Traveling aboard a luxury cruise ship is often the best way to explore new places, but some cruise lines offer experiences that are just a notch above the rest. 

In its most recent issue, National Geographic Traveler put together a list of the 21 best cruises in the world, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Nile River.

Below, we've selected our favorites from the list, highlighting ships that include perks like "snow rooms" and spa services, and others that offer travelers unparalleled experiences like tours of tropical gardens in the Marquesas Islands. All captions are by National Geographic Traveler.

SEE ALSO: 13 stunning photos that show why Oman is the next big destination for luxury travelers

The Seychelles islands

"The 62-passenger Crystal Esprit, the first yacht from this famed luxury line, spends winters at these Indian Ocean islands. Release baby turtles into the surf and admire the giant coco-de-mer palms."

The Amazon River

"Aqua Expeditions' Aria Amazon sails through the Peruvian rain forest, with visits to indigenous villages and a chance to fish for piranha. Onboard, menus celebrate local fare with ceviche, river fish, and hearts of palm salad."

The Nile River

"Lounging on pillows stuffed with Egyptian cotton on the top deck of Nour El Nil's Meroë, you'll feel like a modern-day pharaoh as you journey past date palms, ibis, and the temples at Edfu and Kom Ombo."

It's an indisputable fact that no brand has driven sneaker culture like Nike. 

It has connected running, hip hop, and streetwear, made athletes into legends, and helped change American attitudes on exercise. 

Here's just a few of the ways Nike has defined "cool" in American culture since its founding more than 50 years ago.

Drake Baer contributed reporting to an earlier version of this article.

SEE ALSO: Nike's business is 'going to get darker before the dawn'

1973: Nike signs its first athlete to an endorsement deal

Steve Prefontaine, a 22-year-old known as "Pre," as he came to be known, was an elite runner.

He set his first national record at age 15 by running two miles in 8:41:5. He held an American record in every long-distance event, from 2,000 meters to 10,000 meters, before his tragic death in a car accident at 24 years old.

Pre signed his deal with Nike in 1974 for $5,000. The Nike brand was just three years old.

With his flowing hair, punk rock attitude, and unprecedented success, Pre helped brand Nike as swaggering, dominant, and committed to athletic excellence.

1970-1978: Nike helps popularize jogging

Nike cofounder Bill Bowerman was a track coach at the University of Oregon. He was instrumental in luring Pre to the University of Oregon and having him sign on to Nike. 

Bowerman was a huge proponent of running recreationally, or, as it would become known, jogging. While it seems like running has always been popular, it didn't actually become a common pursuit until the running boom of the 1970s.

"Certainly running was already popular among kids and athletes in the 1970s, but it wasn't the social activity that we see it as today,"says marketing analyst Garrett Moon."The growing white-collar workforce helped pave the way for social activities that included the promotion of cardiovascular health. Once the trend was ingrained, the need shifted and the 'jogging shoes' themselves became the felt need."

Bowerman helped push running into the mainstream with "Jogging," a book he wrote with a medical doctor explaining the benefits of running recreationally. As a sportswear maker with a US market share of close to 50% in running shoes, Nike was able to benefit from this.

1985: Nike launches the Air Jordan.

No one could have predicted what Michael Jordan's Nike endorsement would mean for the brand. The first shoe the two collaborated on, the Air Jordan, was released in September 1985. 

The shoes were famously "banned" from the court by the NBA in October 1985, as they didn't fit the required color scheme. The league fined Jordan $5,000 each time he wore the sneakers during a game, and Nike gladly covered the expenses.

Nike created a TV commercial with this fact, giving the shoes an infamously cool vibe. The attention gained from the incident helped the shoe become a runaway success.

The Air Jordan brand later became its own sub-brand of Nike. It developed a cult following, with sneaker fans lining up for every new limited release.

Stress affects all of us sometimes. Work, relationships, and money problems are some of the most common triggers.

When you have a lot going on at work, it can get even harder to focus. This can result in a build up of more work you haven't been able to concentrate on, thus causing a vicious cycle of a more stress.

CEOs and founders of big companies have all gone through stressful moments like everyone else, and they all have different ways of dealing with the tough times.

Here are how some of the most successful people in the world have learned to unwind after years of managing the stress that comes with running a global business.

1. Bill Gates

Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates likes to read before bed. He told The Seattle Times he reads for at least an hour, no matter how late it is.

Gates has also taken a lot of advice from Warren Buffett over the years. In an interview with Fortune magazine, Gates said something he learned from Buffett was to keep things simple.

"His ability to boil things down, to just work on the things that really count, to think through the basics — it's so amazing that he can do that. It's a special form of genius."

In other words, strip away all the fuss and it's easier to focus on the task at hand.

2. Tim Cook

After receiving an honorary degree from The University of Glasgow, Apple CEO Tim Cook advised students to stay positive and tune out a lot of the noise you'll come up against in life. Listening to everyone all the time is incredibly stressful.

"In today's environment, the world is full of cynics and you have to tune them out," he said. "Because if not, they become a cancer in your mind, in your thinking, and you begin thinking that you can't or that life is negative."

3. Meg Whitman

Meg Whitman has had an amazing career at several massive companies, including P&G, eBay, and now Hewlett-Packard. In an interview with Fast Company, Whitman mentioned her love of fly-fishing. She and her son go about six times every year.

According to research from the University of California's Merced campus, engaging in leisure activities can provide immediate stress relief, and can also have other health benefits. Research from the National Library of Medicine also showed regular leisure activity can manage negative feelings such as stress.

When a man turns 30, he turns around and looks back at his life.

But he should also turn around and look back at his wardrobe because, chances are, it's been neglected in his younger years.

We've identified 22 of the most important essentials that every guy should have by the time he turns the big three-oh.

If you're approaching or over 30, it might be time to go shopping.

SEE ALSO: 14 apps every modern gentleman should have on his phone

A full suit that is tailored and fits well.

No more excuses. There's no questioning you're an adult now. You need at least one suit, preferably in navy or gray.

Really, you should have both by now. What have you been doing all this time? Come on. Get on it.

A nice blazer to add some variety.

As American dress skews more informal, blazers have become more important than ever.

A nice blazer will make sure that you don't overwhelm a room with a full suit when the occasion doesn't call for it,  but it will also separate you from the crowd a bit. You'll get more use out of it than you'd expect.

An expensive wristwatch for special occasions.

Even if you're not a watch guy, you should realize the importance of wearing a watch on occasion. They complete a formal outfit in a way that's hard to describe, but you'll know it when you feel it.

Drop a few hundred to have a timepiece that you can call your own.

You could soon own a 104-metre-long private mega-yacht complete with a helipad, glass elevator, cinema, and beach club — but it'll cost you £160 million ($200 million).

A build from yachting company Fraser Yachts, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary, the "Project Infinity" is set to be designed and constructed by Dorries Yachts and H2 Yacht Design by 2020.

The vessel will boast eight staterooms, allowing for 16 guests and longer-haul vacations, which are becoming a trend in the industry, according to Fraser Yachts CEO Raphael Sauleau.

"We can clearly see a trend of owners willing to build larger yachts," Sauleau told Business Insider. "While the bulk of the clientele is still willing to remain on the Riviera and enjoy the cuisine on the Amalfi Coast, there's more and more demand for exploration."

While 40 to 60-metre yachts make up the "bulk of the industry," according to Sauleau, he expects 35% growth over the next three years in yachts over 100 metres as clients look to travel to the likes of Antarctica or Polynesia. "There are more and more requests, and they're keen to build yachts that have the possibility to do that," he said.

"There are more and more requests, and they're keen to build yachts that have the possibility to do that," he said.

He added that the average client of a mega-yacht is a "very successful businessman or woman keen to have a top luxury experience,""their own means of transportation on the sea," and are "very keen to share that experience with family and friends."

Scroll down for an exclusive sneak peek at what the Project Infinity mega-yacht will offer to its lucky buyer and their crew.

Note: These are CGI images provided by Fraser Yachts.

This is Project Infinity, the 104-metre-long private mega-yacht, which is set to cost £160 million ($200 million).

It's part of a trend of successful businessmen and women building larger vessels that they can take on long-haul expeditions with family and friends.

The interiors will be "contemporary and light" throughout, promoting "al fresco living."

To get a job at Goldman Sachs, you've got to know your stuff. 

But financial knowledge alone isn't enough to land you a highly coveted gig at the financial giant.

To make the cut, you'll need to prove you have the skills, experience, and motivation to thrive — and you'll also need to prove that you're a good cultural fit. In other words: You'll need to ace the interview.

We sifted through reports from Glassdoor to find some of the trickiest and diciest interview questions Goldman has to offer.

Whether you're applying to be a summer associate or a VP, here are a few questions to master before you walk in the door.

SEE ALSO: 32 brilliant questions to ask at the end of every job interview

DON'T MISS: 19 tough interview questions you'll hear at a 'Big 3' consulting firm

'How long do you think we work each day?' — Summer intern candidate

'If you were an object, what would you be?' — Financial-analyst candidate

'How many square feet of pizza are eaten in the US each year?' — Programmer-analyst candidate

Companies suing each other is a fairly common occurrence, especially when it comes to copyright.

Over the years some of the biggest brands have also taken each other to court.

The outcomes of some of these lawsuits have shaped entire industries. Had Apple's lawsuit against Microsoft in 1998 gone the other way, computers might look entirely different today.

Scroll below for a list of some of the biggest brand lawsuits in history, compiled by Lottoland.

SEE ALSO: The world's top 10 companies, ranked by reputation

10. Dyson vs. Hoover (2000)

Duration: One year

Winner: Dyson

Damages: $4.9 million

Dispute: In its lawsuit, Dyson claimed Hoover had infringed on a patent it owned for its bagless vacuum cleaner, which uses forces similar to a centrifuge to separate dust from the air.

In its Vortex range, Hoover used the same technology, which the court found infringed on James Dyson's invention. Hoover appealed twice but lost both times and Dyson then accepted the settlement offer to avoid further litigation. Hoover was also told to stop selling its Vortex model.

9. Oracle vs. SAP (2007)

Duration: Seven years

Winner: Oracle

Damages: $357 million

Dispute: The lawsuit focused on SAP's TomorrowNow unit, which Oracle alleged had illegally downloaded copyrighted documents and programs from Oracle.

SAP admitted it had infringed on copyright and initially tried to settle out of court, before a jury awarded Oracle $1.3 billion in damages. The amount was later brought down to $357 million, which both companies accepted.

8. 20th Century Fox vs. Universal Studios (1978)

Duration: Two years

Winner: Universal Studios

Damages: Unknown

Dispute: After 20th Century Fox's successful release of the first "Star Wars" film in 1977, Universal Studios decided it needed a space fiction story of its own and launched "Battlestar Galactica".

The lawsuit accused Universal of copyright infringement, highlighting 34 specific things allegedly copied, including: "There is a scene in a cantina (Star Wars) or casino (Battlestar), in which musical entertainment is offered by bizarre, non-human creatures."

The case was settled out of court and ABC, where the TV show aired, canceled the show in 1979.

This year apparently hasn't learned a lesson from 2016.

Despite relatively low box-office turnout for reboots and sequels in 2016 including "Independence Day: Resurgence,""My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2," and "Bad Santa 2," there's a reboot or a sequel coming to theaters pretty much every weekend for the rest of 2017. (Granted, many have been long in development.)

Some are more appealing than others, with highly anticipated movies like "Star Wars: The Last Jedi,""Bladerunner 2049," and "Thor: Rangorak" in the mix. Some are getting more puzzled reactions from people online.

This post has been updated to exclude "World War Z 2", which has been delayed indefinitely. 

Here are all the movie reboots and sequels you can see (or avoid) in 2017:

SEE ALSO: The most popular HBO show in every state

“Underworld: Blood Wars” — Already released

“xXx: The Return of Xander Cage” — Already released

“Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” — Already released

I’m an IT manager in a sizable organization with responsibilities that results in receiving at least 200-300 emails daily.

Yes, it is a drag.

Some of the emails have important information which I need to act on quickly, some are things I need to scan, and some are just plain rubbish. My days used to be consumed with managing emails — that pretty much became my full-time job.

I used to spend 4-5 hours a day on email (after a full day of meetings), but with the below techniques, now it is more often than not about 2-3 hours.

I use Microsoft Outlook, hence my examples will be Outlook-centric. However, these tips can apply to any mail client.

SEE ALSO: A CEO who was drowning in hundreds of emails per day explains his favorite trick to get them under control

1. Treat your inbox like, well, an inbox

Firstly, you need to treat it really as an in-tray rather than the lobby of a high traffic hotel where there are interruptions which you attend to coming left right and center.

This means that it needs to be a sink of information, but not necessarily a trigger point for you to act on right away.

Why’s this important? Well, frankly, no matter how much we pretend, humans are terrible at multi-tasking (see Why Multitasking Inhibits Your Ability to Get Into Flow from Srinivas Rao).

What this means is:

• Fight the urge to process emails as they come in — why is the most recent email the most important that deserves your immediate attention?

• Turn off your automatic notifications — the little notification sound, and the preview popup. Not only are these distractions, but these will give you a jolt of adrenaline which is not helpful (here’s how)

• Turn off the Mark item as read when viewing feature (here’s how)

2. Have a system for processing emails

Suppose you worked at the post office back in the days as a manual mail sorter and you had to decide if each letter had to be classed as an international or domestic mail. If you were given an initial stack of 1000 letters, and were dumped with 50 new letters every 30 mins, how would you handle your work?

Most likely you’d put some kind of process to it. Not only does it give you some sanity, but it helps you understand what to focus on, what state you’re in, and how much more to process.

You’d likely put the 1000 letters into a ‘processing’ pile, and then look at each one and decide which bucket each letter you’d put them in. For any new letters, you’d have them drop in to a ‘incoming’ pile and deal with them later. Treat your email the same way.

I manage my email in two ways: (1) Filtering phase, (2) Processing phase. I split my email time focusing on these two phases throughout the day.

1. Filtering phase

The aim here is to simply decide what to do with it for later. The trick is to fight the urge to process the email unless it is absolutely quick. The steps I follow are as follows:

1. Strictly time-box this activity (I put no more than 30 minutes). If you can’t process all the mails by this time, then too bad. Have it wait till the next Filtering Phase time slot. Having this time-constraint also forces you to decide quickly as possibly what to do with the email.

2. When you review each of your emails, you need to decide to:
• Defer it to action it later
• Delete or Archive it if not relevant
• Delegate it — someone else should be looking at this. This is the same model as David Allen’s Getting Things Done but this some variations.

3. Defer It: This is basically an action to decide if you should move it to be looked at later in the “Processing Phase.” It’s something you have to action, or the email is too long to read or complex to decide what to do with in such a short time (remember, your Filtering Phase is time-boxed to 30 minutes).

One other key step when deciding to “Defer It” is to determine the priority. I use the Eisenhower Method (see The Eisenhower Method For Taking Action about the method by @alltopstartups ). Basically, you need to decide if the email is (1) Urgent and Important, (2) Not Urgent but Important, (3) Urgent but Not Important, (4) Not Urgent and Not Important.

In Microsoft Outlook I use the categories feature (here’s how) to class these emails quickly. I label each of the categories with the above tags ( “1. U+I; 2. NU+I; 3. U+NI; 4. NU+NI”). The great thing is that you can sort emails by the category colors and since I prefix it with a number I can put an order to them and have my urgent + important at the top.

For these mails, leave the mail marked as unread — this will be your way to know that it’s for later processing.

4. Delete It: Not relevant, you’ve already read it and absorbed, and you’re ready to move on. For these mails, mark the mail as read.

5. Delegate It: Forward to the right person to action it. Here you have to be careful that if it is something you can “forward and forget” or something you’ll be accountable for. If you’re accountable, make sure you use a way to have a reminder for yourself.

I used to use the reminder flag, but no more. It becomes too much noise and once it’s accidentally dismissed it is easily lost. I instead use the follow-up flag for the recipient as an auto-reminder, and then for myself, I forward the email to FollowUpThen. If you’re not familiar with this service, it is a godsend. Send an email to <date/time>@followupthen.com and it will resend that email back to you at the specified date/time.

For example, you can forward the email to thurs@followupthen.com and it will send you the email back to you on next Thursday and you can process it with your Filter Phase. If you have sensitive details in the email, remove the body, and just include the email subject and a quick note to yourself in the body. So when you get the email back, you can use the email subject to search for the related thread (you do this in the “Processing Phase”). After delegating it, make sure to mark the mail as read.

Processing Phase

This is the time I use to action my emails where it could be anything from taking the time to write a measured response, or do some additional work associated with the email. For the processing though, I strictly use the Pomodoro technique as eloquently put by @jessicaguzik. This will help you keep your energy levels up and stay focused.

There’s a caveat to this. Sometimes there will be certain tasks that will either take you a bit longer, or simply you will realize that you’re putting off. These usually fall into the Not Urgent + Important bucket.

For these items, there is a danger they will sit in your inbox for days/weeks/months. The one technique that helps me to address this is to simply use your calendar. Schedule a 30 minute block (25 minute work + 5 minute break) in your calendar to process that actual task.

3. Schedule your activities

If you suffer from a full calendar where you’re running from meeting to meeting, it is important that you schedule your “Filter Phase” and “Processing Phase” in your calendar.

If you don’t others may take that time slot, and you’ll end up catching up on emails at the end of your day which is a pretty unfortunate state.

It is best to put a routine to this as well. As for me, I do a “Filter Phase” at the end of my day, and at the beginning of my day (for those overnight emails), then spend the rest of my day on processing those emails.

Sure, you don’t get to process those emails that come in during the day, but if those are important enough people will find you another way. Tony Hsieh uses a technique like this and  coined it “Yesterbox.”

See a full article on that strategy here.

Most people don't enjoy paying taxes, but they are vital to financing important programs and projects from which US citizens benefit. 

In a way, taxes are sort of like an investment. Taxpayers (investors) pay federal and state governments money with the expectation they'll get services such as paved roads and operating national parks (a return).

But a new report by WalletHub, the personal finance site, indicates that certain states receive a much higher return on their tax investment. 

Using more than 23 metrics to look at five different categories, the report identified the states with the best taxpayer ROI for 2017. 

According to the report, "Red States," or Republican states, get a much bigger bang for their buck when it comes to their tax dollars with an average ranking of 21.07, compared with "Blue States," or Democratic states, which have an average ranking of 32.15.

Here are some other key findings:

• "Nebraska has the lowest proportion of major roads in poor condition, 5 percent, which is 8.8 times lower than in Connecticut, the state with the highest at 44 percent."
• "Vermont has the lowest number of violent crimes per 1,000 residents, 1.18, which is 6.2 times lower than in Alaska, the state with the highest at 7.30."
• "New Hampshire has the lowest infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births, 4.18, which is 2.2 times lower than in Mississippi, the state with the highest, 9.27."

Following are the top nine states with the highest return on investment for their tax dollars. 

SEE ALSO: These are the watches worn by the most powerful CEOs in the world

9. Texas

Total taxes paid per capita rank: 12

Overall government services rank: 28

Source: WalletHub

8. Missouri

Total taxes paid per capita rank: 5

Overall government services rank: 37

Source: WalletHub

7. Utah

Total taxes paid per capita rank: 18

Overall government services rank: 10

Source: WalletHub

Everything around us is becoming connected. As a result, we are seeing shifts in investments and returns. There is already a great demand for network expansion, cyber security and insurance. And generally, the prices of hardware will fall as IoT becomes less of a novelty.

All of this opens up a huge opportunity for everyone to make and save a lot of money. We will invest $6 trillion in IoT between 2015 and 2020, which will yield $12.6 trillion ROI over the next decade. Enterprise will make up the majority of the investment dollars, followed by government and consumer.

BI Intelligence has created a slide deck exploring the most disruptive trends in IoT. To get a more detailed view of the progression, landscape and projections of the Internet of Everything, access the complete slide deck by clicking here.

Some of the topics covered include:

• The market drivers for the IoT.
• Forecasts for the IoT market.
• A breakdown of how many industries are utilizing IoT devices.
• A look at how governments are using the IoT to revolutionize their cities and defense.
• An examination of the smart home and connected car market.
• And much more.

Below are 8 sample slides from the 60-page deck. Want the full deck? Access it here for FREE >>

Want the full 60-page slide deck?  Access it Here - FREE >>

Want the full 60-page slide deck?  Access it Here - FREE >>

Want the full 60-page slide deck?  Access it Here - FREE >>

We may be travel obsessed, but we're pop culture junkies, too, so we get extra excited when the two collide. Here, 7 of the top TV locations you can visit in real life.

SEE ALSO: 13 stunning photos that show why Oman is the next big destination for luxury travelers

Westworld: Castle Valley and Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah

Not sure about you, but "Westworld" was a topic of much (much) conversation in our office. How crazy is artificial intelligence? How long until this happens in real life? We could go on for days – especially if we were to road trip out west, past the dramatic plateaus, cloud-covered canyons and rolling meadows of Castle Valley and Dead Horse Point State Park. The two innately cinematic Utah locations served as much of the amusement park’s setting.

The Crown: Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire, England

Since 1066, when Westminster Abbey became the official coronation church, it's hosted 16 royal weddings, including that of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's. When Netflix's 10-part drama series, "The Crown," was tasked with finding a film-friendly stand-in for the famous abbey – with a cool $100 million production budget, in tow – the Ely Cathedral was their go-to. The circa-672 Anglican church had already played a starring role in "Macbeth,""The King's Speech," and "The Other Boleyn Girl."

RELATED:13 Off-the-Beaten Path European Cities

Girls: Cafe Grumpy, Greenpoint, Brooklyn

The "Girls" gang may have just landed back on HBO for their final season, but if you've been a faithful viewer since the sometimes contentious show aired in 2012, then surely you'll recognize Cafe Grumpy. Turns out, the Greenpoint coffee joint (of the same name) — where Hannah Horvath (Lena Dunham) served as a short-lived barista under friend and real life Oscar the Grouch, Ray Ploshansky (Alex Karpovsky) — has been serving actual Brooklyn hipsters since 2005.

RELATED:12 of the Best Neighborhoods in Brooklyn

The INSIDER Summary:

• Pinterest has released its Wedding Report 2017, forecasting the hottest trends from the style of cake to wedding party fashion.
• Trends include a dusty rose color scheme, wedding tattoos, and brunch food.
• Fashion trends include off-the-shoulder gowns for brides, blue suits for grooms, and print bridesmaid dresses.

For many couples, Pinterest is the go-to place for inspiration when they're planning their dream wedding.

The social media site just released its Wedding Report 2017, forecasting the year's hottest wedding trends based on what future brides and grooms are pinning the most ahead of their nuptials.

From drip-effect wedding cakes to "I do" tattoos, expect to see these trends at every wedding you go to this year.

Dusty rose color theme

Greenery used as table decorations

Fall weddings

Footage recently emerged from a prime-time segment on Chinese state-run television showing Chinese special forces practicing a raid that bears an eerie resemblance to the US Navy SEALs' 2011 raid on Osama Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

The segment, first noticed by the New York Times, takes place in Xinjiang, a province in Western China home to the Uighurs, a Muslim minority often at odds with China's state-endorsed atheism and their dominant ethnicity, the Hans. 

While China has increased its presence in the Middle East as of late, it has also increased raids on Uighur leaders, issuing one strange announcement in November 14, 2015 that compared a 56-day battle against the Uighurs to the ISIS attack in Paris that killed 130.

In the slides below, see details from the Chinese reenactment of the Bin Laden raid.

SEE ALSO: How China could stop a US strike on North Korea — without starting World War III

Here's the compound US Navy SEALs found Osama Bin Laden in.

Here's China's reproduction.

Here we see the Chinese special forces taking doors and clearing rooms.

The INSIDER Summary:

• Buying an engagement ring is much less daunting once you know the basics.
• Knowing the four Cs of a diamond are vital: cut, clarity, carat, and color.
• You should also know what shape of diamond you want to buy; options include princess, emerald, asscher, heart, and pear cuts.

Buying an engagement ring can be daunting.

But it doesn't have to be if you know the basics, like the four Cs.

The four Cs will help you buy the best quality diamond possible.

They are:

• Cut: A diamond's symmetry, proportions, and polish. It's what determines how beautiful that diamond is, and how bright it shines. Often diamonds that are cut the best won't be the largest — but they will sparkle the most.

• Color: In white diamonds, you want as little color in the body of the diamond as possible. A yellow tint in a white diamond will make it less valuable.

• Clarity: All diamonds have imperfections, either inside or on their surface. How many imperfections a diamond has, as well as how visible they are, is what determines its clarity. The fewer imperfections it has, the more expensive it will be.

• Carat: A diamond's carat is a measure of its weight, and thus its size. The larger the diamond, the more carat weight it has, and the more valuable it is — larger diamonds are rarer than smaller ones.

Once you've mastered these, you'll need to figure out what shape you want the diamond to be. Keep scrolling to see the 10 options.

Round

Princess

Emerald

Queen Elizabeth II might be the most private public figure in the world.

She's been on the throne for 65 years and has become one of the most recognizable faces on the planet — but she rarely speaks about herself and never grants interviews with the media. Lots of people know her only for her stern poker face and her dazzling collection of hats. 

There's more to the sovereign than her public appearance, of course. Here are 26 fascinating things you might not have known about Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in the world. 

She never went to school.

But that doesn't mean she's not educated. Elizabeth (childhood nickname: "Lilibet") was taught by private tutors at home. Same goes for her younger sister, Princess Margaret.

Source: BBC

She and her sister once partied incognito in the streets of London.

Elizabeth and Margaret got their parents' permission to join the massive crowds celebrating the end of World War II on May 8, 1945. The queen has recalled the evening as one of the most memorable in her life. 

"I remember lines of unknown people linking arms and walking down Whitehall, all of us just swept along on a tide of happiness and relief," she said in 1985, according to the BBC.

Elizabeth and Margaret's escapade has even been dramatized in a film called "A Royal Night Out."

Source: BBC, IMDb

Her tiara snapped on her wedding day.

The court jeweler had to be summoned immediately to repair the diamond tiara, but it was successfully patched up in time for the ceremony. (Here are 14 biggest and best royal weddings in history.)

Source: Town & Country

Facebook and Google made big changes to their flagship apps in March. 

The social networking giant launched its Snapchat clone on two separate apps, while Google made a change in Maps to help you keep track of your friends. 

And new apps like Tetra, Chrome extensions like Nope, and desktop apps like Noun Project all aim to make work a little easier. 

Here are the most exciting app updates and launches you may have missed in March. 

SEE ALSO: Snapchat's custom-emoji creator is now the fastest-growing app in the US

The "Nope" Chrome extension will call your phone to help you avoid annoying coworkers

Created by Breather— the service that lets you rent workspaces by the hour — Nope is an incredibly simple-yet-effective way to avoid irritating coworkers. When someone comes over to your desk you don't want to talk to, or a conversation is going on too long, subtly click a button at the top of your browser. You'll soon get a call on your phone that you can pretend is crucially important, but is actually just a pre-recorded message.

Learn more about Nope here. 

Facebook added its Snapchat clone to Messenger

Facebook launched Messenger Day, which works like Snapchat Stories by letting you post photos and videos to your profile that disappear after 24 hours. A new row of thumbnails at the top of the Messenger app will show the latest posts from your friends.

Facebook's Snapchat clone also arrived on the main Facebook app

Facebook added its Snapchat clone to its main app in late March. With Stories, Facebook's users can post photos and videos in chronological order that disappear after 24 hours. Special effects like location-based filters can be placed on top of content before it's shared. And aside from the Snapchat-like filters and "masks" you can try using your camera, Facebook also added a feature called "Direct," which lets you share photos and videos that disappear once they're viewed. Sound familiar? 

Learn more about Facebook's new app features here. 

Starbucks's "secret" menu is not so secretly building off of the regular menu and popularizing itself across the Internet. Customers seeking something new can try a modified drink, but that's all it is — beverages made with syrups and toppings already offered.

As an international franchise, Starbucks has locations in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. With a different target audience depending on the location, Starbucks must cater to other cultures in each country. This targeting has lead to Frappuccino flavors such as Lemon Vanilla, Mango Jelly, and Red Bean Green Tea. Here's just a taste of some of the epic drinks America's missing out on.

1. Lemon Vanilla Frappuccino

2. Mango Jelly Frappuccino

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Available in select Asian markets, the Mango Jelly Frappuccino contains not only mango, peach, strawberry, and orange flavors, but also peach jellies.

3. Summer Berry Panna Cotta Frappuccino

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From Singapore, the Summer Berry Panna Cotta Frappuccino consists of blueberries, cranberries, mulberries, and strawberries. Add milk and ice, a layer of pannacotta pudding, and top it with whipped cream and a sweet berry drizzle to finish off this drink.

With news of business deals, undisclosed phone calls, and secret meetings coming to light daily, keeping up with the investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election has been difficult.

The Senate and House Intelligence Committees are conducting investigations (the latter of which has been called into question), and the FBI is in conducting its own probe to determine whethe Trump's team had any contact with Russian officials during the election, and whether the two sides coordinated to undermine Hillary Clinton's candidacy.

Here are the key names to follow in the Trump-Russia investigations:

SEE ALSO: A timeline of events that unfolded during the election appears to support the FBI's investigation into Trump and Russia

DON'T MISS: House Intel Committee implodes amid Trump-Russia investigation

Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser

After some early criticism over his speech at a 2015 gala honoring state-sponsored news agency Russia Today in Moscow, former national security adviser Michael Flynn came under scrutiny after then-Attorney General Sally Yates warned the White House that he had "misled senior administration officials about the nature of his communications with the Russian ambassador to the United States" in January.

Flynn resigned from his role as Trump's national security adviser on February 13, after reports emerged that he had discussed the possibility of easing US-Russia sanctions with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman

Paul Manafort stepped down from his role as Trump's campaign chairman in August after negative reports surfaced about his work with the ousted, pro-Russia president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych.

The AP reported last week that Manafort collaborated with Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska for years to promote the interests of the Putin government and stifle anti-Russian opposition across numerous post-Soviet countries.

Manafort has volunteered to be interviewed by the House Intelligence Committee about Russia's intererence in the election.

Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser

Trump's son-in-law and top adviser, Jared Kushner, this week became the closest person to Trump to be caught up in the investigations into possible collusion between Trump associates and Russia.

Kushner has volunteered to be interviewed by the Senate Intelligence Committee about his December meetings with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak and, later, with the CEO of Russia's state-owned Vnesheconombank.

President Donald Trump's first months in office have been filled with a flurry of action, and he's just getting started.

The 45th president has signed 45 executive actions so far, with far-reaching effects on Americans' lives.

There are technically three types of executive actions, which each have different authority and effects, with executive orders holding the most prestige:

• Executive orders are assigned numbers and published in the federal register, similar to laws passed by Congress, and typically direct members of the executive branch to follow a new policy or directive. Trump has issued 19 orders.
• Presidential memoranda do not have to be published or numbered (though they can be), and usually delegate tasks that Congress has already assigned the president to members of the executive branch. Trump has issued 18 memoranda.
• Finally, while some proclamations— like President Abraham Lincoln's emancipation proclamation — have carried enormous weight, most are ceremonial observances of federal holidays or awareness months. Trump has issued eight proclamations.

Scholars have typically used the number of executive orders per term to measure how much presidents have exercised their power. George Washington only signed eight his entire time in office, according to the American Presidency Project, while FDR penned over 3,700.

In his two terms, President Barack Obama issued 277 executive orders, a total number on par with his modern predecessors, but the lowest per year average in 120 years. Trump, so far, has signed 19 executive orders in 67 days.

Here's a quick guide to the executive actions Trump has made so far, what they do, and how Americans have reacted to them:

SEE ALSO: Here's how Trump's new travel ban compares to his controversial first one

DON'T MISS: Obama deported 3 million immigrants during his presidency — here's how Trump's new immigration order compares

Executive Order, March 28: Dismantling Obama's climate change protections

On the campaign trail, Trump vowed to bring back coal mining jobs and dismantle Obama's environmental policy, declaring climate change a "hoax." While coal jobs are unlikely to come back in droves, this executive order makes good on the second promise, directing federal agencies to rescind any existing regulations that "unduly burden the development of domestic energy resources."

It also rescinds four of Obama's executive actions, two of his reports, and tells the Environmental Protection Agency to review his landmark Clean Power Plan that would have capped power plant emissions. Since many of Obama's actions were complex, however, it may take Trump a while to reverse them.

Democrats, environmentalists, and protesters demonstrating outside the White House after Trump signed the order decried the action, declaring it would lead to runaway climate change, while many Republican congressmen applauded the action for promoting energy independence.

Read the full text of the order here »

Executive Order, March 27: Revoking Obama's fair pay and safe workplaces orders

In 2014, Obama signed an executive order requiring federal government contracts over $500,000 had to go to companies that hadn't violated labor laws. He signed two more orders making minor clarifications to that original order later that year and in 2016.

Trump's new order revoking those three orders, and directed federal agencies to review any procedural changes they made because of the orders. When companies bid for federal contracts, they'll no longer have to disclose if they've violated the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker
Protection Act, or the National Labor Relations Act.

Read the full text of the order here »

Presidential memorandum, March 27: Establishing the White House Office of American Innovation

Trump established the White House Office of American Innovation, choosing his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner to lead it. The office will aim tooverhaul government functions with ideas from industry.

Business titans Gary Cohn (National Economic Council director), Dina Powell (senior counselor to the president for economic initiatives and deputy national security adviser), Chris Liddell (assistant to the president for strategic initiatives), and Reed Cordish (assistant to the president for intragovernmental and technology initiatives) will also be on the team.

Read the full text of the memo here »