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The four items every guys needs to stay warm this winter


Construction on this Miami-area condo building hasn't even begun — and a penthouse already sold for $21 million

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Ritz-Carlton Residences, Sunny Isles Beach

A penthouse in a Miami building that has yet to be completed just changed hands for a whopping $21 million, according to developers Fortune International Group and Château Group

The entire 51st floor of the 52-story Ritz Carlton Residences at Sunny Isles Beach is currently under contract. Construction will begin on the condo building in 2016, with a projected completion date of 2018.

Though it was originally being sold as two separate residences, the buyer — who is a "successful entrepreneur," the developer told The Wall Street Journal— elected to combine them into a full-floor penthouse. 

Another full-floor penthouse one floor up is still on the market for $30 million.

SEE ALSO: An insane Florida mansion that was once the most expensive home in the US is back on the market — and now it's even more expensive

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The second-from-the-top-floor penthouse of the Ritz-Carlton Residences at Sunny Isles Beach is already sold.



The building, scheduled for completion in 2018, hasn't even begun construction yet.



The penthouse — which was previously being sold as two separate units — will measure 7,735 square feet and have five bedrooms in total.



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How Jim Cramer found his real passion

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Host of CNBC's "Mad Money," Jim Cramer spoke with Business Insider CEO and Editor-in-Chief Henry Blodget at the website's 2015 IGNITION conference about how opening a restaurant in Brooklyn helped him find a passion for people and hospitality. 

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10 Incredibly luxurious ski chalets you can rent for under $10,000 this winter

14 great holiday gifts to get for your coworkers

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gift wrapping

You may spend the majority of your life with these people, but that doesn't necessarily make shopping for your coworkers any easier.

While swapping gifts with coworkers isn't always appropriate or the norm, if you do want to spread some holiday cheer this year, this list of 14 inexpensive gifts can help take the stress out of your holiday shopping.

SEE ALSO: 50 fantastic holiday gifts for $50 or less

Liven up someone's desk with a colorful terrarium.

Research suggests workers perform better when plants are added to workplaces.

Price:$24



Make staying organized more colorful.

This pack of three lined journals is the perfect way to brighten up even the dullest of meetings. 

Price:$13



Keep them hydrated.

CamelBak's Chute water bottle is great because, without any funny mouthpieces or straw components, it's so easy to clean. It also fits a ton of water, which means your coworker doesn't need to constantly refill.

Price:$13



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Wake up on the side of a cliff at this Peruvian resort

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Does waking up 1,300 feet above certain death, hanging off the side of a cliff sound good to you?

Then you'll love Natura Vive's "Skylodge Adventure Suites" near Cusco, Peru.

Powered by solar panels, the transparent pods hang off the side of a cliff, 1,300 feet above the valley floor. Each pod is handcrafted from aerospace aluminum and weather resistant polycarbonate, and measures 23 by 8 feet. Suites sleep four and feature a dining area and shared bathroom, as well as epic, 300-degree views of the mystical Inca valley.

Getting there is half the adventure, as guests can either take the Via Ferrata ("Iron Way"), which includes crossing a hanging bridge 600 feet above the valley and climbing sheer cliffs in in the Peruvian Andes, or take the equally intrepid hike-and-zipline route.

Book yours now for $290 a night, which includes breakfast and dinner with wine.

Story by Sophie-Claire Hoeller and editing by Jeremy Dreyfuss

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SEE ALSO: These glass igloos in the Finnish wilderness are the best way to stare at the Northern Lights all night

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Sending humans to Mars could uncover a disturbing truth to one of life's greatest mysteries

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curiosity2

If humankind successfully lands people on the surface of Mars, we could discover an important clue about the origins of life on Earth — one of the greatest scientific mysteries in human history. 

A theory called panspermia, which dates back to the 5th century BC, posits that certain life forms can hop between planets, and even star systems, to fertilize them with life. 

Following this theory, some scientists suspect that the first life on Earth never formed on our planet at all, but instead, hitched a ride inside planetary fragments from Mars that were flung into space after a powerful impact and eventually fell to Earth. We could be the aliens!

While some write the theory off as outrageous, others think it could harbor some potential. If true, it could deeply impact how we identify ourselves as a species. 

By studying the planet's geography, atmosphere, and soil composition, planetary scientists know that billions of years ago, Mars was once a warm, wet world with conditions ideal for life.

Why a manned mission to Mars is necessary

None of the landers or satellites we've sent to the Red Planet thus far have uncovered evidence of past or present life of any kind. 

the martian It's possible that a robot simply cannot dig deep enough or collect enough of the right kind of sample. In the end, it might take a human to explore what robotic rovers cannot.

Plus, what it takes NASA's best Mars rovers a week to do, a well-equipped human could complete in 15 minutes, according to mechanical engineer and popular science communicator Bill Nye in his latest book "Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World."

"If we found microbes on Mars that are clearly related to those on Earth, such a discovery would change the course of human history ... everyone everywhere would soon come to feel differently about what it means to be a living thing in the cosmos," Nye writes. 

It won't be a surprise

This kind of discovery, however, won't come suddenly, according to Linda Billings, the consultant to NASA's Astrobiology and Near Earth Object Programs. 

Mars meteorite."As is the case with most scientific discoveries, the discovery of extraterrestrial life will likely be a prolonged process," Billings told Business Insider. "Claims of evidence of extraterrestrial life will be subjected to peer review, and other scientists will continue to look for further evidence."

One example of this prolonged process took place in the mid-90's when a team of scientists announced that they found convincing evidence for extraterrestrial life inside of a Martian meteorite — a rock that formed on Mars, were ejected into space after a powerful impact by an asteroid or comet, and eventually landed on Earth. 

To date, scientists have identified 132 Martian meteorites.

In 1996, the NASA-led team published a paper in the prestigious journal Science that they'd identified grooves and organic compounds in the "ALH8400" Martian meteorite, discovered in Antarctica, that could be fossilized evidence for extraterrestrial nanobacteria.

"The astrobiology community spent months into years investigating those claims," Billings said. "Eventually a consensus emerged in the science community that the original claim of fossil evidence of martian life did not stand up to scrutiny."

If astrobiologists do eventually discover that life came from Mars, NASA will be ready for what happens next. 

NASA explores the repercussions 

In 2011, NASA and the Library of Congress established the Baruch S. Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Astrobiology Program, which explores the philosophical, religious, ethical, legal, and cultural impact related to the possible discovery of extraterrestrial life.

Church Christianity Religion The current chair of the program, Nathaniel Comfort, who is also a scientific historian and professor at the Institute of the History of Medicine at The Johns Hopkins University, shared his thoughts with Business Insider about what the notion that we all have a little Martian in us might mean:

"It wouldn't alter the views of those who hold literal interpretations of Scripture. And the rest of evolution would follow as before," Comfort said. "The tabloids would have a field day of course. But once the headlines faded and the conferences ended, I think life would continue on much as before."

As for the people who dedicate their lives to the scientific process, Comfort said:

"Academics would debate questions of human identity afresh  ... in short, it might throw an existential monkey wrench into the works, but the principles of moral behavior would remain the same."

The probability of panspermia 

The idea that life came from Mars is a highly-debated topic. Both Comfort and Billings agree that the possibility is unlikely. 

Reef corals (genus Acropora/Isopora) are seen in the Western Indo-Pacific Ocean in this undated handout picture from Paul Muir from the Queensland Museum in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. REUTERS/Paul Muir/Queensland Museum/Handout via Reuters"It seems to me extremely unlikely that life on Earth came from Mars (or anywhere else)," Comfort said. "The logic and data I find most persuasive dismisses the idea of life coming from a 'seed' at all, whether terrestrial or not."

Yet, other scientists, like Steven Benner — who's a chemist and one of the world's leading experts on the origins of life — argue otherwise

In 2013, Benner said during a talk at the Goldschmidt conference for geochemists that Mars might have been a better place for life to begin than Earth. 

That's because ancient Martian meteorites contain more boron and molybdenum — important precursors to the formation of RNA — than early Earth. 

Moreover, Christopher Adcock and Elizabeth Hausrath, both researchers at the University of Nevada in 2013, discovered that phosphates — another important chemical in the formation of RNA, DNA, and essential proteins — in Martian meteorites are more water-soluble than those on early Earth.

And since life is suspected to have begun in the presence of water, their research suggests that Mars could have formed life more readily than Earth.

However, studying Martian meteorites for signs of life has been ongoing for over two decades without success. Perhaps the only way to know for sure if we are the true aliens is to head to Mars ourselves and dig up the potential proof.

LEARN MORE: This 1-minute animation will change your perception of life in the universe

CHECK OUT: Here's how ridiculously fast we could visit everything in the solar system if we traveled at the speed of light

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NOW WATCH: How scientists uncovered a completely new world inside the tunnels of the most powerful physics machine on Earth

Jim Cramer reveals how to win your fantasy football league


These are the easiest ways to make your iPhone run faster (AAPL)

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ip6

We use our phones for nearly everything, which is why the slightest bug or glitch can be annoying.

If your iPhone feels like it's running a bit slowly, there's usually a problem that can be easily solved. 

Two years of everyday use can take a toll on your iPhone, but these tips and tricks should be able to hold you over until your next upgrade. 

Get rid of old photos.

Deleting unnecessary files is another great way to speed up your phone. If you've got hundreds of photos on your iPhone, try syncing them to iPhoto on your desktop or backing them up through iCloud and erasing them from your phone. 



Delete apps that take up a lot of space.

The more bloated your iPhone is, the slower it's going to run. To see how much space a single app is occupying, head over to Settings>General>Storage & iCloud Usage>Manage Storage



Erase old text message threads.

If you never delete any text messages (or multimedia messages like pictures and video), it can weigh down the phone's software. One easy way to make sure old messages don't clog up your phone is by changing the default amount of time you keep messages: the iPhone offers 30 days, 1 year, and forever. To do this go to Settings>Messages>Keep Messages.



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After 2 years and 38 dates, I met my fiancé using an online dating site — here's what I discovered

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mallory's profile photo

A few years ago, I was bemoaning my love life, as many early 20-somethings do when they graduate college.

I was sitting at a diner with one of my closest friends, and she presented me with a solution: set up an OkCupid account. She said that it wasn't the terrifying mid-1990s AOL chat room that I imagined it to be, and that it was an excellent way, if nothing else, to get the confirmation that there were human males on the planet.

This was 2011, before Tinder existed. OkCupid seemed noncommittal, and it posed the option to state what you were looking for: A friend? A pen pal? Casual sex? Long-term dating? And, most confounding of all, short-term dating?

I let my friend construct the basics of my profile for me, and then I underwent the existential crisis of building my profile. What was I doing with my life, anyway? Do I honestly like horror movies? And was I going to resort to platitudes about my typical day ("there really is no typical day for me!")?

And so I began my online-dating escapades. I found myself messaging several potential dates (and I also found myself on the receiving end of some comical messages, particularly ones regarding my affinity for pickles — the food.)

My very first date was with a guy whose profile picture was in black and white ("Artsy!" I thought). We met at the iconic Slaughtered Lamb Pub in the West Village. Don't know what it is? It looks like this, and I assumed it was a metaphor for what was to come in my dating escapades:

Oh hell yes.🌕 #slaughteredlamb#theslaughteredlamb#americanwerewolfinlondon#horror#nyc

A photo posted by Our Lady of Hysteria (@mistressoffear) on Oct 8, 2015 at 4:53pm PDT on

He was a nice guy, but we weren't a match. Still, it was just the beginning.

Over the course of two years and several incarnations of my profile, I went on many (well over thirty) adventures and misadventures with various men who inhabited the city and its boroughs.

My next-door neighbor who I met online? Check. A professional clamdigger? Check. That time I agreed to go to a place that specialized in grilled-cheese sandwiches when I'm lactose intolerant? Check. 

And as it turns out, my error-prone dating life turned into a rom-com — I finally met my fiancé on OkCupid.

I don't claim to be an expert because I got the prize at the end of all of the trauma. But — having been through the throes of the dating sphere — I believe I've gained insight that's applicable to any dating app or service out there, whether you're looking for love ... or short-term dating.

Actually try, then stick with it

okcupid walkthrough

If there's one thing I'm positive about, it's that finding the right person is a numbers game. You can't bemoan your nonexistent romantic life if you aren't trying.

There were times when I would get frustrated and would delete my account completely. Someone really did bring his entire posse of bros along with him on a date. Someone really did believe "want to listen to a podcast with me?" was a good seal-the-deal line at the end of the night. Someone really did utter the words "good luck" to me as he sent me off onto the R train, back into the abyss of the internet.

And there were people who thoroughly disappointed me, too, and because I'm a human, there were occasional tears shed in the process. I went through a vicious cycle of deleting and undeleting my account, ultimately deciding that the only option was to have hope. After all, every date I went on could have — potentially — been phenomenal. Most weren't, but that's fine.

Game the system if you can

In early 2013, I read a book that changed the way I viewed dating. "Data: A Love Story" by Amy Webb chronicles Webb's journey as she looks for love on the internet. Webb used analytics and data to gamify the system and find her husband-to-be. Webb's thesis, essentially, boils down to the idea that there are many search variables on some services (age, location, religion, smoking or nonsmoking, height, if you'd sleep with a pet in your bed, when you'd sleep with a significant other, etc.), and you can use these variables to work in your favor.

With this in mind, if you are very specific about what you want — and who you are — you can weed out a lot of mismatches who might seem ideal from the outset, but are very much not for you. Maybe you'll go on fewer dates, but the dates you do go on will probably fare better than they would had you not paid attention to specifics. I started doing this in the tail end of my dating saga, and it turned out to be a smart move.

Be honest with yourself ... and others

Again, this is difficult to do with services that prohibit you from providing ample information about yourself, so the next best thing is to be honest with yourself and the person you're talking to — whether it's within the first message or on the first date. And that means being honest about what you really do for a living, what you're really looking for, and perhaps most terrifyingly, what you really look like.

Profile pictures are probably the single most daunting component of setting up any dating service. And everyone knows the old standard rules (don't put photos from ten years ago up, don't post photos with exes, don't post photos of people that are not you, etc.) and many people know some dead giveaways. But the photo issue ultimately boils down to honesty.

Photos that show personality — and maybe aren't even the most attractive are probably the most helpful. (Although I admit that while I occasionally posted some abnormally flattering photos, I did have ample goofy, imperfect photos on my profile.)

And it's okay if what's real seems completely flawed to others.

Once, a friend of mine was scouring my profile and told me that I talked too much about what I did and that I didn't sound chill. "Guys wouldn't be interested in someone who enjoyed working and wasn't chill," she insisted. And they especially wouldn't like someone who used a lot of words. So I updated my information to sound more amenable to men, and I procured more dates ... we were completely mismatched. There's nothing wrong with not being a "cool girl," not being a sports enthusiast, and wanting to use words (especially if you write them for a living).

I learned it's equally as important to be honest in person as much as you are online, like admitting that no, you haven't heard of the band Com Truise and that the idea of playing catch in the park is not an ideal date for you. (Both of which I did not admit in 2012 — neither date ended well for me, especially when catch turned into 'fetch' given my lack of hand-eye coordination.)

Have standards ... or develop them if you don't

nice guys of ok cupid

The more dates I went on, the more I was able to realize what I found to be acceptable — and what I found to be unacceptable. There was a time early in my dating journey when I thought that a pulse and the ability to understand my theater references marked the zeniths of romance. And then, that guy brought his friends along, and I realized that ... and many other things ... were deal breakers. But the only way that I was able to develop standards was by going on lots of dates.

For example, I learned that I wanted to put the date back in dating, and that I abhorred the phrase, "Want to hang out?" It was too casual, and I always ended up disappointed.

Coffee Meets Bagel aims to rectify this problem by forcing people to be more selective — you can only go on one date a day. While it sort of depletes the numbers facet, it certainly bodes well for those who want to start being more discerning with their love and sex lives.

Take initiative

I messaged most people — including my now fiancé. In fact, I was eating a salad in Whole Foods when I messaged him from my phone. And obviously, I'm not the only woman who thinks this is an awesome strategy, because now we have the popular dating dating app Bumble. Bumble forces women to make the first move, like a mobile Sadie Hawkins dance.

One 24-year-old woman I spoke to told me she likes Bumble better than any other dating app, for a multitude of reasons — in part because it eliminates the fear of seedy messages from the opposite sex, and it puts the onus on the woman to go for what she wants. The woman also told me she liked the 24-hour window to respond (connections disappear if there's no conversation), which remedies the radio-silence problem that's practically synonymous with the online-dating services of yore.

That's not to say that guys shouldn't message girls. (On behalf of myself in 2011, please do, but don't be gross.) Wi-Fi-chivalry is not dead.

Go with your gut — even if "the rules" say otherwise

Before I was about to go on my first date with my now fiancé, I swore to myself that I was going to be done with dating services (as I often said) if it didn't work out, and I would deactivate my account.

Our first date was at The Blind Tiger in the West Village — just a few blocks away from The Slaughtered Lamb Pub, my old one-time haunt! It was a disgustingly humid day out; I was not at my finest. I was waiting outside for him, nearly confident that he had seen my frizzy hair and the sweat forming at my temples and had walked away — but it turns out he was already waiting inside.

As we made our way to the second location of the evening, I found myself thinking something I had never thought before on any of my many dates: "I really don't want this date to end; I'm liking talking to him so much." Sure, I had good times on other dates, and I certainly convinced myself I was having a better time than I actually was on several dates, but I was never so acutely aware of how I felt as I was in that moment. He was thoughtful, intelligent, and not aggressive. There was a real back and forth to our conversation, and although all first dates are filled with plenty of questions, this didn't feel like a job interview to be somebody's hookup. This felt sincere.

So I did something I had never done before and something that defied the "rules." I didn't wait for him to text me. I got home, and I pulled out my phone, and thanked him for a very nice evening. He wrote back shortly after, asking to see me again soon.

A few days later, we went on another date. Shortly after, we went on our third. After our fourth date, I pulled out my phone. I deactivated my account. I'd found what I was looking for.

SEE ALSO: Science-backed ways to hack your Tinder profile and get the most matches possible

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NOW WATCH: Confessions of a dating-app 'addict' who decided to quit cold turkey

This New York City bar decorates for the holidays with over 15,000 ornaments

I tried the $300 tool that claims to be 'the best razor on Earth' — and it was terrifying

African servals aren't like other cats — here's why

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Servals are Africa's most distinguished cat. 

In Portuguese, serval means "deer-like wolf." They're known for their enormous ears and long, powerful legs. 

They're also remarkable hunters. 

They can jump as high as 12 feet and have been known to snatch birds out of the air! While lions catch 20% of their pray, servals catch a whopping 50%. 

They may look like cute house cats, but don't be fooled — these are wild animals.

Story and editing by Jeremy Dreyfuss

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10 global destinations that are on the rise, according to TripAdvisor

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banff

There's a certain appeal to visiting a city before it's a global destination that's constantly packed with tourists. 

TripAdvisor recently released the winners of its Travelers' Choice Awards in several different categories, including the global destinations that are on the rise.

To create the list, the online travel site looked at increases in positive traveler feedback as well as increased interest in accommodations, restaurants, and attractions.

From the majestic landscape of Banff, Alberta, to the fishing village of Cartagena, Colombia, here are 10 under-the-radar destinations to add to your travel bucket list.

SEE ALSO: 50 places you should travel to in 2016

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10. FOZ DO IGUACU, BRAZIL — Foz do Iguacu is located on the border of Brazil’s Iguazu (or Iguaçu) Falls, which has more than 200 individual waterfalls and can be viewed via helicopter, on foot, or by raft.

Click here to learn more about Foz do Iguacu »



9. LIMA, PERU — Lima is home to landscaped parks, sweeping ocean views, cutting-edge art galleries, a growing fashion scene, and some of the world's best dining. Make sure to sample ceviche — raw fish cured in lime juice and hot pepper — for a meal you'll never forget.

Click here to learn more about Lima »



8. BANFF, ALBERTA — Located within Canada's Banff National Park, Banff is home to incredible scenery, luxury lodges, and premiere skiing. With tons of restaurants, a thriving arts scene, and plenty of boutiques to stroll through, travelers can unwind here after exploring the area's breathtaking nature.

Click here to learn more about Banff »



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You've been rolling your shirtsleeves wrong your entire life


The Geminid meteor shower will be visible tonight — here's what you'll actually see while you're watching

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The Geminid meteor shower is peaking this weekend and will be visible on December 13.

Meteor showers are nature's nocturnal entertainment. During large showers, like the Perseids and Geminids, you can see as many as a hundred meteors an hour. But what even is a meteor? What causes these stunning showers to occur every year?

Produced by Jess Orwig and Alex Kuzoian

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Here's what some of the world's worst traffic jams look like

These striking images show just how overcrowded China's population really is

The 7 worst mistakes you can make in your 30s

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man bench thinking stressed sad

Your 30s are typically a time for settling down after using your 20s to take risks and find yourself.

Many 30-somethings are busy rising through their work hierarchy, developing a serious romantic relationship, and possibly raising a family.

Those who have already been through that decade say that as their responsibilities accumulated, it became easier to neglect relationships and ignore opportunities that they would never get again.

Quora users discussed lessons they learned in the thread "What is the biggest mistake you made in your 30s and what did you learn from it?"

We've collected some of the most insightful responses below:

SEE ALSO: 33 things everyone should stop doing in their 30s

DON'T MISS: 13 things mentally strong people don't do

You aren't driven by purpose.

It's common for undergraduate college students lacking specific career goals to pick a relatively safe, well-tread path with the hope that things work out. At some point in their 30s, some of these same people may have multiple degrees and wealth, but realize that they are deriving no meaning from their careers.

This happened to designer Jack Sheu when he was 35. "I learned that if you don't have your purpose, then make it your obsession in life to find it," he writes. "It took me over a year, and I was completely disconnected from the rat race during that time. Don't stop until you've got it. You'll know when you have."



You don't set up a financial foundation for the future.

If you developed a spending habit in your 20s at the expense of saving for your future, it's not too late.

An anonymous poster wrote that when his salary increased dramatically, he started spending excessively on things like expensive cars, a motorcycle, and a boat. Only in retrospect did he realize the danger of burning through money.

"Had I invested the money instead, I could have comfortably retired now (I am 44)," he writes.



You neglect your personal relationships.

You'll likely spend your 30s in a senior position that requires significantly more time and energy than your job did in your 20s. For the sake of your well-being, you should be vigilant about scheduling time specifically for your family and friends. The fulfillment you can gain from keeping loved ones close will keep you happier and more productive.

"Don't just work," writes Microsoft product designer Michael Dorian Bach, now in his late 30s. "Make memories. The older you get, the harder it is to make meaningful relationships. Foster those while you're young."



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The 20 best college towns in America

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Ames Iowa

Ames, Iowa, is the top-ranked college town in the US, according to a new list from American Institute for Economic Research (AIER).

The city of roughly 60,000 people earned the top spot thanks to its affordable cost of living and ample employment opportunities in the fields of science and technology.

The rankings are calculated using 11 criteria including economic vitality, availability of entertainment, and rent. AIER defines small towns as having less than 250,000 residents.

Scroll through to find out the 20 best college towns.

SEE ALSO: The top 20 small cities for American college students

20. Mankato, Minnesota — home of Minnesota State University



19. Blacksburg, Virginia — home of Virginia Tech



18. Morgantown, West Virginia — home of West Virginia University



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