Easter Sunday pedestrians managed to have a peaceful experience browsing a Dutch Apple Store, as the front door was left unlocked when the store was meant to be closed.The Apple Store in Amsterdam - Image Credit: AppleA group of weekend shoppers in Amsterdam were surprised on a visit to the Apple Store in Leidseplein on Sunday with an extremely tranquil shopping experience. Entering the store to acquire an Apple Watch, the group discovered they were the only ones there, with no staff present at all.It turned out that the store was actually closed. Along with no employees, the store also had other signs that it wasn't in use that day, such as powered-down products and marketing screens turned off. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

While the European Union has now fined Apple for what it claims is non-compliance with its Digital Markets Act, the sum involved has been kept low to avoid increasing EU/US trade tensions.An EU flag with the App Store logoAfter denying reports saying that the EU was delaying fines while its member states negotiate with Trump over his "reciprocal" tariffs, the EU has now issued fines for both Apple and Meta. Apple has been fined while Meta was fined $227 million, both for claimed non-compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA)."Today's decisions send a strong and clear message," Teresa Ribera, the EU's new antitrust chief said in the full ruling. "The Digital Markets Act is a crucial instrument to unlock potential, choice and growth by ensuring digital players can operate in contestable and fair markets." Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Architizer’s Vision Awards are back! The global awards program honors the world’s best architectural concepts, ideas and imagery. Start your entry today, and take advantage of the Early Entry prices! Did you know that the name Archigram derives from the words Architecture + Telegram? The popular magazine was initially produced in 1961 in London. Its primary objective was to critique and overturn the strict modernist dogma that was dominant at that time through a series of unbuilt speculative architectural projects. Peter Cook (the dynamic can-do optimist and spokesman), David Greene (the poet, pessimist, elusive dreamer and devastating critic) and Mike Webb (the hermit-like artist and design genius) were the pioneers of the magazine, followed in the second issue by Ron Herron (the positive, hands-on designer), Dennis Crompton (the back-room fixer) and Warren Chalk (the catalyst of ideas). Plindberg, Plug-In City, CC BY 2.0 As the magazine gained popularity, the six of them worked on a series of speculative projects, drawing reference from the technologies of the “Space Race.” The Walking City, Plug-in City, Instant City and Tune City for instance, were architectural proposals comprised of pods, capsules, megastructures and infrastructures that challenged conventional buildings and proposed new modes of inhabitation and technology. Plug-in City stood as a flexible framework upon which structures were slotted in. Instant City was a mobile technological structure that “visited” underdeveloped towns in an attempt to boost their cultural fabric, leaving behind advanced technological “plugs”. The Walking City is set within a post-apocalyptic urban setting, where cities are in ruins. It roams freely through the landscape and is comprised of intelligent robots and pods standing as a literal (and visual) interpretation of Le Corbusier’s aphorism that a house was a ‘machine for living in.’ Dune House by Studio Vural, Unbuilt Archigram’s agenda was to critique the modernist principles that were, at that time, considered outdated and austere. The British avant-garde group delved into the post-war consumer culture, fetishized newly developed technological gadgets, employed merchandising concepts such as expandability and deliberate uselessness and most importantly gave the power of choice to the everyday consumer. Suddenly, a profession that was primarily based on notions of function, permanence and good taste, gave way to personal freedom and subjectivity. Architecturally, the speculative projects were focused mostly on structures and their countless possibilities, rather than designing stationary rooms that left little to the imagination. In Modern Movements in Architecture, architectural critic and historian Reyner Banham wrote, “The strength of Archigram’s appeal stems from many things (…) But chiefly it offers an image-starved world a new vision of the city of the future, a city of components on racks, components in stacks, components plugged into networks and grids, a city of components being swung into place by cranes.” Pleurotus Tower by hourdesign.ir, Unbuilt Archigram’s influence during the second half of the 2oth century is largely attributed not only to their unorthodox proposals and the disruption of the status quo but also due to the medium through which the group chose to communicate their ideas. Specifically, by utilizing popular culture and presenting their projects through a comic-book style format (via collages and watercolor paintings) they immediately turned their work into an accessible visual narrative. Instead of producing dry architectural drawings that followed standard conventions, they chose to employ photomontage, air brush and psychedelic graphic techniques, heavily influenced by artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and James Rosenquist. Archigram’s success is attributed to the intentional fusion of careful architectural critique and stunning imagery. They operated at a time when architectural discourse was stifled and needed a new radical approach, both in terms of representation and attitude towards design. I would argue that today we are at a similar impasse. Ironically, the post-war consumer culture that Archigram celebrated has now become a burden for the evolution of cities: uncontrolled urban sprawl, overpopulation and profit-driven developments are some of the most challenging issues architects are currently facing. Consequently, the need for speculation, exploration and vision is more pressing than ever. Parus Center st. Petersburg by The Svetozar Andreev Studio / Hotei-Russia, Unbuilt On a final note, I would like to point out a potential pitfall associated with speculative architecture projects. With such advanced digital tools in our disposal, architects may fall into the rabbit hole of producing stunning visualizations, structures and forms, without however addressing any contemporary urgencies simply relying on aesthetic criteria. This, risks reducing speculative architecture to a mere exercise in visual indulgence — detached from the very real socio-political, environmental, and economic challenges we are meant to engage with. While representation is undeniably powerful, it should serve as a means to provoke critical discourse, not a substitute for it. In this light, the most impactful visions are those that not only captivate the eye but also confront the complexities of our time with depth, relevance and responsibility. This year, Architizer’s Vision Awards recognize this very urgency, celebrating radical ideas that go beyond aesthetic experimentation to meaningfully shape the future of the built environment. By inviting imaginative urban solutions, groundbreaking housing models, and speculative public architecture, the awards champion projects that use visionary thinking as a springboard for innovation. Architizer’s Vision Awards are back! The global awards program honors the world’s best architectural concepts, ideas and imagery. Start your entry today, and take advantage of the Early Entry prices! Register for the Vision Awards Featured Image: “ECO LOOP” COAF SMART Campus in Armavir by URBAN UNIT Architecture, Unbuilt The post Where are the Archigrams of the 21st Century? appeared first on Journal.

Blizzard has revealed that, while it would love to bring its action RPG, Diablo 4, to the Nintendo Switch 2, the company is still figuring out how to bring over the title’s live-service elements to the hybrid console. In an interview with Gamertag Radio, Diablo general manager at Blizzard, Rod Fergusson, spoke about plans for Diablo 4 in 2025, as well as the possibility of bringing the title to the Switch 2. According to Fergusson, Blizzard definitely notices an opportunity to bring the action RPG to the Switch 2. This is further evidenced by the company having previously brought Diablo 3, as well as Diablo 2 Resurrected to the original Switch as well. “I think there’s opportunity there for sure,” Fergusson said. “I mean, we have Diablo 3 and Diablo 2 Resurrected already on the Switch, and with backwards compatibility it’ll be playable on Switch 2.” Fergusson believes that, thanks to the more powerful hardware in the Switch 2, performance isn’t an issue when it comes to a Diablo 4 port for the platform. Rather, the hurdle for the studio is figuring out the live-service elements of the online-only game, and how these features could be brought over to the Switch 2. “It’s nice the Switch 2 has the performance that can run a game like Diablo 4, so yeah, it’s something to look at for sure,” he said. “I think the challenge is less around the hardware and just about how we… you know, live services on Switch have been a little bit challenging in the past.” “So I’m hopeful that as they launch this June and as we look to the future, that becomes easier and easier, so it makes more sense to put a live service on that platform.” For context, while the Switch 2 will be perfectly capable of connecting to the Internet in order to play online-only game, the console’s handheld features are also a big part of its feature set. A big selling point for several Switch owners was the fact that it could also work as a portable console that could be taken along on trips or commutes. Diablo 4, while potentially playable on the Switch 2 as long as it is connected to the Internet, will likely not work when a player decides to take the Switch 2 out with them. Even with the use of modern technologies like Wi-Fi tethering through smartphones, the connection would be too spotty to ensure a pleasant playing experience for an online-only title like Diablo 4. Previous rumours have also indicated that Blizzard has been working on a Switch 2 port of the game. Earlier this month, Blizzard had revealed its roadmap for Diablo 4 in 2025. A host of new content is planned for the game, including the return of Belial between April and July, as well as future content like Sins of the Horadrim from July to September, and Infernal Chaos from September to December. Diablo 4 is currently available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Blizzard has committed to developing more content for the game moving forward, and back in March, a developer also spoke about wanting the game to “be around for years”.

Sony and Sucker Punch Productions have announced that Ghost of Yōtei, the eagerly awaited sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, launches on October 2nd. A new trailer outlines protagonist Atsu’s backstory as she hunts for the Yōtei Six in Ezo before it became Hokkaido. Check it out below. After the gang destroyed her home, slaughtered her family and left her for dead, Atsu embarks on a journey of revenge. While utilizing a katana, she can also dual-wield blades, and harness new weapons like the kusarigama and spear. The wolf seen in the last trailer can also attack enemies while the Ghost’s grappling hook returns. Interestingly, the trailer concludes with Atsu “going home,” seemingly re-experiencing her past. Perhaps this provides more context on what led to the Yōtei Six attacking her family. Ghost of Yōtei will be available exclusively for PS5 when it launches later this year. It will support the PS5 Pro on day one. Stay tuned for more details and updates.

Image credit: The Toronto Public Space Committee The Toronto Public Space Committee has launched a global design competition aimed at imagining the future of public washrooms in the city. The global design competition invites designers, architects, urban planners, and creative thinkers from around the world  to propose design ideas for inclusive and innovative public washrooms. The ideas competition aims to  advocate and spread awareness for the urgent need of a robust public washroom network in Toronto. Despite the necessity of public washrooms, the Toronto Public Space Committee notes that the city has a severe shortage, leaving many residents—particularly unhoused individuals, gig workers, families, and people with disabilities—without access to this urban infrastructure. As a result, this competition aims to emphasize the essential nature of washroom access in the city. Image credit: The Toronto Public Space Committee In this competition, entrants are being tasked to design a network of public washrooms for the City of Toronto that includes one single-user toilet washroom—designed to be flexible for installation at multiple sites—and one multi-user hub washroom sited at Dufferin King Parkette. It is seeking bold ideas that integrate spatial justice, accessibility, sustainability, and cultural inclusion. While Toronto’s South Parkdale neighbourhood has been chosen as the site for the multi-user washroom design, these washrooms should be flexible enough to be sited across a large diverse city, from urban to suburban centres. Image credit: The Toronto Public Space Committee The call for entries is open to all participants globally. All entries must be in English. There will be a non-refundable $25 entry fee to participate. All entries must be received with payment by 11:59 PM EST on May 27, 2025, to be eligible for judging. Image credit: The Toronto Public Space Committee The top three competition winners will receive a cash award, and have their work published in Toronto’s Spacing Magazine. Winners will be showcased along with selected entries in a public exhibition in Toronto this July. The first prize winner will be awarded $1,500 CAD, and the second and third prize winners will receive $500 CAD. Results will be announced July 10, 2025. For more information, click here.     The post Competition launched to imagine future of public washrooms in Toronto appeared first on Canadian Architect.

NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Just Flew by a Strange, Peanut-Shaped Asteroid. See the New Images From the Approach The close-up views of asteroid Donaldjohanson are a preview of what’s to come for Lucy on its 12-year quest to study Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids The asteroid Donaldjohanson, captured by NASA's Lucy spacecraft on Sunday.  NASA / Goddard / SwRI / Johns Hopkins APL NASA’s Lucy spacecraft has sent back photos of a distant space rock from its second asteroid flyby—and it looks pretty weird. The asteroid Donaldjohanson—named after the paleoanthropologist who discovered the famous Lucy fossil in 1974—is shaped like a long peanut. The spacecraft zoomed by the asteroid at 30,000 miles per hour on Sunday, snapping images with its high-resolution Lucy Long-Range Reconnaissance Imager (L’LORRI) from 600 miles away. By studying the images, NASA scientists confirmed a prediction that the oddly shaped asteroid was formed by a collision between two smaller space rocks. They estimate the 150-million-year-old object is around five miles long and two miles wide at its widest point, larger than their original estimates.“Asteroid Donaldjohanson has strikingly complicated geology,” says Hal Levison, the principal investigator for Lucy at the Southwest Research Institute, in a statement from NASA. “As we study the complex structures in detail, they will reveal important information about the building blocks and collisional processes that formed the planets in our solar system.” Further details about the asteroid’s shape will be coming in over the next week, as astronomers downlink more of Lucy’s data. This will help give researchers a more complete picture of Donaldjohanson, especially since this first set of images does not capture the full asteroid in a single shot. Lucy spacecraft snaps 1st-ever closeup views of asteroid Donaldjohanson Watch on Lucy was launched in 2021 to study Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids, which share the gas giant’s orbit around the sun. These little-known space rocks are remnants from the era that our solar system formed, and studying them will provide more information on that time. To date, no spacecraft has ever studied Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids up close. But Donaldjohanson isn’t a Trojan asteroid. It’s in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, which Lucy is passing through on its way to the Trojans. Before Donaldjohanson, the spacecraft had already observed the small asteroid Dinkinesh in 2023 and discovered it has a mini-moon. Like Donaldjohanson, Dinkinesh is a contact binary—it formed when two smaller objects collided. Flying by Dinkinesh was “a systems test for the mission,” according to NASA’s statement, and the recent flight past Donaldjohanson was Lucy’s “full dress rehearsal.” These observations are laying the groundwork for when Lucy encounters its first Trojan target, Eurybates, and its satellite Queta in 2027. “These early images of Donaldjohanson are again showing the tremendous capabilities of the Lucy spacecraft as an engine of discovery,” says Tom Statler, a program scientist for the Lucy mission, in the statement. “The potential to really open a new window into the history of our solar system when Lucy gets to the Trojan asteroids is immense.” Over its 12-year mission, Lucy is expected to visit a record-breaking number of asteroids—three in the main belt and eight Trojans. Maybe it’ll spot a pecan-shaped asteroid next? Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

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Dutch advertising self-regulator partially upholds loot box complaint against My.Games The complaint concerned loot boxes and advertising around Rush Royale: Tower Defense TD News by Samuel Roberts Editorial Director Published on April 23, 2025 Dutch advertising self-regulator Stichting Reclame Code has partially upheld a complaint against My.Games regarding in-game purchases, and how information about them is shared with users. The complaint concerned the mobile game Rush Royale: Tower Defense TD, and alleged several infractions against both article 7 in the Dutch Advertising Code (Nederlandse Reclame Code – or NRC) and parts of the Children and Youth Advertising Code (the Kinder- en Jeugd Reclamecode – or KJC). Points raised in the complaint included the following: The existence of loot boxes in the game must be displayed on the store page (the Apple App Store page apparently did not do this at the time the complaint was filed). Loot box probabilities must be disclosed. All in-game purchases must be priced in euros in addition to the virtual currency price. In-game purchases must not have ambiguous wording that suggests they could be free when they're paid. Games must disclose the existence of in-game advertising. Games must disclose the identity of all advertisers whose ads may be shown inside the game. Children must not be encouraged to 'advertise' the game themselves – for example, referral-type 'invite a friend' features. My.Games appealed the decision twice in October and January, but the commission ultimately upheld the points above. A further argument around language being used to encourage children to make in-game purchases was dismissed. Following this, the SRC chairman made several recommendations that My.Games adhere to the NRC in future when it comes to advertising loot boxes. In addition, they suggested it should meet requirements of the KJC when it comes to in-game advertising and features that may encourage children to 'advertise' the game themselves. The full statement contains a detailed breakdown of how My.Games responded to each point raised. The complaint was lodged on behalf of a child by frequent GamesIndustry.biz contributor and video game legal specialist Leon Y. Xiao, who offers additional context. "The Dutch consumer regulator, the Authority for Consumer & Markets (ACM), published its guidelines on the protection of the online consumer in 2020," said Xiao. Image credit: My.Games "These sought to advise video game companies as to what they must and must not do in order to comply with pre-existing consumer law, such as the national implementations of the EU Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (which was also implemented in the UK pre-Brexit and remains substantively applicable in the UK). "In 2024, I sought to assess whether the most popular iPhone games in the Netherlands followed the Guidelines. Most games did not follow many rules." Xiao continued: "One of the companies that failed to comply was My.Games, which operates Rush Royale. Consumer law is enforced in many European countries both officially by the government consumer regulator (in the Netherlands, the ACM) and also by an industry self-regulator in the advertising context (the SRC). "Government regulators are not obliged to act on any complaints, but advertising regulators are more likely to take action on the basis of complaints. I therefore complained about My.Games before the SRC." GamesIndustry.biz reached out to My.Games for comment on the chairman's decision, and got the following response from its press service. "We are aware of the SRC chairman's conclusion regarding this matter, which we received one week ago." "Since receiving the complaint, we have been in active dialogue with the SRC to define the right approach to the requested changes – one that both complies with regulations and respects the core experience of the game. "Most of the concerns raised have already been addressed in the game, and we are continuing to work on implementing the remaining adjustments. We are committed to providing a responsible and enjoyable experience for our players and are working actively to ensure compliance with all applicable requirements," the statement said. Self-regulation vs regulation Xiao offered his point of view on what the conclusion means, and how self-regulators work versus regulators. "In general, it is excellent to see an advertising industry self-regulator upholding consumer law," he explained. "However, it is only these industry self-regulators' hands that I could force by making complaints that must be investigated and ruled upon. In contrast, I cannot force official consumer regulators to act. "The 'real' regulators of many countries (for example, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets and the UK Competition and Markets Authority) should recognise the efforts of advertising self-regulators and pursue more robust enforcement actions, such as criminal prosecution, to deter widespread non-compliance with consumer law in the video game industry." "We must move away from non-enforcement (citing lack of resources or knowledge)." Xiao says the rule on the pricing for all in-game purchases being shown in euros was broken in 49 out of 50 popular iPhone games he assessed last year. "The rule that a price in euros must be shown was broken by 49 of 50 games I assessed. The ACM has been speaking about this rule since 2020; however, in 2024, there was a 98% non-compliance rate."