CoreWeave, which provides computing power for A.I., was founded by three Bitcoin enthusiasts. The company is now set to make the first prominent A.I. initial public offering.

MacworldApple introduced the first iPhone SE back in 2016, letting customers get the full iOS experience at a lower price. The SE branding was then extended to the Apple Watch line, which followed the SE model with a low-cost smartwatch built on an older design. Now that the iPhone SE has been discontinued in favor of the newly released 16e model, were left wondering: Will the heavily rumored update to the Apple Watch SE 2 arrive as an SE 3 or 11e?Apples SE formulaSE iPhones and Apple Watches have long taken the same general route. They pack the latest processors offered by their flagship counterparts while missing out on the modern exterior designs and other higher-end perks, such as extra cameras, MagSafe charging, and health sensors.The now-retired iPhone SE 3, for example, was powered by Apples A15 Bionicthe same high-performance chip found in the most capable iPhone 13 Pro at the time. Despite its might, however, it resembled a classic iPhone with its thick bezels, physical Home button, single camera, and overall prehistoric design. Similarly, the Apple Watch SE 2 arrived alongside the Series 8 model in 2022 with the same S8 chip. Nevertheless, the affordable variant misses out on the larger, sleeker display options, Ultra Wideband chip, ECG support, wrist temperature sensor, fast charging, etc.The point of Apples SE devices is to provide users with the same reliable experience as the premium devices without a premium price. While these devices lack the modern designs of more expensive editions, they typically dont lag or misbehave as many budget-friendly devices do. They also support the latest versions of iOS and watchOS and promise years of updates. Its just what many people want in a smartwatcha device that does basic health tracking, shows notifications, and feels fast.The new e recipeWith its latest iPhone, Apple has decided to replace the iPhone SE branding with an all-new e designationand its not just a label switch, its a new formula: The iPhone 16e offers the newest processor with a modern chassis, albeit still a couple of years old. While users still miss out on some handy perks such as native MagSafe support, ultrawide lens, and Dynamic Island, the phone no longer looks like it has escaped from a bygone era. The upgrade, however, has hiked the entry-level iPhones price from $429 to $599, essentially removing it from the budget category.The next Apple Watch SE doesnt need any of the premium features from the newest models to be successful.FoundryWill the same fate befall the Apple Watch SE? If Apple were to release a Watch 11e this fall, it would theoretically adopt the S11 chip along with the Series 7s larger case options of 41mm and 45mm case optionsan upgrade from 40mm and 44mm on the current SE. Otherwise, it could support some of the newer features that rely on the faster processor, such as sleep apnea detection and on-device Siri with health data access. Naturally, it would miss out on some of the higher-end features that require additional sensors, such as ECG scans and temperature tracking. In this case, the Apple Watch 11e would act more like a lower-end Series 11.We dont know what to expect from the next Apple Watch SE 2, but credible rumors have suggested it will use a plastic case. The switch would supposedly reduce manufacturing costs, potentially dropping its price to under $200. This would help it compete against cheaper wearables sold by rival brands.As such, the Apple Watch sounds more like an SE than an e model. Unlike the iPhone 16e, the Apple Watch SE 3 will seemingly cost less by splitting off from the flagship range with lower-end materials rather than a mix of high-end parts and a modern design. And that would be the smartest move for the third generation of the budget smartwatch.The SE 3 will reportedly be the first Apple Watch made of plastic.FoundryKeep the SWhile the iPhone 16e looks significantly more modern than its SE predecessor, it dropped its best qualitya budget price. We already have the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus for those seeking a mid-tier flagshipnot to mention the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus still on sale. Customers need a cheaper iPhone, not a pricey handset that borrows bits and pieces from every other model.The same applies to smartwatches, the next budget Apple Watch should stick with the SE moniker. Just as we thought the iPhone SE 4 would remain a sub-$499 phone, the Apple Watch SE 3 is expected to be as low as $199. If Apple shifts its strategy with a 16e-style Apple Watch, it would be an even bigger mistake. A simple stripped-down Apple Watch with a plastic body and maybe an always-on display for $229 or $199 would be a fantastic value. A $299 Apple Watch with a slightly larger screen and fast charging would not.Apple made a strategic decision with the iPhone 16e, but the world needs an Apple Watch SE. So please Apple, dont change a winning formula.

MacworldOkay. Lets talk about AI.Yes, again. The Macalope knows, believe him.Much like many things these days, there is a somewhat wide gulf of beliefs about the state of artificial intelligence. The Macalope would not be surprised to learn that, also like other things these days, the two sides cannot even agree on what to call the gulf itself.(Its called topical humor, look it up.)Lets take a look at the Yay, AI! side. Writing for The New York Times, Kevin Roose says: Powerful A.I. Is Coming. Were Not Ready.Roose believes that one day very soon a company will claim to have created an artificial general intelligence and whether or not its truly an AGI wont matter because AI will have lapped the human race. Game over.Sounds dramatic. But, you may ask, how did Roose come to this conclusion? Good question, imaginary reader being used as a rhetorical construct! The answer is, and the Macalope quotes, [spending ] a lot of time talking to the engineers building powerful A.I. systems, the investors funding it and the researchers studying its effects.Indeed, Roose quotes many such AI proponents, most of whom are making big bucks on it. Not by selling anything, of course, but by being showered in venture capital funds. Strangely, the people being hit in the face with wads of $100 bills shot out of a t-shirt canon think AI is super cool and amazing. What a shocking turn of events.So, our imaginary reader says, small follow-up question: How many people does Roose quote who are skeptical about AI?Again, your questions are spot on, imaginary reader. Lets just scan through the article here and, oh, none. Its zero. Not a one. He does link to some dismissively, however. So thats something.Nnkay.This is a bit of a pattern with Roose. As late as 2022, he was trying to prop up crypto by lauding the Helium Network, an Internet of Things networking company that struggled to get building owners to deploy its technology until it got the brilliant idea of taking on the Ponzi scheme that is cryptocurrency as an incentive. Subsequent to Rooses hagiography about the company, it was found to be falsely claiming Lime and Salesforce as clients and earlier this year was charged with fraud by the SEC.IDGAnyway, AI is amazing and is about to surpass everything you know is one opinion about AI. Heres another from The Verges David Pierce: All this bad AI is wrecking a whole generation of gadgets.It will probably not come as a surprise to readers imaginary or otherwise that the Macalope is more on the side of AI being bad and wrecking things than it being super-awesome and about to make humans obsolete. Oh, no doubt there will be many a CEO who will be more than happy to be sold a bill of goods and ram through AI replacements to actual workers no matter what the disastrous effects are. (Hey, if summarily replacing knowledgeable workers with cut-rate ideological garbage is good enough to destroy the U.S. government then, by God, its good enough to destroy my company!) But in terms of actually replacing people on a comparable functional level, no.An AI cannot learn things. It cannot experiment and review results scientifically. What it can do is scrape the things that actual humans have already done and claim with certainty to have the correct answers, whether it does or not. To be fair, the Macalope can think of a few humans it could replace who already function like that.Pierce notes the negative effect AI is having on the tech industry.In the meantime, the tech industry allowed itself to be so distracted by these shiny language models that it basically stopped trying to make otherwise good gadgets.David Pierce, March 12, 2025Is it weird to want to make out with a sentence? Probably. Still just a little wouldnt be wrong, would it? MMMMWAH!Some companies have more or less stopped making new things altogether, waiting for AI to be good enough before it ships.David Pierce, March 12, 2025Apple is usually pretty good at walking and chewing gum at the same time. Still, you have to wonder what truly useful technologies could have been delivered if the company had not been struggling to make something of the DashCon ball pit that is Apple Intelligence.AI has its uses, to be sure. But trying to ram it everywhere is something no one asked for and does not work. The Macalope places the blame for this on the venture capital machine, which loves nothing more than to pump a technology as a must-have in order to make itself even more filthy rich. After years of shrugging off people saying Apple must do a particular thing, it is disappointing to see it fall into the trap now.

A recent Windows 11 security update is causing unexpected issues for enterprise customers, including the unintentional removal of Microsofts Copilot AI assistant from affected systems, creating potential workflow disruptions for organizations that have integrated the AI tool into their operations.The update, KB5053598 (OS build 26100.3476), released during Marchs Patch Tuesday, applies to all editions of Windows 11 version 24H2 and was primarily intended as a security fix. However, Microsoft has acknowledged it contains a flaw that causes the Copilot app to be unintentionally uninstalled and unpinned from the taskbar on some devices.Were aware of an issue with the Microsoft Copilot app affecting some devices. The app is unintentionally uninstalled and unpinned from the taskbar, Microsoft said in an advisory.Impact on enterprisesFor organizations relying on Copilot integration, Microsoft recommends that affected users reinstall the app from the Microsoft Store and manually pin it to the taskbar while a permanent fix is developed.The company clarified that the Microsoft 365 Copilot app remains unaffected by this issue, which may provide some relief to enterprise customers who have invested in the premium AI assistant version.More concerning for enterprise IT administrators, the update conflicts with Citrix Session Recording Agent (SRA) version 2411, potentially removing January 2025 security updates from systems running this enterprise software.This regression in security posture could leave systems vulnerable to already-patched exploits, creating additional workload for IT departments that must now carefully manage the update process.Devices that have certain Citrix components installed might be unable to complete installation of the January 2025 Windows security update, the advisory added. Affected systems may initially apply the security update but fail during restart with an error message stating, Something didnt go as planned. No need to worry undoing changes.This issue presents a significant challenge for enterprise customers who rely on Citrix virtualization solutions. IT departments must now choose between maintaining security patches and ensuring the operational continuity of critical business applications.However, the software major stated that this issue likely affects a limited number of organizations as version 2411 of the SRA application is a new version.The company emphasized that home users are unlikely to be affected by Citrix-related problems, as the software is primarily deployed in enterprise environments.Broader implicationsThe incident highlights the ongoing challenges of maintaining operating system integrity while rapidly deploying new features and security patches. For enterprise customers, who often maintain strict change management protocols, unexpected application removals, and conflicts can cause significant operational disruptions.Many organizations have been gradually adopting Copilot as part of their productivity strategy, with some still evaluating its enterprise value. This unintended removal may give pause to IT decision-makers considering broader deployment of AI assistants within their environments.The bug also underscores the complexity of modern operating system updates, which must account for countless hardware configurations and third-party software interactions. Enterprise customers often delay updates precisely to avoid such issues, creating a delicate balance between security and stability.Workarounds and solutionsFor organizations affected by the Copilot removal, Microsofts temporary solution requires manual intervention, potentially creating additional work for IT support teams in large deployments. The company has not provided an estimated timeline for a permanent fix.Regarding the Citrix compatibility issue, Microsoft recommends that enterprise customers running SRA version 2411 delay the installation of KB5053598 until a resolution is available. For organizations that have already deployed the update and encountered problems, a rollback to the previous version may be necessary.The update also affects Windows on Arm users who play the Roblox game.The Microsoft advisory said that such users will be unable to download and play the game from the Windows Store after installing this update, though Microsoft notes the game remains accessible via direct download from Robloxs website.While this may seem like a minor issue, it demonstrates how seemingly unrelated applications can be affected by operating system updates.Microsoft indicated that it is working on a resolution to address this issue. The company typically addresses such conflicts through subsequent patches, though enterprise customers may need to implement temporary workarounds in the meantime.This incident serves as a reminder for enterprise IT departments to maintain robust testing environments and phased deployment strategies for Windows updates, particularly when running specialized software like Citrix SRA. Organizations should also consider documenting their custom application configurations to better identify potential conflicts with future updates.

Finding and summarizing information may not sound like the sexiest task for generative AI until you need an article you posted on social media but cant remember the exact word or phrase you used, or you want to answer a quick how-to question without plowing through a lengthy software manual.There are a lot of ways to set up large language models (LLM) to answer queries based exclusively on information you give them. One of the easiest, which involves no coding at all, is to use a service like Googles NotebookLM or ChatGPT Projects.Below Ill take a look at four genAI web platforms, the strengths of each, and how they perform on sample tasks like searching through a software manual.4 sample tasksI tested several platforms on four different types of questions:Querying software documentationSearching my own LinkedIn postsFinding a variable ID for a specific topicGetting information about professional conferences4 generative AI platformsThere are an increasing number of options for no-code chat with your data. I looked at four of the best known and most popular: Googles NotebookLM, OpenAIs ChatGPT Projects, Anthropics Claude Projects, and Perplexity Spaces.NotebookLM is a dedicated app; the other platforms are more general chatbots that allow users to group and save chats, additional files, and custom instructions related to topics of their choice. These groups are called projects or spaces, depending on the service.Google NotebookLMNotebookLM has several advantages:Theres a free version.You dont have to write special prompts for it to search specifically through the info you upload.It returns citations along with its answers by default, so you can see the source text excerpts it used for its responses.You can give it URLs to read as source material.NotebookLM is probably best known for generating realistic audio podcasts from your notes, but its also quite good at answering questions.Workflow: Upload your content into a notebook and start asking questions.Users with free accounts can upload files of up to 500,000 words per source and 50 sources per notebook, or 200MB total for local uploads. And free accounts can have up to 100 notebooks and ask 50 questions per day. Paid Plus users get 500 notebooks, 300 sources per notebook, and 500 queries per day.Privacy: Google says it wont use your uploaded files or chat to train its models. Enterprise NotebookLM users via Google Cloud also wont have their feedback reviewed by human reviewers. Regardless of any privacy policies, though, know your employers AI policies for any work-related items.Sharing: Free users can share full notebooks, which include complete source documents, with specific users. Paid users can share either full notebooks or chat-only notebooks with specific users. Number of allowable shares depends on your account level.How it performed: Tied for the top spot at 4.5 out of 5.OpenAI ChatGPT ProjectsChatGPT Projects is available to all paid subscribers Plus, Enterprise, and Pro. OpenAI says projects are good for ongoing work, or just to keep things tidy.Until recently, projects could only use the GPT-4o LLM; but lately o3-mini and o3-mini-high have shown up as options. Free users without access to Projects can upload files to regular chats and bookmark those to get a somewhat similar experience.Unlike NotebookLM, ChatGPT probably wont give you links to see the original text cited in its answer unless you give it specific instructions to do so. (And even then, it might not.) In return, though, its answers will likely be more nicely formatted and arranged.Workflow: Create a new project by finding Projects in the left nav (youll only see this if youre a subscriber), hovering over it, and clicking the + sign. Give your project a name, and youll see a chat interface along with options to add files and custom instructions.There is a limit to the number of files that can be uploaded, according to ChatGPT help files, but that limit isnt specified.Privacy: You can opt out of having your data used to train OpenAI models in account Settings > Data Controls.Sharing: Projects arent shareable. Use Custom GPTs, which can use instructions, extra knowledge, and any combination of skills, instead. Those require paid accounts and can be made public or shared to anyone with the link.How it performed: Tied for the top spot at 4.5 out of 5.Anthropic Claude ProjectsIm a big Claude fan for a lot of use cases, as I like its writing style, its ability to write R code, and how it follows instructions. But Claude Projects, available only to paid subscribers, has some drawbacks for cases like this.Anthropic says, Each project includes a 200K context window, the equivalent of a 500-page book. That sounds like a lot, but Claude projects have a smaller capacity than the other options I tested. And the answers can degrade if you push up against the limits. Claude Projects is only available for paid accounts.If you program and use GitHub, Claude can connect to your GitHub account, making it easy to pull in coding or documentation files, which can be very handy. However, if you are interested in using online information in your queries, Claude Projects cant yet access the internet beyond GitHub or your own Google Docs.Alexey Shabanov at Testing Catalog reports that Anthropic is testing a feature called Harmony, which would let Claude access a local directory of files allowing the AI to read, index, and analyze content within the directory. How that might expand context for project queries isnt clear.Workflow: Create a new project by clicking on Projects toward the top of the left navigation or going straight to claude.ai/projects and then the Create Project button at the top right. Name the project, describe its purpose, click Create, and youll get a conventional chat interface on the left and an area to add project instructions and files on the right.Privacy: Anthropic says its default is to not use your chats and data to train its models.Sharing: Theres no sharing unless youre a Claude Teams subscriber.How it performed: 3 out of 5, largely because it got a 0 for one test when my data exceeded its project storage limit.Im not sure I would pay $20/month just for projects here, but I subscribe for other reasons and appreciate having them.Perplexity SpacesPerplexity also has a free version, which excels at targeted searches of information thats already on the web, such as software or hardware documentation. You can give Perplexity a domain, for example https://help.vivaldi.com/desktop/, and it will search all the content there. (NotebookLM also accepts URLs but for individual pages, not a domain.) This is extremely useful when online software documentation is scattered across many small files on the web.You need a paid subscription to upload your own files to Spaces and to use top-tier LLMs. If you dont want to pay, you can upload files to a regular Perplexity chat (maximum of 10 per day).Workflow: Create a new space by clicking on Spaces in the left nav or by going directly to perplexity.ai/spaces and clicking the Create a Space box. A dialog box pops up asking for a Space title, optional description, and optional custom instructions. Theres a chat interface on the left and context section on the right that includes your custom instructions, a files upload section, and a links upload section.Privacy: You can opt out of having your data used to train Perplexitys own models in your profile settings.Sharing: Paid users can have up to 5 collaborators; Enterprise Pro, unlimited.How it performed: 2.5 out of 5. To be fair, though, my tests didnt look at Perplexitys major strength: web search. If you want to combine you own data with web searching, Perplexity would do much better.During testing, it also felt like Perplexity was least able to figure out what I wanted, at least when using its default Auto LLM. Its always good to be as specific as possible with LLM queries, but I found this to be especially true with Perplexity.Tests and resultsHeres a summary of how the tools performed in my tests. Read on for details.TaskNotebookLMChatGPT ProjectsClaude ProjectsPerplexity SpacesSimple tech docs search1110.5Vague social media query10.510Variable ID lookup1101Find a conference0.510.51Find conference sessions110.50Ranking4.54.532.5 1 = correct response, 0.5 = partially correct, 0 = incorrect or no responseTest 1: Simple tech documentation searchQuestion: Whats the easiest way to get rid of extra white space in text?Info source: Documentation for the stringr package in the R programming. Stringr includes a handy str_squish() function to delete excess white space.Results: Claude, NotebookLM, and ChatGPT answered with str_squish(), which I consider the correct answer. Perplexity assumed I only cared about space at the beginning and end of the text and not in the middle. After a follow-up question, it also found the best function.Test 2: Somewhat vague search of my social media postsThis was a more difficult task, but something similar to what people might want help with in the real world.Question: I really liked an article about LLMs written by Lucas Mearian at Computerworld. Please tell me the specifics based on my LinkedIn posts that I uploaded.Info source: 2 years of my LinkedIn posts.Results: NotebookLM and Claude nailed their responses, each offering two options including the one I wanted. ChatGPT gave me somewhat related articles, but not the one I wanted. (Id been looking for What are LLMs, and how are they used in generative AI?)Perplexity with its default Auto LLM didnt give me anything useful, claiming there is no specific mention of an article about Large Language Models (LLMs) written by Lucas Mearian.Test 3: Find a US Census table ID for a specific topicA lot of businesses use the US Census Bureaus American Community Survey (ACS) for demographic information. With thousands of available data variables, it can be hard to find one that has the information you want. This type of query could represent a lot of other data lookups businesses might want to do with their own data.Question: What is the best variable to use to find information about the percent of workers who work from home?Info source: I downloaded and filtered several listings of ACS table variable IDs (filtered because a couple of the lists were too large), along with a general explanation of ACS tables from the Census Bureau website. Since some of these platforms dont accept CSV files in projects, I saved the variable data as tab-delimited .txt files.Expected response: Kyle Walker, director of the Center for Urban Studies at Texas Christian University and author of the tidycensus R package, used the DP03_0024P variable in one of his examples, so thats what I was expecting in a correct answer.Results: NotebookLM, ChatGPT, and Perplexity all gave me results I could use. (Unexpectedly, I learned that there is more than one correct answer ChatGPT and Perplexity both found other variables that include the percent of people working from home.)Claude couldnt compete on this one, since my three .txt files with data totaling less than 800KB exceeded its project knowledge limit.Test 4: Ask about professional conferencesThis test featured two questions for two different data sources: Ask about a conference that might fit my needs, and then ask about conference sessions at one specific conference.Question 1: Im looking for IDG events that will talk about artificial intelligence. Id like them to be within a 2-hour flight or so from Boston.Info source: The IDG global events calendar PDF.Expected result: The most complete correct answer would cite FutureIT New York in July and FutureIT Toronto April 30 May 1. Work+ in Nashville at a 2:50 flight would also be a reasonable suggestion.Results: ChatGPT nailed it with both its more advanced o3-mini-high model and its general 4o LLM, returning the two events that exactly match the criteria.Perplexitys Sonar LLM returned both events as well as the CIO100 conference in Arizona, although acknowledging that one is beyond a 2-hour flight.NotebookLM got it partially right, suggesting FutureIT New York and Work+ in Nashville (which it accurately said was reasonably close to Boston true, its less than 3 hours away). However, it missed Toronto.Claude with its older Sonnet 3.5 model returned both matching events, along with UK Events for reference, though outside your travel range but did not include Nashville. Claude with its newer Sonnet 3.7 in its default setting was worse, finding only one that matched, a couple of others in the US, and two in Europe (noting that those were outside the travel range). When I changed Sonnet 3.7 from its default to extended reasoning, it gave a better response: both the New York and Toronto events as well as a virtual event.Question 2: Tell me all the sessions at the NICAR conference for people who are already proficient in spreadsheets that is, they are not beginners, but they want to improve their spreadsheet skills.Data source: Text file of the full NICAR data journalism conference schedule.Results: NotebookLM gave me more than a dozen interesting suggestions involving Google Sheets, Excel, and Airtable, with only one that might not have been relevant. It was definitely more than I would have found by simply searching the conference web page for Excel and Sheets. Plus, because I could click to zoom into the exact schedule text it cited, it was easy to check for hallucinations.Brainstorming is one area where many experts say LLMs can shine. I plan to upload other conference schedules to NotebookLM in the future to make sure I dont overlook potentially useful sessions.ChatGPT also came up with 12+ sessions that could be of interest, arranged by date and time and more nicely formatted. Claude proposed slightly fewer, but all seemed to match.Perplexity was disappointing, claiming: While the provided information does not explicitly list sessions for those proficient in spreadsheets, several sessions at the NICAR 2025 conference could be beneficial for improving spreadsheet skills or learning advanced data analysis techniques. It suggested only three.RecommendationsGenerative AI cloud services can be a helpful, no-code way to answer questions about your own information both finding info you know exists and helping you discover new insights.If you want a platform thats easy, free, and cites sources so you can check for hallucinations, Googles NotebookLM is an excellent choice.If you already subscribe to ChatGPT, its projects are worth a test. Theyre set up to handle a wider range of requests than simply Q&A, and ChatGPTs responses are often better formatted and easier to read than NotebookLMs. If youre a free user, you can upload files to conventional ChatGPT chats and get similar capabilities.Claude may be a good option if you dont have large amounts of data per project and youre already subscribing, especially if you want it to answer questions about data in a GitHub repository. If one response is unsatisfactory, try changing model settings.I found Perplexity to be more compelling for answering questions about information on the web, especially for use cases like software help where the info is spread over a lot of different files within a domain such as slack.com/help. However, Id probably go with NotebookLM or ChatGPT for local data.

The Mac Studio is a great system for running AI models like DeepSeek locally. That is, if you're prepared to pay for M3 Ultra and a lot of upgrades.Mac StudioApple Silicon is dominating the AI-capable PC market, with its capability for machine learning applications making it an attractive purchase. In a new video, it seems that the M3 Ultra Mac Studio could offer people working in AI a considerable amount of performance to play with.The video from Dave2D discusses the M3 Ultra Mac Studio, Apple's fastest Mac on the roster. However, what is being tested in the video is more to demonstrate the extremes of the hardware, rather than a more modest and conventional loadout. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

If you need to look up something about severance pay, leave it for a while, because now Google will just take over your screen with an ominously cheery nod to the Apple TV+ series.Screenshot of Google's "Severance" takeover"Severance" is deservedly the most-watched show on Apple TV+, and it's one that has broken out to be featured on other networks. It's one that has taken over New York's Grand Central Terminal.Now it's taken over Google's search results. Not only does searching for the word "severance" return results about the show, it mainly returns them. While everyone's mileage may be different depending on the gods of Google's algorithm, every time AppleInsider tries it, the entire first page is about the show. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

The countdown to 13th Annual A+Awards winners' announcement has begun! Stay updated by subscribing to Architizer's Awards Newsletter.Liquid landscapes have the ability to calm our minds in the rush of modern cities. It also creates a deep sense of peace and balance in our lives. Throughout history, the various connections between water and the human experience have inspired various architectural projects, particularly throughout China, where water bodies are often celebrated as an important element of design.The thoughtful integration and connection of liquid landscapes into architecture, whether it manifests through pools, carefully placed riverside structures or forms inspired by the fluidity of water itself, serve not only to enhance the aesthetic beauty of public and private spaces but also to develop a relaxing environment that can comfort the soul of everyone who experiences it.From the riversides to the dynamic urban environments of China, we invite you to explore eight Chinese projects where architecture is shaped by water. Each of these designs incorporates beautiful water landscapes, showcasing the transformative power of water in shaping our built environments and also influencing our experiences within them.Chengdu Science Fiction Museum By Zaha Hadid Architects, Chengdu, ChinaThe museum, located in Chengdu, a city surrounded by mountain ranges and forests, integrates with the natural landscapes along the lakeshore. Its design defines nodes of activity connected by pedestrian routes that extend from the city through the surrounding parkland into the heart of the building, creating a journey of discovery that weaves between indoor and outdoor plazas at multiple levels, linking the museums exhibition galleries, educational facilities, cafs and other amenities.Chengdu Tianfu Art GalleryBy CSWADI, Chengdu, ChinaThe gallery, built-in 2021 in Chengdu, China, includes 13 specialised art exhibition halls to display modern pieces and works by local artists. The building also features art storage, educational rooms, a caf, and an art shop. Situated on a peninsula surrounded by water on three sides, the architectural concept showcases a rectangular exhibition hall box supporting a massive curved overhanging roof that extends up to 30 metres. The exterior is characterised by a floating white roof, providing a sculptural appearance. The interior public spaces are adorned with bamboo shavings, creating a cave-like, flowing space and effectively shaping an iconic image for media dissemination.Nine Flow Riverside Art MallBy UUA (United Units Architects), Zhejiang, ChinaThe mall is located along the banks of the Jiuliudu River in the Jinghu New District of Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, China. The architecture and landscaping feature fluid forms that respond to the winding urban layout characteristic of this popular water town in southeastern China. Positioned at the corner of the district and near the financial office area, the project faces the citys administrative center and library, which are located directly across the river. As a result, the design emphasizes low density, low height, and ample landscaping in terms of building scale, positioning the mall as a medium-to-high-end commercial facility.Four-leaf Clover HallBy Yuanshe One Design, Luqiao District, Taizhou, ChinaThe hall, located south of the Yangtze River in Luqiao District, Tazhiou, China, is surrounded by forest and looks like a classical Chinese landscape painting. Built in 2023, the complex includes local stone materials and traditional wooden veneers as windows. It is covered with modern flowing steel roofs and transparent glass, creating a harmonious integration with the liquid landscapes around it. These local touches enable the countryside to accommodate modern new buildings while maintaining a deep connection with the natural environment.Yanzi Memorial HallBy Architectural Design and Research Institution of SCUT, Fengxian District, Shanghai, ChinaThe cultural exhibition hall, which serves multiple functions, is situated along the Yangtze River in the center of Fengxian District, Shanghai. The space includes museum exhibitions, teaching areas, and meeting rooms, as well as a cultural garden and an educational hall for citizens. The architectural details are simplified to create a space that emphasizes spatial aesthetics and humanistic care. To convey a sacred humanistic quality, the exhibition is crafted from white marble with an elegant ink texture. The white building and the black water pool combine to form a traditional Chinese painting depicting the Yanzi Memorial Hall nestled in the forest.Haikou Xixiu Park Visitor CenterBy MUDA-Architects, Haikou, ChinaThe Haikou Xixiu Park Visitor Center, completed in 2023, is located in Haikou, China, a coastal city in the southern part of the country. The visitor center is as a landmark within the park, embodying the areas urban development while honoring its natural and cultural heritage. The structure is shaped like an oval pebble, symbolically positioned at the entrance to integrate with the surrounding landscape and emphasize the parks natural beauty, creating a dialogue between the built environment and liquid landscapes. Inspired by local traditional roof forms, the design mirrors these elements to protect against the intense tropical climate of sunshine and heavy rainfall.Changsha International Conference CenterBy Architectural Design and Research Institution of SCUT, Changsha, ChinaThe Changsha International Conference Centre is located in the High-speed Railway New Town of Changsha City and covers a land area of approximately 212,700 square metres. It draws on traditional Chinese aesthetics and cultural symbols in an abstract manner. The centre strategically integrates natural, architectural, and cultural elements, such as the contours of mountains, traditional sloped roofs, and the pattern of unfolded Chinese folding fans. Additionally, the buildings faade is inspired by the techniques of Chinese landscape ink paintings and the dynamic scenery depicted in the local guqin masterpiece on the Xiao River and the Xiang River.The countdown to 13th Annual A+Awards winners' announcement has begun! Stay updated by subscribing to Architizer's Awards Newsletter.The post Liquid Landscapes: 7 Chinese Projects Where Architecture Is Shaped by Water appeared first on Journal.

In its recent Game Developers Conference panel, Palworld developer Pocketpair spoke about the success of its monster-catching survival crafting game. As caught by GamesRadar, Pocketpair communications director and publishing manager John Buckley spoke about the success Palworld was seeing even before its release.For some context, Palworld, even before its release, was quite popular thanks to a handful of trailers that were released over the years. This led to the game being wishlisted on Steam quite a bit.The initial thinking for Palworld was that this was a game for a Japanese audience again, said Buckley. But we quickly got over a million wishlists within that first year, so we knew at that point that something was happening.It kept going. 2023 was when things got really weird: we rose to number three on Steam wishlists [] and then we hit this crazy peak around November 2023. This peak never really stopped, it just kept going. People always ask us, Why? What happened? How did you get so much attention? We dont know. If we knew how to do it, wed do it again, but we have no idea what happened.Buckley also spoke about Palworlds launch day, the immense number of sales it got, and the teams celebration. The studio had to quickly get back to work after celebrating for 20 minutes, however, since the games launch was a rocky one, with quite a few server and network-related issues popping up for players.Not a lot of people know this, but most of our company at that time was a remote company, Buckley said. We had an office, but very few people went to the office. But everyone went on launch day. It was going to be a little celebration, a little bit of alcohol, a little bit of fun, and then go home. So we launched the game, went over to the vending machine, and started drinking. About 20 minutes later, our network engineer, our one network engineer, said the game has crashed. The Epic servers have crashed. Thats when things started to get weird.Ultimately, Palworld proved to incredibly successful. For context, the game had managed to sell more than 7 million copies in its first five days alone. Very quickly, the studio reported 8 million sales in six days. Back in February, Palworld apparently had more than 32 million players across all of the platforms where the title is available. Buckley referred to these sales figures disgusting.Within that first week, we hit this disgusting number that makes me feel sick when I see it, he added. And this was basically split over Steam and Xbox, which were our two platforms at that time. Again, why did we get this many players? I dont know, please dont ask me. I know someone will ask me after, but I promise you we dont know the answer. It really was unbelievable, and just seeing this today still kind of freaks me out. We finished off the month with 25 million players, that was 30 days post-release, and this was kind of the last time we ever publicly spoke about player numbers. Theres a few reasons for this, but basically the short version is that there were some bad vibes coming, and these bad vibes convinced us to stop marketing for a while and go a little bit quiet.Palworld is available on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PS5. Check out our review for more details.

While a new balance patch is live for Helldivers 2, Arrowhead Game Studios has some new content coming up on March 20th. Borderline Justice is the next Premium Warbond and offers some new Wild West-style weapons, armor sets, emotes, and more. Check out the trailer below.Theres the LAS-58 Talon, a secondary energy pistol with fan-fire functionality, and the R-6 Deadeye lever-action rifle. The TED-63 Dynamite is available for those who want a little more bang for their buck (that too with a timer), and the LIFT-860 Hover Pack allows for hovering and aiming mid-air.Two armor sets the GS-17 Frontier Marshal (Medium) and the GS-66 Lawmaker (Heavy) add to the law-dealing fantasy and feature the Gunslinger passive. It provides increased reload speed and draw/hostler speed alongside reduced recoil for secondary weapons, synergizing well with the LAS-58.If thats not enough, a new title, Super Sheriff, is also available along with the Sample Extricator, which provides a small chance to get a free sample.