Buzz
This week’s Brain Buffet covers what steps to take if you're facing a potential firing, the surprising surge in celebrity deaths in 2016, Google's new hardware division, and much more.
Welcome to Mytour’s Monday Brain Buffet, a fresh series where we bring together fascinating podcasts, interviews, articles, and other content that will educate you, spark your creativity, and hopefully set the tone for your week. Let’s dive in.
What to Do If You Suspect You’re About to Be Fired or Laid Off
On Quora, this thread raises an essential question—one we’ve addressed before, but now with a more urgent, real-time approach: What should you do if you suspect you're about to be fired or laid off?
The general responses are great, but Karen Tiede's comment really emphasized an important point:
Take your personal items out of the office and off your hard drive. I’ve been fired, laid off, and sold, and the last time was the easiest because all 8000 of us could see it coming.
It was unfortunate to hear that some people lost valuable data they could have used, as they couldn’t retrieve it from their hard drives in time. (This was before everyone had internet access on their phones or cloud backup.)
I cleaned out my office during Thanksgiving weekend, and got laid off the following Monday. It made things a lot easier to only carry out my severance package, instead of searching for boxes while surrounded by others in the same situation.
Someone had already removed my PC stand from my cubicle.
Some people follow a simple guideline—never leave more personal items on your desk than can fit into a single box you can carry out at a moment's notice. After all, you never know what might happen, and your company is certainly not your friend. You might get a heads-up when things are about to shift, or perhaps you’ll leave on your own terms, but the last thing you want is to be laid off or fired, only to find your personal items or data stuck in your cubicle or on your company computer. You might never see them again.
Another reply, from Christine Ricks in the same thread, is a helpful bulleted list of advice—back up your personal data, emails, contacts, and things like that. Clear your personal bookmarks, passwords, software, and any accounts on company hardware. Start moving your personal belongings home. That sort of thing. Definitely check out the whole thread, it’s worth reading. [via Quora]
Breakfast Foods From Around the Globe—Common and Uncommon
In their series, “It’s 8AM Somewhere,” the team at Lucky Peach explores breakfast traditions worldwide, from familiar favorites like avocado toast in LA and breakfast tacos in Texas, to the more intriguing morning tea and bread in Iran, and the rich, dark tea and dense bread you'll find in Russia. Breakfast customs from across the world—some familiar, others more...unusual (Sheep’s placenta in China?)—and all fascinating.
Lucky Peach has become a regular feature in these roundups, and for good reason. Click the big link here, then scroll down and select a country or culture you’d like to explore. [via Lucky Peach]
How One Dish Has Sustained a Japanese Restaurant for 250 Years
There’s something truly valuable about tradition, especially when it serves a meaningful purpose, rather than just representing a limited way of thinking. At Tamahide Restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo, people wait for hours to enjoy one very specific, distinctly Japanese dish—oyako-don—or, as Bon Appetit describes it: “two types of chicken simmered in a sweet-and-salty soy sauce-based sukiyaki broth, topped with a custard-like egg, and served over rice.”
That sounds mouthwatering, but the real takeaway from this video isn’t about the dish itself—it’s about the respect for tradition that head chef Yamada Kosuke has in both preparing the dish and in upholding the values that made his family restaurant a success 250 years ago, even before the United States was born. The restaurant debuted its signature dish only 130 years ago, during a time when royalty and the wealthy elite were the regular clientele. While times have changed, the restaurant has adapted to serve new customers, yet Kosuke’s high standards and his iconic dish have remained unchanged.
The video here truly shines, showcasing Kosuke and his staff, alongside a couple for whom Tamahide holds significant meaning in their lives. Be sure to check it out. [via Bon Appetit]
Google is launching its own hardware division to manage the Nexus, Pixel, and other devices
If you were disappointed when Google announced they were selling Motorola to Lenovo in 2014 (I know I was), don’t worry—Google is bringing back the former head of Motorola, Rick Osterloh, to lead their new hardware division, according to The Next Web. This new group will oversee the Nexus program, Pixel program, Google Glass, and other hardware projects across the company. Interestingly, Nest will not be included.
While this doesn’t necessarily mean Google will start making its own Nexus phones again, it does mean they’ll have greater influence over the Nexus line and hopefully a more coordinated approach to some of Google’s more disjointed devices (remember the Nexus Player? Or the Nexus Q?) [via The Next Web]
Why So Many Celebrities Seem to Be Passing Away in 2016
It feels like 2016 isn’t even halfway through, yet we’ve already lost many incredible artists, musicians, actors, and others. Prince was one of the most recent, but he wasn’t alone: Billy Paul, David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Harper Lee, Maurice White, Doris Roberts, and the list goes on. So, why does it seem like so many famous and significant figures are passing away this year?
DNews points out that several factors are contributing to this, including demographics and the natural aging of our superstars:
The baby boomer generation is aging. In the United States, there are 76.4 million individuals, or 24 percent of the total population, born between 1946 and 1964. In 2016, these individuals are between 52 and 70 years old. Prince was part of this generation, as were U.K.-born icons like Bowie, Rickman, and many others whose deaths have marked this year’s significant losses.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), looking at the 10 leading causes of death by age group, from ages 1 to 45, the main causes of death are “unintentional injury,” “homicide,” and “suicide.” Once individuals reach 45, “malignant neoplasms” (cancer) and “heart disease” top the list. As age increases, so do the number of lives lost to these conditions.
A generation as large as the baby boomers inevitably has its share of well-known figures, who are now succumbing to the same health issues affecting their peers.
All in all, we are witnessing the decline of a generation—and their slightly younger peers—who are simply growing old and facing the same diseases that affect most people in those age ranges. It’s tragic, but it’s a fact of life—and certainly not some celebrity conspiracy. [via DNews]
The Aurora Borealis as seen from space is absolutely breathtaking
To kick off your week on a positive note, take a moment to watch this stunning HD video of the Aurora Borealis captured from the International Space Station. It’s an incredible sight—seriously, go full-screen, cast it to your TV, hit play, and just lose yourself in nature's awe-inspiring beauty for a while. Once you’re done, carry that sense of wonder with you through the day. I promise it’ll make you feel better. [via NASA]
That’s a wrap for this week! If you come across any thought-provoking articles, fascinating podcasts, eye-opening videos, or anything you think would be a perfect fit for Brain Buffet, don’t hesitate to share it with us! Email it to me, leave a comment below, or send it in any way you prefer.
Title gif by Nick Criscuolo.
