Ginny MacColl got strong in her 60s, and competes in American Ninja Warrior in her 70s. Ginny MacColl 2025-03-26T11:39:18Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Ginny MacColl, 73, got fit in her 60s and now competes in American Ninja Warrior.She started by aiming to do one pull-up, which took her a year of strength training to achieve.MacColl set herself an achievable goal and was consistent with her workouts.At 73, Ginny MacColl, an actor and former dancer in North Carolina, is stronger and fitter than ever.Since achieving her first pull-up at 63, she has been a regular participant in American Ninja Warrior competitions, and in 2022 she bagged the Guinness World Record for being the oldest female Ninja Warrior competitor in the world.For the uninitiated, the sport, which originated as a Japanese gameshow, involves completing extreme obstacle courses that include hurdles such as running up a warped wall, crossing a body of water using moving steps, and swinging on a spinning rope from one platform to another.To prepare herself for competitions, MacColl works out six days a week, doing a combination of strength training at the gym, obstacle course practice, and swimming. She also prioritizes mobility and balance.Although she retired from her day job at 62, MacColl is still a working actor, and her fitness has seeped into the roles she's landed in recent years. She was a stunt actor in Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrel's new movie "You're Cordially Invited," played tennis as an extra on the "Sex And The City" sequel "And Just Like That," and did the splits in "Poms," a 2017 movie about a senior cheer squad starring Diane Keaton. MacColl did the splits as a cast member in the movie 'Poms' starring Diane Keaton. Ginny MacColl MacColl told Business Insider that she wants people to know it's never too late to get fit. "If I'm doing this at 73, you can too," she said.She shared the three things that helped her get so strong.Have an attainable goalMacColl's daughter, Jessie Graff, is also an American Ninja Warrior, and seeing how strong she is inspired MacColl to build some muscle herself. MacColl first saw Graff, who has been a Ninja Warrior since 2013, compete live in a televised Las Vegas competition in 2015.When MacColl was growing up, the conversation around women lifting weights was non-existent, she said, but seeing Graff "flying across the stage" changed her perspective. "I saw her muscles, I was like, 'wow, she's beautiful and curvy and strong.' I love that. And so I asked her how could I get stronger?" she said.MacColl had never stepped into a gym at this point, so she set herself a goal of doing one pull-up. "I've always felt that you need to have an attainable goal," she said. And achieving it, motivated her to set a harder goal of five pull-ups."I think every time you reach a goal, you just set it a little bit farther, and so you keep trying to get stronger and stronger," she said. "I enjoy the satisfaction of getting through an obstacle and the learning process as I keep at it." In 2022, MacColl was awarded the Guinness World Record for being the oldest female Ninja Warrior competitor in the world. Ginny MacColl Be consistent (and patient)After you've set yourself a goal, you have to be consistent if you want to achieve it, MacColl said, and don't expect to reach it overnight. It took her a year to do her first pull-up at 63: "that's a long time to stay committed," she said.You want to form a habit, which might look like working out every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, she said, even when you don't feel like it.But you can start out slowly, for example, by committing to walking for 30 minutes a day, or doing some exercise with resistance bands."Then just keep getting better and better and better and get stronger and stronger," she said. MacColl played tennis as an extra on "And Just Like That." Ginny MacColl Find a class or personal trainerMacColl recommends signing up to a class, or finding a personal trainer, particularly when you're first starting out because it'll keep you accountable."When you're paying for it, you tend to go," she said. "I'm not sure I have the discipline to make myself do the things if I didn't have the personal trainer and the appointment to go to."Plus, if you're lifting weights, it's important to learn the correct posture otherwise, you can injure yourself.

Can you truly be friends with a chatbot? If you find yourself asking that question, its probably too late. In a Reddit thread a year ago, one user wrote that AI friends are wonderful and significantly better than real friends [...] your AI friend would never break or betray you. But theres also the 14-year-old who died by suicide after becoming attached to a chatbot.The fact that something is already happening makes it even more important to have a sharper idea of what exactly is going on when humans become entangled with these social AI or conversational AI tools. Are these chatbot pals real relationships that sometimes go wrong (which, of course, happens with human-to-human relationships, too)? Or is anyone who feels connected to Claude inherently deluded?To answer this, lets turn to the philosophers. Much of the research is on robots, but Im reapplying it here to chatbots.The case against chatbot friendsThe case against is more obvious, intuitive and, frankly, strong. DelusionIts common for philosophers to define friendship by building on Aristotles theory of true (or virtue) friendship, which typically requires mutuality, shared life, and equality, among other conditions.There has to be some sort of mutuality something going on [between] both sides of the equation, according to Sven Nyholm, a professor of AI ethics at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. A computer program that is operating on statistical relations among inputs in its training data is something rather different than a friend that responds to us in certain ways because they care about us.This story was first featured in the Future Perfect newsletter.Sign up here to explore the big, complicated problems the world faces and the most efficient ways to solve them. Sent twice a week.The chatbot, at least until it becomes sapient, can only simulate caring, and so true friendship isnt possible. (For what its worth, my editor queried ChatGPT on this and it agrees that humans cannot be friends with it.)This is key for Ruby Hornsby, a PhD candidate at the University of Leeds studying AI friendships. Its not that AI friends arent useful Hornsby says they can certainly help with loneliness, and theres nothing inherently wrong if people prefer AI systems over humans but we want to uphold the integrity of our relationships. Fundamentally, a one-way exchange amounts to a highly interactive game. What about the very real emotions people feel toward chatbots? Still not enough, according to Hannah Kim, a University of Arizona philosopher. She compares the situation to the paradox of fiction, which asks how its possible to have real emotions toward fictional characters. Relationships are a very mentally involved, imaginative activity, so its not particularly surprising to find people who become attached to fictional characters, Kim says. But if someone said that they were in a relationship with a fictional character or chatbot? Then Kims inclination would be to say, No, I think youre confused about what a relationship is what you have is a one-way imaginative engagement with an entity that might give the illusion that it is real.Bias and data privacy and manipulation issues, especially at scaleChatbots, unlike humans, are built by companies, so the fears about bias and data privacy that haunt other technology apply here, too. Of course, humans can be biased and manipulative, but it is easier to understand a humans thinking compared to the black box of AI. And humans are not deployed at scale, as AI are, meaning were more limited in our influence and potential for harm. Even the most sociopathic ex can only wreck one relationship at a time.Humans are trained by parents, teachers, and others with varying levels of skill. Chatbots can be engineered by teams of experts intent on programming them to be as responsive and empathetic as possible the psychological version of scientists designing the perfect Dorito that destroys any attempt at self-control. And these chatbots are more likely to be used by those who are already lonely in other words, easier prey. A recent study from OpenAI found that using ChatGPT a lot correlates with increased self-reported indicators of dependence. Imagine youre depressed, so you build rapport with a chatbot, and then it starts hitting you up for Nancy Pelosi campaign donations. DeskillingYou know how some fear that porn-addled men are no longer able to engage with real women? Deskilling is basically that worry, but with all people, for other real people.We might prefer AI instead of human partners and neglect other humans just because AI is much more convenient, says Anastasiia Babash of the University of Tartu. We [might] demand other people behave like AI is behaving we might expect them to be always here or never disagree with us. [...] The more we interact with AI, the more we get used to a partner who doesnt feel emotions so we can talk or do whatever we want.In a 2019 paper, Nyholm and philosopher Lily Eva Frank offer suggestions to mitigate these worries. (Their paper was about sex robots, so Im adjusting for the chatbot context.) For one, try to make chatbots a helpful transition or training tool for people seeking real-life friendships, not a substitute for the outside world. And make it obvious that the chatbot is not a person, perhaps by making it remind users that its a large language model.The case for AI friends Though most philosophers currently think friendship with AI is impossible, one of the most interesting counterarguments comes from the philosopher John Danaher. He starts from the same premise as many others: Aristotle. But he adds a twist.Sure, chatbot friends dont perfectly fit conditions like equality and shared life, he writes but then again, neither do many human friends. I have very different capacities and abilities when compared to some of my closest friends: some of them have far more physical dexterity than I do, and most are more sociable and extroverted, he writes. I also rarely engage with, meet, or interact with them across the full range of their lives. [...] I still think it is possible to see these friendships as virtue friendships, despite the imperfect equality and diversity.These are requirements of ideal friendship, but if even human friendships cant live up, why should chatbots be held to that standard? (Provocatively, when it comes to mutuality, or shared interests and goodwill, Danaher argues that this is fulfilled as long as there are consistent performances of these things, which chatbots can do.)Helen Ryland, a philosopher at the Open University, says we can be friends with chatbots now, so long as we apply a degrees of friendship framework. Instead of a long list of conditions that must all be fulfilled, the crucial component is mutual goodwill, according to Ryland, and the other parts are optional. Take the example of online friendships: These are missing some elements but, as many people can attest, that doesnt mean theyre not real or valuable. Such a framework applies to human friendships there are degrees of friendship with the work friend versus the old friend and also to chatbot friends. As for the claim that chatbots dont show goodwill, she contends that a) thats the anti-robot bias in dystopian fiction talking, and b) most social robots are programmed to avoid harming humans. Beyond for and againstWe should resist technological determinism or assuming that, inevitably, social AI is going to lead to the deterioration of human relationships, says philosopher Henry Shevlin. Hes keenly aware of the risks, but theres also so much left to consider: questions about the developmental effect of chatbots, how chatbots affect certain personality types, and what do they even replace? Even further underneath are questions about the very nature of relationships: how to define them, and what theyre for. In a New York Times article about a woman in love with ChatGPT, sex therapist Marianne Brandon claims that relationships are just neurotransmitters inside our brains.I have those neurotransmitters with my cat, she told the Times. Some people have them with God. Its going to be happening with a chatbot. We can say its not a real human relationship. Its not reciprocal. But those neurotransmitters are really the only thing that matters, in my mind.This is certainly not how most philosophers see it, and they disagreed when I brought up this quote. But maybe its time to revise old theories. People should be thinking about these relationships, if you want to call them that, in their own terms and really getting to grips with what kind of value they provide people, says Luke Brunning, a philosopher of relationships at the University of Leeds.To him, questions that are more interesting than what would Aristotle think? include: What does it mean to have a friendship that is so asymmetrical in terms of information and knowledge? What if its time to reconsider these categories and shift away from terms like friend, lover, colleague? Is each AI a unique entity?If anything can turn our theories of friendship on their head, that means our theories should be challenged, or at least we can look at it in more detail, Brunning says. The more interesting question is: are we seeing the emergence of a unique form of relationship that we have no real grasp on?Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

The Pokemon Trading Card Game's latest set, Destined Rivals, saw huge issues with scalpers and website issues, and The Pokemon Company has finally opened up on the issuesTech11:32, 26 Mar 2025Did you snag any cards?The Pokemon Trading Card Game is enjoyed by fans of all ages, but everyone was in agreement earlier this week the preorder system could be better.The new set, Destined Rivals, was announced on Monday for a May release, but fans struggled to order their cards after battling through website issues, only to find many of the products were being sold for steep prices on the secondary market.Article continues belowTo make matters worse, some orders that were placed by legitimate fans were subsequently cancelled, but The Pokemon Company has now issued a statement.The scalpers are making Team Rocket proudSpeaking to VGC, The Pokemon Company said We are committed to providing a smooth purchasing experience at Pokmon Center and employ technology that helps get products into the hands of fans first and foremost."Currently, Pokmon Center implements a virtual queue for certain products to help provide a more seamless purchasing process during periods of increased site traffic.""We will continue to explore measures that help create the best possible experience for Pokmon Center customers.Pokemon cards are big business(Image: Getty Images)While the statement is welcome, it also doesn't really help those that may have lost their hard-won purchases through site issues or subsequent cancellations.Many fans logged in dutifully only to be removed from queues, and some stuck with the process, made their purchase, and still had their order cancelled.All Pokemon TCG sets are popular, but Destined Rivals' inclusion of Team Rocket Pokemon seems to have made the community very excited.Across the set, there's Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex, Cynthia's Garchomp ex, and Ethan's Ho-Oh ex which are likely to be big chase cards for collectors.The new set will add more than 240 cards, originally found in the Heat Wave Arena and Glory of Team Rocket sets in Japan.Article continues belowFor the time being, Journey Together is the current Pokemon TCG set. We revealed some of the English versions of the cards exclusively earlier this year.For more on Pokemon products, be sure to check out all we know about LEGO Pokemon, as well as the new Aardman Animation collab.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.

We're not entirely sure what's going on in this timeline, but Elon Musk took to X to take a shot at popular streamer HasanAbi and ended up getting ratio'd on the platform he ownsTech11:03, 26 Mar 2025Updated 11:11, 26 Mar 2025Ready to fight?(Image: Bandai Namco)Elon Musk is no stranger to video games, planning to leverage AI "to make games great again" - but the jury remains out on whether he actually plays them.The controversial owner of social media platform X (formerly Twitter) took to the platform last night to fire shots at streamer, Hasan 'HasanAbi' Piker while he played Assassin's Creed: Shadows.Article continues belowIt'd be fair to say it didn't quite go as planned, however. First, industry 'commentator' Mark "Grummz" Kern accused Shadows' publisher Ubisoft of working with "terrorist platforming streamers" - referring to Hasan.But Musk then chipped in, suggesting the streamer is a "fraud" that's promoting a "terrible game just for the money".The Tesla owner's put down came after earlier this year, he was embroiled in a social media spat with popular streamer Asmongold about Path of Exile 2. But what Musk hadn't counted on, however, was the official Assassin's Creed account swinging at him.Content cannot be displayed without consentIgnoring that the world's richest man seemingly doesn't understand what "objective" means, the Assassin's Creed account asked Musk "is that what the guy playing your Path of Exile 2 account told you?".It's a burn even Musk's own Grok AI ranked a 9 out of 10, and at the time of writing, the post has hit over 410k likes, and the Ubisoft social media staffer wasn't done there.Musk has long claimed he's an Elden Ring fan(Image: AFP via Getty Images)After Grummz shared a screenshot pointing out the game isn't a huge hit yet, the Assassin's Creed account offered a retort of "our game is out", poking fun at his inability to ship a game he's been sourcing financing for.Hasan wasn't done either, and has challenged Musk to appear on one of his strings to go one-on-one in Elden Ring.Hasan isn't backing down(Image: Getty Images)The streamer has blocked Musk, but is seemingly still keen for him to appear on a stream. After Musk called Hasan a "chickens*** r*****", Hasan responded."If elon isn't chickens***, he'll come on the stream. we all know he won't. he ducked Mark Zuckerberg, he ran away from Jon Stewart and now he's ducking a twitch streamer."Article continues belowThe man who has the President's ear is upset about a video game and being challenged to a digital duel stop the world, we want to get off.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.

Musk vs. Ubisoft (AFP/Ubisoft)An unexpected spat between Elon Musk and Ubisoft has erupted on social media, as the Assassins Creed X account goes rogue.While the reaction to Assassins Creed Shadows has been mostly positive following its launch last week, it clearly hasnt pleased everyone.The game has been a culture war target over its dual protagonists, black samurai Yasuke and female shinobi Naoe, ever since it was first revealed sparking online petitions and weird apologies from developer Ubisoft.These tensions have led to a bizarre exchange on X, involving none other than Elon Musk and a world class diss from Ubisofts social media team.This exchange was sparked by former Blizzard developer and Gamergate supporter Mark Kern, aka Grummz, who criticised Ubisoft for collaborating with Twitch streamer and left-wing political commentator Hasan Piker, to promote Assassins Creed Shadows.Kerns post on X prompted a response from Musk, who called Piker a fraud and a sell out. Objectively, he is promoting a terrible game just for the money, he added.While Piker didnt respond to the claims, the official X account for Assassins Creed waded in with some unexpected jabs. Musk has angered the assassins (X)Is that what the guy playing your Path Of Exile 2 account told you? the Twitter account said to Musk.This is in reference to the SpaceX CEO and senior adviser to Donald Trump misleading people about his gaming skills in Path Of Exile 2, after he admitted he had someone else level boost his account and that he wasnt, in fact, one of the best players in the world.The jabs didnt stop there. When Kern replied with a screenshot with the headline Assassins Creed Shadows isnt the hit Ubisoft desperately needs, the games official account account replied: Our game is out. The social media manager is relishing it (X)This appears to be a dig at Kerns spiritual successor to online shooter Firefall, called Em-8er, which still hasnt been released nine years after its initial crowdfunding campaign was announced.More TrendingWhile it remains to be seen if Assassins Creed Shadows will help Ubisoft out of its financial rut, the game has seemingly sold very well. According to Ubisoft, the Japanese-themed entry hit two million players after two days, surpassing the launch of Assassins Creed Origins and Odyssey.According to Gfk/Nielsen data (via The Game Business), Assassins Creed Shadows is the biggest physical launch of the year so far, although its physical sales in the UK are 63% of what Assassins Creed Valhalla managed in November 2020.Valhalla, however, was available on more platforms and came out during the pandemic. Assassins Creed Shadows launched last week (Ubisoft)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Since Amazons theme of the week is Big, as in Big Spring Sale, its only fitting that one of their hot tech deals aims to bring big storage and big speed to your PC. Whether youre looking for a faster and more responsive work PC, glitch-free streaming, or a primo gaming experience without lag, replacing your internal hard drive with the 2TB Samsung 990 PRO Gen 4 solid-state drive for just $169 (down from $249) is a big win waiting to happen. Both 1TB ($99 down from $159!) and 4TB ($279 down from $464) are also on sale, almost 40% off.See 1TB internal SSD at AmazonSee 2TB internal SSD at AmazonSee 4TB internal SSD at AmazonThis 40% off Big Spring Sale deal on a pro-level internal hard drive for your PC works out to be a massive savings, and an easy and economical way to upgrade your PC, laptop, or gaming rig. Its the fastest SSD in the Samsung stable, which is saying a lot considering Samsungs lofty status as the worlds leading flash memory brand. If youre a PC gamer, this SSD is basically a built-in cheat code.Massive UpgradeThe 990 PRO Gen 4 isnt just an upgrade over your existing internal hard drive, its even a huge leap forward from its predecessor model, the highly rated 980 PRO. The 990 PRO is a full 50% improvement in performance over that previous-gen hard drive, and its far more power-efficient, so all that speed and processing might is produced while using even less power.See 1TB internal SSD at AmazonSee 2TB internal SSD at AmazonThe Samsung 990 PRO is so powerful, in fact, that it reaches nearly the absolute max performance level of PCIe 4.0. What does that mean, exactly? Long story short, PCIe is the high-speed interface standard used to connect your SSD and other important items like your graphics card to the PCs motherboard. PCIe 4.0 is the newest and fastest standard, and the 990 PRO is potent enough to reach the highest speeds possible in PCIe 4.0. Gaming, video and photo editing, streaming, and data-intensive apps take to this SSD incredibly well.Heat MiserAll that white-hot processing speed and power, however, does not result in a white-hot PC, which is good because excessive heat is the sworn enemy of the delicate inner workings of your computer. The Samsung 990 PRO comes equipped with smart thermal control in the form of a nickel-coated controller that keeps the temperature down and the fan noise to a minimum. If you want to check for yourself, just open up Samsungs Magician Software, which continuously monitors the drives health and metrics while protecting your data and self-downloading and installing firmware updates for the 990 PRO.Grabbing the 2TB Samsung 990 PRO Gen 4 internal SSD while its just $166 during Amazons Big Spring Sale is like putting a massive-horsepower engine under the hood of your modest ride for a ridiculously low price. The gains in speed and overall performance youll see in your laptop or gaming rig when you do this economical upgrade will shock you.See 1TB internal SSD at AmazonSee 2TB internal SSD at Amazon

AI has become quite a contentious topic these past couple years. It seems everyone is rushing at using services like ChatGPT or Midjourney to write scripts or put together videos to watch. These folks all have it backwards: We dont want the robots making art while we focus on the tedium of our chores. Lets have the robots do the laborious work we dont want to do so we have more time to be creative!Right now, the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra robot vacuum and mop is part of a limited time deal knocking off 44% of its original price: That brings it down from $1,799 to $999 meaning you can save yourself a crazy $800 and get back so much time to write the next Great American Classic while it cleans your carpets and hardwood floors.See at AmazonWhy Clean Yourself When a Robot Can Do It For You?The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra is the perfect robot vacuum to end all other robot vacuums: This vac uses a powerful 10,000Pa suction. Pet hair and dirt or debris that lodged deep within your carpet stands no chance and your floors with be left looking pristine after each cleaning session.This machine is an all-in-one solution: The mop function is able to automatically engage when transitioning from carpet to hardwood floors. The robot can recognize the surface type and height change and enables a 20mm lift function to keep the unit level and prevent your carpets from getting wet in the process. The mop has a rotational speed of 185rpm and a high-speed scrubbing capability of 4000 times per minute to really get into those stubborn stains. You floors will be spotless and with no dampness left behind.The point of getting a robot vacuum is tosave yourself from having to do the chores yourself, so what use is a robot vacuum that you must constantly empty and clean? Well, the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra has a multi-functional docking station.After cleaning the floors of your home, the robot vacuum and mop will return to its home docking station. There it self-empties automatically, and it even washes and dries itself for you to eliminate the need for manual scrubbing. Plus the hot air drying can prevent unpleasant odors from building up, keeping your home consistently smelling fresh.If youre one to occasionally leave something on the floor like a pair of slippers or a book, dont fret: this Roborock robot vac and mop can navigate around obstacles to avoid an interruptions during its cleaning. It easily maneuvers around furniture, walls, or other objects that might block its path.See at Amazon

The Power of Scale: How Proportions Shape Human ExperiencePresented by:Save this picture!Astronomical Park of Zhenze High School / Specific Architects + Unit Architects. Image Hengzhong LYUThe way we perceive and experience spaces extends beyond aestheticsthey directly influence our emotions, thoughts, and even creativity. Spacious environments with high ceilings often evoke a sense of freedom and inspiration, while smaller, enclosed spaces encourage focus and introspection. This is not merely a subjective impression but a scientifically studied phenomenon. In the 1960s, anthropologist Edward T. Hall introduced the term "Cathedral Effect" to describe how ceiling height impacts cognition and behavior. More recent research has expanded on this idea, demonstrating how architecture shapes decision-making and emotional states in various contexts.Halls studies suggest that high ceilings create a sense of openness, promoting abstract thinking, creativity, and holistic problem-solving. Conversely, lower ceilings foster a sense of confinement, enhancing focus and analytical thinking. Building on this concept, research shows that spacious, open areas activate brain regions associated with visuospatial exploration and attention, while enclosed spaces elicit emotional responses and an urge to exit. In retail settings, a 2014 study by Joan Meyers-Levy and Rui Juliet Zhu found that high ceilings encourage broad evaluations of products, whereas lower ceilings promote detailed analysis. This principle also applies to work and educational environments, where open spaces foster innovation and brainstorming, while smaller rooms enhance concentration on meticulous tasks.Save this picture!However, the Cathedral Effect merely quantifies an understanding that architecture has intuitively applied for centuries. Gothic cathedrals, for example, used soaring ceilings not only to expand the perception of space but also to symbolize divine grandeur. This connection between environment and perception is a fundamental principle of neuroarchitecture, which explores how spatial elements influence human emotions and behaviors. Today, this concept extends beyond religious settings and is employed in museums, government buildings, and other spaces designed to evoke awe, introspection, or inspiration. Related Article Psychology of Scale: People, Buildings and Cities That said, ceiling height is just one of many architectural strategies that define spatial scale and shape the user experience. Elements such as color, materials, and lighting also play crucial roles in creating distinct atmosphereseither enhancing spaciousness or fostering warmth and intimacy. These factors highlight how our perception of a space is deeply tied to the emotions it evokes. In this context, scale becomes a fundamental tool in humanizing architecture, making spaces more livable and attuned to sensory needs. As Eugene Raskin highlights in Architectural Speaking, architecture can consider four types of scale to balance proportion, comfort, and experience, always prioritizing the human perspective. Below, we explore each of these scales and their applications in different architectural projects.Save this picture!Natural ScaleHumans have a predominantly horizontal field of vision, which explains why smaller scales tend to feel more natural. Our visual angle ranges between 50 and 55, making it harder to relate to extremely tall structures or overly vast spaces. In contrast, lower buildings feel more intuitive and harmonious. Human scale in architecture affects both physical dimensions and sensory perception, creating a welcoming and psychologically positive impact. Spaces designed with human scale in mind encourage organic connections, ease of navigation, and a stronger sense of belonging. Additionally, they align with proportions found in nature and the human body, reinforcing a sense of familiarity and balance.Maggie's Lanarkshire / Reiach and Hall ArchitectsSave this picture!Casa Scout / BAAGSave this picture!Restaurante Greta Kouzina / Babel ArquiteturaSave this picture!Bentleigh Secondary College Meditation and Indigenous Cultural Centre / dwpIsutersSave this picture!Monumental ScaleMonumental scale, by contrast, is significantly larger than human scale and is primarily used in public buildings, religious structures, and memorials. Its imposing nature naturally makes users feel small and contained. Historically, monumental scale has served as a tool of powerrulers, dictators, and religious authorities have used grand structures to mark victories, assert dominance, and even instill fear. However, as societal values evolved, monumental architecture has increasingly been repurposed to serve public needs, reinforcing accessibility, cultural identity, and collective belonging.La Bourse de Commerce / Tadao Ando Architect & Associates + NeM Architectes + Pierre-Antoine GatierSave this picture!Astronomical Park of Zhenze High School / Specific Architects + Unit ArchitectsSave this picture!The Cathedral of Christ the Light / SOMSave this picture!Chinese Culture Exhibition Center / ECA2 & Tengyuan DesignSave this picture!Intimate ScaleIntimate scale, on the other hand, is personal and inviting. A subcategory of human scale, it is designed to foster comfort, privacy, and a sense of retreat. Elements like an inglenooka small seating nook near a fireplaceor a built-in window bench exemplify spaces that evoke this scale. The closeness of walls and reduced openness enhance feelings of coziness and security, making such areas ideal for reading, contemplation, or relaxation. Intimate scale is not only relevant in residential settings but also in commercial environments, such as cozy restaurants and small cafs, where it creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere.Zaishui Art Museum / junya ishigami + associatesSave this picture!U-shape room / Atelier TAO+CSave this picture!Warm Studio Home / Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversitySave this picture!Chapel of the Earth / Cabrera ArqsSave this picture!Shock ScaleShock scale, the least conventional of the four, is used to surprise and challenge perception. Typically found in experimental or artistic projects, it creates immediate impact through exaggeratedly large or unexpectedly small proportions. This approach, often seen in conceptual architecture and art installations, disrupts traditional spatial expectations, evoking curiosity or awe. While rarely employed in residential design, it is common in architectural works that seek to be provocative. Shock scale can sometimes resemble kitsch architecture, characterized by exaggerated colors, textures, and forms. Philosopher Walter Benjamin, an advocate of this theme, argued that such aesthetics aim to provide instant gratification without requiring deep intellectual engagement.Dubai Frame / Fernando DonisSave this picture!Big Duck / Martin MaurerSave this picture!When manipulating scale in architectural design, two key considerations arise. First, aligning space with its intended function is crucial. Is a 3-meter ceiling inadequate? What about a 7-meter one? It depends. A ballroom requires a high ceiling, while a home theater benefits from a lower one. Second, user perception variesnot only among adults but even more so between adults and children, as each person interacts with their environment based on their sensory abilities.Ultimately, spatial perception is not an exact science. While general principles hold, perceptual and cognitive psychology reveal that information processing is not purely physical. Cultural background, personal experiences, and expectations shape how individuals perceive and interact with spaces, adding depth and richness to architectural design.Save this picture!This article is part of an ArchDaily series exploring interior architecture features based on our own project database. Each month, we highlight how architects and designers worldwide are incorporating new elements, characteristics, and signatures into interior spaces. As always, at ArchDaily, we greatly value our readers' contributions. If you believe we should cover specific ideas, feel free to send us your suggestions.This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: Atmosphere in Architecture and Perception of Space, proudly presented by Vitrocsa, the original minimalist windows since 1992.Vitrocsa created the original minimalist window systems, offering frameless solutions with the narrowest sightline barriers in the world. For over 30 years, we have pursued innovation and Swiss-made excellence to transform ambitious architectural visions into reality, enhancing atmospheres through light, transparency, and design.Every month we explore a topic in-depth through articles, interviews, news, and architecture projects. We invite you to learn more about our ArchDaily Topics. And, as always, at ArchDaily we welcome the contributions of our readers; if you want to submit an article or project, contact us.Image gallerySee allShow lessAbout this authorCamilla GhisleniAuthorCite: Ghisleni, Camilla. "The Power of Scale: How Proportions Shape Human Experience" [O poder da escala: como as propores influenciam a experincia humana] 26 Mar 2025. ArchDaily. (Trans. Simes, Diogo) Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1028277/the-power-of-scale-how-proportions-shape-human-experience&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

House in Polnia Street / Gabriel Kogan + Guilherme PiancaSave this picture!HousesBrazilArchitects: Gabriel Kogan, Guilherme PiancaAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:977 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2025 PhotographsPhotographs:Pedro KokManufacturersBrands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers: Florense, Artsteel, Belas Artes, D'Frana, Dellano, NS Brasil, Neobambu, Plancus, mado Lead Architects: Gabriel Kogan, Guilherme Pianca, Clara Werneck More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. Architecture Seen from Nodal Points - Upon entering the 42-meter-deep and 15-meter-wide plot, the garden unfolds at the front, while the house stands to the left, parallel to the 5-meters-setback. This first view of the house was designed as a nodal point for spatial perception. From there, the journey through the house is structured as a sequence of framed views that emphasize the spaces frontality and depth, minimizing diagonal perspectives.Save this picture! Pedro KokA Section of an Infinite Grid - We envisioned the house as a kind of prototypical occupation that could extend across the entire territory. Modules, each measuring 2.90 meters wide and 3.00 meters high, repeat along the concrete faade in a two-story structure. The blind end walls at the front and back create an abrupt interruption in this continuity, signaling the possibility of infinite expansion. Repetition is central to minimalism, but here, we propose an alternative interpretation of this concept in a more tropical and warm version. Save this picture!Save this picture!Finishes as Structural Elements - We sought to move in the opposite direction of decorative trends that seek for several layers of overlapping materials, disconnected from architectural function. In this house, we aimed to converge function, materials, and finishes. Wooden panels serve as doors or bookshelves, for example. The cementitious floor is simply the floor itself. The glass in the frame is the window itself. The concrete is the structure itself, and so on. Even in spaces such as the bathrooms and kitchen, material choices prioritized ease of maintenance, cleanliness, and durability, minimizing arbitrary design decisions.Save this picture!Save this picture!Below the garden level - When seated on the sofa in the living room, one can look out at the garden at ground level. This creates an unusual and surprising relationship between interior and exterior. Additionally, by lowering the floor, we achieved a ceiling height 55 centimeters higher in the houses social area, enhancing the sense of spaciousnesswithout altering the faade module or creating an overly elevated structure. This maintains both the overall horizontal proportions of the building and the square proportions of the external modules.Save this picture!The Wooden Ceiling - Architects often establish design premises in their projects. For this house, the most complex one was undoubtedly maintaining the wooden ceiling in the living room completely uniform without visual noise, perforations, light fixtures, or air conditioning vents. Besides creating a unique atmosphere, this approach encourages indirect, reflected lighting, which is always more pleasant and cozy. Air is supplied through the floor and returned via a discreet gap along the window frame. The living room becomes a pure wooden box inserted within a concrete grid.Save this picture!Save this picture!A Garden of Trees and Stones - The living room fully faces the garden (created by the landscape designer Rodrigo Oliveira) where raw heavy stones carve paths through the tropical vegetation. Viewed from the social area, the greenery appears to be projected inward, creating an introspective, contemplative experience. The concrete structure establishes a relationship of both tension and harmony with the garden. We conceived it as a controlled enclosure around the house, an architectural promenade that enables carefully curated perspectives. Save this picture!A Convergence of Architectural Influences - We brought our experience from previous projects and our studies of architecture from other countries, such as Japan, England, Switzerland, and Portugal. We believe the project represents a meeting of different architectural schools something that the new generation of Brazilian architects, not just us, has been striving to develop. This is no longer the So Paulo School (also known as the Paulista School) as it was understood for decades, rooted in formal evolutions of modernist masters.Save this picture!Save this picture!One More Floor - Above the double-layered vertical concrete grid, an additional floor was added. We calculated sightlines to ensure this volume remains imperceptible from the garden. The intention was to preserve the faades sense of horizontality, uninterrupted by this final level, which was included to meet the clients programmatic needs. A Transposition ofSave this picture!Save this picture!Structural Systems - The early versions of this project were designed with a wooden structure. However, due to a client request, we switched to concrete. One could say that the initial wooden concept already embodied a logic inherent to concrete construction. Nevertheless, some details initially conceived for wood, such as floor-detached columns, were retained in the final architectural design, as a memory of the process.Save this picture!Material Palette - Throughout the project's development, we curated a material palette. The faades concrete was mixed with a small amount of pigment, giving it a warmer tone. From this starting point, the palette evolved into a reddish atmosphere that contrasts with the deep green exterior. We built numerous prototypes on-site to understand how the materials would behave in the actual space, striving for a meticulous articulation of tones. Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessAbout this officeGabriel KoganOfficeGuilherme PiancaOfficePublished on March 26, 2025Cite: "House in Polnia Street / Gabriel Kogan + Guilherme Pianca" [Residncia Rua Polnia / Gabriel Kogan + Guilherme Pianca] 26 Mar 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1028282/house-in-polonia-street-gabriel-kogan-plus-guilherme-pianca&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

Screen Time of Americans Above Global Average: StudyBy John P. Mello Jr.March 26, 2025 5:00 AM PT ADVERTISEMENTB2B Online Chicago Get in the GameGreat teams win with great plays. At B2B Online Chicago, youll get the strategies top eCommerce and digital marketing pros are using to drive growth. Dont sit on the sidelines - get in the game. Use code B2BCHI25PARTNER for 20% off. Americans spend an average of six hours and 40 minutes a day staring at the screens of their computers, phones, and other electronic devices.If that sounds like a lot, it is, but its only two minutes above the global average, according to a worldwide screen time study released Wednesday by Comparitech, a reviews, advice, and information website for consumer security products.While staring at screens for more than six hours a day may sound excessive, experts appear conflicted on the subject. It is hard to define what is excessive when it comes to screen time, especially as many of us rely on the use of screens for work, said Comparitech Head of Data Research Rebecca Moody.However, where things perhaps do become excessive is in their mobile screen time which isnt likely to come from work-related activities for the majority of people, she told TechNewsWorld.According to the study, Americans spend three hours and 22 minutes daily staring at mobile screens, slightly below the global average of three hours and 46 minutes.Titania Jordan, chief parent officer at Bark a parental control and monitoring solutions company in Atlanta and author of Parental Control: A Guide to Raising Balanced Kids in the Digital Era, explained that every person is different and depending on their work type, the amount of screen time will vary dramatically.One thing to keep in mind when gauging whether youre spending too much time on screens is if its interfering with other aspects of your life and how old you are, she told TechNewsWorld.Are you foregoing real-life hangouts? she asked. Is your work or school suffering? Are you getting enough quality sleep? Do you feel more anxious or depressed after doom-scrolling? All these factors come into play when figuring out your personal screen-time sweet spot.Is 6 Hours of Screen Time Too Much?To determine if an amount is too much or too little, we need to know what the damages and benefits to the individual are, added Rob Enderle, president and principal analyst at the Enderle Group, an advisory services firm.If this is making them less healthy, which I expect it likely is by causing eyesight degradation, issues resulting from the lack of exercise, socialization issues, and creating excessive political polarization then, yes, it is way too much time, he told TechNewsWorld.But there could be offsetting benefits, especially when facing multiple potential pandemics, as the isolation keeps them safer, and some may be more productive that way, he continued.In the end, though, for most, I expect this is extremely unhealthy, he added. Six hours of screen time is absolutely excessive for most people, argued Mark N. Vena, president and principal analyst with SmartTech Research in Las Vegas. Six and a half hours is nearly a third of the day, excluding sleep and work, much of it spent passively consuming content, he told TechNewsWorld.While some screen use is productive or relaxing, large daily totals suggest a displacement of healthier habits like exercise, in-person interaction, and sleep, he added. The concern isnt just the time but what that time replaces, which is something parents should focus on with their kids.Larry D. Rosen, professor emeritus at California State University, Dominguez Hills, who has written extensively on the psychology of technology and screen time, agreed that six-plus hours of screen time is excessive. It takes away from time spent interacting with people face to face, as well as limiting time spent doing non-screen activities, such as exercise or just allowing our brain to wander, he told TechNewsWorld.He added that the data hes gathered on mobile phone usage shows far more screen time than the average in the survey, with the majority spent connecting to others through social media and messaging.According to the survey, Americans spend an average of two hours and nine minutes a day on social media, slightly lower than the worldwide average of two hours and 21 minutes.It noted that the social media platforms that Americans are most fond of include YouTube, which is used by 85% of U.S. adults, Facebook (70%), Instagram (50%), Pinterest (36%), TikTok (33%) and LinkedIn (32%).Screen Time Higher in Developing RegionsOverall, according to the study, South Africans were the biggest screen consumers, spending nine hours and 27 minutes a day on screens. The biggest desktop screen consumers were the Russians, spending four hours and 31 minutes a day on screens, while Filipinos were the largest mobile screen consumers, spending five hours and 21 minutes a day on screens.On the whole, the study noted the biggest screen-time consumers were in Africa, Asia, and South America. [Screens have] become the primary source of news in the non-first-world countries since the Arab Spring, Rosen said.In many of these regions, its important to note that smartphones are the primary gateway to the internet, making screen use a central part of daily life, Vena explained. High youth populations and rapidly growing digital economies contribute to greater mobile engagement, he added. In some cases, there may be fewer accessible offline entertainment or public infrastructure options. Social media and streaming platforms also offer affordable entertainment where traditional media is limited or costly.Jordan noted that certain platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and WhatsApp are extremely popular in these areas, not only for social interaction but also for business exchanges and news consumption.Also, she continued, many of these countries skipped broadband and slower-growth internet completely, jumping quickly to mobile-connected devices and Wi-Fi. This, in turn, meant people in these regions had smartphones first as opposed to desktops and spent more time online due to the mobility of their devices.Global Screen Time Trends Shift DownwardComparitech researchers also found that more than half the countries in the study (27 of 49) reduced their screen time from last year. Hong Kong showed the largest reduction, slicing 50 minutes off its average, dropping from seven hours and 55 minutes to seven hours and 26 minutes.With more countries improving their screen time this year, the most obvious reason for a drop in screen time would be a continuation of normalcy, post-pandemic, the researchers noted.Also, they continued, people have become more aware of the negative impacts lengthy screen time has on their mental health.Furthermore, they added, advancements in technology, such as improved digital well-being features on smartphones and applications, may have contributed to the decrease in screen time by encouraging users to monitor and limit their screen usage.Many of us are becoming increasingly aware of the negative impacts of spending too much time looking at a screen and are perhaps consciously unplugging our devices for an hour or so before we go to sleep, Moody said. Alex Ambrose, a policy analyst with the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a research and public policy organization in Washington, D.C., noted that nations have tried to regulate screen time.Time-online policies are sometimes used as an attempt to lower screen times, but they are difficult for policymakers to enforce, she told TechNewsWorld. China, for example, instituted a three-hour-per-week limit for children playing video games. While 77% of children reduced their gaming time under this policy, 29% also reported using their parents accounts as a workaround to the time limit.Some platforms have taken voluntary steps to tackle any potential harms, with measures such as allowing users to limit their screen time and see screen-time reports, or notifying them to take a break whenever they have spent a certain amount of time on an app, she continued.Rather than implementing prescriptive policies that hinder user experience and leave little room for innovation, many technology companies instead adopt customizable user and parental control systems such as screen-time controls and prompts to take breaks after using the apps for extended periods of time, she added.John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.Leave a CommentClick here to cancel reply. Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account.Related StoriesMore by John P. Mello Jr.view allMore in Internet