Here are the features, safety concerns and budget options you should keep in mind when choosing a smartwatch for your child.

Commentary: Both series sit in the Top 10 lineups on Netflix and Max.

March 27, 20255 min readLet Kids Be Little LawyersFinding Loopholes Can Sharpen Their Social SkillsA new study finds that when young kids find loopholes, or sneaky work-arounds, for instructions, they must apply advanced social and language skillsBy Charlotte Hu edited by Lauren J. Young"Im not alone, Ive got my trusty sidekick!" Emilija Milenkovic/Getty ImagesMany parents will find this scenario familiar: Tomer Ullman, a parent and a cognitive scientist at Harvard University, told his then five-year-old to put down a tablet. But instead of putting it away completelyas Ullman actually wantedthe child set the device down on a table and continued to watch videos on it. Ullman remembers being upset but intrigued by the behavior.He and his fellow scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, some of whom shared similar parenting experiences, were inspired to investigate childrens exploitation of language loopholesinstances in which kids technically do what adults ask of them but completely violate the true intent of the request. Sometimes these common alternative interpretations are purposeful mischief; at other times, theyre an honest misunderstanding. But research shows that some young children seem to use them as a genuine way to avoid orders without getting into trouble. The new study, published in Child Development, suggests that such clever rule-bending behavior may actually show that a child is starting to better understand languageand other people.Cognitive scientist and co-lead study author Sophie Bridgers had previously analyzed how children decide to help others, a key element for social interactions. But cooperation is not always black and white, especially when kids and adults have conflicting goals. Theres actually this whole gray area in between, says Bridgers, who was a postdoctoral researcher at M.I.T. when the new study was conducted and is now a researcher at Google DeepMind. Sometimes you dont want to cooperate, but it might feel risky to outright refuse. We started to be curious about the strategies [kids] used to handle this tension. Hearing anecdotes from Ullman, who is senior author of the new study, and other parents led Bridgers to investigate whether loopholes might be one such strategy.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Bridgers and her colleagues surveyed 260 U.S.-based parents to get a sense of how widespread loophole-finding behavior was in their children. Many parents shared rich examples of loopholesfor example, a child who was told to hold hands when crossing the road held their own hand instead of their parents and a kid told not to go outside alone took the dog with them instead of waiting for an adult.The seeming universality of the loopholes reported by parents demonstrates that the behavior can be generalized to a range of real-world situations. That parent survey led to a series of follow-up studies, the first of which evaluated a separate set of 108 children aged four to nine to find whether they considered loopholes to be a compliant or noncompliant behavior, or a middle ground between the two. The researchers had the kids read a story and judge how much trouble the child in the scenario would get into if they used a loophole. An additional follow-up study examined another group of 140 children aged five to nine to determine their ability to create a loophole for a given scenario on the spot.The multianalysis report revealed that four-year-olds were unable to distinguish loopholes from noncomplianceparticipants thought that the kid in the story would get into the same amount of trouble whether they used a loophole or entirely disregarded a parents requests. But participants aged five to eight appeared to view loopholes almost as a way to get off on a technicality; they understood what the parent was asking for and how the child used a loophole to take advantage of the lack of specificity in the command. This age group viewed loopholes as a way to get into less trouble than noncompliance. The age range is also when parents see their children gradually using more loopholes, Bridgers says.There are social norms and rules that children are learning around eating, play, their house chores, homework, bedtime, personal hygiene, Bridgers says. Theyre testing all of these boundaries.The researchers found that kids could reliably come up with loopholes quickly on demand by age eight, with their skill increasing between age five and seven. The ability to understand the intended meaning behind words and derive alternative or multiple meanings from a phrase are language skills that strengthen in children between the ages of five to seven, Bridgers adds. These skills not only allow kids to use loopholes but also let them grasp more complex figures of speech such as irony, metaphor and sarcasm.Being able to infer the implied meaning and context from indirect requests, as well as using metaphors and puns, tend to require a higher order of language development, says Laura Wagner, a professor of developmental psychology at the Ohio State University, who was not involved in the study. According to Wagner, this is the first time Ive seen anybody actually looking at children genuinely exploiting loopholes and demonstrating that not only do they understand that theres a double meaning [in what their parents may be saying] but what the social implications of that are, she says.Wagner thinks the cognitive skills needed to find loopholes are similar to those used for lying, which is also an advanced language skill. Children under the age of three or four are notoriously bad liars because they really are bad about figuring out what other people actually know, she says.Kids get better at lying around the same age that they get better at coming up with loopholes. Bridgers suggests that could be because other cognitive skills develop in parallel in early childhood. This includes the emergence of theory of mind, the point at which children really start grasping the idea that other people have their own set of beliefs and representations of reality. Additionally, children begin to use their inference of others beliefs, goals and perspectives to calculate the costs and benefits of their actions.Planning actions that take not only [a childs] own goals but other peoples goals into account are potentially related to loophole behavior, Bridgers says.Parents may not appreciate having a child who is good at lying or is constantly circumventing orders. But this does show that theyre integrating lots of language knowledge [and] social knowledge, Wagner says. Plus, these activities are acts of creative problem-solving.These are all behaviors that we have in our social tool kit, Bridgers says. Lying is one way to get around conflicting goals; partial compliance is another way.Its not always such a bad thing for children to act like little lawyers, as Bridgerss team refers to kids who employ such behaviors. After all, these children are learning to navigate inherently ambiguous social interactionsand having fun with it.People have a lot of ways to communicate beliefs and goals: through language, actions, subtle subtext and a myriad of cultural cues and social norms. Thats a noisy system where information can be lost, Bridgers says. Recognizing how loopholes work can get you thinking differently about the way that you communicate and negotiate with others.

March 27, 20255 min readHow Microplastics Get into Our FoodKitchen itemssponges, blenders, kettlesare abundant sources of microplastics that we all consumeBy Marta Zaraska edited by Gary StixPlastic cutting boards generate microplastic particles Rebeca Mello/Getty ImagesWhen Amy Lusher moved in with her partner, one of the first things she did was get rid of all the plastic kitchenware in their household and replace it with items made of glass, wood and stainless steel. As a senior researcher in microplastics at the Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Lusher was acutely aware of how all the chopping, whisking, scraping and heating we do when preparing meals may release tiny particles of plastic into the food we eat. Its coming from our cooking. Its coming from our packaging. Its in most of our bottles, she says.By now scientists like Lusher have found microplastics coming off dishwashing sponges, blenders, kettlesyou name it. According to one 2024 study, plastic cookware may contribute thousands of microplastic particles each year to homemade food. Old plastic kitchenware was the worst culprit, and the researchers also concluded that microplastic shedding may be exacerbated by heating cookware or using hard or sharp utensils on it.Researchers have been trying for years to determine how many microplastic particles humans ingest when consuming everything from seafood to beer to honey. According to one estimate, every American consumes between 39,000 and 52,000 microplastic particles every year.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Microplastics are tinysmaller than five millimeters in size. Some are directly manufactured by humans, such as beads in exfoliating scrubs or glitter. Others result from environmental degradation of larger objects, such as plastic bottles or toys. Microplastics are released in quantities far beyond human imagination, says Lei Qin, a food scientist at Dalian Polytechnic University in China. By one estimate, 10 to 40 million metric tons of microplastics are released into the environment per yearabout two to six times the weight of the Great Pyramid of Giza.They then accumulate inside our body. Studies have found microplastics in human brains (roughly the amount in a heaping teaspoon of table salt), as well as in our stomach, lungs and bones. Researchers have linked microplastics with a higher risk of stroke, inflammatory bowel disease and dementia. We are at an early stage, but there is growing evidence that exposure to microplastics is linked to inflammation, coronary artery disease and neurodegenerative impairment, says John Boland, a chemist at Trinity College Dublin. And although scientists have been looking for a while now at how much microplastic we may be ingesting with seafood or tap water, its only really been in the last few years that weve started looking at exposure through things that we touch, things that we handle, especially in the kitchen, Lusher says.To explore what is it exactly that happens with plastics in the kitchen, Lusher and her colleagues from the U.K. and Norway prepared jelly. They used either old or new plastic cookware to heat water, stir the jelly mixture, store it, chill it and cut it into pieces. The result: jelly prepared with new plastic cookware had about nine microplastic particles per sample on average, and jelly made with the old plastic cookware had 16. In other words, when jelly was made with worn-out items, it had 78 percent more microplastics than when it was prepared with new ones. "[Old cookware items] tend to release more plastic, probably because theyve already become brittle, Lusher says.Other research also lends evidence that wear and tear generates high levels of microplastic particles. Take cutting boards: in one study, when plastic boards were used to cut meat, up to 196 microplastic particles were incorporated into each ounce of meat, while none were found in meat that had been prepared on a bamboo board. Slicing ingredients and pushing a knife along the board to move them may also be worse than simply pressing with a knife to chop them, another study showed. Its the friction, the metal against the plastic, Lusher says.Friction is also the mechanism by which blenders with plastic jars can release large amounts of microplastics. When scientists in Australia used a blender to crush ice blocks, the way you might when making, say, a frozen margarita, they found that billions of plastic particles were released in just 30 seconds of blending. If the ice block has a sharp edge, like some hard food, it can peel off lots of plastic, says Cheng Fang, a chemist at the University of Newcastle, Australia, and the studys senior author.Scrubbing dishes with a sponge can also release hundreds of tiny plastic particles in just 30 seconds. The good news is that rinsing the dishes well afterward removes most of the residue. The bad news: the sponge microplastics go down the drain and accumulate in the environment, so they may end up in our food anyway.Opening and closing plastic bottleswhich also creates frictioncan also generate microplastic residues. Youre shearing off plastic pieces all the time, Boland says. In fact, according to one study, most microplastics in bottled water originate from twisting the cap. Each time you open and close a plastic bottle, the study found, you produce about 500 microplastic particles.Heating plastic kitchenware is a source of particles as well. Warming it up, like you may do in a microwave, Boland says, dramatically accelerates the release of microplastics. In a 2025 study, disposable plastic cups that were filled with scalding 95-degree-Celsius water released 50 percent more microplastics than cups filled with cooler, 50-degree-C water. Plastic kettles, too, could be a problem. The simple act of boiling water in a new kettle will leave you with between six million and eight million microplastic particles per cup, Boland and his colleagues found. Fewer and fewer particles are released with each successive use, however. In their study, after 40 boils in the kettle, only 11 percent of the initial microplastic load leached into the water.While it might be tempting to compare the numbers of microplastics released from various sources side by side, Lusher warns that it would be like comparing apples to pears. Thats because, she says, different labs use different methodologies: some count only larger microplastics, and others include nanoplastics (particles smaller than 0.001 mm). Some control for lab microplastic pollution, and others dont. If the handling of the data is totally different between each study, then theres absolutely no point comparing it, she says.Lusher says that this absence of methodological standards makes it hard to clearly identify the worst microplastic offenders in our kitchens. It still makes sense to try to reduce the amount of plastic that we are exposed to, simply because we still dont know what the long-term effects will be on health.There are a few things you can do as well to lower the microplastic load produced in your kitchen. First of all, replace any plastic cutting boards with wooden ones if possible, and if you have a plastic kettle, consider swapping it for a stainless-steel product. (Make sure the lid is not plastic.) Substitute plastic storage containers with glass ones. If you do buy a new plastic kettle, boil and pour out the water in it a couple of times before preparing your first hot drink. And if you use plastic cutting boards, try to make sure they are relatively new.From a broader perspective, we could develop plastics that dont shed easily into food. If there are no alternatives, what can you do to the plastic to make it safer? Boland says. Potentially, for example, manufacturers could create kettles with an inner lining that would prevent microplastic leakage during boiling. (Bolands experiments suggest that it could be possible.) While such safer products may be technically feasible, he says, substantive change likely wont happen without regulations that push the industry to make better plastics. We need the regulators to drive industry to do the right thing, he says.

So, it turns out that I've been pronouncing Balatro wrong all this time, and now feel like a total spade. I really don't know how to deal with this revelation, it's left me rather flush-ed. Read more

Steam hit REPO hides real class and an understanding of gaming greats behind its chummy chaos and crude emojisGnome way out.Image credit: Semiwork Feature by Christian Donlan Contributing Editor Published on March 27, 2025 I have a wonderfully vague memory of a game my older brothers used to play on the Commodore 64 back in the day. It was a platform game, with pixel heroes and floating gantries and ladders and all that jazz, but there was also a wheelbarrow, and you needed the wheelbarrow to hold all the collectibles you picked up. When you'd all but completed each screen - as my memory had it - you then had to leg it back to the wheelbarrow and take it to the next screen where the whole thing was repeated.RepoPublisher: SemiworkDeveloper: SemiworkPlatform: Played on PCAvailability: Out now February on Steam in early access.Listen: I'm sure I could find out what this game was in a few minutes on Google, but I kind of want to retain my vaporous memories of it. Also, here's REPO, the current It Game on Steam, and it's similar enough - while also being incredibly different - that my inner wheelbarrow fan is sated.REPO's one of those multiplayer horror/comedy games that emerges every few months and ripples through schools around the country, around the world, I imagine, before disappearing and being replaced by something else. It's got a bit of Lethal Company to it, in that you and your pals are dropped into strange environments and you must grab as much loot as you can and then get out of there. It's got a bit of all of these kinds of games in it, because grabbing the loot and escaping are really only there so that when monsters attack you drop things and they explode. The game is there to create moments in which things go hilariously wrong, and you and your pals are so busy laughing you only make things worse.Team EG plays REPO together with expected outcomes.Watch on YouTubeI've been playing solo quite a bit, which is exactly the wrong way to play, but I figured I needed to learn the basics before I dived into a spiralling disaster situation with friends. And it turns out that soloing REPO is actually quite fun. In part this is because the game is just undeniably well made on the level of feeling. Walking is slow but there's a lovely bodycam head bob to things, grabbing items and manipulating them is pleasantly Half-Lifian and everything around you has a lovely weight to it. Doors look like they could withstand nuclear blasts. Your collection cart feels like it could protect you from a few rounds before imploding, and it's got the best kind of floatiness to it as you nudge it through another dark landscape of clutter on your way back to the extraction point.Cue hilarious disasters, even when playing solo. On my first game playing alone, I thoroughly spooked myself. I had the cart behind me and I was working through some storage rooms, accidentally dropping valuable objects and collecting a few cheap crowns, which weren't going to get me to the loot value target for the level I was on. I took them anyway, and then moved into an area which was clearly some kind of toilet, but there was an acoustic guitar on the floor. Image credit: SemiworkThis guitar was much bigger than the crowns I'd been handling so far, and I knocked about two grand's-worth of value off it getting it back to my cart, just by bonking it against shelving and dragging it over the ground. This was horror and comedy of a kind that needed no monsters. I was a young child in an expensive glassware shop. I almost cringed myself into oblivion.Around now, a weird droning sound picked up on the soundtrack, but I was still short on loot so I had to go a bit further. In the next room I encountered I found what was clearly an explosive gas canister. I wanted to steer clear, but it was worth a fortune, so moving incredibly cautiously I inched back to the cart with it, hit the level's loot target and then some, and took a moment to celebrate before moving onto the next level.This, as I'm weirdly certain I've typed before, is when the gnomes attacked. I thought I was out of danger, in the safe space of the van that whisks you from one level to the next, but clearly that was not the case, because here came four or five angry little garden gnomes, yapping at me and doing low-level damage. I picked one up and found that I could kill it purely by dropping it - like the vases I'd encountered out there in the wider world, the gnomes are primed to shatter on impact. One, two, three, four gnomes down, and then a giant head with staring eyes rushed out of the darkness and I was dead in seconds. Dead, but also haunted by those staring eyes, that weird floating head. Oh my gosh. Image credit: SemiworkI've never made a game, but I suspect it's one of the easier things to do to just create chaos. I'm sure even that's hard, but on the lower level of things to do in game design that are hard. Anyway, it strikes me that, chaotic as REPO is, what it does is something much more elevated than that. It has pacing in its chaos - it freaks you out with nothing so that when something arrives you're ready to properly explode. It surrounds you with delicate objects but gives you a move set with which you're tempted to go too fast, so you end up breaking everything.It also has that magical cause and effect combo that defines everything from Laurel and Hardy comedies to global thermonuclear war. When I saw that guitar lying on the floor of the toilet - another sentence I'm weirdly sure I've typed before - I knew a couple of things instantly. A) Here was value. B) Here was good fortune! C) I was going to make a mess of things. D) I was going to pay for that good fortune.Speaking of Laurel and Hardy, incidentally, I've been watching REPO on youtube quite a bit and had a lot of fun following the antics of a crew who had to work together to move a piano through a level. This game really does sing with friends, in other words, and that's before you get to gadgets you can use, monsters which encourage you to hide to avoid them, and the scraps of lore players are already starting to drag up.In conclusion: at an uncaring glance, REPO might look like a cheap throwaway game, a sort of MEME game, with its monsters and chaos and emojis. It might look like the kind of game I mention to my eleven-year-old only to hear, "Oh, everyone stopped playing that weeks ago." But that's because this is what these games need to look like in order to break through for their audience. The jank and the backrooms vibes bring people in in their masses, and once they're there - oh, this handles rather nicely, oh, this is rather cleverly put together, oh, this game is building on ideas that have come from classics. Recent classics like Lethal Company. Eternal classics like Half-Life 2. Distant classics like that old C64 game in which I once had a pretty cool wheelbarrow...Code for REPO was purchased by the author.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereA lot of people are eagerly anticipating the release of Lara Crofts next AAA adventure. While weve been blessed with trilogy remasters such as the most recent 4-6, and have seen Lara Croft crossover with some massive IPs, there is a yearning for a new Tomb Raider game from Crystal Dynamics. One has been in-development for a few years, and Crystal Dynamics has promised that recently shared bad news does not alter plans for the new Tomb Raider game.Crystal Dynamics bad news does not alter plans for new Tomb Raider gameCrystal Dynamics has shared some unfortunate news. As just revealed in a statement on X, the Tomb Raider developer has made the difficult decision to reduce [their] workforce by 17 talented team members.The announcement says they did not make the decision lightly, and that it was necessary to better align our current business needs and the studios future success. The developer also stated that they recognize how painful this outcome is for those impacted, and Crystal Dynamics is supporting them with transition packages and opportunity outreach.While nothing Tomb Raider 12 is specifically mentioned, the announcement ends with a promise that Crystal Dynamics remains committed to pushing the boundaries of making great games, and This change does not alter our current project plans.Image credit: @CrystalDynamics on XLayoffs are unfortunate, and, sadly, it has become a more common occurrence in the video games industry.As for what Crystal Dynamics current project plans are, they are developing a new Tomb Raider game, and they are also co-developing a new Perfect Dark for Xbox.We havent seen the new Tomb Raider game at all, but there are a few details we know. We know its being published by Amazon Games, it will feature a unified Lara Croft, weve seen her unified look, and we know the game is being developed using Unreal Engine 5. Its also confirmed that it is strictly single-player.Previous rumors have suggested an open-world adventure in India, but this is just rumors with no substantial evidence. Hopefully we will see a reveal of TR12 this year as its been in development for quite some time, and it would be absolutely perfect for 2026 as that will be the 30th anniversary of the Tomb Raider franchise.Away from TR12, fans have a live-action series from Amazon to anticipate, along with a second season of the Netflix series starring Hayley Atwell.In other gaming news, one of the best RPGs of all time is confirmed to be leaving PS Plus in April 2025.Related TopicsTomb Raider Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereWhile Starfield is a fun sci-fi RPG with some great parts, its no secret that the game lacks the magic of Skyrim. 14-years on and Skyrim still has a massive fanbase of gamers who want nothing more than to stay in that world, but what exactly has caused the Bethesda magic to fade?According to former Skyrim, Fallout and Starfield developer Nate Purkeypile, the freedom that developers used to have at the company has all-but disappeared. While experimentation was rampant in the days of Bethesdas past, thats no longer the case.Skyrim freedom no longer exists at BethesdasSpeaking at the Game Developers Conference, via PC Gamer, Purkeypile explained that some of the most iconic parts of Skyrim came around because of developer freedom.We had quite a bit of freedom to do stuff, the developer explained. The one that people know about was Blackreach That was not on schedule at all. Like we just kind of did that on the side and put it in.A lot of the great stuff within Skyrim came from having that freedom to do what you want, as opposed to a game with this whole checklist design and design by committee, he continued.In the past, Purkeypile revealed that he left Bethesda during Starfields development due to the sheer amount of meetings the studio would hold. Unlike the time of Skyrims development, every addition now has a discussion attached, and it not only slows development, but decimates freedom. Thats probably why The Elder Scrolls 6 is taking so damn long.You would basically get in trouble for doing that, Purkeypile said about returning to the open nature of Skyrims development. Because everything does have a cost If everyone is doing that within 500 people, its a mess. But with, you know, 100 people? Its much more manageable, and where a lot of the interesting things come from.Nowadays, Purkeypile is working on his own project. The Axis Unseen, a new open world horror game, is the Skyrim developers baby, and its available to nab on Steam right now. In fact, the game is even on sale at the time of writing.StarfieldPlatform(s):PC, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox Series XGenre(s):Adventure, RPG, Science Fiction, SpaceSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

For seven seasons, from 2011 to 2018, Meghan portrayed the character Rachel Zane on the US Network series Suits, which filmed in Toronto. The Los Angeles native maintained a three-bedroom, two-bathroom rental in the Canadian city until she and Harry got engaged in 2017. The A-frame dwelling had a mauve faade, charcoal trim, a turquoise front door, and a covered porch. The future royal decorated the dwelling with her native California in mind, opting for exposed hardwood floors and maximized natural light. Harry recalled visiting the charming abode in Spare. Meg was excited to show me her life, her dogs, her little house, which she adored, he wrote.Nottingham CottageNottingham Cottage is located within the grounds of Kensington Palace, pictured here.Photo: Kate Green/Getty ImagesWhen Prince Harry moved from Clarence House to Kensington Palace in 2012, he briefly stayed in a one-bedroom apartment in a wing off of Nottingham Cottage, a 17th-century residence in the northern section of the palace grounds, where his brother Prince William and Princess Kate lived at the time. The following year, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge moved into a larger residence inside the main building, and Harry took over Nott Cott, as its often nicknamed.In November 2017, Harry and Meghan were engaged, and the actor joined the prince at the two-bedroom, two-bathroom dwelling. With Suits over, so is Meghans life in Toronto. Its the end of a really precious era, so shes definitely sad to see it come to an end, but shes also really excited about starting a new chapter with Harry, a source told Us Weekly. A black-and-white checkerboard tiled kitchen, a small living room, and a dining room rounded out the red brick home, which spanned a modest 1,300 square feet. Kensington Palace sounds very regal, of course it does, she says. It says palace in the name. But Nottingham Cottage was so small, the Duchess said in episode four of the Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan. Harry added, The whole things on a slight lean, really low ceilings. I dont know who was there before, they must have been very short. Shortly before the May 2019 birth of the couples eldest child, Archie, they moved out of Nottingham and into Frogmore Cottage.Cotswolds escapeRight after their May 2018 wedding, the Sussexes signed a two-year lease on a $5.4 million Cotswolds getaway. Located on the Great Tew Estate near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, the four-bedroom farmhouse was known as Westfield Large. The four-acre property reportedly also had a separate two-bedroom cottage and a converted barn with two kitchens and a heated patio. The bucolic sprawl provided the couple with some peace from the public eye. Meghan adores the area. She and Harry love walking the dogs there, and they can entertain their friends in complete solitude, an anonymous source told The Sun.The royal pair split their time between here and Nottingham Cottage while awaiting the completion of renovations at Frogmore Cottage. In March 2019, they moved out of the countryside retreat.Frogmore CottageFrogmore Cottage, on the grounds of Windsor CastlePhoto: Leon Neal/Getty Images

The CSA group outside the Marmol Radziner offices. From left to right, top row (standing): Nicholas Hofstede (MD of Johnston Marklee), Brett Woods (Woods+ Dangaran), Joe Dangaran (Woods+ Dangaran), Stephanie Hobbs (Design Principal at Marmol Radziner), Ron Radziner, Steven Ehrlich (EYRC), Takashi Yanai (EYRC), Jeffrey Allsbrook (Standard Architecture | Design), David Montalba (Montalba Architects), Sharon Johnston (Johnston Marklee). Bottom row: Barbara Bestor (Bestor Architecture), Geoffrey von Oeyen (Geoffrey von Oeyen Design), Leo Marmol, Noah Walker (Walker Workshop), Silvia Kuhle (Standard Architecture | Design), David Thompson (Assembledge+)Photo: Roger DaviesPrincipals of those firms gathered in early March at the Santa Monica offices of AD100 firm Marmol Radziner to discuss and refine the mandate for the project. Joining the group were Jaime Rummerfield, executive director of the preservation and advocacy organization Save Iconic Architecture, and photographer Roger Davies, who will document CSAs efforts in much the way that Julius Shulman gave voice to the work of the original Case Study crowd. Many of the assembled notables expressed the fundamental influence of the midcentury Case Study program on their education, practice, and approach to design.This is an intriguing moment to think about other ways of building community, Barbara Bestor said, acknowledging the progressive work of luminaries Gregory Ain and A. Quincy Jones. Noah Walker echoed the sentiment: Im hoping for public-facing houses not hidden behind gates and hedgeshouses that inspire people to know and interact with their neighbors.Leo Marmol recalled a conversation with Shulman, late in the venerable photographers life, in which Shulman applauded the success of the original Case Study program in selling the idea of modernism to the world, the architect recounted, but its failure in developing truly cost-efficient, easily replicated construction methods. Following the conclave, CSA issued design guidelines covering everything from scale and building costs to climate resilience and aesthetics.Each of the participating firms will be matched with an actual client and building lot. Residents of both Altadena and the Pacific Palisades are encouraged to apply. Prospective clients can register their interest via an application form on the Case Study: Adapt website, casestudyadapt.org.