<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c62f7a370a61e17166e9f57-1435/screen%20shot%202019-02-12%20at%20113846%20am.png" border="0" alt="lovesync button kickstarter" data-mce-source="LoveSync via Kickstarter" data-link="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lovesync/lovesync-kickstart-your-love-life/"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lovesync/lovesync-kickstart-your-love-life/">LoveSync via Kickstarter</a></span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="http://lovesync.com/">LoveSync</a> is a device that lets you silently and "anonymously" indicate to your partner you're in the mood for sex with the push of a button.</li><li>A campaign to fundraise for LoveSync was <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lovesync/lovesync-kickstart-your-love-life/description">launched Monday on Kickstarter</a>, and the device has already raised more than half toward its $7,500 goal.</li><li>Users on social media are roasting the button for its purpose to "summon" your partner and intent to replace audible consent for sex.</li></ul><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/amazon">Amazon</a> pioneered the idea of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-adds-new-dash-buttons-2016-3">miniature buttons that consumers press</a> to quickly order household staples like laundry detergent and potato chips. Now, a startup has a button for couples to request another household essential: sex.&#xa0;</p><p>On Monday, a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/kickstarter">Kickstarter</a> campaign launched to introduce the world to LoveSynch buttons. The buttons are designed to help partners signal when they're in the mood for sex.</p><p>LoveSync buttons come in a set - one for each person to go on their bedside tables - so you can press it when you want to indicate to your partner that you want to have sex. If both partners tap their respective buttons during the same 15-minute "consensus window," both buttons will emit a glowing green light so you know the other person is horny too.</p><p>Although it's only a Kickstarter concept at this point, the LoveSync button unveiled by its creators aims for the elegant design of an Apple product of Nest thermostat, with a "CNC machined steel housing" and a capacitive touch sensor.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c6309052628983793262055-689/screen%20shot%202019-02-12%20at%20125608%20pm.png" border="0" alt="lovesync button kickstarter" data-mce-source="LoveSync via Kickstarter" data-link="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lovesync/lovesync-kickstart-your-love-life/description"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lovesync/lovesync-kickstart-your-love-life/description">LoveSync via Kickstarter</a></span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>The device is designed to "take the luck out of getting lucky" so you can "make your move with confidence," LoveSync's <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lovesync/lovesync-kickstart-your-love-life/description">Kickstarter campaign says</a>. LoveSync is meant to let you know when your partner wants sex so you don't have to risk initiating and getting shot down.</p><p>However, LoveSync's launch on Kickstarter wasn't met with entirely positive reactions on social media. Twitter users skewered the device for a number of its features, as well as the product's description on Kickstarter.</p><p>The video accompanying the LoveSync's campaign page says you can push the button "anonymously" - which is puzzling, considering the buttons are advertised for a two-person couple.</p><p>Users also took aim at LoveSync's high price for a replacement versus simply asking your partner for sex. A set of the LoveSync buttons goes for $57 (unless you nab an early bird price).</p><p>Some also drew similarities between LoveSync and the <a href="https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/nut-button">nut button meme</a>, which first emerged online in 2016.</p><p>The founders are <a href="http://lovesync.com/our-story/">a Cleveland couple</a> named Ryan and Jenn Cmich, who say i<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lovesync/lovesync-kickstart-your-love-life/description">n a promo video</a> they've lost the "joys of romance" after being married for 15 years. The buttons, they say, are a solution to an "age-old problem" that allow you to "get your LoveSync on."</p><p>Since the campaign launched Monday, LoveSync already has 84 backers who have pledged more than $4,000.&#xa0;</p><p>LoveSync has until March 13 to reach its $7,500 goal, and backers will get their LoveSync buttons in August 2019 if the campaign proves successful.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>I love to anonymously trigger my horniness device in the hopes that my partner has also triggered their horniness device and that the patent-pending lovesync technology finds consensus in our sexual desire spectrum ratings.</p>- Ryan Broderick  (@broderick) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1095044317905866759?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2019</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>At first I thought this product was totally ridiculous but basically harmless, and then I realized THEY DESIGNED IT TO USE A CENTRAL HORNINESS SERVER <a href="https://t.co/busnEGfjZk">https://t.co/busnEGfjZk</a></p>- Parker Higgins  (@xor) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1095078089078595584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2019</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>the 2019 we deserve <a href="https://t.co/aoTyIBxOx8">pic.twitter.com/aoTyIBxOx8</a></p>- Anthony V.  (@fascinated) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1095120253888155653?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2019</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>my favorite part is that your partner "anonymously pushes the button."<br><br>THERE ARE ONLY TWO OF YOU, HOW IS IT ANONYMOUS?!</br></br></p>- julia 🤔 alexander  (@loudmouthjulia) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1095042402849558529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2019</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>The two best things about LoveSync are: 1. Saying it out loud requires you to clarify "not like a kitchen sink" every time. 2. "anonymously"????? <a href="https://t.co/irIhdl4PrQ">pic.twitter.com/irIhdl4PrQ</a></p>- austin walker  (@austin_walker) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1095106296913645570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2019</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>If my husband spent $50 on a button to summon me to have sex with him, he wouldn't be having sex with anyone for a while, I'll tell ya that much for free <a href="https://t.co/Yew3b0aURb">https://t.co/Yew3b0aURb</a></p>- Ej Dickson  (@ejdickson) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1095058609342504963?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2019</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>LoveSync: "whoever said communication is definitely part of a healthy relationship was stupid and dumb, here's a sex summoning button" <a href="https://t.co/3FHmQy1xtk">https://t.co/3FHmQy1xtk</a></p>- 👾.ashley.🎙  (@AshleyEsqueda) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1095072962019880960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2019</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>straight people are you fucking okay <a href="https://t.co/1Q5YTuPGjP">https://t.co/1Q5YTuPGjP</a></p>- despite everything, it's still Ben  (@FauxBen) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1095059041905041408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2019</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>LoveSync <a href="https://t.co/LZUbbHz1o3">pic.twitter.com/LZUbbHz1o3</a></p>- Megan Farokhmanesh  (@Megan_Nicolett) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1095117278813843456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2019</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/snapchat-losing-popularity-social-media-app-facebook-tiktok-2019-1">6 reasons Snapchat is losing its popularity</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/KpBf4A9P-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Someone has created a $57 button that lets your partner know you want sex without talking, and the internet is stunned

<p><em><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Insider Picks</a><span> </span>writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. We receive a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.</em></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://fave.co/2F9DDUN" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c8a6cab5b066e334e513b32-1200/ps3.jpg" border="0" alt="ps3" data-mce-source="PhoneSoap" /></a><p class="source"><span>PhoneSoap</span></p><p class="caption">Sanitize your phone while it charges with PhoneSoap.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Our cell phones hold <a href="https://fave.co/2VQ8fA7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">18 times more bacteria than a public restroom</a>. </li><li>While most of us focus on keeping our hands sanitized, our cell phones often go neglected, leaving bacteria to thrive on our devices. </li><li><a href="https://amzn.to/2EXdozy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PhoneSoap</a> is a small device that uses UV-C light to sanitize your phone, killing 99.9% of common household germs and ultimately keeping you healthier.</li></ul><p>How often do you wash your hands? What about your face? Or, your clothes?</p><p>The answer probably is - or should be (though I'm not here to tell you how to live your life): a lot. </p><p>Now how often do you wash your phone?</p><p>The answer is probably close to never, but it shouldn't be. For most of us, our phones are like appendages, traveling with us everywhere we go, accompanying us through all of our daily activities. Maybe you take a cloth to your phone every now and then to wipe away the smudges and call it a day, but if you think that actually cleans it, you're in for a rude awakening. </p><p>A <a href="https://fave.co/2VQ8fA7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cell phone has 18 times more bacteria than a public restroom</a>. That might sound crazy, but think about it - everything your hands touch touches your phone too. So, that bacteria lurking on the grocery cart you pushed, the door knob you opened, the subway pole you held - well, you know where it ends up. </p><p>If these cringe-worthy facts just made you never want to touch your phone again, I get it. Luckily, there's a solution - and no, it doesn't involve dousing your phone in hand sanitizer. </p><p><span>Meet <a href="https://amzn.to/2EXdozy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PhoneSoap</a>, the little gadget that safely sanitizes your phone, leaving your device free of bacteria and you with some peace of mind. </span></p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/2EXdozy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c8a6db6f73f5c31a272c02c-1131/phonesoap1.jpg" border="0" alt="phonesoap1" data-mce-source="Amazon" /><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></span></a></p><h2>How it works </h2><p><a href="https://amzn.to/2EXdozy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PhoneSoap</a> has a simple but effective design. It looks like a small, rectangular box - making it the perfect size to keep on your bedside table, at your office desk, or even your kitchen counter. On the outside of the box, you'll find space for three cables - the power cord, a USB, and a USB-C. To get the PhoneSoap set up, simply plug the included power cord into the wall, then into the PhoneSoap and you're all set to get sanitizing. Place your phone inside the gadget and close. Once closed, you'll see the lightning bolt power signal turn blue - this means it's charging. After ten minutes, the light will turn off and your phone is ready to go. If you'd like to charge your phone simultaneously, you have the option to plug in your personal USB or USB-C cord.</p><p><span style="color: #000000;">So, you put your phone in a box and it cleans it, but how does it actually get the cleaning done? The power of PhoneSoap comes in the form of <a href="https://fave.co/2HyhQaZ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UV-C light</a>. Inside the little box are two powerful UV-C lightbulbs. <a href="http://www.uvresources.com/resources/faqs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UV-C light is germicidal</a>, meaning it breaks down the DNA of nasty bacteria so it can no longer function or reproduce. The lightbulbs on the top and bottom of the device, paired with the reflective interior inside the entire gadget, help achieve 360-degree disinfection </span>- so even the tiny, hard-to-reach crevices of your phone are clean. The UV-C light is so powerful,that it only needs ten minutes to get your phone clean - after that time, PhoneSoap automatically turns off, so don't worry about your phone getting overheated.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://amzn.to/2TvvHpJ" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c8a6e45003f5c333266c100-1131/phonesoappetri.jpg" border="0" alt="phonesoappetri" data-mce-source="PhoneSoap" /></a><p class="source"><span>PhoneSoap</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2><span style="color: #000000;">Does it <em>actually</em> work?</span></h2><p>You've probably heard that bacteria is good for you. It boosts our immunity, right? Well, the answer is not that simple. Our bodies do count on some strains of bacteria to function properly, but there are also <a href="https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/germs.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">many forms of bacteria</a> that are harmful and can cause illness and infections. Laboratory tests have shown that <a href="https://fave.co/2Hu5noy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PhoneSoap kills 99.9% of common household germs</a>, including bacteria that leads to E.Coli, Salmonella, Staph, Flu, and the common cold.</p><p>To some, this product might seem more placebo effect than practical, but the numbers tell a different story - 99.9% is almost all of the germy grime on your phone. Plus, sanitizing with UV-C light isn't new - hospitals and laboratories have been using UV light to keep facilities sterile since the mid-20th century. </p><p>As for us, the consumers, I guess there's no way we can really <em>tell </em>that our phone is cleaner. What we can rely on, though, is the data from all of the testing PhoneSoap has done to gauge the effectiveness of the product, and the lab pictures they've got to accompany it (see above).</p><h2>Bottom Line</h2><p>For better or for worse, our phones are sticking with us. And, unless you're planning on washing your hands and face before and after each time you pick up your device, all that bacteria is sticking with you too. <a href="https://amzn.to/2EXdozy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PhoneSoap</a> is an simple solution to keep harmful bacteria from spreading - not only from your phone to you, but from you to others as well. If you live with anyone who may have a compromised immune system - young children, elderly or ill individuals - PhoneSoap could be a particularly important investment. </p><p>At $60, it's generally just a great investment for anyone. PhoneSoap is large enough to fit all phones on the market, even with a case on. Additionally, you can throw in anything else that will fit - earphones, watches, even wallets. </p><p>And it's more than just peace of mind. PhoneSoap gives real results that'll help keep you and the people around you healthier. Germaphobe or not, if you're going to treat your phone like your third hand, you should clean it like one, too. </p><h3>Get the PhoneSoap Sanitizer for $59.95 at <a href="https://amzn.to/2TvvHpJ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amazon</a> or <a href="https://fave.co/2F9DDUN" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PhoneSoap</a></h3><p class="tagline"><a href="http://e.businessinsider.com/join/ci/insider-picks">Subscribe to our newsletter.</a><br><br>Find all the best offers at our <a href="https://coupons.businessinsider.com/">Coupons page</a>.<br><br>Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks">Insider Picks</a> team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.</br></br></br></br></p>

Your phone has 18 times more bacteria than a public restroom - this clever device sanitizes it for you

<p><em>The<span> </span></em><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks"><em>Insider Picks<span> </span></em></a><em>team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business <keyword id="79969" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="insider">Insider</keyword> has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.</em></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5bef4553bde70f3a2405dbdc-640/download.jpg" border="0" alt="download" data-mce-source="Aquaphor" /><p class="source"><span>Aquaphor</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Drugstore staple <a href="https://amzn.to/2SDHzSr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aquaphor</a> can be used on the under-eye area and face to lock in skin's moisture, especially in the dry winter months, for under $10.</strong></li><li style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>A study published in the British Journal of Dermatology has found a link between dry and skin and wrinkles, and Aquaphor delivers a level of hydration that can keep fine lines from forming.</strong></li><li style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>It can also be used as a balm for dry skin, dermatitis, and scrapes.</strong></li></ul><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Years ago, I worked as a journalist on the entertainment news beat - which meant I spent a good amount of time face to face with impossibly beautiful actresses, singers, and socialites. In person, these women were even more flawless than you can imagine: perfect, plump skin, no fine lines in sight, and an otherworldly glow that can't be attributed to highlighter (or an Instagram filter) alone. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Luckily, the bulk of my job involved interviewing celebs about their beauty must-haves, and I paid special attention anytime anti-aging products came up in conversation. I always expected my high-profile interviewees to rattle off a long list of luxury serums, moisturizers, and creams that I couldn't afford (or maybe even pronounce); and most of the time, that's exactly what happened. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Until the day one of Hollywood's elite (who shall remain nameless - a journalist never reveals her sources, after all) confided in me her surprisingly low-key anti-aging eye treatment: Aquaphor, an under-$10 drugstore staple that you probably already have in your bathroom cabinet. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I admit that <a href="https://amzn.to/2SDHzSr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aquaphor</a> seems like an unexpected choice for eye care. The mineral-packed jelly is actually intended to heal cracked hands and feet or treat minor scrapes, and doesn't boast any fine line-fighting skincare ingredients like retinol or vitamin C. However, its ability to cover the outermost layer of skin with a watertight seal and lock in hydration makes it an anti-aging agent, as well. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why? Because hydration has been shown to be </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">the</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> most important factor in remaining wrinkle-free. One </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20184587" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">study published in the British Journal of Dermatology</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> observed a group of 122 women over a period of eight years, and found that over time, well-moisturized skin looks significantly younger than dry skin. In fact, subjects with hydrated skin saw only 22% more wrinkles over eight years, while participants with dry skin saw 52% more wrinkles. In other words, moisturization (along with sun protection, of course) is the key to bouncy, younger-looking skin - and Aquaphor is nothing if not extremely moisturizing.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A quick peek at the ingredients list proves it: With petrolatum as its base, <a href="https://amzn.to/2SDHzSr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aquaphor</a> creates a water-protective barrier around the area of application to help the skin retain moisture. It also includes hydration-sealing emollients like natural mineral oil and lanolin, and a waxy mineral substance called cerasin, which makes the formula safe for sensitive skin. Finally, Aquaphor is packed with pathenol, a derivative of vitamin B that stimulates skin cell regeneration, and chamomile, a natural anti-inflammatory.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It's worth noting that <a href="https://amzn.to/2SDHzSr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aquaphor</a> doesn't add hydration; it simply prevents a natural function known as Transepidermal Water Loss (or TEWL), in which water evaporates from the skin. This process speeds up as you age, leading to drier, thinner skin - aka fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging. By keeping your moisture levels locked and sealed, Aquaphor basically defies the forces of time and nature. (Traditional moisturizers act in pretty much the opposite way - they add moisture, but don't seal it in.)</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While all of that </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">sounds </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">great, I'll be the first to say that applying Aquaphor as an eye cream is not the most user-friendly experience. The thick, jelly-like texture is slippery and goopy and doesn't exactly sink into the skin; but the payoff is </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">so, so </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">worth it. I've been using this as my go-to eye treatment every night since this celebrity spilled her secret, and my skin has never looked more hydrated or glowing. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I reach for Aquaphor to treat any dry patches of atopic dermatitis that pop up - they're always gone by morning - and have even been known to slather a light layer on my cheekbones and brow bones during the day as a subtle highlighter. Aquaphor is also my #1 in-flight hydration hack. Frequent fliers, take note: I slather my face in the stuff after boarding, and by touch-down I'm the glowiest girl on the plane.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I can't get enough: I keep an extra-large jar in my bathroom, and travel-size tubes in my pockets, purses, and bedside table. With the weather getting colder and skin getting drier, I suggest stockpiling Aquaphor to keep the delicate under eye area plump and hydrated. You've got nothing to lose (except $10).</span></p><h3><strong>Buy the Aquaphor Healing Ointment for $9.96 (7 oz.) at <a href="https://amzn.to/2SDHzSr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amazon</a>.</strong></h3><h3><strong>Buy the Aquaphor Healing Ointment for $4.99 (1.75 oz.) at <a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/3861930/type/dlg/https://www.ulta.com/healing-ointment-tube?productId=xlsImpprod11821031" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ulta</a> and <a href="http://goto.target.com/c/196318/81938/2092?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Faquaphor-healing-ointment-tube-1-75oz%2F-%2FA-52636639" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Target</a>.</strong></h3><p class="tagline">Find the best holiday deals on our <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/black-friday-deals-2018">Black Friday Deals</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cyber-monday-deals-2018">Cyber Monday Deals</a> page. <a href="http://e.businessinsider.com/join/ci/insider-picks">Subscribe to our newsletter.</a>.<br>Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks">Insider Picks</a> team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.<br>Find all the best offers at our <a href="https://coupons.businessinsider.com/">Coupons page</a>.</br></br></p>

This surprisingly low-key eye treatment I swear by is less than $10

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/52781880ecad0476189596c1-1200-924/medical-wwi-520519.jpeg?maxX=800" border="0" alt="Medical WWI marines" width="800" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.mcu.usmc.mil/historydivision/MedicalWWI/Forms/DispForm.aspx?ID=1&amp;Source=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Emcu%2Eusmc%2Emil%2Fhistorydivision%2FMedicalWWI%2FForms%2FAllItems%2Easpx&amp;RootFolder=%2Fhistorydivision%2FMedicalWWI">U.S. Marine Corps Photo</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">AS NEW YEAR approached a century ago, most people in the West looked forward to 1914 with optimism. The hundred years since the Battle of Waterloo had not been entirely free of disaster--there had been a horrific civil war in America, some regional scraps in Asia, the Franco-Prussian war and the occasional colonial calamity. But continental peace had prevailed. Globalisation and new technology--the telephone, the steamship, the train--had knitted the world together. John Maynard Keynes has a wonderful image of a Londoner of the time, "sipping his morning tea in bed" and ordering "the various products of the whole earth" to his door, much as he might today from Amazon--and regarding this state of affairs as "normal, certain and permanent, except in the direction of further improvement". The Londoner might well have had by his bedside table a copy of Norman Angell's "The Great Illusion", which laid out the argument that Europe's economies were so integrated that war was futile.</span></p>
<p>Yet within a year, the world was embroiled in a most horrific war. It cost 9m lives--and many times that number if you take in the various geopolitical tragedies it left in its wake, from the creation of Soviet Russia to the too-casual redrawing of Middle Eastern borders and the rise of Hitler. From being a friend of freedom, technology became an agent of brutality, slaughtering and enslaving people on a terrifying scale. Barriers shot up around the world, especially during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The globalisation that Keynes's Londoner enjoyed only really began again in 1945--or, some would argue, in the 1990s, when eastern Europe was set free and Deng Xiaoping's reforms began bearing fruit in China.</p>
<p>The driving force behind the catastrophe that befell the world a century ago was Germany, which was looking for an excuse for a war that would allow it to dominate Europe. Yet complacency was also to blame. Too many people, in London, Paris and elsewhere, believed that because Britain and Germany were each other's biggest trading partners after America and there was therefore no economic logic behind the conflict, war would not happen. As Keynes put it, "The projects and politics of militarism and imperialism, of racial and cultural rivalries, of monopolies, restrictions and exclusion, which were to play the serpent to this paradise, were little more than the amusements of [the Londoner's]...daily newspaper."</p>
<h3>Playing your role</h3>
<p>Humanity can learn from its mistakes, as shown by the response to the economic crisis, which was shaped by a determination to avoid the mistakes that led to the Depression. The memory of the horrors unleashed a century ago makes leaders less likely to stumble into war today. So does the explosive power of a modern conflagration: the threat of a nuclear holocaust is a powerful brake on the reckless escalation that dispatched a generation of young men into the trenches.</p>
<p>Yet the parallels remain troubling. The United States is Britain, the superpower on the wane, unable to guarantee global security. Its main trading partner, China, plays the part of Germany, a new economic power bristling with nationalist indignation and building up its armed forces rapidly. Modern Japan is France, an ally of the retreating hegemon and a declining regional power. The parallels are not exact--China lacks the Kaiser's territorial ambitions and America's defence budget is far more impressive than imperial Britain's--but they are close enough for the world to be on its guard.</p>
<p>Which, by and large, it is not. The most troubling similarity between 1914 and now is complacency. Businesspeople today are like businesspeople then: too busy making money to notice the serpents flickering at the bottom of their trading screens. Politicians are playing with nationalism just as they did 100 years ago. China's leaders whip up Japanophobia, using it as cover for economic reforms, while Shinzo Abe stirs Japanese nationalism for similar reasons. India may next year elect Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist who refuses to atone for a pogrom against Muslims in the state he runs and who would have his finger on the button of a potential nuclear conflict with his Muslim neighbours in Pakistan. Vladimir Putin has been content to watch Syria rip itself apart. And the European Union, which came together in reaction to the bloodshed of the 20th century, is looking more fractious and riven by incipient nationalism than at any point since its formation.</p>
<h3>I have drunk and seen the spider</h3>
<p>Two precautions would help prevent any of these flashpoints sparking a conflagration. One is a system for minimising the threat from potential dangers. Nobody is quite clear what will happen when North Korea implodes, but America and China need to plan ahead if they are to safeguard its nuclear programme without antagonising each other. China is playing an elaborately dangerous game of "chicken" around its littoral with its neighbours. Eventually, somebody is bound to crash into somebody else--and there is as yet no system for dealing with it. A code of maritime conduct for the area is needed.</p>
<p>The second precaution that would make the world safer is a more active American foreign policy. Despite forging an interim nuclear agreement with Iran, Barack Obama has pulled back in the Middle East--witness his unwillingness to use force in Syria. He has also done little to bring the new emerging giants--India, Indonesia, Brazil and, above all, China--into the global system. This betrays both a lack of ambition and an ignorance of history. Thanks to its military, economic and soft power, America is still indispensable, particularly in dealing with threats like climate change and terror, which cross borders. But unless America behaves as a leader and the guarantor of the world order, it will be inviting regional powers to test their strength by bullying neighbouring countries.</p>
<p>The chances are that none of the world's present dangers will lead to anything that compares to the horrors of 1914. Madness, whether motivated by race, religion or tribe, usually gives ground to rational self-interest. But when it triumphs, it leads to carnage, so to assume that reason will prevail is to be culpably complacent. That is the lesson of a century ago.</p>
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