The momentum to “ban cash”, and in particular high denomination notes like the 500 euro and $100 bills, is seriously picking up steam.
On Monday the European Central Bank President emphatically disclosed that he is strongly considering phasing out the 500 euro note.
Yesterday, former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers published an op-ed in the Washington Post about getting rid of the $100 bill.
Prominent economists and banks have joined the refrain and called for an end to cash in recent months.
The reasoning is almost always the same: cash is something that only criminals, terrorists, and tax cheats use.
In his op-ed, Summers refers to a new Harvard research paper entitled: “Making it Harder for the Bad Guys: The Case for Eliminating High Denomination Notes”.
That title pretty much sums up the conventional thinking. And the paper goes on to propose abolishing, among others, 500 euro and $100 bills.
The authors claim that “without being able to use high denomination notes, those engaged in illicit activities – the ‘bad guys’ of our title – would face higher costs and greater risks of detection. Eliminating high denomination notes would disrupt their ‘business models’.”
Personally I find this comical.
I can just imagine a bunch of bureaucrats and policy wonks sitting in a room pretending to know anything about criminal activity.
It’s total nonsense. As long as there has been human civilization there has been crime. Crime pre-dates cash. And it will exist long after they attempt to ban it.
So, ironically, by banning cash these governments will end up reducing their own GDP figures.
What’s really behind this? Why is there such a big movement to ban something that is used for felonious purposes by just a fraction of a percent of the population?
Cash, it turns out, is the Achilles’ Heel of the financial system.
Central banks around the world have kept interest rates at near-zero levels for nearly eight years now.
And despite having created massive bubbles and enabled extraordinary amounts of debt, their policies aren’t working.
Especially in Europe, the hope of stoking economic growth (and even the sickening goal of inflation) has failed.
So naturally, since what they’ve been trying hasn’t worked, their response is to continue trying the same thing… and more of it.
Interest rates across the European continent are now negative.
Japanese interest rates are now negative.
And even in the United States, the Federal Reserve has acknowledged that negative interest rates are being considered.
They have no other choice; raising rates will bankrupt the governments they support and derail any fledgling economic growth.
Look at how low interest rates are in the US– and yet 4th quarter GDP practically ground to a halt. They simply cannot afford to raise rates.
As global economic weakness continues to play out, central banks will have no other option but to take interest rates even further into negative territory.
That said, negative interest rates will be the destruction of the financial system.
Because sooner or later, if banks have to pay negative wholesale interest rates to each other and to the central bank, then eventually they’ll have to pass those negative rates on to their customers.
Many banks have already started doing this, especially on larger depositors.
We’ve seen this in Europe where some banks charge their customers negative interest to save money, and in some extraordinary circumstances, pay other customers to borrow money.
It’s total madness.
There’s a certain point, however, when interest rates become so negative that no rational person would hold money in the banking system.
Eventually people will realize that they’re better off withdrawing their money and holding physical cash.
Sure, cash doesn’t pay any interest. But it doesn’t cost any either.
If you have a $200,000 in your savings account at negative 1%, you’d have to pay the bank $2,000 each year.
Clearly it would make more sense to buy a safe and hold most of that money in cash.
Problem is, the banks don’t have the money.
For starters, there’s literally not enough cash in the entire financial system to pay out more than a fraction of all bank deposits.
More importantly, banks (especially in the US and Europe) are extremely illiquid.
They invest the vast majority of your deposit in illiquid loans or securities of dubious long-term value, whatever the latest stupid investment fad happens to be.
And many banks have been engaging in a substantial balance sheet shift, rotating bonds from what’s called “Available for Sale” to “Hold to Maturity”.
The natural side effect of negative interest rates is pushing people to hold money outside of the banking system.
Yet it’s clear that a surge of withdrawal requests would bring down that system.
Banks don’t want that to happen. Governments don’t want that to happen.
But since central banks have no other choice than to continue imposing negative interest rates, the only logical option is to ban cash and force consumers to hold their money within the banking system.
Make no mistake, this is absolutely a form of capital controls. And it’s coming soon to a banking system near you.
Can't choose between the Speedster and Low Drag coupe? Eagle splits the difference with the new Spyder GT convertible, taking the Jaguar E-Type to the next level.
Television has been around in some form since 1923. Thousands of programs have come and gone. If you're a producer and you want to think of an original concept, then you've got to dig. You got to think to think outside the box. You've got to teach dogs how to fly airplanes, then film and broadcast the results.
Dogs Might Fly is a new program that will air on the British channel Sky 1. It exists to answer an essential question: are dogs intelligent enough that, with proper training, they could fly airplanes?
Secluded at a mansion in the Sussex countryside, the 12 rescue dogs have been put through their paces by animal behaviour experts, who believe that the cognitive abilities of the most intelligent pets can be directed towards flying a plane. […]
Carole Hawkins, creative director of Oxford Scientific Films, said the series would test in a “safe and controlled way” the question of whether a highly intelligent dog could take control of an aircraft.
The experts will assess how the dogs response to stimuli and sensations designed to acclimatise them to their high-flying challenge. Their head for heights will be tested by being sent to the top of a London landmark in high-rise lift and they will be strapped in for a spin around the Thames on a speedboat. Each dog will be found a new home at the series conclusion. The six-part Dogs Might Fly begins in a fortnight.
What is the most hipster vehicle you could possibly own? How about an original Volkwagen from the 1950s or ‘60s modified to run on electricity? That marries the urge to return to the simpler past with modern eco-consciousness. The California company Zelectric Motors is refurbishing old Beetles, Microbuses, and other Volkswagens to run on all-electric motors.
Zelectric has found a particularly happy niche, though, tapping into an environmentally conscious thread of the latent nostalgia for old VWs. Benardo says Zelectric can currently convert and restore about 10 vehicles a year. Prices range from $68,000 for a Beetle sedan to $88,000 for a convertible, and include the price of the original car, which Zelectric will send out to a local firm to restore. "The sweet spot is between ‘58 and ’66," he says.
The hefty price is partly because of the intense work needed to safely install the electric powertrain, but also because the prices of well-maintained vintage VWs has exploded. Zelectric will even locate and convert that most quintessential of California vehicles, the Microbus — but prices for the iconic van are crazy these days, so a Zelectric starts around $130,000.
Whitney Otawka has been cooking in Georgia for a decade.
Still, the chef at the Greyfield Inn on Cumberland Island has yet to make a biscuit. Growing up in California, she didn’t eat biscuits, turnip greens, or crackling cornbread.
Then she met Ben Wheatley, from Washington, Georgia.
Wheatley made the biscuits at Athens restaurant 5&10, where Otawka worked the line. She lent a hand. “Before he did the last fold, I’d punch the dough,” she says. “I’d leave a fist mark in it. Then I’d always claim that the biscuits turned out right just because I punched them.”
He always saved a biscuit for her, and she joked that she’d marry him if he kept it up. Ten years later, she made good on that promise. They’ve been married for three months.
She still punches the dough before he folds it, but she lets him do the rest of the work. “He makes them so well there’s no point,” she says. But she doesn’t agree with him on everything. She likes her biscuits with butter, and he prefers his with sausage and grape jelly.
(Photograph by Emily B. Hall)
Ben Wheatley’s Buttermilk Biscuits Makes about 24
If you don’t feel like waking up early to make these biscuits, prep them the night before. “They’re actually delicious the next morning,” Otawka says. Freeze cut dough rounds on a sheet tray and bake them from frozen for 20 minutes.
Ingredients
1 lb. unsalted butter (4 sticks), frozen, plus 3 tbsp. melted for brushing
8 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
4 tbsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. kosher salt
3½ cups buttermilk
(Photograph by Whitney Otawka)
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400°.
Grate 1 lb. butter into a bowl using the large holes of a box grater, and place in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
In another bowl, combine 8 cups flour and the baking powder. Add the salt and mix well.
Once the butter is very cold and hard, add it to the dry ingredients. Using your fingers, incorporate the butter into the flour until the mixture is crumbly. Slowly add the buttermilk and use your hands to gently bring the dough together.
Dump dough onto a lightly floured countertop and dust it with flour. Knead the dough until it just comes together, taking care not to overwork it.
Dust a rolling pin with flour and roll the dough out to a thickness of 1 inch. Fold the dough in half from top to bottom, and then lightly roll it out again and fold it from side to side. Roll it out one more time, and then stamp out biscuits with a 3-inch biscuit cutter.
Place biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Form the scraps into a ball, roll it out, and stamp out more biscuits. (Discard the overworked remaining scraps.)
Melt the 3 tbsp. butter and brush the tops of the biscuits. Bake for 14-17 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through.
Google is on the hunt for a site in Michigan to create an autonomous vehicle research and development lab. The tech giant might also start testing driverless vehicles in Ann Arbor.
This green-roofed ‘Pool House’ in Great Britain is perched on the precipice of Burgh Island’s cliffs. London-based Carmody Groarke collaborated with structural engineers Price & Myers to create a dramatic luxury retreat that “creates a restrained but sensuously uplifting place for guests to take delight in this stunning location”.
There may not be a more charmingly ad hoc tradition than hockey’s emergency goaltender. If one of a team’s two goalies gets hurt or otherwise incapacitated before a game with not enough time to fly in a backup from the minors, the NHL maintains a list of potential goalies in each city—older guys with careers, probably played a little college hockey, have some connection to the team—who can report and sign at a moment’s notice, and, if things go well, get to sit on the bench and never ever get into a game.
Under the inky cloak of night, the lions and lionesses of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, or KAZA, roam free across 109 million acres, evading the curious eyes of mankind. These noble carnivores are acutely timid and fleeting, having only been captured in cloudy, infrared research pictures as they stride the vast expanse. Until now.
UK-based wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas joined forces with the World Wildlife Fund and Lise Hanssen, founder of the Kwando Carnivore Project, to record for the first time in DSLR images the secret activities of Namibia’s untamed creatures.
For the first two weeks of his time in the Zambezi region, Burrard-Lucas witnessed not a wild soul; it was only after setting up remotely operated, motion-triggered cameras and flash systems that he was at long last able to meet the animals who had long eluded him.
The photographer spent three months in the area, finding each day new images taken during the night. Before his eyes, elephants, bush pigs, and giraffes sprung to life, caught entirely unawares. The camera traps he constructed interfered not one bit with the daily and nightly movements of the animals, allowing them to go about their business without fright or interruption.
Hanssen has devoted her life’s work to tracking and protecting the carnivores of the area; she works closely with governmental bodies and local organizations to protect and ensure good will between the ancient creates and the humans who have settled nearby. Despite its title, the KAZA is immensely vulnerable to human forces. Plans for a tobacco plantain threatens to raze dozens of acres to the ground.
As mankind encroaches on this rare and hallowed land, spanning the countries of Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, WWF and Burrard-Lucas give its venerable inhabitants a voice.
Over the course of several months, lions, the most fleeting of all the residents, only passed Burrard-Lucas’s cameras on two occasions. Hanssen has never seen one in person. These beguiling, fugitive animals have thus far escaped our grasp, but through Burrard-Lucas’s lens, they leave their indelible mark.
In the event of a zombie apocalypse, what would you carry? The hypothetical question comes up here and there in the EDC world. It’s always a fun conversation, but it can be enlightening too. When preparing for the worst, you’re bound to pick up some useful survival tips from the discussion. With help from fellow EDCers in our forums and some inspiration by the upcoming television return of The Walking Dead, we've assembled a list of gear (with some picks straight from the show) designed to get you through even the worst of zombie-infested survival situations.
EDC Knives in The Walking Dead and More
Stanley Fubar
Suggested by many in our forums, the Stanley FUBAR is an excellent upgrade to the standard crow bar. Able to pry, demolish, split boards, and—of course—strike, the FUBAR adds some utility to an already useful tool.
Fans of the show might remember this capable folder as part of Lori’s EDC in season two. The Spyderco Endura makes for a great EDC knife, zombies or not. The lightweight handle, sturdy lockback, and four-way pocket clip result in a knife that’s easy to carry and use.
If you’re after the knife Rick Grimes carries as his go-to for most of the show, this is it. The Gerber DMF makes several appearances on the show thanks to its versatility. There's a heavy-duty handle for grip, a metal pommel for striking, a serrated tanto blade for piercing and slicing, and minimal moving parts for increased reliability.
Whether you're tying up a tarp for some shelter or securing gear to a vehicle, cordage always comes in handy. It's easier to use and lighter to carry than regular rope, and it's just as strong. In the event of a zombie outbreak, you can fashion a makeshift alarm by surrounding your camp with strung up cans to get a heads-up when walkers trip them. But for everyday purposes, there’s always these 5 handy uses for paracord.
The last thing you want to be doing is drinking from a water source with a few dead walkers up stream. The LifeStraw is the easiest way to ensure you'll have clean drinking water as fast as possible. Its simplicity and portability make it an easy add-on to your outdoors or survival kit too.
It's always good to have some water on hand, as you may not know when the next safe time to get some will be. This Klean Kanteen is optimal for survival situations because of its single walled stainless steel construction. While insulated bottles are great for keeping things hot or cold, they can't be placed in a fire to boil water!
No, really. Irony aside, the only thing worse than worrying about battery life in a zombie apocalypse is getting stuck in the dark. These 100% waterproof flashlights charge up via sunlight and will stay charged for up to three full years.
There are several scenes throughout the series that revolve around watches. Knowing what time it is and how many days have passed is a way that the survivors keep in touch with their humanity. Instead of the hand-wound mechanical watches seen in the show, something like the solar powered G-Shock would do much better in a survival situation.
Ditch the makeshift battery and gum wrapper “fire starter” Eugene uses in season 5 and opt for something a bit more reliable. This fire starter is built into the handle of a knife made by respected bushcraft brand Morakniv, killing two birds with one stone.
Most of The Walking Dead is people looking for a place to settle down. Sure, they found a farmhouse, a prison, and even what seemed like the perfect little zombie-free town, but there were a lot of nights roughing it in the woods in between. This lightweight tarp is easy to carry, waterproof, and makes an excellent layer of protection between you and the elements.
Did the cast of The Walking Dead forget anything crucial? Let us know in the comments below what your go-to gear would be in the event of a zombie apocalypse! Hypothetically speaking, of course.
Yeah, everyday life seems safe enough. But that's only as long as you remain the apex predator. When you stray into human country, you need to be prepared. Your position at the top of the food chain is not assured. Remember what the PSAs taught you.
"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." African proverb
“Your father and I could never do what you did.”
Coming home after spending months living in a Sprinter van with my boyfriend, my mother was not alone in voicing the opinion that her relationship would not last the kind of one-on-one time a road trip entails. Friends and family alike struggled to see themselves and their significant others sharing a small space and navigating the more unpleasant challenges of travel. They imagine the little annoyances that would add up, the stifling lack of room to breathe. We spend a lot of time carving out roles in our relationships. So what happens when we break them?
I think of “close travel” as discovering new places and creating a novel routine with a companion. It’s made up of shared experiences and surprising fights. I don’t think an extended road trip is the only example of close travel, but it serves as a compelling study. I reached out to a few women on the road to reflect on their experiences and draw on lessons learned.
Madison Perrins of Vanajeros is touring the US with her boyfriend Aidan to document America’s National Parks for the centennial. They’re driving a Subaru and pitching tents to camp in the parks, creating content together and separately. Madison believes that close travel is beneficial for a relationship because it speeds things up. There’s no hiding, which is both challenging and rewarding.
Editors Note: Before Vanajeros started touring the US in a Subaru, they were driving through South America in their trusty van. Check out their dispatches from the road here, here, and here.
“Here is what traveling together does for you as a couple: it’s make or break. It may seem harsh, but travel exposes your weaknesses as a person almost immediately. When those shortcomings are revealed to your partner (and vice versa) you can’t just look away. It becomes clear whether you are willing to work as a team and step up your game when it comes to communicating.
"You're on a journey side by side, yeah. But you're on a journey for yourself, too.”
“Something that I’ve realized about myself is that I have a hard time speaking up if it means feelings are going to be hurt, often at the expense of my mental health. If your relationship does make it through the stressful circumstances that come with travel, you still have to fight to keep a separate identity.
“It all sounds very hard because it is — but I never thought I’d see such a transformation in myself. It used to seem counterintuitive to me, but I know now that when I make myself happy first, our relationship is unclouded by resentment. And I’ve possibly never felt more fulfilled than when that happens.”
The one thing Madison wishes she’d addressed with Aidan before taking off:
“I wish we'd clarified with one another that when you try and lighten someone's load, you rob them of their chance to expand. You're on a journey side by side, yeah. But you're on a journey for yourself, too.”
Laura Hughes doesn’t travel full time. She and her boyfriend, Shane, have a Ford Transit van that they kitted out as their weekend adventure vehicle. For them, close travel is an escape and an opportunity to connect outside of everyday life.
“Our van life is quiet, green, and slow. When we're on the road, we put down our phones and take advantage of doing all the activities we love outside. We spend time together and time apart. We watch the stars. It's a stark contrast to our life in the city where we are both employed full-time and have some sense of roots. Our life in the city is exciting and full of people we love; we are always balancing our time, our schedules, our commitments. It's louder, there's cheap Thai takeout, and we wake up to alarm clocks. The van has made us realize that even though we have an apartment, the home we have is with each other.
“I'm not convinced that traveling in a van together is for everyone, but I do think that every couple has their sweet spot when it comes to adventuring."
“Traveling together in close quarters injects a kind of special intimacy into your relationship that is hard to replicate. Although the less glamorous moments of your relationship are harder to escape when you're literally side by side, that's part of the magic. You can't ignore what's taking place, so it becomes natural to quickly recognize, communicate, and move forward with acceptance. So when I'm cold, or he's hangry, we try to work as a team to resolve things — we look out for one another. When the conflict is something bigger, we try to find a way where both of our needs are met. When you're in a 19-foot van on the border between the middle of nowhere and being lost together, things get pretty honest.
“I'm not convinced that traveling in a van together is for everyone, but I do think that every couple has their sweet spot when it comes to adventuring. Whether it's for a long weekend getaway in the mountains, a summer sailing trip over open waters, or an open-ended trip around North America, taking on the world together is something that everyone benefits from trying with their significant other.”
The best way to capture that “away” feeling at home:
“Be a little less comfortable at home and bring the outdoors in — turn off your cell phone, cook dinner over a single burner, and put up a tent in your living room.”
Megan McDuffie of Fresh Off the Grid is experiencing very close travel in a Ford hatchback (#sedanlife). She and her boyfriend Michael have devoted a year to kicking around the country and cooking up the most delicious camp meals. While she recognizes that they’ve become a better team since traveling, Megan doesn’t think travel should be over-romanticized.
“Taking this trip together has given us one of the greatest gifts we could have received: time together."
“I absolutely think that close travel can be good for a relationship. We have dated for three years and lived together for much of that time, so when we began our road trip we had a pretty solid relationship and understanding of each other. We’ve still grown tremendously as a couple in the past six months. We are more in tune with each other — we’ve started doing those obnoxious couple things like finishing each other’s sentences, thinking the same thing at the same time, and styling our hair the same way — we are better communicators, and we are better friends as a result of the time we’ve spent traveling together.
“Taking this trip together has given us one of the greatest gifts we could have received: time together. We worked day jobs we would only get to see each other a few hours of the beginning and end of the day, and much of that was spent trying to distract ourselves from the inevitability of going to work the next day.
“That all being said, I think that the emphasis needs to be on the word 'can.' I think that traveling with your significant other can be romanticized greatly when you’re daydreaming about it from your cubicle or scrolling through Instagram, but I’d like to share some of the reality, having lived 'the dream' for a few months.
“It’s hard. Travel pushes you — and by extension, your relationship — past its comfort zone. And that can, at times, be painful. If communication, conflict resolution, and forgiveness aren’t things that are already that are already strong in your relationship, I can see where close travel might not be good for your relationship. Tension can, and will, completely fill the small space you are in if you allow it. Addressing issues head on, but with some grace, is, in my mind, the only way to maintain a healthy environment for your relationship when traveling. Not that it’s healthy in any relationship regardless of your situation, but holding grudges, passive aggressive communication, and minimizing or ignoring conflicts are are sure way to ruin your trip and harm your relationship while traveling together.
“What it really come down to is growth. Traveling gives you the tremendous opportunity to cultivate new experiences, memories, life lessons at an accelerated pace. Getting to go through that with your partner is a powerful, bonding experience. I would say that few people I’ve met have remained unchanged by travel — and I think that extends to relationships as well. It always was and always will be about the journey.”
How Megan carves out time for herself on the road:
“I recharge by enjoying the quiet moments: listening to music, reading, or just absorbing the sounds in the outdoor spaces we occupy.”
Emily Harteau of Our Open Road isn’t just traveling with her husband, Adam, she’s sharing their VW Westfalia with their daughters as well. Aged five years and 18 months, respectively, Colette and Sierra have seen more of the world than most grown adults. Like Megan, Emily values the time close travel allows to nurture her family.
“Close travel cuts to the heart of the matter, removes normal paths from view, and deletes those familiar shelters to hide in. Exposing both parties to both the wonders and challenges of life on the road, there is a camaraderie built upon that common road traveled. Living in new territory requires a relationship to be flexible and always changing, if you are a person who is not open to change, this will likely be a challenging experience.”
“Raising our children on the road, we are given the gift of time to invest in them in a completely different manner than previously possible. Pursuing creative passions is a complex challenge living in a tiny van, but we find that raising children is one of the most rewarding creative pursuits we have ever undertaken.”
Emily’s one piece of advice for parents who are intimidated to travel with children:
“Even small amounts of time sharing new experiences through travel will give an exponential reward in new fodder for your children's' minds. Set your schedules on the back burner and let your family become immersed in the experience, not on a checklist. Trading expectation for experience is a greatly rewarding practice.” [H]
Gale Straub loves landscape photography and believes you don't need to travel the country to see something new every single day. She's the founder of She-Explores, a site for inquisitive women in the outdoors, on the road, and besides.
I’m writing this while sitting at SeaTac International Airport, awaiting my third flight of the day as I make my way to Alaska for a backcountry snow machine tour. It’s the twelfth time I’ve occupied an airport in the last 24 days; they’re starting to blend together.
In the spirit of honesty, I'll tell you that my ex-girlfriend and I got into a fight the night before I left, and a series of texts this very afternoon has signaled what seems to be the end of an eight-month rollercoaster of highs and lows. So it looks like I'll be making plans to spend Valentine's Day on my own this year.
Perhaps because I'm so terrible at maintaining any sort of relationship, I'm pretty damn good at being alone, especially around the holidays.
Perhaps because I'm so terrible at maintaining any sort of relationship, I'm pretty damn good at being alone, especially around the holidays. Last Christmas I found myself while wandering the streets of Pokhara. This Thanksgiving I had an eight-dollar filet mignon in Kathmandu before spending the rest of the night joyriding a rickshaw around Thamel. The last Valentine's Day that I remember celebrating was spent hiking 55 miles of the Trans Catalina Trail in a weekend with my buddy Alan (I wasn't totally alone here, but you get the picture).
Throughout the years and these experiences, I've learned how to make the most out of this love-centric holiday, even if I'm not in a relationship. Here are a few of my tried and true tips for staving off depression this Valentine's Day.
Few things are as gratifying as picking up a new skill, especially as an adult. Whether it's learning how to build a table from scratch, taking a cooking class, or sending your first route at the crag — the challenge of learning something new will occupy your mind while simultaneously providing opportunities to meet like-minded people, grow as a person, and develop new confidence in yourself. Maybe you’ll even discover a hidden talent along the way.
Or rediscover an old one. Whether it’s stored on Pinterest, a note-taking app, or a in pocket journal, you surely keep a list of places you’ve been dying to explore. So go explore them. Chances are that one of those destinations is within five hours from where you live, whether it’s accessible by flying or driving. Don’t have a ton of cash to throw down? There are equal chances that someplace awesome is lurking nearby. Find it. (National forests and Wilderness areas are a great place to start looking.)
Alternately, some places are worth revisiting. You know which ones those are. They call out to you like a siren at sea — beckoning your soul with promises of a renewed spirit. Answer that call. But don’t expect the same experience that you had before. Cast away any preconceived notions of what you might find and rediscover those gems in a new light.
Who besides your mother loves you unconditionally? Your pet. Camping and hiking with your dog (or even your cat!) can create a special bond between the two of you. And that bond is pretty incredible, especially when shared in the backcountry. Try it out; you might find yourself a new adventure buddy.
You work hard, and there’s nothing wrong with a little self-indulgence. So get a massage. Grill a nice steak. Go do something fun: think dirt biking or go-karting or paragliding. Really, anything that you enjoy or you’ve been wanting to try will do. By the end of it, you’ll have enjoyed the activity so much that you won’t even remember that you were preoccupied on a holiday designed for couples.
What’s better than treating yourself? Treating someone else. It could be a simple gesture like buying a drink for the person in line behind you at the coffee shop, or something more committed like volunteering to play board games with patients at your local hospital or enlisting in a trail crew to do maintenance on your favorite hike. Whatever it is will not only enrich someone else’s day, but it’ll make you feel better about yourself, too. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
While this outlook may seem pessimistic at first, it's actually quite the opposite. Modern society has commercialized a handful of days throughout each year, convincing us that those days are more special than the rest — but that's BS. Each and every day on this glorious planet is is a gift, so treat it like one. If we shift our perspective and approach life with the vigor and passion it deserves, then we can’t go wrong — even when nothing seems to go right. Perspective is key.
And for those who are sharing Valentine’s with a significant other? Great for you! Enjoy every beautiful minute of each other’s presence. A good place to start? Instead of exchanging presents, put that money toward a shared experience. It doesn’t matter what the experience is, but the memories from it will far outlast anything that can be bought in a shop. Unless you buy it from Huckberry—because if that’s the case, you're in store for an adventure. [H]
Whether he’s climbing in the Himalayas or writing from LA, Chris Brinlee Jr. is an adventurer and storyteller who can’t stay put for more than a few weeks at a time.
Check out his Ambassador Shop here.
If you want to get things done, you’ll have more luck creating a system for your habits than simply relying on motivation. Next time you’ve kicked ass on a project, whether it’s a research paper, a presentation, or any other task, take a minute to think about what worked best so you can come up with a system for future success.
This year’s dunk contest was one of the best in recent memory (Aaron Gordon got hosed), but the best dunk of the weekend was one that happened during a timeout at last night’s All-Star game.
Feature: The world's last hope against deadly pandemics and the Zombie Apocalypse (if you trust depictions in TV and film) is locked down tight, except for this public museum. ...
Marketing a small business isn’t easy. There are tight budgets to worry about, niche markets to satisfy, and the constant demands of other marketing obligations. But on the flip side, marketing a small business is incredibly exhilarating. In a small business context, it’s much easier to see the immediate impact of a [...]
Of all the programs included in Microsoft’s Office suite, Excel is perhaps the most intimidating. There’s an enormous scope to what you can accomplish with the software, and that can be overwhelming. Even finding the desired function from a packed toolbar can be a challenge — unless you know the right keyboard shortcuts. It might be impossible to commit all the combinations in this guide to memory, but even one or two essential shortcuts can have a massive impact if you use Excel on a regular basis. Used in conjunction with the standard set of shortcuts that apply to Windows more...
by Claire Lower on Skillet, shared by Alan Henry to Lifehacker
As a child, you may have imagined your adult diet as a buffet of your favorites, like hot dogs and Oreos. Your tastes probably matured along with the rest of you, but a childhood classic still hits the spot once in awhile. To make sure you revisit the past in the tastiest way possible, we’ve rounded up some upgrades.
I have used this woodpecker suet feeder for several years. This male Pileated Woodpecker, in all this time of watching, has never used this side of the feeder. There is another hanging feeder next to this one and I assume they did not like the obstacle. They are big birds and come flying in like a 747. Amazing how they can move through the landscape. To give reference of the size, there are two suet cakes in the feeder. They are each four inches tall. If you notice underneath the suet, the board hanging down. Woodpeckers need this to push off the feeder to get airborne. You can see the tail planted against the board.
There are so many tips and tricks for Amazon with more popping up all the time. From hidden Prime benefits to free shipping tricks, you always can learn more about the online retail giant. That being said, we’ve dug up even more Amazon features to make your shopping experience better. From the useful to the creative, here are five neat features you might have missed on Amazon. Use Your Card Reward Points at Checkout There are plenty of geeky ways to spend your credit card reward points, but you don’t have to be a geek to spend them at Amazon....
Can't choose between the Speedster and Low Drag coupe? Eagle splits the difference with the new Spyder GT convertible, taking the Jaguar E-Type to the next level.
Google is on the hunt for a site in Michigan to create an autonomous vehicle research and development lab. The tech giant might also start testing driverless vehicles in Ann Arbor.
(Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal/Zach Weinersmith)
Google just made it easier to visit some of the US' biggest landmarks without hopping on an airplane.
Consistent style has made the Porsche 911 one of the most iconic cars in the world. Here's a look at how it's changed through the years.
