The live-action remake of the studios beloved classic managed to hit every possible cultural land mine on its journey to theaters

The French directors strange, twisty film follows a man who returns to a village for a funeral and becomes the center of a complex web of relationships and violence.

A cutting critique The ax has become an important part of the Space Forces arsenal "Ive terminated 11 major contracts in less than three years." Stephen Clark Mar 20, 2025 8:02 pm | 5 Space Force and Air Force crewmen manage the 25th Space Range Squadrons closed loop range environment during a test of the Remote Modular Terminal (RMT) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on April 4, 2024. RMT is one a handful of unclassified programs managed by the Space Rapid Capabilities Office. Credit: US Air Force/Capt. Charles Rivezzo Space Force and Air Force crewmen manage the 25th Space Range Squadrons closed loop range environment during a test of the Remote Modular Terminal (RMT) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on April 4, 2024. RMT is one a handful of unclassified programs managed by the Space Rapid Capabilities Office. Credit: US Air Force/Capt. Charles Rivezzo Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreALBUQUERQUE, New MexicoFor decades, America's big defense contractors have known they can count on a steady flow of business from the Pentagon. You win some, and you lose some. But don't fret. Inevitably, there's a new opportunity to get money from the world's largest military.This paradigm is shifting with the launch of a wave of startups eager to deliver software, missiles, drones, satellites, and other services. It's no surprise that the US military is often the core market for these companies.Since its establishment more than five years ago, the Space Force inherited many of the old ways of doing business ensconced at the Pentagon since World War II. Over the last half-century, numerous defense contractors merged and acquired one another, often escaping scrutiny by promising efficiencies that will result in savings for US taxpayers. Those efficiencies rarely materialized.A fresh set of eyesThe newest military service wants to chart a new path in how the Pentagon buys weapons and services. Over the last decade, military officials have chartered organizations nationwide to seek new technologies that could give US forces the edge over potential adversaries like China and Russia. These include outfits like the Defense Innovation Unit, the Space Development Agency, and an organization named Space Safari.One of these new enterprises is called the Space Rapid Capabilities Office (Space RCO). Headquartered at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the office is "charged with rapidly delivering first-of-their-kind operational space capabilities that protect space assets and defend joint forces from space-enabled attack," according to a Space Force fact sheet. "The office is organizationally optimized to deliver space systems on operationally relevant timelines, with the right authorities, structure, and talent required to do so."Kelly Hammett, director of Space RCO, summed it up this way: "We're supposed to deliver the 'first of' capabilities that are operationally useful on an accelerated timeline. That's been very difficult to do. Space acquisition is a hard business for physics reasons, but also for security reasons, for tech-based reasons, supply chain reasons, all kinds of things."My experience in the last three years as a director of Space RCO is, both internal to our portfolio and across the greater space enterprise, we've done a pretty miserable job of delivering, on shorter timelines, the capabilities that we want," he said. Kelly Hammett, director of Space RCO since 2022. Credit: US Air Force Earlier this month, Ars attended a Space RCO "pitch day" in Albuquerque. where government officials listened to briefings from 10 companies on how they propose helping future military satellites detect threats against them and potentially escape danger during a war that could extend to or start in space. Space RCO used the event to learn what cutting-edge technologies private space companies are already working on. The companies involved were Active Vigilance, Turion Space, Digantara, Anduril, Geost, Impulse Space, Raptor Dynamix, True Anomaly, TRL11, and BlackVe.Officials told Ars this was the first time a journalist has attended one of these Space RCO events. We'll have another report Friday detailing why the Space Force thinks it needs these capabilities and what the companies proposed. It was an enlightening affair because the government has long kept much of what the Space Force and Space RCO do under wraps."Most of what we do is highly classified," Hammett said. "We are getting to the point where we are now delivering systems and capabilities, and my ability to talk about some of those things is being restricted a little bit more due to operational security considerations."So, don't expect an answer to what Satellite X is doing in space right now. However, as Ars has previously reported, the Space Force is getting more comfortable talking about plans for protecting its satellites in orbit, and potentially attacking other spacecraft owned by adversaries. Space assets are already part of the military's surveillance network, providing early warning, navigation, and secure communications to US and allied forces since the dawn of the Space Age. These are all robotic platforms. The Space Force doesn't have its own cadre of astronauts.Out in the openWhat's new is it's now more fashionable to discuss the prospect of space warfare in public, a rhetorical shift that seemed to take off last year. That doesn't mean the Space Force is ready to give up the goods. Space RCO's budget is classified, and it has disclosed only a handful of its programs, such as a new cloud-based architecture to command and control of military satellites, and an effort to develop portable ground terminals with commercial technology to jam enemy satellite signals.Space RCO is modeled on the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, whose programs include the X-37B spaceplane and the B-21 Raider strategic bomber. Anduril Industries, founded in 2017, will soon add space missions to its existing portfolio of missiles and drones. Credit: Stephen Clark/Ars Technica "A lot of what I do is not disclosable in the public until we make a shift, which the department is in process of," Hammett said. "We'll take the lead from this administration. ... We're, as a department and as a service, working through how can we talk about more of this stuff more publicly. But we don't have all that guidance in effect. So that can hamstring some of the conversations."The Space Force's greater openness and an appetite for cost-cutting are combining to imperil the grip of the nation's major defense contractors. If programs aren't as secret, space companies don't need the highest security clearances to bid on contracts. And many of these startups are backed by wealthy founders or venture capital.The question Hammett asks today is: Why should the government pay for something billionaires are already funding?While SpaceX led the way in revolutionizing the commercial launch business, a new wave of companies is vying to supply the military with missiles, interceptors, surveillance data, and, as Ars learned at the recent Space RCO pitch day, sensors, propulsion, and space-based AI to shield satellites from attack.Unafraid of the bladeThe 10 companies that participated in the recent pitch day are relative newcomers to the space industry. All but one are under eight years old, and most have fewer than 200 employees.In preparation for the event, Hammett said his office culled a list of 62 interested companies down to 10. The initial list included small firms and traditional military contractors, often called "defense primes" in the arcane world of government acquisition. While Hammett didn't name those companies, chances are you've heard of them. For reference, the Pentagon's five largest contractors are Lockheed Martin, RTX (formerly Raytheon), Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, and Boeing."All those traditional primes opted out of this event, every single one," Hammett said. "We're cultivating an A-team who's willing to work with us, who's hungry, who wants to bring affordability and speed, and it's not the existing industry base."Hammett's office didn't set out to banish the big defense contractors. Simply put, he said they haven't performed or aren't interested in going in the direction Space RCO wants to go.Ive terminated 11 major contracts in less than three years," Hammett said. "Eighty-five percent of those were with traditional defense primes." Most of these programs are classified, so it doesn't become news when a contract is canceled."We try to fix the programs," Hammett said. "We work with the performers, but if they can't get right, and if we have program baselines where they're now exceeding it by 100 percent in cost or schedule ... we're going to fire them and start again."At the same time, venture-backed companies seem to emerge every day from the ether of Silicon Valley or one of the nation's other tech corridors."There's a lot of opportunity to bring other performers into the portfolio, but there are lots of barriers," Hammett said. One of those barriers is leadership at many startups don't have a security clearance. Many small companies don't use the certified accounting systems the government usually requires for federal contracts."You have to be willing to modify your approach, your acquisition strategies, those types of things, so I have directed my team to open the aperture, to find the A-team, wherever the A-team lives, because it doesn't seem to be in our current portfolio," Hammett said. The Space Force has launched three generations of GPS satellites capable of broadcasting a jam-resistant military-grade navigation signal, but ground system delays have kept US forces from fully adopting it. This image shows a GPS III satellite at Lockheed Martin. Credit: Lockheed Martin There's still a place for the Pentagon's incumbent contractors, according to Hammett. Small companies like the ones at Space RCO's pitch lack the national, or even global, footprint to execute the military's most expensive programs."We're trying to build the first of something new, different, at a price point that we can accept," Hammett said. "That's what these types of companies are trying to do. And we're not having to pay the lions share of the cost for that because VC [venture capital] firms and others are kick-starting them."Executives at Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and other traditional defense companies have become warier of bidding on government programs, especially fixed-price contracts where financial risk is transferred from the government to the contractor.The CEO of L3Harris, another established defense contractor, said in 2023 that his company has also declined to bid on fixed-price development contracts. L3Harris leads development of a software system called ATLAS to manage data from a network of sensors tracking rocket launches and objects in orbit. The program is over budget and was supposed to be ready for action in 2022, but it still isn't operational.RTX is in charge of another troubled military space program. The Next-Generation Operational Control System, known as OCX, is designed to allow military forces, including airplanes, ships, and ground vehicles, to access a jam-resistant GPS signal that satellites have been beaming from space since 2005. Twenty years later, the military's weapons systems still haven't widely adopted this M-code signal because of OCX delays."Our traditional defense primes are not doing well," Hammett said. "These programs have sucked for about 12 or 15 years, and they just keep getting more money and more time. We cant do that. The leadership is finally taking action."Running leanThe Defense Department formed Space RCO in 2018 to replace an office called Operationally Responsive Space (ORS), which launched a handful of relatively low-cost missions to demonstrate how launch, reconnaissance, and communications tech could be responsive to real-time tactical military needs. In many ways, ORS was ahead of its time. Its missions focused on supporting US forces on the ground, in the air, or at sea. Now, the military applies many of the tenets ORS started pursuing nearly 20 years ago, with an eye toward applying them to combat in space.Space RCO is a lean operation, with around 50 civilian officials, 20 uniformed military employees, and roughly 200 contractors under Hammett's command. He said the Trump administration's efforts to cut the federal workforce could have a disproportionate impact on small organizations like Space RCO. Hammett said his office hasn't yet lost any probationary employeesas many federal agencies havebut a handful of Space RCO employees took the Trump administration's offer for deferred resignation. These workers were among the 21,000 civilians at the Defense Department who volunteered for the program. Pentagon officials seek to slash 5 to 8 percent of the department's overall civilian workforce."Most of my government workforce are federal civilians, and its having an effect," Hammett said. "Im losing people, and I cannot hire people back because were under a hiring freeze."The Space Force's annual budget last year was approximately $29 billion, about 3.5 percent of the Pentagon's overall budget. Frank Kendall, secretary of the Air Force under President Biden, said last year that the Space Force's budget is "going to need to double or triple over time" to fund everything the military needs to do in space.The Trump administration has not released its budget request for fiscal year 2026, but Washington is bracing for cuts. The Pentagon's enormous budget is not likely to be spared. "Our job is to take the resources we get and build the best Space Force we can," said Gen. Chance Saltzman, the top general in the Space Force.Although most of the details are classified, Hammett contends that Space RCO punches above its weight."I have ...billion-dollar programs that are run by seven people," Hammett said. "If you go you go to the rest of the DOD, you'll have a program office of 500 people to run one of those programs. Were very lean, and we are therefore inordinately impacted when we lose one, two, or three people, and we cant backfill."Stephen ClarkSpace ReporterStephen ClarkSpace Reporter Stephen Clark is a space reporter at Ars Technica, covering private space companies and the worlds space agencies. Stephen writes about the nexus of technology, science, policy, and business on and off the planet. 5 Comments

A Minus for Apple TV+ Apple loses $1B a year on prestigious, minimally viewed Apple TV+: report The Information report claims notable losses for Apple's only service in the red. Scharon Harding Mar 20, 2025 5:32 pm | 24 A scene from the Apple TV+ show Severance. Credit: Apple A scene from the Apple TV+ show Severance. Credit: Apple Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreThe Apple TV+ streaming service is losing more than $1 billion annually, according to The Information today.The report also claimed that Apple TV+s subscriber count reached around 45 million in 2024, citing the two anonymous sources.Ars reached out to Apple for comment on the accuracy of The Informations report and will update you if we hear back.Per one of the sources, Apple TV+ has typically spent over $5 billion annually on content since 2019, when Apple TV+ debuted. Last year, though, Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly cut the budget by about $500 million. The reported numbers are similar to a July report from Bloomberg that claimed that Apple had spent over $20 billion on Apple TV+s library. For comparison, Netflix has 301.63 million subscribers and expects to spend $18 billion on content in 2025.In the year preceding Apple TV+s debut, Apple services chief Eddy Cue reportedly pushed back on executive requests to be stingier with content spending, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told The Information.But Cook started paying closer attention to Apple TV+s spending after the 2022 Oscars, where the Apple TV+ original CODA won Best Picture. The award signaled the significance of Apple TV+ as a business.Per The Information, spending related to Apple TV+ previously included lavish perks for actors and producers. Apple paid hundreds of thousands of dollars per flight to transport Apple TV+ actors and producers to promotional events, The Information said, noting that such spending is common in Hollywood" but "more unusual at Apple. Apples finance department reportedly pushed Apple TV+ executives to find better flight deals sometime around 2023.In 2024, Cook questioned big-budget Apple TV+ films, like the $200 million Argylle, which he said failed to generate impressive subscriber boosts or viewership, per an anonymous former Apple TV+ employee. Cook reportedly cut about $500 million from the Apple TV+ content budget in 2024.Its not hard to see why Apple might want to be more frugal about streaming. Apple TV+ is a service business, which is a revenue category thats become increasingly important to Apple as customers hardware habits shift, including toward buying new iPhones less frequently. Services represented 21 percent of Apples revenue in its most recent earnings report. Apple TV+ is reportedly the only part of Apples services business thats not turning a profit. However, sources told The Information that some of Apples other services, including Apple Arcade, Apple Music, and Apple News+, are struggling with tiny margins.Limited viewershipApple TV+s library boasts prestige, but its viewership is scant, hindering its ability to make money.According to Nielsen tracking of streaming content viewed on TVs, Apple TV+ garners less than 1 percent of monthly TV viewership typically, compared to Netflix's 8.2 percent and Max's 1.2 percent in February 2025.Apple has also been criticized for comparatively small marketing efforts for Apple TV+. For example, Apple reportedly spent $14.9 million on commercials for Apple TV+ in October 2019 versus $28.6 million on the iPhone, according to data from iSpot.TV that was reported by The New York Times.$1 billion in lossesApple TV+ being Apples only service not turning a profit isn't good, but its also expected. Like other streaming services, Apple TV+ wasn't expected to be profitable until years after its launch. An Apple TV+ employee that The Information said reviewed the streaming services business plan said Apple TV+ is expected to lose $15 billion to $20 billion during its first 10 years.For comparison, Disneys direct-to-consumer streaming business had operating losses of $11.4 billion between the launch of Disney+ in fall 2020 and April 2024. Disneys streaming business became profitable for the first time in its fiscal quarter ending on June 29, 2024.Apple is also worth nearly $4 trillion and made $93.7 billion in net income during its most recent fiscal year. That makes $1 billion in annual streaming losses manageable.Still, streaming is a huge opportunity for Apple, and even streaming newcomers that have struggled in the past are finding ways to turn profits lately. Of course, many of Apple TV+'s rivals are making ends meet with ads and price hikes. Apple TV+ doesn't have ads and hasn't increased prices since the fall of 2023 (which is a long time for a streaming service these days).Still, Apple TV+ is challenged to find a way to stand out in an increasingly competitive streaming market that includes rivals with much bigger libraries that are shifting toward mass, mainstream appeal.Today, The Information reiterated previously made claims that the initial idea behind Apple TV+ wasnt about having the most streaming subscribers but about making people more attached to the iPhone and Apple ecosystem.However, Apple may be struggling to make good on those plans, too. The tech giant appears to have gaps in its ability to share analysis about which streaming efforts work. Multiple people who worked for Apple TV+ told The Information that they didn't have data on whether or not making the Apple TV app available on non-Apple devices led to more hardware sales, as Apple thought it would.Now Apple has a streaming service with a strong but lesser-known reputation and a notable amount of losses. Apple TV+ will likely keep losing Apple money in the coming quarters, but whats most important is if Apple can communicate a clear direction for the streaming serviceboth internally and to streamers. Even the industry is unsure about Apple's streaming intentions.I dont understand it beyond a marketing play, but theyre really smart people," Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos said of Apple TV+ to Variety this week. Maybe they see something we dont.Scharon HardingSenior Technology ReporterScharon HardingSenior Technology Reporter Scharon is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica writing news, reviews, and analysis on consumer gadgets and services. She's been reporting on technology for over 10 years, with bylines at Toms Hardware, Channelnomics, and CRN UK. 24 Comments

HealthThe hormonal upheaval in the run-up to menopause can cause cognitive difficulties. But researchers are also finding that this can be a critical window for protecting long-term brain health 20 March 2025 The first sign something was amiss was the tiredness. Then I started forgetting where I had left my phone or keys, only to find them in the fridge or kitchen cupboard. The breaking point came when I went to make a cup of tea before an important interview, only to return 45 minutes later to a string of increasingly irritated emails asking why I wasnt on the call. I had been potting houseplants instead.As a woman in my early 40s, I was aware of this thing called perimenopause looming. But were my symptoms related to this, or justa product of getting older, or simply down to the mental load of juggling work, family and social demands?Teasing out what is perimenopause and what is just life is difficult, but the run-up to menopause can bring some alarming symptoms not least cognitive ones, such as difficulty recalling names, trouble concentrating and putting keys in the fridge.We now know that up to 62 per cent of all perimenopausal and postmenopausal women report these [cognitive symptoms], which can be so severe as to spark fears around early-onset dementia, says Lisa Mosconi, director of the Womens Brain Initiativeat Weill Cornell Medicine in New York.Though long ignored or dismissed as inevitable consequences of ageing, the neurological manifestations of menopause are finally drawing scientific interest. It is increasingly clear brain changes occur during this period and that some can ultimately be positive. More than that, these changes demonstrate that menopause may offer a crucial window for

2025-03-21T00:17:01Z Read in app Last August, Sonya Moore finally checked French Polynesia off her travel bucket list. Sonya Moore This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Last August, Sonya Moore ticked French Polynesia off her travel bucket list.Despite a lot of planning before the trip, looking back, there are a few things she'd have done differently.She would have skipped Bora Bora and budgeted higher for food and wine.French Polynesia had been on my bucket list ever since I learned of its existence, and last August, I finally made it there.My partner and I spent 16 days traveling across this dreamy French overseas territory. Our itinerary included six islands in the Society Islands archipelago, a region that's part of French Polynesia's 118 Pacific islands.We visited during the high season, but it never felt crowded.The islands are as stunning as their reputation, with pristine white-sand beaches and vivid turquoise lagoons. I loved our trip to French Polynesia, but there are five things I'd have done differently to make it even better. Ferries were reliable and cheaper for short routes like Tahiti to Moorea (pictured). Sonya Moore 1. Research the best way to travelI spent too much time planning flights between islands when I should have first studied a map of the Society Islands to see which routes were better by ferry. I also should have ignored most of the options on the cluttered Air Tahiti website its Book feature is all that's needed for flight times and prices.Ferries proved to be reliable, comfortable, and much cheaper for short routes like Tahiti to Moorea and Huahine-Raiatea-Taha'a-Bora Bora. Knowing that earlier would have saved me a lot of planning time.Some islands, like Taha'a, don't even have an airport. Often referred to as "Vanilla Island," due to its fragrant plantations, it's only accessible by boat via Raiatea either a 45-minute Apetahi Express ferry or a 30-minute water taxi.We were glad we made it there because it's where we had one of our most magical experiences swimming with six manta rays in the open ocean, completely alone. The author swam with six manta rays in Taha'a. Sonya Moore For some routes, flights are the better choice. We took the Maupiti Express 2 ferry from Bora Bora to Maupiti since no flights fit our schedule, but I wouldn't do it again. It's less comfortable, and the rough two-and-a-half-hour ride is only for the strongest stomachs.Whether by plane or ferry, checking schedules before booking accommodations is key. Ferries don't run daily, and flight prices can fluctuate wildly one ticket we saw was $120 on Monday but $327 on Saturday.Planning around these factors made a big difference in our trip.2. Keep the time change in mindI got tripped up by the time change when flying east into Tahiti. Since we traveled through Australia and New Zealand, we essentially went back in time, landing a day before our departure date. The final leg of our journey left Auckland on the afternoon of August 17 and arrived in Papeete on the evening of August 16.I mistakenly booked our hotel in Papeete for the wrong date, assuming we would arrive on the 17th. Fortunately, this mix-up is so common that Booking.com sent a message double-checking the date, allowing me to correct the mistake in advance. The food was delicious but expensive, including the poisson cru, a local coconut milk ceviche. Sonya Moore 3. Increase the food and wine budgetFood and wine in French Polynesia aren't cheap. We spent $17 for a hummus appetizer and about the same for poisson cru, the local coconut milk ceviche. Main dishes were often over $30.French wine by the bottle ranged, on average, from $30 to $65 or more. Had we splurged on a bottle of Veuve Cliquot in a restaurant, it would have set us back $146.On the bright side, everything was delicious. The author spent four nights in Huahine and didn't feel that it was enough. Sonya Moore 4. Skip Bora Bora and spend more time on HuahineWe fell head over heels in love with Huahine, and four nights there wasn't enough.We stayed in a $250-a-night Airbnb villa on a private beach facing a stunning lagoon, and the snorkeling was incredible. I would have loved more days in that paradise to simply relax in a hammock with a good book.While Bora Bora was beautiful, it was much less memorable, and we wouldn't have minded skipping it. However, if $2,000 overwater bungalows had been in our budget, Bora Bora may have become my favorite island. The author hopes to return to French Polynesia and will plan an even better visit. Sonya Moore 5. Pack some warm clothesFrench Polynesia doesn't experience much variation in temperature throughout the year. The weather forecast for August, which falls in the cooler season, predicted highs of 82 degrees Fahrenheit and lows of 73F. However, average highs for the rest of the year aren't much different around 86F.We thought we would be comfortable in tropical attire, but we didn't realize how windy this part of the world is. With the windchill factor, we found ourselves shivering at times and had to shop for some long-sleeved shirts.June to August is also the driest time of year, although we did experience occasional light showers and overcast skies.French Polynesia is an enchanting part of the world, and I hope to return, using the lessons learned from the first trip to plan an even better visit.

2025-03-21T00:14:01Z Read in app Tiffany Lim and Bryan Lee bought their four-room public housing apartment in Singapore in 2021. @jingwensathome This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Tiffany Lim and Bryan Lee bought a four-room public housing apartment in Singapore in 2021.They paid $975,000 Singapore dollars for the unit, which was also the first one she viewed.It's in the city's most iconic public housing project, Pinnacle@Duxton which resembles a luxury development.When Tiffany Lim began househunting, she didn't expect to buy the very first apartment that she viewed.It was mid-2021, and her husband, Bryan Lee, was working abroad. They initially wanted to wait until he was officially back in Singapore before looking at apartments. But with the uncertainty of the pandemic, the couple decided to push their plans forward.Lim had scheduled five different viewings in the same estate on that day. But when she stepped into the first unit, she knew it was the one."The whole time, I was taking videos of the house for him to see. But everything happened so fast that by the time he got to his phone, I had already decided I wanted the house," Lim, 30, who works in HR at a trading startup, told Business Insider. Lee and Lim's apartment is in Singapore's most iconic public housing complex, Pinnacle@Duxton. @jingwensathome It was a four-room flat in the Pinnacle@Duxton estate, an award-winning public housing project located in central Singapore, right next to the city's business district.They were initially considering other neighborhoods, Lee, 32, who leads a commercial team in an HR startup, told BI.However, when they realized that the apartment prices in those city-fringe neighborhoods were comparable to Pinnacle@Duxton, they changed their minds. It's the couple's first home together. Amanda Goh "Curiosity became temptation, then temptation brought us to walk around the neighborhood, and then we were sold on the area," he said.The location was a big draw for the couple, and they liked having lots of food options nearby trendy restaurants were opening up, and Maxwell Food Centre was a short walk away.The sweeping views of the city's skyline were a sweet bonus.Public housing in SingaporeAbout 80% of Singapore's resident population lives in public housing, also known as HDB flats. In recent years, the success of the city's public housing program has seen prices of HDB flats soaring above 1 million Singapore dollars, or about $751,000,According to data from real-estate platform 99. co, 121 HDB flats sold for over a million Singapore dollars in February the highest number ever recorded in a single month.Pinnacle@Duxton stands out among traditional HDB flats in Singapore due to its architecture. With seven 50-story towers connected by two sky bridges, its design resembles that of a luxury condominium. It was named the world's best housing development at the World Architecture Festival in 2010. Pinnacle@Duxton resembles a private luxury development rather than a typical HDB flat. ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images It comes as no surprise that transaction data from recent years shows that many of these million-dollar HDB flats are located in the complex.This is the couple's first home together. Prior to this, Lim was renting an apartment with two friends while Lee lived with his parents.Lim says she was immediately drawn to the unit because it was well-maintained. The previous owners an older couple had also knocked down the walls of one bedroom to create a larger common living area, and she loved the layout."Even the tiles, everything just looked like it was a move-in condition," she said. "The moment I stepped in, it was just so open. And since it's on a relatively high floor, it was very windy." Despite having five viewings scheduled on the same day, Lim ended up buying the first unit she viewed. Amanda Goh The apartment felt like a blank canvas that they could have fun with in terms of interior design.The couple paid S$975,000 for their apartment.Ever-evolving interiorsThe entryway of their 1,001-square-foot apartment opens up to the main common areas. The living space, the dining area, and the kitchen are all open-plan. Apart from their bedroom and two bathrooms, there's also a room they use to lounge in with their cats. The interior design of their apartment has evolved over the years they've lived there. Amanda Goh The space is bathed in soft, warm beige tones that create a serene and inviting atmosphere. Carefully curated art pieces and funky furniture add pops of color against this neutral base, and let the couple's personalities shine through.They worked with a local interior design firm to renovate their apartment, which took about three months to complete. However, they were quite involved in the entire design process, especially Lim."I drew the wardrobe configuration that I wanted and asked them to build it accordingly," Lim said.The couple estimates that they spent about S$65,000 on the renovation. The interior design mixes neutral colors with pops of color. Amanda Goh Lim says the interior design of their apartment has evolved over the years."We travel quite a bit, so I'll always be very interested in going to those home decor shops and just looking at a lot of stuff," Lim said.The couple's favorite parts of the house are the kitchen and dining area. The two of them enjoy hosting dinners and gatherings at their place. Amanda Goh "We enjoy hosting. We have a lot of gatherings here, a lot of meals, and a lot of memories," Lee said.Sweeping views of the city-state's skylineOne of the perks of living in Pinnacle@Duxton is that it comes with access to the two sky bridges. There are two sky bridges in Pinnacle@Duxton, both offering sweeping views of the city. Amanda Goh The one on the 26th floor is reserved for residents only and includes facilities like a fitness corner and a playground. There's also a jogging track, although the couple says they don't use it nearly as often as they should.The one on the 50th floor is open to both residents and the public, although members of the public need to pay S$6 per person per entry.Looking back on their journey, the couple says they would do several things differently when renovating their house.Design-wise, they think they'll be more experimental, Lee said. The couple says the interiors of their home are still a work in progress. Amanda Goh In their next house, they'll also try to be more intentional with space planning, Lim said.Lim said that when it came to the renovation, they were most excited about the kitchen and didn't pay as much attention to other parts of the home, like their bedroom.But with the proliferation of Instagram home design influencers and inspiration from sites like Pinterest, they've started to realize that there are plenty of ways to decorate and use a space, no matter how small."There are so many things that I can do at home, with just one wall," Lim said. They think it's worth investing in something that they really want. @jingwensathome They have some tips for first-time homeowners, and investing in quality is one of them.Lee said this is especially true for things like the built-in carpentry work. Once they are installed, it's expensive and a hassle to change or redo them again."That's one way people can look at it, or maybe the other way I'd say is if there's something you really want, spend that extra hundred dollars on it, especially for the renovation," he said.Furniture, however, is a different story since it can be changed with relative ease.Their home feels like a dream come true. Lee remembers how they were still contemplating whether to look for an apartment in the area since it was pricier than most other HDB flats."I remember going through that thought process, like, 'Is it wise? Is it being over-indulgent?'" he said. "But honestly, after staying here, when you really enjoy something that you wanted to get all along, I would say I'm glad I pulled the trigger."Do you have a story to share about living in an apartment in a city? Contact this reporter at agoh@businessinsider.com.

Universal Pictures has owned the rights to the Jason Bourne action spy franchise for decades, but that could soon change. Matt Damon has starred in four of the five existing films featuring the character created by author Robert Ludlum, going back to 2002s The Bourne Identity. According to the Hollywood Reporter, WME and the estate of the late Ludlum have begun shopping around the IP for a potential reboot of the franchise at a new home. According to the trade, the interested parties include Skydance, Apple, and Netflix. With the chaotic state of movie theaters and streamer tentpole duds, studios are definitely scrambling to get their hands on tried and trusted IP, as was just seen with Amazon taking creative control of the James Bond series. Universal could retain the Bourne rights if it chooses to outbid potential buyers in competition for the franchise. Under Universal, the franchise also includes sequels The Bourne Ultimatum (2004),The Bourne Supremacy (2007), The Bourne Legacy (2012, with Jeremy Renner stepping to star), and Damon reprising his role in 2016s Jason Bourne.As THR notes, it is too early to say if [Damon] would be involved in the new iteration. The series has also attracted talent behind the camera, with Andor creator Tony Gilroy writing or co-writing all entries except Jason Bourne, and directing The Bourne Legacy. Other series directors have included Doug Liman and Paul Greengrass. Theres also a staged stunt show inspired by the series at Universal Studios Florida called The Bourne Stuntacular. With the studio seeing a huge success in genre with Wicked, it will be interesting to see if it sticks with the spy-fi content it has mined from Bourne over the years. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

By Thomas Maxwell Published March 20, 2025 | Comments (8) | Police across multiple states have apprehended vandals attacking Tesla showrooms by using automated license plate readers and social media. Ethan Miller/Getty Tesla CEO Elon Musk has all but torpedoed the electric car makers brand since taking on a special role within the Trump administration, determined to cut massive amounts of spending through job cuts and downsizing popular programs or eliminating entire agencies. That has understandably caused a lot of anger across the country, and Tesla has taken the brunt of the impact as showrooms are present across the nation and serve as an easy target to channel displeasure. But a string of vandals have already been apprehended for defacing Tesla showrooms and destroying vehicles, with Attorney General Pamela Bondi, along with Musk and President Trump, all stating that vandalizing Teslas would now be treated as an act of domestic terrorism (it is unclear whether the president has authority to make such a declaration). 404 Media got its hands on charging documents for three individuals, which outline how the suspects were tracked down. It comes down to some classic investigative work, along with the help of newer license plate readers and trawling digital footprints. In the case of Daniel Clarke-Pounder, who is said to have thrown Molotov cocktails at Tesla charging stations in South Carolina, the police were able to recover glass bottle shards from the scene and, combining that with eyewitness accounts of Clarke-Pounders appearance, searched through local surveillance footage to find a man wearing matching clothes and holding a bottle from the same brand of beer. They then contacted the mall where the Tesla showroom was located and got footage of Clarke-Pounder entering a car, along with a scan of his license plate. Police obtained his phone number and found apps that he had used, including a mobile payment app with payment history for his apartment that led to a home address. At the time of his arrest, a search turned up a notebook with statements opposed to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) along with other evidence. The other cases are pretty similar, with police using surveillance cameras, license plate lookups, and DNA evidence to track down perpetrators. If convicted, each of the defendants faces a minimum of five years in prison and up to twenty years.In todays day and age with dystopian surveillance cameras now ubiquitous, and smartphones helping facilitate much of everyday life, it is difficult to get away with such crimes. Teslas themselves are loaded with cameras. Musk has also mobilized the White House and Justice Department to defend the private company he runs alongside being a federal employee, so local police are taking the issue especially seriously. There are probably better ways to show displeasure for Musks anticsmaybe point and laugh at every Cybertruck driver you pass byand vandalizing Tesla showrooms could have the opposite effect of encouraging his loyal supporters to purchase new vehicles; though it seems like Republicans still are not coming out in big numbers. It also lends support to the surveillance industry which can point to these incidents as reason why communities should be blanketed in cameras. The toxicity of Tesla amongst traditional EV buyers seems like it is doing enough of the work to punish Musk. The share price of Tesla is down 37% so far in 2025, and even some of Musks long time supporters are calling for him to step aside from DOGE and stop the bleeding. Maybe there will be a tipping point where even Musk cannot stomach the losses any longer. Or maybe he realizes the rest of his business empire is benefiting handsomely from his newfound power and can live with Tesla suffering.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By AJ Dellinger Published March 20, 2025 By AJ Dellinger Published March 20, 2025 By Matthew Gault Published March 20, 2025 By AJ Dellinger Published March 19, 2025 By Thomas Maxwell Published March 19, 2025 By Matt Novak Published March 19, 2025

GLASS STAR Eyewear Shop / RVMNSave this picture! Yongjoon ChoiArchitects: RVMNAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:160 mPhotographsPhotographs:Yongjoon ChoiMore SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. Glass Star, located in Seongjeong-dong, Cheonan, is an eyewear store that has remained in the same place for many years. With a diverse customer base, it offers a wide range of brands, from those favored by young customers to children's and sports eyewear. As a result, it is a welcoming space where people of all ages can visit, connect, and shop comfortably. Our journey began with a question: how can we effectively express the 'diversity' that defines Glass Star? Eyeglasses are a familiar object, yet when you think about them more deeply, they reveal something fascinating. Wiping a pair of glasses clears a blurry view, gradually brightening one's vision, as if unveiling an entirely new world within the frame.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!This essential characteristic of eyewearits ability to offer a "varied spectacle"became the foundation of our concept. We envisioned an immersive retail space where customers could appreciate glasses like art pieces, as if visiting an exhibition. This idea materialized as "Spectacle Scenery," a concept that transforms the experience of browsing eyewear into an extraordinary visual journey beyond the ordinary.Save this picture!Save this picture!The store, measuring approximately 160 square meters, had to be renovated while maintaining the existing lens zone. To ensure a seamless integration between the lens zone and the newly designed space, we adopted a contrasting White & Black tone-and-manner approach. This allows customers to intuitively distinguish between the eyewear sales area and the lens sales area upon entering the store.Save this picture!Save this picture!The display approach is minimal yet effective. To encapsulate Glass Star's diversity, we employed a clean and streamlined design language. This ensures that customers can navigate the store effortlessly and find what they need without confusion. At the center of the space, two semi-circular island displays reflect the structural essence of eyewear in a simple yet refined way. Overhead, circular Barrisol lighting enhances focus and creates depth, adding character to the store. The walls are structured to represent the assembly process of eyeglasses, naturally segmenting the space and allowing each brand to be displayed within its designated section. While the display method remains clear and straightforward, the geometric forms introduce a dynamic visual experience. As customers move through the space, they encounter a variety of perspectivesmuch like strolling through a galleryturning an ordinary shopping trip into an immersive and unique encounter.Save this picture!The facade was designed to maximize visibility, making the interior easily noticeable from the outside. In a landscape filled with vibrant signage, Glass Star's clean and open facade ensures the store stands out, naturally drawing the attention of passersby. The design itself becomes a signature element of the brand.Save this picture!Save this picture!For materials, we balanced contrasting tones while introducing warmth to soften the overall ambiance. Wood HPL and stone flooring were chosen to provide a natural, grounded feel, adding warmth amidst the cooler tones. Additionally, acrylic benches were placed alongside the central island displays, offering a comfortable spot for visitors to pause and restjust like taking a break while exploring an art gallery. Through this renovation, we aim to redefine Glass Star's brand image for existing customers while creating an unforgettable experience for first-time visitorsone that lingers in their memory long after they leave.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:288, Ssangyong-daero, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, South KoreaLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeRVMNOfficePublished on March 20, 2025Cite: "GLASS STAR Eyewear Shop / RVMN" 20 Mar 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1028048/glass-star-eyewear-shop-rvmn&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream