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Why you should always take the hotel room with the sofa bed, and 9 other hacks frequent travellers use to make a standard room feel like a suite

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chl river suite bedroom cmyk mr corinthia london hotel

  • 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

front desk hotel

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

champagne in hotel room

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

hotel robe and slippers

"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

pjimage (83)

"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

amex gold card

"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

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Narcissists have thicker, denser, more distinct eyebrows, according to a new study

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dark brows

  • Narcissists generally have a lack of empathy, a grandiose view of themselves, and a need for admiration.
  • But they can be tricky to spot, as they are very charming if they want something from you.
  • According to a new study, you might be able to pick them out by looking at their eyebrows.
  • Participants were apparently able to identify narcissists as the people with the more distinct eyebrows.
  • So eyebrows might be full of secrets.


Narcissists can be tricky to spot, especially if you are in a romantic relationship with one. This tends to be because they rely on using and manipulating others to fulfill their needs and desires — all while blending in like a chameleon.

There are three distinct types of narcissists, and they often behave in specific callous ways. But it can take some time to work out their patterns. Even when they are exposed for what they are, narcissists can still hook in their victims again by promising they will change, and giving out intermittent reinforcement.

But according to a new study, published in the Journal of Personality, you may be able to detect a narcissist by focusing on one particular facial feature — their eyebrows.

Researchers Miranda Giacomin and Nicholas Rule recruited participants to look at the faces of people who were all across the narcissistic spectrum, from a normal level to full blown narcissist — and it turned out they were pretty good at identifying them.

Strangely, when participants were shown pictures of just the eyebrows, they could correctly identify the narcissists too.

They highlighted femininity, grooming, and distinctiveness when they picked out the narcissists, but results showed it was distinctiveness that was key — narcissists tended to have darker, thicker, more distinctive eyebrows.

The researchers tested the results again by Photoshopping narcissists' brows onto the faces of non-narcissists, and vice versa, and the eyebrows gave the game away away again.

Eyebrows make our faces more recognisable, and in recent years they have become something of a fashion statement. Narcissists may like to make a statement with their brows so to tantalise potential love interests and make an impression.

As the authors wrote, they might "seek to maintain distinct eyebrows to facilitate others' ability to notice, recognise, and remember them; thereby increasing their likability and reinforcing their overly positive self-views."

It could also simply be because eyebrows give away more social messages than we realise. They are important for our facial expressions, but could also reveal subtle, subconscious information too.

"The ability to identify dark personality traits at zero-acquaintance provides particular value for avoiding exploitation and manipulation," the researchers wrote.

"The increasing incidence of narcissism underscores this value. Fortunately, people can accurately judge others' narcissism based on how they act, what they say, what they wear, and what their faces look like."

Whatever secrets eyebrows hold that mean they may reveal someone's dark personality, they could be reason enough to steer clear.

SEE ALSO: How to spot a covert narcissist

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Bill Gates is giving away free copies of one of the most important books he's read to all college graduates — here's how to get yours

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gates book giveaway

  • Bill Gates is gifting all college grads one of his favorite books of the year, Hans Rosling's "Factfulness: Ten Reasons we're wrong about the world — and why things are better than you think." 
  • It's an economist's look at the ways in which life is steadily improving around the world, but it's arguably not a complete picture
  • The books are electronic, downloadable copies and will be available on Gates' website for at least a couple of days. 

 

Put down the cap and gown and pick up a book.

Bill Gates is offering free copies of one of his favorite reads of 2018 to all new graduates of US colleges and universities.

"If you’re being awarded an associate’s, bachelor’s, or post-graduate degree, download your free copy," Gates wrote Tuesday, announcing his giveaway.

The book, "Factfulness," was written by Swedish doctor and statistician Hans Rosling, who died of pancreatic cancer last year at the age of 68. His son Ola and daughter-in-law Anna helped finish up the final pages of the book, which suggests the world is not nearly as bad as we tend to assume.

You can download the book, in .epub format, over on Gates' Gatesnotes Blog.

Factfulness is just one book in a long line of uplifting and inquisitive reads on Gates' must-read book lists, from Steven Pinker's "Enlightenment Now," to a new biography of Leonardo da Vinci and a complete history of the universe by historian David Christian.

Gates has lauded Factfulness as "One of the most important books I've ever read ― an indispensable guide to thinking clearly about the world."

His wife, Melinda, has echoed this praise. "Hans Rosling tells the story of 'the secret silent miracle of human progress' as only he can," she wrote in her review.

Factfulness is aimed as a wake-up call to nay-sayers

factfulness

Rosling wrote in his book that he aimed to arm readers with "a set of simple thinking tools" to get a better sense of how the world works, from rising education rates, to better life expectancies and health outcomes around the world. 

"The aim with 'Factfulness' is to debunk old prejudices and change the way people view the world – not just now, but for at least another 20 years to come," Rosling's daughter-in-law and co-author Anna Rosling Rönnlund told Swedish business magazine Veckans Affärer in May, after Rosling's death.

"The thoughts in 'Factfulness' are important for giving people a more fact-based view of the world," she said. 

It's an important enough message to Gates that he's decided he wants the next generation of thinkers to take a look at Rosling's ideas, on his dime.

But the book arguably leaves some of the less-than-rosy facts about the state of the world out of the picture.

While it's true that people are living longer, more educated lives than they used to, world hunger is also on the rise, people in rich countries are arguably less healthy than ever, and women with advanced degrees still have higher rates of unemployment than their male counterparts, even as girls outperform boys around the world at school.

If you're a curious graduate, go ahead pick up your free copy of "Factfulness" from Gates here, and then decide for yourself whether things really are "better than you think."

SEE ALSO: Bill Gates says he now lumps the world into 4 income groups — here’s how it breaks down

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NOW WATCH: How Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are changing the world like no other humans in history

The San Francisco housing market is so dire that people are leaving in droves — here's where they're headed

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san francisco moving 4

The San Francisco Bay Area is on the brink of an exodus as a low supply of homes and high demand drive housing prices— and the cost of living — to new heights.

A recent survey from the Bay Area Council advocacy group found that 46% of residents say they plan to move away soon, up from 40% last year and 35% in 2016.

But where are they going?

Over 146 million American workers have LinkedIn profiles, and more than 20,000 companies in the US use LinkedIn to recruit, giving the social network an inside look at workforce trends.

One of the trends the company is watching: where people leaving San Francisco are headed.

LinkedIn crunched its data to identify the US cities where the most LinkedIn members moved to from the San Francisco Bay Area in the past year. These are the top 10 destinations.

SEE ALSO: All the crazy things happening in San Francisco because of its out-of-control housing prices

10. Stockton, California

Located in California's Central Valley, Stockton in 2013 became the most populous US city to declare bankruptcy.

Now the city's 27-year-old mayor is leading a basic-income trial that will give some residents $500 in cash each month with no strings attached. That program was initially funded with a $1 million grant from a group co-chaired by the Facebook cofounder Chris Hughes.

The tech-fueled riches of Silicon Valley could help turn around this California city's fortune.

Read the full LinkedIn Workforce Report »



9. Salt Lake City, Utah

Dubbed the Silicon Slopes, the area from Salt Lake City to Provo is filled with top tech companies, including Adobe, EA, Overstock.com, and the cloud software startup Domo.

Tech workers who flock to Salt Lake City for its lower taxes, flexible regulatory environment, and natural amenities may find they can actually afford a home near the office.

The National Association of Realtors reported that the salary needed to buy a home in Salt Lake City was $59,521 in the last quarter of 2017. In San Francisco, it's at least $173,783.



8. Hawaii

Tech workers are finding paradise on the Hawaiian Islands. (LinkedIn was not more specific about which islands.)

The availability of wireless internet and smartphones has made it easy for people to work remotely, even where they're surrounded on all sides by the Pacific Ocean.

A recent report found that the tech sector in Hawaii remains small, and the state ranks 44th in net tech employment. Hawaii employed about 31,000 tech workers last year, making up just 4% of its total workforce.

Guy Berger, an economist who works at LinkedIn, said retirees and people working outside the tech industry most likely accounted for some of the migration from the San Francisco Bay Area.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

It's election day in California: Meet the 9 tech millionaires and billionaires who are quietly steering San Francisco city politics (CRM)

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salesforce tower san francisco marc benioff 5284

On a foggy day in San Francisco in May, politicians and tech moguls gathered outside Salesforce Tower, the tallest office building west of the Mississippi, to celebrate the skyscraper's grand opening. This was peak San Francisco — a display of power and influence topped off by Marc Benioff holding hands with the mayor of San Francisco as a blessing was said over the cone-shaped, vaguely phallic 61-story tower.

San Francisco is, for better or worse, a tech city. The tech sector creates tens of thousands of jobs annually in the nine-county Bay Area, making it the single biggest engine of the local economy, though that job growth is starting to slow.

As startups blossom, attracting a wave of entrepreneurs and investment dollars, the tech industry has achieved significant clout in local politics. We rounded up the tech and business luminaries who emerged as political power players in San Francisco.

SEE ALSO: Salesforce moved into a new $1 billion skyscraper in San Francisco, and the offices are unlike anything we've seen

Airbnb's Brian Chesky tangled with city officials and hotel unions to keep Airbnb alive in San Francisco.

Title: CEO of Airbnb

Biggest power play: In 2015, Airbnb spent more than $8 million to defeat a San Francisco ballot measure that would have severely restricted short-term home rentals, including those listed through other services such as Craigslist and Vrbo.

Employees of the San Francisco startup have given Gavin Newsom— the politician who helped beat the measure, and who is now running for California governor — $228,000 in donations.



Ron Conway, known as the "Godfather of Silicon Valley," has funneled money into hundreds of startups as well as political campaigns for moderate and tech-friendly candidates.

Title: Angel investor and founder of SV Angel

Biggest power play: Conway, one of the tech industry's most prominent and powerful startup investors, also backs political hopefuls. He's poured reported millions of dollars into local elections, including $275,000 in 2012 to pass a ballot measure that lowered tax rates for tech companies that he invested in such as Airbnb, Twitter, and Zynga.

Conway was a longtime friend and advisor to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, whose death from a heart attack in December catapulted Supervisor London Breed — a fellow recipient of Conway's political contributions over the years — into the hot seat. Her colleagues on the Board of Supervisors moved swiftly to replace her as interim mayor, saying publicly that they did so to send a message to Conway that "San Francisco can't be bought."

Conway has denied making any attempts to sway the Board of Supervisors' vote.



Salesforce's Marc Benioff has been spreading his billions over several causes near and dear to San Francisco residents.

Title: Cofounder and CEO of Salesforce

Biggest power play: Benioff and his wife, Lynne, want to end family homelessness in San Francisco by 2019, and have donated $11.5 million to Hamilton Families, an organization that puts families on the streets into permanent housing, to do just that.

The San Francisco power couple has contributed millions of dollars to causes from schools to hospitals, writing two $100 million checks to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland. In 2018, Benioff gave big to sponsor a San Francisco ballot measure that, if passed, will go toward raising teacher salaries.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

This company believes wireless contracts are a thing of the past — here's why

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Simple Mobile Article #1

Eliminating your phone contract is a simple way to regain control in your life.

People are constantly connected to the office, no matter where they go, making any leisure time they have precious.

But even when they are truly off the clock, thoughts of personal responsibility tend to cloud any semblance of relaxation — from loans with high interest rates and subscription services with commitment minimums to binding phone contracts with inflexible terms. It's exhausting to think about, and ultimately it cuts into their time to relax and unwind.

But it doesn't have to be this way.

In fact, solving that problem is the idea at the very core of the SIMPLE MOBILE business — and that’s why it’s a leader in the no-contract wireless service industry.

The company also provides consumers with different plan options so they pay only for the plan the best fits them, rather than paying astronomical rates due to complicated contracts.

The benefits of no strings attached

SIMPLE MOBILE thinks differently about providing mobile-data services. It offers flexible plans that let customers choose the data plan that best fits their needs, including a $50 truly unlimited high-speed data 30-day plan (video typically streams at DVD quality) without any of the fine print. The result? You get the data you're paying for without any confusion or contracts.

SIMPLE MOBILE allows users to upgrade service plans (or downgrade) to a plan with the most convenient high-speed data allowance month over month, which is perfect for all of life's unpredictable changes. Imagine being someone who travels off and on for work. The ability to increase one's data limit for a high-travel month and more confidently use apps on the road that require more data — like navigation and video streaming — ultimately prevents unnecessary stress monitoring data usage. And then when it's time to go back to the previous data usage, it's easy to downgrade again.

In the long run, customizing the data plan one needs month to month, versus paying high monthly rates with mystery fees on an inflexible wireless service plan, saves money. And that's something that can easily be done by going contract-free.

Making the switch is easy. SIMPLE MOBILE offers a selection of smartphone brands at great prices. For those who already have a phone, SIMPLE MOBILE has a bring-your-own-phone portal that lets users check the compatibility of their devices with their no-contract wireless service. There's even an online-activation process, so there's no need to visit a brick-and-mortar location to activate a device. But if you’d prefer in-person assistance, SIMPLE MOBILE is at thousands of major retailers and neighborhood authorized dealers nationwide.

It may seem like a small step, but eliminating your phone contract can be a simple way to regain control in your life. The SIMPLE MOBILE no-contract advantage and easy onboarding make it a first step toward more flexibility and freedom.

Find out more about SIMPLE MOBILE plans.

Disclaimer: Please refer always to the latest Terms and Conditions of Service at SimpleMobile.com. Please note, if you switch to SIMPLE MOBILE, you may be subject to fees from your current provider.

Find out more about Sponsor Content.

This post is sponsored by SIMPLE MOBILE.

 

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Audiences think Netflix original movies are 'meaningfully worse' than most studio releases

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the week of Netflix

  • Audiences see Netflix original films as "meaningfully worse" in quality than the releases of most major films studios, according to new research from Barclays. 
  • The firm analyzed IMDB audience ratings for all films released by Netflix and the top six studios at the global box office this year, and Netflix ranked sixth overall in median score, behind the top five studios. 

While Netflix has ramped up its original film production to net a substantial viewership, audiences still view the streaming service's film offerings as qualitatively inferior to the releases from most major film studios, according to new research from Barclays, led by analyst Kannan Venkateshwar.

As Barclays notes, Netflix recently reported that the 33 original movies the company has released in 2018 so far have gained an audience of around 300 million viewers (or an average of around 9 million viewers per film). 

Barclays said that Netflix's audience for original films this year would equate to an estimated global box office performance of more than $4 billion.

But in the eyes of audiences, Netflix films are still "meaningfully worse" in quality than most studio releases, according to Barclays. 

To assess audience perception of film quality, the firm analyzed the median IMDB audience ratings for all original movies released by Netflix and the top six studios at the global box office in 2018. It found that Netflix's films ranked sixth overall in median score, behind the top five studios and only ahead of Paramount.

imdb ratings netflix

In a few notable instances, Netflix's strategy for original films has gained viewership despite negative critical (or even audience) perception of quality. 

This year, Netflix bought the film "The Cloverfield Paradox" from Paramount for $50 million and surprise released it after the Super Bowl in February. Though it brought in an estimated 5 million viewers in its first week, the film was panned by critics and scored low audience ratings on both Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB

Last year, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings pointed to high Rotten Tomatoes audience scores for its Will Smith-led fantasy film "Bright" as the "measurement of success" that the company cited against critical panning of the film.

While Hastings blasted critics for being "disconnected from the mass appeal" of its strategy in releasing films like "Bright," which drew 11 million viewers in its first three days of release, it appears that the company still has some major ground to make up in its stated attempt to win over the masses. 

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You can control this new software with your brain, and it should make Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg nervous

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nuro henry evans

  • Tesla's Elon Musk and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg each aim to create the world's first brain-computer interface — devices that put the functionality of a laptop in your head.
  • But those devices would require invasive brain surgery and are unlikely to become available in the immediate future.
  • In the meantime, a startup called Nuro could beat them to the punch with a simpler piece of software.

Two minds may be better than one, but one mind connected to millions of others would be infinitely superior.

That's the thinking behind several companies that are currently racing to link mind and machine by way of devices called brain-computer interfaces. The first to put the functionality of a laptop in your head would pave the way for people to communicate seamlessly, instantly, and with whomever — or whatever — they want.

So far, two figures are publicly leading that race: Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Their clandestine projects, known as Neuralink and Building 8, respectively, focus on approaches that will require brain surgery, according to researchers familiar with their efforts.

But there's a less ambitious and less invasive way to tackle the brain-computer interface problem. It involves translating data from brainwaves into simple commands that can be processed in an app or device. A startup called Nuro is taking this route. It hopes its software platform can give the ability to communicate back to people who've lost it as a result of severe injury or disease.

Outside researchers say the approach is simpler and less functional than invasive approaches, but easier to put into practice.

If Nuro's product succeeds in that initial market, the company plans to expand the technology and test it more broadly in cars and homes. As a result, the company could shape the broader future of technologies that link mind and brain.

Communicating with thoughts

nuro home newsIn April, Nuro opened up for the first time about a version of its software called Nuos, which is designed to give a voice to people who've experienced spinal cord injuries or other major illnesses and can't communicate as they once did. 

Nuro CEO and founder Francois Gand envisions the system for use first in a hospital or intensive-care setting. It could allow so-called "locked in" patients to do things like ask for a glass of water or play music on an Amazon Echo smart speaker.

Gand has test-driven his tool in at least one person with a severe brainstem disorder, and recently showed me how a Nuro user could interact with the technology using a tablet. A black and teal screen is divided into tiles with icons and pre-written messages displaying basic commands like “I need water” or “I’m feeling cold." By focusing intently on a given icon or piece of text, a user can select that tile.

It's the same idea used in neurofeedback, a practice in which people use real-time displays of brain activity to do things like play basic video games in order to better regulate their brainwaves.

Nuos users could even use that technique to type custom messages using a keyboard on the screen. 

An OS that runs on brainwaves

Computer interfaces powered by brainwaves aren't completely new.

stephen hawking

Before Stephen Hawking settled on the Intel setup he primarily used to communicate, he tested several EEG-based caps. But because of his age and the severity of his condition, the caps couldn't get a strong enough brain signal to function properly.

Studies suggest that EEG technologies have the potential to help thousands of other disabled people, though. Every year, roughly half a million people across the globe injure their spinal cord, according to the World Health Organization. The authors of a 2018 paper published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience called the use of EEGs for people with disabilities "a novel approach of the 21st century."

"Development of a brain-computer interface technology that does not replace but complement[s] existing therapies is a...promising field," the authors wrote.

But Gand envisions Nuro's technology — which is essentially an operating system, or OS, that runs on brainwaves — extending far beyond a hospital, to people's homes and even cars. That's something automakers are interested in. In January, the Nissan revealed it was working on helping drivers avoid crashes using EEG data.

"Fundamentally, we're an OS company," Gand said. 

Investors see Nuro's potential to expand, too. The company, whose team is based in Waterloo, Canada and San Francisco, California, got a $100,000 grant from Google to build a part of its system in the Google Cloud platform. Nuro also recently got $250,000 in seed funding from Silicon Valley biotech accelerator IndieBio, and $40,000 ($31,000 USD) from Canadian startup hub Waterloo Accelerator Centre. And it won two MIT competitions (Hacking Medicine and the MIT Barracuda Bowl) at the South by Southwest festival, which brought in $7,500.

Karen Moxon, who runs a lab focused on brain-computer interfaces at the University of California, Davis, told Business Insider that she's not surprised by Gand's vision. A less invasive and more user-friendly brain-computer interface is ripe terrain for future advancements.

But Moxon expressed concern about some of the technical and financial roadblocks Gand might face, such as raising and making enough money to stay financially viable over the long term.

"This has been done well by gobs of people — but in a laboratory setting," she said. "Being able to do it isn't surprising; translating it to a company that can be financially viable is another."

The race toward a superpower: Where Neuralink and Facebook are headed

elon muskAs our smartphones grow smaller and more advanced, we grow increasingly dependent upon the services they provide. (Not convinced? Try taking your next trip without opening Google Maps.)

Devices embedded in our bodies and brains are a logical next step.

Zuckerberg said last year that Facebook is working on brain-computer interface technology that "one day will let you communicate using only your mind."

Whether the first brain-computer interface runs on EEG or something harder to access, the first company to nail that technology could rocket decades into the future.

"Just being able to communicate at the speed of a BCI without having to speak or type would have a radical effect," a former Neuralink employee who asked to remain anonymous told Business Insider. "It's not so much a race to a long-term goal as much as it is a race to a near-term goal in which somebody gains a metaphorical superpower that enables them to start accelerating faster than anyone could catch up."

Musk and Zuckerberg have both kept details about their progress toward achieving this superpower under wraps.

But there are some clues. Several former Neuralink employees told Business Insider that they were engaged in building microchips and small electronics that could eventually be tested on animals. They said employees of Neuralink have frequently interacted with people researching the subject of animal testing.

Andy Fell, a communications director at the University of California, Davis, confirmed to Business Insider that several university employees were actively working with Neuralink on research projects using mice. 

Facebook, meanwhile, does not yet seem to have plans to open an animal-testing facility in California, according to a public records request filed by Business Insider with the California Department of Health.

Given how little we know about the brain, experts say it's unlikely that we'll see an invasive, surgery-based BCI used on a person within the next few years.

That's where Nuro comes in.

"We want to be as safe as possible. We’re not inclined to open up the brain. For some people who might ask, 'are we hacking the brain?' doing it non-invasively kind of solves that issue," Gand said.

From hospitals to homes: Bringing apps into the Nuro ecosystem

brain hands illustration

In addition to allowing "locked-in" patients to communicate, Gand's Nuro system is set up to give doctors or physicians access to a separate interface from the one users see. That would allow for remote monitoring of people with a severe injury or those at risk of a stroke.

The software is also capable of passively collecting data on brain activity, including the various levels of brain waves linked with alertness and sleep.

The Nuro system could therefore detect aberrant patterns of brain-wave activity, like those exhibited by people at risk for neurological problems like stroke, Gand said. Health professionals monitoring the situation remotely could use those observations to inform decisions about calling for emergency assistance.

But Gand hopes that if his OS moves beyond the medical setting, people using Nuro within the home would have access to a wider range of EEG-enabled activities than someone in the hospital.

Home users could eventually see features designed to speed up the communication process, such as a faster and more dynamic keyboard that could be used in conjunction with applications like news apps and social-media platforms. In the future, Gand also envisions developers creating versions of their apps that are compatible with the Nuro ecosystem, just as they currently are with Android or iOS.

"We can also give you the ability to have your app controlled neurologically," Gand said.

SEE ALSO: A controversial technology could save us from starvation — if we let it

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I deleted Facebook, and I really don’t miss it

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Facebook

  • Facebook is a powerful tool for people who want to post pictures, share opinions, run a business, or keep up with friends and family.
  • I used to spend hours on Facebook, to the point where it was hurting my productivity and wasting my time.
  • After the election, I cut way back on my Facebook use, only checking it once every two weeks.
  • About six months ago, I got rid of it completely.
  • Here are four reasons why I gave up Facebook, and why I’m never going back. 

 

I didn’t delete Facebook for any sort of moral-high-ground reasons. It had nothing to do with the Cambridge Analytica scandal or the fact that Facebook may have given my data to other companies. I’d love to say it was, but really, I just got tired of wasting my time on the platform. I’ve been weaning myself off Facebook since November 2016 (right after the election), and I’ve been completely off for about six months.

Here are four reasons I deleted Facebook, and why I’m not going back.

SEE ALSO: I stopped using my phone for 2 hours before bed, and it had a more powerful effect than I expected

1. Wedding and engagement posts

First, it was the endless stream of engagement and wedding posts. I am living life on my own timeline, and I always think of myself as someone who doesn’t get bogged down by keeping up with the social media Joneses.

But after the 70th engagement ring pic in four days, all that “I don’t care what other people are doing” really goes out the window, along with my level head and a couple ounces of self-esteem.



2. The 2016 election

After the barrage of wedding posts, it was the presidential election. Donald Trump’s victory was the catalyst for plenty of people to reduce Facebook use, NPR reports, and for good reason. Millions of people were upset, and it seemed like they all turned to their favorite easy-access megaphone: Facebook.

It’s exhausting to read the same opinions over and over, and still feel helpless about the state of our country. Sometimes I would come across well-articulated opinions that I agreed with on Facebook, voicing concerns and supplying action items. But those almost always got lost in the sea of shouted statuses and rambling blame-game posts.



3. It was wasting my time

The last straw was my time sailing by as I got pulled by the latest Betsy DeVos scandal or the engagement of someone I went to middle school with. It just seemed like such a trivial thing to let take up my time.

I already read the news. I’ve already seen the Betsy DeVos commentary — did I need to read 18 more half-baked opinions on Facebook? And while maybe I wouldn’t hear about my middle school friend expecting a baby without Facebook, did I really need that information? Do I need to keep up with lives of people I haven’t spoken to in years?

Looking at it from a cost-benefit perspective, Facebook was costing me a lot of time with virtually no benefit.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here are all the confirmed original shows coming to Netflix in 2018

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piper orange is new blackNetflix has a lot of original content in store for the second half of this year.

2018 has already seen the premiere of a handful of new original shows, including the sci-fi reboot "Lost In Space" and David Letterman's talk show.

Among the shows still to come is the new series "Maniac," a dark comedy starring Jonah Hill and Emma Stone, along with new seasons of "GLOW" and "Marvel's Luke Cage."

On Tuesday, Netflix announced that it will release the sixth season of its prison dramedy "Orange Is the New Black" in July. 

Netflix has said it will spend $8 billion on shows and movies in 2018 — up from the $6 billion it spent in 2017. 

To help you sort through all of the upcoming content, we've compiled a list of original shows that Netflix has confirmed are coming out in 2018. This excludes movies, kids' shows, and series that might not come out until 2019 or later.

Here are all the shows we know Netflix is for sure putting out in 2018, along with their release date if available:

SEE ALSO: All 65 of Netflix's notable original shows, ranked from worst to best

"Lovesick" (Season 3) — Released January 1

Netflix description: "In his quest for true love, Dylan found chlamydia. Joined by friends Evie and Luke, he relives past encounters as he notifies all his former partners."



"The End of the F***ing World" (Season 1) — Released January 5

Netflix description: "A budding teen psychopath and a rebel hungry for adventure embark on a star-crossed road trip in this darkly comic series based on a graphic novel.



"Disjointed" (Season 1 - Part 2) — Released January 12

Netflix description: "Pot activist Ruth Whitefeather Feldman runs a medical marijuana dispensary while encouraging her loyal patients to chill out and enjoy the high life."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 23 best candid photos from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding

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Britain’s Prince Harry gestures next to his wife Meghan as they ride a horse-drawn carriage after their wedding ceremony at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle in Windsor, Britain, May 19, 2018.

  • As always, the greatest photos are the ones we don't know are being taken.
  • This rule was true for the royal wedding as the royal family and their friends were snapped around the ceremony.
  • Scroll down to see the best shots.


The royals and A-list celebrities were out in force for the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

The Queen stood out in a bright lime green outfit, Prince George wore a fetching replica of his dad's military frock coat, and Kate Middleton kept it simple in an Alexander McQueen coat.

Meanwhile, Oprah, David Beckham, and Elton John were all caught on camera throughout the day.

Scroll down for the best candid shots of the royal family and their guests during the wedding event of the year.

SEE ALSO: The Queen arrived at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in lime green and she certainly stands out

As celebrities poured into the chapel, it was national treasure David Beckham who stole headlines for looking unbelievably suave in his three-piece suit and shades.

One viral tweet read: "You can't let another man come to your wedding with this much sauce.
Outrageous I'll call security."



The ex-footballer was later spotted chatting to Sir Elton John.



Sir Elton (photographed here with fellow singer James Blunt) was a close friend of Prince Harry's mother, Princess Diana. He later performed at the lunchtime reception for the new couple and sang four of his biggest hits.

Source: Business Insider.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Inside the private island resort on a South Pacific lagoon that's on sale for $23 million

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island

  • The Aitutaki Lagoon Private Island Resort in the Cook Islands is for sale.
  • This slice of paradise comes at a cost, though, and is on the market for $23 million (£17 million).
  • The luxury resort comes with 36 bungalows, restaurants, bars, pools, and a gym.
  • There are 45 years left on the lease.

The Aitutaki Lagoon Private Island Resort in the Cook Islands is on the market — and if you have $23 million to spare, it looks pretty stunning.

The 27-acre private island resort — which claims to be a popular tourist and honeymoon spot— comes with 36 bungalows, a spa, air conditioned gym, swimming pool, water sports hut, restaurants and bars, and a gift shop, according to the listing on Coffeys Tourism Property Brokers

The resort is a two-minute ride by a small private ferry from the main island of Aitutaki, according to Booking.com. Aitutaki island is a 45-minute flight from the neighbouring island of Rarotonga.

private island

Naturally, this slice of paradise comes at a cost. It's on sale for $32,290,000 (NZD), equivalent to around $23 million or £17 million, plus Cook Islands government taxes if applicable.

Take a tour of the island below:

beach

14 of the resort's 36 bungalows are beachfront, with nine "premium" beachfront, seven overwater, five "deluxe" beachfront, and one "royal honeymoon" pool villa.

island 2

They look pretty luxurious inside. Below, one room features a four-poster bed with white drapes, which offsets the polished wooden finish of the floor, furniture, and shutters.

BEDROOM

Some of the thatched beachfront bungalows offer pretty nice-looking views of the Aitutaki lagoon. You can download the full prospectus here.

BED 2

The bathroom pictured below features his and hers sinks and is decorated with local Polynesian flowers and shells.

BATHROOM

On top of the bungalows, you'll find a swimming pool, two restaurants and bars, a spa, an air conditioned gym, a water sports hut, and a gift shop.

BENCH

The sale of the South Pacific resort comes with a 60-year lease that began in 2003, so it has 45 years left. It's renewable upon agreement with the landowner, the listing says.

PARADISE

It's worth mentioning that there are restrictions on foreign ownership, so, should you have a spare $23 million in the bank, you're advised to seek advice from local counsel before making any rash decisions.

But it does look like paradise.

SEE ALSO: The 19 coolest places for a European holiday in 2018, according to travel experts

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: THE KRISTIN LEMKAU INTERVIEW: JPMorgan Chase's CMO explains how she deals with disruption on two fronts at once, why she's moving some ad dollars back to TV, and why it matters what your credit card feels like

11 signs your old relationships are affecting your current one

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sad couple having coffee

The past impacts our present every day, whether it's in how we approach certain situations, or how we emotionally react to what people say. 

In romantic relationships, people can sometimes repeat behaviours to make up for the falls of their previous ones. In psychology this is called repetition compulsion, and it essentially means you're trying to fix the past by pursuing similar situations or people who once hurt you. 

There are several signs that you haven't let go of the past, and these can manifest in how you behave with your current partner. Often, these patterns can start incredibly early with the relationships you had with your parents growing up. 

"Our childhood experiences with our parents and our teachers and our friends really do have a pretty big impact on how we operate both personally and professionally in early adulthood," Jennifer B. Rhodes, a psychologist, dating coach, and founder of Rapport Relationships, told Business Insider.

"There's a pretty big population of people who enter early adulthood who have insecurity around creating and managing relationships. So I think what happens is when you're not fully aware of the patterns you experienced at a younger age, you actually reenact those as an adult — and sometimes it doesn't look pretty in your personal or your professional life."

We spoke to several relationship experts to find out how to tell if you're still hanging on to your past, and how this affects your current relationship.

Here are the 11 signs they came up with:

SEE ALSO: Experts say codependent relationships are damaging — here are 8 warning signs you're in one

1. You always attract the same type of people.

According to Judith Orloff, a psychiatrist and author of "The Empath's Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People," if one of your parents was a narcissist, or an alcoholic, you may find you keep being attracted to these types of people until you can work through what hurt you in that initial relationship and begin to heal.

"Empaths do this a lot, because they're such fixers and they want to get in there and heal things," she told Business Insider. "And they think if they fix the person, somehow that's going to heal their original relationship. But it never works.

"So it's important that people are aware, if they've had alcoholic parents and they keep attracting alcoholic boyfriends, that there may be a connection there, and that it's important to look into whatever wounds you had growing up with an alcoholic parent so you don't keep creating that in your life."



2. You have 'tainted joys.'

Perpetua Neo, a doctor of psychology and founder of Detox Your Heart, told Business Insider a bad relationship can give you "tainted pleasures." These are things or experiences that were once important to you, or that you used to enjoy, but because they are connected to your previous partner you can't stand them anymore.

"Or you feel guilty for enjoying it, or revisiting the same thing re-traumatises you," she said. "Re-trauma can be something normal, but having it persist for a long time is not normal. There's a big distinction. There's always this period of healing where you get this dip and after that you get a rise. But if you feel like you're always going to be in this dip forever, then that's not healthy."

Tainted pleasures can be something as simple as a musician or a place. It could even be an item of clothing.

"I can't wear this dress, not because he bought it for me, but because he said something nice about it or I wore it to something," Neo said. "So sometimes there's this guilt that you're betraying your ex-partner, and sometimes you just feel like it's been tainted."



3. You have hangups around physical intimacy.

Sometimes the signs might not be apparent until you're in the bedroom. Neo said people can have sexual hangups around their previous relationships for various reasons.

"For instance, when people feel they cannot be sexually intimate because of their ex-partner," she said. "We're not just talking about general sex, but also certain positions, or certain ways in which a person touches them, or how they see themselves sensually… Really importantly, a big sign is if you say to yourself 'I'm not going to think about it.' But if it still owns you emotionally, in the middle of the night, or if you're triggered or stressed, then it still affects you."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Tiger Woods has reportedly docked his $20 million, 155-foot yacht in the Hamptons — and he apparently plans to stay there during the US Open

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Tiger Woods

  • Tiger Woods has reportedly docked his luxury yacht in the Hamptons.
  • Worth $20 million, Privacy is a high-spec vessel and will reportedly be used as a place to relax when Woods competes in the US Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
  • A 14-time major champion in golf, Woods will be hoping for a 15th honor when the competition starts June 14.

Tiger Woods has reportedly docked his $20 million, 155-foot yacht in the Hamptons — and he will reportedly stay there during the US Open, one of golf's biggest tournaments.

The yacht, which is called Privacy, is berthed in Gurney's Montauk Yacht Club, according to Page Six, approximately a one-hour drive from Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, the home of this year's US Open.

Tiger Woods US Open

Woods bought the boat in 2004 and spent his wedding night on board with Elin Nordegren (the two divorced in 2010).

The yacht has a top speed of 17 knots, is big enough to sleep 17 people, and has even hosted big-name guests like Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and Michael Jordan, according to People.

With a theater, a gym, and a Jacuzzi, Woods is likely to stay entertained when he spends time away from the course when the US Open begins on June 14.

Here's Privacy when it was docked in Florida in 2009 ...

Privacy yacht

... and here's Woods on a dive boat off the end of Privacy shortly after he bought the vessel 14 years ago.

Tiger Woods privacy yacht

Woods is starting to rediscover his swagger as he continues his comeback from multiple back surgeries last year.

In 2018, Woods has recorded excellent swing speed from the tee and even posted a 361-yard drive at the Honda Classic.

Woods has won the US Open three times in the past and will be hoping to land a fourth prize this year.

SEE ALSO: A former PGA Tour golfer says Tiger Woods could challenge for the majors this year

DON'T MISS: Tiger Woods hit a hole-out eagle for one of his best shots of the year, and the crowd went nuts

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: NFL cheerleaders reveal the best and worst parts of their job

A new kind of probiotic could change the $38 billion market by using real science

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Seed probiotic synbiotic

  • Seed, a new company with some big names behind it, is about to break into the $38-billion probiotics industry
  • They aim to rely on real science to create their product, a probiotic designed to support the vibrant ecosystem of bacteria in your gut.
  • Seed's chief scientific officer is a microbiologist who chaired the World Health Organization panel that first defined the term "probiotics."
  • Investors include actors Cameron Diaz and Jessica Biel as well as entrepreneur Peter Thiel's Founders Fund.


Seed, a new company with some big names behind it, is about to sprout onto the $38-billion probiotics scene— with a product that is designed to improve your digestion and health based on scientific research.

As supplements, probiotics are largely unregulated by the US Food and Drug Administration. That means that most of them don't have any proven scientific results.

Seed aims to be different.

Backed by Cameron Diaz, Jessica Biel, Karlie Kloss, and Peter Thiel's Founders Fund, Seed launched today with a probiotic that is informed by peer-reviewed scientific research. The product's ingredients were selected based on results of clinical trials.

The company is being steered by a team of scientists who study the microbiome, the delicate ecosystem of bacteria blossoming in our gut. Probiotics are meant to foster that ecosystem.

Ara Katz, one of Seed's co-founders and CEOs, told Business Insider that the company wants to "improve the standards of probiotics and bridge microbiome science — not the commercialization and the dilution of the term, but actually reclaim the term 'probiotics' for science."

Still, Seed's probiotics are not drugs. As such, they cannot make claims to treat or prevent any condition or disease. But they can claim to improve overall health — which the probiotics industry thus far has largely failed to demonstrate it can do.

Here's what to know about the new supplements and what they may be able to do for you.

Other probiotics likely never make it to your gut

abs situps workout fitness exercise woman gym sit upsFor years, pricey pills that claim to improve digestion and wellness by fostering the growth of beneficial bacteria in your gut have dominated the supplement scene. Probiotics are a big business, with a market that some analysts have said could rake in $64 billion in ingredient sales over the next four years.

But while the probiotic industry has boomed, the bacteria in our guts have failed to respond in kind.

Most scientific studies suggest the pills do very little to help our stomachs and may not provide any measurable benefits to overall health. That may be at least partially a result of the fact that very few of the beneficial bacteria in the supplements make it to our guts or stick around long enough to have an effect, Ian Orme, a professor of microbiology at Colorado State University, told Business Insider.

But an even bigger problem is that many probiotics don't do much as they're passing through your gut either.

"These are generic strains with limited benefits," Raja Dhir, Seed's other co-founder and CEO, told Business Insider.

A new kind of supplement could change that. Besides being designed to actually arrive where they're supposed to, these supplements may work some of their magic as they're passing through your digestive tract. Dhir said his team selected specific strains based on clinical trials tying them to specific benefits.

Synbiotics are the future of the probiotics industry

Seed probiotic synbiotic jarSeed's supplement isn't just a probiotic.

It's a synbiotic, meaning that in addition to beneficial bacteria, it includes another ingredient called a prebiotic.

Prebiotics are designed to keep helpful microbes alive. The combination of the pre- and the pro-biotic is synergistic, meaning each ingredient is designed to enhance the other's effect — hence the term syn-biotic.

Studies suggest that synbiotics accomplish their goal with a basic one-two punch: while the probiotic settles in and pushes out the "bad" bacteria, the prebiotic — essentially a sugar — acts as its food supply, ensuring the supplement sticks around and does its job.

"There's kind of a notion that it's two products in one," Katz told Business Insider of Seed's supplement.

More than that, however, the combination of the pre- and pro-biotic appear to be better suited to enable your gut to break down the ingredients in the probiotic into smaller, more beneficial pieces. That is something that some studies suggest could enable them to produce real results, whether they establish a semi-permanent home in your gut or merely pass through it regularly.

"Some specific strains of probiotics exert their benefits as what we call "transient passengers" in the gut," Dhir said. "They don't colonize, but there are benefits associated with them."

That may be true, some studies indicate— so long as people take the supplements regularly. Seed's capsules are designed to be taken as one capsule, three times a day.

For the first large-scale clinical trial of synbiotics last year, researchers working in rural India found that newborns who were given a synbiotic were at a substantially lower risk of developing sepsis, a potentially fatal condition characterized by severe infection.

Some small studies have suggested that synbiotics could provide benefits related to a range of other conditions influenced by the gut microbiome as well, including obesity, diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. But the FDA has yet to approve any drugs made using those ingredients.

Still, Gregor Reid, Seed's chief scientific officer and a microbiologist at Canada's Western University, believes the company is onto something.

"I started on this journey over 35 years ago when people laughed at the idea of probiotics," said Reid, who chaired the United Nations and World Health Organization panel that first defined the term.

"It's been a long journey but I think it's exciting that all our work on the microbiome has led to this step. This really is the next phase of probiotics," he added.

The science that went into Seed and future directions for the company

Before coming up with an ingredient list, Seed's team looked at several peer-reviewed studies on strains of bacteria and kinds of prebiotics (the "food" for that bacteria).

Their final product reflects that work, Katz told Business Insider.

The company's prebiotics are sourced from Scandinavian pine bark, Indian pomegranate skin, and a special type of mushroom. Its bacterial strains are the ones that several studies suggested were the most closely linked with measurable health outcomes — such as improvements in cholesterol and improved digestion.

One of those studies, published last year in the journal PLOS One, suggested that taking one of the strains of bacteria in Seed's product was linked with reductions in LDL or "bad" cholesterol and increases in HDL or "good" cholesterol.

Another study published in 2010 in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology suggested that taking another strain of bacteria (also selected for inclusion in Seed's final product) was tied to a reduction in unpleasant digestive symptoms like constipation and hard stools.

Those promising results could mean that someone taking Seed's supplement might see moderate cholesterol and digestive benefits, but that effect is still untested for Seed's final product.

Seed aims to finish its own clinical trials on their product this month, Katz said.

"We're really aiming to raise the bar of how the scientific process is done," she said.

SEE ALSO: Why a pill with barely any health benefits could be the 'most important' new supplement in 20 years

DON'T MISS: The $37 billion supplement industry is barely regulated — and it's allowing dangerous products to slip through the cracks

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NOW WATCH: Octopuses are officially the weirdest animals on Earth


Police are warning against 'Snapchat pills,' the latest dangerous drug to use a popular logo

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snapchat smashed screen

  • Police have warned against taking ecstasy pills shaped and coloured like the Snapchat logo.
  • This adds to the list of ecstasy pills in circulation that have been linked with young people's deaths.
  • Some pills contain more dangerous substances than MDMA, and some have too high a dose for people to handle.


Police have issued a warning about illegal drugs with catchy names after two women were taken to hospital after taking "Snapchat pills."

No pictures have been released of the pills yet, but there have been previous cases of dealers manufacturing yellow, brick shaped ecstasy pills with the app's logo.

"We want to remind the public about the dangers of drugs," West Yorkshire Police tweeted. "Drugs are often given catchy names to appeal to young people. We had an incident involving 2 females in hospital after taking 'Snapchat pills.'"

This isn't the first time popular brands or logos have been used on dangerous pills. In 2016, "Superman" pills prompted a "red alert" in the Netherlands, becuase of the high risk of overdosing on them. Taking one could "lead to fatal overheating, as well as heart, liver and kidney failure," the alert read.

There are three other pills in circulation that have been linked with overdosing, or death, because they contain higher than normal doses of MDMA, or a substance called pentylone instead, which can have nastier side effects.

The Loop, a non-profit drugs NGO, tweeted about some of the pills you should avoid:

The warning about dangerous pills comes just days after two young people — Tommy Cowan, 20, and Georgia Jones, 18 — died after taking pills at the Mutiny Festival in Portsmouth.

SEE ALSO: Middle-class people are taking MDMA wrapped in cheese in a new trend called 'brieing'

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DEADLINE EXTENDED: Nominate someone for Business Insider's Food 100

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Food 100 nomination 4x3

Business Insider is looking for the 100 coolest people in food and drink in North America and Europe — and the deadline for nominations has been extended.

The Business Insider Food 100 will rank the most innovative, trend-setting, impactful, and influential people in the fantastic worlds of food and drink.

It will include, but is not limited to, the likes of...

  • Chefs
  • Bartenders and mixologists
  • Sommeliers
  • CEOs and teams behind new product launches
  • Bloggers
  • Nutritionists and dietitians
  • Anyone doing something "cool" within the wider world of food and drink

Do you know someone with a quirky job or role who has had an impact on the industry in the past year? Did they invent a product, a drink, or a dish that has become famous? Did they open a restaurant or bar that's the first of its kind?

If so, we want to hear from you — and you can fill out a nomination form here.

Extended Deadline: Sunday June 17 by 11.59 p.m. EST.

SEE ALSO: The 25 best restaurants in the world, according to millionaire private jet owners

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Sneaky ways Costco gets you to buy more

I let a doctor in the plastic surgery capital of the world suggest how I should change my face, and he came up with $30,000 of surgeries

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SouthKoreaPlasticSurgeryVisit

  • South Korea has the highest rate of plastic surgeries per capita in the world.
  • More than 500 clinics are located in Gangnam, a high-end neighborhood in Seoul, the capital of South Korea.
  • I visited a clinic in Seoul and asked a top plastic surgeon what surgeries he would recommend for me. He suggested a rhinoplasty, chin augmentation, and dermal fillers.

SEOUL — South Korea has the highest rate of plastic surgeries in the world, with a whopping 20 procedures per 1,000 people. The next closest country, the US, comes in at 13 procedures per 1,000 people.

In Seoul, the country's bustling capital, it feels even higher. As soon as I stepped foot into Incheon International Airport, the main airport serving Seoul, I was greeted by a plastic surgery advertisement that stretched the length of a city block.

When I arrived in Gangnam, a high-end district in Seoul across the river from downtown, I was greeted by more advertisements in the metro and sign after sign for cosmetic surgery clinics. Outside Gangnam Station, where my Airbnb is, men and women with bandaged faces and eyes and nose guards walking by is not an uncommon sight.

By some estimates, there are more than 500 clinics in Gangnam alone and nearly 1 million procedures a year. Gallup Korea found in 2015 that around one in three South Korean women between 19 and 29 have had plastic surgery. A BBC poll put that number at 50% or higher.

Despite the high numbers for South Koreans, they are far from the only ones getting plastic surgery in Seoul. Medical tourism is a big business in South Korea; 22% of the 450,000+ medical tourists in 2016 came to South Korea for plastic surgery. The government expects more than one million annual medical tourists by 2020, according to the New York Times. The vast majority are from China.

During my recent visit to Seoul, I thought it would be fun/terrifying/funny/heartbreaking to have a consultation with a plastic surgeon to see what surgery he or she might suggest I do. I visited with Dr. Choi Min of Answer Plastic Surgery in Gangnam who examined me for about 10 minutes, took a series of photos, and then gave me his professional opinion. 

Most Koreans visiting a plastic surgeon are well-versed in plastic surgery and already know what they want to do, Choi said. In the vast majority of cases, they are looking for a blepharoplasty, or double-eyelid surgery, where they insert a crease in the eyelid to make the eye look bigger, is out. I already have a double eyelid.

Foreigners, on the other hand, according to Choi, are usually looking for more guidance from a doctor.

In general, to give me a more "balanced" facial profile as Choi called it, he recommended I have a rhinoplasty to fix a slight bump in my nose and straighten it, as well as doing a chin augmentation surgery to give me a more prominent chin. He then suggested I have some injectable dermal fillers to eliminate wrinkles on my forehead and smooth out a bump there. He also suggested fat grafts to fill in and smooth out the circles underneath my eyes, which currently make me look tired.

Lastly, he suggest I take out some skin and fat from my neck to slim it down after I get the chin augmentation. Each surgery would cost somewhere between $3,000 and $8,000, depending on the complexity and what quality of doctor I used. You can see the four changes he suggested in the side-by-side photos above.

So, if anyone has a spare $20,000-$30,000 sitting around, what do you think? Should I get it done before I leave?

SEE ALSO: I visited the No. 1 airport in the world — and it blew me away with a free movie theater, a butterfly garden, and a blazing-fast 15-minute process from check-in to the gate

DON'T MISS: Every amazing, strange, and delicious food I tried during an epic 6-week trip to China

NOW READ: What it takes to become a flight attendant in South Korea, where it's so competitive that candidates are getting plastic surgery to improve their odds

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why Korean parents are having their kids get plastic surgery before college

'Hereditary' is a terrifying new movie that critics are calling this generation's 'The Exorcist'

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hereditary

Film critics are lauding "Hereditary," a new horror film from A24 starring Toni Collette and Gabriel Byrne.

Collette and Byrne star as Annie and Steve Graham, the parents of a family that becomes haunted by sinister, supernatural forces and the dark secrets of their ancestry following the death of the family's matriarch, Annie's mother. 

Written and directed by Ari Aster, the film is even receiving Oscar buzz for Collette's performance, along with praise for Aster's inflicting of "psychic damage" through innovations on horror genre tropes.

"Hereditary" currently has a 93% "fresh" rating on the reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. 

The film opens nationwide on Friday. 

Here are several reviews of "Hereditary," which one critic is calling "a new generation's 'The Exorcist'": 

SEE ALSO: Audiences think Netflix original movies are 'meaningfully worse' than most studio releases

"In its sense of poisoned family bloodlines, of the everyday invaded by unspeakable evil, of bonechilling terror you won't be able to shake, 'Hereditary' is a new horror landmark. Toni Collette should have Oscar calling."

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone



"In the end, horror and supernatural fans will certainly get their thrills, but it's the psychic damage on the screen that will make the film hard to forget.

David Lewis, San Francisco Chronicle



"Hereditary is so refreshing in part because it invents its own scare vocabulary."

Inkoo Kang, Slate



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's why Kate Spade didn't profit when her brand sold to Coach for $2.4 billion

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Kate Spade

  • Kate Spade was found dead in an apparent suicide in her apartment in New York on Tuesday, according to multiple reports. She was 55 and leaves behind her husband, Andy, and a 13-year-old daughter, Frances Beatrix.
  • Spade launched her namesake handbag company in 1993 and worked with her husband to grow it into a million-dollar business before it was sold to Neiman Marcus in 2006.
  • Last year, the business was acquired by Coach for $2.4 billion. At the time, the Spade family had no involvement in the company. 

The news of Kate Spade's apparent suicide on Tuesday morning sent shockwaves around the world.

Fans posted photos of themselves with the fashion designer's handbags in tribute, while others went to Kate Spade stores to buy them.

Spade was 55. She leaves behind her husband, Andy, and a 13-year-old daughter, Francis Beatrix.

However, since 2007, neither Kate nor Andy Spade, who helped set up the brand in 1993 and later joined full time, have had a role in the business they created.

The story of Kate Spade

The couple built up the business from their loft in Tribeca.

"We had so many boxes in our 1,800-square-foot loft during shipping time that we had a path from the bedroom to the bathroom," Andy Spade told CNN Money in 2003. "It was hot. We had no air conditioning, and it was August. We had put everything into this. I put in my 401(k) money ... We didn't know for sure that the business was going to work."

In the late 1990s, the brand was considered an exclusive label. Sales jumped to $1.5 million in 1995 from $100,000 in 1993, then to $27 million in 1998, according to Racked.

In 1999, the Spades sold a 56% stake of the company to Neiman Marcus for $33.6 million. Years later, in 2006, the remaining stake was sold to Neiman for about $59 million.

In 2007, the Spade family relinquished all involvement in the business.

Just one week after buying the company, Neiman Marcus sold it to the apparel giant Liz Claiborne for about $124 million. At the time, Liz Claiborne, which later became Fifth & Pacific, stocked more than 40 brands and generated more than $5 billion in annual sales, though its handbags-and-accessories business was limited.

Fifth & Pacific went on to sell off its other brands and renamed itself Kate Spade & Company. The brand was bought by Coach (now Tapestry) for $2.4 billion last year. The Spades did not benefit from this sale because they had stepped away years earlier.

After a brief hiatus from fashion, Kate Spade launched a new handbag-and-shoe company, Frances Valentine, in 2015. She also changed her name to Kate Valentine to match the new brand and distance herself from her previous business.

Remembering Kate Spade:

SEE ALSO: Kate Spade has died in an apparent suicide at 55. Here's the story behind the rise of her handbag empire.

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