Mastering your money has a lot more to do with psychology and mindset than we might think.

That's what Napoleon Hill preached in his bestselling 1937 book "Think and Grow Rich," the culmination of his intensive study of more than 500 self-made millionaires.

Self-made millionaire Steve Siebold, who has interviewed 1,200 of the world's wealthiest people during the past three decades, agrees. As backward as it sounds, getting rich often has less to do with the money than the mentality, he writes in his book "How Rich People Think."

Here are 21 mindsets of the wealthy that you could adopt today:

Mandi Woodruff contributed reporting to this post.

SEE ALSO: 17 things keeping you from getting rich, according to a journalist who spent his career studying millionaires

Rich people believe poverty is the root of all evil

... while average people think money is the root of all evil.

According to Siebold, there's a certain shame that comes along with "getting rich" in lower-income communities.

"The average person has been brainwashed to believe rich people are lucky or dishonest," he writes. "The world class knows that while having money doesn't guarantee happiness, it does make your life easier and more enjoyable."

Rich people think selfishness is a virtue

... while average people think selfishness is a vice.

"The rich go out there and try to make themselves happy. They don't try to pretend to save the world," Siebold told Business Insider.

The problem is that middle-class people see that as a negative — and it's keeping them poor, he writes.

"If you're not taking care of you, you're not in a position to help anyone else," he said. "You can't give what you don't have."

Rich people have an action mentality

... while average people have a lottery mentality.

"While the masses are waiting to pick the right numbers and praying for prosperity, the great ones are solving problems," Siebold writes. "The hero [most people] are waiting for is maybe God, government, their boss, or their spouse. It's the average person's level of thinking that breeds this approach to life and living while the clock keeps ticking away."

Samsung has gotten an early jump on this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) by releasing photos of one of its strangest new gadgets, which looks like a mixture of a refrigerator and a gigantic smartphone.

The photos, pointed out by The Verge, first appeared on Samsung's Korean Flickr account, and identified the smart fridge as a stainless steel "family hub" refrigerator. In the photos you can see a huge display on one of the refrigerator doors, with controls on the bottom that resemble what you would find on a smartphone.

Though the screen appears black in the photos, on show floor ads, it seems to have apps like a calendar, weather, and Pandora, according to The Verge.

Samsung will likely reveal more details about the fridge later this week at CES.

Here are all the photos of the fridge:

SEE ALSO: How to make millions as a YouTube star

The Middle East is vulnerable. ISIS has become the most powerful terrorist organization. The US' geopolitical strength continues to decay. And Europe is seeing increased economic and political problems.

"And so, in 2016, conflict intensifies,"Ian Bremmer, the head of Eurasia Group, and Cliff Kupchan write in the firm's annual list of top risks. 

"This all means a dramatically more fragmented world in 2016 with more intra-, inter-, and extra-state conflict than any point since World War II."

Still, Eurasia Group analysts don't think this means we're on the precipice of World War III. After all, the world's biggest economic powers are reluctant to plunge into the fight.

But nevertheless, it's clear that geopolitics are about to shake up global order.

We've put together Bremmer and Kupchan's top 10 risks for 2016, along with key explanations and — bonus — a list of red herrings.

SEE ALSO: Russia has a 'plan B' for Syria that would allow it to 'redefine the international order'

1. The hollow alliance

"The trans-Atlantic partnership has been the world's most durable and significant alliance, underpinning the global economic order and bolstering peace and stability for nearly seventy years," write Bremmer and Kupchan. "But it is now weaker, and less relevant, than at any point since the Marshall Plan. In 2016, the transatlantic alliance will be a hollow one."

This trend has been developing for some time. The rise of China and other emerging markets has created a diverse set of threats and opportunities for developed nations, American unilateralism, and European weakness.

Source: Eurasia Group

2. Closed Europe

"Europe's divisions are nothing new. They've defined Europe's challenges for decades. But in 2016, they will reach a crucial point as an identity crisis emerges between open Europe and closed Europe — and a combination of inequality, refugees, terrorism, and grassroots political pressures pose a fundamental challenges to the principles on which the European Union was founded," Bremmer and Kupchan write.

Additionally, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has been the biggest advocate of the "Open Europe," will see her political position weakened this year. This is largely due her welcoming of refugees into Germany, a decision that was neither popular at home nor abroad.

Source: Eurasia Group

3. The China footprint

It's no secret that China's economy is huge. And this year, it will start advancing its interests via mega-projects like the new "Silk Road" and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

"Here is the risk: Many countries all over the world now recognize that China is both the most important and uncertain player for a variety of critical outcomes. This is unnerving those that are more exposed to China than ever before ... but aren't ready for this change, don't understand or agree with Chinese priorities, and won't know how to react to this new state of affairs," argue Bremmer and Kupchan.

Source: Eurasia Group

In August 2009 I took a one-way flight to the Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, with the intention of learning how to teach English, getting a job, and tramping around Europe. 

Little did I know that that decision would push me to East Asian megacities, the tallest mountains in the world, and the most beautiful celebration of love I've ever been a part of — before moving to New York in February 2012.

It was a trip that changed my life.

And I always had a camera in hand.

I moved to the Czech Republic with the intention of staying, but the financial crisis arrived there with me. With no full-time work to be found in Prague, I got a teaching job through my ex-girlfriend's friend, landing me in...

... the hyper-energetic megacity of Seoul, South Korea.

Home of crazy nightlife.

SEE ALSO: The 10 biggest risks the world faces in 2016

1. The guy in charge of 450 nukes got too drunk for the Russians in Moscow.

It takes a lot too be considered too drunk in Moscow, but Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael Carey took a trip there in Jul. 2013 and managed it. Among other incidents during the trip, he allegedly went to a Mexican restaurant to meet two suspicious foreign women, got extremely drunk, and tried to convince the restaurant band to let him play with them. Carey was later fired from his position.

2. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant (may have) drunkenly rode through Army camps.

The famously-alcoholic Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was in a steamship on the Yazoo River in 1863 when he ran into journalist Sylvanus Cadwallader. Cadwallader later described working with Grant’s security detail and aides to unsuccessfully stop his drinking by confining the general to his wardroom.

Grant reportedly escaped to the shore and then to another ship, finding alcohol in both locations. He later drunkenly led the newspaperman and others on a chase through a federal army encampment, kicking up campfires and strewing equipment in his wake. Historians have cast doubt on the story though, pointing to other accounts that said sickness confined Grant to his room on the trip.

3. A Confederate general got so drunk during a battle that he couldn’t attack.

Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Cheatham’s drunken escapades would be tame if it weren’t for the setting. He drank to excess and rode his horse, whooping and hollering until he fell off. Not a big deal, except that he did it in front of his men while he was supposed to be leading them into battle.

At Stone River, this resulted in Cheatham’s two brigades being late to the attack, allowing Union Forces on the run to regroup and re-establish their lines. The recovered Union forces later managed a stunning artillery barrage that caused 2,000-3,000 casualties in four hours.

It’s the time of year ski lifts start to hum, mountains become dusted with snow, and ski lovers head to the slopes. But not all adventurous, snow-loving people enjoy barreling down mountains strapped to two narrow planks.

I adore snowy adventures, but I hate skiing—and I'm not alone. I recently went to Banff, Canada in the winter to prove it’s not just about skiing.

It's possible for adventure buffs to find plenty of chilly, heart-pounding fun and still meet your friends après ski. Here are six great alternatives to seek out before resigning yourself to the lodge.

Slide over the snow with a dog team.

No one likes to run and play in the snow more than sled dogs. At Snowy Owl Dog Sled Tours you can learn how to be a musher and drive your own team through the woods. Once you get the hang of the commands, you’ll even be able to drive your team out onto frozen lakes. Be sure to give your dogs lots of encouragement and you’ll be rewarded with an adventurous ride. At the end, take time to cuddle with your dog team; these dogs love people as much as they love running in the snow.

Slow down and understand the lure of ice fishing.

While your friends are on the slopes, you can catch dinner! Big Jim is a local guide who will welcome you into his fishing shanty and introduce you to the world of ice fishing. Some may think sitting on a cold lake waiting for fish to bite isn’t very adventurous. However, I learned it’s not just about fishing; it’s about the whole journey. The journey includes a morning stop at the bakery, a drive out through the mountains, wildlife sightings, a hike through the woods to the lake, drilling holes, cooking food, and catching your dinner if you are lucky. There’s nothing more exhilarating than feeling the line tug, and reeling in your first fish though the ice with Big Jim as your cheerleader.

Get your heart pounding with snowshoe hiking.

If you love to hike, don’t let the snow stop you. Rent some snowshoes and hit the trails. Banff is a hiking mecca in the summer, and it has just as many snowshoe trails in the winter. The trails are well marked and groomed, plus you’ll have no bears to worry about in the winter. You’ll work up a sweat quickly at altitude, so be sure to take plenty of fluids and snacks for energy. You can hire a nature guide to lead you, go out independently, or go remote and take to the air heli-snowshoeing.

Your first paycheck is an exciting and motivating thing — it gives you the sense of accomplishment and fuels your drive to succeed. How you spend your paycheck is an entirely different matter.

But have you ever wondered how some of the world's richest people spent their first paychecks? Read on to find out what Warren Buffett, Mark Cuban, and other successful millionaires spent their first paychecks on.

SEE ALSO: 6 things 'Shark Tank' investor Kevin O'Leary says you should do with your money

1. Warren Buffett: his first stock

Investor extraordinaire Buffett got an earlier start on his wealth than most. He had already bought his first stock by 11 years old, and he was a newspaper delivery boy who was able to make $175 a month.

Buffett's net worth is an estimated $67.3 billion, according to Forbes, placing him among the three richest people in the world.

2. Mark Wahlberg: a Mercedes

Early on in Wahlberg's entertainment career, he splurged on a new car. "I spent it all on the Mercedes-Benz — and didn't have money for registration, insurance, or gas," he said, according to MadameNoire.com. 

After gaining success in the music, film, and food industries, he is worth a cool $225 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The actor came in at No. 10 on Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid actors of 2015.

3. Mark Cuban: a pair of basketball shoes

Cuban, billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks, started making money at age 12 by selling garbage bags door-to-door. He wanted a pair of basketball shoes, but his father told him that if he wanted them he would have to make money and buy them himself, according to DaveRamsey.com.

The young Cuban did just that and never quite slowed down. He is now worth an estimated $3 billion.

At Travelzoo, our Deal Experts have crisscrossed the globe many times over, collecting expert travel tips for our members. But no one is born a travel expert—we were all newbies boarding our first flight at some point. Sometimes, our knowledge was earned the hard way, through booking mistakes, cultural misunderstandings, and lost-in-translation moments.

To show that rookie travel mistakes can happen to the best of us, we’ve asked expert travelers to share their most embarrassing misadventures. They prove that with the right attitude, travel mishaps can be good learning experiences (and good stories) that don’t have to dampen your fun.

SEE ALSO: 40 experiences everyone should have before they turn 40

It’s all Greek to me.

On my first trip to Athens, Greece, I was lost on the streets close to my hotel. My friend and I had the hotel business card with the address, but it was all in Greek. We had only walked about 20-30 minutes from our hotel but could not figure out the street signs, of course written in Greek letters. We waved down six cab drivers and showed them the hotel card, but they all waved their hand no and kept going. We finally ran into a police officer who spoke English. He told us the taxi drivers didn’t pick us up since we were only one block from our hotel, so it wasn’t worth their time! We had literally been walking in circles!

Nadeen White, Atlanta, writer at www.thesophisticatedlife.com

Accidental threats.

When I first moved to Costa Rica, I practiced my Spanish with a local bartender. I was doing well until I said “Quiero pegarte,” which I thought meant “I want to pay you.” The bartender narrowed his eyes and glared at me. I had no idea what I said wrong. I later found out that I should have said “Quiero pagarte,” because “Quiero pegarte” means “I want to punch you”!

James Kaiser, Austin, author of Costa Rica: The Complete Guide

You play what?!

My wife, Zeneba, and I are both classical musicians. On our first foray into Italy, our Italian language skills were barely better than those of Tarzan. We found that a common question asked of us was “Che lavoro fai?” — “What do you do for a living?” Following Zeneba’s tips, I answered in rudimentary Italian that I play the cello in an orchestra: “Io gioco cello in una orchestra sinfonica.”

I don’t know how many times we said this to people—a lot. But finally, one innkeeper couple laughed and took us into their confidence: “Don’t say this like that anymore.” They then explained what I had really been saying. The word “giocare” means “to play,” but it’s in the sense of playing a game, not an instrument. A harmless mistake, and one most Italians understood in the context.

However, that wasn’t the worst of it. When I said “cello” (short for “violoncello”) it sounded like ucello, little bird. So I was sort of saying, “I play with a little bird.” That’s still not the embarrassing part, though. Ucello, it turns out, is also a common slang word for testicles.

So, what it sounded like I was saying in response to “What work do you do?” was “Oh, I play with my…” Well, you get the idea.

I do remember that some people seemed a little too impressed with what I told them I do for a living.

Matt Walker, Nashville, writer at www.LittleRoadsEurope.co

Yahoo may be struggling as a business, but it's still one of the biggest websites in the world.

It gets hundreds of millions of users every month, and generates more than $4 billion in annual revenue.

In order to keep its sites running smoothly, Yahoo needs to hire top talent across the board, from product management and engineering to sales and marketing.

So it's not surprising to see Yahoo dole out lots of money for its employees.

We sifted through salary data on Glassdoor to put together a list of the highest paid jobs at Yahoo, and it looks like it rewards its employees pretty handsomely. 

Salary data on Glassdoor is an average based on anonymous reports that were voluntarily shared by both current and recent employees. 

(Note: This list only includes salary listings with five or more reviews. Salaries also vary based on experience. We also didn't include some redundant or mislabeled entries on the list.)

SEE ALSO: Here's what you can earn working at Facebook

11. Senior Research Scientist

Salary: $165,498

Yahoo's research scientists mostly work at the Yahoo Labs, the company's research unit that employs hundreds of Ph.Ds focused on machine learning and data analytics. Some of the work they do includes search engine optimization, user personalization, and spam detection, among others.

10. Program director

Salary: $166,030

Program managers are in charge of overseeing projects through the entire life cycle, including scheduling, risk identifying, and communicating with all involved parties. The work spans a lot of different areas, from software implementation and search improvement projects to employee engagement programs.

9. Marketing Director

Salary: $167,739

Yahoo's a consumer facing brand, so it runs a lot of marketing campaigns to raise awareness for its products and services. Plus, Yahoo's target audience varies by each of its products, which makes the marketing director an important part of its business.

I am about to leave San Francisco after visiting for the first time in 25 years.

I saw as much as I could while I was here, including famed tourist spots like Pier 39 and Ghirardelli Square.

But something high on my list of "musts" was to eat at famed burger chain In-N-Out, a rival of my native New York's Shake Shack. 

So we went for dinner earlier in the week. Here's what I thought.

During my first trip to San Francisco this past week, I planned on seeing everything from the Golden Gate Bridge to Lombard Street.

But truly, I only had one real mission: to eat at famed Pacific coast burger spot In-N-Out.

I live in New York City, the land of Danny Meyer's Shake Shack. The famous Big Apple burger joint is In-N-Out's biggest cross country rival, and people seem to always be arguing about which eatery serves a better patty.

7 million people read this story on Business Insider comparing Shake Shack and In-N-Out.

Ever wonder how Amazon gets your package to you so quickly? Robots play a big role in that.

In 2012, Amazon acquired Kiva Systems— a manufacturer of robotic systems — for $775 million and transformed them into Amazon Robotics. These autonomous robots handle the picking and packaging process at Amazon's large warehouses.

Here's an inside look at the robots handling your Amazon packages:

The robots work in perfect harmony to transport merchandise around the fulfillment center.

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First, human beings fill the shelves with items. The items don't have to be shelved in any particular order — as long as the robot knows where an item is on the shelf, it will deliver it when it's needed.

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The robots will then bring the items to a different set of Amazon workers, who will grab them to place in boxes. Amazon workers used to have to roam the shelves searching for products to fill orders. Now the robots bring what is needed autonomously.

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"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" introduces a lot of new characters from Gwendoline Christie's fierce Captain Phasma and Oscar Isaac's Resistance pilot Poe Dameron to Adam Driver's fiery Kylo Ren.

However, the one character fans can't stop talking about is a Stormtrooper in riot gear who throws down with Finn in the middle of the film.

You probably noticed him in one of the film's many ads showing off his awesome riot gear moves.

The trooper yells out to Finn calling him a traitor for abandoning the First Order before going toe-to-toe with him. The internet has grown accustomed to calling the trooper TR-8R after his one line of dialogue. And from there, a meme was born.

Keep reading to see some of the best memes featuring everyone's new favorite Stormtrooper.

This posits how Finn was probably seduced into becoming part of the Resistance.

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Many people are obsessed with TR-8R's spin moves.

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People have been adding a gif of the Stormtrooper spinning his riot gear into images.

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If you're tired of run-of-the-mill Americanized Chinese food, you may be in luck.

New York City-based restaurant chain Xi'an Famous Foods serves authentic, mouthwatering cuisine from the Shaanxi province in northwest China.

From Anthony Bourdain to Bobby Flay, Xi'an has enjoyed a lot of attention since its beginnings as a food stall in the basement of a mall in Queens.

Since 2005, the chain has grown to nine locations throughout NYC, and is proving to be incredibly popular.

Xi'an recently landed on Zagat's first NYC Fast Casual survey list — further proof of the chain's rise to NYC fast-casual stardom.

It may just be popular enough to take on a larger market and bring real Chinese fast-casual to the Panda Express fast-food market. 

SEE ALSO: The world's most renowned cuisine can't gain mainstream traction in America

I visited the 34th Street location, right off 5th Ave — and steps from the Empire State Building.

One wall near the register is dedicated to the numerous celebrity foodie visits to Xi'An Famous Foods. The chain has quite an impressive fan base.

The menu is simple yet enormous. There's an amazing assortment of meals to choose from for such a no-frills establishment.

Over the weekend, a new billboard in West Valley City, Utah, drew national attention to a contentious new dating website: Where White People Meet.

The company has actually been around since August, but only recently started making headlines thanks to the billboard ad campaign. It claims to be "an alternative to the other dating websites that cater to certain groups," and allows anyone who is over 18 to join, despite what the dating site's name implies.

"The site is not racially motivated in any way," White People Meet founder Sam Russell claimed in The Washington Post on Monday. "If we want equal rights in this country, it has to be equal rights for everybody."

Keep reading to see what it's like to join Where White People Meet.

Here's a look at the home page for Where White People Meet. It looks pretty similar to your basic dating site, with the notable absence of any people of color.

You have to input some basic information about yourself to join, including age, gender, religion, and marital status. There are no questions about race.

If you try to set up a profile for a woman seeking another woman, the site automatically switches your gender to male — and the reverse happens for men seeking men. Perhaps "Where Straight White People Meet" would be a more apt name for the dating site?

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This year's Forbes' 30 Under 30 for Finance list features a number of top private-equity pros.

They've quickly risen up the corporate ladder at the largest investment firms on Wall Street.

The list includes alumni of Duke University, Yale, and the graduate business programs of the University of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New York University.

The only firm on the list to see its rising talent take two spots is KKR — the other places are rounded out by dealmakers from Apollo Global Management, Blackstone, and BC Partners.

The Forbes list is meant to represent the "game changers under 30 transforming the world,"according to the publication. Here are the five names from the private-equity business who fit the criteria:

BC Partners' principal Adam Gross worked on its big PetSmart deal.

Gross joined BC Partners in 2013 from Behrman Capital, where he worked as an associate. Already, he's worked on a very big deal for BC Partners: the firm's 2014 $8.7 billion acquisition of PetSmart.

Gross, 29, is the youngest principal in the New York office of BC Partners, according to Forbes, and speaks English, French, Spanish, and Mandarin. He previously worked on Merrill Lynch's consumer-products investment-banking team.

Robert Kalsow-Ramos has spent more than five years with Apollo Global Management.

Kalsow-Ramos had two stints at Morgan Stanley and also worked at Liberty Mutual and the U-Michigan Ross School of Business' National Quality Research Center before joining Apollo.

Today, he sits on the board of directors for Momentive and Hexion. According to the Forbes piece, Kalsow-Ramos, 29, also worked on Apollo's Evertec deal, which generated five times its invested capital.

Wharton alum Michelle Domanico has risen through the ranks at KKR.

Domanico, 29, joined KKR in 2010 after a stint at UBS, where she worked for two years as an analyst in its leveraged finance, sponsor, and restructuring teams. She now holds the rank of principal and works in the credit group, focusing on high-yield credit and direct-lending opportunities.

She's an alum of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, where she was also captain of the school's West Philly Swingers dancing troupe.

Sometimes it pays to buy a house.

While the home ownership rate in the US has sunk to an almost 30-year low, in some parts of the country it's actually cheaper to buy a house than rent.

Real-estate research firm RealtyTrac analyzed data from 504 counties in larger housing markets around the US and found that buying was cheaper in just under 58% of the counties.

They analyzed government real-estate data and calculated the amount of average wages in each market a person would have to spend on renting the median three-bedroom house versus buying it.

We've looked at RealtyTrac's data and complied the 17 large counties where it makes the most sense to buy. We've only included counties with populations over 300,000 and where the difference between buying instead of renting is more than 10% of wages.

Over half of the list is from Florida, but you'll have to go further inland to find the greatest savings.

Check out the full list below and you can see RealtyTrac's full report here.

Note: We've included counties with populations over 300,000 and savings on buying instead of renting is more than 10% of wages. Additionally, average monthly house cost was computed using an insurance-payment rate of 0.35% of median home value and a property tax rate of 1.04% of median home value.

17. Lake County, FL

Metro Area: Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

Population: 300,926

Median Weekly Income: $665

Average Monthly Rent: $1,405

Estimated Monthly House Payment: $1,109

Percent of median income saved from buying instead of renting: 10.26%

16. Duval County, FL

Metro Area: Jacksonville, FL

Population: 872,598

Median Weekly Income: $911

Average Monthly Rent: $1,356

Estimated Monthly House Payment: $936

Percent of median income saved from buying instead of renting: 10.64%

15. Wayne County, MI

Metro Area: Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

Population: 1,804,507

Median Weekly Income: $1,059

Average Monthly Rent: $1,234

Estimated Monthly House Payment: $738

Percent of median income saved from buying instead of renting: 10.81%

In addition to the continuation of current crises, Europe will face new matters of contention in 2016. Nationalism and fragmentation within the EU will keep growing, including on the Brexit issue.

When we look back at the major challenges that Europe has faced in 2015, it seems that a few of these have moved into the frozen category.

The Greek drama that took a central stage has now largely been resolved. The government led by Syriza and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras have agreed to the new bailout in exchange for reforms they are gradually implementing. While Athens will keep trying to avoid the implementation of the entire reform package, bail-out reviews will remain tense and debt relief is unlikely in 2016. The government-coalition will probably remain in power, even amid social pressure due to a high unemployment rate and increasing poverty.

The Ukrainian conflict is now largely frozen and has reached the stage of trade-war between Russia and Western powers; as seen with Ukraine’s recent free-trade agreement with the European Union. Eastern EU countries (under the Visegraad group and Poland’s lead) will pressure the EU to keep the sanctions in place and to expand NATO’s presence in the region. On the other end, Berlin will be interested in safeguarding its energy routes from Russia, and thus it is likely that the status quo will remain and the sanctions be maintained.

But the European continent will again be at the center of attentions in 2016. European leaders will keep battling over the refugee crisis management and try to find ways to boost economic recovery. The UK referendum on EU membership the continuing rise of nationalism, and the first year of anti-austerity governments in Portugal and Poland; as well as persistent terrorist threats will feed the rest of the European political risk agenda.

1. The refugee crisis

The gap between member states on the issue is set to grow in 2016. Eastern countries will defend their closed borders policy and Merkel could feel increasingly isolated, both among European leaders and within her own government coalition: regional elections in March could exacerbate divisions within her coalition.

With such deep internal cracks on a refugee allocation plan, Brussels will focus on making the external border police efficient, and will prioritize its partnership with Turkey in order to stop the flow of refugees from entering the Schengen area. Winter will also likely cause a decrease in the flow of refugees attempting to cross the Mediterranean, and thus will temper the pressure on leaders to reach a comprehensive agreement until spring.

But this crisis will prompt leaders to re-think the Schengen agreement and free-movement of people as border blocking by some member states continues. Reforming this cornerstone of the European Union is a vast field for political fragmentation that will also find echoes in the constant terror threat on the continent and the rise of far-right and anti-immigrant parties.

2. Terror threat and security

In fact, IS-backed terrorism took on a whole different level in 2015 and the pressure will probably only increase in 2016.

The international response will continue its balancing act between overcoming ISIS and promoting a democratic shift away from the Assad regime, with constant political opposition between the U.S-led coalition and Russian interests in the region.

Meanwhile, European leaders will work on ways to counter the threat at home through enhanced security policies, like France’s constitutional reform. National politics will increasingly be defined by debates on immigration and the place of Muslims in European societies. The Islamist terror threat will doubtlessly feed the nationalist and anti-immigrant parties agenda, and put Schengen on the front line as nationalists consider that the open-border policy enables terrorists to commute freely within groups of refugees coming from Syria.

Events such as the European Football Championship – a competition that will see bring together football fans from 24 countries in France over the summer – will be under pressure. This could prompt leaders to take on emergency measures, with the state of emergency in France likely to be extended.

3. National politics deepen European fragmentation

There won’t be any major election in Europe in 2016 other than in Ireland where the government’s strong economic record should ensure it victory. But the end of 2015 was rich in electoral results that will spread their lot of political risk in the first few months of this year.

The general election in Spain resulted in a divided parliament, with no major political force emerging. Coalition talks led by the incumbent PM Mariano Rajoy will at the very best result in an unstable coalition. But negotiations between parties with such disparate views are unlikely to be successful. Hence, a return to the polls in the spring is to be expected, and in the short-term such an electoral outcome creates confusion and instability.

The effect of an unstable coalition or of inconclusive coalition talks on voters will have to be watched closely on two fronts. First, a new election could give Podemos and Ciudadanos (the two newcomers in Spanish politics) a new boost of influence. Secondly, it could highlight the weakness of Spanish national politics as Catalonia hopes to start its independence process.

A potential surge of Podemos would echo recent elections in neighboring Portugal where the center-right incumbent coalition was overrun by the Socialists, who in turn struck an alliance with a leftist bloc deeply opposed to fiscal rigor.

With Poland added to the basket of anti-austerity governments that emerged from 2015, the movement can be considered to have received a second-breath. As a result, deepened fragmentation on economic policies – particularly fiscal policy – will feed the European agenda with tension in the coming year.

2016 will be a campaign year in major EU countries ahead of elections in 2017, including France and Germany. In France, the nationalist and anti-EU National Front has been on the upswing. The party’s influence on the political debate will probably encourage establishment parties to court NF voters by adopting some of its proposals, including on immigration – for the center-right – and opposition to fiscal rigor – for the Socialists.

Germany will also be prepping for the 2017 general elections, and the influence of a growing nationalist sentiment will weigh on the government’s agenda. As a result, fragmentation will also reach the German-French partnership – the EU’s traditional leaders – as both countries develop diverging interests.

Silicon Valley giants like Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple are investing more of their time and resources into artificial intelligence (AI) research in the hope that it will improve their existing products and lead to new ones. 

But they're far from the only ones aiming to create machines that can learn and think for themselves.

A new generation of technology startups in Britain are focusing their efforts on developing products and services that are underpinned by AI, which has the potential to change the way we live our lives. Unfortunately, it also has the potential to end the human race if you listen to what billionaires like Elon Musk and intellects like Stephen Hawking have to say.

Here are 10 of the most interesting British AI startups to watch out for in 2016.

DeepMind

London startup DeepMind, a group of approximately 140 people aiming to "solve intelligence," is arguably one of the most interesting technology companies operating in the UK right now. 

Google bought DeepMind last year for a reported £400 million. Today it is using the company's technology across its organisation to make many of its best-known products and services smarter than they previously were. For example, it is starting to use DeepMind's algorithms to power its recommendation engines and improve image recognition on platforms like Google+. 

Magic Pony Technology

Magic Pony Technology is pioneering a new approach to video compression by combining machine learning and computer vision research.

The company was founded by Rob Bishop who holds a masters degree in signal processing and Zehan Wang who holds a PhD in visual information processing. 

The company recently raised one of the largest seed rounds in Europe, at $2 million (£1.3 million).

Status Today

Status Today claims on its website that it employs a unique approach to security.

The company analyses behavior in the context of humans and their intended actions to protect individuals and the company they work for. 

Using machine learning techniques and "organisational human behavior analysis," Status Today claims it can detect any possible malicious behavior, no matter how big or small. 

The 18-month-old electric-car maker Faraday Future unveiled its first vehicle Monday night in Las Vegas ahead of the opening of this year's CES. And boy did it do it in style with the introduction of the all-electric FFZERO1 supercar.

If the looks don't impress you, the car's projected performance numbers will. Faraday claims a projected top speed of more than 200 mph and says the car will reach 60 mph in less than 2 seconds. The car is expected to be equipped with an electric motor on each wheel that in unison produce more than 1,000 horsepower.

Unfortunately, the FFZERO1 is neither a prototype nor a production car. It's a pure design concept aimed at showing off what Faraday says its technology — in its most extreme form — can achieve.

"The FFZERO1 Concept is an amplified version of the design and engineering philosophies informing FF’s forthcoming production vehicles," FF head of design Richard Kim said in a statement.

With the FFZERO1, the Chinese-backed firm, which is expected to break ground in a few weeks on its $1 billion Nevada factory, gave the press its first glimpse of what the company may be capable of building.

But it was only a fleeting glimpse, and it may not resolve questions about whether the company can even build a real car. The company says it has prototypes testing aspects of the electric-car technology that Faraday will use to build a real car.

Though members of the media were allowed to take pictures of the car's exterior from a safe distance, only photographers hired by Faraday were allowed to photograph the static-show car's interior.

Have a closer look at Faraday Future's electric supercar concept.

SEE ALSO: Faraday Future exec: 'We are certainly not vaporware'

Faraday Future held the unveiling in a temporary structure on the Las Vegas Strip just across the street from the Luxor.

It was a cold and unusually wet night for Vegas.

Before entering the main showroom, guests were met with this slogan.

In "Ingredients: A Visual Exploration of 75 Additives & 25 Food Products," photographer Dwight Eschliman and science writer Steve Ettlinger reveal the ingredients in 25 popular American food products, including Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing, Hostess Twinkies, and Cool Ranch Doritos.

Eschliman and Ettlinger demystify 75 of the most common food additives by revealing what each additive looks like, and where it comes from, as well as why it is used as an ingredient.

Republished with permission from "Ingredients: A Visual Exploration of 75 Additives & 25 Food Products" by Dwight Eschliman and Steve Ettlinger. Photography Copyright © 2015 by Dwight Eschliman. Reprinted with permission with Regan Arts. All rights reserved.

Hostess Twinkie

Campbell's Chunky Chicken Soup

Caffeine