Janice Somosot

Australia's State of Victoria reveals plans for a FireReady app and an emergency Web site for important fire alerts. This is in response to the alarming rate of destructive and deadly bushfires in Australia.

The sun will reportedly "flip upside down" within weeks due to a reverse in polarity of its magnetic field. This is what several scientists are saying. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), measurements from NASA-supported observatories show that the sun's vast magnetic field is indeed about to flip.

One Direction's Harry Styles wins a court order vs. paparazzi. It will stop paparazzi from harassing him. Styles reportedly applied to the High Court in London for the said court order as a last resort. According to Styles' lawyer David Sherborne, Styles did this after previously asking photographers to stop following him voluntarily.

The "Survivor Blood vs. Water" Finale "It's My Night" (Episode 14) aired on CBS last Dec. 15, 2013 at 8:25 p.m. Eastern and 7:25 p.m. Central in some markets due to the NFL on CBS. The "Survivor Blood vs. Water" Reunion show was aired after the finale. Who won?

Google Inc., the world's largest Internet search engine, has just acquired the Boston Dynamics Robotics Company. Part of Google's acquisition are several robots made by Boston Dynamics including Big Dog, a four-legged robot dog that can climb hills and Cheetah, a really fast robot that can outrun Usain Bolt, who is believed to be the fastest human today.

Australian Film Critics Craig Mathieson (CM) and Ed Gibbs (EG) reveal the 2014 Australian Summer Movie Guide. The movies in the said guide include Oscar contenders "Philomena," and "Inside Llewyn Davis," blockbusters "Robocop" and "Wolf Creek 2," and arthouse flicks "The Great Beauty" and "Blue is the Warmest Colour." "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug," "Frozen," "Philomena" and "The Railway Man" are also included in the list.

Australian 1975 Nobel Prize-Winning chemist John Cornforth has died on Dec. 14, 2013 at the age of 96 years old. Cornforth was awarded the Nobel Chemistry Prize in 1975 for his work on the stereochemistry of enzyme-catalysed reactions. Cornforth won the 1975 Nobel Chemistry Prize in 1975 with Croatian-Swiss organic chemist Vladimir Prelog.

Ward's AutoWorld Magazine has just named its 2014 10 Best Automobile Engines including the Audi S5, the BMS 535d and the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel. Ward's 10 Best Engines is an annual list of the ten best automobile engines available in the U.S. automobile market that are available in regular-production vehicles and are on sale in the U.S. no later than the first quarter of the year. Check out the winners below:

Orlando Bloom who appears in "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug," reportedly didn't attend the premiere night after party of his film with co-stars including Evangeline Lilly because he rushed off to celebrate his "Romeo and Juliet" co-star Condola Rashad's 27th birthday on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013. Rashad's birthday party was held at Jimmy in Soho, Manhattan, inside the James Hotel in New York City (NYC). Rashad and Bloom celebrated with her parents, football player Ahmad...

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" movie starring Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins), Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Richard Armitage (Thorin Oakenshield), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), Evangeline Lilly (Tauriel), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), Aidan Turner (Kili), Lee Pace (Thranduil) and Benedict Cumberbatch (Smaug/Necromancer) was released on Dec. 13, 2013 in the U.S. and UK. Here is a brief movie review of it including the best and worst moments of the film.

Fashionistas and beauty junkies need to celebrate the holidays too, especially since it is at this time of the year that a lot of people get dolled up and dressed to the nines for the various Christmas parties that they need to attend. There are a lot of new beauty collections that are debuted during the holidays. These would be perfect as gifts to beauty junkies. For fashionistas, there are a myriad of trendy options to choose from.

It's Dec. 13, 2013 and why is this particular date noteworthy? Well, it's because Dec. 13, 2013 is the second Friday the 13th in 2013. The first Friday the 13th was last Sept. 13, 2013. What better way to honor it than by watching some of the scariest films ever made, right? That's why for Friday the 13th 2013 Part 2, here are 13 scary films you should watch.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Lite might have a 5.68-inch display with a Liquid-crystal display (LCD) screen? Rumours are swirling about the tech industry that Samsung is planning to launch a new gadget with these particular specs. According to ETN News, a Korean site, this new Samsung device is aimed as a low-cost alternative to its other higher priced gadgets.

Forbes Magazine's Top 10 Highest-Paid Women in Music 2013 was just unveiled and the list of female musicians and artists including Madonna, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift (Top 3) is very impressive! Madonna not only topped the list of the Top 10 Highest-Paid Women in Music 2013, but she also topped Forbes Magazine's annual list of the Highest-Paid Musicians in 2013 (both male and female artists) by earning $125 million in 2012 and $305 million from her MDNA Tour.

Taylor Swift has a new long bob haircut which she just debuted in Perth, Australia during her "Red" Australian Tour concert on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013 (which was reportedly amazing!, according to WA Today). The long bob or "lob" style with layers was a much needed departure from the sleek, long blond hairstyle with blunt bangs that she has been sporting lately. Swift's new long bob haircut is also a perfect change, in time for her 24th birthday, which is on Dec. 13, 2013, the sec...

The Cottage Industry's Morning Mug is a cute and unique porcelain mug printed with a thermochromic pigment that changes its face from sleepy to wide awake in one minute. The Morning Mug will "wake up just by simply pouring hot water, coffee, cocoa or tea into it. It is the perfect cup for the early risers who are usually half-asleep as they pour their preferred hot beverage into the cup.

A Bouquet Toss Fail YouTube video has gone viral with 185,123 as of Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013. Watch as a wedding guest falls over a railing for the bride's bouquet. The said YouTube video was published on Monday, Dec. 9, 2013 by YouTube user Jason Lord.

The other Paul Walker car crash wreckage thief, Anthony Janow, has finally surrendered to authorities in a San Fernando courthouse on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013. 25-year-old Janow who stole a portion of the red Porsche Carrera GT wreckage from the car crash, was booked and eventually released after posting a $60,000 bail.

The Australian Government's Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has just launched its trial "Thunderstorm Tracker" Online Radar for the Southeast Queensland area. According to the official Web site of the Australian Government BOM, the "Thunderstorm Tracker" aims to show the expected position and location of thunderstorms up to 30 minutes before it happens. It is reportedly based on data that is obtained from weather radar and is an extension of the BOM's radar capabilities.

Canadian pop star Justin Bieber defended his bodyguard by claiming that he did not throw a man down the stairs of the Perth Hyatt Hotel in Australia. Bieber's bodyguard was accused of taking his security job a little too far by going to extreme measures to protect Bieber. The victim of the bodyguard's supposed assault was said to be a "Belieber" fan's father. The Australia (WA) Police reportedly responded to the said incident. But, according to TMZ, a WA Police representative has ...

The Smarty Ring Bluetooth-enabled wearable gadget for easy smartphone alert checks and incoming call management is finally here! Move over, Samsung Galaxy Gear watch, Pebble Watch and Sony SmartWatch, here comes the latest wearable gadget designed to work in sync with one's smartphone. It is much sleeker, fashionable and easier to wear than the smart watches out there today. It can be worn even if you are dressed casually or dressed to the nines.

The Western Australian (WA) Government has launched several Shark Kill Zones along its beach shorelines to address shark-related deaths in the area and to counteract shark risks in WA. The planned shark safety measures were announced by WA Premier Colin Barnett and WA Fisheries Minister Troy Buswell on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013.

Adam Sandler, Hollywood actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter, has just earned the title of Forbes 2013 Most Overpaid Actor. According to Forbes Magazine, Sandler is being paid up to $15 million for his films including "That's My Boy" and "Jack and Jill" but these films aren't earning as much as the studios hoped they would, especially considering Sandler's huge talent fee as well as how much the films actually cost to make (about $80 million or so).

The last analogue television (TV) transmitter in Australia has officially been switched off at 9 am on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013 in Melbourne, Victoria as well as other communities in eastern and central Australia. It has reportedly been used in Australia for 57 years. What this means is that all the free-to-air TV in Australia will now be available only on digital TV. Their analogue TV can still be used if a digital set-top box is used along with it.

Ninja Blocks, a Sydney start-up company that was founded by Marcus Schappi with co-founders wife Madeleine and Mark Wotton in January 2012, has amazing gadgets called the Ninja Block and the Ninja Sphere, which are essentially "remote controls" for the home. The company has attracted funding of up to $1 million from companies such as Atlassian Software founders Scott Farquhar and Mike Cannon-Brookes.

Ben Affleck, the next Batman, reportedly turned down the "Batman vs. Superman" role when it was first offered to him by Warner Bros. Yet, Warner Bros was adamant about getting Affleck for the Batman role that they asked him to check out writer-director Zack Snyder's work in an attempt to convince him to accept their offer.

Microsoft Non-Security Updates will be released on Patch Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013 at 1PM Eastern Time. A brief description of the 16 main updates can be found on Microsoft's Support Page, including updates on Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and Windows Servers.

Pantone Inc., the global authority on color, named the PANTONE® 18-3224 Radiant Orchid as the official color of 2014 on Dec. 5, 2013. PANTONE® 18-3224 Radiant Orchid is described by the X-Rite company located in Carlstadt, New Jersey, as "a captivating, magical, enigmatic purple."

"The Amazing Race" Season 23 has just ended and its new winners were just announced. Who won? Well, it was a tight race to the end in the CBS reality competition's Episode 11 and two-hour series finale between the teams of Jason and Amy (Dating), Tim and Marie (Exes), Leo and Jamal or "The Afghanimals" (Cousins) and Nicole and Travis (Married ER Doctors).