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South by Southwest is in full swing in Austin.

The annual mega-conference features talks by tech leaders like Bill Gurley and Eric Schmidt and it's flooded with startups trying to stand out, but what it's really known for is its parties.

As the sun was beginning to set on Friday, PayPal & Mondelez sponsored a rooftop soirée. There was great live music, but the sky really stole the show.

On Friday evening, Brian Wong's startup Kiip threw a party where Sir Mix-A-Lot of "Baby got Back" fame performed. Lots of people were using selfie sticks.

MRY and YouthNation put on a rager where Busta Rhymes performed.

Later this month, Apple will join the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Apple will replace AT&T, which was better-known as American Telephone & Telegraph when it originally joined the Dow in October 1916.

This 30-stock index has seen a lot of turnover in its history. And believe it or not, there were only 12 stocks in it when it was created in 1896.

"The Dow Jones Industrial Average consisted entirely of industrial stocks, as it was published for the first time," noted S&P's Howard Silverblatt. It's a lot more diverse today.

And only one of the original 12 members continues to hold a spot in it.

American Sugar Company

What it did: It was the largest American company in the sugar refining business in the early 20th century, with investments in the Caribbean. It was established in 1891 with $50 million in capital. 

Where it is now: It has since been acquired by American Sugar Refining, whose products include Domino Sugar. It was dropped from the Dow in 1930.

Source: Wikipedia

American Tobacco Company

What it did: The American Tobacco Company acquired over 200 competitors to become the dominant player in the industry. It was founded in 1890.

Where it is now: The Supreme Court ordered it to dissolve following an anti-trust lawsuit. It splintered into many smaller companies and renamed itself Fortune Brands. It was dropped from the Dow in 1985.

Source: Wikipedia

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.

On Sumba, a remote island in the Indonesian archipelago, natives continue to celebrate their most ancient traditions. The most important of these is the Pasola, an annual festival to celebrate the harvest. 

The Pasola festival is a brutal war ritual that pits two neighboring tribes against each other. Men of age ride on horseback throwing spears, with a deadly intent to spill blood onto the soil. Without blood, the Sumbanese believe, the harvest will be bad. 

Photographer James Morgan recently traveled to Sumba to document the festival. He has shared some of his photos with us here, but you can check out the rest at his website. 

Editor's Warning: Images in this slideshow may be considered graphic by some readers.

Sumba is a tiny island in Indonesia with a population of about 650,000. Unlike most Indonesian islands, Sumba has indigenous horses, which play an important role in Sumbanese culture.

Sumba is largely covered in rice paddies. The Sumbanese believe that for the rice to have a good harvest, blood must be spilled on the ground.

To spill the blood, the Sumbanese enact the Pasola. Shamans called "ratus" determine the date of the Pasola based on the appearance of the Nyale sea worms, which show up on the beach once a year.

On Friday, HBO's explosive new documentary on Scientology, "Going Clear,"opened theatrically in limited release. The film will premiere on HBO on March 29.

The Alex Gibney-directed documentary is based on author Lawrence Wright's controversial book "Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, & the Prison of Belief," which grew out of a New Yorker profile on former Scientologist, director Paul Haggis.

In the doc, Gibney takes aim at Scientology's most high profile members, like Tom Cruise and John Travolta, and addresses why the actors would have such a hard time leaving the religion.

But Cruise and Travolta aren't the only celebrity Scientologists.

From "Mad Men" stars to "Orange Is The New Black" actors, see who else is part of the controversial religion.

With additional reporting by Ashley Lutz.

Actress Kirstie Alley

The former "Cheers" star says the religion helped her overcome a cocaine addiction. 

"I think that probably all religions sound bizarre to the people who are not the practitioners of them," Alley says of Scientology. "To me it's so normal, and probably 90% of the crazy stuff I hear isn't true. I've been a Scientologist for over 30 years. I think a lot of things are sensationalized."

In 2010, rumors swirled her weight loss program, Organic Liaison, was a front for Scientology, a claim the actress vehemently denied. 

Actor Danny Masterson

Masterson is best-known for his role on "That '70's Show." He defended Tom Cruise for the actor's leaked Scientology video back in 2008. 

In an interview with Paper Magazine in 2009 he explained the religion as follows:

"The definition of Scientology is 'the study of knowledge,'"said Masterson. "Obviously, the more knowledge you have in a given field, such as life, the more confident you are as a person."

Actress Bijou Phillips

Indie actress Bijou Phillips, most recently known for her role on "Raising Hope," is daughter of the "Mamas and Papas" singer John Phillips.

Bijou is married to Danny Masterson and the two frequently go to Scientology events together. 

Back in 1939, Winston Churchill famously remarked that Russia was "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma."

For most people, his words ring true to this day.

Although Russia is the largest country in the world and has the eighth-largest GDP, little is widely known about the nation and its culture.

Because Russia has increasingly made international headlines, it's a good idea to know a few things about the country.

To help you out, we've compiled a list of some of the craziest facts about the Russian language, culture, politics, and statistics.

Beer wasn't considered an alcoholic drink in Russia until 2011.

In 2011, then-President Dmitry Medvedev officially signed into law that beer was in fact an alcoholic beverage.

This law finally put limitations on where beer could be sold.

Source: Christian Science Monitor

One out of four Russian men die before their 55th birthday.

The life expectancy for men in Russia is 64 years old, a total among that of the 50 lowest countries in the world.

Only 10% of men in the US die before their 55th birthday, and 7% of men in the UK do.

And the risk of dying before 55 is exacerbated by those "who said they drank three or more half-liter bottles of vodka a week."

Source: The Guardian

There is no word for "fun" in Russian.

There is the word "веселье," which translates to "joy" or "merriment," and there's also the verb form "веселиться." One huge difference between the words "веселье" and "fun" is that you can have fun at work, but you can't "веселиться" at work.

On Monday, the world's most powerful person reappeared after mysteriously disappearing for 10 days. 

Without a definitive explanation from the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed President Almazbek Atambayev of Kyrgyzstan amid swirling rumors.

Putin rarely goes unnoticed after a year during which Russia annexed the multi-ethnic peninsula Crimea, engineered a civil war in Ukraine, and signed off on the world's largest construction project.

The Kremlin sets up elaborate photo ops to prove that Putin is the type of man with whom not to mess with.

Walter Hickey and Geoff Ingersoll contributed to this report.

After graduating college, Putin spent the next 16 years as an intelligence officer for the KGB where he learned the basics of becoming a sort of Bond man.

No guns, no problem. Putin also holds a sixth-degree Judo black belt and a second black belt in Kyokushin kaikan karate. The "sweeping hip throw" is his signature move.

The high council of Russian bikers unanimously voted him into a Hells Angels rank. His nickname is "Abaddon," a Hebrew word that fittingly translates to "The Destroyer."

Landing a job is no easy feat.  

"Sometimes it feels as if you need superhuman qualities to even get your resume past the spam folder of a hiring manager's inbox, let alone get ahead once your foot's in the door," says Alisha Grauso, editor-in-chief of Moviepilot.com.

Luckily, she says, there is a group of people to whom you can look for advice: The Avengers.

"No, really. There are lessons to be found in any comic book story that can be applied to real life, and Avengers are no different," Grauso explains. "You think you've faced some tough career situations? Try facing down an army of invading Chitauri while Manhattan is being destroyed."

In honor of the upcoming release of Marvel's "Avengers: Age of Ultron," Grauso shares 10 lessons you can learn from the Avengers characters that may help you land your next job:

1. Never lie about your work history.

It can be tempting to lie on your resume about your education or work history, but resist, she advises.

"Sooner or later, the truth will come out, especially if you have some shadier spots in your work history," Grauso says. "As Black Widow learns the hard way, lying about your past can come back to bite you in the spandex. Some of the other characters have had a hard time trusting her because she's lied so much in the past — so she's had to work hard to regain the trust of some of the Avengers, namely Captain America."

So just be open and honest about yourself, and disclose anything about your situation or history that might become an issue later, Grauso suggests. "You never know when some power-crazed, manipulative coworker will come along and try to use it against you for his or her own gain."

2. Always show you're a team player.

"No man or woman is an island, even if he or she has superpowers and can physically throw a car across a busy street," she says. "At some point in a job, you're going to have to work with others to complete a project or tackle a particularly challenging problem. Being independent and able to self-direct is a great skill to have, but remember that there are always others around you who bring a different set of skills to the table — skills you'll need."

Maybe it's a strong business sense; maybe it's an eye for design; or maybe it's the ability to rapid fire half a dozen exploding arrows while kick-flipping off a skyscraper, she jokes. "The point is, showing a potential employer that you play well with others is not only helpful, but necessary."

3. Communication is key.

Your coworkers will always have different ideas, motivations, and communication styles than you do — so it's imperative that you take the time to actively listen to the other members of your team when they speak up with their ideas or objections, she explains. "Don't just steamroll them. The Avengers showed us what happens when everyone refuses to compromise and no one listens: everyone starts arguing, nothing gets done, and then Bruce Banner flips out and destroys the Helicarrier. And you don't want to pay for a new Helicarrier — trust me."

More evidence real estate prices in New York are insane: A ground floor apartment in Tribeca with few traditional windows is on the market for $10.6 million, according to Curbed.

There is a giant skylight allowing some sunshine in, but there are few windows looking out on to the street.

The 4,300 square foot converted commercial space has been updated with all the modern conveniences. It's located in the heart of Tribeca, so you can almost forgive listing price and the fact that it has few windows.

It also has a convenient mixed-use layout if you're the work from home type.

Esther Lixenberg has the listing.

This Tribeca pad isn't your typical sky-high floor duplex apartment.

Instead, it's a 4,300 square foot ground floor windowless converted commercial space. It's multi-use, with space in the rear to be used as a doctor's office or massage parlor.

Well, ok, there are windows — just not in the traditional sense. Skylights make sure the apartment is well-lit, but there are still only a few traditional windows to look out and see the street.

An eight-bedroom home belonging to former Wells Fargo Investment Advisors CEO William Jahnke and the late Hewlett-Packard chair Patricia Dunn-Jahnke has hit the market for $33 million, Forbes reports. 

It's believed to be the most expensive listing ever seen on Hawaii's Big Island.

The home is situated on 1.8 acres of land in Hualalai, Hawaii, part of the island's exclusive Four Seasons community. It features amazing views, an infinity pool, and more than 10,641 square feet of interior space.

Dunn-Jahnke died of ovarian cancer in 2011. Before HP, she served as the CEO of Barclays Global Investors.

The home sits on a large lot totaling 1.8 acres of land.

It's located at the edge of one of the Four Seasons' two golf courses.

Inside, you'll find gorgeous teak walls and high ceilings.

San Francisco continues to earn the dubious honor of being the most expensive rental market in the country.

According to the most recent analysis by real estate marketplace Zumper, the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco has climbed to an all-time high of $3,460 a month.  

To give you a better idea of what the median rent will get you, Zumper helped us compile a list of apartments that rent for around $3,500 in various San Francisco neighborhoods. 

In the Mission, San Francisco's former working-class hood turned hipster haven, $3,500 will get you a luxury condo with high-tech appliances.

Rent: $3,450/month

Neighborhood: Mission

The 645-square-foot unit has radiant floor heating and an energy-efficient dishwasher. 

This apartment in Hayes Valley, another newly hip zone, has hardwood floors and a spacious living room.

Rent: $3,350/month

Neighborhood: Hayes Valley

The location is convenient for public transit, but there's no on-site parking. The kitchen appliances look new.

In Hayes Valley, you also can get a two-level unit with one bedroom and an office.

Rent: $3,595/month

Neighborhood: Hayes Valley

There's an in-unit washer and dryer, but parking isn't included. 

Aston Martin has — for over 100 years — been responsible for turning out some of the most beautiful cars in the world. The company has been home to some of the most talented designers in the business: William Towns, Ian Callum, and currently, Marek Reichman. 

An ex-Aston designer who has been in the news recently is Henrik Fisker. After creating several works of Aston Martin art, Fisker left for California to set up his own shop. Eventually, he would challenge Elon Musk's Tesla with a plug-in hybrid of his own: the Karma. When that venture went bust, Fisker went back to car design. For his latest project, the Dane has managed to turn Reichman's already gorgeous Aston Martin Vanquish into the positively stunning "Thunderbolt."

"I wanted to create an elegant beautiful GT sports coupe, with pure emotional sculpture, that would stay timeless," Fisker said.

Fisker’s résumé is best described as "impressive." It features cars such as the glorious ...

... BMW Z8 ...

.... the Aston Martin DB9 ....

Arguments aren't logical. To win them, you have to understand people.

We've scoured the research and compiled the following science-backed tactics that will help you win any argument.

Be civil.

Contrary to what your debate coach said, arguments aren't rational.

So respect the other person's perspective, no matter how ridiculous it sounds.

"When people have their self-worth validated in some way, they tend to be more receptive to information that challenges their beliefs,"political psychologist Peter Ditto from the University of California at Irvine tells New York Magazine.

With that emotional connection established, you can then start getting logical.

Don't try to 'win' the argument.

Attacking someone's ideas puts them into fight-or-flight mode. Once they're on edge, there will be no getting through to them.

So if you want to be convincing, practice "extreme agreement": Take your conversational partner's views and advance them to their logical — and perhaps absurd — conclusion. 

Don't ask why. Ask how.

In a 2013 study, University of Colorado psychologist Philip M. Fernbach separated people with extreme political views into two groups — people who had to explain why their opinions were right, and those who were tasked with explaining how their ideals could be turned into actual policy. 

The result?

Folks who gave their reasons for being right were just as confident in their convictions after the experiment as they were beforehand. But the people who had to explain the mechanics of implementation had softer views.  

I've recently noticed an uptick in women on the beauty and health blogs I follow talking about dry brushing.

I'd never heard of it before, but reviewers were saying it made their skin softer than ever and could even get rid of cellulite.

I was intrigued, so I bought a brush a blogger had recommended and reached out to dermatologists to discover if there was any truth to the health claims. 

"As the name implies, the practice involves using a firm-bristled brush to sweep along dry skin," board-certified dermatologist Rachel Nazarian at the Schweiger Dermatology Group, who practices dry brushing herself, explained to Business Insider. "The sweeping movement of the brush along the skin offers similar benefits to massage."

The beauty routine isn't new. It originated in Ayurveda medicine, a 5,000-year-old Hindu traditional medicine, where it's known as "Garshana." Practitioners can use silk gloves, a sponge, or a soft bristle brush to increase circulation. It spread to top spas, where models like Miranda Kerr and Molly Sims became familiar with it.

The directions are very simple. You brush your skin, starting at your feet and making long sweeping motions toward your heart (always toward your heart— it's said to promote blood circulation), every day to slough off dead skin cells before taking a shower.

"Circulation is stimulated, and the lymphatic system is enhanced with the pressure," Nazarian told us. "Additionally, because the bristles of the dry brush are stiffer, it behaves as a mechanical exfoliation, removing the top dead layer of skin cells. This, like any other type of exfoliation, gives the skin a nice even glow and smooth appearance." 

Among its benefits, dry brushing claims to increase circulation, balance hormones, eliminate toxins, and reduce cellulite. 

But like all beauty regimens, the effects wane over time. "Even though dry brushing can improve the appearance of cellulite, these benefits are temporary and short-lived," Nazarian said. "In fact, to keep up the benefits with cellulite the practice needs to be done as often as twice-daily, which would likely lead to skin irritation."

And as for claims of getting rid of toxins, Nazarian said that dry brushing was at best a superficial solution and that a deep tissue massage would most likely be more effective.

When I first tried it, dry brushing reminded me a bit of grooming a horse with a curry comb. It took roughly five minutes every morning and was very soothing — almost meditative. It felt as if I was giving myself a massage and exfoliating my skin at the same time.  

After two weeks of dry brushing, my skin is extremely soft, and I noticed that lotion seemed to absorb faster instead of sitting on top of my skin.

And though I did not experience any miraculous benefits, I did enjoy the mini massage every morning before a shower. It's something I could even see myself incorporating into my morning routine — unless I happen to be in a rush.

SEE ALSO: The 10 happiest states in America

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NOW WATCH: Watch That Dash Cam Video Tribute Of A Police Officer Singing Taylor Swift's 'Shake It Off'

A "monster" storm hit the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Friday and Saturday, causing widespread destruction and unconfirmed reports of dozens of deaths.

The cyclone passed directly over the main island, where the capital Port Vila is located, before passing through a series of islands further south, where 33,000 people live.

Here's what Cyclone Pam looked like from a NASA satellite. The eye of the storm is east of Vanuatu.

Vanuatu is made up of 65 islands and has a population of 267,000. Nearly 50,000 people live in Port Vila, which was hit particularly hard. As much as 75% of buildings in the capital were destroyed or severely damaged. Below are some of the homes in Port Villa.

A large tree uprooted by Cyclone Pam lay on a street near a prison in Port Vila.

The category 5 storm led to winds that peaked at about 168 mph as well as rain, flooding, landslides, and sea surges that led to beached boats, destroyed homes and buildings, disintegrated roads and bridges, and disrupted communications. This is a flooded street in Port Vila.

The official death toll has eight killed and 20 injured, but that is expected to rise. Many of the outer islands, which were expected to be hit the worst, are still cut off from communications. This is the scene in a neighborhood in Port Vila.

A child in front of his home was surrounded by debris in Port Villa. The southern island of Tanna has experienced "total devastation," according to reports received by the Australian Red Cross. 

"Many of the buildings and houses have been completely destroyed … More than 90 percent of the buildings have been destroyed," Vanuatu President Baldwin Lonsdale told Reuters in Tokyo. The photo below shows residents looking at damaged boats washed up into a small inlet in Port Vila.

A boy named Samuel kicked a ball as his father, Phillip, searched through the ruins of their home, which was destroyed by Cyclone Pam in Port Vila.

Vanuatu is an extremely vulnerable place for natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and cyclones. Resident Adrian Banga saw his home destroyed by Cyclone Pam in Port Vila.

The storm is reported to be comparable in strength to Typhoon Haiyan, which killed more than 6,000 people in the Philippines when it hit in 2013. Here, a car lay abandoned among damaged trees along a road in Port Vila.

"We don't know what happened to our families," Lonsdale told NPR. "There is a breakdown of communication so that we cannot reach our families. We do not know if our families are safe or not. As the leader of the nation, my whole heart is for the whole people of the nation."

SEE ALSO: The 10 cities most at risk of being hit by natural disasters

DON'T MISS  How natural disasters terrorize the business world in one infographic

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NOW WATCH: What the Chinese saying 'The ugly wife is a treasure at home' actually means

I was in South Korea for two weeks recently.

Since I grew up in Seoul, nothing struck me as new there.

But after living in San Francisco for the past 8 months, one thing really stood out this time: Samsung was everywhere I looked.

In fact, it’s mind-boggling how big Samsung is in South Korea: its business accounts for roughly 20% of the country’s GDP.

The flight from San Francisco to Seoul takes about 13 hours. After an exhausting flight, this Samsung TV was the first thing to greet me at the airport.

I headed straight to my in-laws' apartment, where I stayed for the following two weeks. The apartment building is called Park Tower. It was built by Samsung.

The apartment’s on the 36th floor. It has stunning views.

Every month, Uber flies every new corporate employee (not drivers) from around the world to San Francisco for a three-day training session at "Uberversity." 

The sessions help new employees learn about the company, while Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is on hand for every Uberversity session to answer questions. Of course, it's not all work. Uber employees also get to enjoy the city's vibrant nightlife.

Uber is an app that lets you order a car to your exact location. It launched in 2009 and is now in 55 countries with an estimated $10 billion in revenue.

Uber flies in employees from offices all around the world to San Francisco. Everyone gets a turn to go to "Uberversity."

Some Uber staff members get to travel in limos.

Without actually going there, it’s hard to get any kind of proper perspective on a cave that boasts a single chamber 5km long, 200m high and 150m wide.

But here’s some stunning pics and footage which is the result of a combination of a couple of modern miracles – drone camera tech and the discovery of the massive cave Hang Son Doong in Vietnam, which only came to the world’s attention in 2009.

Photographer Ryan Deboodt has been posting some incredible images of caves he’s explored for a bit over a year now on Instagram and Facebook. His first shoot in Hang Son Doong was in December, 2013, but at the end of January this year, he added a quadcopter and a GoPro Hero to his armory.

He kindly let us run a few stills and the footage, starting with the entrance to Hang Son Doong, located in jungle near the Laos-Vietnam border.

It was thought to have been first discovered by local man Hồ-Khanh in 1991.

The cave is so huge it even hosts its own microclimate:

It’s an 80m rappel just to get in, for starters.

You could fit a 40-storey building in the main chamber. That’s just one reason why you have to book several months in advance and cough up in the vicinity of $4000 to get a spot. (Deboodt said Oxalis Adventure helped arrange all the permissions and logistics for him to get into the cave for the shoot.)

There’s entire new species of plants, monkeys, birds and flying foxes in here.

Deboodt was using a Canon 6D with a Canon 16-35mm f/4 lens, a DJI Phantom 2 drone and a GoPro Hero 4 Black.

“The original goal of the trip was to collect three timelapse cameras that I had left in the caves for the past six months to document the flooding (which unfortunately didn’t happen this year, will try again next year),” he says.

“I decided pretty last minute to take the drone in to try and capture some unique footage of the cave.”

He succeeded. Here’s the full drone footage he took near the entrance and the first and second skylights which are 2.5km and 3.5km inside the cave.

You can see more of Deboodt’s images and other work on his website, Facebook, and Instagram pages.

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NOW WATCH: You've been mispronouncing these 11 Scotch brands — here's the right way to say them

Kayak recently released its list of the top 10 trending spring-break destinations of 2015.

The travel-search site analyzed more than 1 billion travel searches and found the 10 spring-break locations trending this year by looking at the greatest increase in click traffic for each place. 

This year, it's clear that many were trying to escape the cold winter, with five of the top 10 destinations in Florida. 

From Miami to Austin, here's where everyone wants to go for spring break this year.

10. TAMPA, FLORIDA: This beach town draws plenty of visitors for its famous Clearwater Beach.

9. SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO: The capital of Puerto Rico attracts visitors for its El Yunque Rainforest, vast beaches, and the blue cobblestone streets of Old San Juan.

8. LOS CABOS, MEXICO: Known for its white sand beaches and endless bar crawls, Los Cabos is a popular destination among college students.