You can't expect negotiations with the French to be like negotiations with Americans, and the same holds true for every culture around the world.

British linguist Richard D. Lewis charted communication patterns as well as leadership styles and cultural identities in his book, "When Cultures Collide," which is now in a 2005 third edition. His organization offers classes in cross-cultural communication for clients like Unilever and BMW.

Although cultural generalizations can be overly reductive, Lewis, who speaks 10 languages, insists it can be done fairly, writing: "Determining national characteristics is treading a minefield of inaccurate assessment and surprising exception. There is, however, such a thing as a national norm."

Scroll down to see Lewis' insights on negotiating with people around the world.

SEE ALSO: These fascinating diagrams reveal how to manage people in different countries

Americans lay their cards on the table and resolve disagreements quickly with one or both sides making concessions.

Canadians are inclined to seek harmony but are similar to Americans in their directness.

People in the UK tend to avoid confrontation in an understated, mannered, and humorous style that can be either powerful or inefficient.

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Summer's on, and the last thing most of us want on a balmy 80-degree morning is a steaming hot cup of coffee.

Thankfully, trendy coffee shops have popularized cold brew — a super-concentrated coffee "tea" that is filtered from coffee grounds that have steeped in cold water for hours. It is served over ice.

But there's one problem, cold brew is really expensive. A small cup in New York City can set you back $4.

And what coffee shops don't want you know is that it's super easy and cheap to make yourself. It also saves a ton of time in the morning.

There are many different ways to make cold brew from home, but this method is cheap, easy, and nearly painless to clean up.

Here's how to enjoy cold brew every day for a fraction of the cost of buying it at a shop:

Step 1: Acquire a vessel

I like this Hario cold brew pot because it's easy to use and allows you to brew about 4.5 cups at a time. It's also very easy to clean. It currently retails for $22.21 on Amazon.

If you don't want to buy this pot, you can use a french press or a mason jar or other types of brew vessels, though those methods require a slightly different protocol and can be a little bit messier. If you are using another kind of brew vessel without a filter, you can put your coffee grounds inside a "nut milk" bag.

Step 2: Buy at least 4 ounces of freshly-roasted beans and grind them on the medium-coarse setting

I buy my beans from the bulk section of my local Whole Foods and grind them there. They normally retail at about $8.99 per pound. So 4 ounces of this stuff costs me about $2.25

Step 3: Mix grounds and water

Add 4 ounces of coffee (8 tablespoons) to the filter basket.

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Then pour about 4.5 cups of cold filtered water over the grounds. Make sure to use filtered water, rather than tap water, for a better-tasting brew. 

It can take a long time for the water to saturate the grounds and filter through. To speed up the process, stir the wet grounds with a chopstick while the water drips through. 

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If you're impatient like me, just pour the rest of the water directly into the pitcher.

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Smart home devices – like the Nest Thermostat, Canary, and Amazon Echo – are becoming more prevalent throughout the US. However, mass adoption of smart home devices will likely be slow; smart home devices' current high prices and long lifespans (which prolong the time an installed device needs to be replaced), as well as technological hurdles of the installation process, make fast widespread adoption unlikely.

BI Intelligence has developed a slide deck analyzing the US smart home market. Some of the topics in the deck include:

• Survey results on what Americans want most in the smart home, provided to us by Icontrol Networks.
• A breakdown of the American housing market and how many devices there could be per household.
• A look at the tech adoption curve of the US smart home market.
• Which smart home players are currently leading the market.
• Forecasts of the US residential connected lighting market.

The companies mentioned include:

August, Nest, Belkin, Honeywell, Insteon, TCP Connected, GE, Xfinity, AT&T ADT, Time Warner Cable, Lowe's Phillips, Staples, Vivint, Total Connect, Smartthings, Dropcam, Alarm.com, Apple, Wemo, Canary, Icontrol Networks, Revolv, Piper and Peq. 

BI Intelligence is a research and analysis service focused on mobile computing, digital media, payments, and e-commerce. Only subscribers can download the individual charts and datasets in Excel, along with the PowerPoint and PDF versions of this deck. Please sign up here. 

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It's been three years since I made the leap from successful accountant to entrepreneur.

Before making the jump I read quotes from successful leaders to motivate myself.

Here are some of the quotes that inspired me then and some more recent ones that have inspired me since.

Whether you’ve just started a company or have been running one for awhile, there is a lot you can learn from some of the most successful CEOs.

This list compiles some of the best advice out there from CEOs on success, working with your team, becoming a CEO, being a CEO and dealing with customers as a CEO.

Every quote has helped me become a much better leader myself.

Here's to becoming the best leaders and CEOs that we can be.

SEE ALSO: 30 inspiring quotes from super-successful people that every professional should read

On success: Brian Chesky, Airbnb

“When you start a company, it's more an art than a science because it's totally unknown. Instead of solving high-profile problems, try to solve something that's deeply personal to you. Ideally, if you're an ordinary person and you've just solved your problem, you might have solved the problem for millions of people.”

On success: John Stumpf, Wells Fargo

“I never set out to be CEO. I always set out to be a good team member, a good colleague.”

On success: Ben Horowitz, Andreessen Horowitz

“Every time you make the hard, correct decision you become a bit more courageous, and every time you make the easy, wrong decision you become a bit more cowardly. If you are CEO, these choices will lead to a courageous or cowardly company.”

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Samsung is officially launching its new smartwatch, the Galaxy Gear S2, in September. But this hasn't stopped it taking the chance to show it off early. 

The South Korean electronics manufacturer teased the new device at its Galaxy Note 5 launch event on Thursday, and followed it up with a space-age photoshoot showing off the unreleased smartwatch alongside its other gadgets.

We first saw the photos over on the Verge.

Here's the Gear S2, alongside one of Samsung's new smartphones.

Samsung launched two new smartphones at the event on Thursday — the Galaxy Note 5, a phablet device, and the Galaxy S6 Edge+, a larger version of its Samsung Galaxy S6.

The new S6 Edge+ has a 5.7-inch screen, and is a millimeter thinner than its smaller cousin.

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In the instant after the Big Bang, the only thing in the universe that existed was a hot plasma soup full of subatomic particles.

But to study that ancient plasma, you don't have to travel back in time billions of years to the Big Bang itself — just go out to Long Island, New York, where there's a gigantic particle collider.

Scientists like Stephen Hawking sometimes say particle colliders are the closest things we have to time machines, partly because they can recreate conditions present shortly after the Big Bang.

New York's "time machine" is called RHIC — short for Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and pronounced "Rick"— and it's part of the Department of Energy-sponsored Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York. Built in 2000 for $616 million and now valued at about $2 billion, it's job is to make quark-gluon plasma soup. And it's the only device in the US that can do this.

Keep scrolling to see how the device works, how it's helping physicists solve the mysteries of the early universe, and why its future operation may be in danger.

RHIC is part of Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), which sits in the middle of the pine barrens on central Long Island.

It's the only active particle accelerator of its kind in the country. And at 2.4 miles around, it's visible from space.

Essentially, RHIC is an underground ring that shoots two beams of particles (in blue and yellow) at each other from opposite directions.

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Even as manufactures make small tweaks for the model year changeover, they are introducing some brand-new and totally redesigned models.

While small SUVs have been all the rage, the classic four-door sedan hasn’t been left alone.

General Motors takes a crack at two segments with the all-new Malibu midsize sedan and the large, luxurious Cadillac CT6, while Jaguar has tweaked its impressive XF sports sedan.

Toyota has introduced the Mirai fuel-cell car, and it’s Scion brand has two new models, the iM and iA, and Honda has introduced an all-new Civic. On top of that, Ford has finally decided that it is time to let America experience the rip-snorting Focus RS.

SEE ALSO: 10 of the best used cars under $10,000

Cadillac CT6

Cadillac’s flagship-shaped void in its lineup may finally be filled by the new CT6. It’s six inches longer than the midsized CTS that it is based on, but a whopping nine inches longer than the BMW 5 Series.

The top engine is a new 400-hp, 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6. Buyers can also opt for a 265-hp, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder or a 335-hp, 3.6-liter V6. Both V6s come with all-wheel drive, while the four-cylinder is rear-drive only.

Buyers can opt for the Active Chassis System, which consists of rear-wheel steering and GM’s Magnetic Ride Control active dampers.

Cadillac claims extensive use of aluminum—including the doors, hood, and trunk—result in a curb weight under 3,700 pounds. That’s about 200 pounds less than the smaller CTS.

A new iteration of the CUE infotainment system uses a 10.2-inch touch screen that incorporates hard keys and a touchpad that recognizes handwriting. The new system also reacts and scrolls faster than the laggy older one.

Passengers get a quad-zone climate control system and a rear seat that can recline up to 3.3 inches. Premium leather front seats feature five massage programs.

CR’s take: Building a stately frigate with real sporting intent is difficult. And whether the CT6 lives up to that promise remains to be seen. But it carries impressive credentials.

On sale: Fall 2015.

Related: Best cars for making it to 200,000 miles

Chevrolet Malibu

Nice. That pretty much sums up the current Malibu. But nice doesn’t cut it in the midsize sedan category. So Chevy’s short-cycle redesign addresses a few shortcomings, including rear passenger room and fuel economy.

The new car has a 3.6-inch longer wheelbase, helping deliver adult-scale space in the back. Despite the growth, Chevrolet says the Malibu weighs 300 pounds less than the old car. This savings should aid efficiency and overall performance.

Base models get a 160-hp, 1.5-liter four-cylinder, while the 250-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder carries over from the current car. A full-hybrid version will be offered, using a 1.5-kWh lithium-ion battery and an electric motor connected to a 1.8-liter gas engine. Chevy says it expects an EPA rating better than 45 mpg.

Safety gear includes available blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assistance with lane-departure warning, forward-collision alert with a following distance indicator, and rear cross-traffic alert. The new Teen Driver system monitors where the car is driven and lets parents see the drivers’ highest speed, how far they went, and if some safety systems were activated.

CR’s take: With sleek new styling, a larger backseat, and a real hybrid system, the Malibu may follow its impressive big brother, the Impala, which went from rental-car-special to the top of our Ratings with its last redesign.

On sale: Fall 2015; Hybrid winter 2016.

Ford Focus RS

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A desert in southern Africa is probably the last place you would expect to find a little slice of German life.

But knee-deep in the shifting sands of the Namib Desert in Namibia, the abandoned village of Kolmanskop stands as a testament to German colonization of the early 20th century.

The town sprung up around a diamond-mining operation and quickly became known as one of the richest towns in southern Namibia, a German colony until World War I.

The diamond fields were so bountiful that some say the precious stones could be scooped right out of the sand.

The town had numerous amenities including a hospital, casino, ice factory, and electrical plant, and even its own swimming pool. Kolmanskop's German heritage is unmistakable in the style of the once pristine villas and shops, and many signs about the town are in German.

But with Germany losing World War I and diamond production moving elsewhere, the town soon lost its prosperity and was entirely abandoned by 1954. Now it survives as an attraction with guided tours bringing tourists through the empty houses filling with sand as the desert slowly retakes the town.

SEE ALSO: Inside the abandoned Chinese village that nature is taking back one house at a time

The town of Kolmanskop lies about 8 miles in from the Atlantic coast and is accessible with tours from the nearby port of Lüderitz.

As a large swath of the area is still an active diamond field, entrance to the "Sperrgebiet"— "Prohibited Area" in German — is restricted to only those with permits.

Allegedly, a railroad worker found a huge diamond in the sand while shoveling next to the tracks in 1908. Word spread quickly, and soon a diamond rush began.

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With only about four months left before "Star Wars" makes it's grand return to cinemas with "The Force Awakens," we're finally starting to get a sense of what the film will be about.

In addition to tantalizing details about all sorts of things — including villain Kylo Ren— Lucasfilm released a number of new images via Entertainment Weekly Thursday.

Since then, the studio has released high-resolution versions of the images on the Star Wars Facebook page for fans to obsessively pour over. 

Let's take a look at them. 

John Boyega plays Finn, a Stormtrooper on the run following what looks like a disastrous escape.

J.J. Abrams gives direction to Daisy Ridley, who plays a character named Rey, on the desert world of Jakku.

There, she'll free the droid BB-8 loose from a scavenger's strange new beast.

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For the fifth time in seven years, London has been named the most popular city for international visitors.

According to MasterCard’s Global Destination Cities Index, the British capital is expected to end the year with 18.82 million overnight visitors, beating out Bangkok, Paris, Dubai, and Istanbul.

It’s a good thing, then, that London’s hotel scene is hotter than ever, with a dizzying number of new properties opening every year to accommodate the ever-growing tourist numbers.

There are still several highly anticipated openings later this year—The Old Street Courthouse Hotel, The Tobacco Dock Hotel, and citizenM Tower of London among them—but our list includes the best of the bunch that have opened since fall 2013.

With private butler services, eye-popping décor, bars with dramatic views, and cutting-edge technology, these are London’s best new hotels.

SEE ALSO: 11 of the best new hotels in the world

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

The Hoxton Holborn

The Hoxton, born in Shoreditch in 2006, has brought its brand of sophisticated cool to the relatively quiet environs of Holborn, not far from the British Museum. Opened in September 2014, the Hoxton Holborn houses 174 rooms in an unglamorous-looking five-story building that was formerly a BT office block. Inside, however, there’s a handsome lobby that’s bustling no matter what time of day, stylishly distressed vintage furniture throughout the hotel, and smartly appointed guestrooms with wallpaper designed by East London artist Toby Triumph.

There are four room options—Shoebox, Snug, Cozy, and Roomy—yet aside from size they all feature the same plush beds, sleek bathrooms, and winning décor, not to mention free Wi-Fi and a breakfast bag that arrives at your door at the time of your choosing. The property is also home to Hubbard & Bell, Chicken Shop, and Holborn Grind, all of which have become local favorites. The Holborn location was just the beginning of an expansion plan, with an Amsterdam property set to open in July and outposts in Paris and New York City scheduled to follow in 2016.

Ace Hotel London Shoreditch

As if to cement gritty East London’s status as the epicenter of cool, the Ace Hotel London Shoreditch opened its doors here in September 2013, making it the American brand’s first foray into Europe. Like many of its Shoreditch neighbors, the Ace has taken a setting that was once dreary—in this case, a hulking Crowne Plaza—and transformed it into one that is extremely desirable. As with other Ace properties, the lobby here is just as much for the locals as it for hotel guests, if not more so; in addition to a communal working space, the lobby houses a bar, coffee shop, florist, gallery, restaurant, and a front desk that doubles as a gift shop.

Upstairs, seven types of rooms and suites—there are 258 guestrooms in total—feature minimalist design schemes, patchwork quilts designed by French brand APC, and long, built-in benches that invite lounging. Vintage-looking Revo satellite radios, wall murals inspired by street art, and guitars and turntables are other standout aesthetic touches. The somewhat industrial feel may not appeal to all travelers, but if it’s scene you’re after, the Ace can’t be topped.

Shangri-La Hotel, at The Shard

South of the Thames, Shangri-La Hotel, at The Shard occupies floors 34–52 of the Renzo Piano–designed skyscraper and impresses all guests with its jaw-dropping views of the city. This is London's first high-rise hotel, the tallest in Western Europe, and home to the city’s highest cocktail bar and infinity pool. This is a luxury property, no doubt, with prices to match, but all rooms feature elegantly understated décor, Asian influences, large marble bathrooms with heated floors, and, of course, that view.

With regards to which of the four room types to choose (there are also six suites), the Iconic City View Room offers the best vistas of the city, and you’ll be able to spot just about any landmark you can think of with the binoculars provided to you at check-in. It should be noted that an early design flaw that inadvertently allowed guests to see into other rooms has been corrected, and staying here is still a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

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The imperatives of the military have always been one of the main drivers of technological development.

ARPANET, one of the internet's most important precursors, was a Pentagon project while most of the technology in an iPhone originated with the US Department of Defense.

Just as smart gadgets have invaded our homes and revolutionized our lives over the last 15 years, next-level weaponry has transformed the military.

Today, militaries and irregular forces around the world are still pushing technological boundaries. 

Everything from concealed roadside bombs — cheap, primitive, and deadly  — to multibillion-dollar aerial lasers have transformed conventional methods of combat and altered the world's technological and political landscape.

Here are 19 of the most important weapons of the last 15 years.

Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs

America's largest conventional bomb is precision-guided, weighs 30,000 pounds, and can blast through underground bunkers.

Boeing's Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bomb is designed to pierce 60 feet of reinforced concrete and then detonate 200 feet underground. 

After the MOP's first successful test in 2007, the US Air Force ordered an arsenal of these mega-bombs, which are now considered a "plan B" for striking at Iran's hardened nuclear facilities should the need ever arise.

The Chinese anti-satellite program

In January of 2007, China initiated a worrying new era in warfare. Using a C-19 ballistic missile, the People's Liberation Army destroyed an out-of-commission weather satellite flying over 500 miles above the surface of Earth.

In a single widely condemned move, China had militarized outer space. The long-term consequences are startling: If satellites are considered legitimate military targets, attacks could create debris fields that would knock out entire orbits or create chain reactions that might destroy vital communications and global-positioning satellites. Similarly, countries could deploy weapons to outer space capable of destroying terrestrial targets once the global taboo against space warfare disappears.

If that alarming worst-case scenario ever comes to pass, future generations could identify the successful 2007 test as the moment that space became a military frontier. The test also displayed China's eagerness to develop weapons that its rivals would probably never use — showing how a state can use asymmetrical means to close the gap with it more powerful opponents.

The X-47B

The Navy's X-47B is a strike-fighter-sized unmanned aircraft with the potential to completely change aerial warfare.

Northrop Grumman's drone is capable of aerial refueling, 360-degree rolls, and offensive weapon deployment. It's carried out the first autonomous aerial refueling in aviation history, and has also taken off and landed from an aircraft carrier.

It cruises at half the speed of sound, and has a wingspan of 62 feet — as well as a range of at least 2,400 miles, which is more than twice that of the Reaper drone.

It's time to start lickin' your way through the last weeks of summer. 

TripAdvisor recently released its "Inside Scoop on the Top Ice Cream Shops in the U.S.," ranking the top 10 best ice cream shops in the country. 

From gourmet flavors in Santa Barbara, California to a Scottish-owned shop with an Italian secret in Maryland, here are best places to order a scoop in America.

SEE ALSO: America's 25 best barbecue restaurants, ranked

FOLLOW US: Business Insider is on Instagram

10. Brown Dog Ice Cream | Cape Charles, VA

Brown Dog Ice Cream is named after a playful chocolate lab, named Foster, who loves children and ice cream. Staff members brainstorm new flavor ideas and test each one before serving to ensure perfect. Flavors can include blueberry lavender, mocha Scotch chip, and an avocado-based ice cream with strawberries, lime, and jalapeños known as Poncho Verde. 

Click here to learn more about Brown Dog Ice Cream »

9. Woodside Farm Creamery | Hockessin, DE

Woodside Farm makes premium ice cream using fresh milk from its own cows. While the farm dates back to 1796, the creamery didn't open until 1998. The thing to try here is the bacon-flavored ice cream, which was once featured on Food Network's "Unwrapped."

Click here to learn more about Woodside Farm Creamery »

8. Brickley's Ice Cream | Narragansett, RI

A true family business, Brickley's is the brainchild of owner Chris and his wife. Their children often work behind the counter, as do Chris' siblings. Even the nephews help out when their careers permit. 

The shop offers over 45 different flavors of ice cream, frozen yogurt, no-sugar added ice cream, sherbets, and sorbet — all made on site at the Narragansett location.

Click here to learn more about Brickley's Ice Cream »

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In February 2008, Nick Wharton and Dariece Swift returned home to Canada from an all-inclusive vacation in Mexico.

"We felt like we got a taste of the tropics, living the dream," Swift remembers. "We did a day trip and took these ATVs out and went through the jungle and the local villages. and it was so different from home that it kind of triggered something."

That something came to a head about a month later. "Nick had a brutal day at work and said, 'That's it,'" Swift recalls. When he asked where she'd go if she could travel for a year, she was quick to answer: Southeast Asia.

Only nine months later, they sold their house, car, and most of their possessions, set off for Southeast Asia, and have been figuring out how to support their adventures as they travel ever since.

Now 30-year-old Wharton and 31-year-old Swift detail their adventures on their website, Goats on the Road, and here, they explain how they make it work.

SEE ALSO: This 32-year-old quit his job to spend over 6 months walking from the Netherlands to New York City

Once they decided to leave Canada, Wharton and Swift spent the next nine months saving up about $30,000 to finance their year in Asia. Wharton, who was working as a printing press operator and on the Canadian oil rigs, and Swift, who was a real estate paralegal, were earning over $100,000 CAD a year, combined.

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 In Grenada.

They stayed in Southeast Asia for 13 months, traveling through 11 countries including Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Loas, Malaysia, Borneo, and Indonesia. They then returned to Canada for a year, working 80-hour weeks to shore up their savings for another trip abroad.

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In Guatemala, enjoying views of Lake Atitlan and Toliman Volcano.

"Our mindset had changed," says Wharton. "We weren't making money, we were making travel experiences. I would work an hour and think, 'This hour is buying me a day in Thailand.'"

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 In Mexico.

Your 20s are a time for figuring out who you are and what you want from life.

While the only way to learn is to survive the inevitable cycle of successes and failures, it is always useful to have some guidance along the way.

To help you out, we've selected some of our favorite books that likely never made your high school or college reading lists.

It's an eclectic selection that focuses on topics like identity, how you see the world, and laying the foundation for a fulfilling career.

Here's what we think you should read before you turn 30.

'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius

As you become an adult, you realize that there will never be a time in your life where everything is just as you hoped it would be.

"Meditations" is a collection of personal writings on maintaining mental toughness from the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, who ruled from 161 to 180 AD and became remembered as one of the great "philosopher kings."

As Gregory Hays notes in the introduction to his excellent translation, Marcus wrote his musings on resilience and leadership in a "dark and stressful period" in the last decade of his life.

The emperor's version of Stoic philosophy has remained relevant for 1,800 years because it offers timeless advice for gaining control of one's emotions and progressing past all obstacles in one's path.

Buy it here >>

'The Myth of Sisyphus: And Other Essays' by Albert Camus

We all have a reason to get out of bed in the morning, and we start to question that reason after entering the real world.

As "The Stranger" author Albert Camus sees it, all people find themselves in an irrational world struggling to find meaning for their lives where there is none.

His main message, however, is that just as the legend of Sisyphus tells of a god who was eternally punished by having to push a rock up a hill only to have it fall down each time he reached the peak, we should embrace the drive for meaning and lead happy, fulfilling lives with a clear-eyed view of the world.

Buy it here >>

'Crime and Punishment' by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Regardless of your personal philosophy, there will be times when the world pushes against you and you wonder why it's worth trying to better yourself and help others.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel is not only a gripping story, it's an argument against the nihilism that was popular among Russian intellectual circles in his time.

"Crime and Punishment" is the tale of a 23-year-old man named Raskolnikov who, acting on a nagging urge, murders two old women and then struggles with processing the act.

Dostoyevsky argues that rationalism taken to its extreme ignores the powerful bonds that connect humanity and give us responsibility over each other.

Buy it here >>

Remember the recorder?

This particular woodwind instrument is best known as the plastic flute you're forced to learn how to play in American public schools when you're in third grade. It's not usually pleasing to the ear, especially not when being played by an eight-year-old.

But as it turns out, the recorder has found a second life online. The Daily Dot's Luke Winkie uncovered a YouTube subculture full of people who record covers of popular songs played on the recorder.

The results are fascinating and sometimes hilarious. As you'll see from these videos, recorders aren't just popular in third-grade classrooms, but all over the world.

Check out some of the best and weirdest recorder covers on YouTube.

First up is this Justin Bieber cover, coming to us all the way from France.

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Take it back to the '90s with this shirtless man's cover of "Kiss From a Rose" by Seal.

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Actually, hits from the '90s seem to be favorites for recorder covers. Here's "My Heart Will Go On."

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NOW WATCH: Listen to this YouTuber perfectly impersonate 15 musicians — including Bruce Springsteen and Sam Smith

More than half of humanity lives in cities, and the world's urban population is going to explode in the coming decades. 

By 2050, at least two-thirds of the planetary population will call cities home. All of those people will need places to live and work, and you can add only so many skyscrapers to squeeze in the flocking masses. 

One solution: building underground. Lots of cities already have linked-up subterranean spaces, but as urban areas become more crammed, you can expect these spaces to multiply. 

According to a 2013 report by the US National Research Council, exploring underground "may be the most successful way to encourage or support the redirection of urban development into sustainable pattern." 

While experts figure out whether digging into the ground can solve the urban space problem, we take you to some of the world's most unique underground marvels in cities and beyond.

Built into a rock, the Temppeliaukio Church in Helsinki gets ample sunlight through a glazed dome. Those rough rock walls were left untouched by the designers for a reason: naturally great acoustics make the church a perfect venue for concerts.

In this southern Tunisia village, locals live in traditional "troglodyte” dwellings — cave houses — created by scraping away rocks. There is even a subterranean hotel.

This house on the Greek island of Antiparos sits right where two slopes meet. Two long stone walls bridge the hills, allowing the house to naturally blend in the space.

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As the world’s second-most visited city in 2014, Bangkok remains an irresistible draw.

Sometimes overwhelming, it’s a dizzying mix of high-end glamour and gritty street life, full of surprises at every turn.

Whether this is your first trip or your fifth, our expert advice will help you keep a cool head and avoid common pitfalls while discovering the best of what this magnetic metropolis has to offer, from muay thai to sky bars to cooking classes.

Read on for our top things not do in Bangkok, which will help you make the most of your time there.

SEE ALSO: 12 things you shouldn't do when visiting Hawaii

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Don't stay at a chain hotel

Thailand’s capital has no shortage of desirable places to stay, but with so many homegrown properties opening, the scene right now is more about Asian-cool than big-box chains. Hot new hotels include the U Sukhumvit Bangkok, with a design scheme that references four regions of Thailand, and the boutique Sala Rattanakosin, a former shophouse renovated into a handsome, intimate retreat.

The hotly anticipated Avani Bangkok Riverside, the second hometown property for this Bangkok-based brand, will open late 2015. But our top pick right now is the Anantara Siam Bangkok (previously the Four Seasons), which rebranded in March 2015 and does Thai luxury like nowhere else.

Insider Tip: Those suffering the effects of jetlag will appreciate the soothing Anantara Spa signature Siam 2482 treatment.

Don't just eat Thai food — learn to cook it

Thai cuisine balances flavors, spices, and textures in such astoundingly delicious ways that every meal will have you itching to learn the secrets of this kitchen alchemy. Not only is Bangkok a foodie’s dream, but it’s also home to some of the country’s most sought-after cooking schools.

There are dozens to choose from, but Tam’s half-day waterside class at the Amita, accessed by boat across the Chao Phraya River, is very special. Learn the fundamentals of classic dishes such as Pad Thai—it’s all about the quality of the tamarind—and Som Tam Goong (spicy papaya salad with shrimp).

Insider Tip: Pick up a dirt-cheap papaya shredder at the Chatuchak Weekend Market before you leave. An essential piece of equipment in any Thai kitchen, it will make preparing papaya salad once you get home a cinch.

Don't miss the smaller sights

It can seem as if everything in Bangkok is larger than life, and that certainly goes for its big attractions. The sprawling, 94.5-hectare complex of Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace are together Bangkok’s most visited sites and can be overrun with tour groups.

Take a break from the heat and crowds at the complex to duck into the Museum of Textiles, which displays cultural ambassador and style icon Queen Sirikit’s dresses, many designed by Balmain and others. Another silk-related, off-the-beaten path oasis is the secluded The Jim Thompson House, where tour guides do an excellent job of bringing Thompson’s Southeast Asian art collection (and his own mysterious biography) to life.

Insider Tip: As with the Textiles Museum, the gift shop at The Jim Thompson House is a cut above the ordinary and an excellent place to pick up high-quality Thai silks.

If you're looking to buy a home, it's never too soon to start saving.

We looked at the median price of homes in 19 major metro areas from the National Association of Realtors, and calculated how much it would cost you to put a 20% down payment on a median-priced home (the preferred amount of money to pay upfront).

We then determined how much you would have to save each day over the course of five, ten, or 15 years to reach that goal.

It's less than you might think.

Our calculations assume this money will go into a savings account with negligible interest. While investing your savings might make them grow faster, experts generally advise against investing money you'll need in the near future. Bear in mind, also, that accumulating enough for a down payment doesn't necessarily mean you can afford a house— aside from closing and moving costs, you should be prepared to pay a mortgage, taxes, and maintenance on a monthly basis.

Here's how much you need to set aside each day to put a 20% down payment on a house in 19 major cities:

SEE ALSO: Here's the salary you have to earn to buy a home in 15 major US cities

19. Atlanta

Median home price: $158,000

20% down payment: $31,600

How much you'd need to save for a down payment:

5 years: $17.30 / day

10 years: $8.65 / day

15 years: $5.80 / day

18. San Antonio

Median Home Price: $184,000

20% down payment: $36,800

How much you'd need to save for a down payment:

5 years: $20.20 / day

10 years: $10.10 / day

15 years: $6.70 / day 

17. Orlando

Median Home Price: $186,000

20% down payment: $37,200

How much you'd need to save for a down payment:

5 years: $20.40 / day

10 years: $10.20 / day

15 years: $6.80 / day 

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When I interview artificial intelligence researchers for Tech Insider stories, the conversations almost always turn to science fiction.

I've seen a few movies about artificial intelligence (AI), like the "Terminator" and "The Matrix," for example, but I hadn't seen "2001: A Space Odyssey," considered by many I've spoken with as the pinnacle of sci-fi. (Marvin Minsky — one of the pioneers of AI — was even an adviser to the movie's production team.)

So I decided to spend a weekend binge-watching every acclaimed AI movie I'd missed. Taking tips from colleagues and The Guardian's list of the top movies about AI, I lined up seven films.

I didn't begin with any expectations or criteria, but by the end — red-eyed and suffering from a little bit of cabin fever — I realized that one movie on my list offered the most realistic vision of the future of AI, and it was a cartoon.

Read on to see how these iconic titles jibe with modern science. (Warning: Spoilers ahead.)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

The movie: Astronaut David Bowman and his crew mates aboard the Discovery One are headed to Jupiter in search of strange black monoliths — devices that appear at turning points throughout the human species' evolution. The ship's computer, Hal 9000, has a lot of responsibilities, including piloting the ship and maintaining life support for astronauts in hibernation.

Though Hal insists he is "by any practical definition of the words, foolproof and incapable of error," he makes a mistake and two astronauts conspire to turn him off. Little do they know that Hal has a few tricks in his memory banks.

The technology: Hal has a wide range of tasks, which makes him an artificial general intelligence (AGI) — AI that has or exceeds human-level intelligence across all the fields of expertise that a human could have. AGI would take a huge amount of computation and energy. According to Scientific American, AI researcher Hans Moravec estimates that it would require at least "100 million MIPS (100 trillion instructions per second) to emulate the 1,500-gram human brain."

Is it possible?: The Fujitsu K computer already outpaces this estimate at 10 quadrillion worth of computations in one second. Despite the K computer's computing capabilities, it still took about "40 minutes to complete a simulation of one second of neuronal network activity in real time," according to CNET. Moravec writes "at the present pace, only about 20 or 30 years will be needed to close the gap." So, Hal is possible, but not right now.

Hal also has human emotions — pride, fear, and a survival instinct — but I wasn't sure where they originated. Humans have emotions because of evolutionary survival instincts. Emotions like fear and jealousy, according to the New York Times, may have helped us hoard scant resources for ourselves.

On the other hand, AI wouldn't develop emotions unless they’re programmed to replicate them. The humans may have given Hal a survival instinct, but surely they wouldn't have programmed him to survive at the expense of his human crewmates.

The takeaway: Watching Stanley Kubrick's stunning masterpiece was like watching a living painting. But it also serves to warn us to ensure any AGI we create doesn't prioritize its survival over the survival of the humans it serves.

WarGames (1983)

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The movie: Matthew Broderick plays a high school hacker named David Lightman, who mistakenly hacks into a government computer in charge of the nuclear missile launch systems at the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Thinking he's hacked into a games company, Lightman begins to play as the Soviet Union in what he thinks is a simulation game called Global Thermonuclear War, unwittingly setting off a series of events that threaten to create World War III.

The technology: The government computer, called the War Operations Plan Response (WOPR), learns from constantly running military simulations, and can autonomously target and fire nuclear missiles.

Is it possible?: WOPR combines two different technologies that exist right now, so I'd say this technology is possible with some time and effort — though it may not be a good idea. Like WOPR, DeepMind's deep neural net system, called deep-Q networks (DQN), learns to play video games and gets better with time. According to Deep Mind's Nature paper, the DQN was able to "achieve a level comparable to that of a professional human games tester across a set of 49 games."

Autonomous weapons that can target and fire on their own also exist right now. One frightening real-life autonomous weapons is the Samsung SGR-1, which patrols the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea and can fire without human assistance. These are the kind of self-targeting weapons that almost started World War III.

The takeaway: Autonomous weapons exist right now, but I can't think of any government that would be willing to put the most dangerous weapons known to man in the hands of an easily hackable computer that doesn't clearly differentiate between simulations and firing real weapons. However, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, physicist Stephen Hawking, and over 16,000 AI researchers don't want to take that chance, and recently urged the United Nations to ban the use of autonomous weapons.

WOPR also has a clear set of goals — win the game at any cost, even if it means destroying humanity. It's a clear illustration of an AI that could decimate humanity, what philosopher Nick Bostrom calls "existential threat."

Ghost in the Shell (1995)

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The movie: In 2029, almost everyone in Japan is connected to the cloud via cybernetic android bodies, including detective Major Kusanagi. Tasked with finding a hacker named the Puppet Master, she learns that the hacker was originally a computer program that gained sentience. Over time, the Puppet Master learned about the nature of his existence, and his inability to reproduce or have a normal life.

The technology: In "Ghost in the Shell," technology has advanced to the point that false memories can be hacked and robots can build other robots. Major Kusanagi is a "ghost"— a human mind uploaded to and accessible through the cloud using her artificial body. She has superhuman strength and invisibility. She can also speak telepathically, access information, and even drive cars using her mind's access to the cloud.

Is it possible?: The idea of humans accessing the internet using just their minds is a well-trodden trope. Futurist and Google researcher Ray Kurzweil predicted that we'll be able to communicate telepathically using the cloud by 2030, just a year after the events of "Ghost in the Shell" take place.

Kusanagi's artificial body moves like a human body, but robots today still can't walk on two legs without collapsing midstep, as shown by the robots in the DARPA Robotics Challenge Finals. So that makes it pretty hard to believe that robots would be dexterous enough to be backflipping off high-rise buildings in just 15 years. On the other hand, MIT is currently building superstrong robots that can punch through walls, but these robots aren't autonomous — they're controlled by a human wearing an exoskeleton.

The takeaway: We’ll probably have to wait more than 15 years for technology that will allow us to upload our minds into robotic bodies, but “Ghost in the Shell” brought up some very real ethical and safety concerns. For example: In the movie, a garbageman is convinced he’s helping a criminal in exchange for regaining custody of his daughter. But he later learns that his memories have been faked — he never had a wife or a daughter. Could hackers implant false memories?

“Imagine when the internet is in your brain, if the NSA can see into your brain, if hackers can hack into your brain,” Shimon Whiteson, an AI researcher at the University of Amsterdam, said.

The military is developing a brain implant that could restore memories and repair brain damage, so it's not too far-fetched to think these kinds of implants could be hacked.

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Hedge funds had to publish their 13F filings on Friday, and that means we have insight into what the biggest names in finance were buying and selling in the second quarter.

There are a few standout investments: Tech-focused hedge fund Tiger Global took a big position in Netflix, while Jana Partners invested in Precision Castparts right before Warren Buffett announced a takeover of the company.

A number of funds also took positions in pharmaceuticals stock Perrigo, including Kyle Bass of Hayman Capital.

Alibaba was another stock to see hedge fund action in the second quarter. David Tepper's Appaloosa Management bought into the Chinese e-retailer, while Tudor Investment Corporation — led by billionaire Paul Tudor Jones II — sold out.

Here is a breakdown of what the biggest names in finance were buying and selling in the second quarter, based on Bloomberg data on the top buys and sells by market value.

Leon Cooperman at Omega Advisors

The $9 billion hedge fund opened positions in Priceline, Google, Springleaf Holdings, Gulfport Energy, and MGM Resorts in the second quarter, according to his fund's 13F filing. The hedge fund sold out of Humana, Caesars Entertainment, IBM, SandRidge Energy, and Time Warner Cable. 

Carl Icahn at Icahn Associates

Activist investor Icahn Associates opened positions in Gannett Co. and Cheniere Energy, and it sold its stake in Netflix, according to the fund's 13F. 

Dan Loeb at Third Point

Third Point opened positions in Baxter International, T-Mobile US, Sealed Air, Devon Energy and Perrigo, according to the fund's 13F. It sold out of Dollar General, McKesson, Edgewell Personal Care, Maxim Integrated Products, and FleetCor Technologies. 

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