Elon Musk’s team is leading an effort to link government databases, to the alarm of privacy and security experts.

Macworld Buying a new MacBook can be a costly affair. The cheapest model will run you around $1000, with prices quickly going up from there if you want extra storage, memory or a Pro model. Thankfully, there is now an excellent program from Upgraded that helps you spread the cost out over 36 months so that not only can you easily afford the latest Apple laptop, but you can also upgrade every 24 months to a brand-new machine without it emptying your bank account. How Upgraded makes it easy to afford a new MacBook For a while now Apple has offered its iPhone Upgrade Program, which lets you pay for a monthly fee for a new iPhone, with the option to replace it with the latest model every 12 months. Sadly, this doesn’t extend to Macs, so Upgraded has come up with an innovative way to help those who want to buy a new MacBook but don’t want to lay down all that cash in one go. The idea of the company’s MacBook Upgrade Program is simple. Select the MacBook model you want to buy – either the MacBook Air M4 or MacBook Pro M4 – then put together your preferred configuration of color, memory, and storage. When this is done, you’ll be shown how much the monthly repayments will be across 36 months. For instance, you can pick up the baseline MacBook Air M4 with a low cost of $33.28 p/m or the MacBook Pro M4 at only $52.17 p/m. These prices also include AppleCare+, which is standard on all Upgraded plans. Upgraded If your credit score is above 740 you’ll have no interest at all, while those with lower scores will pay a variable rate that will be shown on the payment plan breakdown. Upgraded also states that checking for financial eligibility won’t affect your credit score, so there’s no risk at all in applying. Best of all, there’s also an option to trade in the MacBook after 24 months, and replace it with a new model instead, meaning you’ll never have to stick with an older machine and miss out on the new features Apple keeps for its latest iterations of the Mac. You can repeat this offer every 24 months, so you’ll always have the latest tech at your fingertips, but without the huge bill. Those who prefer to stick with the initial MacBook can just pay out the 36 months, then the device is theirs to keep forever. Good for your pocket and the environment The MacBook Upgrade Program is backed by some of the tech industry’s most respected names, so you know your money is safe and you’ll be getting the devices direct from trusted sellers. All the MacBooks are supplied by GatorTec, an Apple Premier Partner, and the financing comes from Citizens Pay, which is the same bank used for Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program. Upgraded is also backed by OpenAI President Greg Brockman as well as US tech startup accelerator Y Combinator whose previous successes include AirBnB, Reddit, Dropbox, and Twitch. The company’s commitment to the environment also means you can buy with confidence, as all MacBooks that are returned after 24-months as part of the upgrade program are refurbished and given a new lease on life, ensuring they don’t end up in a landfill contributing to the growing problem of e-waste. Upgraded Get yourself a new MacBook today with Upgraded Times are tough at the moment, with prices already beginning to rise across the world due to trade friction and inflation. This makes it essential that consumers squeeze all they can out of every dollar. With the MacBook Upgrade Program you not only get a brand new MacBook, plus a set rate of repayments for the next 36 months, you also still have money in your pocket to pay for other essentials. This makes it the best way to invest in new technology while also protecting yourself from the uncertainty around the world.  Visit Upgraded today and see how its MacBook Upgrade Program can spread the cost and lower the stress of buying a new MacBook in 2025. Visit Upgraded

Fair warning: This column is a fair bit different from the type of thinking we typically take on in these musty virtual quarters of ours. More often than not, when we talk about Android apps, we’re talkin’ about some manner of intriguing new possibility that’s worth your while to try — be it a series of advanced actions within a core Android creation or a creative way to put a lesser-known Android power tool to use. Today, we’re taking a totally different path to Android optimization and efficiency enlightenment. It does involve downloading one new app, but that app is designed to help you avoid other unnecessary app installations moving forward — and potentially even paring down the apps you’ve already acquired. It sounds slightly strange on the surface, I know, but it’ll make an awful lot of sense in a second. Let me explain. [Want even more advanced Android knowledge? Check out my free Android Shortcut Supercourse to learn tons of time-saving tricks for your phone.] An asterisk to traditional Android apps So, a quick bit o’ critical context before we get into the meat of this metaphorical sandwich: Over the years, we’ve all gone a bit gaga over the idea of the all-powerful app. We’ve long relied on locally installed programs for productivity, of course, going back to the earliest eras of pre-mobile computing. But with smartphones, the notion of snagging a prepackaged app for any need imaginable suddenly screamed to soaring new heights. And to be clear: That’s a good thing, by and large! Apps open up all sorts of advantageous new opportunities — particularly on Android, where developers are able to tap into key systems and accomplish a mind-boggling array of impressive feats. But sometimes, a dedicated app isn’t the best way to get something done — even if it might be the most obvious and heavily promoted path. In fact, sometimes, installing an app can actively work against your interests. As my longtime comrade and colleague Jared Newman recently put it in his excellent Advisorator newsletter: Companies want you to install their apps because they can more easily control your attention and behavior, while also collecting more information about you. I’m a big believer in the open web because it brings more of that control back to you. As Jared notes, apps often have the ability to operate in the background and transmit data about you even when you aren’t actively using ’em. They can send annoying notifications, too, and burn through precious system resources like battery power as a result of all that ongoing effort. If you actually need an app or enjoy the experience it affords you, that may be a tradeoff worth making. When it comes to apps that interact with the actual Android operating system or parts of your device’s hardware, for instance, a locally installed program is absolutely the most sensible (and only real) path to take. But with lots of other things — apps for retailers, for instance, as well as many news apps and those associated with other online services — you’d actually be better off avoiding the download and sticking instead to the good old-fashioned web equivalent. And on Android, specifically, there’s a fantastic way to do that while still maintaining the familiar app feel and the convenience of having a simple one-tap shortcut right on your home screen. From apps to ‘apps’ My fellow Android-appreciating animal, allow me to introduce to a crafty little creation called Hermit. And no, it isn’t just an endearing nickname for antisocial homebodies like yours truly (though thanks for noticing!). Hermit is an Android-specific resource that makes it incredibly easy to transform any website into a functioning “app” of sorts — only leaning entirely on its web version, without all the asterisks we just went over. Here, for instance, is how a Hermit-made “app” I created for Amazon looks on my home screen: Hermit’s web apps look and act just like any other app on an Android device’s home screen.JR Raphael, Foundry As you can see, aside from the small badge showing its association with Hermit, it doesn’t look any different from any regular app. When I tap it, Amazon opens up in full — looking and acting exactly like a conventional app: This Hermit-made web app is almost identical to its more traditional downloaded equivalent.JR Raphael, Foundry But this is actually just the Amazon website, put into an app-like wrapper that makes it easier to access and use on Android. It doesn’t have the laundry list of data access that the actual Amazon app requires, nor does it run in any way in the background when it isn’t actively being used. Amazon doesn’t know where I am or what else I’m doing, and it doesn’t spam me with marketing notifications. But I still have all the same advantages of being able to access Amazon easily on the go and interact with it on my phone — in more or less the exact same way I could with the traditional Amazon app in place. You could apply this same sort of setup to almost any website imaginable, be it YouTube, your favorite pharmacy, or even LinkedIn and other social media services. And you can then uninstall the traditional apps for those things right after — thereby tightening up your Android privacy, smartening up your Android security, freeing up local storage, and likely even improving your device performance by cutting back on unnecessary resource use. And with Hermit in place on your Android device, creating this kind of non-app “app” couldn’t be much simpler: To start, open up Hermit. Tap the “+ Create” button in its lower-right corner. Select “Create Your Own,” then type or paste in the address of whatever website you want and hit the right-facing arrow within the address bar to open it. Starting up a new web app looks a lot like opening the associated website — at first.JR Raphael, Foundry Now tap the “+ Create a Lite App” button. Make sure you’re happy with the app’s name, and make sure you have the box next to “Add to Home Screen” checked — then hit “OK” and confirm that you want to add that shortcut onto your home screen. It’ll take you all of two minutes to create a new Android web app with Hermit’s help.JR Raphael, Foundry And that’s it: You’ll now see your new non-app “app” right on your standard Android home screen, and you can simply tap it to interact with the associated site or service. If you want to take total control over how these non-app “apps” look and work, open up Hermit again, scroll down to the bottom of its main screen, and tap the gear-shaped settings icon next to the name of any app you’ve added. You can then customize a massive menu of options, ranging from the app’s icon to the style of its interface and even what (if any) level of ad-blocking is involved when you use it. This thing gives you all sorts of interesting choices that most traditional apps would never allow. Hermit gives you all sorts of settings for customizing and controlling how your web apps work.JR Raphael, Foundry Now, with certain web-based apps, this setup isn’t entirely needed. Apps that are built explicitly to function as progressive web apps can be installed directly from any regular Android web browser, and they’ll automatically work in a similar way even without Hermit in the mix. But most websites don’t offer that option. And using Hermit in such instances will give you a much more complete, native-feeling, and customizable experience than you’d get simply by adding a standard shortcut to the site from your browser. Hermit is free to use for its core functions, by the by, with an optional one-time $10 upgrade to unlock a handful of advanced options (which you might find intriguing but absolutely don’t need for basic day-to-day benefits). It’s a whole new way to think about apps on Android — and a whole new way to improve your on-the-go experience along with your privacy, security, and phone performance. And that, if you ask me, is a win worth celebrating. Get six full days of advanced Android knowledge with my free Android Shortcut Supercourse. You’ll learn tons of time-saving tricks!

Update: Since this story was first published in The Spark, our weekly climate newsletter, the White House announced that most reciprocal tariffs would be paused for 90 days. That pause does not apply to China, which will see an increased tariff rate of 125%. Today, new tariffs go into effect for goods imported into the US from basically every country on the planet. Since Donald Trump announced his plans for sweeping tariffs last week, the vibes have been, in a word, chaotic. Markets have seen one of the quickest drops in the last century, and it’s widely anticipated that the global economic order may be forever changed.   While many try not to look at the effects on their savings and retirement accounts, experts are scrambling to understand what these tariffs might mean for various industries. As my colleague James Temple wrote in a new story last week, anxieties are especially high in climate technology. These tariffs could be particularly rough on the battery industry. China dominates the entire supply chain and is subject to monster tariff rates, and even US battery makers won’t escape the effects.    First, in case you need it, a super-quick refresher: Tariffs are taxes charged on goods that are imported (in this case, into the US). If I’m a US company selling bracelets, and I typically buy my beads and string from another country, I’ll now be paying the US government an additional percentage of what those goods cost to import. Under Trump’s plan, that might be 10%, 20%, or upwards of 50%, depending on the country sending them to me.  In theory, tariffs should help domestic producers, since products from competitors outside the country become more expensive. But since so many of the products we use have supply chains that stretch all over the world, even products made in the USA often have some components that would be tariffed. In the case of batteries, we could be talking about really high tariff rates, because most batteries and their components currently come from China. As of 2023, the country made more than 75% of the world’s lithium-ion battery cells, according to data from the International Energy Agency. Trump’s new plan adds a 34% tariff on all Chinese goods, and that stacks on top of a 20% tariff that was already in place, making the total 54%. (Then, as of Wednesday, the White House further raised the tariff on China, making the total 104%.) But when it comes to batteries, that’s not even the whole story. There was already a 3.5% tariff on all lithium-ion batteries, for example, as well as a 7.5% tariff on batteries from China that’s set to increase to 25% next year. If we add all those up, lithium-ion batteries from China could have a tariff of 82% in 2026. (Or 132%, with this additional retaliatory tariff.) In any case, that’ll make EVs and grid storage installations a whole lot more expensive, along with phones, laptops, and other rechargeable devices. The economic effects could be huge. The US still imports the majority of its lithium-ion batteries, and nearly 70% of those imports are from China. The US imported $4 billion worth of lithium-ion batteries from China just during the first four months of 2024. Although US battery makers could theoretically stand to benefit, there are a limited number of US-based factories. And most of those factories are still purchasing components from China that will be subject to the tariffs, because it’s hard to overstate just how dominant China is in battery supply chains. While China makes roughly three-quarters of lithium-ion cells, it’s even more dominant in components: 80% of the world’s cathode materials are made in China, along with over 90% of anode materials. (For those who haven’t been subject to my battery ramblings before, the cathode and anode are two of the main components of a battery—basically, the plus and minus ends.) Even battery makers that work in alternative chemistries don’t seem to be jumping for joy over tariffs. Lyten is a California-based company working to build lithium-sulfur batteries, and most of its components can be sourced in the US. (For more on the company’s approach, check out this story from 2024.) But tariffs could still spell trouble. Lyten has plans for a new factory, scheduled for 2027, that rely on sourcing affordable construction materials. Will that be possible? “We’re not drawing any conclusions quite yet,” Lyten’s chief sustainability officer, Keith Norman, told Heatmap News. The battery industry in the US was already in a pretty tough spot. Billions of dollars’ worth of factories have been canceled since Trump took office.  Companies making investments that can total hundreds of millions or billions of dollars don’t love uncertainty, and tariffs are certainly adding to an already uncertain environment. We’ll be digging deeper into what the tariffs mean for climate technology broadly, and specifically some of the industries we cover. If you have questions, or if you have thoughts to share about what this will mean for your area of research or business, I’d love to hear them at casey.crownhart@technologyreview.com. I’m also on Bluesky @caseycrownhart.bsky.social. This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here.

After multiple painful days, Apple stock has finally enjoyed some recovery, finishing the day up after President Trump delivered a mixed message for the iPhone maker on the tariff situation.Apple's shares had a good day on WednesdayTuesday's stock market activity saw Apple close the day at $172.87, down more than 5%. This gave it a bad starting point for Wednesday, with the prospect of more pain to come.Following some negative pre-market trading down to around $169, which came back up to $172.18, Apple enjoyed a brief $3 boost at the start of the day. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Henning Larsen is participating in this year’s Salone del Mobile fair with a showcase of the potential for mycelium and other alternative biogenic building materials to support a new aesthetics of design for architects, framed within the context of a circular economy. 'Growing Matter(s)' at the Salone del Mobile 2025. Image courtesy Henning LarsenThe 'Growing Matter(s)' pavilion is a collaboration between the firm and Politecnico di Milano. Designed to evolve in form over time, the pavilion comprises 80 individual spheres made from growths of different organic substrates (incl. hemp, flour, and sugars) that were inculcated by two primary (Pleurotus Eryngii and Pleurotus Ostreatus) strains.  'Growing Matter(s)' at the Salone del Mobile 2025. Photo by Zoey KroeningThe research team says this results in dynamic new shapes and textures that defy the rigid "uniformity" offered by more traditional materials such as concrete and steel.  'Growing Matter(s)' at the Salone del Mobile 2025. Ph...

Vampire Survivors developer Poncle has revealed that the PS4 and PS5 versions of the game will not include cross-save. The feature, originally planned for an update slated for release this month, is apparently not possible for the PlayStation platforms owing to some legal issues with the company. In a thread on social media platform X, Poncle elaborated that the legal issue comes from the developer needing to share the information of the partners that it works with in order to enable cross-save. Because of this, chances of the feature ever making it to the PS4 and PS5 “are now very slim.” “We’re sorry to say won’t be able to bring the Vampire Survivors Cross-Save feature to PlayStation 4/5 alongside our next update,” wrote Poncle on X. “Last month, we told everyone that Cross-Save would be available on PlayStation 4/5, PC, Xbox, Android and iOS alongside our next free [Vampire Survivors] update in April” “But at last minute, we’ve run into a legal issue on PlayStation we weren’t aware of that requires us to share info on our partners that we’re unable to. The chances of Cross-Save coming to PlayStation consoles are now very slim.” However, Poncle has said that it’s not completely impossible. Because of this, it is continuing to work with PlayStation to sort these issues out. “We’re so sorry to build up any anticipation for this feature on PlayStation only to change plans at the last minute,” wrote the developer. Despite problems faced in bringing cross-save to PS4 and PS5, other versions of the game – PC, Xbox, Android and iOS – will still be getting the feature in an update over the next few weeks. Even the Nintendo Switch version of Vampire Survivors will get the update in a later update. The Apple Arcade version might get cross-save too. The PS4 and PS5 versions of Vampire Survivors were released back in August 2024. Alongside the base game itself, all of the DLC for the game was also released The last major DLC released for Vampire Survivors was Ode to Castlevania, where Poncle collaborated with Konami to bring in some Castlevania-related characters, enemies and weapons to the game. The DLC was released back in November. Check out our coverage of the release for more details, including a trailer. But at last minute, we've run into a legal issue on PlayStation we weren't aware of that requires us to share info on our partners that we're unable toThe chances of Cross-Save coming to PlayStation consoles are now very slim— Vampire Survivors 🦇 Ode to Castlevania OUT NOW 🧄 (@poncle_vampire) April 8, 2025 Cross-Save will still be available on PC, Xbox, Android and iOS in the next few weeks, with Nintendo Switch following at a later date (plus Apple Arcade if we can do so without breaching any privacy commitments)— Vampire Survivors 🦇 Ode to Castlevania OUT NOW 🧄 (@poncle_vampire) April 8, 2025

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) has announced the recipients of the 2025 RAIC Annual Awards. From lasting contributions to architecture to visionary studios, groundbreaking projects and bold initiatives, this year’s recipients showcase the evolving landscape of Canadian architecture, and reveal both its creative and thoughtful response to contemporary challenges. This year’s recipients include the following. RAIC Gold Medal Shirley Blumberg and Marianne McKenna RAIC 2025 Gold Medal Winners, Marianne McKenna and Shirley Blumberg   Architectural Practice Award 5468796 Architecture Inc. 5468786 team on the shared exit stair connecting recently reimagined historic 90 and newly constructed 100 Alexander. Photo – © Stationpoint Photographic. RAIC Advocate for Architecture Award Yosef Wosk The RAIC Advocate for Architecture Award winner, Yosef Wosk. Photo credit: Courtesy RAIC RAIC Research and Innovation in Architecture Award Single Stair Exit Building Code Reform by LGA-AP   2025 RAIC Research & Innovation in Architecture Award winner, LGA Architectural Partners Western North York Community Centre | Advancing Net Zero Emissions Standards in Public Architecture by MJMA Architecture & Design 2025 RAIC Research & Innovation in Architecture Award winner, MJMA Architecture & Design RAIC Architectural Journalism and Media Award SET PIECES: Architecture for the Performing Arts in Fifteen Fragments by Diamond Schmitt Architects 2025 RAIC Architectural Journalism and Media Award winner, SET PIECES: Architecture for the Performing Arts in Fifteen Fragments Prix du XXe siècle:  Imrie House / 6 Acres, Edmonton AB, 1957; Wallbridge & Imrie Architects   2025 Prix du XXe siècle winner, 6 Acres by Wallbridge and Imrie Grand Falls Historic District, Grand Falls, NL, 1909   2025 Prix du XXe siècle winner, Grand Falls Historic District by Anglo-Newfoundland Development Co. Yorkton Psychiatric Centre, Yorkton SK, 1964, Izumi Arnott and Sugiyama 2025 Prix du XXe siècle winner, Yorkton Psychiatric Centre by Izumi Arnott and Sugiyama For more information, click here. The post RAIC announces recipients of Annual Awards appeared first on Canadian Architect.

Who Should Own the Hillside Where Vincent van Gogh Made His Last Painting? The real-life location of the Dutch Post-Impressionist’s 1890 painting “Tree Roots” has been the subject of five years of legal battles between homeowners and a French mayor who wants to turn the site public The roots along Rue Daubigny in Auvers-sur-Oise as they appeared in 2020 Arthénon / Van Gogh Museum On a late July morning in 1890, Vincent van Gogh rose from his lodgings in the small French countryside town of Auvers-sur-Oise and set out to paint. He didn’t have far to walk through the village before he arrived at his subject: a tangle of roots on the side of Rue Daubigny. Tree Roots, the painting he made that day, was his last. Later that evening, van Gogh staggered back to his room at the inn with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his chest. He died in bed two days later. More than 130 years after van Gogh painted Tree Roots, the painting is still stirring controversy in Auvers-sur-Oise, a usually serene town of less than 7,000 people, around 17 miles from the center of Paris. Since researchers identified the exact location of the roots in 2020, the couple that owns 48 Rue Daubigny have been embroiled in a five-year legal struggle with the mayor of Auvers-sur-Oise, who wants to turn the site public. The debate centers around whether the roots are part of the garden of Jean-François and Hélène Serlinger or a part of the town-owned Rue Daubigny. A 2023 ruling determined that the roots were indeed private property. After an appeal by Mayor Isabelle Mézières, another court affirmed the previous ruling last month. Tree Roots, van Gogh's final painting Van Gogh Museum (Vincent van Gogh Foundation) “The embankment containing the tree roots painted by Vincent van Gogh does not constitute an accessory to the public highway,” an appeals court based in Versailles ruled on March 18, per Euronews’ Theo Farrant. The Serlingers, who moved to the town in 1996 and bought the land in 2013—seven years before the roots were identified—expressed relief about the court’s seemingly final ruling. “We are very happy that this is now over,” Hélène Serlinger, an artist, tells the Independent’s Athena Stavrou. “The mayor tried to grab the bottom part of the [site] by saying it was part of the road, which is terrible.” Since 2020, the couple has operated vangoghroots.com and hosted guided tours of the site for $9, adding it to the network of van Gogh-related sites that pepper Auvers-sur-Oise, including the room where he died, the wheat field where he painted Wheatfield with Crows and his grave on the outskirts of town. The postcard where the location of Tree Roots was recognized Arthénon / Van Gogh Museum “We’re going to devote our energy now to protecting the site,” Jean-François Serlinger, a retired tax inspector, tells the Times of London’s Charles Bremner. “This story is behind us.” For the mayor, however, the story is far from over. She denounced the court’s decision in a statement posted to Facebook on April 1 and suggested that the town would appeal the ruling even further. “The question of ownership is not settled,” Mézières wrote. “These roots are a common good, not a commercial object.” But for 130 years, the location of the infamous roots was a mystery. Van Gogh’s abstract, swirling painting offered no definitive clues. The roots belonged to no one. It wasn’t until Wouter van der Veen, the scientific director of the Institut van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise, discovered a 1900s postcard depicting the hillside along Rue Daubigny that the location of the painting finally became clear. Tree Roots overlaid on the historic postcard Arthénon / Van Gogh Museum “Every element of this mysterious painting can be explained by observation of the postcard and the location: the shape of the hillside, the roots, their relation to each other, the composition of the earth and the presence of a steep limestone face,” van der Veen explained in a statement from the Van Gogh Museum in 2020. After a historical photograph showed a different angle of the same site and a dendrologist examined the modern hillside, the location of van Gogh’s last painting was confirmed. “Ending his life with this painting makes so much sense,” van der Veen told the New York Times’ Nina Siegal in 2020. “The painting illustrates the struggle of life, and a struggle with death. That’s what he leaves behind. It is a farewell note in colors.” Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Though Apple remains the dominant smartphone maker in the U.S., Google’s Android mobile operating system is a hit with enterprises and businesses thanks to its flexibility and lower price point — with one recent survey by strategic advisory Stratix finding 60 percent of corporate-owned devices running the tech. Now, Google wants to use its Ge…Read More