Before traveling to Nevada, the photographer Marc McAndrews had never been to a strip club, let alone a brothel. Now, five years later, he's been to every single one in the state.

McAndrews made regular trips to Nevada's legal brothels, staying anywhere from a week to a month each time.

He stayed in bedrooms in the houses, shared bathrooms with the sex workers, and saw a world that few else have.

In 2014, McAndrews shared some photos from his trips inside the brothels with us. You can see more photos and read amazing stories in his book, "Nevada Rose."

SEE ALSO: The owner of America's most famous brothel explains how he promotes a business that's illegal to advertise

When McAndrews began shooting the brothels, he expected them to be seedy and filled with drugs, he told Business Insider. What he found was something completely different.

He started by visiting Moonlite Bunny Ranch, made famous by HBO's "Cathouse" series. When he asked about taking photos, the women thought he was just a nervous customer. He was turned down.

After being turned down by brothels near Carson City, one of the sex workers recommended he try a small town like Elko or Ely, where proprietors might be friendlier.

Those little bags that you find in a box of new shoes or a new camera can be very useful. Here's what you can do with them and some information about just how dangerous they actually are. Following is a transcript of the video.

Don't throw these away: Silica gel bags. They're usually found in a box when you buy new shoes or a camera. Usually, we throw them out.

Silicon dioxide dries out anything around them. Non-toxic, not poisonous, they do pose a choking hazard. Keep them away from children. Here's what you can use them for.

1. Throw them in your gym bag and you can prevent bacteria or mold from growing. It also gets rid of nasty odors.

2. Save a wet phone. It's more effective than rice. Put the phone in a jar full of the bags.

3. Save old photos. Put a few of the bags in a box of old photos. It saves them from sticking together or getting ruined. 

4. Defog your windshield. Put a bunch of the bags under your windshield. It takes care of the fog and saves precious time. 

5. Extend the life of razor blades. The bags absorb the moisture from your blade.

Think twice before throwing away. 

This video was produced by Eames Yates

This video was originally published on Feb. 24, 2016.

Join the conversation about this story »

• A startup called BetterUp is providing a hybrid of counseling and executive coaching to employees of tech companies in Silicon Valley.
• The coaching aims to develop soft skills like stress management and collaboration that help employees be happier and more effective in and out of the office.
• Millennials spend more time working than previous generations, so finding fulfillment at work is a crucial part of their job satisfaction.

Millennials make less money than their parents did at the same age, yet they work more hours, forfeit more vacation days, and retire much later than previous generations.

In an effort to keep employees feeling (and performing) their best in those conditions, companies like Facebook and LinkedIn have started to pay for on-the-clock "coaching" through a startup called BetterUp. Employees meet virtually with licensed therapists and executive coaches to work on skills related to collaboration, stress management, and goal-setting.

They're also welcome to vent as needed about burnout, relationship troubles, crummy managers, and everything in between.

"It's about moving the needle in their personal life and their work life," Alexi Robichaux, cofounder and CEO of BetterUp, told Business Insider.

Founded in 2013, BetterUp sells its services exclusively to large organizations with over 10,000 employees. Its clients include Salesforce, Capital One, Square, Logitech, and even Buffalo Wild Wings. Chief executives, mid-level managers, and even lower-level employees who show high potential can all opt into the service, which honors a strict confidentiality code. 

Traditionally, counseling and executive coaching have been siloed, with separate providers. BetterUp's approach is to coach "the whole person" — and have their employer pay for it. The company hopes to challenge the reputation of coaching as a hippy-dippy practice wherein "life coaches" (some with dubious qualifications) dole out advice online and charge a premium.

"Most of working America thinks that the only coaching is life-coaching, which is like some dude in Alabama on Skype and you have no idea if he's wearing pants," Robichaux said.

When an employee signs up for BetterUp, they find a coach by swiping through profiles on an app. (Sound familiar?) The coaches' profiles describe their training and areas of expertise. They range from therapists and psychologists to coaches certified by the International Coach Federation. Employees video-chat with their coach through the app on a weekly or monthly schedule and follow up by text between sessions.

BetterUp aims to develop soft skills such as regulating your emotions, finding your flow, communicating a clear vision, and fostering collaboration, which are all arguably skills that are as useful at home as at work. The slogan reads, "Thrive Personally, Inspire Professionally."

Someone who comes to gripe about a micro-managing manager has an opportunity to complain, but is also prompted to think about why it bothers them so much, and to develop behaviors that support the manager's needs. A person who struggles with anxiety in the workplace might be prescribed a meditation regime through an app like Headspace.

Every three months, BetterUp sends employees a questionnaire so the startup can track specific data points, like employees' assessments of their focus, problem solving, influence, "mental agility," and "presence," over time.

BetterUp says that 95% of members report being highly satisfied with the service (though Business Insider could not independently verify that number). The company also says that most companies using the service opt to increase their payment in the first year in order to double the number of employees who can participate. (Pricing is based on the number of users.)

Robichaux imagines that someday, BetterUp could be more than a tech company perk. If the model takes off as he hopes, coaching could become part of an employer-provided benefits package, along with health insurance.

"Millennials are the first generation to unashamedly come to the conclusion, 'If work is taking more of my time, then it should be contributing more to my human fulfillment,'" Robichaux said. "It's only fair, right?"

SEE ALSO: Millennials are tracking their kids' whereabouts and internet usage on their phones — here are the apps 'parennials' are obsessed with

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How to deal with your emotions and take control of your life

Most of us can’t wait to see 2017 end, but before we put a flamethrower on the whole thing let’s look back on something that wasn’t bad: the movies.

From the iconic Wonder Woman finally getting on the big screen to the movie that will mark the supposed final performance of one of our greatest living actors Daniel Day-Lewis, movies on both the studio and independent side found ways to make us forget our daily troubles and escape into stories that have stayed with us long after the closing credits.

Here are 11 movies from this year that did just that for me:

SEE ALSO: "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" director Rian Johnson reacts to the backlash and addresses the movie's most shocking moments

11. “Logan Lucky”

This is the best movie you didn’t see this year. Sadly, Steven Soderbergh’s southern-fried version of “Ocean’s 11” didn’t get a lot of box office love, but if you did catch it (or are getting around to it now as it’s available on streaming/blu-Ray) you know why it made this list. The movie is hilarious and Channing Tatum teamed with Adam Driver is gold. Plus, Daniel Craig is just on another level in this. 

The movie is also one of the best written of the year — now if we can only figure out who to thank. 

10. “Wonder Woman”

It’s hands-down my favorite superhero movie of the year. Patty Jenkins creates goose bump moments (No Man’s Land scene) while giving us the long-awaited big screen telling of one of comic books’ most iconic characters. In a genre where it’s hard to impress anymore, this movie pulled it off.

9. “Mudbound”

This is another crown jewel for Netflix. Dee Rees’ look at life on a Mississippi farm post World War II is powered by its incredible ensemble cast, and striking visuals and score. Rees proves she’s one of the top young directors working today and I still can’t get Jason Mitchell’s performance out of my head.

Cities like New York and Washington, DC, have always attracted young people looking to get their start.

But factors such as rising real-estate prices and stiff job competition have sent millennials searching for other places in the US to call home.

We rounded up the cities and towns that millennials have moved to in droves over the past few years, using data from personal-finance company SmartAsset, real-estate-analytics firm RCLCO, and mortgage-software company Ellie Mae.

Here are the places you'll find booming millennial populations:

SEE ALSO: I spent 3 months living in Alaska — here are the 7 things people always get wrong about America's biggest state

Charlotte, North Carolina

The millennial population of Charlotte, the biggest city in North Carolina, grew by nearly 11,000 in 2015, the latest year for which there is data.

Seattle, Washington

Seattle gained more millennials than any other city on the West Coast, adding about 10,000 to its population in 2015.

Oakland, California

About 7,500 more millennials moved to Oakland in 2015 than left the city, according to SmartAsset.

Since Danielle Bregoli took the internet by storm in January, it was clear that 2017 would be a strong year for memes and meme appreciators. From Salt Bae to Covfefe, here are the 9 best memes of 2017.

1. Salt Bae

2. White Guy Blinking

3. Snapchat Hot Dog

4. SpongeBob Mocking

5. Cash Me Ousside

6. Distracted Boyfriend

7. Roll Safe Meme

8. Covfefe

9. Nothing But Respect For My President

Join the conversation about this story »

• Academic review site Niche reported the toughest college to gain acceptance into in every state.
• The list looked at SAT and ACT scores and college acceptance rates.
• The hardest college to get into in America is the California Institute of Technology.

With an acceptance rate of just 8.8% and typical SAT scores between 1500 and 1600, the California Institute of Technology is America's hardest college to get into, according to a list from academic review site Niche.com.

The rankings are based on acceptance rates and SAT and ACT scores reported to the US Department of Education. College acceptance rates received a weighted average of 60% in the ranking computation, and SAT/ACT scores received a weighted average of 40%. 

Business Insider used Niche's state filter to find out which college is the hardest to get into in each of America's 50 states and the District of Columbia. Niche reports that a few states (Alaska, Delaware, Nevada, and Wyoming) are missing from the ranking because they don't have data for enough colleges.

Scroll through to find out the most selective college in each state, along with their acceptance rate and SAT score, listed for the lower end of accepted students (25th percentile) and higher end (75th percentile). Note that Mississippi Valley State University and Union College reported ACT scores rather than SAT.

SEE ALSO: The 50 smartest colleges in America

SEE ALSO: The 25 US colleges with the best location

Alabama: University of Alabama

Acceptance rate: 51.1%

SAT 25th-75th percentile: 990-1250

Arizona: Arizona Christian University

Acceptance rate: 56.7%

SAT 25th-75th percentile: 840-1090

Arkansas: University of Arkansas

Acceptance rate: 62%

SAT 25th-75th percentile: 1010-1230

• Millennium Tower, a luxury residential building in San Francisco, has sunk 17 inches and tilted 14 inches since it was completed in 2008.
• Residents say they're selling multimillion-dollar condos at a loss.
• A two-bedroom, three-bath unit at Millennium Tower sold in December 2017 for 30% less than what it sold for in 2013.

The well-heeled residents of San Francisco's leaning, sinking skyscraper are scrambling to sell their condos, taking losses of millions of dollars.

A two-bedroom, three-bathroom unit at Millennium Tower sold earlier this month for $2.99 million, but sold for $4.25 million in 2013.

The new owners, Rohita and Vijay Caveripakkam, both work in tech. Vijay is the founder and CEO of InFor500, a small cloud-computing company based in Silicon Valley.

Millennium Tower is a luxury residential high-rise that has sunk 17 inches and tilted 14 inches since it was completed in 2008. Though an inspection by the city showed it's safe to occupy, the situation has sparked an exodus from the building. 

The unit that most recently closed at Millennium Tower previously belonged to Robert Darby, Jr., president of Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies, according to property records.

"The seller took about a 30% loss over a period where the market appreciated rapidly," Patrick Carlisle, chief market analyst at brokerage Paragon, who wasn't involved in the deal, told the San Francisco Business Times. "That's got to be pretty painful."

Carlisle estimated that the 1,664-square-foot condo would sell for between $5 million and $6 million, "if it was in any other building," he told the Business Times.  Home prices elsewhere in San Francisco continue to soar.

A year ago, a penthouse unit at Millennium Tower, previously owned by late venture capitalist Tom Perkins, sold for $13 million. Perkins bought the two-bedroom condo unfinished for $9.4 million and spent $9 million on renovations, which should have bumped it sales price higher.

In May, a second penthouse apartment sold for 29% less than what it sold for two years ago, the Business Times reported. The seller shaved 36% off the asking price.

The situation at Millennium Tower is likely to get worse before it gets better. Engineers have estimated the building will continue to sink at a rate of about one-inch per year.

There may be a fix in the works. A pair of engineering firms hired by developer Millennium Partners and other parties have recommended drilling 50 to 100 new piles (a type of foundation in the shape of a pillar) 200 feet down to bedrock from the building's basement.

SEE ALSO: Photos of cracks running across the basement of San Francisco's leaning, sinking skyscraper are unreal

SEE ALSO: Ayesha Curry opened a fine-dining barbecue restaurant in San Francisco's sinking skyscraper — here's what it's like to eat there

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Inside the exclusive multimillion-dollar San Francisco street that a couple bought for $90,000

A sprawling middle-class neighborhood is rising on the site of the retired San Francisco Naval Shipyard in Hunters Point. But before residents arrived at this long-forgotten patch of the city's waterfront, the area was home to a federally run nuclear test site.

In a secret laboratory used for decades after World War II, the US Navy ran tests on ships exposed to atomic weapons and conducted research about the effects of radiation on living organisms. The shipyard's closure in 1994 left behind San Francisco's worst toxic-waste dump.

Developer Five Point, a spinoff of Lennar (the nation's largest housing builder), has set out to transform the abandoned San Francisco Naval Shipyard and the neighboring Candlestick area into a bustling live-work community with 12,000 new homes and roughly 5 million square feet of office and commercial space.

Business Insider recently explored what is left of the shipyard before the new residential community takes its place. It was not pretty.

SEE ALSO: A formerly homeless man gave us a tour of the gritty San Francisco neighborhood that's been overrun by tech companies

After the shipyard closed in 1994, the site was left abandoned for 19 years.

Buildings that once contained barracks, schools, a cafeteria, and other non-industrial facilities were emptied and left to rot. Paint now chips away like fingernail polish.

Source: United States Environmental Protection Agency

There are few reminders of what was there before, save for some signage and furniture.

This plane suite is like a hotel room in the sky. Singapore Airlines has brand-new A380 first-class suites. Zach Honig, editor at The Points Guy, was one of the first people to experience it. 

To get to the suites, you go up a grand staircase. There's a sliding door for privacy, and each suite has a bed and a chair. Some suites can be combined to make a double bed.

Honig found the suites to be very roomy. You can fold the bed up to make more space. You get a 32-inch touchscreen display, and there are storage bins and a closet. 

These first-class suites don't come with access to a shower, but the bathrooms are double in size. All Singapore-owned A380s are expected to have the new cabins by the end of 2020. Would you ever go back to economy?

Join the conversation about this story »

Christmas is a special time for people all over the world.

While the holiday can be celebrated in many different ways, perhaps no custom is more important than the time-honored Christmas Eve or Christmas Day meal.

Still, these meals vary greatly depending on where they're taking place.

Inspired by this BookTable post by Rob Rebelo, we took a look at some typical Christmas meals from countries across the globe.

SEE ALSO: Happy Holidays from the White House: See the presidents' Christmas cards, from Trump to JFK to Coolidge

Germans often serve fruity Stollen cake, along with a mulled wine called Gluehwein. Stollen is traditionally baked to have a hump, symbolizing the humps of the camels that carried the wise men to see Jesus.

Many Bulgarians fast before Christmas, so on Christmas they nosh on stuffed vegetables, soups, and cakes.

In Fiji, locals dine on banana leaf-wrapped fish, stuffed chicken, and pork made with a "Lovo," an earth oven made with heavy stones, like the one seen below.

• Wyatt Koch is suing Ivie Gabrielle Slocumb, his former fiancée, to retrieve a $250,000 engagement ring, The Daily Mail reported.
• Koch is the son of the billionaire William Koch.
• He runs a fashion brand in Palm Beach.

A broken engagement is almost always a source of pain, disappointment, and turmoil for those involved.

But for one formerly betrothed couple in Florida, there's also a huge rock worth thousands of dollars on the line.

Wyatt Koch has filed suit against Ivie Gabrielle Slocumb, his ex-fiancée, saying she failed to return her $250,000 engagement ring once their relationship ended, The Daily Mail reported Wednesday.

According to the Palm Beach Daily News, Koch bought the ring for $180,000 at Manufacturing Jewelers on New York's Madison Avenue in March.

Koch is the 31-year-old son of the billionaire William Koch, who broke away from his brothers in the 1990s and hosted fundraisers for Donald Trump during his presidential campaign, according to Fortune.

Wyatt Koch lives in Florida, where he runs a fashion line, Wyatt Ingraham.

Here's a look at the life and career of Wyatt Koch.

SEE ALSO: Brothers share what it was like quitting their corporate jobs to sell ties on the beach and cofound Vineyard Vines, a company worth nearly $1 billion

Koch's parents, William Koch and Joan Granlund, divorced when he was young, and he was raised in Greenwich, Connecticut, and New York. He told Palm Beach Illustrated that he had fond memories of spending time at Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard too.

Source: Palm Beach Illustrated, Tampa Bay Times, Washington Post, Wyatt Ingraham, Palm Beach Daily News

Koch's love of fashion began early, from when he first donned a "Yves Saint Laurent black with white pinstripes ensemble" at the age of 15. He told the Palm Beach Record that he was voted "most fashionable" in high school.

Source: The Palm Beacher, Palm Beach Record

In 2006, he moved to Palm Beach, where both of his parents live. Koch also owns a 450-acre ranch called Wonderland in Okeechobee, Florida.

Source: The Palm Beacher, Variety, Palm Beach Daily News

• Scientists aren't necessarily convinced breakfast is the most important meal of the day, Tech Insider reported.

• Still, many successful people take the time to eat a balanced breakfast.

• Others, however, like Bill Gates and Donald Trump typically abandon the meal altogether.

What goes into a breakfast of champions?

Well, the science isn't exactly settled on whether or not breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Eating breakfast doesn't necessarily even help you lose weight, according to Tech Insider.

Still, tons of successful people opt to make breakfast a part of their busy schedules, with a few notable exceptions.

Here's a look at some of the typical breakfast routines of successful people:

SEE ALSO: A Marine veteran says a morning ritual he picked up in boot camp primes him for success every day

Virgin Group founder Richard Branson prefers to dig into fruit salad and muesli in the morning while spending time with his family.

Source: CNBC, Business Insider

Popeyes CEO Cheryl Bachelder's morning meal depends on whether she's traveling or not. She has said she prefers steel-cut oatmeal when she's at home, and bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast when she's on the go. But either way, she always reaches for some coffee, too.

Source: Business Insider

Singer and actor Justin Timberlake told Bon Appetit he goes for a scrambled egg along with flax-seed waffles spread with almond butter before his morning workout.

Source: CNBC, Bon Appetit

• Getting the suite experience can be possible even if you're staying in a standard hotel room.
• Business Insider asked frequent travellers and experts for the things they always do to ensure they have the most comfortable stay possible and receive the best service.
• Their advice includes things like always arriving at your hotel on time, or requesting the room with the sofa bed.

Flying first class and staying in penthouse suites is every traveller's dream, but for those on a regular budget, it's hardly a reality.

But just like there are things you can do to make economy feel like first class, there are also ways you can make staying in a standard hotel room feel like a luxurious suite experience.

Business Insider asked a range of travel experts for the things they always do when they're booking or arriving at a hotel in order to make their stay as seamless and comfortable as possible — and get the absolute best service.

Here are 10 ways to make a standard hotel room feel like a suite, according to travel experts.

1. Tell the hotel what time you'll be arriving — and stick to it

This is what 20-year-old aviation expert Alex Macheras always does, and he said: "It means they often a better prepared for my arrival, including if it’s early morning — with a ready-made tea/coffee — or perhaps late at night, by ensuring check in is very fast so that I can head straight to sleep."

2. Take tips from past travellers

"I use 'Room Tips' on TripAdvisor to note down the most popular room numbers being mentioned," Macheras said. "Not all standard rooms are created equally, some are superior to others despite being the same category room. More often than not, rooms at the end of the corridor are slightly larger."

3. Always tell the hotel if it's a special occasion

If you're celebrating a birthday or anniversary, be sure to let the hotel know. "The front desk team will note it down, and help you celebrate in one way or another," Macheras said. "Every time I’m travelling to celebrate something, there is often cake, fruit platters, or Champagne in my room, upon my arrival to the hotel."

4. Ask for a deal or an upgrade

"Try to actually get a suite — if you arrive late, especially at an independent hotel, you might be able to buy a cheap upgrade if the hotel knows by that point that no one is going to book one for cash," said Rob Burgess, founder of air miles blog Head for Points. "This works better on shorter stays, as the longer you are staying the more risk the hotel takes by giving you a better room for a discount."

5. Get rid of hotel literature

"All of those brochures, leaflets, and stand-up cards on the desk, TV, side table etc. — put them in a drawer," Burgess said. "They kill the homely feel."

5. Ask for anything missing from your room

"Ask for extras that are 99% of the time free and included in the room, but may not physically be in the room," Macheras said. This can include a robe, slippers, or softer/firmer pillows.

6. Take the room with a sofa bed

"Many hotels advertise an extra sofabed in some rooms, often for the same price as a room with just a bed," Burgess said. "Take the room with a sofabed, even if you're not bringing a child. This guarantees that you will get the biggest standard room available, as they are the ones where the sofabeds get put."

7. Bring luxury with you

"I always travel with some mini travel candles, of either Cire Trudon or Diptyque, to have at hand as good smells and candlelight make everything prettier," said Emma Day, the celebrity makeup artist who spends most of her time travelling.

"I also always take This Works Pillow Spray as I’m often a bad sleeper and this is really soothing and seems to help. Also, I always take a rather old lilac cashmere Brora throw, which is not only quite luxurious looking but doubles up as a blanket if the heating is not amazing or there aren’t extra blankets. It’s so comforting!"

8. Make use of hotel loyalty programmes...

Even if it's your first time at the chain, you should register with the hotel's loyalty programme, according to Macheras, "so the front desk team are aware you have an interest to return, and therefore ensure they 'wow' you first time...which often means a room upgrade."

9. ...and credit cards

"Many chain hotels give out elite status with credit cards," said Burgess, who suggested looking into the following cards:

• American Express Platinum in the UK, which gives all cardholders Starwood Preferred Guest (Sheraton, Westin, W, etc.) Gold, Hilton Honors Gold, Club Carlson (Radisson, Park Inn) Gold, Melia Rewards Gold, and Shangri-La Jade status.
• IHG Rewards Club MasterCard, which is free, gives you IHG Rewards Club Gold status, valid at Holiday Inn, HI Express, Crowne Plaza, Indigo, InterContinental, etc.
• IHG Rewards Club Premium MasterCard (which comes at a £99 ($132) fee) gives you IHG Rewards Club Platinum status.
• Hilton Honors Platinum Visa (also free) gives you Hilton Honors Silver status and upgrades you to Gold if you spend £10,000 in a calendar year.
• Starwood Preferred Guest American Express (free again) gives you SPG Preferred Plus status for free and upgrades you to Gold if you spend £15,000 in a calendar year.

"Whilst you are never guaranteed an upgrade, having status with that particular chain will give you some benefits, will put you at the top of the list for upgrades, and will give you more clout if you do want to try to get an upgrade via cash or complaining," Burgess said.

10. If in doubt, find something to complain about

"I was, in my youth, a bit of an over-complainer because it was actually successful," Burgess said. "If you end up changing rooms, you are usually given a better one as compensation. Even not liking the view counts. Do this as soon as you check in as, once you've unpacked, it becomes a bit of a chore."

SEE ALSO: 5 easy ways to make an economy flight feel like first class

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The CIO of a crypto hedge fund reveals why you should be cautious of the ICO bubble

No matter how many countries you've been to, there's always somewhere new to discover.

But with so many cultures, countries, and landscapes to explore, it's hard to prioritise one dream destination over another.

Business Insider UK asked top travel bloggers and writers/editors from the likes of Lonely Planet, Suitcase, and Airbnb for the best European destinations they've ever visited — or the ones that are at the top of their bucket list.

Based on their advice, we've compiled a list of must-see places across the European continent that everyone should visit in their lifetime.

From off-the-beaten-track hidden gems to well-recognised yet stunning locations, prepare to get hit with some serious travel envy as you scroll on to see the 32 destinations in Europe everyone should visit in their lifetime — along with why everyone should experience each trip.

Visit the chocolate box fishing villages of the Lofoten Islands, Norway.

"This remote archipelago in Norway is known for dramatic peaks and dark glassy seas," said India Dowley, Digital Editor of Suitcase Magazine.

"Dotted with chocolate-box fishing villages such Henningsvær, it's not hard to imagine it when the Vikings ruled the north seas."

Explore the sci-fi landscapes of Cappadocia, Turkey.

"Volcanic eruptions nearly four million years ago left the landscape dotted with rock structures known as fairies, leaving the region looking like something out of a Star Wars film," Dowley said. "Now scattered with underground cities and carved out cave dwellings, Cappadocia has only begun to attract visitors in recent years."

Camp in the Caucasus Mountains in Kazbegi, Georgia.

"This small town in the Caucasus Mountains is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been," Dowley said. "Tbilisi locals go in the summer months to camp among wild horses on the lush carpet of the mountains, with vertiginous views of waterfalls and towering peaks."

• It is difficult to tell if you are being lied to, especially if it's over text message.
• New research may have uncovered a few tell-tale signs that the person you're texting might not be telling the truth.

Instant messaging, including text messages, Facebook chat, and Whatsapp, have become our main port of call for contacting each other. Messaging is so ingrained into our society that many people struggle to pick up the phone when it rings. "Just text me," is much more socially acceptable.

We have also had to adapt with technology when it comes to things like dating, and this comes with its own issues. In fact, there's a whole set of words related to internet dating, and what can go wrong.

One problem that often comes up is picking up on the tone of a message. In person, unless someone is particularly skilled, you can often have an inkling they are lying to you. Their body language might be weird, or you might realise they are avoiding certain questions.

When you talk to someone over messages, you don't get all of these tell-tale signs. This makes it pretty difficult to determine that your partner is lying to you about something.

New research from Cornell University is here to help us out. According to a new study, there might actually be a few subtle signs in text messages that the content isn't entirely truthful. The paper, accessible here on Arxiv— the online archive where papers are published before being printed in journals — involved looking at 1,703 text conversations to try and find patterns that could indicate deceit.

The researchers separated messages into those that contained lies and those that didn't. Then they looked at the average number of words, the texter's gender, and how many times they contained certain words.

Women tended to use more words when they were lying. Truthful texts were about eight words long, whereas texts containing lies were about nine. Men's text messages were about seven words long on average, whether they were truthful or not.

When women were lying, they tended to be more self-oriented, using words like "I" and "my." Both men and women used non-committal phrases like "probably," "maybe," and "possibly."

Research from 2013, performed by researchers at Brigham Young University, also found that when people were lying, they took longer to respond to texts. Responses with lies took 10% longer to create than truthful messages, and they were edited more times.

There is no golden rule for spotting a lie in a text, but if you're suspicious of someone and they follow this pattern, it could be worth thinking about.

However, if someone takes longer to respond than usual, or they always send texts of nine words, don't jump to conclusions. The researchers say there are many other factors at play, and more research is needed in this area.

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

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: A psychologist explains how birth order affects your chances of success

Not everyone can play Santa Claus for a living.

Sure, anyone can don a Santa hat, beard, and suit and invite parents to plop kids on their lap.

But to play a convincing Santa Claus that kids will forever cherish, and to make a living at it, you must become Santa Claus — and that process takes a lot of work.

For Jim Manning, a full-time children's entertainer who has played Santa Jim in the Boston area for 14 years, learning how to become the perfect Father Christmas meant attending a couple of Santa Claus schools, picking up tricks of the trade from other Santas, and learning the nuances of the job through trial and error.

When he's not making appearances at holiday parties dressed as the man in red or the guest of honor at the City of Boston Tree Lighting celebration, he keeps his skills sharp 11 months of the year as "Jungle Jim" of Jungle Jim's of Boston.

This professional Santa understands the value of a top-notch beard — no straggly, wispy nonsense or anything that could easily get pulled off — and knows that keeping kids happy requires getting on their level.

And perhaps most importantly, to truly transform yourself into the magical elf, Manning tells Business Insider that you have to really love kids — and believe that it's your job to be a beacon of hope and joy to them no matter what.

Below, Manning shares his personal journey of being a professional Santa Claus:

SEE ALSO: Inside the school where men train to be the perfect Santa Claus

DON'T MISS: Take a look at Santa's real-life 'office' in snowy Finland, which receives more than half a million letters every year

What exactly does a pro Santa do?

I've been a professional private-events Santa Claus for 13 years. Generally, there are two kinds of Santas — mall Santas and private-event Santas. Mall Santas tend to be older gentlemen — you get to sit in the mall, you might get the photo, and that's that.

But mostly what I do is corporate and private events. I'm the official Santa Claus for the city of Boston's tree lighting, so I do the tree lighting on TV. I was on the cover of the Red Sox Christmas card this year. Most of my work is generally one-hour visits in people's homes, corporate office parties, and they'll have kids there, and sometimes it's just adults.

And I'm a younger Santa — I'm only 40 — and I'm very high-energy, so I tend to put on a little bit of a show: The Night Before Christmas, and caroling, and magic. A lot of people think being Santa Claus means just showing up, sitting on the couch, and letting kids sit in your lap. But what I do is a lot more.

What does your busy season look like?

The busy season is December, Thanksgiving to Christmas. We start receiving calls and emails in August to book events. Some people will book from the year before. But the real majority of the requests start coming in October and November. And a lot of last-minute requests come in too. The real season starts to ramp up after Thanksgiving.

The first week of December is more promotional work — a lot of photo shoots. I did a photo shoot for Legal Sea Foods, where they had me as Santa Claus taking photos of their clam chowder or their lobster. Drug stores, car dealerships — they'll bring me in to set the tone for the season and whatnot.

Then toward the middle of December, that's when I start getting into more corporate parties, private parties. And then as we get closer to Christmas Eve, the majority of my events are parties in people's homes.

Christmas Eve is the busiest day. I'll do 10 appearances. This year, my first visit is at 11 a.m. and my last visit is scheduled for 9 p.m.

Most weekdays are two to three visits. Weekends are much busier. Sunday I did eight different visits. I'll have five or six days off somewhere in between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

How does it compare to what you do for the rest of the year?

December is the busiest month for my business. We will bring in about 30% of our income for Santa Boston/Jungle Jim's, my children's-entertainment business, during this time. For the rest of the year I'm doing balloon magic shows as Jungle Jim.

During the summer, as Jungle Jim, I'll do 150 performances, most in libraries.

The good thing about being Santa is I don't have as much prep work before an event. It takes me about a half-hour to get into the suit, but then I show up and I am Santa. Whereas with the magic shows and everything, they involve a lot of set up and prep work.

That being said, we devote a lot of man-hours in preparation for December. Pretty much October through December, I'd say 75% of our energy is devoted toward Santa Claus.

Pucker up? That adorable little sprig you're smooching under this season is actually a ruthless parasite that sucks trees of their nutrients. Mistletoe has a long history that took it from you malicious tree-killer to an icon that's as synonymous as wreathes and holly. Following is a transcript of the video.

That holiday mistletoe? Not as romantic as you would think.

Mistletoe is actually a parasitic plant. It crowds trees in densely packed balls. Weighing up to 50 lbs, it absorbs water and nutrients. Its berries are toxic to humans and pets, and will cause vomiting and stomach pain if ingested.

So, why kiss under it? 

Mistletoe's uses go back thousands of years. The Celtic druids associated it with fertility because it would bloom in winter. A Norse myth tells of mistletoe being used to kill, and then resurrect, the god Baldur. And his mother vowed to kiss all who walked underneath it. But the real tradition of kissing under mistletoe began during the Greek festival of Saturnalia, Dec 17th-23rd. And would later appear during marriage ceremonies.

Its incorporation into Christmas festivities may have developed in the middle ages. As Christmas adopted traditions from other cultures' winter holidays. By the 18th century, it had become common for men to steal a kiss from a woman who wandered under the mistletoe. Victorian English custom reportedly denied marriage proposals to any woman who refused a kiss.

The proper etiquette for mistletoe kissing:

"The gentleman should pluck one white berry while kissing the lady on the cheek. One kiss is allowed for each berry. When the last berry is gone, there should be no further kissing."* – Linda Allen, Decking the Halls.

(*Rules may not be up to date for modern holiday celebrations.)

This video was originally published on Dec. 12, 2016.

Join the conversation about this story »

• Many of the most successful people out there also have incredibly successful marriages.

• While you can't read into a marriage from a wedding, it's fun to take a look back at the days that marked the begin of married life.

• Some couples, like Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen, took the low-key route. Others, like Bill and Melinda Gates, threw huge bashes.

No two weddings are exactly alike. Couples tend to throw events that match their personalities, tastes, and budget.

So it's not surprising that there's quite a range of wedding styles, even among some of the most successful people in the world. Some couples went for more modest, intimate affairs, while others opted for massive celebrations.

Here's a look at the weddings of some of the most successful couples out there:

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

The 100 or so guests attending the surprise wedding of Mark Zuckerberg and Dr. Priscilla Chan initially thought they had been invited to the latter's medical school graduation party. The nuptials took place in the backyard of the couples' Palo Alto home on May 19, 2012.

Source: The Washington Post

Zuckerberg designed a ruby wedding ring for his bride. The Washington Post reported dessert consisted of "Burdick Chocolate 'mice' (tiny chocolate truffles in the shape of mice), which they ate during their first date."

Source: The Washington Post

Bill and Melinda Gates married in 1994 in what was then Manele Bay Hotel in Hawaii. They tied the knot by the "par-3 12th hole" on the property's golf course, according to Forbes. The event reportedly cost $1 million.

Source: Business Insider, EasyWeddings.com, Forbes, People magazine, Business Insider, Business Insider

Traveling through Kenya recently, I had the opportunity to strike a major item off my (and many others') bucket list: African safari.

I was in Nairobi, the capital city, and I'd booked a half-day safari in Nairobi National Park, where I had read I could see big game such as lions, rhinos, and buffalo.

I admit I was nervous about not seeing much, since the animals had ample space to hide in the park's 45 square miles, and there were no guarantees I'd see even a wild turkey. However, this being a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I figured there were far worse ways to spend a few hours.

Here's what I saw.

SEE ALSO: I visited a baby elephant orphanage in Kenya — here's what it was like

I was picked up from my Airbnb at 6:15 a.m. and deposited about an hour away at the park's east gate. This is where my fellow tourists and I would begin our tour.

The Kenya Wildlife Service is very protective of its animals. There are endangered black rhinos and over 400 species of birds living in the park. I could take all the photos I wanted; the camera just had to stay inside the car.

With our van loaded up (read: just me and my driver, Steven), we left the paved roads behind for the park's winding, dusty path.