Mar 17, 2025Ravie LakshmananWeb Security / Cyber ThreatMalicious actors are exploiting Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), which are used to style and format the layout of web pages, to bypass spam filters and track users' actions.That's according to new findings from Cisco Talos, which said such malicious activities can compromise a victim's security and privacy."The features available in CSS allow attackers and spammers to track users' actions and preferences, even though several features related to dynamic content (e.g., JavaScript) are restricted in email clients compared to web browsers," Talos researcher Omid Mirzaei said in a report published last week.The insights build upon previous findings from the cybersecurity company about a spike in email threats leveraging hidden text salting in the second half of 2024 with an aim to get around email spam filters and security gateways.This technique particularly entails using legitimate features of the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and CSS to include comments and irrelevant content that are invisible to the victim when rendered in an email client but can trip up parsers and detection engines.The latest analysis from Talos has found that threat actors are using CSS properties like text_indent and opacity to conceal irrelevant content from being displayed in the email body. The end goal of these campaigns, in some cases, is to redirect the email recipient to a phishing page.Furthermore, it has emerged that CSS offers opportunities for threat actors to monitor user behavior via spam emails by embedding CSS properties such as the @media CSS at-rule, thus opening the door to potential fingerprinting attacks."This abuse can range from identifying recipients' font and color scheme preferences and client language to even tracking their actions (e.g., viewing or printing emails)," Mirzaei explained."CSS provides a wide range of rules and properties that can help spammers and threat actors fingerprint users, their webmail or email client, and their system. For example, the media at-rule can detect certain attributes of a user's environment, including screen size, resolution, and color depth."To mitigate the risk posed by such threats, it's recommended to implement advanced filtering mechanisms to detect hidden text salting and content concealment, as well as use email privacy proxies.Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

Everything I said recently about the 10 best movies of the last 10 years? That was all true! They dont make em like they used to in a good way! There are more good to great movies than ever before! If you can find a great movie from the last decade to watch, you need to have your eyes checked.Now ... that said ... thereare bad movies too. With so manyfilms coming to theaters and streaming in the last ten years, the law of averages suggests theremusto be at least a couple stinkers to balance out the masterpieces. And there are. Ohhhhhh but there are.Below, Ivelisted my picks for the ten worst films released over the course of the last ten years. There are some dreadful kids movies, brutal vanity projects, atrocious legacyquels, infurating remakes, soulless IP cash grabs, and supposed comedies that mistake rampant profanity for authentic humor. (Contrary to what my nine-year-old believes, justsaying dirty words over and over does not qualify as an actual joke.)So yes, we have gotten some really bad movies over the course of the last ten years. They are very much out there. That cannot be denied. Dont get too bummed out about that, though. Remember: There are alsoplenty of very good movies too. Go watch those instead of these. Youll thank me later. I promise.The 10 Worst Movies of the Last Ten Years (2015-2024)Look, lets not beat around the bush. These movies stink.READ MORE: MovieWe Used to Love That Are Cringe NowGet our free mobile appThe 10 Best Movies of the Last 10 Years (2015-2024)Our film critic picks the ten best films of the last ten years.

Chris Pratt plays a Sliding Doorsversion of the same character in his big commercial movies.The 45-year-old actor, who is known for starring in the Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World film series, has admitted he often plays similar versions of a scoundrel adventurer in his big budget movie projects.During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Chris was asked about similarities between his character Peter Quill/Star-Lord in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies and his role of John D. Keats in new movie The Electric State and he explained: I kind of like to think, hopefully, thats like every character I ever play though, in this tone, something thats like a big, family friendly, raucous, adventure, sci-fi film,.When its a big commercial tone like this, youre going to get a Sliding Doors version of the characters that I like to play.The Electric StateNetflixloading...READ MORE: The Worst Netflix Blockbusters Ever MadePrattwas referring to Gwyneth Paltrows 1998 movie Sliding Doors in which she played two versions of the same character involved in different storylines after their lives diverge at a certain point.The actor went on to add of Quill and Keats: [They both] have a journey; they find something bigger than themselves to want to fight for and are willing to sacrifice themselves for.Theres [Keats] talking to an animated character through the course of it. So I guess, even now, just in this interview, Im realizing that there are similarities.[Keats] kind of feels like what Peter Quill could have been if he didnt get picked up and go to space, but instead lived through a robot war and went on the run with his robot friend.The Electric State, which also stars Millie Bobby Brown, is set in an alternate 1990s universe and Chris previously revealed he based the character of Keats on his former neighbor.He told ScreenRant: Kenny Gundacker, may he rest in peace What I remember of him as a seven-year-old is [that] he was just an icon. I thought I lived next to David Lee Roth. I saw [Roth] on MTV, and I was like: Oh, thats my neighbor. I see him every day.He used to jump around on a little mini trampoline in the backyard in tiger-striped stretch pants with a tiny little electric guitar he would just rip on ... it was his swagger and his confidence that just made him so attractive to anyone around him, as I remember it now.The Hollywood star added that he put a lot of thought into who his neighbor might have been in the decade before the film was set.He said: So, when I was building this character out, I was like: Who would that guy be in the 80s? and then [gave] it a post-apocalyptic world and let him be kind of past his primewhere would he end up, and what would he look like?The Electric Stateis now streaming on Netflix.Get our free mobile appRemakes That Were Drastically Different From the OriginalAlthough technically remakes, these movies took a lot of liberties with their source material.Categories: Movie News

All jobs Senior Back-end engineer (Ruby/Rails) Posted 2 hours agoCodeable is the only WordPress freelancer platform. We match customers to the best WordPress experts. We help customers solve any WordPress problem.Codeable connects professional WordPress developers from around the world with businesses that need a WordPress site built, developed, maintained, fixed or optimized. Were the only WordPress-exclusive service platform and community, with over 700 freelance developers. We deliver projects of all sizes to over 30,000 clients globally.Our mission is to build the most vibrant WordPress developer services community and to create a better way of working for everyone in the WordPress ecosystem - developers, clients, and partners. Apply now About CodeableCodeable connects a community of elite WordPress development experts from around the world with businesses that need a WordPress site built, developed, maintained, fixed, or optimised. Were the only WordPress-exclusive services platform and community, with over 500 freelance developers and teams, delivering projects of all sizes to clients globally.Our mission is to build the most vibrant WordPress developer services community and create a better way of working for all parties in the WordPress ecosystem when it comes to WordPress websites, whether thats for developers, clients, or partners. And building the technology for the platform is where you come in.We're looking for an experienced back-end engineer to join our (fully distributed) Platform & Product team to help take the platform on to the next level, supporting the growing needs of the Codeable business and the client, expert and partner communities who we work with. So if you're an experienced back-end engineer with a special love for Ruby (and Rails) and you like the sound of our mission, then read on.Role summaryWe are looking for a performance-minded back-end engineer with an eye towards writing well-designed, maintainable code who will be responsible for managing and maintaining our back-end system(s) and operating related services connected to it and make sure they (become and) stay performant.Your primary focus will be the development of server-side logic, ensuring high performance and responsiveness of our back-end system and related services, like our databases (PostgreSQL, Redis), background jobs system (Sidekiq), and other services (internal and external).Since our backend system is not very new, there are a lot of opportunities to make it better and scalable so we can speed up the growth of our business worry-free. If you are someone who is not afraid to grab a system by its cables and get your hands dirty then youre at the right place.Key responsibilitiesCollaborating within our product team to develop new features, fix bugs, and reduce technical debt (you will be involved in the whole application lifecycle)Defining and communicating technical requirementsBuilding high-quality systems that can be (re)used and extended in the futureHelping set the design/architectural guidelines to make sure our codebase is improvingMaking sure our back-end is scalable (fast response times, optimized DB queries, )Troubleshooting, debugging, and fixing production issuesRequired qualifications5+ years of experience with Ruby and Rails in production on a decently sized projectExperience building & growing web applications, APIs, servicesIn-depth experience of back-end APIs (RESTful web services)In-depth experience of writing tests: unit, integration, Very good understanding of databases: query performance, indexes, migrations (PostgreSQL)Experience working with background processing (Sidekiq) and how to optimize it for good performanceAbility and desire to produce modular, maintainable codeSolid understanding and experience of Git (branching workflows, managing conflicts, )Solid understanding and experience with web (API) securityExperience implementing caching on Rails APIsExperience working with WebSockets (we use Pusher, but thats not a requirement)Strong interest in continued (personal and professional) development (learning new technologies and programming languages)Good communication skills (English) and willingness to improve. We value quality over quantityComfortable working in a remote distributed environment with a high degree of personal autonomy and responsibilityBonus pointsFront-end development knowledge and experience (JavaScript, CSS, HTML, Angular)Familiarity with Google Cloud servicesExperience with using DockerExperience with using and deploying to KubernetesExperience with data analysis (SQL, BigQuery, Looker)WordPress experience is a plus (since that's the ecosystem we operate within as a business)LocationRemote, in Europe, with at least a 6-hour overlap with GMT+1 to get a good overlap with the rest of the team. Codeable is fully distributed with ~15 full-time employees.The ProcessPlease include your resume and salary expectations, and let us know why youre the one for us and why were the one for you in the cover letter/message you send.The application period ends at the end of March 2025. Well then review the applications received and contact you the following week if we want to move forward with you. The process will include regular interviews with various team members and practical tests.Were looking for someone who can start soon after the interviews are done. Around April or May 2025.Apply NowLet's start your dream job Apply now Codeable View company Jobs posted: 5 Related Jobs Remote Back-End Programming jobs

Chatbots are changing how we connect to each other and ourselves. But are these changes for the better, and how should they be monitored and regulated? To learn more, join me for a live Roundtable session this Thursday at 12pm ET. Ill be chatting with MIT Technology Review editor Rachel Courtland and senior reporter Eileen Guo, and well be unpacking the landscape around chatbots. Register to ensure you dont miss out!The must-reads Ive combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 How Trump's foreign aid cuts will hurt millions of peoples' health The world is going to struggle to cope with the loss of US support. (Vox)+ Hundreds of thousands of people are likely to lose their lives as a result. (New Yorker $)+ The cuts could cause tuberculosis to become untreatable again. (The Atlantic $)+ Top scientific universities are being forced to slash jobs. (The Guardian)+ Pregnant women may die because of cuts to reproductive care. (MIT Technology Review)2 Left-leaning Americans are abandoning TeslaAnd conservatives face an uphill climb to plug the sales gap. (NYT $)+ The company is turning its back on the typically pro-EV buyers that made it a success. (WP $)3 VC firms are rushing to invest in Israeli startupsTheyre betting that the firms are likely to do future business with the US. (WSJ $)+ Heres the defense tech at the center of US aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. (MIT Technology Review)4 NASA is scheduled to return the two stranded astronauts on Tuesday A new crew arrived to relieve them of their duties over the weekend. (NPR)+ Lets see if they make it home this week or not. (Ars Technica)+ Space travel is seriously hard on the human body. (WP $)5 Baidus new reasoning AI model is designed to challenge DeepSeek It claims Ernie X1 offers the same performance at half the price. (Insider $)+ DeepSeeks shock success is sparking a new wave of AI investment. (Bloomberg $)+ Four Chinese AI startups to watch beyond DeepSeek. (MIT Technology Review)6 Alphabet has big plans for its laser-based internet projectTaara has been spun out of its moonshot incubator and into the real world. (FT $) + Its a rival to Musks Starlink network. (The Verge)

Submitted by WA ContentsMVRDV unveils plans for a shopping mall made of a stack of colorful boxes in Chengdu China Architecture News - Mar 17, 2025 - 12:43 html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"MVRDV has unveiled design for a shopping mall made up of a stack of colorful boxes in Chengdu, China.Named LuLa Light Mall, the 22,200-square-metre open-air shopping centre is a largely open-air shopping centre currently under construction in the developing Luxelakes Eco-City district of Chengdu.Drawing inspiration from Luxelakes' verdant natural surroundings and Chengdu's reputation for outdoor living, the design resembles a loose stack of boxes with roomy gaps between them.The project features spacious terraces, walkways, and staircases where guests may take in the scenery of the nearby lake and Chengdu's temperature.The eco-town of Luxelakes has been steadily growing in Chengdu's southern region for the last 20 years. With a total area of 5.5 square kilometers, it is distinguished by its 1.4 square kilometers of meandering lakes, a profusion of vegetation, and a large number of lakefront projects that give the district a park-like feel.With a portion of this lake and vegetation to the southeast of the property and tall skyscrapers to the northwest, LuLa Light Mall is situated in a transitional area between the city and the outdoors.Drawing inspiration from Chengdu's parks' numerous pavilions, the MVRDV team set out to minimize the barrier their design produced by building a porous project with constant views of nature.A 99-meter-tall, 19-story tower on the western end of the plot and a four-story plinth occupying the remaining space make up the project's two primary components.In contrast to a conventional mall typology, which consists of an atrium surrounded by a shell of commercial spaces, the plinth section divides these commercial units into smaller boxes and stacks them to let light, air, views, and people into the spaces between. This is known as the "light mall" concept.To maximize the views of the lake, a number of huge boxes are stacked and rotated in different directions on the site's eastern end.A visit to LuLa Light Mall also functions as a promenade by the lake because of the numerous spacious outdoor terraces that are created by these stacked boxes and the walkways and stairs that connect them. These walkways and steps also lead down to the water's edge.The boxes' vibrant exteriors serve to further support this. Each box is distinctly defined by a substantial frame around the sides, and within are glass walls with vibrant mullions that mimic the colors of the pavilions that are now present in Chengdu's parks.This strategy also has the advantage of minimizing the project's cooling needs, which lowers the energy needed to run it. The building's roofs will have solar panels that will provide some of that energy."LuLa Light Mall will be a crucial hub for commercial space in Luxelakes, but in our design we move away from the typical closed, air-conditioned shopping typology towards an airy indoor-outdoor experience," said MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs."By opening up space in between units, we extend the park. By shifting boxes, we create outdoor terraces and alleys. Visual connections and inviting staircases will make it more appealing to use the stairs than the lifts and escalators.""It will feel like walking through a village with great views towards the lakes and nature, making the most of the climate of Chengdu," Van Rijs added.The LuLa Light Mall proposes a lot of versatility because of the different ways that spaces are stacked and combined. Commercial spaces vary widely in size; some have elevator access, while others are accessible by walkway; some are located close to the lake's edge, while others have expansive terraces with expansive views.As a result, these spaces can accommodate a huge variety of different commercial activities: shops, restaurants, cafs, bars, spas, salons, and gyms can all find a comfortable home alongside nature here.Concept designTypology evolutionMVRDV recently designed an installation that presents a story of plastic waste and recycling at the heart of Bangkok Design Week in Thailand. In addition, the firm wrapped the new Tiffany & Co. store in hand-crafted ceramic elements in the shape of diamonds in Stuttgart, Germany. Moreover, the firm turned an old shipping container into a modular, multi-functional clubhouse to use the power of sport to aid refugees.Project factsProject name:LuLa Light MallArchitects:MVRDVLocation:Chengdu, ChinaYear:2019-Client:Chengdu Wide Horizon new town development co., LtdArchitect:MVRDVFounding Partner in charge:Jacob van RijsPartner:Wenchian ShiDesign Team:Steven Smit, Marco Gazzola, Zheli Cai, Sen Yang, Enrica Perrot, Echo Zhai, Michele Tavola, Ruochen Zhang, Cosimo Scotucci, Anastasia Voutsa, Elisa Paneni, Yan Ying Zhang, Shanshan Wu, Albert Parfonov, Ming Kong, Cai Huang, Daehee Suk, Shanshan Wu, Alice Huang, Jammy Zhu, Kevin Zhao, Yihong Chen, Chi Zhang, Martin Chen.Visualisation:Antonio Luca Coco, Pavlos Ventouris, Angelo LaDelfa, Lorenzo Dalessandro, Luana La Martina, Jaroslaw Jeda, Stefano Fiaschi, Priscilla Antinori.Copyright:MVRDV Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries Partners.Co-architect, structural engineer, MEP:Zhoyu Design group Co.,LtdLandscape architect:UrbanXAll images & drawings MVRDV.> via MVRDV

The schemes terracotta-coloured cladding was criticised by the inspector as too boldHowells proposals for a 34-storey student accommodation tower in Stratford have been refused at appeal after the planning inspector criticised the buildings height and design.The 700-bed scheme for Dominus Real Estate and Queen Queen Mary University of London was rejected by the London Legacy Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) in April last year due to its excessive height and substandard design.The developers appealed the decision and a planning inspectorate inquiry was held on 21 January this year.The tower would contain 700 student roomsPlanning inspector David Nicholsonhas now upheld the LLDCs refusal, arguing in a decision published last week that the 302-312 High Street scheme breached local policy for tall buildings and that its terracotta-coloured cladding clashed with the mostly muted greys of surrounding buildings.While the local plan has sought to cluster the areas tallest buildings around Stratford station with building heights stepping down around its periphery,Nicholson said Howells tower would break this pattern in an unwelcome jolt in the townscape.The proposals would fail to follow this hierarchy, but interpose one of the tallest towers outside the boundary, upsetting the existing and emerging character on both sides, he said.The effect would be to spread, and dilute, the influence of the Metropolitan Centre into that of the High Street.Although the tower would neighbour a 32-storey student accommodation development, Eleanor Rosa House, which was designed by Hodder & Partners and completed in 2019, the inspector said the apparent scale of this building had been softened by its broken up massing.In contrast, 302-312 High Street was criticised for appearing to rise continuously from the pavement, appearing like a monolithic slab, althoughNicholson conceded new requirements for two staircases in buildings above 18 metres made it more difficult to reduce massing at higher levels.The inspector also criticised the colour of the buildings cladding as too bold for its location, which he described as not prominent enough to justify a design which establishes a new sense of place.While I find the design approach acceptable in principle, I do not find that it justifies the prominence that would come from the proposed combination of colour, form and particularly height, in this location, Nicholson said.The scheme would have required the demolition of a row of low-rise buildings on the site and would have included a replacement pub.The project team includes planning consultant Knight Frank, landscape designer JCLA, townscape consultant The Townscape Consultancy, civil and structural engineer Meinhardt and environmental consultant Knight Frank.Dominus and Howells have been contacted for comment.

Mayfield scheme will also include office blocksThe first phase of Mayfield will include homes and officesPlans by Studio Egret West and Shedkm have been submitted for the first phase of housing at Mayfield Park, the emerging mixed-use development near Manchester Piccadilly station.The proposals, designed for Landsec, include nearly 900 homes alongside shops, restaurants, cafs, a health and wellbeing club, and community spaces.Part of the wider 1.4bn Mayfield scheme, the first phase also features 325,000 sq ft of office space across two buildings and a cycle park with capacity for hundreds of bikes.The first office building has been designed by Morris + Company and will run across 230,000 sq ft. It is due to start on site later this year.The plans are part of Landsecs wider 1.4bn Mayfield schemeWork on the second office, a 95,000 sq ft building called the Poulton has designed by Bennetts Associates will start afterwards along with the cycle parking hub, which has been designed by Studio Egret West.The redevelopment Mayfield Park, also designed by Studio Egret West, opened three years ago and was previously a brownfield site.Others working on the team include project manager Deloitte and cost consultant Arcadis, engineers WSP and Buro Happold as well as planning consultant Gerald Eve.Last month, Landsec saidit would be scaling back the amount of office work it carries out in the future, having unveiled plans for a 2bn sell-off of parts of its office-led assets over the next five years to fund an expansion into residential.

The winning public realm design team will draw up plans for a new child-friendly green route running from Francis Road to Oliver Road and improving the public realm connection between Leytons Sidmouth Park and Coronation Gardens.The 300,000 project aims to harness considerate design, community participation and environmental resilience to transform these two green spaces so they not only serve todays residents but also inspire future generations.According to the brief: The London Borough of Waltham Forest is seeking to appoint a public realm design consultant with proven landscape and garden design expertise to develop a coherent vision and a suite of projects that will deliver a child-friendly green route between Francis Road and Oliver Road in Leyton, through Sidmouth Park and Coronation Gardens.AdvertisementThe aim is to enhance access to, and to increase the capacity of Sidmouth Park and Coronation Gardens.Waltham Forest is a semi-suburban borough bounded by Epping Forest and the River Lea. The area, which is strongly associated with William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement, has witnessed rapid transformation in recent years and was London Borough of Culture 2019.Recent interventions within the district include the Brokkys Crofte experimental playground by Max Dewdney Architects, Assembles Blackhorse Workshop, and Drapers Field recreation ground by Kinnear Landscape Architects. In 2022, Practice Architecture won planning to expand an urban farm project in Waltham Forest.Bids to deliver the latest contract will be evaluated 70 per cent on quality and 30 per cent on cost. Applicants must hold employers liability insurance of 5 million, public liability insurance of 5 million and professional indemnity insurance worth 2 million.Competition detailsProject title Design services for SANGS 31Client London Borough of Waltham ForestContract value 300,000First round deadline 5pm, 28 March 2025Restrictions Applicants must provide two reference projects to demonstrate experience in providing similar servicesMore information https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert?advertId=bd5afed9-41f4-ef11-8136-005056b64545

Teams selected for the five-year agreement will have the opportunity to work on a range of new build, refurbish and regeneration projects with the southeast London university which is headquartered within the Old Royal Naval College inside the Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site.The dynamic purchasing system is divided into a range of lots covering architecture, project management, civil and structural engineering, cost management, mechanical and electrical engineering, principal designer, acoustics, multi-disciplinary consultancy, building surveying, valuations, net zero and sustainability, fire consultancy, planning and landscape architecture services.According to the brief: The university is seeking to establish a dynamic purchasing system for the procurement of professional services consultancy related to buildings and works projects. The value of services covered by the dynamic purchasing system is expected to be in the range 1 million to 2 million for each call-off.AdvertisementGreenwich is a large south London borough covering around 47.35km2 of land between Deptford and Thamesmead. The latest procurement comes six months after the Royal Borough of Greenwich announced a new 100 million dynamic purchasing system.In September, Buckley Gray Yeoman won planning permission for the 350 million residential-led high-rise development of Enderby Place on the Greenwich Peninsula. Jamie Fobert Architects and conservation specialist Purcell won a competition for a 4.5 million revamp of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich in 2022.Founded in 1992, the University of Greenwich hosts more than 28,000 students and operates across three campuses in Medway, Avery Hill and within the Grade I-listed Old Royal Naval College. Heneghan Peng created a new architecture school for the university in 2014.The new framework will cover a range of projects including new build, refurbishment, town centre regenerations, extensions, conservation and maintenance works.Competition detailsProject title Greenwich Professional Services Consultancy Dynamic Purchasing SystemClient University of GreenwichContract value 10 millionFirst round deadline 5pm, 31 January 2029Restrictions TbcMore information https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/006957-2025