PayPal and Venmo users will soon be able to earn rewards on their stablecoin holdings, the company said Wednesday.

Leo Robitschek says he loves gin-based martinis and negronis. Unfortunately, they don’t always love him back. “After two, that decision to have a third is usually a tricky one,” says Robitschek, who has worked in the liquor industry for more than two decades, including serving as a bar director for Manhattan hot spots Eleven Madison Park and the NoMad Hotel. To lessen the pain after a boozy night out, Robitschek joined forces with another bartender, Nick Strangeway, and the founder of the sparkling beverage brand Dry Soda, Sharelle Klaus, to launch Second Sip Gin. The London dry gin is 20% alcohol by volume (ABV), roughly half the level of most gins, and was formulated over the course of six months as “somewhere between Beefeater and Tanqueray” gins. Second Sip has a juniper forward flavor, along with angelica root, coriander, bitter orange, and licorice, so it can retain an array of botanicals that gin is known for. [Photo: Second Sip Gin] “Two martinis are better than one,” says Robitschek. “But hopefully, there’s no regrets in the morning.” The rise of mindful drinking Lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a spike in alcohol consumption as Americans were stuck at home with little to do. After life returned to normal, many consumers sought to reset their relationship by participating in Dry January—avoiding booze for the full month—and giving nonalcoholic beverages a try. All this coincided with the rise of Gen Z into legal drinking age, a generation that’s drinking less than other young people before them. But industry data shows that a vast majority of adults that consume nonalcoholic drinks aren’t exactly sober. More than 90% drink alcohol, too. And often, they will alternate between alcohol and N/A brands within the same evening, a social concept called “zebra striping.”  “That idea of zebra striping and the consumer having two options results in this low alcohol space in the middle,” says Kaleigh Theriault, associate director of beverage alcohol thought leadership at research firm NIQ. “They can trust that the product is going to be moderate for them and they don’t have to be as conscious about making a decision between a non-alc and a regular ABV [alcohol by volume].” Lower alcohol sales total nearly $3.6 billion annually in U.S. grocery, liquor, convenience, and other retailers tracked by NIQ, but the category is also evolving differently across beer, wine, and spirits. Within beer, there has been less appetite for low-strength alternatives because major brands like Miller Lite and Coors Light are already naturally low in alcoholic content and the N/A brands that have emerged, led by Heineken 0.0 and Athletic Brewing, taste similar to their full-strength cousins. Redefining the buzz Fabian Clark says he enjoys N/A beers, but when he worked in hospitality and ran a restaurant in London, he consistently declined to stock Seedlip and other N/A spirits he was pitched. “For me, I felt they didn’t deliver on the flavor that I was looking for,” says Clark.  [Photo: Quarter Proof] After his restaurant shut down due to COVID, Clark cofounded Quarter Proof in 2022, launching with a gin and later a tequila and vodka that all contain 15% ABV, a level he says allows the startup to deliver spirits that retain a similar flavor profile to the higher proof competitors. “They’re not looking to abstain, they’re looking to moderate,” Clark says of the shifting consumer mindset. “And we feel that we offer seamless moderation. As we like to say, ‘All of the buzz, none of the blur.’” Stateside, Quarter Proof is only sold in bars and restaurants in New York and Miami, but Clark is in talks with a national distributor to bring the brand to additional markets. Clark also intends to move to the U.S. before the end of the year to have a more active in-person role building up Quarter Proof.  Brandon Joldersma, the CEO of N/A wine brand Surely, says that the dealcoholization techniques changed the flavor profile too much for some consumers. “You really want to taste as similar as possible,” says Joldersma. “It’s just much more difficult to do with wine than it is for beer.”  [Photo: Arlow] With that in mind, he launched the low-alcohol wine brand Arlow last year, with varietals including sauvignon blanc, rosé, and cabernet sauvignon, all with a 6.5% ABV and fewer calories and sugar than the full-strength wines. The brand is sold online in nearly all states and has scored wholesale distribution in New York as a test market. A category without clear rules NIQ’s Theriault says there’s no set guidelines for lower proof alcohols and thus the ranges for each category aren’t yet settled. Generally, NIQ’s unofficial definitions settle on beers under 4% ABV, and most wines under 10% and spirits below 30%. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity for upstarts like Arlow and Quarter Proof.  “ABV math is something that consumers don’t necessarily do when at the shelf making a purchase,” says Theriault. “And probably not while ordering a drink while at a bar.” Beyond explaining the claims about ABV and better-for-you proposition for Arlow, Joldersma says he’s fielded questions like if Arlow adds water to dilute it (they don’t). “This is a brand new category that we are introducing and there’s some education that comes with that,” says Joldersma. Some say Americans are finally playing catch-up by embracing mid-strength cocktails like the aperol and hugo spritzes. “That lighter daytime drinking moment has always been part of European culture,” says Emma Fox, global VP for St-Germain elderflower liqueur and Martini vermouth. [Photo: St-Germain] Fox estimates that globally, the aperitif and N/A-low alcohol segment is worth $11 billion and projected to grow 6% over the next four years. Google Search volume for the hugo spritz, made with St-Germain, prosecco, and mint, spiked by 130% in 2024 from the prior year and saw content on TikTok more than triple. St-Germain launched a global ad campaign with actress Sophie Turner last year to bolster the hugo spritz during the summer, when the cocktail tends to be more popular. To bolster popularity during the colder months, the French liqueur brand has also developed après-ski pop-ups at ski resorts. A new standard for bar menus Proof Creative, which conceptualizes cocktails menus for luxury hotel clients like the Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton, anticipates menus will soon be engineered to offer N/A, low ABV, and full strength options across every beverage category. Bobby Carey, creative director for bar consultancy Proof Creative, says the lower-proof brands are also emerging in response to some consumer pushback that the N/A brands were being sold at lofty price points on par with the full strength spirits and wines. “Why am I paying so much for a nonalcoholic drink?,” asks Carey, explaining a common gripe he’s witnessed. “If you can turn around and say, ‘This is still alcohol. It’s still giving you the same flavor.’ That’s a more winning proposition.”

A bold new building at Spelman College in Atlanta is all about breaking down barriers. Designed by the architecture firm Studio Gang, the Center for Innovation and the Arts is the new home for collaboration between students of science, technology, art, and performance at the historically Black women’s liberal arts college. It will provide a new space where Spelman’s programs in dance, documentary filmmaking, photography, theater and performance, and music can tap into emerging technologies from the worlds of science and computer science. Studio Gang founder, Jeanne Gang, says the primary goals of the project were to help the college better connect its programs and events with the broader community, and to help its robust arts and science programs have more opportunity to overlap and intersect. “Our job was to make sure that there’s fluid connections between them,” Gang says. [Photo: ©Tom Harris/courtesy Studio Gang] The four-story building is a mashup of labs, studios, and collaboration areas, with a publicly accessible performance hall on the ground floor, and college-only learning spaces above. There are design spaces, a recording studio, galleries, faculty offices, and a tech-filled Innovation Lab for experimentation and prototyping. [Photo: ©Tom Harris/courtesy Studio Gang] All this is built around a central atrium that’s lit from above by a large skylight and either visibly or physically accessible from nearly every other space in the building. This central space, known as the Forum, is meant to be used for events, gatherings, exhibitions, and, most often, design critiques for students studying a range of creative disciplines.   [Photo: courtesy Studio Gang] “Even if you’re not walking right through the middle of the crit space, you’re always circulating around it,” Gang says. “So it’s a way of giving character to this space where these interactions happen.” [Photo: courtesy Studio Gang] Giving so much of the building over to a central atrium was a decision informed by Gang’s own design school experience, as a student, as a professor, and as a seasoned designer with several university buildings in her firm’s portfolio. “People are comfortable staying in their silos,” she says. “How can you make it natural for people that are from different disciplines to interact?” That thinking extends to Spelman’s expansion beyond its campus gates. Located directly adjacent to the campus, the Center for Innovation and the Arts was intended from the start to be a way for the college to spread its impact past its historical edge. After the project had to pause for a few years during the pandemic, this aspiration felt even more relevant. Gang says that during the early research her firm did for this project, they found a smattering of small art galleries in the surrounding Westside neighborhood. By the time the project picked back up a few years ago, those had grown and more had followed. “It has really developed into a more full neighborhood,” she says. “It made sense to us for this project to be a center.” [Photo: courtesy Studio Gang] It also stands out. The 84,000-square-foot building is a large square peeking out through the neighborhood’s tree cover, and bordering on a popular public plaza. Gang says the building was designed to counter Atlanta’s heat, with its upper floors forming a shaded canopy over the ground floor, creating what she calls a “porch-like” feeling. [Photo: ©Tom Harris/courtesy Studio Gang] The rest of the building is wrapped with a slitted facade of sun shades that resemble a woven basket—a notable departure from the traditional brick buildings that make up much of Spelman’s campus. The baffles are specifically tuned to block sunlight and glare from each part of the building, with a tighter weave on the south and southwest. “They’re very functional but also makes it feel more friendly,” Gang says. “It’s not a hard exterior of solid brick, and this lets it be more in the environment, breathing.” All of which helps the building foster connections with the surrounding neighborhood. But the main users will be the students of the college, and Gang says the fluidity of the spaces inside were essential elements of designing a building so focused on collaboration and innovation. “The building creates the relationships that you’re going to have with other people, other creators, and your own work,” she says, “so it’s really important to get it right.”

If you wear corrective lenses and are applying eye makeup, you've got a dilemma: You need the glasses to see what you're doing, yet you can't apply the makeup with the glasses in the way.These Magnified Makeup Glasses with Flip Lens, by cosmetics company Donna May London, are designed to solve that. They contain a single lens that can be rotated over each eye, allowing easier application. The units run $14, and the lenses are available in a range of diopters from +1.5 to +4.

Here's a rare example of a superior tool design that costs less than an inferior design.First off, we'll start with the lesser design. Japanese tool brand Suizan makes this Folding Ryoba (double-sided) pull saw. The handle folds for transport but, once folded, they only protect the teeth on one side. In order to protect both sets of teeth, you need an additional sheath or case. It retails for around $50. ToughBuilt, a U.S. tool brand that seemingly came out of nowhere a decade ago and has exploded across the marketplace, offers this Folding Pull Saw. Like Suizan's offering, it has both rip and crosscut teeth; unlike Suizan's the handle folds to protect both sets of teeth, like a gigantic butterfly knife. And the folding handles are actually made with steel, unlike Suizan's, which are polypropylene. Here's the kicker: The ToughBuilt saw retails for $30. How are they able to offer more tool for less money? My guess is that they manufacture in China; until recently the saw was sold for as little as $18, and the price bump is probably in reaction to the tariff war. Depending on how things go, this tool might eventually end up costing more than Suizan's.

HEAD stripped the racket back to its essentials. The Boom Raw launches today, Earth Day 2025, with zero surface coatings and a full commitment to lower-impact manufacturing. What’s visible is the raw carbon fiber frame, molded without added gloss or graphic layers. This isn’t about highlighting sustainability in a brochure. The racket itself becomes the message. Designer: HEAD The Boom Raw is constructed entirely from bio-circular carbon fibers. Toray and its European subsidiary supplied the material, derived from agricultural and forestry biomass waste. That input avoids landfill and instead powers the racquet’s structure. The production method follows a mass balance approach, which tracks and attributes the bio-based content throughout the manufacturing process. Skipping the paint stage reduces chemical exposure and lowers the energy needed to complete each unit. HEAD also leaves out finishing touches that usually serve no performance purpose. That choice reduces emissions and simplifies recycling at the end of the racket’s usable life. HEAD retains the technical design found in the regular Boom series. This includes the Auxetic yoke, known for adjusting tension response based on impact force. The feel remains responsive and smooth. Players familiar with the Boom’s handling will find the timing and feedback unchanged. Instead of hiding construction details under branding and gloss, Boom Raw presents the uncoated surface as is. Every fiber line and contour is visible. The matte texture enhances grip and alters the racket’s feel in the hand during rallies. Nothing is added after the molding process. The frame tells its own story. HEAD released this racket on Earth Day with intent. The Boom Raw is the first production model to use Toray’s bio-circular carbon throughout. At the same time, HEAD’s manufacturing partner in China is moving to fully green energy for racquet production. That shift is projected to cut emissions by 7,000 tons annually, based on internal calculations. These aren’t temporary moves tied to a campaign window. They reflect deeper operational shifts already in motion. HEAD positions this release not as an exception but as the beginning of a more responsible approach to performance gear. The Boom Raw is designed for players who want to understand the objects they train with. It offers a straightforward swing path and controlled energy return. Feedback remains consistent across volleys and baseline exchanges. HEAD doesn’t wrap that experience in slogans. It delivers a tool with fewer excesses and a cleaner build process. There are no QR codes on the handle. No certificates tucked into the packaging. Just a frame molded with purpose and sent out without the usual extras. For those who’ve already made changes to their routines—on court and off—this racquet fits in without asking for compromise.The post HEAD Boom Raw: Built Clean for the Future of Tennis first appeared on Yanko Design.

Living in a small space often pushes us to become more resourceful with both our furniture and our floor plan. Multifunctional pieces have a way of making a home feel larger and more dynamic, giving each area a sense of possibility. For design fans and homeowners with compact spaces, a 2-in-1 table and desk concept offers a clever solution that’s both practical and fun to use. The Chameleon Furniture concept is inspired by the chameleon, an animal known for adapting to its environment with ease. Built from sturdy iron, this piece brings that same spirit of transformation to furniture. Its playful mix of adaptability and strength makes it feel right at home in any room, whether you need a work surface or a spot to organize your essentials. Designer: Heeyeol Yang Putting the Chameleon together is refreshingly simple. Its structure relies on just four screws and iron plates, turning assembly into a quick, almost intuitive process. This straightforward system is ideal for anyone who likes to rearrange often or prefers tools that don’t require a lot of fuss. The transition between its two forms is smooth, giving you full flexibility without the usual headache. When you need a desk, the Chameleon’s frames stack neatly and securely with the screws, forming a solid table ready for your laptop, books, or creative projects. The iron plates give a reassuring weight to the design, so even in its minimalist state, it doesn’t feel flimsy. Clean lines and reliable materials make it a welcome addition to any modern home office. Switching over to storage mode is where the Chameleon’s character really shines. By assembling the top frame vertically, it transforms into an upright organizer. The top frame doubles as a pegboard, instantly providing a home for anything you want to hang, from headphones and tools to tote bags or art supplies. This feature adds a layer of personality and utility that makes the Chameleon feel even more thoughtful. For furniture lovers, the Chameleon is a reminder that practical design doesn’t have to be boring. Its ability to shift between roles, along with its easy assembly, means you never have to settle for clutter or compromise on style. Whether you’re making room for guests, working from home, or just organizing your space, this 2-in-1 table and desk is a creative and sturdy companion that makes small-space living a little more delightful. The post 2-in-1 Transforming Furniture Concept Offers A Smart Solution for Versatile Spaces first appeared on Yanko Design.

Skylrk takes cryptic design to the extreme.

The franchise’s Disney era has been defined by toothless politics, but Andor Season 2 is a vivid metaphor for America’s descent into authoritarianism.

Despite being the biggest electric vehicle market in the world, China might decide it's had enough of Tesla. In this episode of Uncanny Valley, we break it all down.