Pantone just announced the 2015 Color Of The Year, and this year’s color is Marsala.

The reddish brown color is named after a wine produced in the Italian city of Marsala in Sicily. Pantone says it’s equally appealing to both men and women, and flattering against all skin tones.

“Nurturing and fulfilling, Marsala is a natural fit for the kitchen and dining room — making it ideal for tabletop, small appliances, and linens throughout the home,” Leatrice Eiseman — the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute who has helped decide the color for the last 14 years — explained in the press release.

“Marsala enriches our mind, body, and soul, exuding confidence and stability,” she added.

Though it all sounds rather silly, retailers and designers pay attention to Pantone’s yearly selections. And the "global color authority" does not take its choice lightly, either — there is a committee of color experts who search the world for the next big thing in color.

Pantone's Vice President of Consumer Licensing Lisa Herbert told Business Insider last year how the process works: "We deliver the news in a sealed envelope, and we have our representatives go out to [partner companies] in their trench coats with their suitcases. They have to sign a confidentiality agreement and the color cannot be revealed until we say so."

Celebrities, designers, and retailers then rush to fill their shelves with the color.

"It becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy because people are going into the stores asking for it," Herbert said. "[Retailers] have to have it, even if they have to scramble to do it."

For those curious, this 2014's color was “Radiant Orchid.”

SEE ALSO: Meet The Secret Powerbroker Who Decides The Color Of The Year

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Papa John's has a new Philly Cheesesteak pizza. 

The pie is topped with green pepper, onion, steak, mozzarella, provolone, and garlic sauce. The large typically costs $12, and there are 340 calories in each slice. 

Business Insider recently tried the pizza, and it was a big hit.

Here are the top observations. 

1. "Tastes exactly like Philly Cheesesteak."

If you like the classic sandwich, this pizza is for you. Many Philly Cheesesteak fans in our office said that Papa John's nailed the flavors, which were more consistent of a sandwich than a pizza. 

"It honestly tastes like a Philly Cheesesteak — not a great one, mind you, but a Philly Cheesesteak nonetheless," one reviewer wrote. 

2. "Better than I expected."

Many people who tried the pizza noted that it was better than they expected for coming from a chain restaurant like Papa John's. 

"The key is expectation: if you expect to have a traditional, lovingly crafted pie, you'll be disappointed," one reviewer said. "But if you seek a bizarre, satisfyingly manufactured pizzafood, you'll be delighted."

3. "Very garlicky."

In place of marinara, the pizza had a sauce that was reminiscent of the chain's garlic butter. 

Most people loved the garlicky white sauce.

A few said they missed having marinara on the pizza, and that it could have balanced out the richness of the steak and cheese. 

4. "Very greasy." 

The pizza was even greasier than standard Papa John's fare. Some people loved this, others would have preferred a lighter taste.

"As far as pizza in the chain store category (Dominos, Papa Johns, Pizza Hut) goes, that was pretty delicious. I will say that it was dripping with grease but that's not necessarily a bad thing," one reviewer wrote. 

Another said that the pizza cured her hangover. 

5. "Could have used more toppings." 

While Papa John's was generous with the cheese and peppers, the pizza had very little actual steak. 

This was probably to keep the price down in the midst of a beef shortage. 

But many meatlovers were disappointed with the amount of steak on the pizza. 

6. "Two thumbs up." 

Overall, we recommend this pizza, which is hearty and very satisfying. 

"It's a good option if you're going to go with something from Papa John's," one of our reviewers wrote. 

SEE ALSO: We Tried The New 'Cronut' At Dunkin' Donuts

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Fact: The new World Trade Center Transportation Hub in Lower Manhattan will go down as one of the worst public-works construction projects in US history.

Eight years overdue and with more than $2 billion in cost overruns, there are very few things that went right with the Port Authority of NY and NJ's project.

Designed by famed Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the building's white spines were supposed to represent a bird taking flight and evoke something "metaphysical." Instead, they just represent a huge boondoggle.

The failure is a classic case of too many hands on the project, trying to please too many people, and ending with a finished product that, in effect, pleases no one.

The New York Times released a report outlining all the missteps and poor planning that led to that huge $4 billion total, which include:

• $655 million in administrative costs, including "management, supervision, inspection, monitoring and documentation, among other items."

• $355 million or more to build around the 1 line of the New York City Subway. At the time the station was designed, then-Governor George Pataki, a Republican, was considering a run for president. The 1 line, which bisects the Transportation Hub, connects Staten Island commuters from the ferry to the rest of Manhattan. Staten Island also happens to be a Republican stronghold in largely Democratic New York City. The result: Pataki and the MTA pushed to keep the 1 line open through the new hub's construction, even though it made the building process considerably more complicated.

• $78 million for former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's demand that the adjacent Sept. 11 Memorial be finished before the 10th anniversary of the attacks. This re-prioritized the phases of construction and complicated construction procedures.

• $474 million for steel. It was sourced from specialized factories, including one in Northern Italy.

• $500 million in money-saving measures suggested to the Port Authority that were ultimately rejected. 

• $323 million for the temporary PATH station — which will be torn down when the new hub replaces it.

• $400 million for improvement to adjacent structures, which actually had little to do with the hub project itself. This included electrical, mechanical, and plumbing projects.

• $80 million for Calatrava's design contribution to the elaborate project.

• $400 million for the design of many of the above-ground elements of the hub, which were done by the Downtown Design Partnership.

• $982.5 million for the Port Authority's construction contractor, Phoenix Constructions. Phoenix hired subcontractors after the Port Authority and Phoenix couldn't come to an agreement on the maximum price of the project, which drove the price up.

• Not-yet-known costs, including damage done by Hurricane Sandy and mistakes made during construction. These costs are expected to total in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Port Authority Vice Chair Scott Rechler put it best when he told the Wall Street Journal, “Did you need to build the [then-estimated] $3.7 billion transportation hub to achieve the meaningfulness of the World Trade Center redevelopment? In hindsight, I don’t know if I would have come to that conclusion.”

When the Port Authority’s board authorized the project in 2004, the cost was estimated to be $2 billion, with $1.7 billion from the Federal Transit Administration and a $300 million contribution from the Port Authority. Now that the cost has doubled, where the extra funds will come from seems to be a mystery.

In 2009, the Port Authority requested an additional $662 million from the federal government, with a pledge to finish the project in 2015. Indeed, the full hub, which will include the spined Oculus, underground hallways and a retail mezzanine, and the already-operating PATH station, is expected to open December 2015.

We'll have to wait and see whether it was all worth it. But it's not looking good.

SEE ALSO: Check Out These Stunning New Images Of London's Crossrail Network

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In August, the US Agriculture Department estimated that having and raising a child in America costs over $245,000.

You could argue that the steadily rising price tag is due to the violin lessons, summer camps, and organic cheese sticks that seem to have become mandatory in recent years, but a chart from the Brookings Institution boils the rise down to one thing in particular: the disproportionate cost of childcare and tuition as it relates to US median income.

Researchers compiled data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index to create the chart below, which illustrates the alarming rate at which two of parents' biggest costs — childcare and tuition — are increasing. We first came across it over at Jezebel.

The researchers write (bolding ours):

The prices of a number of goods and services have outpaced median income. For example, the price of hospital services and childcare and tuition has grown by an astounding 200% faster than median wage.

Here's what that looks like:

SEE ALSO: The 10 Most Expensive Cities To Raise A Child

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Whisper is app used to send and receive anonymous messages that has raised $60 million from investors. Its last round valued the startup at about $200 million. 

At Business Insider's annual IGNITION conference, we asked Whisper CEO Michael Heyward how much of that $60 million he's been able to keep for himself. 

His answer: $0. Excluding salary and stock options, of course.

When a startup's funding round is particularly hot, sometimes founders ask investors if they can keep a few million dollars for themselves. If they're first-time founders, they may want to buy houses, support families, and take some risk out of running a startup.

Investors allow founders to do this when it aligns with their interests. Sometimes, investors are so desperate to put money into a company that they'll cave to a founder's demands. Other times, offering founders a few million dollars can be a smart way to keep them incentivized. A founder will be less likely to accept an acquisition offer if he or she is already financially stable, and an investor's goal is to back startups that will grow as large as possible, independently.

For example, Snapchat co-founders Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy were allowed to take a few million dollars off the table when they raised a round of financing at a $7 billion valuation. The first-time founders rejected a ~$3 billion offer from Facebook, and now the company is worth ~$10 billion. Spiegel and Murphy recently purchased their first homes with some of the cash (Spiegel had been living at his father's house).

Whisper is smaller than Snapchat, which likely has more than 100 million active users. Tens of millions of people use Whisper every month. But a much smaller Whisper competitor, Secret, was able to take $6 million off the table during a $25 million fundraising round that valued the startup at about $100 million. It's unclear why investors let the founders do that — they had only been running the company for a few months, and the buzz around Secret has died down since.

Michael Heyward, CEO and founder of Whisper, says he has no need for millions of dollars right now. He doesn't have a family to support or loans to pay. He also says he believes in his product so he doesn't want to swap equity for cash. It wouldn't be smart since he believes his company will be worth much more in the future.

Heyward's first institutional investor, Lightspeed's Jeremy Liew, says it's rare for founders to take money off the table. If an established entrepreneur is asking to pocket millions of dollars, it can be a warning sign to investors that the founder isn't serious enough about building a big business.

NOW WATCH: Your Facebook App Is Quietly Clogging Up Your iPhone

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The end of the year is a time to thank the people who make our lives easier, whether that's your building superintendent or your babysitter.

But how much?

We spoke with etiquette expert Patricia Napier-Fitzpatrick of The Etiquette School of New York to find out more about holiday tipping and gifting. Here's our helpful infographic on who to tip this season.

SEE ALSO: You Should Always Tip The Maid When You’re Staying In A Hotel

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Tagging your location in your Instagram photos is a great way to keep track of where you've traveled. 

To celebrate the end of 2014, Instagram has shared the 10 most commonly tagged locations for the past year. The most popular geotags are a good indicator of where people all over the world most like to travel and photograph. 

These places are ridiculously photogenic, too.

10. The Dubai Mall, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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9. Yankee Stadium, New York, New York

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8. Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

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The way Silicon Valley CEOs tackle their weekends is living proof that two days of weekend might be too much. 

In a recent Quora thread, several Silicon Valley bosses explain how they use Saturday and Sunday to "integrate" work and life. 

The approach that Wealthfront CEO Adam Nash, Dictionary.com CEO Michele Turner, and SafeLogic CEO Ray Potter take to their weekends is instructive for all of us.

Wealthfront CEO Adam Nash "integrates" his work and life. 

Adam Nash took over as CEO of investment startup Wealthfront in January 2014. 

He spends most of his time with family and friends, but he's not fleeing from the workweek. 

"I personally tend to prefer the 'integrated' version of work-life balance," he explains, "where I will periodically engage with work on evenings and weekends as needed, just as I will periodically engage with personal issues through the week as needed." 

The weekend, then, is usually parceled out into five kinds of activities: trucking the kids to birthday parties, baseball games, and the like; fixing things up around the house and other chores; sharing time with old friends; all-important date nights with his wife; and visits with his parents and sibling scattered around the Bay Area. 

The work stuff falls into two camps: grabbing coffee with engineers, designers, and other would-be recruits; and communicating with his team. 

"Being a CEO, in my opinion, means accepting the responsibility that the company depends on you," he says. "As a result, there really aren't fixed time boundaries between your professional & personal life." 

Dictionary.com CEO Michele Turner gets through the work — then hangs with the family. 

Turner's company helps people find the correct words. As you might imagine, she's quite articulate about how to tackle the end of the week. 

"I'm a mom of three boys," Turner says, "so weekends are busy and precious." 

So, as an executive does, she's found a few efficiencies. The key is to get the work out of the way early. 

Her method:

I'll spend 1-3 hours on work first thing in the morning, and if I have a lot to do I'll get up at 6 a.m. to get it out of the way before my family is up and out. I'll check email during the day to make sure there aren't any issues flaring up, but I really try to get any work-related stuff done in a specific window so I'm not interrupting my family time if at all possible.

With that grind knocked out, she can then set to the weekend activities: getting a good workout in with her husband, cheering her boys on in soccer games, taking care of laundry and others chores, and indulging in a fantasy novel of her choice. 

SafeLogic CEO Ray Potter never hits the "off switch."

SafeLogic is a business-to-business startup that takes care of cryptography and other security measures for cloud and mobile companies. CEO Potter navigates the weekend in much the same way as his peers.

Saturday is getting the kids to where they need to go, fetching household essentials from Target, texting with his team, making dinner, playing music, and catching up on email. 

After breakfast, Sunday mornings are spent wading through a few hours work. Then comes advising younger startups and taking care of the kids' activities, like birthday parties and the like. Then dinner and back to the laptop to get ready for the week. 

"There is no off switch," Potter says. "No matter how much I delegate or what hip new productivity app I'm using, things have to get done that only the CEO can do, [and] that means working evenings and weekends to drive the company forward." 

SEE ALSO: How Successful People Make The Most Of Their Weekends

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Every home should have a great sound system, and bonus points if it looks great, too. This is the first levitating Bluetooth speaker. It looks kind of like the Death Star with a brushed steel and chrome finish, and packs a punch in terms of sound: a full, crisp, clear 105 decibels. 

The speaker, which was designed by a team out of Oakland, California, uses magnetic levitation to get the speaker to float about an inch off of the base, and it spins while it plays. It even has a microphone, so you can use it to take calls. 

You can grab it here with a discount thanks to Insider Picks and our friends at Stack Commerce.

Get 9% off The Om/One Bluetooth Speaker ($179.99+Free Shipping).

Check out the video and full specs below.

OM/ONE Speaker Orb

• Size: 3.6" diameter, 0.75 lb weight
• Finely tuned 75mm audio driver

• Built-in microphone (IEEE 1329 Type 1-compliant speakerphone)
• On/Off touch sensor
• Up to 12 hours of continuous play at 70% volume • Built-in rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
• Bluetooth:
 Wireless range 33 feet (10m)

• Bluetooth v4.0 compliant
• Supports Enhanced Data Rate (EDR)

OM/ONE Base:

• 6.3” diameter x 1.6” height
• 1.3 lbs weight
• Speaker orb floating height 1.2”

• Total OM/ONE height including speaker orb 6.4” (base 1.6” + float 1.2” + orb 3.6”)

• Total OM/ONE weight including speaker orb 2.1 lbs
• Power: 12Vdc (power cable included)
• We have frequency response from 20Hz to 20Khz and use an amplifier that has output power of 3Wrms. Our Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) is less than 1% @ 1KHz 0dB input.

Get 9% off The Om/One Bluetooth Speaker ($179.99+Free Shipping).

SEE ALSO:  Drones For Every Budget

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The traditional linear TV model doesn't make sense in the digital, streaming age. And now the Netflix model is well on its way to destroy it.

Produced by Sara Silverstein and Alex Kuzoian.

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The best thing about all-inclusive resorts is that everything is taken care of for you, from the moment you arrive to the moment you check out.

But the difference between a good experience and a great experience lies in the details.

Hotels.com helped us find the best all-inclusive hotels in Mexico. These hotels offer everything from circus performances to deep-sea sportfishing.

25. El Dorado Royale, Riviera Maya

The El Dorado Royale stretches over a mile of Riviera Maya's white sand Maroma Beach. It has 13 outdoor swimming pools and recreational activities, from golf to zip lining. The second longest barrier reef in the world is just off shore, making it a great destination for scuba diving.

Rooms start at:$461

Source: Hotels.com

24. Marival Residences Luxury Nuevo Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta

Sitting on the Bay of Banderas, the Marival Residences Luxury Nuevo Vallarta has infinity pool balconies with views of the bay. Take advantage of the resort's private beach, and unlimited access to three nearby golf courses.

Rooms start at:$600

Source: Hotels.com

23. Sunset Plaza Beach Resort & Spa, Puerto Vallarta

All 106 rooms at the Sunset Plaza Beach Resort & Spa open up to balconies with southern-facing rooms that overlook the beach. The resort has a full service spa and three outdoor swimming pools.

Rooms start at:$368

Source: Hotels.com

You can probably remember a time when a mentor, close friend, or family member made a career-defining connection for you. It can make those networking events where you make small talk with others in your industry seem trivial and even meaningless.

Research has consistently found, however, that the weak ties you have with acquaintances will most often help you get ahead.

In the 1973 research paper "The Strength of Weak Ties," Mark Granovetter of Johns Hopkins University writes that interpersonal ties come down to those that are strong, weak, or absent.

He conducted a study among 282 white-collar professionals in a Boston suburb to determine the influence of these ties. For those that stated they got their current job through a contact, 16.7% said they saw this contact at least twice a week, 55.6% said they saw this contact more than once per year but less than twice a week, and 27.8% said they saw this contact once per year or less.

Further research resulted in similar conclusions. Granovetter explains in the paper:

In many cases, the contact was someone only marginally included in the current network of contacts, such as an old college friend or a former workmate or employer, with whom sporadic contact had been maintained. Usually such ties had not even been very strong when first forged. For work-related ties, respondents almost invariably said that they never saw the person in a nonwork context. Chance meetings or mutual friends operated to reactivate such ties. It is remarkable that people receive crucial information from individuals whose very existence they have forgotten.

The reason for this is more simple than you may think. "The closely-knit groups that you belong to, though they are filled with people eager to help, are also filled with people who know roughly the same things that you do," Cornell University's David Easley and Jon Kleinberg write in their 2010 book "Network, Crowds, and Markets: Reasoning about a Highly Connected World."

Today it's much easier than in Granovetter's day to maintain connections with weak ties, mainly through social media.

As part of Business Insider's "21-Day Plan for Radical Self-Improvement," we're challenging our readers to become more aware of their relationships by reaching out to three people you haven't talked to in years, such as a former coworker or old college buddy.

It's up to you whether to call, text, or email. If you're unsure, you're probably best off using email, since you can always schedule a follow-up meeting or phone call.

Be genuine, and don't force an interaction with someone you'd rather not talk to. You can't really go wrong grabbing a beer with an old friend, and who knows, he or she may eventually put you in touch with the person who gets you your next job.

SEE ALSO: Take Our 21-Day Plan For Radical Self-Improvement

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No one really wants another scarf this holiday season. 

We polled the men of Business Insider to see what gifts would put the biggest grins on their faces, and then picked our favorite items to match their wishes.

From kitchen gadgets to electronics, here are the gifts guys really want for the holidays.

"I'd really love some home goods, like a really beautiful woven rug or blanket."

It's not just women who care about tasteful decor. One of our editors said he'd love a blanket or rug, and also a plant — he's hoping for a cactus, too.

We love Etro's cozy wool throws, which come in a variety of colors and patters.

Price: $631.00

"A tuxedo."

A tuxedo is a great investment: buy one that fits, and you'll have it forever (and you won't have to keep shelling out for rentals).

Indochino is an online custom menswear company that makes a variety of suits, shirts, and tuxedos. Just send in your measurements, and your hand-tailored wardrobe will arrive roughly four weeks later. The company offers several style of tux, starting as low as $449.

Price:$449 to $749

"I want a Note 4."

This request comes from one of our senior tech editors, who calls the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 "the best Android on the market."

 That's an easy one: You can order the smartphone, which has a big screen, upgraded camera, and a premium metal frame, from almost anywhere.

Price:$299

There’s nothing like a good, dark bar. The details are irrelevant: The walls could be covered in graffiti or mounted jackalope heads.

The floor could be covered in wide wood planks or sticky beer and peanut shells (Hey, we can get down with that).

If there’s booze, a good playlist, and that ever-elusive great “ambiance,” we want to drink there.

But whether you’re paying $16 a pop for artisanal cocktails or $5 for a shot and a beer, one thing’s for sure: When it comes to bar behavior, there are rules, people. Rules!

We spoke to two top bar managers and owners about the most egregious offenses a bar-goer can make. Avoiding these common mistakes will ensure that everyone has a good time. And for crying out loud, charge your cell phone before you leave the house.

1. Don’t Snap, Wave, or Exhibit Otherwise Demeaning Behavior to Get Your Bartender’s Attention

“Waving your hands at a bartender or server seems like a nice way to get their attention, right?” asks Jeffrey Morgenthaler, bar manager at Pépé Le Moko in Portland, OR. Yeah…not so much. We can see how, at first blush, this seems like the way to go about it. It’s loud in the bar, and you don’t want to shout over the crowd to alert the bartender to your pressing need of more bourbons.

But waving (or worse, snapping) immediately sours the tone and places your bartender in a position of servitude. We needn’t remind you that your bartender isn’t, actually, your servant; rather, a thinking, feeling human being not unlike yourself. So lose the ‘tude and do what actually works. It’s actually pretty darn easy, according to Morgenthaler: “Wait patiently. We know what we’re doing, we know who’s next. We’ll be with you as soon as we can.”

2. Don’t Take Up More than Your Fair Share of Space

Great news: Despite the stink eye you’re getting from that dude behind you waving a twenty, it’s not taboo to perch at the bar. By coming to the bar and ordering a drink—you are ordering a drink, right?—you’re paying for a little piece of real estate, says Morgenthaler. What’s not okay? Setting your purse or backpack on a chair.

Unless your bag is getting shnockered on amaretto sours, that is, in which case maybe we have bigger issues to talk about. What to do about a night that starts quietly (those corner seats were perfect!) and gets raucous as the evening wears on (now you can’t even hear yourself think!)?

If the bar is screaming loud and you’re constantly being bumped and jostled by other people trying to order a drink, here is an elegant solution to the problem: Relocate to a quieter portion of the room. And speaking of getting shnockered, this is a good time to bring up the delicate issue of sloppy behavior. On to our next point…

3. Keep It Classy

Sure, it’s a bartender’s responsibility not to over-serve patrons, and you’d better believe they do try to keep things in check. But babysitters they are not, and the bulk of the responsibility falls on the bar-goer—that’s you. Paul Calvert of Paper Plane in Decatur, GA, says that his bartenders are trained in tactics to “pump the breaks,” like refilling a water glass but not offering more alcohol, or sending out a plate of starchy food at just the right moment. “Sometimes I’ll look at someone and just think, ‘Your face says French fries all over it,’” he says, citing a free plate as one of his most effective “Jedi mind tricks.”

Bars present a unique challenge within the hospitality industry, because on any given night a portion of the patrons are present not just to enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail, but to get drunk. It’s a cold, sloppy fact of the business. If that’s your game plan, roll with a designated driver, call a cab, or sleep underneath the bar. Just kidding about that last one.

RELATED: 7 Wintry Dinner Recipes Great for December 

4. Play Nice With Others

Know what sounds great? Morgenthaler’s description of  Pépé Le Moko: ”We’re a bar that prides itself on being a safe and comfortable place for women, so nobody is going to be allowed to change that. Also? Racism and homophobia can go elsewhere.” You know what doesn’t sound so great? Bar fights, crude remarks, shouting, rude remarks, and otherwise jerky drunk people. Alcohol can loosen inhibitions, making honesty a little easier, but that is in no way a license to be belligerent, offensive, or otherwise buffon-ish. If you can’t play nice, don’t play there at all. Alcohol is not a valid excuse, so just because you’re in a bar does not mean you can let ‘er rip. And, for the record, that is not license to take any argument “outside.” Nothing good ever happened to an argument taken outside.

Essentially, explains Calvert, you should conduct yourself in a bar exactly how you would anywhere else. “If it’s unacceptable behavior on a bus, in a store, or in a church, it’s probably unacceptable behavior in a bar, too,” he says, citing homophobia and racism as the two biggest offenders.

5. Charge Your %&@! Cell Phone at Home

Ah, the question of the moment: Why is it so difficult for us to fully charge our cell phones before leaving our homes? At Paper Plane, the policy on charging customers’ cells behind the bar is simple: No. Calvert actually designed the bar to hide electrical outlets to discourage pushy customers.

“I don’t get it,” he says. “I charge my phone every night, and then at the end of the day I go home and do it all over again.” Bartenders are in the business of serving you tasty drinks, not in providing dockets for your to juice up your gadgets. If you feel the entitled to charge in a space, perhaps you are thinking of your house or apartment, where there are outlets a-plenty.

6. Choose the Right Bar for Your Needs

“Decide what you’re in the mood for, then own it,” says Calvert. Feeling amped about a dirty dive bar that only serves canned domestic beer? Awesome! Do it up. Just don’t get mad if you sashay into an upscale martini bar and no one will serve you a Bud. Ditto for your 12-ingredient martini during darts-and-wing night at the dive.

Now, that said, once you’ve found the bar of your dreams don’t be ashamed of your order. Let your drink flag fly! No good bartender will make fun of you for ordering a pink martini—at least not to your face. Most bartenders would never intentionally be rude or hostile toward a customer, but ego is hugely at play in this growing industry, and the pressure is high for bartenders and spirit professionals to flaunt their knowledge.

This kick-starts a vicious cycle in which the customer feels intimidated and tries to prove how much he knows, lest the bartender think him an ignoramus. This is no fun for anyone involved, says Calvert, so order with confidence and own your drink choice.

7. Bartenders and Customers: Tip Well and Be Appreciative

While the issue of tipping is a hotly contested one (Should we do away with tips completely? Will that upset the whole system?), one thing is for sure: In our current bar climate, it’s incredibly important to tip fairly. Yeah, okay. Got it. Now, what’s “fairly”? According to Calvert, that means a 15-20% tip. Yep. Just like dining out. Anything above and beyond is a nice surprise; anything less is a little disappointing.

If you’re dropping in for just a drink, a dollar or two will suffice. If you’re paying with a card, don’t forget to write in a tip. What about those on the receiving end of a tip? Be gracious and appreciative, urges Calvert.

“If someone is friendly and respectful all night, then leaves a 10% tip, don’t write them off as a jerk. Maybe they did the best they could. Maybe they go out one night a month, and you just gave them a really great experience and a great drink. That’s worth something.” (That said, please tip well.)

More From Bon Appetit:

Holiday Gift Guide 2014: All the Booze You Could Possibly Need 

Holiday Gift Guide 2014: Pantry Delights & Kitchen Toys 

An Australian Coffee Drink is Taking the U.S. by Storm 

Winter Salad Ideas for Hardy Greens and More 

Holiday Gift Guide 2014: All Things Chocolate 

Join the conversation about this story »

New York City firefighter Jason Charles is a "prepper," someone who spends large amounts of time preparing and planning to survive an eventual apocalypse.

When Charles isn't on camping trips to test his gear or conducting meetings with other NYC Preppers to work on survival skills, he's building out his "bug-out bag," a portable kit filled with everything one might need to survive in the event of an evacuation. 

The Department of Homeland Security currently recommends that all Americans keep a bug-out bag with everything they need to survive for three days. While few citizens heed this advice, these bags are every preppers' first line of defense. Charles goes a few steps further, though.

He's developed a complete kit so that he, his wife, two kids, and dog could survive for an entire week with nothing else but its contents. In addition, the bags have supplies to get them started on a new life, in the event that it becomes too dangerous to return home.

We asked Charles to show us what's inside his bug-out bag.

Charles' "bug-out bag" weighs approximately 50 pounds and includes a four-person tent, an emergency blanket, water bottle, and number of other necessities. 

While his kit includes multiple water bottles, it also holds emergency drinking water packages (left, top), meant to be used as a last resort. On the right is a handmade first-aid kid. Below is a waterproof emergency candle kit, which can burn for 50 hours continuously. On the bottom left is a 10-gallon folding bucket, perfect for carrying and purifying water.

Aside from water, food is the most important thing Charles carries. He says each bug-out bag should carry at least a week's worth of food per person, most of which comes in the form of Mountain House freeze-dried meals. All you do is add hot water.

Charles also has numerous First Strike Ration MREs (meals, ready-to-eat), developed by the United States Army Soldier Systems Center. The meals are designed to be eaten during the first 72 hours of conflict and are said to enhance physical and mental performance. They require almost no preparation.

Though some preppers opt to carry around "firestarter" logs for fires, Charles prefers to use simple sawdust and lint. By practicing with the bare minimum, he believes he is preparing himself for when he doesn't have all his supplies. Charles frequently goes on "bug-out" weekends to test his survival skills, by building a campsite with other preppers and practicing starting fires, setting up lookout points, and foraging edible plants and insects.

It used to take Charles more than five minutes to get a fire going. Now, he can do it in under a minute.

Charles considers this Firebox folding stove a luxury. It's useful for cooking, but is extremely heavy.

Charles always carries particle masks for everyone in his family. While they don't protect against radiation, his hope is that they would help the family breathe through heavy ash or dust in the air after an explosion, as well as help protect against contagious diseases.

Charles says its important to think about how one would survive for an extended period after the initial catastrophic event. He keeps a portable saw in his bag, which would be invaluable when cutting wood for fires or for building materials.

He brings a hatchet for similar reasons. In addition, the hatchet can serve as a weapon if need be. Because of New York's strict gun laws, Charles does not own a firearm. Instead, he carries the hatchet and a machete.

This Scorpion Radio by Aton is a solar-powered outdoor radio and flashlight that can also charge your smartphone. If there is no sun, you can also charge it by cranking its attached arm.

Charles says the Nomad 13 solar panel by Goal Zero is one of the most useful things he carries that most people might forget. "We're all so dependent on our devices and our phones now," says Charles.

Charlie the dog gets his own bug-out bag. It's filled with his food, treats, and medications. 

Charles keeps all his extra supplies in a closet filled with food, water, medications, and extra tools. If he is able to take his truck during an evacuation situation, he plans to load the majority of the closet's contents in the truck with him.

SEE ALSO: Why This NYC Firefighter Is Prepping For The End Of Civilization

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Chelsea’s infamous Walker Tower, where apartments sell for record-breaking prices, has its newest listing. 

The $44.5 million dollar combo apartment is the most expensive residence in the building after the $50.9 million Penthouse One, according to the Wall Street Journal . 

The 18th-floor apartments were previously on the market separately, selling for $34 million and 1$0.52 million respectively.

But owner Elliott Joseph decided to combine the two units to make one massive 6,975-square-foot apartment. 

The new listing is actually bigger than the Penthouse One, but is selling for only $6,380 per square foot, which is a much better value than the $8,547 per square foot price of the Penthouse. 

The buyer of this apartment will join notable neighbors such as Cameron Diaz and Sex Pistols produce Mike Thorne. 

Michael Graves of Douglas Elliman Real Estate has the listing. 

Welcome to the Walker Tower. Designed in 1929 by the famed architect Ralph Walker, the Art Deco building was turned into 50 luxury condominium residences in 2012.

The apartment in downtown Chelsea has coffered ceilings, custom-designed millwork and lighting, plus a built-in humidification system. It even has a beautiful wood-burning fireplace.

The unit is covered in heated French herringbone oak wood floors, making it stylish and cozy.

It's National Cookie Day, and the chocolate chip variety are one of America's favorite sweets. 

But crafting the perfect one can be a science, says food blogger Tessa Arias of Handle The Heat. 

"Have you ever wondered why chocolate chip cookies can be chewy, crisp, soft, flat, thick, cakey, greasy, bland, flavorful, moist, or crumbly?" Arias writes on her blog. 

To demonstrate her point, Arias made eight batches of cookies, all with slight variations. 

She chilled one batch of dough overnight, and added more baking soda to another batch.

As you can see, the results vary widely. 

SEE ALSO: The Rise And Fall Of The Crumbs Cupcake Empire

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It's the happiest time of the year — cookie-baking season.

Due to sheer amount of office holiday parties, family meals, and last-minute homemade gifts for friends, chances are you've spent at least one chilly night indoors whipping up batch after batch of cookies.

But just because two people make chocolate chip cookies doesn't mean both will taste equally delicious.

So in honor of National Cookie Day, here are 12 kitchen hacks to up your cookie-baking game.

1. Use room temperature butter

You can use cold butter if necessary, but the cookies won't be as chewy. Room temperature butter will mix better with dry ingredients, like sugar and flour, and will help hold the cookie shape as your cookie bakes. (Some recipes also call for half-melted or melted butter, but unless the recipe specifically asks for it, the safest bet is room temperature butter.)

The fastest way to get butter to room temperature is to cut it into pieces and let it sit on a plate for 30 minutes while you get the other ingredients ready.

2. Speaking of butter, it needs to be unsalted

The amount of salt in salted butter varies among brands, so there's no way of knowing how much salt it adds to the cookies. Better to use unsalted butter and add the exact amount of salt the recipe calls for to avoid salty, disgusting cookies.

3. Your eggs should be room temperature, too

Even though many Americans store their eggs in the fridge, you're actually supposed to use room temperature eggs when baking since the whites and yolks combine easier and more evenly into the batter (leading to a better, airier cookie texture).

Getting eggs to room temperature is really easy — just place an egg in a bowl of warm tap water for 10-15 minutes.

4. Spend time creaming your butter and sugar together

The process known as "creaming" is basically just blending ingredients together with a solid fat, like butter or shortening. Not to get too much into the science of baking, but the sugar crystals help aerate the butter by creating air bubbles as they cut into the fat.

Basically, if you cream the butter and sugar correctly (about 10 minutes), you'll get evenly baked, fluffy cookies.

5. Reduce the flour to make even more tender cookies

Here's what most people do: Dip the measuring cup into a bag of flour, pack it in densely, and then swipe off the excess with a knife. These people are probably making rock-hard, dry cookies that their friends are politely nibbling and then throwing away.

Instead, take a spoon and fill up the measuring cup without packing in the flour, and then use a knife to swipe off the excess. This reduces your flour by a few tablespoons, which will make cookies even more chewy and tender.

6. Chill the dough before baking

Some people think this is an unnecessary, time-consuming step, but those people are dead wrong.

Letting the dough chill in the refrigerator (from four hours to overnight) makes it easier to work with (less sticky), and really brings out the buttery flavor since the ingredients have had time really meld together.

7. Put coarse sea salt on top of chocolate chip cookies

Salty and sweet flavors always go really well together, but putting a sprinkling of sea salt on top of already delicious chocolate chip cookies will make the chocolate seem even richer, and help the buttery, sugary dough taste even better.

Try this once and you'll never go back.

8. Flour your cookie cutters before use

If you're making sugar cookies or gingerbread cookies and using cookie cutter shapes, make sure to dip the cutters into flour before use. This way, the dough will loosen easily from the cutter when you place it on the cookie sheet.

You should put flour on your hands and rolling pin for the same reason.

9. Invest in insulated cookie sheets

Insulated cookie sheets are worth investing in because they help cookies bake evenly and will not burn the bottoms. They're made with multiple layers of aluminum so that the air is insulated within the sheet, and not just whichever part of the oven is hottest.

10. Lower the oven temperature

If you're making a thicker cookie, dial the oven temperature back about 25 degrees. This will keep the exterior of the cookie from getting too crunchy before the inside finishes cooking.

Serious bakers should also invest in an oven thermometer to make sure the oven is the exact cookie-baking temperature.

11. Check on cookies 2-3 minutes before they should be done

If you like soft, slightly-underdone cookies (like most humans do) be ready to take your cookies out of the oven 2-3 minutes before the recipe says they should be done.

Cookies burn easily, and oftentimes don't appear "done" on top when they're actually perfect. Thick or moist cookies are done when you can press lightly and leave a small imprint, while thin or crispy ones are done when they're firm to the touch and have slightly golden edges.

12. Store an apple wedge with your cookies to keep them soft

The moist apple wedge will let your chewy cookies steal some of its moisture, keeping them soft and tender for longer.

Also, make sure to always put away cookies once they've completely cooled — otherwise, condensation will build up and the cookies will turn soggy.

SEE ALSO: 12 Great Sandwich Hacks

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Balding men and anyone else with thinning hair: It's time we had a talk.

Let's face it, you're not fooling anyone with that comb-over, that weave doesn't look right, and the toupee will always look crooked.

But take heart, because there are a few things you can do to your hair and head that will lessen the notability of the hair loss as well as boost your confidence.

The first mistake men make, according to barber Richard Bresson of Fellow Barber, is keeping their hair on the longer side. As a rule, shorter is always better.

This is because, as hair grows out it becomes "stringy and limp on top" and bushy on the sides. 

Instead, get the sides cropped close with scissors or clippers and the top short with the hair brushed to the side. Don't get any kind of part since you don't want any hard lines drawing eyes to the "problem area."

"It's all about creating an illusion, moving the eyes away from the thinning top, instead of to the whole cut that's pleasing to look at," Bresson told us.

As for styling, stick to clays and pastes (you can see our recommendations here) that will give your hair lift and body, according to Bresson.

And if all else fails, just buzz it.

It's up to you and your scalp to make this relatively drastic decision, but more men should definitely consider it, Bresson told us. It can make you look younger and feel more confident.

Plus, you don't have to shave down to nothing. A No .2 setting or lower on the clippers to shave your head will drastically minimize the appearance of any bald spots or receding hairlines.

But remember, now your head is fully exposed to the elements, so use sunscreen.

NOW WATCH: Here's What Happens To Your Body If You Stop Eating

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For those looking to one-up everyone at the annual ugly sweater party, look no further than Opposuit's ugly Christmas sweater suits.

Inspired by the patterns of sweaters best left on the racks of Value Village, these suits are just about the most attention-getting piece of clothing that money can buy.

They're really, really ugly — but that's kind of the whole point.

Each of the 26 suits has its own unique pattern, from stars and stripes to playing cards. They're made out 100% polyester (which, as the box says, is 200% amazing) and are machine washable, making them the perfect thing to wear to the holiday party where things are known to get a little crazy.

The three Christmas themed suits include the blue snowflake- and reindeer-patterned "The Rudolph," the red and green Christmas tree patterned "Treemendous," and the red Christmas snowman explosion of "Christmaster."

The company claims that the suits are definitely not just silly costumes, and assures customers that they're made with high-quality construction and materials as well as a well-fitting design. The pants are even made slightly longer to accommodate wearing it with casual shoes.

The suits are produced by an offshoot brand of Amsterdam based clothing retailer, shinesty.com. They retail between $99 and $110, and come with a matching jacket, pants, and a patterned tie. 

Unfortunately, the company sold out of its entire Christmas inventory in 48 hours on Black Friday, according to SF Gate, so your hopes may be dashed if you were planning to wear one to your next seasonal get-together.

Still, you can choose one of any number of other styles Opposuits offers, like the New Year's star suit or Halloween's Jack o'Lantern version.

But for the most part, the Opposuits are very loud and garish. Plus for $100, it might be better to just buy a nice button-down shirt or pair of pants.

SEE ALSO: 10 Ways To Spot A Cheap Suit

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