John Edwards, Technology Journalist & AuthorApril 24, 20254 Min Readheliography / Stockimo via Alamy Stock PhotoOne of the great things about AI is that getting started with the technology doesn't have to be a time or money drain. Understanding AI and its long-term business value can be achieved simply by experimenting with a few inexpensive deployments. To help you get started, here are six low-budget AI projects that require only a modest financial commitment yet offer powerful insights into the technology's potential business worth. 1. Chatbot Before attempting a complex AI application, many experts advise beginning with something very simple, such as an internal chatbot. "Starting slow enables application architects and developers to consider the intricacies AI introduces to application threat models and ‘skill-up’ in low-sensitivity environments," says David Brauchler, technical director and head of AI and ML security at cybersecurity consultancy NCC Group, one of several experts interviewed online. External chatbots are just as easy to deploy. "Many small businesses struggle with responding to customer inquiries quickly, and an AI chatbot can handle frequently asked questions, provide product recommendations, and even assist with appointment bookings," says Anbang Xu, founder of JoggAI, an AI-driven video automation platform, agrees. He notes that tools like ChatGPT, DialogFlow, or ManyChat offer easy integrations with websites and social media. Related:2. Web scraper Consider building a custom web scraper to automatically monitor competitors' websites and other relevant sites, suggests Elisa Montanari, head of organic growth at work management platform provider Wrike. The scraper will summarize relevant content and deliver it in a daily or weekly digest. "In the marketing department alone, that intelligence can help you spend more time strategizing and creating content or campaigns rather than trying to piece together the competitive landscape." Montanari adds that Web scrapers are relatively simple to design, easily scalable, and relatively inexpensive. 3. Intelligent virtual assistant A great low-cost starter project, particularly for smaller businesses, is an AI-powered intelligent virtual assistant (IVA) dedicated to customer service, says Frank Schneider, AI evangelist at AI analytics firm Verint. "IVAs can handle routine customer inquiries, provide information, and even assist with basic troubleshooting." Many IVA solutions are affordable or even free, making them easily accessible to any small business, Schneider says. They're also relatively simple to create and can integrate with existing systems, requiring minimal technical expertise. Related:4. Internal knowledge base An initial AI project should be internal-facing, low risk, and useful, says Loren Absher, a director and lead analyst with technology research and advisory firm ISG. An AI-powered internal knowledge base meets all of those goals. "It lets employees quickly access company policies, training materials, and process documentation, using natural language." "This type of project is a perfect introduction to AI because it’s practical, low cost, and reduces risk by staying internal," Absher says. "It gives the company hands-on experience with AI fundamentals -- data management, model training, and user interaction -- without disrupting external operations," he notes. "Plus, it’s easy to experiment with open-source tools and pay-as-you-go AI services, so there’s no big upfront investment." The best approach to creating an AI-driven internal knowledge base is to assign a cross-functional team to the project, Absher advises. An IT or a data specialist can handle the technical side, a business process owner will ensure its usefulness, and someone from compliance or knowledge management will help keep the information accurate and secure, he says. Related:5. Ad builder Anmol Agarwal, founder of corporate training firm Alora Tech, believes that a great low-cost way to get your feet wet is using generative AI tools to enhance business productivity. "For example, use GenAI to create ads for your company, create email templates, even revise emails." Agarwal is bullish on GenAI. She notes that only minimum effort is required, since the code is already there and doesn't require programming experience. 6. Sales lead scoring An AI-powered lead scoring program is a low-cost, yet highly practical, AI starter project, says Egor Belenkov, founder and CEO of digital signage solutions provider Kitcast. With the help of historical data and behaviors, the program will help users find leads based on their likelihood of conversion into customers. "This tool will help the sales team to focus on high-potential leads and improve conversion rates significantly." This project makes a great starting point due to its ease in implementation and the value it provides, Belenkov says. "Sales teams will be able to personalize their outreach based on their needs and requirements," he explains. "It will also help the marketing team by adjusting their campaigns based on which leads are identified as most valuable." Another important benefit is the ability to analyze patterns across multiple points, such as website activity or email engagement, to predict which leads will be most likely to convert. "This eliminates the guessing game about which clients would decide to buy and which wouldn't," Belenkov says. About the AuthorJohn EdwardsTechnology Journalist & AuthorJohn Edwards is a veteran business technology journalist. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and numerous business and technology publications, including Computerworld, CFO Magazine, IBM Data Management Magazine, RFID Journal, and Electronic Design. He has also written columns for The Economist's Business Intelligence Unit and PricewaterhouseCoopers' Communications Direct. John has authored several books on business technology topics. His work began appearing online as early as 1983. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, he wrote daily news and feature articles for both the CompuServe and Prodigy online services. His "Behind the Screens" commentaries made him the world's first known professional blogger.See more from John EdwardsReportsMore ReportsNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also Like

It was only a matter of time before McDonald’s released their own version of chicken strips, as chains specializing in the menu item continue to expand.McDonald's has announced the addition of McCrispy Strips to its menu.What Are McCrispy Strips?Raising Cane’s is popping up just about everywhere. Taco Bell is bringing back its crispy chicken nuggets.McDonald’s is making its own move in the chicken wars of 2025 by offering McCrispy Strips at all locations sometime before May 5.According to details released by the fast food giant, McCrispy Strips will be sold in three- and four-count options and will feature 100 percent white meat chicken that is coated with breading. The breading also will have a hint of black pepper flavor.Someone eating McCrispy stripsMcDonald’sloading...“The demand for chicken strips has been remarkable to see across the industry, so we knew we had to deliver something so craveable it was worth the wait,” McDonald’s chief marketing and customer experience officer Alussa Buetikofer said via press release.McDonald’s Adding Creamy Chili DipIn addition to McCrispy Strips, McDonald's has announced the launch of a new dipping sauce called Creamy Chili Dip.Creamy Chili DipMcDonald’sloading...Specific ingredients for the chili dip, which is listed as “McCrispy Strip Dip” on its packaging, were not available at press time. McDonald's describes it as a “savory, sweet and tangy sauce.”The introduction of Creamy Chili Dip comes just weeks after McDonald’s launched the fiery Nether Flame Sauce as part of a promotion for the recently-released A Minecraft Movie.READ MORE: McDonald’s Quietly Tested A New Drink; It’s Now Being Served EverywhereAnd while that sauce was a temporary offering, McDonald’s says both the McCrispy Strips and the Creamy Chili Dip will be permanent menu items at its restaurants. The last addition to the chain’s permanent menu was the Crispy Chicken Sandwich in 2021.13 Totally Random Facts About McDonald's Chicken McNuggetsDid you know it wasn't originally supposed to be chicken in the McNugget? Do you remember the original four dipping sauces?Gallery Credit: Rob CarrollREAD MORE: The Craziest Fast Food Menu Items EverGet our free mobile appThe Best ’90s Happy Meal ToysThe ’90s were the Golden Age of Golden Arches giveaways — and here are 20 examples of great Happy Meal toys that prove it.Filed Under: Chain Restaurants, Fast Food, McDonald'sCategories: Original Features

The past few years have been an almost nonstop parade of good news for climate tech in the US. Headlines about billion-dollar grants from the government, massive private funding rounds, and labs churning out advance after advance have been routine. Now, though, things are starting to shift.   About $8 billion worth of US climate tech projects have been canceled or downsized so far in 2025. (You can see a map of those projects in my latest story here.)  There are still projects moving forward, but these cancellations definitely aren’t a good sign. And now we have tariffs to think about, adding additional layers of expense and, worse, uncertainty. (Businesses, especially those whose plans require gobs of money, really don’t like uncertainty.) Honestly, I’m still getting used to an environment that isn’t such a positive one for climate technology. How worried should we be? Let’s get into the context. Sometimes, one piece of news can really drive home a much larger trend. For example, I’ve read a bazillion studies about extreme weather and global warming, but every time a hurricane comes close to my mom’s home in Florida, the threat of climate-fueled extreme weather becomes much more real for me. A recent announcement about climate tech hit me in much the same fashion. In February, Aspen Aerogels announced it was abandoning plans for a Georgia factory that would have made materials that can suppress battery fires. The news struck me, because just a few months before, in October, I had written about the Department of Energy’s $670 million loan commitment for the project. It was a really fun story, both because I found the tech fascinating and because MIT Technology Review got the exclusive access to cover it first. And now, suddenly, that plan is just dead. Aspen said it will shift some of its production to a factory in Rhode Island and send some overseas. (I reached out to the company with questions for my story last week, but they didn’t get back to me.) One example doesn’t always mean there’s a trend; I got food poisoning at a sushi restaurant once, but I haven’t cut out sashimi permanently. The bad news, though, is that Aspen’s cancellation is just one of many. Over a dozen major projects in climate technology have gotten killed so far this year, as the nonprofit E2 tallied up in a new report last week. That’s far from typical. I got some additional context from Jay Turner, who runs Big Green Machine, a database that also tracks investments in the climate-tech supply chain. That project includes some data that E2 doesn’t account for: news about when projects are delayed or take steps forward. On Monday, the Big Green Machine team released a new update, one that Turner called “concerning.” Since Donald Trump took office on January 20, about $10.5 billion worth of investment in climate tech projects has progressed in some way. That basically means 26 projects were announced, secured new funding, increased in scale, or started construction or production. Meanwhile, $12.2 billion across 14 projects has slowed down in some way. This covers projects that were canceled, were delayed significantly, or lost funding, as well as companies that went bankrupt. So by total investment, there’s been more bad news in climate tech than good news, according to Turner’s tracking. It’s tempting to look for the silver lining here. The projects still moving forward are certainly positive, and we’ll hopefully continue to see some companies making progress even as we head into even more uncertain times. But the signs don’t look good. One question that I have going forward is how a seemingly inevitable US slowdown on climate technology will ripple around the rest of the world. Several experts I’ve spoken with seem to agree that this will be a great thing for China, which has aggressively and consistently worked to establish itself as a global superpower in industries like EVs and batteries. In other words, the energy transition is rolling on. Will the US get left behind?  This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here.

Tim Galloway says around 75% of applications are still being rejected because of missing or flawed information Around 75% of gateway 2 applications for higher risk buildings are still being turned back by the BSR The deputy boss of the Building Safety Regulator has blamed a lack of industry design expertise for contributing to gateway 2 delays as he admitted “underestimating” how hard the transition to the new regime would be for firms. Health and Safety Executive deputy director Tim Galloway told Building Design he had assumed demonstrating fire and structural safety in higher risk schemes, including residential buildings above 18m, would be “something that [industry firms] would already be able to do”. Around 75% of applications for higher risk schemes, including residential buildings above 18 metres, are still being turned back by the regulator at the gateway 2 stage for pre-construction approval. While applications which are accepted are also being delayed by the regulator’s outsourcing model for assembling technical teams, which has struggled with a lack of capacity in the building control sector, flawed applications submitted by project teams are understood to be the main cause of hold ups. Galloway said gateway 2 applicants “don’t quite as yet understand what is expected of them” despite several years of signalling by the Health and Safety Executive, which contains the regulator, on what the requirements of the new regime would be. The regulator is currently rejecting around 40% of gateway 2 applications because they fail to meet requirements and another 35% because they are missing key information, sometimes of a “basic” level, Galloway said. In one case, an application was returned as the applicant had failed to provide any material demonstrating how a scheme complied with building regulations and instead had simply written “it complies” on the application form. Others have failed to demonstrate the foundations would be strong enough to support the building or that evacuation routes would be kept free of smoke in the event of a fire, according to Galloway. “This is fairly fundamental stuff and standards that are at least a decade and a half old in terms of what’s intended to be achieved, and that’s quite worrying that applications are not able to show fire safety and not able to show structural safety, which one would have expected,” he said. While the BSR had done modelling on how the industry would respond to the new regime, Galloway admitted this had “not survived contact with reality”. Although he said some industry firms had put measures in place to prepare for the new regime before it came into force in October 2023, he said others had taken “more of a wait and see approach and are now trying to catch up a little”. Galloway led the team which was producing guidance in the run-up to the new regime but confessed some of it had been kept “conceptual” for longer than expected because of delays in the legislation. He said the BSR is now carrying out “intense” work with the Construction Leadership Council to provide more detailed guidance but called for industry firms to take the lead. “I want industry to write that guidance, because it will be better than anything I could write,” he said. “You need people who have got that deep construction industry experience, who understand the process, understand the right phraseology, understand how the designers and the architects and the other players interact, because they will write it with that in mind.” Asked if he would do anything different in light of the delays to gateway 2 approvals, he said it “would be to recognize that this might be more of a change for the industry than I’d anticipated”. “When one looks at the applications that we’ve received, and some of them not being able to demonstrate structural safety, not being able to demonstrate fire safety, perhaps I thought of that as being something that they’d already be able to do, and it would be more about helping them through the process of demonstrating that in a different way.  “What we have learned, I think, is that there’s more of a need for that investment in upfront design, that thinking to be done by those submitting the applications earlier, and that’s something that has required more transition for the industry than I think we’d expected.” The British Property Federation blamed “significant delays” at the BSR for a 14% decrease in the number of build-to-rent homes under construction in the first quarter of this year compared to last year in a report published earlier this week. The paper showed London has seen the steepest fall, down 18% year-on-year to 15,000 homes under construction, while the regions dropped by 12% to 34,870. Student housing developer Unite has said the issues were adding six months to the average length of build programmes while Quintain has been waiting more than nine months for sign-off on one of its schemes at Wembley Park.

The Celestial Guardians packs are themed around the legendary Pokemon from Sun and Moon.

April 24, 20253 min read84 Percent of Corals Impacted in Mass Bleaching EventThe world is experiencing the most intense global coral bleaching event on record, with 84 percent of reefs experiencing heat stress from warming oceansBy Andrea Thompson edited by Dean VisserFish swim around a bleached coral. d3_plus D.Naruse @ Japan/Getty ImagesAll around the world, from the Great Barrier Reef to the Florida Keys, the bright, vibrant colors of coral reefs have turned ghostly white in vast swaths as our planet has experienced the largest mass coral bleaching event on record. The crisis could have enormous consequences for ocean ecosystems and the global economy.Some 84 percent of the world’s reefs have been hit by bleaching since January 1, 2023, according to the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), a global partnership among various countries and organizations. This is the fourth global bleaching event since 1998, and it surpasses the record set by the previous one, which lasted from 2014 to 2017 and affected two thirds of the ocean’s reefs.What is coral bleaching?On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Corals are symbiotic animals: they get their bright colors from algae that live within them. The corals supply the algae with needed nitrogen, and the algae in turn supply the corals with the carbon they use as food. But if the water gets too warm, the algae release toxic compounds, and the corals expel the algae, leaving the corals with clear tissues through which their white skeleton is visible. If temperatures cool again, algae can recolonize the corals, and the reef can heal. But during the time the algae are gone, the corals become weakened and more susceptible to disease and pollution—and if the algae stay away too long, the corals die.That’s not just a concern for people who enjoy diving to view the teeming reefs; bleaching has potentially huge ecological and economic ramifications. Reefs are extremely biodiverse—they are sometimes called the “rainforests of the sea”—and support about one third of all known marine life. Corals also protect shorelines from erosion and storms. Some research has estimated they contribute about $9.8 trillion to the global economy each year.During the current bleaching event, “82 countries, territories and economies” have suffered damage as a result, the ICRI says.What is causing the mass bleaching event?The event has been driven by persistent, exceptionally hot ocean temperatures, fueled by global warming. The average global temperature is about 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius) higher than it was in the late 19th century, and the bulk of that excess heat has been absorbed by the oceans. The average global ocean surface temperature reached a record-warm level in 2024, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.A map showing the maximum extent of coral bleaching in 2024. From blue to dark purple, the colors show increasing threats of bleaching and coral mortality. Light blue indicates no stress to reefs, level 2 (dark red) indicates a risk of mortality to heat-sensitive corals and dark purple indicates a risk of death to 80 percent or more of corals in a reef.NOAABecause of the exceptional heat, NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch program had to add three new levels to the agency’s Bleaching Alert Scale in 2023. Previously, the highest level was 2, which indicated risk of mortality in heat-sensitive corals. Now the highest level means that more than 80 percent of corals on a reef are at risk of dying.As the planet’s temperatures continue to rise, so does the threat that more reefs may disappear. “We may never see the heat stress that causes bleaching dropping below the threshold that triggers a global event,” said Mark Eakin, corresponding secretary for the International Coral Reef Society and former chief of Coral Reef Watch, to the Associated Press. “We’re looking at something that’s completely changing the face of our planet and the ability of our oceans to sustain lives and livelihoods.”How can coral reefs be protected?Many scientists are studying corals to see what types might best withstand marine heat waves. Researchers are also investigating whether coral fragments can be propagated in labs and replanted to restore reefs.But the most effective ways to protect and preserve reefs is to minimize humans’ effects by curtailing pollution that washes into the ocean from land, ending overfishing and curbing the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.“The best way to protect coral reefs is to address the root cause of climate change. And that means reducing the human emissions that are mostly from burning of fossil fuels,” Eakin told the Associated Press. “Everything else is looking more like a Band-Aid rather than a solution.”

Looks like most Switch 2 third-party physical releases don't have the game on the card Judging by initial pre-order details. Image credit: Eurogamer News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on April 24, 2025 It seems Switch 2's divisive Game-Key Cards - physical releases containing a download "key", rather than the full game data - will be a pretty common sight when the console launches this June. The vast majority of third-party Switch 2 physical releases currently available for pre-order in Japan come on game-key cards, and the situation is looking similar in the UK. Switch 2's game-key-card-heavy launch window line-up was first highlighted by Gematsu, which noted all third-party physical releases seen so far in Japan feature box art indicating their game-key card status. The exceptions are CD Projekt's Cyberpunk 2077 and all Nintendo Switch 2 Edition titles - that is, original Switch games featuring Switch 2 specific enhancements. The likes of Bravely Default: Flying Fairy, Wild Hearts, Yakuza 0: Director's Cut, Street Fighter 6, Sonic X Shadow Generations, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2, and Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion all feature game-key card branding on their Japanese boxes, with 11 out of 12 Switch 2-specific third-party physical releases opting for the key-on-card approach. Nintendo's own titles - namely Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza - all use standard game cards. Switch 2 hands-on previe.wWatch on YouTube Furthermore, it looks like the situation will be similar in the west if the handful of third-party Switch 2 games currently available to pre-order are any indication. UK retailer Smyths features game-key card box art for Hitman: World of Assassination - Signature Edition, Street Fighter 6: Year 1-2 Fighters Edition, and Bravely Default: Flying Fairy, while Amazon in the US shows Yakuza 0: Director's Cut, Sonic X Shadow Generations, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2, Raidou: Remastered – The Mystery of the Soulless Army Launch Edition (all from Sega) utilising game-key cards. Nintendo unveiled its game-key cards earlier this month, as part of its big Switch 2 blow-out. "Game-key cards are different from regular game cards, because they don't contain the full game data," it said at the time. "Instead, the game-key card is your 'key' to downloading the full game to your system via the internet. After it's downloaded, you can play the game by inserting the game-key card into your system and starting it up like a standard physical game card." Switch 2 game pre-orders have been up in Japan for a few hours, revealing all physical third-party games (so far—except Cyberpunk 2077) that are not "Nintendo Switch 2 Editions" to be shipping on game-key cards (requires internet to download the full game).[image or embed]— Gematsu (@gematsu.com) April 23, 2025 at 7:57 PM To see this content please enable targeting cookies. The fact many third-party publishers have so enthusiastically embraced game-key cards this early into Switch 2's lifespan isn't likely to delight physical collectors, but the scheme does at least have one major advantage over code-in-a-box releases in that game-key card downloads aren't locked to a specific user account, meaning they can be shared and resold. Switch 2 officially launches on 5th June, and pre-orders were available in the UK just days after its big reveal. US and Canada pre-orders finally went live today after Nintendo opted to delay them in order to assess the impact of the US administration's recent tariffs. But while the console itself has retained its original $450 price tag in the US for now, Nintendo recently confirmed it would be raising prices for various console accessories "due to changes in market conditions".

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Marvel Rivals Season 2 brought a much-awaited Hellfire Gala theme, a new Domination Krakoa map, Vanguard hero Emma Frost, and a revamped Battle Pass filled with mutant-themed items. The season’s highlight, though, is the new Team-Up abilities, which introduce new powers that strengthen hero pairings. New team-ups, such as Scarlet Witch and Doctor Strange’s Arcane Order, which boosts her projectile attacks, Captain America and Winter Soldier’s Stars Aligned, which increases mobility and damage, and Emma Frost’s Mental Projection, which enhances Magneto and Psylocke with illusory clones, have transformed the meta. The community is already raving, as players experiment with crowd-control combos like Luna Snow and Jeff the Land Shark, while competitive play thrives on tactical depth. However, excitement is growing as more Team-Up abilities are leaked to arrive in a mid-season update, and they already look amazing. Marvel Rivals leak reveals next update will bring four new team-up abilities Marvel Rivals received its latest patch today that brought a new Giant Size Brain Blast event, changes to Proficiency Missions, specifically Doom Match mode, and more fixes to the game. However, it’s not the new content and adjustments that caught the eye of players, but rather new leaks that have surfaced that reveal four new team-up abilities are coming soon. These heroes will be paired up together for team-ups soon. Image by VideoGamer. Here are all the leaked team-up abilities and what they could look like when they arrive: Rocket Raccoon x Peni Parker: The Rocket Raccoon x Peni Parker Team-Up, which features Rocket as the sender and Peni as the receiver, improves Peni’s offensive powers. According to leaked data, Rocket gives Peni an Ammo Overload-inspired bonus that increases her Cyber-Web Cluster’s firing rate and maybe adds critical hit probability. This synergy might transform Peni into a relentless trap-setting Vanguard, overwhelming enemies with faster, deadlier webs. Rocket, as the sender, is likely to receive a 100 HP increase, which is common for team-up anchors, enhancing his survivability despite recent healing nerfs. The Punisher x Black Widow: The Punisher x Black Widow team-up, with Punisher as the sender, enhances Black Widow’s duelist abilities. This team-up apparently increases Widow’s primary attack damage, establishing her as a meta choice. Punisher, as the anchor, is expected to earn a 100 HP buff, increasing his frontline presence. Venom x Jeff The Land Shark: The Venom x Jeff the Land Shark team-up, with Venom as the sender, provides Jeff with symbiote armor, increasing his durability and healing capacity. Venom’s anchor function presumably gives him a 100 HP boost, increasing his tankiness. Luna Snow x Hawkeye: The Hawkeye x Luna Snow team-up, with Luna as the sender, may slow Hawkeye’s arrows, giving him more control over mobile enemies. Luna, as the anchor, is expected to gain a 100 HP bonus. Senders, as team-up anchors, are generally given huge buffs, such as 100 HP increases, to reward their critical role in enabling receivers’ skills. These leaks, while unconfirmed, point to a meta that favors diverse, synergistic compositions, with anchor benefits guaranteeing senders remain effective. Related Topics Marvel Rivals Subscribe to our newsletters! By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime. Share

If your work-from-home setup is feeling a little stale, allow us to introduce you to some of the best desk lamps around. Perfect for preventing eye strain, illuminating paperwork, and even providing proper Zoom lighting, the best designs also double as attractive desktop decor. We’ve rounded up our favorite picks, including energy-saving options, modern designs, and classic silhouettes—plus a couple of IYKYK design staples. Ahead, discover our top picks to light up your home office in 2025. Overhead lighting, count your days.Our top picks:Best Design: Louis Poulsen Panthella Portable Lamp, $265Best Classic Look: Anglepoise 90 Mini Mini LED Desk Lamp, $165Best Budget Option: Article, Fila Desk Lamp, $89Best Coastal Vibe: Serena & Lily Brookings Table Lamp, $548 $438Best Midcentury Look: Schoolhouse Isaac Desk Lamp, $399Photo: Rachel FletcherLouis Poulsen Panthella Portable LampA creative genius does their best work under the light of a Louis Poulsen. The Panthella indicates some formative design knowledge straightaway—a cult-favorite and bestseller for its unique, curved shape and bright color profiles. It’s also portable, meaning it can travel around your desktop without a bothersome cord to manage—aligned left, aligned right, atop a stack of 20 books, etc. It has three dimmable settings, so you can adjust the color temperature to your liking with just a touch of the hand.Anglepoise 90 Mini Mini LED Desk LampA classic arm desk lamp speaks to a no-nonsense thinker, someone with a straightforward eye for design. With an adjustable arm and lamp head, this LED task light has been modernized with a USB charging port but still maintains the same low-key charm of a classic adjustable light. Pair it with a standing desk and you’ve got one serious setup.Article Fila Desk LampThis tabletop lamp is big on light and small on space. If you’re in the market for something with a small footprint, this fits the bill. The fabric wrapped cord is a nice touch, and complements the powder-coated metal for a matte, modern look. Best of all: The LED bulb is included, meaning one less item to add to your next Amazon purchase.Serena & Lily Brookings Table LampThe discreet and petite brass base of this Serena & Lily lamp is timeless without being boring. The candelabra bulbs and pull chains offer something different from the standard desk lamp and you can filter light levels with a little more charm than a dimmer. But the real star of the show is the shade, seen here in wicker; classic-looking linen options are also available in a handful of charming colors.Schoolhouse Isaac Desk LampThe swing arm, domed shade, and bright ’70s colorways of this desk lamp make this the task lamp of our midcentury dreams. Brass swivels and a cast iron base make for a high-quality desk light that you’ll keep close by for years to come.HAY Apex Desk LampDanish design lovers can head straight to Hay for simple, angular desk accessories, like this metal desk lamp, a modern take on the classic banker’s lamp. An angular shade pivots 360 degrees so you can choose between ambient light, or task lighting. The curved chrome neck gives an elegance that bars this design from becoming too industrial.Bohon LED Desk Lamp with USB Charging PortWhile it might not be the most aesthetic on the list, this pick from Amazon is no eye-sore, and we can’t ignore that it combines nearly every function a good desk lamp might: a USB charging port, dimmable settings, a gooseneck design for adjusting light wherever you may need it, and an energy efficient auto-dim setting. Ten-watt LED lights provide a maximum of 900 lumens—if you want to get scientific about it—and the frequency it emits is “eye-caring,” i.e. soft, stable, and non-flickering.Billy Cotton Bennett Table LampAD100 alum Billy Cotton brought his considerable talents to West Elm in his recent collaboration. He produced 25 essential items for the brand, including this geometric lamp. The integrated LED light casts a warm white glow and the metal and glass shade (available in pale blue or parchment) diffuses the light in the space.Arhaus Anita Table LampSometimes the lamp deserves to be the star of the show. This stone and glass shade is breathtakingly beautiful without being too loud or funky. The sturdy stainless steel and brass coated base adds some nice visual heft, but at two inches in diameter it’s a slimmer silhouette that won’t take up too much tabletop real estate..Marset Bicoca Table LampThese bold stainless-steel lamps cast light in the exact right position. Not to mention, they have a fun swivel top design and are available in a bunch of punchy colors. They’re portable and rechargeable (bonus points for being energy efficient!), and they come with three brightness settings, which come in handy for winding down. These little guys make a great modern desk lamp, but they suit a nightstand just as well.Pixo Plus Table LampDon’t be thrown off by the slight footprint—we’ve got a workhorse on our hands with this one. The Pixo Plus has a dimmable switch, USB port, and wireless charging pad—all this to say it prioritizes function and adjustability. The lamp can also rotate 360 degrees, meaning you can illuminate specific spots with ease. Admittedly, this lamp is an investment—which is why we love the fact it comes with a one-year warranty.Lizzie SouflerisWest Elm Ribbed Glass Table LampWe don’t know what we love the most about this moody white light: the ribbed textured, the petite profile, or the fact that it resembles an oversized mushroom. It’s available in three different sizes so you could easily sprinkle these across your home to create some cohesion or pair two together to create focused visual interest.