OpinionApril 3, 20254 min readWhy Some People Follow Authoritarian LeadersAnd The Key to Stopping ItTo protect democracy and counteract the allure of authoritarianism, reduce people's sense of fear and insecurity, psychology research saysBy Danny Osborne Nikita John Creagh/Getty ImagesThe reelection of Donald Trump, perhaps more than any other event in modern history, has thrust authoritarianism into the spotlight. From media pundits to conversations held in coffee shops, people are talking about authoritarian leaders. And for good reasons. President Trump and his warning of being a dictator on day one, coupled with his attempts to consolidate power, eliminate government oversight and silence his opposition, poses a grave threat to our democratic institutions.Without downplaying the dangers of authoritarian leaders, studies from my research group and other labs from across the globe identify an equally serious threat to democracy: authoritarian followers who instinctively comply with a dictator. We need to understand this personality type so that we can find ways to encourage authoritarian followers to support democracy instead.For over 80 years, political psychologists like me have studied the authoritarian personalitya collection of attitudes and behaviors that increase a persons susceptibility to authoritarian leaders. We have found that authoritarian followers share three tendencies: they obey authority figures from their in-group (called authoritarian submission); they punish rule breakers (authoritarian aggression); and they rigidly endorse long-held traditions (conventionalism).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.Work from my lab and others reveals that authoritarian followers express a range of anti-democratic attitudes including anti-gay prejudice, anti-immigrant attitudes, generalized prejudice, nationalism and even the belief in conspiracies. Although peer-reviewed work on 2024 Trump voters awaits, authoritarian followers were more likely to vote for Trump than for either Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden in the previous two elections. Thus authoritarian followers are a powerful force within the MAGA movement.Why do people become authoritarian followers? Some research indicates that authoritarianism is heritable. For example, the correlation between twins authoritarianism is over five times stronger among monozygotic twins, whose genetic makeup is almost identical, relative to dizygotic twins, who share roughly half their genes. This strong genetic component to becoming an authoritarian follower does not, however, mean we are destined to obey dictators. Authoritarianism is also fostered by some of the personality traits captured by the so-called Big Five: openness to experience, conscientiousness (a preference for order and the tendency to follow norms), extraversion, agreeableness (the willingness to cooperate and empathize with others) and neuroticism (the tendency to feel anxious and insecure).Crucially, the social, economic and physical environment also matter. Low levels of openness to experience and high levels of conscientiousness, coupled with an insecure and threatening environment, lead people to chronically view the world as a dangerous and threatening place. When we think that the world is unstable and unsafe, we search for ways to regain control. Unfortunately for our democratic institutions, placing trust in a dictator and becoming an authoritarian follower is one way to reestablish a sense of control.Far-right politics seem to appeal to authoritarian followers desire to regain stability and extinguish perceived threats. For instance, fear and distrust of immigrants has been a core issue driving the recent return of far-right extremism. Movements including Brexit, the rise of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), Marine Le Pens successes in France, and Donald Trumps return to power in 2024 all gained momentum by stoking voters fears that our way of life is under threat. Attacks against transgender rights and DEI initiatives are similarly rooted in perceived threats to traditional values.What can people do to address the recent global surge of authoritarian leaders and followers? As an educator, my first instinct is to argue that we need to increase peoples political knowledge to instill democratic values of tolerance, pluralism and adherence to the rule of law. Yet this approach could backfire. Research on this topic shows that increases in education and political knowledge may make authoritarian followers more, not less, likely to express anti-democratic attitudes. For example, a study in the U.S. found that the relationship between authoritarianism and two core features of conservatism are stronger among those who are knowledgeable about politics.Alternatively, pro-democracy advocates could employ jiujitsu persuasion to target the motivations underlying anti-democratic beliefs. For example, because authoritarianism arises from the need to mitigate perceived threats in the environment, we can expose people to safer ones. Indeed a newly published study by my colleagues and me shows that the diversity of ones neighborhood correlates negatively with authoritarianism. Multicultural neighborhoods likely provide people with the chance to form close friendships with others from diverse backgrounds. In turn these experiences dispel worries that immigrants threaten deeply held cultural values or will take their jobs.Other work suggests that we can harness authoritarian followers impulse to submit to authority figures and conform to group norms for the social good. For example, research from Singaporewhere authorities endorse multiculturalismshows that authoritarian followers support cultural diversity. Other work from Poland indicates that authoritarian followers support prohibiting hate speech against minority groups including members of the LGBTQ community, Muslims and people of African descent, because this hostile rhetoric violates social norms. These studies show that, under some limited conditions, leaders can harness authoritarian followers destructive impulses for the social good.Although Trumps return to power has reignited popular interest in authoritarianism, social scientists have long wrestled with its origins. Their insights can help us predict what the next four years will look like, as well as identify ways to address the challenges that are likely to come. Democracy rarely falls at the hands of a single individual. Rather it dies through the complacency and obedience of otherwise well-intentioned authoritarian followers. We must help them follow their better angels. As the historian Timothy Snyder has warned, Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given.This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

Switch 2's full reveal analysed: how powerful is Nintendo's new hardware and is DLSS being used?Pixel throughput on Switch 2 Special Edition games suggests it's over five times faster than its predecessor. Feature by Richard Leadbetter Technology Editor, Digital Foundry Published on April 3, 2025 With the initial reveal of the Switch 2, there was the sense that Nintendo was intent on evolution, not revolution - but yesterday's fleshed out showing showed that the firm is still capable of surprises, both in terms of the hardware feature set and also in the presentation of many of its games.Let's begin on the hardware side of things where the full capabilities of the 7.9-inch display were finally revealed and proved impressively robust bearing in mind Nintendo's usual aversion to higher end features. The display may be LCD in nature, but in every other spec point, the firm has delivered. First of all, there's the inclusion of HDR - transformative to a game's presentation as any one with a decent TV or even Steam Deck OLED can attest. The potential here is considerable and could have industry-wide ramifications: a mainstream console ships with an HDR display as standard, which should - in theory, at least - guarantee take-up of the feature.Beyond that, there's both 120Hz and VRR (variable refresh rate) support. In practise, Switch 2 titles have the potential to scale up to 120fps - assuming the game is performant enough. And if it's not? Well, that's not a write-off by any means: games can run with unlocked frame-rates and barring unfortunate stutter (which not even VRR can fix), they should still present in a smooth manner. We just have to be a little realistic here: Switch 2 is still a resource-constrained piece of mobile hardware operating with a highly constricted power budget, so it'll be interesting to see just how close Metroid Prime 4: Beyond gets to its mooted 720p 120fps target in handheld form.Digital Foundry's red-hot take on Switch 2's 'proper' reveal. The whole team was deployed in getting together the facts, figures and performance tests. Note that the Tony Hawk Pro-Skater 3+4 footage is now - understandably - confirmed to have been sourced from the PC version.Watch on YouTube0:00:00 Introduction0:01:22 Displays: 120Hz VRR HDR 1080p internal display, 4K60/1440p120 docked display output0:10:09 Battery and battery life0:11:55 Controller changes: GameChat, magnetic attachment, mouse control, Pro controller upgrades0:18:14 Storage: 256 GB internal, MicroSD Express support, Game Cards and Game-Key Cards0:26:27 Game compatibility: games with support issues, Switch 2 upgrades and Switch 2 Editions, GameCube backwards compatibility0:38:15 Pricing: Console prices, game prices, and value0:46:45 First party games: Mario Kart World0:52:31 Kirby Air Riders0:53:57 Donkey Kong Bananza0:57:02 Third party games: The Duskbloods1:00:39 Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, FF7 Remake, Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3+41:08:56 Closing thoughts on the presentation and systemThe 120Hz VRR display also offers up other opportunities - the chance for games typically targeting 30fps to instead use a higher, smoother, arbitrary frame-rate: 40fps or thereabouts being the obvious choice. The only issue I'd like to highlight here is that the harder developers push the hardware for higher frame-rate, there has to be a trade in terms of graphical fidelity and/or battery life, which allows me segue seamlessly to the next crucial spec point: the size of the battery itself.For many, the key comparison point for Switch 2 is Valve's Steam Deck and here, the specs look troubling. A 5220 mAh battery is a considerable improvement over the 4310 mAh in the original. However, the new console's battery capacity translates to around 19.3 Wh up against an equivalent 40 Wh in the original Steam Deck and 50 Wh in the OLED model. With Nintendo promising a minimum two hours of battery life for Switch 2, that means that all functions of the handheld will consume 10 watts. Just the APU in Steam Deck consumes 15W and fully unlocked and including all system components, I've seen the Valve system consume around 28W - almost three times as much power.In a handheld form factor, power translates into performance, so the efficiency of the silicon itself (not to mention its raw compute power) combined with bespoke game integrations from developers are going to be key in getting decent mobile experiences - but to be clear, running triple-A fare on a 10W power budget is going to be quite the challenge! We didn't see much mobile footage in the presentation (but we did catch a glimpse of Cyberpunk 2077 which operated at 960x540 in the tiny amount of content we did see) but I'm reasonably confident that the handheld experience should pan out - not least based on the absolute miracles we've seen over the years on the original Switch.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Looking at the software side of things, let's begin by discussing the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition versions of existing Switch titles. This kicked off with a highly impressive demonstration of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond which operates at 4K resolution at 60fps when docked (or 1080p at 120fps, of course). The crystal clear nature of the 4K footage does somewhat put into perspective the conjecture that the trailers seen thus far were running on Switch 2. Clearly they weren't based on this pristine showing! Taking a Switch 1 900p game to a presumed native 4K represents a 5.76x boost to pixel count, which is quite the thing. We didn't see any evidence of DLSS or any other kind of upscaling, by the way, but it can't be ruled out at this early stage.Looking at the Zelda titles, a 900p30 resolution on Switch 1 presents at 1440p60 on Switch 2 - a 5.12x boost to pixel throughput. I'd say that's very impressive but I am reminded of the Gamescom 2023 rumours discussing a 4K DLSS Breath of the Wild demo apparently shown to developers. There's enough good sourcing out there to suggest that this demo is really and does exist, but demos and shipping titles are two very different things - as are retail units and 'target' hardware. Based on the computational cost of DLSS, the concept of 4K upscaling on a mobile processor like Switch 2's T239 does seem unlikely.Looking at the actual first party titles designed specifically for Switch 2, it's great to see that Nintendo is firmly committing to its new platform. Yes, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond could be considered a cross generation release, but the new Mario Kart World with what we think is a pseudo-open world design couldn't be delivered to anything like the same degree on older Switch hardware. 60 frames per second is a given, and the footage we saw from what must be the docked mode rendered at 1440p resolution - albeit with no visible anti-aliasing. We're also hearing reports from the hands-on event happening right now that there's a 1080p mode that runs at 120fps. The nature of the open world itself is still up for debate, but our bet would be on a Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit style arrangement where the tracks are 'baked in' to one coherent, interlocking environment. Obviously the whole nature of the environment is a world apart from prior series offerings and view distances looked great, while the quality of materials and lighting also sees key improvements.We put this T239 video together back at the tail-end of 2023. Apart from the deep learning accelerator (DLA) having been ruled out for Switch 2, the information here on the Switch 2's processor should still stand up.Watch on YouTubeDonkey Kong Bananza also looks great - and perhaps a little more ambitious with a native 1080p rendering resolution. 60fps is maintained with only occasional drops based on this preview footage, but it's clear that both the improved CPU and GPU are being asked to do a whole lot more based around the physics on display. Amusingly dubbed online as 'Red Faction Gorilla', it's nice to see Nintendo concentrating on remarkably destructive environments reminiscent of Red Faction's classic 'geomod' technology, but it is still a 3D platformer, with the developers pivoting towards a Kong design more clearly inspired by the movie (something also seen in Mario Kart World).The third-party titles look very interesting indeed and give us a completely different perspective on the Switch 2's potential capabilities. With Nintendo titles, we have games built specifically for the hardware, factoring in both the strengths and weaknesses of the design. For third-parties, porting over existing games, there are additional challenges. Even so, we got a glimpse of a creditable rendition of Cyberpunk 2077, operating between 720p and 1080p with dynamic resolution scaling while targeting 30fps (though we did notice dips). Assuming the mobile footage is actually of the handheld mode, resolution there was 540p - but again, dynamic resolution scaling would be a fair assumption. Reports from the hands-on event don't seem to be particularly favourable, however.We didn't get to see too much of Unreal Engine 5 though, the engine of the current generation. Split Fiction doesn't tap into the high-end features of the technology, but nevertheless ran at 30fps vs the 60fps of the other console versions with considerable cutbacks to the graphics. Meanwhile, we had just the tiniest of glimpses of Fortnite running on the new console, with what looked like a locked 1080p in the footage we saw and operating at 60fps. There's not a whole lot we can tell from the tiny clip we were given, but we think we can rule out UE5's ray tracing-based Lumen global illumination technology. Cyberpunk 2077 in docked mode here appeared to render dynamically between 720p and 1080p, capped at 30fps but with some performance drops in challenging areas.Moving on, Final Fantasy 7 Intergrade is certainly worth of extra study - it seems to be running at a native, locked 1080p in the clips we saw, while being capped to 30fps. In other respects, it looks pretty close to the existing PlayStation 4 version of the game. That said, inconsistent frame-pacing was noted, which we'd like to see fixed.There's a lot more to discuss further down the line - not least the exclusive The Duskbloods but we'll end with the game that actually kicked off the partner presentation: Elden Ring. As first impressions go, FromSoftware failed to hit the mark with a highly choppy presentation. Something just doesn't look right with the footage, which seemed to present with obvious stutter. However, running the video through our tools, a fairly consistent 30fps is achieved with only a couple of performance drops. Our theory? The game could have been captured at 60fps with the trailer edit exported at 30fps, losing half of the visual information.Assuming Elden Ring on Switch 2 has the same inconsistent frame-pacing as the PS4 version, or an unlocked frame-rate, decimating the frame-rate of the capture would result in exactly the kind of jerky camera motion seen here. What we can say at least is that the game presented here at native 1080p, just like PS4. And just like The Duskbloods actually, which curiously seemed to run at a consistent 30fps with none of the judder seen in the Elden Ring asset. Final Fantasy 7 Remake looked impressive overall. Every shot we counted came in at native 1080p, with a 30fps performance level - albeit with wonky frame-pacing.As an opener for the deluge of games to come, Switch 2 lands where I would expect it to based on what we've seen so far - but there are two omissions that caught our attention. First of all, Nvidia's DLSS upscaler was expected to be a secret weapon of sorts for the new Nintendo machine and while my colleague, Tom Phillips, tells me that DLSS has been confirmed based on the developer presentation he's seen, we didn't see much - if anything - in the presentation to suggest that DLSS is in play on any of the titles we saw. Perhaps DLSS is more computationally expensive than more vanilla upscalers. Perhaps the mooted 'lightweight DLSS' for Switch 2 isn't ready yet. Or maybe the development tools don't support it yet - we'll just need to wait and see.Secondly, and perhaps more understandably, it's understood that ray tracing hardware support is built into Nintendo's T239 processor - but we didn't see any evidence of that in any of the games either. RT comes with a considerable performance hit, of course, so this isn't exactly a huge surprise: when dealing with mobile hardware, every GPU cycle is precious. All we know for now is that both RT and DLSS are supported. Without going into much in the way of detail, Nintendo has confirmed it.Overall, the Switch 2 reveal went down well with the Digital Foundry team. Personally, I went into the presentation expecting a machine with overall performance in line with Steam Deck, but early indications do suggest something more potent - at least in docked configuration. Nothing beats the hands-on experience though, something we'll have to wait a little while for, but we're looking forward to checking out the various media that's set to appear in the meantime. We'll update with more as and when we can.

The first of Nintendo's two Switch 2 flavoured Treehouse: Live presentations is about to kick off. Read more

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 hereSEGAs Shenmue is damn-near perfect. Initially a Virtua Fighter RPG, Yu Suzikis adventure of Ryo Hazuki on his quest for vengeance is still an amazing game today, and one that has influenced a tonne of modern titles.In a recent poll with the British public, BAFTA (the British Academy Film Awards) sought out to discover what the UK deems as the most influential video game of all time. Alongside titles like Half-Life 2, DOOM, Minecraft, GTA, World of Warcraft and more, Britain has deemed Shenmue as the industrys most influential title.Shenmue crowned the most influential video game of all timeIn the surprise poll, BAFTA awarded Shenmue the title of most influential video game. The 1999 open-world adventure game was heralded for its detailed open-world setting that truly captures the essence of Yokosuka in the 80s.Its worth noting that Shenmue is a highly influential game, although it didnt sell particularly well on release. The game is often seen as the pioneer of 3D open world which would inspire GTA as well as the forefather or truly cinematic storytelling in a video game which has led to games like The Last of Us Part 2. SEGAs masterpiece is also seen as the progenitor of Quick-Time Events which dominated the Xbox 360 and PS3 generation.However, it is surprising to see Shenmue take the top spot when compared to its competitors. In second-place is DOOM, the game that brought the first-person shooter genre to the forefront of gaming. In third place is Super Mario Bros. Which reinvented platforming, fourth place is Half-Life and fifth is Ocarina of Time.Here is the full list of 21 influential games, some of which are weirder than others:Shenmue (1999)Doom (1993)Super Mario Bros. (1985)Half-Life (1998)The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)Minecraft (2011)Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (2025) (also, huh?)Super Mario 64 (1996)Half-Life 2 (2004)The Sims (2000)Tetris (1984)Tomb Raider (1996)Pong (1972)Metal Gear Solid (1998)World of Warcraft (2004)Baldurs Gate 3 (2023)Final Fantasy VII (1997)Dark Souls (2011)Grand Theft Auto 3 (2001)Skyrim (2011)Grand Theft Auto (1997)There are some curious omissions from the list of most influential video games of all time. For example, where is Ultima, the game that inspired Dragon Quest which in itself created the modern turn-based RPG. Where is Halo 2, the game that influenced everyone and their mother to create console online multiplayer modes?I am deeply honoured and grateful that Shenmue has been selected as the Most Influential Video Game of All Time, Shenmue creator and director Yu Suzuki said in a BAFTA statement. At its inception, we set out to explore the question, How real can a game become?, aiming to portray a world and story unprecedented in scale and detail. This distinction serves as a powerful reminder that the challenge we embraced continues to resonate with and inspire so many people even today. It is truly the greatest of encouragement.Above all, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the fans around the world who have continued to love and support Shenmue, the director continued. Your passion and encouragement have guided this journey every step of the way. And the story is not over yet, there is more to come! Thank you very much!Now, Shenmue is an amazing game, and certainly an inspiration for a lot of developers. But is it more influential than Super Mario Bros? Or Pac-Man? What about PUBG, the game that inspired everyone to create a battle royale for ten years? I am truly bewildered but Shenmue is great!ShenmuePlatform(s):Dreamcast, PCGenre(s):Adventure, RPG, SimulationSubscribe 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 hereThere have been some great Steam Deck releases for 2025. The Last of Us Part 2 is officially verified for Valves handheld platform, meanwhile, the system also recently received the magnificent Split Fiction and Assassins Creed Shadows. As for the future, fans have a new Sonic game coming soon that is now officially Steam Deck verified, and fans of the blue hedgehog can pre-register now to get rewards.New Sonic game is officially Steam Deck verifiedAs spotted by GamingOnLinux, the Sonic Rumble Steam page has been updated with the game now officially verified for Steam Deck. Below are the listed pros for the game on SD:All functionality is accessible when using the default controller configurationThis game shows Steam Deck controller iconsIn-game interface text is legible on Steam DeckThis games default graphics configuration performs wellFor those not in the know, Sonic Rumble is a new multiplayer game starring the blue hedgehog, and his many friends and enemies. It will be free-to-play, and it will feature up to 32-players.You will be able to play as characters such as Sonic, Eggman, Tails, Shadow, Knuckles, Amy, plus many more, and there will be a vast array of stages with different themes and ways to play. Such themes include Run, where players race for the top spot, Survival, where players compete to stay in the game, Ring Battle, where players duke and dodge it out for the most rings, and lots more. Think of this game as basically Sonic Fall Guys.It was originally intended to come out in February, but it has been delayed to Spring 2025. The iOS App store lists May 8th, but SEGA has said this is just a placeholder with the release date still yet to be confirmed. The Steam page merely lists as coming soon.While waiting for the game to come out, make sure to pre-register for some fabulous rewards. Over 600K players have already pre-registered, meaning the following freebies will be available at launch:5,000 ringsHappy stickerCystal Chao buddyHowever, over one million players are needed to get the following:Garnet Knuckles skin (900K pre-register)Movie Sonic skin (over one million pre-register)Image credit: SEGAIn other Steam news, fans are quickly running out of time to get free games including BioShock 2 remastered.Related TopicsSteam Deck Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

Historic homes often lose their charm when theyre remodeledbut Anna Furmans 1912 Craftsman bungalow was enhanced by the architect who reimagined it for modern living. Especially in LA, old houses are either gut-renovated to hell in a soulless, sterile way or theyre falling apart at the seams, says Furman, a sculptor and Associated Press editor. This house really felt like a Goldilocks situation. Its 100-plus years old, and its retained a lot of its original character, but its been updated to bring natural light in.In 2007, Barbara Bestor, whos known for taking really simple materials and transforming them into playful-yet-practical design elements, used an abundance of honey-toned plywood to overhaul the abode for the previous tenants. Furman was attracted to the warmth of the humble veneer that Bestor created, which appears on the wall cladding, kitchen counters, and built-in seating and storage throughout. I lucked out with that, she reflects.Short, wood stools are peppered around the home. I use those as sculpture stands if Im being scrappy, says Furman. Sometimes I use them for plants, or Ill have friends over for a movie night, so theyre just extra seating. I have a projector that comes down on the wood wall.I made that last year and it just immediately made sense to me in that corner, Furman says of her green lamp. It anchors the couch in placenot literally, but visually. It looks organic, but also not of this world. Thats how I think about a lot of my art.Furman also loved that Bestor had vaulted the once-dropped ceiling, creating an airy, relaxed vibe despite the compact footprint. My work is very intense and demanding, so I wanted to find a home that would feel like a little oasisa calm, earthy place thats still in the middle of the city, she says. Its perched on a hill in a way that makes it feel like a little tree house, which is nice.When it came to refurnishing the space to make it her own, Furman let cherished heirlooms and artworks lead the way. In the living area, for example, her favorite quilt lays on the custom sage green cushions she had fabricated for the built-in sofa. My most prized possession is that quilt, she shares. Its made by my great-grandpa, Max Meyers, and he repurposed these scraps of fabric from clothes that my mom and her siblings had outgrown. Its these anchor pieces in my house that are connected to family history.Shop out the look of the house Furmans sofa is adorned with a Praying Mantis at the Park throw pillow by Lorien Stern and a red Dash pillow by Dusen Dusen, where she worked as the brands first intern years ago.I wanted to have a calm, earthy feel, so a light green couch definitely felt natural and connected to the plants in the room, Furman says. I just went downtown, to the Garment District, and touched fabric and picked one based on instinct. Then I found a guy to cut it up and make cushions.The sitting zone also features a white marble collared shirt sculpture, a nude figure Risograph, and a colorful screen print of chairs, all of which belonged to Furmans grandmother. She paired these beloved items with a vintage cane-and-velvet armchair, a pineapple painting by Julio Cesar Williams, and her own biomorphic ceramic lamp. It is a lot of bringing the old and the new together and bringing my friends and my friends of friends work together with my artit has been really fun, she notes.The checker mirror was made by an outsider artist, Furman shares. I found it in Laurel Canyon on Craigslist. It was sitting in someones backyard and I brought it to Ballards Artwork Framing, which did a really beautiful job. They put the frame inside it. There were no 90-degree angles inside, so they made it fit. It is just such a weird piece that felt like a relic of another time.In the dining section, Furman combined vintage bentwood chairs from the Rose Bowl Flea Market with a Hilma af Klint print, a checker mirror from Craigslist, and a 1980s Luchita Hurtado chalk drawing. That one is really special because I met and interviewed Luchita before she was signed with Hauser & Wirth, she explains. She is just such an inspiration. I wish I could live inside so many of her paintings. I found it through an online auction, which was very exciting because I otherwise would not be able to afford her work.Pleated pendants hang over the island, which is accompanied by a set of secondhand counter stools.Next to the oven, up on the wall, theres a print made by my friend Lauren Martin, Furman says. Above it, there is this ravioli rolling pin. Its antique, Im told, and it was from the sale at Marta gallery. It was in the owners house. And I just love it because all the grooves show their wear and it just fit to me right there as part of the frame.The big island, which is made of stacked plywood topped with white laminate, doubles as extra workspace when Furman is crafting larger pieces, but most of her sculpting happens in the studio at the end of the long kitchen (and at a ceramics studio called Clay CA). Her Pipersong Meditation Chair allows her to toil away for hours. I am a very fidgety person and I get aches and pains when Im working for long stretches of time, she reveals. Its really perfect because it moves into a lot of different positions.Furmans bedroom, with its George Nelson Cigar Bubble pendants and Dusen Dusen Hepta coverlet, is defined by the four floating shelves filled with books from end to end. Books feel pretty central to my life, so it made sense to have them in my bedroom, she considers. I also wanted to preserve the plywood wall in the great room. I wanted the wall to stand on its own. It is one of the standout features of the home, after all.Though its more often found on the sofa, Furmans treasured quilt occasionally makes a bedroom appearance. Its this patchwork of family history, she says. I dont think my great grandfather thought of himself as an artist. He was a tailor, like so many Jewish men of that generation, but I see his work as art.I bought it at a time when I was really wanting to bring more rituals into my day-to-day life, so it has candles on it and this clear glass piece that I really love the feel of, Furman says of the antique tiered shelf in her bedroom. And Im drawn to the visual language of Uruguayan artist Gonzalo Fonseca, especially stairways.Furman and her pup Goldie lounge on the built-in sofa.Furmans studio includes a lofted, full-size bed for guests who want to stay overnight.Clay and metal are Furmans primary mediums of art.Furman sketches, prototypes, and trims her sculptures in her home studio.Shop it out:Crate & Barrel Waffle Terry Dish Towels (Set of 2)West Elm Remy Bath StoolDusen Dusen Oven MittLorein Stern Praying Mantis Throw Pillow Case"All Fours" by Miranda JulyDusen Dusen Pillow CoverSplattered Mug by Peter ShireDusen Dusen Dash PillowHerman Miller Nelson Cigar Bubble PendantSusan Alexandra Ash Tissue BoxDusen Dusen Hepta Bed Set

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar (Minnesota) is reportedly drafting articles of impeachment against three Trump administration officials who discussed U.S. plans to bomb Yemen in a Signal group chat that came to light after a journalist was mistakenly added to the chat earlier this month. The controversy, which some in the media have dubbed Signalgate, has plagued the White House this week, with Trump administration officials scrambling to explain why such classified information was being shared so haphazardly on a messaging app. The leaked messages from that group chat show officials ordering and celebrating the bombing of civilians in Yemen, which is a war crime. Several Democratic lawmakers including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (New York) have called for President Donald Trump to fire the officials involved, or for them to resign from their posts. On Thursday, Axios reported that Omar was planning to draft articles of impeachment against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, all of whom participated in the chat. Pete Hegseth is an embarrassment to Minnesota, Omar wrote on Bluesky on Wednesday. His incompetence and blatantly illegal actions demonstrate he is grossly unfit to lead the Department of Defense.Its currently unclear what specific articles Omar plans to charge the trio with; the charges need not be based on criminal statutes, although those can be included as well. Presidents and executive branch officials can be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, a centuries-old term that does not refer to literal crimes but rather abuses or negligence in office. Omars charging document will likely detail how Trump administration officials discussed the details of a highly sensitive military operation on an app and how that app does not save a long-term record of their conversations, which is likely a violation of the Federal Records Act and Administrative Procedure Act. Her articles of impeachment could also discuss how the U.S. airstrikes on Yemen were in violation of international laws relating to the killing of civilians; such laws prohibit targeting nonmilitary buildings, even if there is a military target inside.Rules of engagement that permit destroying an entire civilian apartment building to kill one alleged terrorist is part of Joe Bidens legacy. Its still a war crime though, and Waltzs [and the groups] text is a confession, Matt Duss, executive vice president for the Center for International Policy (CIP), recently said on social media.If Omar does complete the articles of impeachment, they will have little likelihood of being passed. However, she can force a vote on the matter using a privilege motion, which would mean that Republicans would have to publicly vote on whether the impeachment proceedings should commence. Meanwhile, pressure is mounting on Trump to fire at least one official who was involved in the group chat. Some allies close to Trump are saying that individual should be Waltz, NBC News reports, as he was the one who mistakenly invited The Atlantics Jeffrey Goldberg into the chat.Polling shows that most Americans are disturbed by the incident, with a new YouGov survey showing that 74 percent of Americans view the matter as serious, while only 13 percent say they arent concerned.Were not backing down in the face of Trumps threats.As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that were not shouting into a faceless void were reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations either through need or greed rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trumps wishes, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models.At Truthout, we are reaffirming our commitments on this front: We wont run ads or have a paywall because we believe that everyone should have access to information, and that access should exist without barriers and free of distractions from craven corporate interests. We recognize the implications for democracy when information-seekers click a link only to find the article trapped behind a paywall or buried on a page with dozens of invasive ads. The laws of capitalism dictate an unending increase in monetization, and much of the media simply follows those laws. Truthout and many of our peers are dedicating ourselves to following other paths a commitment which feels vital in a moment when corporations are evermore overtly embedded in government.Over 80 percent of Truthouts funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and the remaining 20 percent comes from a handful of social justice-oriented foundations. Over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors, many of whom give because they want to help us keep Truthout barrier-free for everyone.You can help by giving today. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger gift, Truthout only works with your support. This article is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), and you are free to share and republish under the terms of the license. We need your help to become less dependent on traffic from Facebook and X. Follow us on Bluesky today! Truthout

Not StonksWarframe's latest event has brought back a fan favourite boss, and crashed the stock market for a very special hammerCorpus stock exchange was in turmoil as parts for the Wolf Sledge dropped sharply last night.Image credit: Digital Extremes News by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on April 3, 2025 Markets took a tumble last night and some traders have been seeing crying and calling family members on Saturn and Venus, as prices for the Wolf Sledge dropped sharply. Warframe, the Sci-fi MMORPG where you can ride a dragon and buy space cats with Platinum released a new event for the Easter season that has absolutely decimated a once reliable trade good.This event, called Wolf Hunt, reintroduces assassination missions for lovable prison reform activist The Wolf of Saturn Six. First added to the game back in 2019, the Wolf was a pretty tough big boss that came out alongside the game's first Nightwave battle pass. When killed by players, he had a chance to drop parts for his trademark hammer. It's a special hammer too, which you can throw at enemies to deal...ranged melee damage. Gimmicky sure, but fun. More importantly, rare!To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Not only were the original drop rates for the parts low, the Wolf was largely removed from the game alongside with his parts after Nightwave season one concluded. The only way to fight him again was by using a Wolf Beacon, a special item that can be occasionally bought by from the Nightwave store through Nightwave cred offerings. Even still, the drop rates remained low, forcing many players to group up into dedicated Wolf hunting groups to maximize their chances of getting the parts they wanted.A weapon people want, in limited supply? That sounds to me like the making of a valuable good! Enter the Warframe economy and trading community, the financial backbone that allows players to trade their in-game items for other items, or the in-game currency - Platinum. It's a popular-end game activity for those who have that one mod or digital goodie they desperately want, and more currency than time. It's also how some players have managed to play the completionist in the MMORPG without spending any money whatsoever, by farming stuff and selling it on to others.Wolf Sledge parts, with their low drop rate and relative scarcity, have proven invaluable for those looking to make a decent chunk of change over the years. If you go to Warframe Market and look at the last 90 days of trades for the Wolf Sledge set, the entire set was selling for around 70 Platinum in decent quantaties. 90 Platinum is around $4.70/3.70 or your regional equivalent. Not super expensive, but an honest paycheck for humble space farmers.But then the Wolf Hunt event comes in, which offers players all the parts and the blueprint for the Wolf Sledge guaranteed just for completing four Assassination missions, and the price for Wolf Sledge parts...well... It's a run on the bank! | Image credit: VG247 / Warframe marketOh no... As you can see from this screenshot, it's taken a tumble. Now, in the long run, this may well recover over time! But the sheer amount of extra Wolf Sledge supply that has hit the community will be felt for a while. It has also perhaps killed the Wolf Sledge farm groups, at least for now, which is sad. But they died for a good cause, spiritually ascending while the people get to throw around big hammers.All jokes aside, this is a cool event and a good thing for the vast majority of players. There'll be a few people out there with piles of Wolf Sledge parts in their inventory, but their financial loss is the world's gain. Finally, people will be able to try out a genuinely fun and niche weapon. If you want to invest some time and forma into it, here's a hint: grab your Chroma warframe and subsume in Kullervo's Wraithful Advance ability. Use it with Chroma's Vex Armour for massive melee damage boosts. Build your Chroma for ability strength and melee damage, some heavy attack mods on the Wolf Sledge itself, and go HAM.

SWITCH 2Nintendo Switch 2 first hands-on: more of the same is pretty brilliant when you're following up one of the best consoles of all timeThe Switch 2 is less that difficult second album and more like that triumphant extended edition victory lap Article by Alex Donaldson Assistant Editor Published on April 3, 2025 Nintendo is a company that has made reinventing the wheel into no big deal. For the house of Mario, overhaul is simply habitual - and in many ways, that dedication to rejuvenation and bringing a constant stream of the new has been the company's secret sauce. That reinvention gave us the Switch's unique form factor, and the Wii Remote. But, let's be fair - it also gave us the Wii U. Those greater leaps forward carry a greater risk of a fall.The Nintendo Switch 2 is different. Nintendo might be exceedingly careful with its words and make plain that the Switch 2 is somehow 'more', but let's strip away the polished veneer of marketing speak and say the quiet part out loud: the Switch 2 is a gently iterative upgrade to the Nintendo Switch. At a first hands-on, there is no loud 'wow moment' revelation about the hardware. Instead, I'm treated to a smorgasbord of minor surprises that add up to a greater whole. To deploy the cliche, the Switch 2 feels like more than the sum of its parts.Sometimes, its okay to be iterative. The Switch 2 is iterative in the exact way that the Super Nintendo was iterative - and thats one of the best consoles of all time.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Lets talk about the hardware itself. I dont know what to say, really, other than to get real reductive and say that it is nicer. Its sturdier in the hands. Joy-cons now attach with powerful magnets, which means that weirdly cheap-feeling loose feeling of the joy-cons on rails is gone. The joy-cons are slightly larger, leading to a better feel in the hand. It generally just feels like a more high-end product - but perhaps more than that, it feels like Nintendo is comfortable with what theyre making here to a level that has a positive impact on the hardwares presence in the hand.The Switch 2 hides new tricks, of course. A lot of stuff is simply improved - HD Rumble is better, the machine is more powerful, the screen is nicer (though painfully, still an LCD). New gimmicks are, by Nintendos standards, relatively few and far between. But where they are, theyre screamers. In a good way.A favorite of mine is the ability to use joy-cons as a mouse device. On paper, in a trailer, this looks like that sort of vague gimmick that Nintendo will use a few times to great effect and then abandon. But in practice, no this is clearly something more. Its use in cute mini-games in the Welcome Tour delights - but the real test comes in Metroid Prime 4. Lots of new bits for the hardware.Playing a Metroid game at 120 frames per second with mouselook really feels illegal, and yet here it is - its real, on real hardware, and executed with a genius flourish. In Prime, mouse controls are constantly available; all you need to do is place the right joy-con into the mouse position, while the other continues to handle your movement. This means you can flick back and forth between traditional controls and mouselook instantly, with no menu navigation or settings flips. I integrated this into how I was playing the game proper - Id hold the joy-cons more traditionally when scanning stuff and solving puzzles, but whenever combat got intense Id slip into mouselook mode.Its a brilliant, clever addition. Metroid is one demo, but Nintendo has other implementations, and so do third-parties - including full-on mouse pointer implementation in the Switch 2 version of Civilization 7. That makes it, instantly, the best console version of that game, by the way. Chalk up a win there.And of course I mentioned 120fps, the signifier of the power of this hardware. It is more powerful. Looking at higher-end games running on it, games were used to playing on PS5 and Xbox Series X, one can see why Nintendo has secured so many ports with ease. The brilliant Split Fiction looks great by the standards of a piece of portable hardcore. Elden Ring and Cyberpunk likewise. Though problems already rear their head here and there.Cyberpunk runs pretty damn well in docked mode, on a telly - but in handheld, I was taken aback: as presented at this hands-on, that is frankly not a version of the game Id recommend - even if the docked version is. I was sort of surprised they were showing it in handheld at all, such was its performance in Dogtown, the heavy-load DLC area of the game which skipped last-gen hardware due to its heft. We saw all these sorts of caveats and balances with Switch - and its clear they will persist on Switch 2. Dock it and pull it. | Image credit: NintendoOver on Nintendos side, for its part, there seems to be a relishing in the power. Mario Kart is bigger and more expansive than ever, though it does admittedly look much the same. Donkey Kong Bananza both looks and feels like a suped-up Super Mario Odyssey, with the structure of solving many small puzzles to rapidly gather many bananas rather than explicit stages to complete. Its good looking, and the core mechanic of smashing everything up and deforming terrain appears to be a minor technological flex, even if this sort of tech appeared in Red Faction generations ago. Call this one Red Faction Gorilla. Geddit?Im going to write more about the specific games in the coming days, as I spent four-plus hours experiencing as many of them as I could. But the long and the short of it is well, you know that meme of that cover of the book titled Identifying Wood? In it, a bearded bloke is looking through an eyepiece, closely examining what is obviously, clearly wood. Well, playing the Switch 2 for the first time yep, thats a Nintendo Switch. Just better.I get the impression that Nintendo might be vaguely nervous about this. I can see why. Heres a relatively samey machine, with some relatively samey games - Mario Kart and Metroid are known quantities, and though there hasnt been a proper 3D Donkey Kong for over a quarter century, playing it I quickly drew parallels to Odyssey. A feeling of the familiar, and of the safe, pervades. If Im drawing a comparison in Nintendos hardware history, Im thinking about the jump from the Game Boy Color to the Game Boy Advance: its iterative, and mostly about things like the display and processing power rather than changing the way you play games forevermore. But thats okay.The Nintendo Switch is one of the best consoles ever made. But its also creaking and ancient technologically, and flawed, if softly, in its execution. The Switch 2 is less that difficult second album and more like that triumphant extended edition victory lap - but with enough extra power to justify the generational leap. As always, the ultimate barometer will be in software - but as a piece of hardware, Im already on board.

Image: NintendoMetroid Prime 4: Beyond being cross-gen was inevitable. After a near two-decade wait for a sequel and a handful of delays, including a return from series developer Retro Studios, the game needed to land with a bang. And boy did it when it re-emerged during the June 2024 Nintendo Direct.We've seen it twice since, and each time it's impressed more and more. Yet the latest time, during the Switch 2 Direct, all the gloves were off despite little gameplay. A Switch 2 Edition, 4K, 120fps in performance mode, and smooth 60fps in handheld? And then we got to play it.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube801kWatch on YouTube More than any other game we tried on Switch 2, Metroid Prime 4 makes the case for Nintendo's more powerful successor. All of our 15 minutes of demo time were spend savouring every single light particle, rain droplet, laser beam, and alien goo. It's safe to say that this is a stunning-looking game on Switch 2, and it was already looking fairly nice on the original hardware.Images: NintendoThe demo took us through the opening moments of Samus' adventure, where she and a crew of Galactic Federation soldiers are called to the planet Tenmaar after a distress call from one of the Federation's facilities. Watching Samus' spaceship throttle through the galaxy and descend on this new planet, it sets the tone for a hectic and dangerous opening section.Everything is so shiny; the spaceship, Samus' visor, and the glow of Samus' cannon as she blasts down the Space Pirates. It's hard not to gawk at the level of detail as you walk through the rocky pathway and see flames lick through the remains of Federation ships. If this is the standard for the Switch 2 Editions, then my goodness, Nintendo has set a high bar. This might be the best-looking game Nintendo has ever put out.Even though we wanted to admire the sights and sounds of this new planet, the game wastes no time throwing you into the action. Almost every single room was filled with Space Pirates in the demos and we had to work with the Federation Force to take them all out. This is essentially a tutorial stage after all, getting you to grips with donning the orange suit once again. Luckily, if you've played any other game in the series, you'll know immediately that this feels right in an almost back to basics sense.Images: NintendoSamus has access to her arm cannon, missiles, and charge shot, and she can use bombs when in Morph Ball mode. It's a seamless transition if you've played Metroid Prime Remastered, and it controls exactly the same. The gyro aiming is excellent too, and felt extremely accurate as we swapped seamlessly between using that, the control stick, and Mouse Mode.That last point is another area where Metroid Prime 4 shines if you like using Mouse controls, at least. Placing the right Joy-Con down, we could control Samus' movement as normal in our left hand, while essentially controlling her right arm and her "vision" with our right arm. Just like the gyro aiming, Mouse Mode is incredibly accurate and responsive, with no delays in turning and facing enemies quickly. You can still use lock-on by holding down the ZR here too, which helps you zip between foes even quicker.It's an adjustment if you've never played an FPS with a mouse before, but it makes so much sense in Prime 4. Plus, the fact that you can change your mind simply by lifting the right Joy-Con off of the desk (or your lap) is a little bit mind-blowing. This is going to be the preferred gameplay method for many, and it's a fantastic showcase for the new feature.Image: NintendoOf course, it wouldn't be a Prime game without a big boss, and Aberax forces you to put everything you've refamiliarised yourself with into action. It's built like a classic puzzle boss, encouraging you to aim for weak spots while using Samus' deft sidestepping abilities, space jump, and morph ball to avoid getting hit. But there's a catch the weak spots, actually infectious areas as a result of a Metroid bite, occasionally shield themselves from damage.Locking on during this boss fight might not always be the best option, and this is where Mouse Mode really clicked for us. The precision of being able to hover over the weak spot until it's vulnerable ups the tension and the ante, and as your jumping and moving around, even one stray movement from your right hand might be a missed shot or opportunity to blast the Metroid pustule away. It's stressful in the best possible way.Images: NintendoAs the fight progresses, the creature's pustules multiply, and it starts throwing out more attacks that require you to watch its arm movements or its positioning. One laser wall arm swipe might require a quick double jump, but the next might need you to roll into that lil' Morph Ball.Aberax's defeat marked the end of the demo, and even with the learning curve of using the mouse, we haven't been able to stop thinking about the possibilities of spectacle in the Switch 2 Edition. Samus is getting the big-budget, beautiful-looking game she deserves; we'll be scanning our way through Tenmaar as soon as we can.