Detective Dotson is far and away one of the most charming games Ive played this year. Its as if you were to throw Ace Attorney and classic Monkey Island games together, wrap it up in a Bollywood film, and then set it in modern-day India. That should give you an idea of what independent developer Masala Games is trying to achieve, as Detective Dotson is fast approaching its April 24, 2025, release date for Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC with support for Xbox Play Anywhere.The developer, which houses talent that has worked at studios like Pixar, Electronic Arts, and Prana, was one of the featured teams at this years ID@Xbox Showcase during GDC and it was a standout experience for me at the show I also had a chance to speak with Director Sharlin Shodhan separately about the games support for Xbox Play Anywhere.In Detective Dotson, you take on the role of the title character, an aspiring actor turned amateur detective who is trying to track down who killed his father. Thats the high-level pitch. But the fun of the game are the wild adventures hell embark on as he becomes a more honed gumshoe, taking on unexpectedly riveting cases like who shunned someone from attending a prominent tea party, or whos responsible for stealing someones lunch to ruin a film production.These lighthearted quests play out in a traditional adventure game style, where you guide Dotson across a 2D plane with a brightly colored, Indian-influenced 3D backdrop, talking with other characters for clues, picking up objects for your inventory, scanning the environments for hints, and taking down notes to later piece all your evidence together.Once all your notes and clues are assembled, youll then head to an evidence board to solve the active case. Here youll effectively move sticky notes with clues on them like, Broke Up With, Trained by, and Hides in, to then draw lines between all your suspects to solve the mystery at hand.What I enjoyed the most during my time with the game is that it taps into classic adventure gaming, a genre I love. Its not quite point-and-click, but its similar enough in its functions that it scratches that adventure game itch. It also feels like an incredibly accessible, cozy experience that gamers of all skill levels will be able to enjoy.It also looks like nothing Ive seen before, with its brightly colored world, diverse characters, and dance-offs. Im not proficient in the realm of Indian customs, but the game does a good job of easing you into the experience with its terminology, presentation of characters, as well as the cases youre given. Theres a reason why being shunned from a tea party can have a dramatic impact on someones social standing, which makes it the kind of thing Dotson would want to solve for who seems to not only be a better detective than advertised, but also a standup dude who is just trying to do right in his community.Even though my demo was short, its clear there are many more layers to explore within Detective Dotson, ones that Im eager to uncover. This lighthearted story of a reluctant hero has already moved to the top of my Cant Wait to Play More of This list which thankfully isnt a long wait: Detective Dotson is set to launch April 24, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC with support for Xbox Play Anywhere.

Designer: Jennifer McGee; Photographer: Marco Ricca; Courtesy of NKBAAn en-suite love affair by designer Jennifer McGee, with a large double vanity, sauna, oversize shower, and framed soaking tub.During a recent design trip to London, I spoke to James Lentaigne, creative director of Drummondsa luxury British brand known for timeless bathroom productsabout the growing idea of bathrooms as the new meeting space for couples. This got me thinking: In todays hyperconnected world, filled with constant distractions, its no surprise that homeowners want their bathrooms to be a rare private retreat to unwind and reconnectbut is this trend gaining traction in the U.S.? And if so, how is it taking shape? Is something more than technology driving it?Designer Xander Noori, who is also a partner designer for House of Rohl, recently completed a project for American clients who requested a single, larger primary bathroom, noting, Often the only time they have to see each other is in the morning when getting ready for the busy day and in the evening while winding down. [She] recently mentioned how nice it is to see her husband every morning and still flirt while they brush their teeth. Related StoriesCourtesy of DrummondsA replica of Freddie Mercurys bathroom with a Drummonds bathroom and De Gournay wallcovering. The Last Frontier of True Privacy Cell phones arent the only thing behind this design trendits a lack of intimate spaces in our homes. The bathroom has become the last frontier of true privacy, Jean-Michel Lebeau, CEO and owner of the bathtub maker BainUltra, says. Think about it. Its the only door with a lock that everyone respects. The bathroom has become the last bastion of adult space in homes increasingly designed around childrens needsthe Switzerland of domestic territories where even the most boundary-challenged family members typically honor the closed door. Overpacked schedules arent helping matters. The demands of modern lifestressful commutes, long work hours, shuttling kids to school and activities, and juggling endless responsibilitiesleave little room for uninterrupted time together for many couples, Ashley Steinhardt, vice president of sales for Hydro Systems, adds. By the time the day winds down, the bathroom may be the only place where they can truly escape, disconnect from their phones, and focus on each other.Designer: Holly Viane Interiors, Photographer: Erika Beirman; Courtesy of Hydro SystemsA bathroom with a tucked away bench showcasing the Versailles tub from Hydro Systems encased in marble. Whats in a Meeting Place Bathroom? You may be thinkingthis sounds great, but my partners bathroom habits really annoy me. Lentaigne points out that this newly considered space only works if each partner gets their own customized space within the larger shared environment. Essentially, we want to connect with our significant otherbut only if we have enough elbow room to avoid getting on each others nerves. Once thats dealt with, meaningful conversations can follow. Heather Shannon, senior vice president of marketing and communications for the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) agrees, saying, By personalizing the experience for each partner and solving the frustrations of a shared space upfront, time spent in the bath can be supportive and centered around those emotional needs.BrizoThe new Brizo Beauclere Bath CollectionThe New Couples Shower Were not suggesting you cozy up under a single stream of water. Picture larger showers with dual shower heads or an at-home steam shower. For instance, a couples shower might feature different shower head styles on either side: One likes waterfall, the other a removable handheld, both love a good body spray. Mandy Ellington, director of brand management and business development at Brizo, also mentions using technology to set individual preferences. With digital thermostatic valves and other integrated features, shower experiences can be preset for both individuals. This intimate setting should foster both connection and relaxation, allowing couples to unwind together while still enjoying their own personalized comforts. By incorporating thoughtfully curated details with state-of-the-art technology, we create an environment that feels both indulgent and effortlessly practical, she says.BainUltraThe INUA bathtub with hydrothermal (water) massage, a heated backrest, raised seat, and chromatherapy. Bathtubs Built for Two A tub immediately makes a bathroom feel like a sanctuaryyou dont hurry in and out of a bath. Thats why a freestanding tub wide enough for two is ideal. The tub is a key part of that equation, Steinhardt says. Its not just about fitting two people in the tub; its about fitting them comfortably. Connecticut-based designer Sarah Blank loves surrounding the tub in a cased opening for an intimate setting.Bathtubs have come a long wayyou can forget the jetted tubs of the 1990s. The INUA tub shown above has a heated backrest and water massage features. Theyre customizable too. Designer: Patricia Brown; Photographer: Jessica Klewicki Glynn; Courtesy of NKBAA double vanity bathroom by Patricia Brown with a shower on one side and a soaking tub on the other.Split Vanities Even more so than a double vanity, couples want separate vanities (and their own ancillary storage, like medicine cabinets) to suit their individual needs. If you cant fit two vanities, you want enough room to spread out. Separate or together, each person should be able to configure their drawers in a way that suits them, with power outlets and dividers.The bath is the re rooma place to relax, retreat, recharge, re-center, renew, and reinvigorate.Heather Shannon, NKBA The Lounge Its also important to create a cozy post-shower spot in case one person is already set. Sometimes a tubside perch or smaller ottoman does the trick. Designer Meredith Heron says, A well-placed chair adds both function and intimacy, creating space for conversationwhether youre starting the day or unwinding at night. Lebeau also says you need seating that invites lingering, noting, the best conversations happen when nobodys standing awkwardly or perched on the edge of something cold. Wrap the seating in moisture-resistant outdoor fabric, and voil: Youve created your own at-home therapy retreat. As for the walls, Blank recommends covering them in wallpaper, where appropriate, or a beautiful vinyl mural and limiting stone to the showers and counters. Ideally, you can give this spot a style that looks more like a living space and not just tile and marble, she says. Small pieces of furniture, like an antique dressing table, a rug, and a surface-mounted light fixture warm up cold surfaces. Designer: Christi Petty; Courtesy of NKBAA simple armchair tucked next to the bath in this space designed by Christi Petty. Other Design ElementsIf youre creating a bathroom design from scratch, you can plan it in ways that create just the right amount of intimacy. For instance, strategic sight lines [can] create visual privacy without isolation, says Lebeau. Keep this in mind when planning your shower. He adds that dimmable lighting and sound-dampening materials are a must to keep conversations in and household chaos out. Blank recommends heated floors, which are soothing and add a level of calmness. Admittedly, it takes a big bathroom to fit all these amenities. But it might be worth buying some space from your bedroom to reconnect with your person everydayafter all, its an investment in you. Follow House Beautiful on Instagram and TikTok.

Anthropic announced this week a major update for Claude, its AI chatbot. The platform can now search for results on the web in real time to provide up-to-date information, making it even more useful for research.Claude can now search the web in real timeAs detailed in a blog post, Claude now has access to the latest events and information, which improves the accuracy of tasks that benefit from more recent data. Until now, Claude relied on large language models that were updated from time to time, so the chatbot had no knowledge of recent events.The platform will show direct quotes attributed to their respective sources, so that users can check whether the information is true.When Claude incorporates information from the web into its responses, it provides direct citations so you can easily fact check sources. Instead of finding search results yourself, Claude processes and delivers relevant sources in a conversational format. This enhancement expands Claudes extensive knowledge base with real-time insights, providing answers based on more current information, the company says.Anthropic notes that Claudes web search can be especially useful for researchers, financial analysts with current market data, and even buyers who want to compare product features and prices across multiple sources.Users can choose whether or not to search the web when using Claude, similar to ChatGPT Search which is also optional.Web search is now available in beta for all paid Claude users in the US. Anthropic says it plans to expand the feature to more countries and also to free users in the future. If youre a subscriber in the US, all you need to do is enable web search in your profile settings and start a conversation with the Claude 3.7 model.More details can be found on Claudes website.Gadgets I recommend:Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Severance just aired its season 2 finale, and season 3 is officially on the way. In a new interview with Alan Sepinwall at Rolling Stone, the shows creator Dan Erickson explains that big finale ending, teases plans for next season, talks about answering the shows mysteries, and more. *Spoilers await* if you havent yet watched the Severance finale.On the season 2 finales shock endingSeverances second season ends with a heart-wrenching moment.Right after getting Gemma out into safety, innie Mark is faced with a dilemma: go with his outties wife into freedomand possible reintegrationor stay with Helly.Mark chooses Helly, and the two run off through the severed floor together as Gemma is left alone, weeping.Heres Ericksons explanation of whats happening:In that moment when hes looking at Gemma and hes looking at Helly, hes not just deciding between two women, hes deciding about existence or non-existence as an innie. He realizes that leaving with Gemma means that his life as he knows it is over. Over the course of the season, hes reached this point where he is able to value his own existence as an individual independent of his outie. Even though getting Gemma out and helping his outie has been his main goal over the course of the season, when it gets to that moment, he chooses his own life. But I think in that moment, they dont know what theyre running toward. They may be running toward five more minutes of life, or they may be trying for more. I dont think they know. Teases for season 3 and big future plansErickson is at one point asked about the shows tendency to throw its characters into dangerous situations, yet still keep them coming back to work.After the end of season 2, it seems wild that Severance could continue to offer a similar workplace setting in season 3. Heres Ericksons response:We like to blow up the formula at the end of each season and see if we could bring it back. I dont want to speak too much about what Season Three would look like. But I will say that we wanted to do something that blew up the world even more than in the first season. Its a really valid question that people will be asking: Can the show continue in the format that weve been seeing, or is it going to need to transform into something else? On a related note, he addressed the question of how long Severance is planned to go on.Weve talked about it, and were pretty sure that we know how long its going. Were keeping that close to the chest still at this point, but we have a pretty good sense of it.Will mysteries truly be solved?Finally, Erickson is asked if hes seen the show Lost, and is familiar with the series famously unanswered mysteries.People come up to me and say, Hey, youre not going to leave us hanging the way Lost did, are you? I try really hard not to point at mysteries that I know Im not going to answer. There are things, of course, that are happening on the show that are there to build out and enrich the world, and were not going to go through and explain the genesis of all those things and take the fun out. But in terms of the mysteries that we are specifically pointing at, I like to think that people will be satisfied by the answers.Hes apparently a fan of Lost and found the shows ending more satisfying than some. That said, he seems very mindful of the importance of answering questions that Severance seems to indicate are important.The full interview is well worth a read at Rolling Stone.What are your takeaways from this new interview? Let us know in the comments.Best Apple TV and Home accessoriesAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Robotics company Boston Dynamics has shared a new video of its latest-generation humanoid robot, Atlas, doing forward rolls, cartwheels, and army crawls.In a particularly made-to-go-viral moment, the lanky robot throws in a flashy breakdancing move known as the coffee grinder, effortlessly spinning one of its legs below its torso like a slick street performer.It's an impressive show, demonstrating Atlas' considerable agility and how far humanoid robotics have come.But Boston Dynamics isn't operating in a vacuum anymore, as the competition is really starting to heat up when it comes to light-footed bipedal robots. Case in point, Chinese robotics company Unitree recently showed off its G1 robot pulling some gnarly kung fu moves in a video last month. Earlier this week, Unitree followed up with a video of G1 performing a standing side flip.The latest stunt involving Atlas was the result of a collaboration between Boston Dynamics and the Robotics and AI Institute (RAI), which, as its name suggests, aims to solve robotics problems through machine learning.The breakdancing skills were the result of "reinforcement learning policies developed using a motion capture suit," according to a Boston Dynamics tweet. In other words, a human breakdancer seems to have taught Atlas how to pull off the coffee grinder. (Futurism has reached out to the company for clarification).The robotics company's collaboration with the RAI also allowed its Spot robot dog to learn how to run three times as fast. A video shared by the institute last month shows Spot speeding up as it runs on a track.The news comes just under a year after Boston Dynamics announced the latest iteration of its bipedal Atlas robot. The now fully-electricversion (the previous one was hydraulic and electric) was designed from the ground up for real-world applications, per the company's website, boasting a stronger, and broader range of motion than previous generations.That kind of flexibility can land the robot right in the middle of the uncanny valley. In April, the company showed off the robotslowly standing up by flipping its legs over and onto itself in an unnervingly inhuman fashion.It's not just flashy dance moves and horror movie contortions that Atlas has been working on. A video shared in February shows the robot placing auto parts in cabinets, suggesting a future of being employed in a warehouse.However, whether Atlas will ever make it into mass production remains to be seen. As the Boston Globe reported in December, the company laid off five percent of its human workforce, with CEO Robert Player admitting that the company is "burning through cash at a rate that exceeds our commercial progress to date."More on Boston Dynamics: Boston Dynamics Lays Off Human Employees, Says It's "Burning Through Cash"Share This Article

Tesla's financial health isn't looking great lately, to put it mildly.Earlier this week, four top senior executives at Tesla dumped their stocks amidst an ongoing freefall caused by poor quarterly sales, tons of recalls, and global protests against CEO Elon Musk. Now, after the loss of some of his highest-moneyed investors, Musk is pleading with Tesla employees not to do the same."There are times when there are rocky moments, a little bit of stormy weather, but Im here to tell you the future is bright and exciting," the oligarch said during an all-hands messagewith Tesla employees. "What I'm saying is hang on to your stock."In the past, Tesla has operated on a merit-based equity award plan, meaning salaried employees are often eligible to receive stocks as part of their yearly salary adjustments. That plan hit the rocks in 2023, when a company-wide halt to equity awards was announced due to a "challenging economic environment."That move was thanks to a 6 percent stock slide caused by lower than expected but still positive growth compared to the previous year. If that's a "challenging environment," then the past quarter's 50 percent freefall must be hell on earth for the EV company, which is now at risk of losing itsonce ironclad spot in the magnificent seven.Musk has previously bragged that employee stock awards helpedfend off unionization efforts in Tesla factories. Indeed, Tesla is currently the only major American automaker whose workforce isn't represented by a union. Musk's strategy has previously been to pay employees much lower salaries than other American auto companies, offset with those Tesla stock awards.Now that employee stock holdings are in the toilet, the leverage Musk once had over his laborers is quickly slipping through his fingers. The deeper Tesla's stocks plummet, the closer Musk pushes his underpaid workforce toward the bargainingtable whichwould be a huge cut to his own personal fortune.But that's something only Tesla's employees can decide. In the meantime, calls on Musk to step down as Tesla CEO are only getting louder."It's time for somebody to run Tesla," said mega-investor Ross Gerber. "The business has been neglected for too long. There are too many important things Tesla is doing, so either Elon should come back to Tesla and be the CEO of Tesla and give up his other jobs, or he should focus on the government and keep doing what he is doing, but find a suitable CEO of Tesla."Share This Article

All jobs Technical Support & Onboarding Specialist Posted 2 hours agoBriteBiz is a leading CRM and Business Management Platform designed for event professionals. We help venues, planners, and vendors streamline sales, operations, and financeallowing them to scale efficiently while delivering exceptional customer experiences.Our company is self-funded and we are guided by the development requirements of our customers and the welfare of our team. We are driven and motivated to break the rules. Apply now We are looking for a Technical Support & Onboarding Specialist to lead customer onboarding, manage technical support inquiries, and enhance product adoption. This role ensures a smooth customer journey from initial setup to full implementation, bridging the gap between technical support and customer success.As an Onboarding Specialist, you will conduct onboarding meetings, guide customers through account setup, troubleshoot technical issues, and provide best-practice recommendations. Your goal is to eliminate roadblocks, enhance retention, and drive product adoption.You will become a key member of a young, exciting and growing tech company.Key ResponsibilitiesCustomer Onboarding & Product AdoptionLead onboarding meetings, product tours, and training sessions to ensure a smooth setup.Understand customer needs and tailor the onboarding experience to their goals.Proactively eliminate roadblocks related to setup, implementation, and support issues.Equip customers with best practices and resources to maximize their success with BriteBiz.Technical Support & Problem-SolvingManage and resolve customer inquiries via Intercom, ensuring timely responses.Assist with technical troubleshooting.Conduct end-to-end testing to ensure system reliability.Work closely with the customer success team to support retention and engagement efforts.Documentation & Continuous ImprovementDevelop and update knowledge base articles, FAQs, and interactive guides.Identify and act on customer feedback to improve the onboarding process and product adoption.Implement onboarding tools and automation to enhance efficiency.What Were Looking ForTechnical ExpertiseCustomer-Focused ApproachProduct Expertise Ability to develop a deep understanding of BriteBiz features to provide accurate, efficient support and address customer inquiries with confidence.Problem-Solving & Adaptability Quick thinking and real-time problem-solving to assess customer needs, recommend solutions, and configure BriteBiz to align with their workflows.Project Management Ability to manage multiple projects efficiently while staying flexible and taking on diverse responsibilities in a dynamic startup environment.Communication & Training SkillsProcess-Driven Mindset Experience optimizing onboarding workflows and improving documentation.Bonus Qualifications & ExperienceExperience in running an event or venue management.Familiarity with accounting platforms such as QuickBooks or Xero.Previous experience with customer support software such as Intercom or Zendesk.Previous experience working with SaaS CRM or business management platforms.What We OfferCareer growth in a fast-paced SaaS company.Remote/hybrid flexibilityOngoing learning & development opportunities.Competitive salary based on experience.Global exposure, working with customers across Europe and North America.Apply NowLet's start your dream job Apply now BriteBiz View company Jobs posted: 2 Related Jobs Remote Customer Support jobs

OpenAI says over 400 million people use ChatGPT every week. But how does interacting with it affect us? Does it make us more or less lonely? These are some of the questions OpenAI set out to investigate, in partnership with the MIT Media Lab, in a pair of new studies. They found that only a small subset of users engage emotionally with ChatGPT. This isnt surprising given that ChatGPT isnt marketed as an AI companion app like Replika or Character.AI, says Kate Devlin, a professor of AI and society at Kings College London, who did not work on the project. ChatGPT has been set up as a productivity tool, she says. But we know that people are using it like a companion app anyway. In fact, the people who do use it that way are likely to interact with it for extended periods of time, some of them averaging about half an hour a day. The authors are very clear about what the limitations of these studies are, but its exciting to see theyve done this, Devlin says. To have access to this level of data is incredible. The researchers found some intriguing differences between how men and women respond to using ChatGPT. After using the chatbot for four weeks, female study participants were slightly less likely to socialize with people than their male counterparts who did the same. Meanwhile, participants who interacted with ChatGPTs voice mode in a gender that was not their own for their interactions reported significantly higher levels of loneliness and more emotional dependency on the chatbot at the end of the experiment. OpenAI plans to submit both studies to peer-reviewed journals. Chatbots powered by large language models are still a nascent technology, and its difficult to study how they affect us emotionally. A lot of existing research in the areaincluding some of the new work by OpenAI and MITrelies upon self-reported data, which may not always be accurate or reliable. That said, this latest research does chime with what scientists so far have discovered about how emotionally compelling chatbot conversations can be. For example, in 2023 MIT Media Lab researchers found that chatbots tend to mirror the emotional sentiment of a users messages, suggesting a kind of feedback loop where the happier you act, the happier the AI seems, or on the flipside, if you act sadder, so does the AI.OpenAI and the MIT Media Lab used a two-pronged method. First they collected and analyzed real-world data from close to 40 million interactions with ChatGPT. Then they asked the 4,076 users whod had those interactions how they made them feel. Next, the Media Lab recruited almost 1,000 people to take part in a four-week trial. This was more in-depth, examining how participants interacted with ChatGPT for a minimum of five minutes each day. At the end of the experiment, participants completed a questionnaire to measure their perceptions of the chatbot, their subjective feelings of loneliness, their levels of social engagement, their emotional dependence on the bot, and their sense of whether their use of the bot was problematic. They found that participants who trusted and bonded with ChatGPT more were likelier than others to be lonely, and to rely on it more. This work is an important first step toward greater insight into ChatGPTs impact on us, which could help AI platforms enable safer and healthier interactions, says Jason Phang, an OpenAI safety researcher who worked on the project. A lot of what were doing here is preliminary, but were trying to start the conversation with the field about the kinds of things that we can start to measure, and to start thinking about what the long-term impact on users is, he says. Although the research is welcome, its still difficult to identify when a human isand isntengaging with technology on an emotional level, says Devlin. She says the study participants may have been experiencing emotions that werent recorded by the researchers. In terms of what the teams set out to measure, people might not necessarily have been using ChatGPT in an emotional way, but you cant divorce being a human from your interactions [with technology], she says. We use these emotion classifiers that we have created to look for certain thingsbut what that actually means to someones life is really hard to extrapolate." Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated that study participants set the gender of ChatGPT's voice, and that OpenAI did not plan to publish either study. Study participants were assigned the voice mode gender, and OpenAI plans to submit both studies to peer-reviewed journals. The article has since been updated.

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"The Luxembourg Pavilion has announced the theme and details about its exhibition for the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale. The exhibition, titled "Sonic Investigations," will be an immersive, joyful, and radical invitation to shift focus from the visual to the sonic.Curated by architect, researcher Valentin Bansac, Luxembourgish architect, urbanist Mike Fritsch, and a French-Canadian architect, researcher and cartographer Alice Loumeau, the project will function as a tool to re-explore Luxembourg's dense terrain, which is an important case study for global western paradigms in territorial planning. The exhibition will be both a theoretical and practical examination.The region's biological, geological, and man-made sounds merge into the Anthropocene's mingled soundscape, raising the dilemma of how to highlight the complex nature of particular modern circumstances in Luxembourg, stated the curators.Sonic Investigations, the curatorial team. Image Simon Nicoloso"In our image-saturated contemporary society, sight often eclipses other senses which are vital to understan- ding the unseen dynamics of our sensory relationship with environments. Inspired by John Cages silent song 4331, Sonic Investigations invites us to close our eyes and actively listen," said the curators."As a counter-project to the hegemony of images, the act of listening opens up new possibilities for exploring both built and natural environments and to move our attention towards giving voices to more-than-human agencies.""Through attentive listening and field recordings that capture a range of sounds from diverse environments, Sonic Investigations creates a new, uncanny and embodied experience of space, thus emphasising the value of sensorial approaches in spatial practices," they added.Investigating territories through the medium of sound, the project seeks to craft new narratives that reimagine Luxembourg beyond anthropocentric perspectives. By attuning to the auditory dynamics of the regions densely infrastructured landscapes, the pavilion will provide an immersive space to give voice to the invisible. Drawing inspiration from Murray Schafers 1960s concept of Acoustic Ecology2 and Steve Goodmans Sonic Warfare3, sound serves as a point of tension, offering alternative ways to perceive space and confront the challenges of a rapidly transforming environment.Sonic Investigations. Image Valentin Bansac, 2025The central feature of the actual pavilion is an in-situ sound piece that was commissioned to field recordist and sound artist Ludwig Berger. The piece invites listeners to experience space through a fresh audio viewpoint by fusing recordings from several sites throughout Luxembourg. Meetings and site visits with local experts from a wide range of fields, including ecology, social science, engineering, history, and data science, serve as the inspiration for the fieldwork.The project critically examines the dynamics of the Luxembourgish territory and looks into how continuous sustainable and digital improvements are influencing the country's landscape, with a focus on multi-perspective field recordings. The project challenges traditional approaches to territorial planning and the power structures and constraints it creates by using sound as a tool for spatial and territorial analysis. This provides a new framework for comprehending urban and extra-urban situations.Using liminal areas to investigate the effects of human intervention on the environment, the field recording technique is guided by the idea of Ecotone, which is a transitory space between two ecosystems.The sound piece portrays forests as places of exchange, energy production infrastructures, and the architecture of digital technology, among other things. It features a variety of voices, from the hum of data centers to the quiet of biodiversity loss. The composition blurs the lines between natural and artificial, human and nonhuman, local and global, by examining the coexistence of complex networks, giving voice to underrepresented systems and entities.For media theorist Shannon Mattern, the complex opacity of logistical infrastructure presents an opportunity for another mode of representation and investigation: listening [...] and a more intimate engagement with such systems.4The pavilion offers an immersive setting that transports visitors away from the plethora of visuals into an auditory experience, drawing inspiration from Bernhard Leitner's research on Sound Spaces. Even though listening appears so ordinary, focusing only on sound can produce a startlingly strange sensation.Sonic Investigations. Image Valentin Bansac, 2025Sonic Investigations will showcase a variety of unique content, such as written texts, fieldwork documentation, and a sound composition. Instead than using tangible artifacts, the project's goal is to use the Biennale Architettura 2025 context as a platform for knowledge generation.In order to create the perfect acoustic atmosphere for showcasing the soundscapes captured in Luxembourg, the pavilion's scenography is built with minimal interference. Reusability, recycling, rental, and reuse are the main themes of a sustainable material strategy. Reimplementation with circular systems is made easier by the physical materials, which are essentially conventional building pieces with very minor modifications.A speaker stimulates the listener's interest before they enter the pavilion. Visitors will enter a "behind the scenes" section that offers insight into the project's process as they leave the immersive room. Through "making-of" photos, field recording data, and other pertinent materials, this area provides a chance to investigate the process of creating the sound composition.The exhibition also consists of a book, co-edited by philosopher and musicologist Peter Szendy, which will expand on the research on the significance of sound in territorial studies outside Luxembourg. Created as a stand-alone book, it provides a carefully chosen selection of texts from different fields that use sound explorations to explore landscapes, territories, and ecologies. The book encourages new theoretical tools and cultural frameworks for spatial practitioners, much like the sound piece does.The book, which is divided into three chapters that offer a variety of textual formats such as essays, fiction, and situational case studies, starts out by examining sound as a kind of perception and the possibility of a politics of listening. The second portion describes auditory activities, investigations, techniques, and the listener's bodily sensory engagement. The third portion, which explores how to depict audio entanglements within certain circumstances, finally ventures into territory and field investigations.Sonic Investigations. Image Valentin Bansac, 2025At key moments, including the opening week, Pavilion Days, and closing week, a sequence of three activities will engage and resonate with the pavilion. By extending the contemplation of physical practices and auditory approaches to space, these activations engage with what composer Pauline Oliveros refers to as Deep Listening5.The program will feature an audio-walk through the Venice lagoon led by Nicola Di Croce, a brief residency with Gaia Ginevra Giorgi that culminates in a performance within the pavilion's immersive space, and an off-site sound performance by Ludwig Berger featuring readings from the book. Each of these events will offer a distinct exploration of the audience's body within soundscapes. The activities will foster communication between the local Italian sound research scene and the pavilion's production.Besides Luxembourg's contribution, other contributions at the Venice Architecture Biennale include the Albanian Pavilion's "Building Architecture Culture" exhibition, the Turkey Pavilion's "Grounded" exhibition, the Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates's Pressure Cooker exhibition, the Finland Pavilion's The Pavilion Architecture of Stewardship exhibition. Find out all exhibition news on WAC'sVenice Architecture Biennale page.References:1. John Cage, A Composers Confession, National Inter-Collegiate Arts Conference at Vassar College New York, 1948.2. Raymond Murray Schafer, The Tuning of the World, Random House Inc, 1997.3. Steve Goodman, Sonic Warfare: Sound, Affect, and the Ecology of Fear, MIT Press, 2012.4. Shannon Mattern, The Pulse of Global Passage: Listening to Logistics, Duke University Press, 2021.5. Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening: A Composers Sound Practice, Deep Listening Publications, 2005.> viaLuxembourg Pavilion

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 384 for March 22.