The name Patek Philippe is among the most powerful in the entire watch industry. It is synonymous with class, conservatism, high auction values, price legitimacy, and some of the best looking traditional watches now or ever made.

Patek Philippe remains an independent company whose secrets and plans are tightly guarded, and its most exclusive watches often go directly from the factory to the hands of the world's most prestigious collectors - never to be displayed in a store counter or window.

When it comes to high-end timepiece auction prices, Patek Philippe leads the pack easily dominating all other watch makers in regard to achieving regular, record-setting prices.

Most Patek Philippe watches that yield not-so-small fortunes during auctions as extremely rare, often unique pieces made for special collectors. Most of these bespoke Patek Philippe watches were produced in the first half of the 20th century, during a time when Patek Philippe was much more open to design and product experimentation.

Though some of its most valuable timepieces (which includes both pocket and wrist watches) have been produced in the modern era. aBlogtoWatch has compiled an assortment of the world's rarest and most valuable Patek Philippe watches in terms of price, starting with a collection of 15 pieces. The list may grow over time as auction results or new watches of extremely high worth over $1,500,000 become available to share.

17. Sky Moon Tourbillon 6002G — $1.5 million

The Sky Moon Tourbillon is without a doubt one of the most widely recognized watches that Patek Philippe has ever made. Earlier last year, in 2013, the manufacture introduced its follow-up model, now referred to as 6002G. With its astonishingly intricate (and perhaps slightly excessive) engravings adorning its 18k white gold case, the 6002G managed to elevate the already striking appearance of its predecessor to another level. Beyond its stunning aesthetics, this reference hides the most complicated wrist watch movement that Patek makes. The front of the watch displays the time, perpetual calendar with retrograde date, and the phase of the moon, while the dial on the back is reserved to address more unearthly issues. It features a stellar illustration of the northern sky as well as indications for sidereal time on a 24-hour scale, time of meridian passage of Sirius and of the moon, along with the angular progression and the phase of the moon.

Although not revealed by a sapphire window on the white gold case (because it has a double-side dial), the movement's regulating organ is a one-minute tourbillon. Consisting of 69 parts and weighing a total of just 0.3 grams, it is one of the few tourbillons that are actually submitted to rigorous chronometry tests, with its rate fluctuations set not to exceed -2 and +1 seconds per day. Finally, the Sky Moon Tourbillon's 686-component caliber also features a minute repeater, chiming the time - the one that is displayed on the front dial - with its two cathedral gongs. With only two being made by Patek, the price for all this engraved haute horologerie goodness is around $1,500,000. It isn't all that that much more than a standard ref. 5002 Sky Moon Tourbillon either.

16. Reference 1563 Split-Second Chronograph in 18k Gold — $1.57 million

Manufactured in 1947 and sold in 1950, this piece (auctioned by Christie's in November, 2013) is one of three Reference 1563 that are known to exist. Based on the 1436, it is a bi-compax chronograph and it also has the waterproof screw-in case back of the 1436. The difference is to be found in the added feature and complication of the split-seconds chronograph mechanism. Such a complication is known as one of the most difficult to assemble and produce.

This particular piece is unique among the three iterations of the 1563 in that it has luminous Breguet numerals and also luminous sword hands - all original to the watch. Noted in Patek's documents concerning this watch is the fact that it actually has 1436 stamped on the inside of its caseback, though it is not written whether this is for the lack of correctly stamped components, or just because someone had a rough night the day prior to assembling this beautiful piece. What we feel certain about is that owing to its bold numerals, beautifully balanced dial layout and its sublime complication, this watch sports a timeless and, dare we say, a more sportier look, something that makes this piece hugely desirable for the collectors of today and tomorrow.

15. Possibly Unique Aviator Prototype Wristwatch — $1.71 million

The world's rarest and hence most expensive Patek Philippe watches are all unique creations which carry one or more unique accomplishments that set them apart from the rest. Having said that, this Prototype Pilot's watch from 1936 is just something else. To begin with, its movement was actually made in 1912, and it was only some 24 years later that it was set in its nickel-chromed case that is seen above. Equipped with what is referred to as a "splittable centre seconds and hour angle dial", this unique prototype has only one counterpart out there, as Patek is known to have only made two of such watches.

What this weird term "hour angle dial" actually means is that the hour hand rotates once in 24 hours, indicating the degrees of arc against the center circle divided into 360. The "minute" hand rotates once every 4 hours and is read against the scale of 60. The two second hands revolve every 4 minutes, showing the angular minutes. Consequently, the time shown on the watch as pictured, reads 332 8.5', translating into 22 hours, 8 minutes and 30 seconds, the very time that all watches show in books and catalogues. Measuring in at an immense 56mm in diameter, this piece was designed to be worn by pilots who would wear it on the outside of their flight suit. A truly unique and very interesting piece that was sold by Christie's on the 11th of May, 2009, for $1,710,690.

Sitting in a cubicle all day can be depressing, but the sad truth is that the vast majority of high-paying, stable jobs require people to mostly stay chained to their desk.

Using average salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, we decided to pick out the 13 highest-paying jobs where people get to stop staring at their computer screens and go somewhere else.

Take a look to see the kind of money you can make in a classroom, at a drill site, or in a cockpit 30,000 feet above the earth.

13. Mining and geological engineer

Average annual pay: $96,950

These are the folks responsible for figuring out what's going on under the surface at mining and land development sites, and making sure things are safe for the environment and for workers.

Though mining is thought to be a dangerous industry, the salary isn't bad.

12. Industrial production manager

Average annual pay: $99,370

The average factory manager makes just shy of six figures, but it's unclear whether working on a factory floor is much better than in a cubicle.

11. Economics professor

Average annual pay: $100,490

There's good money in the (college) classroom, and economics professors are cited everywhere from news stories to policy papers for their decision-making knowledge.

Prior to working for the government, current Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen was an economics professor at the University of California-Berkeley.

T. Boone Pickens certainly has a way with words and a knack for telling it like it is.  

In fact, the 86 year-old energy tycoon/author of  "The First Billion Is The Hardest" has a ton of catchy/easy to remember phrases about life and business.

They're affectionately referred to by his family and staff members as "Boone-isms." 

We've compiled some of his business Boone-isms in the slides that follow from his website boonepickens.com. 

These and other verbal gems are often posted through his Twitter account @BoonePickens. 

"A plan without action is not a plan. It's a speech."

Source: BoonePickens.com

"Chief executives who themselves own few shares of their companies have no more feeling for the shareholders than they do for baboons in Africa."

Source: BoonePickens.com

"In a deal between friends, there's no place for a wolverine."

Source: BoonePickens.com

In New York City, things can get old pretty fast. So we've taken it upon ourselves to revamp last year's list of the most obnoxious Wall Street bars. Several have since closed, but many are still kicking and as annoying as ever.

Frequented by financiers, these Manhattan bars are loud, rowdy, and ridiculous. If you're into sweaty crowds, flashing lights, or absurd conversations, it's time to scope some of these out.

Otherwise, we've done the rounds on these bars so you don't have to. You're welcome.

If we left out any of your favorites, let us know in the comments!

230 Fifth

Location: 230 5th Ave, Gramercy

Vibe: Probably the biggest draw about 230 Fifth is that you're going to get a great Instagram photo of the Empire State Building. It's a huge rooftop space that can service a large crowd.  The later it gets, the more packed this place gets.

Popular Days: Thursday, Friday, Saturday

Popular Drinks: Raspberry mojitos "in the summer".

Overheard: "Oh my gawd, the Empire State building is so beeaaauuuutiful."

Turtle Bay

Location: 987 2nd Ave, Midtown

Vibe: Turtle Bay is your "typical bar" with beer chuggers, cheerleader look-alikes, and even a handful of Mets fans watching games on the TVs. The front section is supersaturated with summer interns and young professionals. People over the age of 25 should seriously consider the pros and cons before they enter.

Popular Days: Thursday

Popular Drinks: Beer

Overheard: "Pound it dude! 3... 2... 1... " *erupts in laughter*

Irish Punt

Location: 40 Exchange Place, Financial District

Vibe: The dim Irish bar is more calm during the summer, but come August and September, the bar is filled with finance guys that could have come straight out of "The Wolf of Wall Street."

Popular Days: Friday, Saturday

Popular Drinks: Skittle bombs

Overheard: "Shots! Shots! Shots!"

As 2014 comes to a close, it's always interesting to find out which apps get used the most.

Each year, Nielsen, the company that measures TV ratings, also releases a list of the most popular apps of the year, breaking things down by how many average unique users each app has.

We've collected all the apps in one place for you, along with the links to download them if you find something you like.

10. Music (iTunes Radio/iCloud)

Apple's built-in Music app took tenth place with 42,546,000 average unique users, according to Nielsen.

Price: Free

9. Instagram

Whether it's a selfie or a picture of your latest meal, Instagram is the king of photo sharing apps. The app saw 43,944,000 average unique users last year, a 34% increase year over year, according to Nielsen.

Price: Free (iOS, Android)

8. Google+

Google+ has evolved from a social network into the connective tissue of Google's other apps like Gmail and YouTube, and that helped the app reach 48,385,000 average unique users last year.

Price: Free (iOS, Android)

Last year, The New Yorker released a fantastic video tour of the building that houses the New Year's Eve Ball in New York City.

While it's located in Times Square at the so-called "center of the universe," the billboard-covered building is mostly empty. According to The New Yorker, The New York Times constructed the building at One Times Square as its headquarters in 1904, and staged a massive New Year's Eve fireworks display to celebrate.

But when the city outlawed the fireworks, The Times' chief electrician Walter Palmer came up with the idea to drop a lighted ball from the top of the tower instead.

The New York Times owned the building for less than 10 years, and it fell into disrepair as Midtown grew seedy. According to a 1961 "Talk of the Town" piece, "There was a time when a speakeasy was going full blast in one of the basements (of One Times Square)...when the F.B.I. – this was during the Second World War – was holding pistol practice in a basement and using a 7th floor office to trap German spies."

In 1995, Lehman Brothers bought the building, but instead of leasing office space, it turned the 25-story tower into a billboard and made a 300% profit in two years, according to The New Yorker.

Jamestown Properties has owned One Times Square since 1997. Filings from 2012 show that the billboards covering the building generate over $23 million annually, which represents 85% of the building's total revenue. The building itself has an estimated value between $378 million and $495 million.

Walgreens leases the first three floors, with some storage space above that. The upper floors are used by the One Times Square Production Management Team for New Year's Eve. But in between, there's not much else.

Check out The New Yorker's video below:

Paige Cooperstein wrote the original version of this story.

SEE ALSO: 23 Places You Need To Visit In 2015

Join the conversation about this story »

Move over, The Interview. You aren’t the only movie in theaters capable of whipping antagonists up into a frenzy because of your seemingly controversial content. Sir Ridley Scott’s sweeping Biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings continues to meet resistance as it marches through theaters, and this current turn has the Old Testament blockbuster fleeing from Egyptian multiplexes for one obvious reason. 

BBC News has the story, reporting that Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings has been banned from movie theaters in Egypt because it is riddled with "historical inaccuracies." Among the problems raised by the head of the censorship board in Egypt? They dispute the claim that the enslaved Jews built the Egyptian pyramids, and also state that an earthquake caused the infamous parting of the Red Sea, and not an act of God, as Exodus -- and the Bible – claim. 

I spoke with the cast of Exodus: Gods and Kings during a recent press event in Paris, and we spoke at length about the creation of the Red Sea sequence in Ridley Scott’s movie. They never once mention an earthquake. 

The BBC goes on to report that the state-run Moroccan Cinema Centre initially approved of the film, which opened in the U.S. on December 12. Since that decision, though, officials have backtracked and now have banned the movie from being screened. This decision reportedly came down one day before the official premiere in Egypt. 

This isn’t the first conflict facing Exodus as it worked its way to theaters. The movie was the target of a vicious, lengthy campaign against its casting decisions, with the term "whitewashed" tagged to the production because of its lack of Egyptian actors. Roles like Moses and Ramses went to British and Australian actors such as Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton. It’s possible that this perceived slight played a part in Egypt banning the movie, because I would imagine that multiple films with historical inaccuracies make it to theaters in Egypt. Exodus isn’t advertising itself as a documentary. Will the Egyptians shut down Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, as well? 

So far, Exodus: Gods and Kings has earned an estimated $107 million worldwide. It will continue to roll out to foreign territories, though you can scratch Egypt off its world-tour schedule.

SEE ALSO: Christian Bale: 'I'm Jealous Of Someone Else Playing Batman'

Join the conversation about this story »

Apple released the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus this year.

That makes 10 iPhone designs since it started selling the phone in 2007.

This year's iPhones are, objectively, the best phones Apple has released yet. The iPhone 6 Plus has the fastest processor, the best cameras, and the sharpest screen ever on an iPhone. It also has the biggest screen.

But the iPhone 6 isn't the best-looking iPhone Apple has released. At least not in my opinion. 

Since Apple has released 10 phones, I decided to rank them from best to worst based on design, influence, and place in the history of technology. 

You might say this ranking is arbitrary. You might be right if you do. But so what.

10. iPhone 3GS

Quick: Name one thing that stands out about the iPhone 3GS. You can't. It had the same design as the iPhone 3G. It had video. And it had other standard speed bumps. Otherwise, utterly meh.

9. iPhone 4S

The iPhone 4S suffers from the same problem as the iPhone 3GS. It's a nice little bump, but there's not much to write home about. 

8. iPhone 6

The iPhone 6 could become the best-selling iPhone in history. Unfortunately, it's also the worst design yet. As Joshua Topolsky said in his review for Bloomberg BusinessWeek, "While the iPhone 5S stood out in a crowd of Android smartphones with its chamfered edges and Leica-esque controls, you might not know the iPhone 6 next to the latest Galaxy S5 or the HTC One ... The bold antenna lines that run around the back of the devices and the protruding camera lens make the phones seem slightly less disciplined compared with the company’s previous work." It's just sort of round and pill-shaped. It isn't as striking as previous designs.

This year's box office was one of the worst in recent years.

A lack of really huge summer blockbusters resulted in the lowest domestic box-office since 2007. According to BoxOffice.com, this year's movies made an approximate total gross of $9.9 billion to date.

Superhero movies, family-friendly flicks, and high-profile book adaptations were big hits this year. Marvel did particularly well with several major releases. 

We know "Guardians of The Galaxy" was an unexpected summer blockbuster and that "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1" performed well, but which movie reigned supreme at the box office?

We've compiled the highest-grossing movies of 2014.*

*Grosses as of 12/28/14. We will continue to update this post accordingly.

16. "Lucy": $458.9 million

Studio: Universal
Release date: Jul. 25, 2014
Estimated budget: $40 million
Domestic gross:  $126.7 million

The critically divisive sci-fi indie starring Scarlett Johansson as a young woman who could unlock the full potential of the human brain exploded at the box office. It helped that the film made this out to be a female superhero movie starring a popular "Avengers" character. There’s been a lot of anticipation for Johansson to get her own spin-off Black Widow film. "Lucy" proved that even without the rest of the Avengers at her side, Johansson can bring in a large audience. After the film's success, both Warner Bros. and Marvel announced future female standalone movies.

(Source: Box Office Mojo)

15. "The LEGO Movie": $468.1 million

Studio: Warner Bros.
Release date: Feb. 7, 2014
Estimated budget: $60 million
Domestic gross: $257.8 million

"The LEGO Movie" debuted at number one on the box-office charts with a $69.1 million opening weekend, making for one of the biggest February openings ever.

The universal praise for the movie and a catchy theme song from the talented writer-director team of Christopher Miller and Phil Lord ("Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs,""21 Jump Street") helped prove everything about a LEGO movie is awesome. The film's combination of smart, subversive commentary about conformity, pop culture references and Easter eggs, along with top-notch voice talent (Chris Pratt, Will Arnett, and Elizabeth Banks) all made for an appealing movie for both kids and adults. Warner Bros. already has three sequels in the works including a Batman spin-off. 

With no Pixar film this year, "The LEGO Movie" has a good chance at taking home the Oscar for best-animated film. 

(Source: Box Office Mojo)

14. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles": $477.2 million

Studio: Paramount
Release date: Aug. 8, 2014
Estimated budget: $125 million
Domestic gross:  $191.2 million

Even though the movie was critically panned, it still managed to be a box-office success, showing nostalgia and sheer curiosity are powerful tools for bringing in audience members. The movie also starred Megan Fox.

"Ninja Turtles" debuted at number one opening weekend, knocking "Guardians Of The Galaxy"off its box-office throne with $65.6 million opening weekend. The film went on to be one of the highest-grossing movies of the summer. Paramount has no plans on retiring this franchise; it already has a sequel planned for June 2016.

(Source: Box Office Mojo)

Located just two hours from Zurich, the tiny town of Andermatt has not always been a well-known ski destination.

But since the opening of The Chedi Andermatt hotel, the idyllic town in the Swiss Alps has become a widely talked about vacation spot and even secured a place on the New York Times’ ‘Best Places to Go’ list.

Designed by architect Jean-Michel Gathy, the incredible hotel is a contemporary ski-chalet and is meant to be a mix of “alpine chic meets Asian sleek.”

The 105-room luxury hotel has a ski-in living room, an après-ski outdoor hydrothermal bath, a 115-foot-long indoor heated pool, an extensive wine and cigar library, and a walk-in cheese cellar. 

Plus, guest have their own personal ski butler to help them choose ski equipment and carry skis to and from the slopes. 

Rooms in the hotel can cost from 500 to 8,000 dollars a night, according to the Daily Mail. 

Welcome to The Chedi Andermatt, a luxurious ski resort that is tucked away in the Urseren Valley in the Swiss Alps.

The 5-star hotel opened in 2013, and is the first European property for the Asia-based GMH Hotels.

The interior of the hotel mixes traditional alpine comfort with a contemporary Asian style.

New York City may have a sushi restaurant on every other block, but quality and freshness varies widely.

To be sure you're only experiencing the very best sushi in New York City, we turned to the experts at The Infatuation to help us compile a list of all the city's best sushi spots.

Many of them are "omakase," or chef's selection, which are usually a series of dishes progressing from lightest to heaviest fare. All of them, however, are delicious.

So get out your chopsticks and enjoy.

Tanoshi

1372 York Ave.

The entire restaurant is only 10 seats around a counter – seats that are extremely difficult to reserve. That's because the sushi here is so good. It's reasonably priced, too, at $50 for the basic omakase. And it's BYOS (bring your own sake), which is fun.

Read The Infatuation's full review of Tanoshi here

Kura

130 St. Marks Pl.

Another chef's counter, Kura seats 13 and also serves a great omakase selection. This place is New York's best-kept sushi secret: they have no Instagram account, no Facebook, nor even a website. According to The Infatuation's Andrew Steinthal, they don't even have "a damn sign."

But they hardly need the promotion – those in the know know this place is good, and it's booked up almost every night.

Read The Infatuation's full review of Kura here

15 East

15 E. 15th St. 

This is an upscale restaurant with top notch food – and the prices to match. Their fish is tasty, fresh, and authentic.

It's the sort of place you take somebody you really want to impress. But unless you or your date is a world-class sushi connoisseur, you may want to consider a more affordable spot.

Read The Infatuation's full review of 15 East here

Click here to see the pictures >>

Join the conversation about this story »

Do you think you could live in an 86-square-foot apartment? 

What would that even look like?

Could you fit all of your stuff?

Kitoko Studio took a tiny apartment in Paris and transformed it into a spacious apartment, with storage built into every nook and cranny.

There's even a bathroom that looks bigger than some we've seen in Manhattan apartments!

This video from Kitoko Studio takes us inside the tiny space and shows us how it's done.

The apartment is located in Paris, in a secluded part of a beautiful building.

It's a hike ... you have to climb seven flights of stairs.

Here's a view of the entire apartment.

Everyone's path to success is different.

For some, it's mostly linear. Others encounter more twists, turns, and bumps along the way.

Billionaire Mark Cuban, for example, faced hardship when he first started. When Cuban got to Dallas, he "was struggling — sleeping on the floor with six guys in a three-bedroom apartment," he wrote in "How To Win At The Sport Of Business." On the other hand, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz was a Xerox salesman dreaming of good coffee.

To prove that no two paths to success are alike, we've highlighted what Cuban, Schultz, and 16 other successful people were doing at age 25.

This is an update of a post originally written by Vivian Giang and Max Nisen.

Martha Stewart was a stockbroker for the firm of Monness, Williams, and Sidel, the original Oppenheimer & Co.

Before her name was known in every American household, Martha Stewart worked on Wall Street for five years as a stockbroker. Before that, she was a model, booking clients from Unilever to Chanel.

"There were very few women at the time on Wall Street … and people talked about this glass ceiling, which I never even thought about," Stewart said in an interview for PBS's MAKERS series. "I never considered myself unequal, and I think I got a very good education being a stockbroker."

In 1972, Stewart left Wall Street to be a stay-at-home mom. A year later, she started a catering business.

Mark Cuban was a bartender in Dallas.

At age 25, Cuban had graduated from Indiana University and had moved to Dallas. He started out as a bartender and then a salesperson for a PC software retailer. He got fired because he wanted to go close a deal rather than open a store in the morning. That helped inspire him to open his first business, MicroSolutions.

"When I got to Dallas, I was struggling — sleeping on the floor with six guys in a three-bedroom apartment," Cuban writes in his book "How to Win at the Sport of Business.""I used to drive around, look at the big houses, and imagine what it would be like to live there and use that as motivation."

Arianna Huffington was traveling to music festivals around the world for the BBC with her boyfriend at the time.

Before she was Arianna Huffington, she was Arianna Stassinopolous, and at the age of 21, she met the famed British journalist Henry Bernard Levin while on a panel for a quiz show.

The two entered into a relationship, and he became her mentor while she wrote the book "The Female Woman," attacking the women's liberation movement. The book was published when she was 23.

For the next few years, Huffington traveled to music festivals around the world with Levin as he wrote for the BBC. Her relationship with Levin eventually ended because he did not want to marry or have children. Huffington moved to New York City at the age of 30. That year, her biography of Maria Callas was published, which she dedicated to Levin. 

She told William Skidelsky at The Observer:

"[Levin] was my mentor. Our second date was to see 'The Mastersingers' at Covent Garden. Our first trip abroad was to Bayreuth to see 'Wagner's Ring.'"

Every once in a while, companies decide to reinvent themselves. Part of doing that is creating a new company logo. 

New logo designs subject companies to praise and criticism alike. When Airbnb released its new logo this summer, the internet swiftly tore it apart, pointing out the logo's resemblance to female genitalia.

We've decided to take a look at some of the worst tech logo redesigns of all time. 

Foursquare decided to forgo its old logo earlier this year when it split its service into two apps, Foursquare and Swarm.

The new Foursquare logo looks like a map pin and a superhero. A lot of people didn't like it when it was introduced.

Logically, travel booking company Hotwire's old logo included an airplane motif.

While Bill Gates has a schedule that's planned down to the minute, the entrepreneur-turned-billionaire-humanitarian still gobbles up about a book a week. 

Aside from a handful of novels, they're mostly nonfiction books covering his and his foundation's broad range of interests. A lot of them are about transforming systems: how nations can intelligently develop, how to lead an organization, and how social change can fruitfully happen.

We went through the past four years of his book criticism to find the ones that he gave glowing reviews and that changed his perspective.

'Tap Dancing to Work: Warren Buffett on Practically Everything, 1966-2012' by Carol Loomis

Warren Buffett and Gates have a famously epic bromance, what with their recommending books to each other and spearheading philanthropic campaigns together. 

So it's no surprise that Gates enjoyed "Tap Dancing To Work," a collection of articles and essays about and by Buffett, compiled by Fortune magazine journalist Carol Loomis. 

Gates says that anyone who reads the book cover-to-cover will walk away with two main impressions: 

First, how Warren's been incredibly consistent in applying his vision and investment principles over the duration of his career;

... [S]econdly, that his analysis and understanding of business and markets remains unparalleled. I wrote in 1996 that I'd never met anyone who thought about business in such a clear way. That is certainly still the case.

Getting into the mind of Buffett is "an extremely worthwhile use of time," Gates concludes.

Buy it here >>

'Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization' by Vaclav Smil

Gates says his favorite author is Vaclav Smil, an environmental sciences professor who writes big histories of things like energy and innovation.

His latest is "Making the Modern World." It got Gates thinking. 

"It might seem mundane, but the issue of materials — how much we use and how much we need — is key to helping the world’s poorest people improve their lives,"he writes."Think of the amazing increase in quality of life that we saw in the United States and other rich countries in the past 100 years. We want most of that miracle to take place for all of humanity over the next 50 years."

To know where we're going, Gates says, we need to know where we've been — and Smil is one of his favorite sources for learning that.

Buy it here >>

'The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History' by Elizabeth Kolbert

It can be easy to forget that our present day is a part of world history. Gates says that New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert's new book "The Sixth Extinction" helps correct that.

"Humans are putting down massive amounts of pavement, moving species around the planet, over-fishing and acidifying the oceans, changing the chemical composition of rivers, and more," Gates writes, echoing a concern that he voices in many of his reviews.  

"Natural scientists posit that there have been five extinction events in the Earth’s history (think of the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs)," he continues, "and Kolbert makes a compelling case that human activity is leading to the sixth." 

To get a hint of Kolbert's reporting, check out the series of stories that preceded the book's publication.  

Buy it here >>

The way we access the internet has changed rapidly over the past few years, transitioning from desktops to mobile devices.

Now, the internet is expanding again — coming to all of the everyday devices found in our homes, businesses, and cities.

BI Intelligence has created a slideshow highlighting the most important ways the Internet of Everything market will develop, the benefits newly connected devices will offer consumers and businesses, and the potential barriers that could inhibit growth. 

BI Intelligence is a new research and analysis service focused on the mobile and Internet of Things computing markets. 

Only BI Intelligence subscribers can download the individual charts and datasets in Excel, along with the PowerPoint and PDF versions of this deck. Please sign up for a trial membership here.

Kim Kardashian attempted to #BreaktheInternet, we got our first glimpse of "Star Wars: Episode VII," and George Clooney got married.

We've rounded up the most memorable entertainment moments of the year in photos.

From the Oscar selfie to the unveiling of the new Bond cast, relive the best of 2014.

Jan. 12: Jennifer Lawrence creeps on Taylor Swift on the Golden Globes red carpet.

See how Taylor Swift reacted here.

Jan. 26: Pharrell Williams' oversized Vivienne Westwood hat went viral after appearing at the Grammys.

Read about Pharrell's hat here.

Feb. 2: Bruno Mars rocks out with the Red Hot Chili Peppers during the Super Bowl halftime show.

Read more about the halftime show here.

Humans are resilient, hard-working creatures.

And there's perhaps nowhere where that's more evident than in the tiny village of Oymyakon, Russia, regarded by most at the coldest permanently inhabited place on earth.

Temperatures there average around -58° F during the winter months, with the record low reaching -96.16° F in 1924.

Adventurer and photographer Amos Chapple recently visited the village, as well as Yaktusk, its nearest city center. Chapple spent a total of five weeks in the region, documenting everyday life in these harsh conditions, as well as the people who call the area home.

Amos Chapple started his journey in Yakutsk, the capital of the Sakha region of northeastern Russia. It is generally regarded as the coldest capital city in the world.

The city has a population of around 300,000, and during winter, temperatures average around −30 °F.

Still, Chapple tells Business Insider that the residents of the city were wonderful, "friendly, worldly locals and magnificently dressed."

Back in the earlier days of evolution, humans were prey to giant hyenas, cave bears, and predatory kangaroos.

We've been able to outlast those guys, but evolutionary psychologists will tell you that we're still on constant lookout for the thing that wants to eat us next.

The trouble is, the audience at your next presentation is not, in fact, a bunch of razor-toothed animals. They generally want to see you do well.

Since being plagued by anxiety is a sure way to sabotage your own success, we've put together a collection of research-backed tips for overcoming your fears. 

Kim Bhasin contributed research to this article. 

Breathe deeply because it lets your nervous system know that it can chill out.

You've probably heard that breathing is a good call if you're stressed out. 

But what's fascinating is the reason why it works so well.

"Deep diaphragmatic breathing is a powerful anxiety-reducing technique because it activates the body's relaxation response,"explains Psych Central editor Margarita Tartakovsky. "It helps the body go from the fight-or-flight response of the sympathetic nervous system to the relaxed response of the parasympathetic nervous system." 

Slowly expose yourself to the things you're afraid of, so they're no longer unfamiliar to you.

If you're trying to get comfortable with negotiating, speaking in public, or other scary activities, psychologists often recommend exposure therapy.

Rehab Institute of Chicago neuroscientist Katherina Hauner has found that it can dramatically improve the way people relate to their fears. 

"It is usually done in a series of hierarchical steps, starting with a relatively low level of engagement with the feared situation, and increasing the level with each step," she told the Huffington Post.

"For exposure therapy with a dog phobia," she says, "we might start with just looking at a very small puppy from many feet away, and eventually work our way up to petting a very large dog."

Recognize when you're succumbing to 'misplaced' anxiety, and let it go.

As Wharton research scholar Jeremy Yip has found, fear about one thing in your life has a way of spilling over into other parts of your life. 

If you have car trouble on your way to work, there's a good chance that feeling of anxiety will carry over into your workday.  

You might feel less confident about pitching your boss on a new project because when you ask yourself, "How do I feel about this?" your general feelings of anxiety make you more risk-averse.

To deal with that, try and recognize where the fear is coming from. If you're worried because you need to make improvements, listen to that. If you're worried because your exhaust is making funny noises, don't.