These tips and recommendations can help you get some shut-eye before you fly.

“The market for social networks, or even what Meta is, is very different now than it was even a couple of years ago.”

Macworld Apple has changed its MacBook connection standard from Thunderbolt 4 to Thunderbolt 5, but some earlier MacBook Air models had their ports listed as “Thunderbolt / USB 4” and “Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4” on its Pro and Max models. What does all this mean? What is the difference between Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 3? And then what is USB 4? We thought that USB and Thunderbolt couldn’t get any more confusing with many different speeds (from 5Gbps to 120Gbps) and functions possible using the same “Type-C” connection. From an Apple user’s point of view, there isn’t a great deal in Thunderbolt 4 that was new or different from Thunderbolt 3, with which it is backwards compatible. The big changes have arrived with Thunderbolt 5. Indeed, in its M1 and M2 MacBooks tech specs, to add to the confusion Apple didn’t even call it Thunderbolt 4, listing it as “Thunderbolt / USB 4” including Thunderbolt 3. For the superior M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro models, Apple listed the ports as full Thunderbolt 4—this is because the Pro/Max versions can support multiple external screens, unlike the limited plain M1 or M2 MacBooks. Without the ability to connect to two external displays, it can’t be labelled as certified Thunderbolt 4. What is the difference between Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 5? After much teasing in 2022 and a demo in October 2022, Intel officially announced Thunderbolt 5 on September 12, 2023, and Apple started introducing it into its MacBook Pro, Mac Studio and some Mac mini models from 2024. Thunderbolt 5 is a real step up from Thunderbolt 4—unlike Thunderbolt 4’s minor (Mac) enhancements on Thunderbolt 3. Bandwidth is doubled from 40Gbps to 80Gbps, and display connections go as fast as 120Gbps—so up to three times more bandwidth than previous existing connectivity solutions. Thunderbolt 5 supplies up to 240W of charging power downstream to the connected Mac. Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Pro supports 140W PD 3.1 through its MagSafe 3 port and now via its Thunderbolt 5 ports; Thunderbolt 4 ports are rated PD 3.0 and limited to 100W. That means the Thunderbolt 5 MacBooks can fast-charge via either the MagSafe 3 connection or Thunderbolt 5 ports (using either 240W-rated Thunderbolt or USB-C cables). Thunderbolt 5 also supports DisplayPort 2.1—compared to today’s DisplayPort 1.4. DisplayPort 2.1 supports a max 10K resolution (10240-×-4320 pixels at 60Hz) on a single display, compared to the 8K resolution supported by DisplayPort 1.4. It also includes improved version of Display Stream Compression (DSC 1.2a) that improves bandwidth management. Thunderbolt 5 offers the ability to daisy-chain up to 10 devices thanks to the dual USB Type-C ports. It can dynamically adjust bandwidth, prioritizing one direction over the other based on usage Thunderbolt 5 is backward compatible with Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, and USB4 devices, so you can upgrade without having to replace existing peripherals. What is the difference between USB4 and Thunderbolt 4? Intel didn’t want there to be a confusing USB 4.1, 4.2, etc, so it jammed the 4 right next to the USB. Apple ignores this and insists, in its Apple-like way, on calling it “USB 4”. Both use the same Type-C connector, just like Thunderbolt 3, too. Thunderbolt 4 is based on the same underlying protocol as USB4—the two are tightly connected, with all Thunderbolt 4 devices supporting USB4. If someone has a USB4 laptop, they can use a TB4 device and the other way around. In fact, Thunderbolt 4 is USB4 with all the trimmings. Not all USB4 devices will be as powerful as the fully certified Thunderbolt 4, however. Just like Apple’s version of Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4 will always have a full 40Gbps bandwidth. USB4, however, starts at 20Gbps but can also reach Thunderbolt 4’s 40Gbps. Look out for USB 20 or USB 40 in product marketing. A USB4 port can only support one display. Thunderbolt 4 can support two 4K displays. The good thing about USB4 is that it will mean that manufacturers can release more powerful hubs and docks that are not Thunderbolt, at a cheaper cost. However, since Thunderbolt products are certified, it means that they are of the highest standard. USB4 devices don’t need to be certified and so eventually we will see many USB4 devices flooding the market with varying degrees of quality, as we see with USB-C hubs today. What is Thunderbolt hubbing? Thunderbolt 4 is, in some ways, just a software upgrade for Mac users. You need at least Apple’s Big Sur operating system (macOS 11) to get its new hubbing functionality. Hubbing does away with the risks of Thunderbolt device daisy-chaining. You’ve always been able to connect multiple Thunderbolt devices but in a potentially long chain, which meant that if you removed any one of them (except the last one in the chain) all the others became unusable until the chain was re-established. Now, with Thunderbolt hubbing, you can have up to four Thunderbolt ports in a hub or dock—each a separate ”branch” that can be disconnected without affecting any other Thunderbolt devices connected in the other ports. Up to six Thunderbolt 4 devices can be smartly daisy-chained. What is the difference between Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4? Thunderbolt 4 is only significantly different for Windows PCs, whose Thunderbolt 3 variations were often limited in features—where Apple always gave its users the full Thunderbolt 3 feature set. Thunderbolt 3 on a Windows laptop could lack the full 40Gbps bandwidth, or maybe not support multiple displays or power delivery. Poor PC users, you’ve got to feel for them. Thunderbolt 4 requires mandatory certification for all computers, which means Windows users finally get all the great features Apple users got with Thunderbolt 3. So Thunderbolt 4 standardizes Thunderbolt 3 for all computer users. It’s backwards compatible, but buying Thunderbolt 4 or 5 devices will also future-proof your setup. So if your Mac has “just” Thunderbolt 3, don’t worry. It’s just that Windows PCs can now join in the fun without limitations, where in the past PC manufacturers could claim theoretical specs but not deliver the best they could by being merely “compatible” rather than “certified”. It should be noted that the MacBooks with Apple’s own M1 or M2 chips had a significant limitation: they can’t run more than one external display natively. However, there is a workaround that allows M1 and M2 MacBooks to run more than one external display. In fact, Thunderbolt 3 was required to support only one external 4K monitor, whereas every Thunderbolt 4 laptop has to support two 4K displays or one 8K display. Thunderbolt 4 and 5 ensure that you can wake a computer with the shake of a mouse or the tap of a keyboard on Thunderbolt 4 or 5 docks. This wasn’t always the case with Thunderbolt 3. This is maybe why Apple isn’t specifically calling its Thunderbolt version 4, due to the M1/M2 display limitation. TB4 and TB5 are also a more data-safe technology, as they requires Intel VT-d-based direct memory access (DMA) protection, also known as DMA remapping. What else? Well, Thunderbolt 4 supports PCIe (peripheral component interconnect express) at 64Gbps for faster storage speeds than TB4’s 32Gbps and TB3’s 16Gbps. Some of the early Thunderbolt 3 MacBooks had less bandwidth available on the right-hand-side Thunderbolt ports. Faster PCIe is important if you frequently transfer very large files between storage devices. Here we are talking about the portion of total Thunderbolt bandwidth allocated for PCI Express data transfer. With Thunderbolt 4 and 5, you’re assured to have all four lanes of PCI Express available—so PCIe can consume up to 32 or 64Gbps of the total 40Gbps/80Gbps Thunderbolt bandwidth. With Thunderbolt 3, depending on your laptop manufacturer and model, some implementations offer only 16Gbps of PCIe bandwidth.  Other advantages of Thunderbolt 4 and 5 include that hubs and docks can now have more than two Thunderbolt ports (up to four) and that TB4 and TB5 cables can be up to 2 meters long and still handle the 40Gbps bandwidth. Previously, passive TB3 cables had to be 0.7m or under to handle full bandwidth. Thunderbolt 4 and (most) USB4 support the latest USB PD 3.1 standard that allows for maximum charging of 240W compared to USB PD 3.0 and Thunderbolt 3’s 100W. Remember that you need the correct type of cable for the higher charging rates: read our roundup of the best Thunderbolt 4 cables. Thunderbolt docks We have tested the best Thunderbolt 4 hubs and docking stations.  The TB4 and TB5 hubs generally feature four Thunderbolt ports (one upstream to connect to the computer, and three downstream to external devices). Docks sometimes swap out one or two downstream Thunderbolt ports for more traditional display connectors (such as HDMI and DisplayPort). You can learn more about the most fully featured hub we’ve tested in our Caldigit Thunderbolt 5 Element 5 Hub review. This hub features four Thunderbolt 5, two 10Gbps USB-C and three 10Gbps USB-A ports. Foundry The CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 Element hub features four Thunderbolt 4 and four 10Gbps USB-A ports. Intel Who owns Thunderbolt? Intel or Apple? Apple and Intel have collaborated on Thunderbolt technology since 2010, releasing its first Thunderbolt MacBook in 2011. Apple even registered the trademark “Thunderbolt” although it passed this on to Intel, in return for “unrestricted use of the technology”. But Intel is the official owner of the Thunderbolt technology. Before this agreement, the technology was known by Intel as “Light Peak”.

Apple and Google know that smart glasses will replace the smartphone as the main device people use the most, according to recent news. And the two leading smartphone platform makers don’t want Meta to own the future of mobile computing, but they know Meta is leading the race so far.  Meta is the current and surprising leader in AI glasses that don’t show a screen to the user. The best rough estimates are that Meta has shipped 2 million Ray-Ban Meta glasses and earned $600 million in revenue. This is small potatoes compared to smartphone sales, but far ahead of any other player in the market.  Competitors fear that Meta will expand its lead in non-visual AI glasses like Ray-Ban Meta glasses and then leverage that lead into AR glasses.  Meta is reportedly working on a few smart glasses with displays integrated into the lenses. One, code-named “Hypernova,” is expected to be an advanced version of the current Ray-Ban Meta glasses, featuring a screen in the right lens, specifically in the lower-right quadrant. This display will show a home screen similar to the Meta Quest interface, allowing for apps and notifications. These glasses could cost between $1,000 and $1,400 and could launch in the latter half of 2025. They’re expected to include an upgraded camera and will almost certainly offer voice and multimodal access to Meta’s AI assistant.  In addition to voice commands, users might be able to control the glasses via capacitive touch sensors on the sides and a “neural wristband” for hand gestures. A second-generation model, code-named “Hypernova 2” is planned for release around 2027, with displays in both lenses. Meta is also developing Oakley-branded smart glasses designed for athletic use, which might include a display.  According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple CEO Tim Cook is “hell bent” on launching true augmented reality glasses before Meta can get there.  Gurman’s reporting suggests that Cook has made the clobbering of Meta in this market his top priority, spending most of his time on it and seeing it as the company’s future. In other words, Cook has an obsession today with AR that his predecessor, Steve Jobs, had with the iPad in the early 2000s. Apple’s vision is clear: lightweight, all-day wearable glasses that overlay digital information onto the real world. This product could one day replace the iPhone as the company’s flagship device.  Unfortunately, Apple is still years away from delivering such a product. Several key technologies —l ike ultra-high-resolution displays, powerful-yet-efficient chips, and tiny batteries that last all day — are simply not yet ready.  Apple is also working on two new versions of its pricey Vision Pro headset, a kind of stop-gap product to attract users and developers while Apple makes the real AR product.  Meanwhile, Google has re-entered the conversation around AR glasses in a big way. At TED2025 in Vancouver last week, Google’s head of Android XR, Shahram Izadi, took the stage wearing a prototype of the company’s new AI-powered AR glasses. The demo was impressive: the glasses translated spoken Farsi into English in real-time, scanned a book cover for contextual information, and even helped the wearer find a lost hotel key card using a “memory” feature powered by Gemini, Google’s latest AI assistant.  Unlike the original Google Glass, these new glasses look like regular eyewear, with a lightweight frame and a small, embedded display. All the heavy processing is offloaded to a connected smartphone, which keeps the glasses comfortable and stylish.  Google’s approach is to make the glasses a natural extension of the phone, streaming data back and forth and giving users access to Android apps and Google services without ever looking down at a screen.  According to reports from TED2025 and The Korea Economic Daily, these glasses are being developed in partnership with Samsung. Samsung will handle manufacturing and marketing, and a full release is planned for 2026. If you take the projections at face value (which you shouldn’t), Meta will be first, and Apple will be last in getting to market with AR glasses that can be worn all day in public.  The hard reality is that Meta, Google, and Apple all face the same technical barriers that have slowed progress for years.  According to Bloomberg, Apple’s engineers are still struggling to shrink high-resolution displays and batteries down to a size and weight that people would actually want to wear all day, while also making the glasses powerful enough to run advanced AI and AR features.  Because of these technical barriers, the device many Silicon Valley insiders say will replace the smartphone will depend entirely on smartphones to function for the foreseeable future.  Building glasses that are light, stylish, and comfortable enough to wear all day, while also packing in high-res displays, cameras, microphones, speakers, and a battery that lasts, is a massive engineering challenge.  At least for the next few years, such glasses can be affordable or powerful and appealing to wear, but they can’t be both.  Still, the recent flurry of news, demos, and leaks show that the industry is more serious than ever about making AR glasses a reality. Apple is pouring billions into R&D, Google is betting on AI and partnerships, and Samsung is gearing up for a major hardware launch. The next few years will be critical, but the nirvana of slipping on a pair of glasses and seeing the digital world blend seamlessly with the real one remains, as always, just out of sight. 

Forests are the second-largest carbon sink on the planet, after the oceans. To understand exactly how much carbon they trap, the European Space Agency and Airbus have built a satellite called Biomass that will use a long-prohibited band of the radio spectrum to see below the treetops around the world. It will lift off from French Guiana toward the end of April and will boast the largest space-based radar in history, though it will soon be tied in orbit by the US-India NISAR imaging satellite, due to launch later this year. Roughly half of a tree’s dry mass is made of carbon, so getting a good measure of how much a forest weighs can tell you how much carbon dioxide it’s taken from the atmosphere. But scientists have no way of measuring that mass directly.  “To measure biomass, you need to cut the tree down and weigh it, which is why we use indirect measuring systems,” says Klaus Scipal, manager of the Biomass mission.  These indirect systems rely on a combination of field sampling—foresters roaming among the trees to measure their height and diameter—and remote sensing technologies like lidar scanners, which can be flown over the forests on airplanes or drones and used to measure treetop height along lines of flight. This approach has worked well in North America and Europe, which have well-established forest management systems in place. “People know every tree there, take lots of measurements,” Scipal says.  But most of the world’s trees are in less-mapped places, like the Amazon jungle, where less than 20% of the forest has been studied in depth on the ground. To get a sense of the biomass in those remote, mostly inaccessible areas, space-based forest sensing is the only feasible option. The problem is, the satellites we currently have in orbit are not equipped for monitoring trees.  Tropical forests seen from space look like green plush carpets, because all we can see are the treetops; from imagery like this, we can’t tell how high or thick the trees are. Radars we have on satellites like Sentinel 1 use short radio wavelengths like those in the C band, which fall between 3.9 and 7.5 centimeters. These bounce off the leaves and smaller branches and can’t penetrate the forest all the way to the ground.  This is why for the Biomass mission ESA went with P-band radar. P-band radio waves, which are about 10 times longer in wavelength, can see bigger branches and the trunks of trees, where most of their mass is stored. But fitting a P-band radar system on a satellite isn’t easy. The first problem is the size.  “Radar systems scale with wavelengths—the longer the wavelength, the bigger your antennas need to be. You need bigger structures,” says Scipal. To enable it to carry the P-band radar, Airbus engineers had to make the Biomass satellite two meters wide, two meters thick, and four meters tall. The antenna for the radar is 12 meters in diameter. It sits on a long, multi-joint boom, and Airbus engineers had to fold it like a giant umbrella to fit it into the Vega C rocket that will lift it into orbit. The unfolding procedure alone is going to take several days once the satellite gets to space.  Sheer size, though, is just one reason we have generally avoided sending P-band radars to space. Operating such radar systems in space is banned by International Telecommunication Union regulations, and for a good reason: interference.  Workers roll the BIOMASS satellite out into a cleanroom to be inspected before the launchESA-CNES-ARIANESPACE/OPTIQUE VIDéO DU CSG–S. MARTIN “The primary frequency allocation in P band is for huge SOTR [single-object-tracking radars] Americans use to detect incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles. That was, of course, a problem for us,” Scipal says. To get an exemption from the ban on space-based P-band radars, ESA had to agree to several limitations, the most painful of which was turning the Biomass radar off over North America and Europe to avoid interfering with SOTR coverage. “This was a pity. It’s a European mission, so we wanted to do observations in Europe,” Scipal says. The rest of the world, though, is fair game. The Biomass mission is scheduled to last five years. Calibration of the radar and other systems is going to take the first five months. After that, Biomass will enter its tomography phase, gathering data to create detailed biomass maps of the forests in India, Australia, Siberia, South America, Africa—everywhere but North America and Europe. “Tomography will work like a CT scan in a hospital. We will take images of each area from various different positions and create the 3D map of the forests,” Scipal says.  Getting full, global coverage is expected to take 18 months. Then, for the rest of the mission, Biomass will switch to a different measurement method, capturing one full global map every nine months to measure how the condition of our forests changes over time.  “The scientific goal here is to really understand the role of forests in the global carbon cycle. The main interest is the tropics because it’s the densest forest which is under the biggest threat of deforestation and the one we know the least about,” Scipal says. Biomass is going to provide hectare-scale-resolution 3D maps of those tropical forests, including everything from the tree heights to ground topography—something we’ve never had before. But there are limits to what it can do.  “One drawback is that we won’t get insights into seasonal deviations in forest throughout the year because of the time it takes for Biomass to do global coverage,” says Irena Hajnsek, a professor of Earth observation at ETH Zurich, who is not involved in the Biomass mission. And Biomass is still going to leave some of our questions about carbon sinks unanswered. “In all our estimations of climate change, we know how much carbon is in the atmosphere, but we do not know so much about how much carbon is stored on land,” says Hajnsek. Biomass will have its limits, she says, since significant amounts of carbon are trapped in the soil in permafrost areas, which the mission won’t be able to measure. “But we’re going to learn how much carbon is stored in the forests and also how much of it is getting released due to disturbances like deforestation or fires,” she says. “And that is going to be a huge contribution.”

The Apple TV 4K set-top box is the most expensive one you can get, but it's also the best for its range of features and its ease of use — once you know how to get the most out of it.Apple TV 4K showing on a smart TVApple TV 4K plugs into your TV set and brings you streaming services, games, music, and apps. It can be a karaoke machine, it can be a video conferencing tool, and it comes with a fairly limited App Store.But the thing about having an Apple TV 4K is that it just works. It's so long ago now that I can't remember what prompted me to buy one, but it was just for me, just for my interest — and it did not stay that way. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

These annual rankings were last updated on April 18, 2025. Want to see your firm on next year’s list? Continue reading for more on how you can improve your studio’s ranking. Being a transcontinental country, Georgia’s architecture reflects many civilization influences, with the most notable period being the medieval era. One example is the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta, a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for its exquisite frescoes and architectural details. Among the luminaries of Georgian architecture are Victor Djorbenadze, known for his pioneering work in modernist architecture, and Zurab Tsereteli, whose monumental sculptures and architectural projects have earned international acclaim. After the Rose Revolution, which marked the end of the country’s Soviet era, Georgia became the epicenter for avant-garde architecture. New public architecture projects, such as the Peace Bridge by Michele De Lucchi and the House of Parliament by Alberto Domingo Cabo, introduced innovative ideas, forms and materials that reflected a fusion of global trends and local identity. Nowadays, Georgia continues to evolve with several infrastructural projects and numerous social housing schemes being implemented. Its most contemporary architectural “landmarks” are a series of public buildings, such as the Meama factory by Giorgi Khmaladze, which have emerged through carefully crafted designs, site-specific considerations and environmental awareness. With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in Georgia based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge. How are these architecture firms ranked? The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture firm’s ranking, in order of priority: The number of A+Awards won (2013 to 2025) The number of A+Awards finalists (2013 to 2025) The number of projects selected as “Project of the Day” (2009 to 2025) The number of projects selected as “Featured Project” (2009 to 2025) The number of projects uploaded to Architizer (2009 to 2025) Each of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of Georgia architecture firms throughout the year. Without further ado, here are the 10 best architecture firms in Georgia: 10. DMARK Architectural Company © DMARK DMARK was founded in 2007 by Aleksandre Katsitadze, David Bakhtadze, Dimitri Modzmanishvili, Revaz Keshelashvili and Vladimer Abramishvili in Tbilisi, Georgia. The practice engages globally in providing solutions to contemporary architectural and urban issues. A highly collaborative, research-based design method involves clients, stakeholders and experts from a wide range of fields from early on in the creative process. The results are exemplary, outspoken projects, which enable our cities and landscapes to develop towards a better future. Some of DMARK Architectural Company’s most prominent projects include: Meskheti Drama Theatre Refurbishment, Tbilisi, Georgia Kvareli Lake Resort Hotel, Kvareli, Georgia The following statistics helped DMARK Architectural Company achieve 10th place in the 10 Best Architecture Firms in Georgia: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 2 9. MUA Architecture & Placemaking © MUA Architecture & Placemaking MUA are a Tbilisi-based architectural office with more than 10 years of experience in Architecture, Urban and Spatial Design. Their work is a combination of constant dialogue with the environment, versatile exploration methods, a creative approach, and in-depth technical knowledge. The team believes in lateral thinking, which provokes the ability to perceive patterns that are not obvious. Their aim is to produce work beneficial to society. With thoroughly thought, human-centered, and bespoke architectural solutions and design, MUA transform spaces into places. Some of MUA Architecture & Placemaking’s most prominent projects include: MUA Getaway Place, Tbilisi, Georgia Fabrika Tbilisi, Tbilisi, Georgia Green Cape Botanico, Batumi, Georgia Akhaldaba Private House, Georgia The following statistics helped MUA Architecture & Placemaking achieve 9th place in the 10 Best Architecture Firms in Georgia: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 4 8. SEDUM.ARCHITECTS © SEDUM.ARCHITECTS SEDUM.ARCHITECTS is an architecture firm located in Tbilisi, Georgia, whose work is mostly centered around residential architecture and sustainable design. Some of SEDUM.ARCHITECTS’ most prominent projects include: ARAGVI 2 POWER HOUSE, Zemo Mleta, Georgia ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE CENTER, Tbilisi, Georgia TBILISI PARK HOTEL, Tbilisi, Georgia SKI AND YOGA RESORT, Gudauri, Georgia The following statistics helped SEDUM.ARCHITECTS achieve 8th place in the 10 Best Architecture Firms in Georgia: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 4 7. Arestea © Arestea Arestea seeks to find specific material form for each new enterprise rather than to pursue the unified formal stylistic language. The power of expression based first of all on the personal strength of vision stands in a much higher rank of priorities than a mere development of a static professional signature. Architecture is seen as a process, experience of a space in the course of time based on the on the brain’s interpretation of sensory stimuli defined by the light. Some of Arestea’s most prominent projects include: Casa Alveo, Tbilisi, Georgia Villa Tsavkisi, Tsavkisi, Georgia Villa Alphea, Tbilisi, Georgia Eudeon – Glimpses of the Future City Marine Meadows The following statistics helped Arestea achieve 7th place in the 10 Best Architecture Firms in Georgia: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 7 6. artytechs © artytechs Artytechs was founded in 2014. Since its establishment, the company has collaborated closely with both the public and private sectors, resulting in the successful implementation of numerous projects. The name of Artytechs has become synonymous with international architectural excellence, as the company has received multiple prestigious awards. Artytechs is known for its ability to create intricate and imaginative projects that surpass traditional architectural approaches. Some of artytechs’ most prominent projects include: Eliava Park, Tbilisi, Georgia Multi Functional Complex, Tbilisi, Georgia Multi-functional complex at Mtatsminda, Tbilisi, Georgia Hotel “Museum”, Tbilisi, Georgia Individual House , Saguramo, Georgia The following statistics helped artytechs achieve 6th place in the 10 Best Architecture Firms in Georgia: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 7 5. SPECTRUM © SPECTRUM Founded in 2014, Spectrum represents fully integrated design build firm based in Tbilisi Georgia, operating in fields of Architecture, Interiors, Master planning that design and builds unique and bespoke projects. Company specializes in providing services in commercial and residential sectors. Team of talented designers, architects, builders and analysts strive to bring Client’s ideas into reality in a most efficient and innovative ways, preserving the environment and always considering the local tradition and context. Consolidated group of professionals committed to create and deliver world class solutions enriched with local traditions, context and latest technology. We aim to create long lasting values that embrace environmental impact, social and economical platforms with global reach and local context. We relish the challenges inherent across a wide range of work, engaging our expertise and agility to deliver lasting, meaningful design that brings value and contributes towards healthier planet. Some of SPECTRUM’s most prominent projects include: Pansheti Park, Stepantsminda, Georgia National Bank of Georgia HQ, Tbilisi, Georgia Aragvi Multifunctional Center, Tbilisi, Georgia Kazbegi Multifunctional Center Bountiful Clinic, Bountiful, UT, United States The following statistics helped SPECTRUM achieve 5th place in the 10 Best Architecture Firms in Georgia: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 31 4. Laboratory of Architecture #3 © Giorgi Mamasakhlisi We are Laboratory of Architecture #3, a dynamic architecture firm dedicated to the exploration of practical and aesthetic dimensions of architecture. Some of Laboratory of Architecture #3’s most prominent projects include: Glarros Oldtown, Tbilisi, Georgia Terracotta pavilion house, Tbilisi, Georgia Zzip Honey shop, Tbilisi, Georgia Triangular House, Tbilisi, Georgia Fillet corner house, Tbilisi, Georgia The following statistics helped Laboratory of Architecture #3 achieve 4th place in the 10 Best Architecture Firms in Georgia: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 17 3. STIPFOLD © STIPFOLD Investing creative power in architecture, design and various imaginative projects. The company’s unique name combines a simplified version of ‘Steep’, and ‘Fold’, conveying the idea of rejecting walls, floors and ceilings as separate entities, but rather continuation of each other, folding into one organism. Beka Pkhakadze, the founder, received his degree from the Architecture, Design and Urbanism faculty of Georgian Technical University and was put to practice at the local government institution for three years. During this period Beka was handling massive projects and was collaborating with international studios and foreign architects. Due to the change of regime, most projects were suspended and he decided to work independently and established his own firm, Steep Studio, at the age of 25. Some of STIPFOLD’s most prominent projects include: CURVIX, Batumi, Georgia SLASHBACK, Tskneti, Georgia LENVIX, Tbilisi, Georgia PAPER HOUSE, Tbilisi, Georgia RAXYSE, Tbilisi, Georgia The following statistics helped STIPFOLD achieve 3rd place in the 10 Best Architecture Firms in Georgia: Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 11 2. MHD Group © MHD Group MHD Group is an architectural company in Georgia. Their work is mostly centered around residential architecture. Some of MHD Group’s most prominent projects include: Community Center in Udabno, Udabno, Georgia Public Registry Office, Tbilisi, Georgia Public Service Hall in Zestafoni, Georgia, Zestafoni, Georgia Public Service Hall In Khashuri, Georgia, Khashuri, Georgia Public Service Hall in Tianeti, Tianeti, Georgia The following statistics helped MHD Group achieve 2nd place in the 10 Best Architecture Firms in Georgia: Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 9 1. Khmaladze Architects © Khmaladze Architects Khmaladze Architects is an architecture and interior design studio engaged in projects of various scale and typologies. Projects range from complex multi-use developments, hotels & restaurants, offices, to high density residential buildings and private houses. The studio has successfully completed several complex projects and won high-profile international awards. Some of Khmaladze Architects’ most prominent projects include: Coffee Production Plant – Meama, Tbilisi, Georgia Featured image: Meama Collect – Beach, Batumi, Georgia Fuel Station + McDonalds, Sherif Khimshiashvili St, Batumi, Georgia Seaside Resort, Georgia Corner Pines, Tbilisi, Georgia The following statistics helped Khmaladze Architects achieve 1st place in the 10 Best Architecture Firms in Georgia: A+Awards Winner 8 Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 5 Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking? With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year. Architizer also powers firm directories for a number of AIA (American Institute of Architects) Chapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York. An example of a project page on Architizer with Project Award Badges highlighted A Guide to Project Awards The blue “+” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award. The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on a number of factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status: Project completed within the last 3 years A well written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value High quality, in focus photographs At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings Inclusion of construction photographs There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 31 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and shared with 170,000 subscribers.     We’re constantly look for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com. The post 10 Best Architecture and Design Firms in Georgia appeared first on Journal.

Massive’s Star Wars Outlaws arrives on September 4th for the Nintendo Switch 2, but a free demo is available for those who have yet to play it on other platforms. You can download it on Xbox Series X/S and PS5, while PC players can find it on Ubisoft Connect, Steam, and the Epic Game Store. The demo allows for playing a “part” of the game for three hours and will remain permanently available across the above platforms. It’s unknown if progress transfers to the game, but at the very least, you can experience the core gameplay and check in on all the improvements. Star Wars Outlaws is discounted on the Xbox and PlayStation Stores, so if you like the demo, it’s not the worst time to jump in. The second DLC, A Pirate’s Fortune, is also out on May 15th and offers a new adventure with Hondo Ohnaka in the Khepi system. Head here for more details.

Thursday, April 17th, 2025 Posted by Jim Thacker Character Creator gets new free MetaTailor plugin html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" Originally posted on 19 March 2025, and updated for the final release. Character Creator has a new integration plugin for 3D clothing fitting tool MetaTailor. The free plugin enables games, VFX and motion graphics artists to send 3D characters from Reallusion’s character generation app to MetaTailor in one click, fit 3D clothing to them semi-automatically, then transfer the clothed characters back to Character Creator. Streamlining the process of fitting clothing and props to 3D avatars First released in 2023, MetaTailor fits 3D garments to humanoid avatars, making it possible to convert outfits between characters and even between host apps. It imports “any 3D wearable”, including stock content from online asset stores, and auto-fits it to any bipedal 3D character, intelligently layering and skin-weighting the outfit. Users can refine the results using the software’s sculpt brushes, attach accessories like weapons, then export to DCC applications or game engines in FBX format. New plugin makes transferring characters between CC4 and MetaTailor a one-click process The new plugin removes the need to export and re-import files manually, with users simply clicking a button inside Character Creator to send a 3D character to MetaTailor. The character is configured automatically inside MetaTailor, making it possible to fit 3D clothing to it, then click a ‘Send to CC4’ button to send the now-clothed character back. The import process preserves existing clothing, which is separated into parts inside MetaTailor, making it possible to mix and match it with 3D clothes from other sources. It is also possible to fit clothing from Character Creator to other characters inside MetaTailor. According to MetaTailor, the workflow supports any standard Character Creator avatar, or iClone iAvatar, “regardless of size, shape or rig”. Integration plugins for other DCC applications MetaTailor becomes the latest tool to get an integration plugin for Character Creator. There are currently free plugins for round-tripping 3D characters with ZBrush for editing, and transferring characters to DCC applications and game engines, including 3ds Max, Blender, Unity and Unreal Engine. Reallusion has also announced new plugins for Maya and Marmoset Toolbag, due to release alongside Character Creator 5 later this year. Price, system requirements and release date The MetaTailor integration plugin for Character Creator is available from the Reallusion Hub for users of Character Creator 4. The plugin is free, but you will need a MetaTailor Pro subscription. New perpetual licences of Character Creator cost $299. MetaTailor itself is available rental-only. You can find current system requirements and subscription pricing in this story. Read more about the MetaTailor plugin for Character Creator Have your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we don’t post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects. Latest News LightWave Digital releases LightWave 2025 Check out the new features in the 3D software, including viewport path tracing, a new Toon Filter, and new rigging and animation tools. Friday, April 18th, 2025 Get the free version of ZibraVDB for Unreal Engine and Houdini Updated: free version of the real-time volumetric effects tool for games and virtual production is now available for Houdini as well as Unreal Engine. Friday, April 18th, 2025 See JangaFX's first demo of IlluGen, its app for in-game VFX Check out the feature set of the much-anticipated tool for creating VFX assets for games, its workflow, its release date, and its likely price. Thursday, April 17th, 2025 Autodesk releases Flame 2026 Check out the new features in the compositing and effects software, including OCIO support, a new Type tool and AI clip upscaling. Thursday, April 17th, 2025 Character Creator gets new free MetaTailor plugin Add-on lets you send characters from Character Creator to MetaTailor with one-click, fit 3D clothing to them, then send them back to CC4. Thursday, April 17th, 2025 Epic Games releases Twinmotion 2025.1.1 Check out the latest features in the real-time visualization software, including support for DLSS 4 and a new procedural 3D grass material. Wednesday, April 16th, 2025 More News Leopoly adds voxel sculpting to Shapelab 2025 Check out new 3ds Max UV unwrapping plugin UVReactor Reallusion releases iClone 8.53 with timecode support Anima 6.0 adds traffic simulation to Chaos's crowd animation tool ZibraVDB: the new standard in OpenVDB for virtual production RandomControl releases Maverick Indie and Maverick Studio 2025.1 Digital painting software Howler 2023 is now free to download Kickstart top concept designer Neville Page's new art book Tutorial: Creating Photorealistic 3D Environments Foundry unveils new ICVFX and virtual production tool Nuke Stage Adobe releases Substance 3D Modeler 1.22 F12 releases The Grove 2.2 for Blender and Houdini Older Posts

You know, I was simply going to ignore the bizarre Blue Origin stunt flight from earlier this week. But then it flopped beyond my wildest imagination, and so here we all are.Doubtless you know the contours already: Jeff Bezos’ fiancee Lauren Sanchez, pop star Katy Perry, and four other women did a big space tourism trip in the name of performative femiladyism, wearing “space suits” cut so as to require a pair of Spanx underneath. “We’re going to have lash extensions flying in the capsule,” Sanchez said. “We are going to put the ‘ass’ in astronaut,” Perry said.This promised to be a marketing bonanza for a nation addled by spectacle. What has happened instead has been a shocking amount of backlash. TikToks mocking Katy Perry’s feigned enthusiasm for “astronomy and astrology.” Suggestions the entire trip was faked. Video footage of what appears to be Bezos literally falling on his face in Texas. Did Bezos even really open the capsule door? Proclamations that the flight “showcased the utter defeat of American feminism.” Social media debates about whether the women aboard were passengers or crew.Look, the ass has always been in astronautI have been sitting here for a couple of hours now, trying to figure out how this happened, while my fearless leader has been sending me TikTok after TikTok about how dumb the whole thing was. Look, the ass has always been in astronaut — NASA mandates that those aboard the ISS do not miss leg day. Even under normal circumstances, Perry, Sanchez, and the other women would be guilty of delivering stale rhetoric about how doing space tourism was reclaiming science for the girlies. But here, it was all happening against the insistent drumbeats of budget cuts at actual NASA, while the other rocket entrepreneur Elon Musk rearranged the agency to benefit himself. The power of private spaceflight outfits like Blue Origin is a policy failure, and an increasingly dangerous one. Once upon a time, the US didn’t need to rely on the unstable rich to get astronauts to space; NASA built its own rockets. But after a series of Republican budget cuts, some libertarian dim bulbs came up with the idea for the Commercial Crew Program, which awarded contracts in 2014. The rhetoric was that it would be lower-cost for someone other than NASA to build NASA’s rockets; in any event, after the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011, NASA had no means of sending astronauts on its own.The upside of the Commercial Crew was that it was fixed-price; the downside was that it rendered NASA hopelessly dependent on its contractors: SpaceX and Boeing.I think at this point we can all agree the Commercial Crew Program was an important failure point for American democracyHow is that going? Well, Boeing stranded some astronauts — including an actual female astronaut — in space when its Starliner malfunctioned; they had to be rescued from the ISS by SpaceX. SpaceX has been more technically successful, but that means when Musk misbehaved — whether it was by smoking weed, making unapproved launches, polluting, or whatever — there was nothing the government could really do to him. They needed his rockets too badly. I think at this point we can all agree the Commercial Crew Program was an important failure point for American democracy, propping up Musk’s SpaceX for so long that Musk could steal Americans’ most sensitive data, wreak havoc on Social Security, and use Twitter, now X, to recruit an unknown number of baby mamas.Blue Origin, meanwhile, has barely stayed in the running. The company has been around for 20 years now, was awarded just $25.6 million by Commercial Crew in exploratory grants, and its first heavy-lift launch of the New Glenn, the kind of rocket that sends up satellites and equipment, happened in January of this year. None of its known planned launches are meant for people at all. And while the launch cadence is ambitious for a new rocket, the company is still lagging SpaceX — while primarily doing little jaunts to indulge Bezos’ and Sanchez’s vanity.So against this backdrop, Blue Origin’s space tourism seems espeically silly, particularly with a rumored price tag of $28 million per seat. (Dennis Tito paid $20 million to spend several days aboard the ISS in 2001, by the way, so Blue Origin’s trip seems much less cool than the one from more than 20 years ago.) The New Shepherd flew up to just barely what we call space, remaining strictly suborbital. It’s probably pretty cool to see Earth from beyond the Kármán Line for 11 minutes — I would take that ride if someone offered it to me — but it’s not, you know, groundbreaking. It’s not even groundbreaking for Blue Origin; Bezos was on the first human mission, along with some other dudes.What a breakthrough for feminism, am I right, girls?You can see the marketing logic of saving women for later: first crew (just coincidentally all men, I’m sure), then first all-female crew. Great for marketing. Two big firsts. But the you-go-girl rhetoric feels odd next to the government’s anti-woman stance; actual astronauts and other women in leadership are being literally erased from NASA’s history. Hey, you know who was at the inauguration of the guy who’s responsible for that? Oh yeah, Blue Origin honcho Jeff Bezos. I mean, Bezos dictated a $1 million payoff to the guy whose goons took down pictures of women in science. Amazon is also paying $40 million for the privilege of a documentary about Melania Trump, helmed by Brett Ratter, who’s been accused of sexual misconduct and rape.And on top of that, the reason Sanchez was aboard the Blue Origin flight is that she’s literally fucking the boss. What a breakthrough for feminism, am I right, girls?Broadcaster Gayle King, who joined Sanchez and Perry on the New Shepherd, has been touchy about the backlash. “My question is, have y’all been to space? Go to space or go to Blue Origin and see what they do and then come back and say, ‘This is a terrible thing,’” she said. Baby, I’d love to, but I make a normal amount of money, so I can’t do space tourism, and NASA’s entire astronaut thing is in serious jeopardy. King’s “let-them-eat-cake” moment is particularly jarring when you consider that the economy is on the rocks thanks to idiotic tariffs, inflation is on the rise, and de-dollarization is the order of the day. But hey, who’s surprised by a tone-deaf rich lady?It isn’t just King feeling touchy. Perry is now beefing with Wendy’s — that’s right, the fast food joint — over a couple of mean tweets. Perry’s camp is attempting to use People to demand an apology.The thing is, King, Perry, and the rest aren’t the real villains here. They got taken for a ride. The problem is Bezos, who’s play-acting at doing something worthwhile to — what? Impress his girlfriend? Pretend he’s a cowboy? Pose as being somehow better than Musk? It seems like if Bezos wanted to make a difference, he could be using his vast influence to fight the destruction of NASA. Instead, he’s playing with his toys.Whatever is going on here, it’s not working. Even a nation that loves nothing better than falling for spectacle isn’t biting on this one. Maybe it’s just that Perry is in her flop era and she poisoned the well; maybe it’s that Sanchez, entertaining as she is, has the worst media instincts I’ve ever seen. Or maybe it’s that some of us have gotten really tired of performative feminism even as abortion rights have been vaporized and access to birth control is increasingly threatened. Maybe it’s just that no one’s rooting for Bezos or his companies. One way or the other, the all-female space tourists have turned into the butt of a cosmic joke.See More: