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The Best Local Cocktails From Around The World

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CocktailsOne of my favorite ways to get to know a culture is through their national and regional drinks.

Here are some of my favorite libations from around the world.

Caipirinha - Brazil

Literally translated, caipirinha means “country bumpkin,” although people of all classes drink this popular cocktail that was originally made for medicinal purposes. In a Brazilian caipirinha, the main ingredient is Cachaça, which was once prescribed with honey and lime as a cure for colds and sore throats. To make it, you’ll need:

  • 1/2 lime, quartered
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • 2 1/2 fluid ounces cachaca (Brazilian sugarcane rum)
  • 1 cup ice cubes

Muddle the lime wedges in a glass, fill with ice, pour in the cachaca and stir.



Pisco Sour - Chile/Peru

While the two countries argue over who really owns the Pisco Sour – although Pisco is said to have originated in Peru – both are excellent places to enjoy the sweet and sour concoction. To make it, you’ll need:

  • 2 oz. Pisco (Peruvian or Chilean)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon pasteurized egg whites
Blend the ice, Pisco, sugar, lime juice and egg whites until smooth.


Long Island Iced Tea - Tennessee

The Long Island Iced Tea is one of my favorite cocktails in the world, especially because I’m from Long Island (New York, not Tennessee). To make this extremely strong drink, you’ll need:
  • 1/2 oz triple sec
  • 1/2 oz light rum
  • 1/2 oz gin
  • 1/2 oz vodka
  • 1/2 oz tequila
  • 1 oz sour mix
  • Coke
  • Lemon wedge garnish
Pour all alcohol and sour mix into a glass with ice. Stir or shake depending on your preference. Add a splash of Coke, and garnish with the lemon wedge.


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A Cricket And An Algorithm Drew This Picture

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harvey moon drawingsHow does a cricket become an artist? Try placing it in one of Harvey Moon's drawing machines where its movements will be tracked by a camera and turned into original works of art. Bugs Draw For Me, just one of Moons' impressive setups, are "happy collaborations" built in his Chicago studio where he creates the system, a set of rules, and allows a machine to do the rest. 

The machines are created from motors and servos, while the drawings they create are defined by algorithms which determine the machine's movements and gestures. For Moon the art isn't necessarily the drawing that the machine produces, but rather the performance of the machine in the act of drawing. 

Part of that process is how, often, a machine can fail at what it was told to do. "That loss of communication and that failure for a machine to communicate properly is what I find exciting and the randomness in which it produces these results." Moon says above. An example of this is found in his drawing machine that pulls satellite imagery from Google Earth and draws it randomly, creating "impossible maps" which showcase the failures of machines and their inability to communicate properly.

With their mechanical movements that break down the act of drawing, it's what the machines can highlight about ourselves and our interaction with the world that interests Moon. For instance, the way a machine incrementally drawing an image shows us the gradual progression of the creative process, which is something we might miss if it was drawn with the dexterity of a human hand. "It plays with a different way of producing work, where we don't have to rely on our own physical bodies to produce art, we can extend our system beyond our own hands." Moon notes.

You can check out some of the images the machines have drawn below.

harvey moon drawing

harvey moon drawing

harvey moon drawings

See the rest of Harvey Moon's drawings at The Creators Project >

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HOUSE OF THE DAY: A Stunning Miami Beach Penthouse Can Be Yours For $50 Million

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A super-luxe penthouse condo at the very top of Miami Beach's Faena House is on the market, and it can be yours for a cool $50 million.

The "House," developed and built by Argentina's Faena Group, is an 18-story condominium tower that sits on Miami Beach's widest stretch of white sand. It contains 47 residences, but the penthouse, with panoramic views of the beach, bay and downtown skyline is by far the most luxurious.

faena penthouse miami

Designed by Foster + Partners (the same architect responsible for the Hearst Tower's new facade), the 8,000-square-foot penthouse features five bedrooms, two custom kitchens, and a private interior elevator, according to the Faena House's website. It also holds a media room, great room and dressing room. 

VIEW 08 PENTHOUSE TERRACE VIEW LOOKING NORTH

Most notably, the penthouse features a beautiful "alero," a sweeping Brazilian-style terrace that wraps around the entire building and adds a staggering 7,000 square feet of outdoor living space. 

faena penthouse miamiOutside there's also an outdoor kitchenette, cabana and private 30-foot infinity pool. 

faena penthouse miamiFloor-to-ceiling window wall and door systems open as wide as 12.5 feet in some places, and residents will have access to hotel-style amenities and services. This will include valet and private concierge service, an in-house spa and fitness center with direct ocean views, a private Beach Club with full cabana service, and two manicured pools.

faena penthouse miamiIn our dreams!

SEE ALSO: This East River Townhouse Just Sold for $35 Million

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BMW Is Making Its New SUV Way More Luxurious Than Its Predecessors

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bmw 2014 x5

Unveiled just over a month ago, the 2014 BMW X5 adds some interesting new features and options, but the additions have increased the price by more than $6,000 to $53,725.

Last year's X5 xDrive 35i started at $47,500, and included standard all-wheel drive.

The new entry price is for the rear-wheel drive 2014 X5 sDrive35i--a difference that most buyers won't likely notice in actual use, but might feel is a shortcoming at the dealership.

The price differential includes new standard equipment, however, such as: auto start-stop; BMW's latest iDrive 4.2 infotainment system with navigation and touchpad; 10 years of BMW Assist eCall service; 10 years of BMW TeleService; BMW Apps; 40-20-40 spit-folding rear seat; and standard Servotronic speed-sensitive power steering.

It's clear that BMW has decided to replace its all-wheel drive system with a more luxurious, more service-supported vehicle. That may be fine for drivers in warmer states, but those in the snow belt will want to opt for the all-wheel drive xDrive35i or xDrive50i models, which start from $56,025 and $69,125 respectively.

For those seeking better fuel economy, the 2014 X5 xDrive35d diesel should prove a useful companion, and its price premium--which includes the all-wheel drive system of the xDrive35i--is relatively small, starting at $57,525, or just $1,500 more than the gasoline-powered equivalent.

The 2014 BMW X5 will reach U.S. dealers in the fourth quarter of 2013, with gasoline models only at launch. The diesel-powered X5 xDrive35d will follow in early 2014.

Read our preview for the full details on the 2014 BMW X5.

SEE ALSO: The 50 Sexiest Cars Of The Past 100 Years

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The Smartest Cities In America

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Lumosity smartest city rankings 2013

Have you ever wondered if you live in the smartest city in America?

Unless you live in Stanford, Calif., the answer is no — the California university town was recently crowned the brainiest city in the U.S. by Lumosity, a cognitive training site run by Lumos Labs.

Stanford beat 478 other cities for the title. Each city was ranked by the residents' average brain performance score across Lumosity's five cognitive training exercises: Speed, Attention, Flexibility, Memory, and Problem Solving.

Over 3 million people participated in this year's study, conducted by Dr. Daniel A. Sternberg, each between the ages of 15 and 85 years old. (You can read the full methodology here.)

Not surprisingly, college towns dominated the Lumosity rankings just like they did last year. Stanford was followed closely by Princeton, NJ, both home to two of the best universities in the country.

Here's the complete list:

  1. Stanford, CA
  2. Princeton, NJ
  3. Storrs Mansfield, CT
  4. Evanston, IL
  5. Cambridge, MA
  6. La Jolla, CA
  7. Amherst, MA
  8. West Lafayette, IN
  9. Ithaca, NY
  10. Davis, CA
  11. Urbana, IL
  12. College Park, MD
  13. Somerville, MA
  14. State College, PA
  15. Ann Arbor, MI
  16. Oxford, OH
  17. Blacksburg, VA
  18. Chapel Hill, NC
  19. Stony Brook, NY
  20. Provo, UT
  21. East Lansing, MI
  22. Lexington, MA
  23. Allendale, MI
  24. Madison, WI
  25. Iowa City, IA
  26. Brighton, MA
  27. Watertown, MA
  28. Ames, IA
  29. Bloomington, IN
  30. Berkeley, CA
  31. Lenexa, KS
  32. Lawrence, KS
  33. Charlottesville, VA
  34. College Station, TX
  35. Pullman, WA
  36. Burlington, VT
  37. Williamsburg, VA
  38. Ambler, PA
  39. Redmond, WA
  40. Hillsborough, NJ
  41. Webster, NY
  42. Waltham, MA
  43. Boulder, CO
  44. Flemington, NJ
  45. Vienna, VA
  46. Natick, MA
  47. Westminster, MD
  48. Bethpage, NY
  49. Menlo Park, CA
  50. Harrisonburg, VA

SEE ALSO: 25 Colleges Where Students Are Both Hot And Smart

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Incredible Photos Of Antarctica Straight From A Biologist's Field Notebook

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Antarctica SealPup Matador

I've traveled to some of the most remote locations across the globe, including the Okavango Delta in Botswana, rainforests in South Vietnam, and the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska, but I’ve never been able to fully escape the presence of man.

For this reason, the allure of Antarctica as one of the last true wilderness frontiers on Earth was overwhelming.

As a biologist visiting the continent, my connection with Antarctica was far deeper than I imagined. While many picture the landscape as barren and lifeless, the reality is that the entire coastline is teeming with birds, seals, whales, fish, and much more.

For me, Antarctica was an escape from the fast pace of the society we live in, a glimpse into a world that thrives devoid of human presence, and an eye-opener to the bleak and unrelenting conditions that life must cope with to survive in one of the harshest environments on the planet.

Find Us On Facebook — Business Insider: Science

A Snowy Sheathbill takes flight amidst a crowd of King Penguins on South Georgia. Snowy Sheathbills make a living by scavenging fish and krill, but will sometimes eat penguin eggs or their down-covered chicks.



After my morning photographing a Gentoo Penguin colony, these curious chicks approached me. Full-grown adults stand at just over two feet tall, so I spent the day on hands and knees capturing images from their perspective.




King Penguins can be very curious and tend to peck at anything that strikes their interest. Sitting down and waiting patiently proved to be rewarding — several Kings approached me and started pecking at my boots, my pants, and even my camera lens!



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27 Awesome Moments From The 2013 Paris Air Show

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airbus a350 at paris air show 2013

The 50th Paris Air Show wrapped up on Sunday, and there was a whole lot to see on the ground and in the air.

We spent the week at the fairground at Le Bourget, the capital's first airport, which has been home to the show since it started in 1909 (the show is generally held every other year). 

The 2013 version included celebrity appearances, amazing flight demonstrations, the debuts of some gorgeous  and funny-looking aircraft, and excessive amounts of rain.

A show worker cleaned the huge windows of the $65 million Gulfstream G650 private jet.



Students from France's renowned engineering school École Polytechnique checked out the show.



A child took a seat in a fighter jet.



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8 Nightlife Hotspots In NYC Where You Can Dance The Night Away

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Ph-D Rooftop Lounge in Chelsea

As dance music makes a powerful resurgence in the United States, so does the dance club.

Whether you're looking for a hole-in-the-wall club where you can let loose or an LED-lit stage where you can see a world-class DJ, these NYC hotspots are lighting up the nightlife, and every type of clubber can find somewhere they'd like to dance. 

Le Baron

Location: Chinatown

Overview: Tucked away in Chinatown, you're instantly transported to another world insider Andre Saraiva's New York outpost of the original Paris Le Baron. The red-on-black interior of the club adds mystery and intrigue into this intimate, fog-filled space.

Music: An eclectic mix of Pop, Disco, and French beats. Live bands perform, too.

32 Mulberry St, NYC



Lil' Charlie's

Location: Nolita

Overview: Below the Ken & Cook restaurant, this upscale lounge is a hideaway for those seeking refuge from the clubs further uptown. Glittering decor and tons of mirrors make the intimate lounge appear vast, and there's no shortage of space to dance.

Music: Rap, Hip-Hop, Pop and Techno.

19 Kenmare Street



Le Finale

Location: Lower East Side

Overview: From Martin Solveig to Eric Prydz, Finale has hosted some of the top names in techno music within their 20,000-square foot LED-lit property on the Lower East Side. Finale is run by the EMM Group, which is also responsible for Catch and SL.

Music: An emphasis on Techno with a mix of Hip-Hop and Pop as well.

199 Bowery



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A New Bill Could Bring Back New York City's Hostels

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hostel

A piece of legislation that would permit the licensing of hostels in the city is slowly snaking its way through City Council, the New York Observer reported.

The new law is part of an effort to correct the damage wrought by a 2010 bill — later crystallized into New York’s illegal hotel law — aimed at snuffing out short-term single-room occupancy residences and illegal multiple-dwelling lodgings that also wreaked havoc on the city’s hostel industry.

Resulting hostel closings cost the city $150 million and more than 200,000 tourists every year, according to some studies’ estimates.

Jerry Kremer, a former New York State assemblyman and founder of Empire Government Strategies, is behind the bill, which Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Christine Quinn also support.

The measure calls for setting up an independent office within the city Business Integrity Commission for licensed hostels, defined as “class B multiple dwellings providing food, lodging and other services to travelers.” A hostel unit, by the law’s definition, sleeps four to eight guests and does not permit stays of more than 29 days.

The push to develop hostels in New York City comes alongside a growing trend towards funky boutique hotels and hostels, such as the New York Freehand location proposed by Sydell Group in May. The developer purchased three parcels on Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg, a neighborhood pegged as a potential hostel hotspot, for $10 million last year.

“The city is very underserved by affordable options for the youth and budget traveler, and this is not good for the culture of the city or for the economy,” Andrew Zobler, founder and chief executive of the Sydell Group, told the Observer. [NYO] –Julie Strickland

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The 8 Best American Universities That Are Under 50 Years Old

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Baby Graduation

While "top colleges" lists tend to be filled with centuries-old institutions of higher education, there are certainly deserving younger schools that get overlooked.

To remedy this, the Times Higher Education — a weekly UK magazine — launched the "100 Under 50," a list of the best young universities worldwide

Now in its second year, the list is meant to showcase "rising stars which show great potential," according to the THE website.

THE's "100 Under 50" list uses the same determinants as their annual World University Rankings — research, citations, teaching, international outlook, and innovation— but with a reduced weighting of indicators concerning reputation.

This year's list is dominated by schools from Asia and Europe, but the United States has the third highest representation of any country, with eight of its universities included in the rankings.

#8 Florida International University

THE Ranking: 84

Year Founded: 1965

With almost 50,000 students and over a billion dollar annual budget, Florida International University is currently one of largest schools in the country.Notably, FIU is the youngest American university with a Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society chapter.



#7 University of Texas at San Antonio

THE Ranking: 70

Year Founded: 1969

Currently in the middle of a nine year strategic plan, the University of Texas at San Antonio is concurrently emphasizing academics and student life. The university ranks high nationally in the number of degrees it awards to Hispanic students and has been designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution.



#6 University of Maryland, Baltimore County

THE Ranking: 60

Year Founded: 1966

An honors institution in the University System of Maryland, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County has been lauded for its charismatic president and commitment to undergraduate research. The university prides itself on a strong chess team, and offers scholarships to Grand Masters around the world. 



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Incredible Images From National Geographic's Traveler Photo Contest

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a rare reflection nat geo june 2013

National Geographic shared with us some of the latest entries in its annual Traveler Photo Contest, which will be accepting submissions from amateur and professional photographers until June 30.

Check out a selection of images, which will be competing in four categories: travel portraits, outdoor scenes, spontaneous moments, and places.

Walking Chameleon



Fishing in UAE



Tormenta en el Caulle, Chile



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30 Stunning Photos Of Everyday Life in Havana

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Car on the street in Havana CentroHavana, Cuba, still seems like a complete and utter mystery to most people—especially Americans.

With so much history and culture, the alluring draw of this off-limits city is bringing more and more hesitant tourists to wonder about it, especially after celebrities like Beyoncé and Jay-Z have been deciding to make it their new vacation spot.

But the fact of the matter is that Havana, while it continues to mystify, is a beautiful hub full of welcoming people.

Before World War II, Havana was seen as "the rich man's playground," the biggest sugar producer, and an escape from prohibition.

Source: Havana Before Castro



When Castro and Guevarra marched into Cuba in 1959, the communist revolution turned the country upside down. Here a man reads 'Granma,' the official newspaper of the Cuban Communist Party, where the year reads "año de la revolución 53" (fifty-third year of the revolution).

Source: "A Day in the Life of Havana"



Habana Vieja, or Old Havana, is the oldest part of the city, and today is central to tourists. Unlike other areas of the city, the buildings are restored and the streets cleaned.

Source: "A Day in the Life of Havana"



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Only 15 Units Of This $655,000 Italian Supercar Will Be Produced

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monte carlo motor authority

No, you’re not looking at someone’s attempt at building a Ferrari Enzo roadster.

Featured in the gallery above is the latest product from one of Monte Carlo’s oldest car brands, the aptly named Montecarlo Automobile.

The new car is a V-12-powered supercar dubbed the Rascasse, and only 15 examples are destined for production, each priced at 500,000 euros (approximately $655,000).

Using race car knowledge garnered from GT competition, which Montecarlo competes in with motorsport engineering firm BRC, Montecarlo’s engineers have built the Rascasse around a lightweight and sturdy monocoque chassis.

Mounted in a mid-engine position is a 5.4-liter V-12 originally engineered by BMW and featured in the 1998 Rolls-Royce Silver Graph, according to Ansa (via WorldCarFans). In its latest application, the engine has been tuned to deliver 500 horsepower.

Montecarlo’s version of the V-12 is capable of running on gasoline or liquefied natural gas, but a further development of the engine and the Rascasse supercar is planned. This new version will feature a supercharger and hybrid system to help boost power and offer all-wheel-drive traction, presumably via a through-the-road hybrid setup.

The new hybrid Rascasse is expected to be revealed later this year as part of Montecarlo’s 30th anniversary celebration.

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This Robot Is Funnier Than You

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data comedian robot

They're drone-striking Afghanistan for us.

They're replacing us on the assembly line at the Hostess plant. They're even cutting into our aortas during life-or-death surgery. But can robots master one of the most mysterious—and quintessentially human—skills of them all: making people laugh?

Meet Data, the world's first stand-up-comedy bot.

About 200 plaid-shirted tech evangelists are packed into a conference room here in the Austin Convention Center—the primary hub of the massive annual SXSW Interactive Festival—at the rather unfunny and all-too-sober hour of 4 p.m. to see some stand-up comedy. For most greenhorn performers, this would make for intimidating circumstances. But Data, the comic we're here to see, is a robot. And as he quickly reminds us, he's evolved beyond human nerves.

"I would like to say it is a pleasure to be here," he churrs mechanically, his half-dollar-sized eyes framed by beady green lights. "But I'm a robot and know no emotion."

Even by robot standards, Data is especially stern-looking. He's small—only two feet tall—and built like a mini stormtrooper: gleaming white, with a shiny breastplate and a glowing insignia on his chest. He's clearly not trying to pass for human like Jude Law in A.I. or Roxxxy, the world's first sexbot programmed to respond to human touch, who weirdly looks exactly like a limp-mouthed Peggy Bundy. Right now Data is perched on a table so that his mouth—a small, perfectly circular hole in his plastic exterior— can reach the mike, like a toddler on a step stool at the sink.

"Take a good look," he invites the assembled techies—all of whom, incidentally, are dressed like the fifth member of Mumford & Sons—as he pans his head across the room with the mechanical glide of a lobby security camera. His voice is halting and tinny, not unlike one of those answer bots you get when you call your bank's customer-service line at 2 a.m., and he does the robot-y thing where he emphasizes random, incorrect syllables—"superhero" becomes "su-per-her-o." "They call me Data the robot. Gosh, I love saying that. It makes me feel like some kind of su-per-her-o!" The crowd chuckles. Data lifts his arms out to each side in what seems like a shrugging gesture. "But actually, I'm just a mediocre robotic comedian."

Data's programmer, a very pretty, very pregnant young robotics expert from Carnegie Mellon University named Heather Knight, sits on a chair behind him during his routine. Minutes into his set, he introduces her. "My programmer designs my presentations with the goal of driving innovation and social robotics," he whirs, "which is the integration of robot helpers into everyday life." He pauses theatrically for a few beats, then adds, "So you might as well get used to this, right, guys?"

This one gets a good laugh from the crowd. The robot's timing isn't bad. He waits until the laughter dies down, then continues. "Social intelligence is so complex that many humans are not good at it. Any pro-gram-mers or engineers in the house?" About a third of the audience members offer whooo's of affirmation.

"I rest my case."

A big laugh this time.

"Using your feedback, Heather hopes that one day I will become an autonomous robotic performer." He takes a breath. "Like Kevin Costner."

The room erupts into laughter. A few people even clap.

For a moment, Data's eyes appear to glow a little brighter. He seems pleased with himself.

"Or perhaps Charlie Sheen is a better choice?"

··· 

There's a reason no one says, "Man, I saw Chris Rock at a club last night. He was absolutely robotic!" Ruthless efficiency is seriously unfunny. So it comes as something of a relief when Heather Knight tells me that her intent is not to turn Data into the T-1000 of robot stand-ups, sent on a mission to obliterate human comics. She views Data more as an envoy for robomanity. "The goal is that one day in the future we can have a companion robot that doesn't piss us off all the time," she explains. "One that we like hanging out and spending time with." Basically, she wants us all to be friends. Because in the future, according to Knight and her fellow social roboticists, man and machine will not only work together but also trust each other. And comedy, she figures, is such a uniquely human form of endearment that if robots can begin to master it, it'll be a crucial step in deepening our connection to them.

After Data's routine, we all walk out together into the main convention center. Knight is cradling him on her hip the way moms in the Midwest hoist around their toddlers, and Data's robo-paws are grazing her baby bump. As we go down the escalator, two women passing us going the opposite way spot Knight, her stomach, and the tiny robot clinging to her side. "Aww," one of them calls out. "Cute robot baby!"

Where his comic career is concerned, Data is still in his infancy. He's been performing about once a month for the past year, keeping his set time maxed out at eight minutes. Currently he has a database with more than 200 jokes, which Knight wrote with help from established comedians, including Rob Delaney, Reggie Watts, and Marc Maron. They also helped her program Data's pretty incredible (for a robot, at least) sense of timing. And his "sense of self." Most of Data's jokes are about being a robot. "If a comedian gets up with alopecia universalis," says Watts, "one of the first things he's going to have to mention is, 'Yes, I have no hair on my body.' So if it's a robot, it needs to talk about being a robot."

Data's real killer app, though, is being able to read his audience—in some cases, even better than a human comic. Or at the very least, more precisely. By measuring applause and volume levels, Data can tell in milliseconds how funny the audience thought his joke was relative to his previous ones and then select his next joke based on that response. Let's say the live-audience response to a knock-knock joke about chickens is underwhelming. He'll note that the crowd was not pleased and cue up a joke that's longer and differently paced, or one that's slightly more risqué, to see if the crowd likes it better. "He has sensors about himself, so there's the reflective 'self-awareness,' " Knight explains. "He's always 'thinking,' How am I being perceived by other people?"

Some comics aren't perceiving him so well. "I was at this comedy festival in Amsterdam last year," she recalls, "and there was, like, another comedian backstage who was totally threatened by the robot. You know, saying, 'This is not fair! She has a robot! That's cheating!' " At this point, that anxiety seems disproportionate to Data's abilities. But over the long term, perhaps it's a valid concern. "I can see a robot standing in front of a crowd, looking at faces—probably a lot like the way they're scanning license plates on the interstate now—and very rapidly reading the room and accurately predicting the emotional state of its audience," says Bruce Duncan, the team leader of a privately commissioned humanoid robot called Bina48. "Humans are incredibly perceptive, but we're still pretty oblivious to a lot of the information that we're observing and reacting to." In the next few decades, Duncan contends, a robot comic could become completely autonomous, drawing from an "encyclopedic knowledge of human humor" to deliver jokes that are winners every time.

···

Comedy, like sex and Taco Bell, is one of those things that gets less fun the more you analyze it. But when you're assessing whether a robot could someday be a truly great comedian, you do start to ruminate on how it all works. The word humor is derived from the Latin umores, meaning body "fluids," the right proportion of which was thought to elevate the human mind to a state of joy and gaiety. This was back in the fourteenth century, when we really didn't know shit about anything.

But even then, the one part they had right was that comedy requires a human body. The most potent humor comes from the experience of being human, usually the not-so-good experiences. A great recent example occurred last summer when the comedian Tig Notaro walked onstage at Largo in Los Angeles and shared the news she had learned just the day before: "Good evening, hello. I have cancer. How are you?" And people laughed. Humor is just one of those uniquely human attributes—akin to the ability to fall in love or develop an insatiable addiction to Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

But maybe that won't be true much longer.

Onstage with Data and Knight at SXSW is Peter McGraw, head of the University of Colorado Boulder's Humor Research Lab, or HuRL. McGraw seems proud of the fact that comedians don't especially like him, because he's the guy who's trying, literally, to reduce what they do to a science.

"If we can map the human genome, if we can create nuclear energy, we can understand how and why humor arises," McGraw insists.

According to McGraw's scientific theory of comedy, all humor—every single joke—can be boiled down to one rule: Jokes work when they achieve what he calls "a benign violation"—when some societal or moral norm we have is violated, but in a way that feels permissible to us. Sarah Silverman, for instance, often starts with a violation, but as McGraw describes it, "she sort of does this nonthreatening, cute act" to help neutralize the tone. It makes her joke funny rather than legally actionable. Whereas Jerry Seinfeld always starts with an everyday, benign scenario and then points out everything that's wrong with it. I mean, what is the deal with organic blueberries?

Comics tend not to agree with McGraw's theory of comedy, mostly because theories of comedy really annoy comics. "You have to take into consideration the power of humor and where humor comes from, which is the human heart and the human brain," says Maron. "I don't think it can be programmed." Here's a thought experiment: Imagine if Wolf Blitzer memorized every word of Louis C.K.'s saddest-hand-job-in-America riff—a now-classic bit of sexual misery—imitating Louis's demeanor and timing perfectly. It would be funny, sure. But nowhere near as funny as Louis performing it. Because to some unavoidable degree, reciting someone else's comedy is like wearing someone else's skin.

Although it would make Wolf Blitzer more relatable, which is Knight's real goal with Data anyway. The more you talk to people who are working to make robots funnier and more personable—in a word, more like us—the more you realize that humans aren't so hard to mimic after all. Most of our daily interactions aren't stand-up acts. They're more along the lines of chitchat, jokes told around the watercooler. And while these grand experiments in robot comedy may not end with Louie C-3PO selling out Radio City Music Hall, they will make our daily interactions with robots a bit less sterile, a bit more recognizably human—so that someday, when you ask Siri, "Are you funny?" she'll come back with something a lot more clever than how she responds now: "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't answer that."

···

This may have occurred to you already, but Knight's Data is named after Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation, the USS Enterprise's resident robot. Show-runner Gene Roddenberry once said he wanted the character to become more and more like a human as the series wore on.

Humor, though, is the one thing Star Trek's Data never really masters. In an early-season episode, he tries telling a joke to the engineer about a man going to the store to buy kidneys. The engineer's verdict: The joke is "too old. And you didn't tell it very well."

Data isn't wounded. "How do you know when something's funny?"

"You just do," the engineer says.

At this point in comedy-robot Data's existence, he doesn't have a sense of humor, either—his humor is really Knight's humor. She writes his jokes. And Knight, for the record, does not work blue. The most risqué joke I will witness Data telling merely insinuates that Knight might be cheating on him. The bit doesn't get a laugh, exactly, but it gets something much more valuable.

"I think I might be about to break up with my programmer," Data confesses. "I caught her watching videos of other robots. I don't feel pain, but that does compute." The few chuckles in the crowd are drowned out by a wave of sympathetic awww's. This is how it begins.

Check out Data at a 2011 TED Talk >

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History-Changing Gay Relationship Began At A Restaurant Where Lesbians Met Discreetly

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Edith Windsor

The epic relationship that made 84-year-old Edith Windsor a gay rights hero is one of the greatest love stories ever.

Windsor won a huge victory for gays after the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, which said the U.S. government didn't recognize her marriage to another woman.

The relationship that led to that ruling began nearly 50 years ago.

Windsor and the woman who became her wife, Thea Spyer, both struggled to come to terms with being gay when they were coming of age in the 1950s. As Windsor has said, "Nobody wanted to be queer."

When she was 34, Windsor finally asked a friend to take her someplace where she could meet women. Her friend brought her to a casual Italian restaurant in the West Village called Portofino, The New York Times reported.

Portofino wasn't an exclusively gay establishment, but gay ladies went there to discreetly meet other lesbians on Friday nights. Windsor and Spyer met there and then retreated to a friend's apartment, where they danced until Windsor wore a hole in her stocking.

The two women ended up being together for more than 40 years — the vast majority of which they spent engaged to be married. Windsor wore a pendant instead of an engagement ring because she feared being out where she worked at IBM (which is now, like many companies, gay-friendly).

They did not have the easiest life together.

Spyer, a psychologist, developed multiple sclerosis in 1977 and eventually became paralyzed. It's clear from a documentary about their relationship that they never stopped adoring each other or having a lot of sex. Windsor also used to sit in Spyer's wheelchair while she wheeled around to music, because they never wanted to stop dancing.

After decades of being engaged, Spyer and Windsor finally got married in Canada in 2007. Windsor dabbed at Spyer's eyes after they exchanged vows.

When Spyer died two years later, Windsor got the estate tax bill for what she'd inherited from her wife. She was enraged and, unlike many plaintiffs, sought out lawyers who would represent her fight to repeal DOMA.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court validated the legitimacy of her relationship. Her epic relationship with Spyer was no longer, as Ruth Bader Ginsburg put it, a "skim milk marriage."

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The Most Aged Steaks In NYC

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peter luger, steakhouse, steak, march 2012, bi, dng

We'll keep this one short and sweet.

Grub Street put together a list of the city's most aged cuts of steak (check out the full list here). If you're not familiar with why this is awesome, know that dry aging a cut of meat (a process that can go for weeks or months) makes it more tender and flavorful.

To do it right, you need a lot of space with a very precise temperature and humidity, so you have to leave it to the experts.

According to Grub Street, famed steakhouse Peter Luger won't disclose how long they dry their steaks, but the following will proudly say they age their steaks for over a month if not two or three.

From Grub Street:

Marea: 50 days, New York strip

Carbone: 60 days, porterhouse

Minetta Tavern: 60 days, côte de boeuf

Osteria Morini: 125 days, rib eye (occasional special)

Eleven Madison Park: 140 days, rib eye

To see the full list (yes, there's more) head to Grub Street>

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It Can Cost Nearly Half A Million Dollars A Year To Be A New York Socialite

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Socialites tinsley mortimer and olivia palermo

According to The New York Times, it takes a lot of work (plus a whole lot of money) to be a successful New York socialite.

Ignoring real estate, vacations, shopping sprees, and pets, Times reporter Ruth La Ferla set out to answer how much it costs to live the life of a socialite on the society circuit.

In a handy rundown, she calculated the expenses of two archetypal socialites: One who has been on the scene for years, and another who is just starting to climb the social ladder.

The Times estimates that Bea Grande — the older, more experienced fictional socialite — spends $455,450 each year prepping herself for charity events: $3,000 for a personal stylist, $120,000 for a publicist, $100,000 for wardrobe, and $200,000 for the tickets.

The fictional Grande also spends $7,500 on at-home hair and make up styling, $18,000 on a personal trainer, and $5,700 yearly for Botox and glycolic peels.

Serena Goodsense, the younger fictional socialite, spends an estimated $98,645 each year. Instead of a car service, she would take a taxi, and instead of a personal trainer, she has an annual gym membership at a posh gym.

And though she spends virtually the same amount as Grande on Botox and chemical peels, she saves money with cheaper make up, hair cuts, and by buying designer gowns off the rack or borrowing them for a night.

However, there is a price socialites pay for being a Serena Goodsense and cutting corners. "We tee-hee about those girls behind their backs," real socialite Natalie Leeds Leventhal confessed to La Ferla.

Read all about the fabulous lives of society women here.

SEE ALSO: How To Live Like A Modern Day Great Gatsby

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You Can't Cut The Line For A G650, The $65 Million Private Jet Billionaires Are Drooling Over

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gulfstream private jet G650

For more than two years, there's been speculation about who is lining up for the Gulfstream G650, the new private jet that has quickly become one of the most impressive aircraft in the skies today.

In 2011, the New York Post reported Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffet, and Ralph Lauren were all lining up to drop $65 million on the jet.

But for those who are just looking to get on the list now, the next available plane won't be delivered until 2017 — and there's no way to jump the line, Gulfstream says.

"You are not allowed to sell your position," communications head Steve Cass said in an interview at the Paris Air Show.

Customers sign a contract that includes a non-assignability clause, he explained. Of course, you are allowed to sell the G650 once you take delivery, but "if we get any indication that you sold, or were conspiring to sell the aircraft beforehand, we will take remedy to that," Cass said. "We do not want speculators in the marketplace."

Obviously, a $65 million jet draws some very wealthy and high-profile customers. But "everyone's treated exactly the same," Cass noted.

The G650 has become a hot topic among wealthy jetsetters, but Cass argued that the plane is actually "not a status symbol" for celebrities, noting that the vast majority of its 200 plus orders are from corporations, not wealthy individuals.

"Matter of fact, most of the time people don’t want it to be known that they’re flying around in it," he said. "When you look at most of these airplanes, they’re very nondescript. You don’t see a lot of big company logos or anything on them, because they want to maintain their privacy. It’s also for security reasons as well.”

Whoever is buying it, it's easy to see why the G650 is so coveted: It's the largest purpose built business jet on the planet. It flies higher and faster than commercial aircraft, and comes with top of the line technology that keeps the interior quiet and comfortable.

Current owners include "Lord of the Rings" director Sir Peter Jackson, according to Stuff.co.nz, as well as Steve Wynn, Walmart, and Exxon Mobil, according to Aviation International News.

SEE ALSO: 27 Awesome Moments From The 2013 Paris Air Show

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This Travel Mug Is Like A Tiny Microwave For Your Car

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This is the Wagan 12-Volt Travel Mug.

Why we love it: It's a normal-sized travel mug that keeps hot beverages warm (or re-heats an already-cooled beverage) by plugging in to your car's 12-volt socket. The tiny, efficient heat coil is hidden safely in the base of the mug, and the cup is well-insulated so it can keep your coffee (or whatever) hot for up to two hours after the mug has been unplugged. 

The mug comes in three colors - blue, silver and red - and fits in any standard cupholder. It's absolutely perfect for your morning commute, those long road trips or late-night drives. You can use it to heat up your coffee, milk or tea, and you can even use it for liquid-y foods, like soup or oatmeal.  

Wagan Red Ceramic Travel Mugs

 


Where to Buy: Available on Amazon.

Cost: $15.85 for two mugs.

Want to nominate a cool product for Stuff We Love? Send an email to Megan Willett at mwillett@businessinsider.com with "Stuff We Love" in the subject line.

SEE ALSO: This Flask Looks Just Like An iPhone

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