Buzz
This week, we explore some disappearing English words, a real-life crystal cave akin to the Fortress of Solitude, the global homework burden on kids, and more.
Welcome to Mytour’s Monday Brain Buffet, where we gather intriguing, enlightening, and mind-stimulating podcasts, interviews, articles, and other content that will broaden your knowledge, motivate you, and hopefully give your week a great start.
The Extinction of Six Endangered English Words
While many of us are familiar with endangered or extinct languages, the extinction of words doesn't come up as often—especially those that are slipping into obscurity, not due to trends that may fade back into use like 'rad' or 'sike/psyche'. Grammarly highlights six such words at risk of disappearing entirely, explaining why they face extinction, and here are the six terms:
Divine
Fool's cap
Unclean
Market women
Listen
Who
You can read the full post to understand the reasons behind each word’s decline, but some, like “dirty,” are quite surprising given how frequently they’re still used. However, the post mentions that endangered words aren’t just those falling out of use slowly; they’re also words that have shifted meaning over time. “Dirty,” for example, has evolved rapidly, perhaps more than any other word on the list. The good news is they don’t expect it to disappear anytime soon—likely not for another 750 years.
As for the others? Well, it's clear why words like “whom” and “hark” are on the decline. With many people no longer distinguishing between “who” and “whom,” “who” has become the go-to. Then, considering “hark” is mostly used in the phrase “hark, the herald angels sing,” it’s not surprising it’s losing its popularity. [via Grammarly]
The Crystal Cave
Atlas Obscura is a treasure trove of fascinating facts about locations worldwide, and in Chihuahua, Mexico, there exists a vast, stunning cave of crystals that is unlike anything previously discovered on Earth—unless you count Superman’s Fortress of Solitude. I’ll leave it to this three-minute video to tell the story. It’s definitely worth your time. [via Atlas Obscura]
Is It Necessary to Reveal Which Company You’re Moving To When Leaving Your Current Job?
When resigning from a job, it's common for your boss or colleagues to ask where you’re headed next. Everyone is curious about your future plans and what exciting opportunities lie ahead, or why you’re making the change. While it’s understandable to inquire, one user on Quora raised an interesting question about whether it’s professionally beneficial to share this information with your boss, not just personally.
Drawing from experiences where individuals were let go right after resigning, or faced backlash when they left for a competitor, it’s certainly a valid concern. Fortunately, the thread includes a fantastic response from user John Miller, which offers valuable insights for anyone navigating their career journey:
When considering how to inform your boss about your move to another company, keep the following in mind:
Your boss is working for a company that makes decisions based on what it believes is in its best interest.
If your boss knows where you're headed and there are company policies regarding employees moving to specific firms, your boss is ethically required to follow those guidelines.
Historically, at Microsoft, individuals who accepted offers from certain major companies (like Amazon and Google) were promptly let go. In the instances I’ve heard about, the employees were placed on ‘garden leave.’ They were escorted out, with all access to buildings and systems revoked. They had no time to clean up their workstations, and depending on the situation, might have only had a few minutes to pack their personal items (with security oversight). However, they were still paid for a period (e.g., two weeks), though they could not work during that time.
This doesn’t always happen, but it’s certainly possible. So why place your boss in a situation where they must enforce such policies if they’d rather not? Don’t disclose where you’re going unless asked. If they do ask and you have a good rapport, don’t refuse to respond. You could always check with them first if it’s necessary from the company’s point of view before revealing your next steps.
It’s a given that you shouldn’t submit your resignation without being ready to leave immediately afterward, should the company require it.
I think that’s a reasonable principle to keep in mind. As long as you’re aware that resigning might lead to being escorted out immediately for various reasons, you’ll be fine. Additionally, withholding information about your next move until after you leave means you’ll work your notice period (whether two weeks or another length) while intentionally keeping your next destination private. It’s your call, but this is wise advice to consider. [via Quora]
How Education Systems, Homework, and School Schedules Compare Across the World
We often hear that other countries’ education systems are far superior to those in the United States, but the reality is more nuanced. Different countries prepare students for various career paths or societal needs, making it challenging to directly compare a small nation's system to the diverse and expansive educational frameworks spread across the United States.
With that in mind, this graphic from Ozicare highlights major differences in educational standards worldwide, with a particular focus on the amount of homework assigned to students in each country. This is probably the most captivating aspect — seeing how many hours of homework each student must complete each week. [via Ozicare]
Four Minutes of Heart-Stopping Downhill Racing
If you’re wondering whether you’ve got what it takes to take on the day, consider the courage of mountain bike racer Dan Atherton. He navigates a thrilling downhill track with a GoPro strapped to his helmet. It’s impressive enough on its own, but then you learn that Atherton broke his neck back in 2010 while doing what he loves — racing down hills. Thankfully, we can watch his daring feats as we muster the energy to tackle our own week. Have a great one. [via Red Bull, thanks Boing Boing!]
If you’ve got compelling stories, engaging podcasts, mind-expanding videos, or anything else you believe would fit perfectly into Brain Buffet, feel free to share it with us! Send me an email, leave a comment below, or get it to us however you can.
Cover art by Nick Criscuolo. Additional image by Liz West.
