In 1974, Russia launched its largest, most expensive project in space exploration history.

The stars of the project, called the Buran program, were its space shuttles, which were built in secret from designs the Soviet secret police stole from NASA.

The Soviets invested anywhere from tens of millions to billions on the project, which was terminated in 1993. The sites where the shuttles were laid to rest have since been completely abandoned.

Over the summer, photographer Ralph Mirebs visited one of these dust-ridden graveyards and chronicled the journey on his LiveJournal blog, where you can see the full collection.

The abandoned garage, also called a hangar, is located on a site that belong to Russia's space launch facility, called Baikonur Cosmodrome, where rockets are still launched today.

The abandoned hangar is 433 feet long and 203 feet high with giant doors on either end, shown below, that slid open to release the shuttles.

Near the top of this photo are beams attached with cranes that could lift up to 400 tons.

The 41st season of "Saturday Night Live" is in full swing. It kicked off a month ago with host and musical guest Miley Cyrus and a visit from Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and the upcoming November 7 show will feature the ever combative and colorful Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump. 

The sketch-comedy show has been a pop-culture fixture since creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels started it in 1975, satirizing everything from politics to religion and hosting everyone from pop stars to presidents. But perhaps more significantly, it's served as a school of comedy that has launched the careers of many of the biggest names in entertainment.

From Adam Sandler and Mike Meyers to Amy Poehler and Jimmy Fallon, we've rounded up a list of the former cast members who've flourished the most outside of the show that made them famous. 

Our list includes living SNL alumni who've achieved significant commercial success in Hollywood, whether in film, television, or both. We excluded any cast members who were on the show for one season or less (looking at you, Chevy Chase and Robert Downey Jr.) and didn't include any cast members currently on the show. 

Here are the 24 most successful SNL alumni (ordered from newest to oldest), what they did on the show, and what they're up to now:

SEE ALSO: The 25 funniest SNL cast members of all time, ranked

SEE ALSO: Here's the grueling and intense process it takes to put together one episode of "Saturday Night Live"

Seth Meyers

Years on SNL: 2001-2014

Seth Meyers was a fixture behind the scenes at SNL, where he was a writing supervisor and cohead writer with fellow cast member Tina Fey, who later credited him with writing her viral Sarah Palin impressions. Meyers has been nominated nine times for Emmy Awards for his work as a writer on SNL. He was also the longest-running coanchor of Weekend Update, where he wittily criticized issues in politics and news for eight years.

Upon leaving SNL in 2014, Meyers succeeded Jimmy Fallon as host of NBC's "Late Night," welcoming fellow SNL Weekend Update coanchor Amy Poehler as his first guest.

Bill Hader

Years on SNL: 2005-2013

Hader gained fame for his portfolio of impressions, including Al Pacino, Keith Morrison, and James Carville. But his most popular and beloved recurring role was Stefon, Weekend Update's flamboyant New York City correspondent. He also starred in the hit sketch, The Californians.

During his tenure at SNL, Hader had supporting roles in several hit comedies like "Superbad,""Forgetting Sarah Marshall," and "Tropic Thunder." Since leaving SNL for Hollywood, he's starred alongside Amy Schumer in the box-office hit "Trainwreck," lent his voice to Pixar's "Inside Out," and acted in "The To Do List,"an indie comedy his wife wrote and directed. 

Jason Sudeikis

Years on SNL: 2005-2013

Jason Sudeikis started as a writer on SNL in 2003, and within two years he became a featured cast member. He excelled at impressions of politicians Mitt Romney and Joe Biden as well as a handful of personalities that appeared in a popular sketch with Kristen Wiig called Two A-Holes.

During his tenure on SNL, Sudeikis starred in hit comedies "The Campaign,""Hall Pass,""The Bounty Hunter,""We're the Millers," and both "Horrible Bosses" films. From 2009 to 2013, he voiced a lead character in "Family Guy" spinoff "The Cleveland Show," and he also had a dozen-episode guest role on Tina Fey's "30 Rock."

Sudeikis has several movies in the works, including a comedy called "Masterminds" costarring Wiig.

Low and behold we have entered the apocalyptic-sounding sixth great mass extinction, and perhaps we should fear the worst for the more endangered of our animal acquaintances. Yet some animals are refusing to play by the rules. Here are six of nature's finest who refused to give up despite having the odds stacked against them.

SEE ALSO: Why people yawn when they're tired

Golden lion tamarin

Also known as the golden marmoset, this primate is known for its distinctive and beautiful reddish mane and is found in the lowland and coastal forests of southeast Brazil. Forest degradation in the 1970s saw their numbers drop to fewer than 200, and while this is still a risk their numbers have leapt up to over 1,500.

California condor

With a wingspan of up to 9-and-a-half feet, the California condor is North America's largest bird. However its size didn't help protect against a range of threats, including poaching, which saw its numbers drop to only 22.

In fact between 1988 and 1991 there was not a single California condor in the wild, but as of May 2013 there about 237 flying freely in the skies of Arizona and Mexico, and roughly 435 in total. That's quite the turnaround!

Virginia northern flying squirrel

This nocturnal squirrel was severely affected by logging between the years of 1880 and 1940 and its population continued to dwindle until it was finally offered protection from the Endangered Species Act in 1985.

At the time there was only 10 squirrels left, but protection from many groups, such as the US Fish and Wildlife Service, have helped regenerate population numbers, which now stands at over 1,100!

On Monday, Greenlight Capital's David Einhorn gave his long thesis for CONSOL Energy, a natural gas exploration and coal company that has lost 77% of its value since the start of the year.

The presentation was given at the 2015 Robinhood Investors Conference.

Einhorn says he's still holding on to the company despite the ultra-low price of natural gas because he thinks the company can hold on too.

More specifically, he thinks the company has enough to wait until 2018 to invest in new projects, instead of spending money when sales won't generate enough revenue to cover costs.

See if you agree.

Note: The text on top of each slide is Einhorn's commentary on the presentation, not Business Insider's.

This is a graph of Arkema, which we bought at the wrong part of the last cycle. The stock deserved to fall, and we looked and felt stupid for owning it.

Jane McGonigal, a world-renowned designer of alternate-reality games who has a Ph.D. in performance studies, wants to change people's conception of video games as "just escapist, guilty pleasures."

"My number one goal in life is to see a game designer nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize," McGonigal writes on her website. 

She tells Business Insider she wants people to realize that games can be"powerful tools to improve our attention, our mood, our cognitive strengths, and our relationships."

And research is on her side. 

Studies suggest that mainstream games like "Call of Duty" may improve our cognitive abilities significantly more than games specifically designed to do so by designers like Luminosity.

To help spread the truth about common misconceptions, seven neuroscientists from around the world signed the document "A Consensus on the Brain Training Industry from the Scientific Community" in 2014 to say they "object to the claim" that brainteaser games can improve cognitive abilities, as no scientific evidence has been able to confirm such a claim. 

Even better for gamers, researchfromNorth Carolina State University and Florida State University suggests that mainstream games geared toward entertainment can help improve attention, spatial orientation, and problem-solving abilities.

In her book, "Super Better," McGonigal writes that the researchers she talked to about this seeming contradiction offered a simple explanation: "Traditional video games are more complex and harder to master, and they require that the player learn a wider and more challenging range of skills and abilities."

If you want to have fun and stimulate your mind, McGonigal recommends playing one of these six games three times a week for about 20 minutes.

SEE ALSO: 9 high-paying part-time jobs for college students

McGonigal says playing fast-paced games like "Call of Duty," a first-person shooter game, can help improve visual attention and spatial-intelligence skills, which can lead to better performance in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Another fast-paced game, "Forza," a car-racing game, may help improve your ability to make accurate decisions under pressure.

Taking on the role of a criminal in a big city in "Grand Theft Auto" may help train you to process information faster and keep track of more information — up to three times the amount as nongamers, some studies suggest — in high-stress situations.

A year and a half ago, 24-year-old Jason Roesslein headed from Illinois to the Bay Area to start work as an engineer for Tesla Motors.

He lived with a roommate for a few months, but found it frustrating shelling out $1,250 for rent each month.

"That was supposed to be a temporary situation until I figured out where I really wanted to live," Roesslein told Business Insider. "As I got further and further along in my thinking, I decided that I would try to live in a van, and I eventually pulled the trigger on it."

He lived in his "studio on wheels"— a 2006 Dodge Sprinter van — from October 2014 through March 2015, using Tesla and his gym to shower and eat most of his meals. After five months of van life, he reverted back to a more traditional lifestyle, with nearly $10,000 in extra savings, some of which he diverted toward paying off his student loans in full.

Here's what it was like:

SEE ALSO: A 23-year-old Google employee lives in a truck in the company's parking lot and saves 90% of his income

DON'T MISS: Several Google employees say they've lived in the company parking lot — here's why they did it

Roesslein toyed with the idea of a buying a box truck and turning it into a tiny home. Ultimately, the idea of owning such a big truck was too daunting to proceed.

"At the same time as I was developing those thoughts, I met a guy who works at Tesla, who at the time was living in his Subaru Forester," he says. "He'd been doing it for a year."

One night, that same coworker mentioned replacing his Subaru with a Sprinter van.

"That planted the seed in my head," Roesslein says. "It would be big enough so that you can stand up and have everything you need in there — but it's also not an atrociously large vehicle, and would be fairly maneuverable."

Roesslein thought about what he wanted out of a living situation — his own, affordable space where he could sleep and store his things — and where he wanted to be: close to work, the gym, and the social scene.

"My housing hunt had turned into the desire for a small mobile space to lay my head, cook and eat some food, store a few things, and hang out for a bit each day,"he writes on Medium.

This manifested itself in a 2006 Dodge Sprinter, which he bought off eBay for $13,000 and picked up in Houston, Texas. It turned out that flying to Texas and driving the Sprinter back was cheaper than buying a used van in the notoriously pricey Bay Area.

He paid for the van upfront — $500 the night he bought it on eBay, and then the remaining $12,500 when he arrived in Houston — and spent another $1,000 turning the Sprinter into a livable place.

And then there were two! 

After a listless Bengals team fell at home to the Houston Texans on Monday night, only the Panthers and Patriots remain undefeated. One in each conference, fittingly, and with MVP-candidate quarterbacks leading their offenses. 

The next tier of teams looks either capable of beating just about anyone, or destined to flame out down the stretch, depending on the week. The Packers have now lost three straight games and have lost their stronghold atop the NFC North. The Broncos may be 7-2 and comfortably in first place, but without Peyton Manning, who knows what will become of them. 

As the playoff races heat up, division games become more important than ever. The Cardinals just sent the Seahawks' postseason hopes a major blow — putting up the most points against the Seattle defense in the Legion of Boom era. And don't forget about the NFC East and AFC South, where finishing 8-8 is looking more and more like a home playoff game.

With seven weeks left, a lot is falling into focus, but plenty more is still up in the air.

Here are your Week 11 Power Rankings:

1. New England Patriots

Record: 9-0

Week 11 opponent: vs. Buffalo Bills

Week 10 MVP: Although Tom Brady got them there, we'll give it to kicker Stephen Gostkowski, who nailed the game-winning 54-yard field goal as time expired to keep the Patriots undefeated.

One thing to know: This was the most vulnerable the Patriots have looked all year. They won by the skin of their teeth, but they lost Julian Edelman for at least several weeks with a fractured foot.

2. Carolina Panthers

Record: 9-0

Week 11 opponent: vs. Washington Redskins

Week 10 MVP: Cam Newton. Let the man celebrate— his team is 9-0 and he's a favorite to win MVP! PFF gave Newton his best grade of the season (+6.0) after completing 81% of his passes against the Titans.

One thing to know: According to Nate Silver's Elo model, the Panthers now have the second highest percentage chance to win the Super Bowl at 16%. (New England is first with a 31% chance.)

3. Arizona Cardinals

Record: 7-2

Week 11 opponent: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Week 10 MVP: Carson Palmer. The veteran absolutely torched the Seattle defense in Seattle, throwing for 363 yards and three TDs. The 39 points scored by the Cards was the most surrendered by Seattle during the Legion of Boom era.

One thing to know: Three-time Pro Bowler Mike Iupati was taken off the field in an ambulance after a scary hit to his head on Sunday, but reports say he’s fine and is day-to-day.

Warning: Spoilers ahead if you haven't watched through season five of "Game of Thrones."

"Game of Thrones" fans are going nuts over a fascinating new spoiler for season six courtesy of former "Deadwood" actor Ian McShane.

McShane, who was cast in a small but pivotal role on the show's upcoming season, recently revealed just how important his character would be.

“I'll give you one hint," he told Pop Goes the News. "I am responsible for bringing somebody back that you think you’re never going to see again. I’ll leave it at that.”

Fans are going wild with theories as to whom McShane will resurrect.

Here's a look at some of the possible candidates.

SEE ALSO: 'Game of Thrones' star Jason Momoa is getting his own action show on Netflix

MORE: This failed show almost ruined George R.R. Martin's TV career before 'Game of Thrones'

Jon Snow (Kit Harington)

While HBO top brass, co-stars, and Kit Harington himself have said Jon Snow is either dead or not returning, fans have continued a constant vigil for the beloved character's return.

Harington sightings have propelled fans to believe that the character will be back. Others feel the show hasn't completed his story.

Was Jon Snow meant to go down in a bloody coup? Or is he the one McShane's character will bring back to life?

Lady Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley)

Although she lost her life during the murderous Red Wedding during season three, there's reason to believe that Lady Stark may come back again. (Warning: book spoiler follows.) According to the novels by George R.R. Martin, Lady Stark's corpse is brought back to life under the name Lady Stoneheart. The new character is basically a zombified version of her.

That seems like it could be a job for McShane.

Sandor Clegane aka The Hound (Rory McCane)

The Hound was supposedly killed during his fight with Brienne (Gwendoline Christie), but many fans are placing their bets on a theory called Cleganebowl. The belief basically says that a priest saved The Hound from his mortal wounds and he sets off for a destiny that sees him locking swords with his brother in a trial by combat.

Some believe that McShane will be playing that priest, therefore bringing The Hound back from "death."

The experts at Goldman Sachs have begun rolling out their outlooks for 2016.

In a client note on Thursday, they outlined what they believe will be the top-10 themes across global markets in the new year, which inform their various forecasts for stocks, bonds, commodities, currencies, and everything else in between.

"Growth has consistently disappointed over the past several years, but this has not prevented risky assets from increasing substantially," the strategists, including Charles Himmelberg, wrote. "In 2016, we expect activity to continue to expand in the advanced economies, led mostly by the consumer."

For stocks, Goldman forecast that the S&P 500 would end next year at 2,100, implying only a 5% return from current levels. And, betting on the US dollar, and against the euro and the yen, is Goldman's top trade recommendation for 2016.

The themes reiterate some of the same big discourses of 2015, like monetary policy divergence, lower-for-longer commodity prices, and modest S&P 500 returns.

These are the 10 themes from Goldman's report.

1. Stable global growth

The strategists project that global GDP will rise to 3.6% next year from an expected post-crisis bottom of 3.2% in 2015. This should calm concerns that developed markets are stuck in "secular stagnation," or slow growth with little investment and excess saving.

They wrote that "for investors, the relative stability of the growth outlook for both DM and EM economies should be sufficient to offset concerns about the downside risks implied by this year's slowdown in global manufacturing activity, tightening of US financial conditions and prospective rate hikes by the Fed."

Source: Goldman Sachs

2. Lower inflation, but not by as much as expected

With the unemployment rate at a seven-year low of 5%, inflation is not likely to fall by as much as markets have priced in. That's because labor-market slack is less, and the unemployment rate is dipping to a range that would push inflation higher.

"As US unemployment rates reach our forecast of 4.6%, we expect to see an unwind of the deflation premium that is still priced into rates and inflation markets," the analysts wrote.

"In sharp contrast to the loose intuition that 'low commodity prices are deflationary', commodity-price inflation could easily exceed 20% next year," they forecast.

Source: Goldman Sachs

3. Sustained monetary policy divergence

"While one of the lessons of 2015 is that the Fed will likely be cautious about giving a green light to large and rapid US Dollar appreciation, the resilience of the US economy in the face of the substantial Dollar appreciation since mid-2014 gives us confidence that the Fed will ultimately tolerate further Dollar strength as it tightens policy through 2016," the analysts wrote.

On the other hand, the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan would still be dovish amid the "fragility of their recoveries."

Source: Goldman Sachs

Over the last few years, the smartphone has become more than a device we use to call people and send text messages.

But it's easy to get overwhelmed with the sheer number of apps — there are more than a million apps in Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store.

So I broke out the most useful apps I use every day. You should probably use them, too.

SEE ALSO: 10 business-etiquette rules you're probably breaking

DON'T MISS: The 27 jobs that are most damaging to your health

Spotify is my go-to music app.

I've been a Spotify subscriber for years. The service gives me access to nearly any song — well, except maybe songs from Taylor Swift — on demand and allows me to download music for offline listening.

My favorite Spotify feature is Discover Weekly, a customized playlist that's updated each week with music the streaming service thinks you'll enjoy.

Cost: Free (with ads and limitations) or $9.99 per month. Available on iOS and Android.

Mint is a great way to keep track of spending.

Mint aggregates all of your financials — your bank accounts, credit cards, investments, and more — and puts them in one convenient place. The service helps you create budgets, produces reports that show what you spend your money on, and keeps a history of your purchases, which allows you to keep track of what you've been buying.

Cost: Free. Available on iOS and Android.

I listen to WNYC every day.

WNYC's app gives you live streams of WNYC, the most listened-to public radio station in the US, so you can listen to "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered" as they air in New York.

It also has a huge library of on-demand shows, like "Radiolab,""This American Life,""Fresh Air,""Marketplace,""The Moth," and more.

Best of all, the app has an offline listening mode that downloads programming for you based on your preferences, so you can listen without a cellular connection, like when you're on an airplane or subway.

Cost: Free. Available on iOS and Android.

A great education doesn't have to cost a fortune — especially in high school.

Niche, a company that researches and compiles information on schools, just released its 2016 rankings of the best public high schools in the country.

The ranking looked at over 100,000 schools based on 27 million reviews from more than 300,000 students and parents. They rated schools in areas like academics, teachers, student culture and diversity, and resources and facilities. You can read more about the methodology here.

Many are charter or magnet schools, meaning they pull in qualified students from around their districts.

Here are the top 25 public high schools in America.

SEE ALSO: The 50 smartest public high schools in the US

DON'T MISS: The 50 smartest private high schools in America

25. Townsend Harris High School — Queens, NY

Academics: A+

Student culture & diversity: A+

Teachers: A+

Resources & facilities: B+

"There are extracurricular activities that everyone can enjoy from sports clubs, to coding, to community service, or even religious clubs," one recent alum said. The extracurriculars "are what give a sense of community and belonging in a school."

24. Bronx High School of Science — Bronx, NY

Academics: A+

Student culture & diversity: A-

Teachers: A+

Resources & facilities: B

"The student body is diverse as well as the range of extracurriculars, there are many AP classes, and most importantly, there isn't the sense that everyone is competing with each other," one senior said. "Although it's assumed the Bronx Science student body is ambitious and competitive, we don't seem to show it."

23. William A. Shine Great Neck South High School — Great Neck, NY

Academics: A+

Student culture & diversity: A-

Teachers: A+

Resources & facilities: A+

"There are some teachers who know to make the material engaging and are willing to help you no matter what," one student said. Another alum noted, "The teachers prepare the students for exams and they also prepare them for college. They make the students take more responsibility over their work and grades."

The 40-hour workweek is on its way out, and more Americans are feeling overworked and underpaid. But what if there was an alternative?

To find jobs that allow you to work less but still get paid well, we analyzed US Census data for about 478 occupations distilled by the Minnesota Population Center's 2013 American Community Survey Integrated Public Use Microdata Series.

According to this data, the average working American logs about 39 hours a week, and the median earned income — a sum of wage, salary, and business income — across all occupations is $32,000.

People who hold the following jobs on average earn more than the median US income and typically work fewer than 39 hours a week.

SEE ALSO: The 13 best jobs for people who hate people

DON'T MISS: The 27 jobs that are most damaging to your health

13. Physical therapists

Average hours typically worked a week: 37.43 

Median earned income: $63,000

What they do: Assess, plan, organize, and participate in rehabilitative programs that improve mobility, relieve pain, increase strength, and improve or correct disabling conditions resulting from disease or injury.

12. Postsecondary teachers

Average hours typically worked a week: 37.16 

Median earned income: $45,000

What they do: Teach courses to undergraduate or graduate students.

11. Archivists, curators, and museum technicians

Average hours typically worked a week: 36.85 

Median earned income: $40,000

What they do: Restore, maintain, or prepare objects in museum collections for storage, research, or exhibition.

It’s the fourth quarter of 2015, and just as in the fourth quarter of a professional sports game, mistakes can multiply if you’re not keeping your eye on the ball. Sometimes, the money mistakes hit you where your investments live. Other times, your spending habits get out of whack, especially with the holiday shopping madness.

While it’s hard to shake off bad money habits, the hope comes from recognizing what you’re doing and then implementing sensible strategies. Here are 20 money management tips and trip-ups that revolve around common money mistakes.

Related: 40 Money Habits That Can Leave You Broke

SEE ALSO: How your birth order affects the way you spend money

1. Running up balances on high-interest credit cards

This habit especially applies for frivolous purchases or shopping sprees around the holiday season when it’s all too easy to get carried away. Credit cards can put you on a hamster wheel where making minimum payments barely nibbles at the balance.

Among the worst offenders are department store credit cards. The Kohl’s credit card carries a 23.99% APR, and the Sears MasterCard has a jaw-dropping, eye-popping 25.24% APR. And this, of course, doesn’t include late fees.

2. Throwing money away on layaway

While layaway might seem like the sensible way to hold onto an object come holiday time, it’s not always the smart way to net savings. That’s because layaway locks you into a certain price and — if financed by a credit card — additional interest charges.

Also, as the holidays draw closer, stores start rolling out promotions that knock anywhere from 30 to 50 percent off early prices. If you put those items on layaway in September or October, you’re committed to that initial retail price and miss out on the promotions.

3. Trying to time the stock market

When stocks are on the rise, it’s tempting to think that you’re smart enough to know when to get in and get out to make a killing. But the experts say it’s nearly impossible to do this correctly every single time.

“You have to be right twice — you have to get out at the right time, and then you have to get back in at the right time,” said Ken Weber, president of Weber Asset Management and author of “Dear Investor, What the HELL are You Doing?”

4. Ignoring refurbished goods

It’s easy to dismiss refurbished electronics as rejects or factory failures. The truth is, many items are returned for the dumbest reasons — such as “I don’t like the color” — and are still subjected to rigorous retesting by manufacturers.

Electronics guru Kyle Wiens at iFixit.com sings the praises of refurbished items. He’s bought refurbished laptops “from my second computer at least, and I think I’ve gone through seven MacBook Pro equivalents over the years.” And the difference in price between refurbished and new usually starts at 15 percent off.

5. Closing the box on ‘open box’ savings

It’s a great idea to shop online marketplaces such as eBay to see if a vendor has cheaper, brand new “open box” versions of products, which are returned items that are “inspected by the retailer, found to be in working order, and re-sold at discount, rather than returned to the manufacturer,” according to Consumer Reports. The eBay merchant Microresellers— which has a perfect five-star rating on the site — has contributed an informative post on how to find these deals.

“Open Box items offer the best deals on eBay, but they may also present the most risk,” the post noted. “That risk can be minimized with a little common sense and good buying practices.” So, always check the seller’s rating. It’s best to find someone at or near 100 percent positive feedback after thousands of transactions.

6. Forgetting your company’s employee stock purchase plan

Your company’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan typically works by payroll deduction, with the company converting the money into shares every six months at a 15 percent discount. “If you immediately liquidate those shares every time they’re delivered, it’s like getting a guaranteed 15 percent rate of return,” said Dave Yeske, managing director at the wealth management firm Yeske Buie.

7. Paying full price for gas

Even though gas prices are somewhat low, you might not be taking advantage of three free ways to drive the bill down further, such as rewards cards. BP has a Driver Rewards loyalty card — not a credit card — that shaves money off the price at the pump, as does Shell with its Fuel Rewards card. And the free GasBuddy app still ranks as the best for finding the lowest gas prices in your driving area.

8. Paying full price for everything

With a plethora of bargain sites ranging from Groupon to DealNews, it’s a wonder why people shop at department stores or malls and pay the manufacturer’s suggested retail price on anything. Take advantage of coupon and deal sites to keep more money in your wallet year-round.

9. Paying sales tax

Sales tax can get very expensive in places such as Chicago where it’s a hefty 10.25 percent — the highest in the country, reports Fortune. But thankfully, some online vendors don’t charge a dime for sales tax. Although there are multiple bills in the works to “close the loophole that allows consumers to skip out on paying sales tax on [online] purchases,” TIME Money reported that “online shoppers won’t be forced into paying sales tax anytime soon.”

10. Not having a shopping accountability partner

One big problem with holiday shopping is the lack of accountability when we’re hauling the bags and digging the deals. Spouses can do each other a favor by serving as accountability partners and asking questions such as, “What’s being spent, and spent wisely? How’s the budget holding up?” The idea here is not to play Holiday Police, but to praise your sweetie when goals are met — and gently steer things back when they drift off course.

Read: 40 Ways to Save Money Over the Holidays

11. Not shopping ahead for 2016

The worst time to buy Halloween paraphernalia is in the month before, and the worst time to buy winter gear is in the winter. So, why not buy your fall clothes for 2016 right now, when they’re “past season” and stores are eager to dump ’em to make way for the high-priced stuff? Buying items one to three seasons behind their price peak guarantees you’ll get a bargain.

12. Impulse shopping

It’s tempting to spend money on impulse buys when you’re caught up in the passion of sales galore. But you wouldn’t want to come home from the supermarket with a 20-pound cheese wheel you bought on a whim, right? Think long and hard about what you need before you head out and stand by that list.

You should take advantage of sales as they pop up but tally all your projected expenses for the season and set a budget for each category. Holiday fruitcakes, by the way, go under the category “lethal projectiles.”

If you've ever listened to StarTalk radio, then you'll know that its host, famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, has a great sense of humor.

But deGrasse Tyson also has a serious side, which he reveals time and again in his books, shows, Twitter page, and popular science articles.

Often, deGrasse Tyson's humor strikes a serious chord that not only makes us laugh but also think. As a popular science educator, deGrasse Tyson is out to inspire generations of innovators to reach for the stars.

While it's tough to narrow down his best quotes, we've taken a stab here. We've also paired some of them with photos of the most impressive science projects of our age:

LEARN MORE: There's a mission to this mysterious water world that could detect the first alien life

CHECK OUT: MIT scientists have charted a course for Mars that they say beats NASA's by a landslide

"The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it."

Source:CNN interview in 2011.

"During our brief stay on planet Earth, we owe ourselves and our descendants the opportunity to explore — in part because it's fun to do. But there's a far nobler reason. The day our knowledge of the cosmos ceases to expand, we risk regressing to the childish view that the universe figuratively and literally revolves around us."

Source:"The Cosmic Perspective" published in the Natural History Magazine in April 2007.

"I don't want students who could make the next major breakthrough in renewable energy sources or space travel to have been taught that anything they don't understand, and that nobody yet understands, is divinely constructed and therefore beyond their intellectual capacity. The day that happens, Americans will just sit in awe of what we don't understand, while we watch the rest of the world boldly go where no mortal has gone before."

Source:"The Perimeter of Ignorance" published in the Natural History Magazine in November 2005.

LinkedIn Influencer Ilya Pozin published this post originally on LinkedIn.

When you think of the word etiquette, you might be imagining a "Miss Manners" book from the 1950s.

Proper business etiquette, however, is about much more than using the right salad fork.

Etiquette might seem old-fashioned, but it's also an essential business tool.

If you're ignoring proper business etiquette, you're doing so at your own peril.

With more employers hiring based on company culture fit and communication skills, you can't really afford to display ill manners.

Whether you're trying to nab a great job or finally nail that promotion, your manners matter much more than you might think.

Here are 10 business etiquette rules you might not have ever considered, which can help you climb higher on your career ladder without stepping on any toes:

SEE ALSO: 35 etiquette tips for doing business around the world

1. Introduce yourself with your full name

When meeting someone, whether in a boardroom or a networking event, always introduce yourself with your full name. No matter the situation, the name of the game is to be as memorable as possible.

If you only use your first name, your new contact might later struggle to remember which Kevin or Rachel you were. This is another reason why having business cards to hand are always a good idea, no matter the circumstance. Unless you're Madonna, always include your last name in introductions.

2. Uncross your legs

Crossing your legs can be distracting, and even just a little bit too sexy. More important, however, is the health concerns. Crossing your legs can be very bad for your circulation.

3. Limit your thank-yous

It's great to be grateful, but you don't want to be overly thankful. Saying too many thank-yous in a single conversation can actually work in reverse to your meaning, diluting the impact of your initial thanks. It can also work to make you come off as needy and unsure of yourself.

When it comes to age, wealth doesn't discriminate — billionaires can be found in every phase of life.

Wealth-X, a firm that researches and maintains a database of ultra-wealthy people, compiled a list of the richest person in every decade, from their 20s through their 90s.

From tech billionaires to retail moguls and a secretive heiress, here are the people with more money than anyone else in their age group.

SEE ALSO: The 25 richest self-made billionaires

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20s: Evan Spiegel

Net worth: $2 billion

Age: 25

Industry: Tech

Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel may be the least wealthy person on this list, but he's also the youngest — and at 25, his net worth of $2 billion has plenty of time to grow. Spiegel began developing his now-you-see-it photo-sharing app in 2011 while still a student at Stanford. Barely two years later, he was getting offers from the likes of Facebook ($3 billion) and Google ($4 billion) to buy him out, both of which CEO Spiegel turned down.

Snapchat's value has continued to soar as the company has branched into news and other media and acquired some companies of its own, coughing up $150 million for app-development company Looksery. Considering Spiegel and company raised $530 million in equity at a $16 billion valuation in May, rejecting Facebook and Google might have been the smartest business move the young billionaire has made yet.

Source: Wealth-X

30s: Mark Zuckerberg

Net worth: $47.2 billion

Age: 31

Industry: Tech

At just 31, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is already one of the richest people in the world with a net worth of $47.2 billion. Facebook continues to thrive, attracting more than a billion users daily in September — a 17% increase in traffic from the previous year. The company stock hit all-time highs in November after reporting $4.5 billion in quarterly earnings. 

Zuckerberg has made some high-profile purchases of late. He reportedly spent $22 million on a new 3,200-square-foot home in New York City's West Village this year, and in 2014 he spent $100 million for 750 acres of secluded land on the North Shore of Kauai.

Zuck and his wife, Priscilla, are also incredibly generous with their wealth. The social media mogul has signed The Giving Pledge, promising to donate at least half of his wealth to charitable causes within his lifetime. The couple donated $25 million in the fight against Ebola last year, and gave $100 million worth of Facebook shares towards improving a New Jersey public-school system.

Source: Wealth-X

40s: Larry Page

Net worth: $41.7 billion

Age: 42

Industry: Tech

Larry Page became a billionaire when Google went public in 2004 with a valuation of about $23 billion; 11 years later, the company is worth more than $500 billion. 

Page and cofounder Sergey Brin — exceedingly wealthy in his own right with a net worth of $38 billion— have been shaking their company up lately. In August, Google announced that it would be forming a new parent company, Alphabet, to allow its different businesses to operate independently and move faster. Page and Brin still control the overarching entity as CEO and president, respectively. 

Page doesn't make a lot of splashy purchases, but the alternative-energy advocate does own an eco-friendly mansion in Palo Alto that utilizes geothermal energy and rainwater capture. He's also an avid kiteboarder.  

Source: Wealth-X

His name invokes fear and thrill in the hearts of suspense cinema lovers everywhere: Alfred Hitchcock.

Hitchcock was a man who knew how to get inside the minds of his audience with psychological thrillers like "Psycho" and "Vertigo."

To return the favor, we've drawn from this Wikipedia list of quotes spoken by the man, himself.

The following 11 quotes take you inside the mind of Hitchcock.

Be warned: They might disturb you. 

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On breakfast.

"I’m frightened of eggs, worse than frightened, they revolt me. That white round thing without any holes … have you ever seen anything more revolting than an egg yolk breaking and spilling its yellow liquid? Blood is jolly, red. But egg yolk is yellow, revolting. I’ve never tasted it." 

[News summaries, December 31, 1963]

On Disney.

"If I made 'Cinderella,' the audience would immediately be looking for a body in the coach."

 [Newsweek, June 11, 1956]

On television.

"One of television’s great contributions is that it brought murder back into the home, where it belongs."

[National Observer, August 15, 1966]

We've all been caught without a power cord and been forced to watch our Mac's battery get dangerously low. 

A new app called Endurance claims to extended your Mac's battery life by at least 20% when enabled. It works by monitoring battery-intensive parts of your Mac, like screen brightness, Adobe Flash, and running performance-heavy apps. 

This is what you first see when you open Endurance.

The app will start working by default when your Mac's battery dips below 70%.

But you can adjust it to start working only when your battery gets as low as 15%.

With their eight arms and giant egg-shaped head, octopuses are one of the most alien-looking creatures on the planet.

Yet scientists have an extremely difficult time studying them in the wild because these highly intelligent invertebrates are the ultimate masters of disguise.

In her book, "Octopus!" Katherine Harmon Courage travels the globe to swim, observe, and even taste some of the many octopuses of the world. Here are 30 mind-blowing facts she learned about this squishy predator of the sea along her epic journey.

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Over 95% of all animals on Earth are invertebrates. The octopus is the smartest of them all and has approximately 300 million neurons throughout its body. That's not much compared to the 100 billion in humans, but it's a giant leap from the 16 million in frogs.

Octopuses are solitary creatures who spend most of their lives swimming alone, even when it comes time to mate.

Some, but not all, types of male octopus will steer clear from a female mate. Instead of getting close, he'll send a package of his sperm to her from a distance, which she'll grab and store for later.

Feeling like you might be underpaid can be one of the most disheartening aspects of work.

"It stands to reason, because for many, compensation is a concrete litmus test of how well you're performing and progressing on the job — and how highly you're valued," says Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert and the author of "Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job."

According to a 2014 survey from Glassdoor.com, a whopping 39% of employees believed that they were not receiving fair pay in their current job.

But it's hard for them to be sure.

"The topic of employees' salaries is well guarded by most companies, so it's not always easy to figure out how your pay compares to your colleagues'," says Taylor. "If you're willing to invest the time and research or look for the signs, however, you'll be better informed as to whether you should ask for a raise or walk."

Here are 13 signs you're paid less than you should be:

SEE ALSO: 21 signs you're about to be fired

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A similar job listing on your company website offers higher pay

"If there are multiple positions like yours at the company, the job description closely resembles yours, and the salary is higher, that's one of the most obvious signs," says Taylor.

Stay on top of this by searching your own company's job postings every now and then to monitor what new employees are being paid, "and to see if that feels reasonable given your current level of experience and role in the company," adds Michael Kerr, an international business speaker and author of "The Humor Advantage."

Your firm's revenue has taken off, but your salary has barely budged

If your company is private, it's harder to measure revenue growth vs. a public company.

"But you're likely having discussions about corporate growth with managers in your normal course of business," Taylor says. "This is an opportunity to dig deeper. If you're armed with the fact that the firm has seen 20% growth in one year, but your salary is under par, you'll strengthen your argument for a raise."

Research tells you you're underpaid

This is a pretty solid sign.

"You must stay on top of the current salaries for your type of position," Taylor says. "There are many online sources for this, including PayScale.com, Glassdoor.com, Indeed.com and Salary.com."

Kerr says using an online salary calculator to see where average wages are or should be, for someone in your role and with your level of education and years of experience, can be a good starting point and may indicate if there's a discrepancy between your wage and the going rate.