Ecuador, which is home to stunning waterfalls, jungle land, and idyllic nature trails, is fast becoming the most popular backpacking destination on earth.

Internet searches for hostels in Ecuador rose by 556% between January 2015 and June 2016, compared to the same period the previous year, according to recent data from the hostel booking site Dorms.com.

Travel blogger Jessica Festa, the founder of Jessie on a Journey, shared a selection of photos from her trip to Ecuador with Business Insider to show what the country has to offer.

Here's a glimpse into Festa's experience of Ecuador, with her own quotes. 

The travel blogger began her trip in Vilcabamba, a picturesque village in the south of the country that's known as the "Valley of Longevity." It is home to "one of the longest living populations in the world," Festa said, thanks to its "natural mineral water and fresh mountain air." There are also plenty of "budget-friendly spas, meditation and yoga centres, and healthy eateries in town."

An active traveller, Festa did plenty of hiking and cycling on her trip. On a hiking trip in Cajas National Park, near the city of Cuenca, she learned about Quinoa Forest, which is the world's tallest forest, perched at 13,124 feet. As well as beautiful scenery, the park is rife with myths. "Because many [people] have died here from getting lost or altitude sickness the woodland is also believed to be haunted," Festa said.

The nearby city of Cuenca, in the Andes Mountains, is known for its culture. "It's an extremely walkable city and is full of musicians playing in ambient squares, interesting museums and restaurants."

When the summer heat is on, there's almost nothing better than grabbing a frozen dessert to help you cool down. But from ice cream and gelato to soft serve and frozen yogurt, there are plenty of icy snacks you can choose from, and you might not know the differences between them. 

To help you pick out which frozen treat to snack on this summer, we've broken down the ingredients and processes behind each. 

From the way soft serve achieves its delectable, fluffy texture to the surprising fact that gelato is actually lower in fat than ice cream, here's what sets your favorite chilled desserts apart. 

SEE ALSO: The 30 best cities for foodies around the world

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NOW WATCH: Here's what a serving size of each of your favorite foods looks like

It's been nine years since Matt Damon last played former CIA assassin Jason Bourne. The role proved Damon could be not just an action star, but also the face of a hit worldwide franchise. Damon now returns to the character in the much-anticipated "Jason Bourne" (in theaters July 29), and he's arguably in the best shape of his life.

A big part of that is thanks to trainer Jason Walsh, who has been working with Damon since the actor played a chiseled ex-criminal in the 2013 sci-fi film "Elysium."

Damon has continued to work with Walsh because of his training methods, which are dedicated more to creating an athletic physique than getting super-buff. That suited Damon, 45, as he was dealing with ailments when they first met.

"He had issues with this lower back and shoulder," Walsh recently told Business Insider of getting to know Damon. "He had heard that I'd corrected injuries with people who had been living with injuries and pain for a long time so in a couple of weeks I helped him out with his shoulder injury and soon after we got his back cleared up and he was 100-percent feeling great so we continued from there."

Walsh didn't hear from Damon for a year after "Elysium" wrapped, but then he got a call from the actor, who said that he booked three movies in a row and needed Walsh's talents.

Those movies were "The Martian," "The Great Wall" (opening in early 2017), and "Jason Bourne."

In September of 2014, they got back to work to get Damon in shape for the films.

"My biggest thing with Matt is making sure his foundation is solid, and that means he has mobility, flexibility, and overall strength," Walsh said.

"Bourne" was the final film of the three to be made, so by then Damon was in great shape. But director Paul Greengrass told Walsh that, this time around, the look Damon needed to play Bourne was of someone both mentally and physically distraught.

This led to a simple plan for Walsh's training of Damon for "Jason Bourne."

"I just kicked the s--- out of him without breaking him," Walsh said.

Leading up to filming and during production, Walsh had Damon work out on a VersaClimber, which is a piece of cardio equipment that works out the entire body as you pull up and down with your arms and legs in a standing position (almost like climbing a mountain, but doing it much faster).

In this Instagram video, Damon (on the left) can be seen working out on the machine alongside Walsh during filming of “Jason Bourne.”

“If you could see his face after that one, it was fantastic," Walsh said of the video. "He literally sat down next to the wall and looked like he was about to chuck."

Workouts with the VersaClimber that Walsh came up with included seeing how fast you can get to 200 feet or going as fast as you can for one minute. (Walsh, who's also trained Bradley Cooper and Justin Timberlake, among other stars, gives VersaClimber classes known as Rise Nation. He has two locations in Los Angeles and one coming soon to New York City.)

But that wasn't all. Walsh also incorporated daily workouts like:

- 100 sit-ups
- 300 push-ups
- Squats (50 reps)
- Squat jumps (50 reps)
- Pull-ups with 35 pounds strapped to waist
- Single-leg squats with 125-pound dumbbells in each hand
- Sled push and pulling

Along with Damon's chef giving him around 2,000 calories a day during shooting, Walsh also cut back Damon's water intake. Nearing dehydration showcased his body's glamour muscles.

"You start off drinking quite a bit of water the week leading up to shooting," Walsh said. "And then you start cutting back around two days before a specific shooting day, and then on the day [of shooting] you don't have much water in your system."

This method was used while shooting the boxing scene that's been showcased in the "Jason Bourne" trailers, in which Damon knocks out his opponent with one quick punch.

Walsh said that when a photo of Damon shirtless on the "Bourne" set hit the internet and instantly became a trending topic, he couldn't have been prouder.

"He worked his a-- off," Walsh said. "A lot of people don't know what it's like to work that hard and work that long, we had been working out for a year and a half straight! I'm really proud of him."

But every person has their breaking point, and Damon's came when "Bourne" wrapped.

"The day of wrapping there was a large pizza waiting for him," Walsh said.

SEE ALSO: Bryan Cranston reveals the biggest money mistake he ever made

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NOW WATCH: Researchers found out how many miles a week you need to run to improve your health — and it’s surprisingly low

Ask the Insider columnist Ashley Lutz answers all your work-related questions, including the awkward, sensitive, and real-world ones. Have a question? Email asktheinsider@businessinsider.com.

Dear Insider,

I have been at the same restaurant industry job for five years. I always liked my job. That is, until one of my coworkers became completely obsessed with Donald Trump.

He is always sending us articles in the group text and berating people who try to disagree with him. I disagree with Trump's views and get emotional when this stuff comes up. But he becomes even more of a bully if you try to say something. I have asked him (nicely) to stop, but he doesn't listen. 

Now I am dreading work and starting to lash out more. 

What can I do? 

Sincerely,

Tired Of Politics At Work

***

Dear Tired:

You are correct in your feeling that the workplace should be a politics-free zone. 

"The general guideline for talking politics in the office? Don't do it," Barbara Pachter, a career expert and author of The Essentials of Business Etiquette: How to Greet, Eat, and Tweet Your Way to Success, told Business Insider. 

Talking about politics at work is a don't because it can make people uncomfortable (as you are) and change their perception of you. 

According to Pachter, you have a few safe options for staying sane. 

The first is to politely excuse yourself when politics come up in the office. Simply say, "sorry I've got to go!" and walk away. 

You can also try changing the subject in a non-confrontational way. Bring it back to work by saying something like "Did you see the memo our boss sent around?" or "What's the plan for the next happy hour?" 

If those methods don't work, you can try lightly saying "Don't go there; I'm done talking about this!" in a light, joking tone and walking away. 

If the softer approaches fail, you can have a more serious conversation with your coworker. Tell him you're uncomfortable discussing politics in the office and would rather focus on your job. 

And as a last resort, you could try going to your manager and suggesting a policy on discussing politics in the office. 

Almost everyone feels uncomfortable discussing politics at work. You shouldn't have to deal with it. 

Ashley Lutz is a senior editor at Business Insider answering all your questions about the workplace. Send your queries to asktheinsider@businessinsider.com for publication on Business Insider. Requests for anonymity will be granted, and questions may be edited.

SEE ALSO: 'Help! My coworkers' eating habits are driving me insane'

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I am a meat eater. My meat eating is welldocumented on the internet.

If you want receipts, I have them. I have written about the business of steakhouses. I know that a seafood tower is actually a palate cleanser. I monitor the health of the institution that is the New York City hamburger.

But I am getting old. And like most older people, I can't eat whatever I want. As far as I'm concerned, this is a scientific problem. My steak eating is a health issue, and I'm searching for a solution.

So, you see, my motivation for eating the "Impossible Burger," the new vegetarian burger at David Chang's Momofuku Nishi, is unlike that of your normal Earth-conscious vegetarian.

I'm trying to find a way to maintain a lifestyle here.

And in the case of this specific burger, one word really intrigued me: "bloody." The saddest thing about a veggie burger is that it isn't juicy. As far as I have always been concerned, vegetables aren't capable of replacing the burst of flavor that comes from rare meat.

That is why Chang teamed up with Patrick O. Brown, CEO of Impossible Foods, to develop this burger.

Here's the science, explained by Gothamist reporter Emily Siegel:

"The ingredients in the Impossible Burger can easily be found in any restaurant kitchen, says Brown. They include water, wheat protein, coconut oil, potato protein, and natural flavors and micronutrients. The so-called magic ingredient is leghemoglobin, or heme, which is a molecule that's found in both meat and plants and was discovered by the team at Impossible Foods. It's what makes the patty look, smell and taste like actual meat."

Like I said, this is a problem for science.

One small bite for man

To find out if the solution had actually been found, I headed to Momofuku Nishi, conveniently located just blocks from Business Insider's headquarters, on Wednesday around 11:20 a.m.

Impossible burgers, according to Momofuku Nishi's website, were to be served only at lunch and happy hour. They would be served on a first come, first serve basis starting at noon.

When I arrived, only about eight people were standing in line. We were seated promptly at noon. I should also note that a Momofuku Nishi employee came out and handed us little bottles of water while we were waiting.

I ordered the Impossible Burger "Nishi style" with fries and struck up a conversation with a nice gentleman sitting next to me about the state of our nation (poor), athletes who make it in the entertainment business (John Cena seems to be everywhere these days), and the very idea of a vegetarian burger grown in a lab.

Over the years, Americans have grown accustomed to hearing bad things about the food they eat. Milk is bad, and then it's good, and then it's bad again. Eggs are good, but can also apparently are quite bad if chickens are kept in nasty conditions. Access to good food, we're told, is a luxury of the wealthy. Our bodies were made more for protein — no, more for carbohydrates. We are failing at eating.

In this sandwich, my seatmate and I were looking for some small glimmer of hope that the human diet could be moving in the right direction. We needed a win, and we needed that win to taste like meat.

The burger

My seatmate was first to get his burger with American cheese, which is served on a bun (vegan if you want) with lettuce and tomato, as well as a side of fries and special sauce. The first words following his first bite were: "It's definitely a burger."

Perfect, I thought. And I agree. Upon taking my first bite, I realized that this was, in fact, a burger. It was definitely not a veggie burger.

The Impossible Burger has a meaty taste. It doesn't necessarily taste like a cow's meat, though. It's more like a reminder that cows exist somewhere out there. This thing you have in your hands, however, is very, very good. As far as you can remember, cows can taste better, but they've also tasted worse.

If Chang, who was working busily around the restaurant, had told me that I was eating a burger made of rare bird meat, or some small woodland creature, I wouldn't have been surprised.

If he had told me that it was meat made from the wisest, noblest seal in the Arctic, I would've paused — but more importantly, I would've kept eating.

The sandwich is light but juicy. That musty taste that you get when eating ground and pasted vegetables is simply not there. The special sauce is a mayo-spice-I-have-no-clue combo, but it's fantastic.

And, while I know aesthetics are not everything, it looks bloody.

Now, let me be clear: This is also not a beef burger. This is not the kind of thing you're going to want to eat when you're hungover and need a bunch of greasy goodness to wax over some of the pain. This is a civilized burger. You will still want your beef burger on occasion. The Impossible Burger is not a replacement. It's an adaptation.

It's also, more importantly, a step in the right direction. Humans will keep getting better at this, and even if we never find a replacement for a beef burger, we'll add something to our diets that tastes as good and is better for our bodies. It's an exciting development.

SEE ALSO: America's steakhouses are getting girlier

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You can drive yourself crazy deciding whether to marry your partner.

Can you two really survive a lifetime together?

I mean, you adore them ... but they constantly leave hair in the shower. They tell the worst jokes ... but they're always there to comfort you after a hard day.

Perhaps it would help to turn to the scientific research, which has pinpointed specific factors that can make or break a romantic relationship.

Below, we've rounded up 15 non-trivial things you might want to keep in mind before hiring a wedding planner.

This is an update of an article originally posted by Drake Baer.

SEE ALSO: 10 myths about dating too many people believe

If you wait until you're 23 to commit, you're less likely to get divorced

A 2014 University of North Carolina at Greensboro study found that American women who cohabitate or get married at age 18 have a 60% divorce rate. 

But women who wait until 23 to make either of those commitments have a divorce rate around 30%.

"The longer couples waited to make that first serious commitment [cohabitation or marriage], the better their chances for marital success," The Atlantic reported.

The 'in love' phase lasts about a year

The honeymoon phase doesn't go on forever. 

According to a 2005 study by the University of Pavia in Italy, it lasts about a year. After that, levels of a chemical called "nerve growth factor," which is associated with intense romantic feelings, start to fall.

Meanwhile, psychologist and relationship expert Helen Fisher told Business Insider that it's unclear when exactly the "in love" feeling starts to fade. But it does so "for good evolutionary reasons," she said, because "it's very metabolically expensive to spend an awful lot of time just focusing on just one person in that high-anxiety state."

Two people can be compatible — or incompatible — on multiple levels

Back in the 1950s and '60s, Canadian psychologist Eric Berne introduced a three-tiered model for understanding a person's identity. He found that each of us have three "ego states" operating at once: 

• The parent: What you've been taught

• The child: What you have felt

• The adult: What you have learned

When you're in a relationship, you relate on each of those levels: 

• The parent: Do you have similar values and beliefs about the world?

• The child: Do you have fun together? Can you be spontaneous? Do you think your partner's hot? Do you like to travel together?

• The adult: Does each person think the other is bright? Are you good at solving problems together?

While having symmetry across all three is ideal, people often get together to "balance each other out." For instance, one may be nurturing and the other playful. 

The best chefs in the world can't eat fine dining all the time.

Bloomberg's Richard Vines interviewed chefs from the world's most celebrated restaurants about what they eat when they're craving fast food.

Some chefs had classy tastes, even when it came to chains. Joan Roca from El Celler de Can Roca, in Girona, Spain — which was awarded the best restaurant in the world in 2015 — namedropped Beefsteak, a vegetarian-focused chain started by the chef José Andrés. Daniel Boulud said he loves Le Pain Quotidien , which is more bakery than fast food.

However, other chefs are true fast-food lovers at heart. Here are six fast-food menu items that chefs actually love.

To see the full Bloomberg story, click here.

1. Five Guys' burger and milkshakes

Heston Blumenthal, the chef at Fat Duck in Bray, England says that Five Guys is high on his list, thanks to the burgers and milkshakes. "The guys behind the counters actually have some interest in food," he told Bloomberg.

2. Popeyes' fried chicken

"I treat myself to Popeyes a couple of times a year and I am wickedly happy downing a few pieces (wings and thighs best) of their crispy, spicy chicken — with a side of dirty rice and biscuits," Danny Meyer told Bloomberg. Meyer, who founded Shake Shack in addition to fine dining classic Gramercy Tavern, is clearly an expert on what makes quality fast food.

3. Chipotle's salad

Meyer's other favorite: Chipotle. His go-to order isn't a burrito, but instead salad with grilled chicken, pinto beans, shredded cheese, extra cilantro, and spicy dressing.

4. Shake Shack's burger

Unsurprisingly, Danny Meyer's Shake Shack was a top pick, mentioned by Helene Darroze, who inspired a character in Disney's Ratatouille, and Massimo Bottura, chef of the current No. 1 restaurant in the world, Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy. The reason: the keen attention to detail that allows for the high quality of the meat, bread, and sauce.

5. KFC's fried chicken sandwich

The top chef-approved KFC item is nowhere to be found on the American menu. "I only go for the Zinger Tower Burger," Karam Sethi of Gymkhana in London told Bloomberg. "It's got a fried, battered breast, hash brown, a spicy tomato salsa, mayonnaise and crispy iceberg in a sesame bun."

6. In-N-Out's burger

It may only be available on the West Coast, but In-N-Out Burger is a cult classic. Wolfgang Puck, of Spago in Beverly Hills, and Nuno Mendes, of Chiltern Firehouse in London, said the burger chain was one of their favorites.

"I like it because you can have a hamburger wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun," said Puck. "I feel like I am eating a salad."

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: We tried Chipotle's newest menu item, which will be available nationwide later this year

Elon Musk is a voracious reader, with tastes ranging from J.R.R. Tolkien to famed biographer Walter Isaacson.

But Musk's latest read is a bit more obscure, and his recommendation has sent it flying off shelves.

When asked by Bloomberg's Tom Randall what he was currently reading, Musk responded, “Actually, I'm reading a book called 'Twelve Against the Gods,' by Bolitho," he said. “It's really quite good.”

The book he's referring to is "Twelve Against the Gods: The Story of Adventure" by William Bolitho, a South African journalist, which was published in 1929. The book chronicles 12 "adventurers" (as Bolitho describes them), from Casanova to Woodrow Wilson to Napoleon (both I and III).

"This book is intended to elucidate history somewhat, more to illustrate it, to honor without hypocrisy the deeds of men and women whose destiny was larger, if not deeper than our own," the description reads. Sound familiar?

"Twelve Against the Gods" is currently out of print, but Randall snagged a copy a few days ago for $6.35. But that was before word got out that Musk liked it. The next day, Randall says the price had risen to $99.99, and now it's completely sold out on Amazon.

You can read more about Musk's favorite books here.

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NOW WATCH: This $5 billion factory is the key to Tesla’s future — and it’s in the middle of the desert

Boeing might stop producing its iconic 747 aircraft. 

"If we are unable to obtain sufficient orders and/or market, production and other risks cannot be mitigated, we could record additional losses that may be material, and it is reasonably possible that we could decide to end production of the 747," Boeing said in a regulatory filing.

Boeing is currently producing one 747 every month, but said it will cut down starting in September to one every other month.  

For more than 40 years, the wide-body jumbo jet ruled the skies. But with changes in aviation regulations and airline-business strategy and improvements in turbofan-engine technology, the days of huge aircraft are drawing to a close. Since its introduction in 1969, the Boeing 747 has transformed the way people travel. With its ability to fly 500 passengers 6,000 miles, the jumbo jet allowed airlines to reach new destinations while achieving profitability by lowering the per-seat cost of operation.

Over the years, Boeing was joined in the long-haul wide-body market by offerings from McDonnell Douglas, Lockheed, and Airbus. In 2005, Airbus introduced the double-deck A380-800 — perhaps the most capable rival the Boeing jumbo jet had ever encountered.

But these days, Boeing and Airbus are having a hard time finding new buyers for both aircraft. The cost of purchasing such a large craft, combined with the fact that they're relatively energy inefficient, makes them impractical.

Demand for the big jets has also dwindled as aviation regulations changed, airlines moved away from the hub-and-spoke model for their routes, and jet-engine technology improved — making it safer for aircraft to fly long distances with just two engines. Sadly, even the 747's freighter business is struggling.

Airbus hasn't won an airline order for the double-decker jet since it sold Emirates a batch two years ago. Although there are rumors that Japan's ANA is looking to buy, don't expect many others to join in.

James Hogan, chief executive of Emirates' rival, Etihad, was unequivocal when asked by Business Insider if the group will buy another four-engine jet. "No, we're done," Hogan said. "We just believe in two-engine technology — they are much more efficient."

And Virgin Atlantic CEO Craig Kreeger told Business Insider that he was surprised Airbus was able to find as many takers for the A380 as they have. Long-distance and transoceanic flights were traditionally exclusively covered by the 747 and its fellow three- or four-engine, wide-body jumbos because, when it comes to the engine count on an airliner, the thinking was that there is safety in numbers.

But as modern turbofan engines became more reliable, and engine failures far less common, the thinking and the regulations changed. As a result, most airlines have turned to twin-engine mini jumbos that are more fuel-efficient.

Further, airlines are moving away from the hub-and-spoke business model that calls for massive numbers of passengers to be routed through a single mega hub. Smaller, fuel-efficient jets, such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, allow airlines to offer passengers nonstop, point-to-point service without transiting through a hub.

Here's a look at the glorious past of the jumbo jet:

SEE ALSO: The Concorde made its first supersonic passenger flight 40 years ago — here's what it was like

The Boeing 747 first flew in February 1969.

The big jet and the Everett, Washington, factory in which it was built were designed and constructed in just 16 months by a team of 50,000 Boeing employees.

This group of people became known as the "Incredibles."

To those that lived through the "quartz crisis" of the '70s — when cheap Japanese quartz watches threatened to overtake the market, pushing Swiss watches into luxury territory — this message is going to sound a little familiar.

The Swiss watch industry is in trouble.

"Swiss watch industry exports fell faster than at any other time in the first half" of the year, said a report that was recently released by Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH. For 11 months straight, exports of luxury watches out of Switzerland have fallen, and it could get worse.

Compagnie Financière Richemont SA — parent of A. Lange & Söhne, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Cartier — erased 350 jobs this year, while Swatch Group — the biggest Swiss watchmaker, which makes cheap plastic models as well as luxury brands like Omega — saw profits fall 53.6% year over year.

The factors that are causing such pain are being referred to as a "perfect storm" by Bloomberg View columnist Leonid Bershidsky.

He says these factors include: 

• A strong Swiss Franc.
• Anti-corruption campaigns in China.
• The Chinese population starting to favor experiences over expensive items.
• Weakening Chinese currency.
• Lessened tourism due to terrorism fears.
• High gold prices.

Bershidsky concludes that while most of these factors are outside of the industry's control, there may still be other, less measurable factors at play. Watches, especially of the Swiss variety, still represent an Old World status. And they're still being sold that way, even to a generation that increasingly looks to the future and what technology can do for them.

The industry has also suffered from a lack of response to the growing threat of technology and attractive gadgets like the Apple Watch. More wearables than Swiss watches were shipped globally in February, according to Bloomberg. With many would-be customers saying they can just check the time on their phone instead of wearing a watch, this trend isn't likely to slow down.

Traditional watch brands have also been reluctant to transition to online sales in an attempt to maintain their air of prestige, but this runs counter to customer's overall changing preferences for online shopping. Respected watch news blog Hodinkee, for example, has seen some success selling vintage and modern timepieces in its online shop.

Switzerland doesn't seem fazed by this. In fact, only one Swiss watch company, Tag Heuer, has even released a smartwatch. Only 25% of Swiss watch CEOs see wearables as a threat, according to a 2015 survey from Deloitte, even though the hardest-hit watch category this year is the one that wearables like the Apple Watch typically fall into ($200-400 export price).

Brands will be forced to adapt to these growing forces, however, simiarly to how they did during the quartz crisis. What comes out the other side may not look similar to the watch industry we have now, but the sooner the industry can adapt, the better off it should be.

SEE ALSO: Prices on Swiss luxury watches are falling for a reason no one is talking about

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NOW WATCH: These are the watches worn by the smartest and most powerful men in the world

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Atlas Global Solutions, an international protective packaging company, cut energy costs by 75% and improved productivity by 20% at one of its plants by upgrading the plant’s lighting with smart LED lights, according to Network World.

The facility, which is only three years old, installed a smart lighting system from Digital Lumens, said Atlas Global Process Engineer Frank Tavares. The system enabled Atlas to:

• Set preferred lighting times. Atlas’ facility operates in shifts 24/7, but only uses certain parts of the facility at certain times of the day. Tavares said the company sets time preferences to control the lighting in certain areas based on the shift and time of day, which helps reduce overall energy usage.
• Track activity to improve workflow. The system included sensors embedded into the lights that can detect motion in various parts of the facility. This helps them reduce congestion in different aisles. So if there’s too much activity in one aisle, workers can be redirected to another aisle, helping to speed operations and improve productivity.

Smart lighting is one piece of the smart home, which at its current state in the 'chasm' of the technology adoption curve, in which it is struggling to surpass the early-adopter phase and move to the mass-market phase of adoption.

There are many barriers preventing mass-market smart home adoption: high device prices, limited consumer demand and long device replacement cycles. However, the largest barrier is the technological fragmentation of the smart home ecosystem, in which consumers need multiple networking devices, apps and more to build and run their smart home.

John Greenough, senior research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on the U.S. smart home market that analyzes current consumer demand for the smart home and barriers to widespread adoption. It also analyzes and determines areas of growth and ways to overcome barriers.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• Smart home devices are becoming more prevalent throughout the US. We define a smart home device as any stand-alone object found in the home that is connected to the internet, can be either monitored or controlled from a remote location, and has a noncomputing primary function. Multiple smart home devices within a single home form the basis of a smart home ecosystem.
• Currently, the US smart home market as a whole is in the "chasm" of the tech adoption curve. The chasm is the crucial stage between the early-adopter phase and the mass-market phase, in which manufacturers need to prove a need for their devices.
• High prices, coupled with limited consumer demand and long device replacement cycles, are three of the four top barriers preventing the smart home market from moving from the early-adopter stage to the mass-market stage. For example, mass-market consumers will likely wait until their device is broken to replace it. Then they will compare a nonconnected and connected product to see if the benefits make up for the price differential.
• The largest barrier is technological fragmentation within the connected home ecosystem. Currently, there are many networks, standards, and devices being used to connect the smart home, creating interoperability problems and making it confusing for the consumer to set up and control multiple devices. Until interoperability is solved, consumers will have difficulty choosing smart home devices and systems.
• "Closed ecosystems" are the short-term solution to technological fragmentation. Closed ecosystems are composed of devices that are compatible with each other and which can be controlled through a single point.

In full, the report:

• Analyzes the demand of US consumers, based off of survey results
• Forecasts out smart home device growth until 2020
• Determines the current leaders in the market
• Explains how the connected home ecosystem works
• Examines how Apple and Google will play a major role in the development of the smart home
• Some of the companies mentioned in this report include Apple, Google, Nest, August, ADT, Comcast, AT&T, Time Warner Cable, Lowe's, and Honeywell.

To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options:

1. Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
2. Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT

The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the smart home market.

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It's no surprise former President Bill Clinton has been fixture at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. And it seems Clinton doesn't leave home without his trusty Shinola Runwell 47mm watch, which retails for $600 and of which he owns at least three.

Clinton called the watch "elegant and informal," saying that the large numbers help his poor eyesight, according to a report by Crain's when he visited Shinola's factory in Detroit in 2014. He's reportedly purchased 13 in total, mostly for gifting.

President Obama is also a Shinola fan, and has praised the Detroit company, declaring it a symbol of an American manufacturing revival and jobs brought back to the US.

And it's true: Shinola makes a high-quality, handsome watch, and it's one of only a few companies that assemble watches in America.

The Detroit-based brand has cultivated a cachet among consumers who are looking for a nice watch but aren't willing or able to shell out the coin required for a high-end Swiss brand like Rolex.

Besides watches, the brand also builds bicycles and enlists other manufacturing companies to create journals, apparel, leather goods, pet accessories, and other accessories.

Shinola CMO Bridget Russo told NewCo that the company generated $100 million in revenue in 2015, up from $20 million in 2013 and $60 million in 2014.

But even as the brand has built a large following across the country, there's a little more to its story.

A Detroit-raised company

Launched in 2011 by Tom Kartsotis of Bedrock Brands (who also cofounded Fossil), the company purchased its name from an early 1900s shoe-polish brand called Shinola. The shoe-polish brand is where the 20th-century phrase "You don't know s--- from Shinola" came from, according to Adweek.

Though the company is not as old as its name and marketing might suggest, that's not necessarily a bad thing — plenty of companies revive old trademarks hoping to cash in on nostalgic cachet.

Shinola moved into a former General Motors design lab in Detroit to build its watches. It proudly stamps "Detroit" — the home to Shinola's headquarters and main factory — on all of its products, even a shoeshine that the company makes in Chicago, according to The Washington Post.

Kartsotis and the other early members of Shinola had no previous ties to Detroit before starting the company there, but the company says it is committed to the city, providing well-paying manufacturing jobs to its citizens and investing in its infrastructure. It sponsored the creation of a dog park in Midtown Detroit in 2014.

"Shinola is, and always has been, a job-creation vehicle, and our intention is to create jobs in this city we now call home," Shinola President Jacques Panis told Business Insider.

Shinola hired more than 300 people for its Detroit factory and headquarters, and it employs about 200 more worldwide. Shinola trumpets the fact that it is providing jobs to an economically depressed city in desperate need of them. This lends a philanthropic air to the company that customers and employees can buy into, similar to the Toms Shoes giveback and Warby Parker's "buy a pair, give a pair" program.

Detroit is also associated with quality American manufacturing in many people's minds, and customers respond strongly to it when it is used in marketing materials.

An unnamed employee told Crain's about a focus group Kartsotis had commissioned before choosing the brand's home base. The focus group was given a choice between a $5 Chinese-made pen, a $10 US-made pen, and a $15 Detroit-made men. People consistently chose the Detroit-made pen over the other options, which suggested that others might be more inclined to pay a premium for products stamped with the Detroit name.

"There's really nothing else like Shinola," Northwestern University marketing professor Timothy Calkins told The Washington Post. "It's a brilliant thing they did, this association with Detroit, a very authentic look and this authentic story. This is a very carefully constructed brand done by very savvy brand builders."

Quartz watches

The watches made in Shinola's factory are assembled by hand using techniques from the company's Swiss partner brand Ronda, which sent representatives to Detroit in the early days to train the workers in the new workshop.

Some criticize Shinola for the fact that it emphasizes craftsmanship and engineering in its products while using quartz movements and charging a premium for it. Quartz movements are relatively cheap and easy to produce compared with mechanical watches, as they have far fewer moving parts and require less watchmaking expertise.

Shinola watches retail at $475 to $1,125, while quartz watches made by Skagen and Fossil hover close to $100. Some of the higher costs of manufacturing in the US are most likely baked into that premium, along with the high-quality materials Shinola uses, but "compared to some of the other products out there, they're definitely charging a premium," Ariel Adams, founder of the blog aBlogtoWatch, told the Detroit Free Press.

A Shinola representative told Business Insider the company must make its watches with the less-complicated quartz movements to be able to produce watches at scale and be the job-creation vehicle the company hopes to be. Shinola does, however, hope to one day create a mechanical watch.

Some have also questioned Shinola's stated commitment to Detroit, as the product's prices are out of the range of many people who live there.

"The thought of a company selling such luxuriously priced goods in a city that, according to the 2010 Census, has a per capita income of $14,000 is downright laughable," Jon Moy at Complex writes.

Indeed, the company's first retail store outside Detroit was built in the trendy, wealthy New York City neighborhood of Tribeca in Manhattan, inside a townhouse Shinola purchased for $14.5 million, according to The New York Times. Shinola has since opened stores in luxury destinations including London, Miami, and Los Angeles, and the watches are stocked in almost 1,000 stores worldwide, according to the company's website.

'Made' versus 'Built'

Shinola's tagline is "Built in Detroit." The company assembles all of its watches and bicycles in the 30,000-square-foot Detroit factory, but it seems that's not quite enough for the Federal Trade Comission.

A letter the FTC sent to Shinola's parent company, Bedrock Manufacturing, on June 16 detailed a prior FTC review of Shinola that "raised concerns that certain marketing materials overstated the extent to which certain Shinola ... products ... are 'made' or 'built' in the United States."

The company is being forced to clarify its "Built in Detroit" slogan on all of its products and advertising copy, as the FTC says it could mislead customers to instead think they are purchasing a product made in the US.

In order for a product to be claimed to be "made in the US," it must be assembled in the US from "all or virtually all" American parts. Shinola's slogan attempted to avoid this FTC requirement, and the company is not secretive about using foreign parts for the products assembled in the Motor City while listing all part sources on its website.

The FTC saw a potentially misleading difference between a "made in the US" claim, which the FTC polices, and Shinola's "Built in Detroit." The company is now implementing a remedial action plan.

In a statement, Shinola's founder, Tom Kartsotis, said:

We have always believed that “Built in Detroit” most accurately describes the watches (and jobs) that are being created in Detroit and will continue to mark our watches as "Built in Detroit." While the FTC did show us some flaws in our communication, we believe that we have genuinely tried to be completely transparent as to the origin (and mission) of our products from the outset. We are thankful to the FTC for helping us identify some areas of improvement within some of our communication, which we began adopting over the last year.

SEE ALSO: How Rolex became the king of watches

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Second homes aren't just for the 1%.

"Anyone in any income bracket can afford a second home if they set themselves up to do it," luxury real estate expert Shane Herbert of Park City, Utah tells Business Insider. "In Park City, we sell $80,000 condos and $20 million homes. The media is so focused on the 1% and what they can do in the world, but there are so many opportunities for everyone."

If you have the money, what next? Below, find seven questions to ask yourself as you hunt for your second home.

SEE ALSO: ASK A FINANCIAL PLANNER: Should I get a 15- or 30-year mortgage?

1. Do I really understand what it takes to carry a second home?

Even if you're flush with cash, Herbert says most people underestimate the cost of carrying a second home. "It's two of everything," he says. "Two tax payments, two insurance payments, having to pay someone to cut the lawn twice."

Plus, he cautions that lending standards might be more stringent in second-home markets. "People need to be prepared to put more down if they're going to seek financing," he says. "The lender could ask for as much as 30% down if you're buying something like a resort condo. Knowing what type of product you're buying might dictate how much you need to invest initially." In addition to a higher down payment, a lender might look for extra documentation that the buyer has extra cash on hand or a lower-than-usual debt-to-income ratio.

"Think: Do I have time to finance this property?" Herbert suggests. "Lenders generally put the buyer under more scrutiny on their second home."

2. How much time will I spend there?

If you can float the cost of your second home today, it's time to look a few years into the future. "How much time will you spend there?" Herbert asks. "How many years will you enjoy the property? Are your kids five, and you want to own through senior year of high school?"

3. What type of memories do I plan to make there? What's the lifestyle I will live?

Once you know how long you want to be there, it's time to consider how your family's life there will change over the years. This summer, you might have elementary school kids who just need a sprinkler and a local ice cream joint to be happy. But what about when you have teenagers?

Herbert points out that in Park City, most of the second-home owners are seeking a lifestyle where the family can ski together. "But you might find out later that all members of your family don't ski," he says. "Make sure you're not focusing on one area because you think that's the activity your family will enjoy for the next few years."

One of the best ways to get an idea of what life is really like there is to talk to people who live in the community, he says. Ask the Chamber of Commerce and your realtor if there's anyone you can talk to about the local lifestyle.

If there's one thing Reddit users are good at, it's coming up with clever tricks — especially on computers.

And in one post, a Redditor asked fellow users what computer tricks everyone should know. People submitted a wealth of tricks for Macs, PCs, web browsers, specific sites like YouTube, programs like Excel, and more. What they all had in common was that using them makes your computer life a whole lot easier and more fun.

We looked through the tricks and found the best 14, which are a mixture of useful and mischievous. 

Here they are:

SEE ALSO: The 20 best songs to wake you up in the morning, according to Spotify

Get back that tab you accidentally closed.

If you want to get back a tab you closed, just press "Control" (or "Command" on Mac), plus "Shift," plus "T," and it will magically reappear.

Source: Reddit.

Only screenshot the part of the screen you want.

If you only need to screenshot part of the screen, there's a simple way to do it for both Windows and Macs.

For Mac: "Command," plus "Shift," plus "4" brings up the tool. Then you just drag the area you want.

For Windows: Just go to "Start" and then "Snipping Tool."

Source: Reddit.

Easily repeat your last command in Excel.

If you press the F4 button in Excel, it repeats the last command.

Here's an example given on Reddit: "If you select a cell and highlight it yellow, you can then highlight any other selected cell(s) yellow by pressing F4."

Source: Reddit.

Everyone likes to order their steak differently, but when it comes to flavor, one level of doneness is a cut above the rest. 

If you want the most flavor and juice in your slab of meat, you should order you steak medium rare, not medium well or well-done.

"Much of the flavor is in the fat," chef Wade Wiestling of Mastro's Steakhouse said to Business Insider. "If you cook it all out, you have a less tasty and dryer steak."

He said that a well-marbled beef or prime beef tastes much better cooked medium rare than any other option. Too well done, and the steak would lose more flavor, Wiestling says. 

Other chefs agree that medium rare is the ideal order. BLT Steak's Chef Laurent Tourondel has told us that "it's very important not to overcook (the steak)." 

And while Wiestling prefers his steak with a little char and crisp on the outside, he does see the benefit of ordering steak rare.

"Steak is about as anti-vegetarian as you're going to get," Wiestling said. "Ordering a steak rare means that you want to keep all that natural flavor, you want that experience of enjoying a rare slab of beef."

Regardless of how you order your steak, Wiestling said it's always best to let the steak rest once you take it off the grill. 

"When it's cooking, the proteins push the meat's juices towards the center of the steak," Wiestling said. "Allowing the meat to stand off the heat for a few minutes before serving allows those juices to redistribute throughout the meat and be reabsorbed into the more well-done outer surfaces." As a result, the meat will lose less juice when you cut into it, and it will be more tender to eat.

So next time you head to a steakhouse, order the chef-approved medium rare steak — or don't. Either way, it's your steak, and you should enjoy it. 

SEE ALSO: The best steakhouse in every state

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The Delta Aquarids meteor shower is peaking Thursday and Friday night. Experts expect to see up to 20 meteors an hour. So, if you're in the mood to see some shooting stars, find a safe, dark area far from city lights, sit back, and look up. 

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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Business Insider sent three reporters to Havana, Cuba, to experience the city as tourists. One of the top priorities on our list was to buy some authentic Cuban cigars.

We tried two different approaches. First, we bought a box at an authorized store inside the Hotel Habana Libre. Then we bought a box sold to us by someone we met on the street.

We brought both boxes back to New York and invited David Diamante, owner of Diamante's Brooklyn Cigar Lounge, to come and examine the merchandise.

We have lots of stories about our adventures on the island, which you'll find here.

Produced by Graham Flanagan. Additional camera by Joe Avella, Amanda Macias, and Tyler Greenfield.

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Three weeks after its release, Pokémon Go is still all the rage in cities across America, and it's showing no signs of slowing down.

The mobile-augmented reality game that allows players to catch Pokémon in real-life locations already broke the App Store record for number of downloads during its first week of release. And bizarre Pokéstops — like grave sites, for example — are still being discovered. Even Justin Bieber is getting in on the fun.

This week we went to a Pokémon Go meetup in New York City's Union Square. Several hundred people showed up to play together at the gathering, which was hosted by Rick Bross, who's been organizing meetups all over the city. Last week, almost 1,200 people showed up to play in Washington Square Park.

Below, 10 people explain why they're completely obsessed with the game:

SEE ALSO: I went to a decadent, $450-a-ticket party inspired by the Illuminati, and it was a totally surreal experience

Even if you're not playing Pokémon Go, it's easy to spot who is: Just look for the mobs of people looking down at their phones.

To keep players and their phones happy in the 90-degree weather, the Pokémon Go meetup supplied visitors with a free charging station and water.

Union Square is already a popular spot with players, since it's an official Pokéstop.

It may be called Beefsteak, but top chef Joan Roca's favorite fast food restaurant is all about the vegetables.

The trendy chain, which boasts just a handful of locations across the American Northeast, focuses most of its energy on produce. In a concept created by internationally-renowned Spanish chef José Andrés, veggies take center stage in a variety of innovative dishes that are prepared on the spot. 

"It's gastronomic yet economic: tasty food for a society where people have no time," Roca told Bloomberg. Roca's own restaurant — El Celler de Can Roca, in Girona, Spain — has several times been named the best restaurant in the world by the Diner's Club 50 Best Restaurants Academy, which is made up of close to 1,000 restaurant industry leaders from around the world. Though El Celler de Can Roca fell to number-two on the list this year, Roca himself was given the Chefs' Choice Award for his influence on the dining world. 

If Roca says Beefsteak is good, it has to be. Here's a closer look at what makes the fast-food restaurant stand out for him, and for the hordes of others who have lined up to be served. 

SEE ALSO: 14 expensive sushi spots that are actually worth the price

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Moving away from the typical fast-food fare of burgers and fries, Beefsteak serves up healthy choices that people can feel good about eating. These salads are much better fuel for the mind and body than their greasy fast-food counterparts.

Prices are reasonable: menu items hover around $9. Add some extra protein, and you will still have a meal for less than $15.

Seasonal offerings keep the veggie picks fresh and different.

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