China still accounts for the majority of Apple iPhone production, but the tech giant has sought to ramp up manufacturing in places like India and Vietnam.

Four years ago, if you found yourself at one particular intersection of Buenos Aires, you would see a nondescript, three-story parking garage with no cars inside. That building still existsbut its completely unrecognizable.Today, that structure looks like a stubby, UFO-like tower mushrooming from a concrete pedestal with a landscaped ramp curving upward. The metamorphosis is thanks to a multiyear project by New York architecture firm ODA.Ola Palermo, as the reimagined structure is known, has become a mixed-use building with cafs, restaurants, and Class A office space. The cherry on top of this (concrete) cake is an open-air promenade that peels off the sidewalk, winds up to what used to be the roof of the garage, blossoms into a rooftop park, then winds back down to the other side of the building. In a structure once defined by cars, the ramp is now be synonymous with people.[Photo: Alan Karchmer/courtesy ODA]To demolish or not to demolishODA (ranked among the Worlds Most Innovative Companies of 2025 by Fast Company)has a history of working on adaptive reuse projects, including Detroits Book Tower and 10 Jay Street in Brooklyn, but when founder Eran Chen first heard about the project from real estate firm BSD Investments, it was presented to him as an empty site.The building, which had been vacant for years, sits on a tricky plot sandwiched between two busy roads and an elevated train line. It is very close to the edge of Tres de Febrero Park (also known as Bosques de Palermo, or Palermo Woods), but before ODA got involved the two were not connected.[Image: courtesy ODA]Before arriving on-site, Chen had considered demolishing the parking garage, but when he saw the building, the idea just clicked. The building immediately captured my imagination, Chen says, noting the first thing that surprised him was the structures ceiling height. Most parking garages have low ceilings, which makes them challenging to convertthis one had a 14- to 15-foot ceiling. (For perspective: Most homes have 8- to 9-foot ceilings.) The ceiling had a waffle design, which looks like a grid of intersecting beams that create a pattern of recessed squares. This helped distribute the weight of the ceiling evenly, allowing it to span large areas without the need for additional columns for support, and creating a more open and flexible space for the buildings use.[Photo: Alan Karchmer/courtesy ODA]To top it all off, the roof afforded a clear 360-degree view. On one side, you could see through Palermo Woods, all the way to downtown Buenos Aires. On the other, theres a private racetrack and polo fields that people can visit only if they have exclusive memberships. On one side you have the haves, and on the other, you have everybody else, and this is smack dab in between the two, says Chen. He saw the rooftop as an opportunity to turn the tables and allow the parks visitors to look down on the exclusive grounds and catch a (free) glimpse of any events that take place there.[Photo: Alan Karchmer/courtesy ODA]Form follows experiencesODA kept 80% of the original structure to create a 160,000-square-foot building. A quarter of this surfaceabout 40,000 square feetis dedicated to public terraces, green spaces, and the open-air promenade. The rest is taken up by restaurants, cafs, and retail spaces. Parking for 250 cars is also available on the ground floor.But the program, or function, of the building wasnt always clear. The area isnt zoned for residential use, and commercial use wasnt the obvious choice, says Chen, as most companies who could afford rent for a modern office building would opt for a space in downtown Buenos Aires. Retail, which thrives on heavy footfall, wasnt obvious either since the site is so isolated and on the edge of the city.[Photo: Alan Karchmer/courtesy ODA]But for many years now, Chen has been honing a new mantra. Form should not follow function anymore. Form should follow experiences, he says. If we design buildings for the human experience, people will visit these buildingsand enjoy themregardless of the program. In other words, build it and they will come? I ask. Build it well and they will come, he says. An important distinction.To turn the building into an irresistible destination, ODA made four incisions. They carved out one courtyard to let light into the widest part of the building, and shaved off slivers of the facade to make room for two sets of stairs and the ramp.These incisions amount to 20% of the floor area, but the architects didnt lose that space; they redistributed it. At one end of the building, there once was a water tower that rose above the areas height restrictions. The tower was obsolete, so Chen convinced the city to remove it. In its place, Chens team built a four-story tower based on the memory of the water tower. This concrete mushroom as he calls it, now rises above the rest of the structure, holding its most premium office spaces.[Photo: Alan Karchmer/courtesy ODA]A blueprint for the U.S.The resulting building is what Chen calls a win-win-win. It benefits city agencies because it makes a meaningful contribution to the public realm. It benefits the local community, which now has access to a public rooftop park. And it benefits the developer, who saved on construction costs (no new foundations were required) by not demolishing the building.It also benefits the environment, since giving buildings a second chance, as Chen puts it, can help lower the environmental footprint associated with building anew. (Though there could be costs associated with bringing an old building up to code.)Cities are filled with structures that are either dated or unnecessary, and of course, a big chunk of it is parking garages, Chen says.Already, architects are starting to build future-proof parking garages like this multistory car park in Calgary, Alberta, that was specifically designed to transform into a 600-person office or 50-unit residential building if (and when) the need arises.But Chen believes that residential and commercial are not the only options, especially if the buildings ceilings are low, as they often are. He includes indoor/outdoor sports venues, like pickleball courts; urban farms; and even open-air markets among the possibilities. The key, he says, is not to be fixated on the obvious programs that people might think of.

As of this year, EV chargers now outnumber gas pumps in the state of California.The state has an estimated 178,000 shared chargers for electric carsnot counting another 700,000 private chargers that are installed in single-family homes, according to the California Energy Commission. Thats compared to roughly 120,000 gas pumps across the state.The number of EV chargers nearly doubled since 2023, though part of the increase came from identifying charging stations that hadnt previously been counted. The official stats include both public chargers and those that are shared at workplaces or in apartment buildings.Its still only a fraction of the number of chargers that are coming. By the most recent estimate, California will need around 1 million public and shared private chargers by 2030, enough to support the estimated 7 million light-duty electric vehicles that may be on the road by then. By 2035, when a rule requiring new vehicles to be electric will go into effectthe state could need more than 2 million shared EV chargers. (Thats assuming the rule survives Trumps attempts to kill it.)For drivers who own a house with a garage, charging overnight at home can easily cover most needs. Still, those drivers obviously need access to public chargers for longer trips. And around 45% of Californians are renters who dont have garages of their own. New building codes require new apartment buildings to make parking spaces EV ready, and also apply to existing parking spaces when older buildings are renovated or expanded. Renters also have the right to install chargers themselves when they have a designated parking space. The rules also require a certain number of parking spaces at motels and retail and commercial parking lots to be EV ready. Retrofitting the existing stock of multifamily dwellings with chargers is a substantial challenge, says Esther Conrad, a research manager at Stanford University who has studied the rollout of EV chargers.Charging EVs takes substantially longer than filling up with gas, which is the main reason so why more charging ports are needed than gas pumpsboth in order to prevent bottlenecks at charging stations and because chargers are used in different places, from parking lots to street parking in cities. But as charging tech and vehicles improve, the total number of chargers that are needed is likely to shrink from current estimates, says Harrison Reilly, a spokesperson for the California Energy Commission. (In China, tech is already much farther ahead, with some new cars capable of charging in roughly as quickly as it takes to pump gas.) The state will publish a new estimate of charging needs later this year.For the moment, Reilly says, there are enough chargers to support the number of light-duty EVs that are on California roads. Thats a major milestone; with nearly 2 million electric cars and light-duty trucks, California also has more EVs than any other state. Last year, around 25% of all new car sales there were electric.Other states can learn from Californias policy. First, states should be developing clear and ambitious EV targets, especially as the federal government pulls back on some of the targets for the transition, says Jeff Prosserman, CEO and cofounder of Voltpost, a company that converts streetlights so they can double as curbside EV chargers. They were leading the charge by looking to have as a mandate 100% of new car sales to be electric by 2035.The states requirement for new apartment buildings to add EV chargers is critical. It has also provided important financial support, including grants to add chargers in disadvantaged neighborhoods, and has pushed to help streamline permitting so projects can be built faster.There are still obstacles as it moves forward. One of the big challenges is the need for additional grid capacity to handle all of the charging, says Conrad, though the state is trying to help address that. She says that even more funding is needed to add chargers in some locations where private developers might not otherwise build them. As the Trump administration tries to cancel promised support for EV chargers, it puts more financial pressure on the state.But the network is still quickly growing now. Voltpost, for example, is moving forward on a project to add curbside EV chargers in some neighborhoods in San Francisco. Its in no way impacted by federal policyits state and city-driven, says Prosserman.From what weve seen at Voltpost, progressive states like California are going to continue providing funding opportunities to meet their climate targets with or without support from the federal government, he says.

Cloud storage promised to revolutionize how we manage our digital lives, but the reality often falls short of expectations. Between expensive subscription fees, sluggish transfer speeds, and the constant need for reliable internet, many creators and professionals find themselves frustrated when trying to back up important files on the go. What if you could carry your own personal cloud in your pocket, accessible anytime without monthly fees or internet dependency?Thats exactly what the innovative PocketCloud system aims to deliver: a portable NAS (Network Attached Storage) solution that combines the convenience of cloud storage with the reliability of physical hardware. This clever two-part system gives photographers, videographers, designers, and anyone who works with large files a way to safely back up and access their data anywhere without worrying about spotty Wi-Fi or hitting storage limits.Designer: Station PCThe PocketCloud consists of two main components working together seamlessly. The primary module is a sleek, pocket-sized device that houses an M.2 NVMe SSD stick (which you purchase separately), letting you carry substantial storage capacity wherever you go. With multiple connection options, including USB ports, an SD card slot, and built-in Wi-Fi capabilities, transferring files from your camera, phone, or laptop becomes remarkably simple, even when youre miles from the nearest internet connection.What makes this system truly unique is its companion docking station. When you return home, simply place the portable module into the dock, which houses a second SSD slot, and it automatically backs up your data for redundancy. This clever approach gives you the best of both worlds: the mobility of portable storage with the security of a traditional home backup system.Power management is thoughtfully designed with dual 3200mAh rechargeable batteries that can be swapped out when youre working remotely and are recharged automatically when the device is docked. Unlike other portable NAS solutions that require matching SSD capacities, the PocketCloud lets you mix different storage sizes and selectively choose which folders to automatically back up.The PocketCloud is expected to be available in August with pricing starting at $299 for just the portable module or $428 for the complete system with the docking station. While youll need to purchase SSDs separately (adding to the overall cost), the flexibility to choose your own storage capacity and upgrade over time makes this a worthwhile investment for anyone who values both mobility and data security.Imagine finishing a photoshoot and transferring everything directly to your PocketCloud via the SD card slot, knowing your work is safely stored before you even leave the location. When you get home, just dock the device, and everything syncs to your second SSD without any manual intervention. For creators who work with massive video files or photographers managing thousands of RAW images, the ability to immediately back up content without internet dependency is a game-changer.The post Take Your Personal Cloud Anywhere With This Portable SSD and NAS System first appeared on Yanko Design.

Working on screens isnt limited to our desks anymore. Between coffee shops, airports, and outdoor spaces, were constantly staring at displays that werent designed for extended viewing. The harsh blue light and glare from traditional LCD screens can leave your eyes feeling strained after just a few hours, especially in bright environments where reflections make viewing difficult.E Ink technology has long been the savior for book lovers, with devices like Kindles providing paper-like reading experiences. However, these specialized gadgets arent suitable for regular computing tasks that require color and reasonable refresh rates. This is where Dasungs latest innovation comes in: a portable E Ink monitor that promises to transform how we work on the go.Designer: DasungThe newly revealed Paperlike 13K represents a significant advancement in E Ink display technology. Featuring a 13.3-inch screen with an impressive 32002400 resolution and 300 PPI density, this portable monitor delivers text clarity that rivals printed paper. What truly sets it apart from previous E Ink displays is its revolutionary 37Hz refresh rate, approaching the minimum 30Hz speed found in traditional LCD screens.While still not as fluid as gaming monitors, this refresh rate makes everyday computing tasks like web browsing, document editing, and even watching occasional videos much more practical than on traditional E Ink displays. The monitor comes in both black-and-white and color versions, with the color option using specialized filter technology to render images in a limited palette, though colors appear more muted than on LCD screens.Connection options include both Type-C and HDMI inputs, making it compatible with Windows and Linux computers, as well as some Android phones with video output capabilities. The monitor supports both landscape and portrait orientations and includes a reverse touch control feature that effectively turns a connected smartphone into a tablet-like experience for increased productivity.Built with durability in mind, the Paperlike 13K features a CNC-carved aluminum alloy body that provides both protection and a premium feel. Despite its robust construction, the monitor maintains a relatively portable form factor, though the bezels are noticeably thicker than modern LCD alternatives, a necessary trade-off for the eye-friendly display technology.For users who spend hours working on documents, coding, browsing websites, or monitoring stocks, the benefits of E Ink are substantial. The reflective display uses ambient light or front lights rather than backlighting, eliminating the eye strain associated with traditional screens. This technology also consumes significantly less power, extending battery life when working remotely. While pricing details havent been announced yet, Dasungs monitors typically command premium prices reflecting their specialized technology. For professionals who value eye comfort during extended computing sessions, however, the investment may be worthwhile.The post Portable Color E Ink Monitors Bring Eye-Friendly Computing On The Go first appeared on Yanko Design.

"It's Vignelli's revenge.

2D art of the week: Jon Sommariva.

MacworldApples latest mid-size iPhone software update, iOS 18.4, brings dozens of improvements. But as is often the case when an operating system changes in a significant way, it brings problems too. Including a newly reported and annoying-sounding bug that reinstalls users deleted apps.In a thread posted Tuesday on the Apple Community discussion site (via 9to5Mac), a user complains about an unwanted app reappearing inexplicably on their phone. There seems to be no possible cause for this other than the iOS 18.4 update.After upgrading to iOS 18.4, my iPhone randomly installed Last War: Survival, the user writes. (This looks to be one of those dubious free games heavily advertised online.) This app was previously installed on my iPhone a few months ago but uninstalled after a few hours. Now it appeared back on my Home Screen.Given that the author of the thread uses the alias Someandroiduser one might suspect the veracity of this account, despite their reassurances that the iPhone in question was never jailbroken, had never run any alternative app stores, and did not have automated app installs or syncs enabled. But for corroboration they post links to four separate Reddit threads in which other users complain of the same issue. I havent noticed the problem myself, but it would be folly to dismiss this as a false alarm.In fact, many of the Reddit posters hint at a worse problem than the already annoying issue of reinstalling deleted apps. Several, including a respondent to Someandroidusers Apple Community post (I had NBA 2k25 randomly download, and yet Im certain that Ive never installed the app previously), complain that apps they had never installed have been added to their devices. That has the potential to cause far more trouble, because you wouldnt have had the chance to vet such apps before they appeared. One would hope there wouldnt be many out-and-out scam apps on Apples store, but they do crop up from time to time. And simply having your childs iPhone install something with aggressive advertising or in-app purchases could lead to other problems down the line.To give an impression of the scale of the problem, Ive cherry-picked a few comments from across the threads:Same here. Different game though. I didnt recognize the game.Samenot one but three!When I updated, the game Infinite Lagrange was reinstalled even though I had uninstalled it.I left the phone updating then when I came back I had 5 apps randomly installed, and the phone was oddly hot.I know for a fact Ive never downloaded it before because I always hated the fake ads from that game.Never even heard of the game before, just appeared after updating to 18.4. Its not even in my list of downloaded apps.My phone automatically started installing Squid Game.My [iPhone] started installing PUBG Mbile when I remember that is the last app I searched before 18.4 installation I believe.Okay so after updating to iOS 18.4 successfully, I went to the App Store to update apps. And to my surprise this Chinese game installed itself automatically. How is it possible?I got Warzone lol. Installed itself automatically.This isnt the first bug to hit iOS 18.4, which had previously been implicated in users AirPods Max headphones not gaining lossless audio over USB-C. But this is a potentially far more serious lapse, mainly because it has the potential to affect far more people. (9to5Mac insists that were not seeing enough reports to indicate that its affecting more than a small minority of users, and I suppose that is technically truebut the 53 complaints I counted across those four Reddit threads and one Apple Community post suggest a major problem to me.) It could also do major damage to Apples image: those who see apps reappearing after being deleting will be annoyed; those who see entirely new apps popping up randomly are liable to lose their faith in Apples security.A fix needs to be rolled out, and soon. For this reason wed advise keeping an eye out for future updates and installing them in a timely fashion.

MacworldAt a glanceExpert's RatingProsThree USB-A ports and SD card slot at the frontHousing for NVMe SSDFits perfectly with the Mac mini M4Eases access to the minis power buttonFair priceConsNo Thunderbolt speedSSD not included or available in a bundleOur Verdict Its hard to imagine a more elegant solution for getting more interfaces on the Mac mini M4. The price is reasonable at the price of a compromise in terms of connectivity speed, using 10Gbps USB-C rather than Thunderbolt 4.Price When ReviewedThis value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefinedBest Pricing TodayPrice When Reviewed119,99Best Prices Today: Satechi Stand & Hub Mac Mini M4RetailerPriceSatechi$99.99View DealPrice comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwideProductPricePrice comparison from BackmarketIt is probably the most inconspicuous feature of the Satechi Stand & Hub for the Mac mini M4, but perhaps the most useful: the square stand, which exactly matches the new Mac mini M4, has a small recess at the back left, which provides much-needed easy access to the Mac mini M4s on/off switch.Apples redesign of its small desktop seems to be based on the assumption that it will run permanently and will hardly be switched on manually after the initial setup. Since I started using it at the turn of the year, Ive occasionally had to switch it offand each time Ive been annoyed by having to lift the computer up to switch it on.But now the M4 Mac minis power button is much easier to access. If that were the only improvement, 100 bucks would hardly be justifiedbut the Satechi Stand & Hub can do much more and, with an additional investment, unfolds even greater potential.Like its predecessor, which Satechi offered for the Mac mini M1, M2 and M2 Pro, the Stand & Hub brings additional connections to the desktop without a lot of cable clutter. The hub is simply placed under the M4 Mac mini and connected to one of the rear Thunderbolt sockets using the short USB-C cable (USB 3.2 Gen2 with 10Gbps).One less socketbut four moreThe Thunderbolt socket used in this way cannot be returned in the hub, not even as a downgrade to USB 3.2 Gen2, but there are two more ports for USB-C plugs on the front of the Mac miniwhich is usually sufficient. These also offer data transfer rates of up to 10Gbps, while the Thunderbolt 4 on the minis rear is four times as fast and Thunderbolt 5 on the Pro model even offers up to 120Gbps.With the Stand & Hub, Satechi primarily wants to enable Mac mini buyers to connect old peripherals with USB-A. Three sockets are available for thisas well as an SD card slot. Two of the USB-A sockets are also designed for 10Gbps speeds, while the third gets by with USB 2s slow 480Mbps data connection.Satechi thus solves a problem that Mac mini users in particular have when switching from earlier series, as these still had USB-A ports. Many Mac users have not upgraded every peripheral to USB-C since Apple jumped on the USB-C bandwagon with the MacBook 12-inch in spring 2015. The speeds offered by USB-C and Thunderbolt are not necessary for every type of peripheral.Typical use case for USB peripherals. But here you can see that ports on the front have their place.MacweltI, for example, have an audio interface from M-Audio, for which a USB-A connection is completely sufficient to bring instruments and voices to the Mac. If you want to charge your keyboard, trackpad and mouse on the computer (or even use cable variants), you dont need a fast cable either. And if you dont just take photos with your iPhone, youll welcome the SD card slot, which is missing on the Mac mini M4, especially as it is located at the front like the one on the Mac Studio.What Im not missing: Another audio socket on the back or one or two with USB-A. Thats because I took my active speakers over from the Mac mini (late 2018), which I still plug into the back of the computernow with the USB-C to audio adapter from Apple.First world problems, I should think about a different setting. However, I prefer to connect the M-Audio interface to one of the rear sockets again; there are adapter plugs for USB-C to USB-A that are not bulky.The Satechi Stand & Hub offers another clever extra that will save you money from buying higher-capacity internal storage when buying the Mac mini: a slot for an NVMe SSD. This is discreetly concealed under a flap in the base. Inside, in addition to the PCIe connection, there is also a suitable thermal pad and a small screwdriver with two screwseverything you need for installation.With tool and spare screwdriver installation is fine.MacweltI got myself a 1TB SSD from Kingston, which according to the manufacturer reads up to 6,000 megabytes per second and writes 4,000MBps. In the Satechi case, the speeds are lower: I measure 966MBps read and 847MBps write with Black Magic Speed Test, the results from Aja System Test Lite are consistent at 933MBps and 845MBps.The reason: The host cable can only handle USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, i.e. 10Gbps, which is 1,250MBps. The data transfer from and to the SSD customized in the housing is therefore close to the theoretical limit, but below it.MacweltAccording to our tests, the internal SSD of the Mac mini is more than three times as fast. So if you chose an expensive storage upgrade when you bought it, you dont have to worry. But for those who want or need to save money, the Satechi Stand & Hub offers an elegant alternative. For the price that Apple charges for the upgrade from 512GB to 1TB alone, you not only get the hub, but also a separate 2TB SSDwhich, however, has to be purchased separately. Satechi only supplies the housing, not the storage medium.The slot fitted with an SSD is therefore suitable for storing rarely used data, such as projects for the archive. This solution is also ideal for the music library or films. Using the solution for the Time Machine backup would certainly have the advantage of having even fewer cables on the desk. However, as backups should be redundant and it is never wrong to use two external drives in constant rotation, this only helps to a certain extent.There is possibly one more thing to criticize about the Stand & Hub: If one of the rear sockets is already occupied and you want to operate three external displays on the Mac mini M4, the interfaces will be tight. However, Thunderbolt displays themselves have additional ports, so there is no real disadvantage here. The Satechi Stand & Hub is primarily intended for USB-A peripherals and is ideally suited for this purpose.PriceThe price of $100 is more than reasonable, if only for the internal SSD enclosure.Should you buy the Satechi Stand & Hub with SSD Enclosure?The Mac mini M4 is a wonderful device. However, if you still use older peripherals or rely on memory cards for photography, you wont get by without adapters. These tend to clutter up the desk, whereas the Satechi Hub & Stand blends in as harmoniously as Apple users prefer.It cleverly solves the problem of Apples crazily positioned power button and even offers the option of storage expansion. Although this is not as fast as the internal SSD, it is fine for most purposes.

Things are starting to warm up here in the New York City area, and its got me thinking once again about something that people arent talking about enough: energy demand for air conditioners.I get it: Data centers are the shiny new thing to worry about. And Im not saying we shouldnt be thinking about the strain that gigawatt-scale computing installations put on the grid. But a little bit of perspective is important here.According to a report from the International Energy Agency last year, data centers will make up less than 10% of the increase in energy demand between now and 2030, far less than the energy demand from space cooling (mostly air-conditioning).I just finished up a new story thats out today about a novel way to make heat exchangers, a crucial component in air conditioners and a whole host of other technologies that cool our buildings, food, and electronics. Lets dig into why Im writing about the guts of cooling technologies, and why this sector really needs innovation.One twisted thing about cooling and climate change: Its all a vicious cycle. As temperatures rise, the need for cooling technologies increases. In turn, more fossil-fuel power plants are firing up to meet that demand, turning up the temperature of the planet in the process.Cooling degree days are one measure of the need for additional cooling. Basically, you take a preset baseline temperature and figure out how much the temperature exceeds it. Say the baseline (above which youd likely need to flip on a cooling device) is 21 C (70 F). If the average temperature for a day is 26 C, thats five cooling degree days on a single day. Repeat that every day for a month, and you wind up with 150 cooling degree days.I explain this arguably weird metric because its a good measure of total energy demand for coolingit lumps together both how many hot days there are and just how hot it is.And the number of cooling degree days is steadily ticking up globally. Global cooling degree days were 6% higher in 2024 than in 2023, and 20% higher than the long-term average for the first two decades of the century. Regions that have high cooling demand, like China, India, and the US, were particularly affected, according to the IEA report. You can see a month-by-month breakdown of this data from the IEA here.That increase in cooling degree days is leading to more demand for air conditioners, and for energy to power them. Air-conditioning accounted for 7% of the worlds electricity demand in 2022, and its only going to get more important from here.There were fewer than 2 billion AC units in the world in 2016. By 2050, that could be nearly 6 billion, according to a 2018 report from the IEA. This is a measure of progress and, in a way, something we should be happy about; the number of air conditioners tends to rise with household income. But it does present a challenge to the grid.Another piece of this whole thing: Its not just about how much total electricity we need to run air conditioners but about when that demand tends to come. As weve covered in this newsletter before, your air-conditioning habits arent unique. Cooling devices tend to flip on around the same timewhen its hot. In some parts of the US, for example, air conditioners can represent more than 70% of residential energy demand at times when the grid is most stressed.The good news is that were seeing innovations in cooling technology. Some companies are building cooling systems that include an energy storage component, so they can charge up when energy is plentiful and demand is low. Then they can start cooling when its most needed, without sucking as much energy from the grid during peak hours.Weve also covered alternatives to air conditioners called desiccant cooling systems, which use special moisture-sucking materials to help cool spaces and deal with humidity more efficiently than standard options.And in my latest story, I dug into new developments in heat exchanger technology. Heat exchangers are a crucial component of air conditioners, but you can really find them everywherein heat pumps, refrigerators, and, yes, the cooling systems in large buildings and large electronics installations, including data centers.Weve been building heat exchangers basically the same way for nearly a century. These components basically move heat around, and there are a few known ways to do so with devices that are relatively straightforward to manufacture. Now, though, one team of researchers has 3D-printed a heat exchanger that outperforms some standard designs and rivals others. This is still a long way from solving our looming air-conditioning crisis, but the details are fascinatingI hope youll give it a read.We need more innovation in cooling technology to help meet global demand efficiently so we dont stay stuck in this cycle. And well need policy and public support to make sure that these technologies make a difference and that everyone has access to them too.This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Reviews weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here.