Arnhildur Pálmadóttir was around three years old when she saw a red sky from her living room window. A volcano was erupting about 25 miles away from where she lived on the northeastern coast of Iceland. Though it posed no immediate threat, its ominous presence seeped into her subconscious, populating her dreams with streaks of light in the night sky. Fifty years later, these “gloomy, strange dreams,” as Pálmadóttir now describes them, have led to a career as an architect with an extraordinary mission: to harness molten lava and build cities out of it. Pálmadóttir today lives in Reykjavik, where she runs her own architecture studio, S.AP Arkitektar, and the Icelandic branch of the Danish architecture company Lendager, which specializes in reusing building materials. The architect believes the lava that flows from a single eruption could yield enough building material to lay the foundations of an entire city. She has been researching this possibility for more than five years as part of a project she calls Lavaforming. Together with her son and colleague Arnar Skarphéðinsson, she has identified three potential techniques: drill straight into magma pockets and extract the lava; channel molten lava into pre-dug trenches that could form a city’s foundations; or 3D-print bricks from molten lava in a technique similar to the way objects can be printed out of molten glass. Pálmadóttir and Skarphéðinsson first presented the concept during a talk at Reykjavik’s DesignMarch festival in 2022. This year they are producing a speculative film set in 2150, in an imaginary city called Eldborg. Their film, titled Lavaforming, follows the lives of Eldborg’s residents and looks back on how they learned to use molten lava as a building material. It will be presented at the Venice Biennale, a leading architecture festival, in May.  Set in 2150, her speculative film Lavaforming presents a fictional city built from molten lava.COURTESY OF S.AP ARKITEKTAR Buildings and construction materials like concrete and steel currently contribute a staggering 37% of the world’s annual carbon dioxide emissions. Many architects are advocating for the use of natural or preexisting materials, but mixing earth and water into a mold is one thing; tinkering with 2,000 °F lava is another.  Still, Pálmadóttir is piggybacking on research already being done in Iceland, which has 30 active volcanoes. Since 2021, eruptions have intensified in the Reykjanes Peninsula, which is close to the capital and to tourist hot spots like the Blue Lagoon. In 2024 alone, there were six volcanic eruptions in that area. This frequency has given volcanologists opportunities to study how lava behaves after a volcano erupts. “We try to follow this beast,” says Gro Birkefeldt M. Pedersen, a volcanologist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO), who has consulted with Pálmadóttir on a few occasions. “There is so much going on, and we’re just trying to catch up and be prepared.” Pálmadóttir’s concept assumes that many years from now, volcanologists will be able to forecast lava flow accurately enough for cities to plan on using it in building. They will know when and where to dig trenches so that when a volcano erupts, the lava will flow into them and solidify into either walls or foundations. Today, forecasting lava flows is a complex science that requires remote sensing technology and tremendous amounts of computational power to run simulations on supercomputers. The IMO typically runs two simulations for every new eruption—one based on data from previous eruptions, and another based on additional data acquired shortly after the eruption (from various sources like specially outfitted planes). With every event, the team accumulates more data, which makes the simulations of lava flow more accurate. Pedersen says there is much research yet to be done, but she expects “a lot of advancement” in the next 10 years or so.  To design the speculative city of Eldborg for their film, Pálmadóttir and Skarphéðinsson used 3D-modeling software similar to what Pedersen uses for her simulations. The city is primarily built on a network of trenches that were filled with lava over the course of several eruptions, while buildings are constructed out of lava bricks. “We’re going to let nature design the buildings that will pop up,” says Pálmadóttir.  The aesthetic of the city they envision will be less modernist and more fantastical—a bit “like [Gaudi’s] Sagrada Familia,” says Pálmadóttir. But the aesthetic output is not really the point; the architects’ goal is to galvanize architects today and spark an urgent discussion about the impact of climate change on our cities. She stresses the value of what can only be described as moonshot thinking. “I think it is important for architects not to be only in the present,” she told me. “Because if we are only in the present, working inside the system, we won’t change anything.” Pálmadóttir was born in 1972 in Húsavik, a town known as the whale-watching capital of Iceland. But she was more interested in space and technology and spent a lot of time flying with her father, a construction engineer who owned a small plane. She credits his job for the curiosity she developed about science and “how things were put together”—an inclination that proved useful later, when she started researching volcanoes. So was the fact that Icelanders “learn to live with volcanoes from birth.” At 21, she moved to Norway, where she spent seven years working in 3D visualization before returning to Reykjavik and enrolling in an architecture program at the Iceland University of the Arts. But things didn’t click until she moved to Barcelona for a master’s degree at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia. “I remember being there and feeling, finally, like I was in the exact right place,” she says.  Before, architecture had seemed like a commodity and architects like “slaves to investment companies,” she says. Now, it felt like a path with potential.  COURTESY OF S.AP ARKITEKTAR COURTESY OF S.AP ARKITEKTAR COURTESY OF S.AP ARKITEKTAR COURTESY OF S.AP ARKITEKTAR Lava has proved to be a strong, durable building material, at least in its solid state. To explore its potential, Pálmadóttir and Skarphéðinsson envision a city built on a network of trenches that have filled with lava over the course of several eruptions, while buildings are constructed with lava bricks. She returned to Reykjavik in 2009 and worked as an architect until she founded S.AP (for “studio Arnhildur Pálmadóttir”) Arkitektar in 2018; her son started working with her in 2019 and officially joined her as an architect this year, after graduating from the Southern California Institute of Architecture.  In 2021, the pair witnessed their first eruption up close, near the Fagradalsfjall volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula. It was there that Pálmadóttir became aware of the sheer quantity of material coursing through the planet’s veins, and the potential to divert it into channels.  Lava has already proved to be a strong, long-lasting building material—at least in its solid state. When it cools, it solidifies into volcanic rock like basalt or rhyolite. The type of rock depends on the composition of the lava, but basaltic lava—like the kind found in Iceland and Hawaii—forms one of the hardest rocks on Earth, which means that structures built from this type of lava would be durable and resilient.  For years, architects in Mexico, Iceland, and Hawaii (where lava is widely available) have built structures out of volcanic rock. But quarrying that rock is an energy-intensive process that requires heavy machines to extract, cut, and haul it, often across long distances, leaving a big carbon footprint. Harnessing lava in its molten state, however, could unlock new methods for sustainable construction. Jeffrey Karson, a professor emeritus at Syracuse University who specializes in volcanic activity and who cofounded the Syracuse University Lava Project, agrees that lava is abundant enough to warrant interest as a building material. To understand how it behaves, Karson has spent the past 15 years performing over a thousand controlled lava pours from giant furnaces. If we figure out how to build up its strength as it cools, he says, “that stuff has a lot of potential.”  In his research, Karson found that inserting metal rods into the lava flow helps reduce the kind of uneven cooling that would lead to thermal cracking—and therefore makes the material stronger (a bit like rebar in concrete). Like glass and other molten materials, lava behaves differently depending on how fast it cools. When glass or lava cools slowly, crystals start forming, strengthening the material. Replicating this process—perhaps in a kiln—could slow down the rate of cooling and let the lava become stronger. This kind of controlled cooling is “easy to do on small things like bricks,” says Karson, so “it’s not impossible to make a wall.”  Pálmadóttir is clear-eyed about the challenges before her. She knows the techniques she and Skarphéðinsson are exploring may not lead to anything tangible in their lifetimes, but they still believe that the ripple effect the projects could create in the architecture community is worth pursuing. Both Karson and Pedersen caution that more experiments are necessary to study this material’s potential. For Skarphéðinsson, that potential transcends the building industry. More than 12 years ago, Icelanders voted that the island’s natural resources, like its volcanoes and fishing waters, should be declared national property. That means any city built from lava flowing out of these volcanoes would be controlled not by deep-pocketed individuals or companies, but by the nation itself. (The referendum was considered illegal almost as soon as it was approved by voters and has since stalled.)  For Skarphéðinsson, the Lavaforming project is less about the material than about the “political implications that get brought to the surface with this material.” “That is the change I want to see in the world,” he says. “It could force us to make radical changes and be a catalyst for something”—perhaps a social megalopolis where citizens have more say in how resources are used and profits are shared more evenly. Cynics might dismiss the idea of harnessing lava as pure folly. But the more I spoke with Pálmadóttir, the more convinced I became. It wouldn’t be the first time in modern history that a seemingly dangerous idea (for example, drilling into scalding pockets of underground hot springs) proved revolutionary. Once entirely dependent on oil, Iceland today obtains 85% of its electricity and heat from renewable sources. “[My friends] probably think I’m pretty crazy, but they think maybe we could be clever geniuses,” she told me with a laugh. Maybe she is a little bit of both. Elissaveta M. Brandon is a regular contributor to Fast Company and Wired.

Colin Doig carried out 225 hours of unpaid work after pleading guilty to 2022 assault which also left his wife seriously injuredThe Architects Registration Board has permanently removed an Aberdeen council architect from the Architects Register after he chased his 14-year-old son with a meat cleaver and seriously injured his wife. Colin Doig has been handed an erasure order by the Arb’s professional conduct committee following the assault, which took place at his family home in Dundee in November 2022. Erasure is applied only to the most serious offences of unacceptable professional conduct and prevents the indivudal from using the title of “architect” unless they successfully apply to rejoin the register. Doig, Aberdeen city council’s former senior architect and a former president of Dundee’s Institute of Architects, was convicted of two offences by Dundee Sheriff Court in April 2024 and ordered to carry out 225 hours of unpaid work last June. Arb said Doig’s conviction had the potential to diminish the reputation of the architectural profession The Arb said the seriousness of the convictions had a material relevance to Doig’s fitness to practice as an architect and the imposition of an erasure order was “appropriate to protect the public interest”. The regulator added the conviction, to which Doig had pleaded guilty, has the potential to diminish his reputation and “that of the profession generally and therefore the parties agree that the Registered Person’s conduct is sufficiently serious to require the imposition of a disciplinary order.” Doig’s assault on his wife left her with a serious ankle injury which required her to undergo an operation to have eight pins and a metal plate inserted into her leg. Doig had been living with his wife and son at his previous home address when the incident occurred on Sunday 20 November at around 10pm. He had been drinking with his wife, who had gone to bed, before having a disagreement with his son after entering his bedroom. His son, who cannot be identified, had then gone downstairs to the kitchen, followed by Doig, where the dispute had continued and led to Doig picking up a meat cleaver and chasing his son upstairs. His son locked himself in the bathroom and Doig had “repeatedly punched and kicked the door, and screamed at [his son]”, according to Arb. Doig’s wife, who had woken up during the altercation, had then attempted to intervene but was pushed to the ground by Doig and then pushed again when she attempted to get up, sustaining a spiral fracture to her left tibia. Doig’s wife had then called the police, and Doig went downstairs to wait for the police to arrive. The court was told how Doig’s conduct caused the child and his mother to fear that Doig would kill his son. The Arb said it first became aware of the incident after reading a press article. Doig has accepted all details of the incident set out by Arb and declined the offer to appear before a hearing panel of the professional conduct committee to present his case. Doig has no previous disciplinary history with Arb. In July 2023 he received a diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder type 1. He was the sole director of Dundee architectural practice Dunard Design until the firm was dissolved in 2018. An Aberdeen city council spokesperson confirmed that Doig is no longer employed by the council.

The winning team selected for the estimated £180,000 contract will draw up plans for a new cemetery and crematorium facility on green belt land north of Bakers Lane close to the A12 road on the southern fringes of the settlement. The £10 million project will create a cemetery with capacity for up to 6,000 burials and a crematorium with capacity for up to 2,000 cremations a year. According to the brief: Chelmsford City Council (CCC) is undertaking the development of a new cemetery and crematorium at land north of Bakers Lane, Chelmsford.Advertisement ‘The site has been assessed for feasibility, and terms have been agreed with the landowner. CCC is now seeking to appoint a Design Team to deliver design services up to the discharge of planning conditions (RIBA Stage 3+).’ Located 50km north-east of London, Chelmsford is a major Essex city with a population of around 110,000 people. The latest procurement comes two years after Chelmer Housing Partnership launched a search for a design team for a net zero carbon 300-home development at Andrews Place, Chelmsford. Bids for the latest commission will be evaluated 70 per cent on quality and 30 per cent on price. Applicants must hold employer’s liability insurance of £5 million, public liability insurance of £5 million and professional indemnity insurance of £5 million. Competition details Project title Cemetery and Crematorium Design – Land North of Bakers Lane Client Contract value £10 million First round deadline 1pm, 14 May 2025 Restrictions Applicants are asked provide details of up to three local authority contracts of a similar size and nature that have been performed during the past five years. If a supplier cannot provide at least one example, they can provide an explanation. For example, the organisation is a new start-up, or has provided services in the past but not under a contract More information https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014971-2025

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Video games can be an expensive hobby, but how much money have you actually spent? Steam has you covered. 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 here Since its release, Marvel Rivals fans have praised the game’s ever-expanding cosmetic library, which includes skins ranging from comic book classics to bold, creative designs. From the battle-ready Punk Hulk to the creepy Zombie Strange, these skins allow players to personalize their favorite heroes. Cosmetics, available through battle passes, in-game stores, and event rewards, have become an integral part of the game’s thriving community. NetEase has increased its offerings by releasing themed cosmetics connected to holidays and seasonal releases. The Winter Celebration event introduced festive styles, such as Groot’s Christmas tree attire, while the Lunar New Year event featured exquisite outfits inspired by ethnic elements. These limited-time events keep players interested by providing exclusive rewards for completing tasks or playing in unique game modes, such as Clone Rumble. As spring comes to an end, all eyes are focused on the reported summer event. Leaks point to a beach-themed extravaganza, with vivid, sun-soaked skins teased in recent Marvel Rivals Infinity comic books. Here’s everything we know about it. Every leaked Marvel Rivals summer skin so far Marvel Rivals Summer skins, which were teased in the Marvel Rivals Infinity comic series, promise vivid, sunny aesthetics that will complement the game’s varied lineup. While exact specifics are unknown, reports indicate a splashy event with limited-time modes and exclusive rewards, following NetEase’s tradition of exciting seasonal updates. The upcoming summer event will bring tons of skins. Image by VideoGamer. The summer event, which is slated to debut around Season 2.5 in May, will have a tropical theme, with heroes dressed for the beach. Leaked artwork and loading screens, including one for the Krakoa map, have revealed a few confirmed skins and added more speculation. These cosmetics are likely to be unlocked through event challenges, battle passes, or the in-game shop, allowing players to personalize their favorite character. Here are the skins that have been revealed thus far: Jeff the Land Shark: Beachwear Jeff with a lei and a straw hat. Squirrel Girl: Summer Squirrel, wearing a floral lei and a sun hat. The Thing: Coastal Clobberer, wearing beach shorts and sunglasses. Apart from summer skins, the comic has also teased some costumes based on the Hellfire Gala. Here’s what they are: Doctor Strange: In an officer costume Magik: An all black costume with horns Storm: All white gala costume While only a few skins have been revealed, fans are hoping for more, with Emma Frost and Iron Fist on their wishlists. Marvel Rivals Platform(s): macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X Genre(s): Fighting, Shooter Related Topics Marvel Rivals Subscribe to our newsletters! By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime. Share

Facebook whistleblower testifies that company undermined national security by working with ChinaMeta executives ‘lied about what they were doing with the‬ ‭Chinese Communist Party to employees, shareholders, Congress and the‬‭ American public,’ Sarah Wynn-Williams told a Congressional subcommitteeKelly Rissmanin New YorkWednesday 09 April 2025 22:11 BSTFormer Facebook employee Sarah Wynn-Williams plans to testify to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism about how Meta ‘undermined U.S. national security’ (AFP via Getty Images)Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailGet our free Inside Washington emailI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policyA Meta whistleblower testified before Congress Wednesday about how she witnessed the company repeatedly “undermine‬ U.S. national security.”Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former Facebook employee who released an explosive memoir last month accusing the social media giant of retaliating against her after she reported sexual misconduct, testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism with another revelatory allegation: the company was engaged in “illegal and dangerous activities” with China.Wynn-Williams worked at Facebook for seven years, starting in 2011. As director of global public policy, she worked closely with CEO Mark Zuckerberg and former COO Sheryl Sandberg. Throughout her tenure, she saw company executives “undermine U.S. national security” and said they “lied about what they were doing with the‬ ‭Chinese Communist Party to employees, shareholders, Congress and the‬‭ American public.”She he alleged that Meta executives worked hard to “win favor” with leaders in Beijing to build a $18 billion business in China.A Meta spokesperson slammed her remarks as being “divorced from reality and riddled with false claims” in a statement shared with The Independent prior to the hearing. “While Mark Zuckerberg himself was public about our interest in offering our services in China and details were widely reported beginning over a decade ago, the fact is this: we do not operate our services in China today.”Former Facebook employee Sarah Wynn-Williams plans to testify to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism about how Meta ‘undermined U.S. national security’ (AFP via Getty Images)Wynn-Williams told Senators that she saw executives working “‘hand in glove’” with the Chinese Communist Party to construct and test‬‭ custom-built censorship tools that silenced and censored their critics. The whistleblower also testified that Meta provided China with access to users’ data, including that of Americans.“Meta has been willing to‬ ‭ compromise its values, sacrifice the security of its users, and undermine‬ ‭ American interests to build its China business. It’s been happening for years,‬ ‭ covered up by lies, and continues to this day,” she told the subcommittee.‭Meta began offering products and services in China as early as 2014, she claims. The tech giant constructed a “physical pipeline” connecting the United States and China that would have allowed the Chinese Communist Party to intercept Americans’ personal data.“The only reason China does not currently have access to U.S. user data through this pipeline is because Congress stepped in,” she said.The following year, the company started briefing the Chinese Communist Party. These briefings included discussions around critical emerging technologies, including AI, with the “explicit goal being to help China outcompete American companies,” Wynn-Williams said.“There’s a straight line you can draw from these briefings to the recent revelations that China is developing AI models for military use, relying on Meta’s Llama model,” she testified. “Meta’s internal documents describe their sales pitch for why China should allow them in the market by quote ‘help[ing] China increase global influence and promote the China Dream.’”Meta is led by Mark Zuckerberg. Meta executives ‘lied about what they were doing with the‬ ‭Chinese Communist Party to employees, shareholders, Congress and the‬‭ American public,’ Wynn-Williams plans to tell a Congressional subcommittee (AP)In her book Careless People, Wynn-Williams accused the tech giant of firing her in 2017 after she filed a sexual harassment complaint against her boss Joel Kaplan, who was then-vice president for global public policy. Meta previously told The Independent in a statement that she was fired for “poor performance and toxic behavior” and noted that an investigation into the incident determined that she made “misleading and unfounded allegations of harassment.” Kaplan now serves as chief global affairs officer.After her memoir was published in March, Meta sought to prevent her from further promoting the book, claiming that the allegations violated a non-disparagement clause in her severance agreement. The company described Wynn-Williams’ allegations detailed in her memoir as “a mix of out-of-date and previously reported claims about the company and false accusations about our executives.” A legal representative for Wynn-Williams shared a statement with The Independent last month: “Meta has made a number of false and inconsistent statements about Sarah since the news of her memoir broke. The events that led to her departure from Meta are described in detail in the memoir, and while Meta’s statements are trying to mislead the public, the book speaks for itself.”One day after the tech giant filed an arbitration demand, an arbitrator temporarily prohibited her from amplifying or repeating “disparaging, critical or otherwise detrimental comments.” In her remarks on Wednesday, Wynn-Williams described the block as a “legal gag order” that includes speaking to lawmakers. Still, she said, “I am here at considerable‬ ‭ personal risk because you have the power and the authority to hold them‬‭ accountable.”In his March 12 arbitration decision, the arbitrator clarified that the order didn’t prevent Wynn-Williams from “giving any testimony” or “cooperating” with a government agency during its investigation. There was never any prohibition on her testifying to Congress, Meta has said. The Independent has reached out to a representative for Wynn-Williams for clarification.Join our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesMost PopularPopular videosSponsored Features

In spite of all the pre-release online vitriol, it looks like there's a real appetite for Assassin's Creed Shadows, at least in the USA. The game currently is the second best-selling game in America, behind Capcom's massive hit Monster Hunter Wilds. Read more

NintenDOOMED?Over the decades, Nintendo has cultivated a reputation in which it seemingly strives for innovation in gaming over simple iterative upgrades. The Wii and DS were perhaps the most obvious instances of this, pushing Nintendo into the stratosphere by appealing to mass audiences beyond the usual hardcore crowd.With the Switch 2, Nintendo is seemingly playing it pretty safe, offering up a console that – mouse controls aside – more or less updates the Switch's current features with more powerful hardware. It makes sense, too; a quick sense check online indicates that most fans are still pretty happy with the hybrid nature of the Switch, and aren't quite ready to move on to something completely new just yet.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Uber is inviting customers in Atlanta to join a list if they’re interested in hailing a Waymo robotaxi as the companies prepare to launch a commercial service in the city. Uber and Waymo last September announced plans to offer a robotaxi service in Austin and Atlanta in early 2025 as part of an expanded partnership. In March, the companies started offering the “Waymo on Uber” robotaxi service in Austin, about a month after opening an “interest list” to customers. The companies said on Tuesday the public will be able to hail a robotaxi in Atlanta this summer. For the two companies, the “Waymo on Uber” service splits the responsibilities of owning and operating a fleet of driverless vehicles: Uber handles the charging, maintenance and cleaning of the autonomous vehicles, as well as managing access to the robotaxis via its app, while Waymo monitors the tech and the autonomous operations, including rider assistance. Under the partnership, only Uber users can hail Waymo’s fleet of autonomous Jaguar I-PACE vehicles. The relationship between the two companies has taken an 180-degree turn from early 2018, when they went head-to-head in a trial that alleged Uber stole trade secrets belonging to Waymo. The lawsuit was settled in February 2018. In the seven years since that settlement, Waymo has plugged away, developing, testing and eventually offering a commercial robotaxi service in Phoenix. The Alphabet company later expanded its commercial service to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Uber took a more winding path to offering a commercial robotaxi service. Following the settlement, the rideshare company continued to operate its own in-house autonomous vehicle unit, called Uber ATG, for another two years. It would sell off that subsidiary in a complex deal with Aurora in December 2020. But Uber soon began shoring up its position in the emerging robotaxi market by partnering with autonomous vehicle developers. The company has struck deals with 14 autonomous vehicle firms that cover ride-hailing, delivery, and trucking — a handful of which are operating commercially. In December, Uber launched robotaxi rides in Abu Dhabi with WeRide, and Waymo’s autonomous vehicles have been available on the Uber app in Phoenix since October 2023.  Soon, Atlanta will join the growing list of cities where locals can hail a driverless car. The service will initially cover 65 square miles of the city, including the Downtown, Buckhead and Capitol View areas. The companies said there are plans to expand the operating territory in the future. Uber and Waymo said customers who join the list will receive updates and increase their chances of hailing a robotaxi once the service officially launches. Customers who sign up may also receive early access to Waymo rides before they’re available to the public, according to the companies. To join, Uber customers in Atlanta need to update the app, then go to “Account” and then “Settings.” From there, customers can click on “Ride Preferences,” where they should see a list that includes autonomous vehicles and an option to join the interest list.