The never ending quest for top speed supremacy among the world's automakers is alive and well.

Since Ferrari's iconic F40 broke the 200 mile-per-hour barrier in the 1980s, speeds have only continued to escalate, with today's elite hypercars pushing ever closer to the magical 300 mph mark. 

With that in mind, we thought it was time to take a look at the fastest cars you can drive home from a dealership today. Using information from various auto-manufacturers and thesupercars.org, we put together a list of the 10 production hypercars with the highest top speeds on the market. 

Cars on this list are actively marketed and sold by manufacturers in 2014 (waiting list counts) and do not include cars that are out of production, are not series production cars, or whose top speed is not yet verified.

As a result, contenders like the SSC Aero (out of production) and the Ferrari LaFerrari (unconfirmed top speed) were left off of our list.

9. Ferrari F12 Berlinetta - 211 MPH (tie): Picking up where the 599 Fiorano left off, the $316,000 F12 is the latest in a long line of highly competent front-engined grand tourers from Maranello.

9. Porsche 918 Spyder - 211 MPH (tie): The $930,000 918 hybrid, the most advanced production vehicle ever to carry the legendary Porsche badge, is powered by a state-of-the-art 887 horsepower hybrid V8 powertrain.

7. McLaren P1 - 217 MPH (tie): The $1.15 million P1 is the spiritual successor to the legendary F1 supercar that put McLaren on the map. While the P1 can't match the F1's 240 MPH top speed, it should be noted that its 217 mph mark is electronically limited.

Airbnb has helped more than 15 million people find accommodations when they travel and most of the time they have a great experience. In fact, many Business Insider employees use the service and like it.

When you hear of problems, it typically involves a host who comes home to find his or her establishment trashed.

So when Business Insider salesperson Joseph Velardo and his girlfriend Robyn Finker booked a weekend away in the Hamptons last weekend, they chose Airbnb and expected to have a wonderful time.

Finker had actually been an Airbnb host before, renting her New York apartment a few times. It was a good experience.

But what happened to them the first time she used Airbnb as a guest was "terrifying," she tells us.

The couple rented a private house in Hampton Bays for two nights. It was a nice place. They paid about $900.

Finker sent a few texts to the host, "Tom," asking basic questions: Is there a hair dryer?  Where can we pick up the keys? Tom was friendly, responsive, and all looked well.

On Friday night, the couple met up with Tom, got the keys, checked in.

The house was in good repair, except for a missing railing on the stairs, Velardo describes.

But trouble started a few hours later.

At 2:45 a.m., Finker got a weird text from Tom's phone: "Do you want to try".

It seemed like Tom sent a text to the wrong number. She ignored it and went back to sleep.

About 45 minutes later, Finker and Velardo heard noises downstairs.

Velardo got up and peered down the stairs.

It was Tom. He had let himself into the locked house with his own keys.

"He was drunk and or high and mumbling incoherently," Velardo describes. "He asked me to come downstairs. I cautiously went down the railing-less staircase to confront him."

Finker stayed upstairs afraid. She overhead a strange conversation with Tom mumbling things like, "The girlfriend, she's cool, right?" And "We do the best we can here."

Velardo calmly talked to Tom for 20 minutes trying to get him to leave and he finally agreed. As he moved toward the door, he picked up Velardo's keys and wallet. Velardo gently explained that these items weren't his, and Tom put them back down, leaving his own car keys on the counter, too.

It was 4 a.m. The couple grabbed their stuff and got out of there.

"It was a terrifying experience," Finker tells us.

But they had no place to stay. It's not easy, or cheap, to find a hotel room in the Hamptons at 4 a.m. on a summer weekend.

Airbnb has a refund policy. If a guest reports a problem within 24 hours, "Airbnb will (at our discretion) either provide the Guest with a refund or use reasonable efforts to find and book the Guest at another comparable Accommodation."

In the car, Finker called Airbnb's 24-hour emergency line. But she couldn't get through. After waiting on hold for 45 minutes, she gave up, filing an emergency report via Airbnb's mobile app.

The two drove back toward Manhattan until they found a hotel with a vacancy. That cost them $350. The next day, they located a bed-and-breakfast in the Hamptons for Saturday night and drove back. It cost $500.

Airbnb contacted her a few hours after getting her complaint from the app. But it wasn't in time to help them find a new place. The company also didn't commit to a refund in that first message.

The email said:

"Thank you for contacting Airbnb, my name is Dan and I am so sorry that your host broke into the house. This is definitely not acceptable behavior. I want to assure you your case is in good hands and has been forwarded to the Trip Experience team.

A member of the Trip Experience team will reach out to you upon receiving your case. In order to provide our community with personal support, each case is reviewed individually, so it may take some time for it to be processed."

Finker received no follow-up during the weekend. On Monday, Finker contacted the company by phone twice. No one returned her call.

"I didn't expect them to have a lot of customer service agents at 4 a.m. I understood they might not get back to me on Sunday," she tells us. "But by Monday, end of day, on a message listed as urgent? I'm not freaking out about the money. I wanted to know, are they taking down the listing?"

She didn't want anyone else to rent that place, concerned for people's safety.

Short answer: Yes.

Shortly after being contacted by Business Insider for this story, Airbnb took down the listing and banned the host permanently. They are also refunding Finker for the house and for the hotel costs for rest of the weekend. Airbnb also gave her a $500 credit to try Airbnb again. A spokesperson told us:

"We deeply regret that this matter was not handled properly and our response fell well short of the standards we set for ourselves. This behavior is totally unacceptable and the host has been permanently removed from Airbnb. Our Trust and Safety team has reached out to these guests to apologize for the delay, issue them a full refund and cover the cost of their alternative accommodations."

If there's an upside to this story, it's that Finker and Velardo found "an amazing" B&B in the Hamptons, Velardo told us. But neither one of them is eager to try Airbnb again, they said. 

We reached out to Tom for comment and will update if we hear back.

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Chinese internet giant Tencent recently opened brand-new offices in Guangzhou, located in the southern part of the country. 

Tencent is the young tech company behind WeChat, the wildly popular messaging app that currently has about 355 million monthly active users. 

The company's new Guangzhou outpost will accommodate 800 employees in a complex that formerly was a six-building textile factory. Global design firm M Moser Associates transformed the dilapidated industrial zone into a beautiful open-floor office.

There are lots of fun amenities too, from a fully equipped gym to a slide that employees can use to get from floor to floor. 

Tencent's new office in Guangzhou spans six buildings that formerly made up a textile factory. Four of the buildings are workspace for Tencent's 800 Guangzhou employees, while the other two are dedicated to meeting rooms and common areas. All together, the company has more than 100,000 square feet of space.

The separation between the six buildings was a challenge for the architects. "Somehow, all the buildings had to be connected together and have a distinct, coherent identity," M Moser's Ramesh Subramaniam said in a press release. "There was also a need for very clear wayfinding through the campus, because there are quite a lot of other buildings there which don’t belong to Tencent."

To solve the problem, the design team created these open bridges to connect four of the six buildings.

A few months ago, I was drinking a Noah's Mill whiskey with my good buddy Brian Balfour and talking about life.

During the conversation we got on the topic of books that changed our lives.

I want to share them with you. 

I judge a book's success if a year later I am still using at least one thing from the book.

My takeaways are what I still remember from the books; you may get even more out of these:

"7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey

• Begin with the end in mind.
• Relationships are like a bank account; you make deposits and withdrawals.
• Sharpen the saw, keep learning and improving your brain.

"Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office" by Lois Frankel

• Don't let men shorten your name at the office.
• Don't mother people at the office or you'll be treated like a mother.

"Paradox of Choice" by Barry Schwartz

• At restaurants, close the menu after you find the one dish that you like.
• Choices can be evil. Being satisfied with things will make you so much happier than always going for the maximum.

"Influence" by Robert Cialdini

• People can be influenced in their behaviors by many different tactics.

"Ultimate Sales Machine" by Chet Holmes

• This book has so many frigging tips I can't even start. Get it.

"The Power of Full Engagement" by Jim Loehr

• It's not about how much time you have in your day but how you allocate you energy.
• You need to allocate time for yourself to recharge.
• Spend time with people that give you more energy.

"Your Brain at Work" by David Rock

• Different ways to organize and prioritize your day to maximize productivity.

"Sex at Dawn" by Christopher Ryan

• Jealousy is a societal creation and great ways to be aware of why it happens.

"Celestine Prophecy" by James Redfield

• Nothing is coincidence.
• Fate is what you make of it, i.e., go create your own luck.

"Purple Cow" by Seth Godin

• Only the unique get remembered.

"Permission Marketing" by Seth Godin

• No one wants your annoying marketing. Get their permission and deliver more than what they expect.

"Setting the Table" by Danny Meyer

• Create an experience that is like nothing else.
• Be authentic to yourself.
• Treating the customers exceptionally is the differentiator in business.

"The Score Will Take Care of Itself" by Bill Walsh 

• Focus on doing the right processes, and the outcome will take care of itself.
• Keep your lockers/desks clean and it'll reflect in other parts of your life.

"Mindless Eating" by Brian Wansink

• Great hacks on ways to reduce calories instead of just trying new diet fads.
• Hide the food you don't want to eat.
• Put out the portions of food you want instead of just eating from the bag.
• Using science/data to make decisions/impacts on our eating habits instead of opinions.

"The Way of the Superior Man" by David Deida

• Be conscious/present when you are interacting in life.
• Spend time with the people that are honest and make your life better.

"Women who Love Too Much" by Robin Norwood

• Love yourself first and you can be loved.

"The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand

• Healthy selfishness is a great thing.

These books reflect a full life, not just business.

Noah Kagan is the Chief Sumo at AppSumo.com. Before that he was employee #30 at Facebook and #4 at Mint. He blogs at OkDork.com.

SEE ALSO: 25 Popular Business Books Summarized In One Sentence Each

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When a man flashes his cuff and his watch is revealed, what does it say about him?

Classic men's jewelry that is sophisticated without going over the top falls into two categories: a wedding ring and a great watch.

We visited Bergdorf Goodman's Men's Store to chat with Town & Country Magazine's style director Stellene Volandes about the watch styles and shapes that make great long-term investments.

NOW WATCH: 4 Essential Suits Every Man Needs In His Closet

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Celebrity chef, TV host, and culinary rabblerouser Anthony Bourdain wouldn't strike you as a religious man. 

But he does have one ritual: setting up mise en place, or everything in its place.

It's helpful for chefs — and office workers.  

"Mise en place is the religion of all good line cooks," he writes in "Kitchen Confidential," his best-selling memoir.

"As a cook, your station, and its condition, its state of readiness, is an extension of your nervous system," he continues. "The universe is in order when your station is set up the way you like it: you know where to find everything with your eyes closed, everything you need during the course of the shift is at the ready at arm's reach, your defenses are deployed." 

What chefs call the "meez" — which Bourdain describes as "carefully arranged supplies of sea salt, rough-cracked paper, softened butter, cooking oil, wine, back-ups, and so on" — is what allows the cook to dance through each dish without pausing to find the pepper.

Without a well-tended meez, Bourdain warns, you'll soon find yourself spinning in place and calling for backup. 

The same goes for office workers.

At HBR, consultant and author Ron Friedman argues that we should take a page from Bourdain's cookbook, a chef who understood that planning is the most essential ingredient to any dish. 

We should start our days with 10 minutes of tending to the meez, Friedman says: 

What's the first thing you do when you arrive at your desk? For many of us, checking email or listening to voice mail is practically automatic. In many ways, these are among the worst ways to start a day. Both activities hijack our focus and put us in a reactive mode, where other people's priorities take center stage. They are the equivalent of entering a kitchen and looking for a spill to clean or a pot to scrub.

A better approach is to begin your day with a brief planning session. An intellectual mise-en-place. Bourdain envisions the perfect execution before starting his dish. Here's the corollary for the enterprising business professional. Ask yourself this question the moment you sit at your desk: The day is over and I am leaving the office with a tremendous sense of accomplishment. What have I achieved?

This follows important insights on how people get their best work done. President Eisenhower made a point to distinguish between urgent and important tasks— and the meez approach allows you to calibrate your day around importance. Making the meez a part of your day also bakes in reflection, which Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino has found can increase your performance by 22.8%. 

So let us heed Bourdain's advice: "Do not f--- with a line cook's 'meez.'" 

SEE ALSO: Dwight Eisenhower Nailed A Major Insight About Productivity

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In March, Google Ventures partner Kevin Rose and wife Darya purchased a historic home in Portland for $1.3 million. 

Last week, controversy erupted when the Roses' plans to demolish the home were made public. More than 3,000 people signed a petition to convince the couple to preserve the home, which dates back to 1892 and previously belonged to a noted Portland family. 

Rose said that they decided to demolish the house after inspections showed that repair work would be far more expensive than initially expected. 

"After the inspections, we were properly alerted to several areas that needed to be addressed. Electrical, plumbing, foundation/basement work, and asbestos," Rose wrote in a response to the online petition. "We then explored new construction, as it was clear to us that the cost of repairs was outweighing the cost/benefit of building new."

The couple planned to build a 5,900-square-foot contemporary home called the "Deku Tree Retreat" on the property, located in Portland's Willamette Heights neighborhood.

Now, according to the Oregonian, Rose has released a statement saying that he and his wife have decided to sell the house to a longtime member of the community, who will preserve the house. Tom and Jennifer Saunders have agreed to pay $1.375 million for the house, $375,000 more than the Roses paid for it in March.

Rose tweeted the news of their decision on Tuesday night. 

for those of you following our house drama, we decided the best outcome is to preserve the house. http://t.co/PgPKc7roxI

— Kevin Rose (@kevinrose) June 25, 2014

You can read the couple's entire statement below:

Darya and I are happy to announce that we've come to an agreement with a long-time resident of Willamette Heights to sell 1627 NW 32nd Ave. The new buyer's intention is not to demolish the house, but rather restore and maintain it. While this agreement isn't fully finalized, we are hoping we can wrap things up quickly.
 
Over the last few days we've watched as comments and emotions flared on both sides of the issue. Some folks arguing for homeowner rights, others for the preservation of old homes. We've read all of this, along with your emails, and took it all to heart.
 
We decided on Portland not as an investment property, or vacation spot, but as a place we hope to one day call home, a place to raise our family. We love so much about your beautiful city, and your strong community bond is high up on that list. While we could have legally put our heads down and proceeded forward, that's not the type of relationship we want with our neighbors and our new city friends.
 
Thanks for listening,

Kevin & Darya

SEE ALSO: Google Ventures Partner Kevin Rose's Plans To Demolish A Historic Home In Portland Are Making His Neighbors Very Angry

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Restaurant servers rely on tips for survival, but a growing number of critics are pointing out that the system is flawed. 

The standard tip on dinner checks is now as much as 25%, reports Venessa Wong at Bloomberg Businessweek. 

But while upscale servers can earn good money, the cooks who prepare the food make minimum wage. 

Restaurateur Michael Chiarello, who owns Bottega in Manhattan, said that his servers make up to $90,000 a year through tips, while cooks earn close to minimum wage. 

Cooks arguably wield more influence over the customer's experience. 

"Just as customers may unfairly penalize their servers with a bad tip if the food isn’t satisfactory, they may also reward them when the food exceeds expectations—both things the waiter does not control," Wong writes. 

Restaurant owner Jay Porter criticized the practice last year, maintaining that restaurants should get rid of tipping in a piece for Slate.

"Servers and cooks typically made similar base wages — and minimum wage was the same for both jobs — but servers kept all the tips, which could often mean they were taking home three times what the cooks made, or more," Porter said. 

SEE ALSO: The Staggering Odds Of Getting A Job At Starbucks

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People do some crazy things to customize their cars.

From a Swarovski crystal-encrusted Mercedes to a frighteningly realistic insect-shaped motorbike, we found 26 custom sets of wheels that are turning heads around the world. 

And yes, they include a flying car and a crystal-covered Mercedes.

This tricked out stretch Mini Cooper S has 6 passenger seats, 4 doors, 6 wheels and a Jacuzzi for relaxing on those long drives.

This 25-foot-long car shaped like a cricket bat was a huge hit in cricket-obsessed India.

Two custom Mercedes-Benz SL600s, each wearing 300,000 Swarovski crystals, are displayed in Tokyo.

Click here to see the bars >

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Each state has its iconic tourist attractions, but there are also many interesting locations that fly under the radar.

Everyone has heard of the Empire State Building in New York, but do you know about Upstate New York's Letchworth State Park, unofficially dubbed the Grand Canyon of the East? How about the Lost Sea in Tennessee, which is the country's largest underground lake?

We've put together a list of the lesser-known tourist attraction in every state. While some of these places have a significant amount of visitors each year, they are hidden gems to many out-of-state travelers.

ALABAMA: Mobile Bay bills itself as "secretly awesome," and its many tourist attractions prove this to be true. Attend the world's oldest Mardi Gras celebration, eat some fresh seafood, go kayaking and fishing, and take in the beautiful views of the Gulf of Mexico.

Learn more about Mobile Bay >

ALASKA: The ocean, ice, and mountains all meet at Kenai Fjords National Park in Seward, Alaska. Enjoy the park by foot or take a boat cruise along the coast in the summer.

Learn more about Kenai Fjords National Park >

ARIZONA: It's very easy to take a great photograph of The Wave, but not so easy to get there. In order to visit this landmark, you must apply for a daily permit. Even if you receive the permit, you'll have a rigorous hike to this hidden gem. However, we think the view is worth the journey.

Learn more about The Wave >

Click here to see the story >

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While blenders are all made to do the same job, some are far superior to others in their blending capabilities. 

Whether you're whipping up smoothies, juices, cocktails, ice cream, or even soup, you'll want to know which blender creates the best consistency for your needs.

Our friends at FindTheBest helped to compile this list of great blenders you can buy.

FindTheBest used a Smart Rating which ranked products based on criteria like power, speed, height, features, price per watt, type, pre-programmed cycles, category, and other.

10. Waring MX 1000R ($399)

The Waring MX 1000R is a 2,600-watt blender with two speeds, high and low, to fulfill different needs. Its pulse feature is a great option for making chunkier dishes, but it can also smoothly puree soups and smoothies.

9. Vitamix Creations GC ($516)

The Creations GC has ten speeds for ultimate blending control. Its 64-oz. container is a good size for entertaining, but not too overbearing for individual recipes.

8. Blendtec Tom Dickson Extreme ($1,035)

The priciest item on our list, the Blendtec Tom Dickson Extreme is a professional blender of 2,400 watts that includes features like auto shutoff and an LCD display. The blender also has 10 speeds, and although it holds up to 90 oz. of liquid, it will fit nicely in the average sub-counter cabinet.

7. Black and Decker BLC12650HB ($27)

The Black and Decker BLC12650HB is the most reasonably priced option, at six cents per watt. But while it's good for most purposes, the blender is not compatible for making soups and nut butters.

6. Vitamix Certified Reconditioned Standard ($329)

The Vitamix Certified Reconditioned Standard is another professional blender from Vitamix with a 64-oz. container and 10 different buttons for speed. One FindTheBest reviewer writes that it is "surprisingly quiet for how powerful it is."

5. Blendtec Signature Series ($619)

The Blendtec Signature Series has five speeds, 1,560 watts, an LCD display, and self-cleaning feature. It's also pretty lightweight at six pounds.  

4. Vitamix Creations II ($449)

The Vitamix Creations II has a lot of power for such a small container, and will likely take up a minimal amount of space on your countertop or under most cabinets. It has 1,380 watts and 10 different speeds, and comes with its own cookbook.

3. Vitamix 5200 with Compact Container ($499)

The Vitamix 5200 with Compact Container is a 48-oz. blender with 1,380 watts and 10 different speeds. It also has a seven-year warranty to ensure happy blending for years to come.

2. Vitamix 5200 Deluxe - Complete Kitchen ($499)

The Vitamix 5200 Deluxe - Complete Kitchen model is a step up from the 5200 with Compact Container, as it comes with three blades and two containers — 48 oz. and 64 oz. — instead of one.

1. Vitamix Creations GC with Compact Container ($418)

The Vitamix Creations GC with Compact Container tops our list with 1,500 watts and a FindTheBest Smart Rating of 100. This blender can be used for any culinary process, whether that's chopping, churning, heating, or grinding.

SEE ALSO: The Best Coffee Maker You Can Buy

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Move over, millennials.

Marketers are beginning to target a new crop of young people who are rapidly growing in number and influence: Generation Z. 

Studies differ on the exact age range of Generation Z, but most agree they were born after 1990, which makes them the largest generational group in the U.S. 

We set out to discover who they are and what they eat and buy. Here's what we found:

Gen Z wants to change the world. 60% of them want to have an impact on the world, compared to 39% of millennials, according to a study by Sparks & Honey, a New York-based marketing agency. Roughly one in four Generation Z-ers are involved in volunteering.

Advanced college degrees are less important to them. 64% of Gen Z-ers are considering an advanced college degree, compared to 71% of millennials. 

They are more entrepreneurial than millennials. 72% of high school students want to start a business someday and 61% would rather be an entrepreneur than an employee when they graduate college, according to a study by Millennial Branding, a consulting firm, and Internships.com. 

They are digitally over-connected. Gen Z-ers multitask across at least five screens daily and spend 41% of their time outside of school with computers or mobile devices, compared to 22% 10 years ago, according to the Sparks & Honey report. "They suffer from FOMO (fear of missing out) more than millennials, so being culturally connected is critical," researchers wrote.

But they prefer to work independently. "This generation is very individualized," Dan Schawbel, the founder of Millennial Branding, told Business Insider. "While millennials seek mentors, Generation Z is more about helping themselves."

They worry about the economy more than anything else, including crime, politics, their parents' job security, politics, or the cost of goods.

This chart details some of their interests: 

They prefer home-cooked foods over processed, ready-to-eat meals such as cold cereal, according to a study by The NPD Group. They aren't big fans of microwaves and would rather use a stove top or oven to prepare meals. Salad consumption is expected to increase the most among Gen Z-ers over the next five years, followed by sandwiches and breakfast foods that require some cooking, such as eggs and pancakes.

Gen Z-ers spend more money on food and drinks than anything else, and their favorite eatery is Starbucks, according to Piper Jaffray's most recent semiannual survey of teens. Nike is their top clothing brand, followed by Forever 21, Action Sports Brands, American Eagle, and Polo Ralph Lauren.

They are less active. 66% of kids ages six to 11 say online gaming is their main source of entertainment, according to the Sparks & Honey report. On a related note, teen obesity has tripled between 1971 and 2010.

They lack brand loyalty. "The products themselves are more important to Generation Z than the brands that produce them, and these consumers will change brands easily in search of higher quality," according to Arkansas-based marketing agency Martin-Wilbourne Partners.

Gen Z-ers are close with their families. "Their parents have a lot of control over the decisions that they make," Schawbel said. "Their influence is huge and plays into every aspect of their lives." Many of them are also living in multi-generational homes, as Baby Boomers age and move in with their kids.

They communicate with speed and often use emoticons and emojis instead of words. "They are accustomed to rapid-fire banter and commentary," Sparks & Honey analysts wrote. "As a result, Gen Z are not precise communicators and leave a lot of room for interpretation."

Here's what Sparks & Honey recommends to effectively communicate with a Gen Z-er:

SEE ALSO: The 'Short Suit' Is Finally Going Mainstream

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In the last few years, Brooklyn has become Manhattan's cooler, younger brother.

New shops and restaurants are popping up every day, celebrities are moving there, and some of the best bars in all of New York City appear in Brooklyn's numerous and diverse neighborhoods.

Tonight, Esquire Network will be premiering its new show, "Best Bars in America." The TV show will look at the best bars around the U.S., including a number of hip hangouts here in Brooklyn.

Equire shared its picks for the best bars in Brooklyn, curated by Esquire's cocktails expert and author David Wondrich, who is featured in the new show.

Maison Premiere

298 Bedford Ave.

Paying homage to the good old days of romantic Paris, Maison Premiere features oyster and absinthe pairings, and is home to "the world's most accurate working replica" of the absinthe fountain from the famous Olde Absinthe House in New Orleans. Maison Premiere is a great place to enjoy a well-crafted cocktail with friends, but if you find yourself arriving solo at this Williamsburg establishment, you can always drink with the green fairy.

Tooker Alley

793 Washington Ave.

Tooker Alley was inspired by Chicago's historic "Dil Pickle Club," a semi-secret cultural melting pot hangout that went way beyond your typical speakeasy of the '20s. With its classic cocktails that nod to the founding members of the Dil Pickle Club, Crown Heights' Tooker Alley reproduces the community and brotherly love originally found in Chicago's DPC.

Radegast Hall & Biergarten

113 North Third St.

In traditional, German biergarten fashion, Radegast serves food and drink Hofbrauhaus-style, in large pint glasses along communal wooden tables. The smell of charred bratwursts and hot, soft pretzels with mustard, wafting out onto the streets of Williamsburg, is so tantalizing that it's nearly impossible not to order some noshes.

Buying a home overseas may seem like an unaffordable investment, but some places offer luxury at a bargain.

With the help of Point2Homes, we've put together a list of some of pretty overseas properties that are available for less than $50,000, which is the median household income in the U.S.

These homes range from a cozy home in Ireland to a seaside apartment in Thailand.

Pick up a condo in the resort town of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for $49,900.

This 2-bedroom condo is located in Puerto Vallarta, a resort city on Mexico's Pacific Coast. The 713-square-foot home is located on the fourth floor of its building and has nice touches including a breakfast bar and a laundry room. It is close to shopping, restaurants, and more.View more details about the condo here >

Source: Point2 Homes

This apartment on the Gulf of Thailand is $47,746.

Not only is this home located in the exciting city of Pattaya, but it has incredible views of the Gulf of Thailand as well. The 398-square-foot condo comes partially furnished and has a balcony, as well as access to the building's communal gym, barbecue area, and jacuzzi.

View more details about the condo here >

Source: Point2 Homes

A home in a quaint Irish village for $47,687.

This quaint 3-bedroom home is located in Shinrone, an Irish village, and though it's in need of some repair, it certainly has charm. The home has a garden, central heating, and a large brick fireplace.Learn more about the home here >

Source: Point2 Homes

New York City-based real estate firm Prodigy Network is converting a Financial District highrise into an extended-stay hotel for business travelers. 

In order to give future guests the best possible experience, the firm turned to crowdsourcing, hosting a design competition and then having the public vote on the best submissions. More than 10,000 votes were cast on 70 submissions, which were eventually narrowed down to a list of 10 finalists. A panel of expert judges then selected an overall winner in three different categories: Private Space Design, Public Space Design, and Digital Experience.

The winning designs will be combined in what the firm has named the Cotel, a trendy extended-stay hotel and coworking space at 17 John Street in New York City's Financial District. 

"The winners of the 17 John competition were intuitive to the needs of travelers, creative in the interactive spaces and understood the function of extended stay residences," Prodigy Network founder and CEO Rodrigo Nino said in a press release. "This will be one of many design competitions presented to the crowd and we look forward to empowering those with the greatest ideas."

The hotel won't be completed for some time, but we've got an inside look at what it will look like, based on the winning renderings. It's an interesting look at how the needs of business travelers are changing as more technology becomes available.

The Cotel will be located at 17 John Street, next to the upcoming Fulton Center transportation hub and a block away from the World Trade Center.

The project will be an interesting combination of traditional and contemporary architecture. An 8-story glass structure by famed architect Winka Dubbeldam is being added to the top of the building.

Winning designs were chosen in three different categories. In the "Private Space" category, French designer Vianney Lacotte's flexible working and living space was the most popular choice.

Richard Fertig managed a portfolio of hedge fund investments worth $4 billion until he lost his job in January 2009, another casualty of the Great Recession. Fertig interviewed for jobs left and right, but found finance jobs hard to come by.

Looking back at his life and travels as a hedge fund manager, Fertig realized that many of his best experiences were dampened by low-quality ground transportation. At the same time, he believed others who still worked in his former occupation experienced those same inconveniences. 

So Fertig, a Wharton graduate, abandoned the finance industry and established Brilliant Transportation, a luxury transport service that offers wealthy clients the comforts of a high-end hotel room, the functionality of an office, the space of a private jet, and the service of a private concierge. He began by acquiring a fleet of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans through loans and his personal savings. Fertig was drawn to the Sprinter because it allowed even the tallest people to stand upright. He stripped the Sprinter vans of their stock interiors and refurbished them with luxury fixtures like hardwood floors, captain's chairs, and retractable work stations.

Brilliant's fleet of luxury vans, which rent for $225 an hour, are equipped with wifi, satellite television and other features meant to recreate the functionality of an office.

Fertig believes his vans can create tremendous value for corporate clients, because time spent in transit can be used productively. As a result, he now services many of the same financial industry titans that he once worked for and with. Brilliant doesn't compete with black car services or Uber-like apps for local rides or airport transports, Fertig says. Instead, he sees his company as a competitor for private jet and helicopter services, often ferrying clients between New York City and the Hamptons, and around Los Angeles.

Rather than a disjointed stop-and-go private jet experience, clients are picked up with the custom catering orders waiting in the van. They can then to do work, relax, and watch some television on the way to their destination.

The company has around 30 vehicles and offers its services in New York City, the Hamptons, Connecticut, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, and will soon launch in Miami.Its clients include at least half a dozen billionaires, as well as celebrities and major corporations. Fertig's vans provided the transportation for the wedding of Dylan Lauren, daughter of designer Ralph Lauren.

With such discerning clients, employee training is one of Fertig's toughest tasks. "Every driver drives me and my family around first before they are allowed to drive a client," he said. 

SEE ALSO: The 20 Best Airlines In The World

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This post originally appeared on Details.com.

It's as much a part of your daily existence as your diet and exercise routine, and yet, even those who prioritize movement and nutrition are a bit misled when it comes to sleep. 

Much of this in-the-dark behavior stems from a misunderstanding of some of the most important factors affecting your sleep (which, by the way, affects your waistline as well as your performance at work and in the gym). To set the record straight, we asked Equinox advisory board member and sleep expert James B. Maas, Ph.D., author of Sleep for Success!, to dispel five of the most common falsehoods.

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It's the cheapest, most low-tech life hack you'll find.

Power posing: the act of taking a posture of confidence, even when you don't feel so confident, to make yourself more dominant.

Go to the poses »

Social psychologist Amy Cuddy struck a chord in the business world at TEDGlobal 2012 when she gave a talk about the scientific evidence behind power posing. Her research showed that standing or sitting a certain way triggers immediate changes in your body chemistry.

It can affect the way you do your job and interact with other people. It might even have an effect on your chances of success.

Here's how it works: High-power posing is about opening up, Cuddy says. You stretch and expand your body to take up as much space as possible. It's similar to how primates behave in the wild. They puff out their chests and extend their limbs to make themselves appear — and feel — big.

After assuming a high-power pose for just two minutes, your testosterone levels (the "dominance" hormone) can rocket 20% while your cortisol levels (the "stress" hormone) fall sharply. This allows you to better handle stressful situations.

We decided to test out some of the poses. Some of them have names created by Cuddy; others we came up with. We'll break down which to use in eight common situations that affect your work success. 

FOR SLEEPING: Lie in an open position with your arms and legs outstretched.

Becoming more powerful starts the night before. It's time to nix the fetal position.

Sleeping on your side with your arms and legs pulled toward your torso is considered a low-power position, Cuddy says. You may wake up feeling sensitive and vulnerable without understanding why, which is not a good way to face a chaotic, competitive workplace.

The power position, which we'll call "The Marissa Mayer," makes you feel bigger and, therefore, more powerful. You can also put your hands behind your head (á la Mayer in her Vogue photo spread), which is a power pose that Cuddy often mentions in her talks.

FOR SPEAKING IN A MEETING: Tightly cross your arms across your chest and roll your shoulders back.

Doing "The Mr. Clean" can help drive home an argument in the boardroom.

Your shoulder posture in this position is pivotal in shaping how observers interpret the folded arms, according to Noah Zandan, president of communications-analytics company Quantified Impressions.

If the shoulders are rolled forward, others will interpret the arms as a sign of weakness, sending the message that you're scared. But if you roll those shoulders back and hold your head high, the crossed arms become a signal of confidence.

While you're at it, Cuddy says it's important when you raise your hand to extend your arm fully, taking up space, as opposed to resting the elbow on the table. Women tend to bend at the arm more than men.

FOR CLOSING A DEAL: Plant your hands on the table and lean forward.

As you're rounding the last bend of your presentation and preparing to deliver the bottom-line offer, command the room with a position Cuddy calls "The Loomer." Leaning forward while standing shows you're engaged and in a position of dominance.

Cuddy named this pose in tribute to Lyndon B. Johnson. "Johnson was six-four," and he used his stature very thoughtfully, to intimidate and seduce," she says.