"My favorite trips are those that are centered around a beautiful landscape — the more dramatic or unusual the better," says Alex Cornell, a San Francisco-based designer and musician. 

So it's no surprise that Cornell, along with his mother and sister, traveled to Antarctica in December to take in the glorious views. While on a boat expedition to Antarctica's Ciera Cove, Cornell got one view he wasn't expecting.

Cornell says the trip was "filled with magnificent sightings." 

He saw ice, mountains, abandoned research outposts, beautiful open sea, and penguins.

And as his ship approached Ciera Cove, a naturalist on board Cornell's boat began to get excited about what he was seeing.

"We were lucky to have the naturalist on board, who helped explain how lucky a sighting it was, properly calibrating our excitement," Cornell says.

"At first it looked like rock from far away — black almost, like exposed land. When we got closer and circled it, and the gorgeous jade color was revealed, it was clear what it was," Cornell says.

What lay before Cornell and the boat was an iceberg that had recently flipped over, revealing the dense blue ice that had been submerged.

"Years of compression gradually make the ice denser over time, forcing out the tiny air pockets between crystals. When glacier ice becomes extremely dense, the ice absorbs a small amount of red light, leaving a bluish tint in the reflected light, which is what we see,"explains the NSIDC.

Icebergs usually flip upside down because of melting visible ice and snow from the heat of the sun, which changes the shape of the iceberg and creates a shift in equilibrium.

It's not a rare occurrence, but it made for stunning views.

You can see more on Cornell's website.

SEE ALSO: Amazing Pictures From The Coldest Inhabited Town On Earth

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If you haven't experienced the magic of wearing wool socks in the wintertime, now is the time to change that.

In cold, wet weather, cotton athletic socks just won't cut it. When it gets wet, cotton loses all insulating properties, so you may as well not be wearing anything on your feet at all.

And it doesn't matter how warm your winter boots are. If you're wearing cotton socks, your feet will perspire, and you will end up with cold, damp feet.

The solution is to invest in some quality wool socks. Wool, especially super-soft merino wool, offers several unique advantages over cotton that make it the fabric of choice for winter wear.

These include:

• Unlike cotton, wool is an excellent insulator. When it's cold out your feet will be toasty and warm in your wool socks.

• Wool can absorb a significant amount of moisture — much more than cotton. Wool can actually hold a third of its weight in moisture before it even starts to feel "wet."

• Wool keeps its insulating properties even while wet, which is perfect for sweaty feet.

• Not only that, but wool also dries much more quickly than cotton or other synthetics.

• Wool fibers are naturally anti-bacterial and, therefore, odor resistant....

• ...which means they don't have to be washed every time you wear them. Indeed, they can be worn multiple times before washing.

However, the world of wool is not all unicorns, rainbows, and warm, toasty feet. There are some downsides to wool.

They're not super convenient to wear all the time. Most manufacturers advise against machine washing their socks, so hand washing and laying flat to dry is most often recommended. This is tiresome and annoying, even if you don't have to do it every single time the socks are worn. (Some companies use wool blends that enable the socks to take the beating of the machine, however. Check the label before purchase.)

It's also inadvisable to wear wool socks for prolonged periods while walking on a carpet since the fiber friction isn't good for the socks' longevity.

Also, if you buy low-grade non-merino wool socks, be prepared for some itchiness. Merino wool doesn't itch at all, but lower grade quality wool definitely does. No one likes itchy feet.

As for brands, both SmartWool and Wigwam make excellent socks. Every year Wigwam also makes a sock for Costco released under the Kirkland Signature brand that are highly regarded — I personally swear by them. Look out for them next fall, because they're long sold out this year. 

SEE ALSO: 4 Winter Accessories Every Man Should Own

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Even though the Apple Watch is due to launch in a few months, we still don't have a complete picture of what it can do. (Apple will likely hold another event soon to show us more.)

In the meantime, here's a look at the most important Apple Watch features Apple has shared with us so far.

The most important thing: The Apple Watch is a watch first and foremost. You can choose from a bunch of different watch faces.

Fitness is a big part of the Apple Watch. It can read your heart rate from those four sensors on the back of the device.

The fitness app will encourage you to meet certain goals in different categories like exercising and standing.

As Russian military supplies continue to enter Ukraine, it becomes harder by the day for Putin to deny that Moscow is providing arms to the separatists. 

In fact Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the US Army's top commander in Europe, says that Russian support for separatists has "doubled" since Ukraine and Russia reached a tentative ceasefire. 

"When you look at the amount of Russian equipment that the proxies were using prior to the Minsk agreements, that amount has doubled beginning in December into the hundreds," Hodges told reporters on his first visit to Ukraine. 

Russian support for the separatists include artillery, surveillance drones, and armored vehicles that would otherwise be next to impossible for a rebel group to obtain. 

"Those are not the types of things you would find in a militia. They clearly are coming from a modern military force coming from Russia," Hodges said.

In November, the Armament Research Services has released their third report on the arms and munitions being used by both the Ukrainian government and the rebels in the ongoing conflict. Complete with photographic evidence, it is clear that Moscow has been covertly supplying an assortment of older Soviet weaponry along with recently introduced Russian equipment to the separatists. 

Self-Loading Rifles

Self-loading rifles are a popular weapon of the separatist forces. 

Aside from a number of AK rifle varieties, the separatists also sport a host of recreation hunting and sport firearms. In one case, a separatist was documented using VSS rifles. These are Russian-made marksman rifles that are analogous to those used by Russian forces during the annexation of Crimea. 

The self-loading rifles used by the separatists include: 

Soviet AK-74
Soviet AKS-74U
Soviet AR-10 and AR-15 hunting rifles
Russian VSS designated marksman rifle 

Light Machine Guns

Light machine guns make up some of the most common weaponry of the separatists.

The light machine guns utilized by the separatists include weaponry used by the Ukrainian military, as well as Russian-produced guns that are not in service with Ukrainian forces. The PKP 'Pecheneg' light machine gun, for example, is not used by the Ukrainian forces and has been exported outside of Russia in only minimal quantities.

The light machine guns used by the separatists include: 

Russian RPK-74
Russian PK and PK GPMGs
Russian PKP 'Pecheneg' 

Shotguns And Bolt-Action Rifles

The use of shotguns and bolt-action rifles have been documented as being used by separatists who are incapable of accessing better quality small arms. 

Some older bolt-action sporting rifles have also been documented being used by the separatists. These rifles are in some cases antiques, dating to use with the Russian infantry from World War II or earlier. 

The shotguns and bolt-action rifles used by the separatists include:  

Russian semi-automatic Saiga 12 shotguns
Turkish semi-automatic Akkar Altay shotguns
Philippino Armscor Model 30 pump-action shotgun
Russian infantry Mosin M91 rifle 

Some cities are just easier to live in than others.

Global consulting firm ECA International came out with a list of the most livable cities around the world for North Americans.

The ranking objectively evaluates a bunch of factors that contribute to the overall quality of living, including climate, availability of health services, housing and utilities, isolation, access to social network and leisure facilities, personal safety, air quality, infrastructure, and political tensions.

So if you're thinking about moving somewhere, may we recommend that you check out the following cities. Canada, Northern Europe, and the United States dominated the list.

14. Montreal, Canada [tied]

Montreal's economy is extremely diversified. Major industries include aerospace, electronic goods, pharmaceuticals, engineering, finance, and research and development.

Montreal also happens to have the second largest French-speaking population in the world (it's behind only Paris).

14. Eindhoven, Netherlands [tied]

Although it's not a particularly large city, Eindhoven has grown into one a leading city in the 21st century by getting ahead in both technological innovation and design. Additionally, it's a university city with a number of undergraduate schools.

In 2011, the city was named the most intelligent community by the Intelligent Community Forum.

14. Luxembourg City, Luxembourg [tied]

Luxembourg's economy runs on the steel, banking, and industrial industries. In fact, the largest steel company in the world, ArcelorMittal, is based in Luxembourg City.

Although Luxembourg has three official languages: French, German, and Lëtzebuergesch ("Luxembourgish.")

TripAdvisor recently announced the results of  its 2015 annual Travelers’ Choice awards, which ranks hotels from all around the world based on reviews from travelers.

The top 25 winning hotels offer exceptional service and amenities while also providing unforgettable experiences to travelers. 

The hotel that TripAdvisor users picked as the 'best in the world' is a luxury bungalow retreat in the Maldives that implements a strict "no news, no shoes" policy to help guests relax while on vacation.

25. The Royal Savoy Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

Rooms from $428 a night > 

24. Kayakapi Premium Caves, Cappadocia, Urgup, Turkey

Rooms from $155 a night > 

23. The Oberoi, Mauritius, Pointe Aux Piments, Mauritius

Rooms from $382 a night > 

Pranking friends and coworkers never gets old, but old stand bys like covering a colleague's desk in tinfoil can feel tired. 

Product Hunt, a discovery site focused on new products, put together a collection of the best apps and services to catch your pal off guard or at least make them crack a smile. 

These are some of our favorites.

Prank My Ride lets you easily alter photos of a friend's (or parent's) car and add fake dents, shattered glass, scratches and more.

Check out Prank My Ride.

CatFacts lets you spam your friends anonymously with endless facts about felines. The service also offers dog and sloth facts.

Check out CatFacts. 

Turn Down for Webpage blasts Lil Jon's rap song "Turn Down for What" on any webpage.

Check out Turn Down for Webpage.

With the recent introduction of the 911 GTS Club Coupe, Porsche is now selling an astonishing 21 different versions of its iconic sports car.

To many, all current 911s pretty much look same. And if you ask Top Gear's bombastic host and longtime newspaper columnist Jeremy Clarkson, he'll tell you that all Porsche 911s since the model's debut in 1963 look identical.

The truth is, most of the various versions of the current generation — known as the 991 — do look similar, but they can all be identified by numerous subtle, but important differences.

Like Taco Bell in the fast food industry, what Porsche has managed to do so successfully is create multiple iterations of the 911 by mixing and matching the same ingredients, packaging them in lots of different ways. And if you've ever driven a 911, you'll probably agree with me in saying...there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

So here it is — the most current lineup of Porsche's 911 Taco Bell Menu.

Carrera: The Carrera is the "base" 911, if there is such as thing. It's powered by a 3.4-liter 350hp flat 6...

....and the Cabriolet is the convertible version of the Carrera.

The Carrera 4 Coupe is a Carrera Coupe with all-wheel-drive...

A 9,000-square-foot home belonging to a Silicon Valley-based financier has just hit the market for $28 million. 

The steep listing price is not uncommon for Atherton, a ritzy Silicon Valley town that has been named America's most expensive zip code by Forbes for two years in a row. The median listing price for a single-family home in Atherton is a whopping $9.03 million.

The house sits on nearly three acres of land, complete with a guest house, pool, tennis court, and expansive gardens.

Carol MacCorkle of Pacific Union International has the listing.

The Tudor-style home sits on 2.87 acres of very green land.

Inside you'll find big fireplaces and some heavily patterned furniture.

According to the listing, all furniture is negotiable with the sale.

A quirky apartment in an exclusive co-op building on Manhattan's east side is on the market for $12.75 million, according to Curbed.

The River House was built in 1931 in an art deco style. Until 2013, the co-op board forbid listings to include the name of the building or its address. It's also turned away a number of applicants, including Richard Nixon, Diane Keaton, Joan Crawford, and Gloria Vanderbilt.

The apartment is located on the 14th floor and has a terrace that overlooks the East River.

Sotheby's realtor Nikki E. Field has the listing.

Behold the gates of the River House, one of Manhattan's most exclusive co-op buildings.

Don't let its secluded East Side address fool you —the notoriously snooty co-op board ensures that only the wealthiest and most well-connected New Yorkers move in to the venerable tower. Until 2013, the board banned mention of the building's name or its address in broker listings.

An exclusive off-street private cobblestone driveway with a fountain takes you up to the residence building.

If you're living in Europe, deflation is already here. Deflation means that inflation is plunging, so prices are dropping.

So what's the big issue? If rising prices (inflation) are generally considered a bad thing, then shouldn't falling prices (deflation) be a good thing?

Well, yes and no.

Economics professor Ed Dolan is on hand with an easy-to-understand presentation (no economics degree needed), showing the circumstances in which deflation can be a good and bad thing.

We've republished the slideshow with Dolan's permission here, and you can check out more fantastic economics presentations over at his blog.

Here we go...

There is a brand new ranking of the world's most violent cities from Mexico's Citizens' Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice.

A full one-third of global homicides occur in Latin America even though the region has just 8% of the world's population, according to United Nations data.

Drug trafficking, gang wars, political instability, corruption, and poverty combine to cause the region's elevated violence.

The council's ranking includes cities with a population of more than 300,000 and doesn't count deaths in combat zones or cities with unavailable data, so some dangerous cities might not be represented on the list.

50. Cuernavaca, Mexico, had 25.45 homicides per 100,000 residents.

49. Medellín, Colombia, had 26.91 homicides per 100,000 residents.

48. Torreón, Mexico, had 27.81 homicides per 100,000 residents.

If one thing is certain in Hollywood, it's sequels. 

This year, more than two dozen movie sequels will hit theaters.

Some of these sequels make sense, like "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2." Others seem less justified, like the upcoming "Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2."

Find out which of your favorite (or least favorite) movies are getting a "Part 2"— or 3, 4, or 5 — this year. 

"The Woman In Black 2: Angel of Death"

Release Date: Jan. 2
Director: Tom Harper
Stars: Leanne Best, Phoebe Fox, Jeremy Irvine

This sequel was widely panned when it was released in early January. The film undoubtedly suffered from losing the original's leading man, Daniel Radcliffe.

"Taken 3"

Release Date: Jan. 9
Director: Olivier Megaton
Starring: Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Forest Whitaker, Maggie Grace

Liam Neeson returns as Bryan Mills. In the third installment of this franchise, no one is literally "taken." Instead, the title of the film takes another, darker turn as Mills is framed for murdering his ex-wife (Janssen), and goes on a quest to find her actual killer. Despite poor reviews, the film had one of the biggest January opening weekends.

"Spongebob Squarepants: Sponge Out Of Water"

Release Date: Feb. 6
Director: Mike Mitchell and Paul Tibbit
Stars: Tom Kenny ("Spongebob Squarepants"), Antonio Banderas, Seth Green

The sequel takes television's favorite anthropomorphic sponge and throws him onto land in CGI and 3D, too. Spongebob (voiced by Kenny), goes on a mission to secure a recipe from an evil pirate (Banderas). The previous "Spongebob" movie was a 2D animated adventure, which was a hit at the box office; however, that was 10 years ago. 

Unlike the first movie, this movie doesn't feature Alec Baldwin and David Hasselhoff in cameo appearances. However, you can expect an appearance from Slash.

Obesity has been steadily increasing in countries all over the world — and as of 2014, more than half a billion adults worldwide are classified as obese. 

That is more than double what the rate of obesity was just 20 years ago. 

The World Health Organization has just released its Global Status Report, and created a few maps to help show the prevalence of obesity in males and females in different countries around the world. 

The maps shows red countries — like the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and others— that all have more than 25% prevalence of obesity in men aged 18 years and over.

Most interestingly, in all WHO regions, women are more likely to be obese than men. 

“In the African, South-East Asia, and Eastern Mediterranean regions, women have roughly double the obesity prevalence of men,” the report says. 

Here's how the women fared in world countries:

The prevalence of obesity is highest in the Americas, with 61% overweight in both sexes. Obesity rates are low in the Southeast Asia Region, with only 22% overweight, making it the least obese region in the world. 

Around 3.4 million adults die each year as a result of being overweight or obese, according to WHO. 

SEE ALSO: The Most Obese Cities In America

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Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz has invested in some of today's most talked-about startups, including Slack, Buzzfeed, and Instacart.

Andreessen Horowitz has its finger on the pulse of what's happening in tech. Over on the firm's website, its investors have shared 16 trends and themes they're excited about this year. It's a sort of State of the Union for what's happening in tech.

We've compiled Andreessen Horowitz's predictions for the 16 startup themes that will be big this year. 

Virtual reality

"Computer enthusiasts and science fiction writers have dreamed about VR for decades. But earlier attempts to develop it, especially in the 1990s, were disappointing. It turns out the technology wasn’t ready yet. What’s happening now  — because of Moore’s Law, and also the rapid improvement of processors, screens, and accelerometers, driven by the smartphone boom  —  is that VR is finally ready to go mainstream," Chris Dixon, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, says. 

We've already started to see the emergence of virtual reality: people are still excited and curious about Oculus, which Facebook announced it was acquiring last March. Microsoft and Apple are also reportedly exploring virtual reality too.

Improving enterprise software design

Andreessen Horowitz partner Scott Weiss says this is the year for enterprise to play catch-up. Enterprise companies need to get up to speed with consumer-facing startups, which have already created beautiful, functional interfaces, especially on mobile.

"Enterprise UI is woefully behind," he says. "All those well-understood motions that have taken hold from our everyday smartphone behaviors — pinch, zoom, swipe, tap, speak, even just moving stuff around with our fingers — have yet to take hold in the enterprise. The user interface has always been an afterthought, the last thing one did after building a database. That is changing now."

Machine learning and big data

Andreessen Horowitz's Peter Levine says we're going to continue to see big data as a trend this year.

"Where business intelligence before was about past aggregates ('How many red shoes have we sold in Kentucky?'), it will now demand predictive insights ('How many red shoes will we sell in Kentucky?')," he says. "An important implication of this is that machine learning will not be an activity in and of itself … it will be a property of every application. There won’t be a standalone function, 'Hey, let’s use that tool to predict.'"

Facebook is one of the most difficult companies to interview with, according to Glassdoor, an online jobs community.

One reason the process is so challenging: They ask tough questions.

To figure out exactly what the social media giant asks job candidates, Glassdoor sifted through thousands of online reviews submitted by people who went through the interview process.

“How many birthday posts occur on Facebook on a given day?” —Facebook Data Scientist interview candidate

“You can roll a dice three times. You will be given $X where X is the highest roll you get. You can choose to stop rolling at any time (e.g., if you roll a 6 on the first roll, you can stop). What is your expected payout?” —Facebook Data Scientist interview candidate

“How much money is spent on the internet?” —Facebook Account Manager interview candidate

The entrance exam for All Souls College at Oxford University has been called the world's hardest test. 

That's because it's nearly impossible to revise for. The questions are abstract and there are no right or wrong answers.

The prize is a 7-year fellowship at Oxford University, which typically goes to two students each year. Only about a one-twentieth of applicants make it to the end.

We spoke to someone who both passed their own All Souls exam and now grades them. Our source gave us the inside track on what examiner's look for. When you're done, check out all the past exam questions here.

Students sit two general papers, and two papers from their specific discipline. It's mostly humanities and social science subjects.

Here's the examiner: "All the best candidates demonstrate a strong command of their subjects, and make compelling arguments in clear prose."

"The scripts that really stand out usually have something more that is striking: flashes of wit, sensitivity to detail, argumentative force."

Gili Lankanfushi in the Maldives is, without doubt, the most luxurious resort I've ever visited.

Each guest gets a personal assistant, nicknamed "Mr. Friday." Mine welcomed me with fresh coconuts and gave me a tour of my Robinson Crusoe villa, perched over water. With two patios and a private ocean pool, this was hardly the shipwrecked life.

I sampled fresh curry leaves from the resort's organic garden and snuck into the cellar for truffle chocolates. Between naps, I sailed to a deserted island, snorkeled in lush coral reefs and bicycled through jungle paths.

No wonder Gili Lankanfushi was also just named the world's best hotel by TripAdvisor users.

Villa rates begin at $1,441 per night.

Disclosure: La Carmina and her filmmakers were hosted by Gili Lankanfushi Maldives.

Gili Lankanfushi is located on a private island in the North Malé Atoll, about a 20-minute boat ride from the Maldives International Airport at Malé.

With only about 80 guests on this private atoll, I felt like I'd escaped the outside world.

The hotel has 45 overwater villas that are made from renewable materials like thatch.

At least in the world of finance, you can count on spending a lot of time at your desk. Actually, you're pretty much going to live there. 

And even if you're not in a profession that forces you to take up residency at your desk, unexpected meetings and emergencies happen.

That's why it's important to always be prepared whether you have to step out in a sudden rain shower or happen to be meeting a date later that night. 

So here's our list of ideas for accessories for what every professional women should bring to the office. 

A fashion emergency kit

You can get these at your local drug store or order them online. They contain almost everything you need in the event of disaster — like a button falling off your shirt, major shoe scuffing, stain and lint removers.

Life is hard.

Grab one here for $14.99.

A pair of flats

Flats are essential for women who stand on their feet all day.

The one problem is flats can come off as unprofessional or immature. A solution is to pick a pair with nice hardware.

Try Tory Burch, Lanvin, Chanel or Ferragamo flats. You can pick up the Stuart Wetizman's pictured here for $149.

A pair of heels.

If you work at a place where you can get away with wearing flats, then you should keep a pair of heels handy for after work shmoozing, or in case you need to go into a meeting that requires heels.

In 2030, there will be more jobs than workers able to fill them in many of the world's largest economies, according to Boston Consulting Group senior partner Rainer Strack.

In his October TED Talk, Strack explained that the world is facing a labor shortage and skills mismatch. However, he said it's not too late to begin employee development and recruitment strategies that take a global perspective.

Scroll down to see the key points of his presentation, which you can watch in full at TED's site.

Strack forecasts supply and demand for his native Germany, based on what it would take to maintain the current GDP and productivity growth. There's a gap of 8 million people.

Of the world's 15 largest economies, responsible for 70% of the world's GDP, 12 are projected to face a labor shortage.

Part of the problem will be a surplus of low-skilled workers and a significant lack of high-skilled workers. The emergence of new technologies will simultaneously replace low-skilled jobs and create high-skilled ones.