• Mountains are some of the most fascinating landforms on Earth.
• The tallest mountains in the world are all in Asia, mostly in China, Nepal, Pakistan, and India.
• We compiled photos of the tallest mountain in 31 different countries.

Whether you're an adventurer, a nature lover, or just a sightseer, mountains make for some of the most fascinating landforms on Earth.

When it comes to the highest mountains in the world, Asia is where the action is — the continent is home to the 188 tallest mountains in the world, most of which are in China, Nepal, Pakistan, and India.

But with each country listed by just its tallest mountain, many other countries float up the list. Argentina has the 10th tallest national high point, Aconcagua, while the United States' tallest mountain, Denali, is 15th on the list.

Read more:The highest point in every US state

We've compiled breathtaking photos of the tallest mountains in 31 different countries, listed in reverse order. Some peaks, like the tallest mountain in the world, are claimed by two countries, so they're listed together here. Measurements were taken from Peakbagger.com.

Read on to see where each country ranks among the giants.

SEE ALSO: The highest point in every US state

DON'T MISS: The tallest building in every US state

30. and 31. France and Italy — Mont Blanc, 15,781 feet

29. Indonesia — Pun cak Jaya, 16,024 feet

28. Venezuela — Pico Bolivar, 16,332 feet

• If the government shutdown doesn't end by Saturday, it will become the longest in US history.
• Currently, the longest government shutdown in history took place from 1995 to 1996 under former President Bill Clinton.
• That shutdown came less than a month after another shutdown in November 1995, and was the result of the same set of budgetary issues.
• The record '95-96 shutdown only resulted in 284,000 employees having to miss work, which is less than half of the estimated 800,000 furloughs for the 2018-19 shutdown.
• Though the two parties were disagreeing about different issues, the 1995-96 shutdown was similar to the 2018-19 impasse in several key ways.

The government shutdown that started at midnight on December 22, 2018, is now en route to becoming the longest in US history if Congress doesn't pass funding bills on Friday.

It is unclear when this shutdown will end. President Donald Trump said he won't budge until the Democrats approve $5.7 billion for the wall he wants along the US-Mexico border. On Wednesday, Trump vowed to continue the partial government shutdown after a contentious meeting with Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi about funding for the wall.

After the meeting, the president tweeted, "I asked what is going to happen in 30 days if I quickly open things up, are you going to approve Border Security which includes a Wall or Steel Barrier? Nancy said, NO. I said bye-bye, nothing else works!"

Currently, the longest shutdown in US history took place under former President Bill Clinton while Republicans controlled both houses of Congress. It lasted over three weeks, from December 15, 1995 to January 6, 1996.

Here's how it compares to the 2018-2019 shutdown, which on Saturday is likely to become the longest in US history.

What happened that time

That currently record-holding shutdown took place less than a month after a previous shutdown in November 1995 closed the government for five days due to budget battles between Clinton and Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.

Although temporarily resolved after November, the two side's disagreements on funding for public initiatives spilled over again into another funding impasse soon afterward, leaving the government paralyzed as it rang in the new year.

Like nearly all funding gap problems, the 1995-96 government shutdown was about a difference in priorities. While Gingrich was dead set on reducing government spending at the federal level, Clinton wanted to expand spending on Medicare, education, the environment, and public health.

How the record shutdown compares to today

While federal spending as an idea was not a sticking point in the 2018-2019 shutdown, this stalemate is similar because the two parties have vastly different ideas about how to tackle what is perhaps the most visible issue in the Trump era — immigration.

Democrats vehemently refuse to grant Trump $5.7 billion in border wall money. Though Trump previously said he would be "proud" to take the blame for the shutdown over the wall, Republicans are now pointing the finger at Democrats.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that Democrats "refused to meet President Trump halfway and provide even one-fifth of the resources for the border they were willing to provide just a few months ago."

Though the House — which switched hands during the shutdown and is now under Democratic control — voted to re-open the government, McConnell has said the Senate won't pass any funding bills that do not get the president's approval.

The delayed effect of the impasse on work in Washington is similar to what happened during the Clinton-Gingrich shutdown. Because government funding officially ran out at the end of Friday, December 15, 1995, the full effects of the shutdown were not felt until thousands of government employees were furloughed starting Monday, December 18.

While the 1995-96 shutdown has been the longest in history so far, only about 284,000 employees were forced to stay home during the three-week period, compared to the 800,000 who were furloughed during the five-day shutdown in November 1995.

As if to add insult to injury, just as Clinton and the Republicans were reaching a deal on Saturday, January 6, a massive blizzard dumped two feet of snow on Washington, DC, forcing government workers to stay out of the office for yet another five days.

The snowstorm that caused these additional environment-related work leaves was aptly dubbed "the Furlough Storm."

Today, 800,000 federal workers won't receive their first 2019 paycheck if the government doesn't reopen.

Could this shutdown shatter records?

Likely.

Though Pelosi tried to re-open the government with a House-approved spending plan, Trump and McConnell continue to refuse to pass anything through the Senate or the White House.

Republican senators seem to be in no rush to re-open the government. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina praised Trump for his decision to shut down the government, encouraging the president to "dig in."

"When you make a promise to the American people, you should keep it," Graham told Fox News just before the government shut down. "The one thing I like about President Trump ― he's trying his best to keep his promise. He promised to build a wall, and he's going to fight hard to keep that promise. After the caravan, if you don't see the need for more border security, you're blind."

On Tuesday, Trump delivered his first Oval Office address, during which he parroted talking points about the need for border security. On Thursday, he said he "maybe definitely"might declare a national emergency on what he has referred to as a "crisis" at the border — a claim Democrats have criticized, and experts say isn't accurate.

SEE ALSO: WHAT'S OPEN?: Here's how the shutdown is affecting key parts of the federal government

DON'T MISS: This government shutdown is historic for one big reason

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy'

• The country's most headline-making politicians might seem like they've always been around, but everyone's got to start somewhere. 
• We look back at what some of America's most prominent lawmakers, politicians and government figures looked like at the early stages of their careers: 

SEE ALSO: How Nancy Pelosi went from San Francisco housewife to the most powerful woman in US politics

California Senator Kamala Harris as a young college graduate.

Mike Pence loved to play guitar during his college years.

Former El Paso Councilman Beto O'Rourke poses in front of his hometown.

• Democrats are reaching for Instagram Live videos to showcase relatability and connect with potential voters.
• Younger Democratic politicians have captivated users and amassed large followings through Instagram Live videos.
• Other Democrats have experimented with livestreaming, signaling they might be gearing up toward a 2020 presidential run.

WASHINGTON — The hottest new trend among Democrats looking for a bigger spotlight as the 2020 presidential election kicks into gear is Instagram Live, where politicians can speak endlessly and answer questions from their homes.

The young Democrats are all doing it, especially among the wave of new freshmen members of Congress such as New York's Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Potential 2020 presidential candidate and former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke is also an avid Instagrammer. 

But it is not limited to the younger generation. Even political veterans like Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown have taken to Instagram to chat with followers and supporters.

Brown, 66, has a modest following on Instagram of less than 10,000. Other Democrats, like O'Rourke and Ocasio-Cortez, boast following of 746,000 and 1.6 million, respectively.

Still, each Democrat is using the platform to showcase relatability, whether it is authentic or not.

Ocasio-Cortez often cooks or bakes while discussing priorities and going back and forth with viewers. She responds to critics and addresses her issues with the way Washington works, like when a symposium for freshmen members of Congress featured a number of lobbyists as speaker, which was co-hosted by the American Enterprise Institute.

O'Rourke regularly prepares food or takes his followers on hikes through Texas. Shortly after losing his Senate bid to unseat Republican incumbent Ted Cruz, O'Rourke cooked up a steak, which received fawning coverage among left-leaning publications like ELLE and the Daily Dot.

"During the Senate race, the relentless livestreaming of the candidate’s activities became a feature of his campaign,"wrote Dan Solomon in Texas Monthly. "Supporters could connect with O’Rourke at their leisure, whether it was the mundanities of campaigning or skateboarding."

O'Rourke took it to the next level by documenting his trip to the dentist, sending Twitter users into a frenzy.

The stunt spurred cringes and mockery, even from both critics and supporters of O'Rourke. 

"Please don’t do the colonoscopy!"tweeted Republican operative and CNN commentator Doug Heye.

"Love me some Beto but this is self-parody territory,"quipped Ana Marie Cox, a liberal commentator and writer.

And Democrats, especially those looking to court voters as they mull 2020 presidential bids, are trying to emulate the casual and relatable trend that Ocasio-Cortez and O'Rourke have so handily mastered.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren used the platform to recap her announcement that she had launched an exploratory committee to run for president in 2020, as well as preview a swing through Iowa.

"I’m gonna get me … um, a beer," said Warren during a December 31 Instagram Live video, leaving the camera view only to return with a Michelob Ultra. She also used the livestream to introduced her husband, Bruce Mann.

Warren, whose Instagram account has 1.2 million followers, is currently the most high-profile Democrat officially touring early voting states in pursuit of a presidential bid.

Whether the trend continues will likely depend on its effectiveness. O'Rourke managed to turn Instagram Live sessions into a fixture of his campaign and personal brand. Others, especially those less with different campaign strategies, might struggle to cultivate a strong following with which young Instagram users want to engage.

SEE ALSO: Democrats warn that a formal request for Trump's tax returns may not come quickly

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy'

• 2019 just started, but this year's calendar is already getting busy for potential 2020 contenders. 
• With stops in Iowa and New Hampshire, these are some of the major events 2020 presidential candidates can look forward to in 2019: 

SEE ALSO: An early look at the 2020 presidential contenders

Fundraising for Quarter 1 begins — January 1, 2019.

Presidential candidates will begin making their announcements in the first weeks of January, since fundraising for the first quarter of the year begins on January 1.  

Politics & Eggs forums — beginning in February 2019.

The "Politics & Eggs Forums," a long-held tradition in New Hampshire's political calendar, usually begin in February. During the series of forums hosted by the New England Council and Saint Anselm College, candidates meet one-on-one with attendees, sign wooden eggs, eat breakfast, and talk about their proposals, campaigns, and perspectives. 

Fundraising for Quarter 1 ends — March 31, 2019.

The first fundraising quarter of the year ends on March 31. 

• Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro is running for president.
• The Obama administration alumnus announced his decision Saturday in his hometown of San Antonio.
• Castro had been eyeing a presidential run for months. In December, his twin brother Joaquín told Stephen Colbert his brother was ready to run.
• In his remarks announcing his candidacy, Castro touted his support for increased access to early childhood education, universal healthcare, criminal justice reform, and a re-commitment to environmental policies.

Julián Castro is running for president.

The former Housing and Urban Development secretary, a Democrat, announced his bid for the presidency on Saturday in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas, surrounded supporters and family, including his twin brother, US Representative Joaquín Castro.

"When my grandmother got here almost a hundred years ago, I’m sure she never could have imagined that just two generations later, one of her grandsons would be serving as a member of the United States Congress and the other would be standing with you here today to say these words: I am a candidate for President of the United States of America," Castro said, making remarks in English and Spanish.

Castro announced his campaign, Julián for the Future, with the campaign slogan "One Nation. One Destiny" in Plaza Guadalupe, an outdoor space near San Antonio's Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, where Castro was baptized.

"I'm running for president because it's time for new leadership, it's time for new energy, it's time for new commitment to make sure the opportunities that I had are available to every American," Castro said.

In his remarks, Castro went on to tout his commitment to policies including early childhood education, accessible college alternatives, universal healthcare, and criminal justice reform. 

Castro also took aim at President Donald Trump's recent trip to McAllen, Texas, denouncing Trump's continued claims that there is a "crisis" at the southern border.

"There is a crisis today," Castro said. "It's a crisis of leadership. Donald Trump has failed to uphold the values of our great nation."

In another rebuke to Trump, Castro said that if elected, his first executive order would be a recommitment to the Paris Climate Agreement, an international agreement to prioritize efforts to prevent climate change. 

Texas Rep. James Talarico delivered remarks to introduce Castro, who he called the "West Side's favorite son," referring to the historic neighborhood where the announcement event was held.

Talarico said while he was a middle school teacher, he pointed to then-Mayor Castro as an example to follow, "not because he is famous or successful but because he always has the courage to do what is right."

Castro's official announcement comes weeks after his brother had revealed the news during an interview with Stephen Colbert in December. Back then, the former Housing secretary couldn't officially announce his candidacy because, under Federal Election Commission rules, he would've had to file paperwork with the agency immediately.

"I'll speak on his behalf, here," Joaquín told Colbert after asking why Julián was going to run or not. "He's going to run for president."

The campaign announced Saturday that Joaquín would assume the role of campaign chairman. 

Read more: Here's everyone who has officially announced they are running for president in 2020

Julián Castro, 44, was born and raised in San Antonio and began his career there, as a member of the City Council. In 2009, he was elected mayor and held the position until 2014, when he was picked as secretary of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development by Barack Obama.

During his tenure, HUD expanded lead safety protections in federally assisted housing, worked to reconstruct communities affected by natural disasters under a $1 billion National Disaster Resilience Competition, and fulfilled the Fair Housing Act by releasing the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule.

The grandson of a Mexican immigrant, Castro has remained close to his family's roots and Texas' Latino population. 

"I'm also very mindful, especially now for the Latino community, that there's a particular meaning to my candidacy," Castro told the Associated Press in 2018. "We can't go through the 2020 cycle with nobody on that stage because of what's happened over the last couple of years."

He and his brothers were pulled into politics by their mother, a Chicana activist who once ran for San Antonio City Council. 

Castro said on ABC's "This Week" last Sunday that he felt strongly about advancing a wide variety of policies that aim to benefit all Americans.

"I'm not going to be a single-issue candidate," he said. "My vision for the country's future is that we aim in the 21st century to be the smartest, the healthiest, the most fair and the most prosperous country."

Earlier this month, Castro echoed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's calls for an increased tax rate on the rich, saying he "can support folks at the top paying their fair share," citing a time when the top marginal tax rate was over 90%. 

The former HUD Secretary told the AP last year that he hadn't spoken to Obama about his candidacy but had been in conversations about it with other Democratic leaders. He traveled to Nevada and Iowa last week and is planning on stopping by New Hampshire on January 16 for the traditional "Politics & Eggs" initiative organized by the New England Council and Saint Anselm College that most presidential candidates participate in.

Castro tweeted a picture of him alongside his twin brother and daughter Saturday morning to tease the announcement before he rode the number 68 San Antonio public bus to the plaza, which was livestreamed from his Facebook page.

His campaign said this is the same bus he and his twin brother, Congressman Joaquin Castro rode to school as children.

Attendees were greeted with art depicting Castro's likeness alongside "2020," and stickers and t-shirts bearing what appears to be a campaign slogan, "One Nation. One Destiny."

SEE ALSO: Democrat Julian Castro says he'll 'likely' run in 2020

DON'T MISS: Democratic contenders for the 2020 presidential nomination are turning to Instagram Live as a secret weapon

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy'

• Daimler Trucks CEO Martin Daum told Business Insider that he thinks Tesla's electric truck is 'fun,' but that he takes competition from them seriously.
• Daum also said that cracking the market for Tesla will be tough, specifically because to compete in the trucking space, you need to be able to achieve global scale.
• Daimler Trucks, which sold more than 500,000 trucks in 2018, is a global leader in trucks, and Daum said the company intends to defend that position. 

LAS VEGAS — The man who runs one of the biggest truck manufacturing companies in the world thinks Tesla's electric semi is 'fun.' 

Daimler Trucks CEO Martin Daum told Business Insider during an interview at this year's Consumer Electronics Show that while he takes all competition seriously, the truck manufacturing business is not an easy one to crack. 

• Read more:The best new transportation we saw at CES 2019
  

"They’re fun, it’s an interesting market. We take every competitor seriously, Tesla has proved they really have the tenacity to really go through huge losses to capture the market," Daum told Business Insider. 

"But trucking is a difficult business. They will learn the hard way, trucking is not like passenger cars where one size fits all. There’s a lot of variety in trucking...the United States is a highly competitive market, so as I said, they’re fun."

Daimler Trucks, which sold more than 500,000 trucks in 2018, is a global leader in trucks, and Daum said it intends to stay in that position. 

In the North American market — which includes the United States, Mexico, and Canada — the company sold 176,000 trucks last year. Daum said that the vehicles within this category include everything from school buses and delivery van chassis, up to large 120,000-ton specialized trucks. But Daum said the company can only afford to develop and build trucks of this variety because it has a global footprint, which is something Tesla is still working on. 

"How do we survive? Because we run a global business. I don't just look at the 176,000 North American trucks, I look at the more 500,000 trucks we sell worldwide... And that is a unit number you need to survive ultimately. Of all players in the North American market — Volvo, Navistar, in the association with the Volkswagen Group, and Paccar — we all have one big global footprint," Daum said. 

"So for Tesla, it is a long way for it to get that. Not making fun of them, we take them seriously. In their niche, they could be successful, but to be ultimately the fifth player in the North American market, it’s a long way and we won’t make it easy for them."

• Read more:
• Mercedes-Benz showed off a bizarre-looking, self-driving concept car at CES that hints at how the company may be planning to cash in on autonomous tech
• The 20 coolest vehicles we saw at CES

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What it's like to win the Gumball 3000 where drivers party until 2 am every night and drive 3,000 miles in 7 days

This is a preview of a research report from BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about BI Intelligence, click here.

Social media is becoming increasingly influential in shoppers' purchasing decisions. In fact, the top 500 retailers earned an estimated $6.5 billion from social shopping in 2017, up 24% from 2016, according to BI Intelligence estimates.

In addition to influencing purchase decisions, social media is a large part of the product discovery and research phase of the shopping journey. And with more and more retailers offering quick access to their sites via social media pages, and shoppable content becoming more popular, it's likely that social media will play an even larger role in e-commerce. 

In this report, BI Intelligence examines the advantages and disadvantages of each platform, and reviews case studies of successful campaigns that helped boost conversion and increase brand awareness. Additionally, we explore how retailers can bring social aspects into their own sites and apps to capitalize on consumers' desire for social shopping experiences.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• Social media is becoming more influential in all aspects of the purchasing journey.
• Facebook is the clear winner in social commerce, with its huge user base and wide-ranging demographics.
• However, retailers should have a presence on every platform their target market is on. Each platform will require a different strategy for retailers to resonate with its users.
• Retailers can also benefit from bringing social aspects in-house. They can do this by building their own in-house social networks, or by embedding social media posts into their sites.

In full, the report: 

• Provides an overview of the top social media platforms — Facebook, YouTube, Instagram — that retailers should be using, the demographics of each platform, as well as their individual advantages and disadvantages. 
• Reviews tools recently developed by these platforms that help retailers create engaging content.
• Outlines case studies and specific strategies to use on each platform.
• Examines how retailers like Sephora, Amazon, and Poshmark are capitalizing on consumers' affinity for social shopping by creating their own in-house social networks.

Interested in getting the full report? Here are two ways to access it:

1. Subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. >>Learn More Now
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• The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will give its screening officers a $500 bonus. TSA administrator David Pekoske made the announcement Friday evening on Twitter.
• The money is set to arrive in a matter of days.

• TSA staff have been working unpaid since the government shutdown commenced on December 22. Even though the workers are eligible to receive back pay once the shutdown is over, many live paycheck to paycheck and have reported experiencing financial hardship.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will give its screening officers a $500 bonus during the government shutdown. TSA administrator David Pekoske made the announcement Friday evening on Twitter.

TSA staff have been working unpaid since the government shutdown commenced on December 22. Even though the workers are eligible to receive back pay once the shutdown is over, many live paycheck to paycheck.

"I have approved awards of $500 for each uniformed screening officer, in recognition of their hard work during yet another busy holiday travel season, maintaining the highest of security standards during an extraordinary period," Pekoske said on Twitter. "While I realize this is not what you are owed for your hard work during pay period 26 and what you deserve, I hope these actions alleviate some of the financial hardship many of you are facing."

TSA officers will see the money "in the next few days,"he added.

According to Pekoske, the payment was made possible by the "unique authorities provided TSA in law."

In addition, the TSA administrator announced on Friday that compensation for employees who worked on December 22, the first day of the shutdown, has been processed. Since that date is part of a previous pay period, TSA employees will receive payment by this upcoming Tuesday.

Pekoske also thanked his employees for their hard work amid their personal and professional difficulties. 

"To every TSA employee — despite personal hardships and professional challenges, we’ve rallied and never once compromised the security of our nation’s transportation systems,"he said. 

TSA employees and their union have reported experiencing extreme financial hardship during the shutdown. This has resulted in a number of its staff calling out of work.

Read more: Miami's airport is shutting down one of its terminals this weekend over a shortage of TSA screeners amid the government shutdown.

The TSA workers' union president, Hydrick Thomas, has said workers are calling out at higher rates because of financial hardship.

"TSA employees aren't calling out intentionally," TSA workers' union president, Hydrick Thomas, told Business Insider last week. "They are calling out because they don't have the funds to make it work."

The agency told Business Insider that the number of employee callouts on Thursday was up 55% over the same day last year. 

Even though the callouts represent just 5.1% of the agency total employees, it has caused enough of a disruption for Miami International Airport to close one its terminals for part of this weekend. 

• Read more:
• United, Alaska, and Spirit flight attendants are warning Trump, Pelosi, and McConnell that the government shutdown is doing real damage to the airline industry
• TSA airport screeners have been working without pay during the shutdown and now many don't have money to get to work
• Delta, United, and JetBlue pilots are warning that flying will become more dangerous as the government shutdown continues
• The government shutdown could spur more flight delays making travel a nightmare, air traffic controllers claim

SEE ALSO: The FAA is reportedly about to bring airline inspectors back to work during the government shutdown

FOLLOW US: On Facebook for more car and transportation content!

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NOW WATCH: Watch YouTuber Master Milo transform a small Ford into the ultimate stunt machine

This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here. Current subscribers can read the report here.

Fintech hubs — cities where startups, talent, and funding congregate — are proliferating globally in tandem with ongoing disruption in financial services. 

These hubs are all vying to become established fintech centers in their own right, and want to contribute to the broader financial services ecosystem of the future. Their success depends on a variety of factors, including access to funding and talent, as well as the approach of relevant regulators.

This report compiles various fintech snapshots, which together highlight the global spread of fintech, and show where governments and regulatory bodies are shaping the development of national fintech industries. Each provides an overview of the fintech industry in a particular country or state in Asia or Europe, and details what is contributing to, or hindering its further development. We also include notable fintechs in each geography, and discuss what the opportunities or challenges are for that particular domestic industry.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

• Most countries in Europe have made some formal attempt to foster the development of domestic fintech industries, with Germany and Ireland seeing the best results so far. France, meanwhile, got off to a slow start, but that's starting to change. 
• The Asian fintech scene took off later than in the US or Europe, but it's seen rapid growth lately, particularly in India, China, and Singapore.
• The increasing importance of technology-enabled products and services within the financial services ecosystem means the global fintech industry isn't going anywhere. 
• Fintech hubs will continue to proliferate, with leaders emerging in each region.
• The future fintech landscape will be molded by regulatory bodies — national and international — as they seek to mitigate the risks, and leverage the opportunities, presented by fintech. 

 In full, the report:

• Explores the fintech industry in six countries or states, and identifies individual fintech hubs.
• Highlights successful fintechs in each region.
• Outlines the challenges and opportunities each country or state faces. 
• Gives insight into the future of the global fintech industry. 

Subscribe to an All-Access pass to Business Insider Intelligence and gain immediate access to:

	This report and more than 250 other expertly researched reports
	Access to all future reports and daily newsletters
	Forecasts of new and emerging technologies in your industry
	And more!

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This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here.

The virtual reality (VR) market is expected to rally in 2018 after seeing slow growth from 2016 to 2017. The uptick will be largely catalyzed by the emergence of the newest headset form factor, stand-alone VR headsets, which address some of the biggest pain points that have prohibited mainstream consumers from adopting VR.

This new form factor is more affordable than cost-prohibitive high-end headsets and more capable than its smartphone-powered counterparts. Additionally, it features in-unit processing that frees the VR headset from wires. The first major stand-alone headset, the Vive Focus from HTC, was launched in January of this year, and more from other major companies like Oculus and Google are expected to follow over the next six months. 

In a new report, Business Insider Intelligence lays out where the VR market is and forecasts how it will grow over the next five years. We dissect the various hardware categories and the unique strengths and opportunities of each, and identify how they will gain traction at different points of the market’s evolution. Finally, we examine various components impacting consumer adoption.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

• Business Insider Intelligence forecasts shipments of all VR headsets to grow 69% year-over-year (YoY) to reach 13.5 million in 2018. Powering that growth is the stand-alone VR headset category, which is expected to account for 30% of total headsets shipped in the year ahead. 
• The VR hardware market is volatile because getting a device right is a balancing act. On one hand, the price point needs to be affordable for most consumers, and on the other, the experience has to be distinctive and immersive enough to convince a consumer to strap a visor to their face on a regular basis. 
• While only a handful of stand-alone VR headsets will hit the market in 2018, they mark the biggest step toward mainstream adoption of consumer-oriented VR headsets by making the technology more accessible for the average consumer. 
• Declining price points, coupled with high-quality headsets and the introduction of a game-changing app, are crucial for the VR industry to achieve before VR can really gain traction on a global scale.

In full, the report:

• Forecasts the growth projections and shipment expectations of the global VR headset market, and breaks it up by the major headset categories.
• Explores the four major segments in the current VR hardware market, defined by the hardware needed to power the experience — stand-alone, smartphone-powered, PC-powered, and game console-powered VR.
• Identifies the key players shaping the burgeoning stand-alone VR headset segment.
• Discusses the biggest challenges to VR development and adoption.

Subscribe to an All-Access pass to Business Insider Intelligence and gain immediate access to:

	This report and more than 250 other expertly researched reports
	Access to all future reports and daily newsletters
	Forecasts of new and emerging technologies in your industry
	And more!

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• Elo and Cortana have made their picks for the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
• Cortana correctly picked 65% of the games this season and Elo was not far behind at 62%.
• Both models struggled in the first round of the playoffs.
• Elo and Cortana agree that most of the divisional-round games have a clear favorite.

The second round of the NFL playoffs is here, and Cortana is back to make picks in a head-to-head showdown with Elo.

We looked at two popular systems used to pick NFL games: Cortana, Microsoft's digital assistant, and Elo, the modeling system used by Nate Silver's data-journalism site, FiveThirtyEight.

In both cases, the computers are picking outright winners and not against the spread. Each gives a likelihood that a team will win, which in theory could help measure the strength of certain lines.

Cortana had another strong season, correctly picking 65% of the games, while Elo nailed 62% overall. However, both struggled in the Wild Card round as Elo went 1-3 and Cortana was 0-4.

Here are the picks for the divisional playoff games, with each team's percent chance of winning in parentheses. Point spreads are for reference, via Vegas Insider as of Friday morning.

Saturday early game (4:35 ET on NBC)

• Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs (-5.5) — CHIEFS (Elo 66%, Cortana 61%)

Saturday late game (8:15 ET on Fox)

• Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams (-7) — RAMS (Elo 66%, Cortana 70%)

Sunday early game (1:05 ET on CBS)

• Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots (-4) — PATRIOTS (Elo 58%, Cortana 61%)

The healthcare industry is in a state of disruption. Digital solutions are becoming a necessary part of the new global standard of care for patients and regulation is being fast-tracked to catch up to digital health innovation.

These rapid changes will have ripple effects across the entire healthcare system, impacting incumbents and new entrants alike.

Based on our ongoing analysis, understanding of industry trends, and conversations with industry executives, Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service, has put together The Top Five Trends Shaping The Future of Digital Health.

To get your copy of this free report, click here.

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This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here. Current subscribers can read the report here.

Trucking is set to transform radically in the coming years, with innovative technologies enabling trucks to take over more and more driving responsibilities, saving time and money for operators and businesses that rely on shipping.

Autonomous trucks are being tested on roads around the world, and systems from startups like Peloton and Embark could make their way into commercial trucks as soon as next year. Fleets will be able to leverage autonomous technologies to cut costs and gain a critical edge over competitors.

But to start planning for, and to eventually implement, those technologies, companies need to know what sorts of systems will be ready and when, and what regulatory hurdles will need to be overcome to get autonomous trucks on the road. 

In The Autonomous Trucking Report, Business Insider Intelligence provides an early glimpse into the emerging autonomous trucking market. First, we look at the trucking market as it stands today, offering a basic profile of the industry and highlighting a number of the challenges and issues it faces. Then, we go through the three waves of autonomous technology that are set to upend the industry — platooning, semi-autonomous systems, and fully autonomous trucks — looking at who is making strides in each of these areas, when the technology can be expected to start making an impact, and what companies can do to get ahead of the curve.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

• Advanced and autonomous technology will enable operators and shipping firms to eradicate some of the challenges that have long plagued them. Trucks will take over more and more driving responsibilities, saving time and money for operators and businesses that rely on shipping.
• The impact of autonomous technologies on the trucking industry will come in three major waves: platooning or fuel-saving vehicle convoys, semi-autonomous highway control systems, and fully autonomous trucks.
• Change to the trucking industry will be gradual but inexorable. Companies with foresight can start to make long-term plans to account for the ways that autonomous technologies will change how goods and products move from place to place.

In full, the report:

• Analyzes the development of autonomous trucking technology.
• Explains the waves in which advanced and autonomous technologies will start to impact the trucking industry, providing detailed explanations of how a company can take advantage of the disruptive technology transforming logistics at each stage.
• Profiles the efforts of the companies that are at the forefront of new technology in trucking, looking at what they're working on and when their efforts could start to impact the market.

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• Last week, restaurateur Kiyoshi Kimura paid a record-breaking $3.1 million for the first tuna sold in the new year at Tokyo's brand new Toyosu Fish Market, which opened last October.
• Toyosu replaced the legendary Tsukiji Fish Market, which was famous for decades as the best place in the world to get fresh fish.
• I took a walk through Tsukiji Market two years ago before it closed to see what it was like in action. It was a crazy place not meant for tourists.

Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market was once known as the "Wall Street of fish."

Every day, fishers, wholesalers, and the owners of Japan's top sushi restaurants used to gather to buy and sell more than $21 million of the freshest fish in the world.

In recent decades, the market unexpectedly became one of Japan's top tourists attractions. Thousands came to try to get a glimpse of the market's world-famous tuna auction, where a single tuna once sold for $1.76 million.

Last October, the Tokyo government moved the market from its original location in central Tokyo to a new $5.42 billion site east called Toyosu Market.

The Toyosu Market has continued with the world-famous tuna auctions. Last week, Kiyoshi Kimura, who owns the Sushizanmai restaurant chain, paid $3.1 million for the first tuna sold in the new year, a 613-pound fish.

Though Toyosu has improved refrigeration, earthquake resistance, and sanitation facilities, it isn't the legendary Tsukiji Market.

I took a walk through before dawn at Tsukiji two years ago — when it was off-limits to tourists — to see what the iconic market was like in action.

Here's what it was like:

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The Tsukiji Fish Market was once located in the Tsukiji district in central Tokyo. It was bordered by the swanky shopping district Ginza and the Sumida River.

Google Maps directions »

The best time to visit was before sunrise when fishers were bringing in their catch and fishmongers were preparing fish for sale.

There were two parts to the market. The jōgai-shijō was a mix of sushi restaurants and shops that sell everything from wholesale restaurant supplies to groceries. The jōnai-shijō was where wholesalers processed their fish and sold to restaurants. There was also a wholesale produce market, which was the part I visited.

• Voice assistants like Amazon's Alexa, Google's Assistant, Apple's Siri, and Microsoft's Cortana, are pegged to trigger a widespread transformation across the retail industry in the years to come.
• The current interest in, and adoption of, voice assistants for commerce is being driven by recent technological breakthroughs, advantages of the tech over existing channels, and the development of voice apps.
• As consumer demand for voice technology mounts, brands offering this functionality throughout the entire customer journey stand to gain in three key ways.

Not too long ago, if your friend had a smart speaker like Amazon’s Alexa or Google's Assistant in their living room, it seemed like a rare novelty. Within a matter of months, however, smart speakers have started becominghousehold staples — and they’re still only at a fraction of their growth potential.

One of the biggest drivers of adoption has been increased functionality. Smart speakers aren’t just changing the music and turning on the lights; they’re helping consumers find new products and make purchases — and they’re quickly becoming a preferred method of shopping.

In fact, nearly a quarter of consumers globally already prefer using a voice assistant over going to a company website or mobile app to shop. This share will jump to 40% by 2021, according to Capgemini.

Consumers are on board with the prompt, convenient nature of shopping with smart speakers — and brands who join them stand to reap massive rewards. The Voice in Retail Report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service, highlights the value voice brings to the shopping funnel and how retailers can implement it throughout the customer journey.

Here are three ways brands can capture consumers with voice technology:

• Driving product purchases: Voice assistants make spending faster and easier when consumers are unable to use their hands. The ability to make a purchase on any channel and the addition of personalized, intelligent elements to the shopping experience are simplifying the transition from product discovery to product purchase.
• Heightening customer loyalty: Brands can leverage voice assistants in the post-purchase phase to track delivery status, automate part of the return process, interact with customer service, offer feedback, and collect consumer behavioral and transactional data.
• Shifting consumers’ spending behaviors: Smart device ownership has a snowball effect, so as the smart device ecosystem reaches the mainstream, consumers will flock to connected cars, smart home devices and appliances, and connected virtual reality and augmented reality (VR/AR) headsets.

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Shoppers are interested in using voice assistants for every stage of the customer journey, from initial product search and discovery to post-purchase customer service and delivery status. And retailers that take advantage of consumers’ desire to leverage voice will be in a stronger position to heighten customer engagement, increase conversion times, drive sales, and boost operational efficiency.

The Voice in Retail Report from Business Insider Intelligence examines the trends driving the adoption of voice commerce, details the role of voice throughout the customer shopping journey, outlines how brands can benefit from implementing voice in their strategies, and explores what's ahead for the technology in retail.

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• Patrick Mahomes is an MVP favorite and has the Chiefs two wins from the Super Bowl.
• So far, Mahomes has avoided getting a big head about his success thanks in large part to his teammates who keep him grounded by imitating his voice, he told ESPN.
• Some have described Mahomes' voice as sounding like Kermit the Frog.
• He told ESPN that the Chiefs' head coach, Andy Reid, does the voice best but wouldn't do it in front of other people.

Patrick Mahomes has been an NFL starter for just one season, but he has already shown that he could be the next great NFL quarterback.

The second-year quarterback led the NFL with 50 touchdown passes this season, joining Peyton Manning and Tom Brady as the only players to ever reach that mark.

With all the praise for his stellar play, Mahomes has managed to stay grounded. In speaking with Lisa Salters of ESPN recently, Mahomes explained that he had done this with the help of his teammates who are not above making fun of his voice.

"If I'm ever getting too big of a head, they just kind of bring out the voice, you know — they try to mimic my voice," Mahomes said. "That's kind of gotten its thing in the locker room."

Some have described Mahomes' voice as sounding like Kermit the Frog. But we would never say that to his face.

But here's the real kicker. When Salters asked who imitated the voice the best, Mahomes had an eyebrow-raising answer: Andy Reid, the Chiefs' head coach.

"Coach Reid does," Mahomes said, adding, "He has the perfect imitation of the voice."

However, Mahomes said Reid would never do the voice in front of other people, so we will have to be content imagining the coach doing the imitation.

You can hear Mahomes' voice and his comments here, via ESPN:

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NOW WATCH: I went on Beyoncé's 22-day diet — and I lost 15 pounds

This is a preview of a research report from BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about BI Intelligence, click here.

Major logistics providers have long relied on analytics and research teams to make sense of the data they generate from their operations.

But with volumes of data growing, and the insights that can be gleaned becoming increasingly varied and granular, these companies are starting to turn to artificial intelligence (AI) computing techniques, like machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing, to streamline and automate various processes. These techniques teach computers to parse data in a contextual manner to provide requested information, supply analysis, or trigger an event based on their findings. They are also uniquely well suited to rapidly analyzing huge data sets, and have a wide array of applications in different aspects of supply chain and logistics operations.

AI’s ability to streamline so many supply chain and logistics functions is already delivering a competitive advantage for early adopters by cutting shipping times and costs. A cross-industry study on AI adoption conducted in early 2017 by McKinsey found that early adopters with a proactive AI strategy in the transportation and logistics sector enjoyed profit margins greater than 5%. Meanwhile, respondents in the sector that had not adopted AI were in the red.

However, these crucial benefits have yet to drive widespread adoption. Only 21% of the transportation and logistics firms in McKinsey’s survey had moved beyond the initial testing phase to deploy AI solutions at scale or in a core part of their business. The challenges to AI adoption in the field of supply chain and logistics are numerous and require major capital investments and organizational changes to overcome.

In a new report, BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, explores the vast impact that AI techniques like machine learning will have on the supply chain and logistics space. We detail the myriad applications for these computational techniques in the industry, and the adoption of those different applications. We also share some examples of companies that have demonstrated success with AI in their supply chain and logistics operations. Lastly, we break down the many factors that are holding organizations back from implementing AI projects and gaining the full benefits of this disruptive technology.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• The current interest in and early adoption of AI systems is being driven by several key factors, including increased demands from shippers, recent technological breakthroughs, and significant investments in data visibility by the industry’s largest players.
• AI can deliver enormous benefits to supply chain and logistics operations, including cost reductions through reduced redundancies and risk mitigation, improved forecasting, faster deliveries through more optimized routes, improved customer service, and more.
• Legacy players face many substantial obstacles to deploying and reaping the benefits of AI systems, though, including data accessibility and workforce challenges.
• AI adoption in the logistics industry is strongly skewed toward the biggest players, because overcoming these major challenges requires costly investments in updating IT systems and breaking down data silos, as well as hiring expensive teams of data scientists.
• Although AI implementations are unlikely to result in large-scale workforce reductions in the near term, companies still need to develop strategies to address how workers' roles will change as AI systems automate specific functions.

 In full, the report:

• Details the factors driving adoption of AI systems in the supply chain and logistics field.
• Examines the benefits that AI can deliver in reducing costs and shipping times for supply chain and logistics operations.
• Explains the many challenges companies face in implementing AI in their supply chain and logistics operations to reap the benefits of this transformational technology.

Interested in getting the full report? Here are two ways to access it:

1. Subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. >>Learn More Now
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• When Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico in September, 2017, the island saw carnage and devastation.
• More than a year later, the island has made tremendous strides toward recovery, especially in the tourism sector. However, there's still work to be done.
• Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator and original star of the hit musical "Hamilton," brought the show to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a limited run to raise funds for the island and promote the power of tourism spending here.
• Business Insider had the opportunity to speak with Miranda at a post-show press conference on opening night. Here's what he had to say about Puerto Rico, Hurricane Maria, and why you should visit the island for your next vacation.

"I never thought I'd see winter in Puerto Rico."

When Lin-Manuel Miranda made his first visit to the island after it was devastated by Hurricane Maria, one of the first things that stood out to him was that the trees were bare — the leaves had all been stripped by the storm's 155 mile-per-hour winds.

Today, the summer sun is back in the sky.

That's the message that Miranda hopes to spread as he resumes the titular role in a special, three-week run of "Hamilton" in the Puerto Rican capital city, San Juan.

More than a year after the September 2017 storm killed nearly 3,000 people and destroyed most of the island's infrastructure, Puerto Rico has made a remarkable recovery. Major resorts, severely damaged in the storm, closed for repairs and took advantage of the chance to make major renovations. Landmark properties like the superb El San Juan continue to re-open, with 75% open now, and much of the remaining lodging stock set to re-open within the next year. The island's roads are cleared and mostly fully repaired, and tourism is nearing pre-hurricane rates.

However, stepping away from the polished beachfront resorts and cobblestone streets of Old San Juan, the island is still hurting, and likely will be for years. Blue tarps covering missing roofs are still abundant throughout residential areas, and manufacturing — the largest industry on the island by percent of GDP — remains down from pre-hurricane levels.

That makes tourism — which already represented more than 7% of the island's GDP, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council — more vital to Puerto Rico than ever. 

Miranda — whose father was born in Puerto Rico and who spent his childhood summers on the island — helped bring the limited-run production of his hit musical to San Juan as a fundraiser for the Flamboyan Arts Fund, a foundation run by his family to support the arts in Puerto Rico.

However, he's hoping that in addition to raising money — a quarter of tickets are available for $10, but prices range up to $5,000 — the production will bring more attention to the island's ongoing recovery, its attraction as a destination, and the powerful contribution made by tourism dollars spent here.

"People are going to come to Puerto Rico because of Hamilton, and hopefully spend a lot of money here in small businesses on the island," Miranda said at a press conference immediately after Hamilton's opening performance. "But they're also going to see how much work is left to be done."

Several major corporate backers have joined with Miranda to contribute and raise awareness of the production. American Express brought 100 cardholders to a weekend in San Juan as part of a travel package, inclusive of flights, hotel, some meals, and tickets to the show — the package was branded as part of a "Shop Small" promotion, intended to promote spending at small businesses (AmEx provided me with access to the entire package, including transportation and lodging), while travel companies like JetBlue and Marriott donated money and held promotions and contests surrounding the show. 

The weekend couldn't have been a better one for the opening of the show, and culmination of the awareness campaign. Temperatures in the 80s and copious sun in San Juan — with just a few occasional clouds and quick-passing showers — highlighted the appeal of the entire island's climate during the harshest winter months in the US, while Miranda's performance was as meaningful for the crowd as it was for him, drawing standing ovations during and after the performance.

"I think it's tied with the first one," Miranda said to reporters after the show, in answer to a question about whether the Puerto Rican opening night was the most emotional performance he's given in the role. "I just love this island so much and want them to be proud of me."

Click here to check Hotels.com for hotels and resorts in Puerto Rico.

Click here to learn more about the El San Juan resort in Puerto Rico.

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• Julián Castro, former Housing and Urban Development secretary under President Barack Obama, has announced his bid for the presidency. 
• Castro has a track record that includes revolutionary early childhood education programs while mayor, and controversy around handling of mortgage sales during his tenure at HUD. 
• Based on his announcement, Castro plans to use his experience in local government to tout community-minded policies. 

Julián Castro, former Housing and Urban Development secretary, has joined the race for the 2020 Election. 

Speaking to a crowd in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday, Castro touted his commitment to policies that included early childhood education, accessible college alternatives, universal healthcare, and criminal-justice reform.

See the policies with roots in Castro's personal and professional past that he's cast as key to his campaign:

SEE ALSO: Julián Castro, former Housing and Urban Development secretary under Obama, announces 2020 presidential bid

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Castro and his twin brother, Joaquín, who is a US representative that heads the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, were raised in San Antonio, Texas by their activist mother, Rosie.

Source: Business Insider

Both brothers went to Stanford University, where Julián credited affirmative action for his acceptance, before attending Harvard Law. After finishing his degree at Harvard, Julián ran for San Antonio City Council, which he won in 2001.

Source: The New York Times

Castro has been a longtime support of LGBTQ rights. He became the first San Antonio mayor to serve as the grand marshal of the city's Pride Parade in 2009 and signed the "Mayors for the Freedom to Marry" petition for same-sex marriage equality in 2012.

Source: Politico