a job skill along the way.

On his blog, King explained why Bitcoin, which allows people to transfer money anonymously, was an ideal way to support his work:

Yes, yes we can build houses with [U.S. dollars] too. That's not unique to Bitcoin. But there is a lot unique to this community. And a lot of goodwill and compassion here. And being able to receive donations, globally, without a record of donors that can be confiscated is a big damn deal. ... When you allow people to dictate who has the right to donations you never know where that will stop.

Sean's Outpost is now nearly legendary in the Bitcoin community.

So, as part of this ultra-marathon, KryptoKit, an online Bitcoin wallet, supplied King with an RV as a support vehicle.

Bitcoin bus

King began his run from the North American Bitcoin Conference in Miami on January 26, and he will make a pit stop on March 6 at the Texas Bitcoin Conference, where he's speaking.

The marathon is an amazing enough story on its own. But this adventure has its roots in a horrible tragedy.

Sean's Outpost is named for King's best friend, Sean Dugas, who was killed in 2012. Dugas was 30 when he was killed. 

Two brothers allegedly robbed him for his valuable collection of cards used in the role-playing game "Magic: The Gathering." Each card created for the game is unique and gives players various powers. Some of the cards in Dugas's collection were worth between $25,000 and $100,000, police told Tampa Bay 10News.

Dugas's body was found buried in concrete in the backyard of the brother's father's home in Georgia, weeks after Dugas had been reported missing, the Associated Press reported. The cards were sold in Pensacola, Tenn. and Georgia, the police said.

Dugas loved people so King wanted to honor his memory by helping people in need, the homeless, King said on his website. And the adventure began from there.

Donations are accepted here.

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We Uncovered The Mystery Behind The Pyramid That's On The Back Of Every Dollar Bill

12 Hilarious Photos Of Men Who Hate Shopping

27 Things You See At The Annual Groundhog Day Celebration In Punxsutawney

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groundhog day

While most Americans rested up for the Super Bowl, rodent prognosticator Punxsutawney Phil was plucked from comfy hibernation to make his annual Groundhog Day call.

"A Super Bowl winner I will not predict, but my weather forecast you cannot contradict," said Phil (via an "Inner Circle" scroll-reader) to a crowd of some 25,000.

"Why that's not a football, but my shadow I see. It's six more weeks of winter. It must be!"

Locals in Punxsutawney, a small Pennsylvania town of 6,000, say that Groundhog Day has gotten more and more popular ever since the 1993 Bill Murray film bearing the same name.

Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney is equal parts prognostication and party, so we went to check it out.

Here's the main drag in downtown Punxsutawney. It's a five and a half hour drive from New York City. We arrived at 8:30 the night before Groundhog Day.



People were walking around downtown, eating at different food stands and shopping at merchandise tents.



You could make predictions for what Phil would say.



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See New York Through The Eyes Of A Taxi Driver [PHOTOS]

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44129 FRAME 26A27

Driving a taxi in New York City gives a unique eye-level view of the daily lives of the city’s 8 million residents.

When David Bradford became a cab driver in the early ‘90s, he thought a view from the cab's window would make for fascinating photos. He was right.

“I couldn’t anticipate it, but once I was in the driver seat, I realized I had a front row seat to everything happening in New York,” Bradford told Business Insider.

He’s published two books, Drive By Shootings and The New York Taxi Back Seat Book. Check out more of his work here.

Bradford has been a cab driver for the last 20 years, but he started his career as an artist, attending the Rhode Island School of Design for Illustration.



Bradford was a skilled "blind contour illustrator," meaning he drew without looking. He says it was incredible training for photographing from the cab, where he has to often shoot without taking the time to compose.



After college, Bradford became an art director for Saks Fifth Avenue. After ten years at Saks, he decided he wanted to pursue his own art.



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How To Care For Cashmere At Home

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cashmere scarves

Soft, luxurious and oh so warm, what could be better than cashmere? You might have heard that this perfect winter staple is high maintenance and dry clean only but have no fear. Whether it’s for a sweater, for socks or for a scarf, here is the easiest way to care for your cashmere to keep it feeling soft.

When to wash it

You might think that you need to wash your cashmere as often as your other clothes. Surprisingly, you only need to watch it every 2 to five wears to keep it nice. It’s made out of goat hair and actually gets softer with age so don’t worry about not washing as often.

Why to hand wash it

Even though tags will usually suggest you dry clean your cashmere, hand-washing is nearly as easy and will prevent contact with unnecessary harsh chemicals.

How to wash it

Fill a clean sink or a large bowl with cold water and mild detergent (we like Woolite or Laundress, but you can also use baby shampoo, seeing as cashmere is simply goat hair, after all). Agitate the water a bit before you drop in the goods.

Gently massage the soapy water through the sweater – think of it like you’re kneading bread – no pulling, tugging or wringing, or you risk changing the shape of the item. If you are washing a sweater, be careful to keep the item clumped together when handling it wet because the water adds weight and can stretch it out (if you hold it by one end). After massaging all the grime out, replace the soapy water with clean cold water and rinse.

How to dry it

Press and rub out the access water. Again, do not wring or twist the water out. Just press press, blot blot. You can also lay the cashmere item flat out on a towel and then roll it up, squeezing the water out. After you’ve gotten most of the drips out, lay the item flat in the shape you want it to dry in. This is especially important if it’s a sweater because if you don’t flatten it right away it will be impossible to get unwrinkled unless you rewet it. Let the cashmere air dry and be sure to keep away from the heater because heat can make it shrink.

Stay soft gentlemen!

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The Surprising Truth About How Many Chemicals Are In Everything We Eat

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Taste and flavor are not the same thing, although the two are often confused.

Flavor is how we perceive food and other substances based on a combination of senses, which include taste, touch, and smell (as much as 80% of what we perceive as taste actually comes from smell).

In addition, the idea that there is a difference between "natural" chemicals, like those found in fruits and vegetables, and the synthetic version of those chemicals is just a bad way of looking at the world.

All foods (and everything else around us) are made up of chemicals, whether they occur in nature or are made in a lab. That means everything we smell or taste is a response to chemicals.

The characteristic smell of cloves, for example, comes from one chemical called eugenol. And cinnamon, which is just the dried inner-bark of specific trees, gets its aroma and flavor from the compound cinnamaldehyde.

cloves

So, both artificial and natural flavors contain chemicals. The distinction between natural and artificial flavorings is the source of chemicals. Natural flavors are created from anything that can be eaten (i.e animals and vegetables), even if those edible things are processed in the lab to create flavorings.

Artificial flavors come from anything that is inedible (i.e petroleum) that is processed to create chemicals of flavorings.

hand holding pomegranate fruit

Here is the official FDA definition of natural flavoring:

"Natural flavor is the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional."

The FDA's definition of an artificial flavor is any substance that does not meet the definition of a natural flavor.

apothecary pharmacy medicine viles chemistry

Sometimes a chemical flavoring could be made from either natural or artificial sources — the resulting molecule is the same, but the route to making it can be different.

So, why use artificial flavors at all? Well, the synthetic chemicals in artificial flavors generally cost less to produce than finding natural sources of chemicals. They are also potentially safer because they have been rigorously tested and used. Producing them can be more eco-friendly as well, since it doesn't require growing fields of food first.

Flavor

The compound vanillin, for example, is responsible for the flavor and smell of vanilla. In nature, vanillin comes from an orchid native to Mexico. The process of extracting this pure, natural chemical is extremely lengthy and expensive. So scientists found a way to make a synthetic version of vanillin in a lab.

Vanilla Bean

In 2006, Japanese researcher Mayu Yamamoto figured out how to extract vanillin from cow poop. She was awarded the Ig Nobel Prize at Harvard University for this development.

cows

Most people don't realize that there can be as many chemicals in a food's natural flavor as its artificial counterpart. The number of chemical ingredients used to make the artificial strawberry flavor in a fast food strawberry shake, for example, is similar, chemically to the number of chemicals in a fresh strawberry.Strawberry

Artificial grape-flavor is derived from a chemical in concord (purple) grapes — not the red or green grapes we're used to buying in supermarkets. This is why artificial grape-flavored things like candy, soft drinks and Dimetapp are purple and why store-bought grapes taste nothing like this fake stuff.

Grape soda

Some natural flavors can be more dangerous than the artificial ones. Traces of cyanide can be found in almond flavor, or Benzaldehyde, when derived from nature. That's why in movies, the smell of bitter of almonds on the victim is often linked to cyanide poisoning.

Bitter almond

Raw soybeans, from which soy sauce is made, are also toxic. Industrial soy sauce (the stuff you find in convenient to-go packets) is made from acid-hydrolyzed vegetable protein, not boiled soybeans.

Raw Soybean

Many people worry about "chemicals" like MSG added to their foods. The link between headaches and MSG, called "Chinese restaurant syndrome," is just a myth. Researchers think that symptoms related to eating Chinese food are caused by high amounts of salt.

MSG Crystals

One other important difference between natural and artificial flavors is regulation. Due to the manner in which they are made, "artificial flavors often undergo even stricter safety evaluations than natural flavors," according to John H. Cox, the executive director of Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association.

"When a flavorist creates a flavor from scratch it can be guaranteed that every component of the flavor has been safety-tested and verifiably approved for consumption," Cox writes, citing co-director of the Food Science and Nutrition Department at the University of Minnesota, Gary Reineccius. "Flavorists have more control over what goes into the composition of a flavor they develop rather than an extract from nature," Cox added.

SEE ALSO: What It Would Look Like If Your Banana Came With An Ingredient List

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Airlines Should Ditch Their Confusing Boarding Passes And Use This Smart Design Instead

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Boarding Pass

British graphic designer Peter Smart is no stranger to flying. A year and a half ago, he logged over 2,500 miles on a mission to solve 50 problems in 50 days.

Then, within the last two months, he boarded 14 planes for a speaking tour. 

His frequent travel led to an improved design for a boarding pass, which he first sketched on a cramped tray table in the last nine hours of his flight from Singapore to London.

"There are fundamental grievances with the current practice of flying," Smart told Business Insider. The boarding passes used by airlines today are among the problems.

They have oddly large dimensions that don't tuck easily into a pocket or passport. Information is hard to find and not listed from most to least important, Smart said. And some of the information listed is in code that airline workers understand, but passengers may not.

In contrast, Smart's redesigned boarding pass has a vertical layout to offer information in a hierarchy that prioritizes where you have to be in the airport and by what time. It folds at the bottom to fit into your passport. It lists the temperature and time difference of your destination. And it uses the existing dimensions of a boarding pass so airlines wouldn't have to spend money for new paper, printers or ticket readers if they choose to redesign the product.

Since he posted the project online, Smart has sparked an international conversation. Frequent travelers have suggested adding the class of your seat to the redesigned ticket, and a handful of airlines have reached out to him.

"I wouldn't go so far as to say this thing is going to become a reality," Smart said, "but I've had three really exciting conversations with airlines about how they're rethinking the entire flight experience. They're thinking of how to innovate across the entire operation."

"The real value isn't in the physical object," he said. "It's in the dangerous and provocative thinking, giving other people permission to question the experiences they're given. The thrill of jetting around the world at hundreds of miles an hour should be a wonderful experience."

Here's a standard, current boarding pass:boarding pass

Depending on the airline you take, you won't even find basic information like your boarding time in the same place:boarding pass 2

Smart's take, seen again, is easy to read, with information arranged logically. It would also fold to fit in a passport:

Boarding Pass

SEE ALSO: Flying Today Is So Much Better Than It Was In The 'Golden Age' Of Aviation

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I Had My Face 'Morphed' By A Plastic Surgeon And Was Shocked By The Results

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Side view BEFORE and AFTER Megan Plastic surgery

Plastic surgery can be a daunting process.

In addition to risks from anesthesia and botched procedures, patients are taking a major gamble that they will share the same aesthetic ideal with their plastic surgeon.

Enter visual surgery, or "morphing" — the use of technology during the consultation process so that the patient and doctor can agree ahead of time on the surgical end results.

I visited the plastic surgery office of Dr. Douglas Steinbrech in New York City, whose practice has been using morphing technology for the past seven years. I went to learn about the technology he uses to consult with patients -- I did not have any cosmetic procedures myself.

What Is "Morphing"?

In short, morphing is the use of image manipulation software to give patients an idea of what they will look like once their surgery is complete.

The surgery visualization has a few upsides, Dr. Steinbrech explained. First, patients can get an idea of what they will look like after the surgery, and decide if they want to go more or less extreme than they had originally planned.

"Patients tend to be more conservative," said Patient Coordinator Bernadette Mahoney. "I think a lot of it comes from anxiety, and not wanting to take it too far. But we've actually found that when patients don't go as extreme as they want, they often regret it."

The process also helps Dr. Steinbrech determine whether a potential patient is ready for cosmetic surgery. If a patient has unrealistic expectations, it can raise a red flag. He said he might then choose to provide the patient with information on body dysmorphic disorder (an illness in which individuals are excessively concerned with body image, specifically "defects" they perceive in their own personal appearance), or simply tell them that working together wouldn't be a good fit.

But the biggest upside of all, according to Dr. Steinbrech, is that he can use the "morphed" before and after photos to make sure the results are exactly what the patient wants.

"On the day of surgery, we review these images during prep with the patient, and that has helped me nail my results as I continue to check back with the technology during surgery," he said.

The strategy has been highly effective for his practice. "A normal conversion rate [from consult to surgery] for a plastic surgery office — and this is a good number — is about 30%," Dr. Steinbrech told us. "Our conversion rate is between 80 and 85%, which is extraordinary."

What that number tells Dr. Steinbrech and his team is that when patients see their potential end result, it encourages them to proceed with the surgery.

"From a business perspective, I'm surprised more offices don't use it," he said.

I Had My Face "Morphed," And It Was Pretty Stunning

Megan Willett before and after gif

In the GIF above, Dr. Steinbrech's alterations to my face are subtle yet transformational.

After I spoke with Dr. Steinbrech and his staff about the morphing, I had to see what it was like for myself.

The first step of the process was photographing my face. I sat in a chair, and Dr. Steinbrech's assistant Kelly took pictures of my relaxed face from virtually every angle, occasionally having me feign looks of surprise, anger, and happiness.

She transferred the photographs into the system, and then I met with the doctor himself (though a real patient would next meet with a patient coordinator and Dr. Steinbrech would do the final retouching on the images at a later consultation).

I was amazed at how small his tweaks were — a little pinch here, a little pull there. But when he showed me the before and after images of my face, I was stunned.

"Patients often tell me that I'm not making enough of a change," Dr. Steinbrech told me during the faux consultation. "But then I show them the 'before' and 'after' images on the screen, and they can't believe it. They start to envision themselves as the 'after' version as we go through the process."

Even as a mock patient, I can attest that this was true. I found myself thinking the changes weren't that major, but what I didn't realize was that my internal view of my face slowly changed as I watched the doctor slim down my neck and make my jawline more square. Then I would suddenly be jolted back when I saw the 'before' versions of my images, where my cheekbones weren't quite as pronounced or my jaw as defined.

My immediate reaction to my actual, un-retouched face was shock: "That's not me; that's not what I look like."

I was already self-identifying with the "after" version of my face, which was extremely unnerving. Psychologically speaking, the high conversion rate of Dr. Steinbrech's office started to make sense — his patients may have been ready to go under the knife after watching their pictures transform because in their minds, they already looked like the "after."

My visual surgery process took roughly 45 minutes, though the average morphing consultation can take much longer, and a real patient's face would be tweaked multiple times by both the patient coordinator and the doctor.

All in all, it was fascinating to watch Dr. Steinbrech at work. It was like watching an image of myself get worked over in Photoshop, except that this man had the power to change me in real life, too.

"I always under-promise and over-deliver," Dr. Steinbrech told me at the end of the day. "I would never show a patient something on the screen that couldn't be duplicated in real life. We have bones there for a reason!"

Note: I asked Dr. Steinbrech to show me what the following procedures would look like on my face. These are not representative of the procedures he would choose to do, and should not be taken as such.

"MODEL JAWLINE"Cheek and jaw Megan Plastic Surgery

Dr. Steinbrech is well-known for this procedure. He does a little supplemental liposuction on the neck and adds Juvederm (a hyaluronic acid) into the jaw and chin to make it more angular. He also gave me cheek augmentations using Juvederm to provide more definition.

Recovery time: Less than 24 hours for Juvederm, roughly a week for liposuction.

Cost: $2,300-$3,800

RHINOPLASTYCheek jaw nose Megan Plastic Surgery

The next procedure I asked to have virtually done was a nose job. Dr. Steinbrech gave me a "Heidi Klum" nose, which was slightly more narrow than my own.

Recovery time: Short-term recovery is roughly two weeks, but it may be several months before all swelling has subsided.

Cost: $7,500-$12,000

BROW LIFTCheek jaw nose brow Megan Plastic Surgery

Next, he showed me what I would look like with a very minor brow lift. "You don't want to go overboard here and look too surprised," he said.

Recovery time: One to two weeks, depending on the type of procedure (classic versus endoscopic) and personal healing time.

Cost: $5,000-$9,000

LIP INJECTIONSCheek jaw nose brow lips Megan Plastic Surgery

My upper lip is rather thin, so this procedure was more difficult for the doctor to show me on the computer. He made both lips slightly more plump, adding that it was important to keep the bottom lip fuller.

Recovery time: 10-14 days before swelling and bruising goes down.

Cost: $700-$2,300

JUVEDERM FILLERFinal slide with injections Megan Plastic Surgery

For the final product, Dr. Steinbrech added fillers to my under-eye area and laugh lines to make my skin more even.

Recovery time: Less than 24 hours.

Cost: $1,500

THE FINAL RESULTSBEFORE and AFTER Megan Plastic Surgery

All those minor tweaks really added up. Here are my before and after pictures. Total cost for all this surgery? Between $17,000 and $27,600.

SEE ALSO: Korea's Plastic Surgery Obsession Is A Glimpse Into The Future

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Barbie Exec Reveals The Real Reason For The Doll's Impossible Proportions

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barbie dolls

Barbie's unrealistic proportions have stirred up controversy for decades. 

Critics of the doll say that her tiny torso and long limbs give young girls false expectations for what womens' bodies should look like. 

But in a recent interview with Fast Company, Barbie lead designer Kim Culmone says there's a good reason the toy's shape is so disproportionate. 

"Barbie’s body was never designed to be realistic. She was designed for girls to easily dress and undress. And she’s had many bodies over the years, ones that are poseable, ones that are cut for princess cuts, ones that are more realistic," Culmone said

Culmone also suggested that Barbie's critics were overreacting, and that the doll doesn't negatively impact young customers. 

"To little girls, they are putting themselves in that doll anyway. You have to remember that girls’ perceptions are so different than grown ups’ perceptions about what real is and what real isn’t, and what the influences are," she said. 

Culmone said she sees no reason to alter Barbie's proportions at this time. 

Mattel announced last week that Barbie sales have plunged 13%. 

SEE ALSO: Here's What A Barbie Doll Would Look Like If She Had A Real Woman's Proportions

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Here's The 'Cheap' New Car Maserati Advertised During The Super Bowl

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maserati ghibli

Maserati created some buzz Sunday night with an unusually cinematic 90-second commercial during the Super Bowl, advertising its new sedan. 

The sporty Ghibli is similarly unusual. The top of the line version will go from 0 to 62 mph in 5 seconds, hit a top speed of 176 mph, and is filled will fancy leather.

But the most remarkable thing about the all-new model is the base price: $65,600.

That makes it the least expensive Maserati by about $40,000, and marks the luxury brand's entrance into a segment dominated by cars like the Audi A7, Porsche Panamera, Mercedes-Benz CLS, and BMW 6-Series.

Maserati's sales jumped 75% from 2012 to 2013, according to Forbes, and the Ghibli is part of the plan to keep that growth going.

For those interested in what Maserati offers for that "affordable" price, here's a look at the Ghibli.

The Ghibli made its American debut at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show.



It's smaller, shorter, and lighter than Maserati's other four-door sedan, the flagship Quattroporte.



The four door sedan has a "coupe-like" appearance, Maserati says. That gives it a sportier look.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
    






Artist Reimagines Your Favorite Disney Princesses With Physical Disabilities

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Artist aleXsandro Palombo has created a powerful series imagining iconic Disney princesses with disabilities.

Palombo, who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer which paralyzed of parts of his body, says he deals with discrimination everyday, and wants to bring light to the issue using art.

Here are some of the most powerful images.

Cinderella is shown here, poised to fit the glass slipper onto her prosthetic leg:

Disabled Disney Princess Cinderella prosthesis shoes Disabled Disability Equal Rights Wellchair Health Art Campaign ADV Cartoon Painting Portrait Illustration Sketch Humor Chic by aleXsandro Palombo 1

Jasmine is depicted missing two arms:

Disabled Disney Princess Jasmine Disabled Disability Equal Rights Wellchair Health Art Campaign ADV Cartoon Painting Portrait Illustration Sketch Humor Chic by aleXsandro Palombo 1

Belle is shown in a wheelchair:

Disabled Disney Princess Belle Disabled Disability Equal Rights Wellchair Health Art Campaign ADV Cartoon Painting Portrait Illustration Sketch Humor Chic by aleXsandro Palombo 1

"I think that disabled people doesn't [sic] match Disney's standards of beauty," the Italian artist told The Huffington Post, "so my message is very simple: Disabled people have rights and are part of the world."

See more of his work on his blog.

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