When Kentaro Yamada lost his full-time job in 2012, he felt pretty defeated.

"[I felt] that society didn't need me, and it would move along just fine without me," he told Business Insider.

However, Yamada is an eternal optimist, and he decided to turn the downtime into something productive. 

"I decided to make sure one positive thing happened in the midst of that uncertainty, and that was to learn photography seriously," he said.

Greatly inspired by Brandon Stanton, the photographer behind Humans of New York, Yamada knew that he wanted to document people. He decided to add his own magical take: including levitating objects in the shot. 

Photographing both his subjects and their prized posessions, Yamada has now documented a handful of Chicago's own successful entrepreneurs for a project he calls "The Uplifted".

As for his process creating a final, finished image, he said, "I usually capture a subject and objects separately and combine the two later in Photoshop."

Ahead, 13 Chicagoans and their stories, as told by Yamada. 

SEE ALSO: A photographer leans out of a flying helicopter to capture these gorgeous aerial shots of New York City

April Carlisle oversees shopper and customer marking initiatives as a senior vice president at Leo Burnett. This mother of two once competed in the National Jigsaw Puzzle Championships years ago. Yamada had her pose with her prized jigsaw puzzle globe.

Bluford Putnam is the chief economist of the CME Group, browsing through weather reports, unemployment numbers, and currency trends around the world to formulate economic outlooks. Here, he proudly levitates his first published book, "The Monetary Approach to International Adjustment", which he wrote in 1982.

Bruce Daugherty is a senior vice president at one of Chicago's most successful pizzerias, Connie's Pizza. This busy grandfather of four multitasks daily, looking after the supplies at storefronts nationwide.

If anyone ever asks you whether vegans get enough protein, show them a picture of David Haye.

After recovering from a potentially career-ending shoulder injury, the former WBA World Heavy Weight Champion boxer is making a comeback, fueled by protein shakes made of plants.

Since winning his first comeback fight against Mark de Mori in January, Haye says his alter-ego is as strong as ever.

"The Hayemaker is a dangerous fellow who, when the bell rings, is on a seek and destroy mission, by any means necessary. No playing around. No comedy. It’s just straight up business," Haye said.

The Hayemaker's mission is to win the world title back.

However, outside of the ring, a measured, business-savvy man called David Haye is plotting to bring boxing further into the mainstream.

In January, he snubbed the lucrative pay-per-view channels to instead air his comeback fight on the free-to-view UK TV comedy channel Dave, gaining 3 million viewers. He told Business Insider that he hopes his increased profile will help him to launch a "serious" acting career after he retires.

Business Insider sat down face-to-face with Haye to find out more about both sides of the 35-year-old Londoner.

His face was cut and bruised during the interview, from a training session earlier that day.

Haye was a speaker at Advertising Week Europe in London earlier this month. The quotes that follow are a combination of what he said on stage, and an interview with Business Insider after his appearance.

SEE ALSO: We went for a jog with the man who ran 370 marathons in 1 year to win a bet with his girlfriend

Haye grew up in Bermondsey, south London. He lived in a two bedroom flat in an 18th floor apartment with his Jamaican father, British mother, sister, and brother. "I had the best of both nationalities," Haye said.

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"On the outside it doesn't look that great, but I had a lot of love," Haye said. "I was actually very fortunate. I think I was actually the only kid in my class at one stage that actually had a father in the home." Haye credits his father Deron for teaching him the importance of hard work, pulling 13 hour shifts as a panel beater at a railway station.

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At home, the atmosphere was loving, but competitive. "It was always about being first, about winning. There were no prizes for second place," he added. "My mother and father said: 'Do whatever you want, as long as you're the best at it.'" From a young age, Haye felt he had superior strength and speed to his peers.

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The world is undergoing a profound demographic shift that will cause sweeping changes over the next few decades. 

Those changes will broaden the scope of our study of economics and investing; they will alter our understanding of sociology; and they will radically affect politics and governments.

Precisely what these changes will be is difficult to discern and predicting them requires some guesswork, but the one thing we don’t have to guess about is the demographic shift itself. 

Now, let’s begin with the big picture.

The world’s population could reach 14 billion by 2100

Experts think human population could fall to 6 billion or hit 14 billion until the end of this century. The gap is that wide because demographic projections require many assumptions. Small changes can combine to make a dramatic difference over time.

Uncertain future events could also bend the population curve. Baby booms and busts, wars, famines, epidemics, medical breakthroughs, and more are all potential game-changers. 

The late 20th century acceleration in population growth was mainly a result of modern vaccinations. Other technologies could have—and I think will have—similar impacts in the future.

Technology can cut the other way, too. We now have the capacity to wipe out entire nations with nuclear weapons. Some scientists think our excessive antibiotic use will create drug-resistant superbugs that could kill millions. I don’t expect such events, but we can’t rule them out, either.

For now, we are at least reproducing faster than we are dying. The result is a growing global population, which masks another problem.

Populations are shrinking in much of the developed world

If the global population is on the rise, it doesn’t mean it’s growing at the same rate in every country, or even growing at all.

We find the highest growth rates, for example, in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of the Middle East. The lowest growth is in Eastern Europe, Russia, China, and Japan. 

Notice the countries shown in shades of blue below. They are actually shrinking in population.

If you want your nation’s population to grow, you need a higher fertility rate and/or longer life expectancy. Africa has both factors on its side, though fertility rates are beginning to decline there, too.

Lifespans are growing almost everywhere

Falling fertility rates and longer lifespans mean that the global population is getting older. This will bring something remarkable in the next few years: the world will soon have more people over age 65 than it has children under 5.

You can see in the chart that the elderly population is growing much faster than the child population is shrinking. As our ability to extend lifespans grows, the disparity between these populations will get worse.

Energy is one of the largest and most profitable industries in the US, and it's imperative that companies in the competitive sector keep their employees happy to retain top talent.

Business Insider recently teamed up with PayScale, a compensation software and data company, to put together a list of the best companies to work for in America in 2016. Though Google took the top spot this year, one-fifth of the companies on the list are in energy-related industries.

Not only are employees at these 10 energy companies highly satisfied with their jobs — every company reports more than 72% of employees having high job satisfaction — they're also paid well. PayScale reports the median pay at every energy company for employees with at least five years of experience is over $85,000, with four companies reporting a median pay over $100,000.

Read on to learn more about all the energy companies that made our list of the best companies to work for in America:

NOW READ: The 50 best companies to work for in America

AND: The 50 most powerful companies in America

10. Ameren

Headquarters: St. Louis, Missouri

Experienced median pay: $88,100

High job satisfaction: 78% of employees

The holding company oversees operations for Ameren Missouri and Ameren Illinois, two of the largest energy providers in their respective states. Ameren employs more than 8,500 people, and PayScale reports that 74% of employees say that their job has high meaning.

9. NRG Energy

Headquarters: Houston, Texas, and Princeton, New Jersey

Experienced median pay: $96,700

High job satisfaction: 85% of employees

Employees at green-energy company NRG can take advantage of benefits like college scholarships, rewards for outstanding work, and discounts on appliances and services to make their homes more sustainable, such as solar-panel installation, smart thermostats, and electric vehicles. The company's Houston campus is LEED-certified, and the Princeton headquarters will receive a number of upgrades to make it more environmentally friendly.

8. NextEra Energy

Headquarters: Juno Beach, Florida

Experienced median pay:$87,500

High job satisfaction: 72% of employees

The clean-energy company employs 14,300 people in 27 states and Canada. NextEra Energy's Florida headquarters— which achieved LEED-gold recertification last year — has a fitness center, nature trail, running track, and outdoor volleyball court.

Survey data shows most people plan to abandon cable within 10 years — but why wait?

The cord-cutting movement is here, and thanks to all the available services out there, it's easy to replace cable with one or a variety of streaming options.

First we'll look at the best online apps and services to watch movies and TV shows, and then we'll show you the best hardware you can buy to put all that multimedia on your big screen.

These solutions are the next best thing to live TV — and you'll be saving much more money in the long run.

First, let's look at the best apps and services...

1. Netflix

Netflix is a best place to start if you want to be able to stream movies and TV shows — including a growing number of Netflix originals — on almost any device you could think of. New content drops each Friday.

Price: $9 per month ($10 per month starting in May)

2. HBO Now

HBO has some of the best content out there, but prior to last year you had to be a cable TV subscriber to enjoy the content. Well, HBO finally listened to fans last April and unveiled HBO Now, a monthly subscription service for people who don't have HBO in their cable package, or any cable package at all. If you've never seen "Game of Thrones,""Silicon Valley," or any of the incredible HBO shows over the years like "The Sopranos" or "Six Feet Under," do yourself a favor and buy this service. You won't regret it.

Price: $15 per month

Apps are a dime a dozen these days. Most of them aren't worth your time, but the special few can actually make you more productive, connect you with people, and keep you entertained.

We're here to make sure that the best gems don't fall through the cracks. Here's everything you may have missed in April:

Reddit released its first official smartphone app, and people love it.

Reddit's official mobile app is the result of its purchase of Alien Blue, a popular third-party app for browsing Reddit, in 2014.

The new app is clean and easy to use. It also has a host of features power users will appreciate, including a night theme, a "speed read" setting for quickly scanning large chunks of text, and everything you need to easily manage your Reddit account from a phone.

With an average four-star rating in the App Store, it looks like this one is a hit.

Price: Free

Available on: App Store, Google Play

Microsoft released its own keyboard app with some nifty productivity hacks.

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Microsoft shocked us all with with the release of Hub Keyboard for iPhone and Android. The new keyboard comes after Microsoft bought SwiftKey, which was widely considered to be the best predictive text keyboard.

Hub Keyboard has a few other bells and whistles, like quick access to the last thing you copied and pasted. It can also integrate with your Office 365 account to search recent documents and contacts. The Android version can even translate text on the fly into another language.

Price: Free

Available on: App Store, Google Play

An app called Down to Lunch blew up in the App Store after students started using it to facilitate hanging out.

Down to Lunch climbed to the top of the App Store earlier this month after it started spreading like wildfire among students looking to hang out with each.

From Business Insider's Nathan McAlone:

"Down to Lunch lets you declare that you are "down" to go to lunch, go out, go to dinner, play basketball, and so on. Then you send out that "down" notification to all your nearby friends (or you can create separate lists to invite specific people). If any of them are free they can join your event, and you can chat to coordinate a meet-up."

Price: Free

Available on: App Store, Google Play

Platitudes won't help you. I know, I've tried to implement them all. They're frustrating.  

Go for it! Live for today! Stay motivated! 

No kidding. 

I'm more interested in how we can radically improve our lives.  How can we stay truly motivated? How can we maintain hyper-efficiencies? How can we stay happy at work? How can we find true fulfillment by cultivating the most attractive aspects of our personalities? 

Here are 10 unexpected things you can do daily to radically improve your life: 

SEE ALSO: 11 daily habits of self-made billionaires anyone can adopt

1. Don't obsess over "how" you'll do something. 

Four years ago when I launched my agency Silverback Social, I just did it. I knew that I wanted to create a digital agency that led with social media. I had no idea how I was going to do it.

I still remove the "how" from most of our agency issues. We continue to grow, over- perform, and excel in every endeavor, winning awards and working with some of the most compelling clients.  

Obsessing over your "how" will only lead you to full-on panic. Define your "why" for sure, but let go of the "how."

2. Invest in clothes that fit.  Yes, seriously. 

My dress shirts and suits are all custom-made. This isn't as extravagant as it sounds. You can order custom clothing for about the same cost as off-the-rack clothes from Banana Republic. You just have to be patient for the clothes to get delivered after you've been measured. 

When you have clothes that fit well, you feel better. When you feel better you perform better. Removing the stress of selecting a shirt that will fit in the morning frees up psychic energy.

I can select any shirt in my closet and know that the fit is perfect and I will feel and look great all day. It may seem superficial, but I think it helps me to perform my best. 

3. Meditate.

Meditation can reduce stress, improve your concentration, and increase happiness. But you don't have to sell all your worldly possessions and live in a cave to meditate. Meditation can be anything.

When you're washing your hands today, slow down and really think about how you're washing your hands. Feel the sensation of the water. Smell the aroma of the soap. Enjoy it. You're meditating! 

Realize that your thoughts and feelings aren't you. Acknowledging that you're having a thought is a powerful way to separate yourself from the thought. I recommend the Headspace app to help. 

Genetically modified organisms as we know them today have only been around for a few decades.

But in that time, we've taken to using them almost everywhere. Today, GMOs can be found in everything from the cotton in our T-shirts to the soda we sip at the movies.

Here are all the things that likely wouldn't look anything like they do today without some type of genetic modifications:

CHECK OUT: RANKED: These are the healthiest grains for you

UP NEXT: Not all leafy greens are created equal — here's the definitive ranking of the best ones for you

The corn we eat today has been modified with genes from living things that are not plants.

Corn, the most widely grown crop in the US, is currently modified in two key ways: either by adding genes from Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria, known as Bt, to make it resistant to corn-loving insects, or genes from Agrobacterium, which makes it resistant to the weedkiller Roundup. The insertion of bacterial DNA is what makes corn, and the others on this list, considered a "genetically modified organism."

Today, corn is used to make everything from the corn syrup found in soda and most candy to the sweet corn we eat on the cob. A whopping 92% of the corn we eat is genetically modified, according to the USDA.

In the 1990s, papayas in Hawaii faced extinction without the help of GMO technology.

Papayas in Hawaii were facing destruction from the Ringspot virus, a disease transmitted to the fruit by insects. To fix the problem, scientists added a harmless gene from the virus into the papaya's DNA, giving papayas immunity to the virus. Today, most papayas are produced in Hawaii, though some come from Texas, California, and Florida as well.

Roughly 77% of papayas made in Hawaii are GMO.

Soybeans were genetically modified around the same time as corn and other crops to resist herbicides like RoundUp.

Soy seems to be everywhere these days: From edamame and soy sauce to soy lecithin, which is used to help thicken things like salad dressing, it's almost unavoidable. Soybeans were genetically modified around the same time as corn and other crops to be resistant to herbicides.

According to the USDA, 94% of US soybeans are GMO.

Lisa Schroeder has a pretty sweet job.

For the past 16 years, Schroeder has worked for Mars Chocolate — a segment of the $33 billion Mars candy, petcare, and beverage company. Mars Chocolate produces 29 candy brands in total, including the billion-dollar global brands M&M's, Snickers, Dove, Milky Way, and Twix.

As a sensory technologist for the company, Schroeder's job is to taste-test chocolate. We recently spoke to her to find out how she landed this dream job, what she does all day, and what advice she has for aspiring taste testers. 

Here's what she had to say:

SEE ALSO: Here's what a professional taste tester actually does all day

Schroeder's path to becoming a taste tester was anything but traditional.

After high school, Schroeder went to the Katharine Gibbs secretarial school in Montclair, New Jersey, where she majored in advanced secretarial studies.

She went on to work in a variety of administrative support roles while raising her children. Then, in 2000, she heard about the taste panel at Mars from a neighbor who worked for the company.

"When the opportunity to apply to become a taste tester presented itself I jumped at the chance," she recalls. "I never thought about working with food when I was growing up, but I have always loved chocolate. Some of my earliest and cherished childhood memories are of my mother and I snuggling on the couch with a bowl of M&Ms between us while we watched television."

She says her background and journey to where she is today "was definitely not the traditional route of getting a job in research and development."

When Schroeder joined Mars in 2000, she had no food science experience — but luckily for her, "your educational background really has no bearing on your ability to taste," she explains.

Despite not having any prior experience with taste-testing, she decided to go for the job.

"I couldn't pass up the opportunity to taste chocolate for a living," Schroeder says. 

The first step of the hiring process is to fill out a screener, which asks questions to find out how you describe food and your experience with tasting food.

"Taste testers are hired based upon their ability to identify and describe flavor, basic tastes, and textures — not their educational background," she explains.

Next, there's an in-person screener and interview, where they test you on basic tastes and further test your ability to use descriptive language.

"Once you're selected as a taste tester, you go through a six-month intensive training program to learn how to become a Mars taste tester."

Schroeder says her four years of experience as a descriptive panelist — also known as a taste tester — was "one of the best educations I could have received in preparation for joining the sensory team here at Mars."

After four years taste-testing chocolate, she was promoted to a sensory technician role.

After spending four years as a chocolate taste tester, Schroeder was offered a sensory technician role for the company's Hackettstown, New Jersey plant, where Mars makes half of the country's M&M's.

"In my current role, I am responsible for training and leading the descriptive analysis panel, which is our panel of trained taste testers who gather data to help maintain the quality of our products. This program makes sure that our most loved brands — such as M&M's — taste the same as they did 75 years ago and that our new products taste like our consumers would expect. Consistent quality is an important principle for Mars," she explains.

Schroeder says there are only four descriptive panels like this around the world.

"Mars Chocolate has given me the opportunity to travel nationally and globally to share best practices, helping to ensure that wherever around the world you taste a Mars Chocolate product, the quality and experience are just the same."

In addition to running and training tasting panels, she also recruits Mars' taste testers, and collaborates regularly with sensory scientists. 

"I don't think my job is a dream job. I know it is."

85 years ago today, on May 1, 1931, the iconic Empire State Building officially opened for business.

Located in New York City on Fifth Avenue between 33rd and 34th Streets, it is a National Historic Landmark that gets over four million visitors every year.

There are things about the building that you probably already know about, like the popular tourist observatory deck on the 86th floor. 

Many facts, though, are not so commonly known. We've rounded up 14 of them here.

SEE ALSO: These copper-clad luxury apartment buildings — complete with an amenity-filled skybridge — will gradually turn green over time

During the grand opening of the building on May 1, 1931, the traditional ribbon-cutting took place, and the skyscraper's lights were switched on. The lights were supposedly turned on by President Herbert Hoover in Washington, DC. While Hoover did press a button, the act was purely symbolic — the real switches that turned on the lights were inside the building.

 Source: History

When it was first completed, the building was the tallest in the world, at 102 stories and 1,250 feet high (1,454 feet counting the lightning rod). That title was taken away in 1972 when the World Trade Center was built.

A total of 3,000 workers took part in the construction, averaging 4.5 floors a week.

He's known to "Game of Thrones" fans as the eye-gouging titan "The Mountain."

But Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson is also one of the strongest people in the world.

As the Icelandic actor and strongman prepares to compete in this year's World's Strongest Man competition, he revealed on Facebook what his current diet looks like.

Get ready to be amazed. Here's what Björnsson is eating every day, in his own words. We recommend that you don't attempt this — unless you are 6 feet 9 inches, weigh 395 pounds, and like to toss beer kegs and pull tractors.

SEE ALSO: Here's how 'Keanu' got Keanu Reeves to play a cat in the movie

6:50 a.m. Morning workout! Cardio + CORE for 30min Bcaa, Glutamine* + handful of almonds

*BCCA andg are amino acids used in exercise.

7:30 a.m. 8 eggs + 200gr Oats + blueberries & strawberries + avocado

9:30 a.m. 400gr Beef, 400gr Sweet potatoes, handful of spinach & greens

What will the next decade, century, or millennium look like?

Although no one knows for sure, many writers have imagined the future in their work, inviting us to travel through time.

We asked Lynn Lobash, manager of the New York Public Library's Reader Services department, to recommend the books about the future that everyone should read.

Here are 10, and you can see more recommendations at the NYPL's site.

SEE ALSO: 15 books that will change the way you understand human behavior

"The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History" by Elizabeth Kolbert

Combining science and history, Kolbert highlights humans' impact on the environment in this Pulitzer Prize-winning book published in 2014.

By burning fossil fuels, we are impacting the atmosphere, oceans, and climate, forcing millions of species into extinction, she says. Kolbert combines vivid descriptions of natural wonders, like the Great Barrier Reef, and wild experiences, like venturing into a bat cave, to explain Earth's present and possible future.

Buy the book here »

"This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate" by Naomi Klein

Klein challenges readers to abandon capitalism and restructure the global economy and our political system to move toward a greener future. She makes the case that moving away from capitalism will not only reduce CO2 emissions, it will also help close inequality gaps and build a better democracy.

We can either embrace radical change or the Earth will change radically, she argues in the 2014 book. Staying neutral in the climate debate is no longer an option.

Buy the book here »

"In 100 Years: Leading Economists Predict the Future," edited by Ignacio Palacios-Huerta

In this 2015 book, 10 prominent economists, including several Nobel laureates, offer their takes on what the world could look like in the twenty-second century.

These thinkers consider the future of work, salaries, equality, technology, and climate change, among other topics.

Buy the book here »

In the 1970s, London boutique owner Susie Faux coined the term "capsule wardrobe" to describe a minimal wardrobe composed of 30 to 40 high-quality, versatile items that will meet your needs for a given time amount of time.

Wearing only a fraction of your closet is supposed to reinforce the idea that you can be happy with less — plus, you'll save money in the long run buying fewer, quality clothes and skipping the mediocre items, Faux writes on her blog.

Out of curiosity — Are 30 items really enough for a season? Will it force me to dress better? How much truth is behind the mantra, 'dress for success'? — I decided to give it a whirl. I started small, eliminating 75% of my clothing for a month, to start.

But 30 days on a "capsule diet" wasn't nearly enough. Here's how I did it, and why I'm sticking with my 30-or-so items and never looking back.

SEE ALSO: I spent a month doing as many free things as I could in New York City — and I barely made a dent

Putting the capsule together was painless

The size of your capsule is highly personal, Faux explains, and there are no strict guidelines when it comes to building your mini wardrobe. I drew inspiration from Caroline Rector of Unfancy, who chooses 37 items for each three-month long season, and whittled down my congested closet to 30 items — 21 of which I ended up wearing for the next month. The other nine are still hanging and will likely be worn over the next month and a half before starting my "summer capsule."

As Rector suggests, I took every single piece of clothing out of my dresser and closet and laid it on my bed before building my capsule. I considered the last time I had worn each item — if it was over six months, it immediately went into the storage pile. If I didn't love it, it also went straight to storage.

The next criteria were practicality and versatility. I read that you should opt for neutral colors, since they're easier to mix-and-match, and for March in New York, I tried to choose as seasonally appropriate pieces as possible.

Building the capsule was surprisingly quick and painless — it was as simple as choosing my favorite clothes and packing everything else in a spare suitcase. The 30 items I settled on included:

• 5 pairs of shoes

• 3 pairs of pants, 1 skirt

• 2 coats, 1 rain jacket, 1 blazer, 1 cardigan

• 3 dresses, 1 romper

• 5 blouses, 3 sweaters, 2 tees, 1 button down, 1 tank

Note that the capsule does not include workout clothes, jewelry, accessories, pajamas, and underwear. For a more detailed (and fashion-forward) breakdown of what types of things to include in your capsule, check out Rector's guide.

It saved time and energy in the morning

I quickly found that choosing what to wear to work each day became infinitely easier, simply because I had so few clothes to choose from. It was also nice knowing that I couldn't really go wrong with my decision — after all, I filled my capsule with my favorite, highest-quality items.

What's more, simplifying the "What do I wear today?" conundrum meant I was expending less energy on mundane decisions.

After all, there's a scientific reason some of the most successful people wear the same outfit day in and day out (think: Mark Zuckerberg and his signature gray tee-shirt, or Barack Obama and his blue or gray suit). It helps them avoid decision fatigue.

As Obama told Vanity Fair in 2012, "You'll see I wear only gray or blue suits. I'm trying to pare down decisions. I don't want to make decisions about what I'm eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make."

I dressed better

I'm not a slob, but I don't take much more than 10 minutes to get ready in the morning — and that can sometimes translate into questionable ensembles.

When downsizing, I didn't just choose necessities — I chose my favorite and best necessities, meaning I was "limited" to high-quality clothes that fit me well. The entire experience reminded me of that feeling you have post-shopping spree, when you're irrationally excited to wear your new favorite purchases and consequently, end up wearing them day after day.

Plus, "Dress for success" is more than a catchy motto. As Business Insider's Dennis Green writes, "Studies have shown that wearing nice clothes in the office can affect the way people perceive you, how confident you're feeling, and even how you're able to think abstractly."

In one study, "Those dressed poorly (in sweatpants and plastic sandals) averaged a theoretical profit of $680,000, while the group dressed in suits amassed an average profit of $2.1 million. The group dressed neutrally averaged a $1.58 million profit," Green reports.

I didn't see an immediate financial return on my clothes, but it was nice to have an arsenal of "power outfits" at the ready. As Faux notes, "Your capsule wardrobe is designed to make you feel confident."

There are endless think pieces out there about what the rise of post-apocalyptic fiction tells us about the state of the American psyche. I've written about how science-fiction's obsession with climate change has sparked a generational shift in the futures we imagine for ourselves.

But I have to confess this to you: Sometimes, the exercise of disappearing into a fictional story about how our world might end is just pure fun for me. It lets me think about the hard realities likely headed our way from the comfortable remove of an imaginary story. From that perspective, the apocalypse is exciting.

With that in mind, here are the four best books I've read this year about the end of the world, and how each author imagines it will happen.

By climate change, slowly

Paolo Bacigalupi's thriller "The Water Knife," released last June, remains one of the grimmest, most intense speculative science fiction stories I've ever read. Set largely in Arizona and Nevada a few decades in the future, "The Water Knife" imagines a world where the slow attrition of climate change has worn down American society and its institutions to the point of near-collapse.

In this world, as places like Texas and Arizona ran entirely out of water, the United States devolved into a loosely-affiliated group of city-states closing their borders to each other's refugees with national guard troopers. While a weak federal government dithers in Washington, competition over rights to the remaining trickle of water in the Colorado river — the narrowing straw that today quenches the thirst of much of the American West — grows increasingly violent.

A few elites thrive in exclusive, self-contained ecosystems within skyscrapers in downtown Phoenix, but most people end up abasing themselves for whatever tiny sips of drink they can find.

By disease, all of a sudden

By some measures, Emily St. John Mandel's apocalypse in "Station Eleven" (also released last June) is the most traditional on this list.

As in Stephen King's "The Stand" and countless other end-of-the-world stories, her world ended through the massive destruction of a sudden pandemic. But unlike many post-apocalyptic stories, "Station Eleven" imagines a future far enough removed from the apocalypse that things are settling back into a new normal. The surviving humans have long since reverted to a villagers-and-nomads existence; the main characters in the story are traveling group of actors performing Shakespeare in trade for food and other goods across the Midwest.

This story is interesting not only because it is beautifully written, but because it takes the apocalypse as less than a devastating fact than a quirk of history our species would adjust to like any other.

By climate change, all of a sudden

From its start, Monica Byrne's trippy, beautiful novel "The Girl in the Road" (February 2015) appears to offer a more hopeful vision than "The Water Knife."

In this version of our future in the late 21st Century, new technologies and regulations have allowed our species to not only weather the coming climate devastation, but thrive. Nations like India, where much of the story is set, have lifted up their economies and tech sectors to contribute to a global network of innovation that safeguards the planet against the damage wrought in the 20th century.

But under a veneer of success, Byrne shows us that exploitation and destructive economies persist. And just as quickly as her main character's life goes to bits, so too does the climate health of the planet.

When Jim Koch left a comfortable career at Boston Consulting Group in 1984 to start the Boston Beer Company, his father told him he was making a terrible mistake.

The Kochs are a family of brewers, but Koch's dad thought the idea of trying to enter an industry dominated by brands like Budweiser and Coors was destined for failure.

Koch, however, started by aiming at a niche market. Today craft breweries produce 10% of all the beer in the United States, and Sam Adams is at the head of the pack, accounting for a full 1% of that slice, and bringing in more than a billion dollars in annual revenue.

In his new book "Quench Your Own Thirst," Koch shares 10 books he finds have had the most impact on his success. He previously explained the value of the first two selections in an interview with Business Insider last year, saying they helped him develop a philosophy of prioritizing customers over shareholders and using constant innovation as an advantage.

These are the titles he recommends you pick up if you're an aspiring entrepreneur or leader.

SEE ALSO: Anthony Bourdain discusses the new season of 'Parts Unknown,' his favorite restaurants, and how he went from outsider chef to the top of the food world

'Out of the Crisis' by W. Edward Deming

Deming was an American statistician who spent a decade in Japan after World War II. His lectures, consultation, and training contributed significantly to the country's postwar economic boom and the emergence of fine Japanese products on the global market.

In 1951, the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers created the Deming Prize for exceptional achievement in industry, but Deming didn't gain notoriety in the US until the '80s.

His 1986 book "Out of the Crisis," which Koch said is written in charming colloquial language, outlines 14 management points that advocate for the need to forecast, stay innovative, and empower employees.

"Long-term commitment to new learning and new philosophy is required of any management that seeks transformation," Deming wrote. "The timid and the fainthearted, and the people that expect quick results, are doomed to disappointment."

Koch said he takes this approach to his business, ignoring the daily ups and downs of the Boston Beer Company's stock price and prioritizing long-term growth over short-term results.

"So I'm worried about, where are we in two years? In five years? How do I make this the best, strongest, healthiest company I can?" Koch told us.

Find it here »

'The Structure of Scientific Revolutions' by Thomas S. Kuhn

The late physicist's book has become "one of the most cited academic books of all time" since its initial publication in 1962, establishing Kuhn as "perhaps the most influential" philosopher of science in the 20th century, according to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Kuhn's book is best remembered for introducing the phrase "paradigm shift," representing instances in scientific history when a perspective was fundamentally shifted, like when quantum physics replaced Newtonian mechanics.

The paradigm shift theory can be applied to aspects of business as well, such as the way Americans expanded their beer consumption past huge brands like Budweiser and Heineken over the past two decades.

"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" helped Koch "think about removing the blinders and not think within constraints," Koch told us.

"To be able to say, 'I know this is the way the world is, but why can't it be different and better?'"

Find it here »

'Accidents in North American Mountaineering' by the American Alpine Club

Before returning to Harvard to finish the dual MBA/JD program in 1978, Koch took a break and spent a few years as an Outward Bound instructor. Outward Bound is organization dedicated to fostering personal development through team building exercises outdoors.

In his book, Koch writes that his Harvard classmates may have turned up their noses at his decision, but he considers it pivotal to his success as an entrepreneur. "I found it invigorating to have no real responsibilities except to myself — life was now a blank canvas, every day a new choice."

One of the guides he came across during this time was the annual safety guide from the American Alpine Club, which uses the year's worst mountain climbing accidents to explain how such mistakes can be avoided. Koch later internalized it as a metaphor for business.

"Most fatalities begin as small mistakes that get compounded by unexpected conditions and bad judgment," he wrote. "There is usually a point where the right decision needs to be made and, if not made, fatality can only be avoided with unusually good luck (which rarely happens)."

Find it here »

The epicenter of Syria's brutal civil war shifted decisively last week to the country's largest city, Aleppo, which remains divided between regime loyalists in the west and rebel forces in the east.

Since April 22, 250 people have been killed— 140 of them in airstrikes and 96 by rebel shelling, according to The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. At least 40 children have been among the dead.

The violence has continued into the weekend: roughly 30 airstrikes pounded Aleppo on Saturday, marking the ninth-consecutive day of deadly bombardments.

SEE ALSO: The Obama administration is 'giving full cover to the Russians' in Syria — and the results are 'catastrophic'

Aleppo — along with Syria's capital, Damascus, and Sana'a, in Yemen — is one of the three oldest inhabited cities in human history.

The Citadel of Aleppo, a medieval fortified palace in the center of the old city, is one of the oldest and largest castles in the world. Its usage dates back at least to the middle of the third millennium BC.

In 2004, Aleppo was chosen by the Islamic conference organization to become the capital of Arab-Islamic culture.

Source: Reuters

The wealthiest private colleges in America eclipse many corporate giants as financial powerhouses. The endowment for Yale University, for instance, is worth nearly twice as much Macy's or MGM Resorts. Harvard University — the richest college in the country and $13 billion wealthier than Yale — could buy Prudential, General Mills, or Nokia with its $36 billion endowment. 

Schools like Yale and Harvard use their endowments to support their operating budget and invest for future opportunities, from providing scholarships and financial aid to funding research and other initiatives. The richest colleges, frequently the most prestigious, can offer more of these opportunities to their students and community, giving them a leg up in recruitment and helping them burnish their academic reputation.

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), an organization under the US government that collects and analyzes education data, provided Business Insider with the most recent figures on US college endowments (the fiscal year ending in October 2014). It also provided its most recent data on the annual cost for a student to attend each college while living on campus. 

Business Insider rounded up the 30 richest colleges overall, and below we've highlighted the 20 wealthiest private colleges — which all boast endowments of more than $3 billion.

Additional reporting by Alex Morrell.

SEE ALSO: The 50 best colleges in America

DON'T MISS: The 30 richest colleges in America

20. Johns Hopkins University

Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Endowment: $3.39 billion

Total cost:$63,529

With nine schools and more than 240 programs— including top-ranked biomedical and environmental engineering programs— Johns Hopkins offers undergraduates endless areas of study, from biophysics to music composition. Johns Hopkins Hospital, the teaching hospital and medical center affiliated with JHU’s school of medicine, is regarded as one the best in the country.

19. New York University

Location: New York, New York

Endowment: $3.44 billion

Total cost: $66,022

The largest private research university in the US, NYU has over 40,000 students not only in New York but in cities all over the world, including Abu Dhabi and Shanghai. Its renowned Tisch School of the Arts has churned out notable alumni such as Martin Scorsese and Alec Baldwin. The university's Stern School of Business is one of the 20 best business schools in the world.

18. Vanderbilt University

Location: Nashville, Tennessee

Endowment: $4.05 billion

Total cost: $62,320

Vanderbilt prides itself on being ranked No. 1 on the list of schools with the happiest students by Princeton Review. With over 200 music venues surrounding the school’s campus, Music City provides the university's students with a lush playground for exploration. The options don’t stop there, about 40% of Vanderbilt’s students choose to study abroad with one of the university’s more than 120 programs available in 36 countries on six continents.

The fast-food budget wars have heated up recently.

While Burger King, Wendy's, and McDonald's have all introduced thrifty value menus and bundle deals, breakfast has more or less escaped the value wars.

But Taco Bell's new $1 breakfast menu, combining existing breakfast options with several new items, is a shot across the bow.

Clearly, $1 breakfast items can make anyone's wallet happy, but is the food worth it?

We decided to try all the chewable, non-beverage value breakfast items (I think we all can imagine what orange citrus Mountain Dew tastes like, for better or worse) to find out if this morning value selection is a breakfast blessing or a blight.

SEE ALSO: Here's what you have to do to get free breakfast at Subway for a month

So, you're going to Taco Bell for breakfast? Bold move — perhaps even commendable. But is the chain's new "Morning Value Menu" worth the visit?

The grilled breakfast burritos are the anchors of the breakfast menu: simple, easy to eat, and fairly large. Yet, two out of the three options disappoint. Both the sausage and bacon iterations are wildly salty with an abundance of bland egg and far too much molten cheese. The consistency is unpleasant, and the flavors just aren't there.

However, the potato version may just be the grilled burrito's saving grace. The potato chunks add a savory, starchy flavor that lends substance to the egg and dubious cheese. And with some surprisingly vibrant pico de gallo thrown in the mix for texture and crispness, this burrito is amazingly balanced.

How do you keep your confidence up when things really aren't going your way?

Stanford professor Maggie Neale, who teaches a high-stakes negotiation course,  says people with high aspirations generally achieve more than those who don't.

The downside is, they feel worse than the folks who had no aspirations to begin with. 

The old saying "if you shoot for the moon, you  land among the stars" doesn't quite cover the agony of all those failed moonshots, does it? 

If you haven't made your lunar landing yet, don't give up. Here are natural ways to be your own superhero and boost your confidence from champion performers:

SEE ALSO: 5 power poses that will instantly boost your confidence

1. Adopt a champion's mindset.

Performance coach and golf-whisperer Bob Rotella, Ph.D,  says reframe your world so  it's going your way, no matter what. Wet greens? You love those conditions. Fast, dry greens? Perfect for you. You don't have to box yourself in with a false sense of "ultimate truth." Instead, actively work on a positive perspective right now.

To an outsider, this might sound crazy — and so what? The alternative — constantly telling yourself what you didn't do well — undermines your confidence. It can ultimately rob you of your joy.

2. Live in execution.

Self-made billionaire Oprah says no one can take away the gift you want to give. She learned young to focus on what she has to give, not what she had to get. If you're going for something big, then focusing too much on the far horizon can undermine your confidence, too. Instead, focus on your execution today. 

Refuse to anchor your thinking in the the huge gap between today and the goal you want. The gap is scary big only because you are  dreaming big. Good on you. Get back to what you can do today to feel your sense of personal power surge. 

3. Know you can handle it.

Elon Musk, widely regarded as a real-life superhero, has had more setbacks than most people realize. He was hospitalized after bullies threw him down stairs in school. His first child died. His wife left him. Regarding entrepreneurial success, he said he thought SpaceX only had a 10% chance of succeeding. 

Alex Malley, author of bestseller "The Naked CEO," says, "The only way to build self-confidence is to take a risk and take action despite your fear of failure, messing up or embarrassment. If things work out, then you now know you can do more than you think. If things don't work out, you now know that you can handle more than you think. Either way, you're better off." 

Even though mobile providers do offer select plans for international data and calling, making calls to other countries can still get pretty pricey. 

While apps like WhatsApp, Viber, and Skype have given us the ability to message and call for free or at a reduced rate, they still require you to use a Wi-Fi connection or mobile data. 

International calling app Rebtel recently released a new feature that allows users to make calls abroad for free, even if they don't have access to Wi-Fi or cellular data. 

Rebtel connects users to their system via a local call and can then transfer this call to any number in the world.

When both users have the app (which the company refers to as Rebel Calling), both users can be connected via a local call to shortcut the costs of international calling.

This way, the user gets free unlimited international calling with the same stability expected from a regular call.

Rebtel CEO Magnus Larsson started the company back in 2006 in an effort to build an international calling platform that offers consistency and reliability.

"The aim was to build this for a community of people who use international calling often," Larsson told Business Insider. "It's for those who are looking for quality and stability, rather than just the ability to make an international call." 

The Rebel Calling feature will be available for free until sometime next year, after which they plan to charge $1 per month for the service. 

We tested out the app by making an international call to Ireland. Here's what happened.

SEE ALSO: This app creates incredibly detailed maps that travelers can access even when they don't have an internet connection

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Once you download the app, you're asked to verify your number and the country you're in.

Next, you'll be asked if you'd like to allow the app access to your address book to add your contacts.

While testing the feature, I made sure to turn off both Wi-Fi and cellular data. After entering my contact's number, I was told to hold while the call connected. After a few seconds, we were both connected and able to hear one another clearly.