Google was one of the first major tech companies to open offices in New York City, fueling what has become a serious tech boom on the East Coast. 

And now the internet search giant is expanding its already large footprint in the city, signing on for another 75,000 square feet at Chelsea Market, according to Crain's New York. 

Employees who work in the company's Chelsea Market space and across the street at Google's New York headquarters are incredibly lucky. Chelsea Market isn't your typical office building — its most attractive feature is a massive food market on the first floor, offering high-quality food to tourists and locals alike. 

We recently paid a visit to Chelsea Market to get a feel for the scene. We found a lunchtime atmosphere that would be extremely attractive to any company, with food options that are diverse and tasty enough to pull Googlers away from their free lunches.  

Chelsea Market is located in a hip neighborhood on the west side of Manhattan.

The structure itself is huge, taking up the entire block. With its recent expansion, Google now has nearly 400,000 square feet on the second and fourth floors of the market. Several media companies, like MLB.com and the Food Network, lease space in the upper floors of the building.

Source: Crain's New York, The Real Deal

Google's New York City headquarters are right across the street at 111 Eighth Avenue, in the former Port Authority building. The search giant reportedly paid $1.8 billion for the building in 2010, and it's so big that its elevators can accommodate 18-wheeler trucks.

Source: Wired

Sharing a cup of Turkish coffee is a way of life across the Balkans, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.

For centuries, this caffeine-concentrated beverage has been the fuel for lively political debate in conference rooms and cafes.

A recent study published in Vascular Medicine suggests that it's not just good for relationship building, it's also good for you. Turns out the key is to boil your coffee — watch and learn how.

NOW WATCH: How To Supercharge Your Coffee To Give You Even More Energy In The Morning

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BI Answers: How did people evolve to drink alcohol?

There are endless arguments for why people drink, the simplest being that alcohol is tasty and it makes us feel good.

But those reasons do not address the ultimate explanation for why our brains evolved to like alcohol in the first place, at least according to Robert Dudley, a professor of biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and author of "The Drunken Monkey."

Dudley's drunken monkey hypothesis is the first attempt to place alcoholism in an evolutionary context. In a 2004 paper, he argued that modern patterns of alcohol consumption and abuse have a biological basis that can be traced to our fruit-eating primate ancestors.

Hard-Wired For Booze

Sugars in fruits, grains, and nectar are naturally turned to ethanol by yeasts during a process known as fermentation.

The earliest archaeological evidence suggests, based on chemical residues from pottery jars, that humans did not start fermenting honey, rice, and fruit to produce alcoholic beverages until 9,000 years ago.

But these fermented beverages were probably not our first exposure to alcohol, according to Dudley. Our preexisting taste for booze likely developed tens of millions of years ago in our primate ancestors, who survived mostly on fruits.

As fruit ripens, more alcohol is created by the yeasts. When a fruit starts to seriously rot, it can contain up to 8% ethanol, although most ripe fruit contains less than 1%.

Dudley's theory suggests that the alcohol concentration of ripe fruit would have served a purpose for both the fruit-bearing plant and the primate. In tropical forests, fruit can be hard to track down. However, the scent of alcohol from ripe fruits travels long distances, and may have helped primates to find their next meal.

Being attracted to the scent of ethanol from ripe fruits would have been evolutionarily adaptive, enabling the primates to find fruit easier. It was also helpful to the plants, because the primates helped to disperse the seeds in the fruit.

But the gains of eating these alcoholic fruits doesn't end there. Once digested, the theory goes, the alcohol would have stimulated feeding, encouraging the primates to "gobble up the food before anyone else got to it." Humans know this feeling today as the aperitif effect, which you may have experienced if you've ever had a cocktail before a meal and found yourself hungry. Or craved cheese fries after a night out.

Modern Problems

Primates probably weren't getting wasted, because fruits house only tiny concentrations of alcohol compared to today's drinks. In one study, Dudley found that the pulp of ripe palm fruits contained ethanol concentrations of 0.9% on average. Most beers have an alcohol strength of 4% and wine usually 14%.

This could explain why a little bit of alcohol can be healthy, he said. The problem today is that humans aren't drinking alcohol in small amounts. Much like the story of sugar — which in ancient times was limited — alcohol is not only plentiful but, thanks to distillation, available in much higher concentrations than found in fruit.

Our bodies have preserved the biological urge to drink from when alcohol sources were few and far between, even though we live in an age where the supply is unlimited.

This post is part of a continuing series that answers all of your "why" questions related to science. Have your own question? Email dspector@buisnessinsider with the subject line "Q&A"; tweet your question to @BI_Science; or post to our Facebook page.

SEE ALSO: Is Drinking Carbonated Water Bad For You?

More BI Answers: Here's The Best Sleeping Position For Your Health

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According to the latest data from Gallup's annual well-being index, people who live in Fort Collins-Loveland, Colo., were most satisfied with the area where they live. Of the residents surveyed, 94.9% in that area reported high levels of satisfaction with their hometown.

The area, in Larimer County in the north-central part of Colorado, consistently reports high levels of satisfaction. Along with San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, Calif., which reported the second-highest satisfaction level, it was among the communities with the highest overall level of well-being.

"Fort Collins-Loveland residents' satisfaction with their community may be linked to the community's success in other aspects of life," Gallup notes. "In 2012-2013, Fort Collins-Loveland ranked high in terms of communities where residents have easy access to fruit and vegetables. It was also one of the towns that inspired Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland."

On the other end of the spectrum, Rockford, Ill., reported the lowest level of resident satisfaction, with 72.8% saying they were satisfied with their community.

According to Gallup, "While the city used to be a major manufacturing hub, many companies have since closed local plants. And Woodward Inc., a maker of aircraft fuel system components, though founded in Rockford, has moved its headquarters to Fort Collins. Rockford has recently been plagued by high unemployment and high property taxes, and the community ranked third on the 2013 Forbes List of America's Most Miserable Cities because of a three-decade decline in their manufacturing based economy."

Here are the 10 communities that reported highest and lowest levels of satisfaction, according to Gallup:

Gallup asked Americans how satisfied they were with the city or area in which they lived as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. Gallup interviewed at least 300 adults aged 18 and older in 189 metropolitan areas throughout 2012-2013, speaking to 531,630 people in total.

The complete ranking is below.

SEE ALSO: The Happiest Cities In America

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Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is spending almost half a million dollars on a Passover retreat in Israel, booking all 111 rooms in Mitzpe Ramon's Bereshseet Hotel to host family and friends for the upcoming holiday, a source told the Daily Mail.

 Abramovich plans to stay from Sunday to Thursday, holding a banquet under a specially-constructed tent in the desert outside the hotel for the first night of seder, according to Jewish News. He will fly into Israel with his partner Dasha Zhukova and their two children in a private jet, and then take a limo to the hotel. 

The estimated cost for Abramovich to rent the entire hotel is $450,000, which doesn't include the cost of the tent or any traveling costs.The source told the Daily Mail that the reason for Abramovich's visit is that he “want[s] to be close to where the biblical action actually took place" in the Book of Exodus.

The Beresheet Hotel is located in the Israeli desert near the ancient Spice Route. At 2,600 feet above sea level, the weather at the hotel is cool all year round, and guests are encouraged to bring warm clothing, even in the summer.

All of the 111 suites have their own personal entrance halls. The 42 suites on the bottom floor have a private swimming pool, and the 69 other rooms have balconies and views of the surrounding desert.Inside the hotel, there is a restaurant, lobby with fireplace, indoor heated pool, gym, sauna, spa, and a private movie theater.

See more pictures of were Abramovich and his posse will be celebrating Passover below.

SEE ALSO: Roman Abramovich's $75 Million Dream Mansion In NYC Hits A Roadblocku

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Rory McIlroy is well positioned to become one of the world's highest-paid athletes for a long, long time.

Going into the 2014 Masters, the 24-year-old already has two major championships and a deal with Nike rumored to be worth $200 million.

He also has the makings of a pretty fantastic lifestyle off the course, with a lavish house in Florida, a $400,000 car, a wildly successful fiancée, and more.

He earned $29 million in 2013, making him the 21st-highest-paid athlete in the world.

Source: Forbes

He made $16 million in endorsements alone. For comparison, that's $2 million more than Peyton Manning.

Source: Forbes

His biggest deal: a monster Nike contract rumored to be worth $200+ million.

Source: USA Today

The New York Post's Page Six is reporting that Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has sold his Malibu home for $28 million. 

The buyer is reportedly CBS President and CEO Les Moonves. 

Allen paid $25 million for the gorgeous white-walled contemporary home in 2010, though he apparently spent little time there since the sound of the ocean kept him up at night, a source told the Post. He "hated the sound of the ocean," the source said.

The house is located on Malibu's ultra-pricey Carbon Beach, a stretch of oceanfront property that's been dubbed "Billionaire's Beach" for its many high-profile residents. David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Eli Broad, and Larry Ellison all own property here, with Ellison owning as many as a dozen. 

SEE ALSO: A Silicon Valley Banker Is Selling His Enormous Mansion With A Speakeasy And Ballroom For $27 Million

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Everyone's different, but generally people are recommended to keep a diet of around 2,000 calories per day.

But what does that actually mean?

Sometimes it's hard to visualize what that amount of food looks like, so we did the work for you.

NOW WATCH: The Simple Science Behind Weight Loss

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My fiancee realized her iPhone 5 was missing as soon as we got home.

While she searched her purse and jacket again, I signed into her account on iCloud.com and activated the Find My iPhone app. Immediately, GPS data showed that the phone was around 71st and Amsterdam, a mile north of our Manhattan apartment at 58th and 9th Ave. The phone was in the backseat of the taxi we had taken from Union Square.

We quickly looked up advice on the Internet, called 311, wished we had gotten a receipt that would show the taxi medallion number, called a police number that operator gave us, and filed a Yellow Taxi Lost and Found form. These are all appropriate steps to take eventually. But at the moment they were a waste of time.

The key to getting the phone back immediately is right there in the Find My iPhone app.

Click on the My Devices menu at the center of the screen, select the missing phone, and from the window that pops up select "Lost Mode." This will lock the phone and give you the option to display a message directing people to call another phone number to return it. If you use a passcode, as you should, then a Lost Mode message is the only way that a kind stranger will know whom to call. You can also make the phone emit a sound to help people find it. There is also an option to wipe your phone if it comes to that.

While I continued pinging the phone, however, I got no response. Meanwhile, it had moved to 53rd and 11th ave.

It was then that my fiancee, a near-native New Yorker, made a clutch decision. Noticing the phone had stayed put for a few moments, she hurried to the bedroom and changed from a dress to pants and shoes, so she could move fast. She said she was going over there — 0.6 miles away — in hopes that the driver was taking a break — around 9 p.m., four hours into his night shift.

She took my phone and ran out the door.

I sat at the computer watching the GPS locator, very worried it would start moving again, and kept pinging the phone. Ten minutes later — still no movement — I figured out how to place a call using Google Voice and I dialed my phone, which she was carrying.

She answered, breathless but happy. She had found her phone.

A bunch of taxis had been parked on 11th Ave by De Witt Clinton Park, and she had peered into them one-by-one, lighting the backseat with the other phone. She had found the phone in an empty taxi and found the driver standing nearby drinking a Big Gulp soda. He had been shocked that she found him but was happy to hand over the phone.

I learned from this experience that Find My iPhone and Lost Mode are key to getting back a phone immediately. The former shows whether your phone is really in a taxi, and also whether it is within running distance. The latter provides the only effective way of communicating with kind strangers.

Sometimes you won't be able to get the phone back immediately, however, in which case you will have to call 311. It helps immensely if you can identify the taxi's medallion number, so keep your receipts or pay with an app that keeps receipts for you. Even if you don't have the number, there's a good chance you will recover your phone, assuming drivers follow the rules for lost items.

SEE ALSO: 21 great iPhone tips and tricks

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There are plenty of legendary addresses in New York City, but 15 Central Park West stands out.

The ultra-luxury condominium on the corner of West 61st St. and Central Park West has been home to a long list of bankers, celebrities, and assorted bold-faced names, including Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein and Sting.

Author Michael Gross, who recently released a history of the condo called "House of Outrageous Fortune,"calls it the world's most powerful address.

Unlike many of New York's history-filled apartment buildings — especially its main rival across the park — 15 Central Park West is a relative newcomer.

Completed in 2008 by developers Arthur and William Lie Zeckendorf, it offers a ridiculous array of amenities to New York's moneyed elite, including an in-house chef, a skylighted lap pool, and a private screening room.

15 Central Park West took three years and about $1 billion to construct, including the land. It was an immediate success, ringing up $2 billion in sales. Even today, the building continues to break real-estate sales records.

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross 

15 CPW architect Robert A.M Stern was inspired by the great New York apartments of the 1920s, not today's glassy towers. The building has two sections with 201 units total, as well as a formal driveway.

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

Other amenities include a library, private restaurant, three-lane lap pool, and health club with private massage rooms and yoga area.

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

Wayne Gretzky, the NHL's all-time leader in goals, assists, and points, is selling his 8,711-square-foot mansion for $10.5 million, the Real Estalker reports.

The property in Thousand Oaks, Calif., has five bedrooms and six bathrooms.

Highlighted by a scenic view of rolling hills, a courtyard entrance complete with a fountain, and an immaculate pool area, the home is absolutely breathtaking.

The front of the property.

View of the courtyard complete with fountain.

The entrance.

Arianna Huffington is one of the most vocal proponents of getting more sleep.

She installed two nap rooms for her staff at the Huffington Post, gave a popular TED talk on the benefits of adequate rest, and dedicates a large part of her new book "Thrive" to the subject.

"The most basic shift we can make in redefining success in our lives has to do with our strained relationship to sleep," she writes.

She stands firmly against the culture of professionals equating their lack of sleep with working hard, and points to studies that show negative effects on decision making, focus, mood, and health that come with exhaustion.

Huffington consulted with sleep experts to narrow down a list of the most useful tips to ease into a deep sleep and wake up refreshed and poised to be productive. Here's her advice, as it appears in "Thrive":

1. Get a new pillow. And a new pillowcase.
2. Make your bedroom darker and keep it cool.
3. Practice deep breathing before bed.
4. Take a warm bath before bed.
5. Exercise or at least walk every day.
6. Banish all LCD screens (laptops, tablets, smartphones, TV) at night.
7. Cut down on coffee after 2 p.m. and avoid alcohol right before bedtime to give the body time to metabolize it.

"Too many of us are fueled by the fear that getting the proper amount of sleep means we must not be passionate enough about our work and our life," she writes. "By sleeping more we, in fact, become more competent and in control of our lives."

SEE ALSO: 25 Horrible Things That Happen If You Don't Get Enough Sleep

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Fast food is an integral part of American culture. 

With all the time and money spent on fast food, most people have strong opinions about where they go and why. 

Five Guys fans swear their burger is the best thing out there. Others prefer a Big Mac or Whopper for their burger fix. 

We've compiled a list of some of the best and brightest fast-food offerings, and we want to know your favorites. 

Thanks in advance for your time and cooperation. We'll publish the results later this month.

SEE ALSO: 35 Companies Changing The Way We Shop And Eat

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The world's largest aluminum sailing yacht has hit the market for a cool $25 million.

The 210-foot long Felicita West was built in 2002 and features luxury accommodations for up to 14 guests in her 5 cabins.

She is manned by a crew of 14 and tops out at a leisurely of 15 knots (17 mph).

Perini Navi, the ship's builder, envisioned a yacht that would provide the perfect combination of sailing excitement and cosseted luxury. Based on these breathtaking pictures, we believe they executed their vision flawlessly.

The Felicita West is available for sale by broker Northrop & Johnson. If the $25 million price tag seems a little steep, they'll gladly let you charter her for $230,000 a week.

The Felicita West is the brainchild of legendary naval architect Ron Holland and Italian design firm Nuvolari-Lenard.

Originally constructed in 2003, it underwent an extensive refit in 2011.

It comes equipped with two Zodiac tender motor boats.

"Tell me, what is your favorite brand of watches? Your favorite brand of chocolate? Your favorite brand of champagne?"

"Now, what is your favorite brand of roses?"

It is with these questions that Alejandro Henao piqued my interest when introducing me to Sisaluna, his direct-order Ecuadorian rose company, which officially launches in the U.S. April 23. Expecting my stunted response, he goes on to explain that there simply are no branded roses. At least, until now.  

"What we want is to make our clients proud to buy our Sisaluna roses," Henao said. "So tomorrow, when somebody gives you roses, they’re not giving you roses, they’re give you Sisaluna roses, right? There’s a whole concept, but we want to back it up with a social commitment and responsibility."One year ago, Henao and his business partner, Luis Armendaris, came up with the idea of starting their own farm-direct, socially and economically responsible rose company in their hometown of Quito, Ecuador. Looking to partner with a Ecuadorian charity, the friends collaborated with People Helping People Ecuador (PHP), an American-based organization that is dedicated to the welfare of people of the Andean region.

"We’ve been asked before to attach our names to things and we’ve always said 'no,'" said Bonnie Lunt, director of PHP Ecuador. "What I said to them was that I needed to see the plantation. I was really grateful when I saw it and it was green, and they didn’t use harsh chemicals or children. This plantation was like a breath of fresh air for us. It’s a win-win for all of us."

Sisaluna plans to become the first e-commerce flower firm that is "seriously committed" to its surrounding communities, with part of its proceeds going directly to PHP, which has built schools and health-care centers in the region. Additionally, Henao says the company's farms comply with all the local and international regulations regarding chemicals and labor — there are no child workers and 72% of employees are single moms.Sisaluna prides itself on a top-quality product. Henao explained that Ecuador's diverse ecology and location in the Andes at 10,000-feet above sea level allows for a superior rose — the world's best. 

The company also cuts its roses later in their lives than many Ecuadorian rose growers who cater to the American market, which means they last anywhere from 10 to 15 days, compared to an average of 4 to 6 days for flowers that are cut earlier.

It's known as the Russian style of growing and cutting roses. "The Russians love roses," said Lunt. "Americans believe the rose has to be cut early and at the bud stage. But if you wait until the rose is opened a little bit further, the rose is stronger and it lasts longer."But immaculate care and quality doesn't exactly come cheap. Sisaluna sells its roses in bundles of 50 for $150, including 5-6 day shipping (they are only available by direct order on Sisaluna's website, and delivered by UPS).

That may seem steep compared to two-dozen-for-$10 deals at the corner bodegas of New York City, but compared to other direct-order businesses like 1-800-Flowers — which charges more than $200 for two dozen of their "best" roses — it doesn't seem so unreasonable after all. This is, in part, because Sisaluna cuts out the middle man, selling directly to consumers.

And those bodega flowers never last more than a day or two.Sisaluna goes to serious lengths to ensure its quality. "The security at these plantations is intense; you have to be screened really carefully," said Lunt. "Also, a lot of these plantations have secret hybrid roses that they’re processing. They’re very careful not to let anybody near those buildings because they’re terrified of any kind of germs or diseases. Just one bad bacteria can wipe out a whole plantation, and that’s happened before."

The company's commitment to abide by child labor laws is also a major step. In 2012, The Atlantic reported that around one in a dozen stems sold in the U.S. were cut by child laborers in Ecuador, which supplies the bulk of America's long-stem roses. The Atlantic also cited a 2000 report claiming that 80% of the workers in Ecuador's flower industry were children. "We want to break that label that the floral culture industry has — that they use pesticides, that they go against the environment, that they hire kids, that they don’t pay for incomes," said Henao. 

Henao said he eventually hopes to revolutionize the whole culture surrounding roses. While he initially expects surges in orders around Valentine's Day and Mother's Day, he predicted the demand would eventually stabilize as flower fans re-order year-round. He forecasts that the compay will sell around 700 boxes, or 35,000 roses, a month.

"Sisalunas are roses that enhance your world, your life, and make you happy and proud that you’re buying the best roses in the world," says Haneo."That’s our slogan."

SEE ALSO: 29 Photos That Will Make You Want To Visit Ecuador

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Photographer Nathanael Turner moved from the East Coast to Los Angeles a couple of years ago. Shortly after arriving, Businessweek contracted the newcomer to document an event he saw as quintessentially Californian — the Torres Family Empire Lowrider Convention. 

A "lowrider" is a vehicle that's been modified so it rides lower to the ground than originally specified in an effort to improve performance and aesthetics. The practice originated with Mexican-Americans in California during the 1950s and has since become an important part of the culture for many.

The Businessweek assignment ended up getting canceled, but Turner, who is fascinated with West Coast culture, went to the lowrider convention anyway. Once there, he witnessed an event marked by two conflicting parts of Southern California’s Latino culture: strong family bonds and gang culture.

“I was surprised at how family-oriented it was,” Turner told Business Insider. “…There are definitely gang affiliations, but they all leave the gang stuff at home and just celebrate the car culture.”

Turner shared some of the photos with us here, but you can see the rest at his website. 

The Torres Family Empire Lowrider Convention occurs every July in Los Angeles. This year, it will be held at the L.A. Convention Center. The Convention advertises that 10,000 people come out to check out the cars. When Turner attended, he said it was more likely in the hundreds.Inside the convention center, car clubs show off their tricked-out lowriders.For most of the car clubs, showing off their customized rides is a way to advertise their services to enthusiasts."I can't imagine how much money was put into each car," Turner said. "Every single detail was incredibly ornate."According to Turner, even components under the hood, like the engine and axles, were customized.Most of the cars have elaborately painted murals. Most are either portraits of family or commemorate lost loved ones.Turner says that everyone at the convention was very friendly and excited to show him their cars.The attendees are predominantly Hispanic, but they come from all over the West Coast, including neighboring states like Nevada and Arizona.The convention celebrates different aspects of Latino culture. The biggest event of the day is a car-hopping competition. Everyone comes out to watch.During the competition, contestants test their cars to see how high they can make them bounce. The cars achieve the bounce through the activation of a remote-control hydraulic suspension. Activating the hydraulics is tricky. Failing to time the activation of the hydraulics properly could lead to the car either not bouncing that high or to come crashing to the ground. At the end of the day, the car clubs compete for who has the best lowrider. It's always a heated competition.

SEE ALSO: The 20 cars most likely to last 200,000 miles

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Soon-to-be -married "Modern Family" actress Sofia Vergara just dropped $10.6 million on a villa in the heart of Beverly Hills, according to Trulia.

The 11,400-square-foot home has seven bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, including a master suite with separate his and hers closets and a balcony terrace. The estate grounds include a pool, spa and room for two maids to live. 

The Colombian-born beauty is the highest-paid actress on television for the second year in a row, according to Forbes, bringing in $30 million between June 2012 and June 2013. Her fiance is businessman Nick Loeb who is related to the founders of Lehman Brothers and his uncle is the late Canadian Billionaire Edgar Bronfman, Sr.  

Sofia Vergara's new villa sits in Beverly Hills.

It includes a sprawling entryway.

The home spans 11,400 square feet.

When the cook at Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop slid a large, steaming bowl of ramen in front of me, my eyes pored over the rubber band strands of rye noodles. Roasted tomatoes, hard boiled egg, and ribboned chashu pork floated on pools of fat in the broth.

This is not your college dorm room Cup Noodles.

The ramen noodle industry has exploded in popularity in the U.S. in the last couple of years, thanks to a number of pioneering chefs. From Keizo Shimamoto's Ramen Burger to David Chang's Momofuku empire, "shina soba" — or "Chinese noodles" — has surpassed its status as a university cuisine staple to become a global culinary icon.

There may be just one thing holding the hordes back from America's burgeoning ramen shops (there are more than three dozen in New York City alone): It's difficult to eat. I felt very intimidated by the bowl in front of me. But whether you're chopstick-challenged or embarrassed by rogue noodles dangling out of your mouth, you can learn to slurp ramen without looking silly.

I sat down with Ivan Orkin, the New York-born owner of Tokyo's top ramen shop, and David Poran, co-owner of the newly opened outpost Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop, to chat about "The Art of the Slurp" — Orkin's step-by-step guide to enjoying ramen.

Here's how to eat ramen like a pro.

1. Take your chopsticks and pull a small amount of noodles from the bowl. Grab less than you think you need.

2. Lift so that the noodles are completely separated from the bowl. If they're still "tangled with their friends" once the chopsticks are at your mouth, the noodles will tug while you try to slurp, Poran said.

3. Dip the noodles back into the bowl to mop up some of the broth and fat. Mmmm.

4. Bring the noodles to your mouth. Shape your lips like you would to aerate wine or sip really hot coffee.

5. As you slurp the noodles, "envision them riding a tunnel of air into your mouth," Poran said. Slurp quickly, slurp loudly.

6. Find the rhythm of the noodle. This is one of Orkin's ramen philosophies, meaning that you should naturally fall into a ritual. Slurp a little ramen, take a bite of pork, drink some broth, and repeat.

7. Once you've finished the noodles, bring the bowl to your mouth and empty the savory broth.

8. "There are no rules," said Poran. Ramen is meant to be enjoyed, not fussed over. So do what feels right to you.

Thanks to Kristin Hunt for demonstrating the proper way to eat ramen!

SEE ALSO: People Are Going Absolutely Crazy For The 'Ramen Burger'

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A critical account of Apple is disappointingly short on thoughtful analysis.

When Steve Jobs returned to the helm of Apple in 1997 as interim chief executive, the company he had co-founded was on the brink of bankruptcy. The tale of how Apple's visionary boss saved it from oblivion and then turned it into an innovation powerhouse that wowed the world with its iPods, iPhones and iPads is one of the greatest business stories of all time.

Since Jobs's untimely death in 2011, there has been plenty of speculation about how Apple will fare without its renowned leader. Yukari Iwatani Kane, a former Wall Street Journal reporter who covered Apple in the last years of Jobs's reign, thinks she knows the answer. In "Haunted Empire", she concludes that a decline in Apple's fortunes seems inevitable. Ms Kane's instinct may be right, but unfortunately her disjointed narrative fails to make a convincing case for the prosecution.

That is a shame because the notion of an Apple haunted by the spectre of Jobs is a powerful one. The company has yet to demonstrate that it can perpetuate its record of turning staid markets upside down with new money-spinning ideas. And its past success has made it a hunted empire that now faces stiff competition from Google, South Korea's Samsung and other rivals bent on disrupting everything from TV viewing to wearable computing--smart watches, smart glasses and so forth.

Ms Kane recounts several episodes that she thinks illustrate the fact that Apple is already on a slippery slope of decline. These include controversies over working conditions and environmental practices at some of its Asian suppliers; its long-running legal tussle with Samsung over smartphone patents; and the bungled launch in 2012 of its own mapping app to rival Google Maps.

Chapters in "Haunted Empire" recount such episodes in excruciating detail, but they often ignore the bigger picture. There is no doubt that Apple has been deeply embarrassed by revelations about working conditions at some of its suppliers. But its ability to source parts quickly and cheaply remains the envy of many competitors, who are keen to copy its methods.

The wrangling over patents is more telling. By the end of April 2012 Apple and Samsung had filed more than 50 lawsuits against one another in 16 courts in ten countries. And the battle continues: in a San Jose court this week, Apple argued that Samsung owes it $2.2 billion for infringing patents on its devices.

Ms Kane notes that Apple's campaign of litigation was inspired by Jobs, who was determined to stymie the advance of Google's Android mobile operating system, which Samsung has championed. But she fails to reflect on whether Apple's growing fondness for litigation is a sign that it is now more obsessed with protecting existing innovations rather than coming up with new ones.

Then there is the issue of comparisons with the Jobs era. Ms Kane tends to look back at this through rose-tinted glasses. The launch of Apple's glitch-ridden mapping service under Tim Cook, Jobs's handpicked successor as chief executive, was bungled. But she neglects to point out that there were memorable hiccups in Jobs's time too.

For instance, problems with an internal antenna marred the launch of the iPhone 4. In spite of the embarrassment, "Antennagate", as it was dubbed, did no lasting damage to the firm's reputation and it is hard to see the maps debacle doing any either.

"Haunted Empire" could have probed more deeply into areas such as Apple's $159 billion cash pile. This is certainly impressive, but it may also be a sign that the company is running out of good ideas to spend its money on.

The burden of responsibility for producing revolutionary new products lies squarely with Mr Cook and his senior team, notably Sir Jonathan Ive, Apple's design guru. Ms Kane is not optimistic about their prospects. She portrays Apple's new boss, who made his mark by managing its supply chain, as an uninspiring number-cruncher.

And she muses on whether Jobs made a mistake by choosing the self-proclaimed "Attila the Hun of Inventory" to run it rather than someone with a more creative bent.

Unsurprisingly, Mr Cook has rubbished "Haunted Empire", claiming that it "fails to capture Apple, Steve, or anyone else in the company". It also misses an opportunity to make a compelling case that Apple is past its prime.

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Living in your car has a whole new meaning. 

Students, faculty, and alumni from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) recently created a series of tiny homes that fit neatly in a typical supermarket parking space.

According to the university, "SCADpad" is described as a "unique micro housing and adaptive re-use experiment that proposes an answer to the world’s growing urban housing challenges."

Essentially, they're cool, millennial-style minitrailers. The SCAD team built the three 135-square-foot units inside a midtown Atlanta parking garage. The homes are equipped with a kitchen, bathroom, and living space, and are decorated in Asian, European, and North American themes. 

"They’re entirely self-sufficient—it’s small living with no compromises," said Christian Sottile, dean of the School of Building Arts at SCAD. And why focus on parking lots? "Parking structures are a unique and very recent building type," Sottile said. "It’s not a structure that cities, architects and designers have examined as opportunities for urban living."

According to SCAD, about half of all parking garages are actually vacant, allowing for potential residential space in increasingly populated cities. 

The thrifty homes have been approved for temporary occupancy and will house students and guests starting April 15. 

SEE ALSO: $21-PER-SQUARE-FOOT OR LESS: The 14 Cheapest Homes You Can Buy Right Now

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