• What CIOs Should Know About Post-Election Winners and Losers
    www.informationweek.com
    The Trump Administration is making big changes faster than any other modern president. The movement of many kinds of levers -- tariffs, buyout packages, government layoffs, and more are disrupting the status quo, and the effects will affect tech companies and enterprise chief information officers.Like the pandemic, the extreme and rapid changes require extreme organizational agility, Monte Carlo simulations, an open mind, and a CIO unafraid to lead. As with all major changes, organizations need to have a strong vision and the ability to execute it within the context of changing circumstances.Organizations Will Depend More on MSPsJonathan Lerner, president and CEO at MSP InterVision Systems, believes deregulation will create a lot of confusion.Its about your customers, the people you work with every day, who are going to have a lot of questions right now, says Lerner. Small business owners, CIOs and people just trying to keep their systems running smoothly will be asking their MSPs, How does this affect my data, network security, and software updates? How will I continue to innovate and better serve in a period of uncertainty? In this business, our job is to simply provide stable, reliable business solutions, and these kinds of rapid changes make that harder.Related:InterVision Systems will focus on strengthening its security and compliance expertise to stay a step ahead. Lerner says his company will be spending a lot of time helping its customers understand the new rules and how to adapt to them.Jonathan Lerner, InterVision SystemsJonathan Lerner, InterVision SystemsWere going to have to be flexible, focusing on sustaining strong relationships, listening to our customers and providing clear, practical advice focused on outcomes to drive their strategy, says Lerner. I hope this leads to less red tape so that businesses can thrive. But, in the meantime, my advice to anyone in our field, especially MSPs, is to be prepared to become a guide.Businesses Will Also Turn to ConsultantsJenny Rae Le Roux, CEO at consulting industry news publisher and business skills training company Management Consulted, says while there are always economic winners and losers, the consulting industry is the canary in the coal mine for who is who.Outsized demand for services from one sector [or] function usually indicates robust growth or big challenges in the broader economy, says Le Roux. The sectors that will grow in 2025 [are] supply chain, healthcare, and cloud services. The losers [will be] businesses that focus on DEI, ESG, and federal government consulting work.Related:There is also a strategic shift occurring among clients that is driving demand for more consulting assistance.Jenny Rae Le Roux, Management ConsultedJenny Rae Le Roux, Management Consulted2025 is bringing with it a reordering of traditional business cycles. Typically, firms think about macro business cycles in eight-year increments. The first four years are focused on growth, and the second four years are focused on cost optimization, says Le Roux. As AI and trade policy transform the way the world does business, clients are now asking firms to help them deliver on a dual mandate: Drive growth and optimization simultaneously. This is a meaningful driver of increased demand for consulting services.Data Security Will Remain a PriorityArnaud Treps, CISO at Salesforce data security platform Odaseva, expects that some companies will find themselves unprepared for policy changes and will be forced to scramble to catch up.Organizations that arent proactive or are incapable of rapidly pivoting in the face of shifting regulatory environments will suffer, says Treps. Regardless of changes in regulations, policy, or administrations, underlying security challenges remain. Even if there are fewer regulatory requirements, security threats dont just disappear if the regulations do. As a result, data security investments will be driven more by business needs rather than investing in security just because regulations require companies to do so.Related:Odaseva is encouraging its customers to implement the strongest security and management capabilities, so that regulatory or policy changes don't require exponential or rapid scaling up of data security and management approaches.We will carefully monitor policy changes and identify trends, while continuing to offer products and services to our customers that allow them to independently secure their data at the highest level and achieve agility so they can pivot as necessary based on policy and/or geopolitical changes, says Treps.Of course, its unclear where regulations, policy, and geopolitics are headed in the short term and long term.Arnaud Treps, OdasevaArnaud Treps, OdasevaSecuring and managing SaaS data is the most important thing you can do in the face of regulatory uncertainty, says Treps. Understanding your data model and how employees, third parties, fourth parties, and customers all interact with it puts you in the best possible position to navigate regulatory changes as they emerge.Accessibility Will SufferJosh Miller, co-CEO at media accessibility company 3Play Media, the leader in media accessibility says with the Trump administrations focus on abolishing DEI and a suit filed by 17 states against Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, there is obvious risk to the accessibility space.As a vendor that provides accessibility services, we are close to the impact on people with disabilities, vendors that provide accessibility services [and] businesses that have prioritized accessibility and are now questioning whether they still should or need to, says Miller. Ultimately, it would be naive to think that the current political climate wont have a negative impact on accessibility. Some businesses will deprioritize making their websites, products and spaces accessible.Federal enforcement of accessibility law may wane, but individual or independent litigation and state enforcement will persist. People with disabilities will continue to fight for their right to access, and many organizations will continue to support them.Miller says 3Play Media began pushing into the video localization space to expand itsfootprint beyond accessibility. In the accessibility space, the company plans to support Canadian and upcoming EU accessibility regulations under the European Accessibility Act (EAA), where enforcement is still a priority. It will also continue to support the many U.S. customers that prioritize compliance with accessibility laws, making sure their services are accessible to the millions of U.S. with disabilities.Energy Companies Will Have Uneven ImpactsChris Black, CEO at GridX says most of what happens in the electric and gas utility space is decided state by state. It's both a blessing and a curse when selling to utilities companies because they answer to different state regulators with different objectives. This means his company is more subject to state-level decisions than national ones.Companies like GridX that work in the back-of-house operations of utilities are treated more like infrastructure investments than anything else. Utilities make decisions on 20-year cycles, not four-year political terms, says Black. When utilities invest in grid infrastructure, they're planning for decades, which gives us some insulation from the political winds of the moment.However, not everyone in the utility tech space is so fortunate. Certain areas, such as residential energy-efficiency credits and offshore wind players, should have a plan B in place because they rely on federal support and are frequently tied to green messaging that may be less favored in the current climate.For companies traditionally emphasizing environmental benefits, you can still achieve the same positive impacts while shifting your communications to highlight cost savings and reliability,says Black. Getting people to shift their energy usage away from peak times aligns with clean energy and renewables goals, even if you're not leading with an environmentalmessage.The biggest challenge will be prioritization. For example,a utility may have requests for $30 billion in infrastructure projects but can only fund $8 billion of it.Those tough choices will become even more critical, and companies that can demonstrate immediate economic value will be at an advantage. For those in areas that feel more vulnerable to administrative changes, now's the time to focus on complementary offerings or pivot to aspects of your business that are less dependent on federal priorities, says Black. The fundamentals haven't changed: Utilities must deliver reliable service and modernize aging infrastructure. Companies that help them do this more efficiently will continue to find opportunities, regardless of who's in Washington. Just be prepared to frame your value in terms that resonate with the moment while staying true to your core mission.Bottom LineSome CIOs will be harder hit than others by the changes the current administration is making. This has been true of any administration. However, the speed of change this time around is unprecedented, so organizations need to focus on, organizational agility partnering with consultants and vendors that can help them weather the shifts while meeting the demands of customers.
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  • 3 Myths Creating an Inflated Sense of Cybersecurity
    www.informationweek.com
    Andy Lunsford, Matt HartleyMarch 20, 20254 Min Readsyahrir maulana via Alamy StockThe reality of the current cyber environment is harsh, and no matter how well-funded or how skilled a security team may be, theres a good chance theyre not quite as prepared as they think.Verizons most recent Cost of a Data Breach Report found that more than 10,000 breaches were reported last year, exposing over 8.2 billion records.With an average cost nearly $5 million, you can imagine the toll of mega-breaches that are making global headlines. The true financial and reputational toll of a breach is incalculable.While its tempting to think that experience and planning can shield an organization from an attack, the simple fact is that incidents happen. No matter an organization's size, malicious actors target networks for financial gain or strategic advantage. Cybercriminals and nation states are relentless, skilled and constantly evolving. For most companies, its not a matter of if they will face a breach but when. Despite best intentions, no company is prepared for the moment that when turns to now.There are several misconceptions fueling an inflated sense of security. Only by acknowledging these limitations can organizations begin to effectively address the challenges when its their turn under the gun.Our Plan Will Guide Us Safely Through a CrisisRelated:Incident response (IR) plans have been an essential component of most companies cybersecurity strategy for a long time. But when an attack takes place and the rubber meets the road, many IR plans tend to be overly strategic and somewhat theoretical, lacking real value for security teams on the ground who are trying to mitigate the impact. In practice, they often fall short because the plan does not include the detailed information necessary to address the chaotic, real-world nature of a cyberattack and the high-stress decision-making that takes place when an attack occurs.When talking with firms specializing in cybersecurity, we hear the same thing almost without exception: Weve never once used a companys IR plan as part of our process. These plans often are too high-level, updated once a year at best, and predominantly focus on broad, strategic directives. When an attack occurs, the immediate need is for clear, actionable steps that reflect the dynamic, evolving nature of the breach, not just an outline of who should be informed and when.We Nailed Our Tabletop Exercise, So Were ReadyWhile tabletop exercises are valuable tools for familiarizing teams (and especially leadership) with incident scenarios, they fall short when it comes to executing in the face of the complexities of a real-world attack.Related:Its hard enough to gather multiple departments -- legal, compliance, IT, public relations and senior leadership, to name a few -- with their own priorities and spread out across multiple locations and time zones during times of real crisis. Now, imagine trying to get a half-day block into calendars for what many of the employees who are needed for the tabletop to be effective -- are likely to write off as an inconsequential training exercise. To maximize participation and secure critical buy-in from across departments, organizations should consider hybrid or staggered exercises that mimic the complexity of live incidents.When the time comes, most internal teams -- no matter how recently theyve had their last training -- will default to what they know. In times of crisis, people will inevitably drop everything and start executing. That often means they do it without planning or following existing procedures, if those even exist. Worst Case: We Break Glass and Experts Come to RescueMany organizations fall prey to the heroic expertise fallacy. Thats the belief that if something catastrophic happens, expert third parties who are external incident response teams, lawyers, and consultants will swoop in and save the day. While third-party experts are certainly skilled at what they do, it takes costly time to develop the understanding that will allow them to be effective.Related:Additionally, during large-scale cyber incidents, your company is not the only one calling for help. If multiple organizations are affected, external IR teams and law firms may be overwhelmed, with larger companies -- often with bigger budgets -- taking precedence. Its a harsh reality: Expert help is often in high demand, and when everyone faces the same crisis, response times can be slower than anticipated, even if youre paying through the nose for it.Building Cyber Resilience in an Unpredictable LandscapeNo organization is truly prepared for a cyber incident. Attacks are unpredictable, messy, and fast-moving, and no amount of planning can fully eliminate the risks. That said, proactive planning is critical in reducing potential incident impacts. Successful organizations recognize the inherent uncertainties and complexities of a breach, even a small one, and take steps to prepare much more thoroughly.The goal isnt to achieve perfect preparation. Thats impossible. Rather, its to build resilience, flexibility, and the organizational muscle memory to respond effectively when the inevitable occurs.About the AuthorsAndy LunsfordChief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, BreachRxAndy Lunsford is CEO and co-founder of BreachRx, provider of the first intelligent incident response platform designed for the entire enterprise. Prior to founding BreachRx, Andy spent 15 years in privacy law and large-scale commercial litigation. Andy co-founded BreachRx to transform incident response and reporting into a routine operational business process while shielding C-level executives from personal liability. Andy has a BA from Washington and Lee University, a JD from the University of Arkansas, and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.See more from Andy LunsfordMatt HartleyChief Product Officer and Co-Founder, BreachRxMatt Hartley is co-founder and chief product officer of BreachRx. He is a 20+ year innovator in cyber security, threat intelligence, cyber warfare, and information operations. Prior to BreachRx, he was a Senior Vice President of Engineering at FireEye and Vice President of Product at iSIGHT Partners, where he held a variety of other leadership roles. Matt previously served in the US Air Force in the Air Intelligence Agency and Air Force Information Warfare Center. After leaving the military, he led research and development teams creating disruptive and next generation cyber and information security, cyber warfare, and information operations technologies at Sytex Inc. and Lockheed Martin's Advanced Technology Labs. Matt holds a CISSP and a Bachelors and Masters in Computer & Systems Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.See more from Matt HartleyWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore ReportsNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also Like
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  • Entrepreneurs.Com: PMO spcialis en automation / IA
    weworkremotely.com
    Nous sommes une entreprise spcialise dans l'accompagnement de TPE/PME et entrepreneurs en hypercroissance. Nos coachs accompagnent les dirigeants pour acclrer leur croissance de manire structure et durable. Nous recherchons un(e) PMO expriment(e) capable de piloter et d'optimiser nos processus internes en structurant des mthodologies robustes et standardises, afin de garantir des rsultats exceptionnels pour nos clients. Vous travaillerez troitement avec le Head of Delivery pour excuter et coordonner des projets oprationnels et stratgiques cls.Vos missionsMise en place d'une mthodologie standardise d'accompagnement clientDployer une mthodologie uniforme d'accompagnement, inspire des pratiques d'excellence (McKinsey, Bain, Accenture).Concevoir les outils et supports pdagogiques permettant aux coachs d'avoir un impact maximal sur leurs clients.Garantir lapplication cohrente de cette mthodologie au sein de lentreprise. Automatisation et optimisation oprationnelleMettre en place un systme intelligent dautomatisation des workflows clients (Make, Zapier, Airtable, Notion...).Amliorer nos systmes danalyses par IA des sessions de coaching, intgrant alertes et suivi en temps rel.Automatiser le tracking et le reporting des progrs, pour une restitution dynamique aux coachs et clients. Pilotage stratgique et gestion de projets interneslaborer et piloter un processus structur de cration dtudes de cas clients pour valoriser nos russites.Dvelopper un annuaire client intelligent centralis, facilitant la ractivit et la performance des quipes.Concevoir et mettre en uvre des processus standardiss de gestion de projets pour chaque vnement (hors logistique), incluant un retour dexprience et une boucle damlioration continue. Coordination oprationnelle et gouvernanceAssurer un suivi prcis des projets et initiatives via Notion / Slack / Jira / Monday.Animer les runions de suivi rgulires : weekly updates, sprint reviews, rtrospectives.Veiller la bonne application des standards dfinis, en assurant le respect des dlais et la qualit d'excution.Vos comptencesMinimum 3 ans dexprience en tant que PMO ou Operations Manager.Exprience confirme dans un cabinet de conseil reconnu (McKinsey, Bain, Accenture ou quivalent) fortement apprcie.Expertise des outils dautomatisation (Make, Zapier) et de gestion de projet (Notion, Airtable, Monday).Capacit prouve grer plusieurs projets simultanment dans un environnement dynamique et exigeant.Approche rigoureuse, structure, oriente rsultats et excellence oprationnelle.AvantagesImpact direct sur la performance du ple Delivery.Flexibilit maximale (prsentiel, horaires flexibles ou full remote).Environnement stimulant et dynamique.Possibilit d'volution rapide au sein d'une entreprise en forte croissance.Apply NowLet's start your dream job Apply now
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  • The elephant in the room for energy tech? Uncertainty.
    www.technologyreview.com
    At a conference dedicated to energy technology that I attended this week, I noticed an outward attitude of optimism and excitement. But its hard to miss the current of uncertainty just underneath. The ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit, held this year just outside Washington, DC, gathers some of the most cutting-edge innovators working on everything from next-generation batteries to plants that can mine for metals. Researchers whose projects have received funding from ARPA-Epart of the US Department of Energy that gives money to high-risk research in energygather to show their results and mingle with each other, investors, and nosy journalists like yours truly. (For more on a few of the coolest things I saw, check out this story.) This year, though, there was an elephant in the room, and its the current state of the US federal government. Or maybe its climate change? In any case, the vibes were weird. The last time I was at this conference, two years ago, climate change was a constant refrain on stage and in conversations. The central question was undoubtedly: How do we decarbonize, generate energy, and run our lives without relying on polluting fossil fuels? This time around, I didnt hear the phrase climate change once during the opening session, including in speeches from US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and acting ARPA-E Director Daniel Cunningham. The focus was on American energy dominance, on how we can get our hands on more, more, more energy to meet growing demand. Last week, Wright spoke at an energy conference in Houston and had a lot to say about climate, calling climate change a side effect of building the modern world and climate policies irrational and quasi-religious, and he said that when it came to climate action, the cure had become worse than the disease. I was anticipating similar talking points at the summit, but this week, climate change hardly got a mention. What I noticed in Wrights speech and in the choice of programming throughout the conference is that some technologies appear to be among the favored, and others are decidedly less prominent. Nuclear power and fusion were definitely on the in list. There was a nuclear panel in the opening session, and in his remarks Wright called out companies like Commonwealth Fusion Systems and Zap Energy. He also praised small modular reactors. Renewables, including wind and solar, were mentioned only in the context of their inconsistencyWright dwelled on that, rather than on other facts Id argue are just as important, like that they are among the cheapest methods of generating electricity today. In any case, Wright seemed appropriately hyped about energy, given his role in the administration. Call me biased, but I think theres no more impactful place to work in than energy, Wright said during his opening remarks on the first morning of the summit. He sang the praises of energy innovation, calling it a tool to drive progress, and outlined his long career in the field. This all comes after a chaotic couple of months for the federal government that are undoubtedly affecting the industry. Mass layoffs have hit federal agencies, including the Department of Energy. President Donald Trump very quickly tried to freeze spending from the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes tax credits and other support for EVs and power plants. As I walked around the showcase and chatted with experts over coffee, I heard a range of reactions to the opening session and feelings about this moment for the energy sector. People working in industries the Trump administration seems to favor, like nuclear energy, tended to be more positive. Some in academia who rely on federal grants to fund their work were particularly nervous about what comes next. One researcher refused to talk to me when I said I was a journalist. In response to my questions about why they werent able to discuss the technology on display at their booth, another member on the same project said only that its a wild time. Making progress on energy technology doesnt require that we all agree on exactly why were doing it. But in a moment when we need all the low-carbon technologies we can get to address climate changea problem scientists overwhelmingly agree is a threat to our planetI find it frustrating that politics can create such a chilling effect in some sectors. At the conference, I listened to smart researchers talk about their work. I saw fascinating products and demonstrations, and Im still optimistic about where energy can go. But I also worry that uncertainty about the future of research and government support for emerging technologies will leave some valuable innovations in the dust. This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Reviews weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here.
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  • RIBA survey: workload expectations turn positive in February
    www.bdonline.co.uk
    Industry more upbeat but RIBA warns that geopolitical context presents on-going risksSource: Shutterstock66 Portland PlaceArchitects expectations for future workloads have turned positive for the first time in three months, according to the latest RIBA Future Trends survey.Februarys Workload Index rose (+5), reflecting increased confidence in the residential and commercial sectors and an improving outlook across most UK regions.The latest survey indicates that 29% of architectural practices expect workloads to grow over the next three months, while 24% anticipate a decline. Forty-seven per cent expect no change. The difference between those expecting more work and those expecting less increased by seven points from (-2) in January to (+5) in February.The outlook has improved across all sectors, with residential and commercial projects expected to see growth. The private housing sectors Workload Index rose (+8), the highest since mid-2022, while the commercial sector returned to positive territory (+6).The community sector remains negative at-7, but this marks an improvement from January (-14). The public sector also saw a slight uplift, though its workload index remains negative (-4).Regionally, London reported the most positive sentiment at +14, the highest level of confidence in the capital since mid-2022. The outlook for Wales and the West turned positive for the first time in months, moving from -12in January to +3in February.The North of England remains optimistic, though its Index figure dipped slightly from +8to +6. In contrast, the South of England and the Midlands & East Anglia continue to report negative outlooks, though both saw improvements, rising to -1and -2, respectively.>> Also read:RIBA will relocate to Jerwood Centre during Portland Place refurbishmentThe RIBA Permanent Staffing Index also returned to positive territory, rising to+4from January (-4). Seventeen per cent of practices expect to increase staff numbers in the next three months, while 13% anticipate reductions.Large and medium-sized practices (11 or more staff) are more confident about hiring than smaller firms. Regionally, London recorded the most positive staffing outlook (+8), while Wales and the West were the only areas expecting a decline, with a Staffing Index figure of -2.The demand for temporary staff also increased, with the Temporary Staffing Index rising (+7) from January (-6), particularly among small practices and firms in the North of England.Despite the shift to a more positive outlook, challenges remain for many practices. RIBA Head of Economic Research and Analysis, Adrian Malleson, said: After three months of the profession anticipating declining workloads, this month sees a welcome return of near-term optimism.Positive outlooks in the housing and commercial sectors have spurred overall confidence, with the Housing Sector reaching its highest Index figure since mid-2022. This improved outlook is seen nationwide, with only one region reporting a negative outlook. London stands out as the most positive region.However, Malleson cautioned that risks remain. Despite this increased optimism, significant risks to future growth remain. These include heightened geopolitical uncertainty and growing threats to global supply chains due to protectionist trade policies, he said.
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  • RIBA will relocate to Jerwood Centre during Portland Place refurbishment
    www.bdonline.co.uk
    Institute agrees partnership with RCP for temporary move toneo-Georgian building opened by former Prince of Wales in 2002Source: Google Street ViewThe Jerwood Medical Education Centre was designed by Carden and Godfrey Architects and opened in 2002The RIBA has agreed a partnership with the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) to temporarily relocate its office operations to the neo-GeorgianJerwood Medical Education Centre,near Regents Park, while its headquarters at 66 Portland Place undergoes refurbishment. The relocation will last for around two and a half years.Under the partnership agreement, the RIBA will occupy the Jerwood Centre, designed by Carden and Godfrey Architects and opened by the former Prince of Wales in 2002. Located in Peto Place behind the St Andrews Place college precinct, the building sits next to the grade I listed RCP headquarters, designed by Sir Denys Lasden, a former RIBA president.The 66 Portland Place HQ will close to the public from 1 June 2025, with staff vacating by 29 August. The refurbishment forms part of its House of Architecture programme, which aims to improve accessibility and sustainability while undertaking essential restoration of the grade II* listed building.The relocation means the RIBAs caf and physical bookshop will close for the duration of the works.Source: ShutterstockThe Royal College of Physicians by Denys Lasdun & Partners (1964)The RIBA will also have shared use of some facilities within the main RCP building.Some events, including the presidential inauguration of Chris Williamson and the annual general meeting in September 2025, will also take place there.RIBA CEO Valerie Vaughan-Dick said: Having made enquiries with several membership bodies, royal colleges and cultural institutions, Im positive weve secured a fantastic temporary home at the Jerwood Centre for our staff and invited guests.RIBA board chair Jack Pringle described the arrangement as ensuring both continuity and proximity to the organisations permanent home. To have secured the self-contained Jerwood Centre and use of the iconic Sir Denys Lasdun-designed RCP building in one of Londons most beautiful parks is exceptional, he said.Access to the RIBAs library and collections at 66 Portland Place will end on 10 April 2025 ahead of the move. Key items will be housed at the London Metropolitan Archives in Clerkenwell, while books and the Robert Elwall photographs collection will be relocated to a temporary site in Stockwell, south London, accessible by appointment.>> Also read:RIBA submits 60m plans to refurbish its 66 Portland Place headquarters
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  • RSHPs delayed 1.1bn British Library expansion to start next year
    www.architectsjournal.co.uk
    Tokyo-based real estate company Mitsui Fudosan confirmed on Wednesday (19 March) that it will fund the 1.1 billion project.Work to deliver the development will be able to proceed as soon as possible, according to the company. Detailed design will start now and initial works are scheduled to begin in 2026 for an estimated completion in 2032.The massive extension to Colin St John Wilson and MJ Longs 1997 landmark, which RSHP designed alongside Arup as engineers, was approved by Camden council in July 2024, despite concerns over its height and bulk.AdvertisementRSHP had won the the high-profile job seven years before, when it and Stanhope were selected following a developer-led competition back in 2017.The extension will see two blocks built north of the main British Library building, creating a new home for the Alan Turing Institute and nearly 10,000m2 of library facilities, as well as additional life sciences and office space. Long & Kentishs 16-year-old conservation centre will be demolished to make way for a 12-storey building next to the Francis Crick Institute.The extension will provide 9,290m extra library spaces for culture, learning, research and business uses, including doubling existing gallery space, to enable hundreds of thousands more visitors to be admitted each year.It will also include around 55,800m of commercial life sciences space, for occupants seeking to locate close to the Francis Crick Institute, Alan Turing Institute and the rich mix of other organisations located in Londons Knowledge Quarter.The extension will be linked to the existing library building via new circulation areas, including a new full-height foyer and new public entrances.AdvertisementIt will open up the library across three sides and include new, publicly accessible internal and external routes connecting the building to Somers Town and St Pancras. DSDHA has worked on the landscaping and public realm for the project.Under the terms of the agreement, the British Library will grant a long lease of the land to SMBL, its development partner, which will now become fully owned by Mitsui Fudosan as part of a restructuring of the investment partnership. Stanhope will be kept on as development manager for the project.Takeshi Iwama, chief executive of Mitsui Fudosan UK, said: Our development commitment represents what we believe to be one of the largest single real estate investments into London by a Japanese company to date.We have already acquired significant expertise in the life sciences sector across Japan and the US over almost a decade and will be bringing this to the British Library extension development, our first in this sector in Europe.Iwama added that the company was confident that the new life sciences space in Kings Cross will encourage some of the worlds most ambitious and successful life sciences companies to invest in the UK by the early 2030s.Culture, science and technology minister Chris Bryant said: The British Library is one of the greatest British cultural institutions and this funding will see it undergo an ambitious transformation, creating new spaces that will showcase our national story and history.The creation of a new world-class commercial science and innovation space in Londons Knowledge Quarter will also help encourage investment in this vital sector in the UK. I look forward to seeing how this major development will benefit the local community and beyond, supporting growth and innovation.Rebecca Lawrence, chief executive of the British Library, said: Our partnership with Mitsui Fudosan will enable us to fulfil our long-held vision to extend the Librarys site in St Pancras.The plans will open up the library even further, creating an expanded national library with state-of-the-art new spaces, harnessing the power of collaboration to build a new public realm linking communities and the Knowledge Quarter and deliver significant investment in the UK.The British Library has confirmed it will be seeking the support of visionary philanthropists and partners to fund the internal fit-out of new spaces.The development agreement includes a 23 million contribution towards affordable housing in the area, commitment to affordable workspaces, including incubator desks within the Librarys new business spaces, and a new community garden on Ossulston Street.RSHPs initial proposals sparked anger from conservation groups over the planned demolition of the existing 13 million conservation centre building, designed by British Library co-architect Long & Kentish and only completed in 2007.Revised plans unveiled in 2021proposed pulling back the new building from the western edge of the site to reduce the impact on the residents of Somers Town, Ossulston Street and Levita House, as well as Midland Road.Historic England said during the consultation phase that RSHPs scheme would still cause some harm to the surrounding heritage assets but that it supported the designs and relocation of the conservation centres collection into the heart of the main British Library building.The scheme aims to complete original architects Colin St John Wilson and MJ Longs intention for the wider library site and the 1.2ha plot to the north of the existing 1997 library, using private developers rather than public funds.
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  • These Fruits and Vegetables Cost More Than You Think
    www.cnet.com
    Professional chefs factor in edible yield when budgeting their menus. Here's how it works and why it might help you save at the grocery store.
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  • I'd Rather Wait to Play Nintendo's New RPG Remake On Switch 2
    www.cnet.com
    Can we do a raincheck on Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition?
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  • Trump Wants to go to Mars. Thats Not Happening
    www.scientificamerican.com
    OpinionMarch 20, 20255 min readWere Not Going to Mars Anytime SoonDespite What Musk SaysElon Musk and Donald Trump have announced ambitious plans to send a mission to Mars in 2026 and 2028. Its not going to happenBy Paul M. Sutter edited by Dan VerganoElon Musk gives a tour to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and lawmakers of the control room before the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on November 19, 2024 in Brownsville, Texas. Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesIn his January inaugural address, President Donald Trump declared that we will pursue our Manifest Density into the stars and plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars. He reiterated the Mars promise in his March 4 speech to a joint session of Congress. As for a timeline, SpaceXs founder and CEO Elon Musk, stated in November that he is highly confident that we will send several of his companys Starships to Mars in two years, and if those go well, with crewed missions to follow in four.Meanwhile, on March 6, SpaceXs latest Starship exploded mid-flight for the second time in a row, sending debris raining over Florida and the Caribbean, closing airports in the process.Somethings not adding up.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.The stated goals of Mars landings in 2026 and 2028 do not correspond to a comprehensive, articulated plan. Its simply the next open launch window, when Earth and Mars are in conjunction on the same side of the solar system, and transfers to that planet require the least amount of energy. Its like announcing a camping trip on your next available weekend, without having purchased any camping supplies. And your car is in the shop. And has exploded.So far, the only details of a Mars mission that Musk has shared consist of a brief comment on X, when someone asked him what cargo of the first Starship to the red planet would carry. His response: Cybertrucks and Optimus robots.While such statements may play well to sycophants on social media, its nowhere near an actual plan to go to Mars, especially considering the calls to cut NASAs science budget by up to 50 percent.A mission to Mars is not outright impossiblethere are no laws of physics that forbid itand indeed SpaceX has made enormous strides in developing reusable rocket boosters. And Im confident that Starship, with its impressive launch cadence, will achieve orbit and land safely back to Earth in short order. Even so, theres still a long road to go to get to Mars.In the 1960s the Apollo program went from blueprints to lunar landing in less than a decade. But Mars is another beast. At its closest approach, that planet is 56 million kilometers awayroughly 150 times the distance to the moon. Starship cannot launch directly from the Earth and reach Mars in one go. It must refuel in orbit, a technology only in its earliest development. While estimates vary, a full refill of Starship is likely to take an additional 10 to 20 tanker launches of fuel.Next, Starship has to plunge through the thin Martian atmosphere and land on its cratered surface in a controlled, powered descentsomething that no lander has ever achieved before. SpaceX was already contracted to provide the lunar lander for the Artemis mission, but last year a Government Accountability Office report found significant issues with SpaceXs supporting evidence that its mission can be achieved within schedule and acceptable risk.A crewed mission to Mars isnt a one-way trip. A return journey would entail another launch from Mars, another transfer across interplanetary space, another plunge through an atmosphere, and another controlled landingagain, all never before done from interplanetary distances. The return trip fuel would either have to be transferred there ahead of time (meaning even more launches) or we must the develop the machinery to create methane from ice water and the thin carbon dioxide atmosphere on Marstechnologies that have yet to be demonstrated, let alone deployed.And all this is just for the uncrewed, robotic proof-of-concept that Musk envisions for 2026. A crewed mission brings its own headaches. For starters, we have no working human-rated deep-space vehicleat all. Starship will have to undergo rigorous installation and testing of life-support systems, and demonstrate a much higher degree of safety, to be certified to carry a human crew to Mars.A typical Mars round trip takes around two years, including transfer time and waiting on the Martian surface for our planets to come back into conjunction. The record-holders for the longest duration stay at the International Space Station are cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, at only 374 days. For the duration of a Mars mission, Starship would have to remain fully independent, unlike the ISS, which gets regular supplies and materials, not to mention constant guidance from the ground to fix the myriad issues that crop up.Starship also has to protect the crew against cosmic radiation for those two years, and maintain their health against the ravages of microgravity. Research into this is one of the primary motivations for the ISS, which Musk called for deorbiting after insulting one of its former commanders.Plus, Starship cant just be a transit vehicle. It also has to be (or at least provide for) the operating base on the Martian surface. Whatever Starship is at this point, its definitely not that. No Starship has even successfully landed on Earth yet.We are very, very far away from these ideas becoming prototypes, let alone robust mission components.Indeed, the U.S. was developing exactly those mission components when, in 2016, the Obama administration announced a pivot from the moon-focused initiative of the Bush years with a focus on getting to Mars in the 2030s. Then Trump reversed that by disregarding Mars and aiming again for the moon with the Artemis project.Now with Musk calling the moon a distraction, rumors are swirling that the second Trump administration may cancel Artemiscalls that seem to come from Musks insistence that we colonize Mars.The only way were going to Mars is by spending a lot of money. Likely, up to trillions of dollars. Perhaps thats Musks real aimto funnel enormous sums of money away from researchers at NASA and its partners and into his privately-held company without having to answer to shareholders or deliver on promised schedules. A bold enough claim could substantially increase his already vast fortune.Followers of Musk are used to his audacious, and sometimes incredible, assertions. For example, Tesla drivers are still waiting for their vehicles Full Self Driving system to achieve Level 5 autonomy, which was supposed to occur in 2021; meanwhile, the systems under scrutiny for fatal accidents. But while statements of grand ambition may excite shareholders and fans, they dont make for sound space progress. If we keep whipsawing between priorities, and allow outlandish, self-interested claims to direct policy, the only place well be going is nowhere.This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.
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