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The most over-the-top tech billionaire vacation homes

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michael dell hawaii

Everyone needs to take a vacation every once in a while, especially during the holidays.

But vacation means something a little different when you're a millionaire or even a billionaire.

From massive island retreats to private superyachts, these tech executives' second homes take luxury vacations to the next level. 

SEE ALSO: Meet Facebook's most successful alum, a borderline billionaire who owns the Golden State Warriors

In October 2014, news surfaced that Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg had bought a 750-acre property on the North Shore of Kauai. He reportedly paid more than $100 million for the estate, which includes a white-sand beach and former sugarcane plantation.

Source: Forbes



When Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen isn't cruising the high seas on one of his superyachts, he can relax at one of his many luxurious retreats. In addition to an island in Washington and a beachfront Hawaiian estate, Allen owns a hilltop mansion on the Côte d'Azur called the Villa Maryland. He employs a staff of 12 and counts Bono and Andrew Lloyd Webber as neighbors.

Source: Curbed



Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff loves all things Hawaii. He wears Hawaiian shirts to work and even named his dog "Koa," after a type of Hawaiian tree. He also owns a 5-acre estate on the Big Island, which he purchased for $12.5 million in 2000.

Source: Wall Street Journal, Honolulu Magazine



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25 life hacks to help you survive your NYC internship

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Baby Chef cooking

You made it to New York City!

Summer internships in the Big Apple are really exciting, whether they're in finance, media, or even in the arts.

But as the initial excitement starts to wear off, you might find yourself feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Like, how are you supposed to work all day, feed yourself, do your laundry, and keep your apartment from turning into a complete disaster?

Business Insider is here to help. We've compiled a list of life hacks to get you through that summer internship.

Check them out:

Pool your Seamless vouchers.

If you're interning on Wall Street this summer, then you've almost definitely been alotted a certain amount of money for Seamless dinners. Lots of other companies do this too.

Make the most of those vouchers by pooling them with 3 or 4 colleagues and getting a family-size order that serves 6 or 8 people.



And if your company doesn't offer you Seamless...

Try ordering from Eat24. The company was recently bought by Yelp and has a lot of restaurants that you'd also find on Seamless. Plus, they have a ton of weekend coupons.



Don't even try to doing laundry yourself.

Send it out instead.

If you live in a building that doesn't have a washer and dryer in-house (which is pretty common in NYC), the amount of time, effort, and money you will spend trekking to and from the laundromat, sack in hand, is simply not worth it.

In many neighborhoods, it doesn't cost much more to pay your local laundromat to wash your clothes for you.

Or, try Fly Cleaners. They pick up your laundry, clean it, and drop it off for free if your order is over $15, and they have a handy app.



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We compiled every US beach ranking we could find — here are the winners

Inside Hillary Clinton's evolution from Girl Scout to presidential frontrunner

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Hillary Clinton

Before she became First Lady, New York's first female US senator, and a viral internet meme, Hillary Clinton was a city girl who dreamed of being an astronaut or a baseball player.

Clinton, for the second time, is seeking the Democratic nomination for president. She'll campaign in New Hampshire over the long holiday weekend.

With her presidential campaign officially in full gear, we decided to take a look back at how Clinton became one of the world's most powerful people.

SEE ALSO: The epic story of how the Bushes took over America

Born October 26, 1947, Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois, an upper-middle-class Chicago suburb with tree-lined streets, shopping centers, and church spires dotting the skyline.



The family lived in a two-story brick house on the corner of Wisner and Elm Streets, since named Rodham Corner by the city. It was a central hub for the neighborhood children.

Source: Chicago Tribune



Clinton's mother, Dorothy, cared for the family and taught Sunday School, and her father, Hugh, ran a small drapery business after serving in the Navy during World War II.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider








Ranked: 29 foods that Americans do best

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burger american flagWhen it comes to cuisine, America lives up to the adage "bigger is better."

In honor of July 4, we chose the 29 most American foods. 

Some are fast food concoctions that combine a variety of USA favorites, while others are variations on ethnic dishes that Americans have made their own. 

Chances are, you love one of these delicious treats. 

SEE ALSO: 10 foods taking over the American Diet

29. America's version of "Chinese" food looks nothing like what you'd find in China.



28. Gumbo is a Southern dish with variations all over the United States.



27. Cheese curds are a favorite in the American Midwest.



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9 reasons why you should book your next trip to Switzerland

11 disgusting ingredients you eat every day that food companies don't talk about

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Pringles

Food companies might advertise natural flavors, low calories, and vitamins A through Z, but they're much less likely to promote their use of fish bladders, sand, or human hair.

The cochineal beetle, for instance, is often found in red food dyes used to color everyday food and drink products, including Starbucks' Strawberry Frappuccinos and smoothies before the coffee chain phased it out following an uproar from the vegan community.

See what other unsavory ingredients are in some of your favorite snacks and beverages.

Laura Stampler originally wrote this article.

Between yogurt, maraschino cherries, jams, cakes, and tomato products, you've probably consumed at least one pound of red dye in your life. That means that you've also ingested at least 70,000 cochineal beetles, according to a petition on Change.org.



Vanilla and raspberry flavors might be enhanced by "castoreum," a mixture of the anal secretions and urine of beavers. It's also found in perfume. The FDA-approved product is categorized under "natural flavoring," so you won't know if you're eating it.



Isinglass, or dried fish bladder, gives beer its golden glow. The BBC did a whole segment on the substance, which is primarily used in British beers.



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Science explains how sunscreen works


8 reasons why Americans should take their vacation days

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man wearing sunglasses in american flag innertube Americans work a bewildering 1,836 hours a year — far more than most of the rest of the world. But they take far less vacation than anyone else. 

In 2013 Americans squandered 169 million vacation days, and last year a whopping 42% of working Americans didn’t take a single vacation day.

This is a travesty. 

Here are 8 reasons why Americans should take their vacation days.

You are literally throwing money away. 

According to the study “All Work and No Pay: The Impact of Forfeited Time Off,” last year, Americans gave up on $65.6 billion in time-off benefits. What this means for you, as an individual, is that you essentially said thanks but no thanks to $748. In other words, you did $748 of free work.

You are hurting the economy.

A study by Oxford Economics found that the economy would gain $160 billion in total business sales and $21 billion in tax revenues if American workers actually took all of their PTO. This translates into 1.2 million new jobs across pretty much all industries.

You are being less productive.

napping on desk sleeping nap time computer tiredCounterintuitively, taking time off actually increases productivity, though the main reason Americans don’t take their days is for fear of looking like slackers. 

According to CNN,  taking a vacation “can increase performance by 80%.” Even crazier, another study shows that a whopping 91% of senior business leaders totally know that their employees are less productive when they don’t take time off (and that time off boosts workplace morale, retains employees and has health benefits) — and yet, most of them don’t seem to encourage it either.

Mental fatigue is as real as physical fatigue, so just like you need to take a break after exercising, your brain needs regular breaks as well. The same Oxford Economics study reported that a whopping three quarters of workers surveyed said they felt recharged after a vacation, half that they felt more focused, and 41% that they were less stressed.

You are ruining your chances at promotion.

While you might think that working weekends and forfeiting vacation makes you look dedicated and will help you climb the career ladder faster, the opposite holds true. Apparently, employees who didn’t use their vacation days  (those who leave more than 11 days unused, specifically) were 6.5% less likely to get a raise or bonus than their holidaying colleagues.

You are ruining your health.

Have you heard of burnout? This trendy buzzword  has steadily become a real — and common — issue, as men and women work longer hours and take fewer days in an effort to look dedicated.

A study found that men at risk for heart disease were 30% more likely to have a heart attack when skipping vacation for five years in a row than those who took a week off each year, but that even just skipping one vacation increased their risk.

Women didn’t fare much better. A different study found that ladies who took days off only once every six years were almost eight times more likely to develop heart disease or have a heart attack than those who took two vacations a year. Another study found that taking a vacation — no matter how short or how close to home — improved women’s mental health. 

According to Karen Matthews of Mind Body Center at the University of Pittsburgh, the body needs time off to regenerate. After surveying 1,399 participants from studies on cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and other diseases, the center found that time spent not working decreased depression, lowered blood pressure, and even meant slimmer waistlines.

You are making yourself miserable.

When you don’t take your PTO, your personal life suffers too. According to a study by Project Time Off, 74% of employees who were encouraged to take their leave reported being “extremely” or “very” happy with their personal relationships with family and friends.

You are stifling your own creativity.

man relaxing beachOn CNN.com, Robert Kriegel, author of  "How to Succeed in Business Without Working So Damn Hard," says that many workers have their best ideas when they’re away from work, and finally have the time and distance to think outside the box.

You see it as a luxury, when it’s a right and a necessity.

Europeans see their vacation days as a hard-earned right. Americans see it as a luxury they can’t afford. Therein lies the problem.

And ironically, working longer hours and more days doesn’t make Americans any more efficient or productive. In fact, 40+ hour weeks diminish returns, which becomes apparent when looking at countries like Germany, who get more done in fewer hours.

Long story short: take a vacation America. You deserve it.

SEE ALSO: 25 remote islands you should visit in your lifetime

FOLLOW US:  BI Travel is on Twitter!

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13 'all-American' foods that foreigners find completely gross

No one wants to live in this $14.5 million apartment in New York's most exclusive building

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Dakota Building NYC

It's baaaack. 

Apartment 46 in The Dakota— the iconic co-op building at 72nd Street and Central Park West — has been on and off the market for over eight years. Guess what? It's on again for $14.5 million.

But, even if you have the cash, you might not have a chance at apartment 46. The Dakota co-op board is famously picky: it has denied everyone from Billy Joel to Judd Apatow to Madonna. 

Yoko Ono still lives in the building where John Lennon was murdered, and it holds dual titles as New York's most exclusive and unusual address

Craig Schiller and Meredith Specht hold the listing

SEE ALSO: Robert De Niro's son nabs record-breaking, $120 million NYC listing

FOLLOW US: BI Life is on Twitter

Built in 1882, the four bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom apartment hit the market eight years ago for 19.5 million.



High ceilings and spacious living areas are stereotypical of The Dakota, as are spectacular views of Central Park.



What this 10-room apartment lacks in views, it makes up for in elaborate décor.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider








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Take a tour of popular food startup Food52's beautiful new office and test kitchen

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food52 office tour

If you're a fan of cooking and food, you'll definitely be jealous of Food52's new digs in New York City. 

A bit like a social network exclusively for foodies, Food52 is a recipe site and cooking product marketplace where you can search for meal preparation tips and buy all of the gear you need to cook at home. 

Founded by former New York Times Editor Amanda Hesser and food writer Merrill Stubbs in 2009, Food52 has raised a total of $9 million in three rounds of funding from investors 14W, Scripps Network Interactive, Walden Venture Capital, Joanne Wilson, and Gary Vaynerchuk, among others. 

We recently paid a visit to Food52's brand-new headquarters in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City.

From a gorgeous test kitchen to food books all around, we were hungry from the moment we walked in. 

SEE ALSO: Go inside the gorgeous offices of Jessica Alba's billion-dollar diaper company

One of the first things you'll notice when you enter Food52's office is a long, white-walled kitchen where in-house chefs try out recipes to be posted on the site. Finding a building that would allow cooking was a challenge, as most offices don't allow gas stoves or strong food smells. Food52 uses an induction stove to avoid that.



Each dish that appears on Food52 must be cooked to perfection before it's photographed. Here, Chef Reggie works on grilling peaches for a kale salad.



Art Director Alexis Anthony works in a small studio nearby, arranging the food to be as photogenic as possible.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider









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We tried George Washington's secret beer recipe

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george washington beer

It's hard to imagine George Washington as anything but the stoic, grey-haired military commander who led America to independence.

But apparently, the founding father was also a tippler — and an experimental brewer.

Among the pages of a military notebook he kept while overseeing troops in Virginia during the French and Indian war, Washington left a recipe for "small beer," a porter made with molasses.

In 2011, to honor of the 100th anniversary of the New York Public Library's main building, where the original version of the recipe is housed, Coney Island Brewing Co. recreated Washington's original brew. Business Insider tried it.

The tasting took place at a bar in midtown Manhattan.

George Washington scribbled down his beer recipe while camping with troops in Virginia in 1757.

He never could have imagined that we'd be consuming the same drink at this crowded midtown bar 254 years later.



That's brewer Pete Taylor on the left.

Brewer Pete Taylor told us that the recipe, which is no more than a few lines written on a scrap of paper, took "a few weeks to figure out."

Since beer-making is an exact science, it took lots of experimentation to determine the right ingredients and ratios.



The handwritten recipe took weeks to decipher.

The first step, "Take a large Siffer full of Bran Hops to your Taste," would be enough to confound most brewers.

And the direction to "let this stand till it is little more than Blood warm?"

That's even tougher.

The recipe, part of one of Washington's military notebooks, has been in the New York Public Library's collection since 1918.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider








The 32 most American Americans this year

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taylor swift

When we think of a true American, a few qualities come to mind: strong, resilient, talented, innovative, and pioneering. 

In honor of the Fourth of July, we've created a ranking of Americans who possess all these qualities. They've all helped to shape the social, economic, cultural, and political landscape of our country within last year (and many, much longer than that).

From recording artists to politicians to athletes to activists, scroll through to find out who we think is truly patriotic this year.

SEE ALSO: FIRST KIDS OF THE UNITED STATES: Where are they now?

John Green is the voice of a generation: All three of his young adult novels — including heartbreaking teen love story "The Fault in Our Stars" — have been bestsellers and two of them have been made into feature films. He and his brother also host a huge video bloggers conference annually.



Say what you will about Facebook, but Mark Zuckerberg popularized social media and has connected millions of people around the country — and now more than a billion around the world — through the social network.



Elizabeth Holmes is a one-woman powerhouse. Her $9 billion biotech company Theranos is turning the medical industry upside down. She's the youngest female self-made billionaire and a stellar innovator — what's more American than that?



See the rest of the story at Business Insider








How to build your own air conditioner for less than $50

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Now that summer is in full swing, air conditioners are a necessity — and one YouTuber is showing the world how to build one that operates using solar energy for under $50.

A video from YouTuber desertsun02, a DIY solar power projects channel, is making the rounds on Facebook this morning and has been viewed nearly 3 million times, first spotted on How To Instructions

 

 

In the video, desertsun02 shows viewers how to make a home-made AC Air Cooling unit that can get the air as cold as 42 degrees Fahrenheit using only a PVC pipe, small fan, cooler, and some ice.

 

homemade air conditioner

 

The entire project would easily cost less than $50 according to our own estimates — not including the power tools that desertsun02 uses to cut holes in the top of the cooler — and would take roughly 15 minutes.

First, desertsun02 made two holes in the top of the cooler with a power saw. He measured the holes to fit the PVC pipe as well as a small fan.

 

holes! homemade air conditioner

 

He then filled the cooler with ice — he recommended using two big jugs of frozen water so when they melt, there’s no clean up involved — and positioned the fan facing down towards the ice.

Here's the final result:

 

homemade air conditioner

 

The fan was connected to a battery pack that desertsun02 said would last seven hours with the ice melting after roughly five hours. It could also be solar-powered.

Though it may not look pretty, the entire project would be $100 to $200 cheaper than most air conditioning units found in stores. 

 

super cold gif homemade air conditioner

 

A few of the commenters tried it out, and said it was really easy to make.

I had a small air conditioner but it made my room feel too moist and I didn't like it,” one YouTube commenter wrote. “This is perfect, I have it in a cooler that has wheels [and is] very easy to move. What a great idea.”

This is not the first solar powered air conditioning unit that desertsun02 has built on his channel. He’s also built a “11 gallon bucket” air cooler, a “copper coil” air cooler, and an “evaporative air cooler.”

You can follow his YouTube channel here for more DIY inspiration.

SEE ALSO: 62 things you can do with your old mismatched socks

Join the conversation about this story »

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How to tell if your Cuban cigars are real or fake

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Business Insider recently sent three reporters to Havana, Cuba to experience the city as tourists. One of the top priorities on our list was to buy some authentic Cuban cigars. We tried two different approaches. First, we bought a box at an authorized store inside the Hotel Habana Libre. Then we bought a box sold to us by someone we met on the street.

We brought both boxes back to New York and invited David Diamante, owner of Diamante's Brooklyn Cigar Lounge, to come and examine the merchandise.

We'll have lots of stories about our adventures on the island, which you'll be able to find here.

Produced by Graham Flanagan. Additional camera by Joe Avella, Amanda Macias and Tyler Greenfield.

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