Quantcast
Channel: Business Insider
Viewing all 70894 articles
Browse latest View live

Princess Eugenie and her fiancé are actually related — here's how

0
0

princess eugenie engagement getty wpa pool

  • Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank will marry on Friday, October 12.
  • The pair, who have dated since 2010, have a common ancestor in 19th-century earl Thomas William Coke.
  • See exactly how the two are related in the chart below.


Princess Eugenie will marry London socialite Jack Brooksbank on Friday October 12 in the second most anticipated royal wedding of the year.

The announcement of their engagement in January prompted an observation almost as old as the British royal family itself: that the soon-to-be-married couple are blood relatives.

Eugenie and Brooksbank are distant cousins — third cousins once removed, to be precise. This chart explains what's going on:

Princess Eugenie Family Tree (3)

They couple share a common ancestor in the 19th-century aristocrat Thomas William Coke, the 2nd Earl of Leicester.

We found the connection via thepeerage.com, an online database of European aristocracy sourced from a variety of historical texts. Coke's entry is here, and you can click through each descendant to Brooksbank and Eugenie.

Coke is Eugenie's great-great-great-great grandfather, on the side of her mother Sarah, Duchess of York (widely known as "Fergie").

Coke is also Brooksbank's great-great grandfather, via his second marriage.

Since this marriage came when Coke was older, and also because of later marriages further down the line, there are fewer generations on the Brooksbank side of the family.

21 queen elizabeth prince philip wedding ap

Eugenie's royal lineage comes from another section of her family tree, via her father Prince Andrew, who is the second son of Queen Elizabeth II.

The heritage gives her a claim to the British throne, though as eighth in the line of succession her chance of ever being queen is virtually non-existent.

The phenomenon is not uncommon, especially given the relatively contained social circles in which the British aristocracy has traditionally moved. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, by comparison, are related even more closely, and have a common ancestor in Queen Victoria.

princess eugenie wedding getty wpa pool

Historically, royal families were very closely linked because it was strongly discouraged to marry outside of the aristocracy. Until relatively recently, all descendants of the British monarch were legally obliged to ask his or her permission before marrying.

In 2015, the British Parliament replaced that rule with a more limited one which only requires consent from the first six in the line of succession.

However, in practice Eugenie still ended up with someone very closely linked to aristocratic circles when she and Brooksbank started dating in 2010.

SEE ALSO: Here's what time Princess Eugenie's royal wedding starts where you live — and how to watch it live online

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What happens when you sleep in your contacts


A look inside the marriage of the richest couple in history, Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos — who met at work, were engaged in 3 months, and own more land than almost anyone else in America (AMZN)

0
0

Jeff Bezos wife Mackenzie

  • Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie were married in 1993, after meeting at D.E. Shaw & Co.
  • Shortly afterward, the couple relocated to Seattle to found Amazon.
  • MacKenzie was one of the company's first employees.
  • Today, Jeff Bezos is worth $145 billion, making him the richest person in history.


Jeff Bezos wasn't alone when he made his cross-county road trip to Seattle in 1994. And he wasn't alone when he founded Amazon, the online retail giant some analysts now believe will be the world's first trillion-dollar company.

His wife, MacKenzie, was there for the whole journey.

In an interview with CBS, she described watching her husband build Amazon up from scratch: "To me, watching your spouse, somebody that you love, have an adventure — what is better than that?"

Today, Bloomberg estimates Bezos is worth $145 billion— making him the richest person in history, according to CNN. He's also topped Forbes' annual list of the richest people on the planet for the first time ever. And, recently, Amazon followed Apple to become the second-ever US company to reach a $1 trillion valuation — although the company has since dropped back to a $913 billion market cap.

Here's a look inside the marriage of Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos.

SEE ALSO: A day in the life of the world's richest person, Jeff Bezos — who made $6.44 billion in one day, wakes up without an alarm, and washes dishes after dinner

DON'T MISS: Inside billionaire Warren Buffett's unconventional marriage, which included an open arrangement and 3-way Christmas cards

SEE ALSO: Inside the marriage of Bill and Melinda Gates, who met at work, live in a $124 million home, and will leave their children only a small fraction of their fortune

MacKenzie and Jeff first met at investment management firm D.E. Shaw. MacKenzie was a research associate and Jeff was a vice president. Jeff was the first person to interview MacKenzie — a fellow Princeton grad — at the firm.

Source: Business Insider, ForbesVogue



"I think my wife is resourceful, smart, brainy, and hot, but I had the good fortune of having seen her résumé before I met her, so I knew exactly what her SATs were," he joked to Vogue.

Source: Vogue



After she landed the job, they became office neighbors. "All day long I listened to that fabulous laugh," she told Vogue. "How could you not fall in love with that laugh?"

Source: Vogue



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank live 2 doors away from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and they're staying there after they get married

0
0

princess eugenie jack brooksbank

Princess Eugenie and fiancé Jack Brooksbank are already neighbors to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and will stay there after tying the knot. 

The soon-to-be newlyweds moved to Kensington Palace four months after announcing their engagement in January, according to The Telegraph. They specifically moved into Ivy Cottage, a three-bedroom home on the Palace grounds.

kensington palace royals

Harry and Markle moved into Nottingham Cottage, a two-bedroom cottage where Harry has been living since 2013, after they married in May. Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their three children live in Apartment 1A, a 20-bedroom residence on the property. 

Currently, 15 royals live at Kensington Palace. 

Eugenie and Brooksbank will be marriedFriday, October 12, at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle — the same place Harry and Markle wed earlier this year.

Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 3 surprising ways humans are still evolving

Turkey's currency jumps after Washington and Ankara reportedly reach deal to release detained American pastor

0
0

Erdogan lira turkey istanbul currency crisis.JPG

The Turkish lira jumped Thursday after reports its government could release a detained American within days, a step toward resolving tensions between Washington and Ankara that have helped roil the currency in recent months.

NBC News first reported the White House reached a deal with the Turkish government to release North Carolina pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been detained in the country for two years, if certain charges against him are dropped. 

The US would ease economic pressure on Turkey as part of the agreement, two senior administration officials told NBC, although it isn't yet known what measures it might include. 

After the two countries failed to make progress on negotiations for Brunson's release in August, President Donald Trump doubled the rates of import taxes on Turkish metals. His administration had also placed sanctions on high-level Turkish officials earlier this year. 

Brunson was arrested in 2016 on alleged terrorism and espionage charges, which he denies. He was in prison until July and has since been moved to house arrest. The next court hearing is expected to take place Friday.

Recent conflicts between Turkey's central bank and government have put pressure on the lira, which has shed nearly 40% of its value this year and is one of the worst-performing currencies of 2018.

Turkey’s treasury and finance minister, Berat Albayrak, unveiled on Tuesday new measures aimed at curbing inflation, which hit its highest level in more than a decade in September at around 25%, including price controls and lower bank loan rates. 

"These measures, by their nature and on their own, do not constitute a long-term/credible disinflation program," Credit Suisse analysts wrote in a recent research note. "We remain of the view that Turkey’s policymakers have to build their credibility through steady delivery of a tighter monetary and fiscal policy mix, not through temporary measures such as these."

The central bank drew backlash from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who backs unorthodox policies like cutting rates to stem inflation, after raising its key rate to 24% last month.

Turkish lira

SEE ALSO: 'The 4 horsemen of the apocalypse': What Wall Street's biggest firms are telling clients about the stock market's sell-off

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Everything we know about Samsung’s foldable phone

Amazon and other companies are facing a postal-service price hike after months of criticism from Trump (AMZN)

0
0

donald trump

  • The US Postal Service has proposed hiking prices on the delivery service utilized by Amazon by up to 12%. 
  • President Donald Trump has openly criticized Amazon's dealings with the Postal Service for months, arguing that the e-commerce giant is taking advantage of the USPS. 
  • The US Postal Service says that the price hikes aren't a response to Trump's criticism, but that they represent an effort to keep the USPS competitive. 

The US Postal Service is hiking prices for its service utilized by Amazon after facing months of criticism from President Donald Trump.

On Wednesday, the USPS proposed a price increase of 12.3% for its lightweight parcel select service. Non-lightweight parcel select prices would increase by an average of 9.3%. The proposed price hikes would go into effect in January 2019 if they are approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission.

Parcel select is used by Amazon, as well as companies such as FedEx and UPS, for "last-mile" package delivery, CNBC notes. The USPS' low fixed costs and mandate to deliver mail to Americans make it an ideal option to get a package from a fulfillment depot to its final destination.

Trump has criticized Amazon's deal with the USPS for months. 

usps

"The Amazon Washington Post has gone crazy against me ever since they lost the Internet Tax Case in the U.S. Supreme Court two months ago," Trump tweeted in July. "Next up is the U.S. Post Office which they use, at a fraction of real cost, as their 'delivery boy' for a BIG percentage of their packages."

In April, Trump ordered the formation of a task force to investigate the USPS and what he called its "unsustainable financial path." The order said the USPS had lost $65 billion since the Great Recession and needed to be "restructured to prevent a taxpayer-funded bailout."

A USPS spokesperson said in an email to Business Insider that the proposed price increase was not a response to Trump's criticism. 

"The price increases reflect the best judgment of the Postal Service Governors, who are seeking to establish new rates that will keep the Postal Service competitive, while also providing the Postal Service with much needed revenue," the spokesperson said. 

The USPS reported a net loss of $2.7 billion on $69.6 billion in revenue in 2017. Raising prices on shipping packages is seen as one way to address this problem. Since Amazon is one of the USPS' biggest customers in the package-shipping business, Citi estimates that raising prices could cost the e-commerce giant billions of dollars.

However, Amazon isn't the only company that is getting a great deal from the USPS through the parcel select service. Higher costs will also be a blow to companies like FedEx and UPS.

SEE ALSO: Here's how In-N-Out keeps prices shockingly low while paying employees better than fast-food rivals

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Inside the Trump 'MAGA' hat factory

Macy's '10 Days of Glam' sale is happening right now — and it includes Benefit's Hoola Bronzer at 50% off

0
0

Macy's Store front

  • From October 12 through October 21, Macy's will be offering discounted cult-favorite beauty products as part of its 10 Days of Glam sale.
  • New deals will be introduced every day, with each product discounted at 50% off.
  • Some fan-favorite products featured in the sale include Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion, Benefit Cosmetics' Hoola Bronzer, and Sunday Riley's 3-Pc. C.E.O. Vitamin C set. 
  • You can purchase the daily deals both in stores and online.

From October 12 through October 21, Macy's is holding its 10 Days of Glam sale with a different set of beauty products discounted by 50% each day. The retailer is also offering free gifts with the purchase of select regular-priced beauty products throughout the event.

Here's a glimpse at what's included in the sale:

Macy's beauty sale

Discounted items include several popular beauty products from brands like Too Faced. The brand's Better Than Sex mascara normally costs $24, but on October 16, the mascara will be available for $12.

too faced mascara

Benefit's Box O' Powder collection, which includes its famous Hoola Bronzer, will be discounted on October 17. Normally priced at $30 each, these Benefit powders will be $15.

And the brand's Porefessional Primers, which normally cost $32 each, will go on sale two days later on October 19, when they will cost $16 apiece.

hoola bronzer

Some of the items included in the sale will actually end up costing less than travel-sized products.

Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potions, for example, usually cost $24 each. However, on October 21, the final day of the sale, the primers will be available for $12 each — $1 less than the $13 travel-sized version of the same product.

urban decay primer potion

It's not just makeup that you'll be able to buy at a discount; skin-care products will be on sale, too.

The C.E.O. Vitamin C  set from Sunday Riley is sure to sell out. The set retails for $60 but will be on sale for $30 on October 15.

9348558_fpx

You can shop the sale in stores or on Macy's website

Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Inside the Trump 'MAGA' hat factory

Gundlach says Trump is 'being crazy like a Fox' to blame the Fed for the market sell-off and explains why interest rates will keep rising

0
0

jeff gundlach

  • Jeff Gundlach, the CEO of DoubleLine Capital, said Thursday that President Donald Trump was "being crazy like a fox" for his rhetoric on the Federal Reserve. 
  • Amid the worst stock-market sell-off of his presidency, Trump had said the Fed was "going loco" by continuing to raise interest rates.
  • Gundlach said the Fed has entered auto-pilot mode, and would need to see weakness in the economy to stop raising rates. 

Count Jeff Gundlach among the investors who are not on board with President Donald Trump's attacks on the Federal Reserve

This week, amid the longest stock-market sell-off of his presidency, Trump has described the central bank as "crazy" and "going loco" for raising interest rates. Bonds and stocks have sold off since last week Thursday as investors fear the impact of higher borrowing costs on financial conditions. 

"When it comes to President Trump, it's clear to me that he's being crazy like a fox with his Fed rhetoric," Gundlach, the CEO of DoubleLine Capital, said in a CNBC interview on Thursday. 

He added that the Fed needed to see a material decline in the economic data before it stopped raising rates.

"As long as inflation stays above 2%, as long as the markets don't throw too big of a fit, and as long as the inflation rate is in the mid-2s, I can see the Fed continuing to tighten," Gundlach said.

"We're in the place now — that auto-pilot place — where you need the data to change to the downside."

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said in September that the central bank did not "consider political factors or things like that." 

Gundlach agreed that interest rates were partly responsible for the market sell-off. As yields rose in September, he made the prescient call that the 30-year bond closing above the key resistance level of 3.25% for two days in a row would be a "game changer" for markets. 

He said on Thursday that rates were likely to head higher.

"If you look at the charts and the way the market is behaving, and you think about the trends that are underneath the bond market, it wouldn't be surprising at all to see the 30-year go to 4% before this move of the breakout above 3.25 is over," he said.

"And the curve should probably steepen. Maybe the 10-year Treasury makes it to 3.50 or 3.60 during that move."

The 10- and 30-year yields were at 3.14% and 3.31% at 2:46 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Now read:

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Everything we know about Samsung’s foldable phone

15 people share the most extra thing they've ever done for their pets

0
0

catSome people go above and beyond to make sure their animal friends are healthy, happy, and (occasionally) spoiled.

As these Reddit users prove, people will do extraordinary things for the animals they love. Of course, this is just for fun, as INSIDER cannot independently authenticate these stories.

They taught their dog how to FaceTime.

"I taught my dog [how] to accept FaceTime calls through my laptop at home while I'm at work. Then, we just talk."— Reddit user araghar



They gave their dog her own Netflix profile.

"She has her own Netflix profile full of nature documentaries, and I leave them on for her when I leave the house. And yes, she does actually watch … sometimes."— Reddit user alicemonster



They built their hamster a Lego maze.

"Well, I just made a tiny maze out of Legos for my hamster."— Reddit user gallifreyisreal



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

You can watch the first 5 original 'Rocky' movies for free on YouTube, just in time for 'Creed II'

0
0

creed ii

"Creed II," the sequel to the 2015 "Rocky" spin-off starring Michael B. Jordan as Apollo Creed's son, comes to theaters next month. But if you're itching for some "Rocky" before that, YouTube has you covered.

YouTube Movies is currently offering the first five original "Rocky" movies for free. YouTube launched its movies section in 2011. Most are only available for purchase, but there are select titles available for free, which seems like a little-known fact in this age of streaming services. One note: they do have banner ads that pop up periodically but you can click them away (there are no video ads).

Other free movies include "The Terminator,""Legally Blonde,""Zookeeper,""The Man in the Iron Mask," and "Agent Cody Banks."

The only "Rocky" movies not available are 2006's "Rocky Balboa" and "Creed."

  • Watch "Rocky"here.
  • Watch "Rocky II"here.
  • Watch "Rocky III"here.
  • Watch "Rocky IV"here.
  • Watch "Rocky V"here.

"Creed II" finds Adonis Creed facing the son of Ivan Drago, the man who killed his father in the ring in "Rocky IV." It comes to theaters November 21.

SEE ALSO: All 7 Spider-Man movies, ranked from worst to best — including 'Venom'

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How actors fake fight in movies

NFL WEEK 5: Our official predictions for who wins this weekend

0
0

Cam Newton

Easy come, easy go.

After a not-so-nice record of 6-9 against the Sunday slate last week, we're once again stuck with a losing record looking to climb our way out of a slump.

With that in mind, this week we're going to try and get back to basics with our picks in Week 6 — backing some home underdogs and trusting the trends even if they don't look like the best bets on their face.

Take a look below at our predictions for who covers this weekend.

LAST WEEK: 6-9
OVERALL: 37-39-2

Byes: Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles (-2.5) at New York Giants

The pick: Giants +2.5

The logic: The Giants are home underdogs on Thursday night in a game that is supposed to be wet and rainy. The Eagles are missing running back Jay Ajayi and could be without star left tackle Lane Johnson, leaving their offense depleted.



Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3.5) at Atlanta Falcons

The pick: Falcons -3.5

The logic: The idea of the Buccaneers receivers running all over the Falcons banged-up secondary is terrifying, but the Falcons need a win and have shown an impressive ability to score all season despite last week's disappointing performance.



Pittsburgh Steelers (+2) at Cincinnati Bengals

The pick: Bengals -2

The logic: Games between these two divisional foes are always tight, but the Steelers haven't looked better than the Bengals all season. Public perception is likely still on Pittsburgh thanks to their collection of big-name talent, but Cincinnati should be good for the victory.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

What if the most powerful nuclear bomb exploded in space

0
0

We all know a nuclear blast on land brings devastating effects to the surrounding region. But what if humans detonated a nuclear bomb in space? Following is a transcript of the video. 

Imagine if we detonated a nuclear bomb in space? Actually, you don’t have to.

You can see it for yourself. That was Starfish Prime — the highest-altitude nuclear test in history. In 1962, the US government launched a 1.4 megaton bomb from Johnston Island. And detonated it 400 km above the Pacific — about as high as where the International Space Station orbits today.

The detonation generated a giant fireball and created a burst of energy called an electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, that expanded for over 1,000 kilometers.

EMPs can cause a power surge, damaging electronic equipment in the process. And this one was no different. Across Hawaii, street lights went dark, telephones went down, and navigation and radar systems went out, not to mention the six, or so, satellites that failed.

And all this came from a 1.4 megaton bomb. Tsar Bomba, which was the largest nuclear bomb that has ever been detonated, was 50 megatons.

So what would happen if we detonated that above the United States?

For starters, there's no atmosphere in space. So, there would be no mushroom-shaped cloud and no subsequent blast wave or mass destruction. Instead, you’d get a blinding fireball 4 times the size of Starfish Prime’s. And if you looked directly at it within the first 10 seconds, you could permanently damage your eyes.

Satellites wouldn’t be safe either. Radiation from the explosion would fry the circuits of hundreds of instruments in low-earth orbit. Including communication satellites, military spy satellites, and even science telescopes like the Hubble.

Plus, astronauts on board the International Space Station might be at risk of radiation poisoning.

On the ground, however, you’d probably be fine. The detonation point would be far enough away that the high-energy radiation wouldn’t reach you.

But don’t get too comfortable. Remember Starfish Prime’s EMP? This time, the EMP would cover ⅓ of the entire United States, bringing down regional power grids and electronics like a lightning strike.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. The radiation would also interact with oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere and create a spectacular aurora near the detonation site, that would last for days.

Now, let’s be clear. This will probably never happen. Super-thermonuclear devices like the Tsar Bomba no longer exist. And even if they did, the Tsar Bomba weighed around 27,000 kilograms. There are only a couple of operational rockets in the world that could manage to lift something that heavy into space in the first place.

So we're probably safe from that, anyway. This video was made in large part thanks to the calculations from physicists at Los Alamos National Lab.

Join the conversation about this story »

Hurricane Michael hit Florida with up to 155 mph winds— here's how it compares to other destructive storms in US history

0
0

Hurricane Michael 4

Hurricane Michael hit Florida Wednesday as a Category 4 storm, battering the state with winds up to 155 mph. The storm is now making its way through the Carolinas. 

Michael left severe damage and flooding in its wake and has toppled or washed away entire buildings. There have been two deaths reported so far. 

For comparison, here's a look at the strength of and damage caused by other notable storms that hit the US in recent years.

In many cases, the maximum wind speed isn't the biggest factor in how deadly or costly a hurricane wound up being. Often, storm surge — the rapid rise of water pushed onto shore as a result of a hurricane's winds — and rainfall can have more disastrous consequences. 

Some of the numbers for hurricanes Florence and Michael are still up in the air, but here is what's estimated so far. 

major us hurricanes compared oct 11

SEE ALSO: 10 photos show Hurricane Michael's destruction from the sky

DON'T MISS: Hurricane Michael battered Florida and is moving through Georgia and South Carolina — here's where it's heading

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: NASA footage shows the 'nightmare' Hurricane Florence

15 genius Halloween costumes you can make using just a pair of black leggings

0
0

Halloween leggings costume

Black leggings are a closet staple because they are comfortable, warm, and easy to pair with almost anything. These traits also make them a great fashion idea for Halloween, so don't overlook this piece when creating your last minute DIY costume. 

INSIDER rounded up 15 creative Halloween costumes that you can make wearing leggings. Some of these looks require a few more key pieces than others, so be prepared to purchase one or two other essentials. 

Selina Kyle from "Gotham"

What you need: Black leggings, a gray hoodie, and a black leather jacket. 



Pikachu from "Pokémon"

What you need: Black leggings, a yellow shirt or dress, fake ears, and costume makeup. 



Mia Wallace from "Pulp Fiction"

What you need: Black leggings, a long-sleeve white button down shirt, and a short black wig or a faux bob.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Android phones everywhere are adopting the iPhone X design — and it's caused them to miss a golden opportunity

0
0

iPhone X

  • In the 12 months since the iPhone X was released to the public, many phone makers have copied its signature design feature: the notch, or cutout, at the top center of the phone.
  • Notches weren't "a thing" until the iPhone X came along.
  • Years from now, when Apple and others eventually eliminate the notches from their phones, we'll wonder why competitors didn't try to leapfrog the iPhone when they had the chance.

Last year, Apple unveiled a smartphone that looked completely different from all the other phones on the market.

Thirteen months later, that design is everywhere. 

Here's the OnePlus 6.

red oneplus 6 jpg

Here's the LG G7 ThinQ.

lg g7 thinq

Here's the Huawei P20 Pro.

huawei p20

Here's the Asus Zenfone 5.

asus zenfone 5

And here's the all-new Pixel 3 XL from Google, announced this week.

Pixel 3 XL

See any similarities?

All of these smartphones have what people typically call a "notch," or a cut-out at the top center of the phone. Though Andy Rubin's Essential Phone was actually the first to introduce this design a few months before the iPhone X last year, it wasn't officially "a thing" until the iPhone X went on sale.

Google, in particular, is driving the adoption of notches among Android phones. Aside from the new Pixel 3 XL, Google's latest version of Android, its smartphone operating system, supports notched smartphone designs, which will make it easier for other Android phone makers to build those kinds of phones. Great.

Copying Apple, for better or worse, is nothing new

Apple's smartphone designs have inspired the industry, and countless imitators, for years. Fingerprint sensors and virtual assistants weren't "a thing" until Apple put those features in an iPhone. These days, you can't find a smartphone without those features.

iphone 5s

It happened again this year. In the 12 months since Apple unveiled the iPhone X, with its edge-to-edge display and "notch" at the top of the phone, numerous phone makers have introduced new smartphones that look just like the iPhone X — notch and all.

What's particularly funny is that the notch, in many ways, represents an imperfection with current smartphones. Apple specifically said the goal of the iPhone X was to make a smartphone that was "all screen"— and based on that definition, the iPhone X falls just short. That notch, though it powers a highly sophisticated security system, is the only blemish on an otherwise seamless display. It is edge-to-edge, technically, but not "all screen."

Android phone makers are squandering a golden opportunity to leapfrog Apple

What's interesting is how few phone makers are even trying to solve this problem, as if the notch is not a clear design flaw.

To give credit where it's due, some companies are trying different things. Samsung chose not to go down the notch path at all with its Galaxy S and Note phones, and a handful of smaller companies, like Chinese startup Vivo, are experimenting with ways to hide the selfie camera when it's not in use. Still, many companies, including Google, have simply accepted the notch without challenging it, or at least shrinking it.

Perhaps some phone makers think it's better to look like the competition than to try something different. But some day, probably soon, the iPhone will no longer have a notch, and other phone makers will then follow suit, eliminating the notches from their own phones. And we'll look back on this time — the Notch Era — and shake our heads in wonderment. We'll ask: Why did so many phone makers simply follow Apple, when they had a golden opportunity to jump ahead?

SEE ALSO: The beginner’s guide to technology in 2018: All of the essential gadgets and services actually worth your money

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Watch Apple unveil a new, bigger watch

12 of the best scary audiobooks to listen to this fall

0
0

Woman listening to music Apple earpods headphones

There's nothing like a great scary story to make your heart race a little faster, even when you're perfectly safe at home. And now with the wide availability of audiobooks, it's easier than ever to enjoy perfectly awful stories any time. When you're at the gym, chilling at a coffee shop, or just doing laundry, these tales of mayhem can accompany you anywhere.

From classics that have frightened generations to fresh freaky reads, these stories are sure to keep you up at night.

"Hex" tells the story of a modern town haunted by an ancient witch.

The town of Black Spring is ruled by the Black Witch, a woman from the 17th century whose eyes and mouth are sewn shut. She can enter any town street or home at will. Anyone born in Black Spring is unable to leave, and anyone who settles down in the community must stay forever. With surveillance in place, the curse is kept quarantined until a group of teens goes viral with their town's darkest and most ancient secret.

Listen to "Hex" by Thomas Olde Heuvelt, narrated by Jeff Harding.



"We Have Always Lived in the Castle" delves into the dark secrets of a reclusive family.

Author of "The Lottery" and other chilling classics, Shirley Jackson again shows her flair for the macabre with this story. After four members of their family die from arsenic poisoning, the three remaining members of the Blackwood family go about life on their guarded estate. Constance is agoraphobic, Uncle Julian is bound to a wheelchair, and teenaged Mary Katherine ensures the remaining family's safety with protective magic.

But when distant cousin Charles shows up unexpectedly with an eye on the family estate and starts prying into their deepest secrets, the Blackwoods are again thrown into crisis.

Listen to "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" by Shirley Jackson, narrated by Bernadette Dunne.



"Best Horror of the Year Volume 10" showcases recent horror short fiction that will chill your bones.

This collection of short stories will haunt you for days. People learn that going for a mountain climb, taking a photo shoot, or even telling ghost stories can lead to terrible ends. It's a catalog of scary tales from some of the genre's top current writers.

Listen to "The Best Horror of the Year, Volume Ten" By Ellen Datlow, narrated by Christina Delaine and Will Damron.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Millennial investors are snapping up GE (GE)

0
0

General Electric GE trading floor nyse

  • General Electric named Lawrence Culp its new CEO earlier this month.
  • Investors on Robinhood, a free-trading app popular among younger traders, have been snapping up shares.
  • The company is set to report its third-quarter results later this month.
  • All eyes are closely watching how the new management will reset the company. 
  • Watch General Electric trade in real time here.

General Electric named Lawrence Culp its new CEO earlier this month, and investors on Robinhood, a free-trading app popular among younger traders, are piling into the stock ahead of the company's third-quarter results. 

According to weekly data tracked by Business Insider, a total of 5,381 investors added GE to their portfolios this week, making it the second most-added stock after Tesla over the past week. GE is the 6th most-popular stock on the app, with more than 166,000 Robinhood investors currently holding the stock. That's up 5% up from two weeks ago — when Culp was not yet CEO.

And the confidence in Culp is not limited to Robinhood investors, with shares gaining more than 13% since Culp's hiring was announced on October 1. And analysts up and down Wall Street have had good things to say about the hire. 

"We have known Mr. Culp for over 15 years and have deep respect for his leadership and relentless focus on operating excellence and accountability," a team of RBC analysts led by Deane Dray said shortly after Culp's hire.

And on Thursday, UBS analyst Steven Winoker said, "We have every confidence that CEO Larry Culp is the leader for the job, but we want to be realistic too about the effort and timeframe." Winoker has a "neutral" rating and $13 price target, close to its current price.

Culp has been tasked with turning around the struggling company. In its second-quarter earnings report, the company said profit from its power business dropped 58%, but it was able to match expectations with solid earnings growth in its aviation and healthcare businesses. At the time, then CEO John Flannery said he expected the power business to "remain weak through 2020," and that the company would miss its fiscal year earnings guidance. 

Alongside Culp's appointment, GE also announced it would take a $23 billion goodwill charge for its power business, and said free cash flow and earnings estimates for fiscal-year 2018 will likely miss their targets. 

GE is expected to earn an adjusted $0.21 a share on revenue of $30.13 billion when it reports its quarterly results on October 25.

Shares are down 29% this year.

GE

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: I woke up at 4:30 a.m. for a week like a Navy SEAL

'It made me feel like Superman': Kanye West explains how 'male energy' and the MAGA hat attracted him to Trump

0
0

Kanye West and Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Thursday.

  • In a freewheeling Oval Office press conference on Thursday afternoon, rapper Kanye West ruminated on what attracted him to President Donald Trump, saying that he likes Trump's "male energy." 
  • Seated across from the president at the Resolute Desk, West said he he feels like "Superman" when he wears his "Make America Great Again" hat.
  • West said former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign didn't make him feel "like a guy that could play catch with his son." 

In a freewheeling Oval Office press conference on Thursday afternoon, rapper Kanye West delivered a succinct explanation for his attraction to President Donald Trump: "male energy." 

Seated across from the president at the Resolute Desk and wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat, West delivered a nearly 10-minute long monologue in which he said he feels like "Superman" when he dons the MAGA hat. 

"This hat — it gives me power in a way," West said. 

While the rapper says he didn't vote in the 2016 election, he said that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's "I'm With Her" slogan didn't make him feel "like a guy that could play catch with his son." West said that because his parents separated when he was young and his wife's family is female-dominated, he needed more "male energy" in his life.

"The campaign 'I'm with her' just didn't make me feel, as a guy that didn't get to see my dad all the time, like a guy that could play catch with his son," he said. "It was something about when I put this hat on, it made me feel like Superman." 

He told Trump, "You made a Superman cape for me."

West, who has faced widespread criticism for his high-profile support for Trump and his controversial comments on issues like slavery, bounced from one topic to another, discussing criminal justice reform, an Apple-designed Air Force One, and his own mental health diagnosis. 

Trump called West's rambling, impassioned speech "pretty impressive," adding that the rapper could speak for him "anytime he wants."

"He's a smart cookie," Trump said. "He gets it."

"That was quite something," Trump added before posing for photos.  

SEE ALSO: 'Let's go to Fox': State Department spokesman creatively grilled over diplomatic vacancies amid disappearance of Saudi journalist

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Inside the Trump 'MAGA' hat factory

Netflix's new horror series 'The Haunting of Hill House' is a chilling drama that digs much deeper than jump scares

0
0

haunting of hill house netflix 2

  • Netflix's new horror series, "The Haunting of Hill House," is also a surprisingly emotional family drama, and one of Netflix's best original shows.
  • Director Mike Flanagan ("Gerald's Game") creates a creepy mood throughout the series that leaves the viewer in suspense.
  • The show's true horror beyond ghosts, though, comes from our real-life human fears.
  • The show's revelations are surprising and satisfying, and will leave viewers talking.

 

Some of the best horror movies are also engaging family dramas. A recent example is this year's "Hereditary," which director Ari Aster has described as"a family tragedy that curdles into a nightmare."

Netflix's new original TV series, "The Haunting of Hill House," could also be described that way. It takes the concept and expands it over the course of 10 serialized television episodes. Not only is the show a chilling horror series, but it's also an emotional story of a family being torn apart, often by the supernatural forces at work against them, but also by their own faults.

It's also one of Netflix's best original series.

"The Haunting of Hill House" is loosely based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Shirley Jackson. It follows the Crain family between their present lives and the past, when they lived in the haunted Hill house for a summer. The parents, Olivia (played by Carla Gugino) and Hugh (played by Henry Thomas in the past, and Timothy Hutton in the present) move them and their five kids to the house to flip it, but mysterious forces beyond their control upend their plan. 

Years later, the Crains are still haunted by their past, even though they don't want to admit it, and spread out between the east and west coasts. The oldest, Steven (Michiel Huisman), is a horror author. His sister, Shirley (Elizabeth Reaser), who is a funeral director, condemns Steven for using their family trauma to sell books, and urges their siblings not to take his royalty checks. Theo (Kate Siegel, who is the standout performer) is living in Shirley's guest house and is a child psychiatrist with a mysterious gift that requires her to wear gloves at all times. The youngest, twins Luke (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and Nell (Victoria Pedretti), have a mental connection with one another, but Luke is a drug addict and Nell is still fixated on her time in the house thanks to a recent tragedy.

the haunting of hill house

The show flashes between the present and past, and most episodes focus on a particular family member. But it always feels integral to the story, and never like a gimmick. By the end, every plot thread is addressed in a satisfying, and shocking, conclusion.

As a horror series, the show raises the bar for any future shows in the genre. There's your typical jump scares, but the true horror in the show plays out in more subtle, chilling ways thanks to director Mike Flanagan, who has made a name for himself as a horror director in recent years with "Oculus,""Hush,""Before I Wake,""Ouija: Origin of Evil," and "Gerald's Game." He's also attached to direct the "Shining" sequel, "Doctor Sleep."

Flanagan sets an eerie mood throughout the show in which the viewer is kept in suspense. But it's not just ghosts that make the show scary. Like any good piece of horror, "The Haunting of Hill House" exploits our most common human fears: death of a loved one, addiction, betrayal, etc. And it does so in surprisingly emotional ways.

It's tough to go into too much detail about the show without diving into spoilers. Some of the best parts involve revelations I didn't see coming. That's why, though, that this is going to be a massive hit that people will be talking about, and not just because it makes for a perfect Halloween binge.

"The Haunting of Hill House" is available on Netflix starting Friday.

Watch the trailer below:

 

SEE ALSO: Jamie Lee Curtis fired back at Fox News after it criticized her for using guns in the new 'Halloween' movie

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How actors fake fight in movies

The US will not ban Canadians working in the marijuana industry from entering the country

0
0

justin Trudeau donald trump

  • Canada became the second country in the world to legalize marijuana nationwide in June, and sales are expected to begin this month.
  • Workers in the industry were reportedly facing a lifetime ban, and US Customs and Border Protection said that working in the industry "may affect admissibility to the U.S."
  • CBP changed its mind this week, and said that those working in the industry for "reasons unrelated to the marijuana industry will generally be admissible to the U.S."

The US has decided not to ban people working in Canada's legal marijuana industry from entering the country for pleasure, despite its earlier stance that working in the industry could affect people trying to enter and reports that marijuana workers could face a lifetime ban.

US Customs and Border Patrol had previously said that working in the industry "may affect admissibility to the US" because "as marijuana continues to be a controlled substance under United States law."

CBP updated its statement this week, however, and said that "a Canadian citizen working in or facilitating the proliferation of the legal marijuana industry in Canada, coming to the U.S. for reasons unrelated to the marijuana industry will generally be admissible to the U.S."

Shares of Canadian cannabis companies were down in September after a Politico report citing a senior official overseeing the US border said that Canadians who work in the marijuana industry risked a lifetime ban on travel to the US.

Canada became the second country in the world to legalize marijuana in June paving the way for recreational sales throughout the country. Sales are expected to begin this month and legalization officially takes effect.

The bill was part of a promise that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party made during the 2015 campaign to keep marijuana out of young people's hands and move the illicit market into a regulated framework.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Inside the Trump 'MAGA' hat factory

Bank of America shares its investing playbook for raking in profits as stocks make a comeback

0
0

traders

  • Stocks are making an early attempt to recover from six straight days of steep declines. 
  • According to strategists at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, it may not be time yet to buy the dip. 
  • In a note to clients, they shared two sectors that would indicate whether bond yields have peaked, and seven ways investors can sell the rally.

Stocks are in the early stages of a comeback after six days of relentless selling. 

In the week through Thursday, the S&P 500 shed 6% in its longest streak of losses since the days leading up to the November 2016 election. The tech-heavy Nasdaq lost the most with a 7% drop.

It's still anyone's guess whether the worst of the selling is over for now. Over at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Michael Hartnett, the chief investment strategist, isn't advising clients to rush all-in and buy the dip. 

One reason is the bank's Bull & Bear indicator. It's a contrarian indicator, meaning that it triggers a buy signal when it swings into "extreme bearish" territory. When stocks surged at the beginning of 2018, the indicator veered into "extreme bullish" territory, triggering a sell signal that foretold the correction.

The indicator fell to 3.3 this week, in bearish but not the "extreme bearish" territory that would be a buy signal.  

"Hedge fund/CTA capitulation in risk assets needed to stab Bull & Bear indicator below 2.0 i.e. into buy risk assets for next 3 months zone," Hartnett said. 

To that end, he remained "fundamentally bearish" on two factors that have been touted as the drivers of this sell-off: peaking earnings growth and monetary policy tightening from the Federal Reserve.

"Watch homebuilders (the "tell" in recent months)/REITS/utilities for signs of peak yields," Hartnett said. "We respect technicals and seasonality but will sell the rally."

He further laid out seven ways to play out this idea:

  • Long AAA-rated assets
  • Long T-bills
  • Long crude oil, China stocks
  • Short debt (corporate bonds, private equity)
  • Short EM bonds
  • Long fiscal stimulus (UK & Italian small cap)
  • Long gold

SEE ALSO: 'The 4 horsemen of the apocalypse': What Wall Street's biggest firms are telling clients about the stock market's sell-off

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Ray Dalio says the economy looks like 1937 and a downturn is coming in about two years

Viewing all 70894 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images