The biggest money-making football clubs of the 2014/15 season have been ranked by accountancy firm Deloitte in their annual Football Money League report.

Europe continues to dominate, with all the teams on the list from that continent.

Within Europe, the Premier League punches above its weight, with UK clubs making up 8 of the top 19.

Much of this is thanks to the enduring appeal of the English Premiership, which is still the most-watched league in the world.

Elsewhere on the list, Italy has four placings, while Spain and Germany have three. France has to settle for one.

Deloitte says that exchange rates help explain the large English showing, and adds that with a new financing structure for the Premier League coming into effect next season — which will see clubs share around £5 billion in TV revenues — English clubs could get even richer:

With over half of the top 30 already made up of Premier League clubs, and the staggering new Premier League domestic broadcast deal coming into effect in 2016/17, there is an outside chance that the Money League top 30 will feature all 20 Premier League clubs in two years’ time.

Check out the list below for the highest club football revenues in 2014/15:

19. Inter Milan (Italy)

2014/15 Revenue: €164.8 million

(£125.5 million; $187 million)

We begin with Inter Milan, not to be confused with its rival AC Milan, who it shares the 80,000 capacity San Siro Stadium with. Down two places from the season before, the club has the lowest matchday revenue of any club on the list, but sponsorship from Nike and Pirelli continues to bring in the money. A failure to qualify for any European championships in 2015/16 will hurt TV revenues. 

18. Everton (UK)

2014/15 Revenue: €165 million

(£130 million; $188 million)

Liverpool's neighbour and rival, Everton are having a disappointing season in the Premier League but fare well when it comes to money. Farhad Moshiri, a British Iranian businessman, has a 49% stake in the club. Broadcast rights, which accounts for 69% of the club's revenue, rose to £86.8 million last season, while ticket sales are at a ten year high. 

17. Newcastle United (UK)

2014/15 Revenue: €169 million

(£133 million; $192 million)

Newcaslte has a big fanbase, which means big money, but it stands to lose a chunk of that if it gets relegated from the Premier League this season. The club is owned by British billionaire Mike Ashley, who is disliked by fans, and the Sports Direct owner has suggested he'd like to sell up when wins its next trophy. 

Hey there! Nice to meet you, I'm from the future.

I live in the 26th century, deep in the Anthropocene Era.

Humanity is officially the greatest climate driver on Earth, and has been for awhile. It's a dubious honor if you could see the planet from here.

A lot has happened over the last 500 years. Here are the highlights — if you can call them that.

Lets' start with the year 2100, when things really started getting hot — on average, almost 4 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than in 2016.

Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Parts of Africa, South America, and India often averaged over 110 degrees during the summer, killing thousands of people to each year from heat-related causes.

Source: US Global Research Program

Glaciers in High Mountain Asia — an area that included the Himalayas — shrank to 30% of their 21st-century size.

Source: European Geosciences Union

If the highest-paying companies in the US are any indication, there are no shortcuts to raking in the big bucks.

As you might expect, tech companies dominate this year's Glassdoor list. 

"Salaries are sky-high at consulting companies due to 'barriers of entry' in this field, which refers to employers wanting top consultants to have personal contacts, reputations, and specialized skills and knowledge,"says  Glassdoor Chief Economist Dr. Andrew Chamberlain.

"In technology, we continue to see unprecedented salaries as the war for talent is still very active, largely due to the ongoing shortage of highly-skilled workers needed," he says.

To compile its annual list, Glassdoor identified the 25 companies with the highest median total compensation — which includes base salary and other forms of income, such as commissions, tips, and bonuses — as reported by US-based employees on the Glassdoor website over the past year.

DON'T MISS: The highest-paying majors at 15 of the best-value colleges in the US

SEE ALSO: 17 tech professions that pay over $120,000 in 2016

No. 25: Broadcom, $140,000

Headquarters: Irvine, California
Median total compensation: $140,000
Median base salary: $130,000

Broadcom is a manufacturer of specialty computer chips. It was bought by Avago for $37 billion in a deal that closed in February.

"Good company, competitive pay, flexible.” — Design Engineer.

No. 24: Adobe, $140,000

Headquarters: San Jose, California
Median total compensation: $140,000
Median base salary: $125,000

Adobe offers software for creative projects (photos, illustrations), as well as marketing and document management.

"Most of the people I work with are great. Very passionate about their jobs. Company culture and perks are good. Flexible schedule for the most part,"– Senior manager.

No. 23: F5 Networks, $140,200

Headquarters: Seattle
Median total compensation: $140,200
Median base salary: $120,500

F5 Networks sells equipment that makes computer networks, and the applications that run on them, faster and more secure.

"Friendly culture. Great pay. Company values employees. Good work, home balance. Diligent upper management. Very good at watching the finances." – Principal software engineer.

Aficionados rarely use top-shelf booze on mixed drinks. If you were lucky enough to score a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 12 Year, chances are you dropped several thousand bucks on the opportunity to sip it neat — maybe with an ice cube or two. But bartenders and beverage directors at upscale restaurants and bars around the world are finding ways to incorporate rare, expensive bottles of whiskey, cognac, rum, and other spirits into astronomically priced cocktails. It's a thrilling indulgence — if you can stomach the price tag. Starting at about $50 and ranging into the thousands, here are some of the most over-the-top cocktails that (a lot of) money can buy:

SEE ALSO: The 25 best cocktail bars in America, according to Foursquare

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

Bourgeois Pig at The Rickey ($50)

The Rickey, a new bar on the ground floor of the Dream Midtown hotel in New York City, has a cocktail menu curated by mixologist Johnny Swet. A favorite is the Bourgeois Pig, a $50 truffle martini with vodka, dry vermouth, bacon elixir, rosemary bitters, and the ingredient that sends it over the top: a piece of shaved black truffle. Swet uses the French Perigord truffle, specifically, which he considers the finest.

Balmoral at Beautique ($80)

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Celebrity playpen restaurant Beautique, located across from NYC's Plaza Hotel, is often visited by actors, musicians, and models who come for the food and stay for an after-dinner visit to the nightclub tucked in the back. Here they find the Balmoral, an $80 cocktail created by wine director Brett Mendl. This drink is similar to a Manhattan, but it's made with The Macallan Rare Cask, stirred with just a touch of dry and sweet vermouth. "Using a high-end whiskey in a cocktail will always create a smoother drink with less alcohol burn and generally less of a hangover," Mendl says. It will also jack up the price, but the results are pretty impressive — this is a cocktail where you can taste what the quality spirit adds to it.

Jet Set Manhattan at Tavern on 51 ($100)

Tavern on 51 is one of several ritzy drinking establishments in the Lotte New York Palace hotel. (Another? Rarities, where one can order a dram of whiskey for a few thousand dollars.) At Tavern on 51, the Jet Set Manhattan, made with Michter's 20 Year Single Barrel Bourbon and vintage Taylor Fladgate 1985 Port, will only set you back $100. Justin Lorenz, director of wine and beverage for Rarities, sums up the one-percenter appeal nicely: "For someone who has it all, the subtle nuances experienced from the use of these rare [spirits] simply have no substitute."

Clue: Three time champion of the American Crossword Tournament; former puzzle writer for The New York Times, The New Yorker, and the Wall Street Journal.

Answer: Trip Payne. Payne, who is currently a staff writer for PuzzleSocial's Daily Celebrity Crossword, has been a full-time puzzlemaker since 1990.

"When I was young, I was very interested in puzzles and games," says Payne, who was featured in the 2006 award-winning documentary "Wordplay.""I thought it would be interesting to try to make up my own puzzles, and when I was 14 years old I had a crossword published in Games Magazine. Over time, that hobby became my career," he tells Business Insider.

We recently spoke to Payne about what his job entails. Here's what he had to say:

SEE ALSO: Here's what it's really like to be a hacker at one of the world's biggest tech companies

'Here's how the puzzlemaking process works ... '

"Puzzles typically begin with the 'theme' — the thing that the longest answers in the puzzle have in common.

"The first thing that a puzzlemaker has to do is come up with theme answers that will fit properly in the grid, since all crossword grids have symmetrical patterns.

"After the puzzlemaker places the theme entries into a grid, they then decide where the rest of the black squares should go. This is not always easy — you want to make sure that you don't have too many places that will be tricky to fill in later, or where you'd have to resort to hard words to fill it in."

'The next step is filling in the rest of the grid.'

"The goal is to have every word in the grid be something that the solver will recognize. Sometimes, as with the Daily Celebrity Crossword, you want everything to be solvable even by someone who has never solved a crossword before; other times you can have the vocabulary be a little more difficult, but you never want it to be truly obscure.

"Difficulty level should come from the cluing, not the words in the puzzle. After the grid is done, then it's time to clue. In an easy puzzle, the goal is to make clues without multiple possible answers (a 5-letter word for 'Fast' might be 'RAPID or 'QUICK' or 'HASTY' or several other things). In a harder puzzle, you want those ambiguities, and you also want to throw in some wordplay to keep solvers a little bit off-balance.

"How long a puzzle takes to create depends on a lot of things — the size, difficulty level, whether there are any particular constraints, and so on. I've had puzzles take me mere hours to create; I've had others take weeks. I can usually complete a simple puzzle in a matter of hours, whereas a medium or hard puzzle could take a day or two."

'Writer's block could sometimes be an issue.'

"Most of the time, I have a theme to begin with, or at least an area. For example, Daily Celebrity Crossword has a different theme each day, such as TV Tuesday and Sports Fan Friday, and that gives me a starting place for brainstorming what the puzzle should be about.

"I have a great deal of respect for the constructors who have assignments where they have to release puzzles every week with fresh, original themes. I have rarely been in that position, but when I was, it's true that writer's block could sometimes be an issue. I would typically try to work ahead of schedule so that when writer's block did hit, it wouldn't put me behind deadline."

If you want a job at the highest-paying company in America, be prepared to really work for it.

A.T. Kearney ranked No. 1 on this year's annual Glassdoor list for offering its employees the highest median total compensation at $167,534, which includes base salary and other forms of income, such as commissions, tips, and bonuses.

The global management-consulting firm headquartered in Chicago rewards even its youngest hires with some of the most competitive pay in the consulting industry, and the average employee starts off with a base salary of around $143,620.

The reason, as Glassdoor's chief economist Dr. Andrew Chamberlainexplains, is that there are certain "barriers of entry" to work at a premium consulting firm: employers like A.T. Kearney want to hire top consultants who have personal contacts, reputations, and specialized skills and knowledge.

"We provide competitive compensation to attract the best talent to meet the needs of our clients across the globe," an A.T. Kearney spokesperson said in a statement to the Chicago Tribune.

Unsurprisingly, then, A.T. Kearney is considered one of the most difficult companies to interview with. People who have interviewed there rank the processon Glassdoor a 3.7 out of four in terms of difficulty.

Like other big consulting firms, interview questions at A.T. Kearney generally fall into one of two categories: case study questions and experience questions.

During the case study portion of the interview, interviewees analyze a real business problem and develop and discuss solutions to the client challenge it poses. The experience portion of the interview is a more familiar format where interviewers can learn more about the job seeker's background and personal experience.

From Glassdoor, here are some of the toughest interview questions job seekers have been asked at A.T. Kearney:

SEE ALSO: The 25 highest-paying companies in the US in 2016

DON'T MISS: 19 tough interview questions you'll hear at a 'Big 3' consulting firm

'How many ping pong balls can you fit into a 747 jet?' —Data analyst candidate

'How many people drink coffee in New York City?' —Procurement and analytics analyst candidate

'When was the last time you failed?' —Business analyst candidate

We can't say it enough: Smartphone photography has gotten amazing. In fact, the little cameras on the backs of our phones have reached a point where they may not be able to get any better without a serious redesign of the whole phone.

But not all devices are created equal, and it's our mission to help you choose the best one. 

You may notice that our list differs significantly from some of the sites the purport to do scientific rankings; these results weren't gathered in a lab. Instead, we went out our front door to figure out exactly how these cameras perform against one another in real world conditions. Their success or failure depended on three things: the quality of their lenses, the quality of their sensors, and the smarts locked up in their autofocusing/exposing brains.

Here are the best smartphone cameras in the world.

5. Sony Xperia Z5

The Sony Xperia Z5 was the first new Android flagship released in 2016, and it has its fans. Sony has a good reputation in the smartphone camera business, and DXOMark claims this one's among the best in the world.

When it came out in early February, ahead of the other 2016 flagships, it was among the better Android cameras yet released. However, we strongly disagree with the high ratings from DXOMark and other sites.

The Sony Xperia Z5 wants very badly to be an excellent smartphone camera. Sony can boast some impressive specs for its flagship device: 23 megapixels and a 0.03-second autofocus sound pretty impressive. Sony calls them "revolutionary" in its advertising.

But in reality, this is the most disappointing of all this year's flagship phones. Chasing unnecessarily high megapixel counts off a cliff can ruin a device; the more pixels you squeeze onto a sensor of the exact same size, the more you risk degrading their quality. The Xperia Z5 tends to overexpose shots and blow out highlights and shadows. Its f/2.3-aperture lens lets in less light than any other camera on this list, and the autofocus time wasn't even close to 0.03 seconds in our experience.

(Aperture refers to the width of the hole in the lens through which light can pass. Lower numbers mean bigger holes, more light, and nice blurry backgrounds.)

The Z5 is a fine phone, and it's better than most older phones when it comes to photography. But there's better options out there.

$468

4. LG G5

LG seems to love running with good ideas before it's thought them all the way through.

The G5 is the first smartphone to feature two cameras for different focal lengths, putting it at the front of an inevitable trend. It also offers modular accessories like the Cam Plus to improve your shooting. If smartphone cameras are going to leep getting better, they're going to need to function more like DSLRs, with several sensors and lenses for different situations. So conceptually, the G5 is a little bit brilliant.

But in practice it doesn't quite get there. LG's decision to make the second lens extra-wide turns it into a bit of a gimmick, the 16-megapixel, f/1.8 main camera can't stand up to other smartphones in our tests, and the Cam Plus didn't work when we tried it.

$650

3. HTC 10

Any other year, the brand-new HTC 10 would have had a good run at the top of this list. Its f/1.8-aperture lens produces an excellent look and texture. The 12.1-megapixel sensor has a great dynamic range (the range of highlight and shadow detail it can capture in one shot). And the autofocus is fairly zippy. In fact, on a pure hardware level it outclasses the No. 2 camera on our list.

However, this is the year of truly astonishing smartphone cameras. And the HTC's minor flaws keep it locked in the third spot on this list: Its dynamic range doesn't quite match the best smartphone on this list, and left to its own devices it tends to overexpose images more than our top two picks.

That said, if you're the kind of photographer who adjusts the exposure before each shot, this may be a better option than No. 2 on account of its superior glass and sensor.

$700 (pre-order)

The world is ultimately linked by its bodies of water. 

Global trade relies upon open navigation of the water ways and easy access around the globe.

However, the following seas have had their fair share of being fraught with tension. We have listed eight of the tensest seas in the world below. 

SEE ALSO: Russia controls this strategic slice of territory in the heart of NATO-allied eastern Europe

SEE ALSO: This is what Russian aggression in the Baltic Sea looks like

Aegean Sea

Countries in Conflict: Greece and Turkey

Airspace violations between Greece and Turkey are a common issue between the two countries, especially over the Aegean Sea.

The island-filled stretch of water separating Turkey and Greece contains maritime boundaries that are a persistent source of disagreement between the two countries.

Although violations happen with frequency between the two countries, Turkey and Greece have seen a rapid increase in incidents since 2013.

Black Sea

Countries in Conflict: Russia, Ukraine, and NATO

The Black Sea has become a point of geopolitical tension following Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula and the conflict with Ukraine. In June 2015, a Russian Su-24 buzzed a US guided-missile destroyer that was operating in the sea raising tensions between the two countries. 

And earlier this month Ukraine and NATO member Turkey launched joint naval drills in the Black Sea as both countries face sharply deteriorating relations with Moscow.

Baltic Sea

Countries in Conflict: NATO and Russia

The Baltic Sea is ringed by NATO members, countries leaning towards NATO, and two Russian ports. Since Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and the start of the Ukraine crisis, tensions throughout the Baltics have steadily risen. 

Most recently, on April 12, two Russian aircraft repeatedly flew simulated attack patterns over a US naval ship. In response to the incident, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that the US would have been in the right to shoot down one of the buzzing Russian aircraft — signalling the incredible tensions facing this part of the world.

Books can be incredibly powerful. They have the ability to suck us in, take us on adventures, and influence the way we think.

They can teach us, move us, give us new perspectives, and help shape us. And the most powerful ones change our lives forever.

I asked my Business Insider colleagues to share the one book that has significantly influenced them. Here's what they said:

SEE ALSO: 24 books that will make you a more well-rounded person

'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy

"This book gave me a real sense of my own mortality. I'm usually grateful for this, but not always! It also made me appreciate fatherhood more."—Nicholas Carlson, editor-in-chief of INSIDER

Amazon synopsis: A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food — and each other.

"'The Road' is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, "each the other's world entire," are sustained by love. Awesome in the totality of its vision, it is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation."

BUY IT HERE »

'The Tao of Pooh' by Benjamin Hoff

"I read this book in college, and it completely changed my perspective on the world. It's a fun primer on the Eastern philosophy of Taoism, and eye-opening for people (like me) who sometimes try too hard and would be better off just relaxing and going with the flow. I still remind myself that nothing's really good or bad; it's just another interesting thing on another day that we should all be grateful for."—Jenna Goudreau, deputy editor

"This book introduced me to the idea that simplicity isn't the enemy of satisfaction; it's the essence of it. The inclusion of such familiar and beloved characters also helped the ideas stick in my mind."—Christina Sterbenz, weekend editor

Amazon synopsis: The how of Pooh? The Tao of who? The Tao of Pooh!?! In which it is revealed that one of the world's great Taoist masters isn't Chinese — or a venerable philosopher — but is in fact none other than that effortlessly calm, still, reflective bear. A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh! While Eeyore frets, and Piglet hesitates, and Rabbit calculates, and Owl pontificates, Pooh just is.

"And that's a clue to the secret wisdom of the Taoists."

BUY IT HERE »

'Anna Karenina' by Leo Tolstoy

"It was the rare work of fiction that actually changed how I saw the world. It made me want to be a more moral and better person."—Paul Schrodt, entertainment editor

Amazon synopsis: "Considered by some to be the greatest novel ever written, 'Anna Karenina' is Tolstoy's classic tale of love and adultery set against the backdrop of high society in Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

"A rich and complex masterpiece, the novel charts the disastrous course of a love affair between Anna, a beautiful married woman, and Count Vronsky, a wealthy army officer. Tolstoy seamlessly weaves together the lives of dozens of characters, and in doing so captures a breathtaking tapestry of late-nineteenth-century Russian society. As Matthew Arnold wrote in his celebrated essay on Tolstoy, 'We are not to take 'Anna Karenina' as a work of art; we are to take it as a piece of life.'"

BUY IT HERE »

Lawrence Ballard, 43, has been working at PriceWaterhouse Coopers for 21 years.

As a partner for the 'Big four' accounting firm, his core responsibilities are managing his clients and staff members. Currently, he has 19 personal clients and supervises about 80 staff members. 

Ballard also takes on recruitment efforts for the company, typically spending two to three hours a month working with the lead recruiting manager to coordinate events at his alma mater, Howard University. He helps with fundraising, community events, and faculty events. In the spring and fall, he even goes on campus to conduct interviews.

However, in a typical day during "busy season"— tax season — Ballard spends over 50 hours a week at the office.

"On any given day I may interact with up to five clients and 20 staff just through the normal day-to-day email, calls, and meetings," Ballard told Business Insider.

This is what his typical day looks like:

SEE ALSO: A 23-year-old is getting help paying $57,000 in student loans from an unusual source: her employer

4:30 a.m. Wake up and work out

"[My wife] is up at 4:50 a.m. to work out and drags me out of the bed," Ballard said.

He tries to squeeze in at least 45 minutes of exercise every morning before going on to wake his kids, Alexis, 12, and Ava, 8, up for school. By 6 a.m., Ballard is on his way from his home in central New Jersey to the office in Manhattan. Depending on meetings and location of clients, he either drives or takes the train.

"My day starts early so that I can beat the commute," Ballard told Business Insider.

He takes advantage of this time to get organized. "I use my commute in the morning as my opportunity to get my day organized – check email, organize my priority list for the day, catch up on reading client files, memos, etc.," Ballard said.

7:30 a.m. Arrive at the office

Before anything else, Ballard likes to get his morning fix of coffee and oatmeal.

At around 7:45 a.m., he's at his desk. He tries to FaceTime his kids before they go to school and before he gets swept away by the workday.

8 a.m. Address urgent issues and make a to-do list for the day

"The first couple hours of my day I spend reviewing any client files I need to review or taking care of staff matters," Ballard said.

After scanning some emails, Ballard makes a to-do list for his executive assistant to help him with filing papers, scheduling meetings, and travel arrangements if needed. He also tries to make his own to-do list, but this proves harder since he needs to be flexible in dealing with clients and their schedules.

"Adjusting my day for situations I did not anticipate in order to stay on track is unavoidable, as unexpected situations always surface," he says.

9 a.m. A rush of meetings, calls, and tackling the inbox

The staff usually arrives by 9:30 a.m., so from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. there is a "big rush" full of calls and meetings with his teams. Since Ballard has 19 clients and three to four staff members per client, he is essentially working with over 60 staff members everyday (they are shared among other partners as well).

The rest of the morning is spent sorting through over 50 emails, attending around six meetings, and making about 15 calls.

"From about 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. I typically spend in meetings, on calls or with my clients but I try not to schedule anything too heavy after 4 p.m. to give me time to catch up on anything that I did not get to earlier in the day," Ballard said.

12:30 p.m. Working lunch

"I eat in [pWc's] café maybe two days of the week," Ballard told Business Insider. "The other days I go out to lunch with clients, my engagement teams, or the other partners."

5 p.m. FaceTime with his family

Ballard tries his best to stay involved with his kids' lives on a daily basis and even helps them with homework. He uses FaceTime to catch up when he's not physically there.

"5 p.m. is FaceTime with my kids to see how their day was and to answer any math homework questions. My wife covers homework when she gets home, but hates math!" he said.

Ballard makes a great effort to guide younger associates, teaching them to balance work and family, which is something practices regularly. "I believe it's important to balance family life and work, and I tell all my associates that."

7 p.m. Leave work to pick up his daughter

On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays he tries to leave the office by 7 p.m. so he can pick his daughter Ava from gymnastics practice, and maybe even watch the last 45 minutes.

During "busy season," however, Ballard might find himself staying in the office, working late until 8 p.m., and might not get home until 9:30 p.m.

"My wife and I agreed that if I have work, she would much rather I stay at work than bring it home, because even if I'm physically there, I'm not actually there," Ballard explained.

The year 2001 launched a number of hit franchises that are still with us today.

From "Harry Potter" to "The Lord of the Rings," fan bases were thrust into new cinematic worlds and would follow the series through their conclusions and beyond.

As these and other major movie touchstones celebrate their 15th anniversary, we look back at 20 such memorable titles that will make you really appreciate how quick the passage of time is.

SEE ALSO: 41 movies you have to see this summer

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"

Only four books in the "Harry Potter" series were out when the first film hit the big screen. Fifteen years later, the book and film series have concluded and a new saga has begun. The two-part London play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" will take place 19 years after the final novel.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring"

Based on J.R.R. Tolkien's series, "The Fellowship of the Ring" was critically acclaimed and a box-office smash, and earned 13 Oscar nominations. It launched one of the most successful fantasy-film franchises of all time.

"Donnie Darko"

This cult film stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a troubled teen who is visited by a freaky rabbit figure named Frank. It also featured Jake's real-life sister Maggie, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell, and Seth Rogen in his feature-film debut. 

Everyone's had a socially awkward experience or two.

You go to hug someone, but they're trying to shake your hand, so you end up backslapping them from a foot away.

Your date asks whether you prefer vanilla or chocolate ice cream, and for some reason you end up telling him about the time you vomited after eating vanilla. (Obviously, nothing like this has ever happened to me.)

Chances are good that you're not nearly as socially inept as you believe you are. But simply thinking of yourself as awkward can undermine your confidence in social situations.

To help give you a confidence boost, we checked out the Quora thread "What are the best ways to improve social skills?" and pinpointed some practical tips.

We can't promise you'll never have another awkward encounter, but hopefully this advice will help you to enjoy, instead of dread, social interactions.

Note that if social anxiety is interfering with your ability to function on a daily basis, you might consider seeing a therapist, who can give you more tools to overcome your nerves.

SEE ALSO: 7 simple social skills that will make you more likable

1. Be present

We're so accustomed to mental and physical multitasking that we might not even realize how off-putting it can be to conversation partners.

"When you're with someone, but you're distracted by other thoughts or emotions, people notice,"writes Eva Glasrud. "Maybe your eyes glaze over, or your reactions are a little off or delayed. ... Or maybe you're being super obvious about it and using a mobile device while 'listening' to them.

"This makes people feel ... bad. Like they're not important. Or like you're not being authentic."

The ability to focus on the here and now is a skill called mindfulness, which you can cultivate gradually through practices like focusing on your breath and the individual sensations you're feeling in a given moment.

2. Focus on the other person

"The best thing I ever learned to improve my social skills was to think of the other person/people instead of myself,"says Jennifer McGinnis. "Instead of worrying how I was 'performing' or coming across, I would think about the other person and how they seemed to be feeling or getting along."

Chances are good that your conversation partner is feeling just as uncomfortable as you are — and recognizing that could help you relax.

3. Act 'as if'

In other words, fake it till you make it.

Writes Deborah Crawford:

Act "as if" you have great social skills. What does that look like? ... Pretend you are the host of whatever gathering you are in and make someone feel welcome. Smile, make brief eye contact, and say hi.

Crawford is on to something. A growing body of research suggests that you can change your emotions simply by changing your behavior. For example, smiling can make you feel happier, and adopting a "power pose" can make you feel more confident.

It's late April, y'all! The weather is warming. The US presidential election continues to be a circus. So, yes: We are firmly entrenched in 2016.

Some great games have already launched, but there's so much more coming in the next eight months.

For starters, this is is the year that PlayStation VR launches, that Facebook's Oculus VR finally released its Rift headset, and that HTC and Valve released the Vive — the year of VR.

It's also the year that Nintendo closes the book on Wii U with a few final major games before moving on to a new console with the (still codenamed) "NX" project, and Sony and Microsoft are cooking up revisions of their own consoles.

In short: It's a huge year for games, and we're barely scratching the surface with the 50 games below. Here's what to keep an eye on in 2016, in order of release date:

"The Witness"

"The Witness" was in development for over six years. Creative director Jonathan Blow has been working on it in solitude for several of those years, and with a team for the last three or so. He's notoriously sunk the profits of his previous indie blockbuster, "Braid," into the new game, which is a first-person puzzle game set on a mysterious abandoned island. It's one of the first new games in 2016, and it kicked off the year with a long-awaited follow-up from an acclaimed developer. Starting the year strong!

Release Date: January 26, 2016

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC, Mac

"Firewatch"

"Firewatch" is the first game from a new studio, Campo Santo, comprised of veteran heavy-hitters (people who worked on Telltale's "The Walking Dead" series, as well as "BioShock Infinite" and more). It's a first-person, story-focused game set in 1989, with a main character quite literally watching the wilds of Wyoming for forest fires in the wake of the 1988 Yellowstone fires. It has a gorgeous, unique art style and a gripping narrative. 

Release Date: February 9, 2016

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC, OS X, Linux

"Unravel"

Gorgeous, evocative 2D platforming games are one of the most delightful revelations of the last few years. Games like "Limbo" and "Braid" set the standard, and new games like "Unravel" are carrying the torch forward. In "Unravel," you play as a young boy made of yarn who's on a journey. Where that journey will take him is up to you to find out, but he'll have lots of platforming-based puzzles to solve in the process. 

Release Date: February 9, 2016

Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC

The wealthiest, most successful people appreciate the power of learning long after college or any formal education is over.

Today, it's easier than ever to continue your education with the chance to take online courses from some of the best universities in the world.

From learning personal finance basics to developing negotiation skills, we've picked out some of the best classes for anyone who is looking to expand their knowledge and grow their wealth. All are free, but some have paid versions that offer more extensive experiences.

Antonia Farzan contributed to an earlier version of this article.

SEE ALSO: 19 books to read if you want to get rich

Trick yourself into making smarter choices

"Behavioral Economics in Action," University of Toronto

Behavioral economics answers questions like, "How can we get people to save more money?"

But this class doesn't just teach you about theory.

It also gives you practical methods to apply in real life, which could come in handy if you know that you should be handling your money better, but can't seem to follow through.

Next session:Always available

Figure out how to decode the books

"Introduction to Financial Accounting," University of Pennsylvania Wharton School

After learning how to read the three most common financial statements — income statements, balance sheets, and cash-flow statements — you'll develop an understanding of how to make smart decisions based on what those reports tell you.

Next session: April 18 — May 22

Build a productive relationship with your money

"Love Your Money," University of Tennessee and FINRA

If you want to make better decisions about managing your money but don't know where to start, the Love Your Money program is for you.

It covers topics like building wealth, settling goals, budgets, credit cards, debt, 401(k) programs, and identity theft.

Next session:Always available

When you think of a typical volcano, you might picture a massive crater full of bubbling lava — like the one where Tom Hanks was going to be sacrificed in the 1990 classic Joe Versus the Volcano, or like Mount Doom where Gollum plunged to a fiery death in The Lord of the Rings.

But most volcanoes aren't actually like that.

Only a handful of volcanoes in the entire world erupt enough to sustain a lava lake. One of those is Villarrica in Chile.

These incredible photos illustrate how powerful Villarrica can be — and how rare lava lakes really are.

SEE ALSO: 12 gorgeous, terrifying photos of volcanoes erupting — as seen from space

MORE: 16 potentially deadly volcanoes that could erupt any minute

Villarrica is nestled within the Andes Mountains in southern Chile.

It's one of the most active volcanoes in the world.

Source: Global Volcanism Program

Villarrica's last major eruption began in March 2015, when thousands of people were evacuated from their homes at the base of the volcano.

Source: AFP

It's that time of year when we take a look at the rapidly changing status of marijuana in the US.

Yes, the Drug Enforcement Agency still categorizes marijuana as a schedule I drug, one that has no accepted medical use, but since the late 1990s, a majority of Americans have thought medical pot should be legal. A majority support recreational legalization as well.

Washington D.C. and 24 states (plus Guam) have legalized medical marijuana (that number is even higher, no pun intended, if we count laws with very limited access).

But what do we know about the science behind medical uses of cannabis?

There seem to be some definite benefits. Even the NIH's National Institute on Drug Abuse lists medical uses for cannabis.

Yet it's hard to study marijuana's uses while the schedule I classification remains in place. It makes it difficult for researchers to get their hands on pot grown to the exacting standards that are necessary for medical research. Plus, there are hundreds of chemical compounds in the cannabis plant that could play a role in medical treatments, but for now, it's hard to know which aspect of the plant is causing an effect.

Using all the compounds in marijuana simultaneously is like "throwing 400 tablets in a cocktail and saying 'take this,'"Yasmin Hurd, a professor of neuroscience and psychiatry at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told Tech Insider last summer.

More research would identify health benefits more clearly and would also help clarify potential dangers. As with any psychoactive substance, there are risks associated with abuse, including dependency and emotional issues. Many doctors want to understand marijuana's effects better before deciding whether to recommend it or not.

With those caveats in mind, here are 20 of the medical benefits — or potential benefits — of marijuana.

Jennifer Welsh contributed to a previous version of this story.

SEE ALSO: What marijuana does to your body and brain

MORE: A new book could change everything we know about addiction, drugs, and alcohol

Marijuana can help control epileptic seizures.

Marijuana use can prevent epileptic seizures in rats, a 2003 study showed.

Robert J. DeLorenzo, of Virginia Commonwealth University, gave marijuana extract and synthetic marijuana to epileptic rats. The drugs rid the rats of the seizures for about 10 hours. Cannabinoids like the active ingredients in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (also known as THC), control seizures by binding to the brain cells responsible for controlling excitability and regulating relaxation.

More recent human studies have shown that cannabidiol (CBD), another major marijuana compound, seems to help people with treatment-resistant epilepsy.

It may help reverse the carcinogenic effects of tobacco and improve lung health.

There's a fair amount of evidence that marijuana does no harm to the lungs, unless you also smoke tobacco, and one study published in Journal of the American Medical Association found that marijuana not only doesn't impair lung function, it may even increase lung capacity.

Researchers looking for risk factors of heart disease tested the lung function of 5,115 young adults over the course of 20 years. Tobacco smokers lost lung function over time, but pot users actually showed an increase in lung capacity.

It's possible that the increased lung capacity may be due to taking a deep breaths while inhaling the drug and not from a therapeutic chemical in the drug.

Those smokers only toked up a few times a month, but a more recent survey of people who smoked pot daily for up to 20 years found no evidence that smoking pot harmed their lungs.

It also decreases the symptoms of a severe seizure disorder known as Dravet's Syndrome.

During the research for his documentary "Weed," Sanjay Gupta interviewed the Figi family, who treats their 5-year-old daughter using a medical marijuana strain high in cannabidiol and low in THC.

There are at least two major active chemicals in marijuana that researchers think have medicinal applications (there are up to 79 known active compounds). Those two are cannabidiol (CBD) — which seems to impact the brain mostly without a high— and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — which has pain relieving (and other) properties.

The Figi family's daughter, Charlotte, has Dravet Syndrome, which causes seizures and severe developmental delays.

According to the film, the drug has decreased her seizures from 300 a week to just one every seven days. Forty other children in the state are using the same strain of marijuana (which is high in CBD and low in THC) to treat their seizures — and it seems to be working.

The doctors who recommended this treatment say that the cannabidiol in the plant interacts with the brain cells to quiet the excessive activity in the brain that causes these seizures.

As Gutpa notes, a Florida hospital that specializes in the disorder, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Drug Enforcement agency don't endorse marijuana as a treatment for Dravet or other seizure disorders.

The scientific debate is ongoing over whether congenital birth defects can be linked to radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster that happened 30 years ago this month.

Physicians in the region have reported a sharp rise in birth defects there since 1986. 

A 2010 study by the American Academy of Pediatrics found a correlation between the presence of hazardous levels of strontium-90 — a radioactive element produced by nuclear fission — and dramatically high rates of certain congenital birth defects. 

Belarus, whose border with Ukraine is just four miles from the Chernobyl power plant, absorbed an estimated 70% of the nuclear fallout. 

A study by UNICEF suggested that more than 20% of adolescent children in Belarus suffer from disabilities caused by birth defects. 

Getty photographer Sean Gallup recently visited care centers for children with disabilities in Belarus. Below, see Gallup's images of the children living in these facilities. 

SEE ALSO: 16 people who helped with the Chernobyl cleanup share their devastating first-hand accounts

More than 5% of strontium-90 was released during the Chernobyl explosion. Although that percentage might not seem very high, strontium-90 is the most dangerous component of the radioactive fallout from a nuclear explosion.

Vesnova Home for Invalid Children is a facility working to help children whose lives have been severely affected by the Chernobyl disaster. More than 170 children and teenagers who were born with severe birth defects receive care here.

Chernobyl Children International (CCI) is a nonprofit organization that helps the children and families who continue to be affected by the disaster. They work closely with the facilities in Belarus.

Source: CCI

Today, Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate her 90th birthday.

In her 90 years, the record-breaking monarch has pretty much seen it all — she has undertaken more than 260 official overseas visits, has given audience to 12 British Prime Ministers and met 12 U.S presidents.

On the day of her birthday — April 21 — she will spend most of her time at home in Windsor castle. In the evening, she'll light the first in a chain of 1,000 beacons around the world that will celebrate her birthday, before hosting a private luncheon for Barack Obama and his wife Michelle the following day. 

In celebration of her 90th birthday, we've found a photo from every single year of her remarkable life. 

1926: The Queen was born at 2:40 a.m. on April 21, 1926, at 17 Bruton Street in London. This photo shows the newly-born Princess Elizabeth with her father and mother, the Duke and Duchess of York — later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

1927: She was the couple's first child and was christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary in Buckingham Palace's private chapel. She was named Elizabeth after her mother, Mary after her grandmother Queen Mary, and Alexandra after her great-grandmother Queen Alexandra.

1928: No one ever thought Elizabeth would become queen. This only became apparent once her father's elder brother Edward abdicated, putting her father on the throne, and making her first-in-line.

Music is big business, and while singing and playing in a band can make you rich and famous — working as producer, dancer, or lyricist can be even more lucrative.

Every year The Sunday Times publishes its highly anticipated "Rich List" of all the wealthiest people in Britain.

As a preview, the publication released a snippet of some of the rankings, by listing who accrued the largest musical fortunes in the UK.

This includes individual dancers, singers, bands, and music producers.

The Sunday Times did not say why it split some bands' musical fortunes up into individual rankings.

Business Insider took a look at some of the largest musical fortunes in Britain — none of them were women.

9. Michael Flatley — £198 million. The dancer, choreographer, and musician became famous in the 1990s for his Irish dance shows Riverdance and the Lord of the Dance.

8. Ringo Starr — £200 million. The former drummer for The Beatles amassed a huge fortune in and after his time with the band through royalties and personal music projects.

7 (joint). Keith Richards — £220 million. The Sunday Times ranked the members of the Rolling Stones separately. However, the band's guitarist has accrued a fortune that nearly reaches that of lead singer Sir Mick Jagger.

As Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her 90th birthday on Thursday, many continue to wonder whether a monarchy offers good value for money.

But they needn't worry, according to Qing Wang, professor of Marketing and Innovation at Warwick University. 

After conducting research of Chinese consumers in 13 cities covering five regions of China, Wang found five significant reasons the Queen is good for the UK economy.

A recent survey from YouGov suggests the Queen and her family remain hugely popular, with 68% of those surveyed saying the monarchy was "good for Britain."

Check out the list below to see why the Queen is good for UK business:

1. She's great for branding

There's no denying the Queen remains one of the strongest symbols of the UK for the rest of the world, instantly conveying its tradition and history. This gives brands an edge, particularly those on the luxury end, contributing to £160 billion ($229 billion) in annual exports.

For Chinese consumers, the Queen top of the list of things they associate with Britain, while royal connections were one of the main reasons they purchased British luxury goods.

2. Businesses benefit from the Royal Warrant

This is a crest you see on certain products from companies who supply goods or services to a Royal Court or certain royal personages. Unsurprisingly, it makes for a great marketing tool domestically and abroad. There are currently around 800 holders of the Royal Warrant, ranging from individual craftsmen to giant companies like Kellogg's.

In Wang's research, 57% of Chinese consumers said the Royal Warrant is important or very important in increasing desirability of British lifestyle brands, while 27% said they get their inspiration for fashion and home style from the Queen and the royal family.

3. Her soft power is immeasurable

For Wang, soft power is defined as the ability to get what you want through attraction rather than through coercion, and the UK’s royal heritage and Queen is a key part of that. Wang's research of Chinese consumers showed that, particularly among the millennials (aged 25-32), British fashion is perceived as being 'fearless' with a strong individual sense of style.

This also comes into politics: Prince William met Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2015, the first royal visit to China since the Queen flew there in 1986, and it coincided with the Great Festival of Creativity in Shanghai, put on by UK Trade & Investment, where many British companies were showcasing their products.