As the Paris climate talks get underway, one of the cities with the most notorious air pollution problems is experiencing its worst smog of the year. 

China's air quality is so bad, scientists estimate the health problems associated with it claim 1.6 million lives a year, or about 4,000 a day.

Here's what the air looked like on November 30 and December 1, the first two days of the climate talks.

RELATED: These 10 cities have the worst air pollution in the world, and it is up to 15 times dirtier than what is considered healthy

UP NEXT: Slimy green algae is taking over China's beaches for an alarming reason

In Beijing, air pollution often leaves the city covered in a thick smog, as seen surrounding this statue of pandas on Tuesday, December 1.

Here's what that pollution looked like, as seen from space, on Monday, November 30. The fog is tinged gray and yellow because of the air pollution.

China's had a pollution problem for years, as a result of rapid industrialization that started in the 1950s. It's gotten so bad that in some areas, its impact on your health is equivalent to smoking 40 cigarettes a day.

(Source)

You don't have time to play the dozens of great games that came out in 2015. Nobody does, sadly.

But that's okay: We're here to help guide you to the games you should spend your precious time (and money) on this holiday. Like this one!

There's a little bit of something for everyone here, and we don't expect you to play every game on the list. But! We do heartily endorse every game presented below, and promise you aren't wasting your time with any of them.

"Fallout 4"

In "Fallout 4," you'll explore the post-apocalypse through the scope of the Northeastern United States from a first- or third-person perspective. It's a game about exploration, and choice, and human society. Oh, and it's got bobbleheads in it. Who doesn't like bobbleheads?

Release Date: November 10

Platform(s): Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC

"Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain"

"Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain," like "Fallout 4," is a massive, open-world game with near-limitless possibility. It's a game that enables your every whim, never takes itself too seriously, pushes the limits of what's normally accepted in the medium, and does it all with an impressive amount of style. 

Release Date: September 1

Platform(s): Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PC

"Star Wars Battlefront"

The "Star Wars" sandbox you've been waiting for your whole life is finally here. With "Star Wars Battlefront," fans get a smattering of greatest hits from the "Star Wars" universe: you can play as Luke Skywalker, as Darth Vader, as Boba Fett or Princess Leia, and you can do it on some of the most iconic "Star Wars" locations (places like Hoth and Tatooine). This is your chance to finally take down an AT-AT with a snowspeeder! Get to it!

Release Date: November 17

Platform(s): Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC

Some entrepreneurs who have made billions off of their tech ventures like to spend them in some pretty extravagant ways, whether it be on private planes, summer homes, or even an entire island.

Others turn to more philanthropic efforts, choosing to donate their wealth to different causes through foundations and trusts.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the birth of his daughter Max on Tuesday afternoon.

Along with the official announcement, he shared that he and wife Priscilla Chan plan to give away 99% of their Facebook shares — currently valued at about $45 billion — to charity.

We've rounded up some of the other most generous people in tech, all of whom have decided to donate large portions of their wealth to charity rather than leave all of it to their children.

SEE ALSO: Mark Zuckerberg to give away 99% of his Facebook shares, or $45 billion, to charity during his lifetime

Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates

Gates has been open about his decision not to leave his $84.9 billion fortune to his three children. They will reportedly inherit just a small slice, about $10 million each.

"I definitely think leaving kids massive amounts of money is not a favor to them,"he said in a Reddit AMA.

He founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 1994, and it currently has more than $38 billion in assets. Gates also teamed up with longtime friend Warren Buffett to start a campaign called "The Giving Pledge," which encourages other billionaires to donate at least half of their fortune to charity.

AOL cofounder Steve Case

Case helped millions of Americans get online, and now he's donating much of his wealth to developing other technologies.

He founded the Case Foundation in 1997, which focuses on using technology to make philanthropy more effective. He also started an investment firm called Revolution, which invests in startups outside of Silicon Valley, and signed the Giving Pledge.

"We share the view that those to whom much is given, much is expected. We realize we have been given a unique platform and opportunity, and we are committed to doing the best we can with it," he and wife Jean wrote."We do not believe our assets are 'ours' but rather we try to be the responsible stewards of these resources."

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff

Benioff recently launched a campaign called SF Gives, which challenged tech companies to raise $10 million for San Francisco-based nonprofit programs in just 60 days.

He's encouraged other corporations to follow his 1/1/1 model, which says that a company should donate 1% of its equity, 1% of its employees' time, and 1% of its resources to philanthropic efforts.

He and wife Lynne have also personally given a total of $200 million to the children's hospital at UCSF.

Blade is an aviation startup catering to New York's elite.

After offering seaplane and helicopter rides from NYC to the Hamptons all summer, a new service called "Blade Bounce" flies its private choppers from Manhattan to all nearby airports.

"There's no better way to start your holiday than to fly over traffic and get to your airline of choice between four and six minutes, and enjoy rosé on the way and the best view on the planet," Blade co-founder Rob Wiesenthal told INSIDER. 

Blade let us hop on a recent flight from East 34th Street to JFK airport ahead of Thanksgiving weekend, and the experience couldn't have been better.

VIDEO: The only 28 apps you need to have on your iPhone home screen

Blade, an aviation startup known as "the Uber of helicopters," gained popularity this summer by flying NYC's elite to and from the Hamptons.

The company recently launched a new service called "Blade Bounce," flying its private choppers from Manhattan to all nearby airports.

The ride only takes about five minutes — but costs $895 for a full 6-seat helicopter.

Are you dreaming of an investment portfolio that would be the envy of the financial hot-shots on Wall Street, but don't know where to start?

Granted, no one should discourage your investment dreams – but you can't settle for mere daydreams, either. The power to launch financial fortunes begins with knowledge, and for every acronym and bit of jargon, there's an easy explanation to boost your confidence.

Here are 12 terms from the world of finance and investing explained in simple, clear language.

SEE ALSO: Here's where Jim Cramer says young people should invest their first $10,000

Spinoff

This is when a parent company takes one of its divisions or owned properties and turns it into an independent entity. For example, eBay (ticker: EBAY) spun off its PayPal online financial services business last year, creating PayPal Holdings (PYPL). From an investment standpoint, spinoffs have a strategic value: Both the parents and spinoffs stand a strong chance of becoming more valuable after the split.

The Fed

This is short for the Federal Reserve Bank (or Federal Reserve System). Investors watch this body closely because its board of governors sets short-term interest rates that affect how much banks charge consumers and businesses to borrow money. When interest rates rise, stocks may dip or plummet in price (often temporarily) as investors worry about how this will affect businesses in their attempts to grow by borrowing funds, or consumers trying to finance mortgages.

Market timing

This is an investment strategy where one attempts to profit by predicting stock movements as a way to buy and sell shares. Though popular with some investors, market timing gets low grades from many experts, who maintain that it's extremely difficult to do because so many unpredictable economic and financial factors affect a stock's price.

Two architectural designers are using part of the same technology that helps power driverless cars to create art.

Matthew Shaw and William Trossell, founders of the London-based design studio called ScanLAB, are using mobile laser scanners to map the city of London. Their aim is to show the city through the eyes of a self-driving car, The New York Times reports.

Driverless cars are decked with technology to help them perceive the world around them just as it is.

Companies like Google and BMW us 3D scanners, cameras, and other sensors to enable their self-driving cars to process their environment and make decisions.

The aim is to get the technology to the point where it can see and drive much better than a human. To do this, the car is constantly taking in data and using corrective algorithms to fix any misperceptions. Fixing these flaws is absolutely necessary to make driverless car safe.

But for Shaw and Trossell, the car’s misperceptions make for better art. So they disable certain aspects of their scanners sensors to capture the city, flaws and all, the Times reports.

Here’s a look at some of the images ScanLAB captured when driving around the streets of London with a mobile laser scanner. 

The double decker buses were scanned several times, making them appear as a stretched building.

As the Times points out, the scanner picked up the clock tower twice while it was turning a corner near the House of Parliament.

Cars traveling along the Tower Bridge in London barely show up, making them appear like ghost carriages.

Although the real NFL season is just entering its playoff race, for fantasy football players, the playoffs are right around the corner.

With most leagues closing in on the playoffs, some fantasy owners may be on the outside looking in, cursing themselves for drafting players who became busts while slogging through forgettable 2015 seasons. While it's tough to let go of players you drafted with high hopes, some of these guys have either never turned the corner or turned the corner too late.

Here's our list of the top 25 fantasy football busts this season (in no particular order).

Eddie Lacy — RB, Green Bay Packers

Preseason Rank: No. 3

Key Stats: 513 rushing yards, three touchdowns, four fumbles

One thing to know: After a painfully slow start, Lacy appears healthy and has picked up his play. But as a top-five pick for many people, Lacy's resurgence has likely come too late. He hit a low point in Week 10 when he was demoted to second on the Packers' depth chart.

C.J. Anderson — RB, Denver Broncos

Preseason Rank: No. 9

Key Stats: 496 rushing yards, three touchdowns

One thing to know: Much like Lacy, Anderson has been heating up in recent weeks, but far too late for many fantasy owners. He only has three games with over 50 rushing yards this season, two of which have come in the last two weeks.

Andrew Luck — QB, Indianapolis Colts

Preseason Rank: No. 20

Key Stats: 1,881 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, 12 interceptions

One thing to know: Injuries have obviously played a huge part in Luck's struggles, but after being projected as this year's top quarterback, Luck was a letdown even when healthy. He only has two games without an interception this year.

On Tuesday, Dec 1., a fleet of Japanese ships departed for Antarctic waters.

The four vessels are subsidized in part by Japan's government, and the sailors' goal is to kill hundreds of bus-sized Minke whales.

Japan claims these expeditions are scientific in nature, but the fleet is likely in violation of both a global ban on whale hunting and a recent ruling by an international court of law.

Here's why Japan keeps sponsoring whale hunts in spite of stark forces working against the practice.

On Dec. 1, a whaling fleet subsidized by the Japanese government left on an expedition that will last through March 2016.

Source: BBC

The fleet's goal is to kill hundreds of Minke whales in the waters near Antarctica.

Minke whales are gentle giants that feed on tiny plankton. The animals can grow to 35 feet long and weigh 10 tons, or about the size of a bus.

Source: NOAA

In a letter announcing the birth of his daughter Max on Tuesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan pledged to give away 99% of their Facebook stock, valued at $45 billion over their lifetimes. 

It will go into the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a new humanitarian organization that aims to cure or curtail all human disease, among other lofty goals. 

Zuckerberg isn't the first billionaire philanthropist, but at age 31, he is remarkably young for the scope of his ambitions. 

So we have to hope that he's seeking wisdom from his elders, namely Bill Gates. Gates reads a book a week to build his understanding of the world. Many of the books are about transforming systems: how nations can intelligently develop, how to lead an organization, and how social change can fruitfully happen.

Here's a selection of Gates's recommended reading books that we think could inform Zuck's ever-more-powerful decision making. 

SEE ALSO: 15 must-read books by tech CEOs that will give you a peek inside their brilliant minds

'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 >>

Why is it that we're often drawn to the biggest price tags, and tend to scoff at things with small ones?

"In assessing what material things are important and worth paying attention to, we're oddly prejudiced against cheapness, and frustratingly drawn to the expensive, for reasons that don't necessarily stand up to examination," explains The School of Life in its mini documentary, "Why We Hate Cheap Things."

There are both historical and psychological explanations for why we dismiss cheap things. Here's the gist:

SEE ALSO: 15 things you're better off buying used

We associate cheap prices with a lack of value.

"When we have to pay a lot for something nice, we appreciate it to the full," explains The School of Life. "Yet as its price in the market falls, passion has a habit of fading away." 

The danger in this ingrained association of cheap prices with lack of value is that we end up overlooking, or losing appreciation for, things that are low cost but truly have value.

Take the example of the pineapple, which Christopher Columbus first brought back to Europe from the Americas. At the time, the fruit was extremely hard to transport and expensive to grow, so only royalty could afford to eat them — a single fruit sold for today's equivalent of £5,000 (or about $7,500 at today's exchange rates). It was so revered that temples were built in its honor, reports The School of Life.

Today, the pineapple looks and tastes the exact same, yet you can buy one for a mere $3, thanks to advances in technology and its accessibility. "Now, it's one of the world's least glamorous fruits. The pineapple itself hasn't changed, only our attitude to it has," explains The School of Life.

For most of history, there truly was a strong correlation between cost and value.

We tend to associate cheap prices and lack of value because for a while, the expensive products were indeed the better products.

"The higher the price, the better things tended to be, because there was simply no way both for prices to be low and quality high," explains The School of Life. "Everything had to be made by hand, by expensively trained artisans with raw materials that were immensely difficult to transport."

The Industrial Revolution changed things.

The relationship between price and value held true until the end of the 18th century, with the arrival of the Industrial Revolution, when we figured out how to make high quality products at cheap prices, thanks to advances in technology.

"However, despite the greatness of these efforts, instead of making wonderful experiences universally available, industrialization has inadvertently produced a different effect," explains The School of Life. "It seemed to rob certain experiences of their loveliness, interest, and worth."

Today, society essentially disallows us from getting excited over cheap things. It would be considered strange to get hyped over a $3 carton of eggs from a chicken, yet we're allowed to get giddy over caviar — a different type of egg — because of its price tag.

"We've been looking at prices in the wrong way," argues The School of Life. "We've allowed them to set how much excitement we're allowed to have in given areas, but prices were never meant to be like this. We're breathing too much life into them, and therefore dulling too many of our responses to the inexpensive world. We are already a good deal richer than we are encouraged to think we are."

Car makers are getting more tech savvy lately. Or at least their concept cars are making them appear that way. 

Automakers have designed some very inventive concept cars this year, some of which seem to have the sole purpose of simply looking cool (and that they do).

But others really explore how automobiles could change with the advent of driverless technology, from steering wheels that retract to seats that recline all the way. They give us a taste of how our driving experience could dramatically change in the next few years.

Here are 16 of the coolest concept cars that give us a taste:

SEE ALSO: The most impressive features inside Porsche’s futuristic concept car

Porsche's all-electric Concept Mission E can drive 310 miles with a full charge. Production begins in the next 5 years.

The basics: The car is powered by an advanced lithium-ion battery technology that can be charged at a conventional charging station or via a plate that can be stored in your garage. In 15 minutes, the car can charge up to 80 percent, giving it a range of 250 miles.

How fast it goes: The car can go from zero to 62 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds, with a top speed of 150 miles per hour.

What else it offers: It has cameras instead of exterior mirrors that captures your surroundings and displays what they see on the lower corner of the windshield. 

The car also has eye-tracking technology that will detect where the driver is looking on the dashboard and open the corresponding instrument. The driver can then confirm the selection by pressing a button on the steering wheel.

The EDAG's body was inspired by the leaf of a plant. It has a 3D-printed structure and is about 25 percent lighter than traditional vehicles.

The basics: A lightweight outer skin, which is made from waterproof jersey fabric, is stretched over the structure.

How fast it goes: There is no powertrain for the vehicle and it is not likely to go into production. Instead, the company wanted to showcase how 3D printing could be used to make a much lighter vehicle. 

What else it offers: LED lights underneath the skin lets you see the skeletal frame.

The Torq is windowless but cameras provide a 360-degree view projected on screens.

The basics: The car, designed by Italian engineering and design company ED, does not require a driver, but the company does not delve into how it would drive autonomously. ED hopes to create a self-driving racing car in the next 17 months.

How fast it goes: It's advertised as having 429 horsepower and 1,328-feet of torque. 

What else it offers: It is a fully electric car with four engines over each wheel.

Retail stores are testing new high-tech mirrors.

Ralph Lauren launched interactive mirrors in its New York City flagship store in November.

Now Lululemon has a similar feature in its flagship store — only this mirror offers different features for use. 

While Ralph Lauren's smart mirrors are in its fitting rooms, Lululemon's are on the floor and emphasize learning about the community.

Lululemon refers to it as its digital community board. 

While it was tricky to photograph, I went to Lululemon to check it out.

SEE ALSO: I tried the new fitting room at Ralph Lauren and it blew my mind

Lululemon has two digital community mirrors created by tech company Nobal Technologies. One is located in its flagship store in Manhattan, the other is in Vancouver.

Lululemon's digital community board is interactive with its concierge service that connects shoppers with places to see, eat, or sweat in the surrounding area. A sales associate can update the mirror with classes, restaurants, and events happening in the community.

These interactive mirrors have five options to choose from: "mirror", "see community events", "find places to sweat", "plan your run", or "view our favorites".

We’re sure you’re doing a great job with your money — making payments on time, looking out for any fraudulent activity, and putting money into a retirement account. That’s all great.

Still, there are probably just a few areas of your personal finance situation that could use some work. We want to help.

Our team at MagnifyMoney has been working in and writing about finance for a long time. Here are our top tips on some things you might be doing wrong, and what to do instead.

SEE ALSO: I used a simple credit card trick to dig out of debt when I couldn't pay my bills

1. You’re carrying a balance on your credit card to build your credit score.

This is one of the biggest myths out there, says Erin Lowry, content director for MagnifyMoney and founder of Broke Millennial. Carrying a balance on your card each month — and paying interest on it — isn’t necessary to help your score.

If you’re looking to build your credit score without paying a penny, you need to do things like keep your utilization rate low (your goal should be to not exceed 30% of your credit limit) and pay in full, on time, each month. For more on building your credit score, check out this piece.

2. You use a debit card for everyday purchases.

If you’re responsible enough to keep a budget and pay off expenses in full every month, then you should be using a credit card, says Brian Karimzad, a co-founder of MagnifyMoney who worked in banking and consumer marketing for 15 years.

Using a credit card helps you build up your credit score (see above), and offers a lot more when it comes to fraud protection. Check out this piece for more about fraud protection and debit and credit card use.

3. You don’t know your net worth.

People always think in terms of monthly payments or getting through the month, which can lead them to think it’s okay to take out huge loans for things like cars they can’t afford, says Nick Clements, a MagnifyMoney co-founder who worked in consumer banking for 15 years.

In order to truly gather the full picture of your financial situation, you need to focus on your net worth (your total assets minus any money you owe.)

What do you get for the man that has everything he needs? Easy. You get him something he didn't know he needed.

Buying for men is difficult. They might not always have a wish list ready, so you're often stuck guessing.

Guess no more. We have a list of gifts that the modern gentleman in your life will, no doubt, love.

From his new favorite whiskey to a watch that will last years longer than anything with an Apple logo on it, these are 16 items he didn't even know he needed.

You can take all the credit. We won't tell.

SEE ALSO: 17 gifts any beer geek would love to get

DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider's lifestyle page on Facebook!

A whiskey he's never heard of — but will love.

Widow Jane is an award-winning bourbon whiskey distilled right in Brooklyn. It's aged 8 years with deep cherry notes and a light tannic finish.

It'll likely be his new favorite.

Price: $65

And a set of nice drinking glasses to go along with it.

New direct-to-consumer ecommerce brand Snowe bypasses the department store to offer well-designed, quality home goods online. These short tumbler glasses are a handsome add to any bar set.

They're made from beautiful crystalline glass with a weighted bottom, but they're still durable and dishwasher-safe.

Price: $60

A duffle bag that will last him his entire life.

Sure, he probably already has a duffel bag. But it's likely an Adidas sports one he used to take to lacrosse practice in college. He deserves an upgrade that's no less rugged.

Filson makes virtually indestructible products that will last him his entire life — and then some. Oh, and they're quite handsome, too. 

Price: $345

Just as ATMs changed banking and computers took over the home and workplace, robots and artificial intelligence are going to transform a bunch of industries over the next decade.

By 2025, a machine may be putting together your driverless car in a factory with no human oversight. A robot maid could be cleaning up after you at home, and your financial advisor might be a computer investing for you automatically. 

And with at least 90 countries operating unmanned aerial vehicles, the wars of the future may increasingly be fought with "drone" aircraft.

These are just some of the interesting — and sometimes scary — predictions to come from a 300-page report released by Merrill Lynch in November, which estimates the global market for robots and AI will grow from $28 billion to more than $150 billion just five years from now.

There's plenty of disruption bound to happen across the world as drones and much-smarter-than-you AI take over. But we're likely to see the biggest changes across eight industries in China, Japan, the US, and Korea — the countries currently investing the most in these technologies.

Here are the big predictions from Merrill Lynch:

SEE ALSO: This shape-shifting robot is made out of other robots

The auto industry is going to change big-time, especially when fully autonomous — aka driverless — cars officially go mainstream.

Over the next five years, the report says most new cars will be smarter "connected" cars, and in 2025, that'll mean about 10% of them are fully autonomous.

While the initial price will be about $10,000 more than regular cars, it will inevitably come down as more people and companies adopt them.

To many Americans, Cuba is enigmatic and exotic — a status due largely to our 50-plus year embargo against the country. And because Internet was unavailable in Cuba for so long, there's a dearth of online information about Cuban — something that the recent loosening of U.S. travel restrictions is helping to rectify, as eager journalists return full of information to impart. (And yes, we hope to be part of that trend; four Oyster employees recently returned from Cuba, and this will be the first of many articles inspired by our trip.)

It's no surprise, then, that so many myths about Cuba persist in American ideologies. We had no idea just how little we truly knew about Cuba before we arrived. These 15 things we thought we knew turned out to be gross misconceptions. 

SEE ALSO: We sent 3 reporters to Cuba for a week, and it was a wild adventure from the moment they arrived

There is no Internet.

We did not expect to find Internet in Cuba at all. All the information we read beforehand suggested that it was scarce, slow, and preposterously expensive, even for tourists. So we kissed our loved ones goodbye and told them to expect radio silence for 10 days. (Because U.S. cell phones don't work either; Cuba can't do business with American companies.) But it turned out that we arrived during an interesting time for Cuba's Internet development — it felt a little bit like the beginning of an Internet revolution. This summer, Internet in hotels cost about 10 CUC an hour (a little over $10), and during our visit in November, the price had dropped to 2 CUC an hour (pretty much universally, because, communism). While this price is still prohibitively expensive for most locals (the average salary is around 20 CUC a month), we saw the better-off Cubans clustering in front of every hotel in Havana to connect to the signal. Almost every hotel we visited in Havana had not only Internet, but also Wi-Fi, at least in the lobby and sometimes in the rooms; the sprawling resorts in Varadero almost all had Wi-Fi in the lobbies (some were getting it added the very week we were there), and occasionally in limited rooms (some luxury resorts had expansions planned). 

So to our surprise, we did use the Internet in Cuba, and though slow, it was perfectly serviceable for sending e-mails, checking Facebook and Instagram, and even reading The New York Times. Facetime didn't work for us, but locals recommend downloading the app imo for video calls and chat before heading to Cuba (it will take too long to download once there). Most of the locals connecting in front of hotels were using imo to speak to relatives outside of the country. In addition, the locals have long been resourceful about working around Cuba's Internet issues by sharing articles, TV shows, and movies on hard drives and memory sticks. Because the Cuban government can no longer blame the U.S. for its Internet issues, Internet conditions will likely continue to improve. 

There is no American television.

We assumed that because American companies can't do business with Cuba, our favorite shows would be unknown there. When a man selling souvenirs told me my purchase would be "legen—wait for it—dary," my jaw dropped. "Are you a fan of 'How I Met Your Mother?'" I asked, and he told me he was, and that Barney was his favorite character. We met several other Cubans who told us "How I Met Your Mother" was their favorite show. Most Cubans are likely getting access to these shows through the aforementioned black market Internet data sharing service, or illegal satellite TVs, though we did visit hotels that carried American channels such as CNN and ESPN. 

You can't bring laptops, fancy equipment or smart phones.

Finding out exactly what was and wasn't allowed through Cuban customs before we left was a bit tricky, especially since the list of prohibited items is subject to change. We found conflicting information on various websites, and were nervous about bringing in our electronic equipment (we'd heard tales of people getting things confiscated with no explanation). The most up-to-date list of permitted and prohibited items can be found on the official Cuban customs website. We got through just fine with our DSLR cameras, laptops, and iPhones. Even though we entered the country with official journalism visas (Cuba has a reputation for, er, not always being friendly to journalists), customs was a breeze. It's possible we just got lucky, though, and a local told us it can depend on the day and the customs official.

Don't waste time, because that's "the stuff life is made of."

It was good advice when Ben Franklin said it, and it's good advice now, no matter your age.

But your 20s are a particularly crucial time in life — many call these the "formative" years, and the habits you form in your 20s can carry you through the rest of your life.

So what's the best way to spend this time? 

We sifted through a number of Quora threads and TED talks to find out.

SEE ALSO: People weighed in on the most common regrets in life, and some of their answers will make you cry

DON'T MISS: The 27 jobs that are most damaging to your health

Work on important life skills.

There are a number of life skills people need to master, and your 20s is the time to start practicing. Without the pressure of parents or school to motivate you, you'll need to exercise discipline and motivate yourself to learn the essentials.

These skills can range from patience and dealing with rejection to living within your means and good table manners.

Read.

"There is nothing that will help you more than reading," says Deepak Mehta. 

He suggests a wide variety of books, from young adult fiction to law, from Dickens to Tzu, to learn more about contrasting viewpoints. "Do not be afraid of coming across a convincing viewpoint that is totally antithetical to yours," he says.

Reading is also a great way to exercise your mind, says Jereme Allison, because it activates almost all areas of the mind. "The mind is a muscle. If you don't use it, you lose it," he says.

Take preventative measures to stay healthy.

Francesco Wang refers to this as "life-extending" time.

"Investing time in caring for your health ... will certainly yield you more time, literally — in days, months, if not years tacked on to your life,"he writes. "Yet we often take our health for granted until we experience a wake-up call."

Instead, he suggests proactively investing your time in your health by eating well, exercising regularly, getting plenty of sleep, regularly seeing your doctors, and taking care of your emotional, mental, and spiritual health.

With his new deal at HBO and the freshly launched "Bill Simmons Podcast Network," Bill Simmons has reportedly upgraded his living arrangements, purchasing a $7.5 million house along Malibu's exclusive Carbon Beach, also known as "Billionaires' Beach."

Mark David of Variety dug up the details on the new purchase using county tax records and other sources.

The house is a "humbly sized ... not-quite 1,500-square-foot, two-story cedar-shingled residence," with three bedrooms and three baths. According to David, Simmons and his wife also own a 4,200-square-foot home in LA’s historic Hancock Park, which they bought for $3.1 million in 2007.

While Simmons may not be a billionaire, many of his new neighbors are, making it one of the most exclusive enclaves in the country. It also shows that Simmons' budding media empire is already taking off.

Below we'll take a closer look at what makes Carbon Beach so exclusive and at some of Simmons' new neighbors, some of whom have sports ties.

Madeline Stone, Julie Zeveloff, and Meredith Galante contributed to this story.

The nearly 1.5-mile-long Carbon Beach sits between the Pacific Coast Highway and the ocean, and includes about 70 residences, just north of Santa Monica.

The area is better known as "Billionaires' Beach" as many of the homes are owned by some of the biggest names in entertainment and tech, as well as lawyers and financiers.

The area has made headlines in recent years as residents fought to limit access to the public beach. However, after a decade-long legal battle, more access pathways will be built.

Read more: Malibu's exclusive 'Billionaire's Beach' is now open to the public after a decade-long legal fight

CityHub may be the best alternative to staying in a hostel.

CityHub, which is only available in Amsterdam, offers the best of both worlds: there's communal areas that allow you to meet new people, but private "rooms" for sleeping.

These "rooms" are really pods that come with a double bed and other fun, tech-y features.

Here's a look inside:

Welcome to CityHub! Staying here usually costs between $40 to $60 a night, depending on when you're checking in.

The 50 pods are minimalist and tucked away. From the outside, it seems unreal that they would fit you comfortably.

But they actually are able to fit a double bed. There's a window to ensure you don't feel claustrophobic inside, but you can shut the blinds for extra privacy.

For most of Volvo's 88-year history, the Swedish automaker offered its loyal legions of customers well-built, safe, and practical transportation with a certain Scandinavian flair. Now, the company's diving head on into the world of luxury cars. 

On the heels of the hugely successful introduction of the XC90 luxury SUV, Volvo is ready to introduce its new flagship luxury sedan — the S90. The new S90 will replace the company's S80 sedan. Although still a nice car, the current S80 has been on sale with minimal revision for nearly a decade. It is certainly showing its age. Furthermore, the conservatively styled S80 hasn't been able to drum up the big sales figures Volvo would like to see from the model. 

As we await the arrival of Volvo's new S90 luxury sedan, have a look back at the company's flagship four-door sedans. Although they may not have always been overly luxurious, Volvo has always offered a big executive ride for those who sought the experience. 

SEE ALSO: The $400,000 Rolls-Royce Wraith is a car with no rivals

Although Volvo's foray into the car business started in the mid 1920s, its first offering with a luxury tilt was the PV 654 in 1933. It featured an upgraded, plush interior, twin spare tires and a reversing light. It was powered by an 80-84 horsepower 3.67-liter, 6-cylinder engine.

In 1935, Volvo followed up with the sleek PV36 "Carioca." In addition to the aerodynamic body, the Carioca featured advanced independent front suspension and room for six.

Volvo built a total of 501 Cariocas, powered by the same 3.6- liter, 6-cylinder found in the PV654. Volvo claimed a top speed of 75 mph.