Facing Off Against Trade Chaos

Groovy lighting, meet moody lighting. The lava lamp isn’t something you’d typically think of when imagining sophisticated interior design. Or mood lighting. Or adults. It’s a kid’s toy and college dorm room relic whose heyday is long past.

A cringey post on LinkedIn is yet another reminder to read the room before sharing your ‘career expertise’ on social media. The photo in a recent LinkedIn post features a smiley guy in a backwards baseball cap and 36-hour stubble, seated at his podcasting workspace; AirPods in, cold brew at hand’s length.

Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, has been a federal holiday for three years, meaning government institutions will be closed. But many stores may still be open. Today, June 19, 2024, is Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day. Though the holiday has been celebrated in some southern regions of the United States for some time, it only became an official federal holiday when President Biden signed the law designating it as such in 2021.

If you don’t get the job, you have nothing to lose by asking for feedback. It shows the desire to learn and will differentiate you from other candidates. Welcome to Pressing Questions, Fast Company’s work-life advice column. Every week, deputy editor Kathleen Davis, host of The New Way We Work podcast, will answer the biggest and most pressing workplace questions.

1994’s Simon was the first rough draft of a device that would change the world. But it was also a dead end. In October 1994, I reviewed a new gizmo for InfoWorld, a prominent tech newsweekly. The device in question—the result of a collaboration between IBM and wireless carrier BellSouth—was a mobile phone known as Simon.

From AI that changes customer voices to sound less angry to software that detects employee stress, new tech aims to improve the customer service industry. Working at a call center can be a stressful job. For eight hours (or more!) a day, you talk with customers who have problems—and oftentimes those frustrations boil over.