Vallejo, California, a small city across the bay from San Francisco, was named the hottest housing market in America by Realtor.com in June.

It's the last place that many Bay Area locals might expect to take the title. Vallejo, which briefly hosted the state capital between 1852 and 1853, became the largest city in California to declare bankruptcy in 2008. Its reputation for crime and squalor has previously landed the "Up Bay" city on Forbes' list of most miserable cities and Newsweek's list of dying cities.

But Vallejo is making a comeback as young professionals get priced out of San Francisco and Oakland and search for affordable housing in the far reaches of the Bay Area.

I recently spent the day in Vallejo to see how a downtrodden city became a top real-estate destination in less than 10 years.

SEE ALSO: Go inside the hottest neighborhood in San Francisco, where home prices have risen 75% in the last 5 years

When I boarded a Vallejo-bound ferry, I expected to find a hipster enclave complete with artisanal coffee roasters and yoga studios on the other side.

Vallejo is 30 miles north of San Francisco, but for many city residents, it might as well be a world away.

Vallejo residents who commute to San Francisco have the option of driving up to two hours in rush-hour traffic or taking a 30-minute ferry to the Embarcadero in the city.

A round-trip ticket on the San Francisco Bay Ferry costs $28, but commuters can purchase a monthly pass for $345, which saves riders $200 if they make the trip five days a week.

When I walked down the streets of Vallejo, I found it wasn't the gentrified urban playground for tech workers that I expected.

US employees spend, on average, about a quarter of the workweek combing through hundreds of emails.

Despite the fact that we're glued to our reply buttons, career coach Barbara Pachter says plenty of professionals still don't know how to use email appropriately.

Because of the sheer volume of messages we're reading and writing, we may be more prone to making embarrassing errors, and those mistakes can have serious consequences.

Here are some basics of modern email etiquette every professional should know:

SEE ALSO: The email habits of Tim Cook, Bill Gates, and 16 other successful people

DON'T MISS: 24 unprofessional habits that could get you fired

Add the email address last

"You don't want to send an email accidentally before you have finished writing and proofing the message," Pachter, author of "The Essentials of Business Etiquette," tells Business Insider.

"Even when you are replying to a message, it's a good precaution to delete the recipient's address and insert it only when you are sure the message is ready to be sent," she says.

Double-check that you've selected the correct recipient in the 'To' line

Pachter says to pay careful attention when typing a name from your address book on the email's "To" line.

"It's easy to select the wrong name, which can be embarrassing to you and to the person who receives the email by mistake," Pachter says. 

Make sure you address the correct person at the beginning of your email

A similar faux pas is addressing the wrong recipient at the start of your email, which Danny Rubin, author of "Wait, How Do I Write This Email?," says often happens when you send the same email to multiple people.

"Be sure your email recipient matches the first name at the start of the email ('Hi, John'),"he writes. "You may even want to say each one out loud so you're sure of it. Sure beats sending an email to an important person but using someone else's name. Awkward."

Avalanches and smaller rock falls, tortuous turns, poor road upkeep, dizzying heights, gorgeous but distracting scenery, sleep-deprived drivers, and incredible elevation gains are just some of the trials that await motorists on these stunningly beautiful yet hazardous roads.

While driverless cars are the coming trend—with robotic vehicles set to save thousands upon thousands of lives every year—we haven’t made the shift just yet. And with plenty of careless drivers still on the roads, driving is as dangerous as it’s ever been.

Even worse, perhaps, is the fact that terrible roads still exist, which makes getting from A to B for some motorists (depending on where they live) a truly harrowing experience. Driving along one of these roads can be a risky proposition, to say the least … or even an act of bravery.

Check out the terrifying photos below:

SEE ALSO: 17 stunning roads in the US you should drive before you die

SEE ALSO: FOLLOW US on Facebook for more car and transportation content!

North Yungas Road, Bolivia

Bolivia is a country where people literally pray for four-wheel-drive vehicles to tackle the less-than-stellar roads.

North Yungas Road, known as El Camino de la Muerte (Death Road), offers thrills, and yes, a high likelihood of death for cyclists and motorists who brave its terrifying elevation drop. After leaving the capital La Paz and an initial ascent up to La Cumbre Pass, the track, cut out of the Cordillera Oriental mountain range, plummets down to the town of Coroico. We’d say it’s a “death-defying journey,” but to be honest, the odds of survival don’t look great.

INSIDER TIP: It’s a single-lane road, and uphill drivers always have the right of way, so be vigilant, and prepared to break often when descending.

Los Caracoles Road, Chile

In the Andes Mountains, in an expanse linking Argentina with Chile, international motorists will come across the Paso (pass) Internacional Los Libertadores, and a steep chunk of the road on the Chilean side affectionately called Los Caracoles (The Snails).

It’s a sheer, paved road, often bottlenecked with traffic due to rough mountain weather, as well as a ton of vertically exposed, tight switchbacks. The road leads up to (or down from, depending on your perspective) the Túnel Cristo Redentor (Tunnel of Christ the Redeemer), which links the two borders.

INSIDER TIP: Extra food, water, and snow gear (for you and your vehicle) are recommended in case you have to spend more time on the pass than originally planned.

Sichuan-Tibet Highway, China

Apart from the political hassles (for foreigners) of obtaining permission to drive from China’s Sichuan Province into the Tibet Autonomous Region, driving enthusiasts who do manage to get permission or circumvent the rules (not advised) will still have to tackle the formidable Sichuan-Tibet Highway, which is part of the even longer 318 State Highway.

Avalanches and smaller rock falls, tortuous turns, poor road upkeep, dizzying heights, gorgeous but distracting scenery, sleep-deprived drivers, and incredible elevation gains are just some of the trials that await motorists on this stunningly beautiful yet hazardous road.

INSIDER TIP: Check with local travel agencies to see if foreigners are allowed on the road without a Chinese guide or as part of an official tour, as the rules are subject to change.

By last count, there were 4.6 million 26-year-olds in America.

That's more than any other age group in the country.

Torsten Slok, an economist at Deutsche Bank and the author of a new report on these echo boomers (or millennials or Gen-Yers, whichever you prefer), believes their widespread presence matters a great deal.

Just as baby boomers began spending like crazy in 1980s and 1990s, today's 20-somethings are poised to do the same in the mid-2020s.

"What's important from a broader perspective is they're about to get married and have children within the next five years," Slok says.

Marriage and family aren't the only characteristics that define echo boomers, who were born roughly between 1985 and 1995. Many of them grew up with financial constraints that have affected where they live, what they buy, and how they feel about important issues.

Here's what America's largest generation is all about.

SEE ALSO: A mathematical theory says the perfect age to get married is 26 — here's why

What they're buying

Echo boomers are far more likely to buy items for their value, not their convenience, a recent Goldman Sachs analysis found.

They aren't as impulsive with their shopping, and are far more likely to stick to a budget for big-ticket purchases — such as saving up for a pricey pair of durable boots over buying a cheaper pair every winter.

They also tend to favor buying experiences over material goods. Instead of collecting things that can gather dust, the group largely prefers to collect memories or stories.

How they're buying it

In many cases, millennials aren't driving to a physical store to pay for things in-person; they're saving their credit card information in their internet browser's keychain.

Just about every age group is engaging in e-commerce, but digital-native young people are still the only group doing the majority of their shopping online.

One 2016 report found the majority of that shopping isn't even done on a computer. Some 67% of millennials use their smartphone to check prices across different retailers, and an additional 64% primarily use their phones, not PCs or tablets, to search for coupons.

What they don't buy

Though Slok says echo boomers are moving toward starting families, many are still saddled with too much debt to even think about buying homes or cars. As a result, ownership in general has become less important to people in their 20s.

"Instead of having an ownership society, we now have a rental or leasing society," Slok says. "You still drive a car and live somewhere, but it's in a very different way relative to what your parents did."

Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, and countless other sharing-based services highlight how ingrained the anti-ownership attitude has become.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Game of Thrones," including speculation of future events.

The "Game of Thrones" season six finale helped confirm the series' biggest fan theories of all time — "R + L = J." We know now that Jon Snow is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. 

Rhaegar Targaryen was the son of the Mad King Aerys and older brother to Daenerys. Though Rhaegar has never been seen on the show, viewers did finally get a look at Lyanna on the sixth season finale. She was Ned Stark's younger sister, betrothed to Robert Baratheon before running away with Rhaegar and bearing his secret lovechild, Jon Snow.

On the finale, Lyanna Stark was shown handing off a baby to Ned, begging him to protect it from the wrath of Robert Baratheon. After the finale aired, HBO confirmed that Jon was the son of Rhaegar and Lyanna. But for now, let's look at specific instances from the show that were foreshadowing the theory as well.

Scroll down for the biggest moments from "Game of Thrones" that proved "R + L = J" is true.

SEE ALSO: 13 'Game of Thrones' actors whose real-life accents sound nothing like their characters on the show

Ned Stark purposefully didn't call Jon his son, but instead said "my blood."

Ned kept Jon's true parentage a secret his entire life, choosing to raise Jon as his own for the boy's own protection. But Ned is an honorable and moral man. He avoided lying outright when he could help it. So when Jon asked Ned about his mother on season one, Ned replied carefully: "You are a Stark. You might not have my name, but you have my blood."

The Stark family blood does indeed run through Jon. It just happens to be Lyanna's blood, not Ned's.

Daenerys had a vision of "Snow" in the Throne Room.

When Daenerys enters the House of Undying in Qarth, she experiences a series of prophetic visions. One of these was when she saw snow in the Throne Room of King's Landing. Immediately afterwards, she walked through a door and found herself at the Wall. This was heavy foreshadowing of Jon Snow's true family history and ties to the royal Targaryen family. 

Oberyn Martell explicitly says that Rhaegar and Lyanna had an affair.

Before running off with Lyanna, Rhaegar Targaryen was married with Elia Martell — the sister of Oberyn Martell. The running story in Westeros was that Rhaegar kidnapped and raped Lyanna, but Oberyn seems to know about a different version of events. 

"The last time I was in the capital was many years ago," Oberyn told Tyrion. "Another wedding: my sister Elia and Rhaegar Targaryen, the last dragon. My sister loved him. She bore his children … and beautiful, noble Rhaegar Targaryen left her for another woman."

This was the first time on the series that viewers were told anything other than the kidnap and rape narrative. A significant moment for theorists watching.

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

The Insider Pick:

• Sometimes a laptop screen isn't big enough to get work done. Monitors come in all shapes and sizes to suit just about every need. Whether you're a student or a professional, the Dell UltraSharp U2715H Monitor is our top pick for the best all-around computer monitor with its great screen size and high resolution.

Even if you spend far more time on a smartphone than on a computer, the computer remains a key piece of technology for learning and work. To make the most of your laptop or PC, a high-quality computer monitor is important.

Some people will want a small monitor to fit on their dorm room or home office desk, but others may want a wide screen monitor to open numerous windows side by side on the screen. Professionals or students who focus on graphic design, photography, or video may need a curved screen, a 4K resolution screen, or a host of other high-end display options.

With so many high quality and sharp displays on the market, you shouldn’t have a problem finding a great computer monitor for your dorm room or office. Even if you have a laptop computer, you can plug a large screen computer monitor into it and gain a lot more screen space than the laptop can provide.

Do students need a monitor?

It's obvious why a professional would want a monitor to get work done on the job or in their home office, but computer monitors can be helpful for college students, too. Students will be using computer monitors for a variety of reasons, some of those reasons will be key to the advancement of their education and some will be good for blowing off steam. Hopefully more of the former, but we all know it may be more of the latter.

As Best Buy explains, understanding how you want to use the monitor helps in picking the right type of computer monitor.

• Web research: Large screen computer monitors are great for web research in a bunch of browser windows and tabs. You can also have text documents open in another window, making it easier to research and write — all on one screen.
• Graphics: Creating graphics and artwork becomes much easier with a large display that has a high-resolution. Anyone who works in graphic design, video, or photography needs a big, sharp monitor.
• Streaming video: Some professors and teachers ask their students to watch videos or even TV shows for homework (hey, it could happen). Video just looks better on a high-resolution computer monitor, so it's good to pick a monitor with a resolution that will match the video stream, whether it's HD or 4K.
• Gaming: Students who are using the computer monitor for gaming definitely are just blowing off steam and not performing an assignment for school, no matter what they say. Regardless, a curved monitor is good for gaming, as it provides an immersive experience. Additionally, Tom’s Guide says to pay attention to the resolution of the monitor when it comes to gaming.

Technical terms to know

When shopping for a computer monitor for your dorm room or home office, there are several features you need to understand, as explained by Consumer Reports, CNET, and PCMag.

• Resolution: Like a TV, the resolution of a computer monitor is important to note. Resolution is listed as the number of pixels horizontally by vertically. Pixels are the individual dots on the screen, and more pixels equal a sharper image on the screen. An HD quality screen will have a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, while a 4K screen will carry a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels. Other resolutions are available, too.
• Screen size: Manufacturers measure computer screens diagonally. Larger screens allow you to have more windows and documents open at once. Most new computer monitor screens are of the widescreen variety, offering at least a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is the same as a widescreen TV. Others offer an even wider aspect ratio, which is great for using multiple windows at one time or for gaming.
• Response time: Measured in milliseconds (or ms), response times refer to the ability of the screen to respond to transitions in the video.
• LED backlight/LCD screen: An LCD computer monitor looks better with a strong LED backlight. If the monitor says it is LED lit, it’s referring to the backlight. 

Whether you need a computer monitor for your dorm room or home office, we've got a pick for you. We've included a great all-around monitor, a small one for tight spaces, a curved monitor for special use cases, a big-screen option, and a 4K monitor for those of you who need an incredibly high-resolution display.

Once you've picked out your monitor, you can also check out our guide to the best Bluetooth keyboards, the best computer mice, and the best budget laptops.

Although the Dell UltraSharp U2715H 27-inch LED Lit Monitor is our top pick, for various reasons laid out in the slides below, you should also consider the ASUS 18.5-inch WXGA Backlit LED Monitor, the HP Pavilion 27c Curved Monitor, the Dell 34-inch Screen LED Lit Monitor, and the LG 24-inch 4K UHD IPS Monitor.

SEE ALSO: The best Bluetooth keyboards you can buy

The best computer monitor overall

Why you'll love it: For all around quality in a computer monitor that works for everyone, the Dell UltraSharp U2715H 27-Inch LED Lit Monitor is an outstanding choice.

The Dell UltraSharp U2715H is a great all-around computer monitor that works equally well for research, gaming, watching media, or working creatively. Its 27-inch display has a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, so it sits between full HD and 4K monitors as a happy compromise.

The color accuracy, sharp resolution, and wide viewing angles make the Dell UltraSharp Monitor a great choice for any student or professional. You can do just about anything on this monitor except work with 4K videos and images. It's a great buy for nearly any student or professional, and it's 27-inch screen size sits right in the middle of the road.

The monitor is well regarded by professional reviewers across the web, and it even won The Wirecutter's runner-up award for the best 27-inch monitor. This monitor also got the top spot in Lifewire's buying guide and received great reviews from TFT Central, PC Verge, and PCMagazine. 

Of course, it' snot perfect. One Amazon buyer was disappointed in the bleed of the backlight at the corners of the screen, but it isn't a common complaint. Another Amazon reviewer appreciated the quality of the QHD resolution in this Dell computer monitor but acknowledged that the price is high. Paying nearly $500 for a computer monitor may seem like a lot, but it's a decent price for such a high resolution, mid-sized monitor.

It's likely better for a home office than a dorm room with that price tag, but if your student has an intense major that requires a high-quality screen, this QHD resolution monitor is a good compromise between a more affordable Full HD one and a pricey 4K monitor.

Pros: Excellent all-around computer monitor, better than average screen size at 27 inches, offers better than HD quality resolution, works equally well for gaming and streaming video, color accuracy is great for graphics development

Cons: Price is higher than average, some customers report backlight bleeding

Buy the Dell UltraSharp U2715H 27-Inch LED Lit Monitor on Amazon for $469.99 (originally $649.99)

The best small, cheap computer monitor

Why you'll love it: If you need to save money or you need a small screen to fit your limited desk space, the ASUS 18.5-inch WXGA Backlit LED Monitor is just right.

All dorm rooms are not created equal. Some are luxurious suites with kitchens, living rooms, and individual bedrooms. Others look more like a hall closet. Either way, though, the areas that hold the bedroom and desk often are pretty small. So a small computer monitor makes a lot of sense in a dorm room. And when it costs less than $100 like the ASUS 18.5-inch WXGA Backlit LED Monitor, it makes even more sense. It's also a great idea for a small home office — especially if you're on a budget.

The 18.5-inch monitor carries a lower resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels, which won't please everyone. The WXGA resolution isn't the best for streaming those Full HD shows on Netflix, but it's good enough for everything else. If you just need to get work done and you can live with a screen that's not Full HD, the ASUS monitor is a very affordable option.

Once you get past the resolution, there's a lot to like about the monitor. The Best Products to Buy highlights the fast response times of this ASUS monitor, which makes it a good gaming option despite its small size and lower resolution.  

Buyers on Amazon are generally happy with the monitor — especially given the low price. One Amazon customer loved the ease with which users can switch between 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios, making it a great option for running new and old software. Another Amazon reviewer, who is a college student, made use of two of these ASUS monitors to simplify the process of conducting research.

Pros: Small computer monitor fits well in small dorm rooms, excellent price point, fast response times for gamers, easy to switch between two aspect ratios for different types of software, works well in dual-monitor configuration

Cons: Less than HD resolution at 1,366 x 768, monitor sharpness is questionable

Buy the ASUS 18.5-Inch WXGA Backlit LED Monitor on Amazon for $79.99 (originally $83.99)

The best curved computer monitor

Why you'll love it: If you want a bit more of an immersive experience than a traditional flat monitor, the HP Pavilion 27c Curved Monitor is an affordable curved option.

Curved computer monitors often have huge screens that are designed to fit in a large living room so multiple people can huddle around to watch the show. But for a professional or student who wants a smaller curved monitor to put on their desk, those big ones just won't work. Luckily, the 27-inch HP Pavilion 27c Curved Monitor is just the right size for almost any desk setup.

The HP Pavilion monitor also has a lower than average price for a curved screen, so you can save some money, but still get the cool curved display. Some people like using a curved screen because when they sit near the center of it, it encompasses some of their peripheral vision and blocks out distractions. The curved screen can be great for gaming, editing video, or watching Netflix during downtime.

Desktop Computer Reviews says the sharpness of the HP monitor's screen and its wide viewing angles are a significant advantage over other monitors. In its video review, the Vloggest Tech highlights the affordability of the HP Pavilion 27c versus other curved monitor options.

One Amazon buyer appreciated the wide viewing angles of the Pavilion curved 27-inch monitor, which allow for viewing multiple windows at once. Buyers are generally very happy with the monitor, though some complain about having to buy a different cable to connect to their laptops.

Pros: Good price for a curved monitor, at 27 inches the monitor is small enough to work well in a small dorm room, extremely wide viewing angle is good for streaming video, full HD resolution, immersive experience

Cons: May need extra cables, some people feel curved monitors are a gimmick versus a helpful feature

Buy the HP Pavilion 27c Curved Monitor on Amazon for $229.00 (originally $499.99)

Religion involves some pretty grandiose ideas.

It should only make sense the structures that house those beliefs are equally magnificent.

Here are some of the most beautiful places people visit to worship.

SEE ALSO: 30 architectural masterpieces everyone should see in their lifetime

The most iconic places of worship are the towering palaces that loom over their surrounding landscapes, like the Hazrat Sultan Mosque, widely considered a jewel in Kazakhstan's capital city of Astana.

Others include the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates ...

... and the Sultanahmet Mosque, which can be found in Istanbul, Turkey. The mosque is home to more than 20,000 handmade tiles.

Warning: Spoilers for "Game of Thrones" season seven, episode three, "The Queen's Justice." If you aren't caught up on the series, read at your own risk. 

When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.

Now that we're getting closer and closer to the end of the series, that powerful quote from Cersei back in season one (we were all so young!) is proving to be true.

Any week, anyone can go, and anyone can lose or gain a lot of power. And with great power comes great responsibility.

In "The Queen's Justice," there are significant power shifts, as Daenerys loses a major battle and Cersei gets her revenge (but ultimately gets owned in the final moments of the episode). 

Every week, we'll round up who had the best week and who had the worst in our power rankings.

Here's the "Game of Thrones" power rankings based on season seven episode three, "The Queen's Justice" in order of who won and who lost. 

SEE ALSO: All the biggest moments from 'Game of Thrones' season 7 episode 2

1. Olenna Tyrell

This week, Olenna Tyrell dies like she lived: effortlessly sticking it to her enemies with her biting words. Cersei is responsible for her death, but Olenna makes sure that she won in the end by letting Jaime know she was the one who murdered their son, Joffrey back in season four.  

2. Samwell Tarly

Sam successfully cures Ser Jorah Mormont's greyscale without contracting the disease himself. It's a complicated procedure and all he did was follow the instructions — which can be shockingly hard for men to do, especially men in Westeros. 

3. Cersei Lannister

It seemed like Cersei would win the power rankings this week, until Olenna Tyrell confesses to Joffrey's murder.

In "The Queen's Justice," Cersei gets her revenge on Ellaria Sand, who killed her only daughter, Myrcella. Cersei also appears to form an alliance with the Iron Bank of Braavos (though their intentions could be misleading), and she successfully plays Daenerys and Tyrion for fools by abandoning her home of Casterly Rock in favor of taking Highgarden from the Tyrells, forever eradicating their bloodline. 

Cersei is ranks high this week, but her selfish desire for power and thirst for violence indirectly resulted in the death of all her children and many more people. Also, her lack of interest in marrying Euron Greyjoy could lose her one of her only allies.

The INSIDER Summary:

• Hong Kong-based fashion and lifestyle blogger Feiping Chang married banker Lincoln Li in Capri, Italy.
• The couple refurbished a villa to host the celebration, which lasted three days and cost millions.
• The bride's dress was the biggest that the designer had ever made.

Feiping Chang always knew she wanted to get married in Capri.

"I've always loved Capri — it's one of my favourite summer destinations," the Hong Kong-based fashion and lifestyle blogger told Hong Kong Tatler. "It's my happy place. It's a really beautiful and magical spot, and I always knew that one day if I were to get married, I would want to do it there."

For their wedding on the Italian island, Chang and financier Lincoln Li renovated an entire villa, covered every surface with flowers, and hosted 150 of their closest friends for a three-day, multi-million-dollar celebration.

Here's what it was like to be one of the lucky guests.

Feiping Chang is a fashion and lifestyle blogger who lives in Hong Kong.

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She met financier Lincoln Li at a party thrown by entrepreneur Ivan Pun in Burma.

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 Source: The Daily Mail

They officially tied the knot back in April.

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Hiroshi is an unusual restaurant for an unusual clientele.

Located in Los Altos, California, the newly-opened Japanese restaurant accommodates only eight people per night and has no menus, no windows, and one table. Dinner costs at minimum $395 a head, but averages between $500 and $600 including beverages and tax.

Chef-owner Hiroshi Kimura left his last restaurant in Hawaii and moved to Silicon Valley in 2016 to launch a concept that would appeal to the deep-pocketed tech elite. Hiroshi hosts three to five dinners a week and is booked solid when a convention comes to town.

We took a tour of the restaurant to see why it's becoming a favorite in Silicon Valley.

SEE ALSO: Starbucks is opening premium stores where you can buy coffee flights and cold-brew floats — take a look inside

Located in a plaza in Los Altos — home of notable residents past and present including Sergey Brin, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg — Hiroshi looked plain from the outside.

Source: Wikipedia

There were no hours posted on the door. A sign read, "Open by appointment only."

The general manager, Kevin Biggerstaff, ushered me inside. Dim lighting cast a yellowish hue on the dining area, which was nearly swallowed whole by a single wooden table.

It was made from an 800-year-old Japanese keyaki tree. Biggerstaff told me that the table took 10 men and a small crane to lift into the restaurant. New walls were constructed around it.

It's the beginning of the week, and you've got a big meeting to prepare for.

Fortunately, you've got technology on your side. Artificial intelligence not only scheduled your meeting — after consulting your calendar and finding the best time — it's helped give you dossiers on the people you're meeting with. Meanwhile, you can send a robot off to retrieve the box of materials you'll need for the meeting from the storage room. 

Sound futuristic? Probably. But all of this technology exists today. 

Work as we know it is changing. Artificial intelligence and robotics are advancing rapidly and become commonplace. And young companies are using these and other emerging technologies to address some of the common complaints within the contemporary workplace. 

Here are the executives at eight of the companies who are changing the way we work today — and breaking ground for the way we'll work tomorrow. 

SEE ALSO: This 1979 letter to The New York Times shows just how much Xerox hates people using its name as a verb

Amy Chang, CEO of Accompany, is using data to replace personal assistants

Chang is the founder and CEO of Accompany, which has developed an app that makes it easy to prep for meetings. For all events scheduled on a calendar, Accompany's app compiles digital dossiers of attendees and their companies. The app is targeted at executives, who often rely on human assistants to gain insights into the people they are meeting with. But it could find much broader appeal, because of its potential to help users anticipate personality differences, identify common interests, or find ideal meeting locations. 

"Anytime we detect someone new in your calendar, you'll get an Executive Briefing delivered right to your inbox while you sleep," the company states on its website. "Everything you need to get up to speed, including professional history, relevant news, and key info on their company, is at your fingertips."

Accompany's service pulls information from company profiles, social media, and news stories. But in the future, it's not hard to imagine it tapping into other data, such as the kinds Facebook uses to profile individuals and categorize their tastes and interests to help advertisers target particular groups.

Chang launched Accompany in 2013, straight out of a role at Google's analytics group. The company has since raised $40.5 million in funding. The Stanford-educated Chang hails from Austin, Texas, but now runs her company out of Palo Alto, California. 

Aaron Levie, CEO of Box, is building software for far-flung workspaces

While Box may not be the first file-sharing service to catch the public's attention, it may well prove to be the default one in years to come. Box's service combines content management and collaboration tools with notably well-developed workflow management.

The company's user-friendly cloud services makes data and content accessible across devices and geography, allowing employees at companies with large and scattered workforces to work together more easily. Its service is one of several that are making it simpler for businesses to have more nimble and mobile workforces and to support employees who work from home without sacrificing productivity.  

Levie famously had his growing-up moment when Box was a young startup with little in the way of revenue. After Citrix offered to buy the company for about $600 million, he stared down investors, who were pressuring him to sell, and convinced his board to reject the offer.

He looks prescient in retrospect. Box's market cap now tops $2 billion. The cloud file storage and collaboration service reported better-than-expected quarterly results at the end of May, is narrowing its losses, and upped its guidance for the rest of its 2018 fiscal year.

Stewart Butterfield, CEO of Slack, has completely reinvented the way offices work together

According to some observers, if Butterfield wanted to sell his company today, he could fetch $9 billion for it.

But Butterfield doesn't seem to want to sell. Instead, he just rounded up another $250 million in funding for Slack. That gave the startup an official valuation of $5 billion, a bump up from $3.8 billion it was valued at in 2016.

Slack's appreciation in value is a testament to its service's crazy growth. The company's app now has four million daily active users and surpassed $200 million in annual recurring revenue earlier this year. 

The success of the business is no surprise, given how Slack's service has revolutionized office communication. Its app helps corporate employees communicate seamlessly with each other, reducing the need for emails — particularly those terrible group chain messages that seem to go on without resolution. 

Like many of the other influential technologies today, Slack's service makes it easier for large organizations to work efficiently and in real-time, even when employees might be thousands of miles away from one another.

If you're traveling abroad for business, you can take an eight-hour flight from New York to Paris and feel like you've just landed on a different planet.

Why are people lingering over dessert in the middle of the workday? And why was your new French colleague so taken aback when you asked about his kids?

The clash between American and French business cultures is something Emma Seppala and Erin Meyer have thought about a lot.

Seppala moved to the US from France when she was admitted to Yale University for college; today she teaches at Yale and Stanford University. She's also the author of the book "The Happiness Track." Meyer moved to France from the US 17 years ago; today she's a professor at INSEAD and the author of "The Culture Map."

We asked Seppala and Meyer to tell us about the biggest differences between work in France and the US, that they've studied and experienced firsthand. Below, we've collected some of their insights.

As you're reading, remember that there's no universal right or wrong way to go about work — it depends on where you live and what the people around you expect. Remember, too, that not every French or American person will fit the descriptions below. These are simply general observations that can help you prepare to do business in another country.

SEE ALSO: These 8 Scales Reveal Everything You Should Know About Different Cultures

Many American workers define themselves by their profession; most French workers don't

People living in the US have a hard time detaching from work, Seppala said. It's not just that they're constantly checking their work email — it's that work underlies their entire identity.

"Anybody coming to the US will notice just how here, people are what they do," Seppala said. If someone asks, "Who are you?" another person might respond, "I'm a lawyer."

"We're perceived by what we do and we take pride in what we do," Seppala added.

In France, things are different. It's considered socially inappropriate to ask someone what they do for work right off the bat.

Seppala said that's because "in France, work is seen as a thing you have to do. But when I'm not working, I'm not working. It's very clear."

French coworkers don't share personal information with coworkers right off the bat; Americans open up to new colleagues more quickly

Meyer uses the images of a coconut and a peach to describe the difference between French and American workers.

French workers are coconuts — they're hard on the outside, but get softer as you drill deeper. American workers are peaches — they're soft on the outside, but eventually you hit a hard pit.

Here's what that means. French people "don't talk about personal information with strangers," Meyer said. They don't place family photos on their desk at the office.

"They're very formal with people that they haven't built a relationship with, and they're unlikely to smile a lot or do a lot of personal talk with people that they don't know well."

But as you get to know them, Meyer added, "they become more and more warm, more and more friendly. They open up more about their personal lives and usually, once you've developed that level of closeness, the relationship sticks. You'll probably have that relationship for the rest of your career."

Americans, on the other hand, "tend to be very friendly with strangers and talk very easily about their personal lives with people that they don't have close relationships with. They smile a lot at people that they barely know at all."

Yet "after a point of friendliness, [Americans] don't share more. [They] kind of close up. That's how [they're] experienced by Europeans: They're really friendly, but they don't show you who they really are."

This coconut-peach disparity can lead to stereotypes about French people being standoffish and Americans being superficial.

French workers take longer lunch breaks than American workers

If you're reading this article during your "lunch break," sandwich crumbs dropping onto your keyboard, you're not alone. Seppala has noticed that many American workers grab a bite and eat hastily, hunched over their computers.

French people, on the other hand, "really really prize leisure. They really prize enjoying life," Seppala said. "That's called 'joie de vivre,'" she added, using the French term for "joy of living."

"No matter where you work, at lunchtime people take one hour off. They go off; they have a full meal at a restaurant with multiple courses and wine. That is normal."

American children and teens spend around 7.5 hours a week more at school than kids did 20 years ago.

That's only one way in which schools and education have changed over the years. Fashions come and go, but historical events and political changes impact education in many ways.

From speed-reading to SMART boards, here's what going to school looked like the decade you were born.  

1950s: Uniform restrictions, public school vs. private school, and longer school days.

Catholic schools were very popular throughout the 1950s. For example, around one in three students went to Catholic school in New York, as reported by the New York Times, but that number has dropped drastically in the present day to less than 10%.

Quora user Sue Murphy wrote in a thread that at her public school in the 1950s she had to wear a uniform. Uniforms were quite popular in the 1950s at both Catholic and public school, with most girls required to wear skirts or jumpers of a certain length while boys traditionally wore a button down shirt, slacks, and maybe even a necktie, with options like blazers and cardigans available.

According to Murphy, she also remembers having longer school days that started at 7:30 a.m. and ended at 4:30 p.m. and that they had more time off: "Back then holidays were really on holidays, which made life a little less boring since it broke up the routine," she wrote.

Murphy is right — students today are in school 25 more days out of the school year than kids in the 1950s.

1960s: Speed reading, segregation, and science equipment.

Change was the name of the game in the 1960s. Even though the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision was in 1954, it wasn't until the Supreme Court decision Green v. County School Board of New Kent County in 1968 that states were ordered to desegregate schools. 

Another major change was that teachers were allowed to be more creative and students were given more choices than in previous decades. Quora user Jack Mendez had a unique experience attending an experimental elementary school where he had no grades.

Mendez also said they were encouraged to speed-read at his school, which is unsurprising given The Wall Street Journal's reporting that speed-reading first started gaining popularity in the late 1950s when it was introduced by a Utah teacher named Evelyn Wood. The practice was debunked, but not before Wood pushed ads promoting the practice during the 1960s through the early 1970s.

1970s: Open classrooms, less government involvement in education, and the Vietnam War.

The 1970s were a tumultuous time. 

Due to funding cuts and economic pressures of the time, there was less government involvement in schools. Schools started experimenting more and more. Open classrooms — where students could roam free and weren't tied to a desk — were tested around the country and people began to fear the US was falling behind in science and math from the rest of the world, according to The Atlantic.

Meanwhile, high schools did not go untouched by the Vietnam War. Reporter Gary Dutery posted on a Quora thread that before the draft lottery was put into place in 1969, many middle or upper class men would go to college as an escape from going to war. After the draft had become more democratic, it became common for students to ask, "What's your number?" and public outcry for the war grew.

Some say shoes are the most important part of any outfit — especially when you're wearing a suit.

While we wouldn't go that far, we agree that there is inherent value in getting it right.

We've rounded up the biggest mistakes men make when they wear dress shoes.

Read on to make sure you're not making any of these.

SEE ALSO: Furious customers are accusing Wall Street's favorite shirt startup of failing to deliver on its promises

Wearing square-toed shoes

Square-toed shoes aren't about style. They're about the silhouette of your foot, which inherently looks ugly with square-toed shoes on.

A modern gentleman knows that the square-toed shoe silhouette is unflattering, and he avoids it at all costs. After all, it is one of the 11 deadly sins of men's style.

Wearing slip-ons

Slip-on shoes that aren't loafers are a big no-no for any kind of formal event — especially with a suit.

A modern gentleman avoids anything that looks like it might belong at a middle-school formal, and these kinds of shoes are certainly included.

Wearing the wrong size

A modern gentleman knows exactly how a shoe should fit. He also knows that most men aren't wearing the correct shoe size, and, to avoid that, he has his fit by a professional.

Silicon Valley is rallying around a startup that wants to disrupt the meat aisle.

Impossible Foods sells burgers made from plants that sizzle on the grill and "bleed" juices like real beef. The company aims to make meat derived from animals the exception, not the rule.

On August 1, the startup announced it had raised a $75 million investment from Singapore-based venture fund Temasek, Bill Gates, Khosla Ventures, and others. The new round brings the company's total funding to over $250 million and will likely serve its plans for expansion.

Impossible Foods unveiled a new facility last spring that will increase its production capacity by 250 times, allowing the company to supply burgers to more than 1,000 restaurants in the future and introduce its flagship retail product within the next few years. Vegetarians and curious meat-lovers can find the Impossible Burger at 43 restaurant locations nationwide.

In 2016, Business Insider toured the lab and test kitchen at Impossible Foods' headquarters in Redwood City, California, to see how plant-based meat comes together. Take a look below.

SEE ALSO: Inside the $600-a-head Silicon Valley restaurant where Google and Apple executives eat gold-flecked steaks

In a Redwood City, California, office building with blacked-out windows, scientists, foodies, and Silicon Valley veterans work on making the perfect veggie burger.

But don't call it a "veggie burger" within earshot of founder Pat Brown and his team. In 2011, they set out on a mission to make a plant-based burger unmistakably meaty.

The company targets the most ardent meat-lovers with a burger that sizzles, smells, and even bleeds on the griddle. It hopes to someday replace animal products on store shelves.

The world's population could reach nine billion people by 2050. The bad news for carnivores: There aren't enough resources on the planet to support sustainable animal agriculture at that scale. Raising chickens, pigs, and cattle already takes up 30% of the Earth's surface.

A number of companies are tackling the challenge with meat and dairy alternatives. Impossible Foods has garnered buzz with its Michelin-starred restaurant partners and notable investors.

One of the best defenses we have against viral infections is the vaccine. 

Vaccines prime the body's immune system to fight an incoming infection; they've been credited with the widespread eradication of smallpox and the near-eradication of polio. 

There have been many major advances to vaccines since their inception in the 1700s, but there are still many diseases for which no vaccine exists.

At the same time, researchers are finding ways to use the immune-system-triggering effects of vaccines to tackle unexpected diseases, such as cancer and drug addiction.

To get approved, vaccines need to show that they're both safe and effective at preventing diseases or — if they're used therapeutically — at activating the immune system to go after existing diseases. That process can take years or even decades.

Here are nine vaccines currently in development that could dramatically change how humans live.

SEE ALSO: The 10 most popular prescription drugs in the US

DON'T MISS: 8 unexpected ways to decrease your risk of Alzheimer’s

Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted bacterial infection, is typically treated with antibiotics. But in the past few years, it's become untreatable in some cases. 

In addition to new antibiotics that can combat the infection, the World Health Organization is calling for a vaccine. There is at least one in development. 

But in a surprising turn of events, researchers looking at data on a meningitis outbreak and subsequent vaccination effort in New Zealand found that the vaccine protected against gonorrhea as well. As it turns out, the bacteria that cause meningitis and gonorrhea are very closely related — like "cousins."

The vaccine used to target that specific meningitis outbreak was administered from 2004 to 2006, and is no longer in use. It remains to be seen whether someone will develop it as a vaccine for gonorrhea alone. 

Cancer

There are already some vaccines that prevent certain types of cancer. The vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV), for example, can prevent six different kinds of cancer. Another vaccine for hepatitis B prevents liver cancer as well. 

There's also a push to use vaccines once a person has been diagnosed with cancer. One such treatment was approved for prostate cancer in 2010. The treatment reprograms the body's immune system to go after a particular protein that helps the immune cells attack the cancer cells. Other vaccines on the horizon could take a more personalized approach, pinpointing cancer mutations and amplifying the body's immune system to fight off certain types of cancer cells. 

Malaria

Malaria is a parasitic infection spread by mosquitoes that can lead to chills, fever, and nausea, among with other severe complications including organ failure. The disease is responsible for more than half of mosquito-related deaths, predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa. 

There is no widely available vaccine for malaria, though three countries are set to take part in a pilot program for a malaria vaccine starting in 2018, the WHO said in a news release.

The number of deaths caused by the disease are already dropping, however, due to prevention efforts like insecticides that are sprayed and used in netting. Between 2000 and 2015, malaria deaths fell 62%, translating to 6.8 million lives saved, according to the World Health Organization. 

On August 21, millions of Americans will gather to watch the moon pass over the sun in the first solar eclipse to take place over the US in 38 years. 

Although the entire country, including Alaska and Hawaii, will experience a partial solar eclipse, only a few spots across America will experience a total eclipse.

The locations that will experience a total eclipse form a line called the line of totality.

Although crowds are inevitable at destinations falling on this line, some spots will be less busy than others. 

So pack your eclipse glasses and keep scrolling to see the spots that will provide the most stunning and unique eclipse experiences.

Malheur National Forest, Oregon

With over one million acres of forest, Malheur National Forest might be the most remote place to watch the moon pass before the sun. The path of totality will pass directly over the national forest, and stretch through the scenic Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon for one minute and 54 seconds. Bring your camping gear and make a trip out of it — the park has plenty of campsites.

The Atlantic Ocean

Avoid fighting through the crowds by watching the solar eclipse from the ocean.

You can either rent your own boat, or book the Total Eclipse Cruise offered by The Royal Caribbean. The seven-day cruise leaves from Port Canaveral, Florida, and features a Total Eclipse Viewing Party with live music, as well as stops in St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and the Bahamas.

Casper, Wyoming

Although the state of Wyoming has a lot of prime locations from which to view the solar eclipse, it won't get much better than in the small town of Casper. Located in the direct line of totality, viewers will get to view the eclipse for a whopping two minutes and 26 seconds, which is a bit longer than in neighboring (and better-known) cities like Jackson Hole and Grand Tetons.

To celebrate, the small town has a full schedule of special activities and programs all week long to get you in the spirit. The town is also hosting a convention for scientists, which means there will be plenty of brainiacs around to explain the science behind what you're watching.

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Most of us could stand to devote more time to reading. We make room in our busy schedules for the latest episode of "Game of Thrones," but we don't put aside enough time for books.

If you're looking for something to keep you occupied before bed or on your commute to work this August, we suggest checking out Amazon's Best Books of the Month, a section of the site wholly dedicated to new releases in literature and fiction, nonfiction, history, and more.

You'll find a spotlight pick (this month's is "The Heart's Invisible Furies" by John Boyne) along with nine other books that Amazon's book editors loved this month.

For anyone looking for a book to read at the beach or on your couch, this list is a good place to start your search.

Captions have been provided by Erin Kodicek, editor of books and Kindle at Amazon.com.

SEE ALSO: My favorite app gets me access to hundreds of thousands of books — and it's only $9

"The Heart's Invisible Furies" by John Boyne

The author of "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" traces Ireland's tumultuous post-war history through the eyes of Cyril Avery, a man unmoored and in search of where he came from, who spends far too much of his life trying to shake off feelings of shame, and illegitimacy. At 562 pages, would-be readers might shy away from the book’s literal, and emotional heft, but Boyne is a master of pacing, and his keen appreciation for the absurd tempers the dark with plenty of light.

Buy it here >>

"Stay with Me" by Ayobami Adebayo

Ayobami Adebayo delivers on one of the most highly anticipated debut novels of the summer in "Stay with Me." Taking place in Nigeria, it's about Yejide and Akin — a young and in-love married couple experiencing fertility issues. When the in-laws’ solution is a second wife, Yejide and Akin conspire separately to save their relationship, with devastating consequences.

Buy it here >>

"Mrs. Fletcher" by Tom Perrotta

Tom Perrotta’s latest is about a recent empty nester struggling with this alien status and desperate for a distraction, when a rather saucy one is served-up anonymously on her iPhone. Suddenly her sleepy suburban existence is sleepy no more... Meanwhile her son, whose clueless Neanderthalism is proving a liability with the college ladies, is trying to find his footing in life too. Will both weather their existential crises? 

Buy it here >>

Warning: Spoilers for "Game of Thrones" season seven, episode three, "The Queen's Justice." If you aren't caught up on the series, read at your own risk. 

Sunday's episode of "Game of Thrones" ended with an unexpected turn. The Lannister army, led by Jaime, abandoned its home of Casterly Rock and took Highgarden, while the Unsullied fought a small contingent of Lannisters.

In taking Highgarden, the Tyrell stronghold, Cersei manages to completely erase the Tyrell bloodline from existence.

While it might seem like an act of revenge on Olenna and a clever battle strategy at first, it's a lot more than that if you think about what happened earlier in the episode. Tycho Nestoris, a representative from the Iron Bank of Braavos, shows up in King's Landing to discuss the crown's massive debts with Cersei. And it looks like Cersei's plan to take Highgarden has something to do with the Iron Bank.

But what exactly is the Iron Bank of Braavos, and how influential is their power in the events to come? Find out below:

SEE ALSO: This week's 'Game of Thrones' power rankings: Can you die and still be No. 1?

What is the Iron Bank of Braavos?

The Iron Bank is the main bank of Braavos, and one of the wealthiest banks in the Known World. It often lends money to foreigners, including Lords of the Seven Kingdoms and the King of the Seven Kingdoms. All the Free Cities have banks, but the Iron Bank is richer and more powerful than all of them combined, and is very strict about debts and agreements. 

A common saying among the Braavosi is, "The Iron Bank will have its due."

Have we seen it before?

Yes. 

In season four, Davos comes up with a clever plan to get a loan from the Iron Bank of Braavos. Stannis and Davos sail to Braavos and meet with Tycho Nestoris and two of his colleagues. Davos wins the loan by explaining that Stannis is the best investment to make if the bank wants the crown's debt paid back — because it doesn't look like the Lannisters are long for this world. Stannis uses the money to re-supply his troops and head to Castle Black, just in time to save them from the wildling attack. 

And remember when Mace Tyrell sings his beautiful song in the free city of Braavos in season five? Cersei sent him there accompanied by Meryn Trant to renegotiate the amount of debt they were calling in. We never really saw the result of that negotiation, which was weird, but it obviously didn't end the way Cersei intended. 

What does the taking of Highgarden have to do with all of this?

Pretty much everything, actually. 

In season four, Tywin Lannister tells Cersei that one of the reasons he agreed to ally with House Tyrell was its wealth — it could help pay the bank back.

In the same scene, Tywin reveals that the mines of Casterly Rock are barren and have been for years. This little nugget of important information helps Cersei realize that Casterly Rock is of no value to her, despite being her home. 

So without any money in King's Landing, Casterly Rock, or from any of her allies — Euron Greyjoy has a lot of ships, leather and eyeliner, but definitely not gold — she has Jaime and his army literally follow the money to Highgarden. 

At this point, it's safe to assume that the Lannister army in Highgarden will search the stronghold for gold, and use it to pay the Iron Bank. 

As summer vacation winds down, the newest crop of college freshman are preparing for their first year in a new place.

If they — or their parents — are wondering what to expect, they can look to a ranking of college towns in Americas from the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER).

AIER compiled its list using nine economic, demographic, and quality-of-life factors. It defines college towns as those which are home to a college or university and have fewer than 250,000 residents.

Aside from the overall ranking, AIER scored each city on nine metrics including rent, earnings, and bars and restaurants. Below, we've highlighted the metric for which each city scored highest.

Scroll through to find out the 20 best college towns.

SEE ALSO: The most affordable college in every state

20. Bellingham, Washington — home of Western Washington University

Metro area population: 208,832

College student population in the metro area: 24,926

No. 4 in arts and entertainment

19. La Crosse, Wisconsin — home of the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse

Metro area population: 136,824

College student population in the metro area: 16,081

No. 1 in youth unemployment

18. Jacksonville, North Carolina — home of the University of Mount Olive

Metro area population: 186,684

College student population in the metro area: 15,297

No. 3 in rent