Category: Articles
-
World’s first energy-positive hotel planned for Arctic Circle
When approaching the Helgeland coastline, in northern Norway, you can’t miss the Svartisen glacier spilling down the side of Almlifjellet mountain. Below, the gin-clear Holandsfjorden fjord — an extension of the Norwegian Sea — reflects the blue-toned mountain like a mirror. It’s in this unspoiled environment that you’ll find Svart, which aims to be the…
-
Elon Musk: Mars rocket will fly ‘short flights’ next year
Elon Musk issued yet another incredibly ambitious timeline. During a Q&A at the SXSW festival on Sunday, Musk said SpaceX will be ready to fly its Mars rocket in 2019. “We are building the first ship, or interplanetary ship, right now,” Musk said. “And we’ll probably be able to do short flights, short up and down…
-
The World’s Longest Cruise Hits All 7 Continents in 357 Days
The world’s longest cruise is the ultimate addition to your travel bucket list. The new “World of Travel” package from the UK’s Mundy Cruising is the pinnacle of around-the-world journeys, clocking in at 357 days that will take you to all seven continents, according to Condé Nast Traveler. The trip leaves from Miami in January…
-
Stunning revival of the humble shipping container
In 1937, a young trucker named Malcolm McLean was delivering a load of cotton to a harbor in Hoboken, New Jersey. As he watched workers slowly transport the boxes by hand onto a ship, the story goes, he thought there had to be a better way to do it. It turns out, there was: a…
-
The problem with job titles
Job titles may make sense in a big corporation, but for startups, they can be “confusing outmoded markers of status,” says Hello Alfred CEO Marcela Sapone. They encourage people to focus on the next promotion, or a fixed idea of what the role entails, “rather than taking on whatever initiative a startup really needs to…
-
How Often Do You Binge-Watch a TV Series
You sit yourself down in front of the TV after a long day at work, and decide to start watching that new show everyone’s been talking about. Cut to midnight and you’ve crushed half a season — and find yourself tempted to stay up to watch just one more episode, even though you know you’ll…
-
How The Most Successful Night Owls Manage To Wake Up Early
If you’re a night owl, it might feel impossible to shine at morning meetings, but these tips from those who’ve been there might help. The stories are legend–Jack Dorsey of Square reportedly gets up at 5 a.m.to meditate before work. Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo says she wakes up at 4 a.m. and begins her workday.…
-
Foods and drinks expats miss most
There are countless things about our homeland that Australians miss after moving abroad: the magnificent landscape, the laid-back lifestyle and that endless blue sky, to name a few. But something as simple as a trip to the supermarket can leave us expats — according to some reports there are an estimated one million of us…
-
Man Unable to Pay Airline Baggage Fee Arrested After Trying to Wear All His Clothes Onboard
A typical flight home turned into an ordeal when Ryan Hawaii made a peculiar attempt to circumvent baggage costs. After hanging out in Iceland for nine days, Hawaii went to the airport and realized his sister-in-law had purchased him a ticket without baggage. Instead of paying the £90 fee, he attempted to wear all of…
-
6 Classic New Orleans Cocktails Every Drinker Should Know
When it comes to drinking, there’s no city in America — and perhaps the world — that does it better than New Orleans. After all, this is a town where bars can stay open 24 hours a day and it’s totally legal, at least in the French Quarter, to carry a drink as you’re walking…
-
How do you tell the difference between good stress and bad?
Feeling stressed can feel perfectly normal, especially during exam time. You might notice that sometimes being stressed-out motivates you to focus on your work, yet at other times, you feel incredibly overwhelmed and can’t concentrate on anything. While stress affects everyone in different ways, there are two major types of stress: stress that’s beneficial and…
-
Playing too many video games is a mental health disorder, World Health Organization says
The South China Morning Post reported that the World Health Organization will officially recognize video game addiction as a mental health disorder in 2018. The symptoms of “gaming disorder” are actually not all that different from a more traditional substance abuse disorder, except for the hangovers and physical withdrawals. If video games are more important…
-
How online dating suffers from this new bad trend
There’s a new online dating phenomenon you need to watch out for. So what is kittenfishing? It’s essentially a tamed-down version of catfishing — which is when online daters pretend to be someone they’re not. Kittenfishing, on the other hand, is when dating app users embellish the truth and present themselves in an unrealistically positive…
-
The psychological importance of wasting time
There will always be an endless list of chores to complete and work to do, and a culture of relentless productivity tells us to get to it right away and feel terribly guilty about any time wasted. But the truth is, a life spent dutifully responding to emails is a dull one indeed. And “wasted”…
-
Kenyan inventors create ‘panic button’ app to help save lives
According to IPSOS, crime in Nairobi is twice the national average. Incidences of muggings, carjackings and other crimes are not uncommon in Kenya’s capital city. One unfortunate victim was developer and entrepreneur Edwin Inganji. He was attacked by a group of men who stole his laptop. “I felt hopeless and I couldn’t get any help.…
-
Get ready: Up to 300 Starbucks stores are coming to Italy
In good news for Americans and tourists seeking home comforts in Italy – but not so good news for those who take the country’s coffee culture seriously – Starbucks announced on Thursday that it planned to open between 200 and 300 stores in Italy. The first stores will be opened in Milan and Rome, though…
-
This bond could shelter 200 homeless people
Forget stocks. These investors are putting £1.8 million ($2.4 million) toward shelter for the homeless. Bridges Fund Management has backed a program that will finance living spaces for 200 homeless people in Manchester, England. The investment comes from the firm’s Social Impact Bond Fund, a £25 million ($33 million) pool of money raised from investors…
-
The future of getting dressed: AI, VR and smart fabrics
Technology has evolved a lot, but closets have been largely untouched by innovation. Now, that’s starting to change. From artificial intelligence and gadgets to smart fabrics and virtual reality, technology is poised to breathe innovation into not only how we dress but how we shop. The most recognizable example is Amazon’s Echo Look, which received significant…
-
Europe’s first underwater restaurant to open in Norway
Europe will soon see its first underwater restaurant, according to the project’s Norwegian architects. The planned concrete structure features a 36-foot wide panoramic window and is designed to become part of the marine environment. It’s expected to be completed by early 2019, with construction work starting in February 2018, at the southernmost point of Norway’s…
-
Candela: The Italian town paying people to move there
The mayor of Italian town Candela has come up with a practical solution to its dwindling population number — paying people to become residents. Nicola Gatta wants the small medieval town in Puglia to shine like it did in the 1990s, when more than 8,000 people lived here. Today, there are just 2,700 residents. So,…
-
Secrets from behind the front desk
The fact that a hotel could fail to be profitable is astounding. Why? The average cost to turn over a room, to keep it operational per day, is between $30 and $40. If you’re paying less than $30 dollars a night at a hotel/motel, I’d wager the cost to flip that room runs close to…
-
The power of print in a digital world
Today’s students see themselves as digital natives, the first generation to grow up surrounded by technology like smartphones, tablets and e-readers. Teachers, parents and policymakers certainly acknowledge the growing influence of technology and have responded in kind. We’ve seen more investment in classroom technologies, with students now equipped with school-issued iPads and access to e-textbooks.…
-
Walmart Wants To Stick Groceries In Your Refrigerator While You’re Away
Walmart is one of the most familiar brands in America, but are you ready to give them access to your home? The retail giant announced that it is testing a store-to-door service in which its employees can deliver groceries to your home and pack them away in your refrigerator ― even if you aren’t there…
-
Convenient airports: Europe’s best and worst in 2017
It’s the added extra flight comparison sites never warn you about: How long is the airport transfer and how much will it cost me? It’s not unusual for European budget airlines to offer flights that are cheaper than the price of the train fare into the city. Or for the airport to be in a…
-
Flight attendant photographs behind the scenes of Virgin America
Virgin America air steward and arts graduate Molly Choma started working for the popular airline straight out of college. But the decision to take to the skies didn’t mean putting her creative talents to bed — far from it. For the past nine years, Choma has been photographing behind-the-scenes shots of her Virgin America colleagues as…
-
The world’s least stressful cities
If peace of mind means strolling home past trees and flowers, a fat bank balance at your disposal, and with a secure job to head to the next day, then the best place to find it is Germany. A new study has revealed the world’s most and least stressful cities of 2017, based on factors…
-
Filthy food habits
Researchers said bacteria latches onto food in a fraction of a second after hitting the ground. And depending on the surface, carpet versus tile or wood, can increase the amount of bacteria. Blowing out candles on a cake transfers 14,000 times more bacteria onto the icing. Double-dipping and sharing popcorn are also top offenders. Restaurant menus…
-
This startup is cashing in on our forgetfulness
Back home in Middleton, Wisconsin, he used the corresponding app to reveal the glasses’ last known location: the Denver International Airport. (When another Tile user has the app running and passes by your missing item, you’re automatically notified of its location). But the next day, Beddingfield was alerted that his glasses were spotted in other…
-
Pilotless planes could save airlines billions. But would anyone fly?
The aviation industry could save $35 billion a year by moving to pilotless planes, according to a new report from UBS. Just one problem: The same report warns that only 17% of travelers are willing to fly without a pilot. UBS said that the technology required to operate remote-controlled planes could appear by 2025. Further…
-
How to split the tab (without losing friends)
Whether your friends are open about money or more private with their finances, splitting the bill at dinner can be tricky. Do you have to pay for other people’s drinks if you didn’t order any? Do you chip in for an appetizer you didn’t eat? How do you split tax and tip? The good news…
-
Indian airline Vistara: Women flying solo can skip middle seat
Delhi-based carrier Vistara has launched a new service that guarantees women won’t be allocated a middle seat. It’s part of a series of measures introduced in March 2017 by the domestic airline to protect solo female fliers. Vistara says its Woman Flyer initiative will “ensure only window or aisle seats are assigned to solo women…
-
Henn-na Hotel: inside the world’s first robot hotel
Excitement meets comfort. Introducing state-of-the-art technologies, Henn na Hotel is the world’s first hotel staffed by robots. At the front desk, you will be greeted by multi-lingual robots that will help you check in or check out. At the cloakroom, the robotic arm will store your luggage for you, and the porter robots will carry them…
-
How to Plan the Perfect Road Trip
You know your destination, but deciding on your route and stops can really depend on your travel style. HowStuffWorks suggests you make sure everyone is on the same page before you leave to avoid being stuck in a car with unhappy passengers for 8 hours a day. If you have to travel with someone who’s…
-
When is it really time for couples therapy?
Couples should seek therapy long before they think they “need” to. Most experts believe that therapy can be an important part of your relationship. Most issues within a couple start small and then grow in size when they don’t get resolved. This is where therapy can help, by giving tools and techniques to improve conflict…
-
Automated and funky: Singapore Changi Airport’s groundbreaking terminal
Singapore Changi Airport — already regularly voted the best airport in the world — is about to get even better. The airport’s upcoming fourth terminal (T4) is promising passengers an improved travel experience with the innovative use of technology and an interior that embraces a boutique approach. From a 70-meter-long LED screen keeping you occupied…
-
Amazon launches a social network for spending money
Available for Amazon Prime members using the company’s iOS app, Spark is a Pinterest-like service that lets users upload images of themselves using products, or just products. Other users can then view those images and follow links to purchase the displayed items through Amazon.You don’t have friends on the social network, though. And you can’t…
-
No, poor people don’t eat the most fast food
Eating fast food is frequently blamed for damaging our health. As nutrition experts point out, it is not the healthiest type of meal since it is typically high in fat and salt. More widely, it’s seen as a key factor in the growing obesity epidemic in the U.S. and throughout the world. Because it’s considered…
-
Donnie Wahlberg leaves a $2,000 tip for Waffle House servers
New Kids on the Block’s Donnie Wahlberg got the royal treatment at Waffle House. So he decided to return the favor. Wahlberg posted a picture showing he’d left a massive tip for the overnight servers. A whopping $2000 on the $82.60 check. This is not the first time the actor has made an appearance at the…
-
The diets from certain countries could help you live longer
Going on vacation could help you uncover the secret to a long and healthy life — if you pick the right destination. It’s no secret that certain populations around the world live longer and produce a greater number of centenarians than others. More importantly, these marvels of nature remain healthy and active as they enter…
-
6 reasons to make your bed every morning
Last year, Naval Adm. William H. McRaven — the man who commanded the SEAL team that hunted for Osama bin Laden — gave University of Texas graduates some unusual advice during his commencement speech: If you want to change the world, start by making your bed. He acknowledges that this statement may seem “a little…
-
The pros and cons of working into your 90s
Society often suggests that we should slow down in later life. With retirement, we can reflect on what we have achieved, get out to see the world and spend time with family. Although some people continue to work into their 70s, 80s and even 90s, retirement age in many countries suggests they cut back around…
-
The surprising benefits of talking to yourself
Being caught talking to yourself, especially if using your own name in the conversation, is beyond embarrassing. And it’s no wonder — it makes you look like you are hallucinating. Clearly, this is because the entire purpose of talking aloud is to communicate with others. But given that so many of us do talk to…
-
The best cities for expats 2017
Expat life isn’t always easy. Not everyone thrives in the world’s more challenging cities. Many expats appreciate locations where it’s an easy adjustment, especially if they have families. Good healthcare, education and transport, with low crime and lots of cultural opportunities are often top of the list. In Mercer’s Quality of Living Survey, 2017 once again…
-
Most Beautiful Places To Visit In Italy
Arguably Europe’s most enticing country, Italy charms visitors with irresistible food, awesome architecture, diverse scenery and unparalleled art. In fact, it’s so packed with possibilities it can almost overwhelm. Located in Southern Europe, this boot-shaped country is one of the world’s most popular travel destinations for a number of reasons. Italy offers so much to…
-
Sacrificing sleep? Here’s what it will do to your health
We are one groggy, cranky, sleep-deprived population. Depending on our age, we are supposed to get between seven and 10 hours of sleep each night. But according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a third of us get fewer than seven hours of sleep per night. In addition, 50 million to 70…
-
New Jersey raises smoking age to 21
New Jersey is set to become the third state to raise its smoking age to 21, after Republican Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill Friday that hikes the minimum age to buy tobacco products from 19. “We are giving young people more time to develop a maturity and better understanding of how dangerous smoking can…
-
Impressive Tiny Houses That Maximize Function and Style
Growing in popularity over the last decade, tiny houses are popping up around the country as more people decide to downsize their lives. While the structures often measure less than 300 square feet, the tiny house movement isn’t necessarily about sacrifice. With thoughtful, innovative designs, some homeowners have discovered a small house actually leads to…
-
Waiting in line can be tough
Unless you live alone in the woods, waiting in line is a near-universal experience—though as any international tourist will find, the etiquette of doing so varies from place to place. Whether you wait politely or wait in line (or “on line,” as New Yorkers insist on saying), how you wait and how you feel about…
-
Chicago’s new requirement for high school students: No plan, no diploma
Under a controversial new requirement, starting in 2020, students hoping to graduate from a public high school in Chicago must provide evidence they, too, have a plan for the future: either acceptance to college or a gap-year program, a trade apprenticeship, military enlistment or a job offer. But not everyone is sold on a plan…
Learn English With Marcus Online 