With spring tantalizingly close, our minds are starting to drift toward vacation.

And if you're stuck in front of a computer all day, then yours probably is, too.

We've updated our bucket list of travel destinations to include reader suggestions and 2015's travel hotspots.

From eating pizza in Naples to sleeping in a luxurious overwater bungalow in the Maldives, these are the 100 trips everyone should take in their lifetime.

Did we miss your dream destination? Let us know in the comments. And check our Wanderlust board on Pinterest for more beautiful travel photos. 

See the great wildebeest migration in Africa's Serengeti National Park.

Get splashed under Iguazu Falls, one of the world's widest waterfalls, which borders Brazil and Argentina.

Snap the ultimate tourist shot at the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

There are too many apps in the Google Play store to notice when each one goes on sale.

Luckily, we've collected the best Android apps on sale at this very moment so you don't have to. 

From delightfully charming games like Worms 2 and Violett to apps for controlling your computer from your phone, you're bound to find a good deal on something new.

Just remember these deals could end at any time, so act quickly!

Fragment turns your photos into angular works of art.

Fragment is great for creating wallpapers for your phone or tablet using the pictures you've already taken. The app lets you "fragment" your photos with prism-like shapes, frames, and angular patterns that add an artistic touch to your favorite photos.

Price: $0.99 (usually $1.99)

Type faster with Swype.

Swype offers an incredibly fast way to type, allowing you to swipe through letters to string together a word rather than tapping each letter out. The more you type, the smarter it gets at predicting your words, too. It supports emojis, custom layouts, and even lets you add your own words to the dictionary.

Price: $0.99 (usually $3.99)

If you like Call of Duty, try Modern Combat 5: Blackout.

Modern Combat 5: Blackout offers stunning graphics and a new single-player campaign with locations such as Venice and Tokyo. There's multiplayer, four customizable classes, and you can create your own squad with your friends.

Price:$3.99 (usually $6.99)

It's common for wealthy tech employees to become startup investors once they've made it big.

But there's also a growing connection between the world of tech and the world of food. That's partly because the San Francsico Bay Area is both the capital of the current tech boom and one of the leading culinary centers in the world. 

Tech investors and execs have been investing in all kinds of restaurants, from boutique coffee shops to salad chains.

Sequoia Capital, a VC firm that's backed Apple, Google, and Oracle, invested in grilled cheese restaurant The Melt in 2011. Sequoia reportedly invested at least $10 million.

San Francisco-based Philz Coffee just finished raising $15 million in a round led by Summit Partners, which has invested in Uber.

Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom, Twitter co-founder Evan Williams, and Twitter investor Chris Sacca poured nearly $26 million into Blue Bottle, a boutique coffee chain, in early 2014..

Shorting stocks is always risky for investors.

But it can be a sure way to avoid burning cash when a company's shares crash, making it worth the bet.

Several Chinese online retailers have a significant amount of short interest on this list.

And Bill Ackman says he is doing "God's work" by crusading against Herbalife, as more investors bet the company's shares will continue to tumble.

To find the stocks, we screened for companies with market caps over $2 billion and ranked the stock from least shorted to most shorted.

Stratasys

Ticker: SSYS

Short interest: 22.33%

YTD return: -24.69%

Sector: Technology

Comment: Early February, the 3-D printers maker cut 2014 guidance and forecast that its 2015 results will miss analysts' estimates.

Source: FinViz

Shutterstock

Ticker: SSTK

Short interest: 22.84%

YTD return: -17.87%

Sector: Services

Comment: Shutterstock recently passed the 500 million mark for royalty free images it has licensed.

Source: FinViz

ADT

Ticker: ADT

Short interest: 22.92%

YTD return: +8.66%

Sector: Services

Comment: The Company reported total revenue of $887 million, an increase of 5.7% year-over-year, in Q1 2015.

Source: FinViz

If you've ever wanted to have your own personal John Wayne fantasy, now may be your chance.

A one-acre painstakingly reproduced replica of a wild west town is now for sale in the deserts of Valley Center, California.

It has pretty much all you need to live your fantasy: a train station, a town jail, a general store, and even a saloon. While there is a house on the property, it's a bit of a let down in light of how cool the town is.

Though it's been featured in both TV commercials and movies, the town has never been opened to the public. “It’s actually a private place,” listing agent Earl Brown told Realtor.com. “I venture 95 percent of the people in our town don’t even know it’s there.”

The property originally went up for sale in June of 2014 for $1.2 million, but just reduced to $950,000, Curbed notes.

Realtor.com has the listing.

If your dream is to own a replica wild west town, that dream is now possible.

The meticulously detailed town sits on one acre of dusty California desert — an appropriate setting.

It's so realistic, even commercials and movies have been filmed in it. Every stereotypical building you would expect to find in a town in the wild west in accounted for, including...

Shane Smith, cofounder and CEO of $2.5 billion media company Vice, is a highly controversial figure.

From $300,000 steak dinners to wild, celebrity-packed parties, Smith is always pushing the envelope. His personal net worth has been estimated to be as much as $400 million.

He's also an accomplished journalist who has traveled everywhere from Libya to North Korea.  

Smith has served as Vice's resident partier since he cofounded the magazine in 1994. Here he attends a screening of "The Vice Guide to Everything," a series the media company launched in New York City in 2010.

From the beginning, Vice's brash style appealed to a punk rock, drug-using audience. Smith fit the mold. "I would be at the party and would just want to get wasted, take coke and have sex with girls in the bathroom," he told the Financial Times in 2012.

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 Source: FT

In recent years, Vice has expanded its coverage to include politics, tech, music, fashion, food, and more general news coverage. It's also launched a record label, book imprint, online TV network, and ad agency, but Smith still knows how to have a good time. Here he's seen partying onstage with Bono and Jony Ive during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

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164 acres of private land in the Bahama's Berry Islands is now going on sale through luxury Miami Beach realtor Worldwide Properties for $41 million.

Spotted on the Wall Street Journal, the estate is known as Frazer’s Hog Cay and is located off the coast of South Florida roughly 25 miles off the coast of Nassau.

What’s really special about the listing, however, is that in addition to the gorgeous beaches and landscape, the property has plans for a 22,000-square-foot, eight-bedroom compound that is currently in development. 

The seller is the former member of the Bahamian parliament and entrepreneur Ervin Knowles who has been amassing the real estate since the 1960s. 

In addition to the 22,000-square-foot renderings for the mansion, the property also has tropical orchards and a marina. There are additional plans for staff quarters, two smaller mansions, 16 Tiki-style bungalows, and sporting facilities including a soccer field.

According to architect Enrique Rene Gonzalez of Gonzalez Architecture, the planned estate could cost between $20 million and $25 million to build, he told the WSJ. That's in addition to the land's $41 million pricetag.

But with views like this and white sandy beaches, it's worth it for the billionaire who just wants to leave it all behind.

Plus if you really need to get back to the main land, Miami and Palm Beach are only 30 minutes away by jet and half a day away by yacht.

Worldwide Properties has the exclusive listing. Keep scrolling to see more gorgeous renderings of what could be your own private island.

SEE ALSO: Inside a $22.9 million equestrian estate that is being sold by the former CEO of FedEx

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NOW WATCH: Homeless-Man-Turned-Billionaire Shares The Secret To The American Dream

Thirty years ago, in February 1985, Steve Jobs gave an interview to Playboy.

As with most long interviews with the late CEO, it's filled with fantastic nuggets about his life, Apple, and the future of computing.

To commemorate what would have been his 60th birthday, we pulled out our 15 favorite quotes and anecdotes for you to check out.

The Mac team spent $100,000 annually on juice!

The author of the interview was amazed by the perks and culture of Apple:

"The Apple offices are clearly not like most places of employment. Video games abound, ping pong tables are in use, speakers blare out music ranging from The Rolling Stones to Windham Hill jazz. Conference rooms are named after Da Vinci and Picasso, and snack-room refrigerators are stocked with fresh carrot, apple and orange juice. (The Mac team alone spends $100,000 on fresh juice per year.)"

Steve Jobs showed off a Mac to a 9-year-old at a New York party. Andy Warhol was there, saw the computer and was amazed.

The best part is Jobs was more interested in playing with the 9-year-old. Why? Jobs says, "Older people sit down and ask, 'What is it?' but the boy asks, 'What can I do with it?'"

Steve Jobs was saying things like "incredibly great" back in 1985.

With a suite of mobile apps, educational materials, and automated tools, Betterment says it wants to make it easier for people to manage their personal investments.

Last week, the company announced it had raised an additional $60 million in Series D funding led by Francisco Partners. The round, which valued the company at nearly $500 million, brought the startup's total funds to $105 million.

Investors include Citi Ventures, Northwestern Mutual, Bessemer Venture Partners, Menlo Ventures, Globespan Capital Partners, and Anthemis Group.

The 90 employees work out of gorgeous, light-filled offices in New York City, where they can relax in a wood-paneled library or enjoy free, professionally cooked meals several times a week. (Another startup, Homepolish, helped Betterment with the interior design.)

We recently stopped by to check it out for ourselves.

Betterment has 15,000 square feet of space in a historic building in New York's Flatiron District. The startup occupies two floors — one that was once a karate studio and another that served as a storage room for a toy company.

And the space is beautiful, with lots of light spilling onto comfortable couches next to the windows. Betterment has been in this part of the office since the summer of 2013.

The team has about 90 members and expects to grow rapidly in the next year. "We'll need more space soon," founder and CEO Jon Stein told Business Insider.

Every year, Consumer Reports and its team of expert evaluators test and scrutinize virtually every car sold in the United States. Out those cars, there are a select few that stand above the rest and join the vaunted group of vehicles known as Consumer Reports' Top Picks.

To become a Top Pick, a car must excel at the publication's track tests, offer average or better reliability and perform effectively in government or industry crash tests.

For 2015, Consumer Reports has selected 10 cars ranging from an environmentally friendly hybrid to a family minivan.  Of the 10 cars selected, six come from Japanese manufacturers, three come from American firms and one hails from Germany.

So here they are, Consumer Reports' Top Picks of 2015.

Best Compact Car: Subaru Impreza

Price as tested: $21,345

Why it's on the list: In a segment filled with big names and even bigger reputations, the Subaru Impreza manages to take the top spot on the list with a strong overall package. The publication was impressed by the Impreza's great interior, quiet ride, strong handling, and value for money. 

Best Midsized Sedan: Subaru Legacy

Price as tested: $24,837

Why it's on the list: Like its Impreza sibling, the Legacy also bested some of the most popular cars in the business to become a Top Pick. Consumer Reports found the Subaru to offer a quiet and comfortable driving experience, along with the best ride quality in the segment. 

Best Large Car: Chevrolet Impala V6

Price as tested: $39,110

Why it's on the list: "The Chevrolet Impala is proof that General Motors can still build a great family car, " Consumer Reports automotive content specialist Mike Quincy told Business Insider.

In fact, "[the]Impala humbles the Toyota Avalon and even the Lexus ES 350" Consumer Reports wrote. That's truly high praise. The publication also praised the big Chevy for its comfortable ride, responsive handling, and great value for the money.

Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is no longer just about the handset launches.

Each year, thousands of ad executives flock to the trade show to learn about what’s new in mobile, to catch up with clients, and to potentially do some deals.

And, after hours, they tend to let their hair down.

MWC is taking place at this huge venue, the Fira Gran Via, in Barcelona from March 2-5. It has 240,000 square meters of floor space. That's a lot of walking. Thirsty work.

Obviously a huge venue like that can't be situated in the middle of town. The Fira is fairly far out from the most popular parts of the city, so once the day's conference and meetings are over, most ad execs head into the center of Barcelona. After they've had dinner, there are usually two main hangouts they flock to: Hotel Omm and Opium.

The first stop is usually Hotel Omm, a 5-star hotel in the center of Barcelona’s Paseo de Gracia, one of the city's major avenues and shopping districts. It has a distinctive wave-like exterior.

As spring draws near, a college student's mind starts thinking about internships. So Glassdoor scanned its database of 27,500 open internships to help students decide.

It came up with a list of the 25 best internships in the land based on intern feedback. Not surprisingly, tech companies dominated the list, taking up half the spots.

Glassdoor ranked this list based on intern satisfaction, which interns offered on a scale from one to five. To make it easier, we researched the salaries these companies offer, as reported by interns to Glassdoor.

No. 12: Broadcom, $5,203/month

Company: Broadcom (makes computer chips and electronics equipment)

Intern satisfaction rating: 4.1 out of 5

Interview difficulty rating: 2.9 out of 5

Salary:$30.02/hr ($5,203/month @ 40 hours per week)

Interns say:

"Great learning environment. Team was always willing to answer questions and help out."— Broadcom Software Engineering Intern (Irvine, California)

Internship info

No. 11: Hewlett-Packard, $4,168/month

Company: Hewlett-Packard

Intern satisfaction rating: 4.1 out of 5

Interview difficulty rating: 2.9 out of 5

Salary:$24.05/hr ($4,168/month @ 40 hours per week)

Interns say:

"Great culture, hard work, great manager and mentor and good pay!"— Hewlett-Packard Marketing Intern (Fort Collins, Colorado)

Internship info

No. 10: National Instruments, $2,948/month

Company: National Instruments, makes electronics testing equipment

Intern satisfaction rating: 4.2 out of 5

Interview difficulty rating: 3.0 out of 5

Salary:$17.01/hr ($2,948/month @ 40 hours per week)

Interns say:

"Being an intern here was great. There is an entire structured intern program including training, intermediate evaluation and feedback sessions with a supervisor, and an exit interview."— National Instruments Software Engineer Intern (Austin, Texas)

Internship info

The image of a Rolls-Royce has long been inseparable from the famous hood ornament of a woman with her arms spread out behind her, her clothes billowing in the wind.

The statuette is officially known as the "Spirit of Ecstasy" and dates back to the early days of the automaker.

It was created by British sculptor Charles Robinson Sykes.

Sykes made the first version of the hood ornament for motoring enthusiast Lord Montagu. His model was Montagu's secretary and mistress, Eleanor Thornton, according to The Telegraph.

Soon after, Rolls-Royce, annoyed that its customers were making up their own hood ornaments, commissioned Sykes to create a similar statue for all its cars. The Spirit of Ecstasy has been standard on Rolls-Royces since the 1920s.

Since 2003, Polycast Limited, based in Southampton, has been responsible for making the Spirit of Ecstasy. Today, it churns out about 5,500 per year.

Reuters photographer Stefan Wermuth went behind the scenes to see how they do it.

[An earlier version of this story was written by Alex Davies.]

Southampton-based Polycast Limited has been responsible for making the Spirit of Ecstasy since 2003. It now makes about 5,500 per year.

The statuette starts out as a wax form.

Once the wax version is made, it's cooled off.

The fifth season of Game of Thrones starts on April 12, promising another 10 episodes of scheming, sex, and bloody violence in the fractured fictional kingdoms of Westeros and Essos.

With a staggering $6 million spent per episode, no expense is spared to faithfully replicate George R. R. Martin's world. Actors and crew travel to Iceland, Morocco, Ireland and beyond to find the sets that represent the icy crags of the Vale, the untamed wilds of the North, and the bitter desert cities around Slaver's Bay.

But can you tell which is which? With a keen eye — and an encyclopedic knowledge of the Seven Kingdoms — it's possible to identify which real-life windswept hill stands in for the Crownlands, and which snowy tundra is North of the Wall.

(Warning: This post contains extensive spoilers for already-aired episodes of Game of Thrones.)

Let's start with an easy one. Castle Ward in County Down, Northern Ireland, provided the backdrop for which famous castle?

Yep — it's Winterfell, the historic seat of House Stark, ruling family of the North.

(For information on Game Of Thrones set locations, we referred to articles by the Daily Mail, Skyscanner and the Irish Tourist Board, as well as our own knowledge.)

How about the Azure Window in Malta?

Sometimes you need to add some breathing room to your leather shoes.

Whether the last pair of those great Allen Edmonds were just a half-size too small, or your favorite $400 Pradas just don't fit the way they used to – it's crucial to know how to stretch them out and do it right.

We came up with a few ways to help.

1. Go see a professional.

Business Insider spoke with David Yushuvayev of David Shoe Repair on East 17th Street in Manhattan, and he showed us the great device he uses to stretch shoes for customers. It expands length-wise and width-wise to ensure your shoe is getting stretched in just the right places to match your foot.

Yushuvayev recommends dropping by your local shoe repair shop to get the job done, rather than investing in the device itself and not using it very often. "One time you stretch it, and then 10 years you leave it somewhere," he said. He charges about $15 for a stretch.

2. Use a good spray.

No matter which method you use to stretch your shoe, it's important to use a good shoe stretcher spray beforehand.

If your shoe doesn't need too much of a stretch, you might even get by with just that.

Yushuvayev recommends the Meltonian Shoe Stretch & Softner Spray from SC Johnson. (Make sure you're only using this spray on real leather and suede.)

3. Get crafty at home.

If stretching your shoes is a common recurrence for you, then you might want to consider some DIY methods.

Lifehack recommends freezing a bag of water inside your shoes, so that when the bag expands, it stretches the leather as well (repeat as many times as needed).

Alternatively, Lifehack recommends heating your shoes with a hair dryer. Wear the shoes with thick socks, and aim the hairdryer at specific parts of the shoe that need a little more wiggle room.

Several blogs, including Shoe Digest, also recommend stuffing the shoes with peeled potatoes overnight. So that's also an option, though we're not sure how they'll smell the next morning.

4. Try to buy shoes that fit.

Lastly – or perhaps firstly – you should always aim to buy shoes that fit.

Podiatrist Paul Greenberg of Mount Sinai Hospital and Belvedere Podiatry Group says it's not a good idea to buy uncomfortable shoes with the intention of stretching them out later.

"They should be comfortable from the start," he said.

Remember that your feet will swell as the day wears on, so try to avoid early morning shoe-shopping trips, and head to the shops after work instead.

SEE ALSO:  Finance More: Culture Style Fashion Men's Fashion The 3 Bags Every Man Should Own

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NOW WATCH: 5 Classic Men's Shoes For Work And Play

First we heard the Aston Martin Vulcan scream down a racetrack. Then we saw it spit fire out of its side exhausts. Now we finally have our first glimpse of Aston's newest hypercar — and it's every bit as intense as we expected. 

Aston has confirmed that the Vulcan will be a track-only special edition and will be limited to just 24 cars.

“Aston Martin Vulcan is, by its very nature, a rare and thrilling supercar," Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer said.

"Designed and engineered to deliver a genuinely bespoke driving experience that draws on our rich heritage, this car tailors its power and handling to both the capabilities of the driver and the characteristics of the track."

The price for this "bespoke" hypercar is as intimidating as a Saville Row suit cut from shimmering superhero carbon fiber: $2.3 million.

Upon its debut at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, the Vulcan will ascend to its rightful place as Aston's halo car.

Unlike Aston's previous halo car — the One-77— the Vulcan will pull design and technology straight from the company's successful...

... V8 Vantage GTE ...

Three years ago, my best friend started using coconut oil after reading about it on YouTube star Jenna Marble’s blog.

She could not stop raving about it: “It’s a make up remover! It’s a moisturizer! It’s a leave-in conditioner!” 

So I bought a jar, and I haven’t stopped using it since. 

For those who don’t know, coconut oil is a sort of waxy solid at room temperature that becomes oily when it’s heated up in your hands or if it’s been sitting in a hot room. 

Essentially, coconut oil is a sort of Holy Grail of natural products that is good for your skin, hair, nails, cooking, wood polish, dog care, and more.

These are 11 things this cheap, natural product can do:

1. Moisturizer: Whether it’s on your face, body, or hands, coconut oil is a fantastic moisturizer. Rub a little bit between your hands and it will instantly become an oil that you can rub all over. Though it’s greasy at first, it will quickly absorb into your skin and nails.

2. Make up remover: Put on coconut oil all over your face before wiping it off with a towel or wipe. It’s one of the most effective make up removers I’ve ever used.

3. Acne: Coconut oil has antibacterial properties which can help with acne break outs. Whenever I’m using it, I notice I get less of those tiny pimples on my face. 

4. Treating infections/bug bites/bruises: Coconut oil has Monolaurin, which is said to be good for fighting bug bites. It also has anti-fungal properties and many natural health websites say that it can help with scratches, bug bites, infections, and even to help alleviate bruises.

5. Body scrub: Some beauty bloggers add white or brown sugar to their coconut oil for a make-your-own body scrub. Though I’ve never tried it, it sounds incredible (and cheaper than expensive name-brand alternatives).

6. Leave-in conditioner: When my friends have been introduced to coconut oil, this is one of the first things they’ll try. Coating your hair in coconut oil and letting it rest for 10-20 minutes will let follicles soak up as much moisture as possible. The result is shiny, thick, and very soft hair (just make sure you really rinse out all the greasy oil).

7. Shaving cream: I know a woman who keeps a jar in her shower and will use the oil to shave her legs. Not only is it very nourishing, but the water will roll right off the oil so it keeps protecting your skin while you shave. 

8. Cooking oil: If you’re using coconut oil for beauty as well as for cooking, I’d recommend keeping one jar in the bathroom and second jar in the kitchen. Coconut oil is good in replace of any other cooking oil and YouTube star Jenna Marbles freezes it into ice cube trays to use in smoothies. It can also be used to replace butter. 

9. Energy boost and health supplement: Many health blogs claim that coconut oil is also a natural energy boost that will also keep you full for longer. Though I can’t speak to this, I’ve heard other people truly rely on it as a part of their diet.

10. Wood/leather/metal polish: Simply take a little bit of coconut oil, and rub it into your table, scuffed leather goods, or any metal surface. Buff with a cloth to a shine. Easy.

11. Pet care: Whether it’s for a dry nose, cracked paws, or coat conditioner, coconut oil is a natural product to use for conditioning your pets. It’s also safe for them to eat so you won’t worry if they lick it off (some pet owners even purposefully put it into pet food). 

Those are just a few of the uses for coconut oil — some health blogs have over a hundred things you can do with it.

So now,here’s what to buy: 

For beauty uses, look for unrefined, virgin coconut oil (this is what I use). If you’re cooking, refined coconut oil is best.  

You can pick up a substantial jar that will last for months from any organic grocery store such as Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. It’s pretty cheap, and shouldn’t cost more than $10. If you’re paying over $10 for coconut oil, you’re doing something wrong.

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NOW WATCH: Watch 2 armed gangs fight on a busy road in China

On the banks of Lake Okeechobee in southern Florida sits an isolated community of small, squat houses. About 150 residents, nearly all of them single men, make up this enclave, known as Miracle Village, and they all share one thing in common: They are all convicted sex offenders.

Founded in 2009 by minister Dick Witherow, the village is an attempt to ease the difficult and stringent regulations placed on those who were convicted of sex crimes, such as curfews and restrictions on internet use and where they can live. It was also an effort to introduce religious tenets into their daily life.

Some see it as a triumph in understanding, while others think it is dangerous and delusional.

Sofia Valiente, a young photographer from the area, spent three months living in the village, documenting its residents and their community. What she discovered changed her mind about sex offenders forever, and she hopes her work will pass on the same message. Her book of the work, titled "Miracle Village," can be purchased here. 

Valiente says she initially heard about Miracle Village from a friend at the local newspaper in Pahokee. She says she was "overcome by curiosity," so one day she decided to drive out to the small enclave of about 150 residents, living in small houses like the ones seen below.

"I was pretty terrified," Valiente says about first visiting the town. "All I knew was what the media had portrayed about them, that they were people who at all costs should be avoided."

Most members of the community were shocked to see Valiente as well. But as she explained her reasons for being there, Valiente says, "eventually people were happy to share their stories with someone that was there to listen without judgment, since that was very rare for them."

Last fall, I visited the Philippines for a slightly bizarre reason: to judge the Miss Scuba International beauty pageant.

I confess that Cebu, an island province in the Philippines, was never on my travel bucket list, mainly because I didn’t know much about these islands. However, by the end of my first day, I realized I had found a favorite new beach destination.

Click here to go straight to the pictures »

Sailing through Lapu-Lapu, one of the main cities in Cebu, I couldn’t believe my eyes: There were white sand beaches under giant palms and almost no tourists anywhere. I tried new types of seafood (including a lobster-like mantis shrimp) and discovered local flavors like calamansi (a tart citrus that is delicious when mixed with gin).

Most travelers don't know about Cebu yet — but they're missing out. It's one of the most affordable, uncrowded, and beautiful beach destinations in Southeast Asia.

Disclaimer: La Carmina and her travel filmmakers were guests of Pacific Cebu Resort and sáv Hospitality.

The moment I stepped onto Caohagan Island, in the resort city of Lapu-Lapu, I knew I'd found a favorite new beach destination.

White sand, warm waters, and no tourists or shops in sight.

The waters are so shallow in Lapu-Lapu that you can walk between some of the islands during low tide. On the sea floor, I spotted red and blue starfish.

Lifetime’s competition series "Child Genius" highlights 2o of America’s most extraordinary children as they test their skills in a grueling 8-week long national intelligence competition.

In cooperation with IQ society American Mensa, these gifted children, who have scored within the 98th percentile or higher on a standardized intelligence exam, are quizzed in math, spelling, world geography, memory, current events, astronomy, inventions, logic, and culture.

The winner of the competition earns the title of "Child Genius" and receives a college fund of $100,000.  Let's meet a few of them:

Izzy, 8, Midlothian, VA

IQ 146 (Over 140 is considered genius or near-genius)

Izzy joined the IQ society Mensa when she was just 3 years old. 

She is trilingual in English, French, and Chinese, and has a yellow belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

In order to cover more challenging topics at a much more rapid pace, Izzy was removed from public school and is now tutored by her father.

According to her parents, Izzy doesn't have very many friends that are children.

"Isabel wants to have friends that are her own age but it's really hard with her unique situation," her dad said.

Izzy offers up an explanation, "my child friends can talk about some things but not other things and my adult friends can talk about everything."

Ryan, 11, Charlotte, NC 

IQ 156

A self-described perfectionist, academics come naturally to Ryan, especially math.

"I finished Algebra in sixth grade and normal people usually finish that in ninth grade," Ryan said.

Throughout the competition it becomes apparent that his parents want him to win the title of "child genius" more than he does. 

"If you really perform and beat your opponents your life could change forever," his dad said to him.

Appearing hardly satisfied with his achievements his mom added, "If you reach one level, you always can improve yourself to reach another level."

Ryan's parents temporarily relocated the family across the country in order to help Ryan focus on the competition.

Vanya, 12, Olathe, KS  

IQ 144

One of the oldest contestants, Vanya is no stranger to academic competitions, she is a veteran speller at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

"My first year I competed I was the youngest speller and I tied for 49th. The second year I competed I got a perfect score on the written test and I placed 10th. Last year, I tied for 5th place," Vanya said.

Vanya's main strategy is to use her mastery of etymology to conquer all the topics covered in the competition.

Graham, 10, Verdigris, OK

IQ top .01% (Approximately IQ 146)

When Graham was 5 years old he tested into the top .01 percentile on an intelligence exam. 

He excels at science and geography and has memorized the US atlas. 

"He can tell you every road or highway to take to get from point A to point B in the US," his mom said.

For fun, Graham was invited by a local television meteorologist to test his knowledge of hurricanes by simply viewing satellite imagery.

"Oh that's hurricane Camille," Graham says instantly.

"Do you know what year that was?"

"1969 and it had sustaining wind speeds of 190 mph and a minimum pressure of 900 millibars," Graham responded.

Tanishq, 10, Sacramento, CA

IQ top .01% (Approximately IQ 146)

Tanishq joined the elite IQ society Mensa when he was only 4 years old and began taking college courses three years later. "My goal is to get a Phd by the time I get my driver's license," Tanishq said. According to his parents, when he was about four months old he could read and answer questions about books.

According to his Twitter account, he hopes to one day become the President of the United States or a famous scientist.

Thus far, he has given several TEDx talks about his discoveries on exoplanets, supernovas, and climate change. 

Yeji, 11, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 

IQ top .01% (Approximately IQ 146)

The most well-rounded of the contestants, Yeji has a wide range of interests and typically finds school to be unchallenging.  She tested in the 99.9th percentile of the KADC Korean Intelligence Test but refers to herself as the "black horse candidate" in the competition.

She moved to the US at the age of three and within a year she spoke English so well that no one even knew it was her second language. Her dream job is to be a veterinarian. 

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