• 71% of us are guilty of texting someone when we're supposed to be spending time with someone else.
• It's called "sidebarring" and it's really annoying.
• However good you think you are at multitasking, you're unlikely to get away with this one.

Many of us are glued to our phones. Whether we're expecting an important message or simply wanting to see the reactions to a great meme we just sent to the group chat, our phones make us feel more connected to the people we don't get to see all the time.

But that's not always a good thing. Sometimes we prioritise these electronic connections over what's happening in real life. In fact, if you're always messaging someone else when you're having dinner with a friend, at an event, or on a date (shame on you), there's a word for that. It's called "sidebarring."

It basically means that you're texting someone while you're supposed to be doing something else. And according to a Facebook study, 71% of us are guilty of it.

For those of you who think you're good at multitasking and can do this unnoticed, you're wrong.

According to one study from 2015, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, focusing on a visual task like texting or typing on a computer can make us deaf to normal volume sounds around us. It's called "inattentional deafness," which helps explain why when someone looks up from their lap, they had no idea what you just said to them.

Although we all might try to multitask, certain areas of our brains might only be able to concentrate on one thing at a time.

Science aside, it's also pretty obvious when you're in a dark environment, and your face is illuminated by the glow of the phone screen.

Facebook tried to put a positive spin on the findings, saying that most people say messaging makes them feel closer to friends. But anyone who has been the victim of their friend or date trying to inconspicuously text in front of them will tell you it's annoying as hell.

If you think you're being sidebarred, try screaming your question at the person who should be focusing on you. The 2015 study found that loud sounds can break the barrier, so it will bring them back to the present. It will also make your feelings about the situation clear.

Or you could just choose to spend time with someone who gives you their undivided attention. Your call.

SEE ALSO: Constantly texting your friends, family, or partner could be psychologically damaging — here's why

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NOW WATCH: Amazon has an oddly efficient way of storing stuff in its warehouses

• San Francisco's median rent price is $4,450, nearly three times the median rent in Houston, Texas.
• Instead of hiring expensive local talent in the Bay Area, one Houston-based law firm flies its lawyers in on a private jet once a month to meet with clients.
• The firm uses the jet — which costs $2,500 an hour to operate — as a tool for recruiting top talent.

Rent and home prices in the Bay Area are so high, one Houston-based law firm found an alternative to hiring expensive local talent: Buy a private jet.

Patterson and Sheridan, a national intellectual property law firm headquartered in Houston, bought a nine-seat plane to shuttle its patent lawyers to clients in the Bay Area once a month.

Even though the jet cost $3 million to buy, reports Houston Chronicle reporter L.M. Sixel, it's cheaper than hiring local lawyers, and even less expensive than relocating the Texas lawyers with business in Silicon Valley to the area full-time.

"The young people that we want to hire out there have high expectations that are hard to meet," Bruce Patterson, a partner at the firm, told The New York Times. "Rent is so high they can't even afford a car."

According to Zillow, the median rent price in San Francisco is $4,450 right now, while the median home price is just under $1.2 million. Rent in San Jose, a popular suburb for Silicon Valley workers, while lower, is still more than double the median rent in Houston.

Each flight costs about $1,900 per passenger — adding up to $2,500 an hour in operating costs — but since the lawyers are working in-flight, the three-to-four hour ride is billable. Plus, private flights protect any confidential work and save the firm's lawyers about 36 collective hours they would spend arriving early, waiting in security, and checking bags on a commercial flight.

Plus, the firm says it's "still able to offer companies and investors lower costs because most of the patent work is done in Houston, where commercial real estate is 43% cheaper, salaries 52% lower, and competition for technical talent far less fierce," according to Sixel, who took a ride on the jet while reporting the story last summer.

"We fly it full," said Todd Patterson, managing partner at the firm. "It's not a luxury item."

It is used, however, as "a selling point to recruit young lawyers" who want to work with top tech companies but can't afford Silicon Valley's cost of living, reports Sixel. The firm's frequent visits to California have also brought in new clients including Intuit, Western Digital, and Cavendish Kinetics.

Perhaps some companies looking for talent in Los Angeles, Silicon Valley's neighbor to the south, could benefit from this strategy.

According to a report published earlier this year from the University of Southern California and the Los Angeles Business Council, exorbitant housing costs in Los Angeles are inhibiting employers from attracting "high-performers," or top talent, to their companies.

Nearly 60% of the employers say Los Angeles' high cost of living impacts employee retention, with 75% naming housing costs as a specific concern, according to the survey results. Further, 10 employers (71%) view high housing costs as "a barrier" to hiring new mid- and upper-level employees.

SEE ALSO: America's future depends on the death of the single-family home

DON'T MISS: In one of America's 'most miserable' cities, home prices have surged 92% in the last 5 years

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NOW WATCH: LinkedIn's gorgeous San Francisco offices are unlike anything we've ever seen

• The Qianshu Kiln is one of China's ancient "Dragon Kilns." 
• It dates back to the Ming dynasty.
• It’s used to make urns, pots, basins, and glazed vessels.
• Temperatures can reach 1400 C (2552 F).
• It’s called ‘Dragon kiln’ as it resembles a dragon.

The Qianshu Kiln is over 350 years old and is one of China's ancient "Dragon Kilns." 

It’s located in Yixing, East China, and it dates back to the Ming dynasty.

The kiln is made from soil and ceramic bricks. It’s used to make urns, pots, basins, and glazed vessels.

It's powered by fire, which lasts for three days once lit and can reach temperatures up to 1400 C (2552 F).

Pottery is transported into the kiln when the fire is lit. 

The only electric used is a cable outside the kiln which is used to pull goods from of the bottom of the hill.

It’s called ‘Dragon kiln’ as it resembles a dragon. This is the only preserved ancient dragon kiln in Yixing.

Produced by Claudia Romeo 

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Time for a new job?

If the coming change in calendar year has you itching to do something different, jobs and recruiting site Glassdoor has you covered with this year's Employees' Choice Awards, which features the 100 best places to work in 2018 across the US.

To find the companies with the most satisfied workers, Glassdoor scanned its massive database of company reviews and ratings from current and former employees.

Reviews include employees' opinions on some of the best reasons to work for their employer, any downsides, advice to management, and whether they'd recommend their employer to a friend, as well as ratings on how satisfied they are with their employer overall, their CEO, and key workplace attributes like career opportunities, compensation and benefits, culture, and values.

Based on employees' reviews, companies received overall ratings on a scale of one to five, with five representing the most satisfied employees. (While Glassdoor's calculations extend beyond the thousandth to determine final rank order, ratings displayed are limited to one decimal space.)

Though tech companies are renowned for their employee perks and compensation, companies from all kinds of industries — from retail to healthcare to finance and more — are beloved by their employees.

"It's encouraging to see non-tech employers rank so highly on the list because it shows people that all industries have companies that are best places to work and are also progressive and forward-looking when it comes to how they approach the employee experience," Glassdoor CEO cofounder Robert Hohman told Business Insider.

"This includes offering some great benefits and perks for their employees," Hohman said. "We should expect this trend to only rise, though tech has always paved the way in terms of innovative people and HR practices."

Hohman said that, regardless of industry, a few strong themes stood out among this year's winners.

"Specifically, employees reported that they love working at companies with mission-driven company cultures, where they have clear career opportunities, and where senior leadership teams make them feel valued and are transparent with how they communicate with employees," he said. "We also saw a trend of employees really appreciating family-friendly benefits, from extended parental leaves to child care reimbursement."

Head over to Glassdoor to check out the full list, and scroll down for the top 50 best places to work:

SEE ALSO: 22 signs it's time to quit your job

DON'T MISS: 29 jobs to avoid if you hate feeling stressed

50. SpaceX

Company rating: 4.3

SpaceX, which is short for Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company.

"Everyone here is trusted to make smart decisions so we spend time focusing on the goal rather than getting hung up on the little things. Everyone here is approachable and relaxed so it makes the workplace feel like somewhere you actually want to be every day." — SpaceX Material flow planner (Hawthorne, California)

49. Wegmans Food Markets

Company rating: 4.3

Wegmans Food Markets is a regional supermarket chain with stores in the mid-Atlantic and New England.

"Great work environment, decent pay and benefits for retail work. Encouraged to grow and move up in company. Friendly environment." — Wegmans Food Markets customer service representative (Collegeville, Pennsylvania)

48. Oshkosh Corporation

Company rating: 4.3

Oshkosh Corporation is an American industrial company based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, that designs and builds specialty trucks, military vehicles, truck bodies, airport fire apparatus and access equipment.

"People first culture. Talented teams throughout the company willing to help. Very successful, yet committed to being even better. Incredible products." —Oshkosh Corporation vice president of business development (Oshkosh, Wisconsin)

• A 16-year-old from inner city Liverpool has been offered at scholarship to the £38,000-a-year Eton College.
• The private school was attended by the likes of Princes William and Harry and former Prime Minister David Cameron.

16-year-old Stephen Geddes from Liverpool has been offered a scholarship to Eton College, the £38,000-a-year private school which is the most prestigious in the country — and possibly the world.

Geddes, a student from the inner-city Toxteth area of Liverpool who attended King’s Leadership Academy, will join the Windsor-based college in September to study his A Levels in maths, biology, chemistry, and physics.

He joins royals and world leaders — such as Princes William and Harry and former Prime Minister David Cameron — who have attended the prestigious school before him.

Here's a young Prince William on his first day there:

Eton is notoriously competitive, with around 23% of applicants earning a place among 1,300 students.

Geddes said the process involved exams and two interviews — one with the head of department and one with the headmaster.

"King’s really prepared me for them because a lot of what they do is about giving you confidence and I was confident when I met them," he said.

According to MailOnline, Geddes is the youngest of four children, and lives in a council-owned property with his 54-year-old carer mother, Brenda, and 50-year-old father, Stephen, who works in the frozen food department at Tesco.

"When they came to our house to tell me I was in shock. It was hard to take on board," Geddes said.

He added that his mum "hasn’t stopped crying since."

When he told his teacher Mr Crosby, who helped him prepare for the interviews, "he took off his glasses and there were tears in his eyes," according to Geddes.

Crosby, who was privately educated himself, and is helping five pupils from King’s gain sixth-form places at some of the country’s top public schools, confirmed Geddes' comments.

"I had what some would call a privileged education – I have been to Eton to play them at Eton Fives, which is like squash played with your hand, Crosby said. "One of the reasons I came to teach at King’s was that I wanted kids here to have some of the choices I enjoyed.

"I was in tears when I found out that Eton wanted to take him. I imagined Stephen in the future, filling out his CV. When he comes to the section marked 'education' he would write: 'King’s Leadership Academy, Liverpool' and then 'Eton College.'"

Geddes earned the place at Eton thanks to a partnership King’s Leadership Academy has with the SpringBoard Bursary Foundation and the Hope Opportunity Trust.

Mark O’Hagan, principal of King’s Leadership Academy, said: "What is so important about this scheme is not just that some of our pupils will be given life-changing opportunities but that it will affect the people around them.

"They may not want to go to Eton but they might see what Stephen has done and tell themselves that they might want to make the best of their education here at King’s through good grades or sporting excellence. This will have an impact on everyone around Stephen."

According to Eton's website, around a fifth of its 1,300 or so students receive some level of means-tested reduction in fees, and 72 pay nothing at all. On top of that, external organisations like SpringBoard fund applicants as well.

Geddes called his experience visiting Eton for his interviews "unbelievable."

"The facilities were amazing," he said. "It had three theatres, two chapels and a sports fields that seemed to stretch for miles."

He added: "I know the uniform is a bit strange – they have tailcoats and everything – but I don’t mind wearing it because I think it looks quite smart."

"Going to a place like Eton is something I’d love to be part of," Geddes said. "I know that it will change my life."

SEE ALSO: 13 of the most successful men who attended Eton, the school that educated 19 British prime ministers

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NOW WATCH: This is what you get when you invest in an initial coin offering

• Facebook is now the most desirable place to work, according to Glassdoor.

• Employees cited the tech giant's impact, culture, perks, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg as huge draws.

• Last year, Business Insider visited the company's Facebook office to get a sense of what it's really like to work there.

Employees across the US have spoken, and Facebook just took the top spot in Glassdoor's annual rankings of the most desirable places to work.

The Menlo Park, California-based tech giant has consistently earned top spots on rankings, thanks to its incredible perks, impressive salaries, and great corporate culture. 

To see what all the fuss is about, Business Insider visited Facebook's Manhattan office last year ... and let's just say, we get it.

Here's what we saw and learned during our tour:

SEE ALSO: A look inside $23 billion LinkedIn's New York office, where employees enjoy perks like free gourmet meals and a speakeasy hidden in the Empire State Building

DON'T MISS: A look inside Uber's Manhattan office, where employees of the $66 billion company have wine on tap and can bring their dogs to work

DON'T FORGET: A look inside the New York office of Yelp, a $3 billion company that offers its 4,000 employees around the world some of the most incredible perks

We arrived at Facebook's Greenwich Village office on a mild Friday afternoon last November. Once we checked in, we were greeted by engineering director Jeff Reynar and corporate communications manager Jamil Walker.

The first thing that jumped out at us on the tour was this physical embodiment of a Facebook "wall." Reynar told us New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker stopped by to sign it. “What’s kind of fun about this is that there’s a wall at most of our offices," Reynar told Business Insider. "It’s kind of temporary. At some point, we’ll probably do some kind of construction and this will go away and we’ll start a fresh one with new signatures."

Facebook — which has a market cap of $501 billion as of December 2017 — employs almost 23,165 people. About 1,000 of them work in the Frank Gehry-designed Manhattan location, which also houses members of the company's Instagram team. Facebook occupies four floors of the building, which was once a Wanamaker's department store.

Source: Markets Insider

• Danielle Dick started a Change.org petition for Massage Envy to change its policies after she says she was sexually assaulted by an employee.
• This week, Massage Envy unveiled major changes to its policies, which Dick says she wishes "happened years ago." 
• Dick will serve on the company's new safety council. 

A woman who pressured Massage Envy to change its sexual-assault policy for years is now joining the company's committee to improve safety at the company. 

In late October, Danielle Dick started a Change.org petition attempting to force Massage Envy to address reports of sexual assault at the massage chain's spas. Dick was inspired by her own experience at Massage Envy, which she had shared on Medium.

"I'll spare you the horrible details of those 90 minutes Massage Envy, but in the end I found myself with a massage therapist's hand around my throat, and then face down with his hand covering my mouth while he violated me," Dick wrote. 

Dick had reported the assault, and the employee was convicted of a felony sexual assault. But she says that throughout the 11-month trial, Massage Envy never contacted her, despite her telling the manager what happened. 

Last week, BuzzFeed News reported that more than 180 people had filed sexual assault lawsuits, police reports, and state board complaints against Massage Envy and its employees.

On Tuesday, Massage Envy CEO Joseph Magnacca unveiled a new six-point plan to protect customers moving forward. The company will use an updated background test as well as new policies for reporting and investigating sexual assault. 

The company is additionally forming the Massage Envy Safety Advisory Council, which will include a representative from RAINN and Dick, who will serve as an advisor to help continue to evaluate the effectiveness of new policies. 

"Of course I wish that this change had happened years ago," Dick told Business Insider. "I wish it hadn't necessitated me launching a Change.org petition.  However, I think that the reality is that corporations, like people, sometimes need a crisis to bring an issue to the forefront for prioritization." 

Dick said that Massage Envy isn't alone in facing issues of sexual assault, as most major franchised massage chains have dealt with similar cases. And, she says that she doesn't hold any ill will against the manager on duty the day she was assaulted.

"Sexual assault is a frightening and overwhelming event, and I think she handled it the best that she could," Dick said. 

"But, I think that my experience was reflective of part of the problem: one cannot expect local franchise owners and managers to know how to handle sexual assault on their own. They need more explicit guidance and the help of experts. Massage Envy's new plan and policies address that."

SEE ALSO: Massage Envy is making major changes after more than 180 people report being sexually assaulted at the chain's spas

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The dark story behind the term 'Black Friday'

In Silicon Valley — home to tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Apple — tree-lined streets are filling with tents, cots, and dilapidated RVs.

A photo series by the Associated Press shows what life is like for the area's retail clerks, plumbers, janitors — even teachers — who go to work and sleep where they can.

Silicon Valley has the highest median income in the nation. But a worsening wealth gap has caused homelessness to surge. More than 10,000 people were living without shelter across San Jose and Santa Clara Counties on any given night in 2016, though that figure is probably low.

These photos give us a glimpse of life on the streets in Silicon Valley.

SEE ALSO: Inside the last slice of old-school San Francisco where you can still buy a home for under $1 million

The area's tech-industry boom has created a new economic class: the working homeless.

In the same affluent, suburban cities where Google, Apple, Facebook, and Tesla built their headquarters, thousands of people work regular jobs and come home to cars and RVs.

Source: AP

"We still need to eat," said Tes Saldana, who works in the restaurants of two hotels in Palo Alto, California. She lives with her three adult sons in a camper she parks on the street.

• Airlines are starting to announce policies to ban smart luggage that includes non-removable lithium ion batteries on their flights.
• The first bans are set to go into effect on Jan. 15.
• American Airlines, Delta, and Alaska Airlines have announced bans so far. United and Southwest are expected to do so soon.

The future of luggage may be delayed, as airlines are set to ban smart luggage that includes non-removable lithium-ion batteries.

American Airlines announced its ban on Dec. 1, and other airlines have followed, including Alaska Airlines and Delta. United and Southwest are also expected to announce similar policies, according to CNN. The first bans are set to go into effect on Jan. 15.

Smart luggage bags have features like USB ports that can be used to charge phones or laptops, motors, and tracking systems. But airlines fear that the lithium ion batteries the bags carry could spark fires in overhead compartments or cargo holds. 

“We love innovation and understand why smart bags are so appealing for travel," Alaska Airlines manager of dangerous goods Mike Tobin said in a statement. "While these restrictions may pose a challenge to some of our guests, there have been no incidents to date with smart bags on airplanes and we want to keep it that way." 

Most airlines will allow smart luggage on their flights if the batteries are removed, but some smart luggage bags don't give users that option.

"Before and at the time of production, we did our due diligence to make sure that we complied with all international regulations defined by DOT and FAA," smart luggage company Bluesmart said in a statement. "While most airlines understand and approve of smart luggage, others might still be getting up to speed. We are saddened by these latest changes to some airline regulations and feel it is a step back not only for travel technology but it also presents an obstacle to streamlining and improving the way we all travel."

SEE ALSO: This is the carry-on suitcase I use every time I travel

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NOW WATCH: The best travel hacks, according to a top airline CEO

BASIS Scottsdale, a charter school in Arizona, is the best public high school in America.

Its founding dates back nearly 20 years, when two economists struggled to find a school that could provide a rigorous education for their daughter. They started a charter school in Tucson with the belief that the goal of a great education should be to provide students with limitless opportunities. A second high school opened in the affluent suburb of Scottsdale in 2003.

In 2017, four out of the top five public schools — according to a ranking from US News & World Report— are all run by BASIS Educational Group LLC, a for-profit corporation.

Charter schools are public schools that are privately run, either for-profit or not. Their supporters see the schools as providing a leg up for underserved students who lack access to a personalized education, while critics claim that charter schools snatch away limited resources from other public schools.

Polarizing as they may be, charter schools have a track record of success. Business Insider spent the day at BASIS Scottsdale to see what makes it the best in the nation.

SEE ALSO: Inside America's best private high school — a boarding school that costs $53,900 a year and feeds students into the Ivy League

SEE ALSO: Trump's pick for education secretary champions vouchers and charter schools — here's what that means

There are nearly 7,000 charter schools in the US, and most are mission-driven. Some target gifted or high-risk kids.

Source: Education Week

The mission of BASIS charter schools is to produce top students who graduate with some of the highest test scores in the nation and go on to best ranked colleges and universities.

And BASIS Scottsdale does it better than any public high school in America.

In 2017, US News & World Report named BASIS Scottsdale the best public school in the US. The annual ranking is based on the number of Advanced Placement tests taken as well as performance on those tests for graduating seniors, and other criteria. Criticsargue that this type of list doesn't use enough measures of success and gives charter schools an unfair edge.

• OpenTable released its annual list of the 100 best restaurants in America.
• The list is based on over 12 million reviews from OpenTable users.
• All 50 states and Washington, DC, are represented on the list.

With the holidays near, it may be time to treat yourself and your family to some new restaurants.

You can start by consulting restaurant reservation site OpenTable, which just released its annual list of its 100 best restaurants in America. The list is based on over 12 million reviews from OpenTable users. All 50 states and Washington, DC are represented on the list.

These are OpenTable's 100 best restaurants in America, in alphabetical order: 

1770 House - East Hampton, New York

Arethusa al Tavolo - Bantam, Connecticut

Atera - New York, New York

Barclay Prime - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Barrique Venice - Venice, California

Bavette's - Chicago, Illinois

Benu - San Francisco, California

Bida Manda Restaurant and Bar - Raleigh, North Carolina

Bones- Atlanta, Georgia

BONDST - New York, New York

Buccan- Palm Beach, Florida

Café Monarch - Scottsdale, Arizona

Cafe Provence - Prairie Village, Kansas

Charleston- Baltimore, Maryland

Charleston Grill - Charleston, South Carolina

Chez Billy Sud - Washington, DC

chi SPACCA - Los Angeles, California  

Coppa - Boston, Massachusetts

CRUST- Miami, Florida

Daniel- New York, New York

Del Posto - New York, New York

Double Knot - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Fishing With Dynamite- Manhattan Beach, California

Frances - San Francisco, California

Gabriel Kreuther - New York, New York

Geronimo - Santa Fe, New Mexico

Girl & the Goat - Chicago, Illinois

Giulia Restaurant - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Gramercy Tavern - New York, New York

The Grill - Naples, Florida

Halls Chophouse - Charleston, South Carolina

Harold Black - Washington, DC

Heirloom Cafe - San Francisco, California

Hersh's - Baltimore, Maryland

Highlands Bar & Grill - Birmingham, Alabama

The Inn at Little Washington - Washington, Virginia

Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab - Multiple Locations

JUNGSIK - New York, New York

Kinship - Washington, DC

Koi - West Hollywood, California

Kokkari Estiatorio - San Francisco, California

L'Auberge Chez Francois - Great Falls, Virginia

La Grotta - Atlanta, Georgia

Lahaina Grill - Lahaina, Hawaii

L'Artusi - New York, New York

Le Bilboquet - Dallas, Texas

Le Coucou - New York, New York

Le Diplomate - Washington, DC

Le Vallauris - Palm Springs, California

Linwoods - Owings Mills, Maryland

Mama's Fish House - Paia, Hawaii

Marc Forgione - New York, New York

Marcel's by Robert Wiedmaier - Washington, DC

Marea - New York, New York

Market Restaurant and Bar - Del Mar, California

Mistral - Sherman Oaks, California

The Modern - New York, New York

Momofuku Ko - New York, New York

Neighborhood Services - Dallas, Texas

Orchids at Palm Court - Cincinnati, Ohio

Oriole - Chicago, Illinois

Parc - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Per Se - New York, New York

The Polo Bar - New York, New York

Polo Lounge @ The Beverly Hills Hotel - Beverly Hills, California

PRESS - St. Helena, California

Quince - San Francisco, California

Raoul's- New York, New York

Rasika - Washington, DC

Restaurant L - Cincinnati, Ohio

Riccardo Enoteca - Chicago, Illinois

Rich Table - San Francisco, California

RL Restaurant - Chicago, Illinois

RPM Restaurants -   Locations

Rudy & Paco Restaurant & Bar - Galveston, Texas

Ruth's Chris Steak House - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The Saddle River Inn - Saddle River, New Jersey

Saint Jacques French Cuisine - Raleigh, North Carolina

Shinsei Restaurant - Dallas, Texas

SHU - Sushi House Unico- Bel Air, California

Sotto- Cincinnati, Ohio

Spinasse - Seattle, Washington

St. Francis Winery & Vineyards - Santa Rosa, California

Steve & Cookie's By the Bay - Margate, New Jersey

Stonehouse at San Ysidro Ranch - Santa Barbara, California

Sushi Nakazawa - New York, New York

The Table at Season To Taste - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Talula's Garden - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Metro Wine Bar & Bistro - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Toscana - Los Angeles, California

Townsend - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

True Food Kitchen - Chicago, Illinois

Uchi - Dallas, Texas

UMI - Atlanta, Georgia

Upland - New York, New York

Vernick Food & Drink - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Vetri Cucina - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Yvonne's - Boston, Massachusetts

Zahav - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Zero Restaurant + Bar  - Charleston, South Carolina

SEE ALSO: These are the 10 highest-grossing restaurants in America

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This is what Bernie Madoff's life is like in prison

• Many of the wealthiest people on earth are married to people who are very successful in their own right.

• The world's top billionaires are married to an award-winning novelist, a pediatrician, and a powerful philanthropist, among others.

• Uber-wealthy billionaires meet their spouses the same way anyone else does — through work, friends, and at social functions.

When it comes to love, the uber-wealthy are no different than the rest of us.

Some billionaires, like Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, met their spouses at work. Others, like David Koch, were set up on blind dates.

But there's nothing ordinary about the spouses and partners of some of the world's wealthiest people. Melinda Gates and Dr. Priscilla Chan both run powerhouse philanthropic organizations. MacKenzie Bezos is a published author who has racked up awards and critical acclaim. Hélène Mercier-Arnault is an accomplished concert pianist.

Here's a look at the significant others of some of the wealthiest people in the US:

SEE ALSO: The incredible career of Jeff Bezos' wife MacKenzie, an acclaimed writer who quit her job to support her husband and is now half of the richest couple in the world

Melinda Gates has been married to Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates for 23 years. Her now husband first asked her out at a company picnic — he was the CEO and she was a product manager.

Source: Business Insider, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Forbes

Today, they run a namesake philanthropic giant with an endowment of $40.3 billion. The Gateses are worth $90.1 billion, according to Forbes.

Source: Business Insider, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Forbes

Dr. Priscilla Chan first met her future husband Mark Zuckerberg while in line for the bathroom at a Harvard University frat party. Later, when she found out he slacked off on his take-home midterm to take her on their first date, she told "Today" host Savannah Guthrie, "the type-A first child in me was appalled."

Source: Business Insider, Business Insider, Business Insider, CNN, Recode, Forbes

• Surging online sales this holiday season has led to shipping delays for UPS.
• UPS drivers are working overtime — as many as 70 hours over eight days — to clear the backlog of packages. 
• UPS says it won't miss Christmas deadlines. 

A record-breaking surge in online purchases this holiday season is swamping delivery companies. 

UPS said on Tuesday that the deluge of online purchases during Cyber Week has resulted in package delays of one or two days, Bloomberg reports.

The company's delivery drivers are working overtime — as many as 70 hours over eight days — to clear the backlog of packages, according to Bloomberg.

UPS spokesman Steve Gaut said the company is on track to get back on schedule with its deliveries by the end of the day Wednesday, and it won't miss Christmas deadlines. 

UPS is feeling the pressure after Cyber Monday sales soared 17% over last year, for an estimated $6.6 billion in online sales, making it the biggest online shopping day in US history. 

Black Friday and Thanksgiving Day also generated strong online sales of $5 billion and $2.9 billion, respectively.

SEE ALSO: Walmart is changing its name — and it reveals a key strategy for the company's future

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What 'Dilly Dilly' means — and how Bud Light came up with its viral campaign

• Both the Porsche 911 and the Ford Mustang have been around since the mid-1960s.
• The Porsche 911 Carrera GTS and the Ford Mustang GT have some similar specs but different engineering and a big difference in the price tags.
• For the money, it's hard to beat the Mustang.

I like Porsches, always have. I call the legendary 911 my "Drive for My Life Car." If I had to drive for survival and didn't know what I'd be up against, I'd grab the keys to a 911 and not look back. 

But I also like Mustangs — classic American muscle. Also exhilarating to drive. Once I'd Driven For My Life in a 911, I might start looking for a Mustang to celebrate with.

Until recently, and despite Ford's reinvention of the Mustang as a globally popular sports car, I thought of the 911 and the Stang as occupying different universes.

And then I drove them more or less back to back. And not just any 911 or any Mustang. I drove a GTS and a GT. Some serious metal, some serious motors, some serious power.

Here's how it went.

Photos by Hollis Johnson unless indicated otherwise.

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SEE ALSO: The 2018 Ford Mustang GT is a powerful, high-tech muscle car that's a blast to drive

Here's the Mustang GT, 2018 edition, in the canyons above Malibu in sunny Southern California. Price tag? My test car was not stickered, but you can get one for a starting price of about $35,000.

The 2018 Mustang lineup has been refreshed after a new design was rolled out in 2015. It's still the same old Stang, but it's now made a bit sleeker overall. Feedback has been quite positive so far, and I'm sold, even though I had few issues with the beefier look of the 2015 original.

My GT's color was a triple-aggressive Triple Yellow. Hot as hell, if you ask me, and hotter still with those blacked-out wheels. You can read my review here.

The GT bases at about $35,000, but by the time you add some options to the Premium trim level, you can be up around $50,000.

And here's a 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS, in a different kind of canyon. A concrete canyon in shadowy midtown Manhattan.

The color? A very sexy Carmine Red, which is a $3,000 extra. Overall, the GTS we sampled was — brace yourself — $128,980. The base price is about $120,000 before the add-ons (and there weren't that many outside the paint job some performance and mechanical features).

Obviously, you could buy several Mustang GTs for that price. And that's kind of the point, as you'll see as we make out way through this comparison.

The iconic, bug-eyed look of the 911 has been tweaked since the car was introduced in 1963. Poetically for our purposes, the Mustang debuted in 1965 and has achieved equally iconic status.

In my experience, most people — Stang fans or not — love the way the Stang looks. The 911, not so much. It's an acquired taste. But nothing else resembles it, so the 911 announces itself just as surely. My feeling is that I never avidly want a 911 in my driveway, but when I have one parked there, I believe it looks dang good.

In the vast lineup of 911 variants, the GTS sits at the top of what you might call the lowest tier. It's the best "entry-level" Porsche money can buy. To jump up a tier, you need to buy the 911 Turbo.

As it turns out, the Mustang GT is similarly situated, above the base Stangs with four-cylinder turbo engines, but below the mighty Shelby GT350. And both our competitors here were hardtop coupés with nominal back seats, although the Stang's are a bit more accommodating of adults.

Let's get down to it. First up, Mr. Mustang GT.

What was a muscle car is now a muscular sports car, as Ford has updated the driving dynamics. Mustangs are now quite effective at going around corners, as I discovered while canyon carving in LA.

• Rupert Murdoch's Bel Air home and winery are under threat from wildfires.
• The estate is located in the fire evacuation zone.
• Wildfires have been burning throughout Southern California since Monday evening.

Rupert Murdoch's home and winery in the Bel Air enclave of Los Angeles are under threat from nearby wildfires.

Murdoch bought the 16-acre property, called Moraga Estate, for $29.5 million in 2013. It includes a large, five-bedroom residence as well as a winery and vineyard, which Murdoch uses to produce and sell wine.

Bloomberg reported that the property is within the current evacuation zone, and NBC is reporting that it has caught fire. The estate is located near the 405 freeway, which authorities have closed. 

Moraga posted a statement on its Twitter account: "We are watching the situation unfold very carefully along with everyone else. Our main concern at the moment is for the safety of our neighbors and first responders." 

Wildfires have been burning in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties since Monday evening. Nearly 200,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, and more than 65,000 acres and 150 structures have been damaged as of Wednesday morning. Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency.

The current crisis follows the deadliest series of wildfires in California's history, which spread through Nothern California in October.

Here's a map charting the current fires:

SEE ALSO: Here's how to help victims of the Southern California wildfires

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• Times Higher Education ranks world universities annually.
• This year, Harvard was dethroned from the top spot.
• Oxford University and Cambridge University came in first and second.

For the first time in 14 years, an American college didn't crack the top two in a ranking of the best universities in the world, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2018 list.

United Kingdom-based Oxford and Cambridge Universities came in No.1 and No. 2, respectively.

Times Higher Ed reviews the top 1,000 universities in the world looking at factors of teaching, research, and influence to rank them.

It reviews quantitative factors, like the number of times a university's published work is cited by scholars globally, and qualitative factors, like peer surveys, to assemble the ranking.

Read below to see the top 10 universities in the world:

SEE ALSO: It takes $1.7 million to get your kid into an elite college, according to rich people

10. University of Pennsylvania (tie)

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Students: 20,361

Number of students per faculty member: 6.5

10. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (tie)

Location: Zurich, Switzerland

Students: 19,233

Number of students per faculty member: 14.6

9. University of Chicago

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Students: 13,525

Number of students per faculty member: 6.2

• Job site Glassdoor has declared Facebook to be the most desirable place to work.

• Employees cited the tech giant's impact, culture, perks, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg as huge draws.

• Business Insider spoke with two Facebook employees to get a better sense of what it's like to work at the tech giant.

It's official — Facebook is the best place to work in the US.

Glassdoor just came out with it's annual ranking, and employees say they love the tech giant's mission, culture, perks, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

To see what the big deal is all about, Business Insider spoke with two Facebook employees, product design engineering director Caitlin Kalinowski and prototyping engineer Spencer Burns.

Kalinowski works for the company's virtual reality division Oculus. Her team is responsible for designing and helping to manufacture the physical parts that go into making Oculus products.

Burns works in Area 404, the company's hardware lab. He helps engineers design and manufacture prototypes using CnC machines, 3D printers, and other advanced technologies.

Here's what they had to say about what it's really like to work at Facebook:

SEE ALSO: The 50 best places to work in 2018, according to employees

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Employees say there is no typical day at Facebook

There's no such thing as a routine day at Facebook, according to Kalinowski and Burns.

Two thirds of Kalinowski's team is based in Seattle, so she typically flies up there at least once a week. Her days often include design reviews, checking up on the progress of products and designs, tons of one-on-ones with direct reports, and meetings focused on improving cross-functional communication.

For Burns, the day starts with a visit to Facebook's on-site gym for a group fitness class like yoga or Spartan SGX.

"After that, I'll usually go and get a little bit of breakfast at one of our cafés and get a coffee," Burns told Business Insider. "I definitely have to have my morning coffee."

Then it's off to the lab, where he checks in with colleagues to see if there are any pressing matters to prioritize. From there, he might be working on programming and running CnC machines, designing components for a project, or going to design review meetings to help engineers.

"My work life balance is normally really great," Burns said. "I'm normally not here very late. I work very reasonable hours."

The hiring process can involve everything from a full day of interviews to a call from Mark Zuckerberg

Like many companies, Facebook's hiring process can vary a bit, depending on your level of experience.

Kalinowski was working at Apple in 2012 when some upper-level Facebook execs began recruiting her. Then she got a surprising call one day.

"Mark Zuckerberg ended up calling me, which was really unexpected," she said. "I think that's one of the things that's really impressive about him in particular. I feel like he reaches down deep into his organizations — in recruiting, but also in getting to know people."

Burns joined Facebook in January of 2016. He went through a day's worth of interviews with about five or six interviewers, which he said is fairly standard for the industry.

From the get go, he had a gut feeling the company was a great fit. His inkling only grew stronger after the interviews.

"I actually felt really good after it because I realized that they take it very seriously," Burns said. "They really want the brightest and the best and they want to make sure they get the right people. I met some really cool people in my interview as well, so I was really excited about it."

Facebook is looking to hire driven people with specific, valuable skills

Unsurprisingly, when it comes to landing a job at Facebook, it's not enough to just want a job at Facebook.

"It's really difficult to set a goal like, 'Oh, I want to be a software engineer at Facebook,'" Burns said.

Instead, he advised focusing on honing your passion and mastering your chosen field.

"If you just focus on that and you become really, really great at it and kind of build a reputation, then I think you're going to have a great chance at landing somewhere like Facebook," he said. "It boils down to being super passionate about what you do, whether it's software engineering or hardware engineering."

Kalinowski adds that it's important for more senior candidates to have specialized skills.

"I don't want to hire an entire team of perfectly well-rounded engineers who can all do the same stuff equally well," she said. "My personal philosophy, which dovetails nicely with the Facebook philosophy, is, I want high points. I'm looking for someone who's shown a particular skill in a certain area."

• An airline's paint scheme offers onlookers a taste of a carrier's values or its culture's ethos.
• Some airlines update paint schemes once every few years while others remain unchanged for decades.
• A successful design can make an airline instantly recognizable. Think Pan Am.

As airlines and airplanes have evolved, so have their "liveries" — the exterior designs, including paint colors and logos, on the aircraft.

As planes crisscross the globe, their exterior graphics not only represent the companies that operate them but in many instances also serve as visual ambassadors for their respective homelands.

A great airline livery gives onlookers a taste of a carrier's values or its culture's ethos in an attractive and effective color scheme.

Airlines like Southwest, Spirit, and American have updated their liveries in recent years, with mixed results.

Others have hit home runs. Here's a selection of 16 airline exterior designs that look simply amazing.

SEE ALSO: Massage seats, lie-flat beds, and Armani amenities — there are the world's 10 best business-class airlines

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16. WOW Air. Since the airline's founding in 2014, WOW has made headlines for its low prices. However, the Icelandic ultra low-cost carrier's bright fuchsia paint job has proven to be equally attention grabbing.

15. British Airways: With a waving Union Jack adorning the tail, British Airways delivers a modern take on traditional British elegance.

14. Malaysia Airlines: Even though the A380's future in the airline's fleet remains uncertain, the plane's blue and white livery is unquestionably beautiful.

• Facebook is now the most desirable place to work in the US, according to Glassdoor.

• Facebook's careers page and Glassdoor reviews break down the tech company's top benefits in North America.

• Some perks include free meals, ample time for vacation, and lots of support for new parents.

• Facebook's benefits received a 4.7 out of 5 stars on Glassdoor.

Glassdoor just crowned Facebook the best place to work in the US this year.

That's not shocking, considering some of the company's tempting perks.

A quick glance at its careers page— along with its Glassdoor reviews— reveals a whole slew of enviable benefits. So does reporting from the Guardian's Julia Carrie Wong, whose article highlighted the inequality between Facebook staffers and contractors.

On its jobs site, Facebook advocates for a "holistic approach to benefits and perks," and focuses on several different spheres, including health, family, community, finance, and convenience.

Here's a look at some of the perks Facebook offers employees in North America.

SEE ALSO: The 50 best places to work in 2018, according to employees

SEE ALSO: 7 reasons no other company can touch Facebook, the best place to work in America

Four months of paid time off for new mothers and fathers — within the first year of a child's birth or adoption

A bike repair shop for Menlo Park employees

A wellness allowance to finance gym membership or other healthy activities

• The Queen gets fine dining almost any day she wants — but what does she like?
• Business Insider got the answer from the man making her lunch on Thursday.
• The menu includes salmon, lamb and orange tart, and was approved by the palace.
• The Queen will take lunch on board HMS Queen Elizabeth during a naval ceremony.

Queen Elizabeth II gets to go to a lot of banquets, state dinners, and other grand occasions where fine dining is de rigueur.

The tastes of the world's longest-serving head of state are the subject of extensive speculation — so we found out the truth behind what she favours from the man who will prepare her lunch today.

Business Insider was invited on board HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Navy's newest aircraft carrier, ahead of a royal visit taking place on Thursday at the naval base in Portsmouth, southern England.

On board we spoke to Petty Officer Dean Allen, who works as a chef on board and will be in charge of preparing the meal for the monarch when she visits.

Here are the dishes chosen for the three-course menu:

Starter:

Salmon tian with fennel and apple salad

Main course:

Double rib of lamb with broad bean cassoulet and lemon jus

Dessert:

Burnt orange tart with poached meringue and blackberry compote

Allen told us that his team submitted several menu ideas ahead of the event, then sent them to officials at Buckingham Palace who made the final call on what should be served.

The lunch, which is for the Queen and 31 other dignitaries, is part of a ceremony in which Her Majesty will formally accept HMS Queen Elizabeth as part of the Royal Navy, a process called "commissioning."

The ceremony will see the Queen visit the ship, inspect a naval guard of honour, and celebrate the beginning of the ship's naval career along with her crew and their families.

SEE ALSO: Everything the Queen eats and drinks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

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