The hardest thing about Valentine's Day is figuring what to get your significant other for the big day.

After all, if you just started dating, you're probably not planning on giving him or her diamonds.

And vice versa: if you've been married for several years, somehow a plain candle doesn't quite capture the sentiment you're after.

So to help you weed through the endless Valentine's Day advertisements, we've put together a guide to help you come up with ideas for your romantic night this year.

So now you have no excuse for showing up empty-handed.

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Even though it’s only 90 miles from New York City, the Hamptons is another world filled with sandy beaches, quaint main streets, celebrities, and restaurants. 

The Hamptons can make for a relaxing getaway, or a party-filled weekend. But no matter what you're going for. one challenge remains: it can be extremely stressful to find a place to stay.

Since it's officially Hamptons renting season, we broke down the 10 most popular hamlets by reputation, with suggestions for hotels, restaurants, and average rental prices from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Keep reading to see our ultimate Hamptons rental guide for 2015.

East Hampton

When it comes to nightlife, East Hampton has you covered with raging dance clubs like SL East and the Pink Elephant.

It also has stellar beaches, tons of shopping, and top-notch restaurants. The ultra rich love East Hampton, especially away from the hustle and bustle of the public beaches, where glamorous homes can be found.

If you’re looking for a rental deal, look inland — the closer you are to the beach, the more expensive it’ll be. Plus, this is one of the most popular hamlets during the tourist season so it’s best to get your rental early.

Average Rental Prices for Memorial Day through Labor Day*: ~$36,000 to ~$150,000

Hotels:Baker House 1650, c/o The Maidstone, The 1770 House

Restaurants:Fresno, Nick & Toni’s, The Living Room, East Hampton Grill, Luigi’s Italian Specialties

Southampton

Another popular town, Southampton puts all other villages to shame when it comes to three things: shopping, celebrities, and real estate.

This hamlet is packed with stores and is a favorite spot for people who have money and want to be seen. There are a lot of epic, multi-million dollar mansions that line the ocean as well as popular hotspots and restaurants where the blue bloods hang out.

Average Rental Prices for Memorial Day through Labor Day*: ~$40,000 to ~$210,000

Hotels:A Butler’s Manor

Restaurants:Saaz Indian Cuisine, Red Bar Brasserie, La Parmigiana Italian Restaurant

Sag Harbor

Known as a haven for artists, this former whaling village is one of the prettiest towns on the South Fork, with cute storefronts and old-school Hamptons appeal.

It also has fantastic real estate and a funky Main Street with delicious restaurants. Plus, it’s not too far from the popular Long Beach.

Average Rental Prices for Memorial Day through Labor Day*: ~$27,000 to ~$110,000

Hotels:The American Hotel

Restaurants:Estia’s Little Kitchen, The Dock House, The Beacon

North Haven

If Sag Harbor is where the wealthy artists live, than North Haven is its family-oriented suburb. The mansions here keep getting more and more expensive, but there’s not a whole lot to do in this tiny hamlet.

Renters can expect extremely high rental prices across the board, with plenty of deluxe mansions up for grabs. North Haven is located between East and Southampton and has a large amount of waterfront real estate, which also factors into the high price points.

Average Rental Prices for Memorial Day through Labor Day*: ~$47,000 to ~$190,000

Hotels: N/A

Restaurants: N/A 

Westhampton/Westhampton Beach

Westhampton is the closest town on the list to New York City, meaning you'll have a shorter commute as well as access to clean, beautiful beaches right off the exit.

This is a popular hamlet for people renting and co-renting homes. It has restaurants and stores to keep you busy, but is much more affordable than Southampton.

Average Rental Prices for Memorial Day through Labor Day*: ~$40,000 to ~$100,000

Hotels:Beaver Damn Creek House

Restaurants:Starr Boggs, Boom Burger, Pizzetteria Brunetti, The Patio Restaurant

Sagaponack

One of the oldest hamlets in the area, this tiny village is renowned for its rural beauty and has some of the most scenic beaches in the area. 

The major downside of Sagaponack is that its too small for any theaters or shopping. For those, you would need to travel to nearby Southampton or East Hampton. But the real estate here is top notch — and über expensive.

Average Rental Prices for Memorial Day through Labor Day*: ~$65,000 to ~$290,000

Hotels: N/A

Restaurants: Sagg Main Store

Amagansett

Technically within the town of East Hampton, Amagansett has its own special style with delicious restaurants and really nice, sandy beaches.

Amagansett is a lovely resort town for the more low-key Hamptons visitor. It has great boutiques and a musical venue called Stephen Talkhouse where Jon Bon Jovi has performed unannounced.

Average Rental Prices for Memorial Day through Labor Day*: ~$46,000 to ~$170,000

Hotels:Hermitage Resort, Inn at Windmill Lane

Restaurants:Mary’s Marvelous

Water Mill

Artists, authors, and actors love Water Mill for its charming residential community. You’re not going to find a lot of parties or nightlife in this quiet hamlet, but if relaxation is what you’re after, Water Mill delivers.

But don’t let the pastoral setting fool you. Lots of celebrities and executives have homes here for the summer to capitalize on the idyllic surroundings.

Average Rental Prices for Memorial Day through Labor Day*: ~$45,000 to ~$150,000

Hotels: N/A

Restaurants:Robert’s, Sabrosa Mexican Grill

Montauk

During the day, surfers flock to Montauk's Ditch Plains Beach for the best waves on Long Island before the pubs take over with a nightlife scene that draws both hipster and local crowds to this fisherman's village.

Best for families, Montauk has become the most expensive place to stay in New York State. For tourist attractions, there are plenty of lighthouses to visit, beaches to walk down, and lobster to enjoy.

Average Rental Prices for Memorial Day through Labor Day*: ~$50,000 to ~$150,000

Hotels:Ruschmeyer’s, Panoramic View, Solé East Resort

Restaurants:St Peter’s Catch, Zum Schneider Montauk, South Edison, Dave’s Grill

Bridgehampton

Bridgehampton is a trendy vacation destination for the super rich — in fact, about two-thirds of its population are part-time home owners (which means rentals are not hard to come by!).

This town is really big with the equestrian crowd since Bridgehampton hosts the annual Hampton Classic Horse Show in late August. There are also cute boutiques, wineries, and restaurants for vacationers to try.

Average Rental Prices for Memorial Day through Labor Day*: ~$60,000 to ~$190,000

Hotels:Bridgehampton Inn

Restaurants:Mercado, Topping Rose House

*Note: 2015 rental price ranges were for current four-bedroom rental homes and were averaged from Memorial Day through Labor Day prices on Brown Harris Stevens, Sotheby’s International Realty, and Corcoran Real Estate. Ranges do not account for rental outliers.

SEE ALSO: Meet the residents of 'Billionaire Lane' in the Hamptons

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The dollar in your pocket has a hidden history.

Behind President Washington's steady gaze lies an inheritance of struggle, exploration, and wealth — touching on four continents and five centuries. 

It all began in the 1500s in the Bohemia, a powerful kingdom that ruled much of the present-day Czech Republic.

Central Europe was in the middle of a silver boon. Thanks to silver discovered in Germany, Austria, and Czech, the region was making a big switch in currency: Instead of using tiny gold coins to do business, merchants started using larger silver coins of an equivalent value.

The best of these coins came from the Bohemian town of St Joachimsthal, situated on today's Czech-German border.

"St Joachimsthal was hugely productive," reports the British Museum, "and gave this type of coin a new name: the thaler," short for Joachimsthaler.

This coin was a big deal, io9 reports. The 'thaler' started to be used a byword for coins of a similar quality, kind of like how a 'Frankfurter' is a byword for a class of delicious sausages.

The Bohemian coin was was so popular that other kingdoms and states started making their own 'thaler' equivalent. You can see it in some of more recent currencies: the Dutch daalder, Slovenian tolar, the Eritrean tallero, and put into English, the dollar.   

Around that same time, Spain was colonizing the New World. They found an insane amount of silver, so much that the Spanish-controlled lands of Boliva, Peru, and Mexico would create an estimated 85% of the world's silver between 1500 and 1800. 

From those mines, Spain started minting a new coin, the "peso de ocho," or piece of eight, which would be used in foreign trade around the world. After the Spanish established a foothold in the Philippine city of Manila, the coin started circulating through Asia — the Japanese Yen and Chinese Yuan mean 'round object' in their respective languages, and it's a nod to the massively produced Spanish currency.

In fact, British colonists in North America had a terrible time tracking down official English currency, so much of colonial commerce was done with those same pesos, or as they came to be known for their equivalence to the Bohemian coin, Spanish dollars. 

Then, in 1776, the Colonies declared their independence.

They had to decide on a new currency. They could keep the British pound, or take the name of the currency so many citizens were already using — the dollar.

So the young country exchanged the British Pound Sterling in favor of the new American Dollar.

It was formalized in the Coinage Act of 1792:

DOLLARS OR UNITS — each to be of the value of a Spanish milled dollar as the same is now current, and to contain three hundred and seventy-one grains and four sixteenth parts of a grain of pure, or four hundred and sixteen grains of standard silver.

... the money of account of the United States ... shall be expressed in dollars, or units ... and that all accounts in the public offices and all proceedings in the courts of the United States shall be kept and had in conformity to this regulation.

The story of the dollar, then, goes from Bohemia, to Spain, to Mexico, the American Colonies, to your pocket.

SEE ALSO: Brooklyn is officially the most unaffordable housing market in America

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The San Francisco real estate market is tough, but a new listing wants to make it a little bit easier on you by offering a very interesting perk. 

According to the listing, "the Marina Chateaux" is a one-bedroom home with a great location and plenty of closet space. It's on the market for $799,000. 

At the very end of the description, the listing adds that there's one more special perk to buying this apartment: "* BONUS FEATURE- 1 year of Unlimited UBER rides (inquire for details)"

Details on the Uber offer are scarce, but the apartment does look nice.

There are dark hardwood floors and large windows that look out over the Marina district.

 The kitchen has updated stainless steel appliances.

And the bedroom is airy and spacious.

The bathroom also has some interesting tilework.

SEE ALSO: Nerdwallet's new San Francisco office has a bar stocked with 80 different kinds of booze

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This week, Britain’s Kennel Club released a press statement that the Pembroke Welsh Corgi — the internet's favorite dog— is “at risk of disappearing from our parks and streets.”

The breed was official listed as “vulnerable” after only 274 Corgis were registered with the Kennel Club in 2014, a 16% drop from the previous year. To get on the list, breed registrations must dip below 300 registrations with the association.

Everyone collectively freaked out.

This is not the first time the Corgi has been considered threatened. In 2013, the Kennel Club also put Corgis on its “vulnerable native breeds” list. Back then, only 241 Pembroke Welsh Corgis were registered in 2012.

The Kennel Club blamed the breeds’ association with the elderly on its decline in popularity, particularly their most famous fan Queen Elizabeth, who has owned more than 30 corgis throughout her reign. 

Ironically, a recent Sunday Express article reported that the Queen will not be getting any new corgis since she fears tripping over them.

But while it does not look good for the Pembroke Welsh Corgi's popularity in England, rest assured that the opposite is true here in the US.

“Unlike the UK, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi continues to be very popular in the United States,” Hillary Prim, the Public Relations Director for the American Kennel Club, told Business Insider. “Its happy, agreeable nature and adaptability have perhaps played a role in the breed staying consistent at the 24th most popular spot in the US over the past decade (plus or minus a spot or two from time to time).”

The American Kennel Club told us that over 5,000 corgis were registered in the US in 2013 (2014 figures are not yet available), which does not even take into account Corgi mixed-breeds or dogs not voluntarily registered with the organization.

“The UK cited breed misconceptions as a factor in the breed’s decline, and this is conceivable,” Prim told us. “To the naked eye, the Corgi’s short legs and sturdy body may lead you to think he is a low-energy couch potato. In fact, Corgis are happy, energetic, active dogs that make great pets for a diverse range of owners, particularly those who can keep him moving.”

Long live the Corgi.

SEE ALSO: Here are the 4 new breeds of dogs

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The newspaper Stars and Stripes has released an audio transcript of an interview with Brian Williams on February 4. In this clip Williams admits he was not on or near the attacked helicopter.

Produced by Devan Joseph. Video courtesy of Associated Press.

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Artist Neil Harbisson was born completely color blind and sees the world in grayscale. But even though Neil can't see color doesn't mean he can't sense it. That's because Neil Harbisson is a cyborg who can hear color.

In 2004, Neil convinced a doctor to implant into his skull an antenna that detects and transposes colors into corresponding tones — allowing him to hear color through bone conduction. He considers it a new body part.

"This is an implant, so it's permanently attached," Neil says. "There's no way of removing it."

As co-founder of the Cyborg Foundation and one of several known cyborgs on this planet,  Neil expects humans to be more open to the idea of implanting technology into their bodies in the near future.

Produced by Will Wei and Graham Flanagan. Edited by Will Wei. Series editor: Sam Rega.

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Valentine's Day is on a Saturday this year, which means there is even more pressure to find that perfect date night spot. 

To help you find a place that will impress your date, our friends at The Infatuation put together a list of the best date night spots in Chicago.

Whether you’re craving authentic Neapolitan pizza or incredible hand-crafted cocktails, these are 10 of the best places to eat on Valentine’s. 

Try the chocolate espresso torte cake at Davanti Enoteca.

1359 West Taylor Street

Davanti Enoteca may be a chain (with 5 locations) but certainly doesn’t feel like one. The small Italian restaurant has a casual but romantic atmosphere, and great menu options for date nights.  

The special Valentine’s Day tasting menu has a chocolate espresso cake and comes with a bottle of Prosecco. 

Order amazing ‘garden-to-glass’ cocktails at Homestead on the Roof.

Homestead on the Roof, located above Roots Pizza in the Ukrainian Village, is a farm-to-table restaurant that serves fresh seasonal ingredients in its American-style dinner menu.

The restaurant is best to visit when the weather is nice since they have an amazing outdoor patio that has an organic garden, but the indoor heated seating is also quite cozy. 

Known for its amazing ‘garden-to-glass’ cocktails and friendly wait staff, Homestead will not disappoint on a date night. 

Have a cozy dinner date at Brendan Sodikoff’s Cocello.

354 W. Hubbard St. 

Celebrated restaurateur Brendan Sodikoff’s latest venture, named Cocello, is a ‘boutique Italian’ spot that is a perfect place to “see and be seen.” The restaurant is “the kind of place a modern day Rat Pack would hang,” writes The Infatuation's Sam Faye.

The spot is dimly lit with dark wood, crystal chandeliers, brick walls, and big brown leather booths — which makes it a perfect spot for cozying up to your Valentine’s date. 

Lidia Bersani is known for her lavish luxury designs. But this one is really out to sea.

She's taken her talents for gold, filigree, and meticulous soft edges to the boating world, and has created the La Belle luxury yacht. She's calling it the world's first yacht designed for women, and there's plenty of evidence to back up her claim.

Gone are the "macho" hallmarks of yachting like pool tables and beer kegs. In their place is a spa and beauty room.

Bersani told The Daily Mail she doesn't yet have a price for the concept, but "it will be not cheap."

Read more about the La Belle at Bersani's website.

Most yachts aren't created with with a woman's wants in mind, but the La Belle isn't most yachts.

Designer Lidia Bersani told Business Insider, "that the lifestyle of a businesswoman who wants to enjoy a pampered and feminine environment is not yet catered for in the often macho designed megayachts of this world." With its gold and ivory exterior detailing, there's no mistaking that this superyacht has a more feminine touch to it.

That doesn't mean it falls short on luxury however. If built, the yacht will feature a spa room, a snow room, a jacuzzi, library, and even a theatre. "No pool table or beer kegs," says Bersani.

Italian coffee company Illy spent years inventing a superior single-serve coffee machine.

The new machine, called the Francis Francis Y5 duo, makes both brewed coffee and espresso. 

"We have finally created a single-serve machine for coffee lovers and connoisseurs," company Chairman and CEO Andrea Illy told Business Insider. 

Many coffee affectionados have criticized the quality of coffee that comes from instant machines like the Keurig. 

Illy's grandfather started the coffee brand more than 80 years ago. The company has been developing the pods and machine for about four years. 

The new machine is slim and sleek, easily capable of fitting on a small counter or cabinet. 

Similar to machines like a Keurig, a coffee or espresso pod is inserted into the machine. Then, you press a button to brew your beverage. 

We tried coffee from the machine for ourselves. 

The brewed coffee from the machine is light and smooth, with a sweet aftertaste. 

But the espresso is delicious. 

Creamy, rich and foamy, it almost tastes like dark chocolate. Illy tells me two of the little espresso cups contain the same caffeine as a large cup of coffee. 

At $299, the machine is a little more pricey than its competitors. 

But it's possible this instant brewing machine will satisfy coffee lovers more than the Keurig. 

Keurig's much-anticipated 2.0 machine launched in August and it has racked up hundreds of scathing online reviews from unhappy customers.

Unlike Keurig's single-serve machine, Keurig 2.0 can make up to 30 ounces of coffee at once using a K-Cup that's about twice the size of its traditional coffee pods. 

Hayley Peterson contributed to this story.

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In a northern section of Hong Kong there once stood one of the most densely populated places on earth.

From the 1950s until 1994, over 33,000 people lived and worked in Kowloon Walled City, a massive complex of 300 interconnected buildings that took up a city block.

Caught between China and the British-run Hong Kong government, the city was essentially lawless, equally known for its opium dens and organized crime as its dentists' offices. 

Photographer Greg Girard spent years investigating and documenting the strange place before it was demolished. Girard collaborated with Ian Lambot, another photographer, on a book about Kowloon, titled "City of Darkness Revisited," available here.

Girard has shared a number of photos from the project here, and you can check out the rest at the book's website.

Kowloon Walled City was a densely populated, ungoverned settlement in Kowloon, an area in northern Hong Kong. What began as a Chinese military fort evolved into a squatters' village comprising a mass of 300 interconnected high-rise buildings.

The city began as a low-rise squatter village during the early 20th century. After World War II, Hong Kong experienced a massive influx of Chinese immigrants. This led to a lack of housing in the city. In response, entrepreneurs and those with "squatter's rights" in Kowloon built high rise buildings on the space to capitalize on the housing demand.

At its peak, more than 33,000 people lived in the 6.4-acre city. It was considered by many to be the most densely populated place on earth.

Business Insider's Careers vertical is looking for a reporter in our Manhattan office.

If you enjoy covering corporate news (think Google, Apple, Facebook), hiring trends, and successful leaders, as well as topics like resume writing, negotiations, salary, job interviewing, and millennials in the workplace, you might be the ideal candidate. 

But it's important that you also have the following:

*Excellent writing skills

*A basic understanding of business

*An interest in all types of news 

*Familiarity with the Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, LinkedIn, and other sites that cover the latest trends in business 

*A curiosity about the psychology of success and what makes CEOs, innovators, and creative minds tick   

*An ability to package information in a fresh and original way

*Creative and inspired ideas

*A journalism background

*Knowledge of social media

*Previous writing experience

APPLY HERE with a resume and cover letter if this sounds like your dream job, and specify why you're interested in working on Careers. 

This job is full-time and based in our New York City headquarters. Business Insider offers competitive compensation packages complete with benefits. 

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Randi Zuckerberg, founder of Zuckerberg Media and sister to Facebook billionaire Mark, wants to make sure you unplug while you're on vacation. 

Together with Celebrity Cruises, Zuckerberg has launched the "Take Care of YourSelfie" program, a spa treatment that will be available in facilities onboard the cruise line.

The program includes several treatments aimed towards people who may be a bit too attached to their devices.

There's "fACEial Time," a facial that uses vitamin therapy to treat "a wide range of skin care needs related to staring at computer and tablet screens." 

There's the "Texticure," a warm parrafin manicure that includes a nail polishing, buffing, and skin moisturizing treatment. According to a press release announcing the program's launch, "this experience is the perfect treat for hands always texting and responding to emails."

Zuckerberg told the Daily Mail the texticure is her favorite treatment in the package because it forces her to take a break from her phone.

"It’s so luxurious and immediately moisturizes your hands," she said. "And because they’re in gloves, you can’t even send a text message while you’re getting it."

The "Take Care of YourSelfie" program also includes a detoxifying scrub called the "InstaGlow," a seaweed body wrap called "Get wrAPPed," and a yoga workout called "Control ALT Delight."

 Zuckerberg has long been interested in how we balance the use of technology in our daily lives. She explored the topic in a book called "Dot Complicated: Untangling Our Wired Lives," which she published in 2013. 

"I'm a working mom with two young children, so I feel like technology is my lifesaver and the whole reason that I can be doing what I'm doing," she said to the Daily Mail. "But being always connected can be a blessing and a curse, especially when you feel like you're always reachable. And when you're on holiday, those little devices in your pocket make it so easy."

SEE ALSO: San Francisco General Hospital will be named after Mark Zuckerberg after he and his wife donate $75 million

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If you forgot to make dinner reservations for Valentine's Day this year, don't worry — there are plenty of ways to create romance besides a fancy dinner.

We recommend having a night in with your significant other: make dinner and watch a romantic movie together.

Since no one wants to sit through "The Notebook" again, we've put together a list of great romantic movies that everyone will enjoy.

"Annie Hall" (1977)

Why you want to watch it:

The characters are as real as they come — pulling you instantly into the story. There's a mix of comedy and soul-searching that's makes this movie a great choice for anyone.

DVD: $14.98$7.44
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $7.99

"When Harry Met Sally" (1989)

Why you want to watch it: 

This movie tackles the age-old question: can men and women truly be friends? 

Plus, the diner scene.

DVD: $14.98$5.00
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $7.99

"Groundhog Day (1993)"

Why you want to watch it: 

Because there's nothing better on Valentine's Day than a Bill Murray movie.

DVD: $14.99 $5.00
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $7.99

"Moonrise Kingdom" (2012)

Why you want to watch it: 

If you can't stomach movies like "The Notebook," this Wes Anderson movie is a quirky alternative. 

And it'll definitely take you back to those summer camp days.

DVD: $14.98 $9.01
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $9.99

"It Happened One Night" (1934)

Why you want to watch it: 

Your classic American screwball comedy: a socialite falls in love with a reporter (aka Clark Gable.)

Gable's character takes off his shirt at one point, revealing that he's not wearing an undershirt. There's an urban legend that this scene caused the sales of men's undershirts to decline significantly.

DVD: $14.99 $9.09

"Fever Pitch" (2005)

Why you want to watch it: 

This movie is as American rom-com as it gets: Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon and baseball.

DVD: $14.98 $4.96
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $9.99

"Notting Hill" (1999)

Why you want to watch it: 

In short, "bloody damned good. The perfect date flick," according to Cranky Critic.

Although this looks like another one of those click flicks, it's filled with witty dialogue and fresh characters.

DVD: $12.98 $5.00
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $8.99

"The Princess Bride" (1987)

Why you want to watch it: 

"Get back, witch!"
"I'm not a witch, I'm your wife!"

Enough said.

DVD: $19.98 $5.00
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $12.99

"10 Thing I Hate About You" (1999)

Why you want to watch it: 

Classic Shakespeare meets charming Heath Ledger.

Fair warning: your heart might burst during that scene when Ledger sings "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" at the soccer field.

DVD: $14.99 $9.67
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $3.99

"Silver Linings Playbook" (2012)

Why you want to watch it: 

A sharp movie with a talented cast. And the chemistry between Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence is incredible.

DVD: $29.98 $7.99
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $8.99

"Hitch" (2005)

Why you want to watch it: 

Will Smith is that rare breed who can pull off both rom-coms like "Hitch" and sci-fi flicks like "iRobot."

DVD: $14.99 $5.00
Amazon Instant Video: from $7.99 to $8.99

"Definitely, Maybe" (2008)

Why you want to watch it: 

Ryan Reynolds' character, who is going through a divorce, tells his 11 year old daughter about his past loves in flashbacks.

DVD: $9.99 $5.00
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $8.99

"Casablanca" (1942)

Why you want to watch it: 

World War II, a great romance, and endless witticisms. We don't really need to pump this one up too much.

Fun fact: this movie was released before World War II ended.

DVD: $14.99 $10.99
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $8.99

"500 Days of Summer" (2009)

Why you want to watch it: 

A nonlinear, honest telling of Summer and Tom's romance, and it's end. 

DVD: $14.98 $4.73
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $9.99

"High Fidelity" (2000)

Why you want to watch it: 

"Watching 'High Fidelity', I had the feeling I could walk out of the theater and meet the same people on the street — and want to, which is an even higher compliment," noted film critic Roger Ebert said.

DVD: $19.99 $5.00
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $17.99

"Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (2008)

Why you want to watch it: 

We guarantee that you will literally laugh out loud several times throughout the movie. Maybe even to the point of tears.

DVD: $12.98 $5.00
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $9.99

"Lost in Translation" (2003)

Why you want to watch it: 

Because sometimes the strangers you meet in a Tokyo hotel understand you better than the people in your "real" life.

DVD: $19.98 $7.99
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $12.99

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004)

Why you want to watch it: 

Don't let Jim Carrey turn you off from this. The movie is weird, free, and full of humanity and love.

Fair warning: if you're looking for a rom-com, skip this.

DVD: $14.98 $9.00
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $12.99

"There's Something About Mary" (1998)

Why you want to watch it: 

"A giddy symphony of rude and raucous low humor," Los Angeles Times' Kenneth Turan wrote.

DVD: $19.99 $4.99
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $9.99

"Crazy, Stupid, Love" (2011)

Why you want to watch it: 

"Pity the crowds expecting another cute comedy like "Date Night" who wind up at 'Crazy, Stupid, Love.' It'll be like asking for a burger and getting served escargot," wrote Kyle Smith.

DVD: $5.97 $4.99
Amazon Instant Video:  from $2.99 to $12.99

"An Officer and a Gentleman" (1982)

Why you want to watch it: 

It's both a love story, and the story of how to become a man.

DVD: $14.96 $8.75
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $14.99

"Say Anything" (1989)

Why you want to watch it: 

It's the classic John Cusack movie. AKA the "one where he holds the boom box."

DVD: $14.99 $5.00
Amazon Instant Video: from $3.99 to $4.99

"Jerry Maguire" (1996)

Why you want to watch it: 

"Smartly written and boasting a sensational cast, Cameron Crowe's shrewdly observed third feature also gives Tom Cruise one of his very best roles," writes Variety's Todd McCarthy.

DVD: $14.99 $4.99
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $12.99

"True Romance" (1993)

Why you want to watch it: 

"...a pulpy good time that holds up remarkably well two decades after its theatrical release..." writes David Nusair.

DVD: $12.97 $7.66
Amazon Instant Video: $9.99

"Don Jon" (2013)

Why you want to watch it: 

"Really, 'Don Jon' could have - should have - gone on another 20 minutes. Then again, when was the last time you felt that about a romantic comedy? Or any movie?," writes the Newark Star Ledger's Stephen Whitty.

DVD: $19.99 $12.48
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $12.99

"Chasing Amy" (1997)

Why you want to watch it: 

"As Chasing Amy redefines the boy-meets-girl formula for a culture where anything goes, including perhaps another boy or girl, it thrives on Smith's dry, deadpan direction," writes Janet Maslin.

DVD: $14.98$6.59
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $12.99

"Intolerable Cruelty" (2003)

Why you want to watch it: 

"Here's an anomaly: a comedy about smart people," writes Richard Corliss.

DVD: $9.99 $5.00
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $13.99

"Slumdog Millionaire" (2008)

Why you want to watch it: 

"Romantic, action-packed and always held together by an intriguing social conscience, Slumdog Millionaire is a rapturous crowd pleaser," writes Bob Mondello.

DVD: $14.98 $4.99
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $12.99

"Walk the Line" (2005)

Why you want to watch it: 

"Phoenix is terrific in Walk the Line - - the actor's taciturn, brooding persona dovetails beautifully with the role - - but it's his scenes opposite Witherspoon that give the movie its real spark," writes Rene Rodriguez.

DVD: $14.98$4.99
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $12.99

"I Love You, Man" (2009)

Why you want to watch it: 

It's a feel-good bromance movie. 

DVD: $14.99 $5.00
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $7.99

"American Beauty" (1999)

Why you want to watch it: 

This one's a bit on the serious end: sour wit, a brilliant cast, and painfully real.

DVD: $14.99 $5.00
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $7.99

"How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days" (2003)

Why you want to watch it: 

You want to hate it, but it's so great that it's impossible.

DVD: $5.97$5.90
Amazon Instant Video: from $2.99 to $14.99

"Her" (2013)

Why you want to watch it: 

A man falls in love with his operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) in a not-so-distant future. And the visuals are beautiful.

DVD: $11.98$8.49
Amazon Instant Video: from $6.99 to $9.99 

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The clothes you wear have a profound impact on how people perceive you.

Studies suggest that formal dress makes teaching assistants look more capable, wearing thick glasses makes people look smarter, and well-dressed customer-service agents are more likely to score sales.

That's all great.

But the gender implications of dress go even further — and grow toxic. 

In her 1990 study, Auburn University professor Sandra M. Forsythe asked 109 respondents who worked in marketing and banking to watch four videos of female applicants interviewing for a management job. Applicants wore outfits with different degrees of masculinity. 

For Forsythe, "masculine" dress featured straight silhouettes, angular lines, and dark colors — as in a dark navy suit — while feminine dress featured rounded silhouettes, curved lines, and light colors — as in a light beige dress.

The respondents rated each applicant on their management abilities and their hireability. 

The result? The more masculine the clothing, the more likely the applicant would be recommended to be hired— regardless of whether a man or woman was making the recommendation. Coincidentally, the women who were more masculinely dressed were are also seen as more forceful and aggressive — qualities that predict climbing the corporate ladder.

Forsythe's study shows how cultural associations produce a bias in hiring. Masculinity is equated with leadership, so women who dress more masculinely are seen as better leaders. 

Cultural biases show up in many contexts: 

• Just holding a beer makes people look dumber, thanks to how closely associated drinking and foolishness are in our culture.

• People who wear white labcoats — associated with doctors and chemists — actually perform better on concentration tasks, showing that presentation-based biases don't just affect the viewer, but the person wearing the clothes. 

• Men who talk a lot at work are seen as more competent, while women who speak up at work are seen as less competent. 

Frustratingly, more recent research suggests that the biases that Forsythe examined are with us today, especially in regard to gender. Female scientists with identical resumes to male scientists get lower initial salary offers, women are less likely to pursue "genius"-driven fields like engineering, and successful women are generally perceived as less trustworthy than successful men. 

Maybe that's why it's still tall, deep-voiced men who are seen as CEO material.

SEE ALSO: Here’s what happened when a woman sent a job rejection to a man

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You may think that Valentine's Day — the day you send your significant other flowers and chocolates — is Saturday, Feb. 14.

And you'd be dead wrong.

"The impact is made when you send flowers to their work ... it's a status symbol," says Tom Sebenius, cofounder of The Arrangement Floral Design, a boutique company specializing in weddings and social events in New York City.

That means you have three days to get them sent to the right place. That's it.

Normally this time crunch would mean an emergency pop into your local Walgreens to grab some carnations and a box of whatever-chocolates so you can just barely skate through the holiday on your good looks and charm.

To that, we at Business Insider say simply, do better.

All is not lost. You can still order flowers for your special anyone that will make them think that you appreciate their attention (which is allegedly what the holiday is about).

So what do you do now that it's down to the wire?

"Get on the phone, right now, don't use the internet to order your flowers," said Sebenius. Right now you want to talk to a human — a local human — who will know where you're sending your flowers. You're going to get better service that way.

How do you choose which florist to dial? Keep two things in mind. First, now is not the time to be looking for deals. Florists are business people, too, and right now they're dealing with markups from wholesalers. If you try to find yourself a deal, you're going to get lost.

Besides, says Sebenius, "If you're paying $25 for a dozen roses, it's going to look like $25 for a dozen roses."

What you should look for is a delivery minimum in the $50-$70 range. That will ensure that whoever you're buying them from is buying the good stuff.

"I always suggest orchids, evoke tropical thoughts, have a sexuality about them," said Sebenius.

Keep your card simple. "Love" and your name. Don't embarrass yourself trying to write a poem or something.

Good luck and Godspeed.

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Perhaps no debate in the US has been as heated in the past decade as the one over control of the US-Mexico border. At the center of the argument are cities like Brownsville, Texas, which is so close to nearby Mexican cities that local residents can see them from their backyards.

Unlike many other towns in Texas, Brownsville and Mexico are divided by a natural border — the Rio Grande. While many might think that this would make building a border fence simpler, it has had the opposite effect.

A decades-old treaty with Mexico prohibits building in the Rio Grande floodplain, forcing the US government to build its border fence more than a mile north of the river, effectively cutting into thousands of acres of property owned by Americans.

A house in front of the border fence at the US-Mexico border in Brownsville:

Depending on where you live, you could end up on  the "Mexican" side of the border, even though you are still in the US. Many Texans had their property split in half by the fence or, worse, seized by the government.

Crystal Ibarra, 23, lives in a house facing the border fence, which she can see from her backyard.

Even with the border fence, the divide between Mexico and the US can be hazy. Here is a sign in Spanish on the US side of the border in Brownsville.

The border fence is 18 feet high and made of steel and concrete; it cost American taxpayers $6.5 million per mile. In the Rio Grande Valley there are 54 miles of border fence broken up into 18 sections.

Here's what the fence looks like up close:

The border fence is anything but seamless. There are mile-long gaps in the fence, which the government says it plans to close with 15-foot gates, with keypads and codes for each landowner. 

The border fence has been criticized as an ineffective deterrent that jeopardizes the health of not only those seeking illegal entry but also entire animal habitats. The border fence prevents numerous species from reaching watering holes and following migration patterns.

Proponents say it funnels would-be illegal immigrants toward the few openings in the fence, like this entry point at the border crossing in Brownsville.

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In January, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Vincent Laforet released a collection of aerial photographs of New York City taken from an open helicopter door at an astounding 7,500 feet above the ground. 

Laforet's newest collection of photographs, titled “AIR: Sin City 10.8K,” show the bright lights of Las Vegas from an even higher altitude.

It took the helicopter 45 minutes to get to an elevation of 10,800 feet, or 8,799 feet above ground, Laforet explained to Business Insider. Once they reached the optimal altitude, Laforet opened the helicopter door, attached to his harness, and leaned straight down to shoot the images. 

“The experience is very similar to jumping out of a plane with a parachute when you open that door,” Laforet told us. “It’s pretty harrowing to lean out and start taking pictures, and know that your harness is going to work."

But once the door is opened, he is always pleased with what he discovers in the images.

“What’s amazing about Las Vegas is how bright it is, and how it’s this beacon in the middle of absolute nothing,” Laforet said. “It’s like you’re seeing an island in the middle of a dark ocean. As you get closer, you can see (since it is a modern city) the incredible linear nature of all the streets — it looks like this huge grid. It really looks exactly like a computer chip.”

The central strip looks like a Monopoly board game, said Laforet. "It looks like someone picked up little monopoly pieces of the Eiffel Tower and of these little hotels and placed them down,” he said. “It’s very surreal to see from the air.”  

Laforet used the same equipment that he shot with in New York (cameras such as the Canon 1DX and the Mamiya Leaf Credo 50 MP) to capture the images over Las Vegas.

But because they flew at a much higher altitude this time, the pilot was required to wear an oxygen mask. Laforet even reported suffering from hypoxia near the end of the trip, and said he began to feel confused with high ISO numbers. 

Since Las Vegas is surrounded by desert, Laforet said that the city looked like its very own planet from above. 

“The craziest thing up there is that you’re literally in a sea of darkness,” Laforet said. “The pilot made a comment that it is like flying over the ocean because you don’t see anything around you.”

Laforet wants to take the photo series worldwide and his dream cities to shoot are: Rio de Janerio, Sao Paulo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Paris, London, Venice, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and more. 

He wants the project, which is called "Air," to eventually grow into a more collaborative series. Laforet will begin pre-announcing when he will travel to new cities, and hopes that people will contribute to "Air" by submitting their photographs and stories to Storehouse.  

The full set of Vincents photographs of Las Vegas can be seen on Storehouse. You can also follow Vincent’s work on his blog, or visit his website. 

Keep scrolling for a few behind-the-scenes photographs.

SEE ALSO: Incredible Aerial Photographs Of New York City Taken At An Astounding Height

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It’s easy to mistake certain social customs of Americans that might suggest strong personal connections where none are intended. For example, Americans are more likely than those from many cultures to smile at strangers and to engage in personal discussions with people they hardly know. Others may interpret this “friendliness” as an offer of friendship. Later, when the Americans don’t follow through on their unintended offer, those other cultures often accuse them of being “fake” or “hypocritical.”

Igor Agapova, a Russian colleague of mine, tells this story about his first trip to the United States:

I sat down next to a stranger on the airplane for a nine-hour flight to New York. This American began asking me very personal questions: did I have any children, was it my first trip to the U.S., what was I leaving behind in Russia? And he began to also share very personal information about himself. He showed me pictures of his children, told me he was a bass player, and talked about how difficult his frequent travelling was for his wife, who was with his newborn child right now in Florida.

In response, Agapova started to do something that was unnatural for him and unusual in Russian culture—he shared his personal story quite openly with this friendly stranger thinking they had built an unusually deep friendship in a short period of time. The sequel was quite disappointing:

I thought that after this type of connection, we would be friends for a very long time. When the airplane landed, imagine my surprise when, as I reached for a piece of paper in order to write down my phone number, my new friend stood up and with a friendly wave of his hand said, “Nice to meet you! Have a great trip!” And that was it. I never saw him again. I felt he had purposely tricked me into opening up when he had no intention of following through on the relationship he had instigated.

The difference between American and Russian cultures here can be described as peach and coconut models of personal interaction.

In peach cultures like the United States or Brazil, to name a couple, people tend to be friendly (“soft”) with others they have just met. They smile frequently at strangers, move quickly to first- name usage, share information about themselves, and ask personal questions of those they hardly know. But after a little friendly interaction with a peach person, you may suddenly get to the hardshell of the pit where the peach protects his real self. In these cultures, friendliness does not equal friendship.

In coconut cultures such as France, Germany, or Russia, people are more closed (like the tough shell of a coconut) with those they don’t have friendships with. They rarely smile at strangers, ask casual acquaintances personal questions, or offer personal information to those they don’t know intimately. It takes a while to get through the initial hard shell, but as you do, people will become gradually warmer and friendlier. While relationships are built up slowly, they tend to last longer.

This excerpt adapted with permission from "The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business" (2014) by INSEAD professor Erin Meyer, from PublicAffairs.

SEE ALSO: More fascinating cultural insights from Erin Meyer

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Happy Valentine's Day! In honor of the romantic holiday, we've decided to crown the French military and political leader Napoléon Bonaparte’s letters to his wife Joséphine de Beauharnais the most romantic in all of history.

They met in 1795 when the young General Napoléon was 26 and Joséphine (or Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de la Pagerie) was 32. He was enraptured with her, and she became his mistress shortly thereafter. They married a year later in 1796.

Their love was tumultuous and passionate, jealous and all-consuming — especially on Napoléon's end. He would often write his “adorable Joséphine” when he was away on a campaign, sometimes as soon as he had gotten off his horse.

Here’s one of his most passionate early letters to his wife [translated by Henry Fuljambe Hall in 1901 from the original French]:

Marmirolo, July 17, 1796

I got your letter, my beloved; it has filled my heart with joy. I am grateful to you for the trouble you have taken to send me news; your health should be better to-day — I am sure you are cured. I urge your strongly to ride, which cannot fail to do your good. 

Ever since I left you, I have been sad. I am only happy when by your side. Ceaselessly I recall your kisses, your tears, your enchanting jealousy; and the charms of the incomparable Joséphine keep constantly alight a bright and burning flame in my heart and senses. When, free from every worry, from all business, shall I spend all my moments by your side, to have nothing to do but to love you, and to prove it to you? I shall send your horse, but I am hoping that you will soon be able to rejoin me. I thought I loved you some days ago; but, since I saw you, I feel that I love you even a thousand times more. Ever since I have known you, I worship you more every day; which proves who false is the maxim of La Bruyère that “Love comes all at once.” Everything in nature has a regular course, and different degrees of growth. 

Ah! pray let me see some of your faults; be less beautiful, less gracious, less tender, and, especially less kind; above all never be jealous, never weep; your tears madden me, fire my blood. Be sure that it is no longer possible for me to have a thought except for you, or an idea of which you shall not be the judge. 

Have a good rest. Haste to get well. Come and join me, so that, at least, before dying, we could say — “We were happy for so many days!!”

Millions of kisses, and even to Fortuné, in spite of his naughtiness.

Bonaparte

Napoléon wrote numerous letters to Joséphine, some of which were quite sexually explicit. “A kiss on your heart, and one much lower down, much lower,” he wrote in 1796. “How happy I would be if I could assist you at your undressing, the little firm white breast, the adorable face, the hair tied up in a scarf a la creole,” he wrote a few months later.

But their epic relationship was tumultuous and riddled with jealousy. Napoléon would often accuse Joséphine of no longer loving him and not caring enough to write him constantly. His letters range from sweepingly romantic to telling her how much he hates her, sometimes in the same letter:

I don’t love you an atom; on the contrary, I detest you. You are a good for nothing, very ungraceful, very tactless, very tatterdemalion. 

[…]

I hope that before long I shall clasp you in my arms, and cover you with a million kisses as burning as if under the equator.

Despite their separate affairs with other lovers, Napoléon crowned Joséphine Empress of the French in 1804. But because she was unable to give him the heir he so desperately wanted, Napoléon divorced Joséphine five years after her coronation.

Yet even after their separation and Napoléon's remarriage to an Austrian princess, he still insisted Joséphine keep her titles of empress. "It is my will that she retain the rank and title of empress, and especially that she never doubt my sentiments, and that she ever hold me as her best and dearest friend."

Joséphine died of pneumonia in 1814. Her name was Napoléon's last word on his death bed in St. Helena in 1821: "France, l'armée, tête d'armée, Joséphine”.

France, the army, the head of the army, Joséphine.

To read more on their relationship, check out "The Letters of Napoleon to Josephine."

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